Title: ATM and the Hunger Strike

Author: Kaykyaka

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used within this fictional story. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made by this work of fiction.

Ratings: K+

Characters: Lita, Trish Stratus (not married in this story), Melina, DX, Edge, Nitro, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon.

Summary: A loss of appetite among teenage girls has a mother worried and Vince McMahon takes ill for the first time. Is there a connection? ATM are going to find out.

Ten – The End of an Era

At the hospital:

Maria came back into the waiting room twirling her cell-phone around her finger while Melina waited for her to return.

"So how'd it go?" she asked her.

Maria looked at her solemnly, "It's over," she said and Melina cocked her head to the side incredulously.

"You serious?" she said in disbelief.

"As serious as that ring on your finger," Maria said and Melina looked down at her hand.

"Yes it's a beauty," she said admiring it, then she looked back up at Maria, "And so are you. Punk will remember that and come back to you in no time,"

Maria nodded half-heartedly, "I don't know Melina, I got to thinking while you were lying on that hospital bed, our love isn't what I would like it to be, you know like yours,"

Melina smiled, "As nice as that sounds it's not realistic honey, love manifests itself in different ways for everybody. Just because you cheated on your boyfriend it doesn't mean that you're not supposed to be together. Remember it's the tests that your relationship passes that makes it stronger. Don't count Punk out yet, just have faith and he'll do the right thing and take you back,"

Maria was smiling now, "How do you always know exactly what to say?" she said.

"I can't help it, nearly dying does great things to your outlook on life," Melina said as Nitro came over to her.

"I'll leave you two alone," Maria said walking off to get some coffee while Nitro walked his lady over to the chairs and sat her down.

"I'm glad you're okay," Nitro said to his new wife cuddled up on the waiting room area chairs while everyone slept around them.

"I guess God's not done with me yet," she said and they kissed sweetly while the rest of the gang slept soundly.

"You wanna lay down for awhile?" Melina asked, "I'm gonna go talk to Lita,"

Nitro shook his head, "No I can't be separated from you a moment longer," Nitro replied squeezing her tightly and Melina felt like they had never been separated remembering how much he loved to hug her.

"Okay let's go," she said as he lifted her off her feet and carried her back into the hospital room.

Trish had arrived and was talking to Lita on the bed while Edge slept soundly between them. On seeing their former sleeping beauty Trish's eyes lit up and she moved over to her compatriot and gave her a big hug.

"Man I'm so happy for you," she said and waved at Nitro who looked like a ray of sunshine had hit him.

"Thanks for the flowers," Melina said looking over at the gorgeous bouquet by the hospital bed.

"I'll take you shopping too," Trish said and Melina jumped up and down ecstatically, "yeah I thought you'd like that,"

"Oh I'm so happy you guys!" Melina said beaming from ear-to-ear, "You know as I was massaging Randy all my feelings about Nitro just came out," Melina explained.

"And all that love healed his body to the point where he started to crave it," Lita added.

"Not exactly," Trish corrected her, "Randy's been taking drugs you guys his body's used to craving stuff,"

Lita, Melina and Nitro gasped realizing why he had been acting so strangely recently.

"So now he'll do whatever he can to get that feeling of complete peace and serenity back, probably in the form of some narcotic," Trish continued.

"Man he really does need our help," Lita said.

"Yeah just not the way I thought he did," Melina said.

"Yeah you can't do that again Melina, as honorable as that was there are other people that need to be healed, we'll just have to help Randy some other way," Lita said.

"I agree," Nitro said.

"He's gonna be gunning for you Nitro," Trish said and Nitro shrugged.

"Yeah well it's like Shawnie says there's not better way to get a man back than by beating him in the ring," Nitro said.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Trish said then her eyes caught sight of Carlito sleeping like a baby and she wondered over to him dreamily. She knelt by him and stroked the side of his face with her finger and pulled at his hair playfully.

"It was so hard not having you with me today," she said and sighed, "Monday nights are the hardest, all I can do is sit back and watch while other people enjoy your company,"

She lowered her head in reflection on what happened to Stephanie McMahon, "All I could think about while that vile human being tore his baby girl's heart out was how you would have treated our baby if I were pregnant. You'd never disown them or abandon them, you'd stick by them no matter who they married, just like you always stick by me,"

She looked up at the sunlight coming through the window and closed her eyes in despair, "Oh man its morning," she said and a single tear fell down her face and onto Carlito's cheek. He blinked his eyes open and looked up at her then sat up and encircled her.

"¿cuál es bebé/ what is it baby?" he asked her.

"It's the end of an era," she said and turned to Melina and Nitro with a sad smile as they looked out the room and came towards her.

"Love is an amazing thing and it breaks my heart when it's used to serve the wrong purposes," she went over to Melina and Nitro as they came over, "You guys have survived you trust each other more than before your love is stronger, be thankful for each other and be good to each other,"

"Trish is everything okay?" Melina asked concerned.

Trish sniffed and wiped her nose.

"Just remember what I said," she replied and walked over to Shawn Michaels and shook him 'til he woke up.

"No Cameron the Boogeyman's not coming to get you he just needed a ride to the airport that's all," Shawn said in his sleep then Trish finally woke him up and he nearly fell out of the chair.

"Trish what is it? Wait I have to check my phone to see if Hunter called," Shawn said looking around for his phone. Trish stopped him and he noticed that her eyes were blood-shot and her nose was running.

"Don't bother," she said her voice breaking under the strain of copious tears, "just go and see him,"

Shawn looked worried but Nitro had told him that Hunter would need him this morning.

"Okay," Shawn said and walked anxiously out of the waiting room.

"Shawn wait!" Melina called out and ran back into the hospital room, emerging a few seconds later with a sterling silver rattle and handed it to Shawn who took it with a puzzled expression on his face.

"It's Aurora's," she said and Shawn turned it around and read the inscription, "I found it at Mickie D's, Hunter and Steph must have left it there,"

"I'll be sure to give it back to her," he said as they waved goodbye to him. He stepped into the elevator and turned and saw Lita standing in front of him so he pushed the button that stopped the door from closing, "What is it?" he asked her and she stepped towards him with a smile.

"Just this: don't be anxious Shawn just be yourself," she said, "God will take care of the rest,"

"Okay," Shawn said and her smile stayed with him as the elevator doors closed and the carriage descended to the lower ground floor. He touched his heart amazed that Lita could still touch his, what he didn't know was that at the same time Lita was touching hers and thinking the exact same thing.

Stephanie and Hunter's house, Greenwich, CT:

The weather had been pretty mild when Shawn left the hospital but on his way to Stephanie and Hunter's house clouds had formed suddenly turning the bright morning sky to an ashy gray. That's weird Shawn thought as he turned into the driveway.

When he got out of the car he had to wrap his arms around himself because the air was so cold and the closer he got to the house the more hostile the atmosphere felt. He pulled his spare key out ready to open the door to the house but the door was already open. When he stepped inside the first thing he did was close the door behind him but as he walked inside the door flew back open causing him to turn around like someone was about to attack him but no-one was there. He shook his head, something weird is going on he thought to himself.

As he went inside the first thing he thought was how cold the house was, he heard nothing but that was to be expected at 6 o'clock in the morning. He went upstairs to the bedroom and saw nobody, he came back downstairs and saw nobody. He came back downstairs and saw nobody in the kitchen, dining room or hallway so he tried the living room and saw a chair pulled up to the front of the window. He walked inside and had to pause because the room was so cold. He rubbed his arms to get warmer and walked towards the chair, the closer he came the more certain he was that somebody was in it, then he saw Aurora's bassinette but it was empty. He walked right up to the chair and saw Hunter sitting in it, his baby girl asleep in his arms. His eyes were like Trish's, bloodshot and red and he was just staring ahead out the window. Shawn rubbed himself some more, the room was freezing and it seemed to be getting colder and Hunter was just sitting in a t-shirt unbothered by the low temperature. Shawn knelt down in front of him and squeezed his leg.

"Hunter, what happened?" he asked gently but he said nothing and just continued to stare through the window. Shawn turned and looked out the window, the sky was getting darker and he was sure he heard the rumblings of thunder as well. Shawn felt a sense of danger and wondered if he should tell Trips what he knew and get the Hell out of there when Hunter spoke.

"All this time I was worried that Vince was making us unhappy, I didn't realize he was the only thing making Steph happy,"

Shawn frowned this information was new and it certainly didn't fit with what he'd been told.

"Vince disowned Stephanie Shawn," Hunter said.

"Yeah I know," HBK replied and Hunter glanced down at him keeping his expression the same.

"You did? Did Trish tell you?" he asked.

"No he told me himself, I was kinda hoping he'd change his mind that's why I didn't say anything to you," Shawn explained.

"Oh I bet you've been beating yourself up about that one altar boy," Hunter said and Shawn nodded, "but you were right he did change his mind,"

Shawn gasped, "Really? So what happened did you piss him off?" he asked keenly and Hunter smirked.

"He was gunning for me the minute I walked into that room. Didn't matter though, the way he spoke about me was like I wasn't even there. I wanted to rip him apart for telling Stephanie she was out of the family, but then he gave her a chance to get back in,"

Shawn swallowed hard he had a sick feeling the terms and conditions were good, "On what condition?" he asked wearily.

"On condition that Stephanie divorced me and gave me full custody of Aurora," Trips answered his eyes welling up all of a sudden.

Shawn's heart started to race fast as the tears began to fall rapidly from his best friend's face.

"Who did she choose?" Shawn asked not conscious of how low his voice was when he asked.

"She chose THEM!" Hunter shouted amazingly Aurora did not wake from the sound of his voice. Shawn's face paled and he looked around for a sign of Stephanie. He ran up and down all over the house but there was no sign that Stephanie McMahon had ever lived in that house. Shawn cam back downstairs to The Game and stood in front of him bewildered.

"Vince was here," he said but Hunter said nothing. He put Aurora into her bassinette and went back to his inert state.

"He told me to forget her and took everything of hers back to the McMahon family home," Hunter said but Shawn couldn't believe Stephanie would ever do that, "She didn't say a word I can't even remember if she said goodbye. All I know is she had to make a choice and she chose her family,"

Hunter started to break down and then the tears fell like raindrops from a cloud, "I was really hoping that this would be the family she chose," he said and Shawn hugged him as he cried all over HBK's shoulder.

"Come on," HBK said picking up Aurora's bassinette and holding Hunter at the same time, "You can't stay here,"

But as Shawn took his first step a thunder bolt clapped over the house and it started to rain, only the rain was coming down inside the house. Shawn looked up at it as it came down amazed but Hunter didn't even care. He pulled his best friend up but Hunter pulled away from Shawn and curled up in his chair. The rain beat down on Shawn and big puddles of water began to gather and before he knew it Shawn was standing in three inches of rain. He went to cover Aurora in her bassinette but she was dry, the rain wasn't touching her at all. Shawn pulled his damp hair out of his face so he could see better, as the rain continued to fall he pulled on Hunter again but the man was refusing to be moved and Aurora was getting heavy, he had to do something and God decided to give him a hand. He felt in his back pocket and pulled out Aurora's rattle, he handed it to her and she took it gleefully and started to shake it. Suddenly the rain stopped and the house stabilized, even the sky brightened up giving Shawn enough time to get Hunter and Aurora out of the living room, then Aurora began to shake her rattle harder furiously then she flung her rattle down and started crying loudly and Shawn watched the rattle fly across the ground. Then the house started to shake and cracks formed out of nowhere in the ceiling and walls. The ceiling started to cave in and a mighty wind broke the window and Shawn pulled Hunter out of the chair before any of the glass could reach him.

"Come on!" he said and picked him up and carried him outside with Aurora over to his rental car. He opened the door and put Aurora onto the front seat and Hunter in the back. He looked back the house that Stephanie and Hunter had shared for three years and watched as it collapsed before his very eyes. Hunter watched it fall for a moment then he held his head down not wanting to think of all the memories he had there with the woman he shared his life with. Once he got Shawn's attention back from staring at the crumbling building scratching his head trying to work out how a perfectly stable house crumbles all by itself Hunter wiped his face and tried to pull it up.

"Shawn?" he said and the Showstoppa looked over at him attentively, "You're a really good friend, if it wasn't for you, I would have let that house come down on me and Aurora,"

Shawn pulled a strand of hair behind Hunter's disheveled mane so he could see him properly.

"You can always count on me Hunter," he said, "I'll always be there for you and Aurora and that's a promise,"

Shawn made the wolfpac sign with his fingers and held up his hand so Hunter could reciprocate and he did. Hunter took his little girl out of the bassinette and hugged her lovingly. Shawn watched them still in shock at the events of last night, this morning and right now. Hunter and Stephanie were no more, what did this mean for the future. The father and daughter continued to hug and eventually they fell asleep together and the clouds began to dissipate and clear. Shawn looked out of the windshield and watched the sun come up shaking his head in amazement. It was the end of the McMahon-Helmsley era and the birth of a new era for the founding members of the Kliq and little Aurora Rose.

"Love the Brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king," – 1 Peter 2:17

Join us next time for more adventures with the angelic trio of ATM!