Chapter 60: Returning to the Ring Pt. 2

Normal POV

The rest of the bus ride was filled with comfortable silence as it continued on its journey to the arena hosting the WWE's Fastlane pay-per-view that day. While Nate busied himself with the task of looking through old emails on his phone, Randy and Amanda watched a 'Law & Order' on the TV that was hanging on the wall across the bus' walkway, both of them occasionally sneaking peaks at the crib in the back of the bus to make sure their girls were still asleep.

"I'm telling you 'Manda. It's the librarian who committed the murder and framed the waitress," said the Viper as he pointed the screen. "The murder that happened in this episode was a gruesome one, and it's always the ones we least suspect that are guilty of the crime."

"It's not always the ones that we least suspect that are guilty of the crime Ran," said Amanda as she shook her head. "Sometimes it's a relative of the murder victim that's the guilty one, like now for instance. It's the victim's brother that did it I tell yah. He acted way too cooperative with the feds, and he knows all the other suspects in the crime."

"I'm telling you it's the librarian that did it," Randy argued back as he turned to his brother, who was still in his spot across the table. "Nate, you're with me on this one right?"

"Nope, I'm totally on 'Manda's side in this case," said the younger Orton as he put his phone back into his pocket. "Besides, I've seen this episode before, but don't worry. I'm not going to spoil it for the two of you."

"Good . . ." said Randy as he turned his attention back on to the screen, just in time to watch the detectives lead the victim's brother out of the building in handcuffs before it went to credits. ". . . You have got to be kidding me."

"Looks like I win this round Mr. Viper," said Amanda as she pat him on the shoulder. "Better luck next time baby, but I got to admit, you did make a good point on one thing. Sometimes the person that's responsible for a crime is the person we least expect."

"At least you give me that . . ." Randy said sarcastically as he got out of his seat. "How much longer till we get to the arena Hal?"

"I'm driving into the parking lot as we speak," called the man at the wheel as the group felt the bus turn left. "I should have this bad boy in a parking spot in another 10-15 minutes give or take."

"Ah . . . I guess that's my signal to get the girls back in their stroller." said Amanda as she slid out of her chair.

"Need any help?" asked the Viper as he watched as his mate walked toward the back of the bus.

"Ah . . . not really," said Amanda as she reached the crib and reached down into it, taking Gabi up in her arms as the baby began to wake up. ". . . Did I wake you from your nap Gabi? I'm sorry. . ."

"Did the Anaconda just speak in a baby voice?" Nate asked bluntly as he turned to the mother holding her youngest child. He turned to his brother to see that he was looking at his mate adoringly, his lips turned up into a small smile as he took up his phone. "And is the Viper about to take a photo of his fiancée and youngest daughter with a smile on his face? . . . Oh gosh, you guys may be two of the most dangerous wrestlers that are currently on the WWE's roster, but off-camera, you are two of the most adorable parents I've ever met. . . Don't put a family photo on your social media feed Randy. You may hurt both yours' and 'Manda's street cred with that one shot."

"Oh shut up Nate," said Randy as he rolled his eyes in response to his brother's commentary as he raised his phone up in the air. "The other guys know very well not to make fun of me when it comes to my family life. If you remember correctly dear brother, I tend to respond back very harshly when someone wants to talk smack about our family."

"That's true . . ." said Nate as he shook his head as Randy took the photo, Gabi smiling to the camera as 'Manda looked at her with a smile on her face. "Well, one thing's for sure, Gabi's not one for being camera shy. She's a natural at smiling, which is weird considering her parents are usually fans of the smirking look."

"Be quiet Nate . . ." said Amanda as she put Gabi into her seat and fastened her in. "Ran, do you mind sending me the photo you just took of me and Gabi?"

"Sure thing . . . Just let me post it to one of my social media accounts," said the Viper as he began to tap away at his phone's screen. "There! I've made my social media contribution for the week. Now I can send you the photo . . ."

"You seriously aren't that prolific when it comes to updating your accounts huh bro?" asked Nate as he stood up from his seat and stretched out his legs.

"If you hadn't notice Nate, 'Manda and I are not really the social media types," said Randy as he finished sending the photo in an email before putting his phone back into his pocket. ". . . But I have noticed the increase in activity on your accounts 'Manda. What gives?"

"Maybe I'm in long-running good mood . . ." said the Anaconda as she placed Dani in her stroller, she too now awake. "I got thousands of likes from sharing a photo of my engagement ring alone. . ."

"Wait, you were the one that posted our engagement news on social media?" asked Randy as he looked at her a little shocked.

"Yeah . . . I posted it on my accounts, and then I posted it on your account after I hacked into it," Amanda explained to him as she fastened Dani into her seat. "Who else did you think did it?"

"I thought it was Monica who hacked into our accounts and posted it for us, or Nate, probably . . ." said the Viper as he shook his head. "I never figured you would have done it yourself."

"I figured why not . . . Besides, if neither of us did it, Monica would have probably hacked into our accounts and posted the news for us anyway." said Amanda as she zipped up her coat.

"That . . . that is actually possible . . ." mumbled the Viper as Amanda put the girls' baby bag into the basket under the stroller before rolling it into the front of the bus, just as they heard the sounds of Hal cutting the engine. "I'll take the stroller off the bus."

"Remember bro . . . Lift with your knees and not with your legs," said Nate as Randy pushed the stroller over to the stairs. "We don't want you to pull a muscle just as you're about to appear on TV for the first time in months."

"I'll be fine . . ." said the Viper as he lifted the stroller and walked down the stairs, tentatively taking one step at a time as he went. When he finally had the stroller on solid ground again, he turned around to face his brother, who was staring at him from the top of the stairs with a small smirk on his face. "See Nate, nothing to it . . ."

"You may have gotten through this round safely, but who knows, it could happen . . ." said Nate as he jumped from the top of the stairs and onto the ground, landing as quietly as a cat.

"Let's hope it never does . . ." mumbled Amanda as she got off the bus last, carrying her purse in one hand and Randy's duffle bag in the other. "C'mon, let's get inside before a crazy fan pops out from thin air."

"Has that happened to you two before?" asked Nate as he raised an eyebrow.

"Plenty of times . . ." mumbled the Viper as the three began to walk down the row of cars and buses to the entryway. "The worse times are when they suddenly appear when it's close to our birthdays."

"And speaking of birthdays, someone here is going to be celebrating their birthday pretty soon . . ." said Nate as he wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders. "In little over a month, you're going to be celebrating birthday number 35, big bro. Are you hoping for a big party or a small one?"

"Hopefully a small one," Randy told him bluntly as he turned to his mate. "I'm putting in my request now so that you won't forget later babe."

"A small one huh?" asked Amanda as the three reached the security checkpoint. Randy and Amanda quickly showed their IDs to the man on guard, who quickly let them all through. "Well, you did have a pretty big one last year, so I guess I can plan a small one this time around . . . Since we're on the topic of your birthday now, I should ask you this question now rather than later. Do you have any specific gift requests?"

"You know there's only one gift I really want for my birthday. . ." said Randy as he looked Amanda up and down, giving his mate an obvious hint at what he wanted for his birthday.

"I guess if it worked last year, I guess it'll work again for this year . . ." said Amanda as she let out a small sigh.

"Wait a second. If you guys went at it on Randy's birthday last year; and then almost nine months later you have the twins . . ." mumbled Nate as he brought a hand to his chin, a look of realization soon coming across his face. "Dani and Gabi were a result of birthday sex weren't they?"

"Despite the fact that I want to violently slap you for even saying that sentence out loud where half the staff has extra-sensitive hearing, I have got to admit that . . . you have a point there." said 'Manda as she shook her head.

"I'm shocked . . ." said the Viper as he turned to his mate. "I was waiting for you to hit Nate one way or another after he said his piece just now, but you're not going to. Motherhood must really be mellowing you out . . ."

"I know. . . Plus, I don't want to appear violent to the twins." said Amanda as Randy pat her on the back.

"If Dani and Gabi can smile as soon as you show them your red eyes, I think they can handle seeing you slap their uncle senseless . . ." said the Viper as he spotted Hunter and Stephanie walking up to them from down the hallway.

"If that's the case, I can't wait to see how your girls turn out when they get older . . ." said Hunter as he and his wife reached the group. "I'll just cut to the chase about tonight's event. You already know that the Authority's match will be the first one right?"

"Yep . . . After the Authority wins, I appear out of nowhere and lay waste to some of the members of the stable while Rollins runs away with his tail in between his legs," said Randy as he shook his head. "I get the gist of it."

"Good," said Stephanie as she shook her head, but there was a hard edge to her face that practically everyone in the group noticed. "Hopefully, this event goes off without a hitch."

"Why wouldn't it?" asked Amanda as she raised an eyebrow. "Is something supposed to happen tonight?"

"Well, there's been this renegade group of supernatural criminals that have been running rampant all across Memphis these past couple of months," explained Hunter as she shook his head. "They have yet to be caught, simply because no one knows who they exactly are."

"No one knows who they are?" asked Nate as he raised an eyebrow. "They must be pretty good at staying hidden. . ."

"So, no one has seen any of these criminals' faces?" asked Randy as Amanda handed him his duffle bag.

"If someone did, they didn't live long enough to talk about it," said Stephanie as she shook her head. "All that is for certain is that this group of renegades has a tendency to show themselves when a huge group of supernaturals are gathered in one area, as if they can sense them out . . ."

"And since the dominantly supernatural WWE is in town, there's a good chance they'll show up here tonight . . ." said Amanda a she took hold of the stroller's handles. "Do you really think they'll pull a bold move with so many humans around?"

"They haven't pulled something of that magnitude yet, but who's to say they won't do it tonight . . ." mumbled Stephanie as she shook her head.

"Don't worry Steph . . . I'm sure everything will be fine." said Hunter as he wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. "Now, don't you have a couple of production assistants you have to hassle or something?"

"I don't hassle, I constructively criticize . . ." said Stephanie as the Cerebral Assassin led his mate away. "We'll see you guys later to talk about Raw tomorrow night!"

"Sure thing!" called Randy before following his mate and his brother towards craft services. "Do you guys think those criminals will pull something major tonight?"

"I'm not certain," said Amanda as she shook her head. "This is the first time I'm ever hearing about these criminals terrorizing Memphis . . . All I know for sure is if anyone of those criminals come near one of our girls, I will not hesitate to kick their freaking butts straight out of Tennessee."

"Ooh, Mama Snake got some fighting words in her," said Nate as they turned a corner. "What about you Mr. Viper? Got anything to say?"

"I'll let my actions speak more than my words," said the Viper as he wrapped an arm around his mate's waist. Nate simply shook his head in understanding as he followed after the couple, none of them realizing that a mysterious figure, dressed as one of the staff members, was watching them as they walked, a small smirk coming across his face as he turned away and walked down the hall.

Later; Right at the beginning of WWE Fastlane

Amanda turned the corner and walked over to the entryway to the gorilla position, where she found her fiancée standing in front of one of the monitors watching as the Authority, aka Kane, Big Show, and Seth Rollins, along with J&J Security, approached the ring for their match against Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler, and Ryback. She silently crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, which actually made the Viper tense a little before he realized who was behind him.

"Scared you didn't I?" said the Anaconda with a smirk on her face as she rested her chin on his tattooed shoulder. The Viper let out a small chuckle as he relaxed in his mate's hold, the tension in his body slowly fading as he turned his head to look at her. "I see someone's very focused on making their return tonight."

"You can say that . . ." said Randy as Amanda loosened her grip, which allowed the Viper to turn around in order to look at her better. "So, are you coming out there to join me or not?"

"Unfortunately, it's going to have to be a not," said Amanda as she shot him a sheepish look. "I won't be joining you out there tonight, but I'll definitely be reappearing when I escort you to the ring tomorrow so you can start off Raw."

"Ah . . . I guess I can wait one more night before I have you at my side in the ring again," said the Viper as he shook his head. "So, did Ted have his annual WrestleMania vision yet?"

"He did, he did . . ." said Amanda as Randy pecked her on her forehead. "And let me just say this: you and Rollins pull off one epic Curb Stomp into an RKO maneuver for the great Show of Shows."

"Wait, you actually saw it . . ." said the Viper as he raised an eyebrow. He finally realized how she did it when she pointed to her head. "Oh right, you're psychic after all."

"Do you want me to show you it?" asked Amanda as a mischievous smirk came across her face. Randy simply shook his head. "Suit yourself. . ."

"I don't want to ruin it for myself babe," said the Viper as he shot her a fang bearing grin. "But thanks for offering me the chance anyway."

"Alright then, I respect your decision," said Amanda as she pat his cheek. "And by the way, nice choice of wresting trunks baby; the red really goes well with your skin tone."

"Well, the black trunks with the red graphic design have always been a favorite of mine," said the Viper as he did a small shrug. Amanda just shook her head. "Wait, that's not the case, is it . . ."

"Let's just say your choice of trunks for WrestleMania has a lot less black, and a lot more red in it," said Amanda as she let out a small chuckle. "And when I say a lot more red, well . . . think back to your early Legend Killer days when you still were into the idea of wearing brightly colored briefs to the ring."

"Oh . . . that's what you mean . . ." said Randy as a look of realization came across his face. "If anyone asks why I changed my ring attire for that day, just say that I had a really bad lapse of judgement."

Of course I will . . ." said Amanda as she broke out of his grip. "You should probably get moving. You don't want Barry on your ass wondering why you're not in position to make your reappearance now do ya?"

"That I don't, but it is fun to annoy him once in a while anyway," said the Viper as he leaned down and gave his fiancée a long kiss to the lips. When the two eventually detached themselves from each other, Randy kissed his soon-to-bride on her forehead before making his way down the hallway. "I'll see you later baby."

"See yah! I'll be right here waiting for yah!" said Amanda as she waved him off with a small smirk on her face. Randy sent a smirk right back at her before turning the corner, leaving his fiancée alone with the TV monitor and the sounds of the WWE Universe echoing from the arena.

"No you won't Miss Anaconda . . ."

"Huh?" called Amanda as she heard the masculine voice from somewhere behind her. She turned around to see that no one was down the hall, the mysterious voice appearing from somewhere out of the blue to address her. "Is someone there?"

"I'm here, and there, and everywhere . . . Let's go on a little trip shall we?"

Randy's POV; 25 minutes later

"Man it feels good to be back . . ." I say with a smirk on my face as I walk through the gorilla position. I reach the hallway to see some of the members of the Authority talking amongst themselves down the hall and a stagehand grabbing a piece of camera equipment from a crate a little further behind them, but I don't see Amanda anywhere. ". . . She said she would wait for me here, but where is she?"

"Hey Randy!" I turn to see Cody walking up to me with his brother and Kaitlyn just behind him, the two Rhodes brothers already dressed up in their Stardust and Goldust wrestling regalia, which is a little creepy if you ask me. "Nice reappearance out there!"

"Thanks . . . Uh, have any of you guys seen 'Manda around?" I ask them as I look down the direction from where they came. She wasn't down that section of the hallway either. "She said she would wait for me here outside of the gorilla position, but as you can see she's nowhere to be found."

"Well, she's definitely not at craft services. That was where we were at before coming here," said Kaitlyn as she shook her head. "Maybe she's with Monica. She's in Wade's locker room with the twins. You'll probably find her there."

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks guys . . ." I tell them as I start jogging down the hall. It didn't take me long to find Wade's locker room, considering it had an 'Intercontinental Champion' nameplate right on the front. "Monica?"

"Yes?" I hear her call out as the sounds of her footsteps come closer to the door. She opens it while carrying Dani in her other arm. Wade was sitting on the couch with Gabi in his arms and his title belt right beside him. "Oh, hey Randy! Where's 'Manda? I thought she was with you."

"That was what I was about to ask you . . ." I tell her as I lean against the doorframe. "I haven't seen her since I left to go reintroduce myself to the Authority out in the ring."

"Well, Wade and I haven't seen her since she dropped off the twins a while back." she tells me as she shakes her head. "Have you tried Nate? Maybe she's with him."

"I doubt it, because I'm right here and as you can see, she's not with me," says Nate as he walks over to us from down the hall. "I haven't seen her for a while now, and she's not the only one people are looking for."

"What do you mean Nate?" I ask as Wade walks over to us with Gabi right in his arms.

"I mean that Amanda isn't the only one that's suddenly disappeared. Layla and Kelly have suddenly gone missing too. Sheamus and Ted are looking everywhere for them." explains Nate as he shrugs his shoulders. "Sheamus and Ted last saw them heading for the Divas locker room together, and I just talked to Alicia about it before coming here. She said she was in the Divas locker room for the past half hour and she never saw them come in."

"That's not good . . . Where do you think they went off to?" asked Monica as she looked at the rest of us with concern in her eyes.

"Who knows?" mumbles Nate as we hear another pair of footsteps approaching our position. "Hopefully they're all alright. . . Kofi, have you seen Amanda, Kelly, or Layla anywhere?"

"I haven't seen Amanda at all, but Sheamus and Ted just found Layla and Kelly. They're bringing them over to the trainer's office now." Kofi tells us as he starts jogging down the hall.

"The trainer's office?" Monica asks in slight shock as Nate starts following after Kofi. "What could have happened to them?"

"That's what I'm about to find out . . ." I say as I jog after them. "Just keep watching the twins for me until I get back okay!?"

"Will do!" I hear Monica say as I follow Kofi and Nate over to the trainer's office. Once we get there, we walk in to see Kelly lad out on the medical bed with Ted sitting next to her holding her hand. Sheamus was sitting in a second chair with Layla sitting snugly on his lap, a grimace dotting her face as Dr. Amman stood by the wall writing something down, mumbling something about impromptu injuries.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Nate asks them as Alicia and Kaitlyn run in to the room right after us, soon followed by Edge and Lita.

"I'm actually quite foggy on the details. . ." mumbles Kelly as she shakes her head. "One minute we were heading to the locker room, the next minute we wake up outside by the dumpsters having no idea how we exactly got there. Well, that's in my case. What about you Layla?"

"I remember everything, for the most part . . ." grumbles Layla as she shakes her head. "Like Kelly said: we were heading to the locker room to go talk with a few of the other Divas. Then all of a sudden, we see an unconscious Amanda being carried by some invisible force down the intersecting hallway right in front of us."

"An invisible force carrying 'Manda away?" mumbles Lita as she shakes her head. "That definitely doesn't sound good."

"Well, whatever was carrying her never noticed us, so we silently followed after it, keeping our distance from them the whole time. We followed it toward one of the side exits, where this man was waiting for them with this . . . unsure look on his face. . . ."

"Unsure look on his face . . ." I ask as this new piece of info manages to distract me away from my ever-growing anger. "Like . . . As if he was wondering if kidnapping my fiancée was a good idea or not?"

"Yeah . . . basically," mumbles Layla as she shook her head. "Also, the man looked quite familiar . . . like I have seen him before somewhere."

"Like you saw him before . . ." mutters Nate as he raises an eyebrow. "Where do you think you've seen him before Layla?"

"I think during the WWE's last visit to Texas. Last year I believe, right before winter started I think . . ." mumbles Layla as she pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Layla, how familiar was this man to you?" I ask her in my calmest voice possible, somehow managing to keep my tone from growing louder in anger in the process.

"He looked familiar in that . . . he has a similar physical resemblance to you and Nate Randy," she tells me as she shakes her head. "To be honest, he kinda looked like your cousin Jasper you guys."

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