"Thank you," Robyn said to Sasha Friday night after a match well done.

"No, thank you and don't worry about the crowd. People are stupid," she replied. "See you Sunday."

"Alright, now I have to go find this man so I can get out of here," she didn't have to look far as she spotted him around the corner with his back turned. Just for the sake of surprise she went behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.

"Hey baby," he reached around and palmed her ass, squeezing and kneading gently.

"Now what would you have done if it wasn't me besides apologize profusely to whoever it was so you don't catch a sexual assault charge?"

"It wouldn't have happened. If I can't recognize your touch and scent after almost a year, we shouldn't be together," he turned around to face her. He was so handsome and his dark-eyed gaze was enchanting. "I'd say that was your best match to date. Every move was smooth, crisp and pulled off with technical precision. That was 5 star caliber and I'm not blowing smoke up your ass because you're my girlfriend."

"No, I believe you and thanks," she blushed. "I hope the fans watching at home appreciated it more than the ones here live in the arena. Imagine booing a woman over a situation involving a man only to cheer him when he comes out. If that isn't sexism, I don't know what to call it."

"That's true but you must not have been listening hard enough. There were some boos from me because smarks assume that I'm winning the Rumble and are salivating to have something to justify their hatred with…" he snorted.

"Maybe you should win so we can get booed together. How's that for couple goals?" she replied.

After they got settled on his tour bus, she checked the comments under a tweet WWE posted after her victory.

TwitterUsername1: Sasha really is the GOAT. She carried Robyn of all people to a great match. I'm shocked.

TwitterUsername2: Of all people? Carried? Are we really going to pretend like Robyn sucks in the ring now just because she's dating Roman? ?

TwitterUsername3: correction, *homewrecked Roman and she definitely "sucks" outside of the ring.

TwitterUsername4: He said it himself that there was no affair but I guess the truth didn't spread as quickly as the rumor, did it?

TwitterUsername3: What was he supposed to say? "Yeah, I hit that and lost my wife and kids because of it." Of course he's going to try to protect his girlfriend and his reputation from backlash.

"What did I tell you about torturing yourself after shows? And don't lie and say you aren't reading that crap because I saw the look on your face as you were scrolling."

"It doesn't really bother me anymore. They've said pretty much everything they can possibly say by now," she shrugged. "I'm actually thinking about turning my Instagram comments back on but filtering out the words: 'Roman' 'Reigns' 'RR,' 'The Big Dog,' 'Joe' 'Galina,' married' 'divorce,' 'affair,' 'homewrecker,' 'sidechick,' 'slut,' 'hoe,' 'dating,' 'girlfriend,' 'boyfriend,' 'sleeping with' and 'fucking.' I think that just about covers everything."

"Well that'll take the fun out of trolling for sure."

"Eh, they have their Robman IG hate page to congregate on and get their frustrations out but at least I won't have to see it directly anymore."

Joe stepped out of his shoes. "I should've gotten one of these a long time ago."

"Yeah, it's nice that we can kick back and not have to drive anymore especially during a long travel week."

"We?" he raised a brow.

"So I don't drive?"

"If you count from the arena to the hotel 5 minutes or less away after shows as driving then I guess you do…"

She threw a pillow at his head but he caught it. "Leati Joseph Anoa'i, you should be ashamed of yourself for lying like that! All those nights I was behind the wheel to drive us to the next town after you took a rough bump or had a big match."

"I know, but your angry face is sexy," he grabbed her hand and placed it on his crotch to rub his bulge as it expanded down his thigh. She pulled away. "What?"

Pointing at the door, she whispered. "The driver. You know I hate messing around on here. It's like having sex with parents just a few feet away. At least mine were downstairs."

"From the driver's seat to all the way back here is more than a few feet. Unless you're screaming at the top of your lungs, I doubt he'll hear but I'll turn music or the TV on just to drown it out."

"Okay, that's sound but what if he's a perv and planted hidden cameras in here while we were in the arena?"

Joe took a suspicious glance around at every corner. "Now you got me paranoid."

"See…" she laughed.

"Well, I got a quick fix for that," he forced her under the sheets, got in himself and then, pulled the comforter over their heads. Things were suddenly dark. She couldn't see him, but could feel his breath on her chest. She lay there, her entire body shivering in anticipation. His hands settled gently on her hips and pushed up her dress. Robyn practically melted beneath him as he wrapped a finger around each side of the waistband and pulled down her panties in one smooth motion. He began slowly tracing her folds with his fingers, gently at first and then more aggressively, and she felt her hips begin to move in rhythm with his touch until she built up a steam and the floodgates opened.

Then he shifted and she felt him wiggling out of his sweatpants. It wasn't soon after when she felt him at her entrance. Robyn's eyes closed and her fists clenched as he filled her.

Joe seemed to barely pull out as his hips grinded into her, preferring short strokes so he could stay pressed against her. She stifled her moans as the constant movement and pressure on her most sensitive areas drove her crazy. He pulled back and fucked her harder, longer strokes this time which changed the rush of sensation.

Her legs pulled up high around his back and she felt him slide deeper, that sweet feeling as he stretched her to the limit. There was tension in her body as she neared completion and he must've felt it as he covered her mouth with his, allowing her to cry out inside to muffle the sound.

His dick drove her higher and harder and she screamed again. He never slowed; his body flattening hers down and drove himself inside her writhing form, sending her through spasm after spasm.

Joe's forehead dropped to hers as he drove himself to his own pleasure. She felt him swell, felt the tension rise through him. All it took was one clench from her to send him to his peak as his climax burned through them both. His hips moved on their own, driving him in hard, sudden thrusts with each pulse of sperm through his shaft.

Finally he rested on his elbows on either side of her, his forehead still on hers, her legs still wrapped around his back. Robyn took his hair down and ran her fingers through it idly.

"Hey, I think the bus has stopped…" she whispered just as a loud knock came on the door, causing them both to jump.

Joe threw the covers off, causing Robyn to shield her eyes from the brightness of the light with her hand. "Yeah."

"I was wondering if you wanted to make a stop before moving on to the next town?"

"Uh…" he looked over at her and she nodded. "Yes."

"I don't know about you but after that I need to take a quick shower…"

"Being under there made me break a sweat so I'll join you."

Afterwards, she got dressed. "I wonder how long he'd been standing there? We were too wrapped up, literally, to notice that we weren't rolling anymore. What if he looked on his monitor for the hidden cameras and saw two lumps moving and decided to come investigate?"

"You and these conspiracy theories," he shook his head as he pulled his hair back up into a knot. Off the bus, they saw a long line of restaurant options and across the street, a casino. "Food or gambling?"

"Catering still has me covered so I guess we can waste some time in the casino," she decided.

The clamor of the casino hit them as the doors opened. The noise was designed to make people want to play, and it was doing its work on her. The casino floor was a jungle of colors and flashing lights.

"I don't really know how to gamble. When I've gone to casinos in the past it was just to drink and look around."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll teach you a few things so you don't get suckered into anything," he replied, withdrawing money from the ATM machine.

Robyn wasn't paying attention as they walked when she heard a woman's voice, 'I don't want to bother you but can I take a quick selfie with you?' She looked at Roman to see if he'd answer the request.

"I think she's talking to you," he said.

"Oh," she blinked with surprise as she posed and the fan went on her way. "Well, guess I'm not that hated after all."

"I know from experience that internet trolls do not represent the entire WWE fanbase. As far as the boos in the arena, most of them are just jumping on a trend thinking it makes them look cool. At the height of my hate a few years ago, I've never been approached negatively in person."

"I see…"

After about 45 minutes, she'd lost her money and he didn't seem to be getting anywhere. "You know what I think we're doing wrong?"

"What?" he asked.

"In the movies, couples are always touching each other for good luck. The whole time, I've been standing behind you watching like a spectator,"

"Well get over here, then," he said, pulling her into his lap.

"Here goes…" she pushed random buttons. "Alright, now."

He reached up and pulled the lever. To both of their surprise, he'd won 400. "Shit, this actually worked!"

Soon his winnings went from 400 to 1000 to 1500.

"That's more than what you started with so I think it's time to go…" Robyn advised.

"One more, together," he said and when she placed her hand on the lever, his covered it and they pulled, waiting as the machine sounded off...revealing that he'd lost 1000.

"Damn, but I told you to leave it alone!" she laughed. "I'm not mad because how cliche would that have been if we ended up winning a million like we're in a romantic comedy or something?"

"Speaking of romantic, you still haven't told me what you wanted to do for our anniversary next month? If you want to go on vacation or something, you need to let me know so I can arrange my schedule," he said.


The big day arrived. They didn't see much of each other after they arrived at the arena, both busy rehearsing spots for their respective Rumbles. He was also doing double duty with Corbin and had to lay that match out as well.

The closer it came to showtime, the more nervous and anxious she feels. Her pulse racing with unanticipated fear. Roman's match against Corbin was first and after his win, he ducked behind the curtain where she stood waiting to go on next.

"You definitely can't go out there looking like a deer caught in headlights," he said after taking one glance at her.

"Maybe claiming the 1st spot was a mistake. It's way too much pressure. Midway like 15 would've been better," she replied.

"Rob, I know you're scared but you need to calm down. We both know what you're capable of and you can't show it if you're a nervous wreck when you step in that ring. I believe in you, your fans believe in you, the other women in this match believe in you and management believes in you or else you wouldn't be in this position right now. If you're focused and sharp, you're going to deliver big time and will not only be the winner but the highlight of the match," he encouraged. "I'm here now to see you off and I'm going to be here when it's over."

She nodded, incapable of saying any more, her legs turning to jelly. It was as if all the nervousness that she felt leading up to the moment vanished the second she stepped out onto the ramp. The crowd's response was mixed with cheers, isolated boos and heckling.

After Alexa entered at #2, things became a blur. Instead of the usual tricks like hiding or taking rest breaks, she tried to be visible the entire time putting in work. She knew it wouldn't soften the reaction when she won but no one would be able to say that she didn't work her ass off during the match.

When it was over and her victory was claimed, the response wasn't as bad as she anticipated. It was 50% positive, 30% negative and 20% neutral but none of that mattered right now because she had 3 months until Wrestlemania to change minds.

Just as promised, Joe was waiting on her. He braced himself as she threw herself at him, arms flying around his neck in a clinging hug.

"I did it!" she said.

"You are a star and your performance tonight cemented this. Anyone who questions it is just in denial at this point," he praised.

"My heart is still beating like crazy and my adrenaline is still pumping and while you aren't winning the Rumble, you did win tonight so the moment you get out of the ring, make your way back to the bus so I can have something to take all this energy out on!"

"You, propositioning me to have victory sex...on the bus?" he raised a sarcastic brow. "What about all those hidden cameras?"

"This is going to be one for the ages and I don't care who sees…"


"Can I watch the Rumble in your mancave when we get home?" she asked. They landed in Tampa at around noon and from there, got directly in the car and headed to Orlando for her appointment.

"No…"

"Why not? Your TV looks like a movie screen compared to the one in the living room and our bedroom! Not to mention the surround sound system. I just want to do it this one time and then you can have it back," she begged.

"One time will lead to another time. Then, one day, I'll look up and your things will be in there and it'll slowly turn into a den. I worked too hard on that room to allow that to happen, Rob. Sometimes a man just needs his own space," he argued. "I know you aren't over there pouting? I think this is the first time I've told you no since we've been together."

"I'm trying to recall but I don't think you have. Anyway, the other TVs are big enough, I was just being greedy," she said. Still high from her victory last night, she didn't dare check social media yet because it would only ruin the mood. "I think I'm going to ask him for oncologist recommendations in Tampa so we won't have to make this drive fresh off the road."

"I don't mind. Besides, I think it'll be better to stick with someone familiar with your case."

"Yeah, you're right," she stared out of the window at the sights. "I'm not going to lie, I miss it here sometimes."

"I wanted you back so bad after filing that I probably would've gone against my original plans and moved here if you refused to come to Tampa," he confessed and she scoffed.

"Fine time for you to admit that but it's cool, I'm slowly getting adjusted to Tampa and I can't imagine a more perfect house that fits us more than the one we're in now. And it looks like we're right on time," she noted when the building came into view.

Inside, Joe looked over her shoulder at her phone screen while she looked at dresses. She clicked on one in particular and zoomed in. "Where are you going in that?"

"Hall of Fame..."

"That's not until April."

"Men," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I know you can wait until the week before to find a suit and get fitted but I have to decide if I like the dress, get alterations, buy a backup if necessary, match accessories, stay in the same weight range. It's...a lot."

"Robyn Nelson," a nurse called.

"Do you need me to come back?" he clenched the chair's arms, bracing himself to stand.

"No, I'm good. I'll see you in a little while because everytime you come back, the doc goes into a long, drawn-out conversation with you about everything under the sun and you entertain it while I'm just trying to get my results and go."

Dr. Foster went through his usual routine of scans, biopsies and samples. "Now, I believe congrats are in order."

She got excited all over again. "You're coming, huh? It's right there in Tampa and the clinic is closed on Sundays so there's no excuse not to."

"Of course I am. I wouldn't pass up the bragging rights of saying, 'that's my patient and I got to see her make it big live in person,' to colleagues," he got up from his stool. "I'll be back shortly."

It was now when she was closed in a quiet room alone that she realized not inviting Joe back was a mistake but at least she had her phone to entertain her. Restricting the comments helped but there was still negativity in the bunch.

instausername1: I hope you thanked 'The Guy' who made your victory possible and I'm not talking about Vince or HHH.

"Note to self, filter out 'The Guy,'" she said aloud.

The wait seemed to be taking longer than usual and then, the door slowly pushed open revealing Joe and Dr. Foster. Immediately, she noticed that the color was gone from Dr. Foster's face and Joe's shocked expression caught her off guard. Neither had to utter a single word for her to know that something was wrong.

"It's back, isn't it?" she asked and Dr. Foster's eyes closed as he confirmed with a nod.

A/N: Nothing's changed since the last time, I'm STILL not a doctor so some(probably most) of this may be medically incorrect but at the end of the day, it's fiction. ? ゚マᄑ ️

Dr. Foster started by briefing her on information that she already knew from the last two times.

Robyn sat absentmindedly, numb and dismayed at the news she'd just gotten. She didn't say a word, only nodding occasionally.

Joe, always a man of action, and not one to wait, spoke next. "So how bad is it? What stage?"

"2."

"No, that can't be right," Joe shook his head fiercely in denial. "She was just here 6 weeks ago. She was sitting right there and I was standing right here when you told her that she was clear and that you'd see her again today."

"Sometimes when cancer returns, it returns more aggressive than the last time. That's why it's progressed so fast. Thankfully, we caught it early," Foster explained.

"What are my options?" Rob finally spoke.

"Your cancer has a high likelihood of spreading, producing tumors and is located in an area of the body that is difficult to treat so I recommend receiving both chemo and radiation in the first few months to keep it in check."

"Chemo and radiation," she grabbed a long strand of her hair. "Welp, no one's going to question whether or not I'm faking it. What if none of that works?"

"It will!" Joe assured.

"Joe, sweetie, I love your optimism but right now I prefer to hear a professional's opinion," she replied.

"If that doesn't work, we can explore other options…"

"And if those options don't work?"

"Well…" he started but trailed off somberly. "Due to your income, resources and advancement in technology, you have a better chance of survival than most. I'm sorry, Robyn. I wish I had better news."

"When do I start receiving treatment?"

"The sooner the better but first, I'd assume you'll want to get some things in order, notify your employer and spend some time with your family before beginning. I'd recommend no more than a week and a half because we need to tackle this thing as soon as possible."

Robyn didn't say a word on her way out of the office and remained quiet until he started the car. "Can you drop me off at the condo? I don't want to go back to Tampa tonight but you should."

"What? Why?" his head snapped over to her.

"I just want to be alone," she said. "I'll call when I'm ready for you to pick me back up."

He walked her inside the condo and she found it just the way she'd left it months ago.

"At least let me go out and buy you a few things since you won't have your car to get around. I know the stuff you forgot has gone bad by now. Yep," he opened the refrigerator and despite being in the living room, she could still smell the rotten meat, spoiled milk and other expired products. She covered her nose while he stuffed everything into a trash bag that he took out.

While he was gone, Robyn snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and cleaned the fridge out. The scent of chemical products took over her nose. Even after she finished, she didn't move, sitting Indian style on the floor, blankly staring inside. She knew she was devastated but couldn't bring herself to cry or feel any emotion. The only thing she could think of was the cancerous cells inside currently having a field day eating away at her body.

30 minutes later, he returned with bags and was beginning to sort them.

"You don't have to do that, Joe. I can put them away myself when you leave...in a few minutes."

"Trying to get rid of me, huh?" sighing, he kneeled down in front of where she sat. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I've been through it twice already. This is just like the last time. I tried to live a normal life, be happy and forget about it and that's when it came back. I made the same mistake, only this time I fell in love and it came back again, with a vengeance!" she sighed.

"Let me stay, Robyn. I'll sleep in the other bedroom. You won't even know I'm here. I just can't leave you like this," he pleaded.

"Don't try to fight me on this because my mind is beyond made up," she stated and he looked defeated.

He grabbed her hands in his. "Alright, I'm going to go but if you need anything, anything, just call or text me. I swear I'll turn on my emergency lights and run through every stop sign and red light from Tampa all the way here to get back to you. I will do anything in my power to do because that's how much I love you."

"I know…" she managed to crack a smile and accept his kiss.


Joe

He stood outside of the door listening for a while before finally leaving. As he climbed into his car, he thought back to what led to the news.

He was flipping through magazines in the waiting room when he heard a throat clear in front of him.

"Can you come to the back?" Dr. Foster asked.

"Did she ask for me?"

"No, but she'll need the support…"

"Support?" his brow knitted and then it hit him, his eyes widening. "No?!"

"Afraid so..."

Although as a patient in remission, the news was always to be expected to some degree but no one can quite be prepared to hear the pronouncement. This moment took him back to when he was told something was off with his white blood cell count in October 2018.

His legs felt heavy and it took effort to drag them down the hallway. He almost didn't have the heart to face her knowing what she was about to learn but what kind of man would he be if he allowed her to go through this alone.

The blissfully unaware expression she wore when they opened the door lasted only seconds until she noticed the look on their faces. Her eyes went blank.

"I'm sorry, Robyn. I wish I had better news."

He remained calm for her sake. It was one of the few times in his life that he had no options to call upon. Cancer was cancer no matter the form but his CML was treatable in 4 months via pill. Hers was unpredictable and he had no idea what to expect but he intended to be by her side throughout this journey.

It was beyond surreal to have gone from watching her celebrate her Royal Rumble victory and pending Wrestlemania match just the night before to this.

The 1 and a half hour drive felt like 3 as he made his way from Orlando to Tampa.

When he pulled into the driveway of his old residence, Galina walked out of the house holding Midnight's leash. The kids were attached to him and until he was trained, Robyn didn't want to take him on the road so they volunteered to watch him in their absence.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to pick up the dog hours ago? And why haven't you answered any of my calls or texts?"

He patted his pocket and pulled out his phone. She wasn't lying because in addition to hers, there were several other missed calls, texts and notifications. That's when he realized he'd turned it on silent at the doctor's office and never looked at it again. "Oh, sorry. W-what are the kids doing?"

"Well, that's why I met you out here. Jojo is doing homework and the boys are working on something for school as well so come back in about an hour or two because if you come in now, they're going to get distracted," she said and he didn't reply, staring at the ground. "Is something going on that I should know about? You're acting strange?"

"It's Robyn. I took her to her doctor's appointment earlier and..." he shook his head, not able to finish the sentence.

"Wow, I knew there was always a possibility of it happening but not this quickly and right before Wrestlemania? That sucks. Jojo seemed to be slowly getting over it but she is going to be so crushed now, especially if the baby is a girl. I mean, she's talked about a little sister before but of course that's different because the product would've been from me and you. How she'll react to you starting a new family with Robyn already, I don't know," he thought she had caught on in the beginning but she was clearly way off base. "How far along is she because if she's not close to showing yet, it'll give me time to figure out how to tell her."

"She's not pregnant, Galina. I wish that was the case because then, after 9 months, I'd know that she could actually go on to have a Wrestlemania moment. The way things are now, even if...when she pulls through, who knows how long she'll be out or if her body can even return to wrestling," he felt his voice choking up.

"Wait, what are you saying?" she tilted her head.

"Her cancer returned and is already in stage 2..."

Galina gasped. "Joe, I'm so sorry. What can I do?"

"Honestly, nothing besides a prayer..." he took the leash and headed to the car. "I'll call later but I don't think I'm coming back tonight. I'm not in the right state of mind at the moment. I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning to take them to school though."

The house felt cold and empty without her there. He scolded himself for his reaction to her wanting to watch the Rumble in his mancave. Sometimes a man just needs his own space. What would he do if he ended up stuck there in the house alone with nothing but space and bittersweet memories. No. He shook his head, only wanting to think positive thoughts. Nothing was going to happen to her.

Ding.

He looked at his phone and saw a long message from her: I know you didn't want to go because that's the type of stand-up guy you are but thank you for respecting my wishes. I want you to understand that I needed this. In the coming months I'm going to be constantly surrounded whether it's by overly concerned family, friends or medical staff. I just wanted some alone time before things get hectic. I love you so much, Joe and I'm already better off than the last 2 times because you're in my life now. I know you're going to be there every step of the way to push me, motivate me, annoy me. Anyway, goodnight and you can pick me up early Thursday morning.


A/N: This isn't something that you just leave so I'll be back later on this week with follow-up chapter.