Before I begin, I just want to say thanks to all the people who are reading this story. I looked at my story stats and got 181 hits in the last 3 days. That's pretty awesome! But no new reviews? I don't want to be the person begging for reviews but it is kind of disconcerting not to get any sort of response at all. IDK, I'm really into where this story is heading. Oh well...

Let's get on with the story, shall we?

She looked up at his tired blue eyes and pulled away from him. "Promised to protect you," – what was that supposed to mean? Did he promise to Sofia? Randy released her from his grip and stood up. He leaned against the door frame like he was ready to leave, but Stacy stood up and grazed her fingers against his arm.

"Why would you promise that?"

Randy looked down at his shoes and bit his lip, "Because she loved you. She cared so much about you but she just felt like she couldn't be there to help you when you needed her because she could barely help herself."

"When did she have this conversation with you?" asked Stacy. She kept her hand on Randy's muscular arm, although it remained limp at his sides.

Randy looked up to meet her gaze, "Almost everyday."

Stacy let go of his arm and stumbled back to the arm rest of her couch. She crossed her arms over her chest – all of a sudden, feeling cold and empty. Despite knowing her sister cared deeply about her, the realization of her loss came spiraling back into her psyche.

"Sofia felt like she wasn't being the sister she could be. She felt inadequate," he started, "I assured her that you loved her just the same and that you understood her situation. She told me that I was just trying to reassure her so that she could focus on getting better, and not have to worry about her relationships with her friends and family."

Stacy nodded. She remembered the last months of Sofia's life, and how distant she had been. For a long time, she blamed Randy for keeping her away. Until that day, she hadn't fully forgiven him for it.

"I asked her if she wanted to see you. I told her I didn't mind flying with her to Baltimore or visiting her parents' house. She always shook her head and told me she was too embarrassed," Randy watched as Stacy vehemently shook her head. He knew that Sofia's words were the furthest thing from the truth. No one in their family thought of her as an embarrassment. She was truly loved by everyone, which made her situation so much more confusing. "She didn't want to bring any problems into your lives. She believed she'd be happier if she knew she wasn't carrying around her problems and sharing it with your family; especially you, Stace," Randy continued.

"I don't want to sound like I was the only person Sofia could be around before it all happened," Randy paused, "but she told me that I was the only person she felt comfortable with."

Stacy narrowed her eyes at Randy. His words weren't laced with pride, but the meaning behind it was insulting and painful. To be told that your own sister felt more comfortable around her boyfriend than her own blood was just ridiculous.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and walked towards her, "I told her numerous times that she could be completely comfortable around your family, but she always resisted. She loved all of you so much and that's why she didn't want to show you who she could become…"

His voice trailed off into a whisper. His eyes were beginning to well up with tears, but he closed his eyes for a few seconds to keep his emotions trapped within him. Although she was deeply hurt by her deceased sister's words, she couldn't blame Randy for them. Stacy sat on the couch and pulled Randy beside her. She reached for his hand and began to knead on it gently, releasing the pent up tension. "I want to hear more," she whispered.

"About her depression?"

"Yes, or anything I didn't know," Stacy replied, "I just want to understand."

Randy looked up at her and tucked a loose strand of hair away from her pretty face, "I'll try to help as much as I can, but I have never come close to understanding myself."

"She would get anxiety attacks on some nights. It was hard with me travelling all the time and her living by herself in our apartment. She would call me up at 2AM sometimes and for the first few seconds, all I could her was her heavy breaths. She was heaving – like she couldn't breathe. Then, she would just cry on the phone and I would try my best to comfort her and make her relax. I'd never mention the pills – not until she's calmed down."

A questioning look came over Stacy's face. At this point, her hands held onto Randy's. She just needed something to hold onto before she risked an emotional breakdown.

"She hated the pills. She hated the idea that they were controlling her. Sofia wanted to be in control over her own health and progress. You know how stubborn she could be. I promised her that the pills were there to help her until she didn't need them anymore. To be honest, I didn't know if it was true but I had to tell her something. I just wanted her to get better."

"Once she'd calmed down, I'd ask her what incited the attack and she'd always try to change the subject. On the phone, if she didn't want to talk about it she would just hang up and turn off her phone. It killed me, Stace. How was I supposed to sleep knowing her mind was in a mess? She never wanted to talk about it. But whenever I'd come home and she got the attacks while I was there, I pressed on her to tell me. She was right there in front of me so there was nowhere else for her to go."

"She told me she felt like she was deteriorating – like her mind and her body were getting weaker. She felt like she couldn't write or capture things in her photographs like she used to. She told me she would get nightmares and she'd wake up with a cold sweat, her heart beating a mile a minute, and her bones trembling. On some occasions, she was in such a daze she would knock things over, punch the walls or throw objects across the room. At that point, I knew that as much as I tried I wasn't going to be enough to help her. So I found her a doctor."

Stacy looked at Randy's bloodshot eyes. His tears were threatening their escape, but he tried to keep it suppressed. For years, he tried to keep his own emotion suppressed to show the love of his life that he could be someone she could rely on – her safe place. Stacy reached over to cup his face. She knew he was emotionally exhausted from reliving those memories, but there was one more thing she needed to know.

"Did she ever tell you when it started or why she started getting these panic attacks?"

Randy leaned into Stacy's touch - the warmth of her hand, easing his apprehension. "Remember when she went on that assignment to Colombia? She was only gone for two weeks but when she came back there was something noticeably different about her. I mean, she was the same Sofia – the same girl I've loved since summer camp, and nothing would have changed that. But at certain moments, she would clam up and be quiet. For days, she wouldn't call me and she'd have her phone turned off. It drove me crazy not knowing how she was doing – if she was even alive. So I asked our neighbors to check on her from time to time. They told me she'd leave at seven for work and she'd be back at five. She never left the apartment except to go to work or if I insisted we go have dinner out, see a show, or walk in the park. Her friends would come over from time to time, but their visits dwindled as time went by. When I'd come home from the tour, she'd be so happy. She would cook me this amazing spread, she'd have a bath ready, new linens, everything was just perfect. Then at the middle of the night, it would all change."

"Stacy, something happened in Colombia. I've asked her about it but every time, she denied it. She never wanted to talk about her trip besides what she had already written in the article. I know something must have happened, but she never told me. I waited too long not to push her into answering," said Randy, "I'm sorry."

The light sifted through the sheer curtains and reflected against the glass coffee table. Randy watched as the dust particles danced in the air. He raised his arm to shield his eyes from the California sun, but quickly turned his head when he saw a pair of tanned legs in his peripheral.

Dressed in a pair of running shorts and a sports bra, Stacy walked into her kitchen gulping down a bottle of water. She had just returned from her morning run. Her limbs were tired, but the burning feeling made her feel alive. She pulled the white ear buds from her ears and set the iPod on the kitchen counter. She began to start a pot of coffee when she felt a pair of hands rest on her bare shoulders. She didn't expect him to be awake so soon.

"Good morning," he mumbled groggily. His hands were still on her shoulders as he turned his head to the side and kissed her on the cheek.

This action surprised Stacy since he hadn't kissed her on the cheek or hugged her for over a year now. His lips were warm and soft against her skin. She began to wonder how his lips would feel like against her own, but she was snapped back into reality when his hands left her shoulders.

"How's your back?" she asked as she motioned to the suede couch where he spent the night.

"It's all right," said Randy, "I really didn't mind sleeping on the couch. There's no way I was leaving you alone after finding out Lucas lives in the same complex."

At the mention of his name, Stacy bit her lip to try and fight the tears. She never pictured herself as a victim of sexual assault. She worked in the WWE for years and was considered one of the more stronger-willed women in the roster. Randy noticed her uneasiness and walked back towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a hug.

"Don't worry. We'll go to the police today and figure it all out. They probably can't arrest him until they've investigated, but we can probably file for a restraining order. That should keep him away," assured Randy, squeezing her ever so slightly. Stacy rested her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. The fact that he was relaxed immediately washed away her discomfort. She was beginning to understand why being around Randy Orton – the person and not the persona – could bring someone back into the state of peace.

The trip to the police station went fairly well. The police needed to interrogate Lucas before they could arrest him, so they assured Randy and Stacy that they would be visiting him that afternoon. The plea for a restraining order needed to be processed before it could be approved, which left Randy worried about Stacy's living situation. He offered for her to stay with him at his hotel, or for him to stay with her at his apartment, but she refused on both offers. She told him that she would be staying with her friend, Charley, in Venice Beach until the restraining order was authorized.

Randy wasn't letting her back into her apartment by herself so he insisted in helping her pack. As they drove from the police station to her complex, he heard Stacy's stomach grumble.

"You need to eat."

"No, Randy, I'm fine. I'll cook some ramen when we get home."

"Ramen?" asked Randy, "that stuff isn't going to fill you up. I have an idea – let's grab something to eat and then I'll drive you home, help you pack, and convoy it over to your friend's house."

"Randy, I already agreed that you'd help me pack but eating out isn't necessary. And I really don't need you ensuring my safety when I'm driving to Charley's. I'll be fine."

Randy took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for Stacy's, "I'm worried about you. I also want to know where your friend lives in case I want to see you…"

"See me?"

"I know seeing you here in LA came off to a rocky start, but I've missed you a lot, Stace. I'm sorry for being a complete asshole the last few days. I'm not making up excuses; I really am sorry."

Stacy squeezed his hand and looked up to meet his gorgeous blue eyes. She secretly loved how they looked blue when he was calm and happy, and turned a silvery grey when he was angry.

"I'm sorry too for being so hard on you. I should have tried to reach out to you sooner. I was being selfish with my own grief, and it just wasn't fair to you. I really hate to admit it," Stacy paused, "but she really did love you most."

Randy shook his head and pulled Stacy in for a hug, "She loved you just the same."

Hey! So, this was a chapter to delve deeper into the mental state of Sofia. As she felt like Randy was her safe place, he clearly knows more about her at the time than Stacy did. Even then, Randy doesn't have all the answers, and maybe that's why he's so torn about it - because he doesn't fully understand what compelled the love of his life to commit suicide.

Also, how'd you feel about Randy and Stacy's interactions. They seem to be a little touchy-feely, aren't they?

Let me know! Please read and REVIEW!