Fresh Heir
Sequel to Space to Breathe
Written back in 2000
Disclaimer: I don't own wrestlers. I wish I owned Shane McMahon, that'd be uber sweet. I don't own P.J. Stock either sadly. I am his Chiquita though, weee. Havyn's mine and Dante too. And yeah, I spent a lot of time throwing cereal at Marissa Mazola back in the day when LiveWire was on.
Vince shuffled some papers and picked up the phone. "Hello, Vincent McMahon."
"Vince, how are you?"
He smiled at the voice. "I'm fine, but I'll be even better when you tell me why you're calling me at work."
"I was just wondering if our deal is still on?"
"Yes, it is, and you know that you're always welcome. When are you flying in?"
"Whenever you book me a flight, but make it for two. I'm bringing moral support with me."
"All right, two tickets from Quebec. I'll send you the information as soon as I get it." He paused. "Actually, I can get you on Raw from Hartford if all goes well."
"Still the same old businessman, eh? I've gotta go, but I'll see you soon," she said, leaving Vince with a click and dial tone.
* * *
Stephanie couldn't have been happier when her father had told her of Havyn's decision. She only saw her friend a few times a year although they remained close via telephone, e-mail and snail mail. When the WWF had shows in upstate New York she always reserved seats for Havyn. She refused to hang around backstage and instead sat ringside with P.J. Stock.
Steph could still remember when Havyn told her what she was doing. She left everything behind and moved to Quebec to live with P.J. She didn't understand any of it. Havyn had cleaned up her life, and picked up all the pieces without Shane. She loved him so much. It didn't make sense to Steph or anyone else for that matter, but questions were not poised.
As far as Shane was concerned, well, he had no idea where Havyn was or where she had been. He was upset for a while, months, but he hid everything behind his work. He even started a new relationship with Steve Austin's PR agent and another Greenwich native, Marissa. The two had recently gotten engaged.
Havyn didn't know about that actually. Stephanie couldn't muster the courage to tell her. When everything was put together, it looked like Havyn's return would be very interesting.
Vince had already written her in, deciding that nothing was better than a surprise. At that moment only he, Stephanie and Paul Levesque knew what was going to happen.
* * *
"Oh my God, King! It's a run in! A run in!" J.R. yelled. "Who is that? What's going on?"
"Shut up for a minute, would you?" King replied. "It's a woman and you know what that means!"
"Oh good lord, what?"
"More puppies!"
A woman with long blonde hair in two braids wearing black leather pants, a silver spaghetti strapped tank top and a leather overcoat ran down the entrance ramp and slid into the ring, giving Chris Jericho a low blow just as he was preparing to put Triple H into the Walls of Jericho. When Jericho was trying to recover from the wound she punched him in the kidneys to maim him further and then pedigreed him. Triple H pinned him and raised his arms in victory.
The mystery woman stood and spun in the center of the ring, hearing the crowd's mixed reaction of cheers and boos. She motioned for a microphone, which was quickly handed to her by the ring announcer and she placed her free hand on her hip. "Cut the damn music," she said. "So, who's figured it out?" she asked the crowd. "For those who know me and for those who don't, my name is Havyn Helmsley and I want action." The men in the crowd howled at her and Triple H harrumphed. "Not that kind of action," she told them. "Vince, c'mon out here would you? We need to have a word."
Vince entered the arena with Shane at his side as usual. They both looked surprised but Shane also looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "Havyn, darling it's so good to see you're back," Vince said, trying to sweet talk her.
"Don't even start with me," she replied. "I'm not your lackey anymore. I don't fetch coffee, I don't do paperwork and the only reason I'm even talking to you civilly right now is because I know that in order to get something in this business, you can't be an ass to your boss."
"You're still as smart as ever, but by aligning yourself with him you've lost some of my respect."
"He's my brother and you two should know more than anyone else that blood is thicker than water. All I want is what should be mine. I'm not here to argue…much."
"Okay, tonight you can have a match but it'll be an intergender tag team match. You and Hunter will face Chris Jericho and well, a member of his choosing from the Valkyrie later tonight. If you win, you'll earn some of my respect and maybe I'll give you that title shot, but if you lose, too bad."
"Fine, you've got a deal," she replied despite Hunter's protests because he had already gone against Jericho that night.
* * *
"I am so pleased," Vince said as he joined Stephanie and Havyn backstage. "The crowd loves you and they're hooked on you already. Amazing. Now tomorrow morning I want to see you about angles but until then, make sure the match looks good and have a good night." With that he left the two women alone.
"So how does it feel to be back?" Steph asked.
"Fantastic. I am so happy that P.J. convinced me this is where I should be." She paused. "Did you see Shane? He looked like he was going to die out there."
"Well he hasn't seen you in a long time. He was more than surprised…how did you feel seeing him again?"
Havyn shrugged. "He looks the same, as nice as he ever did. He's Shane, you know…" She noticed the look in her friend's eyes. "No, no. Oh Stephie, no. I was talking to Paul earlier and he told me about Marissa. It doesn't bother me."
"You aren't upset?"
"Me, upset? No, of course not. It's my own fault because I left. I told him to find someone who would make him happy and if he's happy that's all that matters," she explained. "Besides, I have other things to worry about now, like that match. I'm going to find Meg and do some last minute planning." Havyn made her way to the women's dressing room to change into her old wrestling gear. She was amazed it still fit especially after having a child.
* * *
Backstage again and away from cameras, Havyn hugged Megan. "That was fantastic," she told her. "You've gotten a lot better."
"We all have," Meg replied. "So, on a totally different note, I heard you brought a certain hockey player with you?"
"I did." Havyn looked around and then smiled, beckoning for someone across the room. P.J. approached quickly and handed her a yellow rose. "Thank you," she said, slipping an arm around him.
"You're very welcome. I figured your debut, whether it was the second time or not, deserves a congratulations."
"How long are you sticking around, Peej?" Meg asked.
"Just until Wednesday. I have to be at training camp next week. I'll be back Saturday though since I have to be in New York anyway."
Megan grinned. "The others are going to want to see you. Hey, I have an idea, why don't you stop by later tonight and we'll have a party."
"We'll be exhausted by the time we get to Providence tomorrow," Havyn pointed out.
"Oh who cares? As long as we wrestle when we're told to, Vince can't get that mad."
P.J. nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'll see you later."
Megan had just left, bouncing along, when Havyn turned, her smile fading quickly. "Hello, Shane," she said quietly, regaining her composure.
"It's good to see you again, Franny, it's been a long time."
"Yeah, it has. You look nice."
"So do you." Marissa cleared her throat, causing Shane to jump. "Oh, right, right. Um, this is Marissa Mazzola, my fiancée."
"It's nice to meet you," Marissa said in a sickly sweet tone. "I've heard so much about you."
"Nice to meet you as well. Let me say congratulations on the engagement." She looked directly at Shane. "You have my blessings, and P.J.'s as well, I'm sure."
P.J. only nodded in affirmation of the statement but held Havyn closer to him.
"I'd love to stay and hear all about how you two got together, but we have a party to go to and I need to change first." She didn't give anyone a chance to say another word before leaving.
* * *
Havyn and Stephanie burst into laughter when they saw P.J. They had left the party earlier, but the four crazed women trapped P.J. They wouldn't let him leave because they said they had something to do. By the time he got back to their room, Havyn had already fallen asleep so he didn't wake her.
"What happened to you?" Stephanie asked him, still giggling.
"Four horrible little girls…or not-so-little girls anymore," he replied solemnly. The clump of hair that had been on his chin was gone and his spiky hair was bleached blonde.
"You look better clean shaven," commented Havyn. "Even Dante agreed with me that the chin fur looked like a dead animal."
"He agrees with you on everything."
"True, but his opinion is still important. Speaking of opinions, Steph's dad totally doesn't respect mine."
Steph shook her head. "He does, he's just set on certain angles."
"What angle?" P.J. questioned, not wanting to be out of the loop.
"The same one that I was in three years ago. Vince wants my character to be with Shane again. I feel really uncomfortable with it."
"That's understandable. I just wish I could stick around to help you out."
"It's okay. Hockey is your life and it's what you have to do. Besides, I'm taking Dante with me on the road, I don't want him with your parents if you and I won't ever be there for him."
Steph smiled. "Havyn's decided to come stay with us again," she explained to P.J. "She can't bear to make those 'four horrible little girls' move out of her old house."
"I'll go back with you tomorrow to get our things and then meet you at MSG on Saturday," added Havyn.
* * *
Linda walked with Havyn to her old room and watched the young woman look around in remembrance. "Welcome home," she said. "We've all missed you so much."
"I've missed everyone, too. I'm never running away again."
"Good. Vince and I left everything the way you left it. We knew you'd come back to us."
"Not like I have anywhere else to go," she grumbled. "My parents stopped caring about me a long time ago. Who needs a screwed up daughter when you have two perfect ones."
Linda put an arm around Havyn, letting her cry. "You are not screwed up. You have a good life now with a beautiful son and Phillip who loves you."
Havyn wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and sniffled. "Phillip?" She chuckled. "P.J. loves me but not like that. We're just close friends, and he helps me with Dante, but now he's playing hockey again and we're traveling all the time. I'm going to bring Dante with me. Peej is going to drop him off tomorrow so he can see his mom in action."
* * *
Stephanie pulled Havyn away from P.J. "Parting is such sweet sorrow, but c'mon! We have a show to do here."
"You're such a nag," Havyn replied with a laugh, shifting the two-year-old in her arms. "Bye, Peej, remember you promised to visit."
"I will," he called as he walked out of the arena.
Dante squirmed in Havyn's arms so she put him down on the ground and he took off down a hallway, watching all the wrestlers with wide eyes. Jeff Hardy and his valet Cyra bent to his level to say hello and he let out a scream. They immediately backed away.
"Stay with mommy, okay?" Havyn told him before turning to the offenders. "Sorry, I think your hair scared him."
"Our hair?" Jeff asked, puzzled. His hair was dyed red and orange to look like a flame while Cyra's was a bright turquoise color. "Well, I suppose it's a little odd to a kid. Hey, wait a minute, he's yours?"
"Dante, say hi to Mommy's friends." He waved shyly. "I have to get to wardrobe, but I'll see you later," said Havyn, walking away with Steph, who was holding onto Dante's hand to make sure he didn't wander too far.
When they got to wardrobe they found Marissa helping Shane slip on a black sports coat. Havyn smiled in greeting, but Marissa only glared at her.
Steph motioned to the section of the wardrobe rack marked with 'Helmsley.' Havyn began pulling articles of clothing off their hangers and looking at all the different pairs of shoes. She decided on baggy black cargo pants, black combat boots and a sleeveless forest green halter-top.
"I'll watch him while you change," Steph offered.
"Thanks. Dante, be good for Stephanie. I'll be back in five minutes." She held up her hand to show him five minutes. He held up his hand in 'monkey see monkey do' fashion as she left.
As soon as Havyn was out of sight, Shane bent down to face the little boy. "Hey there. So Havyn has a kid? Just goes to show what happens when you lose touch. Dante, is it? That's an important name for such a little man."
"He's an important little man," Steph responded, ruffling Dante's light brown hair.
Marissa scowled at the sight of her fiancé fussing over the child and pulled him away before Havyn returned.
* * *
Dante's presence brought a new light to the McMahon home. Linda spoiled him rotten, promising him everything within his reach. She told Havyn it was because she missed having a child around. Dante loved her. Sometimes instead of going to shows with Havyn, he stayed with Linda. Vince wasn't much different and also spoiled the child as much as he could.
Havyn and Stephanie did their usual girl stuff, hanging around. Shane and Marissa were nearly inseparable; Vince even went so far as to refer to Marissa as some sort of leech. This only allowed Shane and Havyn to see each other during WWF events and only during certain scenes of those events.
Vince was angered by the behavior of his son and his pseudo-daughter, and immediately began writing storylines around them. Soon enough the heir apparent and the younger Helmsley had been watching each other and it was time for the actual angle to take action.
* * *
"No way, nuh uh. Not again, Vince," protested Havyn. "It wouldn't make sense."
"Why not?"
"Think of how it was before. If I change my personality and appearance to become corporate again how will it look? I did that the last time."
"Okay so maybe it'll be a bit repetitive but…"
"But nothing! I'm not doing it. I came back with a vengeance remember? After all that, and the fact that you even made me start this stupid angle again, you could at least listen to my one stipulation, Vince!"
"Havyn, if you were anyone else, you would not be arguing with me like this," he stated calmly.
"It's good to be me," she replied, smiling. "Tell me please, that you'll take it into consideration?"
"I will, I will. Shane's going to pitch a fit though."
"Well, I've got two words for him…"
* * *
Shane grabbed Havyn's arm to stop her from leaving. "Wait," he commanded.
She turned to glare at him, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "What is it McMahon? I have a match to get ready for," she said coldly.
"You came back to help Hunter, I understand that, but how can you just ignore everything that we had?"
"Everything that we had? That was a long time ago, Shane, I was younger. I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't even know who I was. That's why I kept changing in hopes of figuring it out. Now, I'm older and wiser, and I know who I am. I refuse to change for anyone."
"What about us?" he asked, giving her the infamous Shane McMahon puppy eyes.
She smirked. "Look, if you want to be with me, you've got to change for me. That's all there is to it. Now you'd better run and find Daddy before he comes looking for you." Havyn spun on her heel and left a very stunned Shane behind.
* * *
Havyn pedigreed her opponent, one of the midcarder women who wanted a chance at the title. The match was for number one contendership. Havyn pinned her and got the three count. As her music played, Havyn stood in the center of the ring, arms raised in celebration. A familiar figure entered the arena, fidgeting uncomfortably as he walked. It was Shane dressed in blue jeans and tight black t-shirt, much like Hunter's usual dress. He climbed in the ring and turned in front of Havyn.
She looked at him from head to toe and circled him, dragging her fingertips across his chest. "It's a start," she told him.
He smiled and jumped to the floor, pulling Havyn down by her waist. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before walking backstage.
Backstage, Havyn immediately struck up a conversation with Paul who was standing nearby with Dante. Meanwhile Marissa pounced on Shane.
Vince grumbled at the sight. Only together when they have to be, he thought. It's a shame what's happened to those two.
* * *
Havyn paced her room, looking over the scripts for the coming week's Raw is War and Smackdown. That was when she heard the scream and her heart jumped into her throat. It was Dante. She raced downstairs towards the sound of his voice and found him in the den, crying. Marissa had her hand around his little arm, her nails digging into his skin.
"What are you doing?" Havyn asked, trying to stay calm. "Let go of him."
Marissa didn't move. "He ruined my lipstick." She forced a tube of smeared and broken lipstick out of Dante's hand.
"That gives you no right to touch him. You will not be the one to punish him, especially over something as trivial as ruined make up. Now, let go of my son!" Havyn replied, raising her voice with each word.
Marissa let go of Dante's arm and the little boy ran behind his mother. "Ever since you came back, you and that brat have been nothing but trouble."
"He is not a brat, and we've done nothing to you. Absolutely nothing. Since I've been back, all I've done is mind my own business and go on with my life."
"I know all about you and what you did. You left Shane heartbroken and alone and then you have the nerve and audacity to show your face here again."
"What happened between us is none of your damn business, Marissa. However, I will say that I regret what happened and I wish I could take it all back."
"I knew it! You're trying to take Shane away from me," Marissa accused.
Havyn's jaw dropped in shock. "That's outrageous! You think I have some nerve…well so do you saying that, you bitch!"
Neither woman noticed Shane enter the room. He knelt down as Dante ran to him for comfort from the screaming.
"I can't believe you just called me that! You're nothing but a slut!"
"Takes one to know one!" countered Havyn.
"Well, well…at least I don't have a bastard son because I slept around the Fed!"
By this time Havyn was furious. "I did not sleep around, and Dante is not a bastard, I know damn well who his father is!"
"Then he obviously didn't want you, Bitch! You're such trash, you don't belong in this town!"
"Just for the sake of my own integrity I am not trash and he did want me. Now, Marissa, I advise you to get out of my face before this gets physical!"
"Oh, you wouldn't. Let me give you some advice as well…get out of here and go back to the man that supposedly loved you!"
"Dante deserves a father, but I can't be with him! If I could, don't you think I would?"
"Why the hell can't you?"
"Because you're with him!" she roared, covering her mouth with her palm as soon as she said it.
Marissa's eyes widened. She was speechless for the first time in her life.
Havyn turned to get Dante when she saw Shane. "Oh God," she croaked. "I-I'm so sorry." She backed away and quickly ran from the room, leaving Dante with Shane.
Marissa let out a muffled laugh. "Wow, I really got her, didn't I? Ha. You see that? She was just caught in a complete lie."
Shane lowered his head. "Get…out…" he said slowly.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"But Shane…"
"You were completely wrong, Marissa. Havyn is none of the things you accused her of being. She is a good friend, a good mother and a beautiful person in every way, all of the things that you just proved you could never be. As much as I hate fights, I'm glad I walked in on this one. It allowed me to see who you really are. The engagement is off."
She growled. "I'm keeping the ring," she said, trying to save some face.
"I don't care," Shane snapped. "Now get out, you aren't welcome here anymore."
"This is your fault," Marissa told Dante. "If you hadn't been messing around with my things, none of this would've happened. I don't care what anyone says, you're still a brat." She raised her hand to slap him.
Shane grabbed her wrist harshly. "Don't touch my son."
* * *
Havyn continued to avoid Shane and vice versa. They never mentioned the fight or the truth that came out that day. The only thing that changed was storylines, which both thought was at the request of the other. What they didn't know was that Vince had decided to separate them again to avoid any awkwardness. He gave up on playing matchmaker; something was always getting in his way. The only thing he took joy in was watching Shane spend time with Dante.
When the WWF was in Anaheim, California, P.J. happened to be there for a hockey game as well. He kept Dante with him, which was a little upsetting to Shane, but the boy missed his uncle P.J.
Shane found P.J. and Dante watching Havyn fight Ivory and Jacky in a handicap match on a backstage monitor. "She's good, isn't she?" he asked.
P.J. nodded. "She's always been a fighter." He paused. "I heard about what happened with Marissa. That's too bad, eh?"
"It's for the better." Shane shrugged. "Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"You seem to know Havyn really well…"
"You've known her longer than me actually."
"Chronologically yeah, but she's changed. And I was wondering if you know who Dante's father is."
"That's a rather bold question." P.J. paused and glanced at the monitor again before turning back to Shane. He covered Dante's ears lightly. The child was liable to repeat anything he heard. "Look, Shane, from what I can tell you're a nice guy and you treated Havyn right so I'm going to let you in on something that few people know."
"Who?"
"Myself, Stephanie and Vince." He sighed. "All right. Havyn doesn't really know for a fact that Dante is yours."
"But she said that…"
"She's scared you're not the one. She's afraid it's Rodney. Havyn loves Dante more than anything and if she started seeing Rodney in him, she'd kill herself. So instead she sees you."
"Then why does she avoid me?"
"Why do you avoid her? It takes two to make something work and two to stop it." A throat being cleared behind him interrupted him. Both men turned to see Havyn.
"Peej, let's go," she said.
"Aren't you going to change?" he asked, looking at her wrestling clothes.
"I'll worry about it when we get to the hotel. Now, c'mon."
P.J. stood, picking up Dante in his arms. "See you later, Shane. It was nice talking to you, and remember what I said."
"I will, thanks," Shane replied, watching the three leave.
* * *
Vince scowled at Lita and Havyn from the entrance ramp. Triple H stood next to the two women in the middle of the ring, the WWF title around his waist and a grin across his face. Lita had the women's belt over her shoulder.
"I'm very disappointed in you," Vince told the red head. "You had no right to interfere in that match. It was between Havyn, Ivory and Jacky, not you. So right now, I'm calling on the Valkyrie maidens to judge you for turning your back on me."
The lights went out and Kittie's "Brackish" played over the arena speakers. When the music died three female voices recited words in unison. "We judge, but tonight we judge you, Vincent K. McMahon. Your actions against Havyn Helmsley were wrong and Lita's were justified." When the lights came back on, the three Goth blondes had surrounded Vince.
He freaked out at the mere thought of receiving his punishment, but was fortunately saved by some members of the Corporation. The Valkyrie waited patiently for the Helmsleys and Lita to leave the arena, following them closely. The alliance had been established.
* * *
Shane hadn't been on television in a few weeks. Havyn was forming her new stable on her own and doing a good job, too. He had thought about what P.J. said last week and finally decided to act on it. He waited for Havyn to finish talking to Paul before approaching her. "Havyn, um, hi," he said.
"Yes Shane?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out for coffee after the show."
"No thanks, I don't really feel like coffee."
"Oh…okay," he said glumly, starting to walk away.
"Wait, Shane," she called after him. "I said no coffee, but I would like to talk to you after."
"I'd like that, too." He smiled.
She returned the smile and headed to the locker room.
Shane didn't get too far before Stephanie stopped him. "What is it Steph?" he asked.
"I saw you talking to Havyn."
"What's your point?"
"It's about time is all. I was talking to the girls and they all heard about your pep talk with P.J. Nice to know you realized he's right."
"Well she could've said no," he told his sister.
"But she didn't. Who's to say that she didn't get the same talk? I happen to be a very persuasive person you know."
Shane just rolled his eyes and walked away. He made a mental note to avoid Steph and as many female wrestles as he could the rest of the night. He didn't want to deal with gossip.
* * *
Raw ended promptly with Triple H triumphantly destroying Chris Jericho to retain his gold and once backstage, Chris's girlfriend proceeded to beat up Paul. The poor guy just followed the script and Meg got on his case about it.
Havyn told Steph she'd be back later, she had something to do. Then she found Shane in the McMahon dressing room talking to Vince. She knocked on the open door lightly, getting Shane's (and Vince's) attention. She motioned for the Heir Apparent to go, smiled at Vince and turned away, leaning against the hallway wall.
Shane quickly got up, almost throwing his things into a bag. "Gotta go, Dad. See you tomorrow."
Vince nodded slowly and watched the two get in the limo that would take them to the hotel. They seemed more relaxed in front of each other. "Well I'll be damned," he thought aloud.
* * *
"So what did you want to talk about?" Shane asked, sitting down next to Havyn.
"Dante," she stated. "I, um, I was going to tell you as soon as I came back, but there was Marissa so I didn't…and then she just made me so mad. But, that's not the only thing. I don't…" She paused to wipe her eyes. Shane could tell she'd been quiet about this for too long. "I don't even know…"
"It's okay," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "P.J. told me."
"Oh god, you hate me," she replied. "I lied to you."
"No, I don't, and no you didn't. Havyn, it doesn't matter to me whether Dante is my blood or not. I might not be his father, but I want to be his dad if that's all right with you."
She looked at him, red-eyed. "Is that why you've been spending time with him?"
He nodded.
"Well you're a better role model than P.J. and we live together already so this is probably the best thing for him."
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
"I kinda figured since this is the first real conversation we've had since…you know, before, you'd want some explanations."
"Kinda. Like why did you choose to live with P.J. instead of just coming home when you found out you were pregnant?"
"I was horrified that I was going to have a baby. I was alone, hurt and scared. I just wasn't ready for that, but I had to keep him. I thought about living with my parents. I even called my father, but he was just furious at me. He couldn't believe I'd gotten myself into such a mess. I tried to explain about Rodney and what a debacle it was, but he didn't care. 'You're not a little girl anymore,' he told me. 'You've got to handle things on your own.' So I did. I left the hotel I was staying at and met P.J. in New York. He told me I could stay with him as long as I wanted, so that's just what I did." She shrugged. "I eventually told Stephanie where I was, and your father found out. I made them promise not to tell you. I'm so sorry for everything, Shane."
"I'm sorry, too."
"For what?"
"For not being there when you needed me."
"Don't apologize for something that was entirely my fault. I'm the one who pushed you away. I really do regret leaving now. I regret just about everything that happened that morning."
"Then make me a promise," Shane said. "Promise me that from now on, no matter what happens, you won't regret what you do. I won't let you."
"I-I don't know."
"Please."
"Okay, I promise." She cleared her throat in nervousness. "So what have you been doing for the past three years?"
"Working," he responded. "I buried myself in work. What about you?"
"I got back into shape and I saw a therapist to help get rid of the nightmares. They, um, got to be too much. For my son's sake I needed to get better, so I did."
"Does that mean your independence has grown?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm still living with your parents," Havyn replied sarcastically.
"Hey, I'm still living with my parents!" exclaimed Shane, sending them both into fits of laughter.
They talked for a few hours about whatever they could. There was so much to catch up on. Havyn finally left when she realized it was nearly two AM.
* * *
The Hardy Boyz and Drew listened intently to the instructions Vince gave them. They nodded and headed to the ring. Drew grabbed the mic from Tony Chimel. "Sianna, Anara, Dierna, you want to come out here? Vinnie Mac wants us to have a teeny little match."
The Valkyrie entered the arena, pulling their newest acquisition on a leash. No, not an animal. Well, not quite. It was Raven. He was so sadistic that when he joined the women, he wore the collar and they held a short leash.
They stopped in the center of the ring, each Goth staring at an opponent. Drew held up a hand to stop any warring action. "What Vinnie Mac wants, he might not get," she said. She removed her leopard print wristbands and handed them to Sianna who put them on and then took Raven's leash from Anara. Anara and Dierna each pulled an object from the pouches at their sides and moved closer to the Hardyz.
All three women backed away and Raven was handed the mic. "The alliance has grown," he stated. "We are Fallen and now so are you."
Sianna held up her arms to show off the newly acquired purple bands while Drew showed the crowd what Dierna and Anara had done. Attached to Matt and Jeff's necklaces were leashes of their own. The women led their men backstage as Vince was shown in his office absolutely furious.
* * *
Three weeks had passed with Havyn's faction slaughtering everyone. They became known as The Fallen, those who had fallen from Vince's good graces. Out of the entire federation, they held all eight championship belts. Vince was pleased with his wrestlers, they worked very well together. The only complaint he had was that the faction lacked an alpha male.
Meanwhile Havyn and Shane spent more time together, Dante being the force holding them together. He only called Shane by Dad and Vince and Linda became Grampa and Granma.
* * *
The opening chords to "Six Underground" by the Sneaker Pimps filled the Joe Louis Arena and the crowd went wild. Havyn and Paul entered, followed by Sarah, Em, Meg and Scott as well as the Hardy brothers, Cyra and Amy. Before Havyn could start her speech, Shane stepped onto the stage. He walked to the ring to face Havyn, ignoring the looks he got from the faction who stood around the outside. "I don't mean to interrupt," he began, "but I need to address something."
Havyn smiled. This wasn't in the script. Vince was supposed to interrupt, but she had to admit, Shane looked a lot nicer than Vince ever could in black leather pants, a tight crimson red t-shirt and a black leather jacket.
"I talked to you awhile back and you told me to change. I left and now here I am." He turned to show off his new appearance.
"Physically I can see that, but mentally? Are you willing to leave Daddy Dearest behind?" she questioned, playing along.
"I want to be with you no matter what the cost. There's a real reason I want to be one of the Fallen." He suddenly knelt in front of her. "We've known each other for so long and I can't deny my feelings for you. I don't care if my father disapproves and I don't care if your brother disapproves because I want to be with you for the rest of my life." He pulled a small box from his jacket pocket and opened it to reveal a simple gold band with one of the biggest diamonds Havyn had ever seen. "Havyn, will you marry me?"
She covered her mouth in shock and nodded slowly. Shane slipped the ring on her finger and stood, pulling her into an embrace. "Is this real?" she asked.
"As real as you want it to be, Franny," he whispered. "I want to be with you."
She hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go.