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Chapter Four

Randy Orton

The phone rang while I was running full-speed on the treadmill in my basement. I was surprised I even heard the phone at all, considering the Metallica blaring in my ears was loud enough to drown out a train wreck. I pulled a bud out of my ear and stopped the treadmill, getting off and answering the phone before it went to my answering machine. "Hello?"

"Hey, Randy, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all, Vince," I assured him. "I was just in the middle of a workout. What can I do for you?"

"Randy, I want you to answer me honestly: has Amberlea ever spoken to you about returning to WWE in any sort of capacity?" Vince asked. I blinked and then bit back a snicker.

"No," I answered honestly, "She's still settling into life at home. Do you miss her that much?" I cracked. He didn't have to answer because I know he misses Amberlea dearly. The Divas that he's letting Johnny Ace recruit can't walk and chew gum at the same time, let alone wrestle. It's downright shameful – and the reason why I've got the reputation I do. I grew up in this business my entire life; the idea that people are using it to springboard to "bigger and better" things is insulting. But Johnny Ace has Vince convinced that one of these new models could be the next Trish Stratus. Vince is giving him enough rope to hang himself, considering the models they're finding are awful bundles of silicone that seem to think this career is a diving board to fame.

"You know I do. Look, I'm aware of the issues with John Cena, so I just want to tell you that I'm not going to stand for the two of you attacking each other over her. I expect a certain level of decorum." I snorted. "Randy, I'm serious!"

"You know what he did to her, Vince. You can't expect me to be okay with you throwing her with him." Don't get me started on how I feel about Vince making John the golden boy. It's no wonder Amberlea left. It's still one of those things that make my blood hot when I stop to think about it. So I try not to. "Have you spoken to her about coming back?" I asked.

"Not yet. I'm running it by you first."

"I'm not her keeper, Vince. Amberlea is very much capable of answering for herself," I told him. "There's no reason to call me about this – it's her career."

"All right then, Randy, I'm going to call her. I'll let you get back to your workout." We hung up. I looked at the treadmill and realized that I couldn't go back to the workout now. Vince had me too distracted. The idea of Amberlea coming back to the WWE was a very welcome idea for me, but the idea of having her share a backstage area with John is frightening.

John Cena

As an unwritten rule, Vince always has the best office at the arena. It's always the biggest office, decorated with a desk, a TV, some couches and good catering. When I reached his office, he was sitting behind the desk on the phone. There was a plate of carrot sticks, celery sticks and dip to his left. Vince nodded as I walked into the room, holding up a hand and mouthing for me to have a seat. I took the chair across from his desk. It was a black leather Ergonomic chair that was surprisingly uncomfortable. The show is about to start in an hour; I can see the pile of paperwork and scripts on Vince's desk. He hung up. "That was fast, John."

"I came as soon as the tech found me. What did you want to see me about?"

"I'm thinking about bringing Amberlea Brennan back into the WWE Family, and I want to make sure that there still aren't any issues lingering between you three." Of course he knows all about these problems. I felt my nerves stand on end at the mention of Lea's name, the flutter of something pleasant in my stomach at the thought of seeing her again. It's been way too long.

"You want to bring her back?"

"Absolutely; the locker room needs her. I just want to know if you and Orton are going to be causing any problems," Vince replied tersely. I held up my hands in mock surrender.

"Never, Vince," I assured him, but Vince didn't look convinced.

"Well, let me talk to Amberlea. I think we should all have a sit down and hash everything out. That way I can come to work not worrying about you and Randy killing each other."

"There are no issues lingering on my end," I assured him. "If you think it's a good idea, let's do it."

"Glad to hear you're on board. If I can convince Amberlea to come by next week, we'll do it then, all right?"

"You always know where to find me," I joked. We fell silent for a moment. "Is that it?"

"You have Chris Jericho for the main event." I stood up, slapping hands with the boss.

"Good. I'll see you around." Vince nodded as the phone rang again. I tried to contain my joy as I left his office. I wanted to skip all the way to the locker room, but I somehow managed to contain myself. I wondered how she was looking these days. Having her around again would be wonderful.

I need to convince Vince to bring her here to Raw, away from Randy on SmackDown. I need to prove to Lea that she can trust me, that she always could trust me. I can't do anything with Randy around her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I'll bet they're dating. He isn't saying anything, but I think he is. I just want Lea to be happy; I don't want her to get wrapped up in his drama.

I walked into the locker room and found Chris Jericho sitting on a bench. He was set to leave pretty quickly; his rock band just released a new album and he's ready to go out and tour in support of it. He looked up as I walked in. "Hey," he said.

"We're main-eventing." Chris nodded. He was still dressed in his street clothes, a pair of faded blue jeans and a plain black T-shirt. "When are you finishing up with us?" I asked.

"Next Monday. Vince, Eric and I are hashing out all the details," he informed me. I nodded. It sucks to see him go; he's one of the only guys back here who actually minds his own business.

Amberlea Brennan

"Vince?"

"Amberlea!" his voice boomed over the phone. "How is one of my favorite Divas doing?"

I smiled, putting the bookmark into my book and closing it. I was sitting out on the porch, enjoying the gentle breeze and the sight of the sun fading on the horizon. I appreciated Vince's honesty in not calling me his favorite; every Diva backstage knows that Trish Stratus has the top spot and is the top draw, so she's the favorite. That, and Vince has a very obvious thing for blondes.

"I'm doing well, Vince. I'm just enjoying the sunset. What can I do for you?" I asked.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here, Amberlea, but we want you back. Would you want to come back to the WWE family? We miss you." I don't doubt that for a moment. I sure miss seeing Trish and Randy on a regular basis. It's always nice to hear the boss say he misses you, though.

"I appreciate that, Vince. I've just been settling back into a normal life. I haven't really thought about the next steps," I confessed. I looked down at the book on my lap. The Shining. I can't believe I'd never read it before. Randy's sister lent it to me; she said it was on her list of must-reads.

"I understand that. Would you ever come back?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, I know there's what happened with John…but we can work around that, right?" It still hurts knowing John thought so little of me, but I've worked past it a lot better than Randy has. Randy still wants to beat him within inches of his life. I just want to get on with my life.

"Yes. If you want to come out next week, I thought we'd all have a sit down and hash it out. I mean, you three will probably never be friends again, but I would at least like to keep things civil backstage."

"I understand." The idea of seeing John again was a little bit nerve-rattling, but I knew Vince was right. I can't avoid him forever. I mean, WWE is my home away from home. Where else would I go? Nowhere else would feel right.

"Would you agree?"

"It would be you, me, Randy and John?" I asked.

"It would. It would be a confidential meeting between the four of us," Vince assured me. Confidentiality is a huge issue in wrestling these days. I didn't buy that it would be a totally confidential meeting, but nothing could be more humiliating than the information of my "downward spiral" getting out. I sighed, running my tongue along the inside of my mouth, wondering if I was about to make the dumbest decision of my life. I wondered what Randy would say.

"Can I talk to Randy about this?" Vince asked.

"I spoke to him already," Vince told me to my surprise.

"What did he say?"

"He said you're free to make whatever decision you want," Vince replied. I smiled. "I'm not asking you to sign a new contract right away," Vince continued, "I just want you to come out and bury the hatchet so you'll feel better about coming back, if you choose to. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"I suppose not," I answered reluctantly. "I was going to travel with Randy at some point, so I guess I'll just do it next week."

"Great!" Vince boomed. I jumped, startled. "I'll see you next week, Amberlea."

"You, too," I said. I hung up the phone and rested my head back, staring at the rising moonlight. I had the feeling that I just made my life a whole lot more complicated.