Sempiternal

"I don't want you to go."

"I'll be gone for five days."

"That's five days too long."

Lucy zipped her suitcase shut and looked at Dean. He sat at the foot of her bed, pouting, his hair slicked back and curly. She rolled her eyes at him. For the past two weeks she had been struggling with the decision to leave; was it a good idea, was it not? She still wasn't sure.

When her mother left her, she was three years old. She packed up all of her things and moved to Espanola, New Mexico. A small town about an hour out of Albuquerque. Lucy imagined she fell in love with a handsome Spanish man, and they lived in a giant Spanish-style home. She also imagined her mother to be beautiful; a firey redhead, like herself, with a love for classic rock and lava lamps, who had a great sense of humor. She lay awake picturing her mother, and what'd she'd say to her if she ever got the chance to finally meet her. She never imagined that it'd be now. She figured it was just a pipe dream.

If you were to ask Lucy's father, which she did many times, he'd say that Janine Moore was a dope fiend, hooked on cocaine from the moment he met her. He said she was a loser, a user, and a slut who cheated on him more times that he could count. He wouldn't even give her the amount of effort it took to spit on her grave.

She prayed that he was wrong.

Lucy ran a hand through Dean's hair and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back before you know it." He pulled her on to his lap, running his hands down her sides, and cupped her ass. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table as he kissed her. "Dean." She said through a kiss. "I have to get the the airport. As much as I'd love a quickie, I don't want to be late."

Dean stood up with Lucy still wrapped around his waist. "Fine." He carried her out of the hotel room, wheeling her bag behind him. "You have your ticket? Phone charger? Phone?" He asked before shutting the door.

"Yes, yes, and yes." She replied, kissing his cheeks each time.

"Let's get you to New Mexico, senorita!"

They stood at the gate. Dean had a baseball cap covering his eyes, in case someone noticed him. Lucy stood in his arms for a good ten minutes, just taking him in. Memorizing his scent of menthols and Old Spice and the way it felt to have his arms tightly snaked around her. If she said she didn't want to go, she'd be lying. But what was she going to do without this man for five days?

"I'm going to miss you so much." He whispered into her hair.

"Oh, please. You won't even notice. I'll be back for Money In The Bank, and you'll have me all to yourself again."

"You better. I got you a seat in the front row, just so you can watch me flex up close."

"I don't need a front row seat to watch you flex, all I have to do is this." She stood on her tippy-toes and placed a lingering kiss on his neck. She felt him tense up underneath her.

"Seriously, can we find a bathroom or something?" He replied, pulling her closer to him, if that were even possible.

She hear her flight being called on the overhead speakers and frowned. "Five days." She said. "You better learn how to Facetime."

"Facetime?" He asked as she took a few steps backwards.

"Just press the answer button."

Lucy boarded the plane, her eyes fixed on the airport as they took off down the run way. She watched as it became smaller and smaller the further they ascended into the sky. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, but brushed it away immediately, cursing herself.

She had been talking to her mother for the past two weeks, off and on. A few phone calls here and there, and conversations about what Lucy had been doing in the past twenty-three years. Did she finish school, is she going to college, was she popular? They talked about a lot, but Lucy left out her addictions, her father, and how she came to the WWE. She felt like those conversations were better suited for face-to-face conversation, and not to be had over the phone.

Janine had said that when she was browsing through channels, she happened to see Lucy all dressed up. She said she knew immediately that it was her, because they look so much a like, and that her gut just told her. She called her ex husband, whom she hadn't spoken to since she left, and asked for Lucy's phone number. He didn't have, and gave her the number to the rehab center where she had been staying and asked a nurse, who after much convincing, finally gave it up.

When she touched down at Albuquerque International Sunport, she looked around for a sign, something, setting her mother apart from the crowd. A part of her was afraid that she wasn't even going to show up.

Until she saw her.

Janine was right, the two were the spitting image of each other. It was like looking into a mirror that aged you sixteen years for Lucy. Janine stood there smiling. She was wearing a crisp, white cotton, maxi dress that stopped short enough so that her black sandals were peeking out from underneath. Her toenails were painted a dark silver, and her skin was perfectly tan; years of sunbathing in the warm New Mexico sun. Her hair was as auburn as ever, just like Lucy's, and her eyes were the shade of the prettiest emeralds.

"Lucy Elizabeth." She held her arms out and pulled Lucy in for a hug.

"Hi." It was awkward. Did she say Janine or Mom? She wasn't sure.

"Let me look at you." Janine held her daughter at arms length, studying her appearance. Lucy didn't dress up. She was wearing a pair of faded skinny jeans and a black tank top, and even though it was June in New Mexico, she had on one of Dean's hoodies to keep her warm in case it was cold on the plane. "You're so beautiful."

It was an hour and a half drive to Espanola. The car ride was silent, most on Lucy's behalf, because she answered all of her mother's questions with a simple yes or no. Janine tried her hardest to make small talk, but failed desperately. Lucy sent a text to Dean, letting him know that she was safe and on the ground, and even asked him some advice on what to say to her mother. She wasn't expecting such a quick reply:



Lucy smiled at her phone.

"Hey, mom, do you think that when we get back to your house we can watch Monday Night Raw? I know it's kind of a weird request, but I figured that if you're going to get to know me, you should probably start there."

Janine looked over at her daughter. "Of course, baby." She replied. "What kind of pizza do you like? We can get whatever you want. If you don't like pizza there's Taco Bell, McDonalds, Wendys. Anything, you name it."

Lucy laughed. "I like Domino's. Thin crust, extra cheese, though, you might have to get a large because I really love pizza."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

The two sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV and ate pizza and talked about life; favorite ice cream flavors, best subjects in school, what traveling the country was like. Janine had even busted out the nail polish. Janine didn't live in a huge Spanish-style home, with a Spanish lover. Instead she lived in a small One bedroom apartment, that could double as a two bedroom, but Janine used the smaller bedroom for an office. Janine wasn't a poet, or an acclaimed writer like Lucy had dreamed. She was a manager for a pharmacy, which wasn't as glamorous, but still was a good job.

"So, the little boy that lived down the street from us, Seth, he got you the job at WWE?"

"Yeah, he became a wrestler, and when we started talking again, he offered for me to come travel with him and his friends." Lucy replied.

"How's he doing? How's his family?" Janine asked.

Lucy's smile dropped. "I wouldn't know." She shrugged. "Seth kind of- well, he kind of stabbed me in the back, along with his other two best friends. He sold out to advance in the company, basically. If you watch Raw you'll see all the replays of it. They tell the story every week."

Janine nodded. "So do you have a boyfriend?"

She had to duck her head to hide the smile that crept up on her face. "I don't know. We've never really talked about it."

"What's his name?"

"Dean. He's a wrestler too, and one of the people Seth screwed over. That's kind of how we bonded." The question brought it to Lucy's attention that she had no idea what she and Dean were doing. Were they dating? Were they friends with benefits? Just friends?

"Wow, you never expect to reunite with your twenty-six year old daughter only for her to be famous and be dating a superstar."

Monday Night Raw kicked off, and Lucy's eyes darted to the screen. She was so excited to share this part of her life with her mother.

She explained to her who Stephanie McMahon was, and why she was targeting Vickie Guerrero. The first match was the Usos against the Wyatt family. Lucy tells her that The Usos are cousins to her friend Roman, who will be on later that night, and that they are also kin to The Rock, who Janine actually knew. There's a short diva's match, Alicia Fox vs. Naomi. Lucy then explains the feud between Naomi and Cameron that's brewing and how it started. She tells her that Naomi is probably on the the best divas on the current roster, and that she deserves a title shot.

After a bogus match between Bo Dallas and Titus O'Neil, it's finally time to reveal who will be joining Seth in the Money In The Bank ladder match. She already knew it wouldn't be Dean, but she was hoping he'd at least make an appearance and fuck up the situation somehow.

"It's funny that I can come to a city like Washington, where they elect officials year after year, that have no idea what they're doing, and they make the country worse and worse, yet I come here and I am still the bad guy. When all I do is do what is best for business. That's not just some empty catchphrase, it's the truth. It's at the root of everything I do. It's why this Sunday, at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, there will not only be a championship ladder match, there will also be a Money In The Bank contract ladder match. Imagine, which the winner, will climb to the top of the ladder, retrieve the briefcase and inside that briefcase; a contract. A contract that allows the owner a shot at being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Any place, any where, any time inside of a WWE ring, and it is good for one full year. It virtually guarantees the winner of that case, the winner of that contract, it guarantees them the ability to write their own future."

"Who's going to win that match?" Janine asked, as if Lucy already knew. She didn't, but she had a gut feeling that it would Seth.

"It's Seth's time right now. He just destroyed The Shield, he's the most talked about, I'd have to go with him."

"Boo, that sucks. Aren't there other guys who deserve it more?"

"You have no idea."

"This past Wednesday in my interview with Michael Cole on , I told the world that the first entrant in that ladder match would be none other than Seth Rollins. Tonight I'm here to tell you the rest of the line up for that match, and before you think that I make my decision based on favoritism, I remind you that every one that is in this match is in it because, and you can say it with me, it's best for business. Up first, is a former United Sta-"

"I thought they weren't putting Dean in this match." Lucy whispered.

"-tes, Intercontinental, and Tag-Team Champion. A man who has made a highlight reel of himself in ladder matches; Kofi Kingston!"

Lucy pouted. She should've known not to get her hopes up so quickly.

"Up next is a former Money In The Bank contract ladder match winner, who parlayed that win into a World Heavyweight Championship, the Real American; Jack Swagger. Up next is a man that many of you think that I just don't appreciate the talent of, but I'm here to tell you for that very reason he's in this match; Dolph Ziggler."

"Yes!" Lucy squealed.

"Who's that?" Janine asked.

"I'll explain that later."

"Up next is a man that can fly, and if need be, go to the extreme; Rob Van Dam. And just in case you thought that was it, well, and I love doing this, AH'M AH'FRAID AH'VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS FOR YA. Bad News Barrett, ladies and gentlemen. Now any of these men, any of them, you could make the argument that they would be the favorite to climb that ladder and retrieve that contract, but if I was asked who my favorite would be, would I believe would win that match, there is only one man that I can tell you. One man is who I think will win this. That man is Rob Van- I'm sorry, I can't even sat it with a straight face it's so funny. No, there's one man who I think will win this. Hell, I'll even go as far as saying that I know he'll win this. He is a specialist, a technician, a ring general like no other, and he is the future of the WWE; Seth Rollins."

Lucy groaned as Seth's music hit.

"That's the little boy from the house up the street?" Janine asked surprised.

"That's Seth, yeah. He was my best friend. We grew up together. And then he threw it all away, for this."

A replay of Seth's betrayal played out on screen. Lucy prodded her mother to watch carefully. Pointing to Roman and Dean, showing her that's who she was talking about earlier. Her eyebrows raised when the camera zoomed in on Dean, and she looked at her daughter approvingly; as if to say 'good job, honey'.

On screen, Triple H handed Seth the mic. The crowd instantaneously booed him and a 'you sold out' chant picked up. Seth rolled his eyes. "Aw come on, you guys still aren't over that yet? Really? It's been three weeks since that happened. Give me a break. You really haven't moved on yet? Well that's too bad, 'cause I'm over it. I've moved on, and if you guys love Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as much as you say you do, you should be thanking me every waking second. I am responsible for all of their success, and don't you forget it. I took The Shield as high as we could go, and then I dropped the dead weight. You can call me a sellout all you want for it. Roman Reigns can scowl and grunt all he wants, and Dean Ambrose can get all twitchy and sputtery and blah blah blah blah blah-"

Lucy laughed loudly. Janine looked confused. "That was a really good impersonation. I hate to admit. They both do that."

"-It's not going to change a thing. I created The Shield, I have every right to destroy The Shield. It's no secret- It's no secret that The shield got me this far. But this Sunday, I and I alone will climb the ladder. I and I alone, will grab that contract. You can call me a sellout all you want, but after this Sunday you'll be calling me Mr. Money In The Ba-"

Rob Van Dam's music hit.

"That was rude." Janine said. "He wasn't done talking."

"Trust me, this is much better than anything Seth has to say."

A match is set for the two men, and Lucy takes the time to explain to her mother who Dolph Ziggler is and why he is important to her. When Seth goes for the cover on RVD, the crowd pops, and Lucy automatically knows why; Dean. He slides in the rings and breaks up the count, and immediately starts throwing punches at Seth.

"That's Dean." She says to Janine, eyes filled with lust and admiration. Here he was throwing punches at her former best friend, and she couldn't be anymore in love with the man.

"Lucy, he is very attractive."

"I know, I'm very lucky."

Dean screams for a mic and Lucy is almost unhinged, waiting to hear what he has to say. "They might as well go ahead and put me in that Money In The Bank ladder match, huh?" The crowd goes wild. "'Cause if they don't, I'm still going to show up in Boston anyways. I'm still gonna bash Seth Rollins' face in. I'm still gonna grab that briefcase and walk out the door with it. I will screw up that entire pay-per-view. I'm still coming to Money In The Bank regardless, and I ain't coming to play nice."

"He does seem a little- out there." Janine said after he threw the mic down and his music kicked in.

"He is." Lucy replied. "He's only a little bit calmer off screen."

The rest of Raw goes off without a hitch, including the 4-on-3 handicap match with Roman, who Janine was a huge fan of apparently. Janine and Lucy got the couch all set up the couch, where Lucy would be sleeping for the next few nights, and after Janine had said goodnight, Lucy Facetimed Dean. He didn't answer at first, but got it on the second try.

"Hey you." He said, looking as confused as ever. "Did you see me tonight?"

"Of course I did. How could I miss you?"

He grinned. "How are things with your mom."

"They're good! She watched Raw with me. She likes Roman."

She heard a laugh in the background, and then Dean moved the camera so that it was on Roman. "I don't know what it is with moms, man." The large Samoan said. "It's gotta be the hair."

"The hair, the chiseled face, it's everything." Lucy replied to him.

"I miss you, Lucy girl."

"Miss you too."

Dean moved the camera back on himself and muttered something about technology. "It's going good, though." Lucy said much more convincingly. "It's going to take time, you know?"

"Hopefully not longer than five days."

She gave him a half smile. "I can always come back."

She yawned and Dean told her to go to bed, and that he'd talk to her in the morning. She said her goodnight's to him and Roman and turned her phone off. She was excited for tomorrow, and getting to know her mom better. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer, thankful for the way her life was today, and for the people she knew, and getting in touch with Janine. And most of all, she was thankful that she was alive.