Author's note: Sorry that it took me so long to update... bad case of flu and writers block... and I know that this chapter is not the most interesting one (at least in my opinion) but it had to be done to keep the story going and I hope you're gonna enjoy it at least a little 'hugs all readers' Oh yeah... sorry for the unusual spacing between the two paragraphs but somehow the bar didn't work like it usually does... 'grins sheepishly'
Disclaimer: Nothing except my OC's belong to me...
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Chapter 9: Conclusions
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Alexi and the others had sat down around the table and none of them said anything because nobody had an idea what to say. Luckily Hunter, Sid and Ric had decided it was better to leave right now because they were definitely outnumbered.
All looked at Alexandria because they thought she'd probably know what was going on but she also looked utterly lost.
Chris had a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Can someone please explain what happened here?" Batista asked because the Animal had realised that he had missed something important.
"If we only knew Dave…" Chris sighed.
"And all I wanted to do was help him…" He muttered.
"Hey Chris, calm down… I guess there's something else to the story we don't know." Dhani said. It was the first time in a while that she had spoken.
"Dhani? Will you now tell me what you are doing here?" He questioned. He didn't really know Dhani all too well but he had seen her a few times when he'd been visiting Alexi and he knew that she was Alexi's closest friend besides him.
Just now Adam, Rob and Batista realised that they hadn't really been introduced to her.
Alexi seemed to realise that too, so before Dhani was able to answer, she quickly introduced the girl to Adam and RVD before she explained what she was doing here.
"Adam, Rob, this is one of my best friends Dhani McMillan and she's here because we want to catch up on old times since she's been out of the country for a while and a lot has happened." She explained.
The people at the table said 'hi' to each other.
Then the conversation turned back to Randy and John.
"So any idea what could be eating away at Randy?" Edge finally asked again but everybody shook his or her head.
"Perhaps it has something to do with Randy's headaches. They can make people moody…" RVD suggested.
Batista remembered the conversation he had had with John when they had returned from the club and wondered what it was that he was missing here.
"But they don't give you bruises…" Chris interjected.
"Yeah…but people do… so if it really wasn't Hunter then who was it?" RVD questioned, getting back to the earlier problem, concluding from Randy's words that Hunter really wasn't the one who gave the Legend Killer the bruises.
Damn… that's it… why didn't I see it earlier. Dave suddenly realised and cursed himself for not noticing earlier. Everything suddenly made sense.
He slammed his hand down on the table in frustration.
But before I say something I need to make sure that I'm right… He mused.
"Dave? Are you okay?" Alexi wanted to know, looking at the Animal in wonder.
"Yeah…" Dave couldn't say more because suddenly John and Randy returned to the table and nobody dared to speak a word.
That was when Batista made a decision. He'd never been really patient and so he figured now was the best time to find out if his conclusions were right.
So he got up from his chair, grabbed John's arm, much like Randy had done just minutes earlier, and dragged him away from the table, not listening to John's protests.
Alexi, Randy, Chris, RVD, Dhani and Adam watched them go in wonder.
"Seems like John is a really wanted person." Dhani said, having no other idea what to say.
Randy silently took the chair beside Alexandria, which Batista had just left.
He felt all the looks of his friends on him, particularly Alexi's and he really wished that John were still here to give him support because the Dr. of Thuganomics was the only one who knew what really was going on. The Legend Killer wanted nothing more than to just disappear and be invisible to their scrutinizing gazes.
"Are you okay?" Alexandria wanted to know, her concern far from gone because the Legend Killer looked awfully tired and the bruises on his face were a big, dark contrast to that.
"Yeah…
just tired… this is just not my day and the concussion isn't
completely over yet." Randy made another attempt at an excuse to
get people's mind off his bruises.
As he had feared it didn't
really work.
"Come on Randy, don't you think that it's time to tell us the truth… we're your friends and we wanna help ya." Chris tried again.
Randy shook his head angrily, determined to not tell anything.
"Chris… what about the part that it's none of your business don't you understand? I'm going to say it to you one last time: I can handle that myself and it's not important okay?" He tried to sound angry but it was more desperation than real anger.
Alexandria noticed that too and it really hurt her that Randy didn't trust her enough to tell her the whole truth.
Jericho quickly held his hands up in defence.
"Sorry Randy, I didn't mean to offend you. I only want to help." He decided it was better to give up, at least for now before the young Orton would run away again.
I swear to god Orton, if you're starting to really hurt Alexi with your secrecy then I'm going to kick your ass… Y2J swore in his thoughts when he saw the hurt in Alexandria's eyes. But when he looked at the Legend Killer and how tired he looked, he immediately regretted that thought.
"It's okay… I know you only want to help, but this is something I really have to handle alone… and believe me when I tell you it's better that you're staying out of this." When Randy said those words he especially looked at Alexandria and Chris suddenly saw the concern in Randy's eyes but Y2J realised that it wasn't concern for Randy's safety but more for Alexi's well being.
What the hell is going on here? Chris questioned in his thoughts, getting the feeling that there was a lot more to the whole story than they all realised.
His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly Alexi squealed happily.
"Mom! Dad!" With that she jumped out of her chair and ran over to Marissa Reed-Michaels and Shawn Michaels who had just entered the restaurant to hug them.
Dhani looked over to them, still amazed that Alexandria was really related to Shawn Michaels.
Dhani had always been a great fan of the Heartbreak Kid and she also had a hard time to adjust to the fact that she was sitting among a lot of famous wrestlers, who were treating her as one of their own and like they had known her for years and not only for hours.
The only thing that was dampening her high spirits was the fact that obviously something was very wrong with Randy and nobody knew what.
She was concerned about the Legend Killer but she was also really concerned about Alexi who took all of that really hard.
But Dhani couldn't help a smile on her lips and was glad that the visit of Alexi's parents seemed to take her mind off the problem at hand.
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John was just about to sit down when Batista grabbed his arm roughly and dragged him away from Randy and the others.
"Dave? What the hell? Can't you see that I was just about to sit down? So stop that and let go of me." He protested, knowing that Randy needed his support right now.
The Animal, however, didn't even answer, let alone loosening the grip on his arm.
What the hell is it today that people drag me from one place to the other without asking my permission? The WWE-Champion mused, giving up any resistance and followed Batista more or less voluntarily.
Dave didn't stop until the two were in a quiet hallway. Only then he let go of John's arm and looked at the Dr. of Thuganomics.
"It's Bob Orton, isn't it?" He questioned sharply.
"Excuse me?" John asked in return, having no real idea what Dave wanted to say.
"Bob Orton is the one who beat Randy to a bloody pulp, isn't he? He is the 'Shadow of the Past', isn't he?" The Animal demanded angrily.
John was speechless for a second.
Damn… I should've known Dave would figure it out sooner or later… Cena cursed in his thoughts, having no real idea what to do now. He wasn't sure if he should deny the truth or if he should finally tell Dave everything.
But I promised
Randy not to tell…
John was torn between the loyalty to Randy and the concern for
the young Orton. Finally the concern won over the loyalty.
Batista was really getting impatient when John didn't answer his question.
He grabbed the collar of Cena's shirt.
"Damn it John, answer me…" He demanded furiously.
I'm sorry Randy but it's for your own good… Dave has figured it out anyway… John apologised in his thoughts and hoped the Legend Killer would forgive him if he found out.
"Dave… let go of me and I'm gonna tell ya." John said calmly because the grip Dave had on his shirt was starting to choke him a little.
Batista just now realised what he was doing and quickly let go of John's shirt.
"Sorry John… I was just so mad when I realised what's probably going on. And I'm sorry that I'm putting you into this position because I know you don't want to betray Randy's trust. I would've asked him myself but I thought this wouldn't be the best idea." The Animal apologised. John smiled thankfully because he knew that Batista was only concerned about Randy and that he only wanted the Legend Killer's best.
And Dave was right, asking Randy himself would surely make matters worse.
"So is it really Bob Orton?" Dave questioned when John didn't answer at once.
Cena sadly nodded.
"I really wish I could say no but unfortunately yeah… but tell me how did ya figure it out?"
"I
don't really know… RVD said something and suddenly everything
made sense… I remembered everything you've told me about Randy's
behaviour and then I realised that this weird behaviour really
started when Randy found out that his father was coming
back…"
"Don't…" John hissed.
"Don't what?" Batista wanted to know.
"Don't call this bastard Randy's father… he may be the 'creator', if you wanna call it that, but he certainly isn't his father… at least as far as I'm concerned."
Dave nodded. He could understand that and so he continued:
"Well…
as I said, I realised this all really started back when Randy found
out that Bob Orton was coming back. And the bruises on him started to
appear when Bob joined the roster. And I also remembered that you
said that it wasn't about what he has but about what Randy never
had… so it suddenly hit me."
John nodded, running a hand
through his hair.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you. I knew you'd be smart enough to figure it out in the end." He told the Animal, only a little angry that Dave had found out. More than the anger, he felt the relief that he wasn't alone with this knowledge anymore.
"Thanks… but tell me why you shouldn't have told me? I mean if Bob Orton is hurting Randy we need to stop it." Batista couldn't understand the Dr. of Thuganomics.
"Dave…
this is way more complicated than that… Randy is scared… he
doesn't want us to know about it because he fears that Bob will
hurt us too… I'm not totally sure but I fear Bob is threatening
Randy that he'll hurt Alexi, me, you or anybody else Randy's
close to if Randy tells people. It wouldn't be the first time."
John explained.
"I see… but still… if you give me five
minutes alone with Bob Orton he'll never bother Randy again."
Dave said, his hands balled into fists, barely suppressing his anger.
John laughed bitterly.
"You won't believe how often I've offered that to Randy in the last two years but for reasons unknown to me Randy still loves his father even after everything that bastard has done to him and doesn't want me to do anything."
Batista's eyes widened when he realised something else.
"That explains why Randy doesn't defend himself even though he'd probably be able to kick Bob's ass." Dave concluded.
"Yepp…" John said, leaning against the wall. He was exhausted now that he'd finally be able to tell somebody the whole truth and didn't have to carry that secret alone any longer.
Batista closed his eyes for a moment and then he looked at John again.
"But John, how do you know so much about all that? And how long has this been going on? I mean, yeah you told me that you found Randy after one of his suicide attempts but I would think that Randy didn't tell you about it."
Cena smiled sadly.
"At the point when I found him bleeding to death I had known for years… that was the reason I went over to Randy as often as I could to at least help him a little and protect him from his father. And as for how long this has been going on… well it all started when Randy was seven…"
Batista's eyes widened again.
"That means Bob has been abusing him for over sixteen years and nobody noticed?" He questioned, the disbelief evident in his voice.
John laughed bitterly again. "Bob Orton had enough money to buy silence if people noticed… and besides it wasn't always bad. There were times when Bob was at least only ignoring and not hurting Randy. In addition to that, there's one more thing you need to know: He didn't only beat him… he had other ways to hurt Randy even worse than with beating the hell outta him."
John
didn't elaborate on this 'other ways' and Dave was afraid to
ask, so he let it drop for now.
"But… why did Bob Orton
starting it in the first place? I mean… who would start hurting
their child?" He asked instead. Dave had no idea how to react to
that and he was really curious to hear John's explanation.
Cena shrugged, an unreadable expression on his face.
"Bob Orton blames Randy for some things that went wrong in his life." He finally said warily. This was something he just couldn't tell Batista in detail because he found it hard to believe himself.
Batista gasped at that.
"You're kidding right? How can you blame a seven year old child for things that go wrong in your life?" Dave asked, not really believing what he was hearing.
"Wish I was… and don't be mad when I don't tell you that because I just can't right now." John replied sadly, closing his eyes in exhaustion.
"I've always tried to get him to tell somebody about it but he never would… and when he joined OVW things got better because he wasn't home often and if he was, I tried to stay with them to make sure that Bob didn't try anything funny. Randy was always ashamed and feared people wouldn't want to have anything to do with him when they found out… Bob took care that Randy really believed that and stopped him from getting too much self-confidence." This whole confession had brought memories back John had had buried deep inside of him and he remembered various nights when he had found Randy beaten to a bloody pulp.
That explains why John and Randy are so close… I mean they were always best friends because they have so much in common… but now I see why they always seemed to know the other from the inside out. With this secret they share it's no wonder they're more like brothers. Batista realised and was still shocked at what John had just told him.
Sure, he had expected something like that when he had confronted John about his suspicions but he had never expected this horrible story.
When the Animal looked at John he could easily see that the Dr. of Thuganomics was hurting too because of what was happening to Randy, which was no wonder considering how close they were.
Batista rubbed his temple.
"So
how come we haven't noticed. I mean Bob visited Randy often and the
two always seemed to go along really well… I didn't even see a
clue that something was so wrong between them."
"Ever wondered
why Randy is such a good actor? Why he has no problems playing
whichever role Vince wants him to play? As I said Randy never wanted
people to find out about his childhood. So even at this young age he
developed such a good act, always telling people how much he admired
his father. So people started to believe him. And Randy has mastered
this mask to perfection. You know what the most frightening thing
about this is? I fear there is really a small truth to his act. Randy
admires his father… even after all this time and after everything
he's done to him and for reasons best known to himself."
Batista nodded thoughtfully.
"So tell me one thing: How do you do it?" He questioned finally.
"Do what?" John asked confused. He had no idea what the Animal wanted from him.
"How can you step in front of Bob Orton and not beat the living daylight out of him, sometimes even pretend that you really like your best friend's father?" Batista questioned.
John laughed bitterly.
"As ironic as it sounds, I can do it for Randy… because as I said he doesn't want me to harm his father even though I was often close to it. Particularly when I found him again after a fight with his father… a fight Randy always lost because he wanted to lose. There are still some things in his past even I don't know about and I guess there lies the key as to why Randy let's Bob do whatever the asshole wants to do to him."
Dave just shook his head in disbelief. He had been friends with Randy ever since they had both entered the OVW and trained together.
How could I've never noticed no matter how good an actor Randy is. I should've seen it. Dave mused in his thoughts and promised himself to have an eye on Randy to help if necessary.
"So what are you going to do now?" John questioned calmly and the Animal immediately knew what John wanted to hear from him.
"Well…
for now nothing except looking out for Randy, trying to help him
where I can if he lets me."
John smiled a little.
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear… you really are a good friend and I can't say how thankful I am that you've figured it out for yourself what's happening. And I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for Randy so far." The Dr. of Thuganomics said thankfully and Batista just smiled at that.
"Hey… I'm Randy's friend as much as I'm yours and I really hate it when my friends have problems and as far as I can see Randy has a really big problem."
John nodded.
"You could say that. And I hope that this time Bob Orton makes a mistake so everybody else can see what an asshole he is without us having to tell anybody."
Batista nodded.
"And in the meantime we need to support Randy as much as possible." John added.
"But don't ya think we should tell Alexandria about it. I mean she's his girlfriend and has a right to know." Batista interjected.
"I
know she does but can you imagine what this will do to her when we
tell her about it? Randy needs to tell her. It's his story and I
already feel bad for telling you." John opposed.
"Well you
weren't really telling me. I already suspected something like that
and you just confirmed it. And I'm not going to tell people, let
alone Randy, that I know. And I'm sure as hell not going to tell
Alexi. She's a sweet girl and I hate lying to her but I guess it's
the best for now." Dave assured the other.
John nodded. He knew that he could trust Batista, but he wasn't naïve enough to think that Randy would never find out but he'd deal with that situation when it was time. What bothered him more right now were the feelings he had whenever anybody mentioned Alexi.
Batista could see that despite his assurance that he wouldn't tell people there was still something bothering the Dr. of Thuganomics.
"Are you okay John?" He questioned.
"No… I'm not…" Cena told him truthfully. There was no reason to lie to Dave after everything they had just talked about.
"Dave what I'm going to tell you now needs to stay between us…" John started and was glad when the Animal agreed.
"Do you remember that you asked me if I like Alexi?" John questioned.
Batista nodded. He had a bad feeling where this conversation was going.
"Well you were right. I like her… more than I want to."
Dave sighed deeply.
"Are you telling me that you have feelings for her that go beyond friendship?" He questioned, trying to make sure that he wasn't jumping to the wrong conclusions.
"Way beyond. And that's exactly the problem." John sighed, looking at the Animal with a haunted look in his eyes.
"Dave, tell me one thing. Why the hell is the first girl I have feelings for in ages, is my best friend's girlfriend?"
This time it was Dave who sighed.
"Sorry that is something I can't tell you… but what are you gonna do about it?" The Animal questioned, wondering how it was always possible for things to get even more complicated when you were just thinking you had finally figured everything out.
"If
I only knew Dave… I mean right now I'm just trying to ignore the
feelings I have for her, hoping they will just go away… but I fear
it's not working. The last thing I wanna do is hurt Randy even more
than he already is hurting at the moment."
"So you're going
to just pretend that everything's alright." Dave wanted to know.
"Yeah or do you have a better idea?" John replied, knowing that this was not going to be easy.
Batista thought about it for a moment then he shook his head.
"No, unfortunately not. If I had I would tell you… but I'm gonna think about it and when I have an idea I'll let you know." Dave assured.
"Thanks buddy. And if I can do something for you then let me know because I owe you a lot." John was glad that he'd finally told somebody about what else was going on with him.
"Hey… as I said before you're my friend and so there's no need for you to repay me for doing you a favour… but I'll keep your offer in mind." Dave said, smiling slightly.
The
Dr. of Thuganomics smiled too.
"So do you think we can go back
to the others now or are there any other revelations?" Batista
questioned.
"No, I don't think so. At least not for now." John grinned, quickly realising that it wasn't true because there was still this thing with Randy going to the hospital but that would stay a secret for now.
"So then let's go back before they scare Randy away with their curiosity." Dave suggested and John nodded with a sad smile and the two made their way back into the restaurant.
They approached the table of Dhani, Alexi, Adam, Chris, RVD and Randy.
John smiled a little when he saw that Shawn and Marissa were with them.
