A/N: This is AU... There is no such thing as Empire, and Kane does not run a huge gang... At least I don't think he does...
"Don't hunt what you can't kill."
-Shawn Michaels to Triple H
"The man who said you have nothing to fear but fear itself, never met me"
-Triple H
"The Heart Break Kid lies down for no one."
-Shawn Michaels
"Tonight you're not Hunter. You are the Hunted."
- X-Pac to Triple H
"Shawn? Shawn, wake up." Shawn Michaels got up with the worst headache. His neck hurt too, but that was nothing new. He didn't actually "get up"; he just opened his eyes. He could hardly move around because his neck hurt so much. Walking around was fine, but moving his shoulders wasn't. He looked at his beautiful lover and smiled at her. He ran his fingers through her hair.
"Morning kid." He said smirking. Kid, was Trish. It was a nickname she had gotten used to, since she had the tendency to act like a kid, anyway Shawn thought of it as a sign of endearment. He promised when they got to the point of having kids that he'd stop. She smiled and ran her fingers through his long dirty blond hair. It had grown considerably long, since he had gotten injured.
"Are you thinkin' about shaving anytime soon?" Trish asked, her fingers running across the 5 o'clock shadow that had also been growing.
"Yeah, but it'd be nice if I could sit up... Please?" Trish laughed and helped him up without him having to move his neck. She fluffed the pillows behind him and smiled.
"Li and Matt are visiting today... You don't mind do you?" Trish asked. She was sitting on him. She had on a T-shirt and a pair of Shawn's boxers. The ones with hearts on them. Shawn thought she looked best in those, hell she looked great in all of Shawn's clothes. Shawn laughed.
"Even if I didn't want them to come over, it'd be too late to say no. We're in Texas; they're coming from North Carolina. Anyway, you'd beat me." Shawn grinned. Trish laughed.
"You know I wouldn't hit an injured person. I'd just continually torture you until you cried." Trish said standing over him, swishing her hips.
"Kind of like what you're doing now?" Trish smiled and sat down again.
"I'm sorry. You know sex is a no-no. You heard what the doctor said. Physical activities can injure you beyond this," Trish said. Shawn groaned.
"This is just perfect. I get my girlfriend Patricia Stratus for two months almost, and still absolutely no sex!" Shawn moaned.
"It could've been worse." Trish smiled.
"I know, but..."
"But nothing. Believe me Shawn, after this injury is over, you'll get the best sex of your life." The doorbell rang and Trish quickly kissed Shawn. "I'm gonna go get that. It's probably Li and Matty."
Trish went to go answer the door. She didn't bother to check to see who it was by the intercom. She just opened the door.
"Hey Trisha." Trish immediately slammed the door, but then he started to ring the doorbell again. She sighed heavily and went back to the door.
"What the hell are you doing here Hunter?" She asked angrily. Hunter smiled and laughed a little.
"Thought I'd pay a visit to an old friend." Hunter smiled turned into a cocky grin.
"Bullshit. Shawn isn't your friend. You said so yourself."
"Oh come on Trish you know how much I care about Shawn. I just wanna make sure he's ok." Hunter ran a finger down Trish's cheek; she pushed it away forcefully.
"Get your hands off me you manipulating son-of-a-bitch." Trish spat. Hunter continued to smile even after that. Trish knew he was trying to get her to let him in, but she knew Shawn didn't want him in.
"Oh but I was so worried about Shawn when he got injured. I couldn't sleep that night." Hunter put on this obviously fake worried look on his face.
"That's a load of crap. If you would've been worried, that never would've happened. You wouldn't have let Glenn beat the hell out of Shawn. You're such an asshole! Why don't you just leave?" Trish yelled. She tried to close the door again, but Hunter wouldn't let her.
"Just let me see him."
"Fuck you!" Trish yelled.
"Just let me. I won't take long. I'm just going to talk." Trish stared at him long and hard. Then she felt arms around her waist she turned to see it was Shawn.
"Hunter, what are you doing here?" Shawn asked.
"Shawn, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be upstairs! How'd you get up?" Trish asked. Shawn waved his hand as if to say it was no problem.
"Don't worry about it kid, I'm alright." Shawn smiled.
"Listen to him Trish. He's alright. Why don't you run along and go to some housework. Be a good little house wife." Hunter joked. Trish on the other hand didn't find this funny and slapped him across his face.
"You asshole! That was for not helping Shawn! This one," Shawn grabbed her hand before she slapped Hunter again.
"Just leave it at that kid; I need to talk to Hunter." Shawn said calmly.
"Are you fucking insane!" Trish screamed. Shawn kissed her and smiled at her.
"I'm ok, really." Trish looked at Shawn, sighed and then looked at Hunter and flipped him the finger. Hunter laughed when Trish was out of sight and Shawn welcomed him in.
"Lot of fire in that girl. You choose em' well." Hunter smiled. Shawn shrugged.
"Yeah, maybe. You gotta remember Becca left me, not the other way around." Shawn smiled.
"But you bounced right back. Anyway, how's your neck?" It seemed as if they were old friends again. They were talking as if nothing ever happened.
"It feels a lot better then it used too. I get it off in about two or three weeks. Depends on how it looks and how it feels. I'm ready for this to come off." Shawn and Hunter sat in the living room. Trish came in with a plastered smile on her face.
"Anyone want anything?" She asked a little too happily.
"I'll take a coffee please." Shawn said smiling at her. She nodded then turned to Hunter.
"I'll take a coffee too." Trish nodded and walked out mumbling to herself.
"I'm sure you're not really here to check up on me." Hunter laughed and ran his hand through his blond hair.
"You're a smart one Shawn. You think I'd ever come to visit you because I wanted too?" Hunter leaned back. "I knew you weren't so stupid and gullible. For awhile there I was thinking you were."
Shawn grinned at him. "Hunter, I've never fell for your dirty tricks, what makes you think I'll fall for them now?"
"I didn't think you would." Hunter stopped as Trish came in and set a coffee cup in front of each man. She looked both of them in the eye before going back upstairs. Shawn waited until she was total out of sight until speaking.
"So what do you need from me this time? More money?" Shawn asked. Hunter shook his head.
"When have I ever needed money from you?" Hunter laughed.
"I can name a few times back when you were with Joannie..." Shawn smiled deviously at Hunter, but Hunter didn't seem amused.
"Anyway... Things are out of control among the gangs... They need you back." In the time that they were talking, Trish had snick downstairs so she could hear them. The gangs? She had heard people talk about the gangs, but she never knew Shawn was ever involved with them.
"Hunter, I've told you, I've given up that life. You remember what Becca went through right before she left me... I wouldn't let the kid go through that, she'd go insane I know she would." Trish bit her lip. What was he talking about?
"Shawn come on. Glenn is as much apart of the gang we're trying to fight. Once he put you out of commission, they knew they had the advantage. They're trying to destroy every other gang one-by-one. The whole empire will fall Shawn! Goddamnit! Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" The anger in Hunter's voice was clear. It was obvious Shawn didn't care.
"Maybe it'll be good if the empire falls." Hunter banged his fist on the table.
"If the Empire falls, Glenn's gang will rule the streets! What about when you have your kids? You want them to live in a place where that gang will be looking just to torture him? Huh Shawn? Do you wanna live in a place where Trish can be killed just because they know she's with you?" Hunter asked. Trish gasped.
"Fuck Hunter! What the hell do you think I can do about it? I can't do a damn thing!" Shawn yelled back at Hunter, loud enough so that even if Trish was upstairs, she still would've heard. "Anyway, Trish isn't in danger right now so it doesn't matter. As long as I can keep her out of danger..."
"You're wrong Shawn. She's one of their main targets." Trish's eyes widened and the doorbell rang. She could see the figure of a large man, which couldn't have been Matt. She just stood there, not able to move.
"Hunter, you've got your gun right?" Shawn asked. Hunter nodded.
"You've got yours?" Shawn reached into a drawer and grabbed a silver pistol. It was loaded.
"Yeah, I do." Shawn and Hunter walked towards the door and Trish just went for the door too, not actually knowing what she was doing.
"Trish! Step back!" Hunter yelled at her. It was too late though. She opened the door and was faced with Sean O'Haire.
"Just what I was looking for..." He said in a low voice. He held a gun up to Trish and suddenly his arm was shot, not once, not twice, but three times. He yelled cursing at his bleeding arm. Shawn pushed Trish back into Hunter's arms and put his gun to O'Haire's head.
"What the hell were you here for?" Shawn demanded.
"Fuck you!" He yelled. Shawn cocked his gun. "Ok, ok! I'll tell you! I was sent to kill her!"
"Who sent you?"
"Kane, he said bring the girl down and you'd be powerless." Shawn sighed and put the gun down.
"Leave before I change my mind about killing you O'Haire." Shawn growled. O'Haire ran down the front yard of Shawn's house.
"There's your answer Shawn," Hunter said. Trish was crying she came to close to death for her liking. Shawn brought her close to him. Then he looked back at O'Haire.
"Hey O'Haire!" O'Haire turned around. "I changed my mind."
Shawn pulled then trigger and hit O'Haire in his forehead, right where Shawn had put the gun before. Trish whimpered when she saw O'Haire go down. She had never seen a person die before.
"Hunter, do me a favor. Clean that up, call the rest of your gang, and call Kevin. We have some shit to straighten out."
By the time Lita and Matt actually arrived, Evolution, Stacy Keibler, Victoria, Gail Kim and Kevin had already been there. Stacy, Gail and Victoria stayed with Trish. Matt looked at the people who were there.
"Li, um I think Trish is upstairs. Can you um, go up there?" Lita nodded and left Matt. He went into the living room where all the guys were.
"Matt, I was just about to call you," Shawn said.
"So you've decided to come back?" Matt asked. Shawn nodded.
"Sean O'Haire came to murder Trish this morning. He was close to doing it too. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to her." Shawn sighed.
"He's been messing with Li; Glenn's been messing with her. I don't know what to do. I mean there's still people we need to build the EMPIRE again... We only have you, Ric, Kevin and Hunter. We still need Bret, Calloway, Foley, Benoit, Austin, and Rey... What are we gonna do until then?" Matt asked.
"Well, as far as I know," Ric began. "Bret's been out for a long time and has laid his legacy down to rest ever since Owen. Calloway would love to be in on it, but we can't control a damn thing he does, and he hates Shawn. Foley's in already, and he's on his way, Benoit should be in, we just haven't talked yet, Austin's got nothing left to worry about so I'm sure he'll want in, and Rey's been out for a long time, his son, Rey jr. could be in."
"So we've got Foley, Benoit and Austin in too." Kevin said thinking about their choices.
"Exactly. Our only other choice is to build new EMPIRE." Ric suggested. Shawn sighed and pushed his hair back with his fingers. Then he started to loosen his brace.
"Shawn what the fuck are you doing?" Hunter asked. Shawn took the brace off.
"It's time this brace came off. It's bothering me." Shawn threw it aside. "I can't do much with it on."
"Trish'll throw a fit." Kevin smirked.
"God, she's in shock, she won't care about a goddamned brace." Shawn moved his neck around a little. "Now there's thing's more important then my neck that we need to talk about."
"Yes, about New Empire... Of course Randy Orton, Batista, and Matt Hardy would be some of the new members, agreed?" Every one nodded and Ric continued on. "We need to get in contact with a few other gangs. Any ideas?"
"Well, we can contact Eddie G, and he could probably help." Randy suggested.
"Shannon's got some people. And I think Jeff'll come back if we really need him." Matt added. Kevin rolled his eyes.
"Just make sure he doesn't bitch about everything like he used to." Matt nodded. Then Trish, Stacy, Gail, Lita and Victoria began to come in.
"Girls, why are you down here?" Hunter asked.
"I'm not gonna stand by as if I'm helpless. We're not gonna stand by. We can help." Victoria nodded in agreement with Trish.
"Not when two of you are targets. You can all become targets." Hunter commented. Trish rolled her eyes.
"But we're not powerless!" Trish argued. Shawn held his hand up.
"Trish, you can't. It's too dangerous for you." Shawn said shaking his head.
"You might call me a kid, but I'm not fucking five years old Shawn! I can protect myself!" Trish yelled. Shawn walked up to her.
"Yeah protect yourself like you did with that gun huh? Trish, I'm sorry but you can't do it. You're a target therefore, you can't help." Shawn explained.
"You're their main target Shawn! So if you're in, why can't I?" Trish said through clenched teeth.
"It's different Trisha." Shawn whispered.
"You sound like my fucking dad." Trish growled. She began to walk back but then she turned to Shawn. "Well thanks dad! Thanks for treating me like a kid!"
"She hates me." Shawn said lying on his back. It was late, about 10:45 already. Kevin and Matt were the only guys left. Lita was with Trish. She didn't wanna talk to Shawn, and Lita didn't wanna talk to Matt, they had locked the bedroom door.
"She loves you, she's just angry about not letting her in, she'll thank you later." Kevin assured him.
"She's too... I don't know, I just can't describe how devastated I'd be without her." Kevin and Matt nodded in understanding, and then a panicking Lita ran downstairs.
"Oh, my god, Lita what's wrong?" Matt said rushing to her.
"T-Trish! She's been kidnapped!" Lita yelled. Shawn got up quickly and started running through his house yelling Trish's name. "All I did was go to the bathroom!" Lita sobbed.
"It's ok hon; it's not your fault." Matt said trying to calm her down. Shawn came back to them, angry as hell.
"How'd you let her get taken like that?" Shawn yelled.
"I didn't, I went to the bathroom for a second and..."
"This is your entire fucking fault! Damnit!" Shawn said punching the wall he began crying himself. Lita was bawling, and Matt and Kevin had no idea what to do.
"Shawn, it's not her fault." Kevin said softly.
"I know it's my fault. And she's dead. I mean, how would they know she's not dead already?" Shawn asked himself.
"They have to have had an accomplice," Matt said.
"But Trish would've screamed right? One of us would've heard her. Someone would've known something was wrong," Lita said.
"She went without a fight. She let them take her." Kevin sighed.
"It doesn't matter. She went in spite of me, but she wouldn't risk her life. She probably thought if she didn't do anything they wouldn't kill her." Shawn sighed.
"The most we could do right now is try to find her." Kevin shrugged. Shawn looked at all of them. What could they do to get his girlfriend back?
The next morning everyone sat at the dining room table in Shawn's house. Even the women. Everyone from yesterday, Mick, Benoit, Austin and a few others. Shawn, Kevin, and Hunter sat at the head of the table.
"I wanna thank everyone for coming. Now I just wanna call out a few. Latino Heat?" Eddie Guererro stood up.
"I've brought my best, even Chavito offered. Rey, Nidia, Noble, Dawn Marie and Rob Van Dam... The rest of us has been wiped out." Eddie said telling Shawn who he had to offer.
"Rey Mysterio Jr. It's a pleasure. Eddie, what is your reason for joining the Empire?" Shawn asked.
"Little Mamacita Trish is like familia, and we wouldn't want anything to happen to her." Eddie stated.
"Thank you for your concern Eddie, you may be seated." Shawn said smiling to himself a little.
"Rico, Haas, and Jackie, please stand." Kevin asked.
"We're all that's left; we're all that there has ever been. We're joining because we want to help and feel of some importance, maybe to one day be remembered. Is that wrong?" Haas explained.
"For fame and glory? And to feel important? I bet a lot of people want that, so it isn't wrong. I guess those are good enough reasons you may be seated." Kevin nodded to Hunter to present the last group.
"Ok, I have TEA... Tea? What the fuck is that?" Hunter said looking at the paper. Edge stood up.
"T.E.A. Hunter, that's what the dots are for in-between each letter ya idiot." Edge said with a cocky grin on his face.
"Why don't you just get the fuck outta here?" Hunter yelled.
"Whoa, just go on with it... Adam "Edge" Copeland... The Edge Army then?" Shawn asked.
"Yes sir, I've brought who I could, Chris Jericho, Torrie Wilson, Val, and Cena. Like Eddie's, the rest of my group was...was also destroyed." Edge put his head down.
"I know your pain Edge... Just as Christian was beginning to realize, Kane had to kill him." Kevin said understanding Edge's pain.
"That's why I'm joining! For Christian!" Edge said loudly.
"And to beat all their punk asses!" Cena said jumping up. "Yo, I'm serious. I ain't lettin' a thing touch Torrie, she might be in a different group, but we're all in the same on now, so we gotta protect each other, no matter how much we might not want the other to be involved, we're all involved somehow, and there's no way out. If I tried to keep Torrie out, I'd only be putting her in more danger." John explained. Shawn put his head down. If only he would've heard that earlier, before Trish was kidnapped.
"T.E.A. may be seated," Hunter said. He glanced at Shawn, who seemed to be in some sort of trance. He knew John little speech got to him. He sighed.
"No, Hunter, let Shawn do it." Kevin said loud enough so Shawn could also hear.
"Hm, oh." Shawn stood. "Friends, once upon a time, there was the EMPIRE. A group of men who believed in the well-being of the city. EMPIRE soon became not a group of men who tried to improve life, but a full fledged gang of men who just believed in protecting only the people very close, and themselves. Later on, they believed in only protecting themselves and became suspicious of each other. That resulted in the fall of EMPIRE... Kevin, would you care to pick up from there?"
"Empire's original purpose was to banish gangs, but that failed. Some believed that it did, but it only pushed gangs into the shadows. Now all the gangs are coming out of the shadows. Glenn's in particular." Kevin nodded to Hunter.
"Since trying to bring back the original EMPIRE, is impossible, we've created a new one to at least put gangs back where they belong. If Glenn was to succeed in ruling the streets, people will be tortured and even killed, simply because Glenn had wanted it to happen." Hunter stopped to let Shawn speak.
"Glenn has taken away the one thing that means the most to me. I want her back, if I can't have her back, I want Glenn dead, and the rest, I want them to feel the same pain I feel." Shawn looked at everyone. Would these be the people to bring Glenn down? "Anyone who doesn't want in can leave." No one moved and Shawn smirked. This was the best group of people to bring Glenn down. This was New EMPIRE.
Hunter sat outside of his house on the steps. He was looking up at the stars. The sky was clear tonight, and he was glad he could see them.
"Hey Hunter, you coming to bed anytime soon?" Hunter turned and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway in her long white silk nightgown, and a sheer red robe. Hunter got up and held her.
"Steph, I love you more then life itself. I wanna make love to you tonight." Stephanie burst out laughing. She had no idea EMPIRE had come back and that Trish was kidnapped. She just knew that Hunter went out and worked, then came home to her.
"Hunter, you're crazy, but since I love you..." Stephanie took Hunter's hand and led him into the room. Of course she didn't know how serious Hunter was, but she knew what he wanted, and she wanted to give it to him.
Shawn felt so alone in the house. When he had woken up that morning he had expected Trish to be there to say good morning, but instead there was no one. Actually, it was the doorbell that woke him up. He got his pistol and went to the door. He was too tired to work with the intercom anyway. He opened it, and a raven haired woman fell into his arms and hugged him.
"Oh Shawn, I wasn't sure if you'd be home or not! It's me, Becca!" Shawn's mouth dropped. There she was with a suitcase in her hand.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked. Becca's large smile then turned into a frown.
"I heard about Trish, I thought maybe I could keep you company, help you grieve. Or even some counseling." Rebecca explained.
"I get the counseling I need from the church." Shawn responded.
"But a church doesn't know how you feel. I on the other hand do. I know the pain you feel." Rebecca said trying to look concerned. Shawn glared at her.
"You try having love taken away from you twice, and then talk to me about pain. I'm going to get Trish back, I don't need you." Shawn said walking away from her.
"Yes you do!" Rebecca yelled. Shawn turned to her.
"And why would I need you?" He asked.
"For all you know Trish could be dead. So what are you gonna do when you find her cold lifeless body lying on the ground? Shawn, I know what happened to her, so you're gonna need me, no matter how much you hate to admit it." Rebecca said with a smirk on her face. Shawn's mouth had dropped. He wanted nothing to do with this woman, and this was the one person he needed to find his lost love.
"So Becca just comes back saying she knows where Trish is? How do know Trish isn't lying in a heap of trash, dead already?" Hunter, Kevin, Matt, Ric, Eddie, Adam, Haas, Rico, Jackie, Cena and Shawn were all sitting in the dinning room talking about what Rebecca said to Shawn.
"It's a risk Hunter, I know, but what other lead do we have?" Shawn asked.
"I would've tied up O'Haire and locked him in the basement." Rico muttered. Everyone looked at him wide eyed except for Jackie and Haas. "What? Just to get more information out of him, just in case."
"Anyway, I need Trish back with me and the only way I could possibly get her back is to have Becca help. No matter how much I'd rather the bitch be dead." Shawn growled. Kevin nodded in understanding.
"So, you're fine with Becca staying here?" Kevin asked.
"Of course not. She has to though. I guess I'll deal." Shawn shrugged. Dealing with Rebecca was hard even when they were together, now it'd be self-torture.
The next morning Shawn woke up to the scent of breakfast. He went downstairs and saw Becca cooking. He sighed heavily. "What are you doing?"
"Cooking, what does it look like I'm doing?" She asked.
"Ok, I don't mean to be rude or mean, but, ok yes, I kind of do. All you're here for is to get me Trish back. You're not here to stay here for the long run or anything. I want my girlfriend back, not my ex-wife. Don't get comfortable." Shawn said through clenched teeth.
"She's with Kane, and she's alive. You've made it easier for him to manipulate her into joining his gang. He will be his queen and his carrier. He was gonna make Lita his carrier, but Matt was there and..."
"Hold on, what's a carrier? And how do you know all of this?" Shawn asked.
"A carrier is the woman that Kane will use to carry his seed. In other words he's going to get Trish pregnant." Shawn's mouth dropped.
"You're lying to me!" Shawn yelled.
"Shawn, I swear to you I'm not lying. I only know all of this because I was apart of Kane's gang, why do you think I can him Kane and not Glenn. I'm not apart of them anymore." Rebecca said sitting in a chair.
"And how do I know you're not apart of them anymore?" Shawn asked.
"You don't, but right now, what other lead do you have, Shawn? How else are you going to find Patricia?" Rebecca asked. Shawn didn't say anything. He'd do anything to get Trish back. "That's what I thought. I say we get moving tomorrow. So gather your troops, you don't want to be too late."
Trish opened her eyes and looked around her. It was dark, and had dark red lights in various places of the room. She was on a canopy bed, draped in black and she was wearing a dark red ball gown, with long red flowing sheer sleeves and satin gloves. Her hair was up in spiral curls and she had on make-up. Dark Mascara, dark red lipstick, and dark blush. She looked like she had turned Goth.
"Do you like it?" Trish jumped when she heard the deep voice from a corner of the room. She saw the silhouette of a tall hulking man and she began to move back on the bed as the man came closer. She finally saw his face and saw that it was Tomko, a man she'd rather not associate with. He smirked at her.
"Where am I and where is Shawn?" She yelled. Tomko laughed. His laugh was horrible.
"You'll get to see him much later. When you're with Kane. That way, you'll get to see him one last time before he dies, and after that you'll get the pleasure of being Kane's carrier. You'll get to carry his seed." Trish gasped. "You're free to explore the place. Don't try to leave though, you'll get caught. There's guys at every exit that you try."
When Tomko left Trish waited a minute to leave. The outside of the room was like a dump. People watched her and smirked devilish smirks as she passed. She swallowed as the eyes roamed her body. She finally came to two large doors which weren't guarded.
"I wouldn't' do that if I were you." Trish turned to the guy who was next to her.
"Mark? Is that you?" Trish said looking up at the guy. The guy nodded. "God, I didn't think you'd..."
"Hell no. I'd kill myself. I'm only here because it's the only place where I'd have the chance of destroying Glenn and not be the number one suspect for it." Mark laughed. "Everyone's got a motive."
"Sure, like who?" Trish asked.
"Well look at that kid Johnny Nitro, if he was the one to kill Glenn, he wouldn't be punished. If you look at how scrawny the kid is, you'd see he'd be recognized as the boss. He kills Glenn, he could kill anyone. Then there's Tomko. That guy wants nothing more then to kill Glenn, if he kills him, then he'll finally be able to follow his own rules for once instead of bowing down to Glenn and being his minion." Trish shrugged.
"I guess everyone does then if Tomko has one." She said hand still on the handle to the door. Mark removed her hand.
"You want to get out of here don't you?" Mark asked.
"More then anything." Trish stated. Mark stared at her long and hard and then smirked.
"We could try," He said. "It wouldn't be easy, just the two of us."
"I know, but I'd rather kill myself then have Kane's baby."
Disclaimer: I own nothing yadda yadda... Please review