Author's Notes: Individual replies to reviewers are at the end of the chapter. I know it's a little slow right now but these are mostly character building chapters until we can really take off. Stick with me because I really think you'll like the climax—of the story (heads out of the gutter—now)!

Chapter XIV: Solid Protection: Guns and Forks

Once again, the two women were back on an airplane. Unfortunately upon their arrival, it was too late for them to rent a car and drive out the several hours to what remained of the ancient city of Karatepe. They learned quickly that everything in Turkey shut down at about five or six o'clock in the evening.

Therese spent the early evening in the business center of the hotel researching Karatepe. Stephanie, having earlier booked them a rental car for in the morning, thought she was going to strangle her friend as she paced the room studying the images she had printed off of the site. The best the brunette could do was look over the pages as the security agent tossed them aside. She called her mother and chatted about how she was having a grand time hanging out with Therese and her girls. Apparently Linda didn't stay on the up and up about where the absent wrestlers were. Triple H didn't even acknowledge the women's voicemails about their husbands—no call back nor mention on the show. That end of the deal was going well. So far, Sharon and Joe hadn't questioned them either. Therese talked to Dinah and Sharon for a few minutes the past two nights and nothing was said of Dinah not speaking to her father. Stephanie couldn't take the nervous energy anymore and popped a sleeping pill. She was asleep hours before Therese paced herself to exhaustion.

The blonde had only slept a few hours when she was up, trying to rouse Stephanie with coffee. It wasn't working very well. The usually chipper VP dragged herself out of bed and into something that resembled an outfit. She shoved on a pair of sunglasses and hardly protested when Therese slipped in behind the wheel for the long drive.

Somewhere around ten minutes away from Karatepe, Stephanie snorted awake, vaguely aware of how she came to be in a rickety car in the middle of nowhere. "Glad you could join us, sleeping beauty," Therese muttered, frustrated with her numb butt and aching back. "I'll let you drive us back when we're done and I'll take a nap."

"Sorry," she murmured, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"You took a whole pill, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I think so," Steph whispered, digging through her bag for a bottle of water.

"You have missed some incredible scenery," Therese replied in a lighter tone.

"How much coffee have you had?" the brunette sarcastically muttered.

"Enough."

"No kidding," Stephanie said under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," the VP said through a yawn. "What's our plan?"

"I don't have one," Therese answered with a shrug, still a little too cheerful for Stephanie's taste. "He just said to call him when we got there."

"Do you think we'll get Shawn and Kevin back now?"

"I don't know. I'm ready for anything," Therese replied and shifted her jacket to reveal her shoulder harness and Beretta.

"How did you get that in the country?"

"I had a permit to carry it overseas. Plus, it's a 'gift' to Jamie's grandfather," the blonde answered, making rabbit ears in the air.

The wheel jerked to the side and Stephanie shot up in the seat right before Therese righted it, even though they were on a deserted road.

"I'm awake now!" the brunette exclaimed before catching her breath and then adding, "I thought we suspected him."

"I don't think it's him, simply because he agreed to lie for us. But that doesn't mean I've ruled him out."

"Why didn't you just bring that little pistol you got? That's easier to hide."

"Think of it this way—this one," she held her hands out wide, "or this one," and brought them in closer before quickly grabbing the wheel again.

"Oh, well, if you put it that way," Stephanie softly replied, feeling slightly better now that they had more solid protection. She may not have agreed with carrying a gun but, right now, it was better than nothing.

Therese parked next to two other small cars, grateful that there were no more tourists present. They paid the admission fee and began the long walk up the steep hill to the ruins. At the crest, both paused at the sight before them. The Ceyphan River sparkled in the sunlight amidst a green land that showed no signs of civilization. "Could you imagine waking up to this every morning?" Stephanie sighed, lulled into bliss by the sight and the chirping birds.

It's not that she couldn't enjoy the sight but that Therese was too on edge about the phonecall she had to make. "Yeah," she muttered and began surreptitiously glancing around while faking an admiration of the scene. Wanting to get her bearings about her, she headed for the portico that held the ruins and Stephanie soon followed. The brunette pointed out several facts from the brochure they received at the gate, helping to cover their intent. She too was now nervous, wondering if Shawn was here now or if this was another stop on the way.

The site was fairly small, only two walls of stone glyphs stood. Palace intrigue, political maneuvers, and religious ceremonies of the Hittites were exposed for anyone to interpret, to touch. Stephanie was surprised to not see them cordoned off or behind glass. At the end were two statutes of lions that would scare the pants off any kid in the dark and a very large carving of the thunder god Baal. "This is it," Stephanie sighed, disappointed that that they had seen no one they knew as the two women looked out over the lake formed by the Aslantas dam. The VP nodded and Therese knew there was no point in stalling further.

The agent pulled out her cellphone and dialed the number they had originally traced. "Therese," the caller answered as if he was glad to hear her.

"We're here. Where is my husband?"

"Still alive," he glibly remarked.

"I didn't ask how he was—I asked where."

"Don't get snotty with me because you know what can happen." Therese bit her lip to keep from retorting. "No more comments?"

"No, just tell me what hoop we have to jump through next."

"You're not enjoying your Mediterranean vacation?" the abductor asked as if he was truly concerned about her.

"I would if I had my husband and my children here," she sarcastically replied.

"I thought you were done with the comments." Once again, she bit her lip hard, this time tasting blood. When she didn't respond, he continued. "You're a good Catholic girl. There's something there that represents the evil of the Old Testament. Now, think of the original glory, the complete splendor of what represented evil in the New Testament and it connects with that something."

When he began talking, Therese immediately began motioning to Stephanie for a pen and a piece of paper. The brunette had turned her back to other woman but still hung on every word. Therese had to tap her on the shoulder to get a pen but he was done before Steph could pull anything out of her purse. "Could you be anymore vague?" she asked but the man hung up without another word.

On the other side of that call, the phone was angrily clapped shut. "I'm not ready to bring them here. I don't see why we can't draw this out anymore like we planned."

The other man held up his bandaged hand. "You want to be on the receiving end of this next time?"

"No, of course not. But it's not like they'll be getting their hands on another fork any time soon," the other abductor replied.

The injured man rolled his eyes. "I don't trust them. Let's just get our money and get out of here. It's your turn to get them food."

"No, it's not. I did it last time."

"And last time, I got stabbed. I think that counts for something. Besides, we didn't leave the food last time. Just give them that, as if they deserve it." While he was still steaming over being stabbed, Shawn Michaels was still steaming over their plans being foiled.

Every meal had been delivered with no incident and the two abductors were none the wiser when one opened door to the office. The light was out and Shawn was plastered against the wall, hidden by the dimness. When the man was fully in the door, Shawn stabbed at him with the concealed fork but the dark-haired man had thrown up his arm to block the blow, the fork barely sinking into the top of his hand. Kevin speared him to the floor and Shawn lunged for the second man, knocking him into the cinderblock wall.

"Kev, let's go," Shawn shouted and began to run at breakneck speed towards what he assumed was the front of the long building.

When he didn't hear Kevin behind him, he slowed down to risk a glance behind him and a bullet glanced off the wall beside him. He dove for cover but the thin, spindly krill racks hardly hid him. Crawling for the corner, he tried to locate the shooter. The image at the other end of the building literally brought him to his knees. The shorter of the two abductors had Kevin writhing on the floor, a gun to his head. "I give," Shawn shouted, holding his hands up and slowly getting to his knees. The second attacker emerged from behind a stack of carpet rolls, only a few yards from Shawn.

"Get-back-in-your-hole," he growled. Michaels rose to his feet and began the trek back to the office. He swallowed hard, trying to control his emotions. He was forever grateful to have his best friend in this situation but he had been mere yards away from freedom and being in his wife's arms.

Shawn squatted beside Kevin who was now sitting up. "You okay?" The taller man nodded and the blonde offered a hand to help him up and into the confines of the room again. Settling him against the hard wall, Shawn noticed the red skin and knot beginning to form on his forehead. "How 'bout some ice?"

"You screwed that one up," the abductor replied and slammed the door shut.

"What happened?" Shawn tenderly asked.

"The bastard pistol-whipped me," Kevin replied, reaching to feel the knot forming.

"Don't touch it. It'll only hurt more."

"Who cares anymore?" Kevin muttered. "Got one in the front to match the one in the back from where he hit me in my own kitchen. Is this one cut like the other one?"

"No but let me check on the other one, just to make sure you didn't make it worse," Shawn replied, wanting to make sure, for his own personal mental well-being, that his friend was going to be completely fine. The cut had clotted over shortly after Kevin had been taken from his home and still remained that way.

Michaels slid down the wall to sit beside Nash. "Tell me what's going on with the girls."

"They're fine. You know that," Kevin angrily replied.

Shawn wanted to take their mind off the claustrophobic room and the fact that he was almost shaking with rage over their plans gone awry and the best he could come up with was to get Kevin to talk about his family. "Did Therese enroll her in those hockey lessons?"

"I told her if she did—"

"You actually threatened Therese!" Shawn interrupted.

"Well, yeah, sort of. But think about what my baby would look like with a crooked nose and missing teeth. Ballet, piano, that's safe," Kevin said, gesturing his hands outward as he proclaimed the activities safe.

"You can't protect them from everything."

"Watch me try. You'd understand if you had some of your own." Shawn was about to tell him they were hoping for one of their own soon but Kevin was talking and only god knew how long they'd be in this place. There was still plenty of time left to talk about his own insecurities. He would get there eventually—he needed to. He needed to be reassured that it wasn't either his or Stephanie's fault that she wasn't pregnant yet. He really needed a shoulder to pour out his worries that he was incapable of fathering children beyond just the act. Stephanie was so perfect that, if something was wrong, he knew it had to lie with him. He hadn't wanted to say anything to his wife because he hoped she would conceive and he wouldn't have to worry anymore. The only other person he could talk to seriously about this was Kevin. Not to mention, Stephanie hadn't wanted to broadcast their plans as she felt this was a private matter no one needed to know about until the initial risk for a miscarriage was over.

By the time a lull in the conversation occurred and Shawn was about to bring up the prospect of babies, the door creaked open to show the silhouette of the abductor who hadn't been stabbed. He held his gun out towards them with both hands, the sack of food dangling from underneath the weapon. "Here," he gruffly stated and tossed the food at Shawn.

Michaels was immediately pissed again and insolently replied, "I thought you said we wouldn't get any more food if we tried anything again."

"Your stupid wives are taking longer than expected. Can't have our bargaining chips dead." The two men had discussed it. As much as they wanted to deprive them of food, they weren't about to do anything that would jeopardize their plans. One brought up the fact that Nash was an old geezer and no food might trigger a heartattack or something else. Anything could happen and it could keep Therese and Stephanie away longer than they were willing to not feed them. After the incident earlier, they probably wouldn't be wiling to try anything else. They had actually had to shoot at Michaels.

TBC...

Author's Notes: Well, this can't hurt every once in a while. Thanks for everyone's concern for my classes. They're going well. I'm just not as far into writing my thesis at this point as I'd liked to be. Mainly because I have 2 new jobs (which are only part-time together). Can't drive to class if I can't pay for gas! These are for chapters 10-13.

MutantXHottie: I couldn't help but think of Kevin's aunt as one of those busybodies who really does mean good. I picture her as one of those who always says, "Well, bless her heart." Yes, I am cruel—cliffhangers and promotional tours. It can't possibly be that easy. As much digging as the two have done so far, I find it interesting (and I wrote it!) that the only information that they keep coming up with has come directly from the kidnappers. I didn't realize until I started writing this that Steph really played no part in the actual hunting of the stalker in the first one. She's mature enough now and smart enough that I see why there's not reason she can't be directly involved. However, Therese has this complex about being in control, which makes for fun fights. I bet the girls had no problem getting their shopping cut short if gets them to their guys sooner.

karisma: I love cliffhangers—keeps y'all coming back! Just kidding. I just like to leave readers wanting more. Glad you think the wait is worth it. As to the individual replies, I've heard the rumor from several people that they aren't allowed. At first, I wasn't going to take my chances but I think I could do this every so many chapters and not get in trouble. At least I'll get a warning first. ;) I loved your comment that the guys'll figure things out first before the girls do. I would love to write it that way but it would take away from my dramatic climax (pout).

WandaXmaximoff: It's so good to hear from you. I was getting worried. Glad to know that it's only because you're busy. Hope things get better for you soon. Steph and Therese will always annoy the hell out of each other—that's what best friends are for. However, they've now matured in that relationship. If you're confused as to who the kidnappers are, then I'm doing my job! Can't make it easy now. And of course, you knew I couldn't give too much away when that guy at the airport recognized H. That'd be too easy too. ;) I liked reversing Steph and Therese's roles in the confrontation with Bengisu. This is over 5 yrs. later from Playing Charades and I wanted to show Stephanie's maturity and give Therese some emotion other than anger and being highly protective. Therese doesn't give her love away easily; so when she does, you don't mess with who she loves. I saw the name "Aslan" on a watch store in this bazaar when I was in Istanbul 2 yrs. ago and then I realized so much more about the Chronicles, esp. when I got to eat Turkish delight for the first time.

Latisha C: Glad you liked the layer of explanations in ch. 10. That's a comment I don't usually get and I'm grateful for it. Therese is always on to something. It's just never what she wants it to be. I loved you comment as to why you liked the airport director. I wanted to make him suave and a little bit arrogant and angry from having to deal with stupid tourists all the time. Then I busted out laughing at this remark—"Every person's worst nightmare. Shawn has an idea." You're so funny. I like it when reviewers point out particular lines they like. Thanks. Also, I like it when you pick out things such as Steph's bluntness in ch. 13.

RAW1029: Sorry I've not properly thanked you for reading Playing Charades. It's a favorite of my own, so I'm always excited to hear when someone else likes it. Glad you could read the fics despite the OCs and romance. I try very hard to make the characters real and intersperse drama with the romance. Thanks so much for the compliments and I hope you keep reviewing despite the cliffhangers. ;)