Dark Saviour
Chapter 2 - The Day Things Started to Go Wrong
...
The Thursday before Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007
Undertaker sat in his living room, flicking through the channels on the TV in his boredom. It had been two months since he had been put out of commission after his match with Edge and he didn't know how much more of his solitude he could take. Undertaker flexed his arm slowly, trying to remove some of the stiffness from it. Even after two months off, his arm still hurt.
Damn, he got me good that time, Taker sighed as he continued to channel surf. You'd think that there would be something on . . . 500 plus channels and nothing. Undertaker turned off the TV and stood up. He needed to find something to take his mind off his boredom.
"Maybe I should read a book," he mused to himself. "I haven't read in a long time."
As he walked toward one of his bookshelves, his phone started to ring. Undertaker stared at his phone for a few minutes, trying to figure out who would be calling him. Nobody ever called him, let alone called him at home.
Maybe it's a telemarketer, he thought as he went to get the phone, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Hello?"
"Hey big guy, how are you doing?"
Taker couldn't help but smile at the familiar voice. "Okay, I guess. I mean, I'm injured, I'm alone and you're not here to keep me entertained . . ."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. But don't worry, after the Pay-per View I'll be coming right on over to cheer you up," Chris's voice betrayed the smile that he could not hide.
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"I'm finally going to do it. I told Nancy that I needed to talk to her tonight. I'm telling her tonight, Mark. Then I will be free to go and see you and spend as much time there as I want, anytime I want. Vince told me that I could get some time off after Vengeance. So, as long as things go the way I plan, there won't be any reason to hide any more."
Undertaker could hear the excitement in Chris's voice and could not help but feel the same way. He had been waiting for this day for so long and now that it was here, he was feeling a little giddy. "That's great. I can't wait to see you. I've missed you."
"And I've missed you too. God, this feels so good. It feels like such a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders."
"I know what you mean," Undertaker replied happily.
"Yeah, hey listen. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long. Things just got really complicated and . . ."
"Don't worry about it," Undertaker said reassuringly. "I know that it isn't an easy thing to do. Hell, telling Sara wasn't easy."
"Yeah, well, you still told her pretty much right away, where as I've been dragging my ass on the subject. I feel like a piece of shit for making you wait so long. I should have done it sooner. I mean . . . seven years is a long time to wait."
Undertaker shook his head. "Sometimes it has seemed like a long time, but when you get to the end, it's always worth the wait."
"You're too good to me, Mark. I doubt I would have been so understanding in your shoes."
"You would have been very understanding. You're a good man, Chris. If you cared even half of what I care for you, you could wait."
"I only hope so, that is, if it didn't drive me insane first," Chris chuckled. "I know that with how much I care for you now, if I had to wait like you did, it would have driven me bat shit crazy by now."
Taker chuckled. "Chris, you're already crazy. So, you'd be just fine."
"I guess you're right," Chris paused. "Oh, I'm sorry to cut the conversation short, but I've got someone trying to call on the other line. I'll talk to you after I take this call. Oh, I'm so excited."
"Okay then. I'll talk to you later, Chris. I love you."
"Love you to. Bye."
...Click...
Undertaker looked down at the receiver he held. He just couldn't believe that all these years of waiting were finally paying off. Chris would be here, at his house, a free man, before the end of the weekend. They would finally be able to stop coming up with excuses for Chris's long absences to Nancy. Hell, Chris would be able to stay here forever without fear. Suddenly the next couple of months off weren't so bleak after all. Undertaker really wanted to start jumping around like a little kid. It was a foolish thought, but he couldn't help it. The idea of not having to completely hide his feelings for Chris was such a relief. True, he'd still have to keep up his persona, but around those that knew him well enough, namely Shawn and Rey, there would no longer be any reason to hide. Undertaker walked out onto the front porch of his house, completely forgetting about looking for a book to read.
"It's such a beautiful day," Taker sighed, breathing in the cool clean air.
He had always loved the month of July, especially when the sun had just set and the air began to lose the heat from the day. A warm breeze blew against his face, echoing his peaceful state. The entire world seemed to echo this calm, peaceful emotion. Feeling at ease, Undertaker walked down his porch and onto his bike. There was nothing like a bike ride at night to make everything just right. Kicking the machine into life, Undertaker rode off, thinking of the only thing that would make this day any better: Chris waiting for him on his front porch when he got back.
...
Shawn was sleeping peacefully next to Rey after getting to the hotel in Houston a day early. Even though neither of them was fighting at the pay-per view, they had wanted to be there to support Chris and Ric Flair in their matches at Night of Champions. They had spent all of Saturday exploring Houston's shops and just relaxing a bit. The other Superstars would start to arrive later that day, or early Sunday morning.
Rey insisted on going clubbing that night and Shawn couldn't say no to him, not that he really wanted to anyway. They found their way to a nice little club and spent the night dancing and having fun. Reluctantly, both Superstars eventually left the club so that they could get back to the hotel; Shawn had a pre-show meeting to get to in at noon after all.
Shawn stirred slightly as the sun shone through a slit in the blinds. With a sigh, Shawn stretched and glanced at the clock, it was 11:35. Yawning, he swung his legs to the floor and rubbed at his eyes.
It's too early. Maybe I should just crawl back into bed and forget about that stupid meeting.
Rey stirred behind him, stretching lavishly before sitting up. "Is it time for the meeting already?"
Shawn nodded. "Yeah, Vince likes us down there half an hour early," he glanced at the clock again. "Which means I'm already late."
"Then I guess you had better get going."
"Yeah," Shawn yawned. "Damn, I was hoping to shower before I went down."
Rey crawled over to Shawn, putting his arms around his shoulders. "Then hurry up and get to the meeting. We can take one together after you get back."
Shawn smiled at that. "Okay, although that does mean that you'll have to let me get up."
Rey reluctantly let go. "There, now you can leave me," he pouted as he watched Shawn get dressed. "I don't even know why you have to go. You're not even fighting tonight."
"I don't know either. Most likely it is because my part in the WWE Title feud isn't over yet. Don't worry about it. It shouldn't take too long. Vince just wants to go over everything so that we don't forget our lines," Shawn said as he quickly ran a brush through his disheveled hair.
"How could you forget your lines?" Rey asked. "It's not like your going to be talking. You are supposed to be out with a concussion."
"Yeah, but you know Vince. He wants Vengeance to go off without a hitch," Shawn walked over to the bed so that he could kiss Rey on the lips. "So if he wants me there, then I've got to be there."
Rey looked up at him quizzically. "Then shouldn't you be leaving? Not giving kisses."
"I'm going. I just wanted a reminder of what I will be missing, so I get back up here faster," Shawn smiled mischievously.
"Oh, is that all."
"That's all."
"Then you had better leave before I change my mind about you going," Rey smirked. "And get us both into trouble in the process."
"I'm going, I'm going," Shawn said with a sigh, heading toward the door. "I'll be back," he said, imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger before closing the door behind him.
Rey shook his head. Shawn could use the most random movie quotes at times. With a sigh, Rey stretched out on the bed and grabbed the remote so that he could start flicking through the channels in hopes that something good would be on to pass the time. He had just found something interesting when Shawn's cell phone started to ring. Curious, Rey rolled over to pick up the phone from the night table.
Who'd be calling Shawn now? Rey mused as he flipped open the phone to check the caller ID. Mark? Why would he be calling? he thought as he stared at the phone before answering. He decided he was going to find out.
"Hey, Mark. What's up?" Rey asked.
"Rey? Why are you answering Shawn's phone?"
"He's in a meeting. Vince wanted to go over what's happening at Vengeance tonight."
"But I thought he was supposed to be out?"
"He is. We came to support Ric and Chris and well, since we were here anyway, Vince told Shawn to show up at the meeting. It might be to discuss when he will return and whether or not he'll continue going after the title," Rey mused.
"So, you answer his phone when he's gone?" Undertaker asked, slightly amused.
"Not always. I just checked the ID and when I saw it was you, I figured something had to be up. You don't usually call," Rey answered, trying to keep the concern out of his voice. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, of course, it's just that . . ."
"It's just what?"
"It's just . . . well, I guess things aren't okay. It's probably just me, but I'm slightly, worried about Chris," Taker said, his fear getting the better of him. "It's stupid I know but . . ."
"Why are you worried about Chris, Mark? Did he say something to you? Do something to you? Did he call and leave a weird message?"
"No, that's just it; he hasn't called me back. He called me at my house late Thursday night and then a call came on the other line. He said he would call back after he took it but . . ." Taker stopped before he lost control of his voice.
"Mark, you're scaring me a little here. What did Chris say when he called back?" Rey asked, afraid of the answer, afraid of what was making the Phenom scared.
"He didn't call me back, Rey. He hasn't called me since then. I haven't heard a single thing from him," Taker admitted. "I was hoping he had been in contact with you guys."
"I haven't heard from him for a while now," Rey said, his concern evident in his voice. "Maybe, maybe he got so involved with the other conversation that he . . . that he forgot," he said, scrambling for an answer.
"Maybe. Maybe that's all it is."
"I'm sure that's all it is. Maybe he's planning something big for you. Maybe the other phone call was about his plans and he got so excited about it that he hasn't called back because he doesn't want to give it away."
Yes, that's it. That's all there is too it. Nothing else could have happened, Rey hoped that his explanation was at least close to being right.
"Yeah, that does sound like something Chris would do. Still, can I get you to do something for me?"
"Sure, anything," Rey sighed in relief. He was so glad that the fear or at least what sounded like fear, in the big man's voice was gone.
"When you see Chris, tell him to call me."
"No problem. I can definitely do that and when I see Shawn, I'll tell him to do the same thing. That way we are sure to get Chris the message," Rey smiled.
"I'd appreciate that, and Rey . . ."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For everything," Taker said before he hung up.
Rey took the phone away from his ear and stared at it apprehensively. "That was odd."
"What was odd?"
Rey looked at the door and frowned. "Meeting over already?" he asked as he glanced at the clock.
"Yeah, Vince wasn't in the best of moods," Shawn answered as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Oh, how come?" Rey asked, his brow furrowing more.
"He's really pissed off. I swear it looked like he was ready to keel over," Shawn shook his head. "I think he's stressing way too much over this."
"Stressing over what?"
"Apparently Chris hasn't checked in yet."
Rey stiffened. "What?"
"Yeah, it surprised me to. Chris is usually so punctual. Guess he got tied up with something,"
Shawn paused. "Or somebody," he snickered.
"Or something like that," Rey said distractedly.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Shawn asked in concern.
"No. So, what did Vince have to say? Does he know why Chris isn't here yet?" Rey said, trying not to think of what Taker had told him moments earlier.
"Punk ended up remembering Chris telling him he had to go home. Some family emergency or something and he forgot to let Vince know."
Rey shook his head. "Bet Vince didn't like that."
"Not one bit. He's giving Morrison the ECW Title."
"He's doing what?" Rey asked in disbelief.
"Vince was so pissed off at Punk for not telling him earlier that he decided to change the outcome."
"Punk must not be too happy about that," Rey said, sympathizing with the younger Superstar.
Shawn nodded. "He's not. Though you have to wonder, if Vince did that to Punk, I'd hate to think of what he's going to do to Chris when he gets here."
Rey nodded but didn't respond.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Shawn shifted so that he was facing Rey.
"Nothing, it's just . . ."
"Just what, Rey?"
"Well, I told Mark that we would tell Chris to call him when we saw him," Rey replied.
"When did you say that?" Shawn asked, confused.
"A few minutes ago."
"You did?" Shawn was still confused.
"Yeah," Rey handed Shawn his phone. "He called just after you left."
"Oh?" Shawn said, taking his phone. "Why was he calling?"
"He was scared, Shawn," Rey said looking up at the man in front of him.
"What? The Deadman scared? You must have heard him wrong," Shawn shook his head. "The big guy is never scared."
"He was this time, Shawn. I think something may have happened to Chris," Rey said, unable to keep the fear from his voice.
"How come? Is this because he didn't show?" Shawn asked, looking at Rey curiously. "I'm sure he'll . . ."
"No, it's a combination of things. Him not showing up and . . ."
"And what, Rey?"
"It's just that, when Mark called, he said that Chris was supposed to call him. He had called Mark Thursday night and while they were talking he got a call on the other line. He said that he'd call back after, but he hasn't," Rey explained his face etched with worry.
"You're right. That's definitely not something Chris would do, but we may be throwing this out of proportion," Shawn said, trying to convince himself more than Rey.
"You could be right but we should still look into it," Rey moved closer to Shawn. "I just want to be certain."
Shawn pulled Rey into his arms. Leaning his head on top of Rey's, he began to think of what to do. "We will look into it. Don't worry, Rey. We'll head out first thing tomorrow, okay? Is that okay with you?"
Rey nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay. Although, maybe we should tell Vince. Maybe he can do something . . ."
Shawn shook his head. "No. We won't worry him about this just yet. Chris could still show up. We could be worrying over nothing," he held onto Rey even tighter.
"Are you okay, Shawn?" Rey asked, turning into Shawn's chest so he could put his arms around his lover's waist.
Shawn nodded slightly. "Yeah, yeah I'm all right."
Rey sighed. "Then everything will be okay, right?"
Shawn didn't answer as his mind wondered over everything he had heard that day. Finally, shaking his head he said the last thing he ever though he would say, "I don't know."
...
Shawn bounced into the hotel room with Rey following behind him, barely remaining on his feet in his exhaustion. They had been out all night partying with the Nature Boy. Even though Ric had lost, he stilled wanted to go out and celebrate. As they walked into their hotel room, Rey felt ready to collapse. It had been such a long day that he felt completely drained. He had completely forgotten why you should never give Shawn pixie sticks. He swore that Shawn could have bounced off the walls like they do in the movies with the energy he had right now. Rey collapsed onto the bed, too tired to even get undressed.
"Wake up, Rey! It's not bed time yet!" Shawn exclaimed as he bounced onto the bed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up," he bounced up and down with each syllable.
"No, Shawn. It's sleep time. Come lie here with me," Rey muttered as he lazily patted the spot next to him.
"Aw, come on. I don't want to sleep yet. Sure it's like, 6:30 in the morning, but I'm not tired," Shawn shook Rey slightly, trying to get him up.
"Then watch some TV," Rey suggested.
"Will you watch with me?" Shawn asked, still bouncing.
Rey groaned before shifting into a sitting position. "Fine. I'll watch a little bit of TV with you. Then can I please get some sleep?"
"Sure."
Shawn smiled as he moved to sit against the backboard, as Rey snuggled up against his side so that he could lean against his chest. With one arm wrapped around Rey's waist, Shawn began to flick through the stations. Rey vaguely watched the channels flicking before him, not paying much attention to what was on. He felt his eyelids begin to close before an image on the screen caught his attention. Rey bolted into a sitting position.
"Wait, Shawn. Go back."
Shawn flicked back a couple of stations till he landed on a news channel. Neither one of them could believe their eyes. Rey's heart nearly stopped as he saw the news anchor disappear once again to show a picture of Chris's home. Police tape surrounded the entire entrance as the news camera focused on the beautiful house.
"Turn up the volume," Rey said quickly, fully awake now, his heart pounding wildly, his lungs constricting. Why is his house on the news? Why are the police there?
"Police arrived on the scene to find the bodies of Chris and Nancy Benoit, along with their 7-year-old son Daniel in their home. Police are refusing to comment as they continue their investigation . . ."
Rey missed the rest of what the announcer was talking about. His mind went completely blank, numb; the only sound was a dull ringing in his ears. Shawn continued to stare at the television, his mind reeling at what he was hearing. Rey blinked slowly as his mind began to stir again. His mind was sluggish at first, but it quickly began to race as panic set in.
How the hell did this happen? What the hell is going on?
Rey jumped when the phone began to ring beside him. Shawn pressed the mute button before he reached past Rey to pick it up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Did you see the news yet?"
"It's Vince," Shawn mouthed to Rey. "Yeah, Rey and I just saw it. What's going on?"
"I have no idea," Vince paused. "I just don't know. I need you to gather all the guys on your floor. Don't tell them anything other then to meet me on the 1st floor. We're having an emergency meeting. I can somehow see this turning ugly."
"You too, huh? But yeah, Rey and I can do that," Shawn said, looking over at Rey. "Although, I may leave Rey up here. He should be calling Vickie if Chavo hasn't already." Forget that, what he really needs to do is contact Mark. We have to talk to him before he finds out.
"No problem. Just get everybody down here as fast as you can. I'll get someone from each floor to do the same," Vince said, his voice a flurry of panic and worry.
"Don't worry, I'm on it," Shawn said, hanging up a few seconds later.
"I just . . . I just . . ." Rey shook his head.
Shawn wrapped his arms around Rey. "I know, but you have to be strong for me for a few minutes. You have to call Mark, Rey. You have to call him. He needs to know. He needs to hear it from a friend. Or at least, hear from a friend."
Rey nodded, wiping at a stray tear. "Yeah, I'll call Mark," his voice cracked.
"Do you want me to?"
Rey shook his head. "No. I can do it," he smiled weakly at Shawn. "I should be the one to call him anyway. Now go, you have to go tell the others and lend your support to them during the meeting. Tell Vince that I'm sorry for not showing up."
"Don't worry," Shawn said sadly. "He understands."
With nothing else to really say, Shawn got up, quickly threw some clothes on and walked to the door. He took one last look at Rey before walking out of the room. He hated to think that he was leaving Rey in his time of need, but the other guys needed him at this moment too. Vince was counting on him to rally the troops. They all needed to know that Chris was gone before they watched the news. If Eddie's death was any example, he knew that this would be blown out of proportion almost instantly. He could only guess at how badly.
Rey remained in the same position Shawn left him in for a long time, staring at the phone on the nightstand. He dreaded what was to come next. Rey remembered breaking the news of Eddie's death to Chris and wasn't looking forward to breaking such news again. He especially wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to Taker. This would break the Deadman's heart, if it didn't destroy him first. Rey could feel the tears flowing silently down his checks. Closing his eyes, he brought his legs up to his chest and buried his head in his arms. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Rey burst into tears.
Chris . . . why did you have to leave us? Leave Mark? Rey silently called out to his friend, his brother. They're going to blame you aren't they?
Rey shook his head. Know matter what the TV people said he knew the truth. Shawn knew the truth. Mark knew the truth. Know matter what; there were those who knew. They knew that Chris was good.
"Maybe . . . maybe there is a good explanation for what happened. Yeah, there has to be, and Chris won't be blamed," Rey said, trying to clam down. "Everything will be okay. The news people will be good to us, to Chris, this time."
He really needed to contact Mark, although he didn't know exactly what he was going to say. He didn't even know if the Deadman would answer. He was afraid of talking to Taker about this and, as he brought up the Phenom's number, he dreaded getting the answering machine.
...
Undertaker was sleeping peacefully when his phone started to ring. Looking up groggily at his clock, he wondered who would be calling him at this hour. He nearly ignored the phone and went back to sleep when a thought struck him.
It might be Chris. He may be calling to tell me why he missed Vengeance, Taker thought as he rolled over so that he could grab the phone before it went to voice mail.
"Chris?"
There was no answer.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mark."
Rey? Taker thought, slightly confused. "Rey?" he asked when he answered the phone.
"Yeah."
Something wasn't right, something was wrong with Rey's voice. "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat up. He was met with only silence on the other end. "Rey? You still there?"
"Yeah."
Undertaker could feel his concern quickly turning into fear. The Master of the 6-1-9 was never this quiet. "Rey, did something happen? Did Shawn get hurt?"
"No, it's not Shawn. He's fine."
Taker could now plainly hear the sadness in Rey's voice. He was sure the other man was crying or, at the very least, he was damn near close to it. "Is it Chris? Did something happen to him over there? Is that why he wasn't on tonight?"
"You haven't seen the news yet, have you?"
Undertaker's throat began to close. He could hear Rey begin to cry on the other end. He shook his head, before remembering that Rey couldn't see him.
"No, I haven't," he could barely keep his voice level. "What happened that it's on the news?"
"Oh, Mark," Rey began to sob hysterically.
"Rey . . . what's happened? Where's Chris?"
"He's gone, Mark. Chris is gone."
Taker could feel his heart skip a beat as Rey's words washed over him like a bucket of ice. Emotions he never thought he had, swelled inside him. Tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes as he tried to hold himself together. One, stray tear broke through his barriers. Reaching up, he wiped it away. He hadn't cried since he was a little boy. His character never allowed him to cry.
"What?" Taker asked when he was sure his voice wouldn't betray the emotions he felt.
"He's gone. They found his body this morning. Oh, Mark. I'm so sorry."
"How . . . how did this . . ." Undertaker couldn't form a sentence; his voice didn't want to work properly anymore.
"He never showed up here. He never made it to Houston. He was found dead at home, Mark. His entire family . . ." Rey stopped, unable to continue, his voice giving out on him too.
Undertaker slumped back against the wall, the phone falling into his lap. He felt paralyzed. Numb. Hollow. He hadn't felt so empty in years. Not since Chris had entered his life all those years ago when he had been truly lost.
"Mark? Mark, are you still there?" Shawn's voice echoed through his fogged mind. Clumsily, he picked up the receiver again.
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"Good. Listen, Rey and I are flying out of here right now. We'll be on the first flight there. Vince is letting us leave so we can be there with you. I told him, Mark. I'm sorry, but I had to. I had to tell him why we had to get to you."
"It's okay. It's . . ." he faltered, his mind still numb.
"Vince will be flying us out there in his private jet, okay. We should be there by noon," Shawn said, trying to keep his own voice level as he held onto a sobbing Rey. Shawn felt broken up inside, his emotions in turmoil. With Rey acting like he was, he could only imagine the torture that Taker was going through. At least Rey had him there. Undertaker had nobody.
"Okay then," Undertaker nodded slightly, his mind finally registering what Shawn was saying.
"All right, just promise me one thing okay, Mark. Just promise me one thing."
"What's that?"
"Don't turn on the TV. Whatever you do, DO NOT turn on that television. Can you do that for me, Mark?" Shawn asked, nearly pleading with the Deadman.
Taker nodded, once again forgetting that they couldn't see him.
"Mark? Are you still there?"
"I'm still here. Don't worry. I won't turn on the TV."
"Thanks man. Okay, I've got to go. We'll be there soon. Take care till then, man. Be careful," Shawn said, trying to comfort the big guy.
"Don't worry about me goose boy. I'm fine," Taker responded, hiding behind his character's persona. The Undertaker couldn't feel sad; he couldn't feel emotions. The Deadman had no emotions. So, Mark wouldn't have any either.
"Okay, see you soon," Shawn hung up a bit reluctantly; slightly scared of the way Taker's voice had suddenly changed, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had to get Rey and himself to the airport so that they could go comfort their friend.
Undertaker, meanwhile, sat in silence before going back on his word. Getting up slowly, he went into the living room, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He flicked through the channels till he found what he was looking for. The news anchor sat behind her desk as she summed up the breaking news. The image faded as once again, Chris's home was shown. Taker could feel his dark heart begin to melt as his emotions came flooding out. Tears fell as he sobbed silently, the images on the screen began to blur as a picture of Chris swam into view.
Why, Chris . . . why? Were you that ashamed of me? Was I that horrible to you? Undertaker quickly shook those disturbing thoughts away. No. He wasn't ashamed. He loved me. Something else has happened and those stupid fuckers will never get it right.
...
A/N: Yeah, so there it is. Sorry for letting Benoit die again. I have nothing but the up most respect for the guy. I wish I could have kept him alive, but then I would not be able to do what I have planned later. R.I.P. Benoit.
And if any of you have a problem with Benoit, then you can all keep that to yourself because I don't want to hear it.