Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with WWE. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination.

Chapter Content & Trigger Warnings: None

Chapter 7

A week had passed and Cassidy had taken over reporting for Renee. She was only doing a couple interviews a night to start out with, however, in order to get used to the schedule, but she was happy to help out in any way she could. Kayla Braxton and Charly Caruso handled most of the more difficult interviews till she fully got the hang of the job.

Cassidy was still receiving vile texts from Quinn but as long as that was all he did, she'd take it over actually having to see him. Besides, she was constantly surrounded by huge men that knew how to fight. There wasn't much Quinn could do to her even if he could get to her.

Right then, Cassidy was hurrying up to Dean Ambrose for an interview. "Excuse me, Dean," she greeted, stopping the tall wrestler in his tracks. "We just saw the grueling match between you and Drew McIntyre. Can you tell me if this is the end of your feud or are things just getting started?"

"Well, Cassidy, I'd say things are just getting started. Nobody talks about my wife the way he did out there, and gets away with it."

"That's completely understandable," Cassidy said, brushing her red hair off her shoulder. "Can you tell us what your plans are? Will you be having more matches or are you going to go to management about the problem?"

"There will be more matches," he said. "You can bet this ain't over." And with that, Dean turned and walked away as Cassidy watched. The cameras pulled away then, and they were off the air.

"You're doing really great, Cassidy," Dean called from down the hallway, giving her a thumbs up.

"Thank you," she called back, with a happy smile on her face.

She began packing away her microphone for the night when Seth Rollins approached her. "Hey Cassidy," he greeted, his dark eyes meeting hers. "Is Ro back yet from getting his daughter?

"Not yet," Cassidy replied, raising back up from the container and stretching her back. "But he called a bit ago and said he was about a half hour away."

"Do you need a ride to the hotel," Seth asked. "Since Roman isn't here it's not very safe for you to be on your own. Especially in your condition."

She shook her head with a small smile, "No. Thank you, though. I am staying here with AJ and Charlotte till Roman gets back."

"Okay, good deal. Tell little Natia hi for me, okay?" At Cassidy's nod, he turned and went down the hallway with his rolling suitcase behind him.

Suddenly, Cassidy became somewhat nervous. She was going to meet Roman's daughter in less than an hour. I shouldn't be so nervous, she thought. She is only four. It's not like she's going to accuse me of stealing her dad away from her mom. Still her nerves got the best of her.

What is going on between me and Roman, anyway, she wondered out of the blue. Are we seeing each other? Are we considered a couple? Are we just having fun? What in the world am I doing? The possibilities made her nerves even more ragged.

She and Roman had continued her "therapy" every night for the past week. And Cassidy couldn't lie. She was enjoying every second of it. So far, Roman had exceeded her expectations where sex was concerned, and they hadn't even fully made love yet.

Shaking her head at her thoughts, she got back to packing up her equipment to help out. Once that feat was accomplished, she walked over to AJ's dressing room where she found the door open, and Charlotte Flair and AJ hanging out together. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hi," Charlotte greeted in return with a kind smile. "We were just about to play some Uno to pass the time if you want to join us. The more the merrier!"

"That sounds like fun," Cassidy grinned and sat down in the floor next to Charlotte as AJ dealt the cards.

"Ooo, y'all are goin' down," AJ exclaimed once he saw his cards.

"Hey, my hand isn't so bad either," Charlotte said, her green eyes lighting up. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, buddy."

"Room for one more?" came the sudden sound of Skye's voice from the doorway.

They all glanced up and noticed the slight look of hurt on her face.

"Sure," Charlotte exclaimed. "We just started the game and like I told Cassidy, the more the merrier!"

Skye quietly took a seat next to Cassidy and waited as AJ dealt her a hand of cards.

"Are you okay?" Cassidy mouthed to Skye, confusion on her face.

Skye nodded in return with a small roll of her eyes when no one other than Cassidy could see.

The small group of friends sat around playing through a couple of games of Uno—with many cheating accusations—till they heard Roman's voice out in the hallway.

"He's back," Cassidy exclaimed and shot to her feet. She was out in the hallway in a heartbeat and hurrying up to Roman who was carrying his little girl up in one of his arms.

Shyly, she halted, and let Roman close the distance between them. The little girl was fast asleep in her father's arms. She had Roman's features. Dark skin and long, black wavy hair.

Cassidy's hands came up to her mouth. "She's so beautiful!"

The little girl's dark eyes opened then, and fell on Cassidy. With a small smile, she spoke softly, "Hi."

"Hello," Cassidy returned. Her gaze shifted to Roman's and was relieved to see a pleased smile on his handsome face.

"Cassidy, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Natia. Natia, this is Cassidy. A special friend of mine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natia," Cassidy said. "A beautiful name for such a beautiful little girl."

"Thank you," the little girl replied shyly, hiding her face against Roman's broad shoulder.

"Oh, don't you go and pretend to be bashful," Roman teased his daughter, patting her back. "We all know you're the star of the show."

"Dad-dy," the little girl pouted, and hid her face all the more.

"She is precious," Cassidy laughed. "Just precious."

"Thank you," Roman said proudly. "She's my world."

Cassidy led them to AJ's dressing room so she could say goodbye. Then the three of them quickly headed back out to Roman's rental so they could drive back to the hotel and get some much needed sleep.

Roman was just getting behind the wheel when Cassidy's phone rang out a text alert. She pulled out the phone and read the text to herself, paling instantly.

"What is it?"

Roman's voice was hard. He knew who the text was from immediately after seeing the look on Cassidy's face.

"It's from Quinn. I can't repeat it, Roman." She handed her phone over so he could silently read the text:

"He's fucking you, isn't he?"

"Son of a..." Roman's whisper trailed off as he remembered his little girl was in the back seat of the car. "I'm going to kill him."

"Just ignore the text, Roman. I do."

Roman looked at her, noted her pale skin and shaking hands. But he knew she needed—for her own peace of mind—to pretend she was unaffected by the hateful messages. "I know, babygirl. But it's not easy for me. I have never witnessed a woman being treated the way you are, till now. It's hard to just stand by and let him say whatever he wants to you."

"It'll be fine." Cassidy insisted. "Let's get back to the hotel. Natia needs to go to bed, I'm sure. It's late."

Roman nodded, "Okay. You're right." He started the car and began driving for the hotel.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

"Which pajamas do you want to wear, Natia," Cassidy asked, as Roman made sure they were settled in the hotel room. He then had gone back down to the car to get the luggage.

"The pink ones!" the little girl exclaimed, pointing at her favorite set of pajamas.

"The pink ones it is," Cassidy smiled and laid said pajamas out on the bed so Roman could help her into them when he came back. "You'll look so pretty in pink."

"Thank you, Cass'dy," the little girl chirped.

"You're very welcome."

Her phone rang then and she took it out of her pocket to see who was calling.

Quinn.

She answered the call reluctantly. "Quinn stop this, please-" She was cut off by the sound of a song playing over the phone.

Sweet dreams are made of this

Who am I to disagree?

"No, no, no."

Immediately, Cassidy hung up the phone and tried her best to keep her head. Was that song a sign that Quinn had gotten to Roman? Was he okay? She fought the impending panic attack the best she could. Natia needed her to be strong.

"Baby," she said to the little girl, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm going to wait for your daddy out there," she motioned with her head to the living room. She quickly helped the girl onto the bed and then moved to the door. "Your daddy will be in to help you with your pajamas in just a few minutes. Stay here, okay?" Making sure the little girl was secure on the bed, she left the spare bedroom of the two-bedroom suite and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, God..." Cassidy whispered as soon as she wasn't under the watchful eyes of the little girl. "Roman..."

She lifted her phone and immediately dialed the Samoan.

His phone only rang and rang.

"Please, no," she sobbed softly, hanging the phone up. "Please, God... Don't let this be happening."

There was a noise at the door and she gasped, frozen to the spot. Unsure if she should hide or find a weapon.

The door opened and she fought the urge to scream.

Roman came through the door then, with both hers, and his luggage. He closed the door behind him and checked the locks.

"Oh, God... Roman!"

She ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, little mama. What's wrong?" he asked, returning her hug.

"Quinn called, and played that awful song again. I thought... I was afraid he'd gotten to you... I didn't know what to think when I called you and you didn't answer."

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. My hands were full with the luggage and I was almost to the room when it rang so I just let it go. I'm so sorry." His arms tightened around her and pulled her closer. "I'm okay, baby. I'm okay."

"I'm so relieved," Cassidy said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I was so scared."

Roman leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers in a soft kiss. "I'm okay. I promise, baby."

"I had Natia in the second bedroom. There isn't a lock on the door, but I swear I would have protected her with my life, Roman. I promise. I wouldn't have let Quinn hurt her."

"Hey, it's fine. Everything is fine. I know you would have. And that makes me care about you even more. You have no idea what I see when I look at you, Cassidy Allen."

"A train-wreck?" She quipped, wiping at her tears.

"No. Not at all. I see a beautiful, brave, amazing woman. A woman who would've done everything she could to keep my daughter safe. I can see myself falling head over heels for you, Cassidy."

"I can see myself falling for you too," she replied, reaching up and kissing him. She started to pull away and break the kiss but he placed his hand on her neck and pulled her closer. The lengthened kiss nearly curled Cassidy's toes. His mouth moved against hers and his tongue slipped past her lips to taste her fully.

He bent and lifted her in his arms then, still kissing her, and carried her to the master bedroom, booting the door shut with his foot.

"I told Natia you'd be in to help with her pajamas and to tuck her in," Cassidy said softly, giving him another kiss as he sat her on the large bed.

"Yeah, I'd better do that," he said with a smile, moving for the door. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Cassidy returned his smile. And then he was out the door to see about his daughter. The smile slowly faded from Cassidy's face.

"When will I be free of Quinn, God? When will I finally be free?"