Blaze of Glory

A/N: Well, lookie what we have here - two chapters in one night. What can I say? I'm on a roll. I have not acquired the rights to Randy, or any of the Superstars mentioned in this chapter since the last one I posted, so don't sue my broke ass. Enjoy!

The cheers in the common area of the hotel suite were nearly as deafening as those on the television. Randy looked around at the faces of his friends with pride, and a bitter sense of longing. Trish was supposed to be in this room with him. They were supposed to meet up after his house show in Arizona and fly down to Cabo for three days of nothing but relaxation in the sun. He had not planned on being squished on the couch between Batista and Booker, listening to them talk about how great Trish looked doing the RKO. And he had not planned on being dressed at this moment.

Standing as the show went off the air, he quietly excused himself from the party and headed for the kitchen. When she had called to tell him that her plans had changed, again, he had been upset. Not because she had cancelled their weekend – that was nothing new anymore. What he didn't like was that, more often than not, she was breaking promises as though it were no big deal these days.

He understood that this thing with Vince was important to her. He was all for her showing her backbone and taking a stand. Hell, he was the one that had encouraged her to start all of this in the first place. He had known, that night in her hotel room, that it was probably going to be the last night they had together for awhile. He was completely fine with the idea of watching her on television, telling her how great she had been later on the phone, and then flying in to surprise her when he got an opening in his schedule.

Instead, she made huge plans, got him all excited about it, and then suggested that he just invite some friends to use the room, since she couldn't make it, and she couldn't get a refund. It wasn't the trip he had been planning, but surrounding himself with his new teammates, and trying to forget how hurt he was by her, had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Now, looking around the room, he decided that being alone was all he really wanted. He loved Batista like his own brother, and he was really starting to get along with Booker T. Sharmell was funny, especially when she drank too much are started talking about Christian and JBL with Candice. Mysterio trading barbs with Torrie made him laugh harder than most Saturday Night Live sketches. And when he just wanted to just sit in the hot tub, talk about the business, and chill, he was glad that he had invited Michelle and Paul London along.

But he knew, from the moment Trish had shown up on RAW, that all talk would turn to business. He knew these people well enough to know that they would be up half the night, discussing the pro's and con's of the decision his girlfriend and her cohorts had made. They would examine it from all angles, debate the hell out of it, and arrive at some brilliant conclusion. One that didn't mean shit to Trish, Lita, and Victoria, but one that helped them sleep at night.

He slid the huge glass patio doors to the side and slipped into the balmy, still night, his fifth beer of the evening dangling casually between his fingers. He and Booker were scheduled to defend their tag titles the following night on Smackdown, but he reasoned that he could sleep off the slight hangover during the flight from Mexico to Oklahoma. Besides, he tried to convince himself, if he didn't drink himself to sleep, he wasn't going to get any rest. He would just sit up all night, worrying about Trish.

"You're girl's really got a pair, man."

The sweet Southern voice made Randy jump as he turned with a slight blush to see Michelle standing in the glass doorway. She had her own beer in hand, and stepped on bare feet to one of the loungers at his side. He watched as her body gracefully slid into the seat and then shook his head. "Yeah," he agreed, moving to the chair beside her.

The silence that filled the space between them was ringing in his ears. It was one thing to sit with Trish, saying nothing, holding hands or finding other ways to touch. It was quite another to share the quiet evening with a woman who wasn't his girlfriend. He knew that Trish had never minded him being friends with other women. She didn't even care if he went to strip clubs or watched porn in the hotel. And he used to think it was cool that he finally found a woman who seemed to understand the whole "look, but don't touch" philosophy.

Now he was kind of wishing that he could abandon this moment with a "my girlfriend will castrate me for being alone with you" excuse. She had never made a pass at him, never given him any indication that she was even remotely attracted to him. In reality, she had been like one of the guys, talking sports, movies, cars, and business, with them on more than one occasion. And that was the problem.

She was too much like Trish, and this trip was making his thoughts veer down paths they had no business traveling. "So," he tried to think of something to say, but the alcohol, and a creeping sense of guilt, made it hard to focus. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He hadn't even touched her, except that one time when he was handing her a beer. And they had both jerked away so quickly, he wasn't even convinced they had actually made contact.

"Can I ask you a question?" Michelle turned her face to peer at him in the moonlight.

He nodded and sipped from his drink. "I think you just did."

Rolling her eyes, she brushed her hair up, and he caught a glimpse of her sweat-moistened neck. "Are you cool with this whole Commando-Trish thing?"

The question took him by surprise. He knew that a lot of people in that room behind them were probably thinking it, but he knew that none of them would have the balls to ask him. "Yeah," he lied, and then took another drink to avoid further explaining himself.

Michelle raised one of her legs toward her body and resting her hand on her knee. Her motions were so fluid, as if she were made of gliding parts, instead of jointed ones. And the best part about Michelle was that she seemed to have no idea how incredibly sexy she really was.

Dammit, Orton, stop it! He scolded himself inwardly. It's just because I haven't had sex in a month, he reasoned. Once you get with her again, when you hold her and kiss her and fuck her like you want to, you'll stop having all these thoughts about Michelle. He nodded in agreement with the voice in his head and then thought about how stupid he probably looked.

"So, you're totally lying, right?" she asked, breaking the silence again.

He nearly spit out his drink. "Lying about what?" he choked, after swallowing hard, down the wrong tube. "About Trish?" Michelle nodded and he risked another look at her face. It really was flawless. Her forehead, her eyes, her nose, her lips, and her chin were all perfect. "I love her," he practically shouted, diverting his eyes again.

Michelle leaned back, her eyes wide with surprise. "Okay, then," she sighed, taking another drink. "Randy, are you okay?"

He sighed and let his chin drop to his chest. He wasn't okay. He hadn't been okay for a long time. But he wasn't sure it was okay to talk about it with some other girl. Of course, who else was going to give him some insight into Trish's mind? She certainly didn't have time to talk to him anymore. And he couldn't just ask anyone.

The proverbial angel/devil combo seemed to pop up on his shoulders, or at least, in his mind. Ask Torrie. She's married. She understands how hard relationships are, especially when you're away from the person you love. She'd be a good person to talk to. Or Booker and Sharmell. You could talk to both of them, the angelic side suggested.

Or you could just pour your heart out to Michelle. Look at her, Randy. She wants to listen to you, man. She wants to hear what you have to say. And she's so damn easy on the eyes. He tried to fight the demonic side of his mind, the one he had spent so much time listening to for so much of his life. It was the side he thought had finally disappeared when he fell in love with Trish. And it was the side that seemed to grow louder every day that he was away from her.

"I'm gonna go get another beer. You want one?" Michelle asked, standing from the seat as he shook his head. She straightened her little, terry cloth shorts as she walked by him and he could feel the angel in him beating the inside of his brain.

You have a girlfriend. You have more than a girlfriend. You have a woman who is good for you, and who loves you, and who you know you want to spend your life with. Don't be a dumbass. Don't fuck that up.

He groaned and shifted in his seat, draining the rest of the beer in his bottle. You don't even have to sleep with her, man. Just tell her how you're missing Trish. Be sweet. Sensitive. Chicks dig that bull shit. A little innocent flirting never hurt anyone.

Until it goes too fuckin' far and you're wakin' up beside some chick who's name you can't remember, while her son plays with his GI Joes on your back Remember that debacle, Randall?

Before he could argue with himself further, a frosty bottle dropped into his line of vision. Leaning his head against the lounger, he trailed his gaze up her bronzed arm, over her perky chest, and up to her smiling face. "I thought I'd bring ya one. Just in case," she smiled innocently.

Completely ignoring both of the voices in his head, he stood from the chair and took the bottle, offering her a smile full of confidence and charm. "I think I'm gonna sit in the hot tub for awhile," he informed, turning his head to study her features. "You wanna join me?"

A/N: Alright, so I wanted to save this until the end, so as not to give anything away before you read the chapter. But this one was for Jhanelle and Rachel, who were both kinda wondering what Randy was thinking while Trish was having her big moment. I hope you guys liked it, but I'm totally expecting to be berated in your next reviews. It's okay - I'm used to both of you being pissed at me by now. Oh, and Kiera? There's a chapter coming just for you, but I don't wanna give anything away, so just be assured that you'll know it when you read it!