The newlyweds stumbled back into the backstage area, two painstakingly familiar faces waiting for them. Of course they were. Edge had a foot on the cement wall, butressing it with his body, Lita right next to... well, practically on top of him.
Lita plastered on a fake smile, "Oh my god!" she drawled. "Congratulations, you guys!" She and Edge bust out laughing like something was fucking funny.
Kane took in a sharp breath, in his flash of anger his hand clamped tighter on Freyja and she gritted her teeth, ready to say something, but he was soon interrupted. Lita's laughter was cut short, Freyja's free forearm collided with Lita's chest, pushing the taller woman back against the nearest wall. Freyja snarled, "This isn't over." It would be the first threat of many.
Edge barked, "Hey!" and made a move for the women to separate them, but before anyone could retaliate Kane yanked his new wife back towards him, replacing the hand that had grasped her forearm with one hand on either shoulder, where he could keep her from doing anything stupid again. "Control your woman." the blonde man commanded.
Kane sneered at Edge, the two men sizing each other up as Lita and Freyja did the same below.
"What are you going to do, Freyja? Throw down in a wedding dress? Threaten to kill me? Go on, we all know you won't do it." Lita taunted, looking down her nose at the shorter woman, Edge's readiness to fight and Kane's controlling hands providing a barrier between the two.
Freyja narrowed her eyes, then closed them and forced her shoulders to relax, she ceased leaning forward, instead backing into Kane to put some distance between her and Lita's sheild. It's never going to work if you don't keep your head straight, Freyja. She said to herself before peeling her eyes open and fixing Lita with a cold, even stare. She wasn't safe from Kane like this, but at least she was safe from Edge and Lita as long as he was there.
"No," she uttered smoothly. "No, I'm not going to stand here and make empty threats. It's not my style." Frejya's head shook slowly. "I am, however, going to beat the ever-living shit out of you. That is something I am going to do."
Edge was about to retort, but his thoughts were interrupted by a stern, "It won't be today." Her eyes shot up at the blonde. "Probably won't be next week. But I will. It's going to happen."
Kane gave her a quick nudge and a hard, "Let's go."
Freyja let him push her down the corridor. They passed the men's room, and came to her own dressing room. He finally turned her around a bit roughly to face him and released her. They just looked at each other for a moment, neither quite sure what to say.
Kane plastered on his wicked grin, digging in his pocket and pulling out a room key to his suite, handing it over to her. "223." was all he said.
Freyja regarded it, Embassy Suites. A Hilton? Freyja had to laugh. At least the man has taste. She cocked one eyebrow. "You're handing this to me and just expecting me to come to your room, alone, tonight?"
"You'll come." He said curtly, half commanding and half assuring her. He knew she'd come.
"I thought you'd drag me there by the back of my neck or, at least hang over my shoulder while you escort me." Freyja deadpanned.
"I don't need to. You'll come on your own. You know what will happen if you don't." Kane growled, taking some comfort in his threat. He done it to Matt to get Lita, he'd do it to Andone to get Freyja.
Freyja looked up at Kane, and nodded slowly. "Everyone keeps saying I should be afraid of you. That you're dangerous." She shifted on her feet. "Are you really a monster, Demon Man?"
"Yes." Kane sneered, lifting a hand to tilt her head up further to look him in the eye. "Does that scare you?"
Freyja pulled his hand away, "No."
"It should." Kane assured, watching Freyja move for the door to her dressing room to change. As she crossed the threshold she tossed back a soft,
"Ill see you." and she shut the door on Kane with a quiet thud.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
It was that easy. She was married to a Monster. The Monster, the one she'd assumed all other monsters in the WWE were measured against. She had her plan, now she needed help. The taxi stopped momentarily, and she went into her own hotel to grab a few things.
Coming down the stairs to the lobby, a few familiar faces had appeared at the bar. It wasn't unusual. Most of the talent liked to blow off a bit of steam after a show. She quickly found who she was looking for. He didn't drink much, but he liked making friends, and the bar was a good place to do it.
Making straight for Hurricane, she lay a palm flat on his shoulder. He turned and saw his friend, a sad smile crossing his face, for though he could not bear to watch, that small and simple string of diamonds on her left hand told him everything he needed to know. They'd actually gone through with it.
"You want to help?" Freyja asked him, and the answer was easy. Turning in his bar stool, he responded,
"Of course, citizen Freyja."
Her expression remained flat, almost commanding, "Get your friends on my side before Lita gets to them. I'm going to see Kane."
As she made to leave, Hurricane grabbed her arm softly. "Wait! You can't do that, it's suicide. Come on, I'll get my friends, but we can protect you from him, I promise."
"Shane, let go of me please." She asked nicely but his hand remained closed on her arm and his eyebrows raised under his mask, unsure of Freyja knew what she was doing. She'd admit, she had no idea. But it was worth a try and if it didn't work, what was Kane going to do? Kill her? He was welcome to, it's not like her life could get any worse. Freyja sighed. "I really appreciate your willingness to protect me, but I need you in a different way. I have my plan, but it's going to take more than just me and Kane to pull it off. I need your help."
Hurricane's eyes narrowed. "Why would Kane help you with... whatever you're planning?"
"He'll help." Freyja responded, but her uncertainty was apperent. She freed herself from his grasp, grabbed her overnight bag, and made for the lobby door where her taxi waited to cart her off to the Embassy.
"But Freyja-"
"Goodnight, Shane!"
"Don't call me that!"
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Here she stood, room 223. Behind the black door resided her ultimate doom. At least, that was what she had been told, by everyone. Even Lita knew what doom lay behind that wooden barrier. Everyone had been looking at her like she was already dead.
Freyja's nervous hands found the door handle and pushed it open. Kane sat there, on the far end of the room in an easy chair, elbow on the arm rest and hand on one side of his jaw. He didn't look up, but smirked as she entered the room and lay down her bag.
"My wife." He greeted, his words like poison dripping from his tongue.
Freyja pushed her anxiety down as far as it would go, determined to keep her heart from erupting out of her chest. "Kane."
Freyja's eyes fell on him with an uneasy stare that he didn't seem to notice. Instead, his head cocked over to the dresser, where there lay an ice bucket housing a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
"Mr. McMahon sent that up here." He explained, sitting back in the chair, sizing up the woman in front of him. "Guess he figured it would make tonight... easier for you."
Kane laughed bitterly at his own suggestion, since Freyja certainly wasn't going to.
The dark-haired young woman audibly scoffed. The man convinced Lita she needed to write up a trick contract for her to sign her life away, give up her rights, wed a stranger, and he had the audacity to send Spumante to their room?
Fuck him.
She made her way over to the champagne and popped it herself, splitting the bubbling liquid between the two flutes and bringing one over to Kane, a simple show of good will. He took the dainty glass from her and held it aloft, face contorted in a cruel smile.
"To a long and... happy... marraige." He teased maliciously.
Freyja rolled her eyes at his unnecessary theatricality and took a sip of her champagne after tapping the glass lightly on his rim.
"I'm glad you didn't cause any problems at the ceremony." Kane mentioned, taking a sip from his own glass and cracking his neck.
Freyja just stared at her glass, still standing by the little end table the champagne sat on. She nodded absentmindedly. She wasn't sure if this was his way of saying, "Thank you for not making a scene" or "Sorry this happened to you", but it didn't matter. She was determined to down this champagne to dull her senses so that it would never matter.
"Why would I? I don't blame you. Not for any of this" She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, facing the seating area, and eyeing the man across from her. He uncrossed his legs, his heavy foot falling to the carpeted floor with a mutes thud.
"Oh?" His non-existent eyebrows raised. "Who is to blame then?" He wasn't used to not being the scapegoat. It was his fault Lita didn't want him. His fault she felt so trapped she had no choice but to pull this deceptive bullshit. His fault Freyja was here. That was what he'd expected.
"Lita, of course." Freyja dismissed, taking a too-large gulp of her alcohol. "This is, quite literally, all her fucking fault." Intense green eyes fell on Kane, heavily accented cursing hung in the room like stale air.
Kane's mouth turned up slightly at the edges, enjoying listening to the girl talk shit on his ex-wife, because at this point in his life, he wanted to do little else.
"I mean," Freyja went on, not paying attention to Kane's lack of a proper response. The champagne was hitting her considerably smaller frame a bit harder. "Aren't you just a bit raw about it?"
Kane nodded, and said nothing.
Freyja continued her tirade, "Are you familiar with the term 'Wicker Man', Kane?" She interjected once more after a brief silence.
Kane sighed. This woman couldn't just shut up, be afraid, lay down and spread her legs. No, apparently they had to have a conversation. "No."
"It was a sacrifice, in the days of the Ancient Celts. They'd build a man out of sticks and boughs during the time of the harvest. It is speculated the Druids of the time would even put humans, convicts, ne'er-do-wells, riff-raff, inside before burning it as a sacrifice to their Gods to ensure good crop." Freyja explained casually, moving to take a drink but stopping to look at Kane. "You understand where I'm going with this?"
Oh, now they were doing analogies, too. Perfect. Kane rubbed at his temples. "We're being burned... by Lita to appease her new 'god', Edge." He translated, and it made sense to him. It was a viable explanation, but still, it missed the mark for Freyja.
Freyja smiled, "No, maitea."
Kane shrugged. He leaned back in the chair again, he'd lost interest.
"It was a good guess, though. But no, you see... I am the Wicker Man. I am being burned to appease... you." The young woman said plainly, setting her empty champagne glass on the dresser, and approaching the Monster. Kane leaned forward, to rest his elbows on his knees, becoming quickly very tired of her riddles.
"Would you get to the point, then?!" Kane snapped, losing his patience.
"They gave me to you because they know what kind of man you are. They know what you're capable of, and hoped to God that you'd forget yourself if you had a new toy to play with. But you're still capable of ruining them as they fear. I am here solely because they are afraid of you." Freyja took the galf-empty glass from her new husbands hand and retreated again, taking the alcohol with her. Kane didn't need it, but she would.
"You can't feasibly drag Lita out to the ring and beat the shit out of her in front of God and everybody. Or, rather, you can.
"But you shouldn't." Freyja turned on her heelz to face him once again. "We have a fast-track, one way ticket to making Lita the bad guy here. And that's what you want, isn't it? For Lita to be the bad guy?"
Kane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps this girl had something to say after all. "I'm listening."
"You can't beat the shit out of Lita. But I can. And I want to." Freyja sauntered slowly over to where Kane hadn't so much as shifted in his seat. "If you'll have me, I'll help you." Freyja breathed out deep, bringing herself down to kneel before him. She realized it was too close, too familiar.
"I'll help you get your revenge. Provided I can exact some revenge of my own." She tilted the glass rim up in a toast-like gesture, and threw back his alcohol too. She dared to look up at his twisted face, which had turned into a cruel grin. She remembered everyone's warning words. He was dangerous, and in light of that her words were sure and stable but her hands were shaky and nervous. He laughed, and leaned forward while a huge hand and large fingers gripped her chin roughly, pulling her into unknown territory. The alcohol had soaked into her system now, as fast as she had downed it, and her fear started to fall away.
"I like you." Kane growled sinisterly. It was an excellent suggestion, to take revenge on Lita.
"So it's a deal, then." Freyja extended her hand, only to have it shoved away by Kane's rough hands as he chuckled,
"Demon's don't seal deals with handshakes." Kane drawled, that predatory grin that was growing far too familiar for Freyja's liking developing on his cruel face. "What are you willing to do to get your "revenge"?"
Kane inspected the unsure face of the young woman he would now be foreced to call his wife.
Freyja let the tension of his words hang in the air for a moment. She knew what he wanted and she knew she was the one that would have to give it to him, she prepared herself for what she knew she was getting herself into.
Freyja was trapped in his grasp, and she had no choice. Lita had to pay by any means necessary. She knew this was a possibility, and she had made her peac with it. She mustered up all the courage she had and commanded,
"Claim your sacrifice."
And for the first time in a very long time, Kane did as he was told.