Author Note: I apologize for the last few chapters being a little on the boring side of things. I promise it will get better. I also apologize for this coming out a little later than I had planned. I've been battling joint pain in my wrists and it preventing me from typing this up. I'd like to thank Levesque-Rollins823, Krys Jericho and rkosgirl1 for the wonderful reviews. I'd also like to thank TheGreatWhite, Levesque-Rollins823, Khprobert and ficfan60 for becoming followers to this story. This chapter is going to feature Roman quite a bit. I feel like I've left him out over the last couple chapters, so enjoy and let me know what you think.

Chapter 22: Hell To Pay

Roman

A heavy breath of air escaped my mouth as I sat down across the from the title belt that meant so much to me. It was funny looking back at all the things that have happened over the last few months., how it was completely different that I had expected things to be. My best friend had sided against me. Savannah and I weren't even on speaking terms. She was now in a new relationship with my former best friend Seth Rollins. Somehow, I wasn't even too upset by that fact anymore. I knew she was far happier now and that was all that I ever wanted in the first place.

The crazy darkness that seemed to dwell deep within me has calmed somewhat since everything happened; but I wouldn't lie and say that I was okay, because I wasn't. I still missed her. I missed her smile, her voice, her touch, and her scent. Sweat rolled down my face and dripped onto the crate that housed my championship.

"Roman..." A feminine voice laced with a thick accent caught my attention.

I turned to see Becky leaning against the wall, keeping a few feet of distance between us. The look on her face was that of concern, which was unusual considering all the nasty words that have been exchanged between us for quite some time now. Her orange-red hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, still kind of damp. She wore a pair of light colored jeans with a tear across the right thigh, exposing creamy flesh, and a dark green tank top. Nothing fancy at all; but it was enough to capture my attention. "Is there something you wanted, Becky?" I asked avoiding her gaze.

"Normally I wouldn't ask you for anything...but..."

Her voice trailed off, obviously struggling with whatever was on her mind. I looked up from the floor to see her flushed cheeks and her bottom lip being chewed on. She was nervous about it. Savannah had done the same thing when nervous. "What's up? Obviously there is something going on." I stated taking a step in her direction.

"Sasha isn't here tonight and Seth took off already...I can't find my wallet so I can't pay for a taxi to take me back to the hotel."

She was in a need of a ride or money. Sasha hasn't been around much since the concussion she received at the hands of a careless referee and Seth...well I didn't expect much from him to begin with. I also heard that Krys has distanced herself from the group as well, haven't heard why though. The desperate look on her face just called to me. I wasn't going to leave her hanging. "If you stick around a little longer, I'll just give you a ride back. I need to wash up first." I finally suggested.

"I'd appreciate it..." She replied trying to smile; but it came out pretty weak.

She turned and walked away. I knew that she didn't want to be near me, not that I blamed her. I didn't break her best friend's heart in more ways than I could even count on one hand. Making it back to my locker-room, I quickly got the shower that was needed. My mind kept going back to Becky and the desperate look on her face. There was more to her story than she was willing to tell me. There was so many other people she could have asked. The question remained, why did she ask me?

Getting dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, my still wet hair dampened the shoulders of my shirt. When I stepped out of the locker-room, Becky was standing against the wall with her bag right beside her. She looked up from her phone to meet my gaze. "You ready?" I asked softly.

"Yeah..." She replied hesitantly.

She followed close behind me. The silence was awkward; but kept my mouth shut. She waited for me to unlock the doors before trying to open the passenger side door. The sound of it shutting gave me a moment to really think about what was currently going on. Tossing my own bag into the backseat, I got behind the wheel without looking at her once.

Pulling out of the parking garage, we spent a good five minutes in silence before she finally spoke. "I really do appreciate this...I know you don't really care for me too much." She said pulling her hair free of the band that held it up in the air. Her long locks flowed over her shoulders, hiding the subtle cleavage her shirt exposed.

"I think it's the other way around, Becky. It's you who doesn't care for me too much."

"I don't hate you...and Savannah doesn't either. She actually wants friendship with you sometime down the road."

"I don't know if that will ever happen."

Turning the wheel to cross lanes, I could see that her eyes were on me. She was studying me. Shying away, she turned her head towards the window. The sky was free of clouds and every star in the night sky was sparkling bright. It reminded me of simpler times, when everyone looked at me like a person and not some cheating asshole. What people didn't know, is that I'd do anything to take it all back. There is so much regret surrounding that night and everything I didn't to push Savannah away instead of coming to her directly. Including, the moment of weakness I had to hire that private investigator to keep tabs on her.

"You can't tell me that you don't miss her." She stated shifting back to look at me.

"Of course I miss her. The time I spent with her as part of The Shield was special and then the four years I was with her...nothing will ever make me stop caring for her."

"Then why did you push her away when she tried to keep the friendship...even after everything you did...?"

That was the million dollar question wasn't it. The point of keeping her away was the only right thing to do. There was no point in being where I wasn't needed or wanted. If I did that, then I would feel exactly what Seth did all those years ago and I didn't want to do that. "Why are you so concerned about this? You don't even like me." I stated changing the subject quickly before she caught onto the fact I wasn't willing to speak on the topic previously discussed.

"I..." She cut herself off.

"My point exactly..."

I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and shoved the vehicle into park before turning it off. Becky exited the car fairly quickly, reaching for her bag in the backseat. She was flustered that much was obvious. Her movements were erratic, fast paced. I stepped out in front of her to stop her from bolting away. "Roman...thank you..."

"No need to thank me."

A small glimmer of a smile graced her lips before stepping out around me. I turned to watch her walk away only for her to stop a few feet into her stride. She turned her head back towards me, her cheeks flushed in a pink color. "Just so you know...I never said that I didn't like you. I just didn't like what you did to her and I never will like that; but...I see how remorseful you are of it. I see the pain behind those eyes every day."

"Doesn't change anything. Take care, Becky." I stated walking passed her.

I knew her eyes were still on me and it made me wonder why. My phone rumbled against the palm of my hand. Opening the message, I never expected to see what was displayed. There was a picture of Becky's driver's license and the brown leather of her wallet. The words underneath immediately alerted me. "You screw me over and I will make everyone you care for lives a living hell." I knew who it was without seeing the number. Adrian Devox.

Tightening my grip on my phone, I turned back around to see that Becky hadn't gone too far. A lump had formed in my throat. Was I really ready to spill my guts about the mistakes I've made? It had to been now or someone else was going to suffer. "Becky!" I called loudly.

"Yeah." She replied turning back around to look at me.

"There is something I should tell you, can we talk somewhere private?"

"Sure, come up to my room."

Seth

The flight took twice as long as I had anticipated it taking. The delays were insane and it annoyed the hell out of me. I had to stay at the airport overnight before the flight even took place. It was already 3:30 in the afternoon and Savannah would be at the Performance Center training under Amelia. I supposed it was better than nothing; but it wasn't how I wanted to surprise her. Finally pulling into the parking garage on the far side of the center, my hands rested on the steering wheel for a few moments before I turned the ignition off. The longer I sat there, the more my mind wandered to what Becky had spoke of yesterday. Was there something else going on that I didn't know about?

Walking into the building, Savannah was in mid-air perfecting another aerial tactic. Amelia was looking on from outside the ring, coaching her. "One more time." She stated as Savannah got back up from the safety mat. I leaned against the inside wall, watching...admiring how beautiful she looked in just lime green workout clothes with her long violet hair pulled up into a ponytail. Seeing her in that moment, all my worries drifted away without so much as another glance.

"That's it! Good job!" Amelia praised clapping her hands together.

"Thank you." Savannah replied getting back to her feet again.

Her eyes shifted and caught sight of me. Her eyes went wide for a moment. Amelia turned to see me standing there as well. A smile curved her lips and took a step away. Savannah climbed out of the ring and bolted in my direction. She threw her arms around my neck and held on. I smiled, holding her close. Her scent was still the same, strangely comforting. "Did you miss me?" I whispered with a low chuckle.

"Yes."

"I missed you to."

She snuggled her head into my chest. My lips found the top of her head easily enough. Amelia sat down on one of the benches, holding a knee up against her chest. I wondered how things have been between them. Were they still at odds or were they better? "How is the training coming?" I asked taking a step back.

"I'd say she's finished; but it's up to Hunter to make the call." Amelia commented.

"There is always room for improvement." Savannah countered.

There was a fire burning in her eyes that was nothing but pure determination. This was one of the reasons I fell so hard for her in the first place. She always wanted to get better...just like I did. I also noticed that there didn't seem to be any animosity between the sisters like there once had been in the past. Savannah turned to smile at her and I had my answer. "Go on, Sav. There really isn't anything else I can teach you. I'll talk to the other trainers and see where we stand in the morning."

"Thank you...for everything."

"You let me know when your first match or appearance is? I'll be there."

"I will definitely do that."

She let go of me to cross the room and embrace her younger sister tightly. It was nice to see her interacting with family on friendly terms. Leaning down, she grab a hold of her bag and returned to where I was standing. With a wave of my hand, we left the center. Savannah instantly laced her fingers through mine the second we were out the door. "I'm guessing things are fine between the two of you now." I observed.

"Yeah...it took a while; but she's been great."

"I'm happy for you. I know how much the tension bothered you."

All she did was smile before I pulled her back to me. I unlocked our hands and slid it up her arm to cup the side of her face. She leaned into my touch with a shut of her eyes. Without waiting any longer, my lips captured her feverishly. The intensity was greater than anything I've experienced so far with her. She met me at every angle with just as much desperation. Before I knew it, I had backed her up against the trunk of my rental. Her right leg had curled around mine with a need to be even closer. A soft moan escaped her mouth through parted lips. It enticed me so much; but I knew there would be plenty of time for things like this later. For now, I wanted to treat her like my girlfriend and the woman I cared so much for. She deserved to be spoiled.

"As much as I would love to continue kissing you, there is other things I want to do with you today." I said breaking our connection.

"Like what?" She asked with ever so adorable coy smile.

"I guess you will just have to find out for yourself."

"Fine..."

Her bottom lip stuck out a little further than her upper in attempts to pout. She was so infuriating and all I wanted to do was taste those lips all over again. Thankfully she moved out around me to get into the car; otherwise, that was exactly what I had done. She flipped through the XM channels until she found something deemed worthy to listen to, which happened to be 'Warrior' by Evans Blue.

Her voice never got old. In fact, it was something I looked forward to. It didn't take me long to get back to Becky's apartment. I was actually surprised to see her car still parked in the parking lot, which meant she had gotten a ride this morning. "I'm really glad you decided to come down here." She commented getting out of the car.

"Like I would go that long without coming to check on you. Phone calls only do so much, Savannah." I replied following her up the stairs and awaited for her to unlock the door.

"I know. I've been quite lonely down here since you left to go back on the road."

She wasn't the only one who felt that way and hopefully Hunter will give the green light soon. I wanted her at my side again. Of course there was that rumor of a draft coming up, that worried me as well. There was a possibility that we would end up on separate shows. We still had some time before that went into effect. We needed to soak it all in while we could.

Savannah walked inside and dropped her bag by the door. Kicking her shoes off, she immediately went back to the spare bedroom where she slept. I followed after. She was leaning over an open suitcase full of her clothes. My body seemed to react on its over, making me close the distance between us. Wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, she leaned back into me. My hands rested on her stomach, feeling the soft skin of her hips when I shifted them. It was getting harder for me to resist her. "When do you go back?" She asked.

"Tomorrow night." I answered honestly, though I doubted it was anything she really wanted to hear.

"If I'm cleared of training, do you think I can go back with you?"

"I don't see why not; but that's only if you are cleared."

Nuzzling the side of her neck, my lips found the sensitive flesh. Her body swayed against me, rubbing against all places that sent pleasurable shocks throughout my entire body. Mentally cursing, I released her. I had to behave for the sake of not ruining the night I had planned out for us. "I'm going to get cleaned up." She whispered stepping away from me.

Once she was out of sight, I pulled out my phone from the pocket of my jeans. There was a missed called and a message waiting for my attention. Everything was from Becky. It was extremely odd for her to be calling me, not so much with the messages. "Keep a close eye on Savannah while your down there, please. I'll explain later." It read; but it didn't really make any sense. I always paid close attention to her. Unless...Savannah had been right all along when she felt like there was someone watching her.

That thought made me want to call Becky to find out for sure; but the time difference was an issue. She might not even be awake at this time of day. I was just going to have to do what she asked of me. Keeping a close watch on her shouldn't be too hard, should it? I stared to pace along the floor, running a hand through my hair and opening-closing my hands. I did my best to shove those thoughts to the back of my head. I wanted to enjoy my night with her and not waste it by constantly worrying about who was looking at her; but it looks like I was going to have to do a little of both.