Published September 2011; This didn't come from the public Beyond The Mat roleplay website. This came from elsewhere; Randy's character with another writer's character were in a long-term relationship. This relationship's beginning can be found in our story "Ladies, Do Not Let RKO Buy You Anything". It ended badly, though. Here's how it went down.

Backstory: After a mega-blowout with his girlfriend the night before, Randy had left the house, drunk, after calling Rosa Mendes to pick him up. Rosa had been the "leak" from the Divas' locker room, telling him things that were being said in there about him and Eve Sharmouta. This story picks up the morning after.

Randy had taken his 'emergency bag' from the Hummer before he left with Rosa last night. While yes, he was drunk, he had the presence of mind to take his bag with him. There was always a bag packed in the Hummer. It served as his carry-on for all flights, with basics in case his luggage got lost, or stolen from as tends to happen from time to time. It stays in the car (rented when on the road, or the Hummer when in the Tampa area) for random gym trips in different cities or just trying new locations. And it gets taken with him when he's knowingly not spending the night at home.

It has a change of casual, gym-type clothes, socks, deodorant, toothbrush, shit like that. He'd set it on Rosa's coffee table when he crashed on her couch, and picked it up when he woke up in the morning. The good thing about $76.99 bottles of Johnny Walker Gold: You didn't have a hangover the next day. It's the cheap shit that does you in. The good stuff normally wears off in your sleep. A quick shower woke him up and he got dressed, and asked Rosa to take him first to the Verizon store (Yes, he had a new phone coming via FedEx but wasn't intending to go home quite yet) and then to the gym.

So the FedEx phone will sit in a drawer until he breaks this one. (And you know this one will get broken, as have all his others.) He paid out of pocket for it, the salesman looking at Randy's record and whistling lowly under his breath. "Shut up and activate the fuckin' thing," Randy almost growled. He should be a Verizon stockholder. At least get some return on his investments.

New phone in his pocket, he had Rosa bring him to the Gold's Gym on West Waters Ave. He would've preferred to go to Powerhouse, since it was a better facility, but he'd quietly been texting Hunter ever since the phone got activated.

I need to talk to you. Work out w/me. RKO

Hunter had suggested Gold's. Evolution had always preferred Gold's. You always knew what you were getting at Gold's. Even though it's a bit dated, Gold's does the job, but Powerhouse was better. But Hunter suggested it, he was in town, he was making time for Randy...so ok.

Gold's it was.

He offered Rosa gas money and to her credit, she didn't take it. She had also, while Randy slept, taken his wallet and used her hair dryer to dry it out. His credit cards, his cash (surprisingly, the same $ that was in it last night was there now, so she didn't rip him off either), everything was at least dry now. Randy thanked her for use of the couch and got out of the car.

He headed in to the gym. Hunter said to give him about a half hour, so Randy went in and paid for 2 individual sessions. "A friend is meeting me here." Of course he was recognized, and didn't care for the recognition, so he opted to wait outside until Hunter got there. He smoked a cigarette as he leaned on the plate glass exterior of the front windows, watching the traffic go by.

Hunter had made a couple of phonecalls after he'd gotten dressed and was getting ready to go meet Randy. The phonecalls didn't consist of anything like "Hello" or "how are you", or even "This is Hunter". It was one question, and then, not even a goodbye. These phonecalls were commonplace for quite some time a few years ago.

First was to Dave. "Did Orton reach out to you?" The answer was no.
The second was to Ric. He asked the same question. Got the same answer, with the added, "I haven't heard from Randal in quite some time."

Hunter deduced that if Batista and Ric hadn't been contacted, it's likely that Cody and Ted might not exactly be in the know about this, either. Ric was -the- elder, once upon a time. Dave was more of the enforcer, dragging Randy back into toeing the line as needed. Hunter was something of a mentor, keeper of the asylum, and spin doctor. Cody and Ted were now, well, they weren't Randy's subordinates anymore, but more of his confidantes. And yet, Hunter knew that there were certain things Randy wouldn't go to Cody or Ted about, if only because of their younger ages, or the possibility of looking bad in their younger eyes.

Randy knew he couldn't look any worse than he previously had in Hunter's eyes from incidents years past, but those incidents could be safely set aside as long as Randy continued to be somewhat stable and draw money and not be such a fuckup.

Yes, Hunter still spoke to the rest of Evolution on occasion. Even Ric, as risky as that might seem. When it came to certain invisible ties and chains, Hunter still kept those bonds and would call on them when needed in times like this.

It didn't take a genius to know Randy had problems, regardless of how well-packaged his DVD was. Everybody had problems. Maybe it was the featuring of Randy's ex-wife, making her look like his strength, that had been gnawing away at Randy, undermining him. Or maybe it was the featuring of his little girl as prominently. Hunter knew that Tyler was old enough to make the decision to appear, but Alanna had been featured at the choice of her parents. Hunter had more than one little girl, and knew how protective a father could be. So maybe Randy was feeling some sort of conflict, especially given the differences between Sam and Eve.

Hunter was taking in-ring psychology outside the ring to try and figure out if Randy was preparing for a downward spiral. The company couldn't afford it right now. Hunter and Randy had spoken and a new policy was added to the already existing Wellness issues. Hunter had spoken to Eve as well. He thought things had stabilized, but as Randy "needed" to talk to him, knowing Hunter was in town, but not for long, needing to take time out of Hunter's schedule...normally Randy would wait for a show, but obviously time was of the essence here. So he'd agreed and chosen Gold's.

He'd changed in the hotel room and had the driver take him to Gold's. Dropped off at the front entrance, he caught sight of Randy chainsmoking. He was stubbing out one cigarette with the sole of his Nike and inhaling off the fresh one, presumably having lit the new one off the old one.

"That shit's gonna kill you if this business doesn't kill you first," Hunter quipped, and patted Randy on the shoulder to guide him inside the gym.