CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

RANDY

It didn't really surprise Randy when he opened up the door to his hotel room and Alanna stood on the other side. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and flung her arms around him.

"I'm okay, Baby," Randy said soothingly. They'd spoken on the phone as she heard about the shooting, but clearly, Alanna had needed to see for herself that he was alright.

"Dad…" She sighed and pulled herself together. That was Alanna. Strong no matter what. "I was so worried."

"I know. It's okay, Alanna."

"Where's Corri?"

"The Bucks took her to breakfast."

"And Keith?"

"Most likely with Molly."

"And my Squish-Face? Is my Squish-Face okay?" She looked like she might cry again.

"Nicky's fine. I mean, as much as he can be."

Alanna looked at him and paused. "You're not," she said after a minute.

"Honey, I'm fine."

"Dad… You're not fine." She touched his arm gently and added, "I know you."

"Alanna-"

"You're holding yourself together and being strong for everyone else because you're you, but on the inside, you're freaking out. Those bags under your eyes tell me you're not sleeping. That means nightmares are keeping you up. And you only have nightmares when you're not okay."

When the hell did she grow up so much? He wondered in amazement. His little girl had just made it clear she understood the things he kept hidden from her.

"Dad, it's okay to fall apart sometimes."

"I can't afford to right now. Your brothers and Corri need me."

"So be strong for them… And fall apart with me. I'm okay. I wasn't there. You need someone you can lean on."

"Sweetheart, I'm not putting this on you."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad. You don't have to protect me. I can be the strong one for you sometimes. You know why? Because you are the one who taught me how to be strong. I love you, and I'm here for you, and if you need to freak out, then go ahead and freak out. Scream, punch a pillow, RKO that lamp… Do whatever you need to do. It'll be okay."

Randy pulled Alanna into a tight hug. "All I need to do is hug you, Kiddo," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

He realized then how right she was. He wasn't okay. Staring down the barrel of a gun while the lives of everyone he cared about were in danger had messed with his head. His dreams were filled with flashbacks of the shooting and flashbacks of being a Marine. His mind merged the two together, until he couldn't remember what was real and what wasn't. He could have died. Corri and their boys and Cayla and Trixie and Cody and Ginny and Molly and Dean and Paul and everyone could have died and he couldn't shake the images of Dean bleeding on the ground and Big Show getting shot… Show, who he'd known forever… Show, who was like family… And Josh… Poor Josh. The kid had been so young. He thought his dreams were coming true, and within days, it had turned into a nightmare he'd never wake up from. He hadn't even met the kid, but he was still horrified by how things had ended up for him.

"Dad…" Alanna called gently.

He turned to her and tried to focus on her face. It took him a minute to understand where he was. "Alanna…" He whispered.

"Daddy, it's okay," she said. "You're going to be okay."

"I…" He wanted to tell her he was fine, but he couldn't lie to her, especially not now. He couldn't clear his head. He couldn't get the images out. He was having PTSD attacks worse than he'd had in years and he couldn't focus. He hated that she was seeing him like that.

Alanna sat beside him on the bed. Then, to his surprise, she started to sing softly. "You tucked me in, turned out the lights. Kept me safe and sound at night. Little girls depend on things like that… Brushed my teeth and combed my hair, had to drive me everywhere. You were always there when I looked back…"

Randy felt tears in his eyes. That had always been Alanna's favorite song. She used to sing it all the time, and she'd insisted he sing it to her, even though Randy hated to sing. When she'd been in a coma and nearly died, Randy had sung the song to her until she opened her eyes back up. She'd even asked him to sing it again, because she'd been "asleep" for part of it. It held a special meaning to them both. It was a symbol of their bond, and even in this dark place he was falling into, it reached him. He struggled to find his way back to her.

"You had to do it all alone, make a living, make a home. Must have been as hard as it could be," Alanna continued. "And when I couldn't sleep at night, scared things wouldn't turn out right, you would hold my hand and sing to me." She paused. "Sing with me, Dad," she whispered.

He wanted to. He really did, but he couldn't quite catch his breath enough to try. Alanna continued to sing, "Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be. Can't go far, but you can always dream. Wish you may and wish you might, don't you worry, hold on tight. I promise you there will come a day, butterfly fly away…"

Alanna squeezed his hand and said, "Dad... Sing with me."

He took a breath. Finally, he knew where he was. He could focus. He joined his daughter so softly, it was barely audible. Together, they sang, "Butterfly fly away… Flap your wings now, you can't stay. Take those dreams and make them all come true… Butterfly fly away… We've been waiting for this day all along and knowing just what to do. Butterfly… Butterfly… Butterfly, fly away."

He finally allowed himself to cry in his daughter's arms, holding her close to him and letting it all out. Alanna just kept humming the song to him until he calmed down. "You'll be okay, Dad," she promised him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Randy said. It was strange, but he felt better. Somehow, Alanna had worked her magic and he knew he'd be able to get through this… But he needed help.

Back to therapy, he decided. He'd hated going to therapy, but he knew he couldn't keep trying to get through this without help. He was a survivor and a warrior, but even warriors needed help once in a while. As he hugged Alanna, he vowed to find the strength to ask for the help he needed so he could be there for the people he loved without falling apart himself.

MOLLY

Molly had talked to Trixie that morning, but no one else. She decided to tackle telling Gabe and Ginny about the storyline plans before everyone else. If Ginny was okay with this angle, she knew no one else would be as hard to convince.

"Hey, Gin," she said gently when she spotted her. "How are you holding up?"

"Fantastic…" Ginny said sarcastically. She softened her tone as she added, "How's your father?"

"Better," Molly said.

"I'm glad."

"Ginny, we need to talk… Trixie's in trouble, and she needs our help."

"What kind of help?"

"She broke up with Brandon. He hit her-"

"That asshole did what? I'll kick his ass myself!"

"Supposedly, it was an accident, but I talked to her this morning. He grabbed her arm pretty badly, intentionally, and that left bruises… It was bad. Anyway, we're kicking him out of New Legacy."

"Good. He should be fired."

"I agree, but Shane wants to send him for anger management and therapy instead."

"At least it's something."

"Yeah… Anyway, we're going to work an angle, and I want you involved."

"What is it?"

Molly explained the storyline. Ginny seemed to be interested, but then she dropped Danny's name and Ginny hesitated. "You… you want to bring Danny into New Legacy?"

Molly felt bad. She knew she was asking Ginny to spend all of her time working with the son of the man who'd raped her. Maybe that was unfair to ask of her when the wound was so freshly reopened.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Molly said. "But Danny's not a bad guy, Ginny."

"I… I know," Ginny said, surprising her. "He saved my life, and Trixie's… If he hadn't been there… We'd both be dead."

"I still know this is hard for you."

"It is… But he's not his father. And I'm trying to accept that and stop being so hard on the guy."

"So you're in?"

Ginny hesitated again. "Danny's not the problem… I just don't know if I can handle… I mean… Being in front of a crowd, working again…"

"I know. And if you're not okay, you can just film the one angle and then take time off again."

"They're using metal detectors at every event now… Patting down everyone… Security, administrative staff, wrestlers, fans… It doesn't matter who you are… Because anyone might be the next gun-toting lunatic."

"It's better… Safer."

"It's scary."

"I know.

"But yes… I'll do it. Because it's Trixie… And she'd do it for me."

"She would, you're right. Don't worry, Ginny. We'll all be together. We'll be safe."

"Right…" She didn't sound too certain.

After this victory, Molly decided to tackle Gabe. He was significantly harder to convince. "No way!" Gabe protested. "The guy is an asshole, Molly!"

"He's not that bad," Molly said.

"He tormented Trixie for having two mothers! He told her Sweet Saraya wasn't her real grandmother!"

"I know, and Trixie put him in his place. Remember, he nearly took a dip in the pool that day. It made him respect her, and now he's been being nicer to her. She reached out to him as a friend, and he changed."

"She's too trusting."

"You're right. But this time, she happens to be right, too. Danny saved her life, Gabe. On two occasions. He's been taking care of her. And when I checked on her this morning, she told me he's the one who took care of her last night, too."

"He's Luke Harper's son, Molly! The man who raped at least two people, one of which was a kid!"

"I know what his father did. I know he's a piece of shit, okay? But Danny isn't Harper. He's a good guy."

"You want him in New Legacy, around Ginny? She can't handle that, Molly!"

"Ginny agreed."

He shut up briefly. "She did?" He asked.

"Yeah. For Trixie's sake, and because she also knows that Danny isn't his father. It's hard for her, but she's trying."

"I'll do it… For Trixie, and because I don't want Ginny alone around that guy. It could set her off."

"Fine. Thanks, Gabe."

"By the way, pick up your phone once in a while."

"What?"

"The midget calls me every day. She says Dillon's been trying to call you because he heard about your Sire, and you haven't picked up."

Molly felt bad suddenly. She hadn't even considered that her new siblings might be worried about her. "Damn… I should call him back."

"Yeah, you should. Anyway, let me know when and where we're doing this. I'll be there."

"Good." She walked away and sent Dillon a quick text message.

Sorry I've been MIA. Been a long week. I'm safe and ok. Sire is recovering. Hope you're ok. Will call soon.

After a minute, she got a response. Glad you're ok. It's fine, take your time. Hope to talk to you soon.

Satisfied, Molly headed toward her next destination, but someone was already there. She wouldn't have listened to the conversation, but she realized Brandon was in the hallway with Lucas. She ducked behind a wall so she could hear what they were saying.

"Lucas, please give me a chance," Brandon said. "Everyone's turning on me, but you know me. You're the most rational of any of us."

"Tell me what happened, Brandon," Lucas said patiently.

"Danny kissed Trixie. I was upset, and I admit, I went after him. It was pretty violent, and Trixie showed up… She tried to stop me, but I was just so mad… I hit her, by accident, and she hit her head on the wall…" He paused.

"Is she alright?" Lucas asked. He sounded horrified.

"I don't know. She ran off when her cousins showed up and jumped me."

"Well, Brandon, you can't really blame them for that."

"It was bad, Lucas! Nicky beat me senseless."

"No offense, but if you hit Trixie, I think you were already there."

"Lucas… Please, you're the only one who might listen to me."

"I'm willing to listen, Brandon… But I won't tell you it was okay that you hurt her. I understand why Nicky and Keith were so angry."

"I know it's not okay… But this storyline, Lucas! It's ridiculous, and unfair!"

"Brandon… What you did to Trixie was unfair. Think about that."

"But the whole world doesn't need to know about it! I messed up! So what, I never get another chance?"

"You'll get another chance when you prove you deserve it. You need help, Brandon. You're out of control with her."

"It was one time!"

"No. It wasn't." He said this flatly, like he knew something. Molly listened harder.

"What?"

"You grabbed her at Show's funeral. I saw how hard you grabbed her, and I saw the fight."

"I… I just wanted her to listen to me."

"That wasn't the way to get her to do that."

"It's not like I slapped her."

"There are a lot of ways to abuse someone, Brandon-"

"Abuse? Lucas, I'm not abusive!"

"Lately, you have been."

"She kissed Danny! What was I supposed to do?"

"Talk to her. Try to work it out. Or let her go. Break up with her. But the answer is never to hurt her, Brandon. A man should never get physical with a girl unless it's scripted for the ring and rehearsed."

"I can't believe this… Even you are turning on me!"

"I'm not turning on you, Brandon. I'm trying to help you understand what you did, so you can try to fix it."

"She's the one who kissed someone else!"

"And you're the one who grabbed her and who hit her and who cracked her head open."

"It was an accident! It's Danny's fault things got this bad! And hers!"

"Brandon… Are you even sorry at all?"

"What? Of course I'm sorry she got hurt… But she was out of control, Lucas."

"No, Brandon. She's not out of control. You are." He paused. "Get your act together and maybe I can help you, but until you realize what you did, there's nothing I can do for you. Take the deal, Brandon. Work the angle, take the suspension, and get help for your anger."

"I… Lucas, don't walk away from me!"

Lucas sighed and walked away, ignoring Brandon as he called after him. Molly revealed herself to him. "Hey," she said.

"You heard that, didn't you?" Lucas asked.

"Kind of, yeah."

Lucas nodded. "I hated walking away from him… I don't like to give up on people, but what else could I do? He won't accept that he did something wrong."

"He's a dick. So I take it you're on board for the storyline?"

"I'm actively working, so yeah. Even if I wasn't, I have no choice, but I think it's a good idea. It might be the only way to protect Trixie, and it might be the only way to help Brandon before this behavior gets worse."

"And are you okay with Danny being brought into New Legacy?"

"I have my issues with Danny, but he's changing. Trixie's bringing out the good in him, I think. And I believe in second chances. If we don't give him a chance, who will?"

She was impressed with how calm he was about all of this. "You're perfect, you know."

"Hardly."

"If you were straight, Lucas, the things I would do to you…"

Lucas actually blushed. Molly laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here," Molly said. She led him down the hall. Lucas suddenly hesitated.

"Danny?" He asked.

Danny was crouched in a corner. He put a finger to his lips and his eyes pled with them to be quiet. Molly was curious what was wrong, but then she heard a voice. "Daniel! Come on, Danny, I know you're here! I just want to talk! Brie called me, and… and I know what happened, Danny!"

It made sense then. Danny was hiding from his mother. Molly might have laughed, but he looked desperate. "Get him out of here," she told Lucas.

Lucas nodded. "Come on," he said, leading Danny away.

Molly peaked out from the corner. "Hey, Danielle," she said.

Danielle looked at her in confusion. "Molly? Have you seen my son?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have… Listen, what's going on?"

"He…" Danielle sighed. "Brie called me and told me Danny and Brandon had a fight… She says Danny hit him… He's a good boy, Molly, really he is… He's just troubled…"

"Dani, relax. First of all, Danny didn't start the fight."

"He… He didn't?"

"Brandon jumped him. Danny was defending himself."

"Are you sure? Danny has a habit of getting into fist fights."

"I'm positive."

"But why would Brandon attack him?"

"Because Danny sort of kissed his girlfriend."

Danielle sighed. "Oh, Danny! Not again…"

"It's Trixie, Dani. Brandon was dating Trixie."

"I… My son kissed Trixie?" She looked shocked. "Sweet little Trixie?"

"Yeah."

"She's not exactly his type…"

"Innocent and virginal? No, she's not. But she's going through a rough time right now, and Danny's been helping her."

"He has?" Again, she seemed stunned at this news.

"He saved her life, Dani. Twice. Once from a crazy fan at the airport who tried to abduct her and then again from the shooter at the party."

"He did?" Danielle looked proud. "Good for him… Trixie's a sweet girl, and I love her mother to death… I don't know where I'd be without Cayla."

"He's been really good to her. And Brandon was jealous, and he attacked Danny… And when Trixie saw the fight, she tried to stop it. Danny stopped right away."

"Wait, really? Are you sure? Danny's not the type to stop himself. He gets into a lot of fights."

"He stops for Trixie. He knows random violence upsets her, so he stops himself."

"I wish she'd been around him more when he was a kid!" Danielle shook her head.

"Brandon didn't stop. He kept hitting Danny, so Trixie tried to stop him, and she got hurt. He cracked her head open. So I forked him."

"Molly!"

"What? I like my fork. It does the trick."

"I guess he deserved it… Is Trixie alright?"

"She will be. But this time, Danielle, your son didn't do anything wrong."

That seemed to mean a lot to Danielle. "I should see him-"

"Dani, he's feeling smothered. He probably thinks you're upset with him. I know you were going home. So go home and then call him. You guys can talk then." She paused. "And can you convince him to do something?" She explained her storyline idea to her. "I briefly talked to him yesterday after Shane agreed to it, but Danny only agreed to come out and protect Trixie. He doesn't want to join New Legacy." The conversation had lasted about thirty seconds. Danny was pretty insistent that he didn't belong in New Legacy because he'd never used his family to further his career and he wasn't about to start. He'd only agreed to the initial angle because it meant he could hit Brandon and he wanted to make sure Brandon didn't go too far with Trixie. In spite of this, Molly was telling her fellow stablemates that Danny would be joining New Legacy. She knew it was the right move for him, and she was hoping Danielle would make him understand that, too.

"That's a great opportunity for him!" Danielle said excitedly. "Danny deserves to have a better spot on the roster. I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, Danielle."

"No, Molly. Thank you. You're the first person in this company to look out for what's best for my son."

"He's looking out for my best friend. I owe him."

They parted ways after that. Molly headed off to talk to the Ortons about the new direction for New Legacy. She'd already spoken with Trixie. Even though she was afraid to go back to work, she'd agreed to the storyline. Molly hoped Keith and Nicky would be as willing to try.

TRIXIE

It had been two days since she'd broken up with Brandon. Everything was a mess. Her mom had reverted back to not speaking, and she still wouldn't eat anything. Her mum was so focused on her mom that she hadn't even realized that Trixie was injured. That was better. If her mum found out what Brandon had done, she'd kill him.

No one seemed thrilled about working with Danny. They were talking about this when Trixie arrived at the arena. They were holding a special taping, just for this angle. It was a small crowd, but there were still enough people that Trixie felt exposed and terrified.

"He's Luke Harper's son! We can't trust him!" Keith was protesting. "The guy gets into fights everywhere he goes!"

"He's a jerk," Gabe agreed. "It's not safe to have him here."

"This isn't my idea of fun, either," Danny said as he joined them. "I didn't ask to be part of your stupid little legacy club, and I don't want to be."

"You deserve to be," Molly insisted.

"Why? Because his dad's a rapist and his mom's barely a blip on the radar?" Nicky asked.

"Nicky!" Molly scolded him. "That was really out of line!"

"Forget it. I'm out of here," Danny said.

"Knock it off," Ginny said sharply. Everyone looked at her, especially Danny. "Danny is not his father. And if I can say that, none of you… Not a single one of you… has a right to argue." She looked at him. "You're a legacy, Danny. The details don't matter. This business is in your blood. That makes you family. And you saved my life, so the least I can do… The least any of us can do… is give you a chance to prove you're not the guy people assume you are."

No one spoke at first. Finally, Lucas extended his hand to Danny. Trixie watched as Danny stared at it in confusion before shaking it. "Welcome to New Legacy, Danny. You belong here. Don't ever let anyone tell you different," Lucas said.

Danny looked stunned. He didn't reply, but when he noticed Trixie stepping out of the shadows, he smiled. "Hey," he said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Trixie said. "So, we're doing this, huh?"

"If you're ready to, yes," Danny said.

"I'll never be ready… So I might as well just jump in and get it over with. The hardest step is the first one, right?"

"Right."

"You'll be at ringside, Trixie," Lucas said. "When we lose, Brandon will turn on you… I don't want you to be afraid, okay? I'll be there the entire time. And Danny will run out and stop it, and from there, it will all be over."

"Okay," Trixie said, trying to ignore the knot forming in her stomach.

They headed out shortly after. She forced herself to smile brightly for the crowd. She took a deep breath as Brandon linked his arm through hers. He'd been calling and texting her. She'd turned her phone off and ignored every single message. This was the first contact they'd had since she broke up with him.

"Trix," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"You don't get to talk to her," Lucas reminded him. "Scripted interaction only."

Brandon stopped trying to say anything after that. They clung to each other like the adorable happy couple they'd once been and the crowd embraced them.

The match itself was uneventful. Lucas and Brandon were wrestling a midcard tag team. Trixie hardly paid attention to the match. She was more focused on watching the crowd and making sure no one was about to try to attack them. She was shaking and forced herself to take several deep breaths to calm down.

The match ended when one of the opponents pinned Brandon. He got back up and immediately turned on Trixie. "You were supposed to help us!" He shouted. "This is your fault!"

It's a storyline, she reminded herself. You're both in character. He's not going to hurt you.

"But… But I was just-" Trixie stuttered.

As scripted, Brandon shoved her. It was a little harder than Trixie expected. She hit the ringpost and began shaking harder, but that was okay. She was supposed tolook afraid now. The fans wouldn't realize her fear was genuine.

"You're useless!" Brandon screamed. He was channeling his father when he heel turned on AJ Lee, but that didn't make it any less scary for Trixie. The difference was, Bryan wasn't really angry with April and had no intention on hurting her. Brandon, on the other hand, was furious with her.

"Go easy on her," Lucas said. He'd come closer than he was scripted to. Trixie knew he was worried about her.

"This is her fault!" Brandon shouted. Then he did something that hadn't been scripted. He slapped her across the face.

Trixie was stunned. Her eyes went wide and she froze in place. Not only had he gone off script, but he'd hit her… Really hit her, on purpose this time.

The crowd was stunned. They began booing and chanting "No!" Trixie wondered how they'd react if they realized the hit had been real.

She was terrified, but Lucas quickly jumped down out of the ring. He was about to go off-script and get between them, but Danny ran out. The crowd reacted with confusion. They knew who Danny was, but they didn't understand why he was out there.

Danny ripped Brandon off of Trixie and started throwing punches. Trixie looked away. Lucas pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Trixie nodded, but she knew he knew she was lying. "I can't believe he hit you… I almost killed him," Lucas said.

"He knew it was his only chance to," Trixie replied quietly. She was crying. She didn't want to cry in front of a live audience, but how could she help it?

Keith's music hit. Danny jumped off of Brandon. He lay on the mat trembling. Danny had clearly beaten him harder than scripted, probably because he'd seen Brandon hit her. She watched as Danny stood his ground and stared Keith down. The other members of New Legacy were right behind him. They marched out arrogantly.

"Get up," Keith said to Brandon.

Brandon forced himself to stand up. Keith glared at him. "You're an embarrassment!" He told him. "You just got your ass kicked by a nobody!"

"I'm sorry, Phoenix," Brandon stuttered, back on script.

"You're out!" Keith said.

"What?"

"We don't lose. You're not worthy of being part of New Legacy! Get out of our ring!"

Brandon tried to protest. That was when Nicky went off script and hit an RKO on him. Trixie's eyes widened as the crowd cheered wildly. She heard Nicky whisper, "If you ever hit my cousin again, you're a dead man."

Keith looked at Nicky with amusement. He shrugged and when Brandon got up, he hit an RKO of his own. The crowd was loving it. The members of New Legacy turned their backs on Brandon as he left the ring. Then, Keith turned to Danny.

"Give me one reason why you should be allowed to stand here with us," Keith said coldly.

"Because he's a legacy, too!" Trixie said, playing her part in spite of how upset she was. She joined them in the ring and said, "He's the son of Summer Rae…"

The crowd seemed stunned to hear this news. It might be available online, but few had actually ever researched Danny. Now they all seemed to get sucked into the storyline. "I'm a legacy, too," Danny said evenly. "And I'm here to protect her from that jerk of a boyfriend you just kicked to the curb."

Keith considered this. "Fine. If you prove yourself worthy, maybe we'll let you join us," he said. "For now, consider yourself on probation. This is your chance."

The audience was eating it up. Everyone headed backstage. Danny held Trixie's arm protectively the entire walk to the back. When they got there, Molly cursed. "Where's that little shit? I'll kill him!" She said.

"Seconded!" Ginny added.

"Thirded and carried!" Keith chimed in.

"I'll help you hide the body," Lucas added.

"We can borrow Triple H's shovel," Gabe added.

"Guys, let it go," Trixie said.

"He hit you! It wasn't scripted, Trix!" Nicky protested.

"I know, but I don't want any more violence going on in my name. This ends now. He's out of New Legacy. He's on his way to getting treatment. That's all that matters."

They all looked like they wanted to protest, but they let it go. Trixie was grateful. She looked at Danny. "Thank you for doing this for me," she said.

"No problem," Danny said. "Are you okay? I saw what that fucker did."

"It's just a slap. I've taken way worse bumps." She managed a small smile. "He hits like a high school mean girl."

Gabe laughed hard at that, and soon, the others joined in. "I'm okay, guys," Trixie told them "Really. Thank you all for being here for me."

"Always, Trixie," Molly said. "We all love you."

"I love you guys, too."

She saw Brandon on the other side of the backstage area. Bryan was looking at him and shaking his head as he yelled at him. Brie tried to calm her husband down, but he wasn't letting her defend Brandon. Trixie thought he might actually snap and hit Brandon, but he held himself together and led Brandon away instead.

This may be the last time you ever see him, unless he gets help, she thought. Looking back at her friends… her family… she decided that wasn't the worst thing in the world.