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 teenage girls has a mother worried and Vince McMahon takes ill for the first time. Is there a connection? ATM are going to find out.
Seven – When It Rains, It Pours
Greenwich, CT, Saturday night:
Hunter took LC ice skating and paid an au pair to keep an eye on Aurora while she and Hunter went around the rink. That was hours ago and Hunter was still outside the rink signing autographs for his army of fans while LC played peak-a-boo with Aurora in the car. LC ran out of patience, she had done playing peak-a-boo with Aurora and was getting tired of Hunter signing autograph after autograph, she couldn't imagine being Stephanie McMahon; the woman must have the patience of angels to go out with her husband and have to put up with this crap.
"Okay that's enough show's over nothing to see here, back off people this is my weekend not yours!" LC said shoving everyone back and pushing Hunter into the driver's seat of his 4X4. She got in and closed the door behind her and stuck her tongue out of all the fans who laughed at how cute she was. Hunter started the car and looked back at LC and his daughter and hoped Aurora was aware that she was sitting next to his role model.
"LC I want my daughter to be just like you," he said driving down the road on his way to Stamford.
"I'm sorry but I'm a special edition, you know like the WrestleMania Anthology," LC said looking at Aurora who was sleeping soundly in her carrier.
The McMahons had basically been holding Stephanie prisoner for a week, he figured they couldn't close the door in his face if he had two little girls with him.
"Now remember LC if you see an ugly old man staring at you he's not a zombie come back from the dead to feast on the living, it's just Vince McMahon," Hunter said.
"Gotcha but if he starts chewing on my arm he's a dead man," LC said.
Hunter pulled up to the McMahon estate and LC took Aurora out of the car and followed The Game towards the huge complex. Together they walked up to the front door and Hunter rang the doorbell. Moments passed and no-one came to the door so Hunter rang the doorbell again, still after awhile nobody answered. He looked over at LC and gave her a nod.
"Got it," she said and started balling at the top of her voice as loudly and as obnoxiously as she could.
"Louder!" Hunter said and LC went as high as her voice would allow her to and Aurora started to giggle.
"Aurora you're not helping, oh to Hell with it – STEPHANIE!" Hunter roared over and over again while LC continued to fake-cry and Aurora continued to laugh. Eventually Stephanie poked her head out of one of the windows on the third floor and looked down at the noisy trio.
"Will you guys keep it down my Dad is trying to sleep!" she said looking like could use some sleep herself.
"Well come down and let us in already!" LC said and Stephanie scowled.
"We meet again LCsan," Stephanie said malevolently.
"I've had better greetings from pedophiles," LC said and Hunter started to laugh at her irreverent humor.
"Honey could you let us in? There's no way you're staying in there all by yourself," Hunter said.
"Sweetie I'm sorry but I can't, Mom and Shane don't think it's a really good idea for Dad to be around anything – antagonistic," Stephanie said as delicately as she could.
"Which is your way of sugar-coating over the fact that if I step inside this house, Vince is likely to have a heart attack," Hunter said and Stephanie shrugged.
"Living with you and Dad has forced me to be diplomatic, I'm sorry Trips I'll try and come home later," Steph said regretfully.
"You know Steph there are heart attacks and there are heart attacks; if you let me in your father might only suffer a mild arrhythmia," Hunter reasoned and Stephanie smiled in spite of herself.
"Hunter I'm serious, now go home and take that little Hell cat with you," Stephanie said gesturing to LC.
"That's where you're wrong Stephanie, cat's only have nine lives I have ten," LC said.
"And you're about to lose one of them if I come down there!" Stephanie said shaking her fist at LC.
"Deal!" Hunter said.
"Hunter!" LC whined at him humiliated.
"What you'll have nine left!" he reasoned.
"This has all been great fun you guys but I really have to go now," Stephanie said, "I'll see you at home,"
"Should I hold my breath?" Hunter asked sarcastically.
"Sure it's not like if you pass out Lil' Miss Big Mouth down there won't be first in line to revive you," she said winking at LC who frowned in confusion.
"Did she just wink at me?" LC asked Hunter, "Look I'm way too young and impressionable to have your wife come on to me Hunter, I'm just not ready to make that sort of a decision yet,"
Hunter covered her mouth with his hands and looked back up at his wife, "Please come home tonight?" he asked her and LC frowned at the yearning in his voice.
Stephanie looked at him empathetically, "I'll try but I can't make any promises baby," she said and blew him a kiss which he caught and LC stuck her fingers down her throat.
"You're getting soft Trips, I smell Cameron on you, quick let's get you bathed and deloused before the virus spreads to your cerebral cortex," she said taking Hunter's hand and directing him back towards the car but he wouldn't move. Instead he just stood there looking up at the window Stephanie had just closed as if expecting her to return in any minute, "Trips?" LC called but he didn't say anything he just stood there and LC rolled her eyes, "Okay Romeo I'll be in the car," she said and took Aurora back over to the SUV and tried to open the door but forgot it was locked and the alarm went off instantly blaring loudly across the estate, "Ooops!" LC said and Aurora started to laugh again, "Yeah real funny baby girl now Hunter's gonna be mad at me,"
"LC you're brilliant!" Hunter said and LC frowned at him.
"Huh?" she said wrinkling her nose.
Hunter figured that with all the commotion someone would have to come down and check out what all the noise was, as soon as the door was open he'd bulldoze his way into the house, kidnap Steph and drive back to Greenwich tout suite. The alarm wailed on and on, until finally somebody came to the door and Hunter prepared himself to dive inside at the first crack of light. He wasn't prepared for the door to fly open and to have his enraged wife to be staring at him shooting daggers from her eyes. Hunter smiled nervously and pointed back to LC.
"Kids, you can't take them anywhere," he said and LC stamped her foot angrily.
"You're father sold me out baby girl!" LC said to Aurora who giggled and ecstatically.
"I told you my father is sick and you pull a stunt like this!" Stephanie said furiously and Hunter felt a sting in his heart; Stephanie had always enjoyed his DX antics, how were his LC antics any different?
"I just wanted to see you," he said softly and Stephanie looked away lest she sting him further with her angry words. Instead she grabbed the car keys and pointed them at the car turning off the alarm.
She almost threw the keys back at him and went back inside the house, turning to look at him one last time before she closed the door, "I told you I can't leave now go home!" she said and slammed the door. LC watched as Hunter turned away from the door his face crest-fallen and fraught with misery.
"Oh dear," LC said and hurried over to him, "Are you okay?" she asked looking up into his sad eyes.
"Yeah I'm fine," he answered glumly, "Come on, let's get some Mickie D's," he said taking LC back over to the car and drove off down the road.
At the nearby McDonalds:
LC stared at Hunter from across the table with concern in her eyes, he hadn't touched his burger and fries and she had demolished her quarter pounder with cheese in under a minute. She'd never seen The Game like this and she could only think of one person who would understand what he was feeling. She left Aurora fervently shaking her rattle and went to the bathroom and called her sister Charlotte and told her what happened. Charlotte said she would talk to Hunter and LC came back out of the bathroom to hand Hunter her cell when the strangest thing happened. It started to rain inside the restaurant. LC stared at the puddles of rain forming around her boots in disbelief.
"Wow!" she said and Hunter came over and picked her up and they left the restaurant and went home. Moments after they pulled off onto the road and drove away the rain stopped and the customers looked around at each other amazed by the phenomenal freak of nature they had just witnessed.
Monday Night RAW:
The whole wrestling world was abuzz with news relating to Nitro and Melina. An unidentified source had gotten footage of Randy fighting with DX on Stone Mountain in Georgia which also featured Trish passing out generating rumors that the retired Diva was pregnant. Also on Impact LAX made a crack about two WWE gringos crashing a TNA New Years Eve party and the message boards were rife with rumors that HBK was working secretly with AJ Styles to bring down the WWE from the inside.
"What is going on here?" Jonathan Coachman said throwing his hands up bewildered by all the gossip, "And where is Vince McMahon?" he asked himself and turned away from his laptop to see Candice Michelle standing at his door, "What is it Candice?" he asked impatiently.
"Um Coach have you seen Maria lately?" Candice asked Coachman who rolled his eyes.
"No Candice I haven't seen Maria, maybe you should try oh I don't know, the women's locker room?" Coachman said sarcastically and Candice folded her arms.
"No Jonathan, I mean have you had a look at her lately?" Candice said and Coach shrugged.
"Yeah she's hot why?" he said and Candice grabbed her hair in frustration.
"Uh just forget it!" she said and stormed off leaving Coach to demean her behind her back.
"Divas are so stupid," he said and went back to trying to piece together yet another RAW without any input from the Chairman of the Board.
At the nearby McDonalds:
Maria was scoffing down on yet another hamburger when Melina walked in looking like she had the world on her shoulders. Maria noticed her and waved her over.
"Hey Melina, over here!" she called merrily and Melina looked behind her to make sure there were no cameras like she was being set up.
"Is this a trick?" she asked suspiciously.
"No, come and sit down, you look like you could do with a break," Maria said and Melina smiled a little and sat down opposite the perky announcer.
"Man when you spoke to me last week I thought it was just a fluke," Melina said putting her hand on her head, "It sure has been tough finding people to talk to recently,"
Maria nodded, "I've noticed how ostracized you've become, it reminds me of when Edge started dating Lita, it will get better don't you worry," she reassured Melina brightly and Melina frowned.
"What's with you?" she asked curiously, "You're so upbeat,"
"Well I've made a decision and I'm sticking with it," Maria said and Melina leaned on her cheek interested in what was going on with Maria these days.
"What decisions that?" she asked and Maria slowly swallowed her burger down thinking about what she was about to say.
"I have decided that I am going to tell my boyfriend that I slept with John Cena at the WWE pre-Christmas party," she said and Melina gasped sitting back a little.
"Wow Maria, that's really brave," she said.
"Uh-huh, yeah I'm gonna do it," Maria said pumping her fist in the air, "I'm gonna stop second-guessing myself and just do it," she said and Melina applauded her but gradually she stopped and got light-headed which Maria noticed and offered her some of her burger, "You okay you don't look too good Melina," she said honesty and Melina blew it off.
"No thanks, I'm just tired," she said and Maria raised her eyebrow suggestively.
"Randy keeping you up eh?" she asked giggling and Melina shook her head.
"No it's not like that," she said and Maria frowned.
"Then what is it like?" Maria asked her and Melina sat back in the booth and took a deep breath.
"It's like a mission that I'm on, to save his life," she said and Maria's eyes widened.
"Wow that's admirable," she said and Melina smiled relieved that somebody wasn't getting on her case about her and Orton for once.
"It is isn't it?" she said enthusiastically.
"It sure is . . . as long as you're not hurting yourself in the process," Maria added and Melina shook her head assuredly.
"No no, I'm fine I've made a decision myself and that is to stay with Randy until I get the job done," Melina avowed and Maria gave her a hi-five.
"So what's wrong with him?" she asked and Melina thought whether or not Maria would accept the truth about Randy.
"There's somebody after his soul – a demon and I'm trying to protect his soul from the Devil," she said and Maria went still and Melina wondered if the Diva had accepted what she just said as truth.
"That is so weird," Maria said shaking her head and Melina sighed seeing that Maria didn't believe her.
"I know it's weird but-" Melina started.
"Something amazing happened in this place on Saturday night that was kind of weird too," Maria continued and Melina looked at her intrigued.
"What?" she asked.
"It started to rain, like inside!" Maria said still in disbelief, "It was raining inside McDonalds!"
"Are you sure it wasn't just the sprinkler system?" Melina said trying to find a logical explanation.
"There is no sprinkler system in McDonalds," Maria replied and Melina nodded contemplating the information.
"Wow that's phenomenal," she said.
"Yeah and you're trying to save Randy from a demon, there is something weird going down in Connecticut," Maria said and Melina nodded and looked at her watch.
"We better get back, show starts in half an hour," she said getting up.
"I just gotta go to the bathroom," Maria said and as she got up Melina stared at her in utter shock.
"Maria how much food did you eat before I got here?" she asked her amazed at the size of the little Diva's stomach.
Maria looked down at herself like she looked normal, "What?" she said.
"What's with the stomach?" Melina said pointing to her prominent belly and Maria covered herself up and ran to the bathroom. Melina followed her but stumbled and fell onto one knee.
"Ma'am are you okay?" a teller asked her coming over to help her up.
"Yeah I'm fine," Melina said dismissing him, "Thank you I'll be okay,"
The teller watched her carefully as she slowly rose to her feet then Melina saw something on the floor as she was getting back up. It was a sterling silver baby rattle and she picked it up and went to hand it to teller.
"Hey I think someone left this," she said looking at is as she walked over to him then she noticed the inscription on the side. It read:
To Our Darling Aurora Rose, love Mom and Dad.
Melina frowned, it was Aurora's. Why would Stephanie and Hunter leave such a special gift behind? she thought and shrugged taking the rattle with her into the ladies bathroom.
Back at RAW:
Triple H was in the DX locker room taping up his wrists when Shawn ran in full of energy and enthusiasm, much more so that usual.
"Well that's it, I burnt off all the calories!" He said patting his lean stomach, "Becky and I are officially burnt out on each other, I'm all yours," He said planting himself down next to his friend then he leapt back up realizing how wrong what he said came out.
"Well I'm not that off Becky," he said scratching his chin, "You know I thought beating Vince and Shane at Hell in a Cell was cool but I was wrong. You know I'm so high right now if they gave me a drug test I'm pretty sure I'd fail it! Apart from making the most of married life things went so well with Nitro last week, I mean there were tears of course but at the end, where it counts, there was joy. I'm telling you Trips, Johnny will have his girl back in no time,"
It was at this point that Shawn noticed that Triple H was a little distracted and was wrapping and unwrapping the tape around his wrist. Shawn drew silent realizing that if he had paid a little more attention he would have noticed that Hunter was very upset.
"What is it Hunter?" he asked concerned but Trips was still taping his wrists. Shawn grabbed his hand so he couldn't add anymore tape but Hunter didn't look up his eyes just went to the floor. "Hunter what happened?" Shawn asked gently and The Game took a deep breath.
"Stephanie came home on Sunday night; she was over at Vince's for a whole week," he said resentfully and Shawn knew there was more bothering him than that so he listened without interrupting him, "She says that Vince hasn't been able to eat since New Years Eve. His stomach has shrunk and his skin is pallid but he refuses to go to the doctors. Shane's trying to talk some sense into him but he won't have any of it. Linda hasn't left his side, she says she has no idea what's up he was fine one morning and now he can't eat anything. Steph says she's been reading to him from the Bible,"
"Oh I bet he loves that," Shawn said sarcastically then realized he'd interrupted Hunter and apologized, "Sorry big man, continue," he said.
"He's getting thinner and he's really hungry but as soon as food touched his lips or he even smells food his stomach seizes and his throat tightens making it impossible for him to swallow," Hunter explained.
Shawn waited for the obligatory "and you know how much Vince loves to swallow" joke but it didn't come, now he knew Hunter was upset. Shawn wasn't amazed at the nature of Vince's illness; he wasn't surprised he was all eaten up on the inside but he knew he had to treat this news delicately or else Hunter would get suspicious.
"You're worried about Stephanie aren't you?" Shawn knew that Vince was not the most important thing on his mind.
Hunter shook his head, "I know her Shawn, she'd never say it but I know she's worried about him. She's already starting to push me away, she's in solitary mode now," Hunter looked straight at Shawn before continuing, "Shawn Vince never gets sick, this whole thing came straight outta left field and you know what they say: unhappy Mom, unhappy home,"
Shawn nodded in agreement, now it was his turn to take a deep breath, "You want me to tell Coach to put me in the main event alone so you can go home?" he asked.
"And do what Shawnie sit around and wait for her not to call me? No I need to work out this tension in the ring," Trips answered firing up a little and Shawn nodded his head.
"Okay," he said.
"Thanks buddy," Hunter said and looked at his wrist in confusion, "How much tape have I got on here?"
"I was gonna say something," Shawn said smiling then paused ready to confide Vince's big secret in his best friend, "Hunter there's something I have to tell you-"
Suddenly with the force of a hurricane Nitro burst into the room.
"Sorry to burst in on you guys but have you seen the paper today?" he said out of breath telling Shawn and Hunter that he had run to their locker room.
"No why?" Trips asked chugging his water.
"Because of this," Nitro replied and showed then the front of the newspaper. They squinted their eyes and come closer to the paper to be sure but there was no denying it. Vince McMahon was praying. Hunter dropped his water and Shawn shook his head.
"I don't believe it, he really did go to church," Hunter said taking the paper from Nitro and read the whole article while Shawn rubbed his hand over his face deep in thought; it seemed as though Vince was on the verge of confession, maybe it would only be awhile before Hunter knows what's been eating the old man up.
"Were you gonna tell me something Shawn?" Hunter asked while reading the newspaper and HBK shook his head.
"No it can wait," Shawn answered and grabbed some tape and started to prepare for their match as well, "Hey Trips would you mind if we ran a little interference tonight?" Shawn asked slyly looking up at Nitro who was grinning deviously.
"Sure, on who?" Hunter asked still reading the newspaper.
"See Nitro's scheduled to lose the IC title to Randy Orton tonight but I thought since Vince isn't here we'd make sure that didn't happen," Shawn explained and Hunter looked between them both knowing full well what they were up to.
"So this is the plan to win back Melina huh?" Hunter said with a smile, "I think you got yourself a deal fellas, I'm in,"
The three men slapped hands, "Looks like Mr. Orton's gonna have his hands full tonight," Shawn said with a chuckle.
"And if all goes well your hands will be full of Melina again," Hunter added and Nitro nodded with a confident smile relishing his decision to go and stay over at the Showstoppa's house.
RAW was now on and Lita had just beat Mickie James and was showering up before she had to go back out and support Edge in the main event. As she was drying her hair her phone began to ring, it was Trish.
"Hey honey what's up, did you think I was too rough on Mickie?" Lita asked curiously.
"Er no that girls thrives on adversity I'm not calling about your match," Trish replied from Carlito's couch in Florida eating a burrito.
"Then what's up?" Lita asked drying her hair.
"Remember Shawn said he was gonna do something about Nitro and Melina?" Trish asked.
"Yeah he's got some plan," Lita said sitting in front of the mirror.
"Well he's not as diplomatic as I thought he was, in fact he's taken Randy's move on Melina very personally and has decided to show how personal tonight," Trish continued and Lita smiled.
"Sounds like The Truth is back," she said.
"You better believe it honey now listen up, Nitro's dropping the belt to Randy tonight right?" Trish asked.
"Yeah," Lita answered.
"WRONG!" Trish yelled and Lita jumped as a result, "Shawn or should I say DX are gonna run interference on the match so that Nitro retains the Championship!" Trish explained.
"Woah that's cool," Lita said.
"No that's not cool!" Trish said sounding like her boyfriend, "Think about it Amy,"
Lita shook off her idealistic notions of camaraderie and came to grips with the gravity of the situation, "No that can't happen Randy will go nuts," Lita realized pulling her hair.
"And who do you think he's gonna go nuts on?" Trish asked with a warning tone in her voice and Lita went quiet, "That's right, Melina," Trish answered figuring that Lita was finally on the right page.
"I gotta go see Shawn," Lita said and hurried to get dressed while leaving Trish hanging on the telephone. Once she was dressed she picked up her cell and resumed her conversation with Trish.
"Is it alright to talk Shawn out of this?" Lita asked her and the blond bit down on her burrito hungrily.
"You know how we always quote Romans 8:28 back and forth over and over again? Well in this case it's extremely accurate," Trish said.
"Huh?" Lita said as Edge came into the room
"Amy it doesn't matter if you talk to Shawn or Melina gets Nitro disqualified, it doesn't matter if Shelton, Carlito and Edge rush Randy during the match the result will be the same regardless," Trish said amazed at what she was saying, Man I really am back she thought to herself.
"So all things means whatever we do or don't do, Melina will get through to Randy?" Lita asked hopefully and Trish went quiet.
"No it means Melina will get exactly what's coming to her," she said and Lita clenched her chest, she could feel an anxiety attack coming on.
"Baby you okay?" Edge asked her looking into her eyes with concern. Lita nodded holding her cell-phone to her chest. She couldn't let her anxiety about Melina get the better of her, she was a warrior not a worrier.
"I'm okay in fact I just decided something," she said to her boyfriend and got back on the phone, "Trish I say if this is how it's gonna be, let DX run interference, I'm not waiting any longer Randy's not gonna hurt my little sister anymore! It's gonna be one Hell of a show, enjoy!" she said and hung up the phone and welcomed Edge into her arms.
"It ends tonight," she told him as he hugged her.
Trish looked at her cell-phone and then switched the TV off, "And so it begins," she said somberly and put down her bowl of nachos, picked up her handbag and prepared to catch her flight to Connecticut.
