It's been a year since their divorce was final...but unlike the publicity bios, they didn't meet in 2003. No, they met a very long time before. A little bit of math shows that Tyler Keith Speno was born at the end of Samantha's freshman year of high school. Sam and Randy were 14 and 15, respectively, when Tyler was born.

The Spenos took charge. They knew their daughter was far too young to be a mother and had taken the steps to legally adopt Tyler, and change his last name to Speno. While all of the neighbors knew Sam had given birth, Tyler was treated as Michael and Michele's son, and more or less as Sam and A.J.'s brother.

It's something that wasn't much spoken about for the child's privacy. Tyler is well aware of who his birth parents are and while there is an awareness, he can't seem to actually grasp the fact that Randy Orton and Sam are his real parents, given that he was raised almost like Sam's brother. There is the occasional pang of jealousy when Tyler hears of their 'firstborn' child, Alanna Marie. Firstborn daughter, maybe, but not firstborn child. That's Tyler.

Randy has no legal rights to Tyler, and hasn't had much influence on him, but this might explain why Randy is beyond unable to get over his ex-wife; they've been together half their lives and there are actually two children involved. Sam does still love Randy, but can't trust him as far as she can throw him, right now. Since the following event happened, there is a reconciliation on the horizon, but Samantha has -NO- idea about what happened after she and Randy ended the phonecall on this night.

July 18/19, 2010

Randy Orton listened as the phone rang, running his hand over his face a few times. He lit a cigarette as he waited to see if she'd pick up or if he'd get fed to voicemail. After he got her voicemail, hung up on it and called again.

Samantha Speno groaned when she heard the phone then picked it up "Hello?"

"Samantha." Randy Orton heard her voice and leaned against the building. His ass was kicked from the match, he was tired, and she could probably hear it in his voice.

"Randy what do you want?"

"You didn't have to go out of your way to tell me you're not my girl." Randy could only be described as having a tone of defeat, a note of remorse in his voice. "I know it every day I wake up and every night I go to sleep."

Sam had an edge in her voice. "That's what you're calling me up for this late at night? Really Randy? You fucked up so don't come crying to me about how hurt you are. I've been hurting longer then you."

Randy was quiet and heard the hurt in her voice. He knew he had no right making the call.
"You won't even let me try to fix things, will you, Sammy? Your mind's made up, and that's that, right?"

Sam said, tersely, "I never said that but it's going to take time and you don't seem to get that. How many times is it going to take for you to understand Randy? If it takes longer then me having to say it twice then maybe I should be done with you and move on."

Randy Orton had never questioned her expenses, given more than she asked, has basically jumped through flaming hoops to try to make things comfortable and civil as possible. Now he's thinking she was out with a guy.

"But I love you," he said quietly. "I'm standing outside in the middle of the night in fucking Omaha Nebraska, at almost 2 in the morning telling you this."

Samantha felt tears in her eyes when she heard Randy say that. "If you loved me so much you would wait"

Randy told her quietly, "I'll wait, Sam, but just tell me there's a chance, 'cause you took the time to..correct something I said." Randy Orton had tears in his own eyes and he hadn't even had a drink yet. She knows when he drinks. "Sammy, you there?" he asked, after an awkward silence.

Samantha held the phone, and bit her bottom lip as she started to think "I...I don't know. You hurt me so much Randy, why should I let you back in my life?"

Randy felt his breath catch and used the building pretty much as support when he heard that she didn't know. It took him a minute to find his voice. " 'cause I love you, and I know what I'm missing, I know I fucked up and if you let me, I'd make you happy. I promise." His voice cracked like he'd just hit puberty.

Sam reminded him in her gentle yet hurt way, "You promised you would make me happy before. I married you because I thought I would be happy and I wasn't. The only happy thing that came out of that marriage was our amazing daughter. I just...I just don't know if I can do there with you again Randy. I love you but I don't know."

He pleaded with her. "Sammy, I was stupid." Now she'd hear that he choked on a sob. He didn't fake that shit and she knew it. "You know we did have some happiness. You can't say we didn't..please don't say we didn't. I know I fucked up. I know it more than I know anything else. Please, Sam." He paused to compose himself. "Ever since I left Missouri...please, Sammy. I can't do this without you anymore. This is killing me...this is fucking killing me."

Samantha Speno felt tears rolling down her eyes "And you don't think it's killing me? Huh? How do you think I feel? Happy as a clam? Well guess what, it's the exact opposite from that. All you care about yourself and I'm so sick of dealing with that."

Sam continued after a deep breath and an exhale. "Randy...I just I did this time away from you. I'm sorry but I do."

He was dumbstruck. "I love you. How can you say that? I don't care about me. I care about you and the baby. You've had a YEAR away from me. Baby, -please-." He stood there, physically shaking, in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Sam got quietly angry again. "Well where was that care during the marriage? There wasn't much that's for sure. A year just isn't enough and if you can't understand that maybe I should keep you away from for longer."

That did him in.

Randy couldn't even speak having heard what she just said. He couldn't put words together in the face of that threat.

Samantha sniffled as she wiped away a tear from her eye. This was so hard for her. She could tell it was hard for Randy too.

"I.. ok..whatever you...I can't do this. I need you." Randy said, and felt himself slide down the building, in the alley, sitting like a fucking vagrant, holding his phone for dear fucking life.

Sam heard his tone shift. "Randy just...why are you doing this? Why? You know I need time away from you and you call me up with this? I just...I can't be with you if you're trying to guilt me into this. It's going to take a while for me to want you or need you in my life. Please just understand that." She tried to find the best way to say it. "I love you I really do. I just can't be with you now."

Randy Orton sniffled and probably said something like ok, but it wasn't ok. "Not trying to guilt you, swear to God."

Sam disputed that. "Well that's what it sounds like."

He tried to explain. "It's not. I just love you so much. I love Alanna more than anything in the world. I just..." Randy Orton pretty much just loses it quietly and tells her to go ahead and hang up, because he's not her problem.

Sam wasn't having that. "What Randy? I'm not hanging up. You called me to talk we're going to talk."

Randy said quietly, "I can't do this anymore." He wiped his swollen eye with the flat of his hand.

She didn't quite know what he meant. "You can't do what?"

"Can't keep going on like this. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

To anyone outside the marriage, maybe what Sam said next seemed harsh, but they hadn't lived within her marriage. "You messed it up Randy not me. I put up with you for so long. I...was hurt so many times. You can't make me go back to you because of one phone call like this. I'm sorry I may be hurting you for once but I need my time away from you. You may or may not understand that but that's what I need."

He started to feel himself tense and the feeling of defeat began to creep through him. "So..when I came back for her birthday..that did nothing to bring you and me closer?" He sounded broken, and was.

Sam hesitated a minute. She loved him, but she couldn't walk on eggshells forever. If she didn't tell him specifically, she'd do both of them harm. "Only a little bit. It was still one visit just one. How do you expect me to forgive you for everything you've done to me after one visit? I can't do that Randy I just can't. No matter how much you want me to I can't." It hurt her to say these things, to relive some of it and to try and reconcile those feelings with her love for him. She started to cry harder and ran a hand through her hair as she leaned back on her bed.

Randy heard her crying like that, because of him, and pretty much, for lack of a better way to describe the emotion, felt like he wanted to die. "I figured I gave you your space. I did what I could...I tried to give you room, never questioned any decisions you made..never drunk-dialed you...I can't do this...We probably would've had a another baby by now...I've fucked everything up." He choked on his words. "I am so sorry, Sammy."

Samantha gulped hard as she listened to Randy. "You should be".

It was pure anguish in his voice when he said, "I AM." His forehead was in his free hand and his skull felt like it was going to split. "I just...want you to know one thing. It wasn't necessary for you to point out you're not my girl because that's the one thing I know more than anything in the world, and I hate myself for it." He shuddered hard. "I love you and I need you..you say you love me, but you sure as shit don't need me and you don't want me around." He wiped hard at his eye that wasn't blackened and tried to calm his breathing.

Sam was exasperated. "I already said sorry for that if you don't want to accept it fine! Go ahead and don't. You think that hurting you once is going to make us even? Well it doesn't. We're far from even. It's going to take time before I want you around."

It sounded to him like she wanted to go an eye for an eye. "Hurting me once?" he repeated, making sure he heard her right.

Sam told him exactly where they stood. "I don't know how much more I can say that before I say fuck it and end things with you forever"

It was then that Randy began to realize that Sam didn't understand that he hurt himself more than she could've, and he knows that.

She continued. "Yes once. I've only hurt you really bad once and you've hurt me a million more times than that."

So...she was keeping score. He responded to the threat with stunned silence and a gasp that caught in his throat, a sound that might've terrified her because she knows what he's capable of. He couldn't believe what she said and pretty much heard that she -is- saying fuck it and ending things with him forever.

Sam froze when she heard the gasp, and said in a pleading near-whisper, "Randy please do something for me and don't hurt yourself. Please"

He was distant when he said "I love you. And I love our little girl...and Ty." He could just about get the words out.

"I know," Sam reassured. "I never doubted that."

He listened to her voice, and he was crushed. He has perceived that she's told him it's over. "Never stopped," he said, regarding his love for them.

Sam admitted, "I never stopped loving you either," then added, "I just can't be with you right now."

He felt bile in his throat. "Or ever, r-right?" He reached the point where he was stuttering. "Sh-she gets up early, Sam. Go to sleep." He did that so she didn't have to answer his question.

She did answer, though, as she looked down. "I...don't know...alright, Randy...but if I do hang up please...please don't do anything to hurt yourself. I wouldn't be able to live if I knew you hurt yourself because of me"

Randy closed his eyes as Sammy just sealed his fate. She can't be with him now or ever. That's that. He choked out a goodbye before hitting end on the phone, "Night, Sammy."

Sam threw the phone at the wall before she broke down into tears. Randy got up in the alley, blinded by what could be called a breakdown of everything, and found his way back to the hotel.

The next thing he knew, Ric had taken him to the hospital.