"Randy, wait up." Chris shouted as he chased Randy into a clear hallway. "I needed to get out of there, alright?" Randy told him. Chris nodded, "yeah, that's fine. I think one of you guys had to walk away." Randy shook his head and in another small fit of rage, punched the wall to his left. "I wasn't trying to start anything with Jeff. That's the last thing I've wanted. Mark should know by now that it was never my intention to keep him away from Jeff." Chris held up his hands in defense, "relax, kid. Mark's in a tough spot too, you have to remember that." Randy chuckled, "yeah, I know. Mark's in a tough spot because he's stuck between us. Jeff's in a tough spot because he still loves Mark. Where the hell does everyone think that leaves me?" Randy raked his hands over the sides of his head. "Orton, no one is saying you're not in a similar spot. That's pretty obvious. Truth is, I don't even know how to approach this anymore. Tell me something I can do to help." Chris said. Nodding his head, Randy understood. "Don't worry about it, Chris. There's only one way to handle this now. Chris, man, thank you. Thanks for looking out. I've got to get out of here right now though. I'll see you later." "What are you going to do?" Chris asked. "I've got some thinking to do, but I think it's time to end this." Randy said, placing his hand on Chris shoulder. He thanked Chris once more and walked away, ignoring the questions that followed his statement.

xXx

Chris made his way back to the locker room where Mark and Glen now occupied alone. "Mark..." he said, "I don't know what Vince has planned for you tonight, but you might want to skip it and head back to the hotel." Mark raised his eyebrows, "What? Why?" he asked. "Where's Randy?" he added. Glen looked from one man to the other, "What's going on?" The normally the joking personality Jericho had was replaced by a much more serious one. "He left. Headed back to the hotel. He said he needed to think about his decision, but it was time to end this." Mark felt a lump in his throat at hearing Chris speak Randy's words. Heeding Chris' warning, Mark took his advice and went to speak with Vince about skipping the show.

"Mark, you know you're always welcome in my office." Vince said. "Thanks, but I'm afraid that this isn't going to be one of those times." Mark told him. Looking concerned, Vince sat down once Mark had already done so. "Well, what's on your mind, son." Mark usually got a chuckle out of hearing the endearing term from the boss, but tonight he was distracted. "I know it's really late notice, but Vince, I was hoping I could take the night off. I know you don't really have anything for me right now, so I figured whatever you had planned could possibly wait until next week." Vince sat back in his chair, "this is very late notice, mind if I ask what brought this request on?" "Personal reasons," Mark answered. Understanding that he wasn't in the mood to divulge the details of the matter, Vince cleared his throat and gave him his answer. "You are obviously in a tough spot here, so of course, Mark." Mark let out a sigh of relief and started to stand up, "you have no idea. Thank you, Vince." Vince nodded and then added, "your hard work and loyalty has earned you this request. This time." he made sure to point out. Mark nodded his thanks again. "This personal matter, is it anything I could possibly help with?" Vince asked standing up. "No, but thank you." Mark said, extending his hand to the boss who took it and then gave the larger man a quick hug. Quickly, Mark marched back to his locker to gather his belongings and informed Glen that he'd been granted the night off and was heading back to the hotel to see Randy.

xXx

Although he knew he needed to speak with both Randy and Jeff, Mark, without much thought, decided that getting to Randy and discussing what was happening was the more pressing issue. Entering the car, Mark tried calling Randy, but only got his voicemail. "Dammit, Randy" he said to himself, "answer you damned phone." When the phone beeped the second call, Mark left a message. "Randy, I need for you to answer your phone please. I'm heading to the hotel, so please, just be there." With a sigh, he ended the call and then tried to text Orton. Heading to the hotel, be there please. Taking a moment to compose himself, Mark finally started the car and thanked Randy for booking a hotel just down the street from the arena.

As he parked the car, Mark didn't even bother to grab his bag from the back and instead hurried into the hotel and down the hall to where the elevators were. Impatiently he waited for the elevator doors to open and then take him to the correct floor. He finally made it to his room and took a deep breath before using his keycard to open the door. Mark sighed in relief when he turned into the bedroom and saw Randy sitting on the edge of the bed, his phone in his hand. "You get my message, kid?" Mark said, trying to figure out what he really wanted to say. Randy just nodded his head, raising his phone up a bit. "To tell the truth, Randy, I didn't think you'd be here when I got here." the older man admitted. Randy reached over to the bedside table and picked up a piece of paper. "I wasn't planning on being here, but Chris called and asked me to wait for you."

Mark walked over to where the Legend Killer sat and plucked the note from his hands. Reading it to himself, he swallowed the lump in his throat that had returned. "You were just going to leave me a note?" he asked. "For now." Randy answered, not looking up to meet the green eyes that he knew were staring a hole into him. Mark sighed, he couldn't blame him. Randy could do just about anything, never speak to him, and he couldn't blame him. Knowing Randy wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking at him, with a groan, he knelt down in front of the younger man and tilted Randy's head by the chin so that they were looking directly at each other. "Is this," Mark waved the note, "what you want?" Randy hesitated before he answered but eventually gave an answer, "I don't know what the hell I want." Mark nodded. "I don't want this." he said. "Isn't it?" Randy questioned. Growing a bit frustrated, although not sure at who, Mark replied, "of course not." After a moment, Randy sighed softly, "Mark, stand up. Your knees are going to be killing you later." Mark smiled, "boy, how can you think about my knees at a time like this?" He stood up though, Randy was right, any longer in that position and he'd have to ice his knees for a few hours. "I really don't need another reason to feel guilty about." Mark started pacing, "dammit, Randy. I don't know how many times I need to tell you that you have nothing to feel guilty about. You," he paused to point directly at him, "you, have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. You've been nothing but a prince through this whole ordeal and I cannot thank you enough for that. This whole shitty situation has really blown up in all of our faces, but you've toughed it out and if you come away with anything through all this, you should know that you are an amazingly strong person and no matter what your own past has said, you're a person who truly feels and cares for the people around him. You've got a hell of a head on your shoulders," he paused, "and you're easy on the eyes to boot."

Randy's cheeks flushed slightly at the compliments, but felt it leave just as quickly as he spoke, "I'd like to think that who I am now is not who I was back then. But my actions today tell something different." Mark pulled a chair from the table and sat down. "I struck a man who not too long ago I considered a friend. Regardless of who said what and who struck first, I struck him nonetheless." Randy continued, "and I can't stand to think that this whole deal is turning me into that guy again. I can't be that guy again, Mark. Not even for you." Mark shook his head and waved his hands, "wait, Randy. You listen to me, alright? This doesn't have a fuck to do with me or Jeff, okay, you listen to me when I say you are not that person anymore." Mark's words, he knew, sounded harsher than he'd wished, but he was angry now, not at Randy, but at himself for making him think such ridiculous things. Standing up from his seat Mark walked in front of Randy and said, "get up." Doing so, Randy cursed himself for having that familiar feeling he had anytime Mark touched him when he wrapped his large hand around the back of Orton's neck and stood close. Their faces just inches apart, Mark poked his finger into the slightly smaller man's chest and repeated himself, "Randy, you are not that man anymore. You're better than that now, so don't you ever let me or anyone else make you think otherwise." Swallowing hard, Randy nodded once to let Mark know he understood. His hand still hold Randy, Mark asked "now, I want to ask you once more. Is this," Mark raised the note he still held in his hand, "still what you want. I won't stop you, if it is, but I want you to be sure because I know what I want." Mark's voice ended shaky, all of a sudden, his heart raced as he awaited the answer. A small part of him, the fear in him, said that Randy did want what he wrote in that note, but hell if Mark was going to let him walk out without having to admit it aloud. Randy, whose eyes were stuck on the ground, looked up and into Mark's. Randy squinted as if trying to figure out what Mark really wanted. "You." Mark answered for him. With another hard swallow, Randy finally gave up his answer, "I want you."

Mark swore he felt his eyes swell with tears, but instead of waiting to see whether it was true, he pushed his mouth forward and let his lips just barely brush against Randy's. He let them linger there until Randy used both hands to cup Mark's face and pushed their lips together with much more intensity. Mark gave in first and let Randy ravage his mouth, parting his lips to give him the access he wanted. Letting Randy take the lead, Mark just enjoyed the velvet touch of the Viper's tongue as it explored his mouth. Randy wasn't sure if this was really solving anything; what they wanted only mattered if it's what they gave into. For now it was, but for how long, he wasn't sure. Taking that into consideration, Randy took to remembering every ridge of Mark's mouth and every sensation this simple action created. Finally pulling away once he felt he had committed it all to memory, Randy pressed his forehead to Mark's and listened to the other man breathe.

"Randy," Mark whispered. Randy kept his hands where they were, but tilted his head to see that Mark's eyes were shut. "this is what I want. I know I don't give you any reasons to, but please don't question that, kid." Randy didn't know what to say, his doubts were still there, so he didn't say anything. Realizing he wasn't going to get a response, Mark just took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Randy's neck and shoulders, holding him there against him. Randy lowered his head and let it rest against his forearms that never strayed from Mark's face.

...and they lived happily ever after? Not if Jeff has anything to say about it...

Alright, short, I know. Was going to continue, but thought it'd be better if I just ended it here. Please REVIEW! You all know that feeling of receiving new REVIEWS, so please make sure to do so.

By the way, if you haven't watched Taker-HBK from WM 26, do yourself a favor and find a way to watch it. Amazing. I was there. It was breathtaking.

-FTLOW