Title: The Liberator
Part 16
Author: Angel Eterno
Rating: NC-17 - slash
Content: Slash, Romance, Abuse
Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. They belong to WWF and Titan Sports. No copyright infringement intended.
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The drive back to the bar's car park seemed to end all too quickly for Rob. There just hadn't seemed to be enough time to find out the answers to his questions. Again he asked Chris if they'd like to hang out again somewhere after a show - another bar - another place. Chris had been evasive, replying he wasn't sure, but there was always the possibility. And not to forget - they'd both agreed this was a one-off no-strings thing that they'd both enjoyed immensely - so why ruin it? It made sense to Rob - it was after all, the way he'd always played things, so yeah, OK, he was cool with that.
Chris had gotten out of the car and walked towards his own which he'd left in the car park the previous evening, so he didn't see the wistful expression flit for a second in Rob's eyes before his erstwhile partner exited the car park at high speed, without even a backward glance or wave. With a sigh Chris unlocked the car door and got inside - pausing a moment to let his head fall back on the headrest as he closed his eyes - why did he always let things end this way? In his heart he knew the answer to that question - but his heart was admitting nothing.
******~******~******
"Hey, Chris - how you doin'?" RVD forced a joviality he didn't particularly feel as he greeted Kanyon on entering the locker room. Kanyon looked up, offering a half-smile.
"I'm OK, guess ..." he winced and gave his lower back a supporting rub.
"You hurt yourself?" he wasn't really interested.
"Just ache - slept awkwardly last night ... in truth - I spent the night sleeping on the so called easy chair in my room."
RVD stopped his unpacking and regarded Kanyon a moment before returning his attention to his holdall.
"How come?"
"I had a visitor ..."
"Oh?" Rob's curiosity was piqued, but only slightly. "Anyone I know?"
"Yeah - Christian."
Rob's full attention was now turned full on him, eyes wide.
"Christian? How come?" although he knew the answer already.
"He had an 'altercation' with Edge."
Rob scoffed "An 'altercation' - yeah I'll just bet he did!"
Kanyon stared at Rob curiously.
"You don't believe me?"
Rob sobered. "Yeah, I believe you, only too well. It happened to me one night too..."
Bitterly Rob remembered the night Christian had come to his room in a literally bloody beaten-up panic, spending the night in his bed while, he, RVD, had slept on the floor. And by first light he'd left without so much as a by-your-leave or thank you note. And to top it all, he'd overheard the tag team duo screwing in the shower cubicle the next day as though nothing were amiss!
"And was he still there in the morning when you woke up?" He just had to know. Kanyon shot him a quizzical look.
"Yes, of course ... why shouldn't he be?"
Rob offered a wry half-smile.
"Just wondered - the night he stayed with me he'd just upped and disappeared come morning - not even so much as a thank you ..."
"Oh... Actually he hung around while I went to get breakfast from McDonalds - and was still there when I got back. But he went soon after ..."
Kanyon's voice faded away as he remembered the hug Christian had given him before going out his door. It hadn't been just a quick hug and pat on the back, the blond had clung to him a few more moments than he would have deemed necessary. Kanyon wasn't into other guys embracing him, had totally intended pushing Christian away telling him not to be so silly, that anyone would've done the same thing. But he hadn't, curiously; the whole scene had filled him with a mixture of disgust and - something else he couldn't quite define. Rob's voice jerked him back to the present.
" ... and no doubt he'll be back with Edge now."
Kanyon tried to recall the first half of Rob's sentence - but his mind had been far away. For some reason Rob's voice held a tone of annoyance in it, vaguely Kanyon wondered why that should be. He was about to ask, then remembered vague murmurings he'd heard about Rob's sexual preferences, and decided he didn't really want to know. What the hell was wrong with these guys? He was damn sure most the roster was screwing each other! Not wanting to be drawn into any embarrassing conversations, he decided it was time to go; and after one last rub to his aching back he discreetly left Rob alone in the locker room.
*******~******~********
"Forget something?"
Rob spoke without looking up at the re-opening of the locker-room door. Kanyon must have forgotten something and come back for it.
"You know," he continued, "I just can't understand some of these WWF guys - they all seem to have some kind of problem - why don't they see that life is supposed to be fun!"
Chris Kanyon didn't reply. Rob was aware that he was hovering by the door, not coming back in.
"Life is meant to ...." Rob's voice faltered; he had turned round as he was speaking. The beautiful blond was standing statue still and silent, the golden hair hanging half over his face, though not concealing the angry cuts and bruising upon it.
All Rob's irritation at the other man's previous antics faded into insignificance as his shocked eyes took in his appearance. All his horror apparent in his voice when he spoke in a low shocked tone.
"Shit, Christian ...!"
Christian remained silent for a small while, just staring in a peculiar way. When he finally replied it was with tightly-checked emotion.
"This is your fault, Rob Van Dam."
Rob was speechless, how the hell did he come up with that?
"No, no way ..." Rob held both hands up before him, shaking his head in disbelief "You're not laying that one on me"
Why the hell was Christian saying this? Was he to be some kind of scapegoat so his boyfriend Edge wouldn't be suspected? There was no way he was going to stand for that.
Christian took a step forward, toward him; his eyes shining in almost the same staring fashion as the mentally unstable.
"But it is all your fault," Christian insisted, his voice a forced calm. "If you hadn't goaded Edge with your "Mr All Fucking Night" shit, none of this would have happened - Edge wouldn't have gotten mad, and he wouldn't have done this!" Christian gestured at his cut and bruised face."
"This wouldn't happen at all if you didn't let it! Why do you let it happen, Christian? Just tell me why - why do you let that psycho nutter do that to you? No wait ..." Rob flung his arms open in a gesture of surrender "I know why - coz you like it!"
Christian flung both arms round his middle, as though protecting himself in a hug. His loose hair hung wildly round his lowered, pale bruised face and he put up a hand to carelessly yank it back; he jerked his head back to face Rob, his eyes bloodshot and crazed as his voice rose to an agonized pitch.
"I don't like it! I don't! But this is your fault and you can't see it - it's all your fault!"
This was getting crazy.
"It is not my fault! Can I help it if your boyfriend is a fucking maniac?" Rob's patience had snapped and he yelled back in frustration. "You're totally fucking insane - both of you - Edge should be locked up and you need your head examined!"
The huge eyes widened further as Christian paled even more, making the bruises and cuts vivid on his face. Rob could not gauge his reaction to this, he seemed totally cold now, as though some spaced-out zombie was in possession of his soul.
The wide saucer-like eyes held a hint of melancholy; threatened to swallow Rob whole as the blond approached him, step by slow step. He couldn't tear his eyes away, couldn't force himself to move backward. His mind was a blank as he considered what Christian's motives for entering the locker room were - it was apparent he knew he'd find him there alone.
He didn't have long to wonder, however, as he was suPenly knocked backwards by the power of the blow. The last thing he was aware of was a sharp pain in the back of his head as he fell to the floor - and a wavering, blurry image of Christian's face hovering over him mouth open before everything went black.
End Part 16