Daughter of the Deadman III
Chapter 17: Learning The Ropes
It was one week later and Angel and Kristy were about to make their NXT debuts and they were nervous as heck, even with reassurance from Stephanie that this was a good thing. Angel put on the gear that Kane had gotten her for Christmas that year. It was more like street clothes. It was a black pair of jeans with a tank top with her father's symbol on it, fingerless gloves and a pair of elbow pads and wrestling boots.
"Wow, Ang." Kristy said.
"Do I look OK?" Angel asked.
"You look fine." Kristy said.
"One favour." Angel said.
"You still want the dark circles?" Kristy asked.
"I need to give the fans some little hints of the Dead Girl and I can't exactly do it myself anymore." Angel explained.
Kristy nodded. She put Angel's eye liner on for her. Then she went and got dressed in the clothes that Owen had sent down for her. It was blue jeans, an old Hart Foundation tank top, and black wrestling boots with pink Maple Leafs on it. She quickly changed and stepped out of the bathroom. Angel was looking at herself in the mirror even though she couldn't see.
"You look fine, Ang." Kristy said.
"If you're sure." Angel said.
"I'm sure. Come on, let's go meet up with the guys." Kristy said.
Angel nodded. Then they left the locker room and when and met up with Dean, Seth and Roman, who were waiting around by the curtain with a few of the other NXT Superstars and Divas.
"Wow. So not what I was expecting." Dean said.
"Hey, even we need to change up our characters and such every now and then." Kristy said.
"Did anyone ever tell you two that you're beautiful?" Seth said.
"Rollins, I'm not interested, so you can just back the hell off right now." Angel said.
"If I wanted to be hit on by a rookie, I'd hit on that annoying Bo Dallas before I'd hit on you." Kristy said.
"Ouch." Dean said.
"She just burned you, dude. Like…majorly burned you." Roman said.
"They're just playing hard to get." Seth said with a shrug.
"Somehow I doubt it." Dean said.
"Like we'd ever play hard to get with you!" Kristy and Angel said in stereo.
"Told you, man. You got burned." Roman said.
"So are you two ready?" Dean asked.
"I am." Kristy said.
"I haven't been this nervous since I first started here." Angel admitted.
"We'll be fine, Ang. We're doing this together. Remember, we're always together. No matter what." Kristy said, grabbing her best friend by the hand.
"Are you two always like this?" Seth asked.
"For your information, Rollins, I've been by Angel's side through some of the worst things you could imagine, so why don't you keep your mouth shut?" Kristy asked.
"Can we ask?" Roman asked.
"You'll find out eventually." Angel said, quietly.
"Until that day comes, Angel and I are family. Always have been, always will be." Kristy said.
"Got it." Roman said while Seth rolled his eyes.
"What are you rolling your eyes about?" Kristy asked.
"He just can't stand that he's been told off by two very talented and good looking women." Dean said.
Kristy and Angel laughed. They were watching a monitor to see what was going on in the show. They had Xander put together a video package for them of what they had done in the past and they had recorded the narration for it, alternating lines. It had started to play on the monitor, after which Angel and Kristy were to go to the ring.
"You know our families. You know our names. The Dead Girl. The Hart Princess. The Niece. The Daughter. Diva's Champion. Women's Champion. You think you know us. You think you know our past. You think you know our families. But the truth is…you know nothing about us."
After that, Kristy's new theme music hit. She was no longer using the traditional Hart Family Music. Now she was using Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace. She walked out to the ring and climbed in. She asked for a microphone and then waited. Then, a familiar gong sounded and Angel's music hit. Rather than using her father's music, she was using So What by Three Days Grace. But she had asked that they keep the gong there because the fans were used to it. She got into the ring with Kristy and asked for a microphone.
"They told me that I would never set foot in a WWE ring again." Angel started.
"And if Angel didn't set foot here again, I wouldn't have either." Kristy said.
"When I made the choice to come back to WWE, I wanted to come to NXT. I could have come back and gone to the main roster, but it is different now, so I came here." Angel said.
"And I came here to help her out. Besides, we both had serious ring rust after not being here for fifteen months." Kristy said.
"So here we are, restarting our careers. And this time, no family names." Angel said.
"That's not to say we don't love our families. Of course we do. And they've been nothing but supportive of us! We just felt it was time to carve our own path in WWE…and NXT." Kristy said.
"Put simply, it means no Hart Princess and no Dead Girl…at least for a bit." Angel said.
"For now, I'm just Kristy." Kristy said.
"And for the moment, I'm just Angel." Angel said.
Just then, the music of Kevin Owens, the NXT Champion hit and he stood on the stage. This was immediately followed by the music of Tyler Breeze, the resident NXT pretty boy. Angel and Kristy rolled their eyes. They had heard about both of these guys. Kevin Owens was an arrogant man who thought that being NXT Champion made him able to do what he wanted when he wanted and Tyler Breeze was so self-absorbed that he carried a Selfie Stick to the ring to take pictures of himself. Angel and Kristy rolled their eyes.
"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Angel asked.
"Do you guys need something?" Kristy asked.
"We want to know what you're doing wasting valuable air time when people clearly want to watch the Champion. And of course, me, Tyler Breeze." Tyler said.
"Nobody cares what happened to the two of you and where you've been for fifteen months or who you were. The show should be used for the Superstars and Divas who have worked hard. Like us." Kevin said.
"Worked hard?" Angel asked.
"Like you? Just who are you two?" Kristy asked.
"I'm Kevin Owens and I'm the NXT Champion." Kevin said.
"Oh, so you're the one I've heard about, who thinks that the piece of gold you have allows you to do whatever you want whenever you want no matter the consequences. If I said it was nice to finally meet you, I'd be lying through my teeth." Kristy said.
"And you are?" Angel asked.
"Tyler Breeze." Tyler answered.
"Ah, the loser who's so wrapped up in himself he carries that stupid Selfie Stick to the ring and thinks all the girls want him. If you ask me, you're nothing but a PG Shawn Michaels wannabe. At least Shawn had the Charisma to pull that whole thing off." Angel said.
"Not to mention the hair. You two really think you're something, huh? Coming out here and telling us what to to. A couple of rookies. Well, here is a newsflash, boys. While out there, you might be veterans, here in this ring, you're rookies just like us. You start at the bottom just like us. You start at the bottom and work your way up the ladder." Kristy said.
"Right. That's the way it works here. You can do all the work you want in all the Indy Wrestling you want, but you come here and you're back at the bottom. You're rookies. Hell, we are former Diva's Champions and Women's Champions—not to mention the families from which we come—and we still consider ourselves rookies because we're here." Angel said.
"You don't walk into this company a veteran. You earn that status and the respect that comes with it." Kristy said.
"You two certainly have mouths. And Tyler and I are going to shut them." Kevin said.
"Don't make us laugh." Angel said.
"Please don't," Kristy said.
"We'll see who's laughing when we get through with you." Tyler said.
The two men dropped their microphones and ran for the ring, sliding in under the bottom rope, but before they could so much as lay a hand on the two girls, The Shield came out. They ran into the ring and beat up Kevin and Tyler. It didn't take long for Roman to Spear Kevin into next week and for Dean to hit Dirty Deeds on Tyler. Then to finish it off, The Shield delivered Triple Power Bombs to both of them. Then all five left the ring. Within two seconds, Angel's cell phone rang. Kristy looked at the Caller ID and sighed.
"You'd better answer that. Uncle Taker is probably flipping his lid." Kristy said.
"Right." She said connecting the call and getting Kristy to press the speaker button for her, "Hi Daddy."
"Are you two OK?" Taker asked.
"They're fine, Deadman." Dean said.
"Who was that?" Taker said.
"That was Dean Ambrose, Daddy. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns are here too." Angel said.
"They saved our butts. Plus, Dean and Roman have been showing us the ropes down here. So, relax, Uncle Taker. I can feel your blood pressure rising over there." Kristy said.
"Yeah, Daddy. We're OK. Promise. We've become quick friends with Dean and Roman. They're even helping us with our training." Angel said.
"You had better stay just friends with them. At least till the Harts and I meet them." Taker said.
"Daddy!" Angel said, blushing.
"Uncle Taker!" Kristy kinda growled.
"Don't you use that tone with me, Kristy Lesley Hart-Smith. I can still ground you, you know." Taker said, chuckling.
"Hello, Uncle Taker, two grown women and a mother over here. Or did you forget?" Kristy said.
"Calm down, Kristy. He's just looking out for us. It's what he does." Angel said.
"Don't worry, Deadman. We'll stay just friends with them." Seth said as Dean and Roman both looked at him with an expression that clearly said "Speak for yourself".
"And that must be the jerk who was giving my baby girl a hard time for trying to help him out." Taker said.
"Yeah, that's Seth." Angel said.
"He's annoying as hell, but we make due with him. Dean and Roman are the best though! You should see them, Uncle Taker. They have rare talent. Dean reminds me a lot of Uncle Pillman." Kristy said, making Dean's face go red.
"And Roman is awesome too. He's…kinda like you are, Daddy. Agile for his size and he can do top rope stuff and everything. It's so awesome." Angel said, making Roman's face go red.
"Cool. How are Lea and Wyatt handling all this?" Taker asked.
"They love it. At the Development Centre they have this extra bouncy ring and every chance they get they go in it. And Dean and Roman jump in there and they have little matches." Angel said.
"It's really cute. They are so good with them. I've never seen Wyatt and Lea having more fun." Kristy said.
"Well, that's good. Give them both a hug for me. And sorry I called, but Owen was all worried about Kristy." Taker said.
"It's OK, Daddy. Tell him to relax. The Shield will look after us. Or at least Dean and Roman will. Seth….is questionable." Angel said.
"What?" Taker asked.
"Look, Deadman, I'm only here because Vince was the one that arranged all this." Seth said.
"Well, Seth, if anything happens to those two because of you, rest assured, you won't be walking around very long because I will sign, seal and personally deliver your death warrant!" Taker said anger creeping into his voice more and more as he spoke.
"OK, Uncle Taker. Relax. We can handle him." Kristy said.
"OK. I'll talk to you later. And I love you both." Taker said.
"Bye, Daddy. Love you too." Angel said.
"Bye, Uncle Taker. Give Uncle Bret and Uncle Owen a hug for me. And I love you too." Kristy said.
"Will do. Bye." Taker said.
He hung up and Angel flipped her phone shut. Roman, Dean and Seth looked at both of them as if they couldn't believe that that call had actually just happened.
"Wow. The Deadman has a huge heart. It's kinda weird." Seth said.
"Maybe to you it is. Makes sense to me." Roman said.
"Me too." Dean said.
"Uncle Taker is a good man. He just can't show it in the ring too much. God forbid he show his human side." Kristy said.
"And Seth, in case you have any doubt, I can tell you for sure that he meant what he said. If anything happens to Kristy and I because of you, he'll come here and he'll beat you to within an inch of your life." Angel said.
"If that ever happens, can we watch?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, we can even bring popcorn." Roman chuckled.
"Hey, by the way, where are Lea and Wyatt anyway? We thought they'd be here." Dean said.
"Nah. We left them at home with a sitter. They wanted to come but given that we don't know the Superstars and Divas of NXT all that well, we didn't think it was a good idea." Angel said.
"Probably a good idea." Roman said.
"Yeah. Especially with Owens running around." Dean said.
"Speaking of him, you were in the Indies awhile, Dean. Did you ever work with him?" Kristy asked.
"Never met the guy until we came here. Probably a good thing." Dean said.
"Did you work in the indies you two?" Angel asked Seth and Roman.
"I was in the indies for six years before I got here in twenty-ten." Seth said.
"I played football and when that didn't go anywhere, I came here. A couple months after Seth actually." Roman said.
"And I spent ten years in the indies before getting here in April of twenty-eleven." Dean said.
"Kristy and I got sorta lucky, given that we were born into it. Although, until I was sixteen, I had no clue." Angel said.
"Watch how much you tell, Ang." Kristy said.
"I think we can trust Dean and Roman, Kristy. And as for you, Rollins, if you tell anyone any of what I'm about to say, Dad will be the least of your problems. And I guarantee that I mean that." Angel said, glaring at Seth as she spoke.
"Just the gist of it for now." Kristy said.
"Oh, fine." Angel said.
"So, what's up?" Dean asked.
"Three days after I was born, Mom gave me up for adoption. I was raised in Kristy's hometown by Amber and Jason Clarke. Things were….let's just say my childhood wasn't the typical carefree one that you'd think a child would have." Angel said.
"It wasn't?" Roman asked looking worried.
"No. It wasn't. I was abused by Jason. It went on from the time I was two until I was sixteen when I found out the truth. Hence, why I had no clue I was born into wrestling at the time." Angel said.
"How come Taker and your Mom didn't try to get you back?" Dean asked, looking stunned.
"Well, Daddy didn't know. It's kind of a long story, but I'll sum it up as quickly as I can. Mom came from the same kind of childhood as I did. Except her Mom was the abusive one. She went to her Mother with the news she was pregnant and they had a fight. It scared Mom so bad she didn't tell Daddy she was pregnant. She was afraid of what he'd do. So…she gave me up. And then…two weeks after I was born, she was hit by car and passed away." Angel said.
"The same woman who caused the accident. She's rotting in jail now though." Kristy said.
"Oh, my God." Dean and Roman said at the same time, wrapping Angel in a hug.
"Thanks, guys." Angel said.
"Oh, please. Make me throw up, why don't you guys?" Seth said.
Angel pulled herself free. Then she reached up and slapped Seth across the face. Then she stormed off, going back to the locker room. Kristy glared at Seth before walking away. Dean and Roman turned and glared at him.
"What the hell, man?" Dean asked.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Roman asked almost at the same time.
"You two are falling for them!" Seth said.
"So what if we are?! You could have shown Angel some compassion, you jerk. That can't have been easy for her to go through! Her childhood was worse than mine for god's sake." Dean snapped.
"Not to mention that you could be nicer to them. I don't want Undertaker and Bret Hart coming in here and ripping my head off. Especially considering Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith would be right behind them." Roman said.
"So? Haven't you guys realized that we don't need them? We don't need to be looking after a couple of girls. And they don't need to be a part of the Shield either. We were just fine before they came along. All they're going to do is ruin it. Admit it, you two, you're doing this to get to the main roster faster." Seth said.
"Of course not! Look, Seth, Kristy and Angel are talented women. They know how to do their jobs and they aren't like the so called Divas down here. They know about the main roster. They know what it's like to train and be trained like a real wrestler. So back the hell off!" Dean snapped.
"See? You're falling for them and you've only known them for a little over a week." Seth said.
"And how is that your business?" Roman asked.
"Yeah. So what if we are? What do you care?" Dean asked.
"I care because Angel is disabled. I mean, she can't even see what you look like, man. And Kristy….well, she's been around. She went from Barrett, to Cena, to Edge. You can do better, Dean. Kristy's nothing but a whore." Seth said.
"Kristy is not a whore! And from what I overheard from Triple H, she was raped by Barrett. They never had a relationship. So whoever you heard all this from needs to check their facts! And frankly, you need to shut your mouth before you say the wrong thing." Dean said.
"A bit late for that. And as for Angel not being able to see what I look like….her physical eyes might not work, but I'm sure the one in her mind does." Roman snapped at him.
"You two are so freaking blind. I mean, a slut and a blind girl." Seth said.
Just then, the lights right above Seth's head shattered, raining glass down on him. Dean and Roman looked at each other. They had no idea what that was about. Seth looked around, but there was no one there but them. Roman and Dean really wanted to do something to him, but instead they decided to go to the locker room and check on Angel and Kristy. They knocked on the door. When Kristy opened it, she looked really upset.
"What's the matter?" Dean asked.
"Angel's locked herself in the washroom and she won't come out. She just keeps telling me to go away. Seth really upset her, I think." Kristy said.
"Was she the one who made the lights go weird just now? They flickered and then the glass shattered and fell on Seth." Roman said.
"Yeah, that was her." Kristy said.
"Can I try to talk to her? I can sort of relate to her background." Dean said.
"Sure. Good luck though." Kristy said.
Dean nodded. He didn't even knock on the door. He just walked in. He found Angel sitting there with her knees up to her chest and her head resting on them. Dean walked over and sat in front of her. He didn't say anything. He waited for Angel to acknowledge him somehow.
"I know you're there, Ambrose. I just want to be left alone right now." Angel said.
"Hate to say this, Angel, but I'm not going anywhere. So one of two things is going to happen. I'm going to sit here with you until you're ready to come out of the bathroom and talk or you can talk to me and sort things out now." Dean said.
"Rollins is a pain in the ass! He doesn't understand anything! Kristy is the only person besides Dad and Lea that has stood by me. Sure we fight and we've lived apart, but we never stay mad at each other long and we're never apart very long. He just doesn't get it." Angel said.
"Seth doesn't understand that and he frankly doesn't care about it. He's just an asshole." Dean said.
"You don't really understand either. You don't get what it's like to live in a home where you practically have to walk on eggshells!" Angel said.
"I understand better than you might think." Dean said.
"How could you?" Angel asked.
"I grew up in a bad part of Cincinnati, Ohio. We never had much. I know all about abuse. I can relate to you." Dean said.
"Really?" Angel asked.
"Honestly. You're not alone as you might think, Angel. I got into wrestling when I was a kid because I could watch it and completely forget about what was happening for a few hours." Dean said.
"You did that too, huh?" Angel asked.
"I had to have something to help me cope." Dean said.
"I had wrestling. And…art. I used to draw a lot. I've got a box full of sketch books at home that's just filled with drawings. Not to mention my bedroom walls are wallpapered with it." Angel said.
"You can draw, huh? Can you still do it?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Angel asked.
"Well, Seth said something about how you don't know what we look like. Think you can prove him wrong on that?" Dean asked.
"Sure." Angel said.
"And do you think you could draw me a picture of Kristy. I mean, I know what she looks like, but…" Dean said.
"Sure, Dean. No problem." Angel said with a grin.
"Did you even bring your art stuff with you, Ang?" Kristy asked.
"I carry it everywhere. It's sort of become a habit." Angel said, standing up.
She walked from the washroom to the couch. Kristy helped her set out her stuff on the table. Angel picked up a pencil and Kristy started describing what Dean looked like to her. A few minutes later, Angel looked up from the paper. Dean was shocked. Then Kristy did the same thing for Roman. It took a few minutes, but when Angel finished, Roman's mouth fell open.
"How the heck did you manage that?" he asked after a minute.
"Kristy told me how tall you were and what length your hair was and then I just went from there." Angel said.
"That's amazing." Dean said.
"He'd better believe us." Roman said.
"Is he the type of guy that has to have proof for these sorts of things?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. How come?" Roman asked.
"Because I've got proof of my abuse if he really feels as though he needs to see proof." Angel said bitterly.
"Let's hope he doesn't because if he does, his head will meet my hand and his head will spin around." Kristy said.
"She means that. Ask anyone who's been slapped by her." Kristy said.
"Hm. I'd like to see that so part of me is hoping he asks." Dean said with a laugh.
"Same here." Roman said.
"Thanks, by the way, Angel." Dean said.
"For what?" Angel asked.
"For trusting Dean and I enough to tell us these things." Roman said.
"It's not like you to spill your guts about the stuff that happened in your past, Ang. So for me this is odd." Kristy said.
"There's something about these two. I feel like I can trust them. But from now on, if you two want to know anything about me, please wait until Seth is not around in order to ask, OK? I don't trust him as far as I can throw the man." Angel said.
"Sounds like a fair deal to me." Roman said.
"You two should count yourselves lucky. Trust doesn't come easily to Angel. It even took her a long time to trust me." Kristy said.
"Given her background, I'm not surprised that trust is an issue. In the past, trust equalled hurt, am I right?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. It did. Hm. I take back what I said earlier, Dean. You do understand." Angel said.
"Can ask you something, Angel?" Roman asked.
"Ask me whatever you want, just make sure you want to know the answer, first." Angel said, making Roman laugh.
"The light thing, earlier. They flickered and then shattered right over Seth's head. Kristy said that it was you. What the heck did you do?" Roman asked.
"Ah. That. Well, you've both seen the sort of…odd things my Dad does…right?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. Turning the lights on and off. The lighting. All that stuff." Dean said.
"Well, it goes beyond that, but yeah. You get the gist. Anyway, I have all that stuff too. I got a little angry tonight and kind of…let a little bit of my powers out." Angel said.
"What do you mean it goes beyond the lighting and stuff?" Dean asked.
"Well, I can pick you up off the floor without laying a hand on you." Angel said.
"This I have to see." Roman said.
Angel grinned. She stared at Dean for a second before rolling her eyes back into her head just like Taker did. Dean was stunned when he felt his feet leaving the floor. Angel lifted him all the way to the ceiling before setting him back down carefully. Dean just stared at her in shock. Roman laughed at him.
"Be thankful I didn't just blink while I had you up at the ceiling, otherwise you would have hit the ground….really hard." Angel said.
"Well…next time you get mad at him, feel free to bounce Seth around like a ping pong ball." Roman said.
"I would, but then I'd have to answer a bunch of questions." Angel said.
"It'd be worth it to see him scared out of his mind." Kristy said.
"Well, that's true." Angel said.
"Anything else cool you can do?" Dean asked.
"Well, I have a telepathic link to Daddy, Kane, and Lea. And…I can see ghosts. Well, not just any ghosts. Just the ones who are important to me, like my Mom and Grandmother, Leanna." Angel said.
"How does the link work?" Roman asked.
"If I roll my eyes back and concentrate hard enough I can call for help. Although, it's not the easiest thing to do when I'm in trouble." Angel said.
"That's a bit on the creepy side." Dean said.
"I don't use it much." Angel said.
"Oh. You don't?" Roman asked.
"Not unless Kristy and I are in a jam and there's no other way out of it. Then I will." Angel said.
"Ah. An emergencies only sort of thing." Dean said.
"Ang, I don't understand. You…trust them." Kristy said.
"Let's just say someone is in my ear, telling me it's safe." Angel said.
"Huh?" Roman asked.
"You guys can't see it, but my Mom is standing right beside me, telling me not to worry and that you and Dean can be trusted." Angel said.
"I didn't know she could do that." Kristy said.
"Neither did I, but apparently she can. And honestly, I'm not going to question it." Angel said.
Kristy nodded. She wasn't going to question her Aunt Beth either. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Seth walked in. Angel cringed as her Mother started to yell at him. Luckily, she managed to hold in her laughter, but she looked at Kristy and raised her eyebrows, telling her that Beth had gone from calm to angry. The first thing Roman and Dean did was show Seth Angel's drawings of them. Seth sighed, but didn't apologize to Dean or Roman. He clearly didn't like the girls.
"Is there something we can help you with, Seth?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. You Hardy wannabe." Kristy said.
"Hardy wanna be?" Roman asked.
"Huh?" Dean asked, confused.
"It means he's trying to be like Jeff Hardy with the hair." Kristy said.
"Oh." Replied Roman.
"I'm here to get these two." Seth said.
"We're not kids, Seth. We'll leave when we're damn good and ready." Dean said.
"Yeah, Seth. You'll have to wait. We're talking to the girls." Roman said.
"Are you talking about anything interesting?" Seth asked.
"Nothing that I'd tell you." Angel snapped at him.
"Just get out, Rollins. You're not wanted here, so just go." Kristy said.
"Unless you want to tell Kristy and Angel what you were saying earlier. You know, since you know things about them and all." Dean said.
"Yeah, why don't you go ahead and tell them what you know about them. I'm sure they'd love to know." Roman added.
"Fine! I will! I know that these two are completely falling for you after only a week and that we don't need to be body guards to a couple of girls! We don't need you in the Shield either. We were fine before you got here and you're just going to ruin it! Besides, these two are my best friends and they can do a whole lot better than the two of you!" Seth snapped.
"And what about the other stuff?" Roman asked.
"Angel, you're disabled. You're a black mark here in WWE and you never should have come back here! Kristy, you're nothing but a whore! You went from Barrett, to Cena, and then to Edge. And now you're going to jump all over Dean! And they're so blinded that they can't see it!" Seth snapped.
Angel growled under her breath and rolled her eyes back. She lifted Seth up to the ceiling much like she had done to Dean earlier, however, this landing was going to be anything but gentle. She blinked, breaking her eye contact and causing Seth to fall to the floor with a thud.
"OW!" he shouted.
"You no good lousy son of a bitch! For your information, the WWE is the only place I want to be because it's the only place I know for sure I belong! I know I can wrestle and I know I can do it right! You know why? Because for twelve years of my life I was beaten. I was starved. I was called everything you can possibly think of. I was told I couldn't do anything right! And if you want proof just take a look!" Angel snapped.
With that, she turned around and pulled her tank top up over her head. She heard Dean, Roman, and Seth all gasp and Kristy knew what she had done. She had shown them the scars on her back that she had gotten from a belt attack at the age of four. It was the whole reason the fans never saw Angel in belly tops or backless tops like the other Divas.
"Nice going, you son of a bitch!" Kristy yelled.
She slapped Seth in the face with all the strength she could muster and then ran into the washroom and shut the door. Angel pulled her shirt back down and turned back around to see Dean and Roman staring at her wide eyed.
"Angel….did…did your adopted Dad do that to you?" Roman asked.
"If he did, he's going to wish he was dead." Dean said.
"Yes, Roman, he did do that to me. I was four. And Dean, prison inmates already beat you to the punch. He was murdered in jail while serving a life sentence for abusing me...and Amber, and my adopted Mom." Angel whispered, trying to relax.
"Calling Kristy a whore was wrong, Seth! She never slept with Barrett! He raped her! She only dated Edge and Cena, she never ever slept with them! Her whole innocence was stolen by that British son of a bitch!" Angel snapped.
"Angel, can I ask something? How long ago did this happen?" Roman asked.
"It was just after Wrestlemania Twenty-Six, so…April twenty-ten." Angel said.
"And…how old is Wyatt exactly?" Roman asked.
"He was born in December twenty ten, so….he's six. He's about a year younger than Lea. Why?" Angel asked.
"May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December." Roman said, counting the months on his fingers.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Dean yelled, putting it together quickly.
"Barrett is Wyatt's biological father!" Roman said.
"Unfortunately." Angel said.
"Does Wyatt know?" Dean asked.
"We told him. So yeah. He knows." Angel said.
"Does Kristy ever talk about it?" Roman asked.
"Not really. She did a lot at first. But…she hasn't in a long time. She's pretty much accepted that it happened. She always says that regardless of the circumstances, she wouldn't trade Wyatt for anything in the world. He's part of the reason why she and Adam split up. Adam being off filming Haven and not being there with him and Kristy was making him miserable and she knew it." Angel said.
"Wow." Dean said.
"She's put Wyatt first from the day he was born. He's the most important person in her life. I'm second and you know what? I'm fine with that." Angel said.
"You are?" Seth asked.
"Yes, because unlike you, blatant selfishness has never been part of my personality!" Angel snapped at him.
"She's a good mother. I noticed that from the start." Roman said.
"Yeah, she's a good mother and Wyatt seems like such a great kid." Dean said.
"How would you know, Dean? You haven't known her that long." Seth snapped.
"Because I can tell, you idiot. Kristy is a sweet girl, if you'd just give her a chance! Not to mention, she's very talented and a good Mother to a little boy who is very cool, so back the hell off." Dean snapped right back.
"Well, what about the little Brat that runs around with you?" Seth asked, looking at Angel.
"Her name is Lea. She's my sister, but I might as well have been her Mother! My adopted Dad forced my adopted Mom to have her. And after years of abuse, Lea's birth was too much and she passed away. I was left to take care of Lea, do housekeeping, cook food, and be a student all at once. I did it somehow. He blamed Lea for Amber's death, but I bore the brunt of the abuse for that because he didn't want to hurt her." Angel snapped at him.
"Not to mention, I get the feeling Kristy helped you a lot during that time." Dean said.
"Let's put it this way. If it wasn't for Kristy and my hard headed stubbornness, I wouldn't be here." Angel whispered.
"Which is a good thing." Roman said.
"Should one of us go and check on Kristy? She's been quiet in there for too long." Dean said.
Angel nodded. She walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. Then she closed it again. Kristy was sitting there with her hearing aids in her hand, looking down at the floor. Tears were rolling down her face. Angel knelt down.
I still know how to do this you know even if I can't see. You don't have to hide in here. Angel signed.
"Yes…I do. I…can't face them. Not…after…not…after that." Kristy said.
After what?
"After…that…that thing…called me a whore. I swear…you'd think…you'd think…people would…know the truth by now." Kristy said.
Kristy, listen, Dean and Roman don't care. Do you want to know what they said? They said you're a good mother. Dean even said you're a sweet girl and he wishes that asshole would give you a chance. He even said you're talented. And I'm sure he thinks you're good looking. Angel signed.
"He…said…all that…?" Kristy asked.
Yes, he did. He was the one who suggested someone come and check on you. I did it because they don't know about you being deaf. They both know the truth and so do you. Who cares what that asshole says? We all know what really happened. Angel signed.
"I know…Ang…it just hurts…still…you know?" Kristy said.
I would imagine it does. Angel signed.
"Why…does he…hate us?" Kristy asked.
You would have to ask him that, Kristy. I would imagine that it has something to do with him being stuck with us by force. Now, come on out. Dean and Roman are worried about you. Angel signed.
"OK…" Kristy said.
She put her hearing aids back in and stood up. Angel opened up the bathroom door. To their shock, Seth was gone and Dean and Roman were sitting there smiling. They had no idea what had happened, but they were glad he wasn't there anymore.
"Are you OK?" Dean asked.
"Better." Kristy said.
"You were awful quiet in there." Roman said.
"There's…a reason for that…" Kristy said quietly, looking at them worriedly.
"Oh. What is it, Kristy?" Roman asked.
"Well, it's….I'm…I'm deaf." Kristy whispered.
"You are? But that's not possible." Dean said.
Kristy sighed and reached up and pulled out her hearing aids. She held them out to Dean and Roman so that they could see what they were. Both of them looked at each other and then looked at Kristy stunned. She slipped them back in.
"How is that possible?" Roman asked.
"They aren't sure what happened, but when I was small my Mom left me unattended in the bathtub for over an hour while she talked on the phone. I got really sick. I was deaf after that. I kind of remember being able to hear and suddenly I couldn't anymore." Kristy said.
"But how can you wrestle?" Dean asked curiously.
"I use my eyes, silly. And when the ref makes a count, I feel the vibrations in the mat so I know when to kick out. Or when someone taps or when I get a pin fall." Kristy said.
"And then usually I come running out to tell her that the crowd is cheering for her since she can't hear it herself. Promos are different. She can wear her hearing aids when she does those." Angel said.
"Wow." Dean said, "That's amazing."
"Your other senses improve once you lose one." Angel said with a shrug.
"Like Angel's ears are really good now. No one who knows her can mumble stuff under their breath anymore because she can hear it." Kristy said with a laugh.
"By the way, where did Seth run off to?" Angel asked.
"We told him we'd meet him at the hotel later. We also told him he had three choices: make the best of the situation, leave the Shield, or go to Vince and complain and risk getting fired. He said he'd try to make the best of the whole thing because he likes being in the Shield and he doesn't want to lose his job." Dean said.
"Well, if he's willing to make the best of it, then so are we. But are we gonna get an apology at least?" Angel asked.
"He said he had some thinking to do." Roman told them.
"In that case, don't be surprised if you smell wood burning when you get back to the hotel." Angel said.
Dean and Roman laughed. Angel sat down and drew a picture of Kristy for Dean because she had promised him that she would. Then the two of them said goodbye and left the locker room. Angel and Kristy showered and changed into street clothes. Then they left and headed back to Nattie and Ty's house and paid the sitter. Lea and Wyatt were already fast asleep, so Kristy and Angel changed into pyjamas and headed off to bed. Both of them felt drained. It had been a long night.