Disclaimer :As much as I wish otherwise, I do not own Randy Orton or any other entity associated with WWE. I can only claim property rights of OC.
A/N: As always, my darlins, thanx so much for the reviews!! And any inaccuracies shall be written off as me taking advantage of creative liberties!
Claire was glad when the show finally ended. She had forgotten how much activity was involved in producing a show like this. People buzzed every where, fetching this and carrying that. It was like a super-sized beehive. For the most part, she stayed out of the way. She had found a crate to perch on while she waited for Cody's match to end. She had to hand it to him, Cody was on the younger end of the scale but he definitely had talent. His match against Evan Bourne had been pretty amazing. The high-flying youngster certainly made a huge impact with the fans. They were all on their feet as Cody pulled out the win at the last second.
Claire waited until most of the Superstar traffic had passed before she moved from her seat. She unfolded her legs and stood; then made her way down the hall, looking for Cody's dressing room. Finally she found him, the last door on the left. She knocked softly and waited until she heard a muffled "Come in." Cody was standing in front of the mirror, looking at the bruise that was quickly forming under his eye.
"You looked pretty good out there. You and Evan work a good match." Claire dropped down to sit on the edge of the sofa. Cody was left speechless as he watched Claire tuck her legs underneath her. He had never really noticed how long they were before. But he did now.
"Thanks. Evan's great to work with." Cody turned back to the mirror. "Did you decide where you want to eat?"
Claire shook her head and leaned back into the sofa. "What are you in the mood for?"
Cody swallowed hard and tried not to look over at Claire. She didn't mean it that way he told himself.
"It doesn't matter. You pick." Claire closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. All she really wanted was a hot shower and soft bed.
"Burgers? There's a great diner not far from here." Cody turned hopeful eyes to Claire.
"Sounds good." Claire forced her eyes open and covered a yawn.
"Let me get dressed and we can go." Cody quickly grabbed his duffel bag and disappeared into the bathroom.
Claire forced herself up from the sofa before she fell asleep. She moved slowly around the room, taking in the framed posters on the wall. Finally, she found herself standing front of the wall-length mirror. She leaned close, noticing the dark shadows under her eyes. Damn – she looked like death warmed over. Claire gathered her hair and piled it on top of her head, trying to see if it helped her appearance. She turned slightly, looking from another angle.
"Trust me, it's not going to look any better." Claire froze at the deep voice coming from the doorway. Her hair fell back around her shoulders as she turned to face him.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion in the first place." Claire moved away from the mirror, toward the center of the room. No sense in getting caught with her back against the wall. Literally.
Randy laughed softly and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"I'm waiting for Cody." Talking to Randy was like talking to the cops, you didn't want to give out any more information than what was absolutely necessary.
"Is that right?"
"Yep." Claire took a step toward the sofa, hoping to keep as much distance between them as possible. She looked over at the bathroom door, wishing it would open. Not that it was fair to put Cody in the middle but anything was better than being trapped in the room with Randy.
"Why?" The question caught her off guard.
"I don't think that's any of your business." Shit. Why was she baiting him? Couldn't she just leave well enough alone? Randy took a step toward her.
"Everything that happens is my business."
Claire swallowed hard and gauged the distance between Randy and the door. No way in hell she would be able to get past him. She couldn't help the wave of relief that washed over her when the door finally opened and Cody stepped back into the room. Cody took in the sneer on Randy's face and the paleness of Claire's skin. Apparently he was just in time.
"Are you ready, Claire?" Cody took a step toward her and looked over at Randy. She simply nodded and waited for Cody to move to the door. He hated the look of wariness that crossed her face. She didn't want to get anywhere near Randy. That pissed him off. Royally.
Cody opened the door and waited for Claire to move past him. He turned to look at Randy before firmly closing the door. Randy could be as much of an asshole as he wanted but he drew the line at intimidating Claire.
* * * * * * * *
The Double-T Diner was the kind of place you felt right at home. The old-fashioned laminated tables went right along with their bee-hived waitress, Dot. The home-made burgers were delicious and the cherry-pie was to die for. Claire was tempted to have a second piece. She settled for another glass of iced-tea instead. She sat back in the booth and smiled at Cody.
"I can't remember the last time I ate something that good." Cody smiled and leaned back in the booth.
"Me either." Claire returned his smile as she reached for her notebook. "Mind if we get this out of the way?"
Cody shrugged a shoulder, "Go for it."
"I'm not really going to ask the obvious. I can pull all that info from the office. What I want to know is the inside story. You know, all the hidden details nobody really knows." Claire wiggled her fingers dramatically. "I want the truth. No matter how embarrassing, I want it all."
Cody nodded and waited for her to continue. "Tell me what it was like when you joined Legacy."
"You know I wasn't with the company long before I got written into the Legacy story line. At first it was really cool, you know, to be written into something so big. I know it seems like I spend a lot of time in the background but it works." Cody wasn't sure how much information Claire really needed. "It didn't take long for the fans to realize who I really am and what I'm about."
"Which one of your matches do you really feel made the most impact with Legacy?"
Cody shrugged and looked out of the window, "That's hard to say. There was a big push with the Triple H feud. That was when Legacy really started to make a showing. They started taking us seriously."
"Does Randy really have as much control over everything as it seems?" Cody didn't miss the pained expression on Claire's face. He hated that look. Absolutely hated the shadows moving across those deep blue eyes. Cody sighed deeply and looked away. He didn't want to ruin the night by upsetting her. Randy had already done enough of that back at the arena. Claire noticed the sudden change in Cody. Could she have struck a nerve? Was there something he didn't want to tell her?
"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't put that the right way." Claire reached across the table and placed her hand over Cody's. He looked down at the pale, slender hand covering his.
"Randy is Randy. There's no other way to explain it. He doesn't answer to anyone but himself. He has the skills to make just about anything happen. He knows how to get people to do whatever he wants. And if he can't, he just . . ."
"Destroys them." Claire finished softly.
Cody shook his head. "Promise me you'll be careful around him."
Claire felt a sudden flash of anger. What was it with everyone thinking she was a helpless little girl? Sure, Randy had seven inches and at least a hundred pounds on her but that didn't mean she wasn't a fighter. She could hold her own.
"Cody, I appreciate you wanting to help but I can handle this." I have to handle this Claire thought to herself. She couldn't let someone like Randy keep her from getting the job done.
"Please, Claire, don't push him."
"I'm not making any promises, Code."
A/N: Please read and review!!
