AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is the final fic in a trilogy. To avoid spoilers, please read Voices in the Night and Burn in My Night before this story, in that order. This fic takes place five years after the events on Burn in My Night and will focus on the members of New Legacy. This first chapter will introduce everyone's points of view, so it's going to be pretty long. I hope you enjoy this newest story as it unfolds! The stable is quite large, so to help you keep track of who's who, I'm including a "cheat sheet" here.
NEW LEGACY HEELS:
Keith Phoenix Orton: The leader, and the son of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. Ring Name: Phoenix Orton
Molly Moxley (yes, that's her legal last name): The daughter of Dean Ambrose and the leader of the New Shield. Ring Name: Molly Moxley
Graciella "Riley" Archer: The daughter of Roman Reigns, part of the New Shield. Ring Name: Riley Reigns
Kristy Ellis: The daughter of Seth Rollins, part of the New Shield: Ring Name: Sara Rollins
Virginia "Ginny" Runnels: The daughter of Cody Rhodes and Eden Styles. Ring Name: Persephone Rhodes
Marco Wilson: The son of Natalya and Tyson Kidd. Ring Name: Marshall Hart
NEW LEGACY BABYFACES:
Nicholas Matthew "Nicky" Orton: The leader, and the son of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. Ring Name: Nick Orton
Trixie Jade Bevis-Casey: The daughter of Cayla Casey and Paige, biological daughter of Cayla and Darren Young. Ring Name: Trickster
Daniel "Danny" Martin Huber: The son of Summer Rae and (unadvertised) Luke Harper. Ring Name: Ray Turner
Lucas Rotunda: The son of Bo Dallas and Emma. Ring Name: Dale Dallas
Gabriel "Gabe" Fatu: The son of Jimmy Uso and Naomi. Ring Name: Greg Uso
Faye Runnels: The daughter of Cody Rhodes and Eden Styles. Ring Name: Fairy Dust
NEW LEGACY NEUTRAL:
Scott Sirius "Scotty" Brooks: The son of CM Punk and AJ Lee. Ring Name: Punk Lee
Tobias James "Toby" Brooks: The son of CM Punk and AJ Lee. Ring Name: TJ Lee
Mark "Dillon" Calaway: The son of the Undertaker. Ring Name: The Reaper
CHAPTER ONE: Prologue
MOLLY
She hadn't been entirely surprised when her boyfriend Keith woke her up to tell her his best friend Gabe was on the phone freaking out. "What's wrong?" She asked as she took the phone.
"Dad just called me," Gabe said. "She ran off again."
"Fucking hell! Can't he put her on a leash?" Molly asked. She was already pulling on clothing, ready to run out the door.
"Where do you think she went this time?" Gabe asked.
"Whatever indy's closest... Where are we?" She was still half asleep.
"Jersey," Keith said helpfully.
"Jersey... So... WrestlePro, Jersey All Pro, um..." And then, suddenly, it hit her. "Son of a bitch!"
"What's wrong?" Keith asked. Then he got there, too. "Son of a bitch!" He echoed.
"What? What am I missing?" Gabe asked.
"CZW!" Molly explained.
"Son of a bitch!" Gabe agreed.
"I'll handle this."
"I'm coming."
"I love you, Uso, but you can't hang with my crew." She turned to Keith. "Go to Gabe, and sit on him if you have to."
Keith nodded. Molly kissed him goodbye before rushing out the door. She got in her rental and drove straight to the Dojo she still considered her home. It was only about forty-five minutes away, and she knew the kid was resourceful. She was there, no question.
She banged on the door. The face that opened it looked confused to see her. "Molly? What's wrong?" Drew Gulak asked.
"Where is she?" Molly demanded.
"Where's who?"
"My sister. I know she's here."
"I've never met your sister, Molly."
Molly looked around. She spotted her quickly enough. Conor Claxton, one of the members of the Nation of Intoxication and a very close friend of Molly's was flirting with her shamelessly. David Starr was doing the same, even going as far as to stroke her arm. Molly had seen enough. "Miranda Kathleen Fatu, get your ass over here right now!" Molly shouted. She rarely yelled at her little sister, but this was different.
Randi froze and had the good grace to look embarrassed. "Oh, hey, Molly," she said casually.
"CZW? Really?" Molly demanded.
"It's where you trained," Randi pointed out.
"What's the issue, Molly?" Conor asked. "We were just having fun getting to know her."
"This is my sister, Conor," Molly explained.
"So CZW is in her blood," David said. "Let her make her own choices." He tried to touch Randi's arm again.
Molly grabbed David's arm and twisted it until he cried out and begged her to let him go. "What gives, Molly?" Conor demanded. "Let her train if she wants to."
"She's only fifteen, assholes! She's not old enough to train, especially not without a parent's consent, and she's sure as fuck not old enough for you to be flirting with!" Molly explained. "The next motherfucker who looks at my sister in any sexual manner is meeting my fork!" Conor gulped. David stared at his feet. Satisfied, Molly turned to Drew. "Sorry to interrupt your class, Drew. Nice seeing you. Carry on." She dragged her sister out.
"That was humiliating," Randi protested.
"Are you insane? CZW is a bloody promotion! On a tame day, people get seriously hurt!"
"I'm fine."
"You have a bleeding disorder, Randi! You could have gotten hurt, and you'd bleed out before any of them would know what to do!"
"I just wanted to see the Dojo... It's where you came from."
Molly softened slightly. Randi looked genuinely sorry she'd upset her, and she knew the kid idolized her. "I'd be really upset if you got hurt honey. And Gabe would kill me." Through the complicated circumstance of Molly's mother being a ring rat, she and Gabe shared Randi as a half-sister. The kid was a handful, but Molly absolutely loved her. It was impossible not to.
"Is Gabe mad?" Randi asked.
"He's worried. Let's give him a call and calm him down, okay?" Molly asked.
"Okay," Randi agreed. She dialed her brother's number and Molly hoped she'd learned her lesson. Randi ran off on her own to check out indy promotions and wrestling schools all the time, but Molly couldn't believe she'd gone to CZW. Her Van Willebrand's meant if she got cut, she could bleed to death. It was pretty well-managed with medication, but there was always a risk. Randi spent every weekend traveling with the main roster so she could spend time with her father and her siblings, but she was in high school the rest of the week. She kept her grades up, and as long as she did, she was allowed to continue life part-time on the road. Molly, Gabe, and Johnny (otherwise known as Randi and Gabe's father, Jimmy Uso) spent a lot of time chasing after her, but she was a hard kid to stay mad at.
When Molly finally got back to the hotel, she wrapped herself in Keith's arms and relaxed. "She wants to be just like her big sister," he said.
"How did I end up with a tiny sidekick?" Molly wondered aloud.
Keith laughed. "I'm pretty sure that's what your father wanted to know when he met you," he said.
"Yeah, the Sire still wonders that sometimes... I'm starving. Lunch?"
"Absolutely." Together, they headed out.
NICKY
He woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon. Nicky rolled over and sat up. He smiled as he saw his husband carefully setting up breakfast in bed. "Lucas! You didn't have to do all this," he said.
"Well, I know you like to sleep in," Lucas said. That was a polite way of saying he was very used to Nicky always running late. "I figured I'd motivate you to get up."
"You're perfect. You know that, right?"
Lucas gave him a quick kiss before eating his own meal. It was lunch food. "What time is it?" Nicky asked.
"It's after one," Lucas admitted.
"Jeez! I can't believe I slept that late!"
"It's okay. They don't need us until seven tonight. You still have plenty of time."
Nicky tried to relax. He took a sip of orange juice before taking two pills Lucas had set out carefully for him. Lucas always handled giving Nicky his medication so Nicky was never tempted to abuse the pills. He'd had trouble before he'd been properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and he never wanted to go back to that. He nearly hadn't survived between abusing his meds and slitting his wrists.
Nicky shook off the unwelcome memories. That had been five years ago. He was much better now. His life had come back together. He'd wrestled on a reduced schedule for a few years so he could get his degree in English literature. Completing school had been important to him, and he'd managed to do it in three years. Once he did, Paul had talked to him about taking a much more active role on the main roster.
Nicky hadn't been surprised when Paul decided to break up New Legacy into two stables. Technically, they were one group, but with how many members there were when the newer members had come up to the main roster, they had to separate them somehow. Six of them were complete babyfaces. Six were heels. The two remaining stable members floated back and forth between both groups, refusing to take a side. They were the twin sons of CM Punk and AJ Lee, and since their gimmick was that of rule breakers, they naturally refused to take a side, doing whatever suited them in the moment instead.
What did shock Nicky was how the split had played out. Keith was still the official leader of New Legacy, but now he led the heels. Somehow, Nicky had ended up as the leader of the babyfaces. The fans loved the Orton vs Orton dynamic, and once he adjusted to the extra attention, Nicky enjoyed it, too. He and Keith worked great against each other, and while his big brother had always cut amazing heel promos with little effort, Nicky found playing a babyface much easier.
"Are you okay, Nicky?" Lucas asked with concern. "You look lost in thought."
"I'm good," Nicky said. He gave Lucas a reassuring smile. "We have such an established dynamic with our stables now... I'm wondering how it's going to change."
"Well, I don't see our newest member joining either side," Lucas said thoughtfully. "If he did, it would have to be as a heel, right? He couldn't pull off being a babyface with his gimmick."
"His father went back and forth... I think he's considered above either category."
"You may be right. Then again, we don't always follow in the footsteps of our parents. Look at me. My whole family is made up of heels, but I'm a babyface."
"Your dad should have been a babyface. He's too nice. It comes across even when he's doing heel-like things."
"Yep, that's how Bo Dallas happened," Lucas said with a laugh. "He seemed too nice cutting heel promos so they made him over-the-top on his promos. I can play a heel. I did it when New Legacy first debuted... But I like playing a babyface. Besides, it keeps me closer to you." He kissed him.
How did I get this lucky? Nicky wondered. He'd been in a steady relationship with the nicest, funniest, sexiest guy on the roster for five years now. Considering his frequent nervous breakdowns and at least two major bipolar episodes that required his meds being adjusted, he had no idea why Lucas put up with him.
"I love you," he told him.
"I love you, too," Lucas replied.
Nicky clung to those words desperately. They calmed his growing anxiety that something was coming. He didn't know why he was convinced there was a storm brewing, but he couldn't quite shake the feeling.
TRIXIE
She was on the ground. Trixie wasn't sure how it had happened, but that wasn't abnormal. She'd tripped over something, possibly the air itself, and she'd landed on her butt. Most of the time, her fiance was around to catch her, but Danny's mother Danielle had a doctor's appointment and he'd gone with her.
"Oh, Trixie... Again?" Saraya, her mum, asked with a knowing laugh. "Are you alright, Luv?"
"I'm fine," Trixie said, letting her mother help her up. Trixie had been a complete spaz her entire life. The only time it didn't act up was in the ring or in gymnastics. It was a trait she shared with her mom, Cayla.
"Let's get you to the arena."
"I was going to drive myself, Mum."
"After I found out you lost another battle with gravity? Unlikely. I'm driving. Danny can bring you back to your hote after the show."
She knew it was no use arguing. "Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "How's Mom?"
"She's fine. She's sorry she can't fly in tonight, but she had Be A Star obligations with good ol' Freddy." Her mum was pretty much the only person who got away with calling Fred, also known as Darren Young (who, as it had turned out, was Trixie's biological father) Freddy.
"I'm sure everyone will understand. What state are they in?"
"Alabama." Her mum shuddered. "Not the friendliest place to send their anti-bullying advocates who both happen to be gay, but that's WWE for you."
"Is Mom running her next clinic there, too?" Her mom ran a clinic for special needs kids to safely learn different parts of the wrestling business. Once a month, she'd pick a state to set up in for the weekend. It had become very popular and it took up a lot of her time, but she loved it. The clinic was her way of honoring Big Show, who'd been family to her and who had died saving her life.
"Yes. Glutton for punishment, that one."
Trixie barely heard her as she tried to shake off the flashes that were racing through her mind. You're okay. It's been five years. You're standing outside of your hotel with your mum. Everything is fine. You're safe. Breathe. Just breathe... She had to recite this sort of thing to herself frequently. Five years earlier, when she was only eighteen, Trixie had been trapped in a room with a crazy guy intent on killing everyone she loved. He'd fired at her. If Danny hadn't been there, she'd be dead. The PTSD episodes came up fairly often, but she worked very hard to hide them from everyone else. It usually worked, except on Danny. He knew her too well, but he was always able to help her through them.
"Luv?" Her mum called.
"Huh?" Trixie asked. "Sorry..."
"That's alright. I asked if you wanted to get a quick bite to eat before we hit the arena."
"Yeah... Sounds great," Trixie said, forcing herself to sound cheerful. Food was good. It would force her body to realize where she was. That would calm her mind down. She closed her eyes and silently counted to ten, forcing herself to keep her breaths steady.
DANNY
He should have stayed with Trixie. Danny hated being away from her. He had a feeling she needed him now. He texted her quickly while he sat in the office with his mother waiting for the results.
Are you okay?
How'd you know? She sent back.
I ALWAYS know. It was true. Danny and Trixie had some weird connection. He had a talent for sensing when she was in trouble.
Thinking too much. About that. Will be fine. With Mum.
He cursed silently. He should have been there. She needed him. His mom was just getting the results of some routine bloodwork. She didn't need him to hold her hand, but she'd asked. He couldn't just tell her no, especially since WWE was in New York for the week.
"Danielle, I'm going to be blunt," the doctor said as she closed the door to her office. "The results aren't good."
Danny snapped to attention now. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Baby, I... I may have downplayed the seriousness of this appointment," his mother said.
"Mom, what the hell is going on?" He asked. He tried to keep the panic out of his voice. He had to be strong for her. He'd spent his whole life taking care of her... But now, something was wrong.
She looked nervous. "Tell us, Doc. Whatever it is," she said.
The doctor started rambliing, listing numbers and vital statistics, and Danny couldn't comprehend what she was saying. The words were big and scary sounding, and his mother started crying, and all he could focus on was the sound of her sobs.
"Break that down for me," he said.
The doctor tried again. "Your mother's heart isn't working properly. I'm sorry, but she's in the middle stages of heart failure."
Danny felt like his head might explode. "I..." He hesitated, then tried again. "What happens now?"
"Well, we're going to treat this as aggressively as possible. I'm putting her on medication, and we'll put her on the transplant list."
"So... She needs a transplant," he registered.
"Yes. Ultimately, unless she gets one... She'll die."
Danny nodded. "Okay," he said. He took his mother's hands in his own. "You're going to be fine, Mom," he said. He knew it was a lie. His mother was in the "mid-stages" of heart failure. That meant she wouldn't be at the top of the list, and hearts were hard to come by. Still, the words seemed to soothe his mother. He tried to focus on that. He could freak out later, in private, but not in front of her. She needed him to be strong, like always.
KEITH
He got to the arena early. Molly would be coming later. Keith was trusting Lucas to get his brother there on time. Trixie was on her way, but Saraya had picked her up and they were eating first. He was pretty sure he'd be the first one there. He didn't mind. Having time to think was nice sometimes.
He was mildly surprised when he spotted a familiar face. "Noelle?" He asked.
Noelle Foley turned around and smiled at him. "Hey, Keith!" She greeted him with a hug.
"What are you doing here? Are you back?" Noelle was a full-time wrestler, but she only worked with WWE part-time. She preferred the freedom of the indies.
"For now... I'm here to work an angle with your people, actually... Paul and I were talking, and he loved the idea of legacies who aren't part of the stable starting a feud with you all."
"Seriously? That's going to be fun."
"Yep. I'm here as a surprise, but I'm going to challenge Trixie soon."
"Why Trix?"
"I'm calling her a fake or something... Going on about how she's not sweet and perfect like she pretends to be, and how I'm hardcore and my dad invented hardcore and blah, blah, blah... I'm hoping to work through all the girls until I get to Molly. I know she mostly wrestles the guys, but I'm Mick Foley's daughter. Her dad's been compared to mine, and I can take a pretty brutal beating."
"Molly loves you. She'd totally go for that."
"I hope so."
"Who else is challenging us?"
Noelle laughed mysteriously. "You'll have to wait and see, won't you?"
"You suck," he said with a laugh of his own.
"It was great seeing you. I've gotta run. I'll be back." She ran off and Keith was left wondering what random legacies Paul might dig up to challenge them. New Legacy might be broken into two stables, and they routinely wrestled against each other, but whenever someone challenged their dominance as a faction, they always stood united against the threat. This could be a fun angle.
GABE
His head hurt. His father had made him stand there while he yelled at his baby sister for over an hour. He left to get them food, and when he came back, he started yelling again.
"How could you be so incredibly stupid?" His father demanded. "You could have been hurt, Randi!"
Randi looked like he'd struck her. She started to cry. "I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered out.
"Dad, enough!" Gabe said.
"She needs to learn to stay where she's told! This was insanely dangerous! Those guys don't care who they hurt-" He started ranting again.
Randi started sobbing harder. She could barely breathe. "She's a kid, Dad. Kids make mistakes... But she's not stupid! Shit, I think you and Mom would have died of shock if I brought home grades like hers!"
"It was irresponsible and unacceptable! The Van Willebrand's could kill her if she gets hurt the wrong way!"
"She knows that, Dad! You never let her forget it!" Gabe pulled Randi into his arms and comforted her. The poor kid wanted nothing more than to follow in her family's footsteps and wrestle, but her father constantly discouraged this because she had a disease. Yes, it was dangerous, but that didn't mean she couldn't find a way. He didn't need to make her feel like she was a porcelain doll all the time.
"It's okay, Randi," Gabe whispered.
"He's so mad," she whispered back.
"Dad, tell her you're not mad."
"I am mad-" His father protested.
"Tell her anyway. You're scaring her." Not long enough ago, Randi had lived with her extremely abusive mother. In spite of this, she was a remarkably happy kid, but she still got scared when people became overly angry around her.
His father softened, realizing what had happened. "Baby..." He said. "I'm sorry, Randi. I'm not mad... I'm worried. But I love you, and I'd never hurt you."
"I know," Randi said too quickly, her fear still obvious.
"Come here. It's okay." Gabe let his father pull Randi into his arms. "You're okay. I'm sorry I scared you, Baby... I love you, and I didn't mean to call you stupid. You're not. You're my brilliant girl... You just did something foolish, but Gabe's right. You're still a kid. You're gonna make mistakes."
Randi curled up on her father, forgiving him instantly. She always forgave everyone like that. It worried Gabe because, as she got older, people would likely take advantage of that. He had vowed several years ago to watch out for her so no one hurt her. She'd been through more than enough pain as a kid. Her mother had been poisoning her just so she could bask in the attention and concern of others. Gabe was just glad Molly had discovered her siblings and had them taken away from that bitch before she could kill the kid.
GINNY
Lunch dates weren't supposed to end up this way. Ginny knew she looked awful. Her makeup was smudged with tears and her head was throbbing. The guy had seemed nice enough when she met him the night before. He was a local indy talent, and he had that bad boy thing going on that she always ended up going for. He'd played a security guard at the show, and afterward, he'd started flirting with her. She'd agreed to lunch. Somehow, he'd convinced her to go back to his place with him. Once there, he'd started going really fast, but Ginny was used to that.
The sex had been really rough. He'd hurt her, and when she tried to tell him to stop, he'd just gotten more aggressive. This wasn't the first time some asshole on steroids had pulled that on her, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She was used to it. Unfortunately, she had a show tonight.
That was how Ginny found herself outside of Molly's hotel room. She prayed Keith wouldn't be inside. She couldn't let him see her like that. She was a mess, and her injuries showed. She knew she had bruises, and she could still feel his hands around her neck from when he'd thought it would be a good idea to choke her.
Molly opened the door and cursed. "Goddamnit, Ginny, again?" She asked.
Ginny started to cry. She rarely did that in front of anyone, but Molly was different. Molly let her into the room and started cleaning her up. Ginny was trembling.
"Who the fuck was he?" Molly demanded.
"Just some guy," Ginny said. It hurt to talk.
"Give me a name. He's a dead man."
"No. It doesn't matter."
"Gin... Why do you keep doing this to yourself? These guys are scum... You aren't stupid or weak, but you let them use you and hurt you..."
"I deserve it."
"No. You don't." Molly sighed. "I know what that douche did to you as a kid fucked you up, but you do not deserve this."
On some level, Ginny knew that. Still, she kept ending up in these situations. Her boyfriends cheated on her or hit her or even raped her. Sometimes, the really special ones did all three. She hated herself for always ending up with those guys, but she couldn't seem to stop.
"Just marry Gabe. He treats you like a Goddess and he's been in love with you since you were toddlers," Molly said as she began applying ice to Ginny's neck. She could feel it starting to swell.
"I can't be with Gabe," Ginny said. "I don't love him like that."
"Liar." Molly began looking for makeup to cover Ginny's bruises and fix her face as Ginny held the ice packs.
"I don't deserve him."
"One day, you'll stop thinking like that."
Ginny doubted that. She had been doing this since before either of them had been legal adults, and although she and Molly didn't always get along, Molly had always taken care of cleaning up Ginny's messes. The boys who hurt Ginny were never seen again after they met Molly's fork. Ginny assumed they quit, but sometimes, she genuinely wondered...
RILEY
She hadn't planned on spending her morning blowing Scotty Brooks of all people, but she was bored and horny and he was available. It wasn't that Scotty wasn't hot or a great lay... He was just a pain in the ass at times.
As he moaned her name, Riley released him from her mouth and sat in his lap. She immediately slid him inside of her and began riding him.
"Oh God, Riley... Fuck..." Scotty moaned.
Riley grinned, amused that she'd reduced him to a mess of hormones and animalistic tendencies. When she was done with him, she looked into his eyes and said, "If you tell anyone about this, I'll fucking kill you." She then kissed his lips before getting out of his lap and putting her clothes back on.
She left Scotty without another word and checked her cell phone. She saw a text from her father.
Hey Baby Girl. Did you still want to meet up and work out before the show? It asked.
Riley rolled her eyes. "Two hours too late, Asshole," she mumbled. She ignored his text like he'd apparently ignored hers and headed back to her hotel room to get ready for the show.
SCOTTY
Riley Archer (or Anoa'i, depending on her current mood swing) was a wild woman. Scotty had slept with more than his share of women in his life, but none of them were quite as unpredictable as Riley. He was still lying in bed, drenched in sweat and clinging to the memory of the over-the-top and quite unplanned sex they'd just had when his phone rang. It was Cult of Personality.
Scotty forced himself to pick up. "Hey, Dad," he said, trying to calm his breathing.
"Just checking if you guys have a match tonight," his father, the man formerly known as CM Punk, said.
"Yeah, we're tagging. No idea against who."
"I'll DVR it so we can see your match... You're both still grounded for life, though. Little traitors."
"I know," Scotty said with a laugh. His father had "grounded" him and his twin brother for all of eternity after finding out they'd signed a deal with NXT without so much as mentioning it to their parents first. Both of their parents hated WWE, but their mother, AJ Lee, was a much better sport about the whole thing. His father had promptly called Triple H himself and stated that if anything happened to his kids, he'd come back just to kill him on live television. Paul had taken that threat seriously and was very careful with the twins.
"I love you guys. Be careful out there."
"Love you, too, Dad. And we're always careful."
His father laughed. "That's the biggest lie you've ever told me. Just don't get hurt, okay?"
"I'll do my best."
"That, I'll believe. Tell Toby I said good luck tonight."
"Will do. Bye, Dad." Scotty hung up. Reluctantly, he stood up. It was time to shower and get ready for the show.
KRISTY
The Crossfit workout was particularly brutal that day. She finally finished and worked on catching her breath. Colby Lopez, her mentor, idol, and as it had come out a couple of years back, her father, was finishing up right beside her. "You good?" He asked after downing some Kill Cliff.
Kristy was drinking her own Kill Cliff. She smiled. "That was fun," she said.
"That's my girl!" He beamed with pride. He'd looked at her like that a lot in the five years they'd known they were related, but it still made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She'd grown up worshiping Seth Rollins, and although it had shocked them to learn the truth, few others had been surprised. Kristy was freakishly like her father at times. She sometimes wondered if she'd been created in a lab, but then she remembered that her mother had given her the genius gene. Her IQ was extremely high. She'd graduated high school at fifteen and had her two Bachelor's degrees by the time she was eighteen. She had double majored in biology and chemistry, planning to go into medicine if wrestling fell through. Her mother was a doctor who specialized in treating athletes. She'd grown up with Colby, and she'd helped treat him when he messed up his knee during his first run as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Apparently, a few times after that, they'd hooked up. During one of those times, Kristy had been conceived. Not wanting to mess with his future, her mother had hidden the truth from both of them, but it had come out when she saw them together and thought they already knew.
"What are you thinking about?" Colby asked.
"Mom," Kristy said. "Speaking of, she's coming tonight. She flew in to see our newest member debut."
Colby looked excited and slightly panicked by that news. "Hannah's coming tonight?" He asked. He automatically started fidgeting with his hair, trying to make it neater. Kristy was pretty sure he didn't even realize he was doing it.
Kristy laughed. "Mom still likes you, too, you know," she said. "You should ask her out."
"I didn't say I liked her, at least not like that," Colby argued.
"You didn't have to. You're like a kid with a crush. Whenever I bring her up, you get all goofy."
"I'm always goofy."
"Not like this." Kristy kind of liked that her parents seemed to have feelings for each other. She just wished they'd both get over themselves and actually do something about them.
TOBY
He was walking to the arena when he heard a soft "mew" from nearby. Alarmed, he looked for the source of the sound. A tiny kitten was hiding behind a garbage can. It had lost part of its ear. The tiny grey creature could fit easily in his hand. He picked it up and studied it. The poor thing had been bitten and bullied by another animal, probably a larger cat. He took off his t-shirt and wrapped the kitten safely inside of it after checking its gender.
"You're okay, Girl," he told the kitten. "No one else is going to hurt you." He made soothing sounds as he hurried to the nearest store. He picked up suitable formula and a dropper so he could feed the kitten and brought it back to his hotel. He then proceeded to feed her before blocking off an area for her to rest in, complete with a blanket.
Satisfied the kitten was okay, he checked his watch. "Shit! I'm going to be late," he realized aloud. He ran out of the hotel and hoped the kitten would be okay alone for a few hours.
His phone rang. "Where are you?" Scotty demanded as soon as he answered.
"Running late, but on my way," Toby said.
"What happened?"
"Injured kitten."
"Damnit, Doctor Dolittle! Again?"
"She was all alone, Scotty!"
Scotty sighed. "I know you can't help yourself. Just hurry up, okay?"
"I will. See you soon." Toby hung up and started running, praying he could still make it on time.
LUCAS
He loved watching Nicky train. He was so focused and so passionate... Nicky worked hard and it showed in the ring. Lucas started thinking about everything they'd been through together. He'd proposed when Nicky graduated from college. He had just earned his own degree in psychology. It seemed like a good time.
Nicky had been stunned. Thankfully, he'd said yes, and they'd gotten married nearly a year ago. By some blessing, Nicky hadn't had any serious episodes during that time, but Lucas knew it could happen at any time. He didn't care. As long as they were together, he believed they could get through anything.
Nicky had looked amazing in his suit. He'd smiled nervously and stumbled over his vows, but he'd written them himself. That made Lucas happy. Everyone from New Legacy had come. Nicky's entire family was there. His older half-sister Alanna had cried like a baby the entire time, gushing over her "Squish-Face" being all grown up. Lucas had most of his family there. His father and mother were proud to be present. His mom's parents had come in from Australia. His uncle Windham and aunt Mika had both gladly come. His father's mother was there, too. His grandfather, however, had refused to come. When Lucas had come out at fifteen, his grandfather had disowned him. Apparently, he'd meant it.
Lucas tried not to think about the famous IRS anymore. He'd been hurt that his grandfather didn't accept him, but he had let it go. He found holding on to people who didn't want you around never ended well.
Nicky came over and kissed him. "Everything okay?" He asked with concern.
"It's perfect now," Lucas replied with a smile. "Come on. We need to hurry if we don't want to be late." He led Nicky from the room.
FAYE
Faye was running late. She'd decided to take the scenic route to the arena. It had looked like more fun than going straight there. Besides, they traveled so much that sometimes, it was nice to take time to see the cities they were in.
She knew Ginny would throw a fit, but that was nothing new. Her older sister was always on her case, especially now that they were the only members of the family on the roster. Her uncle Dustin had recently retired after her father's death.
Faye tried not to cry at the completion of that sentence. Her father, Cody Rhodes, had only been gone for six months, and it still hurt like it had been yesterday. He had been healthy as a horse. No one had expected him to drop dead, least of all Faye, but the surgery to repair his knee had gone terribly wrong and he hadn't made it off the table.
"Damnit," Faye cursed softly as she began crying. She missed her father desperately. His loss left a gaping void in her chest, but at least she was coping. Ginny tried to ignore it. She had started acting out more, dating assholes and lying about it to everyone, but Faye knew she was just trying to hide her grief. Ginny had also done the one thing she'd sworn she would never do. She took a family name in the ring. She still refused to reference any sort of "Dust," but she had added the other family name to her existing one, becoming Persephone Rhodes.
Faye's public tribute, since she was already calling herself Fairy Dust, was to begin entering to Smoke and Mirrors, her father's old entrance music. She liked using it. Several New Legacy members used the music of one of their parents, including the twins, which Faye found funny. Scotty had stuck with Cult of Personality, but Toby used Light It Up. He even skipped out to it. The crowd loved his antics, so WWE had let him keep doing this.
Get it together, Faye, she told herself. She had a show to get to. She took several deep breaths and put everything aside, calling on the lessons in professionalism her father had taught her over the years. Soon, she was calm, at least on the outside. She would channel her grief into having a kick-ass match like she always did. She would make her father proud.
MARCO
It wasn't easy being Marco. He was the last remaining member of the Hart Dynasty who was still actively wrestling. Most of the family had either died, retired, or never gotten into it to begin with. His mother, Nattie, still made occasional appearances, but she was basically on a Legends contract. His father TJ had been forced to retire after Samoa Joe had broken his neck and nearly killed him. The weight of the entire Hart Dynasty rested on his shoulders and sometimes, it was too much for him.
This was one of those times. Until tonight, he'd been the newest member of New Legacy, and he was the only one to have ever been brought up to the main roster alone and not with a group. Tonight, new blood was coming in, but no one outside of WWE knew that. Even at NXT, this kid had been kept a secret, training but never shown in public. No one knew he was in WWE. Marco was happy not to be the new guy anymore, but he was stressed out. His father had called pitching a fit, saying he needed to do more to stand out or he'd be forgotten and disgrace the family. His father really knew how to pile on the pressure sometimes.
He was working off his stress by beating the hell out of a punching bag. He'd been at it for almost an hour. Even though he had gloves on, he knew his knuckles were bleeding. He didn't stop.
"Marco?" A voice called tentatively. It was Trixie. He kept throwing punches. Had they seriously sent her? They must think he wouldn't attack her.
"What?" He snapped.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What is it?"
"Paul needs us. Come on."
"Another minute." He threw a few more punches, forcing himself to calm down. Then he took off his gloves so he could put them away.
"You're bleeding!" Trixie said in surprise.
"I'm fine. Just a few scratches." He threw his things in his gear bag. "Let's go."
"Marco, stop. Let me take care of that for you." She reached for his hand.
Marco jerked away violently. "I said I'm fine, Trixie! How many fucking ways do I have to say it?"
Trixie pulled a towel out of her own bag. "Here. Don't let Paul see that." She paused, then added, "And in case you didn't notice, I'm not one of the punching bags here, so don't treat me like one."
He was surprised by her bluntness. "Sorry," he said, taking a step back and trying to calm down. "I was out of line." He wasn't mad at Trixie, so why was he being such a jerk to her? He tried to shake off his anger.
"Just don't do it again."
They headed to the backstage area to meet up with Paul and the rest of the stable. Neither of them spoke again until they were there. Trixie quickly ran to Danny and Marco stood outside of everyone, waiting for instructions for how they would be introducing their newest member.
DILLON
He'd never been so nervous in his entire life. This was it. Dillon had been training endlessly for nearly two years, but Saraya and Corri had both agreed he was finally ready to move up to the main roster. Considering he'd never even debuted officially in NXT, he wasn't entirely sure about that, but their confidence helped.
"You've got this," Molly said quickly from Gorilla. She squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.
"Thanks, Sis," he said.
Molly and the others were set to walk out to cut a typical New Legacy promo. It began with just the babyfaces against the legacies who weren't part of New Legacy. Noelle Foley, Charlotte, and several others had run into the ring to start trouble with them. The babyfaces consisted of Nicky, Lucas, Faye, Gabe, Trixie, and (ironically) Danny. They were holding their own, but it was getting violent, and more non-stable legacies joined in the attack. The twins ran out to help. The heels followed. Keith led the way. Molly, Riley, and Kristy were right behind him, the New Shield within New Legacy. Marco and Ginny came out last. They were evenly matched, and it looked like the non-stable members had them beaten. That was when the lights cut out.
The arena was filled with confusion as the temperature dropped. They began cheering at the sound of the gong, expecting his father. Considering no one really knew that Dillon existed, let alone that he'd been training in secret, no one was expecting his debut. The Druids walked out first, comprised of local indy talent Saraya and Molly had worked together to bring in just for this night. As his father's old entrance music played, Dillon took a deep breath and instantly got in character. He was calm. Nothing could touch him. He was the Undertaker's son. He could do this.
After over three minutes of nothing but darkness and the Druids entering, Dillon walked out. He was dressed in all black, with a leather trench coat and his father's black hat. Although his mother had always forced him to keep his hair short, in the last five years with his father, he'd grown it out so it resembled the earliest look his father had worn, with the strands hanging in his face. He had even dyed it the dark shade of blood red his father had eventually adopted, instead of the bright red he had been born with.
The audience seemed confused at first, realizing this man was far too young to be the Undertaker. Then they seemed to do the math. He'd come out for the fight. Everyone in the ring had stopped to stare at him, some looking appropriately panicked.
Nicky and Keith stood side-by-side ready for a fight or whatever Dillon might bring. The arena was dead silent as Dillon approached them. He wore a murderous look on his face as he removed his hat and let his eyes roll up into his head so the whites of his eyes showed. Then, he turned toward one of the guys who had been attacking New Legacy and grabbed him by his throat, choke slamming him hard onto the mat.
The arena went wild with cheers. They may not have known Dillon existed, but he had just declared a stand, attacking the enemies of New Legacy, and that meant he really was the son of the Dead Man. He went on to attack several of the others, hitting them with choke slam after choke slam, and finally, when the last man from the other team was left standing alone, he hit a tombstone.
The arena got even crazier. Nicky offered Dillon a microphone. He took it. The crowd expected an introduction, but all Dillon said was, "Rest. In. Peace!"
Together, New Legacy stood in the ring. Dillon suddenly felt like the biggest badass in the world with them beside him as the fans cheered for the newest member of the most dominant stable they'd seen in decades.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you liked the first chapter! Please read and review! As always, I appreciate any feedback.