Here's the newest update.

Please don't kill me for this one...

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Carter walked out of the WWE performance center, keys in one hand and her bag slung over her shoulder, and closed her eyes briefly as the cool Florida night air hit her still sweat soaked skin after her workout. It was eleven o'clock at night and all she had on her mind was getting home, taking a shower and possibly just laying right on the floor and going to sleep because she was sure what energy she had would be gone by then. She was exhausted.

Except she wasn't going home. She opened her eyes and sighed, heading across the parking lot to her Jeep. She had spent the last five days In Florida and four of those days driving back and forth between her home in Tampa and the building in Orlando; she wasn't going to pass up a rare stretch of time she got to sleep in her own bed, but she was picking up Seth at the airport early in the morning and the extra hour of sleep was worth being away from home.

Luckily she had a key to Becky's condo and her friend was more than happy to have her crashing at her place even if she was on the road.

She climbed into the driver's side of the Jeep, tossing her bag in the passenger's seat and started the vehicle, immediately rolling down her window to continue enjoying the night air. She checked her phone as she plugged it in to the media connection. She had texts from her brother, Becky and Seth.

She read Becky's first: Ferg said there's a package for you in the kitchen. He's already headed to Jville so you're on your own. Miss you :) see you tomorrow!

Carter smiled and responded to her friend. She felt bad; Fergal, better known to most people as Finn Balor, didn't have to leave on her account. She thanked her and told her she was ready to see everyone again.

Being off the road and in Florida on her own had been lonely. Nikki, John and Brie hadn't even been around. She had gotten to form a stronger friendship with a few of the girls in NXT, though; particularly Bayley and Carmella, and their company had been welcome. She was ready to see her crew, though, especially Seth.

She responded to Seth's texts, asking if he was still up, and backed out of her parking space in the almost empty parking lot to make the short drive to Becky's house for the night.

The house was pitch black minus the street lights that were giving off a soft glow through the windows. She stumbled around, feeling all over the wall next to the door she entered the kitchen through, and finally found the lights, flipping them on. She stopped dead in her tracks, her jaw dropping a little, at the sight of a full bouquet of pink and white lilies sitting on the kitchen island.

"What the fuck?" She muttered to herself. She crossed the room and fingered the petals on one of the blooms before picking up the card sitting next to the vase.

One more night. Seth.

Carter laughed. Short and to the point, that was him. She stood in the kitchen for a moment, admiring the flowers and inhaling their sweet scent. She then reached for her phone to call him and at the last second before she hit send decided to hit the Facetime button. She missed his face.

"Hold on," she heard Seth say as the call picked up and she was treated to a view of the ceiling of his hotel room. She could hear him moving around somewhere off the screen and rolled her eyes as she took a seat on one of the bar stools at the island.

He appeared on screen after a few minutes and he smiled, greeting her, "hi."

"What are you doing over there? Are you kicking a groupie out of your room?"

He gave her a scowl as he settled down on his bed, leaning up against the headboard. "No, thank you very much. I was putting clothes on. I literally just got out of the shower."

"Oh? You didn't have to do that…." She grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, settle down. Save that for when you aren't 1200 miles across the country."

Carter laughed and sat up on the bar stool, "so…I face timed you because I wanted to show you something."

"Oh, I thought maybe you missed me."

"Well yeah, there's that, too."

He lifted his eyebrows in question before Carter hit the button on the screen that flipped her camera around. Seth got a quick glimpse of the flowers he'd had delivered to her before the screen switched back to her.

"Where did those come from?" He asked, teasing.

"Oh some wrestler guy sent them to me…thought you would want to know about it…"

"He's got good taste."

Carter grinned, "Seth. They're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them."

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"You didn't have to do anything to deserve something, Carter. I've just missed you this week," he shrugged. "Believe it or not I have a little bit of romance in me."

"I see that. I didn't even realize I'd ever told you that lilies are my favorite."

"You didn't, not directly, but you did tell me that your brother gets you them for your birthday every year so I made an educated guess."

"Well just look at you."

He made a motion like he was brushing off his shoulder and patted himself on the back, "ten points to Rollins." She rolled her eyes at his self satisfied smiled but couldn't help and crack a smile at it herself. "Did you just get home?" he asked.

"Ah, yeah," she answered, leaning on her elbow. "I was still at the performance center. I guess you got that text while you were in the shower…?"

"Yeah I didn't look at them yet. I didn't know it was even open that late."

Carter sighed, glancing over at her flowers. She hadn't told him yet that she had decided to heed the advice of Stephanie and do some training while she was in town. The only thing she had really told him was that she was going to Hawaii and Japan with him and that she would be in Orlando for the week leading up to the overseas trips.

She hadn't actually planned on taking the plunge but being in the environment of the performance center and watching class after class learn the basics, she hadn't been able to resist.

"Carter?" Seth called, drawing her attention back to him.

"Ok so you know on Monday I had that meeting with Carano and Stephanie? I didn't tell you everything we talked about," Carter frowned.

Seth silently stared at her through the phone.

"Um, Stephanie suggested that I maybe try out a class or two while I was down here."

"I know," he replied.

"I...wait what?"

Seth broke into a smile at her shocked face. "I know. You already got busted two days ago I was just curious how long it would take you to fess up."

"How?"

"Hunter sent Stephanie a video of you and Bayley and she showed it to me. She assumed that I knew since it was also suggested that you get my opinion on it, but...as you know, that didn't happen."

"Well fuck," Carter mumbled. "Can't keep a secret around here, can you?"

"No, never. So why didn't you?"

"Ask your opinion or tell you?" She replied, looking down at the tiled counter top on the island and picking at the caulk in between the tiles.

"Both."

Carter sighed and looked up, "to be honest, I didn't plan any of it. I had a conversation with Bayley and it just happened, but had I sat down and had a conversation with you about it, you would've been here in Florida without a second thought and not in Iowa opening up the new session at your school and that's where you should be. I don't want to hoard all your time. And I wanted to do it on my own, first."

"Well...it's something I would have liked to known that my girlfriend was doing- from you, not Stephanie. Don't hide things from me..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't looking at it as trying to hide anything but I still should have told you."

"I understand not wanting my help but I could at least support you. Not to mention that wouldn't have been a fun surprise if you'd gotten hurt. Wrestling is my wheelhouse, that's what I do; it's my life, and I've been through all of it before. I know your back is probably covered in bruises right now, isn't it?"

Carter gave him a sheepish look and turned to her side slightly and lifted the side of her tank top, exposing part of the bruise that was in a line across her back and her side. Seth's face softened.

"Babe…"

"It's on my hip, too. I look like I was in a wreck."

"The ropes will get you every time."

"And I never said I didn't want your help. I said I wanted to do it on my own first."

His mouth turned up in an amused smirk, "you're stubborn, you know that?"

"Yeah, I've been told that one or two times," she frowned. "I just wanted this be detached from 'us' for now."

"It is and it will be. I'm not going to get involved in it unless you ask me to. I'm just an observer."

"If I decided that I want to make the change then of course I want your help. I would be stupid not to do that."

"I won't take it easy on you," he teased.

"I don't doubt that." She inhaled deeply, "I'm guessing since I still got flowers you aren't mad?"

"I was irritated with you for not talking to me but I wasn't mad. Honestly, I was a little proud of you for actually doing it. I wanted to share that with you..."

"You can while you're down here," she smiled.

There was a comfortable silence that passed between them. Carter took a moment to inhale the sweet scent of her flowers again. He had really hit a home run on that one. "You don't happen to have any advice on how to make my body stop feeling like I got ran over by a truck, do you?"

Seth laughed, "For now? Pop open a bottle of wine I'm sure Becky has around there, take some Tylenol and get some good sleep."

"That's it? Get drunk and take pills?"

"Yes, for now. I'll be there in the morning and I'll help with the rest of it."

Carter blushed, looking down again. There was an unmistakable tingle stirring in her. She studied his face for a moment, his messy hair and beard that needed trimming and his glasses. There was a glint to his eyes that he knew exactly what a few choice words from him would do to her. "You're a fucking scamp, you know that?"

"Is this the 1950's now?" He asked, trying to stifle a yawn. "I don't think anybody says 'scamp' anymore."

"You look like the one that needs some good sleep."

He glanced at the clock on the table beside his bed and nodded, "I probably do. I have to be at the airport in fivish hours..."

"You'll be here around 10?"

"If there aren't any hold ups yeah, 10:23 or something. Airport times are weirdly specific."

Carter nodded, "I'll be there with bells on."

"Please actually wear bells."

She rolled her eyes, "go to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," he shifted on the bed, preparing to hang up with her. "Get some sleep, too, ok? You need it."

"I will." She blew him a kiss and he winked before ending the call.

She set her phone down, looking at the blank screen for a moment and sighed. Just a few more hours. She needed to shower, still, and she definitely did need some sleep. It had been a long five days for her. She pocketed her phone as she stood up from the bar stool, eyeing the wine stand she could see in the dining room next to her. She retrieved a bottle of red and rummaged in a couple drawers for a corkscrew. She was going to take Seth's advice exactly; wine and some Tylenol, paired with a hot shower, and then some much needed sleep.

Seth saw Carter as soon as he got to the top of the stairs that led down to the baggage claim. She was standing off on her own, leaning against a post, with her nose buried in her phone in typical Carter fashion. He took advantage of the moment to stare at her, appreciating the fact she was wearing shorts and showing off her legs which were usually covered in leggings or jeans, and he couldn't help but smile. She was clueless about just how beautiful she was and he loved that about her. It wasn't an act, and it wasn't pretentious, it was just her. She didn't care.

Her hand dropped to her side and she looked up and around and then her eyes met his. A wide smile spread across her face. She greeted him at the bottom of the stairs and they hugged, drawing a laugh from her when he picked her up off the ground slightly, before even speaking to each other. He kissed her; she tasted like coffee and vanilla, and then smiled down at her as he brushed his hand along her cheek.

"How are you?" She asked softly; enjoy the light feel of his fingertips on her face.

"I'm not grumpy anymore," he replied.

"I have that affect on people," she smiled.

Seth broke their contact and they started toward the carousel his flight's luggage would come out on. "I'm hungry and I need some coffee but I'm good."

"I figured you would want to go eat but I didn't know if you were crossfitting today or what so I didn't really plan anything, but you have coffee with a shit ton of cream in it in my car."

"That's my girl," he smiled.

She mimicked his pat on the back from the night before, "10 points for Carter."

"And no Crossfit today, I'm just going to work out at the performance center."

"Aw, I was gonna actually go with you," she pouted.

"You weren't gonna do shit, you liar, you hate Crossfit."

"I hate people that don't have a clue what they're doing, doing Crossfit. Not you."

"I'll remember that the next time you tell me all my joints will need to be replaced in 15 years," he cut his eyes at her. Carter's response was to simply point to his knee. He spotted his bag and stepped away from her for a moment to grab it before responding to her. "That was an accident and if I recall you had the exact same thing happen to you, Yoga Jones."

"I spent almost 20 years of my life squatting for seven to nine innings multiple times a week and I had someone fall on top of me at home plate. Apples to oranges, Crossfit Jesus."

"You know there will never be an end to this argument don't you?" He asked as they stepped outside of the airport in to the Florida sunshine.

"There will be once you accept that I'm right," she laughed at the glare he gave her and pouted at him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing his arm with her other hand. "Don't give me that look; you know I'm just egging you on. You get so riled up about it."

"I know exactly what you're doing and I hate how much pleasure you get from it because I fall for it every time," he shook his head, "every damn time."

"You're just very passionate," she shrugged; motioning in the direction she had parked her car in the parking garage.

They walked in silence for the rest of the short distance to her Jeep. She fished her keys from her pocket and popped the back hatch for him and watched quietly as he put his bags in her car. She started to move to the driver's side but was stopped by Seth's hand grabbing hers and his mouth capturing hers in a much more intense kiss than the one they had shared minutes before. He backed her up against the car and tangled his hands in her hair, smiling in to the kiss when he heard a small moan escape her. She felt his tongue flick across her lips and it felt like the world went completely blank, except for him, his smell and the heat of his kiss. The spark was lit and she was helpless.

He had to take a deep breath when he finally pulled away from her, looking at her with his hands still framing her face. She could feel his heart racing through his shirt.

"I didn't think it was appropriate to do that in the middle of the airport."

"I don't think it was appropriate to do that in the middle of a parking garage but I'm not going to complain," she mumbled, still slightly breathless.

He ran his thumb across her lips, smirking, and took a step back from her. Her heart dropped a little at the loss of contact; she wanted more.

"Do you want to drive?" She asked.

"If you want me to."

She held up the keys and dropped them in his hand and started around the car to take her spot in the passenger's seat. She was used to being the copilot, anyways, and more importantly she needed a minute to get herself composed.

Later that evening at the house show, Carter was settled at a chair right behind Lillian, taking the opportunity to actually watch a show as a fan since she technically didn't have to work again until the next day. Renee had just text her, letting her know that she and Dean had just gotten to the arena and she would be out as soon as possible. Dean had pulled double duty that night, opening the show in Jacksonville and making the two hour drive to Orlando to close out the show with Seth, thanks to Roman's suspension. Renee had naturally come with him and Carter was eager to see her friend and give her a run down of her week and her day.

Her mind drifted for a moment as she thought back on getting to actually spend the day with Seth. For once it had felt like they weren't working, or lost in the WWE world, even though they had been at the performance center for awhile. They just simply worked out, crossing paths and sharing a smile or look occasionally in the weight room, and that was that. The rest of the day had just been time together before they showed up at the arena for the night's show. She supposed most of that was owed to the fact that Orlando was a familiar and homey place for both of them; unlike the new cities on the road they visited every couple of days. It was a good feeling to be with him and have them fall in to a comfortable routine; she had worried about if anything would awkwardly change between them and it had obviously been unwarranted worry.

She saw Renee appear near the ramp and hurry through the crowd to make her way over to Carter.

"Hello, beautiful," Renee greeted her friend with a hug. "Oh man you were away too long."

"I know, I hated it. I can't really complain about being down here, though."

"Being home is always a good feeling. How has the show been?"

"Weird seeing it from here but it's been good. How was the drive?"

"Hectic, but I got him all pumped up on caffeine and he seems to be just fine," Renee laughed. "Thank you for letting us stay with you tonight."

"You're always welcome," Carter winked at her friend and turned her attention to the ring when she heard Dean's music start.

Renee let out a loud yell when Dean passed by them, telling him to kick Seth's ass. Carter looked at her friend. "Seriously?"

"Not my fault my guy is the champ," she teased, yelling over the music. Carter shook her head, looking toward the top of the ramp and she froze, catching a familiar face in the crowd next to the barrier directly across from her. She nudged Renee, getting her attention. "What?" Renee asked.

"Is that Zahra?"

"Where?" Carter didn't want to point, but she didn't have to, as Renee spotted her too. "Oh for fuck's sake, why is she here?"

"I'm gonna go backstage," Carter said as Seth's music started and he appeared at the top of the ramp, his smug smile plastered on his face and chomping on gum.

"No, hey," Renee grabbed her friend's arm and gave her a serious look. "Fuck her, ok? And don't let it bother you. Let's enjoy a match for once. I would be willing to bet that he doesn't even know she's here. She's a fucking snake." Carter sighed. Renee gave her another quick, short hug, and smiled, trying to get her to smile, too. "Come on, smile. We'll kill her after the match, ok?"