Chapter Thirty-Nine Disclaimer: This story is intended for readers of a mature age. It contains coarse language, adult situations, and other things that are not suitable for those who are younger than sixteen years. Also, I do not own any WWE Superstar and/or Diva, any personality from TNA, or anyone associated in the professional wrestling business, past and present. They are their own property. Also, any characters in this story that you do not recognize, they are either my personal property, or the property of someone else and used with their permission. Also, I do not own any of the following places and/or things; they are practically national landmarks to Philadelphia: The Philly Cheesesteak, any references to 2nd Street, Rita's Water Ice, and any references to the 'Rocky' Franchise. I also do not own the lyrics to the song, "Across the Universe" by the late John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Thank you for not suing.
Author's Note: Holy snicker doodles, I've actually gotten to thirty-nine chapters! If you could see me now, you'd see me doing leapfrogs and all this other stuff on my bed, lol. But I'm not going to give you the satisfaction, so you'll just have to make do with this little tidbit. Oh yeah, since I'm pretty sure that the Survivor Series press conference in my hometown of Philadelphia (which I so proudfully and shamelessly skipped the majority of my school day to attend…but you didn't hear that from me. LMAO) was on November 20th, and so was the episode of RAW in which everyone's favorite redhead kayfabe slut declared that she was retiring. So, in my little brain, I've decided to place the press conference on the day AFTER Krys made her much-anticipated return to RAW. Just putting this here, so no one gets confused or anything, and I don't confuse myself trying to remember what the hell I wrote here, because I'm scatterbrained like that, ha!
I'm so proud of the way this came down. I had the movie "Rent" stuck on my brain, and my Project Playlist has been playing non-stop, resulting in quite possibly my favorite chapter of this story to date. I'm really proud of this chapter, this story, and this whole series to date. I wanted to do this chapter the way it is now, because I wanted to re-create a sense of family around the group, and write it just as a family would appear in my eyes; though families fight and hate each other, they're still family nonetheless, and they would always love and respect one another, no matter what. I created this chapter in approximately two and a half hours, something virtually unknown for me and any of the stories I've ever come up with in the past. Anyway, enough babbling, and on to the story! Enjoy, and expect chapter forty and a possible new sequel to this story to be out before the end of July!
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 – Survivor Series Press Conference, Wachovia Center – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, the WWE Women's Champion, Lita!" The Philadelphia crowd, one of the most hardcore and passionate fans in the entire continental United States, all stood to their feet and soundly booed the Women's Champion as she strutted from behind the curtain up to the stage. The redhead wore a smirk on her face as she always had whenever she was out in the presence of wrestling fans and had to keep up appearances. With Edge by her side, she could always ignore the jeers and taunts of the crowds, and today was no different.
Lita strutted up to the stage, still wearing her cocky smirk on her face, and waited for the jeers to die down. As Jonathan Coachman, the emcee for this press conference, took his seat, the chants of "Slut" – among other things – died down, and the redhead began to address the WWE fans.
"You know, it's chants like that, that makes it so much easier for me to step away from wrestling, and retire," she started angrily, glaring at the faces in front of her. "Ungrateful little freaks like you are the reason I get booed each and every week, forgetting that just a few years ago I was your precious Queen of Xtreme. Well, guess what? I'm glad to be retiring, and I'm glad that I'll no longer have to hear your disgusting voices again, and you know what else I'll be glad about? I'll be glad that I'm going to be defeating your precious hometown girl Krys in her first back in the WWE, and I'm even more glad that I'll be retiring still the Women's Champion." She unstrapped her belt from around her slim waist, and held it high in the air, taking in the boos from all sides. Suddenly, her vision turned red, and she yanked her belt down, starting to yell obscenities at the crowd.
"You know what, it's little bastards like you that continue to disrespect me, and after all I've done! I can't believe that this is the reaction I get from everyone, after seven damned years in the WWE!" she shouted, anger taking over her voice once again. "I am so glad that this Sunday will be my final match, because I will never have to suffer by sitting here and taking this abuse again from you idiots."
At that exact moment, Poison's "So Tell Me Why" blasted throughout the arena's lobby, and the Philadelphia fans stood to their feet and loudly cheered their hometown girl. Krys, clad in her typical street attire of a T-shirt – that just shamelessly happened to be a Philadelphia 76ers jersey this time around –, stonewashed jeans, and Timberland boots, stepped up onto the stage, a smile on her face. Her smile then receded back to a smirk as she stepped up and walked towards her opponent. She looked down briefly as Edge, rolling her eyes as he scowled at her, then stopped at the podium, facing Lita.
The two women stood in front of a raucous Philadelphia crowd in the lobby of the Wachovia Center, one half chanting for Krys, the other half chanting for Lita. Both women smirked at one another, before Krys stepped aside, and walked up to the podium to say her piece. When she did, she started a slow clap, enough to make Lita give her a strange look.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Krys said, continuing to clap, even as the redhead took her seat next to Edge, "let's hear it for Lita, the most infected Women's Champion of all time!" As the crowd – and some of the Superstars sitting onstage, including Batista and John Cena – laughed hysterically, Lita stood to her feet and began talking trash. "Lita, please, sit back down; half the guys on this stage have already seen your skirt up, I don't think the rest – nor the crowd here – want to see it as well." Irate, the redhead started yelling threats to Krys, who merely smiled innocently and waved her off.
"But seriously folks, it's gonna be sad to see Lita retire, but hell, it's gonna be great for me right? 'Cause I mean, I'm gonna have to make her go away in the position she's most used to – on her back." From her seat, Lita rolled her eyes, and Krys grinned and started to continue, when the redhead interrupted her.
"You know what, Krys, you can go ahead and say anything you want about me, but the fact remains that I'm better than you," she said, glaring over at one of her opponents for Survivor Series. "I beat you last year at Taboo Tuesday, and I beat you the night afterwards. The simple fact is that no matter what you do, you can't beat me. In 2005, you had to get your friends from that other company to come over here and help you out and that still couldn't get the job done, and Edge and I sent you and your little loser boyfriend to the B-show, SmackDown!" While everyone else booed loudly, Lita smirked, and Krys nodded her head.
"Hey, like it or not, the whore's got a point." Lita began mouthing off again, but Krys would have none of it. "Listen here, Lita, you can make all the fancy talk you want about me not being able to beat you, but hell, I know I have what it takes. In fact, I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. So, I have the distinct advantage over you, who wants to go out with a bang, and on top of your game. This is my hometown, Lita, in case you've forgotten. Here in Philly, we don't give respect out that easily, and hell, I'll admit it; it took me forever and three years to gain their respect. And sure, you may have gotten the upper hand on me a few times, sure, but you seem to forget a few things. The first time you beat me, at Taboo Tuesday, you needed your little boyfriend over there to lend you a hand, and he speared me. That was the only reason you won at Taboo Tuesday." Edge stood up to say a few choice words to her, but Krys faced him and said simply, "When I want the opinion of the walking Teen Wolf himself, I'll ask for it. Sit yourself back down, Wolf man Jack, and shut your fanged face; I'm still talking here." With a snarl on his face, Edge took his seat once more, and the crowd ate it up, yelling that Edge got owned by the hometown girl.
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I don't care what it takes, I am going to get the job done on Sunday. I'm taking Mickie James out and I'm damn sure gonna take you out, Lita. I'm walking out of Survivor Series, out of my hometown the new Women's Champion, for the first time in my career. And afterwards, after I've won the championship that's eluded me for so long, I'm gonna go have a nice, huge celebration down on 2nd street, and everyone's invited! Free cheese steaks, booze and Rita's Water Ice – not to mention more of John Cena singing 'Eye of the Tiger'--" Cena chuckled heartily as Krys continued "--for everyone who shows up; just say you're a friend of the new Women's Champ, and you're good!"
Everyone stood to their feet and cheered Krys once more; of course, there were some who booed her, because they wanted to see Lita come out on top and retire still champion, but hell, if Krys had anything to say about it, that wouldn't be the case. It won't be the case at all.
The next day…
Back at her house, Krys was enjoying a few days off until Sunday night, when all she had to do was drive down to Broad Street in South Philly for Survivor Series. There she sat the next afternoon, taking care of Cameron. She had just finished feeding and was currently burping the precious baby boy, when there was a knock at the door. Shifting the boy over to her left arm and shoulder, Krys stood to her feet and moved to the door. Pulling the door open, she was surprised to see the hazel gaze of Amy standing in front of her, with Adam off to the side.
"Amy…not that I'm not surprised to see you, what are you doing here?" Krys asked, opening the door wider to allow the two of them inside.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to check your place out," the redhead said with a smile on her face as she and Adam moved past her inside the house. "Looks pretty great so far. I bet Matt's been here quite a bunch, huh?"
"Um…yeah. Yeah, he has."
"Where's Matt now?"
"He's in Uniondale, New York for SmackDown and ECW. He told me that he should be back here by about midnight or so." Krys then glanced at Amy and Adam, suspicion clouding her mocha gaze. "Why do you want to know?"
Amy shrugged. "No reason. I guess I could always talk to him over the phone or something later on." The redhead must have read the look on Krys' face when she said that she'd call him, because she quickly continued with, "I was wondering if you guys wanted to have dinner with me, and Adam, and maybe Kat and Jeff, sometime before Sunday? You know, just like we used to; just talking and getting piss drunk, stuff like that. You don't have to if you don't want to, I mean…I sorta thought we should, since it's the last time we'll all be able to do it before Sunday…" Her voice trailed off, and for the first time in all the years Krys had known her, Amy was at a loss for words, and was unsure of anything anymore.
Handing the little baby over to Adam, with a silent vow with her eyes that she would have his head on a silver platter if any harm came to him, Krys went over and placed her hand on Amy's shoulder, and the two women looked each other in the eye before Krys slowly put her arms around Amy, embracing her in a hug of silent understanding. Slowly, Amy's arms encircled Krys as well, and they stood there silently. Krys knew what she had to do on Sunday night, and though she appeared confident and cocky as all hell on TV, off the screen and backstage, she didn't want to be the one to have to do it. The two of them had just rekindled the friendship they had lost a little over a year ago, over a man that both of them had loved, and now Krys had to be the one to say goodbye to one of her closest friends so soon after coming back? It wasn't fair; it just wasn't fair.
The sound of a loud burp broke through the somber silence in the living room, followed shortly by a loud "Awww, MAN!" and both women broke out of their silent states to see Adam grimacing as he held a gurgling Cameron. The baby had just thrown up on Adam, and he didn't appear to be taking it too well.
Amy was the first one to crack a smile, followed by a loud burst of laughter from Krys, then all of a sudden the two women were laughing hysterically at the situation. They were holding each other up, and just when they thought they were going to sober up, they took one more look at Adam's disgusted face, and that started another round of laughter. Finally, seeing the humor in the situation, Adam finally cracked a smile as well, then joked, "I guess even the little one can tell that I suck major, huh?"
--
Saturday, November 25, 2006 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As promised, the group of people gathered up at the Oregon Diner on Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia. Along with getting a private section for their group, Kat and Jeff brought along Alex and Jason with them, claiming that since they were all a part of the group, that they all needed to be there to do it right. The only ones who had been missing from their circle were Kira and Randy, because of Kira's pregnancy.
As they all sat there, getting drunk and reminiscing over good times past, the group suddenly grew melancholy. "I can't believe that this is all slipping away," Alex said quietly. "I mean, Amy's leaving, Jay's working in TNA, and we're all split up on different brands. How can we be sure we're all ever gonna really and truly stay friends after this night?" Jay wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, comforting her.
"It doesn't have to be the end," Adam spoke up. Though he and Matt hadn't exactly made up and forgotten what had happened over the past year, they'd decided to put it in the past where it belonged, and at least get through this night. If they were to get along with each other in the future, it would be for the sake of the company and their friends. Hey, it was a start; at least they didn't hate one another anymore. "I mean, the majority of us still work for the WWE, so we'll be able to see each other. And just because Amy's retiring from the E for now, who says that she can't be backstage and hang out with us as our special guest? We'll never really be apart you guys, you know that."
"Well said, blondie," Krys said with a smile on her face, raising her glass of Zinfandel in the air. Since they were all there and together as a group, Matt decided that it would be best if they all ordered the Version One drink of choice…the 'sweet white girly wine itself', the White Zinfandel. "To V1," she toasted, raising her glass once again.
"To V1," they all echoed, raising their glasses alongside hers. They all took a drink, honoring their friends, then continued on having fun with one another. It was almost like a scene from the movie musical "Rent", the way they all sat there celebrating their friendship; some renewed, some that never truly died, and some caught up in their own world to see anything wrong with what this truly was: a goodbye of sorts to their circle of friends.
Krys, who had been the quietest of the bunch throughout the entire meal, pricked up her ears when she heard a song playing on the jukebox. When she heard the song playing, she squealed and stood up, yanking Matt to his feet as well. "I love this song!" she exclaimed. "Let's dance, you guys!"
As she and Matt started dancing with one another to The All-American Rejects' "Move Along", Alex laughed and grabbed Jason's hand as well. "Come on, Reso, show me those moves you learned in TNA," she said with a grin on her face as she started to move against him.
"But you guys, this isn't a place where we can dance," Adam started to protest, but was silenced when Amy placed a finger to his lips and pulled him to his feet as well. Kat was almost ready to give her a death glare, when Jeff yanked her to her feet as well.
"It's a party, gorgeous, celebrate," he drawled in that unbelievably sexy Southern drawl of his that made women all over the world fall at his feet. Kat, nearly melting on her feet, obliged in the rainbow-haired man's request, and started to dance alongside him. The private party had suddenly turned into a dance-off in their small, closed-off section of the diner, and each and every single one of the eight people temporarily forgot their troubles for the moment.
As "Move Along" switched to Rufus Wainwright's cover of John Lennon's hit "Across the Universe", they each held onto the one they loved, and slowly lost their cares in the world and each other's eyes. For that moment in time, each and every single care that the eight friends held had been forgotten, and they were free, all free.
This…this was why they were here, on this night. To celebrate their friendships, not to say goodbye. Though some of them were leaving, and some may not look back, they were here to celebrate and enjoy each other's company. All of their cares were gone, if just for this moment, and they were free to have fun and just…live.
Tomorrow would be another day where they would just worry their lives away. On Sunday, in her hometown of Philadelphia, Krystle would have to end the career of one of her best friends in this entire business, and Matt and Jeff would have to once again face off with Edge in a contest to see who would survive. All the drama that were currently plaguing them in their lives, would go away, and come back another day. But right here, right now, they were living for the here and now. They were all here, and they were enjoying each other.
As the ending chorus of "Across the Universe" played, they all knew of one thing:
It was a night that they were sure to remember for years to come.
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva…