Chapter Eight

Angel smiled at Scotty as she pulled into Shawn's driveway. "Thank you for coming with me. Are you sure they won't miss you at work?" Scotty wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I am not going much right now. They didn't have me working the show anyway so they were happy to have me out of their hair." Angel nodded looking at the front door of the home from her car. "Do you think I have lost my mind?" Scotty smiled and leaning over kissed her on the lips. "On the contrary, I don't know why none of us thought of it before. I am eager to see if you are right." Angel shut off the car and stepped out as she saw the front door open and Paul step out. As Raven joined her she saw his eyes get big and shake his head smiling then the two made their way to the bigger man.

"Umm hey Angel we weren't expecting you," Paul said and Angel noticed that he was fidgeting nervously. "I know. I came to see the two of you." Angel smiled thinly noticing the nervous expression on his face. Paul turned and led the two of them into the house and up to the bedroom that he shared with Shawn. "Baby we uh have visitors." Shawn looked up from his book glancing from Angel to Scotty. Noticing they were holding hands Shawn took off his glasses smiling big. When Paul tried to sneak out Scotty grabbed his arm and shook his head. "I think that your presence is required for this little meeting. So why don't you just sit yourself down on the bed and keep your mouth shut."

Angel watched Shawn's eyes narrow glaring at Scotty as Paul made his way to Shawn's side. "So, you two look rather happy." Paul took Shawn's hand setting his jay as Shawn shrugged. "You know Michael this is a REMARKABLE change from what I saw the other day. I guess you decided to let bygones be bygones huh? It is very big of you to forgive him for kicking your ass." Shawn's jaw clenched as Paul again looked nervous. "And Pauly I must say you must have a fucking AMAZING workout program! I mean you dropped what? Fifty pounds in like… two three days?" Shawn picked up his pad of paper scribbling his message and held it up for Angel and Scotty to read. "You obviously have something on your mind so why don't you just spit it out?"

Angel smiled thinly making her way towards Paul. "OK. Pauly… why don't you tell me who's older you or Hunter? And for that matter is your name really Paul?" Getting an idea Angel looked from Paul to Shawn and back. "Or is it Michael?" Shawn held his scowl for a moment then slowly smiled realizing that they had no reason to lie any longer. Shawn wrote a note to Paul who nodded and sighed. "I am Paul. He is Michael." Angel nodded sitting on the edge of the bed and Scotty moved to stand behind her. "And which one of you hurt your leg?" Paul sighed unbuttoning the side of his workout pants showing the scar. "It was me only it couldn't be recovered from. So he took over full time."

Angel sighed nodding. "You're the one with the head for the business right?" Paul nodded again and Raven smiled. "That is why things have gone downhill because you aren't around and he has no clue how to see the bigger picture. All he cares about is himself, while you cared about wrestling." Paul nodded nervously eyeing Scotty knowing there was a lot of bad blood between the older man and Hunter. "Who is Stephanie married to?" Angel asked although she thought that she already knew the answer. "Michael err Hunter," Paul answered as Shawn squeezed his hand. "I don't do girls."

Angel nodded again watching Shawn and her eyes got sad seeing how badly her friend was hurt. "What happened Shawn. Why would Glen do this to you?" Paul's jaw clenched and the anger he was holding inside was readily apparent on his face. "I would fucking like to know that myself and I'm thinking of wringing the answer out of his scrawny little neck." Angel held up her hands as Shawn shook his head fast. "Easy killer, no beating on the bunny rabbit. Sean would not have done this unless he had a good reason." Paul sighed trying to push past his anger once more. "I once told Kid that I was a twin and that Mi… er Hunter was the evil half, but I don't think he believed me. Shawn thinks Kid was trying to protect you." Angel nodded carefully looking at her friend.

"From Michael err Shawn. I have to say I had the same idea that Shawn was going to try and manipulate me when I thought Paul and Hunter were the same person. I mean it was the only thing that made sense given that in the afternoon you were trying to kill each other and at night Paul was recreating some dramatic hospital scene from ER. Sean called me last night, but I was umm too busy to talk to him." Angel blushed and Shawn grinned big seeing the corresponding proud look on Raven's face. "I will call him thought and make sure he knows that there really is an evil half." Angel turns her eyes to Paul. "I know you wanna kill Glen, but trust me when he figures out he did this to an innocent man there isn't anything that you can do to him worse than he will put himself through. So save your anger for later. I am sure we will find someone better to punish."

Paul nodded reluctantly and Angel turned to look at Scotty. "You realize this brings back my traitor problem. I mean if it isn't Shawn then… are you sure it ain't my Devil Man?" Scotty signed and eyed her. "Will you trust me already? It is not O'Haire. Better yet trust yourself. What does your heart say?" Angel sighed and turning looked at Shawn again. "I would trust Sean even if I caught him with the smoking gun." Shawn nodded fast scribbling on his pad and Paul read as Shawn wrote. "Shawn says that Sean is completely loyal to you and besides that he knew about me being a twin. After you left he only stayed long enough to let us know if we need anything he'll be there." Angel nodded relieved and pushed her doubts about Sean out of her head once and for all. "So again I ask. Who is the traitor?" Shawn shifted uncomfortably and Paul sighed looking at her. "None of us expected you to go to Raven when you decided you needed help. I mean we all knew you had a crush on him, but we didn't know you two actually knew each other well enough for that. We all expected you to run to Kevin."

Angel scowled. "Kevin made it clear that he didn't wanna help me remember?" Paul waved a hand in the air. "Come on Angel. It ain't like this is the first time you two fought. Why should this be any different?" When Angel dropped her head and Scotty began growling softly Paul and Shawn looked at each other wondering if they were missing something. "This was a little more than your normal spat don't you think? I mean it's one thing to treat her like she's brainless, but to abandon her to a brute and then tell her that she deserved the beating he gave her is a little much, huh?" Shawn paled looking at Angel and Paul's eyes got big. "Beating?? Someone hurt Angel? Who? Where? When? How do you know Kevin knew?"

Scotty narrowed his eyes and quietly relayed the story Angel had told him the night before. When he finished Shawn opened his arms and sniffling Angel crawled into then resting her head on his chest as Paul clenched and unclenched his jaw. "We seriously didn't know man and I can tell you that Kevin expects her to just come crawling back begging for forgiveness." Angel sighed as Shawn ran his fingers through her hair. "Paul is this why Batista is helping Hunter? Because he's protecting you or Shawn?" Paul frowned turning his gaze to Angel. "Batista? He's an evil bastard. He's probably helping Hunter because he's made from the same cloth."

Angel sat up shaking her head fast, but it was Scotty that answered. "I spent quite a lot of time with Batista when he was in OVW and I can tell you that I was VERY shocked to hear that he was hanging out with Hunter. He may play the monster, but I can tell you that he is not one in real life. If he's helping your twin then it is because he is helping or watching out for someone. The only question is who?" Angel nodded frowning. "And I still wanna know where the crap Mark is in all of this. It isn't like him to just let this crap go on." Paul shrugged looking back up at Scotty. "Smackdown is as bad as Raw. Mark as his hands full trying to take care of his babies 'specially now that Show is out hurt." Angel groaned and turned her face into Shawn's chest as Scotty smiled sympathetically. "I did not need to know that. I have to go to Smackdown this week."

Read chapter Nine of ?? of Monster in the Shadows