Ch. 14.

Having ran the whole way back to her car, Shannon sank into the driver's seat, but instead of driving off immediately, she rested her forehead on the leather steering wheel and took a deep breath.

"Shit, Chris; why did you have to turn up now?" she questionned angrily. But she knew that her anger was not directed at him, she would admit that; but what she did not want to admit was that at that exact moment, deep down, she was cursing Billy's very existence.

Automatically, she straightened up, fastened her seat-belt and stuck the key in the ignition. In one fluid motion, she started the engine and shifted the car into gear, speeding out of the carpark. It was only when she reached her apartment that she realised she was probably very lucky not to have been in an accident - her mind had never been further from her body; she couldn't even remember the drive home.

Once inside, she quickly pulled off her jacket, dropping it and the rest of her belongings onto the couch, before heading into her bedroom. She lay down on her bed, curled up in a ball, wishing she could stop playing events over in her head. Trying to take her mind off things, she leaned over and pressed the button on her answering machine to listen to her messages.

"You have two new messages." came the mechanical voice.

"Hey, Shan." came the first speaker who Shannon correctly identified as Paige, "Since you don't seem to be home, I'm guessing work's keeping you busy ..... Or something like that!" She broke off to laugh lightly. "You know I'm just teasing! Give me a call later, okay? Bye."

Shannon shook her head, but had to smile in spite of herself - a smile which the second voice wiped away as soon as she heard it.

"Uh, hi, Shannon - it's Chris. Listen, I just wanted to ..... I mean, you took off in such a hurry, I just wanted to check you got home safe. And, uh, I also wanted to ..... apologise. You have every right to be angry with me, I shouldn't have done what I did. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, so I guess what I'm trying to say is ..... I'm sorry. I'm going to leave my cell number, please call me, just to let me know you're okay. Once again, I'm really sorry, Shan. Bye."

Shannon listened as a number was recited right at the end of the message and fell back down onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow. She was completely at a loss as to what she should do. She could hear the concern in his voice and she supposed he did have a point - she could have had a serious accident or even killed someone, maybe herself.

"God, I am so stupid!" she declared, and she wasn't just referring to her driving.

Sitting up, she replayed the message twice more, listening intently each time as if expecting some kind of subliminal message to make the decision for her and tell her what to do. The third time she listened to the message, she got up and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, waiting to hear the number and scribbling it down. She stared at the number as if she hadn't realised that she had written it and her hand hovered over the phone. It couldn't hurt to call him, just to let him know she was still in one piece, it was the decent thing to do. Maybe she had overreacted - it was only a kiss and there had been circumstances. They had been so caught up in talking about the past and she had upset herself, it was inevitable they would make a silly mistake. And that was all it was - a mistake which didn't mean anything. A little voice in her head asked her who she was trying to kid, told her Chris might have made a mistake but she had kissed him back. Shannon ignored it and was just about to pick up the receiver when the phone rang, making her jump violently. Drawing back her hand, she decided to let the answering machine take the call and sat down to listen.

"Shannon, it's Billy. Where the hell are you? You should have been back ages ago. Anyway, some of the guys are going out tonight and I said we'd go. I'll pick you up at ....."

Hearing that much, Shannon groaned - she really wasn't in the mood to go out, especially with Billy's friends. She grabbed the phone, trying to think of a plausible excuse.

"Billy!" she began, "Hi! I was just ....."

"Why weren't you answering the phone?" he asked impatiently.

"I just got back and I was in the shower." she covered quickly.

"You just got back? An interview shouldn't have taken that long - or did you two have a lot of TALKING to do?" he said sarcastically.

Resenting his tone, Shannon had to bite her lip to stop herself saying something she would regret and instead lie to him. "Oh, it didn't take long at all. I popped in to see Paige at the office and she kept me chatting; you know what she's like."

"Hmmm. Well, anyway - I was just saying, I'll pick you up around eight ....."

"Oh, Billy, do we have to go out? I really would rather have a quiet night in. Maybe we could get some take-out and a movie?" she tried, not particularly wanting to do that either, but thinking she could at least agree to compromise.

"I've already promised the guys we'd be there."

"Well, why don't you just go? They won't care if I'm there or not ....."

"What are you trying to say, Shannon?" he asked, his tone dangerously low, "Any particular reason you don't want to come out with me? You made other plans? Got someone else in mind?"

"Of course not!" she protested, "I just thought ....."

"Good. Then it's settled. Eight o'clock - better be ready. See you later." he finished shortly, hanging up before she had a chance to reply.

"Great. Just GREAT." she muttered, slamming down the receiver.

*****

After Shannon had taken off, Chris had spent a long time wandering around the park cursing himself for being such an idiot. He had barely even noticed when it started to rain and it was only when it had started to really pour that he had headed for his rented car. He had started to drive towards the hotel before changing his mind and turning the car around at the first opportunity. Having turned on the radio only so he wouldn't have to listen to the silence, he had followed familiar roads until he had reached the outskirts of the city. Finally he had reached his destination and pulled over in front of a row of houses with large well-kept gardens. A strange feeling had swept over him as he had found himself looking at a familiar scene. But that was all it was - familiar. He had found that there were big changes, only traces of the past remained.

"I guess nothing stays the same forever." he had thought wistfully, looking at his old home.

As his eyes had roamed over the garden, he had happened to look up and had been forced to smile when he caught sight of the old treehouse.

"Who'd have thought that would have survived when nothing else seems to have?" he had sighed, before staring suddenly. He hadn't noticed until then that there was someone in the treehouse. Shifting a little in his seat, he had realised there were actually two children playing there, a little boy and a little girl. When a woman had appeared at the door of the house and shouted at them to be careful, the feeling of deja-vu had been so strong that Chris had found himself feeling like a spectator of his own past. Involuntarily he had tightened his grip on the steering wheel and quickly made up his mind. He had grabbed his cell phone and called the operator, asking for the number for the Edmonton Gazette. Trying to keep the number he had been given in his head, he had dialled it quickly and waited impatiently for someone to answer. When someone had inquiried as to who was speaking, he had paused, wondering if he should continue with his hastily formed plan. One look out of the car window at the scene in front of him had made his decision for him and before he had known what he was doing, he had found himself answering the question.

"Uh, I was wondering if someone could help me out? This is Chris Benoit from the World Wrestling Federation and I'm trying to contact one of your reporters, Shannon Benson ....."

*****