Sempiternal

The hot water danced across her back as she grudgingly took a scrunchie to her skin, washing away any evidence of last night. Lucy had woken up in a sweat, burning against Dean's skin. He was like an oven, a warm heat radiating from his body.

She didn't want to move, but it was almost noon, and the duo needed to be heading towards the arena. She gently shook the snoring superstar, prompting him to wake up. He didn't budge. Deciding to let him sleep just a little longer, Lucy hopped into the shower, readying herself for the day ahead.

As she was working on her hair, the shower curtain pulled back slightly. She opened her eyes to see a sleepy Dean standing completely naked at the foot of the tub, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips.

"I thought you left." His voice was hoarse, no doubt the result of heavy breathing and moaning. Lucy's cheeks flushed at the memory.

Dean held her from behind, swaying them back and forth to a silent tune. "I could never leave you." She replied, laying her head on his chest.

He smiled into her cheek and he gave her a quick peck, before she slid out of the shower, and wrapped herself in a towel. She left her hair wet, weaving a simple braid, and wrapped it around the top of her head in a bun.

"Do you think he's going to remember?" Dean asked from behind the curtain.

"Time will tell." Lucy replied, as she began collecting her dirty clothes from the night before.

Dean left before she did, meeting up with Roman back in their hotel room. The Samoan didn't need to be told about their rendezvous, he had known since the night he caught them just inches apart outside of the bar.

Roman packed her bags in the car for her, allowing her to call shotgun, in order to avoid the awkwardness of sitting next to Seth in the back. Seth seemed unchanged, though. He greeted her with a hug and kissed the top of her head. She sent a small shrug Dean's way after Seth had turned his back to her.

But for the most part, he sat in the back set quietly; staring out the window.

The group spent most of the night just waiting around, wondering if they were going to be needed for tonight's show. Lucy had an appearance with the Rosebuds later, her costume was all laid out on the counter in the small bathroom. She had chosen Wonder Woman over Jessica Rabbit, this time. Eyeing herself in the mirror, she let her now dry hair fall into loose waves around her shoulders. Sliding the golden headband around her forehead.

The show was just starting as she finished her make up, and she joined the three men on the couch. Evolution was in the ring, talking a big talk about how The Shield would be finished by the end of the night. Batista wasn't having it. She went on and on about how disappointed he had been since returning to the company, and how Triple H was full of empty promises. He wanted a shot at the World Heavyweight Title, but he wasn't going to get it.

Triple H wanted to end the Shield first.

"I understand," Batista said. "And I quit."

It wasn't a shock to anyone. He was either going to stay and not fulfill his real potential, or leave and join his fellow Marvel castmates on a movie promotion tour. One of them made more sense. He waved to the booing crowd and exited the ring. Triple H warns him that if he walks, he's finished. But Batista ignores him, making his way up the ramp.

Seth, who hadn't said a single word since arriving to the arena, stood up from the couch. "I'll be back,I'm going to go grab something to eat."

As soon as the door clicked behind him, Roman turned to the two lovebirds sitting on the couch opposite him. "He seem weird to you?" He asked, knowing that there was something wrong with his younger teammate. "Lucy, girl?"

Lucy shrugged, once again faced with the fork in the road that was telling her friend, whom she believed had feelings for her, that she didn't feel the same way, or waiting just a little bit longer. Procrastinating felt like her best option, but she couldn't mask the guilt that resonated within her. It was only going to get worse the longer she put it off.

His misty eyes never left her, pressuring her for an answer to his question. "I don't know. He hasn't said anything."

There was a knock at the door; a member of the creative team, letting Roman know that he was set to go against Randy Orton tonight; a fight in which Roman would win. A battle that would no doubt turn into a three-on-two, The Shield facing what was left of Evolution. It hadn't been set in stone how this storyline would conclude. Lucy was sure it would be one of two options:

The first, making most sense, would be that upon losing to Roman tonight, Orton would realize that maybe Batista was right. Maybe it was time for Evolution to throw in the towel.

The second option only made sense because Lucy felt like it was something the WWE would do in order to keep the ball rolling on the Authority v. Shield feud, and that would be to find someone to replace Batista.

"How long does it take to get something to eat?" Dean mumbled after realizing that Seth still hadn't been back yet after an hour.

"I'm going to go find him." Lucy said as she stood up from the couch. Dean's hand caught her wrist, tugging her slightly towards him. She ducked her head, softly meeting his lips with her own. "If I don't see you before I have to go out, then I'll meet you after your match."

She sprinted off towards catering, only coming to find that he wasn't there, and hadn't been there according to a few superstars who said they had been there watching Raw since the beginning. She weaved in and out of hallways, asking superstar after superstar if they had seen him, yet none of them had.

"Lucy, darling!" She heard from behind her, turning to see a very happy looking Adam Rose. "Are you ready to board the Exotic Express!?"

"Hey, you haven't seen Seth have you?" She asked, completely ignoring him.

"No, I haven't. Why? Is he okay?" She sighed, dropping her shoulders. "Come on Lovebug! Don't be a lemon."

Adam draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards Gorilla.

After Adam's match, Lucy immediately resumed her search for Seth. She texted Dean, asking if he had shown back up in the locker room, but he hadn't. She checked catering again, even managed to find Cesaro's dressing room, but he hadn't seen him either.

"I can't find him anywhere." She said defeated as she sat on the couch. Dean was doing pushups and Roman was strapping up his gear.

"He's probably sulking in a dark corner somewhere listening to Hawthorne Heights." Dean replied. "He'll show up eventually. One, he's your best friend no matter what. Two, we have a match tonight." He tried to reassure her but it wasn't working.

She dropped it though. Dean was probably right, Seth just needed time.

The two men left the locker room shortly after, still no sign of their two-toned brother. Lucy felt a low rumble in her stomach and decided to watch the match in catering. On her way there she received a text from Dean letting her know that they had found Seth, and everything was okay.

She felt relieved. A weight immediately disappeared from her shoulders. She watched on as the three men made their way to the ring, Seth in front, followed by Dean, and then Roman. Dean stood in the middle of the ring, mic in hand, the crowd cheering loudly.

"How do we look? Because we feel great. Bruised, beaten up for sure, because last night we faced our biggest challenge to date: a No Holds Barred Elimination Match, against Evolution. And when that napalm settled we did exactly what we said we were going to do; a clean sweep. We eliminated every single member of Evolution without suffering a single casualty. Now THAT is what I liked to call DOMINATION." Dean threw his mic down.

Seth stepped up next, raising his mic to speak. "Adapt or perish, that was the whole deal, right? Last night at Payback, The Shield adapted while Evolution perished. And earlier tonight, the whole world was a witness to their implosion." He smirked, looking around the arena at the crowd. "And the reason Evolution perished is because, even though they are three of the greatest superstars in the history of this industry, last night they were not one like The Shield. In the end, they were just three strangers who happened to be standing on the same side of the ring."

Roman put his hand on Seth's shoulder, "they weren't brothers. The men standing in this ring are brothers." He held up his hand, "this is Evolution." Roman then closed his fist, "this is The Shield. So Randy Orton, won't you come out here so I can break your jaw with the Symbol of Excellence."

He threw his mic down and moments later Evolution's music hit. Triple H stepped out from the curtain, holding a sledgehammer, with Orton not far behind. Seth jumps from the ring and grabs two steel chairs, then aligns himself with Dean and Roman, ready for the attack.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, what I do better than anybody is adapt. Last night was plan A. Tonight is plan B." Triple H taunted as he surveyed his sledgehammer. "There's always a plan B."

Lucy's phone rang in her pocket, she glanced at the screen momentarily before denying the Unknown number.

"Oh my God!" She heard Michael Cole's voice come through the speakers.

Lucy looked back up to the monitor; her heart stopping immediately, breath hitching in the back of her throat. Roman lay face down in the ring, the crowd in disbelief. She was in disbelief. Randy Orton and Triple H watched on as her best friend betrayed his teammates.

Dean looked at Roman, then Seth, and back to Roman again. His eyes were wide. Seth watched Dean, steel chair in hand and a steel look in his eye. It finally clicked in Dean that this was happening, Seth went from brother to enemy in seconds. He took a step towards Seth, for his former partner to take a shot to his ribs.

Lucy watched on in horror as the new storyline unfolded before her eyes. Option B. Plan B. Seth cracked the chair over Dean's back not once, not twice, not three times. He beat Dean down, hitting him eleven times with the steel chair. Tears fell from Lucy's eyes as the camera panned over Seth's face. He picked up a second chair, dragging it over to Dean who was struggling to get up. Seth dropped the chair at Dean's head, nudging it closer to his former friend with his foot.

"No." Lucy barely whispered as Seth bounced off the rope, the bottom of his boot connecting with the back of Dean's head, sending him face first into the chair.

She stood up unable to watch any longer. This was her fault. If she hadn't been so selfish, so oblivious, so stupid. She could've kept this from happening. But she drove Seth away, and now he was taking it out on two people that she cared for very deeply.

It hadn't been long, only two months, but Roman and Dean had become two of the most important people in her life. She had no family. She never felt safe. But being with these three guys, becoming a part of this company, she learned what having a real family felt like. And Seth, her life long friend, the person she trusted more than anyone in this world just single-handedly destroyed all of it.