NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Once more I have to give a shout out to Invisibly Stricken and Darkwing Fan for helping me with the writer's block. Gotta admit, Chapter Nine is my favorite so far, and if you haven't had a chance to read it, check it out!:)
Also, I have a second in progress story called Southern Comfort With A Twist, which is my spin on the movie Out At The Wedding. Check that one out too, it's another work that I'm proud of!
Chapter Ten
Stephanie gazed out the window at the twinkling Providence skyline. It was two in the morning, and the other girls had already crashed for the night. Stephanie would have joined them in slumber earlier, but she was too keyed up to do little else but lie under the covers and try to calm her racing mind. So she decided to climb out of bed and walk around a little.
Dammit, I have to get some sleep, she berated herself. I have a spa date with Ryan, and then we're all going to take a road trip to Hartford for the big ceremony. Plus, I have a few important phone calls to make in the morning! Uggghhhh! Why can't I just wind down?
She smoothed out her black t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, gifts from the girls. Anna, Nicole and Ryan had purchased some new clothing for the bride-to-be and packed it all in a big suitcase. Stephanie's eyes had lit up when she opened the case, her wedding present from all three of them. It was all full of dark colors and goth/punk; lace, velvet, corsets, shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, leggings, undergarments, makeup and jewelry, designed to bring out Stephanie's best features, with not a sweater set or penny loafer in sight. The new wardrobe made her feel like a rebellious butterfly poised to break out of its chrysalis and fly away to its new life.
A sigh escaped Stephanie's lips as she thought about her big day. A capacity crowd in Hartford—as well as millions of viewers at home—would witness Mark and Stephanie's "Black Wedding." Paul Bearer would officiate, and Farooq, Bradshaw, Mideon and Viscera would be in-ring attendants. It would look to everyone watching like Stephanie had been taken and married against her will. A sweet, innocent damsel in distress, waiting for someone to rescue her.
Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
Paul Bearer was an ordained minister, and the ceremony would be legitimate. In the eyes of the law, it would also be legal—Mark made sure of that weeks ago. If it all went as planned, Stephanie and Mark would be the principal owners of the WWF, and Vince and Shane would be punished for their betrayal. And between Mark and Stephanie, there was plenty of money that they could live comfortably for many years, just in case Vince decided to cut Stephanie off as some form of punishment. Stephanie hoped that wouldn't happen, but given how petty her father could be, she wasn't taking any chances.
Gently, she blew across the window. A patch of fog formed on the cool glass in front of her face, and Stephanie drew a heart and a smiley face. As she gazed at her doodles, a soft smile played across her lips, and she remembered the last time she doodled on a foggy window.
~~~MOD~~~
McMahon House
New Year's Eve, 1998
Stephanie blew her warm breath gently across the chilled windowpane in her bedroom and traced a heart in the resulting mist. Her family's New Year's party would be starting soon, and she knew she should be greeting the guests as they arrived. Normally, Stephanie would have been flitting around like a festive butterfly, helping with preparations here, hanging up decorations there, and opening the door to family and friends alike as they entered the house.
However, she wasn't feeling particularly festive this evening. Vince and Shane were home, and Stephanie was doing everything she could do to to be around them as little as possible. When her dad and brother were on the road, it was a non-issue. When they were home, however, it was a whole different story. Vince hovered around his daughter, like a plane awaiting permission to land, and asked her about how work was going, what she was planning for the holidays, etc. Shane was acting like the loveable, obnoxious big brother, trying to joke around and have fun with her. When both of them realized that Stephanie wasn't having any of it, they both looked concerned and asked her what was wrong.
What could I tell them? Stephanie thought. Yeah, Dad. I'm a little out of sorts because you're planning to invade my privacy, jeopardize my safety, scare Mom and me half to death, and cripple your own company, just so you can get under the skin of a rival. Aside from that, everything's great! Instead, she gave them a cover story of feeling moody and ill. She chalked it up to "that time of month" (which wasn't entirely a lie—Stephanie had started her period that day, but she'd taken some Midol and felt physically better), and her family backed off for a while.
However, Vince expected his daughter to make an appearance at the annual McMahon New Year's Eve bash. Vince had planned a big, semi-formal party to ring in 1999. Nothing too elaborate: just cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and finger foods, with live music and a champagne toast at midnight. He had planned this party out like a major business venture, not trusting anyone else with any of the details. Family and friends would be there, as well as much of Vince's talent. In fact, most anyone who owned property, had a business, or was a professional within the city limits was invited. Parties like this were Vince's way of flaunting his money, his power and privilege to those he deemed not so fortunate. To be invited to a McMahon party was a tremendous honor.
There was always a bit of glitz and glamour at these get-togethers, but nothing too pretentious. This party would be no different. Women and teenage girls would wear cocktail dresses and sparkling jewelry. The men would wear sport coats and bright colored shirts with khakis or nice slacks and comfortable shoes. Guests would drive up in nice cars, brightly colored flowers grown in greenhouses would be everywhere, intermingled with the decorations. Since it was New Year's, pink, red, yellow and blue carnations were nestled in glass apothecary jars filled with confetti, looking right at home among the festive streamers and balloons and noisemakers and confetti.
It was as though the weather had been ordered especially for this party too. The sky was like black velvet, with icy clear stars set against it like sparkling diamonds. The air was crisp and just cool enough that you could see your breath.
In spite of the festive atmosphere, Stephanie was feeling anything but. Mark was going to be at this particular party, no doubt discussing the upcoming Ministry of Darkness storyline with Vince and mingling with co-workers and friends. Normally, Stephanie would be over the moon with the thought of Mark being here, but she and Mark had to keep their relationship as hush-hush as possible, which meant they had to stay as far away from each other as they could this evening. That did little to improve her mood.
But there was a little bright spot. Anna had been invited, and she would be on her way over shortly. Being able to hang out with her would make things a little more tolerable. Vince was always warm and cordial with Anna and her mom, but he had said to his daughter many times in private that she could do so much better in the friendship department. Maybe it was money (or lack thereof), or social status (or lack thereof), or the fact that Anna had some substance abuse issues in her past, but Vince didn't entirely approve of his daughter's childhood friend, and Stephanie couldn't understand why.
Stephanie breathed across the window again. In the resulting mist, she drew another heart, and the initials SMC. Stephanie McMahon Calaway. She studied the letters, and then smiled slightly. Actually, I think that should stand for Stephanie Marie Calaway. I like that better.
A knock on the door interrupted Stephanie's thoughts. "Stephanie?"
Startled, Stephanie wiped the doodles off the window with her hand. "Come in."
Vince entered the room, looking handsome and distinguished in a charcoal gray sport coat and matching slacks and white shirt. A smile crossed his face. "Sweetheart, you look lovely."
"Thank you. And you look very nice, too." Stephanie wore a flowy halter dress of magenta satin that came down to her knees. She liked that it had a glamorous old-Hollywood feel to it that made her feel like a movie star when she put it on. A simple up-do, simple jewelry, strappy sandals, and some pink lip gloss brought the dress up-to-date.
"Hey listen...uhhm, I know you're not feeling well, and I know this is kind of short notice, but I wanted to ask if you could do something for me tonight."
"Okay?" Stephanie cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, Ken Shamrock is going to be at this party tonight, and he's bringing his youngest sister, Ryan. She's been having some problems at home. Her mom thought it might be good for Ryan to get away for a while, so she's been traveling with Ken. Now, this is the first time Ryan's been to the house, and I'm sure she'll be kind of uncomfortable. So if you'd be kind enough to hang out with her and show her around, I think she'd really appreciate it, and so would her brother."
Stephanie nodded. "I can do that."
"Thank you. Oh, Anna's downstairs. You and she can both hang out with Ryan."
"That'll work. I'll be down in a minute."
After Vince left, Stephanie took a breath and glanced around her room. She'd remade her bed with lavender sheets and blankets and pillows, and it made her bedroom look more serene and peaceful. My sanctuary, she thought with a wry smile as she walked out and closed the door behind her. Better enjoy it while it lasts. In a few weeks, it won't be so safe anymore.
~~~MOD~~~
Stephanie made her way downstairs and was nearly bowled over in the hallway. "Stephanie! I'm so excited! You look fantastic!"
"Well thanks, Anna. So do you." Anna looked adorable in a short black chiffon dress with purple flowers and a purple satin sash. Her curls were pulled into a teased explosion around her face and down her back. Costume jewelry sparkled at her ears and around her neck. And...did she look taller?
"Four-inch heels," Anna explained. "Got them on sale last week."
"Hope you don't plan to walk around in them all night," Stephanie laughed. "A broken ankle just wouldn't look good with your outfit."
"Not all night, no. I brought a backup pair of flats. They're in the guestroom."
"Stephanie, there you are!"
The girls turned to see Linda walk down the hall towards them, looking regal in a dress of wine-colored satin. "Ryan's in the living room waiting for the two of you."
"Thanks, Mom."
"Thank you, Mrs. McMahon."
"Oh, Anna, there's sparkling grape juice for you to toast with. I know you're staying away from alcohol, and there's a few other guests who don't drink either, so we made sure you all weren't left out."
"That's very thoughtful, thank you."
"Of course. You girls enjoy yourselves."
"We will," Stephanie called out over her shoulder as she and Anna headed into the living room.
~~~MOD~~~
Two people were seated on the loveseat in the living room. Stephanie recognized the tall, well muscled man in the red button-down shirt and black khakis as Ken Shamrock. Next to him sat a rather tall girl with straight cornsilk hair and a pink lace halter dress.
"Girls, hi!" Ken stood up and smiled. His companion folded her arms across her chest and looked away, a vastly bored expression on her chiseled features.
"Stephanie, it's always a pleasure. And it's good to see you again, uhhhh...shoot I can't remember your name. Ally, Amy..."
"Anna."
"Anna. I'm so sorry I forgot."
"It's cool," Anna said, smiling and shaking her head. "So, I see you brought your sister."
"I did." Ken smiled. "Stephanie, Anna, this is my baby sister, Ryan. Ryan, this is-"
"I know who they are!" snapped Ryan, her voice annoyed. "Stephanie, the boss's daughter, and her friend Anna, the girl with the stiletto heels who's name you forgot." Ryan looked over at Ken, firing a glance loaded with darts in his direction.
"Please excuse my little sister, girls," Ken said, looking apologetic and embarrassed.
"Actually, girls," Ryan fired back. "You should forgive my brother. He's an overprotective pain in the ass."
"Come on Ryan, don't get smart with me-"
"Are you surprised, Kenny?" spat Ryan, as Stephanie and Anna looked on uncomfortably. "Look girls, no offense, but I don't need a babysitter. I'm fine by myself."
Stephanie made the first move and sat on the loveseat next to Ryan. "Hey it's okay. We're not here to babysit. We thought you'd want to hang out with someone your age."
"Uhhmmm, I'm gonna go circulate," Ken said, leaving the girls. "Have fun, you guys."
"Bye, Big Brother," Ryan wheedled, waving at the retreating form of her brother before staring down at her shoes.
Stephanie and Anna looked at each other, their expressions saying This is going to be a complete disaster.
After an excruciating silence, Ryan suddenly broke into a huge smile. "Sorry, girls," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Sorry to act like such a bitch to you, but I had to get my brother out of the room. He's been on my back since I left home and went on the road with him."
"If you're not a bitch, you are awfully convincing," Stephanie said back.
"Hee hee, sorry about that." Ryan shook her head, blushing slightly. "By the way, I like your shoes, Angela-"
"Anna," After noticing the smirk on Ryan's face, Anna cracked a grin. "It's finally good to meet you, Ryan."
"Likewise." Ryan paused. "So what do you two maniacs want to do now?"
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I wasn't expecting this chapter to be so long that I'd have to split it up, but it is. Guess this chapter was more table-setting than anything else. Hey, I did promise a holiday surprise, right? You got some of it!:)
By the way I wanted to make a correction. In the previous chapter, I stated that Nicole Bass was part of the Pretty Mean Sisters (PMS) stable. Actually she wasn't. Nicole was Sable's bodyguard who debuted at Wrestlemania XV as Sable's bodyguard. Ryan Shamrock was part of PMS for a short while with Terri Runnels and Jacqueline.
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