Chapter Four

Angel stepped out of the elevator and turned towards her room. Exhausted she saw Bane standing in a doorway, but ignored him not sure she had the energy to deal with anything else that day. Opening her door she walked in slowly and shut it behind her leaning back against it. Closing her eyes she wondered not for the first time what in the fuck she was doing there. She hadn't been able to figure it out when Vince called her and she couldn't figure it out now. One of the best heels in the business simply because he really was a rotten individual on and off screen was claiming that he was being forced to do the terrible things he did. She finds him attacking Shawn and then later the same day after watching Shawn be almost killed by someone in the ring (an attack that was not planned she might add) Paul shows up at the hospital for a bedside vigil. She already knew from her own intuition that his muscle man was not backing Paul up of his own free will, and Paul claimed that he as well was being forced to be a real life bad guy by some unknown individual working who was using Ric Flair as his henchman.

None of it made any sense at all. Her first instinct was to take Paul in and protect him, but then something in the back of her mind nagged at her telling her maybe things still were not as they seemed. There weren't a lot of people she knew that she could trust anymore especially now that one of her strongest allies had been put out of commission. Opening her eyes and staring into the dark hotel room she wondered if that hadn't been the point to the attack. Losing Shawn was a devastating loss for her. Her only real ally there was gone. The rest were strangers or friendly enemies of Kevin's and thereby usually hers. Suddenly she wished O'Haire was there… she knew him through Kevin, but unlike most she knew through him they had their own relationship. Sean and Kevin were… friendly adversaries on the best of days. On the worst… it was like world war three. But Sean always kept his feelings for Kevin separate from his feelings for her. He was a good friend and a wonderful sense of character. He knew people sometimes without having even met them. It was just part of him. Not to mention that Sean had the ability of scaring all the things that went bump in the night. That also was just a part of him. Kevin always tried to tell her he couldn't be trusted, but… Angel smiled remembering what Shawn had said about him. "I wouldn't want to piss him off that's for sure. He is one strange cat. I can't help but think that he'd be as likely to kill me as look at me but… there's somethin about the guy I gotta respect. He don't take shit and he don't play the game. Take that anyway you want it." Angel nodded. O'Haire didn't like Hunter, but he DID like Dave… or did once.

Pushing off of the door Angel made her way across the still dark room, finding the bed she sat down and pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her call log 'til she found the name she was looking for, Devil Man. Pushing call she leaned back and closed her eyes again smiling slightly for the first time since she had walked through the backstage doors to the arena. When the ringing stopped and a growl was heard in her ear Angel laughed huskily wondering if he had been sleeping or fucking. "Who the FUCK is this?" Angel giggled happily glad to hear some people never change. "You know Devil Man they make caller ID for a reason."

At his apartment O'Haire smiled and rolled over smacking the bare ass of the man with him and pointing to the doorway. "Angelface! How are you?" Angel giggled and shook her head. "I take it this means you were fucking." O'Haire grinned and rubbed his stomach leaning back on his pillows as the pouty man left the room. "Well I was just finishing actually. You have wonderful timing as always." Angel nodded her mood improving by the minute. "Do I wanna know who this time?" Sean looked at where the man had gone and smiling shook his head before remembering she couldn't see it. "Probably not baby. What can I do for ya tonight?"

Reminded of her plight Angel sighed and scratched her head as she tried to find the words. O'Haire knowing her as well as he did sobered quickly and began to frown in the darkness as the man poked his head back in showing a washcloth. Sean nodded slightly waving him over and the other man happy again skipped back to the bed. "Sounds serious Angelface, you aren't usually one for a loss of words." Silently she acknowledged his statement. While it was true she was not always the first to speak up it was not usually from a loss of opinion or being unsure of what to say… she just didn't feel that opinions should be thrown around freely. "I got myself into a mess I think Devil Man. I need help and I don't think I have any one else I can trust but you."

O'Haire growled softly and the man with him looked up cocking his head to one side confused. The sudden swing in mood wasn't unusual for the big monster, but it coming so soon after them playing was. Angel sighed wondering how badly she was about to be yelled at. "I accepted that job with Vince." O'Haire closed his eyes and knocked his head against the headboard behind him in frustration. "I told you not to do it Angelface. Why don't you ever listen to me?" Angel sniffled and shrugged in the darkness. "I though I could find a way to bring you back Devil Man. I just… I miss you." O'Haire sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure I want back Angelface?" The man on the bed with him gasped at the statement and his eyes immediately filled with tears hurt at the thought that his lover had a way back to be with him and he might not want to take it. Signing O'Haire put his head on the back of his lover's head forcing it down to rest on his chest. On the other end of the line Angel scowled at the phone. "Devil Man don't be a jackass. You and I both know you want back. Whoever that is there with you is still here and you are probably goin' insane not being able to protect him. Now stop being a turd and help me." O'Haire chuckled softly running his hands through his lover's short hair. "Ok, so I do want back. And I appreciate your sacrifice on my behalf now what is the problem?"

Angel nodded knowing it was time to get down to business. "I need your opinion of a few people. Let's start with Batista." O'Haire grunted and nodded. "Good guy. We were friends in OVW." Angel nodded smiling. "What about Bane?" O'Haire chuckled not surprised she had chosen to call him that as opposed to Travis. She had a way of using her own names for people. "Travis is a good guy. He's like Dave and me. Tough, scary in dark places, not someone people wanna mess with. Honest as the day is long." Angel nodded satisfied again. "What about Paul and Ric?" O'Haire growled again and Angel felt her stomach sink. "Paul Levesque is Satan in snake's clothing. He is exactly what he claims to be. Ric is… Ric is an old man who wants to believe he is still the man and would do anything including hanging onto the coat tails of Satan to do it. He signed over his soul to the devil long ago."

Angel nodded reluctantly but couldn't help but hold onto one last ounce of hope. "So there's no way that Paul could be… I dunno a victim? Like maybe someone is forcing him to do bad things and he don't wanna?" O'Haire frowned on the other end of the phone and his hand paused on his lover's head. "Have you fallen and knocked your brains loose? He is the very devil himself… and if anyone should know it is me." Angel sniffled again and felt her eyes tear up as the helplessness washed over her. "I don't know what to do or who to believe Seany." O'Haire sat up growling again at the despair in her voice. He liked Angel more than just a little and was very unhappy that someone had upset her. "Tell me where you are Angelface. I'm coming to you." Angel nodded as she laid down on the bed. After relaying the information and getting a promise to see her friend by the time she woke up Angel closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

Read chapter Five of ?? of Monster in the Shadows