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.
*** This is Part 1 of 3.***
The last place in the world Claire wanted to be was in the crowded back stage area. All she could think about was a nice, hot shower and cool, clean sheets. Randy had driven straight thru to the venue in Medford Washington. They were all tired and grumpy, and most of the night still lay ahead of them. Grabbing a bottle of water, Claire made her way toward the back. Cody and Ted were pulled into a last minute production meeting and only God knew where Randy had disappeared to. She had a few minutes to herself and planned on taking advantage of it. Claire stepped out into the cool night air. It felt so good. She took a deep breath as she leaned against the building. Looking up, she could find just a few stars in the velvety sky. Still, it was beautiful. The opening of the door startled Claire from her thoughts. Jake Hager, better known as Jack Swagger, stepped outside. He smiled at Claire as he pulled a pack a cigarettes. He pulled one from the pack before holding it out to Claire.
"No, thanks." Claire shook her head as she shoved her hands into her pockets.
Jake shrugged as he flipped his lighter open, "So you're the chick that got stuck with Orton, huh?
Claire returned the shrug and looked back up at the night sky, "That's me."
"So, how's it going?"
Claire glanced at Jake before looking back at the sky, "It's not."
"No, shit. It figures Randy would give you a hard time."
Hard time didn't even begin to describe the hell she'd been having since she boarded the plane out of Stamford.
"I'm doing what I can." Claire had the feeling that the less she said, the better off she'd be. Her warning bells were starting to go off.
"You know what the problem is?"
Claire had the feeling Jake was going to tell her about it whether she wanted to hear it or not.
"The only use Randy has for a woman is in the bedroom. If you want to get Randy to cooperate, you gotta encourage him." Jake's eyes moved over Claire suggestively.
Claire felt her anger starting rise as his words sank in. Encourage him? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Surely he wasn't suggesting that she should do THAT with Randy? The man had one hell of a nerve to even THINK it, much less say it. "I appreciate the advice but I think I can handle Randy."
Claire took a step toward the door, praying she could make it past Jake without a problem. Her prayers were short-lived. The second she crossed in front Jake, he reached for her. His fingers wrapped around her wrist. With an easy motion, he pulled her toward him. Claire collided with the solid wall of his chest with a soft thump. The urge to kick him was almost overwhelming.
"Maybe you could practice with me. I could teach you a thing or two that will make Orton eat his heart out." Jake's grip on her wrist tightened every so slightly as she tried to pull back.
"I don't think this is a good idea." Claire was proud of how steady her voice sounded. She couldn't let him know he was scaring her.
"Come on, baby, nobody's got to know. Orton won't even care if he gets sloppy seconds." Before Claire could react, Jake pulled her flush against him. His hand wrapped possessively around her waist.
Claire felt panic set in. How in the hell had things gone critical so quickly? Better yet, how the hell was she going to get herself out of this mess? Jake was nearly 8 inches taller and he outweighed her by at least 100 pounds of solid muscle. Claire forced herself to remain calm. The worst thing to do in this kind of situation was panic.
"Why don't you just let me go and we'll forget all about this?" Claire could only hope that he would listen to reason.
"I don't think so." Jake moved forward, bringing Claire into tighter contact with him.
"Well, I do."
Claire's panic turned into terror the instant she realized this was getting way out of hand. She looked into Jake's eyes and hated what she saw there. "Let me go." Claire's voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Jake shook his head as his lips descended. Claire's breath locked in her throat as realization dawned on her. Things were definitely going from bad to worse. Turning her head at the last second, Jake's kiss landed on her cheek instead of the intended target. Claire yelped in surprise as Jake's hand wrapped around her chin, his fingers digging into her cheek. He forced her head back toward him. Anger blazed in his eyes. "Don't make this harder on yourself."
Jake's fingers tightened, almost painfully. Claire's eyes squeezed closed – she just couldn't force herself to watch what she knew was going to happen next. Claire stood frozen in place, expecting the worst as Jake's lips closed over hers. Only, nothing happened. One moment Claire was held in Jake's bruising grip, the next she was free. Claire took a shaky step backward, feeling the cold brick of the building against her back. She could only watch in horror as Jake's jaw took a brutal right hand. She had no clue who her rescuer was, only that she had never been more relieved in her life to see another person. Claire's relief was short-lived. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the last person she wanted to see was the one pounding the crap out of Jake.
Randy felt a sick sense of satisfaction as Jake's nose give under the last punch. The bastard deserved what was coming to him. There were some things that a man just shouldn't do. Putting his hands on a woman was right at the top of the list. Putting your hands on HIS woman was as good as signing your damned death warrant. Randy smiled grimly as he watched Jake crumple onto the pavement. Serves the bastard right. Randy reached down to grab Jake by the hair. He hauled him to his feet before hitting him with a gut shot. Claire watched in a mix of horror and fascination as Randy pounded the shit out of Jake. The only regret she had was that she wasn't the one delivering the much deserved ass-whipping. A wave of relief washed over Claire as the door swung open. Apparently word had already spread like wildfire. Half of the locker room was filing out of the building, Mark Calaway in the lead. Mark wrapped Randy in a bear hug and drug him away from a bleeding Jake. The second Randy was off him, Jake sprung to his feet and swung at Randy. Randy's head snapped back against Mark at the impact.
"Somebody get that asshole out of here!" Mark snapped at the guys standing there. Kofi Kingston stepped forward to grab Jake by the shoulders. With the help of John Cena, they managed to push Jake back toward the building. The door closed with a slam as the security guard followed after them.
"Pull yourself together, brother."
Randy took a deep breath and tried to center himself. Easier said than done. The urge to go after Jake and pound him lifeless was too strong. He should have beaten the man until he begged for mercy. Not that there would have been any.
"Deep breath." Mark coached him, feeling some of the tension leaving Randy.
"I'm gonna let you go. But you're not gonna fucking move. Got it?"
Once Randy nodded, Mark released his hold on the man. Mark looked at Randy. He could still see the blaze of hatred in his eyes. "What the fuck was that?"
Randy wiped the blood from his cheek without looking at Mark, "It's personal."
"That shit don't fly with me." Mark had a damned good idea of what happened. All it took was one look at Claire's stark white face and trembling hands. Mark was pretty sure she was at the bottom of this little mystery.
"I said it's personal." Randy rolled his shoulders, trying to force his body back under control.
"If you don't tell me what happened, I'll let them haul both your asses off to jail. Is that what you want?"
Randy shook his head. The last thing he needed was to have aggravated assault charges pending. "Let me handle it."
"By beating the shit out of that kid?" Mark laughed, a low, menacing sound.
"That's not a kid. He's an arrogant prick."
Mark's laugh rumbled out of his chest, "Now ain't that the pot callin' the kettle black? If you don't tell me, I'll have to call McMahon and let him sort it out."
Randy's eyes narrowed. Now that was a low blow. Usually disputes were handled in house. Very rarely was the Almighty One called to get involved. Randy took a deep breath and forced himself not to look at Claire. He knew if he did, things would only get worse. He was so torn; he wanted to find Jake to finish beating him. He also wanted to pull Claire close and beg her to forgive him. If he hadn't left her alone, Jake would have never tried a stunt like that. "Send her inside, first."
Mark's steady gaze moved from Randy to Claire. He motioned toward the door with his head. Claire didn't wait for an engraved invitation. Forcing herself not to glance back at the men, Claire slipped inside the building. She took a deep breath and forced back the sting of tears. She sure as hell wasn't going to lose control in front of the guys hovering just inside the closed door. Claire moved slowly down the hall, feeling the burn of their stares in her back. She didn't stop until she reached Legacy's dressing room. The door hadn't closed behind her before she collapsed into tears. Once the tears started, they didn't stop. They came in great waves, stealing her breath. Her entire body shook, the fear overwhelmed her. The door opening startled Claire. She looked up to find Cody standing in the doorway.
"Are you alright?" The words tasted bitter. Of course she wasn't alright. Women didn't cry if they were alright.
Claire could only shake her head. Cody crossed the room in three strides, He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He held her loosely, afraid she would pull away. Cody closed his eyes, hating himself even more. He hadn't been there when she really needed him. She had been alone, surrounded by strangers and God only knew what happened. He had been in the pre-show production briefing when the chaos had started. All he had heard were the words fight, parking lot, Orton. No matter how those words lined up, it only spelled disaster. He had followed the crowd toward the parking lot, wondering what the hell Randy had gotten himself into this time. It wasn't until Cena and Kofi had brought a bleeding Jake into the building that he had an idea of just how bad it was. He had stood frozen in place when the door opened again and Claire stepped inside. The imprint of fingers were clearly visible on her cheek. She was trying to keep herself calm as she looked at the men gathered. He had no idea how she managed to hold herself together as well as she had. But now, things were vastly different. Claire cried like she was never going to stop. Too many day's worth of built-up frustration and anxiety were finally given an outlet. Finally, all the negativity had a place to go. Claire wasn't so sure she would ever stop. She was tired of being molested at every turn. Tired of being pushed and shoved and abused. All she had wanted to do was complete this assignment and go back to the safety of Stamford. The events of the last few minutes were above and beyond what anyone should be asked to endure.
Meanwhile, back in the parking lot
Randy sat on the sidewalk, his fist pressing to the sudden the ache in his chest. He had gone back out to the rental car. He had forgotten to grab his gym bag. The cool night breeze had felt too good; he had stayed outside for a few minutes, just looking up at the sky. Very rarely did he have a chance to just be. Nobody needed him, he wasn't being bombarded by fans. For just a few minutes, he got a chance to just be Randy Orton, your average, everyday guy. Reluctantly, he had turned back toward the building. He could distinguish the murmur of low voices; one male, one female. Randy paused on the back side of the building, hoping he wasn't about to interrupt someone's privacy. He counted to ten before peeking around the corner of the building. His heart froze in place. Claire stood with her back almost against the cool brick building while someone much taller stood over her. The guy's face was in shadow. He was much too tall to be Cody or Ted. So who the hell thought they could put their hands on Claire? Instant rage flooded Randy as he watched Jake grab Claire's chin. Instinct, more than reason, guided Randy across the parking lot. He grabbed Jake by the shoulder, spinning him around as his fist connected with his face. Randy felt better as he pulled back and punched him again and again. The attack was so unexpected that Jake didn't have a chance in hell of defending himself. Randy was caught mid-swing as he was jerked backwards. There were very few men in the company that dwarfed Randy and only one of them ballsy enough to get between The Viper and his victim.
Randy glanced up at Mark, his fist still pressing against his chest, "He deserves more than what he got."
Mark crouched down in front of Randy, bringing them to eye level, "Talk to me, man. If he deserved it, then you gotta tell me. I can't make this better if you don't tell me."
Randy heaved a deep sigh as he pulled his hand away from his aching chest, "He was going to... He put his hands on her." The words left a bitter sting in his throat. Just saying the words made what he had witnessed ten times worse.
"Are you sure?" Mark knew the answer but he still had to ask. "Are you sure you didn't over-react?"
Randy didn't say a word. His gaze locked with Mark's, letting him see the truth in his eyes. Mark nodded once. Jake hadn't stepped over that invisible line, he had jumped with both feet. He had broken the first rule of being on the road, Treat all the women like you'd treat your Mama. If Jake had decided to break rule number one, then there would be consequences. Mark would personally see it.
"Go on inside. I'll handle it." Mark stood and dusted his hands on his thighs. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it, only that something would have to be done. Randy pulled himself to his feet and went inside. The last thing he wanted was to answer a whole bunch of dumb questions. He moved down the hall to his dressing room without looking at any one. Randy wasn't surprised to see Ted standing guard outside their dressing room. Ted stood in front of the door, his arms crossed over his chest.
Ted waited until Randy stopped beside him before speaking, "Cody's in there with her. She's still crying."
Randy glanced at the door. He had to fight the urge to barge in and send Cody out on his ass. Straining his ears, Randy could barely make out the sounds of Claire sniffling. Randy reached around Ted for the doorknob. Ted stopped his friend from opening the door by shaking his head, "I don't think that's a good idea. She doesn't want anyone to see her like that."
"Cody's in there." Randy realized how stupid that sounded. It was a weak-ass argument.
"Yeah, he is. Cody's like a big brother, man. He won't scare her." Randy looked at his friend. He could read between the lines. Ted didn't want him to go in there because he thought Claire would be even more upset. Randy placed his hand on the door, wishing like hell he was the one in there with Claire, comforting her. Instead, Randy took a deep breath and turned to back in the direction he had came.
**** A/N – Check back soon for Part 2. Please review! ****
