AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I left you two on a cliffhanger ... SORRY [x I just had to do that , it was too tempting . Btw , I travel often and have been on planes from Economy to Business to First Class , but I had to BS some stuff to make the story work , so bear with me [: I know I'm neglecting my other stories , ESPECIALLY 'Legacy Long Awaits' , but rest assured that I will NOT be updating this story again until those both are updated ! And I will update by next weekend , PROMISE :D My motivation to update 'Sunshine Through the Storm' and Legacy is actually this story , to be honest [x Anyways , no HUGEEE authors note this time , just onwards with the story ![;

-xoxo

Katherine Nicotra ;D

Chapter 8:

ISTELLA'S POV-

I gasped as he grasped my shoulders, and shut my eyes. His hands were actually gripping me lightly, and I felt a slight dampness on my shoulder as his blood seeped through the cloth and onto my arm. I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I tried to fight my two emotions: my fear for Randy's well-being, and my fear for my own life.

I heard his breathing, deep and ragged, and tried to stop from whimpering or making any noise. I had no idea what Randy was thinking, or if he was even in his right mind, so speaking to him was out of the question. His hands moved down, stopping at my elbows, and I gasped as I felt his hands slide around me in a... in a hug.

I slowly wrapped my arms around Randy's chest, relaxing as I felt his warmth. I didn't know why, but just being near Randy, no matter what state he was in, brought me comfort and safety. I made a small mental note to change my shirt as I felt Randy's breath by my ear, his breathing slowing into a steady, slow rhythm.

"I'm scared..." I couldn't stop myself from whispering. I felt Randy shift, and tensed as I imagined him pushing me into the wall or punching me. Instead, he brought up his good hand to wipe the tears from my face.

"Don't be scared," he whispered, sounding almost childlike. I nodded, not moving my head from his chest. I felt so scared for Randy, and what he could do to himself, and how he was destroying himself.

"I'll try." I calmed myself, feeling Randy's arm slip back around me, his cheek resting on top of my head. He moved his head so his lips were at my ear.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Randy's voice was a low whisper, and I stopped myself from shivering as his breath tickled my ear.

"It's okay... Wait. I'm not scared of you." I pulled my head up, looking into Randy's blue eyes. They weren't clouded anymore, which was good, but I was confused. What was he talking about.

"You just said that you were scared. You're not scared of me, though. What are you scared of?" He looked right into my eyes, and I tried to control my blushing as I remembered his eyes from that drunken night, smoldering with- ah, shit, I had gone and remembered it again. My own personal poison. I looked down, not able to take his penetrating gaze.

"I... I'm afraid of you hurting yourself again. I don't want you getting hurt." I whispered the words, afraid that he was going to hate me. Instead, he used his fingers to pull my head up by my chin, staring right at me.

"Do you really mean that?" I saw his reluctance to believe me, and I nodded to him.

"I just don't want it going too far. If it's not hurting someone else, then it's hurting yourself." I tried to explain my feelings, and felt annoyed that I couldn't convey my emotions.

"It's okay. I won't ever hurt myself or anyone else too bad." I watched his eyes get a faraway look, and watched as his eyes shifted from darker blue to a lighter blue.

"Alright. Now come with me." I grabbed Randy's good hand, pulling out of the embrace, and led him to the bathroom.

We walked into the bathroom, and i let go of his hand. I turned on the tap, and as soon as the water warmed up, I grabbed Randy's injured right hand delicately, putting it under the water. I heard Randy's low hiss of breath as the water touched his hand, and I smiled at him supportively. "It's okay Randy. It'll help," I spoke soothingly. I squeezed soap into my hand and washed his cuts, ignoring the small hisses coming from him. I shut off the water and wrapped his hand in a towel delicately, not wanting to push any of the glass into his hand. I then grabbed his good hand once more, and walked out with him following.

"Where are you taking me? I feel like a kid that got in trouble by his mom." He chuckled softly, and I smiled, shaking my head. We entered my room, and I turned around to him.

"Sit," I directed, pointing to the bed as I kneeled next to my small carry on bag, which I had not taken downstairs, rummaging through it. I turned around to see Randy shooting me a disbelieving look, and I waited for him to sit. "What?" I finally asked, as he still stood there.

"Nobody ever tells me what to do that way." Randy's voice wasn't harsh, it was just surprised. I couldn't help myself as I snorted, standing up to face him completely.

"Well, Mr. Orton, get used to it. If you want to be my friend, get one thing: I will not be treating you like your the shit. However, if you give me reason to, I will treat you like shit." I smiled at him as angelically as possible before returning to my bag. I gasped as I felt Randy pull me back up from my upper arm. I looked at his smirk and raised my eyebrow, waiting to see the reason for his interruption.

"I think it'd be your best interest not to provoke me, princess." Randy let go of my arm, and I failed at covering my pain. Randy had grabbed my arm where he had bruised me before, and I was still sore there. I inwardly groaned as Randy's eyes flashed, and his eyes immediately showed his guilt as he lightly grabbed my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I'm so stupid, I forgot..." He trailed off, and I smiled, shaking my head.

"It's okay, it's just a bruise. Now go sit down!" I smacked him playfully on his chest, and he reluctantly walked back.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Randy sounded worried, and I pulled my tweezers out of my bag as I turned to him with my most vicious look.

"I'm fine. If you keep talking then I'm going to make this process more painful than it needs to be." I sat down and unwrapped Randy's hand, feeling a pang of sympathy as I saw the blood on the cloth. I slowly picked out the glass, piling it onto the towel, making sure I didn't look into his face. Randy stayed silent, and I pretended that I was picking glass out of something other than a hand. After ten minutes I finished up, and I looked up at his face, releasing a deep breath.

"Done? Good." Randy almost stood up, but he stopped as I shook my head.

"I have to wrap up the cuts." I walked to my bag, putting the tweezers into the folds of one of my dirty shirts, and pulling out an old white skirt which I only wore to bed once in a while. I ripped it into strips and walked back to Randy. I slowly tied the strips onto his hand. Once I finished, I smiled at him, patting his shoulder. "All done. Now leave, I have to change." I made a face at the blood all over my shirt, and Randy frowned.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to... I don't know what I was doing." Randy looked like he wanted to say more, but he got up. "I'll be waiting downstairs." He started walking to the door.

"Wait, Randy." I watched as Randy stopped and turned to look at me. "Promise me something." I watched as his face turned to one of curiosity, and he tilted his head as he watched me.

"Depends. What is it?" Randy waited, and I took a breath, wording the request in my head before saying it aloud.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you won't ever hurt yourself again. No matter how mad you are... I can tell that something's wrong, and I'll respect your secrecy, but I don't want you hurting yourself. Please don't..." I stopped as a lump formed in my throat. I couldn't bear to think of him hurting himself any worse than he already had. It killed me to even consider it. I didn't know why, but it did. Randy sighed as he slowly walked towards me. I felt tears in my eyes, and looked down feeling stupid.

I inhaled sharply as I felt Randy's hands on my shoulders. I knew he was leaning in front of me, and I felt stupid for crying so I covered my face with my hands, pulling my knees up to my face to form a small ball, not wanting him to see me cry once again. I felt his hands leave my shoulders, and wondered if he had finally left me alone, but I felt weight shifting on the bed. Randy's arms wrapped around my shoulders tightly, and I felt like a little child who was afraid of a monster that I couldn't see.

At first I stayed in the ball, not responding to Randy's touch, but after a minute I succumbed to the overload of emotions from the past two days, and sobbed into Randy's chest, clinging to him like he was a rope thrown out to me as I was drowning in the sea.


RANDY'S POV-

I hugged Istella, rubbing her shoulders as she cried without any sign of stopping.

I felt like an asshole. If it wasn't for my major meltdown from the voices, then she wouldn't be crying from all of this shit being thrown into her life. I was a certified asshole, that was for sure.

I sighed, feeling horrible for the poor girl who had been shoved into my psychotic life, and maneuvered her small frame so she was on my lap. She just clung to my shirt, and cried into my chest. Needless to say, I felt like this was all my fault because... well, because it was all my goddamned fault!

I laid my cheek on her head, rubbing her back in small circles, knowing that she would calm down in her own time. I realized that my pain was making her cry, and for some reason that hurt me a lot. I promised myself right then and there that no matter what, I wouldn't let the voice hurt me or anyone else, not physically at least.

We stayed there for about five minutes or so before Istella's sobs stopped. Soon she was just sniffling, and I felt relief wash over me. I had no idea why she mattered so much to me, but I decided to think about that later, when I didn't feel like a jackass, and when I wasn't comforting Istella.

"I'm sorry. We need to go downstairs so we can leave for the airport." Istella's voice was hoarse, and I shifted her in my arms. I got up, grabbing her bag with my cut hand, and walked all the way to the lobby, ignoring the stabs of pain in my hand.

"It's fine, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." I stared right into Istella's green eyes, which were red and swollen from crying. I saw her emotions turning inside of her, and I smiled at her as best as I could.

"I keep on crying in front of you, even though the last time I cried was a year or two ago. You probably think I'm a wimp." I contained my laughter at Istella's mutterings, keeping my mouth shut as best as I could.

"I don't think that at all. This is a pretty overwhelming environment." I let go of the bag as we finally got to the entrance, and relaxed as I felt the pain subside in my hand. I thought about all of the conversations I had had with Istella, hostile or not, and realized that we had never had a true conversation. I made a mental note to actually talk to her about something of importance once everythig settled down around us.

"Randy!" I heard a voice from upstairs.

"Down here, we're ready to go," I called up to Ted. Feeling a tugging on my sleeve, I saw Istella look pointedly at the ground, and I released her. I felt stupid as I saw her delve into her large bag, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Give me a minute." Istella dashed into the guest bathroom, and I wondered why I acted so asinine around her. I was normally observant and calm... what was it about her that made me so crazy?

It wasn't the end of the world, but I had completely failed to remember that Istella had to change her blood-stained top.

"Where's Istella?" Cody asked as him and Ted trotted down the steps. I nodded towards the bathroom, and they exchanged looks, shrugging.

"We'll load up the car." Ted grabbed my bag along with Istella's and I nodded at him.

"Thanks," I called after Ted and Cody's retreating forms.

"Did he actually show gratitude? Who the fuck is he, and what did he do to Randy?" I rolled my eyes as Cody whispered to Ted. I had to tell them that their attempts at private conversations sucked for anyone who had moderately good hearing. I waited, leaning my back against a wall and crossing my arms.

"Alright, let's go." Istella stepped out of the bathroom, her soiled shirt balled up in her hands, as well as her previous pair of shorts. She held them gingerly, and I glanced at her gray dolman top and short white denim shorts. I noticed that Istella had washed her face, all traces of makeup gone, along with her eyes being less swollen. She still looked beautiful, though. I blinked a few times, not believing that I actually had thought that. Maybe Cody had a point, who was I, and where was the real me?

"Shall we leave? Just because I treat you like a princess doesn't mean everyone else will." I smirked as she rolled her eyes, pulling a tube of chapstick from her pocket and rubbing it on her lips quickly.

"Geez, don't be so nice. Someone might think you actually have emotions. Don't want that now, do we Mr. Frowny Face?" Istella laughed as she brushed past me, and I followed behind her, inhaling her scent as I shut the door behind us.

"Where do you get all these nicknames?" I walked close behind Istella, not going right next to her. She shot me a smug look as she got to the car.

"That, my dear Randy Oral, has two answers. WWE headquarters is one source, and the other source is my imagination." I raised my eyebrows at Istella as she giggled, her mouth spread in a grin. I saw her full lips part to reveal her beautiful bright smile...

"Hm, you're asking to be ditched with that attitude." I smirked as Istella's giggles subsided. I noticed that Ted and Cody were standing next to the car, conversing idly as they texted on their phones.

"Fine, killjoy, let's go." Istella stalked towards the car, but I had other plans. I decided that it was aggravating that she wouldn't admit her memory of the night we had shared, so until she said anything, I'd make her feel as uncomfortable as possible. Quietly closing in on her, I swung in from of Istella, pulling her over my shoulder like I had done earlier.

"Randy! My shirt is falling!" I chuckled as I felt Istella's hands tugging at her shirt. "Ew, I have to stare at your non-existent butt. So not attractive." I looked behind myself to see her face scrunched in disgust.

"You have a choice. Either we leave you here so you lose your job and have no way to get home, or you can get my forgiveness." I waited for Istella's response, not caring that my hand was throbbing.

"Well Mr. Randy Whoreman, what would the forgiveness be?" I chuckled as Istella's smug voice rose and fell in odd places, the blood rushing to her head.

"Apologize," I said, smirking as I imagined the strong-imaged Istella apologizing in front of Ted and Cody. They had stopped their conversation, and were watching our exchange with interest.

"Um, no. Put me down. Ted! Cody! Help!" She twisted to get out of my grasp, but I just adjusted her so I got a better grip, yawning as I cracked my neck.

"No can do, Istella. Not our battle." Ted raised his hands over his head, and Cody nodded in agreement.

"Sorry, gotta agree with Ted." Cody smiled at Istella sympathetically, and both of them slipped into the car. "We have to leave now, Randy." Cody sat in the car after he told me, and I waited for Istella.

"Ugh, fine. Put me down, bully." I heard the childish annoyance in Istella's voice, and smirked, setting her on her feet. I saw her red face slowly regain a normal color as she ran her fingers through her hair. I crossed my arms, staring at her patiently.

"Well?" I looked at Istella expectantly, and she sighed.

"I'm so very sorry for hurting your nonexistent feelings Randy. Please oh please forgive me." She rolled her eyes as she spoke hurriedly. I chuckled as I nodded.

"Good enough. Now a kiss on the cheek should make it all better." I coughed into my shoulder at Istella's shocked expression. I noticed her cheeks flush that delicious red color that I loved so dearly.

"You're kidding, right?" The look I gave her must have answered her question, and she finally sighed in defeat. "Fine," she moaned, her mouth turning into a frown, but her eyes sparkling with anxiety.

"Well? I'm waiting, princess." I leaned down and pointed to my cheek. She leaned forward and placed a quick peck on my cheek, pulling back right away.

"There, happy? Must have made up for the blue balls you've had all your life." I observed her red face, her fidgeting, her nervous look, and laughed, trying to hide the mischief in my eyes. I leaned towards Istella, stopping right next to her ear, a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Believe me when I tell you this, princess. I've been with girls all the time, and I know that if I was ever with you, I'd have you moaning my name all night long... hell, I'd make you fight your feelings and submit to my every will, and you'd do it on a whim." I pulled back, watching her face pale, and then flush dark red. I turned and walked back to the car, sitting in the drivers seat, trying to control my urge to smirk. Istella walked slowly to the passenger side, slipping in and relaxing her tensed muscles.

"Hurry up, Randy," Cody grumbled. I looked in the rearview mirror, flashing Cody a warning look. Ted sighed, and I looked at him briefly.

"Cody lost a bet about who would win this iPod game. He's being all moody about it." Ted smiled at me, and I nodded. I pulled out of the driveway, heading to the airport.


STILL RANDY'S POV-

We made our way into the airplane, going to our seats in first class. I looked at my seat number and sat down. Cody and Ted passed me, sitting a few rows up. I looked at Istella, who was frowning at her ticket, and I vaguely wondered who she would be spending her long plane ride with. "What's wrong?" I asked Istella, getting up to stow my carry on ad glancing at Istella's ticket.

"Nothing... hey what's the seat number next to yours?" She looked at her ticket as I told her, and she furrowed her brow. I snuck another peek at her ticket, and smirked.

"Something wrong?" I looked at her innocently, wiping the smirk off of my face. She swatted my chest, sticking her carry on under her seat before sitting down.

"Yeah, I have to sit next to you for ten hours straight." She frowned, but I saw the amusement in her eyes. I sat down next to her, shrugging.

"I asked what was wrong, not what was right." I was in the seat by the aisle while she had the window seat, but I didn't mind. I nodded to people as they passed, since some WWE employees were on this flight.

"I know," she said, smiling. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes, and watching her made me sleepy. I watched as she shivered involuntarily, her arms breaking out in goosebumps. I realized that it was somewhat cold thanks to the air conditioning, and I got up silently, grabbing my carry on and sitting back down. I zipped it open and pulled out my Affliction hoodie, sliding the bag underneath my seat.

"Here." I set the hoodie in her lap, and she opened her eyes, looking down at the gray article of clothing on her lap. She looked at me curiously, and shook her head, holding out the sweater.

"Randy, you're going to get cold." She was about to set the hoodie in my lap, but I pushed her hands back, shaking my head.

"I wrestle in trunks every week in winter, summer, spring, and fall, princess. I can handle the cold, don't worry." I smiled at her, and she smiled back, flashing her teeth.

"Thanks," she said, slipping on the sweater. I laughed as I saw her, the hoodie engulfing her like a poncho or blanket. She crossed her arms across herself, smiling as her eyes glittered. "It's so warm!" She rubbed her hands and adjusted the sweater.

"Mhm, I'm aware. Get some sleep, I'll wake you up when they come with food." I gave her a no-nonsense look, and she nodded.

"Okay then, thanks. You're really sweet when you want to be. You should show this side to more people." She smiled at me, and leaned against the window. She frowned as she tried propping her head up on her arm. I sighed, pushing up the armrest dividing our seats, and pulled her arm lightly, letting her head rest on my shoulder.

"Just sleep here." I felt her hand wrap around my upper arm, and a small squeak came from her mouth as she yawned. I chuckled, and she smiled up at me, her deep green eyes penetrating me.

"Thanks, Randy." She closed her eyes, snuggling into my arm, and I watched her as she fell asleep.

"Sir." I turned to see a flight attendant, a woman, holding out two pillows and two blankets. "We're terribly sorry for not having these earlier." She seemed sincere, and though I normally would have glared at her, I nodded in understanding.

"It's no problem." I took the items, unwrapping them. I stuck both pillows on Istella's other side, and put my blanket into a holding pouch. I used my free hand to spread open Istella's blanket, and threw it over her, covering her. I felt her hand constrict on my arm, and then she sighed before sleeping on, content.


ISTELLA'S POV-

I woke up, opening my eyes slowly. I heard the low rumble of the plane as it floated on. I felt a small shift and looked around, feeling my face blush. Randy was sitting up, his eyes shut and mouth slack as he slept. I was stretched across our seats, my head in his lap and my legs in my seat, the blanket covering us. Randy's hands were cradling me, keeping me in his lap.

I carefully tried to extract myself from Randy's grasp, afraid to wake him. Thankfully, he hadn't had much sleep, so he shifted slightly before he relaxed again. I stretched in my seat, and got up, deciding to go use the bathroom. I stepped carefully past Randy, running a hand through my hair while I walked.

I used the bathroom, and as I was walking out I bumped into someone. They grabbed me by the tops of my arms, where the bruises had been, and I winced as I looked up to thank the person. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I saw the face of Sheamus

"Sorry," I said quickly, pulling away from him so I could get back to my seat, and away from his creepy face. He grabbed my arm and stopped me though, staring at me with a fake-sweet expression.

"No problem. Want to join me in the bathroom, gorgeous?" He flashed a buck-tooth grin at me, winking. I shook my head, trying not to vomit on him.

"No thanks." I tried walking off, but this time Sheamus grabbed me harder than before, and shoved me into the wall.

"Are you sure about that?" Sheamus whispered to me, his face too close to mine. I felt my stomach twist, and moved my head, pushing his chest to get him away.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now please move." I tried to slip past him, but he held his grip, tightening it and causing me to whimper from the pain. I looked at him, and an ill feeling came over me.

"I think that it would be better for us to continue this in the bathroom. Come on." His face had turned into a sickeningly perverted stare, and I felt myself shiver at his slowly roving eyes. He smiled lazily and ran his hands down my arms, holding my waist. I pushed him, but he just pressed his body onto me, pinning me, while using one of his hands to cover my mouth. "Shhhh," he whispered, grinning wickedly.

I shut my eyes, not allowing myself to release the tears forming in my eyes from Sheamus' assault. His hand roved to the bottom of my sweater, and slipped under the hem. When Cody had tried to rape me, I had seen the conflicting emotions in his face, and I somehow knew that he wouldn't do anything. With Sheamus, though, I saw no humanity, and no remorse, which scared me terribly.

I felt his hand move to my stomach, and I whimpered into his palm, sucking in my stomach. He stopped his hand, laughing. "Don't make this hard for me. Just listen and get it over with. Of course, when I'm done, you'll want to be back for more. The always come back." His mouth was near my ear, and I didn't dare open my eyes, too scared to see his evil eyes.

As I felt him push the bathroom door open, his hands travelled to the waist of my shorts. I shivered, feeling a tear squeeze out from my eyes. His hand went to the button of my shorts, and then floated back up, his fingers tracing the underwire of my bra. He slipped his hands under the bra, and I let out a small yelp as he squeezed hard. Another tear popped out of my eyes as I heard his sickening laugh, and I pressed my lips together, trying not to scream as he twisted his hand to cause more pain. He enjoyed my suffering, and I realized that there was nobody here to stop what Sheamus was about to do to me.

Then, he was gone.

I opened my eyes as I heard the yelling and grunting, followed by smacks. I sank to the floor as I saw what was going on. Randy was on top of Sheamus, punching him repeatedly. I saw Sheamus trying to protect himself feebly, but failing, blood coming out of his nose as he yelled. Randy's teeth were bared, animalistic growls ripping through him as he let loose with relentless punches. Ted and Cody ran over, apparently hearing the commotion, and pulled Randy off with great difficulty.

"Randy, stop!" Cody yelled at Randy, and Randy turned to him, his eyes blazing.

"He fucking tried to rape her! He touched her! I'm going to fucking kill him!" Randy was roaring, slipping from Ted and Cody's grasp. Sheamus was slowly getting to his feet, blood dripping from his nose, a bruise already forming under one eye.

"What about Istella? She needs you!" Ted spoke to Randy this time, and I felt my stomach clench. I felt my body shaking, watching Sheamus' moves play out in my head again and again, his disgusting hands on my body. I let out a small sob against my will, and Randy stopped struggling, turning to me. The anger drained from his face, replaced with worry. I had no idea why he cared so much about Sheamus trying to hurt me, but it seemed like Randy really did think about my safety.

Slowly, Ted let go of Randy's arms. He touched Cody's shoulder, and Cody reluctantly let go. Randy kept staring at me, and I ducked my head into my knees, trying to stop the flood of tears. One by one, the tears popped out, betraying me. I wondered why Ted mentioned me to Randy, but I would ask him later. Right now, I was too overwhelmed with what had happened. I flinched as someone touched my arm, and I pulled back whimpering, knowing that Sheamus had come back to rape me.

"It's just me, it's okay." I felt relief wash over me as Randy's voice spoke to me. I felt his hesitant touch, and I didn't move, trusting him. His hands moved with a gentle slowness, almost like he was caressing me as he moved his hands. He picked me up, cradling me in his arms, and I fought the urge to sob, biting my bottom lip as I slowly opened my eyes, traitor tears spilling down my face endlessly.

"Randy, go sit back down. We'll handle this later." Ted spoke with certainty, and I watched Randy's face as he cocked his head to the side, nostrils flaring as his eyes grew cold.

"Who is the leader of our group, Ted?" Randy's voice was icy cold, spitting out Ted's name. I felt goosebumps erupt on my arms, and I could feel Randy's heavy breathing.

"You are," Ted replied. I didn't let it pass my gaze that Ted seemed to answer with disdain and reluctance, his face unreadable. Randy just nodded, and looked to the bathroom door, which was still open.

"Don't tell me what to do from now on. You've been warned. I'm going back to our seats." Randy nodded to Cody and Ted, Cody shifting his gaze uneasily between the two men, seeing the tension in the air. Randy then turned and walked back to the seats, not looking at me. Once we reached the seats, he set me down in mine carefully, sitting down in his own.

I watched his eyes, knowing that I could read his emotions better through the blue twin oceans. He turned to me, his face relaxing, and his eyes melting. I had been worried because I really didn't want Ted or Randy arguing and getting into bad moods, but seeing Randy's change in emotions calmed me. He carefully grabbed my arms, which I had subconsciously kept wrapped around my knees. He gently tugged me so I was sitting on his lap, my legs spread out over our two seats, and my head on his chest. I leaned my left side into him, and his arms wrapped around me, encasing me in his warmth and safety. I wiped my face, the tears finally stopping as I sat there.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you, princess. Sheamus will pay, okay?" I didn't look up as Randy spoke quietly, his cheek pressed on top of my head. I felt his face move, and his left hand came up to lift my face by my chin, his blue eyes boring into mine. I nodded to him slowly, still not believing what had happened. He let go of my chin, and I ducked my head back down, trying to ignore the pain in my right breast from Sheamus' fun.

"You shouldn't have said that." I spoke quietly, thinking back to what Randy had said to Ted. He was just trying to help after all.

"What are you talking about?" I looked up to see Randy's brow furrowed, mouth turned down into a small frown.

"Ted. You were mean to him when he was just trying to help. I don't think he was trying to take over leadership or anything." I mentally kicked myself for saying something so stupid, but I wanted Randy to see the error of his ways. His face smoothed out, and his mouth opened, then closed.

"I was just reminding him of his place. It was nothing. Now go to sleep, I promise to stay awake and protect you." He kissed the top of my head, and I leaned my head against his chest, sighing.

"You're like the sibling I never had, you know that?" I smiled as I heard Randy's deep chuckle.

"You never had a brother or sister?" He sounded genuinely surprised, and I shook my head. "Hm, well I guess I'll make up for that now. I'll be your big brother, princess." I looked up to see Randy smiling at me, and I smiled back, not being able to stop myself.

"Okay then. I'm not sleepy right now, I think I'll watch a movie." I attempted to get off of Randy's lap, not wanting him to be encumbered, but he kept his arms around me securely, not letting me move.

"Sounds like a good idea. Pick a movie, we'll watch it together." Randy looked at me, his soft blue eyes seeming far off for a moment. His eyes focused back on me, though, and he smiled.

"How about... Step Up 2?" I stared at him hopefully, and he rolled his eyes, sighing heavily.

"Fine, anything for you, princess." His voice sounded a little sarcastic as he plugged both of our headphones into the jacks. He found the movie and put it onto his tv, wrapping his arms around me a little more snugly as the movie started, and I relished the feeling, the safety of him being near me. I settled back as I watched the screen, not wanting Randy to know that even though I was laughing at the right parts and never removing my gaze from the movie, I was only seeing one thing in my head, continuously, coupled with one noise.

And that was the cold, alien eyes of the monster named Sheamus, his sadistic laugh ringing painfully in my ears.