Disclaimer, etc., in part 1. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed this one.

Part Eight

The sunlight was filtering into the room, and he lay there for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling... Then frowning as he realized that he was alone in bed, or at least it felt that way. Reaching out with one arm, he found the other side of the bed, moving his hand across the empty sheets, then sitting up and looking around with a frown. The bathroom door was open, the light turned off, making it obvious that Brie wasn't in there, either. A glance at the floor told him that the tank top and shorts she'd worn to sleep in the night before were lying in a pile near her suitcase, which meant she'd at least changed clothes before she'd gone... Wherever.

Still frowning, Daniel Bryan kicked off what was left of the covers - some of them had already been knocked away earlier, though he wasn't sure if he'd done that himself or if it had happened when Brie had gotten out of bed - the man rising to his feet and looking around... Some of the tension leaving his shoulders when he saw that his fiancée had left a note, the piece of paper slipped under his phone, where he would be likely to see it. Stepping over to it, he slipped it from beneath his phone, picking it up, reading Brie's loopy scrawl, her message telling him that she'd gone to the gym for awhile with Nikki, but when she came back, she'd have breakfast with her. He shook his head slightly, wondering why she hadn't just woke him up so he could go, too, but he pretty much knew the reason for it. Since Nikki had started to date John Cena, the woman was basically always with the man, meaning that Brie rarely got time with her sister that was just with her... But right now, Cena was still out with his elbow injury, though he would likely be back really soon. The man seemed to have some type of superhuman healing abilities or something. Brie had once hypothesized that the man was actually a mutant. Cena hadn't seemed to appreciate the comment, but Daniel couldn't deny that he'd had the same thought once or twice.

Anyway, Cena was still out with his elbow injury, which meant that Brie was actually getting a little bit of time to hang out with just her sister... At least when they were on the road. When they weren't on the road, he and Brie were at their place and Nikki was in Tampa with Cena, which meant that the sisters were once again separated. So yeah... He totally understood why Brie had slipped out to go to the gym with her sister without waking him up to join them. They were sisters and best friends; they needed some time that was just the two of them.

Shaking his head slightly, Daniel made his way over to his own suitcase, the man digging around for his things, pulling out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before heading into the bathroom to take his shower. Usually, he would work out some in the morning as well, but he knew that if he headed to the hotel gym, Brie and Nikki would likely feel like they needed to come over to where he was or something, so he figured it would be better if he just added a bit more to his usual routine tomorrow.

Once his decision was made, the man showered and got dressed quickly; he'd never been one to take very long to get ready. The worst part for him now was making sure his hair wasn't terribly tangled. Honestly, there were times when he half-expected Brie to beg him to shave and cut his hair, but she never had... She claimed she liked whatever he decided to do with his hair, and she was known to affectionately refer to him as her lumberjack. Not exactly the most romantic of terms of endearment, but that was fine with him.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, the man fully dressed and more or less ready for the day, he saw that Brie had come back while he was getting ready, the woman wearing a pair of tiny spandex shorts with a shirt that was long enough that it was actually hard to see her shorts at all. Her hair was piled up on top of her head, and the fine layer of sweat he could see made it clear that she and Nikki really had worked out and hadn't just indulged in some sister time.

"Good workout?" he asked, and Brie nodded, making her way over to give him a kiss, though she was careful not to press up against him since he'd just showered and she was still in needed of one.

"Actually, yes. Very good. Nikki's so close to being allowed to get back in the ring again. She's got some strengthening exercises for her leg, and they really seem to be helping," Brie told him. "And really... She's just working so hard. I can't wait for her to be cleared to wrestle again. I miss my tag team partner."

"I know you do," Daniel said, giving her a smile, then clearing his throat, glancing at her hands, which were empty. "No breakfast?"

"I know I promised to bring something, but I stopped by to see what the hotel had, and it all looked icky. I figured that, after I clean up... Maybe the two of us can go and grab something instead? At an actual restaurant with decent food?"

He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea, actually. Do you want to invite Nikki and Eve to go with us?" he wanted to know.

Brie bit her lip. "Are you sure?"

"Brie, you're going home with me today, and then we have a couple of days of just us. You really only get to see your sister on the road these days it seems, and Eve's only here for a visit, so... You probably should spend as much time with her as you can. You never know when she'll visit again."

"I wish she'd come back," Brie muttered, wrinkling up her nose. "We're friends again now, so it stinks that she left right before Nikki and I came back to the WWE. I was hoping that this weekend would make her want to come back, but instead she ended up babysitting a member of the Shield."

"She's a grown woman, Brie. I've heard the tales of what she's done to a guy or two in the back that wouldn't leave her alone. Those stories, combined with the fact that Rollins was hurt last night, make me think she could handle herself just fine. Plus, we know she got back to the hotel okay."

"You're right. I know you're right. And I'm also going to go with your suggestion of inviting Nikki and Eve out to breakfast with us. But first, I'm going to shower," Brie said, gathering up some clothes to change into, then heading for the bathroom... Stopping just outside the door to look back at him. "You're the best fiancé ever!"

"Well, I try."