Annalise POV

After leaving the WWE Performance Centre, we all get ready for the cocktail party. I'm still processing what happened today, Triple H said I was good and I could be a potential recruit. Tonight I'm wearing a navy blue silk skater dress with silver glitter heels. My hair is in curls and for my make up I've gone for a shimmery smokey eye.

We arrive at a rooftop and I grab myself a drink. "How did you find today?" Emily asks me.

"I'm wrecked." I admit.

"If you're wrecked, I'm dead, you killed it."

I laugh nudging her. "You did well and you didn't give up."

"Thanks."

"Are you hoping to spend time with Colby tonight?" I wonder.

"Yeah, I haven't really had much time with him, so I hope so." Emily responds.

"Why don't you just walk up to him, he knows your not that type of person, but if you want him to notice you, do it."

"He doesn't like that."

"Then grab him first."

"You're right."

"Of course I am."

"How are you doing after Lace outed you?" Emily asks.

"I'm good, there's no more drama in the house."

"True. Who do you think will get the rose tonight?"

I shrug. "I have a feeling JoJo will, she kicked butt today."

"Hey ladies." Amanda greets.

"Hi lovely." I greet.

Amanda takes a seat. "What you two talking about?"

"Just about today and how well JoJo did today." Emily answers.

"I know she killed it today." Amanda agrees.

I'm currently at the bar when I feel someone tap me on the shoulder. I turn around and see it's Robyn. I look at her face and I instantly feel something is wrong. "Annalise, do you think you could come with me?" She asks timidly.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Can you just come with me please?"

"Sure."

"Come on." She says gently and leads me away.

I follow her and she directs me into a room where inside are all the producers and interns. I look around the room and see Ian, Lisa, Chris and Renee. They look up at me and my heart begins to race. "Thanks for meeting with us." Chris starts off.

"What's going on?" I ask getting worried.

"Annalise, I don't know how to tell you this, but we got a phone call from your parents."

"My parents?"

"I think you should sit down." Robyn offers.

I sit down and look at all the faces staring at me. "You're really starting to freak me out, can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"Annalise, we are so sorry, but you're Pop." Chris begins to say.

I stand up quickly. "No, no, don't say it."

"Annalise, we are so sorry, but you're Pop has passed away." Robyn whispers.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"You're mum rang us, this afternoon, he passed away this morning."

"No, no, no, no, no, he was fine, he's, he's, no, it's not true." I deny.

Renee stands up and I can see her tears. "We are so sorry."

"No, no, please tell me it's not true, Renee. He's my everything, no, no, no, he's, he's, he's fine, he always fights back, no, no, no." I cry and collapse to the floor. Ian catches me before I hit the floor and I lose it. "No, he isn't dead, he was fine, I talked to him before I left, no, please."

Ian holds me as I cry. "We are so sorry." He whispers.

"No, no, no, he isn't, he's, he's my poppy, I'm supposed to see him at Christmas."

Renee drops to her knees and pulls me into her. "We are so sorry."

I look up at her. "I need to go."

"What?"

"I need to go, I just need to get out of here, this isn't true."

Renee cries. "Anna, we're so sorry."

"No, I don't believe you, no, no, no, no, no, no." I cry and run out of the room.

I run out of the room and straight for the exit, with Ian, Robyn and Lisa on my tail. "Annalise, stop, you can't leave, you aren't in any place to go anywhere." Robyn yells.

"I don't care." I cry out and keep running down the stairs. I finally get to the last step and run out the exit door. As I step through it I run straight into Colby. He instantly catches me and I lose it. "No, no, let me go."

"Anna, stop." Colby shouts.

I freeze and look up at him wide eyed. "My, my, my." I whisper.

"I know, i know, I'm so sorry." He whispers.

I cry. "It's not true."

I can see tears forming in his eyes. "It's true and I'm truly sorry that this has happened."

I lose it and cry into his chest as Renee, Chris, Lisa and Robyn exit the elevator and see me crying into Colby's chest. "We need to get her upstairs." Renee whispers.

Colby slowly picks me up and we walk into a room where he sits down on the couch and let's me cry into his chest. "Can we have some privacy please?" He asks. Everyone nods and they leave as I continue crying into his chest.

Colby POV

After the group date at the performance centre I left the girls to get ready and I was called to meet with Chris and Mike as they needed to speak to me. I knock on the producers door. "Come in." Someone shouts.

I enter and see Mike Flies and Chris Harrison sitting on a lounge. "You wanted to see me." I question.

"Yes, sit down." Mike directs. "We don't know how to tell you this, but we've got some bad news."

"What?" I ask and my heart begins to beat fast.

"We got a phone call from Annalise's parents this afternoon." Chris mentions.

I frown. "What?"

"They called to tell us that her pop passed away."

My heart quickens. "Does she know?"

They shake her head. "She's still getting ready, but we've been warned that she takes losing someone very hard, and that she will not take this well." Mike warns me.

"Of course she won't, she's lost her role model."

"When we tell her, you're going to need to be there for her."

"Of course." I say immediately.

"Good. We are sending Robyn to get her once the ladies are on the roof top." Chris finishes.

Chris and Mike leave me to my thoughts and I feel tears form in my eyes. I get a call from Lisa alerting me that Annalise has fled and that she is heading towards the exit of the building.

I get to the lobby just as the fire exit doors burst open and Annalise runs out dazed and runs straight into me.

I catch her and she starts thrashing and tells me to let go of her. "Anna, stop." I shout.

She immediately stills and starts crying. "My, my, my." she cries.

I nod. "I know, i know, I'm so sorry." I whisper holding her tightly.

Renee, Chris, Lisa and Robyn exit the elevator and find us on the floor. "We have to get her upstairs." Renee whispers.

I nod and pick her up in my arms and take her into a room. I sit on the couch and she curls into me and cries into my chest. "Can we have some privacy please?" I ask and they nod and walk out.

After a while of trying to get her to settle down I notice that she's only sobbing. "Anna." I whisper. She doesn't move but I continue to comb my fingers through her hair. "I am so sorry that you have lost someone you loved dearly, I don't know what to do, but please don't shut me out."

She lifts her head up and I can see her eyes are puffy from crying. "It can't be true." She wishes.

I pull her head to my chest and kiss her head. "I'm so sorry."

She curls into me and cries some more. I feel her sobs become weak after a few minutes and suddenly its quiet. I look down and see she's fallen asleep. I pick her up and lay her on the bed. "Don't go." She pleads.

My heart flutters. "I'm not leaving." I promise and climb onto the bed. She curls into me and she falls asleep with her head on my chest.

A couple hours later I slowly pull her off of me and lay her down on her side. I hear a quiet knock at the door. I stand up and open it to find Renee and Jon outside. I let them in and immediately pull Renee into a hug. "How is she?" She asks.

"Cried herself to sleep." I answer.

"Mind if we stay?" Jon asks.

"Please."

Annalise POV

I slowly wake up and look around my surroundings and suddenly everything hits me. My pop, no, he can't be. I cry and sit myself up and try to compose myself.

I slowly try to stand up but because I'm so exhausted when I go to stand I fall to the floor with a loud crash. I hear running and Colby bursts through the door and runs to me. "What happened? Are you okay?" He asks worried.

I shake my head. "No, I tried, I tried to get up but I collapsed."

"Shh, it's okay, do you need help?"

I nod. "Please."

He puts his arms under my legs and picks me up with ease. "Can you try to stand?" I nod and he slowly puts me on the ground and he holds me. "Got it?"

I nod and I try to step and he follows behind me not removing his grip from my waist. "Colby?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to speak to my mum." I whisper.

"I'll handle it."

He walks me out to the lounge where Renee and Jon are. Jon sees me and hugs me tightly. "I'm so sorry." He consoles.

I don't respond. "Can I do anything for you?" Colby asks.

"I need to speak to my parents."

Renee nods standing up. "I can do that."

Jon comes over. "Hey." He whispers.

I look up at him as Colby takes a seat next to me and I curl in next to him. "Hi." I whisper.

"It's going to be okay."

"I hope it is."

"It will be. Your pop loved you very much, he would be very proud of you, don't try to think of this as a bad thing, think of this as it was his time and he's reunited with your nan."

I cry nodding. "It's so hard. He was my everything."

"And he is still with you now." Colby whispers.

Renee comes back in with a phone and Chris Harrison. "Hi." Chris whispers.

"Hi." I whisper.

"Here." Chris offers handing me a phone.

I take it and stand up slowly. "I need to do this myself."

They all nod and I slowly walk back into the bedroom. I take my time dialing my mum's number and slowly press call. It rings once, twice, three and on the fourth dial tone a voice answers. "Anna." She answers softly.

"Mummy." I cry.

"Oh honey."

"Is it true?"

"I'm so sorry it is."

"How?"

"In his sleep, he just didn't wake up."

"When's the funeral?"

"A few days."

"I'm coming." I announce.

She cries. "Honey, you can't."

"What, mum, I have to."

"Annie, when you told poppy what you were doing who was so excited for you?"

"He was." I answer.

"And what did he say to you?"

"To win it."

"Honey, if you stop, then you will never get the chance to finish this journey that you never thought would happen."

"But what about, you and dad, you need me?"

"Honey, we have so many people around us right now, we want you to come home after you finish filming." She responds. "Anna, you only get one chance at this, don't waste it especially because of what's happened." She encourages.

I nod crying. "I really want to be there, but Pop wanted me to do this, he was so supportive, I'm going to do this for him."

"And yourself."

"And myself."

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't pull away from him. Use him as support, yes he has other woman fighting for him, but use him as someone to lean on."

I nod. "I will."

"Good, when you bring him home, you can say goodbye to pop then." She responds.

"Who says I'm bringing him home?"

"I'm your mother I know when you like someone." She retorts.

"Mum, how could you know that? 1; I am on the other side of the world, 2; 8 other woman are fighting for him and 3; you haven't even met him."

"1, because you are one of the most caring, funny, sweet and beautiful people I know, 2; he would be an idiot to get rid of you, and 3; who is the one that is with you right now?"

I blush. "Are you sure you don't want me there?"

She chuckles between her tears. "Yes, honey, I'm sure. We will see you soon, please pull your head up, you can do it."

"Thanks mum I love you."

"I love you too."

I hang up and look up to see Colby leaning against the doorway. "You aren't leaving?" He questions.

"Before I even left for LA I rang my family to tell them what I was doing, everyone was skeptical but the only person that was happy and excited for me was my pop, he told me to go out there and enjoy it, and to have fun."

"Good advice."

"So I'm staying, as much as I want to be with my family, I can do that after this, but I have to do what my Pop wanted me to do, finish this, however long I'll be here for."

He smiles and walks towards the bed. "You okay?"

"No, but I will be, it won't be easy, I will probably be less involved now, I'll be down, but you just have to be there to pick me up."

"Deal." He accepts pulling me to him. "I'm sorry."