To my regular readers: As promised, here is my new story featuring Finn Balor.
To any new readers: Before you read this story and go "who tf is Della, Sadie and Marina?" I have another fic featuring those characters and thought it would be cool to let them cameo in this story and let Finn and Lilith cameo in the other story eventually. You DO NOT have to read the other story to follow along with this one. Just think of them as random NXT wrestlers.
Ashley: Happy Birthday!
Lilith: Thanks!
Ashley: Have u talked to him yet?
Lilith: No...
Ashley: What r u waiting for? Him to drive u all the way from TX to Cali for school?
Lilith: I don't kno how to bring it up.
Ashley: "Just do it" - Nike
Lilith: It's not that easy.
Ashley: The most he can say is no & since u officially became an adult today u have the power to do what u want.
Lilith: If he kicks me out of the house, I hope ur door is open.
Ashley: My door is always open. I hope everything goes well & I can finally meet u in person.
Lilith: I'm worried about how I'll be received. You know with the whole nepotism thing.
Ashley: Eh, that "Charlotte wouldn't be there if she wasn't Ric Flair's daughter" thing got to me for a while but I just worked harder to prove myself. The Flair thing is still getting thrown at me but no one can say I don't belong there. Also, you're beautiful and don't look like your father in drag like I did so you won't get the additional hate I got because of my looks and body thrown at u.
Lilith: Oh, Ashley. You're gorgeous.
Ashley: Yea & it only took me 10000000001 visits to the plastic surgeon's office. LMAO.
Lilith: Stop! Lol.
Lilith's mom zoomed the camera to a gigantic birthday cake with 18 candles. Lily came into the shot and blew all the candles out.
"Valedictorian of your class, a full ride scholarship to USC and now I finally get to see you as an adult," her father sounded a little emotional when he said it. "I am so proud of you, Lily."
"Thanks, Dad," Lily managed to give him a nervous smile.
"I'm going to go out to the pit and check on the meat so we can finally eat," he squeezed her hand before standing to his feet.
Her mother gave her a stern look. "If you don't tell him, I will."
"It'll be about ten minutes," he returned and joined them again at the table. "Where did the summer go? Freshman orientation is right around the corner. I got some free time next week, do you want to fly to Cali to check out the campus before it gets overcrowded by thousands of other kids?"
Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Here it was, it was now or never. She knew this was going to begin the hardest conversation of her young life. "I don't want to go to USC."
He raised a brow. "Why not? Did you hear something negative about the school? It doesn't matter, you got scholarships to LSU, the University of Miami, Texas A&M and Alabama as well. Cutting it close but I don't think it's too late to get you registered."
Lilith shook her head, "No, Daddy, I don't want to go to college at all."
He looked taken aback, a bit stunned. "What do you plan on doing with your life then?"
"The same thing you did with yours," her heart raced and she was a mess of nerves but it was out there now and she couldn't take it back.
"Lily, what are you-" he stopped mid sentence and it looked like he realized what she was getting at. "If you're thinking what I think you are, get it out of your head right now."
"Shawn..." her mom sighed. That's right, Lilith's father was the Heartbreak Kid himself, Shawn Michaels.
"Wait, did you know she was planning on pulling this bullshit?" he lashed out at his wife. This caused Lily to jump. She knew he was upset now. Him being a born again Christian rarely cursed. "You should've been the one to shut her down when she came to you with it. You were around back in my prime. You know everything the business has put me through. When you got pregnant with her I told you from Day 1 that I wanted her nowhere near the business. I never even took her to a show because I wanted her with absolutely no connection to wrestling."
"Why do you hate the business that made you? The business that paid for this house we're sitting in," Lilith countered him.
"Hate? Hate? Hate? Hate? Hate?!" the word kept getting repeated, louder and louder, and more insistently. "It's the opposite, Lily. I love the business. I eat, sleep and breathe the business. If I didn't respect Taker and the fact that he retired me, I'd be back in the ring today if they called me, brittle bones and all. The only thing I hate is the thought of you in the business."
"Daddy, the business is much different than in your prime. People aren't pill popping, coke snorting and having wild orgies backstage anymore," she tried to reason with him.
"They may not be but it's still a cutthroat industry and I don't want you exposed to it," Shawn replied.
"I'm pretty sure Ric Flair's heyday was much wilder than yours and he allowed Ashley to become apart of it. Look at her now, on track to become the GOAT female WWE superstar."
"Ashley was 26 years old when she signed. At that age he couldn't stop her from doing shit. She was a mature woman, lived her youth and knew for sure that that was the life she wanted. You were still a child less than 24 hours ago. What kind of father would I be if I let my little girl step into that world?"
"One who raised me right and trusted me to make the right decisions regardless of where I am or who or what I'm surrounded by," she declared fiercely.
"I absolutely agree," her mom replied.
"You don't know the first thing about wrestling," Shawn's eyes narrowed.
"Even though you didn't take me to any shows, I was home watching every match you were in. I cried when you retired, not only because you retired but because you didn't take me. You didn't even take me to your hall of fame ceremony. Even when you left, I've never missed a single Raw, Smackdown or pay per view. I love this business too and my life will not be complete until I step into a WWE ring," Lily said with confidence.
"Step into a WWE ring?" he scoffed. "You think it's just that easy, huh? It would take you years of training to become passable enough to step into the ring and just passable isn't good enough for any child of mine. You'd be begging USC to take you in after your first bump."
"Daddy, I took my first bump 2 years ago," she revealed.
"What?"
"Do you know that guy you've been paying to tutor me for a few hours after school?"
"Mr. Preston? What does he have to do with this?"
"His name is Ritter and he's an indie guy with his own wrestling school. That's what I've been studying the last 2 years."
Shawn looked betrayed and turned his gaze on his wife who just shrugged. "I can't believe what you're telling me. I guess this is why you wanted to go to this guy instead of school appointed tutors."
"So what are we going to do, Shawn?" her mom asked.
"Why is it 'we' now because it looks like the two of you have been sneaking behind my back for at least two years doing what the hell you wanted. I'm going to go outside and turn off the grill so my house won't burn down. Then I'm going to bed. On August 15th, I'm going to pack up Lily's shit and drive her to USC for freshman move in day and I don't want to hear any more talk about wrestling."
Lily shook her head. "If you do that it'll be a waste of gas and money because I will walk off campus and walk into the closest indy promotion. And they'll take me as soon as they hear my last name."
"First of all, your last name is Hickenbottom. The fictional last name Michaels isn't relevant to you. Second, without any money or a place to live?" he snorted. "I'd love to see it."
"Oh I'm sure some guy would be happy to take poor little Lily Hickenbottom in...rent free," she challenged with a smirk.
"Shawn, if she's dead set on doing it regardless of what you say, I think it'd be better if she went to a safe environment if you know what I mean..."
Shawn was obviously struggling to make a decision but he eventually pulled out his phone. "Hunter, it's Shawn…"
Lily took a snap of the name on the building in front of her that read WWE Performance Center.
"Dad, there are some nice apartments right around the corner. We should go check them out when we leave here," she said.
Shawn rolled his eyes as he opened the door for her and his wife. "You need to decide whether or not you really want to do this before we get into apartment hunting."
"I'm already sold," she said looking around the building.
Shawn stopped an office door and knocked. He didn't wait for an answer before opening it. His fellow Kliq and DX stablemate and bestfriend, Triple H was seated behind a desk. He stood to greet them. Lily knew him well from all the holiday visits and family vacations they'd taken together. He was actually her godfather.
"Where's my money? A bet is a bet," Hunter laughed, embracing Shawn. "I told you back when you said you weren't going to introduce her to wrestling that this day would come. Everyone knows the more you keep something from a child, the more they want it. Had you brought her around all these years she'd be using your credit card to buy makeup, new clothes and dorm decorations right now."
"I knew it too," her mom chuckled. "I'd catch her sneaking to watch it knowing how her father felt. She told me when she was 14 that this is what she wanted to do with her life. I thought she'd eventually grow out of it but here we are."
Hunter turned her attention to Lily. "Your father told me that you've been training."
"So she claims," Shawn grumbled.
"Claims?" Lily raised the sleeve on her shirt to reveal a bruise on her shoulder. "Do you see this? That's dedication. I may not be the best but on a scale from 1 to 10, I'm at least a 6."
"6?" Shawn snorted. "That's mighty generous to say considering you've only been training for 2 years."
"Have you ever had a match?" Hunter asked.
"With the trainers and against other wrestlers in training, yes," she replied.
Shawn shook his head in disbelief. "You mean to tell me you haven't had a real match yet and you're giving yourself a 6? For all you know you could be a 2 once you step in the ring with an outside opponent. Do you really think those people from your wrestling school are going to tell the daughter of Shawn Michaels that she sucks."
Lily's feelings were hurt and she looked close to tears.
"Shawn!" her mom yelled and placed a consoling arm around Lily's shoulders.
"You don't have to put the girl down just because you aren't happy with her decision, Shawn," Hunter scolded. He too gave her a consoling pat on the back. "Look, how about I put you in the ring with the best female wrestler in the industry today.
"Hunter, you are not putting my daughter in the ring," Shawn growled.
Lily decided to put her foot down. "Dad, I did not come all the way to Orlando just to go back to Texas and pout. I'm 18 and this is what I want to do. You can either support me on this journey or you can walk back to the car. Either way, it's happening. Hunter, where can I change?"
Lily came out of the bathroom five minutes later wearing a t-shirt, gym shorts, knee pads and wrestling boots. She saw her father grimace at the sight of her because he knew it was real.
Hunter walked her them out to the practice rings. Guys were in most of them but in the corner there was a ring consisting of 3 girls. There was a Latina sitting on the apron observing. Lily recognized her as Marina Diaz, a high flying master. In the ring two girls were training. A tall blonde who she identified as Sadie. The third was an exotic looking brunette, Della Stone who seemed to be walking Sadie through a few moves.
"If Della can't get a good showing out of Lily, you may have a point Shawn," Hunter said.
"Isn't that Della girl kind of stiff?" Shawn looked worried. "My baby already has a nasty bruise, she doesn't need more."
"Yeah, Della is stiff but she's a professional...in the ring at least. She can adapt to any style and bring out the best in anyone. That girl she's in the ring with now was a supermodel who'd never set foot in a ring before signing. Now Sadie is capable of having an okay match depending on who her opponent is," Hunter explained.
As they walked through the different practice rings, Lily noticed the looks of admiration her father drew from the other NXT performers as they walked. She knew her father was iconic and influenced a generation including some of the biggest wrestlers of today. It made her swell with pride to be able to carry his legacy. They kept straight until they reached the ring where the women were.
"Della," Hunter called out.
"Huh?" Della whipped around. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Shawn. She scrambled over to shake his hand. "I am so honored to meet you, Mr. Michaels. I don't know many in this business today who can say they weren't a fan of yours."
Even though Shawn was pissed, Lily knew he wouldn't miss an opportunity to suck in praise like the narcissist he is. He smiled. "Mr. Michaels is my father; call me Shawn."
"What brings you down here today, Shawn? Not that you need a reason," Della inquired.
"I'm here with my daughter," he replied and Della finally noticed Lily for the first time. Della moved over to where Lily was standing and extended her head. "Hey, I'm Della Stone."
Lily didn't hesitate to meet her hand. She'd read all about backstage etiquette. She knew that it was common courtesy to greet everyone they crossed paths with with a handshake. "I'm Lilith. I've been watching your work for years and I'm a big fan."
"You watch indie wrestling?" Shawn's brow knitted.
"I love wrestling in general, not just WWE wrestling, Dad," Lily replied.
"My kind of girl," Della smirked.
Hunter cleared his throat. "Lily has been training for a little while, Della, and we want to see what she's got."
"Okay," Della said pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Let's go."
Lily followed suit and tied her shoulder length blonde hair into a bun. She turned around and looked at her father who appeared to be breaking out into a nervous sweat already.
"Y'all ready?" Marina asked and they both nodded. She rung the bell to signal the start of the match.
Lily locked up with Della. She wasn't nearly as strong so it didn't take much for her to be pushed down to the canvas. They locked up again with the same result. She looked over at her father and he was shaking his head. For the third time they locked up and Lily found herself using every ounce of strength she had to push Della back a few steps.
Della Irish whipped Lily hard into the turnbuckle. It knocked the wind out of her and she fell down to the mat. She had to remind herself that Della was not one of her trainers or peers at the wrestling school. She was not taking it easy on her. Della was on her in a second, driving her knee into Lily's back to keep her down on the canvas.
"What you gonna do, HBK's K?" Della taunted.
"HBK's K?" Hunter chuckled. "I like that."
Lily battled to her feet and elbowed Della to the face.
"Okay," Della nodded at Marina as if she was impressed. "We may be cooking with gas now. Let's see what you got."
This was Lily's chance. She ran the ropes and was charging full speed towards Della but found herself being tripped and falling into the ropes on the other side of the ring.
"That's enough," Shawn yelled out, sounding embarrassed. "Let's go before you get hurt out there. That girl is not taking it easy on you."
"Actually, she is," Hunter replied.
"No, I'm not leaving this ring!" Lily proclaimed, standing back to her feet. She walked back over to Della. "Stop toying with me. I'm ready to have a match."
They locked up and worked their way to the ropes where Della twisted Lily's arm. Lily tried to reverse but couldn't. Della then threw a headlock to try and ground Lily. Lily tried to escape the headlock but Della continued to hang on. Lily eventually powered out and threw a headlock of her own. Della shot Lily into the ropes but Lily took Della down with a shoulder block. Della tried to clothesline but it was countered. After a series of counters they were at a standoff to applause. Lily didn't even notice that a crowd of NXT performers had gathering but now that she was aware, the pressure was really on.
Della went behind Lily to execute a snap dragon suplex. While Lily was down on the canvas, Della went for the pin but instead of a traditional pin, she puts her boot on Lily's chest.
"Della!" Marina hissed.
"Just count it," Della hissed back.
Marina sighed and slid down to the canvas to begin the count. 1…2…Lily kicked out.
Lily tried to elbow Della but Della rammed Lily's head into the top of the turnbuckle pad repetitively and threw some forearms of her own. The blows were stiff and Lily found herself sinking down into the corner.
"What's wrong? Daddy's little girl can't hang?" Della asked, turning her back.
Lily took this opportunity to get into position. When Della turned around to face her again, she executed her father's legendary move, the super kick. Unlike her father, she didn't need to slap her thigh in order for it to sound off. She heard hisses from the crowd. The kick connected hard into Della's jaw. Della fell to the ground and groaned holding her mouth.
"Oh shoot," Lily crawled over to Della. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine," Della sat up and spit out a thick wad of bloody spit. She wiped her mouth with her forearm. She stared Lily square in the eyes and removed a pair of imaginary gloves. "Let's kick it up a notch."
"Hunter! We've seen all we needed to see," Shawn said. "Lily, I get it. You're passable. It's time to go."
"Yeah, run along little girl," Della smirk. "We have enough over pushed blondes at the top. The last thing we need is another and with a last name like Michaels at that. You may get pushed harder than Charlotte. Are you glaring at me Shawn or something over there? I can't really tell with that wonky eye."
Lily shoved Della and Della shoved her back harder. Lily was crying with tears streaming down her face as she fought Della with forearm shots but Della cut her off and put Lily in a front facelock. Lily tried to hit a neckbreaker but Della reversed it into a neckbreaker of her own. Lily fired up with forearms and then hit a flying forearm that took Della down to applause from those standing around the ring.
Della stood and charged at Lily but Lily dropkicked her. Della tried to comeback but Lily back elbowed her.
"Enough is enough," Della sighed, snatching Lily into a sleeper hold. Lily began struggling to escape but it was no use. Della's hold felt like it was tightening. Lily felt like her eyes were bulging out as Della applied pressure to her neck. She felt light headed. She tried one more time to break free but her body was slowly going limp and she was slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was Della's mouth next to her ear. "Shhh…shhh. Just go to sleep."
Lily regained consciousness but her eyes remained closed. She felt her body being laid down flat on the mat. She heard footsteps around her.
"What the hell was that?" Shawn yelled at Della. "I thought you said she was professional, Hunter? Professional, my ass! And how dare she speak to and handle my daughter the way she did. It was plain disrespectful."
"With all due respect, Shawn, I-" Della began but was quickly interrupted.
"That's Mr. Michaels," he snapped.
Della sighed. "Mr. Michaels, you were one of the greatest heels of all time but you couldn't recognize that I was working heel just now? It hasn't been that long since you retired, it hasn't even been ten years yet. I didn't mean any of that I said to her and I apologize for talking about your eye. She started the match all timid and scared and I didn't have time for that shit so I did what I had to do to pull some fire out of her and hey, it worked."
Lily's eyes popped open. "You really didn't mean it?"
"No! I didn't. And you're better than passable. You're pretty good. You're rough around the edges and you need to work on your technique but other than that I'll rate you a solid 6," Della said and Lily smiled up smugly at her father. "I enjoyed working with you."
"Are you ready to step into my office, Shawn?" Hunter asked.
Shawn reluctantly nodded. "Come on, Lily."
"No, let Lily stay out here and get to know her peers," Hunter said, escorting Shawn out of the ring.
"Hey, Della?" Shawn called over his shoulder. "I guess you can call me Shawn again."
"Okay, Shawn," Della laughed.
The crowd of other NXT performers slowly dissembled. Lily was left sitting in the ring with Della, Marina and Sadie.
"You have your dad's hair," Sadie commented.
"Eww, that is not a compliment," Lily chuckled awkwardly.
"Well, not now but from back in the day when it was full and bouncy," Sadie clarified.
"Thanks," Lily smiled.
"My mind is blown because I didn't even know Shawn had a daughter," Marina said.
"Me either but then again, he doesn't really post about his personal life a lot. You must don't have social media?" Della asked.
"I do but I'm Lily Hickenbottom. Not a lot of people associate my father with his government last name so they don't make the connection," Lily chuckled.
"Well you're Lily Michaels now," Della replied.
"I am, aren't I," Lily grinned.
Lily: It's a done deal.
Ashley: Really?
Lily: I am officially in the door.
Ashely: Awesome!
"It's crazy because you're walking in the door with two readymade feuds. Shawn retired Ric Flair so you that sets up you vs Charlotte and let's not forget the Montreal screwjob which sets up you vs Nattie. The possibilities are endless," Della concluded.
"Also, Ric was a Horseman so when Charlotte came along she became part of the Horsewomen. If you ever decide to form a female Kliq, we're available," Marina held up the two sweet gesture and Lily met her with a two sweet of her own.
"I've had enough of the ring today," Della said, sliding out. "I just had a whole impromptu match. Like, what the fuck? Marina and I are getting ready to go on the road with Raw for a little while to feud with Sasha and Bayley, I should be preserving myself if we're gonna have to do that tough schedule, houseshows and all."
"Aww, you're leaving when I arrive?" Lily pouted.
"Don't worry, you'll still have me," Sadie assured her.
"Cool," Lily replied.
"Here comes Creeper Smile," Marina mumbled. "What's he doing down here?"
Creeper Smile? Lily looked around and the only person in sight was Finn Balor. Now that she thought about it, his wide smile was a little creepy but it was beautiful nonetheless….just like the rest of him. He had the most flawless man skin she'd ever seen; it was smooth in texture, creamy in color. His strong jaw line and his deep set blue-gray eyes gave him a powerful appeal. He wasn't a skyscraper in height but if the budge he displayed in the right was an indicator, she knew where the extra inches went. His body was incredibly fit and the tight white t-shirt he wore clung to his abs.
"Probably on again with Cathy," Della replied.
"If a relationship goes on and off every few weeks, it's totally not worth it," Sadie added.
"Who is Cathy?" Lily asked.
"She's kind of like an on-air personality, I guess," Della began. "She does a lot of backstage interviews and stuff on WWE's website and Facebook."
"Ladies," he called out as he approached. His Irish accent was strong.
"Countdown to creeper smile in 5…4…3…2…" Marina counted down and he smiled wide on cue.
"What's up, Devitt," Della greeted him.
"I heard a rumor that you two were coming up to Raw," he said.
"Technically, we're not coming up but it's true that we'll be on Raw for a little while," Marina replied.
His eyes locked on her and she felt her heart flutter. She could tell he was checking her out but he didn't make it obvious. "Who is this?"
"I'm Lilith," she said quietly, extending a shaky hand. He took it.
"Lilith," he tilted his head. He appeared to be in deep thought as he held her hand for an excruciatingly long time. "Female demon who is sexually wanton and steals babies in the darkness."
"Damn, bitch," Della whispered. "Totally judging your parents right now."
"Ugh, yeah, you should probably just call me Lily," she replied awkwardly.
"I liked Lilith better," he smiled and in this context, his smile really was creepy. "Can I have my hand back now?"
"Oh, right," he looked down at their locked hands before disconnecting. "I'll see you around, ladies…and Lilith," he winked before walking away.
"How old are you anyway?" Marina asked.
"I turned 18 yesterday," Lily replied.
"18? Lily, that man is wayyy too old for you. Hell, he may be too old for me and I'm 26!" Della laughed. "So wipe that goofy smile off of your face for god's sakes!"
"How old is he?" Lily raised a brow.
"He'll 37 in a few days!" Della replied.
"What?" Lily gasped. "He does not look that old. I'd give him 30."
"And that's still too old for you," Marina chuckled. "I bet you're still a virgin."
Lily blushed and looked away. "I am."
"Oh, honey," Sadie shook her head. "You definitely don't want him then if the rumors are true. He'd tear you apart."
"It has to be true, I've been hearing about his business since I was 18 myself," Della replied.
"Shit, just ask Cathy. I'm sure she'll be happy to confirm it," Marina snorted.
Finn snuck up behind Cathy in her office. She jumped and tried to close the window on the screen but it was too late. "Stalking my IG comments again, eh?"
"Just curious," she shrugged. "What are you doing here?"
"Just visiting," he replied.
They'd been together for some time, off and on. This was his most public relationship. Throughout the indies, he tried his hardest to keep his personal life…personal. He was so private that fans used to speculate his sexuality which is ironic now considering his work with his LGBT targeted Balor Club for All campaign. His relationship with Cathy began in the social media driven era so they'd been spotted together on numerous occasions and fans began putting two and two together. She'd visited his parents back in Ireland with him and he officially went public with her when he took her as his date to the HOF. They broke up shortly after only to get back together again. He realized early on that Cathy loved the attention she got from it, both negative and positive. She was a nice girl but one thing he didn't like about her was that she cared too much about what people thought. He didn't.
A guy holding a camera knocked on the door. "Cathy, we'll be ready to film your segment in five."
"Okay, I'll be ready," Cathy replied. She stood and gave Finn a kiss. She pulled back and smiled. "I will see you later."
Finn met Shawn in the hallway. He's went on the recorded multiple times citing Shawn as the greatest and Michaels in return has praised him.
"Balor."
"Shawn," Finn shook his hand. "What's the occasion?"
"I brought my daughter here for a tour," Shawn replied.
"You have a daughter?" Finn raised a brow.
"Yeah, here she comes now," Shawn said, looking behind Finn.
Finn turned around and saw the beautiful blonde from earlier shyly waving. Shit. His phone rung, giving him the perfect excuse to run away.
Alright guys...Chapter 1 over.