CHAPTER EIGHT
DEAN
Dean had consumed entirely too much liquor. He tried not to do that anymore, but it had been a rough day. Unfortunately, this resulted in poor decision making and now he had a ring rat in his bed.
You're too old for this shit, he scolded himself. He slept around, sure. Monogamy was not for him, and every woman he was with knew he didn't do that. But ring rats? There was a time and place for screwing ring rats, and it was called the twenties. He was supposed to be smarter than that now.
She looked up at him with dark eyes and smiled. "My girls will never believe this," she said. "Can I get a picture with you?"
"If our clothes are back on, sure, I guess," he replied.
"What fun is that?"
"Sorry, but I'm not getting fired over a nude pic scandal for some girl I just met."
"They didn't fire Seth Rollins. Why would they fire you?"
"That was a completely different situation, and don't mention it again," he snapped at her. Colby was really sensitive about that entire situation, which had gotten way out of hand so many years earlier.
"But you're so much sexier than Seth. I mean, I love a bad boy, you know? Seth's hot and all, but you? Him and Roman have nothing on you. Come on, just one photo?"
"Okay, stop talking. You're making my head hurt. And their names are Colby and Joe, not Seth and Roman."
"You let me call you Dean..."
"Because I happen to hate my birth name, and everyone calls me Dean. But Colby and Joe are real people, and Seth and Roman are characters, and it freaks me out that you can't tell the difference. So stop."
She pouted at him. Her lips were sexy, but she looked like an evil toddler right then. "Come on, Dean. One photo, and then I'll leave you alone..."
He rolled his eyes. "Listen, um... You."
"Maggie. My name is Maggie. But I'll answer to whatever you want. We could play again. I could call you Daddy-"
Enough was enough. He hated that whole "Daddy" thing. Only pedophiles were into that shit, and nothing pissed him off or turned him off more. "Whatever. You aren't getting anything else from me, alright? Get your clothes on."
She stared at him. "Are you serious?"
"Extremely. Get out."
She made a big deal out of slowly getting dressed. She may have had a nice body, but he wasn't interested in her anymore. Not only was she a ring rat, but she didn't know how to take a hint. He saw her head toward the door, but then she turned and snapped a picture of him.
Fuck, he thought. He should have seen that coming. He was just a toy to her, a conquest. It shouldn't have bothered him, but it did. His crazier fan girls saw him as nothing more than a means to fulfill their fantasies. He wasn't a human being; he was a trophy. Sometimes, it got under his skin.
He didn't hit women, even bitchy ones who took illegal pictures of him lying naked in his bed, but he had to get that photo deleted and fast. He stood and wrapped the sheet around his body. She flung the door open and was ready to run, but she didn't make it out the door.
Molly blocked her path. She took one look at Dean and then saw the phone in the girl's hand. Molly launched into action immediately. She took the phone from the girl's hand and pushed a few buttons. Then she handed it back to her and grabbed her throat. She pushed her up against the wall and said, "If you fuck with my father again, I'll fucking kill you." Molly smiled as she said this. The girl looked appropriately terrified. Molly released her. "You should run now."
The ring rat ran from the room. Molly came into the room and closed the door. She tossed Dean his boxers and jeans and turned around so he could get dressed.
"Impeccable timing, Offspring," he told her as he zipped up his jeans.
"You okay, Sire?" Molly asked.
"Yeah... I made the mistake of drinking last night and, well, that happened."
"You have to be firm with the rats, Sire, or they don't stop their bullshit."
He walked over and hugged her. "Thanks."
"No big. You chase away the perverts and I chase away the ring rats. That's how we work."
He smiled. She was right. He'd uttered death threats to more than one guy who'd tried to push things with Molly. He didn't really need to. Molly usually broke their hands if they tried to touch her without permission, but backing her up after the fact was just one of the ways Dean showed he cared.
"So, why the visit, Offspring?"
She looked at him and asked, "Do I need a reason to pay tribute to my Sire all of a sudden?"
"Of course not. But you have one." He knew her well enough to see something was bothering her.
She sighed. "Sweet Saraya died."
"I heard. Cay and Saraya are really upset. Corri told me they're all taking it hard. So, what troubles you, Offspring?"
"It's just... Trixie is broken. I've never seen her so upset... And I suck at helping her."
"You're great at helping her. She's your best friend."
"Yeah, and it's usually easy to fix her. Trix is happy by nature. It doesn't take much. But this? I have no clue what to do for her."
"Just listen, and don't offer any clichés. They don't help."
Molly looked vulnerable, which didn't happen often. "I don't know how she feels... I mean, I get that death sucks, but I... I never had a grandparent to mourn. I don't know my mom's side of the family, or if I did, I don't remember them, and I never met your parents."
Dean tensed. "Look, my parents were assholes. You're better off." He tried not to think about them. His father had been abusive and, thankfully, largely absent from his life. His mother was a drug addict. She'd abused him, too, and so had her boyfriends. As long as they kept her high, she didn't care what they did to him. He closed his eyes and took a breath to chase away the ghosts of memories he never wanted to recall.
Molly sensed his distress and snuggled up against him. That helped. "I'm sorry... I know I'm better off, but... How can I help Trixie if I can't understand her loss?"
"You understand her, Molly. That's all that matters. If she needs to talk, just listen."
She nodded. "Thank you, Sire. I'm good now..." She studied him. "Are you?"
"I'll be fine, Offspring." He needed a distraction. "Want breakfast?"
"Sounds good."
Together, they left to get food. Dean pushed the past out of his mind and focused on the present and his daughter, the one thing he had never screwed up in his life.
SARAYA
Upon waking up, Saraya had promptly decided that she was not going to do this.
It was very simple, really. She was just going to shower, get dressed, eat some breakfast, and go about her usual routine. This was a day like any other. She would then get herself booked back on the show she'd originally been scheduled for, and she'd head there. Wrestling was what kept her going in the darkest of times, and this… This was one of those times, but it didn't have to be. If she just kept going and did exactly what she'd originally been scheduled to do, nothing would change. She wouldn't have to admit that anything had happened. Everything would be fine.
There was one problem with that, however. Cayla would not stop bloody packing.
"Come on, Luv. Let's get some breakfast and forget everything," Saraya suggested. "I'll call the promotion I was scheduled for, and you can come watch me beat the crap out of some up-and-comer. It'll be fun, Cay."
Cayla looked at her sympathetically. "You know we can't do that," she said gently.
"Sure we can. Why not, right?"
"Saraya…" Cayla sighed. She stopped packing, which to Saraya was a small victory. If Cayla wasn't packing, she didn't have to admit she was going to London and not just to whichever state she'd been scheduled to appear in that day. She really couldn't remember at this point. Cayla pulled Saraya into her arms and Saraya took a deep breath. She could lose herself forever in her wife's scent. It was the most comforting scent in the world, next to her mum's…
You're never going to smell that again, an evil little voice told her.
Sod the bloody fuck off! Saraya cursed internally. She didn't need that sort of negativity in her life. She tried to banish the thought, but it lingered. She pulled Cayla closer to her, burying her face in her hair, trying to forget everything else.
"I'm so sorry we have to do this," Cayla said. "I know how hard this is for you."
"No, you don't!" Saraya snapped as she pulled away suddenly. "You have no idea what it's like to lose someone like my mum! You don't have a bloody clue!" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Cayla looked like she'd been slapped. She tried to cover it up, but Saraya realized how much she'd just hurt her. "Cay… Luv, I'm sorry…"
"It's fine," Cayla said. She began compulsively folding again, making sure the creases in the sweater she was folding were absolutely perfect. She apparently wasn't satisfied, because she unfolded it and began again.
"No, it's not," Saraya said. "That was probably the dumbest thing I've ever said. You lost your mum, too. I know how close you were to her… She was all you had. I mean, at least I had my dad."
"Don't apologize. You have a right to be stressed out, Saraya."
"Yeah, but I don't have a right to take that out on you. I'm just being a bloody bitch because… Well, because I don't know how to deal with this."
Cayla stopped folding again. She looked at Saraya and said, "It's okay. Really."
Saraya walked over to her and pulled her back into her arms where she belonged. "No, Cay. It's never okay for me to talk to you like that, especially when I couldn't be more wrong. You are not my punching bag. I love you."
"I know. I love you, too."
Saraya kissed her. "Cay… I don't know how to do this. I can't bloody do this. I just want to go back to work and forget this ever happened."
"You'd never forgive yourself if you didn't go home right now."
"But… But I'm not strong enough, Cayla. Not for this."
Cayla pulled away and looked deep into Saraya's eyes. "You can do this. You are one of the strongest people I know, Saraya. And you aren't alone. You have me, and you have Trixie, and we're here for you." She paused. "You got me through so much, Saraya. It's my turn to take care of you."
Saraya nodded. "I love you… Please don't leave my side right now, Cay… Even if I push you away, please just tell me to stop being a bloody bitch and stay with me. I need you…" She hated herself as she felt tears start streaming down her cheeks. "I can't do this without you."
"I'm here," Cayla promised. She kissed Saraya's tears off of her cheeks and held her as she added, "I'm not going anywhere."
RANDY
It had been one of those nights. Corri had spent most of it with Cayla trying to help her plan a last minute trip to London for the worst possible reason. Randy had spent a little while with his sons before leaving them to try and get some rest. It had taken him hours to fall asleep because he had too much on his mind. Some nights, his thoughts simply refused to turn off, especially when he was stressed out. He was worried about Saraya and Cayla and Trixie, and on top of that, he was worried about Nicky, who seemed a little more stressed out than usual. Nicky had brushed his concern off, but he usually did. The kid held a lot in.
Corri had come back at around two in the morning. She'd been stressed, too, so her solution had been to pounce on him. (Not that he minded.) They'd made love for a while before both of them were finally exhausted. The sun had been rising by the time Randy finally fell asleep with Corri in his arms. He'd woken up alone. Corri had left him a note, Meeting the boys for breakfast. Didn't want to wake you because you looked so exhausted. Love you. See you later, Sexy.
He smiled. At least he knew where all of them were. He got up and got in the shower in an attempt to wake himself up. It barely helped, so he drank some coffee. He was hungry, so he headed to the restaurant in the hotel.
He ate on autopilot and tried to relax. He was fairly calm until he sensed trouble. He looked up and saw Luke Harper standing way too close to his Goddaughter.
Ginny was tense. Harper towered over her and she almost looked like a frightened child. Randy could tell someone was wrong. He stood and quickly walked over to them. He saw Harper put a hand on Ginny's arm before he made it to her. Ginny was trembling. She pulled away violently.
"Everything alright here?" Randy asked.
Harper glared at him. "Just catching up with my old friend here," he said pleasantly. That rubbed Randy the wrong way. He had never liked Harper, and seeing Ginny's reaction to him just made that worse.
"Back off," he warned him.
"You're over-reacting. Little Ginny and I go way back. We were just talking, Orton."
"And now you're done talking."
Harper rolled his eyes. He turned to Ginny. "I'll see you again real soon, Sweetheart," he said before walking away.
Ginny was still trembling. Randy reached toward her gently. "Gin? Are you alright?" He asked her.
She jerked away from him. Then she realized what she'd done. "Sorry," she said quickly.
He led her aside, taking her away from the crowd before asking, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing… I'm… I'm fine."
He kept walking because Ginny clearly needed space. She took the lead and he followed her. "Ginny, come on. What's going on?"
"He… I just don't like him."
"I don't blame you."
"Thanks for coming over… I don't think he would have left otherwise."
"No problem. Gin, what happened? Did he try something on you?"
She was zoning out again as they reached a hotel room. It must have been hers, because she was fumbling with a key card and trying to get the door open. She was shaking and unfocused, so Randy took the key from her and opened the door himself. He followed her inside. Randy was really worried about her now. Ginny wasn't usually the type of girl who freaked out like this. He reached out for her and Ginny jumped.
"I… Sorry," she said again.
"Honey, talk to me. Please," Randy said. "You know I'm here for you. I love you."
Ginny sat down on her bed. Randy sat beside her and she buried her face in his shoulder. He held her for a moment before she did something that completely threw him off; she kissed him.
Randy pulled away quickly. "Virginia, what the hell?" He asked in shock.
Ginny tried to kiss him again. He stood up and put some distance between them. "You're my Goddaughter," he reminded her. "And I'm married."
She turned to face him and he saw something in her eyes that he recognized. The desperation and pain were all too familiar to him. "Ginny, please… What's going on? What happened?" He asked.
She started to cry. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I just… You're safe. I trust you… I know you won't hurt me and… and… and I need to feel that way… God, I'm so stupid!"
"Virginia Runnels, you are not stupid!" He held her in his arms and she started to cry into his shoulder. "Tell me what's going on. This isn't like you."
"He…" She started crying harder. "He touched me, Randy…"
"Ginny…" He was terrified he knew where this was going, and if he was right, he was going to jail because he would kill Harper himself.
"He's been watching me, and being creepy, but this was the first time he came over… And he said things to me, and he… He touched me."
"I know, Ginny. I saw."
"No… You don't know. No one does…" She was crying so hard her entire body was shaking. He held her tighter.
"Tell me, Ginny. Tell me what he did."
"I haven't seen him in years. Not alone, anyway. I avoided him." She shook her head. "Forget it. It doesn't matter."
"Ginny, you kissed me. You need to tell me what pushed you that far over the edge."
"He… He got me alone once. Dad had a match, and Mom was with Faye, and I wandered off because I wanted to hang out with the wrestlers… I still did that back then. It was my dream to be just like them, you know?"
He remembered. Ginny had been a really adventurous kid. She'd always loved the business and spent every second she could following the wrestlers around… Then she'd stopped. She had decided she didn't want to do that anymore. Everyone had chalked it up to her growing up, but…
"What happened, Ginny? What did he do to you?" He tried to keep his mind from jumping to the worst possible scenario, but it was impossible.
"He told me he wanted to show me something, and I… I went with him. I trusted everyone back then. I followed him into an area no one else was in, and he closed the door, and I… He…" She was shaking even worse now. "I can't. Please just forget I said anything."
He pulled her even closer to him. "Tell me, Ginny. Tell me what that bastard did to you and I'll make sure he can't ever do it again."
She took a deep breath and whispered, "He made me… He…" She tried again, and she began speaking rapidly, almost too rapidly for Randy to keep up. "He said he wanted to show me a cool move, and he pinned me down, and I didn't think anything of it until he started to touch me… He put his hands all over me, and he was touching my skin, and I knew something wasn't right then… I told him to stop, but he… He just got turned on by that, I think. He stopped holding back and he pulled my clothes off and he took what he wanted… He just… He forced me to… And he told me if I ever told anyone, he'd kill my dad and my mom, and he'd do that to my sister… He told me if I didn't give him what he wanted whenever he wanted it, he'd hurt Faye…" She was sobbing so hard he could barely understand her now. "I couldn't deal with him doing that… It hurt so much, Randy… I was twelve! I was only twelve years old, and I didn't even understand what had happened, not really… I was so scared… So I just told my parents I didn't want to be around the WWE anymore. I told them I was bored and I hated it, and I asked if I could take self-defense classes instead. I insisted Faye take them with me, and since I didn't want to come around anymore, Faye stayed with me because she always did whatever I did. She was safe… She was safe, and we learned how to protect ourselves, and I thought everything would be fine, but then Faye decided she wanted to come to work at the WWE anyway, and I knew she'd do it with or without me, and I couldn't let her come alone… Not with him still here. I couldn't! So I came back… I always wanted to be a wrestler anyway, but I'd thrown that dream away because I couldn't face him… But I had to protect her, Randy. I had to. And it was fine. I was fine. But then, today… He touched me. He touched me!" She collapsed against him, too exhausted to continue now.
Randy wanted to kill. He wanted to run from that room and grab Harper and beat the hell out of him until he was dead, and he suspected he wouldn't even be able to stop then. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he ignored all of those impulses and held Ginny in his arms instead.
"I'm so sorry, Ginny," he whispered. He stroked her hair and made soothing sounds until she was calmer.
Ginny finally pulled away and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "You must think I'm so weak… Pathetic…"
"No. I don't think that at all, Ginny."
"I couldn't stop him. I was so stupid! I went with him! I did this to myself."
"Virginia, stop that right now! You are not stupid, or weak, or pathetic. You're strong. You walked away. You found a way to protect your sister, and yourself, and you did the smartest thing you could. You learned to fight."
"It was too late. If I hadn't gone with him to begin with-"
"You were just a little girl. You didn't know any better."
"I was old enough."
"You trusted him. He was your dad's co-worker. You should have been able to trust him. This isn't your fault. You couldn't have known what he'd do to you."
"I always felt like I deserved it… Like I wasn't worthy of being my father's daughter because I couldn't protect myself."
"Ginny…" His heart was breaking. He understood this far too well. "This kind of thing happens to a lot of people. You didn't deserve it, and you didn't do anything wrong."
"I should have been able to stop it."
"You were just a kid, Ginny…" His own emotions threatened to overwhelm him. "I understand how you feel."
Ginny laughed that off. "I appreciate the sympathy, but you couldn't possibly understand this, Randy."
"Gin… I understand."
She looked at him. He forced himself not to look away. He let her stare into his eyes. She was searching for the meaning of his words. "But…?" Was all she managed to ask. Then she added, "But you're… you."
"And before I was me, I was a kid. A scared, broken little kid who needed to be protected and who wasn't because the one who should have protected me was the one hurting me."
"You mean… Your father?"
"There's a reason I never saw him in the time you've been alive, Ginny. There's a reason I never let my sons near him."
"He beat you?"
"He did. And he did more than that." He had to be strong and keep talking. Ginny needed to know she wasn't alone, but he couldn't prove that to her if he didn't tell her the truth. He never talked about this anymore, but she needed him. He'd wished for years that someone, anyone might understand what had happened to him. He couldn't leave her in that situation, not if he could help.
"Oh my God, Randy… I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Very few people know the truth. My mother knows now. Corri knows. And Paul knows because when things got out of hand, I had to tell him the truth."
"You mean… You didn't tell?"
"Not a soul. Not for decades. And I was older than you were when it stopped. In fact, it only stopped because I left for the military. I joined just to get away from him, and when that didn't work out too well, I came to WWE. At that point, he still hit me sometimes, but the rest of it stopped."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I was ashamed. I thought I did something wrong to make him do that to me. Just like you feel… Ginny, listen to me. Rape is never the victim's fault, especially not when the person is a child."
"I couldn't tell my parents. I know I should have, but I knew it would upset Dad so much… I was afraid of breaking him. I didn't want to hurt him or disappoint him."
"You were twelve and scared. It's understandable. But Ginny, you need to tell him now. You need to tell Paul, too. If you report this, he can't hurt you or anyone else anymore."
"I… I can't. Randy, I can't."
"You can do this. It's the hardest thing in the world, but once you do… Once the truth is out, you can heal, Ginny. You need to do this. You need to take your life back."
She began crying again. He held her closer, letting her cry until she had exhausted all of her tears. Then, he said, "I can stay with you if you need me to."
"My dad… He'll freak out."
"Your dad understands this kind of thing happens. He's one of the others who knows the truth about me, and believe me, it took a long time for me to admit it to him, but he's like my brother. And you know what? He was awesome about it. He's a great shoulder to cry on, and he cares about people more than pretty much anyone I know. He can help you through this."
She hesitated. "Will you really stay with me?"
"For as long as you need. I promise."
She nodded. Then she handed him her phone. "Can you call him? I don't trust myself to do it."
Randy dialed Cody's number. He picked up almost immediately. "Hey, Baby," Cody said.
Normally, Randy would have responded to that with something sarcastic like "Hello Sweetheart," but not today. Instead, he said, "Cody, it's me. Listen, can you come to Ginny's room? She needs you."
Cody didn't even hesitate. "I'll be right there. Is she alright?"
"No. But she will be." He was certain of that. If Ginny told her father the truth, she'd start to heal.
Cody got there a very short time later. He immediately took Ginny into his arms and she started sobbing again. Randy stayed close, but let her do the talking. It took a while, but she finally said the words, "When I was twelve, Luke Harper raped me… And using veiled threats, he made it clear today that he wants to do it again."
Randy thought Cody might explode. His face turned very neutral and he knew he was holding in his emotions for his daughter's sake. He was tempted to offer to help Cody dispose of Harper's dead body, but he wouldn't say that in front of Ginny.
"Baby… Baby, I'm so sorry," Cody whispered. "I had no idea… You never told us…"
"I couldn't. I was too ashamed, and scared," Ginny said.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll take care of this. He'll never hurt you again. I'm going to tell Paul what he did."
Ginny nodded numbly. It was decided. When she was finally ready, Randy left to head back to his room. Only once he was there did he let his façade drop. He began to cry his own tears, and once he started, he was afraid he wouldn't stop.
Randy hadn't let himself think about his father in years. The bastard had been out of his life since before he and Corri had gotten married, and he'd been dead for nearly a decade now. It was a small comfort knowing he'd never be able to hurt him again. Randy tried never to let the memories surface, but now, his nerves felt exposed. Every painful memory was threatening to attack him and overwhelm him. He couldn't breathe. He curled up on his bed and tried to cling to the present, but his mind was slipping into the past. He hadn't had a flashback since the day he broke his father's hand when his father had tried to hit Corri. It turned out that time hadn't made them suck any less.
TRIXIE
She'd packed about a zillion times before she was satisfied with how she'd organized things. It still felt wrong. How could she pack for a funeral when she couldn't process the fact that her grandmother was dead? Trixie sighed. This was going to be a very rough week.
She took her things and left the room. She was meeting her parents at the airport. She struggled with her suitcase, trying to function and failing miserably. The suitcase got stuck on a corner and she cursed softly.
"Need a hand?" Brandon asked, joining her. He unstuck her suitcase and took it from her.
"Thanks," Trixie managed to say.
"Heading to the airport?"
"Yeah… I just need to catch a cab-"
Brandon looked appalled. "No way. You're not going to the airport in some cab when you have so much stress to deal with already. I've got a rental. I'll drive you."
"You don't have to-"
"I want to. When people are in pain, they should have other people making their lives easier. I'm happy to contribute." He led her toward his car. He proceeded to open her door for her.
Chivalry. God, he's adorable, Trixie thought.
Brandon loaded her luggage into his trunk before getting into his seat. He started driving. "How long will you be gone?" He asked.
"About a week," Trixie replied.
"Try to have a good trip. I know it's going to be hard…"
"I think it'll help, seeing everyone. I miss them, and they lost her, too, so…" She sighed.
Brandon reached over and squeezed her hand. A chill ran through her. She really liked the way he made her feel. "Be safe, okay?" He asked as they arrived at the airport. He got out of the car and opened her door again before pulling out her luggage.
"Thanks. For the ride, and for being so nice to me."
"I'll always be nice to you," he promised. He hugged her. Trixie liked the way that felt, too. She let herself linger in his arms for a minute before pulling away. It was time to face the hardest flight of her life. She spotted her parents and tried to prepare for the very situation she'd never wanted to have to deal with. It was time to say goodbye.
CORRI
When Corri got back to the hotel room, she figured she'd ask Randy if he wanted to go get some lunch. She hadn't expected to find Randy trembling in their bed, sobbing and whimpering and broken. It had been so long since she'd seen him like this, but she remembered it all too well.
"Randy, what happened?" She asked. He didn't respond. He wasn't there, not really. He'd gotten lost in some memory she could only imagine. She sat beside him and pulled him forcibly into her arms. He tried to struggle away from her.
"No more," he whispered. "Stop it." He sounded like a terrified child.
Corri held him tighter. "Randy, it's me. It's Corri," she told him. "It's alright. You're safe. You're safe." She might be out of practice with his flashbacks, but she still remembered how to comfort him.
Slowly, Randy stopped struggling. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before pulling her even closer to him. He started kissing her with a desperation she knew too well. He needed her to make him forget.
"It's alright," she told him again. "I'm here. I love you. You're okay." She kissed him back and let him touch her, holding back so he could take the lead and do whatever he needed to get control of his emotions. "I love you," she said again.
After Randy made love to her, he collapsed on top of her. She stroked his back and he finally spoke. "I love you," he told her.
He passed out after that. She let him, knowing he needed to recover from whatever had just happened. She would push him for answers later, but for now, she just needed to stay with him and keep him calm. She kept her arms wrapped around him and protected him with her body, knowing that was what he needed. She loved her husband more than anything, and it scared her to see him like this. It had been so long… What could possibly have broken him?
It doesn't matter, she decided. Whatever it is, I'll put him back together.