Content: large amounts of lameness, menstruation, relationship talk, berating of musical tastes
Characters: Stacy Keibler, Randy Orton
Summary: While driving from one Canadian city to the next, travel partners Stacy and Randy laugh, sing, and discuss life.
Notes: The songs metioned are: "The Sign" by Ace of Base, "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams, "Faithfully" by Journey, "The Reason" by Hoobastank, and "Invisible" by Clay Aiken; the movie referenced is the 1989 classic "Say Anything"; to my knowledge, Two-Bite Brownies are sold only in Canada and the PNW, but should you find these in your local grocery store (you lucky, lucky things), try them - you WON'T be disappointed. [Additional note: The third chapter shoudl be fixed now, sorry about that! And thanks to everyone who's replied!]

This isn't how she imagined the start of her day.

They had a routine. Wake up at nine, hit the hotel gym at fifteen after, work out for half an hour, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack belongings, check out by noon. From there, they hit the turnpikes and highways that Mapquest said would lead them to the next city, the next hotel, and the next arena.

Being a slave to their routine, it surprised her when a too hard laugh prompted an early return from her monthly visitor.

"Stace? You in there?"

Randy Orton made for an obnoxious travel companion now and then, but she certainly owed him for this.

"Yeah, you got everything?"

"Right here."

Stacy opened the ladies' bathroom door and accepted the gift of a plastic bag containing clean underwear and a newly-purchased box of tampons. When they had pulled up to the rest stop, she hadn't thought about raiding her suitcase or bringing her wallet. It must have been quite a sight for the people already in the building - a six-foot-tall woman managing to race to the nearest bathroom without flashing the goods under her miniskirt or tripping over her high heels.

"I'll be right out," she said, and then scurried into the closest stall.

She hated it when her body wasn't on the same schedule as she was. Usually her period came during her travels - as opposed to her days off - but she didn't mind since she knew more or less when it was going to come and she was always prepared for it. Stacy mused that this minor setback must have been her body's revenge for pigging out on carbs the night before - which was a silly thought, of course, but she needed a silly thought to comfort her as she balled up her ninety-dollar pair of stained lace panties and threw them in the trash.

At least her skirt remained spotless.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom - comfortable, clean, and bag hooked on her forearm - Stacy stood and scanned the area for Randy, finally spotting him in front of a wall of magazines, leafing through what appeared to be a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. "Randy!"

Randy lifted his gaze and nodded as she ambled toward him, snorting once his eyes returned to the magazine in his hand. "Hey, check this out." Randy held up the magazine just so. "Do they love these kinds of shots or what?"

The open pages in question showed an article on Randy's trials and successes, with the picture accompanying it honing in on one of Randy's more noticeable features. Stacy could feel the corners of her mouth twitch and she attempted to smother a giggle. "Well, it does stand out."

"Yeah, but look at the credit." Randy jabbed a finger at the photographer's name. "I don't want -guys- taking these pictures of me."

Stacy scoffed. "I swear, you -would- be the only guy who'd complain about a picture of his crotch."

"Well, hey, I'm not complaining about the size or the angle. Just the person behind the camera."

A roll of the eyes. "Whatever, are you going to buy that or can we get going?"

"Yeah, let's go." Randy replaced the magazine on the shelf and moved forward, managing a few uninterrupted steps before stopping before a display of snacks. "Whoa, wait, they don't sell these where I live." He picked up a bag labeled 'Two-Bite Brownies'. "I think they're a Canadian thing."

Randy opened the bag and Stacy peeked inside. "Oh, I've never seen those before." The brownies were small and moist-looking, shaped like miniature cakes, though it was their intoxicating scent that almost had her salivating. "Ohh, they smell good, too, get another one."

Amused, Randy picked up another bag and headed to the cash register. "You're paying me back."

"Yeah, fine."

The person behind the counter was young, probably a teenager working the summer hours he'd otherwise spend at home. He took one bag and marked it up before the faintest of amused smiles showed up on his face. "I didn't know wrestlers ate junk food."

It wasn't unusual for them to be recognized, but since they had gone virtually undetected for the entire length of their traveling this week, it was somewhat of a shock. Randy reacted sooner than she did, though, leaning on the counter with a grin. "Actually?" He then jerked a thumb at her. "Stacy eats like a pig."

This earned Randy a hard backhand to the shoulder.

"Hey, easy!" They all shared a good laugh as Randy pulled out his wallet, returning his attention to the cashier. "So how much do I owe you, my man?"

"$7.34, sir."

As Randy handed over his credit card, Stacy noticed the cashier's inability to stop smiling. He looked ready to bounce off the walls over the cool wrestlers who came into -his- rest stop, yet conducted himself with the utmost professionalism, which she appreciated. She liked the attention her job brought, but she didn't know if she could handle a mob scene right now.

"So you coming to the show tonight?" Randy asked, and it took Stacy a moment to realize that he wasn't talking to her.

"Oh yeah, I get off at two!" The cashier beamed as he bagged their purchase. "Will you be wrestling tonight?"

Randy smirked. "Against Chris Benoit."

"Awesome!" The credit card machine printed the receipt, which the cashier then handed to Randy, along with his card and a pen. "I'm a big fan of Evolution."

"Well, who isn't?" Randy chuckled and signed his name with a scratchy flourish. "But what about Stacy? Aren't you a fan of hers?"

Stacy perked at the mention of her name, then locked eyes with the cashier, who turned five shades of red before returning his gaze to Randy. "Oh yeah, definitely!" He took the signed receipt and slipped it into the cash register, still smiling. "Thank you and have a nice day!"

Randy grabbed the bag of goodies and smiled back. "Thanks, man, hope you enjoy the show."

"I'm sure I will!"

Stacy waited until they were outside before nudging Randy with her elbow. "You're never this approachable at the arena." She was used to calling it 'the arena', even though it was always a different location. "Looks like you made his day."

"He was a good kid." He shrugged and handed her the keys to their rented SUV. "Besides, the fans waiting outside arenas are usually assholes who sell whatever you signed for them. You know that as well as I do."

"True." Stacy pressed the buttons that unlocked their car and turned off the alarm, then climbed into the driver's side, throwing her stuff into the backseat. "By the way, thanks for doing me that little favor back there."

"What?" Randy closed the door as he realized what she was talking about. "Oh, that." He shrugged again and began to secure his seatbelt. "It's not the first time I've been asked to do something like that. I mean, I have a sister. But aren't women supposed to be regular at your age?"

Stacy sighed as she tugged and snapped on her own seatbelt. "Sometimes it comes when it wants." A thought came to her then, and she giggled. "Is this the same sister with the My Little Ponies?"

She tried not to laugh at Randy's reaction - his leveled gaze and pursed lips were indication enough that she had brought up something he would like to forget - but she enjoyed teasing him about it too much to let it slide. "Well?"

"Don't start."

"C'mon!" Stacy snickered as she pulled out of the rest stop and onto the road. "I can just imagine you playing with little pink horses and--"

"You gave birth to a picture of Shawn Stasiak."

"…fine, consider us even."

He always got her with the Stasiak picture. How she hated that.