Jade's Turn

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is copyright 1998-2000 by Jade Bradford. All characters are either owned by those who portray them or WCW, respectively. This story is rated R for language and a lot of violence. I'm sure Eric Bischoff is a decent guy, but in this story he's a jerk. Wrestling is not really like the way my story presents it; I just based it on the personalities of the characters at the time. I mean no disrespect to any of these guys-It's just a story. So please don't sue me.

I'm disguised this way because I'm a woman. Only J.J. Dillon and a few WCW officials know the truth. The only reason I came to WCW was revenge, plain and simple.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," I sneered at a Mexican man with a stick horse. Stick horses in a wrestling ring?

The man opened his mouth to respond, but he stopped when a skinny blond man with goggles ran in carrying a sign that said, "If it's raining don't forget to bring your La Parka." He was being chased by a big, strong luchador-the biggest luchador I'd ever seen anyway.

"You make fun of La Parka, eh?" The Mexican slammed the skinnier man into the lockers.

"Ulp!" The smaller man gulped and his sign dropped. "Better let me go! Raven's my friend! Raven'll come and get you!"

"Shut up!" the Mexican yelled, grabbing the man by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

No one tried to interfere; some even cheered.

"Stupid kid," I said to myself. The smaller man probably deserved the beating, but I'd seen the little guy get beaten up too many times.

I marched up to La Parka and grabbed his hair. "Let him go," I said.

La Parka let go of the blond and spun around. He aimed a kick at me and I ducked. I aimed a punch, and he stepped back, tripping over a bench. I grinned and picked him up by the hair and slammed him against the lockers. He landed in a heap. I bent over him and said, "Why don't you save your strength for a real match?"

La Parka began to get up, but I put my foot on his throat.

"Don't even think about it," I warned.

"Yeah, get him!" the small blond cheered from behind me.

"You're not helping," I growled to him. "And you," I told La Parka, "had better leave him alone." I lifted my foot up and La Parka left, muttering Spanish curses under his breath.

"Thanks!" the blond said. "What's your name?"

"Unknown. What's yours?"

"Lodi!!! Do you have a match tonight?"

"Yeah. Some guy named Kidman."

Lodi's eyes widened. "He's going to beat you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he's part of Raven's Flock and NO ONE beats the Flock!"

"We'll see," I replied. I saw a group of grungy-looking men enter the room and head toward Lodi. "Gotta go. But watch yourself, Lodi. Not everyone finds you as amusing as I do."

Lodi was left scratching his head in confusion as I left. Behind me, I heard someone ask, "Lodi, who were you talking to?"

Kidman and I began shoving each other as the match started. I shoved Kidman to the mat, but he pulled me down with him and tried to go for a quick cover. I kicked him and he rolled across the ring. As the two of us got up, I saw Lodi coming in with a sign that said, "Go Kidman go." Lodi wasn't alone, either; his friends that I had seen him with earlier were there as well.

"This could get ugly," I told myself as I picked up Kidman and slammed him to the ground. I got a two-count before a chair slammed into my back. When I looked up, I saw a man with a patch over one eye grinning down at me. I kicked him in the crotch and rolled out of the way. When he doubled over in pain, I knocked him out of the ring.

Kidman got back to his feet and glanced at me, then over his shoulder. I turned around just in time to see a big man standing on the top turnbuckle. I moved out of the way just in time, and he ended up crashing into Kidman instead. Seconds later, I had won my first match.

Another man flew at me just as my hand was raised in victory. This one was stronger than the others. I dodged several of his punches before I looked up into his eyes.

"Scott," I whispered softly as the man Lodi called "Raven" slammed me to the ground.

"Wait," I said. Raven got up and kicked me several times. "I said WAIT, you moron," I grumbled as I yanked his foot and put him in a submission hold.

"Your friend's hurt," I continued. "Save our fight for another day."

"All right," Raven said as he muttered a curse. I let him go and watched him first check on the big man, then Kidman. I walked over and helped Kidman to his feet. Kidman tried to struggle, but I stopped him.

"Relax," I told him. "The match is over." Lodi ran up next to me as we left the ring and put his arm around my shoulders. The rest of the "Flock" followed without complaint. Raven was trying to hide his obvious confusion.

Survival and revenge were the only things I lived for in those days. When I was seven, a man named Scott Levy found shelter for me and nursed me back to health. He tutored me and taught me how to fight. One day he just disappeared; but I never forgot what he had done.

One of WCW's trainers examined Kidman and announced, "He'll be fine, except for some bruises."

"No shit," I said as the trainer left. "Poor Kidman almost got flattened by big boy over there."

Everyone but Raven and the big man laughed. "My name is Saturn," the big man growled.

"Whatever," I said.

"Stop it," Raven said. "He's my friend and I expect you to show him your respect."

"Sorry," I said. "See you guys later. Stay out of trouble, Lodi."

"Do I look that strange?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied.

All of a sudden, I remembered who he was and said, "You're Juventud Guerrera!

"The one and only," he replied with a grin.

"I'm Unknown," I said. "I'm a big fan of yours. You're one fast little booger, you know that?"

"You're not so bad yourself," he replied.

Juvi and I left the building together. He introduced me to two other luchadors-Eddie Guerrero and his nephew with the stick horse, Chavo Jr.

"Come with us to the Holiday Inn," Juvi said. "We've got plenty of room."

"All right," I said. The four of us talked late into the night. I thought once more of Raven before falling asleep.

"Who are you up against?" Juvi asked.

"Alex Wright," I said. "You have Disco Inferno, don't you?"

Juvi laughed and said, "Disco fever is one thing I don't have."

"Alex Wright isn't much better," I replied. "Not only is he a bad dancer, but that cheap talk about Americans is pretty damn annoying."

"I could take care of him for you," Juvi offered.

"Nah, if I can take care of Raven's Flock, I can take care of Alex. Besides, I'm fluent in many languages, including German and Spanish."

Juvi grinned at me and we sat on a bench side by side, watching other wrestlers arrive.

La Parka arrived with another luchador who wore a mask with horns. "Who's La Parka with?" I asked Juvi.

"Psicosis," Juvi replied. "Oh look, here comes Lodi."

"I hope he stays out of trouble this time."

"Hey La Parka," Lodi called.

I stood up and said, "Oh no you don't." I grabbed Lodi by the ear and dragged him over to where Juvi and I were sitting.

"Ow!" Lodi complained.

"Come on, you lunkhead," I said. Lodi plopped down next to Juvi, who was laughing.

"Don't encourage him," I said. "Mind watching him? I've got something to do.

"..amazing, Hollywood. I love this man!" That was Eric Bischoff, my former stepfather.

"No one can beat me, brother," Hogan said.

Footsteps shuffled toward the door. I ran for another hallway and knocked over a trash can as I passed.

"Was someone here?" Bischoff asked as the two men left the dressing room.

"Probably that no good Wolfpack," Hogan muttered. The two walked off. I moved to follow them, but someone pulled me back.

When I turned around, I saw Sting of the Wolfpack. "What the hell did you do that for?" I snapped.

"I wondered what you were up to," he said sheepishly.

"None of your damn business," I said. I shoved him out of the way and walked down the hall.

When I got to the entrance ramp, I heard Bischoff say, "I want whoever was outside Hollywood's dressing room to come out now!"

I walked out and got a few cheers. That was probably because the fans liked the idea of someone giving Hogan a hard time.

"You?" Hogan sneered. "You're a nobody."

"Would you like to see what this 'nobody' can do?" I asked as I entered the ring.

"Hold on, wait," Bischoff said. "You want to challenge the man?"

"Yep," I replied, leaning against one of the turnbuckles.

"You're in for it now, brother," Hogan warned.

Just like that, I had two matches and got to be the main event.

"Are you NUTS?" he asked. "All his goons are gonna gang up on you!"

"I know. But I have a reason for doing this. Someday I'll tell you why."

Before he could reply, I went down to the ring. Alex was ranting in German. He was so shocked when I answered him in his own language that I pulled off a ten-second victory.

"He's not Hogan," Juvi said when I went backstage after the match.

Naturally, he was right.

After a flurry of kicks and punches, I attempted another pin. Unfortunately, a chair slammed into my back at that very moment. The culprit was a man with a "Hollwood" bandanna tied around his head. I struggled to my feet and knocked him to the ground, but Hogan got to me before I could do anything else. A third man picked me up and slammed me to the ground.

All of a sudden, Juvi ran to the ring and knocked down two of Hogan's goons. He is followed by Kidman, who attacked yet another member of NWO Hollywood.

With the attention on Juvi and Kidman, I was able to get up. Juvi helped me send another man flying out of the ring.

"Look at us," I said to Juvi. "Three cruiserweights taking on the big boys."

In spite of their help, however, I knew that we couldn't hold back Hogan's group for long.

Hogan slammed me into the corner and banged my head against the turnbuckle for a while. All of a sudden, he let go and someone helped me up. I turned around to see Lodi.

"Raven decided to help you," was Lodi's explanation.

"Raven?" I asked in disbelief. I turned around and saw Raven give Hogan a DDT.

You'd think the referee would notice all this activity, but he didn't. I pulled off another victory that night thanks to the Flock and Juvi keeping Hogan's pals at bay.

Raven helped me exit the ring. Juvi and the Flock followed.

"If you tell anyone what you see here, you're fired," J.J. told the trainer.

My cloak was lifted, and I heard the trainer gasp. "A woman?"

"Got a problem with that?" I grumbled.

"Thank goodness you're awake," J.J. said.

"Yeah," I said. "Now how bad have I been beaten up?"

"Quite a few bruises," the trainer mused.

"No shit, Sherlock," I said.

"And," he continued, "you may have snapped some tendons in your right leg. You also suffered a mild concussion and might have sprained something. My advice is to stay out of the ring for at least a week."

"That's all?" I asked.

"Yep," he replied. "You're gonna be in pain, though."

"Well, DUH," I said when he left. "Dumbass."

J.J. laughed and said, "Take care of yourself." Then he left.

I was straightening my cloak and about to pull the hood over my head when Juvi came in. He stared in shock.

"Um..I can explain," I said.

"You're a woman!!!" he exclaimed.

"Do you want everyone to hear you?" I limped over to him. "Please don't tell, ok?"

Juvi took my hands in his and said, "Okay."

"Thank you," I replied. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head and together we walked out of the room.

"You could have gotten hurt!" Eddie yelled.

"Aww, Eddie, I didn't know you cared," I said. Everyone laughed.

"I have to admit, though," Eddie replied, "you kicked his ass. Why'd you do it?"

"To get to someone else," I replied.

Eddie and Juvi gave me a strange look, but said nothing.

I gave Juvi a hug and said, "Thanks for helping me."

Eddie looked confused. Juvi tried not to blush.

"What if you get hurt again?" Juvi asked.

"Don't be such a mother hen," I teased. "I'll be fine."

"Didn't you say you'd be fine the last time?"

Eddie didn't say a word during this entire argument. He seemed rather amused at Juvi's protective attitude.

Eddie soon left us to tell Chavo something. Juvi walked off to prepare for a match, so I was left to fend for myself.

I was about to make myself scarce when I ran into Sting and the rest of the Wolfpack.

"Sting, if this is about me shoving you the other night, can't it wait?" I asked. I figured I was going to get jumped.

"That's not what we're here for," one of them said.

"Then what do you want?" I snapped.

"Just want to tell you something," another said. I remembered that his name was Konnan.

"Tell me what?"

"You've got guts, kid." That was from Lex Luger, dubbed "Flexy Lexy" by Chris Jericho.

"All I had to do was make Hogan mad," I replied. "Anyone can do that." I winced and limped to a bench.

One of them followed me and said, "Don't tell me you have a match."

"Which one are you?" I asked.

"Kevin Nash," he replied.

"I'm free tonight," I said. "I just didn't want to hide.

The Wolfpack exchanged looks. I noticed Nitro had started.

"Turn up the tv, would you?" I asked Lex.

Bischoff was flapping his jaws again. "Unknown won't be here tonight," he said. Sting snickered in the background. Bischoff continued: "He was beaten-badly-by Hollywood. But did you expect anything less from the MAN?"

That was enough for me. I got up and limped to the door, dragging my right leg. It hurt like hell.

"Where are you going?" Nash asked.

"To the ring," I replied.

"No you're not," Sting said. He tried to block me, but I shoved him aside(again). All four Wolfpack members followed me.

On the way I saw Chavo, who waved at me. I waved back. When I walked down the entrance ramp, Bischoff looked shocked.

"Thought I wasn't here, eh?" I said.

"You're not supposed to be!" Bischoff whined.

"Do I have to beat you again, brother?" Hogan added.

"You beat me?" I asked. "I kicked your sorry ass and would have done so sooner if your cheerleading squad hadn't interfered."

"Look who's talking," Hogan said. "You didn't win by yourself."

"You NEVER win by yourself," I said. "Sometimes I wonder if you ever could."

Hogan lunged at me, but I limped out of his way. I laughed when I saw Sting standing behind him. "What's so funny?" Hogan asked.

"This," Sting answered, and hit Hogan with a black bat. Konnan shoved Bischoff out of the way, and the Wolfpack formed a protective circle around me.

"If you want to get to me, you'll have to go through these guys first," I said. Thankfully, Hogan and Bischoff didn't see me leaning on Kevin for support.

"Wuss," Hogan said.

I stepped in front of the Wolfpack and said, "So you think you're the man, Hogan? Prove it-in a cage match. No interference, unless you're afraid of a real wrestling match."

Everyone looked at each other in shock. The Wolfpack members muttered to each other that I was out of my mind.

"I'll beat you and put you in the hospital," Hogan said.

Everyone backstage thought I was crazy for challenging Hogan again. Juvi told me to take care of myself and couldn't hide the worry from his eyes. Luger told me I could barely walk, let alone wrestle. Eddie told me I was pulling a risky stunt, but he didn't try to hide the admiration from his voice.

In the midst of all that, Raven watched me silently from a corner. Juvi eventually shooed everyone away and began giving me a back massage.

When it was time for the match, Juvi walked me to the entrance ramp and wished me luck. I would certainly need it.

Hogan kicked me as soon as the cage was locked down. I couldn't move away, so I fell to the mat. I managed to pull him down for a one-count, but that was all. He pummelled me some more, and I decided to just let him fight and save my strength.

After an attempted cover on Hogan's part, I kicked out and hit a low blow. I managed to get to my feet and toss him about for a while. I slammed his head against the turnbuckle before he tossed me into the cage.

"Owwwww," was all I said. Hogan put his foot on my throat and grinned down at me. I used my last reserves of strength to grab his foot and knock him off his feet. Somehow I got a submission hold on and won the match.

I willed the cage to lift faster, knowing that when Hogan got up he would kick my ass. Just as there was room to slip out, Hogan grabbed me.

Someone rushed into the ring and flew straight at Hogan. Another person yanked me out of the ring. I turned around and saw Lodi again. I was too weak to say anything, so I just leaned on him and tried to ignore the pain in my right side.

My other savior turned out to be Eddie, who kicked Hogan out of the ring. The referee convinced Hogan to back down while Eddie joined Lodi in helping me backstage.

I was put on a stretcher and examined, but I never went to the hospital.

"What kind of name is 'Unknown', anyway?" Tony asked.

"Mine," I replied.

"What's with your entrance music?" Mike asked. "It's creepy."

I rolled my eyes under my hood and said, "It's called 'The Unforgiven' by Metallica."

Raven came out for a match, and Tony said, "Raven is the king of creepy."

"You don't even know him," I snapped.

"And I suppose you do?"Tony asked.

"Better than you," I retorted. That's the way it went for the next two weeks.

Juvi caught my first punch and punched me back. He had been watching me fight closer than I thought. He attempted a cover, but I pushed him out of the way. Seconds later, I had scoop-slammed him to the mat.

"You weigh a ton," I complained to him. "You also snore."

"Do not," Juvi said as he kicked out of a pin attempt.

"Do too," I retorted as he shoved me to the ground and did a backflip off the turnbuckle.

We bantered like that through the whole match. Finally, I won the match and captured the belt. Juvi put his arm around my waist and we were about to leave when Stevie Ray and Vincent started running down the ramp.

"Crap," was all I said.

"You have too many enemies," Juvi said as Stevie threw me out of the ring. As if that wasn't bad enough, Giant decided to get a piece of the action.

"Wide load coming through!" I yelled to Juvi, who grimaced. Giant walked over to where I was laying on the floor and put his foot on my throat.

Someone dashed into the ring and knocked Stevie Ray and Vincent out of the way. He and Juvi whisper to each other, and they execute a double powerbomb attack on the Giant.

"Raven?" I asked in disbelief when he helped me up.

"I know you, don't I?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Great move."

Juvi and Raven grinned at each other. Raven slung an arm around me as we left the ring.

"I offer you my congratulations," Raven said. "You show no mercy against your enemies."

"Thanks," I said, "but I couldn't have done it without you guys, Juvi, and Eddie."

"That's not the point," Raven said. "The point is that you stood in the face of adversity without fear."

"And you helped me when Saturn flattened me like a pancake," Kidman added.

"Not to mention Lodi-sitting," Riggs joked.

"I respect you," Raven said, offering me his hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," I said, and shook his hand. "This means a lot."

Juvi and Eddie were waiting for me in the doorway. I turned around and left with them, but not before waving at Raven and the Flock.

"You're not a Latino, so you wouldn't understand," Eddie snapped.

"Oh, and you're the only one who hates him all of a sudden?" This was giving me a headache.

"Easy for you to say, you get main event matches," Psicosis said. The other Latinos nodded.

"I have to settle a score with him," I said.

"Yeah right," La Parka said. He shoved me, and the fight began.

I had nine Latinos pounding me from all sides. Several had chairs, so I had to get out of there fast.

Silently I cursed Chavo and Juvi for leaving with Chris Jericho. Eddie had called a meeting of the Latino wrestlers after Thunder. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would've left too.

Someone tossed me across the room and I found myself by the door. I turned the knob quickly and crawled out. Eddie and the others came after me. I spotted a rolling cart and shoved it at them.

I willed someone besides Hogan to still be here. I needed help now.

Finally I found the Flock's dressing room. There was still activity inside, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knocked on the door.

"Saturn, see who that is and send them away," Raven yelled.

Saturn opened the door and I fell at his feet. "What the hell?" he asked.

"Eddie..Latinos..help.." I crawled inside and hid behind Saturn, who shut the door.

Raven walked in and asked, "Unknown, what's going on?"

"You're about to find out," I said as the door was kicked in. Psicosis found me and sent me flying across the room. I got up(sort of), crawled over to Eddie, and locked him in a submission hold.

"Damn you," Eddie muttered. La Parka tried to get me off Eddie, but Raven stopped him.

Saturn finally tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You can let go now. He's passed out, and the rest are gone."

I let go. Raven walked over and said, "Jade, can you walk?"

"How did you--" I looked and noticed that my hood had fallen down. "Uh-oh..."

"You're amazing," Kidman said.

"I feel like shit," I replied.

"Then I'll carry you," Raven said. He picked me up and said to the others, "Let's go."

After a brief stop at the hospital, we were on our way to the hotel. Other than some internal bleeding, I was fine.

Raven put me on the bed and asked, "Now what?"

"Call Juvi and tell him what happened," I said. "Please. I'm too tired."

Raven picked up the phone and dialed Juvi's room number. "Juvi? This is Raven. Yes, it's about Unknown..we know who she is now..no, I didn't do anything you idiot, it was Eddie..yes, she's fine, but she's sleeping...okay, I will. Bye."

Raven looked over at me and said, "He likes you."

I yawned and said, "Good, I like being liked."

Raven just laughed and lay down next to me. He was all the comfort I needed that night.

"Juvi," I called when I spotted him standing with Chavo and Jericho. Juvi turned around and hugged me in front of everyone. Nash and the Wolpack made catcalls, so I flipped them off.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "Gotta go bug Bischoff, though."

"I have a match," he replied. "See ya."

"See ya," I said. Then I turned to Raven and said, "Could you come with me?"

Raven nodded, and led the way out of the locker room. He seemed to like the idea of someone depending on him.

Bischoff was bitching again when we got out there.

"Remember me, boss?" I asked.

"I've never seen you before," Bischoff said as Raven and I walked down the ramp.

"Does the name Jade Bradford ring a bell?" Raven asked.

Bischoff's eyes widened. "You're supposed to be dead!!" he said.

"You only wish," I replied.

"Get away from me!!"

"Are you afraid of a woman?" Raven laughed as he asked that question. "After what you've done to her, you deserve whatever she gives you."

"Is that a threat?" Bischoff asked.

"No," I said, "but I think the crowd deserves to hear what kind of scumbag you really are."

"You wouldn't!" Bischoff looked positively spooked.

"Why don't you tell them, dad? Tell them how you married my mother sixteen years ago and threw me out on the streets to die.

"Security!!" Bischoff yelled.

"JUSTICE!" I screamed back. "I lived on and off the streets and would have died if it hadn't been for Raven. I got a wrestling contract just so I could make your life miserable. Do you know what my life was like thanks to you?"

"No, and I don't care," Bischoff snapped.

"You will care," I said in a low voice. "Because I'm going to make you pay for every hungry night, every rape, and every beating. Most of all, you'll pay for the childhood I lost."

I turned to go when I saw Bischoff fall out of the ring. I looked over at Raven, who said, "He was going to kick you."

I didn't answer him. I just ran back to the Flock's dressing room.

"Jade, what is it?" Raven asked. I burst into tears then and he had to take me into his arms.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked with a sigh. He sounded amused, though.

I cried all through Nitro. Raven didn't have a match, so he really didn't mind holding me that long. Either that, or he was just being polite. Later I decided that he really didn't mind, because Raven is not the type to "be polite".

Later that night, Kidman spotted a scar on my neck as I came out of the bathroom in Raven's hotel room. "Where did you get the scar?" Kidman asked.

"What scar?" I asked innocently.

"This scar," he said, touching it. I winced. "Billy, don't.."

Raven walked over. "Jade, show me."

"I don't want to," I said.

"Don't make me take your shirt off," Raven warned.

"He'll do it, trust me," Saturn said.

"I know he will," I replied. "Very well, lift up the back."

"Freakin-a," Raven swore as he ran his hand down the length of the scar, which stretched from my neck to lower back. "Who did this?" he asked calmly. I knew from that calmness that he was angry-very angry.

"Some guys who tried to rape me way back when," I said. "I never saw them again. But the scar's from a cat-of-nine-tails, in case you haven't guessed. Can I go to bed now?"

"Yeah," Raven said, putting my shirt down. "Get some sleep."

I ran into a problem when Raven walked into my dressing room drunk. "I'm ready for the match," he slurred.

"Did you HAVE to get drunk tonight?" I grumbled. "Now I need another partner."

"I can still fight."

I pushed him into a chair and said, "Hardly. You're in no condition for it. Now stay put while I find you a partner."

Raven didn't reply when I left the room, but just in case he decided to go somewhere, I tied him up.

I saw Jericho in the hall and said, "Psst, Chris!"

Chris came over and asked, "What's up?"

"Mind watching Raven for me? He's drunk and I have to find another partner for my match."

Chris agreed, and I went partner-hunting. I would probably have to settle on someone from the Wolfpack, unless..

"Excuse me," I said to a man in a multi-colored jacket with the letters 'OWN' on the back.

The man turned around, and I noticed weird-looking face paint around his eyes. "Yes?" he asked.

"Um, I'm Jade Bradford. My tag team partner got drunk on me, so I was wondering.."

"If I would be your partner?" he finished.

"Yeah," I said. "Unless you have something else to do."

"No, I'll do it," he replied.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Warrior," he said.

"Ok, let's go."

When we got to the ring, I picked up a microphone and said, "Raven's indisposed right now, but I did find a replacement. Please welcome Warrior!"

Warrior responded to my brief introduction by shaking the ropes of the ring. I thought this was rather strange, but I didn't say anything.

Eddie and I started things off. I threw him down to the mat and tossed him across the ring. I finished things off by banging his head in the corner. After that, I attempted a pin simply for the heck of it, but Eddie kicked out in seconds.

Somehow Eddie managed to throw me in La Parka's direction, and La Parka hit me on the back of the head. Eddie tagged La Parka in and left the ring. I wondered briefly where he was going.

La Parka did a jawbreaker on me and tried for a cover, but I kicked out. I wasn't ready to give up yet.

In response, La Parka threw me across the ring. He got me into a corner, but I punched back. Before I could move out of the way, a chair slammed into the back of my head.

"Shit," I said as La Parka picked me up and threw me down to the mat. A second later, Eddie had jumped on me and La Parka was banging the chair against my knee.

I managed to yank the chair from La Parka and hit both him and Eddie. After that, I slowly crawled over to Warrior. Eddie put a submission hold on me before I could get there, but I managed to break free and tag Warrior in.

Warrior began tossing Eddie and La Parka around like sacks of potatoes while I struggled to stand up. I watched with amusement as La Parka was tossed out of the ring and into the guardrail. Shortly after, though, he got up and slammed another chair into the back of my leg.

"Warrior, help!" I yelled.

In response, Warrior chokeslammed Eddie, left him lying in the middle of the ring, and tagged me in. While I covered Eddie, Warrior beat up La Parka.

The LWO ran in at that point, so Warrior and I had our hands full. I was completely out of it by that time. When they had gone, Warrior helped me backstage.

Chris was waiting for me and said, "Did you find a partner?"

"Yeah. Some guy named Warrior. We won."

"Do you realize who that is? He beat Hogan in a big match eight years ago!"

"You fought with Warrior?" Sting asked, joining us.

"Jade!" Juvi called. "You were great! Are you okay?"

"Fine, just tired," I said as I walked out of the arena with him and Chris.

"Your hair is too long, Juvi," Jericho said all of a sudden.

"I like Juvi's hair," I said. Juvi gave me a strange look, and Chris gave me a sly grin. "What?" I asked. But neither man said a thing.

Attempting a pin failed, but that didn't worry me too much. I picked Bryan up and slammed him to the mat. He wasn't expecting that move. I guess all that secret training with Goldberg helped after all.

Bryan ran into the turnbuckle and fell on the mat. Just for the hell of it, I did a backflip off the top rop. After I won the match, I noticed Vincent and Giant heading down the ramp, so I exited through the crowd.

Unfortunately, I ran into Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell backstage, who decided to start a slugfest. Disciple and the rest of the NWO followed shortly after.

I spotted Raven and the Flock and called, "Raven, help!"

Instead of helping me, Raven decided to give me a DDT and have Riggs hit me with a chair.

"What did you do that for?" I yelled to Raven. "And where the hell is security?"

Eddie and his LWO came down the hall at that moment, watching the fight with interest. Inwardly I hoped that Eddie wouldn't decide to attack as well.

"Eddie," I whispered when the LWO walked closer. Eddie looked down at me with a sneer. "If you let this happen, Eddie, Bischoff will get the last laugh."

Surprisingly, Eddie and the LWO attacked the Flock and NWO Hollywood. Sting came along and carried me out of harm's way.

"Are you okay?" Sting asked.

"I can't believe Eddie's helping me," was my reply.

Just as the Flock and the NWO were running off, security decided to show up.

"Where in the hell have you guys been?" I complained.

"Well.." one said.

"Forget it," I snapped. I walked over to Eddie and said, "I was wrong about the LWO. Thanks for helping me today in spite of that."

"We shouldn't have ganged up on you," Eddie replied.

"Don't worry about it," I said.

"We have to go," Eddie said.

"Me too," I replied. "Take care." We both walked off in opposite directions.

I went to the ring and found Warrior talking about some sort of "revolution". My ears perked up when I heard Hogan's name. Hogan and Disciple were in the ring with Warrior, looking positively spooked.

"Can I borrow that?" I asked Warrior, indicating the microphone. Warrior handed it over and began pacing the ring.

"You're a filthy coward, Hogan," I said. "It makes me sick how you can't do anything by yourself. The attack your group and the Flock pulled on me today was unforgivable. I don't know what this revolution is that Warrior's talking about, but if it brings you down, I welcome it. One day, Hogan, your power will be gone." With that, I left the ring. Warrior made his usual exit in a puff of smoke.

Later in the program, Lex was jumped by NWO Hollywood. As a way of thanking me, he bought me a drink after the show, which was something considering I was only eighteen.

That night, I pondered what to do about Bischoff. A lot of people hated him. If I could get them together...

"That's it!" I yelled.

"What's it?" Konnan asked, looking up from a game of cards with Sting.

"You'll find out Monday," I said. "I just had the most ingenious idea.

"Arrogant bastard," I muttered, watching Raven on the monitor backstage. I sighed and headed to the ring.

Warrior joined me and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Taking care of business," I replied. "Want to come along?" He nodded.

Raven looked surprised to see me with Warrior. He had the Flock attack the moment we entered the ring.

"I'm teaching you a lesson," Raven said.

"What lesson?" I asked. "I'm not in your Flock."

Not much was said after that because of the fighting. I knocked Raven down and put him in Sting's Scorpion Deathlock.

The Flock tried to break my hold on Raven, but Warrior kept them back. Raven was yelling and cursing below me, mainly because I was holding him, not hurting him.

"Get back," I ordered the Flock. "Unless you want Raven out of commission for a month."

Warrior took a menacing step toward the Flock. One by one, they backed off. I let go of Raven, who immediately lunged at me. I easily sidestepped his rush.

"You let me down, Raven," I said. "You were supposed to be my tag team partner, but you got drunk instead. I tied you up for your own good. You were in no condition to fight. Why did you attack me last Thursday?"

"I'll do what I please," Raven said. "Neither you nor anyone else will stop me. Quote the Raven, nevermore."

"I'm your friend, Raven," I said, "but I will not lower my standards for you."

"Are you too good for me?" Raven screamed. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead!"

Warrior took a step forward then, but I waved him back. "All I have to say is this, Raven: 'You label me, I'll label you; so I dub thee Unforgiven'." Raven's eyes widened at that. Those were words from my entrance music. He left the ring silently.

I sighed and said, "It has come to my attention that Mr. Bischoff has been annoying a lot of people lately, so I've come up with a plan. I'm forming what I call 'The Alliance'. The purpose is to take Bischoff down. If you like this idea, come see me."

"Wait," Warrior said as I was leaving the ring. I turned around and he said, "As you suppport my endeavors, I will support yours." I nodded in response and went backstage.

"That Alliance thing is a great idea," Kevin Nash said when he saw me. "Count me and Sting in."

"Are you okay?" Sting asked when he saw the look of hurt on my face.

"No," I replied.

Sting left soon for a match. Nash took me to the Wolfpack's dressing room and tried to cheer me up, but it didn't work.

Not even Juvi could break the blank stare I had developed over the past couple of hours. I had nightmares that night. In them I ran from things I could not see, and Raven mocked me from the shadows. Juvi, Jericho, and Chavo tried to cheer me up, but I only ended up keeping them and myself up all night.

La Parka pinned Riggs for the win. However, he was soon greeted by the Flock, who assaulted him with chairs.

I shook my head and said, "With your permission, Eddie, I'd like to handle this one."

"Sure, why not?" Eddie replied.

I grinned for the first time in days. "Good."

I was both sad and angry when I attacked my former friends of the Flock. Raven hit me with a chair, but it barely fazed me. Kidman tried to grab my leg, but he ended up grabbing my butt instead, so I kicked him in the crotch. I tossed Lodi over the ropes. The other Flock members eventually backed off as I helped La Parka up.

"You should mind your own business, little girl," Raven said.

"Little?" I asked, raising an eyebrown at La Parka, who started laughing.

Raven lunged at La Parka, but I stepped between them and said, "No, not yet. I'm not stooping to Raven's level." Calmly, La Parka and I left the ring.

Backstage, Psicosis and Eddie helped La Parka to a chair. The rest of the group was looking at me with newfound respect. I only sat next to La Parka and sighed.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking about him," Eddie said, referring to Raven.

"I can't help it," I said. "I'm sorry."

After that I took a nap, but was soon shaken awake by a man I'd never seen before.

"What? What is it?" I grumbled as I sat up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Wrath," the man said. "Sounds like someone's dying in here."

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Yeah, well, keep it down why don't you," he said.

"Unless you know how to get rid of nightmares, don't complain," I countered.

"Nightmares?" he asked.

"Oh, forget it."I left then for a match with Kidman.

I ran Kidman down the second the match began. My anger at the Flock was still very evident. I planned to make them pay, even if it hurt me more than it hurt them.

Kidman kicked out of my first pin attempt. I pulled him up and landed a flying side kick to the middle of his chest. Then I did a jawbreaker and pinned him again. That didn't work, so I decided to try something else.

I climbed to the top turnbuckle and jumped onto Kidman. Over the past few days, Juvi had shown me the many jumps he could do off the turnbuckle. The one I did on Kidman took the fight out of him and allowed me to win the match.

Naturally, the Flock wasn't finished. They all jumped in the ring and attacked. I kicked and punched back and said, "If this is the way you want to play the game, then so be it."

A steel chair slammed first into my back and then my head. I went down and the Flock began kicking me in earnest.

That didn't last long because Eddie brought the LWO down to save me. La Parka sent Lodi flying out of the ring, and Psicosis banged Sickboy's and Riggs's heads together. The rest of the Flock was quickly dispatched except for Raven, who Eddie was leading a merciless assault on.

"Enough," I said. Damion, another LWO member, helped me up.

Eddie looked at me and said, "Raven deserves to suffer, you know."

"Perhaps," I replied. "But he'll suffer more remembering what he has done. Just in case he forgets, I'll be here to remind him."

"Then so will we," Eddie said. The rest of the LWO nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," I said. I gave him a hug, and together we left the ring with the LWO circled around us.

That night, I had my head on Eddie's shoulder in his hotel room. The rest of the LWO was playing poker on the floor.

"Damn Bischoff," El Dandy muttered in Spanish.

"Trying to screw us over," Psicosis complained, throwing his cards down.

"If we had a lawyer-"Damion started to say.

"Law..Damion, you're a genius!" I said.

"Do you have an idea?" Eddie asked.

"Well," I said, "after all Bischoff's done I could sue the pants off him. Why don't I blackmail him into giving you the matches you want?"

Granted, two wrongs don't make a right. But after everything Bischoff had down to me and others in WCW, blackmail was perfectly excusable.

"Damn!" Eddie said, slamming down the phone in our limo.

"What?" I asked.

"Rey Mysterio doesn't want to join the LWO," Eddie complained.

"So?" I asked. "Doesn't the LWO have enough members?"

"It'll be settled soon enough," Eddie said.

"What do you mean?" I asked as the driver pulled into the arena parking lot.

"I mean that Rey and I are fighting tonight," Eddie explained. "If he loses, he has to join the LWO."

"Why do I somehow get the feeling that I'm not going to like this?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"He agreed to the match," Eddie said.

"Just don't overdo it," I replied. "He still wears a knee brace, you know."

"Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you, Eddie; it's your temper I don't trust."

Rey and Eddie had their match as promised. I watched the match backstage with Warrior.

"Do you think Rey'll be okay out there?" I asked. Rey was holding his own out there, but he was toast if the LWO interfered.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Warrior said.

"Yeah, but.." My voice trailed off as I saw Rey win the match and limp across the ring. "Guess Eddie went for the knee. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the knee brace."

"It's hard to hide one of those things," Warrior said dryly.

The LWO approached the ring, and I said, "Get out of there, Rey." Rey didn't see them coming and was hit on the back of the head with a chair. By the time he turned around, the entire LWO was beating him up.

"Excuse me, won't you?" I said. I ran down to the ring and yanked Rey out. "That'll be enough of that," I said.

"What are you doing?" Eddie asked.

"Stopping brutality," I said. Then I turned to Rey and asked, "Wanna join the Alliance?"

Rey looked at me, then at the LWO and nodded.

"You'll have to leave him alone now," I said.

"Why, you--" Eddie said.

"Stop right there." Konnan had come down the ramp.

"Shut up and go back to your Anglo friends," Eddie taunted.

"Let's go," I told Rey. "Let them argue for a while."

I helped Rey backstage to get his knee checked out. Warrior passed us in the hall and gave us a nod.

"Why are you doing this?" Rey asked.

"Because what Eddie is doing is no diffrent than what Bischoff does," I replied.

"Who else is in this Alliance of yours?"

"Me, Warrior, Juvi, Goldberg, the Wolfpack, and now you."

Warrior decided to kidnap Disciple that night. I thought it was funny until I had to pay the price.

After Eddie and I had worked out our differences over the Mysterio situation, I headed back to my dressing room. On the way, I was shoved into an abandoned locker room. My head was slammed into a locker.

"Where's Disciple?" Giant asked as he picked me up by the throat.

"How should I know?" I gasped.

"Have it your way," he said, and chokeslammed me. The rest of the NWO showed up and started kicking me. Scott Steiner had my least favorite weapon-the cat-of-nine-tails.

I raised my arms in a weak effort to avoid the blows, while demanding voices echoed above my head.

"Where's Disciple?"

"I don't know!"

Eventually they left me alone, but the Flock showed up before I could get to my feet. "Can't we settle this leater?" I pleaded.

"No," Kidman replied as he kicked me in the stomach.

"I'm screwed," I said.

"Damn right," Sickboy said. Then he fell.

"What the--" I looked up to see Wrath and Raven battling it out, so I crawled out into the hall.

"JADE!!" I saw Juvi run over to me.

"Juvi.." I gasped.

"You're bleeding. What happened?"

"NWO Hollywood," I gasped. "The..Flock."

"Come on, we're going to the hospital."

"But--"

"No buts."

"Okay."

Around 2 a.m., Juvi and I checked into a hotel. We fell asleep as soon as we hit the pillow.

"No way," I said when we entered the building.

"Jade, you're still injured. You've got bruises all over your body. Fighting a member of the Flock isn't a good idea tonight."

"I'm not a chicken."

"No, but you are as stubborn as a mule."

"Oh hush," I said. I spotted Wrath stalking through the hall and called, "Hey Wrath."

"Yes?" Wrath barked.

"Thanks for the help," I said.

"Yeah, whatever," he replied. "Just try to stay out of trouble."

"Jade, don't you think you should tell someone about what happened?" Juvi asked.

"And start a war? No thanks."

"But surely the Alliance could.."

"We need more members for that."

"How about the LWO?"

"Eddie will never join the Alliance."

"Am I missing something?" Wrath asked.

"Nope," I told him. "Come on, Juvi."

"You have to tell someone," Juvi said as we walked down the hall.

"No I don't."

"Don't you realize that you could get hurt again?"

"That never stopped me before."

"You've got two groups of people after you! Wake up!"

"I'll be fine, Juvi."

"That's what you always say, but you're never fine. I'm sick of bailing you out."

"Then don't!" I snapped. "Do you think I asked for this?"

"Oh, shut up. I'm sick of your feigned innocence. If I have to hear you talk about living on the streets one more time, I'll scream. You're as bad as Raven."

"Take that back!" I yelled.

"Why? It's true."

"Well if that's the way you feel, then who needs you?"

"Good riddance," Juvi muttered after I stormed down the hall.

I didn't go far before I ran into Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell, who had seen the fight.

"Whassa matter, did you have a fight with your little boyfriend?" Buff taunted.

"Move," I said.

"Nobody orders Big Poppa Pump," Steiner said. "Especially not a woman."

"Might I remind you that we're living in the 20th century?" I asked.

Scott and Buff lunged at me, but I ducked out of the way. They ran into the LWO instead.

"Back off," Eddie ordered Scott and Buff. The LWO advanced menacingly, and the two NWO Hollywood members ran off.

"Juvi was right," I said. "I can't do a damn thing by myself."

"Well, what do you expect?" Eddie asked. "You're still a kid."

"Well, after what happened yesterday.." I began to say.

"What about yesterday?" Eddie asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"Jade.."

"Fine, I'll tell you," I said. "But you won't like it."

"Hold it," Hector Garza said. "What's with those scars on your arms?"

"Who did that to you?" Eddie asked.

"I'll tell you after my match with Kidman," I said. "And I want all of you to come to the ring with me."

"Why?" Eddie asked.

"Because something bad happened, and the Flock was involved," I replied.

"Did they do this?" Psicosis asked, indicating my arms.

"No," I said. "But they were part of the problem."

"All right, we'll come with you," Eddie said.

"Thanks," I replied.

I spotted Warrior by the entrance ramp and said, "Warrior, could you have the rest of the Alliance meet me and the LWO after the show? There's something everyone needs to know."

"Will do," Warrior said.

"Since when do you need bodyguards?" Kidman sneered after I entered the ring.

"Since the Flock and NWO Hollywood attacked me on the same night," I said.

"Hogan's goons attacked you too?" Kidman asked.

"As if you didn't know," I snapped as I tossed him across the ring.

"I didn't," Kidman insisted as I banged his head against the turnbuckle. Riggs was arguing with the referee, so Sickboy took that opportunity to hit me on the back of the head. Raven tried to hit me with a chair, but he was stopped by Eddie and La Parka.

It was easy to pin Kidman and get the win. The hard part was ordering the LWO off the Flock.

Eddie helped me backstage. Juvi passed us in the hall and glared at me. I only sighed.

"What are they doing here?" Rey protested, indicating the LWO.

"They need to hear this," I explained.

"Does this have something to do with those scars?" Goldberg asked.

"Yeah," I said. "It also involves Warrior and Disciple."

"What about me?" Warrior asked.

"Well, the night you kidnapped Disciple, Hogan's bunch attacked me with a cat-of-nine-tails," I told Warrior.

"What?" Sting roared. "How.."

"Seconds later," I continued, "the Flock beat meup."

"Why those dirty.." Eddie said.

"Luckily, Wrath happened to be in the neighborhood," I said. "While he and the Flock went at it, I got out of there and Juvi took me to the hospital."

"Where is Juvi, anyway?" Konnan asked.

"We had an argument," I replied.

"Care to elaborate?" Warrior asked.

"Not really," I said. "Juvi hates me."

"He'll come around," Nash assured me.

"I hope so," I replied. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem," Luger said.

"Guess we should get some sleep," Nash said.

"Yeah," I said with a yawn. "Night guys."

"Night," everyone chorused.

"I can't believe what they did to you," Eddie said. But I was already asleep.

"I can lift more than that," Disco Inferno bragged.

"No one asked you," I snapped.

"Um, Jade?" Rey asked.

"What?" I sat up and then saw Scott Hall standing in the doorway.

"Hey yo," Scott said. "How come the only free gym has you pipsqueaks in it?"

"Just lucky, I guess," I replied cheerfully.

"Jade!" Rey hissed. "This guy helped beat you up!"

"Shh," I said.

"I don't wanna share a gym with you," Hall said.

"Why?" I asked. "Because Hogan told you not to?"

"No," Hall replied.

"Prove it," I said.

"Jaaade!" Rey whined.

"I should kick the shit out of you for that stunt with the whip," I told Scott.

"That wasn't my idea," he protested.

"So you really are Hogan's flunky," I said.

"I am not," he argued.

"Then stick around," I said. "I don't bite unless you give me a reason to."

Scott only laughed and began lifting weights in the corner.

"What are you up to?" Rey whispered.

"You'll see," I said with a smile.

All was quiet until Raven entered the room, Flockless for once. I didn't see him until he gave Rey a DDT.

"What the--" That was all I could get out before Raven shoved me to the ground.

"Payback time," Raven said.

"Hey yo," Scott said. "Hands off." Then Raven was slammed against the wall. For some odd reason, Scott had come to my rescue.

I got to my feet and helped Rey up. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

"What the hell is going on?" Rey asked.

"Don't know," I replied. I saw Scott about to slam Raven's head into a stack of weights and called out, "Stop."

Scott had Raven by the neck. He looked at me and said, "He doesn't deserve mercy."

"Just let him go," I said. When Raven got to his feet, I said, "Go now, Raven, and we won't beat the shit out of you."

Raven was never one to back down from a fight. He lunged at us, and the fight began.

Rey went down after Raven kicked his knee. Scott and I threw Raven against the wall. After Scott did his classic "Outsider's Edge" move, Raven lay still.

"You want a war, you got a war," I said to Raven's still form. Then I helped Rey up(again) and pondered Scott's assistance.

I had a match that night with Juvi for the cruiserweight title. When I had won, I tried to make peace but he shoved me away.

"Juvi..." I whispered.

"Shut up!" Juvi yelled. He executed a backbreacker on me and I lay on the mat in shock.

Scott Hall showed up again then. He pulled Juvi off of me and tossed the smaller man out of the ring. Juvi stared as Scott helped me up.

"What are you doing with him?" Juvi yelled.

"What do you care?" I snapped.

"You're crazy!" Juvi said. He walked off in disgust and passed Vincent and Giant, who were shaking their heads.

"You're in trouble now," I told Scott.

"No I'm not," Scott said. "Watch."

Scott started acting drunk the second Vincent and Giant hit the ring. Apparently it worked, because they led Scott away without a word.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Yo yo let me speak on this," Konnan interrupted. "How come you two are always arguing?"

"I don't know," I replied. "How come you guys snore?"

"I don't snore," Sting said.

"You do too," I replied. "Kev snores in two different keys, and Konnan makes two noises at once."

Lex and Sting laughed, while Nash and Konnan looked offended.

"I wouldn't snore if you didn't keep us up all night with your nightmares," Nash snapped.

"Yeah, well, you won't let me drink," I said, "and Lex won't let me take sleeping pills. Unless you have a better idea, try to keep the symphony to yourself."

"Symphony?" Nash was positively livid.

Scott Hall came along then, and watched us with interest.

"We got to get going," Konnan said.

"We'll settle this later," Nash told me. He stalked off with the rest of the Wolfpack.

"He has no sense of humor," I remarked to Scott. "Will you buy me a drink?"

"Sure kid, why not?"

"Excuse me," I said when I bumped into a skinny man with white hair.

"That's okay. It isn't every day that I run into a beautiful woman. WHOO!" the man replied.

"Ric, there you are!" another man said. "We're supposed to be driving Bischoff crazy, not picking up chicks."

"Hey, I'm a wrestler," I protested.

"You are not," the newcomer said.

"I am too. Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Chris Benoit and that's Ric Flair," the man said.

I winked at Ric and said, "At least Mr. Flair is a gentleman."

"Women wrestling, ha!" Benoit said as I walked off.

Shortly after, I was in yet another match with Kidman. "You'll never get this belt," I said.

"We'll see," Kidman replied as he threw me to the mat.

"I hope you don't expect me to be scared," I said.

The match was going well until Hammer hit me on the head. Kidman covered me, and, try as I might, I couldn't kick out. Three counts later, I had lost my belt.

When I spotted the tire iron in Hammer's hand, I said, "Hey! He cheated!"

"Nothing I can do," the referee said. "This match was under Raven's rules."

"Now you tell me," I muttered. I thought about fighting the Flock, but I really wasn't in the mood. Unfortunately, they decided to chase me backstage and we got into a fight anyway. Warrior jumped in to help, but the NWO joined in and things got worse.

"Oh shit, not again," I said when I saw Steiner with the cat-of-nine-tails. The whip came down again and again until it was caught by Scott Hall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Buff asked Hall. Hall just punched him in response.

By then, Raven had realized that things were getting out of hand, so he and the Flock made a hasty retreat. The NWO, having dealt their damage, left shortly after.

"What's going on?" Bischoff asked, joining us.

"This," Hall replied, holding up the whip. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"I smell lawsuit," I said.

"No, not that," Bischoff pleaded.

"No more whips, Estrogen Boy," I said as Warrior helped me to my dressing room.

"Did you hear about the Four Horsemen yet?" Jericho asked.

"No," I said. "Who're they?"

"Just the most elite group in wrestling," Jericho explained. "They made a return tonight and Sleazy-E threw a fit."

"Well, as long as Bischoff gets mad, I'm all for it," I said. "Who are the members?"

"Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Mongo, and Ric Flair. They're managed by Arn Anderson."

"So Ric's a Horseman, eh?"

"You've met him?"

"Earlier tonight."

"Can you explain something to me?" Jericho asked.

"What?"

"What's with you and Scott Hall?"

"I wish I knew. Something's up."

Chris put his arm around me and said, "Don't worry. Your paragon of virtue is here to protect you."

"Thanks, Chris."

"I thought I told them to quit," I said.

"You did. But then they did this," Rey replied, showing me a bruise on his arm. "I'm not afraid of them, but I'm sick of all this."

"That makes two of us," I said. We stopped next to a dressing room. Arguing voices were coming from inside.

"I don't care if the NWO is after her," Raven said.

"Raven, this is too much. Jade is strong, but not that strong! You've got to back off."

"Obviously you've forgotten who's in charge here," Raven said. "But I'll deal with you later. I've got things to do."

Rey and I hid before Raven came out. After Raven left, Kidman came out of the dressing room with an angry look on his face.

"Psst, Kidman," I called.

"What do you want?" Kidman asked.

"Thought I'd give you some advice," I said. "Raven doesn't own you."

"He thinks he does," Kidman replied. "But why do you care?"

"I heard what you said in there," I said. "Standing up for me in front of Raven takes guts. In spite of all the matches we've had, you've always shown concern for my well-being."

"Jade, I.." Kidman's voice trailed off.

"Just think about what I've said," I replied. Then I walked off with Rey.

"You're up to something, aren't you?" Rey asked.

"I sure am," I said.

"What does Kidman have to do with it?"

"Let's just say that if my idea works, the LWO may back off a bit," I replied.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's a surprise."

I had a match that night with Juvi. Imagine my surprise when I saw him come out to LWO music.

"Why are you so surprised?" Juvi asked.

"I..." My voice trailed off, then I asked, "Why won't you leave Rey alone? Eddie promised.."

"Promises were made to be broken," Juvi snapped.

That hit a nerve. I attacked Juvi in full force. If I wasn't so mad at him, I'd pity him for the beating I was giving him in the corner of the ring.

After I had won the match, I grabbed the microphone from David Penzer and said, "This is what happens when promises are broken. Eddie, this is for you." Then I flung Juvi across the ring and put him in a submission hold.

The LWO came out then. Eddie was furious. "What the hell are you doing?" he screamed.

"You promised to leave Rey alone, but you didn't," I said calmly. "So I will no longer blackmail Bischoff on your behalf."

"You can't do that!" Eddie yelled.

"I just did," I replied. After that, another fight broke out. Eddie and I went at it until the ring was cleared. I noticed Rey, Jericho, and Chavo standing in the ring so I asked, "When did you guys get here?"

"Right about the time you were beating Uncle Eddy senseless," Jericho said dryly.

"Jeez Jade, I hope you never get mad at me," Rey joked. "You're dangerous."

We all laughed and I said, "See me later, guys; I have an idea to run by you."

Shortly after, Rey and I spotted a Japanese man and his manager heading to the ring. Rey followed my glance and said, "That's Kaz Hiyashi and his manager, Sonny Onno."

"I don't like the looks of Onno," I said. "I'm going to keep an eye on him."

When Kaz lost his match to someone named The Cat, Onno began attacking Kaz in frustration. I made the save while Onno made a hasty retreat.

"Are you all right?" I asked in Japanese.

"Yes," Kaz replied. "Where did you learn Japanese?"

"Here and there," I said. "Come with me."

I discussed my plan with Jericho, Kaz, Chavo, and Rey.

"Between us, we've basically got the enmity of the entire roster," I explained. "Face it, we need to watch each other's backs like a hawk. So, I thought about forming a new group called 'No Mercy'."

"I suppose you're going to be the leader?" Jericho asked.

"No," I replied. "There are no leaders. Call it a subdivision of the Alliance."

"I'm in," Rey said.

"Me too," Kaz added.

"Don't forget me!" Chavo said.

"Why the hell not?" Jericho said. "After all, every group needs a paragon of virtue."

That's how No Mercy was born.

Monday night, the members of No Mercy announced their presence to WCW. We were, naturally, interrupted by the LWO.

"What are you doing?" Eddie yelled. "Rey, you belong with us, not them."

"Eddie, I already told you no," Rey said. "If joining another group keeps you off my back, then so be it."

"You can't just form your own group," Eddie replied.

"Why not?" Jericho asked. "You did."

"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you," Eddie snapped.

"This is No Mercy's time," I said. "And yes I can; I took care of the details this morning."

"I'll deal with you later," Eddie said.

"That was interesting," Kaz remarked as Eddie and the LWO stalked off.

On our way backstage, we saw Warrior and Disciple..together. Disciple was wearing an OWN jacket identical to Warrior's.

"Look at that!" Jericho said.

We watched as Warrior and Disciple went to the ring. Hogan followed him and issued a challenge to Warrior.

"I accept!" I heard Warrior say.

"Wow, a return match between Warrior and Hogan, eight years in the making," I said.

During Rey's match with Kidman, I had No Mercy watching closely from ringside. None of us trusted the Flock.

Kidman beat Rey fair and square, but the Flock attacked post-match. It was No Mercy and Kidman vs. the Flock.

"I don't want to be part of this anymore, Raven," Kidman said when the fight had broken up. "You play too dirty."

"I own you," Raven replied.

"You do not," I said. "I'll prove it to you at Halloween Havoc."

"What?" Kidman looked stunned. Raven was amused.

"I challenge you to a match for Kidman's freedom at Halloween Havoc," I said. "Kidman stood up for me; now it's my turn to stand up for him."

"Fine," Raven said. "Come on, Kidman."

"No," Kidman replied.

"He'll be staying with us until then," I said. Raven only shook his head and left.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Kidman asked.

"Yes," I replied. "You'll be free, Kidman. I promise you that."

"Who's your partner tonight?" Rey asked me. He was referring to a tag team match I had against Scott Hall and Stevie Ray.

"Don't know," I replied. "Was supposed to be Konnan, but the Wolfpack is still mad at me."

"I'll do it," Jericho said.

"Thanks Chris," I replied. "Let's go."

I had been a little worried about this match; Scott Hall and Stevie Ray were both big men. Turns out I didn't have a thing to worry about; for some reason Scott Hall was holding back throughout the entire match.

I pinned Stevie after I landed a DDT. I turned to tell Jericho we had won when I heard him call out, "Jade, look out!"

Stevie's slapjack came flying at my head, but it was caught by Scott Hall. He and Stevie got into a fistfight.

"Now I've seen everything," Jericho said.

"Well, you're about to see more," I replied as NWO Hollywood hit the ring. They were followed by Kaz, Chavo, and Kidman.

After the fight had ended, I asked Scott, "How long are you going to keep that NWO shirt?"

Scott ripped off his shirt in response and said, "To hell with them."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Rey asked me in Spanish.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "But he was holding back tonight."

"What are you two jabbering about?" Jericho complained.

"Nothing important," I assured him. "Let's go."

"He went to get a soda," Scott Hall said. Scott had been tagging along with our group for a while, but I still suspected a setup.

"I'll go look for him," I said.

"Be careful," Kaz called as I left.

"I will," I replied. I walked down the hall toward the soda machines. When I got there, I saw the LWO beating up Rey.

"Jade!" Rey exclaimed. The LWO turned arround and started to attack me.

"Shit," I muttered. I kneed La Parka in the crotch. Eddie grabbed my leg, and I couldn't shake him off.

Rey performed a missile dropkick on Psicosis just as I heard my knee snap. When I fell, I took Eddie with me and yanked his arms behind his back. The LWO pulled him away and kicked me for a while, then left.

"Are you okay, Jade?" Rey asked. He helped me up gently.

"My knee hurts," I said. "Let's get this checked out, but keep it quiet until after Halloween Havoc."

The Flock ignored me completely when I entered the ring for my match with Raven.

Raven made the first move. I'd forgotten how fast he was; he was able to shove me down to the mat in a matter of seconds. Next, he shoved me into the corner and began administering quite a beating.

"I'm going easy on you, you know," Raven said.

"Shut up," I muttered. The two of us slugged it out until I spotted Sickboy holding a wrench that he obviously intended to hit me with. As usual, Riggs was distracting the referee.

I dodged the wrench. Sickboy ended up hitting Raven instead. Raven grabbed my injured knee as he fell, but I was able to pin him and win the match.

Kidman and Rey entered the ring to help me up. As Raven staggered away, I wondered if he had discovered my knee injury. Seconds later, Raven met my gaze intently. In that moment, I knew that he knew.

Rey and I watched Hogan's match with Warrior from backstage. All was well until I saw Horace heading to the ring with a chair.

"Oh, brother," I said. Before Rey could say anything, I ran to the ring to stop Horace.

I got to Horace right before he reached the ring. Unfortunately, I ended up taking a chair shot for Warrior, but I did keep Horace busy long enough for Warrior to win the match.

Warrior left the ring and pulled Horace away from me. I watched Warrior beat on Horace for a while, then went after Hogan, who was heading my way.

A few minutes later, NWO Hollywood started running down towards the ring. "Warrior, we might want to leave!" I yelled.

"Good idea," Warrior replied. The two of us made our escape through the crowd.

"You're limping," Warrior remarked when we got back to No Mercy's dressing room.

"I know," I said.

"Are you okay?" Rey asked me after Warrior and I entered the room.

"A little sore, but fine," I said. I lifted up my pants leg to show Warrior my knee brace. "LWO," I explained. I sat down and leaned my head on Kidman's shoulder. Rey turned on the tv in our room just in time for us to see some of DDP's match with Goldberg.

"I've got to go," Warrior said. "Take care."

Warrior left, and the rest of us watched the match on tv. Goldberg won, which I expected, but I wasn't about to admit that to DDP.

"Great match," Rey said. "Almost as good as yours, Jade."

I grinned at Rey and said, "Hey, I don't have to be the best all the time. DDP and Goldberg put on one hell of a show. Now what do you say we get out of here, eh?"

When I tore it open, all that was inside was a short note that said, "One among you is a rat." It was signed with a single R.

"It's Raven's writing," I said. "But why?"

Kidman looked over my shoulder at the note. "That's Raven's writing all right," he said.

"Well, what does it say?" Kaz asked.

"It says that one of us is a traitor," I said.

"He could be lying," Scott Hall said.

"Not about something like this," Kidman replied. "Besides, if he was trying to cause trouble, he would have done it before Halloween Havoc."

"This is ridiculous," Scott said. He left the room in a huff.

"Awfully defensive, isn't he?" Rey remarked.

"I'll say," Jericho added.

"Who's the traitor?" Chavo asked.

"Scott Hall," I replied. "It has to be."

"Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Jericho said.

"I guess.." My voice trailed off. "Chris, are you ready for our match with Eddie and Juvi?"

"Yep," Jericho replied.

When the two of us got to the ring, we were shocked to see Psicosis come out in Eddie's place.

"Wonder where Uncle Eddie is?" Chris asked.

"I'll find out," I whispered. I got in the ring and asked, "Where's Eddie?"

Juvi shoved me down and said, "Why do you care?"

"Eddie never misses a match," I replied. "You and I both know that. Now where is he?"

Juvi didn't reply. I put him in a submission hold and asked, "Where's Eddie?" for the third time.

Juvi broke the hold and said, "He's in the hospital, okay?"

"The hospital?" I asked in disbelief. "Why?"

In response, Juvi shook his head and tagged in Psicosis. I repeated the question to Psicosis: "Why's Eddie in the hospital?"

"Car accident," Psicosis replied after he gave me a DDT.

I tagged in Jericho and whispered, "Eddie was in a car accident."

"What?" Jericho blinked in disbelief.

Psicosis and Juvi were distracted throughout the match. I let Jericho get the pin. After the match, I stopped Psicosis and Juvi and said, "Take us to Eddie."

"What for?" Juvi snapped.

"Because I said so," I snapped back.

"Fine," Juvi said. "We'll take you after Nitro."

"Thanks for letting us see him," I whispered to Eddie's unnamed bodyguard. The bodyguard only nodded and motioned for us to be quiet.

Eddie opened his eyes. When he saw me, he said, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you, silly," Jericho said.

"What do you want?" Eddie asked.

"What happened?" I said.

"I was coming back from the store cause I bought a few beers for the boys," Eddie explained. "Next thing I know, a limo is trying to force me off the road. A car rammed me from behind, and then the damn limo forced me into a ditch."

"Did you catch the license plates?" Rey asked.

"Yeah," Eddie replied. "One said Wolfpack; the other said Hollywood."

"That's impossible," Jericho exclaimed. "Why would the Wolfpack work with Hogan?"

"What, you don't believe me?" Eddie asked.

"I bet they sent Scott Hall to distract me so I wouldn't figure out what they were up to," I said. "I'm sorry, Eddie."

"Where does this leave us?" Rey asked.

"Up shit creek," I replied. The LWO looked scared. I was a little spooked myself but couldn't show it. Everyone was expecting me to be the strong one.

"So what do we do?" El Dandy's question sounded like a whine.

"What we should have done in the first place," Eddie replied. "Join the Alliance."

"WHAT?" everyone chorused.

"Safety in numbers, remember?" Eddie said gently. He turned to me and said, "Look out for the LWO for me."

"I will," I whispered. "Hogan will pay for this."

"What if he doesn't come?" I asked Jericho. "I need his help."

"He has to," Jericho assured me. "Besides, you told him it was important."

There was a knock at the door. I opened it and let Raven and the Flock enter.

"Thank God," I said. "Raven, we've got trouble."

"What trouble?" Raven asked. He had appeared bored when I answered the door, but now I detected a hint of concern in his voice.

"You were right about the traitor," I said. "It was Scott Hall sent to distract me while the Wolfpack and the NWO caused Eddie to have a car accident."

"The Wolfpack and NWO Hollywood?" Saturn asked. "No way."

"Eddie wouldn't lie about something like this," I said.

"She's right," Raven added. "If all of them are working together, any one of us could be next."

"Eddie put me in charge of the LWO," I said. "With that, the Alliance, and No Mercy, I'm going to have my hands full. Will you help me out, Raven? You've got more leadership experience than anyone in this federation."

Raven looked surprised, then nodded.

"Good," I said. "I'll call a mass meeting of the Alliance tomorrow. Until then, I think we all need sleep."

"All right," Raven said. "See you tomorrow."

"That went well," Kidman said after the Flock left.

"I guess he cares after all," I replied.

"No problem," Goldberg replied. "I'm dying to know what the NWO is up to."

"Anything that involves Hollywood 'Scum' Hogan is nasty anyway," DDP said.

I sat down next to Raven. Before the two of us could start the meeting, the Nitro Girls showed up.

"What are they doing here?" Kaz asked.

"We, uh, came for the meeting," Chae said. "You don't mind, do you?"

I glanced at Raven. "What do you think?" I asked him.

"I really don't care," Raven said. "We've got better things to worry about."

"Okay, you can stay," I said. "Now does everyone know why we're here?"

"To find out what the NWO is up to?" Lodi asked.

I looked over at Raven, who arched an eyebrow. "Whaddya know, Lodi had an insight," I said. Raven laughed.

"I have news," El Dandy said.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"I overheard Nash and Hogan talking in the hall a few days ago," he said.

"And?" I asked.

"They planned Eddie's accident."

"Figures," I replied. "Anyway guys, with Eddie gone, I'm going to have my hands full with No Mercy, the LWO, and the Alliance. Raven's going to be helping me out with some of the leadership responsibilities. If you see him giving orders, that's why."

"I've seen Nash and Luger with NWO Hollywood," Spice said.

"What about Sting and Konnan?" I asked. Spice and the other girls shook their heads.

"Kim, why are you and the Nitro Girls here?" DDP asked Kimberly.

"We have a problem with Scott Steiner," Kim replied.

"Doesn't everybody?" Goldberg asked.

"Anyone seen the Horsemen?" Everyone shook their heads no. I had invited the Horsemen to the meeting, but they had obviously chosen not to show up. "Fine, any new business?"

"We want to join the Alliance," Spice said. I glanced at Raven, who shrugged.

"We'll think about it," I said. "Anybody have anything they want to add?"

"Do you still have those nightmares?" Juvi asked.

"Nightmares?" Raven looked at me suspiciously as he asked the question.

"I'll explain in a minute," I hissed. "This meeting is adjourned," I said. Everyone but Juvi and Raven left.

"Tell me about these nightmares," Raven ordered.

"Just dreams about me on the streets," I said. "Only Bischoff and the NWO are chasing me. You're there too, Raven, but when I call to you for help, you only laugh and turn away."

"Jade, I..." Raven's voice trailed off.

"Forget it," I said. "It's all in the past."

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Raven said.

"Me too," Juvi added.

"Group hug," I joked.

Raven and Juvi exchanged grimaces, then laughed. I hugged them both, and the three of us left the gym.

"Scoot over, Tenay," I said when I got to the announcers' table.

"Hey!" Mike Tenay complained. He did, however, move out of my way.

"I have an announcement to make," I said.

"You can't just barge over here and--" Tony's voice trailed off.

"Better me than Scott Steiner," I replied.

"Good point," Mike said.

"Mike, shut up and let her talk," Bobby Heenan said.

"Thanks," I said. "I just wanted to tell everyone that my amigo Eddie Guerrero was in a car accident a few days ago, and I have reason to believe that the NWO was behind it."

"Do you mean NWO Hollywood or the Wolfpack?" Mike asked.

"I mean the NWO," I replied.

"Are you saying that the entire NWO worked together to get rid of Eddie?" Tony asked. "Why would they do that?"

"Does the NWO ever have a reason for anything?" Mike said.

Just then, I saw Bret Hart coming to the table. "We've got company," I said.

Mike looked up and said, "Oh, lord."

"Do you have a problem, Tenay?" Bret asked.

"Uh, no Mr. Hart, I don't." Mike replied quickly. Tony, Bobby and I were trying our hardest not to laugh.

"Mike, why don't you get up and let Bret have a seat?" I asked.

"Why me?" Mike whined. He left in a huff.

Bret put on Mike's headseat and said, "I want everyone to know that I'm the best there is, the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be."

"Yeah, right," Tony muttered.

"What was that?" Bret asked Tony.

"Um, nothing," Tony replied.

"That's what I thought," Bret said.

Before Bret could say anything else, Scott Steiner headed down to the ring with Buff Bagwell. Immediately I said, "There goes Steroid Boy."

"Why is it that every time Steiner talks about freaks, only Buff Bagwell shows up?" Bret asked. Everyone at the table laughed.

Steiner's opponent was Mongo of the Horsemen. Because of that, I was planning to watch the match closely.

Bret couldn't resist saying something about the Horsemen. "They're nothing compared to what they used to be," he said. "Now they're nothing but a bunch of goody-goodys."

Mongo was currently dominating the match, and I couldn't resist saying so to Bret. "Goody-goody or not, he's winning."

"The NWO will never let Mongo win this match," Bret said.

"Don't you mean NWO Hollywood?" Tony asked.

"Hmm, I think you might know something, Bret," I said.

"What are you talking about?" Bret snapped.

"You said 'NWO'," I replied. "That means the Wolfpack, too."

"You know what I meant," Bret said.

Back in the ring, Steiner was distracting the referee while Buff beat up Mongo.

"What did I tell you?" Bret said.

I was about to reply, but then I saw Giant walking down the ramp. Immediately I took off my headset and ran to the ring.

"Where are you going?" Bret yelled. He dashed after me.

I stopped Giant from reaching the ring, but he shoved me out of his way. He did the same thing to Bret, who attempted to make peace.

The NWO Hollywood troops headed for me seconds later. Bret dashed off, and I was not very happy.

"Get back here, asshole!" I yelled to Bret. I saw the Horsemen run by to help Mongo, and I found myself ready to scream. A chokeslam from Giant didn't do much to improve my mood. However, the LWO did come to my rescue. Psicosis and Juve performed simultaneous missile dropkicks on Giant. I was shoved into the arms of Hector Garza.

"Where in the hell have you guys been?" I asked.

"Finding out what the NWO has been up to," Juvi replied.

Security broke up the fight minutes later, so I was able to go backstage with the LWO.

"What did you think you were doing?" La Parka asked.

"Trying to butter the Horsemen up so I can get them in the Alliance," I replied. "However, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind right now."

I didn't bother knocking on the Horsemen's door. They looked startled when the LWO and I burst in.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Mongo asked.

"I just risked my ass for you," I said. "And all the thanks I got was a beating from the NWO."

Ric Flair was about to say something, but Juvi cut him off. "I wouldn't become an enemy of the Alliance if I were you," Juvi said.

"Is that a threat?" Benoit asked.

"You tell me," Juvi replied.

"Let's go," I said. We left four speechless Horsemen behind.

"Flair's going to be attacked by the NWO," Jericho said.

"When?" I asked.

"Sometime during Nitro next Monday," Jericho explained. "They're going to replace his regular limo driver with one of theirs."

"What are you going to do, Jade?" Kaz asked.

"You can't be thinking of taking those guys on by yourself," Rey said.

"It's less conspicuous," I replied.

"No," Kidman said. "We need you, Jade. If you have to go, take someone with you." Jericho, Chavo, and Kaz nodded their agreement.

I was touched by their concern, so I said. "Thanks, guys. Will it make you feel better if I bring Raven along?" They all nodded.

Raven wasn't too keen on the idea, but he liked the idea of me interfering in an NWO ambush even less, so he agreed to come along.

Raven and I had secured a rental car the following week so we could follow Flair's limo. The two of us watched in silence as Flair got into his limo with three other men.

"Let's get this over with," Raven said. I started the car and followed the limo from a distance.

Some jeeps pulled up alongside the limo and eventually forced it off the road. The passengers of the jeeps were all dressed in black and wearing ski masks, but Raven and I knew who they were.

Flair's companions were allowed to leave unscathed, but Flair himself was not so lucky. While Ric got his beating, Raven and I got out of the car.

I heard Buff Bagwell yelp in surprise when I performed a missile dropkick on a masked Hogan. Raven was slammed into the limo by Kevin Nash. After I gave Nash a low blow, Raven was able to take him down quite easily.

Meanwhile, Hogan was using his belt as a weapon on Flair. I grabbed the belt and hit Hogan with it.

"Raven, get Ric to the car now!" I yelled. Raven did so, and I kept the rest of the NWO away with Hogan's belt. I tossed the belt at Hogan after Flair was in the car, got in, and sped off.

"You look like hell," I remarked to Flair.

"Look who's talking Jade," Raven said. "You look like you lost a fight with a lawnmower."

I looked in the rearview mirror and realized that Raven was right. There were cuts all over my face and my hair looked identical to Jericho's.

"I think I have bruises over my bruises," I complained.

"Join the club," Ric said. The three of us laughed.

When we got to the arena, Ric literally rolled out of the car. Raven and I helped him up.

"Easy," I said. "You should rest after all that."

"No way," Flair replied. "I'm going to kill them."

"Raven," I said. Ravcn tightened his hold on Flair, but Ric kicked Raven in the crotch and staggered off.

"Oww, shit!" Raven yelped.

"Dammit!" I said. "I guess it takes a woman to do a man's job."

I followed Ric to the ring, where the NWO had managed to make it back before us. Kevin Nash was conspicuously absent.

Ric staggered over the guardrail and into the ring. I followed him and said, "Did I ever tell you that you're one stupid s.o.b?"

"Hey, you didn't have to follow me," Ric replied.

He was right of course, but I wasn't about to let the NWO have their way with anyone.

Flair insisted on fighting, which made things worse because I was trying to shield him from the NWO's blows.

A surprising assist came from Sting and Konnan, who cleared the ring rather quickly. Their appearance was followed by one from Nash and Luger, who attacked the two immediately. The crowd booed and gasped in disbelief. Eddie Guerrero, who was watching Nitro from a hospital bed, wasn't surprised in the least.

The Horsemen, the Flock, and the LWO showed up, followed by No Mercy and security. A mass fight broke out.

"Dandy, you stink," Jericho complained. El Dandy muttered something in Spanish, and I laughed.

The fight ended minutes later. The majority of the NWO members were knocked out. I collapsed into the arms of Sting.

"Why did you save Ric?" Benoit asked.

"Because someone has to make a stand," I replied.

Later that night, the Horsemen finally joined the Alliance, along with the Nitro Girls. Go figure, eh?

"Just two?" Juvi joked. Everyone groaned.

"What problems?" Psicosis asked.

"Titles," I replied. "The Alliance needs to capture the tag team titles and the tv title."

"How are we going to take the belts away from the LWO?" Rey asked.

"Very carefully," I replied. "Psicosis and I will go for the tag team titles. Chris, you tell Booker T to get the tv title away from Scott Steiner."

I knew it wouldn't be hard to challenge Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for the tag team titles. Psicosis and I went to the ring later that night during an NWO brag session to make our move.

"We've got a challenge, boys," I said.

"Oh really?" Hogan asked.

"You name it, we'll do it," Nash said. "Anytime, anywhere."

"You know Kev, I'm really glad you said that," I replied. "Psicosis, tell the big bad wolves what we want."

"The tag team titles," Psicosis said.

"What?" Nash asked. "We don't have to fight you.

"You just said, 'anytime, anywhere'," I reminded him. "Besides, if you don't, I'll sue the pants of Bischoff."

Psicosis and I left the NWO in the ring speechless(for once). Bischoff had no choice; he had to set up the match.

"Ready to rumble?" I asked Psicosis when it was time.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

Nash and Hall were the last to get to the ring. After exchanging insults, the match began.

I was up first against Nash. He hit me first with a clothesline and then attempted a powerbomb, but I evaded the second after training with him.

Psicosis was keeping Scott busy at ringside and calling out instructions to me in Spanish. This was one time where the language barrier came in handy.

It took a long time to wear Nash down. I saw Psicosis getting tired, so I decided to wrap up the match.

I decided to try Rey's head-scissors takeover move that he had shown me a few days ago. It worked, and a very shocked Hall and Nash realized that they had lost.

"One down, one to go," I said to Psicosis as we went backstage.

"You did it!" Juvi said when we got back to No Mercy's dressing room. He gave us both a hug.

"We sure did," I replied, giving Psicosis a grin. There was a knock at the door, so I went to answer it while Jericho popped open a bottle of champagne.

Raven was waiting on the other side of the door. "Can we talk for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. I stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind me.

"Congratulations on the victory," he said. "But about what happened with Flair..."

"You only came because you didn't want me to go alone, right?" I asked.

"I don't like what you do," he said. "But I can't stop you from doing it. Just.."

"Just what?"

"Be careful," Raven said. "Before I could say anything, he leaned down and kissed my lips softly. Then he walked away with a small smile on his face.

"I didn't hear them complaining," Ric replied. "WHOO!"

Fyre rolled her eyes and exchanged a look with Spice. I couldn't help but think that the Alliance had enough problems keeping Scott Steiner away from the Nitro Girls without adding Ric Flair to the list.

"They're just too nice to tell ya to go away," Konnan said to Ric. Konnan slung an arm around A.C. Jazz, who pushed him away. I snickered.

"What's so funny?" asked Konnan. I just shook my head and walked off.

"Happy birthday Jade!" Jericho said, picking me up and spinning me around.

"Chris! You scared me!"

"So?"

"Men," I muttered.

"Honey, I hate to tell you, but this building is full of them."

"Yeah, I noticed that after I accidentally walked in on La Parka in the shower."

"Ewww!"

"So what did you get me for my birthday?" I asked.

"Um, it's a surprise."

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"I wished you a happy birthday didn't I?"

"AGGH!" I screamed in frustration and stalked off. "I should have stayed in bed today," I muttered.

Kidman walked over to me and said, "Jade, I've been looking for you. What's wrong?"

"Jericho forgot my birthday."

"Well, I didn't," he said. Kidman walked up behind me and put something around my neck.

"It's beautiful," I said, looking at the gold phoenix necklace he had given me.

"I immediately thought of you when I saw it."

"Thanks, Billy," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. I looked at my watch and groaned. "Ugh, time for that autograph session with Hogan."

"Just don't kill him," Kidman called as I walked off.

"Where have you been?" Hogan asked when I caught up to him in the parking lot. "We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago."

"That sounds strange coming from a man who's an hour late for every show," I replied.

"Why did we have to end up at the same autograph session?" Hogan complained.

"Because it's my birthday, and Bischoff decided to ruin it by pairing me up with you."

"Today's your birthday?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?"

"Aren't we done yet?" Hogan asked with a yawn while I signed another autograph.

"You're just mad because no one wants your autograph," I said. "Say, what's with that guy in the suit?" The man in the corner of the room looked out of place among the casually-dressed fans.

"Maybe he likes to dress that way," Hogan said.

"In 90 degree heat?" I asked.

The man approached the table and reached for something in his pocket. I saw a glimmer of black metal and reacted instantly.

"Hit the deck!" I yelled. I shoved Hogan onto the ground and ducked behind our table.

"Holy shit!" Hogan yelled after the first shot was fired. The stranger's gun was pointed directly at Hogan.

I managed to grab the man's gun arm and fought him for control. "Get help," I told Hogan.

"But-"

"Now!"

Hogan ran off like a man possessed. I finally got control of the gun, but in the process I got shot three times in the leg and once in the arm.

After the would-be assassin made a hasty exit, I blacked out. It would be a long time before I woke up again.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. Raven was at my side. He looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"Don't you EVER do that again," Raven said. "Why in the hell did you take bullets for Hogan?"

"My revenge isn't worth a man's life," I replied quietly.

Eddie Guerrero entered the room then, hobbling on crutches. He sat down on the other side of my bed. "I had to donate some of my blood for you," he said. "You lost a lot of yours."

"Thanks, Eddie," I said.

Seconds later, the phone rang. Raven answered it and immediately got into an argument with the person on the other end. He slammed down the phone in disgust.

"That was Bischoff," Raven said. "He said that the tag team titles are on the line tonight against Bagwell and Steiner."

Eddie cursed in Spanish. I said, "I can't let Psicosis do this alone. Raven, you'll have to take my place."

"What?" Raven looked startled.

"Psicosis and I can't lose those belts; not after all we went through to get them."

"Okay, Jade," Raven said softly.

"And I'm coming with you," I added. "The war between me and Bischoff is about to end. Let's fight the final battle."

"The titles are ours, Scotty," Buff said, flexing his muscles.

Imagine their surprise when Psicosis, Raven and I came out together. My presence was a slap in the face for Bischoff, who thought he could convince me to forfeit the titles.

Psicosis did most, if not all of the fighting in the ring. He started the match off with a clothesline that sent Buff flying. Scott Steiner tried to attack from behind, but Raven stopped him with a DDT. After that, the match went surprisingly well. It was as if Psicosis was possessed with some sort of unnatural strength. Every time Steiner or Bagwell made a move, Psicosis beat them down.

"Yes!" I yelled. "Kick his ass!" Psicosis just laughed.

Seconds later, Steiner managed to catch Psicosis and put him in the Steiner Recliner.

"Shit," I said. Then I called out in Spanish, "Kick him in the balls!"

Psicosis kicked backwards and hit Steiner right in the family jewels. It was enough to break the hold.

"Quick thinking," Raven said to me.

Psicosis jumped down on Steiner from the top rope. He got the 3-count while Raven held Buff back. The referee raised Psicosis's hand in victory. I walked over to Psicosis and said, "You were great."

"Yeah, but it was your tip that won the match," he replied.

"Does it matter?" Raven asked. "You two are still the champs, and that's all that counts."

"You are one hell of a woman," he said.

Before I could reply, the dressing room door opened and in walked Hogan and the NWO. Raven stepped forward and pulled me behind him.

"We're not here for a fight," Kevin Nash said.

"That'll be a first," Juvi said, folding his arms.

"Why did you risk your life for mine?" Hogan asked.

"I don't believe in murder," I replied.

"It's true what Bischoff did, isn't it?" Stevie Ray asked. "He abandoned you."

"Of course it's true," I snapped. "Did you think I made that up?"

"No," Buff said. "I guess we were trying to ignore what he did."

"Well, he's about to pay the price," I said.

"What do you mean?" Hogan asked.

"We're all gonna sue Bischoff," Jericho said.

Hogan raised an eyebrow. "And you expect to win?"

"I know we will," I said. "And then I'm buying this company."

"You're what?" Hogan asked. I didn't answer him; I just left the room.

The LWO all filed suit against Bischoff. I did too, of course. Eddie added "attempted murder" to his list of charges. Judge Judy presided over the trial, which didn't last long because she got annoyed at Bischoff for interrupting everyone. All together, we won $100 million in damages.

On my 20th birthday, I bought WCW for $100 million and became the youngest CEO in wrestling history. Raven became executive vice president, and Eddie became chief booker.

Booker T eventually won the tv title from Scott Steiner, but Goldberg lost the world title to Kevin Nash. As for Hogan, we continued our feud on-screen, but became friends backstage.

Raven and I became a couple after a while. Everyone in the back said it was bound to happen sooner or later.

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