Canary and the Coal Mine

Feet slammed into my stomach and I was launched backwards hard, hitting the ropes. There was no recovery time; I barely managed to pitch myself forward and avoid the shoulder to my gut.

Ducking into a roll, I pushed up on my shoulder and got to my feet just as he untangled from the ropes. I was up on the top rope a heartbeat later, and just as he turned to face me, I twisted around and launched myself into a moonsault.

For the first time that day I landed the move, and Bryan let out a yelp of surprise as he dropped onto his back. I scrambled and flipped myself onto his chest as I hit the mat.

“One, two, three, ding ding ding!” I sat up and threw my hands in the air. “Jamie Lawless has done it! She’s pinned Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship! And the crowd goes wild… ahhhh!”

Bryan snorted, sitting up and shoving me forward so I tipped onto my side. I gave him a cheeky smile as he frowned.

“So what, in your little fantasies I’m not even the world heavyweight champ!?”

“No, Cena was. Until I beat him,” I explained, tapping the imaginary belt on my shoulder that I’d ‘won’ from our earlier practice session. “And now I’m a two-title girl.”

“You know, that was a quick count,” he informed me, shoving to his feet and then reaching down to help me up. “Any sane ref would reverse that call.”

“Good point. Let’s deliberate with the ref,” I agreed, then pretended to consult with myself. “They said it was a clean, fair win. So stop being a sore loser! Besides, let’s talk about that wicked moonsault –“

“Yeah, I thought I said no moonsault yet,” he cut in, face dropping into a stern frown. “You’re still a little shaky –“

“Just on the jump. I’ve got the landing down –“

“If you’re shaky on the jump, you’re shaky on the move,” he explained, smoothly transitioning from big brother to serious mentor. “All it would take is one slip-up, and you could be paralyzed, or worse. So until you’re solid on the jump I don’t want you doing it.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the look Bryan gave me had me shutting my mouth. I just gave a meek nod he cracked a smile, ruffling my hair as he walked around me.

“What about just doing a suicide dive?” I suggested after a moment of silence, and I saw him bristle, glancing back at me. “What? You do it all the time –“

“It’s bad enough you insist on being a high flyer, but you could at least take on moves that don’t require you literally throwing yourself at people like that.”

“I’m literally half the size of most wrestlers,” I pointed out, hanging on the ropes as he slid out from the ring, grabbing his water. “It’s not like I have a lot of options to take someone down any other way.”

“You’ve got your leg sweep and your Hurricanrana,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but I need to expand. I can’t just be a multi-title champ with two moves.”

“Randy seems to do just fine with one,” he countered. “Have him teach you that.”

I ignored the pang of apprehension in my chest at the mention of Randy, giving Bryan a roll of my eyes. He snorted in amusement at my reaction, taking it as annoyance, nudging me playfully as I hopped out of the ring to start packing up.

I’d texted a few times since Monday, which had really just gotten me vague responses and an even worse feeling of guilt. He was waiting for an answer, and I had no idea what to say.

The thought of romance with my best friend hadn’t even crossed my mind; I’d been so hung up on Dean – and Mox – that no other guys had even caught my eye. And now Randy had, and the worst part was, I could see a relationship with him. He was attractive, sweet, caring… really, everything anyone could want in a relationship.

The problem was that Randy wasn’t Dean.

For as attractive as Randy was, his looks just didn’t hold up in comparison. Dean’s alluring smirk, the tongue that just wouldn’t stay in his mouth, those fucking dimples… For the sake of Randy’s dignity, we wouldn’t even discuss the arms.

And then, y’know, Dean’s personality. For as tough and hardcore as he came off, as ruthless as he seemed, he had still almost instinctively protected me from Big Show. Even just in our regular matches, he did his best to keep me safe from the other threats in the ring. He seemed to care about me, and I wasn’t gonna lie, the protectiveness was a huge plus.

Did Dean even do relationships, though? From what I’d seen of Mox at CZW, the answer was a solid no. But things, people, they changed. And after the month of near-constant flirting… Then there was the issue of Dean’s morals. Which, maybe wouldn’t have been such an issue if he and his friends didn’t gang up and assault my friends every week.

“I don’t think I could execute the RKO,” I said to break the silence as Bryan and I got into the elevator to head back to the rooms. “Pretty sure that would fail miserably.”

“Why, you afraid to try something new?” he teased; I snorted to brush him off as he continued, “Doesn’t hurt to take your chance with the unknown, Jay. You might even surprise yourself with how well it works out.”

His words meant for wrestling immediately brought up Dean in my mind. My heart tightened a big and I glanced over at my big brother. He’d unwillingly given me the exact advice I’d needed.

“Thanks, fortune cookie,” I laughed, leaning on his arm as we rode up to our floor.

Try something new, huh?

--

Find the Shield.

It was the one and only thing besides harassing Damien I absolutely had to do tonight, and so far, I was failing fantastically. Already half an hour in, and I hadn’t even confirmed if they were in the building or not.

After what had happened on Raw, I hadn’t gotten the chance to tear into them about ruining my match. And with Nikki and John already headed up to Brooklyn for TLC this Sunday, and Bryan and Brie in meetings with Hunter and Stephanie most of the night, I had nothing to do but hunt.

However, for three burly, giant men that had most the locker room after them, they were surprisingly hard to find. Made even harder when I was getting interrupted every two steps.

“Hey! Kid!”

“That’s not my name,” I informed Big Show as I skirted around him. No time to get into it with him; Damien Sandow wasn’t going to annoy himself, and neither would I if I didn’t find the Shield soon.

A meaty hand locked onto my upper arm and pulled me to a stop, towing me backwards and spinning me back around.

“Hey, Show, c’mon,” Booker started as I wrenched myself free and straightened my shirt. Both men looked at me, surprised, and I took a step back. He reached for me again and I smacked his hand down, then jammed a finger at him.

“It’s not nice to grab people, you behemoth.” Damien would be so proud. “Just because you’re being a baby doesn’t mean you can forget your manners.”

“Did you just see my match?” he demanded eagerly, and I snorted.

“Is that what this is about? You’re really trying to worm your way out of your fight with Sheamus?!”

“So you did see it –“

“Yeah, and I –“

“So look! A witness that saw Sheamus assault me! You have to call off the match now!” Show whined to Booker; the general manager and I shared a look of bemused irritation. He raised a brow at me.

“Is that what you think, Ms. Lawless?”

Show whipped his head back to look at me eagerly, like a druggie looking for his fix. I backed away, hands up, shaking my head.

“Oh no. I’m not touchin’ this crazy with a ten-foot pole,” I scoffed. “But Booker, listen to the man. I mean, I’m sure the fans don’t wanna pay good money to see him sniveling on another pay-per-view.”

Show’s face twisted into fury as I gave him a two-finger salute; hey, he’s the one that dragged me into that in the first place.

Alright, back to Shield-hunting. And this time, no distractions.

As I passed by the locker rooms, though, an unexpected blessing stepped into my path. A grin that could only be described as malicious came onto my face. I didn’t know where my target was, but his tag-team partner might.

“Hey, Cody!” I called, doing my best to sound relieved and out of breath as I jogged towards him.

Damien had moved his locker again – he was getting smarter by the week – so hunting for him was becoming a real chore. I’d have to invest in like, a tracker chip in his robe or something. Though I really had to find the Shield, a brief detour for Damien could be spared. After all, he was at least on the to-do list.

He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a wary look as I got to his side. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Uh, why –“ he started, and then immediately bristled and gave a defensive scowl. “If you’re trying to get the passcode to Damien’s locker –“

As if I need the code to break it open, I thought to myself as I said quickly,

“No, no! Actually, it’s Damien that’s looking for you.”

His eyes narrowed; I gave my best innocent look and jerked my head back behind us, giving the first lie that came to mind. “He said he had a few questions to go over about your match tonight.”

“But I thought we were up next,” he began, pointing towards gorilla position. Aha! He’d be by the stage! Excellent. Time to get rid of his backup so I wasn’t outnumbered.

“No, the whole thing with Show and Sheamus, it’s still going on. So Damien was hoping to catch you before.”

Again, Cody narrowed his eyes.

“So he sent you. His self-proclaimed arch-nemesis, to tell me this.”

“Ooh, I’ve been upgraded from cockroach to nemesis!” I grinned; Cody gave me an unamused scowl. “Sadly, no. I heard him asking around. Figured it was the least I could do after last week –“

“Something tells me I shouldn’t listen to a word you’re saying.”

“Ignore the Damien Sandow in your head and go talk to the one in the break room,” I advised, walking backwards away from him to hold his disbelieving frown. “Hey, don’t listen, that’s fine. But don’t blame me when your match falls through tonight.”

To my surprise, after a moment of deliberation, Cody actually let out a huff and spun on his heel, marching around the corner. Oh poor, naïve little Cody. He’d learn soon enough. But for now I’d take the distraction. It just gave me more time to find my robed target.

Damien’s music had just started when I reached gorilla position, like destiny calling out to me. It was fate, it had to be; I looked up at the screen as I motioned for the sound tech to cue my music. This was even better than I’d imagined; I’d come up with my idea almost three days ago and I’d been dying to reveal what I’d thought of.

“It is with esteemed pleasure that I re-introduce to you… My tag team partner, and best friend…” Damien began, and the grin that came onto my face may have been a little overexcited. Oh, this was so perfect. “Please! Stand up! Remain silent, and show your respect for the magnificent… the marvelous –“

My music blasted through the arena and Damien actually screamed.

He watched in horror as I danced down the ramp towards him, slapping hands and pointing towards the signs for me in the crowd. Damien actually backed up to the opposite side of the ring as I jumped up onto the apron and vaulted over the top rope.

“What have you done with Cody, you heathen?! If you’ve hurt him –“

“Don’t worry,” I promised, taking a mic and holding up a hand to soothe him. “Your mustached sidekick will be out soon enough. While we wait, though, I figured we could take a moment to debut our tag team! Sounds to me like you just couldn’t wait!”

“What?! I’m not your partner! I’m Cody’s –“

“Oh come on! After all those kind words you just said about me, Dames, we can’t hide the truth!”

“What are you talking about!?”

He was staring at me wildly, face bright red, torn between fury and horror. With a huge, cheeky grin, I turned back to the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Let me introduce to you the future tag-team champs –“ I tapped my chest and then swept my arm over to the panicking man at my side. “Jamien Sandless!”

Damien screamed again.

The crowd, however, seemed to love the new team name I’d come up with. In moments a chant of ‘JA-MI-EN JA-MI-EN’ started up, only further enraging the robed superstar pacing wildly around me.

“No! Stop it! Stop this! We are not Jamien Sandless! This is absolutely ridiculous –“

“It sounds even better when you say it, partner!” I teased; the crowd roared as Damien actually threw his microphone down in anger. Though I was more than willing to drag this out, Cody’s music cut me off.

The mustached man didn’t look very pleased with me; my queue to take my leave. Damien was still spluttering angrily as I ducked past him, already out of the ring by the time Cody climbed in.

“Hey, glad you found Damien!” I called to him, and his face twisted into a scowl as I laughed and vaulted the barrier. The crowd slowly transitioned to chanting ‘CODY’S MUSTACHE’, only infuriating him more. Their combined anger stayed with me as I made my way backstage.

Seriously, it was Shield time. Half the show was already over; at this rate, I wouldn’t see them until Sunday. And I wasn’t waiting that long to set them straight. Or see Dean and his arms. But that was completely beside the point.

“See, I knew I was right!” Big Show exclaimed to David Otunga as I turned down a back hallway. Oh no. Not this again! Any other night and I’d be on board for tormenting Big Show – especially to help Sheamus – but I was on a schedule, damnit! Immediately I spun around to duck out of sight. “Booker doesn’t know what he’s – hey! Kid!”

Well, shit.

“Still not my name,” I informed him, pausing reluctantly and turning to frown his direction. Both superstars studied me for a moment as I crossed my arms over my chest. Okay, so I had time for a little harassment. “Are you still bitching about Sheamus?”

“She was watching the match! She saw what happened!” he told David excitedly; the smaller man studied me, stroking his jaw in thought.

“Ms. Lawless, can you verify that you were a witness to the breach of contract by Sheamus?”

“What I can do and what I will do are two separate things.”

Show and David shared a look that translated to ‘you’re not making it to the locker room any time soon’. I took a step back.

“We could use a neutral party. A witness,” David explained as he and Show began to advance on me. I held my hands out to keep them back.

“Oh no,” I said sternly as Show started to close the space between us. “No way. I’m not getting involved –“

Show lunged at me just as I skittered back. My smaller legs didn’t move fast enough; I squeaked in alarm as I was tossed up onto Show’s shoulder. He and David turned immediately, heading for gorilla position. Show easily kept my legs pinned to his broad chest with one arm, which was incredibly unfair, to say the least. I twisted desperately, elbowing the back of his head and pounding my fists into his meaty back.

“Put me down! I have rights, you know!”

Okay, trouble-magnet was possibly a good nickname for me. Seriously, at this rate, I wasn’t gonna find Shield before the end of the night. As we got to gorilla position, I twisted and saw Damien and Cody just getting backstage. Their segment was over; they were my only hope!

“Damien!” I shouted, twisting and reaching out to him. Maybe, deep underneath his disgust and hatred, there was a part of him that actually cared about my wellbeing!

The uncontrolled laughter echoing down the halls from both of them squashed that theory pretty quickly. Show’s music started, and the crowd rumbled with annoyance and confusion as David led us down the ramp. The big man climbed the apron and dumped me ungraciously over the ropes; I landed with another squeak, rubbing my hip resentfully as he chuckled.

As the other two men got into the ring with me I shoved to my feet, turning to leave. Show’s hand locked onto my arm and towed me back, again. This time, though I tried to pull free, his vice-grip locked on even tighter.

“Now all of you clearly saw Sheamus put his hands on me,” he began; I rolled my eyes as hard as I could. “And now we have a witness!”

“You have a hostage,” I corrected, loud enough for the mic to pick up . “I told you I don’t want –“

“I don’t care!” he cut in, squeezing tighter on my arm; I grimaced in pain and tried to pull free again, to no avail. “You’re my witness –“

“Yeah? Well witness this –“ I spat as David cut in over me.

“What we have here is an open and shut case,” he began; as he rattled on about the legality of the contract, I tried to get out of Show’s grip again. I was a moment away from going for a low blow when David said pointedly,

“This decision isn’t something that should be left in the hands of a clearly biased general manager. So with our neutral party witness here to back us up –“

He gestured to me and I let out a laugh of disbelief. Show, still holding my arm, turned me roughly to glare down at me.

“What’s so funny?”

“Neutral party!? You were gonna kick my ass Monday night. Why the hell would I agree to back you up!?”

“Because, you little brat, if you don’t say your piece and do what I say –“

Can you dig it, suckas!?

All of us turned to stare in surprise as Booker T came storming out on to the stage. Man, he didn’t look very happy.

“Let me tell ya somethin’, Mr. Otunga,” Booker said dangerously, shaking his head. “It’s obvious that degree you got is worth as much as the paper it’s printed on.” As myself and the crowd ooh’d, Booker’s eyes slipped over to me. “Ms. Lawless, would you get yourself outta that ring already?”

Exasperated, I threw my free arm up in the air and gave him an incredulous look.

“Right, because I had a say in any of this,” I shot, struggling pointedly against Show’s iron grip on me. Man, my arm was gonna be bruised for weeks after this. Asshole.

“Look, as far as I’m concerned, the contract still stands –“

“No!” Big Show hollered, finally releasing me and shoving me aside as he began to actually stomp his foot like a six year old. I shared a disbelieving look with the announcers as he hollered, “It was violated! The contract was violated!”

“No, no, no,” David said over Show’s shouting as I moved to get out of the ring. “Sheamus clearly violated the contract. Y’know, why don’t you give Big Show one good reason not to call off the match.”

“Oh, you want a reason? I’ll give you a reason –“

It’s a shame that they lost their heads…

Booker T whirled as Sheamus came storming out from backstage, chair in hand, menace on his face. I had just ducked through the ropes to try and leave when the same meaty fingers from before hooked my arm. Show ripped me back and I shouted in surprise as he spun me on the spot and held me to his chest, using both hands this time. Though I struggled, I hardly even made Show budge; he did move back the moment Sheamus climbed in the ring, though.

“Get your hands off the lass and face me like a man!” Sheamus challenged, pacing back and forth in front of us lividly. Show actually held me tighter, like he was truly scared of the man across from us. “Because here’s the thing, Show! You call off the match, and fella, there’s nothin’ that’s standin’ in the way of me kickin’ your ass here tonight!”

The crowd cheered wildly as I tipped my head to look back at Show. He was literally sweating bullets right then, weighing his choices as he watched Sheamus pace. The redheaded, wild-eyed man hit the chair for emphasis, and Show actually freakin’ flinched.

With a grunt, the big man dropped his hold on me and shoved me forward as he snatched the mic from David. He gave a nervous clear of his throat and then said meekly,

“The, uh, the match is still valid.”

Sheamus and I exchanged victorious grins as Show all but ran out of the ring, not even daring a look back at us. Sheamus, laughing, dropped the chair and leaned against the ropes, taunting Show as he scampered up the ramp.

As I turned, another freakin’ hand grabbed my shoulder. Irritably I wrenched myself free and spun to face David as he scowled at me. He tapped the contract and then did his best to puff out his chest and seem important.

“On behalf of my client, he isn’t thinking clearly, and we’ll still need a witness to go to the corporate office –“

“Listen here, Legally Blonde. I don’t care what you and Show do with the contract. But I’m not a part of it from here on out, and if you ever touch me again I will level you. Got it?”

Apparently, my message hadn’t been received.

Again I turned to leave and David’s hand grabbed my shoulder. My patience snapped and I spun around so fast he had no chance to brace as I hit him with one of the most vicious buzzsaw kicks I’d ever delivered.

He dropped instantly, out cold; Sheamus gave a laugh of surprise, holding his fist to his mouth as he watched me step coolly over Otunga’s body. Sheamus as I high-fived as he held the ropes for me.

“See you ‘round, Lass,” Sheamus chuckled as we got backstage, ruffling my hair as he headed to get ready for his match. As entertaining as the last hour had been, I had a mission to complete. Not wasting any time, I slipped out from the curtain and set off down the hall.

Finally. Still almost an hour left. The night was still mostly young. I could get back to my hunt for –

“Well,” a familiar accent drawled. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

No freakin’ way.

I spun around and came face to face with the Shield.

“I have been looking all over for you three,” I informed them, crossing my arms over my chest. Unlike with Damien, those words didn’t send them running. In fact, it drew them even closer, crowding around me until my back hit the wall and I was being towered over by the three smirking men.

“Oh really, now,” Dean mused, tapping his chin as he studied me. “That makes both of us, Finch.”

He purposefully crossed his arms and smirked even wider. His muscles strained tight against his shirt; I mean seriously, that just wasn’t fair. Using all my willpower – and really not wanting to be embarrassed in front of Seth and Roman – I kept my eyes on his.

“Cut the sweet talk. We’re having a serious discussion.”

There was a genuine flicker of surprise on Dean’s face, mirrored by the other two. They all shared a brief glance, and it was Seth that asked,

“Why? We haven’t even done anything.”

“Am I the only one that remembers Monday night? Y’know, my first official match as myself?”

“Oh yeah,” Dean said, snapping his fingers and then pointing at me as the others nodded in some unspoken agreement. I raised a brow. “We did wanna talk to you ‘bout that. You wanna tell us why you screwed that up?”

None of the boys started laughing with me, and I slowly went quiet as I stared around at them.

“Wait, are you being serious right now?” Dean raised both brows in confirmation. “Okay, let’s back this up. Out of you and me, Ambrose, which one was supposed to be in the ring that night?”

“That’s beside the –“ Seth began; I held out a finger at him. He was so surprised he actually did stop talking.

“It’s exactly the point,” I informed him, still staring purposefully at Dean. “Now answer my question.”

There it was. The flicker of arousal at the tone of my voice. So, Mr. Ambrose liked me angry and in charge, eh? File that under ‘useful for later’. When I pressed my lips together and narrowed my eyes, he let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head.

“We ain’t playin’ this game –“ I held up my hand to him this time. He fell silent, poking his tongue against the inside of his cheek as he smirked down at me.

“We are. Because you three jocks decided to crash my match and you couldn’t even let it end in disqualification.” An angry scowl at Seth as I added, “you made me take a loss.”

“Nah, don’t turn it around on us,” Dean argued, the playfulness falling off his face. “We didn’t make you lose. You’re the one that didn’t pin Del Rio –“

“What kind of wrestler do you take me for?”

“A tiny one,” Roman added; at the scowl I shot him, he shrugged. “Am I wrong?”

“You’re – no,” I huffed; he smirked. “That’s beside the point, you Samoan smart-ass –”

“So you give yourself a loss and you blame us?” Seth cut in, and I snapped my sharp gaze to him. “That’s not very fair.”

“What’s not very fair, Sethie, is having someone take over your match because they don’t think you’re good enough to win on your own..”

All four of us fell silent; the boys stared at me in surprise as I defensively crossed my arms over my chest. Dean, unsurprisingly, was the first to break the silence. He let his arms uncross as he asked in genuine curiosity,

“You think that’s why we jumped your match, Finch?”

This time it was my turn to be confused. Wasn’t that it? When I looked around, all three had honest, questioning stares. Uncertain now, I shrugged my shoulders.

“What else would it be?”

“We don’t – that’s not it,” Dean said immediately, making a face as he scoffed. “Not at all. Exact opposite.”

“You’re gonna need to walk me through this.”

Dean huffed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly having thought his answer had been enough of an explanation. Roman and Seth watched the two of us, almost amused, as Dean struggled to get his words out. He rested his hand on the back of his neck as he tipped his head back, studying the ceiling.

“Look, Finch. You uh, you’re a, uh, a pretty good wrestler. Okay?” Between the gruff mumbling of his admission and the actual hint of pink on his cheeks, the grin I gave couldn’t be helped. Immediately my eyes flashed down and I bit my lip to hide the smile when he dropped his gaze to me. “And we just figured –“

When he cut off, my eyes went back to his. He reached out and cupped my chin in his fingers, thumb reaching up and tugging my lip free. He pulled back and cleared his throat as I gave a questioning look.

“It’s distracting, okay? And I’m tryin’ t’ get this out,” he growled as Seth and Roman actually freakin’ snickered into their vests. Now it was my turn to turn red as Dean huffed,

“We figured Del Rio needed his ass kicked and we wanted to help you out.”

“Not because we think you aren’t good enough,” Seth added quickly at my expression.

“It was our… offering, so to speak,” Roman added, a little more helpfully this time. My eyes wandered over the three of them. All looked sincere as they waited for my response. With a heavy sigh, I dropped my arms and ran a hand through my hair to push it back.

“Why did you want to give me an offering?”

“Why do you have to ask so many questions?” Seth snarked back to me; I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why do you look like you lost a fight with a bottle of bleach?”

“It’s a fashion statement –“

“Because,” Dean cut in, smacking Seth’s chest with the back of his hand; he glared at me and got a cheeky smile in response. Dean shot me a look and I cleared my throat, playing innocent as I looked up at him. “We respect you, okay? We were tryin’ to help you out. That’s all.”

Dean’s eyes flickered between mine, waiting for my reaction. I let out a long sigh and then nodded slowly, looking around at them.

“I get it. And… thank you,” I added, more to Dean, though I glanced at the other two. “But I’m serious, the next time you guys mess up my match, I’ll kick all of your asses.”

“That a joke? You tryin’ to be funny?” Dean smirked, the look of relief he’d just given me immediately pushed aside.

“As I recall, Ambrose, I’ve already put you on your ass a few times.” As the other two laughed, I turned to Seth and poked a finger into his chest. “And you. German suplex aside, I’ve taken you down.”

“She’s got a point,” Roman added as I turned to him. I opened my mouth and he shook his head. “You knocked me down once –“

“Twice.”

“Okay, twice. But you didn’t take me down. That doesn’t count.”

“Fine. I’ll give you a good, clean, ass-kicking on Sunday to make it fair between you three,” I smirked; Dean chuckled again, shaking his head at me as his tongue flicked out across his lower lip.

“Whatever you say, Finch.”

“Oh come on, you know I –“

What could only be described as the shriek of a dying animal echoed down the hall, and all four of us gave a start. The boys whirled, and to my surprise, they moved together to keep between myself and whatever unholy demon had just risen up from the depths of hell.

“Where is she?!”

“Oh,” I laughed, pushing myself out from between Dean and Seth; both men moved to pull me back and I pushed their hands down. “It’s just Damien.”

“What did you do?” Dean asked slowly; though he kept his voice light, all three men were still braced to jump in front of me. I had to admit, it was a nice feeling, having the three of them willing to protect me.

“Let’s find out,” I decided, and before they could argue, I turned and called out,

“Dames! Is that you?”

Not a moment later the furious man burst from around the corner, eyes wild, hair mussed up and robe undone, hanging haphazardly from his arms. His phone was clutched in one hand; the other he used to gesture furiously.

“Make it stop! You make it stop right now! I will call the FBI! I will call homeland security! I will have border patrol arrest you, you lowly, diseased cretin –“

“What have I told you about sweet talkin’ me?” I teased; he was so far past disheveled he just gave another shriek in response. The alarmed members of the Shield watched us with absolutely lost expressions. “Okay, I gotta know. What did I do to get you like this, and how can I do it again?”

“This was your plan all along you heathen!” he snarled, jamming his phone into my hands and jabbing his finger at the screen. I scanned the page and burst out laughing.

Jamien Sandless was trending on twitter.

“Oh my god, is it Christmas? Is this what heaven’s like?” I snorted, wiping a tear from my eye as he threw his hands up.

“This is not funny, Jeanette!” he chastised, red in the face. “This is slander! I never agreed to Jamien Sandless! This is not our tag team name! We are not a tag team! We are not anything –“

“Jamien Sandless?” Roman snorted at the same time Dean caught my eye and asked,

“Jeanette?”

Damien rounded on the Shield boys, too far gone in his unnecessary rage to care who he was shouting at.

“Do not encourage the defamation of my name!” he howled; as I shot Dean a wink in response to his question, I began to slowly back down the hall, Damien’s phone in hand. “She has made a mockery of Rhodes Scholars, of the once-glorious Damien Sandow, of the entire WWE as a whole –“

“Hey, Dames,” I called once I was a safe distance away, typing on his phone with a grin. “What are you thinkin’, Mr. Lawless, or Mrs. Sandow? I’m pretty flexible –“

“Give it back!” he bellowed, spinning and nearly taking himself out as he stumbled on his robe, surging after me. With a laugh, I gave the Shield a two-finger salute and broke into a dead sprint down the hall, Damien hot on my heels.

What a night it was shaping up to be.

--

“You know this is all gonna go to hell, one way or another,” Bryan pointed out as he watched me pace idly. I glanced at him and gave a devilish grin.

“’Course. That’s what I’m counting on. I’ll be surprised if Miz even get’s an actual question out.”

We’d been asked by Stephanie to make a guest appearance on Miz TV. Promote the match on Sunday, talk up our tag-teaming with Ryback, that sort of thing. But let’s be honest, there was no way it was gonna go down like she’d planned.

“This Sunday at TLC, three superstars look to stop the Shield in a three-on-three tables, ladders, and chairs match. Two of those three are my guests right now!”

The crowd screamed in anticipation as Bryan jumped off the crate he’d been sitting on; we fist-bumped and took position at the curtain.

“Please welcome my guests at this time… Team No-Less!”

Bryan’s music exploded around us, nearly drowned out from the crowd as we walked out together. The grin on my face was unmatched as we marched down the ramp; how awesome was it to be in a tag-team with my best friend?!

We fist-bumped and then jumped onto the apron in sync, both stepping through the ropes and then turning to Miz. I hopped up onto one of the chairs he’d set up as Bryan stood between us, pumped up and ready to go.

“Well, Daniel, I’ll start with you, since I’ve known you since you started in the WWE. I know that look. So tell me, how did it feel –“

Bryan, who had been glancing around with a scowl on his face, snapped around to glare at Miz.

“How did it feel?” he asked incredulously. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. How did it feel? When what, the Shield powerbombed me? Beat me into a pulp? How do you think it felt?!”

“Not good,” I offered; Miz gave me an unamused look over Bryan’s head that I returned with a cheeky smile.

“What are you, Oprah?! No. The time for talk is over. Now it’s time for action. And on Sunday, all this anger I’ve got is gonna be unleashed with tables, with ladders, with chairs! All over the Shield until they are lying in this ring begging for the pain to stop!”

Well damn! Let it all out, Bryan! The grin on my face was almost starting to hurt; Miz actually looked a little alarmed. For a small man, Bryan carried a lot of rage.

“And do you know what I’m gonna say to them, Miz? Do you know what I’m gonna say?”

“No, don’t get him started,” I warned Miz, pointing a finger in warning at him.

“No, I don’t –“ he started, ignoring me; I dropped my face in my hand as Bryan leaned a little closer to him.

“I’m gonna say… NO!”

Miz’s eyes widened; now he understood. And it was too late.

“No! No! No!”

With a roll of my eyes, I hopped off the chair and snagged Bryan’s arm to keep him from pacing the ring.

“Daniel –“

“No!”

“Daniel!”

“No!”

“Daniel Bryan!”

“No!”

My hand went up and slapped over his mouth to cut him off as I shot Miz a look; only one I felt Bryan had controlled his shouting did I dare take a step back. Though he still looked a little crazed, he was thankfully silent. With a huff, I turned back to our host.

“Look. The Shield made a huge mistake, attacking us,” I told Miz, sharing a determined look with my best friend as he continued to pace angrily. “Because the end result is that Daniel, Ryback, and I … we’re unstoppable together, and we’re all on the same page right now.”

“The Shield don’t stand a chance on Sunday,” Bryan promised Miz, giving a wild grin. “They’ll be stuck in an even fight, and there’s no way they’re walking out of there in one piece!”

“Oh? And why is that?” Miz baited, and hell, I’d give him this one. With a sly smile, I turned to the ground.

“Because we will use tables!”

“Yes!” Bryan cried.

“We will use ladders!”

“Yes!”

“We will use chairs!”

“YES!”

“And we will love every single second of showing the Shield what happens when they cross our paths!”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Bryan chanted, pumping a fist in the air as he jumped around the ring. Aw, what the hell. I tossed my microphone onto the couch and then threw my hands in the air in time with our Yes! chants.

The titantron went dark; my shouts died out as I saw the camera feed flicker to life. My hand went out and smacked Bryan across his chest to catch his attention. He stopped and turned, staring at me in question until I jammed my finger at the screen.

The camera twisted as it was picked up; as cheesy as it sounded, my heart actually skipped a beat. Dean stared dangerously into the camera – at me – and when he saw he had our attention, his lips twitched into a smirk.

“I’m Dean Ambrose.”

“Seth Rollins.”

“Roman Reigns.”

“We’re the Shield,” Dean announced, camera back to him, and good lord did that man look good intimidating me. His curls were pushed back from his face; a few hung into his eyes as he grinned at me wildly, tongue darting out to lick his lips. “An’ we’ve been listenin’ to you two make your empty threats… Well. Really wanna find out what happens when you threaten the Shield?”

Dean’s lips curled up into a full smirk as he gave a low chuckle. My god, keep it together Jamie! I barely managed to stop myself from nibbling on my lower lip. Just the memory of Dean’s thumb pulling it back, the look in his eyes as he watched me do just that earlier… A tremor of excitement ran up my spine.

“Justice!” Seth continued, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We are the bringers of justice in the WWE. You two and Ryback, you’re three of the main perpetrators of injustice, and we’ll be dealing with you swiftly and efficiently.”

Bryan let out a furious laugh; he wasn’t having any of this. I’d probably be a little more furious if I wasn’t so damn distracted by Dean’s tongue hanging out as the camera passed to Roman. As if he knew I was looking at him, he flicked his brows up at me and gave a swift wink. My entire body nearly melted.

“Jamie Lawless,” Roman stated, and my eyes snapped from Dean’s sinful smile to the glare on the Samoan’s face, sobering me somewhat. “Your actions… they’ve forced our hand. We told you we don’t wanna hurt you… But when you throw yourself into the fire, little girl, you’re gonna get burned.”

“Little Finch,” Dean drawled, hand coming up to ruffle his curls; I made sure to take note of his ridiculously attractive arm as he stared me down. Now it was clear he could see a live feed of us in the ring; his eyes followed me as I moved closer to the ropes, staring up at him.

“You think you’re protected, hiding behind Ryback and Daniel Bryan? We already took out the Demon Kane. You really think those amateurs you’re teaming with can keep me away from you?”

His words set off something inside of me; a deep, unyielding ache to be near him again. The way he spoke, as if I was his prize and he was determined to win… This time I did briefly nibble across my bottom lip. In response, Dean smirked victoriously and slowly slid his tongue over his own.

We were driving each other crazy.

“And what about ‘chu, Daniel?” Roman jeered, again breaking me out of the spell Dean had gotten me under. “We broke your tag-team partner. We turned Kane into a victim. The Shield did that. And now you’re next.”

Though we stayed facing the titantron, Bryan and I slid our gazes over to one another. Yeah, he was thinkin’ what I was thinkin’.

“Just 48 hours!” Dean laughed, shaking his head as though he was pitying us. “At TLC, the Shield brings the sword and justice will be served.”

Bryan handed me his mic and I shifted forward, leaning against the ropes and staring up at the Shield. All three men studied me as I lifted the mic and asked dangerously,

“Why wait ‘till Sunday, boys?”

Dean actually laughed; he tipped his head back, wide grin on his face as he shook his head. The only way to describe him at that instant was fucking adorable. His whole face scrunched up as he stared down at me, those unfair dimples in full swing, tip of his tongue poking out between his teeth.

Roman and Seth exchanged bemused glances across from him as Dean leaned forward into the camera.

“Finally, darlin’. Something we agree on.”

The camera dropped; Bryan and I watched with baited breath as the three pairs of boots marched ominously down the hall. Instantly, we turned and stood with our backs to each other. Bryan reached a hand around to rest on my hip and I did the same with him, keeping ourselves close and in check.

We scanned the arena, desperately searching for the faces we knew we’d be seeing any moment. Bryan pulled away, beginning to pace the ring again, when I caught the spotlight flashing over three smirking men high above us.

“Bry!” I gasped, reaching out and tugging on his shirt, pointing up at where the Shield were watching us. I spared a glance at the titantron as the camera zoomed in on them. Roman and Seth stood on either side of Dean, all three men looking a mixture of amused and determined.

And Dean…

He had one arm folded across his chest, the other bent up as he rested his chin on his fist. His muscled bulged against the sleeves of his shirt; just a hint of a smirk played on his lips, growing wider as I watched him study me. He never looked away, never blinked. Even this far away I could feel the effects of his gaze.

It was more out of desire than anything else when I stepped forward and beckoned the Shield down to the ring. Dean studied me as I mouthed ‘bring it on’; he chuckled again, hand playing with the top of his vest for a moment before he rolled his shoulders back.

With the flick of his wrist, Roman went one way, he and Seth went the other. They hopped out of the observation box and began to storm down the stairs. Bryan threw the chairs out of the ring, making room for a fight as they reached the ground level.

FEED. ME. MORE.

The grin that took over my face was nearly painful; the big guy himself came storming down the ramp, eyes locked on the Shield. He slid below the bottom rope and was on his feet in an instant, stepping up to stand between Bryan and I, just a step in front of us.

All three of us stood ready and waiting, pumped up from the adrenaline, from the crowd. Dean, Seth, and Roman all stared at us warily, as if really sizing up their opponents.

“Feed me more! Feed me more!” Ryback chanted, throwing his arms to enunciate his words. Bryan and I threw our fists in the air, chanting with him. My eyes never left Dean, and his never left me. Even when Seth hit his chest to catch his attention, Dean didn’t look away.

My whole body was on fire; I was desperate for the fight. Wanted to tear into him in every way I could. But Shield weren’t stupid, and they knew they didn’t have the upper hand anymore. If anything, we did. And those weren’t odds the Shield played by.

Slowly, they began to creep back up the stairs.

“Wow, you’re kidding me!” Bryan actually laughed as the chants died down. No way! I wasn’t just letting them walk away like that!

Roman and Seth were nearly to the top of the stairs, but Dean lingered. He took it one step at a time, backwards, all to hold my gaze just a little bit longer. Once he was nearly halfway up the steps, my patience snapped.

I vaulted over the top ropes before anyone even realized what I was doing. Bryan and Ryback shouted for me as I ran at the barrier and dove over. Only once my feet hit the stairs did Dean whirl and make his escape. The crowd erupted as I heard Michael Cole shouting.

“And now Jamie Lawless is in pursuit of the Shield! She’s giving chase to Dean Ambrose through the crowd! She’s lost her mind!”

We shot up the steps, and though he had longer legs and a head start, I was hot on his trail. The door to backstage swung open, and Dean was out of my sight. I immediately veered left, catching sight of something black disappearing around the corner.

As I came around I slammed into something solid, and then hands fisted into my shirt. My body was spun back and I was being pinned to the wall by Dean Ambrose. He towered over me, face just inches from mine, his clear blue eyes glinting with his an unreadable expression.

On instinct I struggled against his hold and he let out a growl. Dean shoved his fists harder into my shoulders, then pinned one leg with his knees. The other leg slotted between mine to brace against the wall, his chest just barely brushing mine now that he was so close.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breath. Dean had me completely at mercy, and we were alone. Not in front of the crowd, or surrounded by his boys. It was just him and I alone in an abandoned corner of the arena.

“You talked an awful big game out there, Finch,” he said, voice slow low I could barely make out the words. “You really think you can get away when I wanna keep you down?”

Desire shivered down my spine as I stared up at him, breathless. He was as affected by his own words as I was, if his now-ragged breathing and wide, darkened eyes were any indicator

“Guess we’ll see if Mox is as tough as everyone says he is, won’t we?”

Dean’s hands let go of my shirt to rest on the wall just above my shoulders as he leaned down to press his body to mine. His eyes narrowed just slightly; his tongue hung out for a moment before it flashed across his teeth. He slotted his head closer to me, our noses brushing. My breath caught in my throat, halfway between arousal and terror now.

“Jon Moxley ain’t who you wanna deal with right now, little Finch,” he said lowly, lips pulling out in a snarl as he enunciated each word. I risked a smirk in response, and his hand flashed to my throat. He gave a hint of pressure, holding me in place as a warning. His thumb brushed across my jaw, and his fingers curled around the back of my neck.

He tilted his head a little more; his cheek brushed over mine. The scratch of his stubble sent sparks through me as I instinctively arched into his hold. His lips pressed to my ear, hot breath sending another shiver through me.

“Especially not when you’re here all alone,” he growled; I could feel his voice rumbling in his chest as he dropped his other hand to my waist. He straightened pulled back just a hint to stand over me, and I couldn’t resist him any longer.

One hand went to the back of his neck and I tugged his head down as I pushed off the wall and pressed my lips to his.

An instant moan escaped him and I swallowed it down greedily as I tilted my head, pulling back for a heartbeat before I my lips brushed over his again. My whole body was on fire as his lips met mine desperately.

I was kissing Dean Ambrose.

My other hand came up to his chest and I used his vest to pull him even closer, letting out a noise of need as our lips brushed again and again. The hand on my hip tightened just a bit; the hand on my neck slid down and rested on my shoulder to push me back.

My eyes flew open in surprise as Dean continued to push until I was off of him and back against the wall, at arms length. He was staring at me with wide, shocked eyes, mouth hanging open as he fought to catch his breath.

Slowly, he pulled his hands away, and we stood staring at each other in confusion and disbelief. He swallowed hard and took another step away, and my entire heart fell into my stomach.

He hadn’t wanted to kiss me.

Had I just completely misread the situation? Dean was still staring at me like I’d slapped him, and it almost felt like I had. The moment I met his gaze, his eyes darted to the side. He didn’t even want to look at me.

“Dean, I… I thought that you wanted –“

He swallowed hard, hand coming up to rub his shoulder; a nervous habit he did when he was uncomfortable. Tears stung my eyes. He hadn’t wanted this.

He hadn’t wanted to kiss me.

When he finally met my eyes, I almost wished he’d look away again. He looked uneasy and almost sick; shame washed over me so powerfully my knees nearly buckled.

“It can’t be like that with us, Jamie.”

He used my real name; a slap to my face that showed me just how wrong I’d been. After all this time, all the years crushing on Mox, on Dean, and he didn’t feel the same way. Guilt for how I’d acted with Randy surfaced on top of everything else I was feeling because now I knew how he’d been feeling.

Like I’d just ruined everything because I’d taken our playful teasing as actual flirting. Because I thought that the person I cared about just automatically felt the same way.

“I just, I thought –“ my voice broke, and I cut off, swallowing hard as I turned my head away. My hands balled at my sides; don’t you dare cry, Jamie. Dean shifted uncomfortably across from me, hand up to rub the back of his neck as he stared at me.

“It’s not that – look, don’t take it like –“ he let out a huff, and his frustration at what I’d just done pushed the tears down my cheeks. My lower lip trembled as I squeezed my eyes shut. “I just – we can’t –“

“It’s fine,” I told him in soft voice. “I get it. I’m sorry.”

I had ruined it all with Dean.

Without hesitation I turned and nearly ran down the hallway. Dean shouted something after me but I didn’t stop. I could hardly see, the tears were so heavy. Blindly I wove back and forth through the hallways, running until my chest burned and my legs gave out.

My knees hit the ground and I pitched forward, barely catching myself. A sob ripped out of me; I was so fucking stupid. Dean’s face of disbelief was burned into my mind, and it made me sick.

I shoved myself back and slumped against the wall, pulling my legs tight to my chest and wrapping my arms around my shins as my face dropped to my knees. My whole body shuddered as I cried.

Dean’s reaction to my kiss; his rejection; hurting Randy. Everything came over me at once, each thought driving the ache even harder into my chest. I’d had a crush on Mox practically since I started wrestling. I’d fallen even harder for him during our time at NXT, and then when he’d shown up at Survivor Series…

Another sob shuddered through me as I realized just how terribly I’d ruined it all. Not only with Dean, but with Randy. Oh god, Randy. If he felt half as terrible as I did right now… And to make it even worse, I’d spent the last week avoiding him and being a complete jerk about what had happened.

By the time I finally managed to keep the tears back long enough to pull myself together, Smackdown was over. Thankfully, that meant less crew members to watch me stumble down the hall, rubbing at my red eyes, wiping my cheeks.

As I came closer to the locker room, Bryan’s voice drifted out to me.

“…gonna be really upset. He’s her best friend –“

“So maybe we shouldn’t tell her –” Brie wondered, as I pushed myself into the locker room; their heads snapped up to stare at me.

“Jamie –“ Bryan started, and then he really took a look at me. His face twisted into worry and he took a step towards me. “What’s wrong?”

“What don’t you want to tell me?”

“It can wait,” Brie said dismissively. “Were you crying? Why were –“

“Brianna. Tell me,” I asked quietly, swallowing the lump in my throat, ignoring the knot in my stomach. My best friends shared a quick, fleeting look, before Brie took a breath and met my eyes again.

“Randy’s in the hospital.”

For several moments, none of us moved; none of us said anything. I looked between the two of them, not fully believing what I’d just heard. This was a joke, right? They were messing with me. They had to be. But neither smiled as they watched for my reaction.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked slowly; this time, it was Bryan that said gently,

“He has a separated shoulder. They’re worried about a concussion, or a broken –“

“What!?” I asked in disbelief, my voice actually breaking. He hadn’t even had a match tonight! “What the hell happened?”

“The Shield.”

--
I didn’t remember the drive to the hospital, or begging the nurses to let me see my best friend. Exactly what I’d said to Brie and Bryan to keep them from following me wasn’t important; what mattered now was my best friend lying in pain on the other side of the door.

The nurse gave me a smile and held up a finger, leaning inside. My stomach was in knots; I took deep, slow breaths to try and stay calm as she called out,

“Mr. Orton? You have a visitor.”

Randy looked up just as I stepped inside and shut the door. The grimace of pain melted away, and he stared up at me in surprise. My hesitancy melted away when I saw the state he was in. Arm in a sling, a black eye and stitches on his cheek, a bandage on his good arm, a swollen lip… the anger at the Shield burning in my chest pushed the embarrassment and heartbreak out of my mind as sat on the edge of Randy’s bed.

“Jay?” he managed, almost not believing that I was here. With a small smile, I nodded and reached out, cupping his cheek; he leaned into the touch just a bit as he continued, “what are you doing here?”

“I heard what happened. I wanted to come see how you were doing.”

“Why?”

The honesty of his question hit me hard, and again I felt tears prick the back of my eyes. He stared up at me, guarded, as if he were trying to hide his pain too. Gently, I brushed his cheek with my thumb, and scooted a little closer.

“I care about you, Randy,” I said softly, trying to keep my voice from breaking this time; I was an emotional wreck. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea.

But at my words, Randy’s busted lips flicked up into a tentative smile as his eyes squeezed shut, and his hand came up to rest over mine on his cheek. He turned his head and pressed a soft, simple kiss to my palm, lingering for a heartbeat. When he looked back and opened his eyes, my breath left me.

Randy stared up at me as if I were the only person he wanted to see. As if me being there was the answer to every one of his problems. What came over me was a mix of the hurt, the shame, the anger, the relief… all the crazy things I’d been feeling in the last few hours crushed together to make one nameless emotion.

A nameless emotion that took over as I leaned in for the second time tonight and took a chance. My lips met Randy’s tentatively, almost afraid he would pull away like Dean had. Dean. My chest tightened at the thought and almost subconsciously I leaned in a little further.

Randy’s hand cupped the back of my neck and held me gently to him as he kissed back, and that was all I’d needed. The terrifying feeling of drowning in my wild emotions disappeared as Randy pulled me to the surface.

As we both went to deepen the kiss Randy flinched and pulled back just a bit; my eyes flew open and I began to panic. Until he pulled his hand from me and rested his fingers on his swollen lips.

“Oh, sorry,” I said breathlessly; he smiled sweetly up at me.

“Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me,” he threatened playfully. Of all things, it was the way he smiled at me that finally broke what little grasp I had on my emotions today. My lips trembled, and half a sob broke free.

Immediately he scrambled to sit up, reaching out and pulling me to him with his good arm. Crying like a baby, I twisted around and curled up against him. If me nearly laying on him caused any pain, he didn’t complain. His good arm held me tight him and his hand ran soothingly up and down my side.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured, lips pressing down into my hair as I buried my face into his chest.

“It’s just –“ I took a shaky breath and let him pull me even closer. “It’s been a long night. Don’t worry. I just – are you okay? I didn’t even ask –“

“Yeah, yeah,” he said dismissively; I tipped my head back onto his shoulder to meet his eyes. “I’m out for a few weeks. Did you, uh, you hear what happened?”

“Shield,” I said simply, and he nodded, eyes darkening a bit. “What’d they do?”

“Came outta nowhere. I was heading back from Hunter’s office, turned the corner, and Ambrose was on me a second later.” Randy tapped his face, and my stomach twisted in fury; Dean had started the attack? What kind of game was he playing at here!? “’Course the other two were right behind him. Reigns speared me through a table and hit it just right. Security chased ‘em off, but the damage was done.”

“Yeah, well, on Sunday I’ll show them what happens when they mess with my wrestler,” I growled, that unnamed emotion rising to the surface again. Randy actually chuckled and I looked at him, scowl still on my face.

“Your wrestler?” he teased, just like he had before. This time, though, I tipped my head back and brushed my lips over his for an answer.

The Shield had better be ready. When I saw them next, I wasn’t holding back. Whatever Dean thought he was doing, whatever he wanted to prove with his attack on Randy, it wouldn’t go unanswered.

Believe that.

--
Dean

Three years of chasing his dream girl, and he ruined it in two fuckin’ minutes.

His hands moved slowly, methodically, peeling the tape from his wrists as he stared at the lockers in front of him. He could feel Roman and Seth at his back, waiting for an explanation.

What did he even say? She kissed me an’ it was fuckin’ perfect so I broke her heart. That pretty much summed it up, and what kinda sense did that make?!

“I just don’t get it,” Seth started; Dean’s body tensed up and his hands still. “The girl you’ve been obsessed with for years just fucking kissed you and you turned her down? Just run that by me again –“

“Dude, not now,” Roman growled; if Seth knew what was good for him, he’d listen for once in his goddamn life.

“Look, man,” he continued; Dean shut his eyes tight, trying to keep from turning around and beating the shit outta his best friend. “I’ve never seen you like this with any of those other girls! She’s been all you talked about for years now! And it’s pretty clear she likes you too, man! If you let her go now, she isn’t comin’ back –“

“You think I don’t fuckin’ know that!?” Dean snapped, spinning around and ripping the rest of the tape off his hand, throwing it to the ground. Seth, who’d been pacing just a few feet behind him, smartly took a step back. “You think I don’t know I just ruined my fuckin’ life? I know I mess up every goddamn thing I touch! I don’t need you remindin’ me I ruined the little bit of happiness I had!

“I didn’t mean it like –“

“Doesn’t fuckin’ matter,” he spat, now starting to pace himself, a hand running wildly through his hair. The surge of anger at Seth died out as quick as it had come. He let his hand drop, dejected, and he stopped moving, staring at a spot on the floor. “’Cause that’s what I did. Shoulda seen her face, man. I made her fuckin’ cry.”

“Then talk to her, man,” Roman said quietly, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on his knees. Dean shook his head. “Why not? Seth’s right. You leave her like this, and she won’t come back.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said simply, finally turning to meet Roman’s eyes. “That’s the whole point.”

Both his friends gave each other puzzled looks, and then Seth turned back to Dean. The expression on his face made Seth’s chest tighten. He was so lost, just as upset as Jamie, if not more.

“Why’re you trying to push her away? If you both like each other, man –“

“She’s young. She’s smart. She’s goin’ places,” he said softly before his lips curled up into his signature smirk. “An’ me? I’m at the bottom of the fuckin’ pile. I’d ruin her. She thinks she wants me, but she’s wrong. And maybe now she’ll fuckin’ see how much better things are when I’m outta the picture.”

“Dude, why would you even think that?” Roman voiced, standing now as well and coming forward. Dean just shook his head and turned away; he wasn’t spillin’ his feelings like he was on some fuckin’ soap opera.

“Dean –“ Seth tried, catching his shoulder as he turned to leave. Dean jerked away and snatched his bag off the bench.

“She’s too good for me to ruin. She’s better off without Dean Ambrose there to destroy her life.”

The door slammed behind him as he stalked down the hall; his knuckles were still raw from beating the ever-living shit out of Orton. Poor asshole was the first thing he’d come across when he’d watched his Finch walk away. Who needed to cry when you could make someone bleed, was what he always said.

It would come back to him, somehow. He knew it would. But at this point, he didn’t even care. All he could think about was Finch; her fuckin’ voice breaking. He’d never seen her cry, never thought he would. Even when she’d taken fuckin’ barbed wire to the back in that cage of death match, she hadn’t shed a single goddamn tear.

Dean fuckin’ Ambrose had been the one to break her.