Chapter 2 – All My Secrets

Grey eyes looked out the window of the American Airlines plane as it touched down in Sacramento, California. It had been a couple of months since Roman had gone to visit MacKenzie's sister. Ever since he'd seen; thought he'd seen MacKenzie at the house show over the weekend he couldn't stop thinking about the green eyed woman and he damn sure couldn't stop thinking about MacKenzie.

God he missed her. He missed her every day that he was still breathing.

He hated admitting it but the first few weeks after her funeral he felt like he couldn't function without her. Here he was the 6'3" 265lb Enforcer from The Shield and he couldn't function without a woman in his life. In the months that followed he was an absolute grizzly BEAR to be around and it killed him to know that everyone knew why. Roman was very private about his life with MacKenzie and so was she because of the way they both ran their lives.

She was literally his life line.

It took Roman almost a year and a half before he eventually asked another woman out. Even then the spark that MacKenzie had that gave his life purpose just wasn't coming from any other woman. After 6 girls and zero sparks he gave up looking and decided when the time was right the woman he was looking for would find him instead.

Roman was happy the rental car place was ready and waiting for him and Before he could blink he was parking in the driveway of the familiar house as he sighed before throwing his rental into park and killed the engine. He didn't even make it half way to the front door before it was thrown open and two eight year olds were running at him full speed.

"UNCLE ROMAN!"

"UNCLE ROMAN!"

The squeals did his heart good as he squatted down and caught both of them. He softly brushed kisses across their foreheads before standing back up and letting them grab his hands and drag him the rest of the way across the front yard and into the house; where he was met with a warm smile from Alice carrying McKenna. "Hey Alice." He greeted.

"Roman! It's so good to see you again." Alice stated as she pushed up on her tip toes and hugged him tightly with one arm as she accepted a kiss on the cheek and McKenna squealed when Roman's mustache and goatee tickled her when he brushed a kiss on her cheek as well. "Can you stay for dinner?" She asked.

Roman chuckled. "Of course, you know I can say no to a home cooked meal and afterwards I would really like to speak with you about something privately." He informed her.

"Absolutely. Well you came at a good time; dinner is almost ready and Dain is due home from work any minute." Alice stated as she turned and walked from the front door to the kitchen; she could hear little feet dragging Roman behind her.

The entire house smelled of grilled chicken and rice with broccoli. It smelled like heaven. Roman felt his stomach growl; he hadn't eaten since before his autograph signing this morning. He'd had a snack on the plane but it wasn't nearly enough to sedate his big body.

By the time the small talk and food ran out Dain had wrangled the kids upstairs for their baths and getting them ready for bed for school in the morning. Roman had relaxed considerably as he looked up at Alice when she walked into the living room and handed him a cup of coffee.

He smiled as he accepted it graciously and took a gentle sip so as not to burn himself before he set the cup down on the coffee table.

"Okay Dain is going to have his hands full with those three for a minute; you wanted to talk. What's up?" Alice asked curiously.

Roman leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "I have to start by saying I got spooked at a house show over this last weekend and I do not spook easily. I was in the middle of a match that spilled out onto the floor where the fans are and as we made our way down the aisle I looked up and thought I saw a ghost." Roman shook his head; the thought still have him chills.

"What do you mean Roman?" Alice's interest was officially piqued. 'Who did you see?"

"MacKenzie." Roman stated in a murmured tone. "I thought I saw MacKenzie. This chic had green eyes and blonde hair but - but she had MacKenzie's face."

"R-Roman, that's impossible." Alice stated as she felt anxiety start to bubble in her stomach. It had taken her MONTHS to get the reality of her sister not being in her life through her brain; months and months. "You had to of been mistaken."

Roman had been contemplating a lot of things since he'd seen the lady that could've been MacKenzie's twin at the house show. None of it was adding up though. "When MacKenzie's heart stopped I was right by her side. The part that doesn't seem to be adding all the way up for me if the fact that the staff ushered my out of the room to perform CPR which is protocol. I expected it. What I didn't expect was not being allowed to see her to say goodbye after the doctor told me she couldn't be saved and that she succumbed to her injuries."

"T-That doesn't seem right Roman." Alice stuttered again.

Roman narrowed his eyes as he realized that was the second time Alice stuttered. MacKenzie used to laugh and joke about how her sister couldn't lie to save her ass because she would stutter like a fool. "The staff covered her body and moved her out of the damn room while the doctor came to talk to me."

"I-I don't understand Roman; how is any of this possible?" Alice asked with another stutter. She tore her hand through her hair; she had curly hair like MacKenzie only hers was more like banana curls instead of the cork screws that her sister and somehow both of her daughters gained as they got older.

This was not how this was supposed to go. Roman was not supposed to figure this all out. Alice stood from the couch as she began pacing slightly. "Damn it..." She whispered; she never could lie to save her life.

Roman stood up. "Alice what the hell is going on? Do you know something?"

Alice rubbed her forehead as she stopped and looked up at Roman as she chewed her bottom lip. "Yes - NO!" She changed her mind. "I don't know." She slumped back onto the couch.

"You don't know or you can't tell me?" Roman tried hard not to demand too gruffly. "Alice you have got to give me something to work with here." Roman was finally putting the pieces together; whatever conclusion was at the end of it - of one thing he was sure of. Alice knew exactly what was going on.

"I just - I wish...I can't. I just can't Roman. Please don't ask me any more questions." Alice practically begged.

Roman sighed heavily as he scrubbed both of his hands down his face as he began leisurely walking around the living room. As long as he had known Alice and Dain he'd never truly looked at the pictures and surroundings in the living room. He found what he would have to believe was the BEST picture he'd ever seen of MacKenzie with Neela, Nathan and McKenna. It had clearly been taken on the same day as McKenna's christening. He remembered that dress and how beautiful she looked in it.

Roman's grey eyes wondered along the fireplace mantle as he took in the other pictures that lined it. His eyes stopped on one picture in particular. His eyes began to dance around the picture and the people in it and their dress attire.

And then he saw him and it.

Roman's eyes went from the picture over to Alice and back to the picture. He smoothed down his mustache and goatee as he practically stared a hole in the picture on the mantle. The familiar five point star inside of the circle hanging from a metal chain in the middle of Alice's husband's chest. "Alice as long as I've known you; I've never asked what Dain does for a living."

Alice's head snapped up as she looked over at Roman. "H-He umm. Damn it Roman."

"I'm a United States Deputy Marshal for the Witness Security Program. Anything else you want to know you can ask me and leave Alice alone." Dain stated as he walked into the living room.

She did love her weekends the most. Where she didn't have to be Lauren Walker. She didn't have to be some law school tutor in some University in New Mexico.

She would wake up Saturday morning and get out of bed as MacKenzie Brewman and go about her day. She would do a couple of loads of laundry and do some house cleaning and relax the rest of the day with Netflix and snacks.

Sunday she would plan her tutoring schedules for the following week. By the time 10 PM rolled around she was in bed and would be dreading walking up as Lauren Walker the following morning.

Being Lauren wouldn't be so bad if the damn Marshals who set her up in the Witness Security Program had given her Jeff's last name just to throw people off who might've been looking for her. Who would've thought to look for their ex with their last name? No one!

Today was Saturday and she was sitting on her balcony reading a book and enjoying some ice tea. She kept thinking back to Friday night when she got to watch Roman in the ring up close and personal again after 2 1/2 years. She'd missed watching him in the ring; watching it on TV was just NOT the same.

The day she was admitted to the ER from Jeff's stab wound, Roman and the rest of their friends weren't allowed back in the ER to see her until she was deemed stable. Dain and a few of the other deputies from the US Marshal services showed up entering from the back of the building so they wouldn't be seen by Roman. They told her Jeff's body never made it to the hospital morgue; when the Ambulance was found his body was missing...and so was the ambulance driver; who they later found out was one of Jeff's friends.

It was made clear that Jeff was not dead and had been dropping hints through all the surveillance footage of Roman's house that they had confiscated from Jeff's laptop pointed to the fact that Jeff was going to kill MacKenzie and go after Roman and his entire family. Unbeknownst to Roman and his family they had been placed under a secret surveillance detail for the last 2 1/2 years. Everything about their lives was videoed and cataloged.

Jeff had been spotted several times near Roman and his family, but by the time the US Marshal's got to where the sighting was reported there was no sign of him. They knew before he disappeared all of the money in his bank accounts had been drained, his vehicle was found abandoned on a dirt road and his house had been tossed around and 75% of his clothing and shoes were missing. He had obviously planned something and no one knew what is was.

It was obvious from all the signs that when MacKenzie shot Jeff he had clearly not died. Clearly he had some kind of contingency plan set aside in case of just that type of emergency. A year ago her grave had been dug up and her empty coffin was left open to bare everything. Dain had quickly and quietly had it reburied as if nothing happened and no one had been the wiser. Dain and the rest of the Marshal service figured it was either Jeff or someone who he'd paid to find out the truth for him.

At this point Jeff knew she wasn't dead, but was completely miserable because at the same time she wasn't with Roman. Either way Jeff got exactly what he wanted.

Roman stepped backwards a couple of steps before he felt the couch hit the back of his knees and he sat down with little to no effort. He felt like the rug had just been jerked from underneath his feet. His grey orbs danced between Alice and Dain as they sat across from him on the opposite couch.

Dain could tell Roman had a million questions on his mind but he was just filing through them to see which one he wanted to ask first; before he even got started Dain walked over and flipped a switch near the fire place. "The house is officially surveillance proof so no one outside of the house can hear our conversation...in case someone - who shall remain nameless has been able to bug the house. We can speak freely now." He stated before walking back over to sit next to his wife.

"What would I find in her coffin if I got a court order to exhume her body?" Roman asked honestly.

"What do you think you would find buddy?" Dain counter questioned. "I'm sure it would be a surprise but I think you could handle it." He wouldn't confirm anything until Roman asked him the question that was burning to leave his lips.

Roman clenched his eyes shut as his heart clenched in his chest at the same time. He took a deep breath as he opened his eyes and looked and Dain. "She's alive isn't she?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes and safe; don't forget safe." Dain stated. "But listen to me Roman. You can NOT under any circumstances go looking for her. If you find out where she is and you go looking to see her up close and personal and the Marshal Service finds out; they will re-locate her again in a matter of hours. There is only a handful of people who know she is still alive and where exactly her location is, but it's for her own safety...and yours."

"My safety? I'm a professional wrestler - who the hell would mess with me?" Roman questioned.

Dain shook his head. "Jeff Walker."

Roman sighed heavily. "Let me guess - Jeff Walker isn't dead either."

"Correct."

"WHAT THE FUCK IS ACTUALLY GOING ON DAIN?!" Roman roared as he stood up and started stalking around like a pissed off bull.

Dain stood up and held his hands out. "Whoa! Look Roman there was too much evidence that Jeff left behind that he was going to start going after you and your entire family. I know it doesn't sound like much but we couldn't take that chance not with MacKenzie's life or your life." Dain ran a hand through his cropped hair. "Jeff Walker disappeared with his money and his clothing, but he keeps popping up around Pensacola Florida - does that sound like a familiar place you live?" He asked as his eyebrows went up quizzically.

Dain sighed softly. "For right now you are safe and so is your family and so is MacKenzie. Once they zero in on Jeff and can get him arrested and in custody all MacKenzie has to do is testify at his trial and then she can leave the Witness Security Program if she wants or she can assume a whole new identity and disappear forever. It's really up to her." Dain explained.

"Until then secrets must be kept." Roman growled.

"Yes."