CHAPTER 20

The next time Glenn made it back to Tennessee on a day off, he had a message from Cindy asking him to come see her. Wondering what was so damn urgent, he headed into the city. He wasn't surprised when Cindy came flying out of her house when his truck pulled up alongside the curb.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, noting the way she was wringing her hands together.

"Glenn, a man from one of those wrestling magazines snapped a picture of you and Briar together." She said softly. "That night you met her? When you two were sitting together at that table. He was in the diner yesterday, wanting to know who she was. I told him it was none of his business then he explained why he wanted to know."

"Oh fuck…" Glenn groaned, ignoring Cindy's admonishment to not curse. "She doesn't know who I am, Cindy!" This was bad, very very bad. Glenn began pacing the sidewalk, tugging on his hair nervously. What the hell was he going to do now? "Did you catch the guy's name?"

"No. He said to check out this month's magazine for the photo, mentioned digitally putting a mask on you." Cindy rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Glenn, she just rebuilt her life, she's still trying too I guess. Nobody in your company reads those rags do they?" It was a long shot and she knew it.

"Depends on which one it is." Glenn said slowly, knowing the chance of it not being spotted was slim. "She'll have to be told." He really didn't want Briar hating him but… she deserved to know her face was about to appear in a wrestling magazine. Wrestling. Oh yeah, she was going to hate him.

"Glenn, how do I explain to her that she was photographed and it might cause some problems for her?" Cindy clicked her tongue. "The bigger question is, will anyone come looking her up?"

"I don't know. Maybe she could stay with you for a bit?"

"Maybe, I don't see her stayin' for too long though. Maybe if I tell her I need some help what with Howard having his off days and all. That's bout all I can do without scaring her." Hopefully Briar would agree to it. Cindy knew the young woman valued her privacy, which was about to be blown out of the water.

That was obviously the best she could offer and it would have to do. "I'll call and let you know what's going on." He promised, kissing Cindy's forehead. "Thanks again, mom."

Cindy smiled wanly.

***

"Cindy, I've been here for over a week now, I really need to go home and make sure the rats haven't taken up residence in my bed." Briar laughed, gently tugging her bag out of Cindy's hand. "I promise, I'll come back. I just need to go home for a few days."

Cindy frowned.

Briar's grey eyes softened at the older woman's expression. "I know things are hard with Howard's health right now, I'll be back tomorrow, okay? I just need… a night."

"You call me as soon as you get home." Cindy ordered.

"I will, don't worry so much about me." Waving, Briar walked out of the house, hurrying before Cindy could change her mind.

Cindy moved to the door to watch Briar walk away, wishing the girl would accept a ride

***

Glenn had finally seen the picture, and the accompanying article. He was LIVID. He actually showed it to Vince, demanding Vince fix this mess. Thought that didn't help with the fact that pictures were cropping up on fansites all over the internet.

"This is Briar?" Vince demanded, staring at the picture with wide eyes. It was actually a good shot considering it had been taken through a glass window. She looked a bit ragged but that was an improvement over the last time he had glimpsed her.

He couldn't get over the blue, remembering a young woman in all black. "Glenn, I can fight this but when it comes right down to it, you are a celebrity. Your picture is going to be taken and there really isn't all that much to be done about it. We had this problem before when they snapped you without your mask, remember?"

"Vince…" Glenn groaned, frustrated because he knew Vince was right. "Do you realize how long it's taken that girl to rebuild what's left of her life after everything she went through in YOUR company?" He demanded, seeing his boss pale slightly. "I don't care how you do it, but fix it! Unless you WANT a scandal." He stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.

***

To his credit, Vince did try his best only to be rewarded the following week with another magazine being tossed at him. This one bore Briar on the cover with the heading 'Kane's Secret Love'. She was looking over her shoulder, grey eyes innocent, not aware she was being photographed.

"Look, I'm doing my best, does she know?" He asked, looking up from the cover only to realize it wasn't Glenn standing there and pushed away from his desk.

"What the fuck is THIS?" Mark growled, slamming a fist down on the magazine. "Vince, that's my DAUGHTER and she's being portrayed as Kane's new LOVE? Glenn KNEW about this and didn't tell me?!" He was absolutely livid and long past the point of caring what other's thought of him.

"Look, I'm trying to stop this. Briar doesn't know about any of this and that's the way it's staying!" Vince said, wiping the magazine off his desk, frustration on his face. "From my understanding she's done remarkably well in overcoming what happened to her. Leave this to me and forget about it, Mark. She's no longer your STEP-daughter, let it go."

"You better handle it, Vince. I don't need any more scandals at my expense." Mark snarled, tempted to strangle his boss but managed to restrain himself. He walked out of the room and damn near ran into Glenn.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened, the fire in Mark's green eyes was enough to tell Glenn the story. "What?" He sighed.

Mark hauled off and punched Glenn in the face, then tackled him for good measure.

***

The following week Glenn was sporting a black eye when he visited the diner. This shit with Mark was getting on his nerves.

Cindy started to greet him only to pale, opening her mouth.

Glenn shook his head, pressing a finger over his lips, spotting Briar chatting with a customer she was waiting on. "It's nothing." He said softly.

"THE HELL IT IS!" Cindy shouted, bustling over and forcing him down into a booth. "Bri, get the first aid kit."

"Cindy…" Glenn sighed, knowing he didn't have a say in this.

"What in the world happened?"

"Fight."

Briar came back with the first aid kid and sighed when Cindy asked her to take over commenting that her old hands were shaking too badly. "This really doesn't need anything besides time." She commented, leaning across the table to study Glenn's face, her grey eyes meeting his. "A fight?'

"Kane, can you comment about your upcoming Inferno match with the Undertaker?"

"That's the son of a bitch who keeps snapping pictures!" Cindy shrieked, smacking the guy with a dish towel.

Briar covered her face too late when a picture was snapped, frowning and shot to her feet. "Undertaker-" She looked down at Glenn.

"Briar!" Cindy chased after the young woman when she ran out the door, halting at the road as traffic whizzed by. She shook her head as Briar disappeared into her apartment building. "Cat's outta the bag now."

Glenn was busy destroying that damn camera, his anger at an all time high. He chased the man out of the diner, halting besides Cindy. "Damn it." He growled, wrapping an arm around her when she began to cry. "Look, just leave her be." He sighed, knowing that wasn't what Cindy wanted to hear. "She'll probably end up leaving now, so just prepare yourself." He felt terrible, this was his fault and now Briar was going to run because of him.

***

Briar hadn't run though, she couldn't. She didn't have enough money to relocate herself, not again. She was working for minimum wage now because that was all Cindy could afford and that barely paid her rent, let alone food and utilities, not to mention personal items.

She had called Cindy to let her know she'd return to work in a few days, needing time to sort her mind out. Briar sat in her bedroom, listening to music as she mended a torn glove, some shirt seams, trying to keep her hands steady. She couldn't help feeling afraid.

Would Mark show up now? Matt? Paul? She knew she was being irrational but she couldn't help it.

***

"Hello, honey."

"Mmm, I see you love being wet."

"All for you…"

"You want to feel a real man fucking you?"

Briar shot up in bed, pulling a pillow over her mouth to stifle her screams because she couldn't stop herself.

***

Glenn hadn't told a soul about where Briar was. He couldn't keep it hidden anymore, not now, everyone had seen the photos. And the one person who was bugging him the most was Jeff Hardy. "No." He sighed for the umpteenth time in the past three days.

"I LOVE her."

"I don't care. No."

"How bout a match?"

"No matter what you say to me Hardy, I'm not telling you. Now beat it."

"A million dollars?"

"LEAVE!"