DISCLAIMER: As much as it breaks my heart to admit it, I do not own anyone or anything connected to Vince McMahon and his awesomeness. I can only claim property rights of OC.
The next morning Claire was the first one in the lobby. They were supposed to leave before sunrise. Next stop Washington State. She wasn't looking forward to it. She was officially past her deadline and knew it was only a matter of time. Stephanie wasn't going to be put off forever. Claire sighed, telling herself that she'd cross that bridge when she got it. Claire glanced at her watch. Usually she was the one running late. Looking across the lobby, Claire didn't see another living soul. She stretched her legs in front of her and settled in for the wait. She had the nagging feeling that today was going to be one of THOSE days. Nearly 30 minutes later, Claire finally spotted Cody's dark head. Cody smiled when he saw Claire. He hadn't expected her to be waiting for them. She looked well enough dressed in her worn jeans and black tank top.
"Morning, Sunshine. How are you feeling?" Cody leaned down to press a kiss to her check.
Startled, Claire looked up. It wasn't the kiss that surprised her. The surprise was in the fact that she felt nothing. Not a spark, not a flicker. Nothing like when Randy had kissed her. Claire took a deep breath and forced herself not to think about it. Randy had done it to try and intimidate her. She just had to keep telling herself that. "Not too bad, considering."
Cody smiled and sat on the arm of the chair next to her. He took a deep breath as he looked at her. The swelling on her forehead had started to go down but the bruise still looked terrible. Cody felt a wave of guilt. Cody reached over and took her hand, "I'm really sorry. About everything."
Claire looked into Cody's eyes and knew he was telling the truth. He really was sorry for what had happened. "That's why they call it an accident."
"You're not mad?" Cody bit his bottom lip. He was scared of what her answer would be.
Claire could only shake her head. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't angry. At least not at Cody. She was still upset with Randy, but that seemed to be the pattern their relationship had taken. Cody leaned over and wrapped an arm around Claire. He pulled her close and leaned his cheek against the top of her head. Cody was so relieved that she wasn't mad. He felt at a sudden loss for words. He was just so damned glad she wasn't seriously injured and once again, she wasn't holding a grudge. Claire closed her eyes for a moment. She prayed that she would feel it again, the spark she had felt when Cody had kissed her beside the pool. Nothing. Damn. Claire squeezed her eyes for a second, hoping like hell it was just the stress.
She opened her eyes to see Randy coming toward them. Quickly, she pulled away from Cody and ran a hand over her hair. Reluctantly, Cody released Claire. He knew she had pulled away because of Randy. He couldn't blame her, he wasn't really in the mood for Randy either. He just had a way of killing any kind of tender moment. Cody watched Randy stride past them without so much as a nod in their direction.
"Looks like another happy day in the making." Claire's words brought Cody's attention back to her.
Cody reached over and patted Claire's hand, "It's gonna get better."
Claire shook her head as she stood, "Don't make me a promise you can't keep."
Cody knew where she was coming from. When it came to Randy, nothing was a sure bet. His mood changed faster than the wind blew. Nobody could ever guess what Randy was really thinking. All you could do was sit back and pray he didn't decide to make you his next target. He followed Claire into the early morning darkness. Off the east, the sky was beginning to grow lighter. It was going to be one hell of a long day. He slowly followed behind Claire as they walked out to the car. Randy was already standing beside the car, the driver's door open. He didn't even look at them as they approached. Silently, Cody placed their bags into the trunk and got in the backseat. The minute Randy pulled out of the parking lot, Claire pulled out her iPod. She just wanted to be left alone. Pulling on her sunglasses, Claire settled in for what was already turning into the longest day of her life.
Claire glanced at Cody, sitting beside her. He was staring intently out of the window. He hadn't moved in a while. Claire forced her gaze away from Cody. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. He had been acting kinda strange but then again Randy seemed to have the corner on that market. Just thinking his name made Claire look at Randy. Her eyes moved over the sharp angles of his face. She hated to admit it, but Randy was hot. From the top of his close-cropped head to his feet, he oozed sexuality. The stuff was practically coming out of his pores. It really wasn't his fault that Randy was a total Alpha. He was a born leader and he had taken to the role like a duck to water. Claire sighed, feeling the wave of frustration coming back. What is it going to take to get thru to him? She didn't have a clue. One minute he was in total asshole mode, the next he was taking care of her. Claire just didn't know what Randy's motivation was. What the hell made Randy act the way he did? What pushed him to make the decisions he did? All she knew for sure is her deadline had come and gone. Now she had to figure out what the hell she was going to do. Two options presented themselves: Stay on the road and keep working until she scraped together what she could or she could catch the first flight back to the home office. Picking the lesser of two evils. Claire knew she really didn't have much of a choice. Going back to Connecticut empty-handed was even less appealing than being stuck with Randy. Claire closed her eyes, praying for some kind of intervention.
The silence in the car had begun to wear on his nerves. Not a single word had been spoken since they had stopped for gas two hours ago. The whole trip had been much the same. Just a whole lot of highway and not much else. Randy glanced in the rear-view mirror. Claire had fallen asleep a little while ago. Let her rest while she can Randy thought. He knew the next few days were going to be hard on them. They were going to be especially hard on Claire, who wasn't used to such a rigorous schedule. For her sake, he hoped she could keep up. Randy forced his gaze back to the highway in front of him. He couldn't stop thinking about the night before. It had taken every ounce of his self control to keep away from Claire. The minute she had slammed the door, he'd wanted to go after her. He wanted to go to her, to explain why he had sent her away. He hadn't known how. He'd never been good at expressing himself. Words always failed him. How could he have explained the truth to her without looking like a total pussy?
I'm scared, Claire. You make me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. You make me feel things that I don't want to. Loving a woman already fucked up my life once. I can't let it happen again. I want to be with you but there can't be any doubt. You have to be 110% sure this is what you want. No half-ass commitment. No fuck-em and leave-em. I want you to want this as much as I do. I think you could be the real deal.
No, that didn't make him sound like a pussy at all! Actions came so much easier for him and in some ways, they said more than words ever could. What he should have done was stopped her from leaving. He should have locked the door and kept her all to himself. He wasn't sure how things would have gone from there. Each time he thought about the possibilities, the scene shifted ever so slightly. He could have tossed her onto the bed and made her scream his name. He could have spent the entire night coaxing her to ecstasy. Just thinking about what could have been made Randy's jeans suddenly too uncomfortable. Too bad he'd been such a chicken-shit. The probability of him getting a second chance were not too good. Randy let out a deep breath and forced himself not to glance in the mirror again.
*** A/N – What do you think should happen next? What do you think about having chapters that are written totally from Claire/Randy's P.O.V.? Please review! ***
