Author Note: Thank you so much for all the positive responses I've been getting with this. I've had this in my mind for months before deciding to write it down, so glad that I did. I've also increased the rating for the 'just in case' scenario. Onto the next chapter, let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: Guest, Saintsrow10, calwitch, Levesque-Rollins823, Leasha Ambrose and rkosgirl1 for the wonderful reviews.

Chapter 19: Walking to Official

Savannah

Even as the hours passed by, I couldn't get Roman's actions out of my mind. The tiny envelope that held the words of a shattered man came crashing down around me. The look on his face was something I wasn't going to forget. Stepping into the arena, the was nothing but busy people scattering all around me. Weaving through them, I finally found a corner that was free of people to dig into my pocket for the object in question.

The familiar handwriting stared at me, begging to be read again. No matter how angry I was about how he behaved about the situation, I couldn't help but feel sorry at the same time. We had spent the last four years together and it all came crumbling down around us. "Something is wrong with him, that's for sure." A female voice caught my attention.

"He hasn't even smiled once since he arrived." Another one joined in.

I hated to eavesdrop; but in my gut, I felt like they were talking about Roman. Leaning against the wall, tucking the envelope back into the front pocket of my jeans. I may not be in love with him anymore; but that didn't mean I didn't still care about him. How could I not? "Do you think it's because of that ex of his?" A female's voice I easily recognized as Charlotte's, the current WWE Diva's Champion.

"Probably." A fourth female voice, which I knew to belong to Natalya, joined in.

"He's going to have to get over it. He has a lot of expectations on his shoulders tonight."

Cringing at that thought, I swallowed hard and stepped out around the corner. The four of them perked instantly. The other two voices that I hadn't recognized were NXT talents I didn't know yet. Not that it mattered, they bolted the second they saw me. Natalya avoided eye contact with me. "Got something to say Nattie?" I asked.

"Not particularly." She replied.

"Are you sure? Cause I was pretty sure you wanted to before I turned the corner."

"Calm down Savannah, we weren't talking bad. We were just curious as to why Roman looks like someone died." Charlotte commented obviously sensing the tension between Natalya and I.

Narrowing my eyes a little, I could see Seth walking down the hall. He was dressed in jeans and a Pierce The Veil t-shirt with a baseball cap turned backwards. The view from where I was standing made my heart just pound uncontrollably. I hated how he could do that just by being himself. The two women before me must have noticed how quickly my attitude changed, because they turned to see him walking in our direction.

"I see how things went. You got bored with one former Shield member and went for another." Natalya commented slightly elbowing Charlotte in the process.

"You might want to bit your tongue on that." I snapped clenching my teeth with every word.

She was treading on a thin piece of ice at this point. Her words were only speculation; but to me they were damn personal. Neither one of them knew what happened, because I didn't talk about it to anyone expect the closest people to me and that didn't include them. Natayla's arrogance was showing full force. Before another word came out of my mouth, Seth stepped in between us. "Just walk away." He stated to them, not giving an inch of a kidding nature. He was dead serious.

They raised their hands up submissively, backing away from the confrontation. Natalya whispered the word 'Coward ' under her breath before walking away completely. I stood with my hands clenched at my sides. The anger that swelled deep within myself was a quick reminder of the person I had once been years ago. "Bitch" I cursed my own breath.

He turned to me, his eyes softening. "Look at me." He said placing his hands on my shoulders. The look on his face was full of concern. Did he not think I could handle myself in that kind of situation? The only thing I was feeling at this point was anger.

"I'm fine, if that's what you're worried about." I said softly avoiding his gaze.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I know you can take care of yourself when it comes to a physical nature."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

He lifted his head up straight and removed his hands from my shoulders. I instantly regretted my tone of voice. It wasn't his fault that I was so pissed off. I figured it was a good time as any to let him read the card Roman had left me and ask him if he was willing to hear all the rumors that would no doubt run within the locker-room. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. They just got under my skin." I admitted shying away from him.

"Ignore them. They don't know what happened and you shouldn't care what they think anyway."

"Normally I wouldn't care; but this...is different."

"How so?"

I reached into the front pocket of my jeans to retrieve the small card. He eyed it suspiciously, wondering what it was. Remembering the words written on it, my eyes closed for a brief moment. "Roman gave me this today. Seth, he couldn't even look me in the eye. I'm afraid that he has finally hit rock bottom." I admitted handing him the small white card.

He opened it and scanned the contents. I figured he'd be angry for talking to me again; but his eyes told a completely different story. One that I couldn't read. My curiosity was kicking in, begging me to ask what was on his mind. He handed me the card back and took a step forward in my direction, taking my hands into his own. "Seth..." I said softly, giving him the indication that I wanted to know what he was thinking.

"This is what you wanted...what we wanted..."

"I know...but what do we do with it? Do we leave him be for a while or do we try to be civil with him?"

"I'd say leave him be a while. He's going to need some time to move forward."

I knew that he was right; but for some reason I wasn't happy with that answer. I wanted to be the friend that could help. Maybe someday I could be that friend; but it wasn't going to be any time soon. Seth wrapped his arm over my shoulders and urged me to follow him down the hall. The looks we were getting weren't what I had expected. They were cold, maybe even harsh. It was like they didn't want to see us together or thought I could do better or maybe they thought the same things as Natalya did. We hadn't even made things official yet and I was already being judged. This was going to be a long road to get the respect back.

"Savannah!" Becky shouted from the doorway of the woman's locker-room.

"Hey..." I answered forcing myself to smile at her.

"Oh no! What happened? I know that look."

Seth let go of me to lean against the wall. Sasha stepped out around Becky to embrace me. They looked absolutely beautiful in their ring gear. Sasha's was inspired by her idol Eddie Guerrero, while Becky's was obviously Irish inspired. I had seen Charlotte's a few minutes before hand in the process of degrading me with her stares. "It's nothing." I answered knowing that I wasn't going to convince anyone was the tone of voice I used.

"Savannah...come on...do you really think we believe that?" Sasha stated placing her hands on her hips.

Once again, I reached into the front pocket my jeans for the small white card. Handing it to Becky, Sasha leaned over her shoulder to read it as well. My orange haired friend bit her bottom lip, thinking about the words. There was something going on inside her mind. Something I knew she wouldn't tell me unless we were alone. She handed it back to me not looking right at me. After a few seconds, she finally met my glance. "So he's finally let go...that's a good thing Savannah." Sasha said immediately.

"I know; but you didn't see his face like I did. I think he's finally broken. Everything he did...was a way to keep himself going. It isn't just about this...it seems I've created something to talk about backstage. Natalya feels I got bored with Roman and jumped ship to Seth. I'm just tired of drama. I just want my life to be simple."

"Unfortunately, that's how some people are sweetie. You know this." Becky finally commented taking me into her arms. "They don't know what really happened, because if they did, I highly doubt they'd think that." She finished.

Seth

Standing there listening to them talk, I thought back on when things really were simple. I remembered when Roman, Dean and I debuted on the main roster, destroyed everything in sight. The following night on Raw, Savannah was put in as our manager. She was the foundation for all of us. We loved her. There wasn't anything we didn't like about her. Though we all met her before in FCW and when it changed to NXT, it wasn't until she was placed with us did our friendships get close.

She dominated in the Diva's division, though never holding the title. When Dean won the United States title, Roman and I won the Tag Team Titles...she was disappointed that hadn't been involved in a Diva's title bout. Creative had cut her down as not having the look of a champion. She took it really hard and her attitude started to change drastically.

"Listen, I know this whole thing with creative is hitting you really hard; but you can't just change everything you are." I told her.

"And just who am I, Seth? I've been reduced to a valet...I used to have a match every Raw and Smackdown...now I'm lucky if I get one once a month." She answered sitting down on the chair in our locker-room.

Kneeling down before her, the hands she kept on her lap pulled up closer to her stomach. Ignoring the gesture, I reached for her hands and held them tightly. Her eyes widened a little when she shifted her head to look at me directly. "You are not just a valet to us. You are one of us...a friend like no other. It doesn't matter that you aren't champion or what they think of you behind the scenes. You are a champion to us."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, just as Roman and Dean walked into the room catching the tail end of the conversation. Their smiles were sincere just like mind had been. She stood up to stand in the middle, surrounded by us. From then on, she never minded being our manager; but deep down she longed to have that title around her waist. Even to this day, that was the one thing she wanted. It was that day, when I realized that my feelings for her were only going to get stronger.

Savannah turned towards me, reaching for my hand. She needed my comfort. I could see it in her eyes. Twining my fingers through hers, I pulled her towards me. My lips found the skin of her cheek. Becky smiled warmly, she had finally accepted that I wasn't going to hurt her. "You guys are too cute." She commented shaking her head.

"I know you're not going to tell me what the outcome is going to be, so good luck to you both. I'll be watching." She said hugged them both before walking away with me.

The walk to the sky box was spent in silence. I knew that she was upset with what Natalya had told her earlier. Even though that was far from the truth, she was worried that was how people viewed her now. The personal nature of the drama, it made me think that maybe it could be her return feud. When she was finally cleared to return to the ring and start her repackaging down at the performance center. I was getting closer to my return and being separated from her was inevitable. That was weighing me down, because all I wanted to do was spend time with her.

"Seth..." She whispered.

"Hmm..." I answered turning my head in her direction.

"Do you think I'm good enough to be here?"

The sound of the Total Diva's theme song came on and the five women that starred in the show made their way down the long ramp, including Natalya. Her question got me thinking that maybe the same thought came her mind as it did with mine. A return feud with Natalya. "You are plenty good enough to be here and you will be even better once you get back in that ring. I plan on teaching you a few things myself to ensure it." I stated keeping my eyes fixed on the large screen above the ring.

A smile curved her lips along with a slight blush to her cheeks. Those things never got old to see. I loved it entirely. The show continued on and we spent it watching intently. The announcement that the Diva's Title would retire and the replacement would be the WWE Women's Championship only focused Savannah more. Her determination was written all over her face. That was her goal when she got back in that ring and I doubted that anyone would stop her.

The match for the Woman's Championship had her sitting at the edge of her seat. Her interest in the match made me smile. The violet of her hair fell over her shoulders, showing of the teal ends. I wanted to kiss her so bad; but with so many spectators behind us, I figured it was going to have to wait until later. Sasha delivered a frog splash to a fallen Charlotte and it even caught me in awe. These women were putting everything they had out there. I expected nothing less from any of them.

By the end, it was Ric Flair that became the deciding factor. He held onto Sasha's legs preventing her entry to the ring to break up the Figure Eight submission on Becky. Within minutes she had tapped out and Charlotte became the new WWE Women's Champion. The disappointment radiated off both women left in the ring. Blood trickled down Becky's eye, not doubt she would need stitches to close that wound up. "I want to put on a match like that, Seth. I want the crowd to be in awe. I want that title." She declared.

"And I will help you get there." I answered pulling her back so I could at least kiss her temple.

Dean's match was brutal. He took a lot of punishment from Brock Lesnar and at some points in the match, I thought maybe he would actually win it; but it wasn't to be. I've been in the ring with Brock before and the man is an absolute beast. Freakishly strong to. Savannah got up and began to pace around the room. The closer it got to the main event, the more uneasy she became.

Stephanie's voice entered the arena. The crowd was already behind 'The Game'. They didn't want Roman as Champion, which surprised me since he was the man to do what the people wanted. The rejection was completely unexpected on his part and on creatives part. They were going to have to change things up a little if they wanted a better reaction. Roman's entrance got exactly what I expected. Boo's the whole way through the building.

Savannah cringed upon hearing the rejection and clenched her hands into fists at her sides. I could tell the crowd reaction was getting to her; but she also knew that there was nothing anyone could do about it. The people had the freedom to cheer or boo whomever they wanted to. That was the joy of the type of business we were a part of.

Silence took over once again. It wasn't until Roman speared Stephanie did Savannah giggle to herself. In her mind, it was payback for shunning her from the career she had dreamed of. Roman stood in the middle of the ring with his newly won title. The envy engulfed me. Had I not got hurt in Ireland, I'd still be champion being on the grandest stage of them all.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, walking to my side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just pissed off that I got hurt and had to miss all this." I answered honestly.

I think she knew how I felt all too well, because in that moment she wrapped her arms around my waist. Her head rested on my chest, not caring that there were people watching us. How could I not love her when it came to things like this? "Don't worry about it. We will get back in there soon enough and we will take this place by storm."

"I love your confidence in the situation." I replied pushing her back a little so I could look into her eyes.

"I have you to thank for that. You taught me to have that confidence, remember?"

A chuckle escaped my throat, as I turned to follow her out of the sky box. The emotions were running high backstage. Savannah weaved through the throb of people to get to her destination. The trainer's room was located at the back of the arena and Becky sat inside with fresh stitches. Her eye was puffy and already starting to bruise. "Oh wow, that's looks awful." She commented.

"Yeah...I look great with this." Becky replied laying back on the pillow holding an ice pack to the damaged eye.

"How did it happen?" I asked curiously.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Either Charlotte's boot caught me or Sasha's. All I know is when I got hit, it was almost immediate blood."

Savannah leaned down and hugged the injured woman lightly. I placed my hand on her shoulder, nodding my head in the direction of the door. She understood that I was going to step out so she could spend some time with her best friend. Deep down, I couldn't wait to be alone with her. Tonight was the night night for us in Dallas, because in the morning we were heading back out to Florida.

Roman's image caught my attention in passing. I stopped to see him holding the title in his hands. He was alone; but no more that a few feet away was Charlotte and Natalya fussing over the new Women's Championship belt.

Roman

I could see Seth's glance as he crossed his arms over his chest. There wasn't anything harsh about his facial expressions, in fact, they actually were calm. Natalya and Charlotte were talking about the new Women's Championship as I walked passed them to head in Seth's location. They immediately stopped talking the second they saw me; but it quickly turned into whispers that I could still hear. From the look on Seth's face, he could hear them as well.

"Must you two gossip about things you know nothing about." I said turning to look at them, sweat dripping down my face falling onto the title belt in my hand.

"We were just concerned about you, that's all. We figured it had to do with that ex of yours." Charlotte replied tightening her grip on her own title.

"You thought wrong. Savannah has nothing to do with any of this. She's the innocent one, now get the hell out of here."

The two blonde women bolted from their position, leaving Seth and I alone. He leaned back against the wall, moving his hat front-ways. The tension wasn't nearly as thick as I expected it to be, which made me think maybe Savannah had said something. She always was the mediator, the one to keep us from fighting. Even when we were a part of The Shield, she had been the one to easy the arguments and calm the rages that erupted from us from time to time.

"I suppose, congrats is in order here." Seth said without moving his arms an inch.

"That's funny coming from you." I answered not believing his words.

"I know what you did this morning. That took a lot of guts to do. I know that couldn't have been easy either. She meant a lot to you...to us as a group."

I understood now why he was there. Savannah let him read the card I left with her in the flowers. Was me letting go that much of a shock to people? Running a hand through my sweat soaked hair, I lifted the title onto my shoulder. "You're right...she did; but as it turns out...she's happy with you and that's all I ever wanted for her. You won't have to worry about me interfering anymore..."

"She's worried about you." He expressed, catching me completely off guard.

"Tell her that her concern is wasted."

"You can tell me yourself." Her voice interrupted.

Turning away from Seth, I could see her walking down the hall. Her long hair flowing with every step. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were narrowed, obviously annoyed with my statement. I wasn't going to change it now, it was the truth. Her concern was wasted on me, just like what she was trying to do. There was no way to mend the broken friendships between Seth, Dean and I.

"Fine, I'll say it again. Your concern is wasted. I'm fine." I stated looking right at her while doing so.

"That's bullshit. I know you Roman."

"Believe what you want to, Savannah. I don't really care."

I could tell that I hurt her feelings; but it was the right thing to do at this point. Otherwise, she was going to continue to try and fix something that couldn't be fixed. I had to keep her away, that's just the way it had to be. Nothing was going to change and I had to allow her to live her life the way she wanted to, no matter how I felt about it.

Savannah

Roman walked away, not giving me an inch to say anything else. I attempted to follow; but Seth held onto my wrist preventing me from doing so. He pulled me back to him, realizing how upset I was about the whole thing. How could he lie to my face like that? It made zero sense to me. He obviously wanted nothing to do with me, which should have made me happy; but it didn't. I wanted to hold onto that friendship. Maybe I was the delusional one.

"Let's get out of here..." He whispered placing his hand on the curve of my back.

I didn't say a single word as we walked to the car. There were just too many things going on inside my head at one time. My thoughts were fighting with each other to see which one I could dwell on first. Seth opened the passenger door for me and I got inside. He sat down behind the wheel; but never started to vehicle. "I know you're upset with what Roman said to you; but you can't dwell on it. He wants to be alone. It doesn't mean that someday down the road that he won't want your friendship again or even mine." He said looking out the windshield.

"You're right...I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry. I just don't want to see you dwell on something you can't change. I want to see that smile and see all the positive things you have going for you."

It was the first time I looked him since Roman stormed off. The sincerity in his eyes, left me feeling calm. The tension evaporated almost instantly. That was the effects this man had on me. "Savannah, you will be champion someday. When you do, I want to be to raise your arm, to kiss your lips and tell you that I knew you could do it. You are the most beautiful person I have ever met and no matter what I did, I couldn't shake you. After I left, you were on my mind every single day. You were the one I wanted."

All I could do is stare at him, allow the tears to roll down my cheeks. They weren't tears of sadness by any means. They were tears of joy. My heart was pounding so fast that I thought that I might almost faint. His smile brought such happiness and when he touched my cheek to brush the tears away, I knew that the only thing I needed was him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that...maybe...we should make this...official."

I didn't give myself any time to think, I forced myself closer to him. My mouth crashed onto his, holding his face with my hand. His touch burned the skin of my arms. The salty taste of my tears was caught in our kiss for a brief moment before being replaced by his unique taste mixed with the energy drink he had earlier in the day.

Breaking the connection, I stared into his dark eyes and leaned my forehead against his. Seth Rollins was now mine. He's been the one I've wanted since the day I met him and now that he was, I didn't know what to do. I supposed it was all going to be a learning process, for the both of us.