She Always Wanted To Be Daddy's Little Girl

It had been a long drive from North Carolina to Connecticut that day.

Heidi, still exhausted from her complete lack of sleep, had fallen asleep on the way, leaving Kalli alone with her thoughts.

Oh yes. It had been a long drive from North Carolina to Connecticut that day.

And now here she was. Simply exhausted from her own lack of sleep over the past couple of days, her mind worn out from the memories that had played in her head over and over again, and her heart...

Nothing more, nothing less.

The girl looked up from the WWF magazine she was flicking over. It was an advance copy her stepmother had received earlier in the day and she had seized the opportunity to flick through it the moment she had spotted it on the coffee table. “Yeah, Mom?”

Linda McMahon eyed the girl carefully, “What is it?” She took in the lost look in her stepdaughters eyes, the girl’s complete inability to smile. If something hadn’t happened with Jeff, Linda would be very surprised...

“It’s nothing, Mom.”

“Yes, and I’m the Queen of Egypt.”

Kalli scrunched her nose up at this, something as close to a smile as she could muster touching her face, “What have I told you about borrowing my sayings, Mom?”

The CEO of the WWF grinned, “Tell me what’s wrong or I’ll butcher a few more.”

The McMahon Heiress sighed, “Mom...”

“I’m serious, Kalli. Look at you. You walked into the door, you sat on that sofa with that magazine and you haven’t moved since.” Linda shook her head, “Heidi is out there riding Angelus. Doing what *you* normally can’t wait to do the moment you get home.” She folded her arms, peering, gently demanding at her, “I want to know what’s wrong.”

Sighing again Kalli told her, “Mom... It’s complicated...”

“Then explain it to me,” Linda pushed gently.

But Kalli shook her head, “When Daddy gets home, Mom. Then...” She gulped solemnly, “Then I can tell both of you at once.”

Doubt lingered on Linda’s face, but she nodded slowly. Kalli was not always the most forthcoming of people when things were getting her down. She could only hope that Kalli really would reveal whatever it was that was hurting her when her husband got home...

Because Linda McMahon was tired of seeing her children hurt.

The elder woman looked up, “Yes, honey?”

Kalli sat up on the sofa, dropping the magazine back onto the coffee table. “Would it be okay if I used the phone?”

“Go ahead, honey. You can use the one in your Father’s office if you like.”

The girl smiled, “Thanks,” hurrying to her feet and out the door, near running to Vince’s office to escape Linda’s questioning gaze. Her stepmother meant well. She always did. But Kalli knew if she stayed sitting with her long enough, she would cave and tell her mother exactly what was going on. That would mean a repeat performance when her father arrived and home and Kalli didn’t want that. She didn’t want to have to explain over and over and over. She just wanted it done and that was it. It was still all too much for her to process and the less she had to, the less likely she would be to lose it.

Because Kalli McMahon felt like she was teetering on the edge.

Stepping into the office, Kalli closed the door over behind her before moving round to sit behind her father’s desk. She plonked into his leather chair, nearly smiling, a soft moan of delight leaving her lips as she sat. Since she was 16 years old, she had been in love with this chair. She had been caught on several occasions trying to wheel it into the study to use at her own desk...

“Kalleasto McMahon, I swear if that’s my chair I can hear you wheeling across the hall, all hell is going to break loose...”

She smiled at the sound of her father’s voice as the memory of one of the dozens of times he caught her with it filled her mind. She had wheeled the chair straight back across that hall and into that office that day...

Only to steal it again when he had gone to a meeting half an hour later.

Her eyes roamed across the desk. It was furnished with photographs left, right and centre. Some of Vince and Linda together, some individual ones of the McMahon children, one of Sherrie and Shane on their wedding day, one of Chris and Melly from their honeymoon...

One, slightly smaller than the rest and battered from years and years of being shuffled around the desk.

Kalli leant over and picked it up, gazing down at it.

It was her baby photo.

Before Kalli had been allowed to start visiting the McMahon’s when she was 5, it had been the only photo Vince McMahon had had of his baby girl. Terreis Jacobs had refused him anything more.

Despite her mother, her childhood had been much simpler than this... This broken existence she seemed to be leading now. She loved her father, she loved her sisters and brothers. She loved to write stories and ride horses and when she grew up, she wanted to be a WWF Superstar.

She had never wanted love.

But one small taste of it...

And now she wanted nothing else.

She sighed, putting the photo back in its place, shaking her head. She had things to do, arrangements to make. All the day dreaming in the world wouldn’t get her out of the United States. No. This time, she had to do that herself.

Picking up the phone on Vince’s desk, she chose a line out and then dialled the operator. “What number please?” came the less than pleasant voice on the phone.

“Greenwich Airport,” Kalli tugged restlessly on her hair, “Bookings, Please.”

She waited a few moments and the phone started to ring through. This time a much more cheery voice answered the phone, “Greenwich National Airport, Booking Department. This is Carmen speaking, how may I help you?”

Kalli drew a deep breath, almost unable to believe this was really happening as she spoke the words, “I’d like two seats on the next flight to Australia you have...”

Kalleasto McMahon and Heidi Jacobs would be flying out of America at 10am on Thursday morning. That gave her a little bit of time to call Tiara and tell her she would be away from a while, and to maybe organize Amy to take over her friends training while she was away.

She knew she should probably call her siblings and let them know she was leaving.

But her announcement of departure would just mean a lot of questions...

It would get around eventually. She knew that.

And even harder was the knowledge...

She had no one to blame but herself.

Kalli shook her head, rubbing her face softly with her hands a moment, as if trying to banish her thoughts.

No. The only person she was calling was Tiara to let her know there would be some problems with her training. And maybe...

It had been a long time since they’d even really spoken, but maybe...

She would call Shannon.

She couldn’t think of anyone better to keep an eye on Jeff for her while she was away. Just to make sure he was okay. She clenched her eyes shut at the image of his sweet face, pained beyond recognition. She didn’t want Jeff in pain. She never wanted him in pain.

Leaning over the desk, she picked up the receiver again, dialling Tiara’s number.

The phone almost rang out before Tiara’s melodious voice answered warmly, “Hello?”

Kalli smiled softly at the sound of her voice, “Tia? Hey Honey. It’s Kalli.”

“How are you, girl?”

Despite the attempt at keeping her voice cheerful, Tiara could instantly hear that Kalli McMahon was not a happy girl. Completely ignoring her question she asked softly, “Kalli? What’s wrong?”

The McMahon Heiress groaned, “Dayum. There is no putting one over you these days, is there?”

“Na huh.” Tiara giggled, but her tone soon turned serious, “Come on, girl. Tell me what’s up.”

Kalli sighed, “Well...” She pondered a moment and then said, “Tia, it’s such a long story... But, the gist of it is... I think Jeff and I have broken up.” She could barely believe she was able to speak those words without being reduced to tears.

“What???” Tiara nearly screamed into the phone, shocked to her very core, “Kalli? Why? What happened?”

“Ssshhh, Tia... Calm down...” Kalli cooed. “It’s... It’s difficult to explain, but... I...” Now the words truly were a struggle, her unwillingness to admit her possible insanity clear. “Tia,” she whispered, “I slept with Matt.”

"I was such a fool. All I could see was how stable that I thought Matt was. And much I thought he loved me. And it was a lie. It was nothing but a God damned lie!" She mentally scolded herself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..." She sighed.

"Shouldn't what? Krissy, you let me dump my shit on you all the time. Tell me."

She shook her head. She couldn't tell of Matt and Kalli's betrayal. Not yet. "It's nothing...”

For the first time since Tuesday night, Krissy’s words started to make sense to Tiara Dickerson.

“Oh, Kalli,” she sighed softly, “Why?”

The girl shook her head. “I don’t know.” In fact, she wondered if she would ever know. “Tia,” she whispered, “I don’t really want to get into it again now...” She started to choke up, “It’s too...” She broke off, struggling.

“I know, but Kalli...”

Cutting her off, not wanting to give her friend the chance to go on she told her, “I’m going back to Australia. I really don’t know for how long.” She rushed on, “But I think... I think it’ll be a while... I’m going to get in touch with Amy and see if she can take over your training while I’m away.”

“No,” Tiara shook her head, her disappointment evident, “Kalli, I want you to train me, not Amy.”

“I’m not going to be here, Tiara. I’m no good to you across the other side of the world.” Tiara sighed and Kalli shared in it, eventually offering, “Then if not Amy, maybe you can work with Jacqueline. She’s a great trainer, Tia. She’ll do you wonders.”

Stammering her objections, Tiara started, “But Kalli...”

There was gentle command in Kalli’s voice as she said, “No, Tia.”

There was a long pause and then Tiara told her softly, sounding incredibly upset, “Kalli, I don’t want you to go.”

“I have to, Tia.” She whispered gently, “I need to do this.”

“But Jeff...” her friend stammered again.

Again Kalli cut her off, “He asked me to go, Tia.” Her heartbreak slipped into her voice. “I told him about Matt and he asked me to go.” She shook her head to herself, “I need to step back, Tia. I need to get right out of this situation so I can get my head on straight.”

Another long pause filled the air and eventually Tia asked, “Kalli? You are going to come back, aren’t you?”

"I should go," she whispered, moving to step around her sister.

Krissy grabbed her sister's arm roughly. "No, I don't think so. I'm not through with you. I am far from being through with you. For starters, that permanent suspension of yours? I'm going to do my best to make it so permanent that you won't even be travelling with this company. You disgrace our family, our company."

Horror touched Kalli's face, "You can't..."

Krissy's lips formed into a malicious smirk. "Oh, can't I? I believe that I can. And I will do everything in my power to do it...”

Kalli sighed, blinking away the memory only to have another to take its place.

“Tell me what to do, Jeff. I don’t know what to do.”Again he looked into her...

And then he looked into himself.

He leant forward, softly pressing his lips to her forehead before telling her softly, “I think you should go inside and get dressed...”

She nodded, a sad smile on her face, her willingness to do whatever he asked apparent...

“And then I think you should leave.”

“I don’t know, Tia.” She whispered, “I really don’t know.” She cast a look out the window of her father’s office, spotting a limo coming in the front gates and up the drive. She knew all too well it would be her father coming home.

She watched as the limo neared the house, speaking over Tiara sadly, “I’m sorry, Tia. I have to go...”

Tiara groaned, annoyed, “But Kalli...”

“Daddy’s home, I need to speak to him.”

Again Tiara groaned, “Oh all right.” Her sincerity in her words she asked softly though, “You’ll stay in touch, won’t you?”

Kalli smiled gently even though she knew her friend had no way to see the gesture, “You’ll hear from me.” She whispered, “I love ya, Tia.”

Tiara’s wistful smile could be heard in her voice, “I love ya too, Kalli girl.” She whispered, “Take care.”

“You too. Give Jay a big kiss and a cuddle for me.” She blew a kiss into the phone, “Bye...”

She made out Tiara’s sad “Bye, Kalli...” as she hung up the phone.

The limo came to a halt at the front of the house and Kalli climbed out of the chair to move to the window, watching her father, talking on his cell phone, climb from the car. She sighed.

Her father was not going to take her decision to go running back to Australia well.

He was going to have to tolerate it none the less.

All she could do now was hope that she wasn’t about to disappoint her father...

“Daddy,” she managed to murmur.

“Don’t Daddy me!” He came to a halt, his hands on his hips, he glared down at her. “Look at me.” She did not, “Look at me!” She looked up, even more hurt when she saw that it was not just anger, but pure disappointment, that coated her Father’s face.

And when she had looked at her father that day...

Kalli shuddered as she sat down opposite her father and stepmother on the sofa.

She dreaded the day her father ever looked at her that way again.

“You can continue to travel with the WWF, Kalleasto, but consider your suspension from the WWF permanent.”

Horror filled Kalli’s face, “Daddy, no...”

His face remained stern and he shook his head at her slowly, “That’s my final decision.” He beckoned to her bloodied face, “Now go and get cleaned up.”

Standing slowly, shakily, her stomach churning as though she might throw up at any second she pleaded desperately, “Daddy, you can’t. Please. Please, you know how much I love this business... You know how much my place in the women’s division means.”

His disappointment clearly written in his voice he told her, “You should have thought of that before.”

She hoped, she prayed now, that her father would not be as disappointed by this decision, because frankly, there was little she feared more than her father being disappointed, or being ashamed, of her. She lived to make him proud...

She just seemed to be doing a really sucky job at it of late.

“So, Kalli,” Linda’s gentle voice filled the room, “Do you want to tell us exactly what’s going on?”

The McMahon Heiress looked across at her father, “Yeah,” her voice was quiet, “Yeah, I do.” She struggled, fidgeting with the ring on her left index finger.

Vince cooed gently, “Go on, Kalli.”

The girl nodded, taking a deep breath, bracing herself, “I wanted to tell you both in person that,” she took another deep breath and rushed on, “I’m flaying out to Australia with Heidi tomorrow.”

The Chairman of the WWF shrugged, not understanding exactly what she meant, “So you want to fly home with your sister?”

Kalli nodded again and then she said, “Not just fly home...” She paused long enough to see the knowing fill Vince’s face, “I’m going to stay there.”

Linda’s jaw dropped, “You’re... You’re leaving?”

“Not permanently,” the girl interjected, “Just... Just for a while...”

“But why?” The woman stammered, “Kalli, you loathe even going back to Australia because of your mother... And now...” She was clearly confused, “You’re willingly going back? On an extended stay.”

“I know it’s a bit sudden...”

Linda cut her off, “A bit?”

“Mom,” Kalli cooed gently. “I’m not going to be staying with my mother. My Uncle as a house at Cape Otway. It’s this very secluded little area... All coasts and cliffs and bush land. It’s great...” She looked to her father, “You remember, Daddy? I took you to the Lighthouse there you’re last visit to Australia before I moved out here.” He simply nodded, “Just Heidi and me... Maybe Amy if she wants to come. I won’t be seeing Mum if I can avoid it.” She looked to her father, trying to read his face, but his expression had not changed since he sat down.

She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

The CEO of the WWF locked her eyes on hers, “When are you leaving, honey?”

Kalli tried to shrug as nonchalantly as possible, “Tomorrow at 10am.”

Linda’s face fell at this, “Kalli... That’s so soon...” She shook her head, “I don’t understand. Why are you leaving? Did something happen with you and Jeff?”

Kalli drew a sharp breath.

This was the part she had been dreading. Her eyes left her stepmother’s kind face and crept across to her fathers. “Yeah,” she whispered, “Something did.”

She would love to just sum it up with a ‘I made a mistake and Jeff left me’ or something else equally uninvolved. But it was never that simple in her family.

If she did not tell them the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, someone else would.

They would no doubt be disgusted with her actions, she was herself, but it would only be made my worse if the revelation about her infidelity came from someone else.

“I did something...” She clenched her eyes closed, steadying herself, before locking her gaze on her father’s. “I... I slept with someone else.”

Linda’s face fell all the more, drowning in surprise and sympathy, “Oh, Kalli. Honey...”

And still Vince said nothing. His face near stoic.

“Jeff asked me to leave...” She explained, knowing that for the hundredth time that day tears would be welling up in her eyes. “He needs time and I think... I think I need that too. To get my head around all of this.”

Somehow surprised by that statement, her stepmother asked her, “How is it that there’s anything to wrap your head around, Kalli? Surely, you simply made a mistake...”

Shame flushed the girls’ cheeks, “I made a mistake, Mom. But I’m not sure...” She struggled, “I’m not sure that’s all that it was.”

“I don’t understand...” Linda said for the second time that day.

Kalli took a deep breath and then blurted out, “It was Matt, Mom.” She choked, tears spilling from her eyes, her breath locked in her throat. She could feel sobs of guilt and shame and hurt coming and she wished them away, “I slept with Matt.”

If Linda’s jaw had dropped before, now she felt like it might fall right off her face, so shocked was she.

But Kalli didn’t notice.

Her eyes were still locked on her father's face.

And it was only know that his expression changed.

There it was, Kalli noted, an uncomfortable ache filling her heart.

That look of disappointment.

“Daddy...” She whispered, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The Billionaire sighed, “Linda,” he gave his wife’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Would you mind..?”

His wife looked up to him, still shocked. She wanted to stay, she did, but it was apparent now beyond a shadow of a doubt that something more was happening between father and daughter right then. She nodded softly, “All right, Vince.” She squeezed his hand back and then stood, leaving the room.

When she exited the room, Vince stood, slowly moving over to Kalli who now had her face buried in her hands, crying agonizingly. He sat beside her, his face a mix of anger and sympathy.

Over the past few months, Kalleasto McMahon had made some horrible mistakes.

And this one had undoubtedly topped them all.

“Kalleasto,” he cooed gently, but she was not appeased. He sighed, reaching out and wrapping an arm around her, bringing her head to lean against his chest. She welcomed the comfort, her arms moving around him as she sobbed into his chest. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered.

And still she sobbed, “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m so sorry.”

“Ssshhh,” he rest his palm against her cheek, tilting her face so he could look into her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for with me.”

“But I disappointed you...”

Vince sighed. He couldn’t deny it. He was disappointed that after the disastrous after effects of a simple kiss between Matt and Kalli months before, she would go so far as to actually sleep with her sisters boyfriend.

And though he knew that of late she had been more temperamental, more out of control than ever, he knew his daughter was not a malicious person. Whatever her reasons for sleeping with Matt...

They would be sincere.

“This is not about us, Kalli. It’s not.” He hugged her a little more tightly, but still she cried, burying her face in his chest again. He sighed, “Kalli... What am I going to do with you?” She shook her head, trying to answer, but unable to. “Ssshhh,” he cooed, “Come on, don’t cry... Just calm down... It’ll be okay...”

But he wasn’t sure that it would be.

If he had thought a reunion between Kalli and Krissy was going to be difficult before now, he suddenly knew that from here on it, it may be virtually impossible.

“Honey,” he queried her gently, “Are you in love with Matt?”

That question again.

And still, Kalli McMahon had no answer for it.

“I don’t know, Daddy. I don’t know...” She tried to put her feelings into words. “I love Jeff so much. I live and breathe him... And I’m so lost when I think I might have to live without him... But Matt,” she sobbed softly, “When he touches me, Daddy, I forget everything else. And he understands me. So well. He just looks at me and he knows... He knows what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling... He’s never let me down...” She sobbed again, “But Jeff... Daddy... It hurts me not to be near him... I just...” She looked up, her face a show of her desperation to understand the workings of her heart, “I don’t know anything anymore.”

And again she broke down, sobbing her heart out. When he tried to soothe her, it did not help, and in the end, Vince McMahon could do little but hold his heartbroken daughter.

He hated to admit it...

But maybe Australia would be good for his little girl right now.

Vince closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He never thought he would ever think that. He hated Kalli even venturing home to her abusive mother. The woman battered his daughter’s ego for no reason more than she could, and he despised her for her treatment of Kalli over the years.

But so long as Kalli stayed away, as long as she really did go away with just her sisters and take some time for herself, then this trip truly would be good for her.

He whispered gently, “I think you should go to Australia, Kalli.”

The girl looked up, her tears silenced by her surprise. “You do?”

He nodded, “Just... Just promise me you’ll stay away from Terreis. Please.” He rubbed her cheek lovingly, “I hate what she does to you.”

“I’ll stay away, Daddy.” She whispered, “I promise.”

He gave her a smile, pulling her into another loving hug. Still she cried, but softly, seemingly appeased by his acceptance of her choice. After a while she whispered, “Daddy, I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done lately... For the ladder match, for Stacy, everything... I...” It killed her to admit it, but it was true. She had come to understand his decisions over the past couple of weeks, “I understand why you made my suspension permanent.” She added even more softly, “I won’t be a brat about it anymore. I promise.”

Vince smiled softly at this, “Kalli...” He hugged her that little more tightly, moved by the maturity she was showing. The dribs and drabs he had heard over the past two weeks in particular now truly evident.

She may still be having her problems...

But Kalli McMahon was finally starting to grow up.

The girl whispered adoringly, “I love you, Daddy. I know I don’t do the best job at showing you that these days, but I do.”

He smiled, “I love you, Kalleasto.”

And Vince McMahon meant it with all his heart.