Best in the World
He didn't know a lot of things, but he sure knew that he had the best son in the world.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone here. I merely own the idea of this story.
A/N: I wrote this sometime in May 2009, when Shane was still very much part of the WWE. I had no idea back then about his upcoming departure, nor did I have any idea how true the "concept" of this story was during that time. Here's a little Shane piece for anyone who misses him as much as, if not more than I do.
Finally, he was home. Making sure that the WWF would continue its operations and trying his best to expand the business nationally, Vince had to sacrifice a lot of things, including spending time with his wife and helping her raise their son. He was thankful he had a very understanding better half in Linda, because without her, he surely wouldn't know what to do anymore. A lot of people praise him for making professional wrestling as big as it is, but they don't know how much Linda helped him for all that to happen. And with the one day break he had, he was sure to show her how much he appreciated her.
"I'm home!" he declared once he set his feet down on the floor from his car. He was beyond excited to see his family again after being gone six days. And he would readily do anything his wife and his kid would want to. The next thing he heard though sent him into a mixture of emotions. "Mom, can Dad and I go out to play?" That was cute, and it made his heart melt, but somehow, it was also painful. Shane always asked Linda's permission. Hers alone. It was as if she was his only parent.
After scanning the rest of the broadsheet and deliberating that there were no articles left that could be worth reading, he finally set the newspaper down. Taking his glasses off, he rubbed his already tired eyes. How he can be this tired at still this very early time is beyond him. Maybe his age is starting to get to him. But of course, he wouldn't admit that to anyone.
*Knock, knock* "Come in!" Opening his eyes, he was met by his long time secretary coming in. "Sir, this just came in for your final review before its release next week.", she congenially stated while handing her boss a complementary issue of next month's WWE Magazine. Grabbing the glossy covered material, Vince quickly dismissed the petite lady, who just "disturbed" his much needed rest. He hoped the magazine needed the least amount of editing as possible, because if he were only honest with himself, he didn't feel like doing any work today.
The magazine cover caught his attention quickly. It seemed as if he was staring at a younger version of himself, only to realize that it was actually his son whom he was staring at. Shane's gorgeous baby face and dreamy chocolate eyes stared back at him all throughout. He knew for a fact he inherited all of those from him, and he was sure that for the past thirty nine years, a lot of girls' hearts broke along the way. Like father, like son they say… Call it coincidence, but it seemed like this morning, Shane was everywhere he looked. He inspected the cover further, seeing the headline title which read: "Getting the F Out! Shane McMahon on Fears, Family and Future of WWE." He was surprised that Shane agreed to do this interview. Among all of the McMahon's, he was the most private. It was now time to see what exactly is inside.
WWE Magazine: You are known to have done things that most wrestlers would not have even dared to try to do. You're not scared of jumping off the top rope, onto the Spanish announce table. You're not scared to jump from one side of the ring to another, doing the Coast-to-coast. You're not scared to fall off the Titan Tron, may it be from 20 feet, or 50 feet. You're not scared of going face-to-face or even toe-to-toe with Eric Bischoff, Kane, The Big Show, The Rock, Triple H, and even your father, Vince McMahon. So tell us, what exactly is Shane O' Mac scared of?
Shane McMahon: Nothing. (laughs) I'm Simba, remember? (laughs) Nah… seriously… I think it is human nature that we, even in the slightest bit, get scared if something happens or were to happen with the people closest to us. Especially when it's family. I got scared shitless when my dad almost got sent to prison, for something he didn't do. I got scared when my parents almost divorced. I got scared when one asshole after another came in and dated Stephanie. (laughs) You get my point… Now, married and with kids, I got scared when my wife had a difficult time in labor when she was pregnant with our first child, I get scared when my kids are sick and I'm halfway across the world… those things…
Funny how he's afraid of the most sensible and natural things now, because that seemed to be not quite the case when Shane was just four. Vince is surely proud of his son and all of his accomplishments, but he can remember clearly this one night when things didn't go quite right for little Shane.
Vince McMahon sat in the living room trying to get his work for the night done when he heard his wife from upstairs, trying to pacify a seemingly panicking Shane. Smirking to himself, he made his way to and up the stairs, knowing what this could possibly be about. He did it again. He seemed to be so successful each time.
"Dracula is there! He's in my closet!", he heard his son wail. Coming closer to his son's room, Vince turned to his son and proudly said: "Dracula's in there, huh? Don't worry son. Watch this.", then proceeded to enter the aforementioned closet. And after a couple of noises and scripted destruction, Vince emerged all sweaty and heaving, only to declare: "Son, you don't have to worry anymore. Dracula's dead!" And so Shane made his way back to his bed, and indulged in a peaceful slumber.
WWE Magazine: Speaking of having kids, you're one of the company's best heels, because you can be ruthless, cunning, conniving, and as we've mentioned, fearless. But how is Shane O' Mac as a dad?
Shane McMahon: I don't know… you tell me! (laughs) I don't want to rate myself on how I am as a father. I think I'll let my kids be the judge to that. But what I can say is that I definitely try my very best to be the best father that I can be to them.
WWE Magazine: And how is Vince as a grandfather? That's an image that a lot of people, up to this day, still can't imagine. Some can't even say "Vince McMahon" and "grandfather" in the same sentence!
Shane McMahon: I'm sure that's still puzzling to A LOT of people. But he's great! He's like the coolest ever, because you can just lock him and his grandkids in a room for a whole day, and he's happy. Of course he treats his four grandkids differently, as uniquely as possible with each one, maybe trying to establish a personal relationship with each one of them. As animated and very "character" my father is, he's one hell of a grandfather. I think he's paying back to our kids, what he thinks he missed with us, his own, because he was out working to be able to put food on our table, a roof over our heads. He's a kid at heart. So sometimes, it's as if there are five kids, and not just four. My kids and my nieces adore him! You could only imagine, the very first time we told him that my wife was pregnant…
"Heavenly!"
The members of the McMahon family could barely move from their seats at the dining table. That's what you get when you stuff yourself with much, much more than what you're supposed to eat, especially during dinner time, when you're expected to consume the least amount of food for the day.
"God, after a whole afternoon of just food tasting, I got to say, this has to be the best set of food I have eaten the whole day.", remarked a very full, very contented Stephanie. That morning, the youngest of the McMahon clan had been busy with preparations for her upcoming wedding to WWE superstar Triple H when she got a call from her sister-in-law that a family dinner was being held that night at their place. Even if she knew she will be tired as hell with a full schedule ahead of her, with gown fitting in the morning and food tasting in the afternoon, she said yes and assured her maid-of-honor in three months that she will be there.
Why would she say no? It's family night. And no matter what people say about her family, and how the television storylines portray their family, especially at present when she, as Smackdown! General Manager is being pitted against her father, the Chairman of the Board in a tug-of-war for power, while her brother is trying to get back at his father and Kane for harming their mother, in reality, the McMahons are a close knit family. She always enjoyed family nights, which always, always involved food.
And that's another reason. Growing up, she thought her mother was the best cook in the world. In fact, when she inherited her mother's interest and love for cooking, she was proud because she knew she wasn't bad at all when it comes to the kitchen. It made her proud to be able to show everyone that the "Princess" actually knew how to do household chores. That was up until she turned ten, when the Mazzolla's moved into the neighborhood, and on a chance fourth of July Saturday night when the McMahon's received a box of initially-thought-of-straight-from-the-store apple pie, that the crown of Kitchen Queen was passed to someone across the street. As it turns out, the pastry was home-baked, not only to celebrate Fourth of July, but also the thirteenth birthday of the eventual Mrs. Shane McMahon. Since then, noone in the McMahon family said no whenever she offered to cook, or bake them anything for any or no occasion. They've been the lucky recipients of the best Italian food and pastries for the past seventeen years now.
"Hey, I got an idea!" Clapping her hands together (because they are the only parts of the body that she can move at the moment), Steph, who sat beside Marissa at the table, continued with much excitement: "Why don't I get your services instead to cater my wedding? I'll leave everything up to you. Anything you want."
"Desperate much? Are you that stressed with the food-testing, little sister?" came a teasing voice from the head of the table. Whenever they were together, it was just impossible for Shane and Stephanie not to tease each other, then eventually bicker.
Pretending she did not hear any of what her annoying brother just said, Stephanie pat the other brunette's hand in an attempt to make her say yes. "So.. what ya think?"
The older brunette could only laugh. "As flattering as that may be, sis, I don't think we can do that. We're just five people now. I don't think I could cook a full course meal for three hundred twenty. I don't think I can handle that kind of stress."
"Stress? You're married to my brother almost seven years now, and you can't handle cooking for your best friend's wedding party? When have you not ever handled stress?" When has Marissa ever complained about stress? That was an aspect that interestingly enough, call it co-incidence, but she and her mother-in-law Linda had in common. They were always grace beyond pressure. That's probably what marrying into "television's most dysfunctional family" will do to you.
"Hey! Will you please stop talking like I'm not here? You're in my house, you know?" Not that Shane really minded. He was used to it by now. When his wife and his sister were together, it seemed as if he no longer existed. In fact, nobody else did. That was how close they were.
Also ignoring her husband's comments, Marissa addressed the woman she's considered a little sister from the day they've known each other. "Not now… not when I'm eating and living and will be stressing out for two now."
"What?" Steph cursed inside her head: That's what being smart will get you. Sometimes, you talk in riddles. "What for two?"
"Honey?" another voice came up from across Marissa. For the first time since dinner was over, Linda McMahon looked at her daughter-in-law with concern in her big blue eyes. But it wasn't really the kind of concern where she feared something bad is happening. In fact, something is telling her this is just the exact opposite. She had a feeling what Marissa was talking about, but she couldn't ask. They had to let Shane and Marissa tell them on their own. All she could do was look at the couple with eyes that said "Is this what I think this is?"
Bounded by a connection that binds all mothers together, Marissa and Linda seemed to have an understanding just with that look Linda gave her. The younger Mrs. McMahon could no longer hold it, and nodded her head in confirmation. "Ten weeks." was all she said. But the twinkle in her eyes and the contagious smile on her lips gave it all away. Linda could only let out a squeal of excitement.
This time, it was Vince's turn to be confused. When his kids were teasing each other minutes ago, he pretended he wasn't hearing anything. He was used to it. It's been happening for the past almost twenty seven years. But when his wife is letting out an excited squeal after his daughter-in-law merely says "ten weeks", he has to speak up and ask. "What ten weeks?"
His turn to ignore his sibling now, Shane reached over for his wife's right hand with his left, to turn his attention to his father. "It means that, dad, in seven months give and take, you will finally become grandpa."
But what fight would not get resolved when a baby is involved. "And you little sister, will become Aunt Stephie."
Then the second excited squeal of the night came. "Oh my…" Mother and daughter stood up to from their seats to approach the soon to be parents while the younger exclaimed "May I just add, it's not only going to be Aunt Stephie… it will be Godmom Stephie and you both really have no choice about that."
While hugs, kisses and well wishes were being exchanged, the soon to be father for the first time looked back to his own father's direction waiting for his reaction.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
Time seemed to have stopped when a shocked Vince remained in his seat. Why does he look… unexcited? Hasn't he been waiting for this for a long time? No longer able to hold his patience in, Shane finally called for his father's attention. "D-a-a-d-d?"
With tears in his eyes, Vince could only whisper, "Thank you." That was the soft side of Vincent K. McMahon that nobody, except for his family knew about.
Making his way over to the expecting couple, Vince let out a series of questions any parent would ask his expectant daughter. "Have you visited your doctor? When is your next check-up? Shane, you have to accompany her to her next check-up…"
Making his way back to his seat, Vince then announced "No stress for you 'til you give birth", addressing his daughter-in-law. Shifting in his seat, he turned his attention to his daughter and continued, "Which means you, you find another maid-of-honor."
"Daaaaaaad!" The ladies chorused together. When it involved his family, Vince was always extra overly protective.
WWE Magazine: Inevitably, you and your sister and a couple of other people would be the ones running the WWE ship, continuing on the legacy created and will be left behind by your father. What can we expect from Captain Shane's governance? What do you see as far as the future of the WWE is concerned?
Shane McMahon: For decades now, we've only been here to do one thing, and that is to entertain—to keep the smiles on people's faces. And we'll keep doing that. We'll keep expanding until we conquer the world. Maybe gain more global exposure and popularity by having more international stars come in to represent. I'll tell you something though. If we turn out half as good as my dad and my mom were, I'll be happy.
WWE Magazine: Well, those would be too big of two pairs of shoes to fill.
Shane McMahon: Sure is… but we've learned from the best.
His reading and thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his cellphone. With the tone that played, he knew exactly who was calling. He set that tone, only for him, and him alone.
"Yo, Shane O'! How are things?" Vince greeted cheerfully. It's been a while since he had talked to his first-born. Shane has been gone for over a week now.
"Hi dad! I'm in Thailand now, and things are crazy! Everyone's very welcoming and warm. I tell you, the product is beyond popular here. It's a lifestyle!" Shane seemed too excited over on the other line. Tired, but still excited.
"Yeah, I saw. You were basically everywhere this morning. The newspaper, the TV… you name it! And I'm not exaggerating! Looking great by the way…"
Letting out a laugh, Shane let out the natural McMahon arrogance in him. "Well, as they say, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'"
Echoing that laughter, Vince could only nod his head. "Good one! That, I definitely won't disagree with."
"Hey dad, I got to go soon, but listen. I just called to let you know that I'll be back tomorrow morning, and that Rissa and I are inviting everyone over for dinner tomorrow night. 'That sound good?" He really sounded like he was in a bit of a rush.
But Vince won't let him go that easily. He missed his son, and he was maximizing this long overdue chance to get to speak to him. "At your house? As in home cooked meal?" If he understood correctly what his son was trying to imply, then that means heaven will come tomorrow night. Everybody knew how great of a cook Shane's wife was.
"Of course, Dad! Why would we invite everyone over and order take-out or something?" Didn't Vince seem to be over-acting just a little bit? Shane sometimes, didn't understand why his dad acted the way he did.
Sensing irritation in his son's voice, Vince countered quickly. "Okay Shane, I get it. No need to get too defensive…" Maybe Shane was just tired and busy that he wasn't in the mood to be all joking today. "And may I know to what do we owe the pleasure of getting to enjoy a heavenly, hearty meal to be prepared by your wife tomorrow evening?" Shane's just coming home tomorrow morning, and then he's volunteering to host a family dinner that same night. Something didn't quite add up right.
"No reason dad! We just thought it would be nice to bring everyone together and have a good time. Just to chill and relax. It's been an ultimately busy week for all of us. 'thought everyone could use a break…"
But that reason didn't seem believable to Vince. "Right Shane… whatever!" Shane never hosted a dinner for no reason. He just wasn't the type.
Unfortunately for Vince, the younger man wouldn't spill anything. "Why do you keep asking anyway? If you don't wanna believe me, then just think of it as a 'Welcome Home' party for me, okay? Look, I really have to go now. They're giving me the 'Hurry up' sign already. Just be there tomorrow night, aite? I'll see ya!"
This time, Vince knew that he had to let his son go already. Just temporarily anyway. He can't afford having his Executive Vice President for Global Affairs screw up. "Okay, okay. I love you, son."
"Love ya too, dad! Take care!"
He loved goofing around and teasing his kids. It seemed as if it was just back when they were much younger and he was trying to get as much details as he can as to why Steph was crying, Shane was angry and the house was just a mess, with furniture all misplaced and throw pillows were scattered everywhere on the floor. He had a feeling that a fight between the two went on, but neither one bulged so that inference never got confirmed. But now, he knew that whatever Shane was keeping from them was something sweet, and he'll just wait for that affirmation to happen tomorrow night. He had this feeling because the first time they had dinner at Shane's place for "no reason", he became a grandfather for the first time seven months later. And the last time they had eaten together at Shane's just to "get everyone together" and to just "chill and distress", he became a grandfather for the second time, also some seven months later. Just for fun, he'll be sure to bring a bottle of Marissa's favorite champagne tomorrow night and offer it to everyone during meal time. He would love to hear the excuse she'll be giving to let the alcohol pass.
His thoughts were disrupted once again by another light knock on the door. This time, before even being given the permission to enter, Stephanie poked her head inside her dad's office, while happily making her presence known. "Hi dad! Wanna go grab some lunch yet?"
Drifting his attention to the monitor in front of him, Vince was surprised to see that it was already quarter past twelve. Has he been that "unproductive" for so long? That can't be good. If he keeps doing that for more days, they'll surely go bankrupt. "Yeah! I'm starving!"
Crossing the distance between his chair and the door, he made sure he got a hold of his coat before completely leaving the room. Putting an arm around his only daughter, he led the way to the elevator. Linda was out on a business meeting, so today, it will just be a father-daughter luncheon date.
"Hey! Have you heard yet?", Stephanie inquired. There was something about the McMahon's and random questions. "Dinner at Shane and Rissa's tomorrow night?" She, too, like her dad, became excited upon hearing the news of the invitation.
"Yeah, your brother called…"
"He called you? Ris was the one who told me. And it was even through text!" Steph had two points: 1. She missed her brother the same way her dad missed him; and 2. She would have loved to get that invitation via a phone call. It seemed more personal compared to a text message. But Vince couldn't see that. He wondered why sometimes, women can be so overly dramatic. What was the big deal anyway?
"Well… maybe she was busy. Think about it, it's already very nice of her to invite you to a lovely dinner so let it go. And big deal Steph. You're just the aunt. I'm the grandfather…"
"What?" Somewhere along call-and-text, maybe she's busy and aunt-and-grandfather, she got lost in the middle.
"Nothing…" Vince tried to cover up quickly. Oops. Better not to pre-empt anything. That was Shane and Marissa's story to tell. "They're having everyone over. It's good, home-cooked meal. We'll have a good time to just be together and chill. Whatever way I'm informed, I don't care! I'll just be there!" Nice segue.
But Steph seemed to still be a little bit skeptical. "And did he tell you why we're having dinner at theirs? I smell something fishy because Shane never does that for nothing. Never… ever!"
Patting his only daughter on the back, he decided to conclude their conversation on the topic, before he accidentally slips out something he's not supposed to. "Let it go, Steph. Whatever it is, we'll find out tomorrow. Now where do you want to eat?"
From the passenger seat, Vince watched Stephanie drive out of Headquarters to a near by eatery. He couldn't help but to feel proud and thankful. He couldn't wait to be a grandfather for a fifth time. He knew that that kid was going to be something because she was a product of what he believed was the best son in the world.
Yes, he could feel that Shane would finally be having a girl this time. And that Shane would be as happy and blessed as he was now.
A/N: I apologize for the "telling of the first pregnancy" part to be that long. I got too carried away. Also, this was the best idea I had thought of and since we know nothing about that event, I went ahead and took the ball and ran away with it. That part was also the last to be completed. That's why it took me more than two years before I got to upload this.