Author Note: I'd like to thank , nunu82, and rloverock for becoming followers to this story. I'd also like to thank Leasha Orton, MissMoose7, and JeweledLotus for giving me awesome reviews. It's been great to see all the positive responses from all of you readers. This chapters is going to be mostly Rydia based and I hope you enjoy it.

"I won't give in, I'm not that easy

I'll live again and keep on breathing

I'll bleed my last regret

'Cause sometimes you gotta burn the past yeah,

To rise up, rise up from the ashes"

"Up From The Ashes' by: The Letter Black

Chapter 11: The Fighter

Mia awoke tangled in limbs and blankets. She shifted to free herself from the twisted blankets. Dean groaned and rolled over to the opposite side of the bed. She smiled to see how innocent he looked while asleep. Her eyes caught sight of the clock on the wall and saw that it was 6:30 in the morning. She knew that Rydia would leaving for training in a little more than thirty minutes.

"Mia..." Dean whispered half asleep.

She turned her head to look at him. He was propped up on his hand staring at her. Mia couldn't believe how far they had come in such a short amount of time. In some ways, she had to thank Nick for pushing her into his arms; because if he hadn't shown up that night, she would have never given him the chance to show that he cared about her.

"I need to get going. Rydia will be leaving for training soon." She replied.

"You need to give her some space."

"But what about Nick?"

"She is a fighter. Do you really think she'd give in without a fight?"

He was right and she knew it. Rydia had always been a fighter. She never gave up on anything she wanted in her entire life. There were things that she probably should have given up on; but refused to. Nick being on of those things. Mia could remember Rydia coming to her for advice. When they formed 'Endless Dreams' Rydia developed feelings for her co-vocalist. Though it was a bad idea to mix work with pleasure, Rydia never gave up on him.

"I know she is. I envy that about her..."

Dean sat up completely and took hold of her arm. His fingers traced lines along her cheek and flowed through her knotted hair. "You don't need to envy anything about your sister. Mia, you are perfect the way you are." He stated and placed his lips upon hers softly.

The tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach returned and she couldn't fight it off. Her hands snaked around his neck, pulling him closer to her. The sound of knocking on the door broke the kiss earlier than both participants wanted. Dean got up from the bed and walked towards the door. Once he opened it, Seth Rollins stood at the entrance alone.

"Do you know where Roman is? He isn't answering his phone and his room is empty. His stuff is gone to. The lady at the desk said he checked out already." Seth asked in a calm voice; but the panic was still present.

Dean looked back towards Mia who was still sitting on his bed. Seth looked into the room and saw her. He instantly regretting interrupting whatever was going on before he had arrived. Mia shrugged her shoulders, obviously not knowing about it either. "I don't know. Maybe Rydia knows. They seem pretty close as of late." Dean replied.

Seth raised an eyebrow at the response. He wondered if Dean really was that dense or that he didn't really pay that much attention now that Mia was around more often. He knew that Roman fancied the woman to the point of infatuation. "Close isn't he word I'd use." He commented quietly.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked standing up and took steps to close the distance between them.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm surprised. Roman really seems to like Rydia a lot. Haven't you guys seen the bond they've formed over the last week?"

"I already seen it. She is fragile. Way too fragile for him to fix right now."

Seth snorted an annoyed breath. Mia didn't give Rydia much credit in handling her own life's events. She sheltered her and made her look weaker than she really was. It irritated him and it was probably because he to felt close to her as well; but more on a brotherly aspect than a romantic one. "You don't give her much credit. She's stronger than you think."

Before Mia could respond, Seth turned heel and walked down the hall leaving the couple with his words. Dean rubbed her arm to comfort her beaten pride. "I'll deal with Seth later. He shouldn't have talked to you that way." He replied protectively.

"No! He's right. I don't give her much credit at all. No wonder she was so angry with me..."

Rydia finished getting ready for her coffee get-together with Roman. She grabbed her bag that held her training clothes inside and her purse. Her hair lay flat against her back and the shorter pieces fell into her eyes, giving them a more angelic look. The make-up wasn't too extreme because she knew that she'd be sweating during training.

The moment she entered the lobby, Roman turned in her direction. The second he saw her he smiled. She just brightened his day. The butterflies began to flutter in her stomach, caused her palms to sweat at her side. He just brought out the school girl shyness in her that she hated. She wanted to be herself and talk to him normally without feeling nervous.

"Morning.." He said in his warm voice that sent tingles throughout her entire body.

"Good morning..." She replied softly.

She saw the bags in his hand and was wondering what he was doing with all his luggage that early in the morning. Something was off about him and she couldn't put her finger on it. Most people left their things in the hotel room until they were ready to travel to the next city. She made a note to ask him about it.

Today would only be the second time Mia wasn't present at her training with Randy; but knowing that Roman would be there made her feel a little less alone. The idea of him watching her made her even more determined to succeed in proving herself wrong.

"I'm going to drive. Is that okay?" Roman asked.

"Yeah. It's fine." She replied stepping outside the hotel.

His rental car was already parked up along the pickup line. He pushed a button on the keyring to pop the trunk. Putting his bags into the trunk, he turned to take hers. She hesitantly handed him the bag with her clothes before heading for the passenger side door. "Is something wrong?" Rydia asked.

"No, why would you think that?" He asked.

"Because you are taking all of your luggage with you. Don't you travel with Seth and Dean?"

He was busted by her perceptive intellect. He was hoping that he would have been ready to go before she got down to the lobby; so he could have put the bags in his truck before she saw them. Now he had to ask her the question he wanted to ask her later on in the day. "I do travel with them; but I've been thinking a lot since last night." He replied.

"You mean about Nick? Look, if you don't want to talk to me anymore, I completely understand. He isn't going to stop stalking me anytime soon."

Roman reached his hand over and rested it on her leg. She looked down at his hand covering her own. The sparks were undeniable and obvious to both of them. "I told you that I wasn't going to let him anywhere near you and I meant that. Nick isn't going to scare me off." He replied hoping that she'd forget about the luggage.

He turned the steering wheel to drive into a parking lot that was pretty crowded for 7:15 in the morning. Roman put on the brakes as he pulled into a parking spot within the lot. Rydia looked around and lost her ambition for coffee once she saw the line inside the building. "Do you still want coffee?" He asked with a chuckle.

"No, not really. I'm pretty impatient. I don't like to wait for things." She replied with a laugh.

"Good to know."

Rydia turned to see him smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone in a car behind them. Without moving her head, she shifted her eyes to look at the mirror at her window. The man looked familiar to her; but at the distance she was from him, she couldn't really see clearly. The only thing she did know was that he was definitely watching them.

"Roman..."

"Yeah."

"We are being watched. Don't act any differently or they will know we've caught on."

His hand squeezed her leg out of reflex; but in reality, he wanted to take her and flee. She turned her hand upward, letting her fingers slide between his. Her sudden boldness surprised him enough for him to suck in a startled breath of air into his lungs. He returned the gesture by closing his fingers around hers, holding her hand securely.

"So now what, Ry?" He asked.

Hearing the nickname come out of his mouth sent her heart to skip a beat. She continued to watch the mirror for a moment longer, trying to see if she could recognize him; but like before, he was too far away to get a clear look. "I think that's the first time you've ever called me by my nickname." She stated.

"Is that okay?" He asked turned his head to look directly at her.

"Yes! I actually prefer it. Rydia is kinda long and hard to say."

"It's a beautiful name. It suits you perfectly."

Rydia couldn't stop the heat from rising to her cheek, tinting them pink in a blush. Roman saw the color change in her face and smiled at her obvious blushing state. The woman next to him was beyond anything he'd ever known before. She was perfect in every sense of the word and if he didn't have control, he would have kissed her already; but he knew that he couldn't. It was too soon to try that with her.

"I'm going to be late for training if we don't get going. Let's see if that car follows us." Rydia suggested.

"Alright."

Roman backed up and turned in the direction of the gym. Rydia watched the window for the red Ford Fusion. It didn't surprise her to see it tucked behind a truck; but still heading in the same direction as them. The truck switched lanes at the next light and left the car behind them. "Oh my god, is that Bray Wyatt?" Rydia whispered.

Roman lifted his head slightly to look in his rear-view mirror to confirm Rydia's suspicion; but what really caught his attention was the man in the passenger seat. He had never seen him before. There was a feeling that was nagging at him. He was pretty sure that Rydia would know him. Nick seemed like the guy to play mind games with someone to try and break them down. "Who is with him?" He asked.

Rydia's eyes turned towards the other side and the second she saw the face, her heart stopped for a second. Memories of the days spent with 'Endless Dreams' flooded her mind before she could even form a word in her mouth. "Aaron..." She whispered.

"Who is Aaron?"

"He was the drummer for my cover band. Aaron was like a brother to me."

It made more sense now. Nick was using his fellow band members that were also close to Rydia in attempts to break her down. Roman turned into the gym's parking lot. He half expected the red Ford Fusion to follow them into the lot; but they kept going. Rydia let out a sigh of relief and got out of the car as quickly as she possibly could.

"Are you alright?" Roman asked.

"Yeah, I have to keep my head up. Nick isn't going to break me down. I have too much going for me right now."

He was happy to know that she wasn't going to give up fighting to make her life the way she wanted it to be. They made their way into the gym. Randy was standing in the middle of the ring stretching out. He looked up to see Rydia approaching him with Roman trailing behind her. "Well this is new. How come Mia isn't with you today?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing to concern yourself with. Roman is taking her place today."

"Fair enough. Go get changed and stretch out."

Rydia took her leave for the bathroom at the back of the building. Roman stared down Randy for a moment before taking a step closer to the practice ring. He knew about the history he shared with Mia. "So what really happened? There is fear in her eyes, Roman. Anyone can see that if they have a set of eyes."

"It's not my place to say. And why do you care anyway? You left Mia without any explanation, so why give a damn about her sister?"

Randy jumped down to the floor and stood face to face with Roman. He raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer from the trouble maker known as 'The Viper'. Randy crossed his arms over his chest. "I made a mistake with Mia. I do still care about her." Randy admitted.

It didn't take long for Roman to catch onto what Randy was talking about. He swiftly reached for the shirt collar of Randy's T-shirt. Using his strength to his advantage, he slammed his back into the side of the ring. "If you think you're going to use Rydia to get to Mia you've got another thing coming. Mia is already taken. You might as well give up."

"Why are you so protective of Rydia? Oh! I see, you've got a thing for her don't you?" Randy taunted.

Roman let go of Randy's shirt just as Rydia was walking back. Randy couldn't believe that Mia was taken now. The last time he saw her, she was still single. What could have happened in a few days? He also wanted to know who had stolen her heart from him.

Rydia got into the ring and squatted down, stretching her legs out. Randy stood before her taking every opportunity to look at her cleavage, knowing it would anger Roman. She stood back up straight and waited for Randy's instructions for the day. "Let's practice what you already know and then we will do some new stuff."

"Alright, let's do this."

Roman watched her succeed in everything she had been already taught and everything new Randy taught her, she grasped almost immediately. She was a natural born wrestler. Rydia scoop slammed Randy to the mat and he let out a laugh that confused her. "What's so funny?" She asked stepping away from him.

"Nothing. You just impress me. There hasn't been anything I've shown you yet that you've found to be challenging."

"It's not physical things that I find challenging, it's emotional ones that are the challenge for me."

Randy was perplexed by her confession. She didn't seem the type to be hindered by emotional baggage. He opened his mouth to say something; but was interrupted by someone clearing his throat and clapping of hands. Roman turned around while Randy and Rydia looked up from each other. Nick was leaning against a center-post in the room.

"Nick..." Rydia whispered.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Roman asked trying to keep himself calm.

"I came to check on my sweet angel. It looks like she is doing pretty well." He replied.

Rydia jumped out of the ring and stood next to Roman. Randy watched closely, wondering why his name sounded so familiar to him and that's when he remembered when Mia talked about him. She had been concerned about his temper and his split personalities. By the way the man talked, Randy came to the conclusion that he was delusional as well.

"I'm not yours anymore. I belong to no one." Rydia snapped.

"Fight me all you want to. The end result will still be the same." Nick replied.

Randy looked around and saw three other men starting to close in from behind Nick. Rydia froze as she saw them come to Nick's aid one by one. Aaron lifted his hand to wave at her. Besides Nick, he had been the one she was closest to while a part of the band. "I see you've corrupted them as well. Is there no sanity left in you?" She asked holding back the tears that wanted to fall.

"You can do anything when you have money to throw around; but they always were on my side before they would ever be on yours."

"Aaron...Traze...Gage..." She spoke their names one at a time, letting go of the bonds she had formed with each of them.

Roman took her arm and pulled her behind him protectively. He wasn't about to break his promise to her this early in the game. The four men circled Roman, forming a complete 360 with no openings to run through. Randy watched intently debating on stepping in to help them. It would be a way to prove to Mia that he still cared about her; but it was a selfish reason and she'd see right through it.

"Consider this little meeting a warning for you Roman Reigns." Nick stated with a sadistic smile that made Rydia's stomach coil into a knot, threatening to expel its contents on the floor.

"A warning for what exactly?" He asked clenching his hands into fists at his side.

"Don't even think about falling for her. She's mine and will always be mine. You will never have her and I'll make sure of that. If you going to say that you don't think of her that way, then I know you're lying. I've seen the bond you have formed with her."

Rydia stepped forward. The anger was getting the better of her and it clouded her judgment. She wasn't about to let someone tell her how she was going to live her life. The point of life was to make you're own choices and live with them in your own way. Step after step she took to close the distance between her and Nick. Her hand connected with his cheek. "Rydia!" Roman shouted out of concern for her safety and he became to come after her; but was attacked by the others.

Randy jumped down from the ring to pushed the others off Roman's large body. He stood at Roman's back waiting for them to lunge once again. Rydia stood her ground in front of Nick. Her mind was racing with thoughts of what he had threatened. Nick put his fingers to the side of his face, feeling the sting in the skin.

"You don't tell me what to feel. Don't you understand what you are doing? This is insanity, all of this!"

Nick cocked his head to side as if what she was saying was foreign to him; but it only took a split second for the back of his hand to come across her face. Her head jerked to the side. Dark brown hair flowing in the hair around to cover the damage. Roman was stunned by the openness of the attack. Randy couldn't believe what he was seeing. He never believed in hitting a woman for any reason.

Rydia straightened her head and narrowed her eyes. The passion was burning in her blue eyes as she turned to look back at Roman. She knew he wanted to protect her and shield her from all the emotional pain that lingered in her heart; but in that moment, she wanted to protect him.

"You aren't going to break me no matter how many times you hit me. I'm going to keep getting up and fight for what I want in life."

Her words angered Nick. He snapped his fingers, calling the others to back away. They were leaving, much to her relief. There was something she needed to do and she didn't want an audience like them. Once the group left the building, Rydia turned to look at Roman and Randy. Another red mark blotched her skin.

Randy knew that this was going to be moment that didn't need any spectators. The whole incident left him feeling sick and wanting to make things right with Mia. He stepped forward and touched Rydia's shoulder before passing her on his way towards the exit. She touched his arm gently as a thank you for helping Roman.

End Note: So what do you guys think Rydia needs to do now that her and Roman are alone? What would you guys like to see her do in this moment?