Chapter 13

"I didn't send you a note, Dave." He handed me the note I read it aloud. "We need to talk. Meet me at the fountain at 8:30." It was not signed but I recognized the handwriting.

It was Carrie's.

Now why would Carrie have invited Dave here? How did she know Dave? This was all getting just a bit confusing. For some reason I didn't tell Dave that I recognized the handwriting. I started to, but something stopped me.

"Hey kid, I am glad that you are here though. I wanted to tell you before the gossip mill started churning." He started. I was trying to concentrate on what he was trying to say but I felt so light headed from my nervousness I wished that I had at least had one drink to loosed up before my road led me here. "Stacy and I...Well …it's over." My eyes shot up to his. Oh, shit she was choosing me. I wanted to scream from the rooftops how happy I was but thought it best to contain my excitement in fount of Dave. Did she tell him about us? No, she couldn't have because he was still standing here beside of me.

"I'm sorry man." I lied for the most part, part of me felt terrible for Dave. Dave was always good at concealing him emotions. He barely seemed upset about the break up with Stacy.

"Ah I will be fine, it's not the first girl and she probably won't be the last." Dave was always in good spirits. It was one of the best qualities that he possessed. The curiosity got the best of me.

"Why did you and she break up?" I said trying to sound as if I didn't already know.

"I think there is someone else. She told me that she was looking for a kind of love that I couldn't give her. That she loved me but that she had recently learned that a different love existed. She said that it was the kind of love that she realized she can't live with out." He said he had a far off look in his eyes. I really hated the way that this would affect him. He then just looked up and smiled.

"Stacy?" He said. I turned around when I heard the footsteps behind us coming from one side of the garden. It was her. She was dressed in a white ball gown with sleeves that were fitted to the elbow and then flared out with lace ever so slightly. The iridescent beading on the bodice was simple but sparkled. Her long blonde hair was swept up in a mass of curls on the top of her head and her mask had beading that matched the bodice. She was breathtaking. All I could do was smile. She smiled back. I don't even remember the look that Dave had on his face. All I remembered was her and her beauty. Dave broke my concentration.

"You look beautiful Stacy." He stated. He always knew what to say.

"You are breath taking Stace." I said. She smiled. Then looked at me I could see her eyes and I could see her wondering why Dave was here.

"What are you doing here Stacy? Did you get a letter?" He stated.

"What letter?" She spoke in her soft sweet tone. Then I heard a rustling in the shadows coming from the garden. There was a woman dressed in a brown and gold ball gown with no sleeves and bronze gloves that stretched half way up her arms. My eyes wondered to her face as she came closer. Part of it was covered with a gold and brown sequined mask and her brown hair was pulled up into an elaborate bun on the top of her head. It was the first time that I had seen her in make up. Carrie was really beautiful.

"Carrie?" I asked and was surprised to hear that Stacy and Dave said the exact same thing. Stacy said it with some sort of shock.

The way that Dave said it sent chills down my back. Almost like he had witnessed a train wreck. I turned to look at him. All the color had drained from his face. Somewhat like the color from Carrie's face drained when she came face to face with Stacy. The letter that he had been holding fell to the ground almost as if it was in slow motion. All of a sudden a strange energy filled the air. I looked around at the four of us all-standing in a beautiful garden filled with white light. White, pure light, I knew that we were all in the shadows, that we all carried secrets even Dave, that our masks were unable to hide any longer as I stood there I could feel hell breaking loose around me.

"Hello David." Carrie said simply.

"How?" He said still standing it the same spot with a colorless face, his voice was shaky and if I was not mistaken I thought that he had tears in his eyes. "Take off the mask." He demanded.

"Why? You know it's me." She stated simply.

"Just do it, Carrie. You at least owe me that." He stated. What the hell is going on here? Was all I could think.

"Wait. How do you know Carrie?" I asked him. He slowly turned to look at me.

"How do you know her Randy?" He asked.

"I met her in the cab on the way to the airport. Then by some strange twist of fate, I ran into her here. We became friends." I said looking at Carrie who would not meet my eye contact. I looked at Stacy and realized that she was as lost as I was.

"Yeah right," Dave said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. His shock, I could hear was beginning to turn to anger. "How do you really know her Randy?" Dave spat out. I had never heard Dave take that tone with me.

"David, Randy is telling the truth." She spoke.

"I know Randy. Carrie, he doesn't have friends that are women without sleeping with them. Ask him yourself. Did you sleep with him?" He asked. I was almost offended by Dave's attitude. Although what he was saying was something that I had said myself only a few days ago. But I felt like somehow I had changed whether it have been Stacy, Carrie or both.

"I assure you David we did not sleep together." She stated very firm.

"Dave I swear she was only my friend. Why do you care anyway?" I stated. "You still haven't told me how you know her."

Silence fell up on the four of us standing here. I looked at Stacy and she was watching the scene unfold in fount of her with almost horror. I wanted to protect her from what was about to happen. "Well David are you going to tell him and your little girl friend." Carrie said as her eyes shot to Stacy.

I watched Dave stand there glaring at Carrie. I saw something that was strange in his eyes it was almost love. "Carrie why don't you tell them? How could you have the nerve to come back here after 7 years?" He started in his normal calm 'Dave' voice but was yelling by the point that he said 7 years. I was lost. I stood by Stacy in silence. With that Carrie took off her mask and so did Dave as they revealed the secret.

"Tell him David." She demanded in the stubborn attitude that she had demonstrated last night.

Dave turned to me I could see what almost looked like tears in his eyes. "You really what to know who she is?" I nodded. "She's my wife." He turned away and his back was to us.

Stacy and I said at the same time, "Your married?" I realized this must have come as a shock to her too. Her voice was shaky.

"Yes," Dave and Carrie both replied.

"Dave?" I turned to see Stacy she had taken off her mask and her eyes were more visible. "How could you not tell me? I slept with a married man?" Tears were welling up in her huge hazel eyes as the realization of the situation hit her. She turned to Carrie. "I am so sorry, I had no idea." She said. I wanted to go to her and throw my arms around her but I was frozen.

"But you sure knew what you were doing with Randy last night behind Dave's back didn't you?" Carrie shot at Stacy. I could see her eyes get wide with shock as she looked at me.

"You told her?" She said. This damned mask was getting on my nerves I wanted to continue to shield my secret from the light but flowing with the trend I removed my mask. I had to show her that I didn't tell Carrie.

"No she was still at my room and saw my shirt. You have to believe me Stacy I wouldn't have done that." I said as I started toward her.

"What?" Dave turned around and looked from Stacy to me with a confused look on his face.

"Dave, I kissed Stacy." I simply said. He turned around and looked at me. I he looked like he had just been punched in the stomach.

"Oh," he said with understanding. He turned to Stacy. "It's him, isn't it?" He said very calmly. She nodded. He turned to look at me. "You know you were my brother right?" He said softly. Then he turned to her. "If you think that he is your great love you are mistaken Stacy. Randy has demonstrated nothing but selfishness in the time that I have know him. You my dear are just another notch on the Orton belt." His words stung like an open wound that you pour alcohol on.

"Dave it wasn't like it sounds. I didn't mean for this to happen. And she is not another notch on the 'Orton' belt, as you like to put it. I … We never meant to hurt you. Man you are my best friend. Do you really think that all of this was planned?" I said.

"Maybe Paul just taught you a little too well. And you aren't my best friend, because you would have never kissed her. Or you would have been a man and told me about this." He said. He was right, I should have been the one to tell him. Then he surprised me he started to laugh. "I get it now. The title shot…Paul knew….Didn't he?" He said. I was silent so was Stacy. "Didn't he?" Dave yelled.

"Yes," I said.

"The dinner with Eric, the story line. It all makes since now." Dave said he had stopped laughing and looked at me. "Trust me Randy all of this has cost you. It has cost you my friendship, Paul's and it's going to cost you something that will eventually mean a lot to you." Dave said.

"Dave you know, I know that I was wrong. But what about what you did to Stacy? What you did to Carrie? You were married…How is that different than what I have done?" I said. He was frozen now. I looked at Carrie, she stood before me trying to conceal that she was a mess.

"Don't talk to me about my marriage. This woman left me 7 years ago. I couldn't find her to send her divorce papers she just disappeared into thin air. I had finally moved on with my life. Finally found someone that slightly compared to the feelings that I had for her, Randy. Now, that is just shit too isn't it?" Dave said a little calmer than before. He turned to Carrie. "I have to know. Why did you leave me? Why didn't you just do me the courtesy of telling me it was over?" His voice was sad.

"I tried. I just sat there watching you sleep. I wanted to tell you that I was leaving. I wanted to tell you that I would come back. I wanted to tell you that I just couldn't take being there in that house anymore. Not around her stuff. When Elizabeth died she took all that I had left to give. I knew that if I woke you up that you would stop me. I knew if I looked into your eyes I couldn't leave. I watched you sleep and when the dawn started to break I got on a bus." She said with tears falling onto her taffeta brown ball gown.

"Why didn't you stay? We could have gotten through it together. Carrie I loved you, I would have done anything. I would have moved; we could have started over. Do you know how hard it was to lose you both?" I watched him move toward her.

"I was scared. I was selfish. I never intended to stay gone for 7 years. I stared to come back time after time David. I thought about you all the time. I still do, about you and our little girl." She said and started crying harder.

"Dave, you have a little girl?" Stacy said. She had been standing in silence.

Dave took a deep breath and sighed. He turned to face Stacy and I. "I did. I had a little girl. Her name was Elizabeth. Carrie and I had her right after we were married. She was four when the leukemia came. They found it too late and there was nothing that the doctor's could do. She died 6 months later." He said. It was the first time I had ever saw Dave cry.

"I'm so sorry Dave. I wish you would have told us." I said wondering if the old Randy would have been understanding like I just demonstrated.

"I wanted to leave that part of my life behind me, so when I signed the contract with Vince, I decided not to tell anyone about my past. I never thought that Carrie would come back." He looked at Stacy. "I tried to tell you once or twice, but I couldn't. I'm truly sorry that I mislead you." He walked over to Carrie, he looked at Carrie the way that I looked at Stacy. "Let's talk…Just us, excuse us." He slipped his arm around her and she nodded.

I watched them disappear into the lush plants. Then I turned to Stacy. I didn't know what to say to her. I especially didn't know what to say at all after the event we just saw unfold. I looked at her and caught her eye. I reached out my hand and she took in I led her to sit on the edge of the fountain.

"Well that was…" I started.

"I chose you." She said quickly. I looked into her eyes and smiled.

"I know." I looked at her.

"I just wanted you to know, I chose you before any of this happened." She said again.

"I know," I said. We sat there in silence as held her hand. "I have to know why you chose me?"

"Because I was looking for love. I was looking for real love, the can't- live-with-out-the-each-other, crazy, incontinent, love. And when you kissed me I found it. That love only happens once. I couldn't walk away from it, from you." I knew exactly what she meant. I leaned over to kiss her and this time I allowed it all the butterflies and the tingles. This whole experience had really changed me.

"Do you want to meet my parents?" I said. She nodded and I stood up and this time meant to extend my hand. She took it. I knew that I would have to deal with Dave later. I knew that there would be more of the story to tell but I knew with her by my side anything was possible. We walked hand in hand into the crowded ballroom.

Hey everyone thanks for reading all of that I know it was a really long chapter and some major things happened….Please let me know what you think….I will get the final part up soon…Thank you to everyone who is still reading my story and a great big, huge special THANK YOU to those who have been reviewing… 