Title: The Road Less Traveled (8/?)
Author: Esquirella
Rating: R (for violence)
Disclaimer: I own the Rio character and have written other stories with
her. I own all non-WWE/WCW characters. But I do not own the wrestlers who
appear below and/or in upcoming installments.
Content Warning: This is a story contains an extremely violent fight scene.
Synopsis: The WWE performers watch as Rio handles Beelz. Jeff, in
particular, becomes fascinated with the high-flyer and Andrew doesn't know
what to do about it.
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"Fancy meeting you here, Czarina," Beelz said coldly.
Rio allowed a golden eyebrow to rise slightly above her mirrored glasses. Beelz was known as much for his psychological warfare as for his fighting prowess. She paced silently in front of him.
"What? No hello?" he sneered.
Rio stopped moving and smiled. "What's the matter, Beelz?" she asked. "Are you that lonely that you've resorted to hitting on your opponents?"
Beelz didn't even flinch. He had a very thick skin when it came to in-ring banter. He found that it served him very well. When opponents found they couldn't get a rise out of him, they tended to attack chaotically, making mistakes.
"Now why would I want to hit on a little boy like you?"
Rio laughed softly at the taunt. "Little boy? Very original."
Beelz was becoming frustrated. She seemed to have as thick a skin as he had. There had to be some chink in her mental armor. "Why do you like to fight the big boys anyway, short stuff? Are you into S&M or something?"
Rio grinned again. "Nah. I could get that anywhere," she returned. "Like you, I want the money."
That told him very little. "Why would you need so much money, sweetie?" he asked with growing curiosity. "You don't have a little monkey problem, do you?"
She laughed at this. Concern for her welfare? Probably not. Still, she found it amusing. "No, no," she assured him. "Drugs aren't my style, Beelz. Thanks for caring though . . ."
Beelz eyes grew hard behind his red mask. The woman was made of stone. It didn't matter anyway. Her short career would be over soon.
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Jeff watched the two fighters circle each other warily, speaking lowly to each other. As in his profession, he knew they weren't exchanging recipes. He wasn't sure about the other matches he'd seen so far, but this one had him on the edge of his seat. He felt a slight tap on his shoulder and shifted his attention to his brother, Matt, seated next to him.
"Ya havin' a good time, bro?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, it's cool," said Jeff, nodding.
"I know ya said ya wanted to go to th' club," Matt said, apologetically. "But Sean sounded so excited about this thing. I wanted to check it out."
"S'ok," Jeff waved him off. He'd forgotten about the club anyway.
Amy peaked over from behind Matt's shoulder. "What do ya think the odds are for this kid?"
"Not good," Jeff said sadly, switching his gaze back to the ring.
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Rio decided to let Beelz throw the first volley. It would help her throw off his concentration if he thought he could take her down easily. Beelz complied, kicking out toward her knee. She sidestepped, letting him graze her just a bit.
"Pay attention, Quick Silver," Beelz laughed.
Rio smiled. "My turn," she said, and swung her body low, catching both his legs at once, pulling them out from under him. Before he had time to react, she flipped herself back up to a standing position and delivered a kick to his stomach.
"FUCK!" Beelz grunted loudly.
"No thanks," Rio smiled sweetly. "I tend to stay within the human species."
Beelz pulled himself up and glared at her from a corner of the ring. Rio slowly paced closer to him, looking out to the side of the ring. Then, with lightning quick movements, she turned and drop kicked him in the face. Beelz fell back to the floor holding his bleeding nose.
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"Holy SHIT!" Sean exclaimed, clapping like a cheerleader.
"Yeah," Andrew cried.
Lance, Chris and Jay just stood by, mouths agape.
"I did NOT just see her do that," Chris said finally. He turned to Lance. "Did I actually just see that little girl do what I think she did to that giant?"
Lance nodded mutely, not taking his eyes off the ring.
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"You really are a fucking bitch, aren't you?" Beelz ranted.
"Some have said," Rio replied.
"Whatever," Beelz seethed as he lunged for her.
Rio back flipped twice, landing on the top of one of the turnbuckles. She glanced up briefly to clear her head and locked eyes with non other than Jeff Hardy. Rio grinned at him, then turned her attention back to Beelz, who was charging toward her from the opposite end of the ring. She let him get just close enough, then launched herself, grabbing him under his arms by her legs. She flipped him over so that he hit the mat hard, with all of her weight landing on the back of his head, stunning him.
Beelz lay motionless for a few seconds, dazed. He shook his head a couple of times to clear it.
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"She looked at ya, Jeffro" Matt laughed lightly.
"I don' think so, Matty," Jeff replied. "She's too focused on him right now."
"Oh, she saw ya," Matt assured his brother. "She looked right atcha before she flipped him."
Jeff shook his head slowly. It wasn't that he didn't want her attention. He just didn't believe a fighter with her skills paid any attention to the crowd. How could she concentrate if she did? Especially with Sean and Drew shouting like fools from the front row on the other side of the ring.
"Yes she did," Amy chimed in. "I think ya have a little silver fan."
Jeff grinned at the thought, not taking his eyes off the ring.
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Beelz was thoroughly pissed now. He knew he shouldn't be, not wanting to become the victim of his own strategy. But this bitch was pushing the limit. Where the hell was his distraction anyway?
Rio grinned again. It was as if she could see Beelz's thoughts above his head like a cartoon. It must be time for her demise to unfold.
As if on cue, out streaked Snake Eyes, running to the ring. Rio grinned again and rubbed her hands together.
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"Where the hell did he come from?" demanded Andrew, leaning forward against the blockade. He somehow knew this newcomer wasn't coming in to help Rio.
Sean looked up at him with worried eyes. He also knew this was a bad sign.
Lance, Chris and Jay could not turn away from the action. At least he now knew what Sean and Billy were gushing about, Chris thought grimly.
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Jeff fisted his hands at his side while Matt clutched his shoulder.
"Jeff, ya cain't go in thar," Matt said, his southern drawl becoming more pronounced as he worried about his brother.
"She cain't handle TWO of them, Matt!" Jeff said between gritted teeth, also drawling heavily.
"When did she become that important to ya?" Amy demanded.
Jeff looked over at her in dismay. He knew she was right. After all, he'd never even met the girl. Still, it rubbed him wrong to see two large men beating up on one tiny woman. But this was not his arena and it was her fight. He clenched his fists tighter and watched Rio.
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Rio saw Jeff's reaction out of the corner of her eye. 'Please do not follow that instinct,' she silently pleaded. 'I cannot take them out and save you, too.' She glanced over to the other side of the ring and saw that Andrew's expression mirrored Jeff's. 'Perfect,' she huffed to herself. 'Two guardian angels to defend.'
Rio turned her attention back to the two men in the ring. She had backed up into a corner to keep them both within sight. It wasn't necessary, as her senses never failed her. She would know whether either of them approached her from behind. She wanted them to momentarily think she was frightened. It would make them complacent.
Snake slanted a lopsided grin at Beelz. He was not as tall as his companion, but he was stockier. He was clad in a pair of deep purple tights and a black tank.
Beelz looked at Snake and gestured toward Rio, offering the other man a first shot at her. Neither noticed Rio's smile. When Snake Eyes turned back to the small silver woman, she roundhouse kicked him in the jaw with such force he was knocked about five feet back and flat on his ass. Beelz gasped in shock. As he regarded his fallen partner, he missed the flying drop kick to his ribs. He heard a crack and went down heavily. The crowd went crazy!
Rio cocked her head to the side, viewing her handiwork, then she glanced up searching for Jeff Hardy's eyes. She locked her mirrored gaze with his and grinned widely. His eyes widened noticeably. Rio then vaulted up on a corner turnbuckle and turned to face the prone Snake Eyes. She flipped herself off the corner and landed on Snake's chest, eliciting another audible cracking sound.
She then sauntered back over to Beelz and kicked him in the side. He shrieked and hit the mat repeatedly in surrender. Rio stepped back and allowed the medics in to collect their charges.
She smiled at Andrew in the audience, who waved at her. She then turned around to find Jeff clapping and staring at her in awe. She grinned again and leaned into her customary bow, never losing sight of him. Then she was gone, trotting back up the ramp.
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"What do you think of her now?" Sean asked Jay triumphantly.
"She's awesome," Jay responded reverently. He was already planning to call Adam when he got back to his hotel. Good thing Lance stayed up all night after Raw. Jay didn't think he'd appreciate the long phone call otherwise.
"Yeah," Chris agreed. "She is a tough little girl."
"Why the hell is she fighting in a brutal sport like this, though?" Lance asked.
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"I tol' ya she was lookin' atcha," Matt said, clapping his brother on the back as they waited for the arena to clear out a little. Even though he knew some of the fans recognized them, Matt noticed that no one approached them for an autograph. He found that weird, but was grateful for the respite.
"Yeah," Jeff said. "I guess she was." He was still trying to process what he'd just witnessed.
"I believe that was a modified Swanton Bomb," Amy said. "Ya gonna try t' find her an' ask her out?"
Jeff toyed with the ends of his neon orange hair. "An' just HOW am I supposed t' do that?"
Amy smirked. "I was jus' kiddin', Jeffy. Don' even try t' get her. She's dangerous."
Matt nodded. "I think some things are betta off left alone.
Jeff raised an eyebrow and stood to follow them out the door. He didn't notice Andrew's glare from the other side of the arena.
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"Fancy meeting you here, Czarina," Beelz said coldly.
Rio allowed a golden eyebrow to rise slightly above her mirrored glasses. Beelz was known as much for his psychological warfare as for his fighting prowess. She paced silently in front of him.
"What? No hello?" he sneered.
Rio stopped moving and smiled. "What's the matter, Beelz?" she asked. "Are you that lonely that you've resorted to hitting on your opponents?"
Beelz didn't even flinch. He had a very thick skin when it came to in-ring banter. He found that it served him very well. When opponents found they couldn't get a rise out of him, they tended to attack chaotically, making mistakes.
"Now why would I want to hit on a little boy like you?"
Rio laughed softly at the taunt. "Little boy? Very original."
Beelz was becoming frustrated. She seemed to have as thick a skin as he had. There had to be some chink in her mental armor. "Why do you like to fight the big boys anyway, short stuff? Are you into S&M or something?"
Rio grinned again. "Nah. I could get that anywhere," she returned. "Like you, I want the money."
That told him very little. "Why would you need so much money, sweetie?" he asked with growing curiosity. "You don't have a little monkey problem, do you?"
She laughed at this. Concern for her welfare? Probably not. Still, she found it amusing. "No, no," she assured him. "Drugs aren't my style, Beelz. Thanks for caring though . . ."
Beelz eyes grew hard behind his red mask. The woman was made of stone. It didn't matter anyway. Her short career would be over soon.
--------------------------------------
Jeff watched the two fighters circle each other warily, speaking lowly to each other. As in his profession, he knew they weren't exchanging recipes. He wasn't sure about the other matches he'd seen so far, but this one had him on the edge of his seat. He felt a slight tap on his shoulder and shifted his attention to his brother, Matt, seated next to him.
"Ya havin' a good time, bro?" Matt asked.
"Yeah, it's cool," said Jeff, nodding.
"I know ya said ya wanted to go to th' club," Matt said, apologetically. "But Sean sounded so excited about this thing. I wanted to check it out."
"S'ok," Jeff waved him off. He'd forgotten about the club anyway.
Amy peaked over from behind Matt's shoulder. "What do ya think the odds are for this kid?"
"Not good," Jeff said sadly, switching his gaze back to the ring.
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Rio decided to let Beelz throw the first volley. It would help her throw off his concentration if he thought he could take her down easily. Beelz complied, kicking out toward her knee. She sidestepped, letting him graze her just a bit.
"Pay attention, Quick Silver," Beelz laughed.
Rio smiled. "My turn," she said, and swung her body low, catching both his legs at once, pulling them out from under him. Before he had time to react, she flipped herself back up to a standing position and delivered a kick to his stomach.
"FUCK!" Beelz grunted loudly.
"No thanks," Rio smiled sweetly. "I tend to stay within the human species."
Beelz pulled himself up and glared at her from a corner of the ring. Rio slowly paced closer to him, looking out to the side of the ring. Then, with lightning quick movements, she turned and drop kicked him in the face. Beelz fell back to the floor holding his bleeding nose.
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"Holy SHIT!" Sean exclaimed, clapping like a cheerleader.
"Yeah," Andrew cried.
Lance, Chris and Jay just stood by, mouths agape.
"I did NOT just see her do that," Chris said finally. He turned to Lance. "Did I actually just see that little girl do what I think she did to that giant?"
Lance nodded mutely, not taking his eyes off the ring.
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"You really are a fucking bitch, aren't you?" Beelz ranted.
"Some have said," Rio replied.
"Whatever," Beelz seethed as he lunged for her.
Rio back flipped twice, landing on the top of one of the turnbuckles. She glanced up briefly to clear her head and locked eyes with non other than Jeff Hardy. Rio grinned at him, then turned her attention back to Beelz, who was charging toward her from the opposite end of the ring. She let him get just close enough, then launched herself, grabbing him under his arms by her legs. She flipped him over so that he hit the mat hard, with all of her weight landing on the back of his head, stunning him.
Beelz lay motionless for a few seconds, dazed. He shook his head a couple of times to clear it.
--------------------------------------
"She looked at ya, Jeffro" Matt laughed lightly.
"I don' think so, Matty," Jeff replied. "She's too focused on him right now."
"Oh, she saw ya," Matt assured his brother. "She looked right atcha before she flipped him."
Jeff shook his head slowly. It wasn't that he didn't want her attention. He just didn't believe a fighter with her skills paid any attention to the crowd. How could she concentrate if she did? Especially with Sean and Drew shouting like fools from the front row on the other side of the ring.
"Yes she did," Amy chimed in. "I think ya have a little silver fan."
Jeff grinned at the thought, not taking his eyes off the ring.
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Beelz was thoroughly pissed now. He knew he shouldn't be, not wanting to become the victim of his own strategy. But this bitch was pushing the limit. Where the hell was his distraction anyway?
Rio grinned again. It was as if she could see Beelz's thoughts above his head like a cartoon. It must be time for her demise to unfold.
As if on cue, out streaked Snake Eyes, running to the ring. Rio grinned again and rubbed her hands together.
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"Where the hell did he come from?" demanded Andrew, leaning forward against the blockade. He somehow knew this newcomer wasn't coming in to help Rio.
Sean looked up at him with worried eyes. He also knew this was a bad sign.
Lance, Chris and Jay could not turn away from the action. At least he now knew what Sean and Billy were gushing about, Chris thought grimly.
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Jeff fisted his hands at his side while Matt clutched his shoulder.
"Jeff, ya cain't go in thar," Matt said, his southern drawl becoming more pronounced as he worried about his brother.
"She cain't handle TWO of them, Matt!" Jeff said between gritted teeth, also drawling heavily.
"When did she become that important to ya?" Amy demanded.
Jeff looked over at her in dismay. He knew she was right. After all, he'd never even met the girl. Still, it rubbed him wrong to see two large men beating up on one tiny woman. But this was not his arena and it was her fight. He clenched his fists tighter and watched Rio.
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Rio saw Jeff's reaction out of the corner of her eye. 'Please do not follow that instinct,' she silently pleaded. 'I cannot take them out and save you, too.' She glanced over to the other side of the ring and saw that Andrew's expression mirrored Jeff's. 'Perfect,' she huffed to herself. 'Two guardian angels to defend.'
Rio turned her attention back to the two men in the ring. She had backed up into a corner to keep them both within sight. It wasn't necessary, as her senses never failed her. She would know whether either of them approached her from behind. She wanted them to momentarily think she was frightened. It would make them complacent.
Snake slanted a lopsided grin at Beelz. He was not as tall as his companion, but he was stockier. He was clad in a pair of deep purple tights and a black tank.
Beelz looked at Snake and gestured toward Rio, offering the other man a first shot at her. Neither noticed Rio's smile. When Snake Eyes turned back to the small silver woman, she roundhouse kicked him in the jaw with such force he was knocked about five feet back and flat on his ass. Beelz gasped in shock. As he regarded his fallen partner, he missed the flying drop kick to his ribs. He heard a crack and went down heavily. The crowd went crazy!
Rio cocked her head to the side, viewing her handiwork, then she glanced up searching for Jeff Hardy's eyes. She locked her mirrored gaze with his and grinned widely. His eyes widened noticeably. Rio then vaulted up on a corner turnbuckle and turned to face the prone Snake Eyes. She flipped herself off the corner and landed on Snake's chest, eliciting another audible cracking sound.
She then sauntered back over to Beelz and kicked him in the side. He shrieked and hit the mat repeatedly in surrender. Rio stepped back and allowed the medics in to collect their charges.
She smiled at Andrew in the audience, who waved at her. She then turned around to find Jeff clapping and staring at her in awe. She grinned again and leaned into her customary bow, never losing sight of him. Then she was gone, trotting back up the ramp.
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"What do you think of her now?" Sean asked Jay triumphantly.
"She's awesome," Jay responded reverently. He was already planning to call Adam when he got back to his hotel. Good thing Lance stayed up all night after Raw. Jay didn't think he'd appreciate the long phone call otherwise.
"Yeah," Chris agreed. "She is a tough little girl."
"Why the hell is she fighting in a brutal sport like this, though?" Lance asked.
--------------------------------------
"I tol' ya she was lookin' atcha," Matt said, clapping his brother on the back as they waited for the arena to clear out a little. Even though he knew some of the fans recognized them, Matt noticed that no one approached them for an autograph. He found that weird, but was grateful for the respite.
"Yeah," Jeff said. "I guess she was." He was still trying to process what he'd just witnessed.
"I believe that was a modified Swanton Bomb," Amy said. "Ya gonna try t' find her an' ask her out?"
Jeff toyed with the ends of his neon orange hair. "An' just HOW am I supposed t' do that?"
Amy smirked. "I was jus' kiddin', Jeffy. Don' even try t' get her. She's dangerous."
Matt nodded. "I think some things are betta off left alone.
Jeff raised an eyebrow and stood to follow them out the door. He didn't notice Andrew's glare from the other side of the arena.