It was 7pm when Linda got back to her hotel room, as she got out of the
elevator she was surprised to see Vince, Shane and Stephanie standing
there.
"What are you lot doing here?" she asked in amazement.
They all turned around. "The wanderer returns!" Shane said sarcastically.
"Where have you been?" Stephanie asked. "All we got from your secretary was that you weren't going to be in, you didn't let us know where you were going, and hell you didn't even let US know you weren't going to be at the office."
"I'm over the age of consent, I'll do as I see fit!" Linda replied, incensed that they all jumped on her.
"We were worried; we didn't know where you were or what you were doing. For all we knew you could have been dead. You didn't answer your cell phone or anything." Vince said gently.
"I went to New York ok?" Linda said, unlocking her door and walking in. The others followed, Shane and Stephanie looked around in amazement, they hadn't seen where she was staying before now.
"What for?" Shane asked.
"Well I was going to give it a bit more time before I told you all but I met up with Rachel."
Stephanie looked puzzled. "Rachel? Who's Rach. Ohhh," Stephanie said, eyes wide.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Shane asked.
"Because it was something I needed to do for myself, not for you, or Stephanie or your father, for me." Linda said gently.
"How did it go?" Asked Vince, glad that she had got in touch with Rachel.
"Very well thank you. I think you should all know that I have every intention of making Rachel and her family a part of my life."
"When will we meet her?" Stephanie asked intrigued.
"I don't know, I think Rachel and I need to sort things out by ourselves first, maybe in a couple of months."
"A couple of months? Why that long?" Shane asked.
"Shane," Vince said a warning tone in his voice. "It's up to your mother when she introduces us; she and Rachel probably have things of their own to sort out."
Linda gave him a grateful smile.
"Oh you mean like you and mom have some stuff to sort out, well from where I'm standing you two don't seem to be sorting much. Infact as far as I can see, you two aren't doing anything!" Shane said angrily.
"We'll sort it in our own time." Vince snapped.
"Whatever, what's it going to take for you two to see what you have? Or is it going to take something like Dad threatening to throw himself off a building again?"
Linda narrowed her eyes. "Shut up Shane, I don't want to involve you in our problems!"
"I already am involved mom, because I don't want to be attending Dad's or your funeral in the next couple of months."
"Well perhaps if you had stopped your father from getting involved in illegal dealings, we wouldn't be in this mess." Linda had kept quiet about Shane's involvement in the Andrew Chambers business, she couldn't believe it when she had read Shane's name in that folder.
Shane shot a look at his father. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know damn well what it means." She snapped.
"Well I don't, so can somebody please explain to me?" Stephanie piped up, they had forgotten she was there and was the only one who didn't know about what her father and brother had done.
Linda ignored Stephanie. "For the first time in my life I can honestly say I'm disappointed in you Shane."
Shane's face went white as he suddenly realised what she was talking about.
"Excuse me; am I apart of this family or what? What's going on?"
"Why don't you two tell her?" Linda gave them a scathing look.
Vince glanced at Shane and began; he told her what he and Shane had done, the private detective, hiring arsonists, the whole story.
Stephanie stared at them, open mouthed. "Oh my god!" Was all she could say.
"It's not like he didn't deserve it, had you forgotten what he did to mom?" Shane asked.
"Of course not, but you don't go around wrecking people's lives, no matter what they've done." Stephanie reasoned.
"Thank you Stephanie," Linda said. "My point exactly."
"Mom, did you forget what he did to you? He raped you, he got you pregnant and then he didn't even stick around, he just hightailed it out of there and ran while you had to give birth to a baby and then put that baby up for adoption all by yourself. You admitted, you used to cry yourself to sleep, you hated the fact that you were made to give up that baby." Shane ranted. "He deserved everything we gave him and more! Maybe Dad and I went about it the wrong way, maybe we should have just killed him with our bare hands, I think we both would've enjoyed that." Shane finished, with that evil glint in his eyes and a slight smirk.
"Shane!" Stephanie said, obviously shocked, she had never seen this side of her brother before.
Linda's eyes were wide, like Stephanie she was shocked.
"Steph, Linda; what you have to understand is Shane and I, we both love you and would do anything for you. Linda got hurt and we paid him back in the only way we know how, by getting revenge. Perhaps that's not how you two would go about it, infact I know that's not how you two would go about it but we did it because we love Linda. It probably wasn't the best idea we've ever had but it's done. And I can't speak for Shane but I know I would do it again, I don't regret what I did. I'm sorry for hurting you but I'm not sorry for what I did. This is me, someone does something to hurt me or my family, I'll get revenge, I'll get even." Vince explained slowly. "No one and I mean no one fucks with my family and gets away with it." Vince's tone was menacing now. The look on his face was frightening; it was that sick evil Mr. McMahon face but also of a man who was protecting his family.
Stephanie looked at everyone in turn and shook her head. "I know you love mom and you want to protect her but you stepped way over the line dad, you both did. I think that you're both lucky that you're family or I'd be going straight to the police. I won't see either of you go to jail for this, simply because of the fact that I know your intentions were good, toward mom. I love you both and I forgive you for what you did because I can understand it. I don't want to speak of this again; I just want us to go back to the way we were. As for you guys getting back together, it's up to you two to sort that out. It's nothing to do with me or Shane and whatever happens I'll understand." Stephanie had tears in her eyes. "But I'll tell you both something now, Shane and I had a conversation the other day and Shane said some things that maybe you two should hear." Stephanie looked over at Shane and then turned her attention back towards her parents. "You two have something that nobody but you can understand, you've got this hold over each other and neither of you will ever be able to let go of that, no matter how many times you try. It wasn't until Shane said it that I realised it, you two can run as far away from each other as is possible but you will never ever be free of each other and deep down, I think you both know it." Stephanie looked at her parents meaningfully. "Very few people in this world find what you have, you two are the lucky ones, don't screw it up. I'm going back to my baby now, where I should be." She hugged and kissed Linda, looked at her father and brother and quietly left.
Vince, Shane and Linda stood there for a few seconds until Shane left as well, without even saying goodbye, leaving Vince and Linda alone. They looked at each other for a moment, both knowing they cared deeply for each other and loved one another but at the same time not knowing if their marriage would survive this blow.
"What are you lot doing here?" she asked in amazement.
They all turned around. "The wanderer returns!" Shane said sarcastically.
"Where have you been?" Stephanie asked. "All we got from your secretary was that you weren't going to be in, you didn't let us know where you were going, and hell you didn't even let US know you weren't going to be at the office."
"I'm over the age of consent, I'll do as I see fit!" Linda replied, incensed that they all jumped on her.
"We were worried; we didn't know where you were or what you were doing. For all we knew you could have been dead. You didn't answer your cell phone or anything." Vince said gently.
"I went to New York ok?" Linda said, unlocking her door and walking in. The others followed, Shane and Stephanie looked around in amazement, they hadn't seen where she was staying before now.
"What for?" Shane asked.
"Well I was going to give it a bit more time before I told you all but I met up with Rachel."
Stephanie looked puzzled. "Rachel? Who's Rach. Ohhh," Stephanie said, eyes wide.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Shane asked.
"Because it was something I needed to do for myself, not for you, or Stephanie or your father, for me." Linda said gently.
"How did it go?" Asked Vince, glad that she had got in touch with Rachel.
"Very well thank you. I think you should all know that I have every intention of making Rachel and her family a part of my life."
"When will we meet her?" Stephanie asked intrigued.
"I don't know, I think Rachel and I need to sort things out by ourselves first, maybe in a couple of months."
"A couple of months? Why that long?" Shane asked.
"Shane," Vince said a warning tone in his voice. "It's up to your mother when she introduces us; she and Rachel probably have things of their own to sort out."
Linda gave him a grateful smile.
"Oh you mean like you and mom have some stuff to sort out, well from where I'm standing you two don't seem to be sorting much. Infact as far as I can see, you two aren't doing anything!" Shane said angrily.
"We'll sort it in our own time." Vince snapped.
"Whatever, what's it going to take for you two to see what you have? Or is it going to take something like Dad threatening to throw himself off a building again?"
Linda narrowed her eyes. "Shut up Shane, I don't want to involve you in our problems!"
"I already am involved mom, because I don't want to be attending Dad's or your funeral in the next couple of months."
"Well perhaps if you had stopped your father from getting involved in illegal dealings, we wouldn't be in this mess." Linda had kept quiet about Shane's involvement in the Andrew Chambers business, she couldn't believe it when she had read Shane's name in that folder.
Shane shot a look at his father. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know damn well what it means." She snapped.
"Well I don't, so can somebody please explain to me?" Stephanie piped up, they had forgotten she was there and was the only one who didn't know about what her father and brother had done.
Linda ignored Stephanie. "For the first time in my life I can honestly say I'm disappointed in you Shane."
Shane's face went white as he suddenly realised what she was talking about.
"Excuse me; am I apart of this family or what? What's going on?"
"Why don't you two tell her?" Linda gave them a scathing look.
Vince glanced at Shane and began; he told her what he and Shane had done, the private detective, hiring arsonists, the whole story.
Stephanie stared at them, open mouthed. "Oh my god!" Was all she could say.
"It's not like he didn't deserve it, had you forgotten what he did to mom?" Shane asked.
"Of course not, but you don't go around wrecking people's lives, no matter what they've done." Stephanie reasoned.
"Thank you Stephanie," Linda said. "My point exactly."
"Mom, did you forget what he did to you? He raped you, he got you pregnant and then he didn't even stick around, he just hightailed it out of there and ran while you had to give birth to a baby and then put that baby up for adoption all by yourself. You admitted, you used to cry yourself to sleep, you hated the fact that you were made to give up that baby." Shane ranted. "He deserved everything we gave him and more! Maybe Dad and I went about it the wrong way, maybe we should have just killed him with our bare hands, I think we both would've enjoyed that." Shane finished, with that evil glint in his eyes and a slight smirk.
"Shane!" Stephanie said, obviously shocked, she had never seen this side of her brother before.
Linda's eyes were wide, like Stephanie she was shocked.
"Steph, Linda; what you have to understand is Shane and I, we both love you and would do anything for you. Linda got hurt and we paid him back in the only way we know how, by getting revenge. Perhaps that's not how you two would go about it, infact I know that's not how you two would go about it but we did it because we love Linda. It probably wasn't the best idea we've ever had but it's done. And I can't speak for Shane but I know I would do it again, I don't regret what I did. I'm sorry for hurting you but I'm not sorry for what I did. This is me, someone does something to hurt me or my family, I'll get revenge, I'll get even." Vince explained slowly. "No one and I mean no one fucks with my family and gets away with it." Vince's tone was menacing now. The look on his face was frightening; it was that sick evil Mr. McMahon face but also of a man who was protecting his family.
Stephanie looked at everyone in turn and shook her head. "I know you love mom and you want to protect her but you stepped way over the line dad, you both did. I think that you're both lucky that you're family or I'd be going straight to the police. I won't see either of you go to jail for this, simply because of the fact that I know your intentions were good, toward mom. I love you both and I forgive you for what you did because I can understand it. I don't want to speak of this again; I just want us to go back to the way we were. As for you guys getting back together, it's up to you two to sort that out. It's nothing to do with me or Shane and whatever happens I'll understand." Stephanie had tears in her eyes. "But I'll tell you both something now, Shane and I had a conversation the other day and Shane said some things that maybe you two should hear." Stephanie looked over at Shane and then turned her attention back towards her parents. "You two have something that nobody but you can understand, you've got this hold over each other and neither of you will ever be able to let go of that, no matter how many times you try. It wasn't until Shane said it that I realised it, you two can run as far away from each other as is possible but you will never ever be free of each other and deep down, I think you both know it." Stephanie looked at her parents meaningfully. "Very few people in this world find what you have, you two are the lucky ones, don't screw it up. I'm going back to my baby now, where I should be." She hugged and kissed Linda, looked at her father and brother and quietly left.
Vince, Shane and Linda stood there for a few seconds until Shane left as well, without even saying goodbye, leaving Vince and Linda alone. They looked at each other for a moment, both knowing they cared deeply for each other and loved one another but at the same time not knowing if their marriage would survive this blow.