I disclaim again. I only own Charlie and those unknown.

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Chapter Fourteen – Back in the Saddle

Charlie smiled up at Randy as he stood in front of Titan's headquarters clutching her hand tightly. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He knew Vince could have fired him in a heartbeat and didn't give a shit how much revenue Randy brought in. The legions of Randy's Candy could turn into Chain Gang Soldiers or Animal-ites. TNA didn't pay nearly as much as WWE and ECW was out of the question. He had to make the WWE work or get a new career.

In the meeting with Vince he would find out the plan for him in the near future. All he knew was he was going back to Raw and had to pee in a cup whenever they wanted him too. He took a deep breath and looked at Charlie thinking back to this morning. He wanted to throw up at least a dozen times but she calmed him and gave him the confidence he needed. Her soothing words, gentle caresses and reassuring smile had done just the right things. She gave his hand a squeeze and took the first step towards the entrance.

Randy followed her as if she had the meeting and he was supporting her. When they entered the elevator she turned to him and took his face in her hands. Charlie's eyes pierced his and conveyed silently she had all the faith in the world in him and he could do this. Everyone ate humble pie and it was his day to do so. She kissed him tenderly and held him close. Randy buried his face in her hair and rested his head on her shoulder. If he were a crier now would be that moment. When they reached the top floor he took another deep breath and they stepped off the elevator and headed for Vince's office.

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The ride back to the hotel was silent and all Charlie did was hold his hand. When he walked out of Vince's office he took her hand and they walked out of the building. You'd never know from his stance he was just ripped a new asshole and that was putting it nicely. At the beginning of this fiasco, Vince approached the suspension as a disappointed father, expressed his sadness over Randy's behavior and made it clear he was let down. This visit was strictly business and the only reason Randy still had a job was because of Vince's respect for the Orton family and the belief Randy could be great. If he were a mid-card or fall guy he'd be gone.

Raw was his new home and he'd be lucky if the writers let him win a match anytime in the near future. He'd be paired with a babysitter who would room and travel with him, share a locker room and basically stalk his every move. He didn't dare bring up Charlie traveling with him and sharing his room, another time and place. He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and sat there. His backstage antics weren't cute or funny, nobody found the humor in it and as he thought back he couldn't find a rhyme or reason for the way he conducted himself. It was just stupid and idiotic. Whether those girls knew anything about wrestling or not he embarrassed and humiliated them.

Charlie let Randy soak in his thoughts and she just ran her fingertips along his neck, head and face. After five minutes of him staring at the wall in front of them she reached for his chin turning him toward her. His eyes filled with tears when they met with hers. She drew out his emotions and had ways of getting through to him. She kissed his eyes and hugged him rocking him as much as she could in the car. He whispered two words to her; "help me."

She pulled back and looked at him; he was so sad and broken. Whatever Vince had said to Randy was clearly causing the pain. Charlie did her best to climb into his lap and hold him trying to fix the world within him. All she could do was support him, he had to make the necessary changes himself and he had to do it for the right reasons.

"Let's eat and then head back to the hotel. We can just forget the world and close the curtains, it can be just us today with nothing to worry about." She said as she stroked his back. Randy nodded, it sounded like the perfect idea, a nice remedy to get his mind off of the doom and gloom currently clouding his brain.

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Charlie was lounging on the couch in their suite with Randy between her legs. His head rested on her chest and he listened to her heartbeat. Her fingertips massaged his aching head and neck and every so often he'd feel a soft kiss on his head. Neither were really paying attention to the movie they were both lost in their own thoughts. He thought about his life, past, present and future. What did he want to do and where could he go from here. The only conclusion was two things: wrestling and Charlie. Could she handle the life that comes with this business?

Charlie was having the same thoughts. Could she handle being away from him for three to four days a week? Did she trust him enough? He had hundreds of women chasing him in every city, he had single friends who would want to hit the bars and clubs. Did she trust him to be faithful, would she ever even know if he did something? It was never discussed, but she'd seen the pictures of him on the internet. Who took them? If they didn't have trust and honesty they couldn't have a successful relationship, she had to rely on her own instincts.

Randy took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her tighter. Charlie rested her face on his head, the tears burned her eyes. How in the hell had she fallen so fast for him? She loved this man through and through, faults and imperfections; what's done is done and it can't be changed. As long as he learned from it things would keep going forward. She pulled his shirt up and over his head and ran her nails along his naked skin. Being a metrosexual had its advantages, he had great skin. He picked his head up and looked at her, she couldn't help but smile.

He leaned forward and kissed her pointedly. "I love you, baby girl." He said as he pulled back and looked at her directly. She smiled and kissed him back nibbling on his lower lip.

"I love you." She whispered back.

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Randy had been back on the road for two months and she knew he hated every second. He still loved the crowds and the feeling you get when you enter the arena. He still loved the business and loved his career choice. He could do without the pity looks and snide remarks, the oh so obvious snubs from the veterans. He never admitted it, but Charlie could tell things weren't the way he had hoped, the way he wanted them to be. Sure he had John and Maria but that was it. Adam and Amy had treated him as if nothing happened, they had their own issues, who were they to judge anybody.

Randy liked Adam, his new tag team partner and permanent babysitter. He gave Randy breathing space and let him be alone with Charlie when she visited. Whenever she wasn't on the road with him he would leave the arenas immediately and was on the first plane or in his own SUV driving to her. He unofficially had moved in with her, he still had his condo in Louisville that he never sold when he married Sam, but all his clothes and most of his personal things were at her home.

He and his parents had mended fences and his Mom gave Charlie the benefit of the doubt and had met her for lunch a few times. Despite her desire to not like her, Elaine admitted Charlie was wonderful and she could see the light shine in her eyes when they talked of Randy. She had also notice Randy never had that light for Sam and it burned brightly for Charlie. His mom hoped the bar owner would be exactly what Randy needed to get his shit together and told Charlie exactly that as if it were a challenge.

That's why the 1 am phone call from Adam was shocking. All Adam knew was Vince and Shane McMahon had publicly embarrassed Randy backstage and he didn't take it too well. Chewing him out in private was one thing, but to do it in front of the very people he was trying to mend fences with was too much. She didn't want to believe Adam since they were only in Indianapolis and Randy should have been about an hour away from her.

Based on Adam's description, this wasn't good. Charlie packed a bag and jumped in her car to make the three hour drive. At first she worried he would get alcohol poisoning, then she was worried he'd find a dealer and get a hook up, but the closer she got the angrier she became. She called Adam as she parked her car and he told her the room number, Randy was awake and mumbling incoherently.

John met her in the lobby and went up with her. "It's not good. He's worse than I've ever seen him. He told us not to call you but we had too."

"What the fuck happened? He was fine. I mean, I knew he was a little upset about the way he was being treated, but what the fuck happened to push him this far?" She was pissed at the world. She was mad at Randy, Adam, John, this business, everybody and anything that got in her way was in the line of fire.

"I don't know I was in my locker room for most of it, but Vince and Shane caught Randy as he came back from the ring and just started taking cheap shots at him. I don't know the whole story." John had heard rumors but wasn't going to share with the seething woman next to him. When the elevator opened he led her to the room and she burst through the door. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Randy was lying in the middle of the floor still in his trunks and mumbling to Adam who sat in a chair next to him. Charlie screamed at him for a good five minutes, she never berated him or treated him like a child, but she reminded him of all the things he was throwing away with his destructive behavior. It was soon a shouting match and he called her names and almost hit her a few times. His brain took him back to Vince's ass chewing and the only thing that stopped him was his heart. Somewere in his drunken stoned stupor his heart knew it was her, his eyes could barely focus on anything, but his body knew.

John and Adam stood to the side to keep Randy from hurting her, they knew he'd never intentionally harm her, but he could barely stand and if he fell into her he could do a lot of damage. Suddenly the flood gates opened and Randy spilled everything Vince had said in his office a few months ago and everything that had happened that night. He took all of his anger out on Charlie and blamed her for the downfall of his life. If she wasn't so pissed she would have laughed in his face, she wasn't around for his stupid high school stunts.

Charlie had had enough of his belittling and slapped him as hard as she could. He looked at her completely stunned as did Adam and John. She didn't say a thing just stood as tall and menacing as she could until she could see him back down. With every ounce of strength she had she almost had to drag him to the bathroom. They couldn't take him to the hospital to pump his stomach, too many people would find out, so Charlie did the next best thing. She induced vomiting to get the alcohol out of Randy and she sat with him until his body gave up.

John brought in some coffee and Adam brought Tylenol for the raging headache he'd have in the morning. They helped her get him to bed and make sure he was fine and then the three of them moved to the sitting room. Charlie leaned against the wall and let her body sink to the floor. She cried silently and wondered what would happen to him next. Yes she loved him but did she want to deal with his shit? Marriage vows state you should love and stand by someone through good times and bad, if she loves him enough to marry him, those vows apply at all times, married or not.

She was so angry and hurt she wanted to punch something, break something, shred something. She knew, even though she didn't think he was an addict, people who use alcohol and drugs on a regular basis and give it up sometimes fall back, but his fall back would cause more damage than to just himself. As it is with everyone, a fall back affects your job, your family, everything you touch can crumble into ruins. Charlie also felt bad for him, he was trying to mend everything he'd done and nobody would let him.

After an hour of trying to figure out the best thing for Randy, they all said goodnight, John took the couch and Adam slept in his bed while Charlie laid with Randy. His breathing was good and even so she allowed herself to fall asleep. Each time he moved she woke up, when he coughed she woke up, and every moment she woke, tears formed in her eyes.

Around lunch time there was a knock on the door and Randy was the only one who got up. It was the Raw doctor and Randy had a urinalysis – right now. He knew what he'd done last night and knew he'd get busted, the only thing he couldn't remember was Charlie's arrival. He quickly dressed and brushed his teeth leaving with the doctor. While he was gone Adam and John woke up and left Charlie to sleep. They both wanted to kick his ass but discussed again how to support him. They waited for Randy to return and the three of them went to eat a late breakfast or lunch. John finally broke it to him that Charlie was there and Randy was mortified and embarrassed; he would spend at least the next month making it up to her.

John and Adam gave Randy and Charlie the space they'd need and Randy went back to the room. He sat in the chair across from the bed and watched her sleep. He could still see a little puffiness in her eyes from crying and it cut him deep. He couldn't believe what he'd done the night before, he should have just gotten in the car and driven straight to her. He chose to drink straight from the vodka bottle and chose to accept the drugs from another wrestler. Not too log ago he would be blaming everyone but himself, now he knew he chooses his actions, not anything or anyone else.

Charlie began to stir and reached instinctively for Randy, which he saw immediately. He took this as a good sign that her mind still subconsciously looked for him. She rolled to her back and before she opened her eyes she knew he was in the room. He didn't move and just waited for her to wake up completely before he spoke. She looked over at him and his eyes said everything. At least he regrets it. Charlie got up and went to the bathroom, all the anger was returning fast and she needed to quickly calm down.

When she stepped back into the bedroom he had his face in his hands. Randy looked up at her and for a long while she leaned against the wall and he sat in the chair. The apology and shame were evident, it was written all over his body. "Please say something." He whispered, afraid to use his voice.

"I love you." She said pointedly. Randy stood and began to cross the room to her but she held her hand up and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, baby." He said dropping his shoulders. "I was just so upset-"

"No apology needed. I just want you to take responsibility for your choices last night, good or bad." She said firmly.

"For the first time I know it's nobody's fault but mine." His hands went to his hips and he hung his head.

"That's all I ask. You're going to fall back, it happens, but try thinking before you do things." Her voice became softer and her eyes pleaded with him. Randy shook his head and Charlie held out her hand. He took it and pulled her to him, crushing her body into his.

"I love you, please don't leave me." He said into her hair.

"I'm not going anywhere, but you need to help me help you." She said kissing his neck.