AN: Once Again, as always, thank you all for the reviews. I really appreciate it and it really keeps me going. I also want to apologize for waiting so long to update. I actually had to write this chapter two times before this one because my stupid word processor shut down on me both times. I actually wanted to add more to this chapter but then it would have been way too long. Hope you guys enjoy and hope you guys review. Thanks.

I Disclaim.

Trish sighed as she looked down at Emma as she fed her. She quietly sucked away at the milk and Trish wished she could be a child again if for the only reason to be stress free and without a care in the world. Trish leaned her head back against the rocking chair and let her eyes close. She normally would be in bed by 10:30 pm at the latest, but for the past week since Randy had dropped the bombshell of fathering another child, Trish found herself lying awake in bed just thinking. That night, Randy had complained that he was extremely exhausted and had a headache. He promised to talk about it later after he got some sleep. Well, a week later, and the newlyweds had hardly spoken to each other. The next morning, Trish had found a note left by Randy saying that he had to be on the road very early and that he would see them again by the weekend. That was six days ago and he was scheduled to return home today. For the past week, Randy had conveniently called at all the hours when he knew Trish was busy with the baby or out running errands. He opted to leaving a message and Trish was sure that he much preferred doing that than talking to her. She couldn't figure it out. He had been avoiding her since that night and her frustration was quickly becoming anger. She was being treated as though she was being punished when in fact, he was the one who had the explaining to do. She felt Emma tense and she quickly try to calm her emotions down. She had noticed the truth in the doctor's words when he had warned Trish that because of the strong relationship between mother and child, Emma would easily feel the emotions that Trish was experiencing and in turn, would reflect Emma's moods. Trish looked at the clock, it read 12 am so she decided to put Emma to bed. She walked across the hall to the master bedroom where she had moved the crib and placed Emma inside. Trish figured that having Emma in the room with her would save her the trouble of having to walk across the hall in her sleepy state to feed or change her. In perfect honesty, Trish also found Emma's presence relaxing. Despite her anger, she was missing Randy a lot. This was the first time that he had been away and hadn't directly spoken to her on the phone. Every night they spent away from each other, they would call each other before they went to sleep. Trish was so accustomed to their little nightly ritual that she found herself unable to sleep without hearing his deep voice on the other end. Trish heard the soft click of the front door and immediately knew Randy had come home. A part of her was excited to see him but the other part rationalized that he most probably came home at this hour thinking she was asleep and it was easier to avoid the inevitable conversation. Trish took one last look at Emma, quickly wiping away a tear that managed to escape her eyes. She wasn't going to let him do this anymore. They were going to talk tonight, even if she had to serve him walking papers to do it.

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Randy tried to make the most quiet entrance possible. He chose to turn on the lamp on the foyer table while he expertly manoeuvred in the dark kitchen. He couldn't wait to see Trish and Emma. He knew they were sleeping, but all he needed was to see their faces. Right now, it was enough for him. He thought back to earlier today. He had actually finished his last house show last night and normally he would have woken up extra early to make it home for lunch with his family, however, the situation with Gail had him fearful, and he decided to prolong his return home. Though part of him chastised himself for thinking that Trish would just pick up and leave, taking Emma with her, the other part of him couldn't help but point out the many times he had messed up in their relationship. Randy was afraid that this would be the last straw for Trish. He missed her, he really did. He missed not talking to her on the phone. He hadn't slept all week. Hearing her voice on the other end of the phone was the next best thing to having her in his arms and not having that this week was killing Randy. He knew it was his fault, but he really didn't know what to do or what to expect. He wasn't ready…not yet at least, to talk about Gail and Kevin with Trish. He didn't want to see that look of betrayal in her eyes, but in the end, he was going to see it anyway. His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed that the room suddenly grew brighter. He turned around to see Trish standing at the doorway in a long midnight blue silk nightie. 'God she's beautiful' Randy thought, but shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't not the time to be having sexual thoughts about his wife when he knew that they were headed for a really big fight soon. He should be focusing on whether he'll need to go on his knees to get another chance.

"It's nice to know you remember your family….or was it dirty laundry that forced you back here? Trish asked bitterly. She hadn't meant to let her anger be so apparent but no matter how much she missed him, she felt like he had abandoned them. She knew physically he couldn't be there that week, but mentally and emotionally, it seemed like he just didn't care.

Randy quickly shook his head before taking a couple of large strides to stand right before her.

"Look, I know I haven't dealt with the situation in the best way possible….but how could you even think that I could forget you guys?" his voice was quite but Trish could hear the hurt lingering on each word he said.

"I'm scared Trish…..I don't wanna lose you or Emma, and I can't just not be a part of my son's life. I'm not going to abandon him Trish….but I don't wanna lose you at the same time…." Randy went on. It was obvious how torn he was.

"Sweetie, I am not going to pack my bags and walk out of your life because of this…I'm not angry because of Kevin, I was angry because you decided to run from me rather than choosing to deal with this together. I felt like you didn't wanna try and that broke my heart…." her voice cracked and she took a moment before continuing.

"Ultimately, this is your decision Randy….how you deal with this is going to affect all of our lives but that doesn't mean it has to be bad or painful….if you do what's fair then you can't go wrong and know that I will support you but I…." Trish reassured him but as she went on he interrupted her.

"Trish I need to tell you something…." Randy began and Trish began to get nervous.

"While on the road, Gail's been bringing Kevin around and I've been spending some time with him and he really is a great baby…." Randy stopped when he noted the look on Trish's face.

"See what I mean, I didn't want to get you mad Trish but as far as I'm concerned, I've made the decision to be a father to Kevin, so it's up to you to decide whether you accept that or not" Trish's initial look turned to an offensive manner.

"I'm not a heartless bitch Randy….I would never ask you to leave your son high and dry! No matter what history I may have with Gail, her son is an innocent little baby that doesn't deserve to be deprived of a father because of a bitter past….how dare you think that I would be so cruel….." she huffed out. Randy immediately stepped back and raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, okay….it's just that the initial expression on your faced didn't seem pleasant and I thought you were upset…..so if you aren't upset about my decision to be a part of Kevin's life, then why did you look at me like that?" Randy questioned curiously. He looked at his wife intently and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what she was going to say. Trish looked at him nervously before proceeding with caution.

"Look… I just think that maybe you should ask Gail for a paternity test to be done…."

"What?" Randy exclaimed unbelievably.

"I mean….you've only been around him for one week and you're already smitten with him….what if Gail's lying or she's mistaken and you aren't Kevin's father….what's going to happen later down the road after you've spent so much time with him, and God forbid, you find out he's not really yours…."

"You know what I think Trish….I think you just want this test done because you're really hoping that Kevin isn't mine….I'm sorry it's so inconvenient for you…." "Randy that's not it….I'm not ecstatic about the situation but…." Randy jumped in before she could finish.

"Gail wouldn't lie about this and besides, I don't ever recall asking for a paternity test for Emma….." Trish immediately drew back as though he had slapped her. They both stood there for a long while. Randy instantly regretted his words but he couldn't take them back and he didn't know how to fix it. He looked at his wife as she looked down at the marble floor of the kitchen. When she finally looked up, he was scared at what he saw. It wasn't the uncontrollable tears running down her face that scared him as much as it was the look behind her eyes. Her eyes looked…dead. Finally she began to speak, slowly and cautiously.

"After all that we've been through, not once have I ever lied to you…..even though more times than not, lying was the easiest thing to do , but I didn't because I believed you deserved the truth. Gail….now her on her on the other hand, I'm sure before you saw her with your own two eyes betraying you with your best friend, you probably thought she was incapable of even telling a lie. For you to even compare us and to implicitly assume that I could possibly lie about you being Emma's father…..that is the most insulting thing that you could ever say to me". With that, Trish turned on her heel and headed up the stairs. She immediately went to the master bedroom and pulled the crib all the way back into the nursery. She grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and desperately tried to make herself comfortable in the rocking chair. Moments later she heard the nursery room door open. She focused her stare out the window but she could detect Randy's shadow as he approached Emma's crib and picked her up. She saw him cuddle her before giving her a kiss and laying her back down. He turned to her and she could hear the quiver in his voice.

"If you don't wanna sleep next to me, at least go back to the master bedroom….I'll sleep on the couch…..". He stood there for a long while waiting for her to respond or even move, but she didn't. With a defeated sigh, he made his way toward the door. Before leaving he turned around and softly whispered,

"I love you….you know that, right?"

His question lacked the confidence that he usually exuded. He waited a moment but no reply came. No 'I love you too' or 'Yeah, I know'. It was complete silence. He was losing her and as much as he desperately tried to hold on to whatever he could, his tendency to put his foot in his mouth was costing him his marriage. With one final glance her way, he closed the door. 'Life is such a bitch'.

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Raw was being held in North Carolina tonight and Trish had special plans to visit. It wasn't too see Randy. In fact, Randy didn't even know that she would be coming down and he didn't know that she would be bringing Emma along with her.

"Are you sure you don't mind coming down T?" Matt asked on the other end.

"Matt, I wouldn't miss this for the world. Besides, I'm sure Emma would love to see her Aunty Amy and Uncle Matt since she hasn't seen you guys in a while" Trish reassured Matt.

"But T, I know that you've been going through a rough time, especially with Randy and it just doesn't seem right be getting ready for a celebration when I know that you're hurting….you know Ames and I are here for you…."

'God he was such a good guy. Amy was a lucky woman' Trish thought to herself.

"Matt, my life is not perfect…far from it in fact….but if there's anything that could add a bit of joy to my life, it would be seeing two of my best friends happy and celebrating. I'm not going to be there because I have to, I'm gonna be there because I want to be…so stop arguing with me and tell me what time you'll be picking me up, the plane will be leaving in a couple of minutes and we land in an hour and fifteen minutes so don't be late. I wanna get a preview of the night's agenda…" she giggled. Matt chuckled on the other end.

"Will do sweetheart, and I hope you didn't pack your suitcase too full because I've got a truckload of things I got for Emma…."

"You know, not everyone could get away with spoiling my daughter rotten, especially at such a young age, but I only make a special exception for you and Amy because you both baby sit for free….oh, I've gotta go now, I'll see you in a bit…bye". Trish hung up her phone, just in time for take off. She turned to Emma's seat. Emma happily played with her fingers all the while looking out the plane window. She hadn't seen her father in two weeks. According to the message on the answering machine, Randy would be spending a few weeks with Gail getting everything set up for baby Kevin and then he would be back to spend time with Emma. Trish hadn't spoken to him for two weeks. She promised herself that she wouldn't let herself think about the mess she called her life for this week. She was going to North Carolina for a happy occasion and there was no way that she was going to ruin her friends special time with her problems. Not matter how big those problems were.

"You are what holds me together baby girl" she said as she stroked Emma's brown hair. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. She briefly looked at her watch. Randy should be getting the papers soon. If anything, she was hoping that she could completely avoid Randy. However, that was impossible because Matt had invited Randy tonight as well. They were good friends and Matt has asked Trish first if it would have been okay. Stupid her said yes. She was hoping that her visit would be uneventful…..fat chance in hell.

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"Hey Randy, could you hold Kevin for a second while I get my stuff together?" Gail asked. Randy nodded and took Kevin out of her hands. He laughed and cooed with the baby, eliciting a few giggles.

"What time is Matt's little event?" Gail asked.

"It's about right now actually…." he replied, not looking up.

"I don't understand what this is all about anyway….why can't I come?" Gail whined. Randy looked up at her.

"First of all, you aren't even friends with Matt and Amy so there is no reason for you to be there. Secondly, don't try to play your mind games with me. I'm not gonna ask you to come with me. Despite what's going on in my marriage right now, I still have a wife, one that I love very much and my association with you is because you are the mother of my child…nothing more Gail…and don't ever mistake that for anything more". Randy was firm in his speech and Gail got the point as she immediately backed off. A knock at the door broke the tension.

"Excuse me, Randy Orton?" the man asked. Randy nodded as he held onto Kevin with one hand and grabbed the envelope with his free hand.

"Who is it from?" Randy asked.

"From your wife, sir" the man replied and with that he excused himself. With the thickness of the envelope Randy immediately felt his world closing in. 'It's divorce papers' his mind screamed.

Gail walked over and took Kevin from his arm so that he could open the mail. She stepped back and kept her gaze focused on his face, trying to gauge his reaction so she could figure out what it could possibly be. When he looked up, there was no mistaken what was in his eyes. Hurt.

"What is it?" she asked. He took a shaky breath before replying.

"It's a request for a paternity test…..". Gail's eyes instantly grew wider.

"For Kevin?" she asked nervously. He shook his head and she sighed.

"For who then?"

"For Emma……" he replied sombrely.

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