PART 27
LATER THAT DAY
"Hey Vince," Adam said as he entered the Chairman's hotel suite.
"Hello Adam. Please, have a seat and tell me why you wanted to see me," Vince said, putting his papers away.
"I'm, um… I… I'm here to talk about Brock and Paul, well both Pauls- Levesque and Heyman. I know you don't really believe a lot of stories concerning them and Britney. But honestly Vince, the situation is getting out of hand, and I don't know where else to turn," Adam said, unsure of his words at first.
Finally, Vince thought. Someone's coming to me. I can find out ore about what's going on. "Alright son," he said. "Tell me how it's getting out of hand." Adam shifted uncomfortably in his chair. This wasn't exactly going to be an easy conversation.
"Well, um," he started, clearing his throat. "I… I'm not sure how to word all…"
"Don't worry about that, Adam. I have something to confess," Vince cut in. He'd never get anything out of Adam if the Canadian felt nervous around him. "I, uh… ever since you and Britney started dating, I've been observing Britney's situation with Brock more closely. As time passes, I… well, I feel more and more like an ass. I'm starting to think that, well… maybe my kids weren't completely lying."
Adam eyed him speculatively. Well if
you thought they weren't lying, why didn't you do anything about it? As much as he wondered why the man
hadn't acted yet if he knew, it was a comfort to know that there was a huge
chance that he would listen to and believe what he had to say.
"Well, that's certainly a relief. Um, what I was saying was that over the last few months Brock, along with Paul Heyman and Levesque have tried repeatedly to tear Britney and I… not to mention Jay and Stephanie… apart. At first, it was just stupid stuff that we could all handle, but now it's getting to the point where it's actually bothered Britney enough for her to ASK me to come to you. You know things can't be good if she actually WANTS to go to you… no offense," Adam said honestly. He figured it was kind of harsh, but it was the truth.
Vince nodded acceptingly and replied, "None taken. Adam, I need you to tell me everything that those three have done since the beginning of your relationship. Don't leave anything out… I know it's awkward, and I understand that. But I also understand that you love my niece, so I know we both have a common goal. Please tell me what happened… I promise that I won't make the mistake of not listening again."
"Alright. You have to understand that because of him it took forever to even get to the point where we were going out. But I guess the first thing they did didn't even really happen to us. Brock had Levesque plant a picture of him and Steph in Jay's anniversary gift. Then, he told me that he and Levesque had been watching us… me, Jay, Steph and Brit… for weeks, and that they had big plans for us. That was the day Brock and I fought… which was when I, uh… I accidentally hit Britney and she wouldn't talk to me for like 3 or 4 days. I really thought that was the end of us, but I guess we're a lot stronger than we thought. Um… Paul Heyman slapped Britney once because I gave him a black eye. That… that was really the only physical stuff that occurred. For awhile recently, Brock would get a key to our hotel room and plant stuff in it… really weird stuff," Adam said, stopping to take a deep breath.
Vince nodded, "What kind of things?"
"Well, letters… pretty graphic letters, saying what they would do when they got back together. They really bothered Britney… and I think Stephanie got a few from Paul as well. Roses, flowers, pictures… mainly of Britney and Brock together. There was this one though, of me. It was a promotional one, like the ones they give out at autograph sessions. It really freaked me out cause I had, like, blood drawn on me. And um… oh last night, Levesque and Brock paid my father to come out here. And they made it look like Britney and Stephanie did it. After a, uh… talk with Mark Callaway, I've realized I have some straightening out to do," Adam explained.
"Guess Mark 'talked' you into that black eye too," Vince said, laughing awkwardly. "I, uh… wow. I can't believe I didn't see all this. Um… what about Heyman? Of the three, he strikes me as the sleaziest so I've got to ask… did he do anything?" he asked recalling Adam giving him a black eye. Adam wasn't the type of guy who just hit someone without being provoked. Adam's stomach flipped… he really didn't want to talk about this.
Swallowing hard, he answered, "Actually, uh… yeah. On Brit's birthday, he kind of, um… spied on us while we were in our hotel room. Chris found him and, uh… said he… he could see into the room because the curtains on the sliding door were open. W-we were… in the middle of… something. He… he almost saw us… but I shut the curtain. Well, it was her birthday…"
"I understand. You guys are adults… don't be embarrassed by it at all. What they, especially that SOB Heyman, are doing is totally inexcusable. What they are doing is disgusting and it will be stopped. I… I can't believe what an IDIOT I was! If I'd just listened to Shane all those years ago, I could have prevented this. Oh God, what have I done? I made two men who destroyed my girls' lives the champions and gave creative control to the another!" he said, angry at himself for what his stupidity allowed to transpire.
"Don't take this out on yourself Vince. It may have taken you awhile, but you know what's going on now. If anyone can help us out now, it's you," Adam told him.
Vince shook his head, "No, I'm blind, just like Britney said I was. How the hell did I miss all this? I… I guess I just figured that if I imagined that it wasn't happening it would all go away. I just don't want my girls to end up like my sister… they don't deserve it. You know what, though? You're right, Adam… I CAN help. No more games. You and I are very different people… but we both love Britney… and I know you think of my daughter as a sister. We have to protect the girls. And we will," he said, confidence beginning to show.
"That's great… thanks Vince. So… what do we do?" Adam asked, hoping the boss had some kind of plan in mind. Vince grinned slyly, almost a little crazed.
He laughed as he answered, "Well son, if they want a fight… we'll just have to bring a war."
TWO DAYS LATERBritney leafed through a magazine at the hotel after the show. She and Adam weren't staring together again yet, but she wasn't rushing back to him. They had spoken once by phone, and he explained that while he understood that she had nothing to do with his father showing up, he needed some time alone. She knew he wasn't mad, but it still hurt. Sighing sadly, she placed the magazine on the nightstand. She reached over to turn the light off so she could go to sleep… once again alone. She thought of calling Chris, but she'd already assured him that she'd be fine alone and she didn't want to bother him. When she turned to lay down, she saw a figure standing by her bed. She jumped half a mile, nearly screaming… but then she realized that it was Adam.
"Adam? You… you're here," she said, watching as he sat next to her on the bed.
"Yeah, I am. Um… thanks for giving me that time alone. I really needed it," he said graciously, reaching over to hug her.
"Adam," she said, noticing his shades. "You're wearing sunglasses, and it's like, 12 o'clock at… oh my God, what happened to your eye?" she asked upon removing the sunglasses. The bruise was faded but still obviously visible.
"I, uh… lets just say the surrogate father didn't appreciate the comments I made when he came to see me. I had a hangover and I was miserable… so I wasn't too nice," he explained, laughing sheepishly. Britney didn't see the humor in it, and her eyes widened. She knew immediately who hit Adam.
"Mark hit you? Oh my God, Adam, are you okay? I'll have to kill him," she said defensively. Sometimes Mark got a little too overprotective of her.
"Don't worry about it babe, I'm fine. Besides, I should have known better than to mouth off at him. I guess being the resident father gives him rights to beat the kids," Adam shrugged.
After that, Britney suggested he get settled in, to which Adam agreed. He got changed, put his things away, and soon enough he was laying down next to her in bed. They turned the TV for about an hour, just to check the scoreboards, and then decided to try and sleep. Britney tossed and turned for about an hour, unable to sleep. It bugged her that Adam hadn't said one word to her about what had happened a few days ago. It was obviously a big deal to him, and she was curious as to why he hadn't at least mentioned it. She debated on whether or not she could let it go till morning. Let it go, Britney. Just be glad he's here. Just… oh, fuck it. I can't sleep till I find out. Sitting up, she switched the light on, stirring Adam out of his sleep. The Canadian sat up abruptly, squinting at the sudden brightness in the room.
"Are you okay? What is it?" he asked moving closer to her.
"I'm fine, it's just… something's bugging me. I… I know that what happened the other night really upset you. It scared me Adam. Don't you at least want to talk about it?" she asked, frowning when he immediately backed away from her.
"No," he stated plainly, laying back down and turning away.
"Adam, come on. You know you can tell me," she said pleadingly.
"Britney, drop it," he said in an annoyed tone.
"But Adam…"
"NO! I don't want to talk about that! I NEVER do! Please… just shut the hell up and go back to sleep!" Adam cried suddenly, surprising his girlfriend. Britney didn't know how to react… he never acted this way around her.
"Um, okay. Sorry," she said quietly and almost meekly. She turned over and switched the light off, facing away from him when she laid back down. That certainly didn't go over well. Now she'd never get to sleep. She laid there upset for a few minutes, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"It hurt," Adam whispered quietly.
Turning around, Britney nodded, "I know.
But you've gotta talk to me about these things baby. I always talk to you about my problems. I want you to be able to do the same with
me. I-I didn't mean to upset you… I
just don't like seeing you hurt."
"I know," Adam replied, "and I shouldn't have blown up at you for that either. I just… this is like uncharted waters for me, Brit. I'm not used to talking about it." Britney nodded, resting her head on his collarbone.
"I understand Adam… believe me, I do. After all the shit I've gone through and had to talk about, I know it isn't easy. It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she told him. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he sighed. He waited a few moments, and finally decided that if he was going to talk to anybody, it would be her.
"When I was in second grade, the school year was letting out a little late," he started, to which Britney's ears perked up. "So, my teacher decided to have the kids make Father's Day gifts. They put on this whole show, and they had the dads come in and watch. I didn't have the balls to tell her that I didn't have a dad, so I just went along and did the show anyway. It was okay… until the end. She decided at the last minute that it would be cute for the kids to present their gifts to their fathers right then, instead of waiting till they got home. I was the only kid there without a father, Brit. The only fucking one. Everyone was so happy, but I just sat in the back of the room and wondered why I couldn't have a dad like the rest of the kids. I went home that day and just cried for hours… I was mortified. It was the first time I noticed how much him not being there affected me. Over the next 20 years I missed out on all the Father/Son shit, and it makes me sick… it made me sick to see his face again," he said painfully.
Britney took the opportunity to look up into his eyes, and her heart sunk. Even in the dark, she could plainly see the tears in his eyes. He continued on for nearly twenty minutes, recalling all the times not having a father hurt him as a kid and as an adult. He revealed a lot of things that she hadn't known before. She found out that he had met Joe once before, and he'd basically called his mom Judy a whore… a one-night stand girl. That really crushed Adam, because he loved his mom even more than he loved Britney, and Britney knew that Judy was a wonderful woman. He said that all Adam would ever amount to be was a worthless bastard.
"Well, he was wrong about that one, wasn't he King Edge the Awesome," she said, causing them both to give a teary laugh. By now she had tears running down her cheeks as well, but she was fine with that. Adam had felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him, and that was what mattered. He eyed her in amazement as she lovingly wiped the tears from his cheeks. He smiled softly at her.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I… I don't think I've ever told anyone any of that before."
"Well that's what I'm here for. I want you to know that you can always talk to me about anything… no matter what it is," she told him.
She was glad he ended up telling her. After all, she finally trusted him with all of her heart. In a way, it was like he was returning the trust. That meant a hell of a lot to Britney. He laid back down, pulling her with him and holding her up against him.
"You know, he said after a few minutes of silence, "I think…" He trailed off, noticing that she was already asleep. Adam moved his head to gently kiss her on the forehead. "I love you Princess."
TWO WEEKS LATER"Vince, are you sure that's a good idea?" Paul Levesque asked almost nervously. He remained outwardly calm, but he was beginning to grow somewhat angry at what he had heard.
Vince McMahon had just explained the Main Event for Survivor Series. There was going to be a six-man Elimination Chamber match. Triple H vs. Booker T vs. Jericho vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shawn Michaels… and HBK would be the winner. Paul wouldn't mind losing to Shawn… just not for his Heavyweight Title. His gaze shifted around the men in the room- Rob Huffman, Rob Szaktowski, Chris Irvine, and Glenn Jacobs- before finally settling his gaze on Shawn Michaels. The two men used to be best friends, but when Paul and Stephanie went out, it drove a stake into their friendship. Shawn finally saw the REAL Paul Levesque… and he didn't like it. He didn't like the way he treated Stephanie… or the way he treated anybody, for that matter. He just wasn't the person Shawn thought he was. Paul's eyes formed a glare at his former best friend. He just found out that he'd be dropping the belt to him at Survivor Series.
Vince smiled slyly, "I'm very sure, Paul." The Chairman eyed the men in his office speculatively. He sent them, specifically Levesque, a huge, satisfied smirk. Not only would this be a huge headlining match, he would get the title off of Triple H. "Gentlemen, I'll update you when we have more plans ready. You can all go," he instructed, watching five of the men stand up and file out. He also took note of the glare that Chris Irvine sent Paul.
"Well Paul, what is it?" Vince asked knowingly.
"I think you know what IT is, Vince. Why the hell would I drop my title to Shawn Michaels?" The Game asked gruffly.
"Well, nostalgic purposes, really. And also so we get the belt off to another heel without having to change you to a face or anything. Besides, the fans want to see HBK have one last run as champion. I thought you'd…"
"Oh come on Vince! Everyone knows that HBK doesn't deserve the title as much as I… er, Triple H does! I know I said I'd job to him one more time, but I was thinking along the lines of a SummerSlam type match. You know… non-title," Levesque interrupted impatiently. There was no way he was going to give up HIS World Title to that washed up loser… or anyone at all for that matter.
Vince's smile grew… his plan was working. He knew that the best way to get to Paul was through his Heavyweight Title. Every time Vince or creative suggested he drop the belt to someone, he did everything in his unusually large power to make sure that that didn't happen. It was like the Heavyweight Championship was Paul's baby… and Vince was Child Services.
"I don't see why you're arguing this," Vince said plainly. "It's already set in stone… the match will occur… and you WILL lose the title to Shawn Michaels." Paul was obviously pissed, as the skin on his face was now turning to a reddish purple.
"Oh, what the fuck Vince? Why can't I just cheat to win? If I may be blunt, this idea sucks," Levesque whined. Vince smirked arrogantly.
"If I may be blunt… and seeing how as I am your boss, I may… I don't give a shit what you think of this idea. I'm hearing things, Paul… things I don't like. This is my way of warning you that I know more than you think. I suggest you smarten up real soon… or I will take the matter into my own hands. Right now, I'm letting those who have to deal with it do so. But mark my words… if you do anything else to hurt my girls… you will NEVER see that title again," Vince threatened, sending Paul an equally icy glare.
Oh shit… he knows. Paul's mind was racing. What the fuck was he going to do? The Title was what he worked, bled, sweat, and dreamt for… and without Stephanie in the picture… it was his life. And now, because he had found out that he was working with Brock, the bastard was going to take it away from him, possibly for good? He stood and promptly exited the room, mumbling a string of bewildered curses under his breath.
Vince laughed cockily as he watched the man exit his room. He had never seen Levesque, in the eight or more years he'd known him, look so surprised and well… so afraid. He was surprised at how happy it had made him to see the look of shock and fear on the Game's face. Come to think of it, it WASN'T all that surprising… thinking of what the man tried to do to his daughter. And to think I wanted that man to be my son-in-law. Suddenly, as he was going over his documents, he came across an injury status report. It had Brock Lesnar on it, listed as having broken ribs. An eerie, almost evil smile crossed Vince's face. He couldn't wait for the kid to have his match against the Big Show. He recalled what Brock had done to Britney not too long ago and compared their case to Brock and Paul Wight. The size difference was almost the same. Brock wants to beat up my little niece… maybe it's time I let the Next Big Thing "feel the pain."
Hey guys… I may not update this for awhile. I've kinda lost my motivation. I really like getting reviews on this story, cause I put a lot into it, but if I'm not getting any, either no one's reading or no one cares enough. So to the people who did review and did read, thank you, I really appreciate it, and I'm sorry. It may seem kinda selfish, but if I don't start getting more reviews, I won't finish this story. 33
