Sometimes the past just won't leave you be...
Shane frowned as he tried to read through his emails for the fifth time in an hour. He couldn't focus and it was beginning to be a problem. Glancing up at the man sitting across from him, Shane sighed. A.J. was beginning to occupy more and more of his thoughts and it worried him. Especially with the reappearance of Faith. She had the ability to destroy everything they had if her story turned out to be true. Shaking his head, he glanced up at the new email alert. Clicking the link, he immediately reached for his phone. Pressing the screen, Shane sucked in a quick breath as he went stiff with rage.
"Shane, what is it?"
Looking up in surprise, Shane blinked at A.J.'s tone. "Oh, uh, nothing I can't take care of. Excuse me for a minute, ok?" He leaned over and gave A.J. a quick kiss before picking up his laptop and setting it on the table. He shut it off before leaving the room, dialing a number on his way to the back.
A.J. blinked in surprise as he watched Shane leave. Something was wrong, he'd heard his angry breath before...Glancing down at the laptop, he wondered what had changed Shane's mood. "Shane?!" A.J. got up and headed after Shane, stomach twisting with anxiety. Something was going on and he had a feeling it had to do with the mystery woman.
Reaching the bedroom, A.J. looked around, frowning when he didn't see the man in question. "Shane, where the hell..."
"I've got to go handle something, stay here I'll be back, ok?" Shane walked out of the bathroom, looking up from buttoning his shirt. "Allen?"
"What the...where the hell are you going at..." Glancing at the clock, A.J. frowned. "Three in the fucking morning! Fuck that Shane, what's so god damn important that it can't wait until a decent time?!"
Shane's jaw clenched as he tried to keep his temper in check. "Right now I just need you to trust me. It's nothing serious, but I need to handle this before it becomes a bigger issue." He watched as A.J.'s temper flared, his eyes darkening with rage. "Allen..."
"It has to do with her doesn't it? Ever since I saw her in your office, you've been acting strange. What the hell is going on with this woman?!" A.J. could see the mask fall into place. The man standing in front of him wasn't the same man from a few hours earlier. "Shane..."
"She is no concern of yours, trust me. You do not want to know anything more about her than you already do. Please, just let this go." Shane took a deep breath, tried to quell the need to leave as quickly as possible. He couldn't leave though, not with the angry man standing in front of him. He stared into blazing ocean blue eyes and sucked in a quick breath. "Honey, I need you to trust me on this, please. If it were not important I wou..."
"Not at god damn three o'clock in the fucking morning! Don't give me that shit, Shane! I've been through all of this with Chris, remember?!" A.J. stepped back as Shane reached for him. "No, fuck you! You're so hell bent on still keeping secrets! I thought we were past all of that and now this woman shows up..." A.J. stopped as a thought hit him. Eyes narrowing in anger, he turned and looked for his phone. "Give it here, right fucking now." Glancing back at Shane, A.J. headed to the dresser. Opening the top drawer, he let out an angry curse. "Bastard, give me back my fucking phone, Shane."
"Allen, listen to me..."
"No, fuck you! Give me my fucking phone! Why in the hell are you going through it? What are you looking for?" A.J. snatched the phone from Shane, anger and confusion swirling through him. What was Shane looking for in his phone? "You said Sadie and Juls know her which means Wyatt and Dean know her." A.J. walked around the room, phone held tightly in his right hand. "If she was at the wedding I had to have seen her. That doesn't fucking explain how you know her, unless..."
"Allen..." Shane didn't want him to make the connection just yet. Not until he had found out the truth of Faith's story. "Honey, listen to me...please before you jump to any more conclusions." He tried reaching for A.J. again only to have him step back out of reach.
"Don't fucking touch me Shane." A.J. glared at him as he tried to figure out who the mystery woman was. Until it hit him, those eyes, he'd seen them before. "She was a blond the first time I ever saw her, at the wedding she was a red head. Those eyes, I could never forget that color. I haven't seen her in almost nine...ten years." He jumped when his phone vibrated with a call. Glancing up at Shane, he frowned. "You knew she was going to call, didn't you?"
"Yes." Shane wasn't going to pretend he didn't know who was calling. "She's the reason I need to handle this."
A.J. scowled at Shane as he answered his phone. "Sadie?"
"You have to let him leave Allen, please, everything will be explained but you need to let Shane handle this. Juls nor Wyatt can do this, it must me Shane!"
"Fuck that Sadie, you tell me why first! If this has something to do with this fucking woman, I have a right to know!"
"No, you do not, not at this time. Please, you must trust that he is the only one who can handle this! Do you no longer trust me? You think I would allow him to hurt you?"
A.J. looked at Shane, heart racing as he tried to get his temper back under control. "No but I can help, Sai you know I can help!"
"This is not something you want to get involved in! I know you know her but Shane..."
A.J. wasn't listening to Sadie, his gaze was on Shane. "I've seen her before, I met her before the wedding. She was with Wellington when I first met them over seas." He watched Shane, a frown of confusion curving his lips down. "You remember Wellington, christ I ran into him at the club, Shane you beat his ass!"
Shane's frown deepened as he listened to A.J. "Who the fuck is Wellington? You said he was the guy from the club?"
A.J. froze at Shane's tone, eyes widening in surprise. "I never told you who..."
"No, you did not fucking tell me who he was." Shane felt his temper spike as he realized Faith and A.J.'s ex knew each other. "Tell Sadie I'm on my way now." The threat had taken on a different meaning and if this is why Sadie wanted to see him...
A.J. felt his anger boiling over as Shane moved around him. "Shane what the fu..." He broke off at the dark look on Shane's face. Taking a small step back, he could feel his heart racing as Shane followed him. "Sh-shane?"
"This, bastard, from the club is your ex, as in ex boyfriend? Why did he feel he had the right to fucking touch you? What gave him the idea that it would be ok to follow you upstairs?" Shane could feel the ugly twist of jealousy tightening in his chest. "He knew who I was when he saw me. Knew how I'd react after seeing us together because he was expecting it." Shaking his head, Shane turned towards the door. "Do not leave, Allen. If you think I won't follow you..."
"You won't have to if you stay here and tell me what the hell is going on!" A.J. could see Shane putting something together, something that involved him. "Shane, please at least let me go wi..."
"No." Tone harsh, Shane grabbed A.J. and pulled him close. "I want you to listen to me. If you leave, I will find you. Do not think you can go anywhere and I not be able to get to you. Stay here, Allen, that's all I am asking, do not make me come after you."
A.J. nodded, eyes wide at the possessive tone. "You're coming back?"
"There is no reason for me not to. For someone so, phenomenal you don't catch on to quick." Shane held A.J.'s face still as he kissed him. Pulling back, he stared at the flushed man. "You belong to me, there is nothing and no one who can change that. Now, let me go handle this and I will be back, stay here." Shane stepped back from A.J. a confused frown curving his mouth down. Turning to the door, he walked away from the silent brunette. He needed to find out about A.J.'s ex and what his connection was to Faith. He paused at the door when A.J. called his name.
"His name is Beauregaurd Wellington III. His father is this big time overseas real estate developer. I don't know what you know her by now but when I first met them I knew her as Francesca."
Shane glanced back over his shoulder, stomach roiling with anger. He recognized the name, having been around at the time she'd first started using it. "I'll be back, don't forget what I said." Shane left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
A.J. stared after him, something dark twisting in his stomach as he thought about his ex. Wellington and Fran had been a mistake made back when he was young and just starting out in the business. "Why would they show up now and how the hell does it involve Shane?" Looking down at his now silent phone, A.J. wondered what he should do now. If he left, Shane would come looking for him. If he stayed he'd have to answer questions about...
He jerked when his phone rang, glancing down at the display he was surprised to see Chris' name. "Chris?" He answered after pressing the button. "What's up?"
"What the fuck do you mean what's up?! How the fuck is it that in the middle of us having sex, Shane can call Seth and he will get the fuck up and leave?! Will you please explain to me what the fuck is going on?"
A.J. frowned at Chris' ramblings, shaking his head as he headed towards the closet. "Feel like meeting me somewhere? There's a lot of things I need to get off my chest and..."
"And you're not wanting to tell Shane? Why, what happened? Allen, are you ok?"
A.J. sighed as he thought about what he was about to tell Chris. "I don't know Chris, I think someone from my past is going to make it difficult for me to keep Shane."
"Shane is crazy about you. There's absolu..."
"The guys from the club, I knew them. Well two of them anyway and it just kind of slipped out that one was my ex..."
"Wait, what? What the fuck do you mean it just slipped out? How the hell does something like that just slip out?!"
It wasn't lost on A.J. that Chris wasn't surprised about Wellington being his ex. "I'll explain it to you once you get to Dale's. Gotta call Shinsuke to come get me."
"Why when I can do..."
"Shane would have left Alistair or Alexander here to make sure I don't leave. Shinsuke can get me out without being seen, you cause a scene just with a look." A.J. grinned at Chris' soft huff. "It's the truth and you know it, anyway wear something inconspicuous, not that fucking light up jacket of yours."
"Yeah yeah what the fuck ever. This shit better be good Allen or I swear..."
"Just get your ass up and get to Dale's." A.J. pulled a shirt over his head as he walked out of the closet. "Make sure you bring your appetite, I plan on eating."
"Food isn't what I'm in the fucking mood for but I'll meet you there in about twenty?"
"Yeah, just messaged Shinsuke, he's on his way." A.J. frowned as he grabbed his keys and wallet. "Should I..."
"I'm letting Seth know so yes because you know he's going to tell Shane."
A.J. let out a soft sigh as he thought about Shane's reaction. "He's going to be pissed I didn't stay here." Tone soft, A.J. sent Shane a text, stomach twisting as he waited for a response. "Chris?"
"Yeah?"
"Did Seth say where they were going o-or who they were meeting?" A.J. would admit to being worried, Shane had left angry and that didn't usually mean a good thing.
"No, just that he had something he needed to help Shane with."
Shaking his head, A.J. headed to the living room. He glanced up at the sound of someone knocking on the door. "Hang on, someone's at the door." A.J. walked over and looked through the peep hole. He frowned when all he saw was the hallway. "I guess it was next door, who ever..." He jerked back as some knocked hard enough to shake the door.
"Jesus, who the fuck is knocking that hard?"
"I don't...i-it's not Shinsuke, he'd call before he'd come up and the twins are..." A.J. broke off at another round of pounding on the door. "He wouldn't come here, not knowing Shane..." He jumped when the knocks sounded again, this time with more urgency. "Chris, I-I think I'm in trouble."
"What the fuck is going on? Who is at the door?"
"Allen sweetheart, I know that sweet ass of yours is in there! Rich boy can't keep you hidden forever! How bout you open up and we talk?!
"Fuck, it's Wellington." A.J. stepped back from the door. How had he found him? Had he seen Shane leave and did one of the twins see him come up? "Leave Wellington, Shane kicked your ass once he'll..."
"I know his ass ain't here. In fact, I know exactly where he is right this very minute."
A.J. looked down at his phone as it pinged with an alert.
Do not open the door, I'm on my way back. Alexander said someone is outside the apartment yelling for you. If it's him I swear I will kill him if he touches you.
A.J. let out a soft breath of relief. "Shane's on his way back."
"So you're not coming?"
"No, and Seth should be on his way back to you if Shane's coming home." A.J. turned at the sound of wood cracking. "What in the hell is..." He broke off as the front door groaned, the sound of something hard hitting it. "What the fuck do you think you're doing Wells, I said leave!" Sucking in a quick breath, A.J. tried to convince himself it wasn't eight years ago and Wellington no longer had control over him. "Chris..." A.J. broke off as the door gave. "Jesus fuck! What the fucking hell is wrong with you?! What right do you have..." He glared at the man now standing in the doorway, rage coloring his words.
"I have more right to you than he does! You belong to me Allen, every single inch of you..."
"Belongs to Shane! I left you and Frannie a long time ago, I owe you nothing!" A.J. glared at the chestnut haired man in front of him. "You're going to fucking pay for that door, you bastard. This isn't even..." He broke off as he was grabbed roughly by his forearms. "Let go of me Wells."
"You're leaving with me and Frannie. What, you thought that after all this time we'd simply let you go? You and Shinsuke, you two were thick as thieves and now you're famous together. We were there when no one knew who your ass was!"
A.J. struggled to break Wellington's hold, anger making his face heat. "And you two were the main ones who almost destroyed my career! Shinsuke helped me more than you or Frannie, so let go of me and get the fuck out of my house!" A.J. stepped back, gasping in surprise at the fingers digging into his arms. "If you don't fucking let go of me, Shane's going to seriously hurt you."
"He doesn't even know I'm here."
A.J glared at Wellington as fear raced along his nerves. This man had been his first male sexual encounter and it had fucked him up. The physical abuse had been easy to get over, the mental and emotional abuse had taken longer. "Seriously Wells, Shane is not the type to just allow you to touch me. Let me go before..."
"Take your hands off of him or I will kill you where you stand."
A.J. turned his head, trying to see the man the voice belonged to. When he finally came into view, A.J. felt a sliver of relief rush through him as he saw Shane. He jerked in surprise when Wellington let go of him, only to grab his face in a brutal grip. Pulling back, A.J. let out a whimper of pain as long, pale fingers tightened around his jaw. "Shane..." He gasped in pain, his hand closed around Wellington's wrist, desperate to relieve the pressure. Glancing over at Shane, he reached for him as he again tried to dislodge Wellington's hand.
"I said take your hands off of him!" Shane walked over and punched Wellington in the jaw, pulling A.J. behind him. "Bastard, do you think I would actually leave him unprotected? I take care of what's mine! He belongs to me! I warned you once at the club if you ever touch him again I'd make you regret it." Chest heaving, Shane eyed the other man. He noticed that he was physically fit and now sober, he seemed to be more aware of what he was doing.
"You don't seem to get it do you? He belongs to me, I had him first and I don't plan to ever let him go. There has been no one as sweet as Allen. No one that would sing like he did. No one that could make me cum like he did. I will have him or I will take him from you by force!"
Shane gave him a malicious grin, as he glared at Wellington. "You're more than fucking welcome to try. Until I decide to let him go, he belongs to me not you. So get the fuck out of our house or I'll throw your ass out." Shane dared the man to say anything else. He watched as their guest left before turning to the silent brunette behind him. "Honey, someone's yelling on your phone."
A.J. blinked as he looked down, surprised to hear Chris' voice still on the line. "Chris?"
"Jesus, what the fuck! Are you ok, was that Shane I heard? That asshole didn't hurt you did he? Seth's here, we can come get you if..."
"N-no, Shane's here, he uh h-he made Wellington leave. I'm ok, I'll call you in the morning, alright?" A.J. held the dark gaze in front of him, stomach twisting with nervous fear. "Night Chris." Disconnecting the call, A.J. watched as Shane turned to face him fully. "Shane..."
"This bastard keeps putting his fucking hands on you. What gives him the fucking right, what did he mean you belong to him Allen?" Shane tried to control the hot roll of jealous rage moving through him. "What the fuck is going on between you two!"
"He's an ex, Shane I swear! Nothing more, h-he was someone I met overseas and it ended badly. I haven't seen him in almost nine or ten years! It didn't end well at all for me or Shinsuke b-but I left and never looked back." A.J. watched as Shane struggled to regain control of his temper. "I swear to you Shane I didn't..."
"I know you didn't, not saying you did." Looking over at the door, Shane sighed. "I'll have to get this fixed soon." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Shane sent off a text before looking up at the silent man in front of him. "I guess we'll be staying in a hotel until they come fix the door. Alistair will stay here until it gets taken care of." Giving A.J. a quick once over, Shane turned away from him. "You can explain to me who he is later, right now we need to get out of here."
"Shane?" A.J. could feel his stomach twisting with anxiety as he watched Shane. He was still angry, dark eyes even darker with his rage but there was something else there. Something that showed Shane wasn't going to leave him behind this. "Clothes?"
"We can pick up what we need, right now I just...we need to leave." Shane couldn't be here, not after seeing another man touching A.J. so roughly. Looking at the bruises forming on A.J.'s forearms and face, he let out a soft curse. "He fucking touched you again, this time he marked you."
Shaking, A.J. watched Shane's face as he ran a possessive hand over his arms and face. He didn't want to leave, this was their home now and he didn't want someone else to run them off. "I want to stay here."
"Allen..." Shane broke off at the pleading look. He didn't want to think about the other man's rough handling of A.J. Nor did he want a reminder that A.J. was almost attacked. "You looked like you were scared honey, what the fuck did he do to you?" Shane slowly pulled A.J. closer. "Talk to me, let me help please?"
"O-only if we're staying." Shivering, A.J. looked up at Shane. "Please, this...this is our place, he can't win by running us off. Just put the door up a-and have one of the wonder twins come deal with it later."
"Wonder twins, really? Is that what you guys call Alexander and Alistair?" Shane gave him a small grin as he stepped back and headed towards the door. "How often did he hurt you?" Back to A.J., Shane felt his fingers curl around the broken door. His anger spiking at the look that had been on A.J.'s face. "The look on your face..."
"I-it wasn't all bad, at first. Not until I met some of the other guys, especially Shinsuke. Wellington couldn't stand Shinsuke, said he was putting ideas in my head." He could remember the fight and everything that happened after. A weeks worth of memories rushed over him as he stared blankly at Shane's back, eyes wide and unseeing. "It had been fun at one point but Frannie never...W-wellington has a temper a-and he had no problems with using force."
"How many times did he fucking hurt you." Voice soft, Shane kept his back to A.J., anger coloring his words. He knew if he turned around and looked into those eyes, he'd go after Wellington, hurt him as badly as he hurt A.J. Especially if the abuse had become sexual. "He'd force himself on you?"
"Frannie h-had video tapes. He would...Shinsuke helped me get them a-and burn them but..." A.J. stepped back towards the couch. He never thought he'd have to relive his mistakes. Wellington and Fran had been fun but he had been about his career back then. It was beginning to take off and he wanted to focus more on that than anything else. "Wellington took exception that I didn't want to, uh, play with them anymore."
Shane glanced behind him at A.J.'s soft tone. He felt his stomach twist at the haunted look on his pale face. "If he ever touches you again, I won't be responsible for my actions." Setting the broken door against the wall, Shane turned and slowly walked over to A.J. "Sweetheart, forgive me. I shouldn't have left angry but it wasn't with you. This situation seems to be from mistakes made in the past."
"But this situation...seeing Frannie..."
"Faith, honey, her real name is Faith Supero. She is the reason Sadie called earlier." Shane looked down into wide, blue eyes. "He can not have you Allen and neither can she. I told you, I am very possessive and especially when it comes to you." Shane didn't touch him, he didn't need to. He was close enough to see the flush slowly spread across his face. Shane heard the quick breath as it left A.J. Saw when his pulse jumped from excitement and still, Shane never touched him. "This is what Sadie meant when she said I didn't know?"
"Yes." A.J. didn't lie, he couldn't especially since Wellington had already said what he said. He sat down on the couch behind him, hands clenched tight. "We have time before they come fix the door?" He didn't want to go to sleep and he wasn't going to leave. If they left, Wellington would still come after them. "Maybe it's time we really talk?" Voice softer than before, A.J. looked up at Shane. "We called them secrets, maybe, umm, to some that's what it looks like but it's not what it really is."
Shane sat down next to A.J., a frown curving his lips down. "Tell me what I can do to help." He pulled A.J. close, surprised when he didn't put up a fight.
"Never leave me alone with him again. I'll face guys like Big Show o-or even Dean but..." A.J. broke off as Shane's arm tightened around him.
"Honey, you haven't been listening, have you? I am very serious when I said I'd kill him if he touches you again." Shane gave A.J. a crooked grin. "I'm sorry?" He chuckled at A.J.'s soft laugh. "I told you I was possessive and I just may make things difficult for him on principle."
A.J. let out a soft huff of laughter. "On principle of what?"
"He kicked in the door to our apartment, assaulted my lover, and then threatened us both. I'd have every right to beat his ass on sight simply for looking at you." Shane leaned back against the cushions, pulling A.J. into his lap. "Talk to me, help me understand the type of man we are dealing with."
"What about Fra...I-I mean Faith? If they..."
"Don't worry about her right now. I want to know about him." Voice tight, Shane sucked in a quick breath to calm down. "I need to know how to protect you from this threat."
A.J. nodded as he relaxed back against Shane. He would tell him what he remembered and they would go from there. Shane wasn't going to leave him, of that much he was sure. How Shane would react was another story, one A.J. had a feeling was going to end badly for his ex.