CHAPTER TWENTY
The pay-per-view was No Mercy and aptly named because there wasn't a lot of love going around right now. Sunday night, Raine was all geared up, watching as the matches went, always glancing at the clock. Mark and Glenn's match would be second to last simply because she and David were in a cage match.
Swallowing hard, she exhaled slowly, not believing she was going to be in the main event. Of course, Dave thought it was her early retirement match. Wasn't he in for one helluva surprise!
Finally, she had to get around, not wanting to miss the handicap match. After dressing and trying to do something with her now ear length hair, she finally made it to the gorilla area, standing next to a monitor. She grinned brightly when Glenn and Mark ambled up, both in ring attire. "Beat his ass for me, fellas." She said, pulling them each down for a kiss on the cheek for luck.
"You got it darlin'." Mark murmured, running a hand down her upper arm, squeezing gently.
She watched on the screen as Shane bounced around the ring, the nervousness all too clear on his face. Smirking, she moved aside as Paul, Stephanie, Shawn and Kaleigh joined her; accepting the water Kaleigh held out.
"What a chicken shit." Shawn snickered, watching as Shane dived under the ropes and out of the ring as Mark and Glenn slid in. "Coward."
Raine watched in cold amusement as the 'Brothers of Destruction' eventually got their hands on Shane, knowing they were doing this for her. She applauded loudly when Shane's forehead got busted open. This was something she had expected to be hard to watch but actually… as she followed the match -which was too kind a word, this was actually a beat down-, she realized she didn't love Shane. Maybe she never had.
Wasn't the heart a fickle creature?
"Goddamn, look at Mark go!" Paul crowed, punching a fist into his hand, wishing he could be out there too. "Hey Shawn, what you think of Callaway now?" He asked suddenly.
Shawn just glared at him.
"My bad."
"My brother is handin' that boy his ass!" Kaleigh giggled, looping her arm through Raine's. "Do you wanna go clubbin' with me tonight? We can celebrate!"
"We'll see." Raine said slowly. "Depends on if I'm hurtin'." She began jumping as Glenn choke slammed Shane only to pull him back up and do it all over again, then passed the boy wonder to Mark. "I love those guys." She chuckled.
Stephanie really wished her brother wasn't getting his ass handed to him but at the same time, he needed this. Maybe he would learn how to treat people with respect.
"Where the hell are you going?" Shawn demanded as Raine pushed through the curtains, the bell signaling the end of the match. "What's she doing?"
Paul just shrugged.
Raine ran down the ramp, sliding under the bottom rope. Laughing, she jumped into Mark's arms, not caring about storylines or anything else at the moment. Apparently he didn't either because he picked her up into a hug. Reaching out, Raine pulled Glenn's head to hers, knowing this would look odd to the fans but this match hadn't been business, it was personal and this was a personal moment. "You two are the best." She whispered.
"You're welcome, darlin'." Mark chuckled, glancing at Glenn who nodded.
"Rai, nice ass." Glenn grinned, hoisting her into the air with Mark.
"Pervert."
Once backstage, she hugged them both. It was impossible to miss the extra squeeze in Mark's and all she could do was smile at him. She knew he still had feelings for her and eventually, she had a feeling they'd be hooking up. Just not tonight. He wouldn't be her rebound. She would make sure when they finally did hook up, it would happen because it was the right time and place, not because she needed to forget Shane.
"My turn." She sighed, frowning as David approached then suddenly smiled. "Guess what bitch boy? I'm not retiring after all. I'm gonna be around to whoop your ass for a long while to come."
"I'm looking forward to it." He purred, licking his lips lewdly. David rolled his eyes when Glenn stopped Mark from lunging, flexing his muscles threateningly. "What's this? The Dead Man still in love with the little angel? You might want to find someone else to crush on Callaway because she's about to die out there."
"Raine, you best kick his ass." Mark said coldly.
"Planning on it."
"C'mon Mark, Rai's got this." Glenn said, wanting to tear Dave from limb to limb just as much but that would be depriving their friend of the pleasure.
"See you out there, Bitchtista." She said sweetly, her original entrance music -before the Stephanie era- blaring. Squaring her shoulders, she walked out onto the stage, her eyes taking in the packed arena. Raine almost smiled. This was what she was meant to do. This was her passion.
The adrenaline coursed through her as she headed down the ramp, eyes locking on the steel cage. At least it wasn't Hell in a Cell this time, all she had to do was be the first one out. Getting into the ring, she climbed a turnbuckle, unable to stop a smirk from glinting across her face when someone called out 'marry me'. shaking her head, she hopped down.
Saliva screamed throughout the building, cueing the Animal. Fans leapt to their feet, torn between who they wanted to win the most. He was a fan favorite but Raine was becoming one too. Simply because she was interesting to watch in the ring.
David took his time strolling to the ring, finally climbing through the cage door, listening as it was closed and locked behind them. This bitch had no idea what she was in for, that much was obvious as she bounced from one foot to the other. "Get ready for the beating of your life, Raine." He taunted, taking a deliberate step towards her. "And Callaway won't be able to save you."
"Oh, scary." She snorted. Not even waiting for the traditional lock-up, Raine backed away, gritting her teeth at the look on his face. It was apparent he thought she was having second thoughts about this. Cursing under her breath, she scaled the turnbuckle, turning to stare down at him.
"That's not going to save you."
"Blow me."
Dave's eyes widened when she came flying at him, hands going to her legs when they locked around his neck. He remembered the last time she had done this to him and quickly countered, prepping her for a Batista Bomb.
She was prepared for that, grabbing his head and jamming her thumbs into his eyes. When he dropped her, she twisted into a back flip, landing on her feet and instantly drop kicked his knees. She wasn't the one who needed saving. Tonight was about revenge and he was going to pay.
David was cursing up a storm under her breath. Three months hadn't diminished her capabilities in any way like he had hoped. His knees protesting, he got back to his feet, diving forward and clothes lining her when she lunged. He did it repeatedly every time she got back up, finally spitting on her when she stayed down. "Good bitch." He grunted.
Raine let out a gasp when she felt an elbow driving into her chest, unable to take in any air.
"You like that, baby?" David growled in her face, moving so he was straddling her waist. "Come on, Rai, breath sweetheart, don't die before I've really had my fun."
Her face red with anger, she drew in a deep shuddering breath.
"Better." Not caring what anyone thought at the moment, he rubbed against her, grinding his hips into hers. "You know, I really miss you. Let's let bygones be bygones, hmm?"
Backstage there was a mass of security and some wrestlers restraining four very pissed off men.
"You are insane." Raine groaned, disgusted beyond words. Finally she reached out and pulled his face down to hers, kissing him wildly. Over the screaming fans, she could hear him growl and winced when he bit her lower lip, his kiss violent. The second David adjusted himself so he was half sprawling on top of her, she locked her legs around his waist; squeezing as hard as she could with her muscular legs.
"You honestly think that's going to work?" David grunted, blocking her elbow when she aimed for his head. Slowly, he pulled them both up, her legs still wrapped painfully around his waist. "Bitch, that's hurting now!" He snarled, feeling like he was being crushed slowly by a boa constrictor.
***
Mark stared at the monitor, forgetting to fight with the guards as Raine took a badly delivered spine buster, his eyes widening. "Come on darlin', get up." He whispered. His eyes moved to Dave who was curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "Get off of me!" He growled, shaking away security, turning the volume up, staring at Raine again. "Get UP!"
***
It was either eat her words and lie there or get her ass up and win this match. Slowly, she pulled herself into a kneeling position, coughing, flinching at the pain. It took several attempts to get back on her feet, hands on her back. Finally, Raine straightened and looked down at David.
"What'd you do?" He shrieked, rolling onto his back, where her legs had been beginning to bruise.
Smirking somewhat, she ignored him, turning to look at the cage, then back at him over her shoulder.
***
"Is she doing what I think she is?" Shawn demanded, watching as his daughter scaled the cage. His eyes widened when he seen her sizing up the distance, followed by her mouthing 'dad'. A mixture of pride, love and fear welled inside his chest as Raine imitated her idol -him- and delivered a flying elbow to David's now wide open chest. "She's dead!" He yelled, seeing her collapsing immediately, still on Dave. Though Batista wasn't moving either. "She's fucking dead!"
Mark's eyes were about out of his head. He glanced at Paul who was cradling a crying Stephanie, both men sharing worried looks.
Glenn was doing his best impersonation of a fish out of water.
***
"And your winner by pinfall, RAINE!"
Raine didn't feel herself being lifted until she was already on feet, seeing Shawn standing beside her. Shaking the cobwebs from her head and trying to pretend it didn't feel like she had just crushed the entire right side of her body, she grinned. One look at David told the story, she had accidentally pinned him. The irony.
"You proved them all wrong, darlin'." Shawn whispered in her ear.
David was now being loaded onto a gurney, hearing the trainer murmur something about a broken rib and groaned. Talk about karma coming back and biting him in the ass. He looked back at Raine as he was wheeled away, flipped her off. She wasn't worth it.
Raine was stumbling when she reached backstage, leaning heavily on Shawn. When she seen her friends, she smiled at them, an arm wrapped around herself. "Damn that hurt."
"You realize you've stolen two of my moves?"
"I made them look better."
"That elbow was impressive, the super kick needed work." Shawn teased, concealing the worry he felt.
"You did great, darlin'." Mark said, moving to stand in front of her, kissing the top of her head. "Like I said, gotta make yourself believe." He winked down at her before patting Shawn on the back. "No hard feelings pops, your girl just needed some advice from a pro."
"But I AM a pro…"
Mark snorted. "Sure…"
Shawn growled when Mark actually ruffled his hair. "I HATE that!"
"Go get yourself cleaned up Raine, if you feel up to it, we were thinking about going out."
"IF you're not ready to drop." Kaleigh added, shooting her brother a look. "Don't be so insensitive!"
Raine nodded at Kaleigh before looking to Mark. "Not tonight, honey. I think I need a lie-down. Tomorrow?" She offered with a gentle smile.
Shawn frowned, studying her face. This was the first time Raine had turned down going out. If he hadn't missed his guess, she was beginning to grow up. About damn time. "You okay?"
"Yeah, but if I'm goin' to go out there every night and wrestle, I got to keep my ass in shape and right now, I'm dizzy and it hurts to breathe."
"After effects of a cage match."
"Warm bath, not hot, apply the salve." Mark suggested, knowing not to overstep his boundaries. Returning her smile, he looped his arm around his sister and guided her down the hallway.
"That shit really does work." Glenn commented, rubbing the back of his neck. "I kinda… hurt my, you know… one night and… I used that stuff and it NUMBED it…"
"THAT's quite enough, Glenn." Paul groaned, socking him in the arm before dragging his laughing wife away.
Raine watched them all go, finally leaning into her dad again and slowly limped down the hallway.
"You think you'll ever just give in and date the man?" Shawn asked conversationally, an arm draped around her for support. He knew it was coming eventually and if he wanted to be honest about it, they would be perfect together. Mark would keep Raine level while she would mellow him out. They balanced each other perfectly.
"Yes, in time." Raine said after awhile. "I think he knows it too."
"Yeah, I think so too, darlin'."
THE END
Thanks for the reviews! Even when people were Anti-Raine, made me smile. OC's can't be perfect and likeable, so I'm glad she got flack!
2009-04-01 . chapter 15
I can't help but to notice how out of character Dave Batista and Shane seem. I could see Dave playing Shane's role and Shane being the blackmailer who can;t take no for an answer.
All the other characters are dead on though. I was cracking up at Shawn in this chapter. I could see him being a very protective father. Can't blame the guy. LOL.
Yeah, from their on-screen personas, I agree, very OC. But that's how I tend to write, so... thanks for the feedback, much appreciated! If you read anything else by me, you'll notice I take the wrestlers and stick them in roles that they don't seem to suit. I'm just odd that way, blame it on my dementia! LOL.
Thanks for reading! Hope ya'all enjoyed the end!