Notes: The next few chapters are in Athena's POV. This chapter is written entirely by Jules.
Well, this was awkward to say the least.
A part of me wasn't entirely sure I hadn't died or something. This morning I was poor Athena Hart, the girl who lost her father when she was 3 in a stupid tragic stunt, that had nothing to do with actual wrestling, who had to hide what she was doing form her own family. People had actually had the gall to tell me that I was lucky I was so young and that I had so few memories of him. Would make it easier to move on and forget him.
Forget him! I wanted to shake those people by the arms or punch them or anything at the top of my lungs that I'd been happy to have gotten to spend just one more DAY with him. Just have some more memories of him. I didn't WANT to forget him. I used to spend countless hours in my room wishing that God would send him back to be with his family where he belonged.
So imagine my surprise this morning helping Daniel Benoit find out the truth about what had actually happened to his father, that I got my nearly 20 year wish standing about 200 yards away from me. Truth be told I'm not sure what really happened from the time I saw my dad's face for the first time in 19 years to when I helped Danny practically push down the door Eddy Guerrero was trying to block. I'll I can remember was feeling shock, disbelief, maybe some anger and resentment at having been lied to all these years and wondering how the hell my dad survived that fall 19 years ago. I wondered if that was how Danny felt when he'd first seen the tape of his father's match with Goldberg, obviously it wasn't as fake as we'd thought it might be.
This morning I was a fatherless child. Now I'm sitting across the kitchen table from my very much alive father catching up on nearly 20 years. When he'd finally recognized me after Danny's dad fainted, the resentment left and I was that three year old girl again wanting her daddy to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right Life's funny sometimes.
A thought struck me. MOM! How the hell was I going to keep this from her. True, she'd never remarried after my dad's death but still to believe your husband's been dead for 19 years? And oh God, how the hell I'm I going to keep this from Uncle Bret the next time I'm home? From everything I was told growing up Dad's death destroyed my uncle. Of course there was the fact that if he was told now he'd probably have another stroke and I didn't want to lose another family member, not after losing my grandfather nearly a decade ago and my grandmother not long before that.
"Um," Dad started, seemingly unsure what to say. I feel the same way. What do you say to somebody you haven't seen in almost 20 years? Somebody you thought you'd never see again.
He looked at me with a shy, nervous expression. He took a long look at my hair. "Don't remember your hair ever being red." He said. It wasn't much, but it was an icebreaker.
"Um, I've dyed it," With the amount of time I spend dying it red and redying it back to blonde I'm surprised all my hair hasn't fallen out by now. I've just now gotten it to the point to where I can dye my hair red without getting my fellow wrestlers and most of the trainers suspicious and blond without getting my family suspicious. Although if I forget to redye it blonde every once and awhile, it won't be too off for my family since I've dyed my hair all sorts of colors during High School and college. I was going through a rebellious stage.
My dad nodded absently. Neither one of us were comfortable. How could we? This was something neither one of us ever expected. I never expected to see my long - believed dead father actually alive trying to talk to me and I'm sure he never expected to see his 22 year - old daughter actually finding him alive. Damn I want to know why Eddy kept this a secret all this time.
"Why did Eddy call you Sierra?" Dad asked with a slightly confused expression on his face. Speaking of secrets. Yikes!
I guess when Eddy says he'll keep a secret, he keeps a secret. Obviously Dad did NOT know I was training to be a wrestler. Do I tell him that? I have no idea how he'll react to that. I mean my Mom's going to be ballistic when she finds out. How will I deal if my Dad doesn't approve of my wrestling? Couldn't hurt to tell him. Not like he'll actually tell my Mom and Uncle Bret, right?
I took a deep breath. "It's actually my alias," I began, "my wrestling alias."
The look on my Dad's face was absolutely priceless. His eyes were about as wide as they could be and his jaw was almost to the floor. I thought for a minute that he might faint like Danny's father did.
Fortunately he shook himself out of his shock. "Your a wrestler?" He asked, shock still apparent in his voice.
"Training actually," I replied. "That's how I know Danny. Eddy, D'Lo, and Chavo are my trainers. The red hair is apart of my gimmick. I was OVW's top female heel. Right now I'm beginning a storyline to put me with Danny and his tag team partner and turn their previous valet heel."
"And your mother actually approves of you doing this?" Dad asked in disbelief. Guess he did know about Mom cutting ties completely with wrestling and not letting me and Oje even look at a wrestling product.
"Probably not," I said, then knowing what I'd said, I sighed. "Well, she probably wouldn't, if she, knew, about it. I trailed off making a face at on the last few words.
Dad sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I take it Bret doesn't know either?" I shook my head. No, Uncle Bret most emphatically did NOT know about my wrestling. I'm sure his reaction would probably be worse than my mother's reaction would be. "I'm sure your mother's wondering what your're doing in Kentucky without an education?"
"Um, well, she would, if she didn't already think I was in pre - med. at Stamford, instead of having dropped out to come to OVW full time a year ago." Lovely how I keep making this worse and worse.
Dad's eyes widened even more. "Just how long have you've been with OVW total?"
"About two and a half years." I began to explain. "Me and my friends when to Kentucky for Spring Break, a trip which Mom knows about BTW. My friends managed to convince me to attend a wrestling show, which Mom doesn't know about. We went and also entered this silly contest to be a guest valet for one night and I got picked. I had black hair back then and used my middle name so as to not be recognized. I was with the heel that night and well suffice it to say the crowd's response got to me.
"I went back to school and tried to resume my classes. Problem was I couldn't get how much fun I had being in front of the crowd even though they were booing rather than cheering. So whenever I had a break I went down to OVW to participate in some shows as a valet and on occasion participate in a wrestling class or two. Shortly after I'd began going back and forth I told Eddy who I was and he promised that he'd keep who I was a secret. Which he apparently did too well, I thought, but refocused back on telling my story.
"After about a year of that, I started realizing that wrestling was what I really wanted to do, not the pre - med. I was studying and Mom wanted me to get into. So I dropped out. I redye my hair blonde whenever I come home to Canada and I send letters to make Mom, Oje, and Uncle Bret believe that I'm still in California. It's not exactly the best situation but it's the only one I could think would work for both me and them."
My Dad gave another sigh. "It's not right to keep that a secret from them Athena. Especially your dropping out of school from your Mom." I noticed he hadn't said anything directly about my keeping my training a secret.
I gave my Dad a look. "Secrets tend to run in the family Daddy." I said, sure there was some resentment in my voice this time. Could anybody really blame me? Why the hell did everybody think it would be best to make me believe my father was dead for nineteen years? Whoever came up with the idea try to keep my Dad being dead a secret deserves to be shot. Oh yeah that was most likely Eddy.
And I STILL don't know who tried to kill my father. Although if my grandfather was right that would be Vince McMahon, my Dad and uncle's former employer.
Dad looks even more uncomfortable than he'd been when we first sat down to try to start this conversation.
"I'm sorry," he chokes up with tears in his eyes.
He's sincere in his apology, I know he is. I sigh, feeling the tension drain from me. The events of the day have completely exhausted me emotionally and I know I can't hold onto my anger against him not telling me the truth. People have told me all my life that my Dad rarely held a grudge and could never stay angry at anybody for very long, unlike my Uncle Bret, who could hold very long grudges against people and has held one against Vince McMahon for well over 20 years. I guess I'm finally finding out what parts of me I inherited from my Mom and which I inherited from my dad because I can't stay angry at my father over this.
Eddy Guerrero may end up being another story.
Dad chuckled. I looked up sharply at that. I have few memories of my Dad but his laugh is one of them. I haven't heard that sound in 19 years.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Just thinking, Like Father, Like Daughter," he said smiling, it's been a long time since I've seen my Dad smile in person either. "Your story reminds me a lot of what I went through when I started wrestling under your grandfather." He trailed off with a slight look of sadness in his eyes. So he does know about my Grandmother Helen and Grandfather Stu. I know he'd have liked to have seen them again.
I reached across the table to squeeze my Dad's hand and looked him in the eyes. He seemed to know that, whatever happened next, I didn't hold it against him about keeping his death a secret. I don't think I ever could.
"I still don't think keeping your training from your Mom and Uncle Bret is a good idea," Dad started. "But I see in your eyes that it's something YOU want to do, so I hope one day I can actually see you in the ring. At least a video of your work at OVW, if Eddy can keep his neck long enough to help you get something for your old man."
Now I laughed. I feel relieved. Finally at least somebody in my family knows and actually approves of what I'm doing, even if that somebody doesn't exactly approve of my methods of keeping what I'm doing a secret and is supposed to be dead.
"Just don't work for Vince, or I guess Stephanie, since we've heard she's running the show in the WWF now, okay?" Dad asked.
I just nodded. Dad really doesn't have to say anything else about who tried to kill him, not to me now. That last question pretty much confirms my suspicions anyways.
We heard a knock and looked up to see D'Lo Brown in the doorway of the kitchen looking slightly uncomfortable himself. I could imagine. It's not everyday you actually see the dead walking and talking. Shane McMahon's with him.
"Hey," Shane starts. It's funny, here I am actually listening to the one McMahon my Uncle actually spoke positively about in 20+ years when yesterday we didn't even know where the hell he was. "If you want you four can stay for the night, it's getting too dark and it's not safe to drive these roads at night."
"I agree," Dad said. "We can confer with Michael and Eddy about the sleeping arrangements." Took me a minute to realize that 'Michael' was Agent Erichson.
"Where is Eddy?" I asked. In hugging my father I was vaguely aware of Eddy storming out, followed by Chavo and D'Lo chasing after him. I figure if D'Lo was back, Eddy and Chavo were back as well.
"Lucky to be a live after Chris found out about Eddy hitting Danny." D'Lo said stroking and slightly pulling at his ear, which all of us trainees at OVW have learned is something he does when he's nervous.
"HE WHAT!?" My Dad and Shane said loudly. I winced. In the process of talking with my father, I'd forgotten that somewhat minor detail. Oh well, I don't feel very sorry for Eddy right now.
Dad sighed. "What was he thinking?"
"What were you all thinking?" D'Lo said sharply.
"D'Lo," my Dad began.
"No, you made people believe that you were dead for nearly 20 years and made everybody believe Chris Benoit was dead for almost 15. What's the matter with you all? You realize all the pain and agony you've caused everybody? To your family? To Chris' family?"
"My Father sure as hell didn't," Shane McMahon muttered.
D'Lo had a slight look of shock on his face. Maybe there was one on mine. I don't know. I think up until Shane said that, there was a little bit of uncertainty as to whether Vince was involved in my Dad's and Danny's Dad's being made to fake their deaths. But if Shane McMahon was convinced...
My trainer sighed and put his head in his hand. "Tell me I'm not going to get anymore surprises?"
"Not tonight, D'Lo," my Dad reassured D'Lo. "Not tonight."
I wondered. I noticed my Dad say not tonight. But he didn't say definitively that there wasn't going to be any more surprises down the pike coming. Made me a little worried.
Me and my Dad got up and went with Shane and D'Lo into the Cabin's living room to discuss the sleeping arrangements that night.
Well, this was awkward to say the least.
A part of me wasn't entirely sure I hadn't died or something. This morning I was poor Athena Hart, the girl who lost her father when she was 3 in a stupid tragic stunt, that had nothing to do with actual wrestling, who had to hide what she was doing form her own family. People had actually had the gall to tell me that I was lucky I was so young and that I had so few memories of him. Would make it easier to move on and forget him.
Forget him! I wanted to shake those people by the arms or punch them or anything at the top of my lungs that I'd been happy to have gotten to spend just one more DAY with him. Just have some more memories of him. I didn't WANT to forget him. I used to spend countless hours in my room wishing that God would send him back to be with his family where he belonged.
So imagine my surprise this morning helping Daniel Benoit find out the truth about what had actually happened to his father, that I got my nearly 20 year wish standing about 200 yards away from me. Truth be told I'm not sure what really happened from the time I saw my dad's face for the first time in 19 years to when I helped Danny practically push down the door Eddy Guerrero was trying to block. I'll I can remember was feeling shock, disbelief, maybe some anger and resentment at having been lied to all these years and wondering how the hell my dad survived that fall 19 years ago. I wondered if that was how Danny felt when he'd first seen the tape of his father's match with Goldberg, obviously it wasn't as fake as we'd thought it might be.
This morning I was a fatherless child. Now I'm sitting across the kitchen table from my very much alive father catching up on nearly 20 years. When he'd finally recognized me after Danny's dad fainted, the resentment left and I was that three year old girl again wanting her daddy to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right Life's funny sometimes.
A thought struck me. MOM! How the hell was I going to keep this from her. True, she'd never remarried after my dad's death but still to believe your husband's been dead for 19 years? And oh God, how the hell I'm I going to keep this from Uncle Bret the next time I'm home? From everything I was told growing up Dad's death destroyed my uncle. Of course there was the fact that if he was told now he'd probably have another stroke and I didn't want to lose another family member, not after losing my grandfather nearly a decade ago and my grandmother not long before that.
"Um," Dad started, seemingly unsure what to say. I feel the same way. What do you say to somebody you haven't seen in almost 20 years? Somebody you thought you'd never see again.
He looked at me with a shy, nervous expression. He took a long look at my hair. "Don't remember your hair ever being red." He said. It wasn't much, but it was an icebreaker.
"Um, I've dyed it," With the amount of time I spend dying it red and redying it back to blonde I'm surprised all my hair hasn't fallen out by now. I've just now gotten it to the point to where I can dye my hair red without getting my fellow wrestlers and most of the trainers suspicious and blond without getting my family suspicious. Although if I forget to redye it blonde every once and awhile, it won't be too off for my family since I've dyed my hair all sorts of colors during High School and college. I was going through a rebellious stage.
My dad nodded absently. Neither one of us were comfortable. How could we? This was something neither one of us ever expected. I never expected to see my long - believed dead father actually alive trying to talk to me and I'm sure he never expected to see his 22 year - old daughter actually finding him alive. Damn I want to know why Eddy kept this a secret all this time.
"Why did Eddy call you Sierra?" Dad asked with a slightly confused expression on his face. Speaking of secrets. Yikes!
I guess when Eddy says he'll keep a secret, he keeps a secret. Obviously Dad did NOT know I was training to be a wrestler. Do I tell him that? I have no idea how he'll react to that. I mean my Mom's going to be ballistic when she finds out. How will I deal if my Dad doesn't approve of my wrestling? Couldn't hurt to tell him. Not like he'll actually tell my Mom and Uncle Bret, right?
I took a deep breath. "It's actually my alias," I began, "my wrestling alias."
The look on my Dad's face was absolutely priceless. His eyes were about as wide as they could be and his jaw was almost to the floor. I thought for a minute that he might faint like Danny's father did.
Fortunately he shook himself out of his shock. "Your a wrestler?" He asked, shock still apparent in his voice.
"Training actually," I replied. "That's how I know Danny. Eddy, D'Lo, and Chavo are my trainers. The red hair is apart of my gimmick. I was OVW's top female heel. Right now I'm beginning a storyline to put me with Danny and his tag team partner and turn their previous valet heel."
"And your mother actually approves of you doing this?" Dad asked in disbelief. Guess he did know about Mom cutting ties completely with wrestling and not letting me and Oje even look at a wrestling product.
"Probably not," I said, then knowing what I'd said, I sighed. "Well, she probably wouldn't, if she, knew, about it. I trailed off making a face at on the last few words.
Dad sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I take it Bret doesn't know either?" I shook my head. No, Uncle Bret most emphatically did NOT know about my wrestling. I'm sure his reaction would probably be worse than my mother's reaction would be. "I'm sure your mother's wondering what your're doing in Kentucky without an education?"
"Um, well, she would, if she didn't already think I was in pre - med. at Stamford, instead of having dropped out to come to OVW full time a year ago." Lovely how I keep making this worse and worse.
Dad's eyes widened even more. "Just how long have you've been with OVW total?"
"About two and a half years." I began to explain. "Me and my friends when to Kentucky for Spring Break, a trip which Mom knows about BTW. My friends managed to convince me to attend a wrestling show, which Mom doesn't know about. We went and also entered this silly contest to be a guest valet for one night and I got picked. I had black hair back then and used my middle name so as to not be recognized. I was with the heel that night and well suffice it to say the crowd's response got to me.
"I went back to school and tried to resume my classes. Problem was I couldn't get how much fun I had being in front of the crowd even though they were booing rather than cheering. So whenever I had a break I went down to OVW to participate in some shows as a valet and on occasion participate in a wrestling class or two. Shortly after I'd began going back and forth I told Eddy who I was and he promised that he'd keep who I was a secret. Which he apparently did too well, I thought, but refocused back on telling my story.
"After about a year of that, I started realizing that wrestling was what I really wanted to do, not the pre - med. I was studying and Mom wanted me to get into. So I dropped out. I redye my hair blonde whenever I come home to Canada and I send letters to make Mom, Oje, and Uncle Bret believe that I'm still in California. It's not exactly the best situation but it's the only one I could think would work for both me and them."
My Dad gave another sigh. "It's not right to keep that a secret from them Athena. Especially your dropping out of school from your Mom." I noticed he hadn't said anything directly about my keeping my training a secret.
I gave my Dad a look. "Secrets tend to run in the family Daddy." I said, sure there was some resentment in my voice this time. Could anybody really blame me? Why the hell did everybody think it would be best to make me believe my father was dead for nineteen years? Whoever came up with the idea try to keep my Dad being dead a secret deserves to be shot. Oh yeah that was most likely Eddy.
And I STILL don't know who tried to kill my father. Although if my grandfather was right that would be Vince McMahon, my Dad and uncle's former employer.
Dad looks even more uncomfortable than he'd been when we first sat down to try to start this conversation.
"I'm sorry," he chokes up with tears in his eyes.
He's sincere in his apology, I know he is. I sigh, feeling the tension drain from me. The events of the day have completely exhausted me emotionally and I know I can't hold onto my anger against him not telling me the truth. People have told me all my life that my Dad rarely held a grudge and could never stay angry at anybody for very long, unlike my Uncle Bret, who could hold very long grudges against people and has held one against Vince McMahon for well over 20 years. I guess I'm finally finding out what parts of me I inherited from my Mom and which I inherited from my dad because I can't stay angry at my father over this.
Eddy Guerrero may end up being another story.
Dad chuckled. I looked up sharply at that. I have few memories of my Dad but his laugh is one of them. I haven't heard that sound in 19 years.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Just thinking, Like Father, Like Daughter," he said smiling, it's been a long time since I've seen my Dad smile in person either. "Your story reminds me a lot of what I went through when I started wrestling under your grandfather." He trailed off with a slight look of sadness in his eyes. So he does know about my Grandmother Helen and Grandfather Stu. I know he'd have liked to have seen them again.
I reached across the table to squeeze my Dad's hand and looked him in the eyes. He seemed to know that, whatever happened next, I didn't hold it against him about keeping his death a secret. I don't think I ever could.
"I still don't think keeping your training from your Mom and Uncle Bret is a good idea," Dad started. "But I see in your eyes that it's something YOU want to do, so I hope one day I can actually see you in the ring. At least a video of your work at OVW, if Eddy can keep his neck long enough to help you get something for your old man."
Now I laughed. I feel relieved. Finally at least somebody in my family knows and actually approves of what I'm doing, even if that somebody doesn't exactly approve of my methods of keeping what I'm doing a secret and is supposed to be dead.
"Just don't work for Vince, or I guess Stephanie, since we've heard she's running the show in the WWF now, okay?" Dad asked.
I just nodded. Dad really doesn't have to say anything else about who tried to kill him, not to me now. That last question pretty much confirms my suspicions anyways.
We heard a knock and looked up to see D'Lo Brown in the doorway of the kitchen looking slightly uncomfortable himself. I could imagine. It's not everyday you actually see the dead walking and talking. Shane McMahon's with him.
"Hey," Shane starts. It's funny, here I am actually listening to the one McMahon my Uncle actually spoke positively about in 20+ years when yesterday we didn't even know where the hell he was. "If you want you four can stay for the night, it's getting too dark and it's not safe to drive these roads at night."
"I agree," Dad said. "We can confer with Michael and Eddy about the sleeping arrangements." Took me a minute to realize that 'Michael' was Agent Erichson.
"Where is Eddy?" I asked. In hugging my father I was vaguely aware of Eddy storming out, followed by Chavo and D'Lo chasing after him. I figure if D'Lo was back, Eddy and Chavo were back as well.
"Lucky to be a live after Chris found out about Eddy hitting Danny." D'Lo said stroking and slightly pulling at his ear, which all of us trainees at OVW have learned is something he does when he's nervous.
"HE WHAT!?" My Dad and Shane said loudly. I winced. In the process of talking with my father, I'd forgotten that somewhat minor detail. Oh well, I don't feel very sorry for Eddy right now.
Dad sighed. "What was he thinking?"
"What were you all thinking?" D'Lo said sharply.
"D'Lo," my Dad began.
"No, you made people believe that you were dead for nearly 20 years and made everybody believe Chris Benoit was dead for almost 15. What's the matter with you all? You realize all the pain and agony you've caused everybody? To your family? To Chris' family?"
"My Father sure as hell didn't," Shane McMahon muttered.
D'Lo had a slight look of shock on his face. Maybe there was one on mine. I don't know. I think up until Shane said that, there was a little bit of uncertainty as to whether Vince was involved in my Dad's and Danny's Dad's being made to fake their deaths. But if Shane McMahon was convinced...
My trainer sighed and put his head in his hand. "Tell me I'm not going to get anymore surprises?"
"Not tonight, D'Lo," my Dad reassured D'Lo. "Not tonight."
I wondered. I noticed my Dad say not tonight. But he didn't say definitively that there wasn't going to be any more surprises down the pike coming. Made me a little worried.
Me and my Dad got up and went with Shane and D'Lo into the Cabin's living room to discuss the sleeping arrangements that night.