Chapter 3 – Van Terminated

By Evilution

Disclaimer: All characters belong to WWE, except Cici. The majority of this story takes place circa 2001, right after the WWE had bought out WCW and the WCW/ECW Invasion angle was starting

Right before Christmas in 1999, they got the call. Vince McMahon contacted both Amy and Cici to offer them an audience with the WWF. Together, they flew to Stamford, Connecticut for a tryout in front of Vince, Shane, Stephanie, and Jim Ross. The McMahon's were clearly impressed with both girls' ability, but what really caught their attention was Cici's writing style. It was edgy and innovative—just what Vince was looking for. Amy and Cici were offered lucrative, long-term contracts, which they gladly accepted. Amy was going to be Lita, the valet for an up and coming Mexican wrestler named Essa Rios, and Cici was going to work behind the scenes, helping with angles and honing her wrestling skills, until an appropriate storyline came along for her.

As the girls headed back to Philadelphia, they were so happy that they didn't even consider the consequences of their actions. They never dreamed that Paul Heyman would be upset with them for signing contracts with the WWF. But the volatile owner of ECW was more than upset—he was furious! Of course, there was nothing he could do. Amy's contract with ECW was nearly up and Cici was only on a developmental contract, so she could walk whenever she wanted. Paul sarcastically wished them luck and told them that what goes around, comes around. Amy told Cici that Paul was just jealous because the WWF would probably own ECW within a year at the rate things were going.

The first thing that Amy did as soon as the concept of working for the WWF sunk in was call her old friend, Matt Hardy. Naturally, Matt was thrilled for her and both he and Jeff were anxious to meet Cici. Amy had told them so much about her best friend when she had been training with them in Omega that the Hardy brothers felt like they already knew Cici, but it would be nice to put a face with the stories. Jeff Hardy, in particular, was interested to see if Cici was as beautiful as Amy described her.

As excited as Amy was about her new career opportunity and the prospect of seeing Matt again, she was going to miss her friends in ECW and she was upset that Paul was so bitter about her good fortune. She hated to hurt Paul. He had done so much for her, taking her into ECW and giving her a chance when no one else would. But if Amy had learned anything from her mother, it was that the world was cold and you had to look out for number one because no on else was going to.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Cici was glad to be leaving and had no intention of ever looking back. True, Paul had given her the outlet to be creative, but ECW had a lot of bad memories for her in the few short months she had been there. Actually, it was just one bad memory and his name was Rob Szatkowski, or Rob Van Dam, as he was better known to the fans.

Cocky, good-looking, and totally self-absorbed, Rob noticed Cici on her first night in ECW and made it his personal goal to win her over. How could he not notice her? She looked like a model, standing by the soda machine talking to Amy, Francine, and Dawn, looking way better than any of them did. He had been hanging out in the hallway, chatting with Scott and Tommy, when Cici's obvious attributes distracted him from his friends. Rob very appreciatively took in her long blond hair, piercing green eyes, and fabulous body. Cici noticed Rob staring at her and blushed becomingly, prompting him to smile and stare even harder as he tried to carry on a conversation with Tommy and Scott.

"So I told Heyman that if he didn't really think that I was the Whole F'n Show, then he could find someone…who is that juicy, succulent peach?" Rob blurted out, interrupting himself.

Scott glanced toward the soda machine, realizing what Rob was gawking at, and grinned evilly. "That's Cici James. She's Amy's best friend from high school and our newest writer. Paul hired her a few nights ago. Nice legs, huh?"

"Forget the legs," Rob whispered to his friends. "Check out her tits and her ass."

Scott looked at Tommy, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She's just a kid, Rob," Tommy scolded. "Besides, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What's that?" Rob asked.

"Like, maybe your wife," Scott said.

"Don't start with that, Scotty," Rob replied, glaring at Raven. "You know the story with my marriage. Now, if you guys'll excuse me, I think I need to introduce myself to our new writer. She doesn't look like she's had the pleasure of being Van Daminated yet." With that, Rob smoothed his hair and headed toward Cici.

Meanwhile, Cici had been trying hard to concentrate on what Amy, Francine, and Dawn were talking about, but she just couldn't seem to focus on the conversation. She glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with probably the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. He wasn't super tall like some of the wrestlers were, but his body was a perfect balance of musculature and toning. He had penetrating hazel eyes that were flecked with gold and long honey-blond hair that was pulled back in a tight ponytail. He smiled at her, revealing a very deep, very attractive dimple on the left side of his face. Cici thought she was going to faint right then and there. She blushed profusely and turned back toward her friends.

"Who is that?" she whispered to Amy.

"Who?" Amy asked, looking around.

"That hot blond guy with the ponytail."

"Oh," Amy replied, somewhat disgusted. "That's Rob Van Dam. Trust me, Cici, he's an asshole."

"And he's married," Francine added.

"I heard that he and his wife don't live together," Dawn remarked.

"Who cares if they live together?" Amy snapped. "Married is married. Rob Van Dam and his dick are definitely not worthy of our young friend here."

"She's right, kiddo," Francine said. "RVD is definitely trouble."

"He looks like some trouble I'd like to get into," Cici mumbled.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Oh, nothing," Cici replied nonchalantly. Regardless of how her friends felt about Mr. Van Dam, Cici was about to ask more questions about him, when suddenly, she was interrupted by the object of her thoughts himself.

"Hi," Rob said in a smooth voice, giving her a full once-over. "I hear that you're the new writer."

"Y…yes," Cici stammered. "I'm….."

"Cici James," he replied, finishing her sentence. "I know who you are. I'm Rob Van Dam." He held out his hand.
Cici shook his hand and was stunned when he lifted her palm to his lips and placed a burning kiss on the back of her hand. She blushed once again.

"Nice to meet you," Rob said, as Amy and Francine glared at him. Dawn, always the romantic, smiled encouragingly at Cici.

"The pleasure's all mine," Cici replied flirtatiously, much to Amy's chagrin.

"It could be," Rob murmured, kissing her hand once again. "I'll see you around. Ladies, it was a pleasure as usual." He gallantly bowed his head at all of them, as Amy smiled sarcastically at him and Francine rolled her eyes. He winked at Cici before swaggering off to join Scott and Tommy once again.

As much as Amy and Francine warned her to stay away from him, Cici had known at the time that this wasn't going to be the last encounter she would have with Rob Van Dam and that was the understatement of the century.

Cici did indeed see Rob again—he made sure of that. The fact that he was married didn't make much difference to Rob. He traveled constantly with ECW and to Japan, so he rarely saw his wife and in his opinion, his marriage was better off that way. His wife enjoyed living her own life, just as Rob enjoyed doing his own thing. The only reason that they stayed together was because of the money. Rob's income along with his wife's money allowed them to live an extraordinarily lavish lifestyle. A lifestyle that was much too ostentatious for either of them to maintain on their own. Rob never thought that he would ever want to leave his wife. That is until he met Cici. Not only was she beautiful and talented, but she was rich, too. On top of that, he had overheard Amy telling Francine that Cici wasn't very experienced with men. Most of the guys in the locker room, including Rob, assumed that Cici was nothing more than a cocktease, mainly because she was so attractive, yet so aloof. No one with a body like hers could be that virtuous, and it turned into practically a contest, seeing who could get her to lower the walls first. Of course, Rob had thrown his name in the hat early in the game and he had been determined that he would be the only wrestler in ECW who was going to score with Cici James.

Much to Cici's surprise and despite all the warnings from Amy and Francine, she had found herself falling head over heels for Rob Van Dam. It had started out innocently enough. He would wander into the sparring ring when she was practicing her wrestling moves and offer to help her out. Actually, Rob only walked into one of her sparring sessions, but once was enough. Cici remembered it like yesterday.

"Nice move," Rob called from the back of the auditorium as Cici bounded off of the ropes and did a flying bulldog on an imaginary opponent.

"Who's there?" Cici asked, peering into the darkness. It was late, long after the fans had left the ECW arena and most of the staff had left as well.

Rob revealed himself to Cici by strolling casually to the ring. Cici breathed in sharply at the sight of him. He was wearing a black tank top and loose denim shorts, his golden hair pulled back in its ever-present ponytail. She tucked some stray hair behind her ear, wishing that she looked a little more glamorous, but Rob didn't seem to mind.

"Hi, Rob," she said quietly.

"How come you're here so late?'

"Just practicing."

"Cool." There was an awkward silence as he stepped through the ropes. "Hey, I was watching you and Amy spar the other day and I was hoping to get a chance to show you something."

"What did you want to show me?" She hoped that he would show her a lot of things.

"I noticed that you have trouble escaping from a hammerlock," he said as he stood behind her. "Most of your trouble comes in when you bend down and try to do the leg sweep. It's because you're too short and your reach isn't long enough. Let me show you something."

Rob took her left arm and bent it behind her back in a hammerlock.

"Now there's several ways to get out of this," he explained. "You can duck under my arm and reverse it. You can grab my head and do a snap mare or a stunner. Or you can do the leg sweep. Try that, OK?"
Cici obeyed, bending over in front of him and trying to grab his ankle. Rob very cleverly moved his foot so that it was just out of her reach.

"Damnit, I can't reach!" Cici yelled.

As much as Rob would have liked to stand there longer with her bent over, her ass pressed up against his crotch, he decided to let her off the hook.

"Spread your legs just a little and reach back," Rob instructed. "It increases your reach."

Cici did as he told her, all the while distracted by the thought of him telling her to spread her legs. She grabbed his ankle and pulled, causing him to lose his grip on her arm and fall flat on his back. Cici immediately spun around and pounced on him, hooking his leg and putting her arm across his chest for a three count. Not to be outdone, Rob jerked his leg loose and hooked it around Cici's throat, taking her down in a head scissors. He then released her, spinning around and catching her in a pinning combination.

"Think you're clever, don't you?" Rob teased, his lips inches from hers as she lay flat on her back

"I guess you win."

"What do I win?"

"What do you want?"

Rob chuckled softly. Before Cici could say another word, he captured her lips in a soft kiss, using his tongue to skillfully explore her mouth. Cici responded by winding her arms around his neck and returning the kiss with equal passion. As quickly as the kiss began, Rob broke it, apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry," he said, helping her up. "I'm an asshole, taking advantage of you like that."

"I'm a big girl, Rob. I can handle it."

"So you're not mad?"

"No, but I'm hungry."

"You wanna get a bite to eat?"

"Sure, but can I ask you a question first?"

"Shoot."

"Will you teach me the five star frog splash?"

"I don't know if you're ready for that," Rob said, smirking at her with that sexy smile of his. "But I could teach you plenty of other things." The implication in his words was obvious.

Cici smiled, blushing. "If you still wanna go eat, I need to shower first."

"Can I watch?" Rob asked with a sly grin.

Cici looked at him, shocked, but her green eyes were twinkling flirtatiously. "I'll think about it," she said before jumping out of the ring and heading to the back.

Her first date with Rob went great, if one could call it a date. They had gone to a café and talked for several hours after the meal. Afterwards, he walked her to her hotel room and gave her a somewhat chaste goodnight kiss. This became something of a pattern for the next few nights that they were on the road. They would get off work, shower, and go get dinner. After dinner, they would sit and talk until the sun practically came up. But everything changed the night Rob invited her to his room to watch a movie. What was supposed to be a quiet evening in front of the TV turned into a sparring session in the middle of Rob's hotel room and ended with a marathon of mind-blowing sex that carried them well into the wee hours of the morning. Cici knew that she had fallen and fallen hard, but nothing seemed to matter to her, except for Rob and when she would see him again.

Cici knew that Rob was married and she heard rumors that he was a player regardless of his marital status, but she wouldn't listen. The only voice she heard was Rob, telling her over and over that he was trapped in a loveless marriage and that she was making him happier than he had been in a long time. Cici had fell for it hook, line, and sinker. She had given herself to him so freely and so easily. She had barely even made him work for it, and now, she could still hear Amy's words echoing in her ears that morning that she stumbled into their hotel room after her first night with Rob.

"Where've you been, Cinderella?" Amy asked sarcastically.

"I was out."

"No shit. Were you with Rob?"

"Duh!"

"Did you fuck him?"

"Amy, I'm tired and…."

"Answer the question!"

"It's none of your business."

"God, you did fuck him, didn't you?" Amy exclaimed. "Cici, are you on crack or something? He's married!"

"He's getting divorced," Cici replied. "He doesn't love her and she's not in love with him either."

"Is that what he told you?"

"He told me everything. He told me about the marriage and the money and how she traipses all over the world with other men no less! Look, Amy, I know you're pissed, but Rob and I have something special. I guess you're just going to have to get used to the fact that RVD is my man."

Amy snorted with disgust. "Did you at least make him wear a condom? Otherwise, you might end up with VD or something."

"Very funny," Cici retorted, as she climbed into the shower. "You'll see, Amy. Rob loves me. I know he does."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Amy replied, shaking her head.

Cici wished she had listened to her friends a little bit better, but it wouldn't have mattered. She only heard what she wanted to hear where Rob was concerned. Rob? Love her? What a laugh that was! Rob didn't love anyone but himself. But she had loved him with all her heart. He was Rob Van Dam—RVD, Mr. Monday Night, Mr. Pay-Per-View, The Whole F'n Show—and he ended up being Cici's worst nightmare.

Looking back on the past few months, she felt like a whore. Not just any whore, but a dumb one to boot. Rob's pattern was all too predictable. He would tell Cici that he loved her and that he was leaving his wife, but then, he would turn around and treat her like shit—lying to her, not calling her, disrespecting her in the locker room. When Cici called him on the carpet for his disgusting behavior, Rob would beg her to forgive him and promise to change. Of course, everything would be great for a few days and then, Rob would go back to his old ways. When Cici got the call from the WWF, she finally told him that she couldn't play his games any longer and that she was leaving him. Naturally, Rob begged her to stay, but Cici was determined to remain strong. She had already convinced herself that she didn't need him. It wasn't because of Rob Van Dam that Cici had gotten called by the WWF. It was because of her talent. She had done it by herself and she was leaving Rob and his bullshit far behind.

When Rob realized that Cici was serious and that he could no longer manipulate her, he responded by getting angry and spreading rumors about her. He accused her of using his name to get the WWF's attention and then, leaving him behind while she went on to the big time. He even went as far as hinting that she slept with Shane McMahon, which was a total lie. The constant stress from Paul's bitterness and Rob talking smack about her all the time nearly caused Cici to question her career choice, but Amy convinced her that they were destined for bigger and better things.

Despite his anger over losing two of his best women, Paul relented and threw a going-away party for Amy and Cici after the Anarchy Rulz pay-per-view. Cici remembered how the party had been so bittersweet for everyone. Amy and Cici were both well liked and they were going to be missed. Of course, the most memorable moment of the party occurred when Rob showed up and started telling one of the newer guys what a fantastic lay Cici was. In one quick motion, Lance Storm crossed the room and popped the arrogant TV champion right in the mouth. Naturally, the fight was on, but Cici and Paul managed to break it up. Rob left with Scott and Tommy and Cici never saw him again before she left for the WWF.