The Way to Eden

Shane rubbed the back of his aching head and tried to focus through bleary eyes. The last thing he remembered included a cute girl and a sharp blow to the head. When he finally figured out what the hell was going on, he was going to have to give himself an ass kicking for letting pretty little strangers into his home when he wasn't 100%. Damn it! What did this have to do with Jeff, anyway? He knew he was going to pay for promising Matt that day he'd look after his crazy . . . wait, Matt insisted Jeff was eccentric. Okay, his "eccentric" (a/k/a crazy) brother. If he and Matt weren't such good friends, he'd add the older Hardy to the ass-kicking list. In fact, he'd place him at the top of the list! THEN he'd kick his own ass for being so stupid.

"You are finally awake," said a quiet, yet very feminine voice from behind him.

He rubbed his eyes and turned toward it to confront his attacker. She stood in the doorway of the room, which he'd just now noticed had no windows and was bare save for the bed he was currently occupying. She had changed into a costume of sorts and now stood in a green snakelike mask and Rey Mysterio- like contacts, only yellow. Her green shaven head and matching tights only added to the serpentine charm.

"Son ova . . ." he muttered. "Yo' one o' those fight club people, aintcha?"

"Very as-s-s-stute."

"Where am I?"

"Far from home, I'm afraid," she replied shaking her head in mock sympathy.

"Why?"

"I'm s-s-s-sorry I had to take you," she shrugged, not appearing at all apologetic. "But you're my only link to Jeff Hardy."

"An' jus' wha' do YOU wan' withim?"

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Nora sighed as she thumbed through a history book on the kitchen table. The blonde man named Sven sat across from her and Todd sat at the end. She could feel both men watching her and it was driving her mad, but she wouldn't let them see it. She tried to read a passage about the waning days of the Confederacy and block them out.

"Good reading?" Todd broke the silence.

"Eh," she said fighting the urge to look up at him. His eyes had a way of turning her stomach to jelly and she didn't want to feel any more vulnerable than she already did. Amy DEFINITELY owed her one for this escapade.

"You have not turned the page in quite some time, my dear," Sven said quietly.

This time she did look up, into the inquisitive piercing blue gaze of Todd's "mother". She could feel him probing her quietly and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Just killing time, waiting for Tara," she said, trying a nervous smile.

He smiled back engagingly, and she felt instantly comforted. He wasn't trying to dissect her, she realized. He was just curious about her.

"I do not think you have to read Todd's history text, though," he said. "He does not even read it."

"I do so!" the red headed man protested from his corner. "I pull straight A's."

"That you do," Sven said evenly. "It is a wonder, though, considering you do not do much studying."

Nora watched the exchange in amusement, thankful that the spotlight was off her for the time being. She also loved to see Todd interact with his family. She knew his cocky attitude was a front leftover from his Warrior Series days, and it was a relief to see him act like a normal guy for a change. She liked him like this, she decided, then mentally stopped herself. Wait a second, she thought, I do NOT like him. She had a feeling she was kidding herself, though.

"I've studied," Todd went on pouting. "I've just been busy trying to help Tara out."

"This I observed before your sister's problem," Sven admonished gently. "Do you not like school?"

"I love school!" Todd answered. "Look, it's break now, so I don't have to study."

"Hmph," Sven shrugged.

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Justin watched from the door of the stairwell as Henry gleefully trotted down the hallway of the hotel towards Shannon and Jolene's room. He was sure that the news of Jeff's severance with WWE was the cause of it. Henry must assume that Sin did her job and Jeff's body had been discovered. He was on his way to gloat to Rio now. He wouldn't get far.

Henry stopped at the stairwell and looked behind him. Justin stepped further back into the shadows and waited for the stupid man to enter. The door opened slowly and Henry strode into it, grunting as Justin's fist connected to his jaw line.

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Shannon gripped the cell phone in his hand and fell back on the bed. He was so glad to hear from his wife though being with her would be preferable to the enforced celibacy he was now dealing with.

"Have you heard the news?" Tara asked cautiously.

The hairs on the back of his neck raised up in preparation. That tone usually meant trouble.

"Wha' news, baby?"

"Jeff's been let go," she whispered, barely making herself audible.

"What?!" He said in shock. No that couldn't be right. Did Matt know about this? He couldn't know. He'd have been on the next plane home.

"I'm sorry, Shannon," she sighed. "We were on the road until today and I didn't have a chance to call you. But I thought you would have heard by now."

"I 'aven' 'ad a chance ta ta talk ta anyone bu' Matt in th' las' few days," he mumbled. "My God, 'ow's 'e takin' it?"

"Strangely, better than the rest of us," she replied.

He could hear her biting her lip on the other end of the line and smiled at the metal image. He wanted to be the one biting that lip right now. But he had to keep focused on his friend for now. He was worried about Jeff.

"'E's no' mad?"

"He said he understands the company's position. He also said he had to get his act together and figure things out for now."

"Sin figure inta this?" he grunted.

"Probably," Tara replied. "But she doesn't know anything about it. At least she didn't when I last saw her. Jeff was going in to see her next though."

"Ya lettim see 'er?"

"Don't be mad, honey," she pleaded. "But I'm seeing things from his perspective right now."

"Damn it, Tara," he growled sitting up. "This ain' th' time fo' you ta identify withat crazy fool! Even if 'e is m' bes' frien'!"

Tara sighed again but didn't answer him. This made him worry even more. She wasn't the type of woman to hold things in, and when she did it usually meant she'd prepared her arguments and was waiting for him to talk himself out before dealing the decisive blow. He usually lost these arguments and didn't feel like playing into her hands this time. Especially since she wasn't there to "comfort" him when he lost.

"Why?" he finally asked.

"She's me."

"She's NOT you."

"She is," Tara said quietly. "She's me when I first entered The Series, before I became the robot you eventually saved. She's me, Shannon, and I can't let her continue on her path."

"Look," he started slowly. "I kno' ya wanna 'elp 'er, an' I respec' that. You can start by turnin' 'er inta th' authorities an' lettem deal wither."

"I can't do that," Tara said stubbornly.

"Tara . . ."

"I mean it, Shannon," she said warningly. "I don't want to do that. She'll get even more abuse in prison, if she even lives to make it there."

"What're ya talkin' 'bout now?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Her trainer is after her, looking to kill her."

"Jesus CHRIST!" he erupted. "Why do ya always let Jeff gitcha inta this shit?"

"Excuse me?" she grunted back. "He didn't 'get me into this', I stalked him to get myself into it."

"Tara . . ."

"No, listen to me!" she all but screamed into the phone.

Shannon remained quiet. She'd never actually screamed him before and it was quite an experience. It didn't scare him though. He was relieved that she was reacting this way instead of the quiet dangerous former Series Warrior way.

"She told me about her trainer and I believe her," Tara said. "He said he would kill her if she failed and she fully believes he will do just that. She actually said she didn't care if I killed her because she knew he was coming."

"I jus' don' wan' anythin' ta 'appen ta you," he sighed.

"I know," she answered softly. "But I have to help her."

"'E also ask'd ya to, didn' 'e."

"That's beside the point," she answered. "And anyway, he would never agree to press charges against her. Without the victim's help, the courts wouldn't be able to do anything to her. Besides, Sven's 'adopted' her and would probably be angry with me if I tried to have her taken away now."

"God 'alp us all," he muttered.

"I miss you, you know."

"Oh, I kno'," he smiled confidently. "Bu' I miss ya mo'."

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"Are you implying that I'm not the only one interes-s-s-sted in him?" Alina asked quietly.

"I ain' implyin' a DAMN thin'," Shane gritted, lifting himself gingerly up from the mattress. Damned HHH! He still couldn't understand why it was taking so long to heal.

"Eas-s-s-sy," Alina, the snake hissed as she watched making no attempt to assist him. "I had to do a little more damage to keep you immobile."

"WHAT!?" he shrieked in panic. "What the FUCK didja DO ta me?"

"It's-s-s-s jus-s-s-st a hairline fracture," she purred. "You'll heal if you keep s-s-s-still, but more s-s-s-slowly than you had hoped."

"Yo' one crazy BITCH!" he yelled, not particularly caring if he insulted her.

"Determined," she said patiently. "Not crazy."

"Care ta tell me WHY ya broke my leg?"

"I did," she shrugged again. "To keep you immobile. Even if you get out of the room, which you won't, you wouldn't get far before one of us-s-s-s apprehended you."

"Us?" Shane asked, fear returning his mind to some semblance of sanity.

"My s-s-s-sis-s-s-ster and I."

"She as warped as you?"

"Cons-s-s-sidering her condition? More."

"Her condition?"

"Her Achilles-s-s-s-s tendon has-s-s-s been cut," Alina said with malice. "S-s-s-she is-s-s-s healing but will never fight again. It's-s-s-s hard for her to accept."

"Uh . . . sorry?" Shane said, trying to placate the crazy angry lady in the doorway.

"S-s-s-sin will pay for that, though," Alina said as she exited the room and closed the door behind her. Shane's gut flipped as he heard the click of a lock.