A/N: Thanks for reading/reviewing thus far! And just in case I don't update again before this Friday, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!

Renesa yawned and stretched out on the sofa, her right foot slipping out from the protection of the blanket she had tossed over her body. On television, a romance flick played dully across the screen. An extremely boring flick she had selected off, of all places, Netflix. In the midst of daydreaming about her homemade lunch options, her phone rang, prompting her to answer blindly. "Hello?"

"Whatcha doin'?"

The voice was decidedly male, but since Renesa couldn't quite place it, she pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the screen. Seth! Of course it was Seth. Now she felt silly for not recognizing him, but he didn't need to know that, so she brought the phone back to her ear and pretended like she had known his identity all along. "Hey there, Seth. I was actually just about to make some lunch."

"That sounds good. What're you having?"

"I don't know yet," she shrugged, playing with the remote by turning it over repeatedly in her lap. "I have to see what's in my fridge and pantry before I can decide. What are you up to this fine Friday?"

"I just thought I'd call and check in with you. I heard some stuff."

"What stuff?" Renesa asked, a frown indenting her brow.

The way Seth spoke so cryptically made her feel like he had something on her, except he couldn't, because she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. To be truthful, she also hadn't expected him to call her so out of the blue. He had avoided her like a contagious disease all night Monday and even on Tuesday at the taping of Smackdown, all because he thought she was walking away from the business. More specifically, she was walking away from their friendship, and he didn't like it one bit.

Then, everything clicked for her. He must have heard through the grapevine that she was sticking around, which explained why he wanted to talk now. Seconds later, he confirmed those suspicions. "Steph might've mentioned in passing that you were keeping your job with the company, and I just wanted to see if it was true. Are you gonna hang in there?"

"Yep," she supplied.

"That's all you have to say about it?" Seth asked, chuckling at the end of his sentence.

"What else do you want me to say about it?"

"I'm just, um, just glad you changed your mind and decided to stay. I would've missed you."

His tone dropped, a wave of unnamed emotion pelting her through the phone. Renesa was still amazed that someone so personally and professionally successful could carry around such emotional heaviness, and what's more, during a time when he was a part of an industry he had worked his entire life to enter. From the outside looking in, he had everything, but each time they spoke, Renesa was reminded that something serious was missing from his life. She didn't want to poke or prod, but his silence made her curious, which was a switch she couldn't easily flip back off.

"Seth?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" he inquired, after a few seconds of quiet. That was her first clue that he wasn't doing well. If he was, he would have responded with a simple 'yes'.

"I mean, like, are you doing okay right now, or are you sad?" Renesa clarified. "Because you sound sad."

"I wish we lived near each other," Seth said, skipping the question entirely. His avoidance of it was her second clue that something was amiss. "Then I could come see you and take you out to lunch. You shouldn't even have to cook for yourself today. This should be your time to relax."

"Oh, I don't mind," she said, waving his concern off. "I can't just lie here on the couch all day doing nothing, can I?"

"Why not?" he teased.

"You know why."

"So, hey, the reason I was actually calling, besides wanting to hear your beautiful voice, was to see if you wanted to go to Crossfit with me on Monday morning. Once you get into town, you can hit me up, and I'll text you the address to meet me at."

"You think I'm ready for that?"

"For sure," Seth remarked. "You'd be great at it."

"I'm so clumsy, though. I can just see myself trying to do a box jump and falling on my face. If I break my nose or something, I'm holding you completely responsible," she japed.

"I'll take full responsibility if you say you'll come."

"Okay," she agreed, without putting up much of a fight. "I'll be there."

Renesa wouldn't have admitted it aloud, but she had gone workout clothes shopping over the weekend in preparation for Monday's meeting with Seth. Gym or not, she wanted to look good. After sorting through all the racks inside a local department store, she had eventually settled on a racerback tank that was black with sky blue lining. Her workout leggings matched, with the aforementioned blue stripe running down the sides of both legs. She had rounded the look off with a pair of black Nike running shoes, pulling up her now medium length hair into a high ponytail.

Having changed into her fitness ensemble on the jet so she could drive straight to the Nutley Crossfit to meet Seth, Renesa had earned looks of perplexity from both Paul and Stephanie. They had actually stopped in the middle of a steamy make-out session to exchange glances with one another before spying on Renesa as she stood near the back of the jet, picking a banana from the ripened bunch that sat on the table. When she turned around and noticed their stares, she stumbled a little, surprised they were watching. Rarely did they pull themselves away from each other enough to take in their surroundings.

"What?" she shrugged. Renesa went through with peeling her banana while they watched her like she had lost her mind.

"What's up with the change of clothes?" Stephanie prodded.

"Yeah," Paul seconded. "Since when do you work out?"

"Since Seth invited me to Crossfit," she shrugged, taking a hearty bite of banana and washing it down with the individually sized carton of orange juice she had pulled from the mini refrigerator. Now Paul and Stephanie were looking at each other again, like they were both thinking the same thoughts, but neither of them knew how to word it delicately enough to not hurt Renesa's feelings. "No biggie, guys. Go back to sticking your tongues down each other's throats."

"Listen, Ren..." Paul trailed off, shifting in his seat and loosening his tie. That was never a good sign. Stephanie lifted up and perched herself against the armrest on one knee, watching Renesa over the seat as Paul stood in the middle of the aisle. He held up his right hand in a placating manner. "I get that this is probably an innocent thing and you just want to go and hang out with Seth, but you're one of the writers for the WWE. You're not supposed to be making it a habit of hanging out with the boys. Writers and talent aren't exactly one in the same."

"But we're friends," she said, slowing down her chewing. She glanced helplessly between both their sympathetic gazes. "He was just trying to be nice because I had asked him about his workouts, so he called over the weekend and invited me to meet him at the Crossfit place this morning."

"Wait a minute," Paul said, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a few steps forward. He reopened his eyes within seconds. "He calls you?"

Renesa gulped and lowered the hand holding her banana. Her stomach did a flop and sensations of nausea filled her upper abdomen, setting her on high alert. Her bright and sunny day suddenly didn't seem so great anymore. Discarding her banana peel on the table altogether, she folded her arms across her chest and said, "You guys are the ones who even gave him my number in the first place."

"Yeah, but that was different," Stephanie cut in. "That was so he could keep an eye on you back when you had no clue what you were doing."

"What are you guys trying to say?" Renesa asked. Her jaw set and her eyes narrowed to mere slits as she stared them down. If they wanted to battle, a war they would get. "You think all the sudden you're allowed to tell me who I can hang out with? You don't get to ruin my plans with Seth just because you've decided you don't like them. I'm an adult! Just because I'm younger than Steph doesn't mean you guys get to play the parent card and boss me around. You have three daughters to do that to."

"We're not trying to boss you around," Paul said, inching forward. By this point, for each step he took, Renesa took another one back. "We just want you to be careful. Seth's a charming, good-looking guy and if you start falling for him, things are going to get ugly. You can't date him, Ren. It's not going to be allowed."

"Wow," Renesa muttered, taken aback. She sucked at her teeth and turned her head, staring blankly out one of the jet windows. Her heart pounded in her chest, and every ounce of excitement she had carried with her that morning deflated, sinking into a heavy puddle forming in the pit of her stomach. "This is the sort of thing I'd expect from Dad, but I never thought I'd see the day when you guys would stoop to this level. Could either of you be any more hypocritical?"

"Ren — "

" — No!" she cut in, steam pouring from her ears. A thin line of sweat formed above her upper lip. She was heated. "You guys snuck around behind everyone's backs to be together all those years ago and that was perfectly acceptable, yet I can't even go work out with one of the guys without you being on my ass about it? You guys are married, in case you forgot. A writer and a wrestler, imagine that! I'm hanging out with Seth strictly as a friend, but even if it were more than that, who are you guys to tell me it couldn't happen?"

Before either of them could offer up a reply, Renesa had twisted around and stormed into the lavatory, sliding the door closed and locking it behind her. She leaned up against the sink counter with her back facing the mirror, swiping angrily at the tears cascading down her cheeks. Her entire morning had been ruined so unexpectedly and, had she known things would turn out this way, she would have stayed home and not bothered even coming back. Her family begged her relentlessly to show up at work, but when she did, they wanted to harness her on strings and yank her around like their puppet.

Eventually, after no more than 5-10 minutes had elapsed, a soft knocked bounced off the other side of the door. It was Paul, asking that she come out of the restroom and take a seat, as the jet was preparing to land and everyone had to be buckled in. Renesa initially ignored him, but, after another minute or so, she opened the door, finding him still standing there. His face fell when he noticed the tears that had dried on her face, but she sidestepped him and dropped into the nearest seat, snapping the buckle in place.

Paul rushed back to his spot beside Stephanie, but not without casting several concerned glances in Renesa's direction as he moved swiftly up the aisle. She could see the tops of their heads leaning in close together as they undoubtedly whispered about her. When Stephanie spun around in her seat to check on Renesa, she snapped her head in the opposite direction. She wanted nothing to do with anybody anymore, except for maybe Seth, Dean, Roman, and Renee. Whether or not she would even show up for work the next week was in serious jeopardy, by this point.

Even though Renesa was tempted to quit then and there, she was a McMahon, and none of them were quitters by nature. Giving up simply wasn't in their blood. So when the jet landed, she grabbed her bag from where she had dropped it and strode right down the jet stairs, ignoring her older sister's repeated pleas as she urged her back. The lack of acknowledgment, in turn, caused Stephanie to chase her down, and when Renesa's feet hit solid ground, she felt a hand catching her arm from behind, turning her around. She refused to make eye contact, but she had at least stopped in her tracks.

"We didn't mean all that stuff the way you probably think we did, Renesa," Stephanie began, reaching up to run her thumbs over Renesa's cheeks and buff them clean. "Paul and I are just trying to protect you from what we went through, because it really hurts to fall for someone and be forbidden from seeing them. I don't want that for you."

"I never even said anything about lusting over Seth or wanting to date him. You guys are the ones who made that up and jumped to your own stupid conclusions," she said, her voice nasally and clogged by tears. "He's just being nice and taking me out so I can feel more comfortable in this new atmosphere. I don't see what the big deal is."

"You don't see it now, but later on, you'll thank me for caring enough to warn you."

"Whatever," Renesa remarked, pushing Stephanie's hand from her face. She usually found her sister's touch comforting, but now, all she wanted was to be away from her. "Look, I know you weren't trying to purposely hurt me, but I just don't really feel good anymore, so I want to go. I'll see you guys later."

"Ren, please let us make this up to you. Let's go to breakfast right now; my treat," Stephanie pleaded. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and gave a softened pout — a look that may have worked on the men in her life on numerous occasions — but it wasn't working on Renesa. Not this time.

"I can't right now. See you at work."

"Okay, then. Maybe another time," Stephanie relented, all the light draining from her eyes. Even so, she leaned forward and kissed Renesa's cheek. "Love you, sister."

"Yeah, I love you, too," Renesa responded. She turned around, rolled her bag along, and trekked to the rental car counter in dismal solitude.

With the assistance of cell phone GPS, Renesa arrived at the gym roughly 40 minutes after hopping into her rental car. She had made good time, considering that the Nutley gym was around 23 minutes outside of Newark, where Raw would actually be taking place that evening. Her mood hadn't lifted any since she walked away from Stephanie in a huff, but some of the heaviness in her abdomen scuttled away when she first spotted Seth, hanging around out front of the business in a heavy coat. He sipped from a water bottle as he laughed with a guy she had never seen before.

Seth had been doing Crossfit for so long that he seemed to know almost everyone on the circuit, which was only another tick on a lengthy list of reasons Renesa was so nervous to get started. She really didn't want to make an ass of herself in front of Seth or his friends, but she took a deep breath and remembered that there had been a day when even Seth Rollins had dropped into a Crossfit gym without having a single clue what he was doing. Zipping her winter coat up to her neck, Renesa hopped out and steadied herself on both feet, leaving her suitcase behind for later. Packed separately was a smaller, purple duffel bag and stored inside was a change of clothing for when she finished.

A whistle sounded from behind her, and she turned to find Seth waving wildly, letting her know he saw her. She raised her hand and waved back, pressing the button on her keys to engage the locks. Snow mixed with gravel crunched beneath her feet as she walked up to the entrance of the gym, and Seth's smile gradually melted away as he studied her face. "Hey, Renesa, this is Greg. Greg, meet Renesa McMahon."

The two shook hands and Seth tilted his head, showing her to the door. "Let's head inside." When they stepped across the threshold, Renesa had just enough time to stamp her feet out on the indoor mat before Seth latched onto her wrist. "Hey, Greg, we'll catch up with you in a second, man. I've just got to talk to Renesa real quick."

"Yeah, no problem, dude," Greg answered.

With a polite smile and nod toward Renesa, he jogged off to the mats, seemingly to warm up for his session. Seth led her down a narrow hallway and she followed along, entering some sort of break room. A bowl of fresh fruit and magazines sat in the center of a wooden coffee table, an HD television across the way displaying the news channel. Behind a row of plush chairs were a vending and beverage machine, and off to the side of those was a pair of restrooms, each clearly marked by gender. The room was empty right then, and Seth motioned to a chair, occupying the one beside Renesa.

He leaned in toward her and Renesa fell back farther in her seat, self-conscious of his unwavering gaze. Not wasting any time, Seth asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she shook her head, rubbing the tip of her nose. "I'm honestly just ready to work out."

"Renesa, seriously, what's the matter?" Seth persisted, using a tone so tender she involuntarily teared up. Before Seth could notice, she looked away, pretending to peer through the window to a spot across the street, where tree branches were swaying in the breeze. "I can tell something's wrong. Are you just nervous?"

"Yeah," she murmured. She felt a stray tear as it dripped from her chin onto her jacket collar. Not wanting Seth to see her that way, she rose from the chair and called to him over her shoulder. "It's just my nerves, but I'll be fine. Just give me a minute to use the restroom."

While inside, Renesa washed her face and dried it with a paper towel, tossing the mess into the wastebasket. After slowing her breathing and counting down from 50, she walked back out fresh and new, sending Seth a warm smile that seemed to instantly reassure him. He stood and returned the grin, pinching at the arm of her coat. "First of all, we've got to get this big, bulky thing off of you." Renesa reached for the zipper, but he stopped her. "Here, let me."

Seth caught the zip between his forefinger and thumb and led it down slowly, opening her jacket up and working it off of her shoulders. When he crossed around behind her, Renesa reveled in the sensation of his warm breath against the back of her neck. The rest of the coat slid off her arms effortlessly, and Seth went to a coat hanger in the corner and deposited the garment there. He did the same with his own, leaving it on the hanger right beside Renesa's, then he cracked his knuckles and turned to her, eyes ablaze.

"It's game time, chick. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Renesa said.

Crossfit workouts were all about variety. The first detail Seth taught her was that no man or woman ever did the same workout twice in any given week. Every day was different, and Seth seemed to enjoy that he never knew exactly what he was walking into when arriving at the gym. That was the beauty of it all. He and Greg put their heads together to come up with a "WOD" for Renesa, better known within the Crossfit circle as a Workout of the Day. Seth explained that she was a newbie and wanted to start slow and build herself up, which was the recommended method regardless.

She stood awkwardly with hands clasped, trembling from the briskly cool temperature of the facility as Seth and Greg scribbled various ideas down on the same sheet of paper, each of them using their own pencils to bounce ideas off one another. After what felt like several long minutes, Seth looked up with a grin, waving Renesa over. "Check this out, Ren." She peeked over his shoulder to see what he was pointing to. "So just to start with, we're going to have you on lunges and sit-ups. You'll start with 20 lunges and 10 sit-ups, and we're also going to have you run a half mile around the track."

"That doesn't sound super hard," Renesa commented. She wrinkled her nose, making Seth laugh. "I'm serious, though. I can do way more than 10 sit-ups. I'm not that bad off."

"Well, here's the thing," Seth clarified. "When you work out here, you do it in circuits. Basically, you and I both have 40 minutes to workout. You've got your list to do, and I have mine. You're going to complete everything on the list, and if time still hasn't been called yet, you start the list from the top all over again, and you keep going until the whole 40 minutes is up. Somebody will holler and let you know when you're done, so don't worry about keeping track of time in your head or anything."

"Still, that's a piece of cake. I could do this in my sleep, Seth."

"All right, then I'm glad to hear you sounding confident. Ready to start?"

"Ready," she said, slapping him a high five.

As it turned out, her supposed piece of cake morphed into a flavorless hunk of liver with a side of stinky onions. By the time that stopwatch came to a halt, Renesa was pouring sweat, the hair framing her face matted to her skin by perspiration. She had made the mistake of reapplying eyeliner inside the restroom, which was now smudged beneath both eyes, blurry masses of midnight blue caking the area just below her waterline. Her ponytail was threatening to fall out of its tie, and her cheeks and chest were bright red with exertion.

Seth showed similar signs of exhaustion, but he was different, in that she always thought he was cute, no matter how rundown he was from a workout. When time was called, everyone around the gym clapped for those working within that particular circuit, and since Seth had joined in the clapping, Renesa did it, too. He caught her eye from across the way and paused to wipe sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt before strolling over. They met in the middle of the gym and, since they were both a mess anyway, he gathered her in a hug.

"Good work, girl." They separated, and he beamed down at her. "I didn't see much of what you did because I was working my ass off at the same time, but whenever I glanced over, you were dominating. It didn't even look like you took any pauses, not that it would be a big deal if you did."

"I did have to stop a couple times running the track, but for the most part, I kept moving. Even when my legs felt like they were gonna fall off and I couldn't run anymore, I still at least walked until I could run again. I feel really good, actually."

"Awesome!" Seth said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Let's hit the showers, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"You remembered extra clothes, right?"

"Yeah. They're in my purple bag."

"Good girl."

Before parting at the showers, the men's to the left and the women's to the right, Renesa reached for Seth's arm. He sent her a questioning gaze, which she responded to by saying, "Thanks for this morning. It means more to me than you probably even know."

Seth squeezed the hand she held onto him with. "Being able to spend the morning with you was well worth it."