PART 28

"So, Trish, how are things with Randy and Adam?"

Trish's ears perked up at the sound of the feminine voice, and she placed the script she was reviewing down on the small table in front of her, turning in her seat to discover Dawn Marie behind her. She raised an eyebrow curiously, at the same time patting the cushion next to her, beckoning to the brunette woman to have a seat beside her. Dawn complied, plopping down next to Trish, with whom it felt she hadn't spoken to in ages.

"Things?" Trish asked, once Dawn had been comfortably seated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, last time you and I had a real talk, Adam kissed you, you were still in love with Randy, he wouldn't take you back... you were having some serious problems with your love life," Dawn explained.

Trish gave a bittersweet grin, nodding in remembrance. She had been a wreck last time she had spoken with Dawn.  Not that she was much better off now, but she had at least regained a bit of her sanity after patching things up with Adam. Tilting her head to the side, she turned to face the elder diva.

"Adam and I had a long discussion about that kiss, as well as our relationship, and we came to the conclusion that we're *both* happy being very good friends. And, unfortunately, I'm still in love with Randy," she said pointedly.  Dawn frowned slightly at the change in attitude Trish underwent as she neared the end of the update on her life.

"Why don't you talk to him?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on the blonde woman's knee. Trish sighed, turning away for a moment before replying.

"I can't, Dawn... I just can't. Believe me, I've thought about it countless times since we last talked, but it seems like every time I try to approach him to say something, I

just chicken out. He's already turned me down once, and I don't think I could take it again."

Dawn nodded perceptively, despite disagreeing her statement. She had been told by many that she had a very forward and open attitude towards others, but Dawn never saw that as a flaw. Men were cowards, plain and simple. She knew Randy still loved Trish, but he'd never do anything about it other than mope around the halls. If Trish wanted her flame with Randy to be reignited, she was going to have to learn to do it herself.

"Trish, you need to be a little more persistent if you think you're going to..."

"Excuse me ladies," a deep, gruff voice called, cutting Dawn off mid-sentence. Both Dawn and Trish turned their heads to the door, frowning as Paul Levesque stepped into the room. "If you don't mind, Dawn, I need to have a word with Trish."

Dawn Marie watched Paul closely, rolling her eyes in disgust as he plopped down in the empty seat across from them, as though he owned the damn place. Then again, considering just how far his head was shoved up Vince McMahon's ass, he practically *did* own everything. Pursing her lips together, the testy brunette shot a challenging glance his way.

"And if I do?" she inquired, not bothering to mask her annoyance. Narrowing her eyes at the young woman, he laughed sardonically. Then, his expression grew dead serious.

"Get out," he voiced murderously, pointing to the door.

Dawn sighed, giving in and rising from her seat. She turned and mouthed goodbye to Trish and then strode by Paul, slamming the door shut behind her as she made her exit. Paul shook his head, turning back to Trish.

"Now that *that's* out of the way," he said, referring to Dawn with hatred, "you and I need to have a chat, Miss Stratus." Trish's eyes widened a bit.

"About what? if you're here to threaten me about Randy, don't bother. I'm really not in the mood to put up with your shit, Paul, and I..."

"Shut up and listen, would you? Let me finish, I'm sure you'll like what I have to say," he instructed calmly. He paused, waiting silently for her to settle back into her seat. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I've come to a decision. You can have Randy. I'll give him to you, if it really means that much to you." A short laugh escaped Trish's lips as she glared at Paul, nodding in disbelief.

"Yeah, okay Paul. Thanks, but no thanks. If I want him, I'll get him on my own," she replied, eyeing the muscular man as though he were insane. It was Paul's turn to laugh.

"You've done quite the shitty job on that so far, haven't you?" he shot back, earning a scowl from the Canadian. "Seriously, Trish, do you really think you'll get Randy back on your own? At the rate you're going, he'll be dead and buried before he realizes how much you still love him. You need my help, Trish. You need me to give Randy up to you, because there's no way we can both have him at the same time."

"Are you delusional?" Trish asked, finding herself to be seriously questioning Levesque's sanity. "You're talking about Randy like he's a piece of property! You say there's no way we can both have him at the same time, but you've never had him to begin with! For Christ sakes, Paul, you don't own him."

"That's where you're wrong, sweetheart. I *do* own Randy, more so than you could ever understand. Why the hell do you think it's taken him so long to come back to you? He's scared shitless... scared of what *I'll* do to him when I find out. He's isolated himself, become a recluse, all because he's too scared to cross me. And you know what, Trish... fear is a very smart emotion," he explained, a crooked smile crossing his features.

Trish sat back in her seat, her head dropping a bit as she realized how absolutely right Paul was. He had such a heavy influence on Randy, on his career and on his life, that it was truly as though he were enslaved. He had no choice but to comply to his wishes or he could very well lose his job, which was all he had left after his personal life went down the drain. Trish could see where his fear was coming from... Levesque was controlling his life.

"What's in it for you?" she asked suddenly, catching the arrogant man off guard.

"Excuse me?" he questioned, arching an eyebrow. Standing up, Trish marched over to him, placing her hands on her hips as she stood in front of him, refusing to back down.

"I said, what's in it for you? Come on, Paul, I know you better than that. You're not a very charitable person. You'd never help anyone, especially not an 'annoying bitch' like me, without getting something in return, so what is it?" she demanded. Paul opened his mouth to speak, but then glanced down at his watch, lifting his sunglasses with his free hand to check the time.

"Ooh, bad timing, Trish. There's a creative team meeting in five minutes, and you know how I love to sit in on those. I'm afraid we'll have to finish this discussion later... say, tonight, at the hotel?" he suggested, a twisted smile curling his lips.

"I think I've heard enough, Paul. Thanks for the offer though," Trish replied sarcastically.

Paul laughed, shaking his head as he made his way to the door. Trish could be so naive sometimes. It almost made him want to puke.

"If you want so much as a hair of a chance with Randy, you'll come see me," he told her, his tone threatening. Scowling at him, Trish removed her hands from her waist, dropping them to her sides. As much as she loathed admitting so, he was right. In a sick, twisted way, Randy was his, and she'd have to go through the Cerebral Assassin to get to him. She glared at him with icy eyes. There were no words in the dictionary strong enough to describe her hatred for that man.

"You just love wrapping people up on leashes and getting them to do what you want, when you want, don't you?" she asked, scoffing bitterly.

"I get my kicks where I can," Paul responded, winking at her. He pulled the door open and stepped out, eyeing Trish with a grin as he closed the door. "See you tonight," he said, smiling triumphantly as he headed back to his locker room, his tale of a creative meeting totally fabricated.

After he disappeared down the hall, a young man emerged from behind the door, a deep frown on his handsome face.