Chapter 23: The Showdown

"Oh, come on Randall... it's only a bit of fun!"

"Yeah... what a blast." Randy said in a deadpan tone, as Chris Jericho tried to convince him that the bet they had made was nowhere near as detrimental as the Legend Killer perceived it to be.

"Molly Holly has really stung you bad, hasn't she son?" Chris added, as he continued to mock their relationship. "Buzzing around in that little head of yours, toying with you. I think she is the one having a blast!"

Randy flipped, as he grew tired of Chris' taunting and he grabbed hold of him and slammed him against the wall. He had rounded up both Chris and Christian and had taken them to a remote part of the club to sort out the situation with the bet once and for all. Chris tried to fight back, but Randy had him pinned and was poised to smash his fist into the Canadian's face, before Christian stepped in to break them up.

"Hey guys! Cut it out!"

"This jackass has been asking for it for way too long. Everything is just one big joke to him." Randy yelled, with a snarling expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to kill somebody and Chris Jericho was the man in his immediate firing line.

"Jackass? Who you calling jackass?" Chris fired back, showing some fire himself. "You need to wake up and see how much of an ass clown you have become recently. Mister lovey dovey... give me a break."

As Jericho snickered in the face of Randy, Christian had to physically step between them again as Randy sought to exact retribution once more. For once, Christian didn't want to play jester, as he felt some sympathy towards Randy.

"Come on Chris, give it a break man. The young lad is in love, maybe we should leave him be."

Jericho looked at Christian with a look of amazement on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Excuse me? Leave him be? What about the bet?"

"What about it? Maybe we should cut Randy out of it and let him live in peace with Molly."

Randy stood back, also looking surprised about what Christian had suggested. He was pleased to hear it, none the less.

"No way. Bet is on, whether he likes it or not. He agreed to the bet, so he should be a man about it. Jerk."

"Why you..." Randy said again, but once more Christian held him back; albeit with great difficulty. Jericho was enjoying winding him up, as he pulled faces as Randy was held back.

"That's enough!"

All three men stopped in their tracks, as a figure stood at the door and made their way in, once order had been restored. "What is going on here?"

There was silence in the room, as Matt Hardy shut the door behind him and joined the fray. He looked horrified by the scene in front of him. Randy fought his way out of Christian's grasp and brushed himself off. He cooled down a little bit, but was still angered by Chris' behaviour.

"We need to sort this mess out Matt. This pair have been arguing about the bet." Christian explained.

"Indeed we do." Matt agreed, as Jericho stepped forward to say his peace.

"There's nothing to sort out! The bet stands, until somebody wins it... what is so difficult to accept about that?"

"Randy?" Matt said, looking towards his best friend.

Randy said nothing, as instead he pulled out his wallet and produced some crisp dollar bills. He walked forward and handed them to Matt and gave him a nod. Matt paused for a moment, but soon accepted the money and counted it out.

"I think we should get away from here and leave Randy to it. As far as I am concerned, this bet is done and dusted." Matt said, taking charge of the situation decisively.

"Agreed." Christian added, as he headed towards the door along with Matt.

"But..." Chris tried to start, but Christian grabbed his arm and practically dragged him towards the door.

"Bye Jericho." Randy muttered, as Y2J was hauled out of the room and back out into the nightclub.

With an exasperated sigh, he backed against the nearest wall and allowed himself to slump down to the ground. He thrust his head into his hands and allowed all of his frustration to drain away. As far as he was concerned, he'd just achieved closure on the bet and he could get back to concentrating on making the most of his relationship with Molly. He realised that he had some work to do after their tiff earlier in the evening, but the biggest obstacle had been overcome. At least he thought so.

"Well, well. Look what we have here." a female voice said. Randy was shaken out of his thoughts immediately, as he looked up and was met with the sight of the last person he wanted to see. Trish Stratus.

"Wha... I... huh..." Randy stuttered, as his mind went into overdrive. 'What is she doing here? Did she overhear the row? Does she know about the bet?'

"You really are a piece of work, aren't you Randy?" she said, as cold as ice.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." he replied, trying to act with a semblance of calm, "If this is about Me and Molly..."

"Of course it is." Trish cut him off, mid sentence. "But not that stupid argument you had at the hotel. Oh no... far worse than that."

Randy gulped, as the realisation set in that Trish knew everything. He panicked, as it felt like the walls had begun to close in around him. He slowly picked himself off the floor and considered making a run for it, but Trish shook her head and warned him to stand back.

"Don't even think about making a run for it. All it will take is one call to Molly and I can make sure she knows everything. Every last detail."

"What are you talking about?" he replied, desperately trying to deny any knowledge of what she was referring to.

"Stop messing me about Randy. You've been a very bad boy and as a result you are going to have to face the consequences."

As Trish stood with a smug grin on her face in front of him, he pondered whether it was better to come clean about the bet. He had nothing to lose, but just as he was about to confess all his cell phone began to ring. The distinct feeling of nausea enveloped him, as he knew who was trying to get through to him. It was the tone he had assigned to inform him that Molly was trying to call. He went to retrieve the phone from his pocket, but once more Trish had him under her spell.

"Uh uh... don't answer it." she told him.

"But..."

"No buts. You answer it and I will be forced to tell Molly all about this little bet of yours."

Randy felt awful, as Trish revealed that she did indeed know about the bet. He felt compelled to do exactly as she said, even though deep down he didn't want to. He couldn't help but stare into her eyes and the sensation that came over him was markedly similar to what he had felt in the hotel room. She mesmerized him, to the point that he felt petrified to the spot. He couldn't move his limbs and he couldn't move his lips either.

Trish smelt the fear in the air and sought to pounce on her prey, with little remorse at all. She had Randy at her mercy and she was intent on making the most of that. Molly had been having all the fun recently and she was tired of playing second fiddle. She seductively inched her way over to the corner that Randy was stood in and prepared to make her move on him. There were barely a few centimeters between them, as Trish readied herself to pull him in for a passionate kiss.

"Stop!" Randy cried, as he finally came to his senses. As tempting as the vixen was before him, he felt mortified about the prospect of cheating on his girlfriend. The one he had given his heart to and pledged all of his love to. Molly.

Trish was about to ignore his plea for clemency, before there was yet another disruption. Trish cursed, as she heard another female voice at the door.

"Trish! Randy! Oh my God! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!"

Randy looked over curiously at the door, as he did not recognize the brown haired girl who was stood there. "A friend of yours?" he asked Trish, belying his nerves inside for a moment.

"Very funny. This is not finished... not by a long shot." she replied, with incredible venom in her voice. She stared Randy out for a good five seconds or so, before she retreated to leave the room. Whilst that left him in limbo, he was glad that she was gone; for the time being at least.

"Wait... Trish! Where are you going!" the girl cried, as the blonde burst past her at the doorway and stomped away. She considered going after her, but one look at an almost shivering Randy in the corner prevented her from doing so. "Um... are you OK?" she asked softly.

"I'll survive." he answered, as she made her way across to him. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure?"

He held out his palm to her and after a few blank seconds, she realised what he was getting at. "Oh! Yes!" she said, as she put her hand onto his palm and allowed him to brush a kiss of the back of it. "I'm Mickie James! I'm a big fan of yours and Trish's!"

"Really? Glad to hear it." Randy said, letting go of her hand. He had met some excitable fans in the past, but Mickie was hyper in the extreme. She was actually shaking more than he had been a few moments earlier.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, in a sheepish tone.

"I'm fine..." he said, hiding the worry he felt in his heart, "But you might want to check on Trish."

"Ah... OK. Good idea!" she said and gave him a brief wave before dashing off.

Randy wiped his brow as he fell back into a slumped position against the wall once more. Things had just gotten even more complicated and he had no idea of where to turn next. He just wanted to slip into Molly's arms and get a big hug from her, but it felt like she was a million miles away. The major worry for him was whether he had blown it completely with her; he had a horrid feeling that Trish was about to make his life a complete misery.