After the string of successful matches, Ricardo has to return to reality when he, Alicia and Alex go to meet up with the landlord, Sunday afternoon the only time they can all make work considering Alex's responsibilities with the Raw preshow and Ricardo's own varied schedule. It's straightforward enough, though sobering, to sign the new lease taking Ricardo off and adding Alicia. The landlord gives Alicia a few strange glances but she's sweet as can be, smiling and polite, and he keeps his comments about what he may or may not have seen regarding her to himself, used to the eclectic stream of wrestlers in and out. It's just part of doing business in Tampa, Ricardo thinks with a small smile, reflecting on all of them scattered around the state.

Once the red tape is handled, Ricardo stands and shakes hands with the man who had heard them out and quickly added him to the lease the year prior, taking the new situation with just as much ease when it had come time to break that exact same lease. "Gracias," Ricardo murmurs to him, smiling slightly as he scoops up the papers and shuffles them into some sort of order, turning to stuff them into the file cabinet.

"Sure kid," he says, chancing another glance at Alicia and Alex as they whisper quietly in the corner. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"I will," he promises, turning to leave. Alex and Alicia follow him a moment later, and they drive quietly back to the apartment. Ricardo still has a little packing to do, but all in all... it's clear that time is slipping through their fingers and with Alex leaving for Raw the next day, this will be their last full day as roommates. They make the best of it, trying to remain cheerful as they go to Ricardo's favorite sushi place for lunch, Paige joining them there. Alicia keeps her comments to herself, humming quietly and picking at the fish absentmindedly as Alex holds her hand under the table.

"Do you need any help with packing?" Alex asks in a lull of eating, looking up to find Ricardo smiling slightly as he shakes his head. "I know, you say I don't need to, but... I can, if you need-"

"No, Alex," Ricardo says softly. "I've told you, you already packed my things up once so I could move in with you. It just seems fitting that I pack my things up myself now that I'm leaving."

A-Ri nods slowly and strokes Alicia's fingers, considering this. "Yeah, I know," he sighs. "But as I've told you, you're always welcome back at my place if anything ever comes up. That bedroom will always be opened to you." He had weighed it for awhile, Alicia's curiosity at what he was going to do with the spare bedroom- since they would be sharing his bedroom, and thus leaving them with that empty room across the hall- making him think, but each time he came back to the same thing- he wanted to make it into a guest room, keep it open for Ricardo or anyone else who may need it someday...

"Gracias, Alex," Ricardo smiles at him. "But I don't think it'll be necessary... I truly believe everything will be alright this time. With WWE behind us, Alberto will have no reason for such... extreme measures... And besides if he tried anything like that again, I believe Sofia would murder him herself." He grimaces faintly, remembering the look on the housekeeper's face as she'd told him bits of what it had been like in the house directly following Alberto attacking him. He'd never seen her look like that before, and he doesn't really ever want to again.

"Good, I hope so, for your sake," Alex tells him. "Just remember, the offer still stands."

-x

Since his last day in the apartment is Tuesday, Ricardo has already begun moving things slowly to Alberto's, filling his old bedroom and emptying the apartment of more and more of his things. Paige is standing in the living room, her hands on her hips as she peers up at a curio cabinet that has some of Ricardo's things scattered along its top most shelf, a stuffed animal he'd won from a crane game, a candle that Sofia had given him, and his old Chimaera action figure. The items high above her head, she can barely just reach the stuffed animal with her fingertips- and that's with high heels on. She huffs and shakes her head, wondering why it is she's not that short, but she still can't reach this. "Imagine if precious AJ tried to get this," she says sarcastically. "Eh, what am I saying, she would probably just climb it like the squeeching monkey that she is..." Not wanting to be stuck, dwelling on that woman when she's supposed to be focusing on Ricardo, she stretches out on her tippy toes and just grabs it, about to cheer in delight when she feels the whole damn thing shift, tipping forward with everything in it rattling and preparing to crack all over, around her, when-

"Whoa, whoa!" Long, thin arms sneak around her and brace it as best as they can, Paige gasping as the rattling stops and the only things that fall off are the very things she'd been trying to grab, the candle rolling harmlessly under the couch while the action figure and the stuffed animal flop harmlessly at their feet. Soft breaths brush against Paige's neck and warmth suffuses her, shaking her out of her shock as she jerkily drops down from her awkward stance, pausing long enough to make sure that the cabinet really isn't about to fall on her.

She turns around slowly, knowing before she even looks who exactly is standing behind her. "Alicia," she whispers, dark gaze burrowing into Alicia's deep brown eyes. "You, uh... you saved me."

Alicia glances up at the curio, tilting her head. "Guess I did." She smirks slightly and turns to walk away when Paige reaches out and grips her hand, surprising both of them as she stops her in her tracks. "What are you doing?" she asks, looking over her shoulder at the dark haired diva with an almost dangerous smile on her face.

"Thank you." She releases Alicia then, and waits as the diva walks off again. "AJ wouldn't have done it," she finally confesses before the woman disappears from sight.

Alicia freezes midstep, then shrugs. "AJ wouldn't have done a lot of things," she admits, giving up on leaving the living room and turning to stare at Paige. "I was her bridesmaid, you know. I could've used her support the last few weeks, especially, but was she there? No, of course not... she was busy chasing you, and her so-called baby... I was there for her the entire time she was going through everything with Mike, I stood up for her at her wedding... but when I needed her, she was... just nowhere to be found. So yeah, you don't need to tell me what she would or wouldn't have done. I already know."

Paige is surprised by there being a real human being underneath all of that crazy. She had never understood what Alex had seen in the woman but, in this moment, she thinks she understands. Especially because they have a common source of pain: AJ. Paige walks up to her and rests her hands lightly on Alicia's shoulders, squeezing slightly. "You know what I think?" Alicia shakes her head, tense and watching her closely, lips twitching slightly. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

-x

Ricardo is busy training on Monday, trying to get his mind off of the final bit of the move that remains the next day, so he initially misses what's happened on Raw. It's not until he's in the locker room, toweling off and trying to catch his breath, staring down at his phone and cycling through tweet alerts, that he reads about it. Certain his eyes are playing tricks on him, he accesses mobile web and checks... but there can be no denying. Every tweet he reads confirms it more and more. Somehow, someway, Alicia and Paige had made up enough to claim that they were best friends... and work together to beat AJ, and then beat her down. His jaw drops as he stares at it, shaking his head. "Bu- but... I'm moving out partially so Paige wouldn't be uncomfortable around her..." He grimaces and puts his phone down, sighing. "Go figure."

He's just stood up when a weird thought comes to him and he sits back down heavily once more, staring down at the dark screen. "Wait, Mike was paranoid about Paige and AJ but that's obviously not a problem anymore... if Paige and Alicia start to get closer, then..." His eyes widen, clapping a hand over his face. "Oh no."

-x

The next day, Ricardo wakes up early and stares at the couple of boxes left scattered around his room with a sigh. He almost doesn't notice when Alex returns from the airport and peeks his head in, smiling faintly when he does. "It's almost time, huh?" he asks quietly, sitting down next to Ricardo on the bed.

"Yeah." They sit side by side for a moment and Ricardo shakes his head. "You know, I don't know what I would've done without you this last year." Alex smiles and wraps his arm around him, squeezing his shoulder. "It wasn't always perfect, but you were always there for me, and your support always meant a lot. I couldn't possibly thank you enough."

"Hey, it's what friends do, right? Besides, you've supported me as well. And you were a great roommate. I hope Del Rio understands what he's regaining and doesn't take you for granted this time."

"I think he does," Ricardo nods. "He's different now. Being away from WWE, I can just... tell. He's more like the man I first met and admired so much, but... better."

"That's good," Alex murmurs. "I'm glad for you, Ricardo." A comfortable silence takes over for a brief while and then... "Can you believe our girls are supposedly friends now?" Both men laugh, a little awkward at first, then louder as they lean on each other, shaking their heads over the ridiculous situation. "Alicia always had great timing." He sighs and runs his hand over his face, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah," Ricardo sighs. "Well I guess at least this way, we'll still see plenty of each other... and we can include them when we do, so that's something." He gets up and toes at the last couple of boxes. "But now I guess we need to be careful when we meet up with Mike... It can never be simple, can it?"

"Nope, apparently not." Alex sounds a little amused, joining Ricardo to stare down at the few things left. "It's going to be weird not having you here anymore, man."

"It'll be weird not to be here anymore," he admits. "But I think we'll be ok. You'll have Alicia, and I'll be back with Alberto and Sofia... It just makes more sense. Besides, I think Alberto needs me more than he wants to admit after how he was released from WWE. I know he's independent and everything, but I've been there for him through most of his career, and this is hard for him, returning to the Indys after so many years in one place. It just feels right to be there for him now."

Alex nods. "I understand. And yeah, we'll be just fine." He wraps an arm around Ricardo and lightly hugs him before they go their own ways, Ricardo hungry after skipping breakfast and Alex needing to discuss some NXT business with the agents.

A couple hours later, Paige and Alicia arrive, whispering and giggling about what they'd done on Raw, Alicia dropping off a few of her boxes in Alex's bedroom before joining them outside to see Ricardo off. He hugs Alex tightly, the two of them exchanges thanks and promises to talk soon, and various other things before pulling away. Alex and Ricardo turn, smiling at the girls across from them, just to say at the same time, "Take good care of him, ok?"

Paige and Alicia both grin as they get flustered and exchange glances. "We will," they promise solemnly once it's clear that it's time to go. "Come on," Paige says quietly, rubbing Ricardo's shoulder. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Alright," he nods, following her to the car. Alex and Alicia stand side by side at the doorway, holding hands, as Paige holds the door while Ricardo drops one last box inside. He turns and waves at them once more before ducking into the car, staring through the windshield as Paige joins them and he starts the car, backing up slowly and driving away, his eyes still locked on the rearview mirror as his former home grows smaller in the distance. Paige smiles kindly at him when he finally glances over at her, squeezing his fingers. It may have been his decision to move this time, but it's still a bittersweet moment.

Alberto and Sofia greet them with wide smiles, however, and Paige is relieved to watch as Ricardo relaxes into their embraces, Alberto reaching out and taking the last box from Ricardo. This the former ring announcer allows, resting a hand on Paige's back as the group of them walk inside and follow Alberto as he rests the last box in Ricardo's bedroom. Everything needs unpacked and sorted, but it already feels more... homey. Like it used to, Ricardo's things bringing life back into the space despite still being in boxes.

Alberto smiles and hugs Ricardo again before pulling away. "You have much to do, mi amigo, so we'll get out of your hair and let you get on with it... If you need anything, I'll be in my room and Sofia will be ..."

"Preparing supper," she supplies after a moment, smiling at her employer.

"Right." He lightly nudges Ricardo. "I'll see you in a little bit, mi amigo."

Paige waits until they're both gone before cupping Ricardo's face and slowly kissing him. "I should go too, I need to sort out my schedule for Wizard World... but call me whenever you have a minute, alright?"

He nods, running his fingers through her hair. "I will, mi fuerza. Gracias." She smiles sweetly at him before grabbing her purse and leaving Ricardo to stare around at all of the boxes, releasing a soft breath. "Well, time to get started."

It's a tedious job and every time he puts something in place or hangs it in the closet, he's reminded sharply of the way his room used to look. He's gained new items since, lost others, thrown more away... and his room looks wildly different from how it did a year ago, but it's clearly his, down to the very vibe in the room. He smiles lowly and digs deeper into other boxes, unaware of how fast time is slipping through his fingers until he jerks awake when soft fingers grip a book from his fingers, placing it back in the box. "El Patron," he hums, head rocking forward as Alberto helps him stand, settling him on his bed.

"Si, mi amigo." He looks around the room and smiles. "You have done a lot, Ricardo. No wonder you're exhausted." He runs his fingers through Ricardo's soft, dark hair. "Rest, hm? Maybe get some sleep... Sofia will hold supper for you." Pushing him down onto his pillows, Alberto leans over and adjusts the sheets around him before pressing a quick kiss to his forehead, lingering to whisper to him. "I'm so happy you're home, mi hermanito."

Ricardo smiles sleepily, his eyes barely opened a slit when Alberto pulls back to look at him. "I'm happy too, El Patron," he whispers before melting into his mattress, fast asleep.

-x

Ricardo is still figuring out where he wants a few things in his room that Friday, quickly settling into life at Alberto's home once more, trying to get it sorted before he has to fly out to Illinois for the weekend event, when he hears Paige's theme on the TV and looks up in time to see her make her entrance for that night's Smackdown and he watches as she and Alicia skip around with their arms linked. "Ay," he grimaces, unable to take his eyes off of them for some reason. Wonders what Alex is thinking about all of this.

Paige wins in her match against Naomi, which makes him smile, but then AJ runs down and attacks Alicia, throwing her out of the ring after Paige escapes, hiding behind JBL and wearing his hat, like Alicia had done a few months ago, and Ricardo's eyebrows raise as she quickly dashes to her supposed best friend's side and clings to her, helping her up. "I do not get it," he mutters, shutting the TV off once the segment ends. "What's going on with you and her, Paige?"

His focus officially scattered now, he turns his attention to packing for Lasalle, opting to leave the rest of the unpacking until he's home... hopefully with another victory to show for it.