It was two nights before WRESTLEMANIA XXI. The rumor mill was fierce. Wrestling fans all over the world were making bets and predictions. Who were the new champions going to be.
In the women's category, it was Chyna versus Lexi. Both had defeated all of their new opponents, including a new bunch of girls Lexi and Steph had brought into the WWF.
But Chyna was also a contender in the European belt race. She'd done very well for herself, beating all of her opponents, often after fighting another woman. The only man who now stood in her way was D'Lo Brown. He was the only man who had defeated Chyna and it was rumored that he would do so again at WRESTLEMANIA XXI. But a few wise men and women had put quite a lot of money on the underdog Chyna. She was not to be underestimated.
Billy Gunn was doing a very nice showing in the Hardcore Championship race. He had rapidly disposed of the Hardcores, Holly and Crash, and had solidly trashed Mick Foley. His main opponent in the division was his ex-tag team partner, Jesse James. Both men were slated somewhat equally, Billy's advantage being his brute strength, whereas the Road Dogg had already been a Hardcore Champion. And with their tumultuous history, this fight had a lot of promise.
The Intercontinental Championship was not going so well for Billy. The Assman had taken out Mark Henry and Chris Jericho out of the running, but Jeff Jarrett remained a fierce opponent. Both men were said to be evenly matched in a regular event, however, Billy would go to this match after going up against the Road Dogg, who would not spare him. As for Jarrett, he was going to fight fresh. In order to win, Bad Ass would have to dig deep, deep down into his resources.
HHH's chances of becoming the next heavyweight champion were not exactly what he wanted or expected. Quite a few men had done a decent job, and it had been decided by the Commish, with Shane McMahon's agreement, that it would be another six pack challenge. The card was not completely unlike that of Summerslam 1999, almost two years ago now: Kane, HHH, The Rock, The Big Show, Undertaker and Test.
Test had been getting quite a push, completely independently from Jess. Just before his third attempt at marrying Stephanie McMahon, he'd been seen making out with the new Sable wannabe, Mariana, Chaz's ex-girlfriend. They'd been caught on tape, the same way Mariana had been caught with Sean Stasiak, previously known as Meat.
The marriage had been cancelled and the Commish had been tempted to fire Test for hurting her friend Steph. Test had quickly dumped Mariana, making it clear that he understood the dangers of getting involved with any of the women of the WWF. And he'd made his mark as a loner who could take on the biggest men in the WWF. He'd already beaten Kane, the Undertaker and the Big Show, and things were far from easy between him and HHH.
The Rock and Lexi love affair was still rather intense. Their weekly fights made the rumor mills on a daily basis, as did their rather noisy make-ups, or rather make-outs.
Jason, a.k.a. Christian of Edge and Christian, had proposed to Stephanie, behind the scenes, and she was planning on giving him his answer at Wrestlemania.
It was six in the morning on Wrestlemania Sunday and Jess woke up when she rolled over and found she was alone in bed. She hugged Test's pillow to her chest and slowly made up her mind to open her eyes. Fifteen minutes later, she woke up, when she felt the mattress sink.
"I'm going to work out," he said, pushing hair out of her face.
"Okay... I'll be there soon."
"No, stay in... you have a lot of things to take care of. And even if you take today off, you'll be in better shape than most of our guys."
"True."
"Sleep in."
"Okay."
With another kiss, Jess fell back into the wild and wonderful world of dreams. She was finally awoken by a knock at her door. She let out a little sigh when she realised it was Stephanie. Both were wearing their boyfriend's new WWF jerseys and some of the new Mankind socks.
"Where are they?" asked Stephanie, following Jess back to the bedroom.
"Still working out I guess. Want to order breakfast?"
Stephanie nodded her approval as she sunk into the bed, reaching for the remote control. When Jess joined her, they both laid out on the bed, flat on their stomachs as they flipped around for cartoons.
"Big day ahead, huh?" asked Stephanie.
"You bet. You're going to help, right?"
"Sure."
"Have you made up your mind yet? About Jason?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"Yes."
"You're going to marry him?"
"Yes."
"Oh Steph, that's great!"
The two women grinned and hugged, uselessly trying to stop themselves from crying. By the time their breakfast got to them, their eyes were puffy and their faces split with happy smiles.
"So?" asked Stephanie, "what about you and Andrew, when are you going to do the deed?"
"What? Get engaged? Married?"
"Yeah..."
"I don't know. I'm not sure if we're that kind of people."
"What kind of people?"
"The kind who get married and all. I think we're more like people who get together and just stay together. Like Rock and Lexi."
"Oh, what a bunch of bull. I think all of you, for all of your protests, want to do the deed. You all want to get married. You all want the grand ceremony in the cathedral, you all want to get down on your knees and say 'I do' in front of God and man."
"I do not."
"Sure you do."
"I'm not like you Stephanie. I want to live my life for the now. Who knows where I might be tomorrow. If I have to stop and start planning a wedding, a life, a family, can you just imagine everything I'll miss out on?"
"Yeah... you'll miss your kids's baptisms, the PTA meetings, baking cookies for the bake sale..."
"Do you want me to look at this positively or what?"
"Look at what positively," said Lexi, coming into the room without knocking.
"The institution of marriage," said Stephanie with a smile.
"Why are you guys talking about this?" asked Lexi, popping a piece of cantaloup into her mouth.
"Because I'm going to say yes to Jason."
"What else is new," said Lexi, "I'm surprised you were able to wait this long."
"How did you know?"
"Please, it was so obvious. Actually Rocky and I were laying down bets on how long you could hold out before telling Jason."
"That obvious?"
"That obvious. Anyways, I think getting married is cool though," said Lexi.
"You do?"
"Sure... and as soon as I get Rocky drunk enough, he'll propose."
"Oh yeah, that's romantic," scoffed Jess.
"Why, you want Test to be extra-romantic when he proposes?"
"Right now," admitted Jess, "I'd settle for him proposing."
"All right then. Jessyka Marie Warren, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Jess looked up at the bedroom door and saw Test standing there, with Rocky, Jason, Edge and Patty. He was smiling broadly at her and had, lost in his massive hand, a black velvet box.
"Really?" asked Jess, standing up on the bed, smoothing the TEST jersey down over her exposed legs.
"Really," he said, coming closer to the bed.
"You want me to be your wife," she asked.
"Absolutely."
"And if I say yes?"
"We get married."
"And if I say no?"
"I keep on asking until you say yes."
"In that case, no."
"Jessyka Marie Warren, will you marry me?"
"No."
"Jessyka Marie Warren, will you be my wife?"
"No."
With every proposal, Test came closer and closer to Jess. And with each refusal, she stepped over Stephanie's legs, then Lexi's, until she was standing on the edge of the bed and Test was standing in front of her.
"Damn it," she swore, looking up at him, "you're still taller than me."
"I know. Now, Jessyka Marie Warren, will you do me the extreme pleasure of becoming my wife?"
"Hell little girl," said an all-too familiar voice from the doorway, "if you don't say yes, I'll say it for you."
"Hi Steve," said Jess, beaming at him, peering over Test's shoulder, "how's the knee?"
"Pretty good."
"Good. You ready for tonight?"
"About as..."
"Excuse me," said Test, "I'm trying to propose here."
"Well son," said Steve, "don't wait around for me to say yes... you're cute and all, but you sure as hell ain't my type."
"You don't know how good that makes me feel. Now Jess, I think I asked you a question?"
"And.. the answer is... well... okay... I'll marry you."
"What? I just asked you to marry me and all I get is an 'okay, I'll marry you'?"
"Yeah, but Steve interrupted and the moment lost its magical effect."
Test sighed, trying to ignore the laughs and snickers behind him. He got down on one knee, looked up at Jess, who was grinning from ear to ear, and trying to stop the flow of tears and took a deep breath.
"Jessyka Marie Warren, will you do me the honor of letting me be your husband?"
"Yes," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "Yes, yes, yes."
Jess was running down a corridor in the stadium, numerous passes flapping around her neck, her small computerized notepad in her hand.
She had so many things to take care of that she almost wished she'd never taken the job when Linda had offered it. She was on her way to the safe room where all the new belts were stashed. The head of the security firm she'd hired was there and wanted to speak to her.
After working exclusively on the championship tournament for the past couple of months, Jess's nerves were starting to wear thin. All she wanted to do right now was get through the night. As soon as WRESTLEMANIA was over and done with, she would take much more of a phantom-like role in the WWF. Being in the forefront this much was exhausting. And with the upcoming wedding, her plate would be full. And she was also planning on starting up on hypno-therapy to regain her memory.
The young woman finally made it to the safe room where the new WWF title belts were being held. She showed her pass and was ushered into the room by a security guard that made the Big Boss Man look like a kid dressed for Halloween. On a table in the far corner of the room, ten velvet-covered boxes sat. For each possible champion, Jess had ordered custom-made belts. She would give the winners their belts and she would also allow the defeated to carry home the belts she'd made for them. For all of their hard work, they deserved some kind of recognition and she would be glad to give it to them.
"What's up Henry," she asked the head of security who was sitting in front of a computer a few feet away from the belts.
"This," he said, slapping an envelope in her hand.
"What is it?"
"Read it."
Jess quickly scanned the letter and tried not to show the extent of her anger as she read on. Someone was going to get their ass kicked tonight.
It was Vince's first day back on the job since his mental breakdown. He was happy to be back and hadn't waited very long before creating havoc. After all, this was his company and he owned everyone in sight. He looked across and tried to stop himself from smiling. His wife, Linda, was seated on a couch, calmly going over WWF papers. She had come back to him, just as she should have done. Her "friendship", as she'd insisted they refer to it, with Austin was now a thing of the past. She was now completely and totally devoted to her husband and his happiness.
Shane was going over some details about tonight's show with HBK, HHH, Chyna and Billy Gunn. He'd changed in the months Vince had been in the mental hospital and Vince had yet to understand all those changes. Shane seemed more resistant to Vince's ideas and even seemed to think of himself as more than just the boss's son.
As for Stephanie, well, his daughter was still a disappointment for Vince. From the smile on her face as she chatted on her cellular phone, she was probably talking to her latest boyfriend, Jason Reso, a.k.a. Christian. Vince shuddered to think of all the liberties that Canadian freak had probably taken with his daughter. That relationship would have to be brought to an end.
The door to the McMahon suite crashed open. In the doorway stood Jess Warren, the new WWF commissioner. And from the look on her face and her entrance, she'd gotten his message.
"You sick son of a bitch," she said. "What the fuck is this?"
"Well, I take it you read it," said Vince with a smirk.
"Fuck off McMahon. What the hell are you doing to me?"
"To you? Now, now, Miss Warren, don't go mistaking your interests as being important to the WWF. My decision was based on sound business sense, not by a desire to impress the fans."
"What is going on?" asked Shane, going over to Jess.
"This," said Jess, shoving a letter in his face, "this is what is going on."
Shane grabbed the letter and started to read it. As he read on, Jess's eyes stayed on Vince, her furor blazing at him. Vince simply sat back in his armchair, peering at her over his steepled fingers.
"Dad," said Shane, "this is a bit harsh."
"Perhaps it is Shane, but it is necessary."
"Dad, if you had done this right after Jess had announced the tournament, it would have made sense, but doing this now, the day of WRESTLEMANIA, that's... well, I'm not sure it's the right decision."
The look Vince gave Shane was one of shock and rage. But he didn't move. His eyes did the talking for him while he chose his words.
"Not the right decision? What makes you say that?" asked Vince coldly.
"Ratings for one," said Shane, going over to his briefcase. Shane pulled a folder from his briefcase and started giving some papers to Vince.
"Ever since the tournament was announced, our ratings jumped, leaving WCW to eat our dust. They had trouble pulling a 1.0 in the Nielsen in the ratings and we cruise by with a 6.5 or a 7.0."
"Nielsens only tell part of the story Shane," said Vince, like a teacher to a schoolboy.
"We're doing better in the demographic too. Ever since Jess cleaned up the women's division, we've jumped five points with women 18 to 49 and another three with men 18 to 49. It seems that they like the tougher women we got wrestling.
"So what?"
"Dad, the quality of our wrestling itself had improved too. These guys are busting themselves at every show to make more technical moves. We even got mentioned in the latest issue of 'Sports Illustrated.'"
"So what do you want me to do?" asked Vince.
"Make this null and void."
"What is this?" asked Hunter.
"Read it," said Shane, giving the letter to HHH, without taking his eyes off his father.
Jess looked around the room at everyone, but Vince and Shane who were engaged in a staring match, looked at Hunter as he read Vince's letter.
Everything seemed all right, but something was wrong. Jess's eyes finally rested on Linda. She sat on a couch, her eyes on her husband.
There was something wrong with her, realised Jess. This was not the Linda McMahon who'd brought her into the WWF to put some order back in the ranks. This woman was incredibly different.
"Goddamn it Vince, you can't do this," exploded Hunter as he finished the letter.
"Why not?"
"I did not bust my ass for the past three months to have the belt handed back to me on a silver platter."
"Don't you want to be WWF heavyweight champion?" asked Vince.
"Not like this, I don't. At first, I hated the tournament idea. But now that I worked this hard to get here, I don't want to be champion like this."
"What about you, Chyna? Billy?"
"I'm with Hunter," said Chyna, "I busted my ass going after two championships at the time. I'm not going to let anyone walk away with what I truly deserve."
"I see," said Vince. "Billy?"
Billy had been quiet throughout this whole thing. And now, he didn't know what to say. He agreed with Chyna. He started at the bottom of the pile when it came to the Intercontinental and the Hardcore races and he'd literally fought his way to the top. He didn't like to think that he'd done it all for nothing. But on the other hand, he didn't have the kind of backing Chyna and Hunter had. If they walked away from the WWF tonight, they knew for sure that WCW would welcome them with open arms. But Billy wasn't so sure that his persona would cross over that well.
"Well, Billy," repeated Vince in an inquisitive tone.
"Actually," began Billy, "I'm not..."
"Don't answer that Billy," Said Shawn Michaels, still comfortably seated in a leather couch. "Ain't this interesting? The new Commish versus Vince and I got front row seats."
"Make your point," barked Vince.
"My point? Well, it's complicated."
"Make it uncomplicated."
"Simply put? Vince, you're an asshole."
"Your personal impressions of my person are not at stake here," said Vince.
"Oh, I'm not talking about you as a person," said Shawn, "I'm talking about your business sense."
"Really?"
"Vince, you're trying to cut off your nose to spite your face in the saddest way possible. If you pull the tournament schedule from WRESTLEMANIA, what do you think is going to happen?"
The smile that lit up Vince's face was telling enough. His plan, which had been clear in Jess's mind, was finally understood by all in the room.
"Come on Dad," argued Shane, "this is ridiculous. I understand why you're not too fond of Jess, but doing this... your plan could cost us millions."
"It will."
"And you're willing to make that sacrifice?"
"Absolutely."
"What if I resign?" asked Jess. "If I hand in my resignation right now, will you put the tournament back on?"
"Bring me your resignation and we'll see."
Jess took a deep breath, gave Linda a last pleading look and spun on her heels. Tears welled in her eyes as she crossed the doorway.
"Stop right now," said Linda's angry voice.
Jess did her best not to smile through her tears but she couldn't do it. So when she turned to Linda, all her teeth were showing. Linda was not going to let her down.
"Stop smiling like that, damn it. First of all," said Linda, "I hired you to stand up to my husband, not to cower the first time you went up against him. Shawn Michaels would have made a better job of making sure the tournament was still on."
"Sorry to disappoint," whispered Jess.
"I heard that," said Linda. "And by the way, you can't quit. So you'll just have to wait until I fire you."
"Cool!"
"Not so cool," corrected Linda, "if you keep on being that kind of a wuss,I might have to do just that."
"I see."
"Now Vince, I've been playing dutiful wife to you for the past couple of months and I have to say that I am fucking tired of it. I can't do it anymore."
"Linda, please," said Vince, finally losing his cool.
"Please what? You're making me sacrifice my happiness while you go around fucking every nurse in that mental institution?"
"What... what?"
"I hired them to keep you satisfied," explained Linda, "you think I ever wanted you to touch me again? I was hoping they'd tire you out and that you wouldn't want to touch me anymore."
"Linda..."
"I'm not going to divorce you Vince. I'm not going to walk away from this company. I worked too hard to make it what it is today. And if you even think of filing charges against me, I'll have all the women you fucked, including Rena Mero and Nicole Bass, testify to your philandering ways."
"You fucked Sable," scoffed Shawn Michaels, "God Vince, even I knew better than to touch her."
"Shut up Michaels," said Vince and Linda at the same time.
"Now Linda," said Vince, "you can't mean that."
"Hell yeah I mean every damn word. This is it. This is the end for us. As of now, you and I are married on paper only. And don't even think about threatening me Vince. I know too much."
Linda walked out of the suite with Stephanie, Briscoe and Patterson following closely behind them. Shane nodded to the founding members of DX and they followed him out. Only Vince and Jess remained, sizing each other up.
"I guess that means the tournament is back on," said Jess with a smirk.
"Don't think you've won," said Vince.
"I don't think I've won," said Jess, slowly making her way to the door.
"I know it."
Once Jess had vacated the room, Vince sat back in his armchair, a thoughtful look on his face. He reached for the phone on the desk next to him.
"Send the girl in. I'll tell you when to bring her out."
The beginning of WRESTLEMANIA went off without a hitch. Well, none that the public could see. Backstage, everyone could tell that something drastic had happened, that there had been changes that would change the face of the WWF forever. Those changes became clear when the announcers called out for Shane and Vince McMahon. When the "No Chance" theme started, no one came out. Backstage, Vince was looking around for Shane, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, he came out alone.
Naturally, the crowd's reaction was rather subdued. Vince was the guy everyone loved to hate, but Shane's character had started to grow on wrestling fans all over the world. More and more, he was greeted with the kind of response crowds usually reserved for faces, rather than heels.
As Vince droned on to an audience who didn't care about him anymore, Shane watched him on a monitor in Hunter and Chyna's dressing room. He was torn. Part of him wanted to go out there and give his father the help he so desperately needed but the rest of him kept him glued to his seat. It was more than past time for Shane McMahon to step out of his father's shadow. It was time for him to make his stand, for himself, not for his father.
Vince finally left the ring, walking with his head held high. But inside, he cursed Jess. Because of her, of her idiotic tournament, his son Shane had humiliated him in front of millions of people. But Vince knew that Jess would get hers by tonight.
As the evening went on, Jess worked up quite a sweat as she shuttled from the ring, to give the new champions their belts, to the safe room, to keep an eye on the remaining belts. After a long and draining fight, Lexi became the new WWF women's champion. Three non-championship matches later, Chyna became the first woman in the WWF to win in a man's division and became the new European champion. Jess was so proud of Chyna that after giving her the belt, she hugged her and gave her a peck on the cheek.
In a surprisingly short match, Billy Gunn solidly trounced Jeff Jarrett and became the new Intercontinental champion. Still high from his new champion title, Billy walked into the ring for his match with Road Dogg thinking that he would have another easy victory. After an grueling match that took them all over the backstage area, Billy finally managed to pin his ex-partner for the three count. Billy walked out, both of his new belts slung around each of his shoulders.
In the much less publicized fight for the Tag Team championship, Jess was called out to make a decision. Edge and Christian were up against The New Brood. Both teams fought until they were no longer able to stand. The referee had counted all the way to nine and was about to murmur ten when Christian finally made it to his feet, only to fall, covering Matt Hardy. As Jess gave Edge and Christian their hard-earned belts, one of the panels in the stadium lit up. A "YES" followed by a single "S" decorated it.
The smile that split Jason's face made Jess's heart light with happiness. Since no one, except Jess, Jason and Adam, could understand its meaning, they looked like idiots grinning at the lit panel.
Suddenly, Vince's theme came on. Jess turned to the entrance, a frown marring her face. What was he going to do now, she wondered. There was no way he could invalidate the tournament without looking absolutely
ridiculous, she thought, so what was he going to do now?
However, it wasn't Vince that came out. It was a short woman, a White woman, with jet black hair pulled from her face. She had a curvaceous body and a mischievous face that rang bells in Jess's mind. As the woman confidently strode down the aisle, a pain, the same kind of pain that always accompanied her souvenirs made her stagger. Jess grabbed on to the top rope and fought to remain conscious.
"Are you okay?" asked Adam, coming to stand behind Jess.
"Yes... I think so."
"Do you know her?" asked Matt Hardy, who'd finally come to his feet.
Jess focused on the woman again and memories flooded into her mind. She did know her. A scream caught in her throat and her legs shook. She was about to fall, but something kept her up. A pair of strong hands held her up by her upper arms. It was Jason.
"Don't let her see you sweat," he whispered in her ear.
As Jess fought for control, she saw Stephanie, Test and Patty at the stage entrance, worried looks on their faces. Patty was apparently arguing with Test and she seemed about ready to come down the aisle and kill the small woman who now stood right in front of Jess.
The memories finally became clear.
"You bitch," said Jess.
"So you remember me," she asked.
"How could I forget you Audrey? You bitch! You slept with my boyfriend."
"I did, didn't I?"
As if Audrey's words were a cue, the stadium went dark and all eyes turned to the Titantron. Jess watched, rooted to the spot, as a portion of her life, a piece of it she'd just remembered, rolled before her
eyes.
Chris had been Jess's first serious infatuation. He'd worked with her in a music store. They'd been casual friends. Audrey had then been the manager at the music store. She'd never acted as if Chris was anything more than just a employee. And when Jess had finally told Audrey her feelings for Chris, Audrey had encouraged her to take it to the next step.
With Audrey counselling her and giving her tips, Jess had made her move on Chris who'd started to develop feelings for the young Black woman.
And when things started to get serious between them, Audrey had tried tearing them apart. She drove such a wedge between the young lovers that Jess decided to take a job at another store and that Chris accepted a position in another location.
When Jess turned 20, she'd been with Chris for three years and they decided to get engaged. Jess was still something of an innocent then and had made up with Audrey. The night of Jess's shower, after a wild party, Jess made her way to her boyfriend's place. She'd been disappointed by Audrey's absence but had not given it any further thought.
Until she found Audrey in Chris's bed, naked, her plump legs wrapped around his waist as he pumped in and out of her.
On the Titantron, the story developed as if Jess and Audrey had been best friends. And as the memories came cascading down on Jess, her anger and rage knew no bounds. She'd never dealt with that anger, with that betrayal. She simply called everyone on the guest list, had apologized and told them that the wedding was off. She'd never spoken to Chris or Audrey ever again.
She'd never had closure.
And that was why Jess shook off the hands holding her back and vaulted from the ring down to the ground next to Audrey.
To get that closure.
Jess landed next to Audrey, her hands tightened into fists. She heard nothing, not the crowd's silence, not Adam and Jason begging her not to hit Audrey in public. She saw nothing, not the crowd, only Audrey's taunting little face. She felt nothing. Except for the anger. Except for the rage.
But she also remembered. She remembered what she'd heard before Audrey strutted inside the stadium, before she invaded the world Jess had made hers. She remembered the "No Chance" theme. She remembered Vince. And
she remembered how confident he'd still looked after losing that fight about the tournament. And so, Jess made her move.
Audrey looked at the little idiot's face. It was incredible how she'd changed in the past couple of years. But she still remained an innocent.
An idiot.
But Jess wasn't the idiot Vince or Audrey expected her to be. And Vince realised that when he saw Jess land on the ground. He'd expected her to leap right on top of Audrey and crush her to bits. And yet, when the young woman had landed next to the woman Vince had flown in from Montreal, Vince had expected Jess to slug her.
Jess knew what Vince wanted from her. He wanted her to lose face. He wanted her to look like a maniacal idiot. And so, she did the next best thing. She hugged Audrey with all her might.
"Smile and act happy to see me," hissed Jess through her radiant smile.
"What?"
"Act as if you're happy to see me."
Jess pulled away from Audrey, looking at her up and down, as one would an old friend one loved and missed. Finally, she put her arm around her "friend's shoulders and started walking toward the backstage area, all the while, uttering painful promises under the guise of a bright smile.
However, the second she got backstage, Jess shoved Audrey away from her, as if being next to her was worse than being exposed to a vat of toxic waste.
"Well bitch, I guess I should thank you. What, with your coming back into my life, I can certainly understand why I became such a sarcastic young woman."
"Listen... you can't hurt me," stuttered Audrey as Jess advanced upon her.
"Really? Why the fuck can't I?"
"Because Vince McMahon brought me here and..."
"And what? The man's chicken shit as far as I'm concerned. So, again, tell me why I can't hurt you?"
"Because... because..."
"Because I've kicked asses much bigger than yours? I think not. Your ass is mine bitch. Once I get to it. Jeff, Matt, you want to do me a favor?"
"Sure," said Jeff, pushing his long hair out of his face.
"Take her to your dressing room and sit on her until I come for her."
"No problem," said Matt, grabbing Audrey by the arm and dragging her behind him.
"Patty. My dressing room now."
"Okay."
"Honey," said Test, reaching for her shoulder, "are you okay?"
"No goddamn it, I ain't. But I'm about to be."
"Do you want me to give you a hand?"
"Not right now."
Jess followed Patty to her suite/dressing room and slammed the door behind her, making Patty jump.
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Jess.
"About Audrey and Chris?"
"About our engagement. I had to remember it all out there, in front of millions of people. It was the most humiliating time in my life."
"I didn't want you to go through that kind of pain again."
"I didn't remember that pain, damn it!"
"But I did."
Patty turned on Jess, her eyes filling up with tears.
"You think this whole loss of memory deal hurt you? That it's been hard on you? Well, I've got news for you: it hasn't been easy on me."
"Well," said Jess, about to launch herself into an argument, "you still should have..."
"Shut up! This is my time. Jess, ever since you lost your memory, I've been trying to figure out how to tell you about your engagement, but I was so scared."
"Of what?"
"Of you. Of what this would do to you."
"To me?"
"Yeah, to you. The last time, when you saw them together... I lost you."
"Lost me?"
"For over six months. We didn't speak. You quit your job. You quit school. You cut yourself off from everything. Your parents and I were scared to death of what would happen to you. You gained a hundred pounds, you stopped working out, you stayed in your room, on the Internet, writing, listening to music. You would leave before your parents got home, stayed out for days at a time without calling. You scared us. And then, one day, you came out of your room a new woman. Apparently, everything was fine. But your parents and I lived in fear that the slightest thing would set you off."
"I didn't know."
"I know. But to avoid a replay of that... your parents and I agreed not to tell you anything about Chris and Audrey. It was for the best. Or so we thought. Had I known... had I guessed that she would come back to haunt you like this, I would have prepared you a lot better."
Jess didn't say a word. She looked around the room, trying to find the words. She'd been so initially angry at Patty for not saying anything. But now, now, she felt better. Now, that she understood why Patty had done what she did, she didn't feel quite so angry.
"Thank you then," said Jess. "Thank you for being a true friend to me."
Jess and Patty hugged tightly, then started to giggle and laugh until they couldn't keep a straight face. It was only when Adam and Andrew came into the room that they straightened up. Somewhat "Everything okay in here?" asked Andrew, scanning Jess's face.
"Everything's fine. Thank you for asking," said Jess, going up to him and kissing him. "How are you? Do you feel ready?"
"I'm nervous, but I'm sure I'll be okay."
The assistant to the stage manager popped his head into the room just at that moment.
"Mr. Martin, Ms. Warren. It's time."
Test quickly made it out of the room and Jess stayed behind checking her make-up. She looked at Patty and Adam, who were settling down to watch the championship match.
"Wish me luck," she said, closing the door behind them.
Jess made her entrance after all the wrestlers. As she made her way to the ring, she felt so proud of what she'd accomplished. She could tell everyone was on edge, waiting for this match. It would be an awesome conclusion to a great tournament. The wrestlers waiting for her in the ring were all awesome fighters. And she believed in all of them. The only wild card as far as she could see was the Undertaker. From all the other men, she knew she could expect honorable behavior. They would be satisfied with the contest outcome.
Undertaker was another matter completely. He'd never seemed to accept the tournament, what it meant, what it represented. He'd made it this far simply because he was one of the most powerful men in the WWF and that none of his opponents had been able to bring him down. If he won fairly, Jess would only be too happy to give him the belt, but if he didn't, she was afraid to think of the consequences.
"Tonight," she said, taking the mike from the ring announcer, "we will have a new champion. But before we do, I want all of you to know that you fought honorably and that you all deserve to win."
With these words, Jess got out of the ring and went to sit at the announcer's table.
The match was brutal. Compared to it, the six-pack match from SUMMERSLAM 99 had been child's play. These men were out for blood. Each other's. Nothing seemed to stand in their way. Jess's heart clenched many times over the course of the forty five minutes match. Every time Test got on the mat to fight, her heart started to beat a little faster. Yet, every time he was hit, her heart seemed to stop. And every time he hit, her heart seemed to beat easier. By her side, J.R. and Lawler droned on, making idiotic comments, trying to draw her into the conversation. But they caught on pretty quickly that she was too involved in the match to comment.
Finally, it was Kane. After choke-slamming HHH into submission, the Big Red Machine covered him and won the coveted title of the WWF champion.
Her legs shaking, Jess climbed to the ring and gave him his new belt. She could see from behind the mask, the tears that filled his eyes. And somehow, through the roar of the crowd, she heard him say: "Thank you."
A few minutes later, J.R. and Lawler signed off and WRESTLEMANIA was over. Jess was backstage, leaning against a wall, crying. After all this stress, it was good to know it was finally over. She was so relieved, so grateful that everything had gone so well. Lexi and Steph came up to her.
"Jess," they asked, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said through her tears. "I'm just so happy it's over."
"How did I do?" asked Test, coming out from the black curtains.
"You did great honey," said Jess, leaping into his arms. "You were wonderful."
"So why are you crying," he asked.
"Because I think... no I know that the stress from getting WRESTLEMANIA on the air is going to be nothing compared to our wedding preparations."
Patty and Jess were sitting in the living room on the top floor of their St. Bruno home. All around them, on the couch, on the coffee table, on the floor, there were bridal gowns catalogues. Using Patty's warped organisation system, the catalogues with the good gowns were stacked close to the couch were they were both sitting and the ones that they were considering for the bridesmaids gowns were stacked on the coffee table and the ones with nice tuxedoes had been thrown on the other side of the couch.
Jess fingered the lapel on a glossy picture of a handsome groom enviously.
"Tell me again why I can't just pick a tux and have it over with?"
"Because Andrew probably wants to have a say in what he's going to wear."
"I'm talking about me."
"In a tux?"
"Why not?"
"Because you'd look ridiculous."
"But it would be so much easier to pick than a gown."
"Come on, don't give up on me yet."
"I want to elope," whined Jess, slamming the catalogue shut.
"Fat chance," sneered Patty with a smile.
"Come on, it would be so much easier. And think of the stress we'd avoid."
"No!"
Jess pouted, but nonetheless picked a magazine from a dwindling pile and started flipping through it, her eyes lighting up like Christmas lights as she earmarked a beautiful gown.
Ms. Jess, as she was now known in the wrestling milieu, was taking a big step back from the WWF as she organized her wedding. She made erratic appearances on RAW, SMACKDOWN, on PPV events, but that was it. The wedding was four months away and she had another week to pick her bridal gown and her bridesmaids outfits. And somehow, she would have to pin down Andrew and all of his friends in the WWF to have them choose their tuxedoes. The wedding ceremony itself would be in St. Bruno, in the same church were the Warrens' funeral had been held. As for the reception, Jess had booked two adjoining ballrooms at the Marriott in downtown Montreal.
With Andrew trusting her to make all the arrangements, she'd chosen the DJ, selected the menu, making sure they would serve extra large portions for the wrestlers, and had taken care of the decorations. Those details, after organizing something as big as WRESTLEMANIA, had been a piece of cake. Deciding what to wear however was proving to be much more challenging.
"What do you think of this one?" asked Patty.
The second Jess saw the dress, she saw herself in it. It was perfect, it was exactly what she wanted. She hadn't known what the perfect gown would look like until this moment and now that she saw it, she let out a sigh of relief.
"It's perfect," said Jess softly.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. And only you," said Jess, turning to Patty, "could have found it for me."
The two young women hugged, laughing and crying.
"All right," said Jess, "I'm going to call the seamstress to make an appointment.
"Wait up! What are we going to do about the bridesmaids?"
Jess rolled her eyes heavenward and delved back into the pile of magazines.
Three days later, Jess made her way into the arena, her pass clearly identifying her clearance. The first people she saw as she walked down the corridor were Shane and Stephanie McMahon. Steph ran up to her with a great big smile on her face.
"Hey Jess, how are you?"
"All right, you?"
"Great! Jason and I finally set a date."
"Oh that's great. When?"
"A month and a half after you and Andrew."
"Great, we should be back from the honeymoon by then. Oh Stephanie, I'm so happy for you."
"Imagine how happy I am for myself."
"About as happy as I am for myself right now?" asked Jess with a wide smile.
"Just about. How are the wedding preparations?"
"You know what? One would think that preparing something as big as WRESTLEMANIA would be harder than preparing a wedding. Well, it's not."
"That bad?"
"And then some."
"Ladies, I don't want to hear anymore about this," said Shane with a complacent smile. "However, Jess, do you think you could give about fifteen minutes before the show?"
"Sure. Anything in particular?"
"We'll talk about it later. Seven okay for you?"
"Sure. Your dressing room?"
"The bar on the top floor."
"Okay," said Jess, puzzled about the strange location. But before she could give it any more thought, Stephanie was already dragging her away, talking excitedly. Jess excused herself and went in search of her fiancé. She found him in his dressing room, doing push ups.
"God," she said from the doorway, "nothing's sexier than a man when he works out."
"Hey baby," he said, getting up and going to her, wrapping his big arms around her waist.
"Good God, did I ever miss you," she whispered in his ear before kissing him.
"Me too."
Cradled in his arms, Jess felt herself being carried to the couch and sat down on top of him. They started making out like teenagers, with her straddling him, showing him exactly how much she'd missed him. Andrew quickly ran his hands over her waist, pulling her shirt out of her long skirt and unbuttoning it. Jess kept on moving her hips over his, driving them both closer and closer to climax. He made short work of the buttons of her crisp white shirt and was about to uncover her breasts when there was a knock at the door.
"This had better be good," growled Andrew. "Who is it?!"
"Get dressed Jabroni," said the 'Great One', "I'm here with Lexi."
"Come back in... come back later, damn it!"
"I don't think so," said Lexi. "Come on, both of you, get dressed already."
"They're not going to go away," whispered Jess in Andrew's neck.
"I'll make them go away."
"It's okay. We'll catch up later."
"Whatever."
Jess had a plan when she'd walked into the arena that afternoon. And as soon as all the men that were going to be Andrew's ushers were reunited in his dressing room, she put that plan in motion. She escaped from the room for a few moments and came back with a team of eight tailors, ready with measuring tapes and notepads. The wrestlers saw them and looked at Jess for answers.
"Guys, I'm sorry to ambush you, but this is the only way I could get all of you in the same place at the same time."
"I'll give you my measurements," said Rock, "but I'm not having a strange Jabroni touching me all over."
"Hell, I was planning on buying a new pair of jeans for that occasion," whined Steve Austin, "but I ain't wearing no monkey suit."
Upon hearing Rock and Stone Cold complaining, Adam, Jason and the Hardy brothers got on the band wagon, whining like babies. Jess, Stephanie, Lexi and Linda listened to them as they whined, tapping their feet impatiently.
"Are you done?" asked Linda, her tone announcing that it was in every man's interest to remain silent. "I thought so. I want to hear not one word from any of you. Is that clear? These gentlemen will take your measurements and you will not complain. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am."
"And Steve, I look forward to seeing you in a tux."
With these words, Linda led the other women out of the dressing room. As soon as they were out of earshot, they all burst out laughing.
"God Linda, I've never seen all these men get quiet so quickly. That was nice," said Lexi.
"You just have to know how to speak to them."
"And you most certainly do."
The second part of Jess's plan was much easier. The ladies were going to choose their bridesmaid's dresses in Linda's dressing room. Jess let them go ahead and went in search of her fourth bridesmaid. She found her in her dressing room, with Hunter, Billy and Shawn Michaels. Jess took a deep breath before knocking on the door and did her very best not to step back when Hunter opened it.
"What do you want," he barked.
"I'd like to speak to Chyna please?" asked Jess, running her sweaty palms over the back of her thighs.
"Why?"
"It's kind of personal."
"What, you need to borrow a tampon or something," he asked.
"Can I please speak to her?"
"Chyna, someone's here for you."
Jess waited patiently and finally Chyna came to the door. She smiled at her kind of shyly and the European champion closed the dressing room door behind her.
"What can I do for you?" asked Chyna, somewhat aggressively.
"I'd like you to be a bridesmaid at my wedding."
More of A Wrestling Story
More Series Fics
More Fan Fic
Main Page