AUTHOR: Kat Canuck
EMAIL: Kat_Factgime@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: If I were lucky, I'd own HHH, Test and a few others but I'm not lucky at all.
DISTRIBUTION: Go for it, just stamp my name on it and let me know.
RATING: PG-14
CONTENT: Sex scenes, violence and language
SPOILERS: None that I know of.
SUMMARY: Shane brings in muscle to put an end to the McMahon-Helmsley era.
NOTE: What can I say? When something or someone really bothers me... I write about it!

Prologue:

The HHH music ended before Helmsley and bride got to the end of the ramp. It was an abrupt stop, which sounded a lot like someone scratching the record. Everyone in the arena, even the rest of DX in the ring, spun around to look at the top of the ramp. There was no music, no fireworks, just darkness.
Then, the lights came on.
A woman stood there alone. Her long blond hair was scraped from her face in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her bright green eyes shun fiercely with an unexplained rage. She wore a white sleeveless tunic with a Mandarin collar that showed off her muscular arms and slender hips. Her legs were hidden under a pair of black drawstring pants that were long enough to cover her black wrestling boots. Her lips were covered by shiny blood red lipstick, which contrasted brightly with her alabaster skin, and her eyes seemed to stretch out, thanks to carefully applied eye shadow and eyeliner. Her wrists were encased in thin black leather bands and a microphone dangled from her hand.
"Hello Stephanie!" she said, bringing the microphone to her mouth.
The woman's voice was husky, sexy and caught everyone's attention. But she didn't care about everyone's attention.Her eyes were too focused on Mrs. Helmsley and looked like they were shooting green lasers at her.
Down the ramp, Steph paled and held on to her husband's arm. Hunter looked from his wife to the stranger, not understanding.
"Who the fuck..."
"... Am I? Ask your lovely wife!"
"Steph?"
"No! No! No!" repeated Steph, "her... hurt her... hurt her!"
Hunter didn't move but the rest of DX got the point and slid out of the ring quickly, running past the McMahon-Helmsleys. But as everyone always did, they underestimated her strength. Badd Ass was the first one to get thrown off the ramp, Road Dogg following right after him. DX's tiniest member came flying out, using his spinning heel kicks but the woman plucked him right out of the air and slammed him down hard. X-Pac landed with a grunt and the woman kicked him off the ramp.
Hunter ran up to the woman, determined to make short work of her. But all too soon, the woman's two feet made contact with Hunter's face. He fell hard and was pushed off the ramp just as X-Pac had been.
Calmly, the woman walked down the ramp to Stephanie who stood rooted to the spot, her face, a study in fear. The woman wrapped her hands in Stephanie's brown hair and brought the frightened face up to hers.
"Ding dong," she hissed, "the bitch is back!"
RAW ended on the image of the women's faces, close together, one crying and the other gloating.

Shane sat in his office at the Titan Towers, smiling at his big screen TV. He'd done good. There was no way around it. She was the perfect weapon to put an end to the McMahon-Helmsley era. She was incredible and he had been lucky to get his hands on her. Hell, he still remembered the first time he'd met her.

Part 1:

Seven years ago

I didn't know for sure of why I was on my way to this audition. I'd done some singing in the church choir and I'd even been a star soloist for a few years but that was about seven years ago. I'd maintained my voice over the years with some exercise but Nothing else.
Who am I kidding? I know why I'm going to this audition. I need money, desperately and since the terms of my scholarship forbid me from getting a job, I figure they can't stop me from singing in a band, can they? My grades are good and the singing could be part of my extra-curricular activities, right? Yeah, yeah, they give me an allowance but it's a pittance. I want new clothes, a Discman, or a Walkman, some CDs, or tapes, new running shoes... I need some of the little extras that will make my life bearable.
In case you're wondering, my name is Danny and I'm attending Boston University on a soccer scholarship. Our school team is not well known on campus but we kick ass. I got the scholarship because I was the most versatile player on my high school team. I play defense, offense and I even goaled a few games. I'm good and since I'm so tall, six feet one, I get to scare my opponents before I can impress them with my technical skills. By the way, don't let the name fool you. I am a girl. My thirty-six Cs confirm that every day of my life.
I finally get to the address where they're supposed to have the auditions. I walk in and find studio 4-B very quickly. I knock on the door and it opens up right away. There are three guys there.
"Hi," I said, "is this where the auditions are?"
"Yeah," said the shortest guy, getting up from his rickety chair and coming toward me, "my name's Rodney."
"Hi. I'm Danny."
"Danny," he said thoughtfully, "cool name for a girl."
"Yeah. My parents were cool that way."
"Let me introduce you to the other animals. The nerd who studying in the corner, that's Shane. And the guy behind the drums, that's Pete."
"Hi," I said, as the other guys stop what they're doing me to undress me with their eyes.
"So you're a singer?" asked Rodney, offering me another rickety chair.
"Yeah."
"What's your specialty?"
"I don't really have one. I sing everything."
"That's good."
"Listen," finally said Shane, getting up from his chair and putting away his book, "are you sure Jason is going to show?"
"Yeah. He's just breaking up with his latest girlfriend."
"I have an exam I've got to finish studying for Rodney. Let's get started and Jason can jump in when he gets here."
"That okay with you Danny?"
"Wait up here for a second," I said. "I'd like to know a bit more about your band, what kind of music you play? What do you need me for? Backup or lead? What?"
"We play whatever we like," said Pete from behind his drum set. "We play for fun mainly and we have a steady gig on Thursday night at Croc's. You know the place?"
"Yeah," I said, thinking about my ten thirty aerobics class on Fridays. Yeah. I'd make it. "It sounds cool. Now, I figure Pete's the drummer. Rodney, what about you?"
"I'm the keyboard player/manager."
"And I play guitar," said Shane with a cocky smile, "As for Jason, our Romeo plays the bass."
"Cool. So, what do you want me to sing?"
"Well, no Whitney Houston, that's for sure."
"Thank God," I sighed. "I hate her. How about we go old school? You guys know Prince's When Doves Cry?"
"Sure," said Rodney. "Guys?"
"Sounds good to me," said Pete.
"I'm in," agreed Shane.
Shane went to pick up his guitar and Rodney took position behind his keyboard. I put my purse down on the chair, shrugged off my beat up jeans jacket and went to the free mike. I adjusted it to my height and looked over at the guys, I nodded and quickly ran a hand through my hair. I swallowed hard. I couldn't believe I was doing this. It was crazy. But somehow, being there with those guys, it felt good and it felt right.
Pete marked the first beats with his drumsticks and Shane and Rodney jumped in while I waited for my cue. I didn't do all those little cries Prince used to do because frankly, they're too girly for me. Suddenly, it was my cue and I started to sing.

Dig if you will the picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you my darling
Can you picture this?

From the first lyrics I'd started to sing, I'd closed my eyes. I usually sang with my eyes closed. It helped me somehow. I got more into the rhythm, into the beat, into the song. That's why I didn't see the guys looking at each other and nodding their approvals. Suddenly, we were at the chorus.

How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold?

That's when Shane jumped in as a back up for that So cold line. I was kind of surprised but I opened my eyes and I smiled at him. That's when I did it, what I used to do in the good old days of choir practice. I kind of allowed a part of me to separate from the rest of my body and I listened to us as an ensemble. It sounded good. Of course, we were missing the bass but even without it, we sounded good. That's when I turned on the full power of my voice.
I could tell the guys were surprised but I also felt them trying harder to play up to the level of my voice.
We were down to the last chorus, right before we hit all those When doves cry when the door of the studio opened. This majestic hunk of a man came in, a cute little girl whose head probably didn't reach his nipples wrapped all around him. I looked at Rodney who nodded for me to go on. The stranger and I looked at each other while I went on singing about doves that did or didn't cry.
When the song finally died down, Shane put down his guitar and came over to me and kissed me on the lips, I pushed him back, hard.
"What the hell..."
"You're it," he laughed, "you're our new lead singer. You're freakin' amazing!"
"Shane's right," agreed Rodney with a smile, "you've got one hell of a voice on you."
"Thanks." I blush. I thought this was going to be a bust. Guess I was wrong."
"Huh guys," said the hunk. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure."
The guys huddled together in a corner of the room while I stood in front of the mike, wiping my hands down on my faded blue jeans. I let out a deep breath and nodded to the girl who didn't look like she liked me at all. I shrugged it off. I didn't remember her from any of my classes or anything else. I probably didn't know her. I looked back at the guys and wondered what was going on. Had I known, I would have thrown a fit.

"We can't have her as our singer," said the hunk, glancing over at me.
"What are you talking about?" hissed Shane. "She's fuckin' fantastic."
"Guys, you have to work with me here. Lisa wants to give it a try, you know, being our singer."
"Fine. We'll give her a try," said Rodney, jumping in the middle of what could be another never ending fight between Shane and Jason.
"Rodney, Danny's great."
"Who's Danny?" asked Jason.
"She's the singer, you big ape. If you'd shown up on time, you would have heard her. And you would currently be telling your latest girlfriend that we already have a singer."
"Whatever," said Jason, going over to his little tramp. "Ladies, we have news."
The hunk came over, rubbing his big sexy hands together. "Ladies," he announced, "we have news. Before we make a final decision, we're going to give Lisa a try. Is that okay with you, Danny?"
"Sure," I lied, "I don't mind healthy competition."
Lisa went up to the mike and brought it down to her lips. Right away, I could tell it was way too close to her mouth. I was about to say something but I saw the look on Shane and Rodney's faces. They didn't seem to have a problem with the fact that Jason's girlfriend was about to humiliate herself, so why should I? After all, she got to walk home with the hunk. All I was after was a gig.
"Can we do Like a Virgin?" she asked.
"Sure," said Jason, "that's a great song."
I saw Pete roll his eyes and grin but I didn't say or do anything. This was going to be funny. And as it turned out, it was hilarious.
Lisa started to sing two beats too soon and she was way off key. I didn't have the greatest pitch but hers was awful. I guessed she was a shower singer and a bad one at that. I pretended to look for something in my bag so I could hide my laugh. Halfway through, Shane and Pete stopped playing and started to laugh. As for Rodney, he kept on playing like the good little boy he was. But I could tell how difficult it was for him. He evidently didn't want to keep on going, but he did, for Jason's sake, I guess.
And poor Jason, he was watching Lisa make a complete fool of herself as she tried to be Madonna. She danced and hopped around the set so much that her voice faded in and out of the range. Finally, Jason put a stop to our torture and yanked the mike's wire from The amp.
"Honey," he said, "can I see you outside for a moment?"
Jason pretty much pushed Lisa out of the studio and as soon as the door closed behind them, we all burst out laughing. We couldn't help it. It was hilarious. As we laughed and joked around, Rodney went behind the mike and started doing a hauntingly accurate imitation of Lisa's performance. I was about to join him when Jason came back in, a sullen look on his face.
"I finally broke up with her."
"Let me guess," said Pete. "It was her singing."
Even Jason couldn't keep a straight face through that one and burst into laughter. I ended up spending the whole afternoon and evening at the studio with the guys. They were great, funny and most of all, they were friends. They told me horror stories about what they did when they were growing up, stories that made my blood curdle. We ate pizza and we jammed. I sang along with them, making up lyrics when I didn't know the songs. By the end of the night, I was a singer, a real bona fide singer.
Our band was called: The Mean Street Posse.

Part 2:

I loved being in the band. It kept me busy and it was a welcome change from my school and practice schedule. I had a fairly heavy course load since I was majoring in fitness at the same time as I was doing a teaching certificate. I wanted to get school over with as soon as humanly possible.
My parents were pushing me to pursue a career as a soccer player but as time went on, I sort of lost my enthusiasm for it. There wasn't much money in it first of all. All the money went to the guys. And the women's teams, well, if I wanted to play professionally once I was done with school, it was more about who I knew than about how I played and that was one aspect of the sport I despised and I was kind of loud about it.
Anyways, after two weeks of being in the band, I realized that the key to doing all the things I was doing was being organized. So every minute of my day was optimized for maximum efficiency. I timed how long it took me to get from point a to point b, where I had to sit to get out of class the most efficiently, etc. I became a well-oiled machine of routine. And the guys used to laugh at me, especially Jason. He would often run into me when I got out of classes and whenever he would start yammering on about his latest girlfriend, I would always tell him the same thing: Let's twalk. Twalk was my new word for talking and walking at the same time. It was efficient, it worked but to them, it was hilarious.
But we all got into a tiny little spat the night before our first major gig. We were going to be playing a fraternity party, which meant we were making a bit more cash than at the club. At some point in time, don't ask me when, Shane decided to take over as manager. Rodney didn't seem to mind so I didn't. Until he came to practice that day, carrying a bag from Neiman Marcus.
"Here," he said, giving me the bag, "I got you a little something for tomorrow's gig."
"What is it?" I asked, digging into the bag.
"You'll see," said Shane as he hooked up his guitar to the amp.
I pulled out this little thing made out of some kind of stretchy fabric. It was black, almost transparent and when I held it up in front of me, I realized it barely came halfway down to my thighs. The price tag was hanging down what promised to be a dangerous cleavage. It had cost over two hundred dollars and it was supposed to be some kind of a dress.
"Shane," I asked, "where's the rest of it?"
"This is all of it," he said proudly, "now, go on and try it on."
"Please. This is the stupidest outfit I've ever seen."
"Come on," said Jason, "give it a chance."
Don't ask me why but I went to the bathroom and tried it on. My nostrils flared immediately. Shane apparently wanted me to dress like a whore.
"I don't think so," I told him when I walked back into the studio, "if you want to get your money's worth with that dress, you wear it for tomorrow's gig."
"Come on, it looks great," said Jason, literally undressing me with his eyes.
"Oh, you would think so, you sex addict. I look like a cheap whore."
I think it looks really good," said Pete.
"You would. I am not wearing this dress."
"You are, insisted Shane. "Majority rules and with me, Jason and Pete, you lose and you wear the dress."
"You're an ass McMahon!"
"Come on Shane," said Rodney, "I mean, it looks great and all but Danny should be allowed to pick out what she wears."
"Oh, I said, "I am allowed to pick out what I wear, and I am not wearing this."
I went back to the bathroom and got changed. I was so mad at Shane for thinking I would agree to wear something so disgusting. What kind of girl did he think I was? I never dressed like that for gigs.
Shane was waiting for me outside the bathroom. I glared at him and started to walk past him.
"All right," he said, "I made a mistake, I apologize."
"For what?"
"What?"
"What exactly is it that you are apologizing for?"
"For thinking I could show you off like some sort of sex object."
"Good."
"But you do have to dress up a little for tomorrow's gig. I mean, we want to hook these guys to come and see us play at Croc's every Thursday."
"All right, how's this? Tomorrow's Saturday. I have practice in the morning and we can go shopping for something for the show in the afternoon, okay?"
"Cool."

The gig at the frat house went off without a hitch. Shane and I had returned that stupid dress at Neiman Marcus and I picked out this very tight dark green sleeveless turtleneck which I wore with my darkest pair of blue jeans. I looked fantastic. I felt great. After our first set, I joined a couple of girls from my team who were there. We were standing around, watching guys walk by when Jason came up to me.
"Danny, can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure."
Jason dragged me on the dance floor and that's when this old song came on. It was one of my favorites, Hotel California by the Eagles. He wrapped his arms around me and I stepped into them. It felt so weird, dancing with Jason. I'd never done that before and it felt kind of good. He had the kind of solid body a girl like me adores.
"I like what you're wearing," he said into my ear.
"Thanks."
"It's a good change from what you're usually wearing," he said, "I can't tell you how much I hate those flannel shirts you usually wear during our gigs."
"What's with you?" I asked, looking at him.
"I don't know," he said, pulling me to him even closer than before.
As Jason and I danced, I saw Rodney and Pete laughing their heads off as they pointed at us. I flipped them the bird. Idiots, I thought. Shane smiled at me from the stage where he was chatting up one of the girls from my soccer team.

As usual, we finished our second and final set with Prince's When Doves Cry. There was something very personal and unique about that song for all of us. It was our favorite piece and the one we worked on the most. But tonight, there was something really weird about it. Naturally, I sang it with my eyes closed. But tonight, I felt something, or rather, someone staring at me rather intently as I sang. I turned around and saw Jason, his dark eyes upon me. It gave me a strange feeling. And then he did something he'd never done before. After the second chorus, he started to sing with me.

Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
Even doves have pride.

I heard Rodney and Pete ask what the hell Jason was doing but I was past caring. Jason's voice was husky, kind of like mine. It didn't have the refinement of Shane's voice, yet it had pulled at the strings of my unattached heart like never before. As soon as we finished the last set and packed everything up, Jason came up to me.
"You want to leave?"
"Sure," I said breathlessly.
Taking my hand in his, Jason went over to where Shane, Rodney and Pete were.
"Danny's a bit tired," he lied. "I'm taking her home." Jason didn't even wait for them to say anything else and he dragged me to where we'd left our jackets. I slid mine on and followed him out of the frat house. We started walking across the deserted campus, finally sitting down on a bench in the quad.
"I never knew you were sexy," said Jason.
"Thanks."
"No, I mean seriously. You're looking incredibly hot tonight. Before, whenever I saw you, it was like you were Shane's little brat of a sister, Stephanie. But now, you're like this beautiful woman I never saw before."
"I always was beautiful, Jason. It's not my fault if you were blind to my beauty before."
"Yeah, well, I'm not blind to it anymore."
Suddenly, his lips were on mine. Man, oh man, there was a reason why they called this guy Romeo. He was one hell of a skilled kisser. His lips ran over mine smoothly, softly until I opened my mouth under his. Next thing I knew, he was running the tip of his tongue along my palate, sending shivers all through my body. He pressed me close to his body and I ran my hand through his thick curls.
When he finally pulled away from me, my vision was blurry and I felt kind of dizzy, not dizzy bad, mind you, but dizzy good, really good.
"Wow," I whispered.
"Yeah," he agreed, "you were pretty wow yourself."
"Thanks, I giggled, trying to pull my fingers out from where they'd been digging into his shoulders.
"But listen, I'd better take you home right now, otherwise, I'm going to make love to you right here on this bench."
"And that would be a problem?"
"Danny," he said solemnly, "one of these days, I'm going to make love to you and it's going to be in a bed, a thick comfy bed and we're going to spend the whole night in it."
I was in shock. I so wanted that night with Jason, I would have gone to any Motel 6 right then and there. When he walked me to my dorm room and kissed me goodnight, I almost dragged him in to have my way with him. Damn, I wondered once I locked the door behind him, was this being in love?

Part 3:

The Christmas break came before Jason and I could get together the way we wanted. I was so busy with all of my classes and soccer practice and the band that I could barely manage to squeeze in any time for us. As a matter of fact, the only real time we had to ourselves was what used to be our twalk sessions. Jason made a big effort to wait for me after every class and then he would walk me to my next class, to the gym for practice or to the library. I also noticed how he focused a bit more on his classes. I think it was to make me proud. It made me feel nice.
I was going to miss the boys during the holidays but I was so looking forward to going home. I hadn't seen my family at all during the semester. I didn't have enough money to go down to New Orleans for Thanksgiving and I missed Mom and Dad something awful. I wondered how they had spent the holiday without me. Mom said it had been fine but there had been a sadness in her voice that broke my heart.
Mom and Dad promised me they would send me money for a plane ticket home, which my lovely scholarship didn't provide. But it was December 5th and I hadn't heard from them. So I called them. And that's when Mom told me that the plant where both her and Dad had worked had closed down, leaving them with very little money to spare. Basically, what she told me was that they didn't have money to cover my plane ticket. After hanging up the phone with her, I ran to my room and cried for an hour straight. I needed to see my parents. I missed them so much.

Shane knocked on the door to Danny's room and it opened slightly. He heard her crying and walked in. He found her on her bed, crying her eyes out, holding on to a long dark green robe.
"Hey, what's wrong? Did Jason."
"No," I cried.
"Then what's wrong?"
"..."
"Come on Danny, we're friends."
"..."
"Danny, come on, give it up."
"My parents can't afford a ticket for me to come home for the holidays."
"Is that all? How much is the ticket? I'll pay for it."
"No Shane," I said, damning my pride as I said the words, "I can't take your money."
"Why not? I've got plenty of it."
"You don't understand. I have the earn the money."
"Fine. We'll double our gigs."
"I can't. With soccer practice and the finals, I can't do anything else."
"Then, we'll give you our shares of the gigs at Croc's."
"I can't take your money. You guys need it."
"Please. All our parents are filthy rich. We don't need the money."
"It still wouldn't be right."
"What do you want? To do what's right or see your parents?"
"Both," I cried.
I damned my pride over and over for not taking what Shane was offering me. But I hated being the poor kid and begging for money. I was in college on a poor kid's scholarship and that was humiliating enough. I didn't want to act any more poor than I already was.
"What's this?" asked Shane, fingering the robe I'd been holding on to for dear life.
"The choir robe my mom made for me," I explained. "I was going to wear it to sing in the choir on Christmas Eve. But now I won't be able to."
"Please let me pay for your trip home," Shane begged me, "it would mean a lot to me."
"No! That's my final word on it Shane. I have to earn the money to go see my parents."
Shane never brought the topic up again but I think he told the guys about it. They always wanted to pay for my food and my drinks when we went out. And I let them, because I was saving as much money as possible. I went to a pawnshop and I sold my Walkman and I sold some of my new clothes in a thrift shop but nothing doing.
It was soon December 22nd and I didn't have enough money. If I'd had that money earlier that month, I would have been able to afford the fare but now, now, it was way too expensive. That night, when the phone rang, I ignored it. And it rang a lot. I listened to the messages. It was Jason, Pete, Rodney and Shane calling to find out how I was doing. I wasn't in the mood to talk to any of them. I just wanted to sink down into my bed and never come out.

The morning of the 23rd, there was some really loud banging on my front door. I went to open it and the boys were there. The looks on their faces confirmed how bad I looked. My eyes felt puffy and my hair was greasy. I guess I felt as bad as I looked.
"Hey honey," said Jason, going in for a kiss, which I sidestepped out of.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, kind of roughly.
"Well, we were wondering what you were doing for the holidays," said Pete.
"Nothing."
"Come home with us," said Shane. "The house is going to be full of Dad's employees anyways so what's one more person?"
"I don't think so. I'm really not that much in a holiday mood."
"Come on," said Jason, "it'll be the perfect opportunity to introduce you to my parents."
"Guys," I started to sob, "please. this is really sweet but I won't be good company for the holidays."
"Listen," said the until now quiet Rodney, "you're coming with us for the holidays, whether you want to or not."
Jason none too gently pushed me to the bathroom so that I could shower and he told me he was going to pack my bags. I don't know why I let them take over like that, maybe because I needed someone to take control of my life for a moment. Whatever the reason, it felt good to give up the control.

When we got to Greenwich, Shane drove us straight to church. I looked at him kind of funny and asked him what we were doing there. He smiled at me and told me to follow him. While I stood in the center aisle, admiring the beautiful church, Shane went up to talk with the choirmaster. Then, both the choirmaster and Shane came up to me. "I just spoke with Father Thomas," said Shane, "and he said the choir would love to have you sing with them."
"What?"
"Shane told us you had a beautiful voice and we love to foster new talents," said Father Thomas.
"Oh Shane, thank you so much," I said, hugging him, wondering if he knew how much I loved him at that moment.
"I'll pick you up in an hour or so when practice is over, okay?"
"Better make that two hours," said the choirmaster. "It is the holidays after all."

When Shane picked me up two hours later, I was in seventh heaven. There was something incredible about singing with a choir. Being in a band was a lot of fun but singing in a choir made me feel like I had a purpose, it made me feel like I was singing for God. I lost myself thanking Shane as he drove me to his family home. When we got there, I realized how underdressed I was. I started to back out, telling Shane I couldn't go through with it, but before I knew it, he was pushing me inside the house. He helped me out of my coat and pushed me to the back of the house, towards what I found out was the kitchen. His parents were there, along with his sister, getting ready to sit down to eat.
"Mom, Dad, Stephanie, I'd like to introduce you all to Danny. She's our lead singer."
"Hello Danny," said Mr. and Mrs. McMahon.
"Mr. McMahon, Mrs. McMahon," I said, shaking their hands, "thank you so much for allowing me to spend the holidays with you."
"Please," said Shane's mom, "we're Vince and Linda to you. And it's a pleasure having you with us, especially for Stephanie and me. During the holidays, with all of Vince's male employees, we feel kind of lost as women."
"I'm glad to be here. I'll try to even things out," I said, smiling at Stephanie.
That evening was great. The McMahons were a great family. I could tell they were all very close, yet, they didn't seem to mind accepting me into their fold. It wasn't as great as being home for the holidays but it certainly was nice.
The next day, the boys took Stephanie and I out shopping for Christmas presents. The boys were adorable and funny, not too mention generous. Jason and Shane each slipped me three hundred dollars on the sly and Pete and Rodney gave me four hundred dollars, telling me to get myself something nice. Naturally, I got them all presents, for the McMahons and for Stephanie too. I'd already bought presents for my parents. I just didn't know when I was going to get to give them away.
Christmas Eve dinner at the McMahons was a crazy affair, but it was fun. The house was packed with wrestlers. They were all so tall and big. But they were so nice to all of us. Halfway through dinner though, I had to leave for choir practice. When Jason almost tripped all over himself to drive me, I saw the hurt look in Steph's eyes, which confirmed my earlier suspicions. She had a crush on my boyfriend. I felt bad for her. I remembered how hard those were. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do. I had to focus on tonight's show.

I looked out to the church full of people and took a deep breath. The service was over, it was past midnight but there was still one song left. It was my favorite Christmas carol, O Holy Night. And I was doing a solo. I still couldn't believe that. I was standing there in my choir robe, the one my mom had made for me. I could see all the wrestlers I'd met earlier sitting in the pews, behind the McMahons. I saw Pete and Rodney, sitting with their families. But I couldn't see Shane and Jason. So I started to sing.
I was down to one of the last lines, the Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices when the church door at the back opened. It was Shane and Jason. And right behind them were my parents. Tears rolled down my cheek and my voice exploded in joy. As I sang of the divine night, I realized what these two boys had done for me. They had given me the perfect Christmas.

Part 4:

Present

It was nine o'clock and SMACKDOWN had been on for about an hour. The new DX, with Stephanie and Hunter leading the way, had yet to be seen. But at the commentators' table, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were still trying to figure out the identity of the mystery woman who'd apparently scared the living daylights out of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. Suddenly, there was a shot of the DX dressing room. The current members of DX were there, sitting on a comfortable couch, talking and laughing as they watched TV. Finally, Stephanie appeared, her eyes red and puffy. She went straight into her husband's arms, ignoring her new friends' greetings.
"So Stephanie," asked Hunter, "are you finally going to tell me who that woman is?"
"Her name's Tara," said Stephanie, finally looking at the other degenerates.
"So?" said Badd Ass, "why does she scare the shit out of you?"
"You saw what she did to you on Monday. She's scary."
"She can fight, that's all," said X-Pac, "and we underestimated her. We won't do that again."
"She's dangerous," said Stephanie, looking at the TV, "you'll see."

"You heard Stephanie," said Michael Cole, "this woman, Tara, is dangerous! And we can only imagine how..."
The No Chance theme filled the arena, cutting off Michael Cole. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that Shane McMahon men is in the building. This is an unscheduled appearance for them I repeat, we were not expecting Shane McMahon at this time."
Shane came out, and the audience gave him a huge pop. Why they gave him a pop was anyone's guess. He didn't look anything like the heir apparent in a pair of blue jeans, a dark blue shirt and with his brown leather jacket. But he swaggered confidently nonetheless. He got into the ring and turned on his mike as the music came to an end.
"Stephanie, Hunter, the two of you have had quite a lot of fun with your McMahon-Helmsley era, haven't you? Well, who am I to stop you when the fans are enjoying it so much? After all, we're here because of our fans, right?"
As the audience screamed their agreement, Shane walked around the ring, a confident smile on his face.
"However, the two of you have been making a few unfair bouts and although they're fun, we want to keep injuries like Matt Hardy's at a minimum. Which is why Vince and I took it uponourselves to hire an enforcer. Someone whose main concern will always be our performers' safety. So allow me to introduce you to our new enforcer... Tara."
"Tara, Michael Cole," fretted Lawler, "that's the one Stephanie's so afraid of. That's the one Stephanie said was dangerous."
"Well, we'll just have to see how dangerous she is, King."
Just then, the lights went off and there was a slow drum roll. The sound was incredibly slow, haunting and it froze everyone in the arena. In the DX room, as all the degenerates' eyes focused on the television, Stephanie all but climbed into the relative safety of Hunter's arms. Then the music stopped and the lights came on.
The Enforcer, Tara, stood in the middle of the ring, in front of Shane McMahon, her bright green eyes lost in his deep brown ones. She looked exactly as she had on Monday, except for her tunic, which today was bright red.
"The Enforcer, ladies and gentlemen," said Shane. "For every McMahon-Helmsley sanctioned bout, the Enforcer will be there, to enforce the rules of good conduct. There will be no outside interference, no changes of rules halfway through the match. And should a referee get knocked out halfway through a match, the Enforcer can step in and take over the count." The screams of the approving audience were deafening. Shane smiled confidently at his enforcer, at Tara, as she stood in the middle of the ring, seemingly unaffected. She was perfect.
"Tara, is there anything you want to say to the McMahon-Helmsleys?"
"I am the Enforcer," said Tara with a sly grin, "Icannot be bought, I cannot be blackmailed. But most of all, I cannot be swayed."
Just then, DX came out in style. Badd Ass and Road Dogg came out first, then came X-Pac and HHH and finally Stephanie, whose makeup had apparently been reapplied for her appearance. She looked warily at the two people in the ring, gasping when the intense hatred in their eyes brushed over her and settled on her husband.
"An Enforcer, Shane-O," said Hunter, "you think that scares us? We're DX man, nothing scares us."
"Tell me you weren't scared when she tossed you off that ramp Hunter?" challenged Shane, "what about you Road Dogg? Badd Ass? Did it feel good? And what about you, X-Pac, how did it feel to have someone finally bring you down, you little punk?"
"That was one time," said Hunter, seething at the memory of the beating Tara had given him. "No one's that lucky twice."
"No one?"
"Someone," said Tara, speaking for the first time since DX had come out, "will be that lucky twice."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Is it that a yes?"
Shane moved in front of Tara, talking to her in the corner of her ear. She listened, never taking her eyes off the as of yet silent Stephanie.
"What Shane-O?" asked Hunter, "you're afraid I'm going to hurt your Enforcer?"
"No, Hunter. I have complete confidence in Tara. And, just like you forced Stephanie to sit by and watch you beat our father, I intend to force her to sit by and watch as my Enforcer makes mincemeat out of you."
"But what's going to happen when I beat her Shane? What then?"
"Then nothing. Because that's just not going to happen."

SMACKDOWN was scheduled to end in ten minutes when the same haunting drum roll came on. The lights were off and suddenly, Tara was in the middle of the ring, wearing long black tights and a shorter version of the tunic she'd been wearing earlier. She stood in the middle of the ring, waiting for Hunter. Shane came out first, and behind him followed most of the WWF tag teams: Edge and Christian, the Hardyz, the Headbangers, the Hollys, the Acolytes, the Dudleys, and the new team of Godfather and D'Lo. The tag teams trailed around the ring, probably to fill in their roles as lumberjacks. Finally, the DX music came on, and DX appeared. They didn't seem to keen on the idea of all those tag teams around the ring.
"What's this Shane? Don't you trust your brother-in-law?"
"Oh, I trust you," said Shane with a cocky smile, "it's your degenerate friends I don't trust. Now, Stephanie, why don't you come and sit right here next to me? I saved you a seat. And you can leave your guard dogs at home."
Stephanie came down the ramp, a scowl on her face. She came to the seat Shane had saved her and swung her legs over the barrier. Shane hopped down the ring and joined his sister. In the ring, Tara and the referee waited for HHH. As he approached, the man didn't know how to react to the ever-widening smile on the woman's face. It was an eerily confident smile that made him regret his earlier arrogance. As the bell rang, she took a martial arts fighting stance, her legs wide apart, her arms rigid next to her body. Hunter lost all of his confidence as he watched her.
From hanging around with X-Pac, he knew how dangerous martial artists could be. And he knew that if that woman was as good as her confidence made her look, she would wipe the floor with him. While he figured out a plan, he started to mimic her with ridiculous movements with his arms and legs. Finally, she broke her stance and he moved in for the kill. Unfortunately, she moved a lot faster, and she got out of his way. Well, that's what his jumbled mind realized when he sailed past her and she kicked him into the stuffed ring corner.
From that moment on, Hunter regretted every deprecating word he'd ever said about women. Because this one completely destroyed him in a way that was completely different from any way Chyna could have destroyed him. The fight was a hazy blur to him, so blurry that he wasn't even aware of Stephanie's screams for Tara to stop. Nor was he aware of the fact that his brave degenerates got severely trounced for trying to interfere in the match.
The only thing he was aware of during the impossibly long three count that announced the end of the match was the fact that Tara hadn't even bothered to cover him. She'd just planted her booted foot down on his chest like an explorer discovering new land. Finally, he heard Stephanie's voice as she wailed into his ear. He would have told her he was going to be just fine but he didn't know that for sure.
Shane climbed into the ring and raised Tara's arm in the arm, smiling. He'd bring the McMahon-Helmsley era to an end yet.

In his bed, thousands of miles away, Steve Austin swore up a blue streak as he recognized the girl who'd just beat the crap out of The Game. True, he didn't like Hunter much, but he didn't like knowing that that poor idiot had stepped into hell without knowing it. He reached over and grabbed the phone from the bed stand. He dialed an all-too-familiar number and watched the end of SMACKDOWN.
"Uncle John?" he said, "what the fuck is she doing on RAW?"

Part 5:

Seven years ago

Two weeks after the end of the Christmas break, Jason and I finally managed to go out on a proper date. Since it was so early in the semester, I didn't have practice the next day, which was fine with me. When Jason came to pick me up, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him. He was wearing nice khakis and a beautiful blue shirt. He looked like an advertisement for The Gap, which looked really good on him. I was wearing a short lilac dress that showed off my legs and I was wearing my hair up because I knew how he loved to nibble on my neck.
"Are you ready?" he asked after kissing me.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Jason helped me put on my coat and we went to his car. The rest of the evening went by in something of a blur. He took me to The Olive Garden and afterwards, he took me to this really nice hotel and signed us in as Mr. and Mrs. Jason Ardnt. I liked hearing him say that, even though the guy at the counter didn't seem to believe him. I didn't care. I liked to think of us getting married. It was way too early in our relationship to think about that but a girl can dream, can't she?
The room wasn't a room, as I'd expected. It was a fuckin' suite. And it was beautiful. Jason helped me out of my coat and while he went to pour me a glass of white wine, I went to the window and looked out at Boston. From our room, I tried to make out my dorm and the studio where we spent so much time practicing but before I could find them, Jason was behind me, holding my wineglass out to me. As I sipped at the exquisitely fruity wine, he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
I loved being in his arms like that. Nothing made me feel safer. He was so strong and so powerful, and yet I knew he would never use his strength against me. There was something incredibly potent about having that kind of power over a man.
I finished my wine quickly and the moment I laid the glass down on top of the coffee table, Jason turned me around quickly, kissing me. I felt his hands on my hips, the heat from his hands seeping through the thin fabric to warm my skin. Soon, a bit too soon for my taste, I found myself on the bed, my dress around my waist while his fingers dipped into the crotch of my panties. It felt good to be lying next to him, but I wished he'd stop rushing me. Part of me wanted him to slow down but I didn't want to disappoint him.
Minutes later, my dress, my panties and my bra were on the floor, as were his clothes. And Jason was squeezing my breasts as if he was trying to find out if they were ripe or something. This wasn't arousing at all and I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. I was on the pill and Jason and I had both gotten tested almost three months ago. And I knew he'd always been careful in the past. According to Shane, Vince would never give a job to a guy who fucked around without taking the necessary precautions. There was too much risk of injuries in the business and he couldn't take the risk of having someone who was HIV positive bleeding all over some other guy's injuries.
Maybe I shouldn't have been thinking about Vince's rules at the moment, but it seemed appropriate somehow. Anyways, all of this to say that Jason didn't bother putting on a condom when he entered me. I was a virgin and there was that moment when I tensed and wished I could have been somewhere else. As soon as I kind of started to relax, Jason started pumping in and out of me like a fuckin jackhammer. It wasn't the best feeling in the world but I bit my lip and let him get to it.
When he rolled over to my side, I realized something really sad. I'd just faked my first orgasm.

Anyways, Jason got better in bed, which is something I'm going to take credit for because the night after we first made love, I started to research the whole sex thing and I showed him how to do it right. He went from a so-so lover to someone who got to know how to please a woman, and did he ever.
The band was still going strong and we got a few more gigs. I got better organized and I managed to squeeze everything into my life. The fact that I moved in with Jason into an off-campus apartment helped too. I didn't have to worry about noisy roommates and I got to spend a lot more time with my boyfriend. My parents were shocked at first but they mellowed with time. And the fact that Jason was a sweetheart helped. Not to mention the fact that he proposed to me on Christmas day. As far as my parents knew, the boy was golden. As far as I was concerned, he was pretty amazing too.
That summer, instead of going home to New Orleans, I went home with Jason. His parents redid the poolhouse into a little house for us. It was incredibly sweet of them and it allowed us to have all the privacy in the world. The boys were over at our place a lot, practicing and swimming as soon as Vince let them off work. Stephanie came over a lot too. Over the last year and half, she'd changed a lot. Shane and I thought she turned into a little bitch but I caught Jason, Rodney and Pete checking out her new body more than once.
But what's worse, Stephanie never stopped throwing herself at my fiancé. It's like she didn't get the fact that Jason was off-limits. Whenever I brought that up to my fiancé, he'd wave off my suspicions and he'd tell me that I was imagining things. God, he was so blind sometimes.
A morning in mid-July, Shane came over to the house for breakfast. Jason had already left for work but Shane had the morning off. I was sliding an omelet from the skillet to his plate when I got really nauseous. I dropped the skillet on the table and ran to the bathroom where I proceeded to throw up last night's dinner. I heard Shane outside the door, asking me if I was all right.
I was fine. I was just pregnant. When I told him the news, Shane looked like his eyes were going to fall right out of his head. I explained that I'd had a doctor's appointment earlier that week and that he'd confirmed everything. I also told him that Jason didn't know yet and that I couldn't wait to tell him.
We'd been having some problems recently and I hoped that my being pregnant would help. I knew that having a baby wouldn't be the solution to our problems but I knew that it would help things along. Jason and I were meant to be together and to have children. I was just starting on the baby part a bit early.

Jason couldn't have been more surly when he got home that day. And no matter how much I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't tell me. Well, my news would cheer him up. I set up a plate in front of him with his favorite foods, a side of ribs, dripping with his mother's special sauce, roasted potatoes and sautéed greens.
"So, to what do I owe this honor?" he asked, pushing the ribs about his plate with his fork.
"Well, I have some big news to share with you," I said with a big smile.
"I'll just bet you do," he muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. So, what's your big news?"
"Well, I had a doctor's appointment this week and he confirmed some of my suspicions."
"Suspicions? Why, Danny, did you think you were sick?"
"No... you know how I've been throwing up in the morning?"
"Let me guess," he said, his voice dripping with ice, "you're pregnant."
Jason beat me to the punch. And as I beamed at him, my smile started to fall. There was something wrong. Why wasn't he happy about this? We'd talked about having kids. He wanted them.
"How did you know?" I asked slowly.
"A little birdie told me. Now, tell me something Danny? How does a woman get pregnant when she's on the pill?"
"I asked my doctor the same question. He told me that even the pill is fallible."
"Hmmm..."
"Jason, aren't you happy about this?"
"No!"
"Jason... what are you talking about? We talked about having children and you were all for it."
"Danny, I feel like you're trapping me into something I'm not ready for."
"What?"
"I mean, first you start bugging me about Stephanie hanging around all the time and then, next thing I know, you're pregnant."
"So?"
"Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You think that by pretending to be pregnant, I'll pay more attention to you."
"That's ridiculous."
"Think about it for a moment. What else will get the point across to Stephanie better than becoming the mother of my child."
"You think I planned on getting pregnant?"
"I don't think you're pregnant."
"That's insulting."
"I figured you'd react that way," said Jason, getting up from the table. "I'm going to grab a bite to eat with a few guys from work. By the time I come home, I hope you'll realize that you don't have to lie to me."
"But I didn't lie... Jason."
"Enough! I'm going out. When I come home, you'd better have your story straightened out." Jason walked out of the house and I was left there, completely destroyed. I wanted to get mad, but I couldn't.
Mechanically, I packed up all of my things and I headed out of the door. But before I left, I took off the engagement ring and I left it on the table.

When Linda McMahon opened her front door and saw me standing there with my luggage I could tell she was shocked. But when I started to cry, she just pulled me into the house without asking me any questions. She hugged me and held me tight until I calmed down. And then, once I'd calmed down, I told her about my plan.

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