Nick called to let Shannon know that he arrived safely in Buffalo and again to let her know that he was in Montreal, Quebec. He wasn't going to be on the show, but he was bound and determined to travel with the company. He said it was the only way to stay relevant and in the story line. He explained how his "push" had died the last time he'd gotten a concussion so Shannon tried to be understanding. She heard him say he was left home for two months to recover, that he lost two days of memories and that he had relied on AJ Lee and Big E to get him to the airport. When he returned to work, he had to work his way from mid-card matches back up to main event status. Shannon understood his motivation. What completely baffled her and cut her to the quick was the silence that stretched from the last phone call on January 13th until she saw him reappear during the Royal Rumble. The trunks looked so good…from the front. That fake zipper-looking thing in the front – Wow. Then Shannon saw the back. "Over It." Her heart thumped in her chest. Is that a message for me? Please let that be a catch phrase…Please don't let him mean…Oh, my God. No, No, No. Please don't let him mean that we are… Shannon collapsed on the floor in front of her sofa. She watched the Rumble through the fingers covering her face. "I am so STUPID!" she screamed. She watched Roman Reigns eliminate Dolph Ziggler. She watched Renee Young interview Dolph backstage and listened to him talk about how happy he was to be back. Tears rolled down her cheeks. He's so happy. I am just a stupid fan who made a stupid, fangirl mistake. Shannon turned off her television and curled up on the floor, crying herself to sleep.


As Claudio Castagnolio and Nick Nemeth stood in line to check in at the hotel in Cleveland, Claudio asked the blonde man, "So how is Shannon doing? I heard the two of you really hit to off."

"Shannon? Oh, yeah, Milly – Shannon. We haven't talked much lately. She knows that I have been working hard to get back into ring-shape and make sure this concussion doesn't derail my career. She's really supportive and great. I'm going to go see her on my next day off." Nick told the Swiss superstar.

Claudio raised both eyebrows. "Are you f-ing with me right now? You quote haven't talked much lately endquote?" his voice was beginning to raise. "You stayed with her for six days, four of them at her place while she took care of your incapacitated ass! And you can't f-ing pick up the phone and call her?"

"Why the hell are you so defensive?" Nick grumbled as them moved closer to the counter.

"Because I am seeing her friend Sarah. Unlike you, since we've been on the road I call her, text her, and Skype with her. And, unlike you, on our next day off, I am actually going to see Sarah." Claudio moved past Nick and up to the counter. As soon as he had his room key he threw back over his shoulder, "Shannon didn't deserve that shit, Nick. That was cold."


Shannon had finished packing her suitcases. Her apartment was in condition to be left for a few months since she didn't know how long she'd be gone. Since she had nothing else to do, she turned on SmackDown. To her surprise, a violent battle was raging between Antonio Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler. Picking up the phone, Shannon called Sarah. "I'm watching SmackDown. What happened between Antonio and Dolph?"

"You are alive!" Sarah greeted. "Thank goodness!"

"Ha, Ha! Now, really, I know SmackDown was taped. What happened between those two?" Shannon repeated.

"I told you that I was seeing Claudio, that's why you are calling. He knows that something is up with you and I am worried about you. If I am worried about you, so is he. And Nick is the reason you are twisted in knots, so he's going to pay the price. I can't kick his ass – I wanted to but C said I wasn't allowed to. Believe me, I tried. Ended up tied to a hotel bed…Anyway…" Sarah trailed off with a goofy laugh, as if the thought brought back some interesting memory.

Shannon cleared her throat. "Yeah. Well. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Work is taking me away for a while, so once I figure out the time changes I'll be in touch."

"Woah. What are you talking about? Where are you going? What are you doing? Shannon? Sweetie. Honey. I realize that you fell hard for this man and he turned out to be a total and complete ass, but you cannot make rash decisions because of him. Please." Sarah was almost begging. "Just hold on. Let me call…"

"Sarah, just stop. I've already made this decision. I screwed up. I dropped my guard and let him in. It is on me. It was fast and whirlwind. What's worse, I was building a stupid fantasy world where this would actually work. I can't stay in this apartment right now. I need a break from my stupidity. It just so happens that I can work on location for a while so I am going to take advantage of that. Maybe when I get home I will have gotten over this stupid mistake."

"Shannon…"

"I will call you. I promise. Love ya, Sarah."

As soon as Sarah realized that Shannon had hung up she yelled, "C! C! I am going to kill Nicholas Nemeth! There is no way you can stop me! I swear he is a dead man!"