As Kate traveled down the hallway, still slightly nursing her sore head, she couldn't help but remain fixated on two questions:

How the hell did Randy know who she was?

And where the hell was John?

Her hazel eyes flitted down to the paper in her hand as she walked away from the security check-in. Written down on the sheet was a series of directions from her current position.

And suddenly, Kate felt as though she had been transported into one of the Mission Impossible movies, yet there was no trace of Tom Cruise and/or Ethan Hunt anywhere.

Make a left into the second hallway.

Following the instruction, she turned left into a totally empty hallway once again.

Glancing at her watch, the eighteen-year old realized she'd been maneuvering deeper and deeper into the labyrinth for almost a half-hour already.

With a heavy sigh, she read the last direction.

Look for the third door on your right. Taped to the doorway is a key. Use it for the door across the hall.

After furrowing her eyebrows, she headed for the aforementioned door, plucking a bronze key off of the metal.

With a converse-clad foot, Kate pivoted to face the blue door across the hall. After a few steps forward, she extended a slender arm and slid the key into the lock.

Three deep breaths later, she opened the door allowing it to quickly shut behind her with a dull thud.

"Hey, Blondie," a voice greeted her softly as she faced the now-closed door.

Her ears perked up and she wheeled around on her heels, "John?"

The muscular man seated on the couch nodded, "Yeah. It's me."

"But, I…" she began to walk towards him.

"I know," he halted her, rising to his feet. "I'm not supposed to be here. But…"

"You're returning tonight," her hands flew to her hips. "Aren't you?"

John sighed, "Yeah."

Her blood pressure shot up a few points, "Are you insane? Six to twelve months, John!" she yelled at him. "Six to twelve… not three, not four… six to twelve!"

"Hey, Kate… is it six to twelve?" he crossed his arms in defiance.

Apparently, Kate didn't find it nearly as funny as the wrestler.

"I did NOT get up at five 'o clock in the morning so that you could make jokes at my expense," Kate seethed at him as she walked forward, forcing him to pace backwards, "You could end your career!"

"Andrews knows, Kate," he cut her rant off, causing her to stop immediately.

"What?"

John took a seat on the couch again, "I am doing this with his approval."

The blonde sunk down beside him, "But, why?"

He rubbed his hands against the rough denim fabric of his jean shorts, "I sat in bed for weeks after I had my surgery. My only escape was physical therapy. It was the closest thing I had to a gym. But, Kate… you and I both know the feeling of being helpless. And you hated it just as much as I did… as I do now… until I step foot in that ring again."

For a while, she couldn't help but study his face intently.

Kate knew that he meant every word that had passed through his lips and when it came to her own surgery, she had felt the same way.

But Katherine Jackson knew her limitations… and she could only hope John Cena knew his.

"So why did you bring me here, John?" she asked him curiously, folding her legs Indian-style.

"No one but Randy, Paul, Steph, and Vince know that I'm in the building, let alone returning," he explained to her. "Honestly, I didn't want to be alone back here."

"What about Liz?" Kate arched an eyebrow at the wrestler.

He chuckled lightly, "Let's just say that she doesn't get along all too well with Stephanie."

Kate smiled and nodded in understanding, "I could see where that'd be a problem."

About an hour later, a knock resonated on the door, causing the eighteen-year old to glance over at the Massachusetts-native worriedly.

"Relax, Kate," he held up a hand and then walked to the door. "It's just Randy."

John pulled open the panel and let him inside, "What's up, killer?"

"Not much…" the taller man shrugged and dropped down on a couch. "I just got back from eating breakfast at catering…"

John's chiseled draw dropped, "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" his palms turned upward on his thighs.

"I was only complaining to you for the last hour that I was hungry… and you didn't even bother to bring me back anything?" he asked incredulously.

"Dude," the third-generation wrestler shook his head, "Do you realize how suspicious it'd look if I carried all of that food out of there?"

"But, I'm hungry…"

Kate rolled her eyes and dropped her backpack on the floor, "Oh, stop it already. God…"

"Yes?" Randy answered with a smirk.

"In your dreams," the blonde retorted sharply as she unzipped her backpack and pulled out a brown paper bag. Skillfully, she tossed it at the older wrestler. "I hope you like bagels."

He clutched the bag to his chest, "I love you."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "I love you, too, John, and Randy…"

"You don't have to tell me you love me."

"Good… now I don't have to feel bad when I don't," Kate smiled at him curtly. "Go back to the locker rooms. People are going to start to wonder where you are…"

He scoffed at the notion, "Fuck people."

He makes this all too easy.

"Well, if that's the case… I'd suggest you hurry up and bring John and me back some breakfast," she countered, opening the door for him.

"You're a bitch sometimes, you know that?"

She smirked at him, "Only to you."

For the last twelve hours, all John and Kate had done was sit, talk, watch TV, eat, sit some more, talk some more, play video games, and in John's case, eat a LOT more.

And while, to most people, this would have been incredibly boring, Kate was enjoying it a lot more than her regular routine.

Around six pm, she had to go to the bathroom… and that meant finding her way back through the maze.

After twenty minutes of travel, without finding a bathroom, she managed to collide with a rather large man in a random hallway.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't see you when I turned the corner," a male voice explained to her.

"Ugh," she slapped her hands against the floor and pushed herself back to her feet. "That's the second time I've been knocked on my ass today."

"Sorry about that," the deep voice tried to stifle a chuckle.

"It's alright," Kate sighed and finally looked up into a set of blue eyes, belonging to a young man only a few years older than her.

"Well, um…" he extended a hand from his pocket. "I'm Cody."

"I know," she nodded and shook his hand. "It's the family business after all…" Kate quickly covered.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Mine too," Cody agreed with a smile. "As you can tell, I'm a Rhodes. Well, technically a Runnels. What are you?"

"I'm an Orton," she replied smoothly.

"Ah… does this Orton have a name?"

"Kate."

He smiled boyishly at her, "Kate Orton, huh?"

The blonde shook him off, "Technically a Jackson. His dad's sister's daughter… it's a complicated sort of thing."

"You don't have to tell me about complicated," Cody laughed at his own situation. "Between my father and brother, there is enough crazy to meet the state quota."

Kate chuckled at his comment, "Depends on what state."

"I guess so," he continued to laugh, but then managed to calm himself. "So, Kate… planning on being the WWE's latest third-generation superstar?"

"Me?" she put a hand to her chest and then burst out into laughter. "With a body like this? Ha… never. I'm going to be a lawyer."

Cody shook his head, "Obviously, you haven't looked in the mirror lately."

Kate did a double-take at Cody's words.

At one-hundred and fifty pounds, she still had about twenty-five more to go until her goal. Nevertheless, whenever she looked in the mirror, Kate still saw the girl of old, the same girl she had previously seen for the last eighteen years.

There was no way that the six feet, one inch man of pure muscle, with piercing blue eyes, could actually find her attractive.

Was there?

But just as she was about to attempt to find out, a gravelly voice cut her off, "So this is where you wandered off to, Kate. I've been looking for you everywhere."

Fuck. Orton.

"Randy…" she turned around to greet him. "Hey."

"Runnels, are you hitting on my cousin?" he arched an eyebrow at the twenty-two year old.

Was he listening in on our conversation?

The younger wrestler turned a shade of red as a light blush crept up his cheeks, "No."

That fucker was listening in on my conversation!

"Good," he nodded punctually and placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders. "Now, if you'll excuse Kate and me for a moment, we have to go track down Stephanie."

"We do?" she furrowed her eyebrows, only to have Randy's fingers dig into her flesh. "We do."

"Oh, okay," Cody grinned at her. "Maybe I'll see you later?"

Kate went to open her mouth to speak, but Randy interred, "Maybe."

Her jaw closed again as the young man nodded and quickly disappeared behind a corner.

Steaming slightly, she thrust an elbow into his ribs, causing him to hunch over.

"What the hell, Kate?" he seethed, clutching his midsection. "What was that for?"

Her thin lips formed a scowl and she placed her hands on her hips, "For listening in on my conversation."

The door to the well-hidden room flew open and slammed against the wall, leaving a slight dent in the plaster.

The thirty-year-old's hand shot up from the TV program he was watching, just in time to catch the blonde tear through the room like the Tasmanian Devil.

"Kate, I'm sorry…" a voice assured her from outside the door. "Kate…" it called again, soon revealing its owner to be Randy Orton.

"You are SUCH an asshole, Randy Orton!" she whipped around and glared at him. "You had no right whatsoever-"

"What happened, Kate?" John rose from the couch and walked over to her.

"Nothing," Randy tried to explain. "She's just overreacting-"

"I asked Kate," he held up a hand to silence his friend. "Not you."

"He stole my cell phone, took off with it, and then returned it forty minutes later!" Kate yelled in exasperation.

"That's not so bad…"

She folder her arms over her chest and popped her hip, "AFTER he gave my number to Cody!"

John shook his head slowly and looked at his friend, "Orton…"

"What?!" he threw his hands up defensively. "She was getting her flirt on!"

"Yeah… I was until you showed up!" the blonde exclaimed angrily.

A familiar smirk spread across his lips, "So you do admit it."

"John," Kate turned to him in a calm voice. "I'm sorry… but I'm going to have to kill your best friend."

In an instant, her demeanor changed from calm to violent and she lunged for Randy, only to have John catch her around the waist.

"Kate, stop it," he tightened his grip around her.

"I'm going to kill him!" she screamed shrilly, struggling against his body.

"Randy, you've got a match to win…" John locked eyes with the younger man. "Go!"

About two hours later, John received a text message from Stephanie, telling him that his spot was coming up.

After five minutes of a pep-talk in the mirror, he met Kate outside of the room. With a silent nod, he let her know that he was ready to go.

For about ten minutes, they navigated the empty hallways, his head tucked under the lowered brim of his hat.

Finally, Kate broke the silence, "I'm sorry."

As they made a left, his head followed, "For what?"

"The way I acted," she replied simply. "I didn't mean to be such a bitch to Randy."

"You'll get used to him eventually," John shrugged as they approached the gorilla. "He's a pretty brazen guy, Kate."

"Okay…" her eyebrows contorted in confusion.

He pulled off his hat to run a hand over his lengthening hair before returning it to his head, "I just don't want you to think he's picking on you."

They came to a stop at the backstage monitors, "I don't."

"Good," he nodded reassuringly and glanced at the screens.

"You ready, Cena?" a feminine voice asked him.

"Yeah, Steph."

"Excellent," the brunette smiled at him, then Kate. "You're on in five."

As she returned her gaze to the monitors displaying her husband's activities in the ring, John's attention turned back to his friend, "You're going to be watching from the monitors with Stephanie. I'll be back before you know it."

"Cena!" a deep voice boomed from the sound booth behind the curtain. "You're on!"

John slid his arms around her shoulders and she hugged him back tightly, "Take your time."

He grinned at her for a moment, then walked behind the curtain in waiting.

"Kate, what are you doing?"

"Hmm?" her head swiveled to face Stephanie.

"What are you doing?" she repeated, standing from the chair.

Confusion washed over her face, "Waiting…"

Her brown eyes rolled and her hand wrapped around the blonde's wrist, "Come on."

After the initial jolt, Stephanie led her around a corner to a door guarded by security, "Where are we going?"

The door opened and Kate was pulled through, "To watch."

A minute later, Kate and Stephanie were standing a few people deep, behind a railing, next to the ramp. Distracted by the match, no one even noticed the younger McMahon sibling's presence.

"You ready?" the brunette smiled over at Kate.

Kate smirked, "I thought the McMahon-Helmsley era was over."

Stephanie let out a chuckle, "I like you."

But before Kate could respond, brass horns filled the arena, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

In the ring, the wrestlers froze and turned to the ramp, where the impossible was becoming possible.

Her gaze traveled back to the ramp, where a muscular man stood with his head down, his arms crossed over his chest.

Without warning, his head popped up and she couldn't help but smile at entrant number thirty.

Almost a full eight months ahead of schedule, John Cena dove into the ring and was finally ready to rumble.

He had done it.

Four months of excruciating pain, a three-inch incision, numerous Kevlar stitches, and hours of physical therapy later, John Cena had won the Royal Rumble.

After the match had ended, Kate and Stephanie were escorted into the back to wait for the ring to clear.

Fortunately, she had missed Cody, who was already on his way back to the hotel. She couldn't bare to look at him after Randy's prank.

But John Cena had not left the building, not by a long shot.

As she was talking to Stephanie, a familiar voice caught Kate's attention, "So how'd I do, Blondie?"

With a bright grin rapidly spreading across her face, she ran to John, "John!"

He caught her in his arms and spun her around in the air, "What'd you think?"

"You were amazing!" she beamed as he set her down on her feet.

"Thanks," he returned the smile. "I'm going to go change… and then we'll go celebrate, okay?"

"Sure," she agreed.

"Do you want to wait outside the room?"

Kate's eyes wandered to the 6'4" superstar passing them, "I'll be right there. There's someone I need to speak to first."

John slid his gray Red Sox shirt over his aching shoulders and refastened the watch on his wrist.

Tonight had been absolutely perfect in his mind, both the reaction and his performance.

However, the vibrating in his pocket quickly knocked him from his fresh memory.

He reached into his pocket and glanced at the caller ID.

Liz.

A knock echoed off of the door, "John, you ready?"

His thumb glided over the keypad of his LG phone and finally settled on a square.

Ignore.

"Yeah…" he replied softly, slinging his black duffle bag onto his broad shoulder. "Ready."

A/N: Once again, it has been way too long. Sorry about that. I hope this chapter was well worth the wait.

Next chapter is going to jump a little bit ahead, but it's going to be interesting. I think Liz and Justin will be making appearances again.

I appreciate:

Inday, giftiebee, sideways anger, cassymae, Johnny, JCJF.lover, RKOxLOVESxME, littleone999, MissyKate21, Queen Chaos-Hardy, Fozzy-Floozy, Fighter37, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, JCEdgeRKO, pinkshadow89, Cena-holic8, The.Black.Psycho.Barbie, goddessofthenite, WWESupernatural102292, MVP Is My Drug Of Choice, jada951, dj-ssdd, and galloptome.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter… please review!

I will do my best to update as much as frequently as possible if you do!

Danielle