Chapter 5: The Interview

Randy's POV

"Right this way, Mr. Orton. The DJ will have you on right after his current segment and the commercial break."

"Fine by me . . ." I say with a small shrug as I follow the redheaded assistant to the studio, the hallway lined with photos of the resident disc jockey hamming it up with various celebs who have visited the studio before me.

"Would you like me to get you anything while you wait?" she asks me with a cordial smile as we reach a small row of chairs that were lined up just before the studio door.

"Nah . . . I'm good . . . I'll just wait here until it's my time to go in there." I tell her with a passive way of my hand as I took a seat closest to the door.

"Alright . . . I'll be just down the hallway if you need anything . . ." she tells me with an indifferent look on her face as she turned on her heels to leave.

"Oh . . . wait a second . . . there is something I wanted to ask you," I say, my voice stopping her in mid-stride as I stood back up. "Does the DJ take very long to do interviews?"

"Not really . . ." she tells me with a shrug. "He tends to keep the interviews short. . . He usually stops asking questions after a good hour passes by . . . he likes to keep things short if he can help it, unless you say something personal . . . Why do you ask? Do you have somewhere urgent to get to after this?"

"Well . . . To tell you the truth, I didn't really expect to do an interview at all this morning. I was planning to spend the morning doing something else when my boss just dropped this gig on me." I tell her sheepishly as I put my hands in my pockets.

"I see . . . Don't worry, you're not the only one to have been in this situation. I've seen this happen to plenty of guys before," she tells me with a shake of her head. "Here's a tip you should follow: to make sure you the interview stays short, make sure you focus on the reason of WHY you are doing the interview. If you mention anything personal to Steve, he will not hesitate to latch himself onto it till he gets the answers he wants . . . And he will do all he can to get the answers that he wants."

"Nothing personal huh?" I ask her with an eyebrow raised, my sheepishness most likely showing on my face by now. "How personal IS personal, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Anything personal . . . whether it's on your family, your past and current relationships, or your favorite animal . . . anything that pertains to you specifically, don't give it away. Steve will take anything he gets. He also has a bad habit of twisting something that's personal into something that will make it sound worse than it actually is."

"Wow . . . just from hearing that, I definitely have the feeling that I'm not going to like this interview at all . . . Not one bit." I say with a scowl as I notice a light go off above the door.

"Just roll with the punches and soon enough, it'll be over . . . Good luck." She tells me with a salute before walking down the hallway.

"Mr. Orton?"

I turn around to come face to face with a balding man who looked to be in his mid-forties, staring at me through his black-rimmed glasses. He shoots me a small smirk, the look in his eyes already giving me an uneasy vibe as he outstretches his hand to me.

"The name's Steve, Steve Maldonado. It's a pleasure to meet you." He greets me with a smile that was just saying 'I'm a nosy person. Prepare to blab your personal secrets to the world.'

Yeah . . . this was going to be an interview that I wasn't going to like.

Amanda's POV

"So Alanna . . . have you decided on what doll you want to get?" I ask the little seven year old as we continue to peruse the doll section of the large toy store we were currently in. After finding out that Randy wasn't going to be joining us until much later in the day, I figured taking her to a toy store would lift her spirits. But now, instead of having fun looking through the long lines of dolls and toys in the store, Alanna was dealing with a bad case of chooser's block. . . . Yes, chooser's block.

"I have no idea what I want to get . . ." she tells me with a small scowl on her face as she continues to eye the various plastic toys that were lining the shelves. "There's just so many . . . I can't really decide. What do you suggest 'Manda?"

"Hmm . . ." I say as I look over the various shelves. "How about this . . . You pick the top two dolls that you want the most, and if you want any more toys, we'll try to get your dad to buy them for you later."

"What if he doesn't want to buy them for me?" she asks me with an eyebrow raised, her hand already reaching out to grab one of the dolls on the bottom shelf.

"Then I'll make him get them for you," I say with a smile. "And if he still refuses, then I will drag him by the feet all the way over here until he buys you what you want . . . or I'll just take his credit card and use it to buy you your toys. I know his PIN after all. "

"Umm . . . isn't that last part stealing?" she asks me, whispering the last part and looking left and right to see if anyone in the aisle heard us.

"It's not stealing . . . its borrowing. . . Secret borrowing," I tell her with a smirk as I too looked left and right to see if anyone else heard us. "Do we have a deal?"

"Well . . . when you put it that way . . . okay," she tells me with a cheery smile as she quickly plucks two dolls from off the shelf. "Um 'Manda . . . how do you think my dad is doing in his interview anyway?"

"Hmm . . . I don't know really," I say with a thoughtful look on my face as we walked over to the cashier. "But I'm hoping he's having an easy time with it."

"Me too . . . Mom says that dad doesn't like talking about his private life to the media." Alanna tells me with a shake of her head as we reach the line.

"That's true Alanna . . ." I say as my thoughts go straight to Randy, who I hope is not having too much trouble with his interview. "But knowing your father, he'll pull through it."

Normal POV

Randy was now thirty minutes into his interview with the radio DJ, and for the Viper, the interview couldn't have gone any more smoother. For the past half hour, Randy heeded the assistant's advice and kept the interview squarely on his match on Sunday. Even when Steve tried to move the interview into Randy's more personal matters, the Viper managed to turn it right back on the actual subject at hand, much to the DJ's chagrin.

"So Randy, you aren't feeling any last minute butterflies in stomach are you?" asked Steve with a small chuckle. "With the biggest night on the WWE calendar less than five days away, it's understandable to feel a little out of sorts."

"What are you? A Daniel fan or a Batista fan?" asked Randy with a smirk as he spoke into one of the microphones that was helping to transmit the interview throughout New Orleans metropolitan area.

"I'm a Cena and Undertaker fan to be exact, but I'm not the one being interviewed," said Steve as he let a small smirk play on his lips. "So . . . you're not feeling nervous at all?"

"Not in the slightest . . ." said Randy as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've been in a World Title Triple Threat match at WrestleMania before, so it's nothing new to me. The only thing that's different is the opponents. Daniel and Batista are both great competitors in the ring. I should know . . . I have faced them many times before. . . What I'm saying, is that if they even want a chance to beat me for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this Sunday, they really need to up their game. They really need to give it everything they got in order to do it."

"Ooh . . . fighting words," said Steve as he scrunched his face up in a kidding manner. "Next question: Even though you are, well . . . one of the bad guys coming into the match on Sunday, you're obviously not expecting to hear a lot of cheers for you by the WWE Universe right?"

"Not at all . . . I'm usually the bad guy most of the time anyway. It's nothing new to me." said Randy with a smirk as he shrugged his shoulders.

"But do you at least have some hometown supporters coming to cheer for you on Sunday?" asked Steve as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah . . . I have a few supporters coming to cheer me on," said Randy as he nodded his head. "As long as I have them, I don't care what everyone else thinks."

"And I'm guessing one of those supporters is your fellow snake in the WWE . . ." said Steve as he began to weave his fingers together. "The Anaconda, Ms. K.O . . . she'll be in your corner come Sunday right?"

"Yeah . . . she's my valet after all. She has to be. As my valet, its' part of her job description." said Randy, his smirk borderline smug as a thoughtful look came across his face.

"Is she JUST your valet?" asked Steve as he began to probe Randy for more details. "Or is she something more than that?"

"Come again?" asked Randy, instantly getting the feeling that Steve was trying to pry into his personal life once again.

"Is Ms. K.O something more to you than just a valet?" asked Steve, his voice gaining a blunt edge to it as he rested his chin on his fist. "C'mon . . . I bet you've been asked the question a thousand times before this, so this shouldn't be new to you."

"Of course it isn't new . . ." Randy said rather bluntly as he let out a small breath. "K.O., of course, isn't just a valet to me. She's a very good friend of mine. Our parents have known each other since before we were born. We've been friends since we were practically babies."

"I see . . . but has it become something more than being . . . just friends?" asked Steve as he reached over to his left to grab his I-Pad.

"Since being more than just friends?" asked Randy as he narrowed his eyes at the radio DJ, who was paying his I-Pad more attention than him at the moment. "Care to be a little more specific with that question Steve?"

"Well . . . it's not the best kept secret that both you and Ms. K.O. are some of the more . . . private members of the WWE roster," said Steve as he looked up from his tablet to look Randy square in the eye. "For example, when it comes to social media, you two don't update your statuses as regularly as some of the other Superstars and Divas."

"Yeah . . . our bosses have been getting on our cases for that," said Randy as he scratched the back of his neck. "With social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook gaining more and more popularity, we really need to up our social media game."

"Yeah well . . . while you and K.O don't really do much on social media for yourselves, your fans have basically been doing the updating for you." said Steve as he raised an eyebrow. "Um . . . let me ask you this Randy: Have you been checking out the wrestling blogs and forums these past few weeks by any chance."

"Not really . . . I don't pay attention to those kinds of things," said Randy with a small shrug as he began to eye Steve's tablet. "Should I be checking them out?"

"You should . . . if you want to know what the fans think of you and K.O.'s romantic relationship . . ." said Steve as he flipped his tablet around so that Randy could see the screen. Randy looked on in mild surprise as he looked at the photo gallery Steve was scrolling through, which was titled 'The Anaconda and the Viper: A True Love Story'. There were many photos to go through, from Randy and Amanda walking side by side down a city sidewalk, to Randy and Amanda holding hands while walking down a city sidewalk, to Randy and Amanda kissing while standing on a city sidewalk. "You two have been getting a lot of attention on the wrestling blog-sphere with this new romantic relationship you've two been having . . . . Don't worry, a huge amount of your fans support the relationship. Some say it's been a long time coming."

"Yeah . . . they're not the only ones to have said that . . ." mumbled Randy as he looked off to his side. "But I'm guessing my relationship with K.O has been getting some criticism right?"

"Well . . . there have been some people in the wrestling blog world saying that it was K.O that caused you and your ex-wife to divorce." said Steve as he turned off his tablet.

"Oh really . . ." asked Randy, his voice gaining an annoyed edge to it as he resisted the urge to grit his teeth.

"Yeah . . . they're has been theories going around about it," said Steve in a nonchalant tone of voice as he tapped his fingers along the table. "But the most common one among the group is the classic affair one. You know: You and K.O have an affair and Sam catches you two in the act. . . The thing is though: most of these critics are your crazy hardcore fan girls, so must people just ignore them most of the time."

"As expected . . . my hardcore fans can be quite the group to handle," said Randy with a small sigh as he thought it over. "Let's just get one thing straight: K.O. and I never dated when I was still married to my ex. Sam and I are still good friends to this day and when it came to it, we decided to end the marriage on good terms. Amanda and I did not start dating until a good few months passed after the day the divorce was finalized."

"Okay . . . I see that now," said Steve as he looked at his watch. "Oh . . . I believe we're just about done with the interview. Before we end our chat Randy, I just have to ask you one last question."

"Well then . . . ask away," said Randy as he gestured to the microphones. "What's your final question?"

"What is it like kissing Ms. K.O?" asked Steve, his face showing how curious, and how envious, he was about the subject. Randy looked at him in slight disbelief before smirking.

"Trust me Steve . . . once you have a taste of the Anaconda's lips, you won't mind getting a snake bite ever again . . ." said Randy with a smirk as he nodded his head.

"I see . . . well then, all I can say is that you are one lucky bastard when it comes to snagging a babe and it has been a pleasure to do this interview with you Randy." said Steve as he stretched his hand out to him.

"You know . . . I originally thought I was going to hate this interview, but I actually enjoyed it," said Randy as he took hold of the DJ's hand and shook it. "It was great talking to you Steve."

"Alright then . . . Good luck on Sunday," said Steve as he turned his focus to his microphone. "We have just concluded our interview with the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, the Viper, Randy Orton. After this commercial break, we'll be back with my next special guest . . . We'll reveal who he is after this quick message."

Once the director gave the signal that they were currently off the air, Randy and Steve took off their headphones and got out of their seats to stretch their legs. Randy said one last goodbye to the DJ and his crew before leaving the studio. He stepped back into the hallway and walked toward the elevator, saying a quick good bye to the assistant who advised him earlier before leaving.

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought . . ." mumbled the Viper as he stepped into the open elevator cart. "I wonder what Amanda and Alanna are doing right now. . . "

The Viper continued to mumble to himself until the elevator stopped in the radio station's lobby. He quickly walked out of the building and straight into the parking lot, taking out his phone as he walked over to his Hummer. He quickly scrolled through his phonebook and tapped on Amanda's number, bringing the phone to his right ear as he reached his driver's side door.

"Hey babe!" said Amanda as she answered his call after the second ring. "Finished with the interview already?"

"Yeah . . . I just finished it a few minutes ago . . ." said Randy as he took his seat behind the wheel. "I just called to see what you and Alanna are up to right now . . . Hopefully you two haven't got into any major trouble while I've been gone."

"Oh we've been good . . ." said the Anaconda. "But you are in some major trouble yourself once you get back here mister."

"Me?" asked Randy in shock as he put on his seatbelt. "What kind of trouble am I in?"

"You are in trouble with Alanna once you get back here," answered Amanda, her tone blunt as she addressed the Viper. "She wasn't too happy when she found out that you had to do the interview today."

"How unhappy is she?" asked Randy as he looked out his windshield.

"I had to buy her two dolls to lift her spirits back up," said Amanda as she let out a deep breath. "You owe me a good $45 for that!"

"Don't worry babe . . . I'll be happy to pay you back once I get back," said Randy as he put his key into the ignition. "Uh . . . where are you guys right now exactly?"

"We're in our hotel suite Randy. Nate and Becky are here too," answered Amanda as she let out a small whistle. "How long is it going to take you to get back here?"

"Miss me already babe?" asked Randy as a small smirk come across his face.

"Hmm . . . that depends," said Amanda with a small chuckle. "You didn't embarrass yourself too much during your interview did ya?"

"No . . . but I may have let a few personal details slip out . . ." said Randy with a grimace, unsure of what his mate's reaction would be.

"Well then . . . you really do have a lot of explaining to do once you get back here . . ." said Amanda in a slightly reprimanding tone.

"I know . . ." said Randy as he shook his head as he grabbed the steering wheel with his free hand. "Like I said, I'll explain everything once I get back . . . I love you babe."

"Love you too . . ." said Amanda, her voice serene as she ended the call from her end. Randy let a small smile grace his face as he pocketed his phone. He pulled his car out of its spot and drove out the parking lot, ready to make up some lost time with his daughter.

Amanda's POV; an hour and a half later

"When is my dad supposed to get here?" Alanna asks me with an impatient look on her face as she and Becky continued to have their 'fun' with Nate.

"He'll be here any minute now Alanna," I say with a small smile as I turned to her. "Just be patient."

"C'mon Alanna, let's get back to the real task at hand," says Becky as she held up a tube of violet colored lipstick. "Should we put the violet lipstick on your uncle, or the ruby one?"

"Let's go with violet . . ." says Alanna with a smile on her face as she turned to her sleeping uncle. Nate was sprawled all across the couch napping the day away, totally oblivious to the fact that his sister and his niece were defiling his face with cosmetics.

"I think violet is a good idea too . . ." said Becky as she uncapped the lid. "I think violet goes great with his eyes."

Amanda?

I smirk as the familiar mental voice pops into my brain. Leaving the Orton girls to their fun, I silently walk over to the door and turn the knob, opening the door to reveal a very relieved Viper standing right behind it.

"I'm not missing anything am I?" he asks me with a small smile as he pulls me into the hallway and into his arms.

"Oh nothing much . . ." I say with a smirk as I peck him on the cheek. "Your sister and your daughter are just giving your brother a small cosmetic makeover."

"A cosmetic makeover?" Randy asks me as he raises an eyebrow, his grip on my waist only getting that much snugger. "This I got to see . . ."

"C'mon in . . ." I say with a smirk as I pulled him into the suite, which isn't something Alanna left unnoticed.

"Daddy!" she exclaims in glee as she runs up to us and practically launches herself into her father's arm. "What took you so long?"

"Traffic was a nightmare getting here," Randy tells her apologetically as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry for taking so long to get here Alanna."

"It's okay . . ." she tells him with a shrug. "Besides, I know a way you can make it up to me . . ."

"How?" Randy asks her curiously as she leaps out of his grip and lands on the floor on her own two feet.

"You can let me, Aunt Becky, and 'Manda give you a makeover, just like we did Uncle Nate . . ." says Alanna as she points to the couch. I watch Randy as he follows his daughter gaze and smirk when I witness his sudden change in expression.

"Hey . . . what's going on?" grumbles Nate as he finally awakens from his slumber and sits up on the couch. "Is Randy back yet?"

"Yeah I am back . . . and just in time too," says Randy as he pulls out his phone to take a photo. "Say cheese bro!"

"Why?" Nate asks as Randy takes the photo. "What's going on here?"

"Why don't you look into this mirror to find out . . ." says Becky with a smirk as she hands her brother her compact mirror. As soon as Nate looks into his reflection, he goes so wide eyed I thought his eyeballs would actually pop out of his sockets.

"You know bro . . . the makeup really suits you!" exclaims Randy as he falls into a laughing fit. "You really are a beautiful man!"

"OH SHUT UP!" yells Nate as he runs over to the bathroom to wash the makeup from his face.

"Oh brother . . . it's your turn," says Becky with a smirk as she held up some eyeliner. "Are you going to make it up to Alanna or not?"

"Couldn't you just let me get you another doll?" asks Randy as he turned to his daughter.

"Nope . . ." says Alanna as she shook her head. "'Manda did that for me a few hours ago."

"C'mon babe . . ." I say with a smirk as I wrapped an arm around his hypermobile shoulders. "Do it just this once . . . I promise we won't take a photo of you after we're done."

"You all promise?" he asks us very reluctantly as he turns to all three of us.

"We promise, but we're not too sure on Nate though . . ." mutters Becky as she turned to her other brother, who was just walking out of the bathroom with his freshly cleaned face looking at us in disdain.

"Oh . . . I'm definitely taking a photo afterwards," says Nate with a shrug. "But I promise to not post it on any social media sites. You have my word big bro."

"Well . . . I guess I can let this happen to me just this once," says Randy as he concedes in defeat. "But this is the one and only time I'm ever going to do this."

"Fine by us . . ." says Becky in absolute glee as she outstretches her hands and grabs Randy by the wrist. "Come with me."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Randy asks me with a sheepish look on his face as he allows Becky and Alanna to drag him to the couch.

"Something that you'll laugh about when you look back on it in a few years . . ." I say with a smirk as I grabbed my purse from a nearby table. "I'll see you later babe."

"You're not staying for the whole show?" Randy asks me in shock as I reach the door.

"Nope . . . some of us divas are going out for a bit. I'll be back in time for Access." I say with a smirk as I take one last look at him. "Good luck Randy."

"I think I really am going to need it this time . . ." he says with a small groan as I close the door behind me, smirking to myself as I w3alked down the hallway.

What has Randy gotten himself into? This is what happens when you put a job over your family. . .

Please review!