Circumstance and Consequence

Okay, it's a rather long prologue. I apologize in advance. The muse started and just didn't want to stop *G*

TITLE: Circumstance and Consequence Prologue/?
AUTHOR: Juliet3:16
RATING: PG - 13 for now.
CONTENT: VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE
CATEGORY: ADULT, DRAMA, ANGST
SPOILERS: Through Unforgiven 2003.
SUMMARY: Will a tragedy bring Hunter and Stephanie closer together? Or irrevocably apart?
DISCLAIMER: Vince owns all the characters in this story; please don't sue.
DISTRIBUTION: Fanfiction.net, Peja, anybody else just ask.

Circumstance and Consequence

Prologue

Unforgiven 2003.

'Make them stop,' Stephanie McMahon mentally whimpered, 'somebody make them leave him alone!'

 She and the Undertaker were in her office for the night watching the RAW PPV, Unforgiven. The SMACKDOWN house show was starting to wind down and the main event, Eddy Guerrero Vs John Cena was almost over with. It was originally scheduled to be Undertaker Vs the new SMACKDOWN World Champion, Brock Lesnar; but Brock had called in sick that night forcing Stephanie to reschedule the Main Event and giving the Deadman a much deserved night off. Stephanie had a feeling that Brock was faking, and if she could have suspended and stripped him of his championship without her Father overruling her authority, she would have.

She and 'Taker decided to watch the RAW PPV with another monitor silently showing the Eddy/Cena match. Stephanie's ex - Husband, Hunter Hearst - Helmsley was defending the RAW title against Bill Goldberg. It seemed like he'd easily retain the belt, when she and Undertaker saw the impossible.

Her Father was heading towards the ring. He wasn't alone.

'He wouldn't'

Stephanie watched in horror as her Dad, his whore Sable, Brock Lesnar, and A - Train came into the ring, A - Train knocking Ric Flair out of the ring in the process, and then proceeded to beat up her ex - husband. Goldberg joined in on the action.

"What reason would Vince have to go after Helmsley?" Undertaker muttered, but by then Stephanie was in so much shock that she never heard what 'Taker had said. She was visibly trembling at the massacre going on in the ring. Deep down, she knew why her Father was attacking Hunter.

Her worst fears were confirmed when A - Train and Lesnar held a virtually lifeless Game up by the shoulders and her Dad got right into his face screaming: "This is for that ungrateful brat of an ex - wife of yours."

"Oh God," Steph whispered, closing her eyes to block out the carnage, "why did I tell him?"

Why the hell did she tell her Father she still had feelings for Triple H?

"Finish him off!"

She opened her eyes at her father's words; watching in horror as Goldberg, who had sometime during the melee pinned Hunter and became the RAW champion, hoisted the Game up for his signature move, the Jackhammer. She watched as Goldberg flipped Hunter around like a pretzel and crashed the body on the canvas in a sick thud.

Brock took a step towards her ex and Stephanie was positive that Brock would have done Vince's bidding and done an F-5 on Hunter if Randy Orton, Batista, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Jericho of all people hadn't decided to come out right then. Combined with a revived Ric Flair it became a five on three. Six on three when RVD joined the fray. Ivory and Jacqueline had also come out and were currently double - teaming a defenseless Sable. That didn't surprise Steph: Ivory and Jackie were the ones that lost the most when Sable left and sued the WWF in 1999, leaving the Women's division in shambles.

Co - RAW GM Stone Cold Steve Austin managed to deck her Father. Austin might not be able to strike wrestlers and Co - GM Eric Bischoff, but nobody mentioned Vince McMahon in that prohibition. Somehow, Stephanie had a feeling that Austin would not get in serious if indeed any trouble for what he just did to her Father.

Although Goldberg, A - Train, and Brock were big and powerful men, the six men converging on them had at least 50 plus years wrestling experience between them and with a combination of chairs and Hunter's sledgehammer, Goldberg, Brock, and A - Train were quickly driven from the ring and along with a pissed off Vince McMahon and a bloodied Sable quickly left the arena.

Shawn Michaels knelt down next to his fallen ex - best friend, proving that despite all the bitterness between the two for the past year, the WWF Icon still cared about the injured man. As Shawn leaned down towards his stirring former friend's face Steph saw Shawn's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before motioning for the EMTs to help Hunter. Then Michaels looked at Austin in the eye with the same flash of emotions that had been smothered a moment earlier:

Panic and fear.

Sheer, raw panic and fear that made Stephanie's blood run cold.

Fans and those who were new to the wrestling business might have mistaken Michael's look for concern and worry, especially given the assault that occurred moments before. But as someone who had been raised in the business all her life, Steph knew that look only meant the gravest of things.

The last time she'd seen that look was on D' Lo Brown's face the night he inadvertently paralyzed Darren 'Droz' Drozdov.

It was the same expression Shawn Michaels just wore.

"Shit," Undertaker swore, also seeing Michaels subtle panic written across his features.

Fear closed in on Stephanie's soul as she and 'Taker watched Hunter being carried out of the arena on a stretcher, the crowd deathly silent now. She was only vaguely aware that the Cena/Gurrerro match had ended, with Eddy retaining. As she continued to focus on the aftermath of what had taken place only minutes earlier, Stephanie was sure of only one thing:

She had to get to Hershey, Pa.

Okay, that's enough for now. Chapter one should be done soon.