Re-uploaded 08/26/08

Two months later...

In the parking lot at Vass Fitness Center, Shannon grabbed the handle of this black and red gym bag and pulled it across the passenger seat as he got out of his car. He shut the door - not bothering to lock it as car theft wasn't a really something that happened around these parts - and stood there for a moment, rotating his neck until he heard a satisfying crack. He checked the time on his wrist watch and noted that he was a bit early. Matt and Jeff weren't supposed to be here for another twenty minutes, give or take a few. He could always get started early or hang out with some of the regulars until the guys arrived.

Shannon headed for the main entrance of the gym, briefly considering each option as he walked. As he reached the door, his hand automatically moved to grab the handle and pull, unaware that someone on the other side of the door was simultaneously trying to push it open. As Shannon gave the handle a sharp pull, he was surprised as he heard a feminine yelp right before a body came tumbling toward him. The impact made him stumble backward a few steps even as his arms instinctively raised to cradle the body now pressed up against his chest.

She was petite, was his first thought. That she smelled good - coming out of a gym, no less - was his second.

After a seemingly endless moment, he felt her hands press against his chest and released his hold on her.

"Sorry about that, my fault," the woman said as she moved back to look at the man she'd fallen into. The moment her eyes found his, she seemed to take a mental pause.

But that was okay, because Shannon was also struck dumb by the sight before him. She was... gorgeous. Heavenly. Being a professional wrestler, he'd met and worked with a lot of beautiful women, but for some reason he'd become mentally paralyzed upon looking into bluish-green eyes in a heart-shaped face framed by a golden mane of hair.

They could have been standing there for seconds or minutes - unlikely that it would be hours because at some point someone would have come or gone through the gym's doors, thus interrupting their visual orgy - as both had temporarily lost the ability to sense the passage of time. It was the ringing of a cell phone that brought both of them back to reality. Shannon automatically checked his cell phone, even though it wasn't a ring tone he normally used.

"Hello?... Yes, I'm just leaving now... Okay, what do you need me to pick up?... Alright, fine. I'll see you later, then... Ok, bye." She ended the short call and closed the phone, watching Shannon as he bent down to pick up her gym bag, which she had dropped when she'd come flying out the door. He straightened and handed the bag to her, both of them keenly aware of the tingling that shot through their hands as they touched.

"Sorry," she said again, this time unsure if she was apologizing because she'd bumped into him or for the strange sensation they'd shared as their hands had touched.

"No, its my fault," Shannon said. He had pulled the door open a little too strongly, after all. Though in his defense, he hadn't expected anyone to be attached to the other side.

There was a brief awkward pause that fell between them. She was the first one to shake it off and muttered something about having to leave right before she left Shannon standing by the gym's main entrance.

Shannon watched the woman walk away, trying to dismiss the feeling that he shouldn't just let her leave. After all, when was the last time a woman had actually left him dumbfounded? Never, that he could recall. He started to follow her but before he could take more than a couple of steps, she was already getting into her car and seconds later was driving away.

Shannon watched the car drive off then turned to go into the gym. He knew how he'd be spending the time until Matt and Jeff arrived - pumping Marty, they gym's owner, for information about the woman who'd stunned him into temporary immobility.

Matt and Jeff Hardy - brothers separated by three years in age with vastly different appearances - arrived at the gym to find Shannon standing at the counter talking with Marty. Though Marty was nearing middle age, he obviously took good care of himself His dark stone gray hair and slightly wrinkled face spoke his true age, while his body was more typical of a man closer to half his age.

"I'm sorry, Shannon, but you know that I can't give out personal information on my clients. Which is something I'd think you'd appreciate after all the calls and drop-ins I got when you and Matt filmed one of your shows here. People offering bribes for me to give them your and Matt's addresses. Even people asking about Jeff and Shane were phoning in."

Shannon hung his head and stared at the counter. "Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I don't know what it is about this girl - I only saw her for like a minute but damn... It felt like being punched in the gut, without the impact of the blow or the pain."

Jeff and Matt shared a look, each wondering what had happened to Shannon to have him so worked up over a girl he'd apparently seen just the one time. And a brief time, at that.

They walked over to the counter, Matt leading the way. As they got within a few feet of Shannon, he sensed their presence and turned just before Matt slapped his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"What's up?" Matt asked, directing the question to Shannon.

"Our resident Prince has become sweet on a girl." The voice belonged to a woman named Sue. She helped Marty run the gym and was referred often as the 'house mom' by most of the guys who went to the gym. She was one of those ladies that didn't like to mention her age, but to look at her one might guess she was in her late twenties, maybe early thirties at the most. Her long straight hair - which was usually held back with a simple hair elastic - came to about midway down her back and the color was usually a light brunette with blond highlights that became more visible during the summer months when the sun brought them out.

"Sue!" Shannon said in protest, partially turning to face her.

"Don't bother denying it Shannon," she said as she walked by him and both Hardys, going behind the counter to stand next to Marty. "You've been bugging Marty about her since you came in here."

As Shannon struggled not to blush in embarrassment - he'd brought the matter on himself, after all - she continued. "We can't give out personal information, as you know, but what I can tell you is that she usually comes in every one to three days, anywhere between one and five." In the afternoon, of course. Vass Fitness wasn't a gym that was open 24/7.

Marty said nothing. He barely even glanced at Sue beyond a subtle eye shift. He was comfortable with what Sue had revealed - nothing personal about the woman.

"Thanks, Sue," Shannon said quietly. It wasn't much, but it was more than he'd gotten out of Marty and it was enough to give him the chance of meeting the woman again.

Sue watched as Shannon, Jeff and Matt walked away from the counter and toward the mens' locker room to change for their workout. She had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before Jeff and Matt were ribbing Shannon about his behaviour over a girl he'd just met and barely talked to, but the romantic within her couldn't help but make her smile. Her instincts told her that Shannon had just experienced the phenomenon known as love at first sight. She only hoped that whatever feelings he had or would have for her, that Cynthia would return them.

"So what was that about, man?" Jeff asked Shannon as they and Matt walked into the mens' locker room.

"I don't know," Shannon replied. He dropped his gym bag onto the nearest bench and began to strip himself of his shirt. "This girl - she looked like an angel - just fell into my arms when I pulled the door open. We didn't even speak ten words to each other..." He paused as he remembered their all-too-brief conversation. "Well, a little bit more than ten words, I guess." He shook his head. "I don't know what it was about her, she just... knocked me for a loop."

"Sometimes all it takes is just a few words," Jeff said, a smile of reminiscence lighting up his face.

"Thinking about Beth?" Shannon asked.

"Yeah," Jeff replied, nodding once. "I think I knew the first time I saw her at that party. You know the one? After me and Matt won the tag team championship for the first time.

"I remember that," Matt said, finally speaking. He was a bit jaded as far as relationships went - but then who could blame him after what Amy Dumas had done to him - but he loved Beth like a sister and she was good for Jeff. They loved each other and made each other happy, which was all that really mattered to him. Though it was too early to tell just yet, if Shannon had found the same thing for himself with this mystery woman, then Matt would be happy for him as well. "You sorta knew right away, but Beth wasn't as sure. She was a little intimidated by your personality until she got to know you better."

Jeff laughed. "Yeah, she told me that eventually. She said that my 'uniqueness' scared her until she got used to my 'off-the-wall approach to life'," he said, adding air quotes to the words that had come directly from Beth.

All three of them chuckled.

"How is she holding up?" Shannon asked. He hadn't really had any contact with her for close to two weeks now and he was curious to hear how she was doing.

"She's settled in alright. It's great having her living with me even though the way it happened isn't how I imagined it. I just wish she'd let me help her with her tuition. she's determined to do it on her own and she even started a second part-time job. I know she wants to prove she can still be independent but she's going to exhaust herself at the rate she's going."

"She'll have to figure out that she needs help before she'll accept it," Matt said wisely. But then he was usually the brains of their group.

Matt had already finished changing and was now putting his hair up in a ponytail. "When she's ready, you'll be there for her."

Jeff nodded. "Hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later. I hate to see her pushing herself so hard when she doesn't have to."

Jeff and Shannon quickly finished getting ready. After Jeff put his bag inside a vacant locker, he turned to face the other two men. "Y'all know I'd never hit a woman," he said, his Southern accent stronger for the deep emotions he was feeling for his woman, "but I'd love to have five minutes alone with the one that did what she did to Beth."

Matt and Shannon made noises of assent, indicating that they felt the same way.

Several hours later - long after the guys had finished their workout and shared an early supper at a local diner before going their separate ways - Shannon was at the grocery store in Whispering Pines picking up the things he needed for a taco salad. He already had most of what he needed at home, he was just here for the few things that weren't stored in his cupboards or refrigerator.

The place was pretty empty at this time of day, Shannon noted when he walked inside. Probably at home eating, he thought. He paused by the short line of cash registers on his way in, smiling and waving to the girl working the second register. He thought her name was Marie or Margret but he wasn't sure if either was correct, or if her name even began with an 'M'. She blushed and returned his wave, then ducked her head. She was shy and Shannon knew she had a crush on him so he tried to be nice to her whenever he happened to see her working. Perhaps he shouldn't encourage her infatuation but he didn't see the harm in it. Besides it being something of an ego boost - he knew he was attractive but it was still nice to have it affirmed - he never saw her outside of the grocery store.

Shannon didn't bother grabbing a basket - for the amount of items he was here for he didn't see the point - and headed for the junk food isle. As he rounded the corner he stopped dead and felt his heart plunge straight to his feet.

Less than half way down the isle, trying to reach something on the top shelf, was the very same woman that had fallen into his arms at the gym earlier. Really, what were the odds that he'd run into her twice on the same day in two locations that were miles apart?

She still looked like an angel, albeit one dressed in blue jeans an a baby pink short-sleeved t-shirt. If there was some kind of logo on the front of that t-shirt, he couldn't see a hint of one from this vantage point. Her blond hair - which in his mind he still referred to as golden - had been put into a ponytail that had been tied at the back of her head.

The woman's right hand fumbled around the edge of the top shelf, searching for something as she quietly cursed to herself. If Shanon had to hazard a guess, he would say she was insulting the intelligence of the person who had stacked the item in question so high up.

Shannon snapped out of his daze when he realized the precariousness of the position the woman was in. Her feet were balanced dangerously on the edge of the second shelf from the bottom, one hand gripped at the edge of the shelf that was currently chest-high, while her other hand fished around for something he couldn't make out from where he was standing. It wouldn't take much for her to fall, he knew. He couldn't allow her to be hurt if there was something he could do to stop it from happening.

Slowly he moved to the other side of the isle and began walking down. He didn't hurry because he didn't want to risk attracting her attention until he was close enough to catch her should she fall.

Cynthia, meanwhile, was unaware she was basically being stalked. She had a single purpose in mind - to get the sole bottle of Pepsi Blue from the top shelf in this isle. The pop itself was a brand that had been discontinued some months prior, but not until after she'd gotten hooked on the flavor. She didn't even know why she liked it so much; it tasted nothing even remotely like regular Pepsi and more like carbonated blue Kool-aid. When she'd tried to grab the bottle the first time, she'd accidentally knocked it over. She hadn't wanted to bother any of the employees which was why she'd been trying to retrieve it herself when Shannon discovered her.

Cursing softly, she raised one foot up to the next shelf and pushed up on it. Feeling her fingers close around the bottle, she let out a small sound of triumph. No longer solely focused on her goal, she finally realized that she wasn't alone in the isle. She caught a glimpse of Shannon out of the corner of her eye.

Shannon saw Cynthia's head turn toward him and that was when it happened - her hand slipped off the shelf and she yelped as she began to fall backward. Her eyes snapped shut and her body instantly tensed up in anticipation of an impact with the hard floor.

Shannon saw her start to fall and rushed the last few steps to catch her. Grunting softly as he caught her, Shannon's arms found purchase at her back and behind her knees. Not that she really weighed that much - he was certain she'd weigh in at under 120 pounds - but the drop into his hands had caused his arms to drop with her weight and he'd had to use his strength to pull her up so that she didn't land on the floor.

Cynthia was surprised when she didn't hit the floor. Even though she'd realized a moment before she'd fallen that there was someone - a man - in the isle with her, it hadn't occurred to her in the second that she'd had to think that he might try to catch her. Her heart raced in her chest and her eyes remained tightly shut. Though she'd been caught, part of her still expected to hit the floor.

A long moment passed as Shannon held Cynthia in his arms, both of them recovering from the shock of what had just happened.

"Hey," Shannon said quietly, giving Cynthia a tiny bounce with his arms. "You okay?"

Cynthia responded to the gentle masculine voice, trying not to focus on how it sent tingles down her spine. "Yeah. Yes." She took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Thank you for catching me." As she opened her eyes and tipped her head back slightly, she had to stifle a gasp of surprise as she looked into the face of the very same man whose arms she'd fallen into at the gym earlier that day. A small giggle escaped her throat. "You know, the phrase, 'We have to stop meeting like this,' springs to mind."

Shannon was immediately enchanted by her giggle. "I don't know," he said with a hint of a shrug - the best he could manage while holding her in his arms. "I can think of worse ways to meet someone than catching a beautiful woman in my arms."

Cynthia could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she blushed. She blinked and demurely lowered her gaze.

Shannon carefully set Cynthia on her feet and reluctantly let his arms drop to his sides. "I hope I didn't embarrass you?" he asked earnestly.

"No," she admitted with a little negative shake of her head. "I... I liked it." And that wasn't all she liked, either. She found the man standing before her to be very attractive. Usually guys that looked like him were something to be avoided at all costs but him... Well, she didn't get the urge to run in the opposite direction. Instead, she felt drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a flame.

Staring at his face, she didn't realize when he moved one of his hands to cup the one of hers that still held the bottle of Pepsi Blue.

"So this is what you were after," Shannon said, speaking it as though he'd just solved a mystery.

"Yes," Cynthia said, even though Shannon's words didn't really warrant a reply. Anything to give him an excuse to keep talking. He had such a sexy voice. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Nah," Shannon said with a negative shake of his head. "I'm more of a Coke drinker myself." He winked at her, secretly delighted when she smiled and even laughed a little at his behavior. He actually did prefer Coke to Pepsi, though that wasn't really the point.

"So have you been living around here long?" Shannon asked, figuring it might be easier to get the woman's name and phone number - and hopefully a date as well - if he got to know her a little first.

"Several months now. I like the slower pace of living here as compared to living in a big, noisy city. How about you?"

"Not quite two years," Shannon replied. Because she seemed genuinely interested, he decided to explain further. "I've lived in the area, though all my life. Born and raised in Cameron."

"Is that far from here?" Cynthia asked as she moved toward her shopping cart to deposit the precious bottle of Pepsi Blue in the upper basket next to her purse.

"Not really. Vass is about mid-way between here and there."

They traded delightful banter back and forth for the next several minutes before he worked around to asking her what her name was.

"C.J. Coleridge."

"C.J.? That stand for anything?" Shannon asked, curios as to why she would introduce herself using initials.

"Yes," she said, making a face. The way she scrunched up her nose as she did so was something that Shannon found to be quite cute. "Cynthia Jasmine," she said after a moment, rolling her eyes as she made the admittance.

Shannon shifted his stance. The name 'Cynthia' had stuck a chord in him though he couldn't quite remember why. "That sounds beautiful," he told her. Just like you, he thought directly after his spoken words.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I just never really liked it much growing up. It was too... Well, its a bit hard to say. I guess the best way to put it would be that people were more willing to take someone named C.J. seriously than Cynthia Jasmine. I became so used to it when I was younger that I just prefer it now."

"Well then, C.J. Coleridge - whom I hope is single -" he added with a comic wriggling of his eyebrows, "I'm Shannon Moore and I'd love to take you out tomorrow. If you're available?" He held his hand out toward her and she slipped her dainty hand into his larger one. They shook briefly but continued to hold hands as she spoke.

"Well, Shannon Moore," she replied, her tone slightly joking to match his. "I'm not presently dating anyone and I'd love to go on a date with you. Unfortunately I'm not available tomorrow as I'll be swamped with work, but what about two days from now? In the evening?" She tiled her head enquiringly to one side.

"Great," Shannon said, nodding once. He was going to have to bail on the guys but it would be worth it, he was certain. He didn't want to risk this girl getting away. "You got a cell phone?"

Cynthia nodded and slipped her hand from his before reaching into the pocket of her jeans to retrieve her cell phone, which she handed to Shannon as he held his hand out for it. He flipped open the pink cover and proceeded to program his number into her address book. Once he was done, he handed her back her phone and then his, so that she could do the same for him.