Categories > TV > WWE > So Much More Than Meets The Eye
A/N: Are y'all ready for some backstory?! I know I am...
"My mother's name was Sophia Moretti, born and raised in Italy, star soprano. Her father, my grandfather, Fabrizio, owned the three largest opera houses in the country, so she was born into money. My father, Shawn McCallister was the son of dirt poor Irish immigrants, born and raised in New York. He got the chance to travel abroad one semester while he was in college, and he went to Italy. I remember how he used to tell us that it was love at first sight--and Mama would agree with him wholeheartedly. They met, they fell in love, and married. When he came back to the states, she came with him, much to my grandfather Moretti's dismay. She worked on Broadway, emmassed a fortune that tripled her father's, and made sure that both her husband and her growing family were taken care of. For the first part of my life, I was always in the company of with my sister; ninety percent of the time, our parents were with us, they hated leaving us. When they couldn't be with us themselves, they left us in the care of a nanny. Mama loved music so much--she started us both out with voice lessons. I excelled, Gina didn't, so they put her in harp classes instead."
"Gina?"
"My younger sister, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned her name. We were named to reflect that we were both Irish and Italian--mostly because Gran McCallister insisted that we were Irish first and foremost. Rhiannon Giovanna was her full name, but she went by her middle name, which was shortened to Gina. Mine..." Nightingale trailed off, pausing for a moment.
Punk was turning to look up and see why, when he felt a teardrop hit his shoulder.
"Mine was Shayla Renaldi. I went primarily by Renaldi, which was shortened to Rena. Anyway, my parents were on a business trip to Italy--Mama had an opportunity with one of the Opera houses there, which meant we might be moving. They made it over safely, but something happened to the plane on the way back...it crashed into the ocean, just off the coast, no survivors. Our nanny rushed us to the hospital..."
"My daughter! Is she alright?!"
"Victoria, who's that man?"
The nanny glanced over to the redheaded child, who'd been quietly weeping, grieving for her parents.
"You don't know?"
She shook her head no, sniffling.
"That's your mother's father, Rena, and he's the next of kin for you and your sister."
Victoria glanced to the other child, who was curled up on one of the chairs in the waiting room, having cried herself to sleep.
"Mr. Moretti I presume?"
"Yes, where is my daughter?"
"Sir, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this..."
Tears welled up in Rena's eyes again, as she watched the man she now knew as her grandfather fall to his knees, weeping openly.
"Why did you want me to come here if she is gone?"
"Your granddaughters need a guardian, Mr. Moretti. They have nowhere else to go, and the nanny has been recalled the agency."
The older man glanced first to Gina, and a fresh wave of tears hit him. When his eyes fell upon Rena however, his lip curled, and he glared daggers.
"I'll take the smaller one, she's the spitting image of her mother."
Rena bowed her head, knowing exactly why he wasn't including her as well. He was right, Gina did look like a miniature version of their mother--the same dark curls cascading down her back, and the same soft brown eyes. Rena had obviously taken after her father, inheriting his red hair and green eyes.
"You can't take one and leave the other!"
Victoria was livid, towering over Mr. Moretti.
"You have no right to speak to me in that tone of voice, you harpy!"
"Rena is just as much your granddaughter as Gina!"
"She is not my granddaughter, she is CLEARLY the child of that filthy Irishman who has cost my daughter her life! I will not have it in my home!"
"Child Protective Services were called in, and I was placed with a man my father grew up with, Vincent, or Uncle Vinnie as he preferred to be called. When he took me in, he was told that the checks from my trust fund, and the inheritance checks from my part of my parents estate would be mailed to his address. When we got "home", he told me that there was...a price...for having him as a guardian."
"A price?"
"He wanted the "company" of a female, and lucky me, I'd just hit puberty. He'd enrolled me in public school. I packed my backpack and my gym bag with as many clothes as I could, and the only sentimental possessions I had left. He dropped me off at the school, and as soon as his car was out of sight, I high tailed it. I would've sooner died than stayed with him. I lived on the streets for a few months, I'm not sure exactly how many--I couldn't keep track of the days. I know I was in downtown NYC, singing with a couple of other girls for money. We could really clean up on certain streets, and ironically, Broadway was the best. I remember we were getting change tossed at us left and right that night..."
"You say go slow, I fall behind, the second hand unwinds,"
"If you're lost you can look and you will find me, time after time,"
"If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time...time after time...time after time..."
"Sometimes you picture me, I'm walking too far ahead, you're calling to me I can't hear just what you said, and you say go slow, I fall behind, the second hand unwinds,"
A man stood on the street corner with two women, one blonde, and one brunette with wings tattooed on her back. He was watching with disinterest as they each picked up a client. His ears perked however, and he turned to stare as a voice caught his attention.
The redheaded girl singing the second verse of the Cyndi Lauper song caught his eye. She was the most talented of the group she belonged to, and that wasn't saying much. Anyone with eyes could see they were street rats, using the only talent they had aside from turning tricks to get their next meal. She was different however--it was obvious that this one had been through formal training, and if his ears were hearing correctly, as he was sure they were, it was operatic training.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he'd walked over to the group, and made the redhead an offer that she couldn't refuse.
"We've moved around so much since then, I have no idea where we are, what city we're in. Vinnie's probably cashing all my checks, and Gina's more than likely in Italy, being a child prodigy."
"Philadelphia."
"Huh?" Nightingale glanced down at Punk, who'd managed to lace his fingers with hers without her noticing.
"We're in Philadelphia."
"That's in Pennsylvania, right?"
"Right. Not really that far from New York."
"Anyway, that's how I ended up here. I haven't been allowed to have a friend other than Raven in years, and as soon as I find one, I cause this to happen...I'm so so sorry..."
"Rena, it's not your fault--"
Nightingale pulled her hand free of his. Staring incredulously at him.
"What did you call me?"
"Rena. I'm sorry if--"
"No, it's alright, I just...I've been Nightingale for so long that I don't really remember who Rena is. Does your back still hurt?"
"It's down to a dull sting, nothing too bad, thanks to you."
"Go lie down, and try to get some rest, that will be better than anything for it."
"I'm not leaving you in here alone, not after that stunt Gypsy pulled--"
"I can handle Gypsy just fine on my own. She's not the first to try this, and I can guarantee she won't be the last. I'll be fine."
"Alright, compromise. I'll sleep in here. It's not like Raven can really say anything to me for keeping an eye on you, that is after all my job."
Nightingale rolled her eyes, but nodded her agreement. Punk struggled to his feet, limping over to the light switch, and flicking off the overhead.
He winced as he slid into the bed, resolving to sleep on his stomach for a change so as not to irritate the wounds and cause an infection.
Because God knows I can't afford a hospital bill--I can't even afford rent!
"G'night Rena, sweet dreams."
"Right back at you, Punker."
Nightingale settled back onto her own makeshift bed, watching over her caretaker until she was sure that he was sleeping.
Ironically enough, Gypsy was dead on about my immediate future, and fate has horrible timing. I'm in no position to fall in love, and especially not with him.
-
"Cara I can't believe you!"
"Oh you're one to talk! You're the one who's always saying "what's good for me is good for both of us", and God DAMN IT that works both ways! I did what I had to do to make sure we stayed on his good side!"
"At what cost?! Phil is one of our best friends, how could you do that to him?!"
"No, Phil is one of YOUR best friends, who got us kicked out of our last place, and left us with no other alternative than to join The Flock--I'll be damned if I'm going to let him screw us over again, Jeff!"
Tripp and Gypsy stood toe to toe, snapping and screaming at one another.
"How do you figure that? He just took her out to get some fresh air and sunlight, those are basic necessities, or have you forgotten that?"
"I can't believe you're that fucking blind. Look at them, any idiot can see what's happening! He is falling in love with that scarlet harpy, that siren of a woman who also has Raven under her control--tonight was just a taste of what's to come for Phil if he keeps this up, and if I hadn't stepped in, we would have suffered right along with him! I did what I had to do to make sure our asses were covered, and you would have done the same thing!"
"NOT AT THAT COST!"
"GROW UP JEFF, BE A MAN FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE! We have a life together, we have to protect our well being even if it hurts those that we call friends, that is the way the world works, survival of the fittest!"
"Yes and the fact that we as humans have a conscience is what separates us from the animals, which is why we don't do things like that!"
"Why don't you just go back to work or whatever it is you've been doing all day? I'm tired of dealing with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Tripp stared incredulously at Gypsy, who'd turned her back on him moments earlier. When she turned back towards him, there were tears streaming down her face.
"You said you'd be back in time for breakfast yet here it is 11 pm, and you just have come home. If whatever it is you're doing is bad enough that you have to lie to me about it, then you're obviously in no position to talk to me like that over what I did."
"Cara, you're not being fair to me, this is a completely different situation and you--"
"No, you're the one who's not being fair to me!"
Tripp shook his head, sighing.
"I'm outta here. I'll be back when you've had time to calm down."
Gypsy winced as she heard their door slam, and his hurried footsteps going downstairs. As the moments passed however, her sadness dulled, and it was replaced by a seething anger.
She shot a cold glare towards the direction of Raven's room.
"This is all your fault, and so help me I will take you down if it's the last thing I ever do." she snarled.
"My mother's name was Sophia Moretti, born and raised in Italy, star soprano. Her father, my grandfather, Fabrizio, owned the three largest opera houses in the country, so she was born into money. My father, Shawn McCallister was the son of dirt poor Irish immigrants, born and raised in New York. He got the chance to travel abroad one semester while he was in college, and he went to Italy. I remember how he used to tell us that it was love at first sight--and Mama would agree with him wholeheartedly. They met, they fell in love, and married. When he came back to the states, she came with him, much to my grandfather Moretti's dismay. She worked on Broadway, emmassed a fortune that tripled her father's, and made sure that both her husband and her growing family were taken care of. For the first part of my life, I was always in the company of with my sister; ninety percent of the time, our parents were with us, they hated leaving us. When they couldn't be with us themselves, they left us in the care of a nanny. Mama loved music so much--she started us both out with voice lessons. I excelled, Gina didn't, so they put her in harp classes instead."
"Gina?"
"My younger sister, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned her name. We were named to reflect that we were both Irish and Italian--mostly because Gran McCallister insisted that we were Irish first and foremost. Rhiannon Giovanna was her full name, but she went by her middle name, which was shortened to Gina. Mine..." Nightingale trailed off, pausing for a moment.
Punk was turning to look up and see why, when he felt a teardrop hit his shoulder.
"Mine was Shayla Renaldi. I went primarily by Renaldi, which was shortened to Rena. Anyway, my parents were on a business trip to Italy--Mama had an opportunity with one of the Opera houses there, which meant we might be moving. They made it over safely, but something happened to the plane on the way back...it crashed into the ocean, just off the coast, no survivors. Our nanny rushed us to the hospital..."
"My daughter! Is she alright?!"
"Victoria, who's that man?"
The nanny glanced over to the redheaded child, who'd been quietly weeping, grieving for her parents.
"You don't know?"
She shook her head no, sniffling.
"That's your mother's father, Rena, and he's the next of kin for you and your sister."
Victoria glanced to the other child, who was curled up on one of the chairs in the waiting room, having cried herself to sleep.
"Mr. Moretti I presume?"
"Yes, where is my daughter?"
"Sir, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this..."
Tears welled up in Rena's eyes again, as she watched the man she now knew as her grandfather fall to his knees, weeping openly.
"Why did you want me to come here if she is gone?"
"Your granddaughters need a guardian, Mr. Moretti. They have nowhere else to go, and the nanny has been recalled the agency."
The older man glanced first to Gina, and a fresh wave of tears hit him. When his eyes fell upon Rena however, his lip curled, and he glared daggers.
"I'll take the smaller one, she's the spitting image of her mother."
Rena bowed her head, knowing exactly why he wasn't including her as well. He was right, Gina did look like a miniature version of their mother--the same dark curls cascading down her back, and the same soft brown eyes. Rena had obviously taken after her father, inheriting his red hair and green eyes.
"You can't take one and leave the other!"
Victoria was livid, towering over Mr. Moretti.
"You have no right to speak to me in that tone of voice, you harpy!"
"Rena is just as much your granddaughter as Gina!"
"She is not my granddaughter, she is CLEARLY the child of that filthy Irishman who has cost my daughter her life! I will not have it in my home!"
"Child Protective Services were called in, and I was placed with a man my father grew up with, Vincent, or Uncle Vinnie as he preferred to be called. When he took me in, he was told that the checks from my trust fund, and the inheritance checks from my part of my parents estate would be mailed to his address. When we got "home", he told me that there was...a price...for having him as a guardian."
"A price?"
"He wanted the "company" of a female, and lucky me, I'd just hit puberty. He'd enrolled me in public school. I packed my backpack and my gym bag with as many clothes as I could, and the only sentimental possessions I had left. He dropped me off at the school, and as soon as his car was out of sight, I high tailed it. I would've sooner died than stayed with him. I lived on the streets for a few months, I'm not sure exactly how many--I couldn't keep track of the days. I know I was in downtown NYC, singing with a couple of other girls for money. We could really clean up on certain streets, and ironically, Broadway was the best. I remember we were getting change tossed at us left and right that night..."
"You say go slow, I fall behind, the second hand unwinds,"
"If you're lost you can look and you will find me, time after time,"
"If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting, time after time...time after time...time after time..."
"Sometimes you picture me, I'm walking too far ahead, you're calling to me I can't hear just what you said, and you say go slow, I fall behind, the second hand unwinds,"
A man stood on the street corner with two women, one blonde, and one brunette with wings tattooed on her back. He was watching with disinterest as they each picked up a client. His ears perked however, and he turned to stare as a voice caught his attention.
The redheaded girl singing the second verse of the Cyndi Lauper song caught his eye. She was the most talented of the group she belonged to, and that wasn't saying much. Anyone with eyes could see they were street rats, using the only talent they had aside from turning tricks to get their next meal. She was different however--it was obvious that this one had been through formal training, and if his ears were hearing correctly, as he was sure they were, it was operatic training.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he'd walked over to the group, and made the redhead an offer that she couldn't refuse.
"We've moved around so much since then, I have no idea where we are, what city we're in. Vinnie's probably cashing all my checks, and Gina's more than likely in Italy, being a child prodigy."
"Philadelphia."
"Huh?" Nightingale glanced down at Punk, who'd managed to lace his fingers with hers without her noticing.
"We're in Philadelphia."
"That's in Pennsylvania, right?"
"Right. Not really that far from New York."
"Anyway, that's how I ended up here. I haven't been allowed to have a friend other than Raven in years, and as soon as I find one, I cause this to happen...I'm so so sorry..."
"Rena, it's not your fault--"
Nightingale pulled her hand free of his. Staring incredulously at him.
"What did you call me?"
"Rena. I'm sorry if--"
"No, it's alright, I just...I've been Nightingale for so long that I don't really remember who Rena is. Does your back still hurt?"
"It's down to a dull sting, nothing too bad, thanks to you."
"Go lie down, and try to get some rest, that will be better than anything for it."
"I'm not leaving you in here alone, not after that stunt Gypsy pulled--"
"I can handle Gypsy just fine on my own. She's not the first to try this, and I can guarantee she won't be the last. I'll be fine."
"Alright, compromise. I'll sleep in here. It's not like Raven can really say anything to me for keeping an eye on you, that is after all my job."
Nightingale rolled her eyes, but nodded her agreement. Punk struggled to his feet, limping over to the light switch, and flicking off the overhead.
He winced as he slid into the bed, resolving to sleep on his stomach for a change so as not to irritate the wounds and cause an infection.
Because God knows I can't afford a hospital bill--I can't even afford rent!
"G'night Rena, sweet dreams."
"Right back at you, Punker."
Nightingale settled back onto her own makeshift bed, watching over her caretaker until she was sure that he was sleeping.
Ironically enough, Gypsy was dead on about my immediate future, and fate has horrible timing. I'm in no position to fall in love, and especially not with him.
-
"Cara I can't believe you!"
"Oh you're one to talk! You're the one who's always saying "what's good for me is good for both of us", and God DAMN IT that works both ways! I did what I had to do to make sure we stayed on his good side!"
"At what cost?! Phil is one of our best friends, how could you do that to him?!"
"No, Phil is one of YOUR best friends, who got us kicked out of our last place, and left us with no other alternative than to join The Flock--I'll be damned if I'm going to let him screw us over again, Jeff!"
Tripp and Gypsy stood toe to toe, snapping and screaming at one another.
"How do you figure that? He just took her out to get some fresh air and sunlight, those are basic necessities, or have you forgotten that?"
"I can't believe you're that fucking blind. Look at them, any idiot can see what's happening! He is falling in love with that scarlet harpy, that siren of a woman who also has Raven under her control--tonight was just a taste of what's to come for Phil if he keeps this up, and if I hadn't stepped in, we would have suffered right along with him! I did what I had to do to make sure our asses were covered, and you would have done the same thing!"
"NOT AT THAT COST!"
"GROW UP JEFF, BE A MAN FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE! We have a life together, we have to protect our well being even if it hurts those that we call friends, that is the way the world works, survival of the fittest!"
"Yes and the fact that we as humans have a conscience is what separates us from the animals, which is why we don't do things like that!"
"Why don't you just go back to work or whatever it is you've been doing all day? I'm tired of dealing with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Tripp stared incredulously at Gypsy, who'd turned her back on him moments earlier. When she turned back towards him, there were tears streaming down her face.
"You said you'd be back in time for breakfast yet here it is 11 pm, and you just have come home. If whatever it is you're doing is bad enough that you have to lie to me about it, then you're obviously in no position to talk to me like that over what I did."
"Cara, you're not being fair to me, this is a completely different situation and you--"
"No, you're the one who's not being fair to me!"
Tripp shook his head, sighing.
"I'm outta here. I'll be back when you've had time to calm down."
Gypsy winced as she heard their door slam, and his hurried footsteps going downstairs. As the moments passed however, her sadness dulled, and it was replaced by a seething anger.
She shot a cold glare towards the direction of Raven's room.
"This is all your fault, and so help me I will take you down if it's the last thing I ever do." she snarled.
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