A/N: I predicted the Roman backlash at the RR in chapter 25 of this fic. Nearly a week has passed and I still feel the way I did on Sunday night: Screw you, WWE. Screw you for dropping the ball with Roman since his return from injury with those stupid promos ('sufferin' succotash'? Really?) You rushed his push and then fed him to the PHILLY fans of all people, and knowing that was the reaction he'd get you recruited the Rock to try to make the save. Such bullshit booking. I still have faith in Roman and I'm hoping that now he's been put in this spot he makes it through this some way somehow. His promos on Raw gave me hope. But those motherfuckers in Stanford set him up and I think that's messed up. He's a talented dude and in no way deserved that shitty reaction he got on Sunday. Trash.

Seth Rollins is the man. Period. Gold, diamond and platinum all rolled into one.

Hugs and kisses to mitchy21, lunatic Queen, terrain bascomb, Tammy, BillionDollarPrinceStephanie, Bharm, LuxuriaVanitas, CFierce116, benova13, Shield316, DeeMarie426, ChelleLew, ItReignsJustice-619, fenner82, justkimmy, nikki1335 and IRENELOVE83. I've tried to make the story and my characters seem as realistic as possible, but with a lot of you commenting on how perfect Joe is, I almost feel like I've failed at my objective because, 'lesbihonest' (thank you AJ) no one's perfect. But maybe I'm being paranoid.

Been wanting to post this update but I've been suffering from a cold. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy!

The hotel bar was crammed with WWE superstars and crew milling about, hanging out and chatting – even after a busy day no one seemed ready to go to bed yet. Lifting his beer to his lips, Joe watched with a smirk as T.K. lounged on a sofa in the distance, literally sandwiched between NXT girls Paige and Alexa Bliss, a dreamy look in the kid's eyes as the two beautiful girls wrapped around him from both sides. The Australians were chatting animatedly, and he probably wasn't getting a word in but he seemed perfectly content just listening to them and their appealing accents. Joe was tempted to take a picture and send it to Sasha, but knowing his protective girlfriend, she would probably freak out over this little tableau.

"Looks like someone's got their 'protective big brother' headlights on."

Joe turned as Jon slid into the barstool beside him and cast him a smirk at his statement. "Like you haven't taken to the kid," the Samoan disputed smoothly.

Jon shrugged. "Touché. It's tough not to like him though." He motioned for the bartender to get him what Joe was having. "He's like a cute little puppy dog ya know? You just wanna keep him and pet him."

Joe laughed. "Sasha will kick your ass if she hears you referred to her kid as a dog."

"Only way she's gonna hear about it is if you open your big mouth," said Jon, craning his neck to look over at Colby sitting quietly on the other side of the Samoan. "Dude, what the fuck's wrong with you? You've been quiet all damn day."

Colby looked up from his beer and met his best friends' inquisitive gazes. "Fine, fine. I um…I've been thinking of proposing to Lauren," he said.

The statement was calm but full of resolve, and it brought instant smiles to his friends' faces. "For real? When?"

The Davenport native shrugged one shoulder. "Haven't decided yet. But I just know it feels right, guys. Everything's going good for us. Our careers, us living together…it's really good. Feels like it's the right time to take this step."

Joe grinned. "That's awesome, man. You know we approve. L's a great girl. She was there for me through my shit with Andrea. She's been there for you since y'all were teens. You're perfect together," he said, with Jon nodding his agreement.

A bartender placed a bowl of nachos and guacamole dip in front of the three men. Jon immediately reached for a chip as Colby pushed his two-toned hair back and focused his gaze on Joe. "So what about you, big man? When are you going to pop the question to our girl Sasha?" he asked.

"I did."

The boys gaped at him. "What?!"

"Not directly," he clarified. "I told her I planned to someday. But I think I freaked her out so I've put the kibosh on it, for now."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure it'll happen eventually," said Colby. "Maybe she doesn't feel ready yet. But she obviously loves you and wants to be with you. T.K.'s like a little brother to you now. I say you're pretty close to settling down and having the family you've always wanted. It's only a matter of time."

"I don't think it's that set in stone, bro. But we've decided to take things a little slower, which makes sense. We haven't been together all that long anyway."

"What about moving in together?"

Joe strummed his fingers on top of the table. "Same thing. Taking our time." He turned and raised an eyebrow when he saw Paige and Alexa leading T.K. towards one of the elevators. "Where are they going?"

"Where d'you think they're going?" Jon smirked.

"Not to watch Dora the Explorer, that's for sure." Colby hid his snicker behind his beer bottle.

Joe paused, narrowing his eyes curiously as his friends exchanged knowing gazes. "Wait…y'all hooked that shit up, didn't you?"

Jon quickly put his hands up. "Hey. They came to us. Said they liked him and wanted to hang out with him. Nothing wrong with that." He laughed at the jokingly annoyed look on Joe's face. "Come on G.I. It's his birthday weekend. Let him have some fun. I doubt he's a virgin anyway, if that's what you're concerned about."

"Well if he is, he won't be in the morning," said Colby.

"That my friend, is the plan," Jon said, clinking bottles with his Shield brother.

Shooting another glance at the now shut elevator, Joe shrugged and shook his head. He guessed if the kid was going to get laid, he could do worse than with two hot female athletes.

"Baby, tell Pam to quit eyeballing my hair."

Sasha looked across the kitchen counter at her friend, who was gawking at Joe tying up his long hair in a bun. "Pam, quit eyeballing my man's hair," she giggled.

"I can't help it. It's so long and luscious," Pam gushed, her gaze trailing the large Samoan as he accepted bottle of water Elgin passed to him. Sasha managed to convince Joe to help Elgin out with setting up the gym in Elgin and Pam's new five-bedroom home, which they'd moved into a week ago. Due to her pregnancy, Pam had to take time off from her job at the gym and her dance kids. With the move completed and nothing else for her to do, she could fully concentrate on planning her wedding, and being her Maid of Honor, she wanted Sasha to be involved. Pam knew what she wanted, and they were currently waiting for the wedding planner to show up at the house so they could start hashing out the details.

"You're a weirdo," Joe laughed at Pam. "Other women have food cravings when they're pregnant. You got hair cravings. You've pestered the Usos too."

"Oh she got food cravings too," said Elgin. "Two nights ago I drove to Walmart and bought her a jar of pickles. It was all she wanted. She ate everything right in front of me."

Sasha grimaced. "Pickles? Eww."

"Shut up trick. You of all people should know how pregnancy cravings work. But I gotta ask you Joe, what are you Samoan boys doing with all that hair anyway?" Pam demanded, running her hand over her now visible, twenty-week-old belly. "Is it some sort of tradition or something? If not I'd like to cut it up. You know, make a nice weave out of it, maybe sell it for big bucks. We could split the profits down the middle if you want."

"Tempting. But no can do, darlin'," Joe replied, "My dime piece needs something to pull in bed. Right babe?"

"Right," said Sasha, leaning up to give him a kiss. When it went on for longer than it should have, Pam rolled her eyes and mimicked sticking her finger down her throat. "I would throw up from all the mushiness but I'm all out of vomit," she quipped.

Sasha broke the kiss and stuck out her tongue at her friend. She then turned back to her boyfriend, watching him scroll through his phone. "What is it?" she asked, noting the frown on his face.

"Some dude texting me, claiming he went to high school with me and the twins. He wants a tryout at the Performance Center. Whatever," he sighed and shook his head. "This shit happens all the time."

"You famous brah. Everyone wants a piece of the mighty Roman Reigns," Sasha grinned.

"I just wonder how the fuck they get my number. I know it's not from my family. Ugh." He rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna have to change it. Again."

A group of men bustled into the house with a treadmill. Elgin patted Joe's arm. "Break's over. Come on."

"Have fun with the gym, boys," Sasha called, leaning on the kitchen countertop as she watched them walk away.

"Have fun wedding planning," Joe retorted with a wink, following Elgin out of the room.

The wedding planner was a nice young woman called Jessica. Elgin surrendered his credit card to his fiancée and allowed her to do whatever she wanted, as long as all he had to do was show up on the day in a tux. There was a lot of work to do for the wedding, it turned out. Suddenly, a lot of days on the calendar were being filled in for appointments to see venues, try on dresses, taste cakes among others. But Jessica seemed competent, so Pam put her faith in her.

While Pam and Jessica discussed, Sasha found herself keeping a very watchful eye on Jessica's sister, Heather, whom she had brought along. Heather was strangely strolling around like she owned the place, and her eyes were fixed on Joe and Elgin as they went in and out of the house with the gym equipment installers, blatantly scrutinizing their backsides each time he walked past. "Hot damn," she sighed, an eyebrow lifted in appreciation as she sipped on her water.

Jessica looked up from the web page she was showing Pam. "Everything okay, Heather?" she asked.

"Yep. Just looking at the buffet," Heather smirked, tugging down her short skirt. "The big guy with the tattoo is like, so sexy. I definitely don't mind going for a ride on that stallion."

Several months had passed since they started dating, and Sasha was still learning to appreciate, instead of loathe, the fact that women lusted after her boyfriend. Frankly, you had to be either blind or lesbian not to find him attractive. It was a tough position to be in, but she had to take it in stride. She trusted him, and in the end, she was the one he came home to.

Pam however, wasn't having any of that shit. "Hey, Heather…have I introduced you to my best friend, Sasha?" she said, putting a hand on Sasha's shoulder. "She happens to be the girlfriend of the stallion you wanna ride," she spat out the last few words.

Visibly surprised by this information, the young woman blinked as she looked Sasha up and down, then made a mocking sound. "You? Really? Aren't you a little old for him?" she sneered.

"Heather!" Jessica gaped at her sister.

"He ain't complainin'," said Pam. "And why would he? You see that ass and them titties? Sasha, get up. Show her what you workin' with." She urged Sasha to her feet and spun her around, proudly patting her friend's butt. "Your ass look anything like this? Are your titties real? No? Exactly. A man like that don't do silicone Barbie wannabes, so how 'bout you take that mess somewhere else, little girl."

There really was nothing to add to that, was there? Sasha merely crossed her legs and glared challengingly at Heather, who recoiled, shocked that she was being spoken to like that, and looked to Jessica for backup. When it was clear she was getting no support, she tossed her blonde hair back with a huff and marched out of the house.

Jessica looked pleadingly to the two women before her. "I am so sorry about my sister, I don't have a clue what that was about…Please don't fire me." If she bungled this lucrative account in any way, her boss would surely fire her.

"We don't have a problem with you," said Pam.

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much. Let me go check on her. Please? I'll be back."

Once Jessica was out of sight, Sasha burst out laughing. "You are out of your mind, crazy pregnant lady," she said.

"What? I was making a point," shrugged Pam. "Comin' up in here runnin' her mouth, tryin' to stick her nose in another woman's business. My future brother-in-law may be a hot commodity but he ain't community commodity."

A smirk tugged at the mother-of-two's lips. "Future brother-in-law?"

"Um, yeah! He's already said he wants to marry you, right?"

Sasha felt her cheeks warm. "I told you, we've shelved those thoughts for the moment. We agreed that it's too soon to be talking about that. But I think I've turned him off it altogether cuz he hasn't said a word about it since."

Pam typed in something on her laptop. "Oh trust me girl, he's still thinking about it. That boy looks at you like you're the reason the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. He'll bring it up again and when he does, your ass better say yes. It's not up for discussion."

"Yes ma'am," Sasha grinned.

"Good girl."

Jessica returned – without her sister, thankfully – and it was another two hours before their meeting ended and another one was scheduled.

"Why am I so exhausted all the time?" Pam complained.

"Wait till that baby comes out, you'll know what exhausted really means," Sasha said. "You may never need to go to the gym ever again."

"I remember you chasing T.K. everywhere. Wasn't surprised when he became a star athlete." Pam clicked on an adult website and leaned back to enjoy the show.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "This is all you ever fuckin' watch now, isn't it?"

"Can't help it, I'm so fuckin' horny all the time," Pam whined. "It's bad enough that Gin don't wanna have sex with me because he's scared we'll hurt the baby."

"That's not true though. Tell him it doesn't work like that, and back it up with evidence." Sasha tilted her head as she watched the stark naked woman on her knees before the equally stark naked man. "You know, I've never understood titty fucking," she mused.

Pam shot her friend a baffled look. "You tellin' me Joe's never fucked your tits?"

"Nope."

"Why the hell not?"

"I don't know. He's never brought it up. Maybe he doesn't like it. But personally I don't get it. That, or anal."

Pam gasped. "No! Sasha! No ass fuck either?"

"Hell no, that's just nasty," Sasha cringed.

"No girl, that's just cruel," Pam scolded her. "Your tits and ass are by far your hottest body parts. What do you let him do then?"

"Everything else. Anywhere he wants and in any position he wants. Isn't that enough? Don't look at me like that, he ain't complainin'."

"Not out loud he ain't," said Pam. "Every man likes every hole. Okay fine, I get that you're not comfortable with it but if you ask me, you have to be. Listen honey, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep intruders off of your front lawn. I don't need to tell you this. That Heather broad isn't the only thirsty ho sniffin' around your man. And let's face it, we love our men to death and vice versa but when it comes down to it, they are men. The stuff you don't wanna do, there's plenty bitches out there that would step up in a heartbeat. I'm just saying…do whatever you gotta do to ensure your man don't stray, is all."

They heard the sound of footsteps and paused the video as the gym equipment installers exited the house one by one. Joe and Elgin came into the kitchen. "Y'all finally done?" asked Pam.

"About halfway there. They'll be back in two days," said Elgin, kissing his fiancée on the lips. "You should be resting, baby."

Pam made a face. "If I rest for another second I'm gonna pass the hell out. I hate lazing around being idle."

"Well, now that your gym is taking shape, you'll be able to work out after having the baby," Sasha smiled, standing up and walking over to Joe. "Maybe I'll be coming over to join you."

"Actually I noticed you look trimmer babe," Joe pointed out, looking his girlfriend over.

"I hope so," she smiled, stroking his broad chest. "Been toning up a little bit. I wanna look good for you, baby."

Joe frowned. "You don't gotta do it for me, nani. You already look great."

"Nothing's wrong with looking better," Sasha countered.

"True. Whatever you do though, don't lose that pretty butt or those jugs, alright? I like 'em how I found 'em," he said, palming her backside and pulling her closer to him. Sasha breathed in his slightly sweaty scent before turning to face Pam and Elgin. "Hey guys, how about dinner tomorrow night? The four of us?" she asked.

"Sorry, my folks are coming over to see the new house," said Elgin, "Maybe sometime next week?"

"Next week's good," said Pam, and they all agreed. The couples said their goodbyes before Joe and Sasha headed out. Idly stroking the hand Joe rested on her thigh as they drove back to her place, she watched the new scenery with a soft smile. Pam and Elgin's new neighborhood was beautiful suburban luxury, perfect to raise children in.

"So…I got some good news." Joe's deep voice broke through the comfortable silence in the car. "The doctors came back to me with the test results."

Sasha looked at him. "Yeah? What did they say?"

His smile widened. "I've been cleared to return to action."

"Babe, that's awesome!" the mother-of-two grinned. "Have you set a date yet?"

"Nope. But we're looking at the Raw after TLC next week. They wanna hype the Shield's return to dominance in time for the Royal Rumble."

The gleam in his eye brought a smile to Sasha's face. "You're very excited," she observed.

"Yeah, I can't wait. At last I can get away from the damn TV," he laughed. "There's only so many Family Feud reruns my poor eyeballs can stand."

"Please, you love Family Feud," she taunted. "Always shouting the answers at the TV like they can hear you."

"Speaking of, was that a porno y'all was watching back there?" Joe inquired, glancing at her.

She shrugged. "Yeah. Pam says she's horny all the time now. It's just a phase. I was the same when I was pregnant. Took the edge off in a big way." Taking in his stunned expression, she laughed. "What? Why the shocked face?"

"I didn't think watching porn was something you liked," he said.

Sasha laughed. "You talk like I'm some sort of prude. Of course I watch pornos…where d'ya think I get my moves from?" She winked at him. "I just don't watch anymore. I got a little girl who's more curious than freakin' George." Biting her lip, she gazed at him. "Maybe you and I could watch one together sometime. We've never done that."

"Yeah?" The suggestion took him by surprise, but it was difficult not to be excited - pun intended - by the thought.

"Of course." She leaned over to press her lips to his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you when you leave," she pouted. Deep down, she didn't mind too much. She knew how eager he was to get back in the ring doing what he loved to do with his brothers.

"I'll miss you more, baby girl," he replied softly, lifting her hand to kiss the back. "I'm gonna spend as much time as I can with you, starting with dinner tomorrow night."

"I'd like that. But you should focus on getting ready for your comeback too. And when you get back out there, you know…be safe, have fun…and just kill it, like you always do."

"Hmm." Joe smiled at her. "I like that. That's a nifty little catchphrase."

Sasha chuckled. "Well I'm surrounded by all things wrestling these days. I was bound to pick up a thing or two."

The next night…

Thrusting his hands in his pockets, T.K. crossed the street, walking towards the gleaming white Mercedes. He would have done this much earlier if his friend hadn't been out of town for the last few weeks, doing Lord knows what. It didn't matter. He didn't plan on staying long.

The past week had given him a lot to think about. He finally turned eighteen, and chose to spend the special day with his mother, sister, Joe and a few close friends. It was an intimate dinner at Reggie's Bar and Grill; a small gathering, just the way he wanted it. He loved the presents he received; a pair of Beats headphones from Joe, a couple of cool t-shirts from Colby, while Jon sent a really cool framed shot of T.K. flying through the air during their sparring session at the Performance Center. Sasha had given him some new dress shirts, a couple of neckties and enrolled him in drivers' education courses with the promise of a car of his own on his nineteenth birthday. He was surrounded by people who loved and cared for him. He had the possibility of achieving what was once a pipe dream, and he felt a new sense of responsibility now. It was time he severed a few ties and closed a certain chapter of his life for good. It would hurt a little because he would always think of this person as a friend, but it had to be done if he was going to make real progress with his life.

Nearing the car, he watched as Lamar turned in his direction. "Yo, what up Superstar. Been a while."

T.K. returned his smile and fist-bumped Lamar. "It has. I'm good."

"Saw your Instagram posts of your grand adventure in Orlando. Tearing it up at the Performance Center and shit," Lamar said, tugging his hood over his head. "You got it goin' on, man."

"Thanks." T.K.'s smile was tentative.

"So what's up? Here for another run?"

At the expectant look on his friend's face, T.K. sighed and shook his head. "That's what I came to tell you, man. I can't do this. And um…I don't think we can hang out anymore."

He felt something chip at his heart as Lamar ducked his head and rubbed his nose awkwardly with the back of his hand, but he held onto his resolve firmly. He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a wad of money, handing it to Lamar. "That's everything I made that night." He'd thought about spending his share of the money on his mother or Mia or even using it to contribute to his home, but because of how he'd earned that money, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. "I'm really sorry, Lamar."

Lamar took the money and stashed it away, nodding pensively. "Naw, don't be sorry. I understand. This ain't the life for you anyway. You ain't like me. This is where I belong."

T.K. shook his head. "That ain't true, man."

"It is. I'm destined to be a dope boy the rest of my life. You on the other hand got everything goin' for you. Great family, great future. Now you got Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins as your buddies. I would kill for what you got, man. You best take advantage of that shit."

Nodding his head, T.K. was secretly relieved that this was going better than he expected. "We still cool though, right?" he asked hopefully. Even if they were going their separate ways he didn't want things to end on a sour note between them.

Lamar smiled. "Yeah, we cool." He pointed at T.K. "You got avenues to become a wrestler now, so do it. I plan on being at your first WrestleMania match, you feel me?"

T.K. smiled back. "Thanks man."

As they exchanged final fist bumps, a car pulled up behind Lamar's car. Two big burly guys stepped out of the vehicle and approached them. They looked thuggish and very menacing, prompting alarm bells to go off in T.K.'s head.

"That's him, man. That's the punk been sellin' his shit on our turf," the shorter man told his buddy.

Swallowing hard, T.K. looked to Lamar, who wore an expression of utmost defiance. At first he seemed to shrug off the accusation, but all of a sudden he lunged, catching the short man in the face with his fist.

"Ty, run! Go!" Lamar yelled.

T.K. didn't need telling twice. He took off in a dead sprint, going as fast as his legs could carry him, vaguely hearing the sickening crack and smack of fists breaking flesh and bone and Lamar yelling in pain. There was no time to feel guilty about leaving his friend behind; he had to worry about himself first, to get out of the line of grave danger.

He heard it before he felt it. Loud popping sounds. Excruciating, white-hot pain ripping into his back. His legs buckled from the impact, and he landed face-first, hard, on the concrete ground. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. So much pain. His back was on fire. He could feel the blood seeping out of him, his life force draining from him. In the distance, tires screeched, and someone was screaming. His eyes grew heavier, his breathing slowed as the darkness circled over him like vultures over a corpse. He was fading away fast, much faster than he expected, and terror gripped his being as he realized what was happening to him.

Lying there on the warm, hard concrete, tainted with his blood, the faces of the two most important people in his life flashed before his eyes. It was his last thought before he succumbed to the darkness.

Mama…Mia…I love you both so much…

Bring it on. Top to bottoms, perhaps? ;D