Dark Saviour
Chapter 31 – For Whom the Bell Tolls.
….
One Night Stand
Undertaker sighed in relief as he walked into the empty locker room. The last thing he wanted right now was to have the other guys hounding him with questions of how he was going to kick Edge's ass tonight.
No, that's not exactly true, Taker thought to himself. The last thing I want is to run into him. I don't want to see his face right now. I can't see it. I hope I can make it through the entire night without running into him. His match is early enough. I should be able to accomplish that. The trick will be avoiding his brother . . .
Undertaker was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open behind him. Nor the individual clear their throat in an attempt to gain his attention. Once he laced up his boots, he grabbed his hat and coat and turned to find Rey standing between him and the door.
"Can I help you?" Taker asked, his brow rose slightly as he stared at the smaller man.
"You need to talk to Jeff," Rey stated calmly, his hands on his hips.
Undertaker rolled his eyes. "Not this again."
"Yes, this again," Rey snapped, his eyes narrowing at the bigger man. "And this time you're going to listen."
"I told you already," Taker sighed, shaking his head, "There is nothing left to say to the kid."
"Come on, Mark," Rey replied. "There is always something to say."
"Not in this case."
"There is always something," Rey repeated, staring directly into the Deadman's eyes, refusing to back down. He could see the turmoil and indecision in those piercing green eyes and hoped he could use that to his advantage.
Undertaker shook his head. "Not this time, Rey," he muttered as he lowered his gaze and moved to walk around the smaller man.
"You could at least ask him what he thinks about fighting Umaga tonight!" Rey shouted, turning to hold onto Taker's wrist in an attempt to restrain him.
"Now why would I talk to him about that?" Undertaker asked, turning to stare at the other man in confusion.
"It'd be something to talk about," Rey answered, still holding onto the Phenom's wrist.
"Yeah, for the new guys to talk about," Taker rolled his eyes.
"Well, I doubt that you'd ask him how he's doing since you ditched him back in March," Rey retorted.
Undertaker took a step away from Rey, finally breaking the smaller man's hold. "First of all, I didn't ditch him in March, he was suspended."
"And when he came back?" Rey asked.
"When he came back for a visit, he roomed with me," Taker replied. "When he returned to work . . ." he paused as he felt his guilt grow, "I had some personal things that I was trying to work through, so he couldn't share a room with me. Is that supposed to mean that I ditched him?"
"No," Rey shook his head. "But you ignoring him since his return does."
"I haven't been ignoring him," Undertaker said, shaking his head in denial.
Rey rolled his eyes. "Why do you insist on lying to me?"
"I'm not lying."
"Mark, I know you," Rey sighed. "I remember how you were before Chris died."
"Why do you have to keep bringing Chris into this?" Undertaker snapped bitterly, turning away from the other Superstar.
"Because it's the only way I can think of to make you see the truth," Rey replied calmly.
"How does being constantly reminded of what I lost, help me now?"
Rey grabbed Taker's arm, forcing him to look at him again. "Because then you might just see what you have and what you are throwing away."
Undertaker stared at Rey calmly, willing his Deadman persona to take over. The last thing he needed was for Rey to see how close to home he had come with his words. He knew that he had formed a bond with Jeff, but he didn't want to put the kid in any danger.
Although, even with help, would John really have the guts to take me on? No matter what muscle he has, Glen and I would always be able to beat them by ourselves. Hell, with Jeff involved, I'd have even more backup from everyone on his side, everyone that cares about him. I wouldn't have to stand-alone against them . . .
"So please, Mark, just go talk to him," Rey pleaded, scattering Undertaker's thoughts.
Shaking his head, Taker looked at Rey, his expression blank. "No."
"Why not?"
"I can't take that chance," Undertaker muttered softly.
"You can't take that chance?"
"I can't."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rey snapped. Is he afraid he'll be rejected?
"I've made up my mind, Rey," Undertaker replied calmly, allowing the Deadman to fully take over.
Rey shivered involuntarily at the calmness Taker's aura gave. He couldn't understand how the big man was able to change so abruptly. "If you say so," he sighed, giving up.
"I do say so."
Rey looked up at Taker, his expression serious. "Then why has your match changed?"
"My what?" Undertaker asked as his calm demeanor broke slightly to reveal his confusion.
"Your match with Adam," Rey explained. "Why did it change?"
"It didn't."
"Bull," Rey snorted, his brow furrowed in frustration. "Why did it change?"
Undertaker shook his head. "It didn't change."
"Then why was Adam called into Vickie's office when he arrived at the arena tonight?" Rey challenged.
"How the hell should I know?" Taker shrugged, his own expression serious.
"You two have been getting closer, haven't you?"
Taker shrugged again. "I guess."
"Then shouldn't you know why he's getting called into Vickie's office only a few hours before your match is about to start?"
"Just because I've been talking with the kid doesn't mean I know what's going on in his personal life," Undertaker retorted. "I'm not his mother."
"But you are his new lover, aren't you?" Rey asked, his eyes narrowing as he tried to keep the smile that threatened to break through at bay. He could see the surprise in the Deadman's eyes and the horror at the mere thought of it.
"I don't know where you heard that rumor . . ."
Rey rolled his eyes, enjoying the discomfort he was inflicting. "It's not a rumor. Everyone knows about it. I mean Jeff saw it first hand." he said, thankful that Taker didn't talk to the other Superstars, or he would know that Rey was lying through his teeth.
"He what?"
Rey shrugged. "He saw that you two were rooming in together. He also overheard Adam talking to you on the phone. You were making plans to meet."
Undertaker shook his head. "Well, obviously Jeff got it wrong."
"Obviously," Rey said, shaking his head.
Great, just what I needed. I didn't want to hurt him like this. Never like this. Taker thought to himself, hating himself even more. "What the hell have I done," he muttered.
"Well, to put it simply, you've hurt one guy and split apart a good couple," Rey answered, his face blank.
"I . . ."
"Don't worry about apologizing to me," Rey said. "You have enough things to worry about. I mean, once Hunter finds out you stole Adam from him . . . lets just say I'm glad I'm not you."
"I'm not with Adam," Undertaker replied, his tone dead and his eyes vacant. He was still trying to come to grips with what Rey was telling him.
"You sure about that?" Rey asked.
Undertaker nodded numbly. "How could anyone think that I would be?"
Rey shrugged. "It's easy enough to assume things."
It sure is, Taker thought, looking away from the younger man.
"Easy to assume what?"
Both men turned to see Matt standing behind them, a confused look on his face.
"It's easy to assume that rumors are true," Rey answered.
"Fair enough," Matt shrugged.
"What are you doing here?" Rey asked.
"I'm here to support Jeff," Matt replied. "Why are you here?"
"Same as you, except to support Shawn as well," Rey smiled. "When does Jeff fight again?"
"Right now," Matt answered. "I came in here to see if your monitor was working."
"Why ours?"
"Because all the other locker room monitors are out," Matt explained. "Vince is pissed."
"No kidding," Rey nodded. "Now he's definitely got to make sure the stagehands inform the other guys well ahead of their match to get ready. You can try ours, though. I don't know if it works or not."
"Thanks," Matt replied. As he turned the monitor on, Jeff's theme filled the air, signaling that their monitor still worked.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rey whispered harshly as he grabbed Undertaker's wrist again.
"I was just leaving," Taker said, trying to shake Rey's grip without hurting him.
"Oh, no you're not," Rey hissed. "You're going to sit your ass down on that bench and watch Jeff's match."
"Why should I?" Undertaker challenged. Rey sent the Deadman a scowl that sent shivers down his spine. Taker was truly thankful that he was still in control of his emotions or Rey would know exactly how much control he had over the Deadman.
"You are going to sit there, even if I have to super glue your ass to that bench," Rey replied through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing at the bigger man.
"You don't have the guts."
"Try me," Rey retorted.
After a few minutes, Undertaker grumbled something under his breath as he moved over to take up a spot on the bench. Rey nodded satisfactorily as he took up the spot between the Deadman and the older Hardy. Both Matt and Rey winced every time Jeff took a hit from Umaga. Taker had to bite his lip to stop himself from cursing when he saw the familiar look in the younger Hardy's eyes as he fought his way through the back of the arena to the outside parking lot and finally to the trucks.
What the hell are you thinking? Undertaker thought, mentally shaking his head. I know that you want to win back the fans you lost when you were suspended, but do you have to win them back by jumping off a damn truck?
He suddenly heard Rey suck in his breath as he watched Jeff climb the truck and kick off the trailing Umaga before jumping off the truck himself. Undertaker himself let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw Jeff move over and pin the Samoan Bulldozer and roll off again. It looked like for the most part, he was unharmed. Taker turned slightly when he could feel someone staring at him.
Rey gazed up at him, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Were you worried?"
"Why would I be worried?" Undertaker shrugged. "I knew he was going to win."
"But did you know that he was going to jump off the truck?" Rey asked.
"You know as well as I do that some matches are made up as they go."
"So, you didn't know," Rey smiled.
"Should I have known?"
"Holy shit! I didn't think he'd actually go and do that!" Matt chuckled as he leaned back and put a hand to his head.
"You mean he was talking about doing that?" Rey asked in surprise.
"So, you didn't know either," Taker replied, shaking his head. "And here I thought you knew everything."
"No one knew what he was going to do, save possibly Umaga," Matt answered.
"Not even Vince?" Rey asked.
"Don't think so," Matt shook his head.
"Wow," Rey let out a low whistle, leaning back.
"Yeah."
"Can I go now?" Taker whispered to Rey.
"Are you going to talk to Jeff?"
"No."
"Then no," Rey replied.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not allowed to leave until you talk to Jeff."
"What about my match?" Undertaker asked, raising a brow. "Am I to miss that if I don't talk to him?"
Rey put a finger against his lip, thinking. "I guess you can go to your match, but I'll be there next to the gorilla position so that when you finish, I can take you straight to him."
Taker rolled his eyes. "You're not going to give up, are you?"
"Never," Rey smiled triumphantly.
"What are you two talking about?" Matt asked, looking between Undertaker and Rey.
"Nothing," Taker replied. "I'm just apparently not allowed to leave yet."
"You'd be able to leave if you just went and talked to him," Rey retorted, glaring at the Deadman. "So, don't you even try to pin this all on me."
"Talk to who?" Matt asked in confusion.
"No one," Taker answered.
"Your brother," Rey said, still glaring at Taker.
"Why would you want Mark to talk to him?" Matt replied, raising a brow as his confusion grew.
"Because then they could finally get everything sorted out," Rey stated simply, shaking his head. "But Mark is being too damn stubborn."
"What still needs to be sorted out?"
"Nothing," Undertaker snapped bitterly. "There is absolutely nothing left to discuss. Will you just drop it?"
"Not until you tell me what you're hiding," Rey retorted.
"You know you're starting to sound a lot like Shawn," Taker sighed, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I am not."
Undertaker rolled his eyes. "Then why are you trying to push me into something I don't want?" he asked, staring straight into the little man's eyes.
Rey opened his mouth to respond but closed it again when he realized that he was trapped. He had become what he had so intensely tried to stop Shawn from becoming; an obsessive matchmaker, trying to force someone who was obviously not ready to move on, to fall for someone of his own choosing. Closing his eyes, Rey shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Mark."
"What are you guys talking about?" Matt asked, his eyes darting between the Deadman and the Master of the 6-1-9.
"If you want to go, then go," Rey said, not hearing Matt's question. "I'm not going to force you to do this. I never meant to force you to do this. I just wanted to do what was best for both of you."
Undertaker nodded before getting up and leaving the room, not saying a word while Rey sat there, his eyes closed. Matt looked at the smaller man, his brow still furrowed in confusion.
"What the hell was that about?"
….
Undertaker walked slowly down the hallway, his coat flowing behind him, his hat in his hand. His mind was at war with itself. One part was telling him that he was doing what he needed to do and that he shouldn't feel guilty about it. Yet the other part, the louder part, insisted that he give in. It screamed at him to stop running.
Or is that my heart? Taker thought as his eyes rose up to look at the ceiling. Could it be that my mind is telling me that I'm doing the right thing, while my heart argues against it and tells me to turn around? That it's not too late to change what has already been set into motion?
Undertaker was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the man walking toward him until he walked straight into him, knocking the smaller man down in the process. Taker shook his head, clearing it of the fog and looked down at the man at his feet, ready to glare at him. The glare died the instant he saw Jeff looking up at him with a pained expression as he rubbed his back.
"I'm sorry," Taker said, bending over to offer his hand.
Jeff shook his head and got up without taking the offered hand. "I'm fine."
"I wasn't paying attention . . ."
"No, it's my fault," Jeff replied, looking up at Undertaker, his face emotionless. "I should have been paying more attention to where I was going."
"Jeff . . ."
"It's okay, Mark," Jeff smiled lightly before walking past the Deadman.
Taker turned slightly, watching the smaller man walk in the direction of the locker room he had vacated hours before. He winced slightly as he saw the fresh marks that decorated the younger Hardy's skin from his match with Umaga.
"Good match tonight," Undertaker called after him.
"Thanks," Jeff replied over his shoulder. A few heartbeats later, he turned to look at the Deadman, who was unable to read the expression on the other man's face. "And good luck tonight. TLC matches are tough."
Taker nodded. "Thanks. I'll do my best to put on a match that can stand in the shadow of all of your TLC matches."
Jeff shook his head. "All your matches go into the history books," he shrugged. "You kicked my ass in the first ladder match you were in when I was a veteran at it. You can handle Adam's match just fine."
"I hope so," Undertaker whispered.
"Just remember," Jeff called, turning around again to go find his brother. "More weapons for you to use."
Yeah, more weapons . . . Taker thought, watching the younger Hardy disappear around the corner. Sighing, he turned around once more so that he could continue to make his way toward the gorilla position where he would wait for his bell to toll once more.
….
Jeff walked into the locker room just as he heard the bell toll, signaling the start of Undertaker's entrance into the ring area and the start of what he was sure to be a phenomenal match. No pun intended.
Matt looked up and smiled at his brother, though his eyes reflected his concern as he took in all the red marks on Jeff's arms. He knew, without looking too closely, that a few bruises were already beginning to form. "You did great tonight, Jeff."
"Yeah, you had me sitting on edge during the entire match," Rey added, nodding his agreement.
"Thanks, guys," Jeff smiled. "Where's Shawn?"
Rey shook his head, the smile dying slightly. "He's off getting checked out. Dave did a number on him tonight."
"He's not that hurt is he?" Jeff asked, his brow furrowed in worry.
"No, he's not too bad," Rey said reassuringly. "But he's still hurting from the bumps he took. He can't quite bounce back like he used too."
Jeff rolled his eyes at that, but said nothing. He didn't want to admit how dirty his mind was being at that moment. "He just needs more exercise."
"Maybe," Rey shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the hidden meaning behind Jeff's words. "How are you feeling?"
"Not bad," Jeff replied. "I'm a little stiff and sore after being knocked on my ass again on the way here . . ."
"What?" Both Rey and Matt asked, giving Jeff a confused look.
"I ran into Mark before I got here," Jeff shrugged.
"And he knocked you down?" Rey asked in shook.
"No," Jeff chuckled. "I literally ran into him. I wasn't watching where I was going and . . . wham . . . there he was. I'm guessing that he was heading off to the ring for his match."
"That must have hurt," Matt winced. "Must have been like running into a brick wall."
Jeff shook his head. "Not quite, but close."
"I don't think I want to know how you know there's a difference," Matt smiled, shaking his head.
"Did he say anything to you?" Rey asked, looking at Jeff intently as he ignored Matt's comment.
Jeff shrugged. "He said that he was impressed with my match and hoped that his match would stand up next to my TLC matches."
"Really?"
Jeff nodded. "Yeah, it was kind of weird," he said, his brow furrowing as he thought about it.
"What was weird?" Matt interjected, not wanting to be left out of yet another conversation.
"He seemed . . . I don't know. He wasn't quite himself."
"What do you mean?" Rey asked, tilting his head slightly.
"I don't know," Jeff shook his head. "I'm not even sure if I'm saying it right, but something seemed off about him anyway."
Rey sat back, his brow furrowed as he mulled it over in his head. "I don't know what would be making him act strangely."
"Well, you were pushing him earlier," Matt suggested. "Maybe he's just thinking about that so much that he was just lost in his thoughts."
"No," Jeff shook his head again. "That isn't it."
"I don't know," Rey sighed. "He's a complex man."
"I'll agree to that," Jeff replied, moving to his locker to change into his street clothes.
Rey shook his head, clearing his mind. "Anyway, I'm going to go see how Shawn's coming along. I think I left him in the care of the paramedics long enough," he said as he got up and walked out the door, leaving the two brothers to themselves.
As he made his way down the hall, he could hear some of the other Superstars talking amongst themselves about the match that was going on. Looking over his shoulder, Rey saw that the screens were still dark.
I'm surprised they haven't fixed those yet, Rey thought as he passed yet another group of Superstars huddled together.
"Did you hear? They changed the outcome of the match."
"No, they didn't. That's just a rumor."
"No, it isn't. Adam got called into Vickie's office earlier. They changed it . . ."
"I don't believe you."
"Guess we'll just have to wait for the music to play . . ."
Rey turned to look at the group, wondering why they were talking about the match being changed. He had only been trying to get a reaction out the Taker when he said it. This was a big match, with Undertaker's future with the company depending on him to win. Rey shook his head at the group.
It's just stupid gossip to pass the time. They wouldn't get rid of Mark without telling the rest of us. Would they?
As soon as Rey opened the door that would lead to the medical room, beside the gorilla position, he heard a loud crash from the arena followed by cries from the fans. His brow furrowed as he heard the noise grow louder, his hand still on the doorknob. Just as he turned to look toward the gorilla position, he heard Edge's theme come on.
What the hell? Rey thought, his brow furrowed even more. Why is his music playing?
Rey let go of the door, allowing it close softly behind him as he walked toward the gorilla position, followed by other curious Superstars. As they all waited for the celebrating to be over, Rey felt his heart jump as he saw Edge walk through the curtain, title in hand and followed closely by 'La Familia'.
"What happened?" Rey asked, looking directly at Edge.
Edge shrugged. "I won."
"But that wasn't supposed to happen," Rey said, his face mirroring his confusion.
Vickie shrugged as she moved away from the group. "Things change."
Edge and the rest of the Superstars followed her as she made her way toward the back of the arena. Rey stayed where he was, looking after them. He jumped as the screen beside him flashed into life showing the carnage left both in and out of the ring. Rey stared blankly at the monitor until he saw Undertaker hobbling slowly through the curtain out of the corner of his eye. It was only then that he then turned and stared directly at the Deadman, his face stern.
"What the hell just happened?" Rey snapped.
Taker shrugged. "I lost. I'm gone."
"What the hell did you do to change the match?" Rey asked, his eyes welling up with tears as the truth began to sink in.
"I asked for it," Undertaker answered stiffly as he walked down the hallway toward the locker rooms.
"Why would you do that?"
"See you later, Rey," Taker called over his shoulder, trying hard not to let the bitterness and sadness seep into his voice.
"You can't just leave like this!"
"Yes I can," Taker replied, still not turning to look at the other man.
"You can't leave like this!" Rey repeated, his voice breaking. "What about Jeff?"
"Say goodbye to him for me," Taker paused. "And to Shawn too."
Rey shook his head, no longer grasping what had happened. "You have to say goodbye to him. You need to tell him why!"
"Bye, Rey."
….
A/N: Now I'm sad. I hated it when Undertaker left and I just made him leave again . As a side note, from this point on, I won't be following what actually happened in the WWE after Taker left, at least not as closely as I was before. I've got other plans for what happens next in the lives of my favourite Superstars and how to torture them even more . . .