I threw fit upon typing this second chapter. Truth be told, I had finished it all in one sitting, but I was unfortunately using my father's laptop at the time. For some reason it ate up more than three quarters of the entire chapter, and then when I tried to open it the second time I found that all four files originally on it were gone and a previous file I thought deleted was the only thing left. Well FUCK…
Anyway, here it is, reconstructed as best as I could from memory. Fortunately that's still intact. Enjoy.
Date Uploaded: 12 September 2004
Chapter 2: To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That is the Question…
Before coming to Rem, Wentworth, Eugene's mother had warned him: "Your uncle is not a kind man. He is greedy and deceptive. Truthfully, if there were another way I would not send you to him, but I'm afraid that this is the best choice. Wentworth will be good for you, but always be on your toes. Show respect for your uncle, but never fully trust him."
Harsh words for a sister to say about a brother, true, but they had echoed through Eugene's head back then and still did now. As such he was wary the day he was unexpectedly summoned into Eric Von Bishop's chambers.
"Ah, Eugene, there you are. We've been waiting for you," Von Bishop greeted as soon as his nephew stepped inside. In an armchair sat Sir Willem Regal, looking as curious and as cagey about this meeting as Eugene was.
Now Von Bishop finished signing his name with flourish at the bottom of a document, and then motioned for Eugene to have a seat. "Sit down; I have a proposal for you that I believe you'll favor."
"What is it, uncle?" Eugene inquired, taking the armchair beside his mentor and facing Von Bishop's desk.
The prefect looked particularly pleased today, and that put Eugene on his guard. "Lord Hunter Hearst Helmsly came to me yesterday. It seems that he has a man down in his household after a dispute with Richard Orton. I always thought that that young man was a stubborn one. Anyway, Lord Helmsly has asked me to find an able-bodied replacement."
"And that, I assume, is where I come in," Eugene said flatly.
Von Bishop didn't look pleased at his nephew's presumption. "Yes. But make no mistake, Eugene, you were not my first choice for this position. Yet lately I have heard promising things from your tutor here, Sir Willem Regal."
Eugene hid a displeased frown at this barely disguised insult. Beside him he saw Regal sneer a little in distaste. He had about as little fondness for the prefect or his opinions as Eugene did. Both of them kept their mouths shut, though, and let Von Bishop continue.
"I have decided to extend to you this prestigious position, knowing that it is an important opportunity for a young man such as yourself."
Eugene wasn't fooled; he could already sense his uncle's interior motive. Von Bishop merely thought that having a family member in Lord Helmsly's circle would be advantageous for himself in the long run. Sir Regal shifted in his seat, signifying that he was aware of that fact as well and was not comfortable with it.
Von Bishop gave one of his patented, cunning smiles. "Well, Eugene? I trust you have no objections?"
»»»
"Join Evolution? Are you quite mad??" William Regal was saying incredulously as Eugene wandered back from Wentworth and into Eric Bischoff's office at the arena. "I don't know about you, Eric, but I vaguely remember the last time Eugene encountered Triple H and his band of glorified thugs-"
"Be careful what you say, Regal," Bischoff quickly warned. "The walls have ears and as you and I know they're particularly treacherous."
Regal scowled at having been caution like that, but he bit back any more insults and continued. "Listen, Evolution has beaten and humiliated Eugene once. All I'm saying is that if you feel any responsibility at all for your sister's son you will forget this nonsense!"
Regal had Eugene's best interests in heart, Eugene knew that, but in some situations he wished that he could have his voice heard. Now was one such situation. But how to interject his opinion here? Hmm.
Bischoff looked irritated at having been told off by Regal and retaliated. "The boy came here to wrestle, and like it or not, his best chance of continuing to do that is under the influence of someone who's already established himself in the business. Triple H, as you know, is the perfect person. If there is anyone who can help cement Eugene's standing in this business, it's Hunter. Don't you want him to succeed??"
"Of course, but not at the risk to his safety!" Regal countered.
"Oh talk all you like; the bottom line is that this is Eugene's decision," at that Eric Bischoff turned to face his nephew. "Well, how about it, Eugene? What do you say about joining Hunter and his friends? He's your favorite wrestler, right?"
Finally, an opening in which to add his own two cents. Eugene pretended to think carefully about the matter. "But Triple H hurt me…" he said thoughtfully.
"That's right, Eugene," Regal said, nodding. "He strung you along and then took advantage of your naivety. He is not the right companion for you."
"No, that was just a misunderstanding!" Bischoff stepped in, quick to remedy the situation. "Hunter was surprised that you would accept that challenge from Chris Benoit. He thought that you were the one turning on him and so his actions were only to protect his friends and himself. I'm sure that if he found out you didn't mean it he'd be your friend again."
"How on earth do you sleep at night what you blather such utter bull?" Regal asked him, flabbergasted.
At that moment Eugene was trying his best not to laugh. Both Bischoff and Regal looked completely ridiculous quarrelling among themselves while having to explain something to what they thought was a childish mind. Now, however, Eugene decided to get their attention and cleared his throat a little bit. Surprisingly it worked and both men stopped their arguing to look at him expectantly.
"Can I think about it, Uncle Eric?" Eugene asked.
Bischoff gave in to that. "All right, Eugene. You have a week to think about it, but don't let William Regal here make the decision for you. Okay?"
"Okay, Uncle Eric!" Eugene said, smiling as inanely as he could before jumping up off the couch and heading to the door.
Just as he was about to exit he heard Regal whisper angrily to Bischoff, "This is not over yet," before following him outside.
Eugene had to smile. Regal was over protective, and long ago Eugene had decided that that was a good thing. However, his uncle was right about one thing; this was solely Eugene's decision and nobody else would influence it.
»»»
Outside Eric Bischoff's office Eugene stepped from the door and nearly collided into someone else. "Hey, watch it!" a voice demanded.
Startled, Eugene turned and found himself staring straight into the brown eyes of Gail Kim. Eugene was always more than a little dazzled by the Korean/Canadian diva. To him her tanned skin was flawless, her lips pink and lovely when smiling and her jet-black hair always gleaming in the light. If there was one person on the roster that Eugene didn't fake speechlessness from it was Gail; when he would meet her all words, even the most simple ones, seemed to fade from his head.
Gail's initially harsh expression softened at the sight of Eugene. Unlike most others, she didn't find Eugene's childish mannerisms at all irritating; in fact she thought them endearing. Sure she came off as a conniving little vixen to most everyone else, but around Eugene she found that affecting airs and pretences were useless and so she dropped them. For all her faults Gail was never untowardly mean to anyone who couldn't defend himself or herself, and to her Eugene was one such person.
"I'm sorry," Eugene now managed to stammer out shyly.
"It's all right, Eugene, forget it," Gail said, shrugging their near collision off. "Visiting your uncle again?"
"Yes, and you wouldn't believe what odious little scheme he's cooked up for his nephew this time," Regal said in distaste. "Are you here to see him as well?"
"Yeah, Eric promised that he and I would drive back to the hotel together," Gail answered.
Eugene hoped he hadn't winced at that. It was common knowledge that Gail and Bischoff had frequent trysts together and he loathed it.
She turned to him and all hate seemed to melt away, at least momentarily. "Scheme? What does your uncle want you to do now?" she pursed her lips disapprovingly. Gail disliked it when Bischoff took advantage of his nephew.
"Nothing," Eugene immediately blurted out, clutching Regal's sleeve at the same time to keep him from telling her himself. The last thing he wanted was for Gail to interject on his behalf. "It's my decision, he said," Eugene answered to his trainer's baffled look.
Gail still looked perturbed but decided to respect Eugene's choice. "All right then, Eugene. But make sure that it's the right one, okay?" she patted his arm affectionately before slipping past them and into Eric Bischoff's office.
William Regal watched Eugene watch Gail go and hid a small frown. He wasn't completely blind; he could see Eugene was infatuated with the diva. He just hoped that it wouldn't complicate the boy's standing in the company more than it already was.
»»»
"My decision…" Eugene murmured absently to himself as he strolled through the gardens of the prefect's castle.
Nothing is black and white; there is always a grey area. His mother had once told him that as well, and right now Eugene agreed with her wholeheartedly. In every situation there were pros and cons and this was no exception.
The reasons for rejecting this offer were quite obvious. Lord Helmsly was more cunning, cruel and manipulative than his uncle could ever aspire to be in his life, and that made Eugene already understandably hesitant. Another was he had had his own run-in with the nobleman in the past, and the skirmish that followed resulted in him receiving a beating that required immense medical care. Eugene was not looking forward to a repeat episode.
But then there were the upsides as well. Lord Helmsly was undoubtedly the most powerful man in this half of the kingdom, and those he favored he thrust into stations of authority. Like any man Eugene craved power, but not in a way that his uncle did. He wanted power to better himself and the people around him. If not, what was it good for, then?
As the angel and devil fought over his head he continued past the rose bushes and weeping willows and presently came upon a person by the pond. There, seated, was Gwendolyn Kim, trailing her fingers over the clear surface of the water.
Gwendolyn was a beautiful woman, exotic to Eugene, with her dark hair and dark eyes. In Eugene's eyes he found her more exquisite by the day, and now he thought her particularly stunning, the sunlight reflecting on her shiny, back hair, her yellow dress simple so as not to overshadow her natural beauty. Any fool would only have to look at Eugene as he looked at her to know that the young man was clearly besotted with her. He would have somehow managed to convey his feelings to her, even through his shyness, if not for one problem. She was his uncle's favorite courtesan.
Now Gwendolyn looked up and, upon spotting him, waved pleasantly. Her smile erased all present conflict in Eugene's head and he smiled back, summoning his courage to walk up to her.
"I'm glad that I am not the only one out here enjoying the flowers," she greeted. "Hello, Eugene. And how are you today?"
"Quite well, Gwendolyn," Eugene said in reply, trying to quell his nervousness. "And you?"
"Same old," she said impishly. And then she gazed into his face. "I saw you and Sir Regal exit your uncle's chambers this morning. You seemed troubled then. Was there anything wrong?"
"Wrong? No," Eugene answered prudently. There was no need to drag her into this matter. "It was just a simple matter, one of no great importance."
Gwendolyn didn't look like she believed him, but stood up anyway with a smile. "Well, your uncle has insisted that I spend the day with him, and he would have me think that THAT is of great importance," she laughed. "I'm afraid that I'll have to leave you to wander the gardens alone. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not," Eugene said, although it pained him to have to let her leave, and especially to see his uncle at that.
She smiled again, warmly. "Maybe next time we can walk together. Goodbye for now, Eugene, and take care of yourself," with that word of adieu she turned, waved, and then walked back in the direction of the castle walls.
Power. Power to better himself. Power to better those around him. And now Eugene thought of another use for power - to overthrow his uncle. A small frown crossed his face as he watched Gwendolyn leave. Yes, that was what he wanted. His decision had been made.
cont'd
Damnit... My original manuscript was better… I was more concise in that one than here; here I blathered on like an idiot. Well, I suppose it has the same idea anyway. Hmm… Bojacky is right; this is a different flavor from my other stories. I probably should change the humor tag; either that or stick in a variety of comedy relief. Jericho as the court jester, anybody?
So what do you guys thinks so far? Like I said, I'm not very good when it comes to romance, and I know that Gail Kim and Eugene may be the oddest (heterosexual) pairing to come out in a long time. I thrive on feedback! Comment on anything, and I promise I'll try to make it better!
