~ Backstage, 2004 ~

It had taken him years to realize what a fool he'd been. He'd had what he wanted within in his grasp, but he'd been unable to keep it there. He'd been so close, but his courage had failed him time and time again, and then it was too late. He'd thrown it away, never even realizing he was missing anything.

He let out a sigh as he watched an achingly familiar figure across the room, smiling and flirting with another man. Happy. Without him. Not that he'd ever had him to start with, he reminded himself bitterly. There had always been something else, someone else, not enough time, not the right words...

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and he looked up to see Ric's concerned face.

"Hey, champ. You okay?" Flair's voice was low. Hunter laughed, a low, bitter chuckle.

"No." His voice held a sharp edge that even he winced at. "Pretty damned _not_ okay, Ric. And nothing you can say can fix it. Not this time. Not unless you can change the past."

Ric dropped into the chair next to him, his eyes following the direction of Hunter's gaze. Understanding lit his eyes.

"Brooding again, huh?"

Hunter nodded. "Not like I have a hell of a lot else to do right now, Ric. No wife anymore, remember?" The harshness of his tone made Ric wince.

"Sitting here like this, staring at him, isn't going to help anything, you know."

Hunter shrugged. "So? The only thing that can help is an impossibility, and we both know that." An uncomfortable silence settled over them.

****

~ Backstage, 1995 ~

"So you're the new guy, huh?" Hunter started and spun around, eyes wide, and found himself looking into clear blue eyes that captured him immediately. He didn't realize he was staring until the tanned skin around those amazing eyes crinkled with the smile the man was giving him. Flushing, he shook his hand, mumbling an apology.

The blond smiled at him. "It's okay. It's just my overwhelming charm." He winked at Hunter as he said it, then extended a hand. "I'm Shawn. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm Hunter." He paused, feeling his embarrassment fade at Shawn's easy familiarity. "Overwhelming charm?" He raised an eyebrow, and Shawn grinned.

"It got you to answer, didn't it?"

"Otherwise known as his overwhelming ego," a new voice said wryly. Shawn rolled his eyes and turned, letting Hunter see the two men who were approaching. He recognized them, too.

"Funny, Hall, very funny. Trying to give Hunter a bad first impression, huh?"

The new speaker shrugged, but his smirk remained in place. "Dunno, chico. Is it deserved?"

Shawn frowned at him. "Probably not."

"Partially honest, at least," a lower voice drawled. Hunter looked up, managing not to take a step backward as a large man stopped beside him.

"Hey there. I'm Kevin, and this furry goof is Scott." Kevin offered a hand and Hunter shook it gingerly, pleasantly surprised when the other man didn't try to crush it, as he'd been half-expecting.

"I'm Hunter. Nice to meet you." He managed not to stutter this time, at least. He saw Shawn frowning slightly and felt suddenly awkward.

"So, you're just up from WCW, aren't you?" Shawn spoke quickly to fill the silence. Hunter nodded, grimacing.

"Um, yeah. This is my first day here," Hunter managed to blurt out. Mentally, he rolled his eyes at his own tone. Way to go, Hunt. Look like an idiot in front of one of the hottest guys you've ever seen. And one that you've drooled over for the last year... "At least I haven't been pounded into pulp by anybody yet for looking at them the wrong way. That's an improvement already," he said.

Shawn's eyebrows raised in brief surprise. "They really did that?"

Hunter nodded, grimacing. "Anything you've heard about the place doesn't really do it justice." He was surprised at how quickly Shawn put him at ease. He missed the quick look that Scott and Kevin shared. Shawn frowned again, cocking his head to the side as he put a hand on his hip.

"Don't stress too much. I've heard about the way things are down there, and it's a lot different here. Vince is a pretty good boss." Hunter managed not to let his shock show at the way Shawn casually threw out Vince MacMahon's name. He'd heard that Shawn and his friends had a lot of pull around the company; apparently it was true.

"Yeah. And if you have any problems, just let us know. Not that you should," Kev said with a sidelong look at Scott. Before Scott could reply, Shawn spoke again, this time with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"So... you seeing anybody, Hunt?" Hunter blinked, taken completely by surprise by the question.

"Umm... no. I don't really know anyone yet," he said, feeling incredibly awkward all over again. Shawn smiled at him, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. Hunter's eyes widened for an instant, the casual touch like an electric shock.

"That's okay. I didn't mean to pry; sorry if I upset you," he said, sounding totally unrepentant. Hunter felt himself flushing again as Shawn stepped up to him, standing right next to him. He saw Kevin and Scott walk away, talking quietly to each other, but his attention was yanked back to Shawn as he put his other hand on Hunter's neck, running his fingers through Hunter's hair.

"You've got such nice hair, Hunter," Shawn murmured, moving even closer. Hunter could only nod, speechless as Shawn pressed against him, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed up at him. He struggled to take a breath, opening his mouth to ask Shawn what he was doing... only to find his question answered as Shawn leaned up and covered Hunter's mouth with his own, taking ruthless advantage of Hunter's surprise to plunder his mouth. Hunter stiffened in shock before leaning into Shawn, his hands wrapping around the other man of their own will, lightning rushing up his spine.

When Shawn stepped back, Hunter was nearly gasping for air. He was dimly conscious of Kevin and Scott watching them, but his attention was focused on Shawn's smile. He tried to speak, but Shawn shook his head, his smile gentling as he saw the confusion in Hunter's eyes.

"Don't, Hunt. Just... think of it as a hello. Welcome to the WWF." He looked like he wanted to say something more, but another voice cut across the room.

"Shawn... ready to go? You're up next." A new glow entered Shawn's eyes and he turned with a wide smile. Hunter's heart dropped for a reason he didn't understand, watching Shawn's reaction to the new arrival.

"Yeah, Bret. Hang on." Shawn nearly ran across the room to the dark-haired man, who was standing in the doorway with a hand at his waist, wearing a look of tolerant impatience. Hunter watched, feeling as though the room were shrinking in on him, as Shawn approached Bret, chatting animatedly. A smile crept across Bret's face and he slid an arm around Shawn's waist, dropping a kiss on his cheek.

Hunter stared, not understanding why his chest suddenly hurt. It shouldn't be a surprise that the two top guys in the Fed were together, right? Right? He slowly turned around, his eyes unseeing as he stared at his locker, oblivious to Scott and Kevin's sympathetic gazes.

****

Read Chapter2 of 10 of Penumbren's The Hermit