Well, it took a little time
But I guess you finally learned
That promises get broken
And bridges do get burned
You've been siftin' through the ashes
Just tryin' to find a flame
Holdin' on to nothin'
You're a victim of the game

It was a lovely ceremony. That's what everyone kept saying. She was beautiful, he was handsome, the flowers were perfect. The reception was one to rival a royal wedding. But wasn't that was this was, anyway? The crown princess of the wrestling world walked back down the aisle on the arm of her knight in shining armor. Everyone was smiling. Her mother cried. Her father beamed. Their friends and family congratulated them and wished them all the best. All of them, except for one.

He sat in the back row of the church, far away from the rest of the well-wishers. He didn't want to be close to the them, didn't desire a ringside seat for the destruction of his life. He has to bite his tongue when the minister asked if there were any objections to the union. Hell yes there were objections. He had too many to list. But, he valued his position far too much to stand and make a fool of himself in front of the packed church.

Besides, enough people knew already how hard he was taking this. He tried to hide it, tried to pretend it didn't matter. But the one thing he couldn't hide was the fact that it had meant more to him than a couple of rolls in the hay, or that he had only done it to secure his position of near greatness within the ranks of the company. None of that mattered now. It was over, despite the empty promises that things wouldn't change, that he was still loved.

You were standin' way too close
To see it all fall apart
And there were things you couldn't hear
'Cause you were listenin' with your heart
But you can't say I didn't warn you
Now there's no one else to blame
There's no one quite as blind
As a victim of the game

He had fooled himself into believing that if he was good enough, if he gave enough of himself, that this day would never come, that he would never lose the thing that he wanted most in this world. God, why did it have to hurt so much? Why did he have to care so deeply? He knew why, but he would never admit it - not out loud anyway. He had a hard enough time admitting it to himself on those long, lonely nights, nights that used to be filled with love and lust and wishful words whispered late into the night.

And it don't matter who you are
It treats everyone the same
All you need's a heart
To be a victim of the game

He had tried so hard, wanted so badly, to be the one that won in the end. He wanted to be the one declaring his undying love for all the world to see. He wanted to be the one that woke up next to that beautiful body every morning, that held it late into the night. He wanted to be the one to whisper reassurances when the world was unfair, to offer support when things got a little too rough. He wanted so much. And all he got was a broken heart.

You know it's really gettin' to you
When you take to tellin' lies
And you can try to fool your friends
But you can't look 'em in the eye
There ain't no standin' tall
In the shadow of the shame
When everybody knows
That you're a victim of the game

When his friends asked how he was that morning, he told them he was fine, blew it off like it was no big deal. But this was the biggest deal of his life. The thing he wanted most, the thing he had grown to love and cherish, was gone now. He told them it was nothing. And yet, from the very pit of his being, he was screaming out, hoping someone could hear his silent pleas. He didn't want to be alone, didn't want to learn to do this all over again.

This was the first time in his life that he had truly been in love, the first time he had felt the longings he had. And now it was gone. It didn't matter that the one he loved had never been his to begin with, or that everyone, other than himself, had known. His only mission now was to try and save what little was left of his dignity, try to move on, forget about the past, blah blah blah.

And it don't matter who you are
It treats everyone the same
All you need's a heart
To be a victim of the game

If he knew that he was used, tossed aside like yesterday's newspaper, then why the hell did it hurt so much? From the very beginning, he told himself that he would never let it go this far, that he would walk before he got in too deep. But it was too late now. He was here, they were there, and he was just going to have to accept that.

He looked around the room, wondering if he could make a quick exit without anyone noticing, just disappear into the dark night and never be seen again. With a deep sigh, he knew it was impossible. Resigning himself to the fact that he had to face his worst nightmare, he slowly approached the happy couple. Forcing a warm smile, he walked up and kissed Stephanie on the cheek, telling her how beautiful everything was.

She thanked him, gushing like the blushing bride she was, and told him to enjoy the party. He nodded wordlessly and turned to walk away when he was stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking up, his eyes misted over as Paul looked at him. He felt his throat constrict, afraid to speak, afraid that he would betray himself with a single word.

He muttered his congratulations and walked away. He was afraid to think of what that look in Paul's eyes had meant. Was it fear? Longing? Regret? Randy didn't want to know. All he wanted was to get the hell out of there before he started bawling like a baby. Without looking up, he headed for the nearest door, ignoring his friends as they called after him, asking if he was alright.

He was so intent on leaving that he never noticed the older man standing by the door, watching the scene with an understanding gaze. He was so wrapped up in his pain that he never saw Shawn until he had run right into him. He began to mutter an apology, saying that he had to get out of there. Without a word, Shawn wrapped an arm around Randy's shoulders and led him out the door, into the dark night where secrets remained untold and lost love was the order of the day.

Randy allowed Shawn to guide him to the car without question, closing the door behind himself and finally allowing the tears to come that he had been holding back all day. Paul was gone, at least to him. He belonged to Stephanie now, and Randy would never again know the feeling of his strong arms protecting him in the darkness of night. After awhile, he looked over at Shawn, wondering how he would explain what he did, why he was crying, how much he hurt. When their eyes met, Randy understood. Shawn smiled thinly as he wiped the tears from his eyes. No words were needed. No explanation necessary. Randy wasn't alone anymore. Shawn had loved him, too. Maybe together they could heal each other. Maybe they could comfort each other, pull each other out of the hell they had lived in for so long. Maybe together, they could survive.

Oh, you know, when I look into your eyes
I can really feel the pain
Starin' in the mirror
At a victim of the game