Chapter 72: Venues
Amanda's POV; A day after Payback
"It was nice of Steph and Hunter to give us the next two weeks off from work," I say with a smirk as Randy continues to do pull ups from the top of our bedroom doorway. "It'll be nice to have some time to ourselves after being on the road for so long."
"I still don't know why they gave us the time off though . . ." Randy mumbles with a scowl on his face. "It just seems so out of the blue if you ask me."
"It wasn't out of the blue. They told us their reasoning behind their decision," I say with a small shake of my head. "They gave us the time off because they wanted to slide you out of the main storyline for a little while so it could focus more on the feud between Rollins and Ambrose leading up to the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in a couple of weeks."
"Is that why? Huh, I must have not been paying attention to that part of the conversation . . ." he says with a shrug as he finally drops down from his pull up bar. "Since we're going to be off for the next two weeks, I'm not allowed back at work until the Raw after the chamber pay-per-view right?"
"That's correct. My best guess for now is that once you're back on TV, you'll be put in matches to build up some momentum for yourself leading in to the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view, considering the fact that you are one of the guys that will be competing in the ladder match to claim that coveted gold briefcase. . ." I say with a smirk as he walks over to my side of the bed. "You do remember that you're going to be one of the six guys in the match right?"
"I remember that part, but I don't remember who I'll be competing against," he tells me bluntly as he sits down right next to me. "Care to refresh my memory?"
"Reigns, Sheamus, Neville, Kofi, and Ziggler are going to be your competition Randy, but Steph and Hunter are still thinking about adding more men to the match, so you better look out for that . . ." I say as I fall back on to the bed. "What's up with you these past few days? You're never this spacey Mr."
"I know; I know . . ." he tells me as he hovers above me. "It's just that I can't help but think about what the freaking hell Rochelle could be up to right now. Ever since my birthday dinner weeks ago, she's been virtually silent. No reappearances, no phone calls. Nothing . . . It's been putting me a little on edge."
"Knowing her, she'll probably reappear eventually . . ." I say as I bring a hand to his cheek. "But still, you are right. It is a little unsettling that Rochelle has basically gone silent on us all of a sudden."
"Even though I really hope that my birthday dinner would be the last time I ever see her, even I know that hope isn't really going to be possible," he tells me as he shakes his head. "I'm still mad at her that she tried to offer you a spot among her posse."
"Sheesh, like I would ever accept that crazy girl's offer," I say as I let my other hand crawl toward the drawstring on his sweatpants. "Besides, I already have our girls and wedding planning to deal with, as well as you."
"Me?" he asks me in slight shock as he raises an eyebrow. "Am I really that much of a pain in the butt?"
"Only when you're angry . . ." I say as I start to play around with the hem of his pants. "And when you're angry, I usually have to be the one to calm you down before you start getting real angry."
"And how do you usually calm me down huh?" he asks me as he finally plays along, a small smirk starting to spread across his face.
"I have many ways, to be honest. They range from using my psychic powers to much more . . ." I say as I pull him down onto me, our bodies now pressed together as Randy looks at me with a bemused expression ". . . physical means."
"And what are these physical means you speak of?" Randy asks me curiously as I reach down and cup his clothed balls with a firm hand, getting an instant groan from him in response. "Oh . . . that's what you mean by physical means huh?"
"That's right . . ." I say as I whisper in his ear as I continue to fondle his manhood. "And we both know how cooperative you can be when I go the physical route in order to calm you down."
"That's true . . ." he whispers back as I feel his lips on my neck. "But you got to remember baby. I don't usually let you have all the fun. I do tend to fight back."
"And how are you going to fight back this time around huh?" I ask in a teasing tone of voice, but I stop talking as soon as Randy bites down on my neck, his mischievous chuckle echoing through my eardrums as he begins to feed. "You are such a bastard, you know that right?"
"I've been called that plenty of times before . . ." he tells me through our telepathic link as I spot Nate poking his head into our room.
"What do you want Nate?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "Can't you see Randy and I are busy in here?"
"Uh, two things . . ." says the younger brother as he crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. "Can you stop with the sexual innuendos when I'm in hearing distance? I can hear you guys easily from the front of the bus. And by the way, I am amazed that you two would be acting like this when your own daughters are in the same room with you guys. Don't you two have any sense of decency?"
"Actually, the twins are right now napping with their noise-canceling headphones on," I say with a smirk as I point to the crib right next to the bed. "You can take a look if you want."
"Oh, you're right . . . They're asleep alright. I guess I have to take back my decency question then," he says as he takes a quick look into the crib. "Randy, how's the feeding going?"
Randy shoots him a thumbs' up before flipping his brother the bird, which both Nate and I couldn't help but laugh at.
"Don't come between Randy and his quest for my blood I guess," I say as I pat him on the back. "Anyway, what was the second thing you were going to say Nate?"
"I was going to say that we just got off the highway and we're almost near the loft . . ." Nate tells me with a smirk before walking back toward the front of the bus. "We should be there in another ten minutes, so you two better get ready to disembark."
"Thanks for the heads' up Nate," I say as I turn my gaze to the man on top of me. "C'mon Randy, you heard your brother just now just as well as I did. We got to get ready to leave the bus soon."
"Give me just one more minute . . ." he tells me through our link as I feel his arm wrap around my back. He rolls us around so that I was now on top of him before sitting us up, all while keeping his fangs firmly in my throat. His tongue touches my skin as his fangs finally dislodge from my throat, a smirk playing on his lightly blood-tinted lips as he stares at me affectionately. "There, now I'm done."
"Remind me to return you the favor one day . . ." I say as I shake my head, getting a little dizzy in the process. "And isn't it considered carnivorous for a vampire to feed on the blood of another vampire?"
"Nope; it's actually quite common among our kind, especially when it's done between soulmates. Feeding on each other's blood actually helps to strengthen the bond between mates," he tells me with a smirk as I slide off his body. "Now then, you handle the girls, while I bring the luggage out front."
"Fine," I say as I slowly walk over to the crib. "Besides, I'll probably be more useful getting the girls' ready than lifting out the luggage. I feel too dizzy for that kind of heavy lifting anyway."
"Sorry; I may have overdid it on the blood feeding," he tells me sincerely as he lifts up his suitcase and walks out to the front of the bus, just as the bus comes to a stop. "Oh good; we're home."
"I'll get the girls in their stroller . . ." I say as I picked up Dani and took off her headphones. She lets out a small moan, but doesn't wake up as I strap her to her seat. Gabi ends up being the same way as I hold her in my arm while wheeling Dani out to the front of the bus. Hal ends up helping me bring the stroller out onto the curb while Randy and Nate handle the last of our bags. Once our luggage was safely on the sidewalk, I place Gabi in the stroller next to her sister before I join Randy in waving as Hal and Nate make their departure.
"I'll see you guys later!" Nate calls after us as the bus turns the corner. "Good day for now!"
"Good day for now?" Randy asks as he looks at me in disbelief. "Who in the world says that for a goodbye?"
"Your brother, apparently . . ." I say as I walk over to the front door. Once I got the door open, I push the stroller inside and leave Randy to carry the bags in, making my way over to the elevator that led up to the main apartment up on the next floor. "Randy, you wouldn't mind us going out on a little excursion later today right?"
"Depends on what kind of excursion you are talking about . . ." he tells me as the elevator door opens up. "Where do you want us to go today on this little excursion of yours anyway. . ?"
"I was hoping we could go scope out the spot where our wedding could possibly take place," I tell him as I push the stroller into the cart before holding the door open so that Randy could pull the bags in. "If all things go well, and I have a good feeling it will, I could put in the deposit today to reserve the place for the 5th of September."
"Sure thing babe . . ." he tells me with a smirk as he pecks me on the cheek. "Wait, where exactly is the place anyway?"
"It's by the Mississippi River in the Riverview neighborhood. It's called Marseilles by the Riverfront . . ." I say as I press the up button, the doors sliding shut in an instant. "It's very French in theme, which some of your French relatives may enjoy Ran."
"Doesn't the name sound a little redundant to you?" Randy asks me with an eyebrow raised as he crosses his arms. "The place has the phrase 'by the Riverfront' in its name, and yet it's already next to the Mississippi. . ."
"Yeah, it does sound a little redundant . . ." I say with a shrug. "But I don't care. As long as it's a nice place to hold a wedding, then I'm fine with its name."
"I guess you're not going to allow anything faze you when you're wedding planning huh?" Randy asks me as we reach our floor. "Nothing will break your concentration . . ."
"Nothing at all . . ." I say as I push the stroller out of the elevator. "Well, unless something really profound happens . . ."
"Like a kiss?" I hear Randy suggest as the sounds of our luggage rolling along the ground echoes through my eardrums.
"Depends on the kiss . . ." I say as I suddenly hear the luggage drop. As soon as I turn around, Randy presses his lips to mine and wraps me in his arms, my body now pressed to his. His actions were basically something out of a romantic movie, basically turning my knees into mush as I start to struggle to stay up in his grip. Lucky for me, I didn't have to struggle with standing up that much longer as Randy suddenly decides to pick me up in his arms bridal style, me instantly reacting to his action by wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, both of us not ceasing our kiss until he ungraciously drops me onto the couch, butt first. "That was so not needed . . ."
"True . . ." he says as he does a small shrug. "But it was profound enough to break your concentration on the wedding planning for a moment, now wasn't it?"
"Well . . ." I say as I try to think of a sarcastic retort as he walks toward the stroller, but I end up coming up empty. "Okay . . . you got me there."
Randy's POV; A couple hours later
"And this here is the main ballroom . . ."
"Oh my goodness . . . This room is beautiful . . ." 'Manda practically gushes as a wide grin comes across her face, and the face of our guide as she leads us around the place. After exploring both the outside grounds and all the other rooms that was in this large place, from the kitchen to the rooms that brides and grooms usually get ready in before their fateful moment, we had finally reached this place's center point. Over the course of the tour, I couldn't help but notice how the Marseilles by the Riverfront has basically transfixed and amazed my fiancée. 'Manda has been wearing a smile on her face ever since we stepped foot into this place, and I couldn't be more glad. Even though this sounds clichéd, I'll just say it anyway: As long as she's happy, I'm happy.
"I guess this place has definitely gotten your seal of approval huh babe?" I say with a smirk as the guide and my bride-to-be walk further into the large, nicely furnished room to inspect it even further. "So, do you want our wedding to happen here or not?"
"Must you be so blunt?" she asks me with an eyebrow raised as the blonde guide holds back a chuckle. "And to answer your question Randy: Yes, I want our wedding to happen here. The question now is whether you want it to happen here or not. What do you think Ran?"
"I'm all for it!" I say with a grin as I look down at our girls, both of them looking around the place with wide eyes as they continue to suck on their pacifiers. "The girls seem to like the place too. Plus, this building has more than enough room to host all our friends and family for a day. I'd say we hit the paperwork already."
"That's my impatient fiancé for you . . ." she tells the guide with a grin on her face. "And I think you can guess what we want to do next right?"
"The main office is right down the hallway on our right . . ." says the woman, who I think her name is Susanna, as the two ladies walk back over to my position. "All that's left to do concerns the paperwork and the deposit, and you all could be back on the road within an hour. Is there a specific day you're looking to have your wedding take place on?"
"The 5th of September . . ." Amanda tells her as she shakes her head.
"Oh good . . . And just in time too," says Susanna as she walks out the room, followed by 'Manda and me as I bring up the rear with the stroller. "Another couple was thinking about having their wedding on that date too, but they were too undecided since they also had a few other dates under their consideration."
"I guess we helped them a little with their decision making then . . ." I say with a smirk as I smell something funky coming from the stroller. It was coming more so from Dani's side of the stroller than Gabi's. "Um, where're the bathrooms again? One of our girls needs her diaper changed."
"They're down at the very end of the opposite side of the hallway. They're the two very last doors," says the woman as she points in the opposite direction. "Both of the bathrooms have changing tables for the little ones."
"That's good to know . . ." I say as I unbuckle Dani from her seat and take her up in my arms. "I'll go change Dani. You go on ahead with Gabi 'Manda."
"Alright then . . ." she tells me as she hands me a diaper, baby powder, and baby wipes from the baby bag. I watch the two walk down the hallway toward the office before turning to walk the opposite direction. Lucky for me, the men's bathroom was completely empty, so that means I avoided another potentially awkward moment with a fan . . . well, for the moment. Not willing to risk another encounter, especially when I had one of my own kids with me, I quickly walk over to one of the two changing stations in the room and got straight to changing Dani. Within 15 minutes, I'm out of the bathroom with my clean middle child in my arms and making my way down to the office, where I walk in to see Susanna and 'Manda already conversing on some other details concerning the wedding.
"We're back everyone . . ." I say as I hand Dani and the remaining baby supplies that I didn't use in the bathroom off to 'Manda. "Did we miss much?"
"Not really . . . I already handed in our deposit and signed my share of the paperwork," 'Manda tells me with a smirk as she quickly fastens Dani into her seat. "Now, it's your turn to sign your share, and then we can go."
"Alright then . . . show me where to sign," I say as I pick up a pen from off the table. After I get through all my share of the paperwork, we go through some final details with Susanna before shaking hands and leaving the building, all within the hour like the woman had said. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought."
"It wasn't as time consuming as you thought huh?" 'Manda tells me childishly as she wraps her arms around my neck. "C'mon . . . admit it . . ."
"Alright, I'll admit it . . . It wasn't as time consuming as I thought," I tell her as she gives me a kiss to the cheek. "And you are definitely in a happy mood now that we got the wedding location settled and all babe. Care to explain why?"
"What? I can't be happy for a moment without it being suspicious?" she asks me with a small pout as she takes control of the stroller. It makes her lips look so kissable right now that I found myself holding myself back from grabbing her and kissing her right here in the middle of the parking lot for anyone to see.
"No . . . it's just nice to see you in a good mood, that's all . . ." I say with a smirk as we reach my Hummer. "I like it when you smile babe. Your smile is one of your most flattering features anyway."
"You are such a charmer . . ." she tells me with a grin as I open up the back passenger side door. We quickly get Dani and Gabi inside the car before putting their stroller in the trunk. Once Amanda got herself settled in the back between the kids and I was finally seated at the wheel, I put the key into the ignition and start up the engine to get ourselves out of here. "So, we're heading straight back home right?"
"Well that's the plan isn't it?" I say with a smirk as I pull us out of the parking space. "Well, unless something else happens along the way, but I seriously doubt that. I don't know about you, but I'm just fine with going straight home to spend time with you and our girls."
"Wow, you sound like such the family man Randy . . ." she tells me with a smirk as she starts to lean into my field of vision. "What would you from ten, no wait, fifteen years ago say if he saw you now saying these things?"
"To be honest, I think he would have punched me in the face . . ." I tell her bluntly as I really think about my answer, gaining a loud chuckle from her in response. "You know how self-destructive and cocky I was back then 'Manda baby. If I remember correctly, back then, I wasn't too keen on the idea of starting a family, especially since I was basically a 20 year old pain in the butt who had a tendency to dabble in some . . . negative behavior."
"Yeah . . . well. That is true . . ." she tells me with a grin as she patted me on the side of the head. "You were truly a pain in the butt back then Mr. Casanova."
"Oh . . . now you bring up my womanizing past huh?" I say with a playful scowl on my face. "C'mon babe, you know that's all in the past now. You know you're the only woman for me."
"Of course I know that . . . I only mentioned it because there were a few times that you failed to woo your targets, miserably, might I add . . ." she tells me with a fang bearing grin. "It was definitely fun to see you get turned down by a girl that you thought you had in the bag."
"I'm glad to hear that my flirting failures brought you absolute joy honey," I say with a small scowl on my face as I turn the car onto another street. "I'm glad to hear that. . ."
"You're welcome baby . . ." she tells me as she kisses me on the cheek again, just as my phone begins to vibrate in my pocket. "Someone's calling you baby . . ."
"Yeah, I can actually feel it happening babe," I say as my phone continues to vibrate against my leg. "Due to traffic laws, I can't answer it while I'm driving, so can you please reach into my pocket, take out my phone, and answer it for me?'
"Certainly my dear . . ." she tells me with a smirk as I feel her hand on my leg. She quickly reaches into my pocket and takes out my phone before answering it, retreating to the backseat as she brought the device to her ear. "Hello, Randy can't speak right now since he's at the wheel. May I take a message?"
"Well that's a nice way of playing messenger . . ." I say with a chuckle as I look up at my mirror, my smirk turning neutral as Amanda's face took on a look of disbelief. "Babe . . . babe, what's wrong? Who's that on the phone?"
"That was your sister . . .' she tells me as she ends the call from her end. "She wants us to get to the clinic immediately."
"The clinic . . . The same clinic you gave birth to the twins at?" I ask as I stop the car at an intersection. She silently shakes her head yes. "Why?"
"It . . . it concerns your mother Ran . . ." is all she tells me as a worried look etches itself across her beautiful face. Her news instantly rattling me down to my core. "Becky would have explained more, but since she knew that you were within earshot . . ."
"She decided to hold back the rest of her information so that I could maintain a clearer head since I am the one driving after all . . ." I say as I shake my head. "Well, I do have a bad tendency to get a bit crazy with my driving when I'm angry . . . Talk about road rage."
"Are you okay?" 'Manda asks me with concern laced in her voice as I shake my head.
"To be honest, I'm very worried . . . This is my mother we're talking about."
"Do you think you'll still be able to drive to the clinic without getting into . . . uh, road rage mode?" she asks me unsurely, already halfway out of her seat and halfway near the right passenger door, just in case we do have to make a switch.
"I'll be fine with driving to the clinic . . ." I tell her as she places a hand on my shoulder. "Besides, with Dani and Gabi here with us, I have plenty of incentive to drive carefully to the clinic right now."
"Alright then . . ." she tells me as she gets settled back into her seat. "But promise me that if you start getting angry, you'll instantly switch with me okay?"
"I promise . . ." I tell her as the light finally turns green. I turn us onto the street that would lead us to the neighborhood the clinic was in. I try to keep my thoughts as calm as possible, but I couldn't help but let the worry show on my face as we travel to find out what exactly happened to my mother.
Please review!