Chapter Two

To those who have followed this story, NO YOUR NOT SEEING THINGS! I finally got a chance to finish this chapter!

TITLE: Faded Chapter Two
AUTHOR: Juliet3:16
EMAIL: Sweetvalley99@aol.com, FYouWWF@aol.com, Juliet_316_2000@yahoo.com
RATING: PG - 13
CONTENT: VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE
CATEGORY: ADULT, ANGST, DRAMA
SPOILERS: Right after Fully Loaded 2000 with one huge change: Stephanie lost the Women's title to Lita before she caught Trish and Hunter in that compromising position. After Fully Loaded it's AU.
SUMMARY: A Plane crash changes everything.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing; Vince McMahon owns everything and everybody.
DISTRIBUTION: Fanfiction.net, Peja, everyone else, please ask.

Faded

Chapter Two

Contemplations

Mideon just stood there, for what seemed like an eternity, staring at a man, who for all intents and purposes should have been dead.

"Is there a problem?" the 'Taker look-alike asked with a questioning glare that to Mideon looked haunting and familiar.

"No - nothing," Mideon stammered nervously.

He picked up the check he was writing and hastily finished it and handed it over to the 'Taker look-alike.

While the clerk was confirming Mideon's check, Mideon seized the opportunity to stare at the man more clearly. There was a definite resemblance between the man in front of Mideon and the Deadman.

'No doubt about that,' Mideon thought, 'more than a passing resemblance.'

 "That all?" the man in front of Mideon asked again.

'Oh, God,' the man's all too familiar voice caused Mideon to nearly cream his pants again.

"No - no thanks," with that, Mideon grabbed the oilcan and left. It was only when he was halfway back to the hotel he was staying did he realize he'd forgotten to ask the guy's name!

The clerk watched Mideon rush off and turned away.

He wondered why Mideon looked and sounded so familiar.


_______________________________________________________________________________________

Mideon had raced out of the bike shop, his heart racing as fast as 'Taker's bike. His thoughts were running at ten times that.

'It couldn't be,' Mideon thought as the hotel came into view, could it? I mean 'Taker's did some pretty mean shit in the past, but could he really do that? Could he really come back from the dead? For real? IF that was 'Taker, then why didn't he recognize me? What about Stephanie? Is she still alive? And what if this IS true, would it do for Kane and Hunter and the rest of the Federation?

 All those questions swirled through his mind as he entered his hotel room. A change of clothes at the moment was first and foremost among his more immediate and pressing concerns.

"Hey man, did you get the oil can you needed for 'Taker's bike? Farooq, one of Mideon's roommates and a member of the tag team the Acolytes asked.

"Yeah, I did," Mideon said, hoping that he didn't show the nervousness he felt.

Farooq regarded the shorter man for a moment, as if the dark man knew that something was amiss with Mideon's behavior. Farooq then shook his head, clearing it of the idea.

"Look man, I'm going to look for Bradshaw," Farooq said, referring to his tag partner. "If I don't start now, I'll probably end up dragging both of our asses out of a pub fight. You going to be okay man?

"Yeah, I'm good. Go find 'Shaw," Mideon replied, a bit relieved when Farooq walked out of the hotel room, presumably to go pub searching for Bradshaw. Not only did it afford him the opportunity to change his pants (he was surprised that Farooq hadn't commented on the now obvious smell of urine coming from Mideon's soiled pants), but it also allowed him to consider the problem of the Undertaker. Or at least the man Mideon thought was the Undertaker.

He couldn't go to the Acolytes with it. Mideon had decided that even before he saw Farooq in their hotel room. While Farooq was one of the most levelheaded people he knew, Mideon was well aware of Bradshaw's hot-blooded temperament. Bradshaw would probably hit the 'Taker look-alike first and then ask questions if he felt like it later if Mideon told the big Texan. 'Taker's family was also out of the question for much the same reason. Kane was under too much constant surveillance for Mideon to go to him, and there was no way Mideon could put the torturous possibility to 'Taker's wife, Sara, and Paul Bearer. They'd been through too much wild goose chases courtesy of the man that currently controlled the World Wrestling Federation to put them through one more.

Mideon laid on the bed thinking: Who knew 'Taker enough, friend or foe, to be both levelheaded about the matter and be honest and objective enough to give Mideon the cold truth about whether the man in the shop was Undertaker or not?

Finally Mideon thought he'd hit upon the answer. It wasn't a perfect solution and Mideon certainly had reservations about calling him in on a matter as important as this. Mideon was forced to admit that the man was certainly impartial enough to either debunk or confirm Mideon's growing suspicions. The man had also matured, largely due to fatherhood. He was no longer the brash, cocky superstar that had been forced to retire due to injury. Not a perfect option, but it was the best Mideon could come up at the moment.

Mideon took out his cell phone and pushed the number for the International Operator.

"Hello, yes. I'd like to make a transatlantic call. If it can be put on this account, that would be appreciated," Mideon said, rattling off the account number that was being used by the WWF to pay for the promotional trip to England.

Bastard caused so much pain for the WWF, might as well pay for it, at least finically as a start,' Mideon thought bitterly.

He waited for a couple of minutes, then answering when the operator asked Mideon whom he wanted to call:

"Shawn Michaels."


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