In his day, "Cowboy" Bob Orton had been a formidable opponent, the holder of several titles and numerous television appearances; it seemed almost natural that his son, Randy, should follow in his footsteps. Batista was already aware of Bob Orton's accomplishments, and it made him nervous to even think about being in his presence, but for Randy, he'd do anything. He was thankful for one thing, though; despite being the older man in their relationship, he was closer in age to Randy than to his father, and that was some small relief. If Bob Orton latched onto his age and started talking about the good ol' seventies, he would feel like crawling under the nearest stone to die.

"Is my shirt straight?" he hissed sidelong to Randy, making desperate last-minute adjustments to his outfit. Despite his partner's assurances that the Orton family would welcome him in, he'd wanted to make sure he looked just right for the occasion.

"You look fine, Dave! Stop worrying!" The younger wrestler smiled and led him eagerly towards the front door of his family home. It was obvious that he was very keen to show Batista where he'd been born and raised. "You're gonna get on with Mom and Dad just great!"

Still, Batista shuffled nervously as the front doorbell rang, and visibly stiffened as the door was opened, revealing a well-dressed woman in her fifties who answered the door with a huge grin.

"Randy! Oh, Randy, it's so good to see you again!"

Before the younger wrestler could protest, she hadthrown her arms around himand started to cuddle him so enthusiastically thatBatista feared he would choke. Who would have thought that Randy's mom could execute a choke hold better than her own son? It was difficult, but Batista managed to swallow his laughter as the two of them were led into the kitchen and fed copious amounts of chocolate chip cookies and home-made lemonade. Randy's mother was, thankfully, very good to talk to, and Batista found himself telling her all about his first days with Evolution, eliciting nods of encouragement and interest from the older woman. It was easy to see how her son had inherited her kindness and open manner.

His father, too, proved to be a pleasant surprise. Far from being judgemental and critical of Batista, he engaged the big wrestler in conversation about the current state of wrestling, as well as the declining quality of the supposed Wrestling Divas and the lax behaviour of some of his ex-colleagues.Randy's parents were being so kind and welcoming, Batista thought, and they didn't even yet know that he had seduced their son. It soured his mood slightly, but Randy had insisted on him coming along for the weekend, so he was left with little else to do but be a model guest for his gracious hosts.

The long afternoon eventually became a pleasant winter evening, and after Randy's mother had excused herself and retired to bed, Bob Orton fetched the three of them a crate of beer as they settled around the fire and continued to chat.

"So,Randy, who's this special person you've found, hmm? is she hot?"

"What? Dad, when did I say anything about a special person?"

"Oh, c'mon, son! I wasn't born yesterday, y'know! It was obvious when I spoke to you on the phone that you'd found someone new. Are you going to enlighten me, or shall I get your mother to ask about it tomorrow?"

"I don't want Mum to know, not yet! I - hey! Dad!" Randy flushed and squirmed in his seat, feeling like a cornered rat. "I don't have to tell you yet, do I? What am I, a teenager again?"

"C'mon, boy, spit it out! Whoever she is, she can't be worse than that floozy you brought home last year! What was her name again? Tess? Tish? Trish?"

"Dad! Please!" Randy stammered, blushing a deep shade of crimson and gesturing wildly with his hands. The last thing he needed right now was his father embarrassing him with stories of his past girlfriends. "She – they – they're not like that at all, dad!"

"They? It's a 'they' now? Now, boy, what did me and your ma tell you about seeing more than one girl at the same time?"

Batista couldn't resist sitting back and watching the conversation flow; it was cute to see Randy getting flustered, especially when he knew that he was essentially the topic of conversation. There was still that niggling feeling in his mind, though, that Bob Orton would disapprove of his son's new partner. Was he homophobic? Would he get angry like Triple H had done? Or would he refuse to acknowledge the existence of their relationship and mentally block everything out? Batista's thoughts wandered for a few moments as he wondered whether coming here to stay for a night was a good thing - but then his mind was harshly jerked back to reality by Randy's trembling voice.

"It's Batista, Dad. I... I'm seeing Batista."

"Oh."

Randy's father went ominously quiet. No abusive outbursts, no looks of shock and disgust; he merely went completely silent and stared down at his beer, heaving a deep sigh and shaking his head. Batista could only imagine how Randy would be feeling right now – guilt at having disappointed his father, shame in admitting his same-sex relationship, anguish as his heart was split in two, torn between his family and the man he loved.

Batista didn't feel so good himself, either. If he hadn't met Randy – if he hadn't seduced him, encouraged him to become a couple, then this awkward moment would never have happened. He shouldn't have come here and abused Bob Orton's hospitality; he almost felt dirty for doing so. He was just about to make his excuses and leave whenRandy's fatherraised his head again to stare at his son.Evidently, he'd been mulling over the shocking news, and he was now prepared to confrontRandy about his wayward behaviour.

"Randy." Bob Orton sighed again. "Son. I'm very disappointed in you, boy. Didn't I do a good job of raising you? Didn't I always tell you to strive for the best? The least you could have done would have been to bring home a title belt holder!"

And then, with a huge grin on his face, 'Cowboy' Bob Orton started to laugh. The ice had been broken; Batista had been accepted as Randy's boyfriend, and that meant more to him than all of the title belt matches in the world.

March 3, 2003 - After The Weekend

It was Monday afternoon, and Triple H and Flair were gearing up for another edition of RAW, preparing to introduce themselves to the fans whilst looking as good as possible. Triple H had gone to Flair as soon as he'd found out about Randy and Batista a few days ago, and had thought of little else all weekend. To think that the two of them had been carrying on under his nose for a whole week, and he hadn't even noticed! For someone who liked to think he knew everything, it chafed on his nerves far more than he cared to admit.

"Therewe have it, Ric." Triple H affirmed his words with astern nod. "Dave and Randy have got themselves a comfortable little relationship, and they seem to think we'll be okay with it. Don't you reckon that's just a teeny bit selfish of them?"

"Well, not really, Trips." Flair adjusted his tie and straightened the lapels on his suit-jacket. "I guess it's no different than if Batista had found a cute little girlfriend; it's just that the partner he ended up choosingcan pull off a betterclothesline. Besides, you yourself said you were worried about Batista's love-life affecting Evolution. At least if it's Randy, he isn't going to get distracted by some air-headed fan intent on breaking up the team."

"I suppose so," Triple H agreed grudgingly. "But what about the things the other guys might start saying to us? If Randy and Batista start acting like Chuck and Billy, Evolution will be the laughing stock of RAW!"

"No need to worry about your virility, Trips – we'll make sure your image stays as manly as you like." Randy Orton grinned as he stepped through the door, followed closely by Batista. "If anyone has anything to say about us, just make sure Dave knows about it, and they'll be lucky if they have a throat left to say anything with." They'd just arrived back from their weekend with Randy's parents, having received warm invitations to go and visit again anytime they chose.

Flair remained quiet, watching the exchange with a critical eye. As the father figure of Evolution, he considered it his duty to keep the peace amongst the team members, and that meant keeping an eye open for arguments. Admittedly, the news that Randy and Batista had become a couple had shaken him a little, but after a long career in wrestling he'd seen far too many things to remain phased for very long. After all, if two of Evolution's members decided to pair up, surely that strengthened the team as a whole? They could watch each others' backs without being asked, and they would fight together like a well-oiled machine, knowing each others' moves almost intimately.

"Welcome back, you two." Triple H didn't smile as Randy and Batista entered, but at least he didn't frown, either. Batista had expected him to still be infuriated on their return, but several days away from his two teammates seemed to have mellowed him somewhat. Perhaps Ric Flair had had a quiet word behind the scenes. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Batista stepped forward and gave the big man a curt nod. "Remind me, Trips - who is it you're up against tonight? Are you still trying to teach Booker T a lesson?"

"Some people just don't learn, Batista." The Game cracked his knuckles and squared his shoulders, displaying his large muscles in a show of strength. "Of course I'm going to teach him a lesson, and he'd better damn well remember it this time. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's having to beat the snot out of shit-heeled little upstarts time and time again."

"Of course." Batista nodded, but he couldn't help but feel Triple H's ego was getting the better of him again. "Good luck, anyway. Me and Randy will be on hand in case you need any help later, okay?"

"Sure thing, Batista. Sure thing."

The Game nodded in return and stepped from the dressing room, patting both Randy and Batista on the shoulder on the way out. He still seemed to be brooding a little, and Randy raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Flair as if to ask about Hunter's mood. Flair heaved a sigh and sat down on one of the benches, looking up at Randy with fatherly concern.

"Don't worry about him, Randy; he's just had a busy weekend. He was in the gym twice as long as usual, so he's probably just tired out. For what it's worth, you two are fine by me. Hell, if the two of you being together means you turn up to training on time and give Evolution all you've got, then I'm all for it. Just leave off the face-hugging while I'm around, hey?"