• ***warning***violence and torture implied - paybacks are always a pain in the ass
• the timing for this is Winter 05
• Sparks fly when two men love the same woman
• Even more tensions when an uninvited visitor shows up on their doorstep
• Some more history is revealed
• A tip of my hat to Stone Temple Pilots inspiring a Cena dream
• I couldn't let some outrageous attire from WWE's visit to Afghanistan go without comment
• Big thanks to Nan for this graphic.
• This one's working title was Confrontations

Feedback: always appreciated!

He realized he was going to have another one of those dreams by the soundtrack.   He knew that when his dream started off with some metal or rock and roll, his baby was going to be playing the starring role in his own private show. 

When Stone Temple Pilots’ “Sex Type Thing” started, he knew what kind of ride he was in for.  He loved hip hop, so it didn’t make any sense that when he dreamed about her he would have metal as a backdrop, but he always did. As he heard the words, “I know what’s on your mind, I want what’s on your mind,” he had a perfect vision of her looking at him and smiling as she slipped her bra off for him. Oh yeah, he wanted what was on her mind.  His visions continued with her reaching for his pants with a smile and sliding them down his legs.  “I’ll give ya something that you won’t forget.  I said you shouldn’t have worn that dress,” the lyrics continued.  Oh yeah, he thought as he flashed to another vision of her in one of her business suits, with the skirt clinging to her ass and making him forget his name.  Oh yeah, this was going to be a great dream when it started out with this song.  His next vision prompted by the lyrics, “I know you want what’s on my mind, I know you like what’s on my mind,” was of her lying underneath him and biting her lip as he rammed himself into her.  Oh yeah, she looked hot and she felt so good.  Oh yeah, he was just getting ready, ready to unload when a loud bang stirred him. 

“All right you bastard, where is she,” Mike shouted loudly as the door banged open.  He reached over and flipped the light on, trying to catch them unaware. 

John looked up sleepily, squinting at the bright light trying to get his bearings and wake up. 

“Huh,” was all he could say to the angry man. 

“Where is she?  I know she’s in here somewhere,” Mike continued. 

His eyes skimmed the room, looking for her.  He glare fixed on the closed closet doors and he strode over to them.  He flung them open and in his temper he ripped one off its hinges.  John stayed quiet, not sure what had angered the other man, but realized he needed to stay clear of him.  Mike turned his glare back to the man in bed. 

“Where is she?  I know she’s here somewhere, damn it,” he said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. 

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about buddy,” John said quietly. 

Realization was slow in coming to his sleep fogged brain.  He was trying to wake up and think and not dwell on his rock hard dick and what he had been dreaming about a few seconds ago.  Mike took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself since he didn’t see her. 

“Carrie.  Where is she?  I woke up and she was gone,” Mike said as he continued to glare at the other man.  His large hands were still balled into fists, John noticed. 

“I don’t know.  Why would I know,” John asked the angry man. 

Mike didn't bother with any words, preferring to give him a withering stare and wait as John slowly blushed as the other’s accusation hit him.  He sat up before saying anything. 

“No way.  Not in your own home.  Besides, she’s told me no a hundred times.  Don’t think I haven’t asked her because I have, but she still says no.”  Before the other man had a chance to say anything in response, John continued.  “What do you mean, where is she?  What time is it?  You sure she’s gone,” he asked the other man, noting his anger was dissipating but could see it start to shift into real concern.  Mike shook his head as he realized John didn’t know either. 

“It’s 5:30 in the fucking morning and she’s not home,” he told the other man as he started to rack his brain, trying to think of other places to look for her.  

John scratched his head in confusion.  What the hell was she thinking, going out at this time?  He flipped the sheet back and reached for his discarded shorts.  Mike waited until he finished before he said anything else. 

“Sorry, I just thought,” Mike said as he looked away, embarrassed by the fact that he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and accused his younger friend of sleeping with Carrie under his nose. 

“Yeah, I know what you thought,” John said quietly, turning back to face the other man. 

He didn’t really blame the guy, he would have thought the same thing if their situations were reversed.  He was still surprised that Mike continued to invite him back, week after week, in spite of his own feelings for Carrie. 

“Did she seem upset to you last night,” Mike asked John as they walked back to the kitchen. 

John rubbed his hand over his head, still trying to shake the last remnants of sleep from his brain, “No, not anything big,” he admitted. 

“What do you mean,” Mike asked him.  John shrugged. 

“She seemed a little tired and distracted, but nothing big that I could tell,” John told him. 

“You just described how she’s been for the last few months,” Mike chuckled.  

John nodded in agreement as he watched the other man reach into the cabinet above the fridge retrieving a small coffee maker. 

“I thought you said you got rid of that,” John asked with a smile. 

“I did.  This is a new one.  I was going nuts not having any coffee, so I bought this small one and I hide it in that cabinet since she can’t reach it and I don’t even think she knows there’s a cabinet there anyway,” Mike admitted.  

John chuckled at him.  He watched as the other man reached in the freezer and shifted some things before he came out with a bag of ground coffee.  He smiled as he saw it.

“Any ideas of where to start to look for her,” Mike asked as he started the coffee maker.  John shook his head.  

“I thought she was starting to get better sleep?  At least that’s what she told me,” John said as the smell of fresh coffee permeated the kitchen.  

They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts as they listened to the machine compete its task.  Mike grabbed two mugs and filled them with the fresh brew.  He passed one to John before he answered. 

“She was, I mean she is.  At least that’s what I thought anyway,” Mike said as he took a swig of the scalding liquid. 

John took a sip and realized Mike liked strong coffee, strong enough to wake his dead ass up, that was for sure.  

“I didn’t think she seemed upset or pissed off recently.  That’s why I’m worried.  Usually I can see it coming, but not this time.  I woke up and she was gone.  Then I find out she’s not even in the house and I don’t know,” Mike’s voice trailed off.  

He was leaning against the counter with his mug of coffee in his hand wearing a pair of baggy shorts, similar to the younger man.  He chuckled out loud as he realized it.  John looked at him curiously. 

Mike waved his hands at himself then the other man as he said, “Look at us, John.  Pretty fuckin’ sad.”  John frowned his confusion, the coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.  

“Kris tried to tell me a few times and I thought she was full of shit.  But now,” Mike explained, shaking his head. 

“What?  What are you yakking about,” John asked him irritably.  The coffee better start working soon or he was going to be an asshole all day. 

“You and I, buddy.  There’s a lot more shit we have in common besides our taste in women,” he explained.  

John frowned at the other’s words, thinking he had lost his mind.  They didn’t look anything alike, they didn’t dress alike or even like the same sports teams.  Mike was wrong or maybe he was teasing him, John considered as he finished his first mug of coffee.  He walked past the other man and poured himself some more. 

“Are we going to look for her or just wait,” John asked. 

“I think wait for now.  If she doesn’t show up in a few hours then we start to worry.  I know she sometimes likes to go off by herself, maybe this is one of those times,” Mike said as he poured his second cup.  “She didn’t pack a bag, I already checked.” 

Mike walked back to the refrigerator and opened the door, intent on finding something to eat.  He was betting that John would welcome some food if he could find it. 

“How does cold, honey baked chicken sound,” Mike asked without bothering to turn around.  He always made extra since he liked it the next day, once the flavors had a chance to set. 

“Sounds good,” John said as his mouth started to water, just thinking about it.  “When did you make it,” he asked watching Mike pull out a large container and open the lid, exposing many pieces of chicken. 

“Monday.  Carrie wasn’t home, she had some meeting to go to, so I cooked it then.  She hates to be in the house when I cook large quantities of meat,” Mike explained. 

“Yeah, I remember her telling me that once.  That must be a pain in the ass for you,” John asked as he bit into one of the chicken pieces.  Oh, this is good shit, he thought as he chewed and ripped off another piece quickly. 

“I’ve gotten used to it.  At first it was hard, but now I just plan ahead if I’m doing some serious cooking or I ask her to go out for a while.  She usually doesn’t give me any shit about it, since she knows why,” Mike explained as he chewed his chicken.

He grabbed the roll of paper towels and set them between the two men so they could grab what they needed.  John reached past him and grabbed two glasses and filled them both.  He handed one to Mike as he grabbed his next piece of chicken.  Mike smiled to himself, thinking that John had just reinforced his point earlier about how similar they were.  

He left the chicken and John in the kitchen.  He needed to grab a shirt since he was in the kitchen and remembered his mom’s early training about having a shirt on when in the kitchen or around food.  Some things always stick with ya, he thought pulling the shirt over his head.  As he stepped back out of the room, he thought he heard her voice.  He hurried back to the kitchen and saw Carrie talking to John.  

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “Babe, I was worried.”  

She nodded and said without turning around, “Yeah, that’s what John said.” 

John met his eyes and winked, knowing that he hadn’t told her of his rude awakening. 

“She was just gonna tell me where the heck she disappeared to when you showed up,” John informed him with a grin.  

Mike kissed the top of her head and stepped away so he could grab some more chicken. He did a quick scan for the coffee maker and didn’t see it.  His eyes flicked over to John and he received a small wink and knew the other had hidden it before she came into the kitchen. 

She shrugged as she looked at both of them.  “It’s not a big deal really.  I had a teleconference and I didn’t want to risk waking either of you since I knew you both needed some sleep.  I went into my office and did it there,” she said walking over to the couch and sat down.  She didn’t want to be near the cooked chicken.  The smell of it was already starting to cause her stomach to churn.  The two men looked at each other, both hearing her words, ‘my office’ and stopped.  Neither knew she had one. 

Mike looked over at John to see if he wanted anymore chicken before he put the lid back on and put it back in the fridge.  John shook his head at Mike’s unasked question.  He washed his hands and grabbed his glass of water as he sat on the couch with her.  He knew John was doing the same. 

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.  “Babe, I was so worried,” he reiterated looking into her startled green eyes. 

She blinked at his concerned gaze and looked away.  She wasn’t used to having someone live with her and worry.  It was new and she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to stand it.  But there really was no other option if she wanted to be fair to him and her babies, so she better get used to it. 

“Okay, so what kind of conference needs to happen at 4 am,” John asked, sitting down in one of the big chairs.  She shook her head at him; he looked so serious and concerned.  She thought it was just Mike that was worried, but she could see it was both of them.  She took a deep breath to help her collect her thoughts. 

“I think both of you know I have business interests outside of this country, right,” she asked, looking from one set of blue eyes to another.  “I’m the only one that it was early morning for.  A few of the people were missing their dinner because it ran long.  I didn't want to wake either of you so I went into my office,” she said.  Both men looked at each other, waiting for more. 

Just as she started to open her mouth, Mike interrupted her with, "Babe, how come I'm just now hearing that you have an office?" 

John nodded, he thought that was a fair question.  He assumed she had some sort of office, but didn’t know where.  She looked from one concerned gaze to the other and realized neither of them knew.  She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. 

"No big deal.  I have one downtown.  It's mostly for show.  But it's also where I can go if I need to get work done and you're making the house stink," she grinned at Mike.  John chuckled at her comment. 

"I don't try to make it stink, honey," Mike said. 

"I know.  But sometimes?  Shit, I still have nightmares about the liver smell.  I had to sleep at my office that night.  Lucky for me it has a bed.  Sometimes I swear I still catch a whiff of it," she said quietly. 

"Liver?  That's bad.  I'm with you on that one, Baby," John said.  Mike glared at him.  "Who eats that shit anyway," John teased. 

"I said I was sorry about that.  I won't cook it again, okay," Mike pleaded.  She smiled at him and nodded. 

"You're not gonna make the kids eat that shit, are ya," John asked Mike. 

Mike blinked because it was the first time they had ever talked about raising the kids specifically. 

"No, he's not John.  Not if he wants to live with me," Carrie said seriously.  "They'll be no cooking or eating of disgusting animal body parts, like haggis, or chitlins or pigs feet." 

"He cooked all that shit here?  Baby, I'm surprised you survived," John continued to tease.  "Chitlins?  Gross!"  

John was thinking back to the one time in his life he'd tried it as a hungry trusting teenager at a large football picnic.  Not even his mom's strawberry rhubarb pie could get the taste out of his mouth. 

Mike was shaking his head at the one time he'd cooked chitlins for a family thing as a favor for his mom.  He wasn't expecting her home so early.  She'd walked in the door, taken one breath and walked right back out and was gone until the next morning.  Until now, he’d assumed she went to a hotel or Dave and Kris’s. 

"This?  Coming from you who eats buckets of crab and lobster?  God damned Yankee anyway," Mike teased John.  John smirked at him.  "I've seen what you can put away, so don't be giving me any shit," Mike laughed.

"Yeah, but pig guts man?  That just fuckin' nasty.  At least lobster tastes good, even though it looks gross.  I can't say the same for your shit," John returned. 

"I've told you before, it doesn't matter what it looks like.  It's how it tastes," Mike said.  It sounded like he was getting ready to say more, but a quiet sound stopped him. 

Carrie gasped and jumped up from the couch, running up the stairs and slamming the door shut.  Both men looked at each other in silence for several long seconds. 

"Guess we shouldn't have talked about your nasty shit," John said. 

"Me?  You're the one who called them pig guts," Mike reminded him.

***

David hung up the phone slowly, going over the other’s words and turning them every which way to see if his hunch was right. 

“Who was that, honey,” Kris asked as she wiped Lissa’s face and hands clean from her late morning snack.  She saw his expression and knew something was causing him to stew. 

“What,” he asked automatically, then smiled at her as he realized her question.  “Hunter.  He’s in town, I think.”  His confusion deepened. 

“You think?  You’re not sure,” Kris asked.  That was unusual, Dave not knowing if Hunter was in town or not. 

“Yeah, I know.  He was screwing with me and enjoying the hell out of himself.”  He scratched his chin for a moment and stared off into space as he replayed the conversation again.  He shook his head at his wife. 

“No, I think he is in town and he’s on his way over to Lil’ Sis’s place,” he admitted. 

“Oh, no.  John flew in last night, honey.  You sure,” she asked her worried husband.  Kris picked Lissa up and set her on her hip with out a second thought as she worried with her husband. 

“Damn, I was worried about that.  Well, there’s one way to find out if I’m right,” he said as he kissed her cheek and winked at his blond sweetie who was demanding to be let down so she could play. 

“Okay.  I hope you’re wrong, honey,” she said. 

“Me too,” was all he said as he walked through the door into the garage.  

They both knew how antagonistic Hunter was about John.  He kept it away from the ring, they both did because they were professionals, but away from the lights and cameras?  He didn’t want to think about it. 

Mike answered the door with a smile for his buddy. 

“What are you doing here, Dave?  You need something,” Mike asked, thinking maybe the office had asked something strange or he had an idea he wanted to bounce off him since he was dropping in. 

“Nah, just thought I’d stop in for a bit.  You don’t care, do ya,” David asked casually.  John walked up and smiled. 

“Hey, good to see you, man,” John said as the two grasped hands and pulled each other in for a back slap and quick hug. 

“Yeah, good to see you.  You look a little tired buddy.  These two been keeping you up late,” David asked with a smirk for his long time friend. 

“Asshole,” Mike said with a chuckle. 

David set his keys down in the tray by the door, flipped his glasses off and shrugged out of his coat.  He slung it over one of the dinning room chairs and walked back into a lively conversation about the weekend football games. 

“Lil’ Sis home,” David interrupted them.  Mike frowned briefly. 

“No, she had some running to do.  You need something,” Mike asked again. 

“No, just curious,” David said. 

He walked past the two and grabbed a water from the fridge.  He was just working up to telling them about his strange phone call when the doorbell buzzed.  Damn it, he wasn’t quick enough.  At least he was here to put out any fires, if needed. 

Mike opened the door and couldn’t hide his surprise at seeing the founding member of Evolution on his doorstep. 

“Surprise,” Hunter smirked. 

Mike stepped back to admit him and smiled his welcome.  It was something he still had some difficulties with - Carrie having a large, potentially violent, extended family. 

“Good to see you, Hunter.  You just dropping in so you can dog my ass,” Mike joked.  

Hunter smirked at him and pulled his coat off.  He saw David’s coat on one of the chairs and nodded his chin in recognition of the other man.  Mike looked at Hunter and made sure to keep his expression as blank as possible as he noticed the hat Hunter was wearing.  He made sure he didn’t do more than glance at it or he would give himself away.  David noticed the hat also and quickly looked away.  John had looked up at the door opening and slowly walked forward to greet the blonde man.  His mother had managed to instill manners that he remembered most of the time. 

“What the fuck are you doing here," Hunter snarled at the younger man. 

Mike stepped back out of the kitchen as he said, "I invited him here." 

Hunter's eyes flicked over to Mike with contempt.  "You’re just as fuckin' dumb as he is," he snarled. 

Mike temper reacted immediately at being dismissed so soundly in his own home.  He took several steps toward the blonde man with his lips clamped shut, but his eyes snapped with his anger.  Hunter turned back to him after glaring at his original target.  

"You think you're man enough," Hunter said quietly as he gauged the effect of his words.  

Mike blinked as the full force of the other man’s anger was directed at him for the first time.  Mike nodded grimly and took a step towards him.  They were of equal height, but Hunter still managed to look down his nose at his irritant.  Both David and John reacted to the escalating tempers. 

"Not here, Hunter.  No, not in her home," David said as he stepped in front of his mentor to break eye contact with his intended target.

Hunter shifted his gaze to David and stared at him in silence for several long seconds.  

"She will kick your ass, buddy.  You know she will," David reminded him. 

Simultaneous to David actions, John reached out and held Mike's arm to stop him from crossing into dangerous territory.  He understood his irritation, but knew Mike had no idea how long Hunter could hold a grudge.  John held his breath waiting for Hunter's brain to kick back in and listen to David's rationale. 

Hunter blinked, shifted his gum and smirked at his friend.  

"You're right.  She wouldn't be too happy with me if I dented her pretty boy toy here, now would she," he said as he continued his visual challenge of Mike.  

Hunter deliberately baited him to see if he could get the other man to snap, David knew.  He just hoped his buddy had learned some modicum of self control living with Lil' Sis. 

"Dave's right, she will kill you.  You're a fuckin' asshole," Mike said as he turned away into the kitchen.  

Hunter smiled at the Mike's actions but knew there would come a time when he wouldn't back down.  He was counting on it. 

"You're just now figuring that out," John asked Mike.  Mike shrugged in response and reached into the fridge for a water bottle.  "Carrie said you were smart, but you sure are a dumb ass," John said directly to the other man.  Mike concentrated on drinking his water and getting his heart rate down. 

David looked at his mentor and knew that wasn't the last of that particular confrontation.  He knew him too well.  Hunter had deliberately goaded Mike just to see if he could piss him off.  Unfortunately, it had proved too easy and Hunter knew it and would eventually use it somehow. 

"She's already gonna kick your ass for wearing that hat in her house.  You know how she is," David reminded Hunter.  

A smirk and a shrug was all the response he got.  Lil' Sis’s thing about anyone wearing a hat indoors was well known.  He didn’t know where it came from but she had reached over several times and flipped his hat off when he forgot.  He'd seen her do it to Mike, once. 

"Where is she, by the way," Hunter asked David as he walked to the couch and sat down on the recently vacated seat.  David followed him in and sat down.  John stayed away and out of range, near the kitchen.  He knew he already had a target on him, he didn't need to remind Hunter of that fact. 

"She had some running to do.  Said she’d be back in ten minutes or so and that was thirty minutes ago, so she should be here any time," Mike said from the doorway of the kitchen.  

Mike noticed John's movement out of Hunter's way and it irritated him that John felt he had to make accommodations to the arrogant bastard.  Hunter nodded in response.  Mike heard a key turn in the lock and he stepped up to block her from view as she opened the door.  He wanted to warn her of their visitors.  She looked up in surprise at seeing him standing in the entryway. 

"Babe, we’ve got visitors," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  

She nodded into his chest but stayed quiet.  He released his hold and smiled at her.  She sensed his anger and tension as he held her and quickly surmised only a few people who would be able to goad him enough. 

David watched Mike’s actions and understood exactly what he had done.  He looked over at Hunter on the couch and nodded to him, indicating it was her.  David got off the couch and strolled over to her as she was pulling off her coat. 

“David, good to see you.  Did you need something,” she asked, thinking he dropped in because he needed some help with some crazy request of the office.  He looked at her and grinned as he stepped forward to hug her.  

“Can’t I just drop in on my favorite sister in law without a reason,” he chuckled as he looked at the top of her curly light brown hair from within his embrace. 

"You can, but you don’t usually.  What’s up,” she asked.  

She noticed his tension also.  He stepped aside, since he had effectively blocked the view of her living room, just as Mike had.  Hunter had walked up unnoticed by her since she had been shielded. 

“Hey, Lil’ Sis,” Hunter grinned at her surprised look.  She laughed and let herself be wrapped in his arms for a big bear hug. 

“Good to see you, you big bastard.  Why didn't you tell me you were coming,” she asked as she looked up at the underside of his chin.  

David and Mike had stepped away.  They both knew Hunter loved Lil’ Sis and she seemed to return his affection so their interference wasn’t needed or wanted.

“I like to surprise you sometimes, you know.  Can’t a big brother drop in on his little sister,” he kissed the top of her head and released her.  He kept his arm around her small shoulders, not ready to let go just yet. 

“You look good Hunter.  You look like the time off did you a load of good,” she said honestly.  He gave her a mock bow in acceptance of her appraisal.

“You’re looking pretty good yourself, Lil’ Sis.  You’re still not putting any weight on, though.  Do I need to force feed you again,” he teased. 

“You wouldn’t,” she said quickly.  

The look he returned told her plainly he would.  She knew he was teasing her, she could see it in his eyes.  She looked past his eyes and stopped.  What the fuck is that?  Shit it’s hideous, was her next though.  

Hunter watched her reaction to his beanie and waited.  She saw his look that dared her to tell him to take it off.  It was staying on, no matter she said he conveyed with his smirk.  She shook her head and smiled.  She knew how to get to him.  She poked him in the chest lightly and pretended to ignore the offensive object as she turned and winked at David.  He hid his grin but knew she had something up her sleeve. 

“So tell me, how was Afghanistan ?  Did you get to see some cool shit?  I saw some of it, thanks to the internet.”  She had turned and directed her question to include John also.  

Hunter was still turning over her comment about the internet.  It wasn’t due to be shown for a week or more, so he was a little worried by her comment.  She threw John a quick glance that she’d hope he’d understand, he usually did. 

“I mean, I’ve seen the pictures of John wearing stockings and shit.  They’re pretty funny,” she said.  Hunter laughed out loud at her comment. 

“Aw, Baby.  No fair.  They’re nomax thermal underwear,” John explained with a pained look. 

“Yeah, whatever,” she chuckled.  “They looked like stockings to me.  I’ve got some you can try if you get cold when you visit,” she teased and winked at him.  

John couldn’t help himself, he laughed with her.  David was giggling on the couch and Mike cracked a smile at her last comment.  Hunter was grinning at the other man’s discomfort from his place leaning against the back of the couch. 

Lil' Sis continued, “But none of that explains why Hunter is wearing a condom on his head.  John, can you tell me why?  Is it some new thing that he picked up while on tour?  Does he think he looks good in it?  That’s what I want to know.  Have any of you fuckers told him he’s wearing a huge condom on his head?  I can’t believe you haven’t been kind enough to let him know how fuckin’ stupid he looks.” 

She had purposely looked away from Hunter as she ranted about his offensive looking head gear, so she missed him yanking it off his head and smoothing his hair back into place.  Mike was amazed at how she handled Hunter.  He forgot that she'd traveled with him and knew him well enough to get her point across without losing her temper.  She is amazing he thought, admiring how quickly she had diffused the tension and got Hunter to take his beanie off of his own free will.  

David’s giggles had changed into laughter.  He was always amazed at how Lil’ Sis dealt with Hunter.  He had been when she first started traveling with them and he still was.  It was definitely a gift.  It had bailed all their asses out a few times, both from internal struggles and outside interference. 

“You happy now,” Hunter demanded in a serious tone.  

His twinkling eyes gave him away.  She walked back to him, looked him over from head to toe and went back to his head, just to tease him before she nodded. 

“Yeah, I am.  Thanks,” was all she said as she walked away and sat down on the couch.  

David shifted so she could have a little more room, if she wanted, since he had parked his ass in the middle.  

He looked over at her and smiled, “A condom?  That’s fuckin’ funny, Lil’ Sis.”  She grinned at him and nodded. 

“He did look ridiculous.  Even I know that men with long hair should never wear a beanie, for shit’s sake.  Me, who has zero fashion sense.  What I really want to talk about is the mantyhose that John was wearing in some of the shots I saw.” 

“Damn, Baby.  You’re tough.  I don’t tease you about what you wear,” John said bravely. 

“I hope you’d tell me if I looked as ridiculous as Hunter did before he saw the error of his ways,” she said with a wide eyed innocent look at her big blonde protective brother.  “I mean really!” 

Mike was laughing in the doorway of the kitchen at her continued badgering of the big man.  He guessed that she was one of the very few who could get away with it. 

“John, please.  Tell me about the trip and how the hell you managed to squeeze yourself into a pair of pantyhose,” Carrie continued.  

That was too much for David, he doubled over laughing.  He was hurting like hell with the continued laughter, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Yeah, John,” he giggled.  “Tell us,” was all he got out before he dissolved into another fit of giggles on the couch.  

John shook his head at his chortling friend.  He knew exactly what Carrie had done and why.  He knew she had sensed the tension between all the alpha males in one room and she had effectively redirected it.  He just wished it wasn’t at his expense so much. 

“Baby, I am going to beat your ass for that pantyhose crack,” John said as he leapt from his place near the kitchen and headed for Carrie on the couch.  She didn’t have a chance to move because David was in the way, dissolved in giggles.  He reached under her arms and lifted her straight up. 

“Hey, careful with her,” Hunter warned.  

John smirked and nodded as he flipped her over his shoulder and walked back toward the kitchen with his laughing burden. 

“Put me down, you monster,” she giggled.  

John looked at Mike and saw he was smiling at his cave man tactics, but didn’t appear upset, thankfully. 

“Not until you stop your shit about my thermal underwear.  I’m sure you’ve heard of them before.  Promise,” he said over his shoulder.  He was briefly distracted by the view of her ass next to his face, but looked past that. 

“No, it’s too damn funny.  You looked so cute in your pantyhose,” she squealed. 

“Baby, I can keep you here all damn day.  You don’t weigh enough to even make me break out in a sweat,” he grinned at Mike.  

Mike smiled, shaking his head.  He was privately regretting that he had never tossed her over his shoulder and the more he thought about it, the more he was going to do it, soon. 

Hunter was grinning at the sight of her effectively silenced except for her giggles.  He even admitted to himself that Cena was actually holding her in a very gentle manner.  She wasn’t in any danger of being hurt.  He could see Cena had shifted her to ensure her comfort and safety.  Damn, he knew he’d have to deal with that issue soon, no matter what she said about it. 

David collapsed into fresh gales of laughter at seeing his fierce little sister in-law manhandled so effectively and quickly.  He would never have believed it if he hadn’t seen it. 

“What’s it gonna be, Baby.  You like your upside down view or you gonna lay off the jokes about my tights?”  

He waited for a response and shifted her to make sure she was okay.  He realized she hadn’t said anything in the last few minutes, not even any giggles.

“Baby,” he asked with a note of panic.  

Mike jumped forward from the kitchen doorway and lifted her face from John’s back to see if she was okay or just playing. 

“Set her down, John.  You two bastards, off the couch,” Mike said seriously as he and John moved rapidly to the couch.  

Mike reached over and lifted John’s precious but silent burden from the man’s shoulder.  She hadn’t moved or uttered a sound.  The two other men instantly sobered at the development. 

“What the fuck happened,” Hunter demanded as he hovered near the couch. 

“I think she passed out,” John said with a worried frown.  He watched Mike quickly and efficiently check her for signs of injury.  He had first felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel its steady strong beat.  Mike nodded at the other man’s assessment. 

“I think so.  Did she eat this morning, John?  Do you remember,” Mike asked him.  

John opened his mouth and paused as he rubbed his hand over his short hair and tried to remember. 

“I don’t think so,” he said quietly. 

“God damn it,” Mike ranted to no one.  The anger was directed at himself for not taking better care of her.  “Dave, can you grab me a bottle of water,” he asked his life long friend. 

“She’s going to be okay, right,” Hunter asked.  

Mike nodded but kept his eyes glued to her face, waiting for her to wake up.  C’mon babe, wake up, he thought to himself. All four big men were watching and waiting for some movement from her.  As soon as she started to frown and squint her eyes, all of them breathed easier.  She opened her eyes to see Mike kneeling beside her, Hunter looking over him, John standing next to Mike and David sitting on the back of the couch looking in. 

“What?  Do I have a hideous growth?  What,” she asked all of them as she looked at her audience.  Why the hell were they all standing around and looking in?  She felt herself blush for the first time in years as she realized they were all staring at her.

“Carrie, you passed out,” Mike said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.  

She frowned.  Passed out?  She hadn’t done that in years. 

“I’m sorry, Baby.  I didn’t mean to,” John said.  

She could see he was upset with the fact that she’d passed out.  She remembered being over his shoulder and laughing at him and also enjoying the up close view she had of his ass.  It was still nice, even from that view.  

Her gaze flicked up to Hunter and she saw he wasn’t just concerned, he was angry.  His eyes had lost their earlier twinkle and were replaced by cold anger.  The type of anger she’d seen from him that stayed with him for months sometimes.  Damn it, now she’d have to cope with that too. 

“You done torturing us, Lil’ Sis,” David asked from his perch. 

“Yeah, I think so.  I can’t honestly think of any other obnoxious thing to say about Hunter’s hideous hat,” she grinned. 

“It’s a beanie,” Hunter corrected her automatically. 

“What ever,“ she waved away his words dismissively. 

“You ready to sit up, Babe,” Mike asked.  

She nodded and let him pull her up.  He watched her color fade again as she was righted.  

“John, go in to the cupboard and grab one of the protein bars,” Mike directed to the other man.  

He knew John would know exactly which cupboard to go to.  The action wasn’t lost on the other two men.  Hunter narrowed his gaze as he tracked the other man’s swift movements.  David shook is head, things were going to get messy.  Mike handed her the water bottle and as John returned, a protein bar.  She smiled her thanks and ate it dutifully.  Hunter watched and waited for her to finish before he vented his irritation and worry. 

"You care to explain how you happened to pass out," Hunter ground out from clenched teeth.  

Mike looked in surprise at the man and his obvious anger.  What the fuck did he have to be angry about?  He hadn't passed out?  Hunter saw Mike's frown and it fueled his temper even more. 

Carrie looked at Hunter and realized he was spoiling for an argument.  He must have been that way when he walked in but she had managed to divert it for a time, but now it was back and directed at her and everyone else. 

"I did it on purpose, just to see if you were paying attention and so you could have some justification for being an asshole," she said evenly as she looked Hunter in the eye.  

John clamped his lips shut and backed away from the couch, sensing a confrontation.  Mike squeezed her hand gently and looked at her to see if she really wanted to poke her blonde protector with the proverbial stick.  

Hunter took a deep breath and let it out loudly at her words.  He bit back on the words that almost escaped him, but he was unable to stop his nostrils from flaring with his anger.  David watched both of them from the back of the couch, knowing how much Hunter usually bullied her and she usually took it without a fuss.  It looked like that wasn't going to be the case this time. 

She saw his maple colored eyes widened in surprise at her words since it wasn’t her normal tactic.  Full frontal assault was not normally her way to deal with his anger, she knew, as did he.  She swept her glance around at the other men, with her eyes lingering on David.  He knew their tumultuous and confusing relationship best.  Hunter still hadn’t said a word, but she could see he was chewing his gum and wondering what other surprises she had in store.  She set her emptied water bottle down and hid her smile as Mike automatically picked it up to throw it away.  Her thoughts briefly strayed to him and his need to take care of her regardless of her sometimes strenuous objections.  She wasn’t sure he would feel that way if he really knew her.  She doubted it.  

She stood up from the crowd of men and reached for Hunter’s hand.  He let her take it, he was curious too.  He wasn't as angry as he pretended, mostly worried, and she saw through that, he realized.  

“How much time do you have,” she asked the blonde man in a perfectly normal voice.  

She saw him pause as he glanced at the large clock in the entryway before he said with an insolent shrug, “A couple of hours.”  

She nodded at his words.  That was her guess, too. 

“If you boys will excuse us, I need to have a private chat with his royal asshole,” she smiled at three sets of surprised eyes.  

David recovered first and nodded.  Mike looked worried as he stood off to the side of her and Hunter.  He didn’t want to leave her alone with her blonde brother.  He didn’t think Hunter could contain his temper and he didn’t want her to be in danger. 

“Mike,” she said as she noticed his worried frown.  “I’ll be fine.  I can always kick him in the knees you know,” she said lightheartedly.  

“Yeah, relax buddy,” was all Hunter said to the worried man.  

John knew his baby could handle most things but wasn’t sure what she had up her sleeve today.  Carrie turned and tugged Hunter’s hand to follow her upstairs.  Three sets of eyes watched their exit up the stairs into her bedroom.  They all heard the door close and looked at each other. 

“What the fuck was that about,” Mike worried. 

“I don’t know bud, but she can take care of herself,” David said to the other two.  

*** 

You sure this is the right address,” she asked her brother.  He nodded in the darkness, not sure of her plan.  All he knew was that whatever she was gonna do to the fucker wasn’t ever going to erase the images he’d seen on some of the videos.  Images of his sister being shot with some sort of cattle prod.  Images of others around her, laughing and waiting until her shaking subsided and she was obviously unconscious.  Images of Him casually dropping his pants, exposing his already hard dick.  The smile on his face as he stroked himself and looked at the defenseless girl on the cement floor.  

“Pick her up,” he must have said since guards always sprang into action, tossing the lifeless  girl onto the bed.  Another hand wave and the guards stripped her clothes off efficiently. Wease never knew if the guards stayed or not, but the camera zeroed in on Him and his actions.  He was never gentle or quick.  Wease had watched the tapes in horror as his sister was picked up like a rag doll and repeatedly violated, usually several times before her tormentor was through with her.  Sometimes going so far as shooting her full of current again to immobilize her longer. 

“Perfect,” his sister’s whispered comment brought him back to the present.  “He’s all by himself, stupid mother fucker,” she said quietly.  Carrie shifted her backpack and walked to the front door, surprising her brother by her boldness.  

“Care, what if he won’t let you in,” Wease asked from the shadows.  She grinned just before she knocked.  “He’ll let me in, he won’t be able to help himself, mother fucker.”  Carrie undid the buttons on her blouse, exposing her bra, setting the stage quickly.  She took a deep breath and knocked.  Wease stood behind her and frowned at the lack of response.

“Mother fucker forgot his help is off tonight,” Carrie said as she knocked again.  The door was eventually opened by a middle aged man.  His surprise at seeing a barely clad woman on his front step was quickly replaced by an unconvincing concerned citizen facade. 

“My dear, are you all right,” he enquired, his eyes never straying far from her exposed undergarments.  Wease watched as his sister took a ridiculously deep breath, causing the other man to start in surprise and pleasure.  

“Please sir, can you help us?  Our car…we somehow ended up in that ditch.  I don’t know what else to do or who to call or how to get help,” Carrie babbled brainlessly, all the while clutching her fingers to her exposed bra that was somehow sliding off her shoulders, threatening to spill her breasts out in to view.  

He spared a quick glance to the young man standing behind the vision in front of him and waved them both inside, quickly.  He didn’t want his neighbors aware of any late night visitors.  He had another election to win, once all the heat died down.  

“Thank you sir,” Carrie breathed at him.  She shifted her backpack off her shoulders.  

“Of course, my dear.  Anything I can do to help.  Do you have anyone you need me to call for you,” he thought to ask quickly before he sprang his trap on the delectable vision in front of him.  

“No, we’re traveling cross country and we don’t have any family left, sir,” Carrie lied effortlessly.  Wease stayed quiet, keeping his expression blank, something that was second nature to him.  

“Would you like something to eat or drink?  You two must be in a state, after your accident?  Do I need to call a doctor,” he asked as his eyes traveled over the young woman in front of him, cataloging every curve for later exploration.  

“I think we just needed a safe place to rest,” was all Wease said, suddenly sickened by the man’s constant leering at his sister.  

“Yes,” Carrie breathed.  He nodded, his concern still evident.  “Can you show me to your restroom,” Carrie asked as her fingers slid over her barely concealed breasts.  The older man licked his lips unconsciously, slowly nodding.  

“Yes, my dear,” he said as he extended an arm for her.  She glided into his clutches without a thought that he might be anything other than what he pretended.  “This way,” he said as his hand slid down her back, cupping her ass as she walked.  The sooner he could get the young man, brother he guessed, out of the way, the better.  

“Thank you,” the vision breathed at him as she opened the door to the obvious bathroom. 

“Let me know if I can help you,” he leered at her as she closed the door.  

“Never a-fucking-gain,” Carrie whispered as she shut the door.  Once inside she stripped off her useless lightweight blouse, skirt, hose and heels.  She slid on a pair of snug black jeans, black t shirt and tennis shoes.  Checking her pack to make sure all was tucked away, she flushed the toilet with her shoe to continue the charade, since she hadn’t heard him walk away.  As the water refilled the tank, she heard him finally step away, realizing that she wasn’t going to call out for his help.  One last check in the mirror, one last grab of her pack and she felt ready, finally.  She washed her hands, taking care to dry them and then wipe down the taps and door knob.  She opened the door quickly and swiped a towel back over it to make sure.  She’d watched too much television to trust anything.  

Wease was in the kitchen with the man as they both waited in uncomfortable silence for his sister to reappear.  He hadn’t been sure until tonight how he’d feel about his sister’s plan, but now that they were actually doing it and the fucker was standing right in front of him, daydreaming about the sights his sister had teased him with, now he knew he felt no remorse over it. None.  If he had the training and skill, he would’ve done it by himself, but he didn’t.  So he went with her to watch her back.  It had taken a lot of begging on his part, but she had finally relented.  

He heard her step behind the man, only because he’d been waiting for it.  The other man never knew what hit him.  Wease watched in silence as his sister took her long ago tormentor down to the ground with just a few precise movements.  The man’s eyes were wide with pain and shock.  He didn’t understand how or why it was happening, Wease could see.  It was obvious that his personal safety was the last thing on his mind when he let them in.  

“I see you don’t remember me, mother fucker,” Carrie said quietly.  The prone man shook his head, making himself retch with pain at the movement.  “Let me help you remember, mother fucker,” she said as she arbitrarily kicked him square in the balls.  He howled in pain, then was silent.  Carrie looked at him in disgust, seeing that he'd passed out.  “No way is this mother fucker going to get to take the easy way out,” she said quietly.    

She pulled something out from her back pocket and squatted beside his head to wait for him to wake up.  They knew there was no danger of interruptions, they’d done their homework.  Plus Wease had locked the front door behind him as he came in.  Several minutes passed as Carrie waited in a crouch besides the man that had abused her nightly for months.  She’d dreamt of this, dreamt of making him pay for his abuse.  But looking at the man himself in front of her, she was disgusted by him and the pity she quickly squelched.  

She sensed his consciousness returning and prodded him with her finger.  “Wake up, mother fucker,” she said without pity.  His eyes slowly opened, trying to recall if he was dreaming or was this really happening.  His gaze sharpened on the woman in front of him.  

“What do you want,” he managed to croak.  

“Something that you can’t give, mother fucker,” was all Carrie said before she stood up and waited for him to attempt it.  She knew his name, it was burned into her brain, but he was always going to be mother fucker to her.  He’d been that since the first day she’d met him.  But then she’d never called him that out loud before.  In fact, she’d never spoken a word to him prior to tonight.  Her silence in jail had kept her safe from some things and she had preferred to let others think she might be mentally deficient rather than get roped into other shit.  

The older man finally managed to get his vertigo under enough control to attempt to stand up and toss the two intruders out, or so he thought. 

 “Get out,” he said with no authority left in his voice. 

“You dumb mother fucker.  You don’t know, do you?  You haven’t got a fuckin’ clue,” Carrie said quietly.  She watched and waited as her words penetrated the haze of pain she knew the man must be feeling.  His eyes narrowed at her as he studied her face, but he slowly shook his head, clearly not understanding her point. 

“Here, let me help your memory along, mother fucker,” was all he heard before his body was wracked with millions of points of pain, causing him to gasp out loud, trying to shrink away from the source of it.  Just as he thought he was going to pass out from the pain, the fire in his nerves stopped, as well as the buzzing.  

“That help you yet, mother fucker,” Carrie grinned at him.  He was chilled to see that there was no humor in her beautiful smile.  He shook his head at her question.  The buzz warned him half a second before the pain started again.  This time it was so intense he had no control over his body.  He felt like his nerves were on fire and his muscles were being peeled away from his body.  He shook uncontrollably with the force of the shock, groaning in agony.  

He woke up with his face on his kitchen floor.  The slow realization came to him that he was naked, in the middle of his kitchen. He looked around for the reason and spotted the woman and her silent brother staring at him in disgust.  

“You notice how he soiled himself,” she said to her brother.  The young man nodded grimly, but withheld any comment.  The object of their discussion knew intrinsically they were talking about him.  He could feel the wet under his belly and smell the truth in their words.  

“Your memory coming back to you at all, mother fucker,” Carrie asked slowly.  The downed man shook is head, confusion clearly evident.  She squatted beside him grimly, pulling the tazer back out.  She rubbed it along his back slowly, causing him to try to shy away if his muscles had been under his own control.  She slowly slid the weapon down to his ass, pausing to make sure he was fully aware of her path.  

“You know you like it when I take you, just say you do,” Carrie whispered his own words back to him just before she pulled the trigger again.  She stopped quickly not wanting the man to loose consciousness yet.  

“What do you want from me,” he gasped.  

“You know I love it when you fight me,” she said again, completely ignoring his question.  She slid the tazer down his ass, burying it before she pulled the trigger again.  The shock caused the man to spasm and pass out quickly, but not before the realization of the identity of his tormentor flashed into his pain wracked brain...

***

Lil’ Sis  turned back to the blonde man as she closed the door and smiled.  

“Lucky for me you decided to drop in today.  It saves me a trip tracking you down.  Please find somewhere to sit.  You’re gonna be here a while,” she smiled.  

He shrugged and flipped his sunglasses off and sat on the end of her bed.  He noted that her bedroom was considerably larger than he would have guessed.  She had several chairs, mostly her size by one of the windows and it looked like a very large bathroom through the other door.  She smiled at his avoidance of her chairs, thinking they’d be too small or uncomfortable for him.  Mike thought the same and avoided them too. 

“That blue one by the window is big enough,” she told him.  She thought he’d get real tired of sitting on the edge of her bed. 

“I’m fine for now.  What’s up that you brought me up here,” he asked.  His blistering anger had faded and was replaced by curiosity, for now. 

“Long story and lucky for you it’s story time,” was all she said as she sat in a chair closest to him.  

He remained quiet, not sure what she was talking about, but relieved that she might actually tell him some of the shit that she’d been hiding for years.  The info he had on her was incomplete and he'd been stymied in his attempts to uncover any more.  He'd shelved it, but never given up. 

“I know you won’t believe this Hunter, particularly after today’s stupidity, but I would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of these babies,” she said quietly.  

That was a good place to start, she reasoned.  He shook his head, but stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving her face. 

“I know you aren’t happy that John might be the father of them and that’s too damn bad,” she said bluntly.  He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him for a moment.  

“Let me finish this part first then we can argue.  And we will argue.  I’m looking forward to it.”  She grinned at him and winked.  He smiled but stayed silent for now. 

“Mike or John as the father is great to me.  I know that both of them will be wonderful fathers even though some doubt their abilities,” she said pointedly but continued on in a rush.  

“I’m just happy to be pregnant.  I’m thrilled that it’s with one of them as the father.  If I had known it was possible, I would have gone to a lab years ago.”  

She could see his confusion, but he was still letting her speak for now, in spite of his deepening frown. 

“I want these babies, Hunter.  I don’t give a fuck who’s the daddy.  It wasn’t supposed to have been possible at all,” she finished quietly.  “You don’t have to tell me to be careful, I am because they are so important to me, all the more so because it’s so improbable.” 

“Okay,” he said finally as he held out his hands in surrender.  “I get it.  You’re happy you’re pregnant.  Why all the secrecy,” he asked in reference to them being upstairs.

She took several deep breaths before she said anything. 

“Some of the stuff I’m going to tell you goes no further.  Go that,” she challenged him.  

He nodded, not sure why she was telling him stuff now.  Now she wasn’t traveling with him where he could protect her and watch out for her. 

“I want your word on this Hunter, it’s important,” she said as she stood and stopped herself from pacing. 

“Okay, Carrie.  You have my word, even though you know better than most how little of value it is and what a piece of shit I am,” he said seriously. 

“That’s where you’re wrong Hunter.  You might think you’re a piece of shit, but I know I am,” she said quietly.  His eyes widened again. 

“I doubt that, Lil’ Sis.  You have no idea about me, about some of the things I’ve done,” Hunter replied quietly. 

“That’s where you’re wrong, honey.  I know more about you than you know,” she said quietly, hinting at her own digging into his background. 

He was a little taken back by the endearment.  She’d never called him that before. 

“In spite of all that garbage, I need you.  These babies need you,” she finished and stared off into space.  She automatically sat down in one of her chairs by the window. 

“I’m not going anywhere, Lil’ Sis.  You know that.  I told you years ago that I’d be here for you and that hasn’t changed, in spite of some of your more dubious choices,” he said quietly as he left the edge of the bed and walked to her sitting in her miniature chair.  He caressed her shoulder to let her know he meant every word.  She flicked her gaze up and tried to smile for him.

*** 

"You think they’re okay,” John asked David as they both watched Mike make lunch.  David responded by slapping the younger man’s back and nodding. 

“Relax buddy.  She’s fine,” David said.  He saw Mike pause at his words and his frown was back.  He didn’t know what Lil’ Sis was up to, but she had her reasons and for now he was content to let everything play out. 

*** 

Carrie started with, "My mom tried to kill my dad and lied to put me in jail for it.”  Hunter blinked in surprise, but stayed mute.  No way was he going to interrupt her, it was too important.  “I got out of jail in time to see my dad die," she said.  

The hair on the back of Hunter's neck stood up as he listened, not only to what she said, but her matter of fact tone.  She continued to fill in the blanks for him as he listened, dumbfounded.  She told him unflinchingly all of it, from the nightly abuse in jail to her subsequent abortion.  Hunter’s hands clenched into fists as he heard the details of her jail time. 

“So you see why I was thrilled when I learned I was pregnant,” she eventually asked her quiet, but simmering with rage, blonde brother.  He nodded before he said anything.  He needed to get his brain back in gear enough to form coherent words. 

“Tell me where those fuckers are, Lil’ Sis.  Just tell me and they won’t be able to do that to anyone ever again,” he gritted out, pacing the floor in her bedroom. 

“Hunter,” she reached for his balled fist.  “No.  It’s already taken care of.” 

“By who,” he demanded loudly as he turned to her. 

“By me, a long time ago,” she said quietly.  At his questioning look she supplied, “There was a huge shake up, lots of media attention, all of them went to jail.  Some of them housed with the same folks they had tormented for years.  Most didn't do well.  Several were killed on the inside.  A couple more took matters into their hands.” 

Hunter interrupted her with, “What about him?  What about the baby raper?”  He was shaking with the effort of suppressing his fury. 

She smiled and chuckled low.  The sound shocked Hunter, he’d never heard a sound like it from her before. 

“Him?  I saved him for last.  He thought he was in the clear.  I made damn sure he knew who I was and reminded him privately of his actions," Carrie said quietly.  She didn't expound on her meaning, guessing the enraged man pacing in front of her would know exactly what she meant.  She also didn’t tell him that if weren’t for her baby brother, she might have killed the mother fucker.  "He tried to buy his way out of the charges.  Didn’t work.  He thought if he offered me enough money I'd pretend everything was fine and he could go on his merry little way.  Stupid.  Arrogant.  Bastard!  He was convicted, his family had to suffer through a trial.  His wife had to sit and listen to all the evidence.  I almost felt bad for her at first.” 

“Almost,” he queried.  He was still angry, but his curiosity had resurfaced. 

“Yeah, but then she confronted me one afternoon and spewed so much garbage that I realized she had known all along of his activities.  Maybe she tolerated it so he wouldn’t touch her, I don’t know.  She went to jail, too.  Last I knew, she was still there since she has been anything but a model prisoner,” she finished with a sadistic smile. 

Hunter realized he’d learned more about his Lil’ Sis and some of her murky history in the last half hour than he’d known about her for years.  It made him angry, angry that she had to go through that, angry that no one had been able to put a stop to it, except her, later.  He roared in frustration at his inability to do anything, irrespective of the fact that it was ancient history.  Fatherhood had strengthened his resolve about protecting children from harm.

“Dave know this shit,” he finally growled.  God, he wanted to hit something because he felt so powerless. 

“No.  Kris doesn’t know all of it either.  She’s lived through so much of this shit with me, why would I pile the plate higher when she couldn’t do anything about it,” she asked. 

“I don’t think you’re giving them enough credit, Lil’ Sis,” he said quietly.  

His heart rate was slowing, but he was still furious that his Lil’ Sis, the tiny woman standing in front of him, had to go through all that abuse when she was still just a baby and should have been protected. 

“Maybe.  Wease says the same, so maybe sometime soon,” she said quietly.  

He didn’t even bother to ask her about Cena and Mike, he knew that answer already.  He tried to calm himself, but he knew it was almost impossible right now. 

"God damn it!  Why the fuck are you telling me this shit now," he yelled at her.  He was still fuming over her revelations and his inability to do anything about them. 

“Because my psycho bitch of a mother is out, trying her damnedest to stir up trouble.  She’s the reason I was there in the first place and I don’t trust her at all.  They say she’s not like that anymore.  I don’t believe them.  I think she took her meds while she was in, just so she could get out.  But some of the things she’s done since then prove my theory.  I wanted someone I could trust to know what was going on, in case she does something,” she held up her hand to stop his words.  “No, I have no idea what.  But the stakes are even higher with the babies. I don’t know if she would try to spread her fuckin’ lies to the rest of the family.  That’s why I need you to know.  The babies need you.”  

She sat back down on her favorite chair by the window and waited for her brain to catch up with her mouth.  Plus she knew she’d thrown a lot of stuff at Hunter today and didn’t want to totally overwhelm him. 

“Regardless of what you think, you’re a hell of a good guy underneath all that shit you hide behind,” she smiled.  He met her eyes and shook his head.

She quirked her brow at him, “Honey, trust me.  I know.  It takes one to know one and I saw through you in a heart beat, years ago.”  She didn’t bother to voice how she thought of both of them, she was pretty sure he understood her meaning exactly.  

A stray thought prompted him to ask, "What was your father's last name, Carrie?"  She looked at Hunter in surprise for a moment, before she raked her hair and sighed. 

"Lewis," she said quietly. 

"So your name is Carrie Jean Lewis Martin," Hunter asked with a grin.  That would explain why he hadn't been able to find much background on her.  Her life started at the age of sixteen with a social security card and driver's license.  Prior to that, he'd run into a brick wall.  Now he knew why.  She gave him a small nod, knowing exactly why he asked.  It wasn't her complete name, but he'd be able to find the rest of her history now.  She sighed again and raked her hair. 

*** 

At Hunter's raised voice, all three looked to the shut door at the top of the stairs. 

David smiled, "Relax guys.  She can take it.  He's yelled at her more times than I can count and she usually ends up on top."  He could see neither of them was convinced. 

"DB, I don't know how you can say that," John said.  "He's such an arrogant asshole and you let her go up there..."  His voice trailed off because they all heard Hunter's voice raised again. 

"God damn it, Dave," Mike ranted as he turned from the stove, prepared to go up to stop the abuse.  

David's arm blocked his way.  Mike met his eyes with an unspoken challenge. 

"Listen, I know it might be hard for either of you to believe but I care about her too and I wouldn't let her get hurt.  She can take care of herself.  She's been doing it for years, even when she traveled with all of us.  Hell, half of the time we were her biggest problem," David chuckled.  

Mike took a step back, but still had his face set in a stubborn frown. 

"Mike, your shit's boiling," John said. 

"Damn it," was all the other man said as he turned back to the stove to flip the heat off and pull the pan away from the heat.  

*** 

“You plan on telling your boys downstairs any of this shit,” he asked her finally.  She sighed before she said anything. 

“I probably should, I know.  But they will get just as pissed as you and will feel just as powerless.  Maybe I’ll give them some of it, just in case she can’t contain herself,” she agreed. 

“I think you should, Carrie.  They have a stake in this too.  At least one of those dumb fucks is the father of your babies,” he said.  

He was amazed that he wasn’t angry about that fact anymore.  When he’d first heard of her pregnancy, he was happy for her, but once it settled in and the possibility of Cena being in the picture, he’d been on a slow burn. 

“Okay.  Sometime soon, I’ll tell them both and watch them blow up,” Carrie said as she reached for his hand. 

“What else do you need from me, Lil’ Sis,” he asked.  He knew there was more, there always was with her. 

“I need you and your family to be in my life, Hunter.  Be a part of my children’s lives.  I don’t want them growing up thinking hip hop and country are the only acceptable forms of music.  That’s just not cool,” she chuckled. 

“Easy.  You won’t be able to get rid of me, you know.”  He smirked at her.  “Birthdays, holidays, summer picnics.  I don’t plan on being in the ring forever and I’m looking forward to coming to you for a visit, wherever you are.  Gotta teach those kids that real men have long hair and real men are blonde,” he laughed at her smile.  

"If you tell anyone I just admitted that I don't plan on being eighty years old and in the ring, I'll deny it.  I want them to think they'll have to pry my dead fingers off that belt.," Hunter chuckled, reaching out for her.  She let herself be pulled back into the warmth and strength of his embrace.  They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts for a few moments.  Several moments passed before she pulled away with a sigh, knowing she had more to ask of the man who had dubbed himself her big brother. 

"There's something else, Hunter," she said quietly reaching for one of his large hands. 

"There's more," Hunter questioned.  What the fuck else had happened to her?  He saw her take a deep breath and let it out slowly before she continued.  He narrowed his gaze at her, worried about what else she had hidden. 

"If anything happens to my family and we all die in a fiery crash, I want to list you and Nan as guardians.  I haven't done it yet because I wanted to ask you first," she said.  She looked up and saw his maple eyes soften at her words. 

"Lil' Sis, you know you don't have to ask," he said softly.  "Besides, I don't think I'm gonna let you die in a fiery crash," he smiled at her serious expression, pulling her to him again. 

"Thank you for agreeing, Hunter.  It means a lot to me.  You shouldn't have to worry about it because both Mike and John have folks that will want to be active grandparents, I'm sure.  But just in case.  She has one sister and I need to make absolutely certain that she never gets anywhere near these babies, not ever."  She paused, getting her old anger and resentment back where it belonged, dead and buried.  

"I don't know what that bitch will do, but I wouldn't put anything past her.  My legal team has been bugging me about setting up a bunch of shit for these babies.  Who knew that it could be this damn complicated," she whined.  

He shook his head at her and smiled as he hugged her tight to his chest briefly. 

"They aren't even born yet.  The fun hasn't started, trust me," he chuckled at the top of her head.  

She held on to him soaking up his strength and energy.  She missed him, even when he was being a huge pain in her and everybody else's ass.  She reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss his cheek with a smile. 

“Think they’re freaking out downstairs,” she asked him as she stepped back and grinned in to his amused eyes. 

“I’m sure,” he said quietly.  He smiled at her look, but he was troubled.  He’d deal with all the ramifications of today’s enlightenment later.  Right now he needed to be strong for her so he tucked his worries up and packed them away for safe keeping.  It was something that was second nature to him.

“Let me see.  Mike’s in the kitchen, David’s in the doorway, snagging samples of whatever Mike’s cooking and John’s leaning on the counter watching both of them.  Do you want to bet on it,” she asked him with a smile as she held out her hand to him. 

“Sure, I can’t keep losing to you,” he smiled. 

They descended the stairs and the men were arranged almost exactly as Carrie had guessed. Except David and John were in opposite places. 

“Damn, I was wrong,” she said to Mike’s relieved smile.  

He had looked up at the sound of the door opening and stopped to make sure Hunter wasn’t coming down the stairs alone to tell him Carrie was crying or some such shit. 

“It had to happen some time,” Hunter teased her.  “What’s for lunch,” he asked David. 

“French dip and some killer salad,” David said without missing a beat.  He noticed that Hunter and Lil’ Sis were relaxed and she didn’t look like she’d been crying. 

“Is there enough for me,” Hunter asked. 

“Sure,” Mike said as he slid a plate to him across the counter. 

“Baby, you okay,” John asked as he stepped up to her and away from the kitchen. 

“Yeah, sweetie.  I’m fine.  You worry too much, you know that,” she teased him. 

“Sorry, Baby.  But I know Triple H and I love you,” he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her hair. 

"I didn't have to kick him in the knees once.  Promise," she giggled as she pulled away and smiled into John's worried eyes.  She sat down as far away from the kitchen as possible, in her favorite chair. 

Mike watched Hunter eat his piled high sandwich, trying to will answers out of the blonde man.  Hunter seemed to know it because he looked at Mike and smiled, continuing to chew.  He wasn't one to waste good food when it was offered.  It was rare that he got decent food when he was on the road so he was going to enjoy the lunch, even with the stares and glares.  

David watched his buddy watch Hunter and hid his smile.  Hunter was a master at putting on a mask to keep everyone out and David watched him slide it into place as he walked down the small flight of stairs a few minutes ago.  He might learn later what their discussion was about, but he knew it would be pointless to ask now. 

Once Hunter had finished his sandwich and David had managed to engage Mike in some conversation about the weekend games, John tried to relax on the couch by himself.  He was more confused than normal around Carrie.  She always kept him guessing and today was worse than usual. 

"Cena, you need a ride to the airport," Hunter asked the other man.  

David shut his mouth at the unexpected question and waited for a response.  Mike paused in his kitchen clean up, also shocked at the source and the question. 

"Uh, yeah.  That'd be great.  Save Mike a trip.  Thanks," John said from the couch.  Privately he thought, what the fuck was that all about?  Is he gonna chew my ass in the car?  He noticed Carrie'd glanced Hunter's way at the question, but didn't appear worried by the fact that he might have just agreed to an ass kicking. 

"Are we on the same flight, Lil' Sis," Hunter though to ask.  John was surprised, it never occurred to him that she'd know. 

"Yeah, you are.  I'm impressed, Hunter.  You left home early just so you could chew my ass for a while before tonight's show," she teased. 

"I had to learn something from all those early mornings you dragged my ass through," he lobbed back at her with a smile.  She nodded back at him but stayed quiet, disconcerting John even more.

**

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