Hey guys
This is the second last chapter of Between Friends ... oh please, put the tissues away ... it wasn't that bad lol
anyway ... you know the drill by now, i own NOTHING ... i disclaim etc etc
many thanks to Sian, Dani, Dorinda and P Dizzle for reviewing - P, your review made my day
i was really hoping to get this to 20 chapters ... but with the epilouge as the next chap. 19 will just have to do
anywho, happy reading ... you all know reviews are greatly appreciated! ...
From ONE TWO THREE!
John's face was etched with concern. Something was up. Suddenly, he found himself being knocked back between the ropes and into the ring. Before he knew it, he found himself with a petite brunette sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him.
"Don't.You. Ever. Scare. Me. Like. That. Again!" Maria cried, punctuating each full stop with a chaste kiss to John's lips. He gathered her in close, pulling her body against his own.
"Never," he whispered, hugging her. This was it, he realised. She was his, forever.
"You better not,"she replied softly.
"Not a chance Ri," he gently pushed her off his lap so he could stand. He laced his fingers through hers and pulled her up beside him, not wanting the moment to end. Unfortunately, they were both still standing in the middle of the ring, in the view of their friends and millions of fans around the world.
"OI! Get a ROOM!" Jericho called out to a round of laughter. However, the laughter was short lived.
The lumber jacks stood congratulating each other on a job well done, as Phil was stretchered out of the ring, much to the amusement of the fans. Benoit stepped back into the ring, raising both the hands of Maria and John to the crowd. Benoit then pulled Maria too the side of the ring as John grabbed a microphone. He looked like hell; blood encrusted all over his jean shorts, through his hair and smeared across his chest. Mottled bruises covered his frame. Scratched laced his back and he would have a hell of a shiner covering his left eye when he woke up tomorrow, but he wanted to take some time to thank his fans.
"Are you happy now?" Benoit asked Maria teasingly where they stood.
"Very," she replied, blushing. John winked at her before addressing the crowd, and she melted. This boy was too much.
"Tonight ... "John began."Wasn't just about me. Tonight was about this beautiful girl standing to my right, to these soldiers standing before me, to all of you out there ..."
"Tonight, was about my business being shamed!" Thundered a voice from the stage.
"Tonight, and last week for that matter, was about the disgrace brought on to my family, and this company by those people who decided to take matters into their own hands."
"I WANT AN EXPLANATION! I WANT EVERY WRESTLER IN THAT DRESSING ROOM OUT HERE NOW! EVERY DIVA, EVERY INTERVIEWER! OUT HERE, AND IN THIS RING!"
"NOW!"
Hell hath no fury, like Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
here we go ...
"EVERYONE IN THIS RING! NOW!" Vince screeched. "DIVAS, WRESTLERS, ALL OF YOU!"
A despondent line of wrestlers, divas and staff wove their way to the ring.
Shawn Micheals, Charlie, Paul, Rob, Glen, Eugene, Show and Carlito joined John, Maria and Chris Benoit inside the square, Benoit holding open the ropes for Torrie and Trish. The group gathered on the back half of the ring, joined by Lillian, who gave everyone a friendly smile. She really wasn't a friend of Johns and Marias, but she was very close with Benoit and Jericho, who welcomed her with open arms.
Beth and Ashley hopped into the ring followed by the Grish.
"The shit's about to hit the fan," Beth muttered to Trish, as she and Ashley went to stand beside the former Womens Champion. Trish simply nodded. To be honest, she was more than a little worried about what was going to happen. Sure, Stephanie and Linda were on their side, but Vince was the Chairman of the WWE. Heads were going to roll.
Minutes later, they were all in the ring. Masters, Danny Basham, Snitsky, Rene Dupree, Val Venis, Rob Conway, and Viscera were standing clumped in one corner. Adam, Candice, Lita, Victoria and Mickie James were nowhere to be seen. Vince was absolutely fuming. "Where is Adam Copeland? I said, I wanted that locker room empty!"
Unbeknownst to Vince, Adam wasn't even in the Arena. Ashamed of the way Phil had bowed down to the 'man' he had left as soon as John had got the pin, Lita, Candice, Victoria and Mickie James along side him.
"EDGE, if you don't make it out here right now, with the rest of those damn divas, you'll be the first to suffer! I SWEAR IT, GET YOUR ASS TO THE RING!"
Nothing happened. Vince was beside himself.
"Fine!" He yelled, storming around the top of the ramp. "Where do I begin? Where do you people get off deciding what is best for my business! Changing storylines, doing as you please! I told you all, that under no circumstances what-so-ever, were you to get involved in this situation, yet you did it anyway! Mr Jacobs, you were the instigator of this if I'm not mistaken! It was you, who led the charge against OVW! AM I CORRECT?" he fumed.
Glen simply nodded. "Guilty as charged Vince. But I did it for the right reasons. See, the thing is, recently the storylines have been .."
"GOD DAMNIT JACOBS! I don't need your ridiculous commentary on the situation, I know it was you!" Vince interupted. "And I don't particularly care about your reasons for doing it either! Come to think of it, I don't even care about YOU right now! Or you, Micheals! I don't care about Hass, Van Dam, any of you! Hell, not even you Triple H! You're all in trouble, don't doubt that for a second! Your time will come! Right now, I have a score to settle with one person!"
The wrestlers in the ring grinned, and the audience started to buzz. They all knew who Vince was talking about. Phil was going to get it now!
"Bah God King!" Exclaimed JR. "CM PUNK is in for it now!"
Imagine their surprise when the name he bellowed wasn't Phils.
"JOHN CENA, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
Standing beside Maria, John cocked an eyebrow toward the Chairman. Gesturing to Lillian for a microphone, he pushed his way to the front of the group. "My fault?" he asked in disbelief."How is this stuff up my fault? Did I ran around like a mad man terrrorising WWE Superstars? Did I attack one of my own and put them in hospital? No! This is not all my fault!"
"YOU HEARD ME! DON'T PLAY DUMB CENA! YOUR FAULT, ALL OF IT!"
"Dad, I don't think so," a voice interjected from the side of the stage. Stephanie McMahon strolled across the stage, absolutely seething."This mess never would have happened if you hadn't hired CM PUNK! He was the one who started this! Without him, we wouldn't be having this problem!"
Vince spun around, ready to attack his daughter for making that statement."CM PUNK WAS A FINE ADDITION TO THIS ROSTER!"
"Oh yeah Dad," Stephanie retorted. "He was determined to kill the current WWE Champion and destroy this locker room! He was prepared to divide our wrestlers, and turn them against each other for his own personal gain! Not only that, he would have stopped at nothing to get his hands on Maria - you saw it with your own eyes Dad, and so did everybody in this audience!" The crowd, who had been silent while Vince shot his mouth off were now finding their voice. An array of cheers for Steph and John were rippling through the arena, loud chants of 'Stephanie, Stephanie' and 'Cena, Cena' mingled together as the crowd raged.
"I will not have you attempt to undermine me!" Vince hissed."PUNK was a great competitor! I've never seen a man so determined to get the job done! He is fantastic, always maintains his character, and is a great heel! Just because he was a little ... how should I put it .. driven, he still made a great addition to this show!"
Stephanie smiled smugly at her father. "When was he a fine addition Dad? You brought him up from OVW, gave him a chance and how does he repay you? The result? He brought his Invasion, his 'crusaders'," Stephanie's voice was dripping with venom, and rightly so. "He put John Cena in hospital, which delayed storylines, caused disruptions in the back, and he threatened and physically assaulted Maria! What do you have to say now?"
Stephanie shot a look of apology at Maria, she didn't want to have to be the one to say all of these things, and possibly make her feel even worse than she already did, but Vince had to see what was going on! Maria smiled softly, mouthing 'it's okay Steph,' to her boss before moving forward to the front of the pack to stand near John again. He looked a little unsteady, and he was flanked by Shawn and Charlie who were trying to keep him standing upright; the loss of blood and harsh beatings made it remarkable for him to be to be still standing as it was, let alone facing the wrath of Vince. She looped her arm through his, and he smiled down at her, grabbing her hand tightly. "Love you," he said softly.
"Where did that come from?" Maria asked quietly, a little taken back.
The Champ shrugged. "I just wanted to tell you. Is that okay?" Maria's eyes were dancing with pleasure, her smile lighting up her entire face. John chuckled in amusement. "I guess that's a yes." Turning their attention back to Vince, John lifted the mic to his mouth. "Vince, you want to blame this on me, fine. Whatever. But the Chain Gang stands strong ! You can't keep us DOWN!"
"No?" asked Vince slyly, a perculiar look crossing his face. "Surely, I can't keep the entire Chain Gang down ... but I can suspend their lead soldier."
John burst forward. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh I think I would. And I'd have to take away your title as well. You see Mr Cena, I think it's great when the fans are on your side. You're happy, which makes me happy. There's a reason you've had the title for almost a year now, and that's because you make me money. But now, it's time for a change, time to place the belt on someone new and refreshing. You see, you still have a lot to learn Cena - the most important thing being - DON'T CROSS THE BOSS!" he spat. "Effective immediately, the World Heavyweight Title is vacated. And John .. how about a little 3 week vacation?"
"Dad!" Stephanie interjected. "You can't!"
"I can. I have. And I just did." Vince glared. "And as for the rest of you pathetic excuses for wrestlers, you're ... "
"We're all going on a ... summer holiday," Shawn sang jovially, grabbing the microphone off John. "Cena gets a holiday, I want one too!"
"Me too! " spoke up Charlie and Benoit indignantly.
"I wouldn't mind a holiday with Steph, " Paul spoke up. "Can I have three weeks off as well? What do you think baby? Hawaii? Somewhere warm? Maria, John, you can come too if you'd like. We'd have a blast - learning how to hula ... lying on the beach ... girls in bikinis ..."
Glen looked across at Rob and the others, who all nodded at him. "Make that booking to Hawaii for all of us won't you John? We can get a group discount of our flights if we book together, right Vince?"
Torrie looked at Trish, Ashley, Lillian and Beth, whose eyes were gleaming. The girls were clutching at their stomachs, trying hard not to laugh; honestly; what would Vince do if he had no one for RAW next week? Torrie weren't really worried about her jobs at this point, she knew Stephanie had Linda on their side, and they wouldn't let them go begging. What the hell she thought, if the boys aren't going to be here there's no way I'm coming into work! "Sorry Vince, but your divas are going on strike. Good luck putting a show together for next week!" she laughed.
"But ... what ... you can't ..." Vince spluttered, before regaining his composure. "Fine! I don't need you lot anyway! I have enough Superstars to put on a show, no problem!"
"Actually, I'm afraid you don't."
Vince spun around, as the voice of Linda McMahon blasted throughout the arena. As the wrestlers in the ring all looked in amazement, the brains of the WWE appeared on the Titantron. Sitting in what looked to be Vince's office, Linda was shuffling through a large pile of contracts in her hands.
"Before me I have contracts for Shelton Benjamin, Viscera, Gene Snitsky, Chris Masters and all five members of the Spirit Squad. The official contracts for Amy 'Lita' Dumas, current Women's Champion Mickie James, Candice and Victoria are here also. Now Vince, in these contracts, which you wrote yourself, upon consultation with WWE's legal team and the wrestlers themselves, are clauses which express the following." Linda cleared her throat before continuing. In the ring, the wrestlers who had been mentioned were starting to squirm. They knew exactly what those contracts said, and they knew they were done for."Ahem, excuse me. I quote, 'In the event that the wrestler in question displays misconduct by expressly ignoring or defying a command from a WWE representative, the WWE employee in question will face a suspension from all television and WWE programming, a suspension which will last for an indeterminate amount of time, effective immediately,' end quote. Now Vince, as per the instructions set out in these contracts, the above mentioned wrestlers are now set to take a little holiday themselves."
Vince's face was red ... then it turned an interesting shade of purple ... a greenish colour ... pink ... then all the colour drained away and his skin was a stark white. The Chairman looked like he was about to collapse. The full magnitude of the situation had just hit him; he'd just told a good half of his roster to take a holiday - a large majority of them main event wrestlers, and thanks to his own business smarts, he'd just eradicated any chance of the others being able to compete.
"As I was saying," Linda continued calmly, " the above mentioned wrestlers are now on ... hmm oh I don't know ... a two month vacation? Which also means, that Shelton Benjamin, the Spirit Squad and Mickie James must all relinquish their title belts. Therefore, if John is on 'holiday' also, the Heavyweight Title, the Intercontinental Championship, the Tag Team Titles, and the Women's Championship are all up for grabs. But unfortunately for you Vince, you only have a total of two Superstars eligible to wrestle for them. One, being a 'diva' of sorts. She's a rather strange contender for the Womens Chapionship, though in accordance with policy, she is a legitimate Superstar." Linda bent down to pick up a white fluffball from the floor. "Surely you know Chloe dear."
"A DOG!" Vince replied, dumbfounded. "I can't have a dog ... competing ... Championship!"
A snort could be heard from the ring. Torrie Wilson was bent over in laughter, tears in her eyes. "My dog, a contender for the belt? Oh man Vince, you're desperate alright!"
"Indeed, Torrie," smiled Linda."Yet the best is yet to come. The male Superstar, was away on Velocity and Heat when the events of recent weeks transpired. Now, he is back on RAW, and .. well .. he's all you've got left dear. Now, unless millions of people want to see two hours of this lunatic, and two hours of a dog next Monday, you need to do some fast thinking." A picture of Jonothan Coachman flashed up on the Titantron; obviously, he was the last resort. The audience was hysterical; booing and shouting. What would Vince degrade himself to to make the fans happy?
"Mom?"
"Yes, Stephanie?"
"Aren't you forgetting a little someone?"
Linda grinned. "Oh don't worry, I'm getting to them. But first, Mr Copeland. Adam, Edge, The Rated R Superstar, whatever he is calling himself these days! Since Adam has decided not to grace us with his presence tonight, I believe I will have to share the good news with you all myself. Firstly, as Adam was the first WWE Superstar to deflect to the OVW Invasion, coercing numerous others to join him, Adam will serve out a much harsher penalty than the rest of his accomplices. Now Adam, you have been a member of the WWE family for an awful long time now, and I don't want you to think that we're simply abandoning you out on the street like a lost puppy; we're not - we still expect a Christmas card every year! Aside from that .. I have a very simple phrase for you to remember ... in fact, you might as well share it with Lita as well, since you two seem to share everything else! Now listen carefully ... three small words ... you're - both - fired."
The crowd roared in delight. This was more like it! Adam was gone ... but what about Phil? The chants started up - "Phil's a DEADMAN, Phil's a DEADMAN!"
"Ah yes," Linda mused. "Phil Brooks."
"No!" Vince shouted. "You can deal with the other affairs, fair enough. But I am the Chairman of the WWE, and I remain the ultimate decision maker!"
"Vince, " Linda said, exasperated."What do you see in Phil? For all of the aforesaid reasons any fool can see that the man is a danger! Granted, together with Cena, the pair of them made ratings go through the roof! But the final word is this - look in the ring would you!"
Vince couldn't believe he was being pushed around by his wife, on international television no less. "Linda..."
"Don't 'Linda' me Vince!" she snapped. "Look at Maria! Look at John! Haven't they suffered enough?"
Vince warily gazed down at the ring. John was grasping Maria's hand as if his life depended on it. The pair had matching bruises it seemed; they were both adorned with cuts and sores, and John was still covered in blood, his own as well as Phil's, yet they seemed to be happier than ever. Maria looked more delicate than ever, her already petite figure showing the impact of the stress caused by Phil. Her collarbone stuck out, her eyes looked hollow, her hair limp. It had been a struggle, yet they had done it. John had fought for Maria and he had won. Now, he had the chance to love her, and let her live her life again. Who was Vince to stand in the way of that? Vince watched as Maria stood on tip toe to whisper something in Charlie Hass' ear. Charlie nodded, and slipping back to the announce table he grabbed something and headed back into the ring. Moving back to Maria he handed her the item. Thanking him profusely, she took her hand out of John's and placed JR's jacket around the Champs shoulders. Unable to move his arms unassisted due to the growing stiffness in his joints, she lovingly helped John move his arms into the sleeves, making sure he was warm enough. As she turned to stand beside him once more, he caught her hand and moved it slowly to his lips, placing a gentle butterfly kiss on the palm of her hand. Blushing, Maria whispered something to him, and he smiled. It was as if they were the only two in the room.
"Linda ... " Vince began.
"CM PUNK is no longer associated with World Wrestling Entertainment," Linda cut in. "Further more, I will be pressing charges personally in regards to the actions Phil Brooks took upon himself to subject upon our employees. That is, if the rest of the people in ring don't get to him first." A few of the guys nodded; Shelton, the Spirit Squad, and Viscera among them - it was Adam and Phil's fault that they were being suspended. They were going to pay. "Now, to make it official, I have two words for CM PUNK - and I'm sure that the audience would love to join me in saying them."
A second later, over 15 000 voices rang out in unison - "Punk - YOUUUUU'RRREEEE FIRRRRREEEDDD!
"Shelton Benjamin, Viscera, Gene Snitsky, Chris Masters, Nicky, Johnny, Mitch, Mikey and Kenny, I now ask that you leave the ring, and the arena immediately. Failure to do so, will see all of you automatically ejected from the premises. I suggest you get moving." The wrestlers started to head up the ramp forlornly. Thrilled at the prospect of seeing them leave, Jericho grabbed a microphone and began to sing, several voices joining him in chorus.
"Nah nah nah nah ... nah nah nah nah ... hey hey hey ... GOOD BYE! "Nah nah nah nah ... nah nah nah nah ... hey hey hey ... " The voices petered out as the defectors disappeared through the curtains, the crowd waving them goodbye and good riddance.
"Um ... yes Jericho ... that's one thing we've definitely missed on RAW ... your singing," Linda commented, wincing. "So much that I'd like to meet with you and Mr Gruner tomorrow, is that appropriate? It seems that we'll be needing some new talent ..."
Torrie squealed and hugged her husband. A meeting with Linda was great news - Pete could join RAW and they could travel together again! Could this night get any better? Vince had disappeared behind the curtain with the others, now all that was left in the ring were John and his compatriots. But what was happening with RAW next week? Were they suspended, or what?
"So, that holiday Paul, " Glen joked into the microphone. "Are you and Steph paying?"
"Oh I figure it's a tax write-off for sure," Paul responded, laughing. "But you don't seriously think we'll get a holiday will you?"
"Not likely Paul," Linda smiled. The pair jumped, they'd figured Linda had gone by now. "I'm afraid, that I'll be seeing all of you, our Champ John Cena included, next week on RAW. How does that sound?" Linda asked the fans. Cheering in delight, the fans jumped to their feet. "And I think we can throw in some title matches too - now please, Pittsburgh, help me out in applauding your favourite WWE Superstars!"
The fans screamed as their favourite wrestlers took turns jumping up on the turnbuckles to celebrate with them, Shawn and Charlie throwing t-shirts and assorted items into the crowd as they others circulated around the security barrier, talking to the kids and signing autographs. The crowd started to dissolve, packing up their belongings and heading out. There was a sense of electricity in the air, and they knew that what they had witnessed tonight had been the stuff of legend. Only Maria and John stayed in the ring, the Champ wrapping his arms around Maria's waist and holding her tight. She placed her hands loosely around his neck, and looked into his eyes.
"Sooooo Maria ... are you ready to spend the rest of your life with me pampering you like the queen you are?" John asked in all seriousness.
"The rest of my life?" she asked in mock horror. "You are going to shower first, right?" she giggled, wrinkling up her nose.
"Oh you're real funny girl," he replied sarcastically.
Gazing up at him she smiled. "How about we see how tonight pans out and take it from there?" she teased lightly. "I mean, you already know I love you, but we don't want to rush into things ..."
"Tonight is fine, princess. Whatever you want."
This chapter is really soppy ... but the next one will be worse hahaha
Criticism, praise, it's all welcome .. flame away if need be .. just push the button
hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!
