Secrets - Brollins

19.

Ashley and Rebecca walked through the front doors of WWE Headquarters in Stamford, it was New Years Eve. As per usual all of the talent was invited to the annual party that was held on the roof top of the building every year.

Vince wanted all of the talent there to celebrate the successes of the previous year and discuss the expectations for the following year with the investors.

Colby watched Rebecca from the corner of the rooftop as Ashley walked over to him slowly, the blonde watched him examining Rebecca, his eyes roaming over her body slowly.

"You keep looking at her like that people are going to start to speculate" Ashley said breaking Colby's gaze away from Rebecca

"Let them" he shrugged as he watched the redhead talk with the investors and he shook his head with a laugh

"What?" Ashley questioned with a knowing smirk

"You know what.." He nodded "You've seen the relationship between us grow over the years"

"I have" Ashley nodded "I also know that when Knox was born you told him you were going to ask Rebecca out but after everything happened Sarah you decided against it"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Rebecca" Ashley nodded "She was awake for that conversation.. she heard everything"

"Why did she never tell me that? She never let on that she knew a thing" he watched Rebecca move to the next elder man who was in charge of FOX

"Because like you, she didn't want to make anything awkward" Ashley shook her head

"So us pretending that we're just co-parents and me trying to push aside the fact that I'm falling more in love with her everyday isn't awkward?"

"Whoa Whoa whoa!" Ashley held her hand up "falling more in love with her everyday?" She asked "I knew you two had feelings for each other but I had no idea it was that serious" she shook her head

"It is" Colby nodded "For me anyway" he shrugged

Fifteen minutes later Rebecca felt her arm being pulled and she went stumbling into Ashley as she pulled her in the corner.

"What?" Rebecca questioned and she saw the seriousness in her friends face "What's wrong?"

"You need to talk to Colby" she said and Rebecca looked around the crowd of people for him

"Is he okay?" She asked as she realized she couldn't find him

"Physically he's fine.. mentally and emotionally he's a disaster" the blonde nodded "You need to go find him and talk to him"

Rebecca took of in search of Colby and was pulled away a few times by a few different people to have conversations with them. She made her way into the headquarters and looked around, searching multiple offices before finding him in an empty one.

She knocked on the open door and he turned around in the office chair to look at her as she walked in and shut the door behind her, locking it to insure no-one would bother them.

"Hey" she said as she walked over to him "Are you okay?" She asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her

"I'm fine" he said with a nod and she moved to sit on the desk in front of him

"I know you" she nodded "You're not fine, you're hiding"

"I let you come in here so obviously I'm not hiding" he shook his head and she rolled her eyes

She watched him take a deep breath and noted his shaking hands that he was trying to hide from her. She'd seen this behavior from him a few times throughout the years.. she knew exactly what was happening.

"You're having an anxiety attack" she said and he shook his head

"That's where you're wrong" he pointed to her "I'm coming out of an anxiety attack" he corrects her and she grabbed his hands in hers tightly

"What caused it this time?" She asked and he laughed slightly with a shake of his head

"This time? You make it sound like this happens often"

"It does" Rebecca nodded "I've been around you long enough to pick up on your little tendencies, I've talked to your mom about them and she told me that you've had anxiety since you were a kid and the anxiety attacks started when you were a teenager"

"She just tells you everything doesn't she?" He questioned and Rebecca nodded "So I have severe anxiety, so what?" He asked "It's fine"

"Its not fine" she shook her head "I've been with you when you've had these episodes before but you tried to hide them every single time but I caught onto it.. your breathing changes, which is why you clear your throat to try and hide it, your hands start to shake and you put them in your pockets, your eyes glass over so you avoid eye contact and then once it's over you're exhausted and grumpy for hours until you come back to yourself" she explained

Just like he knew her little tendencies and quirks, he just learned that even after years of trying to hide it, she knew his quirks as well.

"So every time.." he looked at her quickly

"When Luke and I got into that fight before Knox was born and you took me to the hospital" she said and he nodded "When Knox was born and you saw all the pain I was in" he nodded once more "Before big matches.. and now" she said "I've seen every single one but I didn't want to say anything and make it worse"

"Damn it dude" he threw his head back and she just stayed silent as she watched him

"Now that You know that I know.. will you tell me how to help when these happen?" She questioned and he stared at her silently

"When these attacks happen I usually just breathe through it, don't let the horrible thoughts in my head have too much power and I anchor myself to something, I focus solely on one thing until I come out of it"

"Instead of focusing on a wall and looking like you're insane because you're just staring at an inanimate object, you can anchor yourself to me if you want"

"I already do" his eyes met hers "You haven't known it but you've been my anchor for a long time"