Damaged Goods

Ch9. Freedom-all it's cracked up to be

Disclaimer- I own nothing and no one you recognize. . .yet . . .dun dun dun

She had been locked in the closet, hours days she didn't know she gagged time by her shallow yet rhythmic breathing.

Her mind raced back to when she had first been dumped out from the duffel bag onto the hotel bed. How she had gasped at the new air that ran coolly across her heated face. Once her hungry lungs were satisfied she franticly tried to get away from her captor but he grabbed at her ankles pulling her constantly closer. "There's no escape Carrie, not from me" His eyes pulled her apart she felt bile build up in her throat.

"I'm going to be sick" She couldn't help but blurt out. She was met with a hard slap across the face.

"This isn't the place to have a smart mouth sweetheart" His weight was pressing hard on her dwarfed frame.

"Aggh, I'm. . .I'm serious I think I 'm overheated or something I'm going to hurl" She shook her head cringing, waiting for another slap but was surprised to feel him move off her.

"Well hurry I don't need this whole place smelling like your puke" He pushed her off the bed, she fell with a thud, straining to sit up. Her eye's darted to the door, to freedom. "Don't do anything you'll regret" He lifted her by her upper arm and shoved her in the direction of the bathroom. She scampered into the room closing the door sharply behind her collapsing to her knees resting her chin against the rim of the toilet tears forming at the corner of her eyes. 'I wish I had never gotten myself into this. . .I don't know if I can get myself out of it. I want to be home' She paused as thoughts of Kane came to her head she didn't want to be back in Oregon she wanted to feel safe in his arms. She had gotten sick and she just laid there till she heard a rattling of the door knob. "Get out here" he called. She thought it wise not to anger him beyond his simple madness and opened the door. He snatched at her hair pulling her eyes to his. "Willing to play nice?" His voice was oily and unpleasant. Carrie was too weak to speak but not weak enough to give up, she shook her head as best she could with her hair intertwined with his thick fingers. "Suit yourself I'll wear you down, I'll brake you Carrie, so far Kane wont even recognize you" He pulled her to the closet. "Do you think he'll want you back once he sees how ugly you've become" He chuckled in her ear, opening the door to the storage space. "Think about it, we'll have some fun later" And with a toss she was plopped down in the dark room. "Better then the bag doll?" He laughed. She could hear the bed creak under his weight on the other side of the room. 'Sad but true' She ran her hand down the wall closing her eyes since they were no use in the dark. She either passed out due to stress or fell into needed sleep, either way she felt her conscious mind slip into the emptiness of the humid closet.

It went on like that for what Carrie could only assume to be days. She had no knowledge of what time it was, the shades were close so she couldn't even recognize night or day. She hadn't the slightest idea where she was and the vulnerability that encompassed all of those gaps was eating away at her sanity. He would take her out of her space to toy with her, getting sick amusement in her anguish. All the same she waited for those moments, because that's when she got her only comfort, allowed to use the bathroom she could fill her stomach with water, the substance that was keeping her going, even without food. She was sure of only one thing, that she wouldn't survive long going on that way.

"Wake up" He gave her a sharp kick to the rib. Her eyes fluttered open and she tried to sit up. Pain swelled in every muscle as he half cradled half groped her to the bed. But the pain was becoming normal and that thought scared her to the core. "You'll be happy to know I'm almost done with you" He watched as hope flickered in her eyes. "But not till I take you. He wont want you now, now that the man that he hates has had his way with you. Hell he didn't want you in the first place. But you'll run to him like a lost pup dragging him down into your issues. You're as good for him as I am Carrie. As good for anyone as a leech." He pinned her hands above her head with one of his hands, reaching down with the other. 'He's right I'm dirty with his touch now, he's broken me' her face was absent of emotion till she heard her shirt rip in his hand. 'I might not be worth anything but I cant let him do this' She began to flail under his hold. "Squirm Carrie, you know how it gets my blood flowing. Cry, cry for your friends, for Kane, cry for them to save you" He chuckled in her ear.

"Let go!" She was completely unable to get out till she took a drastic approach to get free. She bit down deep into his shoulder blade.

"You Whore" He tried to subdue her, but with every move he make Carrie found a new way to inflict pain, slowly but surely braking free finally getting off the bed . Once out of arms reach she sprinted out the door down the hall. 'just a bit farther' She pleaded with her body not to give out, her long legs burning with fatigue.

"Hey" a perturbed voice spouted at her as she zoomed passed. 'Joey Mercury? Smackdown? Or course the oaf knew that if the police were looking for him that it'd be better to hide with wrestlers just as big if not bigger then himself so he wouldn't stick out . Ok So where is Smackdown this week. Jeez you really should've paid attention to that meeting at the house show. But no you had to try, and eventually succeed in getting Kane to play rock paper scissors with you. . . Kane, am I going to go back to him I know what hotel they'd be at. . .but I'm broken I don't need to guilt trip im into worrying about me. So do I hop the next flight to Oregon or not even. . .do I just go off somewhere and try to fix me' She had to keep her mind running to keep her feet doing the same but she was so lost in thought that she had no time to react to the man walking the halls.

"Oof Sorry" Pure momentum sent her back a few steps but after those back steps she went to return to her sprint but a hand was curled around her wrist.

"What's your name?" He knew who she was. but The girl he had in hand was in such a panic he had to say something. He tried to look less intimidating but it was a near impossible task.
"Please let go. He's after me I've got to get away" She tugged at her arm but he was not loosening his grip.

"Alright I'll start, you can call me Taker" He watched how the words weren't even registering with her she was pulling even harder at that rate she would dislocate something.

"He'll Kill me when he finds me! Please just let me go" She finally looked at her arm trapping her in the hallway. 'That looks vaguely familiar' She traced it up following the tattoo's flow as it came to a shoulder and to chest and a torso and legs and back up to a face to a pair of blazing green eyes. 'huh' She gulped no longer tearing at his grasp.

"No one's going to kill you darlin. I'll make sure of it, but Carrie right? With all that hollering you're doing I can't be much to help you" he chuckled. She was the safest she had been for days but all she could do was nod. 'What do I have to lose' But her trusting nature was interrupted all the blood rushed from her face. "He. . .He found me" She cringed imagining what he'd do to her if he got his hands on her.

"Give her back!"

"Boy, you are in no position to tell me to give back what ain't yours" Carrie watched as Taker stepped in front of her blocking anything harmful from coming her way.

"Oh and she's yours now? Carrie are you aiming for the whole god damned family tree?" A horrible laugh pierced Carrie's ears. But she felt bolder, safely behind Taker's broad back.

"I'm not anyones" She paused to look up at her protector to see if she was pushing her luck.

"Oh now you chose to be quiet" taker peered over his shoulder rolling his eyes a smile flashing on his face for a moment.

"Loud or not I'm not anyones I'm mine. . .my own and proud of it" She folded her arms over her chest.

"No arguments here" He shrugged. With a turn of his glance all joking was gone from his demeanor all attempts at smoothing out his gruff voice squandered, a scowl etched across his face. "Now turn your sorry hide back in the direction of your room. Or I'll turn that sorry hide inside out" Taker snarled. There was a choking silence as the two men stared at one another. When a long minute passed Taker spoke again. "Carrie theses are the keys to my truck go sit in it. Lock the doors if you want" His voice was quieter but still dripped with animosity.

"O. . .Ok" She questioned why someone she barely knew was being so protective and caring but she wasn't about to question him. She started to walk to the hotel doors when the voice she had grown to hate spoke again.

"The big brother wont always be around to protect you, make up for Kane. I'll find you again, keep looking over your shoulders Carrie one day I'll be there" He grinned as he saw Carrie cringe in dread.

"Carrie get in the car" The coldness of Taker's voice sent a chill down Carrie's spine she wasn't scared just amazed by how he could change the mood of a room in a heartbeat. She sped up as she made her way down the hall but stopping out of sight feeling obligated to stay by the man that had stuck his neck out for her.

"I wont be around to watch over her but you'll wish I would. Because without me, it's Kane and he'll show none of the restraint I'm usin now. I'm leaving you with a warning, he'll leave you in a pool of yer own blood. Now you're not stupid enough to follow us?" When Taker was finished he waited, daring a word to come out from behind the mask. When none came a smirk lingered on Taker's face momentarily before laying a punch into the jaw of the idiot that dare messed with his family relations. "Consider that your warning" he wiped his hand against his pant leg with a disgusted look on his face.

"Goodness" Carrie was dumbfounded by how easily then man that had cause her so much turmoil had been put in her place.

"Do you always chose to ignore what people say?" Taker smirked surprised to hear her quiet voice.

"If I hadn't ignored you I would've missed that" Her slate blue eyes finally were calm knowing for at least a little while she was in no danger. "By the way. . .thanks for all that, it was very nice and slightly unexpected of you" She gave a small smile of praise.

"I'm hurt that you think I don't spend all my time runnin to the aid of damsels in distress" He watched as even as they talked casually the lanky girl was clutching her sides like she might spill out. "You need a doctor" He noted opening the door for her as they finally left the hotel.

"It's night" She stated in a very spacey tone breathing in the night air staring out at the ink colored sky.

"You need a doctor real bad" He corrected himself.

"hey lay off I've been couped in a closet for. . .What day is it?" She questioned. 'It's like I just came out of a coma' She chuckled at her sad situation.

"Saturday. How hard did you hit her head" He put a hand to her head but Carrie winced away from his touch.

"Don't" She gasped not reused to an nonthreatening touch.

"Sorry, Over here" He pointed to his truck inspecting her injuries from a distance. She looked like she had been through a war zone bruised and burned her hair matted and dark circled under her eyes shaking from what he guessed was nerves. Plain and simple she looked like hell and he had seen hell before in one form or another but this girl was still a sight to be seen.

"Where are we going?" Carrie knew she wanted to get far from the hotel grounds but she didn't know where she wanted to be. 'I know where I want to go, but where should I go?' She corrected herself.

"How about we get some meat on those bones?" He offered.

"That would be good" her stomach ached to be filled with something other then water.

"And Kane said you were difficult" Taker laughed.

"He said I was difficult? What else did he say about me" She pressed her face in the window letting the cold glass cool her pale face.

"difficult because you threw a salad at him" he chuckled at the thought.

"He called me scrawny" She defended herself a smile across her face remembering how she had turned at Kane and thrown her bowl at his head. She had quickly apologized and had began to pick off leafs of lettuce from his brow but though he hadn't protested at first after he found her to close for him to handle he had shot up and locked himself in the bathroom for an hour before coming out.

"Darlin you are scrawny, but don't worry my wife will have you over for dinner sometime and we'll fix that up" He shrugged.

"That would be nice but I barely know you" Carrie voiced her concern. "Your acting offly accommodatingly to me and I apologize, not to seem grateful but I'm suspicious as to what your intentions are." Carrie winced waiting for him to out lash at her rudeness.

"Caught me darlin, I was putting my best foot forward trying to make you stay"

"Huh?" Carrie rubbed her head 'Maybe I did hurt my head worse then I thought. He's not making any sense' She scrunched her face in confusion.

"There's been a lot of people that've treated Kane poorly over the years, myself included" he mumbled the last part as though the thoughts brought a bad taste to his mouth. "He's a hard bastard to get along with now and again" He was quick to add. "But he called me, twice in a months or so time, something I haven't known him to do. Not much of a phone man I suppose. But none the less he called me and do you know what he called about?" he saw how intently she had been listening to the drawn out explanation. Deciding not to wait for an answer he continued to drive looking for a fast food place down the road. "Carrie. He called about you the first time a few days after you came around. He told me how you scared him." he gave her a moment to let that work over as he pulled in a drive through and guessed his way through an order for them.

"Why would I scare him? What could I do to him?" She questioned.

"He was scared of you, because you weren't scared of him. Took away his wall from the world" He stated as though it was clear as day.

"He hates me? That I wrecked his wall or whatever?" She frowned 'Carrie what have you done. It's one think to wreck your own life but to Kane's too?' She warily took the food handed to her as hungry as she was she felt sick to her stomach.

"At first, some what" He nodded watch as she shook her curly hair over her face. "But mostly confused. He told me, these are his words 'I keep looking at her Taker, all the time I can't take my eyes off her. And sometimes she looks back. . .what in the hell am I supposed to do. She talks to me. . .I don't talk, do I seem like someone who can hold a conversation? She wont look at me like that anymore once she notices I can't do anything right' he was scared of losing you, even then" He watch her shake her head. "what?"

"he didn't want me not then not now losing me was on the top of his list. Please don't play cruel games like that" Carrie took fry and stuck it unhappily in her mouth.

"I'm too busy to play games little one" it was his turn to shake his head. "Last Monday he called again. He was stark raving mad Carrie no other way to put it. He swore and cursed everything and anything he could think to blame, but more so then less he blamed himself" He paused again waiting for a response.

"It wasn't his fault. It was mine I was running late. . .how could he think that?" She had a hint of panic in his voice.

"I don't know, but I can't say I agree with you. . .it wasn't your fault either" Taker was now driving south to Philadelphia Pennsylvania the next stop of Raw.

"That's nice of you to say" She yawned.

"The truth is nice sometimes." He nodded " You can rest now, think about what I said, Kane really cares about you, I think you two can make it through this" He was going to help Carrie get comfortable in the cab of his truck but he knew she didn't want to be touched so he watched as she lied awkwardly on the seat.

"Ok" She gave another hearty yawn the warm food in her stomach coaxing her into slumber.

"Night Darlin" he watched as her weighted eye lids closed.

"Carrie" Taker called trying to wake her.

"I don't want your stupid animal crackers Fisher" She mumbled in her sleep.

"Good cause your not getting any" Taker couldn't help but laugh, and that hearty laugh stirred her.

"Hmm what?" She wiped her eyes wincing slightly at the ache in her ribs as she sat up.

"You ok?" He questioned his decision to delay the doctor.

"Is the truck stopped?" Carrie looked out the window to see a stationary car beside the truck. "Where are we?" She opened the door.

"Philadelphia" Taker answered perplexed when she stopped her exit of the vehicle and closed the door. "Problem?" He watched her she squirmed in the seat. 'Here I am that sad pup running back to Kane. Will he want me? I feel worthless I don't even want me' She slouched wondering how long she could hide in that car. "Darlin I know it's a nice truck but don't you think Kane has beat himself over this long enough" he hinted, running his hand through his hair questioning what he had gotten himself into. 'Ok that answers that question, not long at all. You'll tell Kane that it's not his fault then . . .maybe Philly is a good place to start fresh?' She cautiously left the safe harbor of the truck and headed to the hotel turning around to make sure that he wasn't leaving her. "Right behind you. I'm over due for a greeting myself" he smirked at the understatement.

"Excuse me what room is um. . .Kane in?" Carrie asked quietly.

"room 290, are you two visitors do you have rooms here?" The attendant looked on in awe as she took in the sight that was Undertaker.

"Um not really" Carrie shrugged "Thank you" She walked to the elevator her heart speeding waiting to see what Kane would do.

"Wait for me, I had to let her gawk" Taker caught up to her as the doors opened.

"I'm sure your wife appreciates the gawking" Carrie rolled her eyes.

"Sure does, I still catch her once and a while giving me a good look over. You've got your eyes on another man but don't short change me as being homely" He laughed.

"You homely, I'd never dream of it you horribly sexy man you. Now that I'm done inflating your ego. Help me find Kane" She paced the halls till she found the door. 290.She stood there waiting for, well she didn't know but she was waiting for but she knew it didn't come.

"To sore to knock?" Taker questioned in a mocking tone.

"Wait till I can feel my legs again you are in so much trouble" being in the same building as Kane had given her a taste of her old confidence but it would take all she could muster to see him again. She took in a big breath of air and knocked on the door. "Kane?" She spoke into the door hating lingering there it made the sickness she felt earlier return.

"I'll send her to her friends if your not going to let her in" Taker knew Carrie needed real rest and real medical attention and it couldn't wait on Kane's leisure.

Had he heard her voice? he had been hearing it for days when he slept when he was alone in the halls her voice was always with him calling at him. But this time it wasn't just her it was 'My brother, Taker and Carrie? Oh God I want it to be her but if it's not if I'm let down again I'll have to strangle someone, maybe Sidney' The thought normally brought him a smile but he just sluggishly opened the door. "Carrie?" Kane reached out to touch her face to make sure his mind wasn't playing games. Though she cringed slightly ion impulse she didn't pull away from his touch.

"Kane" She was on the verge of tears. He pulled her into his chest hugging her as tight as he could till he felt her tighten in pain.

"Carrie You look horrible. . .You're back your safe Carrie" He lifted her off the floor to kiss her with the passion he thought he had lost with her completely ignoring the huge man in the door way. "I love you" He pulled away looking down at her holding his breath, he had to say it. She had been gone from his life and he was left with the knowledge that the woman he loved was gone and she didn't even know how much she meant to him. That she was everything to him. The breath caught in his lungs wouldn't be released till he heard her speak again, till she responded to the words he delivered.

A/n- Well The undertaker wasn't actually my first choice for my rescuer but once the idea was planted by a certain reviewer i ran with it and possibly screwed up entirely but I hope not because this is maybe my favorite chapter so far. I had to write this chapter three times to get it right What do you think?