Independence Day By Lady Boss
	Title: Independence Day Author: Lady Boss Rating: R - languge,and m/m abuse implied Disclaimer: Not mine never will be until I win that Powerball lottery and Vince sells them to me :D Summary: RVD Thinks back on his relationship with Steve Austin. Takes place around the time the Alliance was still around and incidents up until "No Mercy" 2001 also contains spoilers from 10/18/01 SmackDown. I know a long time ago, but this is one of my better works I can’t believe I’m standing here on a beach in the middle of October, but here I am and as always my thoughts aren’t far from you Steve. I know Independence Day isn’t until July 4th but October 18th became my Independence Day, Steve. My Independence Day from you and the hell you’ve put me through all these weeks. Feeling the chill ocean air blow through the sweat suit I’m wearing, I wonder went it all went wrong Steve. When did something so special turn so damn ugly? Was it those two weeks you were gone and everyone came to me for advice-- from Kanyon asking about Lita or when Stephanie sent me after Angle? Or was it when you saw my popularity rise while yours waned? I guess it shouldn’t matter when it went bad. It only mattered that it did. Feeling the cold water lap over my bare feet, I think back to when I first came to the Fed, how you told me I was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen, how I would go far if I put myself in your hands. Little did I know I was putting myself - my heart and my soul - into the hands of a madman. It didn’t take long for the paranoia to kick after Invasion did it Steve? You cared more about that title than you did me. Hell I had the Hardcore title but I still loved you. Came when you called, stood by you. Until the name-calling began. It had gotten so bad, the other Alliance members would look at me with pity in their eyes whenever you lashed out at me, but like the good sheep you whipped them into being, no one dared speak up for me. Say to you, “Steve chill out.” Tell me Steve when did I stop being your ‘baby’ and become your ‘bitch’, ‘whore’, ‘slut’ and all the other names you called me? Then came the beatings. Hate to tell you Steve, but our make up person Laura is good but she’s no miracle worker. Good thing I can explain them away as work related. But each week went by and things got worse. The names more hateful, until I couldn’t stand to hear your voice; the beatings more vicious until you’d just leave me alone covered in blood, gasping for air. Then when I thought you couldn’t hurt me any more than you had, you had one last dirty trick up your sleeve. Rape. My body still aches from that night. You remember that night don’t you Steve? The night you told me to ‘reach for the stars’, so when Mick came out and offered me the shot to wrestle you and Angle for the WWF title, I took it figuring that you’d appreciate me taking your advice, but when I saw the look on your face, I knew I made a mistake though I tried to play it off. I just didn’t know how big a mistake I’d made until later in the hotel room. The gulls caw around me, but I can still hear you scream “What? What?” in my ear in time with every painful thrust that you inflicted on me. My voice, hoarse from my own screams of pain couldn’t drown out your barking at me. I know the boys in the back are complaining about the ‘spuds’ I’ve hit lately and the cues I’ve missed, but you know why that’s happened? Because my nerves were so shot from trying to please you, to make you see I wasn’t a ‘whoring piece of trash’ but the same ball of energy you fell in love with. Hell, I even took out Angle on Monday so you could see I still loved you but it wasn’t enough as I found out on October 18th. October 18th. The day my life changed hopefully for the better and when I’d had enough. You wonder why I was so late getting to that joke of a party you threw for me? Well it was because I ran into my savior while waiting for my bags at the airport. Vincent K. McMahon. That’s right Steve. Your ex-boyfriend. He’d seen the bruises on me, he saw how hard it was for me to walk, and even though I was with the Alliance, he took me aside and talked to me. He knew what you were like, and had even heard of what you’ve been doing to me in the back and in our hotel room and offered me a chance, a way out. But I didn’t hear him at first. I kept playing like everything was fine and how I still loved you and hoped things would be fine between us. Even on the ride to the arena in his limo, he tried to talk me into leaving you, but I wouldn’t hear about it, kept telling him I loved you. After a while he told me he understood and told me when I was ready to make the break, he would be there to protect me from you. I thanked him for listening to me, that he was a cool dude and hurried to be with you. Then there was the party when my eyes were opened and my heart was broken. I let out a shaky breath recalling when I walk in and see your newest conquest Christian standing there. I’d hear the rumors but I didn’t want to believe them until I saw the way you looked at him. Then you went into the whole loving boyfriend routine, with the hugs and the smiles, telling people how proud of me you were. Then there was the watch. Did you honestly think a watch would make things right between us? It felt like you were putting a shackle on my wrist binding me to you. I played along, good little bitch I was until you saw who was in the limo with me. When you saw Vince step out of the limo, out came the stare. The same one you got on your face before you’d pound on me and then throw me on the bed to break what little spirit I had left in me. I was actually relieved to have everyone there, because I knew if we were alone, you would’ve killed me right then and there. When you took that watch off, you thought you hurt my feelings when all you did was set me free and when I walked out of the room after you ordered me to get out, I knew what I had to do. That’s why I frog splashed you Steve. To let you know I’d had enough. I didn’t know Vince was coming out and when he did my hand gesture and said my name, I knew at long last it was over between us. Hearing a car horn blast, I jump, thinking it’s your truck but when I see it’s Vince’s Lincoln Towncar with him standing by it, I relax, wave to him and slip my shoes on to meet up with him. I don’t know where our relationship goes from here, or even if I can trust him or not and I don’t know what’ll happen on Sunday Steve but I know one thing; Belt or no belt, it’s over Steve. I’m free.