Title: Endless Love

Author: Crimson Coin

Rating: PG 15 and higher at some points. Warning: Language.

Summery: The sequel to "Unstoppable". Will Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus's love truly be able to last?

Disclaimer: I do not own the WWE or any of the affiliated wrestlers.

Timeline: From March 22, 2004 and all said dates.

Archiving: Ask me first.

August 16, 2004

Trish Stratus rushed hurriedly down the hospital corridor. The nurse had just come to get her, saying that Randy was awake and ok. She had to get to him.

Finding the proper room, she burst into the door. "Randy?" Her eyes found him lying on the bed, his head stitched and bandaged. She rushed to his side. "Oh God," she breathed, reaching out to touch his covered wound.

Randy smiled, sweetly. "Hey there."

Trish's eyes focused on his wound but a flutter distracted her and she looked to the corner of the room, where Ric Flair stood. "You!" she growled, her eyes flaring dangerously.

"No," Randy said, quickly, grabbing her arm before she could go after him. "No, come here." He pulled on her hard, making her sit on the edge of the bed.

Trish's eyes flashed with dangerous caution as she refused to let her eyes wander from the older man. "I trusted you. We trusted you. I thought you cared about him. I thought you were his mentor. What kind of bastard are you that ..."

Ric raised his hands, his head bowed and slightly tilted as he walked closer to the bed. "All innocence here, Little Girl."

Her eyes narrowed.

"It is." Ric said.

Randy nodded. "Yeah, sweetie. Ric talked to me earlier today. I knew what they were gonna do. I knew what Hunter had planned."

"But ..."

Ric chuckled. "Let's just say that Hunter isn't exactly pleased that our boy here beat Chris Benoit fair and square where Hunter couldn't even win with help."

Randy smiled. "And if you couldn't tell from ... you know ... me being busted open. Hunter's got a little grudge cuz I got that baby." He pointed to the title lying on an abandoned chair.

Trish blinked, unbelieving a few times. "But ... Ric ..." she clenched her teeth. "You attacked him out there."

Ric shrugged. "Hunter pays my salary. Hunter is my paycheck. Hunter says to take it to the boy, and I do. But I had a nice long talk with Randy before hand." He scruffed his young apprentice's hair. "He understands."

Randy nodded. "Ric said that there's not much else he can teach me. That I've ... well, evolved. I mean I can always learn but ... I'm ok to go on my own."

Ric smiled. "That he has. And I don't know how often I'll be able to talk to you. And I am not going to hold anything back in that ring. Find yourself some new allies."

"Like who?" Randy asked with sincere concern as he took Trish's hand subconsciously with his.

Trish squeezed his hand in comfort. "Well I'm here for you, what little I can do and Tyson is too."

Randy chuckled. "That man would do anything for you. But thanks."

Ric nodded with a laugh. "That is true. But in all seriousness. Think about what I'm saying. People like ... Benoit and Regal. Even Chris Jericho. You may want someone in your corner as soon as possible."

Randy nodded his understanding. "Thanks, Ric. You know, for everything."

Ric smiled, grabbing his protégé's other hand. "Anytime. Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it." His eyes met Trish's for a moment before he walked from the room.

Curious and worried, Trish cocked her head, looking into Randy's eyes. "What was he insinuating?"

Randy sighed, squeezing her hand a little tighter in his. "We need to talk."

Her face fell at his tone.

Randy cocked his head, reaching out to brush his fingers across her cheek. "I've known for some time now."

Her brow furrowed. "Known what?"

"That you were never mine." He answered plainly yet calmly. "That deep down the reason for your coldness was because I wasn't somebody else."

Trish's eyes widened as she gasped.

"It's ok." He cooed. "It's my fault anyway. You first came to me for raw impersonal sex and from the way you acted afterwards, that's probably all you wanted it to be. I pushed for something more. I pushed for the emotional attachment and the relationship. You never wanted it but you went along figuring no harm could come of it."

"I ..."

"Wait. Let me finish." He interrupted. "I'm not mad. If I wasn't so pushy in having a relationship, we wouldn't be in this position and I probably wouldn't be heartbroken." At her frown, he pinched her chin affectionately between his fingers. "Don't you feel guilty. I got myself into this mess. But just tell me. And please, be honest. Do you love him?"

Trish bowed her head.

"Please," he begged. "Just tell me."

She offered a slow nod, her voice squeaking hardly. "I do." She sniffed. "I'm so sorry, Randy. I ..."

"Shhh," he hushed, still in an oddly calm state. "I'm ok, Trish. I've had almost three weeks to get used to this idea."

"I ... I don't understand."

He blinked slowly, calming himself as he spoke as softly and gently as he could. "Three weeks ago, when I made love to you." He sighed. "You called out his name."

A horrified blank expression drew across her face.

"I know you didn't mean to." He continued. "but the way you tried to rake your fingers through my hair. The way you gripped my sides, my waist as if trying to grab love handles, like I know Chris has."

Shamed, Trish ducked her head even further.

Randy nodded. "Dave attacked me because I chose you over him." He tilted her chin up again, wanting to look on her lovely face. "Even knowing all this and not once thinking about taking you to bed in celebration, because I knew you wouldn't be mine. I chose to have that lovely dinner with you after my victory and not go out and binge party with Evolution. Dave feels left behind, that's why he's so angry."

Trish shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Randy."

"It's ok." Randy said calmly, a slight glassiness to his eyes, though from tears or the blood loss, Trish didn't know. "It still hurts a little. But I'm ok. Really. After watching you and Jeff last week and the way you act with him and then realizing you're more affectionate with him than you are with me? That was the final kicker and I know now that I can never have your heart."

"Oh, Randy."

He shook his head. "No no. It's ok. I know that I don't want to loose you, not in my life. I care too much. I'd be happy if we can be friends. I want what you have with Jeff. I want to be there for you for everything and I want you to be happy and I still want to protect you. We've had so much fun together. I mean remember that weekend you came home with me and we went to the beach? We had a blast."

Trish smiled. "Yeah. Yeah we did."

He smiled back, bright and brilliant. "And remember that fat ass guy trying to hit on you and he had the sausage and peppers in his mouth as he's talking to you?"

She giggled. "Yeah and then he wouldn't leave me alone ... and you." She swatted his arm. "Just sat back like it was nothing and laughed."

"It was funny."

"He was almost ready to kiss me." Trish shot back, a beautiful smile on her face. "You probably woulda sat there and let him."

He nodded.

She pouted.

Randy chuckled. "But the look on his face when you knocked him down woulda been priceless." He shrugged. "And I eventually took care of the situation."

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You call acting like my pimp 'Taking Control of the Situation'?"

He laughed. "Yep. He stopped bothering you."

"That's because you had the entire diner believing you had a nine millimeter in your pocket."

His smile stayed bright and beaming. "See. We can be like that. We can be great friends and still be there for each other."

"I'd like that." She answered softly. "But I'm still so sorry. I wanted to ... well this may not sound right. But I wanted to love you. You're such a wonderful man and ... and I wish that I could have been the girl to make you happy."

"I'll find her." He answered. "But for now, we still got each other and you have Tyson and Christian. And we're going to get you Jericho."

Trish smiled a genuine and beautiful smile.

"I've never seen you smile like that. Never seen you so happy."

She flushed, ducking her head a moment then she licked her lips, meeting his eyes again. "You're so perfect. Most men wouldn't forgive me or even want to talk to me after what I did to you. Calling out Chris's name and ... I don't know why you want to be my friend, much less help me get together with Chris."

He shrugged casually, his eyes half open in his weariness. "I'm not most men. And from the looks of how Chris has a hold of your heart, he's not either."

She shook her head, quite shy at the current conversation. "You look exhausted."

"I kinda am," he answered with a yawn. "Don't leave me tonight. I ... I'm not used to being alone."

Trish nodded, walking across the room and grabbing the chair. She dragged it to his bedside and sat down, leaning against the bed to grab his hand. "Get some sleep. I won't go anywhere."

"You're going to be uncomfortable in the morning." He said, yawning again.

She smiled, brilliantly, squeezing his larger hand with both of hers. "And you did the same thing the night I broke my wrist. You had a back cramp for weeks."

He smiled. "A night. I was milking it for the nightly massages for weeks."

She giggled, laying her head down on the bed. "Get some sleep. But I'm waking you every few hours or so. You're concussed and I don't want anything serious happening to you."

"Deal," he replied with a final yawn and his eyes fluttered closed.

(Two for one deal here. Hope you like. Now ... how and Am I going to get Chris/Trish back together again. Hmmm ... let's see. Review me.)