Title: The Road Less Traveled (20/?)

Author: Esquirella

Rating: R (for violence in some chapters.)

Disclaimer: I own the Rio character and have written other stories with her. I own all non WWE characters. But I do not own the wrestlers. (Unfortunately. They are so cute!)

Synopsis: In this chapter: Shannon tries to pry secrets out of Rio, who tries just as hard to evade him. Matt feels cut off from Jeff and leans on Shannon.

Distribution: Just in case anyone's interested in it, please ask me first. More than likely, I will agree.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have heard the requests! As soon as I clean up the original Rio stories (I think my writing has evolved some over the past year) I will post them in the Original Fiction section and will let you all know that they are there.

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Rio had finished her daily workout and showered quickly. She'd been stepping up the pace a little to prepare for her title match, which was now less than a week away. Oddly for her, she'd decided to train at her home in Massachusetts. The house held so many memories that she found difficult to bear, yet impossible to ignore any longer. She was hoping she could regain a measure of relief from the dreams that were increasingly disturbing, but she'd yet to find it.

Deciding she'd done enough training for the day, Rio picked up her cell phone and dialed Shannon's number. She had promised she'd speak with him every week and if she didn't call today, she'd break that word. Shannon was out of breath when he answered.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, amused.

"Yeah," he laughed. ":Jus' finished runnin' through a match wit' one o' th' boys. I was beginnin' t' think you weren' gonna call."

"I promised you that I would," Rio replied. "I always keep my word."

"I see that ya do," Shannon said. "How ya doin'?"

"I am well, as usual. Why do you worry so much about my welfare, anyway? I can take care of myself"

"No doubt 'bout that," he chuckled. "I's not yo' physical welfare that' has me concerned."

Suddenly uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation, Rio decided to steer the subject clear of herself and into more neutral territory.

"How is Jeff?" she asked. "Have you spoken with him recently?"

"Ever'day," Shannon laughed. "He calls t' fin' out if I've spoken to you."

"You have told him then?" It was more statement than question.

"Yeah," he sighed. "'E didn' take it well. 'E said t' tell ya t' keep emailing 'im, as Matt didn' mention email."

"I do not think that would be a good idea," she said thoughtfully. "It is a technicality and should Matt find out, he would accuse me of lying to him."

"Jus' email Jeff, Rio," he replied. "Y'kno' he'll go crazy on me if ya don't."

Rio did not like being the cause of any of Jeff's distress. She knew he and Andrew were not going to like her decision and would probably be very angry with Matt.

"He did not go after his brother, did he, Shannon?"

"Nope, I tol' 'im not to."

"Thank you," Rio said softly. "I do not want to be a source of friction between those two."

"Don' worry," he answered. "They'd be fightin' ova somethin' else if it wasn' you."

She managed a small laugh, but said nothing in response.

"Hey," he said. "Wha's yo' name anyway?"

"What my tights say: Rio Angele."

"Tha' cain' be whatcha motha named ya."

"It is what I named me," she said firmly.

"I don' bite, ya kno'," he coaxed. "I jus' wanna kno' a little mo' 'boutcha."

"There is not much to tell," she said. "Not much I care to remember."

Shannon sighed on the other end of the line and Rio could hear his frustration. Better he feel it now and move on, she thought, than to become attached and discover later on that she really is as bad as Matt says she is.

"Rio," he said in a soft but determined tone. "We are gonna become frien's no matta how much ya fight me on it. I kno' ya'll keep contactin' me till I letcha outta yo' promise an' tha's not gonna 'appen."

"It will someday, Shannon," she said sadly. "Either that, or something else will happen to sever our . . . connection, I believe you called it."

"Why d'ya say that?"

"It always happens that way," she explained. "Everybody I have ever cared about has left me or been taken from me. I find that it is less painful for me not to become attached at all."

"Soun's like an empty 'xistence t'me," he said grimly. "Can I at least ask whose leavin' hurtcha th' most?"

"I do not wish to talk about it," she answered shakily. "I do not think it is relevant or productive."

"Please?"

Rio sighed quietly to herself. She didn't know why this man was so curious and above all didn't want to bring back the old memories that make her nightmares even more hellish to endure. But, although she didn't know Shannon well, she did know he wouldn't let go unless she compromised in some small way. She decided she would draw the line, though, to keep control of the personal questions.

"If I answer that one question, do you promise you will let the matter drop?"

Apparently Shannon was onto that game, though. He wasn't as accommodating as Jeff when it came to subjects about which he was interested. If Shannon wanted answers, one way or another he would find them.

"Cain' promise that," he said. "Bu' I won' press ya 'bout yo' past unless I think yo' in trouble."

"What kind of trouble could I possibly be in that would result in the need for you to press me about information regarding my past?"

"Dunno yet," he answered. "Jus' keepin' m'options open. Now answer the question."

Rio regarded the man on the other end of the line silently for a moment, debating how much of her past she could live with dredging up should he decide to press her in the future. Finally, she decided to give him the smallest explanation she could to deflect him and then she would change the subject.

"The last one to be taken from me was my husband."

"Yo' husband?"

"Yes. That is all you have asked and all I say on that today," she said adamantly. "I have other news."

"Okay," he said hesitantly. Rio knew he was itching to ask her more questions, but she was just as strong-minded in her decision to drop the subject.

"I have finally achieved my title match."

"Yo' what?"

"Title match," she said patiently. She would have to explain it to him as he'd never seen her in the Warrior Series ring like the others had. "In my organization there is only one championship. Every fighter pursues a title match in the Warrior Series. It is the only reason we join."

"Why d'ya want th' title?"

"I will earn twice the money that I do now," she said. "Plus, I would be the first woman to ever hold the title. That, in itself, would be worth it. I am imagining Henry's sour face now."

"That sonuvabitch!" Shannon muttered. "I'd still like t' kick 'is ass fo' what 'e did!"

"Do not worry about him," Rio said. "He will not allow anyone to try to take out anymore WWE performers for a while. Grendel and Sinbad exposed him enough as it is."

"Still . . ."

"Shannon, if I win this title, and I intend to, he will be very embarrassed," she assured him.

"Embarrassed, nuthin'," he bristled. "I wanna see 'im hurt. Bad!"

Rio thought for a moment. She knew Shannon had a right to feel this way, after all Henry did pay men to try to end his career so that the Series could gain some recognition. But she also knew that once the WWE performer crossed that line, he would find it next to impossible to return.

"Shannon, do you think it is easy to live with the things that I do in the ring?"

"Neva thought 'bout it," he answered warily.

"Neither did Andrew before he was faced with the desire to hurt Jeff because of me. And neither did Jeff when he and I were talking about helping you."

"Where ya goin' wit' this, Rio?" he sighed. "This isn' th' same thin'."

"Isn't it?" she asked carefully. "If you were to hurt him like he tried to hurt you, does that not put you down to his level?"

"No' if 'e deserves it! An' I cain' think o' anyone mo' deservin'!"

"Agreed on that last part," she said. "But you do not deserve to become like him."

Shannon was quiet for a bit after that. Rio let him turn that over in his mind while she grabbed a water bottle and took a long swig.

"So then 'ow d'ya figure you deserve it?" he asked finally.

"Simple. I had no one left to concern themselves with my actions. It was not difficult for me to adjust."

"Ya do now, li'l girl," he said emphatically. "An' one day yo' gonna un'erstand that."

This man pulls few punches, Rio mused, I must be very careful about what I say to him.

"I must go for now, Shannon," she said.

"Can ya call me at least th' day b'fo' yo' title match?"

"Why?"

"Stop askin' me why!"

Rio smiled in spite of her discomfort with his proprietary attitude towards her.

"Stop making demands that make me ask why."

"I wanna wish ya luck an' letcha kno' what Jeff's up to," he added. "Y'kno' ya wanna keep tabs on 'im as much as 'e does you. An' Drew, too."

She paused for a moment, contemplating his very blatant bribe. He knew just how to get to her and that could end up being a problem. But she did want to know how Jeff and Andrew were doing and Shannon was a more reliable source than email. Lord knows she wanted to keep as much information about her friendships from Justin and Sven as possible. Those mother hens would probably have little positive statements about the situation. Still, she was going to have tread very carefully around Shannon. He'd already made it plain he would not be easy to deal with.

"I will speak with you before my match," she conceded. "Good bye."

"Fo' now."

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Shannon hung up the phone and slipped it into his shorts' pocket, processing the conversation he'd just had with Rio. She was going to struggle with him every step of the way, he could see. And she wasn't going to be easy to save either. He had to fight for every nugget of information he could get from her. And he knew she was aware of what he was up to, too. He'd made sure if it, wanting her to focus on what he was trying to do. If he had her full attention, she would be aware of him and that's what he was starting to want more than anything. He looked up as Matt ambled over to where he stood.

"Ya takin' a shower, right?" Matt smiled. "I don' wanna room wit' yo' stink."

"I was jus' goin' in."

"Who were ya talkin' to, an'way?" Matt pressed, following Shannon into the gym's locker room. "It looked pretty serious."

"Checkin' up on me?" Shannon raised an eyebrow at Matt as he waited for an answer. No way was he going to let Matt get involved in this Rio connection.

"Jus' wonderin'," Matt said putting his hands in his pants pockets and giving his friend a quizzical glance. "Jeff tol' me ya heard ever'thin' Rio an' I discussed."

"So ya think that was Rio?"

"Nah," Matt said looking away, obviously becoming uncomfortable under Shannon's direct and pointed stare. "I was jus' tryin' t' see where we stan'?"

This surprised Shannon. Matt Hardy had never really been concerned about where he stood with him before. Shannon was Jeff's best friend and Shane was Matt's. Although all four of them were pretty close, they'd always been informally divided into two separate pairs of friendships. For Matt to worry about what Shannon thought of him was completely unexpected.

"We stan' where we always 'ave, Matt," he replied slowly. "Why?"

Matt shrugged still not meeting Shannon's eyes. "I kno' yo' as mad as Jeff 'bout th' whole conversation I had wit' her. I jus' wan'ed to kno' now if yo' gonna walk away fro' me like Jeff did."

Now Shannon understood. Since Matt and Jeff had been moved to separate shows, the two brothers hadn't seen each other as often. Their bond was very strong, though and when the split first happened, Jeff called Matt almost every night, and when he didn't Matt called him. Since Shannon's Indy match, though, that had all changed and Jeff was clinging more to Shane and, curiously enough, Drew. Matt had gradually tried to work himself closer to Shannon, and now the younger man pieced it together. Matt was afraid he'd lost Jeff and had never been without that brotherly bond before. Alone, he clutched at the closest person he had to a brother right now: Shannon. It was ironic that Matt felt as isolated as Rio really was. Even though everyone knew Jeff would never really cut himself off from Matt permanently. Well, everyone but Matt, it seemed.

"I'm still yo' frien' Matt," Shannon said, noting that Matt finally looked up when he heard that. "I won' leave ya. Bu' I won' pretend whatcha did was right."

"Yo' still closer ta Jeff," Matt said matter-of-factly.

"Aren' you?" Shannon shot back.

"I dunno," Matt sighed.

"Look, Matt, I don' mind bein' yo' substitute baby brotha," he said to the older man. "Bu' Jeff's no' really gone an' eventually 'e'll want th' honors back."

Matt smiled. "I'd give 'em back, bu' you'd still be a baby brotha t' me, Shan."

"Good t' kno'" Shannon smiled as he grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. "Jus' wait fo' me, 'kay?"

"You got it," Matt called after him.