Canary and the Coal Mine

“Did you find it?” Nikki asked desperately as I came out of the laundry room. I held up my empty hands and she let out a groan. “I need that dress!”

“Where’d you last see it?” I questioned as we rushed back upstairs to her room. She gave me a playful smirk over her shoulder.

“On the floor of John’s bus.” I pretended to gag as I playfully shoved her ahead of me. She just reached back and pulled me to her, hugging me tight as we came into her room. “But we already checked his bus like three times.”

John poked his head out of her closet, looking far less amused than the two of us; something told me he didn’t like playing “I Spy: Bella Edition” at 6AM. Welcome to my life, buddy.

“Nicole, we need to get going. I have an autograph signing tonight and it’s a twelve hour drive from Sacramento to Phoenix -”

“It’s eleven hours,” I corrected helpfully, earning a scowl from Mr. Cena as I went to her dresser to dig through the drawers again.

“I need that dress John,” she argued, hurrying to the bathroom to finish getting ready. “What else am I going to wear to dinner tomorrow night?”

“One of the other six hundred dresses you own?” he offered. Scoffing, I shook my head and chastised,

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I could feel John’s annoyance seeping out of him. As I snickered to myself and went to the next drawer, Nikki made a noise of surprise.

“Ohmygosh Jay, did you look at Twitter yet?” she peeked around the door of the bathroom, looking concerned. I straightened up and shook my head.

“I don’t even know where my phone is,” I started; she shoved hers into my hands. I glanced down and saw a tweet from one of the wrestling news hubs that said Big Show calls out Jamie Lawless. Uh oh. There was a clip attached; I hit play so fast I almost dropped the phone.

It was part of a backstage interview the behemoth must’ve done at one of the house shows last night. He was standing tall over the camera, breathing hard and looking as pissed off as he’d been Monday night.

“Do you have anything to say about what you just did to Santino -” the reporter tried; Show ripped the microphone from them and leaned into the camera.

“Yeah, I got something to say! You saw how I broke that pathetic little man? Just imagine what I’ll do to that brat Jamie Lawless! She thinks she can make fun of ME? The next time I see that worthless little piece of trash, I’ll make sure she learns her place… broken, on the ground, under my boot!”

I made a face of discomfort and handed Nikki her phone back. Yeesh, I’d really poked the bear on this one. Dean and Roman’s words came back to me, and I actually felt a little nervous about Smackdown tonight.

“And this is why we don’t pick fights with every superstar we come across,” John said pointedly, finally giving up his search to come over to me. “I’ve known Big Show for a while now. When he feels he’s been insulted, he -”

“Gets vindictive, yeah,” I sighed. “I know. I didn’t exactly think this one through.”

I went to turn back to the dresser to keep digging when I caught the looks of honest shock on both their faces. "What?"

"Did you just admit to being too mischievous?" Nikki asked, almost sounding awestruck; my face dropped into an unamused scowl. As she went to delve into my 'shocking' behavior, John pointed a finger at the bathroom.

"Nicole, we're leaving in ten minutes whether you're ready or not. If you want to go in your lingerie with no makeup on, that's fine with me -"

She huffed and muttered something very unlady like and disappeared to finish getting dressed. As I again tried to go back to my hunt, John's hand caught my arm and he tugged me away from the dresser.

"You wanna tell me what this is about?"

"We have to dig for a dress because your girlfriend has the organizational skills of a blind cat?"

"Jamie. Don't avoid my question."

I snapped my mouth shut and gave him a sheepish look; my hand came up to rub the back of my neck.

"I... had a little conversation with some friends Monday night, and they -“

"What friends?" he pressed; I gave him a ‘that's not a concern right now' look and continued,

"Friends that were concerned about my attitude with Show. I was already worried I'd pushed him a little too far, but now..."

To my surprise, he gave me a sympathetic look and motioned for me to follow him. We sat down on Nikki's bed and he turned to me as he explained,

"I get that you’re passionate, and I know you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. You wanna make a difference out there by taking on the bullies and the cheaters. And I respect you, Jamie. I do."

"But...?" I hinted, and he gave a small smile.

"But you need to remember that you've got your own agenda, and you’re not in charge of protecting everyone on the roster, kid.”

"I know," I admitted, Randy's words from Monday churning with John’s in my head. “It’s just… I don’t like letting people like Show win. When I see my friends getting jumped or beaten up or mocked…” I dropped my eyes to my lap and finished quietly, “there were times growing up where all I wanted was for someone to help me, and I don’t want the people I care about feeling like that. Not if I can help it.”

John’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me into a gentle hug.

“And that’s one of the best things about you. Your moral compass is pointing in the right direction, we’ve just gotta work on your timing.”

As we pulled apart I sighed and gave Papa John a despondent smile.

“So, what do I do about Show?”

John checked his watch, got to his feet, and glanced over his shoulder as he marched across the room.

“You keep yourself under the radar,” he explained, disappearing into the bathroom briefly. There was a protest from my best friend, and a heartbeat later he was coming back towards me, towing Nicole in his wake. “You keep your head down and just focus on getting through tonight.”

“John, are you serious?” Nicole protested, tugging her hand free from his and jamming her hands on her hips. He fixed her with an unamused frown. “You said ten minutes!”

“It’s been ten minutes, Nicole. We’re already running late.”

“But my dress –“

“I’ll look for it,” I cut in, barely stopping John’s frustration from coming out. He gave me a thankful side-eye as he tactfully skirted out of the room. Nicole’s face lit up as she pulled me into a tight hug.

“You’re seriously the best, you know that?”

“Well, duh. That’s why you’re friends with me, right?” I teased, hugging her back and then extracting myself from her vice grip. “C’mon, we better go before we anger the Doctor of Thuganomics.”

“Ugh, do you have to call him that?” she whined as we scooped up her ridiculous amount of luggage and hauled it down the stairs. “It makes him sound like a punk.”

“He was,” I reminded, propping the door open with a hip and letting her struggle outside. John came around the back of the car and met her at the steps to take them from her. I scowled after him. “Oi, what about me?!”

“Exactly how many hands do you think I have?” he griped; I caught Nicole’s smirk out of the corner of my eye and gave her a look.

“You’re disgusting!”

“I didn’t say anything,” she argued, flouncing down the walkway as I shuffled after her. “The bruises on my ass tell the story for me.”

I dropped her luggage on the grass as I recoiled and covered my ears, glaring at my best friend as she busted out laughing. John peeked around the car and gave us worried looks.

“Okay, that’s it. Take her away, I’m done with her,” I told him, shoving Nicole back as she tried to rope me into a hug. I planted my hands on her shoulders and steered her for the car. She barely got the door open as I nudged her forward and dumped her inside.

“So, the key to leaving on time is having Nicole gross you out?” John mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he went to grab the rest of the bags I’d abandoned. “Duly noted.”

I gave him a glare as I turned to say goodbye to his pesky girlfriend. As she settled herself in the car, she gave me a surprisingly concerned look.

“You’re going to listen to John, right?”

“About…?”

“Big Show,” she pressed; my stomach did a nervous twist and the look on my face must’ve said what I’d been trying to hide. “Jay, why don’t you just come with us? You can miss Smackdown, and we’ll go get dinner –“

“I can’t just run away from my problems, Nikki. I made this mess with Show and now I’ve got to go and deal with it.”

“I don’t want you getting hurt,” she actually pouted, reaching up and taking my hand. I linked our fingers and gave a gentle squeeze.

“I won’t,” I assured with a shrug. “I’ll do what John said – keep a low profile and put my head down backstage. Steer clear of Show and only go to the ring if I’ve got a match.”

“No meddling?”

I opened my mouth to agree, and then thought better of it. “Minimal meddling.”

“I’ll take it,” she smiled, squeezing my hand back as John got in the car. “And you’ll look for my dress?”

“Yes ma’am,” I promised, shutting her door for her as the car started up. “I’ve got like ten hours until I head to the arena.”

“If you find it, put it in one of my garment bags,” she instructed. “The white one, with the fiber cloth lining. Oh, and don’t fold it up either. Lay it out flat. And if you have enough time, maybe you could –“

“Goodbye, Jamie,” John cut in, leaning across his girlfriend and giving me a smile. I grinned at him – and Nicole’s expression – as I waved.

“Adios, Papa John.”

“Bye Jellybean! Love you!” my best friend called, blowing me a kiss. I blew one back to her as I called,

“Love you too, Snickers!”

I stood in the driveway until John’s car disappeared around the corner. As I went inside and shut the door behind me, I tried to ignore the echo of the lock. You’re only alone for - I snagged my phone off the couch where I’d tossed it and checked the time. - nine hours and fourteen minutes. Great…

Well, good thing I had something to keep me busy, right?...

- - - - - - - -

My phone was buzzing on my chest. Was I laying down? I let out a groan and opened my eyes; something wasn’t right. I’d just sat down on the couch for a minute, so why the heck was I asleep on the floor?! I glanced at the time on my phone and squeaked in alarm

“Oh shit!” I scrambled off the couch and almost wiped out racing for the stairs. It was almost 5 o’clock and Randy had just texted.

From: Randy
There in 10. Be ready.

Had I seriously fallen asleep for almost four hours?! Well, so much for finding that stupid dress. I could already see Nikki’s patented pout, but I couldn’t care about that right now. It was either deal with her moping this weekend or put up with a moody Randy all night if I was late.

At least I’d made sure I was already packed; I knew myself a little too well. Once I’d slipped all the way up the steps (socks and wood floors were a bad combination) I undressed in a frenzy, wrangling myself into a bra and t-shirt before throwing my door shut to dive into my hamper. As I resurfaced with a pair of mostly clean shorts, I turned and froze in surprise.

Nikki’s dress was hanging on the back of my door. Despite the mad rush I was in, I took a slow moment to reach out and run the fabric through my fingers… it was really here! It all came back to me, surfacing in my sleep-fogged memory. She’d tried it on for me when she got home the other night, waking me up at 2am just to show it off and then stripping in my room when she realized how uncomfortable this thing was.

Grabbing the dress, I raced for Nicole’s room to dig for a dress bag when I heard a horn from the driveway. The only bags I could find were already filled, and I didn’t have the time – or the courage – to wrestle one of her thousand-dollar dresses out of one.

I heard Randy honk again, so I abandoned my search for a bag and ran down the stairs, grabbing my duffle and rushing outside. He was in the middle of texting and didn’t look up as I paused by his door. I leaned over and nudged his arm playfully, knocking his phone onto his lap; he swatted me away with a growl of annoyance.

“Jamie, I’m in the middle of something.”

“Sorry,” I sighed; apparently, he was grumpy today. “Can you pop the trunk?”

He hit the button irritably and went back to texting. With a roll of my eyes I skirted his car and shoved my bag in the back. When I opened the backseat to lay the dress out, Randy finally looked over at me.

“I’m not a chauffeur. The least you could do is sit up here with me.”

“I am, just relax,” I huffed, smoothing the dress down before shutting the door and getting in front. He looked between me and the backseat, and a slow smirk curled over his face.

“Look at you, finally dressing nice for once. If you wanna go put that on now, I could help you out.”

Trying not to be offended by the veiled insult at my current appearance, I gave him a look and buckled up.

“It’s not mine, its Nikki’s.” When he started scowling, I nudged his leg. “I thought you liked my shorts. You said you liked seeing my legs.”

“Not when that’s all you wear,” he griped as we pulled out and headed for the arena. “You know how good you’d look if you actually took the time to dress well?”

Okay, now I was offended.

“So I don’t look good like this?”

He let out a laugh and glanced at me.

“Dressed like a ten-year-old tomboy? Not really. But I mean, I know what you’ve got underneath so it’s not a total turnoff.”

“Gee, thanks,” I threw back, folding my arms over my chest and turning to look out the window, trying to hide the hurt on my face. Randy let out an annoyed groan and I heard him drop his head against the seat.

“Jay, knock it off. I’m not in the mood for your attitude today.”

“And I’m not in the mood to be insulted.”

“Who the hell insulted you, huh?”

“You just said -”

“Honest criticism isn’t an insult. I don’t want my girlfriend walking around looking like she can’t dress herself.”

“So you’re just being an ass for my own good? You’re a saint.” As we paused at a red light, he reached over and grabbed my chin to pull my face towards him. I winced as his fingers dug into my skin and tried to swat him off. “Randy –“

“I’m serious. I don’t want you acting like this the whole night.”

When the light turned, he dropped his hold and I went back to pouting, tucking my legs onto the seat and hugging my knees to my chest, the whole nine yards. Admittedly, I was still somehow tired after my “nap” and probably a little more moody than normal. But even me and my forgiving nature had to admit he was being a dick right now.

Neither of us spoke for close to ten minutes. I’d just started dozing off when I heard him ask,

“Do you know what you’re going to do tonight?”

I blinked myself awake and turned to look at him in question.

“Uh...Wrestle?”

The scowl returned to his face.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about –“

“What you’re going to do about Big Show!”

“Oh,” I started, and felt that sick ache pooling in my stomach again when I thought about my predicament. “Play it cool and try not to piss him off more than I already have.”

To my surprise, Randy started laughing. Really laughing. By the time we pulled into the arena parking garage, he seriously had tears in his eyes. I tugged my seatbelt off and turned to glare at him. When he caught my expression, he slowly quieted down and wiped the tears off his cheeks as he studied me.

“Wait, you were being serious?”

“What part of this is a joke to you?” I asked, almost more hurt at his reaction that I had been at his comments earlier. Almost. He turned to face me as well, giving a placating look.

“Jay, you really think the best thing to do is turn and run?”

“I’m not running, I’m here. I’m coming to Smackdown, and –“

“And you’re going to sit backstage with your thumb up your ass because you’re afraid,” he sneered, shaking his head. I went to defend myself but my words stuck in my throat. He snorted. “You’re actually afraid of Show?”

I pressed my lips tight and kept quiet, but that was all the answer he needed. He let out a heavy sigh, like I was being a hassle, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered under his breath.

“What?”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t act like this in the arena. You go and hide like a coward, and you lose all the credibility you built up for yourself since your debut. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not. But I don’t think one night of avoiding my instigative nature is gonna make me look like a wimp.”

“Trust me,” he countered, shaking his head. “You’ve already got the cards stacked against you on toughness. You back down like this, and there’s not a wrestler in that ring who’ll take you seriously, myself included.”

Okay, harsh. My frown deepened but Randy pressed on. “You need to go out there and talk about that tweet – yeah, I saw it. You need to call him out, make yourself look tough going into the Rumble. You can’t stay quiet with things like this.”

When he saw my lingering hesitation – and irritation – he finally dropped his demeaning attitude and leaned closer to me, resting a gentle hand on my arm.

“The Jamie I know doesn’t back down from a fight, and this doesn’t sound like you talking. Am I right?”

“He plays dirty and he’s good at catching people off guard, Roman had warned me on Monday. Dean’s words rang in my head. Retaliation outta the ring.

“I got some advice to play it safe tonight,” I hedged, knowing he would be as thrilled to learn about my friendship with the Shield as the others would be. “That Show doesn’t play fair, and he’d come after me –“

“So you spend the weekend with Cena and the Bella twin and now you’re a coward?”

“Hey! That’s not it –“

“Let me guess, Cena fed you some bullshit just to keep you in line since he won’t be here tonight.”

My mind went back to John’s talk and I felt myself getting defensive.

“It’s to keep me safe, not just to keep me out of trouble.”

“Right. So you’re gonna sit here and tell me you were afraid of Show before your “friends” talked to you about him?”

“I mean, I was already thinking about it –“ thanks to the Shield…

“Look, you can do what you want, Jay,” he said simply, turning and climbing out of the car. I scrambled to follow him. “But I think it’s pretty stupid to run away with your tail between your legs.”

As we got our bags out I mulled over his words. I mean… he did kind of have a point. Did I want Show knowing I was afraid of him (whether I really was or not)? Or, did I want to go out right before Rumble and show him and the Universe what I was made of…?

“What would you do?” I asked, hurrying after him as he took off across the parking lot. He slipped inside and I barely caught the door before it shut. As I turned to him to ask again – and give him crap for almost locking me out - I saw him staring intently at his phone; I let out a sigh. Just the other night he’d gotten on me about doing the same thing. “Randy.”

His eyes snapped up and he lifted a brow, looking mildly irritated.

“I asked what you would do if Show had called you out…”

He straightened up and tucked his phone away, rolling his shoulders in a simple shrug.

“I’d go to the ring first thing and call that son of a bitch out.”

I blinked up at him, mind spinning with a thousand different thoughts. What Roman and Dean had said, Nicole’s worry, John’s advice… As I thought over what to do, Randy had begun to back down the hall.

“You aren’t gonna get ready with me?” I asked, frowning after him. Like we’d talked about doing yesterday…

“Something came up,” he told me, jerking his thumb the opposite direction. “Hunter needs a few things before the show starts. I’ll come find you later.”

Before I could say goodbye, he had turned to book it down the hall. Dejected, I slowly made my way towards the locker room. I knew Randy wanted me to take charge and keep up what I’d started, but John and the others had a point. Did I really want to jeopardize my first Rumble just for the hell of it?

Besides, it’s not like I could just march out to the ring and take over Smackdown, I sighed to myself, turning the corner. The board of matches caught my eye and I was so surprised I stopped.

The first thing scrawled across the top was OPEN – TEAM HELL NO.

Or could I…?

Decision made. If I could get myself out to start the show with Bryan and Kane, I’d call out Show. If I couldn’t, then I’d play it cool the rest of the night. Fair enough, right?

Right.

I practically sprinted to the locker room, grabbing my ring attire and changing in a blur. Clothes thrown back into my bag, I took off in the direction of Booker’s office. I was a woman with a mission pretending I wasn’t swimming in uncertainty and fear, and that made me dangerous.

As I got closer and closer to gorilla, I could hear Bryan shouting. Once I was close enough I could just make out as he argued,

“If we’re going out to my music, then I get to go out first!”

“I never said we’re going out to your music!” Kane threw back; as I rounded the corner I saw Booker throw his hands up in exasperation. I’d actually found him before I got myself into trouble! Score one for Jamie!

“I don’t care which of you goes out first, but the show’s startin’ in a minute and if you two aren’t out there I swear –“

“Hey, Booker!” I called, scurrying to him as Smackdown’s music started. He spared me a glance and gave a sigh.

“Lawless, we can talk about getting’ you on the schedule later. Right now I gotta find out who’s startin’ my show.”

I held out my arms and beamed. “You’re lookin’ at her.”

Booker blinked in surprise and this time he turned to look at me fully. As Bryan and Kane kept at it in the background, Booker studied me and tapped his chin.

“I like your initiative, I’ll give you that. What’s so special about openin’ the show?”

“Well, speaking of Show,” I hinted, and his face settled into understand. “I’ll be quick about it. You can still have these two come out once they settle their lover’s quarrel.”

He chuckled and shook his head, rubbing his hands together as he nodded for the ramp.

“Alright, alright. You got me kid. Go out and do your thing.” As I grinned and pulled out my phone, Booker turned back to the boys to try and get them under control. The stagehand, already pulling up my music, looked over as I showed him my screen.

“Can you put that on the titantron for me when I’m ready?”

He gave a thumbs up, and as I handed my phone off to him he hit my music. To my surprise, the crowd immediately erupted into cheers. It was still humbling, hearing how much people had taken to me. I let their excitement fuel me as I danced my way onto the stage, ever-grateful that John and Nikki were probably too busy to see me about to go against everything we’d just talked about.

As I reached the ring, I hopped up and vaulted over the ropes, grabbing a mic from one of the camera guys and then turning to face the crowd. As they reluctantly died down, I glanced towards the stage and pointed to the titantron. A second later, the clip of Show calling me out started to play.

I took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm myself down. This is a good idea… this is a good idea… I hummed to myself. When it finally cut off I lifted the mic and let a sly smile take over my face.

“Yeah, he sure sounds tough there, doesn’t he? Bullies always do when they think they have the upper hand.” The crowd jeered and I nodded along with them, my confidence growing. “But the thing is, I’m not someone he can push around. I’m not a victim, and I’m not letting that giant asswipe think he has any kind of hold over me!”

Chants of ‘Lawless! and YES! rose up around me as I turned and shrugged to the WWE Universe.

“Now, normally I’d stand here and call him out. Make him come out here and show me how he plans to ‘teach me my place’. But we all know that coward won’t follow through. Not when he’s faced with someone who isn’t afraid of his empty threats. So let’s leave him to cry backstage while we talk about the Rumble!”

I waited for the cheers to rise and fall as I let my nerves over calling Show out subside. I knew Booker wanted to get Team Hell No out here, so I figured I’d help him out. A little thanks for letting me take my shot.

“Now, me personally? I’ve got a lot invested in the match this Sunday! I’m not the first woman to ever be in the Royal Rumble, but I’ll be the first one to win it!” The crowd cheered and I grinned in response; might as well play it up for myself, right? “I mean sure, I’ve gotta go up against some tough opponents like Cody and his pet caterpillar –“ more cheers at that “- the other half of Jamien Sandless, and even Team Hell No!”

As the crowd started the mixed chants of YES! and NO!, I shrugged my shoulders and let a wry smile twist over my lips, casting a dubious look towards the stage.

“Well, admittedly, they won’t be much of a challenge. Get those two softies in a group hug, and they’ll be pudding in my hands.” I made a face and added, “hairy, fiery pudding, but still –“

Flames erupted from the stage and I almost jumped out of my skin. Kane’s ominous music echoed around the arena as the demon and my best friend came stalking out of the residual smoke. I scooted aside and made room as the two of them climbed through the ropes. Bryan covered his ears as Kane dropped his arms to summon the flames.

“Real manly,” I smirked at Bryan; he glared at me, beard twitching, as Kane grabbed a microphone that Lillian had sat on the apron. The huge, scowling man turned to stare down at me as I asked cheekily,

“What brings you two out here?”

“We’ve come out here to address the rumors that we’ve somehow gone soft because we’ve learned to channel our anger.”

“Preposterous,” I scoffed, shaking my head. “Who would even say such a thing?!”

Kane’s eye twitched; I widened my grin.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Bryan cut in, giving me a pointed look as Kane added,

“And for those of you who don’t believe us, little girl, be sure to pay attention to the Rumble this Sunday. “Because after we defeat Team Rhodes Scholars –“

“YES!” Bryan shouted; oh god, not again!

“And retain the WWE tag team championship –“

“YES!”

“Then I’m going to go on to throw 29 other superstars over the top rope, win the Royal Rumble Match, and go on to Wrestlemania!”

“YE – wait,” Bryan stammered; I snorted and rolled my eyes as he turned to Kane. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me. I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match. I’ve been in more matches than either of you,” he said, dragging me back into the mix with a sour look. “In one match – one match – I eliminated eleven other superstars.”

“But you’ve never won,” Bryan argued, and I nodded in agreement just as he added, “which is what I’m going to do this Sunday!”

“Woah, woah, woah,” I cut in, lowering the arm Bryan had thrown up in victory. “Both of you are forgetting one thing.”

The men on either side of me looked over and I threw up my arm. “I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match!”

“Little girl, you’ve never even been in a Rumble before. You can’t possibly expect to win.”

“That may be true, but that means I’ve never lost a Rumble match before. Unlike you two.”

“I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match,” Kane told me, leaning over to try and intimidate me as Bryan crowded into us.

“No, I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match!”

“I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match,” I deflected, pushing Bryan back and turning to get in Kane’s face again. The demon put a finger on my forehead and pushed me into Bryan.

“I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match!”

“No, I’m going to win the Royal Rumble match!”

“No!” Bryan shouted –

Weeeeeeell, it’s the Big Show!

Oh shit.

The three of us turned – myself admittedly a little slower – as the very large, very angry man that went with the music came storming down the ramp. Man was I thankful to be sandwiched between Team Hell No right now.

Except the boys on either side of me shifted to face the stage, which left me open and vulnerable to the bear I’d been poking the last few weeks. Show climbed into the ring and as he straightened, his eyes locked on me. The three of us turned to keep him in front of us as he crossed and snatched a mic right out of Lillian’s hand.

“Daniel, Kane, no one cares about your stupid plans. And you, you little brat. You seem to have forgotten what I do to the puny, insulant pieces of trash that don’t show me the respect I deserve.”

“The only thing you deserve is my shoe up your ass,” I spat; fury lit up Show’s eyes as he took a step towards me. “You just winded yourself walking to the ring. I’m not scared of you, you sweaty slab of stupid.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“Are you so thick you haven’t figured out how to listen and breathe at the same time?”

“Jamie,” Bryan hissed; it was too late for whispered warnings. I was irritated and scared, and to be completely honest, I liked seeing Show get so angry he couldn’t think of a comeback.

“I’m not having any of your crap tonight, Lawless, none of it!” Show spun and began to pace the ring furiously. My heart was in my throat, but I’d never let on how scared I was. I had Bryan at my side, and I was pretty sure Kane would step in to at least help his tag partner if it came down to it… right? “Alberto Del Rio stole my title, and I need to focus on taking it back. This Sunday, I’m going to squish that cockroach. And if you don’t get out of my ring right now, I’ll squish all three of you.”

As I glared up at Show, ready to tear into him again, Kane stepped up to my shoulder.

“We’re not a couple of bugs, big man, and none of us are going anywhere.”

Oh hell yeah! Or, should I say, Hell No-Less?!... Hell-Less No? I’d figure out our name later. What mattered was that I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Daniel Bryan and the Demon Kane, ready to kick Big Show’s ass. All the fear inside me was washed away – how freaking amazing was this!?

“In other words,” I said slyly, and glanced at my best friend. He smirked, and we both shouted,

“No! No! No! –“

The music of Team Rhodes Scholars erupted and as Bryan and Kane groaned, I spun on the spot and grinned at the men standing on stage. How had the night gotten even better?!

“Kane and Daniel Bryan… Just as David underestimated Goliath, you two are underestimating Rhodes Scholars!” Damien announced; I nodded in agreement and Bryan spared me a dry, unamused look.

“I think you’re wasting your breath, Damien!” Cody sighed, shaking his head as he motioned to me. “I mean, look at who we’re talking to. They’re friends with the village idiot of the WWE, clearly they can’t be smart enough to understand us!”

“Cody,” I giggled, batting my lashes at him. “Don’t flirt with me in front of Dames. You know how jealous he gets.”

I shot a wink at the robed man to his left and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of disgust and horror on Damien’s face. Cody scowled at me and sneered,

“Let me put this in a language even you can understand, Lawless. At the Royal Rumble, Damien and I are going to take the tag team titles!”

The men on either side of me voiced objections as Damien looked past us. “And so, Big Show, we propose an alliance. Seeing as by this time next week, all three of us will be champions, let’s set an example by decimating Team Hell No and their little blonde cretin post-haste!”

A smirk curled over Show’s face, and he threw his microphone aside as Cody and Damien did the same. Thankfully, Kane was the one to turn towards the giant, bald man closing in on us. I shifted with Bryan to square up against Rhodes Scholars, ready for the fight.

Can you dig it, suckas?!

Booker’s music made all six of us stop in our tracks; as we all turned to the stage, a flicker of relief lit up in me. Was getting into a fight with Show right before Rumble really a good idea? I’d just wanted to call him out, and it was clear I’d made my mark. Even with Bryan and Kane with me, I didn’t like the thought of being in the ring with Show any longer than I had to be.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, woah,” Booker said, holding his hand up at us as he paused at the op of the ramp. “Now wait a minute, guys. I appreciate your passion to wanna come out here and fight, because that’s what we do on Smackdown. We fight.”

Uh-oh.

“Now saying that, let’s make this fight official. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s main event will be as follows: Team Rhodes Scholars will team up with the Big Show, and they will face the team of Team Hell No and Jamie Lawless.”

Well shit. If the dangerous grin on Show’s face was anything to go by, this had the potential to go very, very wrong for me very quickly. As the crowd roared, clearly pleased, Booker kept talking.

“Now wait a minute, there will be a stipulation. This match will be a 6-man elimination tag team match!”

Seriously?! This was not good. This was very not good. An elimination match left me with the very real possibility of being outnumbered if Kane or Bryan – or god, both of them – got pinned before I did. If Show got his hands on me and I had no way out… As I stared after Booker in mild horror, I felt the ring shift under my feet.

Cody and Damien had rushed forward, going for Bryan and Kane. Team Hell No spun around the same moment I had, and they both moved to fight off their attackers. Cody and Dames both skittered back and got out of the ring faster than I’d even seen them move.

“Oh, you think this is funny?” Cody shouted at me as I laughed; I nodded enthusiastically, leaning over the ropes to watch as they stumbled up the ramp. “Just wait until tonight, Lawless! You won’t be laughing when we’re through with you!”

“What’d I say about sweet talking me, Codester?” I called back, and then the ring shifted again.

I spun and saw Big Show barreling towards me, going to drive me into the ring post. Acting on instinct, I dove to the side an sunk to a knee, twisting and kicking the back of Show’s thigh. He stumbled and tripped, falling face-first into the turnbuckle.

“There we go, John!” I heard Josh announce from the table behind us as I got to my feet and stepped back to Bryan and Kane. “Big Show tried to get the jump on Jamie Lawless, but he couldn’t move fast enough!”

Show turned to stare at me with an expression of surprise and fury; he took a step forward; Bryan and Kane did the same. With a snarl, he moved back and stepped over the ropes, then jumped off the apron and started up the ramp after Rhodes Scholars.

“Mark my words, you little brat. You will regret this. You hear me?”

I waved at him until he turned and stalked out of sight. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I’d already done worse tonight so what more could it hurt? As the three of us hurried backstage to the locker rooms, I peeled away from Team Hell No. Both of them turned to stare me down.

“You’re not running off to start more trouble,” Kane growled. “You’re going to stay with us and prepare for the match so we make sure you don’t disappear as you usually do.”

“You make a fair point about my meddling tendencies. I just wanna grab my stuff, and then I’m with you two the rest of the night.”

“I’ll go with you,” Bryan started; before I could even object, Kane’s hand locked onto his shoulder.

“I don’t think so. The only thing worse than the little girl running amok is the little girl running amok with you egging her on.”

Bryan’s mouth dropped into an offended gasp as he turned to glare at his tag partner. I slowly started to inch backwards down the hall.

“Excuse you? I’m very responsible –“

“Oh, like when you lost my luggage at the airport?”

“How many times have I told you that wasn’t my fault?! And besides, I already apologized a dozen times –“

The two of them were so caught up with one another that they didn’t notice I was all but gone. With a shrug, I turned and scampered around the corner. I’d be back soon anyways, and I didn’t want to try and explain my detour to Randy’s locker room to either of them.

It hadn’t escaped my notice that most of the roster was gone from the show. Most had already headed to Arizona since the drive was so long, which meant that if things went wrong in tonight’s match, I had little-to-no backup.

And since this had mostly been Randy’s idea, I was hoping he had a good ‘Step 2’ in this disastrous master-plan. Admittedly he hadn’t told me to get into a match with the Big Show, but he’d know what to do now.

Except it didn’t seem that Randy was in his locker room. The door was locked, and after almost two minutes of knocking and calling his name, I hadn’t gotten a response. Which meant there was a chance I not only wouldn’t have him as backup, but that he didn’t even know what had just happened.

As I started to knock again, a hand slammed onto my shoulder and hauled me back.

“Little girl!” Kane snarled as I tipped my head back to look up at him. “I thought I said you weren’t going to be running off!”

Oh, he’d been serious about me staying with them… Uh-oh.

“I was just –“

“Why are you trying to break down Randy’s door?” Bryan asked, coming up to us and folding his arms over his chest, giving me a suspicious frown.

“Well, I wanted to –“

“That’s beside the point,” Kane cut in, shooting Bryan a look as he towed me down the hall with him towards their locker rom. “It’s more of a concern that she can’t follow my orders. If she doesn’t listen, how will we –“

“I think I’ll decide what’s important with Jamie,” Bryan scoffed, shoving the door open for us and standing aside as I was shoved in after him. “She’s my friend!”

“Then tell your friend who’s in charge around here so we actually stand a chance at winning tonight!”

As the two of them started to dissolve into bickering again I stepped between them and put a hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart. Sheesh, Brie left us alone for one night and look what happened! Both men were so surprised they fell quiet, and I glanced between them in exasperation.

“If I promise to stay with you guys and follow your plan, would you please stop arguing?!”

Kane and Bryan shared a contemplating look. After a few moments of deliberation, both of them nodded. Kane pointed a gloved finger at the far wall and narrowed his eyes.

“Start warming up.”

“I don’t take orders like–“

“Now.”

Scampering around him, I plopped onto the ground in my newly-designated area and started my stretches. Thankfully, the other two did the same. Or at least, I assumed that’s what they were doing.

Bryan had pulled a yoga mat out of his bag and was laying flat on his back, hands over his face, muttering to himself as he took deep breaths. Kane was just standing in the far corner, head on the wall, humming what sounded like Camptown Races.

Weird, but you know what? As long as they were ready for the match tonight, I wouldn’t complain. We did our own routines for nearly half an hour without interruption. When I finally couldn’t take their mumbling anymore, I got to my feet.

Instantly, both heads swiveled to stare as I picked my way around the bags of stuff and Bryan’s inconvenient yoga spot. I held up a hand and grabbed the remote off the bench.

“Just wanna see what’s going on,” I said, flicking the TV before getting back to my own side of the locker room. As the two of them went back to their methods, I turned the TV up louder. Between the humming and mumbling, I could barely hear whatever Punk was going off about.

“That’s distracting,” Kane growled; I looked over to see him frowning at me.

“I can’t hear it over your – uh, over the other noises in the room,” I recovered quickly, shooting him a nervous smile. His frown deepened.

“You can watch the show without sound.”

He moved towards me, eyes on the remote. I tucked it behind me and asked quickly, “can I just turn it down, then?”

He paused, studied me for a moment, and then gave a curt nod. I ticked it down a bit.

“More.”

A few more ticks.

“More.”

It was back as low as it had been, and I couldn’t hear again.

“More –“

“It’s fine where it is,” Bryan cut in, twisting around to glare at his tag partner. “Just go back to warming up. You guys are throwing off my energy.”

I scooted closer to the TV as Kane stalked back to his corner, muttering under his breath. Bryan rolled his eyes and went back to his yoga and I got caught up in watching my best friend fold himself up like a pretzel. Mesmerized at how he’d even managed to achieve that awkward pose, I had all but stopped listening to Punk complain about who-knows-what until I heard,

“I want the Shield! I want the Shield out here right now!”

What? My head snapped back to the TV; Punk was pacing the ring, looking around the arena. What the hell was he getting at?

“I’m not leaving until I get the Shield, so come on out here boys!”

And sure enough, a heartbeat later the speakers crackled.

Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta. SHIELD.

The cameras cut to the audience and my breath left me. Holy hell, I hadn’t been prepared for this. For Dean to look as dangerously attractive as he did right now. He stood on the stairs, staring down at Punk with a deadly smirk on his face.

His arms glistened under the lights, muscles curving and twisting and hypnotizing me from anything else. His hair was slicked back and his too-tight vest clung to his broad, lean frame illegally well. Thank god I wasn’t gonna be running out there to face off with them tonight; there was no way I could focus.

It only got worse as the Shield started down the stairs. As the crowd reached out to grab at him, Dean’s arms came up and tucked against his chest so he could elbow hands back. His already bulging biceps got even bigger and my mouth actually fell open. I snapped it shut instantly and glanced around to make sure Kane and Bryan hadn’t seen.

The boys were stalking Punk. All three of them kept their eyes on the man in the ring as they wove their way up to the barricade. Dean crossed first, hopping over and spinning on his heel for balance before turning to stare at Punk once more.

Once Roman and Seth were over, they moved forward. Each went to a different side of the ring and slowly climbed up onto the apron. But instead of going in with Punk and his terrified walrus sidekick, they lingered on the outside.

Even in my distracted state I couldn’t help but think Really? Are we all supposed to believe they’re not Punk’s bitches? If it were anyone else – myself included – they’d be inside powerbombing away. But now they just stood and listened as Punk began his clearly-faked speech.

Which I’d actually wanted to listen to, but it didn’t seem like that’d be happening. I couldn’t focus, not with the camera cutting to Dean every few moments. He stood coiled, arms out and fists balled, ready to spring at any moment. He had his head turned just slightly, keeping an eye on Punk while still sharing looks with his boys.

The more Punk ran his mouth, the more that Dean began to lose his cool. Sure, Seth and Roman were pissed too, but they didn’t show it like Dean. His face had darkened and I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching as he tried to control himself. As Punk finally turned to harass the other two, Dean’s rigid shoulders rolled back and he took a deep breath to hold himself back.

“I promised I would beat the Rock, and I will. It’ll be the biggest moment of my career,” Punk growled, and then he turned back to Dean. He walked forward until he was just inches from him and hissed, “And I’ll do it by myself.”

Well ho-lee-shit. My entire body short-circuited watching Dean’s reaction. His head slowly tilted to the side, and a sickly smile spread over his face as his jaw clenched even tighter; his tongue ran over his teeth, pressing against his lower lip, and I actually lost my breath.

Mostly because of how insanely attractive his barely-restrained anger was, but because that totally proved that Punk had bought them out. There was no freaking way Dean would let anyone talk to him or his boys like that if money wasn’t being exchanged. And, sure enough, instead of jumping him at the end of his scripted rant, the boys jumped off the ring and let him go without so much as a scratch.

And now I had a theory that I needed to test. I shut off the TV but before I’d even gotten to my feet, Kane had turned to glare at me again.

“Little girl, where do you think you’re going?”

“I never got my bag from the other locker room, and I need my, uh, my wrist tape.” Kane folded his arms over his chest.

“Our match is in ten minutes. You can use our tape.”

“It’s not the same, though. I’ll be back in time, promise. No meddling, no snack stops.”

“I don’t think –“

“Oh, let her go,” Bryan cut in, looking up from his odd yoga pose and giving a shrug. “Then you can stop complaining about how annoying she is.”

Kane scoffed and gave him a cold look, turning away from me. Wait... could this work again? Slowly, I took a step back for the door.

“If she disappears, as she usually does, we’ll be outnumbered. And,” he added indignantly, “I wasn’t complaining.”

“You were too!” Bryan laughed in disbelief. I took another step back. “Not two minutes ago. Saying she had the TV on too loud –“

“It’s a hazard to have the television too loud –“

“Says the man that sets off explosives a foot from our faces!”

Another few steps; I was almost to the door.

“You’re overreacting! They’re no louder than the average freight train!”

“Okay, well I don’t want a freight train that close to me and I sure as hell don’t want explosives –“

Taking my chance, I scampered back the last few feet, then turned and ducked out of the room. Success! I mean, sure, when they realized I’d run off again I’d be in trouble, but for now I had a little time to meddle.

Knowing the boys were coming from the arena floor made it easy to avoid them as I made my way to the basement. I wanted the upper hand in this and I’d only get that if I had the element of surprise. Which it seemed I was going to get; when I reached their locker room, it was still dark and empty.

Perfect. I leaned against the wall just inside the door, arms crossed as I waited. Just a minute or so later I heard the Shield outside, and a moment later the door pushed open. Someone reached out and flicked on the light switch, just inches from my shoulder. I waited until the boys had all come inside, backs to me, before I asked idly,

“Punk seriously paid you guys to stand on the apron and look tough?”

Seth let out a shrill scream and nearly fell over as he spun around; Roman and Dean bumped into each other and they did slump down onto the bench behind them. I snorted and couldn’t keep myself from laughing. Oh yeah, I’d definitely gotten the one up on them!

“You mind not doing that?” Seth snapped, actually putting a hand over his heart as he glared down at me. “You’re lucky we don’t teach you some manners!”

“Avoiding my question, Oreo?” I tsk’d as Dean and Roman shoved to their feet. To my surprise, Dean pushed Seth aside before the two of us could get into it. He crossed his arms over his chest and I didn’t even have time to ogle – I was too caught up in the look on his face.

He seemed genuinely upset with me, more than I would expect from the mild heart attack he’d just received. His clear blue eyes flickered between my own as he studied me, the unnerving frown on his face deepening as the seconds ticked on. When I couldn’t take the silence anymore, I finally spoke up.

“I’m just calling it like I see it."

“Whatever you think you know about us and Punk isn’t any of your concern,” Seth started, and Roman threw an elbow into his ribs, hissing something to him that got him to fall quiet.

“Okay, what’s with you guys today?”

“Why’d you call out Show tonight? Get yourself in that match? We told y’to stay away from him, be careful. An' you went out just to piss him off,” Dean said, a tone of irritation and concern in his voice. When I looked back at him in surprise he added a little softer, “Y’told me you weren’t gonna be reckless in the ring anymore.”

His words were like a blow to the stomach; guilt seared through me now that I realized what was bothering him. He thought I was being careless like I had been at TLC. And... okay, yeah. I guess it did kind of seem like I was just going out there to stir the pot. I mean, that hadn’t been my intention but that was pretty much all my talking got me...

“I wasn’t being reckless,” I started, and both Seth and Roman snorted; Dean pressed his lips together. “Not on purpose.”

“Then tell me what that was, ‘cause it sure looked like y’were.”

“Show called me out after a live show the other day. Randy said I needed to show I wasn’t afraid -”

“Orton told you to do that shit?” Dean asked in disbelief; when I gave a meek nod, a snarl slipped out of him and he gave a shake of his head, running his hands through his hair in irritation. “He’s a fuckin’ idiot.”

One look over Dean’s shoulder at the other two confirmed what I’d been trying to deny all night – taunting Show had been stupid. I mean, if the Shield thought something was a bad idea… I let out a groan and dropped my face into my hands.

“I really messed up, didn’t I?”

“Took you this long to figure it out, Barbie?” Seth snorted; he yelped when someone smacked him. Admittedly that made me feel just a little bit better.

“Hey, look,” Dean said gently; a moment later his hands wrapped around my wrists to tug my hands down. I peeked up at him and he squeezed them in reassurance. “What’s done is done. Can’t take back what’s happened, so now y’gotta get through it in one piece.”

I let out a shaky breath and gave a quick nod, trying not to let the realization of my mistake come crashing down on me I’d spent the better part of two hours trying to convince myself I’d made a good decision and now all the fear and anxiety I’d shoved down was threatening to rise up.

Dean tugged me over to the bench and I dropped down onto it; he knelt in front of me, hands still holding my wrists. His thumbs had begun to rub over the backs of my hands and I let myself focus on that instead of my panic as he talked.

“Y’got some things in your corner that’ll help. It’s a tag match, an’ I know your partners aren’t lettin’ you get mixed up with Show if they can help it.”

“Bryan won’t,” I agreed, then frowned. “But I’m not exactly Kane’s favorite person.”

“No, but you’re on his side an’ he wants a win goin’ into the Rumble. An’ even he’s smart enough to know not t’let you near Show. So you let them control the tags, an’ get yourself out when Show gets in if y’can.”

“I’m sure he and Rhodes Scholars are gonna try and do the exact opposite though,” I pointed out, nibbling on my lower lip.

“Yeah, they uh, they will,” Dean nodded as he reached up and tugged my lip free.

“Distracted?” Roman smirked as he sat on the bench next to me. Dean shot him a glare as I felt my cheeks tint a bit. What, did that mean Dean liked me doing that? Huh. File that under useful for later. “Look, kiddo. Going up against Show isn’t any different than going against me.”

“You’re twice the size of me, and he’s twice the size of you.”

“True. But that don’t change anything. You’re tiny, but you got speed on your side. You hit him hard, you hit him fast, and you get outta the way. Keep that big guy movin’ and he’ll wear himself out.”

“Keep moving,” I confirmed, taking a breath to try and settle myself. The TV in the corner of the room was muted, but the promo caught my eye. Roman grabbed the remote for me and turned up the volume.

“And still to come here on Friday Night Smackdown… An explosive six-man tag team elimination match that’s sure to set the stage for the Royal Rumble as team Hell No partners with Jamie Lawless to take on team Rhodes Scholars and the Big Show!”

Seeing all six of us on screen sent a wave of nausea through me. This was really happening, and it was really happening next. I couldn’t delay anymore. I got to my feet and ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep myself calm. Dean, still holding onto one of my wrists, laced his hand with mine for just a moment.

“You focus an’ stay on your toes, you’ll do just fine darlin’.”

“You think so?” I asked quietly, this time glancing between Dean and the other two. Roman gave me a reassuring smile; Seth shrugged and gave me an indifferent sneer.

“If you go up against us and keep coming back every damn week, I’m sure you’ll find a way to survive this. You’re like a little blonde cockroach.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said dryly; Roman smacked Seth again as Dean tugged my arm to lead me past them. Roman squeezed my shoulder as I passed, then turned to usher Seth away as Dean and I stepped into the hall.

The look on my face must’ve been pretty miserable, because all Dean did was tuck me to his chest and wrap his massive arms around my shoulders. My own went tight around his waist and for just a heartbeat I buried my face into his vest. Mint-and-musk wreathed around me and settled in my lungs, soothing me as much as I could be soothed at this point.

We didn’t speak as we pulled apart, he just gave me one of his rare, honest smiles before he ducked back into his locker room. A shaky breath left me as I turned and made my way back up the hall towards gorilla.

Kane and Bryan were pacing incessantly by the curtain, in the middle of a heated argument. Man, they were gonna kill me for running off. As I made my way towards them, a figure ducking down one of the side halls caught my attention and I was so surprised I came to a complete stop.

“Randy?”

He paused, but didn’t turn. A frown came over my face. He was in his jeans and a button-down with his duffel slung over a shoulder. I took a step for him just as my tag partners spotted me.

“LITTLE GIRL!” Kane bellowed, loud enough to pull a few screams from the stagehands around us. I risked a glance at him and saw the Big Red Machine storming down the hall straight for me. Oh god, definitely dead now.

“Randy!” I said quickly, starting to rush after him. He looked over his shoulder and gave me a tight smile as he started walking again. “You’re leaving?!”

“Yeah, sorry, Hunter needs me at an event tomorrow so –“

“Can’t you stay for my match?” I squeaked out, scurrying for him faster as Kane began to close in. Randy was already half out the door to the parking garage. Seriously, man?! Work with me here!

“I should already be gone. If I don’t go right now –“

“Don’t run away from me,” Kane snarled, hand locking onto my shoulder to haul me back.

“Wait, I just need – ow! Randy, are you seriously –“

“Good luck Jay, I’ll call you later!”

And like that, he was gone and I was being hauled around the corner. What the hell!? He was just gonna leave without telling me? He was my ride, for crying out loud! I had absolutely no time to worry about my jerk boyfriend, though.

“We’re up next!” Bryan cried as Kane tossed me into my best friend. Who, thankfully, had better reflexes than I did and managed to keep me on my feet. “Where did you go? You said you wouldn’t leave –“

“I told you she would disappear –“

“We don’t have time for your sanctimonious bullcrap!”

“Don’t take that tone with me –“

“Introducing first,” we heard Lillian say, just moments before Kane’s flames exploded on stage; we’d run out of time for arguing. As the two of them climbed the steps of gorilla – bumping shoulders as they went – I got in place and took a last, deep breath.

My music hit and I slowly climbed up the steps. Just faintly, I could smell the hint of Dean’s cologne on my shirt and I tried to hold onto the calm I’d had before. You can do this, Jamie. You can do this, I told myself, trying to ignore the unease swelling inside of me. My gut was screaming at me that this was a bad idea, but what could I do about it? No way I was backing out and leaving Bryan and Kane to fend for themselves. I’d made this mess with Show, and I’d see it through to the end.

- - - - - - - -

The end, it turned out, was coming up a lot quicker than we’d expected.

Kane was gone, and Bryan wasn’t doing too hot. Sure, Damien had gotten pinned early on, but that wasn’t much help if I ended up being alone against Show and Bryan. Believe me, I was doing all I could to keep it from getting there.

But Bryan just couldn’t get to me for the pin he desperately needed; Cody knew how to keep him away from my annoyingly short arms. After flipping Bryan onto his back and knocking the wind out of him, the mustached man alternated between excruciating submission holds and attempted pins.

After the third attempted pin, Bryan was exhausted. He barely got to his feet after kicking Cody away, but he didn’t have time to get the tag. Cody came running at him and he used the last of his strength to bounce off the ropes; the men collided in the middle of the ring and collapsed. Maybe that would be enough to keep Cody down long enough for Bryan to get to me!

But as Bryan writhed, Cody was already rolling to his corner and in seconds he’d tagged Show in. Oh god, not now. Bryan was helpless, and Show was vindictive. He picked my best friend up by the beard and began to fling him around the ring. At this rate, he’d break him in half before he got the pin.

But Bryan was a fighter, and when he realized how dire the situation was he got his second wind. He fought his way out of the corner Show had trapped him in and actually got the behemoth to the middle of the ring with his YES!-kicks! And when Show dropped, Bryan raced to the corner and climbed to the top rope.

He had him right where he wanted him! I was cheering wildly, hands in the air as I watched Bryan jump – and Show was ready again. He threw a hard chop into Bryan’s chest and my best friend dropped hard, letting out a shout of pain.

“Get up! Get up, you can do this!” I cried, getting on a knee to meet Bryan’s eyes. He held my gaze and gave a fierce nod. All he had to do was tag me, and I could do this. I was ready! I’d kick Big Show’s ass to next week single-handedly as long as Bryan got himself out of that ring!

We both got to our feet; Bryan dove for my outstretched hand, fingertips away. Show grabbed his shoulder, spun him on the spot, and hit him with a knock-out punch that sent Bryan tumbling out of the ring.

No! This was bad. This was very, very bad. I knelt on the apron again, leaning as close to him as I could get. I knew I couldn’t physically help him up, but I wasn’t done rallying – and neither was the Universe. The arena was roaring with chants for Bryan, so loud I almost couldn’t hear my own shouting.

“Bryan, c’mon! Just get up! Get up and tag me!” I begged as the ref shouted four! He slowly began to stir, blinking and looking around in a daze.

“That’s it! Up! Just get up! Let’s go!” I screamed; Bryan propped himself up on arm as the ref got to seven.

“Move your ass, Bryan! Move, move, move!” I cried, the impending realization of what was about to happen settling over me. Bryan had barely managed to sit up by nine. He met my eyes in horrified realization at the ref shouted ten!

“Daniel Bryan has just been eliminated.”

Oh god. I was alone. I was alone with Cody and the Big Show. Bryan was shouting something to me but I couldn’t hear him. Pure fear and panic were surging through me so powerfully I didn’t think I could stand.

I was alone. I had no one to tag, and two opponents to pin.

Show’s cackling laugh cut through my terror, and I slowly turned to look up at him. He was sneering, already sealing his victory over me. Seeing that smug smile, watching him laugh at me… the fear washed away and a quiet, determined calm settled in my chest.

I’d go down fighting before I let Show take the win from us. I got to my feet, eyes locked on him as I stepped into the ring. Dean and Roman’s advice swirled in my mind, mixing with all the training sessions I’d had with Bryan, all the mock matches with Randy, all my own raw, unbridled determination… I could do this.

Show and I raced for one another and I ducked, driving my shoulder into his gut. He stumbled back and I recovered fast, planting one foot to spin and deliver a hard kick to his legs. He stumbled further, and I went to town. Kick, punch, kick, punch, repeat. I hammered him with blows to keep him off balance, and it was working!

Well, mostly. Except the guy was really freaking solid, and even uneasy on his feet he still stood upright. I needed more power than my 5’2 frame could deliver right now. I scrambled back and threw myself into the ropes, bouncing hard and fast towards him.

Show was ready; his meaty hand locked around my throat and for a few terrifying moments I was breathless up in the air. His fingers tightened and that was all the warning I had before I was choke-slammed onto the mat. Pain burst through my back and I gasped out a cry of agony; my instincts kicked in and I desperately rolled for the apron.

Falling a few feet to the floor sent a new shockwave of pain through me, but as long as Show wasn’t coming after me I could handle it. The ref started his count, and I willed my body to pull itself together.

Five…. Six…

I grabbed the top of the apron, struggling to get my feet under me; I slumped to my knees and let out a groan of frustration.

Seven… Eight…

Okay, like I meant it this time! I grabbed both the apron, and then the bottom rope when I could reach it. Using all my upper body strength, I pulled myself vertical until I could slump against the ring.

Nine…

Desperately, I shimmied forward and then twisted to roll under the rope just as the ref went to shout ten. He paused, and then gave me a nod – I’d made it! Oh thank god. Instantly, I rolled myself right back out onto the floor.

Just buy a little more time, Jamie, I panted to myself, getting up onto my knees to try and catch my breath. The aches from the chokeslam had subsided and now that I had a second to think, a plan formed in my head.

I’d use Show’s own tactics against himself.

As the ref started to count again, I turned and smirked at Show over the ropes. His face lit up in fury; he thought I was taking the loss to get away from him. His giant ego wouldn’t let that happen, and that’s what I was counting on.

Show was out of the ring in the next moment, storming over to me as I curled in on myself. He grabbed a handful of my shirt and hooked the waist of my pants, hauling me up and then tossing me in the ring like a sack of potatoes. The moment I hit the mat I rolled myself up onto my knees and sprung to my feet, rejuvenated and ready to go.

The Universe roared with excitement as I squared up and now smirked at Show, who was getting his own ten count. Of course, he rushed to climb back on the apron and get in the ring. But he was being sloppy, not paying attention.

So when he lifted his leg to climb over the top rope I spun and kicked him hard in the chest. He staggered and his legs gave out; he actually let out a scream as the rope racked him in the groin. Even the ref winced, watching the giant man topple to the ground and clutch at his sore crotch.

And then the count began. I was frozen in the middle of the ring, barely even breathing as the ref kept going. At five, he hadn’t even tried to get to his feet. At seven, he was still writhing, and the realization washed over me – he couldn’t get back in the ring fast enough now.

Had I… had I just outed the Big Show!?

The ref shouted ten and the Universe erupted into deafening screams as Lillian announced,

“The Big Show has been eliminated!”

“YES!” I shouted, throwing my fist in the air as I jumped around the ring; oh my god, I did it! I’d outsmarted Show! I’d taken a hit and I was still alive, and I’d gotten Show counted out! Now it was down to just Cody and I, and that wouldn’t be –

Oh shit! Cody –

An arm wrapped around my waist and my legs were knocked out from under me; my back slammed to the mat as the mustached man tried to roll me up for a pin. No way he was taking me out that easily!

Adrenaline was bursting through me, making me invincible. I threw Cody off me and instantly jumped to my feet. We both staggered for a heartbeat, and then flew at one another full speed. The two of us were a blur of forearms, lockups, and the occasional kick to the stomach – when I could get myself far enough away from him.

Both of us were fast, determined, and just ready to put this match to rest. Whoever came out on top would definitely have the edge going into the Rumble, and neither one of us were about to give the other any leeway.

I got an arm up to Cody’s jaw and hit him hard enough to force him back a few steps. Finally! Ripping myself out of his vice grip, I turned and raced for the ropes, a thesz press in mind. As I flew at Cody, he recovered and caught me mid-freaking-leap.

For a heartbeat I was tangled in Cody’s arms as he hugged me tight to him, making sure I didn’t squirm over his shoulder (like I’d wanted to). He lifted me up by the hips, moving to toss me in some sort of suplex, and I capitalized.

The second he let go of me to have me drop, I threw my body forward, getting over his shoulder. My left arm reached back to hook around his neck from behind, and I planted my right hand on his side to give me the leverage I needed. With all my body weight, I let my legs drop and swing forward, falling on my back and sending Cody face-first into the mat.

All I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat. This was it, this was my chance. Nothing else mattered right now except getting Cody on his back. I’d incidentally hurt myself with that move, but I forced aside the ache as I grabbed Cody’s arm and flipped him over. His eyes were shut; he didn’t even get his arms up as I dropped over his chest and scooped his leg.

I didn’t even hear the three-count. Didn’t hear my music blast through the arena, or the crowd cheer my name. I was so overwhelmed with relief all I could do was lay over Cody and laugh. I’d freaking done it! I’d won the match! For the life of me I had no idea how, but did that matter?! Not in the slightest!

The ref grabbed my arm and practically picked me up, steadying me as he threw my hand in the air. The sounds of the arena finally began to seep into my mind; my music, my name being chanted, Lillian crying out,

“The winner of this match… Jamie Lawless and Team Hell No!”

Still laughing and in a daze, I rushed to the ropes and climbed up in the corner, throwing up a peace sign to the crowd; the cheers somehow grew louder as they did the same. I jumped back off the ropes, ready to head backstage and take a nice, hot shower.

The crowd was still screaming, but the excitement wasn’t there. What? I looked around at them and realized, too late, that they weren’t screaming for me. The ref reached for my arm to pull me aside as I spun around.

Big Show speared me so hard I flipped over and landed on my stomach. I’d never been hit by a freight train, but I now had a pretty good idea of what that would feel like. Unbelievable pain burned hot in my chest and abdomen, and my lungs screamed for the air that had been forced out of them.

I was lifeless in the ring, and Show was coming back for more. I could see him circling outside of the ring, a sick smile on his face as he eyed me. I begged myself to crawl away but I couldn’t even breathe, let alone escape. A hand locked onto my ankle and I was ripped out of the ring and dropped mercilessly on the ground.

Move, Lawless, move! I urged, begging my legs to work as Show started to circle me. My shaking hands tangled in the apron and I managed to get to my knees, but it was like trying to stand on ice; I was getting nowhere.

My feet wouldn’t cooperate and all I did was kick feebly at Show’s shins as he grabbed the back of my neck and hauled me away from my support. I stumbled, and though I stayed upright I was too disoriented to even find where Show had gone. Blinking desperately and still trying to get air in my lungs, I was no match for the vengeful monster coming after me.

Large hands grabbed my waist; I managed to get my arms up to cradle my head as I was flung over the announce table. I hit the chairs and dropped hard onto my back, getting the little wind I’d gathered knocked out of me again.

Fans at the barricade were shouting my name. I could barely make out ‘MOVE!’ and ‘He’s coming!’ but I couldn’t react fast enough. One moment Show was beside me, throwing the chairs aside, and the next I saw the announce table being lifted over me.

Oh, this wasn’t gonna end well. There was only a split second to decide whether to try and move out of the way, or protect myself as best I could. There was no way I was moving fast enough to escape in time to keep from getting hurt so I curled up to try and prevent as much damage as possible just as the table was dumped onto me.

One edge of the table slammed into my shoulder and wrenched me back painfully. As I recoiled to protect my arm, my head met with the other edge as it bounced up off the floor. For a moment I felt all my strength flicker; lights and sounds cut out completely. A wave of vertigo surged through me and I squeezed my eyes shut, bringing my hands up to hold my head steady.

You’re okay, you’re okay. Deep breaths, nice and steady, I told myself, hearing Bryan’s voice in my head from when Summer Rae had broken my arm. On that thought I immediately did an assessment of myself to make sure I wasn’t more injured than I felt. My arms clearly worked, I could wiggle my shoulders, and though my legs were pinned under the table I could still move them and my toes. So far, so good.

Now, to get myself out from under this damn table… I opened my eyes and for the most part, everything around me held still. Progress! Bracing my hands above me where I could, I used all my mustered strength to push against the table. It just wouldn’t budge! I had no leverage from this position. Through my swimming vision I could see the refs shoes scurrying around desperately, trying to help free me from my predicament.

They rocked it to the side and the far edge of the table pressed painfully into my thighs.

“Stop, stop!” I squeaked, and thankfully the table slumped back to its original position. We needed to lift it, but the four of us clearly weren’t capable. I felt another wave of nausea hit and I groaned, shutting my eyes and willing the ache in my temple to go away.

As I gently rolled my head to the side to look for another escape, I saw a pair of red-and-black boots racing towards me.

“Jamie!” Bryan shouted; he knelt by the table and a moment later his hand came under to feel around for me.

“I’m okay,” I lied, twisting just enough to grab his hand and squeeze. “Just get this table up!”

I saw another pair of black boots appear at his side; Kane! Oh hell yeah, now we were talkin’! I saw Bryan circle to the other side, heard a quick countdown, and a moment later the table lifted almost six inches. A slew of ref’s hands grabbed me and hauled me out from underneath the announce table before it was dropped back down. The sudden movement racked my body with vertigo again and I desperately shut my eyes. You better not throw up in front of the Universe, Jamie!

“We need a medic!” Bryan hollered, dropping to kneel beside me; he patted my cheek and his hand came away bloody. “You with me, Jay?”

“Yeah,” I grimaced, opting out of nodding as I delicately opened my eyes. Against my better judgement I slowly sat up and turned myself over onto my knees. The dizziness was unrelenting, but I was focused on getting backstage where I could puke in private. “Don’t think anything’s broken.”

“How about round two then, huh?” Show taunted; he was coming back around the ring. The refs that had rushed to my aid all swarmed towards him as he began to make his way towards me. Bryan gave my shoulder a squeeze as he shoved to his feet and went to cut off Show as he broke through their feeble defense.

As Kane joined in to keep the delusional giant at bay, I hedged to the barricade and reached up, grabbing the top of it. Hands from the crowd reached out and held my arm in place, which I was ever-grateful for. With them anchoring my hold, I shifted my feet under me and tried to stand.

About halfway to my feet, my vision pulsed and it felt like someone kicked at the back of my legs. A foggy haze around the edge of my vision made it almost impossible to make out anything past my shaking hands. Giving up my fight to stand, I let out a groan and slumped against the barricade, sliding down and landing awkwardly on my side. Gloved hands caught my shoulders and propped me upright.

“Fancy seeing you here Doc,” I grimaced as the medic kneeled beside me. He cracked a smile as his hands flitted over my face, and then my arm.

“The table did a number to you in a few places, but I don’t see any major concerns yet. My biggest worry is your head. How’s that feel?”

“Awful,” I admitted, and let out a squeak as his fingers pressed against my temple. My vision pulsed again and this time, the foggy rim around my sight lingered, starting to narrow even further. “That reallyhurtspleasedon’tdothat.”

“Her eyes aren’t focusing and she’s starting to slur her words,” he reported to a fuzzy shape over his shoulder. “We need to do a full test. Let’s get her up, I don’t want her walking.”

“I can walk,” I tried, starting to pull my feet under me again, but either Doc didn’t understand me, or he just didn’t care. I felt arms slide underneath my own, and for a moment I was lifted. As I settled onto something that was somehow less comfortable than the floor I’d collapsed on, my eyes start to grow heavier. Hands pressed my shoulders back and when I blinked again I was looking up at the lights above the ring

“Hey, hey, stay with me Lawless. C’mon, I need you awake,” he ordered. I felt myself rolling around the ring. Wait, was I seriously on a stretcher? Oh come on! How weak did that look?! I forced myself to try and focus on the faces looking down at me.

As I blinked furiously, worried blue eyes on an equally worried face came into view. I felt a hand slip into mine as Bryan said gently,

“There you go, keep yourself awake for me, JayJay. We’ll get you examined and then you can rest.”

I don’t wanna rest, I wanna kick Show’s ass, I tried to explain; no words came out of my mouth. Was my mouth even open? Wait, why was it so dark!? Had the power – oh yeah. Eyes open Jamie. Come on, eyes open.

As they wheeled my down the hall I saw flashes of people crowding to check on me. Red mohawk of Sheamus, Kofi’s bright pants, and something blue and sparkly that looked vaguely like Damien’s robes.

“Dames?” I forced, trying to sit up as I was pulled into the medic’s room. Bryan put a gentle hand on my shoulder to keep me down. “Dames!”

“I know you’re in pain, they’ll give you some medicine soon okay?”

“No, not – never mind,” I mumbled; I’d been seeing things anyways. Damien Sandow wouldn’t willingly seek me out, not even in my wildest dreams. I slumped down onto the stretcher and tried not to be too cumbersome as the medic and one of the trainers eased me onto an exam table.

Sounds and faces were blurry and incoherent. I knew Doc was telling Bryan something urgent as he looked me over – which was pretty much just shining lights in my eyes and poking my sore temple – but I couldn’t focus. My brain felt like cotton candy and my thoughts were just as wispy and fragile.

Bryan’s scruffy, worried form reappeared in front of me a few minutes later, but before I could fully process a sentence to try and assure I was okay, Booker’s figure appeared at his shoulder. My mind was strung together enough to realize that wasn’t a good sign.

“Jamie?” Bryan said, louder than the other voices; a hand rested on my knee and I tried to focus on that. “You with me?”

“Mhmm.”

Once I’d gotten all his fingers into focus I shifted my gaze up and blinked until his face became one coherent image.

“Nothing’s broken, you’re just banged up,” he told me slowly; thankfully, he seemed to understand how far underwater I felt right now. “But listen. You’ve got a mild concussion.”

“Concussion?” I asked, the horror clear in my slurred speech. No. No, no, no. Not a concussion. Not right before the Rumble. “I feel fine –“

“You will feel fine,” Doc said, sounding farther away than he was. “You managed to avoid a lot of potential damage, but to be safe we need you to take it easy for a few days.”

“No,” I said quietly, lifting my aching head up to meet my best friend’s eyes. My pain was reflected in his expression. His hand took mine and he gave me a tight squeeze.

“Jamie, I’m so sorry,” Booker said gently. I turned to him as tears spilled down my cheeks.

“No, no, please please PLEASE no –"

“You’re out of the Rumble, kid.”

Dean

Punk smirked at Dean over Heyman’s shoulder, arms crossed smugly over his chest. The second he got the chance, his fist was goin’ through that fucker’s teeth. Hell, the Walrus would get a piece of him too, thinkin’ he could run the Shield around like his puppets.

The money was good an’ he’d be lyin’ if he said he didn’t like the perks that came with all this bullshit, but he was gettin’ real sick of Heyman runnin’ around like he was in charge. Shield had agreed to help them, not the other way around. Heyman came to them with the deals. An’ if it weren’t beneficial to them for Punk to keep the title, they wouldn’t be doin’ any of this.

“I said, do we have a deal, Mr. Ambrose?”

Dean’s eyes snapped from Punk over to Heyman’s beady little stare. A nasty smirk curled the corner of his lip as he rolled his shoulders. He glanced behind him to check with his boys. Roman’s heated glare was fixed the same place his was moments ago, but he wasn’t voicin’ any objections.

Seth caught his eye and gave a shrug of his shoulders; this was the same shit they always agreed to. Might as fuckin’ well, right? He turned back to Heyman and took a step forward, enjoyin’ the way the shorter man recoiled from him.

“Yeah. Now get the hell outta here.”

Heyman gave a quick nod and turned to leave the Shield’s locker room, but Punk put a hand on his shoulder. He met Dean’s gaze and let his smirk grow even wider.

“Don’t forget, boys. You’re only here because of me.”

Roman got to his feet, snarling as he balled his fists. Heyman grabbed a handful of Punk’s shirt and hauled him outside; the door shut with an echo and the three inside snorted in amusement.

“That never gets old,” Seth laughed, turning to pack up the rest of his stuff. “Now, getting bossed around by those assholes…”

“Yeah, that’s gettin’ real old,” Roman finished, shakin’ his head as the two of them turned to Dean. “Don’t know how long we can keep this up, brother. Punk’s way past my last nerve.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” he muttered. “Just a few more weeks, an’ we got enough to pay off what we owe the Authority.”

The three of them went uncharacteristically silent as Dean’s words settled over them. Takin’ the deal from Triple H had been the worst mistake of their lives – and that was sayin’ a lot – but they were almost free. Not wantin’ to linger on the shit they couldn’t change just yet, the guys all turned back to grabbin’ their things.

“Show still on?” Dean asked Seth as he turned to grab his vest out of the locker; he had to make sure his girl was doin’ okay. Last he’d seen they were. Sandow had been eliminated just before those fuckers had come waltzin’ in like this was their locker room an’ turned off the TV.

“Yeah, looks like - Oh shit!” he heard Roman suck in a sharp breath as Seth said quickly, “Ambrose, this isn’t good.”

Dean’s heart skipped two whole fuckin’ beats. He dropped his vest and scrambled around the corner of the lockers to get a look. Medics were ringside, lifting a bloodied Finch onto a stretcher. Her hair was crimson, matted to her bloodied face an’ bringin’ out the grimace of pain she was trying to fight.

She had a deep gash on her temple, an’ her right arm was cut up real bad. He could already see the bruises formin’. Show was off to the side, held back by two referees, the Goat, an’ his Demon tag partner; fucker was laughin’ like crazy, waving at Finch as she was carted up the ramp.

“Go check on her,” Roman said instantly; Dean was gone before he finished talkin’. He sprinted up the halls, wanting to intercept her as fast as he could ‘cause the second he was sure she was okay, he was goin’ after Show.

There’d be nothin’ left’a that fucker when Dean was through with him.

He ducked down a side hall, glad he an’ his boys liked takin’ the back ways. Less people an’ less things in his way to slow him down. He turned down another more secluded hall an’ had to slam to a stop so fast he almost fuckin’ faceplanted.

Orton had his back to him, bent in half over a supply crate. Dean was so confused all he could do was stand there an’ stare. A pair of slim arms were wrapped around Orton’s neck, an’ for a moment he couldn’t think’a how Finch had cleaned up an’ beaten him halfway across the arena.

She couldn’t have. No fuckin’ way.

As Orton stood and turned, pullin’ the woman in his arms with him, sick realization trickled down Dean’s spine. The woman he was pressin’ up against the wall, kissin’ and grabbin’ and grindin’ on, that wasn’t Finch.

“How about round two of last night, baby?” Orton moaned, runnin’ his hands through the woman’s dark hair, pullin’ her leg up around his waist as he nipped at her olive skin – Dean threw himself back around the corner as his vision went red.

That wasn’t Finch.

That wasn’t Finch.

That motherfucker was cheatin’ on his girl.