A/N: I just finished NaNoWriMo, writing 8000 words in five hours and winning it with half an hour to spare, which is why I'm uploading this so late. It's not proofread, I hope it's somewhat decent. Haha. I'll be glad to have my normal writing times back now! And maybe returning to uploading stuff other than BtB and EuM! :D Anyway, onto the story. Hope you all enjoy and a belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Alberto spends the weekend leading up to Survivor Series alternating between questioning his own capabilities and truly dreading the pay per view. He's not sure why, he just has a foreboding feeling about it all. A certain conversation he overhears in some gym that he has to stop in at before the PPV if he's going to get any training in before his match against Cena doesn't help at all, Del Rio stopping short as he listens to two men talk loudly over the sounds of people working out around them. "Thanksgiving is this week?" he mutters to himself, troubled. Not that he'd ever been big on the holiday, but Ricardo had enjoyed it, and Sofia always loved finding excuses to cook excessively for them both...
He swallows and stares at the floor for a moment. The first big holiday without Ricardo in the house, he thinks, lips pursed. "Ay." Moving away, he finds the nearest punching bag and, after taping his wrists up so he wouldn't risk some sort of ridiculous injury this close to the PPV, lays his frustrations out upon it until he's breathless and flushed, sitting down heavily. It still weighs on his mind, how quickly the holidays are coming up, and with it, many other memories- some bad, most good...
But his pre-PPV turmoil isn't quite over as, when he finally arrives at the arena, the preshow is on and he automatically bullies a tech into turning the nearest monitor onto the Spanish version, just to hear a familiar voice on commentary talking. He almost doesn't believe it until the camera pans over to show, yes, Ricardo is there, fiddling with a pen while listening to the other two talking, interjecting here and there. But he truly becomes passionate when Alberto is mentioned, the look on his face saying it all as he begins to argue with the third accouncer over Del Rio. Alberto winces and looks away, not surprised that Ricardo is still angry at him... after everything said and done, he knows he deserves the vitriol, but the angrily spat words from his former ring announcer still digs down deep.
He hadn't been close enough to really look at his best friend in weeks, so when he enters the ring and waves the Mexican flag around, waiting for Cena to make his entrance, he ignores the tech who tries to take the flag from him when he goes out of the ring to avoid Cena until the bell rings, glaring at him as he moves to place the flag himself, seeing that the stand for it is right next to where Ricardo is sitting. Their eyes lock for a split second and he takes in the tension and wariness in the younger man's gaze as if he expects Alberto to attack. He swallows and quickly places the flag before turning to the ring, unable to look at him when he looks like that.
Once the bell rings, his fight to regain his title belt begins. In the weeks he had thought about how this night would go, he definitely hadn't planned on Ricardo being on commentary during his match, trying not to let the thoughts of what the younger man is probably still saying about him, or how having his eyes on him the whole time feels, but either way, no matter how hard he fights, everything- the poll, his doubts, Ricardo's presence, and the thought of the approaching holidays- weighs him down and, after a hard fought contest where he actually falls to the floor in front of the announcer's table at one point and thinks he sees Ricardo peeking over to look at him as he struggles back up, he ultimately loses to Cena. He feels disgusted and pathetic as he trudges up the ramp, wondering if his former ring announcer is yet again pleased in his failure...
His bad night continues when, as he mindlessly sits and tries to pinpoint the exact moment when his match against Cena went wrong, the World champion's music plays after Orton vs Big Show had concluded, the current bane of Del Rio's existance making his way to the ring, where he stares down Orton. A shudder creeps up Alberto's spine as he watches this, knowing it more than likely only means one thing. Unification, he thinks. No, no, no... Despite how Alberto had adored the World title, he's aware that the WWE title is seen as the more prestigeous of the two, though he hadn't liked when he was WWE champion.
The thought of it being unified with the WWE title and ultimately disappearing from the company entirely leaves him ill.
After his worst fears are confirmed the next night when a unification match at TLC is sanctioned, he can't bring himself to fight for promo time or anything else, relieved that his match with Orton against Cena and Big Show isn't until the very end of the card, helps him to at least get his head in the game a little more before he has to go out and share a ring with three of the men he's had the most issues with the last couple of years.
He stares at the world title as Cena hands it over to the referee, clearly disinterested in it. He sneers, wondering if there's a chance that he could buy the actual belt from the WWE and keep it safe should it be retired upon the conclusion of the unification match. Playing this thought out in his mind repeatedly even as he helps take Big Show out with repeated kicks to the skull, he is caught unaware and finds himself trapped in the STF, flailing for as long as he can bear it before finally tapping desperately. Del Rio, still frustrated and tired of everything to do with Cena, tries to follow up with another attack while he's distracted with Big Show, just to get an AA for his troubles.
With Raw behind him, he flies home to Florida the next day, looking far from pleased as Sofia meets him quietly at the door. Things are better between them, but she still knows when to tread carefully with him. After a title opportunity loss is definitely one of those times, but he's still relieved for her presence as he drops his bag in his room and collapses on the couch in the living room, listening to her bustling around nearby, humming softly. He can tell she's begun to prepare for Thanksgiving already, the house smelling like all sorts of rich food, but he realizes he doesn't mind. Perhaps it would be the distraction he needs after the horrible last few weeks he's had.
After a quiet Tuesday evening spent in his personal gym or examining his media schedule for the weeks leading up to Christmas, trying to schedule in a good time to have his little brother, Memo, visit from Puerto Rico, he flies out to Main Event, where he competes against Ziggler. He's pretty certain if Sheamus hadn't been injured, he somehow would've been put into a match against him as well, and all of the old rivalries would've been reborn in one week... Either way, upon his flight back home the next morning, Thursday is a bit like what he expected. The table is already full of Sofia's food when he arrives and he smiles at her indulgingly as she adds one more dish before sitting down across from him, ducking her head respectfully as he says Grace in Spanish. It's a ridiculous amount of food for two people, would have been even for three, and he knows that most of the leftovers will go to the other members of staff that typically work outside or on his cars once they're back from their own time with their families.
Either way, everything from the turkey- seasoned just the way he likes it- to the rolls are delicious so he grins sincerely at the housekeeper and continues to eat, even going back for seconds just to appease her watchful eye. He's just about to take another bite of cranberry when she awkwardly speaks up, staring down at her empty plate. "Eh, senor..."
He immediately puts his fork down and looks up at her. "Si, Sofia? Que?"
"Eh, um... I was thinking," she says quietly, finally meeting his eye. "I... made some extra pies..."
"I see," he nods, looking perplexed. "What is of importance about that, Sofia? There are always extra pies..."
She grows even more flustered but seems determined to get the words out so, swallowing harshly, she finally verbalizes what was on her mind. "Senor Rodriguez al- always loved my pies, and I simply thought perhaps, if you were willing, we could... we could drop them off at Senor Riley's apartment for him." She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "Senor, this can't be easy for him either, his first holiday without us, and I would... like to try to make it easier for him in some small way, even if we can't see him."
Alberto watches her for a moment, fighting down his own emotions. "Sofia, look at me, por favor." When she finally looks up, he grins sadly. "That is bueno. As it is, I have been meaning to think of a way to return the clothes he had provided me when I was so ill... this could work out quite well." He smiles at her visible relief and stands, dropping his napkin onto the table. "Prepare the desserts and I will get the clothes, and we will go."
She nods, quickly following his lead as she bustles off to the kitchen. He watches her go before entering his bedroom, carefully opening the top dresser drawer, where Ricardo's clothes were folded carefully before being placed inside. He sighs and pulls them out, staring down at them for long moments. He's still surprised by how much trouble Ricardo had gone to to take care of him, when there's still so much distrust and hatred there, but it's Ricardo- he would've expected no less from the younger man, no matter how he may have felt in that moment.
It isn't difficult to find Alex's apartment, though Del Rio hadn't been there often, especially at night, but he remembers the general area from when he'd visited the beach and from there, it's just a matter of finding where Ricardo's car is parked in front of, recognizing the classic that he'd bought at some point during his time as Alberto's ring announcer. Not the beatdown thing he'd driven at the Rumble a couple years back, no this is an actually very nice vehicle... He smiles faintly as he parks a few houses down so they can see, but yet not be seen, and turns to look at Sofia. "Are you ready?"
She grips the plastic containers she'd put the pies in nervously, nodding quietly. "Si, I am." She gets out of the car and follows him quietly up to the apartment, where they pause to listen in an attempt to ensure they have the right place, until they hear Miz's voice clearly through the window, Alberto wincing and rolling his eyes before carefully resting the clothes on the stoop, stepping back to allow her to put the pies on top of them, careful to ensure they wouldn't topple over. He rests his hand on her back comfortingly before reaching up to knock loudly to be heard over all of the people inside.
This is their cue and they quickly walk back to the car, relieved when they at least reach the cover of a nearby tree, Alberto resting an arm around the housekeeper's shoulders as they watch the door slowly open, Ricardo's head peeking out, the man visibly confused when he doesn't see anyone on the porch. Del Rio's breath seizes for a moment before he whispers, "Alright, amigo, look down..."
As if he'd heard him, the former ring announcer looks down at that moment and freezes upon spotting the pies and clothes, kneeling down in front of the pile of things to examine it with a dazed look on his pale face. Miz joins him a few moments later, staring down at the pies too. His face clears when he sees the clothes, putting 2 and 2 together finally. Alberto watches, swallowing, as he pats Ricardo's back after offering him a hand to pull him back to his feet, scooping up the pies and walking back inside with them. "Hey," he calls out, voice echoing out through the opened door. "Dessert's here, everyone!".
Ricardo still hesitates on the front stoop, looking around for some sign of his former employer or Sofia, before collecting the clothes and holding them close to his face. A sad smile crosses his face and he glances around once more, still not seeing anything. Alberto is relieved that he'd parked here, the tree blocking the car from view as sufficiently as it's blocking them. Sofia stifles a soft cry as he turns to head inside just to hesitate once more and glance over his shoulder. "Happy Thanksgiving," he calls out into the night before entering the apartment and shutting the door behind him.
"Happy Thanksgiving, mi amigo," Del Rio mutters as he guides the emotional housekeeper back to the car so they can go home and put this holiday behind them. At least Ricardo isn't alone tonight, he thinks, glancing over at Sofia once more with a grateful smile. And neither am I.
Alberto skips Smackdown that week. Fighting the crowds in the airport for Main Event had been more than enough for him, so he's content to stay at home and lose himself in silly games on his phone, losing track of time until Sofia calls through the house, "Senor, if you're- you're not busy, come here for a moment, por favor!"
He frowns, not used to her calling for him like that, so he pauses the game and goes to join her, brows furrowed when he finds her in front of the TV, eyes gleaming like they had been when they'd seen Ricardo outside of Alex's apartment the night before. "Sofia? Are you alright?"
"Si, senor, si, I apologize for worrying you, but it's just..." She presses a couple of buttons, rewinding the TV and he realizes she'd been watching Smackdown. He ends up gaping too when she pauses it on what looks like a food eating contest, the two of them watching Ricardo in the background.
"Ay, he's there," Alberto whispers, wondering if perhaps Alex had convinced him to do so since Alberto had competed on Main Event... Sofia nods quietly and the Mexican aristocrat smiles as they stand side by side and watch him the only other time he appears on the show, egging on the competitors in the eating contest. He had gone from not seeing him much at all the last month to seeing him three times in a week, and outside of some anger and wistfulness, it seems he's slowly beginning to move on finally... which helps Alberto to feel a little better as well.
He can only hope that Christmas will go as smoothly.