"Texas weather is something, huh?" Alicia asks with a slight giggle as she settles on the step below where Ricardo is sitting, watching clouds mingle with the blue sky overhead, promising more rain and storms. "I thought Florida was wild. This has it beat, I believe."

"I think you're right," he agrees, resting his cheek on her shoulder and lightly kissing her jaw. "I still like it here though." He'd wrestled recently, in a tag match, and his team had won, so he's feeling pretty good about things right now. Training is going ok, the dogs are happy and healthy, and his relationship with Alicia is solid. He can't ask for much more.

Then his phone rings. He sighs and pulls it out of his pocket, squinting at the name. "Hm," he murmurs, answering it. "Hola, Alberto," he says, pausing to kiss Alicia when she glances up at him. "What's going on?"

Alberto is excited, Alberto speaks so quickly that it can be impossible to grasp when he's like this, but Ricardo is well trained in listening to Alberto no matter what mood he's in. "Mi hermano, there's a date I'm working in Minnesota, and I... well, I think we should work it together. What do you say, one more run as my ring announcer? Hm?"

Ricardo stares ahead for a few moments, then smiles. "Yeah, si, mi hermano, I'd like that. Muchas gracias. When?" They talk for a few moments longer, Ricardo getting more details from him and, once they're done, he hangs up and hums thoughtfully, leaning in to kiss Alicia once more. "He wants to work together again," he shares with her and she twists around to hug him. "I do miss seeing him more often," he admits quietly and she nods.

"I know you do. I'm happy you guys can do this show together," she tells him with a small smile, poking his nose lightly and making him go cross eyed. "I love you, Ricardo."

He's just gotten his arms around her when it begins to rain, heavily. She squeals but sinks back into his touch as he kisses her again. "I love you too," he whispers against her skin and she giggles, pressing against him as they grow more and more soaked under the steady rain, unbothered by all of it.

A few days pass and the unpredictable Texas weather continue when there's a knock at the door, sending the dogs all over the place. "Shhhhh!" Alicia rebukes them, heading for the door. She blinks upon finding a proud looking Heath there. "Heath! Come in! What's going on?" She ushers him in and he follows her to the kitchen where Ricardo is sitting, finalizing travel for his appearance with Alberto.

Standing up, Ricardo stares at Heath. "Oh, I didn't hear you at the door," he says sheepishly. "What's going on, amigo?"

Heath smiles, looking somehow both nervous and proud. "Uh, well, Mike asked me for help with somethin' and together, we got the recordin' Shane made of Mike's confession about Maryse'n'AJ and... and everythin'. Maryse'd be here but she's still feeling queasy and all, so I told her to stay at home and rest with Monroe." He holds the memory disc between his finger and thumb. "Doesn't seem real that such a little thing could mess things up so seriously, huh?"

"You'd be surprised," Alicia says with a shake of her head, reaching out to cradle the disastrous item in her hands. "So what do you plan on doing with it?"

Heath hesitates for only a few moments and Ricardo thinks he knows. "Well, it's prolly a lot to ask, but I feel like this'd be the last place Shane would come lookin' for this, so just kinda wonderin' if maybe you guys wouldn't mind hiding this for me and Mike. Just for a while, til Shane forgets and moves on. What do you think?"

It only takes a quick glance between Ricardo and Alicia before they nod. "Yeah, man, of course we'll keep it," Ricardo says, taking it from Alicia and smiling before facing Heath. "You know we'll do all we can to help you and Mike get out of this mess."

Heath doesn't say anything for a long, tense moment, eyes filling with tears. "Thank you," he says honestly, throwing his arms around and hugging them again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he says.

"You're welcome," Ricardo says, rubbing soothing circles along Heath's back. "You're gonna be ok, I promise you."