Thanks to everyone to favorited and commented on this last chapter!

Lucy swirled the the ice around in her glass of iced tea and jotted down a few notes. Restaurant reviews were pretty much a standard for her at this point and while they weren't her favorite thing to do, they came with a paid meal by the magazine and were pretty easy. She politely thanked the server who placed a basket of fresh bread and shallow dish of olive oil in front of her. She ripped off a piece and dipped it in the oil before popping in her mouth and letting her mind drift.

Roman.

Man, was she ever crazy about Roman. And it was terrifying her.

Every second of the day she was thinking about him, wondering what he was doing or if he was thinking about her. She thought about the way his eyes lit up when he smiled and his deep, rumbling voice. The feelings of his lips on her neck while she threaded his hair in her fingers. The way he was completely attentive whenever she spoke. The incredible size of his-

"Now, what is a beautiful girl like you doing eating lunch all by your lonesome?" a voice behind Lucy said. She turned around and broke into a smile when she saw Dean entering the otherwise deserted dining room.

"Hey, Dean!" she said brightly, "What are you doing here?"

"Roman went to the gym and Seth's at the tanning salon," Dean answered as he approached the table and took the seat across from Lucy, "and this place sounded pretty good when you were talking about it earlier. Figured I'd swing by and see if you'd like some company."

"I would love it," Lucy said, giving him a genuine smile. "So Seth did CrossFit this morning and Roman's at the gym now, when do you work out? Or do you just naturally look like that?"

"Oh yeah, I just roll out of bed and bam! Perfection." Dean answered with a silly smirk on his face, making Lucy chuckle. "No, I got my exercise in last night."

"Late night gym session after closing down the bars?" Lucy asked, as she cocked her eyebrow.

"Something like that," Dean answered, dropping his gaze to the menu the waiter had quickly placed in front of him upon arrival, "This bacon mushroom cheeseburger thing sounds killer."

Lucy noticed something flicker over Dean's face before he abruptly changed the subject to food, but figured she'd let it go in favor of picking out an entree herself. It was lucky Dean decided to eat with her so she'd have more than just her own opinion to draw from, and a larger sampling of the menu.

A few moments later the waiter arrived and took their order before leaving Dean and Lucy in a companionable silence.

"Have you given any more thought to the whole Europe thing?" Dean asked her while making cautious eye contact, his tone casual.

Oh.

So that's why he was here.

Lucy sighed and bit into another piece of bread, refusing to meet Dean's eyes. She could feel him staring at her, intent on an answer.

"I don't know, I really don't think it's a great idea. I'd need a to get a passport and a dog sitter, and then where would I stay over there? It's not-"

"Lucy." Dean interrupted her babbling with a firm tone. He gave her a solemn, pleading look.

"I don't know exactly what you're trying to cover up here, and that's fine, it's probably none of my business. But please don't try to bullshit me, I know when I'm being lied to. Keep your secrets if you want to, but answer me one question."

Lucy nodded, her palms sweating and stomach in knots.

"Are you about to break my brother's heart?" Dean asked, his eyes pained.

Lucy could swear her pulse stopped for a moment. Break his heart? She had only known him a few days, there was no way he had any feelings that deep for her already.

Except that he did. And so did she. They had talked about that the night before. They had a connection far more than a superficial fling and they both knew it.

And then there were Dean and Seth. Roman's brothers who opened up their little circle to her without so much as a second thought the moment she entered their lives. Who had already called her family. Who, she noted as she spared a glance at Dean -tapping his fingers impatiently on the table cloth and waited for her answer- were taking time out of their insane schedule to play mediator for their relationship.

Okay, yeah. She owes Dean an explanation.

"I'm scared, Dean," she finally said, "He's waited so long to find someone to be with and take the trouble to make time for. It...it's a lot to live up to. I'm falling so hard for him," she continued, noticing his small smile at those words from her, "but what if I'm not who he thinks I am? He's still getting to know me. What happens when we go on this trip and the novelty wears off once he really, really knows who I am?" Lucy finished, staring holes into her notepad to avoid looking at Dean.

Before he could respond, the server appeared to drop off their food and top off the drinks. Momentarily shifted back into business mode, Lucy took a few bites of everything on the plate and wrote a few notes. She swallowed and set down her pen, finally daring to look Dean in the eye.

He had been watching her with a strange look on his face. It was a mixture of understanding, empathy and, if she wasn't mistaken, a tiny bit of...amusement? Once he saw she was ready to talk again, he took a sip from his drink and swallowed the handful of french fries he had shoveled into his mouth.

"I get where you're coming from, I really do," he said, "Can I give you some advice?"

"Of course," she answered immediately, "you know him better than I do."

"There are only two people in the world whose judgment I trust, and one of them is Roman," he began, "Roman, he just...he gets people. I don't know how the hell he does it, but he does. Have you ever seen any of the interviews we did when we first started on the main roster?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Really? You're dating a dude that's all over the internet and you haven't completely stalked YouTube by now? Even I would do that. Weird," he replied and took a huge bite of his gigantic burger, "I was right, this thing is amazing."

"Um, I think you were maybe trying to make a point?" Lucy reminded him with a laugh, before taking a bite of her own lunch.

"Right, sorry," he grinned sheepishly and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "If you watch any of those videos, whenever somebody asked us how we work so well together, Roman said the same thing every time: that we skipped over the friend stage and went straight to becoming brothers. Now, you tell him what I'm about to say and I will kill you," Dean pointed his fork at Lucy.

She smiled before putting a finger to her lips and drew an "x" over her heart with her index finger. Satisfied with that agreement, Dean continued.

"Sitting in those interviews, I thought he could not be more full of crap. Sure, I always thought, we're brothers now. But as soon as we were told to team up? All I knew about them was that they were great wrestlers and wanted the same things I did, and we would make it work because we had to. But Roman? He just knew. He always told Seth and I how amazing and talented we were, especially when we were doubting ourselves. He loved us like his own blood from the start and has never stopped. And when he loves, let me tell you, he loves with everything he has. I've seen him around his family, and I know Seth and I are a pain in his ass more often than not, and he has never once let anything tear him away from someone he cares about."

Lucy considered Dean's words for a minute, letting herself process them. So many feelings were swirling around in her head, and one thing Dean had said struck her hard.

"Do you-" she started and stopped, afraid to even speak the words, "You-you think he loves me?"

"I think…" Dean trailed off, clearly choosing his words very carefully, "that however he feels about you, even if it isn't love just yet, it's far from being casual. And I think you know that. He doesn't really do things halfway."

"You know, you're awfully insightful for a man who plays a crazy person," Lucy said, giving him a grateful look.

"I have my moments," he answered with shrug, "somebody's gotta look out for Ro, you know?" He picked up his burger and continued eating.

"And it seems like you're looking after me too," Lucy said, a hopeful edge in her voice.

Dean swallowed and gave her a soft smile.

"I wasn't kidding that first night you came over. You're a part of us now, and like I said, I trust Roman's gut. He thinks you're pretty special and from I've seen, he's right. If I can help it, I am not going to let you crazy kids make life any harder on yourselves just because you're nervous or whatever. You make each other happy," he said with a sincere look.

"Thanks, Dean. You coming here and saying all that, it really means a lot. You have no idea," Lucy said, her breathing and pulse finally back to normal.

Dean reached across the table and held out his fist, causing Lucy to let out a small laugh before she bumped it with her own.

"Now, enough with all the feelings stuff," Dean said, stealing an onion ring from Lucy's plate, "let's finish eating all this so we can order dessert."

After lunch was over, Dean and Lucy walked back to the hotel.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you one thing. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I had a hunch about something," Dean said.

"Shoot," Lucy answered, her interest piqued.

"Are you really just hanging out with some friends tonight? You got all shifty eyed when you said that at breakfast," he said.

"Well, yes and no," Lucy answered with a coy grin, "I am meeting up with a friend of mine, but we're not just hanging out. She's friends with a guy at the arena and scored us some ringside seats for Smackdown tonight. I thought I'd go with her and surprise Roman."

"Awww, isn't that cute." Dean teased, dramatically fluttering his eyelashes at her.

"Oh, shut up," she said, giving him a playful shove, "what did you think, I was cheating on Roman or something?"

"Nah, nothing like that, I just knew you were full of it," Dean answered, his dimple poking out due to his cocky grin, "remember, I'm insightful."

"I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I?" Lucy asked, shaking her head.

"Most likely," he said.

After the show that evening, Lucy was waiting inside the Shield's dressing room. The show had been amazing, and she noticed Roman had almost broken character when he saw her standing in the second row. She was holding up a "Roman Empire" sign she and her friend Erica had made out of bright blue poster board and black, glittery letters. The guys had invited Erica backstage, too, but she declined in favor of relieving her babysitter. So Lucy sat and waited for them to come back from the shower, watching whatever show followed the broadcast on the monitor.

Lucy hears the door open and smiles when she sees Roman coming in, clad in just a pair of dark blue sweatpants and toweling off his hair. Her eyes follow as a few drops of water trickle down his bare chest and disappear beneath his waistband. She takes in a shallow breath and bites her lip before looking up to meet his eyes, where Roman is looking back at her with his mouth curved into a half smirk, the smallest hint of a blush on his face.

"See something you like?" he asked, walking over to the couch Lucy was sitting on, a little extra swagger in his hips.

"What? Me? No, definitely not," Lucy answered, putting on her best innocent face, widening her eyes for dramatic effect.

"It's nice to see you too, gorgeous," Roman said, hanging up his damp towel and sitting down next to her, bowing his head to kiss her.

Lucy smiled against his lips before kissing him back, her hand moving to stroke the warm skin of his pec. She felt the muscle twitch beneath her fingers and his hand cup her face as he opened his mouth, deepening the kiss.

Lucy's heart was beating wildly, and she felt moisture starting to build between her thighs as she returned his enthusiasm and let out a tiny groan. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him to take her and ravish her right here on the floor on the locker room, never mind who might walk in. But something in the back of her mind was telling her not yet, don't rush this. As her resolve was starting to waver, Roman's kisses became gentler until he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers, his hand still holding her just under her chin. For a moment the two simply listened to each other's breathing, Lucy's heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Thank you for coming tonight, it really meant a lot to me," Roman said, his voice just barely above a whisper, "I didn't think it'd be a big deal, really, but you have no idea how excited I was to catch your eye in the crowd."

"You were amazing out there tonight, baby," Lucy answered, feeling a squeeze in her chest, "I loved being able to see you wrestle in person. You give off this intense vibe. There's so much aggression and confidence, it's completely different from who you are around me."

"Well, I may or may not have been showing off a little bit. Oh, wait," he said, pulling his head back to look her in the eye, "are you saying it turned you on?" Roman asked, his voice an octave lower and his eyes dark, "You like big, bad Reigns, kicking ass and taking names?"

"Yeah, me and every other woman in that arena tonight," Lucy answered with a giggle, squirming underneath the heated look Roman was giving her, "But I think I like caring and dorky Roman better. Though I wouldn't turn down a night with Mr. Shield Enforcer."

"Oh you wouldn't, huh?" Roman, his eyes full of mischief, "And what would that look like, hmm?"

"Well, I don't know exactly," Lucy said, suddenly feeling bold. She threw her leg over his thighs and settled into his lap, one hand on each of his impressive shoulders, "Maybe me and you, fresh from the ring, all sweaty riot gear and post match adrenaline. Could be a fun night."

Roman gave her hungry stare and let out a little moan, his mouth split into the cockiest grin.

"I think we might be able to arrange that sometime," he said, encircling her waist with his hands, pulling down so she was fully seated in his lap.

Lucy could feel his growing erection poking at her through his thin shorts, even through her jeans. She smiled to herself, glad to see he was just as excited about this idea as she was. Lucy bent down to claim his lips again, grinding down over his hardened bulge. Roman's hands gripped her waist tighter, and his teeth nipped at her bottom lip.

"Whoa! Sorry, you two," Seth said from the doorway, holding his arm out to prevent Dean from following him any further inside.

Both Lucy and Roman jumped apart, then each let out a chuckle. Shaking his head, Roman pulled Lucy off of his lap and draped his arm around her shoulder, tucking her into his side.

"Don't worry about it guys, come on in," Roman said with an exaggerated sigh, "not like we're having a romantic moment or anything."

Lucy slapped Roman playfully on chest, her cheeks burning from the public display.

"The smelly locker room of a hockey stadium, now there's an aphrodisiac," Seth said as he made his way in with a smirk, "remind me not to come to you for dating advice. Hey, ow!" He yelped as Roman kicked him lightly in the shin.

Dean and Lucy met each other's eyes, simultaneously bursting into laughter. Both Dean and Roman looked between them, amused expressions on their faces.

"Oh, look at this, one secret lunch for you two and now you've got private jokes and everything," Roman said, his expression conveying he didn't mind in the slightest.

"Careful babe, I don't think green is quite your color" Lucy joked, resting her head against his shoulder, "besides, you get me all to yourself tonight. What would you like to do?"

"There's a park next to a lake downtown, would you like to go? It's nighttime and a weekday, so it shouldn't be full of too many people. We could grab some coffee or something while we're down there," Roman suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lucy said, standing up off the couch, "are you ready to go now?"

"Sure, let me just throw on the rest of my clothes and we'll head out."

Lucy and Roman walked hand in hand through the park, each sipping a milkshake from a styrofoam cup, foregoing the coffee in favor of something that wouldn't keep them up all night.

As they walked the winding path against the shimmering lake, Roman gestured the hand holding his dessert towards a red and black structure up ahead of them that looked a bit out of place among the rest of the typical florida architecture.

"Let's go check that out. It looks like it's from China or something," he said excitedly, looking down at Lucy.

"I actually know all about that," she answered, meeting his gaze, "The friend I was with tonight, she writes for this branch of the magazine. That's how I know her, and last year she wrote a piece on it. It's called the Chinese Ting Pagoda, and was a gift from China to beautify the city in 1985."

"Look at you, a walking encyclopedia," Roman beamed at her and took another sip from his milkshake as the pair approached the small building.

"Only about Tampa and Orlando, mostly. Take me out of here and I'm lost," Lucy answered, following Roman up onto the landing. The structure inside was small base with a few benches hidden from the outside by low walls, surrounded by thin columns that led up to the ornate roof, which was tiered and curved into several points that wrapped around. Roman guided Lucy over to one of the benches that faced the water and sat down, letting go of her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders.

Lucy snuggled happily into his side, and brought up her milkshake to his lips. A cool breeze blew through the open air space and she shivered, pressing even further into Roman's warm torso.

"Are you cold?" Roman asked, placing his cup on the ledge.

"A little," she admitted, looking up at him.

"Here, take this," he said as he unzipped the grey hoodie he was wearing, shrugging out of it.

"Oh, no, it's not that bad," she said, trying to stop him from removing it.

"Would you let me be a gentleman, already?" He laughed, draping the cloth over her shoulders.

Lucy giggled and almost handed it back, but it was warm from being worn and felt so good against her cold skin that she couldn't resist. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and zipped it up, rolling the far too long cuffs up her wrists. Letting out a contented sigh, she leaned back against Roman, now just in his shirt, his arm moving back around her. She smiled softly as they continued to stare at the lake, noticing a few swans were swimming around.

"You know, if you come with me on tour we could see all sorts of things like this," Roman said, breaking the comfortable silence that had come over them.

Lucy's body tensed and she slowly sat up to find Roman looking at her with a serious expression on his face, his eyes hopeful.

"Roman, I- It's not that I don't want to go, I just don't know-" Lucy stammered, trying to formulate a good reason about why she shouldn't go. As she opened her mouth to continue, Roman beat her to the punch.

"I get why you might be hesitant," he said, taking her free hand in his own on her lap, "it was just kind of dropped on you this morning. We're still getting started and taking a trip to another country is a big step with a guy you haven't known that long."

Lucy just nodded, still unsure about what to say. About what she wanted to say, because the reality was that she was dying to go. Of course she wanted to take a trip to a new place with this wonderful and gorgeous man who, for some reason, obviously really liked her. But she was so nervous about what wanting to go meant for their relationship, and she just wasn't ready to face it yet.

"All I'm asking is that you think about it, okay? I swear, I'm not expecting anything crazy from you while we're there, if that's what you're thinking-" Lucy shook her head, her face becoming softer, "Whatever it is you're worried about, I'll do my best not to let it happen. Okay?" he finished, his expression warm.

"I'll think about, I promise," Lucy answered, her heart soaring as a smile graced Roman's features, "I'll talk to my boss and make sure it's a go, logistically, and then we'll go from there. Is that alright?"

"Thank you, sweetheart. That sounds great," he said, giving her hand a tight squeeze. Smiling, Roman reached over and grabbed his milkshake. He propped it on the space next to him on the seat, pulling out the spoon and scooping up the cherry on top before eating it.

Lucy took a sip of her own before looking back at Roman and letting out a gleeful noise. He had a dollop of whipped cream in his beard, just below his mouth, that he clearly hadn't noticed.

"Here, let me get that" Lucy said, pointing to her own chin to clue him in. He shifted his eyes down and gave a hearty chuckle before nodding. Lucy started by reaching her hand forward, that decided to do one better. Giving Roman a devilish look, she moved towards him and placed open mouth kiss on the spot, extracting the frothy substance with her tongue.

She felt a low rumble in Roman's chest, encouraging her to keep going. She slid her mouth upwards and gave the same treatment to his lips, kissing him fervently. Both she and Roman placed down their cups and wrapped their arms around one another, exploring each other's mouths. Lucy slid her hands behind Roman's neck, pulling him closer as she felt his hands dip beneath the fabric of his own sweatshirt, letting out a surprised squeak at his cold fingers on the now warmed skin of her lower back. They continued this for several minutes, locked in their embrace and passionate exchange. Lucy broke the kiss first to come up for air and stared down at Roman, his lips swollen and eyes dilated, looking up at her in equal parts desire and fondness.

In this moment, Lucy didn't want to think. She didn't want to worry about going on this vacation or how serious of a commitment that might mean; she didn't want think about whether or not Roman really liked her, or whether he really knew her; she definitely didn't want to think about the fact that although she was doing everything possible to deny it, that Dean was probably right: that no matter the walls she had up, Roman could see straight into her heart and soul, and was in far too deep. No, Lucy didn't focus on any of that right now. Here, in this moment, Lucy just wanted to feel.

"I think we left off somewhere around here back at the stadium," she finally said to him, curling her fingers at the hair at the base of Roman's neck.

"I do believe you're right," he answered, his breathing heavy.

"Come here," Lucy said, climbing off of the bench, and sitting on the floor, crooking her finger at him.

Roman looked at her a little confused but complied, scooting off of his seat and landing next to her with a small thump. He leaned back on his hands and looked at her expectantly, waiting to see what she had planned.

Grinning deviously, Lucy crawled over on her hands and knees and started kissing him again, her hands on his thighs as she fit into the space between them. Roman kissed her back forcefully, bringing one hand forward to card through her hair. As they sat there making out, Lucy slid her hands up Roman's legs and tugged at his waistband, causing him to pull back abruptly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes dazed and dark, his voice husky and full of want.

"Hips up, big guy," she said, pulling at them again.

"We shouldn't do this here, someone will see us," Roman panted, glancing around frantically. The growing bulge in his pants seemed to think otherwise. Lucy slid her palm up and down it, making Roman curse softly. She placed a kiss next to his ear and tugged more forcefully at his pants this time.

"Not if you keep quiet," she whispered, her warm breath ghosting over his skin.

"What are you doing to me, baby?" Roman answered breathlessly, finally raising his hips for her. Not giving him the chance to reconsider, Lucy eagerly pulled down his sweats and boxer briefs down in one go, glancing up at him wantonly as she slid down, letting her face hover above his cock that was standing at attention.

Meeting his eyes one more time, she winked before closing them and opening her mouth to lap at the large head. She let her tongue dart inside the slit, pulling out a barely audible growl from him. Lucy him in her mouth, wrapping her lips around the head and sucking lightly. She opened her mouth and licked the length of his shaft, tracing the vein on the underside. She swirled her tongue around the head one more time, before engulfing him in her mouth, sinking down on him and opening up her throat. She pushed on further until her nose touched his skin, making Roman give a strangled noise. Lucy felt him bring one hand to her head, not pushing, but holding her there steady. She hummed around him as she brought her mouth up, hollowing her cheeks and sliding back down, loving the sounds of Roman panting wildly above her. She repeated the motion a few times, getting more accustomed to his massive girth. As she continued her ministrations, she felt Roman's grip tighten on her silky strands.

"I'm nearly there, babe. I- ahhh, God, fuck! That feels so good. It's so damn good, Lucy" Roman muttered in between hard fought breaths, obviously resisting the urge to moan out loud. Lucy sped up her motions, taking his throbbing cock all the way as far it could go down her throat, the point of her tongue sliding against the smooth flesh, before dragging her mouth almost completely off and plunging back down. Lucy hummed again, reaching one hand back to grab Roman's on the top of her head, entwining their fingers. The intimate contact turned out to be the tipping point for Roman and as she slid his thick muscle down her throat one more time, his cock twitched, signaling his release. Roman gave a single involuntary sharp thrust as he emptied his load in Lucy's throat, her name a quiet mantra on his lips as she swallowed his come down eagerly.

Lucy continued to suck on him lightly through his orgasm until she felt his cock begin to soften in her mouth. She eased off of him and looked up at his face, please with how wrecked and contented he looked, his head resting against the bench behind them, his chest rising and falling as he attempted to catch his breath. She reached down to his pants and pulled them up, Roman letting out a small groan at the effort of lifting up his hips and tucking himself away. He smiled and looked down at her with a euphoric expression.

"You are absolutely crazy, you know that?" He asked with a grin, pulling her down for a soft kiss. She nodded as he brushed her lips against hers before she stood up. Lucy held out her hand to him and he took it, getting up mostly steadily on his slightly wobbly legs.

"Come on, Superman, let's head back. You mind staying over again?" she asked as they made their way back out onto the walkway.

"After that, I think I'd feel cheap if I didn't," Roman deadpanned, shooting her a goofy grin, "Why do I have a feeling you're going to be quite the handful?"

Lucy just grinned and squeezed his hand, staring up at the moonlight that was guiding their way.