Disclaimer: don't own anything except Jezebel who I created myself. The rest are owned by Vince Mcmahon and the WWE

They watched the monitor, not talking, just watching

Without a word, Mark reached over to flick it off when Sara's hand shot out and stopped his wrist. He looked at her questioningly but she just shook her head, her eyes on leaving the screen. He frowned and then shrugged, easing himself carefully back into his chair. He didn't want to admit how much pain he was in. He'd only ever been out of wrestling twice because of injury; he prided himself on that fact. But that was only caused my mortals, not his shadowy, super-strong, weirdly powered twin sister. It burned in his mind to even talk about it. He hadn't had any more messages from Eternal, for that he was quietly grateful, he couldn't deal with the immense unexpected pain at this moment in time. As well as that, he knew it had shook Sara up a great deal and he didn't like that on it's own.

Abruptly, Sara turned the monitor off and turned around to face the mirror. Mark twisted in his seat to watch her. She swiftly unzipped her bag and pulled a bandana out, covering her head with it and neatly tying it up at the back. She turned back to Mark, her hands crossed over her chest

"That was weird" she stated "Watching Jezebel do that, Amy was holding it all in well"

"Yeah, it ain't easy pretending everything's rosy when it ain't" he replied "we gonna grab them for a meeting now? We got a lot to talk about, or so you tell me"

She smiled triumphantly at him; it was his way of admitting she was right though he would never say that, that would be like admitting defeat. She opened the door and stuck her head out, talking to someone Mark couldn't see, her words muffled through the door.

"Thank you" she called as she withdrew back into the room

She straightened out and gave Mark a curt nod

"I've sent for The Hardyz, Amy and Trish ok?" she asked

"That's all we need" he replied "no one else"

"No one else" she confirmed

He nodded back at her, as well as husband and wife, they were now partners. Sara stepped up to behind Mark and slid her arms around his neck, leaning down on him. Mark could hear her sigh loudly. He knew she was tired, drained from all the practice with her powers she'd gone through. If only he could have destroyed Jezebel. If only

"You need rest" he stated

"We both do" she corrected with a hint of amusement in her voice "this is no time to start acting the concerned husband, that takes a backseat"

"Not on purpose, Jezebel forced me to lose it, there's no other way" he said defensively

"I know, we've all changed, I know I have" Sara paused "I think for the better"

"I think so too, just them damn light balls I wish you'd lose"

"No can do, they're part of me, always have been it's just that I've only just discovered them"

"Sometimes I wish you hadn't" Mark said almost inaudibly

Sara didn't answer. Mark could feel her inner heat, her core which glowed just as his was frozen. It was true opposition that worked. It had to, no matter what.

*

"You Ok Trish?" asked Nora softly

Trish jumped a little at her friend's voice and tried a shaky smile. She was feeling far from OK, she felt all knotted and pent up inside. She wanted to be with the others, to know how they were doing after the match. But she had to fight Nora first.

"Yeah just a little nervous I guess" replied Trish

"It'll be fine as usual, you and me'll tear the place up and then Lisa'll be down with a steel chair" assured Nora

"I know"

A stagehand appeared behind Nora and signalled to the curtain. Nora turned and nodded. Her music was about to play and they needed her to be on cue. She tugged at her sleeveless white top, the only sign of her nervousness being a quick frown and bite of the lip before it disappeared and she smiling reassuringly at Trish. She winked and turned, quickly walking to the curtain for her cue. Trish let her breath out, she felt completely not ready for the match. It wasn't right that she should be out there entertaining when her friends were hurt and worried about what would happen next backstage. She needed to be there

As though hearing her, another stagehand appeared beside her and tapped her on the arm to bring her out of her daze. She looked at him expectantly

"Sara Calloway told me to come find you and say there's a meeting in her and Mark's locker room" he said

"Thanks, tell her I'll be there after my match" Trish said quickly

The guy nodded and disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived. Trish could feel her heart jumping hard now; she had to do this match . All her aggression would pour out into it; it would be a release and a relief. Then she could escape and be where she should be.

*

"Knock knock" called Jeff cheerfully as he pushed open the locker room door, followed by Matt

Mark didn't answer; instead he continued to read the motorbike magazine he was apparently engrossed in. Sara looked up from lacing her sneakers up and smiled at them. She gestured for them to sit, holding a finger up to show she'd be a minute. Jeff stood against the wall and then slid down it to sit on the floor, Matt plunked down in one of the plastic chairs, rubbing his face as though trying to wake himself up. Sara slapped her foot down onto the floor, her sneakers laced and smileed at the two tired figures.

"Where's Amy?" she asked

"We don't know" sighed Jeff "she disappeared immediately after we came from the ramp to the back, I don't think she wanted to hang around"

Just then, the door was flung open and Amy burst in, looking wide eyed and pale. She looked sick in fact and like she needed a lot of sleep. She managed a watery smile

"Hi, sorry I'm late, got the message a little late" she said quietly, her voice devoid of any happiness at all.

She sat down in the nearest chair, her arms crossed around her stomach defensively and her eyes instinctively looking down. Sara frowned and her eyes flickered from the Hardyz to Amy and back again in question. Jeff shrugged in response, Matt was too preoccupied in looking at Amy himself, evidently worried about her.

"You OK Amy?" asked Sara finally

"Sure" was the short sharp reply "I've had to pretend that I'm friends with a psycho who looks just like me, I've never felt better"

She seemed restless; she kept fingering the neck brace agitatedly and then sighing. Something else was going on beneath the surface, something that Sara couldn't penetrate. She stared at Matt until he noticed her gaze and jerked her head down at Amy in a clear order. Giving a small nod, Matt pulled his chair over to Amy's and took one of her hands in his.

"What's really wrong Ames?" he asked softly as the others pretended to be preoccupied with other things; Jeff began writing something on some crumpled paper he'd found in his pocket and Sara had wandered over to pluck the magazine from Mark's hands and bring him back to reality.

"I told you" said Amy through clenched teeth "I've had to pretend to be related to Jezebel, I've never felt so sick in my life, it turned my stomach, I threw up"

"What?" Matt asked, more than a little confused at her machine-gun responses

"I threw up" she repeated, still staring at the floor "I hurled down a toilet bowl when I came backstage, you know who I met in there? You know who? Eternal, Miss Lovely Legs herself, and she pretended that nothing was wrong, that everything was fine between us, well it damn isn't and never will be"

"It keeps happening" spoke up Jeff, abandoning his attempt to pretend not to listen "Rob was the same with me, as though he was Rob and nothing had happened"

"It's got to stop" said Sara suddenly, striding over to the group

It seemed to the others that she had gained something, something that made her seem different to the Sara Calloway they'd known before Jezebel has appeared. They couldn't quite place it though, it was there but what was it? Mark was watching her as well, a strange mix of love and fear swirling around inside of him. He'd never feared someone he loved before, he couldn't now.

"How?" he asked, getting up slowly from the chair "there is no way I can go at it with her again, it damn near tore me apart last time and I want to be in working condition so that the family can get some money"

"It's not like we're poor on that front Mark" Sara reminded him with a smile "but I get your point, a full on fight can't be on the cards, for everyone's safety"

"So what can we do?" asked Matt, a tiny hint of desperation in his voice

"I don't know" sighed Sara "I mean I have my powers but I'm not sure to what extent I can use them against her, she knows that I haven't fully grasped them yet and could seriously hurt me"

"Which ain't gonna happen" interrupted Mark firmly with a fierce glare

"And because someone won't let me" finished off Sara with a loving smile at her husband

Just then, the door opened and Trish rushed in. She looked flushed and worried, her washed hair not quite dried. She gave a brief smile to the room then sat down next to Jeff who smiled warmly at her.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, finished my match about twenty minutes ago and I had to shower and everything" Trish apologised

She raked a hand back through her hair, grimacing at the tangles she encountered, wishing she'd spent a little more time getting ready since she'd ended up sitting next to Jeff. She glanced down, checking her outfit, it wasn't too awful; flared black pants, a black WWE Attitude baby tee and her usual black jacket she'd hastily thrown on over the top. Jeff hadn't taken his eyes off her, she looked incredible, so natural and fresh, not hidden under layers of make up as she sometimes was. She was purely herself with nothing hiding her. Before she could notice his admiring glances, he tore his gaze away to find Amy watching him, a small pleased smile on her face. He gave an embarrassed shrug and hurriedly returned his attention to Sara.

"You haven't missed much Trish" Sara said "we just have no options but we have to get rid of her somehow"

"Which isn't going to be easy" added Matt "she's like no other fighter I've ever encountered, like there's no way to hurt her unless through Sara's light things or real physical pain"

"There's damn well gotta be a way" growled Mark, a hand on his sore arm "otherwise things are only gonna get worse until there's no one and nothing left for her to hurt"

Sara hid a smile at his words; they were the same ones she'd used on him a couple of hours ago.

"If there's a way Mark" said Amy quietly "show it to me because I don't see one"

*

They watched the monitor, not talking, just watching

Eternal stretched out a leg lazily, flexing her foot in his black leather ankle boot. Her eyes were focused on the monitor as were Reckless'. Silence lay heavily in the room but not uncomfortably. As always with them, they were happy to be quiet. Mindless babble wasted energy that could be used else where. Reckless picked up an energy drink idly, playing with the half empty container in his hands.

"Met Amy in the bathroom" Eternal said "she was sick"

"It's the effect you have on people" deadpanned Reckless without bothering to look at her

"It's the effect Jezebel has on her" corrected Eternal, not reprimanding him for the insult "she's getting under their skin and into their veins until eventually, she'll be all they know and fear"

"Apart from Lightning" said Rob, lifting the container to his lips now

"Yes, she has got something in her that we can't touch" mused Eternal "but it'll be so much fun to watch her crumble when we press the power out of Phenom"

"When is that going to happen?" asked Reckless

"Sometime" replied Eternal vaguely "when Jezebel decides, she'll know the time when it's right, she always does, her timing is impeccable"

"Among everything else about her" said Reckless

"If she's impeccable, then what am I?" asked Eternal, raising an eyebrow at him

Reckless took his time to look her very lazily over; she could literally feel him looking over every inch, before replying

"Perfect" he replied emotionlessly

Eternal smiled slowly before getting to her feet, she had a show to put on. After adjusting her boots, she bent down and kissed Reckless hungrily on the lips. He responded in kind. There was no smiling, just a feeling. Shadows acted on feelings, it was the only way to go as long as you weren't ruled by them. When she tried to straighten up, one of his hands shot out and cupped her chin, pulling her down so that she was right on eyelevel with him. His eyes studied her, taking in every part of her pretty face. She was so much more than that and she knew he was penetrating, taking in all he could beneath. She did the same to him, looking much deeper than he knew. Then just as suddenly, he pulled her down roughly into another kiss so that she was literally on top of him. People would laugh if the cameras were on, the so-tall Stacy on the compact Rob but they didn't know how perfectly they fitted together. No one knew. Except Jezebel.

Then he released her. She pulled back and allowed herself to smile. Reckless smiled as well, not an arrogant RVD smile but a jagged Reckless smile. He felt good, that she knew. He had a match to prepare for and so did she.

They both had work to do

*

Before Mark could reply to Amy's question, a sharp stabbing pain blazed across his mind. It was like what had happened with Eternal only magnified so much that it felt as though his head was going to explode. His face contorted with lines of pain, his eyes screwed up as he internally demanded that he didn't scream.

Sara noticed immediately and stood back. She knew the effect she had on whoever was speaking to him. Jeff leapt to his feet, about to go call a medic since it appeared that Mark was suffering a stroke of some kind before Sara grabbed him

"It's one of them talking to him" she hissed, not bothering to fully explain

"Like the visions that Cordelia gets in 'Angel'" offered Trish brightly

Sara opened her mouth to say something but decided not to, she didn't want to fight with Trish. Jeff smiled at Trish, only she could think of something like that. Amy and Matt were speechless, Mark was twisting with pain, trying to fight an invisible battle that they couldn't see or hear. Suddenly, he fell limply from his chair onto the floor with a tremendous crash. Sara shrieked and dived to his side, trying to wake him up. Jeff skidded down to join her, the others close behind. They could see from Sara's expression that this didn't normally happen and that something very bad had happened indeed.

Read, enjoy, review! Thanks to the great people who enjoy the story and let me know through reviewing! (shout outs - CAT LEA: fab to have u back, hope u approve of this chapter, KITTIE KITTIE: love ur bouncy enthusiasm! Hope this ch leaves u wanting more, SUN STORM: hope u can break from work to read this as ur reviews are valued! Good to have u back and FEMALE PHENOM: hope there's enough Mark in this to satisfy ur needs! The weirdness in this story is my fave to write, it's just so much fun!) Keep reading and reviewing!