A/N - Full disclosure, there is no in-ring action in this chapter. I know I said MiTB was next, but I started writing that and ended up with this. Like an RKO, this chapter truly came out of nowhere but honestly, it might be one of my favorites thus far. So, I hope you all like it!

Ladies and gentlemen, to honor the life of WWE Hall of Famer, the American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, please rise as we toll the bell 10 times.

Once.

Randy stood on the stage with his fellow superstars and divas, head bowed in respect. The ten bell salute was nothing new. It was always how they celebrated the life of a former wrestler. But never before had Randy felt such a whirl of emotions as he did in that moment. Someone was missing from that stage and he wasn't alone in noticing it. On one hand, he didn't know what to do. He felt like he had no right to be up there when Cody wasn't, especially considering the things he had done to Dusty and how he had physically and verbally abused the legend. That wasn't even to mention the way he had treated his youngest son like dirt half of the time and when he had not even two days ago, almost punched his eldest. Classic Randy. It was then that he remembered the promise he made to Dream at the private memorial. He allowed himself to consider that maybe just maybe, he'd be able to make good on that promise as soon as tonight.

Twice.

Seth, as champion, was front and center, next to Triple H, Stephanie and Vince. He tried to stay composed but that was an impossible task. He had failed Dream and in his final moments, never had a chance to make up for that. And Dean and Roman. In many ways, he had failed them too. It never dawned on him before but seeing that carving, it was like a seismic shift took place. How could they still care about him? After everything? His eyes darted back and forth on the stage, looking at anyone other than his two former brothers, who stood side by side. His eyes landed on Randy and that wasn't somewhere he really wanted to go either. He glanced back at Hunter who offered him a slight smile. That didn't help matters. He didn't feel any less guilty. Seth took a deep breath. He was on that stage to honor his former mentor and yet, all he could think about, was how much he was still letting him down.

Thrice.

Stephanie gripped her husband's hand tightly with one hand and her father's with the other. This moment was as tough as she knew it would be. She had been in the business since she was 12 years old. She had been around the superstars and divas just as long. Dusty had been like an uncle to her all those years. He had been someone she felt safe with when her parents left her and Shane to wander around headquarters when they were kids. Shane. She had been the one to give him the news. It was the first time the siblings had talked in a few months and the conversation was hard. She cried with Shane for hours that night, both of them recalling the hundreds of memories they had of their 'Uncle Dusty.' Shane had expressed his deepest regret that he wouldn't be able to make the memorial but Stephanie understood. She glanced between Hunter and Vince, a small smile on her face. If she couldn't have her brother by her side, it felt good to know she at least had the other two most important men in her life. It was comforting and it made saying goodbye just a little easier.

Four.

Roman couldn't help but glance at Seth, even though he was sure the champion was trying to look anywhere but. Today hadn't gone as planned, not one bit. He hadn't expected to find Seth diming out Randy to the Authority. Honestly, it made him sick. He was so sure, so sure that he saw a side of Seth at the memorial that he hadn't seen in over a year. He wanted to believe it so badly. He wanted to have gone to that locker room and had that conversation he desperately wanted to have. He wanted answers. He wanted to have been able to go back to Dean, tell him everything, and against all odds, convince his brothers to work things out. It was what Roman wanted more than anything, especially with the finality of Dusty's death a reminder of how much time the three had already lost. He went in believing he could forgive Seth but now, he just felt like an idiot, his hope of any reconciliation of sorts thrown out the window at the prospect of standing face to face with the same old Seth.

Five.

Hunter should have felt guilty. He should have felt bad for manipulating Seth the way he did and doing it on the day he did. But he didn't, he couldn't, and he wouldn't if everything worked out as planned. Hunter wasn't an idiot. He felt his control over Seth was slipping away and knew what needed to be done to ensure that grip was maintained. Dusty's memorial, it brought out a side to Seth that Hunter had thought he had long buried. Finding it to be alive and well, he had to act quickly. Randy was an easy target and it killed two birds with one stone. That he certainly didn't regret. Even as Randy appeared, like Seth, to have felt a pang of guilt in light of Dusty's death, it didn't mean he wasn't the same Viper Hunter had grown to detest. There was unfinished business there and the way Hunter saw it, if he could get his revenge and end the ridiculous relationship his champion had with Randy, all the better. Hunter offered a nod to Seth as he squeezed Stephanie's hand softly. Now was about Dusty. Later tonight however, both Seth and Randy would learn just how far reaching the extent of his power went.

Six.

Dean couldn't help but move back and forth. He tried to stay still but that had never been easy for him. It didn't help that he was revved up either. The memorial, it hadn't really caused Dean to get emotional. He didn't really do that. Sure he missed Dream, more than even Roman would know. Dean had credited Dusty with giving him family, with giving him the brothers he never had. And then Seth destroyed that. Dean offered a quick glance at his former brother. It wasn't right. Seth had beaten them with the chairs, Seth had stolen Roman's title moment, Seth had smashed his head through cinderblocks, almost ending his career. And yet, part of him wanted to forgive him. Dean held grudges unlike anyone else, but he had missed Seth, as stupid as that sounded. It sucked. Dean ran his hand across his pocket, feeling the outline of the knife. Carving that logo, it had always been to remind him not to trust people because they will ultimately stab you in the back. Well, that's why he told himself he did it at least. No one would believe the real answer. He wasn't even sure if he could believe it himself.

Seven.

AJ hadn't watched a single PPV since her retirement but tonight was different. She had done it out of respect for her husband, for Punk, who avoided the WWE like the plague. She didn't blame him really, not after how things ended. But this wasn't about those animosities. This was about Dream, a man who Punk and AJ had held in the highest regard. She knew he would be watching too, at least the opening and Dream's tribute, even if he wouldn't admit it. AJ felt bad that she had stayed in Columbus. They should have been together considering how much both loved and missed Dusty. But there were things she had to take care of, things she knew he wouldn't understand. AJ leaned back on the bench in Paige's locker room, watching the feed. She sighed heavily. There were things he wouldn't be happy about after tonight either.

Eight.

Vince looked at the audience, many of them holding signs thanking Dusty and in appreciation of the man's storied career. It was nice to see that. The boss had known that Dream was one of a kind the day he first saw him appear on WCW. He knew the fans would embrace him too and sure enough, he was right. Vince felt fortunate that he was able to know Dusty as a great friend, as someone who became more like family than an employee. There wasn't one thing that Dusty did in his career that Vince didn't applaud. He remembered the Hall of Fame speech. He remembered how when the fans cheered his promos, everything he accomplished in the ring and out of it, that when it came for Dream to say his own proudest moment, he said it had been fathering two superstars, Dustin and Cody. It didn't surprise Vince one bit. Dusty was a family man through and through. Vince had just wished that he or Dustin would have been able to get through to Cody. It felt wrong that he wasn't up on that stage.

Nine.

Goldust felt a tear streak down his face. It wasn't the first he had cried for his father and it wouldn't be the last. Dusty had meant so much to him. He was more than just a father. He was an inspiration, an icon. Dustin had grown up only wanting to be like him. He knew that from as young as three and never wavered. He couldn't have told you how much it meant to him to be able to take the ring with his father when he was first starting out. And then to be able to do it with his brother. The WWE had been their family's business and he hoped one day he would have a child of his own to pass that legacy too. He felt another tear form in his eye and quickly took out his handkerchief, which had been his father's iconic yellow polka dotted bandana. He squeezed it tightly. Knowing he would have that tonight, knowing he would have a piece of his father with him, was comforting. It made him feel ready for what he had to do.

Ten.

Cody shut the television off. He had no intention to watch the PPV but he promised himself he would watch the 10-bell salute. He owed it to his father, the man who had shaped his career in more ways than one, to do just that. But when the final bell tolled and Dusty's ring music began to play, it became too much.

"You told him Cody was dead," the voice inside his head spoke.

"You told him Cody was dead and that he might as well have been," the voice continued to taunt him.

"Shut up," Cody said, knowing full well he was talking to himself. "I didn't mean it like that."

"You practically wanted him dead," it continued. "Do you even think he knew you loved him before he died?"

"I said shut up!" Cody screamed, throwing a pillow across the room, nearly shattering a lamp. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down but it was no use. That voice, he knew it was just in his imagination, but it felt so real. It had begun to haunt him long before Dusty's death but it had only gotten stronger in the past few days. It was practically consuming him and he felt powerless to stop it. After all, he had said those things. He had said his father might as well have been dead. A sinking pit formed in his stomach.

"You caused this Cody," the voice spoke again, its tone almost deafening. "You might as well have killed him yourself!"

Cody could barely take it. His head felt like it was going to explode.

"This is why I couldn't go to the memorial, this is why I couldn't be there tonight," Cody told the voice. "It kills me to know I said those things, that we said those things."

"We're one in the same you and I," the voice reminded him. "You created me. You needed me, you still do. And I'm here to help you. We don't need your father, your brother, and your so-called friends."

"You're, you're right," Cody said, once again falling victim to the man who hid beneath, in the recesses of his mind, in the darkness of his soul. He had embraced that person. He had found shelter in that person.

Ever since Randy had turned his back on him, ever said Ted had abandoned him, finding that inner voice had given him some sense of purpose. Legacy's break-up had created it and as Cody failed in the ring time and time again, it only grew stronger, more powerful. It laid dormant until one day, it emerged fully and he hadn't looked back since.

Cody grabbed his phone and saw he had about five voicemails from Randy, another two from Ted.

"They left you alone, they left you vulnerable," the voice echoed, hitting the last nerve in Cody's body. "They did this to you."

"You're right," Cody repeated as he pressed the delete all button on his phone. "There," he said, feeling somewhat accomplished.

"You did the right thing," the voice said soothingly. "You don't need them Cody. You only need me. Embrace me Cody. Embrace… the strange."

Cody nodded and looked back at the mirror he had been staring into. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. When he looked back up, he had an evil grin on his face. Slowly he raised his hands, watching as the fingers came together in that signature shape.

"Good," the voice laughed happily. "Now, say it with me. On the count of three. One, two, three,"

STARRRRRRRRRDUST.

A/N - Yeah, so, uhm, that just happened. Honestly, this was not at all how I had planned to introduce Cody into the story and I hadn't planned to do it nearly so soon either. But writing is funny like that. Sometimes things, creepy Stardust things, just happen. I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you're interested to hear mine, feel free to PM me or offer a review. I promise, I always respond!

Next chapter though, I promise, Money in the Bank!