Title: Floating Up

Chapter 16: Friends

Author: Kora

E-mail: KrazyKora@aol.com or WinterViolet24@aol.com

Rating: R

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment. All warnings featured on Part 1.

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Last time I talked to you

You were lonely and out of place

You were looking down on me

Lost out in space

Laid underneath the stars

Strung out and feeling brave

Watch the riddles glow

Watch them float away

You're falling back to me

The star that I can't see

I know you're out there

Somewhere out there

You're falling out of reach

Defying gravity

I know you're out there

Somewhere out there

-Our Lady Peace, 'Somewhere Out There'

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Hunter dragged Shawn far outside of the interrogation room. He was still struggling wildly in his grip, trying to break free so he could go back to Mitch. He kept snarling, his limbs flying about violently. Hunter could hardly hold on to him, the man was like an animal, he kept trying to reach him, "Christ, Shawn, calm down!"

Shawn ignored him, still thrashing until finally Hunter lost his hold of him. Shawn turned on him, fists flying but Hunter evaded him, managing to grab his arms and shake him roughly, "Shawn! FUCK man, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Hunter's harsh shout seemed to tear through and Shawn looked at him, his face a mask of feral intensity, before he shoved him aside forcefully, freeing himself to turn towards one of the nearby brick walls. He brutally slammed his fists against it over and over again, an angry cry of frustrated anguish rumbling out of him, until finally his shoulders slumped and the most embarrassing thing possible happened. He started crying.

Hunter could hear the soft, wet sounds escaping him and recognizing what it was, reached for him. Shawn cursed and shrugged off Hunter's hand when it touched his shoulder, charging off. He waited until he was farther down the hallway, until he was alone before breaking down. He rested his back against a wall and slowly slid down to sit, sobbing uncontrollably. He had never cried like this in his whole life. It was like he had lost his mind.

He rested his head in his hands and cried for a good long while before he managed to become calm. He was beyond mortified at his behavior. It was unbearably embarrassing when he heard footsteps. He didn't even have to raise his head to know it was Hunter standing over him. Shawn let out a shaky breath and eventually looked up, raising his head from his knees to give Hunter a red-eyed stare, "Hey."

"Hey." Hunter said softly, offering a box of tissues.

Shawn felt a wavering smile of abashment take his face as he grabbed it. Hunter sighed, "You wanna go outside and talk?"

Shawn sighed and shrugged, "Yeah, okay."

He rose to his feet unsteadily and they walked outside the police station. They stood in the cold air for a long while before Shawn spoke, his voice as rusty as an old gate, "I can't believe I snapped like that back there. Kevin was right," Shawn whispered, still not meeting Hunter's eyes as he spoke. "Finding her, I didn't take it well. I've never, none of this stuff has been…digested well. I've been messed up from the beginning. I've had nightmares and unconscious fears. Did you know I can't even go near a parking lot now without cringing? And if I see a gutter…forget it.

"God, I thought she was dead and the way she was that night so lost and silent and…it destroyed me. And then he came along and started fucking with us and he popped open my head and I just, when he started saying that stuff I wanted to kill him. If you all hadn't come, I would have killed him,"

Hunter sighed, "I know. Hell, I'm surprised you held off as long as you did. I would have fucking snapped a long time ago."

Shawn raised his head, finally looking at his old friend, "I had to hear the whole story. I had to know why."

Hunter nodded, "I know. I understand that too. I think we all wanted to know why this happened. Why he did this."

"Yeah," Shawn whispered and took in a long shaking breath, "I'm so fucking embarrassed. I was bawling like a five-year-old. I swear to god, Hunter, if you tell anyone-"

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Oh…good," Shawn drew out, wide-eyed, then added gingerly, "May I ask why?"

Hunter let out a breath and turned away from Shawn, not looking at him as he said simply, "You really love her, huh?"

Shawn blinked and gave Hunter a blank expression until Hunter looked at him and let out another breath, "Stephanie. You really love her."

He didn't answer at first, a little wary until at last he said on a soft whisper of a breath, "…does it show?"

"A lot. More than you think." Hunter said briskly.

"Mmm," Shawn hummed, his face a little flushed, "Yeah. Yeah, I love her. I do."

Hunter shook his head, not meeting his eyes yet again as he said gently, "She loves you back, you know. She doesn't say it…but I know it. And I think that's why you should get your head outta your ass and tell her how you feel."

"Hunter-"

"No, let me finish. This shit is hard enough as it is for me to say without you chucking in your two cents so shut up and listen."

He looked at Shawn expecting an argument but surprisingly Shawn just nodded and Hunter collected himself before starting, "Okay, look, I'm not happy about this. You and her, I'm not, but I'm looking past that towards the bigger picture and trying to be a friend to her…and to you."

Shawn's head snapped up at that and Hunter couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't look so shocked….I mean, I know how things between you and me have been. And I'll admit, it was mostly me. I had a problem and I took it out on you. I hated you, hurt you and I had my reasons, albeit probably stupid reasons to you, but reasons all the same and after you fell into the coma and it looked like you might not wake up, that you might not even make it I realized how stupid it all was.

"The fighting, the feuding all of it was just ridiculous. Sure, I hated you for this reason or that and yeah, you pissed me off but you did a lot for me Shawn and I don't think I've ever thanked you for it.

"I would have never gone anywhere in this business, would have never become the man I am today if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't been there from the beginning pushing me forward. You had faith in me. You saw me as a star and took me under your wing and motivated me. Helped me and I never thanked you for it.

"Yeah, you're self-centered, and yeah, you brag too much but you're also a hell of a good friend. There's no one I know better who can get me three dates with three playboy playmates on the same night as well as get me wasted out of my mind and still bother with taking care of my drunken, horny ass at four in the morning."

Shawn couldn't help but smile at that. Hunter smiled too but now he'd reached a difficult part of their conversation and he felt a bit apprehensive. Still, he was honest with his feelings, even if he did avoid Shawn's watchful gaze, "I hated you for leaving. I knew you were injured and everything but that made it almost worse in a way. I worshipped the ground you walked on, you were my idol and to find out you were weak and infallible hurt. Funny now that Stephanie's had to deal with the same.

"Probably should have mentioned that but," he shook his head, "At any rate, you left and it hurt and then you came back and wanted me on RAW and I was scared of losing my spotlight and felt like you were trying to take it and be the center again and be the top and I was…like I said, in retrospect, it's all stupid and petty and I realized that so I'm offering my…condolences. Remember, I hate apologizing."

"You got that from me," Shawn said with a dry laugh.

"Probably," Hunter said with a bit of amusement, "You can tell how bitter I've become. I mean, you probably noticed how Evolution is quite similar to…well, the Kliq and DX. I missed you guys, missed my family but I was too prideful to admit it so I tried to make a new one. But honestly, Batista, Orton, and Flair are no replacement for you guys."

"There's only one, " Shawn agreed.

Hunter nodded his head, "And that fact just made me more angry, that I couldn't recapture it and I hated you more and more. And hell, seeing how well you were doing without me didn't help. The fans were chanting 'HBK' louder now than ever. I grew resentful and then there was Stephanie, seeing how she was clinging to you reminded me of how I was back in the day and it just hurt to see it. Hurt because it was a reminder and hurt even more because it was Stephanie. She had been mine once and now she was about to become yours. Like the spotlight and the fans and…all of it."

He licked his lips, "But when you were in the coma I came to a few conclusions about a lot things, I guess it was an eye-opener. A cathartic experience. It made me realize what was important and of value and I started to really think and…I don't know. Grow up, I guess. I started trying to think outside the box. Hell, actually, it started with Stephanie. What happened to her really was a slap to the face and knowing you were the one who found her and helped her through the whole ordeal…

"Anyway, I wanted to rekindle things with Stephanie and we were close…real close but there was something in the way and it didn't take much to put two and two together and know it was you. She had fallen. Hard. It was there on her face when she said your name and I can't say I blame her. I've…fallen for you before in a way, I mean, you're a great person, Shawn, even better now and….you have NO idea how much I hate saying this shit."

Shawn laughed and patted his arm, "Don't strain yourself, Hunt. Take your time. I appreciate what you're saying. I do. I know it isn't easy."

"Damn right it isn't," Hunter snarled and ran a hand through his hair, then tried to relax, "Personally, the last thing I want to do is bend down and grovel to you, I swear, if I have to give you one more compliment I'll probably puke but as I've said, I've thought about it a lot and I have to do right by her and by you, I owe you two that much before I'll finally be free of you both, free to earn things all on my own.

"Look, you and me, there's bad blood between us. True, I probably started it but still, it's there and I'm not ready yet to clean it all up so let me finish saying what I gotta say, then I'm going to go, 'cause trust me, when I'm done I won't want to be seeing you for a while."

Shawn pulled his hand from his arm, "Okay. Fine. Finish."

Hunter closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "I know you told Stephanie to stay away. I know because she told me after it happened and I was the one to console her and-"

"Whoa, wait," Shawn interrupted, his tone laced with an edge of worry, "You've talked to Stephanie?"

"Yeah, but-"

Hope lit up his face, "Have you talked to her since-since they brought Mitch in?"

Now it was Hunter's turn to look downtrodden, "Sort of, she's…really shaken up."

Shawn took in a breath, "Tell me."

Hunter scratched the back of his head, "She's staying at the family estate again. She's had to pump up her meetings with Doctor Holden even more because Mitch almost," Hunter couldn't bear to say the word so he skipped it, "a second time. Shane says she's been sleeping with the lights on-when she's managed to sleep. She's been staying awake all hours of the night. Shane says she seems really distant and distracted and she won't….she won't talk to anybody. I mean, not really talk. Not even to me."

Shawn absorbed this information and the look on his face just cemented Hunter's decision about what he was going to say, he swallowed, "Look, Shawn, as I was saying, man, I was the one to console her after you pushed her away and honestly, everything in my being screamed for me to go for her. To push it because I thought maybe now I had an edge and I could get in but I knew not to.

"I knew it wasn't the right thing because she and I are over. As much as I'd like different, I know we're over and it's for the best and I know she's moved on. She's moved to you, Shawn. She loves you. I know she loves you because the way she looks at you…it's the same way she used to look at me…back when she loved me."

Shawn's face fell, looking apologetic as he reached for Hunter's arm again, "Hunt…"

Hunter shrugged his hand off, flustered in his embarrassment at having revealed his weakness to his friend/enemy, "She loves you, Shawn, so don't be stupid. Go and be with her. I know you'll make her happy. Out of all the men in the world…" he shook his head, "fuck, can't believe I'm saying this shit but….I trust you. There's no one I'd trust her with more than with you."

Shawn swallowed, "Thank you, man."

"Yeah."

They stood there in silence a moment longer before Hunter added, his voice deep, "You break her heart, I break your neck."

"Fair enough." Shawn said simply and the two enemies/friends continued to sit there in a united peace. An unspoken truce in place