Disclaimer: I only own Evie.

A/N: A HUGE thank you to everyone who read and reviewed, I love you all! As promised, John comes back in this chapter. I hope you enjoy. Read & review!

"I think its time you put that house up for sale, bro." Dan advised, seeing the keys in his brother's hand. "All you do is sit in that house for hours when you're home. I think its time you let go."

John looked at the keys in his hand and then glared at his brother. Selling the house had occurred to him, but he couldn't. The house held so much meaning that it pained him to do so. It just represented so much and he couldn't risk losing it.

"Evie hasn't talked to you in nearly a year, John." Dan went on, ignoring John's glare. "She's moved on and so do you."

Not saying anything, John left the house and sprinted to his car. He couldn't listen to him anymore. Every time he was home, he would hear the same speech from everyone in the family. Get rid of the house. Evie moved on, it was time for him to move on too. Why hold onto someone who wasn't going to come back?

"They're right." He muttered to himself, driving to the house. "I should get rid of it. There's always that hope that she'll come back to me."

He drove the rest of the way in silence, ignoring his thoughts. At this point, there was nothing for him to do, but hope. If that didn't work, then he would just be alone for the rest of his life. Evie had really been the one for him and she had crushed his heart. To make matters worse, he was still in love with her.

Minutes later, he was finally in front of the house. Cutting off the engine, he hopped out and started up the porch. Like always, a small smile pulled at his lips. He was remembering the first time he brought her there. She thought it was his friends house. The way her face lit up when he said it was theirs made his life complete. From that day on, he made it his personal goal to make her happy. John's love for her ran that deep.

With a small sigh, he went inside the house and flicked on the lights. He went from room to room, looking at what little furniture was left. All of it was his. Shortly after the wedding, Evie had her things moved back to Florida.

"We could have had everything." He muttered, fighting the urge to punch the wall.

One by one his feet took him upstairs and to their room. It remained empty. Seeing as how they wanted to leave their bedroom sets behind, they decided to get a new one for the new house. They never got to it.

The thoughts of what could have been sped through his mind. They would be happily married by now. Like he had promised, he would have made her happy. He would have made them happy. The thought of starting a new home as a married couple thrilled him. Even the idea of having a family appealed to him. Despite the fact that she didn't want kids and that he really didn't see himself as father. Just something about that fantasy life they could have had that attracted him to it. It would have been a dream life for them.

"I miss you so much, Evie."

While it had occurred to him to call her, he never did. The pained look in her eyes the last time he saw her kept flashing before his eyes. Things could have been better if he hadn't fought with Ted that day. They definitely could have gotten better had he been up front with her also. John just couldn't bring himself to do it. It pained him because he knew it would hurt her. She put him through a world of hell and he was still worrying about her feelings.

John pulled out his cell phone and called the one person he knew he could talk to. He patiently waited for him to answer.

"How's Evie doing?"

"Nice talking to you too." The person laughed. "What can I do for you, Cena?"

"Stop with the chit chat, Orton." John snapped. "How's Evie doing?"

Randy sighed into the phone as he leaned against his headboard. John knew what was going on with Evie. When he didn't have the balls to call her himself, he would come to Randy. He would divulge the information, hoping to get them back together.

"She's definitely been getting better." Randy smiled into the phone. "I know she saw Ted and her cousin a couple of weeks ago."

"Should have known that would happen." John bitterly stated. "How's the happy couple?"

"They're not together. That was the first time she's talked to him since last year." He pointed out. "Besides, it seemed like good closure for her. I mean, she did skip out on one of her therapy sessions last week."

"Should she be doing that?"

"Evie felt like she could. So far, she hasn't had any set backs."

John nodded his head as if Randy could see him. From what he was hearing she was doing great. First, she got her father out of her life. Then she saw Ted and felt fine. However, that still left out a few things. Did she ever mention the babies? John knew she was never one hundred percent after either baby.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I know you miss her, John."

"What was your first clue?"

"I know she loves you. Anytime I mention your name her entire face lights up. Even when she first opened up to me she kept beating herself up about hurting you. Her eyes would completely darken when she got on the subject of Liz. The curse words that flew out her mouth about one person were unbelievable. She regrets having doubts in the first place."

"I'm hearing she regrets everything but being with Ted behind my back. When we first started going out I told her that if she wanted to be with him, then she should be up front with me. Never was she up front with me. Instead she slept with him three times, maybe even more, and never said that she wanted to be with Ted."

Randy let him rant. He knew that these were words that he needed to say. For months he kept them bottled up inside and now he was finally letting them out. Part of Randy was glad that Evie wasn't there to hear him. While, it was the truth and she knew it, it would still hurt the tiny brunette.

"She would have told me about Liz before the ceremony. Fuck, she could have told me she was having doubts before the wedding. We ended up looking like fools in the end. Me and Ted just had to have fight a couple of days after the wedding! Everyone heard about the miscarriage and how the baby could have been mine or his. Don't even get me started on the fact that he used his ex to make Evie jealous."

"What did you say?"

"He used his ex to make Evie jealous so that she would leave me."

"Does Evie know this?"

"I tried telling her that, but she didn't want to hear it. All she said was that she didn't care and she that she wanted to move on with her life."

"That asshole!" Randy shouted. "How could he have done that?"

"Because he's a sick bastard."

"How come you never told her after that?"

"I knew for a fact that she didn't want to see me because of what happened." John sighed. "I couldn't even bring myself to talk to her because of it either. She just wasn't the same person after that."

"Do you still love her?"

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

In the last few moments Randy's mind had changed. He was going to stay out of it, but now he couldn't help himself. Evie was confused about her feelings and never knew why. Had she known, then her and John could have been married. She wouldn't be in therapy. Come to think of it, none of this would be happening.

"Go after her before she makes a decision."

Evie had gotten into Boston only a mere hour ago and her first stop was at the house she would have shared with John. As far as she knew, he still hadn't sold the house. That alone made her happy because she still knew that there was hope for them. If they could get past everything, then they would be together in some way.

Despite not having the key, she still knew how to get inside the house. They had forgotten the keys one night and figured out how to get inside through the kitchen door. It was easy really, just a few shakes of the door knob and voila they were inside.

"I know it still does this. Nobody has bothered to get this fixed." She muttered, jiggling the doorknob. When it gave way, she smiled and entered the house. "It still works."

The house was nearly empty. The only things that were left behind were his. Because she thought he didn't care about her anymore, she gathered all of her things and had them sent to Florida. What was the use in keeping her things there? He most definitely didn't want them around and she knew that.

Walls were bare and there was dust on some of the pieces of furniture. This told Evie that John didn't come by too often. Not that she could blame him though. Her being there for the first time in a year hurt her. The idea of being there was too much to bear. Even just cleaning the house would have been hard.

Silently, she made her way up the stairs. Her hand gently brushing against the wall. Their wedding pictures were to hang there. If they ever decided to, their family pictures also.

"I blew it." She whispered, continuing up the steps.

When she reached the landing, she stopped in her tracks. The lights were off everywhere else in the house, so why were the lights on in the room that was supposed to be theirs? Her heart started pounding at the prospect of someone else being in the house with her. Common sense had told her to run, but for some reason she didn't. Evie felt compelled to see who was there. The feeling she got in the pit of her stomach told her she would be fine.

"I'll be fine." Evie whispered, reassuring herself. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Maybe, John was here and he forgot to turn off the light."

That Monday's Raw was the final one before Money in the Bank and it just so happened to be in Boston. Not to mention, Evie was off and decided that it was time to go see John. The timing seemed right and she just really wanted to see him. Everything in Evie had missed him. She couldn't go on any longer without seeing him. Especially, after her talk with Ted a few weeks back.

Reaching the door, she gave it a small push and walked inside. As if they had planned to meet there, John was sitting on the floor. His back was pressed against the wall, head titled upwards with his eyes closed.

"John?"

Great. He was hearing her voice now. Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it. The voice would go away and then he would be able to get on with his life. He felt better after talking to Randy and decided it was time to let go. He couldn't wait for Evie anymore. Enough time had been wasted.

"John." She walked closer to him. Leaning down, she gently shook his shoulder. "John, wake up."

Now, he was going crazy. Not only was he hearing her, but he was feeling her too. What the hell was going on? Maybe Dan was right, he should sell the house. Clearly, he was going to lose his mind if he kept it.

"Are you okay?"

John decided to open his eyes. If he did, then everything would go away. Her voice would disappear into the wind and the feeling of her hand on his shoulder would become numb. On the count of three.

One.

"Open your eyes."

Two.

"Seriously, get up." Evie's voice was laced with panic.

Three.

"John, this isn't-"

His heart jumped into his throat. Breathing was proving to be a difficult task for him. After almost a year apart, Evie was standing before him. Just to be sure he opened and closed his eyes again. When he saw that she was still standing before him, he knew she wasn't a mirage. It was really her. Live, in color, and in the flesh.

"Evie."

Chewing on her lower lip, she nodded her head. So far, this was proving to be a very awkward encounter. Its not like she expected them to pick up where they left off or even be all buddy buddy about everything. She just didn't expect it to be so awkward. Actually, she wasn't expecting to see him until the Raw taping the next night.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, sitting down in front of him.

"I should be asking you that." He said sharply. "You haven't spoken to me in months. Not once have you ever shown any interest in coming here before now. What the fuck did you need here?"

Evie looked away from him, slowly nodding her head. She had deserved that. The sharp tone of his voice hurt her, but she knew he would be bitter. Leaving him at the altar was a mistake on her part, leaving a sour taste in their mouth. More so for John than anybody. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him and it happened anyway.

"I'm here to see you." Evie whispered, locking her eyes with his. "Though I had planned on seeing you after the taping tomorrow."

"Why the fuck are you here?"

"I came here directly from the airport. Something inside of me just really wanted to be here tonight." Evie replied, fidgeting with her hands. "After the last time I was here, I never wanted to come back. I couldn't face up to what I did to you. Everything that I saw in your eyes really made me realize just how much I hurt you."

"Save the sob story."

"You asked why I was here and I'm fucking telling you why. Can you just shut up and listen?" She finally snapped. "Just give me a few minutes and then I'll leave you alone forever."

After a few moments of glaring at her, John finally nodded his head. "Floor is yours."

"I couldn't stand the thought of seeing you upset." Evie continued. "So, I got my things and left, thinking to never look back. From there, everything went downhill. I broke down and wound up in therapy."

She was beginning to dive into things John already knew about. It had occurred to him to stop her and mention that Randy told him. He never did. Instead, he wanted to hear everything from her. If what she was saying matched with what Randy had told her, then she wasn't lying to him.

"If I didn't have Randy pushing me to keep going and opening myself up to my therapist or him, I don't know where I'd be. At first, it was hard for me to talk to her. The first few sessions, we sat in silence because I was being stubborn. One day, it hit me, I really needed help. If I wanted to get on with my life, then that's what I had to do." She admitted, nervously running her hands through her hair. "Little by little, I started talking more. Things that I had kept bottled up for so many years were flying out of my mouth. Though I hated the sessions sometimes, I found myself feeling better. I felt even better after I saw my father and told him just what I thought."

"What did he say?"

"He tried to make me feel bad about myself. I wasn't having it this time. Every feeling of distrust I've had it was because of him. He cheated on my mother and there were a few occasions where he laid his hands on her. Seeing that really did something to me. From an early age being in love or having relationships terrified me. If my father could treat my mother like that, than anybody could treat me like that." Evie whispered, holding back her tears. "Him just never being there for me as a father didn't make matters better. It was a long time coming, but cutting ties was the best thing for both of us. My family is upset with the decision, but there's nothing that could be done."

"Every relationship you've ever had or every fear that you've carried with you is because of your father?" John wondered. "I would have figured Ted had something to do with it too."

"He did."

"He's still in your life." John was being straightforward.

"Ted is just a whole different ball game. The emotions that run there are tangled beyond believe. At one point he was my lover and my best friend. Then the most despised person in my life and back to friend again. We have a very rocky relationship and still do. Despite that, I love him. I know its hard for you to understand, but- its even hard for me to understand sometimes, but its just the way it is."

"Help me to understand."

"I saw him a few weeks ago and we finally came clean to Kristen. Needless to say, she ran her mouth off to the family and they're even more upset with my family. I can't say how the DiBiase family took the news though."

"I don't care for them right now. All I care about is understanding you right now."

From the second he saw her, he knew he wanted her back again. Months of not being together and she was still able so make his heart pound. If things worked out, then he had to be able to trust her again. To make matters easier down the line, he would have to tell her everything so that she can trust him again.

"Everything is out in the open and she knows. He knows what I was doing." Evie got back on subject.

"What were you doing?"

"The entire reason I let Ted back into my life was because I was trying to get him back together with my cousin. Eventually, I knew that what I was doing was wrong and let it go."

"How did he react?"

"He was angry at first, but got over it rather fast. All he wants is for me to be happy." Evie smiled. "In the end, I think that's what I needed to hear."

"He got over it so fast because he used your cousin to get you back."

"I beg your pardon."

"He started up with your cousin to make you jealous." John described. "Ted's intention was to make you jealous, allowing your old feelings to resurface in order confuse you. That way in the end, you went back to him."

"Ted wouldn't do that to me."

"Well, he did." John was trying to get her to see the truth. "I heard him and Cody talking about it after the wedding. That's why we were fighting the last time you saw us both."

"He loves me."

"No, you guys are in love with what you had as teenagers." He pointed out. "Neither of you are the same person anymore. You grew up and you changed. For a while there, you had moved on. Ted and all his garbage about being together and getting you back threw you off track."

Thinking about it for a second, Evie realized he was right. Her problems stemmed from so many different phases of her life that it was hard to tell where to begin anymore. Seeing John that night really threw her for a loop. She wasn't expecting things to go like this.

"That's what happened."

"Do you still love him?" John asked. "Fuck beating around the bush, Evie. Tell me, do you still love him?"

Evie remained silent as she rethought everything. Everything was beginning to click. John was right. He had used Kristen and was able to get inside of her head. Because of that, he was able to take her emotions and use them against her. Now, she was beginning to rethink what her and Ted had talked about.

"I don't know." Evie whispered, tears started sliding down her cheeks.

For some reason, John's anger diminished. Seeing her cry never sat well with him.

"You hurt me bad. Finding out that you slept with Ted killed me. It killed me even more to know that you had doubts about us. I was pissed to find out that Liz put even more in your head. You know me better than anyone, Evie. For you to doubt me left me at a loss."

"I regret everything, John." Her eyes started to wander around the room. "Had I been up front from the start then we could be married."

He leaned over, wrapping his arms around her. Evie being in his arms again made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Why weren't you then?"

"I was afraid of losing you." She whispered between sobs. "I lost you anyway."

John sighed, slowly breaking the hug. "Remember when you said that we'll talk when I'll be open with you?"

Evie nodded her head, wiping her tears away.

"In the time that we have been apart I wasn't a saint. I put on smiles for everyone, but deep down inside, I was a mess. I went after a few girls. Not too many, but there was enough of them." John admitted. "I was trying to fill the void I had after we ended and I never could. Finally, I just gave up and started coming here. I couldn't sell the place because it held a lot of significance for me. It still does. Keeping it would hurt me, but so would selling it. Its a double edged sword."

"I don't care about what you did when we weren't together." Evie admitted. "I just want to know if what Liz told me was true. Are you really the person she told me you were?"

"No." He shook his head. "I never had my brothers watching her. Countless times I've told you that me and her didn't have the healthiest relationship. We were always cheating and arguing."

"Why would she say all those things?"

"She did that because me and her were never officially broken up."

"What?"

"I said that I ended things with her. Truthfully, she walked out on me with no word." John finally admitted. "There was never any contact between us after she left."

"While you were with me, you were with her?"

"Not technically."

"What do you mean not technically? It doesn't make sense, John." Evie was now getting angry.

"Technically we weren't together when I started seeing you."

"Did you ever try to get a hold of her while we were together?"

"I did." He admitted.

"You're giving me shit for Ted, but all along you and Liz were technically never broken up." Evie shouted, getting up. "For all I know, you could have been with her behind my back too."

John got up, following her out the room. He only tried to get a hold of her a few times, but wasn't successful. He gave up trying to find out her reasoning. Never did he find Liz and sleep with her while he was with Evie.

"I never slept with her!" John screamed, grabbing Evie by her wrist. "I couldn't even get a hold of her."

"That doesn't matter! This entire time you've been giving me shit for Ted, but not once did you ever mention that you and Liz weren't technically broken up." Evie replied, trying to fight out of John's grip. "I would have been understanding had you told me!"

"I'm not like you. I wouldn't have slept with her while I was with you. I love you that much."

"Not enough to tell me you tried getting ahold of your ex-girlfriend?"

"What I did was bad, but what you did was worse!" John exclaimed. "I told you a long time ago that if you wanted to be with Ted to tell me. What did you say? You said you wanted to be with me. Yet, you turned around and slept with him."

Evie tried to figure out just how they got this point. One second, he had her wrapped in his embrace. The next second, they were screaming at the top of their lungs.

"I said I was sorry."

"I said I never slept with her."

"I just don't get why you didn't tell me about this."

"Its not like you said anything either." John retorted, pressing her back into the wall.

"I made a mistake." She cried. "I don't want him! I want you!"

John laughed sarcastically. "One minute you want Ted and the next minute you want me. What in the actual fuck do you want here?"

"I want you!" Evie repeated. "Ted can't give me what you can."

"What's that?"

"Loving me everyday for the rest of my life, not just when its convenient for him. If I hadn't allowed him back into my life, then I'm sure he wouldn't have pursued me so much." Evie finally realized it. "We do have a history and I'll always love him. I don't think I'll ever be able to love him that way I love you."

He hadn't expected to hear her say those words. Truthfully, he half expected her to leave the house and not talk to him for another year.

"You." He slowly leaned down, his lips inches away from hers. "Are." Gently his lips pressed to hers. "The." The kiss slowly deepened. "Most." He broke the kiss. "Infuriating person." His lips crashed to hers again. He bit down on her lower lip, gaining him entrance into her mouth. She tasted just as sweet as he remembered. Her kissing him back made it all the more better. "In the world." John finally finished, finally breaking the kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered.

He looked into her eyes and knew she was being genuine. There was just one thing they had to do. That was slowly regain trust with each other. Liz poisoned her mind against him and it would take her a bit to realize that. He would slowly have to learn how to trust her again. More importantly, trust her with Ted because he knew he would be apart of Evie's life. He just wanted to know in what capacity.

"We just can't be together right now, Evie." He broke the silence. "Not until you know what you want."

"I do know what I want."

"When you're sure you know what you want, come and find me. Because honestly, I can't handle being hurt that way again." John whispered, backing away from her. "Think really hard."

Evie said nothing else to him as she left the house. Tears escaped from her eyes as she reached her car. Seeing John should have made things easier, considering she knew what she wanted, but now, it became even harder. Not because she didn't know, but because he didn't trust her.

A/N: Some pretty emotional stuff.