Misery Loves
Company
3 part Series
Author: PaulenaK ~ toukalah@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Everything WWE belongs to Vince McMahon.
Feedback: Is always appreciated.
Spoiler: During the whole Test/Stacey/Steiner storyline.
Summary: Stacey finds an unlikely friend.
**
Misery
Loves Company
**
Was she
being punished for a past wrong?
One minute
she's standing before him in the middle of the ring and then the next minute
she's being slammed back first into the ring floor.
‘Them’
against him, it had always been 'Them' against him.
She thought
she had been doing, well, what Scott wanted by messing with there match. He
himself seemed to be doing all he could to make sure Test knew that within this
match he was on his own. By law, he may have to suffer the humiliation of being
Test's man-bitch, carry his bags, walk down to ringside with him, but no where,
no where in his contract did it say that during a doubles match he had to tag
in.
And by what
she had read in Scott's ringside manner, it looked like he was telling Test
just that.
How could
she have been so mistaken?
**
'Goldberg,
Goldberg, Goldberg.'
That's all
he ever heard. From the fans, from the crew, hell, he even heard it from
himself!
'Goldberg,
Goldberg, Goldberg.'
So the big
bald orang tang had done what few men could... so
what if the fans had been behind him one hundred percent... so what if he had
been forced to believe the hype... so what if the last thing he remembered from
'Unforgiven' was the referee counting out the one,
two, three, while his own shoulders had been pinned to the ring floor.
He raised
his glass to his lips and downed his drink in one swallow, barely feeling the
golden liquid as it burned it's way to his belly,
while his eyes zoned in on the long blonde hair of Stacy Keibler
sitting alone at the other end of the bar.
**
She felt
his eyes on her but there was no way she was going to turn her head and
acknowledge his presence, no matter how much he stared at her. Last thing she
needed was another man in her life, and knowing something of his reputation
with women, she was better off where she was.
Having Test
treat her like crap had been bearable knowing Scott was there doing all he
could to win her back fair and square, but now, now Scott had turned on her as
well. And all because she had been doing what they'd both been doing all along,
making Test's life miserable.
He now
blamed her and her alone for his situation, and granted she did accidentally
hit him on the head with a steel chair but as she had tried to explain in the
car park before the show, she had meant to hit Test, but he didn't see it that
way. He saw it as her interfering and costing him not only the match but also
his freedom. Scott was now like her, bound by contract to serve a man they both
hated.
**
Hunter
quirked an eyebrow and waited but her gaze never wavered from the glass set
before her on the bar, either she was oblivious to his staring or she was just
plain out ignoring him. Somehow he guessed it'd be the latter.
His eyes
roved down her body appreciatively stopping only when his gaze reached her feet
and there it stayed transfixed on the erratic beat her foot was currently
tapping on the bar stool she was seated on.
'He could
definitely lose himself in her.' He thought, then shook his head and scowled.
'No. Nothing good came out of losing yourself inside a woman.' He knew that
from experience and carried the battle wounds inflicted by one, Stephanie
McMahon to prove it.
"Better
to 'Not' make the same mistake twice." He whispered quietly to himself.
**
Stacy's
gaze caught her reflection in the mirror behind the bar and she groaned.
Sleep was
something she had lacked since being forced to return to
Test's side
and it was starting to show. Tired lines marred the brow of the girl who stared
back at her in the mirror proof of the permanent frown that now lived upon her
face.
She brought
one slender hand up to glance at the dainty antique gold watch she wore and
sighed as the minute hand ticked passed the hour symbol.
'God, had
she really been sitting her for two hours?'
Thoughts of
her life now that both Test and Scott saw her as the enemy had kept her from
her bed that night and she had hoped to drown herself or at least as close to
drowning herself as she could in a nice bottle of red.
Deciding
her dramatic suicide attempt would have to wait she slipped off her stool and
made her way to the exit only to stop short when she bumped into someone who
had obviously had the same thought as her.
She looked
up an apology already forming inside her muddled mind only to get stuck on it's
ascent through her windpipe. She cocked her head.
'Now when
had he moved?'
**
'So much
for not going there again,' He thought, reaching out to steady her.
She looked
like she was about to say something then at the last minute decided against it,
her eyes instead drifting to his hands
which were planted on either side of her shoulders.
He let go
of her immediately and pulled himself up to his full height staring down his
nose at her giving an air of indifference which was short lived when he caught
the roll of her eyes. He watched as she merely brushed herself off and walked
out.
She was
already standing at the elevator by time he had composed himself enough to walk
out and he now stood just a few feet behind her waiting for that familiar
'Ding' that would alert them to the elevator doors opening.
**
'Good one, Stace.' Her mind told her, 'Let him know how much he
intimidates you by freezing at his touch.'
Her feet
were moving, although she didn't remember commanding them to do so, only
thankful that they were. It was pretty rude of her just walking away like that,
but in all frankness, at four in morning, who the hell cared!
She stopped
at the elevator and waited, trying to focus on the lights flashing above the
door as it slowly made its descent. She knew she'd have to try to at least get
a few hours sleep, god only knew what Test and Scott would have in store for
her today. Maybe they'd make her clean their wrestling boots, scrub the shower
after they'd used it or heaven forbid another lap dance! She knew shaking her
ass had been her signature move at one time but please... it was time to move
on.
The
elevator arrived and she stepped on, all the while aware of his presence just
an arm span away from her.
**
He watched
her the whole time once the elevator started up to there floors and throughout
the duration he could have sworn she didn't take one breath. It was like she
was made of ice and he had to still his hand from reaching out to see if she
felt as cold as she looked.
'His luck
with women it'd probably be dry ice,' He mentally scoffed forcing himself to
stare straight ahead.
The
elevator stopped and the doors slid open. She stepped out and the doors slid
closed again.
"Sleep
sweet." He whispered to the empty elevator.
**
Stacy
quietly entered the room she shared with Test and Scott and cautiously tiptoed
to the couch which served as her bed. She lay down and closed her eyes,
listening for Test's heavy snoring from the bedroom and Scott's mumbled
ramblings from the bed on the other side of the room.
'How
surreal was this,' She thought her eyes flicking open to stare up at the high
ceilings of there room. 'Considering she'd just spent the last two hours
wallowing in her glass with only the most hated man in the WWE sitting on the
other side of the room for company, right here and right now, she'd never felt
more alone in her life.'
**
End -
Misery Loves Company 1/3
**
It's Okay
To Cry
**
She was
there again, sitting on a stool, staring at the mirrored wall behind the bar,
with the same tilt in her neck that allowed her hair to fall down over one
shoulder, while the other remained bare.
He had seen
what Test and Freak Boy had put her through this past week and it seemed she
was getting it from everyone, face and heel alike. He saw her hand reach up and
massage the back of her neck before she allowed it drop and rest on her
shoulder almost as if she were trying to take comfort in the only person she
could - Herself.
Her
shoulders slumped and her head seemed to dip lower and he turned his gaze away
from the sight of her shoulders as they shook from the weight of her misery.
Sending a
half hearted grin behind the bar he waited as the barman placed his usual down
in front of him as he sat on his usual stool at the other end of the bar.
His mind
went back to the first time he had seen her sitting there, all alone. She
looked very much like what everyone was saying about her, scared, feeble and
above all alone. The need to comfort her rose in him and he found himself
wanting to get up, wanting to walk across the room and wrap his arms around her
just so she'd know she really wasn't alone, but he held back knowing with his
track record, he'd probably scar her for life! He kept himself from adding the
word 'Too' to the end of that inner spiel he was not ashamed of anything he had
done to his ex wife Stephanie McMahon. As far as he was concerned she deserved
everything she had gotten.
But Stacy? From what he knew of the situation she had done nothing but her
duties as a valet. So the fans liked her more then they like Test? Who gave a
flying monkey, other then Test himself of course. And as for Freak Boy, the
only reason he could come up with for why he turned on Stacy and then aligned
himself with Test on his path to degrade and humiliate the poor girl was
because his ego had taken a tumble when he'd lost a match. Yeah boys, great way
to show your appreciation, he shook his head. Sometimes the hand of fate was a
twisted son of a bitch!
Yet seeing
her here whenever he came down was a fate he had come to like, even if she was
oblivious to his comings or goings. He smiled as he stared down into his drink.
Without even knowing it she had befriended him.
"Now
if that isn't a twisted thought I don’t know what is." He whispered before
draining his glass and ordering a refill.
Downing the
next four just as fast he decided to call it a night, but even as his mind told
him to walk towards the exit his traitorous legs had other ideas and he soon
found himself standing beside Stacy
Keibler.
He saw the
trace of tears on her cheeks as she turned to look up at him, saw the used
tissues she hastily tried to shove in her jacket pocket and the fear that crept
into her eyes as she realised who it was that had
approached her.
"It's
okay to cry..."
All she
could do was stare up at him, mindless of her
surroundings and of the featherlike touch of his finger against her cheek as he
caught a tear that escaped unnoticed from her eye to roll down her cheek.
"It's
okay to cry," He repeated leaning down till his face was mere inches from
hers. "Just don’t let them break you."
And then he
was gone, out of her personal space and out of the hotel bar.
**
End – It’s
Okay to Cry 2/3
**
No More
Strays
**
'Don’t let
them break you.'
'His' words
came back to her, shoving the words Test spewed forth aside to lay claim to her
consciousness. Why? Because she had already admitted to herself, he was right.
Why she kept thinking of him as well as his words? She had no idea.
"Are
you listening to me?"
She shook
her head as Test's words broke through her thoughts.
"Huh?"
"I
said when we're out at ringside, I'll lure RVD to you and you hit him over the
head with the steel chair you are going to conveniently have in your
hands."
"Why me? Why can’t Scott do it?"
"Because
I don’t want Scott to do it, I want you to do it. Scott is going to be busy
ironing my street clothes." He looked down at his watch. "Geezus, how long does it take that man to go get some
ice?"
"I
won’t do it."
"Excuse
me?"
She glared
at him and her voice rose in her determination.
"I
won’t do it."
"You
will do it. You have no choice in the matter. Do we need to go over your
contract again?"
Every word
he uttered hit her like a slap across the face, being reminded that her will
was not her own, but his, merely because she had signed her name on a piece of
paper that had at one time made her the proud valet to one of her closest
friends, only to have said friend turn on her and now out of spite was
enforcing that piece of paper as his legal right to get her to do anything his
black heart desired. And gosh the things he made her do! Lap dance for his
friend’s, help him cheat in matches to get the win, use her as a shield to take
hits that were meant for him, carry his luggage, serve as maid and waitress
whenever he had one of his tarts over. The bloody list was endless! No wonder
everyone, wrestler and fan alike were saying she had no backbone, but damn it,
it wasn't her fault. She had always had someone to watch over her. Always! And
then there was Scott, her second mistake, another so called friend who had
turned on her, hurt her both emotionally as well as physically, yet Scott
wasn't the problem. Eliminate Test and she would eliminate Scott as well. Sounded easy when she thought about it long enough.
The tables
had definitely turned and she found herself not only at the mercy of Test and
Scott, but also with no one willing to come to her rescue.
It was sad,
but true. If she didn't stand up to him, no one else would.
Straightening
her shoulders she took a determined step towards him and hope flared in her
eyes at his look of surprise, even though it was fleeting, she still saw it and
it spurred her on.
"No
more."
She stated
lifting her hand to poke at his chest and the words came
tumbling from her mouth. "No more lap dances, no more being your slave, no
more being you’re anything!"
He started
to back away from her but she only followed him, her words enhanced with every
stab of her finger to his chest.
"I am
through with you, do you hear me? It's over. Sue me, I dare you. Take me for
every red cent I got, after all it's what you've been threatening to do all
along. Poor little Stacy, turned her back on everyone because she thought she
saw something different in the big dumb Canadian only to find out that the rumours were indeed true and now she's got no one to turn
to for help."
Test felt
something digging into his knees from behind and before he could turn around to
see what it was, he found himself falling as one last shove of her hand sent
him toppling backwards and all he could do was stare up at her in astonishment
as she leaned down.
"Guess
this is a good example of why you should always listen to your mother. She
always said that one day I'd get bitten if I continued to bring home every
stray animal I found in the street."
His cheeks
reddened and she rocked back on her heels in satisfaction.
"So,
go on then. Do your worst!" She turned to go and was startled to see that
during her tirade she had propelled him out of their locker room and into the
hallway where practically half the roster and stage crew had gathered to watch.
Her eyes
widened and no matter how hard she tried her legs wouldn't move and she was so
sure she was going to do something drastic like faint or something as she felt
all their eyes on her. It was like time had frozen, everyone was so damn still.
But then something moved in her peripheral vision and she turned to see Hunter
Hurst Helmsley, the esteemed leader of Evolution step
forward.
She wasn't
sure what to expect and caught herself falling back into spineless Stacy mode
and without even realising it she lifted her chin and
stared defiantly back at him. She saw something flicker in his eye but was too
overwhelmed by her actions regarding Test to think on it more, instead she
crossed her arms over her chest and hoped she looked more intimidating then she
felt.
Hunter
stood a mere few feet away from her and his presence seemed to block out
everyone else who was there watching as he lifted his hands and started
clapping.
A few
others joined in and before long everyone was coming forward offering her
praise for the way she had stood up to Test as well as invitations to renew old
acquaintances.
No one
helped Test to his feet, or asked if he was hurt and he had to refrain from
slapping his hand against the floor in a fit of rage before he got up and
stomped back into the locker room, slamming the door behind him only to open it
a minute later to throw Stacy's belongings out into the hallway.
The crowd
dwindled down to a few and Stacy felt like a new woman as she crouched down and
began looking through her bag, checking to make sure she had everything, the
last thing she wanted to do was go back into the locker room she had shared
with Test and Scott for some forgotten item.
'I'm free.'
She thought happily. 'Well, as free as I can be before Test takes me to court.'
She added on a sour note. But even that couldn't quell the warmth that was
seeping its way back into her heart.
Someone
crouched down beside her helping her gather her things
together, she lifted her head, but her thank you got lodged in her throat as
her eyes once again met the soulful ones of The Game - Something that happened
quite a lot when he was around.
He smiled.
"If
you want you can use our locker room."
She opened
her mouth to reply then shut it just as quickly.
"You’re
an open book you know that?" He chuckled handing the items he had gathered
out to her.
"I
am?"
He chuckled
again.
"Yes,
you are. Look, if you want to use our locker room it's cool. No strings."
He sounded
really sincere and she hated the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach that
told her this was Triple H talking, and that he was another who tended to turn
on his friends at the drop of a hat.
"Thanks,
Hun-" She began then stopped as she realised she
was about to call him by his first name, something she wasn't sure she should
be calling him by considering he had hardly said more than, well more then zero
words to her before last night.
"Thanks,
but the divas locker room will suffice. I think I will relish in this feeling
of freedom for a while longer." She hoped she didn't sound too
antagonistic in refusing his offer and she exhaled in relief when he nodded in
acceptance to her words.
"Well,
the offer's there if you change your mind."
He stood
then and reached out pull her up beside him. "And it's okay to call me by
my first name." He smiled cheekily, reminding her of a little boy who had
just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "But I must admit, I am quite partial to Hun."
She blushed
pulling her hand out of his grasp when she realised
he still held her hand.
"Well,
I better get going." She said taking a few tentatively steps away from
him, offering him a little wave as she turned to walk down the hall.
"Stacy."
She turned
back to look at him with a raised brow.
"I'm
glad you didn't break."
The hint of
a smile crossed his features and again she saw 'That' certain something flicker
in his eyes.
'He was
proud of her.' she thought, her eyes brightening in realisation
and her mouth turning up at the corners. 'Hunter Hurst Helmsley
was proud of her standing up for herself.'
"So am
I," She said returning his knowing smile before she continued on her way
down the hall, leaving him to watch after her. "So am I."
**
End – No
More Strays 3/3
End Series
– Misery Loves Company
**