Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! So much has been going on in my life I haven't found the time to write at all! But, here is another chapter for everyone! Sorry for the extreme delay!

Chapter 16

Christmas came and went and Trish found herself happy to be back on the road. She had spent the remainder of her Christmas vacation at her parent's house. Her mother and sisters had gone back to Trish's house with her one more time, to pack up some of her remaining things. She found it sad that she was able to pack her entire life up in three days essentially. She also was able to find a lawyer to represent her in the divorce. Granted, they had signed prenups before the marriage, so there really wasn't much to fight over, more or less just splitting it all up.

Ron did own a portion of Stratusphere, as he provided some of the start up costs for Trish. She needed to figure out how much she owed him, and if she could afford to pay him off. Otherwise, she was going to have to find someone else to back her and basically invest in her company.

She waited patiently in the Columbus airport for Randy. His flight was scheduled to land about an hour after hers. She found herself missing him and it had only been two days since she last saw him. She was concerned with the extent of how much she truly did miss him. First off, he's married…she needed to keep boundaries set. But secondly, she hoped that she wasn't allowing Randy to fill the new void in her life. She didn't believe that to be the case, but she found herself thinking about him all the time…even more so than Ron. So it only seemed natural to ask herself the question, why?

Granted, out of everyone, Randy seemed to give her the most strength to try and move forward with her life. It's not that her family didn't give her strength, but she felt like she had to create an illusion that she wasn't having a problem with the divorce. With Randy, she could break into a million pieces and he would coolly and collectively put her back together, where her family would be franticly trying to fix her. She didn't fault them for it; it's just the way her family was wired.

Trish was coping in her own way, of course. She had plenty of sad mixes put together with songs that perfectly reflected the way she felt. She had brought along a plethora of sappy movies, prepared to either ball her eyes out, or criticize how quickly people fall in love in movies and how unrealistic it truly is. And she had Amy's number on speed dial if she needed a shoulder to cry on.

"There's my girl!" Randy yelled, running up to Trish, picking her up off the chair and into a hug. He didn't care that he was making a scene in the middle of the airport either. He had a wonderful Christmas with Alanna and Sam, but he also missed Trish like crazy.

She laughed as he picked her up and spun her around twice. "Randy stop! People are staring! They're going to call security on your ass!" He put her down and picked up her bags. "So how was your Christmas?"

Trish smiled, "It was nice. Obviously very different this year, but I had a really nice time getting to see all my family. What about yours?"

"It was great…spent some time with Sam's family on Christmas Eve, and then my family on Christmas day. Alanna was so surprised this year with all the presents from Santa. I didn't realize how much I had bought her!"

"Uh oh! How did Sam like that?"

He laughed and rolled his eyes, "She was pissed of course. She had done most of the shopping, but after landed in St. Louis, I stopped out to buy a last minute gift. There were so many good deals, I couldn't pass them up!"

They made their way through the airport and to the car rental window. It was at that point he realized Trish had finally taken off her wedding ring. He grabbed her left hand and held it up, "I see you've finally taken it off?"

She nodded, "I think I've finally come to the realization that this is really happening and he's not coming back."

"Have you heard from him recently?"

She nodded, "He called me on Christmas night to see how I was doing and to wish my family a Merry Christmas. I think I got some closure. I asked him why he gave up on us so quickly. He told me that it wasn't a quick decision. He'd been thinking about it even before I left to come back to the WWE. He said he just kept lying to himself that this was the life he wanted. Then one morning, he woke up and said he knew he just had to do it because he wasn't happy."

Randy nodded, deciding it best to change the subject. He didn't want her dwelling on Ron…he wasn't worth her time. But, he also didn't want Trish to have a breakdown in a public place, though she appeared to be doing much better than the last time he saw her. It probably helped getting out of Toronto. Coming back to work would take her mind off of him.

"Woo woo woo!"

Trish and Randy started laughing and turned around to find Matt walking towards them both. "What's up beautiful?"

Trish chuckled, though Randy responded, "Oh not much sexy!"

"Yeah…I was talking to Trish…not you bro! But I think you already know that! Your mug's too ugly to call it beautiful!"

"How was your Christmas Matt?" Trish asked, signing the final form to the car rental.

"It was good…I got to go back to Long Island to visit the fam, so I can't complain! Yo Randy, are you still having that New Year's Eve party?"

Randy's eyes lit up, "Yeah man, I am! Trish, I forgot to tell you about it. If you're interested, I'm throwing an annual new years party at my house! We've had one for the past 3 years now. I think it's safe to call it a tradition. Tons of people will be there...it should be a blast!"

Matt nodded, "Yes, Trish…yours truly will be going, so of course it's going to be off the charts!"

Trish laughed, "Um, maybe…I mean, it seems pointless to fly home for only two nights…who's all coming?"

"Let's see…John and Liz are coming, Nick, Matt of course, Cody, Ted, Brie and Stefanie, and I believe Eve and AJ. And of course, a shit load of people that you won't know. I think everyone is leaving after the house show in Nashville."

She thought about it for a moment, "Is there anything fun to do in St. Louis? I'll have a whole day to kill out there if I drive out after Nashville."

Matt cut Randy off before he could get in another word, "If you'd like, you can ride down with me. We could get you a room in the same hotel I'm staying at. And then we could do some sightseeing on Friday. And of course, you could be my date on New Years? You'll make me the most admired man in the house!"

She started laughing and nodded, "That actually sounds like a lot of fun! Ok, you're on! I'm in!"

Randy swallowed hard. If he wasn't mistaken, it seemed as though Matt was hitting on Trish and that bothered him. He knew he shouldn't let it, but Trish was in such a fragile state, he didn't want Matt taking advantage of her…at least that's what he was telling himself…it had absolutely nothing to do with jealousy.

Trish and Randy made their way into the arena after stopping to sign a few autographs for fans. She thought Randy was being oddly quiet on the ride over, but decided against questioning him about it.

"Do you want to work on any more moves today?"

Trish had a flashback to the last time they worked out together. The butterflies started flying around in her stomach instantly, "Uh, sure…I mean, I could always use the practice. If you're willing to, that is."

He smiled at her, "Do you honestly think I'd say no to you?"

She smiled and shook her head, "I don't think you know the meaning of the word 'no'."

He never realized just how good it felt to make her smile. She was so beautiful, and when she smiled because of something he did or said, it made him gush with happiness. With all the peaks and valleys that life was throwing at her, the fact that he could make her smile when she was in one of those valleys, had to stand for something.

They had been standing there smiling at each other for a few seconds when John came over. "Hey guys, I uh, hate to break up whatever this moment is going on between the two of you, but I was wondering if I could grab Randy to catch up?"

Both of them snapped out of the trance they were in. "Yeah John! No problem! I was actually just going to find the girls. So I'll see both of you later."

"Hey, I'll see you in the ring? Same time as usual?"

She turned and glanced back at Randy smiling, "Yes, same time!"

Randy turned his attention to John, who had a weird look on his face. "What?"

"Nothing man…I didn't say a word!"

"I realize that, but I know that look!"

"No look here! I'm not judging…not by business, not my place!" John gave him a punch in the arm, "Come on, I want to hear about your Christmas!"

Trish went down to the ring and joined Nattie and Beth within the square. "Hey ladies! How were your holidays?"

Both women nodded, "Good. And yours?"

Trish smiled; she noticed both of them had eager looks on their faces. The look resembled that of a five year old child who was just handed a present. "Mine was good…what's up with these looks you're giving me?"

Both women glanced at each other and smiled. Beth started, "So…Nattie and I had an idea we wanted to throw by you. An idea for a match…"

Trish nodded, "Ok, you caught my interest."

Nattie continued, "It's a match that has never been done before…by women anyway."

Beth nodded, "And we were thinking of pushing it for Wrestlemania."

Trish laughed, "Ok, just tell me already! The suspense is killing me!"

Both women laughed, and Nattie finally blurted it out, "We want to do a tag team TLC match."

She thought about the possibilities for a few minutes. "I'm not sure any of the divas have progressed enough for me to tag with. Maybe it should be a singles match between the two of you? I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to work that match, but I'm not sure who we would get to be my partner."

Beth nodded, "We thought you would say that. So we were thinking…what are the odds of getting Amy to come back…if only for a month or two? It could be like 'Pin-Up Strong vs. Pin-Up Legends'."

Trish smiled and laughed, "I'm digging it! The storyline is there…we just need Amy. I'm in! It's just going to take lots of persuasion. I don't know if Amy's even thought of returning. But, it's worth a shot!"

"So, I guess then we should mention this to creative?"

Trish shook her head. "Not yet. I want to make sure Amy is in before we say anything. And then we'll take this directly to Stefanie. I don't want to waste our time…we're gonna take it the whole way to the top!"

Trish sat backstage during Raw. She wasn't set to perform tonight, but did shoot a promo earlier in the evening. While she waited for Randy's match to finish, she decided to try and give Amy a call. She couldn't wait to try and talk her into doing the TLC match.

"Trish! Hi! How are you?"

Trish chuckled, "I'm ok! How was Nicaragua?"

"Bitch, I'm still here! We don't leave to come home until tomorrow, remember?"

"Really? I must be getting my days confused. God, you're so luck! See, I messed up! I should've bought property somewhere down south instead of opening a yoga studio! What the hell was I thinking?"

Amy laughed, "Yeah, but then you'd never come vacation with me!"

"This is true! So, I have a proposition for you…"

Amy sighed, "Why am I not surprised? Ok, what is it?"

"Well, Beth and Nattie had an idea for a match at Wrestlemania. But we want it to be a tag match and we need to get someone to team with me."

"So? Aren't there like twenty different divas to choose from?"

"Yeah, but this is a special match…I need someone with more experience. You know, someone like you!"

"Now I see where you're going with this…you want me to come back for Wrestlemania."

"Yes! You're coming back for an autograph session anyway, why not wrestle in it?"

"What kind of match are you three dreaming up anyway?"

"We want to do a tag team TLC match."

There was silence on Amy's end of the phone. Trish knew this was good…this meant she was seriously thinking about it.

"I don't know Trish, I haven't wrestled in over 5 years. This may be too much for me to handle…don't you think?

"Ames, come on! You're in better physical shape than you were when you were still wrestling. We just have to knock some of the ring rust off of you! Besides, it's like riding a bike…you never really forget how."

Amy laughed, "So I'm assuming you're going to want me to come back before Wrestlemania then?"

"Well, we were thinking you could make an appearance at the Elimination Chamber. I mean, we have to talk it over with creative still, but I think that would be the perfect lead in. I'm winning the title at the Rumble this year and I'll probably defend it against Beth one last time at the Elimination Chamber. Beth and Natalya could double team me after the match and you can run in with the save….maybe do one other Raw appearance until then, unless you want to do more than that of course!"

There was silence again from Amy's end of the phone.

"Come on Ames, this will be an epic match! You know it and I know it! It's never been done before."

Amy sighed, "Ok, if you can get creative to bite, I'm in."

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" Trish exclaimed, practically falling off the set box she was sitting on. "This is going to be so amazing! I'm going to set up a meeting with Stefanie asap!"

Amy laughed, "I'm glad you're excited…anything to keep your mind off of Ron!"

Trish frowned for a moment, registering a ping of heartache at the mention of his name, "Yeah, I'm trying desperately to keep busy. And Randy's been keeping me entertained as well."

"Uh huh…so I've heard! You failed to mention how close the two of you have become."

"Oh yeah, I guess I really haven't brought it up lately. Yes, we are very close. But you know how it goes when you travel with someone so frequently."

"And you don't think it has anything to do with the fact that you both have a lot in common?"

"What? We really don't have that much in common."

"No…not at all! You're both completely driven when it comes to wrestling and being the best. You both value family and friends over anything, and even though I'm not there to witness it, I would guarantee you are both attracted to each other."

"Ok, maybe we are more alike than I thought. But we are not both attracted to each other! He's married Amy! Let's not forget that!"

"Yeah, but you're still a woman and he's still a man…a very fine one at that may I mention! And please Trish! You're like the fantasy of every man!"

Trish grunted, "I really don't want to talk about this now…especially not here. Will you drop the conversation if I admit that yes, I am extremely attracted to Randy?"

"Uh…..hey…" a male voice rang out behind Trish.

Trish's eyes lit up as she turned and found Randy standing right behind her.

"Um…Ames, I got to go, I'll talk to you later. Bye!" With that she ended the call immediately. She chuckled nervously, "How much of that conversation did you hear?"

Randy blushed immediately, though he was beaming on the inside. Obviously, he didn't hear the entire conversation, but caught the most important piece of it. He decided to try and lie about it. He could already tell she was extremely embarrassed. "Oh, um, not much…I heard you yapping about something but I was too far back to hear what about. Who were you talking to?"

Trish exhaled deeply, more than relieved that he didn't hear her conversation. She was still skeptical of course…if he didn't hear the conversation, then why was he blushing?

"I was talking to Amy. I think I got her on board for a Wrestlemania idea we are tossing around."

"Really? And what type of match are we thinking?"

Trish paused, she wasn't sure if she should mention anything to Randy yet as she hadn't even taken the idea to creative yet. But she trusted him, so she didn't see the harm in telling him. "Well, I still have to talk to creative about it, but…we want to do a Diva's TLC tag match."

She read Randy's face, eager to see if he thought it was a good idea. Though he didn't seem as excited as she was, he seemed somewhat optimistic about it.

"Well, the fact that it's never been done is huge…and what better time to do than at Wrestlemania? But are you sure you can pull this off? Who is going to team with you?"

"Well, I'm hoping Amy…she just agreed to it if I can win over creative. Will you help me train?"

Randy nodded, concern written all over his face, "Yes, I'll help you…I'm just afraid I'll hurt you. And I'm not sure I'm the best when it comes to TLC matches…you really should be trained by someone who's actually been through one."

"But there's no one here who has experience with them. Matt and Jeff are gone, so are Mark and Devon, Adam is gone, Jay and Rey are hurt. And I'll be damned if I get training from Alberto or Mike!"

"Ok, ok, I get your point. You know, Phil has had a few TLC matches, and John was in one with Adam not too long ago. Let me see if they could help out as well. We could work with all of you before the Raw shows."

Trish smiled and gave Randy a hug, "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem…besides, I thought we already established that I can't say no to you? Are you ready to head to the hotel?"

Trish nodded, picking up her bags, "Yes, let's get out of here. Adjoining rooms again?"

Randy smiled, "Of course!"

Trish sat down on the bed and settled into a comfy position while turning on her iPod. She closed her eyes and fell into the sad song playing. She started thinking about Ron and how much she missed him. As she listened to the lyrics of the song, she felt the tears building up in her eyes.

Randy opened the adjoining door and saw her lying on the bed. He noticed she had tears streaming down her face and was listening to music. She was so engulfed in the song and crying, she didn't even notice him until he sat down on the bed.

"What are you listening to? Give me that." He took the iPod off of her and scanned through the songs. "What are these songs? I'm ready to slit my freaking wrists! You're not allowed to have this anymore…at least not until I can create a new playlist for you.

Trish chuckled lightly, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "They're not that depressing. Besides, what am I going to do instead? Watch one of my sappy chick flicks?"

He wiped a stray tear from her cheek, "No!" he said as he slid Trish over on the bed a little further and relaxed in next to her, "We are going to rent one…I don't care which one, but it better not be a chick flick!"

Ten minutes later, they ordered 'Friends with Benefits'. Randy glanced at Trish with narrowed eyes, "I have no idea how you talked me into this movie. I said no chick flicks!"

Trish shrugged, "Again, it's nothing new…because you can't say 'no' to me!" She giggled as she threw him a nudge. His insides melted with her giggle. He absolutely loved everything about it, everything about her. He began tickling her, quickly realizing she may be the most ticklish person he'd ever met. Soon enough, a full fledged tickle fight had broken out between the two of them. Both Trish and Randy were laughing uncontrollably. He liked that he was able to pick out her most ticklish spot within seconds.

The battle continued on for a few more minutes until Randy had her arms pinned above her head on the bed. Their faces were mere inches from each other; Trish could feel Randy's breathe on her face, and vice versa. She looked into his blue eyes and they had her mesmerized within seconds. It felt like her heart was pounding outside of her chest. She wanted nothing more at that point in time, then for his lips to press down onto hers.

Randy looked deep into Trish's eyes, and though he tried to fight temptation, he was too weak. He knew kissing her would be wrong…he loves Sam. But he also had undefined feelings for Trish…feelings that he had tried to ignore for the longest time. It was as if these feelings were pushing him to make a move. He felt this overwhelming weight on his back and as much as he tried to resist it, he finally gave in, letting his body fall hard against hers.

Their breathing became more erratic with every inhale they took. Randy lowered his lips even closer to Trish's. This was the point of no return. If he extended the slightest bit, their lips would be touching and he knew there would be no way to undo what had just happened. But she smelled so sweet; it took every ounce of strength for him not to envision kissing her neck, her jaw line, nibbling on her ear.

Trish's whole body was on overload. Her senses took in everything they possibly could. Her body tingled with lust; she had goose bumps forming on her arms with every breathe of his she felt on her face. He smelled amazing, a mix of fresh scents with the slightest trace of cologne. She wanted to extend up to him…to meet him halfway. Every bone in her body was screaming for her to stop…she knew what was about to happen was wrong. But temptation was calling, and her heart was answering.

He began to move in for the kiss, his lips beginning to brush hers…suddenly, both of them immediately jumped back as the resonance of a cell phone sounded. Randy sat up, recognizing his ringtone automatically. He picked up the phone and saw that it was Sam. He glanced back at Trish who had now sat up on the bed. He answered the call; "Hey you…is everything ok?" he spoke into the phone as he walked out of Trish's room.

As soon as he left the room, Trish jumped up and ran into the bathroom. She tried to slow her breathing down as she leaned on the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror. 'Get a hold of yourself! What the hell is wrong with you! He's married!' she told herself. She sat down on the edge of the tub and ran her hands through her hair. She sat there for the longest time, her knees supporting her elbows, which supported the hands that held her head.

She began nervously tapping her foot. "This is a sign." She said out loud to herself. She was sure it was Sam that had called him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have walked out of the room to take the call. She didn't know what to do. This was now the second time they found themselves in an extremely risky situation. Should she try to talk with him about it? Or would that put a strain on their friendship? Was it better not to say anything and hope these feelings would go away or lessen?

She slowly stepped out of the bathroom and felt relief run through her when she noticed he was still in his room. She closed the adjoining door slightly and got under the covers of her bed. She could hear him arguing on the other side of the door and decided eavesdropping would not improve her situation. She put on her headphones and turned up her iPod, hoping to fall asleep.

Randy rolled his eyes, "Sam, I'll be home tomorrow night! I'm leaving right after the show in Nashville! We can run around and grab everything you haven't had a chance to pick up Friday!"

"And what about Saturday? I made plans to go with the girls to get our hair and nails done. And I still have to pick up the food that morning! And your mother can't watch Al!" Her voice rang through the phone.

"Fine! I'll keep Al with me on Saturday. I'll take her to lunch or the park or something. It's really not a big deal!"

"Of course it's not a big deal to you, Randy; you didn't plan the entire party by yourself! You weren't here to help me put all this together!" Sam shouted.

"You know what…I don't need to be yelled at for offering my help. We've talked about this before. If you want me to quit wrestling, just say so. But then you better be ready to get a job of your own! You're making a huge deal out of something so trivial. I'll keep Al busy on Saturday so you can do your thing. And I'll help you run around on Friday as well. I'm tired and I'm hanging up now. I'll call tomorrow morning to talk to Al."

Randy looked at the phone and realized Sam hung up without even saying goodbye, goodnight, or I love you. He threw his cell on the bed, letting out some frustration. Her rant for weeks now is that he's never home. But when he offers to quit, she tells him not to! He can never win with her and the constant fighting is starting to wear thin on him.

He walked back into Trish's room and found her asleep on the bed. He thought back to moments earlier when he almost kissed her. There was nothing more he wanted at that moment in time than to kiss her lips. What worried him more was that the urge was still there. He sat down on the bed next to her and removed her headphones. He turned off the Ipod and sat it on the dresser next to her. He watched her sleep for a few minutes longer, trying to come to terms with his head. He sighed and got up, turned off the light and the TV and went back into his room. Between his fight with Sam, and his brain fighting his feelings for Trish, he realized he had one hell of a headache.