Certain people have been waiting for this one :-D That and the next part ;-)

TITLE: What You Used to Be Chapter Six

AUTHOR: Juliet3:16

RATING: R
EMAIL: VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE, TORTURE
CATEGORY: ADULT, DRAMA, ANGST
SPOILERS: Through WM - X7
SUMMARY: What would you do to save a friend?
DISCLAIMER: I own none of these people in the story, they are owned by either World Wrestling Entertainment, or they own themselves.
DISTRIBUTION: WWOMB, anyplace else, please ask.

What You Used to Be

Chapter Six

Shock Treatment

The sound of the phone woke Mick Foley at six in the morning. He had not planned to be up for another couple of hours, since it was a school holiday for two of his kids.

"Hello?" he answered roughly.

"Mick? It's Linda. I'm sorry I woke you up so early," Linda McMahon's soft voice apologized.

"That's okay, Linda. What do you need?" Mick asked, sleep clearing from his brain. In Mick's opinion, Linda McMahon was the kindest soul Mick had ever encountered. Her son, Shane, seemed to have inherited much of her behavior, at least when he wasn't around wrestling or his father for a prolonged period of time. It made Mick wonder sometimes where Stephanie got her screechy voice and behaviors from.

"Well, I was complying with the court order for me and Vince to go through our things separately," Linda began. Mick nodded despite the fact the older woman could not see him. He had known from talking to her previously that as part of the divorce arbitration, she and Vince each had to have an inventory of their things that each one wanted in the final divorce settlement. He knew Vince was at RAW last night and would probably be headed with the rest of the WWF to SMACKDOWN in Florida, so that was probably the most opportune time for her to go through their house with him gone. Knowing Vince McMahon the way everybody did, it was bound to be an ugly divorce, but Mick knew Linda was tougher than she appeared and everything would be all right in the end.

"And?" Mick prompted, knowing that she had to have uncovered something that warranted her calling him this early in the morning.

"I found something in one of our old jewelry boxes that I think you might want to look at, if you mind coming over?" Linda asked, fingering the gold chain that had been in her hands ever since she had found it.

"Please Mick?" Linda pleaded, "it's important."

Mick was confused, but willing to go along with it. If Linda thought a piece of jewelry was important, then he would go and see what the item was that Linda thought he needed to see.

"Sure, Linda. I can be in Connecticut in about two hours," he told his former boss.

"You still have the directions to the condo?" Linda asked.

"Yeah, I still have them," Mick replied.

"Thanks, Mick. I'll see you then," Linda said, hanging up the phone.

Mick got up to get ready for his unexpected trip to Connecticut.

A few days later

Mick Foley stood a bit nervously outside the Austin home. He had called Steve and told him that he would be flying down to Texas after Thursday's SMACKDOWN to talk to him. Mick just hoped that Steve would accept what Mick had to give him. Mick reached down into his pocket again, feeling what Linda had given him a few days before; it felt like it was a hot coal or a brick. Maybe it was a brick, something to finally get through his former friend's head past all the conditioning of one Vincent K. McMahon.

He knocked on the door and waited. When Steve opened it, Mick was grateful that Steve had done what Mick had asked of him and not worn a stupid suit and tie. Granted, the black slacks and long - sleeved turtleneck did nothing to dispel the Corporate image Steve had attained the last few years since WrestleMania X-Seven, but at least Mick could fight the urge to vomit better.

"Mick," Austin greeted Mick. Foley knew Steve had to be confused over why Mick had called him out of the blue asking to speak to him. None of Steve's former friends and family had spent anytime with him privately or socially since his alliance with Vince began. Mick knew he was taking a big chance in showing up virtually unannounced, but he had always been a proponent of the shock therapy route.

Which was why he had not told anybody what he had gotten from Linda or what he was going to do with it.

The fact that Steve had allowed Mick to come over was either an encouraging sign or a trap. Mick decided he wanted to believe the former.

As he entered Steve's home and let Austin lead him into the kitchen, Mick was surprised that for the most part, the house was relatively unchanged from the last time he was there a few years earlier. Mick supposed that changing Austin did not extend to the decor of his home in Vince's mind.

"Would you like something to drink?" Steve said in that almost cultured tone that Mick had to assume was part of the number Vince had done on his one time friend. He was proud of not outwardly cringing upon hearing it. Mick fought against saying aloud something along the lines that he should have been grateful that Vince did not wipe the Texas accent of his friend away completely.

"No, thanks," Mick said almost shuddering to think of what kind of Kool - Aid Steve would offer him to drink, "I don't know how long I'll be staying yet." That was the truth, so far as that went.

"What did you want to talk about Mick?" Steve asked sitting down at the table.

"Linda McMahon asked me to come to her place a few days ago," Mick began, now unsure how to do what he felt he needed to do. If he was wrong, the worst he would get was his ass kicked. If he was right, he would be potentially shredding what had been one of his best friend's heart's.

"What did - " Steve started to say, stopping at the glare in Mick's eyes. A glare that told him anything negative about Linda and Mick would leave. Probably not before injuring his former friend. "What did Mrs. McMahon have to say to you?"

Mick took that as a positive sign in the right direction. He took a deep breath and went with it.

"It wasn't so much what she said as what she gave me. Kinda figured I would know what to do to with this." With that Mick took the gold necklace that Linda had given to him during their meeting in Connecticut and laid it before Steve on the table. Mick then sat down himself.

Mick saw the recognition and shock in his friend's formerly glazed eyes as he looked at the gold chain coiled before him like a snake. He saw Steve's fingers shake slightly as he moved his hands to touch it.

"I think we both know that it's yours and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you didn't lose it as you told everybody. Somebody stole it from you," Mick said softly. He did not want to outright say Vince yet, though Mick hoped that was what Steve would realize soon. The last thing Mick wanted to do was push too much, too fast, and have Vince's brainwashing take over.

Mick Foley watched as Steve Austin's eyes glistened with tears as he picked up the chain delicately. Steve got up blindly and stumbled out of the kitchen. Mick chose not to follow but instead sat and waited for a reaction.

He got it a few minutes later when he heard what sounded like glass breaking. Mick got up and headed to Steve's bedroom, where he thought the sound had come from. As his ears picked up the sound of crying, Mick was sure he was on the road to getting his friend back.

And somehow two spirits are probably hi - fiving each other right now in this story Cheeky smile Next part deals with the fallout of Mick's gift. More soon!