A/N: Man, Roman's injury though. That ish came outta nowhere. How scary must that feel? Waking up in such pain, next thing you're in the hospital prepping for surgery, the day before a pay-per-view of all days. That has to suck. The way the news blew up twitter though…if Joe didn't know he was loved before, he does now.

Thank you to justkimmy, Ashleymcd25, ChelleLew, Cougar3371, too much drama 1225, Sasha, Siren's Call To The Dead, Olivia Reigns, CFierce116, benova13, demonicseer, ItsGbruhh, Bharm, nikki1335, Shield316, ItReignsJustice-619, LuxuriaVanitas, ThatGirl54, IRENELOVE83, DeeMarie426, Tammy, princessreigns and kitkat1488 for the reviews. I'm glad you want me to continue with ITDE. I have a bad habit of not completing stories but I'm determined this time. I've become just as invested in Jasha as you all have, if not more.

Enjoy 32!

Song choice: "Make It Work" by Ne-Yo.

"Have I told you before that I like your tattoo?"

Joe chuckled softly at his girlfriend's weary voice drifting through his ears. It was the first word either of them had spoken since their last romp ended several minutes ago. "A couple of times, yeah," he answered, lazily running his fingers through her sex-tousled hair as thunder rolled on outside. They'd been in the middle of round two on his daybed when rain began to fall out of nowhere, forcing them to retreat to his bedroom. Both were high on happiness, set on exploring their newly declared love for each other and determined to make up for their time apart, to the point that they did not make it into his bed until round four, with Joe taking her roughly against the wall for the rest of round two and Sasha straddling him on the floor in round three. The fourth was just as frantic, with Sasha gripping the headboard for dear life, her legs on Joe's shoulders as they cried out each other's names. Spent and sore, they were now propped up against the headboard, swathed in the soft sheets and covers of the bed. Sasha's back rested against Joe's chest, her cheek pressed to his bicep and her fingers tracing the intricate lines etched in the bulging arm curled around her neck. The Samoan cradled her in his arms, basking in the afterglow of their reunion. Nothing could quite describe how he was currently feeling. He'd dreamed about this for a long time and that it had come true brought nothing but joy to his heart.

"Well I'll say it again. I like it," Sasha said, turning her head to place a kiss on his bicep. "I'm not fond of tattoos because most of them are ugly and look like so much pain. I still can't believe you spent thirty hours on this. But it was worth it. It looks good on you."

"Maybe, but it's definitely not as good as the brand new one you gave me," he joked, pointing at his other shoulder where Sasha's teeth marks branded the skin close to the base of his neck. She turned around for a better look and laughed. "You light-skinned boys and your fragile selves," she commented, brushing her thumb over the reddened bruise. "T.K. gets bit by an insect and he's redder than a tomato. Anyway, I was simply marking you as mine, baby. It looks hot. Goes with your badass character. Add in your brush with the law and you're pretty much the quintessential bad boy, Mr. Reigns," she winked and grinned.

"Come on, it happened one time!" Joe protested, his arms raised incredulously. "And it was hardly badass. I was a College freshman and I was an impressionable idiot. I sure as hell didn't feel badass after my folks tore me a new one when they found out. Even worse is there's evidence of that shitty-ass night on the internet. My hair super-short and sticking up at all ends looking like I got electrocuted."

"Come on, you couldn't have looked that bad," Sasha laughed as he held her again.

"Trust me babe, I did. I didn't look much like I do now. My hair wasn't long and not many of these muscles were there then. Just a whole lot of extra meat on my bones. It's the ugliest mug shot in mug shot history."

"I saw your older photos at your parents' place," said Sasha, "You were definitely in shape. You know, like a football player."

"I didn't think so. Those were the chubby days for me. I actually passed the three hundred pound mark at one point and I didn't feel at all healthy. I managed to finally shed majority of the fat and build the muscles right before I joined the WWE." He glanced at his shoulder again, a shit-eating grin on his face. "You've never bit me before, babe. I like. It's pretty hot." He looked down at her with a smirk. "I musta dicked you down real good to get such a nice present." His lips scooped her earlobe while he palmed her breast. "Am I right, baby girl? Did I give it to you good?"

His warm breath and deep baritone voice heated up her skin, and if she wasn't so tired she'd have mounted him again. "You always give it to me good, baby. You know that." Tilting her head, her mouth found his, and the couple momentarily lost themselves in the kiss. Breaking away reluctantly, she pecked his cheek and leaned further into his warm body, sighing blissfully as his hand smoothed over the curve of her waist and hip, the gesture gentle and soothing. It was moments like this that she loved and missed while they were apart; the alone time, talking and cuddling – preferably naked like they were now – and doing nothing else. "I've always liked that, you know."

Joe kissed her temple. "What?"

"That you call me baby girl. It makes me feel sexy."

"You are sexy." He stroked her hair affectionately, inhaling the familiar coconut scent.

Sasha scrunched up her nose. "Trust me, before you came along I don't think I even remembered what that word meant. When you're trying to raise a pair of kids and keep your life in order, you forget that lipstick and high heels exist."

"But that's the thing, babe. Being sexy isn't just about the physical appearances. It's the way you carry yourself, your confidence. You got that in spades, at least that's what I thought when we first met. You don't realize how sexy you are and that's what makes you sexy in my eyes," he finished off with a small grin.

His words brought a bashful smile to her face. "Oh stop it, you. You're gonna make me blush now." Shifting so that she was sitting on his lap, her dark eyes fell upon the legal pad on the nightstand. "Is that the new Raw script?" she asked.

Joe followed her gaze and shook his head. "No. That's therapy." He made the quotation sign with his fingers and rolled his eyes. "Last week Doc suggested I write down how I was feeling about my situation. At first I thought it was stupid but I figured what the hell, if it helps I guess. I only put in one entry because that's pretty much how I felt for a fortnight straight."

"Can I see?"

"It's pretty deep stuff," the Samoan murmured, ducking his head as his fingers raked his hair back. Was he blushing?

"Deep? You? Now this I gotta see," she teased, holding one hand out while using the other to draw the sheets up to her chest. "Give it here."

"Funny. Real funny." Chuckling, he handed her the notepad, wrapping both arms around her body and resting his chin on her shoulder as he watched her open the first page.

This is stupid. I don't want to write this shit. Because it's not helping. All it's doing is reminding me of how badly I've fucked up. I was a dick. I was frustrated by my knee, my mom and pops, by having to relive the ordeal with Andrea, and I took it all out on Sasha. I know everything she heard and witnessed during our trip must have spooked her but I didn't see it that way. I got angry and scared and I pushed her even further away. It's been over a week now and we've not spoken. I want to call her but I doubt she wants anything to do with me. She probably hates me now and that kills me.

I miss her so damn much. I miss her smile. I miss her voice and her weird laugh. I miss the way she looks at me, whether she's thinking I'm a complete doofus or she's about to rip my clothes off. Hell, I even miss her bad singing to those weird rock songs on the radio. I know I'm torturing myself thinking about her but I can't help myself. She's all I ever think about anymore, all I ever see even when I close my eyes, and I know why.

I'm in love with her.

Admitting it to myself was easier than I thought because I've felt this way for quite a while now. What makes it even more real was it was so easy falling for her. I can write about what I love about her all day; how sassy she is, the way she stands up for herself. I love how shy she gets when I compliment her, which still baffles me because she has no reason to be shy. She's beautiful and smart and sexy and genuine. She works so hard and she doesn't take shit from anybody. Not even my dad. I love how devoted she is to the people she loves. Her son, her daughter, her best friend. I love how she and my own friends get along so easily. She's been open-minded and accepting of what I do for a living, and that means so much to me. I love how she wants nothing from me even though I'd give her the whole damn world if she asked. I love that she trusted me enough to let me be a part of her life. She has a hard time trusting people but she let me in anyway. And I broke that trust. I shunned her just like Mom did. I broke her trust like Andrea broke mine.

I won't blame her if she never forgives me, but then I'm terrified that I've thrown away the best thing that has ever happened to me. We may be over and she would never know how I truly feel about her. That she makes my heart race by just smiling at me. My blood pumps when she touches me. When she holds me, everything is right with the world. She is everything to me and I wish she could see that. We haven't been together that long but I already see myself being with her for even longer. I see a future. There's absolutely no doubt how I feel about her. I love her. I need her and I can't bear to lose her. You don't let someone that special go and I'd do anything to get a second chance. But it's all up to her and I can only hope she does give me another chance.

Sasha's vision blurred with tears as she stared at the notepad. She looked at Joe, at a loss for what to say.

The big man's voice was soft as he caressed her face. "Please don't cry, beautiful. It breaks my heart when I see you cry."

Sniffing, she wiped her eyes. "This is so sweet, baby."

"I'm a sap, aren't I?" This time there was no mistaking the blush that crept into his chiseled cheeks.

"That's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said about me," she responded.

"And I meant every word, Sash. Everything I wrote in there, everything I said to you today. I mean it. I love you and I want to make us work." It was true. The instant chemistry, the connection they shared was one he'd never had with anyone else. She was so different from everything he was used to. They'd only known each other for a number of months but it felt like longer. Everything just seemed to fall into place. He'd heard horror stories about dating a woman with kids. Sure, he didn't always get to see her at his convenience because T.K. and Mia had her attention, and his own schedule didn't help things any. But he didn't mind one bit. It always worked itself out in the end. He got to be with her and that was all that mattered. "You need to let me know when I screw up. We got such a good thing going on between us and I couldn't bear it if it got messed up again."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, handsome," Sasha replied. "No relationship is perfect. It's up to both of us to make it work. Of course, it won't always be smooth sailing. We're going to argue and we're going to fight and we might even want to rip each other's head off at times, but as long as we work it out and stick together, we'll be okay."

Joe smiled. "If you say we will, then I believe you." He kissed her lips, exhaling contentedly as Sasha returned his affection. This was a day he wished would never end. And to think that it may never have happened. The smile on his face had to be surgically removed. "I love you."

"I love you too." She gave him another kiss and glanced outside. It had stopped raining. "I should head out soon."

Joe tightened his hold around her. "Stay a little longer," he implored. "I'll take you home myself. Besides, your clothes are all wet from the rain."

"There's a dryer in your laundry room though," Sasha pointed out.

"It's broken," he said quickly, and the mother of two giggled at the shameless fib. He pushed off the headboard and lowered her down to the disheveled bed. She shivered, biting her lip as he dipped his head to kiss a trail along her neck. He settled between her legs, exposing her center to the hard ridge of his erection. He was ready to go yet again and from previous experience, she wasn't surprised in the least when she sensed her own body gearing up for him once more. She had to admit, it was a definite upside to shacking up with an athlete. A young, nubile, breathtakingly attractive athlete.

"Ohhh, I get it," she breathed, feeling his hand on her thigh. "This is all part of your grand master plan to keep me here, huh?"

"More or less." There was that heated stare again, that cocky, oh-so-sexy smile of his as his face hovered inches from hers. "Is it working?"

Winding her hands in his hair, she pulled him down. "Perfectly."

Round five began.

It was evening time when Sasha returned home. She was floating on air as she made her way up the usually long flight of stairs leading up to her apartment. The kids were back, and she expected T.K. to have rustled up something for himself and Mia to eat until she returned.

She met Mia seated at the kitchen table doing homework with the radio on. "Baby turn down the music a little, I can hear it from outside," she said, kissing the little girl's forehead when she got near. She asked her how her day went as she spotted two dirty plates in the sink. Good, they'd eaten. "Where's your brother? In his room?"

"Yeah," Mia replied without looking, engrossed in her work. Sasha walked over to her son's room and knocked softly, waiting for a beat before letting herself in. "Hi baby."

He looked up from his relaxed position on his bed, his basketball gear laying by his feet. Sasha was amazed by how much bigger he had become. Bigger arms and shoulders and more defined muscles. Ever since he first spent time at the gym with The Shield and some of the other wrestlers, he'd become a gym buff. He'd started going on some diet Jon had mentioned to him and all he seemed to be interested in these days was Cross Fit. It bordered on obsessive but she didn't mind. It was a much better alternative to the more dangerous, illegal activities his peers were partaking in. The results of his dedication were showing, and she had to say he looked good.

"Hi Mom," T.K. greeted. "You're back late. Long day?"

"You could say that," she answered shortly. She wondered how he would feel about her and Joe reconciling. Mia's reaction would be positive but she wasn't sure about T.K. He had warmed up to Joe in the past couple of months but that protective streak was always there. She noticed the sheet of letter-headed paper he kept flipping around in his hands, as well as the small brown package beside him. "What you got there? Looks important."

Glancing down at the item in question, he sighed. "College. I've got a response back."

"Oh. That's early. I didn't think the responses would start rolling in this quick." She sat beside him on his bed. "Who from?"

"Mason Hill." He handed the letter to her. "I got in."

Sasha's eyes widened and she squealed excitedly. "Oh my God! Baby! Congratulations!" She nearly knocked him over with the hug she gave him but she was just so happy. When she pulled back however, there was pout on her son's features. "Baby why the glum face? This is awesome news."

"I wasn't offered the scholarship."

At that piece of information, Sasha's elation deflated. "Aw, I'm sorry."

"Ma, I applied to bigger schools," said T.K., "If MHU can't grant me a scholarship how will you be able to afford the others?" The last thing he wanted was her swimming in his student debt. She still had Mia to take care of after all.

"Don't you worry about any of it Ty," Sasha finally answered. "I'm handling it. Besides, you shouldn't think that way. Just because MHU didn't give it to you doesn't mean the others won't. Have some faith."

T.K. eyed her closely. "Are you sure you won't let me look for a job?"

Sasha pursed her lips with a sigh. "Haven't we discussed this before?"

"Ma…" He trailed off.

Sasha sensed his frustration. That he cared so much made her love him even more if that was possible. But he had to face facts. "Tyson, mixing a job and school is not going to work out. You either do one or the other. I never got to finish high school and it's something I wish I could go back and do every day. And this has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I had you baby. You know I love you with all my heart. But I don't want you living your life wondering, 'what if?' Trust me. You don't want to put yourself through that. Besides, you need to complete high school and get a diploma otherwise we won't even be sitting here talking about College." She placed her hand on the back of his neck, forcing him to meet her eyes. "I am taking care of things. I promise. I just need you to focus on school and then bringing the Championship home, alright?"

The teenager searched his mother's eyes, sensing finality in her demeanor. Hiding his disappointment, he nodded. "Okay." He leaned back against the wall and stretched out his legs. "So, anything interesting happen at the Grill today? Was there another bar fight like two nights ago?" he asked, amusement in his eyes.

Sasha chewed the inside of her cheek. Here it goes. "Joe came to see me."

The teenager's expression was unreadable. "And?"

"We…we made up. We're back together. We had a very long talk today and decided to work things out." Her brows furrowed when he made no response. "Baby, I know you're always going to be skeptical about Joe and I'm grateful that you care so much. But…he's different. In a good way too."

T.K. looked at his mother. "I know."

Sasha blinked. "You know?" she asked, not expecting him to agree with her.

He didn't miss the look of confusion on her face. Sighing resignedly, he went on. "Look Ma. I'll admit I wanted to beat his ass when-"

"Boy. Language."

"Sorry. I wanted to make him hurt when I found out he was the reason you've been so upset this past couple of weeks. But I thought about it and you're right. Joe is different. For one, for a famous guy he's really down-to-earth which surprised me a lot. He's the only guy you've dated that actually can't be around twenty-four seven, yet has made more time for you than all the past guys combined. It's obvious how much he likes you and maybe there was a misunderstanding between you two, I don't know. Of course I don't want him hurting you, Mama. I don't want anyone ever hurting you or Mia. But I figured I'll take a step back this time and give him a chance because something told me you two might work things out. So yeah," T.K. smiled. "It's kinda cool that you're back together. He's a cool dude."

Sasha couldn't keep the relief, or the huge grin, from spreading over her face. "Baby, you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you so much." Putting her arms around him, she kissed his cheek. "You know I love you, right? No matter what happens with me, you and your sister always come first."

"I know, Ma." T.K. smiled, happy that his mother was happy.

"Good." Patting his thigh, she stood up. "Get dressed. We're going out to celebrate."

T.K. beamed. "Yeah?"

"Of course! You got into College, we should celebrate. Me, you and Mia. We can go wherever you want since it's your treat."

"Okay!" T.K. stood up, rummaging through a drawer for a clean shirt. "We really need to talk about this cussin' thing though," he said. "Everyone cusses these days. Why can't I even say ass? Hell, I've heard you and Aunt Pam cuss each other out before, more than once."

"It don't mean it's right," Sasha retorted. "I don't wanna hear any of that crap coming out of your mouth or I will padlock it shut, you hear me? Just because those Lil' Wayne, 2 Chainz idiots are doing it don't mean you should."

"Ma, why you hatin' on Weezy?"

"That nappy-headed Gremlin-lookin' freak? Um, no." She shot her son a pointed look. "No cussing. At least not until you're twenty-one."

"But that's in three years' time!"

"I'm sure you can hold on until then," she quipped, poking his cheek with her index finger. "Now get dressed before I change my mind and go to bed instead."

A little quiet, I know. The next chapter won't be. ;) Working on it as we speak. Hopefully it will be out soon. Kindly review this one! Top to bottoms as usual if you please. :D