A/N: You all thought I died, didn't you? I know, I haven't updated in AGES. And I'm sorry to say, but that will continue for awhile, until this school year is over this will most likely be the last update. Making this chapter a nice little present for everyone who likes this story [:
Thanks to MrsRKOCena, JeffHardyLover21, Nadia26, I'mxAxRockstar, alana2awesome, && Esha Napoleon for the lovely reviews of chapter eight. You guys didn't think I'd forget about you, didja? ^_^
Now, without further ado, chapter nine of By The Way.

Chapter Nine: Love Triangle

After having a sleepless night thanks to Chris's accusations of Cody, Raleigh sat in Vince's office, waiting for the others. She quietly thought through the past, all the times that Cody said he was going to be late because he was 'going out with the boys', that's when it all started to add up.

Maybe Chris was right. No! Cody would never cheat on me. Would he? Raleigh argued with herself. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Cody was a big time player, and the whole time she had no idea. He made her feel like shit for hooking up with Randy one time and he'd probably cheated on her numerous times, if all those 'guys night out' were really him getting together with other girls.

"Raleigh?" Vince's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry. Hi Vince," Raleigh peered around Vince's shoulder to see Chris and Randy walking in as well.

Oh God, Raleigh was afraid of where this "meeting" was going.

"Ah Raleigh, just the person I wanted to see," Randy said in a smug tone.

"Awe Randy, the last person I wanted to see," Raleigh faked a wry smile.

Chris was silent the whole time he just sat down, and folded his hands, placing them on his lap.

"So, I've asked you three to come here," Vince took a seat behind his enormous desk, "to throw around an idea that Chris came up with." Raleigh rolled her eyes knowing that it was her plan, but she needed Chris to deliver it to Vince. "The whole love storyline between Orton and Raleigh will stay for it's predetermined time period," Vince continued.

"What?" Raleigh sat up in her seat, she was sure that if Chris pitched the idea of a love triangle then she would be able to escape the love angle with Randy, or at least dramatically shorten the time span on it.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Vince asked skeptically.

"Yeah Raleigh, is there a problem?" Randy smiled triumphantly. He knew there was no way Vince was going to completely pitch the angle, it was too good for business. One of the biggest baby face's changing one of the biggest heels over from the dark side? It had 'ratings' written all over it.

"No," Raleigh replied quietly.

"Okay, so here's the deal, Raleigh will start helping Randy with his matches, they'll 'fall in love' and then Chris will come into the picture. Eventually, Raleigh and Randy will be on the Highlight Reel when things to start to get out of control. Suspicions of an affair will start to run rampant and in the end Raleigh will be forced to choose between Chris and Randy," Vince took a quick breath, "how's that sound for everyone?"

"Fine," Randy leaned back further into his chair.

"It sounds good to me," Chris grinned faintly.

"Uh, quick question," Raleigh looked between Chris and Randy before returning her attention to Vince, "who will I choose in the end?"

"We're not sure yet, that will be revealed at Wrestlemania during their title match," Vince's eyes narrowed and he laid out three contracts. "Read the fine print," he simply stated.

Raleigh, Randy, and Chris all carefully peered over the contracts, reading even the finest details. Randy cocked an eyebrow as he scanned over one line in particular.

"What's this?" He asked pointing to the last line on the page.

"Oh that," Vince grabbed his glasses from the top desk drawer and slipped a copy of the contract from a folder. "Conflict of interest," he read over quietly to himself, "ah, I see what your asking. None of you can actually be romantically involved during this storyline. Outside of the ring, I mean."

"You mean like, dating?" Chris re-read the sentence himself.

"Dating, kissing… sexual relations," Vince lowered his glasses from the bridge of his nose, "if we don't tell you to do it, you don't. To keep up the kayfabe Raleigh and Randy have been traveling together, soon they'll do appearances together and such. The only time they will have any physical contact is when the writer's say so."

"I'm a little confused," Chris confessed.

"They'll end up kissing, hugging, etc… all that stuff on camera and no where else. I can't make that anymore clear."

"So if we had sex, you'd fire us?" Randy asked, still smiling smugly. Chris choked back a laugh thinking about what Raleigh admitted to him the day before.

"Yes," Vince's face was as serious as a heart attack. All three understood that getting 'physically' involved would have their contracts terminated. "Do you all understand?"

"Yes," all three agreed in unison.

"Here then," Vince handed each a pen and they all silently signed the contracts. "Thank you," he collected them, shoving them in a manila folder. "You're all excused," he said motioning towards the door.

Chris held the door open as Raleigh and Randy made their way out, the second the door shut, Raleigh went off.

"CHRIS! You were supposed to talk him OUT of the angle with Orton!"

"Hey! I tried, it's not my fault," he started walking towards the exit, Raleigh quickly following behind him.

"I'm right here you know," Randy stated matter-of-factly.

"Unfortunately," Raleigh mumbled under her breath in a tone that Chris could barely here. But as Chris previously discovered, Randy's hearing is almost flawless.

"You know, you have weird mood swings, one minute your all over me and the next you don't want to be within two feet of me," Randy smirked with the reveal of the one night stand.

"Listen!" Raleigh whipped around so she was face to face with Randy, although she wasn't smiling like he was. "Don't go around telling people! You're lucky Chris already knew," Randy grinned which only made Raleigh more angry. "I mean it," she shoved his shoulder in a not-so playful manner. Randy backed up, almost tripping over his own feet, staring in shock.

"I didn't plan on telling anyone, I could get fired just as much as you," Randy strolled in front of both Raleigh and Chris, exiting in a huff.

"Wow, what's his problem?" Chris asked noticing Randy's snippy attitude.

"I have no clue, he's the one who brought it up in the first place." Raleigh shook her head confused with Randy's sudden bi-polar fit. She walked at a normal speed first before picking up the pace to catch up with Randy's long strides. When she flung open the door she couldn't see him, but she knew he was somewhere in the parking lot, he wasn't allowed to leave without her. She smiled crookedly when she spotted his car in the back of the parking lot.

"Oh Raaandy," Raleigh piped up in a chipper manner. She didn't see a problem with taunting him since he always did it to her with no feeling of guilt. "I can see you," she said as he become clearer in her view. He sat silent, ignoring everything she said, which began to worry her. Normally he would say something to try and make me angry, Raleigh thought as she slid herself into the passenger side of the car. "What's wrong?"

Randy showed no emotion as he started the engine, his eyes focused solely on the outside of the windshield. For the first few stoplights they passed he continued to give Raleigh the cold shoulder. After two more red lights and one blown stop sign he broke his own silence.

"Do you like me?" He asked bluntly. He peered out of the corner of his eye, only able to see Raleigh through his peripheral vision. Raleigh's face was beyond perplexed, on purpose, since she knew that Randy could see her.

"Are you serious?" Raleigh asked in disbelief. He knew that she hated him, but at the same time, she loved him, in some weird way. He was certain of that, he just wanted to know how she loved him.

"Raleigh you wouldn't have done anything with me if you really truly hated me. We both know that, stop denying it," Randy whisked the keys into his jacket pocket before hopping out of the car. Raleigh mimicked his motion, ending up staring at him over the roof of the car. Randy gritted his teeth together, frustration beginning to become apparent, "just tell me."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Raleigh rested her hands against the hood, leaving warm handprints on the crème colored paint. The cold wind nipped at both of them, though they both continued to stand, waiting for the other to break. They were like two children having a staring contest, neither wanted to lose, not even the harsh elements of weather could mess them up.

"The truth," Randy shoved his hands deeply in his pockets, trying to regain warmth so they wouldn't feel so numb, all the while he still locked eyes with Raleigh. He noticed the targets of his own stare began to turn glossy. The tears were ready to spill over the edge, if she wasn't trying so hard to keep them back they definitely would.

"The truth?" Her voice cracked, the tears coming closer to overflowing, "I hate you. Plain and simple, but I'm attracted to you, and it's killing me inside."

Randy was taken aback, he didn't honestly believe that Raleigh felt any real attraction to him, or that she would openly admit it.

"You… you what?"

"Can we go inside? It's freezing out here," the wind burned Raleigh's moist eyes. Randy nodded slowly, walking up behind Raleigh at first, before delicately wrapping one arm around her waist. Raleigh began to pull back, uncomfortable with his touch since her mind battled as to whether she wanted it or not. She stopped resisting after she felt a warm enigma resonating through her body.

"Body heat keeps you warmer," Randy whispered. He decided that no matter how much fun it was to piss Raleigh off, he felt bad watching her shiver in the cold winter air with no jacket on. He winked, trying to lighten the mood, but Raleigh ignored it, too busy with her own inner turmoil's brewing throughout her body.

"Thanks," her voice was barely audible, so much so that even someone right next to her would think she was only mumbling to herself.

When they finally made it to Randy's hotel room Raleigh stood uneasily at the doorway. She couldn't shake off the fear of being seduced by the charming man who, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't resist. Every time she longed to be near him, she knew it was wrong. One part of her wouldn't to break his arms, while the other wanted to be held comfortingly in them.

"You can come in, I promise no ninja's are going to fly out of the ceiling or anything," Randy lightly joked.

"No, I'll stay… here," Raleigh wiped underneath her eyes carefully with her fingertips. She brushed them off on her jeans.

"So uh, where does this leave us?"

"Well it's pretty apparent that you don't like me, you seem to love to make me suffer," Raleigh rolled her eyes dramatically. She was convinced that Randy shared the same hatred for her that she did for him.

"No, actually I kind of like you, when you're not… you know… being an infuriating bitch," Randy smirked when the hostile look, that he found increasingly attractive, made it's way onto Raleigh's face like it had so many times before. "You're really sexy when you're mad," he instigated.

Randy dwelled on the fact that Raleigh was so easy to irritate, sometimes it came so naturally to him, that it wasn't even fun anymore.

"Go to hell," Raleigh accompanied her statement with a stinging open-handed slap across the cheek and jaw line of Randy's face. Raleigh backed up a bit, biting her lower lip, realizing that what she did might set him off. To her surprise, it did the exact opposite, a look of arousal and sick satisfaction appeared on his face when he came back up.

"I'm already there baby," he said rubbing his sore jaw.

"You're sick."

"And you love it," Randy grinned. "And now you have business to take care of…" Randy trailed off, clicking on the TV.

"If it involves violence, and you on the receiving end of it, then fine. Otherwise, the only business I need to take care of is leaving this room."

"Ahh," Randy sighed with delight, "you entertain me. You talk big but you don't back it up. You say you're leaving, but I don't see your legs moving. Come on in, sit for awhile big talker," Randy motioned towards the neatly made bed.

"Well you do talk pretty," Raleigh took one step in closer before freezing in the middle of the soft, tan carpet. "But you don't back it up either," Raleigh noted out loud, purposefully attempting to hurt his ego. The face Randy made helped Raleigh's subconscious decide that she could chalk one a point up for herself.

"Do you wanna go out with me? Like officially," Randy cocked an eyebrow while Raleigh's jaw dropped open. "I know, I know, you hate me, blah blah blah. But seriously, let's break the rules, let's walk on the wild side." His eyes gleamed seductively. "Come on, you know you want to. I mean, with me being your dirty, not to mention sexy, love affair, what could not be great about that?" Raleigh's face was enough of an indication for Randy to continue, "how awesome would that feel? Knowing that the your getting down and dirty with one person who you were strictly forbidden to be with, and getting away with it, would bring you the greatest exhilaration and thrill you've ever experienced." Randy studied Raleigh's eyes as she reviewed the pros and cons of the offer laid before her.

"So what do you say Raleigh, wanna big the Legend Killer's main squeeze?"