Authors' Note - Update ladies and gentlemen. Sorry it's taken so long, but this took me a while to write. I hope you guys enjoy. I'm still not sure on the wedding chapter, and there's no clear want of one from you guys, so this is your last chance to tell me if you want it. Lyrics are from 'My Prerogative'. As always, please read and review. I disclaim as always.
Trish exhaled slowly, breathing in the thick scent of Randy Orton. Burying her head even closer into his chest, he responded by wrapping his arms a little tighter around her body, crushing her to him. Dipping his head lower, Randy rained soft, loving kisses across the top of her head, leaving the feathery strokes tickling across the waves of her golden blonde hair. Trish had acted tough and prepared all day long, telling everyone she was as cool and collected as she could be considering the magnitude of this battle dawning upon her. But now she seemed to be crumbling under pressure.
The Main Event of Armageddon was more than well underway, with John Cena's entrance music flaring through the arena as Trish trembled in the warm embrace of Randy's arms. The other matches had seemingly passed in a blur, Trish's thoughts focused on her part to play in tonight's event. She had gotten through a backstage interview in a daze, not really remembering saying anything at all towards the end of the segment.
Trish was proud of how she'd lasted all day long, keeping her composure intact, but as soon as the Elimination Chamber had begun its slow descent for the arena roof the floor, Trish had become over-run with nausea. And with John Cena making his way down the ramp towards the ring to join Kane and Edge who were already locked inside their glass boxes, it hit home for Trish how very real this match was about to become.
Moreover, it had never occurred to Trish that she might have to begin this match, as she realised that there was only one glass compartment left to fill in the chamber. After that, the remaining two competitors would have to begin the match, waiting for another wrestler to be released and to enter the fray.
Which now meant that either she or Randy would be in the beginning of the contest, or possibly both. The odds of lasting to the final battle after entering first could easily be described as slim to none.
Trish had imagined herself somehow making it to the end of the match to face her fiancé, but never starting the contest against him.
Still, facing Randy was a blessing compared to taking on Triple H by herself. Trish wouldn't last five minutes against the mountain of muscle that made up the cerebral assassin, and he clearly knew it. A few feet away from where Trish was stood shaking, he was hopping back and forth from foot to foot, stretching his arms in a an effort to loosen himself up. Twisting his neck, he winked at the blonde Canadian wedged firmly between Orton's arms.
"You nervous kid?" Hunter's tone was amused, holding a hint of almost fatherly concern.
Trish had never really taken the time to get to know Hunter as a person. Sure, she knew him by proxy being friends with Stephanie, but she couldn't say she knew him past the superficial level.
Nodding her head in response to his question, Trish turned her attention back to the monitor. Cena was being locked behind a glass sheet, staring daggers across the ring towards Edge, the incumbent champion, who looked deeply concerned.
"Here we go." Randy whispered, stroking his hand down Trish's back, resting his palm at the base of her spine. An awful silence engulfed the arena, as everyone turned to the entrance way to see who would be the final competitor to be locked away. Swallowing her breath in an animated 'gulp' Trish stepped free of Randy's embrace to face the entrance way.
Randy studied her from behind, his face a mixture of nerves and concern. Clad in skin tight white vinyl pants, matched with a vest top made of the same material, Trish looked stunning. Randy grinned as his eyes travelled over the '100 Stratusfaction Guaranteed' emblazoned across her back, a throwback look to her earlier outfits.
Flooding his body with relief, Randy's heart skipped a beat as he heard the familiar 'giggle' filling the arena, receiving a huge ovation from the crowd. Confusion soon followed as an unfamiliar theme blasted through the speaker. Steeling herself to move through the curtain, Trish chewed on her bottom lip gently in an effort to strengthen her resolve. Glancing back over her shoulder, Trish offered a Randy a wink before taking the plunge and vanishing behind the curtain.
People can take everything away from you…but they can never take your truth…but the question is…can you handle mine?
Emerging on the staging, Trish felt herself knocked back as if hit by a gale force wind, the wall of sound crashing from the audience filling her senses for all around. Glancing towards the crowd, Trish felt tear's sting her eyes at the standing ovation she was receiving, even from this height making out the bold 'Marry Me Trish' and 'Thank you Trish' banners dotted around the audience. Raising her arm to salute the crowd, the screams became even louder, drowning out the explosion of pyrotechnics rocked the arena.
'They say I'm Crazy…I really don't care, that's My Prerogative. They say I'm nasty, but I don't give a damn, getting boys is how I live'
Slowly making her way towards the Chamber, Trish smiled at the decision of obtaining the rights to use this song as her theme for tonight. It had taken more money than most people made in a year to secure it, but she had gotten them in any event. Not a terribly huge Britney fan normally, for some reason the song spoke to Trish on a level that she didn't have the courage to feel normally. Gritting her teeth in determination, Trish used the song to energise herself, re-affirming her faith in herself and her ability. She was Trish 'fucking' Stratus. And if anyone could pull out a stunning victory in the most dangerous match of them all, it would be her.
'Some messy questions, why am I so real? But they don't understand me, I really don't know the deal about my sister, trying hard to make it right. Not long ago, before I won this fight…'
Stopping just short of the ring, Trish bent herself forward, stretching out the muscles of her lower back, her eyes focused on the demonic metal structure suffocating the ring.
This had to be the craziest thing she had ever done in her life. It was probably the craziest thing she would ever do. Fighting down the wave of nausea threatening to spill out of her throat, Trish stood up straight once more. She could do this. She would do this. It was time to show everyone in the arena, the boys backstage and every single person who had loved or loathed her throughout her storied career. She was Trish Stratus, and she backed down from no-one.
'Everybody's talking all this stuff about me, why don't they just let me live?
I don't need permission, make my own decisions.
That's My Prerogative.'
Jogging the steps into the ring, Trish gave one more salute to the crowd before stepping into the glass box that the referee pointed out to her. Directly across the ring from her, stood a grinning John Cena. Performing his well known salute, Trish giggled, giving him a sultry wink as she watched the glass slide into place before her.
This was it. She had made it to the main event, and she hadn't thrown up. Whatever came next, she could cope with. At least Trish hoped she could.
The opening strings of 'The Game's entrance theme caused a stir in the audience, as Triple H made his way to the ring, his face firmly focused on the metallic structure. He could be considered somewhat of a veteran of this match type. He had been in more Elimination Chambers than anyone else in this contest, and had the greatest win record than any other superstar on the roster. In was generally assumed that he had the biggest chance of walking out of the event as Champion.
The deafening cheers surrounding the arrival of Randy Orton seemed to cast doubt on that, however, as it seemed the crowd were firmly behind the St. Louis native. Trish couldn't help but grin with pride as Randy made his way to the entrance ramp. The shower of golden sparks raining down behind him silhouetted his appearance, slowly fading away as he strutted towards the ring.
Even from this distance, Trish could make out the cocky expression on Randy's face, seemingly unfazed by the prospect of being in this match. Throwing a glance Trish's way, Randy offered a brief nod of assurance as he entered the ring, squaring off against his former stable-mate and mentor. The record books showed that Randy had lost to Triple H before in this kind of match-up. If nothing else went down in this event, Randy made sure that wouldn't happen again.
No sooner had the door locked after Randy's entrance, that the two wrestlers lunged each other locking up in a collar-and-elbow tie up. The two jostled and shoved each other, trying to gain the advantage in position. Both were equally matched in height, but Hunter had a definite weight advantage, which he tried to use against Orton. Randy was prepared for the tactic, and used a burst of strength to hook Hunter into a tight headlock.
Watching from her glass booth, Trish pressed her hands against the glass, eyes focused intently on the match before her. Slowly, she was becoming accustomed to her surroundings, as her nerves lessened to a more manageable state.
It seemed to wash over Trish, the sensation that she was in a huge match up, facing some of the greatest male performers in the business. No-one had ever believed almost seven years ago when she had made her debut, that she could be standing in such a match, for nothing less than the WWE Championship.
Scoffing at the idea, Trish grimaced in disgust as she watched Edge being released from his glass cage after the countdown, and promptly spearing Randy to the mat. Trish had been on the receiving end of that particular move several times in the past, and first hand experienced how painful it was. For now however, Trish could only watch on as Edge and Triple H took it in turns to beat down Randy, eagerly dismantling the younger contender.
The seconds seemed pass by as hours as Trish watched on helplessly as Randy was slowly beaten down. If Trish could hear JR, she imaged he would be describing it as nothing better than a 'mugging'.
Pounding her fists against the glass, Trish watched in abject fear as Kane was the next to be released. Terrified he would join in the assault against Randy, she breathed a soft sigh of relief as the 'Big Red Machine' went straight after Triple H, unceremoniously clothes-lining 'The Game' to the mat, before landing a boot straight in the champion Edge's face. Kane stood tall over Triple H and Edge, before setting his sights on Randy.
Gripping the beaten Orton by the neck, he sent a sick smile towards Trish as he hoisted Randy up onto his shoulder, into what could be described as a fireman's carry.
Realising in abject horror as to what Kane was going to do, Trish screamed at him to stop. But it did no good, as Kane launched Randy like a javelin from his shoulder, sending the young legend killer straight into the steel chains that made up the wall of the Chamber. Randy's head connected solidly with the unforgiving steel, before dropping into a crumpled heap of the cold steel flooring. Orton made no attempt to move, even as the referee ran to his side.
Fighting back the bile in her throat, Trish watched on, relieved that the other three competitors in the match seemed intent on beating the hell out of each other than focusing on Randy. Triple H seemed to have gained the upper hand on Kane, who had just slammed Edge down to the mat with unbridled force. The two traded stiff right hands back and forth, but Hunter's cunning came into play as he managed to slyly best the larger man.
Noting the spotlight floating between herself and John Cena, Trish hope she would be released next. All the waiting around in the box was beginning to agitate her past a point of rational thinking. Randy hadn't made any sorts of movement, and she guessed he was knocked out cold. More than anything, she wanted to make sure he was okay. Then would come the ass beating she was intent on delivering.
It seemed she would have to wait a while longer, however, as John Cena was released into the fray. Cena nearly took Triple H's head off with a stiff clothesline, as Kane choke-slammed Edge to the mat, seemingly breaking the Champion in two. John pounced on Kane, grabbing the larger man by the head and used his massive momentum against him, sending him cleanly over the top rope and into the metal structure. His skull lost the battle with the steel support post, and Kane ricocheted backwards, landing awkwardly on his back. Face down on the cold steel, the monster made no efforts to re-enter the match.
Adrenaline pumping, John pulled Edge back to his feet, before slamming him back down again with his patented 'F-U'. Dropping into a cover, the three count was sounded against Edge, making him the first superstar to be eliminated from the match. This now meant that there would definitely be a new WWE Champion at the end of this contest. It now only remained to be seen who.
As Triple H and John began to brawl, Trish noted with a sense of hope that Randy was slowly beginning to get back to his feet. Twisting his head, Trish could now see the ugly bruise resting above his left eye, complete with a deep gash, spitting blood down the side of his face, melting into his hairline. Trish winced at the sight of the crimson liquid on Randy's face. Thudding her hands against the glass caging, Trish wanted out - and she wanted it now.
As if answering her wish, the glass sheet slid aside, releasing Trish to a huge ovation from the crowd. Immediately darting to the left, Trish swung directly for Kane, who was beginning to rouse himself. Dipping her body, Trish launched into a running drop-kick through the top and middle rope, smashing her feet into Kane's face with unrelenting force, ramming his head into the steel wall of the chamber.
Knocked out cold, Kane was in no position to fight out of Trish's cover, and was promptly eliminated by the Canadian diva, much to the screams and cheers from the audience.
Turing her attention Randy, Trish dived back into the ring. Eyes firmly on her lover, Trish dashed toward him, not noticing that Hunter had bested John and was making a beeline towards her. All to late Trish saw the advancing Hunter, feeling the knee-shot to her gut before she saw it. All the air being forced out of her lungs, Trish collapsed to the mat, gripping at her chest, grunting in pain with what little oxygen she had. Grinning, Hunter dropped into the cover on Trish.
Hunter was too heavy to enable Trish to kick out of the pin, and she was too far from the ropes to get a 'rope-break'. Angered more than anything else, Trish pulled her arm free, smashing an elbow shot directly onto the bridge of the Game's nose. Cursing in pain, he rolled free of Trish just short of the three count, holding his nose which released a steady stream of blood, allowing her to crawl beneath the bottom rope to Randy's side. Triple H reached for Trish's ankle as she moved, but was prevented from it courtesy of an elbow drop onto his lower back from John Cena.
Dipping through the ropes, Trish could see Orton was clearly disoriented, as he struck his arm out towards whoever was coming closer towards him. Trish easily dodged the sloppy blow, kneeling up next to him. Taking his head between her hands, Trish forced his gaze onto her. Staring into Randy's crystal blue eyes, Trish felt her heart sink to her feet, realising that he was having difficulty focusing on her.
Praying that the concussion wasn't too serious, Trish slung Randy's arm over her shoulder, using all the strength in her leg muscles to stand up and drag Randy with her. Unsteadily, Randy rose, holding into Trish as a support.
"Fucker beat me…" Randy slurred, his head resting against Trish's.
"Not yet. Walk it off Orton." Trish instructed through gritted teeth, helping Randy through the ropes. Hazarding a glance back towards John and HHH, Trish could see John about to become the victim of a pedigree. Launching herself through the rope, Trish landed a stinging 'Chick Kick' onto the back of The Game's head, sending him sprawling to the mat as John staggered on his feet.
Turning back to Randy, Trish swore as she saw he had slumped back down onto the mat, resting against the turnbuckle, both eyes rolling back into his head. Rushing to his side, Trish wasn't given the chance to do any good as she felt her hair gripped from behind. Turning in the grip, she was faced with concentrated face of John Cena. Sending a fist into Trish's gut, her eyes went wide with pain as she bent over at the blunt pain. The pain mixed with her confusion was enough to prevent Trish from performing any kind of defence, not that she could have against Cena's impressive force.
"Sorry Trisha." John uttered as he slung her over his shoulders in preparation for the 'FU'.
"You…will be…" Trish spat. Using her impressive flexibility to her advantage, Trish swung her legs free of John's grip, back around his torso in a wide arc, performing a stunning counter of John's finisher, smashing his face into the mat courtesy of the DDT she was performing.
Rolling onto her knees, Trish once again felt herself being gripped by the hair, this time by the red face game. Not given a chance to get back to her feet, Trish felt her head shoved between his legs, her arms hooked up. Knowing if she was pedigreed, it would be the end for her, Trish gritted her teeth in resolve. Dipping her head, she swung it back up with all the force she could muster.
In the battle between the back of her skull and Hunter's gentiles, Trish clearly won, much to the groan from the male members of the audience. Triple H staggered backward, directly into the waiting path of John Cena, who once back to his feet, dropped HHH with the 'FU'.
Dropping into the cover, John kept his eyes focused on Trish as the referee counted the fall against Triple H.
Three down. Three remaining.
Slowly, John and Trish began to circle each other in the ring, neither taking their eyes off one another. John went on the offensive, throwing himself towards Trish.
Prepared for this, Trish dipped, snatching John's arm into her own, pulling him into a deep arm-drag sending his body crashing to the mat. The crowd cheered wildly for Trish, who giggled appreciatively, taunting John to come back at her.
Back to his feet, Trish found herself a little unnerved by the grim look of determination on Cena's face. Grunting with frustration, he charged towards Trish, fully prepared to plough into with all the force of a truck.
He was never given the chance however, as Randy Orton appeared from nowhere, catching Cena unaware into the 'RKO'. The impact of Cena's face into the mat sent a shudder down Trish's spine. She knew there was no-way anyone would get up from that. And as she had suspected, Cena made no attempt to kick out of Randy's cover.
Which left it at two.
Trish Stratus vs. Randy Orton, for the WWE Championship. Somehow, Trish had always known it would have to come down to this. Indeed, Vince had done everything he could to engineer this turn of events, using every last inch of his considerable resources to pit Legend against Legend Killer. And here they were.
Exhaling softly, Trish backed up towards the corner. She had escaped serious injury so far in this match, utilising her speed and agility to its fullest, but the match was far from over. The nerves and adrenaline which had been pumping through her veins for the course of this match had now ebbed away, leaving her muscles with a deep feeling of exhaustion. Dipping into a defensive stance, Trish's legs felt as though each leg was lined with lead, her feet encased in cement.
Conversely, Randy seemed to have gained his second wind, the sparkle in his eyes resuming in earnest as he coldly regarded Trish. He had told himself he'd been prepared for this moment, that it was what he…no they had both wanted. But now it was finally here, Randy honestly didn't know if he could go through with putting his hands on his future wife, to say nothing about deliberately causing her physical pain.
Trish apparently didn't have that problem. She was upon him before he had time to react, taking him down with the 'Air Canada', launching stiff right hands' into the side of his head. Groaning in pain, Randy grabbed Trish's waist pushing her upwards with all of his strength. Gripping his head, Randy tried to get the world to stop from spinning, unaware of what had happened to Trish.
She had flown through the air, arcing wildly, landing hard on the back of her neck. Grabbing at the sore area, Trish yelped in pain. Crawling towards the turnbuckle, Trish decided on a different plan of attack. Unsteadily scaling to the top rope, Trish reached the top rope. With more than a little hesitation, she turned to face Randy, who had been watching her every move. Tearing towards her from the other side of the ring, Trish realised it was all or nothing. If she didn't act, Randy would take her out from the top rope and it would be over. Reaching into the reserves of her strength, she launched herself into the air, coming down on Randy in a punishing cross body.
Collapsing on top of him, Trish made no effort to perform a technical cover, the burning in her chest more than enough to capture her attention. The referee dropped into the count regardless, which forced Randy to kick out, throwing Trish's body off his own. Rolling onto her back, Trish sighed in frustration.
"There's no fuckin' point if you're not trying." She growled through her teeth. If she was going to beat Randy, he had better to giving her 110 or there was just no point in being the match. She may as well lay down and be pinned.
"Fine," Randy exhaled as he sat up, cutting loose of his final inhibitions "this is gonna hurt." And with that simple statement, Randy dropped into a knee thrust against Trish's temple. Yelling in pain, Trish gripped at the side of her head, rolling out of Randy's reach.
Crawling beneath the bottom rope, Trish used them to pull herself into standing. She hadn't even looked up to face Randy when he connected against her with a stiff shoulder thrust. Knocked cleanly from the ropes, Trish felt her back met with the cold steel of the chamber. Unable to contain herself, she screamed aloud, clutching at the fire burning in her lower back, her spine feeling as though it had been shattered.
Dropping onto her front, she sniffed at the tears pouring down her throat. The pain was all consuming, and she was exhausted. Trish had been prepared for this. She knew there was a very real chance she was going to be hurt, and seriously. But some part of her never imagined it would be at Randy's hands.
You asked for this Trish. Not stop being such a girl and kick his ass! Resolved building inside, Trish allowed herself to be pulled back into the ring. As soon as Randy reached down to grab her, she launched her elbow into his face, sending him staggering backwards.
Back to her feet, and Trish launched at Randy, landing a stinging 'Chick Kick' into his temple. Screeching with the tearing feeling in her thigh, Trish knew she was beaten, whether Randy got back up or not. Luckily enough, even without his concussion, Randy wouldn't have lasted against such a move. As though he had been on the receiving end of a knock out punch, his body fell limply to the ground, much as Trish did, gingerly holding her leg to her.
Painfully slowly, Trish crawled across the ring towards her fallen lover, the crowd getting to deafening levels with every inch she crossed. Collapsing at his side, she flung her arm across her chest, pleading that this would be it. Her back was in agony, her neck throbbing and her right leg pretty useless now. The referee slid into position, beginning the count, the crowd already screaming at Trish as being the winner. Just short of hitting three, the referee backed up, saying the count was broken. Puzzled, Trish painfully lifted her head, her eyes exploding with tears as she realised what had happened.
Where Randy had fallen, his left arm had landed on the bottom rope. Effectively or otherwise, the count had to be broken. And as such, Randy was now beginning to stir. Rolling onto her back, Trish closed her eyes, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. For the first time in her life, she had nothing left. Her chest was raw from panting, her body more broken than it had ever been. She simply did not have it within her to get back to her feet.
Randy it seemed, was intent on helping her. Wrapping his arms around her body, he carefully pulled her body closer to his. His lips rested against her ear as he whispered gently.
"Turn your head into my neck and it'll soften the impact." Planting a brief kiss on her cheek, Trish realised he was giving her instructions on how to limit the damage from the RKO. And as she predicted, Randy gripped her head moving to drop her down into the move.
Somehow, Trish found the strength to block him. Call it a final sense of defiance, or maybe the fact she was drawing from the collective support of the crowd. Whatever it was, Trish used it, moulding it as her own. Planting both palms flat on Randy's lower back, Trish leaned into the push with everything she could muster. The move disrupted, Randy staggered unsteadily forward. Instinctively turning, Randy rebounded off the ropes back towards Trish who rammed an elbow shot into his gut. The Legend Killer doubled forward, the air being expelled all at once from his lungs.
Grabbing his head into a head lock, Trish saluted the crowd. Cheering wildly at the offering of 'Stratusfaction', the crowd were firmly behind the blonde Canadian as she rushed forward. Running with Trish, Randy had been prepared for her bulldog, and countered much as she had done him. Shoving at her lower back, Trish was thrown cleanly from Randy across the ring.
Raising his head, Orton's mouth gaped as the entire scene played in slow motion before his eyes.
Trish's petit body flung forward in the direction in which Randy had pushed her. Unable to stop herself, Trish thrashed forward, arms flailing uncontrollably as she screamed in horror as to was going to happen next.
A deadly silence engulfed the crowd, just as Trish's body slammed head first through the glass box where she had been held captive. Her tiny body smashed through the sheet of glass, shattering it all around her as she collapsed to the cold hard steel. Even from this distance, Randy could see the crimson streams of blonde emerging against her creamy skin, just as tears blurred his vision. In what felt like wading through mud, he stumbled forward to Trish's fallen body.
Her eyes closed firmly, Randy knelt next to her still body.
"Pin her!" came the voice interrupting his thoughts, "pin her so we can end this fuckin' massacre!" Randy heard the referee's growled words on some level, leaning carefully over Trish's body to do as he was told.
Randy didn't even hear the three count, a mixture of grief and exhaustion stealing away his senses. The last thing he could really remember was seeing Trish on a stretcher being carried from the ring, unconscious. The rest was a terrible blur, one which he found himself totally lost.
Randy was the new WWE Championship. But at what cost?
