Canary and the Coal Mine

I entered the Rumble.

Four small words. Why were they so hard to fit into a sentence? I stared at myself for another long, quiet moment, dragging a brush through my haphazard hair as I muttered them again and again. Twice, I'd tried to tell Brie, and twice those words hand tangled themselves together in my throat and I'd chickened out.

Not this time.

Mostly because I was tired of secrets, and even more tired of hiding my wrestling from my best friends. I didn't want the sneaking or the guilt or worry anymore. I just wanted to be open and honest for once, about everything I could be.

And because I was out of time, and her finding out on Raw was worse than just talking to her. I hoped. Randy had told me yesterday he was entering, and Bryan had already announced his entry on Monday. Everyone on the main roster would have to eventually, and Booker had given me tonight as a very inconvenient deadline.

I entered the Rumble.

A deep breath in, a deep breath out. One last check in the mirror to make sure I'd wiped off all the drool and panic on my face, and I was out of the room. I was meeting the twins and Bryan for breakfast before we headed out for the arena. John was off tonight and since Raw was in Tampa next week, he was taking a few days to relax at home.

Nikki was even leaving right after our get-together, only staying behind to lend me the support I needed. Because this was partially her fault and if I was going down, she was coming with me. I'd been naive enough to think I could actually call Randy in secret with a nosy Bella in the same state as me. And of course she had to say something to John. Who was surprisingly - and thankfully - okay with my entry. What he didn't like what that I'd tried to do it in secret.

When I'd admitted I'd planned to enter and just hope everyone wouldn't be too mad seeing me run down the ramp next Sunday, that weird squiggly vein in his forehead popped up and he gave me the ultimatum he knew I couldn't walk away from: you tell her, or I will. Breakfast may not have been the most ideal time to drop a bomb like that, but talking in public ensured Brie could only get so mad.

Right?

"There you are!" Nikki exclaimed, engulfing me the second I stepped off the elevator. "I thought you'd chickened out!"

"You and your boyfriend made sure I won't be getting that luxury," I muttered, reluctantly hugging her back. She looped her arm with mine and all but towed me into the dining area of the hotel. Brie and Bryan were tucked into the corner of the room, a cozy table with two free chairs that looked more ominous than they should have been.

"On second thought, John can tell them. I'll just change my name again. Go undercover -"

"Oh honestly. Let's just get this over with. She'll probably be mad, and who knows what she'll do, but there's no backing out now," she said simply.

I shot her a scowl. "Was that supposed to reassure me or something!?"

She gave me a wide smile as we settled into our seats; Brie and Bryan beamed as the two of us settled into our chairs. Nikki smiled back and I made my best attempt not to grimace. I was freaking out, okay? How mad was Brie gonna be? Would she be more mad that I entered, or that I went behind her back? Knowing my luck, it'd be both, and she wouldn't talk to me for months. The attempt at a non-grimace had failed miserably; I was pouting at my plate, deep in thought, as a foot kicked out at mine.

I glanced up as Bryan lifted a brow at me in amusement, knowing my expression.

"What did you do now?"

"Why do you always jump to that?" I defended, a little too hostile to pass off as innocent. I took a quick sip of water. "Seriously. I'm not always pulling something. You guys just always assume -"

"Assume that you entered yourself into the Rumble and weren't planning to say anything?" Brie asked innocently; I choked on my water. "Just as an example."

"I - I don't - what are you talking - I didn't -" my voice jumped a few octaves and I said quickly, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Bryan snorted and Brie actually made a face; she reached into her purse and tugged out a dollar that she passed to Bryan.

"Told you she'd still deny it," he chortled, shaking his head. I scoffed and paused my defense, glaring at my best friend. He shrugged. "You always do. Your fight-or-flight response is more of a lie-or-deny kind of thing. She actually thought you'd admit to it."

"You guys set me up!" I exclaimed, staring between them in realization. Nikki coughed to hide her giggle and I whipped around. "You too?!"

"I didn't overhear you on the phone," she confessed, shrugging her shoulders and taking a relaxed sip of her drink as she leaned back. "Brie told me."

Slowly, I turned my gaze to my other best friend. She was staring at me with mixed emotions; stuck between anger and... did she look upset? Brie stayed quiet for a few more moments. Waitress took our orders quickly and only once she was gone did Brie sit up a bit more.

"Booker came by last night to drop off Bryan's new ring attire, and he mentioned the Rumble was already packed with some exciting entrants. One of which being the first female entrant off the male roster."

"That could've been anyone," I started again. She gave me an unamused look. "Damien has very feminine features!"

"He told me to 'make sure Jamie is Rumble ready'," Bryan told me, still more amused than he should have been. "How else should I have taken that?"

"Were you really not planning on telling us?" Brie asked quietly, hurt in her voice. I didn't want to meet her eyes, focusing instead on my napkin as she pressed, "do you just not think we care about you or your matches?"

My head snapped up on instinct and I gave her a disbelieving look.

"What?! That's - no. Not at all," I told her incredulously. "I think you guys care too much. I didn't wanna say anything because I didn't wanna have to fight with you guys for my right to wrestle."

This time, the three of them stared at me in surprise. I dropped my gaze back to my napkin and didn't respond when Bryan pressed,

"What d'you mean? You think we'd tell you not to enter?"

"You didn't want me on the roster. You didn't want me in the match at TLC -"

"Because we care -" Brie started, and I shook my head, keeping my eyes down.

"No, because you're babying me. You don't treat Bryan like that. You and Nikki don't lecture each other about dangerous matches. I just.. I want to do Royal Rumble. I wanna make a name for myself, and when I have you guys against me at every turn -"

Brie reached out and took my hand, squeezing gently to get my attention. I looked up at her, surprised, and saw not only her, but Bryan and Nikki looking at me as well. When I met Brie's gaze, her face softened into a smile.

"Jay, I'm sorry. I worry about you so much because I care about you. You're my baby sister. You're my family. I didn't mean to come off as restricting, and I didn't want to make you think you had to sneak around behind our backs to do what you wanted."

"We've spent the last few years taking care of you," Bryan said softly, and I looked at him now to see the emotions on his face. I blinked up at him as he continued, "It's hard watching you out in the ring now, and I can't be there with you. We've trained you, patched you up. We saw you get hurt, and it was terrifying. We don't want it happening ever again, and sometimes it feels like we can't keep you safe like you should be."

"It feels like you guys don't think I'm good enough," I said meekly, and immediately I saw their faces change into realization. They had never seen their protection or worrying in that light. I knew my friends. I knew they hadn't meant to make me feel like this, and honestly it felt good hearing Brie say fiercely,

"It's not you I doubt, Jamie. It's those jerks in the ring with you. Summer, Alberto -"

"The Shield," Nikki added; I caught the smirk on her face and kicked her subtly under the table.

"All those assholes in the ring can't fight fair. You got hurt by Summer because she was careless. You got hurt by Seth because he tag-teamed you and then got reckless. We won't go into TLC. But you get my point, Jamie. I have full faith in you. You are an amazing wrestler, but when I see those guys manhandle you and see you get hurt, I just -"

Brie turned away, and I heard the catch at the end of her voice. Instantly, I was up, skirting Nikki to hug her sister as tight as I possibly could. She let out a watery laugh and hugged me back, burying her face in my neck.

"I'm sorry I tried to hide it from you," I said softly, shifting my eyes to Bryan and Nikki too; they both smiled in understanding, letting me deal with Brie. "I know you guys care, and I'm sorry I saw it for something it wasn't."

"No, don't apologize," she insisted, pulling back to look up at me. "I know I can be a little overbearing -"

"A little?" Bryan snorted, earning him a smack in the arm from his girlfriend. I hugged her tight again and said honestly,

"I love that you care. And I won't hide things from you. I just need you to not go into panic mode every time I get a match, okay?"

"I promise to try," she said as we pulled apart. I dropped into my chair and she smiled across from me. "As long as you promise to not to give me a heart attack at every show."

"Deal," I told her, the weight of my secret lifting slowly off me now that everyone knew. I'd been expecting an all out war, some shouting, and at least twice as many tears as this.

And just as I thought my day had gotten as good as it was gonna get, my phone went off. As the waitress brought our food and the others got caught up in the meal, I snuck a glance at my phone and my heart skipped a beat.

From: Randy
I'll pick you up tonight at 5. Dress up, I'm taking us out to eat. See you tonight, baby.

________________________________________

"Wow," I breathed, looking around the restaurant as Randy ushered me back to our table. This place was nicer than most places I'd ever been to, and with Nikki as my best friend that was saying something. Everyone was dressed in formal clothes, well above what I'd scrounged together.

Randy's hand on my back was the only thing that kept me moving; I was not fancy enough for this place. This was probably the one time I was missing Nikki's insistence at dolling me up. I'd done my best, rushing to Wal-Mart and picking out the best $20 dress I could find, but even so I was still almost painfully out of place.

Thankfully, our table was tucked in the back corner, out of view for the rest of the guests. The waitress sat the menus down for us and ducked into the back to give us some privacy. It was cozy and quiet, like Randy and I had our own personal restaurant, and my self conscious worrying over my underwhelming appearance began to dwindle.

Even more so when Randy came up behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders to run down my arms as he leaned in and pressed his lips to my ear, murmuring,

"You look beautiful, baby."

The grin on my face couldn't be helped. I ducked my head and tried to regain my composure as Randy pulled my chair out. As I sat down and he scooted me into the table, my grin widened. I'd never been treated to a one-on-one dinner like this with my boyfriend. Randy settled into the seat next to me and reached up, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear and smiling.

"Order whatever you want. I mean it," he added as I opened my mouth to argue. He reached out and tipped my chin up to shut it for me. "This is my treat."

"At least let me buy dessert or something," I sighed, uneasy with just having seen the appetizer prices. The appetizers alone started at $15. I didn't even spend that much on an entire meal most days.

"Not a chance," Randy dismissed, not even opening his menu, staring at me instead. After glancing between him and the menu a few more times I asked meekly,

"What? Did I do something?"

A smirk twisted up the corner of his mouth and he reached out to cup the back of my neck, tugging me to him as he pressed his lips to mine. A soft sigh left me, and Randy tugged me even closer, practically onto his chair. I rested my hand on his thigh to balance, and he let out a low growl. Instantly, I broke the kiss and gave him a look. For once, though, he actually gave me an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. You just... you don't know the effect you have on me." Well if that didn't turn my face bright red. I dropped my gaze and smiled to myself as he continued, "look. I know you want to take things slow. I respect that. But you know I won't think any less of you if -"

"Wait, what?" I asked, glancing up at him with a frown. He shrugged and settled into his chair, keeping his arm on the back of mine. "You think I'm holding off because I want you to respect me?"

"Why else would you fight to keep yourself off me?"

"A little cocky, aren't we?" I said pointedly, scooting back to my own side of the table as Randy rolled his eyes.

"Jay, look. I like you. You like me. So I don't get -"

"A relationship is more than just physical to me, Randy. We just started dating. I wanna get to know you before I take my clothes off."

"I said I won't think you're being easy -"

"Well thanks for that," I said bitterly, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him a look. "Clearly, that's the only thing I was thinking about. What you think of me. You're so considerate -"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he backtracked, resting a hand on my knee and squeezing gently. "I'm sorry. That was a shitty thing to say."

He gave me an apologetic smile, and I softened a bit.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too. I know I'm not really being cooperative. I just... my last relationship was actually kinda terrible, and I don't wanna make the same mistakes. You know?"

"Trust me, I get it," he said, squeezing my knee. "Can I ask, though? What happened with your last guy?"

I should've known saying that would pique Randy's interest; the naive part of me had been hoping that would be enough of an answer. But I knew Randy, and if I gave him an in like that -

The waitress came up to the table and Randy instantly ushered her off with a quick order of appetizers before he turned his attention back to me. He moved instead now to take my hand and toy with it for a few moments before he let out a heavy sigh.

"Jay, I told you all about the shit that went down with Sam. I've been open with you, and that's all I want in return." When I still didn't reply, he moved a little closer and asked softly, "Jay, you know you can trust me. Just let me in, okay? I want this to work with us, but it's not going to if we can't talk about things like this."

I hated talking about my past. I really did. But I wanted things to work. I liked Randy. And if telling him about the shit that had gone down during my Indy days helped that, so be it. I took a breath and then turned to face him completely, letting him keep hold of my hand.

"I ran away from my foster home when I was sixteen and ended up roughing it with some guys from CZW. One of the guys, Drake -"

"Drake Younger?" Randy asked; I gave a quick nod and a scowl settled onto his face.

"He and I got really close. I don't think we, like, ever officially dated. But we were together, y'know? I mean, I was sixteen. He was my first kiss. My first real crush. I had no idea what I was doing. He always wanted to go farther, and I didn't know what I wanted. I was honestly kind of a jerk. I'd flirt, I'd let him touch me. I'd do things -" I cut off as my chest tightened. Randy's hand, still wrapped around mine, squeezed in reassurance and helped settle the emotions rising up. "I'd do things I didn't want to, because I thought I had to. I was miserable. He wanted sex, I knew that, and I just couldn't. He got impatient a few times. Got drunk, tried to force it further. I'm sure we would have if we hadn't kept getting interrupted."

"He'd force himself on you?" Randy asked in a dangerous tone. I looked up at him for the first time since I started talking, and actually leaned back a hint. His face was twisted into cold fury; this time I squeezed his hand. He looked at me and I said gently,

"I don't wanna put it like that, because like I said, I was... I was a tease." The words Randy had used to describe me. He didn't miss the connections, but I continued quickly, "I know I can be. And it's not fair to anyone I do that to. So I can't blame him for getting carried away. What I blame him for is manipulating me. When I wouldn't give in he'd try to make me jealous. Kiss the other girls, grab them. Let them touch him. I'm sure he slept with a few of them thinking I'd find out. I don't know."

Though the fury had settled some, Randy still looked pissed. Pissed and... guilty? I didn't want to compare him to Drake; they were nothing alike. I pulled his hand to my lap and played with his fingers as I said softly,

"It was the worst year of my life. If it wasn't for Bryan taking me to Ring of Honor with him, I wouldn't have gotten the nerve to leave. You aren't Drake, Randy. You respect me. I know I don't make it easy for you, but I just... I need you to be patient. I need you to let me get there in my own time."

Randy pulled his hand from mine, and for a fleeting second, I thought I'd made him angry. Until he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. He tugged me all the way off my chair and onto his lap to tuck me to his chest. I'd be lying if I said I didn't almost cry.

He held me tight to him as I hugged him back, burying my face in his neck as he pressed his lips to my hair. He moved down a bit and kissed my forehead, and then my cheek. The moment I moved to look up at him, he placed a soft kiss on my lips, pulling back just a hint to whisper,

"I'm so sorry, Jay. We can wait as long as you need to."

"Thank you," I murmured, kissing him back just as gently. He smiled against my lips and gently moved me back to my seat, just as the waitress came around the corner. Neither one of us were touchy-feely, so getting sappy in a restaurant could only go so far.

Clearing my throat, I studied the food in front of us as the waitress left us alone again. "We're having lobster for an appetizer?"

"Yeah, and it's freakin' delicious," he mumbled, already starting on his second one. When he caught the look on my face he raised an eyebrow. "You don't like lobster?"

"I've had it like, twice in my life. That's rich people food," I told him, though I took a piece off the plate. "Are you sure you don't want me to pay? I can -"

"You offer one more time, I'm getting you two entrees." I shot him a look as he leaned forward and smirked. "It's our first official date. Let me spoil you, baby."

Again, the flirting threw me off and I stammered for a few moments. Randy snagged the piece of lobster in my hand and pushed it into my mouth. My eyes widened momentarily, and then they fluttered shut; oh my god. How could I ever go back to ramen and pringles now that I knew this taste!?

Randy laughed at my reaction as I chewed slowly, savoring the food as much I could. When I finally looked back at him, he was watching me the same way he had been earlier. But this time, he reached out and gave my knee a gentle squeeze and went back to devouring the appetizers.

He was already showing me he was trying. He cared about me enough to put his own wants on hold and take into consideration what I'd gone through. My heart tightened a little more. First a public date, and now showing me the respect I wanted... Yeah, I was pretty lucky.

________________________________________

"Don't let your attitude write checks your fists can't cash!" Brie joked as I headed out of the locker room. As much as she wanted to drill me on where I was going, I could see her doing her best not to worry. She and Bryan were curled on the couch in the locker room; with Nikki long gone they'd finally have some time alone that wasn't on the road.

Which was my cue to make myself scarce.

"Promise," I laughed to Brie, giving her an honest smile over my shoulder as I headed down the hall. Two good talks today, and now I got to go wrestle for a few hours? One hell of a day, that was for sure. Only thing left for myself was to go harass the Shield. I hadn't bothered Dean and the boys since Monday; couldn't let them think I was going soft or anything. Which meant it was time to hunt for -

I turned the corner and came face to face with the Apex Predator.

"Hey gorgeous," Randy greeted, chuckling at my squeak of alarm. I smacked his chest and crossed my arms as dangerously as I could.

"You trying to kill me, Orton?"

"Nah," he said playfully, leaning in a hint and running his tongue over his lips. "I like you too much."

Undoubtedly, my face was its customary shade of pink as my cocky attitude faltered. As he continued to smirk, moved around him to hop up onto the crates, now face-to-face with him.

"What're you doin' in this neck of the woods?" I teased him as he came to stand in front of me, hands resting lightly on my knees; my heart surged a bit as I stared up at him. Wasn't this a couply-thing to do? I mean, he was drumming his fingers along my thighs, directly in front of me, playful smile on his lips.

It looked pretty incriminating from where I was sitting, that was for sure. That dinner had opened a lot more doors than I'd realized. Man, my night just kept getting better!

"I forgot to ask you earlier about the Royal Rumble," he hinted, and for once, I had good news. He saw my face brighten and he reflected my excitement as I nodded eagerly.

"Yep. Everyone's on board, and I'm definitely more than ready."

"That's perfect," he laughed, squeezing my legs in excitement, whole face lighting up with his smile. My heart melted just a bit, seeing him like this. It definitely wasn't the same guy he was in the ring, that was for sure. "I was gonna make my announcement tonight, actually."

"Why don't we do it together?" I asked him, grinning and going to get off the box. "How cool would it be to -"

Randy grabbed my hips and gently nudged me back onto the box, lips coming together to give me an apologetic smile. My face tugged into a frown and I stared up at him in question.

"It's probably not the best idea, having us go out together like that."

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly, eyes flicking between his as I read his expression. He sighed, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he said for the hundredth time,

"You know we need to keep quiet -"

Though I tried to keep my face neutral, Randy's look of irritation told me I hadn't. He took a step back and his hands slid off my legs; the chill from their loss sent a shiver through me.

"What, so you can take me to dinner -"

"That doesn't mean we can run around holding hands and kissing in the ring, Jay," he chastised, like he was talking to a little kid. I scoffed and pulled back to stare at him in irritation.

"I never said that." He gave me a look to say 'oh really' and my face hardened. "I asked if we could announce our entries together, not say our marriage vows, Randy."

"If I have to be patient with you, then you have to be patient with me, Jamie."

"I think the situations are a little different -"

"So I respect you, but you can't respect me?" Anger flashed through me so strong it was all I could do not to snap. In my silence, he added, "You knew it was gonna be like this."

The little restraint I'd mustered shattered instantly.

"No, actually, I didn't."

I slid off the crate, moving to skirt past him. His arm came out and wrapped across the front of me to tug me back.

"Jay -"

"Refresh my memory," I cut in as I pushed his arm down, voice low but spiked with anger as I glared at my boyfriend. Secret boyfriend. "If I'm correct we agreed to keep quiet until we figured out what we wanted. Which, y'know, was to date each other. But I'm sorry if I misread the signs tonight -"

Immediately he held his hands up as I went to keep going.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Wrong choice of words. I just meant we'd agreed that after the holidays -"

"Pretty sure we've passed Christmas and New Years, but go on."

He gave me a dry look and I lifted a brow in challenge.

"Jamie. I told you, I need you to be patient too, okay?" When I didn't respond, he moved back to me and rested his hands on my thighs again. "I told you we'll go public. Okay? Hell, I took you out to dinner tonight. I'm trying. And when everything is just right, you can tell your friends, and we can hold hands and whatever else you want to do. Okay?"

As best I could, I swallowed my anger and took a deep breath. Because if I tried to talk, I'd just snap again, and at least Randy was trying. He was right. The least I could do was be patient, like he said he'd do for me. He took me on a date, and if I'd misread that as him being ready to go public, I mean, how was that different when he misread my unintentional flirting? So I blew out a breath and gave a curt nod. He smiled at my acceptance and wrapped me up in a tight hug. I hugged him back before he pulled away - too soon - and said,

"I gotta get out there. I'll make my announcement, and give you a lead to come out. Is that okay?"

"If I go out there you're getting my sassy ring attitude," I hedged, and he let out a breathy chuckle.

"Deal. You're pretty great, you know that?"

"I do," I snarked back, but let my irritation slide a bit to give him a small smile. He shot me a wink before turning and heading out to stage. For as irritated as I was, I had to admit there was a bit of hurt lingering in me too. Why was he waiting so long to make us public? His divorce was cleared, we were happy, and I'd deal with my friends when they had their inevitable hesitations. Clearly, going to dinner was simple enough. What else was there to keep quiet for?

"Flyin' straight, little Finch?"

My heart leapt up as I glanced over and saw Dean sauntering towards me. He met my eager smile with one of amusement as he came to lean against the crate I'd just been on. His hair was slicked back today, ends curling up at the nape of his neck and around his ears. His clear, soft blue eyes glinted as he looked over at me, lips twisting into his signature smile. As much as my heart stuttered, I made myself ignore the feelings welling up.

Just friends, I reminded myself, and focused on Randy's insanely adorable smile as I shrugged and leaned beside him.

"So far, so , we're less than a minute into the show, so who knows?" Dean snorted and I nudged his arm with mine. "What about you? Shield gonna beat up my friends today?"

"You bein' friends with the whole roster ain't our problem," he pointed out as I scoffed. "We got our targets, an' we got a schedule to keep."

"Right. Punk and Heyman's schedule," I threw out, and it was his turn to give me a dry look. "Oh right, we're pretending I don't know. Gotcha."

"Someone's a little snarky tonight," he noted, turning his attention to the screen on the wall ahead of us. Randy was pacing the ring, spitting out his plans for revenge and 'resolutions' for the new years. "What's got you so sharp today?"

Remembering what I'd teased him about Monday, I looked up at him and shrugged, throwing out,

"Hmm, I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with the infamous Dean Ambrose chickening out of training with me this week."

To my surprise, Dean didn't laugh. He shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest, not looking at me as he said simply,

"Nah, just figured you'd stay the night with Orton an' do somethin' with him so I wasn't gonna bother ya."

My entire body froze and I stared up at Dean with what could only be described as confused terror. He gave me a puzzled look at my reaction as I spluttered,

"Wh-what do you mean? I don't - why do you think that -"

"What, you sayin' you don't spend the night with your boyfriend?"

"Uh, w-what? No. I don't, I mean, I have no idea - he's not my boyfriend! I'm, we're not dating. No."

Dean snorted and shook his head, rolling his shoulders and looking up to watch Randy on TV; I was too busy watching Dean to listen to what he was saying.

"You're a shit liar, darlin'," he informed me, and as I scoffed, he glanced back down at me and added in a quiet voice, "saw you an' Orton Monday night. By the buses. Think the cat's outta the bag."

A sick, cold feeling crept through me as I dropped my eyes. For reasons I didn't fully understand, Dean knowing about Randy and I left a bad taste in my mouth. Neither of us spoke as I replayed the post-Raw celebration I'd had with Randy. My cheeks flushed as I remembered the practically drunk giggling and fondling we'd given each other. I'd been so excited, having him back and getting that amazing one-up on the Shield that we hadn't been thinking. And now…

"Look," Dean finally said, turning to me completely. When I didn't meet his eyes, his fingers tapped my chin lightly and I reluctantly lifted my head. "I get the feelin' I'm the only one who knows."

I nodded slowly, the sick, guilty feeling still sloshing through me. I hated the secret relationship, but I hated Dean knowing even more. It was already a sore subject, but for some reason Dean being in on the secret of Randy and I just made me feel... bad. I had no other way to describe it. He took the look on my face as one of worry and offered me a small smile.

"I ain't gonna run my mouth, so you can quit with the puppy dog face," he informed me, and I let out a shaky laugh. The corner of his lip quirked up and the fingers cupping my chin gave a gentle squeeze. "You're good Finch, alright? You can trust me."

Slowly, I nodded and blew out the breath I'd been holding. Of course it wasn't worrying about him spilling our secret that had me upset, but I wasn't getting into that now. Satisfied that I wasn't internally panicking anymore, he turned to lean against the crate again and observe Randy with me again. We sat in silence that would've been comfortable if I wasn't still reeling that Dean knew. Now that he was in on the secret, I wanted to keep going. Maybe it was a bad idea, spilling what was supposed to be confidential to someone I'd only really been talking to for a month, but my mind just wouldn't let it rest.

I couldn't talk to the twins, Bryan, or John. Randy was part of the dilemma, which meant Dean was the last friend standing, so to speak. After another few moments of planning out my words, I said softly,

"He didn't wanna announce the divorce until after the holidays. 'Cause of his daughter and all. So we've been, uh, we've been quiet."

Dean nodded, tongue running along his lower lip; I liked watching his mind work, watching him really think something through. His brows furrowed together and his hand came up to cup his chin, tapping his finger absently over his lips. Finally, he glanced at me and asked,

"How long you two been… y'know."

"Uh, 'bout a month. Pretty much since TLC."

Dean's thoughtful frown deepened just a hint as he went back to the TV, clearly calculating something again. Would he figure out that I'd run to Randy right after messing everything up with him? Because there were only a few ways this could get more awkward, and that was at the top of the list.

He didn't linger on it, instead moving to the other part of this I hadn't wanted to discuss.

"So, s'after the holidays, right? Why you two still sneakin' around after shows 'n shit?"

When I didn't answer, Dean looked back down at me again. I gave a half assed shrug and focused on my hands twisting in my lap. His elbow bumped mine and I finally met his eyes. I couldn't figure myself out; why did I feel the need to tell Dean all of this? Did he even really care? Truth be told, I just wanted someone to talk to, and gut instinct told me that, if he had listened so far, he'd keep doing so.

"No idea," I admitted softly, looking back to the TV. "I thought… I mean, I'm sure it's complicated with what he has to do, with his daughter and legal stuff. But I just… he said he didn't wanna hide me for long. And when I asked him tonight, he got so…"

"So what?" Dean pressed, tone changing. I met his eyes; he looked… worried? Protective, almost. My stomach fluttered at his expression, and then I realized what he was assuming and backtracked before he got the wrong idea.

"It's nothing - not like that. He just got all upset and turned it around on me. Like always. He just brushes it off like it doesn't matter to him."

Dean hmm'd and nodded, not taking his gaze off me this time. He had an unreadable expression on his face that I wanted to sit and study for the rest of the night. However, there was an actual agenda of things to get done and unlike me, Randy didn't veer off schedule.

" - so tonight, I officially announce my entering in the 2013 Royal Rumble!"

Ah, the cue. Dean, picking up on my expression, didn't push the conversation further and instead jerked his head for me to follow him. Wordlessly, we fell into step with one another, heading for gorilla position. We didn't speak until I went to head up the steps; he caught my elbow and tugged me to a stop, and waited for me to look back at him before saying,

"I know it ain't really my place. I just… look. I been around a lot a guys like Orton, an' I think you're better than bein' kept a secret. That shit never ends well. Just… be careful, okay?"

"Yeah I - I will," I said softly, trying not to sound as surprised as I was. Dean Ambrose giving me honest, heart-felt advice? He quirked a smile at my expression as he ran his fingers across my arm, pulling back and heading the way we'd just come. Thankfully, Randy was still going strong in his monologue, so I had a few seconds to calm my frazzled thoughts before he added,

"But something tells me I won't be the only one entering tonight. I know someone else backstage who's probably seconds away from runnin' out here themselves."

Per Randy's instructions, the manager hit my music, and I let a grin take over my face. The crowd cheered and clapped along to my music as I danced my way down the ramp, pointing out around me and winking at the fans that caught my eye. As I reached the ring, I shrugged and danced left, skimming along the barricade and slapping hands. It still warmed my heart, seeing how excited people got to see me.

Randy watched with a bemused smile as I finally climbed onto the apron and vaulted into the ring. Respectfully, he took a step back and folded his hands in front of him, watching as I lifted my mic and looked around. The crowd was still pumped up, so I laughed and asked,

"What, you guys happy to see me or something?"

To my surprise, the crowd surged louder, and a chant of 'Lawless! Lawless! Lawless!' rose up around us. As I spun to look at the fans, I caught Randy pumping his fist, chanting with them. To cover up the surge of emotions that rose up in me I laughed and added,

"You guys make me even more excited to announce this. Not only am I officially entering into the 2013 Royal Rumble -" I took a moment to let the cheers surge and die down enough to be heard "- but I plan to make history. I'm not the first woman to enter, but I'll be the first woman to not only last more than a few minutes, but to win it all and headline Wrestlemania!"

As the crowd started their chanting again and the announcers went wild with my declaration, Randy caught my eye and gave a swift wink as he shook his head. The crowd tapered off into jeers at Randy as he argued,

"I won't deny you're a badass in the ring, Jay. But, hate to break this to you, you've still got to go through me to win."

"Yeah," I drawled, shrugging and looking at the crowd before glancing at him and adding casually, "still not seeing a problem."

He let out a breath of laughter, lips curling back to show his teeth in an irritated smile. When he met my eyes, I smirked back. Hey, I'd warned him. Most my victims didn't get that courtesy.

"Are you forgetting who trained you?"

Admittedly still feeling a little saucy from our earlier 'discussion', I pressed my lips together and deliberated my answer for a heartbeat before throwing out,

"Nope. And Daniel Bryan's kicked your ass too, so I think I'm more than qualified."

Okay, that was a little harsh. But the ring wasn't the place for soft words. Randy narrowed his eyes and a tremor of alarm rolled through me. I'd never been on the receiving end of Randy's in-ring anger, and I'd seen enough not to want to be. But... okay, okay. I was a troublemaker. I loved the thrill; loved the snark, and pushing people over the edge. At least I was big enough to admit it.

"Do I really look like someone you can beat in a fight, Jamie?"

Randy took a step towards me and I tipped my head back to keep eye contact with him. He held a strong, cold gaze on me and I did my best not to wilt. Just because we were dating didn't make the Viper any less intimidating. The crowd was almost dead silent, watching us with bated breath.

"If the shoe fits, princess," I told him with a cheeky grin; the crowd had just erupted, Randy had just snarled my name, when Sheamus' music went off. Both of us looked over in surprise; thankfully I'd managed to swallow the squeak of alarm. That would definitely ruin any badass points I'd stacked up.

"Randy, Jamie," Sheamus said as he stepped through the rings. "Sorry t' interrupt ya, fellas. Look, I know what yer thinkin' Randy. I know that face. Yer thinkin' I'm out 'ere t' steal y'guys tunder -"

I snorted and looked up at him.

"Did you just say tunder?"

Sheamus gave me a dry look before turning back to Randy.

"Thing is, I was plannin' t'do the same exact thing. I'll be enterin' into the 2013 Royal Rumble match too!"

The crowd - and, okay, myself - cheered at his announcement, much to Randy's annoyance. Which, in my current mood, was a plus. As I shot a smirk to my boyfriend, Sheamus continued,

"But that's not the only reason I'm out here. I wanted to come and personally thank you both for taking on the Shield last Monday night on Raw."

Sheamus gave me a genuine smile; after Shield kicked his ass, seeing them get chased off like that had to feel pretty damn good. Randy was making a face of disgust, seemingly not interested in answering, so I turned to Sheamus and met his smile with one of my own.

"Don't mention -" I began, and of course, now Randy wanted to talk.

"Wait a minute. You think I went out there to avenge you?"

"I wasn't just thanking you –" he cut in, and Randy waved his hand in dismissal, wrinkling up his nose again in distaste.

"I was out there for Jamie –" he jabbed a finger in my direction "- and I was out there for me. She needed help, and I had a score to settle. Just in case you forgot how the Shield jumped me and separated my shoulder."

"Look, I was jus' tryin' to be nice. I'm not lookin' t' make friends -"

"Good," Randy laughed; the men turned to face each other, leaving me to stare at them in bemused exasperation. Sheesh, for being on the same side, the two of them sure had a lot against each other, apparently.

"Sounds like you got a problem with me, fella."

Randy gave an empty laugh and shook his head, giving Sheamus a dangerous look.

"I'm not here to play buddy-buddy with anyone. I'm here to win, just like I'm gonna win at Royal Rumble. It's every man for themselves, and I'm most dangerous on my own. I'm a survivor."

SurVIVOR? More like sur-viper, I thought to myself, stifling a snort at my own joke. Which just earned me a cold side-eye from Randy; it'd probably looked like I was laughing at him. Oops. I gave him a placating smile as Sheamus laughed to himself and said,

"Dangerous, eh? Listen, fella, in case you forgot, I was the Royal Rumble winner last year. I think I know a thing or two about how to survive."

"The winner last year, yeah, I remember. Trust me, I remember. Which is why it's gonna be extra special when I eliminate you."

"Are you two done? Or are we gonna have to put up with this pissing contest all night?"

Both men slowly turned to eye me as the crowd laughed. They shared bemused expressions with each other as I flicked my brows up. Randy stepped to me and chuckled,

"What, you got somethin' to add, Jay?"

"In case you boys forgot, I'm gonna be in the ring too." Both men snorted in dismissal at me and I shrugged, giving them each a dangerous look. "Fine, count me out. It'll make it easier for me to throw your unsuspecting asses over the ropes."

"It's cute when you try and talk trash, tater tot," he told me with a shit-eating grin. I narrowed my eyes. "Get back to me when you're above my shoulders."

"That's an awful big ego for someone who's never gone against me in the ring," I started, and he slowly lifted a brow at me, picking up on the veiled suggestion. So sue me, I liked fighting cute boys in the ring. I gave him a swift once over and added idly, "You sure you aren't compensating for anything?"

Okay, trash-talking was fun too. Sheamus let out a bark of laughter as the crowd roared; to my surprise, the look on Randy's face wasn't one of annoyance. He actually looked... enticed? He fixed me with a long, piercing stare that made my heart skip a beat. His lips slowly curled into a dangerous smile as he took a step forward.

Big Show's music blasted the arena; all three of us spun on our heels in an instant. My entire body lit up with fight; Big Show had something to say? Perfect. I'd love to call him out too. As I moved for the ropes, a hand snagged the back of my shirt and kept me in place. I glanced back to see that Randy's expression had settled into an unamused frown; I set my jaw and felt his hand tighten in my shirt just a hint.

"Jay," he warned, and I let out a grumble as he and Sheamus made a point of stepping up to the ropes in front of me. Show, of course, let the smirk on his face widen as he lifted the mic and sneered,

"Y'know, I was sitting in the back, listening to you three stooges talk about who's gonna win at Royal Rumble, and I heard the funniest thing. That little blonde cabbage patch doll hiding behind you actually thinks she has a chance to eliminate anyone, let alone win."

I saw both Randy and Sheamus tense, but I was faster than both with my smart remarks. Jamie Lawless didn't hide. Ducking between them, I grinned down at Show and leaned on the ropes, throwing back,

"Well, with a pansy like you in the ring with us, I know I'll be getting at least one elimination, sweetheart."

As the crowd roared with laughter and the boys on either side of me snorted in surprise, Show's face went bright red. He took a step and jammed his finger at me.

"You shut your mouth, you little brat -"

Randy was between Show and I in a heartbeat; though his protective intention was sweet, irritation sparked through me. What made him think I couldn't handle a bit of banter? As I moved to get out from behind him he nudged me back and snarled,

"Show her some respect, or I'll have no problem putting you in your place!"

To the boys' surprise, Show let out a howl of laughter and dropped his head back, wiping fake tears from his eyes. When he finally looked at us again, he was clearly less than impressed with the big, strapping men in the ring with me.

"Randy, Sheamus, I showed you all last year how useless you are against an athlete like me. I'm really not worried about showing you again. As for you, cabbage patch, I don't have a problem introducing you to this –" he held up his fist and shook it at me. "In fact, I've already got a few creative places I could shove it -"

"Come down here and say that again," Randy snarled; I barely resisted rolling my eyes. I was past the 'big strong man protecting me' crap. I tugged his shirt to get him back from the ropes as Show threw out,

"Please. You think I'm afraid of you? I'm the world's largest athlete –"

"I think you pronounced that wrong," I cut in, literally elbowing my way in front of Randy. "It's 'worlds largest asshole."

I flashed a cheeky smile and the humor dropped off Show's face instantly.

"Jamie," Randy growled, latching a hand on my arm to tow me back.

"I've had enough of that smart mouth!"

Show moved for the ring, and as Sheamus, Randy, and I braced for a fight, Cesaro's music hit. Huh, unexpected; the night was just getting more interesting. The three of us in the ring watched as he sauntered out, holding the US title and grinning at Show.

"It's funny, Show, seeing you get so bothered an American girl half your size." Cesaro turned to the ring and pointed at me and flashing a wink. "Now you, I like. As for the rest of you typical Americans, running your mouths -"

"Irish," I cut in, pointing at Sheamus; he ruffled my hair playfully as Cesaro pointed at himself.

"Uninterested. You see, where I come from, in Switzerland, we don't just talk. We don't just talk about who's going to beat up who. We take action. Maybe now you understand why I've been coming out here for months, talking about you soft, lazy, fat -" Cesaro sized up the three of us and made a face. "No, not fat. Grotesquely obese Americans."

Sheamus eyed Show pointedly as Randy and I exchanged looks at one another. I wasn't that big and Randy was a walking washboard. He lifted a brow, and I gave a subtle nod; we had no problem proving the Swiss Superman wrong. He leaned on the ropes and narrowed his eyes at the man running his mouth.

"Hey!" Cesaro glanced at him dismissively. "How about this fat, soft, lazy American comes up there and RKO's the both of ya, right now?"

This got both men's interest; they fully turned to glare at Randy, and I stepped up to his shoulder, arms crossed. I was more than ready for a fight. Sheamus, on my other side, cracked his knuckles, ready to jump in with us. Show and Cesaro moved for the ring, anger burning in their expressions.

Can you dig it, suckas?!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Booker shouted, coming out to his music and holding up a hand. "Let's just hold up a minute, before things get outta hand! It's obvious to me you don't like each other. Now, Sheamus, you've already got a match with Alberto Del Rio. So how 'bout this: tonight, we got Big Show teaming up with Antonio Cesaro to take on the team of Randy Orton and Jamie Lawless!"

I threw my hands up as the crowd cheered for the match, much to Randy's dismay. He kept his glare on our opponents and I pumped my fist in time with the fans chanting. As Booker's music hit again and Cesaro and Show disappeared backstage, Randy turned to me and cleared his throat.

"What?" I asked, raising my brows. His lips were pursed, and he didn't have a very happy expression. He jerked his head towards the stage as Sheamus held the ropes for me. Stifling a sigh, I dropped my arms and shuffled past him, obediently climbing out of the ring. I had a feeling the talk he wanted to have was best suited for a closed locker room with a limited audience.

To my surprise, none of my entourage was waiting for us; I'd assumed at least John would be standing in the hall with a scowl. Instead, I was met with the displeased look of not only Randy, but Sheamus as well. Come on! My brogue-kicking Irish man was lecturing me too?!

"We need to talk to Booker about the match," Randy started, and I held up my hand. He trailed off and raised his brows in irritated surprise.

"Look. I let you stand up to Show for me out there, and get all macho-man, but you know I can handle my own fights."

"Jay, you can't -"

"I'm not letting you take me out of the match."

Randy stared at me in silence for several moments, eyes burning into me as the anger burned a little deeper. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting me to say that; I had a feeling not a lot of people told him no as much as I did.

Suck it up, buttercup, I thought to myself, setting my jaw and lifting a brow. I made the decisions on my matches. Not him. Sheamus cleared his throat, and I looked over instantly, burning gaze cutting through him. He gave me a chuckle and quirked a smile.

"Look. I won't tell ya not t' fight, Lass, so don't be givin' me that look. I'm just gonna say, you gotta watch Show. He doesn't fight fair, and you gotta admit he's a bit bigger than who you've fought before."

"I took on Roman," I pointed out; Randy scoffed at my answer and I shot him a look. "I can handle Show. And besides, I've got the Apex Predator with me." My comment came out a lot snarkier than I had meant, and Randy made another noise of irritation. I gave my boyfriend a pointed side-eye as Sheamus gave me an understanding smile. "I'll be okay."

"I'm just lookin' out for ya, Lass," he assured, coming forward and bumping fists with me. "I'll be rootin' for the both of ya."

He gave a nod to Randy as he headed back down the hall, leaving us alone. If my friends hadn't shown yet, they wouldn't show now; I had no out, and Randy didn't look happy. Time to deal with the shitstorm my attitude had stirred up. I turned and raised a brow at Randy; he blew out a breath, brushing past me to lead us to his locker room. I followed silently, honestly not sure what he was more upset about - my attitude or the match tonight - but I had a feeling I'd managed to annoy him with both.

Only once his door was locked and he'd paced a few times did I finally risk asking,

"Do you really think I'm such a weak wrestler I can't take on Big Show?"

He paused, but didn't look at me. Silence settled around us again as I watched him think out his answer. After another second, he let out a slow breath.

"It's not that I think you're weak, Jamie. It's that Big Show is literally twice your height, almost four times your weight, and like Sheamus said, he doesn't fight fair. You really expect me to be happy about having you go against him?"

"I get he's bigger, but I fought Roman at TLC, and I actually did pretty good." He opened his mouth to throw something back and I fixed him with a look as I added, "I got hurt because of me, not because I wasn't strong enough."

"Even going past that, we have an issue with you insisting on picking a fight with every pair of spandex that comes out to the ring," he griped, and then let his own irritation flash through. "Even me."

"Hey, no," I argued, pointing the finger at him now. "I told you if I was going out there under your terms, I was giving you my sass."

"You think I'm compensating for something?" he pressed, and it dawned on me that - in our current situation - that probably hadn't been the smartest of jabs to throw at him. I crossed my arms and made a face to cover up the apprehension that welled up through me at his expression.

"All the shit I talked, and that's what you're taking away?"

It was a little unnerving, watching his expression melt from annoyance to arousal. He'd just been on the edge of angry with me, and now he was getting himself worked up? He stalked towards me, and for the first time I actually felt uneasy, locked in the room with him. Instantly my back was at the door, thoughts racing.

We'd just had this damn talk a few hours ago. He wouldn't push me after he'd agree to be patient with me. Right?

He wouldn't do anything I didn't want to, I knew that. Right?

Thought the same thing about Drake, my mind decided to throw out as Randy crowded us up against the door. One hand immediately went to my waist, and the other planted itself next to my head, effectively caging me in. He ducked down and captured my lips with his, and my nerves began to ease up. Kissing Randy; I could handle that. Kissing was fine.

My hands rested on his chest as I tilted my head, deepening the kiss. He let out an eager breath as he pressed his body to mine. We leaned back against the door, lips brushing repeatedly, picking up speed as he pressed even closer to me. My hands slid up to loop around his neck, tugging him to my height to fight for dominance. With a growl his hand came off the door to card through my hair, tipping my head back further. His kisses moved down across my jaw, trailing onto my neck as he murmured,

"How about I prove you wrong, baby?"

And there it was. Randy's resolve had broken in less than two hours. Had to be a freakin' record.

He rolled his hips against me, his cock already hard and eager against my stomach. My hands went back to his chest and I pushed against him; he didn't move. Instead, the hand on my hip tightened just a hint, and he nipped against my neck.

"You're driving me crazy -"

"Randy, enough," I sighed, pushing harder. Another roll of his hips, another nip at my collar bone; panic burned in my chest. "Randy!"

"Jay come on," he huffed, though he let his hands fall off of me. I kept my back to the door as he edged away, clenching his jaw as he reached into his trunks to adjust himself. When I still didn't move he let out a humorless laugh. "What, you're mad at me now?"

"You said we could take it slow -"

"Well can you blame me when you flirt with me all night and talk about my dick?"

"Seriously? Randy, I was talking shit to you," I scoffed, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. He snorted in irritation and ran a hand over his head as he turned away from me. "Are you really -"

"Just forget it."

"Randy -" I started, finally moving from the door and reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. "I just need you to be patient -"

"It's my fault," he muttered, tugging on a pair of sweats and snagging his ID badge as he ducked away from my hand. "I forgot I was dating a kid."

I recoiled at his words, drawing my arm back to me and watching as he stalked past me and yanked open the door. He paused for just a heartbeat, long enough to throw out,

"I'll come get you for the match."

The door shut, and I stood staring at it for several long moments, the sting of his words settling over me. I mean, I knew this was slow, but I needed time. And I'd actually thought that opening up to him like I had at dinner would help his eagerness take a backseat. The sick, dejected feeling in my stomach sloshed around as I shuffled slowly back to the diva's locker room.

By the time I got back, it was mostly empty. Most had left if they weren't on the lineup for the night, and the rest were getting ready for their own matches. Only Brie and Bryan were on the couch, with a couple other divas I didn't know in the back doing their makeup. For a moment, I hesitated in the doorway. I wasn't in the mood for talking, but I didn't want to be alone.

I'd actually thought about just going to sit by gorilla and wait moodily for Randy when Brie stood and caught sight of me. Her face flickered through a few different emotions - surprise, relief, worry - before finally settling into a very forced smile. No doubt she and the others knew about the match tonight. I braced for her mom voice, but she forced out,

"Hey, there you are. I wanted to see you before we headed out."

"You guys are leaving? Already?" I asked, brows raising up as Bryan tipped his head back onto the arm of the couch to give me a grin. "Don't you have a match, Goat Face?"

"Nope. Got pushed aside to make time for the epic tag-team main event that was unexpectedly thrown together," he informed me, smirking as I caught sight of his girlfriend's face. When I glanced at her, the forced smile was still in place, but I could see the panic in her eyes.

"Brie...?"

"It's nothing, really," she said quickly, waving her hand in dismissal. "I, you know, it's just that the match was so unexpected -"

"As our shows usually are," Bryan reminded gently; the look she threw him told me they'd already gone over this before I'd shown up.

"Brie, I told you. I don't mind you worrying -"

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't have picked a fight with the Big Show!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up and giving me an incredulous look. "First the Shield, now the world's largest athlete?!"

"I thought it was world's largest asshole -" Bryan started, and got a hard backhand in the chest.

"Do you like giving me something to freak out about?!" she nearly cried, following me as I made for the couch. I threw a cheeky smile over my shoulder and said with a shrug,

"Well, it definitely makes the night more entertaining."

She let out a huff and settled next to me on the couch. As she usually did, she reached over and hooked my legs to tug them over her own. She folded her hands on top of my knee, drumming her fingers nervously along my leg. Bryan, behind us, snorted at his girlfriend before turning back to getting their crap together.

"Just please promise me you won't be reckless," she said softly to me; my stomach dropped a hint. It was gonna take a lot more than some placating words to make up for the scare I'd given her at TLC. As much as I teased her for it, she really was like my mom, and that was something I loved about her. She cared about me, and wanted me safe. She loved me; we were family.

Stifling a sigh, I reached over and rested my hand on top of hers, squeezing in reassurance.

"That stuff won't be happening again. I promise. And plus, I've got Randy there. If I end up against Show and I can't handle it, I can tag out."

Though she still didn't look happy, she pressed her lips together and again gave me a tight smile. Flipping her hand upside down, she laced our fingers and gave a squeeze. It was hard for her, not fighting for what she felt was right, but to see her working so hard to meet what she promised just left a bad taste in my mouth about Randy.

Just like Brie, he'd made me a promise, and he really hadn't worked that hard to live up to it.

You DID kinda lead him on, I reminded myself as Brie untangled us and got up to help Bryan. I curled up in the corner of the couch, tugging out my phone to see if Randy had texted. Seeing no new messaged had me feeling even worse. Had I really teased him that much? I mean, apparently I'd led him on for months without realizing, so how could I really say I wasn't misleading with my shit-talking?

"You gonna behave, or do we need to ask Booker to come sit with you?" Bryan asked, poking over the back of the couch to give me a smug smile. I shoved his face away and scoffed,

"I don't need a babysitter!"

"Three years of knowing you says otherwise," he threw back, coming around to the front of the couch and holding out his arms. When I raised a brow at him, he beckoned me forward with the tips of his fingers. "C'mon. Give ole Goat-Face a hug goodbye!"

"You're a freak," I told him as I shoved to my feet and wrapped my arms around his waist. He tucked me close to him and hugged me tight, resting his cheek on top of my head. For just a moment, I let myself sink into the hold. He had no idea all the crap going on with Randy, but somehow my big brother knew exactly when I needed a hug.

"We'll see you Sunday night, right?" Brie asked, coming around as Bryan pulled back and ruffled my hair. I swatted his hand away and hugged her tight as I nodded.

"Yep. Dinner and a movie still?"

"Of course," she smiled, pulling back and smoothing down my hair for me before stepping back. "Good luck. Call us on the way to the hotel, okay?"

"'Kay, mom," I teased, dropping back to the couch as the two of them grabbed their bags and made for the door. "Love you guys!"

"Love you Jay," they chorused, waving goodbye before ducking out of the door. Even with the other couple of girls around the corner, the emptiness of the locker room settled heavily over me. Again, I curled against the arm of the couch and tried to focus on the action in the ring. Even watching Heath Slater get his ass handed to him by the Miz didn't lift me up.

My mind was still wrapped around the fight with Randy. Replaying our banter, our kiss... had I really been sending mixed messages? Over and over I replayed the last half hour until I couldn't take it. I dropped my face against the back of the couch and shut my eyes. Maybe I'd just take a nap. Ryback, Cody, and Damien were gone for the night, and with my normal entourage on the road, what was there to do? I debated for a few moments about finding the Shield, but dismissed it quickly; mischief didn't even sound appealing right now.

As the match came to an end, my phone went off and I snatched it off the cushion instantly. It wasn't Randy, though. My heart leapt up at the sight of Dean's name on the text, and I opened it with a smile already on my face.

just wonderin if u wanted 2 work out on monday

The grin widened even more as I read his message two more times. After he hadn't called or texted Monday night, I'd thought we were just joking about working out together. Nibbling on my lip, I typed out my text and hit send, snickering at the face I knew he'd be making when he read it.

Oh, you still wanna get your ass handed to you? Thought I did that enough in the ring...

A moment later, I got back, ur funny finch. cant wait 2 prove u wrong.

Gonna look forward to making you and your boys cry.

I was still snickering to myself when Dean replied a few minutes later.

u talk a lot of shit for some1 thats smaller than the top rope

A gasp left me; and I stared in humored surprise at my screen. Cocky bastard.

I'll have you know I'm several inches over the rope. If you weren't busy losing to me in the ring every show maybe you would've noticed...

I could picture the smug smirk on his face when I read the next text he sent: we'll see how u measure up on monday darlin

As I was typing out another snarky reply, I got another text saying, btw be careful tonight. show dont fight fair. be smart about ur tags an dont be cocky

Think you're confusing me with yourself, I replied, looking up as I heard the door to the locker room open. I blinked in surprise seeing Randy leaning inside. He caught my expression and I actually saw regret in his eyes. He cleared his throat and asked quietly,

"Can we talk?"

Slowly, I tucked my phone away and nodded, sitting up a bit more and hugging my legs to my chest as he came around to sit next to me. We sat in heavy silence for a few moments, looking between the ground and the TV. After another few moments, Randy's hand came up and settled on my knee.

"I'm really sorry, Jay. What I said was totally out of line. I didn't mean it. Any of it." When I looked up at him, I saw him searching my face almost desperately. I let out a breath as he continued quickly, "I shouldn't have pushed you. I promised I'd be patient, and I will be. I just got caught up in everything. I was way out of line -"

"No," I said quietly, giving a small smile. "It was my fault too. I know... I mean, with the whole flirting thing, I know I can be kind of confusing. I didn't mean to lead you on."

"Can we agree we were both a little out of line?" he tried, and I swallowed my surfacing irritation about his broken promise. He was trying, and he was honestly sorry. We all made mistakes; could I really hold this against him like that when he was apologizing? Part of me - that sounded a lot like Stone Cold - was shouting hell yeah you can! But the bigger part of me, the one that had missed Randy all month and new how bad I was at picking up on the mixed signals I was sending had me squeeze his hand in assurance and say softly,

"Yeah, we can. I'm sorry."

Randy shifted and with no warning he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap just like he had at dinner. I curled into his chest as I wrapped my arms around him in a hug. He moved one hand to tip my chin up and press a soft, slow kiss to my lips. He pulled back and smiled down at me with a warmth I didn't often see from him.

"I'm sorry too, baby. I meant what I said. I'll go as slow as I have to for you."

"You really don't mind?" I asked meekly, and he gave a warm smile.

"You're worth the wait."

The blush on my face was almost painful, earning a laugh from Randy. As he had a habit of doing, he stood up with me in his arms and kissed my temple fondly before letting me onto my feet. He reached up and tucked the stray strands of hair behind my ear as he jerked his head towards the door.

"We're up next. You ready to show those dicks what you're made of?"

A grin lit up my face, and I knocked his arm with my own as we headed for the door.

"Let's kick some ass and take some names."

"- and their opponents, first, from Ouray, Colorado, weighing in at 117lbs... Jamie Lawless!"

The crowd was explosive, clapping along to my music and chanting my name as I danced onto stage. I threw up a peace sign and they erupted into cheers. I could see Show and Cesaro, both watching with expressions of irritation and bemusement as I danced down the ramp. As my music faded out, there was a half second pause.

I glanced back just as Randy's music cut in. Watching him stalk down the ramp, eyes locked on me, sent a shiver through me. There was no denying Randy was extremely attractive. As much as I liked Dean, it wasn't hard to have the same for the apex predator. He paused at my side and gave a smirk.

"And her tag team partner, from St. Louis, Missouri... he is the apex predator, Randy Orton!"

When he looked over to our opponents, though, his face fell into a mask of cold determination. He was in ring mode. He climbed the steps and slipped between the ropes as I hopped onto the apron and vaulted over the top rope. I stood back in our corner as Randy went to theirs, climbing the ropes to strike his pose. Thankfully it was dark in the arena; my face had to be a few shades of pink as I studied him. I mean seriously, he was attractive. I'd gotten caught up in staring that I didn't have time to look away before he hopped down and turned to me.

A smirk played on his lips as I cleared my throat and turned to smile at the crowd. Real smooth, Jamie.

"You good?" he mused, coming up to my side and staring down at me, bemused.

"Just fine," I assured him, and he chuckled.

"Do I need to go put something on?" he teased, and as I opened my mouth to retort, he dropped his voice and added, "or... take something off?"

"If it'll help us win, you can wear whatever you want," I deflected; I wasn't running the risk of teasing him again. Especially not right before a match. Although, he did fight really well when he was angry...

"Start for us," Randy said, moving to the apron as Cesaro got into the ring. "But tag me before Show can get in. I'll handle him."

I turned, ready to argue, only to be met with a sharp look from my tag-team partner. With a stifled sigh, I nodded and he reached out to squeeze my shoulder.

"You got this, Jay."

The bell rang, and Cesaro shot forward. I threw my arms up to meet him and we locked up instantly. He was the same size as Alberto Del Rio, so I'd been assuming they'd be similar in the ring. For being so lean, Cesaro had a surprising about of muscle, and he overpowered me without breaking a sweat. Okay, I was wrong.

He tucked me into a headlock and twisted me down onto a knee. With a hiss of irritation, I dropped my pointless attempt at trying to pull his arm off my neck and shoved myself up. My shoulder drove into his gut and I forced him to stumble back against the ropes. Using the momentum it gave us, I bounced him off them and wrenched myself from his hold, shoving him across the ring. I took a breath to recover, and Cesaro - having bounced off the other ropes - came flying at me.

His forearm caught me in the jaw and he slammed me onto my back against the mat. Ouch. I laid there for a second, stunned, and to my surprise Cesaro egged me to my feet.

"I want to see you fight!" he shouted to me, waiting as I shoved to my feet and turned to face him. I reached up, tightened the bun in my hair, and squared up to Cesaro. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he'd get. We circled each other slowly in the ring as I appraised him. Cesaro had said he'd liked me, and I had to admit, I liked him. For as much of an arrogant jerk as he seemed, he was honest in the ring. He didn't jump me, didn't go for a dirty move.

As soon as I got into stance, we surged and locked up again. This time, though, I was ready for his strength. As I'd expected, he moved to wrangle me down like he had before. I twisted my arms and reversed his move. I had Cesaro in a headlock! He let out a muffled shout of annoyance against my shoulder and I grinned, tightening my grip like he had his.

Instead of letting him get the upper hand, I turned us and threw our weight against the ropes behind me. We bounced hard and as I ran across the ring I dropped my hold. He staggered as I turned and bounced off the far ropes, and just as he stood up straight I slammed my own arm against his chest. His back hit the mat and he let out a noise of surprise.

I didn't waste time, though. As he struggled back to his feet, I bounced against the ropes to his side and flew at him again. We both hit the mat and I sprung to my feet instantly as he scrambled to his knees.

"Tag!" Randy called to me; I snagged Cesaro's wrist and forced him to the corner with me as I slapped Randy's hand.

"It's a simple but effective strategy," Josh Mathews said as I stepped onto the apron. "Fast tagging will keep both Orton and Lawless from getting too tired, and it'll throw off Cesaro and Big Show as they try to adjust to their opponents!"

Yeah, yeah, a good strategy. But I knew what Randy was doing. He didn't want me getting stuck with Show, and this was his way of making sure it didn't happen. There was no denying that Randy was easily a step above Cesaro. He had no problem overpowering him with a forearm to the jaw; Cesaro stumbled forward, right into Randy's hold. The Apex Predator snagged Cesaro around the neck, got a good grip on his trunks, and lifted him up into the air.

The two of them fell back into a vertical suplex; Randy rolled to his knees as Cesaro laid beneath him in pain. Randy went for the pin, but Cesaro kicked out at two and shoved to his feet. As Randy got up as well, Cesaro caught him so hard in the jaw with a back kick that Randy actually spun around and then fell onto his chest. He was stunned, and Cesaro was coming at him for a tag.

"Tag me!" I shouted, hopping onto the ropes and leaning down. He threw his hand up and caught the tag, rolling aside as I jumped at Cesaro. He wasn't ready for my Thesz press, and he dropped hard under me as I pummeled him with forearms to the face. My size worked against me again; Cesaro rolled back onto his shoulders to throw me off balance, and then easily slid his hands between us and shoved me off him. I slumped onto my side and was pulled rough to my feet.

He grabbed my wrist and spun to fling me across the ring. I turned with him, my own hand on his wrist, and used his momentum against him. Using all my strength I threw him back, and this time I was ready. He launched for me and I sidestepped into a spin, turning to face him as he bounced the ropes and went for a clothesline. I slammed my hands into his chest, and he fell hard to his back.

And then he rolled out of the ring.

Wait, what?

"Jamie!" Randy shouted, and I spun on instinct. The ref pointed to me and then to the behemoth barreling towards me to show who was legal. Show had tagged himself in when I threw Cesaro against the ropes.

Shit! Show leveled his shoulder and plowed into me, driving me down into the mat. I hit hard and let out an involuntary squeak of pain. He was huge! The crowd ooh'd as Show stalked around me, laughing at my stunned state. There was no time to recover. Show reached down and grabbed my upper arms, dragging me up and then literally tossing me into the corner.

"What, you don't like that?" Show sneered, but he wasn't talking to me. As I tried to get my feet under myself, I saw Randy snarling from our corner. The ref had a hand out to him in warning. Any interference, we'd be disqualified, and we didn't want a loss. Randy caught my eye and I tried to show I was okay.

Probably not as effective because in the next moment Show had grabbed a handful of my hair to slam my face into his knee. Pain burst through my head and I was pliant under the monster in the ring with me. He threw me down and I was too stunned to even try and move for a tag. My original plan to stay one step ahead of Show didn't work when he got the upper hand like this. I was too small to power out of his holds, and as disoriented as I was, I couldn't move as fast as I needed to.

One more time, Show picked me up just to punch me hard in the stomach and let me drop. He caught Randy's eye, let out a laugh, and then dropped an elbow into my chest as he fell over me. The ref dropped behind us, and just as he shouted two I realized what was going on. I forced an arm up to break the in and I could feel Randy's relief.

The crowd was electric; they were chanting my name so loud I could barely hear Show's taunting. And then I saw Randy, chanting with them, leaning as far over the ropes as he could, reaching for me.

"C'mon, Jay! I'm here! You can do it, come tag me!"

I rolled onto my stomach and reached out for my partner as Show moved between us; he wouldn't let me make the tag. Randy spat something at our opponent in a venomous tone as Show reached down and grabbed my hair again, dragging me up to my feet. He held me there, attention on Randy, laughing at him.

"What, this make you mad?" he sneered, shaking my head a bit as Randy snarled again. "You don't like this? Don't like your little cabbage patch doll getting beat up?"

It hit me the second it hit Cesaro; Show was distracted. I could hear his tag team partner shouting at him to focus, but he wasn't paying attention. I shoved up in his hold and as hard as I could, I threw a punch into his stomach. He let out a breath of surprise and bent to protect himself. His drop on me slackened and I punched again, harder this time. He stumbled back and his hold dropped. Two more punches drove him back further, and a hard kick to his chest had him falling back against the turnbuckle.

Show stared at me in furious surprise as I gave him a grin. I went to grab his arm and he grabbed mine instead, flipping us around and throwing me into the turnbuckle. But now, I was one step ahead of him. I had the upper hand, and thankfully Show was too arrogant to admit it. He threw himself at me and I ducked under his arm, letting him slam himself into the turnbuckle.

I dove for Randy; I needed the tag yesterday. I was running on fumes, and I couldn't risk losing the leverage we had on Show. I threw my hand out as an arm wrapped around my stomach from behind. Show threw me as hard as he could backwards. My back hit the ropes and I was launched forward off them, right into Show's hold. His meaty hand lockeed around my throat.

OH SHIT -

He lifted me up off my feet and then threw me down into an unforgiving chokeslam.

The wind was knocked out of me, and I was on my back gasping for air as Show dropped for the pin. Great. I couldn't even breathe right and now I had to think straight enough to break a pin. As hard as I could I wrenched myself to the side. Just enough to break the pin. The ref moved away and Show shoved off me as he got to his feet.

Except he let his ego get in the way again. He turned and continued to taunt Randy, giving me the time I needed to catch my breath and get my bearings. He had his back to me, and even though I probably could have gotten up, I'd play to his ego. I had a plan, and I seriously needed to get the tag to Randy. There were very few wrestlers who could handle two chokeslams back to back, and I was not one of them.

Show turned for me as I pushed to my feet as dramatically as I could, playing up my injury, and I heard him shout for his KO punch. I'd have to act fast or risk getting myself flattened. No room for mistakes, Jamie.

I slowly got to my feet, pretending to stumble as I slowly turned to face Show. He let out a shout and lunged for me fist-first, and I raced for him and ducked the hit. The crowd - and Randy - erupted in cheers as I planted on my left foot and then spun to the side, hitting show with the hardest buzzsaw kick I could muster.

We both dropped hard. The crowd was screaming for me, egging me on as Randy was practically throwing himself over the ropes to make the tag. I could hear the slap of hands behind me; Show had gotten to Cesaro. I felt him move for me and I put myself into overdrive, lunging for Randy. The second I hit his hand he was in the ring, taking Cesaro hard to the mat.

His pent up fury at Show fueled the fire of fight inside of him; the match was done for. Randy slammed Cesaro back and forth in the ring, not giving him a second to get to his feet. By the time I'd gotten to my feet, Randy hit his RKO. Cesaro dropped hard, and didn't move. The Viper slithered onto our enemy for the pin.

One... two... three!

His music went off around us as the crowd erupted into deafening cheers, growing even louder as I ducked into the ring The ref snagged me too and then grabbed Randy's wrist, throwing our arms up for the win. As I laughed and threw up a peace sign for the crowd, Randy wrangled me into a tight hug. My heart skipped a beat as I hugged him back.

We pulled back and watched as Show and Cesaro stalked back up the ramp, glaring at us as they went. Arm still around my shoulder, Randy squeezed me closer to him and led us to the ropes. To my surprise, he sat on the middle rope and held the ropes apart to let me through. Okay, I knew the cameras caught the blush that time as I stepped onto the apron.

As much as I hated going through the ropes like that, his chivalry wasn't lost on me. We hopped off the ring together and walked with each other up the ramp. I'd have loved to get his arm back around me - because being tucked to Randy's side was a pretty good place to be - but any more physical affection from the Viper would bring up some questions about us I knew he wasn't ready for.

So we played it cool until we got backstage; the second the crowd was off us, Randy roped me back to him. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his middle as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. We rounded the corner and immediately broke apart when we saw we weren't alone.

"Ay, what a win!" Sheamus laughed, coming up to us with a grin on his face. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug and rocked us back and forth. "So nice t' see ol' Show have his arse handed to him!"

"It ended up being a pretty good match -"

"Pretty good?" he scoffed, pulling back and holding me at arms length. "Lass, that was easily the best match o' the year!"

"Wow, all four days of the year? Really?" I asked in fake excitement; Sheamus snorted and playfully shoved me a step back. To my surprise, Randy's hands immediately settled on my shoulders to steady me.

"You bet," Sheamus teased; he glanced up over my head and the smile shifted just a bit. I tipped my head up in time to see the glare Randy was shooting my friend. As subtly as I could I threw an elbow back into his ribs and shrugged out of his hold. Our group fell uncomfortably silent; Sheamus cleared his throat and I rubbed at the back of my neck.

"We'll see you around," Randy said pointedly. Sheamus, snorting to himself, shook his head and headed down the hall to the break room. He gave me a parting smile and threw back,

"See you 'round, Lass."

The moment he was out of earshot I turned to scowl at my boyfriend.

"What was that?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he spat, making a point to bump my shoulder as he stalked past me. What the hell. Who swapped Randy with a six year old? Irritably, I jogged after him for the second time that night, staying quiet. Like before, my snarky comments wouldn't help anything, no matter how badly I wanted to.

He stormed into his locker and let the door fall shut; I wrenched it open and stood in the doorway, glaring at him. Which was useless because he kept his back to me as he moodily packed his bags. Seriously, was this freakin' de-ja-vu?! What had he shoved up his ass now!?

After a few moments of silence, I cleared my throat. He paused but didn't look back.

"So, do I get to know what I did this time, or do we need to play twenty questions?"

"Don't get smart with me," he snipped, and I rolled my eyes.

"Randy, seriously. What did I do? We won the match. I didn't get snarky with you. As far as I know I wasn't working you up. I know I went against Big Show but I did my best to tag you. I didn't even taunt him after the match-"

"No, you were too busy flirting with Sheamus."

Wait, what?!

I stared at his back in surprise for several seconds, trying to understand where the hell Randy had gotten that idea from. He let out a bark of laughter and turned to face me, disdain in his expression as he looked me over. "Didn't think I'd notice?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked him in disbelief, and he wrinkled his face in disgust. "No, seriously. Tell me. When exactly did I flirt with Sheamus?"

"You want examples from before or after the match?" he asked bitterly, turning back to packing; I crossed my arms. "You practically threw yourself on him when we got backstage -"

"Randy he's just a friend -"

"Oh, just a friend? Like I'm just a friend?"

"Well, that's the game we're playing, isn't it?" I threw at him; his head snapped up so fast I cut off in surprise. He turned slowly to face me, anger burning bright in his eyes. I took a step back on instinct.

"So that's it, huh? You're too fucking selfish to let me recover from my divorce, so you're pulling this shit to get me jealous?"

"What?" I actually laughed, staring at him in uneasy confusion. "What are you talking about!? That's not what this is! Sheamus was congratulating us on the -"

"Just fucking forget it," he spat, snatching his bag and shoving past me, knocking me back into the doorway. "I'll see you later."

For half a second, I hesitated. Part of me wanted to agree with him and go my own way, but the other half - the half that really liked that pouting diva - had me rush into action. We'd already done this once tonight, and now he had no reason to come back. I wasn't letting our night end like this. I threw the rest of my stuff into my bag, not even bothering with changing out of my ring attire, and took off down the hall. I didn't even catch up to him until halfway through the parking garage.

"Randy, wait!" I called, skirting past him and putting a hand on his chest. He grabbed my wrist and forced it off, trying to sidestep me. I broke his hold easily and planted both palms on his shoulders this time, forcing him back a step. He didn't fight me, but gave a look that told me being manhandled wasn't something he took kindly to.

"You seriously think I'm trying to get you like this on purpose?" I asked him, lowering my hands but staying close. He huffed and turned away, staying quiet. I caught the look on his face, the hurt in his voice under the anger, and I took a shot. "Look. I don't know what your ex-wife was like. I don't know what shit she pulled. But I'm not like that. I apparently have no idea when I'm flirting. Or - or leading you on, even! You really think I'd plot something like this?"

When he finally looked back at me, his expression had softened a hint; apparently, I'd been right. I stepped up to him and rested my hands on his chest in comfort this time, and he leaned into my touch.

"I know you're not like her. After all the shit that went down though, it's hard not to think..." he took a breath, and I took a chance. My arms slid up to lock around his neck, and I tugged him down to my height to give him a soft kiss. He sighed against my lips and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him.

We broke apart, and a smile crept onto his face as he looked down at me. He gave me another quick peck and then stepped back, clearing his throat and glancing around. As I ran a hand through my hair, trying to smother the girly grin on my face, he reached out and tugged my bag from my shoulder, putting it onto his own.

"I'm sorry, Jay. Really. You just get under my skin. I'm crazy about you. Having other guys hug you like that just... gets to me."

"I'm sorry too," I promised, falling into step with him. We had things to work out, to talk about, but right now I just wanted to have a good night with my boyfriend. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He looped an arm over my shoulder and tugged me to him, running his hand up and down my arm soothingly.

"Don't worry about it, baby. I still like you."

I tipped my head back against his arm and gave a cheeky smile.

"Yeah?"

He dipped and gave me one last swift kiss, pulling back to give me a wink.

"Just a little."

________________________________________

Dean
Seth's face popped over the back of Dean's seat again; he grit his teeth and kept his eyes locked on the road ahead. Roman, sensing the tension, glanced at his brother in the back and gave a subtle shake of his head. Seth flipped him off as he asked, again,

"You just keeping secrets from us now?"

"What part'a fuck off don't you get?" Dean spat, hand fisting into his jeans as he tried to keep his cool. It had been hard enough, seeing that asshole treat Finch like that. Shovin' her into the door, sayin' that shit he said, watchin' her chase after someone she shouldn't be with... last goddamn thing he wanted to do was deal with Seth an' his bullshit.

An' somehow, that fucker couldn't take a hint.

"It isn't a big deal," Roman cut in, voice strained. "I'm not doin' this shit the whole drive, so let's drop it, alright?"

"Pull over an' I'll drop somethin'," Dean muttered, meeting Seth's eyes in the rearview mirror. The two of them scowled for another moment before Seth snapped,

"I just think it's pretty shitty, we never hide any shit from each other until Barbie came into the picture -"

"The fuck you talkin' about? I hide shit from you all the fuckin' time," Dean scoffed, turned to glare at his brother. Seth opened his mouth to argue but Dean cut him off. "Just 'cause you don't like her don't mean you got the right to bitch about her all the goddamn time."

"How long you know she was with Orton? Huh?" Seth threw back as Dean turned around to scowl out the window again. "You knew for a while. That's why you were such a dick the last week, right?"

"Yeah, I knew. Saw 'em last Monday. But s'not my secret. Not my place." Dean made a face and turned to look at Seth again. "The fuck do you care?"

"I care because she gets you all worked up like this!" Seth shouted, throwing his hands up. "She gets under your skin, man, and you turn into this fuckin' unbearable -"

"Oh, I'm unbearable, huh? That's fuckin' rich -" Dean shouted back, undoing his seatbelt and turning to kneel in his seat.

"Oh come on, even you know you've been more of an insufferable asshole -" Seth's hands hit Dean's shoulders, knocking him back into the dash. He threw himself forward, knocking into Roman as he dove for Seth.

"Say it to my fuckin' face -"

"I will pull this goddamn car over and beat the shit outta the both of you if you don't knock it off!" Roman snarled; Dean and Seth froze and looked over at their brother. Dean untangled his hands from Seth's hoodie and Seth let of of Dean's arm. They both sunk back into their seats as Roman growled, "Seth, he was doing Jamie a solid, keepin' his mouth shut. If she didn't want it known it wasn't his place to say anything. And Dean, man, you gotta admit you've been an ass the last few days."

Both boys grumbled their agreement, and much to Roman's relief, the car fell quiet again. Until Seth shifted and let out a sigh; Dean tensed, but Seth simply said,

"It's kinda weird, them not wanting to make it public." Roman nodded as Dean made a noise of agreement.

"She said he's worried 'bout his daughter findin' out an' shit, wanted to wait. But I don't think she likes that."

"So she isn't the one wanting to keep it under wraps?"

"Nah. She got upset earlier, talkin' t'me about it. Bet that's what they were fightin' about tonight."

"You know what that means," Seth sighed, and Dean glanced back, raising his brow. When Seth didn't elaborate and Dean started up in annoyance again, Roman threw out,

"He either loves her, or he's playin' her." Dean's head whipped around, the look on his face unsettling, even to Roman.

"What makes you -"

"Look. The divorce is done, so what's there to hide from? Either he wants to protect her from the backlash of the divorce and shit, or he don't want it public because he's got someone to hide her from."

The weight of what Roman said settled heavily over the guys in the car, and they kept quiet for close to an hour. No one spoke until they were gathered at the trunk, hauling their bags out; Dean let his drop and said bitterly,

"It's bullshit, is what it is." Roman and Seth glanced up at their friend, brows raised, but having enough common sense for now not to press him. "He don't love her."

Roman eased the trunk shut and slung his bag over his shoulder, asking simply,

"Why not?"

That shut Dean up; 'course he knew that snake didn't love his girl. Problem was, Dean Ambrose wasn't a sappy, romantic, heart-eyed son of a bitch. He didn't gossip about love. He fucked the local skanks that threw themselves at him and moved onto a new city the next night. An' so what if he hadn't in a few months? Didn't mean he'd gone soft; no fuckin' way he was spillin' his guts to his boys.

... But shit, there was no way Orton could love her. Not that she wasn't lovable - and fuck no that wasn't shit he thought about - but Orton didn't appreciate her. He probably only liked her for her looks. Yeah, yeah, whatever. Dean had too at first. Gorgeous as she was, an' shit she was, that wasn't love. Just fuckin' wasn't.

Which meant he was playin' her.

"If he's fuckin' around behind her back -"

"Then he's fuckin' around behind her back," Roman said simply, turning to look Dean in the eye. As he went to defend himself, Roman added, "this is what you wanted."

"The fuck you mean this is what I -"

"Told us yourself that you wanted Jamie to move on from you. I'm not sayin' it's right for him to fuck her over, and I'm not sayin' he's the best choice for her, but you gotta go lie in the bed you made, brother."

Another sleepless night crept by, with Dean camped out on the hotel balcony, burning through the packs of beer and cigarettes. What kinda shit had Roman been talkin' about? When Dean had passed on the chance to ruin Finch's life, he'd been thinkin' about her gettin' together with some exceptional citizen like fuckin' Super Cena or some shit.

Not Randy Orton. He didn't deserve someone like Finch. He knew the kinda person he was, knew what kinda shit he got up to behind everyone's back. He'd seen guys like Orton come an' go an' ruin everything between them and their own shitty end. And Finch, shit. She didn't deserve that from anyone.

For the first time, Dean was starting to wonder if he'd made a mistake. 'Cause yeah, he didn't deserve her, he wasn't good for her, but Orton was worse. An' maybe if he'd just taken a chance with her...

He wouldn't let himself go down that road. If she got hurt 'cause he'd been stupid, he couldn't fuckin' live with himself. Maybe he was just overthinkin' this shit. He didn't know Orton was goin' behind her back. For all he fuckin' knew they were in love. Finch was a lover, that was for sure.

An' she was someone to fall in love with, if he cared about shit like that. She was smart, an' she was with him for a reason. If there was good inside that stupid snake, she'd find it. Hell, she'd done it with him. If she could find somethin' likable in Dean Ambrose, she could do it with anyone.

But mark his fuckin' words. If Orton hurt her, it'd be the last thing that fucker would ever do.