A/N: Thanks to Croady's Angel for reviewing! I look forward to reading your comments after each chapter :) And I still own nothing...Cena said no, but I'm working on Charlie Haas *evil grin*
**********
Just as Sam was sitting down in the restauraunt, her cell phone rang. Pulling it out she looked at the caller ID and sighed. It was Stephanie McMahon. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sam, its Steph."
Sam furrowed her brow. "Hey, Steph, what's going on?"
She sighed. "OK, you know how lately the writers have been changing things at the last minute?"
Sam groaned. "Oh no. Do I really want to hear this?"
"Probably not. Let's put it this way. How fast can you get to the arena?"
"Oh shit." She looked at Amy and Beth. "I guess in about half an hour, I need to find everyone first."
"As soon as you get here find me or Brian, ok?"
"Sure, Steph. Bye."
"Bye Sam." Sam shut her phone and looked to Amy and Beth. "I don't think I want to know what is going on." She sighed and got up from the table. "Let's go round up the troops."
**********
45 minutes later she walked into Stephanie McMahon's makeshift office. "Ok, Steph. What was so incredibly important that I rush to find you?"
"You might want to sit down Sam." She shot Stephanie a confused look, but sat down. Stephanie continued. "Well, you know that RAW has been experiencing somewhat of a ratings drop lately, right?" Sam nodded. "This morning they signed a new Diva, Lila Banks, hoping to generate some interest with a new face."
"Lila Banks? Never heard of her."
Steph chewed on her lip nervously. "Actually, you have. Lila Banks is the new ring name of Veronica Robbins."
Sam's jaw dropped. Veronica Robbins. Ronnie. Shane's ex. "What!? How in the hell did that no talent bitch of a two dollar whore get a contract?"
"Creative name, but calm down Sam, there's more."
She smirked sarcastically. "Oh, yeah, 'cause it could get worse."
"It could if you don't like what else I'm about to tell you. I know that during your second interview Dad said something about putting you on television when he thought the time was right."
Sam nodded warily. "Steph, don't tell me..."
Steph nodded. "Hope you don't have stage fright."
**********
'Could this day get much worse?' Sam asked herself. She thought over everything Stephanie had told her. Sam was to be introduced to the fans tonight during a scene with Eric Bischoff, and then she was to accompany Randy and Dave to the ring for a tag match against Shane and Jeff. As of right now, the long term plan was for a romantic angle to develop between her and Randy, but that was subject to change, because nothing seemed too long term in the WWE anymore. Sam was also very bothered by the fact that Ronnie was the newest Diva, and that she was involved in the angle also (though not for a little while). Sam shook her head to clear her thoughts and knocked on the guys' dressing room.
"Who is it?" she could hear a voice ask.
"It's Sam. Is everyone decent?"
Paul Levesque (HHH) pulled open the door. "The few of us that are in here." He leaned down and gave her a hug. "How are you Sam?"
She hugged him and pulled back. "Maybe you should ask your fiancee."
He grimaced. "She told you about the new 'line, huh?"
"Yeah, how did you hear?"
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Shane. You might want to be careful Sam...he is pissed."
"So am I." Paul could see that, so he just said they would talk later, and he left her alone with Jeff, Matt, and Shane.
Shane looked up at her. "Can you believe this shit?"
"No, but we shouldn't be surprised Shane. The WWE was always her main goal."
He gave her an odd look. "She who? I was talking about you and Orton. Who are you talking about?"
Sam's face drained of color. "You don't know?" Shane shook his head. "Then what are you so upset about?"
"The stuff with you and Randy, and then apparently you and Gregory Helms, Ace Reporter. Some cheezy Superman knock off shit, except its a love triangle with this new girl they signed, Lila something or other."
Sam looked nervous. She didn't know anything about a romantic angle with Shane. "Matt, Jeff? Could you guys leave us alone for a second?" They nodded and got up to leave. Jeff stopped next to Sam.
"What's going on?" She shook her head. "I'll tell you later. Just don't be surprised if you hear shouting." Jeff shook his head as he and Matt walked out.
Sam followed behind them and closed the door. "Shane, who told you about the angle?"
"Vince." Sam suddenly understood. Vince knew nothing about Veronica, so he wouldn't have any reason to go into detail about her with the other wrestlers, he would leave it up to her. Stephanie, who Sam was pretty close with, knew the whole story about Ronnie, and wanted to warn her.
"Alright, Shane. This is hard for me to say because I know you're going to be angry, but the sooner you know the better."
"Well then get to it Sam."
"Lila Banks is Veronica Robbins' new ring name." Shane just stared at her, speechless. "Shane?"
"Veronica Robbins? Ronnie?" Sam nodded. "Oh, God, Sam. This is horrible."
"You know how fast things change around here Shane. Hopefully it won't last long."
"That depends on how anxious they are to start it. Are you on tonight nor next week?"
"It starts tonight." Shane groaned and looked at Sam.
"Now don't you wish you had been assigned to Smackdown?"
**********
It was about 8:20, and Samantha was in Eric Bischoff's office, getting ready for a pretape. They were going over everything when Vince walked in. "Eric, Sam, I've got someone for you to meet." He pulled Veronica in behind him. "This is Veronica Robbins, our new Miss Lila Banks." She walked up to Eric and stuck out her hand.
"Nice to see you again, Eric." He nodded his head and returned the handshake. She turned to Sam. "Samantha."
"Ronnie." Vince looked confused. "You two know each other?"
Sam looked at Veronica. "Sure we do. We go way back, right Ronnie?" She turned to Vince. "This is the bitch that tried to ruin Shane for all other women."
Veronica held up a hand. "You don't know the entire story, Sam."
"I heard Shane's version, that's good enough for me."
Vince moved in between the screaming girls. "Ladies, I realize now that you have personal issues, but while you are on my time, or you are representing this company, you are to remain professional. Got it?" They both nodded. "Good. Sam, I believe you and Eric have a tape to shoot, and Veronica and I need to go find Shane and Jeff." With that they left the office.
Sam sighed. Eric came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Sam, don't worry about it. I remember what it was like between them when Shane was in WCW. He won't fall prey to her."
"I hope not." She looked over to Shane McMahon, who was 'directing' the tape, and smiled. "Are we ready?"
**********
After finishing the tape, Sam found Randy in the catering area. "Hey Randy, did you hear about tonight?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Are you okay with it?"
"It shouldn't be too bad. Next week, though..."
He sighed. "Sam, be honest here. Are you okay with me kissing you?"
"It's ok, Randy. I know it is just for the storyline. Besides, you're kinda cute." She laughed.
"Gee, thanks." He stood up. "I guess I'll see you out there."
**********
(right after the first commercial break on RAW)
"King we are back here on RAW, and it looks like we are in General Manager Eric Bischoff's office. Do you have any idea what's going on now?" Jim Ross asked his commentating partner Jerry 'the King' Lawler.
"No, JR, I'm not sure what he's up to now, but I think we are about to find out."
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Eric yelled.
Sam peered around the corner. "You wanted to see me Mr. Bischoff?"
He nodded. "Yes, Samantha, I did. Have a seat." She did. "I was informed earlier today that you are the newest talent manager for RAW. Is that true?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
He tapped his chin with his hand. "Do you consider yourself good at what you do Samantha?"
Sam smiled. "Yes, I do."
He looked thoughtful. "Alright. Say four of your guys were in a tag match. Could you remain impartial?"
She nodded her head slowly. "I think so."
Eric laughed. "You think so, huh? Well let's find out, shall we? Tonight you can escort Evolution members Randy Orton and Batista to the ring, where they will be facing your brother Jeff and The Hurricane. How does that sound Sam?"
She shook her head. "You can't do that."
"I'm the General Manager, Miss Hardy. I can do whatever I want." Looking disgusted, Sam stood to leave the office. "Oh, Sam? Watch out for Hurricane's new sidekick. I hear she's a real...shall we say...lightning bolt." Sam just slammed the door behind her. Eric chuckled. "Hurricane...lightning bolt...damn I crack myself up."
**********
A/N: While Ronnie might seem horrible now, I promise she will redeem herself later on. Also, all of the details of the new angles will be revealed in the next 2 chapters :)
As usual, please R&R! Thanks!
Lisa
**********
Just as Sam was sitting down in the restauraunt, her cell phone rang. Pulling it out she looked at the caller ID and sighed. It was Stephanie McMahon. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sam, its Steph."
Sam furrowed her brow. "Hey, Steph, what's going on?"
She sighed. "OK, you know how lately the writers have been changing things at the last minute?"
Sam groaned. "Oh no. Do I really want to hear this?"
"Probably not. Let's put it this way. How fast can you get to the arena?"
"Oh shit." She looked at Amy and Beth. "I guess in about half an hour, I need to find everyone first."
"As soon as you get here find me or Brian, ok?"
"Sure, Steph. Bye."
"Bye Sam." Sam shut her phone and looked to Amy and Beth. "I don't think I want to know what is going on." She sighed and got up from the table. "Let's go round up the troops."
**********
45 minutes later she walked into Stephanie McMahon's makeshift office. "Ok, Steph. What was so incredibly important that I rush to find you?"
"You might want to sit down Sam." She shot Stephanie a confused look, but sat down. Stephanie continued. "Well, you know that RAW has been experiencing somewhat of a ratings drop lately, right?" Sam nodded. "This morning they signed a new Diva, Lila Banks, hoping to generate some interest with a new face."
"Lila Banks? Never heard of her."
Steph chewed on her lip nervously. "Actually, you have. Lila Banks is the new ring name of Veronica Robbins."
Sam's jaw dropped. Veronica Robbins. Ronnie. Shane's ex. "What!? How in the hell did that no talent bitch of a two dollar whore get a contract?"
"Creative name, but calm down Sam, there's more."
She smirked sarcastically. "Oh, yeah, 'cause it could get worse."
"It could if you don't like what else I'm about to tell you. I know that during your second interview Dad said something about putting you on television when he thought the time was right."
Sam nodded warily. "Steph, don't tell me..."
Steph nodded. "Hope you don't have stage fright."
**********
'Could this day get much worse?' Sam asked herself. She thought over everything Stephanie had told her. Sam was to be introduced to the fans tonight during a scene with Eric Bischoff, and then she was to accompany Randy and Dave to the ring for a tag match against Shane and Jeff. As of right now, the long term plan was for a romantic angle to develop between her and Randy, but that was subject to change, because nothing seemed too long term in the WWE anymore. Sam was also very bothered by the fact that Ronnie was the newest Diva, and that she was involved in the angle also (though not for a little while). Sam shook her head to clear her thoughts and knocked on the guys' dressing room.
"Who is it?" she could hear a voice ask.
"It's Sam. Is everyone decent?"
Paul Levesque (HHH) pulled open the door. "The few of us that are in here." He leaned down and gave her a hug. "How are you Sam?"
She hugged him and pulled back. "Maybe you should ask your fiancee."
He grimaced. "She told you about the new 'line, huh?"
"Yeah, how did you hear?"
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Shane. You might want to be careful Sam...he is pissed."
"So am I." Paul could see that, so he just said they would talk later, and he left her alone with Jeff, Matt, and Shane.
Shane looked up at her. "Can you believe this shit?"
"No, but we shouldn't be surprised Shane. The WWE was always her main goal."
He gave her an odd look. "She who? I was talking about you and Orton. Who are you talking about?"
Sam's face drained of color. "You don't know?" Shane shook his head. "Then what are you so upset about?"
"The stuff with you and Randy, and then apparently you and Gregory Helms, Ace Reporter. Some cheezy Superman knock off shit, except its a love triangle with this new girl they signed, Lila something or other."
Sam looked nervous. She didn't know anything about a romantic angle with Shane. "Matt, Jeff? Could you guys leave us alone for a second?" They nodded and got up to leave. Jeff stopped next to Sam.
"What's going on?" She shook her head. "I'll tell you later. Just don't be surprised if you hear shouting." Jeff shook his head as he and Matt walked out.
Sam followed behind them and closed the door. "Shane, who told you about the angle?"
"Vince." Sam suddenly understood. Vince knew nothing about Veronica, so he wouldn't have any reason to go into detail about her with the other wrestlers, he would leave it up to her. Stephanie, who Sam was pretty close with, knew the whole story about Ronnie, and wanted to warn her.
"Alright, Shane. This is hard for me to say because I know you're going to be angry, but the sooner you know the better."
"Well then get to it Sam."
"Lila Banks is Veronica Robbins' new ring name." Shane just stared at her, speechless. "Shane?"
"Veronica Robbins? Ronnie?" Sam nodded. "Oh, God, Sam. This is horrible."
"You know how fast things change around here Shane. Hopefully it won't last long."
"That depends on how anxious they are to start it. Are you on tonight nor next week?"
"It starts tonight." Shane groaned and looked at Sam.
"Now don't you wish you had been assigned to Smackdown?"
**********
It was about 8:20, and Samantha was in Eric Bischoff's office, getting ready for a pretape. They were going over everything when Vince walked in. "Eric, Sam, I've got someone for you to meet." He pulled Veronica in behind him. "This is Veronica Robbins, our new Miss Lila Banks." She walked up to Eric and stuck out her hand.
"Nice to see you again, Eric." He nodded his head and returned the handshake. She turned to Sam. "Samantha."
"Ronnie." Vince looked confused. "You two know each other?"
Sam looked at Veronica. "Sure we do. We go way back, right Ronnie?" She turned to Vince. "This is the bitch that tried to ruin Shane for all other women."
Veronica held up a hand. "You don't know the entire story, Sam."
"I heard Shane's version, that's good enough for me."
Vince moved in between the screaming girls. "Ladies, I realize now that you have personal issues, but while you are on my time, or you are representing this company, you are to remain professional. Got it?" They both nodded. "Good. Sam, I believe you and Eric have a tape to shoot, and Veronica and I need to go find Shane and Jeff." With that they left the office.
Sam sighed. Eric came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Sam, don't worry about it. I remember what it was like between them when Shane was in WCW. He won't fall prey to her."
"I hope not." She looked over to Shane McMahon, who was 'directing' the tape, and smiled. "Are we ready?"
**********
After finishing the tape, Sam found Randy in the catering area. "Hey Randy, did you hear about tonight?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Are you okay with it?"
"It shouldn't be too bad. Next week, though..."
He sighed. "Sam, be honest here. Are you okay with me kissing you?"
"It's ok, Randy. I know it is just for the storyline. Besides, you're kinda cute." She laughed.
"Gee, thanks." He stood up. "I guess I'll see you out there."
**********
(right after the first commercial break on RAW)
"King we are back here on RAW, and it looks like we are in General Manager Eric Bischoff's office. Do you have any idea what's going on now?" Jim Ross asked his commentating partner Jerry 'the King' Lawler.
"No, JR, I'm not sure what he's up to now, but I think we are about to find out."
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Eric yelled.
Sam peered around the corner. "You wanted to see me Mr. Bischoff?"
He nodded. "Yes, Samantha, I did. Have a seat." She did. "I was informed earlier today that you are the newest talent manager for RAW. Is that true?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
He tapped his chin with his hand. "Do you consider yourself good at what you do Samantha?"
Sam smiled. "Yes, I do."
He looked thoughtful. "Alright. Say four of your guys were in a tag match. Could you remain impartial?"
She nodded her head slowly. "I think so."
Eric laughed. "You think so, huh? Well let's find out, shall we? Tonight you can escort Evolution members Randy Orton and Batista to the ring, where they will be facing your brother Jeff and The Hurricane. How does that sound Sam?"
She shook her head. "You can't do that."
"I'm the General Manager, Miss Hardy. I can do whatever I want." Looking disgusted, Sam stood to leave the office. "Oh, Sam? Watch out for Hurricane's new sidekick. I hear she's a real...shall we say...lightning bolt." Sam just slammed the door behind her. Eric chuckled. "Hurricane...lightning bolt...damn I crack myself up."
**********
A/N: While Ronnie might seem horrible now, I promise she will redeem herself later on. Also, all of the details of the new angles will be revealed in the next 2 chapters :)
As usual, please R&R! Thanks!
Lisa