AN: Alright...first off, thanks for the reviews and I'm glad to see even more interest in a sequel to 'Not Like This'. I'm working on it...I promise. As for this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy.

Oh and another thing...a friend of mine and fellow Randy/Trish shipper, RKOxLegendKiller is new to and has got a story on this board. It's called 'Burn in My Light'...you guys should check it out...only because you're so great Keira...I decided to plug your fic...AND I didn't even charge you for it either, LOL.

I Disclaim

Trish pulled away from Amy's hold when she heard the knock at the door. Trish quickly glanced into the eyes of Amy and the vulnerability and hope that danced in her big hazel eyes was enough to make Amy want to cry. They both knew what Trish was wishing for. She was hoping that it was Dave at the door coming to tell her that he made a big mistake and that he wanted forget everything that had happened and go back to the way things were. It seemed unbelievable and maybe because it was, but that didn't stop Trish from hoping.

"I'll get it" Chris said to the two ladies.

Chris wasn't sure who to expect but the man on the other side certainly would have never crossed his mind.

"Hi…"

Randy said meekly as he gave Chris a small smile and craned his neck to the side to see if he could see Trish from inside. He knew that she would be here, there simply wasn't any other place she would go. That was unless he didn't know her as well as he did when they were friends and he could have been mistaken. Other than Chris and Amy, Trish would have come running to him, but that was a long time ago, so there was no other option….at least, not that he could think of.

"Hey Randy….what can I do you for?" Chris asked as he quickly recovered from his shock. It didn't go unnoticed by Randy but Randy decided to just let it go. Both men got along quite well with each other, except for the topic of Trish which both men did well avoiding, but they were by no means 'hang out' buddies, thus Chris's surprise at seeing the Legend Killer himself at his hotel room.

"Uh….actually…I was wondering if Trish was here?" Randy asked hesitantly. He knew that Chris was very protective of Trish and he didn't want Chris to immediately assume that he was showing up here to cause trouble with one of his best friends.

Just as he expected, Chris's face contorted in anger.

"Look here, you have no right….don't you think you hurt her enough all that time ago? What is it?… did you forget how good it made you feel and you felt like coming for a re-enactment? You know….kinda like getting your kicks…" Chris seethed. Randy looked down at the shorter man, he knew he could hold his own against the guy, but in that very moment, Randy Orton felt intimidated.

"Chris you misunderstand…" Randy said, raising his hands in the air as a form of surrender.

"What could I have possibly misunderstood?….You haven't had a decent conversation with her in how long?….You up and leave her without an explanation as to why you would completely abandon a friendship that meant so much to her….and at one point, a friendship that most thought was valuable to you as well. What's so different about today? Any other day Randy and I wouldn't have cared as much because I know that she can handle herself, but she's really distraught right now…not that you'd really care or anything…so if you don't mind….her FRIENDS are trying to help her through a difficult time. So be gone" Chris lashed out.

He went to close the door in Randy's face but Randy stuck his foot between the door and wall before using one hand to pry the door back open. Chris was infuriated at this point and he was ready for a fight but it was the petite blonde that came up from behind him and gently rested her hand on his back that calmed the enraged Chris.

"It's okay Chris…I'm feeling a bit better now…you should get some sleep. After much convincing, I finally got Amy to get some well-needed rest. Perhaps you should go join her…." Trish said with a small smile, trying to rejuvenate her usually humorous self so that she could put Chris at ease. It didn't work that well.

"Trish…don't be stubborn with me…not with me of all people…." Chris said as he held her hand and squeezed it gently. It was such a simple gesture but Trish knew the grander meaning behind it. She knew that he would move heaven and high skies to make her feel better and that's why she was sure that she had the best friends in the world. Between Chris and Amy, she couldn't have been in better hands.

"You can stay here….since it's only one bedroom, I'll stay in your room" he offered. Trish gave him a genuine smile, having yet to even acknowledge Randy who was standing by the doorway watching the scene with intent.

"Chris…I'll be fine, I promise" and with that she gave him a peck on the cheek and made her way out.

The moment she closed the door behind her, she turned to look at the taller young man. It was obvious that she had been crying, but she still looked beautiful…she still took his breath away.

"What do you want?" Trish asked, not wasting any time.

"I….uh…." Randy stammered out. He was caught off guard with the abruptness of her question and having just witnessing such a touching scene between Chris and Trish, it had left him pondering about so many things…particularly having to do with his past friendship with her.

"What…do…you…want?" Trish repeated more slowly. Randy, trying desperately to grasp the right words, stood still, just staring at her. After a couple of more seconds, Trish rolled her eyes and turned around, already making her trek back to her hotel room.

"I know about Dave….." he finally called out.

Trish stopped in her tracks. She stood still for a couple of minutes before she finally turned around. Randy could see that she had once again been crying and she hadn't wanted him to see. With a frown, he timidly stepped forward, hoping that she wouldn't run in the other direction before hearing him out. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain his sudden appearance at Chris and Amy's door or his sudden interest to rebuild a friendship with her. It wasn't that he hadn't missed her or their friendship…but that saying, 'I'd rather have you in my life in some way, shape or form, rather than not have you at all'…yeah that saying, it was complete bullshit. Well…it didn't work for Randy in any case.

It seemed like centuries that they stood there just staring at each other but finally she spoke.

"How do you know about Dave?" she asked softly.

"He is my best friend" he replied with a shrug.

Trish stared at him hard before a look of recognition came to her.

"So then he told you why he left?" Trish asked hopefully, slowly stepping forward until she was standing directly in front of Randy.

"Well…actually…" he began.

"What did I do to make him leave?" Trish asked eagerly.

"He didn't tell me all that" "You're lying" she gritted through her teeth and turned on her heel and began walking away.

"Trish, wait" Randy said, grabbing her hand and spinning her around. The force was too great and Trish went tumbling forward…right into Randy's arms. When she finally regained balance, she stood firmly on her two feet and looked up only to be met with the mesmerizing blue eyes of Randy. They stared at each other for several seconds, both growing more uncomfortable by the second but neither daring to look away first. Eventually, Trish lost the battle as she broke eye contact and a took a step back. Randy cleared his throat nervously and looked down at the ground. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked softly. Randy's head shot up and though the question was an obvious one to ask, Randy hadn't been prepared for it. He wasn't going to tell her what Dave wrote in his letter to him. He wasn't going to mention that Dave has asked him to take care of her while he was gone. He knew Trish would immediately take offense to that, and despite his actions being probed by Dave's request, Randy wasn't foolish enough to believe that that was the only reason why he was doing this. He knew that the most obvious reason for doing this was because, deep down, he could admit that he wanted to. He wanted to be close to her again but he also knew what a huge risk he was taking on his heart.

"Why don't I walk you back to your room?" he offered while trying to avoid the question.

"Or…you could just answer my question…I promise, I'm fully capable of walked back to my hotel room…" Trish replied, not falling for his ploy.

"Look…." Randy began as he ran a hand through his short, spiky locks.

"Randy…there you are…." they heard a voice call out. Both turned to their sides to look at the tall figured jogging down the hallway.

"Hey baby…I've been looking all over for you" Stacy said as she stopped in front of Randy and Trish for a moment to collect her breath.

"Hey Trish…" she said with a bright smile as she linked arms with Randy and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Stace…." Trish replied with a small smile before looking down at the ground. She didn't want to continue this conversation with Randy in front of Stacy, especially since Stacy was her friend and Randy's girlfriend, she didn't want to put Stacy in that position.

"Look, I'm gonna get going. I haven't spent time with you in a long while Stace, maybe we can get together sometime and go out and catch up on all that we've missed" Trish suggested.

Stacy nodded enthusiastically.

"You've gotta deal…I miss our little chats and Lords knows, I've got so much to catch you up on" Stacy gushed on like a little high school girl. Trish smiled to herself. Sometimes she thought that the girl would never grow up but Trish didn't mind. Trish was known for allowing her inner child and juvenile fun to shine through sometimes and Stacy was always the perfect companion. That's why they got along so well.

"Great…I'll call you, or you can call me when you're free…whichever" Trish said before turning and walking away. She didn't even make it two steps before Stacy called out to her.

"Hey Trish…I wasn't interrupting anything important was I?" Stacy asked. Trish's eyes immediately made contact with Randy's and she realized that he had been staring at her the entire time.

"No" she said softly.

"Are you sure?….was he giving you trouble?" Stacy asked gently before turning to glare at her boyfriend.

"No…no…I promise, we were actually being civil to one another…well, kinda…nothing to worry about" Trish said.

"Uh…Stace, I was just telling Trish that I would walk her back to her room, you don't mind do you?" Randy asked as he quickly made eye contact with a suspicious Trish before turning to his girlfriend. He knew that she wouldn't mind. In fact, she would be ecstatic that he was finally making an effort to get along with Trish, whom she considered one of her best friends.

"You're not gonna give her trouble are you?" Stacy said with a stern look. Trish would have laughed at Stacy's seriousness (which was quite a rare scene to see when you were with Stacy), if it hadn't been for the fact that Stacy really seemed to be genuine in her concern.

Randy sent her a boyish look and shook his head no. Trish remembered that look . It was the same look he gave her when he wanted to get his way, whether it was the restaurant they ate it, which movies to see or even what snacks to buy. Of course Trish managed to get her way 95 of the time because she had charms that he couldn't refuse but not to discredit him. She was known to giving into his charms on occasions.

"Alright, go ahead…but the two of you better be nice" Stacy said as she gave him a peck on the lips and turned to Trish for a hug. After she bid her goodbyes to both Randy and Trish, she headed back to her hotel room in the opposite direction.

"What did you do that for?" Trish asked as she began walking to her hotel room.

Randy took a couple of big strides and was now walking in sync with her. Randy decided to ignore her and he kept walking alongside her. They were almost to her hotel room anyways. Trish continued walking but grew more aggravated by the second as she waited for Randy to answer her question. She noticed that he had left a lot of her questions unanswered during their meeting outside of Chris and Amy's room and she wasn't in any mood to play games.

In a matter of minutes, they reached her hotel room. Trish grabbed her card and swiped it through. She opened the door and before entering, turned to Randy.

"Why are you like this?" Trish asked as though she was expecting him to explain his need to be such a complex human being. With a sigh, she walked into the room and turned around to cordially thank Randy for being a gentlemen and walking her back to her room. However, when she turned around, she only saw Randy walk into her room and right past her.

"It's good to know some things never change…" he smirked.

Trish glared at him through tiny slits.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she retorted as she already began becoming defensive.

"You still like to ask a lot of questions…." Randy observed as he sent her a smile. Trish looked on, confused by his behaviour, but in all fairness, so was Randy. He hadn't expected, nor planned to be acting so casual with her. It was as if he immediately fell back into his role when they used to be friends…with all of the friendly banter and sarcasm. He was becoming too comfortable being in her presence for so long without being a complete jackass to her. Trish cleared her throat, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Well then…here's another question for ya….who invited you in here?" Trish asked as she put a hand on her hip.

"I just wanna talk….and I know I have no right to ask, but could you please lighten up on me…please?" he said.

'There it was' she thought to herself as she saw the same boyish charm grace his handsome features, like all those times ago.

She opened her mouth, ready to protest but found herself giving in to him.

"Dammit" she mumbled under her breath and let out a sigh. Randy allowed a smile to grace his face as he realized that he had broken her down…for now, that is.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" she asked as made her way to the living area on took a seat on the couch, while motioning for him to do the same.

"I….uh…you see…" he began but stopped and took a deep breath when he realized that he wasn't getting anywhere with his stammering.

"Now Randy…I know it was a long time ago, but I thought I taught you about sentence structure" she said calmly. The hint of smile on her face informed Randy that she was just ribbing him. 'So maybe this can work' he thought to himself.

"What I wanted to say is that…I know that we haven't been the best of friends lately…or friends for that matter and it's clear on both ends that that was my fault. I'm sorry for treating you the way I have and I really had no right and I really don't know how to explain to you why I did the things I did to you but I promise you, when I can explain it to myself, you'll be the first person I'll let in". Trish slightly nodded her head as he spoke, slowly absorbing everything that he was telling her.

"But why now Randy…there's obviously a reason behind your apologies and I truly feel like I have a right to know what those reasons are". Randy sighed and leaned back against the couch. It wasn't going to be THAT easy.

"Dave is my best friend and I know he loves you very much…and I also know that you care for her deeply as well. It's obvious that you're hurting a lot right now and if there is such a thing as a good time to put all differences aside, I think now would be a good one. You lost your love, I lost my best friend…we're the only two people who can really understand what the other is feeling and I thought spending more time together would help us both cope better and faster. And hey…if we can manage to rebuild that burnt bridge of friendship along the way…I would really like that."

"You sound sincere" she said as she looked on at him.

"I am sincere" he said as he stood and walked over to the couch where she sat. He bent down and met her eye level.

"So what do you say?" he prodded her.

She stood up off the couch, to which Randy followed by rising to his feet. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages before Trish gave him a small, but genuine smile. She stuck her hand out,
"I'm up for the challenge" she said. Randy reciprocated the handshake with a grateful smile.

"Great"

He felt the tingling sensation that only her touch seemed to cause and he quickly pulled away and cleared his throat.

"Do you want me to stay with you for a while until you fall asleep…I know it'll be a bit hard tonight considering you're use to Dave being around" he offered.

"Nah…that's okay. Nice of you to offer but I'm pretty sure Stacy is probably worried sick right now…probably thinking that one of us is dead while the other is already in the midst of fleeing the country" she laughed.

Randy let out a chuckle.

"Yeah you're right…I should get going then" he replied as was reminded of his awaiting girlfriend.

She walked him to the door and before he was on his way, he turned around.

"If you need anything…" he trailed off as she nodded her head, letting him know that she understood.

"Alright…I guess I'll see around then" she said.

"I guess so…goodnight Trish"

"Goodnight Randy".

Trish closed the door and stood there, pondering what had just happened. She may have agreed to possibly rebuilding a friendship with Randy but if there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that Randy was holding out on her and she was sure that he had other reasons for his behaviours. She would just have to find out for herself. She knew she didn't exactly trust him and she wasn't going to pretend and sweet their entire past under the rug. But if anything, Randy served a greater purpose then even he knew…he took her mind off of Dave's absence.

"This should be interesting" she mumbled to herself as she made her way to bed. If only she knew how right she was.