Time for a change of scenery in this story because hey, I like to switch things up. Hope you enjoy the plan that little Lauren has brewing because it's going to be kind of a theme from now on and in the stories which follow on from this one (yeah, I know, I'm teasing you all again!)

Sodapop25, Hi, i see you there *waves* thanks for the review girl! Glad you're down for the rest of this crazy ride, because from here on out it sure gets crazy!

xXBalorBabeXx, Well you know what they say about sitting on the edge of your seat...better to sit properly in case you fall off! But seriously, glad I've got you eager for this chapter. You know I'm a little devil with the cliffhangers by now!

Labinnacslove, She is completely crazy (like writer, like creation I guess). But you'll have to read on to see if her idea really is crazy or if she's actually being clever for once. Glad you're happy that Kelly is here! Everyone needs a ballsy best friend right?!

Wolfgirl2013, Glad you like Lauren and Dean being all cute together, if you ever get to the point where you think they're not cute anymore then obviously I am doing something pretty wrong! More uh-oh to come in this chapter...and the next one...and the one after that…

Mandy, Aww, thank you. Yep, Lauren isn't very good at sitting back and being idle, she likes to have her crazy ideas. Not that they always work out perfectly for her. But then maybe this one will be different...or maybe not! Gonna have to read it and find out (teehee!)

Minnie1015, Haha, yep the drama train is now boarding, so please have your tickets ready to be stamped! In her defence though I think that this latest idea of hers isn't the most terrible one she's ever had, which isn't to say that it will work out the way she wants it. I mean, what are the odds?

HannonsPen, Poor Lauren can't help having ants-in-her-pants syndrome! Plus Kelly is like her enabler I guess, leading our girl into terrible habits! Lol. Is it alright if I blame Kel? Seth and Randy both feature in the next story too so there's more to come from them...watch this space!

Skovko, Yeah, Kelly is not exactly a cool head in a crisis. In fact she's more of a kick-em-in-the-crotch kind of a head in a crisis, so she's literally the worst person for Lauren to have there! Still, on the plus side it makes for a good story (or at least I hope it does!)

I hope we've all been missing Vince...

Into The Lion's Den

Despite having been to Connecticut a bunch of times to stay with my father before everything had gone bad, I had never made the drive down the road a few minutes to visit the headquarters of the crazy world in which we worked.

Kelly blinked up,

"Holy shit this is amazing."

In absolute honesty I couldn't disagree as I shaded my eyes towards the towering cube structure and the bright reflective windows that were bouncing back the sun. It was set behind a tiny little patch of greenery and putting the neighboring buildings to shame, with the logo glaring down from an imposing black backdrop and also on the flag that was billowing in the breeze.

I swallowed uncertainly,

"Oh god, I can't do this."

"Yes you can, you're not backing out now."

But the swirl of emotions was fast taking over me, because I couldn't believe we were really stood there, when not eight hours earlier we had been sat in the kitchen, idly discussing the direction of life. Back then my plan had seemed wildly exciting and almost foolproof but now it seemed doomed. Nor did it help that we were close to where Hunter lived and so where we had spent time doing family things and had made happy memories that seemed like cruel pranks now.

Had he ever really loved me, or had he always phoned it in?

Luckily we had established that Hunter was at the taping and with Stephanie too thanks to the promotion for the show and since there was always a lot to get ready, there was little chance that the two of them would be at the office at all. Even so, my heart still pumped pretty crazily and my palms grew sweaty beneath the weight of my idea.

I was going to swan in and demand to see the boss man.

Clearly I was mad, I had to be, right?

Kelly blew a sigh out from somewhere beside me and firmly grabbed my sleeve with her remaining free hand, the other of which was balancing her child on her hipbone as he gurgled and chatted and tried to jam a spit-covered rice cake in.

"Come on Laurie, it's now or never."

"Um, never actually does kind of work for me right now."

I wasn't kidding either –

My knees were shaking badly as she pulled me towards the glass doors in an actual tow, like I was a poorly behaved child being hauled to the dentist who had a bad tooth but didn't want to have it seen. In reality it probably wasn't the greatest of entrances and so I tried to corral my wobbly pins and pull myself up a little bit higher as we walked up the steps and braced ourselves.

"Ready Laurie?"

Kelly was looking at me, like she actually expected me to respond either way and I raised a brow in total confusion and then shook my head back and forth rapidly.

"No."

"Well that's a shame."

"Why?"

In response to my question my best friend threw me a smug little look and then swung in without halting for even a second and passed straight through the big revolving doors, leaving me stranded on the bright steps behind her and looking like an idiot.

I squeaked a little.

Crap.

By the time I had taken my turn through the entrance via the slowly sweeping panels of glass, Kelly had already marched up to reception and juggled Roger a little higher to strike a no-nonsense pose. There was a woman in front of her with brown hair in a ponytail and she smiled up brightly but falsely as well, which was hardly surprising given her job was taking phone calls and very likely instructing all comers to take a seat.

Her green eyes darted up,

"Good morning, how can I help you?"

Kelly wasted no time,

"We're here to see Vince McMahon."

For a moment no further words were spoken between them, but a strange sort of staring contest instead seemed to emerge, whereby they both locked eyes across the desktop like they were testing each other's metal, which maybe they were. I was still pushing through the glass doors while it happened but it obvious that neither one of them was going to back down and so sensing that meetings with the boss weren't offered idly, I puffed up beside them and cleared my throat,

"Um, okay – ,"

I didn't even have to finish my sentence, which was sort of a relief since I didn't know what it was, because suddenly the firm green eyes softened with brightness and the woman smiled at me in a pleasant type of surprise.

"Lauren Helmsley, I'll call Mr. McMahon at once for you."

"You – you will?"

My surprise was not cool but in the moment I couldn't quite hide my bewilderment because no way had I ever expected that result, or have guessed that anyone would know me. In actual fact I had been pretty much been waiting to be thrown out and so getting a direct line up to the old man was a truly impressive and jaw dropping run of luck. Then again, even with Hunter and me feuding, I was still technically a part of their blood and so maybe I shouldn't have been all that surprised by it?

No, scratch that, I definitely was.

Kelly snorted disparagingly in response to her and then wobbled her head like she was looking for a brawl and basically still pumped about having been glared at which she expressed with a haughty little snort,

"Damn straight."

I laughed too brightly as the receptionist blinked across at her and then grabbed my best friend by her non-child-clutching hand, steering her away with a smile of deep contrition which I threw across the desktop,

"Um, we'll take a seat over here."

Plummeting down onto the black leather cushions, I stared around the lobby for pretty much the first time, running my eyes over the lashings of polished stonework but not really seeing anything as I looked. How on earth could I when my brain was turning circles and trying to work out what in the hell I was going to say? Having an audience with Vince had seemed like such a long shot that I hadn't thought about how to put my deal across and with time newly ticking down until I got to see him, the panic rose up and claimed me again.

Ugh.

I wanted Dean –

Except that was a big massive problem since I hadn't clued my man into my genius plan, which was a fact that had started to weigh on me heavily because I knew that if I told him, he would in no way approve. Ever since our first few shaky days together, both Dean and I had been on the same page and so the thought of actively going against his wishes and vaguely behind his back was tearing me to shreds. Unable to take it, I scrabbled for my cell phone and Kelly, who was still glaring daggers at the receptionist, broke off to frown across at me,

"Laurie, what's going on?"

"I need to phone Dean."

I pulled free my mobile only to find it snatched from my hands and then straight up dropped down Kelly's ample bosom which was presumably to stop me from trying to fish it out. I gaped back at her in total bewilderment and then spread my hands in a silent what was that for.

My best friend didn't falter,

"You know what he would say to you and because you're crazy for him, you would pack up and go back home, but that isn't what you want so I'm not going to let you. Besides, you know he loves to have you with him on the road. Let him pitch a fit, he's a grown man, he'll get over it."

But I wasn't entirely sure that he would and suddenly visions of him walking away from me or feeling betrayed were all I could think. Honestly I was still half debating just sort of jumping her and rummaging my phone loose when the receptionist stepped up, her eyes flicking distastefully over my best friend before landing on me more professionally,

"Miss Helmsley?"

"Um, actually it's Hope for the most part."

She obviously didn't care,

"Of course it is, follow me."

"Finally – ," Kelly stood up juggling Roger somewhat chaotically as she fumbled in her bag for a brand new rice cake, littering crumbs all over the floor tiles and making the green eyed receptionist briefly pause,

"I'm afraid Mr. McMahon will only be seeing Miss Helmsley."

"Hope."

But my correction very quickly died a death as my best friend's expression turned from pissed off to fully murderous with a narrow eyed stare that could have soured milk. The chances were high that if I left her alone down there, I would return to find bloody corpses scattered all around the room, but nor did I want to invite her to see the main man if he hadn't authorized it. I spun towards her pleadingly instead,

"Kel – ,"

"I know, I know, don't go slapping any bitches."

I tapped her arm gratefully and nodded,

"Atta girl."

Even so she kept the old death glare hotly pumping as her newly found nemesis strutted away, her high heeled shoes clacking loudly on the granite as I scuttled along behind her in my battered mid-height boots. Clearly we were two dramatically different women since where she was well put together, I was definitely not and it meant that chatter between us was stunted as we stepped into the elevator and began to travel up.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't so much stunted –

It was totally non-existent, that was what it was and made me resort to tapping my fingers nervously before realizing that I was doing a very Dean sort of move.

Aww.

The ping of the car made me start just a little which I goofily tried to idly laugh off although rather than join in the woman simply stepped past me and continued to lead me along a shiny black floor. Evidently the color scheme in the building was simple and comprised basic tones with the odd hint of bright red. The walls were lined with photographs of wrestlers and candid shots, including a few grinning and oiled up ones of Vince. There were doors leading off in every direction, but the pair of us were fast moving to a large black wood set in front and on seeing them I suddenly couldn't help but panic because what if it turned out to be my father in there?

What if I had got the whole thing screwy and they were leading me to my doom or to be captured yet again? With my cell phone downstairs and my boyfriend several states off –

Oh god, oh god.

My chest became tight and I was mentally cursing myself and my stupidity when we breezed right past another desk and suddenly stopped. In fact I nearly crashed into the receptionist, who turned to find me pretty much on her toes. Her green eyes blinked but then the smile pasted on again as she beamed at her colleague,

"Lauren Helmsley is here."

Frankly correcting her again seemed pointless, especially since she then was evidently done and having handed me over to her senior top floor counterpart, she nodded in my direction and then flounced right back off, possibly heading down to a left hook from Kelly.

I shut my eyes and murmured a silent prayer.

Please not.

Mass brawls were quite literally the last thing I needed and definitely not with my godson involved. Having a feisty best friend had many abundant plus points, but avoiding confrontation had never been one.

"Sir? Miss Helmsley is here to see you."

I jolted as the new receptionist announced me over the intercom, which was followed by an all too tense little silence in which I strongly debated just up and running off and might have done too had Vince's gruff tones not then rung out beautifully and put me very mildly back at ease,

"Send her in."

In response the woman looked up and nodded sweetly, in a motherly and very not fake sort of way, beckoning me closer and then over the threshold with a word of reassurance,

"He's in a good mood today."

Honestly though it didn't settle me greatly, because I hadn't really seen Vince in a bad sort of mood, but knowing that he had them made it all seem much more dangerous, because what if I somehow managed to bring his high down? Hauling in a breath, I clicked the door open, then crept inside timidly not sure what I would find but somehow not expecting to be greeted by a red wall with a huge dinosaur skull suspended from it.

Whoa.

In fact I was so blown away by the sight of the fossil that I actually stood still merely blinking for a while and therefore forgot about the man behind the desktop who was leaning back in a large and very executive looking chair.

"Lauren?"

"Huh?"

"I wasn't expecting to see you."

Vince had steepled his fingers beneath his chin and was gazing across at me with a look of general intrigue that I guess I couldn't blame him for. After all, the two of us weren't close exactly and for the most part tolerated each other and that was all. Yet in spite of that there was still something between us, like we sort of maybe admired one another's spunk. Vince seemed to like how I wasn't typical for the business and I, in turn, grudgingly respected the hell out of him.

More than likely that was what then made me stutter,

"Oh, well honestly, neither was I – see you I mean, not see myself, because – you know – I see myself every day for the most part, not that I'm a narcissist or anything but there is always a shiny surface somewhere, right? Like this building I guess – um – I like it, it's a very nice place that you've got yourself here."

I wanted the ground to eat me up, because not only was I not being cool and determined, I was also not getting my main message put across and instead sounded like I'd been caught in a blender and was randomly slopping out a bunch of nonsense words.

Vince raised a brow,

"You came to admire the building?"

"Um, actually no."

"I didn't think you had."

Ideally at that point I should have sucked a breath in and centred myself before saying anything else. My grand idea needed to be delivered assuredly and with passion and resolve instead of all in a rush. Naturally however, with the beady eyes on me and the thought of betraying my boyfriend still muddling my head, I skipped too far to the heart of the matter and sort of blurted out the punchline.

"I – I want to take your offer up."

Damn.

Vince blinked and tipped his to one side slightly, like a dog not understanding his master's command. Except for the fact that I was not the one in charge of things and highly likely would never be. He sat himself back and it shifted his face into the mid-morning sunlight which drew shadows across his trimmed grey brows.

"My offer?"

"Well sort of, I mean, it wasn't official but I kind of got told that you wanted me to do it more and so I pretty much figured that maybe you still did and so if you do then I would be ready to take it on."

Okay, not too bad –

If nothing else it was coherent and not quite as stuttered as the sentence before, although the older man simply continued to stare at me in a way a little like the circus had rolled into town, which probably made me the clapping sea lion or an overdressed clown in a tiny little car.

He frowned very lightly,

"You would be ready to take what on exactly?"

"Um, you know, commentary stuff."

I genuinely thought he'd got that part already and so felt stupid as I realized that he obviously had not, which thinking about it wasn't surprising since I hadn't at any stage told him why I was there. Resisting the urge to smack my own forehead, I cleared my throat a little with a grimace.

Idiot.

Vince smirked back coolly,

"Who says it's still an offer, or anything other than a one time only spot? I have plenty of people begging me to wear the headset, so what makes you think I would promote you over them?"

I smiled.

He was asking the one thing I had bet on, since I hadn't expected him to agree with me outright. Kelly and I had even brainstormed scenarios and spent the whole plane ride over there roleplaying the thing. I might have screwed up the rest of it royally, but the answer to that question I already had down pat and so before I replied, I drew myself taller and tried to look imperious,

"You said it yourself, the audience likes me and I have good approval ratings – ,"

Vince cut me off with a wave,

"But what else? Why should you get the best gig in the company when you've only be in these hallowed halls for nine months? I want to know why I should make the sacrifice."

His use of the word sacrifice caught me off guard –

Because wasn't that what I had done already by giving my relationship with my stepmother and father up? Hadn't the business come fully in between us and blown apart the tiny little family that I had grown? As far as I could see, Vince McMahon's level of sacrifice included buying prehistoric fossils to hang on his wall. He lived a charmed life and it made me feel angry and brought the last few months back in full and very loudly screaming detail.

I screwed my up fists fiercely,

"Because you owe me."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because your precious and very bitchy daughter kidnapped me and held me in a room with bars on the windows for nearly five days before my boyfriend managed to find me and rescue me – ,"

Vince turned his hands so his calloused palms were upright, then shrugged his besuited shoulders like my trauma was no big deal or didn't impact on his cosy little empire in big enough terms to need to make it up to me.

"Family problems are personal matters."

I gaped in astonishment –

But I wasn't out yet and so instead bit down an actual scream of anger and clenched my fists so tight that my nails dug into my skin and seized up great big handfuls of my dress front that I then almost squeezed into dust with the force. I was about to unleash the very rarely discussed big gun which frightened me half witless but still needed to be done.

"Okay," I started coolly, "In that case you owe me for the fact that your employee tried to rape me."

"What?"

I swallowed down a lump and a wobbly grin of victory because I genuinely took pleasure in the horror on his face, which was mixed with a knitted browed frown of confusion like I had pulled the rug out from under him, which maybe I had.

Either way, it fuelled me.

"Randy attacked me when he was drunk, he – he pinned me to the bed and everything. You can ask Kane for the details, since he was the one who ripped him off me. Otherwise he would have – would have – ,"

I faltered and my anger promptly broke off into a mild and quickly forced down sob. My eyeballs stung and prickled with emotion and my mind went to the flashbacks that I hated so much. My bottom lip wobbled like it was caught on a fault line and although I tried my best, I was close to breaking down.

In the moment I wanted Dean more strongly than ever.

I was stupid to not have told him.

I needed him there.

In the awkwardly drawn silence Vince cleared his throat roughly and then flapped a clean white handkerchief across the desktop at me,

"Here."

I took it with a sniff and then proceeded to blow my nose in it before hesitating for a moment, not too sure I should hand it back. No way would he want it with my goopy snot all over it, but at the same time he had his damn initials on the thing. Seeing my confusion however he waved a hand at me and then smiled very mildly in a fatherly sort of way, which told me not only had Steph and Hunter not told him, but that he felt bad for me and sympathetic,

"You keep it."

"Thanks."

For a moment or two there was nothing but silence in which I continued to shore myself up and brush away the ever threatening teardrops as my heart pounded fiercely and my fingertips shook. Eventually the businessman hauled a deep breath in and then raised his other eyebrow,

"How is your head?"

Presumably he meant my fairly recent chair shot which of course he knew about since he was the boss. Possibly he was wondering if I might try to sue him although I doubted I could since I had run into the line of fire.

Maybe he was just concerned?

"It's – um – okay, I still get kind of sleepy."

He nodded,

"You will do kiddo, but that's the consequence of being brave."

I blinked in surprise for several different reasons, with the first at having been referred to by a cutesy nickname and the second the revelation that he seemed to be impressed with me, which I didn't buy totally and so responded with a shrug,

"Dean thinks it was pretty stupid."

"Because he loves you and I'm guessing it cuts him up to see you hurt."

"Uh huh."

"I'm also going to take a stab in the dark here and assume that's why you're coming to see me now? Ambrose has banned you from being at ringside and you can't go back to your old runners job, so therefore you figure that being out on commentary is the best way to keep your hand somewhere in the company huh?"

He wasn't really asking.

It was more like he was telling me and trying to prove his super astuteness about it all, which it did and then some because I gaped in amazement like I was having a reading with some crystal ball savant.

"I – how did you – ,"

Vince smirked mildly and then threw up his hands,

"It's my business to know, I may be old but I'm not down and out yet."

"So, does that mean I get the job?"

"Does Ambrose know you're here?"

I sucked in a breath and then rapidly blew it out again, which made my entire chest heave up then down, rocking my head from side to side sadly as the truth of the answer gnawed incessantly at me,

"No."

"Perfect," Vince barked, before rubbing his hands together and both the word and the movement totally caught me by surprise, because frankly it seemed like the opposite of perfect, or at least from my perspective if not from his at all.

"It – it is?"

His grin was Cheshire cat like and it made me shift uncomfortably, since it meant he was clearly mulling something over or working on a plan that he wasn't sharing with me. Usually when that happened I had to do something or put myself out in a way I didn't want, although, on the flip side his sudden broad grinning also implied that he liked my idea.

He nodded,

"Can you imagine their faces when you walk out there and take a seat behind the desk?"

"Um, walk out where?"

"On Raw tonight."

I gaped at him and then goldfished stupidly, working my slackened jaw repeatedly up and down. Was he honestly suggesting that I be at the taping, surrounded by my enemies like they didn't mean a thing? On top of which I was still stood in his office in Connecticut whereas the show was several states away from there. I would have needed tickets and a plane ride. Naturally however, instead of express that in the time honored fashion of speaking actual words, I merely blasted out few halting half words while shaking my head in bewilderment,

"But, how am I – I'm not – I couldn't – ,"

He cut me off swiftly, which in the scheme of things was probably the best course of action for us all. His eyes flashed keenly and he chuckled a little, his confident sounding voice all but booming around the room. Leaning in over the desktop he pounded the intercom and then heralded his secretary before she could even say a word,

"Gina, get me the private jet on standby and send somebody from contracts up at once."

"Yes Mr. McMahon."

My head started spinning, because frankly it all seemed to be happening too soon and although it had been my idea in its entirety, the process of it turning from vision to reality was deep and terrifying and I was doing it on my own.

Dean was going to kill me.

I was an idiot.

No way could I do it without talking to him first and in the moment I felt that conviction so strongly that I opened my mouth to try and slow it all down, or to take it back or to briefly throw the brakes on, although as it turned out, I didn't get the chance.

"Um, Vince?"

The boss man was barely even listening which was why he didn't particularly reply, although he did grin in at me over the desktop with a look so damn approving that it stoppered my tongue up.

"This is going to be great for the company, you're leading us into a brave new world."

I blinked.

I was?

Maybe he had a point there, because not for years had a woman been on commentary, or at least not in a super long-term position as a regular staff member and equal to the men. It had always been guest stints or comings and goings and yet there I was going to be at the tapings, getting things said for the average girl and reacting and responding for all the watching ladies who had always sat and suffered beside their yahooing men. In actual fact it made me feel bubbly because I had never been at the cutting edge of anything before and so suddenly commentary was the chance to make a difference, which totally appealed to the career side of me.

Besides which, what spot was safer than the announce desk?

Well, okay not the desk itself as such –

But the commentary team were rarely dragged into brawling and were the voice of show who had been handpicked by the boss. In relative terms it was a method of protection and therefore, much as I had hoped for, my chance to keep my place and keep on traveling the highways with my boyfriend in the life that I had never wanted to give up. The knowledge of not having told Dean still killed me, but I squared it away since it was what I had to do. I wouldn't be scared off and I would show my errant father that they couldn't get rid of me or my brawling man, because the pair of us were never going to run away frightened and we wouldn't be separated either.

That was the plan.

Sooo, how do we feel about Lauren's plan? Is it a good one or a bad one? How will Dean react? Next chapter Lauren makes her new grand entrance. See you there!