A/N: Hi! I just want to thank everyone for reading this story, especially those that read from the start. It's almost to an end and I hope you continue reading to the last period. Also, I will be posting another story after this. Somewhat a 'prequel'. I hope you like that one too. Oh, and by the way, I have placed a couple of notes for music suggestions in this chapter. You should listen to those songs, if you don't know them. It will give you a really good 'feel' of the scene/s. Thanks! See you next chapter! Comments/Reviews as always are appreciated. :)
Chapter 19
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Meanwhile, at the hotel, Sam had finally put Alanna to sleep. She had been a little restless because the place was not familiar to her. She was getting ready to sleep herself when the phone rang. She thought it might be Randy.
"Hello?"
No one answered, but she could hear there was music in the background as well as the sound of cars passing by.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" She said, "Randy, is that you?"
Still, there was no answer. But this time, she could hear the other person breathing.
"I know you're there, I can hear you breathing." She said, "Who is this?"
"Do you know where your husband is?" The man said from the other end.
His tone wasn't exactly one of inquiry, but more mocking her, as if he knew something she didn't.
"Of course I do." She said, rather indignantly. "He's at the Hall of Fame after party!"
The man laughed at the other end, hearing how angry she was already getting. "Oh, Mrs. Orton…I wonder how much angrier you'd be when you find out he's not where you think he is?"
"W-what do you mean?" She asked, but he just laughed again. "Just tell me what you want to say and stop laughing!"
"Fine." The man said, suddenly being serious. "Your husband isn't at the after party. He's in a motel, down the highway with his mistress, doing god knows what and enjoying themselves. I'm pretty sure you know it's his writer, Arianne Carter. I've actually witnessed them, not that either of them knows, but I can assure you…they can get real hardcore…"
"SHUT UP!" Sam said. She felt she was going to lose her temper, so she had moved to the bathroom, so as not to wake Alanna up. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Oh, I don't want anything from you." He said, "I'm just a concerned citizen. It's up to you what you want to do with the information I'm giving you. I don't really give a fuck."
"I don't believe you." She said, "I don't believe any of this!"
"Hmm…Now how did I know you were going to say that?" The man said, "I also know you do believe me. But just in case you didn't, I have something for you. Do you want to know what it is?"
Sam was hesitant. Did she believe him or did she not? A part of her doesn't want to, but something inside her knew there could be truth in what this man was telling her. "What is it?"
"I left you a little something at the reception." The man said, laughing. "It's a surprise!"
Then he cut the call off. Sam thought about it for a minute, wondering what the surprise was. She picked up the phone and called reception. There was indeed something for her—a sealed brown envelope. She asked for it to be taken to their room because she didn't want to leave Alanna alone.
A few minutes later, somebody delivered it to her. She immediately opened the envelope. There were a couple of CDs in it, one labeled 'pictures' and the other 'video'. Instantly, she got an idea of what it could be. But she had to make sure. So she took the laptop and popped the CD in—the one labeled 'video', and watched. She couldn't watch past ten minutes of it, and took the CD out.
She was very angry, furious in fact, trying to think what she had to do now that she'd seen her suspicions are real, with her own two eyes. He'd been a great husband that she had believed her suspicions was invalid, that she was being paranoid. It was all making sense to her now. He hid it very well. They both did, right in front of her face.
She took the other CD and put it in the laptop, and looked at all of it, with each picture making her angrier. Then she picked up her mobile phone. She was going to call him, but she didn't want him to hear the anger in her voice, so she just sent him a message. Besides, she didn't want to hear whatever it is those two could be doing in the background.
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Around 4 in the morning…
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They lay awake on the bed naked and sticky from all the sweat and other stuff. Both tired and spent. Neither of them had any sleep at all since they kept each other awake and on edge all night.
She was curled up beside him with her head on his stomach, looking at him as he sleeps, his chest moving in rhythm with his breath. He had a hand over her knees as he slept, as if making sure she wasn't going to leave without him knowing.
She moved around slowly, trying not to wake him up, and laid down beside him, in the nook between his arm and torso, putting her head over his chest and her arms around him. Tired as she was, she still couldn't sleep. She had a lot on her mind, about everything they have yet to talk about.
He felt her hand tracing the protruding bone of his left collarbone, the one he broke almost two years ago, before his motor biking accident. He put his arm around her and held her closer, and took her hand to his lips and kissed it before he kissed her on her forehead.
"Did I wake you up?" She whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Nah…I wasn't really sleeping." He said.
"Randy, can I ask you something?" She said. "Why did you come back? We could've ended things right then, and we won't have to worry about anything anymore since it's over."
"You know what? You're right." He said, "Things could have been easier if I didn't come back. If I just left you, and just ended us that way."
He turned towards her and tipped her face so she could look at him.
"But I couldn't do that to you." He said, "I'm in this way too deep, and I love you way too much to leave all of this like that. I don't care about the past. I've never been one to dwell in it and I'm not going to start now. Not when I know you love me too…much more than I deserve to be loved. And you're right, I should've known that…"
"No! No, you're wrong. You do deserve it. You deserve everything I gave you. You do." She said, touching his face. "You're the only reason I'm still here…why everything make sense in my life. If it hadn't been for you...I don't know where I'd be." Her eyes began to water, and they were gleaming with her tears even in the dark. "I draw strength from you. You're the closest thing I have to a home…and I can't love you enough."
"Shh." He held her close and kissed her. "Baby, it's all you. You're tougher than anyone I know. After all that's happened to you, after all you've been through, to still be standing strong and be able to care about other people. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know."
"I wish I was as tough as you think I am." She said, "Randy, I can't even do anything to protect you from my brother…"
"You don't have to." He said, "We're in this together. I don't know what we're going to do yet, but it will come to us. We'll get through this, just like all the other problems we had. But you got to let me in. You don't need to protect me, and I'm not going to let you handle it on your own. You understand? I love you Ari."
"I love you, too." She said, holding him tighter.
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[A/N Now would be a good time to listen to Stay by Sugarland. :) ]
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They stayed like that for a while, just listening to each other's breath—to each other's heartbeat. She almost wished they could stay like that forever…if only things were different. Suddenly his phone sounded off, taking them both out of their reverie. He reached for his pants and took his phone from the pocket and read the message.
"What's wrong?" She asked when he heard him sigh.
"It's Sam." He said, "She's waiting for me."
"Oh…" She sat up. "Well…you better go." She said.
"What about you?"
"I'll stay here for a while…We can't go back together." She said, "It'd be too obvious."
"Are you sure you want me to leave?" He placed his hand on her knees.
She smiled weakly and touched his hand. "I'm sure." She said, turning away. "Go on and get dressed."
So he stood up and got dressed. She just sat there quietly, watching him. She doesn't want him to leave. She wants to tell him—to beg him to stay if she has to. She was trying to stop herself from saying it out loud and it's taking all of her restraint to do it. In her mind she was thinking how unfair it all was. She'd given him everything, but why does his wife get the best of him?
But she also knows she can't make him stay. She knows where she stands. She's not even sure if he'd stay if she asked him to.
He gave her a kiss before he left, and she almost didn't let him go. She had to mentally force herself to let go of him. She watched him walk towards the door, and every step he took felt like a stab in her heart and she wants to scream out his name and tell him to come back. To never leave. To stay. If he asked her to run away with him now and just disappear, she wouldn't hesitate. But she knows he's not going to do that so she stayed silent.
After he was gone, she lay back down on the bed feeling even more tired than she was several minutes ago. All the restraint she put on to not tell him to stay—all the effort she put in to make herself let go of him took a toll on her not only mentally, but physically as well.
She lay there awake, staring at the clock on the wall, waiting for the Sun to come up. Right now, she needs to rest. Later, when she goes back to her reality, she's going to need all her strength pretending in front of everyone especially to his wife. She tried to make herself fall asleep, but she failed. Just like how she thought he'd just up and leave once he knew all about her secrets—all her lies.
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Meanwhile…
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Randy was in his rental car, driving back to the hotel. It was still dark, and there were not that many vehicles on the road anymore. He's trying his best to concentrate on the road, but he keeps thinking about Ari. How she looked when he was getting ready to leave.
Even in her silence—when he wasn't even looking at her, he could somehow sense what she was thinking and it's giving him such a heavy feeling in his chest. He glanced at her when he was about to leave and she had a blank expression on her face. It made him not want to leave, but he knows he has no choice.
Would you stay if she asked you to? What about Alanna?
He heard himself ask as he pulled in his parking space at the hotel. He loves Ari, he knows that for sure. But he also loves Sam. And of course there's Alanna, his little angel. He'd never really thought of choosing between them. Between the woman he loves and the family he loves. Maybe he was being selfish thinking he doesn't have to give up either of them.
He brushed the thought off. He didn't even know why the thought of having to choose crossed his mind. It hurts just to think of it. After all he's been through with Arianne; it's just not that easy to let her go. He and Sam have had their share of problems, but what marriage doesn't? Besides, he can't risk losing Alanna in the process. She's the most precious thing he has and will ever have.
Sometimes he wished he had two hearts. He wished there were two of him, or he could split his body into two so he could be with both Ari and his family and doesn't ever have to make a choice.
He took a deep breath and got out of the car. When he got to their room, Sam was already sleeping, but she wasn't on their bed. She was sleeping with Alanna. He didn't wake her up anymore. He cleaned up in the bathroom a little, and changed into some clean clothes and went to sleep. It was going to be a big day tomorrow. It was Wrestlemania after all.
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That afternoon…
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"Daddy! Get up!" She said, "Get up, daddy." She was trying to pull him up by his arm with all her might but he wasn't even budging.
He opened his eyes slowly and saw her smiling at him. "Hey, little princess." He said, "Why don't you give daddy a kiss so I can get up."
She got up on the bed, by his shoulder and gave him a little kiss on the lips. He smiled and then sat up.
"All right, I'm up." He said, "Where's your mom?"
"I'm right here." Sam said, as she came out of the bathroom. "Must have been one hell of a party last night, huh? You seem really tired…and spent."
"Ahm…yeah, it was…" He said. He picked Alanna up as he stood up. I should remember to ask someone if anything eventful happened. He thought. "You're dressed up, are you going somewhere?"
"I'm going with you to the arena." She said, "Unless…you don't want me to come."
It was still too early to come to the arena, they probably haven't put the ring up yet and still setting up the cameras and other electronic equipment. If there was nothing important for them to do there prior to the show, they usually come in just a few hours from airing to study the script and gear up and there still five hours before opening bell.
"It's still early, Sam." He said, "I still have other stuff to do before going to the arena. I haven't even got breakfast yet."
"Randy, it's almost one in the afternoon." Sam said, "They don't serve breakfast past eleven, its lunch time."
"Well, lunch then." He said. He put Alanna down. "Anyway, I'll just pick you up or have someone to later. It's too early to go there. You'd just get bored."
"Fine." Sam said, "I have somewhere else to go to anyway." She stood up. "Let's go, Al. Let daddy go about his business."
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"Just a minute!" Arianne said.
She was already in a hurry to dress up because she's supposed to have a meeting with the creative team in an hour at the arena, and she had just woken up a few minutes ago. She grabbed her robe and put it on for the mean time because she only had a bra and panty on since she was still putting her make up on when she answered the door.
"Randy!" She said, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"You gonna let me in or what?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry." She stepped aside and let him in. "Why are you here? Someone might see you…"
"I…ah…just wanted to check up on you." He said. He dropped his gym bag on the floor and sat on the bed. "Make sure you're all right. You know, from last night."
"I'm fine." She said. "I can barely walk but, I'll live." She joked, trying to lighten up the mood because he looked so serious.
"That's not what I meant." He said, looking straight into her eyes.
"I know." She said. She sat beside him and took his hand. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me. I'm never happy when you're leaving, that's all it was."
"I'm never leaving you." He said.
He didn't even realize he said that until after he did. But he had no intention of taking it back. He meant it.
She smiled, and touched his face. "I know." She said, "I know."
She kissed him tenderly on the lips, and he returned that softly at first, growing more passionate by the second. He ran his hand on her thigh, slipping under her robe and maneuvering her to sit on top of him. Then he started to kiss her around her neck.
"Mm…Randy…we can't do this now." She said, reluctantly. "I have a meeting to go to in less than an hour."
"Just a few minutes…" He said, talking against her skin as he planted kisses on her chest. "That's all I need."
"Yeah, I can feel that." She giggled. "But, NO. Randy, I need to go."
"Pffft…" He lay back on the bed in frustration, taking her down with her. "Fine…"
"Aww...my poor little horn dog." She laughed. "Don't worry; I'll make it up to you." She rubbed her nose against his, "I promise." She kissed the tip of his nose before she got off of him. "So, where're you supposed to be heading now?"
"Gym, then meet up with the boys before going to the arena, I guess." He said, putting his arms under his head so he can see her as she dresses up.
"Hmm…well you better get going then." She said, buttoning her shirt. "Wouldn't want to hold you up from your work out."
"But I like working out with you better." He grinned wickedly.
"Dude, seriously, I can barely walk." She said, "Do you want me to limp out of here or in a wheelchair maybe?"
He laughed soundly, "All right, all right! I'm gonna go." He stood up and grabbed his bag and walked towards the door. "I'll see you later?"
"Of course." She said.
"Oh, wait!" He walked back. "I forgot something."
"What?"
He just grabbed her and kissed her again. "That." he said after, smiling. "Now I can go."
Then he left and Arianne got back to getting ready. She was almost about ready to leave when somebody knocked on the door again. She thought it was Randy again, and she was shaking her head as she opened the door.
"Did you forget something again?" She said. But she was surprised to see that it wasn't him. "Sam! W-what are you doing here?"
She was with Alanna.
"We need to talk." She said, "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, come in." Ari said. "Sit down, please." She pulled a chair for Sam and she sat down. Alanna went to the bed, saw the remote and turned the TV on.
"So…what do we need to talk about?" She asked, hesitantly.
"I think you know." Sam said. "I know everything, Arianne."
Arianne couldn't move. She felt like she'd been dumped a bucket of ice cold water, and she couldn't even look at her. "How did you know?"
"It doesn't matter." She said, "But I have pictures and videos of you and my husband. So you can't deny it."
She immediately assumed that her brother had gotten to Sam. "I'm not going to." She said.
"How long has it been going on?"
"About nine months." She said. "I'm sorry, Sam…It just happened…We fell in love and…"
"I don't need your explanation." She said, "I don't need to hear any of this. What you need to do is listen to me. You know how this going to go down, don't you?"
Arianne didn't say anything, and Sam assumed that meant yes. And Arianne does know. She'd heard all about the repercussions of her affair with Randy. She heard it from Cody, she heard it from her friend Cat, and she heard it from John. And for the longest time, she and Randy never really cared. She supposed she never thought it would come to this, when it's right in front of her face.
For a moment both of them were silent. What was there left to say anyway?
"What do you want me to do?" Arianne asked.
"I don't need to tell you that." Sam said, as she stood up. "Al, come on, let's go."
Alanna got off the bed and went to Sam. "Are we going to daddy?"
"Yes, honey, we are." She picked her up, and then turned to Arianne. "If you love him…if you really love him…then you already know what you have to do."
Sam turned and walked out of the room, leaving Arianne to contemplate on her next move. For a moment she just sat there silently. Thoughts run through her head, like the time he told her he loved her—that he always have, when she least expected it, after such a long time of waiting. She knows he meant it. She remembered all of last night, and how tumultuous their relationship is. She wouldn't exchange that for anything, it was all worth it.
"I'm never leaving you…" His voice echoed in her psyche.
He didn't just imagine him saying that. He did say it. She knew he meant it too. She supposed it was going to have to come to this point sooner or later, and she knew that when it does, that they were going to have to make tough a decision.
She took her phone from her purse and made a call.
"Hello?" She said, "It's Ari. I need to talk to you. It's important."
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[A/N Listen to Run by Leona Lewis. You have to! Trust me. ;) ]
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Wrestlemania. Moments before Randy's match against Legacy.
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Randy was getting ready in his dressing room. Sam said she was going to watch from the crowd and Alanna was at the hotel with her nanny. He got there about three hours ago and looked for Arianne, but she wasn't anywhere. He thought she must still be having her meeting with the creative team, but it was almost time for his match and he still hasn't seen her.
Suddenly someone knocked on his door. It was Arianne.
"Hey! Where have you been?" He took her hand and let her in. "I've been looking all over for you." He locked the door.
"I'm sorry, I…the meeting took longer than I expected." She said. She could barely look at him. "So ah…are you ready? You're match is up next."
She's trying to sound like her usual self, but for someone who knows her as well as Randy does, he noticed even the slightest little quirk and knew something was wrong.
"I am…" He said, "Ari…is there something wrong? Something you're not telling me?"
"Pshh! No, of course, not!" She said, "We've talked about that right? Complete disclosure! Everything's fine."
"Are you sure?" He said. It frustrates him to feel like she's not telling him everything. "You know you can tell me everything right?" He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm here for you…I'll support you no matter what."
She looked at him then, and realized he thought it was about work. She decided it was better he thought that. He took his hands off her shoulder and placed them around her waist and held him close.
"I'm all right." She said. "Everything will be fine."
Holding him close like that, hearing his heart beating in his chest, she just felt her resolve start to shake. So she closed her eyes, fearing if she didn't that her tears will just start to come out. Randy didn't understand the way she was acting. She was telling him everything was all right, yet the way she was holding him was telling him otherwise.
"Randy, you're due in ten minutes." Somebody knocked on the door.
"Yeah, all right." He said, "I'll be out in a few."
She let go of him, and slowly lifted her eyes up to his face, into his eyes—his crystal blue eyes.
"This is it, Randy." She said, "This is where it all kicks off. You're gonna be great…the greatest. They're going to love you…and they're going to scream out your name…and you're going to be amazing. I can already see it."
"It's all because of you." He said, cupping her face in his hands. "If you hadn't pushed for it…"
"No, baby…It's you." She said, "Everyone can see how good you are, how truly amazing you are…They all wanted to cheer for you, I just merely showed them the way. But you made it all possible…You always had it in you."
"Thank you." He said, "For believing in me…For always being beside me…Encouraging me."
She cupped his face in her hands. "It's my job!" She said, "Just always remember…Whatever happens, I'm always, always just right beside you. Even if you can't hear me, even if you can't see me…I'm always just behind you, cheering you on."
"Geez, babe…" He said, "Why you so serious?"
"I'm sorry." She laughed a little, despite the pain and the weight she was feeling in her heart. "I'm getting a little too over dramatic, aren't I?"
He kissed her forehead. "You know what? I think I'm going to bring back the pose. You know the one you like…Arms stretched out." He did the pose.
"That would be great." She smiled, "The fans are going to love it, I'm sure. And they're going to cheer you. And you deserve all of it, all the love and adoration of the fans."
"Randy, five minutes!" Someone knocked again.
"Okay!" He said, almost annoyed. "I gotta go Ari."
"Yeah…go!" She smiled. "Go get 'em Viper. Bring the house down."
"You got it!" He winked and walked towards the door. "Oh…almost forgot."
He walked back towards her and kissed her. She kissed him back with such passion that it almost surprised him, but he wasn't going to let go if she hadn't done so first.
He laughed, "My, that was something." He said, "You kiss me like you're never going to see me again. I'm just going out to wrestle, I'm not gonna die."
"No…You're not." She smiled. She could already feel her eyes getting warm as the tears start to form. "You're going to live forever…You're going to be a legend."
He smiled. "I love you." He said, "I'll see you later, all right?"
She didn't say anything back, and just smiled. She couldn't say it back. She couldn't answer him. If she tells him she loves him back, she knew the tears would fall. And if she tells him she'll see him later…she'd be lying.
She sat there in the locker room for a bit, until she heard his music start to play signaling for him to come to the ring. She heard the crowd erupt in exaltation and she couldn't be happier for him. But at the same time, she was crying for what she was about to do. She wiped her tears off, but they wouldn't relent.
"Ari?"
She looked up and saw Stephanie come in to the room.
"Steph…"
"I thought you'd be here." Stephanie said.
"Yeah…" She said, "I just had to see him one last time."
Stephanie sat beside her and took her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked.
"It's the right thing to do." She said, "This type of controversy is going to have a huge effect. At least if I'm gone, there's no reason for anyone to bring it up to the media. It's better that I go now before it does...I don't want to drag him down with me. I need to do this…for him."
Stephanie nodded. "I understand." She said, "If you ever need anything, I'm here for you."
Arianne squeezed her hand. "Thank you." She said, "Thank you for all the chances and opportunities you gave me, for backing me up through everything. I'll never forget it."
They hugged, and Stephanie cried too. She was almost like an older sister to Arianne, not just professionally but personally as well. She was Arianne's biggest supporter and backer in the creative team.
"You're gonna be fine." She said, "You're a strong woman. Always remember that."
"I will." She said, wiping her tears off. "Just promise me…you'll continue to have trust in him. He's a great asset for the company."
"He is." Stephanie said, "Don't worry about him…he'll be fine. I promise."
"I gotta go." She picked up her bag. "I'm gonna be late for my flight."
"Take care, Arianne."
Arianne went out the door, and closed it behind her. She looked at the name inscribed on the door, and touched it. In her mind, she said goodbye to him. In her mind, she told him she loves him. And then she walked away, without looking back until she got out of the Arena, to a cab waiting for her.
She took one last look at the building, and suddenly heard the crowd inside break into an RKO chant, which made the tears come again. It was bittersweet. Parting always is such sweet sorrow.