Hello shiny happy people. It's me Juliet, and I'm back to help Dana with this sequel.
Here is Chapter Two featuring Athena and Oje Hart, and Cassidy and Steve Austin catching up on their lives since HFS ended.
One Thing
Chapter Two
The Importance of Family
Athena Hart a.ka. Sierra walked back through the curtain after her match was over. Though it had gone well, she would be more than glad when her feud with Simone Johnson was over. The fourth generation wrester, (if one could call Simone that) was still the arrogant pampered bitch she had been in OVW. Still ambitious for Playboy, though Athena knew there was little chance Shane McMahon would actually set up a deal for that, still seemingly jealous of Athena for 'stealing her spotlight" She had even more training than Athena, and the woman still couldn't do something as simple as a suplex right.
"If she's not careful she'll end up injuring herself every other match like that Playboy slut Massaro," she muttered, thinking of the 2005 WWF Diva Search winner who ended up constantly injuring herself before she ended up getting fired for not only injuring herself on a move in 2008, but also the Women's champion at the time Beth Phoenix. Nobody could quite figure out how Ashley Massaro tangled both her and Phoenix up on the ropes and managed to break both their legs.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Mildly surprised to be getting reception in the arena, she looked at the caller id in the front of the phone. Smiling she flipped the tiny device open and lifted it to her ear.
"Hey, ugly," she said starting to sort out her ring gear in one hand while holding the phone with the other.
"You know, that was a lot more endearing when we were kids," her brother's voice retorted drily from the other end of the line.
"I know, but I can't help it," she responded chirpily. "So how's everything at home?"
"Pretty good," Oje Hart told his sister, "Mandy's no longer racing to the bathroom every morning so the morning sickness must be going away."
Athena nodded, even though her brother couldn't see her. She had been thrilled when she learned she was going to be an aunt again.
"And Tim?" she asked, "how is he taking being a big brother?"
Oje chuckled. "Pretty well, actually. He's excited though he wants a sister I think."
Athena laughed.
"Oh, I got a postcard from Mom and Dad today?"
"Oh cool!" Athena exclaimed. In the time since the trials and all the publicity surrounding it, their parents had decided to focus on themselves and in short order renewed their marriage vows and more recently took off on a second honeymoon. "What does it say?"
"Oh just the typical, 'having fun, wish you were here,' that kind of stuff. Oh and apparently from Dad, to remind Steve Austin and Chris Benoit not to trash the WWE while he's gone."
Athena laughed. "Sorry, working for WCW now. Can't help there, but I can certainly pass on the message if I can."
"So what are you doing?" Oje asked.
"Just packing up my gear for the night and then going back to the hotel," she opted not to tell Oje that she was sharing a hotel room with Daniel Benoit. Despite the fact that they were still nothing more than friends after the events of the last couple of years, she knew she would never hear the end of it. Her mother was still angry that Athena never told her about dating Cameron Hickenbottom. "The I've gotta get ready for the tour."
WCW was about to embark on a tour of Europe. It was the first international tour either WCW or WWF had done since Vince McMahon and co horts were busted and their subsequent trials over a year ago. TNA ended up going under after the arrest and subsequent confessions of Jeff and Trish Jarrett. A lot of the wrestlers that had worked there ended up working either for WCW or WWF after that. Since Danny wasn't cleared to go on this trip, Athena would probably end up rooming with Dakota Runnels for the tour.
"Yeah, Uncle Bret mentioned something like that. Apparently when he talked to Dad last time, Dad made mention that he was disappointed that he would probably be home while you were on tour," Oje said.
"Well, we'll have some time off after the tour, so I'll probably end up home to see him then, unless he goes back on the road with the WWF by the time I get back," Athena remarked, then caught the door opening. "Gotta go, my ride's here. Talk to you later?"
"You bet," Oje said, "Bye little sister."
With that Athena hung up the phone and looked as Danny entered the room.
"Ready to go?" Danny asked.
"Just about," Athena said, packing the last of her gear away. "So how did it feel to have your first 'real' match?
"Pretty good," Danny told the woman, who through a serious of unique circumstances had ended up becoming probably his best friend. "Though it felt different."
"It'll probably feel that way for awhile," Athena told him. "I still felt that way for a few months after I debuted. So what's on your agenda for the next few days?"
"Probably back to my apartment, then since I'm not on the tour, probably go home and visit Mom. She was kinda nervous again when I told her I was about to make my debut." Danny said, remembering how emphatic his mom, Nancy was against him becoming a pro - wrestler in the first place. "You?"
"Probably finish getting ready for the tour, and maybe spend a couple of girl days with the roomies before I leave." Athena currently had an apartment in Atlanta, sharing it with Danny's sister, Megan, and Steve Austin's daughter Cassidy, who was also a production assistant for the WWF.
"Sounds like a good plan," Danny told her. Both stopped short when they reached the parking lot seeing a sad, solitary figure heading towards his car.
Although Cameron Hickenbottom was still friendly towards Athena and Danny, the bond the three of them had shared in OVW had deteriorated since the trials and the revelation of what his own father, Shawn, was really capable of. Cameron didn't spend hardly any time with anybody socially and always roomed and showed up to the arena alone. Rumor had it he had not even visited his father in prison, nor visited his mother at their home.
Daniel gave Athena quick, comforting hug. "Come on, let's head out," he said, leading them towards their own rental.
Steve Austin was in one of the offices backstage at the WWF show going over some paperwork. That was probably his least favorite thing about taking over partial ownership of the WWF. The paperwork. At the moment it was worse than ever since Owen was on his second honeymoon. Not that he begrudged Owen for it. He had Debra had taken one not too long ago themselves.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Dad, Chris wanted to give you a copy of tomorrow night's booking sheet's," his daughter told him. Ever since the trials against Vince and his cronies had ended, Cassidy Austin was adamant about not going back to England. Especially given the fact, that apparently Steve's ex - wife had thought she and her sister, Stephanie did not need to know that their father was alive. Seeing as she was 22 at that time and therefore an adult Steve felt no need to force her to go back to where she did not want to go. As she had been born in the US, she had no trouble being able to stay in the U.S. and certainly no trouble finding a job when Steve, Chris, and Owen had taken over the WWF.
"Great, more paperwork," Steve muttered. He looked up at his daughter and gave her a slight smile for her benefit. "Thanks honey."
Cassidy laughed. "You don't fool me Dad. I know how much you hate the paperwork."
Steve made a face of annoyance. Before Cassidy came back into his life, the only other woman to know him that well was Debra. Oh well, Steve mused, small price to pay to have one of his daughters around him. The accent would take some getting used to as well as it reminded him too much of Jeanne, his ex - wife. In other things, however, Cassidy was proving to be more her father's daughter.
"Necessary evil," Steve told her, looking over the sheets. Did not really surprise him too much to see Christopher Daniels in the main event. He was due to get the heavyweight title at the next PPV. Most everything seemed to be okay for the next show. He looked at his daughter with a more serious expression.
"I talked to your mother today," Steve told her, opting not to mention that the conversation was mostly her yelling about him kidnapping their daughter. Again. He had considered pointing out that Cassidy would hate Jeanne so much of she had simply told her daughters that their father was alive, but figured it wasn't worth the effort. Once Jeanne fixated on an idea she rarely let it go. Even Darren had tried to point out that it wasn't kidnapping since the only other conversation mother and daughter had had since Cassidy had left was "I hate you. I'm never coming home."
"Let me guess: She accused you or more to the point, Al Snow of kidnapping me. Again." Seeing her father's silence as confirmation, Cassidy rolled her blue eyes and sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs in the room. "I'm not going home."
"Not telling you to. Way I see it, it's your life to live," Steve told her. Sighing, he rubbed a hand across the back of his bald head. "However, how long has it been since you've talked to your sister?"
Cassidy looked uncomfortable. Truth be told, Cassidy and her older sister did not get along too well as they grew into adulthood. Stephanie worshipping their mother and supporting her whenever Jeanne had something bad to say about their father, while Cassidy idolized her father growing up and took the news of his death very hard. To Cassidy it felt like they had grown up into too very different people with no way to bridge the gap between them.
"Since before I left," she said quietly, "she's so much like Mum, I was afraid she'd rat me out or try to stop me from going to meet Al Snow."
"She's coming here."
Cassidy's head shot up. "Your shitting me?! She once told me she would never set foot on U.S. soil again after your funeral.
"Well, apparently your mother thinks your sister can 'talk some sense into you.' Her exact words. She didn't say exactly when she was coming but apparently it's going to be soon."
"Great," Cassidy groaned. "I think I chose the wrong company to work for. At least with WCW I could probably be out of the country when she visited."
Steve snorted, thinking again of the irony of Vince's son handing Vince's company over to the three men he and his lackeys tried to have killed. All and all there were some upsides to the whole mess.
"Okay, wrap up what you need to do and we'll get out of here. I promised Debra I'd be back at the hotel at a reasonable hour tonight."
"Okay, Dad," Cassidy said, leaving the room to see what else there was to do.
Steve put his head in his hands, hoping that his oldest daughter's visit did not end up to be the disaster he felt it might end up being.
That's it. Stay tuned for Chapter Three.
