AUTHOR' NOTE: This first chapter is going to be long because all of the characters will have a point of view to introduce them. There are several characters in this fic, and just like with my Legacy in the Night fic, I know it can be hard to keep them straight, so here's a list of the main characters and who their parents are!
KIMBERLY "KIM" LAUGHLIN: Daughter of Tommy Dreamer (Tommy Laughlin) and Beulah McGillicutty (Trisa Hayes). One half of the Twinnovators of Violence. Brianna's twin sister. Ring Name: Kimmy Dreamer/Twinnovator K.
BRIANA "BRI" LAUGHLIN: Daughter of Tommy Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty. The other half of the Twinnovators of Violence. Kimberly's twin sister. Ring Name: Bri Dreamer/Twinnovator B.
CHRISTOPHER "CHRIS" RECHNER: Son of Balls Mahoney (Jon Rechner). Ring Name: Jon Mahoney.
LUCAS "LUKE" FULLINGTON: Son of the Sandman (Jim Fullington). Ring Name: Little Sandy.
ABIGAIL "ABBY" BONSIGNORE: Daughter of Joey Styles (Joey Bonsignore). Ring Name: Abby Styles.
MARKELLA "MARKIE" EASTON: Daughter of Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco). Ring Name: Becky Rae Dudley.
CRAIG HUGHES: Son of D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). Ring Name: Hugh Dudley.
ARTHUR "ARTIE" HYSON: Son of Spike Dudley (Matthew Hyson.) Ring Name: Kidd Dudley.
TURNER KNIGHTON: Son of Axl Rotten (Brian Knighton).Ring Name: Mr. Knight.
CARRIE HEYMAN: Daughter of Paul Heyman. Ring Name: Carrie Heyman.
EVAN HEYMAN: Son of Paul Heyman. Ring Name: Evan Heyman.
AIDEN MANNA: Son of Stevie Richards (Michael Stephen Manna. ) Ring Name: Richie Richards.
PHIL BRUNK: Son of Sabu (Terry Brunk). Ring Name: Tabu.
FELICIA BRUNK: Daughter of Sabu. Ring Name: Leeshee Brunk.
VINCENT "VINNY" SENERCHIA: Son of Tazz (Peter Senerchia). Ring Name: Mania.
CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE
KIMBERLY
The police station sure was busy that night. Kimberly Laughlin chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she waited for the inevitable arrival of her very pissed-off parents. Thankfully, she wasn't alone. Her twin sister Briana sat beside her in an equal amount of trouble.
"Why are boys such jerks?" Kim wondered aloud.
"I don't know," Briana replied. "Maybe when Jared wakes up, you can ask him."
"I can't believe he put his hands on me..."
"I can. I tried to warn you, K."
"He seemed so sweet."
"You trust too easily... But that's why you have me."
Both twins fell silent as their father entered the precinct. "Talk," he said.
"Daddy, I can explain," Kim said desperately.
"Her boyfriend put his hands on her!" Briana chimed in.
Their father suddenly looked furious, but not at them. "Where is the little bastard?" He asked.
"He's sleeping... By force," Briana said cheerfully.
"Good girl." Her father kissed the top of her sister's head, then pulled Kim into a hug. "Are you okay, Kimmy?"
"Yeah... He hit me once. Bri and I got him at least twenty times," Kim replied.
"That's my girls!" He declared proudly.
"Tommy!" Her mother scolded as she walked in and caught the comment. "You can't encourage this kind of behavior."
"He hit her, Trisa!" Her father replied quickly.
"Where is he? I'll kill him myself!"
It wasn't an idle threat. Her mother might be retired, but she could still throw down with anyone.
"Let me handle this," her father said. "I'll get you girls out of here."
An officer came toward them. "Mr. Laughlin, I-" He paused. "Holy crap! You're... you!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I am," her father said with a laugh.
"Tommy Dreamer! Wow, this is nuts!" He paused, then turned to her mother and added, "And you're Beulah McGillicutty! Man, I loved ECW growing up!"
"Sir, these girls you've detained are our daughters," her mother said. "I'd like to know the charges."
"Assault with a weapon... They beat the hell out of a boy... Sorry, Beulah, Ma'am."
"It's Trisa, actually. What weapon did they use?"
"The report says they used wooden sticks..."
"They're called kendo sticks, actually," Briana piped up. "He hit my sister. What was I supposed to do?"
"Briana, not now," her father said.
"It was self-defense," Kim said quietly.
"Officer, our girls have never done anything like this before," her father insisted. That was a lie, but no one corrected him. It had certainly never been so serious before. "He's a boy and he hit my daughter. She had every right to defend herself, and her sister believed her to be in danger and helped. That's all that happened here."
Her father sounded so practical, it was hard to argue. "Right... Of course," the officer said.
"He's awake," another officer said as he joined them. "He rambled about how they attacked him, but he did slip and admit he hit Kimberly Laughlin first."
"Well, I'm sure we can get him to drop the charges, then... But do you want to press any?" The first officer asked.
"No," Kim said quickly. "I think we made our point. He'll never try that again."
As the officers finished the paperwork, Kim sighed. "I loved him," she mumbled.
"You love every boy you go out with," Briana pointed out. "You know, until you don't."
"I'm an idiot."
"No, he is. He hit a Twinnovator. Did he not expect violence to follow?" Briana hugged her. "It's okay, K. You'll find a better guy next time."
Kim hoped her sister was right.
BRIANA
Jared had gotten off easy. Briana and her sister could have done worse to him. They were the daughters of two ECW stars. They'd been raised in wrestling. They had been given kendo sticks practically at birth. They were known collectively in the wrestling world as the Twinnovators of Violence, a play on their father's nickname, the Innovator of Violence.
Briana was still furious when they got home. She couldn't sleep, so she snuck out of the house and headed to her favorite tree in the park. She climbed up into it and watched the world beneath her. That was how she spotted trouble.
A girl was walking through the park, probably taking a shortcut on the way home, when a man ran up and grabbed her bag. The girl screamed and struggled to defend herself.
I wonder if there's a record for getting arrested multiple times in one night, Briana thought. And me without my kendo stick... She shrugged, then jumped out of the tree and attacked the mugger, hitting him in the head with her elbow and making him stumble.
He was momentarily stunned. "Where the fuck did you come from?" He demanded.
"EC F'n W, Bitch!" Briana replied before kicking his leg out from under him.
The mugger cried out in pain. Briana didn't give him a chance to recover. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his head and sat on his back, pulling him into a submission hold. "Call the cops," she told the girl.
"Get off me, you crazy bitch!" The mugger cried out as he struggled to free himself.
"No... And I've been called worse," Briana told him.
"Stupid cunt!"
Briana tightened the hold. He stopped talking. Within minutes, the police arrived. Briana released him. The officer looked at her and she groaned. "Again?" He asked. It was the ECW fanboy.
"She saved me from a mugger!" The girl cried.
"Of course she did," he said with a sigh. "Just go before I change my mind... And tell your parents I want an autograph."
Briana smiled sweetly at him before she took off running, fully aware of how lucky she was.
CHRIS
It had started off innocently enough. Chris was just talking to his father like he often did, but his mother suddenly seemed upset. "Chris, this has to stop!" She said.
"What's wrong?" He asked in confusion.
"Look, I know this was how you soothed yourself as a kid, but you're twelve now. It's been a few years... You're too old to keep talking to your father!"
"But Mom-"
"No! I mean it, Chris. People are starting to notice."
She means well, Buddy, his father said.
"I know, Dad, but-" Chris replied.
"I can't keep doing this, Chris! I'm taking you to a doctor," his mother said.
"Why?" Chris asked.
"Because sane people don't have conversations with their dead fathers, Baby. This isn't normal."
Apparently, the doctors agreed. That was how Chris ended up on medication and learned not to talk about the fact that he could still hear his father.
LUKE
He'd gotten supremely wasted. It was only eleven in the morning, but Luke didn't care. It was never too early to steal some of his father's beer. His dad never noticed anyway. He just assumed he'd drank them himself.
Luke was really, really bored. He decided to climb up onto his bed and practice some wrestling moves. Naturally, he fell off the bed and cracked his head open, but he got right back up to try some more. A little blood wouldn't slow him down!
When he fell a second time, his father came running up the stairs. "What the hell happened?" He asked.
"I went for a DDT and lost my footing," Luke admitted.
"Let me see."
Luke did it again. His father steadied him before he could fall. "Okay, kiddo, here's where you went wrong," his father said. He helped him through the motion, correcting his footing and making him feel instantly more balanced.
"Thanks, Dad," Luke said as his father cleaned up his head injury.
"No problem... Just don't tell your mother." His father grinned. "Oh, and Luke? Pace yourself, Kiddo. Three beers before eleven is a lot for your little body."
Luke dropped his jaw. "You knew?"
His father laughed. "I always know, Kiddo. And I get that you're trying to be like your old man, but slow it down, okay? You're still a kid."
"My siblings all drink."
"Your siblings are all older."
"But Dad-"
"I'm not gonna ask you to never drink, but drink less, okay?"
"Okay," Luke agreed, deciding that was fair enough for now.
ABBY
History class could be so dull sometimes. Abby decided what the classroom really needed was some color commentary.
"That was the day that JFK was assassinated," the teacher droned on.
"Oh my God!" Abby declared in a dead-on impression of her father. "Oh my God, the blood! The horror! He shot him! He shot JFK! Oh, the humanity! Why did this happen?" She asked dramatically.
"Abby-" The teacher began.
"Did you see that? His brain's all over the street! His eyeball's on the sidewalk!"
"Abigail!"
"Who would do such a thing? What sort of monster would kill such a wonderful man? His mistress will be so distraught!"
"Abigail Bonsignore! Go to the principal's office immediately!"
"Thanks, Ma'am. I know the way," Abby said before skipping out of the classroom. Upon her arrival at the principal's office, he looked up at her.
"Abby," he said.
"Bob. How's the wife and kids?" Abby asked cheerfully.
"They're fine... What was it this time?"
She shrugged. "I got bored."
"Of course you did." He shook his head and laughed. "Have a seat."
"Scrabble?" Abby asked.
"Of course." He pulled out the board game and set it up like he did every time Abby got kicked out of a class. It happened at least three times a week. They began to play, successfully holding Abby's attention until the end of her class period.
"I win," Abby said cheerfully as the bell rang. "Rematch tomorrow?"
"Let's hope it's not quite that soon," the principal said with a laugh. With that, Abby headed to lunch.
MARKIE
There was no justice in the world. The vending machine was out of all caffeinated beverages. "I'm dying," Markie said dramatically. "Save me!"
Her best friend Craig pulled out a can of Coke from his backpack. "Here," he said. "I had a feeling you might need it."
"Craig, you are my hero!" She hugged him before downing the soda like a shot.
Craig laughed. "Better?" He asked.
"Better," she confirmed.
Soon after, they arrived at their destination, the wrestling school their fathers ran. Twice a week, they trained there, learning basic wrestling skills. Of course, what Markie really wanted to learn was how to put someone through a table, but her stepmother, Jamie, insisted that couldn't happen until she was at least eighteen.
Three more years, she thought. "Dreaming of tables?" Craig asked knowingly.
"And ladders and chairs," Markie replied. Craig was awesome. He got her.
Her father came in and nodded at them. "Hey, Mark," Craig said.
"What did I tell you, Craig? Here, it's Bubba," her father said.
"Sorry, Bubba, Sir," Craig said quickly.
Her father laughed. "Jeez, Devon, do you beat the kid or something? He's so well-trained! Relax, Kid. I'm only kidding. You're practically my nephew."
Devon, Craig's father, laughed. "Come on, kids," he said. "Today you're doing strength training with me."
They obediently followed him to the training area. Markie was still getting used to all of this. She'd only known her father for two years. Her mother hadn't told him about her until then, but after getting diagnosed with a terminal case of a ridiculously unpronounceable something or another, she'd decided Markie should know her father. Eight months later, she'd died. Markie moved in with her father and Jamie, and she mostly coped with the loss of her mother through physical activity. Training was her favorite escape.
CRAIG
He could have watched Markie train all day... He loved spending time with her. For the last sixteen months, ever since he'd met her, he'd had a serious crush on her. She was beautiful, funny, and passionate about basically everything she did.
Markie had changed a bit since she'd first come to town. She'd been slightly withdrawn upon her arrival, but when his father asked him to take her under his wing until she adjusted, she and Craig had become instant friends. She started opening up to him pretty quickly, and she adjusted to life without her mother unbelievably well. Craig knew Markie still cried about losing her mother sometimes, but he never called her on it. Instead, he just made sure that he was always there for her. Most of the time, Markie bounced off the walls and stayed upbeat.
"Caffeination break!" Markie declared after about an hour.
Craig went to the office and grabbed two cans of Coke out of the refrigerator, along with a bottle of water. Both cans were for Markie. Mark kept them on-hand at all times because he'd quickly realized his new daughter was addicted to all things caffeinated and sugar-based.
"Thanks," Markie said as she downed the first can. She drank the second one more slowly while Craig nursed his water.
"Yo! Rope running! Make it happen!" Mark called from the doorway.
Markie grinned. She loved running around the ring like a madwoman. Craig had been doing that since he was a toddler, so it was slightly less exciting to him, but it made Markie smile, and he loved seeing the joy on her face.
ARTIE
Tutoring came naturally to Artie. His father was a teacher, after all. Unknown to many, he'd also once been a professional wrestler, but few ever made the connection between Mr. Hyson and Spike Dudley. Artie sometimes wondered if wrestling would come naturally to him as well. Everyone treated him like a nerd and a joke, but maybe if he became a wrestler, that would change.
As he left the library and tried to soothe his wounded IQ after tutoring what had to be the dumbest kid on the planet, Artie bumped into a very large, very solid chest.
"Watch it, Loser!" The chest's owner shouted. He shoved Artie hard against the wall.
Artie cried out as the bully twisted his arm behind his back. "If you ever breathe my air again, you're dead, you little fag!" He shouted, hitting Artie's head against the wall for emphasis.
Artie stayed perfectly still even after they left. Only when he was positive he was alone did he run into the bathroom and cry.
TURNER
The metal music blasting in the car he'd stolen... or, borrowed, as he liked to say... for a joyride was pumping through his veins. He sped through one light after another, and he didn't stop until he jumped a curb and hit a pole. Thankfully, he'd hit the brakes just enough to lessen the impact. He jumped out of the car laughing as the cops arrived.
"You guys finally caught up to me! Good for you! Gold stars all around!" Turner declared.
"Son, you're under arrest," one officer said.
"No shit, Sherlock. I figured that out." He shrugged and added, "It was bound to happen eventually."
As he was loaded into the police car, he started humming along to the metal song still stuck in his head. He didn't really care that he'd just been arrested. His mother had basically washed his hands of him as soon as he hit puberty, and he'd never known his father. He didn't even know the guy's name. There was no one left to disappoint, so he figured as long as he was having fun, everything was fine.
CARRIE
The fist fight had landed her in the principal's office. "Carrie, Marjory says you tried to choke her," Principal Owens said.
She'd tried to chokeslam the girl for attempting to steal her iPod. It seemed like a valid reason. "She tried to rob me, Sir," Carrie said sweetly. "In fact, this was a clear case of self-defense. Marjory had no right to try to steal my property, and I had no choice but to defend myself. And furthermore, I have a right to expect safety within the walls of this school! This situation never should have come up! Clearly, the school is responsible for failing to protect me!"
The principal shook his head. "You should be a lawyer, Carrie," he said. "I'll let it go, and I will deal with Marjory."
Carrie smiled and walked out of the office confidently. Her father wanted her to be a lawyer, too, but that was not happening. Carrie was going to be a wrestler. She'd decided that at six years old, and it hadn't changed. Her father was not happy about it, but that didn't matter. Carrie had been born to wrestle.
EVAN
He wasn't surprised that Carrie was coming out of the principal's office. It happened pretty frequently. His little sister excelled at getting into trouble. Thankfully, she also excelled at talking her way out of it.
"Again?" He asked.
"Marjory tried to steal my iPod," Carrie said with a shrug. "Bitch had it coming."
"You know how Dad feels about this sort of thing, Carrie."
"Which is why we won't be telling him... Right?"
Evan sighed. "Right," he said. He didn't want to listen to one of their father's epic rants anymore than Carrie did.
His phone rang. He answered it quickly. "Hey, Dad," he said smoothly. "What's up?"
"What did she do now?" His father asked, somehow just knowing. That was common for him. So was his habit of not asking Evan how he was or if he was busy before diving into a rant about his sister. Evan loved his father, but it was clear that no matter how much trouble she caused, Carrie was the favorite.
AIDEN
Smoking a blunt after school always relaxed Aiden. Then again, he was a pretty mellow guy in general. He sat on his phone playing video games and thinking about the universes they portrayed.
"Bro!" His best friend Donnie called. "I got plans tonight. Party at Brittany's. Come with me."
"Sure," Aiden replied. It was a Friday night. His parents wouldn't care.
The party wasn't really his scene. The kids were into hardcore drugs and he hadn't experimented with anything stronger than pot. Donnie, however, was interested in expanding his horizons. He injected something scary into his veins. Aiden watched uncomfortably.
"This is great!" Donnie said, feeling it already.
"Dude... I don't know," Aiden said.
Before Donnie could reply, he began twitching and flew into a seizure. Aiden knelt beside him and tried to keep him steady, but nothing worked. Finally, Donnie stopped seizing. Aiden thought it was going to be okay until he realized that Donnie wasn't breathing.
Immediately, Aiden tried CPR. "Call an ambulance!" He shouted. He knew CPR well, and he didn't give up even as the paramedics arrived.
"I'm sorry," one said gently. "He's gone."
"No..." Aiden protested, trying again. It took them ten minutes to get him to stop, and even then, he couldn't fully accept it.
Just like that, his best friend was gone. Aiden vowed then and there never to do anything harder than weed. The price was far too high.
PHIL
To say Phil partied hard was an understatement. The fact that some kid he didn't know had just overdosed didn't deter him. His father had partied for years without much consequence, so he figured he had good genes.
When the party was broken up, Phil took a girl home with him. He didn't know her name, and she was as wasted as he was. His father barely seemed to notice he'd even walked in the door.
"Hey, that's Sabu!" The girl said excitedly.
"Yeah," Phil said. "I'm his kid."
"That's sexy," the girl said with a giggle. "I love wrestling."
"Good, because I plan on doing some grown-up wrestling with you."
She laughed. "Sounds like fun, Baby." She followed him upstairs and Phil knew he was in for a good night.
FELICIA
The walls in her house were too fucking thin. She could hear her twin brother humping some kinky wannabe ring rat in the next room.
Great, she thought. Not exactly the soundtrack I wanted to do my history report to.
This wasn't abnormal. Phil cared more about getting laid than passing his classes. They might be twins, but she was the complete opposite of her brother. Felicia preferred getting good grades and living a straightedge lifestyle to getting high and forgetting her name. She was the odd girl out in her family.
"Headphones," she decided aloud. "That's what I need." She turned on her favorite playlist and put the headphones on, effectively drowning out the rest of the world.
VINNY
The wrestling team at school had been lame until Vinny joined it. Now, it had some respect. No one understood how Vinny was so good at wrestling, but he didn't explain. They didn't need to know it was in his blood. He'd been born to Tazz.
It was a family habit to keep the fame at a distance. Vinny enjoyed having some privacy as much as his father did, but he wondered how long that could last.
His father was there for his match, which Vinny easily won. "Hey, oh my God!" One of the kids said. "Aren't you Tazz?"
"Nope," his father said, walking away. The kid blinked after him, not sure what to do.
Vinny laughed. That's Dad, he thought. Super smooth.
Someday, he planned on growing up to be exactly like him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! There's a lot more to come! I appreciate any reviews. The next chapter will take place when the kids are a bit older, and they will reform ECW!
