John made it back to the arena within minutes, making a beeline to the gorilla. "Where the hell are Haas and Viscera?" he ground out to an agent.
"They are down at the ring. The match is almost over… Cena, where are you going?" the agent called nervously, watching as John angrily pushed the curtain aside and stalked down to the ring, much to the delight of the fans.
Vis and Charlie looked up and exchanged a look that said, "Oh shit!"
John kept his icy blue eyes on them until he reached the ring. Sliding in, he charged for Charlie, the closest. He speared him to the mat and started pounding on him. Viscera came from behind and started to pull John off, but HBK caught him with the Sweet Chin Music.
John began shouting things he wasn't even aware off. Below him, Charlie was covering up. His nose began to bleed and his lip was split open.
"Take it easy," Triple H said from behind.
John jumped off Charlie, spinning to face Hunter. Then his eyes locked on Viscera. Storming past Hunter, he pounced on the man in the world's largest pajamas, beating him relentlessly until he too was bleeding.
"Hey! John, stop! Have you completely lost your mind?" John heard Mike Chioda yell, He turned, all of his rage going out on the referee as he slugged him in the jaw, sending the senior referee reeling, taking out Jack Doan and Chad Patton as well.
Jumping out of the ring, he tore the cover off the announce table. Sliding back in, he grabbed Charlie by the hair and placed him on the table. When the Texas native sat up, John grabbed a chair and smashed him in the face with it, knocking the young wrestler out. Reaching into the ring, he grabbed Viscera, rolling the big man out of the ring.
"No, John, stop!" he heard, but he had no clue who it was. Using superhuman strength, John hoisted Viscera up on his shoulders, delivering an FU through Charlie and the table.
Back at the hotel, Lilian drowsily stirred. Remembering what happened, she sat up, shocked to see her hands untied. "Oh, God," she cried out, stumbling up off the bed and too the door. It took a few moments, but she managed to open the door.
She stumbled into the hall, startling one of the patrons. She didn't notice the surprised look, however; Lilian's mind was only on one thing: getting back to the arena.
The back door opened slowly, causing several of the crew members to abandon their conversations. Lilian practically dragged herself into the arena. Her face was flushed and her hair was tousled. The men rushed to her side, helping her to stand.
"Lilian, what's going on?" one asked.
"John," she drawled. "Wh-where...John?"
The stagehands exchanged glances and decided to help her down to see Vince.
Back in the arena, the fans were going insane. They didn't realize; however, that John's rage was 100 real. The fire in his eyes wasn't for a storyline or an angle, it was for revenge.
The referees finally got him pulled away to the ramp.
"Lilian! What's wrong?" Vince asked, startled at the sight of his employee struggling to stay on her feet. He glanced between the curtain and the blonde, not sure whether to meet John and ream him out or to tend to the distressed ring announcer.
Lilian fell against Vince's chest, the chairman's arms automatically going around her to steady her. "They… they took me. They were gonna… I don't know. John… I need John! He's gonna get hurt," Lilian babbled, bursting into tears as her hands gripped Vince's suit jacket.
"Okay, okay," Vince soothed, his hands hesitantly stroking her back as he turned to his wide-eyed son. "Shane, go find Dr. Rios. We need to get Lilian sedated."
"No!" Lilian yelled in a panic, pulling back from Vince. "You're one of them! You're in on it too!"
John made his way through the curtain, yanking his arm from Mike's grasp when he heard Lilian's panicked voice. "What the fuck is going on here?" he asked angrily, pulling Lilian from Vince's arms and to his chest. "Baby?" he asked, his tone changing. "How did you get back here?"
Vince looked on, bewildered. "Does somebody want to inform me of what's going on?"
John kept Lilian pulled tightly to his body, his hands moving up and down her back. "Those assholes, Viscera and Charlie, kidnapped her when the lights went out. I found her in their hotel room, drugged, tied and gagged. I took her to my room, but I don't know how she left."
The chairman sighed heavily. "Damn it!" His voice dropped lower, calmer. "Look, take her to Rios, get her checked out. If he says she's fine, take her wherever you think she'll be safe. I'll deal with Haas and Viscera."
John shook his head. "I'm taking her back to the hotel. She doesn't need to be checked out."
"John, she's in hysterics. You don't know what they gave her."
John unconsciously clenched his fists, opening his mouth to retort. However, the wetness against his chest from her tears indicated that John needed to keep calm, that he needed to keep it together for the little blonde's sake.
"Fine," he bit off, ducking his head down so he could talk softly to Lilian. "Baby, is it okay if I take you to the doctor's? I promise we'll be quick and then we can go back to my room, okay?" She nodded against his chest, and John continued, "Can you walk?"
Lilian didn't respond, the shock of the last hour settling in. Without a second thought, John slipped his hands underneath her thighs and hoisted her up, Lilian's legs automatically going to wrap around his waist as she kept her arms wrapped around his neck. He shifted his arms, wrapping them around her tiny frame so he could hold her and easily carry her.
"Let's go, baby," John whispered into her ear, turning and walking to the trainers without another glance to the shocked group by the gorilla.
As John placed Lilian on the exam table inside Dr. Rios' 'office', he fought hard to keep his temper in check. Lilian's death grip brought him back to reality and he quickly sat next to her, wrapping his arms around the small blonde.
"You're going to be okay, I promise," he said.
Dr. Rios finally walked in, followed by the two people John most definitely didn't want to see: Charlie Haas and Viscera. His jaw clenched automatically and Lilian's small frame jolted against his. She started to pull away from his arms, wanting desperately to be out of the room.
Charlie and Viscera stumbled into the office, both holding paper towels to their busted lips. They glared at John, but immediately stopped when he stood up. He began to make his way to the door when Lilian started to cry again.
"Where are you going?" the trainer asked.
"I'm taking her away from these two assholes, and you're not going to stop me!"
Before anybody could make any sort of comment, or even look at him, John had
Lilian lifted back into his arms and he was walking swiftly back to the hotel.
"John… you should let me walk," Lilian said softly as they walked into the hotel. John didn't answer; rather, he kept a gentle grip on the little blonde as he stepped onto the elevator.
Lilian sighed, resting her head against John's shoulder as they rode up to their floor. He carried her to the room, shifting his grip so he could slide his keycard in to open the door.
She swallowed, nausea rising to her throat suddenly. "John, put me down," she managed to say, covering her mouth with her hand. John quickly set her on her feet, following Lilian into the bathroom.
She dropped to her knees, heaving into the toilet. John came up behind her, holding Lilian's hair back from her face as she threw up.
When she was finished, John got her another wet, cool cloth and a glass of water to rinse her mouth.
"Those bastards," he muttered.
"I think I'm okay," she slurred, starting to get to her feet.
"Alright, hang on, baby girl," he said, putting down the cup of water. He wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her into the bedroom.
"You have to go," she pointed out, closing her eyes once she was lying down.
He frowned. "Yeah, but I'll be back in less than half an hour, okay? Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to get Maria to stay with you?"
Lilian shook her head. "No, I just want to sleep."
"Okay, Lil," he said softly, kissing her forehead. He covered her small frame with the blanket, tucking her in carefully. "I love you so much, Lilian."
"Love you too," she muttered, drifting off to sleep.
John watched her sleep for a few minutes, her breathing evening out. With a sigh, he walked away, opening the door to meet a closed fist in his face.
Maria dropped her hand, bringing it to rest next to her hip. "John. I heard what happened to Lilian. Is she okay?"
"I don't know, Maria," John replied with a sigh. "Look… I have to go back to the arena. Can you stay with her for a little while? She just got sick and I feel horrible leaving her here alone."
The brunette diva nodded. "You know I'd be happy to. Be safe okay? I heard Vis and Charlie aren't too happy about your attack."
John grumbled something but walked away without saying another word. Maria shook her head sympathetically and went inside to be with her friend.
After what felt like a century and more, John rushed to the back to get his things. He made sure nothing else was needed of him and left.
He got to his room and opened the door, relieved to see Lilian still sleeping and Maria reading a magazine.
"Thank you so much," he said softly, not wanting to wake the ring announcer.
"No problem," Maria whispered back. "But you owe me some details on what's going on with you two." She grinned slightly and left.
John watched the door shut, crossing his hands over his chest as he watched Lilian sleep. He wasn't sure how long he stood there before he finally reached down, running a hand over Lilian's forehead.
"I'm so sorry, Lil," he told her, kneeling down on the floor so he was next to her. "I am so sorry," he repeated, covering her hand with his.
Lilian's eyes shot open, fear evident in them. "No! Help!" she screamed, jerking away from John. She kicked the covers back, scrambling away from him until her back was pressed up against the wall. "Please, don't hurt me!" she pleaded, her eyes wide and unfocused as she stared tearfully at John.
"Whoa! Lil, it's okay," John said, holding his hands up in defense as he moved closer to Lilian, hesitating when the little blonde pressed further against the wall. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
Lilian screamed again, launching herself off the bed and to the door. Cursing, John did the first thing he could think of to stop Lilian. In a flash, he had her lifted and back to the bed where he gently placed her down. "Hey, you're okay. It's me, John, I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down. Shh, you're fine."
Lilian sniffled, slowly becoming aware again. "What?"
"It's all over now," he soothed, running his fingers through her hair.
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
She shook her head and looked around the room. "Am I...wait, I have to go. Maria can't know. I told her I went to get a snack."
John made a silent vow to kill Haas and Viscera. "Lilian, you were taken by Viscera and Charlie Haas tonight," he explained slowly.
Lilian frowned, a wave of exhaustion coming over her face as she looked blankly at John. "Wha… what do you mean?"
John closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "Lil… baby, go back to sleep," he finally said softly.
"But Maria…"
"It's okay, baby. Maria understands," he lied, stroking the side of her face.
"Okay," Lilian said slowly, laying her head back on the pillow. "Will you at least lay with me?"
"Sure," John said, relieved. He climbed next to her, not even bothering to take off his shorts or sneakers as he wrapped his strong arms around her. Lilian responded immediately, burrowing closer into his chest. "I love you, Lil. And I'll never let anything happen to you again."
Shortly thereafter, the pair fell asleep. Lilian slept soundly until around 3 in the morning, when the drugs had completely worn off and she was uncertain of her surroundings. She was certain; however, that John was right next to her.
"John?" She shook his arm lightly.
"Hmm?" he asked groggily.
"John, what's going on?"
"Lil?" He propped himself up, waking up slowly. "What's wrong?"
"No, I'm fine, why...what? How?" Her eyes squinted with confusion.
"You don't remember?"
"Only a little bit," Lilian replied, pushing away from John and sitting up, drawing her knees to her chest. John sat up as well, sitting so he was facing Lilian.
"What do you remember?" he prodded gently. "I'll fill in the blanks for you." Well, most of them, John thought to himself, relieved that it seemed like she would be spared some of the more embarrassing details.
Lilian frowned as she thought back to eight o'clock the night before. "The pyro… the pyro went off. And then the lights went out. I couldn't even see the ropes in front of me. Then… a pair of hands grabbed me and put me over the ring ropes into a set of arms. It wasn't until I was outside that I realized it was Charlie Haas and Viscera."
"They pulled me in between two large trucks. They told me to shut up and go with them. I tried to get away, but Charlie grabbed me and they threatened to tell about our relationship. How… how did they know that, John?" Lilian interrupted her own story with the question.
"I have no idea," he answered honestly. "I swear to you. The only person I can think of that knows about us is Trish."
Lilian nodded. "Well, they brought me back to a hotel room and they tied me up and...oh my God." She turned her face, realization setting in. "What did they do to me?"
"Nothing that I know of. They gave you some sort of drug, but that's it."
"What else happened?"
"I brought you here, but you somehow left and went back to the arena." She stared at him with a bewildered look. "I know, I was shocked too. I took you to the trainers, but...those two jerks came in from the beating I gave them, so you and I left."
"I… I don't remember that, John. I mean, I remember Viscera backhanding me and them forcing a glass of water with a pill in it down my throat, but after that… nothing." Looking at him with hard eyes, she pleaded, "What happened? Please, tell me and don't leave anything out."
John sighed, uncomfortable with her steady gaze. "After we left the trainers, we came back here. You got sick and then I laid you in the bed. I had to leave you here, but Maria was with you," John explained.
Lilian nodded slowly, wincing when she realized that she was going to have to explain things to the younger diva. Seeing the hesitation in John's face, she prompted, "Then what?"
"I came back from my segment and dark match," John said slowly. "Maria left… and you freaked out on me." Seeing the embarrassed look on her face, he quickly added, "It's okay, though. You were really out of it thanks to those two."
The ring announcer nodded. "God, I feel like hell."
John smiled. "Do you want some Tylenol?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
"Of course not!" He jumped off the bed, running to his bag to get her two of the pain relievers and a glass of water. Walking back, he handed them to her. "Here you go."
She weakly attempted to smile. "Thank you. Not just for this, for everything you've done for me tonight." Suddenly, the back of her mind reminded her that this was the man she was supposed to stop contact with earlier that same day.
John watched as she swallowed both pills and then his eyes wandered to a clock. Her eyes followed and she gasped slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You have to be at SmackDown! tomorrow! You should go to bed. I'm sorry for waking you up."
"It's okay, Lil," John said softly. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I love you so much as this little… incident today only made me remember that even more."
"I love you, too, John," she managed to say before tears began running down her cheeks.
"Lil? Baby, what's wrong?" John asked, alarmed. She was fine a second ago, he thought, moving so he was next to her, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame.
"It's just… I don't deserve you! I was gonna find you before the show and break things off with you," she sobbed, clenching his shirt as she buried her face into his chest. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried, shaking with the mantra. "I'm sorry."
"Shh, baby, it's okay," John soothed, numb at her words.
"You must hate me," Lilian sniffled, keeping her eyes downcast.
"Hate you? Why on earth would I hate you?"
Raising her hand, she wiped at her cheeks. "Because I was going to stop coming to see you."
He shook his head, confused. "Why would you do that?"
She bit her lip. "I thought...I thought you only wanted me around to have sex with me."
He looked at her hard, studying her face. "No, no, that's not it at all! I thought, well, I know this is going to sound stupid, but I thought you only wanted to be with me just to have sex. I really liked you then, now I love you, and I would've done anything just to be close to you and to touch you."
Lilian ran a hand through her hair. "Are you serious?'
He flashed her with a grin. "Yeah."
Lilian laughed slightly, shaking her head. "Maybe the first thing we should work on in our relationship is being honest with each other," Lilian told him with a small smile.
"Yeah," John agreed. "And other people," he added, referring to Maria.
"John… thank you. Again. I really appreciate everything you did for me tonight. It could have been… bad. Very bad," Lilian said to him as she laid down.
John followed her movements, laying down and wrapping his arms around the tiny blonde. "Hey," he whispered, looking into her eyes despite the darkness in the room.
"For you, I'd do it again."
End Part 2 of 2
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