Speaking of conversations, by the time I left, Uncle Bret's impromptu conversation with Dad seemed to be going well. Uncle Bret was even smiling. I don't think I've ever seen my uncle smile that brightly or have the twinkle in his eye that he had when I left. Made me realize just what an impact my Dad's 'death' had on my uncle.
I'm glad I thought to redye my hair red after I got back. I needed to blow off some steam and didn't really need questions as to why my hair was blonde. Luckily Cam and Eddy were the only ones there at the moment and Cam knew who I really was so I could talk, well, as freely as I could given the circumstances to him, at least about my Mom's and brother's reaction to my training and me and Danny's boneheaded decision to attend RAW.
Cam and I were talking in the ring while practicing some wrestling holds when a voice rang out. We both froze at the familiarity of it.
"Well, well, well, those are some pretty nice moves you both have. Especially you Ms. Sierra." Stephanie McMahon Helmsley's obnoxious voice said.
"Or should I say, Ms. Hart?"
I froze as Cam put a protective arm around me. How did the bitch know who I was? How'd she find out?
Stephanie walked into the ring and stepped in close to me so that we were both meeting each other's eyes. "Your Aunt Ellie was right. You DO have your Dad's eyes."
Shit! I'd completely forgot about Ellie's 'offer' to pull strings to get me into the WWF. How'd she figured out what I wrestled under at OVW? Did the cameras catch me at Kemper?
"I don't recall telling my aunt my wrestling alias, Ms. Helmsley." I replied as politely as I could. No need to create more problems and tear her head off as much as I wanted to.
"It was easy to figure out once I got Ellie's call and reviewed old tapes of OVW for the last year. Plus, last week's RAW. Danny looked so spooked after his sister showed up."
So THAT'S what was bugging Danny. More than likely it was his sister Megan who was at RAW because what he told me of his half sister Tatem, I can't imagine Tatem ever attending a wrestling event unless she grudgingly was supporting Danny. Ever.
"That's all well and good, but why are you hear "Aunt" Stephanie?" Cam said, barely disguising the contempt he had in a woman he'd been taught to call aunt. I wondered what he would think about his aunt, his uncle Hunter and his dad if he knew just WHAT they'd done for the past 19 years.
"Cam, dear," Stephanie said in this sickenly sweet voice. "I came to talk to the WWF's newest Diva?"
"Excuse me?" I said. "I wasn't aware of accepting a job with your company?"
Stephanie laughed. It was a revolting sound. "I'm sure that you would agree that it's a moot point to object. Especially since I'm sure your mother and your uncle wouldn't be very pleased to know where you went last Monday, since I gather that they probably don't approve of what your doing already. Might as well go all the way and be a Diva."
Cam stiffened and so did I. I knew blackmail when I heard it. Problem is, it wouldn't work.
"Well, my mother isn't very pleased your right. And I'm sure Uncle Bret wouldn't be happy I went to Kemper Monday night. However, since he supports what I'm doing, I'm sure that my uncle would eventually forgive my ill fated decision to accompany a friend in satisfying his curiosity."
Stephanie had a look of pure shock on her face.
"Bret supports you wrestling?" Stephanie stammered out.
I fought to keep the smirk off my face. I'd thrown the bitch off her game and all of us, Cam included knew it.
"Yes, surprising as it may seem. He even defended me to my mother when she tried to strong-arm me into going to Stamford. He did make me promise one thing though."
"Oh, and what is that?" Stephanie asked with a suspicious glare in her eyes. Good she should be.
"That I never go to the WWF," this time I couldn't keep the smirk off my face. "I'm leaning towards WCW. At least they treat their women wrestlers as more than just pieces of meat."
I just barely held onto my laughter as Stephanie got a murderous look upon her face. It was just too priceless to deny the woman once known as the Billion Dollar Slut what she wanted.
Then it was her turn to smirk and I wondered why.
Stephanie wasted no time in giving me her answer: "Maybe it IS best that you go to WCW. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you like what tragically happened to your father, now would we?"
I got right up into the pampered bitch's face "Stephanie?"
"Hm?"
"I also have my father's temper," and with that I kicked her legs out from under her and she fell on her fat ass with a plop. Then I put her in the sharpshooter. I wondered if Uncle Bret or Dad ever felt like doing that to Vince? I held it so tight not even Cameron could get me off her. It took Eddy coming out to finally pry my grip of her legs.
Eddy started swearing in Spanish wondering what the hell was going on. I'm sure he wasn't happy to see Stephanie at OVW or that I put her in the Sharpshooter.
Stephanie was limping out of the ring clutching at her tailbone.
"YOU BITCH! YOU'LL PAY JUST LIKE EVERY DAMN MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY THAT'S CROSSED US WILL PAY!" and with that she stormed out.
I was shaking. Even if I hadn't seen the tape with Vince, even if I didn't know my father was alive and Vince had tried to have him killed, Stephanie's last words were as good as confirmation of 20 years of heartache in my mind.
"What the hell is going on!" Eddy asked me and Cam.
"What did she mean? What did she mean by you paying and you suffering your Dad's fate?" Cam asked me softly.
"What!" Eddy exclaimed.
"She tried to threaten me into joining the WWF. She said maybe it was good that I went to WCW so I didn't suffer Dad's fate." I could barely whisper I was too traumatized by Stephanie's shouting threat.
Eddy let out a stream of Spanish curses. "Cam, I'm getting her out of here. Don't let ANYBODY but Chavo and D'Lo know what's going on. Danny's sick so he won't be in for a while."
Cam nodded. He seemed to understand that the confrontation with Stephanie was serious and was a sign of something more that was going on. Poor Cam. I felt sorry for him.
"Come on, let's get you to your uncle," Eddy said herding me out of the ring.
My Uncle had just gotten off the phone with my Dad for the second time that day when we had arrived. I guess Eddy figured there was no sense in keeping the number a secret from my Uncle any longer. Which maybe a good thing. When me and Eddy showed back up at the hospital, my uncle looked about 10 years younger than when I left.
"I have half a mind to kill Ellie right now," Uncle Bret said. Fire in his eyes similar to what he had right before I opened my big mouth about Dad being alive.
"What do we do about Stephanie?" Eddy asked. "She made it damn clear that she'd make Athena pay for that Sharpshooter. Damned if she won't run to Daddy to make that threat a reality too."
If anything my Uncle's eyes got colder. "Does she know I'm here?" Uncle Bret asked.
I shook my head. "I doubt it but it wouldn't take much for her to figure out I suppose."
"Then we'll say that I traveled down to see you perform at OVW and I got a little faint from the traveling. They'd probably admit me no matter how I fainted."
Eddy looked at Uncle Bret. "That's risking it, Bret. It could get the McMahons suspicious."
Uncle Bret gave Eddy a hard look. "I haven't traveled out of Canada in nearly sixteen years Eddy. It's a viable excuse. And I'll be damned if Stephanie Helmsley's going to issue threats and carry them out. Vince knows damn good and well I won't stand for it. Hopefully Vince has retained enough sense to keep his daughter away from my niece while I'm here." Uncle Bret then looked at me. "Watch your back okay?"
I nodded. Then there was a knock on the door. Arn Anderson popped his head in the door.
"Arn, I thought you and Ric were headed back to North Carolina?" Eddy asked.
"Well, there's a problem with that," Arn explained. "Ric never got on the plane and I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in a good couple of hours."
"But why?" I asked. "What could he accomplish by staying here? He can't get to where my Dad and Danny's dad is."
Uncle Bret, Eddy, and Arn all exchanged glances. "You don't think?" Eddy started to ask.
Arn Anderson sighed. "There's a good reason why in 40 years, even retired, Nobody's ever taken the title of Dirtiest Player in the Game away from the Nature Boy Ric Flair."
That was when Eddy's cellphone began to ring. Oh God, please tell me Ric Flair didn't do what we all think he might've done. Eddy picked it up and listened to who I think was Danny on the line. Before he hung up I caught one or two words in Spanish that all the developmental wrestlers have come to recognize as curse words.
Eddy sighed. "Ric's there." I didn't need to know what Eddy meant by There. Ric had somehow made his way to the cabin. "Apparently he spied Tammy Lynn getting Supplies and snuck into her trunk." I winced. How the hell could a wrestler, even a former and aged wrestler like Ric Flair could fit into the tiny trunk of Tammy Lynn Erichson's Porsche I couldn't even begin to imagine. Arn had a shocked but not surprised look on his face and Uncle Bret had a coldness in his yes at the mention of Tammy.
"What know?" I asked quietly.
Eddy seemed torn between doing what he felt was right and doing what was ultimately inevitable. Finally he sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
"Get your things all of you. I'll see about getting Bret released from the hospital. I'll take you to where Owen and Chris are," Eddy said in a resigned tone. I wonder how hard it was to know something only a select few have known for 20 years and then seemingly have the whole world find out. I decided I never wanted to know.