Erin had arrived at the arena where Monday Night Raw was going to take place with a sense of purpose in her mind. She was two, maybe three, weeks away from becoming the majority owner of WWE according the latest update Hank had given her at his house.

Immediately after getting home with that news, Erin had called Lucy Thorne and updated her, then tried to call Clementine to try and touch base with her. But the call to Clem had gone unanswered. That seemed like a bad sign regarding whether or not Clem would sign a new contract with WWE. It was possible that she had made a final decision to leave in January when her contract expired. That was only two months away. Or, maybe Clem had simply been busy and unable to take the call.

At Raw, Erin had the opportunity to talk to Clem without Clem being able to avoid it. She had sent a staff member to summon Clem to her office. While she waited, Erin prepared to walk a tightrope. At least part of Clem wanted to continue working for WWE so long as Brian Kelton and Hank Voight were no longer involved with the company, Erin felt sure. But another part of her seemed intent on retiring, falling on her sword in some kind of quest to ensure the women in WWE received improved working conditions. It was a noble cause, in fact one Erin agreed with, but leaving the company was not how Clem needed to go about achieving it.

A couple of minutes went by. Erin was growing more anxious by the second. Negotiations with talent was something she was totally new to. In fact, any kind of negotiations were new to her. Maybe taking on the task of trying to re-sign Clementine as her first foray had been stupid, she wondered. No, that wasn't true. If Clem was going to stay, Erin was the only one who could make it happen. Hank wouldn't have been able to. Kelton most definitely wouldn't.

A knock came on the door, and Clementine walked in. She looked uncertain as to what was about to happen. "Boss," she said in greeting. "Sorry I couldn't take your call yesterday. We were out."

"That's okay. Have a seat, Clem. Let's just have a chat. Nothing formal, I'd simply like to know what you're thinking with regard to your contract situation. It's a concern that I've not heard anything from you on it since we spoke a few weeks ago."

Clementine took one of the seats on the other side of Erin's desk. "I'm not sure what there is to say right now. You made some guarantees about things that would happen. So far, they haven't happened. Hank is still in charge, and we still report to that racist piece of trash Kelton in talent relations. Under those circumstances, there's no chance of me staying past January."

"What I'm telling you here is still in the strictest confidence. Two weeks, maybe three at most. That's how long it's going to be before I take over, and my dad is gone. And you have my word that firing Kelton will be the very first action I take. I'm not expecting you to sign a contract today based on me saying that. What I'd like to know is once I am in charge, and once I've appointed someone to talent relations who is fit to do the job, can we do a deal? I've looked at the financial side of things, and I'm going to put a four year contract on the table at a million and a half per year. You'll also have your flights and accommodation paid for. That's more than double your current wage, plus bonuses, and it's up there with the top earners in the company. But, more than the money, I want to be clear that you're vitally important to me, and to WWE. You're a generational star in the ring. More importantly, you're needed in that women's locker room. You do so much for those ladies, and they look up to you because of it. Losing you would..."

Erin stopped because she saw that Clem had started crying. She had put her hands over her face to try and hide it, but it was still obvious.

"Hey, hey, hey," Erin said in surprise, quickly getting up and going around the desk to comfort Clem. Seeing her get emotional like that was a shock, given that she pretty much lived the way she portrayed her badass character on-screen. That was why her work was so good and why fans bought into her stuff – there wasn't a lot of acting involved. Yet here Clem was in tears.

"Get up. Give me a hug," Erin urged gently.

Clementine did as she was asked, holding Erin tightly. It only seemed to make her cry more, and her baseball cap fell off, clattering to the floor. "The only thing I want is to make women's wrestling be seen as more important. I want women to be treated equally. I want black people to be treated equally. Quitting this job isn't what I want to do."

"Hey, hey, calm down," Erin said softly, making what she could of the almost hysterical rambling. "You're not going to have to quit, Clem. I want the same things you do. Under my leadership everyone will be treated equally here, and I do mean everyone. All you need to do is give it two or three weeks until I'm in charge, then we'll talk again. Okay?"

"Okay," Clem choked out, trying to compose herself. "Shit, I'm sorry, boss. I don't ever crumble like that."

"Don't apologise to me. It shows what this job and your colleagues mean to you. I admire that more than I can tell you. Now, look at me."

Clem had been looking down at the floor and wiping her eyes. Now she looked up and met Erin's gaze.

Erin said, "You're going to help me make sure those ladies are happy. You're the leader in there. If there are problems, you come see me or call me. Okay? Me and you."

"You really care, don't you?" Clem said quietly.

"I do. People are people to me, not numbers on a computer screen. My WWE is going to be a place where people are happy to work. And we're going to get you signed to a contract that pays you what you're worth. Like I said, four years at a million and a half per year. Have a think about it. Talk it over with Alexa."

"Don't need to think about it," Clem said wiping her eyes again. "Take over, fire Kelton's ass, put that contract in front of me and I'll sign it. You're someone I want to work for. Honestly? I don't think anyone else could have talked me into staying here."

Erin nodded her appreciation, actually feeling lost for words. Instead of replying, she bent down and picked up Clementine's cap. "Here you go. Thanks for coming in. Are you okay, or do you need a minute?"

"I'm good," Clem assured her, taking a couple of deep breaths. "Please don't tell anyone I broke down in here."

"It never happened," Erin said with a smile. "Enjoy the show tonight."

"Thanks, boss. Will do."

Erin watched Clementine leave, then took a moment to process what had happened. Certainly not what she had expected before Clem came in the door. Having to deal with a very emotional employee was another first for her as a boss. She felt she had done quite well. What mattered most was that she now understood what Clem needed in order to re-sign with WWE. Put simply, better working conditions. That was something Erin could and would deliver, which meant she was now very confident of getting one of the company's biggest stars to put pet to paper. It was a big deal, and Lucy Thorne needed to know about it.

The soon-to-be co-CEOs were developing a positive working relationship, communicating regularly on the phone and via email. Erin found Lucy easy to deal with, professional, maybe even fun to talk to. She had certainly made the right choice on who to partner up with.

Picking her phone up from her desk, Erin called Thorne's number. She already knew Lucy was working in New York on this particular day.

"Hello, Erin," came Lucy's voice after just a couple of rings. She sounded quite cheerful. Her mood would only get better with the news that Erin was about to pass on.

"Hey, Lucy. I've just agreed a four year deal in principle with Clementine."

"Have you now?" Lucy said, sounding impressed. "That's excellent news. What did you offer her?"

"A million and a half a year, and firing Brian Kelton on my first day in charge. I think the latter was more important to her to be honest. It will mean we need a new Head of Talent Relations."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"I don't know yet," Erin admitted. "It's something I'll have to put some thought into."

"Well, the wrestling side of things is yours to run. Thanks for the update. Good work."

"Thanks, Lucy. Talk soon." Erin ended the call with a smile on her face, and immediately set about texting Jay with the good news. Now, for the first time, she actually felt confident of her ability to do a better job than Hank in charge of WWE.


A/N: Erin made the breakthrough with Clem, and looks to have convinced her to sign a new contract. Do you think she'll be up to the job once she becomes Chairwoman?