CHAPTER 21

"Have a minute?"

Raine was standing with her back to the door, rifling through her black duffel bag that rested on the table in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, nodding before turning back to the bag.

Rolling his eyes, Shawn reached out to tap her shoulder.

"Dad…" She groaned, turning. "I'm trying to-" She blinked; staring at the tee shirt he was holding out. "Um, it's a DX shirt." She said slowly, obviously wondering if he had gone mental.

"I know, I want you to wear it tonight."

"What for?"

Shaking his head, Shawn grinned. "Just wear it. After all, this is nice." He gestured to the top she was wearing. "But… it's not really you know, appropriate."

Raine arched an eyebrow, looking down at herself. "Are you kidding me?"

"For a degenerate." He corrected.

After a moment, she was returning his devious grin.

***

"That had to be the shittiest segment ever." Raine muttered after cut was called, taking the tee shirt and pulled it over her tank top.

"Considering the writers are working on such short notice… be nice." Shawn said, patting her shoulder and glanced at the clock. "Tonight, we're going to be facing the Hardy brothers. Well, you and Paul, I'll just be there."

"Wait, we're facin' them?" She halted in pulling her hair back.

"Yeah."

"Those cock-"

"Watch your mouth, Raine."

Raine nodded, waiting until Shawn had turned before finishing uttering the rest of the curse in silence.

***

"Rai, honestly, it wasn't a joke." Matt said, holding his jaw. He groaned and ducked the next punch; wrapping both arms around her waist and delivered a belly to belly suplex. Not his usual wrestling style but as she was out for his blood; he had to put her down somehow. "We were serious." He managed to whisper in her ear. "Well, I was. Jeff's more interested in company, he's got a girlfriend."

Raine was going to murder them both for being assholes.

Paul watched from the apron as Raine's face went beet red, knowing she was about to do something completely stupid and wondered just what Matt was saying to piss her off. Their first night as the 'new' Degeneration X and she was going to murder someone. Sometimes, he seriously questioned Shawn's methods of raising girls.

Shawn was curious himself what the hell was going on in there. Raine had gone for punches, not normal. She normally preferred her new aerial attacks. Of course on Matt and Jeff Hardy, that might not have been the best way to go but still…

He felt relief coursing through him when Raine countered Matt's next move with a swinging neck breaker before diving towards Paul. Of course Paul wasn't having any of Matt's bullshit and automatically started breaking the kid down.

Raine rested against the turnbuckle, wiping sweat off her brow as she surveyed the match. Technically, DX was 'heel', always had been. So... she knew Jeff wouldn't get involved in this unless she or Shawn did first.

As if answering her prayers, Shawn reached out and grabbed Matt by the ankle; tripping him. When the referee turned to admonish him, he threw up his hands with an innocent expression on his face. "Didn't touch him." He winked at Raine.

Right on the money, she thought; watching with narrowed eyes as Jeff mounted the opposite turnbuckle. She quickly mimicked him.

Jeff stared at her from across the ring, almost grinning. She was fairly crazy, he admired that.

Paul and Matt both looked up from their respective places on the canvas –they had clotheslined each other-, both of them groaning when they seen what was happening.

Shawn was fighting every instinct to stop her, or chew on his fingers. He had to force himself to keep his eyes open, knowing whatever they were about to do was going to be bad. Entertaining for the fans no doubt, but bad for their bodies.

Sure enough…

"Shit!"

"Fuck!"

"Damn!"

The ref watched with an open mouth as Raine and Jeff both launched themselves from their posts, each flying towards the other. They collided mid air, their bodies crashing sideways into each other and dropped.

He automatically ended the match.

Matt slid to Jeff while Paul and Shawn gathered around Raine.

"Kid, open your damn eyes." Paul ordered gruffly, glancing at Shawn who was preparing to wave down medics. When Shawn didn't say it, he did. "Suck it up."

"That's HIS line." She groaned, not opening her eyes; curling her arms around her torso. "I hoped that looked good cause it hurt like hell."

"No shit…" Shawn sighed, relief in his every pore, contradicting his words. "You are in so much trouble, missy."

"Aw hell, pops…"

***

"You two are both FINED."

Jeff and Raine both looked up in shock, staring at Stephanie like she was crazy. Vince and Shane were right behind her, Shane looking worried as he took in Raine; visually reassuring himself that she wasn't dead or something. Vince looked like Christmas had come early.

"That was BEAUTIFUL." He breathed, waving a hand dismissively at Stephanie's sputtering of 'immature, foolhardy and reckless'. "No fine, that was GREAT."

"Ain't happenin' again." Raine said instantly, nudging Shawn's hand off her shoulder; staring at her boss darkly.

"Why'd we do it?" Jeff groaned, one hand on his stomach; the other wrapped around Matt's neck. "Oh yeah…"

She smirked.

Vince scowled.

***

"Ouch…" Raine hissed, glad Shawn wasn't around to hear that, he was apparently getting older or something because he spent a lot of time worrying about her lately. She leaned into Paul, grunting when he all but lifted her off her feet. "Careful man! I'm bruised!"

"Shut up." Paul growled, taking her keycard and unlocked her door, setting her down once they were in the room. "Take off the shirt."

"HUH?"

"You didn't let Alex look, so take off the shirt." Paul repeated, folding his arms over his massive chest; arching an eyebrow when she just continued staring at him like he was daft. "Raine, I don't have all night."

Muttering under her breath, she peeled off the shirt; hissing slightly. She sincerely hoped Jeff was in as much pain as she was.

Paul wasn't surprised by the bruises that marred her torso, gesturing for her to stand by the bed. He walked into the bathroom and returned a moment later with a roll of ace bandages.

"It's bruised, not broken."

He held out the other hand, holding a tube of topical pain reliever.

"Oops." Raine stood there, watching as he settled himself on the edge of her bed; trying not to squirm when she felt the coldness of the cream touch her skin.

"Cold?" Paul laughed, gently rubbing the cream over her bruised skin; shaking his head. "That was a real stupid move, Rai."

"I know."

"Then why'd you do it?"

She shrugged, not entirely sure anymore. "Just seemed like a good idea at the time, I reckon."

He smiled at the country drawl, knowing in time she'd probably lose it; just as Shawn's had faded up until he had started staying home more and more. Of course, that had been back when she was a kid and Shawn had had to take care of her.

"Honey, in this business, stunts like that will burn you out quicker than anything you see us 'bigger'…"

"Men." She supplied dryly.

"Doing." Paul finished; studying her stomach instead of looking up; knowing she was probably giving him one of her patented looks. "Don't go taking stupid risks out there just because you're letting some emotion get in the way." When she tensed, he did glance up; knowing something personal had happened in the ring tonight just by the expression on her face. "They were fucking with you, weren't they?"

"Sort of, but not really." She rolled her eyes. "They asked me out."

"They?"

"Yeah, at first. Then in the ring Matt said it was mostly for him."

"Jeff has a girlfriend."

"That's what Matt said."

Paul rolled his eyes. "They're morons. Jeff's going to wind up killing himself if he don't tone it down and Matt… he's just weird."

"Well gee, it's like I'm talkin' to Shawn." Raine teased, wincing when Paul stood up to wrap the bandage around her. "I can do this, you know."

"Yeah, but probably not as well as I can."

"Lots of practice?"

"Tons." He grinned.