Author Note: I would like to thank Leasha Orton and AngelVanguard for the reviews and Ashes2Dust18,mofee, and AngelVanguard for becoming followers to this story. I'll be honest, this story has been a challenge for me and I'm pretty pleased with the outcome so far. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

"As simple as air in your lungs,

As simple as words on your lips,

And no one should take that away,

No one should argue this

Now with our heads up high,

We'll carry on,

And carry out,

That we won't let them get us down,

Or wear us out,

'Cause we are not alone..."

'We Are The Others' by: Delain

Chapter 9: Fear

Rydia sat in the passenger seat of Roman's car. Everything on the inside was definitely him. Right down to the scent of the interior. Her eyes cautiously looked over at him. His expression held concern and worry. It wasn't something she thought she'd see on his face. He was obviously hiding something from her and she didn't like it.

"You did really well out there tonight." Seth complimented from the backseat.

"Thank you. So why are you guys being all secretive around me lately. Did something happen I should know about?" She asked.

Roman couldn't believe how perceptive she was. It would be creepy if he didn't already know how well in-tuned she was with everything around her. Seth wondered for how long they would be able to keep Nick a secret from her. It felt wrong to him. In his eyes, she deserved to know that her ex-boyfriend was stalking her.

A small beep sounded from Seth's phone. He reached into his pocket to retrieve it. A text message symbol lay in the corner of the screen. His fingertip swiped the screen, allowing him access to the contents of the message. "We aren't joining you tonight. Mia thinks Nick won't expect a split up. She believes he's after her, not Rydia right now."

"What about protection? You'll be alone!" Seth typed and sent back.

"We will be fine, just look out for Rydia tonight."

Seth didn't like the situation at all and it was becoming harder to keep it a secret. He knew that Rydia would wonder where her sister and Dean were before long. He had to figure out an excuse that would be believable for the perceptive woman in the front seat.

"Mia and Dean aren't going with us tonight." Seth stated as calmly as possible, so he wouldn't alarm them.

"Why?" Roman asked.

"Said they needed to talk about some things..."

Roman knew that was a lie; but didn't pry anymore into the conversation. Rydia did her own mental thinking about what had been said. Mia was definitely hiding something from her and it had to do with Dean Ambrose. She didn't understand why her sister didn't trust her with the truth that was obviously right in front of her.

Rydia watched as Roman pulled into a crowded parking lot. She wondered where exactly they were going and in the back of her mind, something didn't feel right about being there. Seth got out of the backseat quickly and stepped forward to open the passenger door for Rydia. She smiled at him for the gentlemanly gesture.

"Where are we?" Rydia asked looking around at her surroundings.

"It's just a small club tonight. I'm not really in the mood to deal with large crowds. One drink and we will leave, okay?" Roman replied with a smile.

"Okay."

Rydia started to walk towards the entrance without waiting for the others to follow. Seth and Roman held back to they could talk quietly. "What's the real reason they aren't coming?" Roman asked softly.

"Mia thinks Nick won't suspect a split up. She believes he's after her right now and not Ry." Seth answered keeping his watchful eyes on the woman in front of them.

On the other side of the city, Mia and Dean walked into a different club. She was hoping the Bella twins would be there; but there was no sign of them. Dean laced his fingers with hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. It left a comforting feeling inside her heart, knowing that he was there with her. "Are you sure that you want to do this?" He asked.

"No; but if we don't then we risk her seeing him."

"We are still risking it even if we aren't there. There is no guarantee that he will follow us."

"You're right..."

Her hand squeezed his tighter, swallowing the lump in her throat before walking further inside the building. She knew that she had to stay strong and not show an ounce of fear; otherwise, Nick would feed off of it and it would leave Rydia defenseless. Dean looked down at the woman that was holding his hand for dear life. He had imagined them like that so many times he lost count. The day they first met was burned into his memory, causing him to replay it in his mind over and over.

Two Years Ago

Mia walked into the arena, pulling her bag behind her. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a silver ribbon tied into a bow around the band that held her hair in place. She wore shorts that barely covered her backside and a thin pink tank top. A silver chain hung around her neck holding a circular pendent in between her breasts.

Dean stood against the wall talking with his fellow Shield members. They were discussing script lines and what they would do in the ring when able to. She caught his attention in the middle of a sentence. Seth and Roman turned to see what their friend was staring at. Her blue eyes make contact with his and she smiled sweetly.

"Hello." She said softly.

"New girl huh?" Dean replied.

"That's right. Could you point me in the direction of the office? Vince McMahon wanted to see me as soon as I got here."

Dean pushed himself from the wall and stepped between his friends before stopping before her. Her scent waved under his nose and it smelled heavenly to him. His hand touched her shoulder and turned her towards the direction she wanted to go. "Go straight down that hall and turn left. You can't miss the big bright sign on the door."

"Thank you..." She replied trailing off not knowing what his name was.

"Dean Ambrose." He finished holding his hand out.

"Mia Chandler, it's nice to meet you." She replied accepting his hand shake.

The second he felt her hand take his, electrical shocks shot up his arm. He didn't flinch at the feeling; but it stunned him for a moment. She pulled her hand back with a smile and nodded her head. He watched her walk away in the direction he had just pointed out to her. "That woman is down right beautiful..." He whispered.

"Dude, you're drooling." Seth teased.

"Shut up!"

Mia waved a hand over Dean's eyes snapping him out of the trance he placed himself in. He shook his head to focus clearly. "Sorry, I want thinking about something." He explained to her before buying her a drink. Her smile took his breath away every time it was directed at him.

"So what were you thinking about just now?" Mia asked sitting down at a small table in the corner.

"When we first me..." He admitted.

"You mean when I wore that really skanky outfit that pretty much left nothing to imagine?"

He laughed and took a swig from his beer. Mia was probably the most blunt person he knew. She always spook her mind in any situation or conversation. It was one of the things he liked most about her. "You made it look really good." He commented.

Rydia finished her drink and sat the cup on the table. Seth and Roman looked at each other wondering what she was thinking about. She was hard to read unlike Mia that was pretty much like an open book. "Do you want another drink?" Seth asked pointing to her empty cup.

"I'll get it myself, since you guys won't tell me what's going on." She answered with a hostile tone to her voice.

Roman watched her get up and walk towards the bar. He let out a sigh of guilt. The fact was that he should have told her the day after he found out about Nick; but Mia begged him not to tell her. "She deserves to know, Roman." Seth spoke up.

"I know..."

Rydia told the bartender what she wanted. In the moments she waited for a new drink, she watched Roman and Seth talk. Anger was started to build within her. She wanted to know what was going on. She didn't understand why everyone was hiding it from her, including her own sister. "We are out of Mike's Hard Lemonade. Is there something else you want?" The bar tender stated.

"She'll have a Captain and Coke, easy on the Captain." A rugged voice interrupted.

Rydia turned to see the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened in horror. She blinked several times, hoping that he was an illusion. "Nick..." She whispered faintly, trying not to pass out from the shock. The bar tender returned with the drink and slipped it into her open hand.

"Why are you here?" Rydia asked in a harsh voice. Her anger returning.

"Can't you even say hello to me?" Nick teased.

"You don't deserve a hello from me after what you did."

She walked passed him, merging into the throb of people surrounding the bar. Fear was starting to take over the anger she once held onto. By that time, she was already pleading from Roman and Seth's company. Nick rushed through the crowd and snagged her arm firmly. She turned and splashed her drink into his face. "Let go of me!" She yelled.

Roman and Seth perked at the voice yelling. They knew who it belonged to. Roman saw Nick holding onto Rydia's arm as tightly as he could. The veins were bulging in his hand. People swarmed around them, making it hard to see them; but it didn't take long for them to split apart. Rydia held the side of her face. A red welt was forming on her cheek. Rage was boiling to the surface within Roman.

He reached Rydia and removed Nick's hand with ease. "You need to get the hell out of here now." He stated in a firm voice. He was trying to remain calm and not punch him in the face. Seth pulled Rydia closer to him. She clung onto his shirt, burying her face into his chest.

"Rydia!" Nikki Bella screamed coming to her side, Brie trailing behind.

"Is she okay?" Brie asked.

Daniel Bryan and John Cena circled around Nick, backing Roman up if needed. They witnessed the incident from the top level of the club. Rydia looked up from Seth's chest and moved into Nikki's arms. She was holding back tears that wanted to fall. There was no greater pain than being struck by someone you once loved.

"You need to quit stalking her." Roman threatened.

"You need to keep you hands to yourself. She doesn't belong to you." Nick replied.

"She's not an object of possession. She's a human being." John inserted.

Roman had had enough of listening to the man's utter disgusting talk of Rydia being a possession. He balled up his fist and struck Nick in the jaw, causing him to fall to a knee. He got back up and wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. "So you know who I am then." Nick asked with a sly smile.

"I know who you are..." Roman said through clenched teeth.

All Nick did was laugh. There was a sinister echo to it that sent chills up Rydia's spine. Nikki held her close, protectively. She watched Nick back up and retreat towards the exit. Roman turned to face Rydia. The red welt was forming into a hand print. He obviously had struck her. "What the hell was that all about?" John asked moving to stand next to Nikki.

"That was my ex-boyfriend..." Rydia answered pulling out of Nikki's embrace.

"Rydia..." Brie whispered.

Rydia turned to face Roman. His expression held guilt and a hurt that was indescribable. She realized that Nick had been the thing everyone had been hiding from her. Her eyes shifted a little to see his hand that was still clenched into a fist at his side. The skin was broke open and caked with dried blood. It broke her heart to know that he had gotten that wound because he protected her.

"Let's get out of here." Seth suggested.

The group silently walked out of the club went their separate ways. Seth opened the car door for Rydia to get inside. She noticed that he couldn't even make eye contact with her because of the guilt he felt. He pulled his phone out of his pocket so he could text Dean. "Nick showed up! There was a confrontation." He typed and quickly sent it.

Mia wrapped her arms around Dean's neck, looking straight into his eyes as they danced. The lights danced reflectively against the blue of his iris's and it gave them an ethereal look. He could feel that she was still ridged; but he understood why. She was still on the lookout for Nick. "You are so beautiful..." He whispered in her ear and kissed the nape of her neck.

"Thank you."

Dean felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He wanted to just ignore it; but he felt that he couldn't. She watched him scramble to retrieve the device. He read to contents of the message and without any words, he turned his phone towards Mia. The color in her skin faded and turned ghost white. She turned away and began to run towards the exit. Dean ran after her, knowing full well that she was upset and downright worried.

"Is Rydia alright?" He quickly typed and sent back.

"She's pretty shaken up."

"Where are you guys?"

"Heading for the hotel..."

Mia stopped at the passenger side door. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought that she'd pass out from the trauma. The only thought in her head was the image of Rydia huddled in a fetal position on her kitchen floor. She hated the thought of having to see that again. "They are taking her back to the hotel." Dean said touching her shoulder.

"Is she okay?" She asked in a muffled voice.

"She's shaken up..."

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have said to split up. I should have been there with her."

Dean cupped both of her cheeks to stop her ranting. "This is not your fault. You couldn't have known that he'd go after them instead of us. She was in good hands." He explained and kissed her forehead to comfort her.