"How you’ve turned my world you precious thing

You starve and near exhaust me!

Everything I’ve done I’ve done for you

I move the stars for no one!

You’ve run so long, you’ve run so far

Your eyes can be so cruel

Just as I can be so cruel

Though I do believe in you

Yes I do

Live without your sunlight

Love without your heart beat

I can’t live within you"

Ring ring. Ring Ring. ~ Ugh. It's morning. Fuck. ~ I picked up the phone. "Whoever this is had better have a damned good reason for calling."

"Now, now that's no way to talk to your favourite niece." A cheerful voice chastised me. I smothered a groan, then smiled. "Lexi you know the rules. It's too bloody early!"

"Go out drinking after Raw did we?" teased Alexis. "A bit HUNGOVER THERE AUNT NITA?"

~Grrrrr.~ I took a deep breath. "Lexi, what is it? Get to the point and get to it quickly. I am not a morning person, I work with men who are mostly over 6 foot and over 200 pounds and I know where you live."

"Your beloved sister is going out of town for a few weeks, can I come and stay with you?" Lexi asked quickly. I yawned. "Where's your father?"

"Do you really think that Jon would waste his precious time with something as insignificant as his own daughter?" Lexi asked bitterly. ~Good point~ I thought sadly. "Tell your mother that I'll talk to the powers that be and call back as soon as I find out."

"OK, thanks Nita. Love you."

"Love you too missy." I hung up and rolled over, catching sight of the clock. Shit! 11:30am. It wasn't as early as I thought. I had an appointment with Jeff Hardy at noon. With a sigh I got out of bed and prepared myself for the day.

~~~~~~

"It's just so fucking annoying!" He cursed as I listened intently. He'd been complaining about the Outlaws, about Jesse's blind loyalty to Billy. "Billy will go against him, but it's always half hearted, whereas Billy treats Jess like shit and Jesse always goes back for more."

"Is this in their personal lives as well as professional?" I asked, making notes. If it carried over into their personal lives, then this could be serious. Hunter sighed. "Personal. You do know that -"

"Billy and Jesse are very much a couple." I finished. Yes I knew. And something about the relationship had always worried me. I thought for a minute. "How much does it carry over into their relationship?"

"Nita, just what the hell are you implying exactly?" Hunter’s voice was ice cold. I bit my lip as he threw a cushion across the room. "Are you saying that Billy beats Jesse?"

"No Hunter –"

"Because he doesn’t. I would know if either of them was bashing the other all right?"

"How?" I asked softly. Something about the way he was talking set alarm bells ringing. I winced as the hourglass Kane had given to me one day as joke, flew across the room and smashed against the door. That hourglass meant a great deal to me, as Kane had picked it out on his own. I could still picture the nervous look on his face as he’d shyly handed the box to me. I closed my eyes and turned away, so Hunter wouldn’t see me cry.

"What do you want to hear Juanita? Do you want to hear that Billy is physically abusing Jesse? Do you want to hear that I abused Chyna and am now abusing Stephanie?" He was shouting now. " Do you want to hear that my father beat my mother and me? Do you want to hear that I would let something like that happen to one of my best friends? Well if that’s what you want to hear baby, go to sleep and keep listening. You may hear it in your dreams."

And with that he stormed out. With a sigh I began to clean up the hourglass.

"Way to piss off the boss." A blonde head poked through the door. I looked up, tears in my eyes. "Edge, don’t you know better than to eavesdrop?"

"I wasn’t eavesdropping. We could hear Helmsley yelling, so we placed a couple of bets. Test sent me down to see if he broke anything. I had fifty bucks on the photo frame of your niece." Edge grinned. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I threw the glass in the bin. "He did. My hourglass."

"The one from Kane? Holy shit." He looked shocked. "None of us thought he’d break that. It means so much to you. "

"Well he did." I answered softly as I dried my eyes. If Kane found out, Helmsley would have hell to pay. I glanced at my watch. Alexis’ plane landed in an hour. Time for me to leave. "Hey, Edge wanna come on a field trip with Kane and I?"

"I don’t think Kane likes me much." Edge looked kinda wistful. I sighed and locked the door. "It’s not that he doesn’t like you, he just has no reason to."

"And if anyone would know it would be you." smirked the Enigma. I rolled my eyes. "Are you coming or not?"

He grinned. "Why not? I wanna put off breaking to Jericho that he lost $300 on the fact that Hunter didn’t break your little frog ornament."

~~~~~~~~

I was run ragged over the next two weeks keeping an eye on Lexi. I’d been fairly busy with work and had generally left Lexi to her own devices, a move I knew wasn’t a good one, but I didn’t know what else to do. The girl could handle herself and it wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, I just didn’t think that a 19 year old girl should be spending most of her time alone with young, mostly single and all good looking, young men.

Things came to a head one night as Kane and I returned from dinner at a restaurant. I hadn’t been a very polite dinner date – I’d spent most of the evening bitching about Helmsley.

"He hasn’t spoken to me in two fucking weeks!" I complained as we walked up the hall. "He brings a GameBoy to our sessions and if he has a message for me, he gets Steph to pass it on. Something is seriously wrong with –"

We’d reached the room I was sharing with Lexi, Kane suddenly lunging ahead into the room. When I got a clear view of the room, Kane had Test by the throat and up against the wall and Lexi was crying and pleading with Kane to let him down. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. I looked at Test, struggling tog et free of Kane’s death grip, at Lexi, tears streaming down her face and fear in her voice and at Kane, raw anger evident in every muscle of his powerful frame. I sighed. "Kane let him down."

"But Nita –" he protested. I raised my eyebrows. "NOW."

Kane let go and Test fell to the floor gasping for breath. Lexi ran over to him, still sobbing. I sighed for the second time in as many minutes. "Test – get out."

"Can I just –"

"GET OUT." My voice must’ve sounded rather harsh, as he winced before leaving. I turned to my niece. "Alexis, I want you to be careful. I’m not telling you not to get involved with Test, but I don’t approve of you being in a relationship with any of the wrestlers. Now go and clean yourself up."

Lexi glared at me, then ran into the bathroom. I looked over at Kane. "Oh god what do I do now?"

He came over and wrapped his arms around me and stroked my back. I buried my face in his chest, revelling in the feeling of Kane’s body close to mine. We hadn’t slept together since a few days before Lexi arrived and damnit, I missed him holding me close. I could tell Kane felt the same way, for I could fell his heart pounding. I looked up and him and smoothed his hair away from the mask, then pressed my lips against his collarbone.

"What the hell?" an angry voice broke into the moment. Kane and I sprang apart guiltily. Lexi glared at us. "I don’t fucking believe this!!"

"Lexi, please –" I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t let me, heading for the door and delivering a parting barb as she left. "There are many names I’ve called you Aunt Juanita, but I never thought hypocrite would be one of them."

Both Lexi and Test avoided me over the next few days, adding to the list of people not talking to me. Kane reported that Test was evading also him as well, leaving a room when ever Kane walked in and going to extraordinary lengths to avoid being alone with him.

Added to all the shit my niece was giving me, Hunter still refused to speak to me. I was extremely worried about his little hissy fit when he’d broken my hourglass. I had a very strong suspicion of what was wrong, but since Hunter refused to speak to me, confirming it was impossible.

I’d had enough. So one after noon as he lay on the couch playing – of all things – Pokemon on the GameBoy, I decided on a course of action. "So tell me about your relationship with Shawn Michaels. Is he really the Heartbreak Kid?"

"What?" Hunter fell off the couch. I wondered if the WWF’s Brat Pack (Edge, Christian, Jeff, Matt, Chris, Test and Val) had heard the thump and if so, were they betting on it. I turned back to my laptop. "I hear everything in here."

"Who? Was it Chyna?"

"I can’t reveal who told me, you know that. Look, I’m sick of sitting here week in, week out doing nothing and listening to you play video games. I’m asking out of personal curiosity, but anything said will not leave this room."

Hunter turned off his GameBoy. "Shawn and I were very much in love, He could turn my insides into goo with a smile or a wink. And when we made love – it was incredible. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I honestly believed – and still do – that Michaels was and is my soul mate. Sounds kinda gross to you, huh?"

"Not at all." I shook my head. "There’s a line in a movie I watched recently, ‘Chasing Amy’ and one of the main character says something to the effect that it’s ridiculous to automatically assume that your soul mate will be a member of the opposite sex. While I’m not willing or prepared - for lack of a better word – to explore all my options, I have no problem whatsoever with those who do."

"I agree with that." Hunter replied thoughtfully, then continued telling me about him and Shawn. "We could read each others minds. Occasionally we’d tag together as part of a scratch match during training. Our opposition was doomed. We were a perfect team, in the ring and out of the ring. I miss him like crazy."

"So what happened?"

"Chyna. And the break up of the original DX." He started pacing the floor. I made a note on my notepad. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not particularly." And that’s a wrap. From Hunter’s point of view anyway. As far as I was concerned, it was only the opening scene; the one that comes up on your screen as the opening credits roll.

~~~~~~~~

I watched the monitor as the Smackdown taping ended and breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing had gone wrong, there were no attempted murders behind the scenes, no hissy fits that couldn’t be handled by others. My night was over. Just as I reminded myself that I’d probably just jinxed myself by thinking that, I heard raised voices coming from a room nearby. Trish Stratus and Alexis.

I stuck my head out the door and listened as Trish warned "Stay away from my man little girl."

"Which one? You seem to have so many of them." Lexi replied tartly. I smiled widely. ~ That’s my girl ~

"You bitch!" snarled Trish. I noticed Test heading down the hall towards us. I assumed the fight was occurring in the room across the hall, as it was the only one with the door shut. Trish shouted. "You can have whoever the hell you want. Just stay away from my Test!"

"He’s not your Test. He doesn’t have a tattoo reading "Property of Trish ‘crackwhore’ Stratus." Lexi yelled back. Test did a double take, then stormed into the dressing room, throwing open the door and reappearing seconds later with Lexi in his arms. "Are you ok baby?"

"I’m fine." She smiled up at him. They smiled at each other, then moved quickly out of the way as a vase flew out the door. Test stuck his head in the door and said angrily "Trish, Lexi is right. I am not yours, I have never been yours and I will never be yours. You pull a stunt like this ever again and you are out of here. Do I make myself clear?"

Trish’s response was to slam the door shut. They embraced, the 23 year old professional wrestler and the fresh out of high school 19 year old who was not yet a woman, but not a child. I sighed and moved back into my office.

Seconds later there was a knock on the door. "Hey, Nita can I talk to you?"

"I’m alone and unarmed." I called back, laughing as Test’s face, wearing a comical look of relief poked around the door. I grinned at him, but he turned serious. "I want to ask you something about Lexi."

"I don’t want to talk about it Test. Lexi can make up her own mind as to what is right for her nobody can make her change her mind. I will say this though. Lexi is young and impressionable. You hurt her or fuck her around and not only will you face one very pissed off and protective aunt, but you will also face the very pissed off and protective aunt’s lover. Do I make myself clear?"

"Nita, I tell you now I would never mess Lexi around." Test vowed. "I came to night to ask you something. There’s a cinema in the next town that shows oldish movies. It’s screening ‘Labyrinth’ while we’re there. I know that Lexi loves that movie and I was wondering if I could take her to see it?"

"Just you two?"

"Well some of the other guys are going, but I was hoping to treat it like a date. ~ How cute! He’s actually asking for permission! ~ I hid a smile. "Test, it’s up to Lexi."

"But I’d feel a lot better about it if you – and Kane- were all right with it."

"I promise that if you and Lexi do go to the movie, I will try to keep Kane calm. That’s the best I can do Test." I told him wearily. The young Canadian grinned gratefully. "Thank you so much Nita."

After he left, I lay on my couch and wondered what the hell I was doing. I trusted Test, and I liked him and I wouldn’t have minded seeing him and Lexi get together – but in several years, after Lexi had experienced more out of life. Was it right for the two of them at this point in time? I didn’t know.

Kane came in and sat in the rocking chair and I eagerly curled up on his lap. We sat there for a while, just enjoying the quiet. I told Kane about Test wanting to take Lexi to Labyrinth and my misgivings. He didn’t say anything, just let me rant and rave and let it all out as he rubbed my back and neck. Eventually, I sighed, then smiled up at him. "When it comes down to it, it’s only a movie. I mean, am I gonna lay on my deathbed and remember this? I’d say not. What difference will it make to anyone in the long run?"

As it turned out, giving Test permission to take Alexis to see ‘Labyrinth’ would provide me with the key to unlock a closet full of skeletons.

Lexi and I were lazing around outside the pool at the hotel. Most of the others were training or doing a brief run through of their scenes for Raw the next night.

"Hey girls." I looked up to see Chyna grinning. I smiled back up at her and batted the grass next to me. "Pull up a bit of grass."

She lay her towel out and the three of us worked on our tans, talking and joking. After about half an hour, I sleepily shut my eyes, while Lexi and Chyna kept talking. Chyna’s voice took on a mischievous tone. "So tell me about the date with Test."

"It was great. I had an absolute ball. And he is the perfect gentleman." Lexi sounded over the moon.

"What did you do?" asked Chyna. Lexi sighed. "He took me to see the movie ‘Labyrinth.’"

"Oh fun! That movie is a timeless classic. I love it." Chyna replied. I raised my eyebrows. ~There’s a surprise for you.~ Lexi laughed. "I agree. My favourite scene is the whole ‘You remind me of the babe’ part. My ex best friend and I used do that all the time. It drove everyone nuts."

"I can imagine." Replied Chyna dryly. I laughed remembering how annoying it was. I’d been taking the girls on a road trip with me a few years back and all I heard from the backseat was ‘You remind me of the babe’ ‘What babe?’ ‘Babe of the power’ ‘What power?’ ‘Power of voodoo’ ‘Who do?’ ‘You do’ ‘do what?’ ‘Remind me of the babe’ until I threatened to make them walk the rest of the way to our destination – still four hours away. Lexi elbowed me. "Shut up."

The three of us laughed. I rolled onto my stomach. "My favourite scene is at the very start of it, when Sarah is pleading with Jareth to give Toby back. I also love the scene with Sarah and Jareth at the ball."

"Why?" queried Lexi. "That scene blows. It’s so boring."

"Perhaps." Agreed Chyna thoughtfully, "But I love it for the fact that it’s in that scene that you first realise how much Jareth loves Sarah. There one line in that song that sticks in my head."

"Which one?" asked Lexi.

‘But I’ll be there for you, as your world falls down.’ " She sang, then shrugged. I smiled. " Exactly! I mean at the start of the movie it’s said that ‘what nobody knew is that the King of the Goblins was in love with the girl.’ Everyone seems to forget that when it comes down to it, Jareth took Toby because Sarah wanted him to."

Lexi looked at me sceptically. I returned the look. "OK then kiddo, last song of the movie. The line is ‘Everything I’ve done I’ve done for you.’ Argue."

"OK!" shouted Lexi. "You win!" Sulking she got off her towel and dove into the water. The wrestlers were beginning to join us around and in the pool. Chyna and I watched Jeff Hardy hit a Senton Bomb off the diving board onto Chris Jericho, who was floating on an inflatable mattress. We laughed as Jericho attempted to drown Jeff and the rest of the Brat Pack had to separate them.

"So what’s your favourite scene?" I asked Chyna. She replied immediately. "The last two scenes with Jareth. It’s then that you realise how much Sarah means to him and that everything he has done is for her."

We sat in silence and watched the wrestlers messing around. Chyna’s eyes were on Hunter and Stephanie, who were playing a game of chicken against the Outlaws. After a minute Chyna continued. "That song –‘Within You’ is my favourite too. Especially the line ‘Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel.’ I can’t explain it too well, but picture the scene. Jareth has just walked through Sarah and when he looks at her, she draws back in fear, which is showing in her eyes. He is hurt by the fact that she is afraid of him."

"Imagine it. He’s done everything she wanted. He took her brother away, because she asked him to. He gave her a chance to get her brother back. He sent Hoggle down to the oubliette so that Sarah wouldn’t die down there. He did it all for her, because he loves her and she’s afraid of him! She’s missing the point, that he loves her and he would do anything for her." Chyna exclaimed. "He’s hurt because Sarah is scared of him, gets angry with him and maybe even hates him. To me that’s what the line means, that his cruelty is outright, but hers is subtle and digs at his emotions."

I was silent. I’d debated movies before, and talked about characters like they were real people, but never this passionately. Chyna sounded as though it was personal. After a few minutes, she laughed self-consciously. "I really get worked up when discussing that topic. You see, Hunter and I used to fight about me helping him all the time a lot. Whenever I saved a match for him, we’d get backstage and he’d insist that he could’ve won on his own. He had a real inferiority complex. I tried to help him out but it only made things worse."

Her voice was angry and her face was cold as she glared at Hunter. "He’s blaming me for so many things. If anything I deserve all the credit for where he is now. ‘Behind every great man is an even greater woman.’ He’d would never have gotten where is he is now without me. And he knows it."

She got up and left, saying she had to call a friend. I thought about what Chyna had said as I watched as Al Snow tried to convince Steve Blackman to join in a spontaneous round of synchronised swimming. As the wrestlers fell in to formation, it hit me and a large bit of the puzzle that was Hunter fell into place.

I was still humming the song ‘Within You’ and analysing the lyrics a few days later when Jesse knocked on the office door. "It’s me, it’s me it’s that D –O- "

"Quit it! That gets irritating enough hearing it on Raw without having to put up with it out of the ring as well!" I warned him with a smile. I looked at the notes I’d scribbled and looked at Jesse, who was laying on the couch, in a typical movie pose. I tried not the laugh. "Uh, Jesse?"

"Well Doc it all began when I was a little boy. You see I really –"

"Jess?"

"- really wanted a puppy, a bike and a fishing rod. But my dad said ‘Son, life is full of choices and you will have to choose which one of those –"

"Jesse?"

"-three items you can live without. We can only afford two.’

"Jesse!"

So I thought about it and thought about it and then I thought some more –"

"Jesse Brian James Armstrong!"

"What?" He sounded personally injured I had to laugh. "Jesse, for once in you are not going to talk about yourself. I asked you to come in today, because I need to ask you some stuff. Remember, whatever you say will not leave this office."

"Stuff about Hunter?" he asked. I looked at him in surprise. "How the hell did you know?"

"I hear things." He replied simply. I tapped my pen on my notepad. "What kind of relationship do he and Stephanie have?"

"Not a good one. They can’t stand each other. The lovey dovey crap is only for TV and certain people. I don’t know why they got married, but I think it had more to do with pissing off other people, then anything else. They sleep in separate beds, sometimes in separate rooms."

"Do they fight?"

"Always. Each of them is cheating and the other knows it. They fight about that, matches, whether hell really is fire & brimstone and how do we know, because nobodies ever come back to tell us, therefore hell could already be frozen and – sorry that’s Billy & I." Jesse grinned at me. I made some notes. "Does it ever get violent?"

"Stephanie throws stuff – dangerous stuff at Hunter. He has a violent temper, but he never hit Stephanie. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did. Whenever it gets too much for him, he hits the gym, trains in a big way."

"So Hunter would never hit Stephanie? What about Chyna? What was their relationship like?"

"As I said, whenever he gets angry enough to even consider hitting a woman, he trains." Jesse looked at me. "I don’t wanna say too much. I love Chyna dearly, she’s like a mother to me at times. But have you seen how much Hunter’s buffed up since the original DX days?"

"Yeah." I was worried I knew what was coming next. Jesse got up off the couch and headed for the door. "Thank Chyna for that. If it wasn’t for her, Hunter would be nothing compared to his size and strength now."

The pieces of the puzzles where slowly fitting together. I just had to talk to Michaels and either Billy or Sean. Meanwhile I’d given up on the whole Lexi – Test thing. My original threat still stood, and I reinforced it one night just after they’d gone to see ‘Labyrinth.’ Threats are so much more effective when the ‘pissed off and protective aunt’s lover’ is standing behind me.

I’d called Sean into my office. He was rather contemptuous and rude, (mainly because a few altercations we’d had previously) save to say one thing, which helped put the puzzle together. "Sometimes, with Hunter and Steph, it’s like he needs her approval. They fight a lot, but he’ll turn to her after a match and say something like ‘What did you think of it? What should or shouldn’t I have done?’ I think it’s got something to do with all the shit Chyna put him though."

"What kind of shit?’ I asked, hoping that my suspicions were incorrect. But Sean just looked at me and sneered, before leaving.

Next up, I called in Billy. He couldn’t add anything to what Jesse and Sean had said other than that he thought Hunter had acted the way he had over the past months was because of someone else.

"How do you mean that?" I asked, looking at my scribbled page of notes. Billy hesitated. I hit the table angrily and swore. "What the hell is it with you lot? I’m trying to help. I think that something is seriously wrong when it comes to Hunter and his current attitude to everything, and you guys are too busy protecting each other. Now I admire that, I really do and I wish I had a bunch of friends I could depend on the way DX can depend on each other. But there is a time and a place for that, and in my office is not one of them. I will not break confidences, I will not call someone in and say ‘So and so has said this.’ If you can tell me anything about Hunter, about his relationship with Stephanie, his relationships with Chyna and Michaels, that can help me and therefore help him and you’re holding back on me, and I find out you’re not telling me the full story then god help me I will not be held responsible for the consequences!"

Billy looked at me in shock. I think that the DX boys had thought I didn’t have a temper. Well fuck it, I did and I was angry and I wasn’t gonna hide it. I glared at Billy. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"ARGH!" Thoroughly pissed off I threw a paperweight at his head. He ducked at the last minute. "Shit! Nita are you insane?"

"No I’m angry! I think I know what Hunter’s problem is and if I’m right then I can help him. But I can’t do it alone. I need help – I need your help. Jess and Sean have given me a little help – and in Sean’s case I stress the word ‘little’ – but I still need to sort a few things out. And I need you to help me to do that."

"I’ll help." Muttered Billy. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you think Hunters current attitude have anything to do with Chyna?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any proof?"

"Only what I’ve seen and heard."

"What have you seen and heard?"

"After a match, they’d come back into the dressing room and as soon as the door was closed, they’d start fighting. Chyna would be taunting Hunter – if he’d won without her help, she’d tell him it was about time, and if she’d helped him she’d ask how the hell he expected to get anywhere when she had to save his ass all the time. If he lost, she just got stuck into him about how hopeless he was and how he would never get anywhere. He’d get so mad, and she’d just keep taunting him. I think her plans for him were more than what he ever expected for himself."

"Would you say Chyna was emotionally abusing Hunter?" I hated asking the question, especially when I already knew the answer. But I needed to hear it from others before I could do anything. Billy stared at the floor for a while, then, without raising his head, answered my question.

"As much as I hate to say it, there’s no masking the truth. Yes Nita, Chyna emotionally abused Hunter."

After Billy’s statement, I just sat there, staring at the wall. Emotional abuse is common among couples, but there were many more cases of women being emotionally abused, than being the abusers. I didn’t even notice when Billy excused himself; I was that deep in thought and, if I’m to be honest with myself, shock.

I sat in my office for hours that afternoon, trying to figure out what I would do next. Its one thing to be suspicious about something, but when that thing is confirmed for you, then it throws you, it really does. I had to talk to Michaels, but I knew his wife was pregnant and due any day now and I didn’t want to call him away and possibly make him miss such an important event. After a day of thought, I called Shawn and told him who I was and briefly I wanted to speak to him. I said that it was important, but to wait until he had time before calling me and arranging to talk.

In the meantime I called Chris into my office and asked him about his short relationship with Chyna. He didn’t have too much to say, just that her plans for Chris differed from his plans for himself. I asked if Chyna had ever made him feel guilty or inferior and he just grinned and said "She tried. But I wasn’t gonna put up with that kind of shit from anyone. We all have our good matches and our bad ones; it’s a fact of life. I have to confess that I wasn’t too upset when she went over to Eddie."

"Why?" I asked curiously. Chris laughed and flashed me a cheeky smile. "Let’s just say our relationship wasn’t based on love or deep emotional attachment."

I laughed with him, then wondered if Chyna would warp Eddie the way she had warped Hunter. I was rather subdued, waiting for Michaels to call, and I’m afraid it showed. Lexi was at the end of her stay, as her mother would be home in the next few days, and she and Test weren’t too happy about being separated. I guess I could’ve been more supportive, but damnit, I had my job to do. I guess I’d never thought that it would last for long and that it was just a case of infatuation, but once again, I was wrong. Add to that the fact that Kane had fallen into some sort of depression and would barely speak to me – not that he was a chatterbox at the best of times, but I could always get him to talk to me. He also refused to be around anyone during the day, but at night, when I knew the inner demons kept him awake and gave him nightmares when he could sleep, he would always call me, just wanting me to hold him and be close by.

About 2am, few days later, when I’d been laying in bed, waiting for Kane to call me, that the phone rang. I snatched it up before the first ring finished. "Kane, honey, I’m on my way."

"Not mixing business with pleasure are you by any chance Dr. Maxwell?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Damnit Shawn, what the hell are you calling at this hour for?"

"I’ve been thinking things over. I’ve been talking to Billy and Jess and I’m coming to see you and hopefully put the last pieces of the puzzle together."

Shawn called two days later at 5am. I picked up the phone grumpily. "Speak."

"Nita, it’s me. I’m in town. Can you meet me? Or should I come to see you?" Shawn asked. I yawned. "It’s too early for this Michaels."

"Yeah, sorry. But I thought that if we get this sorted out early in the day, then I can just rock up to the arena in the afternoon and act like it’s a surprise visit. If Hunter or Chyna finds out I’m here and I’m talking to you they’re gonna know something is up. They’ll find out soon enough anyway, but I want to be able to tell you the story without worrying about interruptions." He replied. I rolled over and connected with Kane’s sleeping body. "Shawn, It’s too early, it’s too cold and it’s going to take me at least an hour to convince myself to get out of bed."

"In with Kane I take it?" He teased. I gritted my teeth. "Michaels, that is none of your goddamned business! Now give five good reasons why I should meet you right now!"

Michaels voice was smug as he answered. "Because I know the full story. I know how it all began, how it ended and everything in between. And more importantly, I’m willing to tell you."

I staggered into the hotel room we’d booked out for the day, so that we could talk in private. I’d left Kane & Lexi a note telling them I would be out for the morning, perhaps afternoon on business. I think I did anyway, I really don’t remember anything after arranging to meet Shawn, although I must’ve gotten out of bed, showered, dressed and driven to the hotel. In slight confusion I looked at the paper bag in my hand –apparently I’d detoured via McDonalds for breakfast. I guess it would be stating the obvious to say I don’t like mornings? Thought so.

I sat on the couch and devoured my food. Shawn laughed. "Coffee?"

I nodded. I HATE mornings; I cannot stress this enough. I don’t fully wake up on a good day until around midday. I drank about half the mug of coffee Shawn gave me, then dropped the mug as my body woke up – bloody quickly. I glanced at Shawn. "What the hell is in that?"

"Nothing illegal – although it’s better you don’t know." He snickered. I pulled an ashtray out of my bag. "Mind if I smoke?"

"Not at all. Shall I begin?"

"Yeah, go for your life. Can I take notes?" I asked. Shawn nodded at a tape recorder I’d brought with me. "You can use that if you want."

~When did I get that from my room?~ I wondered, then shrugged. ~Oh well.~ I slipped a tape in there. "Talk."

"Hunter and I were a perfect team. We were very much in love, very much in tune with each other’s moods and thoughts. If Hunter lost his temper about something, I could pinpoint the exact moment he began to get angry and vice versa. To me Hunter was everything he was my world. If we were apart, we could usually sense where the other was and what he was doing. If we were apart for too long, we began to pine for each other. I don’t know if Hunter admitted this to you, but I believe he was – is- my soul mate, despite everything."

"Yeah he told me that he felt you are his soul mate." I replied. Michaels actually blushed! It was adorable and I began to understand why he’d been known as the Heartbreak Kid. He grinned shyly. "Then Hunter trusts you a lot more than he lets on. Very few people are privileged to that bit of news. Just worried about reactions."

"Anyway Hunter and I made a hot team. Ever seen footage of the old DX stuff?"

I shook my head. Shawn shrugged. "No big deal. Things were like a fairy tale – in every sense of the word fairy. Then Chyna came along. We hid things from her for a while, but one day she walked in on us in our dressing room. We weren’t doing anything, we were just snuggled up together talking, but Chyna reacted as though we’d been fucking goats or molesting children. I’d always suspected she’d been after my man, but now I was certain. She blackmailed him, called him names and said things like ‘Aren’t you man enough to please a woman?’ After a while, it just got too much for us and we broke up. I hated her for taking him away from me."

"Over time, I began to deal with it and move on, but then I found out that they’d began sleeping together and I fell apart. I had to get away. Jess told me later that was the biggest mistake I’d ever made. Chyna got complete control of Hunter while I was gone. He became her little lapdog. In the ring and in front of the cameras Hunter was in complete control of everything, but behind the scenes it was Chyna who wore the pants. She owned him. When she went Corporate, it was because Billy, Jesse and Sean had enlisted my help in getting him away from her. Then, barely two months later, he’s followed her to Vinnie Mac’s team. Chyna never cared about the money, recognition, or any of that shit. All she cared about was proving to the rest of the boys that she had power over Hunter. That he would give every thing up for her."

"Chyna made Hunter what he is now, there’s no doubt about it. However she sees him as the three time WWF World Champion and she claims credit for that. What she doesn’t see is that she is also responsible for the anger, bitter, twisted Hunter that exists today. When they broke up, she ditched him for Jericho. Apparently there’s something in Chris that reminds her of Hunter several years ago."

"Why’d they break up? Chyna and Jericho I mean." I asked lighting another cigarette and checking the time. Shit! We’d been there a while. Michaels sighed. "She tried pulling the same shit with him. However a short chat with the ‘Y2J solution’ as he calls himself and the fact that he wasn’t as vulnerable as Hunter was when Chyna started to pull him in."

"What are we going to do Shawn?" I asked, feeling hopeless. How the hell could I undo all of Chyna’s damage? And would Hunter even let me? Shawn handed me my cigarette packet, which was empty bar one. I lit it, feeling confused and worried. I was a qualified psychologist, had graduated near the top of my class – hell if I could get Kane to crack, then this should be no problem. So, why was I feeling so despondent?

"It’ll be ok Nita. You got the skills – all jokes aside, what you’ve done with Kane is amazing. Plus you’ll have the full support of everyone in DX – including Sean and Steph and I’m not leaving until Hunter cracks." Shawn told me firmly. I stopped in surprise. "But what about Whisper and Cameron?"

"She understands. She actually told me to come and help sort Hunter out." Michaels shrugged. "Whisper knows everything. She understand everything."

‘Thank you Shawn." The knowledge would make things a little easier. Something occurred to me. "But I thought Hunter and Stephanie fought all the time?"

"They do. But Stephanie wants Hunter to stop seeking her approval all the time and not to worry about it if he messes up. It’s reached the point where Hunter has pretty much stopped thinking for himself, and will only do something if Stephanie gives her approval. But on the other hand, he knows that Chyna manipulated him for her own sadistic pleasure and is angry and bitter about it." Shawn explained. I put my head in my hands. "Jesus. So much to be done. How the hell am I gonna do all this on my own?"

"You won’t be alone. You got DX behind you." Shawn reminded me. I smiled half-heartedly. "That’s all very well and good, but I’m the one who has to make Hunter realise what the hell he’s been through. I’m the one who has to rehabilitate him and make him see that he doesn’t need anyone to tell him what to do. I get to try and make him understand that he is a great guy and that he doesn’t need approval."

"You can do it Nita, I know you can."

I’d intended to call Hunter in the next morning and start chipping away at him, but I’d forgotten one little thing – It was Lexi’s last day. Much to my surprise, someone – probably Edge & Christian, had arranged a surprise farewell/Easter party. It was a fun party, especially the festivities, which included things like Billy borrowing one of Chyna’s outfits and singing ‘I am Woman,’ as well as a Hot Cross Bun War. There were also games like "Pin the Sock on the Porn Star" "Pin the T & A on Trish" "Pin the piercing on Prince Albert" and several other variations of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." These games, which I think were arranged by Jeff Hardy, basically consisted of a poster of the Wrestler in question and pinning… well you get the idea. Despite all the fun and games, Lexi and Test clung to each other most of the night. I guess I couldn’t blame them.

It was a fairly sombre group that piled into my car to take Lexi to the airport the next afternoon. Lexi and Test were quiet and refused to let go of each other, Kane was brooding about whatever his latest problem was and I was just tired and worried about Kane.

After saying goodbye to Lexi at the boarding gate, Kane and I left Test and Lexi alone to say their farewells. I had no doubt that phone numbers and addresses would be exchanged, and wondered how long it would be before Lexi came to visit again. With a sigh, I realised my little Lexi, who I’d pretty much grown up with, was becoming an adult.

Kane and I sat at an airport café and I sipped coffee, while Kane just looked at the table. Eventually I couldn’t take it any longer. "Kane, baby, please tell me what’s wrong. I hate seeing you like this."

He didn’t answer, just looked at me with pain filled eyes, before returning his attention to the tabletop. I sighed. "Do you remember what I told you when you first starting coming to see me?"

"Yes. You told me that you can’t help me if I won’t help myself." His voice was quiet. I tried to stifle my frustration and replied gently "Do you want me to help you? Or should I just get up and walk away and let you deal with this alone?"

We both knew that I was talking about more than my professional help. If I walked away now then that would be it. Kane and I would be over, my job would be over because there was no way I would be able to handle still working as Kane’s shrink after everything. I probably shouldn’t be his psychologist now, considering the level of our personal involvement at the moment. I waited for an answer but there was nothing. Fighting tears, I pushed my chair back.

"No! God, Nita please don’t leave me like this." Kane’s voice was filled with desperation. I moved around the table and knelt next to him. "Then baby, please tell me what’s wrong and what I can do to help."

I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. He put his head on my shoulder and I could feel him shaking. We stayed like that for a few minutes, then my cell phone rang. "It’s your money, make the most of it."

"Nita, its Test. Lexi’s plane just left and I’m not in the mood for company. Besides I think you and Kane need to talk alone. I’m gonna get a bus or something back to the hotel. I’ll see you there." Before he could hang up, I asked him something. "You love her don’t you?"

"You have to ask?" His voice was choked. I bit my lip. "I’m sorry Test. I’ll see you back at the hotel."

I looked at Kane. "Let’s get back. We can talk in the car."

I unlocked my baby, a black Jeep and we climbed in. "Talk to me Kane."

"All my life I everyone I have ever loved has turned on me. My own brother set a fire to kill me, that fire turned me into what I am now – a scarred freak of nature. Mark – the Undertaker - keeps stabbing me in the back, and like a fool, I keep believing that each time will be different. Paul – my father! The man who helped bring me into this world, keeps turning his back on me to join forces with his stepson, the same person that tried to kill me when we were children. This is my own family. I never realised that my family isn’t normal until I came to the WWF and saw brothers like Edge & Christian and the Hardyz looking out for each other and the way Jerry was always acting fatherly with Brian. When Alexis came to stay, and you got so protective of her when it came to Test, it made me realise that I wanted a family of my own, a family that would love me for simply being a part of the family."

"I wanted it so badly it physically hurt. But then I thought ‘Who’d want me?’ As you may have noticed, I’m not exactly a ladies man. First of all there was Chyna. I didn’t love her, but I did care about her. She went back to Helmsley. I guess I can’t blame her, she loved him a great deal – or claimed she did anyway. Personally I always thought there was something suspicious about their relationship."

~ If you only knew.~ I thought, holding back a sigh.

Kane continued. "Then there was Tori. I didn’t take much notice of her for a long time. I thought she was beautiful, but never thought any more about it. The news came out that she was Sable’s sister and I realised that while my relationship with my family wasn’t normal, I wasn’t the only one who had a bad relationship with their family. I gathered up all my courage and asked her about it. She told me how Sable had always put Tori down in an attempt to make herself feel better. Due to problems between their parents, Sable was jealous and insecure. Anyway, things sort of led on from there and I fell head over heels for Tori. I loved her. I loved her so much it scared me. Anything she asked of me, I did. I would’ve killed for her. I would’ve die for her. Then she fucking turned to someone I had believed was my best friend. I still feel ill whenever I see them together; it makes me realise how easily I get taken in."

"Then you came along. From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were beautiful. I didn’t trust you because of what Sean told me. That confused me, as my instincts told me I could trust you. Anyway we both know how that turned out. But there it was – two women I had cared about, both turning on me, both leaving me for a Degenerate." Kane’s head was bent forward. I smoothed his hair back, fighting back tears. I still couldn’t believe anyone could mistreat such a wonderful person so badly. Kane hadn’t finished though. "The worst thing is, I can see it’s happening again. I’m losing you – the woman I love – and again it’s to a fucking Degenerate."

"What?" I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. To be perfectly honest I’m not sure what shocked me more – Kane telling me he loved me or that he thought I was planning on leaving him. "Is that what you think is happening Kane? That I’m cheating on you? Baby that’s never gonna happen. I love you; I love everything about you. Now I have no idea which DX boy you’re talking about, but I’m the wrong sex for Jess and Billy, Sean and I would kill each other within 10 minutes, Shawn is happily married and Hunter is unhappily married. That means they are all unavailable, and besides I’M NOT INTERESTED IN ANY OF THEM! Got it?"

"I got it."

"So you think that because I’ve spent so much time concentrating on Hunter’s problem that I’m interested in him?" I asked, lowering my voice. Kane bit his lip. "I know that Helmsley has got a serious problem, and I know it’s your job to sort out what that problem is and to help him through it. I know that you get very involved in your work and that you can sometimes forget everything else. I’m proof of that. It just made a lot of sense at the time ok?"

I moved over so I was straddling Kane. Gently I removed the mask and kissed him – hard. "Does that answer your question?"

His response was to pull me hard against him. I tangled my fingers in his hair and whimpered as his hands caressed my body. Revelled in the feel of Kane’s body – it had been so long since we’d been together like this and I wanted him – then and there. I let him know this as we clung to each other in the dark, crowded airport car park.

Afterwards, I buried my face in Kane’s neck. "Kane, I love you."

"I love you too Nita."

When we got back to the hotel, Big Show was waiting for me. "Jesus Nita where the hell have you been? Test got back ages ago; everyone’s been turning the place upside down looking for you. Shane’s been going crazy wondering where the hell you are."

"What’s happened?" I asked, my professional instincts kicking in. Big Show glanced at Kane warily. I turned to my baby. "Go make sure Test is ok."

Kane left. I turned to The Big Show. "Where’s Shane? Why didn’t anyone call me? What the hell has happened?"

"Shane’s at the hospital. We couldn’t get an answer on your cell phone. Hunter tried to kill himself this afternoon."

I sat next to the hospital bed, tears in my eyes. Hunter lay sleeping, wrists bandaged, his face pale and with an IV drip in his arm. Billy had fallen asleep in Jesse’s lap and if it weren’t such an inappropriate time, I would’ve taken a photo. They looked adorable. Sean was sitting in the corner, looking haggard and worn, Tori standing behind him, one hand on his shoulder. Stephanie sat opposite me; arms wrapped around herself, looking pale and scared. Shane was seated next to her, his arm around her.

Shane looked at me and nodded at the door. Wordlessly, I got up and went out into the hall, Shane following. I doubt the others even noticed we left. I leaned against the wall. "What happened?"

"I’m not sure. I came in to talk to Hunter about something and found Steph screaming for help. I went to see what the problem was, saw Hunter – still holding the razor and called an ambulance, then the rest of DX. We all came straight here." Shane replied, rubbing his eyes. I slid down the wall and put my head on my knees. Oh Christ. Now I not only had to help Hunter deal with the Chyna thing, but I would probably have to help the guys and Steph deal. I didn’t know if I had the strength to deal with all this.

Something occurred to me. "Has he said anything or was there a note or something?"

"I found this. I haven’t shown it to anyone else yet. I don’t think they can take any more." Shane handed me a crumpled and bloodied pieced of paper.

"Tell Steph, Shawn, Shane, Sean, Billy and Jess that I’m sorry. I just can’t handle the pain of living any more. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my actions over the past few months and I can’t believe what an asshole I’ve been. I’ve made others suffer attempted to ruin lives and careers simply because of something that I can’t – won’t face up to and admit the truth about. It’s too late for me to change my ways and I don’t know if I can. I’ve played the heel for so long that it’s become part of who I really am off camera as well as in front of it.

Once again - I’m sorry. Steph, Shawn, Shane, Sean, Billy and Jess – I love you all and I’ll watch over you, but you don’t need me… nobody needs me."

"Oh sweet Jesus." I sobbed. Shane hugged me. "You know more than the rest of us don’t you?"

"I coulda stopped him, I coulda helped. There was so many things I should have done or said." The guilt and panic rose up like bile.

"Nita, kiddo, it’s not your fault. There was also this." Shane handed me an enveloped, addressed to ‘Dr. Juanita Maxwell, Supershrink – Confidential.’ With trembling hands, I opened it.

"Dear Nita,

You’re right, I do need help. However it’s too late for me, by the time you read this I will be dead. However I want to tell you about my time with Chyna, so that if she pulls the same shit with Eddie, you can step in before it’s too late."

The letter went on to tell me about his relationship with Chyna, how she manipulated him and bent him to her will. It outlined her tricks, how to tell if she was abusing Eddie, ways to keep her away from Eddie, everything I needed to know.

It finished up with "Anyway I just wanted to tell you all this in the hope that you can stop someone from becoming what I became – so you can help them before it’s too late.

Nita, I want to apologise for breaking the hourglass, I’ve felt incredibly bad about that. I also want to say I’m sorry for being such a prick. I know you were only trying to help, but at the time I was panicked about opening old wounds. I never realised you would understand and be compassionate about the whole thing, I was worried about getting a ‘What kind of man lets a woman do that to him?’ type reaction. And lastly, but not least, I want to thank you for never giving up on me.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley"

I sat in the hospital room, watching and waiting. I had no idea how long I had been there, sometimes it felt like I had just gotten there and other times I could barely remember a time where I wasn't seated there, watching over Hunter.

A shadow fell over the bed, and I glanced up, to see Kane standing opposite me. As I watched, he removed his mask, but it was Hunter's face that was revealed not Kane's. When I looked back at the bed, Kane was laying there instead of Helmsley. I turned to the figure behind me to ask what was going on, but he had gone.

A noise coming from one of the machines made me whip around. The heart monitor had begun to beep quickly, then, as the nurses and doctors filled the room, settled into one long continuous noise, the line flattening out. A doctor looked at me. "I'm sorry Miss. Your boyfriend has died."

They were all gone as quickly as they came. I tried making sense of the news. That wasn't Kane, that was Hunter. It couldn't be Kane. I looked around the room in confusion, freezing when I saw my reflection in a window. Gone was my shoulder length wavy auburn locks, replaced by long black hair that curled at the ends. Instead of blue-green eyes, they had turned blue grey. I looked down at myself - I had grown taller, and become more muscular. I had become someone else.

Suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist. I screamed and spun around. Kane had changed back into Hunter, who was now grinning up at me as his skin started to rot away before my eyes.

"Chy..." A whisper, like fire consuming dried leaves. "Chyna...."

"Hunter?" I could feel the fear welling up in me. "Hunter, it's Nita. I'm not Chyna."

"You killed me. I may have been wielding the razor, but after years of your abuse, what other options did I have? Just as surely as Nita killed Kane through her devotion to her work, especially the way she neglected him during the time I was in hospital when you killed me" He sat up and grabbed my other wrist.

"Kane's not dead!" I protested. A female figure appeared opposite me. I gasped. It was me, but I could tell by the look in 'my' eyes, that it was Chyna. She spoke. "Oh not yet, but Kane needs a lot of TLC. And you've been so wrapped up in making Hunter a nice guy again that you've forgotten how fragile he can be."

"Kane wouldn't kill himself." I replied. Chyna smirked at me. "No, but he could be dying inside. Or he might just kill someone else."

I stared from one to the other in horror. Chyna stared back, smiling. "So if Hunter killing himself is my fault, then whatever happens to Kane is yours."

"No!" I cried. "You abused him, I have done nothing to Kane!"

"But maybe that is the problem." Chyna purred. "Maybe he needs to know that you love him. And I wouldn't go making accusations like that without proof honey chile."

"She has proof." Hunter defended me. When I glanced in the mirror again I saw that my own features had returned and when I looked over at Chyna, she no longer had my figure and face. "And when the time is right, she will use it. She will have to. The guilt Nita will suffer from knowing she could have prevented this will destroy her. And in doing so, destroy Kane. It is your fault both of you! Chyna, you will suffer for killing me, and Nita you will suffer, knowing you could have prevented it and doing nothing to stop this."

Something occurred to Chyna. "Uh Hunter? I hate to break up this fascinating conversation, but you're dead and little more than a skeleton."

The skull, barely covered by rotting flesh, grinned. "I'm fully aware of that my ebony haired beauty. And the time has come for this little soiree to end."

A sharp yank on my wrists, which I'd forgotten Hunter had been holding, made me stumble forwards. "A farewell kiss for luck Juanita Maxwell, Supershrink. You may have been able to crack Kane, but this is Game Over."

As the room around us dimmed, and the corpse pulled me closer, I became aware that the heart monitor was still making noises. Then I realised that Hunter's remains actually intended to kiss me (OK so I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes), and began struggling, screaming for help. Chyna stood opposite me, laughing maniacally. His lips were against mine, feeling rough, like the bark on a tree. That's the last thing I remember feeling before....

... I woke up, panting and sweating. Kane was looking down at me in concern. Gratefully and realising it had only been a dream, I clung to him, shaking. His wrapped his arms around me and soothed me, until I calmed down. The beeping noise distracted me. "How long has that been going for?"

"Not sure. I hadn't heard it till just then." Kane shrugged. I kissed him, then went looking for the source of the noise. "My beeper!"

"Why does it sound like that?"

"I have no idea baby, but I bet Lexi had something to do with it." I laughed, checking the message. ‘Check msgs on mobile.’ Hmm... OK. I rummaged through my bag. Ah, here we go. '6 Missed Messages.' ~Oh here we go.~

First message, 'Call Shawn.' Second, 'Call Shane.' Third, 'Get to hospital ASAP' Fourth, 'Didn't I say ASAP?' Fifth, 'Nita, where the hell are you?' Sixth, 'Oh I forgot to mention - Hunter's awake. And wants to talk to you.'

I walked into the hospital room feeling slightly apprehensive. Everyone was in there, talking. Shawn noticed me first. "Where hell have you been Maxwell? We’ve left messages all over the place for you. "

"I’ve been sleeping Michaels. It’s a weird habit I’ve had since birth." I tartly replied before stepping up to the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone tried to slit my wrists." Hunter smirked. Shane slapped him upside the head. "Not funny bro."

"OK, everyone get out. I need to talk to Nita. Alone." Ordered Hunter. Shawn was the last to leave. "I’m so glad your all right baby. Do you have any fucking idea how I felt when I heard Jesse on the other end of the phone? Fuck Hunter, I don’t think I could live – fuck it. You wouldn’t understand."

"I understand better than you think." How do you think I felt when I heard you were marring Whisper? How about when you told me she was going to have your child? I hated her! And I hated you."

"You hated me?" Shawn’s face was white. Hunter laughed bitterly. "I hated you with the same passion I’d loved you with. But you know what? The passion remained, while the hate for you faded into anger at myself."

"Why?"

"For needing you so badly, when you so obviously didn’t need me." Helmsley sounded weary. Shawn responded by grabbing Hunter and kissing him deeply.

I glanced away to give them a little privacy. After a few minutes, I cleared my throat. "Uh, guys?"

"Sorry Dr. Maxwell." Lisped Shawn as he minced towards the door. I rolled my eyes as he wiggled his fingers in a wave. He blew a kiss at Hunter. "We’ll continue this later girlfriend."

"Can’t wait." Hunter smiled. I pulled up a chair and sat next the bed. "Why? What happened?"

"I’d been feeling like shit ever since the Jericho incident with the title. He beat me fair and square and I pulled a stunt like that…. Anyway, I was down in the gym, training with Sean the next morning. The Radicals were also there. Eddie had bruises on his arms and torso."

I felt sick. "Where did the bruises come from?"

"I thought it might just’ve been from the match or a fight or something." Hunter continued, ignoring my question. "But the next night, around midnight, Billy and Jesse were heading out, and heard Chyna and Eddie fighting. Jesse came and got me and together we went to management and bribed him to let us watch the security footage from the camera in their hotel room. What I saw made me feel sick. Jess was dry retching. I was crying, from anger, despair and disgust."

Tears began to roll down his face. "I could’ve stopped her, done something to prevent it happening again. She did the same thing to me, but I deserved it. Eddie did nothing to deserve this. He’s so little…"

"What did you deserve Hunter? What did she do?" I asked urgently. The ill feeling in my stomach had intensified. I knew without a shadow of doubt what Chyna had done to Hunter and was now doing to Eddie. It was my professional skills and my instincts and I felt like throwing up. ~Say it Hunter. It’s the first step if you can admit it out loud.~

He dropped his eyes and turned away. I looked at his back and sighed. "If you don’t tell me Helmsley, I bet Shawn will."

"Who says he knows?"

"I do." Michaels stepped back into the room. He shut the door behind him, as I raised an eyebrow. He nodded. "Shane’s taken Stephanie home for a few days, she needs some rest. Tori’s taken Sean to get drunk, he needs to wipe himself out. You don’t wanna know where the Outlaws are or why."

I snorted inelegantly, then smiled at Shawn in thanks. We'd both carried out our separate parts of the plan, now it was time to work together.

"Baby, I promised I would never tell. Not until you were ready for it all to come out. But I think that the time has come for the truth. After each time you came to me in tears, needing comfort, do you remember? I took photos of the injuries, I recorded your retelling of events. I still have those tapes and photos Hunter. I'll give them to Nita, she can do whatever she wants with them, go to the cops or Vince or whatever, but on one condition."

"What is it?" Hunter's voice was hoarse. I bit my lip and waited, wondering how Hunter would react to the next part.

"Say the words Hunter. Admit it out loud." Shawn told him. I slowly let out my breath. I knew Shawn would have more luck getting Hunter to say it than I would.

Hunter let loose a strong of words that usually get bleeped out on Jerry Springer throwing everything within arms reach around the room. "Fine you want me to say it?"

"YES!" Michaels and I shouted in unison.

"Chyna not only emotionally abused me, she occasionally physically abused me as well. Happy?"

Epilogue – Hunter’s Diary – 6 months later

"Chyna will be out of jail within the month. And she wants to come back."

The words hit me harder than any physical blow I’d ever received. I mumbled something along the lines of "Do what you want Vince, it’s your company’ and got out of there are quickly as I could.. Nita will probably call us both into her office now that we’ve had time to absorb the shock. I don’t know how Eddie reacted, I bet he’s taken it hard too. I guess I’m lucky, I have DX and Shawn to help me through. Eddie doesn’t have the same support network I do. I mean, The Radicals are nice enough I guess, but I doubt they’ll be too supportive of Eddie. We’ve had a few sessions together with Nita, but outside that we don’t talk much. Nita claims it’s because we remind each other of something we’d much rather forget.

Nita’s been incredible. When Eddie and I left Vince’s office she put her foot down and told Vince that if Chyna was to come back this was what she wanted and if he disagreed or broke any of the terms Nita was gonna walk out. She won.

She’s really given us her all. I’ve called her at 3am, simply because I didn’t want to be alone and the others were asleep or busy. She’s never once complained, even though I know that the past months have taken a toll on her relationship with Kane and her own mental and physical health. Work always comes first with her, and when others shrinks would just say "OK, that’s the end of your session, see ya next time" and leave it at that, Nita calls in others to help her help us, gives us time outside her office hours and has, to the best of my knowledge, never complained.

I remember asking her once how she managed to keep her own sanity and she told me "I was once in a position where I needed all the help I could get, but that I couldn’t get that help outside office hours. So I decided to become a shrink and give my clients all the help they needed whether it was five in the evening or five in the morning."

To keep her sanity she writes poetry about what we’ve told her. All the poems are just dated with a name at the top. I’ve read some of the ones I inspired – they’re amazing, they truly are. Writing is her first love and her dream is to be published. I’ve been talking to Vince about it and I want to see if we can get the same place that published Foley’s book to publish Nita’s poems. Nobody has to know that she works for the Federation, because she’d want to make it on her own, not under the WWF logo. She’d have to change the titles of the poems too, as some of the superstars darkest secrets would be revealed.

I’ve made a lot of progress in the last few months. I know and I understand that what happened wasn’t my fault, but every so often a little voice pops up and tells me that I *did* deserve it. Luckily for me I can usually gag that one. Things with Shawn have improved so much as well. We keep in close contact, calling each other at least once a week. Whisper has also been wonderful, for someone who completely hates my guts.

I don’t know how I’m gonna handle seeing Chyna again. I can say that I’ll be fine, but seriously, the mention of her name sends a chill through me. I don’t hate her, I guess she has her reasons, however twisted they are, but I swear to god, if she does anything like this again I will not be held responsible for the consequences.

However, this I do know: I can make it. I have my friends, my family and an incredibly good shrink to help me through. I have hit rock bottom and I have gotten through it. I can survive anything. Despite what Chyna may believe, I am not worthless, I am not useless and I can do anything I want to.

Thank you to:

As always, Christa for putting up with hundreds of ‘What do I do now?’ conversations

Narni for being slightly oblivious sounding board and telling me what I wanna hear

Lady Squishington for telling me the truth.

Bliss, hon, it was your ‘Full Circle’ series that inspired this. Without that, the series may not have continued at all. And thank you for all the positive feedback, it’s quite a thrill to when someone who’s work you love also likes yours.

T.M., Christina, Laura and Maredeth – thank you also for the regular feedback – without it I may not have bothered continuing the tale, it certainly ended up longer than I intended it to!

And finally thank you to all those who are reading it, but not commenting or commenting on an irregular basis.