CHAPTER FOUR
"Where's Fallon?"
Jeff grunted, wiping sweat from his upper lip. "Napping. Apparently, Gav wore her out shopping last night."
Matt snorted. "A woman worn out from shoppin', alert the media." He groaned when he got whacked upside his head by his brother.
Gavin- who had been watching passively from the ring apron- now slid through the ropes, unwittingly putting and end to Matt and Jeff's practice. "Dad, can I talk to you?"
"Of course, buddy." Jeff glanced at Matt who nodded and made to vacate the ring.
"No, you stay Uncle Matt." Gavin said hastily, looking anxiously between the two men he trusted most in the world.
"Gav, what's up?" Jeff sat down Indian style on the canvas, sharing a look with his brother.
Taking a deep breath, Gavin closed his eyes for a moment. "Last night while mom and I were walking back to the hotel, that man, the one you're-"
"What about him?" Jeff interrupted, worrying cresting in his green eyes.
"He stopped us on the street. Mom doesn't know. I told her I had to tie my shoe."
"Did he say anything?"
"No. He just- just touched my hair."
Jeff stared at his son, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
It was Matt who broke the silence. "We need to get to Fallon." He didn't add the part they were all thinking: If Mark hadn't gotten there first.
***
Fallon let out a shriek and dropped the mug of tea she'd been nursing when she heard the hotel door slam into the wall. "What the hell?"
Jeff rushed over to her, catching her flying hands before she could slap him. "It's me, Fallie."
"What's wrong with you? You just can't come running in here doing that to me!" She inhaled deeply, looking like she might murder him yet. "I'm going to have a heart attack."
"Are you alright, mom?"
Gathering from her son's tone, Fallon knew instantly he wasn't referring to her sudden scare. She smiled in what she hoped was his direction. "Of course I am, why?"
Matt, Jeff and Gavin all looked at one another, all feeling a bit like jackasses.
***
Fallon felt along the large piece of puzzle, her free hand splayed on the board it would fit in. she found these activities pointless but her doctor believed it would help sharpen her other senses.
"Where is Jeff and Gavin?"
She tensed but attempted to fit the puzzle piece in a jagged hole anyway. "Out. You know that or else you wouldn't be here." Pushing away from the table, she stood up, turning around. "Get out."
"No." He whispered. Mark was inches from her, green eyes searching her face. "You already know I can't."
"Can't.." Her own whispered was ragged. "You mean, you won't."
"I can't, Fallon." He reached out to cup the side of her face, not surprised in the least when she flinched. "I've tried…"
She swallowed hard when she felt him grab her wrists, jerking her forward into his arms.
Mark ran his fingers through her silky hair soothingly. "All this time, every day I thought about you. There were other women, always another woman… None of them took away my… obsession. Even Michelle who I've been with for almost a year hasn't been able to drive the memory of you away for more than brief periods."
Fallon inhaled sharply, desperately wishing she could see, if only to know where to punch him.
He caught her hand when it suddenly came lashing out at him, turning it over to kiss her knuckles. His mouth burned a path over her fingers and to her palm, his green eyes taking in the pained expression on her face. He knew she was at war with herself. One part of her hated him desperately. The other part just as desperately longed for him and the pleasure he could take her too.
"Please, Mark," She begged, eyes searching for something she couldn't see. "Please, don't do this to me." She couldn't bear the heartache this was leading too. "I love Jeff, Gavin would-"
He hissed, his expression becoming murderous. "He would what?" He demanded. "Be upset to find himself with his true father?"
"He's not your son!" She protested, hearing the abrupt change in his voice again, knowing Mark was beginning to disappear and his evil counterpart was emerging. She had serious doubts on his sanity, wondering if he had a split personality. Of course she knew better. The Undertaker was merely an extension of him. Or perhaps Mark was just an extension of the Undertaker.
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care! It's the truth!" Fallon snapped at him, wincing when his hold on her wrists became dangerously tight. "His hair is blonde-red because Jeff's is blonde and mine is naturally auburn. He also has Jeff's eyes, not yours!"
"Given the fact that you have just described me, your words mean absolutely nothing, Fallon."
She didn't know what she could say to convince him, ultimately knowing that when he had set his mind on something, there generally was no way to change it.
His nostrils flared angrily, trying to read her face. Besides the obvious fear, he couldn't see what else she might be thinking, cursing himself for the first time for blinding her. Making a split second decision, he crouched down, pulling her into his arms.
Fallon tossed her hands around his neck, her equilibrium completely destroyed. "What the hell are you doing?" She demanded, trying to push herself away.
"We're leaving."
***
"Fallon?" Shadow poked her head into the hotel room, pocketing the key card Jeff had given her. "Sorry to bother you, but Jeff-" She frowned, taking in the destroyed room. Inhaling a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm as she stepped inside, letting the door close behind her.
It was total mayhem. How Fallon could do this was beyond Shadow, unless of course, another party had been involved. The table was destroyed, bed ripped apart, bottles of cosmetics scattered everywhere. She took another step forward, raising her sneaker when something crunched under foot. Broken glass.
Knowing instinctively what had happened, she whipped her cell phone out of it's holder, quickly dialing in a number. "Kane, we have a problem."
***
Gavin took a deep breath as he looked around the destroyed room, tears stinging his green eyes though he refused to let them fall. He could feel his dad squeezing his hand and squeezed back. "Who would do this?" He asked, his voice breaking mid-sentence.
"The Undertaker." Jeff said bleakly, remembering all too well what had happened the last time 'Taker had kidnapped Fallon. He repressed a shudder, hoping against hope they weren't about to take a trip down that lane again.
Kane was wading through the mess, sharing a look with Chris. He could hear Matt out in the hallway, talking to the police on his cell phone. He shook his head, knowing if not for Gavin they would be handling this themselves, like the last time. No chances could be taken. If the Undertaker had taken Fallon, there was always a possibility he would return for the boy.
"Jeff, how bout Gavin comes with me and Dante for the time being?" Shadow suggested quietly, appearing in the doorway with her son. Her eyes fastened with Kane's, seeing his barely imperceptible nod. "It'd be easier on him and quite frankly, this is no place for a child."
Jeff could only nod.
"I don't want to go!" Gavin protested. "I want to know what's happenin' with my mom!"
"Gav, we'll keep you informed, you know that." Shadow soothed. "Nobody is going to keep anything from you. We all promise."
***
She was burning. It felt exquisite. Hands roamed her sluggish body, pulling a rugged moan from her parted lips. A deep chuckle reached her eyes, jarring something in her mind, inviting her to recall something she knew she wouldn't want to remember. "Mmm…" Fallon arched her back, curving her body into those hands.
'Taker smirked, feeling her surrendering herself to him. He had to wonder if she even realized where she was yet, she had taken such a nasty bump to the head again. He snorted, feeling a stinging sensation in his own shoulder. For a blind woman, Fallon had put up one hell of a struggle. He lowered his head to capture her mouth with his, his lips plundering hers.
Fallon's eyes flew open. Everything was hazy, foggy. Bit by bit, as the kiss deepened, the fog receded, leaving clear patches in her vision. By the time she could see one hundred percent, she had long determined who it was lighting her ablaze.
He looked up from her throat where he had been busy leaving his mark, blinking in surprise to find clear, black eyes staring at him. "You can see?" He whispered.
"I can see that you need to get the fuck off of me."
Apparently along with the return of her vision came back her attitude. "No." He grunted, moving his hands down to her legs, parting her thighs. Smirking at the expression on Fallon's face, 'Taker chuckled darkly, burying himself to the hilt deep inside her.
Fallon let out a scream of both anguish and pleasure.
***
Chris sat with Jeff downtown at the police station. He knew this could only wind up badly. Things like these were all too often discovered by the media. Soon this would be just another WWE Scandal, they seemed to be amounting quite frequently over the past few years.
He listened as Jeff described the hotel room in a monotone voice. Why did they need this information? They're detectives had already combed the room, taken pictures. Why make the poor guy relive it anymore then he had too? Not that Jeff probably wasn't doing that anyway. It looked like he hadn't slept at all in the past twenty-four hours.
Chris hadn't either. When Jeff finish, Chris immediately launched into Fallon's blindness, how head trauma had been the factoring cause and his belief that Mark -'Taker- had been the one responsible for it. He was brushed aside as Fallon wasn't there to back him up and the evidence was circumstantial at best.
"What about the fact that this has all happened before?" He demanded angrily, seeing Jeff beginning to come alive with anger and inwardly smiled. Good.
"Storyline is what the official report says." The detective -a man with a forgettable name as well as face- grunted. He shifted some papers on his desk, finally pulling out an old report that looked like it had been through the wringer. "Says here that Vince McMahon himself testified to the entire kidnap, assaults and hospitalizations as part of the storyline, including the 'marriage' and 'divorce'." He set down the report, folding his hands over his desk and stared calmly at the two men who were staring at him in utter disbelief.
"Are you FUCKING kidding me?" Jeff snapped, shoving his chair back as he stood up, slamming his palms down on the desk and leaning right into the detective's face. "I was there when it all happened, so was Chris! There was no well in hell ANY of that shit was scripted! We don't script rapes and then let them actually happen you prick!"
"Mr. Hardy, if you do not immediately calm yourself, I'm going to have your arrested, this is your one and only warning."
"There are pictures in that report! A broken collarbone, bruises coverin' every fuckin' inch of her body!" Jeff was screaming now, attracting a lot of attention though he didn't care. He snarled, shoving Chris' hand off his shoulder when the other man tried calming him. "She was in the hospital for weeks because of what he did to her, there's a fuckin' hospital report in there too and you're telling' me it was FUCKING SCRIPTED?"
Chris could only watch as Jeff was arrested, still cursing and shouting as he was led off to a holding cell. He knew he should probably post bail but a few hours for Jeff to calm down seemed in order. Instead, he walked outside the police station, pulling his sunglasses over his eyes and reached for his cell phone. He had several calls to make. The first and foremost being Vince.
***
Vince had no idea what Chris wanted when the younger man appeared for their impromptu lunch date. He sat in a corner table, having already ordered a drink and had been perusing the menu when Chris appeared. Smiling congenially, Vince gestured to the empty seat across from him. "So, Chris, what exactly is this about?" He asked, gesturing for a waiter.
"Fallon." Chris said bluntly, shaking his head when he was asked what he would like. "And the Undertaker. I want to talk about their 1999 through 2000 'storyline.'." He was pleased to see Vince pale somewhat.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, that's what the official police report said, that everything was a storyline." Chris said casually, a dangerous glint in his normally serene blue eyes. He leaned across the table, plucking a cherry tomato from Vince's salad as soon as it was served. He popped it into his mouth, chewing slowly, considering his boss. "He took Fallon again, did you know that?"
Vince shook his head, eyes getting wider and wider.
"Yep. Jeff and I went to file a police report, hoping the original we filed back in 2000 would be able to speed things up since this is a repeat performance. Boy were we in for the shock of OUR lives." Chris laughed dryly. "So now, we're kind of at a block in the road, Vince. The police filed our report but they're not taking us seriously."
"I had too." Vince whispered finally, his face now the color of curdled milk. "That… disaster would have destroyed my company."
"Now it's Fallon about to be destroyed. Since we can't count on the cops for help, we're doing this ourselves." Chris leaned forward, looking downright dangerous as he glared at his boss. "And you'll be helping unless you want me to set up a press conference, with Jeff, Matt, Kane and Shadow as guest speakers."
Vince shook his head frantically.