10

Money in the Bank

Kane paced the empty locker room before the Money in the Bank ladder match breathing hard, his fists clenching and unclenching rhythmically. Those who stepped in the locker room took one look at him and wisely stepped back out. News spread like wildfire among the wrestlers and arena staff to steer clear of Kane for he had murder in his eyes tonight.

All of the strange, conflicting emotions of the last few weeks had built into one that was very familiar to him, rage. Rage at A.J., rage at C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan, rage at himself for what he did not have, nor ever could be.

What folly had led him to believe he could be loved?

He was a monster. He wore a mask. He thrived off the pain and suffering of others.

How could he love anyone? How could anyone love him?

It would never change.

He would lay waste to the arena. He could not make her love him but he could make her feel the same pain and despair he did when he took the one she loved. Whether Punk or Bryan, whoever she chose, he would bathe in their blood tonight.

He was a soulless monster meant to be feared, not loved and he would prove it.

The wrestling fans in attendance that night would later describe the event as one of the most memorable and brutal nights in all of wrestling's modern age. News sources the next morning would say that so much blood had been shed the first three rows should have been designated as a 'splash zone'. Generations later, the children currently in the audience, telling the tale to their grandchildren, would pin point this night as the night they became utterly sure that professional wrestling was 100% real. This was the night they saw the Kane as he was meant to be.

Never before had the Money in the Bank Ladder match for the WWE Championship contract been so anticipated, nor so one-sided. The carnage was legendary as Kane plowed through the other competitors like a demon possessed. He sent both John Cena and Chris Jericho bloody and battered from the arena in ambulances. Big Show survived partly because of his great size, he was practically the only wrestler in the WWE bigger than Kane, and partly because Kane knocked him unconscious within the first 30 seconds, rendering him pretty much out of the match and out of mind.

Seven minutes and forty-nine seconds into the match, Kane climbed the ladder and claimed the Money in the Bank contract. He leaped down and without even waiting for the referee to announce his win he took the briefcase and stalked backstage.

The medics heading to the ring to tend to Cena and Jericho scrambled to clear out of his path. Stagehands and production crew were warned to get out of sight. Kane was like a shark who had tasted blood and gone into a frenzy.

He walked backstage, knocking over everything that got in his way. The match had done little to quell his bloodlust, in fact had only served to inflame it. He needed something to destroy. He should burn the entire building, raze it to the ground with everything and everyone inside. And even that didn't seem like it would be enough.

His nostrils flared.

He smelled her before he saw her. Her perfume, the scent of her hair.

A.J.

She stood silhouetted in the door of the women's locker room, the light behind her illuminating her like a fallen angel. She was dressed in the black and white shirt of a referee and he couldn't help but to gaze at her, drinking in the sight of her like a parched man drinks wine. He felt his anger ebb, dissolve into an unbearable ache. He wanted to rip out his own heart to stop whatever this was he was feeling. Maybe he should just kidnap her, take her, hide her away from the world. Better to have her hate him than never have her at all.

She didn't speak but the expression on her face as she watched him made him stop. He read in her face all the turmoil he felt in his heart, the emotion as pure and naked on her as it felt sordid and wrong on him.

She looked at him steadily, and then her gaze dropped down to his bloody hands and the Money in the Bank briefcase he was holding. She studied it for a long moment before she looked up at him again…

…and slowly smiled.

The WWE championship match had to be delayed by an hour to allow time for medical personnel to tend to Big Show, stretcher Cena and Jericho away to the waiting ambulances and to have the blood scrubbed off of the ring. By the time the match started, Kane had disappeared, no one was brave or foolish enough to see where he had gone.

A.J. in her referee garb skipped out to the ring, waving cheerily at the audience.

As the challenger, Bryan was introduced first. He came hopping down the ramp, YES!-ing his way to the ring. She really hoped he'd think of a new catchphrase, and soon. He slid into the ring, reached into his jacket and pulled out a rose which he presented to her. She smiled, took it and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked pleased.

The Champion was introduced next and it seemed that C.M. Punk was out and down the ramp even before his music started. He got into the ring grimly, purposefully and only sought to meet her eyes briefly before taking the belt off and holding it up for everyone to see.

As the bell rang Bryan wasted no time in dropping Punk with a shoulder block. Punk countered with an arm drag and threw Bryan into the corner. The crowd "WHHOOO'd" as Punk hit Bryan with a series of savage chops to the chest, then lifted him up into a suplex that sent him crashing to the mat.

A.J. slid to the canvas, checking to see if Bryan's shoulders were touching the mat before counting

1!-2!

Bryan kicked out and A.J. held up two fingers, confirming the pin hadn't been made.

Punk Irish Whipped Bryan into the ropes and then ran over him with a clothesline. He waited for Bryan to stagger to his feet before hitting him with a brutal looking neckbreaker.

1!-2!

Bryan kicked out of the pin.

A.J. seemed to be taking her role as special guest referee very seriously, adhering to her promise to call it straight down the middle. She kept a close eye on the fighters, and counted near falls with confident precision.

Then Punk made a crucial mistake as he attempted a bulldog, only to have Bryan counter by slipping under his arm and shoving him into the ropes. Punk stumbled to his knees and Bryan hit him like a ton of bricks, beating him down with hard, soccer style kicks to the chest. He finished with a kick square to Punk's head that sent him crashing to the mat. Bryan fell on his back, bent back one arm and cinched the yes lock on him.

Punk flailed his free arm trying desperately to reach a ring rope but Bryan had the foresight to apply the hold in the middle of the ring.

Punk's teeth were gritted in a rictus of pain as A.J. knelt beside him.

"Do you give up?" she yelled.

"NO!" Punk shouted, his face twisted in agony.

"Call it! Call it or I'll break his neck!" Bryan screamed at her

Her eyes darted from Punk to Bryan. Which one? Which one?

Bryan tightened the hold even more, pulling Punk's head back at an almost impossible angle.

"ARRRGGGG!" Punk groaned. His face was turning purple.

"Call it!" Bryan roared.

"NOOOOOO!" Punk bellowed back.

A.J. looked from Punk to Bryan. Who was she going to choose? Who would going to win this match?

She looked at Punk's tortured face. She looked at Bryan who honestly looked like he was doing his best to twist Punk's head off of his neck. The call was hers. She had the power to decide their fate.

She made her decision.

She jumped to her feet and signaled the time keeper to ring the bell.

It was over, Bryan had won.

Daniel Bryan jumped up in victory and grabbed the belt, holding it over his head. The crowd jeered with catcalls and boos as as Punk rolled to his feet looking at her in shock.

"Why did you do that? I didn't tap out." he said angrily. "I didn't tap out!"

She gave him a little smile and shrugged. "Sorry, "she said, "I just didn't think you deserved to win this match."

"Why?" Punk demanded "Why did you do this? Because you're mad at me? Because you think he wants to marry you?"

She laughed, "Maybe. Maybe I just, didn't want you to be the WWE Champion anymore."

"YES! YES! YES!" Bryan shouted, hopping around like a jackass.

A.J. grinned as she joined him, "YES! YES! YES!" she shouted in Punk's face.

Punk shook his head. "I feel sorry for you, "he told her in disgust. "You really are off the deep end. I hope you have a nice life A.J."

She followed him to the apron as he got out of the ring. "YES! YES! YES!" she yelled at his retreating back. He flipped her off without even turning to look back at her.

Bryan stopped jumping and shouting and looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"YES! YES! YE-"She slowly realized he had stopped yes-ing and tapered off to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Bryan looked at her, "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

She looked at him in surprise," I thought we were celebrating. Now that you're the WWE Champion, we can get married like you wanted!"

Bryan snorted laughter "What? You really think I'm going to marry you?"

Her face crumpled. She looked like she was near tears.

"Daniel!" she protested. "You told me you still loved me! You said you wanted to marry me!"

"A.J. You are so pathetic." he said. "Why would I want to marry you? You're not good enough for me. I am the WWE Champion. You are nothing but a crazy little slut. "

Her mouth dropped open in shocked outrage. Furious, she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

The unexpected slap sent him reeling, his cheek bright red from where she'd struck him.

"You bitch!" he shouted and angrily shoved her across the ring, sending her flying into the ring post.

She hit hard and fell on her butt.

Suddenly, the lights dropped, red fire exploded as Kane's music hit. Bryan whirled around wildly, looking up the ramp for the Big Red Monster. He looked terrified and after the Money in the Bank ladder match, rightfully so.

The lights came back up. The ramp was empty. Kane was nowhere to be seen.

Bryan looked over at AJ. She was still in the corner where he'd shoved her but she pulled herself up to her knees.

She was smiling, no, grinning at him. She gave him an little wave and mouthed a word.

Goodbye.

Oh… shit.

Bryan slowly turned around. Kane, all seven feet of fire and brimstone fueled fury, was standing right behind him.

He dropped the money in the bank briefcase at Bryan's feet and came down upon him like an avenging demon.

Bryan never even knew what hit him.

He suddenly found himself hoisted about 8 feet in the air by the throat before the canvas rushed up and slammed him into semi consciousness. Before he could even pass out he was yanked flailing off the mat. The world spun upside down, he caught a brief, inverted glimpse of A.J.'s smug expression, then his head slammed into the canvas and everything went black.

Kane dropped Bryan's limp body to the mat like a slab of meat. The tombstone pile driver had knocked him out cold.

He covered him with a contemptuous boot on the chest and A.J. scrambled to make the count.

1-2-3!

Kane had won the WWE Championship.

Kane picked up the belt, looked at it and then raised it over his head as his ring pyro exploded around him. He turned to A.J. and held out his hand.

Time slowed down, dreamlike, as she rose to her feet. The arena, the crowd, it all became a blur as she reached out and laced her fingers through his. Their eyes locked on each other, all the unspoken words between them conveyed in one single look.

The title belt dropped to the mat with a thump, forgotten as he pulled her to him. Her arms slid around his neck, her hands into his hair, oh at last! She could feel the straps of his mask under her fingers as she pulled his head down to her. And then his mouth was on hers and she was kissing him and he was kissing her back with an urgency that was both desperate and yearning. He kissed her until she felt dizzy, breathless and faint, clutching at him as the only solid thing in her existence.

He finally broke the kiss and laid his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as they held each other tightly.

And for that one moment in time there was nothing but the two of them left in the world….

(Stay tuned folks, 'cause it ain't over yet!)