Daughter of the Deadman III
Hey, all. I'm finally back with a chapter! Finally! I'm sorry it took a long, but stuff is going on. I'm moving...again, so that is a thing. And school was happening too. It's winding down though. So yay!
Anyway, thanks to Dean's Country Angel for the hand! I do appreciate it! Also, thanks to: Cena's baby doll, Wolfgirl2013, Abigail Orton, tomwilliams1990, and nattiebroskette for their reviews! You guys are awesome. And I'm sorry this takes so long!
Abigail Orton: Oh, dang. Hope your foot is better by now! Here's your next chapter!
Thanks for being super duper patient guys! See you at the bottom
Chapter 31: Bump in the Road
One month later, it was the night of Money in the Bank. Angel's rivalry with Charlotte had become intensely personal over the last little while. Charlotte kept bringing up Angel's past even though Taker had warned her not to. Angel had not confirmed or denied any of it. Instead, she had gone out of character by bringing up things about Charlotte's father. She had thought about bringing up her brother Reid Flair, but had decided against it, knowing that it wasn't the best idea and that she was going out of character enough as it was. Instead, she had brought up Ric's debt issues and his issues with alcohol. Angel sighed as she stepped into the locker room. Everyone knew that this thing with Charlotte was getting to her and they were sure they knew why. Even though Angel had dealt with her past and even brought a bit of it up in the ring before, it all still hurt. Angel stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
"Man, why doesn't she just go to the ring and admit that everything that Charlotte has said in the last month is true? She doesn't even have to explain it all in detail. It's clearly bothering her" Roman said.
"What's bothering her, Roman, is that her past still hurts! It always will, I think. And that brat is going around spreading it on live TV week in and week out to try and get in Angel's head" Taker said.
"Has it worked?" Dean asked.
"Not as intended. All it's done is made her angry. She thinks that if anyone should be out there talking about her past, it should be her. Not Charlotte Flair, who twists everything into whatever she needs it to be" Kristy said.
"At least it'll be over tonight. After Angel puts her fist through Charlotte's jaw that is. Then maybe she'll back off and Angel can fix things" Dean said.
"It's going to take a lot of fixing" Roman said, looking worried.
"Yeah, well, Angel can fix it after she kicks Charlotte's sorry ass" Kristy said.
"I feel bad for her. Everything seems to happen to her" Dean said.
"It's not the first time Angel has had this happen to her and it won't be the last I'm sure, but we all know the Flairs are bullies" Kristy said.
"Unfortunately they are. And Angel's been bullied before, but this is different" Taker said.
"The Flair's usual round about way of cheating" Kristy said.
"I thought that you said all this did was make her mad. Please don't tell me Charlotte is in Angel's head" Roman said.
"She's not, but she is" Taker said.
"I don't get it" Dean said.
"Charlotte is like her Dad. If she can figure out a weakness, she will play on it. Ric was known for that when he was in the ring" Taker said.
"Yeah, but why Angel's past? Why bring up things that Angel has all but put to rest?" Roman asked.
"Because she's a bitch" Kristy said.
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Angel stepped out. She was changed, but she looked like she had been crying and there were still tears in her eyes. Lea jumped off the couch and hugged her sister before anyone could move a muscle.
"Angel, it'll be alright. You'll kick Charlotte's sorry butt and then she'll regret ever saying anything" Lea said.
"If you guys say so" Angel whispered.
"You will and then I'll handle her ass" Kristy said.
"I guess" Angel said.
"Angel, what's wrong with you tonight? You're usually a lot more…energetic before a match. How come your heart isn't in it? What's wrong with you?" Bret asked.
"Seriously, Bret?! You're asking me that?!" Angel snapped, turning to look at him.
"Uncle Bret, sometimes you can be so…so…oh, fuck it" Kristy said.
"My heart isn't in it, Bret, because of what Charlotte has been doing to me for the last month! She's bringing up things that I had all but dealt with! The abuse! The fact that Daddy and Mom couldn't be there! All of it! And no matter who brings it up, or why…or when…it still fucking hurts" Angel snapped.
"Come on, Ang, we could use some air. Besides, I could use more of that Ice Cream we found hidden in the freezer in the catering area" Kristy said.
"Fine. We'll be back in time for my match" Angel said.
"Alright, you two. Just keep out of trouble" Taker said.
"We'll try" Angel said.
The two of them left the locker room, closing the door behind them. Angel sighed in relief. She loved Bret, but sometimes he could be really stupid. The two of them just starting walking. Kristy waited. She knew that Angel would talk when she was ready.
"I thought that all the physical pain was bad. This is worse" Angel whispered.
"Ang, don't worry about that Flair-whore. She's all talk" Kristy said.
"Easy for you to say. It's not your past she's pulled out of the box and into the open for the world to see" Angel said, hanging her head.
"Well, true. But she would love to" Kristy said.
"Maybe I should go out and just tell the fans the truth. That everything that Charlotte has said is true. Then they can boo me out of the building and that will be the end of it" Angel said.
"No. Because then I'd have to tell them the truth about me" Kristy said.
"They already know. Remember Eva Marie ran her mouth off?" Angel asked.
"Oh yeah…she did. And you removed all doubts. I forgot about that. Look, even if you do tell the fans the truth about your past. That everything that blond bitch has said is in fact true, they won't care. They'll still love you" Kristy said.
"I doubt it" Angel whispered.
"Ang, if I had to go out there and say that everything that the red headed whore said about me is true, then you can do the same" Kristy said.
"Says who?" Angel said.
"Says me. You're strong. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're certainly stronger then any other person I've met. Well, that's not true. There's one other person that's just as strong as you are…" Kristy said.
"Daddy" Angel said.
"Yeah, but that aside, you can do it. Besides, Ro will be with you. Remember? He's going to ring side to keep the old idiot in line" Kristy said.
"True. Very True" Angel said.
"So you can do it. Just go out there and tell them that what Charlotte is saying is true and that you warned her once to keep her mouth shut and she didn't so now it's time to make her rest in peace" Kristy said.
"What…if I win and we have to face each other? Then what? Why the hell is that big nosed asshole so intent on making our lives so damn difficult?" Angel said.
"Uncle Taker is talking to the old man. He knows the rules" Kristy said.
Angel nodded. She didn't feel any better about any of this though. Now she knew how people felt when her father messed with people's heads. It wasn't nice. They went to the catering area and Kristy dug in the freezer and pulled out the ice cream. Then she went and got two spoons. Angel sat down.
"How did you find this anyway?" Angel asked, sticking her spoon into the bucket.
"Owen snuck it in. He figured we could use it" Kristy said.
"Leave it to him to sneak our comfort food into the catering area. Let's go easy on this though. Last thing we need is to get fat" Angel said.
Kristy laughed and the two continued to eating ice cream and talking. After about an hour or so, they headed back to the locker room. When they walked in, Angel took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Look, guys…earlier…well, I just needed a break. I'm going to go to the ring early. It's time I set the record straight here. It's time for me to tell the fans that everything is true. If I do that, then she can't use it as a weapon anymore" Angel said.
"Good for you, Ang" Dean said.
"Dean. Don't call me Ang" Angel said, glaring at him.
"Why not?" Dean asked.
"That's reserved for Kristy and Kristy alone" Angel said.
"OK. Sorry. Stop giving me your Dad's death glare" Dean said.
"I told you not to call her that" Kristy said.
Angel laughed at that. Then she slipped into the bathroom and washed her face off. When she came out, Kristy applied her eyeliner. Then she put on a hooded trench coat and got her father to do it up for her. Then she pulled the hood up.
"Are you going to be alright, Aunt Angel?" Wyatt asked.
"I'll be fine once I get my hands on Charlotte Flair" Angel said.
"Please tell me that someone is going with you to keep her Daddy out of it. You know he'll be there" Bret said.
"Roman is going with her" Kristy said.
"Good. Angel, are you sure you're alright with going out there and admitting to your past? I mean, don't take this the wrong way but…well, you've said it before, there isn't much to be proud of" Bret said.
"BRET!" Owen shouted.
"Nah. Owen, it's fine. He's right. There isn't a lot in my past that I'm proud of" Angel said, "And honestly, I don't know how I feel about going out there and saying that it's all true. Part of me is itching to so that it can't be used as a weapon against me anymore. But…"
"But what?" Taker asked.
"But part of her is worried the fans will hate her" Kristy said.
"Why would they hate you, baby girl?" Taker asked.
"I don't know. Well…I guess it's just…the fans see me as this strong, beautiful woman…and that's a lie" Angel whispered.
"You are a strong woman Angel. Don't let anyone tell you that you're not" Dean said.
"Dean, that's not the point. The point is, they see me as that and it's not true. I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am. I mean…well…all you have to do is look at everything that's happened to me over my twenty-three years! The only reason I'm still here is because I got lucky when I was thirteen and met someone who gave a damn whether I lived or not" Angel said, glancing at Kristy as she spoke.
"Angel Marie Calaway, stop it right now" Owen said.
"Ang, come on, you can't be that way" Kristy said.
"Look, I'm just…I'm not as strong as all those fans think I am. I've been lying to them. And I've been lying to myself. I'm…not strong. I just got lucky is all. I got lucky because Kristy came into my life and helped get me back with Daddy. It was all luck" Angel whispered.
"It wasn't luck, Ang" Kristy said.
"It was so! I'm not strong enough" Angel said, breaking down.
"Flair's little brat is going to wish she had never set foot here" Taker growled.
"Can I?" Kristy asked.
"Someone has to do something" Dean said, "And Angel is clearly not in any condition"
"I'm fine" Angel said.
"No, baby girl, you're not fine. You're an emotional wreck right now. I'm not going to let what happen to Jen and her little friends happen again. If it does, that big nosed moron will come up with some way to punish you that will be worse then what he threw at you before" Taker told her
"The thing is, are the fans going to believe Kristy if she's the one who walks out there and tells them about Angel's past?" Bret asked.
"Why wouldn't they?" Angel whispered.
"They will. Believe me" Kristy said.
"Should we talk to Stephanie before we do this? Do you think she'd want to know what it is that's going on?" Roman said.
"She's the sensible one, but even so, I wouldn't want to do this without letting her know" Dean said.
"I'll go talk to her while there's still time" Kristy said.
Everyone agreed. Kristy left the locker room and went to Stephanie's office. She knocked on the door and walked in. She was a bit shocked when she saw Hunter there. She sighed. Now she wasn't looking forward to have to talk to Stephanie now.
"Hey, Kristy. Can I do something for you?" she asked.
"Yes. It's about Angel. Thanks to Charlotte, she's in no condition to wrestle and is about to have a mental breakdown, so you might as well just change the match now. Me vs Charlotte for the Diva's Title. And I'm going to need some time to go out to the ring and explain this because the fans were expecting to see Angel tonight and now they're not going to" Kristy said.
"Is she going to be alright?" Stephanie asked.
"No idea" Kristy said, turning to Hunter, "But it's because of Charlotte being allowed to walk around here like she owns the place. And walk out to that ring, get on the microphone and talk about things that are none of her damn business and things that she has no idea about"
"Hold on, what are you talking about?" Stephanie asked.
"For the last month, week in and week out, Charlotte has been walking out to the ring, getting on the microphone and talking about Angel's past. Something that is none of her business and something she cannot and will not ever, in a million years understand" Kristy snapped.
"I wasn't aware that this was going on. Were you, Hunter?" Stephanie asked.
"I…well…" Hunter started.
"Don't tell me you knew all along that Charlotte was doing this and you did nothing?!" Kristy snapped.
"I knew. And I didn't do anything. And I probably should have" Hunter said.
"Probably?" Stephanie snapped, turning to look at Hunter, "You should have stopped it a month ago when she started!"
"I thought Undertaker warning her would be enough. Taker warned Charlotte a month ago that if she brought up Angel's past again, she'd be dealing with him" Hunter explained.
"So you're going to blame Uncle Taker for following company rules?!" Kristy snapped.
"Kristy, you get your match with Charlotte with Dean at ringside" Stephanie said before turning to Hunter, "And if Ric so much as makes one move against Kristy then Charlotte is suspended"
"Suspended?! What are you talking about?!" Hunter asked.
"Just what I said. She'll be suspended. She walks around here like she owns the place and because of her we could lose one of the most talented Divas we've ever had here in the WWE!" Stephanie snapped at him.
"Are you serious, Steph, you'll really suspend her?" Hunter said.
"Yes, Hunter, I will. In fact, if I had known what it was that was going on, I would have suspended her before now and put an end to this before it got to the point where Angel's mental health was at stake! Kristy, tell Angel she doesn't have to worry about Charlotte Flair anymore" Stephanie said.
"Angel isn't going to be the only one I tell. I'll be sure to let Uncle Taker know that he knew and did nothing" Kristy said, nodding to Hunter as she spoke.
"As you wish, Kristy. And don't worry about the time to explain to everyone what's happening. You'll get it" Stephanie said.
"Thanks" Kristy said.
She walked out of the office. She felt better now that Angel was out of harm's way, but she was livid at the fact that Hunter had known what Charlotte was doing and hadn't said anything to anyone. Kristy walked into the locker room and closed the door. She looked around. Angel had changed out of her ring gear and was sitting on the couch being hugged by Roman, Taker, Lea, and Wyatt all at the same time. Kane was behind her with both his hands on her shoulders since it was physically impossible to hug her.
"What's up, Little Kristy? You don't look happy" Taker said.
"Well, good news and bad news. Good news is it'll be me and Charlotte for the title and if the old pervert lays a hand on me Charlotte is suspended. Oh, and I'll be able to go to the ring and explain just what it is that's going on since fans were expecting to see Angel and they won't get to and since they pay their hard earned money to see us, they deserve an explanation" Kristy said.
"And the bad news?" Kane asked.
"I'm almost afraid to know" Taker said.
"That big nosed bastard knew exactly what was going on and did nothing" Kristy said.
Taker let out a growl and every lightbulb and piece of glass in the room seemed to shatter at once. Angel bolt upright and looked around. She hadn't been paying attention until now. When Kristy looked at her, she noticed that her friend had a far away expression on her face, almost as if her body was there but her brain wasn't. Kristy wondered if she was having flashbacks again.
"Uncle Taker…take it easy" Kristy said, not taking her eyes off Angel as she spoke.
"That son of a bitch knew just what he was doing! He let Charlotte do this knowing that if she did it long enough, Angel would be in no condition to wrestle tonight!" he snapped.
"Deadman, calm down. We just got Angel to the point where she's not cowering in fear in a corner" Dean said.
"She was cowering in the corner?" Kristy asked.
"Just after you left something happened. She started screaming and crying like I've never heard and when Taker tried to hug her, she panicked and ran to the nearest corner. She tried to make herself as small as she could. We got her out and over here just before you came back" Roman said.
"Flashbacks" Kristy said.
"And there are two possibilities here. One, it's really intense or two, it's more than one and she doesn't want to come back" Kane said.
"What do you mean she doesn't want to come back?!" Kristy asked.
"She's really lost in her own head, Kristy" Taker said.
"So? Bring her back! You always have before!" Kristy said.
"It's not so easy, Little Kristy" Kane said.
"Why not?! Just help Angel! She can't wander around in there forever! Bring her back!" Kristy said, raising her voice slightly.
"Kristy…" Owen said.
"Don't even start, Uncle Owen, if you say it, I will walk out of here right now" Kristy snapped.
"There has to be something, big brother. There's always been a way to use our powers to help Angel before. Why not now?" Kane said.
"Because she could get hurt if it goes wrong and you know how I feel about that, Little Brother" Taker snapped, the growl still evident in his voice.
"Uncle Taker…" Kristy whispered.
"I'm not doing anything that will hurt her! There's no way!" Taker snapped at them all.
"Not what she meant, Deadman" Bret said.
"Kristy, you're going to have to explain to me what you mean" Taker said, trying to keep his temper under control.
"Deadman, you know when you get all growly and hot headed like this, it scares Kristy" Bret said.
"I'm sorry, Kristy. I just…I can't do anything that will hurt her. And if this goes wrong, it will hurt her and I can't do that. I promised Bethy that I'd find her and when I found her, I'd never let her get hurt" Taker said, trying to keep calm.
"I know, Uncle Taker" Kristy said.
"Come on, Taker, there has to be something we can do. Kristy's right. She can't just wander lost in her own head forever" Dean said.
"Stop thinking with your heart, Deadman, and start using your head" Bret said.
"Bret, you're a jackass" Kristy snapped.
"Big brother, you know more about and frankly have more powers than me. Isn't there anything you can do that won't hurt her or…do what you're worried about and compromise her sanity?" Kane asked.
"Look, why don't we just let Angel come back on her own? For all we know, there's something happening in there. We can't see in her head. She might be scared to come back. It might not be that she doesn't want to come back" Roman said.
"Maybe I can try" Kristy said.
"I don't know, Kristy…" Owen said.
"Maybe if we can figure out what it is that has her freaked out" Dean said.
"I think I know what it is. She's got to be hearing that bastard's voice in her head. Either that or it's his mother. Or Kristal, her Grandmother" Taker said.
"Or all three at once?" Dean suggested.
"What does her adopted Grandmother have to do with anything?" Roman asked.
"Long story, Roman" Owen said.
"To sum it up, she turned a blind eye to anything Jason did to Angel. She was convinced that Jason was her father. She even came here and tried to take Angel "home" in her words" Kristy said.
"Basically" Bret said.
"Oh, god" Dean said.
"Now she's sitting in a mental hospital in Austin, Texas. She lost her mind when Jason went to jail and was killed by the inmates. She was convinced that Angel was Jason & Amber's daughter and tried to take her back to Calgary to take care of her" Taker said.
"But that didn't work out so well" Kristy said.
"Well, no. It didn't. Angel convinced her to bring her back, so she turned the car around, but she stopped the car, dragged Angel out, beat her up and left her on the side of the road" Taker said, his eyes flashing with anger.
"Don't remind me" Kristy said.
"OK. So if that's the case and they're scaring her and keeping her lost in flashbacks, then how the hell do we fix it? Taker, do you know?" Roman said.
"It's hard to figure out" Taker said.
"How the hell could it be hard to figure out?!" Roman snapped at him.
"Don't you dare snap at him" Kristy growled.
"Calm down, Kristy. We need to figure out what is going on here. In order to figure out what is going on, she needs to speak. That could take awhile since she so afraid right now" Taker responded calmly.
"So we just wait?" Roman asked.
"That's all we can do" Bret said
"Great…" Kristy said with a sigh.
"Why don't you let Kristy try?" Owen said.
"No" Taker said.
"Why not, Daddy?" Lea asked.
"Because she has a match tonight and using her powers takes energy. And she needs it if she's going to win against Charlotte" Taker said.
"I can still help Angel and take care of that witch" Kristy said.
"No!" Taker said.
"Uncle Taker…!" Kristy said.
"I said no, Kristy!" Taker said.
"OK…" Kristy said.
"Look, I know you want to help Angel and that's fine, but you have to think about your match. If you run out of energy you're going to get your ass kicked by that witch. And then someone is going to give you a hard time" Taker said, turning his head slightly to look at Bret.
"What?" Bret asked.
"He's right, Bret. If she loses, you will give her a hard time" Owen said.
"How come he'll do that?" Dean asked.
"It's Bret's strange way to motivate Kristy. It usually works, but there is a lot of history between the Harts and the Flairs. Basically, Flair said Bret was never a big draw, which is total bull crap might I add. If Kristy loses to Charlotte…" Owen said.
"Bret will kick my ass" Kristy said.
"That's not right" Roman said.
"It's the way it is" Kristy said with a sigh.
"Way to put extra pressure on Kristy, Bret. She doesn't need that" Dean said.
"And we don't need an angry Bret, so if Angel doesn't come out of this by the time I get back, I'll help. At least Angel's match was supposed to be first" Kristy said.
"What do you think? Taker?" Dean said.
"I'd say that's fair enough. But you'd best get moving, Little Kristy. Be careful with her alright?" Taker said.
"Why do I have to be careful with her? She's a Flair and look at what she did to Angel!" Kristy said.
"I think he means be careful of her as in watch out for her Flair antics. She is very much like her father in that regard" Dean said.
"I got it, Dean. Believe me" Kristy said.
"She's not happy about this—as if that's not obvious—and she wants to legit hurt Charlotte for doing this" Owen said.
"Yeah, Owen, I kinda figured that out. I've never seen her this angry before" Dean said.
"Just…don't let your anger get the best of you, Kristy" Owen said.
Kristy nodded. She strapped on her belt and she and Dean left the room. Everyone looked at each other. Dean was right. None of them had seen Kristy that mad. In the arena, the show had just started and the fans were waiting for Angel to come out. Instead, they were greeted with Kristy's music as she walked out with Dean. The fans cheered even though they were confused.
Kristy and Dean walked into the ring and Kristy asked for a microphone. She took a deep breath, feeling more nervous then she had ever done before. Not only that, but she was trying to get her temper under control. Dean placed a hand on her shoulder. Kristy started to speak.
And I'm leaving you hanging on this just for a change. Maybe it will motivate me to get another update out quicker, but I am moving and I still have exams and stuff. Anyway, thanks guys for your patience! Love you guys!~Taker's Soul Girl