The Way to Eden

Shannon held the bridge of his nose between his two fingers for what seemed like the hundredth time during this phone call. He was sure he'd heard his wife wrong. He had to have. She couldn't be going back to the fight club scene after everything they'd been through. She just couldn't be considering doing that to his sanity. Not when they'd just settled in to their life together. All of their plans, all their dreams . . . No. It had to be a rib.

"Shannon?" Tara said softly into his ear. He was picturing her sitting cross-legged on a chair, biting her lip. She always did that when she knew something she'd said or done upset him. "Please say something."

Say something? Was she kidding? It was taking all of his strength not to slam his fist through the nearest wall. Matt sat on the other bed looking confused. Shannon wasn't surprised about that. He hadn't said too much after, "How are you?" and he could tell that his surrogate big brother was becoming more and more alarmed.

"Yo' kiddin' me, right?" he finally muttered into the phone. "Yo' no' serious. Ya cain' be!"

Tara sighed audibly on the other end of the phone. He could hear the anxiety in her voice. It meant that she knew she was in for it. And Shannon didn't intend to disappoint her.

"Look, it was the only way."

"Th' ONLY way?" he exploded jumping up off the bed and pacing the room frantically. "Ya mean ta tell me there is NO otha way fo' yo' new . . . sista, I guess she is now . . . ta git outta this?"

"I broke her arm in more than one place," Tara replied, her voice also raising a notch. "I highly doubt anyone on the planet could win with those odds. Besides, you haven't even heard the biggest reason why yet."

"Wha's goin' on?" Matt demanded quietly from his seat on his bed. Shannon turned to look at him and he could see Matt's expression quickly turning from general confusion to complete stone. That's when he's at his most dangerous. Shannon could barely speak so he gestured to the phone and mouthed, "Tara" at him. "Gimme th' phone," Matt said reaching up. Shannon stood stock still for a second then he thought of something. When Tara, as Rio, was in her last predicament, Matt was one of the few people who actually got through to her. He nodded at Matt.

"Baby, I need ta assimilate this fo' a bit," he said slowly into the receiver. "Why dontcha tell Matt whatcha jus' tol' me an' bring 'im upta speed."

"But . . ." Tara's voice faded as Shannon shoved the phone into Matt's hand sat back to calm down.

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Whatever was pissing Shannon off must be big, Matt decided as he took the phone. He knew the younger man was about to explode and he wanted to know why, especially if it had anything to do with his brother, and he suspected it did. Luckily for Tara he'd convinced Shannon to let him step in.

"Tara, sweet?" he said. "Wha's th' word?"

"U-um," she stammered.

Shit. This was bigger than big. Tara was never afraid to talk to him. Well, not anymore. There was that one time when they'd first met and she was "Rio" when he'd said some very ugly things to her trying to keep her away from Jeff. His still winced when he thought of it. But since then, they'd patched up their differences and she became as much a little sister to him as Shannon was his brother. That she was obviously having trouble talking to him now bothered him to no end.

"Tara?" he tried again in a sterner voice. "Tell me wha's goin' on."

"It's Shane, Matt," she finally said. "I know you're going to be angry with me, but please don't hate me."

"Hate ya?" Now he was really concerned. "Wha's goin' on?"

Tara began to explain everything that had been happening since she'd last seen him. She started with saving Jeff, which Matt already knew about and was still fuming over, and went on to describe the danger of Eden's trainer. She ended with Shane's abduction by some fighter named Serpentina from Eden/Sin's organization. It was bad all right, but there was nothing here that would ever make him angry with Tara. They would call the police or Sven and Justin would go down to Florida and collect Shane. None of this was her doing. So why was Shannon ready to spit nails?

"Ya wan' me ta calm Shan down?" he asked in a low tone.

"There's just one more thing," Tara replied. "The only way to get him back safely is for Sin to fight Serpentina."

"Ya said she cain' fight."

"She can't," Tara said nervously. "That's why Serpentina is demanding that her sister take her place."

"She don' have a sista," Matt said quietly, feeling the tension mound. He was suspecting what Shannon was having a problem with now. He was just praying he was wrong.

"She does," Tara said softly. "Sven and Justin . . ."

"Don' tell me they approve o' this!?" Matt cut her off.

"Matt, please . . ."

"Tara!"

"Please don't hate me."

"Why th' HELL would I hate cha fo' somethin' tha's no' yo' fault?"

Shannon suddenly stopped pacing and looked back at Matt inquisitively. For all of Tara's progress she was still very sensitive to her past, especially when something came up to remind her. And Matt was particularly peeved that she thought something like this would erase his bond with her.

"It's just . . ." her voice trailed off.

"I's jus' ya think I still worry 'bout yo' past?" he ventured gently. "I neva think 'bout it, bu' it 'ppears 's neva far from yo min'."

Tara sniffled a bit but said nothing. Matt hated to make girls cry, especially the tough ones like Amy and Tara. Shannon watched carefully as he stood close by and Matt locked eyes with him.

"Yo' pas' is no' an issue," he said firmly. "An' this ain' connected ta you anyway. Furthamo' I ain' neva gonna hate cha, darlin'. Yo' my little sista."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Bu' I ain' 'appy 'boutcha goin' in there."

"I fought men bigger than you in the Warrior Series," she said sounding disgusted now. "One little woman isn't going to take me down."

"I'm mo' worried 'bout yo' sanity."

"I promise, this won't go further than the one fight," Tara said sweetly. "And I promise I won't hurt her badly unless I have no other choice."

"Still . . ."

"I have to get Shane back, and Justin and Sven can't get a lock on where she's keeping him. They've called a contact down there to follow her, but they suspect she'll remain apart from him until the fight. She's not stupid."

"I don' like it," he said again.

"Neitha do I," Shannon hissed.

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Shannon was feeling all kinds of rage right now. He was annoyed at his in- laws for letting this happen again when he'd repeatedly asked them not to continue Tara's training. He was pissed as all hell at Jeff for bringing Eden into their lives at all. And he was really aggravated with himself for going along with the first part of this plan and not being with his wife to prevent her from getting into this mess. But most of all, he was livid with this Eden person for playing on his wife's generous nature. He knew she was faking it. He just had to figure out how to make the rest see.

Matt suddenly held the phone back for him and he grabbed it quickly.

"When's this damn thin', anyway?" he demanded without preamble.

"Next Friday," Tara answered him meekly. "Why?"

"'Cause Imma be there," he said flatly catching Matt's eye. Matt nodded eagerly. Good, Shannon thought. Back up was always welcome when it came to Tara.

"No, Shannon," Tara whined. She never usually whined. Something really rubbed him the wrong way about that. He went right back into the role he'd played when he first met her. That was the only way to keep her safe.

"Yes, baby," he said in a tone that left no room for argument. "An' once I collect ya, I ain' neva lettin' ya outta my sight again."

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Eden pulled the blanket up over herself as she settled into her bed. She knew she'd get no sleep tonight and wondered how she would get herself and her new family out of this situation. Tara had seemed unfazed by Serpentina's challenge and Eden agreed. There would be no real competition there. But Eden knew that Samuel wouldn't be far as long as she was out of his grasp. Thinking of the cold man gave her a sudden chill and she snuggled deeper into the bed. How could things have gone so far from her usual world so quickly.

The creaking of the opening door interrupted her thoughts. She turned to it, curious to see who would be there - half fearful it would be her cruel trainer.

"Baby? Y'awake?" Jeff's whisper reached her.

"Yeah," she whispered back sitting up.

"Don' get up," he said closing the door behind him. Although that act cut off all light leading him to her, he still managed to find the bed and crawl into it with her.

"What are you doing in here?" Eden asked worriedly. She hadn't been in the family long and was afraid of transgressing against any rules.

"Don' worra," he laughed. "I ain' gonna do anythin' ta ya. I jus' wan'ed ta holdja."

Eden sighed and went willingly into his arms. She seemed to feel safest there so she didn't even bother to question her own actions.

"Ya thnkin' 'bout Ri, ain'tcha?" She silently nodded against his chest. "Well, don' worra 'bout 'er. She can 'andle th' snake girl."

"Serpentina's not the one posing the greatest threat," she whispered. "Samuel will be there. I'm sure of it."

"An' Justin an' Sven will be there, too," he argued. "No one gits past 'em. Believe me, I tried."

"You did?"

"Well, no' fo' long," Jeff laughed again. "When those two say 'stop' ya stop."

"I don't want them to get hurt either."

"They won'," Jeff replied kissing her temple repeatedly. "Ask Ri ta tell ya 'bout 'ow she met 'em one day. I's quite a story. Those two can 'andle anythin'."

"I hope you're right," Eden said, her voice hitching at his touch. She grabbed at him with her good arm to hold him closer. Then she nuzzled him, enjoying the way his whiskers rubbed against her neck.

"Hey, I said I wasn' gonna do anythin'," he teased as pulled back slightly.

"But I didn't promise," Eden said as coyly as she could and she felt for the hem of his shirt and ran her hand under it and up his chest.

"Jesus, gimme strength," Jeff growled and took her lips in a searing and possessive kiss that sent her head reeling.