DISCLAIMER: I do not own, the WWF, the WCW, the ECW or any of their performers. Sabrina Davis is a character I created, as is this story.
DISTRIBUTION:Flights and Mirrors.
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT: Violence, sexual situations.
SPOILERS: None that I could imagine.
SUMMARY: Linda gets mad at Vince, Shane and Stephanie and makes them pay.
NOTE: I've yet to see Linda play an active role in a story so I thought I'd give it a try. May my muse allow me to keep this up. Hope you enjoy the reading.

Part 1:

Linda McMahon watched her husband and children traipse around the ring like puppies after the bone HHH was holding out to them and felt like retching. Ensconced in her comfortable Stamford office, she watched their shameful display and felt sick to her stomach. Yes, she knew it was a show but the image her family was projecting to millions and millions of fans all over the world made her skin crawl. Yes, it was all for ratings but were ratings worth so much, worth their dignity, their unity as a strong family unit? According to Vince it was, and their children agreed with him. But Linda did not. And there was very little she could do about it. Unlike them, she worked behind the scenes, not in front. And no amount of training could make her comfortable with working in front of the scenes like the rest of her family. Just then, Stephanie appeared in what looked like a bathroom, giving orders to Trish Status and her men, Test, Albert and Val Venis. She watched the segment carefully and didn't hide her smile when Andrew Martin, as Test, called his former fiancée Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley a bitch.
Linda had argued for days on end with Vince about Stephanie's story line. She hated it. Stephanie, Shane and Vince loved it but no mother could love seeing her daughter traipsing around the ring with an oaf of a husband, dressing like a whore who could not afford a bra. It was shameful and the last thing she'd expected of her daughter. Oh no, Linda did not like this at all. Hell, she hated it. She wanted this angle to end. But Vince didn't want it to end. Oh no, his precious little girl was the Women's Champion and his 'son-in-law' was the reigning WWF Heavyweight champ! Not to mention that his son Shane was the giant killer! How could he turn away from all that glory? Unthinkable!
Shane the Giant Killer indeed, laughed Linda. How the Giant Killer had fallen under Undertaker's feet just a week ago on Monday. But no, don't bring that stuff up, Vince continually said. 'Never dwell on the failures' was his motto. Always talk about the good moments, the good times. Do your best to forget the bad times.
Linda shook her head and turned off the TV. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't watch her family act like idiots anymore. She had to put an end to this. The WWFE CEO sat back in her chair, resting her chin on her steepled fingers, à la Vince. An idea was brewing in her mind and it brought a smile to her lips. Oh yes, she knew exactly how to put an end to the McMahon Helmsley Faction. This is what Vince must feel like when he got good ideas. It was a good feeling.

Part 2:

TWO WEEKS LATER

Linda walked through the halls during the Washington edition of RAW, a smile on her lips. She knew her family was out in the ring, haranguing the ROCK or UNDERTAKER for their unruly behavior, which meant that if she timed everything correctly, she could be in and out without them knowing, which was exactly what she wanted. She came to the T&A dressing room and knocked on the door. She'd just had Trish and Albert paged and she knew she would be able to talk to Andrew alone.
"Mrs. McMahon," he said, opening the door, "I didn't know you were here. What can I do for you?"
"I have an offer for you Andrew. May I come in?"
Linda closed the door behind her, locked it and started exposing her plan to Andrew. Twenty minutes later, she was on her way back to Stamford, a very Vince smile on her lips.

A WEEK LATER

Sabrina Davis sat across Linda McMahon in the CEO's Stamford office and ran her damp hands down her black silk skirt. She had no clue as to what this meeting was about and it scared her shitless. When her trainer at the WWF Toronto Dojo had told her she was flying down to meet with her big boss, she'd been scared and now, more than two days later, she was more frightened than ever. She tucked a curl behind her ear and waited.
Linda looked at Ms. Davis' résumé and smiled. This was impressive stuff, very impressive stuff. Actually, the more she learned about the young Ms. Davis, the more she started to believe that Sabrina was too good to be true. Could it be that Vince knew of her plan and had planted Sabrina for her to fail? She sighed and put down the résumé, eyeing the woman sitting across from her. Well, if she was a plant, she was playing the part to the hilt. She was that good. She looked appropriately nervous and frightened.
"Sabrina, I've been looking at your résumé and at some of your work from the Toronto dojo. You have a lot of potential."
"That's what they tell me."
"Now, I guess you're wondering what you're doing here."
"I'd be a fool not to. Uh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so forward."
"It's all right. Sabrina, from what I see from your résumé, you studied for two years to be a creative writer, is that right?"
"Yes."
"And you spent over three years working as a personal assistant, is that true?"
"Yes. Mrs. McMahon, what is this about?"
"I want to hire you as my new personal assistant."
With Sabrina still reeling from shock at Linda's announcement, Linda launched herself into a full explanation of her new duties. By the time Linda was done, Sabrina looked up at her, a confused look on her face.
"What's wrong?" asked Linda with a smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't get that last part. Did you say you wanted to hire me as your personal assistant?"
That's when Linda started to laugh so hard, tears came streaming down her face. This girl was going to be perfect, she thought, absolutely perfect.

Part 3:

ONE MONTH LATER

For the first time in a very long time, Shane walked into his mother's favorite Stamford restaurant. When he'd called her office, the WWF receptionist had told him where he'd be able to find her. Apparently, she was having lunch with her new assistant. Shane smiled. He hoped this assistant would be better than the old one, a flashy gay man who'd grabbed his butt a few times too many.
"Signor McMahon Jr.," said the effeminate maître d' with a heavy Italian accent. "I did not know you were joining your mother for lunch."
"It's a bit of a surprise. Can you take me to her?"
"But of course. So the business," asked the maître d', leading Shane through the restaurant, "it goes good?"
"Yes, it does. Can it do badly with my mom and dad leading the way?"
"I suppose not. There you are, Signor McMahon."
"Thank you," smiled Shane, casually sliding the man a twenty-dollar bill. "Mom!"
"Shane!" said Linda, looking up at her son, a smile on her face, "what are you doing here?"
"Well, I remembered how long it had been since I'd had lunch with my mom and I thought I might surprise you."
"How nice. Have a seat," said Linda, showing him to the chair the maître d' had brought to the table. "We haven't had a mother-son lunch in the longest time."
"I know. I miss them."
"Maybe I should leave the two of you alone," said Sabrina, picking up her purse.
"No, please stay," said Shane with a warm smile, "after all, I'm intruding. And how often do I get to have lunch with two such beautiful women?"
"My son the flatterer," said Linda with a wink to Sabrina.
"I thought he was the Giant Killer."
"I can be both."
Sabrina sat back and watched mother and son interact. There was a lot of love and respect there. That was unmistakable. But from what information she'd gotten from Linda, there was a lot of tension between her, her children and her husband. Sabrina felt for her new boss and wanted to help her, even if she thought her plan was wild and farfetched.
"Shane," Linda was now saying, a stern look on her face, "as much as you, your sister and father try explaining the story line to me, I won't like it."
"But Mom, it's so good. Not to mention, so much fun." Shane looked like a little boy trying to explain his love of cartoons to someone who'd never watched Bugs Bunny. He turned to Sabrina, a bright smile on his face. "You tell her. This story line is amazing!"
"I disagree. This whole story line relies on the premise of Stephanie and Hunter's wedding, right?"
"Yes?"
"Well, that's kind of saying that the audience is dumb and forgetful, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"The marriage isn't valid. For Christ's sake, he said I do for her! Come on…"
"You could do better?"
"I've been reading stories online which have already debunked the McMahon-Helmsley era. I, personally, can't wait to see it off television."
Shane looked from his mother to Sabrina, shocked. He hadn't expected the young woman to be this strong and serious in her opinion. The points she brought up were valid, and the writers had been complaining about the exact same thing. But the McMahon-Helmsley era had taken on a life of its own and it was too good to be true.
"I see Mom's already brainwashed you on this."
"Shane!" said Linda, pain in her eyes, "sometimes you say the most hurt…"
"I'm sorry Mom," said Shane quickly, covering her hand with his. "I understand Sabrina. She's your assistant after all. She doesn't want to jeopardize her job."
"Excuse me, Mr. McMahon," said Sabrina dryly, "but my working for your mother in no way affects my opinions. I thought the McMahon-Helmsley thing was dumb a long time before I got the job. And I know I'm not the only person who hates it."
"It just means that we've taken a good heel turn."
"I think it means that every day people might start turning to WCW for credible story lines."
Shane blinked a few times at Sabrina's venomous tone. It was clear that she didn't like him. She didn't like him at all. And she didn't seem to care that her boss was witnessing her clear animosity toward her son. But not only that, Linda didn't jump to his defense as she usually would have. Instead, she sat back and watched Sabrina tear at him.
"Obviously," he said, sliding out of his chair, "my presence is not welcome here. Mom, you do remember that Sherrie and I are having dinner at the house tonight?"
"Of course. I look forward to seeing both of you."
Shane dutifully pecked his mother's cheek and shook Sabrina's cool and dry hand before leaving them to their lunch.
"I'm sorry I almost took his head off," said Sabrina as soon as Shane was out of earshot.
"That's quite all right. I think my son needed to hear someone else's opinion on his father's brilliant idea."
"But he thinks I only said that to impress you."
"His mistake."
"Mrs. McMahon, I hope this won't cause a rift in your family. I don't…"
"Calm down Sabrina. My husband and my children have simply underestimated me. I just have to remind them that I'm a force to be reckoned with."

Part 4:

Linda sat at the table, a very slight smile on her lips. She'd expected a quiet family dinner but Vince, as usual, had turned it into work. He was now chewing on his grilled chicken while he listened to Shane and Paul. Stephanie was paying close attention to the conversation too, her meal forgotten as Sherrie and Joanie talked about other story lines.
Linda knew she could call for other topics than work but she knew how they'd all react. All of them lived for the business and nothing else. She too lived for the WWF, but she yearned for something more. She wanted a real family life, not the pretense they all had on TV. She wanted her family back.
"Excuse me," she said quickly, getting up from the table.
"Linda, are you okay?" asked Sherrie as her mother-in-law walked past her.
"I'll be fine."
Linda walked up to the second floor of her Stamford home to her private office and sat down behind the delicately ornate desk. She picked up her phone and dialed the number to Sabrina's brand-new apartment.
"Hello!"
"Sabrina? It's Linda."
"Mrs. McMahon, hi. What can I do for you?"
"Nothing, actually. I was just wondering if you were doing anything special tonight? I thought I might take you out to dinner."
"Lunch and dinner with the boss on the same day? Wow! But I thought you were having dinner with the family?
"That didn't pan out exactly the way I wanted. So, do you want to? I could be at your place in fifteen minutes."
"It sounds really good Mrs. McMahon but…"
"It's Linda, please."
"All right then, Linda," said Sabrina with a smile, "but I just got a few boxes of books from home and I wanted to put them away. I just thought I'd order some pizza and spend a quiet evening at home."
"I see. Oh well, maybe some other time then."
"Well, you could come over. But you'd have to help me out. I read a lot and it's a whole lot of books I have to put away."
"That actually sounds fun," said Linda with a relaxed smile. "That is if you don't mind the company."
"I'm looking forward to it."

Five minutes later, dressed in a pair of jeans she hadn't worn in over ten years and wearing a flannel shirt she'd bought when her last Florida vacation had turned surprisingly cold, Linda made her way to the front door. Sherrie was there, a worried smile on her face.
"Linda, are you sure you're all right?"
"I'll be fine Sherrie. Why?"
"You seemed a bit out of sorts at dinner."
"I was. But I'm feeling better now."
"It looks that way. You're smiling and all. It's good to see you smiling."
"It feels good to smile. If you'll excuse me, I have to go."
"You're going out?"
"Yes."
"All right. Have a nice time."
"I will, thanks."
And out she was. Sherrie went to the window by the door and watched her mother-in-law walk briskly to her car and drive away.
"Who just left?" asked Shane, joining her.
"Your mother."
"Mom? Where did she go?"
"She didn't say. And I didn't ask."
"Is she okay?"
"I think so. Anyhow Shane, she's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Sherrie extricated herself out of Shane's embrace and left him at the door, wondering where his mother would go like that, specially without telling anybody first.

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