Title: Girl Next Door
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it. I really wish I was a writer for the WWE, though. How sweet would that be? Of course, Vince would probably take issue with the fact that I'd find a way to give all the titles to Kane at the same time. Then I'd have all of them forged into one belt, called the WWE WORLD INTERCONTINENTAL US HEAVYWEIGHT TAG TEAM DIVA CHAMPION SUPER BELT. That's right, it would also include the Diva belts. Kane's secure enough in his masculinity to wear a Diva belt. Wow, to think this started out as a disclaimer...
Chapter 2
Kane went home and decided to clean up. Katie's mother kept her house very neat and tidy, and he was always worried he would stain something. He didn't have much as far as clothing went, but he decided to look in his father's closet to see what he had. Of course, his father was much bigger around than he was, but he could probably find something that would work. On principle, he stayed out of his father's room. It was just as dirty and foul smelling as his own, and the furniture was equally broken down and ugly, but there were things in his father's room that upset him.
On his window there was a picture of Kane's mother. His father had caught him holding the picture once and he'd been given the most horrible beating of his young life. He'd never touched it since that day, and he'd stayed out of Paul's room. On another wall, there were countless photos of him. Newspaper clippings, photographs, magazine articles...all the proof of his brother's completely undeserved success. Kane assumed Paul kept up with the collection to remind him of their shared goal; both of them wanted nothing more than to see the man responsible for killing Suzanne and Angus Callaway completely destroyed. Kane would ruin his career and destroy his body. He wanted so badly to see the look on Mark's face when he realized the weak, helpless little brother he'd left for dead had not just disappeared. He'd survived. He would come for Mark one day.
Kane shook his head to chase away the memories, tearing his pain-filled eyes away from the collage dedicated to his brother. Instead, he opened the drawers in the dresser, searching for something clean and wearable. He found some white T-shirts folded up messily and held one up against his chest, deciding it would fit him. He only had two pair of pants, and the ones he was wearing were the cleaner pair, so they'd just have to do. He headed to the bathroom, carelessly stomping a roach on the way. He turned on the water and stripped down hastily, avoiding looking at himself in the mirror. He scrubbed with a grimy bar of soap and then re-dressed. He shaved without once looking at his reflection, but he managed not to cut himself. He'd been avoiding his scarred reflection for years. He cleaned his teeth with a brush that had seen better days and probably should have been thrown away years ago. As presentable as he could make himself, he headed across the street.
Katie's mother let him in with a big smile. She was always so kind to him. Kane didn't quite know how to react to her pampering and fretting over him, but he enjoyed it all the same. He liked to think that if his mother had lived, she would be like Katie's mom. The few memories he had of his mother reminded him of Lisa Vick. They both always smelled like they'd just been cooking something good in the kitchen, and she had a musical laugh.
"Come in out of the cold, sweetheart. Don't you have a winter coat? I'll have to get you something next time I'm out. You'll get sick in this weather if you don't dress warm. Just take a seat in the kitchen. It's almost ready. Do you like lasagna?" For some inexplicable reason, Kane was very shy about speaking in front of Lisa. He merely nodded, and went to sit where she'd told him to go.
"You look nice tonight, Kane. I'm glad you came over to keep me company. I just hate being in an empty house—can't stand it!" Lisa, like her daughter, was talented at holding a mostly one-sided conversation. Kane breathed in deeply when he entered the kitchen. The heavenly aroma smelled so good, and the bright, warm kitchen must have been the most welcoming place in the world. He sat happily, his mouth already watering. Lisa bustled about the kitchen for a few moments and then brought two loaded plates to the table, followed by two glasses of sweat tea. She turned the news on in the living room and they listened as they ate. Kane devoured the food like a starving man. Lisa was a good cook, but just eating something that had been fixed in an oven was a huge treat for Kane.
"You like it, dear?" Lisa asked, offering him a smile. Kane nodded, too busy eating to stop and speak. Lisa loved watching Kane eat her cooking—he was definitely the most appreciative person she'd ever prepared a meal for. She'd made sure to make lots, so that he'd have some to take home with him. The huge teenager cleared his plate in record time. She fixed him another wordlessly, and they continued to listen to the news in companionable silence. She finished her own plate and took it to the sink, rinsing the dish and putting it away. She began packing up the leftovers for Kane.
From her spot on the sofa, Katie's yappy little dog roused from her nap and began barking. She raced to the back door yipping and yowling.
"Dolly, hush!" Lisa scolded. The little dog wasn't usually so annoyingly loud. "You need to go potty?" Lisa asked, opening the back door. The little dog didn't go outside, rather she moved into the doorway and resumed her loud yapping. That was when Lisa realized someone was inside her garage, and it certainly wasn't her daughter or her husband. Kane appeared behind her, and she was suddenly extremely grateful for her neighbor's presence. This was exactly the reason she hated being left at home alone.
Ignoring Kane's questioning look, she ran to the phone after scooping up Dolly and firmly locking the door. She hastily dialed 911. Kane watched her silently, his eyes narrowed intently. Ignoring her shaking head, he went to the window and peeked out the blinds. Dolly was still barking aggressively.
"Yes! There's someone breaking into my garage!" she said quickly into the phone. The receptionist asked her if she was hurt, and if she was alone. "No, my neighbor was eating dinner with me. We're safe in the house—oh my god! Kane, what are you doing?! Come back inside right this second!" Lisa shouted frantically. Carrying the phone with her as far as it would stretch, she watched anxiously as Kane stepped onto the back porch calmly. He glanced around in the dark, and then picked up a broom. He broke it over a large thigh, creating a sharpened point on one end. Armed with the make-shift club, he fearlessly walked towards the garage.
"Tell me what's happening," the calm voice on the phone asked her.
"My neighbor's going out into the garage. He's got a broom handle."
"Tell him to come back inside," the operator replied.
"I did!" Lisa retorted. "He's not listening! Kane! Come back! What if they have a gun?"
Kane didn't even hesitate. He walked into the dark garage, and Lisa nearly went insane with worry. She heard scuffling, and cursing. Then silence. In the distance, she heard sirens approaching. Someone turned the garage light on, and Lisa sighed in relief. Looking no worse for wear, Kane emerged from the garage. Lisa's eyes widened when she saw the pointed end of the broom handle was bloody.
"He's alright, but I think he stabbed the man in the garage," Lisa said quickly into the phone. Kane carelessly tossed the broom handle aside and came in. Dolly seemed appeased, and she returned to her perch on the chair. The sirens grew louder. "Kane, are you okay?" Lisa asked. The tall boy merely nodded, as if dispatching the prowler had been nothing out of the ordinary. Kane pulled his box from his pocket, pressing it against his throat.
"There was only one guy. I think he was stealing."
"What did you do to him?" Lisa asked. "Is he...alive?" His big brown eyes were huge, and all the color had drained from her face. Kane grinned.
"He'll be okay. I got blood all over your garage. I'll clean it up," Kane replied. Forgetting the phone, Lisa darted forward and wrapped the tall teenager in a hug.
"Forget about that you silly boy, I'm just glad you're not hurt! Thank god you were here!" she said. Kane stood frozen, completely unsure of how to respond. Lisa let him go, and went to answer the knocking on the door. When the cop came inside, he immediately looked suspiciously at Kane. Lisa hastily explained.
"This is my neighbor. He was over having dinner with me when the dog started barking. He went out to investigate and took care of whoever is out there," Lisa said. The police officer nodded, and walked towards the back door.
"This way?" he confirmed. Lisa nodded, opening the door for him. The officer had a nightstick ready. Kane followed after him, until the officer told him to stay put. Kane shrugged and hung back. It wasn't like the guy in the garage was much of a threat. It was just some skinny kid in a ski mask trying to steal Mr. Vick's tools. Lisa came to stand beside him, watching anxiously. Inside the house, Dolly had started yapping again.
The police officer emerged with the guy in handcuffs. The puncture wound in his leg was sluggishly bleeding, and he had to lean heavily on the officer to hobble outside. The ambulance pulled up into the driveway. Kane watched with mild interest as the man was loaded inside. A new police officer went with the burglar in the ambulance, and the one who had arrived initially came back over to them. He proceeded to ask Lisa a long stream of questions, and then he turned to Kane. Kane sighed, pulling out his box. He was going to have a sore throat after this.
The police officer didn't bat an eye at his way of communication, but Kane could tell he made the smaller man uncomfortable. He was probably extremely grateful that Kane had been the neighbor and not the burglar.
"I went to the garage. He came at me, trying to get out the door, and I dropped him to the ground and caught him in the leg with the broom. I turned on the light. He wasn't moving, so I checked his pulse. He had just passed out. Then I came back inside." Kane fell silent. The officer jotted down what he said and thankfully didn't ask anymore questions.
"It was a good thing you were here, but next time you shouldn't risk your life like that. He could have been armed. You were lucky you weren't hurt. It's better to let them get away with some tools than lose your life over it," the officer chided. Kane smirked. With slow, measured movements he pressed the box to his throat, narrowing his eyes down at the officer. The shorter man leaned backwards, clearly uneasy.
"I'm not the one in the ambulance." The officer cleared his throat and flipped through his notepad, not meeting Kane's stare.
"Alright, I've gotten everything I need. Are you going to be alright here, Mrs. Vick?" the officer asked. Lisa smiled amusedly up at Kane and then patted his arm.
"I think I'll be just fine. Thank you for coming, officer." The man made a hasty exit, and Lisa chuckled once he was gone.
"You did his job for him. He could have at least thanked you. I think you scared him. Suffice it to say I'm glad you were here instead of our brave police officer." Kane smirked. She waved him towards the couch. "I'm going to call Katie. Would you mind staying till she gets here?" Kane simply nodded and sat. Katie's dog eyed him nervously from across the living room, but made no move to approach him. He'd previously thought the little fur ball was annoying and useless, but at least it had tipped him off to the burglar. Still, being home alone so much, the two women needed something bigger than the miniature dog.
Lisa reassured her daughter over the phone that she was fine, and then she called her husband. He wanted to speak to Kane. Kane pulled out his box once again.
"Kane? Are you okay, son?" Earl Vick asked.
"Fine. He was after your tools."
"God damn it. Thank god you were there. I'm three states away but I'm going to make my delivery tonight and head that way. Can you stay there tonight?" Mr. Vick asked without hesitation. Kane could tell that, like a good father, the man was worried sick about his wife and daughter.
"Yes," Kane replied simply. He passed the phone back to Lisa. Earl explained to her that he'd asked Kane to stay, and told her he was on his way home.
"Alright, honey, but don't try to drive all night or anything. We're fine. Kane's here, and the police were here really quickly. They'll come even faster if we have to call again. I love you." Lisa hung up the phone. "Ugh, what a night! This is too much excitement for me. I'm going to make sure all the doors and windows are locked up. Katie leaves her window open sometimes, even though I've told her a thousand times to keep it locked." Lisa went down the hall to the bedrooms that Kane had never seen. He wondered what Katie's room looked like. He stayed where he was, though. He was proud of himself for protecting Mrs. Vick and earning the trust of her husband. Lisa came back after a few moments and then went into the kitchen. She occupied herself with random things until Katie nearly busted the door in.
"Mom, I'm here," she called out. Kane's eyes widened at the sight of her. She wore her cheer uniform, and he'd never seen a girl look so beautiful. Lisa came out of the kitchen and hugged her daughter, immediately launching into the whole story. Kane tried not to smile proudly when she raved about how brave he'd been, and how easily he'd taken care of the burglar. The highlight of the night, perhaps his life, came when Katie came over and tucked his hair behind his ear, kissing his cheek.
"Thanks. I owe you big time," she said, offering him a sweet smile. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn't help it. He ducked his head and stared at his clenched fists, trying to get himself under control. Katie went into the kitchen with her mother, giving him a second alone to recover.
When he was relatively sure he wasn't blushing, he went into the kitchen as well. In her nervousness, Lisa had started baking cookies. Dolly had followed after her owner and Katie was smothering the little yapper with affection and kisses, praising her for barking at the burglar. Kane was jealous for a second, and then he remembered his own kiss. A small smile came to his face and it lingered there, unwilling to go away. He'd had his first kiss, from a girl like Katie, no less. He didn't realize he was staring at her until she caught his eye and grinned.
"So I hear you're going to camp out on our couch and protect us until my worried father gets home," she said amusedly. Kane nodded. "You really stabbed him with a broomstick? That's amazing. Serves the jerk right. I bet he realized Dad wasn't home much and decided to take advantage. What a prick."
"He was crying like a baby when the officer hauled him out of the garage. I hope he doesn't have a way of making bail," Lisa commented. For the first time, Kane could see the similarities between mother and daughter. Even though Lisa was shorter and rounder than her daughter, they had the same green eyes and full lips. Katie had clearly gotten her light hair and her height from her father, though. Katie was so beautiful—he wondered what she saw when she looked at him.
It couldn't be too bad, because she'd kissed him. Maybe he really did have a chance with her. Even while they were ranting against the burglar, Kane was secretly thanking him for giving him the chance to be the hero for once, instead of the monster. Katie kept smiling at him, almost like they were sharing some kind of private joke between just the two of them.
"I know your father's going to drive like hell to get here, but I hope he's careful. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about now," Lisa said. Katie hugged her dog close, a thoughtful look on her pretty face.
"I don't know. He might have had someone parked down the street or something to help him drive off. I didn't notice any strange cars."
"You're right. We should be careful the next couple days. Maybe I should call someone to install an alarm system?" Lisa mused. "It would probably be expensive though, and Earl will want to pick what brand we use."
"Well, until Daddy gets home we have Kane—he's better than an alarm, anyway. Home security won't go into your garage and stab the guy." Kane smirked. Katie was flashing him that smile again. He felt something in his chest tighten, and he wondered if he was in love with her. The moment was broken by a knock on the front door.
"Who could that be?" Lisa wondered. Her eyes went to Kane, who wordlessly went to answer it. A tall, handsome guy looked up at him in surprise.
"I must have the wrong house. I'm looking for the Vick residence," he said unsurely. Kane's eyes narrowed. He didn't like this guy, whoever he was. Katie appeared at his side.
"Daniel? What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised. Kane's grip on the doorknob tightened. Daniel glanced at him warily.
"Err...I asked Coach to let me go so I could come check on you. I didn't realize your...um...brother was here. I guess you're okay, then."
"It's nice of you to come by, but yeah, I think Kane's got it covered," Katie glanced up at him, noticing how tense he was. Her eyes lit with understanding, and she smiled softly at him. "He's not my brother, though. He's my...friend." she said slowly. Daniel looked between the two of them, perhaps realizing the new blonde on the squad wasn't as available as he hoped.
He certainly wasn't going to tangle with the huge guy that had answered the door, though. He didn't have a death wish. The guy looked like he should be starring in a horror movie. If he was Katie's type, then he was barking up the wrong tree. Hell, he was in the wrong forest.
"I guess I'll head back to the game, then. I'll let everyone know you're okay."
"Thanks, Daniel. I'll see you later. Drive safe," she said. He nodded and left. Katie closed the door. Daniel was a nice guy, and six months ago, she would have been very interested in him, but for some reason she didn't want to encourage him at all now.
She had a feeling her reason was walking with her back into the kitchen.
"Who was it?" her mother asked. Katie shrugged dismissively.
"Just some guy from the team checking up on us. He went back to the game."
"Oh, well that was sweet of him," Lisa replied. Katie, Kane was pleased to note, seemed ready to drop the subject. That was a good sign. Maybe she did like him. After all, she could have just let Daniel think he was her brother.
"So you really don't mind sleeping over here tonight, Kane? The couch pulls out into a bed, but I don't know that it's very comfortable," Lisa fretted. Kane pulled out his box.
"It's fine," He replied. Lisa nodded, and then fussed over Katie, trying to persuade her into taking a vitamin and eating some of the left-overs. The cookies were ready soon afterwards, and Katie childishly skipped dinner in order to eat three cookies with a large glass of milk. Once the three of them had eaten dessert, Lisa and Katie pulled out the sofa bed for him. The two women brought out a small mountain of blankets and pillows. Katie, with a mischievous smile, came into the living room dressed in her pajamas. She made herself comfortable on the sofa bed, and patted the spot next to her.
"As long as you're here, and you'll be staying the night....you want to watch a horror movie?" Katie asked with a grin. Lisa groaned.
"You're crazy. I can't believe you want to watch a horror film the same night we nearly get robbed. I'm having no part in this. I'm going to sleep uneasy enough as it is. I'll see you kids in the morning. Don't stay up too late." Lisa went down the hallway, and Kane nervously took off his boots and sat down on the couch bed. He got comfortable almost immediately, as it was ten times softer than the thin mattress he slept on at home. Katie sat close beside him, but their bodies didn't touch. Kane memorized how she looked in the soft pink pajama pants and the white tank top. She was wearing a sports bra still, but there was still something intimate about seeing her in her nightclothes.
Kane realized with a barely concealed smirk that he'd seen her in a cheerleading uniform and her pajamas in the same day. He must be on a lucky streak.
Katie chose a pay-per-view horror film about some kids going out to a cabin in the woods and methodically being picked off by a killer. As the movie progressed, Katie moved a little closer to him, so that she was practically leaning against his shoulder. Kane wondered if he should put his arm around her, and about two-thirds through the movie, he finally worked up the courage.
She relaxed against his side almost immediately, and Kane let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He was hyper-aware when Katie leaned over to make sure her mother's bedroom door was closed, and then turned towards him, kissing his cheek again. Kane swallowed thickly. He turned his face, catching her lips against his own. He was awkward, but she was experienced and tilted her head in just the right way. She opened her mouth first, encouraging him to do the same. To the backdrop of a girl screaming on low volume as she was skillfully hacked to pieces, Kane experienced his first make-out session.
Katie felt amazing in his arms, and while he'd always imagined she'd probably taste unpleasant because of all the cigarettes he always caught her smoking, after their dessert earlier she tasted like chocolate. It was addicting. He never wanted to let her go. Her fingers treaded into his hair and she shifted onto his lap. He wanted her so badly. His hold around her waist tightened possessively, and she moaned quietly against his mouth. Taking that as a sign that she was enjoying herself, Kane let his hands wander where they wanted. He felt over her smooth, bare shoulder, and cupped her silky hair at the nape of her neck. With his other hand, he caressed her thigh, all the while slanting his mouth over hers again and again.
The movie ended, and infomercials began to play. She pulled back, ending their kiss, and for a long moment she simply stared at him. Then smiling, she leaned forward and pecked his lips sweetly.
"I've wanted to do that for awhile," she whispered. Kane merely nodded. She had no idea how long he'd wanted her. He'd been fantasizing about her since the day she moved in. He couldn't quite comprehend that she was really in his arms, kissing him, saying that she wanted him, too. Surely something like that was impossible.
"I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" she said. He nodded. "Thanks for staying, and thank you for taking care of my mom. Going after that guy—that was really, really sexy." Kane smirked and she returned his grin. After one last, sweet, lingering kiss she got off his lap and headed towards her bedroom. "Goodnight," she said softly.
Kane sunk into the pillows, covering his face with his hands. Calling it a 'good night' didn't even begin to cover it.
A/N: So things heat up a bit. Thanks to my reviewers! I try really hard to keep Kane in character. I have the tendency to make him want to talk a lot more than he probably would, so I'm always rewriting what he says to make it as short as possible. In this chapter, I mentioned the names I gave to Kane and Taker's parents in an earlier story I wrote, Last Summer. Check it out if you like how I describe Kane's past. I really love Kane, and WWE in general, so I plan to write many more fics for this genre in the future! :)