Steve Austin was run around the entire arena before he made it back to the loading bay in time to watch the ambulance pull away.
"God damn it…" He grunted and punched a near by hi-lo.
"Is there a problem Mr. Austin?" Steve's blood boiled even hotter at the sound of that grating, gravelly voice.
"What the hell do you want Mc Mahon?" He glared at the CEO.
"I just got word about Kane. I came to check on him." He said innocently. "It looks like I missed him."
Stone Cold paced back and forth, furious.
"What are you doing here?" Vince continued. Austin stopped.
"The same as you I guess." He said non-comittally.
"You're just a concerned citizen aren't you?" Mr. Mc Mahon said taking a step toward Steve. Stone Cold met him half way.
"Of course I am." Steve smiled, and then turned down toward the dressing rooms.
"Oh Austin, don't think this little stunt got you out of the storyline. Consider it postponed. Nice try, though." Vince called after him. Stone Cold didn't even acknowledge him as he turned a corner.
The door to the trainers' room was locked. Lita knocked and waited for a response.
"What? Did you come to apologize?" Matt asked from a table when a medic answered the door.
Lita walked in, his face was bandaged and one of the medics was looking at his hand.
"Apologize for what?" Lita asked simply. "What happened to your hand?" Matt frowned and hid his hand under his leg.
"I got angry and punched a wall if you must know…" Lita rolled her eyes and took a step closer.
"Really now…" She turned to a trainer. "How long has he been in here?"
"He showed up just after we got Kane sent off in the ambulance." He said turning his attention back to Matt's hand.
Lita took another step toward him and picked up his hand, examining it. Suddenly she squeezed his middle knuckle.
"Ahh… Jesus Christ! What's the matter with you?" Matt screamed.
"Why did you attack Kane?" Lita hissed through gritted teeth and bent his wrist back to his arm. Matt twitched and tried to pull away.
"What the hell are you talking about? Matt Hardy doesn't just attack men in hallways!" He wrenched his arm free.
"That's right Matt; you'd rather pick on girls." She slapped him hard enough to turn his head and stormed out. It was almost time for her match.
Paul Bearer pulled up to the arena. Before the car had even stopped, Kane jumped out and headed inside, leaving Robin to catch up.
"Kane, where are you going?" She said running up and grabbing his arm.
"I'm going to change, and then I'm going to turn Matt Hardy's head into a canoe." He started walking but Robin didn't move.
"I don't like this. At least wait until you're up to speed." She pleaded.
"Trust me…" He picked her up and flung her over his shoulder continuing toward his locker room.
"Kane?" Lita said surprised when she saw her two friends at the end of the corridor.
The big man turned too quickly and wobbled, knocking Robin's head into a wall.
"That's it, put me down…" She demanded rubbing the side of her forehead. Kane giggled and did as he was asked, slowly. He'd come to the conclusion that the concussion couldn't be that bad. Now, only quick movement disoriented him.
"What are you doing here?" Lita asked rushing over to them.
"I've come to do something terrible to your ex."
"I got it started for you. I think I broke his finger, maybe his wrist too." Lita grinned.
"Now, what did he do to you?" Kane asked, suddenly gravely serious. Lita glared over at Robin, who just shrugged, not about to apologize for protecting her friend.
Lita looked down and the floor unwilling to admit he had done anything. Robin put her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Show him. He's just worried about you." Lita sighed and pulled up her shirt.
Kane sucked in his breath at the sight. No one did this to his friends, no one.
"I'm going to kill him." He said dangerously looking from Robin to Lita. His eyes showed the severity of the statement.
"Good…" Mr. Mc Mahon said interrupting as he walked toward them. Kane turned too quickly and his vision wavered.
"What the hell do you want Vince?" Lita sneered. Vince held up his arms feigning innocence.
"I was told Kane was back in the building. I was coming to check on him." Mr. Mc Mahon stepped up to the three of them and looked him over. "He looks okay to me."
Kane took one big step and Vince found himself nose to chest with the big man.
"I'm fine." He growled the sound rumbling through his chest. Vince backed up half a step. "I want Matt Hardy."
"That was uh… my thought exactly." The shorter man said suddenly considerably less sure of himself than he was a moment before. Kane nodded, taking Robin's hand and turning to walk away. "…Unfortunately, it can't be tonight." Kane turned back angrily. "Matt was taken to the hospital for X-rays." Vince turned his gaze on Lita.
"Apparently, someone broke his hand."
"Just his hand?" Lita asked casually. Vince swallowed hard and scowled at her.
"Why don't you three take tonight off? I've got nothing for you now anyway."
"What about my match?" Lita said angrily.
"I'm putting Stacy in, in your place." He said turning calmly and walking away. The three stood in stunned silence as he disappeared around a corner.
"HE…just…gave…Stacy…my title shot." Lita said, still comprehending the last few minutes.
"No, he's not." Robin growled taking Lita by the arm and hauling her toward their locker room. "Stacy can't wrestle if she's not here." Robin grinned evilly. "…Or if they can't find her." Lita's cockeyed smile worked its way across her lips. "Just follow my lead…" Robin finished and started running down the hall.
Now, alone in the corridor, Kane's knees buckled. God his head hurt. He leaned back against the wall and waited for everything to stop moving.
"Come on Kane, you can do this…" He told himself locking his knees so he didn't fall. The big man took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Once the world settled again, he opened them and smiled.
"You got a minute big man?" Kane turned to see his brother standing above him.
"How did I get down here?" He frowned.
"I'll tell you how. I just watched you slide down the wall." Taker chuckled and put out a hand for his brother. Kane took his hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.
"Jesus, I can't even see straight." He said to his brother holding his head and the wall for support.
"I'm not surprised." Undertaker said holding out a set of brass knuckles. "Guess where I found these." Kane snatched them out of his brother's hand.
"I didn't think that little bastard had this in him." Kane mused, rolling them around his palm.
"C'mon, let's get you somewhere else." Taker said walking Kane toward his locker room. "Sara's worried sick."
"Stacy? Stacy! There you are…" Robin burst into the women's locker room. "I just overheard the security. You've got to leave." Robin laid it on thick as she grabbed the other woman's arm.
"What are you talking about?" She said angrily and pulled away.
"I don't know all the details but the security guard stationed by the loading docks said something about a stalker…threatening phone calls…" Robin took her arm again and pulled her toward the door.
"Let go of me! I'm not going anywhere. I've got a title match up next." The blonde woman said sidling away from Robin and flouncing down onto a bench to lace her boots. Robin sighed and threw up her hands.
"Hey, I was just trying to help. Stay if you want but none of it sounded good to me."
"Well…thanks, I guess, but I'll be fine." Stacy said confused and suddenly at a loss for what to do.
Robin turned to her own bag and started to get suited up, feigning indifference to Stacy's choice.
Suddenly, the door creaked and Lita limped into the room. Robin stifled a giggle as Lita groaned and collapsed down onto the bench next to Stacy.
"Hey Stacy…" She said in passing and knocked the other woman's bag onto the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Let me get that stuff." Lita said bending slowly, painfully over to the upturned bag and dropping an envelope in with her things.
"No no… I'll get it." Stacy said irritably snatching up the bag and throwing the contents back inside. "What the…" She said coming to the envelope. Stacy sighed and ripped it open, reading the scrawled note inside.
Lita watched the woman's eyes as she read and tried desperately not to smile.
"Oh my God…" Stacy whispered and jammed the note back into its envelope.
"You okay?" Robin turned to her, looking very concerned. Stacy's eyes shot to her, then to the note, and finally to the door. "Stacy?" Robin pressed.
The other woman didn't say a word as she grabbed her things and tried to walk calmly from the room with horror etched on her face.
Robin didn't say anything until she was sure Stacy wasn't coming back.
"What did you write in there?" She finally asked looking incredulously at her friend. Lita jumped up smiling.
"Oh, I don't know. Something to the effect of horrible death and dismemberment… blah blah blah, and then maybe a marriage proposal." Lita swelled with pride.
"You are sick and wrong." Robin laughed. "I love that."
"Thank you, madam." Lita took a theatrical bow.
"You'd better get suited up. You're the last female on the roster tonight. Vince has to put you in." Lita smiled and hugged her friend.
"I'm going to go drag Kane back to the hotel. Come by when you get out of here if you like. I'm sure I'll need help keeping him awake." Robin laughed. Lita nodded and thanked her again as Robin headed toward Kane's private dressing room.