~Here's the second chapter, I hope you guys are liking this one so far. Let me know what you guys think about it, reviews are always awesome and make my day! On a side note, the LAST 2 chapters of Steal a Heart as Fast as You Stole Mine are up. Alex & Keegan's saga has come to an end. But I'm working on some new stuff yay! Enjoy guys ^-^~

~Chapter 2~

Randy held his pose on top of the middle turnbuckle soaking up the hisses and the boos. If he listened hard enough he could hear the few cheers that braved the hecklers; he loved it all. He scanned the crowd with a detached scowl on his face and then jumped down to join Edge in the ring. The blonde raked his sweaty hair out of his face, the mane fell down his back. His green eyes were crazed as he gazed lovingly at the belt in his hand. Randy caressed his own championship belt draped over his shoulder and he stepped through the ring ropes. Edge followed and they sauntered up the ramp, pausing at the top to hit another pose with the belts. Hunter had always told the younger champion to give the audience a lasting impression when he won instead of fleeing behind the curtain. Rated RKO swished the black cloth aside and grabbed the offered towels from the techs. Randy hastily wiped his face off; the oil and sweat made him so sticky. He wiped the back of his neck and left the towel to hang around his shoulders. Adam also wiped away the grime from the ring; he pushed his towel over his hair and balled it up in his fist after.

"Did you hear the heat we were getting man? The crowds are really getting used to us," the blonde commented.

"Yeah man. We're definitely getting looked at more. I'm glad they're accepting us. Most teams that get thrown together aren't taken seriously so quickly."

"Especially with me being so established with Jay first; you and I are just that good."

Randy indulged in a chuckle. "Like there was ever any doubt."

"Kinda sucks they're making us drop the belts soon."

"You know about that?" Randy asked sheepishly.

"You ain't the only one with friends in high places Orton. Besides, you're getting awfully comfortable on my coat tails," Adam grinned at him, all his pearly whites on display.

"Really? Is that how you saw it Copeland? 'Cause you were barely hanging on to mid-card status before they saddled me with you."

Adam laughed and flipped the younger boy off. "Sure Orton, that's totally what was happening, you saw everything so clearly with your head shoved up Ric Flair's ass."

Randy flashed a grin all his own. "Dude, that ass is wrestling royalty; there are worst places to be stuck."

"On that note," Adam cringed slightly, "I'm hitting the showers. You coming out tonight? Rumor is there's a new boy we gotta initiate."

"Yeah, apparently I'm the one who's babysitting him. We'll see how things go. I'll text ya."

Adam held his fist out and Randy connected their knuckles in what had become their signature gesture. The Legend Killer continued down to another locker room to get his shower bag. His neck and shoulders were beginning to tighten up on him and he longed for the hot relaxing spray. He smiled at some of his co-workers while he collected his things; but didn't stop to chat. He headed straight for the cubicles in the back of the locker room.

Randy lingered under the water for longer than was probably necessary, but the steam curling around his body seemed to kiss all the right places just like a long time lover. He tilted his face up into the spray and sighed as the rivulets trailed over his deep cut abs and corded thigh muscles. Finally he turned the tap off and snatched the towel hanging nearby. He wrapped it around his waist and stepped out onto the cool tiled floor. He heard the water running in a few other cubbies as he passed by. The main locker room was empty when he reached it. He rummaged through his suitcase for clean clothes. He settled on a simple pair of faded denim jeans and a rugby shirt.

"This is getting tight," Randy thought as he pulled the navy blue and crimson striped shirt over his head.

His biceps bulged under the cotton material when he stretched his arms out and he allowed himself a satisfied smile. He raked a hand back through his damp hair, pushing some of the pieces up into makeshift spikes. He pushed his feet into his sneakers before he began to pack up his locker.

"Don't tell me this is that Orton Brat that used to run around here and cause so much trouble," a thick southern drawl made Randy drop his roll of white tape.

He turned around as a huge smile split his face. "Dusty! No way man."

"Such a way with words Randal," the older wrestler held his big arms open wide. "But it's still good to see ya son. How's your old man doing?"

Randy was engulfed by the larger than life superstar as he squeezed the air of his lungs.

"He's doing good Dusty. Enjoying his retirement as much as he can; ya know how he is. He works with some of kids around our neighborhood that are trying to get into the business now. He misses the road though."

"We all do, we all do. Retirement is a blessing and a curse to us grizzled veterans," Dusty ran his hand along his graying stubble. "But boy how we bitch and complain when we're back on the circuit. There just ain't no pleasing us," he laughed loudly, his gut shaking with the effort.

"Never was," Randy quipped. "You were the worst old timer."

"Hey now! Hey, easy there boy," The Common Man threw his hands up in mock defense. "I could still take you over my knee like when you was a boy."

Randy laughed then. "I never thought you couldn't Dusty. I know you'd still have my ass and my dad would let ya and then take second shot."

"Absolutely, absolutely. That's how we gotta do it Randal, you know that boy."

Randy shook his head feeling 15 again. If his dad was ever too busy to keep him in line backstage he could always count on Dusty Rhodes and a few others to do it for him.

"Not that I don't love the visit Dusty, but why are you here? What's the occasion?"

Dusty seem to inflate even more. A giant smile busted his whole face; cornflower blue eyes took on a light that could out shine the North Star.

"You mean you ain't heard yet boy? You're supposed to be taking him into your folds so to speak."

"What are you talking about?" Randy's forehead scrunched.

"Why my boy is debuting on RAW in just couple weeks," Dusty beamed.

"Your boy… You don't mean-"

"Hey Randy."

Randy's head snapped up to the door; that soft velvet voice was like music to his ears. It was a song he hadn't heard since he was a teenager. He stood there in a pair of jeans and a button down that looked like someone else's decision and Randy almost sniggered picturing Dusty picking it out for his son.

"Cody," he breathed.

The younger boy grinned showing off a pair of subtle dimples hiding in the corners of his mouth. There was the slightest flush on the arch of his high deliciously milky cheeks bones. Those big blue eyes were still so deep and pristine like a mountain lake. The mop of dark brown hair had been toned down, now it was cropped into a simple short style. He was still all arms and legs though, but now he carried it better. He'd bulked up a little, and had definitely grown into his body.

"Cody Runnels… I almost don't believe it," Randy murmured stepping forward.

"It's me Orton," he chuckled. "How have you been man?"

"Good. Really good," he smiled. "Busting my ass but making progress. I'm in line for another title run. Everything's going well. But what about you? Why didn't you call me when you got picked up from OVW. This is so crazy."

Cody shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to get here first to make sure it was real."

"It's damn real boy," Dusty clapped him on the shoulder. "You made it to the big time Codeman. All by yourself I might add; just like Randal. I couldn't be prouder of the both ya."

Randy blushed ever so slightly at the praise and smiled warmly at Dusty. He watched as the American Dream pulled his youngest son into brusque hug, holding him tight for a second and then releasing him with another pat on the shoulder.

"Well… I guess I'll let you two catch up for a little bit. I'm gonna go bother the boys for a while," Dusty nodded at Randy and headed down the hallway hollering out for Sgt. Slaughter.

Cody shook his head fondly watching him lumber down the hall. "Good ole' Dad."

Randy chuckled again and drew his eyes over the young brunette once more. He couldn't stop the appreciative smirk, although he did try to get rid of it when he realized. Shaking the thoughts away he turned to keep packing his duffel bag.

"So, what have you been up to Cody?"

"Just training and getting things together with Vince and stuff to come up here." Cody explained coming to lean casually against Randy's locker. "What about you? You're making a hell of a name for yourself man."

"I'm trying. It's been awesome here really. That bit with Ric and Hunter was amazing. I really learned a lot from those guys. The stuff you don't really get until you've been in the industry a while."

"Oh yeah," Cody's baby blues flashed excitedly. "Like what?"

"Well, just how much respect is valued in the business and how to gracefully negotiate backstage politics without letting anyone take advantage of you. You've got to put everyone on notice that you won't be fucked with but you should always be cool with the boys in the back. And how to keep your private life uninvolved with any bullshit that might come up," Randy explained. "Those were the most valuable lessons. And just hanging out with them man."

Cody grinned. "I bet there are some stories with Flair."

"Oh man… You're not old enough to hear any of them," the Legend Killer teased.

The younger boy rolled his eyes. "So am I really gonna have to put up with you all the time now?"

"Yeah. Aren't you lucky?"

Cody laughed. "Lucky wasn't the word I woulda used."

Randy pretended to glare at Cody's smirk. CM Punk came out of the showers holding his towel up around his hips. His hair dripped water down his tattoos and he raked a hand through it before smiling over at Cody.

"Hey, you're the new kid? Nice to see ya again Cody."

"Hi Punk. Yeah, I'm the new kid," he shrugged, "how's it going dude?"

"It's going… I'm working RAW and ECW for now so it's always going."

"Well that's nothing new to you. You've worked for two different companies at once."

"Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment," Punk tugged his shorts up under his towel before dropping it across the bench and digging out a pair of torn jeans. "Hey, is your dad here by chance?"

"Yeah he came. He's off catching up with some of the guys."

"Well sweet. Maybe I'll run into him for a few minutes," he pulled a plain long-sleeved shirt over his head and then tugged the sleeves up to show off the ink on his forearms. "Are you guys coming out tonight?"

"Out?" Cody inquired.

"I told Adam I'd let him know 'cause I didn't know I'd be getting Cody," Randy replied. "A bunch of the boys are going out after the show. You're more than welcome if you want."

"Oh… Um, yeah. Might as well just start introducing myself to everyone now."

"Awesome," Punk smiled. "Guess I'll see you guys later then."

"When did you get so chummy with CM Punk?" Randy wondered after the door shut.

"When my dad was booking for TNA. I made it to some shows and hung out with some of the guys."

"Oh. How is it over there really? Jay Reso signed with them a little while ago. He seems to like it."

"I mean they're not as big as this yet, they don't have the resources that the McMahons do; but if they get half the opportunity they're gonna get huge. They have a lot of independent guys, a lot of really great workers. You know how Vince feels about the overall package of his talent; well over there the talent is what's pushed not just the package."

Randy blinked at the younger boy. "Who are you and where is the Cody Runnels that used to be engrossed with comic books and video games?"

Cody chuckled. "The nerd Cody Runnels? I'm still him, I still love those. I just love this business too."

"Guess I can't tease you anymore," Randy smirked. "C'mon, let's go wrangle up Dusty."

~xxx~

Randy was sitting at a corner table in the club watching the usual crowd mingle and have a good time. John was at the bar buying the present round, Cody was dragged along to help him carry all the bottles back. John had been just as surprised to learn that he was the new boy and just as pleased. Cody was a welcomed addition to the roster as far as most were concerned. The few young wrestlers that didn't know him seemed to take to him naturally. Cody had always been easy to get along with.

"So how'd you get so lucky Orton?" Chris Jericho leaned over the table to be heard over the hip hop music. His glass was almost emptied of its amber liquor.

"What do you mean?" The former champion asked.

"Well you're new addition is an attractive one," the older blonde smirked.

"Oh… Cody?" Randy furrowed his eyebrows. "I mean yeah, he was always a cute kid."

"Kid? Hmm… I'd check again Orton. He looks mighty grown up to me."

Randy squinted in the direction the Chris was staring. Cody was walking in front of John a few bottles secured in both hands. He was grinning, and tossed his head back to laugh at whatever John said to him. Randy remembered appreciating that same fact back in the locker room; but it still felt strange to think about Cody like that. He was still clearly an innocent, the child-like exuberance still sparkled in his cerulean eyes, but there was no denying his grown up magnetism. Randy smiled and determined that it was acceptable to consider Cody attractive; it was the unequivocal truth.

"Hey Ortz, there's a fine piece behind the bar tonight," John sat another beer in front of him blocking his view of the beautiful brunette. Randy scowled and shifted to feast his eyes on Cody again. John arched his brow. "You hear me dude, that bar tender is pretty foxy."

"Yeah? That's nice." Randy watched as Cody took his seat just a few chairs down. Jack took his beer appreciatively and they started to chat again.

"That's nice? What have you been smoking tonight Ortz?" John sat down by his friend.

"What man? Sorry," Randy looked at theolder wrestler sheepishly.

"Oh boy…" John laughed. "You're already hooked."

"What?" Randy scoffed and took a swig off his beer.

"Don't play dumb with me Randal, it's written all over your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about Cena. You're obviously drunk already."

"Nice try. I suppose it is kinda cute though, after all you did practically grow up with the kid."

"Shut-up asshole!" Randy growled. "There's no way I would want Cody like that. He's like my little brother."

John held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. But I'm just saying I wouldn't blame ya. He's too damn cute for his own good."

Randy glared at John's wink. He wasn't ready to look at Cody in that much of a grown up light, and he didn't think anyone else should either. All he really knew was that he was glad to be around the young brunette again; he was looking forward to hanging out more and working with him in the ring. He'd just quietly admire the boy until he was used to his charm and grew immune. Cody glanced over at Randy and caught him staring; the older boy was grateful for the dim lights as he felt an uncharacteristic blush color his cheeks. Mike suddenly appeared at Cody's side and started to pull him to the dance floor. Cody gaped at Randy, imploring him to help him. Randy just snickered and made a gesture of allowance toward Mike. The ECW tag team champion grinned and dragged Cody out under the lights. Randy turned back to look at John while sipping his beer and found the Massachusetts native smirking at him. He narrowed his eyes at him and glanced across the table at Adam before jumping into his tag partner's story and ignoring John; Cena just shook his head and swigged his beer.

Randy listened to Adam tell stories about the house show a few weeks ago; he laughed at what he supposed to and interjected comments when necessary but for the most part he found himself looking for Cody all night. The young brunette was making the rounds and talking to everybody on the roster. He seemed to always be around Mike or Evan when Randy found him in the crowd. Randy smiled when Cody turned down the shot John Morrisson offered, the Shaman of Sexy shrugged and threw it back himself. Cody grimaced and shook his head. John smiled and pushed the glass away from him. Randy watched as Jeff slipped his arm behind his back drawing him into his side. He whispered something in his ear and John nodded. Jeff grinned at Cody and then took John out onto the dance floor. Randy followed the couple with smirking blue eyes. The way John pressed himself against the youngest Hardy made Randy sit up a little bit. Jeff leaned into the boy holding him close by slipping a firm hand over that tight ass. John tangled his fingers into Jeff's colorful hair while he began to roll his hips. Randy's eyes darkened and he wiped his sweaty hands on his thighs. He darted his tongue out to wet his dry lips and nearly moaned when Jeff took John in a passionate kiss. Shaking his head to clear the haze he suddenly found his eyes drawn to Cody again. The younger brunette was finally sitting by himself and he had taken his phone out. Randy got up to go over to his table. He pushed the chair in and winced when it scraped over the floor. Cena and Adam both scowled at the noise and watched him sway just a little as he walked. Randy hesitated by Cody's empty table, but didn't stop. He headed straight for the bar instead. Cody flicked his eyes up in time to see Randy bypass him for the bar. He bit his lip and went back to his phone.

"Hey there sweetheart," Randy purred. "How 'bout a shot?"

The bar tender turned around he made a show of looking her up and down. Her thick black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and cascading over her bare right shoulder. The tight one strap top was mesh and her tan skin was peeking out in all the right places. Her jeans were ripped up the leg and at the knee; Randy could already see her resting on her knees in front of him. He could almost feel that inky black silk tangled in between his fingers while he pulled on it. He purposely took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She grinned and put 2 shot glasses on the bar.

"Whatchya drinkin' sexy?"

"Pull that SoCo out baby."

Randy really did need a breath when she turned around and bent over. She sent him a smirk as she looked for the bottle of Southern Comfort.

"Damn… That's an ass," Randy smirked.

She poured the liquor sloppily into both glasses and set the bottle to the side. Randy picked up the sticky glass and they held a smoldering eye contact as they threw the shot back together. She coughed gently into the back of her hand and he snickered.

"Easy sugar, we still got all night," he poured 2 more shots.

She giggled and took the second drink. Randy ordered a beer after the shots and stayed on the stool tucked at the end of the bar for the rest of the night. He purposefully tried to lose himself in the alcohol warming his blood and kept distracting himself with the girl behind the bar; it wasn't hard to focus on the show she was giving him as she bent and reached for the bottles and the glasses. Her blue eyes always seemed to be smirking at him through her thick black lashes. Randy was just finishing off his bottle when something tapped him on the shoulder. He nearly glared a hole through John when he finally tore his stare from the bar tender.

"What?"

John's own baby blues widened at the harsh tone. "Dude, what the fuck?"

"I'm working here Cena," Randy nodded at the girl. "What do ya want?"

John's famous dimples were unleashed as he grinned at his friend. "Told you dude, she's a prime piece."

"You see that ass? Mmm…" Randy forgot John for a moment as he watched her bend over again.

"Absolutely," John nudged him in the ribs, the beer making him lean heavily against the bar. "But hey, we're about to head back to the hotel. JoMo and Jeffers are dry humping at the table, means it's time to call it a night."

Randy laughed loudly and glanced toward the table to see the spectacle. "Yeah, that usually means it's the end of the evening."

His heavy lidded eyes detected his colorful co-worker with his younger champion seated in his lap. He was about to comment that they should just let them fuck right there on the table when he spotted Cody. The new addition was curled into the booth beside Evan watching the scene with a slight blush staining his cheeks. Evan slipped his arm around Cody's shoulders and cuddled him close; Cody buried his head into the crook of Evan's neck and Randy felt his chest tighten strangely. Matt smiled fondly at the pair and tuned back to try and wrangle in his brother. Randy's breathing grew labored like he was working a match with 'Taker in the ring and he suddenly jerked up from the chair.

"Ortz? You okay man?" John put a large hand on his shoulder.

"Where's Cody going?" He huffed.

"Oh," John watched as the young brunette let Mike throw an arm around him and lean on him. "Back to the hotel with the boys."

"Which one? Jericho?"

"What? Chris left a little while ago." John replied scrunching his sky blue eyes. "It's just the end of the line man. Cabs are out front and we're grabbing them. You were working it up here so we just decided to bundle up Codes."

"Codes?" Randy hissed at him, the dark glower returning.

"Yeah," John shrugged.

"Let's go Cena," Matt hollered near the door.

"Be right there man. So… You good?"

Randy squeezed his eyes closed; his head was suddenly spinning and it felt like he was about to combust into flames.

"Cody…" he muttered.

"He's fine. He had a hell of a time. I don't think he's ever had this much fun to be honest." John clapped Randy on the back. "We'll make sure he gets to his room alright, hell he might just shack up with Evan tonight. They've been giggling like school girls since they found out they like the same video game… Something to do with Linking something… Who knows man?"

"Link from The Legend of Zelda," Randy heard himself say it and wondered just how he knew that.

"Yeah, that's it. Apparently they both just about nut over this game. But he's good, don't worry about him. We've got it covered; you just seal this deal man. I want all the horny details tomorrow." John winked at him and made his way toward the exit.

Randy watched him leave and almost followed him. He wanted to make sure Cody got to his room himself, he wanted to be the one sitting up and giggling with Cody as they talked about their childhood adventures and filled the other in on what they'd been doing since then. He wanted to cuddle Cody close and shield him from the over the top antics of Jeff and John.

"So, you're place or mine sexy?" The bar tender was suddenly wrapping herself around Randy.

Randy barley caught himself before he scowled at her and pushed her off. But the way her body molded against his; the way the fruity smell of her shampoo hit his already intoxicated senses stopped him. Instead he glanced down into her azure eyes and lost himself for a moment. They were nearly perfect. He reached around and fisted the hair at the back of her skull and crashed a bruising kiss to her lips. She moaned into it and dragged her manicured nails down his sides. Randy felt his jeans tighten and he growled.

"Mine's closer. Let's go."

~xxx~

The morning sun was having trouble peeking through the clouds; Randy hardly noticed as he sucked greedily on his cigarette. He blew the puff of smoke out to join the gray air and let his head fall forward. The 3 aspirin he took before going out onto the balcony hadn't done much for his headache yet and he cursed when the pain increased with the jarring motion. He didn't bother to pick his head up to take another drag off his smoke. The lack of sun made it chilly; Randy pulled one more drag and then dropped the butt to the ground. He heaved a tired sigh before going back in to wake up the girl from the bar.

"C'mon sugar, time to wake up," he shook her shoulder gently.

Those blue eyes fluttered opened and she smirked up at him. "When does your plane leave?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Couple hours, I've got some things to do before then so you should probably get going."

"No problem… I wouldn't mind a shower first though. Maybe you could wash my back for me." She let the sheet fall away and sat up.

Randy raked his eyes over her naked body; he slowly shook his head. "Don't think I have the time right now."

She shrugged and stood up from the bed. "Your loss sexy," she replied while tugging her jeans back on.

Randy stood up but she was already half way to the door; he pulled a sweatshirt on and went back out onto the balcony. He lit another cigarette sighing out the smoke. He watched the people below on the street while he finished it off; his mind moved and wandered just like they did but there seemed to be a central idea he kept stumbling back to.

"Cody," he sighed again. "What am I gonna do with this?"

Silence resounded around him and he thought about a third cigarette, but shook his head knowing he could smoke the whole pack out there on the balcony and that wouldn't answer anything for him. Instead he headed back inside for a shower. He texted John quickly, telling him to meet him for breakfast in an hour.

~xxx~

Randy watched John Cena shuffle off the elevator in a pair of old track pants and a huge hoodie. A baseball cap was pulled low over his eyes blocking out any offensive light. He fell into the chair across from Randy and grimaced when the younger wrestler took a sip of his coffee.

"And how are we feeling this morning?" Randy smirked.

"Ugh… Why in God's name did you wake me up at this hour?" John slumped further in the chair.

"I was hungry. Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

John shook his head as the waitress started over with another menu before asking, "about what?"

"How serious is Vince about me babysitting Cody? Do you think I could talk him out of it?"

"What?" John dragged his hands over his tired face. "What are you talking about? Why would you wanna get rid of Cody?"

"I just don't think I wanna be responsible for someone else. I'm not the kid's mother, why should I look after him?"

"Because you two grew up together, because you know that every rookie needs someone to look after them while they get their footing. Hell, Hunter and Shawn have doing it for years man. They're the reason we're here now. You were so excited to hang out with the kid last night. What gives Randy?"

"I've been thinking about it is all," he replied shifting uncomfortably in his chair, "I don't wanna have to worry about where Cody is when I'm out. I don't wanna have to worry about someone else's shit when I'm traveling. It's hard enough looking after me."

"I see," John flipped the cap up and repositioned it to look directly at the Legend Killer. "You don't want the kid to cramp your style."

"Yes, essentially."

"Bull shit man. That's fucked up Ortz. Hunter and Ric took your ass in, Shawn and 'Taker looked out for me. You've got no problems looking out for the ECW kids. What's the deal with Cody? He's a good kid."

"I don't have to travel with the ECW kids all the time. I don't have to watch out for them all the time. They can take care of themselves," he argued.

"Well Cody seems quite capable of taking care of himself too. He just needs a friend man, someone to show him the ropes."

"Well if you're so damn adamant then you do it for him."

"If you're gonna be a prick about it I will. And I'll make sure the kid knows just why you gave him the shaft too. This is bullshit Orton."

"We're not kids anymore Cena, he's nothing to me. I've got a title run to prepare for anyway. I can't be bogged down with babysitting the new kid."

John slid his chair back angrily and stood up, he scowled down at Randy. "You're not the champ yet, and with this sudden fucked up attitude I doubt that you'll get the strap back anyway. But whatever, what do I know? I'll make sure I keep Codes outta your hair."

John missed the way Randy winced when he called the boy Codes. The older wrestler turned on his heel and stalked back toward the elevator. Randy shook his head and picked up his fork determinedly when the waitress brought over his breakfast.