Chapter Fourteen

Angel lay sprawled out across her bed late that night with a notebook in front of her. Sean, Eddie, and Mark Calloway were scattered about the room while the four of them brainstormed for her possible storylines,. The problem was that they kept coming up with story line holes. It was Angel's opinion that they were lacking something new and refreshing; Raw would have Randy Orton if she could unwrap his lips from Hunter's cock, but Smackdown hadn't selected their new standout yet.

She had an idea for Smackdown, but the problem was that there was a lack of a strong heel who was both talented in the ring and on the mic to balance him. They lacked the Hunger to their Randy. Mark couldn't wrestle full time anymore and should have already been allowed to retire. Unfortunately there was no one to protect the babies if he did so. Kurt was… Angel sighed and shook her head then replied to Mark who as just suggested the former Olympian. "Kurt won't work." Not looking up from her notepad she missed the look that passed between the three men. "Why not Mamma?" Eddie asked and Angel looked over at him not immediately answering.

Angel had learned a lot over the years from Kevin some by his words, some by his actions. some by the things he actually set out to teach her, and then there were the things that she learned just by the look in his eyes. Kevin was nothing if not a smooth talker. Sometimes she would look at him, his hair would be all golden and perfect, his lips would be curled into a perfect smile, he'd be leaned back in a chair with his legs propped up the perfect picture of ease, and yet there would be something in his eyes that made her shiver something that just didn't match the perfect picture that she had been presented with. She'd never mentioned it to anyone not her Devil Man, not Kid, not even Shawn, but she never let herself forget it while he was around. Kurt had that same look in his eyes when they were at the arena the picture of perfection with evil intentions hidden in his eyes.

"I don't trust Kurt," she finally replied still speaking softly, but this time she didn't miss the look exchanged by the three men. Quietly she mentally filed it away not mentioning that she'd thought anything of it as was her way. She knew more than people suspected, sometimes more that she suspected herself. Usually all the info she needed was hidden away in her brain waiting for all the pieces of the puzzle to be put together. "Stephanie will want it to be Kurt," Mark drawled calmly. Angel slowly turned her head towards the big Texan. Mark took note of the look in her eyes and smiled proudly even before she spoke. "I don't give a rat's ass what Stephanie wants," Angel purred. "If Stephanie pushes it we'll have words and she'll find out all the things I've learned over the years ain't just bits of information."

As the men chuckled at her big talk, Angel calmly turned her attention back to her notebook. She knew they didn't think that she could do anything physically to Stephanie, but that was ok. They could be as surprised as the rest when it happened. Angel looked down at the name she'd been drawing on her notebook and smiled faintly. She knew who she wanted. She knew who Smackdown needed. They only problem was what others would think. On paper he was perfect. He could play the heel better than almost anyone and could do so with a style that always kept it feeling fresh. His in ring skill was second only to his tremendous skill on the mic. She also knew that he would protect the others with the ferociousness of a mother protecting its young. The problem was that people didn't always understand his ways. He had a habit of building walls around himself when he felt threatened presenting people with a cold stuffy exterior. Or he would let his in ring persona do the talking, which usually did not lead to feelings of good will among men or women.

Another advantage though was that there wasn't another person alive that knew him as well as she did or what he was capable of. And then there was the fact that she was madly, deeply, and passionately in love with him… "So who is it?" Sean asked and Angel turned her head to see him watching her smugly. He probably already knew. Sean had that habit. Angel rolled her eyes at him as Mark and Eddie frowned confused while Sean laughed. Taking pity on them he caught his breath enough so that he could speak again and end their confusion. "She wants to bring in Raven."

Eddie scowled and Mark just crossed his arms leaning back. His guarded expression hid his thoughts well and Angel sighed having expected this reaction from him. He and Raven had not gotten along well since their days back when they both were just starting out together. Neither man had ever been willing to tell her what the hard feelings stemmed from and she'd never had the guts to ask Shawn or Kid about them half afraid of the answer. One of these days though she knew that she was going to have to find out what was hiding in their past that had brought on the animosity, but in the meantime she would just move on as always knowing Mark would go along with it even if he didn't like her selection.

Turning her attention back to her notebook, Angel turned back to her private thoughts until she was interrupted by Sean, on her side as always. "Angelface they aren't unreasonable men. Tell them what you are thinking." Angel sighed and pushed her notebook aside resting her head on her crossed arms. "There isn't anyone who knows him better than I do. A lot of the problems people have with Scotty are because he feels threatened by them or is expecting a certain reaction from then and he puts up his defenses. Dealing with Raven in one of his moods is something I would not recommend to anyone, however if he feels relaxed and at ease then he is an asset to any organization. Why do you think crack pipe boy wanted him so badly for TNA? He knew that with Russo there Scotty would do things for his fledgling federation that you can't buy in advertising or write into promos. Smackdown has big problems. All of which had be influenced positively by bringing in Scotty."

Eddie snorted. "Mamma there isn't anything that washout can bring but more problems. Everyone knows that the reason' he's in TNA ain't cause of Russo, but because Jeff Jarrett don't care how many drugs he does as long as he can still find his way to the ring." Mark and Sean both winced at the stupid remark knowing that the fact Eddie didn't know about her relationship with Scotty wasn't going to save him from her anger. When Angel's eyes narrowed and she rolled off her bed moving towards Eddie, Mark moved to intercept her but was stopped by a shake of Sean's head. Sean watch the veteran settle back down unhappily, but frankly didn't give a fuck if he liked being contained by an underling or not. Sean liked Eddie and was pleased that he was finally getting his overdue respect, but the out of character comment had been uncalled for. He knew that Angel had good reasons for bringing the man back that were not based on the couple's relationship and frankly he felt it was long overdue that Raven got some of his own much deserved respect from his peers. Eddie needed to learn how to separate business matters from personal feelings as well as control his famous temper in delicate situations and if Sean knew his Angel the lesson was soon to be taught.

Eddie watched the woman advance on his slowly unconcerned with her anger. He had good reason to dislike Raven and wasn't going to apologize for his rightful opinion. When Angel finally stopped in front of Eddie she was snarling and shaking with anger. "You know, Chico," she purred softly. "I am disappointed by your comments because I had always heard that you were a fair man. It seems though that I heard wrong." Sean shivered at her tome and perched at the edge of his chair uneasily grateful that it was not him on the receiving end of her wrath. He'd seen her take on men twice Eddie's size for similar remarks about Scotty's past so he knew that the Guerrero was in for a rude awakening. Sighing he quietly wished Scotty was there to see her defense of him for once because he felt that it would do wonders for the often troubled older man.

"I realize that you don't like my Raven and I am fully aware of the reasons," Angel said continuing. "I know that you have some foolish idea that he was behind your problems in WCW, Eddie. The truth of the matter though is that the only person responsible for your problems was you maybe if you had shown up once and awhile without being fucked up then you'd have gotten further. The truth is that WCW was a miserable place unless you were one of Eric's boys. IF know you were pissed because Raven's flock was such a success at a time when you were drowning in misuse, but again… don't blame Raven because he took advantage of an opportunity he'd been granted. I would suggest that it might be wise for a man living in a glass house to not throw stones, especially around someone who won't hesitate to throw them back."

Eddie snarled at the attack and would have leapt up if not for the sight of Sean out of the corner of his eye. Eddie knew that O'Haire would not hesitate to seriously hurt him in Angel's defense. "What the hell do you know about my issues with Raven?" Angel lifted the corner of her mouth into a smirk that should have at least made the man pause. Lowering one side of her shorts she revealed a tattoo of a Raven with a halo gotten many years before. "Because not only have I been one of his best friends for almost ten years, but I've been fucking him for almost as long." Eddie opened his mouth to comment but a movement from Mark's direction made him pause and the look in the big Texan's eyes made him again reconsider. He knew that while Mark may hate Raven as much as he did, he was extremely fond of his woman and also would not hesitate to hurt him seriously possibly beyond repair if necessary. Eddie closed his mouth and turned back to Angel. Quietly he wondered why someone like her would want some loser like Raven. When he stupidly asked the question, Sean wondered if Eddie would make it out of the room alive, but surprisingly angel seemed to calm at the question.

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand," she began. "Scotty puts up a lot of walls, but he has reason to. That thing Raven always says about his parents not loving him isn't far from the truth. Little Scotty didn't fit into their idea of the ideal obedient child. Heaven knows that he would have been a handful for any parent, but for his…" Angel paused shuddering before she proceeded. "Scotty has his reasons for being the way he is. Coldness and distain in one's childhood are not the ingredients to make a secure and self confident human being. He knows what people think of him and expect of him and most of the time he feels no need to fight the world's perception of him. But I've known him a long time and I know what is hiding behind all those walls he puts up and the masks he puts on. We all have a part of ourselves that we hide from the world. I just happen to be lucky enough to know what he's hiding."

Angel raised her head and turned her sad eyes towards Eddie. "Why should Scotty be robbed of love and compassion now when it is the very lack of those essential things in his life that created Raven to begin with?" Eddie nodded and bowed his head wondering what he'd missed in Raven all these years while he'd been hating him."

Read chapter Fifteen of ?? of Monster in the Shadows