Canary and the Coal Mine

“I’ve been lying on that bed half naked for almost twenty minutes,” Nikki announced, having finally re-emerged from the bedroom at the back of John’s bus. “And you’re still playing that stupid game instead of joining me?”

“As tempting as you are,” I said, eyes locked on the screen; I was just about to pass John on the final lap. “Your boyfriend’s right here, and I only have you on Tuesdays and every other Saturday.”

“I thought we moved you to Wednesday, and filled in Brodus on Tuesday,” John mused, leaning closer to the screen as he zoomed by me again. Nikki made a sound of indignation as I leaned forward and nudged him aside.

“That’s only if Tuesday is a holiday. In which case, I get both the day before and after,” I reminded; Nikki actually scoffed and moved to stand in front of the TV. My best friend in lingerie was a sight I’d accidentally seen so much it didn’t even phase me. “If your enormous airbags loose this match for me, I’m popping them in your sleep,” I warned, trying to lean around her. John, however, was suddenly much more interested in the scantily clad girl in front of him, and he abandoned his controller.

“Rematch, tomorrow,” he announced, all but pulling Nikki down the hall again. She shot me a smirk and I wiggled my brows after her, then glanced back at the TV. I took the final lap and threw my hands up as my car crossed the finish line.

“Yes! Winner! I finally –“ my jaw dropped open. 2ND PLACE flashed across my screen, and John’s was flashing 1ST PLACE. “Are you kidding me! He’s not even playing! How the hell did he do that?!” I snarled at the game; from the back of the bus, I faintly heard John laughing. “Asshole!” I shouted, tossing the controller onto the cushion and flopping back onto the bench seat.

We were just about an hour outside of Greensboro, North Carolina, our next venue for Raw. Smackdown hadn’t needed John, the twins, or myself, so while Brie stayed with Bryan over the weekend, Nikki and John had me road trip with them to the next town.

It had been nice, really nice, spending some quality time with my friends. Like I said, feeling alone with Nikki Bella as my best friend was a rare occurrence. Even with John on board, most of her time had been spent with me – gossiping, blackmailing me into letting her do my hair and makeup, and having in-depth arguments about how much glitter was too much. John had vehemently sided with me on that one.

And the more I spent with Mr. Cena, the more I got to like him. We’d already been pretty close – he and Nikki had been hanging out for a long time before their official relationship change – but now I felt like he was becoming my other older brother.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on Nikki and John’s ‘alone time’, I popped my headphones in and pulled up the blinds, watching the North Carolina scenery rush by me.

--

“You have a hickey on your neck,” I informed my best friend as she finally joined us in the Divas locker room, trying to smooth down her hair. Now that she and John had taken their relationship to the next level, the only thing they wanted to do was each other.

“Whore,” Brie added helpfully, earning the middle finger for both of us as Nikki began to fix her makeup in one of the mirrors. Raw had just started, and the recap from last week was playing.

“Ooh, that just gets worse every time,” Brie grimaced watching the repeat of Seth’s suplex to me off the ring. I winced as I hit the table; I still had the bruises.

Brie squealed as she saw Bryan walking out with Kane to start their match, her face in a grin as she watched her boyfriend. “Ugh. I just love him dressed like that.”

“What, pants-less, wearing his boyfriend’s letter jacket?” I asked, earning a scowl from one best friend and a laugh from the other. “Kane must be so proud to show him off –“

“You’re such a brat!”

As I gave her a cheeky grin, we both fell silent as we saw Bryan pointed out something up in the stands. The camera slowly panned up, and both Brie and I gasped. The Shield were standing up in the skybox, watching Bryan and Kane in the ring with smug smirks.

Even as Kane called them out, though, Shield didn’t move. They stood silently up at top of the arena, just watching. Observing. It was almost more unsettling than if they’d stormed down and attacked. Almost.

“Oh my god,” Brie breathed, shifting forward to stand as the match began. “Jamie, they’re up to something. What if they hurt Bryan again? We have to do something –“

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I said quickly, snagging her wrist and tugging her back. “They’re not doing anything right now. There’s no reason to egg them on or distract Bryan and Kane even more.”

Though she nodded, I knew Brie was on the verge of running out there herself. Nikki joined us, leaning on the back of the couch; we watched the match in tense silence, just waiting for something to happen. Brie could barely breathe; her hands were wrapped tight around my arm, eyes locked onto Bryan’s every move. Just like the Shield.

“I can’t watch this,” she groaned, dropping her head against my shoulder and shutting her eyes. I watched again as Bryan turned, warily eyeing the men up above him. This time, he turned to Kane and held up one finger, then pointed up to the skybox.

“Something’s wrong,” I started, making Brie’s head snap back to the TV; my breath caught when the camera went back to the Shield. More like, went back to Dean. Roman and Seth were gone.

“Stay here,” I said urgently. “I’m gonna go find some help.”

Brie didn’t argue this time. After what had happened to Bryan last week, I knew just seeing Shield in the arena with her boyfriend was making her sick to her stomach.

“Please be careful, Jellybean,” Nikki called after me as she moved to sit with her sister; I glanced back and gave her a smile before taking off out of the arena. They both knew I wasn’t stupid enough to go out alone. Not with the ache in my back still there to remind me what happened last time.

I needed backup; even with Kane and Bryan out there, they were preoccupied with Titus and Darren. There was no way I could head off all three members of the Shield on my own. But, of course, the only person at all I ran into was Damien Sandow.

“Watch where you’re going, Jeanette,” he snapped as I nearly collided with him; he held his cup protectively up out of harms way as I skirted around him. “I know it’s hard for a Neanderthal like you to understand grace, but I suggest it’s what you strive for.”

“Hey, is that the coffee from the back room?” I asked as I turned to look at him as I backed down the hall. He narrowed his eyes.

“It is,” he confirmed cautiously, and I let a huge, devilish grin spread across my face.

“Excellent.”

His eyes widened as he stared at the cup in absolute terror, but I was around the corner before he could think of coming after me. As desperate as the situation was, there was always time to bother Sandow.

There were a few lingering superstars around the locker rooms, but no one that would be of any help to me against the Shield. John was probably with Sheamus, getting ready for their match. Randy wasn’t even here yet, and I hadn’t spotted Ryback once tonight.

I was about to make another pass through the back when I glanced at the screen and caught Roman and Dean making their way down the stairs towards the ring. They were moving slowly, eyes locked on Bryan and Kane.

Okay, so maybe I was stupid enough to go out alone.

I paused just outside of gorilla position, eyes on the screen above the curtains. There was a chance this was just for intimidation, and if I ran out now, I could instigate a fight. I wouldn’t make myself known until it was necessary. Until they got closer to the ring, at least.

I bounced back and forth on the balls of my feet, adrenaline pumping through me. Not taking part in Smackdown last week had made me incredibly pent up. Part of me wanted them to interfere, to give me something to do. Stephanie had told me she was waiting for an opportune moment to start putting me in matches, and I was going stir-crazy.

It was beginning to look like the Shield were just there for intimidation. The cameras kept showing Roman and Dean perched on the stairs, watching, and they hadn’t moved closer yet. The view cut back to the match, and now both Kane and Bryan had written off the threat of the Shield to try and pick up the win.

Maybe Brie and I had been overreacting. I had just taken a step back, thinking about going to find backup again or just abandoning my attack plan altogether, when the camera zoomed out. Roman and Dean were suddenly on the ground floor, stalking towards the ring. Too close now, whether it was just intimidation or something more. I would have to be enough.

As I stepped out onto the stage, the crowd erupted. I caught Dean and Roman’s heads swiveling to take me in; they exchanged a nod, and Roman went back to watching the match. Dean’s eyes stayed on me.

Slowly, I crept down the ramp as he crept through the crowd. Our eyes never left each other. I matched his speed, so that by the time he reached the barricade, I was at ringside. He leaned on his hands against the barricade, the same intense look in his eyes that only he could manage.

Two Years Ago

“That was one hell of a fight, Westy,” Drake Younger congratulated as he came up beside me, leaning on the balcony and grinning. I looked up at my boyfriend, smirking, and shrugged. So I’d completely decimated Mercedes Martinez in our match earlier; no big deal.

“Like what you saw?” I asked; Drake matched my smirk and leaned just a little closer. We’d been doing this dance for months now. His eyes swept over my ring attire greedily as his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek.

“You know I do,” he began, hand playing with the hem of my shorts before moving up to toy with my belly button ring. “I think we need to brush you up on some of those submission holds, though.”

I turned around to lean my back against the railing, hooking my arms over the sides as I turned my head to give him a quick once over. The bulge in his pants grew just a bit as I gave him a wink.

“You know I’ll let you pin me down.”

Drake swallowed hard, hunger in his eyes as he stepped closer to me. His hand had just rested on my bare stomach, his lips had just brushed against my neck, as the back door opened.

A few of the other wrestlers came out laughing and shoving each other; the last match must have just ended, and the winner was out celebrating. I recognized a few of the others – Sami Callihan, for one. But the man in the middle, the one they were all congratulating, I’d never seen him before.

He was tall, well over both Sami and Drake. He had on a pair of black wrestling shorts and a black hoodie, unzipped with the sleeves pushed up. A sheen of blood glinted off his chest, and more dripped from a gash on his chin.

He didn’t seem to mind, wiping it with the back of his sleeve while lighting up a cigarette, laughing and joking with the other guys as they went on about his match. As he took a drag, he glanced over to Drake and I. Even with his damp hair hanging into his eyes, I didn’t miss the once-over he gave me, nor the appreciative smirk I got when he finished the examination.

Drake snorted in irritation and flipped him off; taking it as an open invitation, the man slipped past the others and came up to us. Good god, he was tall. Even under the hoodie, I could see the muscles on his arms and shoulders, bulking him out and building up his impressive frame. Was it even allowed to be that good-looking in public?

The look he was fixing me made my cheeks flush; as I did so, his tongue swiped out over his bottom lip. Drake’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me to him, and I actually found myself missing being so close to the other man.

“Baby,” he said pointedly to me. “This is my friend I was tellin’ you about. Jon Moxley. Mox, this is my girl, Westy.”

Mox stepped closer again, so he was staring down at me, and he nodded in appreciation. He took a long drag of his cigarette, and then turned his head to blow the smoke out before leaning towards me just a bit. My breath caught in my throat, and he chuckled lowly at my reaction. Drake’s arm tightened, and Mox saw. He let out a laugh and rolled his eyes, backing away and holding his hands up, though he kept his eyes on me.

“Don’t worry, Drake,” he drawled, the accent in his voice sticking with me as he smirked. “I won’t take her from you. Yet,” he added, giving me a final wink before turning and heading back to the other guys. Though Drake’s attention quickly went back to me after that, my eyes lingered on the man I’d just met.

Jon Moxley wasn’t someone I’d be forgetting.

Those eyes had stuck with me all this time, still sending the same shiver of curiosity through me as I met the challenging stare. Part of me wondered if the great Jon Moxley still remembered me. We’d only met that once, and I knew his reputation. I wouldn’t let my schoolgirl crush get the best of me; I shook off the memory and focused on the situation unfolding around us.

Kane had just now taken notice of Dean too, and he was standing on the apron, watching him intently, ready to pounce.

Darren tackled Bryan into the ropes, knocking Kane to the ground. As he landed, Bryan rolled Darren up for the win. The bell rang, and all of us surged forward.

Dean took his eyes off me to hop the barricade, going for Kane, and I threw myself at him, tackling him into the wall he’d just come over. His back hit hard and I drove my elbow into my stomach. His eyes locked onto me, and irritation flashed in his gaze.

“Stay out of it,” he growled, kicking me off him. My back slammed into the steel steps, and Dean was on me, straddling my legs, pinning me by my neck to the steps as he leaned in closer. “I ain’t askin’ again, Finch.”

“Good, then shut up,” I spat, bringing my knee up. I’d been going for a low blow, but he shifted just in time so my knee hit his stomach instead. He let out a huff of breath and I squirmed up to lie on my back on the steps, bracing my feet on Dean’s shoulders and kicking him off me.

“Jay!” Bryan shouted in warning; Roman was suddenly on top of me, ripping me up off the steps. Bryan tried to dive after me, ready to take Roman out, but Seth made his appearance. He threw Bryan down and they went at each other as Roman picked me up over his head and threw me over the barricade. I landed in the walkway of the crowd, bouncing off the cement and coming to a jarring stop. I slumped onto my back and let out a groan.

It was Kane’s turn on the steel steps; Dean and Roman smashed his arm between them and the pole over and over, and then slammed him face-first into the top step and threw him aside. He fell, unmoving.

Now Bryan was left alone in the ring, and Roman had already slithered in. I forced myself up, scrambling to my knees. Normally, I could have gracefully vaulted over the barricade, but I had to settle this time for flipping over clumsily.

Dean had just pulled himself onto the apron; I dove forward and grabbed his ankle, using the momentum of my fall to pull him off the ring. He slipped and his face slammed into the mat.

Oops. Not what I’d been going for.

The crowd went crazy for it though. Dean was on the ground, stunned, and for a heartbeat I hoped that would be enough to even the fight.

It was Roman this time that appeared behind me with no warning. Seriously, it was frightening how quickly they moved for being such big, bulky brutes. He fisted his hand into my hair at the nape of my neck and drove me forward; I had just an ounce of time to brace myself and lessen the blow of the steel ring post to the front of my body.

I bounced off it just as Roman let go, and I stumbled over Kane’s body, dropping hard. It was over. The Shield maneuvered Bryan up onto Roman’s shoulders. Desperately, I clawed myself up the apron just as his body was slammed into the mat. The crowd let out boos as they stood over his body; Roman moved to grab him again, and I threw myself into the ring.

“No, stop,” I gasped, crawling forward and slumping down between Bryan and the Shield. All three of them smirked down at me; I held out a hand to them, begging silently for them to just leave.

To my surprise, Dean jerked his head towards the ropes to call off Roman and Seth as he took a step back. His eyes swept over me, and as I held his gaze, a slow smirk curled the corner of his lips. He gave me a wink, and the Shield left the ring a moment later.

I stared warily after them, not trusting the retreat; Dean held my stare until I lost him in the crowd. Kane managed to pull himself in, and now the three of us sat battered and bruised, defeated by the Shield once again.

--

“I am fine, Nicole,” I argued, swatting her hand away as she began to fuss with the icepack on my shoulder. Now that John’s match was over, she was completely undistracted and I was the only one in the room with her. Great.

While Brie had managed to wrangle Bryan to the medic, I’d ducked away to the locker room. Nothing was even bleeding this time, and I wasn’t seeing double. Nikki, however, was convinced I was going to keel over and die any second; she hadn’t left me alone since I’d limped backstage.

“You are like, black and blue, dude,” she pointed out, poking at a bruise at the back of my neck. I let out a yelp and threw my now-warm ice pack at her. She grabbed the side of my shirt and tugged the arm hold aside to examine the bruises on my back.

“Would you quit?” I snapped, shoving her completely off me. Seriously, this chick and personal space… She shot me a scowl as the locker room door opened; I glanced up and saw Bryan looking at me incredulously.

“Jamie didn’t have to go to the doctor?!” he cried indignantly to Brie, actually stomping his foot as he turned to look at her in disbelief. She rolled her eyes. Bryan let out a huff, sulking as he trudged up to the couch, collapsing heavily on my other side.

The cushions dipped unexpectedly and Nikki and I both pitched backwards with squeaks of surprise; I landed across Bryan’s lap and she landed on top of my chest.

“It’s still not Tuesday,” John pointed out from the doorway, a bemused smile on his face as I struggled to shove his girlfriend off of me. I scowled at him.

“Yeah, well, trust me. Her unrequested groping is very one-sided,” I pointed out; just to be a brat, Nikki stopped holding herself up and dropped onto my body completely. Bryan and I both gave groans of pain.

“Oh, what was that?” she asked smugly, somehow making herself weigh more. “Did that hurt? That’s funny, because I thought you two were just fine. Fine enough not to need a medic!”

“What I need right now is a hydraulic lift,” I wheezed, trying to shift her off my ribs. My attempt failed, and she just flopped down harder.

“Why am I being squished?” Bryan whined, trying to shove us off. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“Just for that, Jellybean, I’m telling Damien Sandow you’re in love with him!”

She shot me a smug look, and to her surprise my face lit up with excitement.

“Oh my god, he’d probably cry. Could you do that?”

“Uh, why?” Brie asked skeptically, eyeing me as she settled onto the arm of the couch next to Bryan. I tilted my head back to grin up at her.

“Gives me something to do next week. I smuggled a whole box of fake roses in one of the equipment trucks. I’ve been meaning to break ‘em out.”

“How did you –“ Bryan paused, and then shook his head. “It’s probably better I don’t ask.”

“Smart man,” I agreed. Nikki rolled her eyes and finally shoved up off of me. She and John were probably on their way to find a secluded back room. Again. As she wrapped her arms around John’s waist, I wiggled my brows at her and she gave me her patented lip-pout.

“You’re such a little weirdo.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, sitting up to make room for Brie on Bryan’s lap. Once she settled in, I leaned back and rested on her legs now. “But you still love me.”

She shot me a wink and blew a kiss – that I pretended to catch, of course – as she and John headed out of the locker room.

“Look, the future Mr. Jamie Lawless,” Bryan commented, grinning at the TV. Sandow was currently on the screen, insulting another poor fan that was trying to be his new protégé. He began to ask the crowd if there was anyone out there that could step up and join him. I had just shifted to get up when Brie’s hand flashed out and pressed hard onto my stomach to hold me in place.

“No, don’t even think about it,” she chastised, giving me a look. I pouted. “This is the whole reason you’ve got a reserved table in the medic’s office.”

“Hey, I worked hard for that,” I shot back, sighing as I saw that Santino was already out on stage. My moment was gone. I scowled at Brie. “And now Damien Sandow won’t take me under his wing.”

“You’re welcome,” Bryan drawled, and I snorted in amusement. As the match launched into action, I heard my phone go off. A smile came to my face when I saw Randy’s name. I hadn’t talked to him all night.

You doing anything right now?

Nope, I’m free, I typed back, and Bryan scoffed. When I glanced up, I saw him reading over my shoulder, and I tucked my phone to my chest.

“Excuse you.”

“I take offense to that,” he said, feigning hurt as he pretended to let his lower lip wobble like he was about to cry. “I thought we were having an important bonding session right now.”

Come to my locker room?

With exaggerated effort I sat up off of Brie’s lap, typing out a quick, Be there in a few to Randy as I stood up.

“Yeah, well, you two keep going without me. I’ll be back to finish it up –“ I paused at the snort from Bryan and the bemused smirk from Brie. “Take that how you want, you sick freaks. I’ll see you later.”

“Try not to get yourself into trouble between now and then,” Brie teased; I flipped her off as I headed out of the locker room.

“Ten bucks says we find her in the medical room,” Bryan sniggered to his girlfriend.

“I heard that!”

I’d had every intention of going straight to Randy’s locker room. I really did. Really. But of course, a more than familiar face appeared next to me and locked his arm with mine.

“I need you,” Brad Maddox said under his breath, towing me into a side room and flipping on the lights as he kicked the door shut. Immediately I shoved him off me and swatted his hands as they reached for me again.

“You have three seconds to explain that sentence,” I threatened; he just gave me a ‘knowing’ smirk as he straightened his unnecessarily snug vest.

“As if you’d really be offended if I let you have a piece of this beef cake.” He motioned to himself as if proving a point “We’re not on camera. You don’t need to hide your true feelings.”

“The only feeling I ever get for you is the overwhelming urge to set your unnaturally tight clothes on fire.”

Brad made a face as he pulled out a tube of chapstick. I crossed my arms and waited for an explanation. After the third unnecessary application he caught me staring, and raised a brow.

“Can I help you?”

“You kidnapped me,” I pointed out irritably. “If you’re just gonna make me follow you giving compliments again, I told you last time –“

“No, no, you actually have a chance to help create history,” he said quickly, catching sight of something over my shoulder. Before I could ask for a better explanation, the door opened behind me.

“Who do you two think you are?!” Vickie demanded, coming up to glower at the two of us, followed by a camera. Oh god, please don’t let Brie and Bryan be watching… After another swipe of chapstick, Brad turned to head her off, but she was already going off on her tirade. “I didn’t invite you two! I don’t know who let you in my office –“ I pointed a finger at Brad and he shot me a furious look before turning back to our general manager and giving a sickly-sweet smile.

“Listen, Vick. I’m just here to make sure that no one will ever forget the name Brad Maddox.”

“Who are you again?” I asked cheekily, and he gave me an incredulous look as I shrugged. “Hey, you did this to yourself.”

“Vickie, all I’m asking is you give me another shot at winning a spot on the roster,” he said quickly, before either she or I could get going again. My brows raised up, surprised; his last few tries had ended pretty bad. He seriously wanted to go again?

“Brad, I’m so busy tonight. I have a show to run, and you’re trying to play games! Why should I give you a WWE contract?”

“Well, I know you’ve heard enough excuses from me, so I brought my esteemed colleague and best friend Jamie to explain why I deserve another shot.”

Both Vickie and Brad turned to look at me, and I actually let out a surprised laugh.

“You’re using me as a reference? I don’t even like you –”

“Jamie,” Brad said through his teeth as he gave me a forced smile. “Come on, now, you begged to be here and support me. Don’t be shy –“

“You dug yourself into this hole, I’m not getting you out,” I informed him, holding up my hands as I backed away.

“Brad, I don’t have time –“ Vickie started, and he slipped between her and the door as she tried to leave.

“Okay, okay! Look, Vickie, you’ve got something not a lot of people have here. You have an eye –“ he pointed at his face “– for talent. And entertainment. And you don’t get a better combination of the two than Brad Maddox.” I snorted in disbelief and he shot me another scowl before quickly turning to smile at Vickie again. “I am entertainment. This face on Raw, it goes from good TV to great TV.”

“Fine. I’ll give you your match on Raw tonight. And if you win, you get your contract.”

“Excellent. Thank you, Vickie. I knew you were the one with common sense and natural leadership skills around here,” he said sweetly, beginning to head out. He paused and glanced back. “Oh. Who’s my opponent?”

“You’ll find out when you get there,” she promised, and he beamed; he snagged my arm and dragged me out of the room. The second the door shut he whirled on me.

“What the hell kind of backup are you?!”

“Out of all the people you could have grabbed, you picked me. Are you really that surprised I didn’t join the ‘Brad Maddox experience’?”

Brad and I had known each other for a while now. We’d both been at NXT together, and to say we hadn’t gotten along was an understatement. It wasn’t my fault he was an easier crier. He’d moved up before me, but clearly that hadn’t worked out for him. I had no idea how he still got to hang out here for so long without his own contract. He was like the cockroach of the WWE world.

“The next time you need a favor, don’t bother coming to me,” he sniffed, meticulously fixing his hair as he began to back down the hallway. “If you’d excuse me, I have a match to get ready for.”

With a heavy roll of my eyes, I turned and finally got back to my mission of finding Randy. By the time I got to his locker room, Vickie was just leaving. She gave me a sickly sweet smile as she went the opposite way; I frowned after her as I walked inside.

Randy was on the bench, just lacing up his boots. When he heard the door shut again, his eyes flicked up and he gave me a slow, warm smile.

“So. You’re best friends with Brad Maddox?”

He laughed at my expression and stood up, making his way to me as I leaned back against the door. Since the night I’d accidentally crashed in his room, we felt a bit closer. We texted more, hung out more, and the other nights Nikki had stayed with John, I’d found my way to his room. He was just as close to me as the other four stooges I hung out with were.

“’Friends’ isn’t the term I’d use,” I said, falling into step with him as he headed down the hall. At this, he glanced down and grinned. “Unwilling accomplice is usually what I end up being.”

“Well then it should make you pretty happy to know that I’ll be the one whooping his ass in the ring tonight.”

“Really?” I laughed in disbelief. Oh, Brad was gonna be pissed when he found that out. “So that’s why Vickie came out of your locker room.”

Randy smirked down at me. “Jealous?”

I smirked back. “More like worried about your mental health.”

He laughed and slung an arm over my shoulder; he’d been doing that a lot more. Nikki had seen it a few times and tried to insist he did have a crush on me, but I shot it down. Randy told me he had an eye on one of the girls here, and the rumor in the divas locker room was that Randy had his sights set on Kaitlyn. And besides, I had bigger things to worry about.

Like the fact that I still hadn’t gotten the threatening stare of Jon Moxley out of my head from earlier tonight.

“Well, if you’re not heartbroken about Maddox’s fate, why don’t you come valet with me? Watching him cry is so much better in person.”

“Well, I did want to start my prank on Sandow…” I mused, rolling my eyes up. “But hell, you’re right. I’ll free up my schedule tonight, just for you.”

“Awe, does that make me special?” he teased, ruffling the hair I’d wrangled to look semi-presentable today. I swatted his hand away, grinning up at him.

“I’m not afraid to pop that ego, Orton,” I shot back; Randy smirked at me and shoved me playfully ahead of him.

“Why don’t I just let you kick his ass tonight? How much would the crowd love that?”

“Now c’mon,” I teased. “We don’t want to end his career.”

On screen, Brad had just gotten into the ring, and he turned to smirk at the ramp. I watched the screen as Randy’s music hit, and the look of disbelief that spread across his face set me off laughing. Randy and I came out grinning, much to the excitement of the crowd.

“And his opponent, from St. Louis, Missouri, weighing 225 lbs… Randy Orton! He’s being accompanied tonight by Jamie Lawless!”

Randy and I walked slowly down the ramp, both our eyes locked onto Brad as he paced angrily in the ring. As Randy climbed inside, I circled around towards the announcers; Brad stared at me like I’d committed the most unspeakable betrayal.

“You were on my side!” he shouted, and I threw my hands up in defense, backing away as Randy came down off the ropes, ready to start the match.

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” I started, and he gave me a look. “Well, okay. I’m on Randy’s side. But it’s nothing personal!”

“You’re dead to me, Jamie Lawless,” Brad vowed, pointing an accusing finger at me as the bell rang.

Brad paced his corner of the ring, watching Randy nervously. Randy lowered his head, keeping his gaze up, looking at Brad like he was prey. Which, yeah, he pretty much was. The moment that Randy took a step forward, Brad spun and tried to scramble out of the ring. Randy caught him easily, trying to pull him back in, and Brad elbowed him in the face.

Oh yeah, Brad was dead.

Randy’s face twisted into a snarl as Brad scrambled off the ring. To my surprise, he made a beeline for me. Desperately, he grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, planting me between himself and Randy.

“Hey! Brad –“

There was only a second for me to drop out of the way as Randy hit Brad with a forearm to the face. Brad dropped and I nearly did too, but Randy’s arm caught me around the waist and kept me up.

“You good, Jay?” he asked quickly as he bundled me to the side.

“All good,” I promised, literally watching the cold fury take over his face as he turned back towards Brad. Throwing me into danger hadn’t been the smartest idea. If he’d been mad before… Randy picked Brad up and threw him back into the ring, setting up for a hard DDT. He caught my eyes and smirked just before he dropped.

Okay, that one felt good. A little payback for trying to use me as his bodyguard. The match was pretty much over. Randy backed up and riled the crowd to their feet, then spun and dropped into his stance as Brad slowly got to his feet.

Randy hit the RKO, and this time I actually winced in sympathy for Brad. He bounced off the mat and couldn’t even move as Randy got the pin.

As the bell rang and Brad all but fell out of the ring, I rolled in and came up to my best friend. He draped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me to his side, and we both held up our hands in victory.

An arm wrapped tight around my stomach a moment later and ripped me off of Randy, towing me roughly back to the corner of the ring as Seth jumped Randy from behind. Roman tackled them both to the ground, and they hauled off, beating Randy mercilessly into the corner.

Dean slid his arms up and locked them under my own, his hands holding onto my shoulders this way, easily overpowering me and holding me in place to watch the attack on Randy. I was helpless. I kicked at Dean’s knees and shins, but he put a stop to that quickly, sweeping his leg up to catch and pin both of mine between his. I was completely at Dean’s mercy.

Well shit if that wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever experienced; Dean Ambrose man-handling me into submission. As I struggled against him, he tightened his hold. I was pressed flush against his front, hard enough to feel the strain of his muscles, the flex of his chest and arms as he shifted to hold me better. My entire brain was short circuiting, and I just naturally stopped fighting against it. I mean, there were worse places to be, right?

Jesus, what was wrong with me!? My best friend was getting beaten up and I was mildly distracted by the hard, powerful body wrapped around mine.

“Don’t wanna hurt you, little Finch,” he breathed, lips brushing over my ear; it sent shivers down my spine; I felt him smirk at my reaction. I started to struggle again, but it was futile. Dean was every bit as strong as he looked; he hunched in around me, lips now brushing over my cheek, the scratch of his stubble sending electricity through me – jesus, Jamie, get it together!

Dean let out a breathy laugh as Roman and Seth picked Randy up to get better access at his body. They just beat him back onto the ground, and then as soon as he’d rolled onto his back, defeated, Dean dropped his hold on me. I’d been so lax in his arms that his sudden release sent me slumping onto my knees in surprise. I hit the mat, stunned, and couldn’t move fast enough as Dean joined the Shield to powerbomb Randy.

They were out of the ring before I had even gotten to his side. He rolled towards me, groaning and grimacing. My hand rested on his arm and he looked up at me.

“Ambrose hurt you?” he growled, getting to his knees. I shook my head quickly, quickly catching him before he could pitch forward.

“No, I’m fine. Are you –“

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon. Let’s get out of here, before they come back.” With a nod, I slipped out of the ring first, and maneuvered Randy to lean heavily on me as I helped him up the ramp.

--

“I told you,” Bryan laughed as Randy and I came out of the medic’s room. He and Brie were just heading down the hall, probably on their way to the superstars locker room to get changed. Randy chuckled and pulled me into a hug as I scowled at Bryan over his arm.

“Behave, okay?” he said, ruffling my hair one last time as he headed down the hallway, to his own locker room. “I’ll text you tonight.”

“It wasn’t for me, so technically that doesn’t count,” I argued, falling into step with them as they continued the opposite way from Randy.

“Be that as it may,” Bryan said, still highly amused. “You were gone for less than half an hour and you still managed to get yourself into trouble and into the medical room. It’s just impressive at this point, honestly.”

“You’re such a –“ I paused, catching sight of the TV. Punk was hooked up to a bunch of wires, with Miz watching on, smirking. “Did I miss something?”

“Considering you were gone half the night picking fights with Vickie Guerrero and the Shield…” Brie began; I gave her a playful shove.

“Punk’s being interrogated about being involved with the Shield,” Bryan answered, having stopped with me as Miz shouted out the question everyone had been dying to get an answer for. But as the camera zoomed in on Punk’s face, I saw the people in the crowd pointing eagerly up into the stands and getting excited.

“I think they’re about to have company,” I said, just as Miz was ripped out of the ring by Seth Rollins. As Dean and Roman climbed into the ring to dismantle the lie detector set up, Bryan and I shared a look. After all the crap we’d gone through tonight with the Shield, it was payback time.

“No, wait –“ Brie began, but we were already racing through the halls; the other superstars ducked out of the way as we made a beeline for the ring. With Miz about to be powerbombed, we were outnumbered and didn’t have time to look for an accomplice.

We came sprinting out just as Miz was slammed into the mat. The screams from the crowd caught Shield’s attention, and they split off – Roman and Seth intercepted Bryan, and Dean caught me as I dove under the ropes. He lifted me easily and manhandled me into the corner. He pinned his arm against my chest and leaned his weight on me to keep me in place.

“I meant what I said,” he hissed, leaning so close his nose brushed mine. “Don’t wanna hurt you, so fly yourself outta here, Finch!”

“No chance,” I spat, dropping and twisting, slipping out of Dean’s hold. He pitched forward and I snagged his legs, slamming his back onto the mat. But, as always, Shield didn’t fight fair. Roman was towering over me as I went to jump onto Dean, and suddenly his hand was locked around my throat. His fingers dug into my neck and he began to lift me, just like that.

Struggling for breath, my hands locked onto his wrist to try and lessen the pressure on my neck. He held me up easily at arms length; my feet didn’t even brush the mat. I really needed to gain some muscle or fill my pockets with sand or something. He laughed at my futile attempts to kick him off of me – my short legs didn’t even reach him.

“Gave you your chance to run, and you made the wrong decision,” he informed me, preparing for the choke-slam.

FEED. ME. MORE.

The crowd erupted as Ryback came running to the ring. Roman flung me aside just as Ryback tackled him off his feet. Bryan had gotten up and was actually even against Seth now, which just left Dean and I alone.

We both scrambled to our feet, and dove at each other. He caught me and went for a powerslam, but I managed to flip myself at the last moment to use the momentum he gave me into a Hurricanrana. He let out a startled shout as he was thrown unexpectedly into the ropes. I recovered faster than he did, and as he staggered to his feet, I hit him with a running drop kick that sent him sprawling over the top rope.

Ryback had already disappeared through the crowd with Roman, and now Seth and Dean were scrambling over the barricade. Bryan and I shared a look and gave an agreeing nod, then took off after them.

Dean looked back just as I hopped the barricade – much more gracefully this time – and just barely blocked the punch I threw to his face. He countered and caught me in the stomach, but before he could run away, I stumbled after him and grabbed his vest. I got a good hit to his chest before he shoved me off him and ran ahead.

He broke out of the arena, into a back hallway. The lighting was so poor I could barely pick him out with his all-black attire. I dove forward and wrapped my arms around his waist to stop him, but with one quick spin and a sweep of his leg I was on my back beneath him.

Dean leaned his weight on me, straddling my stomach and grabbing my wrists easily, pinning them on the ground above me head. He loomed over me, but instead of fear, another thought of holy shit, this is hot raced through me. His eyes flicked over my face; I’m not sure what he saw in my expression, but suddenly he was leaning down against me, chest-to-chest, his face just inches from my own.

His blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting, flashing with an emotion I couldn’t place. He chuckled lowly, something that should not have been as attractive as it was, and brushed his nose against mine.

“You keep comin’ after me, Finch, I’m gonna have to ruffle those pretty little feathers,” he warned, moving even closer, the words ghosting tantalizingly over my lips. His nose brushed mine, and I felt his hands tighten their hold as he shifted to nearly lay completely over me, body to body now. My breath hitched, and the hint of a smirk curled over his face. “But somethin’ tells me you wouldn’t mind too much, darlin’.”

“Ambrose,” Seth panted, coming around the corner; Dean actually looked annoyed to have been interrupted. He sat up so he was straddling me again just as his friend came to his side. Worry for Bryan rose up, but Seth continued quickly, “I lost him. Let’s go, before he catches up.”

Seth grabbed the back of Dean’s vest and helped haul him up off of me. I sat up on my elbows, watching as Dean and Seth took off down the hall. As they reached the corner, Dean paused and glanced back, sending me a wink. And as much as I hated to admit it, my heart actually skipped a beat as he smirked and disappeared.