A/N: Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy the chapter. :)


"Hey!"

Dolph was confused momentarily, but had the wherewithal to ask, "Nikki, what are you doing here? I thought you and Brie were meeting AJ in the lobby. She just left a little while ago, she's probably down there."

"Oh, I know, I'm going down there in a second, but I wanted to come up here first," she told him.

"Can I ask why?" he said because it was unusual for Nikki to just drop by, and he wasn't even sure how she knew what his hotel room was. She was supposed to be going to lunch with Brie and AJ, something Brie apparently set up. AJ was not too jazzed about the idea, but she liked Brie so she went along with it.

"Oh, it's just because I really, really wanted to thank you for that advice you gave me about John, and it really meant a lot to me that you would go to such lengths that you would do that for me."

"All you did was call me, Nik," he told her, "that doesn't take that much effort, believe me. I just told you what I thought, it wasn't anything, really."

"It may not seem that way to you, but it meant a lot to me, especially after our history. I mean, it has to be weird for me to talk about my current boyfriend when you're my ex, and I know that I put you in an awkward situation, and I just didn't want you to feel weird about it," she said, somehow managing to get into the room and close the door behind her. Dolph wasn't even sure when she did that, but then, Nikki had always been smooth like that.

"It's not that weird, we've been broken up for a while, it was more surprising that you would want that kind of advice from me because the whole issue of our relationship was us not being ready to commit and actually live together," he said.

"I know, we just weren't mature back then, we were kids, really," she laughed, thinking back to it. "Otherwise, we were really great, but I mean, that's obviously in the past, and we're with other people."

"Yeah, we have," Dolph said, "and my girlfriend is waiting downstairs to meet you for lunch."

"So weird, I mean, I'm with John, you're with AJ, and it's like, what happened with us?"

"Well, like you said, we weren't ready to make that next step," he shrugged. "Don't you think you should be going?"

It wasn't that he felt uncomfortable with having another woman in his hotel room, he felt uncomfortable with the way Nikki was hovering around him and insinuating about their relationship. He'd had fun with Nikki, but he was not that same person, so the thought of being with her again was weird, plus, he had AJ, and he loved her, and he wanted everything with AJ, not with Nikki. He hoped he was just misconstruing what was going on right now.

"I will, but I brought you something," it was only then he noticed she was holding something. "I made these yesterday, and I've had them since then, and I wanted to give to you as a thank you."

He looked down at the tupperware, "What is it?"

"Your favorite," she held it up, "double fudge brownies with a marshmallow fluff filling in them. I hope those are still your favorite, but if they're not, you're going to have to eat them anyways or offend me."

"No, they're still my favorite," he said, taking them from her as she shoved them into his chest. "Thank you, but you really didn't need to do this, I mean, I appreciate you thinking of me, but really, I didn't do anything."

"You've done more than you know, and I really felt like I had to thank you, so I'm not going to let you not take these. They aren't much," she shrugged, "but I really just want you to have something. The situation with John is so strange and just…"

She bit her lip and looked like she was going to start crying. She turned her head away, shaking it as if she was having a conversation with herself in her head. She turned back to him and there were tears in her eyes. Dolph hated to see women cry. It always made him feel guilty, even if it wasn't his fault. It somehow felt like it was.

"Don't cry," he said, taking her into his arms on instinct. "It's okay."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be dumping this onto you, I really didn't. I've been talking with Brie, but it's Brie, and she's happy with Daniel, and she's been so into…well, she's so happy, and I didn't want to burden her, so I've been carrying this around, and it's just like, why doesn't he love me enough?"

"I'm sure he does."

"He wants me to sign a contract so I can live with him though," Nikki said, sitting down heavily on the nearby couch. "He just…I mean, when you love someone, you just go in headfirst, you don't say, 'hey, sign this first, just in case,' it's like he doesn't believe we'll last, and he thinks I'll be a bitch if we break up. Was I a bitch to you?"

"No, you weren't," he told her, "you weren't at all. He's just scared, I mean, everyone in the world knows how bad his divorce was."

"But I'm not her! I'm nothing like her, I wouldn't do that to him, I wouldn't treat him like that," Nikki wiped delicately at her eyes. "Would you make me do that?"

"No, but that's me, and I've never been in that situation. I mean, he's trying to protect himself from hurt, it probably has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him."

"So why am I the one hurt?" she covered her face. "Why am I always the one that's hurt?"

"What do you even mean, has he done other stuff to you?" Dolph wondered, and if he had, Dolph would go find him right now and beat the shit out of him. Nobody should ever lay their hand on a woman, he'd always been raised that way, and he wasn't about to start changing his thinking now.

"No, no, I just, I just mean like with us," she looked up at him earnestly. "I know it was mutual, but it still hurt, I thought…I thought you would fight for us, and I guess, you know what, it's stupid, it's water under the bridge at this point, but I feel like I'm the one who always ends up with the hurt."

"Look, Nik, you're beautiful and you're fun, and you have a lot going for you. John sees that, and I'm sure once you get past this whole thing with the contract thing that you'll be fine," he told her, patting her companionably on the back. "Now, like, do you want to use my bathroom and clean yourself up?"

"Thanks," she said, leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. "You've been so nice, please take the brownies."

"Yeah, of course, thank you."

Nikki sniffled and walked into the bathroom. Dolph's eyes widened as she left the room, and he was just glad she didn't have a mental breakdown. Maybe he should talk with John, tell him what this all was doing to Nikki. He didn't want her to be so hurt, and maybe she just didn't want to tell John about her feelings because she didn't want to get dumped. He'd bring it up with AJ and get her thoughts on it. She was level-headed, she'd know what to do.

Nikki came out of the bathroom, far more composed than she'd been going into it. She smiled a watery smile at him, "Thank you again."

"No problem," he said, "have fun at lunch."

"Thanks," she told him. She exited the room and walked downstairs where Brie and AJ were sitting and talking animatedly about something. Brie was gesturing wildly while AJ was leaned back laughing at whatever Brie had to say. She scowled for a moment before putting on her best smile. "Hey guys, what's so funny?"

They both looked up at her and Brie smiled, "Oh, we were just talking about that botch I had the other night, and how I swear I thought I was going to fall off the turnbuckle and look like an idiot."

"I've been there," AJ said, "haven't we all though?"

"Yeah, I mean, even Daniel messes up sometimes, not John though, what with his 5 moves," Brie joked, and AJ covered her mouth in laughter. Nikki sucked at her teeth a little. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Come on, we have a lunch reservation, and I'm going to get AJ drunk on ice tea."

"Oh man, if I did drink, I know you would try to get me to drink mimosas or something, be one of those women."

"You don't even know what you're missing," Brie and AJ stood up, and started to walk, "Come on, Nicole," Brie said, turning around, "we don't want to be late."

"No, of course we don't," Nikki sneered when they turned their backs to her. She didn't want to go to this, and she was only doing it because of Brie. She wasn't going to lose her sister to that stupid child. Brie looked behind her to make sure Nikki was catching up, and Nikki quickly put a smile on her face and caught up to them, walking on the other side of Brie. "So where are we going?"

"Mexican, you can get a margarita, AJ doesn't drink, but she said we could and she could drive, that's why having her as a friend is the best," Brie teased. "We always have a designated driver."

"I'm trying to be offended by that," AJ told her, but it was also joking, and it seemed they had a rapport going already. They'd only been friends a couple months, but they got each other, and that irked Nikki even more.

"So AJ, how are things going with Dolph?" Nikki asked.

"Really well. I'm going to be moving in with him in a few weeks. We asked for the weekend off live events, and it was granted, so we're going to pack my stuff up next day off then send it on the trucks to Phoenix, and it should arrive in a couple weeks then we'll spend that weekend unpacking it."

"Wow, that sounds like you have everything planned," Nikki told her, trying to keep her voice neutral. It seemed to work since Brie didn't send her a dirty look. "You guys seem good."

"Yeah, I don't know, it's like, he just gets me, and it's great, you know what I mean. Sorry, if I start talking about him, I probably won't stop."

"I get you, if I start gushing about Daniel, I can talk for hours, and we all know Nikki can go on and on and on about John," Brie laughed. "Do not get her started about John. She will not shut up about it. Oh, but you should hear about his house, it's insane."

"I've been there actually," AJ said.

"You have?" Nikki turned her head sharply towards the shorter brunette. "When?"

"Oh, I think it must have been when I was just coming up from FCW. He really took me under his wing, and he was helping me really fit into the business, and since we were both in the Tampa area, he had me over a couple times into that museum he calls a house. It must be crazy staying there, like you're at a hotel or something."

"Yeah, it can be."

"It's nice though, I mean, I prefer a more lived-in feel, Dolph's house is great for that. You're moving in with John, right?" AJ said. "I mean, I know you guys were—"

"Absolutely, I love him," Nikki cut him off, "the silly little contract thing was stupid, it's not a big deal, but yeah, I'm going to make his house so much warmer. Not like a hotel at all."

"Yeah, he needs that in his life, I think," AJ said, "you'll be good for him." Nikki didn't want her telling her what she thought. She knew John better, she didn't need AJ to tell her stupid things like that. AJ had nothing on her.

"Oh, I know I will."