"ITVR: Chapter 44"
Meetings.

By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane

CJ couldn�t help the sigh of relief that escaped him at hearing Adam�s diagnosis. Not breaks thank god, but some nasty damage nonetheless. Chris� liking for the dark haired Major Tom went up quickly as he explained exactly how Adam would be allowed to act for the next few weeks. Eventually Chris hoped he�d learn to handle his stubborn lover with the smooth ability the young doctor had just demonstrated. It must come from dealing with injured people day in day out, they did what you told them to do or else. You said you had to go back to the arena... Oh really? Did he now? Chris straightened his spine under Adam�s arm. The plan, and CJ had thought it up so it was a good plan, was to go directly to the hotel so Adam could become comatose as soon as humanly possible. The plan, his plan, had nothing in it about arenas, going back or being still awake in the next forty-five minutes, at all. Slanting a look at his lover, Chris felt his hackles rise. He knew he was a bossy son of a bitch, most people let him get away with it because he was generally right, but Adam was proving to be stubborn, resistant and all too devious a person to command. And didn�t CJ just want him even more for it? Fuck yeah. Not that Adam was going to get away with going over his head on this one. Oh no. Adam may not be his to control, but CJ had other ways of getting his way, he could be just as underhanded as the next man. The next man being Adam of course. you need to be on your back 24/7. Chris heartily agreed with that particular statement. Even the resting part of it. But Lord Tom was blushing so cutely, that CJ manfully let the comment pass with nothing but a naughty smirk. The smirk changed into a sympathetic grimace at Adam�s reaction to the rather impressive needle Tommy was waving about. Needles didn�t bother him in the slightest, but he knew they bothered Adam, as the white-knuckled grip on the table indicated. Not really caring about the presence of Piper Tom, Chris reached up with his damaged fingers and turned Adam�s pain clenched jaw towards him. �Not a problem Babe. Never even feel it, I swear.� Keeping his eyes locked on his lover�s, Chris hoped he�d help distract Adam a little from the never pleasant feeling of an injection. At least Tom Thumb was quick with the needle, and gentle too. Eventually loaded back into the rental car by Benoit, Chris settled Adam before listening to his lover�s reasons for going to the hotel via the arena. True, leaving their wallets and their gear in the locker room was a concern, but even more so was the issue of trusting Bunnykins and Jay to adapt to the changed situation. Since neither of the blonds had had the chance to wrangle the �relationship issues� information out of their odd couple, the other two would probably be too twisted up about each other to think of CJ and Adam�s situation. Knowing it would throw Adam, but also because CJ acknowledged he had a point, Chris calmly agreed to Adam�s plan. �Okay Babe, whatever you say. We�ll get our gear, leave the car for Bunnykins to drive, �cos letting Jay back into the driver�s seat would be criminal, and then we�ll get a taxi. That�ll let Benoit here find Eddie rather than be our chauffeur all night.� Rubbing the pads of his good fingers over Adam�s knuckles, Chris watched the setting sun cast a warm orange glow over their skin. By the time they reached the arena car park, Adam was breathing easier, so CJ felt comfortable letting him walk almost unaided. Much as he�d have liked to snuggle up to his lover during the car ride, the painkiller hadn�t kicked in quite that much. �Okay Babe, here�s the deal. You go find Jay and Bunnykins, see if Austin got to them or not. If not, let them know we�re leaving and why. I�ll grab the gear and arrange a taxi to the hotel. Adam� I�m fine really. Let�s just do this and go. I want you somewhere we can rest. Okay?� At Adam�s assent Chris followed the other two into the arena, his eyes still watching Adam to make sure his lover�s pain was easing. **** One perfectly plucked eyebrow canted slightly at Dave�s response. Not normally known for her discretion, Stephanie nevertheless stepped into the room and carefully closed the door behind her. Whether to give the two naked men some privacy or to protect any witnesses from possible fallout was anyone�s guess. Stephanie wasn�t on air these days, but as Vince�s daughter she maintained the billion dollar look whenever she was at �work� The heels and designer dress complimented her new �super woman� figure as well as adding to formidable physical presence. Hands on hips, the shrill tone she�d became famous for very evident in her voice, Stephanie spoke cuttingly to the two men before her. �No, I�m guessing you wouldn�t have expected me to come down tonight. Just as I wouldn�t have expected to have my husband call me at midnight, drunk completely out of his mind, and worry the hell out of me. There have been only two times, that I�ve heard of, that Hunt has drowned his sorrows in a bottle. The first,� Stephanie, completely ignoring all the naked man-flesh on show, stepped closer to Shawn and pointed with a red talon, �was because of YOU. The second was because of YOU.� The finger swung over to wave under Dave�s nose. �So I come down to find out what happened� and lo and behold�� Another wave at their forms. �It becomes clear. You�re getting busy with each other, for god�s sake, and my Hunter is out in the cold. He shouldn�t have to be and I�m angry at both of you for not noticing how much he cares for you both. Shawn, you should know better, and you�� Stephanie barreled over any explanation they might try to make, by raising her impressive voice to Dave ��to be getting some in his dressing room, when he could walk in any minute is the lowest. So� I repeat, who gets to suffer first?� Hands finally coming to rest on impressive hips, Stephanie sneered at them with all the contempt she could manage. She could manage quite a bit. **** Hunter leaned with practiced ease against the wall inside Vince�s office door. The current �discussion� taking place was really not one he wanted to be involved in, but his father-in-law had waved him into the room at his careless knock. It was the kind of discussion married couples had when they were ready to sign those papers. Painfully polite, smugly patronizing and vicious as all hell. Most sentences started with. �Yes I know, I�m not stupid,� and degenerated from there. Hunt had witnessed Van Dam almost run from the room after giving his witness statement on the fight in the hallway, Taylor, the Talent Liaison, looking like she wanted to throw up, leave to find Terry and deliver a message about Vince�s level of unhappiness and Bradshaw, in the hat for god�s sake, start bawling about privacy, privilege and if you can believe it, �What kinda show are you running here McMahon?� Hunter would really like to know what dirt the big man had over Vince to be able to cop an attitude like that and get away with it. He was having serious thoughts about postponing his own news until a later date, given the mood Vince would be in after JBL left. Exactly how he�d phrase his �surprise� was still a large question and the temptation to cut and run was even larger. But it had to be done, and sooner rather than later or he�d get grief for the delay as well as the information. When it really came down to it, there was no subtle way of letting someone know you were in a relationship with two other men. Hunter would borrow a leaf out of one of his favorite people�s books and go for brutally blunt. �Damn that man is more trouble to me than he�s worth.� Vince complained to Hunter from behind his desk as the door shut behind Bradshaw. �Liked him better before the hat,� Hunter shrugged. Pat remained silent for fear of his life, Hunt guessed. �As if that doesn�t take the damn cake. Copeland�s gone for X-rays, but he�s planning to wrestle anyway. Benoit thinks it�d be okay, which has me so suspicious I suspect there�s money involved and our Champion wants a bodyguard while backstage.� Vince listed while he looked around his desk for his favorite pen. It was gold and engraved with his name. A fiftieth birthday gift from Linda, it was one of the most precious items the billionaire possessed. �The taping hasn�t even started. What the hell else is going to happen?� �I�m sleeping with Shawn and Dave.� Well, he couldn�t have asked for a better straight line than that. Absolute silence from the other two men. Hunter smirked slightly. �Not at this very second. But later tonight I will be and probably most nights for the next twenty years. If I can talk them into it that is.� Vince hadn�t become a strange shade of puce or anything so Hunt was hopeful. Pat looked like he was trying not to explode with laughter. Still nothing verbal though so he continued with his news, may as well get it out all at once. �It only started this morning but it feels like we�ve been at this for months. I love Shawn and you know it Vince. I�m also nuts about Dave and here�s the kicker, they like me back. We�ll be discreet in public and I can keep a leash on Shawn backstage if it worries you.� Not really a good time to be thinking those kind of thoughts Hunter. �After this I�m calling Stephanie and Linda, then Joanie. I wanted you to be one of the first to know Vince and Shawn�ll want to talk to you as well.� A careless shrug to indicate the total lack of problem anyone should have with this. �So that�s me.� Pat finally exploded, the raucous laughter echoing around the silent office like a cathedral bell. �Shit Hunter! I never thought you�d have the guts to take Shawn up on all his offers. You two are like sons to me you know that?� Pat asked, his large round form tugging Hunter into a paternal hug. �Just don�t hurt that Baby Girl and I�m behind you one hundred percent.� Pat even had the gall to waggle his eyebrows at the dirty pun. Hunter shook his head at the older man�s antics. Pat and his partner had been together forever, it didn�t surprise him that the Canadian�s radar had picked up Shawn and Hunter�s attraction to each other before they did. Looking away from the jubilant Pat, Hunter tried to gauge his father-in-law�s reaction. **** "You're stuck with me tonight... I promise I'll behave so don't wince. I won't embarrass you... much." Mark raised an eyebrow at the smaller man but hid his smile. Seeing Jeff acting much more like his normal self was a relief, after the little debacle earlier. Firmly keeping that enticing image of Jeff's nude body out of his mind, he wondered just how this was going to work out. Two months, sure... but what exactly was going to happen? He had to keep an eye on the whirlwind, make sure he showed up where and when he was supposed to be, and work with creative on a good angle for his comeback. Vince had let it go there, but had hinted that he'd like to see Mark work with the kid, to improve his attitude and get him back in ring shape. Anything else was... left up to him. And hadn't the look on Vince's face when he said that just made Mark's fingers itch with the desire to wipe it right back off? Shrugging off the lingering memory of irritation, Mark realised that Jeff was falling behind, but even as he slowed his normal ground-eating pace slightly, Jeff increased his without a word. Normally people bitched about having to keep up with him, and he tried to remember to make it possible for them to do so... Letting his eyes flicker over Jeff's form for an instant, Mark couldn't help but wonder if the sight he'd been gifted with through a reluctant misunderstanding would�ever be his to enjoy willingly. Their angle had been fairly brief, but the experience had been enough to captivate him. Shawn would laugh his ass off at him, too, if he found out... hell, when he found out. As soon as Mark asked him for help getting Jeff back in shape, he'd be all over him for the gossipy details, and damned if that man wouldn't be able to pry them out of him, too. He'd always been hard-pressed to deny Shawn anything. Glancing once more at the man at his side, he suspected it would be the same with this one. At least Shawn was coming up on some time off, so the timing would work out well. Well... probably not this week, if Adam had been right about Batista. About damned time Heartbreaker found somebody that would treat him the way he deserved, too... even if it wasn't Hunter. And he'd have to ask him about that, too. They might not have been lovers for years now, but they'd stayed good friends. And dammit, he had to remember to ask Jeff to call him 'Mark'. The 'Taker' thing was really getting to him for some reason. "I was just telling Paul E. here how very much I'm enjoying your current storyline." The quiet laugh that surprised out of him got him a glare from the slime ball in question, but he ignored it. Good for Hall, if he was antagonising the little creep. Creative genius Paul might be, but that didn't redeem him for the incredible lack of respect for anyone or anything else or his willingness to use whatever came to hand for his own purposes. Witness the storyline in question, after all. Bearer wasn't in good shape, but still... this storyline was entirely for Heyman and the Dudleys' benefit, and did nothing for the Undertaker but strip him of some of the mystique he'd managed so recently to recapture. "You two making a big return?" The exchange between Jeff and Scott made him smile a little, but he missed the rest of the conversation as he stepped away slightly to talk to Heyman. At least they didn't have much to go over, just pacing and a few details. He managed to keep his disgust mostly off his face, but apparently didn't succeed completely, since Heyman glanced from him to Jeff, an expression on his face that Mark didn't like. "Well, that certainly explains a few things, now doesn't it, Mark?" Heyman said, raising his voice�with a smirk. Mark tilted his head with narrowed eyes, inviting him to continue. If he said the wrong thing, the man would have to get out to the ring for their spot that night in a wheelchair. "You keep failing to see all the benefits that a... partnership between us could give to you." A shudder of disgust ran down Mark's spine as Heyman's eyes moved over him, the innuendo in his words unmistakable. "But if you've recently acquired a new perk as befits your station with this company, that would explain your continuing refusal to take me up on a very tempting offer. Of course, some perks get old quickly, don't they, Mark?�They're just there to be used and thrown away like the garbage they are, after all." Mark was aware of the resounding silence surrounding them, the others' voices having trailed off into silence when Heyman started talking. He could see Scott's astounded stare but couldn't bring himself to look at Jeff as his hands clenched, his vision narrowing as his temper flared. The man's insults to himself he could stand; he'd been through far worse than some bad pick-up lines and slime ball management. It was the barely-veiled insult to Jeff that him nearly ready to tear the little fat man apart, a reaction that somewhere in the back of his mind surprised even himself. It was Jeff's response that surprised him more. **** "See I was just telling Kev how much this storyline... sucks." Stopping a few feet behind Scott, Kev leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched his lover put on a show. His eyes took in the scene, his lips twitching into a wide smirk, before fixing firmly on the lovely sight of Scott's ass, clearly outlined by the tightly clinging denim and in clear view due to the way he was leaning on the crate. He was tempted to amble up there and grope him, but Scott was having so much fun he hated to interrupt him. And of course, the longer Scott pulled this, the longer he'd get to "punish" him later; the thought of having his lover, warm and willing and writhing as he returned the favour from this morning, finishing what he'd started a few minutes ago in the dressing room... He bit his lip to keep back a soft moan as a warm thrill shivered through him, his body responding to his thoughts. "Yeah... sucks, just like..." Oh God. He couldn't help the sharp breath he took, Scott's taunting twisting his nerves just a little tighter as he remembered those lips sliding down over him just last night. Straightening up, he finally took the last few steps to stand behind Scott as Heyman started to turn purple. Fortunately for Paul, Kev caught sight of Mark heading towards them and nodded at the man, his surprise at Taker's companion obvious as the two stopped beside them. "Fuck you too Gillette Boy." Kevin couldn't help but laugh, his smile remaining as Jeff almost hid behind Mark. Could Mark have been upset earlier because...? Nah. That'd be just weird. But if Taker did have something for the kid... Watching the two curiously, Kev wouldn't be surprised at all if that something were mutual, although the signs were pretty subtle. "You two making a big return?" Shrugging, Kevin leaned against Scott, allowing himself to enjoy the feel of that well-loved rear pressing back against his groin. "At some point. Dunno why we're here tonight, but Vince insisted... and what Vinnie Mac wants, Vinnie Mac gets,"�he said with a smirk, letting one arm fall across Scott's shoulder to wrap halfway around his chest. "And you? Just visiting, or is something up?" **** The gentle touch to the throbbing mark on his neck made Shawn whine, a spark of lust shivering through his body and his eyelids flickered before he focused on Dave. Still not able to make his voice work, he managed a sort of husky moaning gasp, smiling a little both at the feeling and at the blush on Dave's face. So sweet. "I'm sorry. If you don't kill me..." His smile widened at that and he shook his head, not wanting Dave to feel guilty about something he'd enjoyed that much. Not that he was into pain, as such, but something like that bite... just the thought of it could do things to him. During the time he'd spent with Kevin and Scott, there had been more than one time when he'd had too many bite marks for makeup to hide, much to Vince's irritation. He was definitely looking forward to that sort of experience again, and with his enforced vacation coming up, they wouldn't even have to worry about makeup. Hell, he didn't especially want makeup to try to cover the mark up even if he did have photos to shoot tonight; the fact that Dave had marked him as his was something that Shawn wanted everyone to know. How practical that was remained to be seen. "You need to get rinsed off and go get dressed or you're going to be late..." Taking advantage of the situation, Shawn pouted at the other two men for a long moment before laughing---quietly hoarse---and joining them under the spray again. Hunt's kiss to his nose made him smile again, and when Dave splashed water at him, he was feeling playful enough to splash right back. The little game ended with a nice hot kiss before they headed back into the dressing room. Shawn carried his towel loosely in his hand; even if modesty was something he was familiar with, he didn't see the point in being shy around his lovers. That thought had his lips curving even as Hunter slung an arm across his shoulders, a familiar weight, and leaned in to nuzzle his neck. The feeling of those lips and the soft scratch of beard across the sensitive mark left by Dave opened Shawn's mouth in a silent reaction. Damn this loss of his voice, anyway. Any disappointment in Hunter's leaving was quickly forgotten as Dave began drying him. The soft, teasing touches had him swaying toward the other man in no time, one hand coming up to grasp Dave's upper arm for balance as he returned the gentle kiss. He hadn't lied to Dave earlier; he was definitely used to this already, and being parted from either man would probably kill him. Opening his heart up like that might have looked easy to them, but it had been incredibly hard for him; he'd tried too many times before only to have his emotions stomped into the ground. This time, though, he knew in his heart that neither of them would do that to him, and he knew he'd never do that to them. Looking into Dave's eyes, he wondered just what exactly he was feeling for the darker man; he knew he loved Hunter with all of his being, but he was starting to think that he might've underestimated the depth of his feeling for Dave. The sound of the door opening had him rolling his eyes and preparing to rasp at Sean to get out; the look on Dave's face put a stop to that, and he turned around to see who their unexpected visitor was. His eyebrows raised when he saw Stephanie standing there, irritation clear on her face. Dave's wrapping the towel around his waist reminded him that they were both still naked and dripping, and his lover was obviously all too aware of that. "We... uh... didn't expect you." But they probably should have. They were close enough to Greenwich that Steph would have driven over to see them as a matter of course. Shawn could've smacked himself for not thinking of that sooner... but from the look on her face, there was more going on here. Her next words confirmed that, even as they had Shawn cursing his lack of voice. "Just as I wouldn�t have expected to have my husband call me at midnight, drunk completely out of his mind..." Oh, Hunt. Those simple words hurt to hear. Even knowing the pain that Hunter had inflicted on him, knowing that he'd hurt himself so badly made Shawn's heart clench for an instant. And... Hunt had done this before? Because of him? But why... oh. Oh wait. Bowing his head slightly, Shawn somehow knew exactly when Hunter had drunk himself blind because of him, and why. God, did he owe his friend an apology. It had been a stunt, a gimmick to get the rumours flying... an excuse for him to finally taste Hunt's lips, however briefly. He hadn't done too well himself later that night, from the little he could remember of it. That taste hadn't been worth the torment it had brought... to either of them. "... and my Hunter is out in the cold." Even through the guilt suddenly weighing him down, he had to smile a little at that. It was good to know that Steph cared about Hunter that much, to know that his best friend had had someone to take care of him for the last few years, even if her infamous temper was currently pointed at them. That was a damned scary pose, too, given that even he was bigger than the Princess. But... right now he had to fix this. Had to make her realise how wrong she was. Stepping forward, he raised his hand in a gesture for her attention, then pointed to his throat and shook his head. This could be interesting. Opening his mouth, if he forced the noise out, he could just rasp�audibly at her. Hopefully this wouldn't kill his voice for the next day, too. "Steph... you're wrong." Pausing, he cleared his throat, then glanced around. This was Evolution's dressing room, after all; there had to be bottles of water in here somewhere. Looking over his shoulder at Dave, he suppressed the smile at the red decorating the man's upper body, the towel wrapped around his waist barely covering him. "Dave... water?" he asked plaintively. Seeing his nod, Shawn turned his attention back to Steph, who seemed to be looking at him about the same as she would a bug on the sidewalk just before she stepped on it. He shook his head resignedly. Wasn't this just their luck? He'd wanted to talk to Steph, wanted to make sure that the woman who he still remembered fondly as a girl understood what was going on here... and of course she'd show up when he just physically couldn't do that. At least, not easily. But he'd lose his voice permanently to fix this mistake if he had to, before it became something they'd all regret. "Sorry." He shrugged in a frustrated gesture, accepting a plastic bottle with a grateful smile and taking a long swig before trying again. "I do know. Dave knows. You missed Hunt." He gestured at the wet towel dropped carelessly across the bench behind them. This was going to hurt. Taking another drink and a deep breath, he said carefully, "I told Hunt last night that I loved him. He told me that he didn't love me. I didn't take it well so Dave stayed with me last night." Seeing the glint in Stephanie's eyes, he added quickly, "Nothing happened. But this morning we all talked." Deciding that he was going to gloss over the fight until she asked---and he knew she would---he searched for a way to express the situation and couldn't really find a good one.�"We... we're together, Steph. The three of us. Just... Hunter just left to talk to Vince. About us." The last word escaping in a croak, he decided that he'd pressed his luck enough and shook his head again, finishing off the water. The silence in the room was almost overwhelming. Finally, he just couldn't stand it and spoke again, trying to get someone he thought of as a little sister to stop glaring at him like she hated him. "Still love me, Steph?" Hopefully the half-hopeful, half-teasing note had been clear through the huskiness. **** Steve had been watching Randy for the last half an hour. The punk had strolled into the arena with a �you are all shit� expression on his face, the Armani suit perfectly pressed despite the heat and so much attitude Austin thought he might drown in it. Randy had a certain nobility about him, that was for damn sure, all those genetic gifts making him almost as good as he made himself out to be. What most people failed to see, as Austin had till last night, was the young man hiding behind the �look�, a guy driven to asshole behavior to cope with crushing expectations. The smarmy talk, the rich boy antics were all one big pile of bullshit as far as Steve was concerned. There hadn�t been any such attitude last night. More like trembling hands and sexy whimpers than the cold braying laugh that echoed around the locker room. Looks like the shields were back up though. It was such a good act, that Steve would almost have doubted last night ever happened, if not for the bite mark on his bicep and the pleasant sensation in his groin when he caught a slight whiff of expensive aftershave. Randy was putting on an excellent show. Although the expression on that chiseled face had become somewhat pissy at finding the door to the Evolution dressing room soundly locked. Even a five minutes' rant to Ric hadn�t changed the situation and Randy had found himself sharing a room with Kidman for the time being. Steve went to find food, his mind recapping in glorious Technicolor the events of the previous night. ----- When Copeland had led Kitten out of the club, Austin had ordered another beer in celebration of his plan coming to fruition. He�d been pushing CJ at every available body for months now, trying to provoke some kind of reaction from the tall, lanky blond. But nothing. Nada. It seemed like Adam really didn�t care for CJ like that, which was a damn shame as Chris deserved someone better than the grunts he�d allowed to touch him in the past. Considering Michaels was so wrapped up in Helmsley he couldn�t see straight and Helmsley himself was out of the picture, Austin had been wracking his bald head to find someone to fix Chris up with. Well, tonight he�d succeeded. Whatever had happened in that alley musta been good, because Kitten had used the word �Boyfriend� and that was pretty damn serious even if it was a tease. Ignoring the strange, asexual person trying to cuddle up to his leg, Austin finished his beer and went to look for the femmes. An hour later they were falling out of Molly�s rental like they were seventeen-year-olds rather than the sophisticated adults they actually were. Trish kept getting the word sophisticated wrong and was still stuck on so-pissed-it-catered, when Steve shoved them into the hotel elevator. He was only slightly buzzed from the beer at the club, so a sharp U-turn was in order to find the lobby bar stool with his name on it. A dozen other wrestlers were there, talking, boasting and eyeing off the various ring rats on offer for the evening. Almost nauseated by the blousy red-head who practically fell over herself trying to cross the bar to get to him, Austin rudely waved her off and put his attention on the young bartender who seemed way out of his depth. �Yer not normally this busy on a Monday huh?� he guessed knowingly. �Not at all,� the kid agreed, placing Austin�s beer in front of him and quickly wiping hands drenched by various spilled fluids. �It�s like this on Friday and Saturday but I�m not here alone then.� With a nod and a smile, the kid� Phillip his name tag said� hurried off to answer another drink demand. Steve was on his third and last for the night, when he became aware of a body occupying the seat beside him. About to give a none-too-gentle �not interested� to the offer about to come his way, Steve was struck speechless by the sight of a worn denim clad wearing Randy Orton ordering a Rum and Coke with another beer for Steve. The faded blue fabric looked fucking delicious wrapped around muscled thighs and a perfect ass, a long sleeved black tee creating a casual Orton Jnr that Austin hadn�t even know existed. Catching Steve�s surprised stare, Randy picked up his drink and took a deep gulp. Placing the glass back carefully on the felt mat, he took a deep breath and returned the ice blue stare that hadn�t moved an iota. �So� you come here often?� ----- It had been the cheesy pick up line, mixed with the unusual casual attire that had got to Steve like nothing else. From being an arrogant little Prick that he wouldn�t think twice about fucking, but never want to spend real time with, Randy had suddenly become a warm, desirable Lover that Austin found he couldn�t stop thinking about. Problem was, the day after the morning after, Steve for the life of him couldn�t see his dream Lover anywhere in the Prick at all. Maybe he was just a figment of his imagination after all. **** Steph looked really good. Then again she always did when appearing backstage. Although he could certainly do without the contempt written on her face. He wondered how Hunter's meeting was going with Vince. Could it be more scary than a pissed-off Stephanie McMahon? Not likely. He felt low as a snake and the damn thing was he wasn't even guilty of what she was accusing him of... not that she knew that. And he really did not think that the truth should come from him even if she would be happy about it. Maybe he should have blurted out his first thought after all. It certainly would have cleared up some of the anger... possibly. "...call me at midnight, drunk completely out of his mind, and worry the hell out of me..." Oh man. If he'd had any idea at all that Hunter's bender had included a call to Stephanie, he would have insisted that Hunter call her right away, if not then certainly by now. He wondered if Hunter even remembered calling her last night. It was quite possible from the condition of his hotel room this morning that he might have been so drunk last night he didn't even realize it. Dave could certainly see why she would have hot-footed it down to the arena after a call like that and why she would have been worried. "The second was because of YOU." He blinked... twice. For the life of him he could not think of anything that he had done that would have prompted Hunter to drink himself silly. There was certainly going to be a discussion between the two of them about that later. He wasn't sure what Shawn had done to prompt a drinking spree either, but his first thought was that it had happened when Shawn left the business. Of course he could certainly be wrong about that. Either way, he felt terrible for being the cause of Hunter being that upset and he was pretty sure that Shawn felt bad as well if the way he looked at the moment was any indication. "�to be getting some in his dressing room, when he could walk in any minute is the lowest." Dave's mouth dropped open, closed, and dropped open again. What exactly could he say to that? If he were actually doing what Stephanie was accusing him of, he'd have been feeling guilty as all hell at the moment and not a little chagrined. The thing was... he wasn't doing what she thought he was, but he'd be damned if he just blurted that out. He was still pretty uncomfortable being as near to naked as he could get, the towel he had managed to grab barely covered him, and he knew without even looking that he was blushing like a schoolgirl. Luckily it looked as if Shawn was going to take care of the explanation, but he had to try to do so with no voice or a very weak one rather. Whoops. "Steph... you're wrong." As soon as Shawn asked for the water, Dave nodded and turned to get him some. He felt bad for making Shawn be the one to talk, when he really couldn't, but Dave simply didn't know what to say to her to clear this up. He could tell her the truth, that they both loved Hunter and he was going to be a part of their lives, but that didn't sit well when he hadn't even told the man himself yet that he had feelings of that depth. Returning to Shawn with the water, he handed it over, the smile he received in return calming him just a bit despite the seriousness of the situation. "We... we're together, Steph. The three of us. Just... Hunter just left to talk to Vince. About us." That pretty much summed it up. Of course with his voice failing, Shawn had given a rather abbreviated version of events, but until Stephanie asked for details that seemed like a good idea. If she did want to know more than Dave would just have to pick his mouth up off the floor and answer her or Shawn would have no voice at all left. He was supposed to have done promos tonight as well and Vince wouldn't be thrilled if he had to mime his way through them. The thick silence in the room was making him even more uncomfortable if possible. He wasn't sure if Stephanie was stunned to find out she was wrong or trying to get past the idea that they were going to be a they... the three of them that is. He was still a little surprised by it all himself so he could imagine how she might be feeling. Just when he was about to say anything at all to break the silence, Shawn once again came through. "Still love me, Steph?" That hadn't been what he'd expected, but it did finally draw a reaction. **** "Okay Babe, whatever you say..." What? Chris was agreeing with him? No argument? Well damn. He must have made more sense than he thought he had. Pretty damn good for a guy with a concussion. More likely that Chris had just let him have his way. Humor the stubborn bastard so that he won't come up with an even stupider idea. Whichever it was... it had worked. He'd track down Jay and Ty, leave them the car keys, stop by Vince's office, and then they could leave. Sure Chris hadn't said anything about stopping to see Vince, but if it happened to be on his way.... "Sure, sweetheart. I'll find the dynamic duo, give Ty the keys, and we're out of here." He was well aware that Chris was watching him like a hawk as he climbed out of the car and entered the building. Truth was, he wasn't feeling too bad at the moment. The local had pretty much killed most of the immediate pain although he could still feel a twinge here and there. It was nothing compared to how he'd felt even half an hour ago. He could breathe a hell of a lot easier now that he wasn't guarding to minimize the pain and that in turn had helped with his dizzy spells. While he certainly wouldn't be running a marathon in the near future, or hopping right back into the ring that night, he was pretty sure walking through the arena would be a piece of cake. Only he hadn't expected to have to hunt high and low for the Bobbsey Twins. After he and Chris had parted ways, with Chris heading to the locker room, he had asked everyone along the way if they'd seen Ty or Jay. So far no luck at all. He'd checked the gym, hadn't seen them anywhere in the main hallway, and now was on his way to catering. If they weren't there, then he would check the ring area. Maybe they were even in the locker room and had already talked to Chris. At least it was giving him time to think about the situation as well. He'd flipped yet again from the decision he'd made... at least in his head... in the car. He was happy, no beyond happy, he was damn well ecstatic to finally have this chance with Chris. No way in hell was some idiotic overgrown jackass with a chip on his shoulder going to cost him that chance. He would do whatever the hell he had to in order to make Terry a non-issue. Hell, if he had to he would beg Mark to help him. Not that he was comfortable with begging, or asking Mark for that kind of favor, but if that's what he had to do then so be it. If that didn't work then he'd just take the little bastard out himself and Vince could do his worse. He saw a small group ahead and considered stopping to ask if they'd seen Jay, but things weren't looking too friendly in that area. Kevin and Scott didn't look too thrilled at the moment, Mark looked like he was going to take Heyman's head off at any moment, and Jeff... whoa. He hadn't seen or talked to Jeff in awhile, which was a pity because they had been kind of close at one point. Wondering briefly if his visit was social or business, Adam skirted the group widely. No way was he going to risk getting in the middle of another fight tonight. Chris would have his head for even thinking about stopping to see what was going on. By the time he reached catering, he was ready for a little sit-down. Still no sign of either of the guys, but he had found Austin. Maybe if he hadn't talked to them yet, he could at least point Adam in the right direction. Walking up next to the man, who seemed a tad preoccupied at the moment, Adam sank into the seat next to him, still not drawing his attention. It couldn't be helped. Hopefully Steve wouldn't pop him one just for asking. Cheesy grin firmly in place, he poked Steve in the arm. "Hey baldy. Picked up any stunning blonds lately?" **** Despite being considered on the small side in an industry of giants, Shawn Michaels was still a very strongly-built man. Still, receiving the impact of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley�s body would have staggered even the biggest of WWE stars. That Steph was still completely unconcerned with his state of undress probably came from spending a lifetime among such half-naked men on a regular basis. All previous rancor evaporated like mist, Stephanie threw her arms around Shawn�s neck in a loving but powerful hug. After a moment of intense squeezing, she began to bounce excitedly, �Really? Really, really? Oh good, good, GOOD. Of course I still love you Shawn. You know you won my heart with that T-shirt when I was twelve and it�s been yours ever since.� Leaning back so she could read the truth in her favorite person�s eyes, Steph finally smiled her disarmingly impish grin. �I knew something had happened between you to make him so sad. I�m just glad you beat some sense into him for once. I�m a committed woman now you know. � The impish grin took on a decidedly naughty twist. �I can�t be expected to keep everyone else off Hunt all the time. If you hadn�t put your name on him soon, I was thinking of requesting expressions of interest.� Arms still draped around Shawn�s shoulders, Vince�s daughter blinked sweetly at Dave. �Sorry Davey. I thought you�d shunned my Hunter and stolen Shawn. I can get a bit protective of my people when they get treated badly. Come here.� She ordered imperiously, one red nailed hand extended, fingers in a waggling/grabbing motion. Catching Dave�s wrist in a vice like grip, Stephanie pulled him into the impromptu group hug. �I love you too, you big sexy man. If Hunter tries to run away from either of you� sit on him and kiss him till he agrees to stay. He�s tried to �set me free� for my own good so often my butt's getting sore from the sitting.� Pouting, Steph released her captives to pat her curvaceous backside. �Hunt�s with Dad? Oh that�ll be fun. I�ll go rescue him in a minute. C�mon get dressed and tell me everything. Who said what first? How much of a struggle did he put up? Did he say he loved you? �Cos he does you know, both of you. ShawnHoney, you really should get that throat checked, do you want me to get an EMT? Davey? If you and Shawn didn�t have sex when are you going to? Tonight?� Sitting gracefully on the sofa, Stephanie shot questions in a rapid fire manner reminiscent of a machine gun. **** to be continued...

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