CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CAYLA
Cayla was glad the main roster's next stop was Florida. She was hoping she could get Trixie to finally talk to her if they were in the same town. She was surprised, however, when she felt someone come up behind her while she was in her garden. His shadow gave away who it was. Cayla spun around and smiled.
"Show!" She said as she stood up. Big Show pulled her into a tight hug. Over the years, Show's arms had come to be one of her safe places. Their unlikely romantic storyline early into her main roster career had been abruptly ended when the crew of Total Divas outed her as "Paige's" lesbian lover, but Show had simply shifted his role for her, becoming her on-screen friend and protector. When she'd barely escaped from Brock Lesnar, the lines between kayfabe and reality had blurred. Show had made sure she was safe with Fred before attacking and damn near killing Lesnar for what he'd done. After that, Show stayed by Cayla's side as much as possible. He'd even played surrogate father when he walked her down the aisle at her wedding. She was always happy to see him.
"What are you doing here?" She asked when he finally released her.
"I was on the earliest flight here. I figured I'd surprise you with dinner," Show said.
"Sure. I'd love that," Cayla said. "Come on in. I'm just going to clean myself up and change." She led him into the house. After getting him a drink, she headed upstairs to get ready. She'd been hoping to see Trixie, but she didn't know when she was landing. Show only wrestled part-time now and she didn't get to see him much. She missed him and decided it would be a better use of her time to have dinner with him than to sit around waiting to stalk her daughter. She'd try to track her down in the morning.
An hour later, they'd settled in at one of her favorite local restaurants. Show ordered enough food to feed a small village. Cayla ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad. This was the normal dynamic between them. In fact, the grilled chicken was more than Cayla tended to eat at times, but she knew it worried Show when she didn't eat much.
They talked for what felt like ages about every random thing they could think of. Finally, Show said, "I know you're worried about something, Cayla. Spill."
"Trixie knows about Fred... She's furious with us," Cayla admitted.
"That kid can't stay angry. It's not her style. She'll come around."
"I know... I just hate being away from her like this."
"Everything will work out, honey. I promise." He squeezed her hand across the table and Cayla knew he was right.
"How do you always make me believe that?" She asked.
"Because it's always true," Show said. "The universe takes care of things and keeps things balanced. So stop stressing. You're too beautiful to look so upset."
"Always the charmer, Show."
"Yeah, sure. Me Tarzan. You Jane. I'm a master of the spoken word."
Cayla laughed. "Well, you always know what to say to me, anyway."
He smiled. It lit up his face and always made Cayla smile back. Their friendship had never been one she imagined having, but over time, this man had become her rock. "I'm glad you came to see me. I've missed you," she told him.
"I miss you, too, Cayla. We should make an effort to do this a little more frequently."
"It's a deal."
As they went their separate ways, Cayla asked, "Will you be at the party after the house show tomorrow night?"
"Probably," Show said. "Are you going to come by?"
"Yeah. The NXT kids will be there, so Corri's going and she's dragging me along. I'll see you then."
Show kissed the top of her head before they split up. Cayla was happy to know she'd have a friend to hide behind if the party got to be a bit much.
TRIXIE
"Ugh!" Trixie cried out at the sight of all the traffic before her. "I can't believe the traffic's so bad!"
"We would have been fine if the rental hadn't gotten a flat," Brandon said. "I'm sorry. I figured driving to the airport together would be fun. Now we're going to miss our flight..."
Trixie saw how upset he was. "It's okay," she said. "We'll just take the next one... And until then, we can enjoy each other's company, alone... It's kind of romantic, right? An adventure!"
Brandon kissed her quickly. "You're awesome, Trix. Nothing gets you down."
"Well, not for long, anyway," Trixie replied. She was pretty sure the nervous breakdown Nikki's bombshell had sent her into hadn't been a high point.
It took them entirely too long to get to the airport. They returned the rental with its replaced tire and took care of exchanging their plane tickets. Trixie needed the restroom, so she sent Brandon to get some food and promised to meet him there. When she came back out, however, she ran into a problem.
"Hello, Beautiful," a man she'd never seen before said. "I love you on TV."
Trixie smiled politely even though something about him made her nervous. "Thanks," she said. "That's very kind of you."
"Can I get a hug from a pretty lady?"
This wasn't an abnormal request for the girls to receive, so she nodded. "Of course," she said. She hugged him. That was when his hand traveled too low.
Trixie pulled back. Play it cool, she told herself. They had been told repeatedly if a fan got inappropriate to handle it calmly and walk away. Of course, her Uncle Randy was infamous for not putting up with fans who didn't understand boundaries, but his reaction was frowned upon by the company.
"I've got to head out now," Trixie said calmly.
The man grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him roughly. "Not yet," he said.
Screw company policy, she thought. She stomped on his foot hard, causing him to cry out and jump away from her. Trixie was about to take off running, but the guy recovered quicker than she expected and pulled out a knife. He pulled her into a position she couldn't get out of as easily and pressed the knife to her throat.
"I pretty much live here." He laughed. "I know every possible place to take you where they won't hear you scream."
Trixie tried to consider her options. Could she talk him down? That's what her mom would try. Her mum, on the other hand, would find a way to stab the son of a bitch with his own knife.
He started to drag her somewhere even more secluded. Trixie knew she had to fight. She took several deep breaths and focused on anticipating his every step. If she could find a rhythm, she could break away...
She was startled out of this when someone ripped the man off of her. His knife clattered to the floor. Trixie looked up to see what had happened and saw someone beating the hell out of the guy.
"Danny!" She shouted. "Danny, stop! Let him go. He's not worth it."
"He just tried to kidnap you at knifepoint, Trixie!" Danny shouted back. "He's got this coming!"
She grabbed his arm before he could throw another punch. "Don't get arrested. Please."
He paused when she touched him. "Danny," she said gently.
He released the guy. "If you fucking show your face around her again, I'll do worse than kill you," Danny told him.
The guy looked terrified now. He ran away, leaving his knife behind. Trixie was shaking. Danny moved closer to her instinctively. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked her.
Trixie flung her arms around him. He stiffened for a second in shock, then slowly hugged her back. "You saved my life!" She told him. "I... I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."
"You don't have to find out," Danny said. "Don't think about what could have happened. It'll mess you up."
"Thank you."
"Well... We're friends now, right? Fending off knife-wielding psychos for each other comes with the job."
She smiled. "Come with me?"
"You think I'm leaving you alone after that? Not until your ass is on a plane far away from that nutjob."
"I'll buy you something to eat. Brandon went to get us food."
His mood seemed to shift slightly. "I wouldn't want to be a third wheel."
"Danny, you just saved my life! You've earned some food and company." She pretty much dragged him to where she was supposed to meet Brandon.
"Trix, what took so long? I was worried!" Brandon said, pulling her into his arms. Trixie felt much better now. Brandon paused as he noticed Danny. "What's he doing here?"
"He was just leaving," Danny said.
"Oh no you don't!" Trixie said. "He has a name, Brandon. Danny's my friend."
"Since when?" Brandon asked. "The guy bullies you."
"Since I made him realize he was being a jerk... And he just saved my life, so be nice."
"He... What? What happened? Are you okay?"
"This asshat crazy fan pulled a fucking knife on her," Danny said coldly. "Maybe if she hadn't been alone, she wouldn't have needed my help."
"Oh my God, Trixie! Did he hurt you?"
"I'm okay," Trixie said. "And it's not Brandon's fault, Danny. I should have picked a more public bathroom. Anyway, I promised Danny good food and good company. Do you mind?"
Brandon looked at Danny. "Thank you for protecting her," he said. "And of course I don't mind."
The three sat down for what could have been the most awkward meal ever, but Brandon had apparently decided Danny saving Trixie's life meant he should give him a chance. The tension soon eased slightly as the boys started discussing wrestling, and Trixie was relieved. Missing the flight may have been a disaster, but Danny had saved her and now he'd made another friend. Maybe everything really did happen for a reason.
MOLLY
You just slept with another Orton, Molly thought. Several times. She could hardly believe she'd done this. She'd taken Nicky's virginity before upsetting him with the fact that she was not the monogamous sort. Now she'd been Keith's rebound girl.
Is it just that? She wondered. Any other time she'd slept with someone, even if the sex was amazing, there had been no strings attached. She'd had plenty of rebound sex before. This time, however, had been different. Not only was Keith incredibly skilled in bed, he was the one person in the world who knew her as well as the Sire. Being with him had been more intense than she was used to and she couldn't quite process what she was feeling.
You love him, her inner voice said. This particular voice tended to sound like Trixie, and that would have been Trixie's exact reaction.
Of course I love him. He's my best friend, Molly told the voice.
You don't just love him... You love him!
Shut up. I don't love anyone like that. That's not my thing.
Then why are you so afraid this is about to end?
Molly hated it when the voice was right. Keith was still holding her. They'd both tried to stop, but every time they tried to be responsible, they ended up back in each other's arms. Keith had even made it to the shower once... until Molly had joined him... And afterward, they'd ended up back in bed.
Keith pressed his lips against her ear. "Don't freak out, okay?" He asked.
"Um... Okay," Molly said cautiously.
"I know you don't do relationships, and I don't expect you to just start... But that... That was amazing, and I was clearly delusional thinking I wanted anyone other than you... I love you, Molly. Please don't run away, but I do."
"Keith..." She rolled over. "I don't do relationships... But I like this, whatever this is... And I kind of want to keep it up."
He smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"Is it okay if we don't label it?"
"Mol, as long as you're in my life, whatever happens will be okay."
She kissed him. This nearly led to more, but Molly stopped herself somehow. "If we don't leave, we're getting fired," she said.
Keith laughed. "You're right. You shower first. I'll order food so we can eat quick because I'm starving, then I'll shower... And Mol?"
"Yeah?"
"Lock the door before I decide to misbehave."
Molly laughed. "Good call." She did as he asked because she knew they'd never leave if she didn't. For the first time in days, Molly was happy.
NICKY
Nicky and Ginny looked around. "Where is everyone?" Ginny asked. "The show's in a few hours."
"Good question," Paul said, making them both jump. "Your stable has a lot more members than this..."
As if on cue, Keith, Molly, Trixie, Brandon, Gabe, and Lucas came rushing in. Their suitcases trailed behind them.
"I can't believe I'm the only one besides Ginny who was on time!" Nicky said.
"Surely it's the apocalypse," Ginny teased him.
"Sorry, Sir," Brandon told Paul. "Trixie and I got a flat on the way to the airport and missed our flight."
"My mom called me with an issue and I flew in late with my Dad," Lucas said.
"Some fucktard switched my gear out of my bag and replaced it with lacy lingerie!" Gabe said. "I couldn't find my stuff, but I finally gave up." He pulled out several sexy items and waved them around as proof.
"Revenge is a bitch, Gabe!" Keith said with a laugh. He opened his own suitcase and tossed something at Gabe as everyone laughed. "But to spare us all from watching you crossdress, here's your stuff."
Even Paul was struggling not to laugh. "Okay. Molly, Keith, any excuses?" He asked.
"We were busy," Molly said. "We made it. That's all you need to know, Dickface." She blew him a kiss.
Paul sighed. "You kids remind me of the Attitude Era... Go on, get ready."
They did as they were told. Nicky grabbed Keith. "Are you okay? With everything with Claire?" He asked.
"Yeah... I'm totally over her," Keith said.
"That was fast."
"I think I talked myself into loving her because it was convenient... But she's not the one."
Nicky followed Keith's gaze to Molly. He realized he was seriously going to have to work harder now if he didn't want to lose her to Keith. He looked at Lucas and mentally began planning their next dance lesson.
DEAN
The show had been okay, but nothing special. The after-party, however, promised to be more interesting. Dean didn't care for the parties, but since everyone else was going, he had to go, too.
He looked around at the smiling wrestlers. The NXT roster was there, too. The party was huge and there were two rooms being occupied by the guests. Cayla was talking to Big Show. He watched as Trixie walked over and hugged her mother.
Finally, he thought. He turned his attention to the others. AJ Styles was back and set to work an angle with the New Legacy. He was talking to Corri and Randy. Corri excused herself to head toward the other room.
Nikki was standing by the bar drinking. A boy Dean didn't know was trying to talk to her. Nikki rolled her eyes and dismissed him. Dean heard her call him some impolite things as she did. The boy walked away. Something made Dean keep watching him. He seemed upset and somewhat unhinged. He was still watching as the boy turned toward Paul.
Dean saw it before anyone else did. The kid had a gun, and in a split second, he was pulling it out and aiming it at Paul. Dean didn't stop to think as his street kid instincts kicked in. He dove in front of Paul, knocking him to safety, and a moment later, unbelievable pain burned through his body as he registered the sound of the gun being fired.