Canary and the Coal Mine

Elimination Chamber • 2/17/13 • New Orleans, LA

Elimination Chamber Promo Card

My options for getting to the show tonight had been either to go with Brie and Nikki at noon and spend the entire rest of the day at the arena, or hang out with Bryan at the hotel and leave at the very last minute.

Sleeping in an extra two hours this morning had sounded so wonderful, and what wouldn’t be fun about hanging out with my best friend all day? On paper it’d been the best choice. Had I known that he was in the middle of a lover’s quarrel, though…

“Kane hasn’t even said a word to me in weeks. It’s just so immature! And yes, I get being a little upset about Royal Rumble,” Bryan continued on, oblivious to the fact I hadn’t spoken in almost twenty minutes. “But I mean, come on, you know? It’s just – it’s business. I didn’t want to throw Kane out of the ring, I just had to!”

My face had been buried in my hand since we’d left the hotel, and I only lifted it to check how close we were. Thank god, I could see the arena just up ahead; my head fell back into my hand. I was almost free…

“If anything, I should be mad at him! He caught me, he could’ve put me back in the ring and helped me win but instead he dropped me on purpose. I mean, with him being eliminated, he should’ve been focused on letting me win for us!”

Thinking he was finally done, I opened my mouth to reply, only to have him continue, “which is why he totally owes it to me to help me out tonight.” I looked up again to give him a bewildered stare. “After practically forcing a loss on me at Rumble, he needs to step up and have my back tonight in the Chamber. We’ll team up against everyone else, and then when it’s down to me and him, I’ll turn on him this time and we’ll be even.”

The snort that left me couldn’t be helped. Paused at the red light, Bryan turned to give me a scrutinizing narrow-eyed stare. “What’s so funny?”

“You – you’re really gonna try and get one over on Kane?” I snickered, staring up at him and shaking my head. Bryan’s eyes narrowed a little more. “That’s one of the most ridiculous things you’ve come up with, and this is including your stupid canoe –“

“A canoe with wheels is the perfect versatile vehicle. It’s fit for land or water, it’s aerodynamic, and –“

“And how do you plan to paddle your canoe on land, Bry?”

“Rubberized tips on the end of the paddle. We’ve been over this, Jay,” he scoffed, and then waved his hands in the air as we made the turn into the arena parking lot. “We’re not going down this road right now. Why exactly is my plan for Kane ‘stupid’?”

As he parked the car we both hopped out and when we met at the trunk, he refused to open it. I raised a brow. “Can we get our bags, or –“

“Once you explain why you’re doubting me,” he said simply, folding his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes and rubbed my temples, trying to stave off the headache that’d been creeping up since this morning.

“Because you haven’t actually thought it out,” I began. Okay, a little hypocritical for someone who has no self-preservation and never thinks before she acts, I admitted to myself. That was neither here nor there. “Kane’s smart and you’re not conniving or sneaky enough to hide what you’re up to. He’s gonna see right through it, and it’ll just get you screwed over in the Chamber. It’s a stupid idea, plain and simple.”

“It is not. This is brilliant –” when he waved his hands again, I snagged the keys and popped the trunk, tossing him his bag before slinging mine onto my shoulder. He snatched the keys back and repeated, “this’ll work whether you want to admit it’s a good idea or not.”

“It’s not a good idea,” I tried again, getting another scoff from Bryan as he led us across the parking garage. “Trust me. As the leader of not-good ideas in the family, trust me when I say this isn’t gonna work.”

“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie,” he tsk’d, glancing back at me as we badged in and began our hunt for the superstar locker room. “I’ve been wrestling since you were in diapers. I think I know a thing or two about in-ring strategy.”

“I – first of all, I was six when you debuted,” I corrected; Bryan just shrugged.

“Hey, I don’t know your potty-training history.”

“You actually do… which, come to think of it, is really weird,” I began, frowning at the thought. Not the point, I reminded myself before I could get lost down that rabbit hole. I’d deal with our issue of oversharing later. “Second, this isn’t ‘in-ring strategy’. This is the art of applying common sense, and it’s a trade you’re not skilled in.”

Bryan came to a full stop in the hall so suddenly I smacked into the back of him. “It’s absolutely fool-proof.”

“That’s exactly what Damien tells me before I superglue him to things, you know,” I pointed out; his face fell into an annoyed frown. “A plan can’t be fool-proof if a fool is who came up with it.”

As he went to argue further, a door down the hall swung open and the other half of team Hell No appeared as if we’d summoned him. Bryan and I stared at him, then turned to stare at each other. He handed me his bag as he started to back towards Kane. “You know what? Forget talk. I’ll show you this will work.”

“I’ll remember you fondly in the speech I give at your funeral,” I told him with a cheeky smile; he scowled one last time before turning to march up to his tag partner.

“Ahem. Ahem,” he announced, stepping up to Kane with his arms crossed. The Big Red Monster let out a growl and slowly turned to look down at the smaller man standing in his shadow. “Are you still giving me the silent treatment?”

Kane’s lip twitched up in a snarl. My cue to skedaddle, I decided, skirting past the pair of crazy men to actually go into the locker room. Things were already starting to get crowded, so instead of getting ready, I’d go get food before all the good stuff got picked through.

Waving to Kofi and Zack, I tossed mine and Bryan’s bags into a corner and then took off for catering. I was almost in the clear when I heard my name being called down the hall.

By Booker.

Crap.

Instantly I picked up the pace. I had no idea what he wanted, but historically when he came to seek me out before a show, things usually didn’t work in my favor. Locking Damien on the roof aside, I’d been pretty well-behaved the last week, and I didn’t want to lose my match tonight.

Can’t pull me out of the match if he can’t catch me, I rationalized. Which would’ve worked a lot better if I hadn’t been cursed with short legs in a workplace filled with giant, towering wrestlers that caught me before I’d even reached the end of the hall.

Booker’s hand locked onto my shoulder and held me in place; I tipped my head back and gave him a nervous smile. “Oh, were you talking to me?”

He took a deep breath, already fully done with my antics today just six words into a conversation. “You ain’t in trouble, Lawless. Yet,” he added, like he always felt he needed to. I couldn’t fault him for that. “I’ve been tryin’ to find you to let you know Sandra’s got your new ring gear ready to go.”

“Really?!” I gasped, turning around to grin up at him. Good news? Who knew that existed! “Sweet! Thanks, Book!”

As I went to dart around him he caught my shoulder again and pushed me back, eyeing me suspiciously. “Why exactly were you runnin’ from me?”

“Running from you? Never,” I insisted; he didn’t buy it for a second. I gave the most innocent smile I could muster and added a few doe-eyed blinks to the mix as I dismissed, “Super Cena and I were just warming up for the pay-per-view, that’s all.”

“John Cena?” Booker asked. When I nodded, he let me go and I squeezed past him as he looked around us, confused. “I been lookin’ for him too. I didn’t see him with you –“

“Well, most people usually don’t,” I deadpanned, doing John’s you can’t see me
motion as I backed away. The look Booker gave me over his shoulder had me running off the way I’d just come. He really might take me out of the match now.

By the time I stumbled into Sandra’s office I was out of breath and fully disheveled. So, how I usually was when I ran into her. She chuckled as she checked her watch, peering at me over her glasses as I flopped down onto the chair in front of her desk.

“Well I see Booker found you pretty fast. I think you set a new record gettin’ yourself down here,” she teased, getting up and coming around to the rack of clothes along the wall beside us. As she flicked through the hangers she asked, “is someone a little excited for their first official gear?”

“Just a bit,” I admitted, finally getting my breath back. She was right, I think I’d beaten my personal best in the sprint to her office. “It’ll be nice not to have to lug a bunch of clothes around. I’ll have so much more space for my… um, my perfectly-legal travel necessities.”

I cut myself off and as Sandra pulled an outfit off the rack, she gave me knowing smirk. “Uh-huh. Try that innocent bull on someone who didn’t help you smuggle almost four yards of the world’s ugliest fabric outta the building last week. You ever gonna tell me what you’re plannin’ on doing with all that?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied instantly, popping up as she pulled the cover off the outfit and then held it up. My jaw dropped and the first thing out of my mouth was, “you made my pants shiny!?”

Sandra laughed as I took the hanger from her, staring down at my new ring attire in rapt fascination. It was one thing to get my first Jamie Lawless shirt. But to see my own outfit with my official logo here in my hands… I would get to wrestle in my own custom attire.

“I know you let me have free reign, and I know a few of the higher ups wanted something more diva-ish, but I like you style, honey. This is who you are, and now it’s officially Jamie Lawless.”

“This is amazing,” I told her softly, hugging the outfit to me as I smiled up at her. “Really. This is just… wow. I have no words.”

Sandra chuckled again and pulled me to her into a tight hug. “Those are the best kind of compliments I get. I’m glad you like it. Now go get yourself changed, make sure everything fits you right before you go out there. I’m not havin’ a wardrobe malfunction on my hands tonight because of you.”

“Yes ma’am,” I promised as he pulled apart, giving her my two-finger salute as I backed for the door. “And again… thanks, Sandra.”

She threw me a wink to send me on my way as I scampered out and headed straight for the locker room. It was nearly 7pm, which meant the show would be starting soon. I hadn’t gotten food – of course, no surprise there – but now I had something more important than dinner.

And, trust me, I didn’t say that lightly.

By now the locker room was packed, and I almost didn’t see Bryan sulking in the corner. He was on the floor with our bags, scowling at his boots, arms crossed over his chest. Good lord. I left him to pout and ducked into one of the bathroom stalls, changing as fast as I could.

Sandra really was an artist; the clothes fit me perfectly. I scurried back to Bryan, moving around as much as I could to test out the fit. He gave a start when I plopped down in front of him, and blinked in surprise, taking in my clothes.

“You got your ring attire?” he asked, the grumpiness sliding off as genuine excitement for me took over. I held my arms out, nodding eagerly, and he feigned wiping a tear from his eye. “You’re growing up so fast.”

“They really do, don’t they?” Sheamus asked as he and Ryback came up to us. My fellow tag partners took in the new gear and gave approving nods.

“Nice threads, Pipsqueak. Wanna go try ‘em out?”

Without hesitation I hopped to my feet, snagging my duffel out from behind Bryan and making him slump against the lockers. He made a noise of protest as I gave a cheeky grin and ruffled his hair. “Be good. No turning on anyone and no cheating to win, okay?”

“What are you, my mother?” he griped, swatting my hand away when I went for his beard. “Would you just go?! You’re ruining my pre-match Zen!”

Rolling my eyes, I made one more swipe at his hair before scampering off after Sheamus and Ryback. Enough picking on Bryan: it was time to start preparing to give the Shield their first official loss.

--

“And here comes the Big Red Monster… Kane!” Michael Cole cheered as the buzzer for the chamber went off again. I paused my stretches to glance up at the screen just in time to see Kane fling Jericho into the far turnbuckle, followed almost immediately by Swagger. The guys scattered around me both ooh’d at the impact.

“Y’think your bearded boy’s gonna pull off a win?” Sheamus asked, pushing to his feet as he started to stretch out his arms. Before answering, I watched as Bryan got to his feet, staggering up to his tag partner. The men shared a look, and then Bryan motioned to the other men slumped in the corner.

They shared a nod and Bryan ran across the ring. He bounced off the turnbuckle and Kane caught his arm, all but flinging him into Swagger and Jericho. So far, so good.

“As long as he doesn’t get cocky, I think he’s got a pretty… good…” My words paused as I watched Bryan creeping up behind Kane. The big red machine threw Swagger over the ropes, and the second he stepped back, Bryan lunged at him.

He actually had the audacity to try and roll his tag partner up for a pin. Unsurprisingly, Kane kicked out before the ref even got to two. Sheamus, Ryback, and I watched in disbelief as Bryan popped up and actually tried to hug it out.

When Kane refused, Bryan stepped up, and dug his own grave by shoving a hand in Kane’s face and knocking him back. The hit Kane gave him in return knocked him across the mat.

“Idiot,” I muttered, dropping my face into my hand. I felt someone sit on the bench and pat my shoulder consolingly.

“Sorry your friend’s gettin’ crushed,” Ryback offered, getting a snort out of me as I sighed and slumped back to stare up at him. As we listened to the sounds of Bryan slowly losing the match, he added, “I think our plan’s gonna work better than that.”

Sheamus laughed as he joined our small gathering, settling on the ground in front of us as he rubbed his hands together, nodding his head at me as he said, “’course it is. With the Shield’s number one enemy on our side, we’re gonna get the one-up on ‘em before they even hit the ring.”

Grinning at the new title I’d earned from the guys, I nodded eagerly. “The last thing they’ll expect is us taking the fight to them at the barricade. We’ll get the upper hand right away, and hopefully it’ll be enough to throw them off their A-game.”

“I think we should change it up,” Ryback decided, tapping his chin as he studied Sheamus and I. “I think ‘Squeak oughta take Ambrose instead.”

“Yeah? He’s bigger than Rollins,” Sheamus started, and my first thought was instantly, why yes. Yes he is. My eyes widened and I barely kept from choking out a gasp at the implications of my own thoughts. Jesus, Jamie! Get yourself together – “y’okay, Lass?”

Oh, right. Other people were with me, clearly able to see the flustered look on my face. Thankfully, the Chamber buzzer caught our attention in my embarrassed silence, and we heard Cole announce, “it’s time for the world to find out how dangerous Randy Orton can be!”

As it always did, my stomach churned at his name, worsening and pulling a grimace out of me when his face popped up on the screen. As the jerk slithered out of his cage and into the ring, Sheamus snorted in disgust and turned back around to face us again.

He stretched a leg out and knocked his foot against my own. When I met his eyes he offered a smile. “After we beat the Shield, Team Justice’ll go an’ jump that arsehole in the parking lot with ya. It’ll be our celebratory after party.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped, a smile of my own pushing away the aches Randy always seemed to draw up. “Yeah? You guys would help me kick his ass?”

Ryback cracked his knuckles and nodded along eagerly. “Hell yeah. Been waitin’ to get my hands on that stupid face’a his. No one hurts my friend.”

“Thanks, big guy,” I said softly, leaning against his leg beside me as I bumped my foot back against Sheamus’s. Before I could get any sappier, though, the final buzzer went off for the Chamber and Mark Henry erupted into the ring.

We all fell silent, watching as the huge man absolutely wrecked the other five men around him. Just as Bryan managed to get to his feet, Henry spun with surprising speed and caught the much smaller man around the waist, hauling him up and slamming him back-first to the mat. Bryan was so stunned he didn’t even move after the three count and the elimination buzzer went off.

The ref had to actually roll the poor guy towards the apron before he was trampled by the others coming back to life. Ryback patted my shoulder again in apology as I shook my head. “It’s karma for being an arrogant little goat.”

“Better start gettin’ ready. We’re up next,” Sheamus reminded, pushing to his feet and reaching down to give me a hand up as well.

The roar of the crowd on TV caught our attention and again we turned to watch the match. Henry had Randy by the back of the neck, dragging him roughly through the ropes. As soon as he got his feet under him on the steel grate, Henry hauled him forward and threw him at the holding pod he’d started in.

Randy couldn’t stop himself in time, and the flailing man crashed through the plexiglass wall. He fell hard against the metal supports and collapsed to the grate in a dazed, groaning heap.

“Looks like karma’s out in full swing. I’m thinkin’ the odds are stacked in our favor tonight,” Sheamus noted, sharing a grin with me as we watched the viper writhing in pain. If Randy getting his ass handed to him (well, more like handed through plexiglass was any indication, it was gonna be a pretty good night.

--

“Alright Team Justice,” I breathed, looking between the guys, rubbing my hands together slowly. “Ready to show the Shield what we’re made of?”

“’Course, Lass. Let’s make ‘em regret comin’ after us. Team Justice on tree!” I’d never get tired of his inability to pronounce the th sound. He stuck his hand out and then waggled his brows at Ryback and I. The big guy shared a grin with me and we piled out hands in too. “One… two… tree!”

“Team Justice!” we shouted, throwing our hands up and startling the poor stagehand cueing the music. I gave him an apologetic pat on the arm as I came up beside him, nodding to start me out. He hit my song, and as the crowd erupted I danced onto the stage.

“This is a six-superstar tag-team match set for one-fall!” the announcer called as I made my way down the ramp, slapping hands along the way. Since Randy’s exposé on Monday, the Universe seemed to be pretty forgiving about me leaving him to the Shield. I hadn’t been brave enough to check Twitter yet, but the deafening cheers around me seemed to show I was back in most of the Universe’s good graces.

“First in the ring, she’s one part of Team Justice… from Ouray, Colorado, weighing in at 117lbs… Jamie Lawless!”

I rolled into the ring and popped up, hopping onto the bottom rope and leaning out towards the crowd, throwing a peace sign into the air. The crowd gave it right back, cheering even louder when they heard my name. Man it felt good to be face again!

My music faded out and Sheamus’ music rose up, somehow getting the crowd even more hyped. “Joining in, the next part of Team Justice… From Dublin, Ireland, weighing 267lbs… Sheamus!”

He strutted out onto stage, throwing his arms out as he made for the ring, pumping himself up as he went. He jogged up the steps, ducked inside with me, and then ran to the ropes to play up the Universe like I had. I cheered along with him and he turned to me, grinning wildly, hands up for double-high-fives. We smacked hands and both stumbled back from each other, laughing and shaking the sting away.

And, finally, the big guy’s music took over. Sheamus and I instantly joined the crowd in the FEED ME MORE chant that had taken over the arena. “And finally, the last member of Team Justice… From Sin City, weighing 291lbs… Ryback!”

He let out a roar from the top of the ramp and instantly started down to the ring, bobbing his head along with the chanting. He vaulted in without wasting any time and ripped his shirt off, throwing the pieces out and giving another war cry. He turned to Sheamus and I and the three of us stacked our hands like we had backstage, throwing them up as the music died out.

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

Sheamus, Ryback, and I lined up at the ropes, glancing at one another one last time before fixing our sights on the men marching down the steps to us. We had our plan; time to put it into action.

“And their opponents… weighing in at a combined 707lbs… Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns… The Shield!”

As expected, Dean and Seth came down on the right, and Roman was alone on the left. Sheamus and I subtly shifted towards our targets as Ryback began pacing towards the other end of the ring. As the boys reached the end of the steps, Dean’s eyes locked onto me. He let them skim over me slowly as he eyed my new ring attire. When his gaze met mine again, he ran his tongue against his lower lip and gave a smirk of approval.

Instantly, I was well on my way to flustered. Damnit. He knew exactly what he was doing; he purposefully rolled his shoulders back, arms flexing more than necessary. Definitely not fair. Focus, Jamie. Focus, I willed myself as Seth vaulted the barricade. Ass-kick now, ogle later. No matter how purposely tempting he was being.

We waited until Dean and Roman crossed over, and then Ryback snarled, “NOW!”

The Shield boys froze at the shout and didn’t have time to react before we launched our attack. Ryback dove through the ropes and caught Roman around the waist, throwing him into the steel steps. Sheamus hit the mat and rolled out to grab Seth and fling him against the barricade, and I ran forward and vaulted myself over the top rope.

Dean let out yelp as I tackled him to the ground. I was small, but 117lbs getting dropped on anyone was enough to take out most unsuspecting wrestlers. Flat on his back, all Dean could manage was to get his arms up in front of his face as I threw forearm after forearm down at him.

I heard Sheamus slam Seth’s face into the announce table and I shoved off my own Shield boy, then grabbed his vest and pulled him up with me. He slumped back against the barricade when I dropped my hold and when his eyes met mine, I saw full ring-mode-Dean take over. Perfect.

He lunged at me and I side-stepped, a hair too fast for him, and used his momentum to slingshot him into the ring post. Sheamus, just flinging Seth under the ropes, motioned for me to do the same. Dean had slumped onto the apron, hopefully making this easier for me. I ran around behind him, grabbed his legs, and hoisted the lower half of his body up into the ring as well.

No surprise that those thighs are heavy, I reasoned as I rolled myself in right behind him. The loops on his vest gave a lot more leverage to drag the stunned man where I needed him. Why couldn’t more superstars wear Jamie-friendly clothes?!

Sheamus wasted no time in hoisting Seth up into a vertical hold, and then dropping him hard back onto the mat. Yeah, that wasn’t happening for me. Instead, I backed up and let Dean haul himself up. He was still bent at the waist, trying to regain his balance, and I took my shot.

Running forward, I bounced off the ropes in front of him and dove forward over his back. As I fell towards the mat head-first, I locked my arms tight around his waist and then hooked my legs underneath his arms.

He’d instantly tried to stand, feeling my hold on him, and I used that along with my momentum to flip him back. My legs helped slam him shoulders-first into the mat, and he lay stunned in front of me as I quickly untangled.

“Nice one, lass,” Sheamus laughed, clapping me on the back as I hopped to my feet. Ryback –now done smearing Roman around the ring – had just thrown him towards Shield’s corner, where Seth was slowly crawling up onto. “Mind if I start?”

“Go for it,” I laughed, scurrying back onto the apron. Ryback was at my side a moment later, slapping a high-five with me as we watched Dean struggle to his feet. As he righted himself and spotted me in front of him on the apron, he froze in surprise. I playfully waved my fingers in greeting; he must’ve thought it was me behind him to start the match. He spun to face off to Sheamus but instead got a hard clothesline to the chest, sending him right back to the mat.

Dean and Sheamus fought into the far corner, trading blows and then taking turns pinning one another to the turnbuckle. Dean seemed to get the upper hand, and he went to fling Sheamus across into the diagonal corner.

Sheamus was ready, though, and he countered Dean’s move, grabbing his wrist and throwing him against the buckle instead. He added a shoulder to the stomach for good measure, and then grabbed Dean by the neck and tossed him up over the ropes onto the apron.

Dean caught himself, back to the ring, and my heart skittered to a stop. I knew the position Sheamus had set him up in; I knew this move. Thank god Dean had a vest on. It was already more than a little enticing watching the man get hooked against the top rope and stretched out the way he was.

The crowd counted along as Sheamus clobbered Dean’s chest, but he only got to four before Seth tried to intervene. Sheamus pulled back to elbow him off the apron, and before Dean could free himself, Sheamus was back on him.

And then he unzipped Dean’s vest.

Oh no. Don’t do this to me. Not while I’m in front of a live audience with cameras trained on me, I thought desperately as Sheamus shoved Dean’s vest open. Just stop there. That’s good enough –

In one swift move, Sheamus had yanked Dean’s shirt up and over his head, baring his chest and stomach before he hooked an arm around Dean’s neck and pulled him back, leaving him on display. I was looking back at the titantron before I could stop myself, and I instantly regretted that move because now I couldn’t look away.

Sure, I’d seen Mox shirtless dozens of times. Hell, I’d wrestled against him in just his trunks once or twice. Dean, however, had leaned out and toned up since the last time I’d seen him like this. He was still slim but the muscles he hid beneath his ring attire were well-defined, rolling mesmerizingly as he writhed to try and break free of Sheamus’ attack. His pants had ridden down just a hint and for some reason the fact that the vest was still buckled in place around his hips just made the whole thing even more tantalizing.

I mean, it was hard to beat the deliciousness of Dean’s arms, but his bare torso was easily a close second. I watched all ten hits to his chest before I realized I needed to stop drooling in the middle of a damn match and focus.

When Sheamus shoved Dean off the apron I subtly turned my head back around, trying to play it off as though I’d just been looking around. From across the ring, Roman and Seth were staring me down, knowing smirks on their faces. Damn it.

My cheeks had to be at least thirty shades of red; I quickly ducked my head against the ropes, pretending to be super interested in my shoes for a few moments.

“You good, pipsqueak?” Ryback asked, hand settling on my arm to get my attention. I glanced up and gave a quick smile.

“All good. Just, um, ready to get in there,” I threw out, which wasn’t a total lie. Beating up people in the ring would help distract me from the not-so-PG-Era thoughts in my head. Both of us looked over as Sheamus threw Dean back into the ring, but when he hopped onto the apron, Roman made a start for him.

“Yeah? Y’really wanna try that, fella?” he taunted back, holding an arm out to beckon Roman forward. He hadn’t noticed Dean getting to his feet – not good.

“Sheamus!” I shouted, trying to give him a heads up. He looked over but couldn’t react in time to block the kick Dean threw into his stomach. Sheamus fell off the apron, and Dean dove to tag Roman in. Double-not-good.

The giant Samoan wasn’t happy with the taunting and he instantly jumped off the apron to go after our poor teammate. Again, I really should’ve been paying attention to the match. But, I mean, there wasn’t much I could do at the moment, and watching Dean attempt to fix his shirt was much more enthralling.

He’d just straightened his still-unzipped vest when my eyes wandered off on their own accord, mapping slowly down his bare chest, over the tight abs, and then detouring briefly to the arms. The arms that were no longer moving to fix his attire.

My eyes snapped up to his face and I found myself meeting his gaze burning gaze. He was paused, watching me. A smirk took over his face when he noticed the blush I was trying to fight. He kept his stare on me as he slowly reached up and tugged his shirt back over his head to straighten it out, purposefully straining his arms and flexing his abs just a bit to give me a show.

Cocky bastard.

Our moment was broken by Roman dragging Sheamus back into the ring and flinging him into the far corner. Oh yeah. Match. I quickly pulled my eyes from Dean over to the corner Sheamus was being pummeled into.

I heard Seth shouting to drag him to their corner, and that’d only spell trouble for us. If they cut him off from us like that in their part of the ring? That’d be pretty much as not-good as this could get.

“C’mon, Sheamus!” I shouted, waving at the crowd to get them cheering, trying to pump up our battered teammate. He rolled onto his side and looked back at me, nodding slowly as he tried to right himself. He managed to kick Roman away and now Ryback joined in, hopping up and down on the apron yelling,

“Get up! Get up! Don’t let ‘em get you in their –“

Roman surged forward and headbutted him back into the ropes, and Sheamus slumped. Super-double-not-good. He was tossed back into Shield’s corner, and instantly Roman tagged Dean; he hopped over the ropes, and then tagged Seth. Great, a whirlwind tag.

Dean shot forward, bounced off the ropes beside us, and used his momentum to launch forward. He leapt up and threw his feet out, catching Sheamus in a killer dropkick that sent him flipping onto his shoulders. Seth was just steps behind Dean, and before Sheamus could even get to his feet he was slammed back down again.

It went downhill from there. Well, more rapidly downhill than it was already going. The Shield were ruthless and lethal with their tagging, staying in just long enough to get a hit in before swapping out for the next man. All Sheamus could do was cover his head and try to hold out for a break.

Dean finally took the initiative and flung Sheamus out of their corner, into the next turnbuckle over. He threw himself against Sheamus, and then pinned him against the ropes to pummel him with elbow jabs.

“Ref! He’s on the ropes, he’s usin’ the ropes!” Ryback hollered, waving the apparently-oblivious striped man to break the illegal hold. He tried twice to warn Dean, then tried pushing him aside when he didn’t respond. Finally, the ref had to grab Dean’s elbow and haul him back off Sheamus.

Dean stumbled back and ripped his arm out of the ref’s grasp and spat, “don’t touch me, I heard ya!”

He spun on his heel to dive right back into his assault, but Sheamus had managed to get his bearings. Dean couldn’t react in time and got a hard boot to the chest that had him crashing to the mat. He flopped over, stunned, as Sheamus collapsed beside him.

This was his chance! “C’mon, Sheamus! Get up! Get up!” I hollered, snagging the tag rope and stretching it as far as it would go to get closer to him. My height annoyingly came into play, because unlike Roman and Seth – eagerly reaching for Dean – I didn’t manage to lean halfway over into the ring. The top rope came to my chin, and I had to get on tip-toe to even be able to reach down.

Sheamus and his easy fourteen-inch advantage on me would have to pick up my slack on this. The poor guy was worn out, barely managing to roll onto his side, staring desperately up at me and reaching out. He was still too far away, and I couldn’t reach any farther.

Ryback was simultaneously riling Sheamus and the crowd, shouting, “hurry! Ambrose is up! Let’s go! LET’S GO!”

Shit! Dean had gotten to his knees, and he was stumbling towards his corner. Desperately, I wiggled my fingers and urged, “tag! Just dive, tag me in!”

Just as I heard Dean slap a tag, Sheamus pushed onto his feet and fell forward. He barely managed to brush my fingers but it was enough! Just as the ref yelled tag! I ducked into the ring. Roman was running full-speed at me, and a plan popped into my head.

The move was one I’d been working on with Bryan and John. It was meant more for a smaller opponent like Seth, but I’d managed to work it on John the other day… I’d have to try. Instead of ducking past him like I’d normally do, I stopped myself and let Roman grab my wrist.

“What’s Lawless doing, Michael!? She just let Roman Reigns get the one-up!” JBL cried loud enough for me to hear him from the announce table. If he noticed my purposeful hesitation, the big dog didn’t care. Roman spun and flung me hard and fast against the opposite ropes. I bounced off them and shot forward with the momentum.

Roman had been expecting me to be stumbling and he was already running at me to go for a clothesline. I launched myself at him beneath his outstretched arm, wrapping one arm around his middle and the other up around his neck. I let my lower body slingshot up, arching me into a backflip and hauling Roman around with me.

I let gravity do the rest. We fell to the mat, Roman back-first, hitting hard enough I got an oof out of him that turned to a wheeze when I landed across his stomach. The crowd erupted once they made sense of the move and I could hear my tag-partners cheering me on as I somersaulted off Roman and popped to my feet.

“Lawless just goaded Reigns into setting her up for a beautifully-executed moonsault fallaway slam!” Cole cried; even JBL seemed stunned.

“That was straight subterfuge, Michael! She tricked Roman Reigns and used his own strength against him!”

Damn right I did, I agreed, grinning at the sight of Roman’s still-stunned expression. He scrambled to his feet, and as soon as he was upright I threw myself off the ropes again and rushed forward, hitting him with a hard dropkick to the stomach. Admittedly I’d been going for his chest, but that was a long way up for me, okay?

It did the job anyways, sending him stumbling into the far turnbuckle. When he pushed off and came at me again, I figured I might as well stick with my theme. This time when I rushed him, I planted my left foot, spun, and threw a buzzsaw kick into his gut. Roman fell against the ropes, and when I went to go after him again Seth practically materialized between us.

I actually squeaked in alarm and on instinct I slammed my hands into his shoulders to get some distance between us. He tried to keep his balance, hooked his foot on Roman’s outstretched leg, and fell hard to the mat. Huh, cool! That’d worked!

With Seth rolling out of the ring I could focus on Roman again. Seth’s distraction had given him time to get up, but I was still in control. The big dog lunged at me and wrapped me up in a headlock. Unfortunately for him, that was one of Bryan’s favorite moves to pull on me and countering it was second-nature. I hooked my foot back behind his ankle and twisted our legs together. It threw him off-balance and when his hold around my neck slipped, I dropped myself to the mat and scissored my legs around his one to pull it out from under him.

He fell face-first and the moment he hit, I turned and grabbed his foot, locking him into a toehold. Before he could try to shake me off I flipped around, hooked both his legs back behind my thighs, and then bridged into my chinlock.

Roman was writhing beneath me, trying to push up out of my hold. He was bigger and stronger, but with his legs hooked back, every time he tried to push up he just put more pressure on his calves and lower back, working against himself.

“Lawless has her Hemlock cinched in, Reigns can’t get out! He’s trying to crawl but can he reach the ropes before the pain gets to be too much?!” Cole cried. Sure enough, I felt Roman trying to inch across the mat. I cinched my arms more and now had him so tightly locked his chest was up off the mat. He let out a pained grunt and I felt his arm raising up.

He was gonna tap! We were gonna seal the Shield away in under ten minutes –

Arms hooked under my arched back and popped me off Roman easily, flipping me hard across the ring. I hit the turnbuckle and came to a jarring halt, rolling onto my side to try and figure out what had just happened.

Dean was being walked back to the Shield’s corner by the ref who was shouting about keeping things fair. Damnit, I’d had him! Rolling my shoulder to push the dull ache from the ring post to the back of my mind, I shoved to my feet. I’d be kicking Dean’s unfairly attractive ass the moment I took care of Roman.

The second I stood I caught a blur of black; Seth had vaulted over the top rope. There was no time to react, I couldn’t avoid the flying knee he sent straight to my face. Just barely, I turned my head and managed to take the hit to the cheek instead of my nose, but it really didn’t make the blow any less painful. Seth had rolled out of the ring before I even hit the mat, and the ref was none the wiser to the rest of the Shield’s interference.

Sheamus was still down but Ryback was trying to get me up. My head was ringing from the impact Seth had hit me with and my teammate’s words were fuzzy mumbles. Hands rolled me onto my back, and I felt my leg being scooped up.

Shit! Kick out, kick out, kick out!

My shoulder wrenched up off the mat just as the ref hit the two-count and I elbowed Roman’s arm off me, rolling to my knees. I had a feeling the powerhouse of the Shield wasn’t too happy with the one-up I’d had on him earlier, and he was out for revenge.

He tangled his fingers in my hair, pulling me up to my feet like a puppet on strings. As soon as I was standing, his hands slammed into my chest and I flew into the ropes behind me, bouncing off and right into the clothesline he’d tried to hit earlier.

The mat knocked an aching groan out of me and I lay stunned at Roman’s feet, totally at his mercy. Exactly where I didn’t want to be. Desperately I tried to get my feet under me for longer than a second, but the big dog didn’t let that happen.

“Shoulda just stayed down,” he growled as he lifted me like a half-empty sack of potatoes, flinging me across to another part of the ring. Of course, everywhere but towards Ryback, who was practically foaming at the mouth for a tag.

I’m trying, big guy, I promised, managing to actually get a step towards his outstretched fingers before large hands grabbed my arms and threw me backwards. I hit a turnbuckle hard, and instantly two other sets of hands grabbed onto me.

Great. The only place worse to be than at Roman’s mercy was in the Shield’s corner. There was the slap of a tag behind me, and then a familiar arm slipped around my waist to walk me forward. Dean held me to his chest for just a heartbeat before he swung his leg forward. His knee and thigh hit my back and he lifted me up, horizontal to the mat, before dropping his hold completely to let me fall back-first into the mat.

As I scrambled to sit up Dean slid himself around to face me, ducking for a moment to lock his burning blue gaze on me. He quirked a smug smirk at me, and to my surprise he reached out and grabbed my wrist with one hand, holding it in place as he laced my fingers with his own.

I knew it was just to match up with me – easier than going for a collar-and-elbow hold against someone a foot shorter than him – but instantly my mind short circuited at his touch. It was the first time we’d ever actually held hands and it was, like, the worst time for me to get all giddy over it.

For a heartbeat, it was just Dean and I alone in the ring, nothing else around us. As we circled in the ring, sizing each other up, my gaze flicked to our linked hands. When my eyes went back up to his, I barely kept the ghost of a smile from crossing my face. I knew he saw it; his hand squeezed mine, and I squeezed back.

We weren’t alone though, and no matter how much I wanted to swoon, I needed to focus. Ever the skilled wrestler, he caught the shift in my eyes and went to attack, but I barely had a split-second on him.

Dean used our linked hands to pull me to him and, anticipating his instinct move, I turned and threw myself into the motion. My back slammed into his chest and he let out an oof, stumbling and trying to keep himself upright. His arm, naturally, wrapped around my shoulders from behind and pinned me against him.

F O C U S, Jamie!

Hands still together, I tightened my grip, grabbed his arm, and then pitched forward, flipping him over me and slamming him to the mat with impressive force. Dean was down, I was free, this was my chance!

“C’mon, Squeak!” Ryback hollered, bouncing wildly on the apron, hand out, reaching desperately. I surged, dove for the tag, and stopped short just inches from his waggling fingers. Seth had his arms tight around my waist, and though I threw myself towards Ryback, he had the upper hand. The ref – seriously, what good was this guy?! – tapped his arm and ordered, “back on the apron, Rollins! Now!”

“I’m going!” he promised as he hauled me back. When he reached the ropes he dropped his hold and I shot forward again as fast as I could move. Dean, unfortunately, was ready for me. He shoved to his feet and spun on his heel to planted himself in front of me.

Shit.

I skittered to a sloppy stop and tried to back up out of his reach, but it was useless. Smooth as butter on a biscuit, Dean’s arm slid around my waist and he spun us around, sling-shotting me into the ropes across from us. He’d gotten me off-balance and, disoriented now, I couldn’t counter his move.

He caught me off the rebound around my stomach and lifted me up briefly before swinging me around and down into a sidewalk slam. As I tried to catch my breath and make the lights above me stop spinning from the whirlwind of moves he’d just thrown me through, Dean dropped me for a pin. My hand shot out to scrabble for the bottom rope, hoping to break the pin, but Dean caught the movement.

He snagged my wrist and tucked my arm to my chest, using it to pivot himself around and get between me and the ropes, cutting off my easy out. And suddenly, he’d managed to catch my other arm I’d brought up to try and push him off, and I was fully pinned under him.

Worse places to be, I had to admit.

“Feelin’ flustered, Finch?” he teased, glancing down at me, tongue hanging out as the ref slid into position to count. “Shoulda listened to Rome an’ stayed down.”

Being at Roman’s mercy was one thing, but being at Dean’s… well, right place, wrong time. As the ref hit the first count, I wrenched my shoulders and Dean had to adjust his legs to keep the airtight hold.

“Bottom rope, Ambrose!” the ref chided, pointing behind him. Luck, for once, was on my side! Dean’s legs had slid out into the apron; he’d accidentally broken his own pin. He was forced to let me up, and instead of going for another three-count, he stood and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me up with him. He held me to his chest, dragging me back to the Shield’s corner as he reached out to tag Seth in.

Dean hooked his arms under my own and fully righted me, exposing my torso to Seth and allowing him to throw fast, hard punches to my ribs and stomach. Dean let me go and I dropped to my knees, arms wrapping around myself as I grimaced and tried to catch my breath, wheezing through the pain.

Seth sunk to his haunches, grinning wickedly at me, beckoning me to him with both hands. Man, if I had a little more balance and half a breath, I’d be kicking his stupid half-bleached ass across the ring.

Unfortunately for me, those were both things I was sorely lacking. Seeing I wasn’t moving on my own any time soon, Seth grabbed me by the jaw and pulled me to him, getting me up on my feet just to throw a forearm into my face.

And again, and again, and again. I couldn’t get the one-up because I couldn’t even keep myself up. The moment Seth let go of me I dropped to the mat and he followed me down. He scooped my leg, bobbing his head eagerly as the ref started to count.

“One… two –”

I used what little strength I’d gotten from lying down for a handful of seconds to snag Seth’s vest and just barely lift a shoulder to break the pin. To my surprise, Seth made a noise of frustration as he sat back. He looked just as irritable as Roman had been that I’d managed to kick out.

I couldn’t get a tag, but at least I could annoy the crap out of the Shield. I’d take what I could get right now. To say I was worn out was an understatement. With the Shield’s swift tags and endless assault, my abundance of energy was draining at an alarming pace. Kicking out was starting to become something I wouldn’t be able to keep up at this rate. It was taking most of what I had to shift up off my side and get my legs under me; my body felt like jello.

Beaten, pulverized, smooshed-up jello at that.

Sheamus, finally, had clawed himself back onto the apron. I had two ready-and-willing partners eager to break the Shield for me, and I couldn’t get to them. Fantastic. Seth smirked watching me haul myself to my feet, and the moment I stood he reached back and Roman tagged in.

Son of a bitch.

Roman surged for me and I used the little bit of sense I’d gathered to duck his clothesline and bounce off the far ropes. I turned mid-bounce and dove at Roman, going for a thesz press to at least knock him back into the ropes; I really couldn’t do anything else.

The moment I kicked off the mat I realized I didn’t have the element of surprise like I had at the beginning of the match. He was ready for my attack and easily caught me mid-jump. For a moment I was suspended a couple feet off the mat, and then slam-dunked straight down onto my back.

Pain rippled through me and my breath shuddered out. It felt like someone hit pause on my body; I was lying completely stunned in the aftershock of the hit. The moment Roman dropped across me for the pin, though, my body snapped into action and I scrambled to get myself out of the pin.

Roman let out a snarl of irritation at my resistance, and as I went to flip myself over he hooked a hand onto the waist of my pants. I was pulled back to the mat in an instant and his grip on my pants tightened; he was using them as leverage to hold me in the pin.

“Illegal hold, ref!” I gasped out as I desperately tried to wriggle free. The clearly-blind man in the striped shirt just dropped beside me for the count, totally oblivious. With Roman’s massive body in the way, he couldn’t see the cheap leverage.

Annoying the Shield during a match was fun, but I definitely should’ve stopped before I’d pushed them to getting a cheap win.

“One -”

Shit! Roman’s grip on my pants kept me from twisting aside and lifting a shoulder. I couldn’t even roll back to freedom – when I tried, he pulled me flush to the mat before I could even think about breaking the hold.

“Two -”

Crap, crap, crap! I was shoving against Roman now, trying to loosen his grip. I was having as much success as I would trying to push over a well-rooted tree. The crowd was booing, Sheamus and Ryback were shouting at the ref, I was shouting at the ref… it was totally useless. I was stuck.

“Thr -”

A body slammed into Roman and knocked him off me. The moment his hand left my pants I rolled back and flopped over and the ref threw up two fingers. Sheamus – my savior – instantly backed to out corner again as Roman shoved off me and rounded on the ref.

“Get him outta here! DQ ‘em!” he demanded, waving a hand at Sheamus, then down at me. “That was interference, ref! What’re you doin’?! Ring the damn bell!”

This, coming from the man that went for the illegal pin, I huffed as I sat up and got my legs under me. Roman had just turned to start in on me again when Sheamus called out,

“Yer weak, Reigns! Goin’ for a cheap win, huh? Too weak to get a clean pin?”

Roman snarled, abandoning me to turn back to the man taunting him. Man, he really was pissed off tonight. “Shut the hell up, Casper, or I’ll come shut you up!”

“Yeah?” Sheamus goaded, throwing his arms out and beckoning Roman with his fingers. “Let’s see ya try, fella!”

This was it, my opening! This was our chance! Ryback caught my eye past Roman and I nodded, giving him a swift grin. I’m comin’ for you, big guy. Dean and Seth had noticed the exchange, and from behind us they were shouting to get Roman’s attention.

“Leave it, Rome! Get Lawless!” Seth hollered as I started to get myself back to my feet. I’d been hoping for a little more time, but Roman had heard his teammate. He swiveled to lock his sharp eyes onto me; there was no time to set him up for a move. I’d been hoping to go for my Lawless-canrana, but now I didn’t have a chance to get up onto the top turnbuckle.

Time to improvise.

As Roman rushed at me, fist raising for the superman punch I did the first thing that came to mind. I dove forward and wrapped my arms around his knees, twisting and throwing him off balance. He gave a surprised shout before he crashed into the turnbuckle in the Shield’s corner.

He collided with Seth, throwing the smaller man off the apron and into the barricade. Roman slumped down onto the mat, unable to get his feet under him, and I realized this was my chance.

My head was still spinning, my body was absolutely aching by now, but I had to rally. I had to move. This was the opening I needed, and I wouldn’t get another one. The crowd knew it too, and they’d become deafening with their relentless chants of FEED ME MORE!

I scrambled to my knees just as I heard a tag hit, looking back when I felt the mat shift behind me. Dean was in, and he looked just as irritated as his teammates. The Shield’s patience, it seemed, had finally worn off. He was in front of me suddenly, cutting off my path to Ryback before I’d even stood up. The look he fixed me with sent a shiver racing down my spine.

This wasn’t Dean Ambrose facing off with me.

This was Jon Moxley daring me to make a move.

Which is exactly what I’d do. I knew I wasn’t fast enough to dodge around him, and right now there was no way I could try and overpower him. I’d need to get him to give me an opening, and all I needed to do was push the right buttons. Thankfully, that was a specialty of mine.

Slowly, I eased a foot underneath me, and he cocked his head just a hint, eyes narrowing slowly. “Think about what you’re doin’, little Finch,” he warned, shaking his head as I began to stand. “You get up, an’ I’ll have to put you down.”

“Yeah?” I asked him slowly; he flicked his brows up, running his tongue along the inside of his lower lip. “Tough talk for someone who hasn’t been able to put me away yet.”

He gave a heated, breathy chuckle, ducking his head as he ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back before sliding it slowly down his neck. He held my stare, neither of us blinking as I stood up completely.

Lord, there had to be something wrong with me, because somehow the agitated glint in his eye actually took my breath away. He was naturally unbelievably attractive, but seeing him pissed off, knowing I’d gotten him that mad… it did things to me.

Dean smirked gave me one last warning. “Don’t push me, darlin’.”

Well, how I could I resist that perfect opening? I took a step to him, and shoved his shoulder enough to make him take half a step back. The crowd – and my tag partners – ooh’d as the smile fell off Dean’s face.

I’d pushed the right buttons.

Dean lunged to grab me, going for a suplex, and I dropped to my knees before he got the chance. He stumbled and tried to turn and snag me as I rolled between his legs. The slap of a tag from behind me got me scrambling forward on all fours as fast as I could go. Ryback threw his arm out as far as he could and I dove forward.

Our hands hit, the ref called the tag, and the crowd roared as Ryback flew in over my head.

Mission accomplished now, I slumped onto the mat and just managed to roll out onto the apron. Sheamus knelt down and kept a steady hand on me as chaos erupted in the ring. Seth had taken the tag and Dean had stayed into double up on Ryback, but neither were ready for our team’s powerhouse.

The big guy was flying around the ring, tossing the Shield boys left and right with absolutely no mercy. When I’d managed to get myself up and leaning against the turnbuckle, I looked over in time to see Ryback catch Dean midair, turn, and then throw him like a ragdoll right into Seth, sending them both to the mat.

Sheamus and I both cheered with the crowd as he backed up to the far ropes, pumping himself to the crowds unending FEED ME MORE! chant. Just as he went to demolish Seth and Dean, though, Roman came flying over the ropes. He landed a hit to Ryback’s face, but before he’d even hit the mat, Sheamus was rushing to help.

He hauled Roman across the mat, both of them throwing fists wildly. They collided with Dean, and then the three of them hit the ropes. Before they could brace, Roman lost his footing and pitched backwards. Sheamus and Dean were both tangled up with him still, and when Roman fell over the ropes, the other two followed right behind.

Okay, good. I had time to recover. I was still winded, the room had never really stopped spinning, and man were my ribs killing me. I lost count of the hits I’d taken, but my body was slowly starting to tally them up and I wasn’t liking the results it was getting.

I heard the sound of bodies hitting the mat and immediately I turned to check on Sheamus. He seemed just fine – well enough to fling Dean into the barricade. Was he on the other side somehow, trying to intervene with Ryback and Seth again? I got up on a knee to look around, and saw a dark blur flying for Sheamus.

I whipped around just in time to see Roman spearing Sheamus through the barricade, right into the timekeeper’s area. Poor Lilian barely got out of the way to avoid the crash, and just like me, she was staring down at the two men in absolute shock.

For a brief moment I thought both of them were seriously injured. They didn’t move for almost five seconds, but finally, Roman rolled to the side and Sheamus nudged him further away with the heel of his boot.

At least they were alive. I didn’t have time to worry over either of them right now, though. Dean had capitalized on Roman’s spear, and he’d scrambled into the ring to help Seth overpower Ryback; I was under the bottom rope in a heartbeat. Not on my watch, he wouldn’t.

There was still no time for the turnbuckle climb, but I could still make do. Ryback managed to shove Dean off him, into the corner opposite he and Seth. As Dean went to rush back after him, I ran between them and started into my standing hurricanrana.

Dean caught me mid-leap before I could even get my legs up around his neck, instantly maneuvering to counter with a powerbomb. Nope, we weren’t doing that today. As he tried to get me up on his shoulders, I hooked my legs under his arms and threw myself backwards.

As he pitched towards the mat, I caught myself and surged forward through his legs. He hit face-first and before he could recover, I slipped myself out from under him. Grabbing both his ankles, I tucked his legs behind my thighs and then arched back, my hands locking under his jaw to hold him into my Hemlock hold.

It’d worked to keep Roman subdued, and it was working on Dean! With Sheamus and the big dog still down at the timekeepers area, things were finally fair for Ryback again! He’d managed to grab Seth instantly and lifted him effortlessly up onto his shoulders, marching around for his Shellshock.

Dean was struggling against my hold so I cinched in harder, losing sight of Ryback as I opted to push my head against Dean’s shoulder blades, adding to his immobility. He thrashed but he couldn’t break free… he was stuck! This was it! This was our moment!

The crowd roared, there was a shout from Ryback, and then an impact onto the mat so powerful I was jarred out of my bridge. I crashed onto my side next to Dean, scrambling to turn around and watch the ref count us to victory –

Wait. What the hell?!

Ryback was flat on the mat, groaning in pain, Roman was in the ring again, pushing to his feet, and Seth was across his chest – shit! How had this happened?! The ref dropped and started the count. I dove forward, hand outstretched for Seth’s ankle, and an arm caught me around the middle. Dean threw himself back from our teammates and pulled me with him, both of us falling back against the ropes just as the ref shouted,

“THREE!”

The bell rang and Shield’s music erupted. Instantly Seth shoved off Ryback and stumbled out of the ring. Dean pushed me off of him and I plopped onto my knees beside Ryback, staring between him and the retreating boys in absolute disbelief.

What had just happened?!

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, trying to figure out what had gone wrong in the three seconds I’d looked away from Ryback and Seth. As the ref slid into the ring to check on us, I shoved to my feet and caught his arm.

“What – how did they win? What happened?”

The ref blinked at me, confused, and started slowly, “Rollins got the pin. He held Ryback’s shoulders to the mat for three –“

“I didn’t mean –“ I cut off and took a breath to cool myself down, completely fed up with this man. “I meant how did he get the pin?”

In answer, the ref pointed behind me up at the titantron. The recap of Sheamus and Roman going through the barricade faded out, and then they showed the rest of us in the ring. There I was, holding Dean in my bridged chinlock, and there was Ryback, marching around to set up Shellshock…

The moment I tipped my head back and lost sight of Ryback, Roman came barreling under the bottom rope. My jaw dropped as I watched the massive man spear Ryback and then roll aside. He’d gotten in, out, and left damage in the blink of an eye. Ryback hit the mat – which is what had knocked me off Dean – and Seth had landed across his shoulders.

Unfuckingbelievable.

They played it two more times and I still couldn’t come to terms with the last five seconds of the match. We’d one-upped them! We’d evened the odds, we were right there! Beside me, Ryback was starting to stir.

“Hey, big guy. You okay?” I asked, holding out a hand to help him up. “That was a big hit –“

Ryback shoved my hand away as he struggled to his feet, snarling out, “can’t believe this. I can’t fuckin’ believe this. I’m so sick of losin’ to those sons’a bitches!”

“I know. But hey, we did really good tonight –“ I tried. Ryback bit out a laugh and shook his head, shouldering me out of his way as he stalked for the ropes. “Ryback, wait –“

As I made to follow him, a hand rested gently on my shoulder and tugged me back. Sheamus met my eyes when I tipped my head up at him and he gave a small smile. “Let ‘im go, lass. Nothin’ we can do’ta make it better right now.”

My heart was heavy watching my friend limp up the ramp. Again, his words came back to me. You just don’t get anywhere here playin’ nice. I wanted to prove him wrong so bad since the moment he’d said that, but this match had pretty much done the opposite. We played it by the books tonight – valid tags, fair moves, clean hits – and even with all that, we’d lost.

I’d make it right for him. I didn’t want him feeling like this, feeling like he’d failed when he’d kicked ass from the moment I tagged him in. Patting Sheamus’ hand, I motioned for him to follow as I led us out of the ring.

“You alright after that spear?” I asked, eyeing his back when he pulled ahead of me up the ramp; damn these short legs. His pale skin was already marred with darkening red marks, and there were dozens of criss-crossing cuts over his shoulders where the metal of the barricade had sliced into him.

“Physically? I’m still kickin’,” he promised me, pausing to let me reach his side again when we got backstage. “Mentally… well, I’ll get back’ta ya on that.”

We shared a weary smile as I stepped up and tugged my tag partner into a hug. “I feel that. But hey, I still think Team Justice had a pretty good fight tonight.”

“You guys really did,” Bryan agreed as he materialized at my side. Sheamus snorted as I jolted back with a terrified squeak, hand flying to clutch my chest as I glared at my best friend. He just gave me a cheeky grin. “Oops.”

“After the match we just had, can you not try to send me into cardiac arrest?” I griped, pretending to struggle as he towed me into a hug. Sheamus just chuckled at us as backed down the hall, leaving me to deal with the obnoxious goat-man clinging to me.

Finally wriggling out of his hold, I nudged his arm away when he went to rope me in again, which earned a frown. “You’re denying the love I’m trying to give?”
“I’m trying to keep you from squeezing out the little bit of life I’ve managed to cling to,” I corrected as we fell into step, heading down the hall. “Hey, did you happen to see which way Ryback went?”

Bryan pointed to the side and offered, “he made a beeline down that way. All that’s there is medical, so I’d assume that’s where he’d be. Why?”

“I’m gonna go check on him before we head out, okay?” I said as I started in the direction he’d pointed. Though he gave me a thumbs up, I narrowed my eyes. “That means don’t leave me –“

“I only did that once,” he instantly defended, putting his hands up and giving me a frown. “And, to be fair, you never actually told me to wait.”

For a second I actually thought about hitting him. He saw the look on my face and he scurried out of my reach. “I’d kind of assumed you knew I didn’t wanna be left in the WalMart parking lot at 3am, Bry.”

“Well, you know what happens when you assume,” he began, shrugging as we continued to back away from each other. I offered a cheeky smile and asked,

“What? Your girlfriend and her sister kick your ass for abandoning a helpless child because you were too excited to eat your ice cream?”

“Ice cream melts and you don’t, Jay,” he finished, rolling his eyes and turning away to end the ‘discussion’. “Meet me at the car in ten minutes or I will leave without you.”

Yeah, right. After Brie had nearly killed him for the WalMart fiasco, he knew better than to drive off without all Jamie’s accounted for. He had lost tonight, though… I wouldn’t push my luck. I put it into second gear scampering to medical, knocking a couple times before leaning inside.

Ryback looked up hearing the door, and though I smiled at him, he turned away and fixed his eyes straight ahead. My heart sunk a little more and I scuttled inside. “Hey. If you’re not busy, Bryan and I are going out for some dinner before we head back to the hotel. If you wanna come –“

“I don’t.”

He still hadn’t looked back to me, and his words were cold and hollow. I knew how he was feeling, I really did. Even being… whatever I was with Dean didn’t make the loss any easier. “Even though we didn’t beat Shield, I’m still totally up for jumping Randy in the parking lot. We can go grab Sheamus, and I bet Bryan would…”

Wordlessly, Ryback reached back and grabbed the privacy curtain hanging by the table he was on. The schff of him pulling it between us seemed to echo around the room as my words faded out, and the silence that followed was deafening.

My head hung down, heart sunken to the pit of my stomach now. I took the hint and turned to go, but paused as I tugged the door open. There was so much more I wanted to say, but instead I just gave a soft, “goodnight, big guy.”

The walk back to the locker room felt longer than the walk from the ring had felt after the match. The loss was settling in, and even though I’d had fun with Dean – and had definitely enjoyed harassing Seth and Roman – getting another loss stung. Especially considering I was now oh-and-two for pay-per-views. Not a fantastic start to my WWE career, that was for sure.

I gathered my stuff in heavy silence, reluctantly picking up the pace heading for the parking garage. At this pace, Bryan probably would just leave me here. When my phone buzzed in my bag, I figured it was him ready to make that exact threat. I paused when I saw the message that had just come through.

From: Deano
one hell of a match little finch. dont care what the record says, u can count that as a win.

The smile that took over my face was genuinely painful. It was just a little text, but it was the exact kind of thing I needed to hold onto as I left the building, ready to put my second busted pay-per-view behind me.

Dean just knew what I needed, and I didn’t even have to say anything.

I’d just started to reply when the sound of a car starting caught my attention. I gave a quick glance at the car that passed by, looked back to my phone, and then did a double-take so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.

“Bryan!” I shouted, taking off after the cackling man speeding away from me into the night.

Well, I had Dean to lift my spirits, and Bryan to distract me with impromptu cardio. It wasn’t ideal – and I’d have to come up with bail money after murdering my best friend tonight – but it was honestly the best way to end this crazy night.