ATM: Seth and the God Girls – The Good Housekeeper

After the havoc caused by her brother Shane, Stephanie tries to rebuild the McMahon family name, but the DX family are weary of her intentions and Seth and the God Girls wonder who in the wrestling world they can really trust as they prepare to go to war with Bray Wyatt.

Chapter Thirteen – Pocket Full of Miracles

The Financial District, New York City, New York

Carla McCool walked with a bounce in her step along Avenue of the Americas on her way to see her adopted father Dan McCool on Wall Street. In just a few minutes Carla would be telling Dan something that she thought she would never tell him; she was making up with the DX family. After her date with Austin Theory, Carla was now convinced that making up with her sister Lisa Helmsley Michaels and giving her the DX family jewels as Bayley asked her to, was the right thing to do. In talking to him, Austin made DX out to be the greatest bosses a wrestler could ever work with. He said that Shawn and Hunter cared so much about their wrestlers, and he talked about their passion for the business and the future of pro wrestling. It was stuff Carla already knew but hearing it from Austin, someone who was so young in the business, really made a difference to how she felt about them. They weren't just money-hungry promoters like Vince McMahon. They were good people who only had the best of intentions for the people they put on TV every week. It really did help that out of all the women Austin could have chosen to date, he chose her. It was an ego boost and as Bayley predicted, it was well-timed. Carla had been single for far too long and it was time to get back into the dating business. Making plans with Austin was a first step in that direction and part of that plan was to make good with her sister and the rest of the formerly hated DX family.

If only it were that easy.

When Carla arrived at Dan's place of business, his secretary said that he wasn't there and that he had been rushed to the hospital with some kind of heart problem. Carla called Lisa and they met at the hospital where the administrator told Carla that Dan didn't have any insurance and when Dan's wife spoke to Carla, she conveyed some very bad news.

"We're broke," Charlotte McCool said, and Carla's mouth dropped. "Flat broke,"

"How is that possible?!" Carla cried. "You guys have always been so careful with money, how can you be broke?"

"Dan made some bad investments and we've been tapping into our savings for the past few years. If this heart issue is serious, Dan's gonna need an operation and that's going to be very expensive," Charlotte explained, and Carla shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you guys are broke and that you didn't tell me. Why didn't you say anything?" Carla asked Charlotte McCool.

"I guess we were too embarrassed; we've always wanted to set a good example for you Carla plus we were sure thing would turn around. Dan's a really good broker but he's been working himself to death lately. I guess all the stress finally caught up to him," Charlotte said, and Carla sighed while Lisa looked on suspiciously.

"I'll go call Dad, he'd be happy to help you guys out," she said, and Charlotte's face tightened at the mention of Hunter.

"No," Carla said firmly. "Do not ask Hunter for money. Dan and Charlotte are my family and I'm going to take care of them, just like they have me for all my teenage life,"

Lisa took her sister by the arm and pulled her outside of Dan's hospital room where she could talk to her in private.

"Carla, its no problem. This isn't the time for pride, you know Hunter can afford to help out the McCools," Lisa said.

"No, I don't want DX bailing my adoptive parents out, not when I can afford to help them myself," Carla said.

"How are you going to help them?" Lisa asked and Carla reached into her pocket and showed her sister her DX family jewels.

"With these. I'm going to give them to the DX family in exchange for my inheritance," Carla said, and Lisa shook her head furiously.

"No, you can't spend your inheritance on Charlotte and Dan!" Lisa said enraged.

"Why not its my money, I can do with it what I want!" Carla said.

"That's your inheritance Carla, these bills could really stack up, the DX family jewels are worth too much for you to exchange them like this. Just let Hunter give them the money they need until they get back on their feet. Do not make a deal that you could regret!" Carla said and she leaned in and lowered her voice. "I don't think Carla and Dan are telling the Truth, I think we should speak to Aunt Trish about this,"

"You think they're lying?!" Carla said offended. "Lisa, how could you say such a thing?"

"Because you're loaded Carla and they know it. Money changes people sometimes, and I think they might be playing you to get a hand on your inheritance. Can we please just check with Aunt Trish before you do anything?" Lisa said but Carla was outraged by her sister's accusation.

"To think Austin wanted me to make up with you. I was going to hand over my DX family jewels but now I think I'll hold onto them. For you to make such a heinous accusation against my adoptive parents, that's unforgiveable Lisa!" Carla said furiously but Lisa talked her off the ledge.

"Just hear me out. Doesn't it strike you as odd that things turned sour between Dan and Charlotte and the DX family at the same time that they say they lost all their money?! Come on, we have to look into this and who better to ask about it than The Truth: Trish Stratus. I just don't want you to get hurt; this wouldn't be the first time you've been let down by the very people who were supposed to look after you Carla. Please just trust me, I'm not trying to hurt you I swear. I'm just trying to look out for you. You're my sister, I love you,"

Carla's hardened face softened, and her chin started to quiver.

"Okay, let's go see Aunt Trish," Carla agreed, and Lisa hugged her while breathing a prayer of relief.

"Thanks Sis, Trish will tell us the Truth. Let's go see her now," Lisa said, and Carla nodded. She knew that Trish Stratus Orton would tell her the Truth, which was great, but it was also terrifying because the Truth was, Carla was afraid that her sister might be right about Dan and Charlotte. The idea of the people she had been the closest too for the last several years would deceive her was a revelation she wasn't sure she could take. When she called Austin Theory and told him to meet him at the Ortons for support, he was more than happy to hold her hand through what was going to be a very trying day for the best first date he had ever had. Lisa furrowed her brow at the idea of Austin being at the Ortons; ATM was a very exclusive club that only the DX family had access to and she wasn't sure that Austin was as trustworthy as he was making himself seem. Very few people were to Lisa when it came to her sister but maybe she and the rest of the DX family weren't the only ones who had her sister's best interests at heart.