Title: Solving Problems (18?)
Rating: We'll go for a nice safe R, M in parlance
Content: mentions of domestic violence, drug use, swearing, sex
Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters mentioned herein, except for Laura, no offence meant.
Summary: Laura hasn't been around the wrestlers of the WWE for a while. When she returns, things have changed, schisms have formed, and all is not well. Can she sort things out?
A/N: Short but fairly pivotal chapter here. I'm awkward when it comes to how I write, if things seem confused... well they are. It's kind of the point. Hope you like though, let me know what you think. I never did like the traditional route grins

Randy didn't find it that easy to rid his mind of doubt, despite what he'd told Laura. He was starting to feel something that he hadn't felt for a good few years now. Trapped. Not since he'd been in the Marines had he felt like this. Then, he'd run away. Now? He wasn't sure what he was going to do.

He loved Laura. That wasn't an issue. He knew that she was the only girl for him, and knew that he never, ever wanted to hurt her. He enjoyed living with her, it made life at home bearable and enjoyable. She was everything he'd ever wanted, and she made him happy.

That wasn't the problem. The enormity of bringing another life into the world was the problem, at least part of it. In the beginning, he'd been scared, worried, concerned, but had just accepted that this baby was going to happen. He'd just have to deal with it in the best way he could. He'd had well over six months to deal with it. Now, he wasn't sure that he had a way of coping. Being a father was such a big responsibility. Up until now, Randy had been convinced that he'd take to being a dad just like he'd taken to wrestling: as a complete natural. Now, he wasn't sure. He knew how much bad parents could fuck you up, he'd seen it in some of his friends. He didn't want to be a bad parent and he didn't want to be responsible for making someone so unhappy. There had been times when he'd grown up that Randy had really resented his father for being a wrestler, for not being home all the time like the other dads were. Sure, it had been cool to have a famous father, but he'd have traded it in a heartbeat for a father that could be there on a Friday night to cheer him on when his school played their closest rivals. Randy figured the baby would probably grow up thinking the same. He was starting to think that maybe it would be better for the baby to have no father than to have a bad one.

He knew he was making a lot of excuses, but everything was building up, the pressure was getting too much to bear, and Randy knew only too well that it was just a matter of time before he crumbled. Things would crumble, because there were just too many reasons why Randy shouldn't, or couldn't, be the partner and father Laura and the baby needed and wanted him to be. Excuses or reality, it didn't really matter to Randy at the moment. All that mattered was that he was not coping with impending parenthood, and something soon would trigger off an event that could bring his world tumbling down.

Any other concerns Randy had, he would have talked about them to Laura. She had a way of making him think about things in a different way, and making even the complicated stuff make sense. How could he talk to her about this though? Even mentioning it would hurt her, and he wasn't prepared to do that. How could you tell the woman you claimed to love that you were thinking about running away?

He knew that if he didn't deal with these thoughts, she'd end up hurt though. And that scared the hell out of him.

Hunter called in the early hours of the morning, he and Steph were the proud parents of a baby boy. Both the baby and Steph were fine, and Hunter was over the moon.

"You should see him Randy, he's perfect. He's so tiny but he's perfect. He's beautiful. I'm so proud of Steph… my god it's the most incredible thing we've ever done."

Randy smiled at the emotion in his friend's words. It was stirring up a lot of conflicting emotions in him but it was touching just the same. "Congratulations man, it's fantastic news. Have you got a name for the little guy yet?"

"Paul Vincent. Vince kind of insisted. Said it was a family tradition. We don't mind though."

"Hunt, I'm really happy for you, I'm gonna give Laura a call, let her know the good news. Give Steph and the baby our love."

"Will do, she'll probably give Laura a call as soon as she gets the chance."

Randy hung up and immediately called his girlfriend. He was reluctant about calling her in the middle of the night, but he knew she'd want to know straight away.

"Hey sweetie, sorry for waking you."

"Randy, hey babe, any news?" She sounded tired, but eager to hear the latest news.

"Yeah, Hunter just called. Baby boy, Paul Vincent. Baby and Steph are fine."

"Aww, that's fantastic. How big was he?"

"I don't know, Hunter didn't say."

Laura laughed, "men, you always forget the important stuff!"

"Sorry babe, Hunter said Steph would probably call you soon anyway."

"She'd better. You ok love? You sound a little stressed"

"Just tired." Randy didn't realise his feelings were so evident in his voice. "How about you? Did I wake you?"

"Not really, I couldn't sleep anyway, the little one keeps kicking me."

The guilt coursing through Randy's veins at that moment made him shudder. He had some serious thinking to do.

"You go back to sleep sweetie. Call me in the morning." Laura knew that Randy had a tough schedule ahead of him: an awful lot of travelling and another ten days before he got a day off.

"Will do Laura. Love you babe."

"Love you too."

Randy would not sleep any more that night. His mind was visiting places he didn't want to go, taking him on a train of thought that, if he continued on it, would only end up in someone getting hurt. He wanted to call Laura and ask for her help in sorting out his feelings. He couldn't though. There was no one he could turn to, no one who would understand.