Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned the WWE, this fic would become a reality. So no, I still don't own.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Standing outside his brother's locker room, Kane once again suppressed the voices in his head to keep them from taking over. Most of his inner demons still despised the Undertaker, convinced that the late Paul Bearer's lies were in fact the truth, but Kane knew his half-brother was the only one who could help him. He needed Taker to help him stay in control, and failing that, to protect Ashley. His darker side wanted the young Diva, and loathe as he was to admit it, Kane wanted her too. But more than that, he cared for her and felt he needed to protect her from himself. He knew that if he ever lost control he'd go after Ashley, and Undertaker was the only one who could protect her.

Kane, why are you going to the Undertaker? You know he will not help you, and even if he did, he could not stop us. Ashley belongs to us, Kane, whether you want to accept it or not, the voice growled inside his head.

Ashley doesn't belong to me, or anyone else for that matter. And I'll be damned before I let you harm even one hair on her head! he growled back. Filled with a new resolve, Kane walked into the locker room. He found the Deadman in the back shadowboxing in preparation for his match against King Booker.

"Undertaker, we need to talk," Kane said. There was no reaction from the Phenom; he was too focused on his upcoming match.

The voice laughed. See? I told you he doesn't care. Now let's get out of here and find Ashley! Images of what he subconsciously wanted to do to her flooded his mind, and Kane held back a moan of pleasure. Forcing the images back, he tried again.

"Taker, I seriously need to talk to you. This is important." But once again, Taker ignored him. Once the Deadman set his mind on something, practically nothing could break him out of his thoughts. Kane knew what he had to do.

Swallowing his pride and resisting the voice's commands to kill Taker on the spot, Kane said in a hushed and pained voice, "Mark, I really need your help."

Undertaker froze mid-punch and turned to his little brother, a look of shock on his normally stoic face. Kane, his sick, twisted, and maniacal baby brother, the brother who had hated him for years, was asking for his help? Sure, their relationship was much better off than it had been a few years ago, but they were both too stubborn to ask each other for help. This must be really serious, he thought, giving his full attention to Kane.

Though neither would admit it openly, the Brothers of Destruction loved each other deeply. Taker had proven he cared for Kane by refusing to fight him when he first came to the WWE and by helping him control his demons in his later years. Kane, meanwhile had proven his family loyalty by protecting Sara when she was being stalked by DDP and teaming up with him to shut up MVP and Mr. Kennedy.

"Mark, You know that my past relationships with women, especially the Divas, have been less than pleasant. Every Diva I've ever been associated with has hurt me: Chyna, Tori, Terri, Lita, hell the only one who didn't hurt me was Sara." Kane had to smile at the thought of his sister-in-law. She was one of the few people that ever saw his softer side. He'd come to care for her as his own sister, even going so far as to threaten to kill Mark if he ever made her unhappy. Taker smiled too. They'd had some good times together. Kane shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued, "I don't know how much you keep up with the talk around the locker room, but in case you didn't know, Ashley Massaro and I have forged a friendship."

"Massaro? The Playboy cover-girl? From what I've heard of her, she's nothing but a slut who's trying to be Lita. What would you want with her?"

Kane saw red, and when he gained control a moment later, he found himself pinning Taker to the wall by his throat. Enraged, he growled, "How dare you say that? Ashley is nothing like Lita, and you don't even know her!"

That's it Kane, kill him! Don't let him speak ill of what's ours! Kill him!

Undertaker, though surprised at his brother's sudden vicious and protective nature, kept his composure and shoved him off. Dusting himself off, he said calmly, "I never claimed to know her, Kane, I am simply repeating what I've heard. Before now, I've never really cared, but apparently you do. However, given your history, I would have thought you'd avoid any relationships."

Why aren't you tearing him to shreds, Kane? He insulted Ashley, and will stab you in the back the moment he gets a chance! You should take the initiative and kill him! The voice once again tried to take control, but Kane forced it back.

He sat on a nearby bench dejectedly. "I know, I'm sorry I snapped. And believe me, I've tried to avoid it, but ever since I met Ashley, it's like I can't get enough of her. She makes me feel things, Taker, like joy and hope. Whenever I'm around her, I feel like I'm worth something, like I'm more than just a monster. I think I'm falling for her, Mark, and no matter how much I try to stop, I can't."

Undertaker rubbed his temples. "So, you came to talk to me about your love-life?" he said, annoyed.

Kane put his head in his hands and sighed. "I wish that was all I had to talk about. Taker, May 19 is only a few months away, and the voice in my head is back. It wants Ashley, and while I want her too, I can't risk hurting her." He looked up at his brother, silently begging him for help.

Sighing, the Undertaker sat down next to Kane. This was a serious problem, one he wasn't sure he could do anything about. "So what do you expect me to do? I can't suppress your demons as effectively as I used to. I hate to admit it, but you've simply gotten too strong." Kane gave a smirk at the Deadman's reluctant compliment.

After a minute, Kane said, "I know you can't quell my demons, Mark. That's something I have to deal with myself. All I'm asking is for you to protect Ashley should I lose control. She's the first real friend I've had in almost a year, and I can't risk losing her. I…I love her." Kane whispered the last part, hardly believing he was openly admitting it. Hesitantly, Undertaker placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, Kane, I'll protect her. If you truly love her, then I suppose I have no choice but to keep her safe." The Deadman gave him a rare grin. "Besides, if she comes to feel for you the same way, I might just get that nephew I wanted. I could hardly bear it when your first son was killed."

Kane looked at him questioningly. "If you were so upset about my first child, then why didn't you ever show up to help me deal with Snitsky?" he growled accusingly.

"In case you've forgotten, little brother, you and I weren't exactly on the best terms then. I figured it was best if I kept my distance."

Nodding, Kane stood and headed to the door. "Good luck in your match tonight. If you'll excuse me, though, I have a message to send to the Great Khali." He turned to Taker. "And Mark? Thank you."

Undertaker gave another small smile. "Anything for you, little brother. Just be careful."

Nodding again, Kane left, and the Deadman went back to shadowboxing, this time with something other than his match on his mind. He would protect Ashley, but he would also make sure she knew who she was dealing with. He wouldn't let her break Kane's heart like all the other Divas had. She had to learn exactly what she was getting herself into.

And for Kane's sake, the Undertaker was more than willing to teach her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Ashley was busy getting ready for her mixed tag match. She was finally getting the chance to beat the shit out of Melina. However, Kane's earlier behavior still lingered in her mind. She had never seen Kane so angry and (dare she say it?) afraid. She had looked for him for hours, searching both the arena and the hotel, but she came up with nothing. It was almost as if he had disappeared into thin air.

Kane'll show up sooner or later. I just hope he's all right, she thought to herself. She looked over to Brian and Paul. "Hey guys, you ready to kick MNM's candy asses?" she joked.

Brian laughed and gave her a toothy grin. "It's a good thing the Rock isn't here, Ash. He hates it when people use his catchphrases."

"Yeah, but anyone who would name their team after a piece of candy deserve to get their asses beat. We're gonna eat them alive!"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Ashley, please, no more jokes," Paul sighed. Ashley's smile faltered for a moment, but returned when he continued, "Now let's make this match quick. I don't want to risk getting diabetes!" Laughing, the trio made their way to the ring, Ashley's worries temporarily forgotten.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the match, the three were met by an irate Matt.

"Ash, have you heard what the locker room has been saying about you? Everybody thinks you're sleeping with Kane! Johnny Nitro event went so far as to call you a "Monster Fucker" and Jillian Hall said you two were "a match made in hell!" Can you believe this shit?" He continued ranting as they made their way to catering, but Ashley stopped in her tracks as she passed a TV. She could scarcely believe what she was seeing.

Kane was in the ring, beating the crap out of Khali's old manager Daivari with his hook and chain. It was a horrific sight, and as Kane began to drag him backstage, Ashley actually began to feel sorry for the Arabian.

Behind her, Matt whispered to Paul and Brian, "THAT'S why I didn't want Ashley working with Kane; if he gets pissed off, imagine what he'd do to her!"

Ashley caught his whispered statement, but though she wanted to hit him out of loyalty to Kane, she held back. Instead she took off down the hall, the guys calling after her. She didn't care, though; all she wanted was to stop Kane. She didn't like Daivari, but she didn't want Kane to get in trouble by killing him.

What she didn't realize as she sprinted down the halls of the arena were the two sets of eyes watching her.

"So what do you plan on doing to her?" Kristal cackled.

"Destroy her," Gregory Helms responded coldly. "And there's nothing she or that psychotic boyfriend of hers can do about it. No one dumps me, and I'm going to make her wish she was never even born!"

The duo laughed, already making plans for what they would do to the beautiful Diva.

To Be Continued…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Here it is, Chapter 6! I hope you people appreciate it, 'cause I worked my ass off writing this one! Yay, I finally got to put in Taker! (hugs him) And don't worry, he'll be a lot more involved in the following chapters. Man, I did not intend for Taker to start plotting, but you know, it kind of fits. I hope I didn't make Taker too OOC, I just wanted to show a softer side to him, at least when it came to his brother. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, but don't hold your breath. Curse you teachers that like to give us projects so near vacation week! Oh, well. Send me lots of review, for they are what encourage me to write faster. Even if it's just a short one, I'd still appreciate it and respond to you! Keep on Rollin'!