Title: Drowning Slowly
Chapter 1: Rain
Author: Kora
E-mail: KrazyKora@aol.com or WinterViolet24@aol.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment. The lyrics are by Ben Folds Five and belong to them.
Author's Note: This is a very serious fan fiction dealing with some very dark themes. Therefore I have placed several warnings. Some are my normal warnings and others deal with the subject matter I am writing about.
I was inspired to write this story by Temptation Eyes' "Do Unto Others' and Kittie Kittie Kittie's "Somewhere Out There" (two great stories I would recommend to anyone). Now granted, both of those stories are slash and feature Adam/Jeff whereas this story is in my normal Shawn/Stephanie theme but both stories took serous subjects and dealt with them in an impressive way, showing off how good both authors are.
It inspired me to try a dark subject and see what I could come up with. That all said, here are the warnings-
This is a fan fiction based on characters from the WWE. This story does not represent the real Stephanie McMahon or Shawn Michaels, etc. It is based on their fictional characters not the actual people themselves. I am fully aware Shawn Michaels is married and that it has even been announced on the show that he has a wife and child. However, seeing as this is fiction, I am pretending he does not. This takes place after Shawn first emerged from his chair, before the casket match and before the (in my opinion) icky kiss between Stephanie and Bischoff which I am going to try and forget. This is not a story to be taken lightly; it has some very tense/disturbing scenes and deals with the subject of rape. If you can't take abuse and violence in a story, or a story with the mistreating of your favorite wrestler, then maybe you shouldn't read this.------------------------------
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
-Ben Folds Five, 'Brick'
-----------------------------
Shawn Michaels stuffed a few more items into his gym bag. He raised his head now and then, watching as his fellow superstars left. They had just concluded a grueling House Show. Thousands of crazed fans screaming and running around, wanting autographs, asking questions. Shawn had only recently emerged from his wheelchair and already found himself thrust into the dizzying world of his work.
His hand actually throbbed from so many signings. Others may have grumbled in annoyance but honestly Shawn was glad to have so many fans. He hadn't even done a thing in the ring since Summerslam and the fans were still behind him one hundred percent. It felt as if he was still on top, as if things had never changed. It reminded him of his time with DX, he'd been outrageously popular then but now he was doing it all on his own. Without Chyna. Without Hunter.
When Hunter's name came into his head, Shawn scowled. Every open second he had he thought about Hunter. Thought about the physical therapy he had had to go through thanks to that sledgehammer to the back from his 'best friend'. Shawn had even seen Hunter tonight, had felt that angry fire burn through him. Still, he avoided Triple H, biding his time. He would deal with him when he had too. For now he was concentrating on healing completely and doing the normal guest spot, a little treat for his fans.
He finished loading his bag and turned to a man walking by. The man wore a blue shirt with the words 'Smackdown Staff', embroidered on his chest pocket and seemed to be headed towards the exit. Shawn reached out and tapped his shoulder, "Excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Has everyone left all ready?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Michaels. I know all the Smackdown superstars have left the building as well as Ms. McMahon, now as for RAW's superstars and Mr. Bischoff I don't really..."
"That's all right, look, I really just wanted to know if it was still raining outside."
"Oh, yes sir, it is. Terribly cold too. I'd advise taking a coat."
"Thank you." Shawn muttered, returning his attention to the gym bag, the zipper caught. He fiddled with it and thought about the rain outside. The day had been gloomy in general and he imagined it had only gotten worse. This particular House Show had been held in Seattle where rain was not uncommon. Both the RAW and Smackdown superstars had been on hand because Vince had thought it would be a good idea to have all the superstars present considering the next pay-per-view was not that far away.
'It will boost commercial and fan interest', or at least that was what the memo that Vince had sent out had read. When he'd received the memo, Shawn had been surprised he had been invited at all but Bischoff had assured him that there had been no mistake.
"You're an important player in this team, Shawn. MY team." Bischoff had told him, doing his best to butter him up. Shawn probably wouldn't have attended save for his dedication to his fans and the fact he had wanted to show off to Hunter how much better he was getting. Sort of a warning of what was to come. He wanted to make Hunter sweat.
Shawn fixed the zipper on his gym bag and tugged on his large, bulky leather jacket. As he walked through the coliseum he could hear his footsteps echo. It was funny to be the last one leaving. He expected at least one other person to be straggling behind but apparently not. He opened the door to the exit and let out a groan as he watched the rainfall. It was coming down in sheets, the wind blowing softly behind it.
It was bitingly cold as he tugged the collar of his jacket up around his ears before stepping out. He didn't have an umbrella so he had to walk through the downpour, soaking himself. The raindrops tumbled down on his head as cold as ice. A few lampposts glowed down, creating an almost artificial moonlight but otherwise it was pitch black out. Only a few cars littered the parking lot. No one seemed to be out, making him feel as if he was the only person in the world.
He marched determinedly to his car, his eyes casting from side to side now and then taking in the scenery absently when he noticed an odd shape to his far right. It was hard to see, a dark jumble towards the far corner of the parking lot. Shawn stopped and strained his eyes. He tried to tell himself it was just a big collection of leaves or some other refuse but he knew it wasn't, it was too big. It looked like...a person? A body? Whatever it was, it lay next to the gutter, motionless.
Shawn shook his head, telling himself to stop being so foolish but it was impossible. His eyes kept casting off to the side. He suddenly stopped and cursed, muttering under his breath, "Fine, Shawn! Just go and see that it's nothing so you'll stop obsessing."
Shawn turned and started to walk towards the gutter, wanting to know what he had seen. As he went he continued to rant at himself aloud, "Here you are, walking through the rain. The cold rain, getting absolutely soaked just so you can see that it's a big pile of nothing in the gutter. Just because you and you're over active imagination have cooked it up to be something bigger than it is, that it's..."
As Shawn got closer his vision became better. He started to make out what he had seen from so far away. He froze, his voice disappearing into the air as his eyes widened, his veins gripped tight.
It was a body.
A human body.
In the gutter.
Shawn swallowed, his hands clenched into fists as he cautiously walked closer. He could make out a finely sculpted leg. A woman's leg. Then he could make out a mat of brown hair.
"Oh Jesus," he breathed, "Please, don't..."
At last he was standing over top of the woman, his body felt drained, his heart had stopped beating long ago as cold fear gripped his entire system.
Stephanie McMahon.
She lay in a fetal position, her blue eyes wide open, her skin deathly pale. And her clothes...dear god...her clothes were torn. There were dark bluish black marks forming on her skin, scraps that had drawn blood had turned a sickly white, the rain washing away all the blood. The marks were everywhere, tattooed all over. He turned his head when his eyes reached her thighs. He could see thumb prints gouged in, bite marks circling...
He closed his eyes before forcing himself to turn back to her. Her eyes were so wide and large. It looked as if they had been glued open. Her mouth was a thin line, her fingers curled as she stared off into space. Her skin was so pale that she looked as if she were dead. It was hard to tell that she was even breathing.
Shawn quickly bent down, "Stephanie? Stephanie, can you hear me? Are you all right?"
He winced at the sound of his voice, the hysteria obvious. Stephanie didn't answer, didn't move, didn't even blink. It was as if she was frozen in place. Completely solid and stiff. The rain poured over her, the foul smelling gutter water mixing in with her hair. He leaned closer, pressing a hand to her neck. Her pulse was there but it was terribly weak.
Shawn cursed again and stripped off his jacket. He wrapped it around her and bent down, picking her up in his arms. She didn't even seem to register the act, it was as if she was a lifeless doll. He held her close as he strode towards his car as quickly as he could. Thousands of thoughts and words tumbled through his mind as he carried her.
Dear god, why him? Why her? Why this! Shawn wanted to wake up. He wanted all of this to be a dream but the cold, piercing rain kept him awake, showed the truth. This was reality. This was happening. He could feel Stephanie's weight in his hands. Felt her head loll about his chest as he walked.
He reached his car and gently tried to set her down. She seemed incapable of standing on her feet so he finally had to resort on setting her on the ground again. He unlocked her door first, helping her into the passenger seat, then went to the driver's side to let himself in. Once they were inside the car he started the engine and cranked up the defrost, shivering all over. He was soaked but not as badly as she was. Her body was drenched, her lips a light violet. Her eyes were still wide open, her lips still a tight line. It was almost as if Shawn hadn't moved her. Her skin was still pale. His jacket hid her shredded clothes as well as some of the cuts and bruises.
Shawn swallowed and spoke into the thick silence, "Stephanie, honey, what happened?"
She didn't answer.
Shawn reached over and took her chin in his hand softly, turning her head so he could look into her eyes, repeating, "Stephanie, honey, what happened?"
She still didn't answer but she finally rewarded him with some movement, proving she was indeed still alive. She blinked and pulled away from him, her eyes directed out in front of her as if she was seeing something he could not. Shawn looked forward as well and shook his head. He pressed the heel of his palms against his eyes. He had seen the cuts, the bruises, her clothes-it was obvious what had happened. And the look on her face...it had broke his heart.
He let out a shaky sigh and gripped the wheel. It was obvious where he had to go now as he pulled into drive. It was lucky he knew the area well as he headed to the nearest hospital. He didn't attempt to talk to Stephanie again, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. She was in the deepest state of shock, possibly catatonic. How could she not be after what had happened?
His thoughts were still a chaotic jumble. So much had happened in the past few minutes it was hard to even begin to comprehend it all. He couldn't even begin to think of the first thing to do in a situation like this. The hospital was a good start but what after that? Call the police? Call Vince McMahon?
He didn't know, he had no idea. He had never had to deal with something like this, something so big and earth shattering. He had a million worries rushing thorough him-what if the cold had given her hypothermia, what if she went into seizures, what if she had contracted AIDS or gotten pregnant or...
He shook his head and tried his best to calm down. He had to keep his wits about him, at least for her sake. She was obviously lost. If he hadn't found her...
He swallowed thickly as that thought struck him. If some twist of fate hadn't pushed him to go investigate a stupid feeling he had had she would probably be dead. She could still die for all he knew. He had to hurry and get to the fucking hospital! He had no idea how to take care of her if she had hypothermia and he had less of an idea how to deal with her after she had been...raped.
The mere word made his throat squeeze up tightly. He and Stephanie had never been close but the thought of someone having done this to her, the thought of what she had gone through practically broke him. A man prided himself on being strong but when it came to something like this it was hard not to be reduced back to a childlike state where every little thing makes you burst into tears.
He ran a hand through his hair, and muttered a few more colorful curse words under his breath. He kept an eye out for cop cars, knowing that he was going far above the speed limit. He drove until he could finally see the fluorescent lights of the hospital. He practically let out a sigh of relief at the sight.
As he drove up Stephanie began to move in her seat. If it was possible, her eyes got wider as suddenly she began to shake her head vehemently. Her whole body shook as she began to cry out, getting louder and louder with each cry, "No! No! No! NO!"
She tossed about in the passenger seat, repeating the simple word over and over. Shawn pulled to a stop and turned to her, trying to calm her down, "Stephanie, what's the matter? What's wrong? What are you-"
His words were drowned out by her screams as she began to frantically jab her finger at the building, still shaking her head. Shawn looked at the hospital and leaned back his seat, beginning to understand. He felt a grave weight on his shoulder. He knew she had to go to the hospital but at the same token he didn't want to force her. She had had enough forced on her tonight.
He turned to her again and pulled her close, running a hand along her tangled hair. He gently lowered her arm, closing up her jabbing finger as he took her hand in his, "You don't want to go to the hospital?"
Stephanie looked at him momentarily then lowered her head as if she was ashamed. She nodded her head. He pulled away, lightly patting her arm, "Okay."
He didn't think this was a good idea but he didn't tell her that. She had had her force of will taken away from her this evening, she needed to be able to make decisions on her own if she was going to get any kind of normalcy. He spoke softly, "Where do you want to go?"
She didn't answer, melting back into her catatonic-like state. Shawn merely nodded and thought deeply. He didn't know where she was staying and he couldn't think of anyone else he could take her to. Not to mention she may not want anyone else to know just yet. He had found her by technicality. If she had been able to pull herself together and had left the gutter, he probably would have never known about this at all. Still, there was no point in think about 'ifs'. She needed somewhere to go and he could only think of one place.
He turned to her again, "Stephanie, I'm going to take you back to my motel room. Okay? I promise you'll be safe there. I'll take care of you, okay?"
Once again she didn't answer but she didn't start tumbling into a set of 'no's' either so Shawn took that as permission. He drove away from the hospital and headed towards the motel, his world still spinning.