Author Note: Wow! I'm totally blown away with the response I received from the last chapter. Thank you so very much for all the support. Onto the next installment and I hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: Lynn021, StoryLover82, MGC, Guest, Levesque-Rollins823, calwitch and Pinayprincesa for the absolutely wonderful reviews.

Another special thanks goes to: MGC, 2010, casstawhai, sourskittles6887, and wweslytherindiva for becoming followers to this story.

Chapter 9: Answers

Savannah

Stepping into my room, the tension was so thick that it was almost suffocating. Seth never left my side even though I think he wanted to chase after Roman. There was no love loss there; but I was glad that he chose to stay with me and not cause a conflict that would just have consequences in the end. The burning in my eyes faded as the seconds passed by and I remembered that there were better things out there than dwelling on things I couldn't change.

"Savannah..." He said softly reaching for my hand.

"I'm okay. It's all the process of moving on, right?" I replied giving him a fake smile.

His thumb brushed across my knuckles a few times. I think he knew that I was lying about being okay, because I really wasn't. I hated when Roman would speak to me. It just brought back all the pain and the constant wondering why he left in the first place; but with Seth back in my life, my curiosity was fading away. Did I even want to know anymore? Did I want to know why he left me without any warning at all?

"You are not okay. You always did suck at lying." He commented.

"Fair enough. I just don't even know if I want to know the truth anymore...if that is what he has to say."

"Then don't talk to him. Personally, I'd rather you didn't."

I laughed, realizing just how close we've been getting over the last couple of days. Those feelings weren't going away and they probably wouldn't any time soon, if ever. He just seemed to make the reality fade away and replace it with hope that someday I'll be happy. Taking several steps away, I turned towards the mini fridge next the entertainment center. "I would love to keep him from breaking you down ever single time he speaks to you. I see it in your eyes right now...your hurt and it pisses me off even more."

"I'm not surprised by that. You used to get mad at him when he hurt my feelings in the past. I should have listened to you back then."

"You are not at fault here. I should never have abandoned you right when you needed me the most."

"Looks like we both made mistakes."

Seth simply nodded his head in agreement. I wondered what he was thinking as I cracked the seal on the bottle of water in my hand. His gaze heated my skin and the tension only thickened. I found myself unable to breathe, so I sat down on the oversized chair with my head lowered. "I can't tell you what to do; but I think maybe you should just stay away from Roman, or tell him that you want space so you can move on."

"Even if I told him that, I doubt he'd listen."

"He should listen considering how much he hurt you."

I looked back up from the floor to see him walking closer to me. Swallowing the large lump caught in my throat, I instinctively slid over to the edge of the chair. He sat down, brushing his leg against mine. He took both my hands into his. "I think I'm going to head back to Florida." He said softly avoiding my eyes.

"Is it because of Roman?" I questioned.

"No, he means nothing. I could care less what his opinion of me is."

"It's going to be a while before we get to see each other, you know."

Lifting his head up, he gave me a reassuring smile that just warmed me completely. How could this man effect me the way he did in so little time? It was as if no time had passed by in his absence. I didn't want him to leave at all. Was that selfish of me? Probably; but I didn't care. He gave me such a sense of comfort that I didn't want to go away just yet. "It won't be that long, I promise." He said giving my hand a squeeze.

"I don't want you to go..." I muttered under my breath.

Seth

Her words completely caught me off guard and the pounding in my chest only intensified. She was asking me not to leave. I've only dreamed of those words coming out of her mouth. Her head rested on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around mine. "How come you don't want me to leave?" I asked testing the waters in how far she'd answer me before cowering behind the shell she was known to have erected around herself.

"I suppose the past is showing through..."

"Savannah..."

She pushed herself away from me, obviously scared about what came out of her own mouth. She knew that she had figuratively admitted to her past feelings for me. I didn't want to push her for fear that I'd scare her completely away. It was good enough to know that she still thought about the past as much as I did.

Savannah stood up from the chair and took several steps away from it before turning around, connecting her eyes with mine. I could see the conflicting emotions swirling in the beautiful hazel color. She was at war with herself. "It's okay, Sav...maybe it's best if I just leave." I said getting up from the chair. The only difference was that I began to walk towards the door.

"Seth..." She called.

"I'm not leaving completely. You'll see me again. I care for you...always have. That won't change no matter what happens down the road."

"I think we both know that I did too..."

Instead of rushing to her side to kiss those lips that just begged for it, I smiled as I turned the handle to open the door. She needed to come to me, not the other way around. She was all I had left and there was no way in hell I was going to fuck it up again. Once the door closed behind me, I hesitated in walking away. "Seth?" A familiar voice called.

Looking up from the floor, I saw someone that probably hated me more than anyone else...well everyone except Roman that is. Dean stood with his arms crossed over his chest, unamused by my presence. Of course, that didn't surprise me in the least. Dean held quite the grudge against me for wanting to go my own way. He may have bonded with Roman while we were part of The Shield; but I never bonded with them like they did with me. I supposed that was why they felt so betrayed by me. "Dean..."

"Is there a reason you're coming out of Savannah's room?" He asked.

"Oh relax, nothing is going on. We are just friends."

"Believe it or not...it wouldn't matter to me as long as she was happy."

I raised a questioning eyebrow. What happened to Dean Ambrose, the man that despised me more than anything else in the world? The man before me clearly wasn't him. It made me wonder if Savannah had the same effect on him that she did on me...or even on Roman back in the day. She always did calm the beast in all of us.

It was odd standing there before him. The hatred was just as intense as it had been in the past. The look on his face told me a story. One that perked my interest. I could tell that something was bothering him and it wasn't just about me coming out of Savannah's room. "You know what happened don't you?" I accused.

"What do you think?" He snapped.

"Then why the hell haven't you told her. She's been begging for answers and has even considering quitting...all because of Roman and his selfish bullshit."

Dean avoided eye contact again. Something was going on and I had no doubt that Roman was behind it. Whether he swore to secrecy or is blackmailing him, I didn't know and to be honest...I didn't really care. Savannah deserved those answers. "I couldn't. It would destroy her more than Roman already has."

"He cheated didn't he?"

There was nothing but silence coming from Dean, which meant I was right. Learning that just pissed me off even more. Savannah didn't deserve that, she did everything for him. Obviously that was a mistake on her part and a mistake on mine for not telling her the truth about my feelings when I had to chance to do so. "I'm won't condone what he did; but I think they need to sort out the issues themselves. With you being around...that isn't happening."

"Well it's a good thing I'm heading back to Florida isn't it. Let me say this though...if he hurts her even more than she already is, I won't hesitate to make my presence felt again."

I stepped passed him in the direction of the elevator. The adrenaline was surging through my veins. Just the thought of Roman crushing her heart even more sent my blood to boil with rage. I also knew that I couldn't push her to move on if she didn't want to. The only thing I could do was be there when she wanted me to be.

Stepping out of the elevator, Becky stood with her arms at her sides. Sasha and Krys weren't in sight, which meant I was about to get chewed out once again. This was getting old and all I wanted was to get back to Florida, so I could concentrate on getting back to doing what I loved to do. There was nothing more I could for Savannah.

"Are you here to bitch me out to?" I asked.

"No...who bitched you out?" She asked issuing me to sit down next to her on the lobby sofa.

"Doesn't matter...what do you want?"

Becky rested her hands on her lap, trying hard not to fidget with her fingers. She wasn't mentally prepared for whatever it was she wanted to tell me, which was completely uncharacteristic of her. The woman had so much energy and passion to fill several people. It was one of the things I did like about her. She was the perfect friend for Savannah. "How did today go? Is she going to stay?" She asked softly.

"I honestly don't know. Our day got cut short thanks to my knee; but she seemed happy."

"You know she fell for you first, right?"

Her words took my breath away. I never expected that to be said, though it was something I've wanted to hear for quite some time. She smiled noticing my shocked expression. It confused me as to why she even told me in the first place...I wasn't exactly a favorite of hers. "I'm guessing you didn't know. Since you never said anything, she allowed herself to give Roman a chance."

"Why are you tell me this?"

"I'm tell you because she needs you...always has. Roman may have broken her heart; but you are the only one that can mend it."

"Maybe..."

I stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder before walking away. There was a lot more to it than that, especially now that I knew that more pain was going to come her way. Becky called after me; but I just kept walking. Once I got to my car, I sat behind the wheel just staring out at the view of the city. Her scent was still on the seat from the places her hair blew around. Her voice echoed inside my head. "God...Savannah...I need you to." I whispered putting the key into the ignition.

Savannah

A couple hours after Seth left, I decided to start packing my things up. There was hurt behind those beautiful chocolate eyes and I knew deep down that I was the cause of it. He's done nothing but try to help since he came back into my life and all I did was push him away. I was supposed to be trying to move on with my life, not dwell on the past.

The past was the reason I was in this mess to begin with, because I never had to nerve to tell Seth how I felt about him. Roman coming to my room to tell me that wanted to talk was something else entirely. Did I want to know the truth? Could I handle it without falling apart completely? My hands put the last pieces of clothing back in my bag and the zipped it up.

"It's time to talk Roman..." I told myself heading straight for the door.

The walk down the hall took longer than it should have. I found myself dragging my feet, going over my options numerous times before standing outside his door. My hands shook as I clenched one into a fist to knock on the heavy white door. It didn't take long for me to hear the bolt unlocking and for me to see Roman standing there with wet hair. "Savannah..." He said softly.

"You said that you wanted to speak with me." I said stepping passed him without waiting for an invitation.

"Yeah; but I wasn't expecting you to actually do it..."

I understood now why he said that. His bed housed a sleeping woman. A woman I knew very well. Paige. The words I was feeling never came to my tongue. He looked at me with guilt written all over his face. Turning away, I bolted for the door with hot angry tears rolling down my cheeks. I didn't know who I should be more angry at...her or him.

"Savannah wait!" Roman called closing the door behind him.

I stopped walking, standing in the middle of an empty hallway. My hands clenched at my sides, digging my nails into the skin of my pain knowing that it wouldn't be long before the blood would flow from the cuts. How could I have been so stupid to believe someone could actually love me? My decision had been made. Tomorrow I would be leaving the company. "So this was why...you found another..." I choked.

"I'm sorry you found out like this. I wanted to tell you. I wanted the words to come from my mouth."

"Was I not good enough? Roman, I did everything for you."

"Sav, it was an accident. I was overseas on a tour and a group of us partied a little too hard. Next thing I knew, she was in bed with me. I felt so guilty that I couldn't be with you anymore...couldn't bring you down like that."

The anger swelled again, bringing along fresh new tears. Whirling around to actually face him, his eyes held such guilt and I knew that he was speaking the truth. At least in this aspect; but it wasn't enough for me. That tour had been months ago and he left me weeks ago. Did the affair continue while he was struggling with his decision to walk away? "Did it continue once you got back? I'm not stupid that tour happened months ago. It's only been a month since you left me."

"No...what you saw in there was the first time since the tour."

"I should thank you..."

"Thank me for what?"

Clenching my hands even tighter, I felt the skin tear under the pressure of my nails. If I didn't think my heart could be broken anymore, he clearly did just that. My heart felt shattered and the pieces were scattered when no one would be able to put it together. "For proving that there isn't anyone that can actually love me."

"God, Savannah that isn't true. I loved you and still do."

"It doesn't matter anymore, because I'll be leaving the company come tomorrow."

"Sav, don't..."

"Goodbye Roman..."

Turning away, the tears continued the fall and it wasn't until I was safely in my own room that I let my hands relax. The blood was caked to my skin, staining it a crimson color. Looking down at the damage done, I collapsed onto the bed. My phone rested on the nightstand and flashed a blue light indicating a message of some form waiting to looked at.

My shaking hands took hold of the device and slid my index finger across the screen. A lone message from Seth waited for me to open. Maybe after I leave the company tomorrow I'd head down to Florida and tell him goodbye. He deserved that much before I headed back home to Maryland. Tapping my fingertip on the screen to let the message appear, I rolled to my side only to see a picture of me standing in front of one of the garden fountains. He had to of taken this today sometime.

"Nothing captures your beauty better than flowers and flowing water. I will see you soon princess."

Dropping my phone back on the stand, the tears returned. Only this time, it was because he was too sweet. Too perfect for me and I was too damaged for him. Painful sobs engulfed me until I cried myself to sleep.

Seth

I finished packing up the small bag I had taken with me when I left Florida yesterday. My eyes eyed my phone hoping for a response to the message I had sent Savannah; but as the minutes quickly passed by, I knew that I probably wasn't going to get one. Taking one step towards the bed, a loud knock came across the door. It sounded almost desperate.

Fearing that Savannah was upset, I bolted for the door and opened it quickly only to see Roman standing there. He was the last person I expected to see at my door. The look on his face was full of desperation and that meant one thing...Savannah was indeed upset.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked harshly.

"I need your help..."

"Come again?"

Roman rolled his eyes, groaning in annoyance before pushing his way through the doorway to enter my room. I could tell that he didn't want to be here; but something must of happened for him to be this desperate. Savannah immediately came to mind for being the reason he was here. An image of her crying flashed before my eyes, instantly angering me. "I didn't want to come here, trust me on that." He admitted.

"Then why are you?"

"It's Savannah..."

"What about her?"

I was growing more and more impatient with him the longer he ignored my question. Roman sat down on the edge of the arm chair, running a hand over his head. It was weird having him there. It almost felt like days from The Shield where the three of us would just chill and drink beer. "She knows the truth about what happened."

"She knows you cheated on her."

"How the hell did you know?"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. My only question is why the fuck would you do it in the first place?"

At first, I didn't think he was going to tell me; but eventually he did. Explained that everything had been a drunken mistake, though he knew that it wasn't justified. He left because he didn't want to drag her down by being with someone that had cheated on her. I admired that if nothing else; but it still didn't explain why he needed my help. "She's going to quit tomorrow and it's my fault."

"And what do you think I can do about it? I've already tried once and you pretty much ruined that today."

"I know you care about her, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be trying to make up for you abandoning her. Seth, don't let her walk away from this because of what I did."

So Roman had pushed her over the edge and I had to prevent it from happening. Just how was I supposed to do that? Things weren't as simple as they used to be. She had a fresh broken heart and everything I could possibly tell her would probably fall on deaf ears; but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try. It looks like I won't be going back to Florida. I was South Carolina bound in the morning.