A/N: Sorry I'm a little late with the update. I've been working on one or two new stories and trying to put them together but they're not fleshing out as seamlessly as I'd like. I'm thinking I should leave them be and finish ITDE instead. And yes, they're both Roman fics. I've been asked about writing the other Shield boys. I love Dean and Seth, and I've actually done a few fics on Seth, but those two don't really get my creative…ahem…juices flowing the way Roman does. Take that line how you want to… ;) But once I'm satisfied, I'll put up the new stories ASAP. Don't know how long that will take but I'll keep working on them until I feel I'm ready.

Hugs and kisses to darkcloud77, mitchy21, shamonticupcake, ChelleLew, Lucy1029, CarolReigns, BillionDollarPrinceStephanie, benova13, nikki1335. ItReignsJustice-619, justkimmy, Siren's Call To The Dead, guest, fenner82, Chermayne, CFierce116, Bharm, DeeMarie426, corbettluv, Shield316, Olivia Reigns, Tammy, JxTina, Pinayprincesa, PassionWriter101, LuxuriaVanitas, princessreigns and sixxyb for the reviews!

Enjoy 56! And enjoy Elimination Chamber! Why do I predict a heel turn tonight from a certain someone though...

Pressing the green phone button on the iPad screen, Joe burst out laughing at the peculiar image that greeted him. "What the heck is that on your face, little lady?" he asked.

Giggling, Mia pulled down the white face mask that covered her mouth and nose. "Mama's got the flu. She told me to wear it so I won't catch it," she said.

"Good idea," Joe agreed. "How is she? You been a good nurse, taking care of her? Getting her to take her medicine?"

"Yeah," the eight-year-old replied, clearly relishing her new role as her mother's caretaker. It was always the other way around, so she was very happy to give back. "I gave her some chicken soup, then made sure she took her vitamins first. She's sleeping now."

"Very good little lady. I'm really glad you're there with her," he said, noticing the background moving behind her and figured she was walking around.

Mia nodded, then her smile slowly faded. "I watched Raw yesterday. Is Colby really not friends with you anymore?" she asked, tugging the ends of her afro nervously.

After nearly two years together, the Shield had split at the close of Monday Night Raw in very unfriendly circumstances. To say it was a shocker was an understatement and fans were still in an uproar twenty-four hours later. 'Seth Rollins' was currently trending worldwide after he used a chair to bash Roman and Dean's brains in and joined the Authority. Joe was still feeling the effects of the chair shots on his back, but he would live. He was just glad to be part of another unforgettable segment on WWE TV. "No sweetheart. It was all just for television," he assured Mia. "Colby and I are still buddies. But Seth and Roman aren't. Do you get that?" He made sure he explained the difference as he knew for a fact that Mia was very fond of Colby, and would no doubt be heartbroken if she couldn't interact with him anymore because of their 'beef'.

"I get it," Mia said, looking relieved. "You guys did real good though. Does your back hurt bad?"

"It does, but I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Concentrate on taking care of your mom."

"Okay." A huge grin spread across her face as she seemed to remember something. "Guess who's gonna be at the VMAs this summer," she said, her big eyes sparkling happily.

It took a couple of seconds for her words to register, then his jaw dropped. "What? Holy sh-" He quickly caught himself before he could cuss in front of the little girl, and stared at her with wide eyes. "You got the Britney gig?"

Mia nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh. I got the call yesterday. Me and Regina are dancing for Britney Spears at the VMAs!"

"Wow, little lady! Congratulations! Are you excited?"

"Very. I can't wait. It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Mia Sasha Morgan, keep your voice down!"

Joe smiled warmly as he heard his girlfriend's muffled, grumpy voice in the background. Mia looked over her shoulder, her voice dropping to a whisper when she said, "Sorry, Mama." She returned her gaze to the iPad screen, looking guilty for disturbing her mother. "She's awake."

Joe smiled. "Can I talk to her? Is she up for it?" He watched as Mia walked over to his bed with the iPad. Sasha was in bed with the covers drawn up to her neck and surrounded by rolled up pink balls of tissue. A tray with a cup and a half-eaten bowl of soup was on the nightstand. He heard Mia ask Sasha if she wanted to talk to him. The screen shifted around for a few seconds, then Sasha's tired features appeared. "Hey handsome," she greeted, rubbing her watery eyes. "Didn't know it was you she was talking to."

"Hey beautiful. How are you feeling? I can call back later if you're not up for it," he offered.

She sniffed. "It's okay. I just feel tired is all."

"You sure you shouldn't go see a doctor?"

"No. No doctors," she countered firmly. "I fuckin' hate doctors and hospitals. Besides it's just the flu. They'll make me wait forever only to tell me to drink more fluids when I get home."

"Okay, fine. But promise me if I come home and you're still feeling this way then I'll take you to see a doctor myself."

Sasha waved her hand flippantly. "Yeah, okay. Whatever."

"Someone's cranky," Joe observed with a smirk. "Interesting fashion accessory on Mia, by the way."

The mother of two chuckled, picking up the cup from the nightstand and sipping out of it. "Yeah. I had to make her wear the mask. The last time she caught the flu she was like, five and it was really bad." Putting the cup away, she groaned and sank into the bed. "Ugh. I hate feeling like this. I got tests to study for." She sniffled.

"Forget about that for now, baby. You need to get better first, and you will, soon enough," Joe responded, deciding to move on to happier topics. "I hear the little lady's audition was successful."

His tactic worked, because her entire demeanor brightened instantaneously. "I know, right? It's so surreal. Pam was there when I got the call and we were crying our eyes out 'cause we couldn't believe it. Then we called up Cheryl and we cried some more. Three thousand girls auditioned and only twenty were chosen and our babies were two of them. Mia's wanted something like this for so long…maybe this will be the start of something big for her."

"I hope so too. I know how much she loves to dance," Joe agreed.

"She's been dancing ever since she was strong enough to. I'm so proud of her…" She trailed off as tears started to fill her eyes, and she dabbed the corners with the tissue in her hand.

As heartwarming as the scene was, Joe found himself snickering at his girlfriend. "You're such a mom."

"Well, it so happens that I am a mom," She laughed through her tears, getting herself together. She smiled as she watched him smile. This was nice, the easygoing banter between them. There'd been a great deal of tension between the couple ever since Missy and Andrea unleashed what felt like hell on their lives. "Looks like we got double duty in LA now, with the VMAs and SummerSlam," she continued. "It's in the same week, right?"

"If my calculations are correct, yeah. But there's still a couple of months to go. We'll work it out when that time comes."

"Okay." Sasha adjusted the earpiece in her left ear. "What time is it over there in El Paso? It's about midnight, right?" she asked, noting he was lying down as well.

"A few minutes past midnight," Joe clarified.

"I take it you can't sleep?" said Sasha.

"Not really."

"Wanna talk?"

"Only if you're up for it."

"For you, I can talk. What's up?"

"I just miss you."

Sasha smiled, her finger drawing her boyfriend's mouth through the iPad screen. "I miss you too." However, she could tell it wasn't all he wanted to say. "What else is on your mind, baby? Is it your dad? His hip replacement surgery went well, right?"

Joe pursed his lips, and Sasha saw the emotion clouding his ash-hued eyes. "It did. He's good," he said. "He's recuperating at Alma's. I'll see him when I return to Tampa."

"Okay. So if it's not Sika, what's up? Remember, we're supposed to talk to each other," she pressed.

Sighing, Joe met her eyes through the screen. "I guess I'm just wondering about the direction Creative might take with us," he disclosed. "They've got these big plans for each of us but all of that could change when Bryan and Brock return. Kick us to the curb to make way for them. Like we're nothing."

Sasha was never going to pretend that she completely understood the inner workings of professional wrestling, or fully grasped the demands and expectations of the people that chose this career path. The only thing she knew was to be there for Joe when said career was frustrating him or elating him. Either way, she ensured she showed interest and never made him feel like he was being ignored. She considered his words and took a moment to think about what she was going to say. "You're not nothing," she said, "Maybe they're taking their time with you, building you up slowly. I'm sure they still have those big plans for you, and by the time they feel you're ready, it'll be bigger than anything you've ever done with the Shield. You'll see. The Shield were three of WWE's moneymakers. Surely they'll capitalize on that."

"You make it sound so easy. We made all that money and moved all that merch as a trio, remember? It might be a different story as singles competitors."

"You don't know that. Just because you split don't mean y'all lost your individual appeal. Look, think of it as bread, peanut butter and jelly. Sure, the three of 'em are a classic together, but they're used for other things individually and each of them are just as tasty on their own. There's fans who like bread, there's fans who like jelly, and fans who like peanut butter. It's up to you to play your part and be the best peanut butter you can be and cater to the fans who like you, and hope with your work you can win over the fans that prefer bread or jelly. I guess that's my take on it."

Joe laughed. "I've never thought of it like that. That's an awesome analogy, babe."

"Thanks. I may not know much about the wrestling business, but I do know a thing or two about business," she said proudly. Working at the Grill had taught her all she knew. "And hey, I made you laugh. That's good."

"You did. Thanks for that. What about you? Don't tell me you've been in bed all day."

"Relax. I haven't," said Sasha. "A colleague of mine from the Grill came over in the afternoon. She brought along her teenage niece who's pregnant, asked if I could give some advice. I talked with her, did what I could. She seemed terrified at first but I think I was able to calm her down a bit."

Joe noticed the faraway, almost haunted look in her eyes as she talked. "Brought back some memories, huh?" he asked gently.

She nodded. "You could say that. But I'm glad I could be of guidance to someone, just like Pam's mom was to me." She changed positions on the bed, lying on her side. "Any update on the Missy situation?"

And just like that, the Samoan's expression became stony. "Lawyer did his digging and found out Andrea was involved. Phone records and text messages and shit. He's gonna file the papers and in a few days, yours truly will become a plaintiff in a libel and defamation suit."

At the angry glow in his eyes, Sasha bit her lip apprehensively. "I don't like this. And I hate that Andrea rattles you so much."

He wanted to refute that statement, and realized that he couldn't. "I was over her, nani, I swear," he sighed, and it was the truth. "I had pushed everything she'd ever done to the back of my mind. And then she did this and it all resurfaced again. It's a hassle, but luckily I don't have to be heavily involved with the lawsuit and it won't screw up my schedule. But all I want is to make her pay. Make them both pay. They can't get away with this and they won't. And when it's all over, she'll be history to me."

Sasha nodded, sensing him – as well as herself – start to get hot. It was wiser to let the topic be put to rest. "Okay. Let's not talk about her anymore."

"Good idea," he agreed, looking closely at her. "I fuckin' miss you, baby girl."

She smiled softly. "Me too. I wish you were here, holding me. This bed's never as warm without you."

"I know. Same here." His smile broadened, his eyes glinting mysteriously. "I jerked off thinkin' 'bout you last night."

Sasha's eyes widened at the unexpected statement. But drawn to the twinkle in his eye and his lazy, easygoing grin as his deep voice dropped another octave, she laughed. "Well, I hope it was good."

"It was awesome, babe. You were sittin' on top of me, those double Ds in my face while you bounced on my dick. And you were wearing those heels again…"

He closed his eyes and let out of soft hiss, causing Sasha to grin. Maybe she could show him what he was missing. "The double Ds miss you too." She lowered the iPad so he could see what she was doing with her hands. She slowly pulled down the zipper of her onesie, exposing her ample cleavage, which pushed out more as she was lying sideways. She watched his gaze drop down to her breasts, noticed his breathing was shallower. "You alright, handsome? You've gone quiet." She smirked, cupping her naked breast.

Joe bit his lip at the image of her fingers brushing over her soft flesh, imagined her touch on his most sensitive skin, and was unable to suppress a moan. "Baby girl, don't be teasing me like that," he whined. "Can't wait to have those titties all to myself for an entire week."

Ah, her insatiable hunk of a boyfriend. "You better pray this cold's gone by then, or I'll be sneezing in your face and my snot will be all up in your perfect hair," she warned, giggling at how quickly his expression melted to a grimace.

"Okay, that's disgusting," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch downstairs if that's the case."

Just as he finished speaking, Mia burst into the bedroom and marched towards the bed. "Okay Mama, time for bed. Say goodnight to Joe."

Joe laughed at Sasha laboring to quickly zip up her onesie, a look of embarrassment on her face. She gave her daughter a petulant glare, then turned back to Joe. "See what I gotta deal with?" she complained.

"She's taking care of you. And you do need your rest," he reasoned.

"Fine. Bed time then." She tapped the screen one last time. "Love you. By the way, tell Nattie to quit slaying me with those catsuits!"

"I will," he replied laughing, just as Mia gently pried the iPad from Sasha's grip. She pulled the covers up to Sasha's neck, then kissed her forehead through the mask she wore. "Love you, Mama. Sleep tight." Keeping Joe logged on, Mia left the bedroom with the iPad, hurrying down the hall and into her own room.

"The coast clear?" asked Joe.

Once the door was safely shut, she said, "Clear. Did you look at the photo I sent you yesterday?"

Joe nodded. "I did. It was very pretty. Do you like that one?"

"Uh huh. I think she'll like it too," said Mia.

"Alright, darlin'. If you see others you think she might like, send them to me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Don't forget what we agreed on. Remember your promise?"

Mia smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Don't tell anyone."

"That's right, little lady. It's our little secret. So we'll keep this between us for now, alright?"

"Pinky swear?" Mia held up her little finger, showing him through the screen. For a second Joe was taken aback, then he smiled, holding up his own little finger for her to see.

"Pinky swear."

Sasha pushed the plate of grilled chicken away from her, slightly disturbed that she was repulsed by what was normally her favorite food. Sighing, she dropped her fork and settled for sipping her water, resting her head tiredly on the heel of her hand. Sitting beside her at the counter, Pam breastfed Imani, at the same time watching her friend curiously and taking in her reactions and movements. Sasha had shown up at her house a few hours ago and Pam had lost count of how many times Sasha had excused herself to go to the bathroom. On top of that, she'd eaten only a couple of bites of chicken before giving up. Sasha loved chicken, so this was strange. "Thought you said you were feeling better," she said.

"I thought I was," Sasha murmured, putting her water down. "The cold has gone down, but the dizzy spells are worse, and the vomiting too. It's been a week. I don't get it."

Pam studied her closely for a moment. "How long has this been going on for?"

"A couple of weeks, I think. On and off," Sasha said, "I'm guessing it's some sort of bug. Joe's threatened to drag me to the doctor if I'm not better by the time he comes home. Maybe I should just go myself. He don't need to be dealing with me when he should be resting from work."

She trailed off, taking another sip from her water. Pam gently rocked Imani, staring across the table at her best friend. "Sash...have you considered the possibility that you might be pregnant?"

Save for the sounds of an oblivious Imani's enthusiastic suckling, the room was suddenly very quiet. Sasha blinked. "Pregnant?"

The new mother shrugged. "Sounds like pregnancy symptoms to me, girl. When was the last time you had your period?"

Sasha tried to think about it. "I don't know. I haven't tracked it lately. You know it's always been irregular anyway." She shook her head, a chill suddenly shooting through her. "I don't feel like I'm pregnant. I would have known right away if I was, right?" she stammered.

"I guess so," Pam said. "You know your own body, but at the same time it's been a while since your last pregnancy, so you might have forgotten how it feels. I'm not saying it's for sure, but I think it's a high probability."

Sasha leaned back in her chair. How the hell hadn't she thought about that? She was regularly protected during sex, even when Joe was not, but of course she knew that was never a guarantee. Although the prospect of more children was something she still entertained and she'd tried not to give up on the possibility, being faced with the reality was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. If she was pregnant, was she so sure her body could cope for nine months? If it turned out she wasn't pregnant, would she ever be? And where would that leave Joe if the latter was the case? She hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to him some more about their future together.

"Babe…you should take a pregnancy test, just to be sure," Pam advised, glancing down at the baby as she released her nipple.

Sasha nodded numbly, trembling inside. A million different thoughts were running through her mind all at once, each one stacking on top of the other, and fear began to rise inside her, suddenly afraid to find out the truth.

"You look terrified." Pam could always read her like a book. "I thought you'd be happy. You weren't sure you could ever get pregnant again."

Her throat felt clogged. "How are you so sure I am now? What if it's a false alarm?" she managed to say.

"Then it's a false alarm," Pam said simply. "It's either one or the other."

"But Joe…he'll be so disappointed."

Placing Imani on her shoulder, Pam patted her back to burp her. "You told him about your complications a long time ago, girl, yet he still chose to be with you. Has he done or said anything that indicates he's changed his mind since?"

Sasha kept her eyes on the table as she shook her head. It was obvious Pam's words hadn't placated her, so she forged on. "Look, you're right. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. You said he won't be home until later tomorrow evening, right?" Sasha nodded. "Fine. Go to the store, buy a test and take it in the morning. Forget about what he thinks for now. If you're pregnant, you call him up and tell him. If you're not, you don't gotta say nothin' to him. You move on, go to a doctor and find out what the hell this flu really is. Start with that and then worry about the rest later."

Sasha lifted her eyes from the table. "Okay. I'll pick up a test on my way home."

"Do you need me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine." She stood, unsurprised to find her legs wobbling beneath her.

"Alright babe," said Pam, not taking her eyes off the younger woman. "You know I'm here for you right?"

She was. Always. "I know."

"Good. Call me if you need anything."

From the time she left Pam's house to the time she got home, Sasha was on autopilot. She went to the nearest drug store, purchased a Clearblue pregnancy test, and forced herself to spend the rest of the day like everything was perfectly fine. As soon as she woke up the next morning, she went straight into the bathroom. Every step she took felt like it was never going to end. With shaking hands, she took out the small white stick from its packet. She did what she needed to do and placed the stick on top of the toilet seat. Setting a fifteen-minute timer on her phone, she sat and waited at first, then, agitated, she leapt to her feet, pacing back and forth in the bathroom.

What if the test came back positive? She would be excited. For herself, to know she wasn't as defective as she thought she was. For Joe, that one of his biggest dreams would come true. There was never a doubt that he would be an amazing father. At the same time, she recalled what she went through almost nine years ago, the pain, or what she remembered of it, before she passed out, how fresh and raw and real it was. What if she wasn't pregnant? If so, then she was all but sure that she could never have children again. No matter how many times he said so, was Joe really, truly ready to accept this? Was it bad that she was petrified by either outcome?

Exhaling loudly, she stopped pacing and plopped down on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub, putting her head in her hands. This was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of her life.

Joe yawned as he dragged his suitcase into the house, thankful for the earlier morning flight he had been upgraded to at the last minute. He would still be in El Paso by now and he was very glad not to be stuck in such an unappealing situation, especially as his phone battery died and he'd foolishly checked in his charger with his luggage. That didn't matter now. He had a week off and he planned on using the time wisely, like visiting his dad and taking care of his girl, among other things.

"Nani?" he called out, and was met with silence. Since it was still early she was probably upstairs sleeping, so it was best if he moved around without making any noise. He placed the box of croissants and the jar of honey he'd bought for her tea on the kitchen counter, then picking up his luggage, he climbed tiredly up the stairs to his room. He was surprised to find the bed empty. The toilet door was slightly open. He walked over, pushing the door further open. "Babe? You in here?"

Startled beyond belief, Sasha leapt to her feet, her eyes about to pop out of her sockets. "Joe!" she stuttered, "What…what are you doing back so early?"

Joe noticed the look on her face right away. "I caught an earlier flight. My battery died so I couldn't call you to tell you." He'd seen something on top of the toilet seat, and noticed how she'd swiftly maneuvered herself in front of it. "What's that?" he asked.

"What's what?"

His grey eyes narrowed. "The thing you're obviously hiding behind your back," he insisted, his stare boring a hole through her. "Are you hiding something from me, Sasha?"

"Um…" she started to say, and inwardly she cringed at how shady she sounded. She just hadn't been expecting him to be here at all, and she was completely thrown off.

Joe stared at her, unable to believe that she was trying to lie to him. "Show me," he ordered, his voice deep and menacing.

Shit. She'd lost control of this situation in a matter of seconds. Fighting back tears, Sasha stepped aside, revealing the pregnancy test perched on the closed toilet seat. Joe caught sight of the packet, and then the stick. Sasha heard the breath leave his lungs in realization, the look in his eyes as he gaped at her. He seemed suddenly lost for words, clearly struggling to find something to say. "Are…are you…"

She shook her head, utterly petrified. "I don't know yet." This was not how she'd wanted this to unfold.

"When are you gonna know?" he asked.

"Soon. I've been waiting nearly fifteen minutes-"

She jumped when, as if on cue, the timer alarm buzzed. She threw a panicked glance Joe's way, then blew out a breath. She tapped the phone screen so the alarm shut off. She felt dizzy, her hands were shaking and her heart pounded as she turned around to face the toilet where the little white stick sat, moments away from changing her – and Joe's – life, forever.

She closed her eyes, took another deep breath. Her hands trembled harder as she picked up the pregnancy test and slowly, reluctantly, she opened her eyes, locking on the words that stared back at her.

Not Pregnant.

*exhales*

I once got a review asking why Sasha is more receptive of having a baby with Joe than actually marrying him. My theory is she knows what to expect with giving birth, unlike marriage. Children are pretty much the only thing she's gotten out of past relationships, and to know that this young, hot guy wants much more than just babies with her…well, it is brand new territory to her and she probably still thinks it's too good to be true. Hope that makes sense :)

Because I may not touch on it again (and 'cause I have nothing better to say, lol), the Britney VMA tribute Mia's taking part in is the one that happened in 2011, if anyone remembers. It was the last VMA I watched, that show's BS now. Anyyyway, Mia's the one on the left in the 'Toxic' section, in case anyone's interested in rewatching it on YouTube.

Thoughts on this chapter? Please don't beat me up...