Title: The Road Less Traveled (29/?)
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: Sven finds out about Shannon. And Shannon finds out about Fury's injuries. How will Rio keep both of them calm?
Distribution: Just in case anyone's interested in it, please ask me first. More than likely, I will agree.
--------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I swear, I'm working on Rio's first stories. You want to see how this one ends, don't you? Please bear with me.
--------------------------------------
Rio's phone rang in the middle of the night. She squirmed against Shannon trying to reach over him to the nightstand from where the offending noise emanated. His arms clamped around her waist and he sleepily attacked her ear tenderly with his teeth. She giggled quietly and clasped the phone bringing it back with her.
"I have to answer the phone, Shannon," she protested mockingly. "You can molest me after."
"Deal," he laughed. "Who's callin' ya at this hour anyway?"
"Probably Justin or Sven," she replied, knowing it would produce another avalanche of questions from her possessive lover.
"Who?"
"The men who trained me."
Shannon stiffened and tightened his arms around her. She could feel his mind slam into motion as he waited for her to answer the ringing phone.
"Hello?"
"Sweet One!" Sven greeted her. "Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"
Rio blushed to the roots of her hair, not knowing how to tell her 'fathers' about her new relationship. How would they take it? Probably cautiously, as they did everything else that affected her. She knew they would find out about it sooner or later. Okay, sooner rather than later. It would definitely be better if she told them herself. But here and now? With Shannon listening to every word she said? It seemed as though there would be no choice in the matter. She was glad she was speaking to Sven first as he seemed more approachable than Justin.
"I am with Shannon, Sven." As Shannon was nuzzling her neck at the time she could feel his lips curve into a smile.
"You are with Shannon?" Sven asked casually . . . too casually. "As in WITH Shannon."
"Yes," Rio answered.
"Do you think that is a good idea?"
"Not necessarily," she admitted. "But it is done now and we are together."
Sven silently assimilated this information while Rio waited, hoping that she could explain this situation to his satisfaction, as Sven could be as unforgiving as Justin when it came to her welfare. She'd always wondered why neither man had started a family sooner as they both so easily took to the protective fatherly role.
"He forced this relationship on you?" Sven finally asked tightly.
"Absolutely not," Rio said emphatically. "I wanted it . . . I wanted him."
Shannon raised his head to look down at her in the darkness. She could barely make out his shadowy features in the night. He wore an expression that was partly possessive and partly grateful, she assumed, for her defending him. She smiled lightly at him and caressed his jaw line.
"You wanted him?"
"I know you are surprised as I have not displayed interest in anyone for as long as you two have known me," Rio said softly, noting that Shannon was watching her very carefully as she spoke. "I believe, however, that you always have a great deal of respect for my decisions and will not interfere as long as you see that I am unharmed."
"You always know how to diffuse me, do you not Sweet One," Sven said with a smile in his voice. "May I speak with him?"
"I do not feel that is necessary," Rio replied quickly, unsure of what would be said between the two men. "He is a good man, Sven."
"I will not say or do anything harmful to him, sweet," he assured her. "I just want to 'meet' the man who has captured your interest."
"Wha's goin' on?" Shannon asked her perplexed.
"He would like to have a word with you."
He stared back at her with an unreadable expression then held his hand out for her phone. "You are sure?" she mouthed to him, and he nodded. She slowly handed him the receiver.
--------------------------------------
Sven gripped the phone waiting for Shannon to come on. Justin had gone out to the store a short time ago and Sven was grateful for that, as the other man would no doubt respond fearfully to this new development. Rio was a very unstable creature and both of them knew that when the time came for her to embark on a relationship she would be extremely vulnerable to the man she chose. He'd had a hunch that it would be with one of her new friends as she was spending more and more time communicating with them. He'd assumed it would have been Jeff, though, as he seemed to be the one with whom she had the longest discussions. But then she'd been calling Shannon most frequently lately, so Sven hadn't been taken completely off guard.
"'Lo?"
"You are Shannon then?" Sven asked without preamble. He needed to assess the young man objectively before he passed judgment, as he would be the one explaining the circumstances to Justin.
"Tha's me."
"You are aware that Rio has two very protective guardians watching out for her?"
"Vaguely," came the reply. "She isn' vera forthcomin' 'bout 'er past."
"Yes," Sven said evenly. "We trained her to be that way."
"She's no' a dog," Shannon said hotly.
The Scandinavian man smiled at the outburst. It was good that Shannon was so quick to defend their small charge. It meant he had actual feelings for her.
"I never said that she was."
"Ya talk about 'er like she is," the young man growled. "I don' like it."
"We have known her far longer and far better than you," Sven goaded him. "Do not presume that we do not care for her because of how we talk about her. She knows us well. She is aware of our feelings."
"Why'dja dump 'er afta ya trained 'er then?"
Sven arched an eyebrow at how much the man knew about Rio. To his knowledge she'd never divulged such personal information before to anyone other than himself and Justin. The relationship had progressed quickly.
"She had unfinished business with the world," he said evasively. "We fully intend to bring her back to us when she has done what she set out to do."
"Sorry t' change yo' plans," Shannon said in a dangerous tone. "I'm no' lettin' 'er go. Eva."
"You would have little choice in the matter, my friend. We do not take any chances with her. She is family to us."
"I kno' that, but she belongs t' me now."
"Now who is treating her like a dog?" Sven asked in a tone that surpassed Shannon's in danger. "She was hurt much too severely for us to allow anyone to take her away from us. We will not stand for it. Justin, in particular, will see to it that she remains with us."
"I cain' letter go, man. I care fo' 'er too much."
"Indeed."
"I'm not out ta hurt 'er. She's safe wit' me."
"Is she now?" Sven returned. "You do not mind becoming her Achilles' heel then, do you?"
"Wha's that supposed ta mean?"
"I know that you have learned little of her past and I cannot break that trust with her," Sven said coolly. "But suffice it to say Rio cannot handle anything bad happening to her significant other again. She's already lived through it once. If you continue to try to attend her fights, Henry will sense the relationship like a shark smells blood and use it to take her down. Should anything at all happen to you, even if she is not physically injured, she will be destroyed."
The young wrestler contemplated this information carefully before speaking. Sven admired the man's loyalty to Rio. It seemed the new relationship was not built on any shallow infatuation.
"I git it," Shannon said finally. "But I won' quit bein' wit' 'er, sir. I cain' giver up."
"As long as you put her safety first you have nothing to fear from us," the older man assured him. "Please return the phone to Rio."
--------------------------------------
Shannon handed the phone back to Rio and snuggled in close to her as she spoke with her 'father' again. He didn't know what to make of the man he'd just spoken with and felt he was treading on very thin ice as it was. He also didn't learn anything radically new about her other than that she wouldn't be able to survive losing him. He knew it was selfish to be warmed by that dire statement but he couldn't help it. It meant that she cared more for him than she was willing to let on.
"I told you I am fine, Sven. Now tell me about Fury."
Shannon's ears perked at the sound of the former Warrior Series champ's name. What did her trainers have to do with Fury?
"Does he recall anything about the attack?"
Shannon moved in closer to Rio to try to hear what Sven might be saying but the phone was on her other side and she was too deep into the conversation to notice his expression.
"Do you think he will be able to walk again?" Rio asked anxiously, furrowing her brow. Shannon watched as she listened intently.
"You will call me if you two find out anything further about that, yes?" she said then smiled. "I realize you are not new at this. Good bye, Sven."
Shannon turned her back to face him as soon as she set the phone back on the nightstand. He looked at her for a long moment before pulling her in for a deep kiss and a tight embrace. After, he raised himself up so he could look down at her.
"Why do they 'ave Fury?"
She shifted uncomfortably beneath him but his body weight pinned her to the bed so that she was confined to the spot she was in. He wanted to make sure he had her complete attention.
"They found him in a hospital after the championship. He was in a comatose state that they could not blame on his injuries from the match."
"Wha'd they fin'?" Shannon asked keeping his tone neutral. He knew Rio was very loyal to the two men who trained her and would take big exception to any accusations he launched.
"They ran a blood test and found a toxin that should not have been there," she licked her lips nervously. "They are treating him and hoping he can shed some light on how it got there."
"They suspect tha' bastahd Henry, don' they?" he grunted.
She said nothing but nodded.
"Ya hafta leave that place, baby. I's no good fo' ya."
"Not yet, Shannon," she protested. "I am not finished yet."
"Tha's what I'm afraid of," he said. "When yo' finished, ya'll be really finished."
"I am cautious," she said. "And Justin and Sven never miss a match. They will protect me."
Shannon felt her shiver in frustration beneath him and knew that she was reacting to his heavy-handed approach to the problem. He was afraid that if he pushed this issue, which seemed to be of extreme importance to her, he might push her to disappear. She would not hesitate to go ahead with her plans regardless of his arguing.
"Jus' promise me ya'll be even mo' careful," he said stroking her breast languidly. "I couldn' take it if anythin' bad happened t' you eitha."
Her face softened and she nodded slowly, pulling him down into another kiss. He felt his body react to her immediately and felt the need to again imprint himself into her memory. Maybe then he could convince her to leave the Series.
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: Sven finds out about Shannon. And Shannon finds out about Fury's injuries. How will Rio keep both of them calm?
Distribution: Just in case anyone's interested in it, please ask me first. More than likely, I will agree.
--------------------------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I swear, I'm working on Rio's first stories. You want to see how this one ends, don't you? Please bear with me.
--------------------------------------
Rio's phone rang in the middle of the night. She squirmed against Shannon trying to reach over him to the nightstand from where the offending noise emanated. His arms clamped around her waist and he sleepily attacked her ear tenderly with his teeth. She giggled quietly and clasped the phone bringing it back with her.
"I have to answer the phone, Shannon," she protested mockingly. "You can molest me after."
"Deal," he laughed. "Who's callin' ya at this hour anyway?"
"Probably Justin or Sven," she replied, knowing it would produce another avalanche of questions from her possessive lover.
"Who?"
"The men who trained me."
Shannon stiffened and tightened his arms around her. She could feel his mind slam into motion as he waited for her to answer the ringing phone.
"Hello?"
"Sweet One!" Sven greeted her. "Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"
Rio blushed to the roots of her hair, not knowing how to tell her 'fathers' about her new relationship. How would they take it? Probably cautiously, as they did everything else that affected her. She knew they would find out about it sooner or later. Okay, sooner rather than later. It would definitely be better if she told them herself. But here and now? With Shannon listening to every word she said? It seemed as though there would be no choice in the matter. She was glad she was speaking to Sven first as he seemed more approachable than Justin.
"I am with Shannon, Sven." As Shannon was nuzzling her neck at the time she could feel his lips curve into a smile.
"You are with Shannon?" Sven asked casually . . . too casually. "As in WITH Shannon."
"Yes," Rio answered.
"Do you think that is a good idea?"
"Not necessarily," she admitted. "But it is done now and we are together."
Sven silently assimilated this information while Rio waited, hoping that she could explain this situation to his satisfaction, as Sven could be as unforgiving as Justin when it came to her welfare. She'd always wondered why neither man had started a family sooner as they both so easily took to the protective fatherly role.
"He forced this relationship on you?" Sven finally asked tightly.
"Absolutely not," Rio said emphatically. "I wanted it . . . I wanted him."
Shannon raised his head to look down at her in the darkness. She could barely make out his shadowy features in the night. He wore an expression that was partly possessive and partly grateful, she assumed, for her defending him. She smiled lightly at him and caressed his jaw line.
"You wanted him?"
"I know you are surprised as I have not displayed interest in anyone for as long as you two have known me," Rio said softly, noting that Shannon was watching her very carefully as she spoke. "I believe, however, that you always have a great deal of respect for my decisions and will not interfere as long as you see that I am unharmed."
"You always know how to diffuse me, do you not Sweet One," Sven said with a smile in his voice. "May I speak with him?"
"I do not feel that is necessary," Rio replied quickly, unsure of what would be said between the two men. "He is a good man, Sven."
"I will not say or do anything harmful to him, sweet," he assured her. "I just want to 'meet' the man who has captured your interest."
"Wha's goin' on?" Shannon asked her perplexed.
"He would like to have a word with you."
He stared back at her with an unreadable expression then held his hand out for her phone. "You are sure?" she mouthed to him, and he nodded. She slowly handed him the receiver.
--------------------------------------
Sven gripped the phone waiting for Shannon to come on. Justin had gone out to the store a short time ago and Sven was grateful for that, as the other man would no doubt respond fearfully to this new development. Rio was a very unstable creature and both of them knew that when the time came for her to embark on a relationship she would be extremely vulnerable to the man she chose. He'd had a hunch that it would be with one of her new friends as she was spending more and more time communicating with them. He'd assumed it would have been Jeff, though, as he seemed to be the one with whom she had the longest discussions. But then she'd been calling Shannon most frequently lately, so Sven hadn't been taken completely off guard.
"'Lo?"
"You are Shannon then?" Sven asked without preamble. He needed to assess the young man objectively before he passed judgment, as he would be the one explaining the circumstances to Justin.
"Tha's me."
"You are aware that Rio has two very protective guardians watching out for her?"
"Vaguely," came the reply. "She isn' vera forthcomin' 'bout 'er past."
"Yes," Sven said evenly. "We trained her to be that way."
"She's no' a dog," Shannon said hotly.
The Scandinavian man smiled at the outburst. It was good that Shannon was so quick to defend their small charge. It meant he had actual feelings for her.
"I never said that she was."
"Ya talk about 'er like she is," the young man growled. "I don' like it."
"We have known her far longer and far better than you," Sven goaded him. "Do not presume that we do not care for her because of how we talk about her. She knows us well. She is aware of our feelings."
"Why'dja dump 'er afta ya trained 'er then?"
Sven arched an eyebrow at how much the man knew about Rio. To his knowledge she'd never divulged such personal information before to anyone other than himself and Justin. The relationship had progressed quickly.
"She had unfinished business with the world," he said evasively. "We fully intend to bring her back to us when she has done what she set out to do."
"Sorry t' change yo' plans," Shannon said in a dangerous tone. "I'm no' lettin' 'er go. Eva."
"You would have little choice in the matter, my friend. We do not take any chances with her. She is family to us."
"I kno' that, but she belongs t' me now."
"Now who is treating her like a dog?" Sven asked in a tone that surpassed Shannon's in danger. "She was hurt much too severely for us to allow anyone to take her away from us. We will not stand for it. Justin, in particular, will see to it that she remains with us."
"I cain' letter go, man. I care fo' 'er too much."
"Indeed."
"I'm not out ta hurt 'er. She's safe wit' me."
"Is she now?" Sven returned. "You do not mind becoming her Achilles' heel then, do you?"
"Wha's that supposed ta mean?"
"I know that you have learned little of her past and I cannot break that trust with her," Sven said coolly. "But suffice it to say Rio cannot handle anything bad happening to her significant other again. She's already lived through it once. If you continue to try to attend her fights, Henry will sense the relationship like a shark smells blood and use it to take her down. Should anything at all happen to you, even if she is not physically injured, she will be destroyed."
The young wrestler contemplated this information carefully before speaking. Sven admired the man's loyalty to Rio. It seemed the new relationship was not built on any shallow infatuation.
"I git it," Shannon said finally. "But I won' quit bein' wit' 'er, sir. I cain' giver up."
"As long as you put her safety first you have nothing to fear from us," the older man assured him. "Please return the phone to Rio."
--------------------------------------
Shannon handed the phone back to Rio and snuggled in close to her as she spoke with her 'father' again. He didn't know what to make of the man he'd just spoken with and felt he was treading on very thin ice as it was. He also didn't learn anything radically new about her other than that she wouldn't be able to survive losing him. He knew it was selfish to be warmed by that dire statement but he couldn't help it. It meant that she cared more for him than she was willing to let on.
"I told you I am fine, Sven. Now tell me about Fury."
Shannon's ears perked at the sound of the former Warrior Series champ's name. What did her trainers have to do with Fury?
"Does he recall anything about the attack?"
Shannon moved in closer to Rio to try to hear what Sven might be saying but the phone was on her other side and she was too deep into the conversation to notice his expression.
"Do you think he will be able to walk again?" Rio asked anxiously, furrowing her brow. Shannon watched as she listened intently.
"You will call me if you two find out anything further about that, yes?" she said then smiled. "I realize you are not new at this. Good bye, Sven."
Shannon turned her back to face him as soon as she set the phone back on the nightstand. He looked at her for a long moment before pulling her in for a deep kiss and a tight embrace. After, he raised himself up so he could look down at her.
"Why do they 'ave Fury?"
She shifted uncomfortably beneath him but his body weight pinned her to the bed so that she was confined to the spot she was in. He wanted to make sure he had her complete attention.
"They found him in a hospital after the championship. He was in a comatose state that they could not blame on his injuries from the match."
"Wha'd they fin'?" Shannon asked keeping his tone neutral. He knew Rio was very loyal to the two men who trained her and would take big exception to any accusations he launched.
"They ran a blood test and found a toxin that should not have been there," she licked her lips nervously. "They are treating him and hoping he can shed some light on how it got there."
"They suspect tha' bastahd Henry, don' they?" he grunted.
She said nothing but nodded.
"Ya hafta leave that place, baby. I's no good fo' ya."
"Not yet, Shannon," she protested. "I am not finished yet."
"Tha's what I'm afraid of," he said. "When yo' finished, ya'll be really finished."
"I am cautious," she said. "And Justin and Sven never miss a match. They will protect me."
Shannon felt her shiver in frustration beneath him and knew that she was reacting to his heavy-handed approach to the problem. He was afraid that if he pushed this issue, which seemed to be of extreme importance to her, he might push her to disappear. She would not hesitate to go ahead with her plans regardless of his arguing.
"Jus' promise me ya'll be even mo' careful," he said stroking her breast languidly. "I couldn' take it if anythin' bad happened t' you eitha."
Her face softened and she nodded slowly, pulling him down into another kiss. He felt his body react to her immediately and felt the need to again imprint himself into her memory. Maybe then he could convince her to leave the Series.