Authors' note: Hey everybody... here I am again... with a brand new chapter... the next one will probably take a while because I'm starting university in a few days... and it will be pretty hectic in the beginning... so please forgive me if the next update takes a while...

Falcons 'wants to reach a hundred reviews with this chappy'

Quick word to my reviewers:

OTHlover04: Yeah I did... and I hope you like the new chapter too 'huggles'

Roxxy1984: Yeah some truth is finally coming out... but there will be a lot more to come out yet... and I'm so glad you missed the characters... makes me feel like I'm writing something good... 'smile' and as always thanks for the review...

Mizz Molko: Yeah I think I know what you mean... and I'm glad you like it... 'smile' And now have fun with the new chapter 'huggles'

randysgirl3: You sure you can handle the truth 'grin' Glad you liked John in the last chapter... I wasn't sure if he was a little out of character... well enjoy the new chapter and the sort of cliffhanger 'grin' 'huggles'

Miss Understood1212: A very tiny part about Alexi's and Chris's love life is revealed in this story... and a whole lot more will be revealed in the next chapters... and well for Shawn finding Alexi... it won't take much longer now 'smile' And thanks for the review... 'huggles'

MissPhilippinesSuperStar: Yeah good that they were there for her... I wish Chris and Randy were there for me like this too 'smile' Thanks for the review and have fun with the new chapter 'huggles'

Lizzie: Yepp I did update and now I'm updating again 'smile' Have fun with the new chappy 'hugs'

Disclaimer: see last chapters...

Chapter 15: Distractions

"And that's the end of the story..." Chris finished, looking warily at Randy. The younger man stood and stared at Jericho. He had been tempted to interrupt Y2J in certain parts of the story but had thought better of it because he wanted to know the whole truth as fast as possible.

Now, that Jericho was finished, Randy was fighting with his emotions. He had no idea if he should be angry at Chris for not telling him sooner, angry at HBK for causing Alexandria so much pain or if he should just go back in there to comfort Alexi.

But since Alexandria was sleeping and Shawn wasn't available to yell at at the moment, Randy concentrated on his anger towards Chris.

"Why the fucking hell didn't ya tell me sooner?" He demanded, his eyes sparkling with fury.

Chris would've taken a step backwards if he had been able to, but since he was leaning with his back against the doorframe there was no way he could go right now. He just hoped Randy would calm down after yelling at him.

He held his hands up in defence and opened his mouth to speak but Randy wouldn't let him.

"And how could you bring Alexi here even though you knew exactly that she might run into Shawn?" He screamed, attracting the attention of Christy Hemme, Christian, Stacey Keibler and Tyson Tomko, who just happened to walk down the hall to their rooms.

The four looked at each other and wondered what was going on. Randy and Chris didn't seem to notice them because Randy continued screaming: "Why did ya tell Dave and not me? Did ya think I couldn't be trusted and would run to Shawn to tell him everything? You should know me well enough to know that I would never do that." Tyson and Christian thought it would be better to stay so they could step in if necessary. Stacey and Christy meanwhile thought it was better not to listen in on the conversation so they vanished into their room. When Tyson and Christian concentrated on Randy and Jericho again, Chris obviously had enough of Randy's yelling and false accusations now.

"Damn Randy… just shut the fuck up and let me explain…" He yelled back.

Randy crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded.
"Well then… you've got five minutes to explain. And if I don't like your explanation I'm going to break your nose…" He threatened even though he had no idea why he was so mad at Chris.

No wait. I know exactly why I'm so mad. Why didn't he trust me enough to tell me? And how could he cause Alexandria so much pain…. He corrected in his thoughts and stared at Chris.

If looks could kill… Jericho thought dryly and shuddered a little. Then he quickly started to explain because he had no doubt that Randy would make his words true and really break his nose. He has every right to do so… I've been a lousy friend for him and Alexi… but I had only the best intentions… He thought.

"I had a pretty good reason not to tell ya…" He then told the Legend Killer.

"First of all. You and Shawn are pretty close and I just didn't want to ruin your friendship because of Alexi's past. Sure Shawn was an asshole back then but I guess if he had the choice again he would act differently. You know him well enough to know I'm right…" He stopped for a moment to wait for Randy's reaction, but the Legend Killer just stared at him and made a motion with his hand to tell Jericho that he should go on.

"And… well actually… there's another reason why I didn't tell ya… and for that reason you're probably gonna break my nose anyway…" Jericho explained.

"Stop talking in riddles and just tell me what the hell you were thinking Y2J…"

Chris immediately knew he was in serious trouble now. Randy practically never called him Y2J. It was always Chris or even Jericho except when he was very mad at him.

It's my own fault… I created this big lie and now I have to live with the consequences… He mused.

"I'm waiting…" Randy interrupted Chris's thoughts. "Your five minutes are almost over…" The Legend Killer said and looked at his watch.

Chris quickly nodded.

"Okay… well if you wanna know the whole truth you get it. Actually it was no chance meeting between you and Alexi. I practically set you two up. Or at least tried to."

He fell silent again and looked at Randy what he hadn't been doing for a while now. To Jericho's surprise the younger man's face wasn't an angry mask anymore. Right now he just looked confused and torn between different feelings.

"And why the hell would you try to set us up?" Randy asked, his voice calmer than before.

Chris ran a hand through his blond hair and looked at Randy, hoping he could make him understand.

"Well… first of all I knew that Alexandria felt pretty low at that time. She was worried because of the surgery. Her last boyfriend nearly broke her heart and I was concerned she would do something stupid. And well… you… you weren't off much better. Dave, Shawn, John, the others and me were pretty worried about you too. Ever since you've broken up with Stacey you were more and more depressed and you isolated yourself more and more from all of us but you tried to never show it, so it took us all a while to notice… When we noticed, however, we all agreed that we needed to help ya… and that's when I had that idea… the others didn't know about my plan. But I just had the feeling that you two were perfect for each other and that you could help each other heal your hearts…" Chris finished, again running a hand through his hair and then he looked at the ground. For a second he wondered who picked out the carpets in hotels because this one had an awful colour. Jericho shook his head lightly and had no idea why he was thinking this in such a situation.

There was an eerie silence in the hall, when suddenly a gasp could be heard.

Chris's head snapped up and he and Randy looked directly at Tyson Tomko and Christian, who were standing there, looking shocked.

Oh shit… I'm a real good secret-keeper… first Hunter overhears and now Tomko and Christian… Y2J thought. I have to be more careful…

Christian quickly sensed his friend's uneasiness and hastened to explain: "I'm sorry we overheard the conversation but you didn't notice us when we came up here and since it looked like you were going to beat the hell outta each other we decided to stay to step in if necessary."

Randy still didn't say a word and looked at Chris, his anger almost gone. He wanted him to handle the situation. The bad thing was Jericho had no idea what to do now.

Luckily Tomko relieved him of this decision. "Don't worry you two, we won't tell anybody what we've heard and we will try to forget what you just said too…"

Y2J nodded and looked at Tomko and Christian thankfully. The two wrestlers smiled and Christian said: "We better let you finish this without us listening…" It didn't look like Randy was going to punch Chris anymore so they decided it was okay to leave them alone.

"Thanks." Was the only thing Chris said and Randy nodded in agreement. Tyson and Christian quickly went into their room and Randy turned to Chris again.

Y2J looked at the Legend Killer and he could easily see that Randy had no idea what to think or what to do now.

Randy ran a hand through his short hair and tired to find the right words.

"You were really worried about me?" It was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

"Yeah, of course we were. I mean we were so used to the outgoing, cheerful young man you were and suddenly you were withdrawing from all of us… you didn't even call John. That was when we got really worried because John called Dave to find out if you're okay…"

Randy looked at Chris with a guilty expression in his eyes. He knew that Chris was right. He had withdrawn from all of them, especially John because his best friend could read his thoughts and feelings like a book and that was something he hadn't needed at that time. And he also knew that he had been depressed lately. It had been because of his break-up with Stacey and because of his shoulder injury.

And then he had met Alexi and he had started to realise that her situation was a lot worse than his and she was handling it so well and Randy had drawn strength from her. That was when he realised how much Alexi had helped him without him noticing it.

He sighed and looked at Jericho. It was good to know that he liked him enough to care.

"Randy? Are you okay?" He heard Chris ask. The older man looked concerned and Randy realised that he had been spacing out for a moment.

"Yeah… and Chris… I'm sorry I yelled at you. I mean I was just so worked up over everything that has happened today… and when you told me the whole story about Shawn and Alexi.. It just freaked me out. And don't worry about Shawn. I won't tell him." After a short pause he added: "But you know that he has a right to know about her, don't ya?"
"It's really okay Randy… I expected you to react like this and I know that I should've told ya sooner. And yeah, I know that Shawn has a right to know. But I want to wait until Alexi is read to make the first step."

Randy nodded. Chris had made a mistake and the Legend Killer knew that he regretted it deeply.

"It's okay too Chris, I mean everybody makes mistakes… I'm just glad you told me now. It makes it easier to understand the whole situation."

"So you're not mad that I tried to set you and Alexandria up?"

Randy shook his head and laughed lightly. The first genuine laugh since breakfast.

"No… actually I'm not. I need to thank you for it… and tell you what… your plan worked… well at least I hope it worked…"

Chris was speechless for a second. "What do you mean it worked?"

"Actually… Alexi and I were kissing before we heard Shawn screaming." It felt a little weird to tell Chris that but he would find out sooner or later so he preferred telling him himself.

Chris's reaction wasn't what Randy had expected. Instead of smiling, Chris smacked his forehead with his hand. "That's it… that's why she had that breakdown…"

"Um, Chris? I don't get what you mean…" Randy said, still confused.

"You said you were kissing when you heard Shawn screaming, right? And you stopped when you heard him…" After Randy's nod Chris continued: "And when I held her she mumbled something that it was perfect and Shawn ruined it… I guess she meant that he ruined the perfect moment you two had… and it freaked her out that Shawn again was about ruin something that meant a lot to her."
Randy gasped. That made sense to him.

"I guess you're right… and when Shawn started screaming about how Wrestling fucked up his family, she was totally breaking down, telling me to make Shawn stop lying."

"Actually… that's the point I don't understand… I mean it was Shawn's decision and not the WWE that made the decision for him…" Chris explained. As much as he had been thinking about it, he just couldn't get behind the meaning of Shawn's words.

Randy nodded and then he asked seriously: "Um Chris, does Alexi have these breakdowns often?"

"No… only when she's really worked up over something. She hasn't had one in a long while. They started shortly after the accident… and I guess all the revelations she had today caused the new one…"

"How can I help her when she's like this?" Randy wanted to know, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Chris was a little surprised at Randy's words.

"You really like her, don't ya?" He asked. Randy just nodded.

"More than I can tell ya…"
Chris smiled. "I can safely say she really likes you too."
"I know… it's just that it bothers me that she called for you when she had her breakdown." Randy confessed.

Chris ran a hand through his hair.

"Randy… don't be mad at her for that. She just needs time to adjust to the new situation… and that you were kissing her… what me and her had as a couple is in the past but sometimes when she's really bad, she goes back to that times… and I promised her that I will always be there for her… it's nothing more than that. She's like a little sister to me… and I protect her… with you it's different… she's in love with you. But this is what freaks her out the most. If it was someone other than you… I would be more careful… but I'm willing to trust you with her… and let me tell ya one thing… if you ever hurt her, I'm going to kick your ass…"
The Legend Killer had listened quietly to Jericho's speech and he now smiled a little.
"You don't need to worry about me hurting her… she means way too much to me to ever want to hurt her… and I won't pressure her into a relationship. I will give her all the time she needs…"

Jericho smiled. "I was hoping you would say that…"
Randy smiled too, still a little jealous about the relationship Chris and Alexi had, but Chris's words had reassured him a little.

"Do me a favour Randy and don't mention this little talk to her…Alexi hates it when I get overprotective…"

Randy smiled. "I won't tell her… but shouldn't we go back in there? I mean what if she wakes up."

"Yeah… you're right… we really should get back in there…I need to call her mother and I wanna be with her when she wakes up." Chris confirmed.

Randy nodded. "So do I…" And with that the two went back into the room, where Alexi was luckily still sleeping. Nobody of the two noticed the two figures standing around the corner again, listening in on the conversation. They looked at each other, a satisfied grin on their faces. "This is just too good to be true…" The older one said. "Yeah… finally we'll have our revenge…" And with that the two quickly retreated to make some plans.

Shawn had been too shocked to react at first when Batista started to drag him down the hall but as soon as they were in the elevator, his senses started to come back and he looked at Batista, an angry stare in his eyes.

"Dave, you let me go back up there this instant."
Batista shook his head. "No way Shawn. You will just do something you might regret later and then you'll get fired…"

HBK crossed his hands in front of his chest and stared at Dave.

"Right now I don't really care if I get fired… all I want is to break McMahon's nose. I trusted him with my story… and he tries to make money outta it."

"Shawn… you have no idea what Vince was thinking when he brought Sid back. Perhaps he had this planned long before you told him your story…" Batista tried to reason but even he didn't believe it, since it had been him, who had pointed out the part that Vince had brought back Vicious so that he and Shawn could settle their differences.

"Yeah right…" Shawn said sarcastically.

Batista held his hands up in defence. "Okay, that's quite far-fetched… but breaking McMahon's nose won't make it better… in fact it will make things probably worse. I mean… Vince could fire you and then you would lose everything you've worked so hard for all these years." He tried to reason with the Heartbreak Kid.

His words seemed to calm Michaels down a little. The older man ran his hands through his hair.

"You're probably right Dave. I'm just so mad at McMahon. I told him and Bischoff in private and he goes behind my back. And actually… right now the last thing I care for is my wrestling career… all I can think about at the moment is the family I never had… I mean… I gave up my child and the woman I loved…and all for Wrestling. I always thought being a professional wrestler was everything I wanted… but right now it feels like nothing because I don't have a family to share my success with." He admitted.

Dave wasn't prepared for that confession and since had no idea what else to do, he laid a comforting hand on the smaller man's shoulder.

"Why don't you tell Marissa all that?" He questioned, having no idea where that had just come from.

Shawn's head jerked up in surprise. Then he shrugged. "Actually… I tried to… well I called her yesterday… but I didn't have the guts to actually talk to her… I just hung up."

Now Batista was totally speechless.

"You have called her?"

I need to tell Chris about that… He thought for a moment and wondered what Y2J would do with that knowledge.

"Yeah… after the talk with McMahon I had the urge to call her… but then I realised that I just couldn't call after 20 years of ignoring her and ask her to forgive me… she's probably married with kids right now and doesn't need me to screw up her life like I screwed up mine…" HBK hung his head low.

Dave was shocked. He had never seen HBK like this and he had absolutely no idea what to do now.

If you only knew Shawn… but I can't tell ya… even though right at the moment there is nothing I want to do more than drag you back to that hotel room and introduce you to Alexi, but Chris would never forgive me for that… and Alexandria doesn't need that right now…not right before the surgery.

The elevator had reached the lobby and the two men exited it. Batista was relieved that at least Shawn didn't want to go back to beat the hell out of McMahon, but he wasn't sure if he liked this version of the Heartbreak Kid better. Shawn was still looking at the ground and Batista could've sworn that he'd seen a few tears rolling down the older man's cheeks.

"Wanna go for a walk? The fresh air will help to sort out your thoughts." Dave suggested, hoping that they wouldn't run into any wrestlers because they would surely ask questions and that was the last thing Shawn needed right now.

Shawn looked up and nodded.

"Yeah… I need to get outta here… and a walk sounds good right now… luckily there isn't a show tonight because there's no way I would be able to fight."
Batista nodded and then he asked: "That was why you seemed so distracted last night. You were thinking about Marissa… weren't you?"

Shawn was a little surprised. "You noticed? And here I was hoping that I have hidden it good enough…"
"Actually it was just me and Chris who noticed… the fans surely didn't notice or they wouldn't have chanted your name the way they did…" Batista explained and exited the hotel.

Shawn followed him and laughed with a little bitterness in his laughter.

"You know what… I always thought I could be happy as long as the fans cheer for me… but yesterday was the first time I realised that this doesn't mean as much to me as it did in the past. All I could think of how much I wanted Marissa and my child to be behind the scenes to congratulate me after I have won the match…I want somebody who is proud of what I'm achieving… I need somebody to tell me that what I'm doing means something."

Batista again had no idea what to say. He had never expected Shawn to confess this much to him. He had always thought that if Shawn was ever going to say something like that he would go to Randy since the two had become pretty close friends.

Well telling Randy all that would probably not be a good idea at the moment…

Dave mused and wondered what would happen after this day. For now he was glad that Shawn was so distracted that he didn't ask about Alexi and Chris's weird behaviour, because Dave had no idea if he could lie to Shawn when he looked so lost and helpless.

The two walked in silence for a while because both were lost in their own thoughts.

Dave suddenly had an idea.

"You know Shawn… I know it's none of my business but you should call Marissa again…" He suggested.

Shawn shook his head. "I can't just call her… I mean I've been out of her life for 20 years and she probably doesn't even remember me…"

"Oh… she remembers you so well that she cries when watching you on TV…" Dave whispered to himself, without realising it.

"What did ya just say?" Shawn questioned, not having understood what Dave had said.

Batista was shocked for a moment.
Thanks to god that he didn't understand what I've been saying… He thought and quickly explained: "I just said, what could it hurt to talk to her… if she doesn't want to talk to you, you will at least know that much… and if you can talk to her perhaps you can at least put her into your past…"

Shawn ran a hand through his hair.

"And that's exactly the thing I don't want to do… I don't want to put her into the past… I left her in the past for too long and there's nothing I want more than having a future with her… but I'm no fool and I know that this is impossible…" He sounded miserably and Dave felt really sorry for him right now and he was tempted to tell him that his daughter was just a few hotel room doors away from him, but he just couldn't since he'd promised Chris.

I definitely need to talk to Jericho about what Shawn has just told me… there are three people that are totally miserable just because of a mistake two of them made in the past… and if they weren't all too proud to just try to talk to the other and tell the truth, they could be a happy family. Dave mused in his thoughts, wondering what he could do to help this whole mess. The best thing was probably to talk to Jericho, to hear what he had to say.

And perhaps help a little without betraying Jericho's trust… I mean he never forbid me to try to get HBK talk to Marissa…

"Shawn if you don't call her you will never know what she wants… and it will follow you all your life… if you just call her you will at least know what the facts are… and perhaps you can stop beating yourself up over a mistake you made when you were practically a child yourself and way too young to handle it the way you would handle it now…"

Shawn looked at Batista in surprise and smiled a little. "You know what… I've known ya for a while now but I never knew that you could be this reasonable…"

Dave grinned. "I love to surprise people with it sometimes…"
Shawn laughed and he felt a lot better. Gathering all his courage he made a decision.
"Dave… let's go back to the hotel… I have a phone call to make… and this time I won't hang up…"

"That's the HBK we all love and want to see…" Dave said and so the two made their way back to the hotel, having no idea that things would get a lot worse before they would actually get better.

to be continued... if ye want me to...