Okay, so, I made a big mistake. I spent all night listening to late-night radio. You know, when they play all the songs you haven't heard in ages? Rediscovered one of my old favorites, "Complicated" by CDJ. Ended up with a list of like... sixteen songfic possibilities, actually. Anyway, I heard this song and got a great idea. It turned into this fic called "What Do I Do?"... enjoy! :) Just an FYI- it's set when Legacy was still together, so... yeah. Haha. I hope you like it. Please review!
I own nothing to do with WWE, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Legacy, or "Complicated" by Carolyn Dawn Johnson. The only creations of mine are the events in the story and the character of Alex.
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xx What Do I Do? xx
"Shut the hell up with the pickup lines, Rhodes," I scoffed, offering a laugh and a roll of my eyes as the four of us - Randy, Cody, Ted and I - stepped off of the elevator. It was two am, and we were just back from a night on the town after Raw at Green Bay's Resch Center. The night was full of fun and entertaining moments, but Cody had... gotten completely and utterly wasted, to say the very least. "Wasted" might even be an understatement. He'd been dropping cheesy pickup lines all night, and everyone had gotten a laugh out of it. I liked Cody, and I was close with him, but even I had to laugh at the fool he was making out of himself.
Cody sidled over to me, and slipped an arm around my waist. "So hey, uh, Alex… what's the chance of you…"
I smirked, and shook my head. "Not even close, Codeman."
"Damn."
"Ohhh, Rhodes just got shut down!" Randy grinned. "Ted, you get a pic of that?"
"You know it," Ted smirked, looking at his phone. "Not only did I get a pic of it… it's officially Tweeted."
"Aww, guys, stop picking on poor Cody," I laughed, giving the American Nightmare a side hug as we stopped outside his door. "Poor guy needs his beauty sleep," I joked, leaning against the wall next to his hotel room door.
Cody yawned widely as he opened the door. "Yeah, Alex is right." He pecked me on the cheek, just like he always did when he was saying goodbye. Cody and I's friendship was just... like that. Close-knit. I was the same way with Randy and Ted. "Catch y'all later…" Cody said matter-of-factly before retreating inside and closing the door behind him. A thump shortly after had told us he'd passed out just inside the door.
"Ha. Lightweight," Ted smirked. "I'm down this way. See you two tomorrow," he said, high-fiving Randy and giving me a friendly hug before bidding farewell and stalking down the hall to his hotel room. Randy and I had rooms next to one another a little way back down the hallway, so we walked back down that way together. Neither of us said much. I wasn't sure why he was so quiet, but I just didn't know what to say. So, we walked in reserved silence. Then again, Randy had always been a man of few words.
Once we got back to the room, Randy turned to me and smiled. "See you tomorrow? I say we make Cody buy breakfast."
"You really think he's gonna be up by then? And like he's going to even want to think about food? You heard Ted... lightweight," I joked.
"Yeah you're probably right," he laughed, shaking his head. "Well, we'll find out in the morning. I could use some sleep."
"Me too. Night, Randy," I said. He gave me a hug, a hug that seemed to linger for just a moment too long, before backing away and disappearing into his room and I into mine.
Back in the room, I laid on my bed. I was exhausted, but found myself unable to fall asleep. My thoughts started to drift back to the last year of my life, after I'd really become established as a "force to be reckoned with", as Matt Striker called me, in the divas division. Before I knew it, I was next in line for a women's title shot. Just as my push was heating up, Vince McMahon himself approached me about the next step in my career. Randy had just formed Legacy, and they were fast becoming the "bad boys" on Raw. Since every good stable needs a diva, and I was being pushed as a heel, it was a "perfect match", to use VKM's words verbatim.
So a few months ago, I'd officially joined them. We were proclaimed, by many of the IWC, to be "Evolution - only better". That only furthered the push, because there was a feud between Randy and Triple H over the championship, and since Hunter was Randy's mentor... well, the rest is history. As per usual with any inter-gender stable, there's got to be the romance factor thrown in there. World Wrestling Entertainment's genius - and I use that word loosely - creative team had decided that I would make a good pair with Cody. I'd been a bit apprehensive at the beginning, but then after a while it was all good.
Until recently.
I'm so scared that the way that I feel is written all over my face.
When you walk into the room, I wanna find a hiding place.
We used to laugh, we used to hug, the way that old friends do.
But now a smile and a touch of your hand just makes me come unglued.
It's Such a contradiction, do I lie or tell the truth?
Is it fact or fiction, oh the way I feel for you?
A couple of weeks after our excursion in Green Bay, we were in Cleveland for Monday Night Raw. Just as we were getting into the arena, a couple of the stage hands mentioned that Stephanie was looking for us. Great. What now? Yeah, some pictures had ended up online… so? After dropping my bag off in the divas' locker room, I made my way to Stephanie's office. Ted was already there, so I took a seat next to him. Cody came in a moment later, and sat down on the other side of Ted. It was a couple of minutes, but Randy finally made it to our impromptu little meeting. He looked disgruntled, and rather annoyed.
"Well don't we all just look like a little happy family," Steph said, rolling her eyes.
The four of us exchanged glances, wondering what the hell her problem was. Maybe she was at that time of the month. Who knew? "What's this about, Stephanie?" Cody asked.
"I just wanted to set a few things straight here. I know my dad and brother are being complete fuckheads to you. I get it. And I get how pissed you are. So I want you to be at ringside with Alex for her championship match with Maryse tonight. If you guys are out there, I know they're going to try something. And when they do, that's my cue to disqualify Maryse and strip her of the title. It's a guaranteed win for you."
I glanced around at Ted, Randy and Cody. "Sounds like a plan to me," I said.
"All systems go," Randy nodded.
"Okay. So the match is up next… good luck, Alex."
Twenty minutes later, Maryse and I were embroiled in an intense match. I had the upper hand, as usual, Ted, Randy and Cody were surrounding the ring protectively, and the crowd was absolutely dead. It was always like that. Who wanted to see the face get completely demolished? But then, just as I was setting up for my finisher, I heard the crowd come alive. One look at the stage told me all I needed to know. Vince, Shane and Hunter were all walking down the ramp: Shane was carrying a lead pipe, Vince had a baseball bat in and, and Hunter, of course, was with his trusty sledgehammer.
What the fuck? I mouthed to myself, moving to stand by the ropes as they were approaching. Before I knew it the Legacy guys were in between them and the ring. Then the brawl started. Ted was fighting with Vince, Shane was fighting with Cody, and Randy and Hunter were pounding on each other. I watched for a moment, then a louder wave of cheers from the crowd reminded me this was the middle of a championship match. I turned around and there was Maryse, clutching the women's title, ready to clothesline me. She ran at me, and knocked me over the head with the title. I hit the mat, she covered, one two three. The bell rang, her music started, the crowd went wild. After Maryse got up and started celebrating, I rolled out of the ring and stood, leaning on the apron, clutching my head.
Looking around, I saw Cody, Ted, Vince and Shane nowhere to be found. They must have taken their fight backstage. On the other side of the ring, I saw Randy getting beaten by Hunter. Then, I heard Stephanie's music start to play. Looking at the stage I saw her walk out, mic in hand.
"No no no, Maryse. You can quit celebrating now. You don't get lackies like my father and my brother and their steroid-jumped cronies to distract your opponent, just so you can sneak up on her and steal a win. I am, officially, right here and now, stripping you of the women's championship, and awarding the title to Alex." The crowd booed and I straightened up, a smirk on my face. "Because if it hadn't been for the interference, she was on her way to a win. So hand it over," Steph said. I rolled into the ring, and yanked the title from Maryse's hands before pushing her away, so as to not hog my spotlight.
The celebration wouldn't last more than a few moments, though. Next thing I knew, Hunter was in the ring. He was standing in front of me, and it was in that moment I realized how utterly huge he was. Glancing around, I didn't see Randy anywhere. Oh, fuck. Hunter shoved me, and I stumbled backward to the ropes. He was advancing on me quickly, and I was afraid of what he was going to do next. I was legitimately scared: none of us expected Hunter to react like this.
Moments later, he was being shoved out of my path, as Randy had appeared out of nowhere and tied up with The Game in the corner. I darted back to the far corner, and just watched the two fight. Damn, a simple situation had gotten way out of control. The two traded punches, and got back to the middle of the ring. One punch is all it takes, and Randy landed one huge one on Hunter. That was all it took: RKO! As soon as he'd landed the move he was back on his feet again, glaring down at Triple H, as if daring him to get back up so the Viper could coil to strike again. The Game, deciding that discretion was the better part of valor in this instance, rolled out of the ring. Maryse, of course, was there to help him up the ramp, and those two sulked away angrily.
Randy immediately moved over to my side, and helped me to my feet. "Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and handing me the championship I'd just won. I took the belt, and then looked up at him.
"Yeah... I'm fine."
"I'm gonna fuckin' kill that monster…" he said. "What the fuck was he thinking?"
"Let's just go backstage…"
He moved over to the ropes, and held them open. I climbed out, and we walked up the ramp together. Once we got backstage, he turned to me. He was clearly worried, for his eyes had in a moment gone from cold, viper grey to deep, deep blue. He put his hand on my shoulder again and hooked his other hand under my chin, tilting my head up so I was looking at him. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.
I just nodded.
It's so complicated, I'm so frustrated.
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away.
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it? Should I tell you how I feel?
Oh, I want you to know. But then again, I don't.
It's so complicated.
Once Randy believed that I was fine, he walked me back to the divas' locker room, just to make sure Hunter wasn't going to try and take me out backstage. He told me he'd drive me back to the hotel if I didn't feel like driving myself, but I told him I'd be fine. I told him I'd text him later, and then went inside the locker room. As I set the Women's title on the table and took a seat, I noticed the way I was feeling.
The thrill of being handed that championship in such an impromptu way had faded, and become replaced by something else. At first I thought it was jitters and fear from nearly being attacked by one of the biggest - literally - superstars in the WWE. But that wasn't it. That would have been gone by now…
That's when it dawned on me. I knew where I had felt this before. That night in Green Bay. After we'd gotten Cody to his room. Ted left, and Randy and I walked back down the hall together. I'd felt this same thing during that awkward silence we walked in. Only… it hadn't seemed as awkward as I'd thought. Then tonight, when we were walking backstage after the match. We were both quiet again. I hadn't said much because I was still sort of in shock about what had gone down in the ring, and how worried Randy had been about me and making sure I was okay. I thought for sure he was so quiet because he was still fuming about what Hunter had done.
There was something else though. Butterflies. In my stomach. That nervousness would have faded long ago. Wouldn't it have? It seemed like they showed up every time Randy was around. I felt like I looked at him, sort of… differently than the other girls. Of course, he was that kind of stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous. But after getting to know him, I realized there was a whole other side to him. A sweet, sensitive, caring one. I knew not many people got to see that side of him, but after what happened after my match, I felt honored that I'd been privileged enough to.
I was snapped back to reality by someone knocking on the locker room. The knocks were followed by Cody's voice, from just outside the door. "Alex? Are you in there?"
"Yeah, I'm in here. You can come in, Code," I said, standing up and moving over to the mirror. I ran a hand through my hair, then tied it up with one of the hair ties that were a permanent fixture at my wrists. I saw him come inside in the mirror, and then walk over to me.
"Are you okay? Randy said you were pretty shaken up."
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, turning to him and putting a smile on. He was so adorable. "You and Ted alright? Y'all disappeared pretty fast…"
"Yeah, we took care of it," Cody nodded, that usual half-smile, half-smirk on his face again. "I heard about what Hunter did. We'll take care of him, too,"
"Yeah, Cody, can we just not talk about that anymore, at least for tonight?"
"Oh, right, sorry," he said, pouting as if to apologize. "I'm hungry, you wanna hit up catering?"
I laughed. Leave it to Cody to turn the conversation to food. "Yeah, sounds good. I could use some food." I'd already taken off my boots, so I slipped my feet into a pair of flip-flops and followed him out of the locker room. We walked down the hall arm in arm, past the stage entrance and into catering.
Little did I know, down a back hallway that we passed, the Viper was preparing for his match. He always did that. Sulked in the shadows, getting his game face on for when it was go time. Go time not only to fight, but also to cause his masses of fangirls, like the ones that called themselves the "Snake Charmers" on Twitter, not only in the arena but watching at home too, to faint every time he posed. Unbeknownst to Cody and I, the icy blue eyes of our slithering faction leader were on us the entire time we were moving past him.
Just when I think I'm under control,
I think I finally got a grip,
Another friend tells me that my name is always on your lips.
They say I'm more than just a friend,
They say I must be blind.
Well, I admit that I've seen you watch me from the corner of your eye.
Oh, It's so confusing.
I wish you'd just confess.
But think of what I'd be losing if your answer wasn't yes?
That night, after I had dinner with Cody, and after the show was over, I went straight back to the hotel. I wasn't sure what the guys were doing, but I figured they were going out, as usual. When I got back to the hotel, I showered and changed, then got my stuff packed to fly out later that next day. I had planned on going to bed early, but I couldn't sleep. Had too much stuff on my mind. So I ended up staying up late, online and reading.
The next morning, I was woken up by my phone being blown up with text messages. They were all from Melina, trying to get me to wake up. Finally, I texted her back. Good morning to you too.
OMG! You're finally awake! she texted back.
Yeah. What's up?
Meet me downstairs. For breakfast. 15 minutes.
Rolling over, I groaned. I just wanted to sleep in. Okay. Fine. See you then. Getting up, I was cursing under my breath. Screw the company travel dress code, I was going down there in sweats. I changed into a black UnderArmour cap-sleeve BodyGlove tee and a pair of grey lounge pants. Then I tied my hair up and put my glasses on, slipped on flip-flops, and went downstairs. I found Mel already waiting by the restaurant. After taking a couple of pictures with the marks that were already there, we went inside and found a table set back from everyone else. Once we were seated and had ordered, Melina looked at me.
"So what's happening between you and Randy?"
I looked at her, confused. "What? Me and Randy? What are you talking about?"
"There has to be something going on between you."
"I swear to you, there's not. In case you have been living under a rock… I'm going out with Cody. I like him, why would I think about anybody else?" I lied. Randy had been on my mind a lot lately. I really, really, really liked him too. Just being around him. I don't know. It was hard to describe. But I wasn't going to bother. He was one of those guys that you just left alone. I didn't want to ruin my friendship with him. But I figured sooner or later he'd probably have to find out… but I'd face that tough, complicated situation later. I'd burn that bridge when I got there.
"Girl, don't even try to fool me. I've seen the way you look at him. And you might not have known it, but… there were cameras on you two backstage last night. After your match, when he was making sure you were okay? Yeah. The world saw that. And you're all he ever talks about anymore."
I was going to take a drink from my glass of orange juice, but I only got it half lifted off the table when I stopped. I looked at her. "What?"
"You're all he talks about anymore. Last night, John and I went out with him, Mike, Kelly, Ted and a couple of the other guys. Kelly and I chilled out most of the time, but every time we tried to talk to the guys, all Randy wanted to talk about was you."
I couldn't say anything. I really couldn't believe it. I was trying to push all the emotions I was having away, and now she went and told me this. Now what was I supposed to think?
I would have loved to hook up with Randy. Not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, but he was so sweet. Everyone thought he was just The Viper all the time; cold, calculating and vicious. But people were stupid. I knew he wasn't like that. I knew he cared about the people close to him more than anything, and that he would go to any lengths he had to go to to protect them. He seemed like the perfect guy. But then again, I really liked Cody too. I couldn't see myself breaking his heart just to start dating Randy.
It's so complicated, I'm so frustrated.
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away.
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it? Should I tell you how I feel?
Oh, I want you to know. But then again, I don't.
It's so complicated.
After my conversation with Melina at breakfast, I tried to put the whole Randy versus Cody situation out of my mind. I was perfectly happy with Cody, and I didn't want to have to deal with all the drama and fangirl hatred of being Randy's girl. Three weeks later, however, recent events would take an unexpected turn.
We had a house show at a small-town university in Colorado. We had to fly out early the next day, and I wasn't feeling well anyway, so we went straight back to the hotel after the show. I got there before the rest of our group and, without even thinking, went in the main entrance. Of course, fans abound. Cursing my stupidity, I started to grin and bear my way through autographs and pictures. I could feel myself running a fever, and I just wanted to shower and go to bed. But Vince always wanted us to save face, so you couldn't ignore fans once they spotted you. Unless you were the Undertaker.
After fifteen minutes of autographs, and pictures, I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. "Hey, Alex," I heard a voice jeer. Turning around, I saw two female fans standing there. They appeared to be twenty-four or twenty five, and were completely decked out in D-Generation X florescent green and black. "What can I do for you?" I asked, wondering what this was about.
"Umm. You can make us all happy and quit wrestling," she retorted, giving me a highly dirty look. The next thing I knew, her 'sidekick' had uncapped the bottle of soda she was holding and thrown it all in my face. Flashbulbs went off like mad, and I could hear a roar of laughter.
I knew I had to get out of there, before I beat the living hell out of somebody. I grabbed the handle of my luggage, turned on my heel and walked to the elevator. The people waiting were clearly smart, because they allowed me to get on the elevator alone. I was thankful for that.
A minute later, the elevator stopped on the second floor and the doors opened. Who walked on? The one and only Randy Orton. He must've just gotten back, and taken the back entrance. He stepped onto the elevator and looked at me as the doors closed. "Oh God… what happened to you?"
I was on the verge of tears as I looked at him. But I couldn't cry. Crying is weakness, and I'd been raised to fear weakness. I tried to steady my voice as I spoke. "DX marks downstairs. Got double teamed." I turned my gaze to the ground, but I could still feel his eyes on me.
The next thing I knew he was standing next to me, his arms around me in a tight hug. I didn't have the energy to even think about what I was doing; I put an arm around him and rested my head on his chest. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Are you feeling okay?"
I wondered what he meant. "Yeah, just tired. Why?"
"You're burning up. I can feel it through my shirt." He placed a hand on my forehead, but then quickly removed it. "Yeah, you've got a major fever," he said. "You need to get rest. Fast." The elevator stopped, and the doors opened on our floor. "Come on. You can stay with me, I'll keep an eye on you," he said, leading the way off the elevator.
I followed him. "My stuff is all at my room though," I said. "And I have to change and shower…"
"Okay. At least let me help you get settled. I don't want you to pass out and hit your head or anything."
I just looked at him, hoping I was doing a great job of hiding the amazement on my face. "Okay."
Twenty minutes later, after we'd gotten back to the hotel room, I'd taken a lukewarm shower and changed into some decent sleeping clothes. I walked back out to go into the kitchen to say goodbye to Randy, but I found him standing near the window in the bedroom instead. When he heard me come in, he turned around. "You need sleep," he said. There was a caring in his voice I'd never heard before. Moving to the bedside table, he picked up a cool washcloth and handed it to me. "For your forehead," he said. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep. By then, the fever should have broken."
"Randy, it's almost midnight. And we have to fly out at nine-thirty tomorrow… you can go, I'll be fine."
Randy just shrugged. "It's fine. It shouldn't take long for you to fall asleep anyway." He sat down on one side, and patted the other. "Lay down. You need rest."
Moving to the other side of the bed, I laid down next to him. Without even thinking, I snuggled down next to him, my head resting on his chest, the cool cloth over my forehead. For the first time all day I felt completely relaxed, and started to feel just slightly better as I drifted off to sleep. I still felt guilty that Randy was staying here until I fell asleep, though, when he didn't have to.
Little did I know, he wouldn't leave my side until the next morning.
Oh, I hate it.
'Cause I've waited
So long for someone like you
Oh, what do I do?
Oh should I say it?
Should I tell you how I feel?
I want you to know, but then again I don't.
It's so complicated.
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The end. Currently working on a second part to this, from Randy's POV, called "Let Me Fall". Please review this part, and let me know if you'd like to see "Let Me Fall" or not. Thanks. :)
