Continuation of Raw : 08-10-2001.
After the confrontation with Shane and Austin Taker and Kane had gone to commissioner William Regal to get him to let them be at ringside but he said there wasn’t anything he could do.
Valerie walked in the back along with her father and her uncle,her father scolding her the entire way.She was met in the hallway by the Hardy’s.
"Valerie,you don’t have to do this" Matt said.
"We can wait for the next shot" Jeff added.
"Guys,I’m going through with this.I can’t let them take your title shot away" Valerie said.
"The hell with the title shot,you’re more important than that" Jeff argued.
"Listen to the boy,he’s right" Taker said.
Valerie turned around and glared at her father in disbelief.
"What?" Taker said innocently.
Taker was still fuming but there wasn’t anything he could do about the situation.Regal had stated very clearly that Shane had solidified the rules and stipulations to the match.Valerie would not be talked out of the match and she insisted that she had a tag team partner in mind.
While her father and uncle argued over how they were going to help Valerie,Valerie herself sneaked out of the room and roamed the halls looking for that one dressingroom.When she found the dressingroom she knocked on the door and waited.
"Come in"
She went in and walked to the big man sitting there.
"Hey,to what do I owe the pleasure?"
***
That night,nearing the end of the show Jeff Hardy made his way to the Undertaker’s dressingroom.His heart was pounding in his chest as he knocked on the door.
"Yeah?"
"It’s Jeff Hardy"
"Yeah,come in"
Jeff stepped into the room and looked around.Taker was sitting on one of the benches,there was no one else in the room.This realization made Jeff very very nervous.Maybe coming here by himself wasn’t such a good plan after all.Taker got up and walked to Jeff.He stood in front of him and looked down at him as if he was nothing.
"Listen up cause I’m only gonna say this once"
Jeff tensed up but listened.
"My daughter has obviously taken a liking to you,I don’t know why,but she has"
Taker raised himself to his full height,making Jeff just a bit more tense.
"I don’t like you boy,I never have and I probably never will…but who am I to stop my daughter from being what she calls happy"
Jeff sighed an inward sigh of relief.
"You may see her as much as you like but remember this one thing"
Taker stepped closer to Jeff and said:
"You make my little girl cry,I’ll make you cry.You break my little girl’s heart,I’ll break your legs"
Jeff nodded but didn’t say anything.Taker walked out of there after snorting in disgust.He really didn’t like him personally but maybe that was only because he was with his daughter.Taker sighed as he walked through the hall,at least now his daughter would start thinking of him as her dad again and that made up for alot.
Smackdown : 11-10-2001.
Taker arrived at the arena on his bike.He was by himself since Valerie had gone to the arena early to train with her uncle Kane for her big match next monday.Taker got sick to his stomach at the thought of his daughter stepping into the ring with Steve Austin and Shane McMahon but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.There was no way Taker would be able to interfere in the match,not because of the risk of getting fired but because of the risk of losing his relationship with his daughter.
It was going to be a tag team match : Shane McMahon and Steve Austin against Valerie and her still mysterious partner.Taker was still worried about who his daughter might have picked,he hoped it wasn’t one of the Hardy’s,they wouldn’t be able to protect her.
Taker had consented to his daughter’s relationship with Jeff Hardy but he still wasn’t thrilled about it. How was that boy gonna make her happy?.Taker didn’t see it,Valerie obviously did.She had been thrilled to hear that he ‘approved’ of her relationship with Jeff and as Taker had hoped it would,it had improved his relationship with her.
Taker walked through the curtains to the ringside area where Valerie,Lita and Kane were in the ring and the Hardy Boys and the Rock were on the outside giving advise every now and again.Kane was showing Valerie how to do several moves and Lita was there for Valerie to try it out on.
Taker smiled at the sight of his daughter smiling and having fun.Whoever her tag team partner was going to be,he better damn sure protect her.Taker sighed and walked to the ring.Kane was allowing Valerie to try a submission move on him and when she pulled it off,she was applauded.Valerie smiled and then noticed her father.
"Dad,did you see?.Did you see?"
Taker laughed and said:
"I saw joyful"
By now Valerie had left the ring and was jumping up and down in front of her father.She knew she was acting like a ten year old but she didn’t care.
"Now I’m almost ready for my match" she said feeling giddy.
Taker scowled at the mention of the match and Valerie stopped jumping.She turned serious.
"I know I’ll never be able to beat Steve Austin or Shane McMahon but atleast I can defend myself a little.Right?"
Valerie turned and looked at the Hardy’s and the Rock for support.
"Right" they all said at the same time.
Taker still seemed sceptical but he smiled at his daughter and spread his arms.She gladly stepped in and accepted the hug.
Raw : 15-10-2001.
The big night for Valerie.She was nervous as hell and nothing could make her stop shaking.She was in her father’s dressingroom accompanied by Taker,Kane,the Hardy’s,Lita and Sara.She kept pacing up and down,murmuring to herself that she would be fine.
"You’re worse now than you were when you accompanied the Hardy’s to the ring" Kane said.
"Why don’t you sit down,joyful?" Taker said.
"Pacing isn’t going to make it any better" Lita added.
Valerie turned around with a scowl on her face.
"Oh thank you for all your support,thank you so fucking much"
Valerie pounded her hand on the wall for emphasis and scowled furiously.Everyone was taken aback by this outburst except for Taker,he knew her temper.She pounded the wall again and Taker said:
"Joyful stop that"
She leaned against the wall,Taker got up and put his arms around her.
"I know you’re nervous and I know you don’t quite know what to do with yourself right now but keep your temper in check,it aint gonna help you at all right now.Okay?"
Valerie took a deep breath and said:
"Okay.You’re right"
Taker sat down again and Valerie got up straight and looked at her friends.
"Sorry about that"
"No problem" Matt said with a smile.
"Why don’t you sit down?" Lita offered.
Valerie smiled and sat down next to Jeff.She leaned against him and he cradled her in his arms.He whispered to her and she nodded.
Taker put on a sour face as he turned away.He still wasn’t happy about it,he would leave it be but he would never be happy about it.Why couldn’t she pick someone acceptable?.Taker frowned.There really wasn’t anyone he would find acceptable for his daughter.Taker sighed and looked at his daughter who was snuggling into Jeff’s embrace,she looked happy,maybe she was happy.Maybe.
***
Raw night and Valerie wasn’t doing very well,her only consolation was her tag team partner.He would make it alright,he had to.She was standing between her father and her uncle feeling very safe but she knew it wouldn’t last,they would have to stay backstage while she went out there.
Shane McMahon’s music hit the arena and he came out with a smug smile on his face.He got into the ring with an air of confidence about him.Than Stone Cold Steve Austin’s music sounded and he came out looking ready for a fight,Valerie was still scared stiff of him and it unnerved her to have to get into the ring with him."Pull yourself together Val,you’ve got a tag team partner,he’ll fix the situation".
Shane walked to Lilian and said something to her.Lilian looked stunned.She reluctantly raised the microphone to her mouth and made the announcement : It had become a no holds barred match.
Valerie’s heart very nearly stopped when she heard this and her father the Undertaker had to catch her or she would have fallen to the ground.Kane and Taker were furious and powerless.
"They can’t do that,they can’t" Valerie said with desperation evident in her voice.
"Well guess what,they just did" a voice said from behind them.
It was the blonde wife of Steve Austin,Debra.Valerie lunged at her but Taker stopped her.Debra laughed but then yelped when she was very nearly knocked down from behind,Lita walked past her and said:
"Oops"
Debra looked enraged but she didn’t say anything.She left as Lita smiled at Valerie and said:
"Good luck sister golden hair,we’ll all be watching"
"Damn right" Matt said from behind her.
Jeff walked Valerie and he looked very nervous.
"Promise me you’ll be alright" he said.
"Baby,I can’t promise you that"
"Promise me you’ll try to be"
Valerie smiled and kissed Jeff on the cheek,their lips touched for a moment and then they parted.
"I promise" Valerie said.
Her father’s music sounded and she went out to the ring.As was expected Steve Austin immediately tried to get to Valerie,the referee stopped him but he struggled past him.Austin would have left the ring to chase Valerie but a certain themesong stopped him dead in his tracks.