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Shivers
Topic Started: May 5 2016, 01:19 PM (21 Views)
Maggie McIntyre
The Banshee of HATE
She knew she was driving him crazy.

Though there was nothing broken in her knee, with the swelling, the doctors at the emergency room had advised her to take the time off to heal.

Maggie was doing nothing of the sort.

With enough painkillers, she’d been able to ditch the crutches and have just a brace to limp around Mike’s duplex when they’d gone back to Boston. The younger of the Dravens was worrying incessantly about her and when he wasn’t, his mind was on his rival. Maggie wasn’t dumb. She’d seen glimpses of Haven’s name in messages when Mike thought she wasn’t looking. Then again, she was doing her own planning. Alyssa Marie Haven was going to have a very big surprise coming, after a talk with Stacy Vandervort. The new Executive Assistant was kind and gracious...and fair.

Above all else, Stacy was fair.

She was in his kitchen, trying to make him the baked chicken her father had made for her...only to watch him pace in the attached dining nook. “Will you sit down? I’m not crippled and I can still make food for us. You’re making me feel like I’m made of glass or something.”

“I know you’re not crippled...but it’s bad enough you’re wrestling in three days, when the doctors prescribed rest. You don’t need to aggravate it even more...and I’m somewhat kitchen capable. At least enough to handle this for the next few days.” His tone was kind, joking...although he meant what he was saying. He’d had injuries just like Maggie’s, and if you didn’t rest it, it would linger for weeks. With a match against Jared Walsh on Friday, and a battle royal with championship implications on the line for her the following week, she needed to be as close to 100% as possible.

As did he, considering he had Indrid Calder at Fight Night...something neither of them had spoken about since returning home from Mexico.

“You don’t make baked chicken like my dad does, so I’m cooking tonight. You can get us ice cream later or something.”

She slid the tray into the preheated oven and set the timer, smiling weakly over at him as she leaned against the counter. Maggie was doing what she could to keep the weight off of her injured knee, at least until Fight Night. She was going up against Mr. Vice himself, her next match in the Path of the Warrior...and the week after that was the match for a shot at the Network Title again. She hadn’t managed to capture it the first time. The rookie heaved a sigh, her boyfriend’s next match was against someone she was terrified of.

Getting drugged in Mexico hadn’t done much to ease her night terrors, especially not after finding Calder’s creepy note. “I’m just happy we don’t have to deal with Gates anymore...that alone is a load of stress off your shoulders and mine. Stacy is a good person and I think she’ll be much better in the role than him.”

“She will. She practically ran the company herself for a period of time after I...after my ‘incident’.” The fact that Michael and Maggie had had their first real conversation while he was standing on the ledge of the roof of the D&D Investments building wasn’t a topic he felt inclined to revisit. “It’s a lot of pressure off of myself, and off of Erik, as well. That match...” He could still feel the adrenaline rush. “I’m really proud of how everything went out there.”

She nodded, “I’m proud of you...for holding the team together. You’re going to thank them all personally, right? I mean, most of them joined up out of hatred for Gates, not a love of you and your brother.” Maggie didn’t mean to burst his bubble, but it was something that needed to be addressed. Despite being a competitor, he still owned half of the company. He needed to thank those people that fought for him.

She hadn’t been able to stand by him in that match, Maggie wanted to get her hands on the bitch who’d orchestrated her humiliation too much. The weak smile turned a little stronger.

“Are you going to be able to break Calder’s face for me?”

He stopped, staring at her, returning the smile. He crossed the room to her, taking her in his arms. “Believe me, you don’t even want to hear the things I’m going to do to that son of a bitch.” He’d held his anger at the disgusting, despicable act that Calder had perpetrated at the urging of Haven. Friday night, he would unleash it. “And yes, I’ve talked to everyone but Goeren. Haven’t been able to get ahold of him since everything went down...I know he’s got a lot going on, especially with the Grace thing.” He leaned down, kissing the top of her head. “You don’t have to come out...for the Calder match. I understand.”

“Yeah--” Maggie began.

“I’m happy for you, Michael.”

The voice emanated from the television they’d left on for background noise sent an immediate chill up the rookie’s spine. That fucking voice. Belonged to that fucking boogeyman who plagued her night terrors for months now. Michael could feel the change in her instantly, a part of his girlfriend just shut down and she retreated into herself. She had a white knuckle grip on the counter as the voice echoed through the room again.

”What many fail to realize around here is that Michael Draven’s greatest strength…is his vulnerability. I want to explore that vulnerability. I want to test the limits of it. You’re a man undeterred by defeat. Mister Haven has defeated you more times than I care to recount and each time you drag your carcass back up to a vertical base and you march right back up to him and demand that he fight you again.”

Maggie’s voice was a whisper, “Can you please turn that off?”

He reached for the remote, but paused, enthralled by that horrid voice...and the words that were spoken next.

”I know what breaks you, Michael.

I know what wounds you in a way that nothing else can wound you.

It’s the woman that loves you.

She’s your heart, your rock, the one to hold your imperfect head at night and stroke your hair and speak words of inspiration in your ear…

Did it hurt you to see her humiliated, Michael?

Did it hurt you to see her made numb and helpless?

Did it…break you just a little…to see her violated?

You weren’t there to save her, Michael. When she needed you the most…you weren’t there to save her from me. You weren’t there when she sipped her tainted drink and fell boneless to the floor. You weren’t there when I caressed her like a lover and spoke whispers to her slumbering form.”


His fists clenched. He could feel the anger pulsing through him.

Calder was right.

The glass in his other hand suddenly shattered, unable to withstand the pressure of his hand squeezing it any longer. Blood began to drip from various slashes the glass had made against his skin. He turned the television off and stood, unable to form words, as Maggie hobbled over to him. She grabbed a towel on the way, pulling his wrist to her and opening his hand, delicately pulling out the shards of glass. The rookie was silent as she worked, her hands shaking as she rinsed his cut flesh under the running water of the faucet.

The towel pressed to his hand, helping to staunch the flow of his life’s blood. It would stain it permanently, but it didn’t matter.

“I don’t like him. I don’t like any of them.” Their joyous moment dashed by the voice of the Stranger. A man that scared her like no one else before. Maggie’s dark eyes went up to her boyfriend’s, “Even if you beat the crap out of him...he’s still going to come after me. He was able to drug me at the show in front of everyone...he’s been able to take on Dredd unscathed. He’s going to get me soon enough and…”

The rookie sighed. “I’m scared, Mike.”

“I won’t let him hurt you, Maggie.” He pulled her close, comforting her with one arm as he pressed his toweled hand against the counter, keeping the pressure on. “He won’t touch you...ever again..”

But he was scared, too.

What if he was wrong?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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