Chapter 13— The Funeral
A/N: Please review. Special thanks to KDaniels270 and ghost303 for reviewing the last chapter.
As Stephanie and Hunter predicted, Wade's death was written off as a work hazard. Unfortunately for Randy, the media didn't see it that way. The dirt sheets were filled with rumors about Randy intentionally hurting Wade. Other reports claimed that Liz hired Randy to murder Wade. One tabloid magazine got word from Hunter that the stories that were floating around about Wade's death being intentional were false. After a few days, the rumor mill got quiet enough for Randy to go about his regular everyday activities without being questioned about his intentions with Wade.
On the day of Wade's funeral, the press surrounded the location. Randy tried to stave off the press as he walked into the venue of Wade's funeral.
"Was it on purpose, Randy?"
"Did you pay off the cops to get away with it, Randy?"
"Why did you show up today?"
Randy ignored all the press' questions and went inside the building; he sat towards the back and watched as other people went towards the front to veiw the body before sitting in their own seats.
Eventually, Liz showed up with Dolph. Randy was surprised to see Liz there considering the terrible past she had with the Englishman. Dolph attempted to escort her to a space away from Randy, but she gently gripped his arm and went to sit with Randy.
She sat between Dolph and Randy; it was where she knew she would feel most at ease.
"How you holding up, Liz?" Randy asked.
She shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess," she said quietly.
Randy took her hand in his own and gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
[half an hour later]
The funeral director stood at the podium.
"Before we close, is there anyone who would like to say a few words?" he asked.
Sheamus stood and walked to the microphone. He spoke about Wade being his best friend in the company; the jokes he told about Wade portrayed him as a great man.
When Sheamus was done, Justin Gabriel spoke. Justin was the second person to speak kind words about the deceased.
After at least five other people with nothing but nice things to say about Wade, Liz stood and went to the front. Both Randy and Dolph thought it would be a good way for Liz to have closure, so they didn't stop her.
"Hey everybody," she started. She sniffled and sighed. "Listening to you guys speak about Wade really brought back memories. Some good memories, some bad memories; but mostly bad memories," she said.
Those in attendance were slightly confused.
"You all know Wade as a caring and sensitive man, but," she started getting emotional and paused to compose herself. "But, um, he wasn't," she wiped a tear and sniffled. The funeral's director started walking towards her to comfort her but she waved him off. "I'm fine," she said quietly.
Liz turned her attention back to the attendees. "As most of you know, Wade and I were in a relationship a few months ago. I was so captivated by his charm; he was so respectful and kind," she took a shaky breath.
"But the man all of you know as a 'stand-up guy' was nothing more than a coward," she said angrily.
The shocked gasps spread through those in attendance. Someone tried to get her to sit down, but Liz pushed the person away. "NO! I have something to say!" she announced.
"There are only a few people who really knew what was going on between me and Wade; those few people had always urged me to speak up and tell someone what was going on, but I was so concerned about ruining Wade's life if I did," she paused to subside the impending tears.
"I didn't realize until now that I was so wrapped up in making sure he was happy that I neglected my own happiness and safety. Not many people have seen me at my worst; I gave Wade my best. He took it from me and stripped me of everything, forcing me to wear my worst like it was a new dress. He made me weaker than I've ever been; I didn't have any fight left in me,"
She took a deep breath and continued emotionally. "Wade Barrett abused me every day for two months! He slapped me, punched me, kicked me, and stomped me every time I got 'out of line'. He called me a slut and a whore when he told me that I was worthless! He made me feel like shit! He told me that no one would ever love me!" she made the declaration as she cried.
Vince and Hunter tried to defuse the situation with lies.
"I'm so sorry everyone," Hunter started.
Vince continued. "It seems like Elizabeth may have had too much to drink; she doesn't know what she's saying," he said.
Liz couldn't believe that Vince was lying on her. "How dare you defend him! I came to work everyday covered in bruises! You saw what he did to me and you weren't even concerned!" she yelled at the companies' bosses.
Hunter shook his head. "Calm down, Liz. You're just a little tipsy," he said quietly to her.
"I'm not drunk; there isn't even any alcohol here! If there was, Swagger would be plastered by now!" she said. A few people gasped while another few laughed.
"I'm trying to show you people that Wade wasn't as great as you think he was! He took away my independence, my happiness, and—" She took a shaky breath; her weeping had turned to labored sobs. "He raped me," she said quietly. "He raped me!" she said again in a fit of tears.
It was Randy's turn to coerce her away from the microphone; she didn't push him away. Instead, she fell into his body and cried. "He raped me, Randy. He raped me," she said repetitively.
Randy tried his best to sooth her. "Shhh. It's okay, Liz. You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault," he said as he held her. "Let's just go back to the hotel and get some sleep, okay?" he suggested.
Liz nodded as she nuzzled her face into Randy's chest.
The funeral's guests watched as Liz was walked out of the building. There were a few whispers of skepticism in the crowd; there were people who didn't believe was Liz had said.
Randy escorted her to the building's exit and into his rental. When Randy made sure Liz was comfortably seated in the passenger seat, he went around the front of the car to get to the driver seat. He took a deep breath.
"Why didn't you tell me, Elizabeth?" he asked.
She didn't answer, she just stared out the window and rubbed her belly.
Out of anger, Randy hit the steering wheel with his hands repeatedly. Liz flinched but kept looking out the window. When she heard Randy crying, she looked at him.
"I'm so sorry, Liz. I should have stopped him. This is all my fault," he said as he wiped tears from his face.
Liz still didn't say anything, she just let him cry. For a long time, she thought Randy was to blame for what Wade did to her. He should have stopped Wade that night at the hotel. He shouldn't have trusted Liz to get rid of Wade on her own. Liz had blamed Randy ever since Wade forced himself on her that night. The whole time, she thought it was Randy's fault and she thought she would never forgive him for it. As Liz watched the usually stoic man cry, she realized that if
Randy could have done anything about it before now, he would have.
She shook her head and sniffled. "It's not your fault," she said quietly. She tried to figure out if she really meant it, or if it was just something she wanted to say to ease Randy's mind. There was always the thought that Randy could have done more for her, but she also knew that it would have been impossible. Randy wasn't Superman, so he couldn't always come to her rescue. On the other hand, Randy had always promised to protect her. In Liz's eyes, he had broken that promise.
Randy never responded; instead, he took deep breaths to calm himself. Once he was relaxed, he started the car and peeled off to the hotel. He wanted to take Liz back to his own room, but he knew she would rather be in the hotel room she was sharing with Dolph.
When they got to the room, Liz quietly changed out of her outfit and pulled on some pajamas; she washed her face and pulled her hair up into a bun. When she was comfy, she curled up in one of the beds.
Randy sat at the foot at the bed. "I want to know everything," he said simply.
Liz sighed. "I'll have to check my calendar," she said.
He groaned. "I don't have time for your cryptic bullshit, Liz, I have a flight to catch," he said lightly frustrated at Liz's refusal to talk.
"Then leave," she said.
He shook his head. "Every time I try to help you, you push me away! I do everything in my power to help you and make you happy but you don't even appreciate it! I'm trying to help you release some of that built up anger so you can move on with your life. Wade is dead so there is no reason to protect him anymore!"
Liz sat up. "You think I was protecting him?! Why would I protect the man who made me his personal punching bag, Randy?! Did you ever stop to think that he may have threatened me with worse if I told anybody? Huh? Did you think about that?!" she asked angrily.
Randy stood up. "That's even more reason for you to tell me what happened! You can't just carry all that pent up aggression for the rest of your life,"
She shook her head. "You promised me that you would always protect me! You gave me your word!" she yelled at him.
"I tried to help you but you wouldn't let me! What was I supposed to do?" he asked heatedly.
Liz narrowed her eyes at him. "If you loved me as much as you claimed, you would have figured something out," she said bitterly.
Her words hit Randy like a ton of bricks. It was as if Liz had just thrown a grenade at his camp; he had no real response.
Randy pretended to notice the time. "My flight leaves in a couple of hours. I have to go," he said quietly. He pulled out his cell phone and fidgeted with it as he sent a text message to Dolph.
Liz didn't say anything; she just watched him.
Randy sighed. "I, uh—Dolph is coming up soon. I'll just leave when he gets here so you won't be by yourself," he said.
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she said as she laid back on the bed.
He shook his head. "What happened to you, Liz?" he asked.
Liz didn't answer.
"I mean, we were so close to having something. I don't understand it," he said in thought.
She took a deep breath and gently rubbed the growing baby bump on her belly. "There was this guy I met a few years back. I was just starting my senior year in high school. He was so tall and handsome; he had these amazing green eyes. It was like he was a friend sent by an angel especially for me," she smiled softly remembering the handsome young man. "When I got to know him, I found out that he had just moved to St. Louis, so I showed him around. After we went out a few times, he took me to a big empty warehouse his dad owned; it was one of my favorite places," she paused in her story.
"Then, a few weeks before the football team's homecoming game, the school decided that the cheerleaders couldn't practice in the school's gym anymore. So, my friend let us use his dad's warehouse for a practice space," she said using air quotes. "It was weird because I felt like we were in that move Footloose," she laughed.
"Hanging out with him was the highlight of my senior year. Then prom came around," she took a deep breath. "It was really nice. He got his dad to rent us a limo, he paid for dinner, and booked us a hotel so I could have a group breakfast with all of my friends the next morning."
Randy stopped her. "I thought you and Nate were dating then. Why didn't he take you to the prom?" he asked.
"He was away at college. We just decided that I would go with my friend," she explained.
Randy nodded. Liz continued. "Anyway, everything was great up until after the prom. We got to the hotel room and there was only one bed. He said that he reserved a room with two beds and that the hotel had made a mistake. I believed him,"
Randy cut in. "It wasn't a mistake?" he asked.
Liz shook her head. "Nope,"
"How did you find out?" he asked.
She sighed. "He had ordered this elaborate set up of chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. I still didn't realize what was happening," she said.
"Wait. He was in high school. How did he buy the champagne?" Randy asked.
She shrugged. "I assumed he used his dad's credit card," she said. "But that's not the point. He got me drunk and he took advantage of me,"
Randy gasped. "This guy raped you?" he asked cautiously.
Liz nodded. "My parents and I pressed charges. It turned out that the guy was his dad. He was almost 40 years old; he was posing as a high school student. The police took the DNA sample he left behind and ran some tests. They told us the sample matched more than fifty other unsolved rape cases in the country," she said.
"Wow," Randy said in disbelief and disgust.
"Yeah. The police said I was brave and called me a hero for catching the man," she said, ending her story.
Randy nodded, but he was still confused as to why Liz told him the story. Liz saw the confusion and sat up to explain.
"I have a history of being too trusting, Randy. I trusted that creep and he turned out to be terrible. I trusted Tucker and he let me down. I trusted Wade and he destroyed me. Now, you're asking me to trust you," she said.
Randy frowned. "You can trust me, Liz. You know that," he said.
She shrugged. "How do I know that, Randy?" she asked full of concern.
"We've known each other since you were a kid. You know me better than I know myself," he said.
Liz nodded. "That's the problem," she said.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I know you too well to trust you," she said. "You have a bad temper, you're impulsive, you can get more jealous than anyone I've ever met," she explained.
Randy nodded. "All of that is true to some extent, but all of that can change," he said.
Liz nodded and sat deep in thought.
Randy took that as a hint to leave so he started walking out, but Liz stopped him; she stood and walked up to him.
"I have an appointment to see a doctor next week if you want to come," she said.
Randy nodded. "Just let me know when and I'll be there," he said.
Liz hugged him. "You're my best friend, Randy. Don't ever forget that. We may fight and not talk to each other for months at a time, but you'll always be the number one man in my life," she said.
Randy smiled. "I know, Lizard. The same goes for you. I love you, kid," he said.
She smiled. "I love you, too, loser. Can we have lunch or somthing soon?" she asked.
He nodded. "Of course. I'll have to check my calendar, though," he said jokingly.
Liz playfully slapped his chest and laughed.
Randy stared at Liz's lips as she smiled; it had been a while since he had seen a genuine smile from her.
He took that opportunity to kiss her plump lips. Randy hadn't expected it, but Liz responded with a deep comeback. She draped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. His hands floated to her waist then to her back as if he was going to pick her up, but they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Liz and Randy hesitantly broke the kiss. Liz took a deep breath and looked up into Randy's usually cold eyes. This time, they were warm and filled with passion.
She pecked his lips once more.
There was another knock. "Hold on a minute," Liz said towards the door. She turned her attention to the man who had her wrapped in his arms.
"If we do this, Randy," she started.
Randy nodded. "I know. I'll give you 100%. I love you so much; I'm just glad for the chance to show you how much," he said.
She smiled. "Just to be clear: you are my boyfriend. I am your girlfriend. We aren't 'just talking', right?" she asked using airquotes.
Randy laughed. "Right. I'm all yours." he said.
Liz grinned. "And that's all I've ever wanted," she said.
There was another knock at the door.
"I'm coming!" Liz yelled.
Randy laughed and walked with her to the door. "If you need anything at all, call me, okay?" he said.
LIz nodded. "I will. Have a safe flight," she said.
He nodded and kissed her one last time before they opened the door. "I love you, Elizabeth Caro," he said.
She smiled. "I love you, too, Randal Orton," she said.
He flashed a smile and opened the door to leave. Dolph stood on the other side.
"You okay, Liz?" the platinum blond asked.
She smiled and nodded. "I'm great," she said as she rubbed her belly. The platonic love between her and Randy had finally changed into everything she had ever wanted.
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW