Chapter 35

Bradshaw and Farooq had joined her in front of the monitor to watch the destruction of Big Boss Man. Tahlia still had her concerns, but also had to put her faith and trust in Taker. He knew what he was doing and wouldn't intentionally put himself in harm's way…not without a plan. The man with the plan. Taker was always cooking something up in his evil brain, such as the upcoming dark wedding with her and Shane. Tahlia didn't want to go through with it, but she was afraid to tell Taker how she felt. Screwing with Shane was one thing, but to actually marry him in a ceremony, even though it wouldn't be legal, didn't set right with her. Jolting out of her thoughts, Tahlia felt her eyes widen as Boss Man proceeded to handcuff Taker to the cage and began nailing him with the nightstick.

"That son of a bitch!" She hissed, clenching her fists tightly in her lap and didn't notice the Brood had left the room. The Acolytes were also tense as well on either side of her.

"They broke – what a fuckin' moron." Bradshaw chortled, watching Taker get the upper hand yet again with a split open forehead. It wasn't much blood, but enough to piss the Deadman off. "Boss is pissed."

Pissed was an understatement and Taker made sure Boss Man suffered for that spilled blood. He nailed him with a chair, drove him face first into the cage… they made their way back into the ring, where he ducked a clothesline and returned it with force. Boss Man was down and Taker eyed him, then glanced at the ropes. Old School it was.

"Damn!" Farooq grunted when Taker lost his usually impeccable balance, falling in the ropes.

He was blaming it on the nightstick to the face. He and Boss Man exchanged blows in the ring again and Taker felt the night coming to a close as he shifted his opponent in place for the tombstone. He nailed it and pinned the pain in his ass, inhaling deeply before smirking, pushing himself upwards. Looking up at the lights, Taker raised his hands.

Now was the fun part.

Tahlia moved closer to the monitor, unable to pull her eyes away from the spectacle – the scene. This would indeed be a night Big Boss Man NEVER forgot as long as he lived, which wouldn't be too long if Taker had his way. This was a statement – a clear message to the Corporation and Tahlia felt her mouth water, a raw excitement filling her eyes. Edge and Christian dropped he noose through the top of the Cell and Taker wrapped it around Boss Man's throat, making sure it was tight enough to where he couldn't escape. The announcers were going out of their minds while Paul simply cackled evilly beside their Lord of Darkness, the cage rising moments later with Boss Man hanging in the center for the world to see.

"Dear god…" Vince watched one of his henchman literally HANG from the Hell in a Cell and looked over at Shane, who proceeded to tremble violently. They were coming for his son…and he had to do something to stop it from happening. But what?

Darkness had indeed reigned supreme at WrestleMania.

The Undertaker might not have main evented WrestleMania, but he'd be damned if he didn't own the show. His boys, his woman… they had all aced their matches and showed the dominance of the Ministry. He had sent a message that he knew was being broadcast loud and clear. The Ministry of Darkness would take what they wanted, do what they wanted, and if they felt like reaching out from the darkness and touching someone, they'd do that too.

"We're celebrating tonight, that's for damn sure."

"You do realize, if he dies… you'll be charged with murder." Paul pointed out conversationally as they exited the ring.

"He'll be fine. Might be missing some brain cells from lack of oxygen, but… he'll live."

Everyone was all smiles as Taker walked back into the Ministry locker room to greet his minions, shaking hands, clapping each other on the back and getting the celebration under way. Tahlia stayed back for the moment to let the men talk while Paul set Taker down on the bench to begin stitching his forehead. Taker didn't trust any of the trainers since they were on Vince McMahon's payroll. Tahlia didn't blame him and Paul was loyal to ONLY him. Even though it was a small laceration, it would still sting and give him a headache when the adrenaline eventually wore off.

"I'm glad you're okay." She whispered in his ear, nuzzling it with her nose and then left him to be cleaned up by Paul while she took a quick shower, stripping out of her bridal wrestling attire.

"Beers tonight all around! Boss, you're goin'." Bradshaw wouldn't take no for an answer, already dressed in street clothes and freshly showered along with Farooq. "Tali, you too, doll face!" He called through the door, banging on it with his closed fist.

"Yeah – yeah!" She called back, laughing and stepped under the sprays, thankful to have all those damn bobby pins out of her hair.

"We'll catch up." Taker said after a moment, smirking at the shocked look on Bradshaw's face.

He nodded when Edge and Christian made it back in, amused at the pleased looks on their faces. They'd have quite the career after he was done with him, he was sure of it. His Acolytes would too. Viscera… probably not. He and Mideon had both been calculated risks, obtained more for their bizarre appearances and loyalty to anyone willing to give them a chance. The rest, Tahlia included, had been selected for talent. He grabbed his duffel and slipped into the bathroom, deciding he'd be joining his women's champion in the shower.

The shower curtain being pulled back told Tahlia she was no longer alone and she knew exactly who joined her. Nobody had a presence like Undertaker. Nobody had hands as big as his either as they slid up her sides and back down. Tahlia had kept her distance for very good reason and planned on keeping it that way, or so she thought. Why was he torturing her like this? This man was so confusing and drove her crazy in both a good and bad way.

"You shouldn't be in the shower with those stitches, you know." She chastised softly, feeling her back press against his chest and lulled her head back, sighing in contentment.

"They won't get wet, and if they do… no matter." The woman was a mother hen, at all the wrong times. He bent down and ran his lips along her bare shoulder. "Congratulations, on your defense." He added, figuring some praise might help ease the tension.

It was also true, she had dominated Sable, showing just why she was the standard for all the women in the WWF. Taker highly doubted there would be another like her, ever. He ran a hand down her abdomen, feeling muscles tensing under his fingertips. There was no reason to congratulate her because it was a squash match, as far as Tahlia was concerned. Still, it was nice to be acknowledged by Taker and she bit her bottom lip, trying not to smile. Trying not to let him see his praise alone made her happy.

"I would congratulate you on your victory, but we both knew you'd win anyway."

His husky chuckle flowed over her, into her ear and it lit her on fire all over again. His mouth and lips kept moving along her shoulders and neck, a weak spot of hers he knew all too well. All she wanted to do was tell him how much she missed him over the past several weeks and admit everything she felt inside. Instead, Tahlia took action, turning around and brought his mouth down on hers, kissing him with every amount of fire and strength she could muster up. She poured everything she felt for him into that kiss, feeling him pull her against him to where her feet left the shower floor and wrapped her legs around his waist, the kiss never breaking.

His stitches and whether or not they should get wet was pushed out of mind, both of theirs, as he pinned her against the tile wall. Moving his hands down to grip her backside, they exchanged passionate kisses. This time apart had done wonders it seemed because whereas she had been distant and almost cold with him, she was fiery hot now and Taker wasn't questioning it. He hadn't pushed her for answers or explanations; he had given her the time she seemed to need while she worked out whatever was going on in her head. Tonight, however, there would be no distance between them.

Losing count how many times she cried and screamed his name in that shower, Tahlia was a little hoarse by the time they finished. It didn't stop there either. Taker took her back to his room, ignoring everyone else's demands to go out and celebrate. They were celebrating their own way, naked in bed and with each other. Tahlia couldn't remember the last time Taker had been so tentative towards her, making her feel like a woman should. Sex wouldn't fix their problems though. She wanted him completely – all or nothing. After Taker passed out, Tahlia slipped from the bed and got dressed, grabbing her things to go back to her own room. As much as she loved being with him, things would never change and she had to accept it and start moving on. Once in her own bed, Tahlia finally let the tears flow and cried herself to sleep, hating the fact she'd fallen in love with a man who didn't feel the same about her.

Needless to say, when Taker woke up sometime in the early AM and reached across the bed for Tahlia and found only a cold spot, he wasn't overly pleased. He popped open an eye and stared at the space she had occupied when he had fallen asleep. She had been gone awhile, there wasn't even an indent on the pillow where her head had been. Cursing, he rolled onto his back and folded his hands beneath his head, staring at the ceiling. Something was going to have to change between them. He just needed to get her to stay around him long enough to do so.

"Taker – TAKER!" Paul's high-pitched voice flowed through the door while he banged repeatedly on it until the Phenom, naked as a jaybird, ripped it open. "Tahlia's gone! Her hotel…it was broken into and…" He blinked when the giant took off down the hallway, waddling as fast as he could after him.

Bradshaw, Farooq, Edge, Christian and Viscera all arrived in record time, the big man bringing Taker clothes to pull on. "What happened here?" Bradshaw demanded, looking around the room to try to find any evidence. The room was destroyed, broken pieces of furniture lay and… "Fuck! Boss, over here!" In his hand were Tahlia's brass knuckles…and they had blood on them. "We gotta find her."

Paul was on his way out the door to grab the car.

Edge and Christian stepped out into the hallway while Taker continued his investigation. "Do you think she's…?"

Christian shook his head instantly. "No. This was the Corporation and something tells me they took her to the arena. They're gonna use her as bait. Vince is pissed after what happened to his henchman last night and his slut. They're trying to get one up on the Ministry, dude."

Edge agreed, both keeping their voices down.

Even with them trying to keep their voices down, their words still carried to him and he couldn't help agreeing with their assessment. It was very likely that Vince hadn't taken kindly to the Ministry dominating the Corporation at WrestleMania, or Tahlia's continued mental assault on Shane. This would be revenge, vengeance, and he really hoped McMahon was prepared for this because he had just made it so all bets were off.

"I want them all found."

"On it, sir."

Groaning, Tahlia felt like a ton of weight was on her head as she slowly opened her blurry eyes. It took a few minutes for her vision to come into focus, coming to two realizations. One – she wasn't in her hotel room anymore. Two – she'd woken up on hard concrete and there was…was that blood? Touching the side of her head, Tahlia frowned when she pulled her fingers back and saw red substance painting them. What the hell happened? Where was she? Looking down, Tahlia saw she was still in her pajamas from the previous night/early morning. Cotton shorts and a tank top…feet bare and she had a nasty gash on the side of her head.

There was no time to panic, she had to find a way out of here and get back to the Ministry. Tahlia tried remembering what happened to her, but had no recollection past walking out of her hotel room to grab more ice. She hadn't slept well and was up before the sun rose. All she remembered was holding the ice bucket and then…nothing. Total darkness. Obviously, she'd been struck with something hard, knocking her out and brought to wherever the hell she was now. Slowly rising to her feet shakily, Tahlia made her way down the dark corridor and saw a metal pipe nearby, immediately grabbing it.

"She's awake."

Vince McMahon was watching Tahlia on a monitor, his face grim. He was flanked by Kane and Triple H, Shane behind them. He had dragged Shane down here, trying to show his boy that this woman was just that: a woman. Obviously off in the head, but still a woman. She could be beaten. Broken. Rendered into something non-threatening.

"How's your head, I wonder?"

He didn't actually care. Vince had taken the fall for something one of hers had done. That had not been pleasant, nor was the fact that he was still considered a suspect. She wouldn't get out of there; his men had ensured that. He flipped off the monitor, turning to stare at Shane.

"Well?"

Shane kept quiet, having a feeling this wasn't going to help anything.

Sable was first on the card that night as she headed down to the ring, a small bandage on her forehead. Tahlia had split her wide open at WrestleMania with that roundhouse kick, something she hadn't expected. She smirked, knowing Vince had taken care of that bitch and it was just a matter of time before the WWF Women's championship belonged to her again. Tahlia would never be seen again, if Vince had his way. And he would because he was the boss. Just as her match began against Jackie, the lights went out and the Ministry immediately flanked the ring. Her eyes went wide in fright, hoping Vince had a plan to save her backside or else she was screwed. She backed up against the ropes, swallowing hard while staring at all the men, who looked downright angry and terrifying.

Paul grabbed a microphone and immediately held it up to the Phenom's mouth, keeping quiet for the moment.

Vince watched this as well, looking from one Corporation member to the next and swallowed hard, wondering what Undertaker had to say. More importantly, what was he about to do to Sable?