Dark Saviour
Chapter 3 - Nobody Likes the Morning After
...
Monday night, after Vengeance
Undertaker knelt on the ground, his hands moving silently over the contours of his bike. He had gone outside a few hours earlier to do something, anything, in hopes that he could keep his mind from dwelling on the one, unpleasant thought that haunted him at every turn. Not even the few hours of sleep he had managed to get, relieved him of his torment. Work, simple work, seemed to help keep his mind occupied enough that, for a brief time, he could forget. Although the peace was temporary, it was better than being constantly reminded of his current situation. It helped keep his fragile sanity in place so that he could keep his current guests from being around him 24/7.
You'd think they would have taken the hint by now?
Shawn and Rey had arrived at his home around 10:00 that morning and hadn't given him a moment's piece until two hours ago. They were currently inside, supposedly cooking dinner, although Taker wasn't too sure about that. Their cooking ability was in question, as was their ability to focus on the simple task and not let the food burn. Taker smiled a little at that thought but it was quickly wiped away as his gaze fell on the tiny decal of a small purple flame surrounding a little black heart. Chris had gotten that for him after he had accidentally scratched Taker's bike when he was trying to learn how to ride it. Undertaker had told him not to worry about it, that he was planning on redoing the paint anyway, but Chris insisted on it and Taker couldn't say no to him. When Taker had finally gotten around to redoing the paint, he didn't have the heart to remove the decal, so the decal remained, a permanent fixture on his bike and a reminder of everything they had shared. He closed his eyes against the bitter memories that assaulted him. He didn't know how much more pain he could endure.
Taker knew, it was for that very reason, that the two Superstars inside remained so concerned about his welfare and why they had not given him a moment alone since they arrived. Rey, Shawn or both of them were constantly 'checking in on him' and were desperately trying to get him to talk about his feelings. Unfortunately for them, that was the last thing he wanted to talk about. Fortunately for him, he was stubborn enough to stand up to their prying.
Undertaker was thankful for the little stroke of luck that had allowed him to be able to convince Rey and Shawn to cook supper, giving Taker his brief time of solitude at the moment. Once they were occupied with food, he had been able to escape outside and lose himself in his work. Taker was finally able to lose himself to memories of a better time and to pretend that he never got the phone call that ruined everything.
As Undertaker looked up at the setting sun, a strong part of him tried to convince him that this was all a really bad nightmare and that he would soon be waking up to see Chris sleeping beside him, alive and well. He wanted to believe that one, little lie, so badly that he could almost taste it, feel it. He desperately wanted to go back to that one moment where he believed he wouldn't have to hide anymore, to live a lie. Even if it was only for a moment, Taker wanted to live his life out in the open, not being afraid of being caught or of what others would say. Undertaker sighed as he shook his head, once more feeling a stray tear betray his true feelings over everything that had happened since 6:30 that morning. He wiped it away bitterly as he mentally scolded himself for such weakness.
"Hey, Mark. Are you crying?"
Taker stiffened. "I don't cry," he said, letting his mask fall into place as he turned to look at Rey. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Rey walked down the porch steps and over to where Undertaker knelt on the ground in front of his bike. "You don't have to play the Phenom, Mark."
"Who says I'm playing?" Taker asked as he turned back to his bike and began to fiddle with it again.
"You're hiding your emotions. That's what the Deadman does, not you," Rey sighed, putting his hand on Taker's shoulder. "We're all friends here, Mark. You don't have to hide from us. We cared about him too."
You didn't care for him like I do, Taker thought bitterly as he closed his eyes to banish the emotions that assaulted him. Getting angry wouldn't help him right now. Taker shifted slightly so that Rey's hand would drop from his shoulder. He glanced up at the little man, his eyebrow raised. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said calmly. "I've got nothing to hide."
Rey sighed, raising his hands up in defeat. "Whatever you say. You're the boss. I won't force you. Anyway, I just came out to tell you that supper is ready," he said as he turned to head back inside. Rey paused when he heard Undertaker sigh. As Rey looked over his shoulder at the Deadman, he caught Taker standing up and grabbing a dirty rag out of his back pocket to wipe his hands on, his eyes fixated on his bike as though deciding what to do with it. Concern over Taker's mental state had Rey turning around and walking toward him again.
"We all miss him," Rey said softly as he put his hand on Taker's arm.
Taker looked down at Rey, his eyes not really seeing him. His throat felt tight as he tried so hard to block out the memories that began to assail him anew now that he didn't have his work to distract him. Being busy always seemed to work at distracting him from whatever was bothering him. It was one of the reasons he wished that he was alone. Though it was nice to have Rey and Shawn there for him, they also kept dredging up the past which he currently only wanted to forget. All the wonderful memories he used to hold so dear were now more painful than anything else he had ever been through to date. Remembering how things were before, were more painful than being thrown from the top of a ladder or into a steel cage.
I'd rather be thrown from the top of the steel cage then talk about the past.
Rey wanted to talk about Chris, wanted to talk about their feelings about what happened, wanted Taker to tell them how he was doing. Undertaker, on the other hand, didn't want any of that. All he wanted was to just forget everything for the time being, maybe forever. He wanted a little bit of time to be by himself, so that he could work things. He usually did better when he didn't have to worry about someone watching him, hovering over him like a protective mother. Taker wasn't ready to share his feelings about Chris and what had happened to him. He didn't know if he would ever be ready to talk about that. He would much rather go on like it was any other day, although without Chris in it, he wondered what the point of it all was. Suddenly, Undertaker felt Rey put his arms around him. He wanted to pull back, but found that his feet wouldn't obey him.
"It'll all be okay," Rey cooed. "It will all be okay."
Upon hearing Rey's voice, Taker was brought out of his fogged state. Backing away from Rey, Undertaker's face held a scowl. "I don't need anyone's comfort," he said between clenched teeth.
Rey shook his head. He knew that Undertaker was so used to not showing his emotions, but he also knew that Mark need to let himself feel something. If he continued to hide them, his emotions would explode down the road, hurting him and possibly those around him, maybe someone he cared for.
"If you say so," Rey shrugged slightly, trying to reassure the Deadman. "But just remember that Shawn and I are here for you if you need us," Rey said before he turned and walked away from Taker.
Undertaker sighed as he began the task of picking up his tools. Not wanting to deal with Shawn and Rey just yet, he slowly put them away as he tried to compose himself. He felt bad for pushing Rey away, but he didn't need his sympathy. He didn't need anyone's sympathy. He needed Chris, alive and in his arms.
Why did you have to leave me?
As the last tool was put away, Undertaker knew that he couldn't stall anymore. Slowly, he walked up the steps and into his home, a home that felt big and empty now that Chris would no longer come to visit.
So, does this really constitute a home now? I know it's where my stuff is, but does that make it any better than a hotel? Undertaker thought bitterly. Can it be a home when I don't have any real reason to be here anymore?
As he walked further into the building that was once considered home, Taker could smell the tantalizing aroma of garlic bread wafting from the kitchen. As he made his way into the dining room that was off the kitchen, he noticed that Shawn and Rey had fully set the table and were in the process of bringing out the food, which surprisingly, looked edible.
"About time you got in. We've been waiting for you," Shawn said as he filled an empty glass with wine from the bottle he held.
Taker watched as Shawn filled the three glasses without commenting. Shawn glanced up at him, smiling. "What are you waiting for? Take a seat and dig in. I assure you it has not been poisoned."
Taker could not help but smile at that. Shawn always seemed to have that ability, although to admit it to Shawn would be a big mistake. The guy didn't need any ego boost. Undertaker tried to shake the pang of jealousy he felt for what Shawn and Rey had. Now wasn't the time to get worked up over what he wished that Chris and he would have had, had the events over the weekend not transpired. He shook his head, banishing the bitter dream from his mind.
"So you can actually cook?" Taker said finally.
"Of course I can cook. I mean, my specialty is Kraft Diner, but I can cook," Shawn smiled.
"Surprising isn't it? He has two kids and is able to cook more than just Kraft Diner," Taker said, turning to look at Rey as he walked into the dining room. "I think he's a keeper."
Rey smiled. "That he is. Glad to see you're in a good mood."
"Aw, was Marky in a bad mood," Shawn teased.
Taker glared at Shawn causing the smaller man to shrink away a little as his nerves failed him. Satisfied that Shawn would never call him 'Marky' again, Taker took his normal seat at the head of the table; the best spot to be in when you're alone.
Rey and Shawn glanced at each other not completely sure what to do next, before they silently took up a spot on either side of Taker. All three men sat in silence for a few minutes, two not knowing what to say and one not wanting to say anything. Nervous, Rey was the one who finally broke the silence. "I heard that Vince is planning on holding a tribute show tonight for Chris."
"Really? Glad he didn't waste time on it," Shawn smiled. "Too bad he didn't tell us. I would have liked to have said something."
"As would I, but we're supposed to be gone. Vince can't destroy all the storylines he has going on and since you're supposed to be out with a concussion and all," Rey said.
"I know, I know. But still . . ."
"At least you could say something," Taker muttered sadly.
Both Rey and Shawn looked up at Taker whose eyes were staring blankly at the food on his plate as his fork played hockey with a piece of his steak. Both men didn't quite know how to respond to that, nor where they completely sure how to comfort the Deadman when he obviously didn't want to be comforted.
"We know," Shawn said finally, placing his hand on top of Undertaker's free hand. "We know that you'd have had lots of things to say about him," he smiled.
Taker shook his head. "Stupid persona," he muttered bitterly.
Shawn rubbed Taker's hand in sympathy. Rey followed Taker's example and started playing with his food. Taker shook his head as he pulled his hand away from Shawn. "Oh well. It's not the first time and I know it won't be the last."
Shawn and Rey stared at each other, not sure what to say to that either. Though they didn't want to admit it, they both knew that what Taker said was true. Whether for an old or young Superstar, the chances were great that they would be talking about someone else's death before they all retired. True, the current circumstances would most likely never be repeated, it didn't mean that it wouldn't happen. Shawn shrugged his shoulders at Rey, admitting that he was at a loss. Rey shook his head in response before turning back to his food and did the only thing he could do; eat. Taker played with his food for a few more minutes before following suit. They once again ate in silence.
Undertaker was the first to finish his plate. He leaned back in his chair and stared absently at the table. He had been taught, when he was young, to wait till everyone was finished before he could leave the table. It was a habit that was hard to break, even when all he really wanted to do was hide from the concerned looks he was getting.
Shawn, worried about Taker's blank expression, nudged Rey with his foot and nodded in the Deadman's direction. Rey looked up at Taker and tried to put a smile on his face.
"Shawn and I will take care of the dishes and leftovers. You don't have to wait for us," Rey said softly.
"You can sit in the living room and relax for a bit," Shawn added.
At first it didn't look like Undertaker had heard them. Rey was about to try and get his attention when Taker blinked slowly and nodded. As he got up from the table he thanked Shawn and Rey and brought his dishes into the kitchen. Once he entered the quiet stillness that was the living room, he sat in his favourite chair, which had a great view through the picture window that looked out on the wilderness behind his home. Taker could faintly hear Shawn and Rey talking as they finished their meal and began the task of cleaning up. Undertaker didn't move from his spot, not even to turn on a light as the room began to darken as the last rays of daylight disappeared behind the trees.
"What's this now? No need to be glum in the dark," Shawn smiled as he flicked on the lights. "There is only so much fun you can have in the dark."
"I think he knows that, Shawn," Rey shook his head. "Besides, he likes the dark," he added as he turned the lights off again.
"Oh, right," Shawn smirked. "The dark makes it more fun to play hide and seek," he laughed as he playfully elbowed Rey in the ribs.
"If you want to have that kind of fun, go some place else. I don't want to hear you," Taker said flatly as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
Shawn pouted. "Aw, do you not want us here anymore?"
"Shawn," Rey warned as he went to sit on the couch.
"What?" Shawn shrugged, moving to sit beside Rey.
Rey nodded at the still form of Taker who was obviously not in the mood to joke around. Rey watched Undertaker for a moment, his eyes still closed, as though he was oblivious to the world.
Or he's just waiting for the world to move on without him, or to end? Rey thought to himself. Out loud he said, "RAW will be on soon, did you want to watch it? Or did you want to do something else? Keep your mind off of it?"
Taker opened his eyes, his gaze up at the ceiling. "I don't know."
Shawn looked at Taker thoughtfully. "Well, we could always watch the first little bit."
Rey nodded. "We could and then go from there," he said as he continued to watch Undertaker for any reaction, any sign of what the Deadman was truly thinking.
Taker only nodded in agreement. Shawn picked up the remote and flicked through the channels until in found the station that he was looking for. They watched in relative silence, Shawn and Rey speaking every once in a while as they commented on the match that was being shown. However they would all be silent whenever a fellow Superstar came on, commenting on what they remembered best about Chris. They all watched as CM Punk came on the screen.
Last night I felt really, overwhelmingly, disappointed because I didn't get to wrestle Chris Benoit and today I can't help but feel really . . . really guilty. I just can't get that out of my head, because Chris Benoit was my hero and I was privileged enough to be able to work with him and to know him as a person and to call him my friend. And even though I'll never get to wrestle him, he taught me a lot and I just hope that I can do his memory good by being the best I can be. And always thinking of him over my shoulder, being really hard on me and just trying to keep the next generation of wrestlers alive, the way Chris Benoit would have wanted it. I hope I never let you down Chris. I miss you.
Taker could feel his throat constrict as he watched the young Superstar start to cry. Both Rey and Shawn felt a great sympathy for the man, both of them remembering how the guy had reacted when he had learned that, because he had forgotten to tell McMahon that Chris wasn't going to be there, because Chris didn't tell the Chairmen himself, he had lost the opportunity to win the ECW Title.
Shawn pulled Rey closer to him, hoping to comfort him in anyway he could. He could feel Undertaker glance at them and Shawn couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Here he was, trying to comfort Rey, while Taker just sat there, alone, but he also knew the big guy wouldn't want to be comforted. His pride, his strength, wouldn't let him become weak and seek comfort from anyone, let alone them. It didn't matter how many times they said it, how many times they tried to prove it, the Deadman never accepted their attempts at comfort, not even when Eddie had died. Undertaker had only taken comfort from one person and even that was just speculation on their part.
Shawn quickly glanced over at Undertaker, trying to look out of the corner of his eye so as to not give himself away. He noticed that Taker's arm was hanging over the side of the chair, almost lifeless, but within reach of his own hand. Not sure what reaction he would get, Shawn gingerly took hold of Taker's hand, squeezing it lightly as he tried to send a silent message that he was there for him too. To Shawn's surprise, Taker held onto his hand and squeezed it back slightly. Shawn looked over at Taker again, surprised to see that he was actually crying.
Okay, not exactly crying, but damn, he's close to it.
Shawn's throat clenched as he saw how much love was in Taker's eyes. Even though the only light in the room came from the television screen, he could still see the emotions swirling in the Deadman's gaze. Holding on tighter to Rey with his one free arm, Shawn closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to spill. He could never imagine losing somebody he cared for, let alone loved. Shawn honestly didn't know, couldn't think, of what he would do if he ever lost Rey. Quite simply, Shawn could see himself going mad without him. He loved Rey so much that he doubted anything, or anyone, could ever fill the hole that Rey would leave in his heart.
Damn, if I would be a wreck without Rey, how will the Deadman survive this?
Kissing Rey lightly upon the head, Shawn opened his eyes again and stared at the screen. He could feel Rey shaking in his arms, silent sobs tearing through him. Shawn swallowed against a lump in his throat as Edge came on the screen . . .
Um . . . I've three people in this industry that I feel like I can go to, ah, to talk to and two of them are gone now. Um, I remember as a teenager, watching stampede wrestling. I was in Toronto and I'd watch stampede from Calgary and I saw this 18-year-old guy named Chris Benoit start his career and I thought 'this guy is awesome. He's, he's gonna be something' and, he became one of the greatest to ever put on a pair of boots. And I had, the pleasure and the privilege to . . . to get in there with him, to, ah man, to just knock heads with him. Every time we got in there it was like two Canadians fighting over the last beer. I had some personal issues in my own life and he was the first person I went to. Cause I knew I could trust him. He cared. Didn't just pat me on the back. And that's more important in wrestling, is, is the person, that, ah. I mean, every, everybody in this locker room loved Chris. You won't find one guy who had a bad thing to say about him. He carried himself with such pride and dignity and took such pride in his work. Bout two weeks ago, in Orlando, I once again had the privilege to get in the ring with Chris and, ah man, and as strange as this sounds to get kicked in the head that hard, chopped that hard, it was so much fun. And when we came through the gorilla position, he was smiling. Chris didn't do that. He just got the standing ovation once we went off the air and that, to me, was the biggest compliment in the world, is that he was smiling after the match. I just remember when I had my neck surgery; he was my guy that I called for advice. 'Is this normal', you know, 'am I supposed to tingle in my fingers'. He was always there. Two weeks ago as well, we had a live event in Dothan, Alabama and, ah, he came with Daniel, his, his son Daniel. Daniel had a tie on and his dress shirt, which he always did when he came to the shows. And, ah, Chris was doing his warm-up exercises and Daniel was doing them all with him. I just thought how lucky . . . lucky he was. It's just really confusing. I don't understand things like this and, I don't know if I ever will. I know he'd be hot on me right now for crying, but I can't help it. Because I just . . . I loved that guy and I'm gonna miss him. That's all I've got.
Shawn couldn't hold back his tears anymore. As he watched Edge break down on screen, all control over his tears failed. Turning his head from the screen, he caught a glimpse of Taker, sitting silently in the dark. It almost made Shawn wish he hadn't turned away from the TV, that he didn't turn his head in Taker's direction. Shawn's own limited restraint shattered as he realized what he saw. There was The Undertaker, The Deadman, The Phenom, The Demon of Death Valley, The Big Guy, with his eyes closed and tears flowing freely down his cheek. That did it for Shawn, any barriers that had been up completely broke. If he hadn't been crying before, he would have been now. He felt Taker's hand jerk roughly out of his and was barely able to see Taker get up and head to the back of the house. Though Shawn wanted to follow, to make sure he was all right, he also knew better. Instead, Shawn used both arms to hold onto Rey, who in turn, placed his arms on top of Shawn's. Together, they watched the rest of the tribute show, neither moving nor shifting their position.
...
Taker couldn't take it anymore. His emotions were getting the better of him. Even though he enjoyed having Shawn's hand in his, reassuring him that he wasn't alone, he just couldn't sit there anymore. He couldn't listen to the other Superstars anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. He quickly disappeared to the only place he found any solace, away from the two men in his living room, away from the TV, away from the crying, away from absolutely everything. He sat on the edge of his bed, burying his head in his hands, allowing his tears to fall. Though he doubted he could have stopped them if he tried.
He didn't know how long he sat there. He became lost within the confines of his own misery, his own mind. At one point he heard Shawn and Rey head to their room down the hall. One, or both of them, was still crying. For the first time in a long time, Taker didn't envy them. He wasn't even jealous. No, he hated them. He hated that they were together. He hated the support they gave each other. He hated just about everything about them, both as a couple and as individuals. He honestly didn't like the fact that he felt that way about the only guys who knew the extent of his relationship with Chris, at least the only guys still alive, but he couldn't seem to help it. No matter how much he argued about it with himself, he couldn't rationally come up with an answer.
"God, I miss you," Taker murmured as he looked at a photograph of him and Chris. His heart broke even more as he remembered how hard Chris had fought with him for that picture and how hard he had tried to get it out of it. He hated his picture getting taken. Odd, considering his profession, but he never did like cameras.
"I'm glad you got me to do it, Chris," Taker smiled bitterly as he picked up another picture of Eddie, Chris and himself. Chris had insisted on being in the middle. Neither Eddie nor he could argue with him, nor had they wanted to. Chris had had so much fun that week they spent at Eddie's house. Strangely enough it was on their first year anniversary. It was also the day that Chris had told Rey and Eddie about them. Taker smiled at the memory. He could still see Eddie's smile as he looked at Taker with admiration. He had fully supported him being with Chris. He was actually the one who tried to get Chris to leave Nancy then and there. Chris, of course, had managed to get out of it, but that was still one of the best weeks they had.
"And now you're both gone."
With a sigh, he put the picture back in its place next to the one with just Chris and him. Taker then curled up in the middle of his bed; sleep quickly taking him from his misery. He floated in and out of dreams, some good and some bad. He tossed and turned fitfully, though never fully waking. Though he could not remember the details from his dreams, he knew they all had one constant: Chris. He woke up only once during his fitful sleep, to find that he was once again crying.
Damn it. Why do I have to be so weak?
...
Shawn and Rey barely slept at all that night. Rey dozed off and on, while Shawn held him close to his chest, trying his best to comfort him. At one point he could have sworn he had heard crying coming from Taker's room, but he shook his head in denial.
He wouldn't cry, not out loud anyway.
With a sigh Shawn laid his head back and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come. Unfortunately, sleep seemed to forever elude him. As the first rays of light began to filter into the room, Shawn felt Rey stir slightly in his arms. Looking down, he saw that Rey's deep brown eyes were looking up at him.
"Hey."
"Hey," Rey replied sleepily.
"When did you wake up?"
"A little while ago. Have you slept at all?"
Shawn shook his head. "No, I couldn't sleep."
"That's not good," Rey sat up a bit. "Have you been watching over me all night?"
Shawn nodded. "I'm being your angel."
Rey chuckled softly, merely a whisper in the quiet of the house.
"Now that's what I like to hear," Shawn smiled, leaning over to capture Rey's lips with his own.
"Hmm," Rey moaned as he pulled away. "That's definitely a better way to wake up in the morning."
"Glad to know I'm useful for something."
Rey smirked. "You're good for a lot of things."
Shawn leaned over once more to capture Rey's lips, this time framing his face with his hands too. Breaking the kiss, Shawn looked deeply into Rey's eyes. "So, how are you doing and don't lie to me."
Rey smiled. "I'm doing okay. I have you here to make sure of that," he said as he snuggled up to Shawn. "Do you know how Mark is doing?"
Shawn shook his head. "I've no idea. I haven't left your side since we came in here," Shawn said as he kissed Rey's head. "Although I'm not positive, I may have heard him crying."
"Poor Mark," Rey sighed. "This has got to be so hard on him."
"Excruciating."
"Why would you say that?" Rey asked.
"Because, that's how bad it would be if I lost you."
Rey's eyes started to mist over as he held onto Shawn tightly. His words touched him so deeply, that he felt his throat constrict at the thought of losing Shawn. "Oh, Shawn."
Shawn didn't say anything as they lay together. His mind kept drifting off to where Undertaker was hiding alone in his room, only a few feet away. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head. He wondered what the bigger man was thinking, feeling and doing to cope with his loss.
How could one who always hides from his emotions, cope with them? Shawn sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Shawn answered. "Just thinking about Mark."
Rey nodded. "Maybe we should check on him."
"Yeah, maybe," Shawn sat up. "At least we should check to make sure he hasn't done anything stupid."
Rey agreed and they both left their room to head down the hall to Taker's room. As they came to the door, Rey went to knock but stopped when Shawn shook his head. Stepping back, Rey allowed Shawn to press his ear to the door. Nodding, Shawn knocked lightly as he called to Taker. "Hey, big guy. You decent?"
They were given no response. Shawn knocked again, a little more forcefully. This time, they could hear a soft groan coming from within the room. Looking at Rey, Shawn shrugged. He wasn't sure if that was a, 'come in', a 'go away', or just a simple groan. Rey nodded, signaling that they should peek into the room to see if Undertaker was all right.
"He could still be asleep," Rey whispered. "Or badly hung-over."
Shawn nodded in understanding as he quietly turned the doorknob. Undertaker lay on his bed, his back toward them. The covers came up to his waist, his chest bare. He appeared to be fast asleep.
"Let's leave him for now," Shawn whispered, motioning Rey back.
"Do you always walk into someone's room like you own the place?"
Shawn and Rey looked back to see Taker sitting up and turning to look at them. "Oh, uh, we just wanted to see if you were okay," Shawn answered.
Undertaker raised a quizzical brow. "Oh, is that all?"
"Yes," Shawn smiled, bouncing over to Taker's bed. "That's all."
"You're happy this morning."
"He's always happy," Rey said, rolling his eyes.
"Aw, don't be so mean, guys," Shawn pouted, jumping on the bed. "Now, who's up for breakfast?"
"Mood change in two seconds, must be a new record," Taker mused.
"You ain't seen nothing yet?" Rey laughed as Shawn pouted again, while continuing to bounce.
Taker just shook his head and lay back down.
"Aw, come on, Mark. It's time to get up," Shawn smiled widely as he took hold of the blanket.
Taker growled low in his throat as he grabbed at the blanket and tried to bring it over his head while fighting off a hyper Shawn. "What the hell do you give this guy?" Taker grumbled.
"Trust me, if I knew what it was, I would get him off of it immediately," Rey giggled at the sight before him. The Phenom, Undertaker, was trying hard to push The Heart-Break Kid, Shawn Michaels, off of him.
Finally, Shawn was able to wrestle the blankets from Taker; unfortunately by doing so he lost his balance and tumbled off the bed in a flurry of arms, legs and blankets.
Rey couldn't help but laugh as Shawn tried to untangle himself. Rey was soon joined in his laughing fit as Taker let out a low rumble of laughter. Both Rey and Shawn paused; both shocked to hear the Deadman laughing. Taker paused in his laughter as he felt both sets of eyes staring at him. Then, just as suddenly as it all started, all three burst into laughter again, none able to control it.
After a few moments, the laughter subsided. All three of them held onto their sides as they throbbed in pain.
"Damn, that felt good," Taker mused.
Both Shawn and Rey stared at him, trying to catch their breaths.
"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that," Rey said thoughtfully
"I definitely have never heard him laugh, let alone like that," Shawn muttered.
"And most likely will never hear it again," Taker replied his gaze dark as he looked away.
Rey followed his gaze to the picture of him and Chris on the nightstand. "You will laugh again, Mark. You'll be happy again."
Before Undertaker could reply, Shawn managed to untangle himself and bounced back onto the bed. "Of course he will. Either he'll find it himself or we'll have to set him up with someone."
"Oh, you know who would be great, Hunter," Rey said, looking at Shawn.
"No, he's too serious. Besides, he's got Stephanie and the kids. Mark doesn't need another guy with strings like that again," Shawn paused. "What about Khali?"
"No, can barely understand him," Rey said shaking his head. "What about . . ."
"Um, I'm right here," Taker interrupted.
"Oh, right," they said in unison, both looking at Undertaker. "Um . . ."
Taker shook his head, swinging his feet to the floor. "You guys are both nuts."
"Oh, what kind of nuts?" Shawn asked, smiling.
Still shaking his head, Taker got up, stretched and headed to the door. "What am I going to do with you two?"
"You are not going to do anything. We're just going to make sure that you don't give up on love," Rey said, getting up to follow Undertaker.
"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Taker asked, turning to look at Rey.
"Isn't that what you do?" Shawn shrugged.
"I'm not completely following you," Taker said his anger starting to rise as his suspicion began to grow.
"We know that you will fine love again," Shawn said simply. "We're going to make sure of it."
"How can you say that?" Taker growled, disbelief clouding his eyes.
Rey looked up at Taker, his brow furrowed. "We are only trying to look out for you."
"I can't believe that you both are saying that."
"What can't you believe?" Rey asked defensively. "I'm just saying that, like with all of your other emotions, you tend to hide them."
"And we don't want you to hide your love. Sure, don't go jumping into the arms of the next hunk that comes your way, but," Shawn continued walking over to where Rey stood.
"But?" Taker asked, trying to bite back the anger he felt. He still couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
"But don't ignore it entirely," Rey finished.
Taker shook his head and turned once more to walk away, wanting to leave before he said something he would regret. However, before he could walk out the door he felt a hand on his wrist. Turning, he saw a pair of blue eyes staring up at him.
"Please, just, trust us on this," Shawn pleaded, giving his best puppy dog expression.
Taker removed Shawn's hand from his wrist as he tried hard to curb his anger. "And you claim to have cared for Chris."
"We do care about him," Rey replied, unsure what had gotten Taker so upset.
"We care about you too," Shawn added.
Taker scoffed at them. "Then why the hell are you trying to hook me up with someone else before he's even in the ground?"
Rey opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything to that.
"Chris wouldn't want you to dwell on the past," Shawn said after a moment.
"Did it ever occur to you that I might not want to move on?" Taker said bitterly before he turned and left the room. The two stood in silence until they heard the bathroom door close.
"He's not going to let himself fall in love again, is he?" Shawn asked as he looked at Rey sadly.
"I don't think so," Rey shook his head. "Even if he does, I don't know how willing he will be to go after it."
"Then we are going to have to do something about that, won't we," Shawn smiled as he pulled Rey into his arms.
"I don't know," Rey said hesitantly.
"We will have to do something to help Mark, for Chris."
"I know Chris wouldn't want Mark to be miserable, but will he ever be open to starting something new with someone else?" Rey asked, looking up at Shawn.
"If we don't try, then we will never know," Shawn smiled. "Maybe he will find someone who is able to make him feel like he did with Chris."
"But will he let himself?" Rey asked. "Will he risk forgetting what he shared with Chris?"
"He'll never forget Chris," Shawn said simply. "He will always have those memories."
"Then what do we do?"
"We'll just have to invite him to all the parties that we get invited to," Shawn smirked. "He's bound to find someone while he's out and socializing.
"But he does get invited to all of the parties that we get invited to, he just never goes," Rey reminded Shawn.
"Well then, we'll just have to drag him to those parties won't we?"
Rey nodded. "Maybe he will get lucky again," he paused as he heard the shower turn on.
Shawn nodded in agreement. "So, should we go ahead and make breakfast, or do we go and have some fun first?" he smiled devilishly.
"I don't know. What do you think?"
Shawn kissed Rey passionately on the lips.
"I agree, we should make breakfast," Rey said as he pulled out of Shawn's arms and left.
"That's not what I meant," Shawn pouted.
...
A/N: Well, that one was fun to do, though a little hard, too. Those long segments in italics are exactly (or as close as I could get them from a clip I found) what CM Punk and Edge said during the Chris Benoit tribute show. I was once again reminded of how hard it is to copy actual speech. Hope you enjoyed that. Read and Review.