Part 1
The night of the ceromony came. The ramp was set for a sacrifice to take place. Taker was backstage nervously pacing. Paul stood by him, his hair now jet black as it was long ago. "You've got to relax. You can't go out there in this state of mind." Paul said knowing he himself wasn't all that comfortable with what was about to happen. "How can I Paul? We've had trouble with the audio, the fans are shouting for blood. I feel ridiculous in this outfit. I wish it was Macmahoh being sacrificed. I don't know that I can do this."
"Taker you have to. I'm no more comfortable with this than you are. But our jobs are on the line here. Just ignore the fans. Think about your wife and your daughter. They love you, your family needs you. This is just an act. Think of it that way. Let the fans think what they will. This is all an act." Paul said. "That's our cue. We have to go out there now."
Chris and Storm watched at home while the ceromony took place. The two friends who had become sisters watched and gasped at what they saw. "Chris, are you all right?" Storm asked seeing Chris turn pale. "Storm...Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick." Chris gasped seeing the fake blood spill from her husband's wrist. "Oh God...." She said beginning to double over. "Chris! Take it easy sister. It's only an act. It's not real. Try to calm down. It's not real." Storm said becoming worried. "Storm, how can they do this to him, to Kane? Why? Why is Macmahon doing this to us?" Chris said beginning to sob. "By the Godess! Don't look Chris. Please, don't look." Storm said as she watched Taker carve his symbol into the chest of Dennis Knight, who then became the first sacrifice of the Ministry of Darkness, Midian.
When the ceromony mercifully ended, Taker hurried backstage wanting to be isolated from all that he saw. "That was the worst night of my life! I don't think I've looked more foolish. I missed half my sound cues, my hands were shaking. I nearly cut myself on that damn knife! No more of this! I am never doing a thing like that ever again!" Taker ranted. "What are you talking about? That was a brilliant performance." Said Shane, son of Vince Macmahon. "No! That was a disaster! I am not doing this again! No More of this! You hear me! I do not ever want to do a ceremony like this ever again!"
"What are you getting so upset about?" Growled the voice of the owner of the WWF. "So the sound man was off on your cues. I'll fire him and get a better one for the next time." He said. "I don't think you heard me Vince! I am NOT doing this again! The fans hated it! I hated it! Paul hated it! Hell, I don't think Dennis looked too happy himself!" Taker yelled. "Well maybe you should have thought of that before you and Kane went off on your little temper tantrum! I told you Taker, no one, NO ONE screws with me and gets away with it! You'll continue this script or you'll find yourself working in a REAL funeral home! Now I want to hear nothing more out of your mouth on this! You'll do what I say and when I want you to do it! Is that understood? Well, is it!" Macmohon screamed. Taker looked at him wishing he could kill him then and there. "You remember who owns this company. You remember who gave you this job. You remember who finances that mansion so you can live with your little woman and daughter. Oh yes Taker. I know, I know all about that. And I happen to know about Kane's bride as well. So if you want thing to work out smoothly for your precious family you'll do exactly what I say!"
"Don't you threaten me." Taker snarled. "I have this on tape you know. I would hate for your precious little daughter to have to see that one day...know what her father, really is." Macmahon said with an evil sneer. "You son of a bitch! You wouldn't dare!" Paul cried. "Oh, I'll do what I have to keep this company on top. I'll do what I have to when I have to. Is that understood? Good. I want no more defiance from you, or you...or your brother. You'll do what I say when I say it." With that, the owner and his son stomped off. "Damn him! Damn him to hell!" Paul ranted. "It won't do any good Paul. He has us. I can't have my daughter seeing this...not now. Oh God Paul...he's threatening our family...my family. What would Darcy think of me? Oh God...Chris! She saw this! What will she think of me?"
"Now get a hold on yourself! You know damn well Chris loves you. That little baby loves you. It don't mean a damn what Chris saw on that screen. She's been with you so far and she'll be with you through this. Let's get out of here. I can't stand the feel of this place any longer. Kane's ready, let's go."
Chris sat in the bedroom she and her husband shared. She waited for Taker to come home. Soon, she saw him standing in the doorway, shocked, dazed, disgusted with what he had just done. She saw him fall to his knees, and rushed to take him into her arms. "Chris....what have I done? Dear God what have I done?" He asked over and over. "Let it go. It was just an act. Just let it go." Chris said holding her beloved close to her. She hated Macmahon...hated him with a passion. "I don't care what he makes you look like on that damned screen. You're my husband. You're the man I love and will always love. You're the father of our child. I will not let Macmahon ruin what we have! Never!" Chris said looking in her husband's emerald eyes. "Chris, I'm going to need you now more than you can possibly imagine. You have no idea what he's going to make me do. I'm going to have to do and say things that will sound absolutely barbaric to the fans." Taker said still dazed. "Hey...you listen to me. I don't give a damn what fans think. They left you for someone else. They left you! You did not leave them! There are still fans out there who will love you no matter what you do. You hang on to that...ok. I love you. Darcy loves you. That's all that matters. To hell with what the world thinks." Chris said holding him as tightly as she could. It broke his heart, this young woman whom he'd asked to be his bride still loved him in spite of what he'd done, in spite of what he would have to do. "Please, I...I need a moment alone. I'll be back in a few minutes." He said getting up and walking towards Darcy's nursery. Chris knew where he was headed.
She let him go alone, knowing he had to try to get a hold of himself. He looked down at the sleeping infant; his daughter. "Darcy...my little angel. How can I tell you what I must do? Would you think ill of me? Would you hate me if you knew what I have to do? Darcy...I would never hurt you. I'd never hurt your mother. You both are so precious to me. Please, my little daughter...forgive me...." He fell to his knees once more, and openly wept. Chris stood in the doorway watching him sob. It was like a dagger to her heart. "Damn you Macmahon....Damn you." She cursed silently under her breath. She walked to him and took him in her arms. "Your daughter loves you. I love you. We'll get through this." She said trying to fight back her own tears. "I never want her to know what I have done tonight. I never want her to know or see the things I must do. I don't want you to see them..but I know that it is inevitable that you will. This is the time when I need your strength the most." Taker said with his head hanged low. "You will always have it...always."
Several weeks passed. To say that the marriage was not being tried was an understatement. Having to act like he was first stalking Vince's daughter Stephanie, then kidnapping Ryan Shamrock and using her as a *replacement* to Stephanie got to Chris. She loved him, and knew he had nothing to do with either woman...but the degredation of his character ate her up inside. But she did her best to hide it. He didn't want to do the things he did...he didn't like it, but he felt he had no other choice. Everynight he would go look at his daughter, and then go be with his wife...but even that was becoming a problem. His guilt, his apathy towards himself was overwhelming him.
"I have never felt so stupid in my entire life. Black wedding? Who the hell does Vince Macmahon think he is making me go through with this and putting our family through hell. It's no longer the Ministry of Darkness...no, now we're the 'Corporate' Ministry. Who in their right mind is going to believe that load of bull?" Taker snarled at Paul. He watched his friend go back and fourth as he paced in the living room. "It's ratings...all ratings. Macmahon will do anything to keep his company at the top. "Well, he can use someone else to do it! I'm not having anything to do with this anymore. I want out! And I'm getting out!" Taker shouted and suddenly headed out of the mansion. "Taker! Where the hell are you going?" Bearer called but it was too late. Taker had already taken a vehicle and sped off. "Paul, what's goin on?" Chris asked with Darcy in her arms. "He's gone to chew Macmahon out...least, I hope that's all he's going for."
The secretary typed up a memo for Mr. Macmahon when Taker suddenly stormed through the door. "Wait, you can't go in there!" She called but was promptly ignored. "What the hell are you doing here?" Macmahon asked in shock. "I want out! Now! I'm not doing this anymore! You write me into what ever angle you want but you take me out of this Corporate Ministry story! I want nothing more to do with this! And don't threaten me with breaking up my family because they are firmly on my side!"
"Oh really...that's so nice to hear. Well, I figured you might rebel against me on this so I took an extra precaution...you see, I took the liberty of keeping tabs on your location, and well...let's just say if I have to go to the trouble of writing you out of a brilliant angle such as this...well, I'd hate to think what would happen to your lovely little daughter...or your wife." Macmahon sneered and pointed to a camera on the wall. "You see my boy...I told you, I know everything. I took the liberty of installing a few cameras here and there throughout the house. I never thought I'd have to use them...but I guess I do now. I'm sure the crowds would get a rise out of seeing the more...heheh, should I say, private side of you?"
"You...you didn't! You wouldn't dare!"
"I told you Undertaker, I'll do whatever it takes. Why, do you know what they'd do to her? She'd never be able to leave the house again...and I wonder just how loving she'd be to you after the fact that you're the one who put her in this predicament. After all, you're the one who chose her."
"I chose her because I love her! She's everything to me!"
"Listen to yourself, you think the Lord of Darkness would *love* anyone? You're a monster. You're a dark menance with only one goal in life...pure...unbridled, evil. That is your purpose. Honestly I don't see why you struggle with it. It's in you...it's who you really are...and the more you deny that...you deny your own greatness." Macmahon sneered. "Then I'll move her and my daughter, and Paul, and Kane and his bride. You can't watch every move I make if I'm somewhere you can't find me."
"You won't be leaving. As a matter of fact you really shouldn't have left her to begin with. I know where she is Taker...her and the child. You wouldn't want to come home and find them suddenly...not there."
The very threat brought Taker to rage. "Listen to me you money hogging son of a ..."
"You'll what? If you lay a hand on me I'll see to it they both never see another sun rise. And won't that be just too wonderful on your conscience. After all, the fans are already convinced you killed your own parents...burned your brother, want two more bodies to add to the list?"
"Stay away from them Mcmahon! Stay away from them!"
"Then do as your told. Now get out of my office before you don't have them to come home too." Macmohon sneered. Taker had no choice. He was between a rock and a hard place, but vowed to himself he'd find a way out. He left Mcmahon's office as angrily as he'd come in. For now, he had no choice but to do as he was told.
*to be cont*
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4