Sempiternal

Lucy looked around frantically searching for something, but there was nothing around her. She couldn't see clearly; just a dark, blurry mess of shapes and shadows. Every time she thought she had come close to something, it disappeared out from underneath her.

She heard voices.

Two of them.

Two very familiar voices that were unmistakable.

"You will never amount to anything." The first voice yelled. A thick, southern accent that she had grown to hate over her lifetime. It cut into her like a knife, slicing her open; a large, calloused hand reaching into the deepest part of her, pulling up the feelings that she had ignored for so long. She hadn't heard her father's voice in years.

"You're worthless." The second voice spat at her. Hearing it felt like salt on a festering wound; one that was located in the center of her back, right between her shoulder blades. She turned in the direction it came from, desperate to find her old friend.

"No one will ever want you." Her father yelled. A sound tore through the air, like a crack of lightning; only it sounded more like leather on skin, another sound that Lucy was accustomed to. With each strike, Lucy could feel it on her back, arms, and legs. She tried to listen more closely, focusing on his voice, for he wasn't finished insulting her. "Your mother didn't want you, and that bastard brother of yours didn't want you either!"

"No one wants you here." Seth's voice spoke. It was close, louder this time, as if he said it right in her ear.

Her eyes flew open, chest heaving, as she studied her surroundings. She was in the backseat where she must have fallen asleep. Dean was turned around, watching her.

"You okay?" He asked, concern laced in his words.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Bad dream?"

She shrugged, not wanting to talk about it.

Dean turned back around, dropping the subject. Lucy was thankful. She hadn't had a nightmare about her father since that horrible week of withdrawals she went through. Every night she'd wake up in a cold sweat after a vivid dream of her father mercilessly beating her and her brother. She could still feel the sting of a leather belt slapping against her skin. She could still feel the crunch of his fist colliding with her jaw. She could still smell the vodka heavy on his breath when he spit in her face.

That wasn't it, though. Seth was there, too.

"You're worthless."

She cringed how he used the two phrases that hurt her the most.

"No one wants you here."

Lucy remembered escaping to Seth's house late at night after her dad had finally passed out. They'd lay in the grass for hours, talking about their dreams, and their fears. Lucy confided in him one night that she was afraid that she's never achieve her dreams, and that no one would ever want her or care for her.

He promised her that would never happen.

Then why did she feel like it was happening? Why did she worthless? Why did she feel like no one wanted her? It was just a dream, but she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Dean held her hand as he walked her to the merchandise table. The two noticed and ignored the stares of the other employees that saw them. Mark was already hanging up shirts when he noticed the two heading his way. He frowned, which didn't go unnoticed by Lucy.

"Hey." Dean said softly as he looked down at her. He moved her hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded at him, propping herself up on her tippy-toes, and puckered her lips.

A small smile perched on his lips as he ducked down to meet her with a kiss. "Try and have a better day okay?"

Lucy turned her attention to the unpacked boxes, trying her hardest to ignore the lingering glances of Mark.

"What?" She asked annoyed.

"I thought you and Seth were like, a thing?"

She rolled her eyes, still focusing more on the work in front of her. "Seth and I are not a thing, we were never a thing, and never will be a thing."

"That's too bad, I know he really cared- cares about you."

Lucy laughed now, pulling herself from the box of t-shirts she was sorting through. "If he cares so much, wanna tell me why he left? Twice?"

"I- I'm sure he has his rea-"

"You know what, Mark? You can finish the table by yourself tonight. I can't do this." She threw her hands up and walked away.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked the number on the screen, only to see the same Unknown number that she had been ignoring for the past week. She pressed the small green button, answering the call, but no one was on the other line. Seconds later the line went dead.

"I can't fucking do this today." She mumbled to herself sliding her phone back into her pocket.

"Hey, whoa." She looked up only to walk directly into a large, neon pink object. "Hey, Lucy, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. My friend Zack snapchatted me, I wasn't looking where I was goi- I'm rambling. Sorry."

"Yeah, it's fine."

"You alright, there, kiddo?"

She sighed. "Yeah, it's just been one of those days."

"It'll get better."

"Hey, Dolph?" Lucy asked as he began to continue on his path to wherever he was going. He turned around, eyebrows raised. "Thanks for what you did on Smackdown. That meant a lot to me, and to Dean and Roman."

"Any time."

Lucy hung around the monitors for the rest of the night, as Monday Night Raw kicked off in Minneapolis. The Authority made their way to the ring. Stephanie was officially announcing that they would be stripping Daniel Bryan of the World Heavyweight Championship. There was now to be a ladder match for the championship. The first two entrants being Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton.

Triple H went on and on about how much Daniel Bryan didn't deserve the belt, then changing the subject to The Shield. "How many times did I tell you; adapt or perish? But yet you all wanted to come out here the last couple of months and say 'oh, The Shield beat Evolution', 'oh, The Shield', 'oh, they're so great, The Shield'. Really, adapt or perish. Seth Rollins adapted, and The Shield? Well, look for yourself."

A video clip replayed the event of last week's episode of Raw. Lucy had to turn her head. She didn't want to ever see it again.

"I don't know about all of you, but I believe in Seth Rollins. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, tonight what is left of the once dominant Shield, will whimper to the end. Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, tonight you will step into this ring in a six-man-tag team match against Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt family. I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say it might be tough for them to find a partner in that locker room, the locker room that they have run roughshot over for the last two years. So, this is probably more like a handicap match. Ladies and gentlemen, take out your cellphones, get ready, because tonight you will witness history as The Shield whimpers into extinction. Seth Rollins adapted and tonight The Shield parish."

She didn't believe those words, and hope that the WWE Universe didn't believe them either. Even if it was three-on-two, she knew Dean and Roman would come out on top.

As Bad News Barrett's theme hits, she hears a familiar voice not too far from her. Her stomach drops and her skin feels like ice. As she peaked around the the corner, she saw Seth conducting an interview. He was dressed exceptionally well; black suit, black tie, and his hair in a small bun. She didn't want to admit how handsome he was.

He looked up and their eyes instantly connected, but Lucy dashed back quickly to avoid being caught. She heard footsteps approaching, but quickly stopped after someone had yelled, "Hey, Seth, Hunter needs to see you."

She let out a sigh of relief, thankful that she wouldn't have to face her former pal.

When 3MB came to the ring to challenge The Shield, Lucy wondered why they'd have them in two matches in one night. Until they proved that this 'impromptu' handicap match wasn't even a match at all. Roman and Dean destroyed the three man band in a very short amount of time.

Dean took the mic, butterflies fluttered against Lucy's rib cage. He tried to calm himself as much as possible before speaking. "The Shield was untouchable, and we will go down in the history books as one of the greatest groups in sports entertainment ever. We dominated WWE, we beat everybody; even Evolution." He smiled causing Lucy's heart to melt. "But we weren't healthy. We had a cancer inside of us little did we know, and that cancer's name- that cancer's name was Seth Rollins. History is full of people like you, Seth. Everyone in this building knows somebody like you, Seth. The kind of guy that would stab his brothers in the back. A suck up, who'd sell out to The Authority."

"Now when I get the opportunity to rearrange your face, which I will. Your nose isn't gonna be here anymore, it's going to be over here by your ear. I say ear because you're only going to have one left. I'm gonna rip your dirty, stinkin' hair out by the roots and I'm gonna stuff it in your mouth, there'll be plenty of room where your teeth used to be." Lucy's smile widened as she watched. He was just so good. "Seth Rollins, my brother, you are scum. And we are looking forward to what that scum has to say tonight. We want you to stand out here in the middle of this ring in front of the whole world and lie through your teeth. We want you to stand out here in the middle of this ring in front of the whole world and we want them to hear Triple H's words coming out of your mouth. We're going to listen to every word of it, and then we're going to beat the hell out of you."

Dean tossed the mic to the canvas and the crowd cheered loudly. Lucy herself even clapped. She admired everything he did. To her, he was perfect.

He bent down to pick up the mic for Roman, allowing his best friend to get his piece in. "Seth you committed the most unforgivable sin. You're the scum of the Earth." Lucy laughed loudly. "There's things you don't do in life; you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't piss in the wind, and you don't ever stab your brothers in the back. But you're only part of the problem. The parts are Randy Orton and Triple H. Randy Orton he- he runs around here and he thinks everybody owes him something. He thinks he's the face of the company. When I get my hands on you, Randy, you're gonna be the ass of the company. And when I'm done with you, I'm coming for you Triple H. The king of kings, ooooh. We're going to have our own Game of Thrones, believe that!"

That was the gameplan then. It'd be Seth versus Dean, and Roman taking on Randy Orton and eventually Triple H. They'd both probably have a match at Money In The Bank. Maybe even for a the contract briefcase or World Heavyweight Title.

The night still wasn't over, yet. Seth still had his piece to say later on, and so much more could happen in between.

She sent Dean a quick text, telling him how she thought he did great on that promo. He replied, asking her if she was okay, but she didn't say anything. The dark cloud that had seemingly cleared away was still looming over her.

Michael Cole stood in the middle of the ring. It was finally time for Seth's appearance. Though, she didn't know what else he could say. He had already told the world that the only person who needed to know his motives were himself.

His new entrance music hit, and Seth appeared at the top of the ramp in the crisp, black suit he was wearing earlier. He basked in the 'boos' coming from the audience as he made his way down to the ring with confidence.

Cole welcomed him to the ring. "There's been a lot of talk over the past week about why-"

"Michael, let me- let me stop you before you get started here, because I don't- I don't get it. I don't understand what all the controversy you're talking about is all about. Are we talking about what I did last week? Is that the whole deal? Because to me, that wasn't a big deal. I was just doing what was best for business. What was best for my business. The Shield, Michael, the greatest faction in the history of WWE, created by me. You don't think I have the right to destroy my own creation? It takes an architect, a mastermind, to put together a faction like The Shield. You think Dean Ambrose is in any way responsible for that? Dean Ambrose is a lunatic. Given a week to his own devices he'd be face down in a ditch."

Lucy's blood began to boil.

"And Roman Reigns; the golden boy. You'll never see anger or fury in a man like you've seen in Roman Reigns. But without someone to harness that, to control it, he's nothing. He's worthless. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are nothing without me. They owe me every ounce of success they have ever achieved."

"Seth, many people will argue that The Shield was about three individuals who came together to form an awesome team, not just about one man." Cole spoke.

"You know, I guess we'll find out later tonight when the uh- the pathetic remnants of The Shield have their last hurrah out here against the Wyatt Family. But let me ask you a question, Michael; why is this such a surprise? I took The Shield to the very top, as high as we could go, we beat everybody. Alright? We conquered the world, Michael. At Payback we beat Evolution in a clean sweep. And from every experience in life you should learn something. You know what I learned from Evolution? I learned that to be a success in this business you have to evolve. You have to adapt." The 'you sold out' chants rang clear, but Seth was unchanged. "No, no, no, no, no, I bought in. I bought in to the evolution of Seth Rollins. And another thing, another thing that you won't admit, it took a lot of guts to do what I did last week. And everybody's fixated on the fact that I stabbed my brothers in the back. That I betrayed my 'brothers'. And maybe to Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose we were brothers, but to me they were just business partners. And I severed a business relationship."

Lucy winced. He knew how to hurt someone with his words, and tonight his tongue was laced with razor that cut like a bitch.

"You know for two years, every night, I came out here and I put my fist out and I said 'believe in The Shield'. And every night what I meant is what I'm going to tell you right now: is that you and everybody else, better start believing in Seth Rollins!" He sat back down. "Yeah, so that's it, Michael. That's all you wanted to hear, right? Oh- oh wait, I heard earlier tonight, I was watching; Dean Ambrose said that he was going to let me say my piece and then they were going to come out here and kick the hell out of me. Well, I've said my piece."

Seth threw the chair out of the ring and prompted Dean and Roman to come after him. He stripped off his jacket as his former partners made their way to the ring. However, right as they climbed on to the apron, The Wyatts appeared, taking Seth's place as he cowardly slid from the ring. Dean jumps on Harper and Roman attacks Rowan, and they clear them out quickly and get their hands on Seth. It doesn't last long when he slides under the bottom rope and Bray appears out of nowhere. A three-on-two begins, and the crowd chants for Cena. Their prayers are answered as the neon clad superstars runs out to help her friends.

The Wyatts quickly retreated, leaving the newly formed three-man-tag team in the ring.

Dolph joined her, giving her a simple head nod, then turning his attention to the screen. "Can't you just see Cena in a SWAT uniform?"

She laughed. "As long as it has neon green zippers and straps."

A wide smile spread across his face. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced. I'm Dolph."

Lucy shook his hand. "I'm Lucy."

"You doing any better than you were earlier?"

"No." She said honestly. "But I'll be okay, though."

"That's good."

She smiled at him and they watched the rest of the show. Dolph wasn't lying when he said that he wasn't Roman and Dean's biggest fan, but he complimented them where it was due throughout their match. He didn't bring up Seth once, which she appreciated, and afterwards he walked her to the car and gave her a goodbye hug.

"If you ever need to talk, you can come find me. I solemnly swear not to judge you, too much." She smiled and thanked him.

She climbed in the backseat, and was immediately under Dean's icy stare. "Ziggler, really?" She ignored him, rolling down her window as Roman drove through the brisk Minneapolis streets.


"Are you ever going to talk to me about that dream?" Dean asked as he rummaged through his suitcase.

It had been another quiet night.

"Are you ever going to talk to me?"

Lucy sighed, grabbing Dean's wrist as he went to walk by her. He stopped, looking down softly at her. "I don't want to talk." She said quietly as her fingers toyed the elastic of his boxers.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice was low, a sudden hunger escaping his throat.

She bit her lip as she dragged her nail over his hip bones. A bulge had begun to form underneath the thin cotton. "I want you to fuck me." She said as innocently as she could, but her tone dripped with desire.

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on the tan skin beneath his navel. His eyes rolled back, letting out a deep breath. A moan escaped his lips. His cock throbbed. Lucy's fingers peeled the thin fabric away, smirking at him as she placed a delicate kiss at the base. Her tongue trailed up the side to the tip, swirling around in a teasing manner, before pulling away. Shivers shot up Dean's spine, and Lucy noticed the goosebumps that formed on his thighs as she breathed on his cock. Her hot breath hitting the trail of wetness she had left made him crave more.

He grabbed a fist full of her hair, forcing her head back. "Don't fuckin' tease me, doll." He growled, leaning down for a deep kiss. Dean held his cock in his hand, tracing her soft lips with the tip. "Open."

She obliged, opening her mouth slightly, allowing him to dip it in. She took it in slowly, little by little his entire length filled her mouth, and rubbed up against the back of her throat. He held her there for a minute, gagging on his hard shaft.

"Lay down." He instructed, pushing her back. Dean dropped to his knees, hooking her leg over his shoulder. His stubble tickled her inner thigh as he kissed and sucker her skin from her knee to the delicate lace of her thong. "I like these." He breathed into her sex. A heavy moan escaped her lips before her grabbed her panties and ripped them apart from her hips.

Lucy gasped, but her gasps quickly turned into moans as Dean flicked his tongue through her sticky folds. She tugged at his hair, pulling him deeper into her, grinding herself against his mouth. She pulled him up to her by his shirt collar and crashed her lips on to his, the taste of each other mixed on their tongues was intoxicating.

He pulled his shirt off quickly and flipped her on to her stomach, pressing his weight upon her back. The closeness made it all the more passionate. Dean guided the edge of his cock to her slit, pushing himself in, delving deep into her core. "Is this what you wanted?" He gritted through his teeth as he slapped his hips into hers.

She couldn't form words. She couldn't think. Every problem and every thought just melted away. Stars formed in her eyes as she clamped them shut, biting down on the pillow to keep the people in the room over from hearing her screaming his name. Legs trembled with each thrust, and Lucy didn't know if she could maintain herself any longer. He reached around and pressed hard against her clit, all of his weight on her now, holding her in his arms as he rhythmically thrusts.

Lucy gave in, her entire body falling limp, as if she had been turned into a liquid from a solid. Her muffled moans sent Dean over the edge, as he was finally allowed to finish himself, slowly riding out the wave of pleasure that crashed over them.

"You are too fuckin' beautiful." He smiled softly as she flipped herself over on her back to face him. Dean admired her for a moment; every freckle, every eyelash, and all the different shades of green in her eyes. Everything was perfect.

A blush crept up on her cheeks, not knowing what to say. "Thanks."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, letting out a soft sigh as he placed a kiss on her nose and moved off of her, swinging his legs off of the bed. "Do you remember when we first met?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"How could I forget?" Lucy let out a soft laugh, masking her confusion of why he was asking.

"I was such a dick." He frowned, still staring a head at the wall and not looking at her. "But I had a good reason." He turned to her. "Well, no one has a good reason for being a dick, but I did." Dean crawled back up to where she lay and looked her in the eye. She was confused as ever, wondering where he was going with this. "My mom was a drug addict, okay? Everyone I knew did drugs or sold drugs, and they were all really fuckin' terrible people. They'd destroy their whole family over drugs, my mom destroyed our whole family over drugs. And I- I guess I figured you were going to be just like them. And Seth is- was- he was my best friend. Like, I still fuckin' love him, Luce. I love him with all my heart, and I just didn't want you to hurt him. He was fuckin' whipped over you. And I was so afraid that you were going to fuckin' break his heart." There were tears in his eyes. "But you weren't like that. You proved me wrong, and I- I don't know what happened, I just- it started with always wanting to be around you, or wondering what you were doing, and wanting to know you. And I don't know, I feel myself wanting to tell you that I fuckin' love you, because that's what you're supposed to do, right? When you care about someone? You tell them you love them? But I'm fuckin' terrified. I don't want you to leave me like Seth did. Like, all that I was trying to do was protect him, and he fuckin' stabs me in the back, and I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Luce. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Hey, hey ssssh." She cooed. "I'm right here, babe. It's okay. You don't have to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Please don't leave me." His voice cracked. The pain in his eyes nearly broke Lucy's heart.

"I'm not going anywhere, pumpkin'." She kissed his forehead, wiping the tears from his eyes. It shocked her to see him so vulnerable and exposed. There was no ice front, it was completely melted away. "I care about you more than anything, and I'm not going to walk away. You have me, and you have Roman, and we're here for good. There's no getting rid of us, alright?" Dean nodded. "Let's go to bed, okay? No more sad stuff."

They fell asleep not long after, holding each other. It saddened Lucy that Dean blamed himself for what Seth did. She hated knowing that he felt guilt and pain, and was suffering under his rough exterior. She wanted to mend every pain that he had.

It was early when she was nudged awake. "Luce." Dean said, his voice hoarse with sleep. "Your phone's ringing."

She wiped the crust from her eyes, studying the screen; Unknown. She groaned, setting the phone back on the night table, letting it go to voicemail. "This unknown number has been calling me for the past week. I swear, they call every day." She was annoyed as sleep escaped her. She wanted at least another two hours.

Dean reached over, grabbing the vibrating iPhone off the stand. "Hello?"

Lucy could hear a female voice on the other end.

"Who's calling?" A second later, Dean's eyes went wide as he pulled the phone from his ear.

"Who is it?" Lucy mouthed to him as he prodded the phone in her direction.

"It's your mom."