Ramona's P.O.V.

Ramona had mouthed "help me" in one second and Ryan was viciously on top of Shawn in the next.

"You fucking asshole!!" Ryan yelled, shoving Shawn to the floor at her feet and slamming his fist right into Shawn's face.

Ramona had cried out as she ran several paces away, watching the scene from where she stood by the small circular dining table with a top of glass.

She was very conflicted. Ryan had saved her, but he was still beating her fiance to a pulp. Yet some part of her brain told her that Shawn deserved it. It was simple karma. He beat her, so Ryan beat him. It made sense.

Ramona saw clearly as Ryan and Shawn both struggled around on the living room floor. At one point, Shawn had managed to very roughly shove Ryan away after grabbing the front of his leather jacket. Ryan had stumbled back into the coffee table on the far side of the couch. It knocked the lamp down with a crash.

And here Ramona stood, in the dining room, one hand over her mouth while her other arm tried to cover up her exposed torso. But one thin arm wasn't enough to obscure the bruises. Not to mention the stupid black bra that pinched her sides 98% of the time.

While Ryan got back up and threw a punch at Shawn, who had also risen, Ramona thought back to the very moment when she stepped in view before the fight. Nothing could hide the way Ryan looked at her. She saw both heartbreak for her and anger for something else, most likely Shawn.

Ryan's fist only grazed Shawn's hard jaw, and Shawn was the one to very easily dodge the punch as he grabbed Ryan's arm and bent it over as he threw Ryan to the back of the couch. Ryan cried out, and Ramona gasped. She had even stepped forward, oddly prepared to try and help him, but Ryan wasn't weak. He elbowed Shawn hard enough to send him back to the floor.

Ryan was clearly hurt, but aside from that, he threw himself at Shawn again and grabbed one of his arms to pick him up and shove him against a wall near the front door, which was still wide open. For a moment, the little voice in the back of Ramona's mind told her to run, but her feet were planted into the hard floor, the same way they were before she had met Ryan.

Her breath was short as she watched the scene. She wasn't aware of that fact that she had not stopped crying. She was only concerned for Ryan. No, not Shawn. Ryan. The other voice in her head, the one that made her stay, was cheering for Ryan, almost, and begging that he'd be okay. But surely he would. Surely he had been suppressing that punch at Shawn for a very long time.

Ramona snapped out of her thoughts again when she heard more struggled grunts from the men. She nearly cried out herself at the sight of Shawn punching Ryan in the jaw, throwing him against the wall beside the stairwell as he almost tripped over his own feet. Shawn ran at him and held him there, his large hands wrapped around Ryan's throat.

Ramona didn't think about it until she had done it; she screamed, "Ryan!"

But he still kicked Shawn away back to the floor, coughing. He took a pause as Shawn was on the floor, gripping his own side.

Ryan stopped to look at Ramona, leaning against the wall.

"Ramona," He barked, "Get out of here!!"

Ramona didn't have to think twice. She didn't even grab her shirt, she just ran away, down the front steps of her home and to the driveway, a few feet from Ryan's sloppily parked car. Here, she had to stop her sobs from coming out.

No, Ramona, calm down, it's okay.

But it was not okay. She was just raped less than twenty-four hours ago, someone other than Shawn had seen her bruises (Ryan Tedder, at that), she had a black eye on top of that, and both Ryan and Shawn were inside brutally fighting.

As the cool wind moved against the bare skin of her arms and back, moving her messy hair around in her face, Ramona started to regret not getting her shirt back. And then she thought about what would happen after this. Ryan wouldn't let her go back inside, or even stay here, for that matter. So she'd be shirtless in front of him? And for how long?

Oh god. She thought.

Then there was a crash from in the house that sounded like something hitting glass, and then complete silence. Ramona almost let out another cry, her lower lip trembling and tears threatening to fall again. She looked away, up at the shades of the evening. It was nearly nighttime as the sun began to say its last words to the sky.

But then Ramona saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and flinched, thinking it was Shawn at first, but it was Ryan, slamming the front door behind him. He looked irate, but at the sight of her again, his face softened. This took Ramona by surprise a bit. She was too used to men being angry with her.

As he got within five feet of her, Ramona became very aware of being in only her bra. She tried to cover herself up more. Though, Ryan noticed and took off his jacket, offering it to her. Ramona reluctantly took it from his hands and slipped it on.

"Thank you." Was all Ramona could say. Or squeak, more like.

"It's nothing." Ryan replied.

Then there was a pause. Ramona couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, especially as the dying light of the sun lit up his face and the wind moved his silky hair around (not that she noticed its silkiness).

But it felt so wrong to be thinking those things. She's with Shawn, after all.

Or is she?

Then Ryan took her arms very softly. Ramona's breath was sucked right out of her body at his tenderness. She's never felt someone so gentle.

"You're okay, right?" Ryan began.

"No." Ramona honestly answered. She saw something of a sad glimmer in his eyes. She had a very odd feeling where she wanted to hug him and pull away from him all at once. It killed her slowly.

"Do you want to call one of your friends and stay with them?" Ryan asked. Ramona shook her head. She didn't. No. She wanted to stay with someone else, with him.

Ryan took a pause, he looked around at her face very carefully, as if examining her along with what he should say. He hesitantly asked her what she wanted him to ask her.

"Would you like to...stay with me?" He nervously brought out. Ramona didn't want to answer that question too quickly. But nevertheless, she eventually nodded.

Then, slowly, Ryan released her arms and opened the passenger door of his car, kindly motioning for her to get in. Ramona did so, Ryan got in, and then he started to drive to his house.

The car ride was silent, though, and Ryan's soft driving and the chilly air conditioning on her face put a tired, broken Ramona to sleep in little time.

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I hope you liked this! Especially the fight scene. I'm very unsure of how I did. But I did enjoy writing it, especially the end with Ramona's feelings. How do you guys feel? Probably happy Ryan got to beat up Shawn a little bit, surely. Thanks so much, you guys!! As stated a million times before, you should be getting another update on Tuesday for Zach Filkins' birthday! :)