Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise. Meaning, I'm not Vince McMahon so I don't own anything associated with the WWE. Seeing as I'm not Vince McMahon, suing me would be pointless because I don't have any of Vince's money - or any money at all. This story is purely fictional.
A/N: If there's anything/anyone you want to see in later chapters, let me know. I'd really appreciate it if you would leave a review - even if you hate it. Constructive critcism is always helpful. Thanks to all those wonderful people who have reviewed the previous chapters. On to the story...
Phoenix
Dean walked back into Jack's office and saw that the three other occupants were watching the tape. Aiden looked up at Dean with a strange expression on her face.
"I'm trying to work out where this came from. Jack doesn't tape us but there's clearly footage from some training sessions, as well as most of the shows I've been part of. Do you have any ideas?" She asked him seriously.
"None at all. Tom's got the envelope and note that came with it. Take a look and see if you recognise ahything." Dean suggested.
Tom took the envelope and note out of his briefcase and handed them to Aiden. She studied the note, reading it three times before turning her attention to the packaging.
"Weird! It's addressed to Dean Simons. That means it had to be sent by someone that knows your last name isn't Malenko. Doesn't tell me much. The handwriting… hang on a second." Aiden mused before running out of the office.
She ran into the changing room and grabbed her wallet out of her bag. As she walked back to the office, Aiden opened the wallet and gently pulled out a folded piece of paper. She was unfolding it as she re-entered the office.
"Oh god. It matches." Aiden pointed out as she put the piece of paper in her hand next to the note that had come with the tape. Dean, Tom and Jack crowded around to see what she was talking about.
"Where did that come from?" Dean asked, indicating the piece of paper that Aiden had brought in with her.
"It was pinned to my clothes when Father Michael found me on the steps of his church." Aiden replied, handing it to Dean so he could have a closer look.
The note contained two words - Aiden Louise. Dean picked up the note that had come with the tape and scanned it until he found the part where the person had written Aiden's name. There was no doubt in his mind that both notes had been written by the same person.
"What does this mean?" Tom queried, glancing at Jack and Dean for an answer.
"It means that the person that dumped me at the church is out there watching me and that the sick freak is taping me." Aiden replied, tugging at a free strand of her hair.
"There has to be another explanation." Jack figured.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Aiden questioned.
"Like… I'm not sure right now." Jack admitted. No sense lying to her.
Aiden looked through the window of the office at the street outside. There were a few people walking past but nothing out of the ordinary that she could see. Certainly no one holding a video camera.
"Is it wrong for me to be freaking out right now?" Aiden asked, feeling a little scared.
"I don't think any of us would say it is. Let's try think about this logically though." Dean said, brushing a hand through his short hair.
"Logically? Go ahead, Iceman." Aiden told him, using an old nickname Dean had been given in his many years as a wrestler.
"Well, there's no doubt that the writing matches so, that tells us that the tape was sent by the same person that wrote this note…" Dean said, trying to sort through the facts they had.
"No shit, Sherlock. What's logical about that?" Aiden yelled.
"Aiden, calm down." Jack warned.
"Calm down? He states the obvious and you tell me to calm down? This is not happening!" Aiden replied, grasping her hair in her hands and pulling.
"Stop it." Jack ordered, trying to get her to free her hair. She only did that when she was scared.
"The postmark on the envelope is from Indiana, which means the person was local when they sent the tape." Dean decided. Tom and Jack nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Aiden blurted out the thought most prominent in her mind since figuring out the handwriting was the same on both notes.
"Why would someone do this? First dump me at the church then tape me while I'm wrestling and send the tape to Dean. I don't understand it." She wondered.
"I don't know, Baby." Jack shrugged.
"Do you think the person that wrote the notes is, maybe, biologically related to me?" Aiden queried, looking into Jack's eyes.
"Honestly, I can't say I haven't wondered that myself." Jack replied with a weak smile.
"If they are… why haven't they tried contacting me? They've obviously been close enough." Aiden wanted to know. Jack tried not to show the confusion he was feeling.
"I can't answer that. I wish I could." He replied sadly. Aiden got out of her seat and left the room, needing to be alone for a while. Ten minutes later, Dean sat down next to her in the middle of the ring.
"You holding up okay?" He asked quietly.
"Not really. Today has fast become a bad day." Aiden replied, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"I can understand why you'd say that. It must seem pretty scary." Dean figured.
"A little. I've often wondered why I have to be so different. At the gym, I'm the only one that lives in a children's home. At the home, I'm the only one that dislikes being fostered. I don't know why but, I thought this time could be different - if you guys could make it happen. Then, when it seems like it might happen, something else pops up to mess with it. Nothing ever happens the way I want." Aiden confided.
"Nothing except wrestling. You're a natural. It's a shame you're as young as you are otherwise the contract would have been for the WWE itself and you would have been able to sign it." Dean mused.
"Don't remind me. The time I've spent in the ring over the years is the only time I've ever felt real. Outside the ring, I'm just a number, just another lost soul, just another kid that no one cares about." Aiden replied, feeling somewhat angry.
"You may not believe this but, I think you've got plenty of people that care about you." Dean smiled, pointing towards Jack's office.
"I know Jack cares. I'll never be able to show him how much I appreciate everything he's done for me. When I first started coming to his gym, I was in all sorts of trouble. He sat me down one day and asked me why I was there. I told him I wanted to learn karate and he told me I was a liar and that if I really wanted to learn then I'd pay attention. Then he said that he wasn't going to make me leave, no matter how many times he had to break up a fight that I started. He told me he was in for the long haul and that he wasn't going to back off. He's been the best thing about my life since that day." Aiden told Dean seriously.
"And what about Jaime and Luther? You three seem pretty close." Dean prompted.
"I guess we are. If I could make a family of my choosing, I'd probably pick Jack for my father, Jaime for my sister and Luther for the protective older brother. He's pretty much the only guy that doesn't have a problem with wrestling me at the moment. And Jaime, well, she's the one that keeps me sane. She has a remarkable knack for looking on the bright side. She told me that if miracles exist, I'll get the OVW contract somehow." Aiden smiled.
"Well, that's true isn't it?" Dean reasoned.
"Dean, miracles don't exist. Only pain and misery." Aiden told him, reusing her reply from earlier.
"Not true. When I first saw the tape, the clip of you jumping off the cage and onto Luther amazed me. I'll remember meeting you for the rest of my life. You are a miracle." Dean replied, looking squarely in Aiden's eyes so she would believe him. Aiden hung her head and wiped the forming tears away.
"I don't think anyone, other than Jack, has ever said anything that nice to me. I just… I hate knowing that someone's been watching me and that they know more about me than I do. They know where I come from, who I am. I've been searching for that information for as long as I can remember." Aiden sighed.
"Then I'm sure you'll find it. Maybe sooner, maybe later. For now, all you need to know is that you're Aiden Taylor from Thorne's Gym in West Lafayette, Indiana." Dean smiled. Aiden looked up at him and nodded.
"I guess that's got to be better than nothing." She agreed. Dean put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick hug before they were interrupted by Jack.
"Time to go." Jack called.
Dean and Aiden got out of the ring and walked over to the door where Tom and Jack were waiting. Jack offered to take Dean and Tom back to their hotel after dropping Aiden off. They both agreed to it and before long the four people were in Jack's van, heading for the Bethany Home for Orpahned Children.
A/N2: Hey, look, another update already and it's a long one, too! Hopefully this will keep you all happy for a bit. I'll try to update again soon but, knowing me, I'll probably forget. Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thank you!
Phoenix
