"ITVR: Chapter 45"
Threats.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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Seeing Kevin drape his arm so casually around his lover�s shoulders sent a small pang of envy and happiness into Jeff�s heart. It was really fucking nice to see a long-time relationship survive in the world of the WWE. Most didn�t even get off the ground before they were crushed by either money, heat or the lack of, or the insane schedules everyone maintained. Nash and Hall had experienced more than their fair share of shit over the years, but they were still together and Jeff was more than happy for them. He couldn�t stifle the flash of envy at their casual affection for each other, though either. Casual had never figured very high in Jeff�s love life. Fucking intense, wild and damned crazy were more appropriate adjectives. Affectionate cuddling just didn�t happen. Just visiting, or is something up? �Both,� Jeff replied, one eye on Mark as he and Heyman moved slightly away to converse. �Vince has given me the chance for a contract as long as I behave and �Taker gives me the once over before�I return to TV. It may work out, it may die the death of the eternally damned, I�ll keep you updated.� Jeff�s eyes narrowed at the salacious expression on Heyman�s face as he looked at Mark. �Is the Frogman really trying to get in Mark�s pants or am I actually on the drugs rumors say I am?� Letting the reply to his question go unmarked, Jeff blinked a moment in the silence following Paul. E�s words. acquired a new perk� and thrown away like the garbage they are It was instinct really. The wildhot rush of action that often accompanied foolishly dangerous jumps onto large pieces of furniture. It was a Hardy thing, the reckless, nameless ability to not just leap without looking, but to act before the concept of �thinking it through� was even proposed. Like a blur, Jeff crossed the three feet between them and had Heyman backed against the far wall before the man could fend him off. Plastering himself to the balding man like some tropical coloured limpet, Jeff leaned in so his lips were scant millimeters from Paul�s ear. �Now Pauly-Paul, don�t knock it till you tried it. This Perk knows a few tricks even you might be surprised by,� Keeping his hot breath on one round, red ear was almost nauseating, but Jeff needed to make his point for Mark�s sake and he needed to make it right now. �I�m hardly old by anyone�s standards, Pauly-Paul, certainly not yours. But along with my other duties, this garbage is gonna make sure �Taker is completely free of any scandal you know? The kinda shit that Eric could find out about and take to Vince so he can bury Smackdown some more. �Taker doesn�t want that, I don�t want that and I know you don�t want that Pauly-Paul.� Jeff was making a lot of guesses here, but if rumors were true, the on-air hatred between the two men was, if anything, a weaker version of their actual mutual animosity. Leaning back so Heyman could manage a breath, Jeff smoothed the wrinkles he�d placed in the fat man�s suit with long, sensual strokes. �I promise I won�t let any� well� dirt touch you Pauly-Paul. If Eric finds out� I�ll do my best to keep your name right out of it I swear. But �Taker now, he�s too high profile. Smackdown could lose him to Raw and that would ruin you� everything you�ve done here, wouldn�t it? We�ve gotta protect him Pauly-Paul. Got to keep Uncle Eric away from the Dead Man or we�re toast. �I�ll have to be around all the time to do that. Night and day you know? So that Eric doesn�t get any leverage you see?� Not backing off one iota, Jeff stared at Heyman with his �way-more-fucked-up-than-you-realize� expression. It had worked well on the management types who used to step aside when Jeff smiled at them in hallways. They think you�re a crazy motherfucker, was Matt�s translation. Whether Mr. Paul E. Heyman would be thrown by a batshit Hardy was the real question. If he laughed off Jeff�s veiled threats then he was dead in the water, if he took Jeff up on his offer to play any games Mark wouldn�t, then Jeff would have to kill himself the moment Paul tried to touch him. It was a gamble, but he�d mentally promised Mark he�d behave. If he wasn�t allowed to castrate Heyman for saying what he did about Mark, then freaking the shit outta him was his next best option. **** Somewhat to his surprise, Shawn realised that he was holding his breath as he waited for Steph's answer. He'd watched the woman in front of him grow up over the last decade and a half, and her answer to his question was pretty damned important to him, even more so than he'd imagined when he'd almost teasingly asked it. Forcing himself to breathe, he was glad he'd taken another breath an instant later as he was nearly knocked over with the impact of Steph's body against his. God, that woman was strong! Somewhere in the back of his mind Shawn chuckled to himself at the sight they must be making; good thing he was sleeping with Steph's husband, or Hunt could draw all sorts of wrong conclusions if he walked in to see this sight. His lips curving widely at the absurd thought, he returned Stephanie's hug, knowing from long experience that he had to ride out her enthusiasm. "Of course I still love you Shawn." Something in his heart melted a little at those words, the impish grin on Steph's face reminding him of the little girl he'd met so long ago and fallen in love with instantly. They called him the Heartbreaker, but he rather thought the appellation applied even better to Steph. Regardless of his issues with Vince, he'd always loved the man's children, and knowing that the latest twist in his relationship with them hadn't damaged that took an unrealised weight off his mind. "If you hadn�t put your name on him soon, I was thinking of requesting expressions of interest." Raising his eyebrows briefly at her, Shawn couldn't help but wonder if everyone he knew had known how he felt about Hunter all along. Was he that obvious? Well... thinking about it, he had to admit that he probably was. Subtlety was not exactly his strong point, after all. Watching Dave's pole-axed expression at her antics made Shawn's smile soften a little and he gestured at Dave as Stephanie relaxed her grip on him. "I love you too, you big sexy man." The chuckle escaped despite his best efforts; the shocked look on Dave's face at those words was just too cute, and he wrapped his free arm around his lover, trying to soothe him a little. How quickly their roles had reversed! Shawn looked forward to a long, long time together of taking turns soothing each other, though. "If Hunter tries to run away from either of you� sit on him and kiss him till he agrees to stay." Another husky laugh, and Shawn shook his head a little. "That's what I did," he rasped, the memory of that kiss sending a warm wave of love crashing through him. The kiss might've been the end of a not-so-happy encounter, but he wasn't about to get into that unless she point-blank asked. Once she realised what Dave's face looked like, she probably would... but at that point, he might just claim complete voice loss and let Dave fill her in. It was an evil thought, but Dave had to get used to Steph at some point, and Shawn thought it would probably happen sooner rather than later, given Steph's overwhelming�personality. "I'll go rescue him in a minute." Oh, lord. That almost tempted him into asking if he could go along to watch the fun, but that probably wouldn't be the best idea in the world. Follow behind he probably would, but actually accompanying Steph into that office to talk to her father about her husband's new relationship... that would be a cause for fireworks, and not the good kind. The spate of questions didn't surprise him, although he could see Dave's blush deepening.�Of course, that might be more from the realisation that Stephanie wasn't going to leave while they dressed, too. Maneuvering them both toward the lockers, he positioned himself so that he was in front of the big man, offering him at least the pretense of privacy while they dressed. Dropping his towel without hesitation, Shawn pulled on his clothes while trying to answer Steph's questions, discovering that while his voice wouldn't be much above a rasp anytime really soon, it was slowly getting better. "I told him first, Steph." There were going to be lots of pauses to clear his throat, apparently. Damn. he wrapped his hair in a towel and dried it, then snagged another bottle of water and plopped on the couch next to Steph so that he wouldn't strain his voice so much. Her next question wasn't quite so easy to answer, and his face probably showed his reluctance to give her the full story. "There was a fight. I... I lost my temper. This morning." Another drink, and then his voice softened as he remembered the bright spot of that fight... and then he cast a glance at Dave, still across the room, wondering if the big man had actually heard Hunt's words earlier. "Yeah, he did. And... he told both of us earlier. And I'm not going to see an EMT, Steph. I'm not sick, I just... strained my voice today. It'll be fine." The little grin on his face gave away the full meaning of "strained", most likely, but oh well. He and Steph had always gotten on beautifully, and having the chance to have his Princess as a full-fledged grown-up friend now was priceless. Her last question... Shawn choked a little on his water as he laughed, casting a sultry look at Dave as he husked, "God, I hope so." **** "Fuck you too Gillette Boy." Scott smirked upon hearing Jeff's reply. Good to know that Hardy was up to trading verbal quips with him. Especially if the vibes he was getting from Mark were anywhere close to what he was sensing. Was this the reason for Mark's cut and run earlier from the elevator? Only time would tell, but then since they had nothing to do tonight, Scott had plenty of time to be figuring it out. Scott was distracted momentarily, but quite nicely, by the feel of Kevin's groin pressing against his ass. He nodded along with Kevin's reply to Jeff rather than try to speak himself. Kevin wasn't above retaliating by pushing Scott's buttons tonight either. Not that Scott had say an exhibitionism streak or anything... no, not at all. Moving just a hair closer when Kevin draped an arm around his shoulder, Scott was actually considering turning around and laying one on Kev just for the hell of it, but figured he'd hold off just a little bit longer. It would just make it all the sweeter in the end. "And you? Just visiting, or is something up?" And wasn't he just a little bit curious himself as to that answer? Jeff's reply was very interesting. So Jeff's contract hinged on Mark's opinion of him. In other words, Mark wasn't going to be making a move on Jeff if he was in fact interested. Mark would never want to be accused of using a position of power to influence someone's actions. If something did happen between the two then Hardy would have to be the one to initiate it. Scott kind of hoped he would as long as it was because of genuine interest and not just to influence Mark's decision. He didn't think that would be the case, but he wanted to spend a bit more time with the kid before ruling it out. Meanwhile he was listening with one ear to Mark's conversation with Heyman as well. "You keep failing to see all the benefits that a... partnership between us could give to you." Heyman was kidding right? He had to be. Jeff seemed to be right though Scott could hardly credit it and he would bet this wasn't the first offer either. Why in the world hadn't Mark just popped the guy? Then again, Mark had always seemed to have a much better rein on his temper than Scott had. Although that seemed to be coming seriously close to frayed after Heyman's next comments. Scott was astounded. Heyman surely had some balls, though god knew where he kept them hidden. Scott was considering helping him find them with the aid of his own foot, when Jeff jumped into action. He watched stunned, unable to decide if Jeff was hitting on the guy in return or threatening him. Jeff's actions suggested both in some way though it was hard to tell without hearing whatever he was saying. Either way, Jeff probably did not need Heyman's ire or his attentions if he wanted to actually hang around long enough to nail his contract to the wall. Hoping that Heyman would take the bait, since he hadn't seen the fat little bastard among the crowd earlier and couldn't think of anyone who might care to inform Heyman of what had happened, Scott tossed out a teaser for Heyman. After all Terry was one of Heyman's boys at one time and had more than likely spent quite a bit of time on his knees for the man. Scott felt absolutely no remorse about tossing the ass back into Heyman's scope of vision after what he'd done earlier. "Hey short, balding, and ugly... shouldn't you be off rescuing your boy from Vince's wrath? He'll be lucky if Vince doesn't can his ass and just busts him down to OVW after he attacked Copeland like he did. Then whatever would you do? You wouldn't have the chance to scream 'gore' like you've got your nuts caught in a vice." Scott couldn't help the roll of his eyes that accompanied that statement. It actually sounded more like Heyman in the throes of passion, but Scott really didn't want to consider that at all. If he did, he would end up losing his lunch. **** If Stephanie McMahon in a rage was scary, then exuberant happy Stephanie McMahon was... almost as scary. Dave had thought for sure that Shawn was going to end up on his ass when Steph threw herself at the man... and then there was the bouncing. Dave wasn't quite sure what to make of it all. Shawn seemed happy with it and it was rather touching to watch the exchange between the two of them. Shawn obviously cared a great deal for Stephanie and her opinion of him. Once he got past the hug, there was still the hundred miles an hour chatter that spilled from her. Did she ever stop to take a breath? The words seemed to filter a few at a time threw his head and he thought he was making sense of it all, but still... "If you hadn�t put your name on him soon, I was thinking of requesting expressions of interest." And wouldn't that have been interesting? At least then Dave would have known that Hunter and Steph weren't 'together'. He still couldn't understand why it had taken him so long to figure that out himself. Maybe he had just been scared to look too closely because if he had actually realized that Hunter was free, he would have had to work up his courage to make a move. Besides, to his way of thinking, the way things had worked out was much better. How would Shawn have felt if he and Hunter had started dating when Dave had come back from his injury? Shawn would have most likely left them to themselves and gone along completely miserable watching the two of them together. Yeah, this was much better. As long as they kept talking to each other. Then Stephanie's attention was focused on him and he lost all rational thought. He was promptly pulled into the group hug and being confronted with more Steph chatter. Stolen Shawn, eh? That had been his intention he supposed, though he hadn't known he'd be stealing him at the time. He didn't even want to think of what might have happened if he and Shawn had gone out, as had been his plan. Being confronted with a completely enraged Stephanie would not have been pleasant. "I love you too, you big sexy man." His eyes went wide in surprise and he damn near swallowed his tongue, not to mention the continued shade of red decorating his upper body. This was just... bizarre. If someone had told him this morning that he was going to end the day with two lovers, one of whom was married, he would have laughed. If they had told him that his lover's wife would not only be happy that he was with said lover, but had decided to add him to her happy little family, he'd have probably have been looking for men in little white coats to haul them off. Luckily Shawn picked that moment to give him a squeeze in support. That almost took his mind off the fact that he was standing there in only a towel, which did not cover near what it should, in front of Stephanie McMahon. If he didn't manage to get some clothes on soon he was going to start fidgeting. He didn't know Steph that well after all. Considering what he wore for ring attire in front of crowds of thousands, you'd have thought he would have lost this damn annoying shyness by now. Hopefully he would soon or he'd probably be this shade for the rest of his days. Stephanie released them both at that point, although Dave wasn't sure if that was any better since it appeared that she wasn't planning to leave, but would rather stay and chat while they were supposed to be getting dressed. The questions she started shooting in their direction weren't really any help at all. At least Shawn was answering most of them though Dave was starting to get really worried about his voice. He noticed that Shawn had directed him towards their lockers and quickly reached for his slacks. As long as he managed to get those on, he'd be just fine or so he thought. That was before Shawn dropped his towel, seeming to have no compunction at all about being completely naked in front of Steph. That didn't bother him so much as his reaction to it. Good lord. Dropping his towel, he quickly pulled on his pants and fastened them, just before Shawn walked over to grab another bottle of water. He felt a little better now that he had some cover, although Stephanie's questions had his color turning just a bit brighter. After some of the things she asked, Dave had no question at all about Hunter's comments earlier. At least she hadn't asked for pictures... so far. From his position at his locker as he threaded his belt and pulled on his shirt, he could tell that Shawn was answering her questions, but he couldn't really hear most of the replies because of how soft Shawn's voice was. Then again, maybe he didn't want to know exactly what Shawn was telling her. He considered some of the questions that she had asked and wondered at his own answers. He was thankful that she was going to save Hunter from her father. Hopefully things were going well in that department though and it wouldn't be necessary, but with Vince you never could tell how he'd react to something. He'd like to be there when Hunter came out though just to offer his own support. What he'd said earlier to Hunter had been the truth. Hunter and Shawn would come first with him, no matter what and if Vince didn't like it, then he had no qualms whatsoever about having to find another job. He could hope however that even if he did have a bad initial reaction that Stephanie could help even things out. She was Vince's daughter after all. "Did he say he loved you? 'Cos he does you know, both of you." Good thing that Hunter had said it earlier, because if he hadn't then Dave probably would have hit the floor right then. That Hunter might actually feel that way about him already and that his wife seemed pretty convinced that he did, made Dave feel like celebrating. He had had a niggle of doubt earlier when Hunter had said it, wondering if it hadn't been inspired by the moment considering what exactly had been happening right then. Maybe that was wrong of him to think that way, but he hadn't expected Hunter to love him yet. What he had expected was pretty much the same thing that Shawn had told him, that the possibility was there, not that it was a foregone conclusion. He still felt the need to ask Hunter himself. Maybe he'd have the chance later to confirm it and then he would let the thrill of excitement that he'd buried on hearing the words for the first time run free. And he still had to confess his own feelings for both of them... later tonight. He knew that an EMT wasn't going to do Shawn much good. What he needed was rest and something soothing for his throat. Maybe later they would swing by catering and he could talk Shawn into some tea with honey. For now though it would be a good idea for Shawn to stop talking so much. Dave had to smile over that. Shawn was always talking so it would probably be rather difficult to shut him up, though Dave certainly had an idea or two on how to accomplish that. "Davey? If you and Shawn didn�t have sex when are you going to? Tonight?" He had just finished buttoning his shirt, a nice pink one which certainly wasn't going to detract from the color in his cheeks, when that question hit. It almost had him choking on his tongue again and Shawn choking on his water. Irrepressible? Obviously. Shawn's laugh eased his embarrassment, but not by much. It was apparent that he would just have to get used to Stephanie's forthright manner... hopefully soon. He didn't miss the look that Shawn directed his way either and he could almost imagine Shawn's answer without hearing it. Then again he was hoping for the same damn thing so it wasn't a far stretch at all. Taking a deep breath and trying not to react to that look from Shawn, he approached the couch. Maybe he could start his acclimation right now. It was worth a shot anyway. Holding a hand out to Shawn he helped him up from the couch, his lips turning up in a gentle smile. "If you don't stop talking so much you're not going to be able to do your promos tonight and with the mood Vince is likely in from the situation earlier that's not going to help our case, sweetheart." That he hadn't hesitated with the endearment despite Steph's presence was good. He could pull this off. Extending his other hand to help Stephanie up as well, he offered a smile to her as well. "I think we should head that way now to rescue Hunter. There was a situation earlier and Vince was certainly not happy about it. If he hadn't wanted to be sure that Vince heard about us from him personally, he probably would have waited." Hopefully Vince was capable of separating issues and he'd cross his fingers that Vince wouldn't have a problem with their news. Hard to tell how Vince was going to react to any given situation until the exact moment he did so... at least from Dave's point of view. And since he was on a roll... "As far as what's going to happen tonight...I think we'll find something interesting to do. Dinner, maybe a movie... we could always pick up some board games or something." Noticing the rather odd looks he was receiving from both of them, he grinned. "Of course that's only if we have time in between all that sex they're going to force on me," he said drolly, his tone leaving no doubt at all that there would be no force at all when it came to that particular activity. Dave ducked behind Steph just in case Shawn decided to retaliate for his comments. Stephanie would save him after all because he was one of her people now. **** Mark realised dumbly that his hands had relaxed as he stared at Jeff, the sight of his whirlwind plastered against Heyman one that he couldn't bring himself to believe. Regardless of the reason why, seeing Paul E.'s hands on Jeff, even up in self-defense, made him growl. Listening to what Jeff had to say... Well, the bits that weren't outrageous lies were at the least exaggerations, except for Eric and Heyman loathing each other. The threats were unmistakable, hopefully even for Heyman. The innuendoes of what Hardy was saying, though, nearly staggered Mark. Just what, half an hour earlier, they'd had that misunderstanding in his locker room, and now Jeff was practically announcing that he was indeed Mark's plaything? Mark just hoped that Jeff realised that everything he'd just said would make it around the locker room before the end of taping tonight... no matter how much Mark might wish otherwise. He'd hoped to spare Jeff the assumptions that would naturally get made if the unique terms of his re-signing were made public, but the man had just gone above and beyond anything he'd worried about. Watching those slim fingers stroke down Heyman's suit with sex practically dripping off the movements, Mark couldn't help but wish that those assumptions would be true. Even with his fascination with the man, he'd never realised before just how sensual Jeff could be, especially if he was trying. And Mark suspected that he wasn't really trying very hard right now; if the full force of that attention were ever turned on him... "I'll have to be around all the time to do that. Night and day you know?" Dear God. The images those casually-tossed off words brought to mind should get him arrested. He wondered if Jeff actually had a place to stay that night; he could always offer to share his hotel room... A shudder ran down his spine and he forced himself back to the subject at hand. If Jeff really did need a place, then he'd make that offer. And if he did, he'd damned well behave himself. He'd always prided himself on not playing certain parts of the backstage power games and on never having taken advantage of any of the younger guys that he'd watched over during his career. He wasn't about to start now. "...shouldn't you be off rescuing your boy from Vince's wrath?" If it wouldn't have gotten him a punch in the gut from Kevin, Mark would've kissed Scott for that. Obviously his friends weren't thrilled with the occurrences in front of them either, and anything they could do to break this up before anything actually happened because of it was good. It never dawned on him just how much he might be giving away by his reactions to the situation... until he glanced at Scott and met his friend's clearly wondering eyes. Yanking his attention back to Jeff, Mark finally smirked as Heyman practically scrambled to get away, muttering about gores and Vince and Rhyno and a few other things it was probably good that he couldn't make out. Reaching out to Jeff, his hand fitting on the slim shoulder like it was made for it, Mark tried to disguise his jumbled thoughts as he drawled, "I think you scared the hell out of him, boy." Letting some of his worry enter his eyes as he tilted his head to look down at Jeff, he said in a softer tone, "You know he's gonna tell the locker room what you said." Words failed him as a succession of thoughts ran through his head, all centered on the man he was looking at and the things that would probably happen backstage now... and the things that he'd like to happen. Almost frowning as he tried to regain his normal control, he added, still in that softer tone, "And you know, you can call me by my name. I do have one. It's Mark." **** ...shouldn't you be off rescuing your boy from Vince's wrath? At Scott's question, Jeff leaned back away from Heyman's worried face, but he still kept his position well inside the bulbous man's personal space. With a decidedly fearful look at Jeff, Paul E. crab-walked along the wall, trying to get as much space between him and the younger Hardy as possible. To send him off with a nice fuzzy feeling, Jeff produced his best possible impersonation of Edge's famous, 'you are fucked' smile and said, "I'll get back to you on that Pauly-Paul, don't you worry none. I'm not goin' anywhere. I promise." Jeff hoped it was his promise and much as Scott's suggestion that had Heyman running his ass off to find Vince. He could bad mouth Jeff all he wanted, Vince would've heard worse no doubt about it, but what could he really say? That Jeff was fucked in the head? Well duh. That 'Taker was hanging with him because Jeff was putting out? Well�he'd thought�it was the real reason�for Christ's sake! If it wasn't the first thing that occurred to most people, Jeff would be sincerely surprised. What he knew Paul. E wouldn't mention, however, was the possibility of Eric trying to poach Mark to RAW. The general fan response to the Undertaker's current storyline was lackluster to say the least. Many wouldn't blame Mark or creative, if he was traded to the 'Flagship' show. But if Smackdown lost 'Taker, the show would suffer and the blame for that would�be put squarely at one man's door. Mark's warm hand was once again�on his shoulder, turning Jeff around to face the three big men now all looking at him with various expressions of curiosity, surprise and sympathetic disgust. His mask of 'Maniac Fatale' dropped away the moment he wasn't affected so adversely by Heyman's negative presence. Smiling hugely at the apparent success of his performance, Jeff cleared his throat and tucked his hands defensively into the back of his pants, gripping his belt with cold fingers. I think you scared the hell out of him, boy. His smile almost hurting his cheeks, Jeff nodded. It had certainly looked liked Paul was gonna wet himself if Scott hadn't given him a timely�out. You know he's gonna tell the locker room what you said. Oh shit. Jeff's smile dimmed somewhat. Typically, now that the flaw in his brilliant plan had been pointed out, he was unable to meet Mark's curious green eyes. Dammit. He'd thought confirming the implication that he was 'Taker's Bitch would simply have thrown a spanner in Paul. E's dirty little schemes to get the big man into bed. Jeff hadn't considered what the rumour would do to Mark's reputation amongst his friends and work mates. Everyone would have wondered, but now�because he couldn't�manage to behave for five seconds, he'd�just poured gasoline all over that fire. Sneaking a glance upwards, Jeff saw the slight frown marring Mark's forehead as he looked down at the smaller man. Screwed the pooch again Jeff? Fuck. What's that? Twice in less than an hour? He'll never put up with you for two months at this rate. And you know, you can call me by my name. I do have one. It's Mark. Oh no, that would be crossing invisible lines Jeff was going to have enough trouble respecting as it was. Only friends called the Undertaker Mark, and much as he'd love to have that privilege, right now, Jeff didn't trust himself an inch. Still, a Hardy was nothing if not innovative. "Thanks. And you can call me Jeff. Not Jeffy or Skittle or Rainbow..." A mock glare at Hall at that one. "...Freak I like to reserve for my special friends like Pauly-Paul back there. "A flick of his hair to indicate the direction Heyman had gone. "Sorry if I�weirded you out just then, but I couldn't rip his nuts off for saying that shit about you, so I thought I'd mess with his head instead." Shrugging to try and indicate his lack of worry over the situation, Jeff continued. "As to him runnin' his mouth in the locker room...I'm really sorry about that. Didn't�exactly think it through, surprise for me I know. But don't worry, anyone says anything I'll set them straight for you." Following Scott and Kevin past the other locker rooms, Jeff looked around for any familiar faces, keeping his eyes away from Mark's long, long legs with an effort. "Hey yo!"� Nudging Hall's arm with his shoulder Jeff caught the gorgeous dark man's attention. "You said Terry attacked Adam? When was this? Is he okay?" The tall Canadian was one of Jeff's few good friends back stage and he was concerned. But not just for himself.�Jeff was well aware of Mark's history with the beautiful blond and was hoping to find out any information about the man's ex on his behalf. **** only if we have time in between all that sex they're going to force on me. Stephanie laughed uproariously at Dave's implication that he would be the innocent victim of Shawn's erotic advances. When the big man ducked behind her, she moved to keep herself between the two playful lovers. One hand on Shawn's chest, she teased, "Now ShawnLove, he has a point. Davey here is obviously much more of a gentleman about the art of romance than�any ordinary man. You and Hunt are such degenerates, it's a miracle he stayed as pure as long as he did." Leaning back into Dave's solid, muscled torso, Stephanie grabbed his hips and shimmied them towards the doorway, keeping herself between him and Shawn the entire time. "I think you should wait a respectable period, get the door Davey, before jumping into anything too quickly. Don't you think?" Batting her eyelashes innocently at Shawn's gorgeous expression, Stephanie pretended she knew nothing of her long time friend's notorious reputation. It had been a source of some amusement between Steph and her sibling, the rumours of Shawn's antics. What little had filtered to the delicate ears of the boss's daughter had been enough to create envious blushes and more than a little heartache. Shawn had been her crush of crushes for most of her teenage years and while her sexuality had led her in a much more pleasurable direction, that child-like adoration still lingered. She'd had the luxury of loving two glorious men in her lifetime and they were as precious to her as all the jewels and privileges�an adoring�family could bestow. Giggling at Dave and Shawn's antics as they walked up the hallway, Steph mentally prepared herself for whatever scene would greet her in her father's office. The McMahon family had plenty of�negative traits, temper and arrogance being the least of them. But they'd never counted bigotry as one of their flaws she was proud to admit. It wouldn't be the sex of�Hunter's lovers that would get a reaction out of her father, it would be Hunter's public persona and his marriage to her that might set him off. Squaring her shoulders like the amazon she was, SMH once again threw open the door to a room to which she had not been invited and covered the three men within with her best Billion Dollar Princess stare. "You should shut up and listen Daddy or I'll have to start yelling, and nobody wants that, do they?" **** � As the silence in the office continued to stretch into territory that was definitely 'uncomfortable' and gaining on 'loaded', Hunter stepped away from Pat's friendly presence and stood before his father-in-law like a marine at parade rest. If this was going to be bad, the Hunter wanted to have it out right now. His arguments were ready, he'd already covered most of Vince's possible concerns anyway, so whatever Vince threw at him, he could take. Hunt had doubted his too casual announcement would cut any ice with this man, Vince would either support this turn of events or do his level best to destroy it. "Shawn and Dave?" Hunter smirked and nodded. Hey. He'd landed both of them, he had the right to be proud. "No." Hunt's grin vanished in an instant. Vince had risen slowly, placing both hands, palms down, on his desk and leaning forward so that Hunter was pierced by his intense gaze. "One of them is fine and you'd better be discreet with him or you'll regret it. Shawn I can understand, you are practically joined at the hip anyway.�But not two. No. Dave's out of this right now. And if you even think of defying me, he'll�be back at OVW so fast you'll think it was yesterday." Vince's voice didn't contain even a tinge of its usual arrogant superiority. He was dead serious. "God Vince. Don't be an ass, you know..." Pat's chiding words trailed off as he realised neither man was listening to him. Hunter had barely moved, simply lowering his own hands to rest just near Vince's, their eyes level. "Not this time McMahon." Pat clenched his hands at the vicious note to Hunter's voice. Normally the young man was so sophisticated, you could almost forget just how dangerous he could be. And it had nothing to do with the size of his muscles. "I wasn't asking for permission. I was paying you a courtesy. It's happening and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Touch Dave and I'll make sure you regret even letting me in the door. Are we clear?" No-one spoke to Vince like that. Right then Pat felt the tension in the room, cross into that dangerous territory more commonly associated with large male animals at certain times of the year, than human beings in large cities. Just then, the door swung open, but neither man looked up. You should shut up and listen Daddy or I'll have to start yelling, and nobody wants that, do they? Pat let out a relieved breath. The alpha female had arrived. **** The burning anger that Hunter felt coursing through him at Vince's threat to Dave was only mollified slightly by the presence of his wife. Much as he'd like to let Stephanie fight his battles for him, this was one case where he had to make Vince accept his decision or Vince could go to hell. "No Steph." Straightening up, Hunter let his hands fall to his sides even as his eyes never left those of his father in law. "No-one wants you to be upset, do they?" This last was pointed at Vince, who had yet to respond to Hunt's outrageous behaviour. Visibly letting go of the confrontation, Hunter turned to see his beloved Stephanie standing in the doorway. All glamour gal and rich bitch rolled into one. God. Would she never get tired of playing dress-ups? "Hey Girl," he greeted her as she walked into the circle of his arms. Momentarily they held onto each other. Two warriors who'd found their�kindred spirits while fighting in the war that was life in World Wrestling Entertainment. "Didn't know you were coming down, but you are a sight as always.�We need to talk." Feeling the pressure of the previous conflict still resonant around the room, Hunter squeezed Steph's bare shoulders gently to indicate the current problem. "Trust me Hunter, I'm all over this situation." With a head toss much like that of a shampoo commercial, Stephanie indicated the two men who'd followed her into the office. Hunter's eyes widened at the presence of his lovers. Temporarily dumbfounded by their�seeming solidarity with Stephanie,�as well as how damn good they looked, Hunter dragged his gaze back to the unquestioning support he saw in his wife's chocolate orbs. Releasing Steph, Hunter swung back around to Vince and felt his smug grin returning. With these three behind him, Hunter could do anything he pleased and Vince could just choke on it. "So that's the situation McMahon, you can like it or not, but it's happening. Shawn, Dave and I are together, deal with it." He still didn't remove the edge of danger from his voice, but if Vince was going to mess with him, he'd mess right back. **** Oh yeah. Mark had it bad for Rainbow. It was more than obvious by the growly lord of the dead look he'd assumed when Jeff had plastered himself all over Heyman. It had been as much for that reason as to save Jeff from Heyman that Scott had tossed out the information about Rhyno. Mark sacrificing Heyman probably wouldn't have gone over well with Vince, then again maybe it would have. Vince wasn't going to be happy to have to deal with the little prick, especially when he was going to plead Terry's case for him. After the way that Jeff had offered himself up to Heyman, Scott didn't have to ask how Jeff felt about Mark. His actions had spoken for him. The only problem he could see to this whole situation was Mark's head. The man wasn't going to excuse himself from his own code of ethics even if it was something he wanted... there had to be a way to work around that. It might be different if Jeff actually came out and told Mark that it was what he wanted, but somehow he didn't think Jeff would put it quite that way... unless someone else suggested that he do so. That feeling wasn't altered at all after Jeff's reaction to Mark suggesting Jeff use his real name rather than his stage name. Smiling and nodding at Jeff's acknowledgment of Scott's nickname for him, Scott knew he'd more than likely use it again. It was just the way that he was with people... especially those he liked. He actually liked this kid for some weird reason, maybe because he reminded him so much of Shawn. Scott ignored the comments about locker room gossip. There would have been some regardless and whether Jeff denied it or not wouldn't matter. Those who were going to believe the gossip would have in any case even without Heyman's backup on the situation. Jeff would realize it in his own time. "Hey yo!" Raising one brow, Scott turned his attention back to Jeff. Once he heard Jeff's questions, it dawned on him that Jeff and Adam had been close, most likely having bonded during those hellacious TLC matches they'd been involved in. He didn't read any more into it than concern for a friend and helpfully supplied the information he had... which unfortunately wasn't much. "We missed the actual attack, came in on the aftermath. The trainer was saying something about a concussion and something with his ribs. I'm guessing he probably should sit out the pay per view on Sunday, but knowing how most of us are he won't do it unless Vince makes him... or Jericho. I think if Dave hadn't grabbed him, Jericho would have done some serious damage to the man-beast." Scott looked at Jeff to see how he was taking the news. Might as well let him see how Adam was doing for himself as well since Scott could have sworn he'd seen the tall blond sneaking past them during Jeff's confrontation with Heyman. "I thought Jericho would have drug him off to the nearest hospital, but if he did, they apparently came back. I'm pretty sure I saw Adam headed towards catering a few minutes ago. We can walk that way if you want to check on him." **** A little surprised at Dave's willingness to be affectionate in front of Steph, Shawn returned the smile as his lover helped him up. Maybe Steph wouldn't scare the man away after all; his Princess could be more than a little overwhelming, but she always meant well. Hopefully Dave would figure that out quickly... although Shawn rather hoped that he didn't get over his blushing too soon. Squeezing Dave's fingers gently, Shawn dropped a quick kiss on his cheek as he took a moment to look himself over: jeans, t-shirt... snagging the baseball cap now... yep. He was ready for any promo work they had to do, although hopefully he wouldn't need to talk. Hunter had said something about photos, so hopefully that's all it would be. "I think we should head that way now to rescue Hunter." That brought him back to the present with a solid thump. All of his earlier worries about confronting Vince right now came back to him, and although he still thought it would be an incredibly bad idea, he was beginning to think that he might just have to. Walking in and saying, "Hey Vince... hope you don't mind that I dumped you for your son-in-law" probably wouldn't go over too well, but given the events of the evening, Vince probably wasn't going to take Hunt's news well. His thoughts were interrupted by Dave's next words, his eyes widening for a second before he realised what Dave was doing. "Of course that's only if we have time in between all that sex they're going to force on me." Shawn's jaw almost dropped at the tone of voice before his sense of humour caught up with him. His laughter was barely audible, but he couldn't keep from chuckling. The master of incredibly obscene moves with his tongue bar was trying to act innocent? The little shiver of heat that memory brought back was washed away by indignation at Stephanie's response. "You and Hunt are such degenerates, it's a miracle he stayed as pure as long as he did." "Pure? Dave?" he rasped, his eyebrows raising at his big, bad lover... who was resolutely hiding behind Steph. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his lips from curving at the sight of Dave pressed right up against Stephanie as the woman walked them out the door. So much for that shyness, Dave, he thought with an internal grin. If the Clique didn't get you past it, Steph sure as hell will. And she should know all about his and Hunt's degeneracy... She'd been a friend by then, being old enough to be backstage on her own safely, and no matter how wild Shawn was, Vince knew that he'd protect his Princess more�even than Vince himself would. He'd stood up for Hunt at their wedding because of who he was marrying; if it had been anyone else, he would've begged off---Hunter would've understood, even if he wouldn't have known the real reason for it. But Stephanie... he just couldn't break her heart like that, and not being there for her wedding would've done it. The girl had had him twisted around her little finger before she'd even reached puberty, and the passing years had only reinforced it. "I think you should wait a respectable period... Don't you think?" A snort, and he was shaking his head at her angelic expression as he followed them out into the hallway. "I've never been respectable, Steph... and I'd hate to start living up to your expectations now, after all these years." His voice was actually improving a little bit, even if he did have to clear his throat after every few words, but he was hoping that any promo work tonight wouldn't include vocals. Since his eyes were pretty much centered on Dave anyway as the big man continued to hide on Steph's other side, he noticed immediately when Dave stuck his tongue out at him. Smiling, he forced his voice loud enough to be heard in the hallway. "Don't tease, Dave... you know it's my turn next, anyway." "Consider it an open-ended promise." His smile widened at the words, but the sharp, unexpected swat to his ass stopped his response before it left his mouth. He stopped momentarily, blinking at the sensation. It had been quite a while since he'd felt anything even remotely similar to that, and he�raised a considering�eyebrow at Dave. It hadn't hurt, of course; Dave was obviously teasing. But it made him wonder just what sorts of things Dave had gotten up to while he was in OVW... and what he could talk him into doing now. Pushing those thoughts aside to consider later, he waited until the big man was distracted to poke him in the ribs, smirking at the startled jump. He didn't realise they'd arrived at Vince's office until Steph threw open the door and strode in majestically, her voice carrying well out into the hallway. Following his Princess into the office, he stopped cold at the tight expression on Vince's face, the growing anger almost visibly snapping in the air. Whatever had already been said, Hunter's news obviously hadn't been taken well. Seeing Hunter and Steph embrace made him smile a little, but only momentarily. The obvious love between the two was something he'd have more time to appreciate after they'd dealt with Vince. "So that's the situation McMahon, you can like it or not, but it's happening. Shawn, Dave and I are togeher, deal with it." God, this wasn't good. Taking in the situation quickly, Shawn didn't dare look at Dave or Hunter as he walked forward, half-sitting on the side of the desk as he leaned toward Vince. The obvious solution was right in front of him, and he knew already what his lovers' reactions would if he told them first, let alone Steph's. It was a painful thought, but even more painful was the thought of the man in front of him driving them apart when they'd barely started to build the fragile relationship that they'd fought for. Forcing his voice louder than the low rasp it wanted to be, he spoke. "I don't know what you've said, Vince, but it's pretty damned obvious what the general gist of it was. Since you've obviously got a problem with the three of us together, I've got a solution for you." He could've heard a pin drop in the silence that followed his words. Forcing himself to look casual, because if he looked as distressed or as angry�as he felt, Vince would pick up on it immediately, he bit back the words he wanted to say. Damn Vince for this, anyway. He had no reason to deny them this, not now; they were well above any scandal and fuck whatever anybody else in the company thought about them. Taking a deep breath as he leveled his gaze at Vince, he drawled, "I'm going on hiatus next week. If us being together is that big of a problem for you, Vince, then my hiatus can be permanent." **** to be continued... |