A/N: Thank you to AyannaCosta, Bharm, ChelleLew, justkimmy, clarembees, ItsGbruhh, ScreamAndShout-LetItAllOut, Olivia Reigns, nikki1335, LuxuriaVanitas, DeeMarie426, IRENELOVE83, Tammy, Shield316, Ctinaisfashion, broguekicking, princessreigns, benova13, CFierce116, GushyMcGushGush, caleb's babe, wwefanatic365 and ItReignsJustice-619 for the last feedback. Thanks also to all the new favorites andfollows. It's still surprising how many of you are invested this story. After all it's not an Ambrose story, which seems to get a lot of attention, and it isn't about a young WWE Diva-in-training either. It amazes me. I just hope I'm doing it justice and you're all enjoying it. Let me know if you're not. I'll take it like a man this time, lol.

Joe shifted in his tight seat, frustrated and uncomfortable. He was onboard his flight to Tampa from Seattle and they'd been awaiting takeoff for ages. Jon was probably back in Las Vegas by now and for that Joe envied him. He checked his watch. They should have been in the air fifteen minutes ago. That was fifteen minutes too long to him as it only kept him away from his girl for longer. One month was more than enough, the extra fifteen minutes felt like a lifetime.

It had been an interesting week for him and Sasha. The wrestling dirt sheets had gone rife with the outing of their relationship, with the pictures posted everywhere and inviting comments from fans. Some had even tweeted him asking him to confirm it but he ignored them all because it was really nobody's business. Personally, Joe didn't understand the media's obsession with celebrities. Not that he considered himself to be one. He was just a wrestler that a lot of people knew about. Why his relationship was making headline news anywhere was what he did not comprehend. What he and Sasha were doing was private and between the two of them. Of course, there was nothing he could do about it now. It was out there, and he would have to deal with it the best way he could.

Though she hadn't suffered a meltdown like he'd feared, Sasha was still very unhappy about it all. She wasn't taking the comments made about her by the fangirls kindly and he didn't blame her. Some of them were rather nasty. Thanks to social media he was used to all the near-rabid attention, but she wasn't. She seemed to shun the spotlight, yet another trait that Joe found attractive about her. The two of them would have to find a way to work through this aspect of his career if their relationship was going to be strong. This probably wasn't going to be the last time something like this would happen. Fans clamored for dirt about their favorite wrestlers and the sheets didn't care how they got it as long as they did and their websites got more hits in the process.

Right now, none of that mattered. All he cared about was getting back to Tampa and burying himself deep inside his girlfriend. He could still remember clearly the morning he left for work. The dick-riding Sasha had treated him to would live on in his memory forever. There was only so much phone sex could do on the road. And speaking of...

Switching from his infuriating game of Candy Crush, he tweeted a complaint about the flight delay before sending Sasha a text. This is bullshit. Shoulda taken off 15mins ago.

Her response was quick. Sorry, hun. It's just 15 mins. U'll b home soon :)

I hate delays. And I miss u :(

I miss u too baby. Hope u got my D Bry shirt

He grinned. I think I forgot. Oops :p

Then don't bother comin home :P Saw anthr comment online today btw. It was a nice one this time.

Sighing heavily, Joe immediately dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. "I thought we agreed to stop monitoring that shit, Sasha."

"I knew you'd call once I said that," she laughed. "I can't help myself. It's like a car wreck and you can't just look away. I'm just curious about what your fans are saying."

"I love the fans but what they say shouldn't matter," said Joe. "If you listen to every single thing they say you're only going to feel bad about yourself."

"I know," she sighed. "It's so weird seeing people talk about me. I don't know how you do it."

Reaching into his bag, he took out a small orange bottle, retrieved two pills from it and popped them into his mouth. "I'm used to it. It's only been a week but it will all die down soon. They'll find someone else to bitch about in no time."

"Well they better hurry up," she said, pausing when Joe yawned. "You must be exhausted."

"I just wanna get home. I hope you were joking about the shirt thing. I legit forgot about it."

"If you ain't got my shirt then stay in Seattle," she answered in a deadpan voice. "How am I supposed to support my favorite wrestler without my merch?"

"I thought Iwas your favorite," Joe pouted.

"Sorry handsome, but you haven't quite convinced me into making you my favorite."

"Really? So me fuckin' you into the mattress on the regular ain't enough?" he taunted.

Good Lord, the way he said that. Sensual heat pierced her so intensely that she nearly groaned out loud. "Close, but no cigar, big boy," she retorted after composing herself.

Joe's voice dropped another octave. "Is that a challenge, Morgan?"

He really was trying to get her hot and bothered, wasn't he? "Call it what you want, Anoa'i."

He started to say more but stopped when he saw Colby coming back. The last thing he wanted was his friend listening in on him dirty-talking to his girlfriend. "I gotta go," he said, "I'll text you when I land."

"Have a safe flight. Say hi to Colby."

"I will. I'll see you soon, baby girl. And for God's sake, stay away from the internet."

She laughed. "Fine."

"Thank you." He hung up just as Colby returned to his seat next to Joe. "So how is she?" Colby asked, fastening his seat belt. "Yes, I know it was your girlfriend on the phone. You got that goofy-ass look on your face, like the one you all say I have every time I talk to Lauren."

Joe rolled his eyes at the all-knowing expression on his friend's face. "Fine, it was her. Happy?" Looking out the tiny window on the plane, he frowned. "Can this plane fuckin' move now?" he growled.

Colby chuckled. "Dude, chill. You're going to see her soon. I know you're a man in love but jeez." He rolled his eyes for emphasis.

His friend's words, joking or not, hit the Samoan hard, right in the chest, and for a second, he felt like he couldn't breathe. "What makes you think I'm in love?" he asked, very carefully.

"Leati Joseph." The youngest Shield member shot him a look of sympathy. "You are so gone. I think you went weeks ago, to be honest." He laughed when Joe stared at him, speechless. "Don't look so shocked. It's no surprise at all. Sasha is a sweetheart and she's a beautiful, strong woman. It's easy to see why anyone would fall for her. You're a lucky man, G.I. Embrace it."

Was he in love? Joe pondered that thought. He couldn't honestly say he'd ever been in love before. He thought he loved Andrea, but it only turned out he had just been trying to do the right thing. After her, there was no one else he had held remotely amorous feelings for. Not until now. Though he knew his feelings for Sasha ran deep, he was fairly certain he wasn't quite there yet. Falling hard and fast? Yes. But not quite yet.

Nope. Not yet.

"I shoulda never shown you this shit," Pam clicked her teeth, confiscating her iPad from Sasha. "You obsessed, girl."

"I'm not obsessed."

"Yes you are. It's been a week. How about you listen to me and Joe and stop?"

She wanted to stop. She really did. But she was still utterly fascinated by all of it; how many pictures had been taken of her and Joe, six in total – obviously one of the many kids at T.K.'s basketball game that day had followed Sasha and Joe around, which she thought was creepy – how swiftly the photos had spread across social media and how quickly people had rushed to comment on them. People who had never met her, people she didn't know existed, but they suddenly thought they knew everything about her just from a couple of still shots. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment because she couldn't stop reading through all the comments she could find, taking the negative ones to heart.

Omg they look so cute together. She's so lucky *heart eyes*

Is that really his girlfriend? Not impressed.

She looks older than him.

She's hot! Check out dat azz!

They don't look good together. He deserves someone hotter. Like me :p #sorrynotsorry

She looks like his aunt. #cougar

H8ers gonna hate, she's screwing Roman and ur not.

Lol I know this ho didn't just steal my man!

Omg she's pretty and she's sooooooo lucky stop hatin and be happy for him

Lol didnt know Roman Reigns was into ratchet

And those had been the nicer ones. Joe said he was used to the attention and scrutiny. How could anyone ever get used to their business being posted online for the world to see and comment on? And it wasn't just her suffering the repercussions. Apparently T.K. was ignoring incessant questions at school. He was cool and calm about it and kept brushing off Sasha's apologies, but that was what hurt the mother-of-two the most, knowing that he was going through that because of her.

Of course, as usual, Pam was there to pick her up when she felt down. "I told you, ignore them heffas. They hatin' on you because they want what you got. Don't pay no mind to nobody. You do you, and more importantly, do your man." She winked at her best friend. "Speaking of, he's on his way home, right?"

"Yeah. There's a flight delay but he'll be in town in a couple of hours."

"You said he talked to you about visiting his family?"

Sasha bit her lip nervously. "Yeah."

Pam watched her. "And? Do you want to?"

Sasha had mused over this for quite a while now, and this was the first time she was voicing her thoughts out loud. "Yes and no. As much as I want to meet the people most important to him, I'm scared. I've heard a bit about his family from Reggie, and apparently they're very, very protective. They're like royalty in the wrestling world. I know Joe is his own man but there's no way he isn't influenced by his family and he listens to what they tell him. I'm scared they'll turn up their noses at me like everyone else."

Pam sighed. "By everyone else you mean Trevor's people."

Trevor's parents had disliked Sasha on sight. As far as they were concerned, a Harvard Law School graduate had no business being in a relationship with a woman who had two small children. His family had convinced him she had nothing to offer him. Eventually, the pressure caused him to reluctantly walk away. Sasha never forgot it, the pain and the humiliation. With a family as large and prestigious as Joe's, who was to say it wouldn't happen again, on an even bigger scale too.

"Honestly, I feel you," said Pam. "Meeting the parents is daunting. But you'll be fine. All I can tell you is when you do meet them, you hold your head high. You know who you are. You've done nothing wrong and you're not ashamed of your past, and no one, not even a bunch of giant wrestling Samoans should make you feel otherwise."

"Right. So basically hope for the best but expect the worst," Sasha smirked.

"Hey, you said that, not me," Pam said, "Now next on the agenda; when are you going on the road with him?"

"I haven't made that decision yet either."

"The fuck is taking you so long? Ty said yes, right?"

Sasha nodded. She remembered how her jaw had dropped when T.K. told her she could go with Joe. Apparently the Samoan had talked to her son and smoothed things over, which just made him that much more wonderful in the mother-of-two's eyes. Mia was okay with it as well, as long as she came back with Naomi's autograph.

"And Cheryl's agreed to keep Mia. So everything else is sorted," said Pam. "Now when Joe gets back, the first thing you ask him is when he's heading back out and what time will he pick you up."

Sasha had a look of amusement on her face. "Yes ma'am. Will you come along too?"

Pam rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I would love to come along and be a third wheel. But I'm busy. Plus I think I'd rather spend time with my own man," she said, patting the ends of her hair proudly.

"I still can't believe you're dating Elgin and you didn't tell me sooner." Sasha shook her head but she was smiling, happy for her friend.

"Because it ain't about my love life, trick. It's about yours."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "And who decreed that?"

"I did," Pam said. "It's same old, same old with me. Only difference this time is Elgin's hung around a little longer than the others. I've been waiting for a guy like Joe to happen to you forever. And now that it's happened you take center stage, honey. And you are going on the road ASAP. Case closed." With that, she got to her feet and pulled Sasha's hand. "Now that we've agreed, we need to decide what you gotta pack. First off, the essentials, which is either your tiniest bikini or your warmest winter coat, 'cause you never know where you might be going. Make sure you ask him."

Sasha didn't recall when she'd agreed with Pam, but contesting her was a futile exercise. "I keep telling you, you're better equipped for this stuff than me," she laughed, allowing the petite woman to drag her into her bedroom.

Despite his six-hour-long flight, Joe insisted on coming to Sasha's. It was closer to the airport than his house and he just needed to see her. When she opened the door to her apartment and he saw her standing there looking as beautiful as ever, he knew instantly that he'd made the right decision.

Stepping forward, Sasha threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She shut her eyes and breathed him in, and it was like a breath of fresh air. His arms circled her waist, and he lifted her off her feet in a massive hug that could easily have made up for the month they spent apart.

"It feels so damn good to hold you again, baby girl," Joe whispered, turning to mush when Sasha cupped his face and planted light, sweet kisses on his lips, and after she stopped, he had to take a moment to remember what he was saying. "Mm, that was nice. Can I have more later?"

Sasha giggled. "Sure."

"I hate being away from you for so long."

"I hate it too, because I miss you so much," she admitted, kissing his cheek, and then his lips again. "But you have to work. And I know how much you love your work."

"Not as much as I love you," he started to say, but he stopped himself just in time. Was he crazy? He saw her running in the opposite direction screaming if he ever uttered those words to her. Damn you Rollins for putting that shit in my head.

He set her back on her feet and listened with half an ear to her apologies for the state of the apartment and her appearance. She had rushed back home after work when he informed her that he was making the detour to her place. But he thought she looked fabulous, tousled and real and like the hard-working woman that she was.

"I made you lunch," she declared, taking him by the hand and leading him into the kitchen area.

"You didn't have to."

"Of course I did. You must be starving." She turned around, a plate full of food in her hand, halting when she saw him toss something into his mouth. "What was that?"

Joe took a gulp of his water. "Just a painkiller."

"I didn't know you still needed them," Sasha said.

"I've been sore from two nights ago, but it's no big deal." He narrowed his eyes at the look on her face. "I'm not overdosing if that's what you're thinking."

She frowned. "I never said you were."

"The look on your face says otherwise," he challenged.

Her head tilted to the side in part anger and confusion. Why was he being testy with her? "Is everything okay?"

Tempted to make a snide retort, he held his tongue, exhaling heavily. Clenching his jaw, he rubbed his face. "I'm sorry, babe. I'm just tired and running low on sleep."

She could see how tired he was, and it seemed to get worse every time he returned home. She was worried, but he was an adult and he knew his body's limits. Plus she didn't really want to get into an argument after having not seen him in ages. "I just want you to be careful," she told him.

"I am. I promise."

Their eyes met, holding each other's gaze, and Sasha relented. "Alright." She set the plate in front of him. "Now eat."

There was silence in the kitchen as she sat across from him, watching him wolf down his food. "Mm, this is really good," he remarked in between bites.

"Thanks." She smiled back when he gave her a grateful smile as he continued eating. "So when are you off again?" she asked.

"Jeez beautiful, I just got back," Joe answered playfully. "You chasin' me away already?"

"No. I just want to know when and what I need to pack. You know, when I come along for your next trip." Her grin widened when, in quite the comical visual, he stopped suddenly, his fork hanging in midair as he gaped at her. "For real?" he finally spluttered.

"Yeah. I'd like to know more about what it's like for you on the road. It's such a big part of your life but I know very little about it. I'd like to see for myself. I think it'll be fun. And who knows? Maybe we could throw in that visit with your parents," she added, and Joe's eyes widened even more. "You've mentioned it a couple of times, so we might as well."

Joe was taken aback. He never thought she'd agree to both. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to do any of this."

Sasha shrugged. "I might be all over the internet right now but I ain't gonna let that shit get in the way of an adventure. I've made up my mind. I wanna go. It's up to you to give the green light."

If he smiled any wider his face was going to split in two. He leaned over and kissed her lips wholeheartedly. "Baby girl, you have no idea how ecstatic I am right now."

She knew he would be. She'd agreed to it mainly because of him. She could tell he really wanted this and after everything he'd done for her, it was the least she could do. Besides, she figured it would be fun. She'd taken chance after chance when it came to the Samoan and she was yet to regret any of them. Sasha could only hope that her hot streak continued with this trip.

Final update for a while. I have exams and I've realized I'm concentrating on this fic waaaaaay too much. But that's only because I'm enjoying writing Joe and Sasha's journey so much. I almost feel like I know them now, lol. But sadly, you won't see any more updates from me until the end of July. Sorry you have to wait so long, it's just what it is.

Buckle your seatbelts for the next part of this fic. It's going to be nothing like you've seen in the previous chapters. I've had a lot of fun writing the drafts and can't wait to show it to you all.

In the meantime, thoughts about 22?