CHAPTER TWO

TRIXIE

Trixie may have been born dead, but she never let that keep her from embracing life. In fact, she credited her first moments out of the womb as her reason for living every moment with passion and embracing all life had to offer.

Today was a special day. She woke up at four in the morning and was too excited to go back to bed. She'd bounced off the walls until her mom got up at seven.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Cayla declared, pulling her into a tight hug. Her mom always hugged her like that, and it always chased away any trouble Trixie was facing.

"Are you coming with me?" Trixie asked excitedly.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world... I can't believe my baby girl is eighteen years old!"

"He'll keep his promise and let me audition today, right?"

"Of course he will."

"And Nicky, too?"

"Nicky's been waiting on you."

Trixie could barely contain herself. Cayla made her eat breakfast before they left for the WWE Performance Center. She'd been there before, of course. Since Cayla had retired when Trixie was ready to start kindergarten, they stayed in Florida during the school year. Her mom had eventually taken over running the Be A Star campaign and had started working with Creative on some of the Divas storylines. She usually stayed in Florida so Trixie was never without one of her parents. Her mum Saraya was busy kicking ass as one of the top female wrestlers in the world. She'd stayed working as Paige for WWE until Trixie was eight, but as WWE continued to repress her look and her character development, she'd grown unhappy. Now she was a huge independent star. She still made appearances for WWE as a Legend, but she was officially retired from the company.

They met her cousin Nicky at the Performance Center. He smiled when he saw them, but he looked nervous. "Are you ready?" Trixie asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Nicky replied. "Happy birthday." He hugged her.

She linked her arm through his. He relaxed slightly and they headed inside. That was when Trixie saw someone unexpected.

"Mum!" She proclaimed. She ran into her mum's arms and hugged her, unable to keep from bouncing.

"Happy birthday, Luv!" Saraya greeted her.

"I thought you were in Baltimore!"

"I told them there was no way I was missing my baby girl's NXT audition."

"Were they pissed?"

"Does it look like I care? Besides, it's not every day my little girl turns eighteen. I haven't missed a single birthday, Trix. Did you think I'd start now?"

Trixie was thrilled. She knew she'd make it now, with both of her parents by her side. Nicky's dad was in Texas with the main roster. His mom, however, was-

"Aunt Corri?" Trixie asked.

"Happy birthday, Trix," Corri said from inside the ring. "Welcome to your trial by fire."

"Wait... You're my audition partner?"

"I'm still a semi-active member of the main roster and I'm the head trainer at NXT. Who did you think you'd be facing today? Now get your ass in here and show the bosses what you've learned."

Corri and her mums had trained her since she could walk. She was completely comfortable facing Corri in the ring, even though she knew her aunt wouldn't hold back on her.

Corri let her warm up before she started drilling her. Trixie showed off her basic skills first before Corri started the actual match. Every flying move, every superkick, every submission she'd ever learned got showcased. Her mom and aunt were both known for having an enormous move set, especially Corri, and they'd taught her all of it over the years. Her mum had taught her a lot, too, including some of the coolest holds Trixie had ever seen.

Too soon, it was over. That was when Paul Levesque stood up and applauded. "Come here, Trixie," he said. He pulled her into a tight hug. "Happy birthday, kiddo. Welcome to WWE!"

Trixie squealed with excitement. "I made it?" She asked.

"You doubted you would?" Paul asked. "You're a Legacy, Trix, but even if you weren't, you're damn good."

She bounced around hugging everyone before she asked, "Nicky's turn?"

"Yep," Paul said. He called out Nicky's partner and Trixie heard her cousin groan.

"Hey, Dork," her cousin Keith greeted his younger brother. "You ready?"

NICKY

Nicky rolled his eyes. Of course they'd brought Keith in. He'd probably insisted on it. Keith had been part of NXT for three months after turning eighteen before they'd decided to debut him on the main roster as Phoenix Orton, fourth generation Legacy and instant Superstar. Keith had been born for this life. He was a natural in the ring, blending the styles of both of his parents. Superkicks and RKOs were part of his daily routine.

It wasn't that Nicky disliked his brother. In fact, they were very close and he knew Keith wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for him or to beat the shit out of anyone who dared pick on him. It was just that Keith was a lot to live up to sometimes, and Nicky just wanted to be his own person.

Keith flashed a bright smile at their cousin and winked. "Happy Punk-the-Parents Day, Trickster," he said.

Trixie laughed. "Thanks," she said. She was still bouncing off the walls, but that was normal. Trixie had an endless supply of energy. Nicky didn't know how she did it.

"You're up, Kid," Paul told him.

Nicky nervously stepped into the ring. His brother played up the intimidation for the people watching before leaning in and whispering, "I got you, Nicky. It's just you and me out here, like when we were kids."

Nicky tried to relax. He focused only on Keith, ignoring the people watching. Pretty soon, the routine of wrestling his brother took over and his nerves vanished. It was easy to focus once he forgot everyone was watching him. Keith might be the Superstar, but Nicky was just as good. He was a natural flyer. The Young Bucks had spent most of his childhood personally training him, something Keith couldn't claim. He was good enough to be here. He just needed to remember that.

Keith didn't make it easy for him. He hit an RKO. Nicky flashed on an incident when he was nine and Keith had done the same thing. "Keith, don't RKO your brother!" Corri had scolded him as Nicky jumped back up and immediately superkicked Keith. They'd both thought they were in trouble until she'd smiled and added, "Wait until he's ten." He smiled at the memory.

Nicky kicked out and retaliated with a superkick, just like when they were kids. He followed it up with an RKO of his own. Keith took the fall.

Paul looked impressed. "That was great!" He declared. "Welcome to the main roster."

Nicky blinked. "Wait, what? I thought this was for NXT," he objected.

"Are you kidding me? This was a formality, Nick. We kept Keith down here for a bit but he didn't need it. Why should we waste time? You're a fourth generation Legacy! Your name's been on the main roster since your conception."

Nicky was upset. "I'm in school, Paul. I'm not ready to commit to this full time."

"You can submit your work online. I talked to your professors. They understand your circumstances."

"You-" Nicky fell silent. He knew better than to object, even though Paul had massively overstepped by going to his professors. His life had been decided for him for years. His parents had raised Keith and him on the road, hiring a tutor to travel with them. Dean's daughter Molly had been raised the same way. Only Trixie had a slightly normal childhood. He was jealous. Keith and Molly were both born for this life, but he wasn't sure that he had been.

"Trixie's main roster, too, of course. I wouldn't leave her kind of talent behind," Paul added.

Trixie squeaked. "Really?" She asked. "Ohmygod-ohmygod-ohmygod!"

Seeing Trixie so excited made him feel better. Maybe this wouldn't be all bad.

Suddenly, everything stopped as a girl with hot pink hair walked in popping bubblegum and wearing ripped jeans and a torn t-shirt that read, Warning: Explicit Mox Violence.

"Molly!" Trixie squealed, throwing her arms around her. Nicky and Keith immediately joined in the hugfest. Nicky felt better with Molly there. Their group wasn't complete unless she was around.

MOLLY

"Oops... Am I late?" Molly asked.

"When aren't you?" Keith teased.

She popped her gum at him in response. "Ah, Molly. So nice of you to grace us with your presence," Paul said.

"We're going to the main roster!" Trixie blurted out.

"We as in you and Nicky? Congrats," Molly said with a genuine smile. She turned to Paul. "So, Dickface, when do I get released from this kiddie prison and sent to play with the grownups?"

If anyone else had dared call him something so disrespectful, Paul would have fired them, but he was used to Molly. She insulted him because she cared. If she called him Paul, then he should be worried. Besides, Molly was frustrated. As the daughter of one of WWE's top superstars, she'd had an immediate invitation to NXT, but she'd chosen to pay her dues on the indies instead. Her dad had trained her himself and from the age of sixteen, he'd had her doing indy shows wherever WWE was traveling at the time. Once she turned eighteen, she'd officially joined the WSU roster so she could be involved with CZW, her dad's old stomping ground. She loved everything about CZW and WSU and had enjoyed her time there, but eventually she missed her dad and friends and had accepted Paul's offer to come home.

Molly hadn't made it easy for him. She'd refused to cave on her terms, which were not the sell-out terms most indy stars settled for upon joining WWE. She got to keep her ring name, Molly Moxley, because Paul knew it was important to her to pay tribute to her dad. He'd tried to get her to use Molly Ambrose, but she reminded him that alliteration sells better and Molly Moxley would sell more merchandise. She also still owned the rights to her character and as long as she was on NXT, she was still allowed to work indy shows. Since Paul had hesitated to put her on the main roster, Molly wrestled indy shows more than NXT ones.

Most of the NXT kids hated Molly. She said what she thought and had no filter. She was wild, flirty, and frequently inappropriate. She played by her own rules and didn't care if you liked it or not. Molly took no one's crap and was tougher than most of the guys on the roster, let alone the girls. In short, she was a female clone of her father, and people weren't sure how to handle her.

"Well, Molly, if you'd been on time, I'd have announced that I'm moving you up, too," Paul told her.

Trixie hugged her and started bouncing. Molly didn't mind. Trixie was her only female friend and she loved her like a sister. She was used to her hyper spirit.

"About time," Molly said in a bored tone, but she was secretly excited. She hadn't come back to sit on the sidelines. She wanted to be on the main roster with Keith and her dad and the roster she'd grown up with. This was good news.

"We'll be calling a few others up today," Paul said. He looked at Corri. "You've got the names, Corri."

Corri smiled. "Listen up, Bitches. I'd like to congratulate the following people on their move to main roster status." She paused for dramatic effect. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she said, "Brandon, Ginny, Luke, and Gabe! Welcome to the big leagues!"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Invasion of the Legacies," she mumbled to Trixie.

Gabriel Fatu, the extremely hot son of Trinity and Johnny, or Naomi and Jimmy Uso, bounced almost as much as Trixie and planted a kiss on Ginny's lips. Ginny Runnels, daughter of Cody and Brandi, punched his arm in an angry protest. He shook it off with his inherited grin and laughter. Ginny's younger sister Faye was laughing hard. Ginny was a bitch and no one was sure where she got it from because her parents were awesome. Faye was easier to tolerate, but Molly kept her distance from her.

Lucas Rotunda smiled big enough to rival the signature grins of his father Taylor and mother Tenille, better known as Bo Dallas and Emma. It was hard to dislike Luke because he was a complete sweetheart, but Molly intimidated him, so she kept her distance from him, too.

With the others accounted for, Molly waited for the obligatory cry of "Yes!" Brandon Danielson was the son of Bryan and Brie, and although she hardly knew him, she suspected that had been his first word. Brandon was quiet, however.

"It's sweet how shy he is," Trixie said softly. Maybe Trixie was right and Molly was being hard on him. Brandon was so quiet that she forgot he was there half the time. She noticed the way Trixie was looking at him.

"You want to have his babies," Molly teased her.

Trixie blushed. "I do not! I barely even know him. We're hardly even friends."

Molly grinned as a devious idea popped into her head. She dragged Trixie toward Brandon and said, "Congrats, Goat Junior. Have you met Trixie?"

Trixie shot Molly a Look that suggested she wanted to stick a sharp object in her eye before she said, "Hey, Brandon!" She sounded like a schoolgirl with a crush, or at least that's what Molly imagined one sounded like. It was kind of adorable.

"Happy birthday," Molly whispered with a laugh. Trixie glared at her.

Even more adorable was the fact that Brandon nervously ran his hand through his slightly untamed chin-length brown hair and replied, "Oh, um... Hey, Trixie! How are you?"

Molly supposed Brandon was cute. He was too quiet for her, but he looked more like his mother than his father and he didn't have any facial hair. Outgrowing the epic beard of his father didn't seen to be one of Brandon's goals in life.

Watching the two dorks make eyes at each other, Molly decided her work was done. She walked over to Nicky and Keith and slung an arm around each of their shoulders. "Looks like we're together again, my bitches," she told them.

"As it should be," Keith said.

"Just like always," Nicky added.

Molly relaxed. She was back with her family. "I should call the Sire," she said. She dialed her father. "Hello, He Who Hath Sired Me," she greeted him.

"What's up, Offspring?" He asked her.

"I've been called up to the mother ship. I thought you'd like to know."

"It's about fucking time. Did you keep your deal?"

"Fuck yeah! I'll never sell out!"

"That's my spawn." He paused. Then he added, "I'm glad you're home."

"Sappy. Me too." She blew a kiss into her phone before hanging up. Suddenly, all was right with the world, even if she'd apparently only gotten her shot because of some Legacy Takeover angle they appeared to be working. That hardly mattered, as long as she was with her dad again.

KEITH

Life was sweet. His brother and cousin were coming up, and so was Molly. It wasn't the same being a Superstar without them by his side.

Keith watched Molly talk on her phone and remembered he'd promised to call his father. He dialed and his dad answered almost immediately.

"How'd it go?" His dad asked.

"They're in. So's Molly," Keith told him. "And Ginny and a few others."

"Good for Ginny! Cody's going to be happy. I guess Faye will get her shot next."

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"Do you think Nicky can handle this?"

"Of course I do. Nicky's ready for the ring."

"He just gets so anxious. I'm worried this will be too much, you know?"

"You're a good big brother, Keith. Nicky will be okay. He has more support than he'll ever need. He has your mom and me and Trixie, and he's got the Bucks if he needs them. Most importantly, he's got you."

Keith was used to taking care of Nicky. He knew his dad was right. "So, Dad, what did I miss today?" He changed the subject.

"Just the usual." Randy paused. "I'm really proud of you guys."

It meant a lot to hear his father say that. Unfortunately, Keith quickly got distracted when he saw Trixie trip over her own two feet and fall toward the ringpost. Keith hung up quickly, ready to run and grab her, but someone beat him to it. He'd been catching Trixie for years. Like her mom, she was amazing in the ring but a spaz outside of it, especially when she was nervous. No one had beaten him to a Trixie Rescue before.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked, catching her elbow and steadying her as Keith reached her.

Trixie was blushing again. "Yeah... I'm just a klutz," she said.

Brandon looked concerned. Keith was in overprotective big cousin mode. He didn't like some guy being so close to her, especially not the offspring of an evil Bella.

"Come on, Trickster," Keith said, pulling her into a hug. "Let's go celebrate your birthday."

"Happy birthday, Trixie," Brandon said sweetly. Trixie looked at him adoringly and Keith silently cursed. His intervention had somehow made her obvious crush worse.

He practically dragged his cousin back to the safety of Molly and Nicky, grateful for the fact that Trixie started focusing on things other than Brandon Danielson after that. He'd definitely need to stay on top of this until she came to her senses.