Disclaimer: I own nothing but a Beanie Baby and Cherry Chapstick...
Note: Text in italics are thoughts.
Part I
"Ric Flair can go to hell!"
Kevin Nash was walking down the street in the dead of night. Ric Flair had just dismissed him after he and Scott Hall attacked Kane during his match. It hadn't really been his idea. Somehow, he had let Scott talk him into it. Saying how there was no way that X-Pac could last in that match. And that was true. Kane would pound him until he was an unidentifiable stain on the arena floor. So they did what tight knit groups did... They looked after their own. And he had gotten the short end of the stick.
That little punk got me suspended! And I didn't even want to do the damn thing! I could've just stayed backstage... But Noooo... And I haven't got anything really against Kane... He's an unstoppable menace... He isn't scared of anything... He's been beat up, beat down, and set on fire... He can take anything. He woulda been a perfect addition to the NWO... Better than X-Pac... Slimy little toad... Maybe I should've gone out on my own like Hogan.. Then maybe I could've joined forces with Kane instead of going against him... It's gonna take more than a few shots to the head to keep that man down... And now we've got Bradshaw on our hands... Or should I say, THEY'VE got Bradshaw on THEIR hands... Cause I'm suspended!
Scott and his bright ideas...
"Nice night tonight..." the man said, approaching Nash.
"Wonderful," he replied dryly.
"Takin a bit of a stroll, are we?"
"Yeah... somethin like that... Can I help you?"
"You can hand over your wallet and your watch for the starters!"
"And if I don't?" Kevin noticed that the man wasn't very large. No taller than 5'6... about 175 pounds... I can take this guy...
Suddenly, the man pulled a gun from his coat pocket. "Oh.. I think I can persuade you otherwise." He stalked towards his target. "Don't you think so?"
Kevin backed further into the alley. Because of the light from the full moon, he could see the wild glint in his attacker's eyes. He knew that even if he did give up his money, which he was carrying very little of, there was little chance he'd be walking out of there. Rolled is more like it! "Can't we talk this thing over?" He hoped to stall the gun-toting thief... For how long? It's not like anyone knows I'm out here... And I can't yell for help... It looks like this is gonna get worse before it gets any better...
"Talk is cheap... and I haven't got all night..."
"That's big talk for a man with a gun," came a voice behind the mugger. "Why don't you be a real man and lose the gun?"
The assailant turned to the would-be hero. "Well, I'm kinda attached to this gun... wouldn't wanna give it up... not without a fight!"
"Well, I don't usually go after poor, defenseless, pieces of shit..." the stranger started. As he stepped into the light, both Kevin and the mugger could see that his skin was pale and shined in the moonlight. His blue eyes had a cold icy gleam as they stared down at the lowlife. "But for you, I'll make an exception... if I have Kevin's permission."
Nash was more than shocked. "Have... we met?"
"Gee… You jump a guy from behind and forget all about it? That's not very nice, Kevin."
"Just to show you I'm a good sport," the greasy thug started, "I'll get rid of the gun." He tossed his weapon to the right, into the shadows. "If you still wanna fight, I'm more than willing."
Kevin looked over the man who apparently knew him. Along with the pale skin and blue eyes, Nash noticed that the man was about as tall as he was with long brown hair hanging in his face and over his shoulders. Don't know many guys that big... That I've jumped from behind... recently... except... "Kane?" he asked, shocked. Can't be...
"Nice to see you too, Kevin. You want me to take care of this grease bag for you?"
"Uh... sure..."
In one swift movement, Kane was towering over the mugger and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "You got a problem with my friend?" He lifted the man into the air. "Ya know… it's not nice to pull guns on people..."
"B-because guns kill people?" said the frightened man.
"No... Guns are what wimps use when they can't get the job done otherwise. And I don't like guns."
"Really?" The sweat forming on the man's brow shone in the moonlight. "Try this!" In a flash, he pulled a pocketknife from the inside of his jacket and stabbed the blade into Kane's shoulder.
Nash's eyes widened with he saw the flash of steel that easily tore through Kane's shirt and into his shoulder. Seeing that the pain almost caused him to drop the mugger, Kevin ran for the shadows, hoping to find the gun that was tossed there minutes ago. While his back was turned, he heard two sounds that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. One was a high, shrill, fearful shriek that Kevin was sure belonged to the thief. The poor guy sounds like he's screamin for his life! The other was a deep throaty snarl that sounded far from human. Like something from some tortured soul or a creature from the fiery pits of hell. He turned to see the man pinned between the brick wall and Kane's solid body. His head was buried in the crook of the man's neck and he had long stopped screaming. After what seemed like ages, Kane released his hold and the body slid down the wall and landed on the ground on a heap.
"Are you okay?" Kevin asked, rushing to Kane's side. As Kane turned to lean back on the wall, Nash saw the knife sticking from his shoulder.
"I'll... be fine," he replied. "I've had worse."
Kevin saw the blood gushing from around the blade. "Worse than this?" He heard Kane chuckle softly and he was shaken when he looked at his face. There were no trace of scarring or anything that would have been the result of a large fire. His face was as smooth as marble and with skin that looked just as pale in the moonlight. His blue eyes seemed to have an unnatural sparkle as he laughed. Pink lips, stained with blood, were parted to reveal gleaming white teeth and sharp protruding fangs. Without thinking, Kevin moved his hand towards Kane's mouth, just inches from his lips... Those soft... pink lips... what a wonderful mouth...
"Careful... I bite!"
He quickly pulled his hand away. "You should see a doctor."
"No doctor," Kane said, firmly. "Don't want one. Don't need one."
"But what about the knife?"
"You can pull it out now if you like."
"Won't it hurt?"
"Pain is a part of life. Besides... not all pain is bad."
"Alright... If you say so." Carefully, he placed one hand on Kane's shoulder and the other on the handle of the knife. Should I pull it out fast or slow? Well... when you pull off a Band-aid, it's best to do it quickly... I suppose it's the same for knives. His mind made up, he used all his strength and swiftly pulled the knife out. Blood trickled from the wound and then it quickly closed up. Unreal... "Well... I guess that's that!"
"Really? No questions?"
"Okay... You want me to ask questions?" He turned his back on Kane and examined the knife. "What the hell are you?"
"Simple… A vampire. Next question?"
"A vampire... of course... Why didn't I think of that? That would explain the fangs." He continued his inspection. The part of the blade not covered in Kane's blood shined silver in the light. It looks like a regular blade to me... No magical inscriptions... As he turned the knife over in his hands, it slipped and the blade sliced across his palm. "Ouch!" he said as blood formed around the cut.
"'Ouch'? What do you mean 'ouch'?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "So, how long have you been a vampire?"
"Uh... A long time… Why did you say 'ouch'?"
"Got a bit of a cut... that's all. So, how long is a long time?"
"A few centuries. Cut how?"
"On this knife," he said, casually. "Hey! Is that guy dead? Should we call the police?"
"We don't need the police. I'll have the body taken care of. What knife?"
"This knife," he said, holding it up. "You really killed that guy, didn't ya? Damn, you're good! That was less than five minutes, wasn't it?"
"Yeah… Not my best time, but pretty good... Is that the knife you took from my shoulder? The one with my blood in it?"
"Yeah... You want it back?"
"Do I want it back?" he boomed.
"I take from your reaction that the 'ouch' would be a bad thing."
Kane was about to answer when his ears perked up. He turned quickly and, grabbing the body, dashed past Kevin. "I'll talk to you later... idiot!" As he ran out of sight, Scott Hall turned the corner.
"There you are!" Scott said. "I've been looking all over for you. Ya know, you shouldn't be out here alone this time of night. All the weirdoes and crazies come out at this hour."
"You have no idea." Tossing the knife over his shoulder, Kevin exited the alley and headed for the hotel.