NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I wanna kick this off by saying THANKS to everyone who alerted this story and put it on their favorites list. Feedback and reviews are appreciated even more, and I'd love for you to leave some after you read it. It motivates me to keep going. :) BTW, this chapter's written the same way as the previous one.
BTW, I want to thank Ilse'sPurpleSummer for giving me an interesting idea. I don't know how far I'll run with it, but I'll give it a shot:)
Chapter Twenty-one
San Jose,CA
3/15/99 (continued)
"I don't care what you got!" Vince shouted into the phone. Brisco hovered around his boss like an airplane awaiting permission to land. "I don't care who you take with you! Get your gun out!" He paused. "Go look again! Go! Now! Now, again! Go!"
"This is serious!" Shane hollered, hoping the policeman on the other end of the phone would hear.
~~~MOD~~~
"They're gone, guys!" shouted Viscera's voice from the upstairs.
Stephanie and her houseguests let out a collective sigh of relief and everyone turned the lights back on.
Bearer glanced at his watch. "Gentlemen," he announced. "We have one more thing we need to do, and then we have to head out."
"You guys are leaving so soon?" Stephanie asked, as the other girls groaned in disappointment.
"What, are you guys gonna turn into a bunch of pumpkins at midnight?" Ryan asked.
"No, but your dad gave us a bit of a curfew," We have a grand finale to take care of, and then we need to get back to our hotel," Farooq pointed out.
Bradshaw raised an eyebrow. "You guys don't need all of us out there, do you?"
"Well, you, me, Viscera, Paul and Gangrel can go out and get the symbol out of the van. Edge and Christian can stay behind and help the girls clean up."
"Aww!" Edge complained as the men headed upstairs. "Why do we have to get stuck with KP duty?"
"Hey, you get to hang out with us!" Anna fired back, as she began picking up paper plates and plastic utensils. "Someone get the glasses, please."
~~~MOD~~~
"Wow! I didn't know you guys were so domestic!" Stephanie marveled as she headed upstairs to the kitchen after helping Ryan move the tables back and put the TV trays away. To her surprise, Edge was putting the glasses in the dishwasher, and Christian was helping Anna put the leftovers in the fridge. "Thanks!"
"I'm practicing," Christian explained with a smirk. "If my boyfriend and I get super serious and move in together, I'd like to be able to take care of housework."
"He even does windows," chuckled Edge, as Christian shot him a dirty look.
"So how is your boyfriend?" Stephanie asked, as she took a sponge and spray cleaner and cleaned off the counters. "You talk to him much these days?"
"Not like I want," Christian sighed. "I miss him. I don't know why your dad doesn't move him to RAW. He and his brother are like uber-talented. Edge and I would so love to have a few matches with them."
Anna put a Styrofoam container of mashed potatoes in the fridge. "Maybe he wants to wait until the Ministry storyline is over," she suggested.
"Maybe." Christian nodded and handed Anna a container of coleslaw. "But I wish it was over sooner than later."
"It might be sooner. We're supposed to be part of the bad guys, right? But have you hear the cheers we've been getting? I wouldn't be surprised if Vince decided to let us go solo," Edge chimed in, as he grabbed a bottle of soap off the counter. He was about to fill the dishwasher with it when Anna grabbed his wrist.
"Don't use that stuff! Unless you wanna stay here all night and help us mop up all the suds." Anna grabbed the dishwashing gel out from the under the sink and handed it him. He's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, she thought to herself. Christian was right when he said he has to act like the older brother. Sheesh!
Edge glanced over at Stephanie's engagement ring after he filled up the dishwasher and turned it on. "I didn't know you and Mark were engaged!"
"It's a secret," Ryan said seriously, as she tied a now-full trash bag closed. "And it needs to stay a secret." She paused. "Steph, where do you keep your trash hamper?"
"Garage. Right hand side, just as you open the door. You probably didn't see it, it was kinda dark." Once Ryan headed out, Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the blonde brothers and set her sponge down. "We aren't kidding. Mark and I are planning to take over my dad's company, and it all hinges on us all staying quiet. If any of you guys—you, Christian, Gangrel, Acolytes, Viscera, Midian, any of you—say a word, the girls and I will stab you all in the uvulas with a pencil."
"What's a uvula?" Edge cocked an eyebrow.
Christian scowled. "Whatever it is, it's probably extremely painful, so keep your mouth shut!" he warned his brother, just as the front door swung open.
"Guys, look out the living room window!" shouted Viscera's voice. "I think you'll all like what we did to the front lawn."
"Cool!" Edge and his brother headed out of the kitchen, with Anna following close behind.
Stephanie and Ryan brought up the rear. "I hope you guys didn't tear up the front yard!"
"Your lawn's safe," Anna reassured her as she, Edge and Christian looked out the window. "But I think you'll get a real kick out of this."
~~~MOD~~~
"Do you believe that?" Vince gasped, shaking his head. "He didn't see a thing! Not a thing!"
"That's the Greenwich police force for you," snorted Shane, shaking his head in disgust.
Pat, who had stepped into the catering area, tried to reason with the agitated owner of the WWF. "Vince, they didn't see nothing. You don't need to worry. There's nobody there. It's over."
Brisco nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they left. If they didn't see anything, those policemen are good," he pointed out. "It's alright."
Vince refused to accept their reassurances. "Do you really think that just because they didn't see anything that they're no longer there?"
Pat shook his head "They're no longer there, Vince. There's nobody there."
"Oh, God! Come on!"
Brisco tried once more to reassure Vince. "Mr. McMahon, it's over."
"They can't have just—"
"Listen up McMahon!" boomed the familiar voice from the TV monitor that once more showed the front of Vince's house. Everyone in the room turned to face the monitor in surprise.
"Law enforcement's finest," Taker drawled, mockingly. "I could see where we couldn't be found. It's not like we stand out or anything, is it Vince. And now that that annoying little interruption is done with, it's time to get back to business."
The scene switched to an upstairs window. The lights were on, and Vince turned white with shock as he recognized what room it was.
Taker continued, as the camera pulled back to reveal a disturbing sight. "I know what time she's expected home, Vince, and I WILL be here to greet her. Maybe I can be that father figure she never had - or, maybe I can just torture her. But, no worries. In due time, you will be witness to my madness."
Vince shuddered as he recognized what was burning in the front yard. It was the Undertaker's symbol, and it blazed up quickly, the flames lighting up the night sky.
He dropped his head, unable to say a word, and barely aware of the comforting hand that was draped across his shoulder.
Finally, once he regained his composure, Vince locked eyes with his right hand men. "I didn't want to have to do this. But I haven't got a choice right now. I'm heading out to ringside..."
~~~MOD~~~
From the living room window, Stephanie, Anna, Ryan, Edge and Christian watched the symbol burn.
Stephanie whistled softly. "Wow, guys. Look at that thing go," she said, as Anna nodded.
"I hope nobody calls the fire department," Ryan remarked, shaking her head. "That looks pretty spectacular."
Edge turned towards the girls. "Uhhh...you guys have any marshmallows," he asked, before Christian slapped the back of his head. "Ow! Watch the hair, Christian!"
"Only you would ask a question like that at a time like this," Edge's brother scowled, as the girls giggled and turned back to watch the free pyrotechnic show.
~~~MOD~~~
Back in San Jose, Cole and Lawler expressed their disbelief.
"King, Mr. McMahon must be in a panic. He must be frantic. He's thousands of miles away from his home, and he had to watch that happen."
Lawler shook his head. "Well, how could the police be at Mr. McMahon's home, see nothing, and then moments later the Undertaker's symbol is set on fire right in McMahon's front yard?"
~~~MOD~~~
"Bye, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!" Stephanie and the girls waved good-bye to their guests as they headed down the street back to their safely hidden van. The symbol was now extinguished and safely taken down.
"Have a safe trip! See you guys on TV!" Ryan shouted. Once the Ministry was out of sight, she turned to her girlfriends. "Well, I guess this night went well, didn't it?"
"It certainly did," Stephanie beamed. She turned to Anna and noticed that she was all starry-eyed and holding a piece of paper, with a goofy little grin on her face. "What are you smiling about?"
"You're not gonna believe this..." Anna blushed. "But, uhm...Bradshaw gave me his phone number."
You could have knocked Stephanie over with a feather. "No way!"
Anna nodded.
Ryan couldn't help herself. "Gay or taken?"
Anna threw her a dirty look. "Boy, you guys just jump to conclusions, don't you?" She paused, and a sly smile creased her lips. "Neither."
Stephanie squealed. "The streak's been broken!"
"Isn't he a little old for you, Anna?" Ryan questioned, cocking an eyebrow.
"I'm legal, I'm 21. It's about the same age difference between me and him and Stephanie and Mark. And furthermore, you're dating an older porn star!" Anna glanced at her watch. "Let's go inside. Maybe we can rewind the VCR and see what happened on RAW tonight. You did set the VCR, right Stephanie..."
~~~MOD~~~
Back in San Jose
DX's music blared into the arena, as Hunter stomped down the aisle. He tossed aside the water bottle he'd chugged out of and crossed his arms in the DX sign.
"And folks, here comes Triple-H!" announced Michael Cole. "He's walking towards the ring with a purpose, King. Last week on RAW, Kane came to Chyna's aid. Triple H and Chyna were in the ring, and it was a fireball meant for Triple H that hit Chyna in the eye. Kane was distraught, and we'd like to give you the latest on Chyna now. She suffered a partially burned retina in her right eye, the injury much more serious than we first believed. And we announced this weekend King, Triple H meets Kane at Wrestlemania."
Hunter slipped into the ring grabbed a mike. "Kane," he growled. "When you play with fire, sooner or later, you're bound to get burned. A week ago, you came out here and burned Chyna. Too bad for her. But let's face it, Kane. That fire was meant for me. It was my eye you wanted to take out. It was me you wanted to incinerate! Well Kane, all you've done is light my fuse. I've seen you in the back. Make your way down here and get in this ring and feel my fire. 'Cause you gonna get burned, bitch! Burned!"
The crowd shouted at Hunter's audacity.
"Wrestlemania may start here tonight!" Cole exclaimed, just as the lights went out and Kane's started up.
"Be careful what you ask for, 'cause you just might get it!" Lawler added.
"He's been waiting a week for this!" Cole said, as Hunter ripped off his T-shirt.
Kane stalked down the aisle amid the red lights and pyrotechnics. Hunter charged out of the ring towards the Big Red Machine, and met him halfway. It was all Hunter to start, as he took out his frustrations, but Kane quickly came back and slammed Hunter into the steel ring steps, continuing to punch away.
Suddenly, the match was interrupted briefly, as Vince walked out to ringside, a desperate look on his face. Kane glanced up long enough for Hunter to get a few shots in on his nemesis, but Kane quickly subdued him.
"What's Mr. McMahon doing out here?" wondered Lawler.
Cole explained, "Well, Kane is a member of the Corporation."
Vince climbed into the ring. "Kane, dammit! I need your help, Kane! I need your help!"
Kane slammed Hunter's head once more into the steel steps. Hunter collapsed, dazed and in pain.
Finally. Kane turned his attention to Vince.
"I need help," Vince pleaded, frantic. "I've got trouble at home, you can help me. You can talk to him. You can talk to him, come on!"
Kane slowly pulled himself up onto the ring apron and ducked through the ropes.
"You speak the same language," Vince continued. "You know how to get to him." He gestured for Kane to follow him. "Come on. Let's go." When Kane lagged behind, Hunter managed to climb into the ring and take a few more shots at the big red machine. Vince jumped out of the way to avoid being hit by the combatants. Kane threw Hunter into the ropes and struck him with a flying clothesline that knocked the blueblood flat on his back.
Impatient and angry, Vince got up into the Big Red Machine's face. "Dammit, I don't ever ask much from you - I'm asking now - no, I'm demanding - I need help! Come on, let's go! I need help now, dammit! The Undertaker's got my family, dammit! I need help! Come on! Forget Hunter!" Vince gestured again. "Let's go!"
Slowly, Kane reached for his mask and waited until he was face to face with Vince. Then slowly, he began to remove it. Vince glanced up at the unmasked man, and his eyes went wide in his now-white face.
A shocked roar went up from the crowd as everyone recognized who it was.
Taker!
Vince stood in the middle of the ring, paralyzed by fear.
A dark smirk graced Taker's mouth as he reached over and grabbed Vince by the lapels of his jacket. "It's just that simple," he said. "Anytime, anywhere!"
And with that, he shoved Vince to the mat like a rag doll as the lights in the arena suddenly turned off, plunging everything into blackness. Several seconds passed as the the fans in the arena shouted and screamed. The tension was so thick, you could put your fist through it.
Kane's music came back on and the pyro flamed back up, shattering the tension. When the lights came back on, Vince had managed to crawl up onto his knees, his head in his hands, a look of pure anguish on his face. It was all he could do to stagger out of the ring and flee back to catering.
~~~MOD~~~
Pat Patterson rested a kind hand on Vince's back. "I feel for you, but I think it's over, Vince."
Vince pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Behind him, Shane was pouring him a cup of water and shaking a couple of aspirin out of a bottle. "I can't believe it! I can't believe this. "
Brisco ventured carefully. "Vince, I think it's gonna be alright-"
Vince glared at Brisco and cut him off viciously. "How's it gonna be alright?"
Silently, Shane handed Vince the cup of water and the aspirin. Vince's hands shook, but he managed to swallow the pills and empty the cup in two gulps.
He set the cup down and sighed. "I have to call Stephanie again. Someone please hand me the phone."
~~~MOD~~~
Back at the McMahon House
"Okay, girls! I'm turning the phones back on! I'm sure Dad is burning up the phone lines." Just as she plugged the phone line in the living room back in, it rang. "Well, speak of the Devil," she said to herself before she answered. "Hello?"
"Stephanie! Oh, thank God I got a hold of you!"
"Dad! What's wrong? You seem a little upset."
"I've been trying to call you all evening. I called the house and got no answer. It just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. Then I tried your cell-"
"I just got back to the house, Dad. Ryan and Anna and I went to see a movie after I picked up Ryan from the airport. We saw Analyze This with Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro. You can't have your cell phones on in the theater, so we turned ours off."
"Thank God, Stephanie. You're okay. I was worried sick about you."
"Why?"
"Mark sent a bunch of his guys from the Ministry over to the house-"
"What?"
"He sent the Acolytes, Viscera, the Brood and Paul Bearer over to the house earlier this evening. I don't know how he did it, but Mark had pictures of the house up on the Titantron, and the guys were looking through the house windows. Then they went to the driveway and a car was pulling up-"
"A car? What kind?"
"It was rather dark, but it looked like your mom's car."
"There must have been some mistake, Dad. I wasn't at the house. The girls and I just got in like five minutes ago. Ryan and Anna are unpacking their stuff. Maybe someone made a wrong turn and turned around in our driveway."
"So you didn't see the symbol burning on the lawn?"
"What symbol?"
"Taker's symbol was burning on the front lawn."
Stephanie gasped. "Oh, my God," she whispered.
"Mark and this Ministry thing is getting out of hand. I mean the pictures and the teddy bear were bad enough. But for him to send his guys out to the house like this? What if they'd happened to confront you and your girlfriends?" A pause. "I just don't wanna think about that. Listen, Princess. I want you guys to keep together as much as you can. Travel together if you have to. And make sure you lock all the doors before you go to bed. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you or your friends. Okay?"
"No problem, Dad. I'm sorry I scared you tonight."
"You didn't scare me, Princess. It was just circumstances beyond anyone's control. Nobody expected Mark to pull a stunt like this. Stay safe, Okay? You promise me?"
"I promise. I love you, Dad."
"I love you too. Good night."
Stephanie rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone. That had to be a world-class performance, Dad. It could have fooled anyone else. But it didn't fool me.
She picked the phone up again and called her mom's cell number. Stephanie got the voicemail (her mom was probably asleep by now) and left a message reassuring her mom that everything was okay, and that the girls were safe. She then headed downstairs to see if the VCR recorded all of RAW. Mark said he was gonna be on tonight, and I sure as Hell don't wanna miss it, she thought.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WHEW! This chapter wiped me out, Guys! The beginning of it started with a bang, but to me it kinda ended with a whimper. I hope E&C helping the girls clean up wasn't too out of character. If it was, SORRY! And Anna gets a phone number from Bradshaw—Bradshaw!-of all guys! Maybe he likes the way she plays pool! And who says they're gonna wind up an item? (LOL) There must be something about Stephanie's friends that makes them attractive to older men!
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