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.
***A/N – I'm sorry that this is so short but I wanted to showcase the emotional connection between our love birds.***
The elevator doors opened on the eighth floor. Claire took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the cream colored carpet. She moved slowly past Rachelle's desk. She noticed that it was as tidy as ever. Shaking her head, Claire felt as if she were still stuck in the middle of the Twilight Zone. She was a part of everything and yet somehow oddly removed. She could remember everything and everyone but none of it seemed real. Her surroundings felt as if they were fragments of a dream that she vaguely remembered. They should mean more than they did. Yet they didn't. The hallway leading to the Senior Writing Department offices seemed longer than it ever had. It took every ounce of strength she had to keep moving.
The office was already buzzing with activity as Claire stepped into the doorway. Nobody paid any attention to her as she slowly crossed over to her desk and pulled out her chair. Sitting her briefcase on the desk, she looked around. Everything seemed to be normal. With a sigh Claire sat down heavily in her chair. She turned on her computer and waited for it to load. Leaning back in her chair, she looked around her cubicle. Even this semi-private space seemed to be affected. Everything from her stapler to her Rolodex were exactly where they'd always been. Even her calender was still displaying the month of January. God, has it really been that long? Claire thought as she stared at the calender. It didn't seem as if almost five months had passed but yet it had. The days ran together in a blur, time had practically flown by. And in the last day time had crawled to a stop. No matter how many times she wished time would move, it remained unchanging.
"You look like you could use this."
Claire looked up to find Stephanie standing beside her, coffee cup in hand. Silently she held out the cup to Claire.
She took it gratefully as she looked up at her friend. "I'd hate to feel this bad and have it be my little secret."
"Smart ass." Stephanie perched on the edge of Claire's desk, "Are you glad to be back?"
Taking a sip of coffee Claire shook her head, "No."
"That bad, huh?" Stephanie asked softly as she looked at her friend. She looked practically worn out. Dark shadows ringed her eyes and her skin was unusually pale. Stephanie had the suspicion that it was more than just jet lag.
"Worse." Claire said softly. There were not enough words human languages to describe the emotional hell she was in.
"It will get easier, Claire."
Shaking her head slowly, Claire set the cup on her desk. "No it won't." Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she looked up at Stephanie, "So what did I miss?"
"Why don't you go back home and get some sleep? This will be here tomorrow." Stephanie pointed with an elegant finger toward the stack of legal pads.
The idea was more tempting than Claire wanted to admit. She was just so incredibly tired. All she wanted to do was go right back to bed. Not that it would do any good. Going to bed only made things worse. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep. Each time she dozed off the slightest noise would startle her into waking.
"This isn't going to write itself, you know." Claire picked up the first legal pad and flipped the first page.
Reaching over, Stephanie placed her hand over Claire's. "Please, Claire, you're not going to do either of us any good. You look like shit and your heart isn't in it."
Claire took a deep breath and shook her head. "I can't, Steph. I can't go back to my apartment."
Concern flared in Stephanie's chest. She couldn't stand seeing Claire like this. She was hurting so much and she wouldn't let her try to help. "At least let me pull someone from scripts to help you."
Claire flicked a glance at Stephanie and sighed. She knew it would not do her any good to argue. Stephanie had that determined look in her eyes, "Not Jeremy, though. He's creepy."
Stephanie laughed as she straightened. She patted Claire reassuringly on the back, "I promise, no Jeremy."
A small smile tugged at Claire's lips as she watched Stephanie walk away. Sometimes best friends could be a huge pain in the behind. Claire wouldn't give Steph up for anything in the world.
The morning flew by in a flurry of activity. Before Claire knew it, it was well after one o'clock. Chasity Turner turned out to a valuable asset. The girl was a whiz at deciphering Claire's hastily scribbled notes. In just a few hours the entire stack of legal pads had been neatly typed. Claire skimmed the pages making corrections and adding more notes with a red pen. Before she realized it, the whole day had passed. Wearily she set aside her pen. As much as she hated to, she had to go home. Steph would have a fit if she found out Claire had burned the midnight oil.
The minute she walked through the door Claire kicked off her shoes and padded barefoot into the kitchen. Opening the fridge she stared into the empty space. Finding something for dinner would be infinitely easier if she had actually taken the time to go shopping. Pulling open the freezer, Claire smiled. As long as she had Rocky Road ice cream she would be able to make it. She pulled the carton from the freezer and pulled a spoon from the drawer. The first bite was pure heaven. With a small sigh Claire licked the spoon and leaned against the fridge. As she scooped up the second bite her phone vibrated in her pocket. She stuck the spoon in the center of the carton before pulling her phone out.
"What are you wearing?" Claire smiled as Randy's voice filtered through the phone. She hadn't expected him to be calling so early in the evening.
"I miss you." Claire said softly as she scraped the spoon along the top of the ice cream, creating a ribbon of chocolatey goodness.
"I miss you too, baby. What are you doing?"
Claire smiled as she looked down at the carton in her hand. "Eating dinner."
"Perfect timing as usual." Randy's voice was full of mischief. "Are you sitting down?"
"No. What are you in time for?" Claire's curiosity was peaked.
"Sit down then I'll tell you."
Claire arched a brow as she crossed the tiny kitchen and sat in a chair at the breakfast table. She set the ice cream on the table and clutched her phone tighter. "What are you up to?"
"Are you sitting?"
Claire made a soft sound of agreement, "Yes, I'm sitting."
"What's for dinner?"
Laughing softly Claire looked down at the table, "Ice cream."
Randy's laughter was the nicest thing she'd heard in two days. The rich sound moved over her. It wasn't the same as being with him but it did help ease the loneliness a little. "What are you doing?"
There was a muffled noise and Claire thought she heard a door closing. "I'm having dinner with you."
Claire sat up straight in her seat. "You're what?"
"You're having ice cream. I'm having a cheeseburger. We're having dinner together."
A wave of tears crept up on Claire. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. God, she was just so fucking emotional right now. Being bone weary wasn't helping at all. She left like she was one chipped nail away from a nervous breakdown.
"You still with me, baby?" Randy asked. He realized Claire had become very quiet. For a second he wondered if she had hung up.
"I'm here." Claire was proud that her voice didn't betray her emotional turmoil. "Tell me about your day."
"I tried to be Dear Abby." Randy laughed softly. Claire could hear the sound of him biting into something crunchy. "Cody is having problems with the ladies."
That caught Claire's attention, "So what happened?"
"He's upset because he's been lonely since Thanksgiving."
Claire twirled her spoon around in the ice cream, "How can he be lonely if he's with you guys all the time?"
Randy's laugh was low and soft, "Time with the boys isn't exactly what Cody's wanting."
"Oh." Claire said softly. His meaning dawned on her slowly. "OH! You mean ..."
"Yep. That's what I mean. He's having a hard time. Barbie said she just wants to be friends."
Ouch. That statement was always the kiss of death to any possible relationship. Poor Cody.
"How's he taking it?"
Claire listened to Randy polish off the last of whatever he was drinking before he answered, "Not well at all. He's starting to remind me of me."
"What did you tell him?"
"That when he finds the right woman, he'll know?"
"How?" Claire couldn't resist asking.
Randy's laugh was meaningful, "That's between us, baby. Just trust me, he'll know."
Claire leaned back in her chair and wrapped an arm around her middle. "How did you know?"
"How did I know what?" Randy's voice was completely innocent.
Claire didn't buy it for a minute. She knew just how well Randy could play dumb when the mood struck him. "How did you know I was the one?"
"When I realized that I want you to be happy more than I want myself to be happy."
Coming from Randy that meant the world to her. Randy had always been self-absorbed. Nobody was more important to Randy than himself. He wasn't called The Apex Predator for nothing. He'd earned that reputation the old fashioned way, buy using people until he achieved exactly what he wanted. Things had changed a lot in the last few months. The fact that Randy even recognized some other than himself existed was a leap. The fact that he gave a damn about someone else was nothing short of a miracle. Just knowing that she was the one he cared about meant more to her than anything else in the world.
"As much as I hate to do this, I have to go. The mean lady will yell at me again if I miss another meeting."
Claire felt the laughter bubbling up from deep inside. It was the first time in days she had felt like laughing, "I'll give Stephanie your love."
Randy's laugh was muffled by the sound of a paper bag being crunched, "You do that. I can't wait to see you."
"Only 8 more days."
"Actually it's 8 days, 4 hours and 27 minutes. But who's counting?"
Claire squeezed her eyes tightly for a moment. Hearing exactly how long they would be apart was like a knife in the heart, "You just had to remind me, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry. I'll call you later."
Clutching her phone tightly Claire swallowed hard, "I love you."
"Sweet dreams, baby."
Long after the call had disconnected Claire remained sitting in the chair, holding her phone. She didn't want to put it down. It was the only connection she had to the one person in the world that truly loved her. 8 days, 4 hours and 27 minutes Claire thought as she slowly stood. She placed her spoon in the sink and tossed the now empty ice cream carton in the trash. She turned off the lights as she silently made her way to the bedroom. Sleep would not come easy but what was the harm in trying?
***A/N – I hope you weren't too disappointed in this chapter. I tried very hard to make it not suck! I wanted to show the emotion between these two. The separation has not been easy for them but hopefully soon things will get better. Please review!***
