"I can't believe you got me to wear this!" Jemma exclaimed as she looked down at the glittery, purple ball gown April had helped pick out with her.

It was scooped in all the places Jemma normally wouldn't have had scooped. Usually there would be fabric there, and tons of it. She felt she was showing entirely too much skin and she had no idea what her father would think. She felt exposed and very vulnerable.

"Jem, you look very beautiful." came the southern twang from AJ.

"Uncle Al, you're supposed to say that." Jemma said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I'm supposed to say she looks beautiful." he answered, pointing to April. "But she looks... Oh. My. Gawd."

"AJ." April swooned, elbowing him gently in the side.

"Well, kid it doesn't matter because you're here now and we have media and other stuff. Speaking of, where is your dad?" AJ asked, looking around.

"I don't know. He was supposed to meet me here like 15 minutes ago." Jemma said confused.

"Well, was he sending Randy?" April asked, looking over Jemma's shoulder.

"No, why?" Jemma froze as she heard his name.

"Because..." April trailed off, motioning for Jemma to turn around.

"You look..." came his husky voice from behind her, his breath hitting the exposed area of her back, causing her to tremble on the inside.

She closed her eyes, wishing this was a dream, but somehow knowing differently. She turned around slowly, opening her eyes only to meet those blue eyes she hadn't seen or been close to in so long.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Your dad sent me. He was running late and said he couldn't leave his daughter without a date, so here I am." he answered coolly.

"And you're full of shit." Jemma replied, finding her confidence again as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Again, you look... Amazing." Randy said, biting his lip.

"Randy! Spare me." she said, turning around to face April again.

"You wanna call him to confirm?" he asked, handing her his cell.

She looked at the phone for a moment before returning her attention back to April and AJ. Her eyes begging them for an out or some sort of answer she wasn't sure she even had the question for.

"I have a press call in 5 with KB, so we'll see you down on the floor, munchkin." AJ said, pinching her cheek before enveloping her into a hug.

"Don't be too hard on him. He did come alone, kid." AJ whispered in her ear. April gave her a reassuring smile before hugging her close.

"And don't be a bitch." April whispered before pulling back and smiling sweetly at the pair.

"We'll see ya!" AJ yelled as they took their leave.

"Well, I guess it's just me and you. Unless you would rather..." Randy said, before she cut him off.

"No, come on. You have a press interview in 5, too with blondie over here." Jemma said, hooking her arm in his as she drug him towards the first set of interviewers.

"Her name is Kathy." Randy answered, sarcastically.

"Oh, you would know, Orton." Jemma seethed.

"Is that jealousy?" he asked, stroking her cheek gently.

"No, it is not." she answered, swiping his hand away from her face. "It's facts."

"Actually, I only know her because that's Finn's ex and she's actually a sweet girl." Randy answered sincerely.

"Oh, well..." Jemma said, trailing off.

"It's okay, but I'm not who I use to be, ya know. If you would give me a chance, I could prove that to you." he said softly.

"Yeah and I have been warned about you still." she answered back.

"People change and even if I hadn't, it doesn't change the fact that my intentions with you are real. I think I made that clear in your hotel room last time we met." he smirked.

"God!" she uttered, rolling her eyes.

"You love it." he whispered in her ear.

"If only you knew how far from the truth you are." she said, staring at him.

"Oh, is that so?" he asked. "What is it with you and the Austin's that I have to constantly prove differently?"

"What?" she asked, shaking her head.

"If that weren't true, then why is it every time I come around or come close to touching you..." he trailed off, his fingers stroking her cheek again as his free hand slowly brought her closer to his own form.

"...that chills cover your body? Or when I'm standing this close..." he trailed off again, bringing her flush to him.

"...that your breath catches in your throat? Or when my lips are within mere inches of your ear like this..." he trailed off once more, bringing his mouth to rest just at her ear, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"...that your eyes close and I can feel your entire body become weak and you falter ever so slightly, leaning into me even more?"

"Hmmmm?" he whispered again, allowing her body to rest more into him, as he steadied her, his lips grazing slightly over her ear lobe.

"And then when I even touch you with my lips here..." he whispered, his lips resting at her jaw line.

"...or here..." he said, moving his lips to her cheek, leaving a small kiss on it.

"...or here..." he said, his eyes meeting hers briefly before he brought her even closer and claimed her lips to his but only for a mere second before pulling apart.

"...that for a split second, you don't fight me and in that brief moment, everything is right and you're actually mine. The way's it's supposed to be." he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

She gasped slightly, her eyes softening. The cockiness and arrogance gone. Her own fight against him; gone. Her breath had been caught in her throat, just like he had explained. Her legs and knees were worthless. They were already weak long before even he realized.

And, just as he said, everything in the world was right. In that moment with his eyes locked on her own. His hands on her body, his lips mere inches from hers. She couldn't think of any snappy comebacks or any reasons why to fight in that moment. Just one simple question was all she had.

"How do you know that?" she whispered, her breath coming fast.

He smirked only slightly, kissing her ample lips once more before parting, and bringing her to him fully. He enveloped her tightly in a hug, his lips grazing gently over her neck, as she nuzzled into his chest. He raised his head so his lips were even with her ear once more.

She didn't expect anything else to take her breath away. She didn't expect anything else to torch her soul the way the touch of his hands could do. She didn't expect her knees or her entire body for the matter to be weakened by his lips or his breath hitting any spot of her body.

But she was wrong because his answer was even more earth shattering and mind numbing than anything else. And it straight shook her to her core.

"Because..." he said, his voice husky, his own breath coming fast.

"...it's exactly what you do to me."