Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I don't own the WWE, so don't blame me for the lack of Ashley/Kane storylines.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hey Ashley, what's up?"
The Dirty Diva jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She turned around to find Candice Michelle smiling brightly, happy to see her friend. Ashley wished she could share her enthusiasm. To be honest, however, ever since Kane had attacked her, she'd been on edge. The smallest things easily startled her, and she'd barely gotten any sleep the past two nights. But right now she was on Monday Night RAW. She'd have to deal with her situation with Kane later.
Ashley turned and forced a smile. "Oh, hey, didn't see ya there"
Candice's smile vanished and was replaced with a serious look. "Ash, are you ok? You seem uneasy."
What, is this girl psychic or something? "Really? What makes you say that?" she asked, adjusting her hat.
Candice gave her a scrutinizing look. "Well, for starters, that smile of yours is obviously forced, you didn't answer my question, you practically jumped to the ceiling when I came up behind you, and you're fiddling with your hat, which you never do unless you're worried about something."
"Wha- how did you- I mean…?" Ashley stammered, staring at her friend. Candice simply laughed.
"I've picked up a few trick when it comes to figuring out what's going through someone's head. After all, not everyone around here likes to show emotion, so you've got to pay attention to the little things. Now, what's the problem?"
"The problem is that someone is on the wrong show, and if I were her I'd get my Playboy ass out of here!"
The two Playboy covergirls turned to find Melina and Johnny Nitro standing behind them, a smug look on Women's Champion face as if she had said something clever.
"Say, Candice, do you smell something?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah, Ash, what do you think it is?"
"Well, if I had to guess, it's a mixture of roadkill sewn together into a hideous coat, cheap cologne so strong it could raise the dead and kill 'em all over again, and the stench of a poorly applied fake tan." The two laughed at the couple's enraged faces.
"Hey, you'd better watch what you say to us if you wanna make it to Wrestlemania," Nitro sneered.
"Really? 'Cause last time I checked, you losers couldn't wrestle your way out of a paper bag!" Candice said smugly. Ashley burst out laughing, while Melina held Nitro back.
"You're gonna pay for that comment. Both of you sluts will pay!" Melina shrieked.
"Bring it on, Bitch! I'll kick your ass right now!" Ashley snapped, ready to fight.
"Chill, Ash. Wait until Wrestlemania; then you can take her title to boot," Candice said calmly, holding Ashley's shoulder.
"You can try," Melina snapped, turning on her heel and walking away.
Ashley turned to Candice. "Do you seriously plan on letting her get away with this? She so deserves to get her ass kicked!"
"I know, but I have an idea on how to humiliate her later, if you're willing to wait till later tonight, when all the fans will be able to see it," Candice smirked deviously. Ashley's sour expression quickly turned sadistic.
"What did you have in mind?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
While the two divas began plotting what they would do to Melina, another devious plan for revenge was being made.
"I don't care what he does to her, just make sure she'll never be able to wrestle again!" a feminine voice growled.
"What's in it for us?" another voice, male, broke in.
"Well, considering who that little tramp is dating, I'd say there's plenty in it for you. After all, you do want revenge for what that freak did to you, don't you?" another male voice snapped.
The first male seemed to consider his reasoning. "Alright, we have a deal. My client will deal with Massaro, as it does benefit us." Daivari turned to go. "But remember, you owe us."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ashley stood in the ring laughing at Melina's embarrassment.
The plan the two divas had formed was simple: Candice would challenge Melina to a Bra and Panties match, and the two had agreed that is she lost, Ashley would come out and finish the job. The Woman's Champ had won, so Ashley had gladly come down and torn off the rest of the sluty Diva's clothes.
Unfortunately, before Ashley could really celebrate, the Great Khali's music hit, and she turned to find the Indian Giant making his way down the ramp.
What the fuck is he doing here? Ashley thought, but before she could get out of his way, a blow from behind forced her down to the mat. Melina had capitalized on Khali's distraction and was making the most out of it by beating Ashley senseless. When Khali started climbing into the ring, Melina finally stopped, rolling out of the ring and cackling madly. The behemoth finally got into the ring, and after yelling at the crowd in Hindi, turned to the still hurting Ashley.
Realizing that she was the sole recipient of Khali's glare, the blonde tried to crawl out of the ring, but all she managed to do was back herself into a corner. Khali grabbed her by the throat and forced her to her feet. Trembling and realizing there was no chance of escaping, she began praying that someone –anyone- would save her. Apparently, her prayer was heard, as the next thing she knew, Jerry "the King" Lawler was in the ring, kicking Khali behind the knee. The giant dropped her, and she took her opportunity to crawl out of the ring, hoping the King would be all right.
Running up the ramp, Ashley didn't turn around until was at the top, but the sight of Jerry Lawler's motionless body in the center of the ring and Khali climbing over the ropes apparently planning to finish what he had started with her sent her into a panic. She ran backstage with the Great Khali hot on her trail.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After five minutes of running, Ashley had started to feel tired, but the knowledge of what would happen to her if she slowed down kept her going. She was terrified, and Khali's heavy footfalls were getting closer every second. Nobody had dared to try and stop the giant, having seen what had happened to the King, so Ashley was left to deal with Khali on her own. She knew Khali was too much for her to handle, and as much as she hated to admit it, she needed someone to rescue her, as she was way too weak to do it herself.
Turning a corner, the blonde ran right into what felt like a stone wall covered in leather. Looking up, Ashley found herself staring not at a wall, but into the intense green eyes of the Undertaker. She was about to turn and run the other way, but just then, Khali finally caught up to her. The giant reached out to grab her, but the Deadman grabbed his wrist and looked him straight in the eye.
"Leave. And if you so much as consider touching the girl again, I promise you will not live to regret it," he growled. Khali seemed to understand the threat and began to retreat, sending a glare right at Ashley. He stopped glaring and even walked a little faster when he saw Taker put his large hands on Ashley's trembling shoulders protectively and glared right at him.
Ashley was still shaking when Khali had disappeared down the hall. Not only had she had the fright of her life by nearly being Chokeslamed in the ring, but now she was alone with a man who had practically traumatized her. The way she saw it, she had just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. After all, her last meeting with the Deadman had been less than pleasant, and despite how scared she was of Khali, given her past experience with Taker, at the moment she would have preferred him.
"Well, now that he's gone, the two of us can have that little chat I promised," Taker said lowly. Keeping one of his large hands on her shoulder to prevent her from trying to run away, he ushered her into an empty locker room. Closing the door behind them, he turned on only a single light, leaving most of the room in shadow. "Sit," he growled. Ashley quickly sat down on a bench, not wanting to ensue his wrath.
Chewing her lip, she whispered, "Thank you."
The Undertaker looked at her with mild surprise. "I said I would protect you, and I do not make promises lightly."
"I know, but I still wanted to thank you. After all, I'm sure I'm not one of your favorite people, but-"
Taker interrupted, "What is the nature of your relationship with Kane?"
Ashley was startled by the question, but after a moment, she answered, "I don't know, really. I mean, we started off as just friends, but it all changed Saturday night after we-"
"Kissed, I know. Kane told me that you initiated it. Is this true?"
Taker's accusatory tone was starting to piss her off. Standing up, she started to yell at the Phenom. "Look, I don't see what difference it makes! Yes, I initiated the kiss, but later on he kissed me! Twice! And you know what? He then practically attacked me! He completely lost control. In fact, I still have bruises from out last encounter! So if you're here to threaten me and tell me not to hurt your little brother, then maybe you should tell him not to hurt me first!" Ashley was crying by the end of her tirade, all of her pent up emotions and frustrations finally flowing out like a dam had broken inside her.
"Would you like to know why he attacked you?" the Undertaker said solemnly, seemingly unfazed by her comments. Ashley nodded mutely, her energy spent from her outburst. Sitting her back down on the bench, he asked, "After Kane attacked you, he seemed to snap out of it, and he ran off, didn't he?" Ashley nodded again. "When Kane ran away from you, he came to me and told me all about your relationship. He truly seems to care about you, and that's why I'm going to tell you this, a secret Kane and I have told only to a select few others. He tried to keep it from you for as long as he could, but finally it's grown to be too much, so he asked me to tell it to you."
Ashley stared at him in amazement. A secret? What on Earth would Kane be trying to hide from me? she thought. "What is it?"
"Kane is not like normal people; his brain is different from others. His mind is split into different parts, and those mentalities can control his actions. Essentially, they are the voices in his head."
"You mean like split personalities?" Ashley questioned, beginning to catch on.
"More like inner demons, really. His darkness and insanity are the most powerful of those demons, and together they have, in a way, taken on a life of their own. For a long time, Kane allowed this voice full control, but after the death of his son, he's suppressed it out of fear that it might harm other people he loves. Unfortunately, due to the extent of how long he'd allowed it free reign, this particular demon has become too strong for him to full contain, and he has the occasional relapse, where it can control some of his actions. Sometimes, it can even take control of his whole body."
Ashley's eyes widened. "You mean that when Kane attacked me, it was really the inner demon taking over?"
"Yes. Kane, for reasons I don't think I'll ever fully understand," Ashley gave him a glare, "cares deeply about you. However, he also desires you, and his demon wants you even more. He doesn't really want to hurt you, but his darkness feeds off of pain and suffering, and to an extent, he's learned to enjoy it too. This demon represents his most basic and carnal desires, mixed with his sadistic nature." The Undertaker looked at Ashley, his eyes boring into her. "Knowing all this, and having experienced what this demon of his can do, do you still love him?"
His lost question had caught the Dirty Diva off guard. Do I really love Kane? I mean, I've only really known him for a few weeks. Is it possible to fall in love that fast? She wondered. And even more importantly, with Kane being such a loose cannon right now, can I afford to love him? Is he worth jeopardizing my personal safety, and even my title shot at Wrestlemania? The answer suddenly hit her, and looking the Undertaker straight in the eye, she answered both his question, and her own, "Yes. I do love him, and I will help him get through this, even if I have to walk through the gates of Hell to do it!"
Taker gave her a small, almost invisible grin. I think I'm beginning to see why Kane's so enamored with her, he thought. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, Take said softly, "Omnia vincit amor."
Ashley looked at him, confused. "Huh?"
He chuckled a bit. "It's Latin."
Oh. Well, what's it mean?"
Taker smiled a little wider. "Love conquers all."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Woohoo, I finally finished this damn chapter! It took me forever to write this, and I'd better get lots of feedback for this! (Wearily shakes fist). Thanks for all the positive reviews, guys. I swear, by the time I make it to Wrestlemania 23, it'll be Wrestlemania 24, and that's if I'm lucky. So, what do you think will happen? And, more importantly, do you think I should change the rating to R, considering some of the language and content? I just don't want the people in charge to be breathing down my neck for putting up the wrong rating. I hope this chapter wasn't too short for you, and if it is, I hope you'll at least appreciate all of the work I put into it. Remember, reviews encourage me to work faster (as do updates by some of my fellow Kane/Ashley writers), so send me as many as you can. Keep on Rollin'!