It was actually a year before Randy made it back into Katia's hometown. He checked into his hotel and headed straight for her old place, hoping she was still in the same place. He knew he should call first, but he really wanted to surprise her. He wore a fairly nice pair of jeans and a button down shirt; he had a suit, but thought that might be more than she was comfortable with. The year away had not been the most comfortable, and he often found himself thinking back to her and what she might be doing. He knocked on the door and bounced a bit, excited to see her again. The door opened, revealing a tired-looking Katia holding a small baby. He froze, smile fading a bit as her eyes widened in shock.
"Randy? What are you doing here?" Katia definitely hadn't counted on him being here, and she had mixed feelings about it now. She shifted a bit, adjusting the baby in her arms gently as he stared down at them.
"I wanted to surprise you. We're, um…we're back in town for another few days." He saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes before she covered it, and he kicked himself. She probably thought he wanted another one night stand.
"Oh, um…well…I really hadn't expected you to come back." The implied idea of 'ever' hurt him a bit. She nudged the door open a bit wider as an invitation for him to come inside. He closed the door behind himself, looking around. It was familiar, but there were changes. Baby toys and a playpen in the living room; a few bottles on the counter. "Make yourself at home." She moved to sit carefully on the couch, and he took the seat next to her. He looked down at the baby girl in her arms, bringing his finger up for her to grab.
"I didn't realize you had a kid now. How old is she?" Katia hesitated to answer his question, and he looked up to see the guarded look in her eyes.
"She's three months old. Her name is Kaelyn." He nodded slowly, looking back down at her. She looked back with large brown eyes just like her mother's. Her skin was a few shades lighter, and he couldn't help but smile as the tiny fingers wrapped around his own.
"Is her father…?" He wasn't about to hang around if it meant causing a rift in a family, but he was hoping. Katia couldn't believe this was happening; she had convinced herself that this meeting would never happen, that he would have moved on. The fact that he came back caused her more stress than she really needed.
"No, he's not involved." It came out sharper than she intended, and he was quick to notice. He automatically began to do the math, and she could see him figuring it out. "Randy…I really wasn't expecting you to come over. I'm not really…I mean…" She was getting flustered, and he finally put it together. She stood suddenly with the baby, heading back towards a small room she'd converted to a nursery. He was hot on her heels, voice all steel now.
"Katia, am I the father? Is Kaelyn…?" He couldn't finish the sentence, the shock choking him off. Katia gave a shuddering sigh, laying Kaelyn in her crib. She kept her back to him, not ready to face the truth of the matter. He grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. "Katia, answer me. Please." She kept her eyes down as she nodded, attempting to pull her arm away. "How could you?" She tensed, and he knew he had hit a nerve when her gaze snapped to his, full of fire. She ripped her arm away and pushed him out of the room, closing the door carefully behind them.
"How dare you? You have no right to be accusing me of anything." She growled low, jaw clenching. Kaelyn had been a surprise, and Katia had been sure she wanted or could handle in the early stages. It had been hard for her to keep from calling him back. "Kaelyn is my baby girl. You had your fun, so what more could you possibly want from me?"
"Are you fucking kidding me? You didn't think it would be right to tell me I have a daughter?!" Randy let his own anger show. It hurt that she had been hiding this from him, and even when he showed up she wasn't going to tell him.
"You and I were a one night stand! That doesn't make you her dad, just her father." She stormed off towards the kitchen, with him hot on her heels. She immediately started rummaging through the cupboards, pulling out a box of snack cakes.
"Katia, I would have helped in some way! All you had to do was ask, you didn't have to do this alone." He stopped in the doorway, the steam in his engine quickly running out, and being replaced with a sympathy for her. She had faced what had to have been a hugely daunting task, and he hadn't even been given the opportunity to do right by her.
"What would you have done? Sent money from the road?" She sounded bitter now as she struggled with shaking hands to open a snack cake. She couldn't meet his gaze, not without fighting off the tears that threatened to spill. "You wouldn't exactly have dropped everything to come back. You're entire life is that organization." It twisted like a knife in his gut. The only reason she hadn't called had been his job. Katia would never have asked them of that; he had been so happy, and his excitement in the ring was nearly palpable.
"I…I would have visited. As often as I could, I'd fly back after every match if I had to." He knew that wouldn't go well with the company.
"And how would I explain that to her? When she was older and asking why her daddy never seemed to stay here with us?" She finally ripped the package open, but she ducked her head in defeat. This was everything she had wanted to avoid with Randy, and yet here it was.
"What would you have told her if I never knew?" He asked, dreading that the answer would be something like he was dead or didn't want them.
"That her father was a great man, but that it simply wasn't meant to be. That she was the only thing I needed, and loved." Katia nearly whispered the words. It had been one of her many fears when it came to having his child. She sighed, setting the cake untouched on the counter, her stomach a mess of knots. He stepped slowly towards her. "I never would have asked for money, or sued for paternity or anything like that. You would just be a story."
"What if you came with me? Both of you, just travel with me around the world." She was already shaking her head before he'd even had a chance to finish, and he groaned. "I'm serious! Plenty of wrestlers have their families with them."
"And what about my family?" She looked up now, tears on the verge of spilling over. His heart actually broke at the sight, and in that moment he would have done anything to make her happy again. To make them both happy. "What about my friends, my job, my home?"
"Then I'll stay here with the two of you." He pulled her into a hug, closing his eyes as he battled with himself over the decision to leave the WWE. "Marry me. Let me be her daddy, please." Katia stiffened in his arms, and he tightened his grip before she could push him away.
"Randy, I think it's time you left." The words lanced through both their chests, and she struggled against his grip. He released her just enough to look her in the eye.
"I'm serious. Marry me." She shook her head, and he felt it all slipping away.
"Don't ask me to marry you out of some sense of duty. I'd rather be a single mom than live in a marriage based on nothing more than some drinks and a one night stand. Now, please…get out." Katia hated sending him away; if anything, his hug was helping to calm her. She wouldn't ask him to quit, however, and she certainly wouldn't shackle him with her mistakes, her life. He looked like he wanted to argue, but she cut him off. "Now. I won't ask again." He slumped, not bothering to hide the pain in his gaze. He turned for the door, not looking back as he left. She waiting until the door was closed to finally let the tears free, sobbing quietly against her kitchen counter. Randy resolved to find a way to balance his worlds. If he couldn't, well…something had to give. He just hoped McMahon would be understanding.