Part 81:

HEAT

"I am a real American," Kurt told the audience at WWF NY, "I stand for what is right and true. And though some might say that my recent association is Shane and Stephanie McMahon is wrong but I disagree. All they're trying to do is abide by what is right. Is it right for a father to denigrate his children? To disown them and give their rightful inheritance to a man who's done nothing to deserve it, to that man and the Jezebel who gave him children, who probably aren't his by the way, people who have nothing to do with the greatest family in sports entertain…"
Kurt's words died in his throat as someone came at him with a baseball bat. Kurt's attacker kept hitting him ruthlessly and quickly until the Olympic champion was lying on the stage. Then, limping slightly, his attacker approached and removed its mask. Serena looked down at the man lying under her and pressed the bat into his chest.
"You'd do well to learn this lesson now Kurt my boy, don't you ever mess with me and mine."
Then, amidst wild cheers from the crowd, Serena left Kurt on the stage, too dazed to understand what had just happened.

RAW - IN-RING INTERVIEW AT 10.00

"It's official," Vince told Hunter and Serena who held Alexandra and Joshua in their arms, "the documents have been notarized and certified and the future of the WWF lies in the hands of these children and their father."
"Beautiful," Serena smiled. "Absolutely beautiful! And now, Vince, I think it's time you met my children's father… well, reacquainted yourself with him really…"
"Your children's father? Isn't Hunter…"
"Come now Vince, did you really think I'd sleep with Hunter and risk and beat up by his long time girlfriend?"
"Excuse me? Hunter's longtime girlfriend? But he was married and…"
"You know Vince, for everything they say about you and everything we know about you you're not always as smart as a whip! Allow me to introduce Hunter's girlfriend AND my babies' real father… Chyna and the man who was way too good for your daughter, Test!"
In the ring, Vince looked like he was having a coronary as Chyna and Test came down the ramp, cocky smiles on their lips. They each went to their partner in love and crime and laid a gentle kiss on their lips and then Test got his son out of Hunter's arms.
"Thank you Vince," he said, "for making up your daughter's betrayal to me. My kids will only be too happy to fill in her and her brother's shoes."
"This… you… I…"
"You were tricked Vince. You and your children," Serena grinned. "From beginning to end, we tricked you and yours. From the moment Steph lost her memory and went to Hunter to betray Test, this has been in the planning. We, all four of us, are after power and you handed us the WWF, and all its power, on a silver platter. Through my children and with Hunter, we'll run your family business."
"No…"
"The shares Shane and Steph sold to buy WCW and ECW? Guess who bought them… me and Chyna," Test gloated. "Guess who's going to be at the next board meeting?"
"Oh yeah," Chyna added, moving behind Vince and whispering into his ear, "we're going to be playing a whole new ball game…"
"Say goodbye Vince," Test grinned as Chyna delivered a very powerful low blow to the chairman's crotch, making him wince in pain.

HERE COMES THE MONEY

Hunter kicked Vince out of the ring and turned around to see Shane come out, a microphone tucked under his arm as he clapped and nodded at the group in the ring.
"Say it ain't so," Shane grinned, "you guys pretty suckered the WWF out of Vince McMahon's greedy hands. I've got to hand it to you… that takes guts… and smarts and… well, makes me realize why I missed the WWF in the first place."
"That mean you missed us Shane?" Test asked.
"Oh yeah…"
"Even when you were busy wooing WWF superstars out of the WWF fold?"
"Well, back then it was me vs. Dad… now it can be Shane's WCW joining hands with the WWF… we will definitely crush the opposition. We'll be the most powerful force in sports entertainment. Next to us, no will stand a chance."
As he spoke, Shane started making his way down the ramp toward the ring, still looking at Serena.
"That's a fascinating offer Shane but…"
"You can't do this Shane!" Stephanie screeched, rushing out of the backstage area. "You promised you wouldn't betray me and now…"
"Now it's all about power Steph. Hell, if you thought Serena swung your way, I'm sure you'd be out here strutting your stuff too."
In the ring, Serena burst out laughing.
"Shane's funny," she told her daughter, helping her point her stubby little finger at the WCW owner, "very funny… Shane darling, you think you have the stuff to impress me into joining WCW with the WWF?"
"Sure I do!"
"Give me a second."
There was a short huddle in the ring with the four conspirators and Serena turned around after handing her dozing daughter into Hunter's arms.
"All right, we talked it over and Shane, you have one shot to impress me…"
"Us," Chyna corrected with a smile.
"Right, to impress us. Get into the ring, Boy Wonder and show us your stuff."
"My stuff?" Shane asked, getting into the ring.
"Oh yeah, your stuff… do we have to draw you a picture? Because we will."
"You don't mean…"
"Well, women have been taking it off on WWF TV for ages now… time to see what the men… or boys have to offer."
"This isn't right!" Stephanie screamed. "I can't watch my own brother…"
"Then close your eyes. Hunter, music please?"
LL Cool J's Doin' It began Chyna and Serena turned to Shane, nodding at him to begin. He swallowed hard and tried moving to the music. Serena laughed as she shook her head.
"No, no, no… you got to put more hips into it… close your eyes if you have to but make it work."
"I can't…"
"Fine, then get ready to watch the WWF crush and decimate the WCW completely and thoroughly."
With a scowl, Shane dropped the microphone in his hand and started moving. Hunter and Test played with the babies, avoiding looking at Shane while Stephanie paced up and down the ramp, avoiding the ring. In the meantime, Serena and Chyna watched the show as Shane started getting into it, laughing and encouraging him. Then Chyna picked up the microphone.
"The point is for you to take off clothes Shane, not pretend you're on Soul Train."
"That's right. Show some of that skin!!!"
Shaken, the defunct McMahon heir kept on moving, his fingers moving down his short sleeved black shirt, exposing inch after inch of skin. Once his shirt hung down, Serena raised her hand.
"A moment if you will… to check out the merchandise."
"Hey!" Test said, "no touching!"
"That for him or for us?"
"You!"
"We won't do anything that's not absolutely necessary."
Grinning at a blushing Shane, the women lifted the panes of his shirt and checked out the stomach many thought was a tad pudgy. It was in fact very flat and even looking cut.
"Nice," Chyna said with an appreciative smile, "very nice… better than I expected."
"Well, I could have told you that… I helped him work out."
"Good job!"
"Thanks! Now show us more. JR, check Heyman's pockets, we're going to need singles…"
Shane didn't seem to care about the fact that he was strutting his stuff in front of thousands in attendance and millions at home as he got to work on his loose blue jeans. He toed off his loafers and the pants slid down his legs, revealing tight black boxer briefs. Clapping, Chyna picked up the jeans and twirled them in the air, sending them into the laughing crowd.
Then, moving to the music, Serena started moving closer to Shane, pressing her body against his, backing him into the ropes as she ground into him, stripping him of his shirt.
"This is the equipment supposed to impress me Shane?"
"Are you impressed?"
"Let's just say that I'm not disappointed."
"So?"
"I'm still not impressed," Serena said, dancing out of the way as Chyna delivered a brutal clothesline that had Shane flip out of the ring to land on the mat in a heap, in nothing but in boxer-briefs.
"Here," Serena said, throwing singles down upon his body. "Go buy us a card of apology for this awful display."
"Bitch," Steph hissed as she ran to her brother's help.
"I hate having to tell you this again Steph but that's Momma Bitch!"

HEAT

"Serena," Michael Cole said, looking at the young mother who was currently doting on her little boy, "how does it feel?"
"How does what feel?"
"Everything… motherhood, power, knowing you bested Vince McMahon?"
"Honestly, out of all three, I prefer motherhood. Much more rewarding. And it gives me less headaches."
"Well it looks good on you."
"Thank you."
"Hey Cole," Test said jokingly, "get your own woman and stop flirting with mine."
"Never gonna happen my friend. The boy doesn't look old enough to get his own woman," Al Snow quipped, "unless your daughter doesn't outgrow him by the time she's ten."
"Well, she's got the genes to do that, doesn't she?"
"Now Serena," Michael said, shaking his head at the disparaging comments, "you have managed to completely undermine the McMahon family and take control
of their family business."
"Well, I only control part of their family business and bear in mind, the shares I currently control are my children's. And that's only until they're eighteen."
"But you beat Vince at his own game and refused Shane's offer for help."
"It wasn't just her Cole," Test added. "It was all four of us. We knew that if Shane didn't come forward to make the offer, Steph would. See, the McMahons are back stabbers and that's what they do best. And who loses in that process? The wrestlers who always get lost in the mix. From now on, all four of us want to take wrestling back to its roots. The WWF will go back to being about wrestling, believe us."

Part 82:

With Allan on vacation, Shane and Katia were back on baby duty. And the young woman was tired. Josh had been perfecting his peeing aim and he'd come within an eighth of an inch of her mouth. Thank God she had good reflexes. In the main office, Shane was probably lying on his back, playing with Alex. The man was just bad at this sharing responsibilities deal.
"A little help?" she shouted from the bathroom.
"What's wrong?"
"Why don't you come here and clean up your son's mess? He just tried peeing in my mouth again."
"Well, it's not like he tried peeing in my mouth."
Holding back a series of choice curses, Kat finished diapering her son and walked out to the main office where Shane was indeed lying on his back, playing with his little girl. Now, as irresponsible as he was, he was a fantastic father. She walked over to the play pen and put Josh down.
"Think I can trust you to keep an eye on these two while I drop something off downstairs to Cole's office?"
"Sure."
Katia had been gone for about five minutes when Vince came into the office. Shane didn't even try to rectify his position, his daughter's tiny fingers in his mouth.
"Shane, I need to speak to you."
"Sure Dad, give me a second."
"No Shane, now!"
Shane looked up at his father and sobered immediately. He got up and put Alex down in the playpen with her brother before turning to his father.
"What's wrong Dad?"
"There's been an accident."

She wasn't paying any particular attention to where she was going but Kat somehow made it to her office after picking up the planned matches for the next RAW. So far so good, she thought as she saw her planned match against Ivory. When she got to her office, it was just in time to see Stephanie walk out with Linda, Alex and Josh in their arms.
"Hey, where are you taking my babies?"
"To my office," Steph explained, "I want some auntie time."
"All right. Just make sure you let Nadine know otherwise she'll get jealous and request equal time."
"Uh…"
"Let's go," Linda said quickly when Stephanie hesitated, "I have these new outfits for them I'm dying… I can't wait to see them in."
"Oh all right…"
With a wave to her babies, Katia went into her office. Shane was standing by the window, his shoulders hunched over.
"I'm back."
"Hey baby. Have a seat with me."
He started walking toward the couch and Katia followed him to it, frowning.
"What's wrong baby?" she asked him.
"Katia, there was an accident earlier today."
"My parents?"
"No… Nadine…"
At that moment, Kat froze and tilted her head to the side, watching Shane's mouth as he went on talking. None of his words got through to her. She seemed somewhat stuck on his words. An accident. Her sister.
"How badly is she hurt?"
"Kat baby, she's not hurt. She didn't survive."
"No… no… that's not true. She can't be dead. She's my sister. I would have felt it. You're wrong! She's still alive."
"Her car exploded when it was struck by a truck carrying gas to a service station. She didn't suffer."
"She's not dead!" Katia screamed, jumping to her feet and turning to her husband, "You are lying! She's my sister and… and we have this… b-b-bond and I would know if she was… SHE'S NOT DEAD!"
"Yes baby she is."
Shane moved forward to wrap Katia in his arms but she pushed him away as she started pulling at her hair.
"I would… I would have felt it… I would have known it… she's my sister… my sister… she can't be dead… she can't be dead…"

Katia sat in a chair at the funeral salon, staring at the beautiful wood urn carrying her sister's ashes. It was covered with traditional Haitian carvings. It used to be in the basement of their parents' home. Both Nadine and Katia had stolen candies from it at some time. And now, it was filled with her sister's remains. Fresh tears wet her cheeks and she let out a long sob that made Shane start. He handed her a tissue and squeezed her hand tighter. Next to her, Antoine and Bernadette were also trying to put up a brave front but their daughter's death was a heavy burden to bear.
"NADINE!"
Kat's cry made all the heads turn to them as she fell out of her chair, grief and shock making her fall out of her chair. Shane was quick to pull her back up, Kip coming to their aid. Nadine's boyfriend knelt in front of Katia and pushed her hair out of her face.
"You need to be strong," he told her. "For your sister. She needs to know you'll survive this and you need to show her your strength."
"I can't," Kat sobbed, "I don't have… I can't be wrong… I need her to get strong with me…"
"She is with you…"
"No she's not! Oh God, Nadine!"
Shane didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to make her feel better, how to ease her grief, how to end her pain. He just kept on stroking her back, looking over at his in-laws, only to find them as struck down by grief as their remaining daughter. Shane looked up and saw a man standing by the door, looking very uncomfortable. Leaving Kat to Kip, he got up to greet him.
"Hello, I'm Shane McMahon. I'm married…"
"… To Katia, yes, I know."
"And you are?"
"Igor Noureyev. I'm Nadine's husband."
Shocked at the man's words, Shane barely moved out of his way, watching him go to Bernadette and Antoine, both of them hugging him fiercely, Katia and Nadine's mother hanging on to him for a long while. Intrigued, Shane watched as the man then moved on to his wife. Kat seemed to cling to him for dear life, ignoring Kip. Nadine's husband was crying as well, muttering God only knew what into his wife's ear.
"Who's that guy?" Paul asked him.
"He says he's Nadine's husband."
"But Kip…"
"I don't know man… I just don't know."
Shane watched as Igor took his seat next to Katia, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. His proximity seemed to have a calming effect on her, something Shane immediately resented. And he could tell Kip was confused by the shift as he got up and walked away.
"Who's that?" he asked Shane.
"Guys, listen, this family had a history before me and I don't know it all, ok?"
"What's with him?" Kip asked as Shane walked off.
"Don't ask."

The church was a traumatizing event. The service was performed by the same priest who'd married them, with him switching from French to English to Creole, observing Nadine's varied linguistic background. But it was during the singing of a Haitian hymn that all hell broke loose. Shane didn't understand the words but Katia did and the tears just washed down her face. And Bernadette broke out in a loud cry, screaming something out about the hymn being a lie, that Nadine wouldn't be able to do something… Kat fell down on the pew heavily, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Baby," he asked her, "what did your mother just say?"
"The song… it's about someone dying and being exhausted by the path of life and… when they cross over the river Styx, they'll be going back to their father's heart and their mother will be there to them to lay their tired head over her heart."
Through her sobs, Katia managed to finish the song. She listened to people who got up to talk about the miracle of her sister and she started to calm down. God had given her the gift of knowing Nadine, of loving her and now, now it would be up to her to keep her memory alive. But it was going to be so hard.

The post-funeral reception was finally drawing to an end, with only the Dorsaints and the McMahons remaining. Shane looked around the room and was unable to find Kat. Finally, he found her outside, playing with Alex and Josh in their sandbox. Well, she wasn't playing, she was just crouching in a corner, watching them play.
"Katia..."
"It's hard Shane... so hard..."
"I know..."
"That was us when we were kids Shane, Nadine and me were just like Josh and Alex. Only she was older and she always protected me. Did I ever tell you about my first day in the first grade?"
"No."
"Well, by the time I came along, I was only the second little Black girl in our school so of course, there were racist comments. And these two girls, they were in the fifth grade, started calling me names and pulling on my pigtails. It was the first time someone was so mean to me and I just started crying. Then Nadine came, like an avenging angel and she just wailed on them for bothering me. There were two of them and she was all by herself and younger by a year and yet, I'd never felt so safe and now, I'm never going to feel that way again."
"Katia, I wish I could make it all better but I can't. I can't believe Nadine is dead. It's unfair and it's wrong and she didn't deserve to die and you didn't deserve to lose a sister but... we have to go on. For Alex and Josh. They need you so much."
"I know."
"It's selfish but I need you too. I need you at night. I need to know I can keep you safe and that you love me."
"Oh Shane, I'm not going to do anything stupid, it's just... I miss her so much..."
Shane got into the sandbox behind his wife and wrapped her up in his arms, letting her cry and sob on his shoulder. They gathered the twins up in their arms and the family grieved for their sister and aunt.

Part 83:

Katia was lying in bed next to Shane, the twins' cribs moved into their room for the night. She wasn't having a good night. She'd twisted and turned so much that Shane, tired of finding himself completely devoid of blankets, had gotten himself a set of blankets from the linen closet. Her sleep was disturbed by visions of her sister, her voice, even her smell. The only thing to pull her out of her disturbing dreams was the sound of her babies' gurgles. The mother in her sat up in the bed and looked over to the cribs. Both Josh and Alex were sitting on their haunches, babbling.
"What's wrong babies?" she asked, sliding out of bed and padding over to them.
Both Alex and Josh were looking in the same direction at the swirling curtain in front of them but there was nothing there for them, or Katia, to see. She picked up her little boy but instead of looking at her, Josh kept on looking over her shoulder, straining to reach… nothing.
"What is it?" she asked, turning around, Josh wriggling around in her arms, reaching for nothing but air. "What do you see baby?"
"You know," said an all too familiar voice, "for someone who's so much into science-fiction and the paranormal, you're not doing very well."
"Nadine?"
"Nope. I'm the Easter Bunny."
"Oh shit."
Kat fell down onto the floor heavily, Josh still in her arms. Nadine's shimmering shape reached out and plucked Alex from her crib as well, laying her down on the plush green carpet next to her twin while she sat down in front of her flabbergasted sister.
"Is this for real?" Katia asked. "I mean, I'm not dreaming or anything?"
"I could slap you…"
"Still as nice as ever I see. What are you supposed to be? An angel or one of Satan's minions?"
"They haven't told me yet. Anyhow, how dare you ask me? I'm your fucking sister! You think I'd end up as one of Satan's minions?"
"What? I don't know everything you might have done in France."
"You suck!"
"Thanks."
"So, how are you doing with all of this? With my dying and everything?"
"Well, it's not easy. Nadine, you died. It's like a part of me just got ripped out. You know, you're the second person I got to love, besides Mom and Dad."
"Excuse me genius but Mom and Dad are two people, not one," Nadine said sarcastically.
"I know that but they count as one parental unit, you know?"
"Oh…"
"That's right. Oh."
"Oh well, I'm allowed to be imperfect. I'm dead."
"Always looking for excuses. Some things never change."
"Smart mouth."
"Someone had to have the brains in the family."
"And you are the brains in the family kid. Look at everything you have, everything you accomplished. You did it all."
"But I'd rather have you."
"Please," Nadine scoffed, bending down to kiss Alex's soft brow, "you have them and Shane. That's… I wish I'd had the time to get kids too."
"Me too. You would have made one hell of a mother."
"You think?"
"I know."
"Thanks. You know, I haven't always been the best sister to you," Nadine said softly, reaching out to touch her sister's cheek, "but I'm so proud of you, and of everything you've done."
"Shit," Katia hissed, "you're going to make me cry."
"And you've cried a lot in the last couple of days, haven't you?"
"Yeah. And it's your fault. Dying on me," Katia said, with a slight smile.
"Sorry about that. But you'll be ok. You always would have been. You've got that annoyingly strong will of Dad's and Mom's common sense."
"You do too. Hell, I admired the hell out of you for picking up and just going to France like that. Took guts like I just don't have."
"Says the woman who stands toe to toe with some of the biggest, scariest men in the world for a living and pisses them off. You've got guts too."
"Yeah, I do!"
"You certainly made up for that lack of confidence thing of yours."
"Well, someone had to."
"Good. You know what?" Nadine said, looking at Josh and Alex and Shane, who still slept peacefully, "what you have here Katia, this… this is the real deal."
"The career, the house?"
"No…the cute husband, the beautiful kids. That's real. They're your legacy. Now, I'm not saying that naming one Nadine wouldn't have been nice but you hear what I'm saying, right?"
"Yeah. But I would have wanted to keep you with me longer. I wasn't done with you yet."
"Aw, that's so sweet. I wasn't done with you either but you know what, I'll stay with you, no matter what."
"You're going to haunt me aren't you?"
"I might."
"Bitch!"
"Hey, be nice! I'm dead!"
"I miss you."
"Me too. But you know what I found out?"
"What?"
"The kids, they can see me. And if they ever tell you about an imaginary friend… it'll be me."
"So you're like their angel?"
"Something like that."
"Very nice."
Nadine tilted her head, as if someone was talking to her. She grinned at Katia.
"It's time."
"You have to go?"
"Yeah… they tell me where I go."
"It'll be heaven."
"Thanks. And Katia?"
"Yes?"
"You have it."
"Have what?"
"You know how you wonder if you really have it all ? If it's real and not just a dream or a story you came up with?"
"That? Yeah."
"You have it kid. Everything you want and deserve it. This is your life, for real."
With a final, whisper-soft, kiss on her sister's cheek, Nadine disappeared. Josh and Alex turned to their mother, their eyelids drooping with sleep. She picked them up and put them back in their cribs. She then slid back into bed, making her way to Shane, lifting his set of blankets to get closer to him. Katia wrapped her arms around his body and laid a kiss on his shoulder. He stirred in his sleep and turned around, wrapping an arm around her.
"Where did you go?" he asked, his voice slurred by sleep.
"Nowhere. Just checking on the twins."
"They're all right?"
"They're fine. I promise."
"And how are you?" Shane asked, finding his wife's eyes in the dark room.
"I love you and I'll be fine."
"You will?"
"Yeah. See, what you and I have, even if we're sad now because of Nadine's death, it's real."
"Real? Real how?"
"I don't know how. It just is. It's the real life Shane and it doesn't get better."
Smiling, Shane tightened his arm around his wife and kissed her. She was right. Even dreams couldn't get better than this reality.

The End

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