A/N: Problems have started between Rosie and Grace just as Grace is about to go off and train with the Naturals , Shane Douglas , and Johnny Devine , wonder how this will affect the closeness between the Harris sisters .
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the wrestlers that appear in this story. I do own all of my OCs that may appear in this story and the story itself . I also own the Biohazard , Trifecta , and anything to do with them .
Chapter 22 : Training Regume Begins
Next Week - Franchise ' s Place
At the end of the following week , which was the last day of school for Grace and Rosie and the first day of Summer for those in school , Grace got out at Shane ' s place ready to start her training and think about what her dad told her before she left .
" This will help you get better , but please be careful and listen to them okay . " Chris hugging Grace before she left .
" Yes sir , " Grace said .
" I love you , Grace , " Chris said .
" I love you , too , dad . " Grace said .
Grace had to admit she liked Shane ' s property , it was very out of the way of the city life of Orlando , much like the Cowboy ' s cabin had been . You could actually hear the sounds of water trickling in the distances , creatures calling , and the rest of nature coming alive , but this was also a trip where she would be learning how to flight better so she could help the family deal with the Biohazard after them and any other villian who came after this .
" You ready , Grace ? " Chase looked at her with purpose .
" Yeah , lets get to training . " Grace said while she always felt safe and comfortable when she was around both Andy and Chase , she knew that now the Naturals had a different purpose outside of just being her friends .
" Come on , " Andy said leading both of them first to the house .
" Good , you are here , " Devine said .
" Shane , home ? " Chase asked .
" Yeah , " Devine letting them in .
As they walked in they notice Shane looking at what appeared to be a tape of Grace fighting against Biohazard .
" Where did that come from ? " Grace asked .
" Your dad and Storm ' s clinic from the fight against Biohazard . " Shane said turning to her .
" I thought the power went out at the clinic . " Grace said .
" It did , but the back up generators kept the security measures up at the clinic . " Shane said .
" So ? " Grace asked looking at Sanders as he , Gayda , and Kash had hightailed it before the authorities had gotten there to take the Agents and Goons away .
" You definitely have the drive and determination to fight and as well as some ability to fight whether this be from your family background , you being around wrestling for so long , or just born talented , but it also shows the sloppiness of a self-taught fighter . " Shane said .
" Why didn ' t you get your dad to help ? " Devine asked .
" I always wanted to get him and the Cowboy both to help , but both of them had so much going on that I didn ' t want to add my issues on top of it and dad this time three years ago really did think I was old enough to learn how to fight , so , I hid the fact that I was teaching myself after my arm healed from the Trifecta situation . " Grace explained .
" Alright , take her to where she will be spending the night here after training and then I want you to bring me everything you ' ve been training with or learning to fight from , Grace , " Shane said .
" Okay , " Grace said .
" Come with me , " Chase said leading her to the room she would be using while at Shane ' s house .
Grace thought about everything she had been using so far and realized that most of her tricks she had picked up through a book or internet .
" You have been extremely quiet today . " Chase said .
" I ' m fine , " Grace said making Chase look at her .
" Are you afraid ? " Chase asked looking at her .
" Never , " Grace looked at Chase seriously .
" Alright then , " Chase said .
Grace got out everything she had been using to learn how to fight and everything she had fought with which was the sticks she had been using recently .
" Come on , lets go back to Shane if you have everything . " Chase said as they went back to Shane .
Grace revealed everything she had been using to fight with and using to learn how to fight .
" While books and internet can definitely give you a way to learn techinques and you can always practice on a tackling dumby , its not the same as having someone to practice with and critique the way you are doing things . " Shane said .
" Grace , you were injured by Trifecta right ? " Devine asked .
" Yes , one of the Goons threw me into the wall upstairs at my dad ' s house where I received a concussion and then I speared one of them down the stairs where I broke my arm . " Grace said .
" The X - Division may need to watch out for you as well . " Devine said .
" Either way , how long did it take after that for you to start training ? " Shane asked .
" Concussion was gone in a couple of weeks , then the official clear so I could start physical therapy was about three months , so , let say five months after I broke my arm I started training on my own . " Grace said .
" What did you do ? " Andy asked .
" I started out by continuing what my dad had me doing which was getting my arm back in working order and then building up my body . " Grace said .
" When did you start practicing with the stick ? " Chase asked .
" Beginning of the year , I began reading up about fighting with a stick and start from there . At first , it was more like fighting with a kendo stick , but then I changed to the what I have now , the first stick I had wasn ' t thick enough so it broke . I got the white stick from Kazarian and started practicing with it up until Devine gave me the longer stick . " Grace said .
" I figured you had gotten the white stick from Kazarian , didn ' t he ask what you wanted with it ? " Devine asked .
" I think he kind of did , but really didn ' t press the issue . " Grace said .
" Have you ran into any difficulty while using the longer stick ? " Devine asked .
" The difference in length and weight was something I had to get use to at first , but other than that not really . " Grace said .
" Alright , I think we definitely have a schedule set for her . " Shane said .
" And that is what exactly ? " Chase asked .
" Conditioning in the morning , hand - to - hand combat midday , and then later in the afternoon Devine can teach her how to use that stick better . " Shane said .
" Right , just don ' t tell my dad about the whole hand - to - hand combat , he tends to worry about that sort of thing . " Grace said .
" Wildcat can get over it , " Andy said .
" Alright then , " Grace said .
" Maybe I should tell you that the one you need to keep up with in your conditioning is Andy . " Shane said .
" Conditioning as in running and stuff like that ? " Grace asked .
" That would be right . " Andy said standing in front of her .
" Storm says you break the sound barrier when you run . " Grace said .
" He should know as I have out ran him at times . " Andy said .
" That ' s not hard , " Devine said .
" Alright , leave all of that there and come with me . " Shane said leading them out to a track a little ways away from the house .
" Last chance to turn back . " Chase said .
" I turn back now then I break my promise to protect my family and I don ' t break my promises , Chase . " Grace said with purpose .
" Hold on to that promise and use it to make yourself better by training and working hard . " Shane said .
" I will , " Grace said determined .
With the training started with the guys having her start conditioning by her running after Andy around the track , following him up the bleachers and back down , pushups , sit-ups , and other conditioning exercises to build up the core body strength .
" Faster Grace , " Shane ordered .
" And here I thought only D ' Amore gave orders like that . " Devine said as Chase adjusted his bandana .
" Yeah , " Chase said .
" What are you doing ? " Devine asked .
" What ' s it look like ? " Chase asked .
" Like you are going to start running , " Devine said .
" Well , conditioning , I need to get this shoulder back in working order before the next Biohazard attack . " Chase said before taking off .
Devine started whistling as Shane looked at him .
" What ? " Devine said .
" You going to stand there ? " Shane asked .
" I ' m letting Chase get a head start cause it won ' t take me long to catch him . " Devine said .
" Really , " Shane said .
" X - Division remember . " Devine said .
" Get going , " Shane with a look that said he better listen .
" Fine , " Devine said running after Chase catching up with him in no time .
Chase looked at him confused .
" What ' s the matter Natural , feeling the pressure ? " Devine asked .
" No , just wondering what made you join the running league . " Chase said .
" Shane gave me one of those looks he normally gives you and Andy . " Devine said .
" Yeah , those are creepy . " Chase said .
" Yep , and now you have to keep up with me , Chase . " Devine said running ahead of Chase .
" Challenge excepted , " Chase catching up with Devine .
" Alright then . " Devine said .
They continued to train like that all morning to the Naturals training like that with Shane , for Devine it wasn ' t much different than training with Scott D ' Amore , and while Grace could keep up with Andy towards the tail end it was definitely getting to her , but she didn ' t complain and continued to keep up with Andy the best she could .
" Getting tired ? " Andy asked .
" No , " Grace said remembering her promises and using it to keep up with Andy .
" You sure ? " Andy asked .
" Andy , I haven ' t tapped yet and I don ' t plan on doing so . " Grace said with purpose .
" Then try and keep up . " Andy said speeding up a little with Grace keeping up right behind him .
When Shane finally allowed them to let up with the conditioning Grace thought she was about to collapse from exhaustion .
" Stay up , girl . " Shane said .
" Sure , " Grace said trying to shake off the feeling putting a hand next to the pocket of her workout pants remembering the picture she had of her with her mom holding her and her dad standing behind them , the same picture she found with videotape of her mom singing her lullaby .
" Grace , " Andy said .
" I ' m fine , " Grace said taking a deep breath and coming back to reality feeling her strength coming back to her as if the memory of her parents revived her somehow and made her remember what she was training for and made her remember her promise .
" Alright , " Devine said looking at Grace who seemed like she was about to fall over before , but then seemed better in no time wondering where she was finding the strength .
" Okay , follow me . " Shane said wondering the same thing about Grace .
Shane lead them to a building where she would learn hand - to - hand combat and other means to fight outside of using a weapon like her sticks .
" So , who am I going to have keep up with now ? " Grace asked .
" Chase , " Shane said .
" Has your shoulder healed enough for this ? " Grace asked .
" My shoulder is fine , " Chase said .
" Okay then , " Grace said .
" AMW is known for their brawling skills , so , I must ask can you use your hands to fight even a little bit or primarily a weapon ? " Devine questioned .
" I may not be a Southpaw like my dad or rugged like the Cowboy , but I can throw a punch if I need to . " Grace said .
" Get in the ring , Grace . " Shane said as Chase was already in the ring in the center of the building .
Grace did what she was told stepping between the ropes and into the four-sided ring instead of six sides she was use to in TNA .
" Hmm , " Grace said .
" What ? " Chase asked .
" Been around TNA so long I ' m not use to a ring with four sides . " Grace said .
" There ' s not much difference , " Andy said .
" Sure , " Grace said .
" Before you even start learning to fight , we will teach you a few safety techniques , of course in a fight with numerous opponents like the Goons and Agents these techniques may not always save you in fight , but they are still good to learn . " Chase said .
" Okay , " Grace showing she understood .
" Alright , lets begin . " Shane said .
Chase at first taught her how fall and land during a fight which made it less dangerous and deadly , then taught her to roll , and how to stand properly during a fight .
" Now we can move on to the real lesson . " Chase said .
The real lesson was Grace actually learning to fight and to say that Chase couldn ' t fight would be a lie , most of the time Grace knew of him as the jokester , but she also knew that his wrestling skills were just as strong as both members of AMW .
" Keep your hands up Grace , gives him less of an opening . " Shane coached her .
Grace was grateful for the help she was receiving from the others , but she also was glad her dad wasn ' t here to watch because she knew if he saw anyone going at her like Chase was then the Wildcat would go crazy and into over protective mode . But , the more the hand - to - hand combat training went on the more she was able to keep up and fight better against Chase . Of course , it would also take more time for her to get to the point where she was on his level fully , but she was getting better .
" She is definitely getting to the point where she can at least keep up with Chase . " Devine said .
" She ' s not complaining or giving up either . " Andy agreed .
" As soon as she gets use to Chase , then we will move on to one of you . " Shane said .
" Right , " Andy and Devine both said .
Everytime Grace felt like she had enough , the thought of the picture in her pocket , her family , and the promise she made gave her the strength to keep going . Towards the end of the hand - to - hand combat she finally was quick enough to at least catch Chase with her right fist causing him to stagger back .
" Well , she ' s definitely improving quicker than I thought . " Shane said .
" She caught Chase with a right hand . " Devine whispered .
" Not bad , Grace . " Andy said .
" Try that again . " Chase said surprise at the strength behind that punch .
A few more punches and she was definitely catching Chase with a few more punches both from her right and left fists and then Shane called them to break apart .
" Improvement , less sloppy , if you continue to improve like that you will definitely be ready the next time Biohazard and Trifecta decides to attack . " Shane said .
" What ' s with you Harris people when you throw punches ? " Chase asked shaking off the last punch .
" We make sure that at least every contact made counts , of course , you kind of have a hard jaw , ow . " Grace said shaking her hand .
" You two stop whining and lets go , Grace has one more training regime to work on today . " Shane said .
" I take it this next lesson is my turn to teach her something useful , outside of hissing and purring like a certain Wildcat . " Johnny said .
" Yep , " Shane said .
" Hey , that Wildcat is my dad . " Grace said .
" Exactly , he ' s way to soft on you . " Devine said .
" Not likely , " Grace thought to herself .
They followed Shane to were the stream was at and Grace could see the flowing of the small waterfall that fed the stream from some water source higher up , in the middle of the stream was a large flat rock like thing sticking up .
" Stand on top of the flat rock , " Shane said .
" Okay , " Grace said doing what she was told making sure the picture didn ' t get ruined , glad that the case she had put it in for safe keeping was waterproof .
" Now its time for you to learn how to use the new stick , but first I want to see how you fair with the old one . " Devine said pulling out at stick of his own .
" So , start with the old one , " Grace picking up the white stick she had received from Kazarian .
" Yep , now lets get started . " Devine said jumping on to the rock with Grace .
" Uhm , this rock is barely big enough of for the both of us . " Grace said .
" Exactly , think of the rock as your territory and everything you care about like your family and you have to defend it no matter how bigger or small and no matter how many opponents are coming after you . " Devine said .
" Okay , " Grace said .
While she definitely understood the stick training , it was a bit different now that she had someone who knew how to fight with a stick going against her . It took not much time for the old stick to get all of its use out of it and Devine to make her swap to the new one . The new and longer stick that Devine had given her was more difficult to maneuver at first due to the larger size and more weight and she got knocked off of the rock a few times causing her to get wet from the stream .
" I think you like taking a dip . " Devine finally said making her look at him determined to not stop until she got it right .
Grace jumped onto the rock remembering how she felt the day Biohazard had tried to strangle Chase and they day they knocked him out and Sanders tried to take Andy Jr. and Dakota .
" I ' m not giving up , " Grace said .
This time the training with the stick was different , Grace was getting a better grip on the new stick and learning to use her body to make up for the difference in weight and length from the new weapon . Finally , she got on of the ends of the stick behind Johnny ' s feet and used it to trip him up and then knock him into the water with the other end .
" Whose taking a dip now ? " Grace asked .
" Oh , " The Naturals said getting a look from Shane that made them stop .
" Hmm , better and she ' s becoming more aware of her surroundings . " Shane said .
Not long after the stick training they went back into Shane ' s house where they got cleaned up and ate supper with Shane .
" Once again you are quieter than usual . " Chase looked at Grace .
" I ' m okay , " Grace said .
After supper , Grace walked outside back to the waterfall enjoying the tranquillity of the water flowing and the sounds coming from the fall trying to dig into her mind and find what she was missing .
" What am I not remembering ? " Grace said sitting next to stream with her feet in the water until Grace looked down and saw the scar on her leg that was poking out from under her pants leg .
Grace always wore long pants or jeans to cover up the scar she had received at the hands of that bad man after Katie had been taken away from the house by John Sanders .
" Hmm , " Grace pulling up her pants leg to get a better look at the scar on her leg .
This scar was the most noticable one she had , outside of the scar where the key had been put into her by the surgeon . Grace rubbed her finger over the scar wondering why things had went bad for her even back then as she remembered the events of that day .
" Just because Mr. Sanders is gone doesn ' t mean you can act in whatever way you want , girl , and you will do well to remember your place or get this every night , do you understand ? " The man shouted at her .
" Yes sir , I understand , please stop , please no more , I will be good , ouch , ah , " A younger Grace screamed as the whip made contact with her flesh one hitting her leg leaving a long , bloody cut .
" It never healed right and always looked horrible to me , the reason I wear pants instead of shorts , the reason I never went swimming or anything like that during the summer . I am always afraid of someone finding out and judging me based on a scar and not based on who I am inside . " Grace thought to herself .
" Grace , " Devine said making her quickly pull the leg of her pants back down over the scar .
" Yeah , " Grace said as Johnny walked over to her seeing her pulling her pants leg back down .
" What are you doing ? " Johnny asked suspicious .
" Nothing , " Grace said looking at Devine .
" Then what was that with your leg ? " Devine asked seriously hoping she was doing what he thought she was doing .
" I ' m not doing anything . " Grace said not sure if she was ready to reveal the scar yet to anyone especially Devine .
" What ' s going on ? " Chase asked as he and Andy walked over to them .
" Nothing , " Grace said .
" You want to try it again . " Devine said .
" What do you think I ' m doing is the better question ? " Grace asked .
" Drugs , " Devine said making Chase and Andy look at Grace .
" What ? " Andy said in disbelief .
" Are you ? " Chase asked .
" No , I would never disgrace my family by doing something like that . " Grace said .
" Then how in the world were you able to bounce back like nothing happened today during conditioning ? " Shane asked as he approached them .
" You wouldn ' t understand . " Grace said touching her pocket where the picture was at once again .
" Try me , " Shane said .
Grace pulled the case out of her pocket that contained the picture of her , her mom and her dad giving it to Shane .
" What is this ? " Shane said .
" Its of me not long after I was born with my mom and dad . " Grace said .
" This is what you ' ve been touching in your pocket ? " Chase asked recognizing the Wildcat ' s first wife Aubrey .
" Yeah , I found a tape not to long ago of my mom singing to me when I was little and whenever I hear or think about that song it gives me strength . " Grace said .
" And that with your pants leg early ? " Devine asked .
" I , " Grace looked at her leg and looked at the picture of her mom and dad before pulling up her pants leg and showing them the scar .
" What happened to you ? " Andy asked bending down touching the scar on her leg .
" Its one of the scars I received in that house and the worst one I have . " Grace said making Chase look at her .
" Why would you hide stuff like this ? " Devine asked .
" My dad , Jessie , and Storm knows and that ' s all I ' ve ever needed to know . " Grace said .
" We ' re friends right ? " Chase asked .
" Always , " Grace said .
" Then why would you hide a scar and picture from us . " Chase asked as they walked inside the house .
" Do you remember my mom ? " Grace asked looking at Chase .
" Of course , she was apart of the TNA family . " Chase said .
" Do you ? " Grace looked at Andy .
" Yeah , I do , " Andy said as Grace looked at Devine and Shane .
" Yeah , " Devine said .
" Why do you ask ? " Shane asked .
" For that exact reason , everybody that ' s been around my dad for very long or apart of the TNA family since the early days remembers what my mom was like , they have some memory of her . Where the only thing I have now is that picture , a tape with her voice on it , and what people tell me ? I never got the chance to know her for myself , so , the little bit I do get I would like to keep in here for me . Its nothing against the family , its just I need her more than ever right now and I ' m not sure if anyone would understand what ' s going on . " Grace pointing to her heart .
" And the scar ? " Andy asked .
" I don ' t want people judging based on a scar and not based on who I am , I am so afraid people will pity me or think that I am seeking pity that they won ' t see the real me . " Grace said .
" You don ' t have to hide any part of you because you are a little damaged on the outside . " Devine said .
" What ? " Grace looked at Johnny .
" Trust me when I tell you that just because you have a scar doesn ' t me you have hide yourself or not enjoy life . " Devine said .
" I don ' t understand . " Grace said .
Devine pulled his shirt off and showed her the scar on his abdomen making Andy look at him knowing where Johnny had gotten the scar from as he had a scar on the upper part of his leg from the same event .
" What happened ? " Grace looked at Devine .
" I won ' t go into details , but I was stabbed one night in the stomach , so , was Andy , but in the leg . " Devine said .
" You were ? " Grace looked at Andy .
" Yep , took me awhile to get back to wrestling after that Johnny a little longer due to the injuries . " Andy said .
" No one ever said anything . " Grace said .
" The adults in the Extended Family knows , but that ' s about it . " Andy said .
" I ' ve never hid because of having a scar like this , if anything it made me a lot stronger . " Johnny said .
" And you ? " Grace looked at Andy .
" I definitely had some problems when I first came back not necessarily about the wound on the leg , but I did have a few personal issues to deal with at the time . Chase helped me through most of it , AMW was also there for me , but that ' s also when I met Debra and believe me when you meet an angel they will definitely save you cause I know she did with me . " Andy said .
" Do it again if I had to . " Chase said .
" I ' ve never had anything against you guys , its just I ' ve always felt more comfortable with just dad and Storm knowing everything that I never said anything to anyone else and then eventually I got close to Jessie so I ended up just telling them when I was having certain problems . " Grace said .
" If there ' s one thing that runs in the Harris family its you guys not telling people when something is bothering you , you like to keep it to yourselves and not let your friends help you . " Shane said .
" Now you sound like Storm . " Grace said making Andy and Chase laugh .
" Old Cowboy can be brilliant some of the time . " Devine said .
" You kids are trouble . " Shane shook his head .
" And now you sound like Papa , Jeff Jarrett . " Grace said making the Naturals and Devine laugh this time .
" And you need to start telling people what ' s going on with you . " Shane said .
" Okay , okay , I will start telling people what ' s going on in my life . " Grace said .
" Girl , " Shane shook his head .
" Do remember Shane that she is going to start high school after the summer and start acting like a teenager , so , watch out for the rebelliousness . " Chase said .
" My names not Chase Stevens or James Storm , so , I ' m not a rebel . " Grace said making Andy and Devine laugh again even Shane chuckled a little bit as Chase blushed a little .
" Crazy girl , " Chase rubbed her head .
After that they went to bed for the night as the next day would start the training day all over again .