CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Come on, Shawn!" River called, smiling encouragingly when he glanced back at her, blowing him a kiss; her wedding ring sparkling as it caught the light. She didn't even look at Mark, her eyes for one man only. Behind her, she could hear Jim explaining to the people at home what this match was about and who she was and all the rest. Her blue eyes narrowed as Mark opened the match with a volley of punches, wincing when Shawn staggered under the unending blows.

Mark was on the attack, his blood boiling as he kept punching Shawn, every time the man got up, he would hit him again. When the referee got in his way, he pushed the smaller man aside, then went back to stomping on Shawn.

That was pretty much how the match –if it could even be called that- went. Every time Shawn would get one move in, Mark would retaliate with several.

At this point, Shawn was wondering where the hell Glenn was.

When Glenn finally did come out, River breathed a sigh of relief and met him at the cage door. They shared a long look before he literally tore the door from its hinges. While he slid inside the ropes to deal with Mark, she retrieved a steel chair, tossing it over the top rope before climbing in after it.

"Shawn! Shawn, get up!" She urged worriedly, hearing Mark growling as Glenn tried to hold him back, watching as Shawn got into a kneeling position, her eyes widening when she seen the blood on his face.

"River, I can't hold him!" Glenn shouted, turning Mark to face her, struggling to hold him back.

Nodding, she raised the chair, swinging it at Mark.

Glenn actually heard Mark whisper her name as the chair came flying towards him. At the very last second, River spun around and sent her already dazed husband flying; opening the gash on his forehead wider.

"Thanks." Mark grunted, inwardly sending a prayer heavenward that it hadn't been his head getting knocked off. He took the chair from her, his eyes taking on a wicked gleam. After a few seconds, Shawn's head was resting between the metal seat and the back rest, Mark climbing onto the turnbuckle. He froze when he heard Steve's theme blast throughout the arena; glancing towards the ramp.

Stone Cold Steve Austin's blue eyes held nothing but evil intentions as he slid into the ring.

Mark dropped down, figuring Steve deserved a bit of the action. After all, it was his sister who had been kidnapped and kept hidden for over ten years.

"Wait!" River stopped her brother before he could do anything. "I want to say something before he passes out." Shawn was already on the verge that much was plain to see. Crouching down, River almost tenderly brushed his hair back from his bloody forehead, watching as his eyes slowly focused on her. "I loved the man I thought you were, Shawn. Not you." She whispered, seeing those words crippling him emotionally, worse than any of the physical damage he had taken tonight. "See you in court."

"My turn." Steve said when she backed away, cracking his knuckles as he advanced.

Between him and Mark, there wasn't all that much left of Shawn Michaels. The pieces of the man were loaded onto a gurney and wheeled away, the trio watching impassively. Mark looked down at River; seeing the pain she was trying to hide and inwardly sighed. Not saying a word, he exited the ring, leaving the siblings there and headed backstage; he had a daughter to go see.

***

Hope was being watched by Stephanie and Paul. Paul was just glad his services hadn't been needed after all, looking green under his tan. That could have been him. It probably would be him in the near future. Stephanie looked up from cradling Hope when the look opened, Mark slowly stepping in; looking like he hadn't just damn near killed a man.

"Dad…" Hope ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck when he dropped down to her level.

Mark held her tightly, hearing her heart wrenching sobs, feeling them tearing through her. He looked past her to Stephanie, just nodding.

Stephanie nodded back, knowing it was over.

River came flying through the door next, Steve right behind her.

"MOMMY!" Hope screamed, pulling away from her father's arms and ran to her mom.

Stephanie was now frowning, wondering just what the hell was going on. "River… I HEARD you… what the HELL?" She was confused. She had been preparing to knock on Shawn's door earlier when she heard the pair of them, something she was hoping could be forgotten with therapy. "You and Shawn… were, I'm confused.

River was too busy hugging her daughter to bother explaining anything just yet.

"I want joint custody." Mark said evenly, breaking up the moment. It hadn't taken much to understand what Stephanie had been saying, his heart breaking all over again at the very idea. When River met his stare, there was no emotion in his. "What we had was a long time ago. You don't love me. I accept that. But I want joint custody of Hope after your divorce is settled with Michaels." He walked out of the room, not bothering to look at Steve.

All he wanted was a pillow and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"What the hell?" Steve demanded, covering Hope's ears as Stephanie explained. "Rivvie?"

River didn't flinch. "I did what I had to do to keep him from losing it." She said softly, meeting her brother's gaze steadily. "He was losing control and I did what was needed to make sure I got back to my daughter in one piece."

"Oh… OH! Shit, I'm sorry!" Stephanie groaned.

***

Mark had kept his promise. Though at a heavy price. No matter why River did what she did, he couldn't get past it. Steve had called to explain things but in the end it made no difference to him. She loved Shawn still and he knew it. She loved him as much as she hated him for the things he had done to her. Mark no longer had a place in her heart.

His current ambition was just to watch his daughter grow up and be a part of her life, that was it. Well, that and to get through this bottle he was working on.


***

Later that night after Hope had finally dropped from sheer exhaustion, River left her daughter in Steve's care to go try talking to Mark. Steve hadn't been keen on letting her go but she refused to let him talk her into staying behind. Though when she reached Mark's hotel room door, she almost wish she hadn't come at all. Hesitantly, she raised her hand and knocked.

It took Mark several tries to get out of bed, feeling slightly tipsy. Okay, maybe he wasn't tipsy. He was well on his way to a perfectly badass hang over, swaying as he walked to where he thought his door was, reaching for one of the knobs that swirled in his vision. When he opened the door, all he could do was stare down at River blankly. "What?" His voice was gruff, not caring at the moment how he looked. Which was like shit. He grunted when she walked in past him, sighed and kicked the door shut behind him.

River sighed as well, tearing the bottle from his hand and headed into the bathroom, pouring the amber liquid down the drain. When she returned, she found him STILL standing there, taking in his red eyes and the obvious trails where he had cried. "You still listen to the Carpenters when you drink and cry?" She asked curiously, spotting a CD laying on the table and nodded, moving to stand in front of him. "Mark… I wanted to talk to you but you are TOASTED."

As if to prove it, Mark swayed on the spot.

Shrugging, River poked him with one finger, watching as he fell to his ass.

"Say what ya wanna say an' git out." He slurred angrily.

"You stormed off because Stephanie told you I fucked Shawn." She said bluntly, watching him wince and moved to sit on the edge of the bed; staring down at him. "Well, Mark William, did it ever occur to you that I did it to save my ass?" She demanded. "He was losing his mind in there and I wasn't dying without seeing him go first."

"He wouldn't have hurt ya… much." He muttered, pushing himself off the floor, managing to crawl up onto the bed, ignoring her indignant huff as he moved past her. "We both know why ya did it, Riv. Ya wanted to get one more round in with him to remind ya how it used ter be a'fore Steve and I fucked yer world up. Makes me wonder if we shoulda just left ya alone. So ya did what ya had to, congratulations."

River stood up, staring down at him. She had her memories back, every last one of them. And they were conflicting with the person she was today. Her old self loved Mark, her memories of Mark and their time together. The person she was now still loved her husband, no matter what he had done to her and Hope. To her family and Mark.

"You're right." She whispered.

"I already knew that, darlin'. Go on, git outta here." Mark mumbled, draping an arm over his eyes.

Nodding, River headed for the door.

"You gonna take him back?"

Her fingers wrapped around the doorknob, hesitating. "No." She breathed, her eyes closing against the pain. "I can't ignore what he's done."

"Good girl."

***

"Momma, Stevie is chewin' on my pencil." Hope shouted, sounding both amused and exasperated.

River groaned from her place in the kitchen, trying to cook something edible. Stevie was a year old, Hope pushing twelve in a few days. Sighing, she walked into the living room and smiled in spite of herself. Hope was grinning at her one year old brother who was indeed gnawing on a pencil. "Well take it from him."

Laughing, Hope did, passing over a block instead.

Shaking her head, River dropped down onto the couch to watch them. She had named her son after her brother, something that made Steve happy to no end. Her divorced was even now being dragged through the courts, though Hope was now legally Mark's and seen him regularly. Now the issue was her and Shawn battling it out over their son.

Though in the end, River would win. Shawn's hold on her was broken. She had seen through his painful lies. He might have loved her but his love was a brand of poison she wasn't interested in imbibing anymore. Now that she had her memories, she had had to reconcile who she had been with who she was.

Steve often complained about it. One minute she would rant at him for something he did the next she was telling him to mind his mouth.

Propping her chin in her hand, River's blue eyes studied her children. A child from each of her loves, a reminder of what she had had with each man. Neither man was a part of her life anymore. Well Mark was so far as Hope went. Shawn had visitations with his son, under Steve's supervision since River couldn't bear to be in the same room with him at all.

Maybe in a few more years, she would be able to look at him and not feel her heart break, or rage. Maybe.

As for Mark, well… in the end, he had gotten what he wanted. He had wanted her to remember who she was, who she had been and what she had lost.

But it was bittersweet. What he hadn't counted on was her feelings for him had changed. Ten years living a life with no memory of him had changed her, even after her memory recall. No doubt he wished he had never opened that door in her mind; it would have been easier on him to have her forget him then for her to walk away.

So much for remembering.

THE END