Taker had told her secretly that he and Kaliegh would be getting married before much longer. Judy was thrilled to hear it.
"It's taken you and Kane getting married, plus all my charm and tact to convince her that we could be happy together." Taker said, obviously very much in love with with Kaliegh.
"Well, I'm very happy for you both. I take it, that this is a secret?" She asked quietly.
"You take it right." He said, looking down at one of the few people he considered a friend.
"Well your secret is safe with me. Have you told Kane yet?" She asked, her eyes seeking out the tall form of her husband.
"No, not yet! I'm going to tell him tomorrow, before we leave." He said.
She smiled happily up at the big man, then squeezed his arm. Judy walked over to stand by her husband as he talked to one of the other wrestlers.
"Yes, our flight to Asheville leaves at 7:30 in the morning. I suppose we better turn in." Kane said slyly, grinning from ear to ear, looking anything but tired. Judy smiled knowingly, as they made their way out of the crowded bar.
------------
Kane had sent tickets to his ex-wife, for her and the boys. He hadn't seen them in a while now,and was anxious to introduce them to their new step-mom.
They checked into the hotel around 12:30. The show wasn't until 7:00 that night, so Kane and Judy would have a few hours to rest. Kane had received a letter from his attorney telling him that Helen was trying to revoke his visiting privileges. Kane hadn't said anything to Judy or anyone. He wanted to find out what Helen was up to this time. Her and the boys were to come backstage after his match and he would talk to her then. This promised to be a rather long night. His meetings with Helen never ended well.
Judy and Kane had just reached their dressing room, when there came a knock at the door. Judy opened it to find an exceptionally beautiful woman on the other side.
"May I help you?" Judy asked, curious as to who this woman was.
"I doubt it! I'm looking for Kane." The woman looked Judy over, and found her lacking.
Judy's temper surfaced as she stepped aside, allowing the woman to enter. Closing the door behind her, Judy called Kane, telling him he had a visitor.
Kane came out of the bathroom, drying his hands. His face lit up when he saw her.
"Helen! I'm glad you could come. Where's the boys?" He kissed her on the cheek, then stepped back.
"We need to talk.....privately!" She said, turning cold gray eyes on Judy. The disdain was obvious.
Judy knew her presence was unwanted. Her temper was dangerously near the boiling point. Picking up her bag, Judy walked over to kiss Kane. He pulled back, shame faced, unable to meet her eyes.
"I'll see you back at the hotel." Judy said softly, her eyes mirroring the hurt she felt at his rejection.
Glancing back at Helen, the other woman's amused, cold eyes stared back. Judy left the dressing room without even changing out of her ring rags.
Kaliegh and Taker were walking toward their car when Judy caught up with them. Seeing her tear filled eyes, Taker asked what was wrong.
"Kane's ex is in there. May I catch a ride back to the hotel with y'all?" She asked miserably.
"Sure but don't you want to wait for Kane?" Taker asked glancing at the closed door, wondering what the hell was up.
"NO!" Was all she'd say.
Kaliegh and Taker exchanged glances, as he took Judy's bag.
"Sure, come on!" Kaliegh said. She chattered on about something or other but Judy wasn't listening.
------------
Back at the hotel, Judy had taken a bath, and slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Kane had promised to take her out to dinner after the show. After a while, she went from being angry, to being worried, then back to being angry again. Two hours after she had come back alone, Kane showed up. She was absolutely furious! He could have called.
"Judy, I'm sorry. I was with the boys. I hate to do it, but I can't take you to dinner. I have to talk to Helen. I'll explain later, but I'll have to go back to her hotel. I'll be back as soon as I can." Kane said as he tossed his bag on the floor. He just stopped by to drop off his stuff. He was clearly in a hurry to leave again.
Angry, hurt and confused, Judy said she understood."But we need to talk about this when you come back." Her cool tone let him know just how upset she really was.
"Ok! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Then Kane was gone.
Four hours later, he returned. The room was pitch dark as he entered quietly. He was tired and tomorrow would be soon enough to deal with Judy's hysterics. He was glad she was asleep.
Judy waited till he laid the key card down, and had kicked off his shoes. Then she reached over and turned on the lamp. She had been sitting in the chair in the corner in the dark, waiting for him to return.
Getting to her feet, she walked over to stand in front of him. The scent of that woman's perfume clung to him like a wet shirt. She noticed a smudge of lipstick on the collar of his shirt. Her emotions were all torn up. Betrayal,...anger...and others she chose not to look at too closely, filled her to bursting.
"I want to know what the hell is going on! And I want to know now!" Her eyes and voice were as cold as the winter wind blowing outside.
"It's late, we'll talk about this later!" Kane said as he took off his shirt.
"YES, it is late! It's 3:30 in the fucking morning! And YES! we will talk about this now!" Her voice absolutely frigid.
"ALL RIGHT!!!!! What the hell do you want to hear?" His temper had risen to match hers.
"The truth would be nice!" She said, lighting a cigarette, glaring at her husband of less than one month. "Tell me about this ex-wife! You still have feelings for her, don't you!" It was more of a statement than a question.
"She's the mother of my children, for Gawd's sake!" He said, trying to avoid a direct answer.
"You stink of her perfume, Kane! I want the truth! All of it!" Judy stood in front of him, demanding the truth from him.
Sitting down on the foot of the bed, Kane rubbed his face with both hands, sighing in resignation. Finally he lifted his tired eyes to meet hers.
"Yes. I do still love her. Yes, we had sex tonight. She's demanding money from me or she'll keep my kids away." Kane was ashamed of what he'd done. He hadn't meant to hurt Judy.
"Why? If you still love her, then why did you bother with me?" She was devastated, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Because you wanted a man, and at the time I needed a woman. What we have is good. It's DAMN GOOD!" He didn't understand her problem.
Her world had just crashed about her feet. "I'm going home! Don't bother coming back to the cabin. Tell Taker where you want your stuff sent. Don't talk to me, don't call me, don't try to see me!" Judy started passed him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her. He came to his feet.
"You sayin' you want a divorce?" He asked, not believing what he had heard.
"I will not be used as a substitute for your ex-wife." Her temper some where in the stratosphere, tears blurring her vision.
"OH come on Judy! I love you in my own way! You have to admit that we are DAMN GOOD together!" Kane said callously.
Judy reacted the only way she knew how. She kneed him in the groin, so hard he sank to his knees and threw up, then fell over on his side, curled in a fetal position, cupping his abused genitals.
"You go back to Helen! Y'all deserve each other!" Judy picked up her bags and calmly walked out of the room. An hour later, she was on her way home.
Judy had been home for a week now. Christmas had come and gone, yet another one spent alone! The first few days, she cried! She slept on the couch the first two nights home, unable to bring herself to sleep in the bed she so recently shared with Kane. Every time she went into her bedroom, she cried! Even the bathroom, she cried! On the forth night, anger set in. Damn him and all men! They ALL just used women for their own selfish motives.
Kaliegh called on Christmas morning. "Honey, you ok?" She asked after chatting a few minutes.
"Sure, why do you ask?" Judy replied tensely.
"Well....Kane called last night. He talked to Taker for about an hour. Honey, I'm so sorry." Kaliegh hadn't known what to say. Kane had made Taker promise not to tell Judy the truth about what happened that night.
"I'll make it! I've been through worse and survived! I'll get through this as well. Where does he want me to send his stuff?" Judy's heart was in her throat.
"I don't know. Hang on a sec. I'll put Taker on." Kaliegh said, then handed the phone to Taker.
"Judy, Kane wants to come by and pick up his stuff." Taker said. He had told Kane that he had done a STUPID thing! Had told him he should have levelled with Judy, that together they may have been able to work something out. But Kane hadn't. Taker hoped these two could work things out.
"When?" Judy squeezed her eyes closed, against the tears that threatened once more.
"Whenever you say! He really doesn't want to cause you any more trouble than he already has." Taker had heard the pain in her voice when next she spoke.
"Did that son of a bitch tell you what he did? What he said to me? JESUS!!!!! Taker, and I'm suppose to just let him walk in here as though nothing happened?" Judy's voice cracked with the strain she was feeling.
"Yes! He did! He also told me why he did it!!!! I told him it was a stupid thing to do! Judy, if you'll just hear him out, I think you'll understand!" Taker tried to help.
"Don't you understand!!!!! I don't care WHY he did it!If he had told me the truth, if he hadn't ask me to marry him! Then things might have been different! But he USED me as a substitute for his ex-wife! Taker, he made me fall in love with him. He told me he loved me. He made me TRUST him, and that wasn't an easy thing for me to do, to trust another man. You of all people should know that! But he used me! For that, I'll never forgive him!" Her voice was thick with unshed tears, as she held the phone in a death like grip. "I don't want him setting foot in my cabin. I'll send his stuff to him or leave it somewhere for him, or you and Kaliegh can collect it for him. I don't care which, but he is not stepping foot in my home ever again." She was miserable. Her heart said one thing, but her head said another.
"What about you job?" Taker asked softly.
"I don't know! I have till Friday to decide, before the next show! I'll know by then. After all, I still have three days before I will have to be there!" The strain on her was plain to hear.
"Well, ok. I'll talk with you later! If you need anything...." Taker said.
"Talk to y'all soon. Give Kaliegh a hug for me. Tell her we'll talk soon." Judy said, then hung up the phone. She sat down and let the tears flow! She cried for what might have been, for all her lost hopes and desires, most of all she cried for Kane! For the love she still felt for him.
Later that evening, Judy had taken a hot bath and put on her favorite flannel nightgown. Fixing a cup of hot chocolate, she went into the living room and put a tape into her machine. It was a comedy. She had just sat down to watch it when someone knocked at her door. Looking through the peep hole she saw Kane on the other side. Leaning her head against the door, she could not prevent the tears that filled her eyes. Wiping them away impatiently, Judy unlocked the door and allowed him to enter. She would not meet his eyes, nor would she allow him to kiss her.
"What do you want Kane. I've only got part of your stuff packed." Judy said, sitting on the arm of the sofa, arms folded across her chest.
"I'd like to talk about this, if you will!" He said huskily.
"Talk about it! OK! We'll talk about it! You used me, Kane! Like a piece a meat! You used me as a substitute for your ex-wife! I told you before we married, that we needed to talk about her, and all you would say was that she took you for all she could. That was all you'd say! Then, when she showed up, you looked like a whipped puppy! Wouldn't let me kiss you, had sex with the bitch, then tried to tell me you spent that time with your sons. What really hurt was when you told me the only reason you asked me to marry you was for the sex!!!!! Yeah, it's good! IT's REAL good! But you didn't have to marry me for that. As I remember we WERE having sex any way!But that wasn't the reason I accepted your proposal. I love you, Kane! GOD help me, I love you! But we will not be together again. You've done what no other man ever could do. You've seen to it that I'll NEVER trust another man!" She was trembling violently, tears streaming down her face unheeded.
Kane looked as though he wished the floor would open up and swallow him up.
"You're right, I should have talked to you about her before we married. I'm sorry for hurting you. I never meant for any of this to happen. Judy, there are things that happened, that I should have discussed with you at the time. I wish to GOD that I had. None of this would have happened if only I had talked to you about them." Kane ran his hand through his hair. Disgusted with himself over the stupid way he'd handled the whole affair! "Helen is trying to stop me from seeing my sons. She wants more money. I barely have enough to live on as it is, and she knows it. Have you ever wondered why I never took you to my place? No, you wouldn't, you're too kind to ever complain, let alone judge some one else's home. Well, I have a one room apartment about 50 miles from here. Helen took the house and I pay her $3000.00 a month in child support and alimony. I also pay the house payment, all the childrens medical expenses, and pay for all their clothes. I love my boys! I'll do what ever I have to, to get to see them, to spend time with them. And as far as Helen and me having sex, we didn't!!!!!!! She wanted to because she knew it would hurt you! She wanted to, but I didn't! She then said if I didn't do as she wanted, she would stop my visits with the boys. I only get to see them eight hours a month, one day. That's all! Eight hours a month! I've spent a small fortune in legal fees trying to fight her. But I can't get anything to use against her." Kane was pacing back and forth, his hands shoved deep in his back pockets. He wouldn't look at her. He knew he had hurt her badly. He loved her more than life itself, but he would not allow her to be touched by the ugliness of his ex-wife's actions. "I've suspected for years that she was being unfaithful while I was on the road, but I could never catch her. I tried everything I knew to try. Even to telling her I would be gone, when I really wasn't. I never could catch her! Yet, I knew she was! I'd heard too many rumors, the boys would say things, she would buy new gowns that would mysteriously be damaged and thrown away. Too many things for them all to be coincidence." Kane knelt down in front of her, finally meeting her eyes. "I love you, Judy. I do! No matter what I said that night, I do love you! I always have, and I always will! But I will not let you become involved in this mess with Helen. The only way I knew to do that, was to send you away. I knew you wouldn't go willingly, so I had to piss you off. I succeeded better than I could have hoped to. Please, I know you won't take me back, but at least stay on with the WWF, and be my valet. At least let me have that much contact with you." Kane pleaded softly. His love for her shining brightly in his beautiful hazel eyes.
Judy dropped her eyes to her hands, held tightly in his. She wanted to believe him. Lord knows, she did! "Kane, I don't know! I can't think! I have till Friday to decide about the WWF. As far as us, I just don't know. I love you, Kane, but you know that!" Judy finally lifted her eyes to his. He saw love, as well as misery there. But Love!! As long as she loved him, Kane had a chance to try and redeem himself!
They talked for over an hour, she had made a pot of coffee and they had drank all of it before he finally got up to leave. At the door, Kane caressed her cheek, and this time she didn't pull away! "Please don't throw us away just yet! Let me prove what I said to you, first." He said softly, desire plainly visible when he looked at her.
"Kane, that night! You came back with her perfume and lipstick on you. How did it get on you, if y'all didn't have sex?" She asked, wanting badly to believe him.
"She kissed me, and sprayed more perfume on, knowing the way she held the bottle, it would go on me instead of her. I didn't realize what she was up to till afterwards. She knew it would piss you off. She knew it would cause trouble between us. Good night, Babe." Kane leaned down and kissed her gently, then left.
She closed the door behind him. Sitting down in her favorite chair, deep in thought, Judy finally came to a decision. Picking up the phone, she dialed her attorney's private number.
"Jack, this is Judy. Please forgive this intrusion, but I need a favor. My husband was married before. I need you to have your private investigator to do a thorough search on him and his ex-wife Helen. I want to know all about their marriage,and evidence, if any, of any infidelity by either party. I want to know all about the divorce settlement, his visitation rights, the whole thing. I want all this as soon as possible. Can you have it for me by Friday morning?" She asked.
"Judy that only gives me two days!" He said, shocked by her request.
"I know, and I apologize about the rush! But it's imperative that I have this information first thing Friday morning." She said.
"Ok! I'll call Harry right now. He can get started on part of this tonight." He said.
"Thanks, Jack! I appreciate this!" Judy actually felt better as she hung up the phone. Maybe she could provide Kane with the proof he needed to fight his ex-wife.
************
"I love you." Taker whispered. His voice was choked with the same emotion that Kaliegh saw in his eyes. They had just made love...it was sweet and gentle and extremely satisfying. Taker kissed her as he pulled her into his arms and as close to him as possible.
"I love you back." Kaliegh said as she laid her head on his chest. As Taker softly caressed her shoulder, Kaliegh closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep. Before long, Taker too was sleeping.
---------
Their flight has just landed in Knoxville. Taker and Kaliegh quickly picked up a car and were soon on their way to a long awaited visit with Judy and Kane. It had been snowing a good part of the day and the roads were icy so Kaliegh took the driver's spot since she felt more comfortable, having experience driving in these conditions. About ten miles from their destination were a series of sharp curves. They had just rounded the second to the last when a semi truck, going to fast in the opposite lane, began to skid out of control. There was no way the crash could have been avoided. The truck crossed over the center line, hitting the car head on.
Kaliegh slowly opened her eyes, trying to bring her senses back about her. She turned and looked at Taker. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving. Kaliegh looked closer.....he wasn't breathing either. Kaliegh became panicked when she tried to move over by Taker to help him. The impact of the crash had pushed the steering wheel and the dash so far back that she was pinned there. Never before had she felt so helpless. Kaliegh started to cry uncontrollably as she became fully aware of what was happening. Then, with out warning, Kaliegh heard a voice that seemingly came out of no where.
"Will you die for him?" It asked.
Kaliegh turned her head from side to side, looking for the owner of the mysterious voice, but saw no one.
"Will you die for him?" It asked again. This time there was a sense of urgency is the speaker's tone.
Kaliegh closed her eyes as images of every minute of their life together ran through her mind. With out even thinking about it she said, "Yes....Yes, I will die for him. I love him...I would do anything."
----------
Kaliegh sat up with a jolt. Her body was covered in a cold sweat and the bed covers were twisted into a tangled mess.
"You okey?" Taker asked her. He had been awakened by her tossing and turning and was about to wake her up when she suddenly woke up on her own.
"Yeah," Kaliegh said softly as she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "It was just a dream..."
"That must have been some dream. You were crying in your sleep. Do you want to talk about it?" Taker asked as he brushed her sweat dampened hair back off of her forehead.
"No." Kaliegh said as she laid back down. "All I want right now, is you."
Taker held her head in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. The kiss he gave her was so gentle and full of emotion that it brought tears to Kaliegh's eyes. Soon the gentleness became much more intense and turned into nothing more that raw hunger. Taker and Kaliegh looked at each other and saw pure desire in the other's eyes. A deep rumbling growl escaped Taker's throat as he brought his mouth to her burning hot flesh. He first kissed her cheek and then her mouth, her neck, shoulders...not one inch of skin was left untouched by his lips. His touch left her aching with such need...such want. Kaliegh arched her body to his and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply as he buried himself deep inside her. Within moments, Kaliegh cried out his name as passion filled her body and exploded. Seconds later, Taker threw his head back, his eyes rolled up as he too reached his peak.
Taker lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms. He watched as her breathing became steady and even once again. He softly kissed her forehead and hoped that this time her sleep would be free of ugly dreams. And this time it was.