The Road Less Traveled

Rio watched the entrance from a monitor in the back as Jeff and Andrew took their places at the top of the ramp. Andrew's music hit first and he entered the ring without his usual escort. Stacy seemed a little pissed off that she wouldn't be joining him so Rio moved next to her to give her a pep talk.

"He really cares about you, Sta" sh" she said in a quiet tone. "He knows that these men will try to really injure him and he does not want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"I've been in the business for a few years now," the tall blonde replied venomously. "I told him I can watch myself."

"Yes, but it is different when he cannot trust his opponent not to intentionally do you harm."

"YOU'RE going out there," Stacy turned to her in exasperation. "He doesn't seem to mind that!"

"He is not in love with me," Rio pointed out and noted the slight blush on the other woman's cheeks. "Besides, when he met me I was involved in this world. He knows I am aware of all of the dangers."

"You don't look so tough to me," Molly said approaching them. Rio gave her a perfunctory glance and turned back to Stacy.

"He will be back here soon," she said giving Stacy a reassuring pat on the arm.

"So you ARE a dyke," Molly laughed.

Rio turned to the former WWE women's champion and backed her up against the wall without saying a word. She leaned her silver masked face right into Molly's and waited for the frightened gasp that the other woman soon emitted. Then she grabbed Molly's upper arms and slammed her back into the wall causing another terrified grunt.

"If I were you," Rio hissed darkly, "I would be very careful about pissing off those you do not know." She kept her mirrored glasses locked on Molly's eyes and nodded to the monitor beckoning the other woman to glance at the screen. "See those two rather large men waiting for Test and Jeff?" When Molly nodded Rio graced her with one of her trademark golden grins. "I have beaten them both and nearly ended their careers on several occasions."

"Don't forget about what you did to me . . . sis" Fury silently padded up behind her and Molly's eyes widened even more.

"I thought we had put that behind us," Rio retorted not moving from her position.

"Can I go now?" Molly asked timidly.

"Are you going to annoy me any further this evening?" Rio answered. Molly eagerly shook her head and Rio grinned again moving back and throwing Molly down in the process. The frightened woman crawled away for a few feet then quickly hopped up and ran down the hallway. Stacy laughed at the scene and gave Rio a thumbs-up. Fury smiled down at the silver fighter sardonically.

"You didn't have to push her down," he said.

"She needed to learn not to bother me," she replied.

"I think it might be interesting to tame that sinister streak of hers."

Rio rolled her eyes at her brother behind her glasses. "It is your time to waste," she said turning back to the monitor Stacy was watching.

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Jeff's music hit and he danced out to the platform in his glow-in-the-dark face paint. He knew he wouldn't have much time to get his licks in before Rio spoiled the party so he intended to use his time wisely. He and Andrew were going to double team the giant Series champ until his friend interfered, which would be very likely. Andrew would concentrate on Sasquatch then and Jeff would attack Goliath. Rio and Fury would be out by then and all hell would break loose.

He could see Sasquatch waiting nonchalantly in the ring while Goliath eyed him from the floor on the far side. Andrew waited at the end of the ramp for Jeff to join him before they both jumped into the ring and began pounding the hell out of their opponent. The referee tried to break them up but they just tossed him aside and continued punching him. They had him on the mat and were kicking him. Goliath paced the outside restlessly. A dude with slicked back hair and an Armani suit stood nearby. Jeff assumed that was Henry and glared at him hotly. So this was the man who'd tried to kill Tara and Todd. This was the slimeball who killed all of his former champions. Jeff stopped kicking the fighter long enough to vault up to the top rope and quickly Swanton Bomb Goliath on the outside. He painfully rose and slid back into the ring but before he could get up Sasquatch grabbed him and threw him headfirst into the turnbuckle. He'd laid out Andrew in the few seconds Jeff had been occupied with the other fighter and now the tabwerewere turned. Jeff weakly raised his head to see Henry smirk at him while Goliath slid into the ring to join his protégé.

Suddenly a flash of silver streamed by and Rio and Fury were there in an enraged display of kicks and flips that had the two Series fighters down before they knew what hit them. Fury turned to look at Rio and nodded once then he walked out of the ring and went to stand by the entrance ramp blocking the Seriightighters' exit. Andrew helped Jeff shakily get up and they did the same. Rio removed the championship belt from around Sasquatch's waist and gave him a final kick to the midsection, eliciting a telltale cracking sound and went to the far side of the ring to face Henry.

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Henry couldn't believe his eyes. Not only was she still alive, so was Fury. And they'd joined forces. Shit! How the hell did that happen? He tried to appear calm but almost lost it when she grinned at him and leaned into her customary bow. Goliath stirred behind her and she kicked him in the gut as well. But she never took her eyes off Henry while she did it. She dropped the bogus belt at her feet and pointed at him with both hands, turned her gloved palms up and curled her fingers beckoning him to join her. She knew she'd ruined his plans for a successful match against the WWE performers. But he was damned if he was going to let her screw up everything he'd been working for all of these months. He smiled tightly as he picked up a microphone and headed slowly into the ring.

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Shannon watched the monitor on the edge of his seat. Shane, Amy and Matt sat on either side of him while Jay, Adam, Rey and Lance stood behind them. He winced noticeably at every bump Jeff and Andrew took from the Series fighters then cringed when Rio entered the fray. She was more phyl thl than ever, though, as she and Todd very swiftly cleaned house. Todd left the ring with Jeff and Andrew, leaving Rio alone with the two motionless heaps. But that didn't make Shannon feel any better about it. He knew she could defend herself but he didn't want her to have to fight anymore.

Sven had excused himself to watch the event from behind a curtain. He didn't need to explain his desire to be close to the action in case he was needed. Shannon nodded to him as he'd left, letting him know that he would be out there in a shot if he saw the blonde man running into the arena.

"Ho-ly SHIT!" Rey exclaimed. "She flipped him twice before I could even take a breath!"

"I tol' ya she was fast," Matt grinned.

"And she laid the guy out like he was nothing!" Adam mumbled.

"I told you she was lethal," Jay smiled.

"I just hope Molly's watching," Stacy said with a wicked grin of her own as she leaned against a nearby table.

"Why?" Shannon asked amused.

"She ticked Rio off before," Stacy shrugged still smiling. "It was fun to watch her finally be put in her place."

"I'll bet," Chris Jericho said as he walked over to the group. "She's taking her character's personality too seriously."

"Good thing you don't," Lance growled. "I'd have put you through the wall a long time ago."

Shannon laughed and returned his attention to the monitor. Uh oh. That slick bastard was getting into the riith ith a microphone. This could only mean trouble. Shannon exchanged looks with Matt who nodded silently. Both got up and walked out to where Sven was standing with Adam and Rey following closely behind them.

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Rio smiled as Henry approached her warily. He was stilled shocked with her, and Fury's, resurrection and he couldn't completely hide it. She reveled in his miserable expression as he walked around the ring slowly, surveying wor work. He ambled over to her, glaring ominously before bringing the microphone up to his mouth.

"Nice to see you again, Quick Silver," he said through gritted teeth. "We thought we'd lost you."

"You mean you HOPED you had," she retorted, stepping closer to him so that the mic picked up every word. The crowd rose to its collective feet and roared like crazy.

Three masked fighters suddenly materialized from under the ring and slid in to surround them. She recognized two pushing Goliath and Sasquatch out of the ring as Grendel and Sinbad. The third black-clad fighter she'd never faced in a match before. Well . . . this was going to be interesting.

"As you can see, I came prepared," Henry said mockingly.

Fury slid back into the ring behind Sinbad who turned just in time to duck a blow. The red headed former Series c loo looked worriedly at his sister who nodded calmly to him and returned her attention to Henry.

"This reparepared?" she queried skeptically.

"I know you find them lacking," Henry went on with a superior look pasted on his smarmy face. "But Phantom here tells me he'll have no trouble handling you."

She looked up at the dark warrior and grinned widely. "Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Small One," he smiled.