A/N: Hi, readers! I just want to thank everyone who has given their reviews recently. It's great to hear from you, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thank you as well to those who comments every time I update. This is the second to last chapter, sadly and there is an Epilogue left to be posted (soon, I hope.) Oh, and the song I quoted is Broken by Lifehouse. Yes, I'm suggesting you listen to it while reading. A friend of mine said she cried while reading this chapter and hearing that song, and picturing Randy in the scene. (I did too) LOL Till next time!

Chapter 20

"The Broken clock is a comfort
It helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can stop tomorrow
From stealing all my time…"

'

After the match…

'

"Hey! Awesome match, man!" MVP said, as Randy entered the curtains backstage. "You bringin' the old pose back, huh?"

"Yeah…I think it's about time." Randy said.

"Crowd's eating it up. Good job."

"Thanks man." He said.

Everyone in the locker room was congratulating him for his match, and for the way the crowd had cheered him, especially when he did the pose. Even John had acknowledged it. There was almost like a party mood backstage, since it was also Shawn's last match. He decided to go to his dressing room to relax a bit before taking a shower and rejoining the others.

He sat in the locker and untied his boots, just loosening the strings and letting his legs breathe a little, and leaned back for a while. Then he stood up and took his towel to go to the shower room. But out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a piece of paper hanging out the pocket of his pants that was hanging on the wall. He took it out and read it. It was from Arianne.

'

'

Randy,

When you get this, I'd be long gone. I love you so much it's killing me to do this, but you and I both know that this is for the best. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and you're the only thing that ever made sense in my life, and that's never going to change. The only thing that's right in everything that I've done. You're the closest thing I have to a home…you are my home.

Please don't try to find me. I'm going somewhere where you can't. I'll be okay. At least I hope so. Maybe one day, in another lifetime, maybe we'd see each other again. Maybe then it won't be wrong.

Always,

Arianne

'

'

For a minute he couldn't move, and didn't know how to react. He just stared at her letter in his hands. It's like the shock had rendered him speechless and frozen. He felt like the air was being sucked out of his lungs and he couldn't breathe. Her words started to blur as he looked at it because his tears were starting to form in his eyes.

'

"And I am here still waiting
Though I still have my doubts
I am damaged at best
Like you've already figured out…"

'

April 3, 2010

'

"No one's been there for a week." The woman, Arianne's neighbor, said. "She usually comes home every Tuesday. She hasn't come back since she left last Thursday night."

"Thank you…" Randy said.

Randy would've come looking for her sooner but he was tied up at home, because it was his birthday and he couldn't leave. They celebrated it even though he didn't exactly feel like celebrating. He went there hoping against hope to find Arianne there, even though at the back of his head, he knew she wasn't going to be there. After all, she said she was going somewhere he couldn't find her. He supposed she knew he was going to try to anyway. He had to. How could he not? It's like a big part of his heart was missing.

He even snuck out of the arena and drove to the hotel after he read her letter while everyone was watching Shawn and Mark's epic match, thinking he could catch her, but he was too late. She had already gone to the airport by the time he got there.

He walked back to the front of her door. He wanted to knock or even break it down, hoping she's inside, just hiding from him. He leaned on the door with his eyes closed, his forehead touching the warm wood. He doesn't know where else to look.

He had already called her friend Cat in New York, but she said Arianne wasn't there. He wouldn't have believed her if she hadn't reasoned that Arianne would've known he was going to look for her there, so she wouldn't come there.

He walked back to his car, got in and sat there for a while. He took a deep sigh and threw his head back in frustration. Or maybe it was despair. He had a lot of memories in that house.—the moments he's spent with her whenever he comes to visit. He could still vividly remember each and every one of those moments. He doesn't want to accept that it's how they're going to remain from now on—just memories. He can never have them again.

He took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out the letter she left for him. He opened it and read it again like he's done so a hundred times. He read it over and over, but no matter how many times he reads them, the pain he feels still has the same intensity as the first time he did.

"One day…" He read out loud. "in another lifetime…maybe we'd see each other again."

He sighed and closed his eyes, as warm tears fell from them.

"Maybe…"

'

'

"I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart, that's still beating. In the pain, there is healing
In your name, I find meaning. So I'm holding on...I'm barely holding on to you..."

'

'

'

April 10, 2010 JFK Airport

'

"Why do you have to leave the country?" Cat asked, "Do you even know anyone where you're going?"

She and Arianne are at the airport, waiting for her flight. Arianne went to Cat after she left Phoenix. She helped her with a few stuff, like liquidating her assets, closing her bank accounts and such. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she didn't want any more paper trails that could lead anyone to her—especially not Joseph.

"No, but that's the point." Arianne said, "I can start over with my life because no one knows me there."

"But Ari, you don't even speak French." Cat said.

Arianne smiled, "I can learn. I've always wanted to learn another language." She said, "Cat, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can." Cat said, "But Ari…there's more than just yourself that you have to worry about now. How are you going to take care of all your needs and…"

"I have money. I saved enough." Arianne said, "Besides, there's a lot of ways to earn…I can write for a living for a while, over the internet…I'll do anything. I'll have to try, Cat."

"You're always so stubborn!" Cat said.

"I have to do this. For Randy, for me and…" She looked down. "I can't stay here when I know Joseph and whoever it is he's working with are going to do everything they can to get back at me…to get back at Randy. I can't let that happen. As long as I'm here, they're going to find me and they're going to use me to bring him down."

"I hope he knows what you're doing for him." Cat said.

"He does." Arianne said, "I know he does."

Then there was a call to board the plane.

"I have to go, Cat." She said, "Thank you for all your help."

Cat hugged her and she hugged her back. If there were any more tears left in her eyes, she would've cried. But there wasn't any left. Now is the time she has to start standing up on her own two feet and be strong. She told herself she needed to be strong, no matter what happens from here on in.

"Will I see you again?"

"I don't know." Arianne said, "Maybe…"

Somewhere in a motel in Connecticut

"What do you mean she's gone?" Richard yelled.

"W-we can't find her anywhere, boss." Mark said. "It's like she vanished into thin air."

"Don't give me that f**king excuse!" Richard slammed his hand down on the table. "You're both useless! None of your stupid plan worked! You're supposed to destroy Orton in the eyes of the public! And I'm supposed to have her in the end! Well, guess what? You failed! You both failed! And I wasted all that money for nothing!"

Joseph was laughing in the corner. Quietly at first, but getting louder and more annoying, especially for Richard.

"What the f**k are you laughing about?" He snapped.

"Well…you both are wishing for things you were never going to have anyway." Joseph said, "Mark, do you really think they're going to drop Orton because of this? He's one of their biggest stars; they're not just going to fire him. Besides, his family's rooted in the business…even if you bring him down, he'll get right back up. And they'll forget about all this shit! People love the fallen hero who made mistakes because it makes them more human! He made a mistake, he'll reform, and he'll recover from this." He said.

"And you…Richard Hammond…smart business man, but a stupid love sick idiot." He said, "Do you really think Arianne would come running into your arms after this? Even if this had been blown out of proportion and exploited by the media, she's not going to come to you!"

"There were always just two possibilities that could happen…either they were going to stick it out and let it all go down, or she's going to leave to save him." He stood up and stood by the window, "As you see, she chose to leave…which unfortunately for you means that she loves him…and you have no chance whatsoever. I mean, even if she, by some miracle, ends up in your hands…she's never going to love you."

"Well, if we failed then you failed too!" Mark said. "You either seem awfully happy about it or you're just nuts!"

Joseph laughed again. He'd been sitting in the dark corner all this time that it was the first time they saw how his eyes really looked like. They were red and dilated, and there were dark circles around them. He was obviously high.

"No stupid!" Joseph said, "I'm happy because out of the three of us, I'm the only one who got what I wanted!" He sat back down on the corner. "I had a feeling she was going to sacrifice herself when it all goes down…she loves him too much."

For a few seconds he almost felt sorry for Arianne. He knows her well, having grown up with her. He knows when she loves she gives her whole heart. No reservations. That's just how she is. He was once a recipient of that love. Suddenly, it all dawned on him. Arianne's gone. Nobody knows where she is. Suddenly, he felt all alone.

Maybe he shouldn't be so happy after all.

'

'

"The broken locks were a warning
You got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded
I'm an open book instead…"

'

A month after…

'

WWE HQ Stamford, CT

'

"There you are!" Hunter said. "Here are the keys, man."

He was giving Randy the keys to his old tour bus that he bought from him. He left him in his office, but when he came back there Randy had wandered off. And now they were standing in front of Arianne's old office's door. He'd been standing there for a good five minutes.

He knows someone had already taken the office space, but he just can't help but remember when she used to be the one occupying that room. He can't help but remember her everywhere he went. And he'd been everywhere with her.

He supposed that was another reason why he wanted to have the bus. Much more than the convenience it provides, that way, he wouldn't have to be anywhere that would remind him of her. It's like everywhere he went, in every city, in every road, hotel, stops, and arenas, there were memories that creep in his head. At least he thought, with the bus, it would be easier for him to move on. But there are just some things he can't escape.

Stephanie had told Hunter all about what had happened, so he basically knew everything. He supposed he had always had a feeling in his gut that there was something between Arianne and Randy, every time he sees them together. Just the little actions, like the way they looked at, smile at and touched each other. Workplace romance was no unthreaded territory for him. He'd been there after all.

Besides, he knows Randy—the guy he'd sort of taken under his wing since Evolution. He'd basically grown up in front of his eyes. Randy had always been the silent type, so he learned to read his moods just by the way he acts.

"You okay, man?" He asked, putting a hand over his shoulder.

As if pulled out of a trance, Randy came back to reality—wishing he hadn't. "Yeah…" He said, but then retracted. "I don't know…I'm not really sure."

"I know you miss her." Hunter told him. "Steph told me everything."

Randy looked at him questioningly.

"Arianne told her." Hunter explained. "Don't worry. You can trust me about it. And anyway, it's over now. Only thing we can do is to move on from it."

"Easier said than done." Randy said.

"I know man. I know. But you got to try." Hunter said, "Come on. Let's take the bus for a test drive."

'

"And I still see your reflection
Inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose
They're still looking for life…"

'

'

Years passed and everyone seemed to have moved on from it all.

Joseph died from a drug over dose due to depression a few months after Arianne had disappeared. No one ever visited his grave. Among his belongings, they found a letter confessing and apologizing about everything he did to his sister, naming all other parties concerned except Randy.

Richard Hammond went bankrupt three years later. He got into some illegal dealings and was arrested shortly after. He was to serve twenty years in prison but only served 5 because he was killed in jail.

Mark Alexander never had another job in the business. Unbeknownst to him he was black listed for his involvement in the plot against Arianne and Randy by Stephanie. He is now working in a donut shop down in New Jersey.

Randy continued to work with WWE until he retired from the ring. He and Sam made it work for as long as they could, but the issue never really died, and Sam filed for divorce almost ten years after the incident citing irreconcilable differences. Despite all of it, he was a good father to Alanna—their only child, and remained friends with Sam.

After a year and a half in retirement, WWE offered him a job as part of Talent Relations, delegated to search for the next WWE Superstars all over the world. John Cena got him to accept it.

Nobody ever heard from Arianne ever again.

'

'

16 years after…

'

STL Airport

'

"Remember, my graduation is next month. You have to be there!" Alanna said.

"I will be there." Randy said, "When did I ever break a promise to you?"

"Never." She smiled sweetly, and hugged him. "I love you, daddy."

He squeezed her a bit, in his arms. "I love you too, sweetheart."

"I wish you'd be here next week for mom's wedding too, though." Alanna said.

"Honey, I told you I can't." He said, "I have prior commitments for the company."

"I know, I know…I'm just saying." She said, "What about you, dad? When are you going to get married again? When are you gonna get a girlfriend?"

"What kind of question is that?" He said, jokingly, "Not exactly something you should be asking your dad, you know?"

"Maybe, but you've been single for a long time." She said, "I just want you to be happy too, daddy. I mean, mom's starting a new life with Derrick. I think it's time for you to start a new life too…you deserve it. Go out there and find it…find that one special person you deserve to have. That one who'll love you with everything they have."

"Al…Thank you." He said, "But you know, there are some things you don't look for…it just comes to you. Like love…you don't look for it, it just happens. When it does, there's no stopping it. That's when you know it's real."

'

"CANADAIR FLIGHT 127 LEAVING FOR QUEBEC IS NOW BOARDING. PASSENGERS OF CANADAIR FLIGHT 127 LEAVING FOR QUEBEC, YOUR PLANE IS NOW BOARDING."

'

"Well, that's my cue." Randy said, "I gotta go honey."

"Take care, dad." She hugged him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, "I'll see you next month."

Alanna watched him until he disappeared into the crowd. She never told him, but her uncle Cody had told her all about what happened when she was old enough, after the divorce. He made him understand that it wasn't because her dad didn't love her mom and her, it just happened.

Surprisingly, she didn't feel any anger towards her dad or for this woman who'd made the decision to leave to save him, and in effect her parents' marriage, at least for a time. He couldn't explain it, and she didn't understand how it could just happen, until she heard what Randy just told her.

As he was sitting in the plane, somewhere up in the clouds, Randy took his wallet out from his carryon luggage and pulled out an old piece of paper. He unfolded it slowly, carefully. It was almost torn into two because of how old it is, and because of how many times he'd opened it. It was Arianne's letter.

He read it again for perhaps the millionth time, and though the pain had subsided if by just a little, he can now look back at the memories she'd left with him—in his heart without tearing up.

He folded it again and placed it back in his wallet. He placed the wallet in the inside pocket of his jacket, near his heart, and closed his eyes.

"In another lifetime…" He whispered. "I'll see you again in another lifetime."

'

"I'm hanging on another day
Just to see what, you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on, to the words you say
You said that I will, will be okay…"