Chapter 21

By the time Randy had reached the hotel where he was staying, Trish had fallen asleep in the seat next to him. This was all very different than what Randy was used to when it came to women. Generally if there was a woman asleep in the car next to him it was because she had too much to drink from the bar he had just picked her up from and had passed out. But Randy had hoped those days were behind him. The temptations of being on the road were many but as Randy turned to see the bruised and broken diva next to him, he decided that it was time for something real and Trish Stratus was it. It was definitely a risk considering all the baggage she brought with her, but it was a risk Randy was willing to take.

"Come on hon." He whispered to her as he carried her out of the car and up to his hotel room.

Once inside he was careful not to wake her as he gently laid her on his single bed. Slowly he removed her shoes and then placed the covers over her to keep her warm. Not once did she wake out of her sleep. As soon as he was sure she was comfortable, Randy bent over Trish and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He couldn't help but to smirk at how innocent and beautiful she looked and wondered how anyone could intentionally hurt someone as special as her.

Then he remembered what he held in his pocket and immediately turned to leave Trish alone to go find his gym bag.

After rummaging through the black bag he carried with him practically everywhere while on the road, Randy pulled out a Palm Pilot media player. It wasn't that Randy was the most technically minded of all people, but he did receive the item as a gift and it was good for holding all his music and videos. Most importantly, it was exactly what he needed to get some sense of what was on the memory chip he had found only moments ago at the arena.

Before hitting play, Randy turned to peak over at Trish to make sure she was still sleeping. Once clear, he turned back to the device and hit play.

Shortly after hearing the muffled sounds and the obvious struggle between Shane and Trish, Randy's jaw practically dropped to the floor. Every word exchanged was clear as day.

"Oh my God." Randy said to himself as he moved backwards to find the closest thing he could sit on.

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Several days had passed since the last time Maria had seen Shane and even though he called her the following morning to see if she was okay, it still didn't take away the fact that she somehow felt violated by him. To make matters worse, he was now out of the country and it seemed that really all he cared about to begin with was a quick fuck from her to send him on his way.

Suddenly, everything that Trish had told her was now starting to seem more like the truth to Maria than she originally wanted to admit.

As Maria sat by herself on another lonely evening she started to think that maybe what she needed was to get out again and be with friends. Since seeing Shane it had been a while since she had really let her hair down. Torturing herself over what Shane's true intentions are weren't doing her any good, and to be honest she just needed someone to talk to. Someone she knew had her best intentions in mind regardless of how wrong he may have gone about it.

"You in the mood for pizza tonight?" Maria asked as she spoke into her cell phone to the person on the other line.

"Depends on who's buying." The deep voiced man on the other end cracked.

Maria smiled to herself. Even though she wasn't feeling all that great, John Cena always seemed to make her smile in a way no one else could. It was exactly what she needed.

"You're you big shot."

"Oh I see how you are. Fine, I'll buy the pizza, you handle the drinks." John replied playfully.

"Deal."

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John walked into the dimly lit sports bar with his ball cap tipped low. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. It had been a while since him and Maria actually got together like the old days and he didn't want a bunch of over zealous fans ruining their good time.

As soon as he spotted the brown haired diva he told himself to keep it together. There was no denying that between everything from Shane, to John finally admitting his love for Maria, that things were way more different than the last time they just decided to 'hang out".

"Hey stranger." John said with a huge dimpled smile on his face.

"Hey. Pizza's on its way." Maria replied as John took a seat next to her.

As John leaned back in his chair he noticed that Maria tried hard to appear in a good mood, but it was all forced. Something was weighing heavily on her mind and he had a pretty good idea as to what it may have been.

"Listen Maria." He said now leaning forward with his elbows on the table and getting serious for the moment. "I'm sorry for going after Shane like I did, but the guy deserved it. He has no respect for you at all."

John waited a moment as there was a long silence between them. What he expected was for Maria to go off on him about how wrong he was and how Shane was misunderstood, but that never came. Instead, her response threw him completely off his guard.

"I know." Maria admitted plainly, looking to the floor as if she were feeling guilty for only now starting to realize it.

John raised an eyebrow.

"You know?'

"Yes John I know. We don't need to discuss how right you are okay."

A deep concern fell over John as he now started to suspect the worst. Based on Trish's experience he knew exactly what Shane was capable of and prayed that it hadn't happened to Maria.

"Maria, did Shane…" He started to ask as he placed his hand on her knee and looked sternly into her eyes.

"Rape me?" Maria finished his question for him. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Fuck Maria, what do you mean you don't know?" John asked now growing frustrated with her indirect replies.

"I mean I don't know John!" Maria snapped back. "All I know is that I feel used okay. There are you happy? It's exactly what you wanted to hear right? Shane McMahon is not the perfect guy I thought he was so there. Can we please just eat some pizza now?" Maria asked wanting so badly just to make things the way they used to be, before all the drama and the awkwardness now between them.

But Maria had it all wrong when it came to John. Seeing the pain she tried so desperately to hide was the last thing John wanted. On the other hand, he couldn't deny that he was glad Shane finally showed his true colors. Maria deserved so much more and she definitely was more than just a plaything. One simple embrace and John was confident he could show her exactly how much she meant to him. He longed to take her in his arms and bring her home again.

"Maria." John replied as he took in a deep breath and inched his chair closer to her. "Don't be afraid." He whispered.

Maria looked over at John, a tear now forming in her right eye. She had spent days alone trying to set things straight in her mind and trying so hard not to feel guilty for being used. She had cried by herself hoping to wash away whatever pain she was feeling, hoping to show the world that she was strong enough to figure it all out on her own. Shane was out of town but he would be back. She needed to be strong enough to demand his respect and to tell him that she was not just his own personal fuck toy.

But all those hours of trying to hold it together only led her to this moment where she knew she needed more than just herself to feel good again.

As Maria looked into John's gentle blue eyes her guard was finally let down. She was ready to let him in her life and needed him now more than ever.

"I am." Maria responded truthfully. "But that's okay. I need you anyway."

John smiled slightly as he gently pulled a piece of stray hair from her face, making sure to brush the back of his finger tips along her cheek to remove a falling tear.

Just then the server arrived with a medium sized pizza in her hand.

"Pepperoni pizza."

Both Maria and John broke from their moment hesitantly. Both were now thinking the same thing.

"Can we get that to go?" John asked, much to Maria's relief.

A/N: In the next chapter will John and Maria take it to the next level? And, is Shane's time up?