A/N: I'M BACCCKKKKK! Oh, how I have missed you all. I've missed this story most importantly. I feel so awful about not updating or even working on this story since November. It's been four months! Please don't send for me guys, I promise to never, ever, ever go that long without an update. I promise. I hope you enjoy JoLexi! Because they are back! And better than ever.

Love you all and I'm so sorry out the extremely longggg delay. Won't happen again. Promise.

Hope you enjoy.

xoxo.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOO YOUUU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MELLIE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOO YOU!"

The kitchen erupted into small applause and laughter as they watched the now seven year old blow out her candles. Her mother, Lexi stood blushing proudly, grateful that she was raising a wonderful little lady.

"Make a wish Mellie." Lexi reminded as the birthday girl watched the flicker of her candles vanish at the whiff of her cool breath.

"Time to cut the cake!" Megan grabbed the cake knife, as Luis prepared his camera to catch a shot of the precious moment. But before the official cake slice could be cut, the phone rang. In a huff, Lexi took her time; her now 35 centimeter belly prevented her from moving any faster, to the phone, which she grabbed off the hook and answered…

Moments Before…

Joe entered the arena for tonight's Raw, a look of disappointment covered his face, anger brewed in his chest, knowing he was missing his daughter's birthday. Weeks before, he had come off WWE's European tour, and now that Extreme Rules were over, Joe thought he could get the time off. But looking at his schedule for the next few weeks, that didn't seem like it was going to happen. He had spoken to Mellie that morning, wishing her a happy birthday, but he rather be there in person. He yanked his earbuds from his ears, shoving them down into his pocket forcefully. He could see Jon cantering in his direction. They immediately shared glares, embracing in a bro-hug before Jon joined him in stride.

"Why ya looking all sour today?" Jon pointed out, in his Midwest drawl.

Joe shrugged, sighing loudly. "Nothing really. Just got a lot on my mind."

Jon sucked his teeth garishly. "When don't you? Maybe I need to take ya out. Grab a beer or two." He suggested.

"Drinks on you." Joe replied with a light smile at his carefree friend, before turning the corner towards the male locker room.

"So ya going to try going home this week? I heard we get like, two days off before next week's Raw." Jon inquired.

"I 'ma try man. I know Lexi has a doctor's appointment one of those days too. Yo, I swear I haven't been to a doctor's appointment with her since I've found out we were having a baby."

"Wait a minute,' Jon snickered. 'Ya haven't been to the doctor with her in seven months?!"

Ashamed, Joe scratched his nap, gripping the handle of his suitcase tighter. "Sounds bad huh?"

Jon shook his head. "Yeah. I don't know if you'll be getting father of the year award this year."

Joe rolled his eyes at his blunt friend. "I really been trying uce. But every time I try to make an appointment or something, some craziness happens. And at times, I get the impression Lex don't even want me there."

"Now, you know that's not true. I guess she does that so you don't worry."

"C'mon. She's my wife and the mother of my daughter, and she is now carrying my son. How am I NOT going to worry?"

"Speaking of her being your wife…' Jon quickly changed the subject. 'When are ya'll even going to be getting married? I mean, I've had my tux ready for months now."

Joe shrugged. "I don't know. I guess whenever Lex wants to."

"Well tell her she needs to hurry up and get to wanting a wedding. You can only hold a tux for rental but so long." Jon joked.

"Trust me man,' Joe chuckled. 'Nobody wants Lex to hurry up and marry me, more than ME."

As the two friends prepared to enter the men's locker room in laughter, Joe felt a strong grip grab hold of his shoulder, spinning him around abruptly. Before he had the chance to react, five iron knuckles collided with his jaw, causing him to bite down hard on his tongue, drawing blood. He felt his head clash with the brick wall behind him, causing him to lose consciousness for a moment. In a blur, he could hear someone yelling at him in anger, two bodies began to shove each other.

Gaining his proper footing, Joe was able to capture the image of Hunter, who continued to scream at Joe, while Jon attempted to stand between the two men.

"..THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE TALKING TO MY WIFE ABOUT REBECCA! How fucking dare you?!" Hunter barked, his words hitting Joe like hot coals. Joe's temper and consciousness resumed quickly, and in true Joe fashion, he pushed Jon out his way, his fist collided with Hunter's jaw, causing Hunter to lose his own footing and the corner of his lip to split and leak.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Hunter yelped, rushing for Joe, only for Jon and a couple of the other guys standing around to grab hold of Hunter.

Mark Henry was the first to grab hold of Joe, placing him in a bear hug, doing his best to escort Joe away from the confrontation. Still, Hunter spat venom, while Joe fired off some insults of my own.

"Everybody knows you're the one sleeping with that woman Reigns! How dare you tell Steph it's me?! How fucking dare you!" Hunter barked.

Joe immediately felt the choler in him rise, his face was livid with anger. "I've never slept with that goddamn woman! Get of me Marks!" Joe fought, trying his best to be free of Mark's tight grip. A crowd began to form as the two men fought back & forth, the entire locker room, by this point, was trying to keep the two men apart.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Vince's raspy baritone could be heard over the chaos, as he appeared on the scene, followed by his daughter.

"SECURITY, SECURITY! Escort them outta here!" Vince demanded, anger seeping from his tone.

"You'll pay for this Reigns! See how far you get!" Hunter continued to fire off, as security interjected, and escorted Hunter down the hall.

"Fuck you, you fucking asshole!" Joe yelled back at Hunter's disappearing figure.

"Clear this goddamn hallway!" Vince barked, as the crowd began to disperse. But not without chatter forming around the collision between the two men.

All that everyone knew was that things had just got real!

"Hello?" Lexi answered the phone to only hear heavy breathing from the other end.

"Hello? Joe…" Lexi questioned again, she could hear Joe sniffling in the background.

"Okay, Joe, stop playing on the phone, what's going on?" Lexi was starting to get annoyed.

"I got – I got…suspended!" Lexi could hear Joe's voice cracking as if he was crying.

"Suspended?!' She repeated in disbelief. 'How the hell-" Lexi stopped herself, realizing that Joe was obviously upset about this. Something was wrong. 'Baby, what happened?"

Joe sighed before replying. "I got into a fight."

"With who?"

"…Hunter."

Lexi sighed. She already knew why, Joe didn't even need to explain. Lexi was sure it had something to do with that damn woman, the same woman she warned Joe about. Now he was suspended weeks after WrestleMania and days before Extreme Rules.

Even though she knew what Joe was going to say, she let him explain anyway. "What happened, baby?"

"The motherfucker just punched me, talking about I had no business telling Stephanie that he was having an affair with Rebecca…"

"So wait,' Lexi interrupted. 'You went to Stephanie and told her Hunter was sleeping with Rebecca?!"

"Yeah."

"Why would you do that? That wasn't your place Joe!"

"…The fuck you mean it wasn't my place?! The man has been fucking the woman for months! Got everybody around here thinking I sleeping with her, I attacked her that night in the hallway, and that I have some weird obsession with her, when she is the one with the obsession for me!" Joe was livid.

"It wasn't your place because that's not your goddamn marriage and relationship! You don't go to someone and tell them their spouse is cheating on them and you don't have proof of that. How would you feel if someone came to me and told me something like that behind your back?"

Lexi looked up to see the guests in the kitchen peaking at her through the window that separated the kitchen from the family room. She decided to excuse herself entirely, making her way into the living room, where she knew her guests couldn't hear her conversation.

"I would be pissed off!" Joe replied.

"Exactly. I mean, Hunter wasn't right for putting his hands on you and you had every right to protect yourself. The way I see it, why would he get so upset and attack you, if what you said isn't true?!"

"That's because it is true! I'm tired of everyone thinking I'm the cheater. I would never cheat on you, you know that and everyone that truly knows us, know I wouldn't."

"So how long are you suspended for?" Lexi wondered.

Joe shrugged. "I don't even know. I haven't even met with Vince yet. He just told me I'm suspended. Literally, in front of the entire locker room."

"Well maybe once you talk to him and explain, he won't go through with it."

"Oh please, Vince isn't that fucking rational. I just "disrespected" his family, so I'm sure he is going to throw the book at me."

"…And what about Hunter?"

"What about him? Vince would probably keep him locked away at the headquarters for a few weeks. He'll be back on Raw in no fucking time."

"…Maybe not if Steph has anything to say about this. I mean, she is still Vince's daughter. If Vince is the man I believe he is, he would be focused on his daughter's happiness in her marriage, rather than how ya'll made him look backstage."

"…Once again babe, Vince isn't that rational."

"Well, try to stay away from that fucking man, please! And try to calm down before you bust a blood vessel or something. Just wait it out, hear what Vince say, then call me back and let me know."

"So you're not mad?"

"No. Why would I be mad?"

"…Because all our business is out there. People is going to be talking."

"More than they already have?' Lexi did have a point. 'I'm just worried about whether or not you're okay. I'm even happier that Vince chose to suspend you and not fire you."

"Yeah you might be right. Listen, I'll call you back when I'm finished meeting with Vince. Kiss Mellie for me, okay?"

"Okay."

The couple said their goodbyes before disconnecting. Lexi let out a weary sigh, praying that Joe could get himself out of this situation. His entire career and reputation was on the line. But one thing Lexi did know was still intact and that was their family. She truly knew in her heart that Joe wasn't cheating on her with Rebecca or anyone else for that matter. No matter how many times she had her moments of doubt, she understood her and their family meant the world to him and he wasn't willing to jeopardize that. A part of her was proud of Joe for standing up for himself against Hunter, knowing that going against the boss could possibly get him fired. But he was fighting for his family, as she always hoped he would.

As for Rebecca, Lexi had something in store for her.

~!~

"Everything okay?" Megan asked once Lexi re-entered the kitchen.

"Yup." Lexi replied nonchalantly, as if nothing had just happened.

"Ya sure?"

Positive.' Lexi smiled. 'Now who wants cake?"

After talking to Lexi, an instant relief came over Joe. He just knew in his heart, Lexi would be enraged after finding out about what happened, but she was far from that. However, that relief was immediately replaced with fear as it sunk in that despite the fact that Lexi wasn't upset, he had pissed off the bosses of all bosses: Vince McMahon. What if, after this confrontation with the COO of this company, Vince didn't believe that Joe was the man to grab the "brass ring" that many of the greats have grabbed before him? What if, Vince didn't believe that he had what it took to be the next big superstar of WWE?

But then it hit Joe. Stephanie actually believed him. Isn't that called woman's intuition? But, Joe still had a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what could possibly be discussed on the other side of this wall.

Joe's thoughts were interrupted as the door next to him opened, an agitated Vince exited followed by a nearly distressed Stephanie, who attempted to hide her gloom with a blank stare. Joe frowned, thinking here goes nothing, as he followed Stephanie and Vince back inside and took a seat across from them.

Okay Reigns." Vince started with a sigh, but before he could finish, Joe interjected.

"Listen Vince, before you say anything, I just have to apologize. To you, to Stephanie, to anyone who was affected tonight by my actions. However, I am a man of honor and respect, you know that Vince – especially with the family I have come from. For months, I have been dealing with this problem with Hunter and Rebecca, both of them just making my life a living hell and causing problems in my relationship with my fiancée. Now I'm not trying to put the blame on anyone, I take full responsibility for the role I've played in this whole situation. But, I refuse to be harassed, disrespected, and defamed by anyone."

Neither Vince nor Stephanie spoke right away. However, both refused to make eye contact with the Samoan.

After what felt like an hour long silence, Vince finally spoke.

"Well then.' He started. 'I'm going to just cut to the chase."

Joe gulped, looking at both of them with wide eyes.

"The behavior you displayed tonight, you AND Hunter, was unprofessional, inexcusable, and a slap in my face. In WWE's face.' Vince began to attack.

'Hunter as my COO, you as the new 'Face of WWE,' totally was disregarded tonight. And that is going to be the headline for tomorrow's news and I'm not okay with that."

Vince and Stephanie exchanged uncomfortable glances at each other, they didn't seem to be on the same page.

"…However, it has been brought to my attention that this problem between you and this young lady, Rebecca – that's her name right?' Joe nodded. 'You and Rebecca have been having some issues with each other. Personal issues."

"Yes but-"

"And you and everyone here know how I feel about personal issues existing in my company. If I can't use them in storylines without being sued, then they aren't allowed to exist."

Vince always did know how to strike the iron while it was hot.

"Joe, you're married right?"

"Yeah. Engaged to be."

"…And she's pregnant, correct?"

"Yeah. Seven months."

"Well then that's perfect. I think you might need some time off. You know, spend it with the wife and family. Witness the birth of a new baby. Family stuff." Vince continued.

"So, what?' Joe was utterly confused. 'So this doesn't mean I'm suspended."

"Oh no, you're still suspended! But, only until Payback. No Pay! We are going to start setting up the main event for Payback, which is a Fatal Four way with you, Orton, Rollins, and Ambrose for the championship, tonight. But until then, you will not be on WWE television after tonight. I now have to meet with creative so we can write you off tonight, until Payback next month. We'll just consider it your "leave of absence.'" Vince reeled off all the information.

"So I'm still the face?!"

"Yes – for now. Another incident like tonight and you won't be the face of anything. I expect more from you and every other entertainer in this company. The minute you decide you won't live up to that expectation, you're out of here. You understand Reigns?"

Joe nodded. Telling fans and others that he was taking a 'leave of absence' was better than revealing that he got suspended. This was a close call, one he didn't expect Vince to make, but he was still grateful of it. Vince folded his arms along his chest, as Joe stood to let himself out. Stepping into the hallway, Joe could hear Stephanie's sharp heels behind him and he turned to face him. Joe could sense her obvious discomfort.

"What? You want to knock me out to like your husband did?" Joe stared, folding his arms along his chest.

"No. I just want to send Lexi my apologizes about this whole situation." Stephanie finally spoke.

Joe shrugged as he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handing it to Stephanie. "Tell her yourself."

And with that, Joe turned on his heels as walked towards the locker room to gather his things, leaving Stephanie standing there with her shoulders sagged. A "leave of absence" with no pay seemed bad, but in Joe's case, it was exactly what he needed. He could care less about the money.

All he knew was that he going home to his family.