Author: eena_angel2001
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own any of them
Notes: This is very AU and in response to Candle's Sabrina Challenge. The Buffy-verse is completely null and void in this one, with all characters (WWE and BTVS alike) being cast into roles from the movie.
He was so perfect. Everything about him was perfect. His hair, his clothes, his ass. Everything, right down to the itty-bitty details. She could stare at him all day . . .
"Willow!"
The call from her father interrupted her daydreaming. He most likely wanted to admonish her for slipping away. But she couldn't help herself. She didn't care about the matches the different referees were being assigned to. That was boring for an eighteen year old. Okay, it was boring for just about anybody who wasn't a referee. But still, her father was probably more upset that she sneaked off on her own than the fact she found his job boring. He always wanted to keep her on a tight leash. He just didn't trust most of the guys around.
She snorted to herself. Like that would even matter. Who the hell would bother with her? She was just some referee's geeky kid. She was a total computer nerd anyhow. Not like any of these studly wrestlers would be interested in her. And even if some were, it wouldn't be the one she wanted . . .
"Willow!" this time with more irritation in his voice.
With a sigh, Willow Hebner reluctantly turned away from the godly sight in front of her. Christian. He was so deep. She was guessing anyway. He never said anything. Not even to the other members of the Brood. But he had to be deep. He always had this far away look to his eyes. If only she could figure out where he went at those times. She'd get over there in jiffy.
"Willow Anna Hebner!"
She cringed. He was pulling out the middle and last name. That meant he was mad. Sighing once more, the slight redhead emerged from her observation post and went to answer her father's call.
"Hi Papa," she answered, standing two feet behind him.
Earl Hebner turned around and fixed his daughter with a reprimanding glare. "Just where have you been?" he demanded of her.
Willow ducked her head and gave her best impression of an ashamed girl. It worked because she was a little ashamed. She shouldn't have just run off. She knew how much her father worried about her.
"I just went to snag a drink," she replied meekly. It was true enough. She had grabbed a drink from the vending machines before settling in for Christian watching. She waved that exact drink at her father now, praying he would buy her story.
"You should have told me you were leaving the room," Earl insisted.
She rolled her eyes at that.
"Papa, I'm eighteen," she reminded him. "Not eight. Besides, you looked like you were busy. I didn't think I would be gone that long. But it took some time to find the drink I wanted. And I got a little lost."
"Haven't I warned you against that exactly," her father continued to admonish her. "It is very easy to get lost in these halls. I don't tell you these things because I like to hear myself talk. I tell you them for a reason honey. I don't want you getting into any trouble."
She swallowed the slight indignation she felt at his words. Apparently her father hadn't been paying much attention to the her-being-eighteen part. But then again, he never did. Willow would always be his baby girl. She could be forty and he would still think of her as his little angel. His little angel who kept disobeying his every command, but his little angel nonetheless.
"I know Papa," she nodded. "I apologize. It won't happen again."
"That's what you said the last time," he muttered. Earl sighed and looked his youngest child over. He couldn't help but worry about her here. Willow was so tiny, a little slip of a girl. And he was well aware that she was eighteen, he was her father after all. But it didn't quite penetrate with him. And as well, she still looked like a little girl. Tiny 5ft 6 slender frame encased in jeans and a pink sweater. Long red hair and wide green eyes. And no makeup, she didn't need it. His daughter was angelic and innocent. And Earl wanted to keep her that way. And that meant keeping a close eye on her while she traveled with him.
"I know Papa," she repeated. "I promise not to do that anymore."
He didn't buy that for a second. Willow loved going off on her own and hiding out. She had been doing it ever since she was younger. But usually, she had her friend Alexander or one of her siblings with her. Right now, she only had him. And going off on her own in the WWE was dangerous business. Some of these people were complete wild cards. People like the Ministry. And Earl wasn't about to let his daughter get in trouble with the likes of them.
"Let's just go back to the referee room," he suggested. "I have to go officiate the opening match, but you can hang out with Mike and Terry."
Smiling for his sake, Willow nodded and let her father lead her away. She cast a glance back at the Brood. Christian still seemed off in deep thought, not paying attention to his surroundings. But her eyes flicked over to his old brother Edge. He noticed her stare immediately and flashed her a wolfish smile. She spun her head around at that, eyes going immediately in front of her. Brother of her crush aside, Edge scared her sometimes. She'd rather not get smiles from him. One could never know what that man was thinking.
***
Edge nearly laughed when the redhead spun her head around. That was a cute one. And easy to frighten too. Reminded him of a mouse.
"What are you laughing at?" Gangrel demanded. Edge turned cool grey eyes on him before responding.
"Hebner's daughter," he responded, smirk still on his face. "I just smiled at her and she looked like the devil was on her tail."
"She's not that far off," came the muttered reply from Gangrel. Christian remained silent, turning to look at the retreating figure of the redhead and her father.
"Keeps her awful close doesn't he?" the usually quiet brother mused.
"Probably afraid some wrestler would try and have his way with her," Edge laughed. "Hey, now there's an idea."
Christian turned to his brother with a frown.
"Don't," was the only thing he said. "She's just a kid."
"And she seems to be scared of you," Gangrel put in.
Edge scoffed. "I wasn't being serious," he waved off. "She's got to be jailbait. Look at her, no more than fifteen I swear."
"We have other concerns," Gangrel interrupted. "Taker wants to see us." A tense air fell upon the trio at the announcement. Rather reluctantly, Edge turned and led the way to their master.
***
"But Papa, I don't want to go!"
Earl sighed at the slightly desperate tone in his daughter's voice. He knew she was going to take this badly, but he had no choice. Things were just too tense around the WWE. And it seemed not even daughters were sacred anymore. The damn Ministry had seen to that. If they were willing to do that to Vince's daughter, he shuddered to think what would happen to his own. Already he had noticed the attention she had been getting from the Brood. He had seen the looks Edge and Gangrel had been shooting his daughter. Like she was something to eat. Then again, the whack jobs did claim to be vampires. Willow probably was food to them.
"But you promised I could spend the summer on the road with you!" she pleaded again. Why was he doing this? She only wanted to be around him, and Christian. It's not like she had done anything wrong.
"It's too dangerous," Earl insisted firmly. "Look, they've taken Stephanie captive for some revenge kick against Vince. And I don't want you around here when the Ministry is loose."
"What does the Ministry care about me?" she protested. "I bet half of them don't even know I'm alive."
"Yes, and it's the half that do that worries me," Earl shot back easily. "Willow, it's just too dangerous now. You're going back home."
"But-"
"No buts," he interrupted. "You need to get ready for school anyway."
"That's not for another two months!" she protested, becoming slightly angry.
"I don't care," Earl shook his head. "You're not changing my mind on this Willow. You're going home tomorrow. No arguments."
With an irritated squeak, the redhead turned and ran off before her father could stop her.
***
Two years later
Her father wasn't very happy with this idea, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He had always wanted something better for his daughter than he had gotten. He wanted her to have a life worth living. To become a renowned doctor, or infamous lawyer. Something that was of the non-wrestling variety.
But he had ruined any chances of that with his own involvement in the WWE. Granted, he was only a referee, basically the bottom of the barrel. But still, that had given Willow ample time around the business. She had been to numerous shows, pay-per-views, and promotional tours. Vince didn't seem to mind letting Earl have his children around.
One thing decent thing about Vince McMahon was that he respected the bond between father and children. The man himself had very little respect for his own family, but he still held others in high regard.
Earl never had to fight to get Willow and her friend Alexander permission to travel with him. Those two were then essentially raised on the business. It was more significant for Willow than her other siblings. The WWE had taken off during her childhood and become a phenomenon by the time she was a teenager. And like many other people her age, she was a rabid fan of the show.
He wondered when she started to live and breathe the business. Her and Alexander that is. He didn't notice when they had become enraptured by the business. He couldn't help but think this was her way of getting back at him for sending her away two years ago. She never did get over that, though she never said it to his face.
Probably worse that he wouldn't let her come back either. But what could he do. His daughter had changed drastically in her time at college. He saw less and less of the little girl he had always known every time he visited her. Gone was the wide-eyed redhead with long straight hair. She had dyed it a startling red colour and had it styled. She started wearing make-up, not too much, but enough to notice. And her clothing had changed. Sometime during her two years at college his daughter rid herself of the fuzzy pink sweaters and floral skirts she usually wore. There were more tight pants and tight shirts. That's another thing that didn't sit well with Earl. But again, what could he do? Willow was twenty years old. He couldn't tell her what to wear anymore.
And he couldn't tell her what to do with her life.
Especially since she seemed to want this so much. But he couldn't help feel a little angry that she had essentially gone around his back about it. She hadn't informed him of her plan until after she was in the middle of her training. And that was only because Vince had told him of her presence in Connecticut.
He had been furious but she had been adamant. And he couldn't really stop her. So he was forced to watch while his youngest daughter and her childhood best friend trained to enter the WWE.
But he would like to point out that he was not okay with it. He wasn't okay with it in the least.
***
One year later
It had been almost three years and things had come full circle again. There were a few differences, but the essentials remained the same. Taker had reassembled his Ministry and Vince gathered his Corporation once more. The two sides were going at it once more. But there were key differences.
One, Vince actually had the support of his wife this time. Linda McMahon deemed the Ministry to be too a destructive force in the WWE. However, her son Shane felt differently. So it was essentially parents versus child. Unfortunately for the Ministry, the combined force of Vince and Linda wielded 25% more of power over the company.
And that's where Stephanie McMahon came in. The Billion Dollar Princess was yet unallied with any one side. And in that aspect the Ministry was lucky for two reasons. The first being her ex-husband Triple H was a prominent figure of the Corporation and by all accounts, Stephanie was still bitter.
The second reason was Christian. The blonde man had quite captured the affections of the heiress. And the Ministry, especially Edge and Taker, planned to use this to their advantage. Edge took a deep-seated interest in his brother's relationship with Stephanie. His whole goal in life had become triumphing over the Corporation. Through various tricks and maneuvers, Edge had managed to make his way to second in command in the Ministry. Nothing mattered to him but the success of his side. And if that meant curbing some of Christian's more flirtatious tendencies.
And he had been successful. Very successful indeed. After just a few months of courtship and a tight leash, Christian was engaged to Stephanie McMahon.
Things were looking up.
***
Willow couldn't remember a time when she felt more nervous. Sure she was confident in her abilities. Her abilities were not in question here. She was.
Willow looked remorsefully at the full-length mirror in front of her. She took in her own figure and tried to see if she looked sophisticated or like a child playing dress-up. Snug leather pants that clung to her legs, making them seem much longer than they really were. A tight red tank top then stopped just above her belly button. Her hair was left out, the layered strands falling over her shoulders. A thick line of eyeliner and startling eye shadow brought out her green eyes. Lips only slightly rouged with lip-gloss and the barest of blush on her pale skin. Willow frowned and tried to determine category she fit in.
"Sophisticated," came the answer from behind her. She whirled around, surprised etched on her face. She relaxed and smiled when she saw it was only Xander behind her. That's right, Xander, not Alexander like her father liked to call him. Her best friend since she could remember. And her client here in the WWE.
"Are you sure?" she asked him, sneaking a peek behind her in the mirror. "I don't want to look stupid."
"You look anything but stupid," Xander assured her, walking further into the room. "You're going to stun all the guys stupid with one look at you, but that's about it."
She gave him a smile.
"Thanks Xander."
"It's what I do," he shrugged, grinning himself. "You do realize that your dad's going to freak though."
"He's been freaking since we entered training," she waved off. "He'd rather I go back to school, like a good little girl. But it is not going to happen."
"Good to know," Xander nodded. "So, bestest buddy of mine. Ready to grace the people with our presence?"
She turned around and glanced once more at her reflection. She did look good, some much better than the eighteen year old who was last here.
"Ready," she agreed, turning back to Xander. She accepted his offered arm and walked out of the room.
Now if she could only find Christian again.
***
"Whoa, look at her."
Edge turned, frowning slightly at the tone of his brother's voice. He followed Christian's gaze to the monitor. Some rookie named Zapper or something was making his debut on RAW. That wasn't what caught his brother's attention. No, his brother was focused on the redheaded manager following the newbie down to ringside.
"Remember Stephanie," were the first words out of his mouth. He looked closely at the redhead on the screen. She looked kind of familiar.
"Hey, it's her!" Christian exclaimed, ignoring his brother's first words.
"Her who?" Edge demanded, eyes still on the redhead.
Christian didn't need to answer because at that moment, her name was flashed across the bottom of the screen. Xander Harris being accompanied by Willow Hebner?
"No way," the elder brother declared. He looked closely at the girl on screen. Just barely was he able to pick out the resemblance to the mousy little girl Hebner brought along with him three years ago.
"She looks good," Christian whistled. "I don't remember her looking like that before."
Edge nodded before turning sharply to look at his brother. "You're engaged to Stephanie," he reminded him.
"I know that," Christian covered hastily. "Just admiring from a purely objective viewpoint."
Edge rolled his eyes. Like he believed it. He frowned darkly.
This could be a problem.
***
Willow was having too much fun. She really was. All her life she had watched this show, seen it from front row or from backstage. She had hidden out in costume and chatted it up with the likes of Hogan and the Macho Man Randy Savage until her father found her and dragged her back to his locker room. And now, she was part of it. Her father wouldn't be able to drag her away now. Though, he probably wanted to.
She smiled at referee Mike Chioda, or Uncle Mike. He shook his head at her and then gave her a brilliant smile. She was definitely in her element here. She was a different Willow than the one they were used to, but Willow nonetheless. Always Willow, even if she had drastically changed on the outside.
She turned to give Xander an excited grin, one he returned enthusiastically. They had made it, they were on RAW. They were going to wrestle on RAW in front of millions of viewers. It was like a dream come true, probably because it was a dream come true. Willow could barely contain her excitement.
New music hit the air and the redhead forced herself to calm down. Going directly into business mode, Willow waited for the opponents to come down the ramp. Her eyes measured them carefully. They were new, just like her and Xander. And they looked like they going for a trailer park theme or something. The redhead giggled to herself at the sight. They looked ridiculous. Especially the woman. Her cut-offs were so small; her butt cheeks were peaking out to the crowd. Willow shook her head. Thank god she never felt the need to do that.
The duo rolled into the ring and started jeering at the rookies. Willow merely raised an eyebrow at their antics. She shot Xander a look, which he returned with a knowing smile. The redhead shook her head and slipped between the ropes. Hopping to the ground, Willow took in the opponent once more before snorting to herself.
This was going to be too easy.
***
Christian hadn't moved from the monitor since she came out. Edge was trying to calm his nerves, but couldn't quite make it. His brother was too into this girl for his liking. This was not the time for Christian to play around. If Stephanie found out, she would be furious and most likely dump his ass. And then the Ministry would have nothing to cling to. Edge for one, was not about to let that happen. Not when they were this close.
His grey eyes went back to the monitor himself. He saw as Willow appraised Jamie Knoble and Nidia as they walked down the ramp. He saw the calculating look in her eyes and wondered again if this was the same little girl Hebner used to drag along with him. That girl had been a mouse. A complete and total mouse. She used to cower away from him if he even looked in her direction. But right now, she was staring down two people who were bigger and stronger than herself. He couldn't picture Hebner's little girl ever doing that.
And another thing, she had been so young; he could have sworn she was only fifteen. But now, she didn't look like some teenager. She looked like a woman.
But that was it. Another hot woman in the WWE. Not big news here. So why was Christian practically salivating at the sight of her? It wasn't like Stephanie wasn't hot enough or woman enough for him. Sometimes Edge swore his brother had been dropped on the head as a child. That was the only reason for his extremely bad timing. The boy was engaged to be married for god's sake! This was not the most opportune time to be checking out the fresh meat. Especially not if one's fianc�e was Stephanie McMahon. The Princess would not stand for this.
Speaking of the devil, the Billion Dollar Princess herself entered the locker room at that moment. Edge all but hit Christian over the head to alert him to that very fact. His younger brother turned around and quickly plastered a grin on his face.
"Hey baby," he greeted her, rising to his feet and making his way over to the new arrival. "How was shopping? Did you have fun?"
"How could I not?" Stephanie giggled in response. "I got to spend more of Daddy's precious money. Wait until he gets the card bill for this month. He's going to have a heart attack."
Christian smiled at her enthusiasm.
"That's great baby," he murmured, pulling her in for a long kiss.
Edge nodded approvingly to himself, turning around to give them some privacy. That's exactly where his brother's mind should be. On his fianc�. Not some redheaded mouse. Of course when he turned back around, they were still hugging. And his brother's eyes were glued to the monitor.
Edge scowled. This was not good.
***
This was the best thing that ever happened to her. Willow always knew if she just waited, good things would come to her. And she figured she had waited a long time. Her silent childhood, awkward teenage years until finally she reached this point in her life. Willow was her own woman.
Funny on how introspective she was getting, considering it was only a company party. She should really just enjoy it while she could. Lord knows the Ministry and Corporation were going to go at it soon. Neither side could stand to be in the same city as the other without at least one brawl breaking out. So the redhead figured she had about two to three good hours at the party before all went flying to hell.
And she made good use of those few hours. Willow had danced, she had danced a lot. And the best part was, she didn't have to ask anyone. All these guys just asked her. She wasn't off the dance floor for more than minutes at a time.
First it had been RVD. He was a nice guy, really laid back. She danced with him about twice before Gregory Helms stepped in. Then it had been Chris Jericho, then the Rock, then Triple H, then Maven, then John Cena, then Randy Orton, and then Shannon Moore. At the moment, she was dancing with Jeff Hardy. He was a nice enough guy. His hair was very interesting. It was blue, purple, and yellow all at that same time. And for some bizarre reason, the colours didn't clash and looked good on him. They chatted and laughed while dancing. She was having a blast.
Only one thing would have made this night even better. Well two things. The first would have been if Christian had asked her to dance. She couldn't help it. The redhead was still crushing on the blonde man. She couldn't help herself, he was just so handsome. Dancing with him would have made her deliriously happy. And the second thing that would have made this night better was for Edge to stop staring at her.
***
Edge knew he was staring, but he didn't give a damn. He had to keep a close eye on the redhead lest his brother decide to do something infinitely stupid. Like hit on her, flirt with her, or get caught kissing her. The entire Ministry was too close to winning this thing for Christian's libido to mess it all up.
His gaze went away from her for a second to check on his brother. Christian was joking around with Raven and Steven Richards. Stephanie wasn't here tonight, partly because her parents and Hunter were. Whatever the reason, it made things even more dangerous for Edge. Without Stephanie around, Christian might decide to just risk a shot with the redhead. Not that Edge would ever allow that to happen.
He returned his eyes to the redhead and almost smirked. She knew he was staring and it made her uncomfortable. However much she had changed in the past three years, the little girl was still scared of him. Good, maybe he could use that to his advantage.
He watched in disgust as Jeff Hardy twirled her around the dance floor. That boy was a certified weirdo. God, what had he done to his hair this week? Only saving grace he had was the he was dancing with a very lovely lady. Very lovely indeed.
That was another problem he had. He looked at her right now. She was dressed in a simple scarlet dress with spaghetti straps. The dress was form fitting and hung up below her knees. It molded itself to her curves, giving her a sexy yet modest look. Her hair was just left down, layered pieces falling to her shoulders. She didn't have on much make-up, but then again, she never did. And looking at her, Edge still couldn't see the little mouse that used to run around in jeans and fuzzy pink sweaters.
She turned to look at him directly. As if verifying that he was still staring, the redhead swung her head in the opposite direction. Edge laughed to himself. Now he saw the resemblance. Well, too bad she didn't like his watchful gaze, because he planned on doing that until she left. She couldn't really do much about it.
***
Why was he staring at her like that? She saw his eyes rake over her outfit a few times. Did she look stupid or something? No, she didn't look stupid. Enough guys had complimented her on her outfit this evening. She knew she looked good. So why was he staring like that?
"Something wrong?
The question brought her attention back to her current dance partner, Matt Hardy. Jeff was off dancing with Lita, Matt's girlfriend. The brothers had switched halfway through the dance, though she didn't know why. They were kind of amusing that way.
"Nothing much," she shook her head. "It's just that Edge keeps on staring at me. I don't get it. If he wanted to dance, he should have asked by now. And it's not even an interested gaze. He's just plain staring."
Matt's face had darkened considerably at the mention of the Canadian's name. He tossed a glance over at Edge and saw that the man was indeed staring.
"Want me and Jeff to talk to him?" Matt asked her, eyes never leaving Edge. Willow shook her head emphatically.
"No," she declined. `I don't want any fights starting over me."
Matt gave her a grin at that one.
"There's going to be a fight anyway honey," he reminded her. "And you're a hell of a good reason to start one."
Willow blushed and ducked her head.
"Thanks, but I don't really want a fight started over this," she smiled up at him. "Besides, it's not like he's doing anything."
"Well, with him, it's better not to wait to see if he will do something," Matt muttered, still glaring at the man. "He's a wild card and damn too serious some of the time."
"Don't worry," Willow assured him. "I've got a plan for that. But I'm going to need Lita's help."
Matt gave her a questioning look before nodding. The elder Hardy turned and went to get his girlfriend.
***
Edge wondered what was going on. He watched as Matt dragged Jeff and Lita over to the waiting Willow. The smaller redhead made some gestures with her dress and Lita nodded. The taller redhead linked arms with Willow and steered the younger girl towards the bathrooms.
The blonde man leaned back and eased up. He didn't need to follow them to the bathroom. That would just announce that something was up. Edge was content to wait for them. Not like they had anywhere else to go.
***
Willow waved gratefully to Lita before leaving the other redhead in the bathroom. She slipped out carefully made her way down the hallway, away from Edge. She didn't know why he had been staring at her like that, and she didn't want to know. She just wanted to be away from his prying eyes for a bit.
And now that she was, the redhead felt cheerier than before. She practically skipped down the corridor. She heard the music playing and decided to sit a few songs out before returning to the dance floor and to Edge's observation. She found a large window and stopped to gaze out at the night sky. Willow gave a little content sigh as she leaned up against the wall. Things were so good right now.
And then they got better.
She didn't hear anyone approaching; she had been too busy with the stars. Willow didn't even register another presence until he spoke.
"It's a lovely night out."
She froze, she knew she did. That voice, she knew full and well whom it belonged to. To think, all her dreams came true in just one week. She entered the WWE with her best friend and now she was talking to Christian.
"Yeah, it is," she agreed, not turning to look at him.
Willow was on the verge on panicking, and yet she was calm. She was actually talking to him. That wouldn't have been possible about two years ago.
He finally stepped up beside her and she turned to look at him. He just stared out at the sky like he wasn't the finest specimen on God's green earth. Eventually, he turned to her with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Christian," he introduced himself.
"I'm Willow," she replied, offering her hand to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine," he assured her with a sexy grin.
Willow could barely stop herself from squealing. He was flirting with her!
"So, why you out here?" he asked conversationally. "Party's that way."
"Really?" she asked innocently. "I knew I going about it the wrong way."
He chuckled at her remarks. Willow wanted to burst with pride. She made him laugh.
"Actually, it was becoming a little too crowded," she shrugged, turning serious. "I just wanted a few minutes to myself before heading back in."
"Well, it is going to break down soon," he mused. "It's been two straight hours without a hitch. Someone is going to start something, and soon. Maybe heading back wouldn't be such a good idea."
"But then where would I go?" she asked, eyes brightening. He turned to her with that sexy smile of his and winked.
"I know just the place. That is, if you're okay to spend a few more minutes in my company."
She smiled widely at that.
"I could be persuaded."
***
Edge could hardly control his rage. The little redhead had given him the slip. Lita had come back into the room without Willow. Edge put two and two together and realized the mouse had more bite than he thought. Clever little thing, acting up and getting away from him like that. He'd admire her if only he wasn't so pissed.
And to make matters worse, Christian had run off too. Edge had a pretty good idea as to where he had gone. He started down the hallway he had seen her disappear originally. Matt and Jeff, who wanted to threaten him against bothering Willow, momentarily delayed him. He had rolled his eyes at that. Like this was even about her. Failing to find either Christian or Willow, Edge resorted to drastic measures.
He went and told the Undertaker.
***
To say that the Taker was mad would have been saying it nicely. The Dead Man broke a glass in his hands when he heard of Christian's antics. Most of the Ministry was dispersed, sent on a Christian finding mission. But Edge had a pretty good idea where he would be. Or where he would be heading after.
He knew his brother pretty well. Edge had seen the way he operated, taught him a few things as well. First, Christian would approach his target and invite her for some quiet time in say the gardens or deserted tennis courts. Sending her on her merry way, he would derail for a couple of minutes to pick up some champagne just to wow the girl. So if he wanted to stop him before this got too far, Edge only had to wait by the kitchen doors for his brother to show.
He took Taker along with him. They waited by the doors for only a few minutes before Christian exited the kitchen. Apparently his brother had been moving fast, trying to slip by them. He already had a champagne bottle in his hand and wine glasses in his back pocket. When he saw the two of them, he stopped like a deer caught in the headlights.
Taker scowled at Christian before taking him by the scruff of the neck. Wordlessly, he propelled the blonde man into a vacant room, Edge following closely behind. After he shut the door, Taker all but threw Christian away.
"What do you think you're doing?" the Dead Man growled at him.
"Nothing," Christian stammered, trying to look innocent but failing miserably.
"Funny, it looks to me like you're going off to some floozy behind Stephanie's back," Taker snarled at him. "How could you even risk something so stupid? Do you know how much we have riding on this? And you're going to screw it all up for some little redhead? What the hell do you want from her anyway? Not like Stephanie doesn't put out enough."
"I just-" Christian faltered. The blonde man was too nervous and scared to think straight. He recoiled from Taker's glare, stumbling backwards and falling. Too late he remembered the glasses in his back pocket.
Christian hit the floor, his cry mingled with the sounds of breaking glass. Taker and Edge looked at him dumbfounded while Christian writhed with pain on the floor.
Finally, unable to bear it, Edge laughed.
***
Raven and Steven Richards had taken his brother away. The two of them managed to get the wounded man discreetly into their car and drove off with them. They would be taking him directly to the hospital to get the shards of glass removed from his bleeding ass. Edge had yet to stop laughing. Of all the things his brother had ever done, this had to be the stupidest. It was like out of some Jim Carrey movie. From his spot he could see the glass pieces lodged in his pant seat. And it served Christian right for doing the exact thing Edge had told him not to do.
Taker stood, watching the car disappear. He turned to the laughing Edge and shook his head disapprovingly.
"What are you doing? We've got work to do," Taker informed him. "Go find that girl."
"What? Why?"
"Because I know your brother," Taker explained. "And if she's not interested in him, he'll back off. And the only way for him to think she's not interested is if she's with another guy."
"You want me to go and make the moves on this girl?" Edge asked incredulously. "Taker, that won't work. She's scared of me. Always has been."
"Well, go show her your softer side," Taker ordered. "Think about it. If she likes Christian, she'll like you. Almost the same thing. Tall, blonde, Canadian, and a total dog."
"What more could a girl want?" Edge muttered sarcastically.
Taker scowled before swatting at him.
"Just go."
***
Willow waited rather nervously in the tennis courts. She had to wonder how the McMahons got this place rented. It was gigantic. She could see one of those garden mazes off to her right. The whole estate was just wonderful and probably cost a fortune to rent. But then again, that might just be peanuts to Vince and Linda. Though, she was pretty sure the cost of damages would be pretty high once the wrestlers got into it.
Maybe they had already gotten into it. And that's why Christian was taking so long. He had been gone for fifteen minutes. Normally, she would have thought this was just some joke. But she had heard stories from the other divas and some of the female crewmembers. This was Christian's thing. He asked girls to come see him privately somewhere and would show up with champagne and his sexy self. She had been ecstatic when he invited her here. She had dreamt of this day for so long . . . So where the hell was he?
She shivered slightly as a light breeze blew by. Maybe meeting him outdoors wasn't such a good idea. She wasn't really dressed for the outdoors. Willow folded her arms across her chest and tried to rub warmth into them. She wasn't that cold, but it was something to preoccupy herself with. She blew out a shaky breath and stilled her moving hands. Really wasn't dressed for the outdoors.
"Cold?"
She whirled around at the one word question. She knew it wasn't Christian, she knew his voice pretty well. She also knew it wasn't Xander or the Hardys or anyone else she had danced with that night. So when she turned around to see her visitor, she was basically stunned. Not to mention scared.
Edge stood quietly, leaning against the court doors. She could see a lot of him because of the available moonlight. He was looking at her, but not in the same way he looked at her before.
That had been just staring, this was devouring.
"Not that cold," she stuttered and then cursed herself. She wasn't supposed to stutter. Gathering herself, she calmed her nerves to face Edge.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked of him, tone only slightly accusing. His eyes flickered for a second and she could have sworn she saw approval there. But approval for what?
"Just taking a stroll," he answered finally. "Saw you out here and decided to drop by."
"Well, I'm expecting-"
"He won't be coming," he interrupted her.
"Why not?" she asked, suspicious immediately.
"My brother had a little accident," he confided in her. "Someone bumped into him and he fell flat on his ass. Wouldn't have been a big deal, but he had wine glasses in his back pocket."
"You don't mean . . ." she trailed off and he nodded at her unfinished question. "Oh, that's horrible!"
"Well, he had it coming," Edge shrugged. She frowned at him.
"That's a horrible thing to say," she told him disapprovingly.
"Well, it's true," he shrugged again. "No offence, I love my brother, I do. But he's such a dog sometimes."
"And you're any better?" she shot back, hands on her hips.
He gave her that wolfish smile that always put a tremor of fear in her. Willow swallowed that rising fear immediately. She would not let him know the effect he had on her.
"I'm not," Edge agreed, still smiling that smile at her. He loved the way it made her uncomfortable. She looked so cute like hat. Wait a minute, cute?
"But I don't do that kind of stuff when I'm engaged," he finished, shaking himself mentally. He gave her a sideways glance.
"He's engaged to Stephanie, you know that right?"
Willow nodded begrudgingly. She had known that, and she didn't particularly care when Christian asked her to meet him here. On hindsight, it was a bad thing to do. But she hadn't cared, probably still didn't care. She had always wanted Christian and practically jumped at the chance. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't need Edge here reminding her of that. Who was he to stand there, all sexy and self-righteous? Wait a minute, sexy? Try scary, still a scary man.
"I guess I'll be going then," she muttered, trying to make her escape. His hand on her arm stopped her progress. She raised wide eyes to him and he nearly crowed at the sight. Fear mixed with the beginning of something else, lust perhaps?
"Stay for a while," he invited her. "Party's going to blow up soon anyway. The Acolytes and the Kliq have been staring daggers at each other for like half an hour. Whole thing's going straight to hell soon."
Willow stood there, silently contemplating the invitation. Edge smiled at the sight of her, biting her lip while she gave it some thought. He could hear music wafting over from the party and a thought struck him. Taker wanted him to come on to this girl, so Edge figured he better do as the Dead Man instructed.
"Want to dance?" he asked her.
She gave him a startled look at that, but he was already pulling her out to the middle of the court. It was a slow song, so he wrapped her up in his arms before she could even protest.
Willow was a little shocked to say the least. Edge had pulled her in for a slow dance. Her mind was a little lost at the concept. She reflexively put her arms around his neck and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her eyes remained wide as they swayed to the music. Her mind was racing with the consequences of this. What was going on?
His arms were gentle, nice even. She could feel the firmness of his chest through his clothes and blushed slightly. Edge was a pretty well toned man. Still confused, Willow briefly shut her eyes and enjoyed the movement.
But then the music stopped abruptly. She removed her head from his shoulder and looked in the direction of the estate. Edge turned to look as well, but he failed to relinquish his hold on the redhead.
Both of them heard the shouts and the sounds of things breaking. Lights started flickering and people spilled out of the doors. A full-fledged fight was on. She turned back to Edge with worry on her face.
"I have to go find my friends," she told him. He nodded but didn't let her go. "That would work if you let me go," she prompted him.
"I don't think so," he corrected her. "You are not going back into that house. Not when there's a fight going on. All your friends would kick my ass if they knew I let you."
"Well, we won't tell them, now will we?" she shot back, pushing away from him slightly. He smirked down at her.
"What? Ashamed to be dancing here with me?" he teased her.
Willow blushed and opened her mouth to retort when:
"Willow!"
"Xander?" she called back, turning in Edge's embrace. Sure enough, her best friend came tumbling into the tennis courts. His eyes were kind of frantic but melted into pure malice when he beheld the sight before him.
"We should head back now," Xander continued icily. His words were meant for Willow, but his glare never left Edge.
"The party's gone to hell. The Acolytes put Show through the refreshment table."
Willow nodded and extracted herself from Edge's arms. "Bye," she waved at him, eyes lingering on his for a second. Then she turned and walked out; not even making sure Xander followed her.
The man actually didn't follow her immediately. Instead he stood for a moment, glaring death at Edge. The blonde man sighed and turned an unimpressed face to the rookie.
"Is this the part where you warn me to stay the hell away from Willow?" Edge asked, tone bored.
"No," Xander shook his head. "I know better than to mess with my friend's love life. But know this, if you hurt Willow, I won't just come after you. I will kill you."
And with that, Xander spun on his heel and left a very self-satisfied Edge alone in the courts.
"You can try," Edge muttered at his fading back. "But that won't stop me. I've got my orders."
Smirking to himself, Edge headed back towards the house to see if the Acolytes needed any help.
***
Willow wondered exactly what was going on in the Ministry. Everyone seemed to be on different pages. Like they agreed on their goals, but were all approaching them from different angles. Not all those angles were parallel to each other, mind you. In fact, some of them dissected the other right at the middle.
She didn't really know what to think when Raven approached her with a note. She wasn't even sure she saw it coming. She had been getting coffee and all of a sudden, he was right next to her. The next thing she knew, the man was pressing a piece of paper into her palm. Then with a wink, he was gone.
Figuring it was something very private and personal, Willow slipped the note into her pocket and nonchalantly made her way down to the locker room Xander was sharing with the Hardy Brothers. She knew that there was no one in there at the moment, the boys having gone to talk to Vince about something or the other and Lita out looking for Trish. So she let herself in and promptly opened the note.
Dear Willow,
Sorry I wasn't able to meet you in the courts last night. There were some unforeseen obstacles, some of which you've probably heard of. But I would like the opportunity to make it up to you. Meet me tonight at nine at the Italian Restaurant on Ninth Street.
-C
Willow quietly folded the note and sat contemplatively on the bench for a second. A large smile broke out across her face and the redhead jumped up for a quick happy dance. Hearing approaching footsteps, she calmed and sat back down. Xander and the Hardys re-entered, talking about something or the other.
"Hey guys!" she greeted excitedly. "What did Vince say?"
"Well he-"
"What happened?" Xander interrupted Jeff. Willow shot him an innocent look.
"What do you mean?" she asked in a little voice.
"Willow, I've known you since like birth, so don't try to pull on over me," Xander gave her a look. "You're far to excited and you look like you've just done the happy dance."
"The happy dance?" Matt repeated, shooting Willow a glance. "Exactly how does this dance go?"
"I'd teach you, but it involves some heavy warm-up stretching," Willow giggled at him. "And as for you Xander, nothing happened. Well, something happened, but it's private. I'm not telling."
Xander paled at that.
"But you have to!" he protested. "We're bosom buddies! You tell me everything!"
"Not everything," she corrected him. Xander frowned and then nodded knowingly.
"That's Willow for it's about a guy," he informed the brothers before turning back to his friend. "But it's not Edge is it?"
"God no," Willow made a face. "That man scares the shit out of me."
"Well, you looked pretty cosy at the party," Xander reminded her.
"When at the party?" Jeff interjected. "Because when we were there, she went off to hide from him."
"It doesn't matter," Willow answered abruptly. "I don't like him. He's scary and really stuck-up most of the time. So, don't worry about Edge. He's the farthest thing from my mind."
***
Edge knew full and well what Christian had planned. In fact, there was little his brother did that Edge didn't know about. Though, having Raven deliver his message is a step up from just getting some incompetent stagehand to do it.
Christian really had some sort of death wish when it came to this girl. Of course, there was a rational part of Edge's brain that told him all the banning on his part was probably egging his brother on. But that was before Taker got involved.
The Dead Man had informed Christian in no uncertain terms to stay away from Willow. And inviting her to a romantic dinner did not qualify as staying away. So, he figured it was up to him to save not only his brother, but also his own ass. Taker was adamant that Edge take Willow away from Christian. He figured the best way was for Edge to bed the girl himself. Not that Edge was opposed to bedding lovely girls, but in this case, that just might encourage Christian. His brother wasn't the best at sharing.
In the end, Edge was forced to use dirty tactics. Not that he minded, he was used to employing those means. He just never thought he would have to use them against his own brother.
So, ten minutes before Christian was set to meet Willow, Edge was ready to go. He was dressed in semi-formal wear with a dress shirt and black pants. His hair was combed and he had put away those sunglasses he always wore. Reaching for his leather jacket, Edge tossed a glance over at the sleeping Christian. Doping his brother up on painkillers had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Christian was probably going to kick his ass tomorrow. Good thing Taker had already planned for that. Tomorrow Christian would be heading over to stay with Stephanie so his fianc�e could nurse him back to health. Edge gave a grin at that. If Stephanie knew how the injuries came about, she would most likely put Christian in the hospital than nurse his wounds.
Chuckling at the thought of Stephanie torturing his little brother, Edge made his way out of their hotel room. After all, he did have a date to attend.
***
Willow glanced nervously around her table. Christian was late again. Not that she minded, it was just that the last time he was late it was because he had to be taken to the emergency room. She tapped her fingers on the tabletop worriedly. She hoped he was okay.
She sat back and smoothed down her skirt. The outfit wasn't daring per say. Willow wasn't that daring of a person. She liked looking sexy, but she also wanted to look like she had class. That meant avoiding the micro mini skirts some of the other divas wore. Right down, she looked great in her black dress shirt and white silk skirt. The skirt itself stopped at mid thigh, but a see through white material proceeded past her knees. Gave the appearance of more modesty than the skirt actually allowed. She had also put her hair up this time. Light make-up as always and one silver necklace to complete the look.
So she was more than ready for Christian. Now if only the man himself would get here.
***
Edge had seen her from the street window. She was glancing around her nervously. Probably wondering what was taking Christian so long. Edge looked down at his watch. He was only fifteen minutes late. No big deal, but the way things turned out last time, he knew why she felt apprehensive.
He entered the restaurant, nodding at hostess. He gave her Christian's name and followed her over to Willow. When the redhead looked up to see him there, he could see the shock clear on her face.
"What happened to him now?" she asked almost immediately.
"He wanted me to tell you he is unable to make it," Edge replied smoothly, sliding in the chair opposite of hers.
"Meaning you did something to him," Willow concluded.
"Would I do that to my own brother? Come on now, I'm only the messenger. Why would I do that?"
"You would do whatever you felt like," Willow nodded. "If it suited your needs. Whatever they may be."
Edge flashed her a wide grin.
"You want to talk about my needs?" he teased her.
Willow blushed faintly and turned her head away.
"Not really," she muttered, taking a sip of water. Anything to avoid looking at the man in front of her.
"Okay," Edge agreed, changing the subject. "Let's talk about your needs.
"My needs?" Willow repeated, a confused frown on her face.
"Yes, what is it you need from the Ministry?" he asked, giving her a meaningful look. "The Woman's title, a belt for your boy. Or are you already working for Vince?"
Willow gave a little laugh and shook her head.
"Are you trying to buy me off?" she asked incredulously. "You think I'm here to mess around with the Ministry?"
"You tell me."
Willow sighed and shook her head again.
"Not everything is about you and your side," she muttered, toying with her napkin. "I don't care who wins in this stupid little war."
"Then what do you care about?" Edge prompted. Willow straightened and gave him a defiant glare.
"None of your business," she shot back. "Now if you'll excuse me." Willow made to rise from her chair. Edge's hand on her arm stopped her. He pushed her back into her seat and looked hard at her.
"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked. Willow gave a nervous laugh.
"I'm not afraid of you," she managed to sneer at him. "Get over yourself."
Edge grinned at that. Turning to summon a waiter, he continued talking to her.
"Well, if you're not afraid of me, perhaps you wouldn't mind joining me for some wine?"
Willow glared daggers at the man in front of her. He could tell she was resolving not to let him get the better of her. Edge smiled again and ordered some wine.
***
She probably shouldn't have stayed with him. And she really shouldn't have drunk wine with him. But most of all, Willow shouldn't have agreed to dance with him.
It was her stubbornness at fault here. She couldn't help but blame that side of her personality. She should have just left, but she didn't want him to know how much he frightened her. Stupid battle of wills. So, here she was, dancing with a man she was scared of just to prove she wasn't scared of him. Her logic didn't always work that great. Or at all.
After about three dances, her nerves had had enough. She pulled back slightly to tell him that she was leaving. What she didn't expect was for him to lean down and kiss. And she really didn't expect to enjoy the kiss that much.
It was nice and soft. His hands rubbed circles on her back while his tongue explored her mouth. She had been stunned at first and then she did something even stupider than before. She started to kiss him back.
When he pulled back, she looked at him with a question in her eyes.
"The rest of the message from my brother," he explained.
That made her very angry. She reared back and slapped him soundly across the face. He looked a little stunned. His hand went to his cheek and then he smirked at her.
Fuming, Willow returned to the table, collected her purse, and left him standing in the middle of the dance floor.
***
"Of all the nerve!" Willow muttered, letting herself into her hotel room. The irate redhead let herself into the room and slammed her door shut. She stomped into the room, still muttering darkly.
"Willow?" came the call from the bathroom. The door opened and out stepped Lita, freshly showered. She took in the sight of the agitated girl and frowned.
"What happened?" she asked immediately. "Did he try something? I'll kick his ass-"
"No, he didn't try anything," Willow cut her off. The other redhead knew whom Willow had been going to see. Lita didn't approve, but she knew Willow was an adult who made her own decisions. Willow wished that her other friends, and particularly her father, would
acquire that quality.
"He didn't try anything," Willow repeated resignedly. "He never gets the chance to try anything."
Lita frowned again.
"Willow?" the confusion was evident in her voice.
"He didn't show up," Willow explained. "He was unable to make it. Edge showed up in his place."
"Edge?" Lita repeated, settling on the bed opposite Willow.
"Yes, Edge," Willow rolled her eyes and proceeded to jumble through her bag for her nightclothes. All the while, she continued to rant.
"First, he just walks up to me and sits down. He tells me Christian was unable to come," Willow made a face as she imitated the blonde man. "Then he starts in on the innuendo, talking about his needs. Then he just jumps onto the conclusion that I'm after something. He actually offered to help me get the Woman's title or some belt for Xander. He all but directly accused me of being a spy for Vince. Another thing, he thinks the whole world revolves around the Ministry and the Corporation. He totally forgets about us neutral parties and just assumes if you aren't with the Ministry, you're an enemy."
"Did he threaten you?" Lita interrupted as the younger girl paused for an intake of breath. Willow rolled her eyes.
"If only," she muttered darkly, viciously snapping up her PJs. "He orders wine and dares me to spend time with him. Like he thinks that I'm scared of him."
"You are scared of him," Lita reminded her.
"So?" Willow shot back. "He doesn't need to know that. It would just give him more ammunition against me. Anyway, that's not the worst part!"
"What's the worst part?" Lita asked, tone obligatory.
"He asks me to dance!" Willow answered, throwing her hands up in the air. "But that's not it. First I have to dance with him to prove to him that I'm not scared of him, when I really am. But when finally get tired of it and try to tell him that I'm leaving, he kisses me!"
"Edge kissed you!" Lita yelled.
"Yeah, but that's not it!"
"What more?" Lita could barely believe there was more.
"Then he told me that was the rest of the message from Christian!" Willow revealed, fists clenching at her sides.
"He what?" Lita demanded. "How could he say that? If he was going to kiss you, he should at least take responsibility for it."
"I know!" Willow agreed, hands going to her hips. She was making a lot of erratic hand motions. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to throw things, strangle someone. No, she wanted to strangle Edge specifically.
"I have to take a shower now," Willow told her resignedly. "And maybe I won't feel homicidal afterwards."
"You want me to do something?" Lita asked. "Call someone, break Edge's legs, and order ice cream from room service?" Willow laughed at the way Lita snuck that casual threat into her sentence.
"I think I'll pass," she giggled. "On everything, except the ice cream. Then I can contemplate how Christian and I are most likely not meant to be. After all, if we were, we might actually have had one of our meetings go through. But no, it's like the world is against."
"Maybe not the world," Lita shrugged. "Maybe just Edge."
Willow frowned at the mention of the man. Shaking her head, she made for the shower. Lita watched her go with concern in her gaze.
It looked like the redhead had gotten in over her head. Lita just hoped it wouldn't all come back to screw her over in the end.
***
"Well?"
Edge straightened at the command. His eyes searched the room for the source of it. He saw Taker, seated on the bed opposite of the snoring Christian. Apparently the painkillers had yet to wear off.
"Well what?" he asked, shrugging off his jacket.
"How did it go with the redhead?" Taker clarified. "What does she want?"
"I don't think she actually wants anything," Edge mused, walking further into the room. Since Taker had taken the bed, Edge was consigned to the only armchair in the room. He sat down and faced his boss, hands joined together as he leaned forward.
"I offered her titles, offered her boy titles, but she didn't bite," he shrugged. "She was actually kind of offended."
"If she doesn't want titles or money, what does she want?"
Taker demanded. Again, Edge shrugged, eyes going to his brother. Taker followed his gaze and looked at Christian in disbelief.
"Why?" was his only question.
"Maybe she just likes him a lot," Edge guessed.
"Again why?" Taker shook his head. "She obviously doesn't know much about him."
Edge shrugged again and leaned back.
"Well, if she likes him, my first plan would work," Taker continued. "She likes this buffoon, she'll like you."
"Thanks boss," Edge muttered sarcastically.
"Don't worry about it boy," Taker laughed at him. "It's not like I'm asking you to do anything dangerous. It's just seducing a cute redhead. Not a ladder match."
"Yeah, she might be more dangerous," Edge grumbled.
"What are you talking about?"
"She slapped me!" he proclaimed. "I was nice and charming and did all the right things. Bought her wine, asked her to dance, and then kissed her. And she slapped me!"
"You kissed her?" Taker repeated. "Maybe Christian isn't the only one who's in trouble with this girl."
"What does that mean?" Edge frowned. He didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.
"You kissed her," Taker shrugged. "You figure out what it means."
"Hey, you're the one who told me to seduce her," Edge protested defensively. "How am I suppose to seduce her if I don't kiss her a few times? I don't she's the kind of girl who would appreciate me throwing her onto the bed and having my way with her. She looks like the kind of girl you have to ease into these sort of things."
"Looking awful close at her, aren't we?" Taker grinned.
"She's a threat to everything we're working for," Edge explained. "I knew it the minute Christian started watching her debut. He was practically slobbering all over the monitor. And the fact he didn't even notice Stephanie walk into the room, I knew that it was trouble. Had to watch her carefully after that. I picked up a few things about her."
"Enough to make this work?"
"I hope so," Edge muttered, hand going to his cheek again. "But, I'm warning you, she's scared of me. She might not respond properly. She might just slap me some more."
"You make it sound like it hurt," Taker chuckled. Edge frowned, outrage on his face.
"It did hurt!" he insisted. Taker laughed and got up to leave. "Just keep her away from the dog," Taker instructed. "Until he marries Stephanie, he's not going to be able to control himself."
Edge nodded, eyes going to his brother again.
"Don't worry, I'll keep them apart," he assured him. "But the whole seduction thing might not work."
"Here's some advice boy," Taker said, turning to him. "Ask her out like a normal guy would. Don't do these little tricks, she sounds like she doesn't appreciate it. If she's as innocent as you say, your best shot is probably the movies or something."
With that, the Undertaker left room. Edge sat in the armchair for a while, thinking over his words.
"That might just work," he mused to himself. "If she doesn't slap me again."
***