Chapter 1

As soon as he managed to stumble down the steps behind the black curtains Shannon's eyes locked onto the nearest water cooler, throwing open the lid to grab a bottle of water from the half melted ice. He opened it up and poured it straight over his head. Half the bottle was empty by the time he stopped. He was thoroughly drenched in the freezing water and it had never felt so good to be that cold. He capped the bottle and tossed it back into the cooler without care then turned to navigate the unfamiliar halls on his way back to the locker room.

It had been only a week ago that Shannon had been issued his transfer from Smackdown! to RAW. He had been thrilled and worried with the prospect. RAW was the more respectable show, held only really huge talents, and could boost his career like no tomorrow. But Matt was there. Matt Hardy, of whom he had fought so hard to separate from, had transferred to RAW not long ago as well. Matt's transfer had also caused its pros and cons. Shannon was finally free to be Shannon Moore, instead of merely Matt's First M'Fer. He was no longer under that strict control, no insults, no beatings, and no more having to live up to the unrealistic expectations of Mattitude. Maybe Matt could be perfect, in his own delusional mind, but Shannon could never please him. It's hard to make a psychopath happy without killing yourself.

Tonight had been Shannon's premiere on the show, shocking the hell out of everyone in the audience when his music had played. He had been welcomed, though. He was pleased to see he actually had a larger fan base with the RAW crowd than Smackdown!. His match had been against Maven. It was merely an introduction match of sorts. It was set just to get him into the roll of the show, introduce him to the new crowd, and basically show off what he could do. He had won, but his victory didn't feel very rewarding. Maven may be considered unimportant to the show, but he was a pro. Even with his short amount of time in WWE he had talent like no tomorrow and the power to back it up. Shannon had gotten whipped before he gained the upper hand, which was why he was leaving a dripping trail of water through the halls and still not feeling too up and up. However, he spotted the catering that had been hired for the night and couldn't help but smile. Food was a good way to cheer up.

That's when his gaze was blocked by a big black and white V1 t- shirt. Shannon slowly looked up at its owner, staring into the familiar deep brown eyes of Matt Hardy. He had a pleasant expression on his face, but Shannon knew that didn't mean a damn thing when it came down to their relationship. He had seen Matt smiling while beating the shit out of him. Images like that still haunted him sometimes on cold nights.

"Hi Shannon."

"Hi Matt."

"You had a pretty good match out there, little M'Fer." Shannon's eye twitched slightly at being called that. "You look like you put all of your effort into it."

"Of course. I wanted to win and make a good first impression."

"Oh, I see. You'll work your ass off to benefit your own needs, but wouldn't give a damn bit of effort into our needs when we were together on Smackdown!?" Matt's voice slowly started to rise with his temper.

"No. I put all of my energy into our needs, Matt. It was your personal needs that I refused to take part in," he shot back.

"Oh, is that so? Need I remind you what M'Fer stands for when it's applied to you, Shannon?"

His eyes widened slightly. "Don't you dare fucking say that in front of all these people. If you say it, Matt, I swear to God…"

Matt glanced around at the small crowd that was watching them. Even though the argument had barely gotten anywhere they had attracted the looks of many in the crew and star studded staff. In fact, all eyes were locked on them. They waited in silence to see what exactly Matt wasn't supposed to say. He merely smiled back down at Shannon.

"Oh, c'mon now. Are you ashamed of yourself for the things you did? You don't have to be. Everyone in the whole business knows that you're a Matt Fucker, not just a Follower!"

The back of Shannon's hand made a sickly loud smack as it hit Matt's face. He stumbled back in surprise, touching his already reddening cheek as if he couldn't believe Shannon had actually touched him. A second later that malicious snarl graced his usually handsome features and he lunged. Fortunately nothing happened as Shannon was suddenly scooped up by strong arms and whirled away from Matt's reach. Behind him Shannon could hear the voice of Booker T yelling at Matt, obviously doing his best to hold the other man off. Shannon twisted out of the hold he was in and came face to face with Rob Van Dam. The martial artist had a worried expression as he looked down at Shannon, then back at Matt.

"You gotta get outta here," he said as he took Shannon's arm and pulled him down the hall quickly.

"But what about all my stuff!"

"You can have the crew take care of it for you! In moments like this you don't have much choice!"

As they ran through the halls, Shannon could hear Matt's bellowing voice echoing behind him. He was following and gaining fast. The ex- baseball player was quick on his feet to say the least. Rob stopped suddenly, halting Shannon as well. He dropped a set of keys into his hand.

"How'd you get my keys?"

"Never mind. Just get out to your truck and lock yourself in. Wait for me, okay?"

"What are you gonna do?"

They both looked down the hall as Matt rounded the corner, screaming that he was going to rip Shannon's head from his shoulders. He looked like he meant it.

"I'm gonna stop him from ever wanting to come near you again," Rob said sternly. "Now go. Straight down this hall to the door at the end. It says it's an emergency exit, but it's not. Trust me."

Shannon didn't hesitate, turning and tearing off down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him. He heard the collision of Rob and Matt behind him, the start of the fight, but didn't dare look back. He was too terrified of what would happen to him if Matt were to beat Rob. Shannon would've given anything at that moment to have never heard the name Matt Hardy or about the show RAW in his life.

Once in the parking lot Shannon made a straight dash for his truck. The little white and red Ranger shone from its place underneath one of the brightest lights. He grimaced slightly as he let himself in and locked the doors, thinking that he had made a mistake in being such a showboat about a vehicle. If he'd gotten it in black it wouldn't have been so easy to spot. Shannon turned in his seat and watched the door that he had come out of only moments ago, watching and waiting to see who would emerge. It seemed like he had waited for hours before Rob burst through the door, looking around for any sign of the Ranger. Instantly Shannon started it up and backed out of his spot, watching carefully for Rob in the mirrors. Rob jumped in with a grunt of pain and a look of panic.

"Go! He's right behind me!"

Sure enough as Shannon fought with the sticky gear shift he saw Matt coming towards the truck. He gave a whimper and slammed his palm as hard as he could against the stick.

"C'mon you piece of shit! First gear!"

Apparently yelling at it actually helped for once because the shifter finally moved and enabled Shannon to get at least some headway on Matt. Having a standard transmission didn't come in handy when you needed to get somewhere fast, but Shannon was a pro at handling his vehicle. Within seconds he was out of the parking lot, out of the main city, and headed for the freeway. Once he saw the on ramp sign he started to calm down. He knew he was safe now. He finally let himself glance over at Rob. His eye was swollen and puffy, his hair was a mess, and he was cradling his right arm to his chest.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No. I'm okay. Nothing an ice pack or two won't heal."

"I'm sorry you got involved in this," Shannon said sadly.

"Someone had to. It can't go back to what it used to be. This isn't Smackdown!. Not everyone will stand idly by and watch someone like Matt destroy someone like you."

"Yeah, isn't that storyline already in effect? Steiner, Test and Stacy right?" Shannon chuckled, but not in a funny way.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

A moment of awkward silence passed between them. Shannon had to wonder what the heck Rob had been thinking when he had grabbed him away from Matt. He hadn't just stopped a fight. He was going to end up getting involved in the whole soap opera/horror story now that he had interfered. Not to mention that Matt would have a personal grudge against him. Rob was known for protecting people when he had a reason to. Like if he was in a tag team or stable of some sort, or someone was messing with a very important opponent of his, Rob would jump in and save the day if he could. But he had no reason to save Shannon. The only thing that connected them was Matt, and Rob's feud with Matt had come and gone years and years ago.

"Do you want me to take you back to the hotel?" he finally asked.

"I don't think that'd be such a cool idea just yet. You'd be better off driving to the next city before heading back there."

Shannon almost gave a shudder at the thought of Matt waiting for him. "Yeah, you're right."

"You hungry? I just saw a sign for Denny's at the next exit."

Shannon blinked, thinking of the catered food he had been aiming for before everything else had happened. His stomach growled noisily in response. He blushed slightly, but put on his turn signal and headed for the ramp, hearing Rob laugh quietly at him.

"We both look like hell and you wanna go to a restaurant? Wouldn't you rather have McDonald's or something else with a drive through?"

"Well I'd rather have food than total crap, but Denny's is the closest it gets right around here. Plus, this truck is way to small for someone my size."

Shannon looked over at him as he stopped for a red light. He was right. All of Rob's six foot tall, 235 pound frame seemed quite squished into the small truck. Shannon grinned and drove to the Denny's parking lot without another word, though, he did insist that Rob at least tame his wild ponytail before going in. The two of them entered, pleased to see that there were hardly any people there. A pretty young waitress came over to them with a smile.

"Hi guys. Just finish the show?"

"Yeah," Rob answered her. "Think you could get us something kinda away from public view?"

"I sure can. Is it just gonna be the two of you?"

"Definitely."

"Then follow me."

She lead the two of them through the dining room quickly, hoping that no one would get the chance to bother them, and led them into the section that was usually closed in the late hours. She turned on the lights for them and let them pick their table, which Rob chose near the window that overlooked the highway. After taking their drink orders she left them alone.

"I'm surprised she didn't spaz out when she saw you," Shannon said.

"Why? Is my hair really that bad?"

"No," Shannon giggled. "I mean because of who you are."

"Well, what about you? She knew who you were, too."

"Yeah, but most people don't care unless they're rabid little teeny bopping teenagers. Then I get attacked sometimes. They seem to forget that I'm ten years older than most of them."

"They always do. They don't like thinking about the fact that we're completely out of their league. I think its okay, though. As long as they love me and respect me and don't try to pull my hair it's all good."

"Pull your hair?"

"What, that's never happened to you? They wanna touch the hair, but end up yanking it on accident."

And so the conversation went. Surprising two that seemed to have little in common could have so much to talk about. Aside from giving their orders and thanking the waitress when the food was delivered, Rob and Shannon never stopped talking. The topics spanned from the crazy fans to their home towns, from their preference in ring attire to what they would've been if wrestling hadn't existed. By the time Shannon got the ice cream he had ordered for dessert, though, the conversation had come down to what each of them had tried to avoid Matt Hardy, and his relationship with Shannon.

"Why is there green goo on top of that stuff?" Rob asked curiously.

"It's supposed to be apple flavored syrup. Wanna bite?" he offered.

"No, no, no. I'm cool." A silent pause and Rob finally asked the question that wouldn't leave him alone. "What the heck happened between you and Matt?"

Shannon's face paled slightly, but he answered anyway. "You name it and it happened. Good or bad."

"I know this embarrassed you earlier, but what did he mean when he called you-"

"Please, don't say that."

Rob stopped, taking in the shameful look on the boy's face. "So he did mean it that way."

"Yes, he did. It wasn't my fault, though. He lured me into it. Not only did he get me completely shitfaced drunk, but he convinced me that he loved me. I should've known all he wanted was to get in my pants." Shannon scowled and took an angry bite of ice cream. "Then as if that wasn't bad enough he told me I had no choice. He'd kick me off his team."

"He can't do that. That's blackmail."

"He did it. He wasn't caught either. On the other hand he didn't get a chance to take advantage of it… me very often. I was always injured from losing matches."

Rob arched a brow. "You lost on purpose?"

"Sometimes. If I knew I'd have to deal with him back at the hotel I would do everything I could to piss him off. Then I'd get my ass stomped in the ring and then back in the locker room. There'd be no way I could even lie still and take it without getting hurt more."

Again a period of silence fell between them. Rob rested his head on his folded arms, watching Shannon devour his sweets like they were life itself. He was still only a little boy in Rob's eyes even though they weren't that far apart in years. He looked much younger than he actually was, especially since he kept his face clean shaven for the show. His full face and fine blond hair made for a darling childish appearance. The green syrup on the corner of his mouth added a nice touch, too. Rob snickered and pointed it out.

"You got a little slime drooling down your face there."

"Huh?" Shannon snatched a napkin to clean himself off. "Other than making a mess of myself, I think I'm ready to head back."

"You sure you wanna go back to the hotel?"

"Yeah. By this time Matt will be in the middle of… Lita's legs judging by the way he's been acting lately." Rob winced at the comment. "Either that or he's already asleep. He may be bound and determined to make my life living hell, but he won't lose sleep over it."

"If you're sure I'll take care of the check."

"Good, cuz my wallet is in my bag at the arena."

Rob laughed at that, throwing down a hundred dollar bill without even bothering to ask for the check. The girl had earned her tip, which would be about eighty dollars if Rob guessed right. He followed Shannon back through the almost deserted restaurant and out into the parking lot. The hood of the detailed white and red low ride still sparkled even in the dim light where Shannon had parked it. The truck matched its owner in Rob's opinion. No matter how dark it may be he thought Shannon shone like another sun. Such a sweet boy, polite and kind even despite all of the pain he had gone through in his life. As Shannon started around the front of the truck, Rob grabbed his shoulder.

"Shannon, listen…"

"Yeah, Rob?"

For a moment Rob just looked at him, a somewhat saddened look on his face. Before he knew it Shannon was wrapped up in those strong arms once again. Rob squeezed him as tight as he could without suffocating or hurting him, muttering something about being sorry for all the shit that had happened to him. Shannon could barely hear any of it. He was shocked at the tenderness Rob was showing him. He was even more shocked when Rob pulled back just to lean in and kiss him. His eyes widened as he felt Rob's lips upon his own, not daring to respond out of fear. But Rob pulled away in an instant and looked down at him worriedly.

"Shannon, are you okay?"

"Why? Why'd you do that?"

Rob frowned. "Because I wanted to, I just want to show you that I care."

It seemed so familiar. The soft voice, the soothing touches, and the pleading look in those golden eyes. For a moment Shannon's mind replaced them with Matt's bittersweet chocolate gaze. He quickly looked away, covering his face. Matt had tainted his whole life so much that he couldn't even see straight sometimes. Rob's arms came around him again, this time from behind, and he rubbed his chilled arms to bring him warmth. His lips brushed Shannon's ear before he whispered.

"I care about you. I want to protect you. I don't ever want to see you hurt again," he whispered.

"I looked into your eyes a second ago and all I could see was Matt staring back at me," he hissed. He was angry, not with Rob, but with himself. "I let him get to me so deeply that he's all I ever think about. He forced himself into my mind and my body. He's practically all I know."

Rob squeezed him tighter, hearing the withheld tears underneath the fierce tone of voice. "You're not his anymore. You hear me? He can't touch you ever again."

"I know, but… For some reason I want him to. I want him back just to have those moments when he was sweet to me, when he was kind. He told me that he loved me and I think that he meant it at least sometimes!"

"Maybe he did, Shannon," Rob mumbled as he forced him to turn around, "but that's over now. You remember what nearly happened tonight. You saw what I had to go through in order to keep him off. Even with my strength he still got up cuz he wanted to hurt you so badly."

Shannon gave a small sob, pushing himself back into Rob's arms to muffle his cries against his chest. Rob held him, petting his hair and rubbing his back. He didn't try to stop him. He knew that Shannon would take a long time to heal from all the damage that Matt had done to him. The emotional roller coaster ride had left him with so many scars. As Rob listened to the wailing sounds coming from the boy in his arms he made a silent vow that Matt Hardy would pay in some way for this. It was bad karma to think such things. He knew it, but he couldn't help the way he felt. He had enjoyed punching the eldest Hardy brother square in the face. His thoughts were quickly drawn back to the present as Shannon pulled himself out of his hold, wiping the tears from his face quickly.

"I'm sorry. I'm making a complete fool of myself."

"No, you're not. You're hurting and letting it show. It's good for you actually. Holding everything inside can cause more problems than I bet you even know about."

Shannon huffed with a smirk. "Yeah, I bet, Mr. Zen Master."

Rob only smiled, his hand coming up to brush a few stray tears from Shannon's cheek. He finally got Shannon to look at him with a small smile on his face. He looked straight into his eyes and didn't turn away again. Rob leaned down to him, watching his expression as he drew closer. There was obvious nervousness on his young features. He drew back just before their lips touched. Rob stopped, asking him with only a look, and getting his answer in a slight shake of the head. He pulled away again with an understanding smile.

"It's okay, Shannon. I understand."

"I'm sorry. I just can't yet."

Rob noted the word `yet' and petted Shannon's hair. "It's okay. seriously. You've been through a lot lately. I should've known better than to come on so soon."

"It's not that I'm not interested…"

"I know. Believe me, its okay. Let's just go back to the hotel and get some rest."

Shannon nodded and pulled from his hold, going to his side of the truck. They rode back in silence. Each of them thought over the events of the evening, lost in their own thoughts all the way up to the moment when Shannon unlocked his room door. He paused and looked back at Rob, who spoke up quickly.

"Don't think that you have to invite me in. Cuz you don't. There's no obligation here at all."

"That's not what I was thinking actually. I just…" He bit his lower lip for a brief second. "I'm scared to be alone. Matt knows what room I'm in and he knows how to unlock the card readers without even using a card."

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, but please don't think I'm trying to be some sort of tease or anything. I don't want to give you the wrong idea."

Rob almost laughed out loud at that. "Shannon, how could I possibly think a Southern gentleman like you was a tease?"

Shannon got a strange look on his face, half flattery and half embarrassment, laughing as well. He finally pushed the door open and let Rob in behind him. It was technically their first night together, but Rob stood by his morals and took the lumpy couch instead of sharing Shannon's bed. For the first time in ages Shannon slept peacefully through the night.

Read Chapter 2 of 5 of Not Yours Anymore