Author Note: Once again, I've been surprisingly blown away with the reception I have gotten for this story. Thanks goes to Leasha Orton, AngelsDestiny22, JeweledLotus and Guest for the reviews. Another thanks goes to Nightwing's Gal, munkeynuts23, NESSAANCALIME6913 and SocialPorcupine for following this story. This chapter is going to be mostly Mia based. Enjoy reading the new chapter!

"We're too numb to feel

The downfall starts right here

Hold your breath and swim

Swallowed my life's tear"

'Dead End' by: In Flames

Chapter 7: Riddles

The next morning was hard on Mia. The second night in a row seeing Nick made the reality of him stalking Rydia that much more real. She also had to come to terms with the fact that she had kissed Dean Ambrose. Ever since telling him about Nick, she had been seeing him differently. A difference that scared her.

"Mia are you alright? You seem upset." Rydia asked pulling her shirt down by the hem.

"I'll be fine. There are some things I need to sort out alone." She replied.

Rydia let out a sigh of frustration and proceeded to turn her sister around to face her. She knew there was something bothering her and also knew that Mia was stubborn to talk about anything personal. "This is about Dean, isn't it?"

"I never could get anything passed you. Damn that persistent empathic like ability of yours."

"I'm not empathic. I just know you that's all."

Mia smiled while quickly throwing her hair up into a ponytail. There was no denying that they had a bond that was twin-like. Rydia began to hum a song that was awfully familiar to Mia and it brought back memories of a two years ago when she first started in the WWE. The first week after arriving she found herself extremely attracted to Randy Orton.

Randy had been the first male superstar to talk to her. His voice warmed her to unnatural levels and before long she started to pursue him. He was receptive after working with her for a month. Rydia had done a show in Fort Worth, Texas a year into their relationship and dedicated the song 'All Yours' by Hydria to her and Randy. "Can you stop humming that song, please?" Mia asked.

"I'm sorry. Still can't listen to it can you?"

"No. It's still painful to think about."

"You're over him aren't you? I mean Dean seems to have wormed his way inside your heart."

Mia stopped packing her bag instantly. Her eyes automatically closed and a replay of the kiss she shared with Dean ran through her mind. The same flutter of butterflies appeared in her stomach and the heat rose to her cheeks, turning them a shade of pink. She didn't want to feel things for him; but the more she denied it, the more she knew it was true.

"I realize that you don't want to get hurt again after Randy broke your heart; but I seriously doubt that is Dean's intention." Rydia interrupted.

"No...it's not..."

Down the hall, Dean walked out of his hotel room pulling his bag behind him. Normally he would be walking with a smile; but today there was no such smile. He was utterly confused about Mia. In moments of weakness, she opened up to him; but they were only when Nick would show himself. He had vowed to her that he would protect her and Rydia from him; but Mia still remained close minded about it.

"Yo Dean, you alright?" Seth asked catching up with him.

"I've got a lot on my mind today."

"You mean a lot of Mia is on your mind. I think you need to tell me what's going on. Who was that last night?"

It had slipped his mind that Seth knew nothing about Nick and the danger he was to the sisters. He took the time to explain everything to him before they reached the lobby. Roman was waiting for them, catching their attention by a wave of his hand. "Let's get out of here?" Dean stated.

"Dean, I think we should talk about last night." Roman suggested.

"What's to talk about? That douche bag wants to torture Mia and Rydia. That's all there is to it." He snapped.

Seth and Roman exchanged a glance, silently telling each other that they understood his desire to protect them; even from something that was beyond personal. There wasn't another word spoken on the subject as they walked out of the hotel. Roman felt his phone vibrate from inside his pocket. He slipped it into his hand noticing the symbol for a text message.

Opening the message with a flick of his fingertip, he scanned the words "Turn around" before turning to see Rydia standing there with a smile on her face. Mia stood behind her with a solemn expression that confused him.

"Hey." Roman greeted with a smile.

"How are you guys today?" Rydia asked oblivious to the previous conversation.

"Could be better." Dean snapped.

Mia raised an eyebrow to his snippy attitude. The only thing she could do was blame herself for his outburst. She had been the one to kiss him and then leave him hanging. Rydia was taken aback by his outburst as well, not really understanding his reason behind it.

"Why don't you tone your attitude down, Dean? Just because you're mad at me doesn't give you the right to snap at her." Mia stated crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I'm not mad at you." He replied stepping closer to her, running a hand through his hair.

Her heart began to race. The difference this time around was the fact they had an audience. She hated that her body betrayed her wishes. Rydia could feel that her sister was uncomfortable with everyone around her. She snapped her fingers and the other two members of The Shield looked at her puzzled.

"Come on, let's give them some space. How about we go for coffee, my treat?" Rydia suggested.

"Sure..." Seth said hesitating in walking away from a combustible situation.

"Come on Seth, let them hash it out alone." Roman stated laying his hand on the small of Rydia's back.

Mia watched as everyone left her alone with the man she didn't trust herself alone with. Dean stared at her intently. There were so many things he wanted to say to her; but in reality he knew that he couldn't say any of them. He realized that Mia was just as fragile as Rydia was. His hand instinctively reached out to cup her cheek. It was the same gesture he had done several times over the last few days.

"Why can't you just let me in?" He whispered.

"You know why." She whispered back.

"I'm not Randy, Mia. I never have been and I never will be."

"Yes, Randy broke my heart; but that's not the only reason and you know it."

He let out a sigh and retracted his hand away from her face. If having her broken heart to mend was hard enough; but now he had to convince her that Nick wouldn't harm him. He knew her all too well. She was protective of the people she cared about and would never let anyone get hurt because her. "I told you several times that I will protect you and Rydia from him. You can't scare me away because of this problem."

"I'm not going to let you get hurt because of me. I don't care how much we want each other."

Mia stepped out around him, intending on following the others to get coffee; but Dean had other ideas. He grabbed her hand, spun her around and pulled her into his arms. She couldn't believe that she had just admitted to wanting him. His 'Old Spice' scent waved under her nose before she felt his lips capture hers. Inside, her mind and heart were at war with each other. Her heart wanted to enjoy the moment; but her mind screamed at her about the dangers.

Her lips moved across his eagerly, barely letting her tongue slip through their parted lips. Mia's hands gripped at his hoddie, trying to hold onto him out of desperation. Dean separated away from her just as she was warming up to him. She opened her eyes slowly to see his smile. "You need to trust me, Mia. Even if he managed to hurt me, I'd still be there for you."

"Well now that was a show." A voice sounded behind them.

They froze and turned to see a man they always cringed upon seeing. Bray Wyatt stood there with a wicked smile that sent a chill up Mia's spine. Dean took her hand, twining his fingers with hers. Bray's smile grew wider upon seeing the gesture. "Since when is our lives any of your business?" Dean asked.

"Everyone's business is in his eyes now." Bray replied.

The busted couple looked at each other, confused. His words were a riddle that made little sense to them.

Downtown Coffee Shop

"So what were you doing while living in Texas?" Seth asked curiously.

"I was part of a cover band called 'Endless Dreams' and I was a bartender." Rydia replied.

"So you were a singer?"

"Yeah...I gave that up when I broke up with my ex. I just don't think I have it in me anymore."

Roman finished drinking his coffee and remained attentive to what she was saying; although, he had already heard this from her the night before. Rydia was worried for Mia. It wasn't like her to hold everything she was feeling inside. They always shared their secrets with each other. She stared into the dark pool of her coffee.

"Rydia." Mia's voice interrupted her train of thought.

"What took you guys so long?" Seth asked.

"Nothing really. The boardwalk is ultra crowded today." Dean lied.

Rydia was becoming frustrated with the obvious lies everyone around her had been telling her the past couple of days. The grip on her cup tightened and before long she had squeezed the paper cup in half, spilling the contents all over the table. "Why the hell are all of you lying to me? There is obviously something going on around this group." Rydia snapped.

Roman understood her frustration. He wanted to tell her that her ex was stalking her; but it was better for her not to know. Mia was desperate to keep Nick a secret, so there was only one thing she could say that take her mind off the lying within the group. "I kissed Dean last night." She admitted. Dean looked over at her curiously.

"What?" Seth and Roman asked at the same time confused at the confession.

"What about today? You were gone for like twenty minutes." Rydia asked again.

"We were talking about it and ended up kissing again. I wanted to tell you; but I'm struggling. We both are."

"Speak for yourself. I'm not struggling with anything. It's you that won't let me in."

Rydia looked from her sister to Dean. There was absolutely no lie in their eyes. She saw Dean reach under the table for Mia's hand.

Downtown LA

Bray Wyatt approached a man sitting alone at an outdoor cafe. He wore a tight black t-shirt with a skull upon the front and faded boot cut jeans. His shaggy sandy brown hair fell into eyes upon looking up from the newspaper. Bray pulled out the chair across from the stranger and sat down. "What did you learn about little Mia Chandler?" The stranger asked.

"She definitely involved with Dean Ambrose on a close level. I'd say she the tougher of the two sister." Bray answered.

"Rydia has strength; but she hides it well. Keep watch on both of them; but mostly Mia for right now. I need to break Rydia down before I make my move."

"I like the way you think, Nick."

Nick smiled and then slide a brown paper bag across the table. Bray took hold of it and opened it to see a couple thousand dollars in cash. It wasn't the total payment and he knew it; but didn't argue. He trusted Nick to give him the rest when he had even more useful information about the sisters. "Oh and one more thing, Bray." Nick asked standing up from the table.

"What's that?"

"Do everything in your power to keep Roman Reigns away from Rydia. I don't need them developing a relationship."

All Bray could do was smile with the order. He loved the idea of making their lives a living hell without them even knowing it. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan quietly approached their leader sitting alone at the table that once occupied their business partner. "So what's the word?" Luke asked.

"We got work to do boys, let's go." Bray replied and laughed a hollow laugh.