Well, I got really motivated (and y'all can thank Instant Classic Superstar Pac for that one, and for the awesome Mitchell promo in this chapter), so here's the next chapter. I really hope you like it and that it's up to par. The next chapter probably won't be up until at least this weekend, just becuase you got, what, two chapters in two days? Sorry, but I need to do *some* homework so my Momma don't kill me for flunking out of college.
So, hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I only own Cayden and as always, thanks to Instant Classic Superstar Pac! Seriously people, check out his stuff, he's awesome!
Alex frown from where he stood in front of Cayden, his hands wrapped around her waist. He looked aroundthe airport terminal and his frown grew even more pronounced.
"Ugh, I can't believe I have to go to Japan." He complained, pulling his girlfriend closer to him. "I need to be here, with you, not halfway around the world wrestling!"
Cayden managed a weak smile. "Babe, you have to go, you told them almost eight months ago that you'd be there. You can't back out now."
"Then come with me." He begged.
She frowned. "Alex, we already talked about this. I have a match tonight and I'm the Number One Contender. I have to be at Impact."
He groaned. "I just don't like you being there when I'm not there to protect you." He said, his grip on her instinctively growing tighter.
She rubbed his back gently. "Casanova, I'll be fine. I've got X, Supes, Poppa Jay, Seanathair, Fat Man, and Tomko all looking out for me. Not to mention there are quite a few guys in the back who would help out if it came right down to it." She reminded him, as he nodded.
"I know, it's just, I just don't want to be 18 hours away from you." He complained. She nodded while the loud speaker announced that they were ready to board Alex's flight.
Cayden frowned and snuggled close to Alex. She rested her head on his chest, wrapping her arms tighter around him as he rested his check on top of her head. Alex frowned and rubbed her lower back comfortingly, kissing the top of her head as she sighed sadly.
"Hey, hey. Don't you start that. I'll be back before you know it." He said encouragingly. She nodded and pulled back, smiling as best she could before wrapping her arms around Alex's neck and kissing him.
He gently pulled her closer by two of the belt loops on her jeans, deepening the kiss as he wrapped one arm entirely around her waist and the other cupped her face as they kissed.
They stayed like that for a few moments until, over the loud speaker, the final call for the flight was made. Alex groaned as he pulled away from Cayden and hugged her tightly to him again.
"Are you sure you can't come?" He asked again. She sighed and started to say something but he cut her off.
"I know, I know. Can't blame a guy for trying though, can you?" He asked. She shook her head and smiled before she pulled back from him.
"You need to get going or you're going to miss your flight." She said sadly. He nodded, knowing she was right.
"Call me when you land in LA and then before you take off again and then when you get to Tokyo."
"Babe, it'll be like 2 AM or something crazy like that when we get there." He told her, but she shrugged.
"Don't care." She informed him, raising an eyebrow as if daring him to challenge her.
He sighed, admitting defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll call when we land, okay?"
She nodded before he hugged her one last time. "You be safe tonight, alright? Stay close to the others and don't go anywhere by yourself."
She rolled her eyes. "Are you my boyfriend or my babysitter?" She asked, causing him to chuckle slightly before he kissed her again quickly.
"I love you." He said, kissing her one last time. She smiled up at him as best she could.
"Love you too." She said, as he finally broke contact with her and looked over at Chris Sabin, who was a few feet from them making out with his now "official" girlfriend, Taylor Wilde.
Alex rolled his eyes as he tapped Sabin on the shoulder. "Dude, we gotta go." He said, earning a frown and glare from Chris.
"Next time, we do not sign up for trips to Tokyo eight months in advance." He complained, as Alex rolled his eyes.
"Sabes, it was your idea." He pointed out, as Sabin frowned before turning back to Taylor.
"I'll call you when we get to L.A.?" He asked as she nodded.
"You'd better."
He smirked at her before kissing her again, then walked over to Cayden and gave her a hug.
"Don't you go getting all moopy now. Alex is always a pain to put up with when he knows you're sad." He said, noting the frown on her face. She nodded and pulled away from the hug, giving him a half smile.
He smirked down at her. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him. We'll be back before you know it." He pointed out before he and Alex looked at each other, sighed, and walked away, waving goodbye to their girlfriends.
Chris looked over at Alex and saw the frown on his face. "You okay dude?" He asked, as Alex shrugged, glancing back at Cayden and Taylor, who were watching them leave.
"Yeah, it's just…this is like the second longest I'll have been away from Cayden since the attack and if something happens, we're 18 hours away and…."
Chris shook his head before patting his friend on the shoulder.
"Lex, seriously, she'll be fine. She's got like an entire army watching out for her. And, Taylor already promised that she'd make sure Cayden always had someone with her, so no worries bro. Everything's handled." Chris assured him, as Alex nodded, somewhat more comfortable with the situation.
TNA-TNA-TNA-TNA
*Impact*
The night started with James Mitchell already in the ring. As the show came on air, the crowd started chanting "TNA" and going crazy.
"Wow! If it wasn't for all the insanity that I've seen since I've been back here, I would almost be surprised at how lively this place is. I could've sworn that TNA had moved out of the Asylum over six years ago, not back into it."
The crowd cheered at the mention of the Asylum, but Mitchell quickly shhsed them and continued. "Now. Ladies and gentlemen, and assorted others; when Dixie Carter asked me to become the Director of Authority and to help bring some control into this place, and then I made a sort of Faustian deal out of it to guarantee that I will be back later after this is all over, I'm not sure if she quite expected everything that's gone down so far."
"But I figured, as soon as I walked into the powder keg with all the facts, that things were going to get to the point eventually where it would soon have to blow over. I never expected for a second that things would become peaceful at my say-so; only that when it came time for all this to come to an end, that there would be a little structure to add up to a little finality."
"And it looks like that day is fast approaching."
He paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
"The family resistance against the Main Event Mafia has not only got a name now, it's got the return of none other than 'the Icon' Sting fueling its ranks. The Mafia, meanwhile, has added Team 3D and Rhino to their ranks."
"Some people are getting delusional. Others are shooting to make their marks. Tempers are flaring worse than ever, both male and female. Everyone is looking for a fight now in TNA, and security's being given multiple jobs at once more often than not around here."
He got very animated, moving his hand in a giant sweeping motion. "And on top of all that, our own President Carter came through the Impact Zone this past Sunday at Turning Point to reveal the double-edged bombshell simply called TNA's First Monday. January 3rd, 2011. Hulk Hogan will be here, and TNA Impact will hit live Monday nights."
The crowd started going nuts with a "Hogan" chant that was loud and clear. Mitchell chuckled slightly and shook his head in astonishment.
"Wow. Just…wow. After all this time, the old Hulkster still draws a powerful chant. I don't know how he does it, quite frankly, but I digress."
"The fact of the matter is, all this has told me that things are finally set to come to an end around here. Which makes it very apropos that our next pay-per-view, my last in charge, coming December 26th, the day after Christmas, is called Final Resolution: The Last Stand. Because on that night, I promise you, the war between the Omega Rebellion and the Main Event Mafia will finally be over!"
The crowd applauded loudly, hoping that the Mafia would finally get their just deserts, before starting a "TNA" chant.
"Now, I haven't quite mapped out exactly how this finish will come about. But that's exactly why I will be watching, and monitoring the situation very closely, with the watchful eyes of a red hawk, over the next few weeks heading into the pay-per-view. And during this time, I will find the ultimate solution." He said with finality, letting the fans in the Impact Zone know that he meant business, and they applauded his dedication to setting things right at the Impact Zone.
"As for the rest of the TNA roster: let me assure you all that I am James Mitchell and I forget nothing. I'm well aware that everyone wants to be heard, and that it's not just the Rebellion and the Mafia jockeying for position in the last moments leading up the day Hulk Hogan, along with whoever he may bring with him, finally arrives here in TNA."
"Therefore, the first match I will make for Final Resolution, will be a Feast or Fired match. There will be sixteen of TNA's best and brightest stars outside the war, and five briefcases."
The crowd went nuts at the announcement, cutting Mitchell off with their cheers before he could finish. He waited, somewhat patiently, for them to calm down, then continued.
"Four will hold contracts with guaranteed title shots. One, will hold a different kind of contract. A contract which may, yes, I said may, mean the end for the holder's time here in TNA."
"One of these title shots will be for the World Heavyweight Championship. One will be for the Global Championship. Another will be for the X-Division Championship, and yet another will be for the Tag Team Championship titles. And because there is only one briefcase for a tag team title shot, no two partners from the same registered tag team can participate in this match." He explained.
"See, I've decided to modify the rules of the match so as to implement a little fairness into the picture. I've been around, I've done my research, and I know the common complaint with the Feast or Fired scenario is how unfair it is because multiple men can get free Money in the Bank style openings for a championship while one man gets fired, all for winning the same match."
"Therefore. Those with a championship match contract may cash it in for a title shot any night they choose. However…that night must be a different night in advance from the decision itself, so that the champion may have a chance to be ready for their challenger. And the pink slip has been replaced. It's been replaced with a contract that its holder will sign in order to fight to keep their job."
The crowd cheered at Mitchell's decision. They had seen many wrestlers, whom they liked, be made unemployed in what they saw as an unfair manner.
"And if this person wins to keep their job, they're entitled to a nontitle match against any champion of their choice." He added, earning more applause from the audience.
"Talent can announce their decision to enter Feast or Fired any time they choose leading up to the pay-per-view, and of course, no current champions, nor any members of the Rebellion or Mafia, will be allowed to compete in that match."
"TNA Wrestling superstars; tonight is the beginning of the rest of your careers! Make the most of it, gentlemen. And now, without further ado; let the games begin!"
Mitchell's music hit as the crowd cheered and Mitchell smiled at his handiwork as he exited the ring.
In the Rebellion locker room, the Christy Hemme was standing by with the members of the Rebellion.
"I'm here with the Omega Rebellion. Now guys, we just watch James Mitchell announce that he's going to bring an end to the war you and the Mafia are in right now, at our upcoming pay-per-view, Final Resolution. Guys, what are you thoughts on the announcement."
Sting looked at the others, and after receiving a nod, stepped forward.
"Christy, honestly, we're really hoping that this is a truly definitive and not a false alarm as so many promised conclusions have been over the years. We want to believe that on December 26th, the Mafia will finally be done and out of this company and our lives. See, the Mafia, they're a cancer eating away at the very fabric that is TNA. And, as with any disease, the sooner you can cure it, the better, and that goes for the family and TNA as a whole."
"I have no doubt that, when it comes down to it, the Omega Rebellion is going to be the group that is left standing at the end of the day. And you want to know why? Well, Mafia, heck, even James Mitchell himself; just watch Cayden and Samoa Joe's match later tonight and they'll show you exactly why we have all the confidence in the world that we will be the victors in this war."
The first match of the night pitted Matt Morgan and Hernandez against the British Invasion, who were accompanied to the ring by Rob Terry.
Morgan and Hernandez dominated in the early goings of this match, until Hernandez went up top near Rob Terry and was distracted, allowing Doug Williams to take advantage. The Brits then used their teamwork to keep Hernandez grounded and cornered for minutes, until he countered their attempt at a double team suplex and tagged in Morgan, who cleaned house.
Hernandez cleared Williams after he broke up a cover, and both members of Beer Money, Inc. come out and attacked Terry to keep him out of play, allowing Morgan to cleanly pin Brutus Magnus after a Hellevator.
After the pin, Beer Money was heading up the ramp when So Cal Val chased after them with a microphone. She started to ask them a question, but before she could finish asking why they just got in the British Invasion's business, Robert Roode cut in and pointed out the "obvious" three reasons: they don't like the Invasion, they consider Rob Terry a waste of space, and they have no desire to start being overlooked now that things in TNA are getting critical.
James Storm said he will represent Beer Money in Feast or Fired, and for anyone else in that match, "Sorry about your d*** luck."
Once Beer Money and the others cleared the ring, it was time for the mixed tag match. Raven and Daffney, with Doctor Stevie accompanying them, made their way to the ring, amidst a roar of boos and jeers from the crowd.
I'm back by popular demand.
Well not really but my optimism grand.
Cayden Daniels came out, dancing around and flipping her hood before throwing up the 'X' with her arms as Joe came out behind her, shaking his head at her upbeat-ness as he trudge the down the ring as angry as he could to her music.
When they made it to the ring, they were trying to decide who would start the match, but Raven ran over and attacked Joe from behind, effectively taking the decision from them.
The ref called for the bell and the match was underway. Raven went on the offensive, hitting hard and repeatedly. Joe fought back, but just as it looked like he was going to turn the table, Daffney distracted the ref, allowing Dr. Stevie to climb up on the apron and pull Joe down on the ropes, hard.
He stumbled back into Raven, who hit him with a hard slam and went for the pin, but luckily only got a two.
Raven put Joe in a sleeper, as Cayden started pounding the turnbuckle, getting the crowd to start clapping to will Joe on.
Joe feed off the crowd and made it to his feet, before flipping Raven over his shoulder in a snapmare. He then hit him with a few more moves before making it to his corner and tagging in Cayden, automatically sending Daffney in too.
Cayden tackled Daffney and the two started a pure brawl, until finally, they got back to their feet and started a grappling bout. Daffney put up a good fight, but Cayden ended up with the momentum.
Eventually Daffney, after ducking out of the way of a clotheslined, ran to the corner and tagged in Raven.
Cayden immediately stopped chasing after her and ran towards her corner, sliding out of the ring under the bottom rope as Joe came in.
Momentum finally set in for the Rebellion members as Cayden eventually sent Daffney to the outside before taking her out with a flying move over the top rope, as Joe got Raven to tap to the Coquina Clutch for the win.
Joe's music hit as Cayden slid back into the ring, hugging Joe tightly before the ref raised their hands in victory. While they were celebrating in the ring, Angelina Love slid in the ring behind them, undetected. She held up the title belt, poised to strike as soon as Cayden turned around.
She did, and Angelina came at her with the belt. But this time, Cayden saw it coming, dodged out of the way, and when Love turned around to face her after the failed attempt, Cayden hit her with a vicious spear. Cayden looked down at her, smirking, as her music began playing instead of Joe's.
She bent down and picked up the title, pointing into the camera and saying, "this is mine."
Backstage, on camera, JB was seen knocking on the Mafia's door. As usual, Nash answered the door.
"Hey Kev. I was hoping to get an interview." JB said, as Nash nodded and stepped out of the locker room.
"I'll take care of this. You've annoyed Kurt enough lately." He said, causing JB to sigh, sick of having to deal with hateful people in the back.
"Well, Kevin, earlier tonight James Mitchell announced that he plans on bringing this "War for TNA" to an end at Final Resolution. Now, given the dominate victory by Samoa Joe and Cayden earlier and just given how effective the Rebellion has been as of late, how does the Mafia plan to win this war.
Kevin rolled his eyes and chuckled without humor. "Well, JB, here's the deal. The Rebellion may think they're impressive, but, you know something, they've been impressive for what, a few years? Maybe? Some of them only a few months? However, those of us in the Mafia have been dominating whatever company we've been in for decades. We know what it takes to win, to survive. These little kids don't' know anything about that. They've had it easy up to this point, they haven't had any real opposition against them. So, we're not too worried. We're going to win this war and, tonight, we'll show you why."
Then, the cameras cut back to the ring where Team 3D, Rhino, and Booker T, along with Sharmell, were waiting on their opponents. The crowd booed loudly at them, earning eyerolls and angry remarks from the Mafia members.
Then, Lashley's music hit and him, along with D'Angelo Dinero and Lethal Consquences made their way to the ring and the match was underway.
The Mafia members struggled to gain control of the match for the first few minutes, until Booker T took advantage of Consequences Creed being overzealous. They isolated Creed for a long while until he fought off a hold by Rhino and tagged in Lashley.
A soon-ensuing cluster of finishers found Dinero in position to hit Booker with the DDE, but Sharmell distracted the referee while Homicide came through and nailed Pope with a slapjack. Booker capitalized by nailing a scissors kick on Dinero for the pin.
As Homicide retreated through the crowd and the Mafia went up the ramp, the cameras showed the backstage area, where Roxxi was talking with the Knockout Tag Team Champions, Taylor Wilde and Sarita.
Roxxi assured the tag champs that she's perfectly fine with not being in their eight-Knockout tag match up next because they have good friends for partners and she knows they're gonna be kicking "those four trashy blondes" around the arena. Motivated, Wilde and Sarita joined Tara and Hamada and headed to the ring.
The crowd cheered loudly as the four face knockouts came out to the ring, high fiving fans and playing up to the crowd.
The crowd did a complete 180, however, whenever Angelina Love, ODB, and the Beautiful People came out.
Throughout the match, Love could still be seen favoring her ribs from Cayden's spear. Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne ran to tag ODB whenever they looked like they were about to be in trouble. This strategy eventually backfired when Hamada is tagged in by Tara as well, leading to the faces clearing out the heels and Hamada pinning ODB after a Hamada Driver.
Backstage, Christy Hemme was standing with Homicide, Desmond Wolfe, and Chelsea. Christy questioned Homicide on making an enemy out of the Pope out there when he and Wolfe have a big match against AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels next. Homicide replied that he was making sure he got Pope's attention because he's ready to try and "make big things pop" now in TNA.
Wolfe pointed out that they know how good Styles and Daniels are, but they don't sweat the brothers because the "common wankers at home" seem to be forgetting what they can do.
With that, the two made their way to the ring, amidst the boos and jeers of the crowd. They waved them off, yelling at the fans of the Impact zone, who were waiting with anticipation for the team of "brothers."
The fans cheered loudly as "Get ready to fly!" sounded through the arena and both AJ Styles and Christopher made their way to the ring, AJ flipping down his hood and Daniels tearing his off.
Before the match even began, the referee sent Chelsea to the back, not wanting to risk her interfering. To start off, Daniels faced off against Homicide and both used their high flying capabilities to create an insanely faced paced match with the crowd chanting numerous times "TNA" and "this is awesome."
AJ and Wolfe were eventually both in the match and, due to Wolfe doing his best to keep AJ grounded; it turned into a more technical wrestling match.
It was pretty evenly match all around, but, towards the end of the match, AJ gained the upperhand and was setting up to hit a 450 springboard, but it was interceded by Homicide who hit a Gringo Cutter on AJ. However, before he could set Wolfe up for the pin, D'Angelo Dinero ran into the ring and assaulted Homicide, ending the match in a disqualification.
Homicide was getting chased up the ramp by the Pope, who was using multiple lefts and rights to help him along. Wolfe, not wanting to be left in the ring with the brothers, quickly rolled out and chased after the other two, hoping to help out Homicide and get away from Daniels and Styles.
Daniels rolled back into the ring and walked over to AJ, who was slowly making his way back to his feet. After AJ got his bearings back, the two, being somewhat confused and shocked as to what had just happened, turned to exit the ring.
As they were leaving, however, Booker, Steiner, and Angle all came in through the crowd, slid into the ring, and started beating the two down.
"What in…what in the world is going on!" Mike yelled, as Taz shook his head.
"Well, Mike, earlier tonight Mitchell said he was looking for a way to end this war and it appears that Angle and his troops are looking to take the offensive."
As Booker and Steiner were making quick work of the guys who had just finished a match, Angle produced two pairs of handcuffs.
"Oh, come on now. Is this really necessary?" Mike asked, disgusted, as Angle took the arm of a groggy AJ and cuffed him to the rope then did the same to Daniels before taunting them with the keys and tossing them to a far corner of the ring.
The crowd booed loudly until erupting as Samoa Joe came running to the ring. He slid in the ring, but was soon overtaken by the three in the ring. He was kicked out of the ring by Steiner as the two handcuffed men started to become coherent and aware of their surroundings. They immediately knew they were in a bad way.
AJ and Chris looked at each other, shocked. "We are so screwed." AJ muttered, as Chris pulled against the handcuff before Steiner and Booker started kicking them repeatedly again while Joe laid on the outside, practically unconscious. The crowd booed loudly at yet another planned, underhanded assault by the Mafia.
"Oh, come on!" Mike Tenay yelled into his head set.
Angle grabbed a mic and smiled at the two. "Well, let's see if we can't get some more people out here to join this party. Nash, Bubba!"
Suddenly, Bubba and Nash came out of the heel tunnel, with Bubba carrying a screaming Cayden over his shoulder, causing the crowd to jeer even louder, unable to believe the Mafia was about to go there again.
"Alright guys, enough is enough. You made your point. There's no need to do this again." Taz pleaded, as Mike nodded in agreement.
"Taz, this just went from bad to worse."
"Cayden!" Chris screamed in the ring as he and AJ pulled against the ropes, trying desperately to get to their sister.
"Kurt! If you don't let her go, I will kill you. I will kill you all!" AJ threatened.
Angle smiled evilly at them. "I'm sure you're wondering where your friends are. Well, of course, the Guns are in Japan right now, and God only knows where Tomko is. So, when Joe came running out here, that left her with Stinger and Jeff? Really? Those old guys?" He said, as Bubba handed Cayden to Nash, who held her still.
"Well, The Icon and the King of the Mountain are bleeding in the back, so that leaves just you guys. And seeing as you two have your 'hands tied,'" he said the last part with a chuckle, "that leaves just Cayden for us to have our fun with."
Nash restrained her while she tried to fight free from him, all the while screaming for her brothers. Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at Nash.
"Would you shut her up!" He demanded,. Nash nodded before turning Cayden around and smacking her across the face. She yelled out in pain as she plummeted to the floor.
Chris and AJ fought harder against the handcuffs, as they started yelling at the Mafia.
"Cayden!" Chris yelled, reaching for her with his free arm. A look of concern covered his face before he glared at Angle. "Kurt, you got us. Let her go!"
"Nash!" AJ shouted. "I'm going to knock your teeth down your throat!" He said, pointing at Big Sexy before he two reached for an out of reach Cayden.
Kurt looked at them and smirked while Nash grabbed Cayden off the ground and restrained her again. "I don't think so. I actually have a better idea. See, I know one of the few things that scares Cayden, keeps her up at night. Heck, I bet she even has nightmares about it."
Cayden's eyes got as big as silver dollars as she started squirming again. "No." She muttered.
He grinned evilly. "That's right", he said, before he looked at towards the back. "Devon! Get the glass table!"
At his orders, Devon came from the back with Rhyno, the two of them carrying a glass table out to the ring. The crowd had practically fallen silent, already being able to put together the pieces of Angle's plan.
"Taz, this doesn't look good." Mike stated the obvious, as Taz nodded.
"Yeah, seriously, Tomko and some of the others need to get their butts out here and stop this before the Mafia picks up where they left off all those months ago." Taz said worriedly as AJ and Chris looked at each, fear covering their faces, as they contined to try to get free.
Cayden started freaking out, and hit Nash in the groin, causing him to release her. She then took off towards her brothers, but was pulled back by her hair at the last possible moment.
"Chris! AJ!" She screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face as reached out for her brothers, but she couldn't get away from Big Sexy.
Her brothers continued to struggle, reaching out for her and yelling her name while Devon and Rhyno set the table up in front of a turnbuckle.
"What? Do you want her? You want me to let her go?" Angle asked them, as he took her from Nash, holding her upperarm extremely tight as he drug her over in front of the brothers, right out of their reach.
They pulled tighter as Angle smirked and continued to taunt them.
"This little slut..." He yelled, forcing her back towards him and away from the brothers, "has been the source of nearly all of my pain the last few months. And, if you ask me, its time to put her out of my misery. So, here's what I'm going to do…"
He was cut off, however, when the crowd began to cheer loudly. The Mafia members looked up the ramp and saw Sting and Jeff Jarrett start slowly jogging down to the ring, Jeff's head having a rather large gash on it and Sting was holding his ribs. However, both were armed, Sting having his baseball bat and Jarrett his guitar.
"Thank God. Finally, the Calvary has arrived!" Mike yelled, confident that Cayden's two 'fathers' would save her.
They rolled into the ring, but the combined efforts of Rhyno, Devon, Nash, Booker, and Steiner kept them from even being able to stand up in the ring. The Mafia continued to stomp them after they had already knocked them to the ground.
Cayden screamed at the Mafia members to stop as she struggled against Kurt, trying desperately to get away from him and to her fathers. However, Angle kept his grip on her tight, not allowing her to get fee.
Joe had regained his bearings and tried to come to the rescue, but he was hit with a gore than Nash held him up so Booker could hit him with a scissor kick while the other Mafia members targeted the rest of the Rebellion.
Tears started flowing from Cayden's eyes as she watched her family be decimated in front of her. She finally stopped struggling against Angle and just closed her eyes, praying over and over that God would somehow send a miracle to save her family.
Angle chuckled at Cayden's emotional distress before he took the microphone and held it up again.
"Like I was saying, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to take Cayden here and I'm going to have Bubba powerbomb her off the top turnbuckle through that glass table, just like he did to Christian. After that, well, I don't think we're going to have to put up with this little ginger slut for a long, long time. And, without her here to be the glue, her little rebellion is going to fall apart at the seams."
He chuckled at his plan, but stopped short when he saw that his words hadn't had the desired effect on Cayden. Instead, she was watching in tears as Nash powerbombed Sting.
"Seanathair!" She shouted as he hit the ground with a hard thud. She started shaking as she struggled to get to him. "Stop! Please, leave him alone!" She shouted, worried she was going to lose her "father" again.
Angle smirked evilly as a new idea formed in his head. "You know, scratch that, because, quite frankly, Cayden here doesn't care what I do to her, do you? You're more concerned about all of the others in his ring. So…" He said, shoving her towards Scott Steiner, who grabbed her around the waist, making her cringe.
"I'm going to have Steiner here hold you, and Scotty, feel free to let your hands roam." He said, causing Steiner to smile sickeningly as Cayden struggled to get free and AJ, who was slowly recovering, glared at Angle than Steiner.
"Steiner! Keep your hands off of her!" He screamed, earning a kick to the gut from Devon, effectively silencing him.
Steiner chuckled as he grabbed both of Cayden's wrist in one of his hands and pulled her repulsively close to him, wrapping his other arm around her waist, pressing her so close that Cayden could hardly breathe. Cayden locked eyes with AJ and then Chris, and they could see her silently pleading with them to save her, causing both to continue to fight against the handcuffs holding them yet again, but to no avail.
Steiner's hand lowered to Cayden's butt, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and pray, once again, for a miracle as tears continued to flow.
"Oh, for the love of…would someone please get that Neanderthal's hands off of her!" Taz shouted, disgusted by the situation.
"And, while Cayden is…busy with Steiner, we're going have Bubba here send her precious Seanathair plummeting through that glass table. Then, I bet he won't ever be back at the Impact Zone again. Looks like you're about to loose another Dad, Cayden"
Cayden's eyes shot open at Angle's threat and she looked at the others, petrified, as Angle turned to the others.
"Do it." He said, as Nash and Rhino forced a barley coherent Sting to his feet and walked him over to the corner to Bubba, before picking him up and handing him to the Dudley.
"No, no, please no. Bubba don't do this! Don't do this please!" Cayden screamed, as she fought against Steiner with tears pouring out of her eyes. She was so focused on Sting's safety that she didn't even realize that Steiner's free hand was roaming her body.
"Oh no Taz. This really, really doesn't look good. This could end Sting's career, even his life." Tenay added, concerned.
The Mafia, however, ignored Cayden pleas, and bounced around excitedly, as Kurt Angle gave Bubba Ray a thumbs up, then a thumbs down. Bubba nodded, and prepared to send Sting plummeting into the table.
Cayden sobbed violently against Steiner, unable to even scream for Sting because she was crying so hard. She looked around the ring, and seeing that, while all the others were stirring, they'd never make it to their feet in time to help Sting, let alone be able to take out the other Mafia members to save him. She closed her eyes, giving up all hope.
Suddenly, the lights went out in the Impact Zone.
The crowd started yelling as a loud crash was heard before a scream, that could only be Cayden's, came from the ring,
The lights were out for nearly an entire minute, and, when they came back on, the crowd was shocked by what they saw.
Kurt, Devon, Booker, and Nash had been cleared out of the ring and were standing on the ramp, looking shocked and beaten pretty badly. Rhyno and Steiner were both laid out outside the ring, as Bubba Ray lay unconscious in the middle of a shattered glass table, blood trickling from various cuts throughout his body.
Tomko stood in the middle of the ring, pipe in hand, as a shorter hooded man stood next to him, armed with a steel chair.
Cayden was already kneeled down next to Sting, who was slowly started to regain his awareness.
AJ and Chris had been freaking out wondering what was happening, but after seeing the scene in front of them, they collapsed with relief, sitting down as Tomko picked up the discarded keys and walked over to them, while Joe and Double J slowly began to pull themselves up.
After moving some hair out of Sting's face and resting a hand on his chest to feel it rise and fall, Cayden was convinced he was alright and decided to look around the ring.
When she saw the hooded man looking her way, she instantly got into a defensive stance in front of Sting, not willing to let anyone else hurt him as she continued to look from Sting to her rescuer. The hooded man cocked his head to the side, watching her for a few moments as Jeff slowly walked over to Sting's side as well, patting Cayden on the shoulder to let her know he would take care of the Icon.
Cayden looked from Jeff then back at her savior, taking a timid step forward, not knowing who the man was. Finally, feeling he had built up the moment long enough, the man reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing himself as the one and only Instant Classic.
Christian Cage.
The crowd went completely nuts, causing the building to shake, as Cayden looked up at Christian, shocked.
"Oh my word! It's Christian Cage! It's the Instant Classic!" Tenay shouted, as Taz looked on shocked.
"Holy heck…" was all he could think to say.
"What the…" Chris muttered, as he and the others froze in the ring, staring at Captain Charisma.
As soon as the surprise wore off, which took a few seconds; Cayden threw herself into Christian's arms. He held her tight to him as she buried her face into his shirt, sobbing loudly into his chest as she gripped his shirt with both hands.
He kissed her on the top of the head. "It's alright Leaf, its okay. You're safe. I'm here now and no one is going to hurt you." He said comfortingly, rubbing calming circles in her back as she shook against him.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, as he pulled her back slightly, but she kept a tight grip on his shirt. He gently held her chin to examine her face from where she had been slapped. She shook her head at his inquiry.
"Just freaked?" He questioned further. She simply nodded, tears still flowing from her eyes. He hugged her again, cradling the back of her head with one hand as the other wrapped her, keeping her close to him and safe.
Chris ran over to his sister and Christian as soon as Tomko undid his handcuffs, with AJ following suit moments later.
"Is she okay? Is she hurt?" Chris asked, as he carded his hand through his sister's hair. Christian shook his head.
"She's fine, just really freaked out." He rested his chin on top of her head while AJ looked at his former mentor, shocked.
"C, what are you doing…"
Christian shook his head. "Later." He cut off, wanting to focus solely on getting Cayden calmed down at the moment. AJ nodded in agreement.
"Want me to take her?" He asked. Christian lightly shook his head.
"Nah, I've got her." He then turned his attention back to Cayden, as he started to try to calm her, assuring her that they were all safe.
AJ nodded. "Good. In that case, I'm going to go kill Steiner." He growled angrily as he started towards the Mafia member who had violated his sister, yet again.
Cayden's hand shot out and grabbed AJ's arm though, holding him back.
He looked at her, confused. "Cay?" He questioned softly. She shook her head against Christian's chest.
"Kid, let it die tonight." The Instant Classic told him, knowing Cayden well enough that he knew what she was thinking. "She's worried that if you go after him you'll get hurt worse. She's already shook up. Just, save it for next week, for her, okay?" He asked.
AJ sighed, not wanting to let Steiner, who was now being helped up the ramp by Booker, off the hook. But, after taking in the shaken up state of his sister, he nodded.
"It's okay Munchkin. I'm not going anywhere, alright." He promised her, as she turned her head so she could face him. After seeing he was telling the truth, she sniffled.
"C-check on S-Seanathair." She begged.
"You got it kid." He said, kissing her temple before walking towards the Icon. Cayden buried her head back in Christian's shirt while he held her.
"You sure you're okay?" Chris asked her. She nodded as she continued to shake against Christian due to her sobs.
Christian frowned. "Leaf, sweetie, you've got to calm down, alright. You're starting to worry me."
She shook her head against him as she cried into his shirt. "Sea-sea-seanathair." She sobbed out. He sighed before looking over at AJ and Jeff who were helping the Icon, who wasn't all that hurt, stand up as Joe and Tomko kept an eye on the Mafia members. Trainers rushed into the ring to check on Bubba and the others.
"Borden!" Christian yelled gruffly, causing everyone to look at him questioningly.
"Get over here and let her know you're alright so she'll calm down." He ordered sternly.
Sting blinked rapidly, as if trying to regain his composure, before finally focusing on Cayden.
"Hija." He muttered softly, before he shook the others off and walked over to her uneasily. He rested a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in Christian's arms. The Instant Classic glared at Sting.
"Smooth." He hissed, tightening his grip on Cayden as he rubbed her back calmly.
"Hey, it's alright. Do you really think that I'd let someone who would hurt you this close, Leaf?" He asked softly, as she shook her head before he slowly started turning her in his arms so she was facing outwards.
"Come on now." He urged.
When she saw Sting, she launched herself out of Christian's arms and into her Seanathair's.
He held her tightly, reaffirming her that he was alright, as Christian walked by him towards the others, who were by the ropes by the ramp.
"We'll talk later." He growled dangerously low so only Sting could hear and sent a look of death his way.
The Icon nodded before turning his attention back to his daughter.
Christian climbed up to the top of a turnbuckle, glaring at Angle and yelling threats off mic before he looked at the camera, mouthed "I'm back" and Impact went off the air.
The Mafia tucked tail and ran, leaving Bubba a bloody mess being attended to by trainers in the ring, as the Rebellion slowly simmered down and walked over to Sting and Cayden, the latter of whom was now slightly calmer.
"Maple Leaf, you okay?" Christian asked, as she shook her head no, turning around and facing him before she hurried into her arms again, burying herself into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as Joe smiled.
"You're always one of the first one's she looks for whenever she's upset."
Christian chuckled slightly, a smirk forming on his face, as he shrugged. "What can I say? Us Canadians are good at giving hugs, eh."
"C-cap?" Cayden whispered quietly, causing the whole group to look at her. A look of relief covered most of their faces, seeing as she had finally calmed down somewhat.
"Yeah Leaf?" He answered softly.
"What are you d-doing here?" She asked, confused.
He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead before glancing over at Jeff, who looked like he was about to kill Christian for being on air while under contract with the WWe.
"We'll talk about it at the house, alright?" He asked, as she nodded, before Christian jerked his head towards the tunnel.
"Let's blow this popsicle joint." He said, as he led Cayden out with the others, his arm staying around her shoulders up the entire ramp.
TNA-TNA-TNA-TNA-TNA-TNA-TNA
The caravan of cars pulled into the driveway of the house. Tomko stepped out of his Escalade, while Cayden and Christian stepped out of the back. Cayden instantly looked around until she saw Sting step out of Jeff's Dodge Avenger.
She sighed in relief as Christian put his arm around her and led her towards the house.
AJ unlocked the door and as Christian and Cayden walked in, he gave Christian a look that asked how Cayden was. Christian nodded and smirked, letting the brothers know she was okay.
AJ, and Daniels who was watching as well, nodded, relieved, before they followed the two into the house.
Once in the living room, Jeff walked over and put a chair in the middle of the room, much like the set up with Alex a few months earlier.
"Sit." He ordered Christian. Cayden still had a tight grip on the Instant Classic, who smiled warmly down at her then wiggled her off.
"It's okay Cayden. Go sit down next to Stinger and Daniels until we're done." He urged.
She sighed and nodded before sitting down between her brother and her Seanathair. Still somewhat freaked by the earlier events, she sat super close to Sting before grabbing Chris's arm and pulling him right next to her as well.
AJ walked over to the three and sat in front of Cayden's leg, knowing she'd also want him close by. Jeff sat down in the recliner as Joe took the loveseat. Tomko leaned against the wall behind all the family, facing Christian.
They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments until finally, Christian chuckled.
"Well, Cay, now I know how we make all of your boyfriends feel."
"You think this is funny? Christian, do you have any idea what you've done. You're under contract with the WWE! McMahon is going to sue all of us blind! TNA is done!"
Christian looked at the older man, somewhat irritated, rolling his eyes. "One, the Mafia had you all cornered. AJ and Chris were beat down and Steiner had his hands all over Cayden, so screw McMahon and screw TNA because I did what I had to and I'd it again." He said, demonstrating his loyalty to his former Coalition members, both official and unofficial.
A smirked formed on his face before he continued. "And, you don't need to worry about Vinnie Mac. He won't be doing anything."
Jeff raised an eyebrow. "You forget, I worked for the man Christian. He's going to bury us because of this."
Christian shook his head. "Vince isn't that bad of a guy, Jeff."
Jeff scuffed. "How do you figure that Christian?"
"Well, you see, after Cayden got attacked while I was in Europe, I went to see Vince, who was actually touring with us for a change. I explained the situation and told him I had to get back state side immediately. He understood and let me come back."
"I get that Christian, but you can't base your views of that man on him committing one class act. He's still going to bury us and you just gave him…"
Christian shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Jeff, how long have you known me?"
He paused, but not long enough for Jeff to answer before he continued. "I'm one of the best schemers you know. Do you really think I would do something as stupid as show up at Impact, on air nonetheless, while under contract with the E?"
The others looked at each other while Tomko chuckled in the back. "What are you trying to say C?" AJ asked, causing the Canadian to grin insanely widely.
"All I'm saying is that TNA is about to, once again, become Instantly Classic."
Everyone in the room, with the exception of Tomko, grew wide eyed in shock before Joe raised an eyebrow.
"Are you saying that you signed with TNA again?" He asked for clarification.
Christian nodded, a big smile on his face, while AJ looked at him, bewildered, then shook his head, as if trying to shake the cobwebs free.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second…you're supposed to be reuniting with Adam in January. What happened to that?"
He chuckled. "Well, I couldn't just take 90 days off without a cover story and you guys not suspect anything."
"So, you're really back? 90 day no-complete clause not withstanding?" Chris questioned, still trying to catch up with what he was hearing.
Christian rolled his eyes. "Guys, Maple Leaf got beat half-to-death by Angle and the Mafia. Did you really think that I was just going to let you guys kill them without me?"
He shook his head. "Once I explained the situation to Vince, I told him I needed out of my contract. He understood, released me then I called Dixie up and we drafted a contract while I was in London waiting on my flight."
Slowly as it set in, smiles crept onto everyone's faces, as Christian stood up and stretched.
"I'm gonna go get a dr…"
He was cut off, however, whenever Cayden, finally recovering from the shock of Christian being back, launched herself off the coach into literally tackled him in a hug.
He laughed loudly as Cayden landed on top of him, still hugging him tightly.
She quickly rolled off of him and sat, cross legged, next to him. He sat up too and looked at her.
"You're back? Like really, really, legitimately back?" She asked.
He nodded, as she squealed in excitement, clapping her hands. "Alright, story time from the top."
He chuckled. "Leaf, there really isn't much left to tell. You got attacked, I got the call. Youtube-d the video, which a fan had already posted, and when I saw it, I walked down the hall at the hotel, knocked on Vinne Mac's door, which let me tell you, that man does not like being woke up. But, basically, I explained the situation and he remembered me talking about you in the back occasionally, Adam too."
"So, he asked how he could help, and I told him I need to go back to TNA, that, knowing Angle, this was only the beginning. Although he wasn't happy about it, he understood that I had to do what I had to do. So, he drew up the paperwork right then and there. That's what took me so long to get to the hospital." He explained.
"And then you called Dixie and she got you a contract while you were waiting?" She asked. He nodded.
"Yep. I told her I was coming back, but under one condition: she didn't tell anyone I was coming back. I wanted to make my return be classic." He explained.
Cayden nodded, before she slugged him in the arm, hard.
"Ow!" He yelled. "What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his arm.
"You should have told me you were coming back, jerk!" She told him.
The others chuckled, as Christian raised an eyebrow. "Well, I could always tell Dixie to forget it." He said, causing Cayden to yell "NO!" and wrap him in a bone crushing hug again.
"I'm just kidding, Maple Leaf. I'm not going anywhere. And, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back. I wanted it to be a big surprise and I really didn't want it to somehow get back around to Angle and the rest of the Mafia."
She nodded, still wrapping him in a hug. "It's okay, but that's only because I love you." She informed him with a big smile, before questioning him further.
"What about what happened tonight?"
He smirked. "Well, if you didn't know, last night marked the ninetieth night after the attack. So, tonight was the first night I could come back. After Tomko helped out with Sting's return and it seemed that you guys were pretty cool again, I called him up and let him know what was going on, since I needed someone to get me in without anyone seeing me and to pick me up at the airport, since my car is still in Tampa."
She turned around to face Tomko. "You knew too?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.
He nodded from his spot in the back of the room. She jumped up, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you Kratos." She said, causing the other men in the room to smile, especially AJ and Christian.
"You're welcome kid. I take it this means you forgive me?" He asked, hugging her tightly, as she nodded.
"Yeah, plus, you know, now that Cap is back, he'll keep you in line." She said with a wink.
She then turned to look at Christian, who had now stood up as well. "When are you headed back to Tampa."
"Well, I figure since your boy is in Japan and you have a ton of free time, we'll go get my car and some of my things tomorrow, then head back here."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Cap, don't you think that Denise will want you home?" She asked, as he shook his head.
"Well, Denise's sister, who lives up in Toronto, just had her baby yesterday, which is why I was so late getting to the Zone tonight. She's staying up there with her family for a few weeks, so as long as it's okay with you guys, I figure I'll just crash here for a while."
Cayden smiled even wider and hugged him again. "Of course its okay!" She said, as he glanced over her shoulder at the brothers for their okay. They smiled and nodded as well, before Tomko stretched and cleared his throat.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I want some ice cream. Cayden, why don't me, you, Daniels, and Styles go get some."
Cayden shook her head as she continued to hug Christian. "Nope."
Christian shook his head. "Leaf, I know you. You love ice cream. Like, seriously, have an unhealthy obsession with it. Go with these guys to get some ice cream. I need to call Denise anyway and you know how hard it is to get off the phone with her."
Cayden sighed and frowned, causing Christian to roll his eyes.
"When you get back we'll watch 'D2: The Mighty Ducks', okay?" He asked.
That got her to agree before looking over at Sting. "Seanathiar, you're coming with us, right?" She asked. Since she was facing him, she didn't see Christian glare at Sting and mouth You stay here.
He shook his head. "No, I'm pretty tired Hija. You go without me. Plus, I need to call Sue and let her know I'm okay just in case she knows I'm okay before she hears about what happened."
Cayden frowned at him before nodding. "Okay, are you sure?" She asked, as he nodded. "Joe, Jeff, you two coming?" She asked, and they shook their heads.
"Nah, you guys go ahead. We'll see you when you get back." With that, they all stood up and hugged her bye.
With that, the four left the house. Christian stood in the living room, waiting impatiently, until the car was out of the driveway. As soon as it was, he directed his glare at Sting.
"You stupid, arrogant, ignorant, chumpstain!" He growled, walking towards him.
Joe and Jeff exchanged looks. "Um, we're going to go get something to drink." Jeff muttered, as the two quickly left the room.
Christian backed Sting to a wall and then shoved him into it. "What in God's name were you thinking? Huh? Are you that selfish? Are you that self-centered that you abandoned her? How could you? After everything she's been through?"
Sting sighed. "Christian, we've already worked past this." He tried to explain, but Christian shook his head and narrowed his eyes.
"You and Cayden may have talked this out, and the others may have talked to you about it, but I haven't, so I'm going to let you know what I think, right here, right now."
Sting nodded, knowing Christian had the right to get what he wanted off his chest.
Christian intensified his gaze before he continued. "Do you realize I flew all the way from Europe, Europe, to check on her, to be here with her when she needed all of us the most? She didn't have to call, she didn't have to ask; no one did. I was gone the minute I found out about it. But, she called and begged you to show up, and you didn't."
"Now, I've seen my Maple Leaf upset, but I've never, ever, seen her like that before. I was in the room right after she got off the phone with you and she was a wreck, like someone had ripped a hole through her heart. I never want to see her like that again, and if she's even remotely that upset because of you again, I will personally end you." He said, pointing at Sting angrily.
"That girl, she's my little sister as much as she is your daughter. You know her past as well as I do, so how in God's name you thought not showing up was the lesser of two evils, I have no idea. And, Cayden, she's not the only one who needs you. You've been like a father to not only here, but AJ and Chris as well, especially AJ. They needed you here too, all of them, and getting you here was like pulling teeth! You're supposed to be one of the leaders of this family. You should have been on that plane, not Garret. It's sad that your son knew someone should be here, but you couldn't realize that."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know, the strength of a family isn't based on how happy they make each other but on how much they're willing to sacrifice for the others. Now, you seemed to have forgotten that for a while. Thank God you finally got your head out of your rear end to realize that you were single handedly killing Cayden from the inside out before we lost her forever."
"I've said my peace, I know she still loves you to pieces, and that AJ and the others still look up to you, so I'm going to leave it at this. But, I'm dead serious Steve. You even think about pulling anything similar to this again, I'll take you out. That's my Maple Leaf and I won't sit by and let someone hurt her."
Sting nodded his understand. "I won't Christian. You know I love that girl like my own child. I thought I was doing the right thing, but you know what they say about the road to Hell. I screwed up and I'm doing everything I can to make up for that."
Christian nodded his understanding. "Good. Like I said, I'm going to let it die. She doesn't need us at each other's throats. I won't do that to her, so as long as you don't hurt her again, we're good."
Sting nodded again, before Christian informed Sting that he was going to go call Denise and that he should call Sue before he turned to leave.
"Christian." Sting called, causing the Instant Classic to turn around.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming back." He simply said.
"Your welcome, and Steve?"
"Yeah?" He responded.
"Same to you."
:D Fooled y'all didn't I! You thought that Christian was in the E with Edge. I hope you found that a good suprise! I've been planning that since like week 1. You don't know how hard it was to hold back and not bring him back sooner! It KILLED me! Hope you're glad he's back and that the chapter was good. Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I write. Reviews = Love. Thanks everyone! Have a great day!
*casey*
~James 1:12~