Okay I'm feeling a bit guilty because I promised Jeff and Viveca would be back by now but I didn't look at the planning correctly and they reappear in Chapter 39. Hopefully two updates in one night make up for my mistake. Hope ya like it, Read, Enjoy, & Review!!

Chapter 38...

7:00 P.M.

SMACKDOWN

Triple H and Randy Orton stood in the Evolution locker room at the beginning of the show. Triple H paced back and forth, his championship belt up on his shoulder. Randy looked somewhat apprehensive.

"Last time we saw them, there was quite a bit of tension goin on," Taz commented.

Triple H took his sunglasses off, tossing them away and looking at Randy.

"Do you know who I am Orton?" he asked.

Randy nodded.

"I cant hear you, I asked if you know who I am," Triple H got closer to his protégé.

"Of course I do," Randy nodded.

"I am the World Heavyweight Champion," he said, getting nose to nose with him, raising the belt a few inches off of his shoulder for a second.

"I know," Randy nodded.

Triple H backed away a few inches, "I do not have time to deal with your..relationship issues."

Randy tried to say something but the champion cut him off.

"I don't wanna hear it!" he yelled. "Just know this…if you don't get your woman in line…I will…And you don't want me to handle this..Trust me."

"What does he mean by that?" Michael Cole asked.

"Take a wild guess Cole," Taz said as Triple H walked out of the room and Randy stared at the door.

The Intercontinental Champion looked very conflicted and he sat down on the couch, rubbing his temples. The door opened and he stood up again as John Cena walked into the room.

"What's Cena doin' in there?" Taz asked.

John looked around the room and then back to Randy, "Where's your girl at?"

"Excuse me?" Randy glared.

"Cory," John said. "Is she here?"

"What business is it of yours?" Randy asked.

John smirked, "Calm down cowboy, I just wanna thank her for the concern Monday night."

"You don't need to thank her," Randy said, glaring down his nose at the other man. "In fact..you need to stay the hell away from her."

John laughed, putting his hands up, "Look man, I'm not friends with your girlfriend. I barely even know her..I just appreciate the momentary lapse in judgment and I wanted to thank her for it…You can relax, I'm not trying to steal your woman."

"You couldn't if you did try," Randy glared.

John smirked, "Whatever…I'll see you later."

-----------------------------------

"John!" Randy followed his friend down the hall once they were done filming. "John!"

"What?" John turned, annoyed.

"When are you gonna start talking to me again?" Randy asked, frustrated. He was trying to be mature about this but John was making it difficult.

"Why should I talk to you man?" John asked.

"Because we're friends?" he suggested.

"You don't seem to remember what that means," John said. "Because a friend wouldn't chase after another friend's girl."

"She's not your girl," Randy said. "You messed up…and let's not forget…I had a thing for Cory first and you were the one who pretended to be dating her."

John looked surprised, he obviously hadn't expected that to come up.

"I was able to get past that but you cant handle this?" Randy asked.

John didn't say anything.

"Look, I can understand you being bothered but..I'm not gonna apologize to you because we happen to be interested in the same person," Randy said.

"I just don't get it," John shook his head. "One minute you're with Portia 24/7 and now you've switched to Cory.

Randy rolled his eyes. Why the hell did everyone have to bring Portia into this?

"Portia and I are just friends," Randy insisted.

"Oh really?" John smirked.

"Yes, really," Randy nodded.

"So then it doesn't bother you that I'm taking her out to dinner tomorrow?" John asked.

Randy stared for a second, not sure he'd heard right. John and Portia were going to dinner together? What the hell for?

He shook his head, John was just trying to bait him. He was being an asshole because he was jealous.

He shrugged, doing his best to seem unaffected, "I don't care. Hope you have fun."

-----------------------------------

Taylor washed her hands for the 10th time in the last hour and a half. She didn't know why but she'd always washed her hands when she was nervous. Her mother always thought it was a strange habit, but a sanitary one so she never tried to get her to stop. She held out her hands, looking down at them, trying to get them to stop shaking. She was sure everyone thought she was insane for having such a strong reaction just to being in a city but no one could understand what she felt there. Her chest felt heavier. It was harder to breathe. She was cold and shaky and she just wanted to get the hell out of there.

"It's like being a kid again," she smirked bitterly at herself. She looked into her own eyes in the mirror. The worst thing about being back there was that she couldn't seem to stop memories from flooding to the forefront of her mind. Memories that she did her best to suppress.

"Mom, where are we going?" Taylor asked, looking up at her mother as she dropped an empty suitcase on the bed and started shoving clothes into it. Her mother didn't answer her at first, opening her dresser drawers and pulling out armfuls of clothes, dropping them into the suitcase.

"Mom!" Taylor exclaimed. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know Taylor!" her mother exclaimed. "I don't know but we have to go, we have to get out of here."

"We cant," Taylor shook her head. "You know what he said. If we leave, he'll just find us."

"Baby, listen to me," Nancy came over to her, taking her face in her hands. "It's a mother's job to take care of their children and make sure they're safe…And I haven't done a very good job of that since you were born..And you will never know how sorry I am for that..but I'm trying to start now..We have to go."

Taylor wanted to tell her mom what a good mother she was and how much she loved her but the urgency in her mother's eyes told her that could wait. Instead, she walked over to the dresser, pulling out more clothes, helping her pack. She wanted to leave, desperately..but she was scared. Would he really let them leave? Was it possible to be free of him?

Then…the doorknob started to turn. Nancy's eyes widened in fear and Taylor could feel her heart beating through her chest. Normally he made so much noise when he got home, how did he make it up the stairs without them hearing. When he realized the door was locked her started jerking it back and forth, over and over as if he couldn't believe someone would actually try to keep him out. Then he hit the door hard, just once.

Nancy closed the suitcase, standing in front of her daughter. Taylor jumped as his fist slammed into the door again. She knew it was his fist. It was a sound she was very familiar with.

"Nancy!" he hit the door again. "What the hell are you doing in there?"

Nancy held Taylor firmly behind her. Taylor rested her forehead against her mother's back, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She knew it. She knew they wouldn't be able to leave. Why didn't her mother listen?

"Nancy open this god damn door!" he yelled. "NOW!"

"Taylor!"

Taylor jumped, gasping when she heard someone knocking on the door.

"Taylor, say something."

She put a hand over her chest, trying to calm her heart. It was Chris.

"Taylor!" he called her name again. He sounded worried.

"Yeah," she said, hoping she didn't sound as shaken as she felt. "I'll be right out."

-----------------------------------

Chris paced back and forth as he waited for Taylor to come out of the bathroom. After the Highlight Reel, he'd come back to the dressing room to talk to her. When he got there he saw that she'd locked herself in the bathroom. He could hear the water running but for a while she wasn't making a sound. Once he called her name a few times she said she'd come out but she still hadn't opened the door yet. He was about to knock again when the door opened and she walked out. She looked pale. Her face was damp and her hands were red and shaking.

"Are you okay?" he asked. It was a stupid question but he wasn't sure what else to say.

"I'm fine," she nodded. "I'm just..tired."

Chris sighed, running a hand over his hair. She was lying to him. Something was wrong, very wrong. A person didn't shake from terror or fear or whatever for no reason. Visiting their hometown was usually a treat for people on the road but it instilled fear in Taylor and Chris was more determined than ever to find out what made her this way.

-----------------------------------

SMACKDOWN

The crowd had a surprisingly positive reaction when Cory's music began and she made her way out onto the ramp. Some of them started to boo when Randy Orton appeared beside her.

"I'm surprised Orton's out here," Michael Cole said.

"If you had a girlfriend like that you'd be by her side all the time," Taz laughed.

"Earlier tonight Triple H told Randy to get her in line, do you think he's done that Taz?" Michael asked.

"They look like they're gettin along to me," Taz shrugged.

Cory was all smiles as they got into the ring and waited for her opponent, Trish Stratus.

5 Minutes Later…

"Is she okay?" Michael Cole asked as the referee checked on Cory. She'd come down wrong on her knee and seemed to be having some sort of problem with it. She was sitting on the floor outside the ring and the ref was checking on her. Trish was standing in the ring, waiting.

The camera cut to Randy Orton who was looking around, a concerned expression on his face. Then, he smiled, walking around the ring.

"What's Orton doin'?" Taz asked.

He got his answer when Randy slid into the ring behind Trish.

"Oh come on," Michael Cole said, disgusted. "Leave her alone!"

Randy grabbed Trish's arm and turned her around, giving her an RKO.

"Oh my God!" Taz exclaimed.

"I cant believe he just did that!" Michael yelled.

Randy slid out of the ring quickly and walked over, checking on his fiance. Once he and the referee were assured she was okay, she he and the ref got back into the ring where Trish was just beginning to stir.

Cory frowned, looking out to Randy.

"Does Cory know what happened?" Taz asked.

"She didn't see a thing," Michael said as Cory trained a suspicious eye on Randy.

Randy encouraged her to focus on the match and she turned, just as Trish made it to her feet. Trish bounced off of the ropes but Cory jumped over her head avoiding her attempt at a clothesline. As Trish came off of the ropes again, Cory used a spinning heel kick to knock the blonde to the canvas again.

"Wow," Taz said, impressed with Cory's athleticism.

Trish got back up and hit Cory with a forearm to the face, knocking her back a few inches. Then, she grabbed the brunette's arm, twisting it viciously. Cory winced in pain then put her free hand on the canvas and did a cartwheel to relieve the pressure on her arm and looped Trish's arm around her neck, executing a perfect Northern Lights suplex with a bridge, pinning the other woman.

1..2..3

Cory let Trish go, jumping to her feet as Randy rushed into the ring.

"That was a damn good match Cole," Taz said.

"It would have been much better if Randy Orton hadn't taken Trish out of the game," Michael said bitterly.

Randy picked Cory up, spinning her around as they celebrated her win. He put her down, hugging her tightly. Then, a replay of his RKO on Trish played on the titan-tron. Randy wasn't facing it but Cory was and her smile fell as she saw what he did.

"Uh oh," Taz said.

"Cory really didn't know what happened," Michael said as she pulled away from Randy, staring at him in disbelief.

Randy seemed confused by her sudden change in mood and reached out to hug her again but she moved away before he could touch her, storming out of the ring.

-----------------------------------

Cory and Randy passed through the curtains and walked into the backstage area. Once she knew she was in the clear and didn't have to look unhappy, Cory smiled from ear to ear, squeaking as she jumped up and down. She couldn't describe how incredible it felt to be back in the ring again. She turned to Randy who smiled, "That was great."

"That was so much fun," she smiled, hugging him. "God I missed that."

She was doing a little happy dance and Randy was laughing at her until they both laid eyes on the same sight. Portia and John were near one of the production tables, laughing and talking. She had a hand on his arm and looked up at him as if there was no one else around. That was not what Cory needed to see. Her mood took a complete nosedive.

"Well you certainly didn't show any signs of ring rust," Trish came through the curtain, patting Cory on the shoulder.

"Hm?" Cory turned to the shorter woman.

"You were great," Trish smiled, giving her a hug.

"Thanks," Cory said, distracted. She looked up at Randy who was still looking at Portia and John, a confused expression on his face. He was probably almost as bothered by it as she was.

Trish saw what he was looking at and shook her head, "You know..I heard they're getting back together…I guess in a weird way it's kind of cute."

Cory stared at her and Randy made a face, "Yeah…it's adorable."

"Sorry," Trish shrugged before walking away.

Cory rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Leave it to John to ruin a perfectly good moment. And Portia…she wasn't sure how she felt about Portia at the moment.

"Hey," Randy looked down at his watch. "You gotta get to the locker room before we get back from commercial."

"Shit I almost forgot," she started walking. Then she smiled, remembering what she would get to do in the next segment.

-----------------------------------

SMACKDOWN

The show returned from commercial with Corinne Flair in the Evolution, angrily packing her things into a gym bag.

"She definitely aint happy about what went down earlier tonight Cole," Taz observed.

"Can you blame her?" Michael Cole asked. "She's obviously been uncomfortable with some of Evolution's dubious acts since she returned from her knee injury. It's pretty clear that the last thing she wanted was for Randy Orton to do what he did."

"He was just trying to help his girlfriend," Taz laughed.

Cory zipped her bag just as the door to the room opened.

Portia Kelly walked in and Cory rolled her eyes.

"What is your problem?" Portia asked, apparently annoyed.

Cory put her bag up on her shoulder and tried to walk past the other woman but Portia grabbed her arm and made her face her.

"These ladies aren't exactly the best of friends Cole," Taz said.

"Portia Kelly is the one who put Cory out of action for 6 months."

"Look," Portia glared. "You need to learn to be more grateful for what you have..because if you don't appreciate it…you'll lose it."

Cory looked down at the hand on her arm and then back to Portia's face, "Get your hand off of me..because if you don't…you'll lose it."

Portia shook her head, laughing bitterly, "I don't know why I thought the two of us could get along…You always have been a bitch."

That was enough for Cory. Without warning, she hit Portia right in the face.

"Oh my!" Michael exclaimed.

Portia hit her back and the fight was on. Portia grabbed Cory by the hair and Cory hit her in the face again. Soon they were stumbling around the room hitting each other about the head and shoulders.

"Somebody's gonna get hurt," Taz laughed as they fell onto the couch with Cory on top raining right hands down on the other woman. Then, Ric Flair and Batista came into the room. When they saw what was going on, Batista grabbed Cory and lifted her off of Portia, holding her back while Ric kept Portia from attacking his daughter.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Batista asked angrily.

"Stop it!" Ric yelled as Portia tried to get away from him. "Do I need to remind you that we have other things to focus on tonight?"

"Then maybe you should tell that bitch to stay out of my face!" Cory said, struggling to get out of Batista's grasp.

"Stop!" Ric pointed at her. "We need to get it together. We all have to be at ringside tonight during Triple H's contract signing with The Undertaker. We need to show a united front."

The two women were still struggling as Matt Hardy's music began and he made his way to the ring for his match.

-----------------------------------

"Ladies, you can stop now," Dave laughed as the camera man walked out of the locker room.

Cory didn't even realize that they were finished shooting. She hated to admit it but a tiny part of her was enjoying that particular segment. She could see in Portia's eyes that she was feeling the same way.

"That was some pretty good acting," Dave let go of her arms and Cory laughed, a little out of breath.

"I really thought you two were gonna rip each other's hair out," Ric laughed as he released Portia.

Cory thought so too. She could see some of her dark hairs tangled around Portia's fingers. She didn't have much hair on her hands but her hand was still stinging from that first slap. She was surprised Portia didn't have a hand print on her face.

"This looked like one of your early catfights," Dave laughed. "You're not back to hating each other, are you?"

"Of course not," Cory smiled. "Why would we hate each other?"

Portia smiled a tense smile, "We would never hurt each other on purpose…We're friends."

-----------------------------------

Savannah looked at the calendar, tapping a pen against her chin. She'd been trying all day to figure out the perfect date. The perfect time. The perfect day to put the wheels in motion. She was going to make his life as miserable as hers and everything had to be just right.

She giggled a little, imagining the look on his face when he got the news. God it was going to be great. If she could only choose a day.

She frowned, nothing in March really jumped out at her. She flipped to the next page in the calendar and there it was.

Sunday, April 4th

Wrestlemania. That was a big deal to him. The most important day of the year as far as his career was concerned. He'd explained to her when they were together how much work, how many months of preparation went into that one day. It was exactly what she was looking for. She wouldn't have to wait too long and there would be a sweet irony that came with it.

She smiled, circling the date with her pen, "It's perfect."

-----------------------------------

"So are you going to see your mom while we're here?" Cory asked, sitting on the couch in the women's dressing room. She'd never been terribly fond of Jessica's mother but she knew that they were close.

Jessica nodded, "Yeah, she wants to have breakfast in the morning."

"That should be fun," Cory smiled.

She'd tried her best from the day she met her to like Jessica's mother but Brenda's hatred for Cory's mother, Adelle, seemed to extend to Cory. She'd tried to raise Jessica to resent Cory for growing up with money when she didn't. Cory was always grateful that Jessica didn't listen to her mom. She looked at the monitor in the corner of the room, rolling her eyes when she saw that John's match with Shelton was on. Did he have to be everywhere?

"So what's up with James?" she asked, trying to distract herself. "Did he get the Wrestlemania tickets you sent him?"

"He got them," Jessica nodded, touching up her makeup. She still had to be at ringside for the contract signing at the end of the show..

"Your tone tells me there's a but," Cory smirked.

"But he's not coming," Jessica said.

"Excuse moi?" Cory put a hand to her chest. "He told you he's not coming? And you didn't fly out there and kick him in the nuts?"

"No, no I didn't," Jessica shook her head.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Cory glared.

"I'm gonna handle it," Jessica smiled. "Just wait and see."

"Uh oh, Jessie's got something fun planned," Cory smiled.

Jessica nodded, "Yes, unlike my kid sister, my love life is not a soap opera."

"My love life is not a soap opera," Cory said, turning her attention back to the monitor just as John pinned Shelton for a 3 count.

She smiled, knowing what was coming next. John got up, celebrating his win as the crowd cheered him on. Then, there was an uproar in the audience as Randy ran through the crowd and jumped the security barricade, sliding into the ring unnoticed. Her eyes weren't quite sure where to focus. John was shirtless and breathing heavily and Randy was in pants and an Evolution t-shirt, that smug yet incredibly attractive little smirk on his face.

When John turned around, he walked right into an RKO and Randy was booed loudly as he yelled something in John's face before getting up and posing in the ring.

"Is it wrong that I got some sort of sick pleasure out of that?" Cory asked.

"How long are you gonna be mad at John?"

"I don't know yet," Cory shrugged.

"You really should give him another chance," Jessica advised, sitting beside her, laughing a little as Michael Cole's voice came from the monitor, asking if Randy's attack on John had anything to do with his interaction with Cory on Raw.

"Um..I believe you told me to give John a chance before," Cory said. "And look where that got me."

"He made a mistake," Jessica said. "An embarrassing one, yes, but still..everyone makes mistakes. Especially guys."

"It's just not gonna work Jess," Cory insisted. "Besides..right now I'm..seeing where things might go with Randy."

Jessica rolled her eyes.

"What was that for?" Cory asked. "There's nothing wrong with Randy. He's gorgeous, he's talented, funny..sometimes..I like being around him."

"No, there's nothing wrong with him but…is there any spark with you and Randy?"

"Of course there is," Cory insisted. "..I think."

-----------------------------------