CHAPTER NINE

KEITH

Keith was topless and working out hard on the weight lifting bench when someone declared, "Looking good, Orton!"

Keith looked up and saw Claire Johnstone watching him with obvious interest. He vaguely knew her. Claire was a Diva down at NXT. She was traveling with the main roster for the week so she could job to Nikki Bella before Nikki faced one of the girls from his stable. Nikki was a part-time wrestler and since she had once broken AJ Lee's record for having the longest Divas title reign, she was considered a Legend. That disgusted Keith, who believed Nikki was one of the worst wrestlers ever to grace the main roster, but the fans were into the rivalry. Of course, it had been his mother who broke Nikki's record, a fact the fans had embraced and been thrilled by. Corri had only had to relinquish the title because she got pregnant with Keith. She'd once told him she was glad he'd come along because she hadn't technically been defeated when her reign ended.

Claire smiled at him flirtatiously. "Yeah, sweat's sexy, right?" He teased her. He'd never talked to her before, but she seemed to be feeling chatty.

"Extremely." She got closer. "We're athletes. We sweat. It's part of maintaining these bodies." She brushed up against him in her workout clothes, which showed a lot of skin. "You know, I've been wanting to talk to you since we were at NXT together, but I'm too shy."

He doubted that Claire could ever be called shy. He smirked at her. "Oh, really? Well, what changed?"

Claire caressed his bicep and ran one of her long red nails over his chest. Keith shuddered. Damn, he thought. That girl knew what she was doing.

"Want a spotter?" She asked instead of directly answering his question.

"Sure," he said with a smile. He went back to lifting weights. Claire stood over him and threw out encouraging phrases as he did his thing. She leaned over him so her breasts were in his face at one point and he had to look away.

This girl is throwing herself at you, he thought. Make a move, idiot! She's clearly interested.

When he finally set the weights down, he sat up and looked at her. "Do you want to get some lunch?" He asked.

Claire smiled and said, "Absolutely!"

"Let me grab a quick shower and we can go wherever you want."

"That sounds great."

Keith hurried to the shower and washed away all the sweat Claire apparently found attractive. He dried off and got changed. This might be interesting. He'd been on dates before, of course, but he'd never dated a Diva. They understood the crazy schedule and, when they were on the main roster, they were always there with you. His parents had gotten to be together all the time even while they were living their wrestling dreams. That might be kind of nice.

He walked out and saw that Claire had changed into a sexy red dress and had released her long brown hair from it's ponytail. Jesus, she's hot, he thought. She grinned like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Come on, Claire," he said. "My rental's downstairs."

They drove and made small talk. The restaurant she'd picked was a nice little cafe that charged way too much, but Keith didn't care. Money didn't mean much to him, and although he earned plenty with WWE, he hardly ever spent any of it. He could afford to spoil her if that's what she wanted.

He ordered a deluxe cheeseburger with fries, onion rings, and bacon. Working out always left him starving. Claire seemed either horrified or amused by the sight of his monster burger. He wasn't entirely sure which. She had ordered a simple house salad. The rabbit food was about the size of a toddler's meal and cost thirteen dollars.

"Is that all you're gonna eat?" He asked.

"Yep. This is plenty," Claire said. "I'm full just looking at it." She played with her fork, moving the salad around as she talked.

He'd never been one for girls who ate like birds. He was afraid of breaking them. Besides, with his aunt's recurring anorexia issues, he usually became concerned about that. Cayla hadn't had a relapse since Trixie was three, but he'd been five, and he still remembered the way she would find excuses not to eat. She always acted like she was fine, and she smiled and seemed happy, so he never thought she might not be okay. He watched her push food around on her plate without eating it the same way Claire was doing now. She'd talk a lot and keep everyone focused on that, so no one really noticed she wasn't eating. Then, something had happened that Keith could never forget. It still terrified him. The unwelcome memory flashed through his head.

Cayla was playing with Keith backstage at RAW. His father had a match and his mom was at ringside. Trixie and Nicky were following Dean around, but Cayla had looked lonely, so Keith had stayed with her. All of a sudden, she started shaking.

"I'm okay," she told him. "I'm just tired." She sat down.

Keith turned around for only a second, but in that second, he heard a noise. He turned back around to see his aunt lying on the floor in front of her chair.

"Aunt Cayla!" He called, but she didn't respond. "Aunt Cay, wake up!" He was terrified. He shook her, but she still didm't come around. "Help!" He shouted. No one heard him. He curled up with her on the floor, determined to keep her safe until he could get her some help.

He was young, so he wasn't sure how much time passed, but Big Show finally came backstage and discovered Keith clinging to Cayla and trying not to cry.

Show called Cody over to comfort Keith and reassured him he would get Cayla help. He'd proceeded to scoop her up in his giant arms and carry her out of his sight. Keith didn't see Cayla again for over a month as she went into in-patient therapy. She'd come back looking much better and she'd promised him she would never do that to him again. She'd kept her word, but part of him was still so afraid it might happen again.

"Open your mouth," he said to Claire suddenly.

She looked at him sideways. "What?" She asked.

"Humor me."

Claire laughed, but she did it. He picked up a french fry and fed it to her. She stared at him, but ate it. "That's better," he said.

"I can't eat like that," Claire said. "Fries are so fattening and greasy!"

"And delicious. Don't miss out on fun food. Live your life, Claire."

"I'm a Diva, Keith. I have to keep my figure-"

"You weight, like, five pounds. Soaking wet. You need to eat." He looked into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Claire, but if you don't eat, you'll waste away. I've seen it. Please... Just eat, okay?"

For thefirst time, her smile didn't seem forced. "You think I'm beautiful?" She asked.

"Very," he confirmed.

"You're sweet," she said. She finally actually ate some of her salad, although she refused to eat any more french fries. He still counted it as a victory.

RANDY

He'd had a rough night. The nightmares were back. He couldn't go more than a half hour without waking up screaming. Corri was terrified for him. She held him most of the night, and that helped, but this was worse than he'd been in ages. He'd finally had to tell Corri what had happened with Ginny. After cursing her head off about Harper and declaring she planned to castrate him, she'd kissed him and stopped trying to get him to sleep.

He knew it was ridiculous to be so freaked out. His monster was dead and buried... But talking about it again had made the wounds too fresh. He couldn't shake the fear, or the memories he'd thought he was over.

"Sexy? Earth to Sexy," Corri called.

He blinked at her. "Huh?" He asked. "Sorry..."

"It's okay, Randy. I understand." She took his hand in hers. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Ginny needs me. I'll find a way to deal. I can put my crap aside for her," he said.

"I can go with you."

"Ginny wants to keep this as quiet as possible. She wants me and Cody there, because she's terrified, but no one else."

"Okay. I'll be here when you're done. I'm proud of you, Randy."

"For falling apart?" He asked.

"No, Baby. For not falling apart. You can break all you want in private. That's what I'm here for. But you're putting that all aside to help Ginny, and I know how hard that is for you... You're the strongest man I know, Randy."

"I don't feel strong right now."

"That's what makes you even stronger. You feel weak and you're falling apart, but you're holding yourself together anyway. You always put others first. That is strong." She kissed him. "And sexy, for the record."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go be Ginny's rock, and I'll be waiting to be yours after."

He nodded and headed up to the "office" Paul was using for this meeting. Ginny and Cody met him there. Ginny was shaking. Cody squeezed her hand.

"Ginny! I'm glad to see you here," Paul greeted her. "I assume this is about your character and where you want it to go."

Ginny couldn't look at him. "Actually, no, Paul," Randy said since no one else spoke. "This is about something more serious."

Paul leaned back in his chair and looked at Randy. Then he looked back at Ginny and Cody and asked, "Alright, what did I miss?"

Ginny took a deep breath and tried to speak. She couldn't do it. She looked at Randy. He saw the desperation in her vulnerable eyes and he stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You can do this, Gin," he told her.

She nodded. She tried again. "Something… Something happened to me, a while ago," she began.

"What is it, honey?" Paul asked. He could clearly tell she was having issues getting this out to him and he was trying his best to sound supportive. It didn't matter. Randy knew how hard this conversation was to have. He'd done it himself two decades before.

"I… I was attacked… By a wrestler."

Paul tensed. He looked like he was trying not to accept what she was saying. "Attacked how?"

She turned and looked at Randy again. He nodded at her encouragingly. She looked back at Paul, forcing herself to look into his eyes.

"I was raped." She was still trembling, but she stood with her head up, and Randy was insanely proud of her. She was so strong.

Now Paul looked like he might attack someone. "Who did it, sweetheart? Who hurt you? When was this?" He asked.

"Harper…" She barely got the name out, but Paul caught it. His eyes bulged with rage.

"I'll kill him… When the fuck was this? I'll have his ass… Where's my damn sledgehammer?"

Randy shuddered, flashing back on the day he'd told Paul about his father. He'd had the same reaction. Rapists apparently inspired the urge to bludgeon in Paul. Randy didn't want to be back there. He took his own deep breath and focused on Ginny.

"You're doing great," Randy told her.

"It… It was a while ago. I was twelve," Ginny said.

"Tw-twelve?" Paul stuttered. "That son of a bitch!"

Ginny flinched at his rage. Cody pulled her into his arms and embraced her. "It's okay, Baby," he told her. "You did good. Everything's okay now."

"Paul." Randy said, putting as much into the single word as he could.

Paul looked at Ginny and realized she was terrified. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "Ginny, I'm so sorry this happened. I had no idea… I never would have let him stay around you, or around any of the kids if I knew."

Ginny nodded quickly, refusing to look at him. She'd stood her ground long enough to tell him the truth, but now, she needed to retreat. Randy understood that urge.

"I want him arrested, Paul. I want his ass in jail. Or dead. Either one's good," Cody said.

"I agree with you, Cody, but…" Paul paused, looking at Ginny. "Can we talk alone? Maybe Ginny should get some rest?"

"No," Ginny said. "I need to hear it. Whatever it is."

Paul nodded. "Okay, Kid. I'm going to be straight with you. It's been a very long time since this happened to you. That doesn't make it any less horrible, and I want this bastard to pay for it, but…"

"But I waited too long," Ginny cut him off. "I understand. It's fine."

"No. No, it's anything but fine. The thing is, without proof, I can only do so much. I can't have him arrested without evidence. His lawyer would drag you to court and put you through an awful trial and in the end, it would get thrown out because it would be your word against his. I can't put you through that knowing that's how it would end. It isn't fair to you."

She stood. "It's fine, Paul. I get it. I should have spoken up sooner. But now you know, so just keep an eye on everyone around him, right? It's fine." She tried to leave, but Cody pulled her back into his arms.

"Baby, stop," Cody said gently. "Let him talk."

"I already know what he's going to say. He can't do anything because I didn't speak up when it happened. It's too late. I missed my chance," Ginny said.

"Okay, you're partially right," Paul said. "I can't have him arrested, Ginny. I'm sorry. I wish that I could. I also wish I could just kill him and make this problem go away, but sadly, vigilante justice is illegal. What I can do is try to make enough of a case to have him fired. It's a very small thing, but it's something I can do so you and everyone else around here will be safe. The thing is, I need more than just your word. Another victim, maybe, or a witness."

"There aren't any witnesses," Ginny said. "No one knows."

"I'm sorry, Ginny. Truly. I'll see what I can do."

"See what you can do?" Cody demanded. "You can fire his ass and have him blacklisted, Paul! You can go to the media and warn everyone he's a fucking pedophile! You can let me handle him! I'll kill him myself!"

Randy saw Cody getting ready to throw a punch and grabbed his arm a split second before he could. "Breathe, Cody," he said gently. "I know you're furious, and you should be, but you can't just punch Paul."

"Wanna bet?" Cody asked. He pulled his hand free and tried again.

"Dad, stop!" Ginny said. She grabbed his hand and Cody immediately let go of his rage. It was rare for him to lose his temper or act unprofessional. He never cursed at his bosses or in front of his kids. Now, however, he was a pissed off father whose daughter had been hurt. All bets were off. He might just kill Paul if someone didn't stop him.

"I'm sorry," Cody said to her. "I just… You're my baby, and someone hurt you, and he's telling me there's nothing he can do!"

"He's right," Ginny said. Her tone was detached and practical. Ginny was often analytical, and right now, she was clinging to that. "Legally, there's nothing he can do unless he has proof or at least more than one accusation."

Cody looked at Randy and he saw him hesitate before he said, "You fired Bob Orton and banned him from all WWE events when Randy told you the truth."

Randy looked at him and tried to let him know he wasn't mad he was dropping his name into this. Cody had a right to be angry, and he was right. Paul and Stephanie had banned Randy's father after the truth had come out.

"That was different," Paul said. "He attacked Corri and Randy backstage, to the point that Randy had to break his hand to stop him from hitting Corri. There was a recent physical assault with witnesses. We had proof."

Cody looked defeated. He understood the business better than anyone. He didn't try to argue further. "I want him gone," he said instead. There was no emotion in his tone now.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen," Paul promised.

Ginny looked at him. Her face was brave again as she said, "Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your time." Then she walked out of the office. Randy and Cody followed behind her.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked her.

"Yeah," Ginny said. She was lying, but he didn't call her on it.

"I'm proud of you, Ginny," he said instead.

"We both are," Cody added.

"It didn't do anything," Ginny said.

"You told the truth. Every time you do that, you get a little bit stronger," Randy said. He hugged her.

"Thanks," she said. "I appreciate your help."

"I'm always here for you, Ginny."

"I know." She took Cody's hand. "Come on, Dad… I just want to get out of here."

Cody nodded. "Okay, Baby. Let's go," he said. He looked back at Randy and mouthed, Thank you as they walked away.

When he was alone, Randy immediately called Corri. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Not even slightly," Randy admitted.

"I'm coming. Just stay where you are, okay?"

"Okay." He hung up. Things had gone terribly. Sure, Ginny had told the truth, but nothing had happened. Harper couldn't be arrested after all this time, and chances were, Paul wouldn't be able to find a reason to fire him. This had been a disaster, and Ginny was devastated.

When Corri arrived, he caught her up. "That's such bullshit!" She said.

"He needs at least one more accusation before he can try to fire Harper," Randy told her.

Corri hesitated. "I may be able to help," she said after a minute.

"How?"

"I think I know someone who may have been targeted by Harper. I'll tell you more when I know for sure, okay? I'll get in touch with her later, but right now, you need me." She pulled him into her arms and Randy felt calmer. Everything was better when Corri was there. He was grounded. He was in the present. He would be alright.

SARAYA

They arrived at her family's home to the sound of a lot of noise, laughter, and drunkenness. This was not abnormal. Her older brother Zak opened the door and pulled her into a hug so tight, she let out a squeal of protest.

"Baby sister!" He proclaimed. He proceeded to hug Cayla and Trixie just as hard.

Her half-brother Roy heard those words and hurried to join them. He hugged her only slightly gentler. Then he took Cayla's hand and kissed it. "G'day, Cayla," he greeted her.

"Roy," Cayla said with a smile. She had always been easily charmed by Saraya's insane big brothers. Most people were.

"And is that my little niece? So grown!" Roy declared. He extended his arms for Trixie, who happily walked into them.

When they finally stepped inside, Saraya spotted her father sitting on the couch drinking something she suspected was alcoholic and looking like he hardly knew where he was. Perhaps that was for the best, given the circumstances.

"Is that my dear Saraya? Come here, luv, come here!" He called.

Saraya immediately went to her father. "Hullo, Dad," she said, kissing his cheek.

"And my little granddaughter? Come, me duckling!"

Trixie ran into his arms. "Grandpa!" She cried out. She hugged him tightly like she was still a little girl. She sniffled and tried not to cry.

"Now, no tears, Pet. You're home now. There will be no crying, do ya hear? You're too beautiful for tears, me duck."

"Why do you call me a duck, anyway?" Trixie asked with a laugh. "It always seems so silly."

"I'm British, luv. That's a term of endearment around here." He looked up at Cayla. "And you, dearest daughter! Come over here and give me a hug!"

Cayla hugged him and said, "It's been a long time, Ian. We've missed you."

"I missed you, too, my luvs." He sighed. "We both did." He took another sip of his drink, then pulled Saraya into his arms and said, "Someone, play something festive! I want to dance with me girl!"

Sure enough, music began to play. It was upbeat and cheerful and totally inappropriate, much like Saraya's family. That's what made it perfect. Saraya laughed as her father proceeded to dance her around the living room.

When the song ended, he asked, "So, who wants drinks? Is the little duck old enough for alcohol yet? Ah, who cares? It's a party!"

"A party?" Trixie asked Saraya.

It was Saraya's father who answered with, "Your grandmum, bless her, always said when she passed, she wanted a party thrown in her honor. She was against the idea of a funeral. She didn't want us to be depressed or to sit around mourning her loss. She wanted us to have fun and celebrate her life, and that's what we're doing here. For the next few days, this house will have a bigger party than an American fraternity house!"

Trixie and Saraya both laughed at that. "Great! We'd best have a grand old time then, eh?" Saraya asked.

"Or she'll haunt us," Zak chimed in. He took Saraya's hands and started dancing with her. Roy raised the music before taking Cayla's hand and guiding her to dance as well. Trixie was kidnapped by Saraya's father, whose dancing was even wilder than that of his sons.

Saraya tried to relax as they danced. It wasn't hard. There was good music, alcohol, and she was surrounded by her family. The only thing missing was the most important… Her mum.

Don't you be all sad, Missy! She could hear her mother scolding her. If she were standing there, she'd be saying just that. This is a party, and you're going to have fun, do you hear?

Yes, Mum, Saraya thought. She tried to force herself to do exactly that.

CORRI

Randy was doing significantly better by the time she left him. She'd texted the person she needed to talk to shortly before, and was now waiting for her to arrive.

"What's going on?" Danielle asked as she hurried in and sat down beside Corri. "Is it Danny? Did he do something else? I'm sorry. He's a good kid, really, he just-"

"Relax, Dani. This isn't about your son… At least not exactly." Corri hesitated. Did she really have a right to ask this? She liked Danielle well enough. She was talented and Corri believed she'd gotten screwed by Creative, but they weren't overly close, and this… This was very personal.

"Okay… I'm listening," Danielle said nervously.

"Danielle, I need you to tell me something honestly… And it's going to be awkward."

"Just ask what you want to know, Corri. Stalling doesn't suit you."

"Fair enough. I need to talk to you about the night your son was conceived."

Danielle stiffened. "What about it?"

"What happened? I mean, come on. You're you, and his father is not someone you'd ever go for. So how did Danny happen?"

"Alcohol." Danielle stood. "Are we done here?"

"No… I'm sorry, Dani, but we're not done. Please. This is important."

"I don't remember anything, alright? I was plastered."

"Then how did you know Danny was Harper's kid?"

"I…" Danielle hesitated. "I remember running into him in the bar, and the DNA test confirmed it when I sued for child support."

"Danielle… Are you sure you slept with him by choice?"

"That's it. I'm done talking about this, alright?" She grabbed her purse and was about to stand to leave, but Corri grabbed her arm.

"Dani, please. Harper did something a long time ago. He hurt someone. He hurt a kid. And if I don't find someone to speak up about his character, he's going to get away with it. He'll keep living his life. He won't face punishment, and she'll have to see him every time she comes to work."

Danielle's face fell. "You don't play fair."

"I'm sorry. I need your help."

Danielle sighed. "I was drinking. I'd had a bad night, and he showed up to the bar… He sat beside me, and I ignored him, because he was Luke Harper. I mean, the guy creeped me out, to be honest. My phone rang, and I answered it, and I guess… I stopped paying attention. I finished my drink, and I went to go back to my room, and… I blacked out."

"He drugged you?"

"I… I think he did, yeah. I woke up, and I was in a bed, and I was so confused… I was… I was naked, and I couldn't remember how I'd gotten that way. I saw him and I felt what he was doing to me, and I tried to put a stop to it, because… Because I'd never have slept with him… But he was drunk, too, and he just ignored me and kept going… I was too drunk to fight him off. I blacked out again when I tried, and when I woke up, he was gone. I was alone." She stared at the table.

"Danielle, I'm so sorry…"

"I figured I imagined it, or it was a bad decision on my part or something… I made excuses for him not stopping… And I just wrote it off. But then I started to feel sick, and I went to the hospital, and… And I was pregnant. At first, I was horrified. I wanted it out of me, because yeah, all I could think was Harper had put some creature inside of me and I couldn't let it stay there… But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this thing in me hadn't asked to be born, and he was just as screwed as I was… So I decided to have him, because he was a baby, not a creature, and he deserved a chance…"

"That's… Wow. I wouldn't have made that choice," Corri admitted. "Not under those circumstances."

"I liked kids… I wanted one someday, and I was afraid if I didn't have him, I'd never get another chance… Having Danny basically ended my career. I never did more than valet after that. I couldn't work while I was pregnant, so I did the only thing I could and I sued Harper for child support. I had literally nothing while I was pregnant. Your sister… She took me in for a while. She felt sorry for me, so she started booking hotel rooms for me, and when I stopped touring completely, she let me move into her old place. She didn't need it anymore with her and Saraya married, so she let me have it. She covered my bills until I had Danny, and then I had the DNA test run and proved he was Harper's, and that was that."

"Jesus, Danielle… No wonder you're so fucked up in the head."

"No offense, right?" Danielle laughed sadly. "It's okay. It's true. And I know I messed up a lot, but I tried… I tried so damn hard with Danny. I got really depressed. I tried to kill myself a few times… I would refuse to get out of bed, and as Danny got a little older, he took care of me. I was a terrible mother to him when the depression was bad, but I always snapped out of it eventually. I love him, Corri. He's my world. And I couldn't tell anyone what his father had done, because then I wouldn't have anyone to help pay for Danny's expenses. I was working, but only as a manager and valet, and I didn't make a lot from that. I needed him… I hated it, but it was true. And I didn't want Danny thinking his father raped his mother…" She hesitated. "I never said that out loud, but I guess he did. I thought it was my fault because I was so drunk… I didn't tell anyone… Oh God… He still had a job and he went after a kid because of me!"

"Dani, no! This isn't your fault. Harper's a fucking rapist. He would have done it again no matter where he was."

"Who did he hurt? It wasn't Trixie or Molly, was it?"

"No… It was someone else."

"I'm so sorry… He's a monster, and I kind of knew, but… I convinced myself I was wrong."

"It's okay, Danielle, but I need you to do something now. Because now you can. You're the only one who might be able to help me get him fired."

Danielle sighed, then nodded. "Okay. If I can help, I will."

"Thank you."

"But Danny… I never wanted him to know. He's going to be so upset."

"He'll be okay. Your son's a tough kid."

"I love him, Corri. No matter how he was conceived."

"I know you do." Corri took Danielle's hands in her own. "You can do this, Dani. You can make sure he pays for what he did to you."

"We can't have him arrested, can we?"

"No, probably not. The statute of limitations is way up on this… But Paul can fire him."

"Which, to him, might be worse than jail." Danielle nodded. "Good. I'll do it. I'll do anything I can."

Corri hoped this would be enough to make sure that Harper paid some kind of price for what he'd done. The bastard deserved it, and if she had it her way, he'd face death for his crimes.