Chapter 17: Highs & Lows
Randy's POV
"This room should be a good place to do the ritual," I say with a smirk as we step into the room. It was a small lounge room, complete with a few couches with a window high up on the far wall that showcased the crescent moon above us. It was both comfy and private at the same time. "Are you ready to do this baby?"
"Ready as I'll ever be . . ." she tells me with that beautiful smirk of hers as I close the door behind us, locking it with a soft click. "All we have to do is drink each other's blood and that's that right?"
"That's the plan . . ." I say with a chuckle as we walk over to the closest couch. "One quick sip is all we need."
"So . . . do you want to go first or should I have the honors," she asks me with a chuckle as we take a seat on the sofa.
"By all means . . . as the birthday girl, go right on ahead," I say with a smirk. "Ladies first after all. . ."
"Of course . . ." she tells me as she reaches for my collar. "But first, let's loosen these buttons a bit. You are usually not one for buttoning your shirts all the way up mister."
"I thought I'd dress properly for your birthday, just this once," I say with a shrug as she takes out the first three buttons on my shirt. "It's not a good look for me huh?"
"Nah . . . it just makes you look a tad upright. Stick to leaving a few buttons undone okay?" she tells me with a smirk as she leans over to my neck. "Also . . . it makes feeding from your neck that much more difficult."
"Well then . . . I guess it was a good idea that I didn't decide to wear a turtleneck tonight after all huh?" I say with a sheepish chuckle as I felt her cool lips on my skin.
"Yeah . . . it's a good thing you didn't," I hear her say before her fangs extend. A shudder just passes through my spine as I felt her teeth bite down into my neck, her fangs easily breaching my skin. She may still be a newborn, but damn this girl knew how to bite like a pro!
I pulled her body closer to mine as she continues to take her fill, her hands resting on my chest as she did her part of the ritual. She eventually finishes as quickly as she started, her fangs slowly leaving my neck.
"Well aren't you a freaking tease . . ." I mumble with a moan as I felt her tongue lick my skin, closing the puncture marks in an instant. She looks at me with a smirk, her lips still tinged a bit with my blood as she brought a hand to my cheek.
"What . . . it is my birthday after all . . . I can't have a little fun at your expense?" Amanda asks me with a chuckle as I moved some of her hair away from her neck. "All's fair in love and war."
"Yeah . . . well then, to keep things fair, I better get my fill now." I say with a smirk as I leaned my face into her neck. I trail kisses all along the side, gaining a few small moans from her as I continued my work. I stop at a spot right at the base of her neck and sink my fangs in, my mate's fingernails digging themselves into my shirt in quick response as I start to drink up her blood.
Amanda's blood is still as tasty as ever. . . The last time I had a taste of it was back when she was still just a hybrid a few mere months ago. Despite the change of species, Amanda's blood still had that sweet quality that I love and just can't get enough of. . . I feel Amanda's hands start to travel from my chest and across my body; one hand reaching my back while the other reached the back of my head.
"Hmm . . . It's just like old times huh babe?" I hear her ask me in a husked whisper as I finally stop feeding from her neck, kissing the puncture marks away before I moved my head back. I don't answer her question. I just let a smirk show on my face in response. "So . . . how do we know if the ritual was successful anyway?"
"Well . . . my dad explained to me that a couple will know if the ritual worked when they have this overwhelming warm feeling come over them," I say with a shrug as I remember what my father said. "I don't know how long it takes, but it usually happens so-"
I cut myself off when a sudden gut wrenching burning sensation appears in my stomach. I let go of 'Manda and visibly wince as it begins to spread, resisting the urge to let out a sharp yell as it reached my heart, then my throat, and then finally my head. I feel so hot, like I was put in a stove to bake for a good two hours or dropped into the middle of the Sahara Desert, and I can't help but undo the rest of the buttons on my shirt in order to cool myself down. . .
. . . And then suddenly, it's gone . . . It leaves me just as quickly as it came. I let out the breath I was holding the entire time as I brought a hand to my bare chest. I felt like I was being burned from the inside out just a few seconds ago . . . and now I'm fine, perfectly normal.
"Wow . . ." I hear 'Manda say in shock right beside me. I look up to see her slightly wide eyed with both hands on her chest, like she was currently checking to make sure her heart was still beating. "That was one hell of a rush . . . and damn, that burned. I know you said vampires would feel a warm feeling come over them after they do the ritual, but damn that was hot."
"You're telling me . . ." I tell her as I let out a breath of my own. "I felt like I was on burning alive. Dad never mentioned this part of the ritual to me."
"Maybe he wanted to surprise you . . ." she tells me with a shrug as she brought a hand to my bare chest. "Well . . . at least you don't feel like you are on fire now."
"I know . . . it just left as quickly as it started," I tell her with a shake of my head. "But I think it definitely worked."
"If it worked, then we should test it out then . . ." she tells me with a relieved look on her face as she cracks her knuckles. "You go first."
"No . . . you go first," I tell her as I point in her direction. "You are the birthday girl after all. . ."
"Fine, but can I ask you this one quick question?" she asks me, her voice suddenly gaining a nervous edge to it as she began to twiddle her fingers.
"What babe? You sound nervous." I ask her, suddenly confused by her change of attitude.
"Um . . . you don't think the weird warm feeling that we went through a minute ago harmed the fetus do you?" Amanda asks me quickly, her eyes turning to the ground as she continued to twiddle her fingers. I let a look of realization come over my face as I let her question sink in. So that's what she's worried about . . . She's worried about the fetus being hurt.
"Babe . . . if the ritual was known to harm the fetuses of pregnant vampires, then I would have adamantly told you that we would not do it till after the baby has been delivered," I tell her simply as I pull her back into my arms. "We both know how protective I can get; especially when it comes to the people I love. I would have told you no right from the start . . . The ritual was safe for you to do in your current state. Don't worry. The fetus is alright."
"Are you sure?" she asks me unsurely as she looks up at my face.
"I'm sure . . ." I tell her with a smirk as I pecked her lips. "Now . . . don't you have a new ability to show me?"
"I'll show you . . . but we're going to have to do it later. Alanna's coming this way . . . and she's looking for us. You better cover up." she tells me quickly as she pecks me on my cheek, her fingers tracing out my abs as she sneaks a look at the door.
"Fine . . . but I'm so putting my abs on display when we get home." I tell her with a smirk as I quickly button up my shirt.
"I know you will . . ." she tells me mischievously as she trails a few kisses down my neck. "I'm expecting you to show them abs, as well as something else when we get home later."
"You're the birthday girl after all . . . I'll definitely take care of you then," I say with a chuckle as I planted a kiss on her lips, just as we hear a small knocking sound come from the door. "Who is it?"
"I'll let you take a guess!" calls my little girl's voice from the other side of the door as I finally button up most of my shirt buttons. I let a small smirk grace my face as I let Amanda go before walking over to the door, opening to see Alanna in a green party dress looking up at me. "Aw . . . I wanted you to guess dad!"
"Sorry . . . but your voice was a no-brainer Alanna," I say with a chuckle as I picked her up in my arms and walked back over to the couch. "Now don't you have something to say to 'Manda?"
"Yes I do," she tells me quickly as I sit back down next to my mate. She then turns to face 'Manda with a big grin on her face. "Happy birthday 'Manda!"
"Oh thank you Alanna . . ." Amanda says with a smirk as I let Alanna break out of my grasp. "You haven't been giving your mother too much trouble while we've been on the road have you?"
"Nope . . . I have been especially good these past few weeks." she tells us with a nod of her head, her face showing how proud she was at her achievement.
"Oh really now . . ." I say with a chuckle as I placed a hand on my hip. "And how come you've been especially good these past few weeks huh?"
"I've been especially good these past few weeks because Mom said that if I didn't get into any trouble until the last day of school in June, then she would ask you if I could travel with you on the road for the summer." She tells me quickly, her giddy expression getting even giddier as she began to jump up and down.
"Oh really?" I ask in absolute shock as I let her announcement sink in. "I have never heard about this. Your mom actually said that?"
"Yep . . . Mom said she was going to talk to you about it during the party tonight." Alanna tells me with a smile as she weaves her fingers together.
"I see . . . why don't you go back out there and find your mother. 'Manda and I will be out there in just a minute." I tell her, still in slight shock at the possibility of my daughter possibly joining me on the road for a few months.
"Okay!" she says brightly before running out the room.
"Babe . . . Are you alright?" I hear Amanda ask me as I slowly got up from my seat.
"I'm fine 'Manda. I'm just still going through a bit of shock right now." I tell her with a chuckle as I walked over to the door.
"Hmm . . . I would be shocked too if I found out my daughter would possibly be joining me on the road for the summer as long as she remained good until the end of the school year," I hear her say in my ear as I felt her presence right behind me, her arms wrapping around my waist in a comforting hold. "Aren't you excited? This is good for you!"
"I'm excited, but still in shock," I tell her with a chuckle as I break out of her hold. "C'mon, let's head back out to your party. I've got to find Sam to talk about this."
"Then let's go find her then . . ." Amanda tells me with a smirk as she leads me out the room.
Normal POV
Amanda and Randy walked out the room and all the way back to the main hall where the party was going on full swing. Just as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by Nate, who looked at the two suspiciously before crossing his arms over his chest.
"Where have you two been? You've been gone for the past twenty minutes now." said the middle Orton sibling as he exchanged looks with the two.
"We've been around," Randy said simply as he tried to walk past his brother, but with one perfectly placed shoulder, Nate stopped him in his tracks. "Can you let us pass please?"
"Not until you answer my question brother," said Nate as he shook his head. "Where have you and your soul-mate been for the past twenty minutes? You better answer me, or else I'll not stop bugging you till the rest of the night."
"We went off to another room to do the blood exchange ritual . . ." Amanda told him bluntly as she crossed her arms. "There's your answer."
"The blood exchange ritual? That's what you two were up to?" Nate asked in absolute shock. "Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place? Was it that hard to say?"
"It was . . . we just didn't want to tell you because you're annoying," said Randy as he let a small smirk come across his face. 'Happy now?"
"Am I happy to get a straight answer? Yeah. . . ." said Nate as he shook his head. "Am I happy to find out that you find me annoying? No, no I am not."
"Well you are . . . if you were wondering." said Randy with a shrug as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Hey . . . no fighting you two!" said Amanda as she stepped in between the two brothers. "Save it for a time when it's not my birthday okay?"
"Fine . . ." said the two brothers in unison as they looked at her a tad guiltily.
"Now where were we . . . oh yeah," said Amanda as she remembered what Randy and her planned to do before they ran into Nate. "Nate, is Sam inside the hall?"
"Yep . . . last time I saw her, she was talking to Ted at the DJ booth," said Nate as he put his hands in his pockets. "You'll probably still find her there."
"Thanks bro . . ." said Randy as he walked into the room, 'Manda following right behind him as he walked over to the DJ booth. Sam was indeed still there talking to Ted, the two of them in the midst of heated conversation on pizza toppings.
"Pepperoni is a classic. I'm all for sausage, but pepperoni tops all pizza toppings hands down." said Sam as she shook her head.
"No way . . . Good old sausages are the best topping, as well as extra cheese!" said Ted as he crossed his arms. "Nothing beats sausage and cheese. . . Nothing!"
"Extra cheese basically drowns the whole pizza. . . . If you put extra cheese on a pizza, then that's all you're going to taste on the damn pizza," argued Sam as Amanda and Randy walked up to them. "Amanda, Randy, which pizza topping do you think is the best topping: pepperoni, sausage, or extra cheese?"
"I'm a sausage guy . . . pepperoni is okay, but I prefer sausage." said Randy as he took Ted's side.
"Pepperoni is the best one for me . . ." said Amanda as she took Sam's side. "I don't even consider extra cheese an actual pizza topping to tell you the truth."
"Um Sam . . . I hate to interrupt your heated conversation with Ted, but can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Randy as he pointed to another part of the room.
"Sure thing . . ." said Sam with a shrug. Then she turned back to Ted. "We are not finished with this conversation Teddy."
"Not by a long shot Samantha," said Ted in agreement, using Sam's full name for emphasis. He then set his sights on Amanda, who was looking on with a bemused smirk on her face. "Hey 'Manda, care to look at the music playlist I have planned for tonight?"
"Hmm . . . I am curious to see what you have planned tonight . . ." said Amanda with a smirk as she walked up to her fellow multi-generation superstar. As Amanda busied herself with the music, Randy and Sam walked off to another part of the room to talk.
"So . . . what did you want to talk to me about Randy?" asked Sam as the two sat down at one of the tables that were strewn throughout the room.
"Oh nothing much . . ." said the Viper as he let out a small breath. "I just wanted to talk to you about you saying to Alanna that it would be alright for her to come with 'Manda and me on the road during the summer if she behaved herself till the last day of school."
"Oh . . . you found out from her didn't you?" asked Sam as she raised an eyebrow.
"Uh . . . yeah, I did," said Randy with a smirk as he weaved his fingers together. "And I actually like the idea to tell you the truth."
"Aw . . . I knew you would!" said Sam as she punched him in the arm. "I thought it would be a nice way for you to bond as father and daughter for a couple of months. I figured a road trip would do Alanna some good."
"Well . . . we do have a lot to catch up on," said Randy as he let out a small sigh. "And it'll be nice to have Alanna on the road with me for a while."
"I just have one requirement for you before you even think about taking Alanna on the road with you and 'Manda. . . ." said Sam as she raised a finger. ". . . Just this one requirement."
"Alright then . . . spill," said Randy as he did a small shrug. "What do you want me to do?"
"I do not want you using your Hummer as your vehicle of choice when you travel around during the summer," said Sam as a stern expression came across her face, her motherly instincts coming into play. "Our daughter deserves better than that big gas guzzler you have Randal. Promise me you'll use a tour bus when you're out on the road this summer okay?"
"Alright then . . . I promise . . . and my Hummer is not a gas guzzler," said Randy as he crossed an x over his heart. "Besides, I was already thinking of getting a tour bus in the first place."
"You were?" asked Sam as she looked at him in shock.
"Yep . . . I was thinking of getting a tour bus when Amanda would be in the later stages of her pregnancy later in the year . . ." explained the Viper as he shook his head. "But if Alanna is going to come with me this summer, then a tour bus would be the better option over my Hummer."
"Which is a big freaking gas guzzler might I add . . ." said Sam as a smirk came over her face.
"Stop talking smack about my Hummer . . ." said Randy as a small scowl came across his face.
"Oh come on Randal . . ." said Sam, using his full name for emphasis. "We both know that your Hummer tends to use a lot of gas to run that big engine it got. . . It's one of the big reasons that the brand got discontinued years ago."
"Wait a minute . . . the brand was discontinued?" asked Randy as he looked at her in shock. "Damn . . . and just when I was thinking about buying another one."
"Don't push it . . ." SAID Sam as she sent him a threatening look, just as John walked over to them. "Oh . . . hey Johnny Boy!"
"Hey you two . . ." said the Cenation leader in greeting as he stood in between the two. "You exes aren't fighting with each other over here are you?"
"No . . . why would you say that?" asked Randy as he shot him a smirk.
"Well . . . it was suspicious to see your ex-wife look like she wanted to sucker punch you just now over a comment you made about buying a second Hummer," said John as he crossed his arms. "Don't you know those things use too much gas?"
"SEE!" cried Sam as she pointed to John. "He agrees with me!"
"Why are you over here anyway John?" asked Randy as he raised an eyebrow at his longtime friend.
"Edge wants our help with something outside . . . . He says it involves a bit of heavy lifting." said John as he nodded his head to the door.
"Heavy lifting?" asked the Viper as he slowly got out of his seat.
"Yeah . . . he went outside to get his gifts for the twins, but he dropped them and they ended up rolling under your Hummer," said John as the two made their way to the exit. "Since he has that bad back of his . . ."
". . . He wants us to basically do the heavy lifting for him." Randy finished with a smirk as the two walked out the room. The two men walked down the hallway and out the building, the Viper instantly stopping when he smelled a familiar scent in the air.
"What's up Randy?" asked John as Randy slowly scanned the area with his Viper-like glare. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yeah . . . I just smell the scent of someone that shouldn't even be here right now . . ." mumbled Randy as he made his way over to the parking lot.
"Oh crap . . . Don't tell me it's Batista . . ." mumbled John as he followed his friend. "Please do not tell me it's Batista."
"It's not Batista . . ." mumbled Randy as he crossed his arms. "It's someone I have known a lot longer than Dave . . . since high school actually."
"Don't tell me you bullied a geek in high school and now he's come back to exact revenge for all the years of torment you put him through." said Randy as they walked toward the Hummer.
"Not really . . . I dated a geek's girlfriend when I was in the military while the two were separated," answered Randy as he sniffed the air for Edge. "He wanted to make the relationship work, but she didn't let it . . . turns out she was a slut. She ended up cheating on me a while later . . . that's basically my explanation in a nut shell."
"Damn . . . if the girl didn't want to continue the relationship . . . then that geek got issues," said John as the two reached the Hummer, instantly spotting an unconscious Edge slumped right by the driver side door. "OH CRAP, EDGE!"
"Dammit . . ." mumbled the Viper as he crouched down beside the Rated R- Superstar's body. He spotted a small needle sticking out of the side of his neck and plucked it out, bringing it to his nose to sniff the contents. "He's been drugged . . . this small needle houses a sleeping agent. Judging by how strong it smells, Edge is going to be out for a good few hours."
"Shit . . . wait a second," said John as he plucked the needle out from Randy's grip. "This needle . . . this looks like the ones that are specifically designed to be shot out of blowpipes."
"You mean those long tube things indigenous tribes use for weapons?" asked Randy as he stood back up to his full height.
"Those are the ones . . . and nice use of the word 'indigenous' by the way," said John as he twirled the needle in between his fingers. "He must have shot this at Edge from long range in order to not get too close to him."
"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!"
Randy and John instantly turned around just in time to see two sleeper needles come right at them from somewhere east of them. One needle hit John right in his neck while the other one hit Randy in the arm.
"Oh crap . . . I feel so sleepy . . ." mumbled John as his face took on a sleepy expression. ". . . I'm going to go take a nap now . . . G'night Randy. . ."
"John . . . don't you dare sleep on me now," said Randy as he turned to the Cenation leader, the needle having less of an effect on him. John, on the other hand, fell asleep almost immediately, slumping down by the side of Randy's car and stopping when he was right next to Edge. Randy just shook his head at him as he slowly walked out into the roadway of the lot, his senses a little dampened now due to the sleeping potion.
"Where the hell are you Sheldon?" muttered Randy as he sniffed the air.
"Randy?"
Randy instantly turned around when he heard Amanda's voice, spotting her as she slowly walked toward him from the front of the building.
"Randy? What the hell is going on out here?" asked the Anaconda as Randy quickly ran over to her.
"Babe look . . . it's not safe out here. Sheldon is around here somewhere and he managed to knock Edge and John out. I need you to go back inside and stay inside." said Randy as he continued to look around the area.
"But what about you?" asked Amanda as brought her hands to his neck, her eyes instantly noticing the needle still in his arm. "It's obvious he got you too. I shouldn't just leave you out here alone."
"You're pregnant 'Manda," Randy told her swiftly as he looked her in the eye. "I'm not risking you or the baby's health in this matter. I'll be fine. It's just Sheldon. He's just a human anyway."
"Just a human huh . . ." asked Amanda as her eyes suddenly began to glow a bright yellow. Randy had no time to react as he felt a piercing pain right on either side of his neck, his body slowly numbing to a point of uselessness as 'Amanda' pushed him to the ground. Randy looked up at her in shock to see black claws where her fingernails are supposed to be. A sickening smile came across 'Amanda's face as she began to shift . . . into the one person Randy was currently not happy to see.
"Sheldon?" asked Randy in shock as his vision began to blur.
"Yep it's me . . . I'm not the mere human you thought I was Orton . . ." said Sheldon with a smirk as he shook his head. "The poison in your system should knock you out in a few seconds . . . it won't kill you . . . it'll just make you sleep for a while."
"Why . . ." muttered Randy as his voice began to slur.
"You'll find out . . . in time," said Sheldon as he let his smirk grow bigger. "But first."
Sheldon swiftly landed one hard punch to Randy's face, knocking Randy's skull right into the pavement, causing a small gash to open in the process. The man stood up and looked at the hall. The building's windows wouldn't give anyone the ability to see them from where he and Randy were, so he knew he was in the clear for the moment. Also, the music playing inside was very loud that it was practically deafening, so no one inside actually heard what was going out doors. He walked a few feet closer to look through one of the windows, smirking when he spotted Amanda and Monica talking to Ted at the DJ booth.
"Amanda, Monica . . . it's been a while . . ." said Sheldon as he put his hands in his pockets. "I hope you don't mind . . . but I'll be taking your venomous friend now."
Sheldon quickly walked back over to Randy and hoisted the tall man over his shoulder with ease. He shot the event hall one last look before walking to his car down the road, a smirk still on his face as he made his escape.
This isn't good. What are Sheldon's plans for Randy? We're just gonna have to wait and see.
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