| Part III |
Alex was waiting for 'Taker to come back. She was sitting in their room looking over the sheet for the coming week. Well it was suppose to be a week, but some shows were still missing. She glanced at the last sheet. Alex yelled. �Woohoo! I can�t believe it.� �Believe what?� 'Taker asked as he walked in the door. �We�re going to Houston. I didn�t realize. Hey, by the way, we�re missing some dates here. I know you�re not working house shows, but there isn�t a sheet for UNFORGIVEN.� �That�s cause I won�t be there.� �What?� Alex asked, �Are you alright?� panic starting to set in. For the time they�d been together, 'Taker�s injuries were becoming more prominent. He could no longer walk without being in pain. It hurt Alex�s heart to see him go to the ring. Lately he had only been doing commentary, but watching him walk in such pain was not easy for her. She knew he needed time off, but had refused to go. �Your finally going aren�t you?� Alex guessed becaming sad. �Yeah, the SMACKDOWN taping will be my last appearance for a while.� ��Bout damn time.� she replied with heat in her voice. �You�re so damn hard headed.� Throwing the papers on the desk, Alex pretended to look for a file on the laptop. 'Taker smiled at her. He knew she was yelling �cause she cared. She had started out as his assistant, but over the last 9 months, they had become close friends. She really took care of him. She was like a little sister. She resented being called little, but it fit her too well for him to stop. What she didn�t know was that she was more. Alex sat quietly; she knew he had to go for now. She had known the assignment was temporary, but she was going to miss him terribly. He was her friend and it started to sink in he was leaving. She knew not for good, but still. He sensed this and came to sit down near her. She couldn�t look at him. She turned away as she got up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. 'Taker put his arm around her waist and pulled her down to sit on his lap. �You�re going to miss me terribly and you won�t know what to do without me.� 'Taker whispered, picking a fight. Alex had to smile, then whispered back, her head on his shoulder �In your dreams buddy, I got along just fine before you. I�m glad to be rid of you finally. You�re a horrible person to work for.� Alex started, sitting up. �Demands for hot sauce at 2 in the morning. Snoring that could wake the dead. Groupies trying to break into the room at all hours of the night. It�s time for me to take on someone a little saner. Jericho needs an assistant. Maybe, he doesn�t snore.� 'Taker laughed, and started tickling her. Alex no longer upset, �fought� back. They sat there a moment breathless. �We have the weekend off, do you want to go now?� �Yeah, that would be good.� Alex. �Okay, but you and I are going out on Saturday. A farewell . . . whatever you want to call it.� �You got it.� Alex smiled. ~~*~~ �Okay, who says it never rains here?� Alex said laughing. �We can make a run for the truck.� 'Taker suggested. �I hate getting wet.� Alex mumbled. By the time they got to the truck, they were both very wet. Alex let 'Taker drive her truck because she hated driving in the rain. When they got to her apartment, it was raining harder. They sat there for a few minutes waiting to see if it would stop but it only rained harder. �Okay, guess we�re making a run for it. Leave the bags, I�ll get them later.� 'Taker offered. They both ran toward her apartment, by the time they got inside, they were both drenched. Alex laughed as 'Taker was dripping everywhere. She went into the bathroom, got him a towel, and threw it at him. �This isn�t going to help.� He said to her, looking at the small towel. Alex retreated into her bedroom to grab another towel, and a robe. �Why don�t you take a shower, and I�ll go get your bag at least. I have stuff to wear.� �Okay, actually that sounds like a good idea. It was a long flight.� 'Taker replied. He headed toward the bathroom, soon Alex heard the shower, and he yelled for her. �What?� She yelled from outside the door. �Come in.� He yelled back. �Why?� Alex questioned, still on the outside. �Open the damn door.� 'Taker growled. Alex opened the door a crack. �What!?� She said, still not looking inside. �Relax, I�m in the shower already. Put my clothes in the dryer, that�s my favorite shirt.� Alex peeked in the door, making sure she couldn�t see anything, then grabbed his clothes. She walked to the hallway and put his clothes in the dryer as the doorbell rang. �Who the hell could that be? I only told Lydia I was coming home, and she said she was busy today.� Alex walked to the door and opened it without asking whom it was. HUGE MISTAKE. �Hello Alex.� He said. It was all Alex could do to keep her hands from shaking. �Damn,� she thought, �just what I don�t need.� �Hello Ben. What are you doing here?� She asked, none too politely. �Been a long time, is that how you greet a friend?� Ben asked smugly. �Friends usually see each other more often than we do.� Alex replied. �How�s your wife?� she asked and thus setting the tone for the rest of the conversation. �Are we going to do this with me standing in the rain?� He asked. Alex opened the door and waved him inside. �So how have you been?� Ben asks casually. �Fine, pretty busy though. You just caught me. I just got home.� �Oh really.� Ben said condescendingly. �Who told you I was home?� Alex questioned. �I didn�t know you wouldn�t be.� Ben replied. Alex didn�t believe that for a minute. �Mental note, kill Lydia later.� �I also don�t have time for a long conversation right now, maybe we can do this some other time.� Ben walked toward her; he raised his hand to touch her hair. She jerked backwards, �Don�t touch me.� She said, forcing her voice to remain level. �We used to be very good friends, I only want to talk. We have a lot of history to clean up.� �And after how many years you decided today.� Alex started, then shook her head and held up her hand. �Well, you know what? Today�s not the day for it. Like I said I don�t have time right now.� �You used to always have time for me.� Ben commented. �I used to do a lot of things, none of which applies right now.� Alex said, not able to stop the heat from entering her voice. �I should be back in town in a couple of months or so, maybe I can schedule for us to get together then.� Alex replied, not interested in the least. �Come on Alex, you�re soaking wet. You�re obviously not going anywhere right now.� Ben noted. Just then the bathroom door opened, �Little girl, you need bigger towels.� 'Taker growled. Alex didn�t have to turn around to know 'Taker was only wearing a towel. One that was more suited for her small frame not his, which was almost two feet taller. Alex almost bit her tongue in half to keep from smiling. Ben backed up a few steps, obviously surprised. She knew what Ben was thinking -wrong though it may be- and quite frankly was in no hurry to correct him. �Sorry, didn�t know anyone was here.� 'Taker said sheepishly. Alex finally turned around to look at 'Taker. �Yep,� she thought, �barely covers all the important parts.� She smiled at him. �I was just going down to the truck.� She turns back to Ben, hand on her hip, slight smile on her face, �Like I said, I don�t have time right now. Maybe I�ll call you the next time I�m in town.� Ben smiled smugly, �Yeah, sure.� As she walked him to the door, he turned to face her; he raised his hand to brush her cheek. She slapped it away, �I said don�t touch me.� Out of the corner of her eye, she saw �Taker coming toward the door, she held up her hand to stop him. She slammed the door, with Ben not quite out. 'Taker was still standing in the hall, with only a towel. She walked to the balcony, she saw Ben get in his car and drive off. She didn�t want to go out if he was still there. She wasn�t afraid of him, she was afraid of her reaction to him. �The rain stopped, I�ll be right back. Your clothes might be dry, if you want to check.� Alex said ramblingly. When Alex went out the door, she heard 'Taker call her but she didn�t stop. �I need to calm down; there�s no reason to be angry. Was there?� Alex came back in lugging his suitcase. She threw it on the floor. He grabbed it and walked into her bedroom. He came out in less than 2 minutes, still buttoning his shirt. Alex was pacing the length of her living room, clenching and unclenching her hands. Her mind was still on Ben. �Damn it, why can he do that to me?� Alex started to get really angry. �Alex, you�re trembling, what did he say to you?� �Nothing important, he just wanted to talk. He said he didn�t know I was home. Or that I wouldn�t be home.� Alex said angrily. �Damn it!! I hate feeling this way. I hate that he can make me feel this way.� Alex could feel herself trembling with anger, she stop pacing and wrapped her arms around herself. �Alex, who was that guy?� 'Taker asked. �I don�t know.� She whispered. �Alex don�t give me that, you obviously knew him.� 'Taker countered. �No, I mean I don�t know how to describe him.� �Friend, boyfriend, ex �pick one.� 'Taker suggested. �Yes.� Alex murmured. �Little girl, you�re not making sense. Talk to me.� �It�s� a long story.� 'Taker glanced out the window, �Well the rain started up again so we�re not going anywhere right now.� He took her hand, sat her down on the couch, and sat down beside her. ~~Past revisited~~ �Shortly after I graduated high school, I left home. Lydia came with me. She was only 15, but things were . . . difficult at home. A few days after I left my mother left my father, and she moved in with us as well. I had met Ben in high school. When I had a place of my own, he came around more. Less than a year after my parents� separated my mother remarried. It freaked me out.� �Did you want you parents back together?� 'Taker. �Good god, NO!� Alex said emphatically. �She had lied to me about the relationship, until the moment she announced they were getting married. I was furious. I asked her to leave. Lydia didn�t want to live with them, I told her she could stay with me. My mother accused me of turning her child against her. My mother and I had a huge argument just before she got married. I threw her out; I threw all her stuff out. I was a mess afterward. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Ben held me together. I relied on him; probably too much. In a way we were a couple, just not physically.� 'Taker looked at her skeptically. �Yeah,� Alex shrugged, �most people thought that was strange. I never really thought about it until later. With my mother gone, I became a mother to my sister. She was still in high school, so I took care of her. Ben taught me a lot; mostly to stand up for myself. We both learned fast that people considered my age, 19, a handicap, so they gave me the hardest time about things. My life had turned upside down in less than a year, so he was sanity for me. Everyone treated us like a couple. Except we weren�t.� Alex got up and started pacing the room. �After a while, he even helped me make up with my mother. Eventually he finally realized I wasn�t going to let the relationship move forward.� �Why not?� 'Taker asked. �That goes into a deeper part of my head. Growing up, I had a messed up view about guys. I was also very na�ve, borderline stupid.� She started. �Alex.� 'Taker growled, he didn�t like when she put herself down. She waved her hand at him. �It�s hard to explain, but for now, we�ll just say reasons.� Fast forward, for years now Ben and I were always together, friends only. Lydia graduated, and soon after moved out with her boyfriend. Looking back, I guess you could say I used Ben. He was always there for me, middle of the night, each time I moved, whatever, always always there. Do you know that Celine Dion song � �Because You Loved Me�. That was our relationship. The chorus: You were my strength when I was weak; you were my voice when I couldn�t speak You were my eye when I couldn�t see; you saw the best there was in me; lifted me up when I couldn�t reach; You gave me faith �cause you believe �Okay, I�m getting the point, but WHAT happened.� 'Taker asked. �Fast forward a few more years, Ben started dating. Which kind of brought out the little green monster in me.� �Alex,� 'Taker sighed, �you can�t have it both ways little girl.� �I know that.� Alex stated emphatically. �He and I started to drift; he didn�t come over as often, he didn�t call. It made me realize how much I had depended on him. I realized I didn�t have many friends. I was used to being around Ben and his friends.� Alex stood at the patio door, and turned to face 'Taker. �It really started to hurt me that he wasn�t around and to be so shut out of his life. When we did get together, we were fine. But he ususally wouldn�t return my calls and paging him did no good.� Alex came to sit down on the couch. She got a distant look in her eyes, remembering that night. �One night he showed up at my apartment, he had a crappy attitude. I could see it in his eyes. It was a �talk-or-else� kind of thing. He said he wanted to discuss what was going on with us. I told him I didn�t want to talk to him if he was going to have such a crappy attitude.� Alex sighed. �He got pissed. He threw up his hands and walked away. He walked away from an 8-year friendship without another word. I tried for days after to get in touch with him. He never called.� �Fast forward again, my life became very generic. I went to work and I came home. That�s about it. I kept waiting for the phone to ring. For his phone call. I�m not even sure why I expected him to call, I just thought �He�ll call and we�ll be fine again�. I was kind of ostracized from the group. I�d find out days later from different people that everyone, except me, had gone out. No one bothered to call me anymore. Lydia and I talked a lot, but she was caught up with college, and had a really stressful job. Then her boyfriend proposed and she was caught up in that.� �I got tired of being ignored or just omitted all together. People didn�t know how to treat me, so they treated me like �the ex.� Like if his name was mentioned I would break down. I found out Ben was getting married. He actually had the nerve to send me an invitation. I couldn�t bring myself to go. I couldn�t even bring myself to open the invitation. I couldn�t deal with the glances and whispers anymore. I took a position across town, and I found an apartment.� She stated, gesturing to the living room. �It got weirder after that. I didn�t do anything. I became extremely reclusive. I didn�t have any friends anymore. No one called; no one came over. Occasionally, Lydia or my mom would come over and we would go to the movies or shopping. But I always felt like they were performing a duty; �Okay, whose turn is it to check on Alex?� After a while I stopped going. I didn�t fit into my family or that world anymore.� 'Taker sat on the couch looking at her. He didn�t recognize the person she was describing. She wasn�t anything like who she was describing. �I don�t understand, this guy walked out of your life, and you just fell apart? Alex, that�s not like you at all.� �It was someone I used to be.� Alex whispered. �What happen after that?� Alex smiled shyly. This was the part she was really going to have trouble with. �I met you.� Alex said simply, she got up again; she put her back to him. �What are you talking about?� 'Taker asked confused. �Or more accurately I saw you. And Kane.� Alex added. She took a deep breath; she wanted to say all this before she lost her nerve. �I was channel surfing, I saw you both on TV. I was mesmerized. I hadn�t watched wrestling in years. I went to work the next day and started finding out all sorts of information I could about you. I became slightly obsessed. I was falling in love with the person I thought you were. I had complete conversations with you in my head. After a while I began to think I was cracking up. I found Internet sites where people would discuss wrestling or one of you specifically. I found a few of your more, er, dedicated fans. I used to think I had a wild imagination. Mine is nothing compared to some of the stories that are out there. However, I was conversing with you in my head, so I�m not sure who has more imagination. I talked to a few people on the sites. I think I scared them though. I was too friendly.� �Then a bunch of stuff happen all at once. I got into a fight with one of the girls at work; it almost got me fired. That night I got home and discovered I had been broken into. That was traumatic for me. That night I had a strange dream. You were yelling at me. You were saying that you knew I could be more than that; that I was wasting my life, to get off my ass and do something. As the dream started to fade, I heard another voice. Someone was telling me that there was family waiting for me.� �When I woke up the next morning, it was as if a light went off in my head. I had spent the last 2 years waiting for Ben to call, not leaving the house because I might miss it. I got so angry. I was fed up with myself and with everything. I started looking for a new job. I didn�t care where; I didn�t care doing what. I wanted out of my life. I went back to school; I took classes in any subject or interest, just to be out. When I got the call for this position, I jumped at it. It didn�t matter where the job was or what I would be doing; it sounded interesting. When I found out it was for the WWF, I got so excited. I�d admired everyone for so long, it was really great to meet all the people finally. When I left to go on the road with everyone it didn�t even occur to me to tell anyone.� Alex turned around and looked at 'Taker. �You know it took them over a month to realize I was gone. My mother was FURIOUS. She couldn�t understand why I just left town without telling anyone.� Alex smiled, �I found it amusing in a way.� �When I saw Ben standing there it brought it all back. The person I had turned into made me sad and then very very angry. I thought I had put him behind me.� Alex turned back to the balcony, she felt 'Taker walk up behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned back against him. �So are you still in love with me?� he asked wickedly. She tilted her head up to look at him, �Nah, now I know you.� She grinned. �Brat.� 'Taker grumbled, then turned serious, �I don�t know what I would have done with out you these last months. You know you�ll always have me here for you. And this company is nuts, but we ARE a family.� Alex felt a strange sharp pain in her head, after a minute it went away. Alex shivered, and then sneezed. 'Taker felt her arms, �Alex! You�re still soaking wet. Get your ass in the shower before you catch pneumonia.� He ordered. Alex turned around and pulled on his arms to bring him to her level, and kissed his cheek and hugged him. Alex then went to take a shower. 'Taker watched her walk away. As soon as he heard the shower turn on, he sat down to concentrate. �I don�t think she�s ready. Yes and she blocked me. I don�t think she realizes it, but she did. It hurt her. No, she thought they were her imagination.� ~~*~~ �Someone called, I didn�t want to answer your phone.� 'Taker told Alex as she came out of her room. Alex shrugged and looked at the caller ID. �It�s Lydia.� Alex called her back. �Hey, what�s up? I thought you were busy tonight?� Alex paused listening to her. �Um, let me call you back.� �She wants us to meet up with her. Some friends are meeting at Slick�s, it�s a pool hall.� Alex informed him. �Do you want to go? We can go after dinner.� �Yeah, I think I do.� |