"How long has it been since you were in the United States?" Colby asked Kay quietly. They had made love slowly and passionately, wordlessly understanding that they needed to reassure each other that this bond they were forging was solid and would survive the strain that the outside world would put on them.

Kay uncurled her fingers against his chest, toying with the hairs that were sprinkled there. "How long?" she repeated. "Hmmm…" Kay thought for a few moments. "Far, far too long."

Colby pressed a gentle kiss to Kay's forehead and caressed her bare back. He continued to whisper, "In all this craziness, I haven't asked about your career. Somehow you travel more than we do and that is nearly impossible." She didn't say anything at first, simply thinking over what he had said. "You are such a unique woman. So strong and caring. The things that you do, the things you see, the way you can understand and accept me the way I am…"

"Oh, shut up, Colby." Kay giggled. "Stop talking to fill the silence." She shifted one leg to rest on top of his and propped her head on his shoulder. Waiting another forty-five seconds, she finally spoke. "I do see the man behind Seth Rollins and I wasn't hurt by what you said tonight. Yes, I had to remind myself that it was a script, but I knew you weren't speaking to me. You had gotten into character. Your eyes were cold and your expression was frosty; angry. You were Seth. With me, here and now, you are Colby Lopez. There is a warmth about you, a peace and security; a different type of strength. Your eyes even look like a warm brown. To hear you say 'that the only person who needs to know why I did what I did and the only person that I owe anything to is me' gave me pause in the locker-room. I'll grant you that." Colby's grip on Kay tightened and he moved as if to speak but she plowed on. "But I told you I knew it was planned, scripted, and not meant for me. I knew why you said it. I knew you were directing it towards all of the others who have turned their backs on you. I get it." She leaned forward and looked directly into his eyes. "I get it, Colby. I told you before, this is your safe harbor. Right here, with me." She swallowed hard. "We are both live solitary lives and we've been fine with that. But…"

"But it is nice to share this life with someone else. Someone to…someone to love." Colby finished for her. Kay dipped her head again, laying her cheek on his chest. The couple lay in silence, absorbing the full impact of intense feelings that they had just shared.

Shannon sat the pizza box on the desk inside the hotel room. "Do you really think that Isabelle and Stephen will be okay? They have been engaged for so long but this fight seemed to really shake them."

Nick pulled her into a loose hug and spoke into the hair on the back of her head. "They will be fine. They are in the same room and they are talking. They have food so they don't have that to worry about. They'll work through it. We did." Shannon shuddered in his arms. He pulled her closer. "It's a constant work in progress. We have to communicate and not run from issues." Shannon turned and looped her arms around his neck. "I take it you agree?" She nodded and pursed her lips. He smiled and said, "No more talk of other couples? Just focusing on us now?" She nodded again as his hands slid lower.

Stephen opened the door and waited for Isabelle to enter before he carried their luggage inside. The couple moved about the room wordlessly, stowing their bags, washing their hands and kicking off their shoes. They met on the bed with the pizza between them, each picking up a slice and starting to eat.

Isabelle watched Stephen's movements, looking for any signs of stress or strain. The whole reason behind the tension was his injury from the night before. Did I over-react? Was I wrong? Should he have been on SmackDown? What if my decision to pull him tonight affects his career? She chewed slowly and took tiny bites. She watched him fidget as he tried to get comfortable and knew his neck and back were still sore. He made me doubt myself. He's in pain and I'm afraid to touch my own fiancé. This is wrong, so wrong. She closed her eyes against the on-coming tears and continued to chew.

Stephen watched his beloved eat less than a foot away from his knee yet he didn't reach out to touch her. The tiny bites she took were out of character and showed how much tonight affected her. Yeh arse! Tis is all of yeh makin'! Do yeh doubt her ability workin' in the infirmary? Have yeh ever have cause to doubt her knowledge? Well, have yeh? Why are yeh now, lad? Do yeh no trust her? He watched her swallow hard and knew that heavy thoughts were weighing on her mind. He wiggled a bit as his neck and back began to ache, not that he would let her know that. Not after she pulled him off of the show tonight. He froze with the slice half-way to his mouth, mouth hanging wide open. Where did tha' thought come from? When have ah eva kept somethin' like tha' from her? He put the slice back in the box and moved off of the bed to pace by the window.

"Stephen?" she whispered brokenly.

He drew in a deep breath. He felt his back pop and his neck strain. Rolling his head and neck, Stephen finally turned to face the woman he never wanted to hurt. "Isabelle…"

"Stephen, please don't." she begged. "I won't interfere again. I promise." Her slice of pizza slid from her fingers and onto the floor. Tears were free-flowing down her cheeks.

Yah arse! Stephen cursed himself as crossed the room and knelt at her feet. "Bella, dearest, ah am sayin' ah am sorry. Ah was wrong and yah were right. Ah didn't belong in ta ring. Me neck and me back…" he choked off. "Ah was wrong ta get mad. Ah was more wrong ta leave yah." His large pale hands framed her face. "Ah got no excuse, no reason fa hurtin' ye like tha'; no reason a'tall. Ah love yeh an yeh gonna be me wife. A man dinna leave his wife behind when he gits made. He stays an talks." At this point tears were streaming down both of their faces unhindered. "Ah screwed up an tha caused ye great pain. Ah don' know how ta fix tha'. Help me fix tha', please, Bella." His voice took on a pleading tone as his large arms encircled her waist and he dropped his head into her lap.

Isabelle found she was unable to move, unable to do anything except run her fingers through his hair as he sobbed into her lap. "Shhh. Shhhh. We are going to be okay. It's going to be okay." She repeated herself over and over, trying to calm him down as she continued to cry. When the tears began to ebb, Isabelle added, "You came back for me. We are here together. We are going to be fine." Stephen raised his head to look into her eyes. "We've been together for so long it's a wonder we didn't have a fight before this."

Stephen blinked a few times and reflected on their relationship. "Ya right. We neva had a fight before." he agreed as he rose to his feet. "We've had some discussions but neva a fight." He picked up the pizza box and carried it to the desk, realizing that neither of them really had an appetite with the high emotions that they were dealing with. In an attempt to lessen the mood he said, "Yeh don' know a thing about futbol…"

Isabelle smiled. "No, you don't know anything about football. And ya'll play soccer. I still think Manchester is so much better than Liverpool."

Stephen whirled around and caught the grin his fiancé was wearing. "Is tha so?" After the night they had been through the fact that she could tease him made his chest feel so much lighter. "May-hap ah should teach yeh a thing or two…" he growled with a laugh before catching her with a kiss.

Isabelle returned his kiss with equal intensity before tapping him on the shoulder. "Now you need to take off your shirt and lay face down on the bed. I need to look at your neck and back again."

Stephen kissed the tip of her nose. "Whatever yeh say, doc. But ah warn yeh…when ah heal, yea arse is mine." The growl he ended on was full of promise and sent shivers down Isabelle's spine.

"You behave and get through this without aggravating this injury and that just might happen…" she whispered in his ear. A deep groan filled the room as the big man dropped onto the bed.