Chapter 33

Tahlia had just taken a handful of popcorn in her mouth when he said that and her eyes nearly fell out of her skull, staring up at him with a mouthful of food. "What?" It was muffled as she spat it out in her hand, coughing a little and tried to remain calm.

Shane had pulled this same stunt on her in the parking lot only weeks ago…when she'd agreed to join the Corporation. He'd mentioned marriage and she hadn't freaked out so much as stared at him like he'd grown 3 heads. Now Taker had mentioned marriage and…Tahlia didn't know how to feel about it. She knew she loved him and was irrevocably in love, but…was he serious about this? The man had a poker face like nobody else and she couldn't read him currently. Then there was the whole issue of not being able to tell him exactly how she felt for fear of losing him.

"Are you messing with me or…are you serious?" She finally asked, having paused the video to stare into his emerald orbs curiously.

He had been messing with her, not that Taker was willing to say that out loud. There was something in her eyes that cautioned him she wouldn't deal with him screwing with her mentally. He idly wondered what her issue was and stared at her thoughtfully.

"Is it a problem?" He finally asked, evading her question as he casually reached for another handful of popcorn. "Not right now, of course, but… you are…" Taker was searching for the right word. "Useful," That was not it, but too late to take it back. "To me. And loyal. It only makes sense to cement you to my side in a legal way." Because that brand on her hip was only mentally and physically.

It felt like Taker had just taken his fist and socked her right in the stomach, his words piercing her like a sharp blade. That's what he thought of her as? A loyal servant, a puppet, to do whatever he desired? And now he wanted to take away the only thing she had left, which was her freewill by getting married? Not out of love or because he felt something for her other than lust and pleasure.

"Nah, I'm good with the way things are. Marriage is just a complication and more paperwork." Since he brushed her off, she would do the same to him and tried to push away the nauseated feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Besides, I'm not the marrying kind and I'm pretty sure you're not either." Tahlia turned the footage back on and moved to where she was on her stomach with her feet in the air, effectively ending the conversation.

Well, now he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had royally screwed up, though wasn't entirely sure what she had taken offense at. Taker just knew she had. Refusing to let her end the conversation on her terms, he moved until he was straddling her thighs, his massive hands moving to her ribs and he began kneading, giving her a massage, working her sides, back and shoulders with keen precision.

"Marriage isn't so bad. Been there, once." He said conversationally, noting when muscles tensed at his words and continued. "Paperwork can be left to others, too." Even more tense. "Tahlia…" He bent down and brushed his lips against the nape of her neck after brushing her hair aside.

"Not fair, Deadman…" Tahlia murmured, already feeling her body relax against his touch and suckling of her neck. He had her pinned, so she couldn't escape from him either. "Just because we have great sexual chemistry doesn't mean we should get married. I think you've taken one too many shots to the head lately or you've official lost your mind."

That's all he thought of her was someone who was loyal and he could bed. She didn't like it, but accepted him for who he was and stood for. Not surprised when he shifted to flip her on her back, smoldering amber orbs met acidic green. Things between them were great, why fix something that wasn't broken?

Taker was staring down at her thoughtfully, his mind was already straying to other thoughts, other possibilities. "No…" He whispered, running the pad of his thumb along her full bottom lip. The corners of his mouth were beginning to curl up into a wicked smile. "No, Tahlia, I really do think there shall be a wedding, precious." His glance moved to the television, more specially Shane McMahon having a meltdown onscreen as the video came to another end. The tape was already likely thinning due to how many times it had been watched. "A dark wedding…"

Seeing the gears turning in his head, Tahlia could tell he was no longer talking about them and slowly arched her head to turn it to see Shane's face on the screen before it went dark. "A dark wedding…" She reiterated thoughtfully, her voice soft and haunting.

Tahlia felt like an idiot…he hadn't been talking about them at all with the marriage discussion. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was aiming for. Did it hurt her to know he wasn't talking about them when it came to marriage? Definitely. She wouldn't show it though and instead reached up to caress his face tenderly.

"That would be the ultimate mind fuck…and I'm game. Let's do it." She'd be Shane McMahon's dark bride…just not legally.

Originally, he had been thinking about that, but the conversation had gone all wrong and while trying to sort out a way to straighten things back up, he had become distracted. That's when his newest brain child took root and he was a genius, plain and simple. He stared down at her, trying to envision how all of this would play out and his grin widened.

"I had a feeling you would be." He rumbled, bending down to kiss her.

It was fairly nice, having a willing partner in crime.

The dark wedding wouldn't happen right away. No, they had to make Shane suffer first before going through with Taker's plan. Tahlia became distant over the next couple weeks heading into WrestleMania and requested her own room, claiming she needed to focus on her upcoming match at the biggest show of the year. Taker was in a current feud with the Big Boss Man and she with Sable, naturally. It was a shame no other women on the roster, who were more talented, couldn't receive a title shot against her. Not that they would win – this title belonged to HER and ONLY her. Tahlia focused primarily on her career and the Ministry, pushing her complicated fling with Taker to the backburner.

While she had her feud with Sable going on, every week a different video montage or promo would sprout from Tahlia regarding Shane, beginning to refer to him as her 'Dark Prince'. One was her in the bath surrounded by bubbles in candlelight. Another was in a cemetery, talking about how they were soul mates and they would die together if that's what it took for him to become hers completely. Her promos had become more chilling as the weeks progressed, promising something wicked soon, but nobody knew when the Ministry would strike next. Vince had increased security tenfold and Shane stayed as close to him as possible. It wouldn't do any good – they could take the crown Prince whenever they wanted. Before they knew it, WrestleMania day had arrived and everyone was on edge, adrenaline higher than usual.

It was more than obvious that there was something wrong with Tahlia. She performed flawlessly as usual, her promos and videos were downright chilling and she put on her normal front, but… he knew better. Something had changed between them in that hotel room that day. Taker knew it was most likely his fault and he should probably fix the damage, but there just didn't seem to be time for it. She had retreated to her own hotel rooms, so any chance at night reconciliation had been shelved and he respected her enough to let her have her space, for now. He was also busy destroying Boss Man, wondering why this idiot that he was anywhere near Taker's league. It was a joke, and every week he made sure to let Boss Man know it.

If she was marrying Shane McMahon, there was no reason to keep sleeping with Taker in hopes he'd change his mind and make himself the groom. That was wishful thinking. The man simply didn't feel or love…Tahlia had gotten the message loud and clear that night. Unzipping her bag, she pulled out her pure white wrestling attire that had a 'bridal' feel to it. On each side was Taker's symbol and she'd made sure the seamstress cut out enough to show her brand to the world. Tahlia even had a small veil she planned on wearing to the ring for her match against Sable. And just to screw with Shane a little more, the back of it read 'McMahon' in bold black gothic lettering. If he didn't get the message on what she planned for his future, he was denser than she realized. After the Acolytes changed in the bathroom, it was her turn to take it over and Tahlia wondered what Taker would think of her new attire.

He hadn't seen it yet.

Shane McMahon had turned into a nervous wreck. He hadn't known the depths of Tahlia's insanity until she had returned to the Ministry. Each week seemed to get worse, she kept upping the ante and he constantly felt like there were eyes on him. Technically, there were. Vince had Shane lived in a security bubble these days, not that it mattered. Vince had taken the fall for something someone else did, no doubt orchestrated by Taker and Tahlia, if they really wanted to get past these new security guards, they would. His hair was now beginning to gray at the temples, something any other time he would have had a fit over, dying instantly. Shane wasn't concerned anymore. He was more worried about Tahlia and her deranged plans for him. He now knew to never screw crazy.

Wow, his mind supplied when Tahlia stepped out of the bathroom, acidic eyes raking her over in barely hidden appreciation. She looked stunning and when she twirled, showing off the MCMAHON in the back, he began laughing wickedly. "You are deliciously evil, Tahlia."

"Oh no wait, it gets better. Watch this, sir."

Pulling out the small white veil, Tahlia skipped over to the mirror and placed it strategically on top of her head. The hair stylist had done her hair in a way most brides wore theirs on the day of their wedding. It was pinned up in tons of spiral curls in a crown of sorts. The important thing was she wanted to make sure EVERYONE could see the last name on the back of her attire. Her makeup was done like a bride's as well, natural with thin black liner and clear gloss. Along with her attire came white wrestling boots that zipped up the sides and stopped just above the knee, where her black kneepads were. Flipping the veil down to cover her face, Tahlia smiled maliciously at her reflection and locked eyes with Taker in it. They hadn't really spoken much, only about business and she preferred it that way.

"Glad you approve. Wait until he gets a load of this! He's not going to be able to resist his bride-to-be after all the work I did for him."

"You know," Bradshaw remarked, standing off to the side with Farooq, both men having been discussing their own event since they had already geared up before Tahlia. Leggings and paint, it was simple. "If I were Shane McMahon, I'd be a screamin' like a little sissy right now."

"Yep, that's one scary woman."

That was the point. Taker flashed them a sneer, pleased when they instantly shut the hell up and pulled on his fingerless gloves, contemplating Tahlia. "You need a bouquet."

"On it." Paul muttered, already heading for the door.

"Make sure it matches my outfit, Brother Paul!" She called out to him before he fully left the room, beaming from ear to ear.

"Got it."

"Thank you!"

Then she joined the Acolytes and sat between them, offering each a water. They had a match tonight for the Tag Team titles, which they currently held. Vince was trying to take all of the gold away from the Ministry, but it wouldn't happen.

"Did you two eat?"

"Somewhat…" Bradshaw was nervous; this was WrestleMania and nobody could screw up without severe consequences.

"No." Farooq would eat after the match.

"Keep hydrated then." She kissed each of their foreheads before leaving them be and went to the far corner of the locker room to start warming up for her match.

Sable didn't have a prayer.

It was interesting how she still did all the pre-match warmups and routines to be ready to face Sable. Taker was losing count of the times Tahlia had smacked Sable down. Week after week, he almost felt sorry for the woman. He wasn't sure if she was the one pushing for these matches anymore or if this was all Vince just trying to regain that title or something. Either way, Sable had obviously been trying harder, but it still just wasn't enough. She had messed around too much and too often. Shaking his head, he turned to the wall and began shadow boxing, hoping Paul remembered to pick up his own little accessory for the night.

Tahlia had to be ready for anything when it came to the Corporation. Sable was unofficially part of it; Tahlia wasn't taking any chances, no matter how easy it was to destroy the blonde bitch. Sliding her eyes to the side, she had to learn how to breathe again at the site of Taker shadow boxing. It was one of his pre-match warmups he always did and it never ceased to amaze her how delicious the man looked. The way his arms moved fluidly, slicing the air, sent her heart racing along with her pulse. She missed him and their intimacy, but being with him wasn't enough anymore. Tahlia wanted more; he didn't. So it was time to leave him alone and try to move on the best she could. After Raw, they had 5 days off coming up and Tahlia planned on going home to her new condo in New York for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Stalking really took a lot out of a person along with having a target on their back.

He felt her eyes on him and didn't look over, knowing better. She had already gotten tickets back to her home. Taker knew because Paul was nosy as hell and liked keeping tabs on his team mates. He figured he'd let her have… one day, maybe, to herself to sort her head out before visiting and sorting all this out with her. Tahlia probably needed a good 12 hours away from work, Shane, and him. When Paul came back in with the bouquet and his noose, he turned, accepting the rope, then grinned at the Brood.

Tonight was going to be fun.