Title: ATM and the Hunger Strike
Author: Kaykyaka
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used within this fictional story. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made by this work of fiction.
Ratings: K+
Characters: Lita, Trish Stratus (not married in this story), Melina, DX, Edge, Nitro, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon.
Summary: A loss of appetite among two teenage girls has a mother worried and a terrible secret is eating Vince McMahon up inside. Is there a connection? ATM are going to find out.
One – More Than You Can Chew
Faith and Prayer Pentecostal Church, Atlanta, GA:
The morning church service was just finishing and the congregation was filing out of the church down the road or to the parking lot while Lita stayed behind to talk to Miriam about her two daughters Marianne and Marjorie.
"She came downstairs and I couldn't believe it, then I remembered she and Marianne had a fight about this boy Marjorie had been seeing and accused her of being a traitor because he liked her first. She really hurt her sister's feelings and Marjorie didn't eat anything for a couple of days. Then those two days stretched out to five days and by today I barely recognized her,"
Lita nodded on listening intently, "So Majorie stopped eating altogether?" she asked.
"Yes," Miriam said, "to get back at her sister,"
"Whoa," Edge said standing nearby overhearing the conversation. Lita shot him a disproving look and he looked at his shoes bashfully, "Sorry," he said.
"Marjorie and Marianne fight all the time but I've never seen either of them act like this and the worst thing about it, Marianne doesn't seem to care that her sister is wasting away right in front of her!" Miriam exclaimed distraught.
Lita touched Miriam on the arm compassionately then she saw her husband waiting for her at the door and rose to her feet to leave.
"Thanks for listening Amy, pray for me," she said and left the church leaving Edge and Lita alone to reflect on the situation.
"So she's still mad at her sister for going out with this boy she liked?" Edge asked on the way up the road.
"Yeah she's holding this grudge in her stomach and it's eating her up inside, unfortunately she's not eating anything but self-hatred," Lita said swinging her free arm casually while Edge held the other one.
"So what are you gonna do?" Edge asked.
"Pray and then I'll pay them a visit when we get back from Melina's New Year's party," Lita said.
"I bet Miriam isn't going to have a very happy new year," Edge said.
"Unless Marianne gets that chip off her shoulder and stops punishing her sister," Lita said stepping up to her door and leaning against it in thought and then she looked up at Edge, "Until then Marjorie's on a hunger strike,"
Melina and Nitro's, L.A.
The Miraculous one lay in her hammock thinking about the best way to help save Randy Orton's soul. She'd been in the hammock for almost and hour and a half trying to figure out what she had to do. She had no doubt that prayer was effective but there was something else she had to do and she was willing to stay all day in the hammock until she figured it out.
"Come on Father, tell me what I have to do?" she said aloud to God.
"Get off your ass and get on your knees woman then maybe I'll give you a hand," said a booming voice form behind the tree and Melina leapt up and landed on her butt seeing Lita clutching her stomach laughing hard at her.
"Oh very funny!" she said furrowing her brow at the red-head.
"I'm sorry but you should have seen how high you jumped outta that hammock!" Lita said her face creasing with laughter. Melina smiled in spite of herself; she had been praying all morning and the whole idea of coming outside and laying in the hammock was to take a break yet here she was again praying to God for help with Randy Orton. Lita pulled her up once she calmed down and Melina straightened her skirt before telling Lita what was on her mind.
"The Bible says we must pray without ceasing," she said.
"The Bible also says we must have patience and that there is a time for everything," Lita replied, "God hears you Melina and it's a revelation that we all want therefore we shall all receive it,"
"I know Amy it's just that I feel that there's something I'm supposed to do before the revelation comes, something unbelievable, something that I would never do in the natural," Melina explained and Lita nodded already knowing exactly what Melina meant, she hadn't stop thinking about it since they came back from the pre-Christmas party in the Caribbean, "It's just that I don't know what it is," Melina said with a sigh and Lita put her hand on Melina's shoulder.
"Or maybe you don't want to know," she said.
Melina nodded her head, "Yeah," she said pondering Lita's words.
"Hey will you guys take a break from saving the Universe for once second," Trish yelled out form the bottom of the garden where a long picnic table was standing with various different types of pie cooling on top of it.
"Hold on I'm bringing her down," Lita called back and Melina hit her hand against her head. "I figured you'd forget so I came up here to bring you down there,"
"I totally thought they were kidding," Melina said remembering that Nitro, Carlito, Shelton and Edge had mysteriously disappeared to the store awhile ago.
"Hoisting you out of that hammock was only part of the reason I came down here, want I really want is to see you eat some pie!" Lita said sarcastically.
"But Lita a pie-eating contest?" Melina complained.
"Well you watch Bad Blood 2003 with your boyfriend something bad was bound to come of it,"
"You and Edge are gonna make one hellacious married couple," Melina said.
"We should consider ourselves lucky," Lita said dragging Melina to the huge picnic table o' pies which Carlito, Shelton and Edge had arranged so excitedly, "Nitro wanted us to eat pie like Bischoff ate Big Dick Johnson's butt!"
"Ew!" Melina said shuddering, "Wait a second what is this?" she said pointing to Trish Stratus who looked up from her plate and wondered why they were both staring at her.
"What?" she asked eating a slice of blueberry pie.
"How come you started eating already?" Melina said pointing at Trish who shrugged in response.
"I figured you guys the forfeited the contest," Trish said.
"What?" Lita and Melina said together.
"Well you seemed more intent on staying down there than coming up here so I figured what the hey?" Trish replied and continued eating.
"What the hey?" Lita said sarcastically and snatched the fork out of her hand. "Okay this pie doesn't count," she said.
"Yeah good luck beating us now with your stomach half full," Melina teased and Trish realized she may have not gotten a head start after all.
Meanwhile upstairs in the bedroom:
"Tonight?" Edge asked in disbelief at what Nitro was telling him.
"Yeah?" Nitro replied perplexed as to what Edge was having such a hard time understanding about him asking Melina to marry him.
"Before or after dinner?" Carlito asked, "I just wanna know if I should full up before throwing up,"
"Shut up Carlito," Nitro replied.
"You gonna ask her tonight?" Edge asked again still in disbelief.
"Yes I'm going to ask Melina to marry me tonight what's the big deal?" Nitro exclaimed exasperated throwing his hand up in the air.
"And you knew about this?" Edge said turning to face Shelton who was resting against Melina's dresser.
"Edge I told you ages ago," Shelton replied in self-defense.
"While you were drunk and doing the limbo rock with Kristal and Michelle McCool?" Edge asked incredulous.
"No at Carlito's breakfast party before I went home," Shelton said.
"And yet he's still going through with it, what's wrong with you why haven't you talked him out of it I thought you guys were tight?" Edge said getting more and more unhinged by the second.
Nitro cocked his eyebrow suspiciously, "What's your problem with me marrying Melina?" he asked and Edge pulled his hair out of his face in frustration.
"Shelton?" Edge called to the Most Amazing Athlete to step into a WWE Ring for help.
"No Edge you tell him I've made peace with it," Shelton replied dusting off his hands.
"What's that mean?" Edge asked agitatedly.
"It means I've given him my blessing," Shelton replied.
"Yeah so have I," Carlito said hoping to go downstairs and watch some serious pie-eating in any second. Edge calmed down and thought about what he should say now that he was in the minority.
"Okay Nitro," he stretched out his hand, "you have my blessing too man,"
Nitro shook his hand but when Edge went to let go he didn't loosen his grip, instead he tightened it.
"Edge I wanna know why you think I shouldn't marry Melina, only then will I accept your blessing," Nitro said firmly.
Edge fell silent not wanting to upset Nitro tonight, he stumbled to find words but Carlito saved him the trouble.
"Come on guys pie-eating!" he cried excitedly, "You can discuss this later preferably when I'm not around, now let's go," he said.
Shelton rolled his eyes at Carlito although he was eager to see ATM relax and do something fun for a change he was curious as to what Edge's objection to the marriage was, rumor had it that it was something to do with Randy Orton.
"He's right you guys this can wait," he said following Carlito downstairs and ushering Edge out of the bedroom. Nitro swallowed hard; tonight was the biggest most important night of his life and the beginning of a whole new year for him and Melina. Following his friends down the stairs he stressed himself out thinking what Edge had to say could not wait at all. He didn't want anything to ruin his big night.
Outside the pie eating contest was about to begin. It started with Melina finishing off a whole coconut cream pie ahead of Lita and a struggling Trish Stratus.
"Eat! Eat! Eat!" chanted the men rabidly as Melina started on the cherry while Lita just finished up the Mississippi mud pie and Trish struggled to catch her next breath.
"Trish come on what's the hold up?" Carlito said not understanding why his girlfriend was lagging behind so badly. Lita breezed through the coconut cream pie and was on the pecan pie now with Edge cheering her along. He gave Shelton a sharp nudge.
"My girlfriend's gonna win this thing," he said and Carlito overheard and got agitated by his comments.
"No she isn't come on Trish!" he said scooping pieces of pie into his girlfriend's mouth. Nitro slapped his hand.
"Hey no helping!" he said and looked over to Melina who only had one pie left to go, "Wow Melina you're almost there go girl eat that pie!"
Melina beamed proudly and reached for the last pie then recoiled in disgust and Nitro frowned, "What is it?" he asked.
"Ki lime pie?" she said feeling nauseous, "Who bought ki lime pie?"
As she looked around the innocent faces her eyes locked on Carlito who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Oops my bad – let's go Trish!" he said to his girlfriend ignoring the daggers flying at him from Melina as Trish began to get her second win.
"Ooh apple my favorite!" she said gleefully and looked up at her boyfriend with a multi stained bib around her neck, "How did you know?"
Carlito stroked her face lovingly, "I had an idea," he said, "Come on you've only got two more to go and you tie with Lita,"
"No she won't!" Edge said and everyone looked at Lita who had just finished her pecan pie and was starting on the blueberry, "After this my girl's only got one more pie to go before she wins," he bragged.
Melina looked over at the last pie which really wasn't a pie at all it was a strawberry cheesecake. She looked at Nitro who gave her a nod and she snatched the strawberry cheesecake up and pushed the ki lime pie over to Lita. Lita's eyes went wide at Melina's actions.
"Excuse me but what do you think you're doing that's my strawberry cheesecake!" she said slamming her hand down on top of Melina's so she couldn't take her first bite.
"Says who?" Nitro interjected indignantly. Lita looked up at him incredulously.
"You did, you lined up the pies and said whoever finishes their line of pies is the winner," she argued, "that means one coconut, one chocolate, one lemon, one blueberry, one pecan, one ki lime, one raspberry and one strawberry cheesecake each!"
"Well I didn't know Carlito was gonna put ki lime pie in Melina's line, I bet he knew she didn't like it too!" Nitro said bitterly his eyes narrowing at Carlito.
"And how would he know that?" Edge said cockily then everyone looked over at Trish who was about to start on her last pie unconcerned once again of the look everyone was giving her. Eventually she realized all she could hear was the sound of her mouth clapping and looked up at her friends.
"What?" she said.
"Don't mind them baby just keep eating," Carlito said fretfully.
"Did you tell Carlito that I don't like ki lime pie?" Melina asked her.
"Now how would I, The Truth: Trish Stratus know a thing like that?" Trish said sarcastically.
"Give me that pie!" Melina yelled and ran over to take the raspberry pie that Trish was bout to tuck into.
"Man they sure are taking this seriously," Nitro said to Carlito who nodded in agreement as Trish and Melina began to wrestle over the pie.
"I guess when you're competitive in the ring you're competitive over everything," he answered.
While the two Divas fought Lita finished off her strawberry cheesecake and Melina's ki lime pie.
"We have a winner!" Edge announced raising the red-head's hand as she licked the crumbs from the corners of her mouth.
"Oh!" Carlito and Nitro whined both of them so enthralled by watching their girlfriends fight that they forgot tell them to eat up. Edge and Shelton applauded Lita then Shelton handed Melina and Trish ribbons that said 2nd Rate Girlfriend and 3rd Rate Girlfriend.
"Where did you get those?" Melina asked horrified.
"You'd be amazed what you can find on the Internet these days," Edge replied and Lita hit him on the arm before walking over to her friends and hugging them.
"It just goes to show you rather than bitch and moan, just get on with it," Edge commented and Trish and Melina rolled their eyes.
"So I guess Lita gets to wear the World's Best Girlfriend ribbon and get married to you right?" Trish said noticing the ribbon in Edge's hand.
"You tell me Truth," Edge said.
"Honey I'm not wearing that," Lita said thinking of her friends.
"Yes you are," Trish replied simply.
"Okay babe as you wish," Edge said backing off and Lita looked at Trish surprised.
"Well I guess you don't know the truth before it happens," she said and when she turned around Edge pinned it on the middle of her top right between her shoulder blades.
"Edge!" Lita yelled trying to remove the ribbon but it was impossible and everyone started laughing as Lita continued to pull awkwardly at her shirt.
"Whatever you guys," she said giving up," Hey let me have a piece of that," she said coming over to eat the last pie with Trish and Melina. The guys looked on impressed.
"Man our girls sure can eat," Carlito said wondering if they should go get more before the fireworks while Nitro reflected on what Edge said; rather than bitch and moan, just get on with it.
"That's damn right," he said, "I'm going for a walk," he told Carlito and walked down the road getting up the courage to ask his girlfriend to marry him.
The McMahon's:
Linda was making more punch for her family who were arguing over whether or not they should go to church for New Year's Eve. Stephanie was adamant that they go while Shane wanted to spend New Year's indoors. Linda didn't mind the arguing, it was just so nice having her two children under the same roof again.
"I'm sure glad you both could stay this weekend," Linda said serving the drinks.
"And this must be our reward!" she said coming over to the mini buffet table her mother had prepared. Shane watched as his sister's eyes widened like saucers at the sight of his mother's delicate arrangements of appetizers and finger food while he sipped on his punch.
"Dig in kids I'm gonna go get your father," Linda said taking off her apron.
"Yeah and he'll decide whether or not we go to church this morning," Shane said starting up the debate again.
"It's not like you have anything better to do!" Stephanie retorted stuffing her face with vol un vons.
"I sure do!" Shane snapped back.
"Like what?" Stephanie asked.
"Like sleep!" Shane replied, "I've been playing with Declan and Kenyon all day! Plus I've been trying to calm down Dad after that travesty of a WWE pre-Christmas party in the Caribbean, a tradition that may never be restored to its former glory!"
"Oh whatever that party was off the hook. What were you doing up there so long anyway? Destroying DX must really take it out of you," she said sarcastically chomping on a wiener.
"Yes actually it does, I thought I better get Dad to chill before Hunter gets here," Shane replied as his sister scooped another spoonful of deviled eggs onto her plate, "You sure you just don't want the whole farm?" he asked as Stephanie went for another wiener.
"What nonsense are you referring to now Shane 'O?" Stephanie asked.
"I don't know your appetite seems to have increased somewhat and by somewhat I mean a whole lot," he said dipping a chip in salsa before eating it.
"Oh and you would know since we've spent all but 2 days together," Stephanie replied sarcastically.
"Aw does my baby sister miss her big brother?" Shane said in a baby voice.
Stephanie stopped picking apart her mother's assortment of appetizers and rolled her eyes.
"Well now that you mention it we really should make an effort to visit our parents and argue about church more often," she replied then resumed eating her deviled eggs, "And for your information Shane 'O, there's nothing wrong with having an appetite for a good home-made platter,"
"Or home cooked lunch," Shane replied and Stephanie nodded.
"Sure sure," she said eating more vol un vons.
"Or home cooked dinner," Shane added unable to help himself.
"Why not?" Stephanie replied with her mouth full.
"Or post lunch-after dinner New Years buffet,"
"Alright!" his sister yelled causing Shane to laugh as food flew out of her mouth, "Yes I have been enjoying my food lately, especially Hunter's, that man can cook,"
"You don't suppose you're . . . again?" Shane asked curiously thinking that was the only way she could enjoy Hunter's cooking but Stephanie shook her head.
"With the way you and Dad have been beating on him he can barely get up to go to the bathroom," she said.
Now Shane's eyes were as wide as saucers," Really?" he asked gleefully and got up and danced around the table.
Stephanie shook her head, "See this is why you need to go to church," she pointed out munching another wiener.
"Who's going to church?" asked the gruff voice of Vince McMahon s he sat next to his son.
"We all are," Stephanie said indicating the whole family.
"Okay fine we leave at 9," he said and Stephanie cheered mimicking her brother's dance around the table.
"Hey you look pretty good there Steph, I see you get your rhythm from your old man," Vince said proudly while Linda smiled at her scowling son.
"You do it just as good honey," she said placing a napkin on her lap.
"Where'd you learn to dance anyway Daddy?" Stephanie said coming to sit on the other side of her father with a plate of food in her hand. Vince leaned back in his hair and looked thoughtful.
"Well Steph you know, I think I danced my way outta the womb," he replied humorously and Linda rolled her eyes.
"Dad some of us are trying to eat here," he said to his sister taking another chip.
"Yeah you better slow down there tubby you don't have your sister's metabolism," Vince said wagging his finger at Shane.
"Isn't that called cow metabolism?" Shane replied screwing up his face at Stephanie and Linda slapped him around the head.
"That's enough out of you tubby," she said and Shane rubbed the back of his head pouting.
"Hey how come I get chewed out for eating lousy-"
"Lousy?" Linda echoed alarmed.
"I mean tasty tortilla chips and Stephanie almost eaten the whole spread?" Shane asked disgruntled.
"Well she's a growing girl," Vince replied.
"No she's not!" Shane said indignantly.
"Oh yeah you're right, I'm sorry Shane it just felt like old times with you and your sister fighting for equal treatment from me and Linda," Vince replied and went into his own world for a second, "Good times," he said, "Good times,"
"You okay Daddy?" Steph asked as her father leaned forward holding his stomach.
"You know what Linda I think I'm gonna pass on that punch and go lie down for awhile, I'll be back down for church," Vince said taking his wife's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"You okay I'll come up with you," Linda said walking with him but Vince stopped her gently.
"No you stay and eat I don't want your wonderful food to go to waste," he said and walked back up the stairs.
Shane, Stephanie and Linda looked at each other.
"What was that all about?" Shane asked suspiciously.
"You got me," Stephanie replied polishing off another plate of salmon puffs.