Lost & Found
A postponed engagement and a relationship of vindictiveness has left Brie Bella confused and heartbroken. Can a week with the Viper help her find what's been lost? Randy Orton / Brie Bella / Daniel Bryan
A/N: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews! I am glad that there are a number of people who didn't write off this pairing and gave Randy and Brie a chance. This chapter will feature the two of them more so I hope you'll all read and enjoy.
Brianna dried her tears and smudged the mascara from the bottom of her eyes. She couldn't let anyone see her in this state. She was always known to be the sister who kept herself composed, rational, and steadfast. Still, no one know exactly what happened between her and Bryan; and she cared about him too much to ruin his reputation by telling other people about Eva Marie.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she scrambled up to get a tissue and wipe evidence of her breakdown away from her face. She walked towards the door and took a deep breath before turning the knob. "Honey," Nicole's soft voice called out as she walked into the room, "how are you feeling?"
Of course she couldn't fool her sister. "I'm all right… coping… you know."
Nicole shook her head; she didn't know. She had no idea what had happened between them and she respected Brianna's privacy and all, but it was hard to be there for her when she didn't understand her situation. "Brie, I just wish you would talk to me."
"Nicole, I can't" her voice broke, "not right now." She held her sister's hands in hers and looked into her eyes. "I love you for everything that you've done. When I'm ready, you'll be the first person to know everything."
"Promise?" asked Nicole. Brianna nodded and leaned in to hug her sister. "All right, freshen up because dinner's ready downstairs."
"You cooked?" Brianna asked in disbelief. Her sister reeled away at the first sight of kitchen knives and a cutting board. She did, however, manage to surprise everyone at Thanksgiving that one time she made the most delicious chocolate molten lava cake.
Nicole rolled her eyes, "No, the boys grilled some steaks," she paused, "don't worry, they grilled some corn on the cob and some other vegetables for your vegetarian ass."
After Nicole left her room, Brianna washed her face and willed the redness in her eyes to dissipate. She changed into a comfortable, loose tank top and a pair of leggings, and threw her hair up into a messy bun. She followed downstairs to the dining room where the boys had laid out the dinner spread. Nicole was pouring Cabernet Sauvignon into wine glasses, John was setting all the silverware, and Randy was just outside on the patio, finishing up on the grill.
"Have a seat, m'lady," John pulled a chair for Brianna, "you are the guest of honor for the evening."
She smiled at John and glared at her sister. She had a feeling Nicole had told him that she had been crying, which prompted John to be extra nice to her. Nicole raised her arms up as if to say she had nothing to do with it. Brianna decided to give her the benefit of the doubt since John was naturally caring and concerned for everyone's well-being.
Randy walked in and closed the door behind him. He set down a tray of juicy tenderloin steaks on the center of the table. The smell of the meat wafted its way under Brianna's nose and she couldn't help but mentally salivate at the thought of steak in her mouth. She hadn't eaten meat in years without a problem; and yet here she was craving the salty, savory flavor all of a sudden.
Randy took the seat next to her and shortly thereafter, they began their meal. Brianna went against her initial cravings and placed a nice array of grilled vegetables on her plate. After talking about the business and the crazy things that happened between their travels, the conversation turned to their encounter with the blonde girl from earlier that day. Randy claimed to have met her at a nightclub the previous evening while John was safely at home sleeping - a fact Nicole had to confirm with her boyfriend. The blonde's name was Megan, or was it Michelle? She had a decent enough face and apparently she was down to fuck, which was all Randy needed to bolt out of the club with her and take her back to his makeshift bachelor pad in John's guest house.
As Randy recounted his story, he couldn't help but notice Brianna picking apart the food at her plate and then glancing at the juices oozing out of his steak.
"What is it," he finally asked, "want a bite?"
Brianna's eyes widened, "Uh…"
"She doesn't eat meat, Randy," said Nicole. She was not impressed with his retelling of events from the previous night nor was she impressed that he failed to remember that Brianna was a vegetarian.
"Yeah, I know that. But she's not eating what's on her plate. Just thought she'd like my steak better."
John chuckled at the innuendo-laced statement, earning him an elbow to the gut from his girlfriend.
Brianna shook her head, "No thanks. I'm fine with the vegetables… Their delicious," she smiled weakly, reassuring the boys that the meal they had prepared was well-received.
John and Nicole had purchased tickets for a movie after dinner, but grilling took a little longer than expected so after dinner the couple were pressed to make it in time for the screening. Randy and Brianna ensured them that they should go to their movie and leave the dishes and the clean-up to them. Once they left, Randy began clearing the plates and carrying them over to the kitchen. Brianna followed suit with all the wine glasses and silverware.
"Wait, which one's mine?" Randy asked when he saw her carrying the four empty glasses by their stems.
"This one, I think," she handed it to him. Randy took it from her fingers and turned around to the wine fridge. "I don't do dishes for free," he said as he peered through John's collection. "I will do it in exchange for alcohol though."
He pulled out a Port wine and poured some into his glass. He extended the bottle towards Brianna and she obliged by letting him fill her glass. "Thanks, Randy." The sound of her voice saying his name was shaky, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't know much about Brianna except for the fact she spent most of her time with her fiance or her sister. They never spoke more than simple pleasantries. They never shared looks from across the room. She was Brianna. She had her own world of juice cleanses, arts and crafts, and whatever the hell people like her did. He was Randy Orton. He was a world apart.
As Brianna loaded the last plate into the dishwasher, Randy leaned against the kitchen island and took a sip of his wine. "So what brings you here instead of spending the week with Danielson?"
Brianna felt a lump in her throat as he said her ex-fiance's name. She took a drink before she faced Randy, "I just wanted to spend some time with Nicole."
Randy nodded despite not believing her. He knew something was up but he wasn't one to pry for details, mostly because he didn't care about anyone or anything. "Do you have any plans with her?"
She took another drink. It was a simple conversation. Why did she feel like she was being interrogated. "No, not really. I think we might go shopping and go to the spa. Why?"
"Nothing, I just want to know when she'll be off John's dick so he and I can go to a bar or something."
Brianna grimaced at his crass choice of words. They stood there in silence, both taking drinks until their cups were empty. He reached for the bottle and refilled them both. Brianna was beginning to feel her mind fog up and her sense of balance weakened. She rested against the counter and eyed Randy, who was now sitting atop the kitchen island. Up close, he was a lot larger than she remembered. At 6'5" and with those broad shoulders he definitely towered over Bryan. She wondered what it would be like to be beneath a body like that.
What the fuck? She snapped those thoughts out of her head and gulped her wine down to the last drop.
"Woah, slow down there, Brianna," he drawled. She reached out for another refill but he hesitated to tip the bottle to her favor. "You're not going anywhere are you?"
"No, I'm staying here."
Randy tilted the bottle into her glass, "As long as you're not driving anywhere and getting charged for public intoxication, you're free to get white girl wasted… on my watch."
Brianna raised an eyebrow, "On your watch?"
"Yeah, trust me. If you're going to get plastered you want me to be the one holding your hair while you puke your guts out and cry about your daddy issues."
Brianna busted out laughing, "Speaking from experience?"
"Experience as recent as this morning."
"I'll cheers to that," she clinked her glass with his and smiled.
"You're not bad, Brie Bella."
She looked down on the ground and smiled slyly, "You have the wrong idea."
"Oh," Randy leaped off the counter and stood less than a foot from her frame, "what are you saying?"
"Maybe, I am bad," each word enunciated seductively against her soft pink lips.
She could feel the world spinning around her head. Her muscles loosened up and her pupils dilated. At this point, she could feel the heat of Randy's body on hers and all she wanted to do was have him corner her against the counter. She wanted to rest her palms on the hard planes of his chest. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in. She was one sip away from Brie mode. She rested the glass against her lips and drank until the last drop; her dark eyes never leaving his.
She set her glass down in the sink and reached behind Randy to get the half-filled wine bottle. She sidestepped him and left him alone in the kitchen. Walking outside to the pool, she took a generous swig of the Port. Brianna stood still and let the cool air move through her body. She stood there just waiting for this wave to scoop her up and wash her away. And if it wasn't coming for her, she would just have to keep walking until she found it.
The tips of her toes broke the warm water's surface, but before her whole body could be submerged, she was scooped up. It wasn't a wave. It was a pair of powerful arms that pulled her away from her daze. The two bodies fell back in a thud, but she wasn't hurt. His body was strong enough to brace their fall. She turned to face him - his expression doused in confusion.
"What the hell, Brianna?"
She looked from his icy, blue eyes to the cerulean pool and made the connection. In her intoxication, she just tried to walk straight into the pool. She knew he probably thought she was crazy. Brianna started laughing uncontrollably, shaking in Randy's arms. He leaned back and stared at this perplexing figure before him. He never once gave her a good look. Maybe because he was married in the last six years; not that a marriage contract ever stopped him from ogling other women. Or maybe it was because she was the twin sister of John's high-maintenance, high-strung girlfriend and it was easier to think of them as one person. But there was something about the way she laughed - the way her eyes lit up and the way her smooth skin felt in his touch.
"Let's go for a swim," said Brianna as she stood up and began to pull her tank over her head. Before it could reach the hem of her lace bra, she felt Randy's hand stop her.
"Brianna," his voice was soft but stern, "we can't do this. You're getting married."
"You're married."
He shook his head, "I was married. I'm divorced. You know that."
"What's that like?" She dropped her shirt, letting it fall back down to conceal her torso. "What does it feel like to just stop loving someone?"
What does it feel like to just stop loving someone?
The question reverberated in his ear; the look in her eyes both distant yet yearning for an answer. She needed any answer. Any answer that could explain to her why her two year relationship was seemingly reduced to nothing for no reason at all.
"Brianna, where is this coming from?" Randy paused, "Did Bryan do something? Did he hurt you?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, forcing her to look away. "No," she lied, vividly recalling the moment he told her he slept with Eva Marie out of spite. "Forget I asked the question." She moved away from his path and started towards the house, but Randy pulled her back to face him.
"Look, if you need to talk to someone about this -"
"Randy, please," Brianna scoffed, "I wouldn't want to waste your time with my problems." She shook her arm away from his grasp and bounded for the house. He was close behind her, "I didn't just stop loving Sam," he blurted out.
Brianna stopped in her tracks. "It didn't just happen overnight." He rubbed the side of his head; he didn't really want to go walk back down memory lane and relive his failed marriage. "Time and distance away from each other just ate away at our relationship. We both began to prefer being apart than being together. She started using our daughter as bargaining chip to get what she wanted. I started fucking other women. It just became a vindictive, poisonous relationship. And in spite of all that was happening, I did love Sam and I would have done what I could to keep her and my family together. But at a certain point, what you think you feel for a person isn't enough. Loving someone takes work, and neither one of us were willing to work for it. So we ended it."
She took it all in. She appreciated Randy opening up to her about his relationship with his ex-wife, but it wasn't the answer she was looking for. Marriages in this business were like Randy's. Time and distance away from your partner ruined things and she saw that firsthand. Bryan and Brianna didn't have to worry about that because they traveled together and practically lived together. They always worked on their relationship; they grew as a couple and shared experiences like any normal couple. Their relationship was perfect up until the point Brianna woke up one morning and felt nothing for him.
She realized she had phrased the question wrong. She knew what it felt like to just stop loving someone. She wanted to know why.
Her body felt light and weightless and the room around her was spinning in circles. The gut-wrenching pull in her stomach was not a good sign. She felt dinner coming up her throat so she bounded for the powder room down the hall. Randy ran right behind her and knelt beside her hunched body. He held her hair and stroked her back.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled as she wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. "This is so embarrassing. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Don't worry about it," he smiled genuinely, "if we always meant for things to happen, then life would have no way to surprise us."
A friendship is forming between trouble-making Randy and troubled Brianna. What is the power of a bottle of red wine shared between two former acquaintances? I guess we'll find out how this changes the dynamic in the following chapters. Let me know what you think. Please read and review!