It was like the whole world had gone mad. For Memphis Kramer, it had. The last month and a half had been surreal in itself. In fact, her entire stint in the WWE had been one gigantic whirlwind of chaos. For sure, there was never a dull moment. And one important characteristic every WWE employee had to have all the way from Corporate to on air talent to crew, was flexibility. It was a must. And at the end of a rare four consecutive days off, Memphis had received the message that her talents were needed on the Smackdown side. It was a change of plans that involved immediate amendment to travel. The announcement had come in the midst of a terrible misunderstanding. In a matter of seconds, her boyfriend, Randy Orton had walked in on something innocent and before she could explain, he had blown up. It had taken her off guard, horrifying shades of the "old" Randy. She had been unable to get a word in edgewise. An explanation is the last thing he had wanted to hear. He had gone off on her, then retreated, coolly aloof and callous. She had received the call from WWE about the amended schedule soon after. After an hour or so of going over rearrangements, she had found herself cold and lonely falling in and out of a restless slumber on Randy's couch. She had managed to keep her dignity and keep from completely falling apart but her feelings were hurt. She did not understand Randy's anger or subsequent reaction and the worst part was, he had just shut her out. All communication was out the door and hours later, so was she as she found herself filling in last minute at a house show in Roanoke, Virginia.

She had officiated three matches as the company was in the middle of a transition, bringing in several new hires and some referees from their developmental territory. She was to rejoin the RAW brand in Raleigh, North Carolina and the plan was to drive there right after the show. Luckily, she and Nattie were on the same schedule so the two friends had planned to share a rental. Putting every possible distraction out of her mind, Memphis had gone out in front of the live audience and worked her magic. She was really over with the fans. They did not just like her, they actually respected her. It felt good. People were paying their hard earned money to come out and see the shows. Sometimes for the Superstars it felt like just another redundant night at the office but one had to always remember that each city, it was a new crowd with new members of the WWE Universe. It really wasn't their problem if the performers were tired or sick or annoyed or going through some sort of personal drama. They paid for a show and that's what they wanted to see. So that is exactly what Memphis gave them. She put the uncertainty and turmoil ongoing with Randy aside, gave a big smile and did what she got paid to do. It was two and a half hours, and of course a few scattered minutes of random fan encounters from those who had been lucky enough to have a chance meeting with their favorite wrestling personality. Afterwards, she had showered quickly and she and Nattie were on the road for the late night drive. After a run through a local fast food drive thru, Memphis had quietly watched the world go by in darkness as Nattie had happily chatted away.

"What's the matter, Memphis?"

"What?"

It took Memphis a few confused seconds to even realize her girlfriend had been talking to her.

"You look…I don't know, distracted, like something is going on. You haven't been yourself all day, in fact. I don't want to pry, especially if you don't feel like talking about it. But if you do, know that I am here for you. I feel bad just gabbing away going on and on while you look so miserable."

Memphis sighed.

"I was listening…sort of. You were talking about TJ."

TJ Wilson was better known to the wrestling fans as Tyson Kidd. He was a phenomenal performer, the last graduate from the infamous Hart Dungeon, run by Nattie's maternal grandfather, Stu. She and TJ had known each other since they were kids and had been dating exclusively for the past 11 years.

"Yeah…"

"He's a good guy."

Nattie smiled softly to herself.

"He's a great guy. I'm very lucky."

"11 years…that is amazing. How do you guys make it work?"

"It is work. You have to put forth effort in relationships just like anything else. But at the same time, we have a lot of fun. There is friendship and common interests and goals, there is respect and of course great sex," she giggled. "But um…believe it or not, even though working for the WWE was both our dream, you know, it was always the end goal, I have to admit this has really tested our relationship."

"How so?"

"It's stressful. I know TJ is frustrated, hell, I am frustrated for him. It's like the second he gets a push…the next thing you know, it is back to jobbing on the mid card at a house show. He is so much better than that and I'm not just saying it because I am his girlfriend. And there is that whole history between my family and the McMahon's, I don't know. It gets tough sometimes but through it all, he is my best friend in the world. I love and respect that man more than you can imagine. We've been a part of each other's lives since we were children and we started dating way before the wrestling thing came into effect. And we are determined to make it, no matter what, you know? Whatever happens at work will not define who we are as a couple."

Memphis nodded. Nattie and TJ were in it for the long haul and that was plain as day for anyone to see. They were so connected, so in sync.

"I hate to admit this, but I am a little jealous," Memphis kept staring absently out the passenger side window.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know…"

"What did Randy do now?" Nattie knowingly glanced over.

She had grown close to Nattie and Melina but still felt uncomfortable divulging every single detail of her private life. And though Nattie would never be the type to say, "I told you so", Memphis still could not help but to feel a little self-conscious and very paranoid. Punk was a good guy and they had been solid. She had his heart and anyone around could bet the house that he would never hurt her. His loyalty was unmatched…when he was down for you, he was down for you. Randy Orton was much more of a wild card. Everyone had already assumed the truth, that she had dumped Phil for Randy and the murmurs questioned her sanity. It would only be a matter of time before Randy hurt her. Memphis wanted nothing more than to prove everyone wrong.

"We had a fight. It, was um, pretty stupid. He got upset…it was totally blown out of proportion but it will be okay."

She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. The truth was, she had driven herself to the airport the night before. When he had retreated to his room and slammed the door, he had not emerged and had not bothered to call her in the 24 hours since.

"Okay. I'm sure you two will work it out."

"It's fine, Nat. Look, I'm, really tired…"

"Randy gets like that sometimes. It's weird. I don't know what happened between you two and it is really none of my business but yeah, he self-sabotages sometimes. But he has changed a lot recently for the better and I know he cares about you."

"I know," Memphis rested her head against the window.

Nattie took her cue and turned up the volume of the radio a bit. A few hours later, they made it to their destination. Memphis hauled her bags out of the trunk and checked in before bidding good night to her friend. She made her way to the room and unpacked enough to find a sleep shirt and a clean pair of underwear. She took a long, hot shower and washed her hair. After toweling off and changing for bed, she charged her phone and gave it one last longing look. So many times she had wanted to call him but she had her pride. She hadn't done anything wrong and Randy had severely overreacted. If they were ever going to talk about it, he would have to make the first move. Biting her lip, she turned off all the lights and trudged to bed as a knock at the door startled her. She walked cautiously over to it and stood on the tips of her toes to get a look out of the peephole. To her utter shock, it was Randy. He knocked again after a few seconds, and she slowly opened the door.

"Hey," he said.

Memphis swallowed hard.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"You gonna let me in?"

"You gonna answer my question?"

He walked inside and closed the door behind him. She did not protest.

"I wanted to see you," he finally said, his face and eyes void of any emotion, particularly remorse.

"Why haven't you called?"

"I needed to calm down."

Memphis shook her head and walked away.

"You're full of shit."

"Memphis…"

"Look, things are going to happen and people are not always going to agree. I get that. I'm okay with that. What I am not okay with is how you handle problems and emotions. You completely flipped out for no reason at all, went off on me, locked yourself in your room and refused to communicate all day. That's not cool, Randy. Not with me. In fact, that is pretty damned unacceptable."

He did not argue.

"I'm an asshole sometimes," he shrugged.

Her dark eyes narrowed.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I don't like people going through my stuff."

"I wasn't going through your stuff on purpose. If you had let me explain…"

"I know. Look, I jumped the gun, flew off the handle and it was wrong. I guess I should have dealt with the situation, dealt with you better. It's just weird. I haven't had a chick in my house like that in a while."

It sounded like a lame excuse but in Randy world, it was his genuine way of explaining things.

"Whatever we're doing, if we are going to keep doing it, you have to trust me."

"I do. What, do you think I just let anybody in my personal space like that?"

Memphis closed her eyes.

"You said some pretty mean things to me. You called me a bitch, a nosy bitch. You made me feel like some unwanted stranger in your house after we had such an amazing few days together. Look, you are who you are. That's fine. I will and would never ask you to stop being you but when we first met…you were unbearable. You were an asshole. I didn't put up with it then and I won't put up with it now."

"Fair enough. You shouldn't have to."

She was angry. More than anything, she wanted to slap him and tell him to get the hell out of her room. If he was going to act like a jerk and then waltz into the hotel after 24 hours of ignoring her after an unnecessary blowup, he could go kick rocks barefoot. She wasn't going to be his doormat and he had to know that. But Randy Orton was like a drug. And when he was in front of her, staring into her eyes like that, he was truly a Viper and she was the prey. Like it or not, he had a hold on her.

"You owe me an apology," the words tumbled out in an anger and hurt filled whisper.

"I'm sorry," he looked her right in the eye.

Memphis turned her back.

"Randy…"

She hoped he would just leave but no such luck as she felt his strong hands on both her shoulders.

"I said I'm sorry," he repeated.

Her eyes closed as hot tears threatened to pool. His breath, minty from the gum in his mouth, was warm against the back of her neck. She felt thick fingers run down both sides of the material of the nightshirt until there was contact with her bare thighs. Expertly, he kneaded the sensitive flesh. Willing everything she had, Memphis pulled away, turning around looking at him.

"You hurt me," she stated simply, looking right at him.

"I know."

"Don't do it again."

He leaned in for a kiss that she blocked.

"Memphis…"

"I mean it, Randy."

He nodded, licking his bottom lips before cupping her small face in his hands. The old saying went that breaking up is hard to do. No one had ever said anything about making up.