The Way to Eden

Sin twisted uncomfortably in her place on the bed as Tara regarded her coolly. It was apparent the tall dark-haired woman knew she was at quite a disadvantage. Tara had come directly downstairs when she arrived, ordering all of the others to remain in the kitchen with Sven. Jeff had given her a pleading look but she'd been adamant. If she and the other woman were going to get along, their differences had to settled privately. She asked Sven if he'd learned anything, but the blonde man insisted that if her were to get anywhere with Sin, he would have to respect her privacy. If Tara wanted to learn anything, she'd have to convince Sin to trust her.

"Are you just going to stand there, or this the part where you kill me?" the younger woman finally said.

"This is the part where I decide what to do with you," Tara replied flatly.

"Do whatever," Sin sighed.

Tara closed the door and pulled the chair up to the bed, straddling it like her husband did at home. Thinking of him made her wince. God, she missed Shannon. She hoped Justin nabbed Henry soon so things could go back to normal.

"So, you don't care?" she asked curiously.

"Why should I?"

"I thought you were a fighter."

"I am," Sin said resting her head against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. "But it won't matter. Nice accent, by the way."

"All us New Englanders talk like this," Tara shrugged. "You miss the Russian tone?"

"No," the other woman said. "This one suits you."

"Just who I am."

"Never figured the accent was faked."

"There's a lot you didn't figure."

"Doesn't matter now."

"Now why do you say that?"

"You're kidding, right?" Sin opened her eyes in surprise.

"No."

"I failed."

"Luckily for Jeff," Tara pointed out, noting Sin's shamed filled flush.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," she replied. "I couldn't have hurt him."

"But you tried so hard," Tara couldn't help mocking.

"If you hadn't have shown up, it wouldn't have made any difference," Sin sighed turning her head to look Tara straight in the eyes. "I'd already decided when I knocked him out I wasn't going to be able to kill him."

Tara took a moment to digest that tidbit of information. A part of her told her not to be fooled by the younger woman's protests. She'd been around enough of those types of fighters to know that they would do anything they had to in order to survive. And it was apparent that Sin believed her life depended on Jeff's death. But another part of her saw the woman through Jeff's eyes for a moment. And she stopped. She looked closer and really glimpsed what he did. In Sin's eyes she could see the beginnings of a hardened fighter that was true. But she could also see herself, as she was when she first began converting herself into Rio. Sin wasn't as far gone as she would have people believe. Jeff was right about there still being hope for her. And Tara now knew she wouldn't be able to turn her back on the taller, younger version of herself. Not while she could do something to help her.

"Why'd you hit him, then?"

Tears formed in the corners of Sin's eyes and she did nothing to hide them from Tara. "I had to get him out of there so they'd think he was dead. I didn't know where I was going to hide him, but I had to try."

"From who?"

"You know," Sin said swiping at her eyes.

"I know Henry," Tara replied gently. "But you said 'them'. Who else?"

"You can't stop him, you know," Sin said, ignoring Tara's question and looking at her imploringly. "You're a great fighter. I know that," she held up her bandaged arm. "But you can't stop him."

"I've stopped him before," Tara said softly, patting the other woman's good arm.

"Not Henry!" Sin nearly shrieked. "HIM! Oh, he's coming for me. He told me he would if I failed. And I did fail."

"Who's coming for you?"

"My trainer," Sin choked out letting the sobs break forth.

Tara rubbed the other woman's arm and waited for the torrents to subside. Finally, Sin's heaving abated and her tears dwindled to a trickle.

"Who's your trainer?" Tara tried again.

"You can't stop him!"

"I know he seems scary to you," Tara began, ignoring Sin's snort. "But I can assure you he won't get anywhere near you."

"Look, you're an amazing fighter . . ."

"So's the rest of my family."

That appeared to give Sin pause.

"Still, he's so vindictive."

"He's never met Sven," Tara said firmly.

"Okay, he did train you well."

"He trained me very well," Tara confirmed. "But he kept a few tricks to himself. Whoever your trainer is, he'd better be prepared for an all-out war."

"Why?"

"You don't know?" Tara laughed.

"Know what?" Sin blinked in confusion.

"You'll get used to it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did your trainer ever make you feel safe?" Tara asked suddenly, confusing the woman even further.

"No!" Sin replied in disgust. "I was grateful for his intervention when I was too young to defend myself, but he never made me feel particularly safe."

"So you were on guard all the time."

"He wasn't exactly kind."

"I can imagine," Tara murmured. "How do you feel around Sven?"

"I don't know," the dark-haired woman pondered. "He's kind of weird."

"Wait till you meet the other one," Tara grinned.

--------------------------------------

Shane hobbled over to the door slowly. He couldn't believe Triple H bungled that move in their match last week. If he were the suspicious sort, he'd think the larger man had done it deliberately. His back was aching like there was no tomorrow and his legs moved like they were on an eighty-year- old man. He'd have to do something to repay the other man's kindness. In the meantime, he was home for the next few weeks to recoup and he wasn't happy about it, either. Now there was someone at the door and he didn't have anyone staying with him to answer it.

"Hol' on, I'm comin'!" he growled to the impatient person on the other side of the door. He hoped it wasn't another crazed fan. He loved his fans but he just didn't think he could handle them right now. He finally reached the door and threw it open in irritation, prepared to tell whoever it was he wasn't available.

What he wasn't prepared for was the pretty girl in the ripped jeans and the bandana tied around her head. She had the most amazing yellow-gold eyes and a cute dimple in her cheek. He couldn't see her hair color because the bandana was in the way, but she was a sight.

"I'm sorry, I'm not upta any visitors t'day," he explained more gently than he'd originally intended.

"I won't take up much time," she said innocently.

He contemplated her for a moment, then gave into his whim and let her pass him into the hallway of his house.

"I'm sorry, I didn' catch yo' name," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Alina," she smiled.

"Alina," he said letting the name roll over his tongue. "Pretty name fo' a pretty lady."

--------------------------------------

Jeff entered the room soon after Tara left and Eden stared at him with a mixture of apprehension and relief. She didn't know how he felt about her now, but she was so glad to see he was alive and healthy.

"Sin," he said curtly.

"Jeff," she breathed out in a barely audible sigh. "I am so . . ."

"Don' say it," he held up a hand.

Eden's fears were realized and her stomach hit bottom. He hated her. He had every right to, she decided, but it still hurt her.

"I already kno'."

"I didn't."

"Shh!" he admonished sitting down beside her on the bed. "I said I kno'."

They stared at each other in silence for a while before she tried to speak again.

"You know what?"

"I kno' ya weren' gonna kill me," he said with a confident smile.

"How could you know that?"

"We connected," he replied. "I kno' ya cared too much."

"But I didn't even know that."

"Ya foun' out, tho', didn' ya?"

"But . . ."

"No, 'buts', baby," he said gathering her into his arms and holding her gently. "I kno' an' now Ri kno's, too."

"Why is she being nice to me?"

"I asked 'er to?"

"It's more than that," Eden turned to look up at Jeff's green eyes. "She's acting like she's trying to help me."

"She is."

"Why?"

"Tha's fo' 'er ta ansa," he said kissing the tip of her nose. "I only care 'boutchyo' safety right now."

"But that night . . ."

"Ya did what ya thought ya hadta in orda ta save me," he finished for her. "Now Imma do th' same fo' you."

Eden didn't answer, but she burrowed deeper into his embrace and prayed for the first time in her life. She hoped Tara knew what she was doing.

--------------------------------------

Shane settled himself into his chair after fetching some soda for himself and his guest. She sat on the couch next to his chair and smiled at him.

"Wha' can I do fo' ya?" he asked.

"I'm trying to find Jeff Hardy, but I'm having no luck," she answered shyly. "I hoped you could help me."

"I'm no' entirely sho' where he is," Shane answered, a little chagrined now that this fan was Jeff's not his own.

"Aren't you a friend?" Alina asked.

"Yeah, bu' he an' I don' git much time ta hang out," he explained. "Wrestlers don' always 'ave much time fo' their frien's wit' our schedules."

"Really?" she asked in a perplexed tone. "I didn't know that."

He shrugged as he took another sip then watched in apprehension as she stood up and slowly approached him.

"That is-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s unfortunate."