Welcome back to Yours to Hold, friends! Hope you're anticipating this one as much as I am.

As always, I love to read your reviews. Don't forget, even as a guest, you're welcome to let me know what ya think! And, I've been toying with the idea of updating my other stories...so holla if you are interested, right now I just focus on this one. I 'spose I could get into the groove of writing some more.

AJ's heart pounded while she waited for her dear friend to pick up the phone.

Okay, so she'd lied to Paige about her whereabouts. But why did it honestly matter? Paige was still young and immature...she probably didn't understand that the only thing on AJ's mind was to disappear off from the radar for a little while, especially after that totally random text message she'd gotten from Phil after the show the other night. She just wanted to spend time with someone who wasn't going to probe her for answers, who didn't bring up the shitty stuff she hated talking about...

"Speak," snapped a voice on the other end. It was Paige, and she was emitting the saltiness that she'd given off in the voice message she'd left behind.

"Hey, it's me, returning your call so that I don't get my ass kicked," AJ said hurriedly.

"Oh, the one that's all of a sudden besties with Seth Rollins?" Paige mocked. "I don't know what I dislike more. The fact that you're hanging out with him, the fact that you're not hanging out with a decent dude, or the fact that you lied about it."

"Plans kind of changed last second...and I lost a bet," AJ said, realizing quickly how dumb she sounded. "Seth isn't that bad of a guy, P. I'm not looking to get cozy with anyone so soon after Phil and I-"

"Looked awfully cozy in those pictures," Paige cut her off. "You know, so many people thought maybe it was you in that photograph. You did an awfully great job of keeping your face hidden, while dumbfuck Seth has this half-assed, lazy grin on his face. Like he has what he wants. You know what, though? Your closest friend-that would be me-at least, I thought-knew immediately that the little crumpet that his hands were all over was you. Even though I hoped like an idiot that I was wrong."

"We are friends, Paige. Seriously, that's it."

"I don't think so, AJ. You and Phil have been divorced for awhile now, and he's obviously moved on. I think you're going to try, too. And here I was hoping that you were going to start batting your eyelashes Finn's way. At least he'd a nice guy that doesn't play with women's emotions and hearts!"

"I'm not sure how I feel about Finn," AJ said slowly. Yeah, she liked him. He sure was good to look at. But when she thought back to the dinner they'd had together, she didn't feel the feels she hoped to. Not like she felt when she was with Seth.

"Well you'd better figure it out, because by the looks of it, you're playing both him and Rollins," Paige remarked.

"I am not!"

"Yeah, you kind of are. You're sort of stringing them both along, and I expected better from you!"

"Okay. I'm sorry that I am here in Iowa. But for real, what is the issue with Seth? You hardly even know him."

Paige let out a single laugh, sort of mocking the statement.

"I don't know him? Babe, we were in NXT together, remember? And I might not now him in the same personal way that others do, but I know the womanizer that he is. I know that while he was letting his pretty little girlfriend plan their wedding back home, he was boning Zahra Schreiber. I also know that he made a pass at Jojo, when she was barely eighteen! You think that I don't know a damn thing about this guy, but I've heard plenty of stories. And every single woman that Seth has come into contact with winds up with a broken heart. Do you know who that sounds like?"

"I could take a guess," AJ said dully. She knew where her friend was going with this.

"Seth Rollins is a younger version of Phil. Straight-up, hands down, no questions asked. How many divas and shit did Phil date, make passes at, hop into the sack with...whatever? An awful lot. It's pretty safe to say that he's got plenty of notches on his bedpost, and I'm willing to bet that Seth's comparable."

"I don't know. Maybe," AJ said, trying to deflect the statements. She was feeling worse and worse about this whole endeavor, and she knew, deep down, that maybe Paige was right.

"Trust me, AJ. Maybe you don't think you want to be with a guy like Finn Balor, but it would do you some good. For once, date a nice guy that isn't just down to get this undisputed future asshole, you're wasting your time."

"I really just came here to fall off the face of the earth for awhile. It doesn't mean I'm trying to date Seth," she said quietly. "But not that you'd believe that, or even listen to it, for that matter. I'm sorry that I'm here, and not where I should be...but it's nice to be here. For the most part, Seth leaves me to myself. It's a hell of a lot better here than a dingy hotel room."

"Well, if he tries anything funny on you, you'd better give him a Shining Wizard straight to the skull. And let me know about it, so I can kick his ass like I know that I can."

"Don't worry, nothing funny's going on."

"We'll see."

Instead of Arguing with the younger diva, AJ gave up. She was exhausted, not wanting to explain herself anymore. She had had a great time with Seth today. And she very much enjoyed his company, even though she'd never in a million years admit that to Paige. He had a bad, playboy reputation, and everyone knew that. Only fools fell for Seth's games.

Was she falling for him? She bit her lip, falling back on the bed in frustration. The last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone, especially Finn, who was the good guy. She didn't want to disappoint Paige, who had been nothing but fantastic to her since the first day she'd returned to the WWE roster...but to disappear from Seth's life all over again? That didn't sound like a good idea, either...

She knew she was being melodramatic. The best things get ruined before ever beginning because of this thought process: People tend to overthink. Fantasize. Question. Imagine. Worry. Rather than let things evolve naturally.

Taking a deep breath, AJ decided to play it cool. If there were feelings there that needed to be acknowledged, she was certain that she'd be able to tell. But for now, she'd play it safe. She didn't want to get hurt, of course; but she didn't want to let opportunity pass her by, either.

No fucking way.

Fucking Seth was seeing some other bitch!

Zahra Schreiber scrolled through her phone while she waited alongside a billion other women, hoping to get cast as a model for a new online entertainment website. Unfortunately, they'd opted to go alphabetically for the audition, which meant she'd be sitting for quite awhile. It gave her plenty of time to go through every gossip site she knew, though, and she bumped into a very damning photo of her former beau with his hand protectively on the small of some other woman's back.

She didn't recognize the woman, and clicked the photo, hoping it'd take her to an article. Skimming through the shoddy journalism, this particular website didn't name any names, nor did it give any hints at who the mysterious woman with her hood up might be. She was really tiny, which made some of the fans commenting at the bottom wonder if it was a young child. That didn't make any sense, though. Others guessed it was the petite Alexa Bliss, but again, that was put to rest: Alexa Bliss had much more junk in her trunk than this woman.

One comment caught her eye, though, and it made her wonder...

Guys, be real. It's obv AJ Lee!

Zahra wondered about this possibility. Wasn't AJ kind of old for Seth? She supposed not really. But last she knew, AJ had disappeared from the face of the earth to go save puppies and have sex with that arrogant bastard that she'd married. How had she'd managed to capture Seth's eye, anyway? If it was AJ, it was much different than any of the girls that Seth had given attention to before. She was...strange. And not really that cute, either.

Being the evil bitch that she was deep down, she decided to reblog the photograph to her own Twitter account. After all, earlier today, Seth had burned her publicly by basically telling her that he was better than she was.

She tweeted the photo, captioning it with See that you've downgraded. LMAO

Once the photo had uploaded, Zahra sat with a smug smile on her mouth. She felt like she could do anything; like she ruled the world. Not only did she take a direct stab at Seth's new girlfriend, she made it clear to him that she, Zahra, was without a doubt the best he'd ever get. And oh, this was just the start; Seth was going to be shamed.

"AJ? Did you fall asleep?" Seth poked his head into the bedroom that AJ had run up to almost a whole hour ago. When she wasn't there, he grew nervous. He hadn't seen her leave, and she didn't exactly have any means of transportation.

He looked towards the nightstand, thinking maybe he'd missed her come down the stairs and she'd stepped out. There, he found a tiny piece of ripped paper, knowingly picking up the loopy-written penmanship between his thumb and index finger. He looked down at a scribbled note-Seth, gone for a run. See you in a bit. -AJ

Taking a deep breath, he was glad that she hadn't decided to run away from him. He hadn't scared her off yet, even though things between them were kind of fuzzy right now. He hated to admit it, but it was without a doubt true: He had completely fallen for the Black Widow. There was something about her that made him want to be a better person, that made him feel comfortable with himself. For the first time ever, he felt like he could be himself. The only thing, he knew, was that she had been severely damaged in her last relationship. But then, wasn't everyone damaged in some way? He wondered if maybe he could fix the broken parts that she tried to hide.

His ears perked up when the front door banged open, and he heard AJ curse when it smacked too loudly into the interior wall. He stayed seated on her bed while she made her way up the stairs, listening intently to each step she took. When she finally made her way into the room, she stopped mid-stride, as if she was shocked that he was waiting for her.

"Ummm...hi?" she gave a confused eyebrow raise. "You're in my room."

Seth smirked. "You're in my house," he said pointedly. "I didn't hear you leave."

"I snuck out," AJ shrugged, kicking off her running shoes. Seth couldn't help but let his eyes linger on her ridiculous ab muscles. Though she was just as flat-chested as Brie Bella, AJ certainly didn't lack anywhere else. Small, fierce, and muscular...yet still womanly. His boy brain wandered to an image of their bare skin sliding against one another, and he had to push that thought quickly out of his mind so that he didn't get turned on.

"Well, I worried for a second," Seth admitted. "Did you want to stay in tonight? Have a few beers or something?"

AJ looked at him with her eyebrow still raised. "I don't do beer, Rollins. Try again."

"Pepsi?" he bit his tongue immediately, knowing he'd fucked up. CM Punk lived off from Pepsi, crediting it his favorite drink in numerous interviews. But, if AJ was thrown off by that, she didn't let it be known. She just shook her head.

"I'm kind of feeling like a good margarita or two," she decided quickly. "I can whip up some taco dip, and we can watch Nacho Libre with Jack Black."

Seth laughed, admitting that he'd never actually seen that goonish movie. And admitting that he loathed Jack Black. AJ acted offended, but promised him it'd be great-if he hated it, they could turn it off.

"I'm gonna jump into the shower, because I smell like Jack Black right now," she said sheepishly. "I'll meet you downstairs, if you want to get some margaritas made for my triumphant return."

"Of course," Seth got up from the spot on her bed, wishing that he could shower with her. She had, after all, gotten some new body wash-wouldn't that be amazing to lather up those bubbles on her little body?

"See you in a bit," she winked, purposely quoting her own handwritten letter.

Three margaritas and half a bowl of taco dip later, AJ had a really good buzz going.

Even though they'd been largely ignoring the horrible movie she'd picked, Seth and AJ had a great time, enjoying each other's company and laughing. She felt good, relaxed, and felt that she'd made a good choice in coming to Seth's home. Paige be damned!

"So, how come my friend Paige doesn't like you?" she asked, shoving one more chip into her mouth. She was stuffed, but good God, she made some good dip.

Seth shook his head, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm not really sure. I think it's mostly based off from things she's heard about me. I've never once said that I'm a good guy, because I know that I'm not...I mean, I've screwed up so many good things in my life. And I feel badly for the way things went. But I'm learning to get through it."

"I still think you can be a good guy," AJ said quietly, not looking at the superstar. Yeah, she was buzzing hard. She could feel the liquid courage climbing, and she was going to get to Seth's deepest, darkest secrets tonight.

"I know I can be," Seth agreed, "I just tend to do the hurting before I get hurt. Things aren't peaches and cream for me, you know. WWE aside, my family is a mess in itself."

"Mine is, too," AJ told him. "But I love them regardless."

"I do, too. But I just feel like I'm constantly disappointing my mom. My brother...well, he's doing great for himself, but he's such a douchebag sometimes. He likes to remind me of my own fuck-ups all the time, so that the focus is off from him."

"What do you mean, off from him?"

"I mean, he's probably going to go pro in some way, too. The guy's a tank. But he's a complete moron. Can't hold an intelligent conversation, doesn't know the difference between you're and your...all he's got going for him is that he's got a good shot at being an athlete."

"And what about your dad?" AJ asked, her eyes focusing on Seth's.

Seth's body stiffened, and it was clear that she'd struck a nerve-he became uncomfortable, very quickly.

"My dad-he-well, I mean..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry-"

"It's okay. I'm sorry. My dad is in the hospital. He's got leukemia."

AJ's face fell, and she quickly enveloped her friend in a hug. Though she'd never been affected by such a disease, she knew quite well the damages it did in people's lives and their families lives. She had, in fact, spent many days off with Make-A-Wish kids, and she knew terminal illness was on the rise.

"I'm so sorry, Seth," she whispered. "I had no idea."

Seth pulled back, breaking her hug. "It's okay. Really. For the most part, I think we've all accepted that the end is near. My mom-she has a hard time seeing him anymore. She's disappointed in me, you know, for ruining things with Leighla. She likes to remind me that because of the way that turned out, pops will never be able to see me get married before he passes. And I hate feeling like I'm being guilted."

"Seth, that's awful!" She enclosed her arms around him again. It kind of made sense, now, why he was so angry, so manipulative. Why he did his best to push away everyone and anyone that cared about him.

"I hate myself for ruining everything," he said, and AJ could tell he was a little drunk, too. "But why should I be unhappy for the rest of my life just so that my dad is able to see pretend happiness for the rest of his?"

"You didn't ruin everything," AJ said quietly, her head nestled on to his neck.

Seth looked at her, dumbfounded. "How can you say that? You've firsthand witnessed someone screwing you over, cheating on you, and humiliating you."

AJ gave a slow, sad smile. "I know. But you know what? I decided I didn't want to carry around those weights anymore. So I took 'em off. Sometimes, we need to forget what we feel and remember what we deserve. I didn't deserve any of what Punk put me through. And even though it's still hard to see he's moved on so quickly while I'm still picking up the pieces, I know that he's going to be looking for me in every single person he meets. Except, he won't find me."

Seth stroked her hair with his thumb, a deep look crossing his face. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was going to kiss her...

"You hardly ever talk about your relationship with him anymore," Seth said smoothly, getting up to refill his margarita glass. He snatched her empty one off the coffee table so that she, too, could get a last taste of the smooth Solana tequila that they'd nearly polished off.

"Because I don't want to be affected by him anymore. I let him bother me a million miles away. Who cares what he's doing, right?"

"Right," Seth agreed, dropping a handful of ice cubes into each of their glasses.

"You know, the funny thing is, though, that everyone acts like I don't know a damn thing. As soon as I walk into a room, they hush up. Like they don't know how to act when I'm around...and that's why I like you. You don't treat me differently. And you don't usually bring up that asshole. And I'm sure you, just like everyone else, knows the whole story when it comes to mine and Phil's deteriorated relationship."

Seth raised his glass in a toast, handing hers as he took his seat back down on the couch. "I know what Twitter says," he told her. "I'd rather know the truth."

Taking a quick sip, AJ clicked her tongue. "It pretty much is the truth, sadly. Pathetic how everything is documented by social media, and TMZ, and Bleacher Report...I miss having a quiet, content life."

"I know that feeling. Well, then let's hear it from your point of view."

Taking a long, drawn out breath, she looked at her chipped black fingernail polish. "I don't know where to start, really. Besides the fact that he'd been acting strangely. We were happily married. For awhile. And then, things changed really quickly..."

"It's no secret that I caught him cheating on me with Amy. Lita, if you will. I suspected it, of course, but I never wanted to believe it. It's something I never thought he'd be capable of doing to me, especially not with her. My childhood hero. So very fucked up."

"That it is. But didn't they date before?"

"Yeah, a few times. It ended kind of bad the last time, too, so I was actually surprised that it was her. I suspected Maria Kanellis, to be honest. Either way, I figured it out really fast. And as soon as I did, I moved out while he was busy training"-she used air quotations-"for UFC. He didn't even try to reach out to me, to find out why I had left. He knew that I already knew. He knew I'd seen everything."

"What was that?"

"I knew back then what everyone knows now. I'd stumbled upon a message from Amy, telling him she had to tell him something that was really, really important. And when I read what it was, my whole life fell apart in seconds."

"What was it?" Seth looked confused.

"You know," she said quietly.

Seth looked down, knowing that she'd caught him. Of course he knew. It was buzzing backstage for literally weeks, and at this point, there was no way he couldn't know.

"I appreciate you not bringing it up to me. Just ignoring it flat out. Some of the divas have been nicer to me since the news broke, but I think it's because they know how shitty it must feel."

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve any of that," Seth said quietly, now offering a hug of his own.

AJ wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye. "It's hard to be the bigger person when it comes to something like this. But it was a lot harder to find out that, while Phil and I should've been talking about having a family of our own, he was busy creating one with someone else."

Seth's breath got caught in his throat. He had to give this girl props, living her life day after day, pretending she wasn't bothered by Amy and Phil's posts about each other on their social media accounts. Pretended she couldn't care less when the news broke that yes, indeed, Amy Dumas was pregnant with Punk's baby.

Acted like she wasn't upset that this baby was a product of Phil's infidelity, the final nail in the coffin to their relationship.

"I'm sorry that he ruined everything," Seth murmured into her ear, smelling an exotic mixture of her new body wash and alcohol. In a strange way, it was kind of hot-but it was certainly not the moment to act on any impulses he might have.

AJ pulled away once again, wiping stray tears from her face. She gave a fairly bright smile, given the situation, and folded her hands over the stem of her drinkware.

"He didn't ruin everything," she said, looking up at him with those beautiful dark eyes. Seth put his free hand on her cheek, caressing it lightly...her lips were slightly parted, as though she wanted him to-

His phone began to ring.

Jesus Fucking Christ!

His stomach fell when he read who it was on the other line.

Leighla.

"I'm so sorry, AJ," he brushed her cheek lightly with his fingertips, and she gave a small smile.

"I understand. I live it, too," she said, faux cheerfully.

He stood up, severely pissed off that, once again, his damn cell phone ruined the mood with this girl.

"I'm going to go lay down," he heard her say, and he pressed the 'Answer' button on his phone.

*goes into hiding, until next time*