Canary and the Coal Mine

Nikki sniffled on my shoulder and I glanced down at my best friend, reaching out to squeeze her knee. She nestled closer to me, wiping the tears off her cheeks as she mumbled,

“I hate this stupid brace.” Irritably, she reached down to play with the velcro straps and I had to swat her hand away. Again. “Jamie it itches –“

“Yeah, I know. But you’re gonna mess it up and then we’ll have to go back in and get it set up correctly. You really wanna go back in?”

She huffed and didn’t reply, but thankfully folded her hands back into her lap. I saw the telltale signs of her signature pout starting up; she was exhausted from the last few hours and still in pain. I didn’t blame her for being grumpy but if she sent us back into that damn emergency room… we were so adamant on not being in that miserable germ-fest that we were sitting outside, practically melting to the bench in the killer Alabama heat.

We’d carpooled with Brie and Bryan up until Mississippi, but with them wanting to take a couple days to themselves, Nikki had proposed her and I driving the rest of the way to Georgia. Which, admittedly, had been an awesome road trip until last night.

“Why do bad things keep happening to me?” she whined, rolling her head back to meet my gaze. I couldn’t help the smile tugging on my lips, which only sent her deeper into a pout. “I’m serious!”

“You fell on six-inch heels after having like an entire bottle of wine. I think we know exactly why this –“

“I meant like everything,” she argued, sitting up as she motioned to her gimpy leg. “First I get hurt in a match. Then I sprain the same knee in the shower, and now I fall two weeks before I’d be cleared to come back. The universe hates me.”

“Or,” I told her gently, trying to stop her train of misery before it could leave the station, “it’s possible I’m not the only clumsy one in the group.”

Her arms folded tight across her chest, pout intensifying as her dark eyes flicked to glare straight ahead of us. I nudged her shoulder with my own, leaning against her to try and comfort her.

“You’re still gonna make your return in a few weeks, Snickers. The doctor said you just tweaked it, nothing’s broken or sprained or even pulled this time. What is it you guys always tell me? Just take it easy and let the injury heal before you go do something stupid.”

Finally, the twitch of a smile interrupted the pout and she spared a brief glance at me again.

“Great. I’m turning into you,” she mumbled, but thankfully leaned back against me and uncrossed her arms. Train successfully stopped.

“Yep. Soon your boobs are gonna shrink and you’ll have an unquenchable desire to shop at thrift stores for used jean shorts and eat entire pizzas by yourself.”

This time I got a full giggle from my best friend as she mused, “I don’t think the world could handle two of you.”

“You’re not wrong,” I snorted, shaking my head. “So how about you stay off the alcohol and the heels until you’re back at a hundred percent?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she huffed, rolling her eyes but thankfully seeming a bit more like her usual self. She went to tease me more when the sound of air brakes caught our attention; John’s bus was just pulling into a parking lot. “Oh thank god! It’s way too damn hot out to sit out here.”

As the bus pulled to a stop across the lot, I hopped up and turned to Nikki, hands held out; she took them with a groan and let me haul her to her feet.

“You know, one of your legs works,” I griped, struggling to keep her upright as I reached around her to grab her bags. “You can at least help me balance your top-heavy frame.”

“I’ll let John do all the balancing up here,” she smirked, adjusting her tank top as I got my arm around her. She laughed at the face I pulled. “Oh come on, it’s not gross!”

“I never, and I cannot stress this enough, ever want to picture John Cena fondling my best friend. I don’t care how beautiful the two of you are, that’s a vision I don’t need in my innocent, impressionable little mind.”

Nikki snorted so hard she almost lost her balance.

“You are not innocent or impressionable. You are the exact opposite of those things, rolled into one bad-influence package. Like a two-for-one special no one ordered.”

“That’s a good deal,” I mused as we started our slow limping trek towards the bus. “Do I come with anything? Like, order now and we’ll include a free travel pillow?”

“You’re not a late night infomercial scam,” she scoffed, grimacing more and more the farther we shuffled. “You’re more of a QVC special offer.”

I sniffed and wiped a fake tear away; she looked down at me, perplexed, and I said in my most heartfelt voice,

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Nikki and I held straight faces for half a second before we busted out laughing. It probably wasn’t as funny as we thought it was – most things usually weren’t – but we were both tired and once we got started we couldn’t stop. We had to pause our pathetic hobble-walk and cling to each other to keep from falling over.

“You two okay?” a familiar voice asked; through the tears I glanced up and saw John jogging towards us. He looked concerned until he realized we were crying from laughter. He just shook his head as he – thankfully – wrapped an arm around Nikki to help her stand.

With just her bags to carry I righted myself easier and wiped my cheeks off; John glanced between the two of us as we tried to stifle our snickering.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Do you ever?” I countered; he made a face and instantly changed the subject as we began to limp towards the bus again.

“Fair point. So, we’ve got a minor change of plans. We’re dropping you at the arena around 4, but Bryan and Brie won’t be there until 6, so Nicole and I are staying with you until they arrive.”

Oh yeah. Randy. As it seemed to keep doing, the sore spot in my life popped back up and the lightheartedness I’d felt began to fizzle out. The familiar pool of anger, frustration, lingering sadness, and guilt began to trickle through me once again.

“You guys don’t need to hang around there just to watch me,” I started, and got a look of exasperation from him and a huff of disagreement from my best friend. “Nikki needs to be resting and knowing you, you’ll get caught up in something there and you’ll have to stay the whole night. I’ll be fine. I haven’t seen him around and he hasn’t even texted me.”

“We didn’t even notice he was following you after Smackdown until Dean saw him,” Nikki pointed out, grimacing and pulling John to a stop. I turned to them and started to object as John added,

“If he’s resorting to sneaking around, I doubt he’s going to try and text you to talk. I don’t like the thought of him finding you alone. We’re staying with you until Bryan and Brie can be there as well.”

Everyone had been on edge since Dean let us know Randy had been watching me after he’d walked me to the locker room last week. Normally, I don’t think anyone would have been too concerned, but when he’d turned up at the same diner and gas station we stopped at on Saturday, my group of overprotective friends had been hypervigilant. Hell, more like borderline paranoid at this point.

On top of that, Nikki and Brie were concerned at how I was taking it, having him following us and apparently trying to talk to me. Honestly, at this point, I was more pissed off than hurt. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone, let all this just drop so we could both move on? He had a woman that gave him what he wanted – why did he still need to bother me?

The last couple of days away from the ring had given me time to clear my head. And now I was finding out that having Randy out of my life was hardly different than having him in it. He’d never really texted me, never called me, we hardly hung out beyond gathering in his locker room... Yeah, so far, it was nearly the same.

Actually, it was better than the same. Because I wasn’t spending my days wondering what he was up to and why he hadn’t called, worrying about if he’d be mad at me over something that happened weeks ago, wishing that I was somewhere else, going crazy with anxiety worrying about hiding everything from my friends...

Seriously, now that I was putting his betrayal behind me, the pain was lessening. To say I was livid about being lied to and deceived was an understatement. I still felt stupid for trusting him – even more so for actually sleeping with him – but thankfully I could at least say his name without getting all teary-eyed. That had gotten old really fast.

All I regretted now was that I hadn’t gotten to confront him. I didn’t even think he knew why I’d done what I did, but I wasn’t gonna be running back to him just to get a few minutes of chewing him out. It wasn’t worth it.

“I mean, there’s always another option,” Nikki suggested slyly; as John and I turned to look at her she smirked at me. “I’m sure the Shield wouldn’t mind babysitting you for an hour.”

John shrugged, making a face of agreement, and I quickly put my hands up as I shook my head.

“No. Absolutely not. It’s bad enough you two feel the need to monitor me non-stop. We’re not dragging them into this too.”

“Why not? I’m sure Dean would love to –“ Nikki had tried to take a step and instantly sucked in a sharp breath, slumping onto John. He caught my eye and tugged the keys out of his pocket, tossing them to me.

“Mind getting the door?” he asked, and without warning he turned and scooped Nikki up in a single swift move. She let out a squeal of surprise and clung to him like she thought Captain Muscles would actually drop her.

She was giggling wildly as he proudly carried her to the bus after me; I caught his eye and gave him a quick smile.

“Awful bold of you, Cena. Maybe I did mind,” I teased, following them onto the bus. After a long day, he could still get her giddy and grinning to the point she couldn’t even talk. What more could you want for your best friend?

-x-

Soundproof walls. A hint of humility. A sense of her surroundings. Maybe a nice, soft giggle of ecstasy instead of mind-numbing squeals?

Turns out there was a lot more I could ask for my best friend. Even curled on the couch farthest from the bedroom – with my headphones in and a pillow over my ears, I’d still been woken up from my nap. Now, having accepted my fate, I was poised on the edge of the cushion, ready to bolt for the door as soon as the bus came to a stop. The arena – my escape from this den of inequity – was so close I could taste the freedom.

To my horror, the second the bus stopped, the bedroom door opened down the hall and Papa John came strolling out towards me in nothing but a low-slung towel and bright red nail marks down his chest and arms.

“No!” I yelped, cringing into myself and covering my face in horror. “What is with you two and not wearing clothes?! You’re burning my innocent eyes!”

“Take it easy,” he chuckled, thankfully sounding like he wasn’t coming any closer; I made a point to gag in his direction as I felt around the couch for my duffel. “I just wanted to tell you we’re not coming in with you right away.”

“Why not?” I asked warily, peeking past my hands; sure enough, he was smirking. Instantly I regretted the question when a different voice answered me.

“John’s my doctor, and he’s got to slip me my pill to help me feel better,” Nikki cooed, coming out from behind him to lean against the doorway, holding a bundle of red rope and wearing nothing but panties.

“Nicole!” I shouted, abandoning my search for my bag and scrambling to my feet, feeling desperately for the stairwell instead. Seriously, this chick!

“What?” she giggled; I heard her coming closer. “It’s all natural, Jellybean. Nothing to be afraid of.”

“It’s gross,” I gagged, feeling around for the door blindly. “You are my sister and that makes John like my brother. I don’t want to see you guys naked! I’m young and impressionable, I don’t need to be exposed to this softcore bullshit you two have going on!”

“It’s definitely not softcore,” Nikki called after me; I finally dropped my hands to throw her a glare as I shoved the bus door open, turning to race out. I actually screamed as I came face-to-face with Dean’s bright blue eyes, jumping back on instinct. He caught me easily as I lost my balance, an arm around my waist to hold me steady as I tried to slow my racing heart.

“Can you not do that?!” I whined, doing my best to look upset even though I was ecstatic to see him. His toothy grin did absolutely nothing to help my heart get back to a normal rhythm. “Between you and Bryan, I’m gonna have a heart attack before I hit twenty.”

“You’re not even twenty?!” Seth snorted, coming around the corner of the bus with Roman at his side. Dean stepped back and let me hop off the step, closing the door for me as I squared up to Seth as best I could. Y’know, for not even clearing the man’s shoulder.

“Nope. Not until March 18th.”

“That explains a lot,” he snorted, rolling his eyes. “No wonder you need a constant babysitter.”

Affronted, I gasped and put a hand over my heart; even Dean rolled his eyes at that one.

“I cannot believe you said that. I am not a child! I am mature, responsible, and I -”

“And you what? Like to watch softcore porn when we’re not around?” Roman asked with a smirk; Dean and Seth snorted and I glared at all of them equally.

“I have live shows forced upon me. I’m not witnessing this by choice. I’m very innocent and at this point I could make a case for child abuse -”

“So you are a child,” Seth mused, tapping his chin and sharing a knowing look with Roman. I turned to Dean for help and found him snickering into his hoodie; assholes, all of them.

“No! I’m – you know what? Just shut up,” I backtracked, shaking my head and crossing my arms. “What are you guys even doing here? I usually don’t see you until I’m kicking your ass on live TV.”

Dean gave me a dry look as Roman and Seth pretended to fake scowl at me; I stuck my tongue out and Dean nudged my arm. When I glanced up at him, he gave me one of his teasing smirks and flicked his brows up.

“As fun as it is jumpin’ you in the ring,” he admitted, getting the others to chuckle as I scoffed, “we’re here t’do the opposite, actually. Got a text from Wonder Twin askin’ us to keep an eye on you since she’s gonna be tied up for a bit –”

Instant repulsion at my friend’s inappropriate pun swept through me, overtaking the shock of hearing that Dean and Nikki were texting. Especially when I realized what was going on inside the bus we were gathered outside of.

“Oh that is gross,” I whined; all of us looked up as one of the windows slid open to reveal the sexual deviant herself, poking her head down to wiggle her brows at me. “You are disgusting! That’s just – you couldn’t even wait until tonight!?”

“When John has desires, there’s no taming the beast,” she purred at me, licking her lips and winking. The guys around me busted out laughing as I covered my face with my hands and mumbled,

“You’re still naked, aren’t you?”

“Well, I mean technically the rope -”

“EW, okay, okay! Just cover yourselves so I can come grab my bag!” I begged, dropping my hands to give her a desperate look. She pointedly looked behind her, and then down at herself and gave me an apologetic smile.

“That’s not possible... I mean, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before -”

“That doesn’t mean I want to see it again, Nicole! Just throw it down, I need my stuff!”

“Jellybean, neither one of us can get up right now,” she began. At the look on my face she giggled and added, “you’re already in your ring gear! What else do you need?”

“My wrist tape, my cell phone, my water bottle -”

“I’ll text Dean when I’m not as compromised and you can come get your bag,” she promised; from farther in the bus I heard John add,

“Stay with the Shield until we’re there!”

“I don’t take orders from naked men,” I called back. Nikki smirked at me, eyes flicking briefly to Dean like she was ready to add something; oh dear God no! There was no telling what she’d say but I didn’t need her hinting anything right in front of Dean and the Shield! I jammed a finger at her, face going bright red. “Don’t. Just don’t. You’re disgusting. Shut the window. Just text Dean later okay?”

She wiggled her fingers at me before disappearing inside; with a shudder, I turned back to the Shield. All three of them were watching me with mixtures of bemused expressions and dangerous smirks.

“This happen a lot?” Dean asked, falling into step with me as I hightailed it for the arena, trying to put as much distance between myself and the acts going on behind the walls of that bus.

“Oh yeah. I love being with my best friend but I swear I’ve seen her naked more than I’ve seen myself.”

“Sounds like a good time,” Seth smirked, giving me a look as Dean held the door for us. I glared at him as I skirted past him inside. “What? That’s hot.”

“She is my sister. That’s not hot, it’s just wrong,” I informed him, glaring when he laughed; to my surprise, Dean smacked him as he followed me in. The look he threw Seth was the same one I’d seen him give before when Seth got too rough with me. Was he defending me again?

“Quit bein’ a dick,” he told him sternly, nudging me ahead of him as Roman brought up the rear. “I ain’t listenin’ to the two’a you fight all night.”

“He started it,” I pointed out, enjoying the unamused frown Dean gave me when Seth started going off behind us. “Really, though, I’ll be just fine until Nikki and John get in. I don’t wanna put you guys out all night.”

“Don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone right now,” Roman spoke up over Seth’s whining. I’d told Dean about seeing Randy over the weekend and it seemed Shield were just as concerned. “If Orton’s lurking around you, who knows what he’s planning. We know he’s gonna want payback for what happened, and he won’t be stupid enough to come after us for that.”

“You really think he’s gonna try something?” I asked them doubtfully. “I mean, he’s got a temper, but he’s more the cry to Stephanie and Hunter until he gets his way type. He already kept me out of the ring last week. I’m sure if he wanted to, I’d be off the roster -”

“His pull’s only gonna go so far,” Seth countered as we wove our way down to the lower level of the arena. “Sure, he can complain to the bosses, but fact is you signed a contract and they can’t just break it because Orton tells them to.”

“He’s gonna run into a wall, an’ he’ll take matters in’ta his own hands,” Dean explained, leading the way into a dark, cold locker room. Even with the lights on it was dim, and the chill settling around us made my skin crawl. I’d have to start convincing them to stay with the rest of the roster if this became a regular thing. “An’ until we figure out what he’s gonna do, you’re with us Finch.”

I heaved a sigh and looked around at the men that had gathered in front of me. As much as I hated feeling like I was a burden to them, I had to admit I didn’t want to be alone. Alone was when my dumb ass actually missed Randy. On a day like today, with Brie and Bryan showing up late, and Nikki and John wrapped up (or tied up...) with one another, I would’ve gone to find him.

And I really didn’t want to think about that.

“Okay then, sounds like you’re stuck with me,” I decided, clapping my hands together and looking around, suppressing a shiver and regretting my sleeveless open-side ring attire. “Next time, I get to pick the locker room.”

“What, you scared Barbie?” Seth snickered; I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure we can find you a nightlight.”

“How about you go find the schedule and quit bein’ a dick?” Roman suggested, glaring at his teammate. Seth scoffed at Roman as I looked between them all.

“What do you need to see the schedule for? You don’t even have actual matches, you guys just jump into what you want.” They all gave me pointed looks and I rolled my eyes. “Oh, right. Picking your targets.”

“You’re a genius,” Seth sneered; I stuck my tongue out at him and he looked between Dean and Roman. “Don’t let her near my shit.”

As the door swung shut both boys instantly pointed to Seth’s bag. Roman even unzipped it for me. With an apologetic smile I shook my head and held up my empty hands.

“I’m unarmed. All of my sabotage stuff is in my bag.”

“We’ll do it later then,” Roman decided, rubbing his hands together mischievously. Dean and I gave him bemused smirks as he skirted past to his own side of the locker room to get ready. “What? He’s gettin' on my nerves. Someone needs to knock him down a few pegs.”

Dean met my eyes and slowly shook his head as he led me to the opposite side, where he dropped his own bag. I settled cross-legged on the bench and looked up at him expectantly as he dug out his Shield uniform.

“Yer’a bad influence,” he drawled, feigning a look of disappointment as I snorted. “Got Roman turnin’ on his own brother.”

“What, like you wouldn’t help us prank him?” I challenged; Dean gave me a swift wink as he began to back towards the bathroom, tossing me a bundle of something as he went.

“Never said I wouldn’t, darlin’.”

As he slipped out of view, I looked down and unfolded what he’d thrown; a black zip up hoodie with the Cincinnati Bengals logo on the front. Thank God he’d walked away from me, I was grinning like a little kid and probably at least ten shades of pink. Quickly I tugged it on and instantly burrowed into it, wrapping my arms around myself and taking a deep breath. Dean’s cologne – something oaky and crisp – mixed with the faint scent of laundry soap, with just a hint of cigarette smoke. I’d definitely be giving him shit about that later, but for now I was reveling in the fact that Dean had given me his hoodie.

“You mind if I turn on the show?” Roman asked me from his corner. When I glanced over I saw him smirking, and only now did I realize I was still hugging the hoodie around me and grinning. Instantly I cleared my throat and dropped my arms, trying to play it cool.

“Nope, no, uh, that’s fine,” I squeaked out; his smirk widened as he turned on the TV, going back to fighting with the laces on his boots. As I cursed myself for my inability to play things cool, Dean returned, dropping his other clothes in his duffel behind me. I glanced back and went to tease him about taking forever when I actually caught sight of him.

He was in his cargo pants and skin-tight muscle shirt that hugged his lean frame illegally well. The hard muscles of his chest and abs shifted subtly beneath the thin fabric as he shoved his street clothes in, delicious arms flexing with the movement.

Good god those arms.

My brain honestly just shut down. I was staring, I knew I was, and there was nothing I could do. Realizing I’d been ogling him silently for way too long now, I cleared my throat and looked away to try and remember how to use words again. I could feel him smirking as he settled on the bench beside me to pull on his boots.

“You good, Finch?”

“Yep. Fine. I’m great,” I rushed out, cursing the hitch of my voice as I stole a peek at him. Dean let a smile curl over his lips as he reached out, tugging lightly on the hoodie as he studied me briefly. As he pulled back, I nudged his foot with mine and added, “thanks for this. I apparently never know how to dress myself.”

“Y’look good,” he told me, thankfully turning back to his boots to save me from further embarrassment as I went bright pink again. Did he mean overall, was he just talking about the hoodie…? Did it matter, because he’d just complimented me and shut down my brain again?

Before I could deliberate further, Seth came stalking back into the locker room. Roman and Dean stood and the three of them gathered together while I sat idly on the bench pretending I wasn’t eavesdropping shamelessly.

“Casper and Meat Head are doing a promo, talking shit about us,” Seth told them; the other two slowly nodded like they were agreeing on something. He must’ve meant Sheamus and Ryback. “Seems like we’ve been pissing them off and they want to put us in our places.”

“Well, you guys do jump them for no reason. It’s not exactly justice,” I pointed out mildly to defend my friends. All three of them turned to give me frowns and I held up my hands. “I’m just sayin’.”

“And no one asked you,” Seth snarked; Dean smacked him again.

“What’d I say? We’re not doin’ this all night. Go get ready so we can give ‘em a promo of our own.”

Grumbling under his breath, Seth skulked into the bathroom with his bag and let the door shut hard. Dean rolled his eyes as he turned to give an exasperated look.

“What?!” I scoffed, blinking innocently; Dean just shook his head as he dropped onto the bench again.

“Do y’gotta rile him up?”

“Hey, I was just making an observation –”

“After turning on Randy Orton, Jamie Lawless left the WWE locker room wondering how she could betray her friend and mentor.” My stomach sunk hearing the TV behind me; Dean and I fell quiet as we turned to watch the advertised match popping up on the screen. “Later tonight, Zack Ryder will go one-on-one with Lawless to avenge an injured Orton and hopefully get some answers for the WWE Universe!”

I hadn’t noticed my fingers digging into my leg nervously until Dean managed to pull my hand back. My head snapped up to him and I saw him watching me with gentle concern. The hand holding mine gave a light squeeze.

“This has Randy written all over it,” I muttered, a sick ache growing in my chest. “Pitching me against a face to make me look like the bad guy even more than I already do.”

Being a heel wasn’t something I’d ever wanted. I was a fair fighter and I didn’t cheat the system. Okay, yes, I’d abandoned my tag partner and thrown him to the Shield. I had reasons, damnit! More than anything I wished I could tell the Universe that. I wished they knew I hadn’t turned on Randy – that he’d betrayed me.

Sure, maybe to some, it wasn’t a big deal. Just wrestle and leave – who cares what they think? But I didn’t wrestle just to wrestle. I was working hard to make a fair, honest name for myself in the company I loved. And, maybe it’d be different if I’d chosen this path. But everything considered, it just felt like one more damn thing Randy was forcing on me. One more choice in my life he got to make.

Again, I felt myself getting pulled under in the sea of frustration and anger that Randy had thrown me into. At this point I didn’t care that he’d cheated on me; I just wanted it to be over and out from under his thumb. And he just had to keep throwing everything back in my face.

“Hey,” Dean murmured, scooting closer to me and resting his hand on the leg I was bouncing to settle it. “S’okay, darlin’. This is just part’a layin’ low. You got a good match tonight. Ryder’s a decent kid. Keep it clean, an’ the crowd’ll start t’see you ain’t what he’s makin’ you out to be.”

“Or,” Seth cut in, strolling past us as he tugged his gloves on. “You just say fuck it and we can jump your match, take him out for you.” He punched his hand, then smirked at me and shrugged. “Then take you out. Send the whole night into chaos.”

“You just want to hit me,” I countered; he gave me a shit-eating grin and I shrugged. “I don’t blame you. I’d be pissed too, if I were you. That looked like expensive cologne.”

Seth froze and whipped his head around to stare at me in instant growing fury; Dean stifled a groan. Come on, he seriously just made this too easy.

“It is! What’d you do to it?!”

“Oh, you didn’t notice?” I asked innocently; he let out a snarl and stomped back to the bathroom. I grinned after him as Dean just chuckled and shook his head.

“You’re a mastermind, you know that?” Roman grinned, patting my shoulder as he passed. “Don’t even need your weapons to fuck with ‘im. Ay, Dean. I’ll grab us a camera. Tell grumpy to come find me when he’s done cryin’.”

Dean just nodded, and as the door shut behind him the locker room fell into silence. Well, except for Seth’s muttering and the sound of him digging through his bag. For a moment I zoned out, watching the match on screen, trying not to think about my own coming up as Dean pulled out a roll of his wrist tape. Well, there went my attention span for anything other than the man in front of me.

So sue me if I got caught up in the way his body shifted with the subtle movements, the way his fingers carefully unrolled the tape and then began intricate loops around his hand and wrist. How his arms flexed just a hint as he tore off one piece of tape to start on another, how his pants hugged those equally delicious thighs… How had I not noticed his thighs before?! Well, time to obsess over those beauties now. They were thicker than expected for his overall lean body and they were pure muscle, shifting powerfully under the thin covering of his pants as he sat forward –

Dean cleared his throat and I instantly snapped my eyes up to his; oh my god Jamie, really!? Staring at his arms was one thing – but his lap?! Did I seriously not know the definition of play it cool tonight!? My face had to be bright red, but to my surprise, Dean wasn’t smirking.

His eyes were dark, locked on my own with an unreadable expression burning in his baby blues. It was the same look he’d given me the night he’d pinned me to the ground in the back hallway. Or when he’d pinned to the wall outside Booker’s office. Okay, come to think of it, I ended up pinned by him a lot. Not that I minded. A spark of excitement flickered in my chest when I figured out the emotion in his eyes; he looked hungry. Eager. Almost as if he liked me staring. Like he wanted me to stare.

He reached out slowly – eyes not leaving mine, expression unwavering – and grabbed my right hand. He turned it palm-up and ran his thumb over my skin briefly, drawing a shiver out of me before he pressed a piece of tape into my hand. He began to wrap gently and methodically, finally taking his eyes off mine to move the wrap up to my wrist. I watched him work, honestly impressed at how quickly and neatly he wrapped. When he’d finished it off, he kept a hold of my hand and flicked his eyes back up at me.

“This too tight?” his voice was rough, drawing another near-imperceptible shiver out of me as his fingers ran over his handywork. Experimentally I rolled my wrist and flexed my hand, careful not to pull out of his hold; I wasn’t ready for him to let go.

“Perfect,” I told him softly, enjoying the quirk of a smile on his lips. I had no idea what was going on between us right now but I was all for it. He sat my right hand down to take my left, turning it over as he did; this time, though, he hesitated. One hand held my own palm-up, and the other reached out, fingers running over the scar on my forearm. The one I’d gotten from throwing Seth and I off the ladder at TLC. He traced it from the crook of my elbow to the base of my wrist, touch so light I hardly felt it.

“Big scar for a little Finch,” he noted, finally beginning to wrap again. A small smile flickered onto my lips and I shrugged my shoulders a bit.

“It’s my permanent reminder not to do stupid things,” I told him; he chuckled as his fingers continued to weave the tape over my hand. “How do you do that? Get it to stay without tying it. I tried to wrap like that and I can’t do it.”

Dean peeked up at me through his curls and wiggled his brows at me.

“Bit’a dark magic. Sold my soul to Roman to get his skills.” As I giggled and rolled my eyes at him, he sat up and lifted my hand a bit higher, backtracking to start over. “Here. Start at your palm. Then when y’go to your wrist, y’just tuck it like this...”

He wrapped slower, pointing out his technique as he went. When he got to the end, he tucked the tape up and patted my hand. I lifted it up and studied it with a smile.

“You’re gonna have to show me again,” I warned him. “I get frustrated and just wrap my wrists.”

“Y’gotta sell your soul,” he reminded, getting to his feet and giving me a hand up. “I hear the big dog’s on the market again.”

As Seth came out of the bathroom – finally satisfied I hadn’t messed with his cologne (yet) – I eyed him curiously.

“Does he take trade-ins?”

Dean shrugged.

“Yeah, but Seth won’t get ya anythin’. He already tried. Why d’you think he just wears gloves?”

I let out an unexpected laugh and covered my mouth trying to stop, only laughing harder at the scowl Seth threw at us. As I really tried to quiet down, Dean caught my eye and his toothy grin set both of us off. Seth shoved past us, heading for the locker room door as he threw out,

“If you’re done playing around with Barbie, we have places to be.”

Dean went to reply when his pocket pinged. He tugged out his ancient phone and threw me a look when I instantly started giggling again. He flipped it open – god, how did he still have a flip phone!? - and skimmed the message.

“Sounds like y’friends are ready for ya,” he told me. “Good t’go?”

“Well, I was gonna stay here and torment Seth, but since you’re on a schedule...” I shrugged and led the way to the door. “I can just come back.”

“Stay out of our locker room,” Seth threatened, already marching down the hall in the opposite direction as Dean and I stepped out. Dean just jerked his head to the left and we fell into step with one another.

“Here, before I forget,” I started, going to pull his hoodie off; Dean reached out and folded his hand over mine, sliding the jacket back up onto my shoulder.

“Hang onto it for now,” he said simply. “Y’need it more than I do, an’ it’ll keep Seth from fuckin’ with it again.”

“Thank you,” I smiled, burrowing back inside of it. It was warm, it smelled good… I mean, how could I resist? We were quiet for a few moments, content in each other’s company, until the guilt at being escorted surfaced again.

“You know, you really don’t need to walk me,” I started again, realizing I was making the rest of his team wait while he marched me through the practically empty halls. Dean tucked his hands in his pockets and said simply,

“I know guys like Orton pretty well, Finch, an’ I know he ain’t gonna be happy just sittin’ back messin’ with your matches. You talk to him yet? Since last Monday?”

“No,” I admitted, glancing up at him. “He hasn’t called or texted, and even if he’s following me I haven’t seen him. I guess he got the hint to leave me alone.”

“For now,” Dean said, glancing at me as we rounded the corner and made for the row of locker rooms. He paused a bit from the door and I stopped with him, turning to face him. He let out a sigh and looked down at me. “Maybe we’re bein’ a little paranoid, but it’s better than lettin’ him get the one-up on ya. He’s vindictive an’ he doesn’t like getting' his ass handed to him. Until we know you’re good, Finch, we’re keepin’ an eye out for ya.”

The bubbling excitement in my chest rose up again as I smiled at him, trying not to look as flustered as I was. He just chuckled and nudged me down the hall, pushing the locker room door open for me and stepping aside.

“Stay outta trouble,” he teased as I skirted inside; I scoffed and shook my head.

“I’m never in trouble. You’re confusing me with yourself, Ambrose.”

As Dean snorted, John glanced up from his spot on the couch and to my surprise, he gave Dean a nod of thanks. Seeing him being openly cordial to a member of the Shield? Color me impressed.

“I hope she wasn’t a problem,” he said mildly, smirking at the glare I gave him. What was I, five?! Dean chuckled and shrugged.

“Always is, but we’re used t’her.” When I turned to fix him with a glare he gave me a toothy grin and a swift wink that sent my heart skipping. “See y’round, darlin’.”

As the door swung shut I trudged over to the couch and plopped next to John, studying the TV. I still had about twenty minutes before my match and I realized I should probably be getting an idea of what was going on. And, y’know, maybe catch the Shield’s promo. Not that I liked watching them or anything.

“Nicole’s asleep on the bus, and Bryan said he and Brie are about twenty minutes out. I figured you and I could watch the show until they get here,” John told me, grabbing the remote and turning up the volume a few notches.

John was one of those souls that didn’t mind sitting in silence; he and I watched the match between Santino Marella and Jack Swagger in quiet companionship. We probably would’ve stayed that way if the next promo hadn’t shown the clip I’d been avoiding the last few days.

I hadn’t actually watched what had happened, but seeing it play back to me was surreal. Randy, stumbling back to me, hand outstretched. Me, jumping back off the apron, a look of cold fury on my face as I stared up at him. The shocked look he gave me, the punch to the face Dean gave him, and then the laugh I couldn’t hold back. That sure didn’t make this look any better for me.

“Tonight, we’ll see Zack Ryder take on the new, ruthless Jamie Lawless. Will we find out why she turned her back on Orton?”

“For the last freaking time, I had reasons,” I muttered, propping my elbow on my knee and dropping my chin into my hand. The couch shifted as John turned to me, solemn look on his face. He studied me a few moments, like he was trying to decide what to say to me.

“Ryder’s a good kid,” he finally said, tone even and diplomatic. Probably trying to sooth the panic he could sense rising up in me as my match drew closer. “Having you wrestle as heel isn’t ideal, but it won’t be forever. When the crowd sees you’re still the same old Jamie, they’ll start to come around.”

I nodded in understanding; no matter how many times I got told that, it didn’t get rid of the sick feeling sloshing in my stomach. After blowing out a breath and sitting up a bit straighter, I admitted,

“I just hate facing Zack. I know Randy set it up, and it just feels like he’s winning. Like he got one over on me, making me the heel tonight. And I don’t –“ I took a breath and finally said quietly, “Just… as dumb as it is, it feels like he’s still got a say on what I’m doing. And I don’t want him having any authority over me.”

Tears pricked my eyes and I let out a huff of frustration, quickly rubbing them away before they got the chance to fall. Crying over that asshole was getting really annoying. John gave me a gentle smile and nodded in understanding; I dropped my hands to my lap and focused on studying the wrapping Dean had done. For a few moments it was like I could feel his warm, feather-light touch on my skin and it soothed a bit of the turmoil in my chest.

“I get it. And I promise you this won’t go on forever, kid, so let’s get through tonight and worry about the rest –“

There was a swift knock on the locker room door, and when we glanced up my heart dropped into my stomach. Stephanie McMahon was leaning inside, tight smile on her face. Her sharp eyes flicked dismissively to me before settling on John.

“I’m glad the rumors are true,” she said, and John let out a heavy sigh. “If you’ve got a few minutes, Hunter and I have some pressing things we need to go over with you for Wrestlemania.”

“Can it wait until tomorrow? I’m not even supposed to be here –“

Her smile tightened a bit and she gave a small shake of her head.

“We really need to get this out of the way. The sooner, the better. Certainly you understand.”

Though I could tell he wasn’t happy, it wasn’t like John could tell his boss no. He just gave a quick nod and said,

“Of course. I’ll be there in a few.”

Stephanie didn’t even spare a glance at me – bet I could thank Randy for her hostility – and she was gone in a moment. John got heavily to his feet, ready to follow, only to pause and look back at me.

“You can come with me,” he started, and I couldn’t help the eye-roll I gave him. “I don’t want to leave you –“

“Thanks but no thanks. I don’t think Stephanie wants anything to do with me right now. Brie and Bry will be here soon, and I won’t move from this couch until you’re back.” When his concerned expression didn’t waiver I added, “if Randy decides to pop up out of the cushions I’ll tell him not to bother me until I’m accompanied by an adult.”

The look he gave me was borderline irritated; I just beamed up at him, ushering him towards the door. All joking aside, I really didn’t want him to drag me into a meeting with Hunter and Stephanie. He hesitated for another moment, but we both knew our boss wouldn’t wait on him forever.

“Fine. But don’t move –“

“Not moving.”

“I mean it –“

“Scout’s honor.” I held up a hand; he narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not a scout.”

“No, but I’m lazy. That probably counts for more with me,” I pointed out; he went to argue but shrugged his shoulders, agreeing with me. “Seriously, John. I’m fine. Go before she comes back.”

After one more deliberating look at me, he reluctantly edged out of the locker room. Only once the door shut did I slump back across the couch, burrowing down into Dean’s hoodie. Not that I didn’t appreciate everyone’s concern, but having them all hovering over me was already getting tedious. Plus, it just made the whole Randy thing worse.

He’d gotten me off the show last week, my friends assumed I was constantly thinking about him (which, thanks to them, I was), and hell, I couldn’t even sit in the locker room without having to worry about him. Even without speaking to him, he still had his claws twisted into my life. I felt like I couldn’t escape Randy, and for just a few minutes I wanted to do something other than worry about that asshole.

It was like the Shield had heard my thoughts.

“Ambrose.”

“Rollins.”

“Reigns.”

Excitedly, I flipped over and sat up, grinning at the TV as the Shield came into view. Seth was holding the camera tonight, glaring straight ahead with Roman at his shoulder. Behind him, Dean was pacing incessantly. Seth glanced at him and then back to the camera.

“Sheamus, Ryback. You two think you can run your mouths about the Shield and get away with it?”

“We got news for you,” Roman growled, cracking his knuckles and rolling his head side to side. “We’re not some pushover like the rest of the locker room. You call us out, we take you out.”

Dean spun on his heel and slowly stalked forward, coming to pause on Seth’s other side. A slow, dangerous smirk spread over his face that sent an unexpected shiver through me; I hugged his hoodie a little tighter. What was with him doing that to me tonight!?

“Y’see, we don’t like it when people think they can disrespect us. Gets us riled up. An’ when we’re riled up, we get dangerous.” He ducked his head briefly and then looked up at the camera as he said slowly, “you don’t wanna see the Shield when we’re dangerous.”

He enunciated every word, the drawl of his accent giving his warning a deadly tone.

“You all think the Shield are run by people. By Heyman…” Seth trailed, sneering like the name left a bad taste.

“By Punk,” Roman growled, lip twitching up in a snarl; the camera moved to Dean and he smirked.

“By that little Finch who just don’t know when to quit…”

“Mark our words. The next time anyone runs their mouths about us, there’ll be hell to pay,” Roman promised. All three men gathered closer to the camera as Dean growled,

“Believe that. Believe… in the Shield.”

The screen instantly cut to black; I could hear the crowd roaring from all the way back here. Hate them or love them, the Shield always got a reaction. I was just getting ready to roll over and send Dean a text – teasing him about calling me out – when I saw my own face smiling back from the TV, standing next to Zack Ryder. Up Next flashed under our pictures and I let out a curse as I scrambled to my feet.

How did I always lose track of time?! With the commercial break and whatever commentary about the Shield would happen afterwards, I had less than ten minutes to get my butt to gorilla. Shucking Dean’s hoodie onto the couch, I was just about to leave when I realized John had told me not to move.

Actually frozen in the doorway, I debated my options. I couldn’t just wait around – what if he wasn’t back in time? I couldn’t just not wrestle, as much as I didn’t want to tonight. And the only reason I was hiding out here was because my friends thought I had to be afraid of Randy.

Well, fuck that.

Admittedly, I did keep an eye over my shoulder. Just in case. Knowing my luck, Randy would be waiting for me. So I skirted the halls as fast as I could, hoping for a quick and trouble-less trip to the ring.

To my surprise, someone did rush out of the locker room I practically ran past, snagging my hand and pulling me back so fast I nearly fell.

“You saved me!” Damien gushed, spinning me around to face him. He was grinning down at me wildly, looking genuinely pleased to see me. It was so unsettling I actually took a step back.

“Uh, what? What did I do?”

“On Friday, during my match!” he continued, like he expected me to connect the pieces; my blank stare didn’t waiver and he let out a huff of frustration as he prompted, “you sent the Shield to my aid when that Celtic brute tried to overthrow me!”

“I – what?” Oh, yeah! Shield jumped Sheamus. I gave him an apologetic smile as I started to back away. “No, Dames, that wasn’t me. I didn’t –“

“Don’t humble yourself, Jeanette! What you did was a wonderful thing. It shows you truly care about being my manager,” he pressed, holding a hand to his heart and staring down at me affectionately. Okay, super creepy. “I can’t thank you enough. You’re finally starting to show your true potential, not only as my manager – but as a trusted ally.”

Well, shoot. Damien thought I was his ally? Normally I’d set him straight, maybe steal his robe or mess up his hair, something to get him thinking clearly. But he was so excited – and okay, a part of me really liked having Damien Sandow as an ally – that I just couldn’t crush his spirits.

“Hey, that’s what managers are for,” I told him, trying to edge around the corner. “I’ve got my match, but you know what? You did so great, you just take the night off. Okay?”

Damien was still beaming as I turned and fled down the next hall. Poor confused little man. I had no idea if he had a match or not – regardless, I’d either look like the best manager ever, or he’d see I really was a bad influence. It’d work itself out.

With Dames on my mind, I didn’t notice him in my peripheral. Didn’t realize he was at my side until a hand locked onto my upper arm and I was yanked roughly down a side hall. My back slammed into the wall and as another hand took hold of my other arm.

Randy’s face leveled with my own.

Oh shit. This was not good. Not only had he clearly been waiting to get to me, this meant the others were right and I’d never hear the end of this. Honestly at the moment I had no idea what was more concerning.

“What’s the matter, Jay? You look a little scared. You haven’t been avoiding me, have you?” he hummed, dangerous smile curling his lips. Words caught in my throat, I shook my head quickly and he gave a sharp laugh, leaning closer. “Yeah, I think you have. I think you’ve been hiding behind your friends because you’re too scared to face what you did. You’re awful brave when you’ve got the Shield fighting your battles, but what about now? Just you and me. Not so brave anymore.”

I pressed my mouth shut, glaring up at him as I tried to hide the pulsing fear inside of me. When I didn’t answer his hands tightened painfully on my arms as he leaned closer; so close his cheek brushed mine, so close I could smell the mint of his gum, the musk of his body wash I knew so well.

“I’m not letting you leave until you explain yourself to me.”

“I saw you. I saw you with that woman,” I whispered, willing my voice not to break as he slowly moved back to meet my eyes again. He stayed quiet, but the dangerous gleam didn’t leave his gaze. “I heard what she said. How long were you cheating on me, Randy?”

His laugh was hollow; cold, humorless, and unnerving. He hung his head for a moment, and when he looked back up at me he had a smile that was just as unsettling.

“You’re kidding me. That’s what this shit is about? You finally figured it out, and you had to throw a temper tantrum. You really are a child.”

He didn’t care. He really didn’t. It was one thing to watch the video of him with someone else, but to hear his tone, hear how amused – how proud he was? The fear trickled out of me and the anger I was holding onto began to rise up.

“After all I did for you just so we could be together, Randy, that’s all you have to say? You told me to stay quiet, so I did. You told me I could trust you, and I did. You told me you loved me, and I was stupid enough to believe you. And then after all that, you still cheated on me.”

Randy laughed again and rolled his eyes. He finally let me go but he didn’t move back; he crossed his arms and stared down at me, smirk on his face as he chuckled to himself.

“You really wanna do this, Jamie? Yeah, I cheated on you. And you know what? It was all just for fun. You were fun to mess around with, especially watching you think this was ever gonna turn into something more than what it was. You’re an immature little girl that was too stupid to figure out what was right in front of you. How long did it take you? What is this, six months now? Jesus, Jay. And you -” he laughed and tipped his head back, like he just couldn’t handle how amusing this was. “ - you were so stupid you actually thought I loved you. Actually thought I wanted to be with you. You were nothing but a game. How long will it take to screw the rookie?”

There were no tears tonight. No sadness, no misery. There was a deep, aching fury in my bones that burned white-hot as I stared up at him. Because after all he’d put me through, all we’d been together, he didn’t even have the decency to be honest with me. Everyone said I was terrible at lying – which, okay, I was – but I could also sense a lie a mile away. I stared him down until his laughter stopped. He raised a brow and I shook my head.

“That’s not entirely true.” He scoffed and looked away as I pressed on quietly, “if it was just a game, just for fun, you would’ve given me up the second I got too difficult. You know what I think? I think you did care about me, and I think it frustrated you that I didn’t give the Apex Predator Randy Orton whatever he demanded.”

Slowly, Randy turned his head back, eyes cold and finally beginning to show something other than smug. I was pressing buttons, which meant I was onto something. And it definitely felt good to get under his skin after what had happened.

“Shut up,” he warned, jaw tensing as I tilted my head and raised a brow at him.

“Why? Don’t like being called out on your bullshit?” It was my turn to laugh; the look on his face pushed me to keep going. “You’re a selfish, impatient brat that didn’t like being told no, and instead of being mature, you went behind my back. And if I had to guess, I’d say you did the same thing with your ex because you just don’t know how to be an adult. You’re a weak, pathetic little coward that doesn’t know how to handle not getting what he wants –“

Randy’s hands slammed into my shoulders and shoved me hard into the wall; a squeak of pain left me as he leaned heavily over me, lips pulled back in a snarl.

“Don’t fucking run your mouth about who you think I am. You don’t know a goddamn thing.”

“I know I’m right –“ one of Randy’s hands shot up and grabbed my jaw, fingers digging painfully into my cheeks.

“I told you to shut your fucking mouth, Jamie. Talk all you want, it doesn’t matter. You know what matters here?” I went to throw something out at him and his hold tightened on my face to keep me quiet. “Who you know. That’s all that matters. You know why you’re in a match against Ryder? Because I told Hunter to put you in it. I can’t get you out of the company, but you know what? You’re so stupid I won’t have to do anything.”

At the look on my face – admittedly it was more of a grimace of pain than of disgust at what he was saying – he laughed and let go of my jaw to mockingly pat my cheek. He was borderline grinning, face bright, like he’d just scored a game-winning goal. Like he’d just won against me.

“You’re doing that for me, sweetheart. Turned yourself heel, lost your best ally in this company, got on the bad side of Stephanie and Hunter… hell, I didn’t have to lift a finger for that. You know, I was gonna have Show go after you again, injure you permanently and get you off the roster for good, but I’ll let you ruin your own career. It’s a lot more fun this way.”

His hand slid off my cheek and finally he took a step back from me, turning to leave. Maybe I should’ve just stayed quiet, let him leave, but… I just couldn’t let him get the last word. I couldn’t let him win.

“Like I said, you’re a coward.”

He paused his retreat and looked back at me, the smile slowly fading off his face.

“Excuse you?”

“You heard me. You’re. A. Coward.”

He turned to face me; my mind was telling me to run while I still could. My heart wasn’t letting me move.

“What are you –“

“You couldn’t be honest enough with me to break up and you had to cheat. You can’t even face me on your own now that I know. You’re hiding behind Stephanie and Hunter because you’re too afraid to face me yourself -”

Randy slapped me hard enough to whip my head around, breath ripping out of me in a gasp. “I told you to shut your fucking mouth!” He lifted his hand to hit me again I flinched down on instinct.

“Ms. Lawless.” Randy froze and I took my opportunity to slip out from under him, skirting back several steps, holding my burning cheek. Del Rio slowly walked towards us, and though he spoke to me, his eyes never left Randy. “I believe you’re late for your match. Vickie has been looking for you.”

He paused between the both of us, still staring down the Viper as Randy slowly lowered his hand. For several heartbeats they glared at one another, neither moving, neither speaking. Finally, Randy took a step back. He let out a contemptuous snort, threw me a dangerous parting glance, and spun on his heel to stalk down the hall.

Only once he was out of sight did Del Rio turn to me. My hand was still on my cheek and I felt rattled but… Okay. I’d finally told Randy what had been on my mind, and even though that hadn’t gone like I’d expected (really, though, what was I expecting?) I felt like a giant Randy-sized weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

“Are you alright, niñita?”

I gave a nod and let out a shaky breath, trying to settle myself. Del Rio waited beside me until I finally dropped my hand and met his eyes, offering a small smile of assurance.

“I am, thanks to you. After last week, not a lot of people here would have stood up for me.”

Del Rio shrugged and folded his hands behind his back.

“I heard enough to know you had your reasons. I’m not one to judge.” He gave me a wry smile and added, “besides, I owed you one. Consider my debt for the confetti paid.”

My eyes widened a hint and he slowly raised a brow.

“I uh, I sort of owe you a platter of tacos then,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck; Del Rio smirked and gave me a knowing look.

“Trust me, you are not as sneaky as you think. I know about the tacos.” The shit-eating grin I gave made him snort.

“I’ll bring you tacos on Friday. Deal?”

“Deal,” he agreed, giving a wry smile. Though I wanted to linger a bit more, Del Rio jerked his head towards gorilla – where I’d been trying to get to for a while now. “I’d hurry if I was you. They stalled with a commercial but Vickie isn’t happy.”

Yikes.

“Got it. Thank you, really. It means a lot,” I told him as I skirted past; he gave me a simple head nod before continuing on his way. Despite all that had just happened, despite that I was going to a match I wanted no part of, I felt better. Hopeful.

Del Rio had heard what Randy said, and he’d sided with me. That meant that others might, too, when they figured out what had happened. I might not be stuck being heel forever, and maybe I’d even keep some friends along the way.

I’d think about that later; right now, I had a match to deal with. Zack Ryder, Vickie, and Bryan – to my complete surprise –were all gathered at Gorilla, talking frantically and looking around. Bryan spotted me first and relief flooded his face. It was nice, seeing a smile of his that was directed to me. We hadn’t talked much in the last few days and man was I missing my partner in crime.

“Where’ve you been?” he asked as he rushed to me, falling into step as I jogged for Gorilla. “John said you weren’t in the locker room and –“

His hand wrapped around my wrist and he tugged me to a stop. When I glanced up at him in question I saw the deep frown of concern etched on his face. He turned me towards him and studied me closer.

“What happened to your face?”

Oh.

My hand instinctively went to the cheek Randy had hit; it was tender and, apparently, already bruising. God, I was worse than a banana… we didn’t have time to go into it all now.

“I’m fine. We’ll talk later, okay?” I said, for once in my life thankful that Vickie was here. “I think I’ll be killed if I delay this match any longer.”

Bryan wanted to argue but Vickie wasn’t having it.

“Miss Lawless! Now that you’ve decided to grace us with your presence, could you please get yourself out in that ring? I have a show to run!”

Bryan reluctantly let my hand drop. I gave him a quick smile, trying to assure him, as I turned for the others. Zack was studying me with a curious expression. I’d only interacted with him once – distracting Show to get his foot off Zack’s face – and the only thing he probably knew about me was that I turned on Randy. Oh, and that I couldn’t keep track of time.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you wait,” I told him, ignoring Vickie. He just gave a curt nod and I turned, signaling to the stagehand to start my music. The moment the first notes hit, the arena erupted. There were still some cheers – but the booing overshadowed the rest of it. Taking a deep breath – keeping the words of encouragement from my friends in mind – I headed out to face the crowd.

-x-

Zack came flying off the far ropes and I barely had time to throw myself down, sliding under his legs at the last moment. He recovered almost instantly – good god he was quick – and just as I got to my feet he jumped back and hit me with an elbow to the neck.

We went down hard and I wheezed as he stretched his entire body over me for the pin. At the 2-count I twisted desperately and barely got a shoulder up. Zack was a big guy – bigger than Del Rio even – but he moved like lightning. Normally my advantage was speed but we were evenly matched.

As Zack shoved to his feet I rolled aside, scrambling to the apron and hauling myself to my feet with the ropes. As he turned to face me I quickly climbed the turnbuckle; pausing only long enough to get my balance, I stood and jumped forward, throwing my legs out for my hurricanrana and locking my ankles around his neck. I swung us around with my momentum and flipped Zack onto his back, tucking and rolling myself into a stand.

He went to get up and I hit him with a running knee that sent him slumping to the mat; I fell across his chest and used all my weight to keep him down.

“One… two… th -”

Zack surged up and sent me tumbling onto the mat with a squeak; damn my small size! As I scrambled to get my feet under me, Zack jumped up and turned to bounce off the ropes again. I had to beat him to the punch; I managed to stand and turned, ready to throw myself into a buzzsaw kick. The ref hadn’t been ready for our speeds and he was caught directly between us. Zack couldn’t stop in time and they collided, both of them dropping to the mat.

Barely keeping my own footing, I stumbled back and stared down at the guys at my feet. The ref was clutching his head and Zack was holding his jaw, both grimacing as they tried to get their feet under them.

As I came towards them, Zack flipped himself onto his back to face me as he scurried away, hand held out. Was he… did he think I was gonna jump him while the ref was down? Well, I hated to disappoint, but I wasn’t actually heel. Turning my back to Zack – putting myself at his mercy instead – I knelt and held a hand out to the ref. The poor guy stared at me, just as surprised as my opponent, but he took my offer.

“You good?” I asked him once he was on his feet; he nodded and I turned to Zack as he finally stood up as well. “Ready?”

He still looked cautious but he nodded slowly, and the ref signaled to start again. We dove at each other and locked up and, like the start of our match, he overpowered me easily. I managed to slip out from under him as he tried to get me into a submission lock, and instead scurried to the ropes again.

I’d planned to go for a flying cross-body (because throwing myself at people was actually pretty effective) but Zack was just too damn quick. As I bounced off the ropes, he caught me in mid-air and I had only a moment to brace before I was spun and slammed back-first to the mat. The breath ripped out of me and I didn’t have the strength this time to twist out.

The ref shouted three and Zack’s music hit; thankfully he got up quickly and I was able to gasp in a few desperate breaths. As I sat up and made to stand, Zack stepped up in front of me. Used to facing heels, I braced, ready for a follow-up attack. So when he held his hand out to me I just blinked in surprise.

When I looked up at him, he gave me a crooked smile and wiggled his fingers. Well, what the hell. I took his hand and he pulled me upright, keeping his hold to let me get my balance. And then, he shook my hand.

“That was a good match,” he started, and I nodded in agreement as we dropped our hands. “They might be calling you a heel, but I’ll be honest, I think they’re wrong.”

“You do?” I asked him, genuinely surprised to hear it. Zack nodded, this time giving me an honest smile. He came forward and rested a hand on my shoulder as he passed.

“You could’ve taken the win when the ref and I went down. A heel would’ve capitalized on the ref’s distraction, not helped him to his feet.” He stepped through the ropes and I turned to watch him as he added, “keep your head up, Lawless. You’re doing a good job.”

The smile on my face couldn’t be helped; even though people were still booing around me, the little flicker of hope in my chest grew a little brighter. Zack saw the real Jamie, and maybe everyone else would too again. As I went to follow him out, an unexpected person came storming out onto the stage. Brad skirted past Zack as he practically ran to the ring, eyes locked on me.

Last week, after the whole Randy fiasco, apparently Heyman had been outed for paying off not only the Shield (which I’d totally called, thank you) but Brad as well. Whatever he was here to do now, I didn’t want any part of. I was already in enough hot water with the higher-ups as it was. I hadn’t even bothered Shield about it all, I was so eager to keep away from that mess. As I grabbed the rope to vault out he jumped to the apron and shoved me back.

“Brad! What the hell?“ He motioned wildly for a microphone; when I went to move for the ropes again he held out a threatening finger. “Seriously. What are you doing? Do you even work here?”

“No, I don’t work here anymore,” he admitted heatedly the moment he got his mic, stepping into the ring and advancing on me. “So I want to know why the hell you still do!”

The crowd was booing wildly; honestly, I had no idea if it was more for me or for him. I tried to pass by him again and he grabbed my arm, hauling me back in front of him.

“Brad!”

“Answer the question!” He motioned for another mic and passed me his, giving me a look to start talking. When I stayed quiet, he let out an annoyed huff. “How much money was it?”

“Was what?!”

Brad looked about ready to shove his microphone down my throat. He threw his free hand up as he screeched,

“How much did Heyman pay you to side with the Shield and throw them Orton, huh?! How is it that he’s paying you off and you still get to wrestle, but I don’t!?”

“First of all, you were never a wrestler,” I told him point-blank; the crowd actually supported me on that. “Second, Brad, not everyone is as low as you are. No one paid me. I don’t work for Heyman, and I’m not on the side of the Shield.”

“You really expect me – expect us –“ he gestured to the crowd, “- to believe that you just turned on Orton for the heck of it?”

The crowd quieted down, eager to hear my response. I slowly shook my head as I said simply,

“I didn’t turn on him, Brad, and the sooner you realize that the better. I had my reasons –“ he opened his mouth to ask what and I cut in, “reasons I don’t need to justify to you. Doing what I did doesn’t make us the same. Unlike yourself, my loyalty isn’t for sale.”

There were murmurs around us as the crowd took in what I’d said; Brad shook his head wildly. He paced for a few moments and then turned back to me, jamming a finger in my face.

“I was a victim,” he insisted; when I snorted he stepped forward and stabbed his finger into my chest. I swatted him away. “I am a wronged man! And you know what, Jamie? We are the same! You were a victim too, whether you’ll admit it or not. We did the only things we could. You turned Orton to the Shield, and I was the one that gave Vince the footage that proved Paul Heyman was lying about me!”

“Wait,” I said in disbelief as the crowd erupted into wild roars. “You gave Vince the video? You screwed the Shield over? He just said it was an anonymous source –“

“It was me! And you know what that makes me?”

“Stupid?” I offered; his face dropped into an annoyed scowl. “Dead, once Shield and Heyman find you?”

“No, Jamie, it makes me a hero. And as the hero of this story, as the hero of the WWE Universe, it’s my job to right the wrong you created!”

This didn’t sound good. Granted, it was just Brad, but he was so stupid he was borderline dangerous. And my dumb ass was still standing out here with him. As I moved to pass him he grabbed my arm and towed me back again.

“Brad –“

“So you know what? Tonight… tonight I’m gonna teach you about justice. I’m going to show Vince that I can be trusted, and to do that, I’m turning you over to the person who deserves his justice –“

Oh no. Oh god no –

“Randy Orton!”

Instantly I pulled free of Brad’s grip and surged for the ropes. He caught a handful of my shirt and yanked me back into him. Dropping the mic, I turned and elbowed him hard in the throat. He let out a wheeze and stumbled, letting go, and I made my break again.

The son of a bitch actually tackled me into the ropes. I was sore from Randy and Zack and as the ropes dug into my face and arms I let out a shout of pain and recoiled, sending us both to the mat.

Brad jumped to his feet and hauled me up by an arm, grabbing a mic and shouting,

“Come get her, Randy! I’ve got her! I’ve –“

SIERRA. HOTEL. INDIA. ECHO. LIMA. DELTA. SHIELD.

This just kept getting more and more interesting.

Brad and I spun on the spot and stared in surprise – and mild horror – as Dean, Roman, and Seth appeared on the stairs above the crowd. Brad’s killer hold on my arm intensified – the bruises are apparently never going away – as we watched them start to descend.

“Thanks for tryin’ t’do our jobs, Brad, but we don’t need you helpin’ out,” Dean sneered. “You wanna be the hero? Nah. You’re just a rat, scurryin’ under floorboards, lookin’ for scraps –“

“No, no, no, I’m not the only one who took money from Heyman!” Brad shouted, shaking my arm wildly as if making a point. “She’s just as guilty, just like you guys –“

“Leave her outta this. You know as well as I do she ain’t a part’a Heyman’s ring. Or are you really that stupid?”

They were defending me! Sure, Shield weren’t the most honorable men on the roster, but to have them say I wasn’t part of this… it could help with my heel situation. My heart jumped as the crowd roared in agreement with them; were they siding with me too?!

“An’ don’t you dare start comparin’ yourself to us,” Dean pressed on in Brad’s wise silence. “Yeah, money might’a changed hands on our side. Nobody ever said justice was free.”

Again I tried to pull away and Brad hauled me back, holding me at his side. I threw him an exasperated look over my shoulder as I struggled.

“Why am I even here?” I snapped at him. “I’m not involved in this! Just let me –“

“No, no, no, you got us into this mess, and you’re gonna help me get out!” he hissed, loud enough for the microphone to pick up. Excuse me!? I went to snap at him when Seth spoke up.

“Maddox, you don’t even understand the concept of justice! You’re holding a hostage to try and better your chances. That’s not how true justice works. Let me tell you what justice is, boy. Justice is the Shield putting a lying, fame-hungry, extortionist weasel like you in his place! Justice is us giving you the beating you deserve!”

“Brad, seriously, let me go!” I hissed again; for such a small man he had a powerful grip, and my tender arm couldn’t take much more of this.

“Last time we kicked your ass, it was all business,” Roman said, hopping the barricade; Dean and Seth were over a moment later. “This time, we’re gonna take the time to enjoy it, little tiny man.”

Well, this was only gonna end a few ways, and most of them weren’t looking great for either Brad or myself. Outside of the ring, off camera, I was safe from the Shield. But here, practically tethered to Brad, I was a sitting duck.

Sitting Finch.

“Y’see,” Dean drawled, slowly climbing onto the apron to my right. I locked eyes with him and though he smirked, there was a glint of danger in his eyes. This wasn’t the Dean that had given me his hoodie and wrapped my hands – this was Shield Dean, and he was here for a fight. “We’re startin’ t’think Brad Maddox doesn’t believe in the Shield.”

They tossed their microphones aside as Brad did the same. Seth and Roman climbed the apron around us and slowly, Dean stepped through the ropes. Brad made a noise of distress and without warning he shoved me forward into Dean and booked it the other way.

Dean’s arms wrapped tight around me, catching me from tripping into the turnbuckle. Seth and Roman lunged at Brad and instantly tackled him to the mat as Dean – to my surprise – spun me around and fisted a hand into my hair. His other arm wrapped around my middle, pinning my arms to my side and my back to his chest.

Welp, there went my functionality. Shield Dean in fight mode was a definite weak link in my armor. Everything short-circuited the moment I was at Dean’s mercy, and I knew he felt the change as I sunk back against him. Despite the fact he was here to kick my ass, a chuckle rumbled low in his chest, sending a shiver down my spine when his arm tightened minutely. He tugged my head back to lean down and whisper into my ear,

“Don’t think I’m goin’ easy on ya, darlin’.”

“Better not,” I breathed, trying to pull out of his grip and break free. He pulled my head back farther – which may or may not have been enticingly enjoyable – and now his hand locked onto my arm, holding me solidly in place.

Even with the lock-tight grip he had, he didn’t hurt me. Well, much. The occasional tug on my hair sent sharp sparks of pain through me but – not that I would ever admit it – I liked it. So sue me, I purposely struggled a little more just to get him to do it again.

As Roman and Seth threw Brad to the mat, getting ready for a powerbomb, Dean tugged my head back until his lips pressed against the side of my neck, dragging up swiftly to press against the base of my jaw. My entire body ignited and for a moment I arched back into his hold; this time, it was Dean that shivered.

“Brace,” he murmured against my skin; that was my only warning before I was thrown to the mat at his feet. Thankfully, with his heads up, I got my hands up and caught myself. Which ended up doing me absolutely no good when Seth and Roman piled onto me, throwing punches.

Their hits weren’t as hard as before, and only a few made me wince; I could have easily gotten up to fight them for real, but Dean stopped me before I could try. He dropped to a knee at my side and planted a hand in my back, pinning me below him as he leaned closer to growl,

“Don’t move.”

Yes sir.

When he felt me ease down completely onto the mat, he shoved off me and threw a final (thankfully softened) kick to my ribs before stepping over me. Brad didn’t get so lucky; I heard Roman howl for a triple power bomb. Moments later, he was slammed into the mat beside me.

Brad let out a broken groan and, after a failed attempt to sit up, he slumped over and didn’t move. Thinking the boys were done, I started to roll myself over when hands grabbed me and hauled me up. Great.

“Sorry,” Seth breathed quickly, and before I knew it, I was being hoisted up into the air. Dean, holding my right side, moved closer like he was adjusting his grip so he could murmur,

“I’ll try an’ cushion ya.”

Well, shit. My legs got propped onto Roman’s shoulders, I was lifted, and –

Trumpets.

John Cena’s theme song blasted the arena, giving all of us a start; the boys nearly dropped me as they scrambled to turn and look at the stage. Almost ten seconds later and John still hadn’t come out, though. Thinking it had just been a distraction to help, I tried to wriggle out of their hold. Dean wrapped his arm more securely around my back and he pulled me off Roman, holding me to his side as they all spun and searched.

“Stairs, stairs!” Seth shouted; we all turned – well, Dean turned me with him – and sure enough! John was racing through the crowd in Shield’s usual entrance! He was coming to help me –

FEED! ME! MORE!

No way, Ryback?! The big guy came rushing down the next set of stairs, making a beeline for the ring. Even after ‘turning’ on Randy, Team Squeakback was still going strong?? I couldn’t help the grin on my face. John and Ryback were standing up for me in front of the Universe, in front of the locker room –

It’s a shame that they lost their heads…

Sheamus too?! I gave a shaky laugh, feeling tears sting my eyes. My friends still had my back. He, John, and Ryback were rushing through the crowd fast, nearly to the barricade. Without warning, the arm Dean had around me slid to my waist and I was hoisted up and over his shoulder like a sack of blonde potatoes.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” he urged, climbing over the top rope and rushing down the steps. Roman and Seth fell in behind him and, with me in tow, they rushed up the ramp in an attempt to escape.

The crowd let out a wild roar – I knew that kind of pop! More people had come out! I twisted to look, and sure enough: I had more backup. Zack Ryder was in front, leading the charge towards the Shield. Bryan and Kane were on either side of him, with Kofi and Del Rio just behind them.

They were all coming to help me.

They were all coming to stand with me.

“Drop Barbie, we gotta go!” Seth shouted, grabbing Dean’s arm. Dean popped me up off his shoulder and, blessedly gentle, he dumped me onto the ramp before taking off after his boys. They went to leave through the crowd on the far side, but Ryback and Sheamus had circled. They were trapped in the ring.

Bryan and Zack knelt beside me; Bryan slid his arm around my back as he leaned closer.

“You okay, Jay?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I promised; Zack clapped me on the shoulder as Kofi came around in front of me, holding out a hand. He pulled me upright as Bryan and Zack steadied me; Del Rio and Kane flanked us and we turned to watch as John, Ryback, and Sheamus jumped the Shield in the ring.

It wasn’t pretty to watch. Seth, Roman, and Dean were tossed around mercilessly, caught off guard and unable to get the upper hand. As bad as I felt for them, I found myself laughing with the guys around me, so relieved to be surrounded by friends that the rest of the bad night was ebbing away.

Seth finally slipped past Sheamus and rolled desperately to the apron, snagging Roman’s boot as he went, pulling him out of the chokehold Ryback had him in. John turned to jump on Dean, but he was already vaulting over the rope and rushing for the barricade. The Shield scrambled into the crowd, looking back over their shoulders at us all as they retreated up the stairs.

As the crowd roared – mixed chants for John, Sheamus, and wild chorus of FEED ME MORE – John bent and grabbed one of the mics that had been discarded earlier. The arena quieted as he turned to face me, Ryback and Sheamus coming up on either side of him.

“I think it goes without saying, but Brad Maddox’s words mean nothing to anyone,” he began, quirking a smile that I returned. “As far as we’re concerned, you don’t owe anyone anything, kid.”

Sheamus nodded and took the mic from John, giving me a grin.

“We all know what side you’re on, Lass.”

Ryback leaned in and pulled Sheamus’ hand towards him, giving me a nod.

“We’ve got your back, Squeak. No matter what.”

Well, shit. If I started crying on live tv… Thankfully, Bryan knew how to read me. The arm he had around my back tugged me to his side; Zack, Kofi, and Del Rio all followed suit and crowded in for a group hug.

The crowd actually cheered.

Actually freaking cheered.

I knew I still had a long way to go, but tonight was a victory. Tonight was exactly what I’d needed. Maybe Randy was playing the victim, maybe he’d lied to me, used me, and thrown me aside… but he hadn’t won.

I wouldn’t let him win.

-x-

Dean

He’d gone too far.

Pissed at himself, Dean was tearin’ away at the stupid fuckin’ buckles’a the damn vest (he could never fuckin’ get ‘em open), mind stuck on his girl. He shouldn’t’a pulled her hair that hard, thrown her like he did. Was that bruise on her cheek from him? She bruised real easy. Had he done that?

He’d been too fuckin’ caught up with havin’ her so close to pay attention like he shoulda. Havin’ her pinned t’him, so close he could feel every single time she shivered, every single time her breath caught, feelin’ her press back against him as his lips touched her skin –

He had t’fuckin’ stop. He could barely think straight; that’s what’d done this shit in the first place. She’d been drivin’ him crazy all night, if he was bein’ honest. Wearin’ his hoodie, smilin’ at him, starin’ at him… it did somethin’ to him, havin’ her eyes glued to his body after he’d changed into his Shield shit. Unable t’look away even when she knew he was watchin’ her… Got him goin’ almost as much as it did seein’ her in his jacket.

He pulled his mind off that path – for the hundredth time that night – t’focus on the issue at hand. His girl was hurt an’ it might’a been him. Him an’ the boys had been busy with Heyman, dealin’ with the aftermath’a last week, an’ he’d missed the whole fuckin’ thing. Hell, he’d been plannin’ on goin’ t’find her in her locker room up until Maddox ran his fuckin’ mouth. An’ now he had no idea if he’d been the one t’hurt her –

“Ay, you’re gonna rip the buckles off again if you keep at that,” Roman said, grabbing Dean’s wrist an’ tuggin’ his hand off his vest. Dean went t’start pullin’ at them again and Roman stepped up, unbuckling the damn thing for him. “Jesus. Just check on her, man. You’re drivin’ yourself crazy worrying about her.”

Dean went to object as Seth leaned back from his locker.

“Shit, you’re driving us crazy. Just go. We’ll meet you at the car.”

Dean flipped him off but, takin’ a breath to cool the anger in ‘im, he tugged his vest off and threw it into his bag, zippin’ it up an’ slingin’ it over his shoulder. He nodded to the boys an’ turned to go when Roman caught his wrist again.

“Remember what we agreed on. Don’t go after Orton right now,” he warned; Dean met his gaze an’ clearly, Roman saw he wasn’t agreein’ to that. “At least not yet. Wait till we know what’s happening on all sides. Okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, their discussion from earlier comin’ back to him vaguely. Still workin’ for Heyman had its perks. Like findin’ out for sure that Orton had management in his back pocket, an’ that repercussions towards him were means of gettin’ yourself fired. He’d hold back for now, only because he didn’t want Finch gettin caught in the middle’a shit more than she was. Roman sighed, still lookin’ worried, but dropped his hold. Dean took off before they could stop him.

Course, as he made for Finch’s locker room, he realized this might not be the best idea. Was just showin’ up outta the blue somethin’ he had the right t’do? Was he gonna be crashin’ their after-show celebratin’, or steppin’ on toes? Maybe he shoulda just turned back, texted her instead… ‘Cept, Roman was right. Always fuckin’ was with these things.

He had to make sure she was okay. Her friends could deal with it.

He made himself keep goin’ and didn’t stop till he got to the locker room. He was expectin’ t’find them all laughin’ an’ havin’ a good time after getting’ one over on him an’ the boys. When he heard arguin’ instead, he realized now probably wasn’t a good time t’walk in.

He’d just text her, much as he hated talkin’ like that. He turned on his heel, ready to fuckin’ book it to the car before anyone saw him, till he heard Wonder Twin say angrily,

“ – need to do something. He can’t just walk around hurting Jamie!”

Dean stopped so suddenly he almost fuckin’ knocked himself over. Hurt. She was hurt. A sick feeling sloshed into his stomach and he felt his blood run cold. He’d hurt his girl, an’ now her friends were pissed at him. Shit, he was pissed at him. Dean ran a hand of frustration through his hair, slumping back against the wall outside their door, tryin’ t’think of what the fuck he was gonna do when he heard Super Cena say,

“There’s nothing we CAN do, Nicole. He came after her out in the open, which means clearly Orton isn’t that worried about repercussions.”

Red tinted his vision and worry erupting into fury instantly, setting his entire body on fire. Orton had hurt her. There wasn’t even any relief that it hadn’t been Dean that’d done it when he realized that meant that fucker had his hands on her.

Forget textin’. He was checkin’ on her himself. He shoved off the wall an’ came up to the door, pausing for just a moment as he took in the room. Goat Face an’ one’a the twins was standin’ off to the side, arms crossed, watchin’ Super Cena as he paced behind the couch. Wonder Twin was sittin’ on the arm’a the couch, watchin’ him too with a scowl on her face; curled up on the cushion beside her was the only one he cared about.

For a moment the wave of fury washin’ over him pulled back an’ he found himself starin’ at her again. She was in his hoodie an’ he just couldn’t get past how much he fuckin’ liked that. She had it zipped up this time an’ it fuckin’ engulfed her, pooled over her tiny body so he couldn’t even see her legs that she’d tucked up t’her chest.

Her hands were in her lap an’ she was toyin’ with one’a the sleeves, eyes locked on her hands as Wonder Twin ran her fingers through Finch’s damp hair. Tuckin’ it back from her face, like a mom would do for her kid. His girl looked… well, sad wasn’t right. He couldn’t figure it out. Frustrated? Maybe. Didn’t matter. She wasn’t smilin’ and that’s all he cared about.

That, an’ the bruise on her face. It’d grown more since he last saw her; two dark lines runnin’ from her cheekbone to her jaw, the hint’a red outlinin’ what he realized was part of a hand print.

The wave of fury came crashin’ back down an’ if Finch hadn’t picked right then t’look up at him he woulda taken off t’go kill Orton. The moment their eyes met, though, Dean couldn’t leave. Couldn’t walk away from her. For just a moment he worried he shouldn’t’a been there, but the grin that came over her face put all his worryin’ t’shame.

“Hi!” she said excitedly, scramblin’ t’get off the couch so fast Wonder Twin almost fuckin’ fell. His hoodie went almost all the way t’her knees and for a second he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Didn’t even matter that all her friends were lookin’ at him now; all he saw was her. Sure, the blue dress she’d been wearin’ at the restaurant that day had been intoxicatin’ – he still found himself thinkin’ about her in it – but jesus somethin’ about her in his clothes just fuckin’ got t’him.

“Heya Finch,” he said quietly; now that he’d managed t’look away from her outfit, he couldn’t take his eyes off her cheek. She paused in front of him and her face fell a bit.

“Don’t give me that look too,” she sighed. “I’m fine –“

“No you’re not,” the Not-Wonder Twin called out; Finch rolled her eyes.

“Brie –“

“She’s right,” Dean spoke up, surprisin’ not only himself, but the other twin as well. When Finch went t’argue, he reached out and took her chin gently, turnin’ her face a hint to study the bruise. “Nothin’ about this is fine.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I agree with Ambrose,” Goat Face piped up; Dean barely kept from sneering at him over his girl’s head. “It’s not fine, and we can’t let him get away with this.”

As the others went off into their arguin’ again, he felt Finch sigh heavily. As much as he wanted t’put his own thoughts out there about this, he had more important things t’worry about. Droppin’ his hand from her chin, he made a bold move an’ reached out, grabbin’ hold’a her hand that was swallowed up by the hoodie sleeve. Her eyes flicked up t’his an’ her cheeks went pink.

“C’mere,” he murmured, tuggin’ her after him as he backed out into the hall. Made him happier than it shoulda when she didn’t argue an’ let him lead her out. Wonder Twin caught his eye an’, to his surprise, she just gave him a smile an’ went back t’arguin’. Like she approved’a him steppin’ out with her.

He led her down a few feet an’ they paused, both listenin’ to the fightin’ from the locker room for a moment. Now that they were alone, Dean reached up again – reluctantly droppin’ her hand – an’ cupped her jaw gently.

Her eyes didn’t leave his as he ran his thumb over the marks, fury fightin’ with worry in his chest. He wanted t’go rip Orton into pieces – then set those fuckin’ pieces on fire – but he didn’t wanna leave her. He left her earlier tonight an’ look what happened.

“I’m okay,” she murmured, shruggin’ her shoulders. “I mean, it hurts, but… I’m not like, broken up over it like everyone thinks. You know? I’m not scared he’s gonna do it again and honestly? I’m glad he found me.”

He knew she felt him tense.

“You’re glad he did this?” Dean asked in disbelief; Finch quirked a smile up at him an’ thankfully, she shook her head. Maybe he shoulda pulled his hand away but he liked holdin’ onto her. Liked how she leaned into his touch a bit, like he was makin’ things better just by bein’ here.

“Of course not. That was uncalled for. But I mean, it felt good to confront him and tell him I know he cheated. It felt like… I mean, I just ran away from him last week and let him get his ass beat. Thank you for punching him in the face, by the way,” she added, givin’ him a grin that made his brain scatter. “But like, it felt like we were still together. He had no idea why I’d walked off and why I’d been ignoring him. It was just like when we’d fight and not talk for a few days. So getting it all out there was like… putting an end to it. Separating myself from him.”

Dean sighed; he got it, he did. It made sense. Didn’t mean he liked how it’d played out. Finally pullin’ his hand away, he gave her a long look an’ shook his head slowly. She tilted her head t’one side, big green eyes blinkin’ up at him an’ puttin’ him under her spell again. He could tell she didn’t like everyone worryin’ over her; that’s what her face had been about when he first showed up. She was tired’a them lettin’ Orton’s actions affect her.

“Y’see? This is why we were babysittin’,” he finally said, veerin’ away from Orton t’try and keep that smile on her face like she’d had before. “Y’just can’t stay away from trouble, can ya?”

She opened her mouth t’argue, paused, and then shut it with a hmmph. Dean couldn’t help it, he gave a laugh that only she could get outta him. As she scowled he grinned down at her, enjoyin’ the pout she gave, enjoyin’ the way she tried’ta cross her arms an’ look intimidatin’. In the giant hoodie she just looked fuckin’ adorable.

“So is that why you guys jumped me? Again? I just drew trouble to the ring?” she scoffed; Dean smirked, enjoyin’ the blush on her cheeks.

“Seems like it, darlin’,” he said, shruggin’ at her and givin’ a small smile. As she snorted at his response, though, he cleared his throat an’ scratched the back’a his neck. When she glanced up at him again he tried t’act casual. “Didn’t hurt ya, did we?”

Her teasin’ smile softened a bit an’ she shook her head.

“No, for once you guys beat me up and didn’t turn me black-and-blue.”

He was so relieved he almost laughed; if he’d hurt his girl, he wouldn’t be any better than Orton. An’ he really fuckin’ hated the thought’a that.

“Those’re Shield colors,” he pointed out, grinnin’ when he got another laugh outta her. Feelin’ a little bold, he added, “just puttin’ a claim on ya.”

She didn’t make a face or brush him off. In fact, her face turned pink an’ she dropped her eyes as a smile came over her face. His heart tightened an’ he was glad she looked away; he was grinnin’ like a fuckin’ kid at Christmas. Before he could even start thinkin’ about the fact she seemed t’like him puttin’ a claim on her, she looked back up at him and smirked.

“Speaking of that,” she began as she unzipped his hoodie. Dean was torn between watchin’ her slowly take off his jacket, an’ thinkin’ about what she’d just fuckin’ said. Did she mean that she saw him givin’ her his jacket as claimin’ her? An’ if she did, what did it mean that she was still wearin’ it?

He couldn’t even get through that entire thought process, ‘cause as the hoodie came off he finally saw her upper arms. More dark lines on her skin, more marks from Orton. That wave’a fury he’d pushed back was surfacin’ again. He’d grabbed her. Grabbed her hard. He’d hit her. Dean had fuckin’ wrestled her countless times, an’ he’d never left bruises like this.

As she bundled his hoodie up in her arms, Dean stepped forward; probably too close, if he was bein’ honest. Finch didn’t seem’ta mind. She tipped her head back t’look up at him as he reached out an’ ran his fingers lightly over the bruises. That same look came back t’her face again, like she was upset he was worryin’. He couldn’t help it.

She was his girl, an’ his girl was hurt. ‘Cept he really didn’t like the way she was starin’ up at him; he really liked her smile more. So, fuck it. He took a deep breath, tryin’ t’put his anger outta his mind for now, an’ bent down t’pull her into a hug. Her arms went up around his neck – hoodie an’ all – an’ she held him as tight as he held her.

Neither of ‘em spoke, just standin’ together listenin’ to her friends argue as he took a deep breath, settlin’ himself back down. Was it a thing t’have a favorite smell? Cause roses an’ vanilla were becomin’ one’a the best things he could think of.

“Thank you,” she murmured against his shoulder, squeezin’ just a little tighter before they pulled apart. Dean woulda given fuckin’ anythin’ t’hold her a little more but he knew they both had’ta get goin’.

As Finch went t’hand him his hoodie back, he gently pushed her arms back to her. She raised her brows in question at him an’ he shrugged, stuffin’ his hands into his pockets as he tried not’ta look so fuckin’ smiley.

“Hold onto it for me,” he suggested; when she tried’ta argue, he smirked an’ added, “’cause I got a feelin’ ya didn’t pack a jacket. D’you even own a shirt with sleeves?

“Somewhere, probably. Maybe,” she started, an’ then frowned. “I actually can’t think of one. But I don’t need sleeves in Georgia!”

“Y’know it’s like thirty fuckin’ degrees out there, right?”

She opened her mouth t’argue and then blinked up at him, surprised.

“Wait, really?” Dean nodded. “But it’s the south! It’s always hot in the south!”

“Not at midnight in February,” he snorted, grinnin’ at the look of disbelief she gave him. Playfully, he shrugged an’ made t’reach for his hoodie. “I mean, if y’think it’s gonna be warm out there –“

As he’d hoped she hugged the hoodie an’ inched back from him.

“I mean, I should probably hold onto this. I’m sure Seth’still mad at us for teasing him, and I wouldn’t want to be the reason your hoodie got ruined…”

He was tryin’ t’be playful with her but the grin that came out was genuine. He ducked his head, tryin’ as best he fuckin’ could to pull his shit together an’ play it cool before glancin’ up at her. She was gigglin’, that stunnin’ smile’a hers back where it belonged. His job was done.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be comin’ back for that on Friday,” he threatened; she snorted at him, shakin’ her head as he backed away. “Believe that.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it, Ambrose,” she laughed. He jerked his head towards the locker room an’ even though she gave him a sigh for his worryin’, she threw out one last smile goodbye before duckin’ inside.

She was safe, she was okay, an’ she was smilin’. His girl was good, she was with her friends, an’ she was still holdin’ onto his hoodie. Holdin’ onto a piece’a him. Dean turned, feelin’ ready t’take on the fuckin’ world. Hell, for Finch, he was pretty sure he could. Pretty sure he would.

Anythin’ for his girl.