Completely oblivious to the doctor and to Lexi, Jess staggered towards a room marked "Femmes-Women." It was a bathroom. She barely managed to make it all the way to a stall before relieving herself of the puny little sandwich Lexi had forced her to stop for at a diner on the way down from Toronto.
When Lexi found Jess, she was crouched in front of the toilet bowl, letting the stomach spasms pass. Lex dragged her out of the stall and had her sit on the bathroom counter. She took her time and wiped down her face and hands with wet towels, gently pushing the hair out of her face.
Finally, Jess looked up at her, her eyes filled with tears.
"I can't believe they're dead."
"I know honey. I know."
"I barely knew them. It had been six months. I was liking them. They were good people."
"They probably were."
"They didn't deserve to die."
"I'm sure they didn't."
"So why did they?"
Lexi could have answered with something trite about God, but she knew, from experience, that that was the last thing Jess wanted to hear. She just took her in her arms and hugged her.
Fifteen minutes later, the doctor had arranged for Jess to see her parents. Lexi had mixed feelings about it. She didn't know if her friend could handle that kind of shock. She didn't think Jess was ready. But she was determined. She had to see them, she'd explained to Lexi.
"Do you want me to go in with you?" asked Lexi as they stood in front of the room.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Jess took a deep breath and stepped into the room. Suddenly, the same pain she'd felt when she'd seen Mike at her office. It was the same kind
of pain which had made her faint. Jess put her hand against the wall as she saw an image, a situation, a hospital room not unlike this one, she felt herself stepping into the room, but it wasn't her parents she saw in the hospital beds. It was an older woman, a woman she'd loved.
Grandmama Warren!
"No," she sobbed, remembering.
When she heard Jess's cry, Lexi rushed into the room to find her on her knees in the entrance of the room. Jess hadn't seen her parents, yet something had troubled her greatly.
"What's wrong?"
"My grandmother. She died here. In this hospital. She died in the same hospital."
"You remembered her death?"
"Yes. I remember. It was awful."
"Oh honey."
Jess sobbed in Lexi's arms for quite a few minutes. Finally, when she'd calmed down, she wiped her tears away and got up.
"I have to see them."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
"Thank you."
Jess walked in, slowly, carefully, as if she were afraid to disturb her parents. A curtain had drawn around the two hospital beds and Jess slowly pushed it aside, closing her eyes. Both of her parents were lying there, still, as though they were sleeping deeply. Her throat constricted so much she almost had trouble breathing. She reached out and ran a hand over their arms and hands. They weren't even warm anymore. The coldness of death had settled into their limbs. The reality was inevitable. They were dead. And she was alone. Jess just fell to her knees and cried. And cried. And cried.
Jess sat in the front pew of the church, shivering from the cold. She would have pulled her overcoat over her shoulders but she was going up to the pulpit soon. She had to be strong. Just then, the priest, one of her mother's godsons, announced her speech. Jess got up and walked up the few steps and went to stand behind the pulpit. Her index cards were soggy from her sweaty palms and her knees shook from fear. She took a few deep breaths and started to look up. Stress got to her and she looked down at the cards again and inhaled deeply. A fat tear fell on the card, making the ink run.
"My parents," she began, "were good people. They were nice. And they didn't deserve to die."
She couldn't say anything else. She dissolved into tears. She was barely aware of Test as he came up to the pulpit and helped her back to the pew. Outside the church Jess couldn't deal with the multitude of people milling about, wanting to tell her about their memories and their grief.
She retreated to the limousine that would take them to the cemetery. She felt so hopelessly alone. It had been that way ever since her parents's death, that Saturday night.
Jess'd gone through the next few days in something of a daze. Patty had planned the funeral down to the last detail, making sure it was held on a Wednesday, allowing a lot of Jess's friends from the WWF to attend.
As a matter of fact, Jess felt closer to her new friends and Patty than she did to the rest of her family. Although they all knew about her memory loss and about how she had to regain her memory herself, they all tried to trigger it by telling her stories about her childhood, insipid stories that made her feel stupid for not remembering. It made her handicapped in some fashion.
Twenty minutes after the end of the funeral mass, the long motorcade to the cemetery began. Test, Patty and Edge joined Jess in the limousine.
They spoke in hushed tones to each other, respecting Jess's need to be alone. At the cemetery, as the priest droned on, Jess stood alone in the unusually cold May day. After everyone made their way back to their cars, or limousines, she stood there, waiting for the bulldozers to cover the coffins with dirt. She shivered from inside the incredibly warm overcoat. It wasn't quite hers, it had belonged to her father and it made him feel closer to her. More like someone she reach out and touch instead of a spirit she couldn't see. The rain came as a shock, and all she did to protect herself was pulled a bright red scarf from her pocket. It had belonged to her mother. She pulled it over her head and tied it under her chin.
Test watched Jess from the limousine and almost went to her.
"Don't," said Patty, putting her hand over his arm.
"But what is she doing out there, all by herself?"
"She's grieving."
"But she needs me."
"No. Not yet. She needs herself."
Out in the rain, Jess cried, letting the drops of rain wash away her tears.
"Why them," she cried at the sky, "why them? Damn you God! Why did you take them from me? They had so much to tell me, so much to tell me about myself? Why couldn't you let me keep them for a while longer? Damn you to hell God! Damn you!" Jess threw her arms open and looked up at the sky brazenly, angrily. "Take me," she screamed, "take me... I have nothing to offer the world... Take me... take me back to them, that is where I belong. Take me..."
Her vehemence and her energy had left her. Jess fell to the ground, digging her nails into the earth.
"Take me," she whispered, "take me back to them... take me home, to my parents... to our memories... to our family. Don't let me live alone God... please."
Jess was barely aware of Test as he came to pick her up off the ground and carried her to the limousine. She curled into his arms and cried, she cried her heart out until there were no tears left in her. On the other side of the limo, Patty cried too, for her friend and for her parents. The Warrens had been like a second set of parents to her, the same way her parents were a second set of parents to Jess. She couldn't imagine the pain her friend was in. Hers was bad enough and all she knew was that Jess's was worse.
"Are you okay?" asked Edge.
"I don't know. It hurts me so much... it must be killing Jess."
"Yeah, probably."
"I wish I could take on some of the pain, you know, so it wouldn't hurt her so much."
"You're one hell of a friend."
"Kind of like you to Test."
"Kind of."
"But I'm sure you're nicer to her than I am to Test."
"Maybe."
"For sure. Here," he said, opening his arms to her, "want a hug?"
"Don't mind if I do," said Patty before dissolving into tears.
At the St. Bruno house, Jess walked around like a zombie. She didn't know where to put herself exactly. Upstairs, her family and her parents' friends stood around, swapping memories she didn't remember being a part of. Downstairs, Test and her friends from the WWF tried to offer moral support she couldn't deal with. She didn't want to be there. And so, she took off.
From his seat on a couch in the basement, Steve had a perfect view of the street. Well, not a perfect view, an abbreviated view. He could see legs and tires, but not much else. Right now, he was watching a fine pair of legs in a nice pair of heels. From his position, he could tell she was Black. He watched as she took off her shoes and slid on a pair of track pants. By the time she had shimmied out of her skirt, Steve was at the window. He looked up and recognized Jess as she pulled on a pair of sneakers.
"Damn it Test," he said, turning around, "she's bolting."
"What?" asked Test, joining Steve just in time to see Jess take on a run.
"Fuck it all! I'm going after her."
"No. I'll take care of it," said Patty from the stairs.
All the wrestlers crowded around the window as Patty shucked off her shoes and took after her friend, wearing nothing but nylons.
"Damn she's hot," said Edge, watching Patty's legs.
Patty caught up to Jess faster than anyone would have predicted. Now, those who didn't know Patty didn't know that she'd been sidelined from a promising career as an Olympic sprinter by a debilitating knee injury. But she didn't feel any kind of pain as her legs pumped furiously. She had to give her friend support.
Jess was in the park, breathing hard and crying. She slumped down on the ground until a pair of fine legs, encased in black stockings appeared in front of her.
"You made me ruin a perfectly good pair of stockings," said Patty.
"Did I?"
"Yes."
"Well, who told you to go after me?"
"It was either me or Stone Cold."
"You're kidding me right?"
"No."
"Ouch."
Patty sat down on the ground next to Jess and slid her stockings off.
"These are pretty much worthless, thank you very much."
"Is this my fault too?"
"Well, who took off running like a bat out of hell?"
"Who told you to follow me in your stockings?"
Patty and Jess retreated to their respective corners, contemplating the park and its surrounding streets.
"I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore inside that house," said Jess, "too many people."
"I figured."
"I was rude but it was either that or me screaming at them to get out."
"So the running was a better idea."
"I think so. I miss them so much," said Jess after a few minutes, dissolving into tears. "I didn't know that in six short months, they would have such a tremendous effect on me. I feel like my heart's been ripped out of my chest and I'm expected to go on without it."
"I can't even imagine your pain."
"It's worse than pain. Patty, I don't even have memories of them, except for the time since my accident. All the things other people can cling to when their parents die, I don't have that."
"Oh God, I didn't think about that."
"That's all I've been thinking about. Damn me, damn my head... why can't I remember my parents?!"
Jess started slamming the fleshy parts of her palms against her temples. It soon became an obsessive movement that Patty had to stop. It took all of her strength to bring Jess's wrists down to the ground.
"Don't hurt yourself, Jess, please. That's the last thing your parents would want."
"What else can I do? I can't remember all they meant to me... what do I have left of them? From a life that spanned twenty-five years, most of it spent with my parents, I remember only seven puny months... that hurts, that hurts so much."
Jess staggered to her feet and walked away from Patty slowly. She made her way to a strong tree which she started to kick, and kick and kick until she could kick no more. Then she punched it, again and again until her hands hurt. And then she leaned against the tree, wrapping her arms around it until she slumped down to the ground, hugging the bark and crying loudly. Jess wailed loudly, biting into the bark, trying to muffle the sounds... The pain tore at her from the inside and there was nothing, absolutely nothing anyone could do to abate it... it was too painful.
"Kill me," she muttered, "kill me and give them life. Oh God kill me."
When Test, Lexi and Edge made their way to the park, they weren't prepared for what they saw. Patty was crouched on the ground, sobbing loudly, and a few yards from her, Jess was hugging a tree, wailing out her pain at God.
"Oh my God," whispered Lexi, her throat constricting painfully.
"What the hell," muttered Edge.
Test had no words as he hurried to Jess. She looked at him with lost eyes. She couldn't really see him. She could only feel the pain. He picked her up as gently as possible and started walking to the house. In the meantime, Lexi and Edge were seeing to an equally shook up Patty.
"Can you make it there on your own?" asked Edge.
Patty just shook her head and Edge picked her up as carefully as he would a porcelain doll.
By the time they got to the house, only the wrestlers and Patty's parents were still there.
"Mom," said Patty, "thank you for clearing the house."
"It's okay. After Mr. Austin here," said Mrs. Johnson, nodding to Stone Cold, "told me what had happened, I figured it was the least we could do."
"Thanks."
"How is she?" asked Patty's father, as Test carried Jess into the house.
"She's in a lot of pain," said Patty. "A whole lot of pain."
"It must be awful for her. And you. Honey, we know you thought of the Warrens as your second set of parents. You loved them very much."
"I did. But I have to be strong for Jess now."
"Just make sure you don't forget to be strong for you too."
"I won't."
"Now, there should be plenty of food leftover in the kitchen and dining room for you and your friends, okay?"
"Yeah."
"We'll be home if you need us."
"Okay."
Lexi followed Test into Jess's bedroom and allowed him to put her to bed.
"Go, Test," said Lexi, "and send in Patty and Stephanie."
"But she needs me."
"Why do guys always think girls need them? She needs her gal pals, not her boyfriend. Now do as I say, quickly."
Test carried Lexi's message to the other girls and they rushed into Jess's room. They all sat around Jess's bed.
"All right Patty, you know her best... we need to bring her out of this funk ASAP."
"But she needs to grieve."
"I agree but this could turn into severe depression."
"I don't know. Steph, what do you think?"
"I'm a bit torn here. I see Lexi's point but I also happen to think that we have to let Jess grieve."
"Grieve shmieve," scoffed Lexi, "it's just an excuse to have all of us caring for her."
"Her parents just died Lex."
"That's exactly why she needs to pick herself up right away. She can't allow this to bring her to the ground like this."
"All of you should shut the fuck up and allow me to sleep," said a voice from the bed.
"Good, you're out of your 'coma'," said Lexi.
"I just needed to let all my pain out," said Jess with a frown, "I felt overcome with it, the pain, you know."
"It's okay... it's just that Test and the other guys were scared shitless," said Steph... "I never saw Rock pace so much, except when Lexi's got a difficult match."
"He paces when I wrestle?"
"He makes a groove in the floor."
"Really?"
"You know what I would love to do now," said Jess with a small grin to Patty.
"What?"
"Waterbombs."
"In a pool?"
"Yeah."
"Where would you do that?" asked Lexi.
"In the backyard," explained Patty. "The pool's heated."
"Really?"
Linda McMahon, Rock, Edge, Christian, Stone Cold and Test were seated around the dining room, feasting on leftovers when the four women appeared, wearing long terry robes. They had all pulled their hair back into tight ponytails and stepped out of the deck.
"What are you girls up to?" asked Linda.
"We're going for a swim," said Stephanie with a grin right before all four women dropped their robes on the ground and ran to the pool, making the biggest waterbombs possible.
They all laughed and frolicked in the water as their friends crowded around the pool.
"Get out of there girls," said Linda McMahon, "you'll all catch colds."
"The pool's heated Linda," said Lexi, "you want to take a dip?"
"Good God," said the Rock, "all of you are insane."
"But this is so much fun," said Patty, splashing Rocky's shoes.
As Rock carefully eyed the chlorinated water which would probably ruin his Armani slacks bead atop his black suede shoes, silence filled the backyard.
"You, little Jabronette," he said, cocking his eyebrow to Patty, "are spunky. I like spunky. Now, gentlemen, back to the food."
The men sent their lady friends a last look, before returning to their feast. Linda stood by, shaking her head.
"You're sure you're not going to catch colds," she asked Patty.
"Yes. We'll just call you from the intercom in the sauna when we're ready... Just bring us our robes then. We'll be fine."
"The sauna?"
"Yeah. The shed actually is a sauna. Mr. Warren liked his creature comforts."
"He evidently did. Fine, Patty, I'll take your word for it."
As she played in the pool, Jess started to feel better, more normal as it were. She thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Patty, Lexi and Stephanie. She had never had much time for a "girl's night out," and this, regardless of the circumstances, was an incredible starting point for a wonderful friendship.
Wrestling, Chyna and HHH would have to wait another day... Jess was slowly starting to feel whole again.
Two days after the funeral, Jess sat in the sober office of her father's attorney. Since she was her parents's sole heir, she was there for the reading of the will and all it entailed. Test was back on the road, handling some personal appearances and Patty was at work, teaching yet another aerobics class. Both had wanted to be there with her, but Jess needed to do this alone, to be by herself, to be strong for herself.
"All right Jess," said the attorney, an old family friend, as he adjusted his glasses atop his nose. "Your parents' will is fairly simple and I could run over the main points with you in a few minutes, but for the purposes of the law, I must do the complete reading."
"Okay."
"Let's get started."
As the man across the desk from her read from her parents' will, Jess eased herself out of the situation. The words mattered very little to her, it was her parents' intentions that mattered most. How had they known, she wondered, that they would die together? How had they known to be prepared? Or was this joint will simply one of many? Maybe they had a series of wills prepared for any situation.
The young woman ran a hand over her stomach, lost in thought, wondering if she would be prepared in this way, if, at some point down the road she were to have a child. A child. The thought filled her with wonder and questioning? Would she be ready to give birth? And who would be the child's father?
"Jess," said the attorney, "are you with me?"
"Yeah. Yes. I think so. But could you explain it to me in simpler terms?"
"Well, your parents have made you the executor of their will. That means that it is up to you to make sure that all their bequeaths are handled properly."
"I have to make sure everybody gets what they're supposed to get?"
"Exactly. Now, you inherit their estates, which are fairly extensive, considering that you now own the house in St. Bruno and your mother's entire collection of paintings. Both were recently appraised and we're looking at a dollar value of several hundred thousand dollars."
"Mom's paintings are worth that much?"
"Yes. She was quietly, but surely, making quite a name for herself in the art world."
"And now it's all over."
"Unfortunately so. Now, the rest of your parents's monetary estate is yours as well," said the attorney after a few moments. "Your father was an incredibly shrewd and successful businessman. And your mother's work earned quite a lot of money. All I need is for you to sign a few papers and you will have the authority to move that money to any financial institution of your choosing."
"Really? I'm surprised Dad didn't make sure I used his bank and his brokers."
"Actually, he made the changes to his will a few months ago, after your accident. He said that you no longer needed him to look everything over for you. That you could handle it yourself."
Jess smiled tightly and rubbed her palms over her arms which had suddenly puckered in goosebumps.
"Now, here is the list of personal possessions that your parents would like you to give to some of their close friends. You should take care of that as soon as possible. And we will schedule another meeting in about a month's time to see to it that most of these bequeaths are properly handled."
"Sounds like a plan. Now, I have the information with me about the financial institution I would like to have looking after my estate. Can you see to it that those papers are delivered by noon, today?"
"Yes, of course. It's fairly early, shouldn't be much of a problem. May I ask why?"
"I have a meeting with my financial advisor today and I would like to hear what he has to say about my new financial situation."
"I see."
The attorney walked Jess all the way to his office door and shook her hand.
"Listen Jess," he said slowly, "I know that with everything that's happened in the last year, you're probably still in shock, about the rape, the mem---"
"You know about the rape," she asked.
"Yes, your parents told me."
"I see."
"Anyhow, I can certainly understand how you just might be trying to keep your head above the water. If you ever need any kind of legal advice or just someone to bounce ideas off of, I'm there for you."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
Jess quickly walked to her father's car and headed back to the house.
Once there, she changed into a comfortable pair of corduroy pants and a bright red sweater set. She walked around the big house, running her fingers over the furniture, sitting at her father's desk, taking off a blank canvas off her mother's easel, just trying to recapture their essence. For the first time in days, she walked to their bedroom and stood in the doorway.
The image came to her, hard and fast, barely giving her any time to feel the pain which usually staggered her whenever she remembered her past.
Suddenly, she felt small, her bare feet on the hardwood floor, a doll in her arms.
"Mom, Dad," said little Jess, shaking her father's foot, "please wake up."
"What's wrong honey?" asked her mother, rising from her side of the bed.
"I had a nightmare."
"Was it a bad one?"
"Huh huh... it was about school."
"Really?" asked her father, hoisting her onto his lap.
"I don't think I should go to school yet," said little Jess.
"Really?"
"Yeah... maybe next year."
"How about we talk about it in the morning?" asked her mother.
"Okay."
"Now, go on to bed."
"Can't I sleep with you tonight?"
Without a word, her father had picked her up in his arms and gently laid her down in the bed between him and his wife.
Jess reached out to touch the family she saw in her mind's eye but it was soon too late... their images faded but the memory stayed. She took a deep fortifying breath and retreated to the kitchen to call Patty. The friends agreed to have Jess pick Patty up for lunch at twelve and then they would go see their financial advisor at one.
By the time they got to Patrick's office, his desk was buried under a pile of papers. He looked up, smiled at them and got up to greet them.
"Jess, I'm so sorry about your parents."
"Thank you Patrick."
"How are you dealing with everything?"
"Like an alcoholic... one day at a time."
"That's the best way to go. Now, ladies, have a seat."
"Thank you," said Patty, straightening her tight top over her breasts.
"Now, what can I do for you today?"
"Well, did you receive the papers from my father's attorney?"
"Yes I did. And I realise something that could be very important to the both of you."
"What?"
"The two of you moved out of St. Bruno to get away from your parents and to be closer to your jobs. At the time, none of you had cars or anything of the like."
"Right."
"Your rent comes out, with everything included, to about seven hundred dollars a month. Parking your car Patty, is rather expensive, as is the general cost of life. Now, I've been playing around with these numbers and I came to a conclusion that could, if you guys are interested, save you quite a lot of money."
"Which is?"
"Both of you could move back to St. Bruno. In the Warren home."
"What?"
"Moneywise, it's a smart decision. The house is all paid for. the only expenses would be the municipal taxes, and the utilities, which would nonetheless save you quite a bundle."
"Yeah, but we also moved because of how far it was from downtown, which is," said Patty, "where I work."
"Yeah, but considering how much you would save, gas would be a ridiculous expense. And in St. Bruno, you have a garage, downtown, you don't. Which means that lovely Beetle would last even less time. Anyhow, I don't want you guys to rush into this decision. But give it some thought. Some serious thought."
"All right."
An hour later, Jess and Patty sat across from each other over a cup of tea.
"I like it here," said Jess, looking over her apartment. "I really love it here."
"Me too."
"So what do you want to do?"
"I don't know. Moving back to St. Bruno feels like taking a step back."
"But we wouldn't be moving back in with our folks."
"True."
"There's still the distance from work."
"Yeah."
"But I would have more money for gas... and there's another instructor from the club who lives in Boucherville. We could commute together."
"Practical and environmentally sound."
"We'd have a lot of room to move and have fun in."
"And we could redecorate from top to bottom."
"Really?"
"Why not? It'll be our home now."
"Our home?"
"Yeah."
"What happens when we...if we do, get married?"
"To who?"
"I don't know... Test?"
"He's on the road a lot... but we'd still manage, right? And we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"So we're agreed?"
"Agreed. We're moving back home."
Jess and Patty shook hands, feeling like they were about to embark on a great new adventure.
Six weeks later, Test, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Lexi, Edge, Christian, Stephanie McMahon, Linda McMahon, Road Dogg Jesse James, X-Pac, Kane, Chris Jericho and the Hardy Boyz all received "Blue Mountains" invitations through their emails. It basically invited them to a house-warming party in St. Bruno. Everyone went to Test, asking for details and information he couldn't give because Jess hadn't told him anything, anything at all.
When the WWF personnel got to Montreal, they were taken to the downtown Marriott in very comfortable limos, courtesy of Patty's uncle. From there, they were given a few hours to change and refresh themselves and were told not to unpack. They wouldn't be coming back to Montreal that night. Once they were ready, they were all taken to the St. Bruno house.
It was a time for festivities and it showed. The house was decorated from top to bottom, with ribbons and streamers and pink flamingos. There were cars all the way up and down the street, except for just enough room for the two limos right in front of the house. The minute they all stepped out of the cars, they heard the music pumping out of the open windows.
The front door was unlocked and Test opened it, to see the house filled with people, talking, dancing and having a grand old time. He turned to his friends with a grin.
"Guys, I'm guessing it's pretty much everyone for themselves."
"So where do we go?" asked Matt Hardy.
"Follow me son," said Steve Austin, "I know where the beer is."
While most of the WWF gang followed Steve, Test, Lexi and Stephanie went out to look for Jess and Patty. They found them both out on the deck, looking over barbecue grills.
"Quite a party you're having here," said Test, sneaking up behind Jess.
"Hi honey," she said, quickly pecking his cheek. "It's a house warming party."
"House warming. Why?"
"Because Jess and I are roommates," explained Patty.
"Weren't you guys already roommates?" asked Lexi.
"But we never shared this grand old house."
"The two of you have moved here?"
"Yeah... And we redecorated. You want a tour?"
"Sure."
The house, in itself wasn't that much different but Test had never realised how big it was until now. The ground floor housed the main living room, the kitchen, the den and a playroom, fully equipped with arcade games and a pool table. The whole second floor which had previously been built as an office and as a studio for Jess's parents had now been rebuilt into six spacious rooms, plus a den. The top floor housed, at opposing ends of the house, Jess and Patty's rooms. In between, there were two more guest rooms and a more private living room.
As for the basement, half of it was reserved as a movie room and the other half as a very nice house gym.
"You guys did an incredible job," whispered Stephanie with a smile, "this place looks great."
"Thanks," smiled Jess... "the ground work was there, we just adapted it to our needs."
"You guys are living in style," whispered Lexi.
"We're only young once," laughed Patty. "Now, talking about being young once, where's Adam?"
"Last I saw," said Stephanie, "Steve was going to show them where the beer was stashed."
"All right, well, I'm off then," said Patty, "I've got to see that boy."
"I'm with you," said Stephanie.
Lexi stood around, admiring the renovations when she realised that Test and Jess just stood there, looking ever so embarrassed.
"Oh, you guys want to be alone, right?"
"We'd like that, yeah."
"Sorry."
Lexi slowly made her way down the stairs as Jess drew Test into her bedroom, which looked almost like a hotel suite. It was basically two rooms, reunited by a sliding door. Jess didn't even stop at the small living area but just kept on walking to the bedroom. She reached up to Test's neck and drew his mouth on top of hers. She kissed him hungrily until he supported her with an arm wrapped around her waist. Test ran his hand along the long legs and pushed her down on the bed, bringing her skirt up with it. Not interrupting his kiss, he fumbled around for the skirt zipper or buttons until Jess stopped him.
"No time," she whispered, "I need you now."
At the urgent tone in her voice, he returned to kissing her, at the same time, pulling away her panties and quickly undoing his pants. Jess helped push the pants past his hips and reached for his manhood, which almost burnt her fingers off. Jess whimpered in his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. They came together with blinding passion and all the strength of their love.
Almost thirty minutes later, Jess lay in Test's arms, her body spooned into his.
"Won't Patty wonder where you are," he asked.
"She knows better."
"She does?"
"She is my best friend."
"God," he chuckled, "so I gather you missed me?"
"You have to ask? After spending so much time with you on the road, being away from you was just very difficult."
"So why didn't you join me?"
"Duh! I was a little busy here."
"I'm sure Patty could have handled it on her own."
"It's my house. Patty rents here. I couldn't leave her to make all the changes and supervise the workmen. She has a job."
"She's an aerobics instructor," he scoffed.
"And you run around a ring in your shorts four times a week."
"Low blow!"
"Hey, I've seen Chyna do a low blow, do you want me to go there?"
"Why are you getting so mad at me because of what Patty does for a living?"
"Because, she's my best friend."
"All right, all right, I'm sorry. It's just that I missed you too."
"Great.. that's just what I wanted to hear," she smiled back at him.
"Now, let's go downstairs and join the party."
Jess hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom for a quick washup. Test followed her, much more slowly and came out of the bedroom to see her pulling on a pair of cutoff jeans over a shimmery grey tankini. He looked her up and down, shaking his head.
"Why are you changing?"
"Because I might go for a dip later."
"You're not well... in the head, I mean."
"Honey, I just want to have fun tonight, regardless of the consequences. All right?"
"Can I play too?"
"Sure... you got your swimsuit?"
"Maybe..."
"Fine, just put it on and join me downstairs."
Jess skipped out of the room and ran down the stairs to the basement where she found most of the WWF team. Actually, Steve Austin, The Rock, Lexi and Linda McMahon were there.
"Hi guys," she said with a smile, "I'm so happy you could all come."
"Thank you for the invitation," said Linda. "You girls have done wonders with the house."
"Thanks. We just wanted it to feel a lot more like our house than like my parents's place."
"You did good," said Steve, putting the first of his second six-pack of beers on the coffee table. "It's a nice little thing."
"Doing good there Steve?" asked Jess, eyeing the beers.
"Just getting started honey, just getting started."
"It's all good, but if I see you drinking them like you do in the ring, I'll kick your little ass."
"Yeah right."
"Hell yeah, I will. And you want to know why? Cause Jess Warren said so."
Everybody burst out laughing and laughed some more when Jess flipped Stone Cold the bird. He took it in stride, flipped her the bird and picked her up and tossed her on his shoulder. He ignored her screeches and screams and climbed up the stairs and made his way out to the backyard. He stopped when he was poolside and asked:
"That a swimsuit you got under that sweetheart?"
"Yes..."
"Great."
Jess went sailing into the air and into the water with a loud splash.
Steve stood by the pool, laughing at her, until Stephanie shoved him in.
Lexi stood by the pool, laughing so hard her face got red so Edge gave
her a budge until she fell in. After that, it was a free for all; everyone, including some of Jess and Patty's other friends got into the pool. As Jess stood in the shallow end, easing her cutoffs from her hips to throw them on the concrete walkway, she smiled happily... This was the life she wanted and this was the life she was going to work herself to the bone to get.
It was barely eight o'clock when Test and Jess came awake together. It wasn't because they hungered for each other or because an arm had pulled at their long hair or something. It was because someone was walking up and down the halls hollering and banging pots together.
"Who the hell?" asked Jess, rubbing her eyes.
"I haven't got a clue. You want to go see or should I?"
"I'll take care of it."
Jess picked a thick bathrobe from her closet and made to the bedroom door as she tightened the belt around her waist. She swung the door open and saw none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin walking down the hall, banging a few pans over his head. He was wearing a pair of track pants and a T-shirt.
"What is it that you want, damn it," she asked.
"It's grub time little lady."
"It's eight o'clock in the morning."
"So?"
"We've been in bed for three hours."
"So?"
"Go to hell Steve!"
"Been there, done that... now it's grub time."
"No..."
"Hell yeah... and I ain't going to stop until everyone is downstairs and eating."
"You're an asshole," she whispered.
"Nah... that'd be Vince, Shane and HHH."
"You're infuriating!"
"You got fifteen minutes... Grub Time," shouted Steve, going back to hitting his pans.
Fifteen minutes later, a group of moody people sat around the dining room table as Steve Austin served them breakfast. Which was surprisingly good, considering. He served a lot of fruits, some eggs, white and rye breads, turkey bacon, real bacon and pork sausages. There were juices, teas, coffee and milk set out on the table and once everything looked right, Steve sat at one end. He looked up, saw the eyes boring holes into his skull, smiled and dug into his food. Within five minutes, everyone was partaking of the feast, having forgiven Steve for the early morning intrusion.
It was then decided that after breakfast they would all go for a ten-mile run and an aerobics session with Patty and a workout in the house gym.
While everyone got ready for the run, Linda McMahon came up to Jess and asked to speak to her alone. Jess took her up to the more private living room on the third floor.
"So?" asked Jess, settling down on the couch next to Linda, "what can I do for you today?"
"Well, I've been wondering about what you were up to now. Stephanie told me that you weren't working for the moment."
"Well, I occasionally give some karate and judo lessons at a dojo near my old apartment but it's nothing set in stone, you know."
"I see. You keep yourself in incredible shape and you're one hell of a fighter."
"Well, martial arts and having Patty as a friend do help keep me in shape. As for being a good fighter, I really wouldn't know."
"You forget I saw you take on Chyna when we were at the Marriott cocktail lounge in Tampa."
"Right. I forgot about that."
"I'm sure you could hold your own."
"I probably could."
"Then I'd like you to work for me at the WWF."
"As a wrestler?"
"Only if you feel comfortable."
"And what if I don't?"
"Well, I'd like you to come on as the new Commissioner."
"What about Shawn Michaels?"
"Shawn is being drawn into the Corporation a lot more. He's much more interested in reviving the old DX with HHH and Chyna than he is in keeping Vince in check."
"So why do you need me?"
"Someone's got to keep Vince in check. Someone with the executive power that only I can give."
"So why don't you do it?"
"The actual business is taking up a lot of my time. I can't do it right now."
"What'll happen to Shawn Michaels?"
"He'll make himself useful to Vince."
"So I would be the new Commish?"
"Yeah."
Jess sat back on the couch, thinking about the new world that might be opening up to her. There were questions she wanted to ask, concerns she wanted to bring up to Linda, but Lexi came knocking on the door.
"Jess, you ready? We're just waiting for you."
"Yeah. I'll be right with you. Give me a second."
"Fine."
Lexi left Linda and Jess in the living room to finish their conversation.
"Sorry about that. It's a very intriguing offer. I love wrestling and everything that goes along with it. To be a part of it... that would be incredible. Being able to work with my friends, with Test."
"Naturally, I don't expect you to make a decision right away. Take some time. Talk it over with Test, with Patty, with your family attorney. It's not a decision to be taken lightly."
"It's not. I have to go work out with the guys but so far, it sounds good. Really good. Like something I would like to give some more, positive, thought to."
"Good. Now go and work out. Because if you accept the position, you have to understand that this ain't going to be easy. We're going to work you to the bone."
"Good."
When Jess finally made it out to the backyard, Patty was directing everyone's stretch. Everyone bitched and moaned and groaned but Patty was having none of it. She curved the biggest egos with the smoothness that came from several years of experience. Jess stretched using a special method Patty had come up with several years ago. It cut down in time but could only be done by people who were taught over a month period. It was complicated but it did the job in half the time.
The run was interesting. Everyone in St. Bruno stopped in their tracks when they saw the impressive group of men and women running in their streets. None of the people who recognised them dared to go up and ask for an autograph.
Now, most of the guys, including Test, thought that the ten-mile run would be too much for Jess and Patty. It wasn't. Not for girls who had run fifteen miles every morning all the way through high school. After the run, it was a free for all in the gym. And while all the wrestlers pumped iron, Jess and Patty chose to finish their work out poolside, doing free weights, and variations of push ups, sit ups and abdominal crunches.
After a complete work out and shower and after everyone was dressed and finishing a very satisfying lunch, Jess asked to speak to Linda in the same living room they had used earlier that morning.
"I gave it some thought," she said slowly. "And I'm interested."
"Good."
"But I want a maternity leave clause in my contract."
"A maternity clause?"
"Yes. At some point down the road, I want to have children. I understand that's not something that comes up very often in your business but, unlike the Chynas, Toris and Ivorys, I want to have a full life outside the WWF which will allow me to raise my children."
"I see."
"Now, if you can work out the basics of a contract I can have my attorney look over, I would really appreciate that. But it doesn't guarantee my agreement."
"What will?"
"Me. But I haven't had the time to speak to Test or Patty about this.
I'm going to do that tonight."
"Fine. I'll messenger a contract draft over to you by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you Mrs. McMahon."
"Honey, you can call me Linda now."
"Fine. Linda."
When she came down the stairs with Linda, Test sent Jess an inquiring look to which she responded with a sly grin. Everyone was ready to leave, except for Test and Edge. They weren't leaving until the following afternoon. Patty and Jess made their goodbyes, promising their new friends at least another party and a weekend with them on the road.
When the limos rolled away, the two couples made their ways back into the house and into the main living room. Edge sat in a large chair upholstered in black leather and pulled a very Patty into his lap. Jess went to the sound system and put in a classical music CD. When she turned around, she found Test there and stepped into his arms, holding him tight as they slowly swayed to the music.
"So?" asked Edge, completely oblivious to the romantic moment he was ruining, "what were Linda and you talking about for so long?"
"God," sighed Patty, punching his arm, "do you have no sense of timing at all?"
"What? We were all wondering. I just asked."
"It's okay," sighed Jess, moving to the couch. "I was going to tell you guys anyways."
"So what's up?" asked Test, sitting next to her.
"Linda wants to bring me in as the new Commissioner."
"What?"
Amid all the questions and opinions, Jess explained her new options to her friends. Once she'd heard what they'd all had to say, she made up her mind.
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