AN: House points to anyone who can tell me which fandom the name Principal Dondelinger comes from. (HINT: 4 fingered discount)
AN2: Re Vince and Linda McMahon's marriage. Until I hear they've divorced from either of them or Shane or Steph or Triple H, (I don't think HBK would be as bold as to comment on it) in my tiny mind they are still together. I'm a naive simple ex wrestling fan. I no longer have the WWE Network though I do have DVDs and occasionally still indulge. The modern product sucks.
Chapter 17 Phillips Academy closes for good
Tony's point of view
Three weeks after the attack on Abi, there was a school wide assembly. Principal Dondelinger dropped a bombshell…
"The school is closing. The funding we had has been withdrawn, our Board of Governors has resigned. Your grown-ups have been informed and are coming to collect you today, so please pack your things and be ready to leave by 7pm."
Ginny went white…
"Oh no" she mumbled
"Ginny? Are you OK?"
"Yeah, just figuring out how I'll get home. Uncle Vince and Aunt Linda pulled Shane and Steph — they're in Boca."
"Why didn't they take you?"
"Are you kidding me? They HATE me. Aunt Linda hates me the most. Uncle Vince is just… indifferent to my presence in his life but he goes along with everything Aunt Linda wants. I'm not supposed to go to the house on my own. They don't want anyone questioning my place in the family, so they treat me normally when we're in public. They allowed me to come to school here because people would ask questions about it if they didn't."
"How long are they in Florida?"
"2 months"
"Let me make some calls… I'll get back to you OK?"
Ginny nodded. I ran to the phone.
"Stark Residence?"
"Mr Jarvis, it's Tony, is Mom or Dad around?"
"Your father is at the office. Your mother is here."
"OK… may I speak to her?"
"Of course"
"Tony, what's wrong?"
"Did you hear about the school closing?"
"Yes, Dad and I will come and collect you and the others tomorrow morning."
"There's a girl - a good friend - her name is Virginia, but everyone calls her Ginny, you met her after the bullying debacle, remember?"
"Yes she's very nice"
"Well, her godparents and cousins have gone to Boca Raton for 2 months and abandoned her at school… Do you think she would be able to stay with us?"
"Of course Tony."
"OK, great, thanks mom, you're the best"
I turned and went back to Ginny.
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
"I spoke to my mother, she said you would be welcome to stay with us until your godparents return from Boca."
"Thank you, Tony, that's kind of you" she hugged me. I felt something shift.
Ginny and I looked at each other and both of us blushed and giggled and then realised that we were still hugging each other and let go. I admitted to myself that holding Ginny like that felt safe.
Peggy's point of view
"Howard, Tony called asking if a friend of his could come and stay, she's been abandoned by her family — poor thing — I said of course she can, however, there's a part of me that really wants to call her godparents in Boca Raton and give them both a piece of my mind."
"I think you should Peg. Though I would tread carefully, did Tony sound joyous when he was talking about her?"
"Yes… he said I'm the best for giving him permission to help her"
"Our boy is growing up Peg."
"We should keep an eye on things."
"Yes, from a distance though, let's not embarrass him"
"OK"
Edwin's point of view
"Mr Jarvis, it's me again, I need some advice. How do I know if I like a girl?"
"I think you should ask your father or one of your brothers that question Master Anthony."
"I can't do that!"
"Of course you can,"
"I think I like Ginny as more than a friend"
"OK"
"She's smart, she's beautiful, she has a very sharp tongue, and I cannot stop thinking about her, and when I was hugging her earlier it felt right, it felt safe but I don't know what to do about it"
"Speak to Jay. He's the least likely to judge you, and he's probably the most sensible of all your brothers."
"Thanks Mr Jarvis"
Jay's point of view
"Jay, you got a minute?"
"Sure, squirt, what's on your mind?"
"Virginia Anne Potts" I blushed
"What? Baby bro you've got a crush?"
"Yeah… what do I do?"
"There are two things we need to do right now."
"I asked Mr Jarvis, and he said talk to you or Dad"
"OK… first thing's first did you feel a change when you realised how you feel?"
"Yes"
"OK, that's normal."
"What is a simple easy and efficient way to take care of it?"
"A cold shower"
"OK"
Tony went into the bathroom and had a cold shower.
"Problem solved for now, next… how do I ask her out?"
"Just ask her if she'd like to go to dinner with you or something"
"OK"
"Make sure you treat her with respect"
"Of course"
Ginny's point of view
Tony came back
"I took a quick shower… I feel a little better. Do you need some help packing?"
"That would be great, thank you"
I helped Ginny with her packing, and then we walked to my dorm, and she helped me to finish my packing.
When we were walking down to lunch, I said
"Hey, Ginny, I like you a lot"
She giggled and blushed and said, "I like you a lot too Tony"
We held hands walking down the stairs.
"Ginny, would you be my girlfriend?"
"Of course"
Peggy's point of view
Howard and I flew to the school to get the kids while Mr and Mrs Jarvis and Obie drove up. Tony came out of the school, tugging two wheeled suitcases in one hand and holding the hand of a pretty girl with red hair and green eyes with the other. The girl said something to him, and he nodded, and she took her suitcase and backpack while he took his, they were holding hands the entire time.
"Isn't that sweet?"
"Yes"
"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Virginia Anne Potts, better known as Ginny"
"Hi"
"Hello"
"You ready to go?"
"Yes"
Tony noticed that Ginny was shivering and pulled her into his arms so that he could share his coat with her.
"I know it's a little soon for us to be doing this but, why don't you sit on my lap and we can share my jacket?"
"Is there going to be enough room in the car?"
"Of course, my godfather is taking the suitcases in his car."
Vince's point of view
I was working in my office in the Condo in Boca. Linda wasn't happy that I had to do some work but to be honest, our relationship had changed by quite a bit. I kept the work to a minimum to keep Linda happy, but any fool could see that she was far from happy.
"Vince your god-daughter is on the phone"
"OK… Hi Ginny. It is? Where are you? I can come and get you if you like. OK… You know the rule about that… OK… Linda, can you come to the phone for a minute?"
"Sure"
"Mr and Mrs McMahon, my name is Margaret Elizabeth Stark, I am the mother of your god-daughter's new boyfriend, and I was hoping you would be able to enlighten me on something"
"Ginny doesn't have a boyfriend."
"Yes she does. My son, Anthony."
"What would you like to know?"
"Why did you not come and collect your god-daughter? You basically abandoned her and the letter about the school closing went out on Tuesday."
"What right do you have… to ask that" Linda snarled but a realisation came over me, something my friend had said came back to my mind… and I snatched the phone from Linda.
"Mrs Stark, you're one hundred percent right, we could easily have flown back to Massachusetts and got Ginny."
"So why didn't you?"
"I'm trying to save my marriage ma'am, and in order to do that I have to keep Linda happy and unfortunately that means Ginny being neglected."
"Does that make it OK?"
"No ma'am it does not"
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Well, I am going to come to New York, and I'm going to talk to Ginny and you and Mr Stark, and then I'm going to go to the house in Connecticut and stay there… even though I am no good with the infernal machines that are in that house. I'm sure my friend can help me with them…"
"Vince if you leave this house I'm divorcing you"
"Do what you like Linda. Shane Brandon, Stephanie Marie, Richard Steven, if you three aren't in the car in the next 5 minutes you can stay here, and I'll go back to Connecticut alone. Linda there are FOUR children in this family and if you do not start treating Virginia like she matters and like she is part of this family, I'm going to have a REAL problem. Virginia is part of this family whether you like it or not. We took her in, we adopted her and that means like it or not she is our responsibility UNTIL SHE IS 21. We are ALL going to start doing better."
"You are not taking my children back to Connecticut"
"Fine. I'll go by myself"
"Yeah you do that, and lose everything in the divorce… including the company"
"ENOUGH! YOU ARE NOT MANIPULATING ME AGAIN! IT'S OVER LINDA I'M THE MAN OF THE HOUSE AND IT'S ABOUT TIME I STARTED ACTING LIKE IT"
"Mom, Dad is right. What you did to Virginia is unfair and what you expect us to do to her is even worse. Shane, Richie and I have talked about it, and we're not going to do it any more."
"Thank you, Stephanie"
"Steph's right" said Shane.
"Yeah I always did wonder why you two treated Ginny differently to how you treated me…" said Richie "Shane and Steph put up a front when we're around people outside of our circle but most of the time they're not horrible to Ginny"
"Right well since I'm obviously the problem and since you obviously don't want me here… Kids do you want to visit your Mima?"
"I'll come with you mom" said Shane
"OK me too" said Richie
Linda packed her stuff and left for North Carolina while I took Stephanie back to Connecticut with me.
Linda's point of view
When we arrived at my mother's house, she was waiting on the doorstep for us.
"Linda… how are you?"
"I'm ok but… I think my marriage might be in trouble"
While Shane and Richie watched the New York Yankees baseball game on TV, my mother and I talked everything through.
Mom sighed
"Linda I wish I had been able to give you a sibling so that social situations would not be such a struggle for you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you don't have the social skills necessary to navigate this sort of situation. I hate to tell you this, but Vince is right, Virginia is your responsibility until she is legally an adult unless you give her up or unless she chooses to leave your care. If you had a sibling, you would understand how to handle this, and you wouldn't be in such a fix in the first place. All right, come on, we're going to go back to Connecticut."
Vince's point of view
When we got back to Connecticut, I called Ginny's boyfriend's parents and then my friend. Then I received a call from Linda's mom.
"We're on our way to Connecticut, but Linda wants to take the scenic route, so it'll be tomorrow afternoon before we arrive"
"OK. I've invited Tony and his family and Ginny for dinner on Monday night. I need to go into the office on Tuesday and I'll be there all week"
"Fair enough."
Ginny's point of view
On Monday afternoon, Peggy, Ana and I went clothes shopping. I chose a dress for dinner that night with my godparents… When Tony saw me, he said
"Ginny, you look gorgeous!"
"Thank you, Tony. So do you."
Tony had gone with Howard to get roses and chocolates for my godmother and her mother, Steph, Peggy and I.
I was very nervous about dinner with my godparents.
"Gin, if I feel the need to tell your godparents off… I'm going to do so"
"OK… thanks Tony"
"I'll try to be polite about it"
Vince's point of view
My friend suggested that he and I should have lunch together before I had dinner with Ginny.
"How are things between you and Linda?"
"OK"
"Vince…"
"I'm worried that she's going to… what's that word Steph taught me earlier… it means to make (someone or something normally a male.) weaker or less effective. I think it begins with an E… and it's not eviscerate but that word can mean the same."
"Emasculate?"
"I think that's it."
"It is. You're afraid that Linda is going to emasculate you in front of your god-daughter and her boyfriend and his family?"
"Yes… She's done it at the office before, and we had an ALMIGHTY row about it."
"OK. If she makes you feel like you're worthless — it's tantamount to the same thing — because essentially, she's stepping on your manhood. After dinner is over, remind her that you're still the boss. Don't do it before dinner because she'll think you're attacking her and don't do it during dinner because you'll embarrass Ginny."
"If she oversteps I am going to put my foot down. I'm gonna have to go cos I'll need to call Jerry before dinner"
"OK… what do you intend to do?"
"I'm going to force Linda out of the company, except when I need her advice. She'll still be the CEO but only in front of the media and the world. I'm going to force her to move out of the house, and I'll sell it and split the money with her. It's not a divorce but"
"It's not far from it."
"Still far enough that if we decided to fix things…"
"Yeah I get what you mean."
Dinner started out very well but grew increasingly awkward.
"How was your vacation?" Ginny asked pointedly
"Interesting" Linda began
"Fun" said Steph
"Frustrating" I admitted
"It was… long" said Shane
"Tiring" added Richie "Florida gets hot and humid and that heat is draining!"
"It would have been nice if you had included Ginny in your plans" Tony said pointedly "Or acted as though you cared about her at all. I'm sorry if I've offended you by saying that Mr McMahon but since Ginny is my girlfriend I have an invested interest. She was my friend before she became my girl."
"Well we would have if I had had a choice in the matter" I replied fixing Linda with a ferocious glare. "I understand what you mean Tony. I appreciate you putting Ginny's feelings in front of me. I'm sorry Ginny, I should have thought to include you. Things have not been easy between Linda and I for a while now and… after we had an almighty blazing row in the office I decided we needed to take a break."
"It isn't my fault Virginia doesn't like me"
"Hmmm? I think you'll find that it is Linda. Ginny and I get along just fine when you're either not here or not controlling and micromanaging every single little thing from schooling to clothing to who wipes our noses and says God bless you." I took a bite of steak, salad and potato and chewed 30 times, counting carefully in my head before swallowing, taking a sip of water and adding
"That isn't going to happen any more by the way, but that is not a discussion I want to have at the dinner table when we have guests."
"As I said it is not my fault Virginia doesn't like me"
"Well it wouldn't be… if you weren't as cold as a January night and if you didn't treat everyone like they were no better than dirt beneath your feet" said Tony. "From what Ginny has told me about you Mrs McMahon… I get the impression that motherhood didn't come easy… Especially since Stephanie was a crier — no offence Stephanie"
"None taken"
I was proud of Tony for speaking his mind.
"Stephanie was a crier as an infant, and I was the only one who could settle her, so we decided that I would take her on the road with me and that when I had to work, her godfather would take care of her. I also trusted a few others with her."
"I think you did a good job dad. I had a very interesting and enlightening early childhood."
"Thanks Steph."
"When Dad came off the road for a while after the first WrestleMania, I knew there was something bad happening to Richie and I told Dad everything, and he sorted it out, and I gained a brother as well as a best friend."
"Dad wasn't here when Ginny arrived to stay permanently. A social worker brought her and told Mom that she had to take custody of Ginny because there was no one else. This was when Stephanie was about 3."
"No I wasn't, but I was on my way home and on the day you arrived here, Ginny, I came home and I spent time getting to know you. Stephanie's nose was a little bit put out of joint at first but, we soon straightened that out."
"So yes Vince was the fun parent, and I was the strict one." Linda snapped
"And I obviously didn't do a good enough job"
"All right, enough. Shane, would you take our guests on a tour of the house before dessert?"
"Sure Dad"
"You're not going to win this one Linda. I've spoken to Jerry. We're going to meet on Monday morning. I'm selling the house, with my half of the money, I'll buy a property smaller than this one nearer the office."
"I think I would like to buy that house we saw before we bought this one"
"I happen to know that it's still for sale"
"OK"
"As far as anyone outside the family and the senior management of the company knows we're still happily married… you'll show up at pay per view events, and board meetings. You'll still be the CEO, but I have the controlling interest in the company."
"OK"
"We can still have date night weekly if you want"
"OK, I think that would be good"
"I just want to make one thing perfectly plain… You will not get away with emasculating me — Steph taught me that word — any more."
"I understand Vince."
"If Virginia wants to come home, she can live with me. As can Steph, you don't need to see Virginia but you can see Steph if you wish, I would like to spend time with Shane and Richie of course."
"It's a separation without it actually being a separation?"
"Yes. I think that's for the best at the moment"
"I am inclined to agree… we were about to reach the point where the toxicity in our marriage was affecting business. We can't have that."
"Exactly, that's exactly why I suggested the vacation."
"So as far as anyone in our inner circle knows we're experimenting with operating within some separate circles? Living our own lives… but we're still legally married."
"Yes"
"And we still have weekly date night?"
"Yes. I don't think I want a divorce…"
"No I don't either. That might come eventually… or it might not"
"Well, I'd rather not have to deal with the shame and the stigma of that. We could eventually consider marriage counselling, but it's not something that we need to look at for right now because if we're living separately and only seeing each other in the office and once a week on date night we won't feel as stifled by each other"
"Exactly"
Tony's point of view
Shane took us on a tour of the house while Steph did the historical part.
"I apologize for the way we treated you Ginny"
"Me too"
"I forgive you…"
"You should talk to Dad"
"I will"
"Tony, as Ginny's big brothers, Richie and I have to do this — dad told us a long time ago that we were to protect Stephanie and Ginny at all costs. If you hurt our sister… we will eviscerate you and make it look like an accident"
"I won't hurt her intentionally, I promise and if I do, you can take me into the ring and beat the holy living hell out of me."
We returned to the dinner table. The discussion turned to our education.
"Why don't we homeschool until September and then see if Hogwarts has any vacancies?"
"OK"
AN 3: The version of Hogwarts that the kids attend will put high emphasis on academia. Accidental magic will become a thing in the next chapter.