This is a sequel to my other fanfic "When Beauty Tempts the Beast". If you have not read that one, please read it first or some parts of this story may not make sense. Reviews, critiques, and suggestions are always welcome and very appreciated!
Chapter One
PARTS UNKNOWN
Yellow diamonds in the light
And we're standing side by side
As your shadow crosses mine
What it takes to come alive
It's the way I'm feeling I just can't deny
But I've gotta let it go
We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place
Black roses.
They were the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, three perfect roses, petals of black velvet in a slim crystal vase on her nightstand.
A.J. smiled, leaned over to breathe in their perfume and stroke their silky softness over her cheek. Never let it be said Kane was not a sentimental man. He always remembered.
The other side of the bed was empty as it almost always was when she woke. No matter how early she got up in the morning he was up before her. He was inhuman in the way he seemed to function on almost no sleep.
She rose, slipped on a black robe and quickly ran a brush through her silky brown hair before going to look for her husband.
She found Kane in the study, looking moodily out of the French doors toward the woods that practically came up to their back yard. As always he looked out of place in the prim and proper room. He made everything look small. His seven foot frame dwarfed the delicate furniture and he had to duck to keep from smashing his head when he walked through the doors.
She slipped her arms around him from behind and leaned into him, laying her cheek against his back. She loved how strong and solid he felt.
"Happy anniversary. Thank you for the beautiful roses." She said.
Kane turned, flipping his dark hair out of his face. His mismatched eyes met hers and his lips twitched in what, for him, passed for a smile.
A.J. however, frowned as she looked up at her husband, "Why are you wearing that thing?" she asked, "You know how much I hate looking at it."
Kane touched the mask with his fingers. He knew she hated it but he didn't know how to explain to her there were times that he needed it. He'd worn the mask for so long that it was a part of him, he felt naked, vulnerable without it.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I still forget sometimes."
She reached up and put her fingers over his, "Kane, you never have to hide anything from me. I love you."
He closed his eyes, steeling himself not to flinch as she pushed the mask up off of his face. He opened his eyes to see her looking up at him, eyes shining as she smiled. Even after three years he still marveled that she could look at him without revulsion. It was a thing he couldn't do, even after a lifetime of living with his own ruined face.
"Better," she said happily, tossing the mask over her shoulder.
He brushed a tendril of hair back from her face, just as an excuse to touch her. There were days when he still didn't understand how this beautiful woman loved him. Her smile widened as a sparkle glinted in her eye.
"Do you remember our first kiss?" she asked mischievously.
This time he did smile. How could he ever forget? He had never been so shocked in his life as when this tiny slip of a woman jumped into his arms, kissed him and changed everything he thought he knew.
A.J. definitely remembered as well as she laced her fingers behind his neck and hopped up nimbly, wrapping her legs around him. He caught her easily and unlike the first time, when she kissed him he kissed her back.
She finally broke off the kiss, leaned back a little to look at him, "You haven't asked me what your anniversary present is." She teased.
He looked at her, puzzled. He never expected anything from her. "What is it?" he finally asked.
"The same thing as last year….and the year before that." She replied with an arch look.
She giggled and threw her arms around his neck as he turned, ducked through the doorway and carried her off to the bedroom.
It was a beautiful day for a picnic. Kane would never have noticed the weather one way or the other before but since being with A.J. he was more sensitive to the beauty in the world. Beauty pleased A.J. and there was nothing he liked more than to see her happy.
The last three years had been very happy ones. Their decision to leave their old lives behind had been the best they'd ever made. Neither of them had spoken about the WWE or what had happened there in a long time. Kane woke every morning, before dawn and watched her sleep, his eyes drinking in the delicate lines of her face. When she smiled, dreaming in her sleep, he wondered if it was his face she was dreaming of.
Three years and there was only one thing to mar their happiness.
Three years and her stomach had stayed slim and the other bedrooms in the house empty. In the first year of their marriage she had talked about it often and though he never really said much he enjoyed hearing her chatter about a baby. In fact, he almost looked forward to it as much as she did. The idea intrigued him, a child, his and A.J.'s child. What would such a child be like?
As the one year became two and then three, she gradually talked less and less about babies until now she hardly ever mentioned them at all. But he knew she still thought about it. He'd seen her from time to time, looking at children, especially babies with a wistful, sad expression and it was times like those he wished he knew the right words to say.
A.J. skipped ahead of him, dressed in a red halter top and a breezy skirt. Her brown hair was pulled back in a casual pony tail. From a distance she looked like a teenager. She found a shaded spot beneath a tree and spread out the old quilt she'd brought as he dropped the picnic basket on the ground.
A.J. knelt on the blanket and opened the picnic basket. She glanced up at Kane who was looking across the field, shading his eyes with his hand. She followed his gaze and saw a tiny figure far away on a motorcycle or a dirt bike. At the same time she heard the rumble of a distant engine.
"What is it?" She asked, getting to her feet.
"I don't know," Kane replied, an edge in his voice, "But he's not supposed to be here."
The house and the grounds around it once belonged to the parents of Kane and his brother, The Undertaker. When they were children, The Undertaker had started a fire at the family's funeral home, killing their parents and leaving Kane scarred and disfigured. The house was in a remote area, near a vast forest and they very rarely saw people intrude on the premises.
As she watched she could see the biker turn and head back the way he'd come. "Probably got lost," she suggested. "It looks like he's leaving."
Kane was silent but she could feel how tense he was. He didn't like people in the best of circumstances. A stranger popping up unannounced where he considered his sanctuary could end in disaster. She put a hand on his arm.
"Kane?"
He turned and looked at her. He'd put that damned mask back on but there was little she could do about it. He flatly refused to go out in public without it. She gave him a smile and held out her hand. He took it and let her pull him down next to her on the blanket.
She kept up a lively stream of chatter as they ate, her girlish voice jumping from one subject to another with ease, frequently amusing him with her witty comments. It was one of the things he liked about her. She could keep up a conversation without expecting him to contribute very much. She understood his silences were the product of a man whose thoughts were so deep they were rarely vocalized.
She was giggling and trying to feed him bites of cheesecake when they heard the sound of the engine again, this time much louder than before. She looked up and saw the dirt bike rider had returned and was headed in their direction. Kane and A.J. jumped to their feet as the rider seemed to lose control of the bike, wobbling wildly, and plowing straight for them. Kane shoved her out of the way and then lunged at the rider, clothes lining him clean off the bike. The bike crashed into the tree, flipped and landed on its side.
The rider lay on the ground holding his chest and struggling out of his helmet. Kane strode forward, grabbed him by the front of his jacket, yanked him off the ground and shook him before slamming his back hard up against the tree.
"What do you think you're doing!" he raged.
A.J. hurried to stop Kane before he decided to chokeslam the boy.
"Kane, stop!" She pulled at his arm. "He's a kid! Stop!"
Kane shoved his face up to the rider's, nose to nose. "You nearly killed my wife," he said between gritted teeth.
A.J. forced herself bodily between her enraged husband and the terrified boy.
"Kane, stop it! I'm OK! He's just a kid!" She put her hand on his face, forced him to look at her.
Kane's lip was raised in a silent snarl but A.J.'s plea finally broke through his anger. His grip on the boy tightened briefly, before he opened his hand and unceremoniously dropped him. He stepped back a few paces but remaining protectively close to his wife, scowling over her shoulder.
She knelt next to the boy, "Hey, are you ok?" she asked in concern.
He tried to sit up and winced, grabbing his chest, "I….I'm sorry." He gasped, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
A.J. helped him sit up,"No, it's OK, we're not hurt. Take it easy. Are YOU hurt?"
The boy shook his head, "I'm sorry," he repeated, "The throttle stuck…I couldn't stop."
"What are you doing here?" Kane demanded, "This land is off limits to outsiders."
The boy looked up at Kane, his wide eyes taking in the furious eyes behind the mask and all seven feet of angry giant. His face blanched with fear, "I'm sorry, I got lost, took a wrong turn off the road. I thought I could ask you how to get back there."
A.J. looked at Kane, "Kane, can you just give me a sec with him? Please? I don't think he meant any harm."
Kane glared at the boy, his mismatched eyes burning a hole through his face. "I don't want him here," he said and turned and walked away behind the tree.
A.J. turned back to the boy, "Sorry about my husband." She said apologetically. "He's pretty protective. What's your name?"
The boy looked at Kane's stiff and angry back and gulped, "My name is Luke." He said, "I'm really sorry. I didn't know this was private property. I just…I just took a wrong turn."
"It's OK, "A.J. said, helping him to his feet. The boy was tall, at least six feet, but still just a boy. He had the gangly look of a colt that had not yet grown into his legs. His eyes were a dark blue, made even bluer by the dark red mop of his hair.
"My name is A.J." She said, trying to make him feel at ease,"and that's my husband, Kane."
Luke reached out to shake her hand, but snatched his hand back when Kane's head snapped around to glower at him suspiciously.
"Uh…nice to meet you…sir," Luke said weakly. Kane's hands flexed into fists before he stalked away.
"How old are you?" A.J. asked.
"I'm 15," Luke said, picking up his bike and looking it over for damage.
15 years old. A.J. looked him up and down. Standing straight he looked even taller than six feet, perhaps six-one or even six-two. At this rate he was slated to grow into a young giant.
"Wow," she said, "You're tall for your age."
He smiled,"Yeah, that's what everyone says."
"Do you live around here?" A.J. asked. She picked his helmet up and handed it to him.
He shook his head,"No, I'm actually just visiting friends of my mom for a couple of weeks. They said there were some good places to go dirt biking out here. I guess I didn't find them." He looked over at Kane who had walked away from them to stand at the edge of the treeline and asked hesitantly. "You said your husband's name is Kane? Is he….the wrestler, Kane?"
A.J. bit her lower lip, "Uhm, yeah…" she said slowly.
Luke's blue eyes lit up, "And that means you're….you're A.J. Lee?"
A.J. sighed, "Yes. But Luke…"
He broke in excitedly,"I knew it! Kane was my favorite wrestler. What happened to you guys? You just kind of disappeared a couple of years back."
A.J. gave him a 'shut the hell up look' and put her fingers to her lips. "Luke," she said quietly, "Kane and I are…retired. No one is supposed to know we live out here. Please, you need to keep this to yourself. Kane really doesn't like company. "
Luke nodded,"Yeah, sure. I won't tell anyone." He got on his bike and tried to start it. It sputtered and died. He tried again and this time it didn't even turn over. "Oh, crap." He muttered.
"What's the matter?" A.J. asked.
"I think my bike's dead." Luke said glumly.
Oops, A.J. felt a prickle of guilt, "Where do you live?"
"My mom's friends live about 5 miles up the main road. I guess I'll just have to walk it home." He stuck his helmet under an arm and started to push the bike toward the road.
A.J. shook her head, "Wait, I can't let you do that," she said. "You're hurt, you're in no condition to walk all that way."
He paused, he didn't really look like he wanted to walk all that way either. "Well…if I could get a ride home, I could come back tomorrow with my truck and pick up my bike."
A.J. nodded,"OK, I'll call a cab for you. It's on me, my treat. I'm sorry my husband nearly killed you."
Luke grinned. "It's OK. Actually, it's kind of an honor to get clothes lined by Kane."
A.J. laughed,"You're one of the only people I've met who'd ever say that. Wait here."
She walked over to where Kane waited and touched his arm. "The boy is OK, in case you were wondering." She said teasingly.
He looked down at her "Is he leaving?" he asked bluntly.
A.J. nodded,"Yes, I'm calling a cab for him. His bike is trashed," she paused to give him a pointed look, "so he's going to have to come back tomorrow to get it."
He totally missed her subtle reproach,"He almost hurt you." he said sullenly.
A.J.'s face softened as she looked at her husband. He was a man of few words but he didn't have to tell her that the fear of losing her was still something that haunted him every day. And considering what they had gone through, how they'd almost lost each other, it was something that was never far from her mind as well.
"Kane," she said gently,"It was an accident. His name is Luke. He's harmless. I'm going to the house to call him a cab. Please don't kill him while I'm gone."
Kane grunted noncommittally but let her give him a kiss on the cheek. She started toward the house, leaving him and the boy alone. He crossed his massive arms over his chest and pinned the boy with a glare. Luke swallowed and knelt next to his bike, suddenly finding something very interesting about the front tire.
Kane knew A.J. was right. He was just a harmless boy. But there was something about him that Kane did not like, something very familiar in his face that he couldn't put his finger on. It was almost as if he'd seen this boy somewhere before, but where?
Luke kept his head down, pretending to fiddle with his bike but really using it as a shield to keep from meeting Kane's eyes. He could practically feel the heat of the big man's glare right through his bike. This wasn't exactly how he'd pictured this meeting. He'd thought it would be a little more, well, normal. He even had a speech all prepared but it got knocked out of his head the instant Kane's forearm slammed into his chest.
To be honest, he hadn't expected tears and hugs of welcome but crap, this Kane guy was downright scary in his unfriendliness. Not only was he huge, he looked like he was just waiting for an excuse to murder someone and bury them in an unmarked grave. For an instant he wondered if he had the right guy but he'd seen enough pictures and videos to know this was indeed the Kane he was looking for.
Kane's wife came back out from the house, waving him over. Luke jumped to his feet. She seemed really nice and on top that she was pretty damn hot.
"A cab is on the way," she said, giving him a gorgeous smile. "In the meantime, why don't you put your bike in the shed? You can come pick it up anytime tomorrow."
"OK, sure" he started to push it toward the shed when Kane pushed him aside and simply picked the bike up and carried it off toward the shed.
"Uh, thanks." Luke called after him. He looked at A.J. "Is he always this cheerful?"
A.J. shrugged apologetically,"He wasn't expecting company."
They started walking toward the front of the house, "So, where are you from? Are you just visiting on summer vacation?" A.J. asked, trying to make conversation.
For a brief moment, Luke considered coming clean and telling her the truth. But then he saw Kane walking toward them, back from stowing his bike. The man looked no happier coming than he did going.
"Uh, just visiting friends over the summer," he said hastily. "You know, getting out of my mom's hair for a couple of weeks."
A.J. laughed, "Yeah, I know how that goes. My mom sent me off a few times in the summer when I was in school too."
He saw a car coming up the driveway, "Uh, I think my cab's here."
"OK," A.J. said, "Come by anytime tomorrow. "
"Thanks," Luke said. "Nice meeting you Mr. Kane," he said awkwardly. Kane said nothing, merely tilted his head as he watched Luke from behind the expressionless mask.
"Screw you too, god damn friggin' jerk,"Luke muttered under his breath as he got in the cab. He was sorely disappointed. Maybe his mother had been right. He should have never come here.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from turning around and looking out the back window at his father one last time as the car drove away.