Canary and the Coal Mine

“You’re gonna be in a match with the man who beat you… in 45 seconds!” Booker T hollered, and my head snapped up to my best friend. He looked as surprised as I was.

“Is he talking about me?” he started, just as Booker T announced,

“That man is Daniel Bryan!”

“Yeah, that might be you,” I offered, earning a scowl in my direction.

“And that match starts right now!”

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” Bryan muttered, jumping up from the couch and snagging his title belt and jacket off the back of it. I vaulted over the back of the couch and raced out of the locker room, falling into step with him as we ran for the stage entrance.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked, glancing down when he noticed me at his side.

“Everyone else is off doin’ their own thing and I don’t have a match,” I told him as we whipped around the last corner and skid to a halt at the curtains. “And, y’know, since Kane isn’t here yet, I could come out with you –“

“I don’t think so,” he laughed, sliding the jacket on and sparing me a glance; he caught my expression and frowned just a bit. “I’m serious, Jamie.”

“So am I! What if something –“

“You’re up,” one of the staff members said to Bryan. My best friend pulled me into a swift hug, and then held me by both shoulders and forced me a step back.

“Seriously. Stay here, trouble magnet.”

As Bryan disappeared out to the ring, I stood by irritably, arms crossed over my chest. As much as everyone said they supported me, I was beginning to doubt how much faith my friends and co-workers truly had in me.

Stephanie told me weeks ago I’d have my first match as myself, and that still hadn’t happened. She’d talked a huge game the night of my reveal, but now I was just on standby until they decided I was ready for my ‘official debut’.

And now Bryan wouldn’t even let me valet. I’d proven with Ryback and Randy that I didn’t meddle in matches, and I was actually useful to have ringside. There was no doubt in my mind he didn’t want me out there because he was trying to protect me. As nice as my ‘big brother’ was being, I didn’t need protecting. I needed something to do.

Now that I’d been left to my own devices, I had no idea what to do. I hadn’t planned for anything, thinking Bryan had the night off. Brie and Nikki were in the divas locker room, stirring up drama as their return date came closer and closer; no way I was getting mixed up in all of that. Randy and John had been in meetings all day with different higher-up’s, and now my entertainment was out in the ring without me.

“You alright?” a new voice asked me, and I turned; Sheamus was smiling down at me. I’d never talked to the Irish badass before, and now was looking like the perfect time to make a new friend.

“Peachy,” I sighed, jerking my head at the monitor. “I’ve been banned from ringside.”

“What, the refs?”

“Daniel Bryan.”

“That’s a bummer,” he said, giving me a sympathetic smile. “But I have heard yer quite the trouble maker.”

“Oh come on,” I scoffed. Sheamus motioned for me to follow him as he headed towards the locker rooms. “I’m not –“

“From one mischievous soul to another, Lass,” he said, nudging me with his arm. “Trust me. You ain’t foolin’ anyone.”

As I glanced up and smiled, ready to make a comeback, a throat cleared from behind us. Sheamus and I paused and looked back to see Damien Sandow in the middle of the hallway, looking more than a little unhappy. He opened his mouth to snap something as I turned to fully face him.

“Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you,” I informed him, moving in his direction as I gave an enthusiastic smile. He immediately jumped back a few steps and turned away, holding a hand out to keep me back.

“Stay away from me, you classless brute!”

“Hey, show a little respect,” Sheamus began, and I reached up, resting a hand on his arm and holding the other out to Damien.

“It’s fine. Damien’s clearly upset with me for something,” I explained, glancing back at him. “His robe is double-knotted today. It’s serious.”

Sheamus snorted as Damien scoffed, taking a few cautious steps in my direction and waving a finger at me.

“Destruction of my personal property is a federal offense!” he began; I furrowed my brows.

“Federal? I don’t think –“

“And I will be holding you personally responsible for replacing what you’ve maliciously destroyed!”

“Damien,” I said, putting a hand over my heart. “I’m hurt. You truly think I would vandalize your property?”

“Don’t play stupid! Who else would have done this treacherous act!?”

Damien turned and pulled his robe up to show us his shorts. PRINCESS had been bedazzled across the back; he spun around to show a pair of lips on the front, right over his crotch. Sheamus burst out laughing as Damien quickly covered himself up again as he spat,

“I have nothing else to wear for tonight!” Sheamus doubled over, laughed even harder as I struggled to keep a straight face. “I will be the fool of the entire roster because of you”

“As flattered as I am by your assumptions, Damien, I can’t take credit for making you what you are,” I said, holding my hands up and shaking my head. “You’ve accomplished that all on your own.” As he took a step towards me, I pressed on, “Of course, I don’t agree with that label. I mean, just because your brand new car is covered with honey and glitter –“

“What!?” he shrieked, actually gasping and taking a disbelieving step back; he was the queen of overreactions.

“Oh, oops, did that slip out?” I said quickly, covering my mouth with a hand in feigned horror. He was sprinting down the hall before I’d even finished talking.

Sheamus righted himself, wiping tears from his eyes as we both turned to watch the furious man run, his robe flapping up behind him to showcase his shimmering shorts. Sheamus turned to me, grinning, and asked,

“That was you?”

“Oh yeah,” I laughed. “Nikki got a bedazzler and I wanted to try it out.”

“And his car?” he prompted as we continued down the hall. I snorted and shrugged up at him.

“Nothing. But I did slip his access card out of his robe. So he won’t be able to badge back into the building.”

“You’re brilliant, Lass,” Sheamus chuckled, shaking his head at me; I paused at the door to the break room, where tonight’s dinner had been set up. Sheamus continued down the hall, turning to walk backwards as he held up his hand in goodbye.

“I’ll see you ‘round,” he laughed, disappearing around the corner as I waived back. Alright, tonight had gotten better at least.

The only other people in the room were few crew members, and the Funkadactyls. The girls glanced up and offered smiles; Brodus scowled at me and went back to devouring his dinner.

Bryan’s match had already started, so I piled my plate with a healthy pile of French fries and chicken strips and settled onto one of the couches, pulling out my phone. No one had texted me back yet, and I stifled a sigh. I was gonna go stir-crazy if I was left alone much longer.

Bryan and Show were having one hell of a fight. Bryan was actually holding his own; I could tell both were reaching their limits. Show just struggled to his feet as Bryan knocked them right back out from under him, hard enough to get the bigger man to roll out of the ring.

As Show foolishly pulled himself back in, Bryan landed one hell of a kick to the side of his head, and he dropped to his knees again. I grinned, catching the look on Bryan’s face. Time for Air Goat. This match was done for. As he climbed onto the apron, my heart slammed to a stop and I gasped, dropping my plate.

Seth Rollins, coming down the stairs in the background. I sat forward, watching as a sick feeling began to pool in my stomach. The camera switched to the other staircase; Roman and Dean. The Shield were coming for Bryan, and he hadn’t even noticed yet.

“And we’ve just been told that moments ago, Kane was taken to the medical room for examination after being jumped by the three men heading down to the ring!” Michael Cole announced; I was up on my feet.

Kane was out. Bryan didn’t have his tag team partner, and he was about to be ambushed. I wasn’t letting this happen; not again, not tonight.

Bryan noticed the Shield just as they crossed the barricade, and Show capitalized. He was flipped onto his back and couldn’t get his shoulders up before the three count; losing the match was the least of his worries.

The Shield climbed slowly into the ring as Big Show climbed out – what a freaking coward. There was a heartbeat of time where they all regarded each other, and then chaos broke out. The three assholes wasted no time in jumping Bryan, pummeling him into the mat. That was my cue. I was almost out of the room when I heard one of the girls behind me scream,

“Oh my god!” I whirled to look at Cameron – expecting her to be on fire, or something – just as she added, “Is that Brie!?”

Wait, what?!

My head snapped to the TV and – oh my god, it was. Brie was standing out on the stage, shouting desperately at the Shield to stop the attack on Daniel Bryan. The three men slowly paused and turned, eyeing the small, helpless diva that was stumbling down the ramp.

“Stop! Please, don’t hurt him! Stop!” she screamed, reaching out her hands as she pleaded with them. Her distraction had given Bryan enough time to roll out of the ring and save himself, but now she was their victim. I saw the predatory look in Roman’s eyes as he stalked towards the ropes, and I was gone.

My legs had never moved faster; I’d never run so desperately before in my life. The adrenaline shot through me like electricity, moving me faster and faster. I didn’t want to think what would happen if he got his hands on her.

I burst through the curtains and didn’t stop at the stage.

Roman was running for her; he was going to attack my best friend. Brie, having apparently just realized the danger she was in, had started to back up. I flew past her in a flying tackle and caught Roman around the middle. He was big enough that we didn’t go very far, but it was just enough to get him on the ground, stunned.

“Brie! Get back! Get back!” I shouted as I scrambled onto my knees, waving my hands towards the stage, looking back to ensure she was safely away. She nodded and turned, racing out of harms way just as Seth hit me with his own tackle.

Unlike Roman, I didn’t weigh as much as a city bus. Seth’s hit was hard and fast, and we flew back with surprising force; I was driven into the barricade shoulder-first, and the impact slammed me right into Seth’s chest, which was just as unforgiving. My body crumpled under his as we dropped to the ground.

Seth recovered much faster than I had; he looped an arm around my stomach and hauled me up. Even though I tried to struggle free, I was too disoriented to get myself out of his hold as he towed me down the ramp. He slung me into the ring and went back to get Roman up, leaving me alone with the eccentric Dean Ambrose.

He gave me an exasperated look as I got to my knees, glaring up at him. He knelt down and cupped my face with a hand. Dean’s eyes flickered between my own as he shook his head, squeezing my face just a hint.

“We really gotta do this again, little Finch?” he murmured as I jerked my face away. Roman and Seth were now back in the ring with us, and the big guy didn’t look too happy to have been tackled. He stood over me and threw his head back, letting out a furious ‘OOOOWAAAA’ -

Oh shit.

Dean knelt and hooked my arm over his shoulders as one of his own went behind me. Seth did the same on my other side so their arms crossed over my back, their hands wrapping over my hips to get a better grip.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit!

I struggled as hard as I could as the boys lifted me up, but once my legs were up on Roman’s shoulders, his hands locking onto my knees and holding me in place, I was done for. They lifted me up into the air to get some momentum, and then Seth and Dean put their hands on my stomach and I was slammed into the mat.

Holy son of a bitch that hurt. The pain from my lingering bruises flared up, and my head burst into a fire of pain. I let out a low groan as Dean knelt down over me. I blinked up at him, trying to get my vision to hold still; he cupped my face again, his thumb brushing over my cheek.

“Stay down, Finch. This ain’t your fight.”

---

“Damn, he got back inside a lot faster than he should have,” I muttered, watching as Damien interrogated the poor fan on stage. I’d planned for him to be out all night. But with him up on stage – clearly still hiding his beautiful shorts – I realized my next move was helping him show them off.

When he called for anyone else to step up to his challenge, I made to slide off the exam table. Bryan and Brie, gathered at the other table, paused their arguing to give me a mutual answer of ‘don’t even think about it’, before turning back to each other.

“You had no reason to be out there,” he shot at her, and Brie scoffed.

“You were in trouble! I couldn’t just let you –“

“What if Jamie hadn’t been there? Roman would have –“ Bryan cut off, too furious and sickened by the thought to finish his sentence. I turned my attention back to the TV and sighed; the Miz was already out to accept Damien’s open challenge for the night. My moment was gone again.

Since I’d still been on injury watch thanks to the last attack from the Shield, I had to have a full exam done before I could be cleared to leave. When the doc finally came back to give me the go-ahead, I hesitated for a moment. I’d wanted to talk with Bryan, but it looked like he and Brie would be at it for a while.

As I left the medical room, I turned the corner and saw Randy jogging down the hall towards me, looking ready to tear something apart. His face relaxed minutely when he saw me, and I hurried to reach him.

“Jay, I just saw what happened,” he said quickly, gripping my arms as he looked me over. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I promised as he pulled me into a hug. Though I hugged him back, I pulled out to look up at him in question. “What’s wrong?”

“Those fuckers put their hands on you again, that’s what,” he spat, turning and beginning to pace back and forth, pent up aggression seeping out of him. I watched in surprise, not understanding his anger.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said gently, moving to intercept him as I rested my hand on his arm. Randy’s eyes snapped to me, and he paused, taking a deep, slow breath. He blew it out and nodded slowly, his hand running back and forth over his head as he calmed himself. We stood there in silence for several tense moments until his hand finally slid down his face and he turned to give me a heavy look.

“Why are you so good at getting into trouble?” he asked, a hint of a smile finally returning to his face. I feigned innocence.

“I have no idea what you’re –“

“The Shield.”

“Hey, that’s not –“

“Vickie Guerrero.”

“One time!”

“Damien Sandow.”

“Oh you’re just reaching now,” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “What makes you think –“

“I saw his shorts.”

“What? When?” I asked eagerly; maybe Miz had gotten the robe off him –

“I’m the one who let him back in the building,” he told me dryly, and I gave a sheepish smile. “Who the hell let you have a bedazzler?”

“You can’t prove any of that was me,” I argued as he looped an arm around my shoulders, towing me back the way he’d just came. “I even told Damien I didn’t –“

“Save it for someone who doesn’t know you,” he laughed, shaking his head; we paused at gorilla position, and I looked up at him in question. He nodded towards the curtains. “Well I’m not leaving you back here to get yourself jumped or something. You can come out with me and I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“I don’t need babysitting. And besides, I’ve got Bryan –“

“Yeah, well, a lot of good he was earlier,” he said bitterly, and I gave him a frown as I shoved his arm.

“Hey, I was saving him. It’s not his fault I got tangled in that.”

“No, it’s his clueless girlfriend’s,” he agreed, scoffing and turning away. “And then he just laid on the ground while the Shield threw you down. He could have gotten up.”

“Randy –“ I began, just as his music hit. He jerked his head and I sighed, but followed him out to the ring. Better than sitting back here listening to Brie and Bryan argue.

The crowd cheered even louder than usual as Randy and I sauntered down the ramp; out of habit, now, I scanned the crowd, looking for any signs of the Shield as we reached the ring. To my surprise, Randy turned and beckoned for me to follow him around the ring.

As we reached the announce table, he grabbed a chair and opened it up for me, putting it right next to Kofi and ushering me to sit down. Not wanting to go against him, I sat, but stared up at him in question.

“Don’t want you getting hurt again,” he said, smiling a bit; he glanced to Kofi, and then back at me. “Keep an eye out, okay, Jay?”

“Yeah, you too. Good luck,” I said as he winked at me and turned back to the ring. As he climbed in, the replay of last Raw was shown on the titantron. I winced, watching as Randy was powerbombed; luckily, there wasn’t a clear shot of my face as Dean was holding me.

Just seeing him overpower me and pin me to him like he did sent a tremor of excitement through me, and I had to push it away quickly, shaking my head a bit to get rid of that image. Wade Barrett storming down to the ring definitely helped with that.

He circled the ring and then started towards Kofi and I, pointing a finger and shouting ‘I’m watching you!’ as he climbed into the ring with Randy. Kofi and I glanced at each other and just laughed, shaking our heads.

“Looks like he don’t like you either,” Kofi observed, and I shrugged my shoulders as JBL leaned around Kofi.

“Well isn’t this a pleasant surprise! Tonight we’re being graced with the presence of the newest roster member, Jamie Lawless!”

Kofi handed me a headset and I slipped it on, leaning forward onto my knees and clasping my hands as Josh added,

“It’s great to finally meet you, Jamie.”

“Great to meet you guys, great to be here,” I promised, glancing at the ring as the bell rung. “Looks like it’s gonna be a good fight!”

“Are you worried for Randy?” JBL prompted. “I mean, Wade Barrett did beat both of you at Survivor Series –“

“Wade Barrett didn’t beat us himself,” I pointed out, shaking my head. “Team Ziggler beat Team Foley. Simple as that.”

“But don’t you –“ Josh tried, and Kofi waved his hand at the announcers.

“It’s simple as that,” he assured, and then turned to me. “Hey, kid, I never got the chance to thank you for steppin’ up and helpin’ Team Foley at Survivor Series,” Kofi said, nudging my arm and smiling. I smiled back, giving an accepting nod.

“Don’t mention it. You lookin’ forward to your with Barrett?”

Kofi and I fell into light conversation as we watched the match. It was a pretty even fight – both Randy and Wade were tough and ruthless when they needed to be, and neither had managed to get the upper hand yet.

Twice I caught myself scanning the crowd for the Shield. Every shadow, every movement made my heart skip. Whether it was excitement or nerves, I had no idea; part of me wanted another run-in with Dean as soon as possible, but I knew them coming out tonight would just be chaos.

Close to ten minutes had passed; I’d given up on my hunt for the Shield just as Randy finally came out on top.

He hit Barrett with a hard DDT that left the other man stunned in the corner of the ring. He stood swiftly, turning to the crowd to get pumped, and then spun and dropped, preparing to strike.

Kofi and I leaned forward, ready for the RKO we knew was coming. Barrett scrambled to his feet, clinging to the ropes. Randy jumped to his feet and surged as Barrett turned; as Randy went for the RKO, Barrett knocked his hands up and Randy missed, landing hard on his back.

“Ooh,” Kofi and I grimaced as Randy rolled slowly away from the corner, clutching his head and neck. That had to hurt. As the ref turned to Randy, I saw Barrett turn to the post, and begin to untie the padding on the turnbuckle.

“I don’t think so!” I snarled, jumping up from my chair and rushing for the ring. I leapt onto the apron and leaned over the ropes. “Hey! Ref! He’s cheating!”

Barrett jumped back from what he was doing and whirled to face me as the ref turned to look at what he was doing. He snarled and lunged at me, swinging hard. I threw myself back and braced to hit the ground hard, but Kofi caught me instead as I stumbled.

“He was tryin’ to cheat!” Kofi shouted as the ref looked down at us; I nodded and pointed to the turnbuckle. Barrett leaned down over the ropes, jabbing a finger at me.

“You’ll pay for that!” he snarled, red in the face. “I’ll show you what happens when a little brat –“

Randy grabbed Barrett’s arm and ripped him away from the ropes, and then spun, slamming into a jarring RKO. Kofi and I burst out laughing, and both of us cheered as Randy covered and picked up the win.

Kofi and I high-fived just as Barrett slid out of the ring; he nudged me forward towards the apron and moved to stay between myself and the furious wrestler.

“Go on, celebrate with your boy,” he said, nodding to Randy. “Don’t worry about gettin’ mixed up with Barrett. I got him.”

With a nod and thankful smile, I hopped up and rolled under the ropes, getting to my feet and standing with Randy as the ref raised his hand in victory. Randy grinned and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me to his side.

When we got backstage, Randy ruffled my hair and jerked his head towards the back hallway.

“I’m headin’ out. You wanna go get dinner?”

I sighed; yeah, dinner would be great. But I knew there was still the whole Shield issue with Bryan to deal with, and I hadn’t seen Nikki all night. Just leaving with Randy didn’t feel right, so I shook my head.

“Can’t,” I said apologetically. He gave me an understanding smile, but I caught a hint of disappointment in his expression, so I added, “You can come over tonight, though. If you want.”

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds good,” he agreed, backing down the hall. “Just text me when you’re back at the hotel.”

I watched him leave, and only once he was around the corner did I head to the locker room. The moment I stepped inside, arms were thrown around my neck and I was tackled back into the door.

“I’ve been so worried!” Nikki squealed, pulling back to hold me at harms length. “Ohmygosh, when I saw you run out there to save my idiot sister I was like, about to cry!”

“We’re both alright,” I told her with a reassuring smile, pulling her into another hug before moving around her to walk further into the diva’s locker room. “Where is everyone?”

“The other girls had a meeting with Mark Carrano, and John’s in the weight room,” she explained, following me inside as I began to pack up my bag. “And I think Brie and Bryan left. I know Bryan was really upset with her.”

“Well, I get why she did it,” I sighed, zipping up my duffle and tossing it over with Nikki’s stuff. “I just can’t help thinking about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been watching. You know? Like, if I’d wandered off to look for you, or gone after Damien –“

“Oh yeah,” she said, snapping her fingers and pointing at me. “Where’s my bedazzler?”

My face went blank and I turned away.

“Probably on John’s bus, where you left it.”

“So how did Damien Sandow’s shorts get an upgrade?” she challenged; my lips twitched as I desperately tried to hold back my laughter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Nikki moved past me and grabbed my duffle, reaching into the side pocket and pulling out the bedazzler wand. When she turned, I offered a sheepish smile.

“I wanted to make sure it worked!”

“I really just hope you did all that before he was wearing them,” she said, making a face at me as I burst out laughing.

“Oh man, can you imagine his face if I tried to do that while he was wearing them? He’d probably spontaneously combust –“

“Jamie Lawless!”

Both our heads snapped to the TV, and we stared in surprise, seeing the Shield looking back from the screen. Dean looked like he was holding the camera, standing between the other two. Roman towered from behind his left shoulder, and Seth was leaning over his right as he addressed me; Nikki scrambled to turn the volume up as we watched, wide-eyed.

“You’re a good kid making bad choices,” he warned, shaking his head. “You picked Randy Orton…”

“Ryback,” Roman spat; Dean shifted the camera a bit as he sneered out,

“Team Hell No…”

“We don’t want to hurt you, little girl,” Roman added, and his face tilted forward, eyes darkening just a hint. “But you just keep showin’ up where you don’t belong.”

Dean let a cold smile curl over his lips; my heart skipped a beat as his tongue flicked out to run across his lower lip, eyes smoldering as he growled out,

“Pretty little Finch is flyin’ into the hurricane. And if you’re not careful… well.” He ducked his head and then looked back up at the camera teasingly, smirking as he said, “We’re just gonna have to ruffle those feathers, aren’t we, darlin’?”

Another shock of excitement went through me, and I barely stopped a smirk of my own. All I needed was for Nikki to get the wrong idea. Seth and Roman both nudged Dean playfully as they all chuckled. Seth leaned over Dean’s outstretched arm as he finished,

“Now let’s make this clear. We don’t work for anybody! Not Paul Heyman, not the WWE Champion, we work for each other.”

The boys exchanged looks between each other; Dean was facing Roman now, the camera taking in his side profile. I’d never seen anyone look so attractive chewing gum. My thoughts immediately went back to Jon Moxley, turning his head to blow the smoke away from me. When he looked at the camera, for a heartbeat, it felt like he was looking down at me again like he had that night.

His tongue swiped across the inside of his bottom lip as he turned and titled his head to the camera.

“I’m Dean Ambrose.”

“Seth Rollins.”

“I’m Roman Reigns. Welcome to the Shield of Justice.”

Nikki and I stared at the TV until the picture faded back to a commercial; she moved first, turning to stare at me in disbelief.

“You seriously need to quit picking fights with them!”

“It’s not like I –“ my argument cut off when I realized that I did, in fact, instigate all of the run-ins so far with the Shield. Nikki gave me a pointed look as I pressed my lips together. “That’s beside the point.”

“Although,” she continued as we grabbed our bags. “That’s like, the hottest death threat I’ve ever seen.”

“What?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as I stared up at her. She shrugged and smirked, flipping her hair over a shoulder as she glanced at me.

“Ambrose was like, totally flirting with you,” she frowned a bit. “In a creepy, murderous sort of way.”

Though I shoved her and told her to shut up, I couldn’t deny the spark of hope at what she’d teasingly said. He’d threatened me with the same thing he’d said when he had me pinned in the hallway, and I was hoping I hadn’t been the only one that got a little too into that whole situation.

As we passed one of the back offices, a head popped out; Booker T, Smackdown’s general manager, caught my eye and motioned for me. Nikki glanced back, ready to wait, but I ushered her on.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” I promised as we gave each other a parting hug. “Annoy your boyfriend for me.”

Once Nikki headed on down the hallway, I turned and joined Booker in his office. He didn’t look too happy; he was pacing back and forth, brow furrowed, hands clasped tight behind his back. I watched him for a few moments until I couldn’t take the suspense.

“Give it to me straight – how much trouble am I in?”

Booker’s frown deepened and he glanced at me.

“Why would you be in trouble?”

I super-glued Damien’s shoes to his locker door.

“No reason,” I said quickly, giving an innocent smile. He paused for a moment, studying me, and then just shook his head.

“No, you’re not in trouble. Yet,” he felt the need to add; my smile widened. “I’ve been left in a situation, and I’m hoping you could help me out.”

“’Course, Boss. What is it?”

“As I’m sure you heard, Kane was jumped earlier today by some unknown sources,” he said pointedly, the scowl deepening. “And now Bryan and Ryback are in a handicap match, and the Authority has made it clear that can’t happen.”

Wait, was he asking…?

“So, at TLC, I was hopin’ you could jump in and help your boys take on the Shield. I know you haven’t been in the ring as long, but you got your own issues with those three, and it would make for one hell of a fight.”

“Of course,” I said before he’d even finished talking. The excitement rushing through me was electric. I’d been pumped when Ryback had gotten himself the match with Punk in the first place – and now I’d be fighting it with him against The Shield. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll do it.”

Booker relaxed immensely and his face eased into a grateful smile. He came over and rested a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it in thanks.

“You’re really helpin’ me out, Ms. Lawless,” he said as we moved for the door. “We’ll announce the match tomorrow. You go get some rest, and start trainin’ up.”

“Yes sir,” I promised, giving my two-finger salute as I backed out of the office and spun to hurry down the hall. My mind was racing; not only was I getting a spot on another pay-per-view, I was going against the Shield with Bryan and Ryback. Like Booker said, it’d be something to watch, alright.

“Well lookie here,” a familiar, accented voice drawled from behind me. “Little Finch is out of her cage.”

Maybe I should have been afraid to be alone with Dean Ambrose. Or, at least, not as excited as I was. But my heart still skipped a beat when I turned and saw him leaning against the far wall, watching me. He wasn’t in his Shield uniform – he was just in a pair of fitted jeans and a tight, black tee, with an unzipped hoodie over top. His hair wasn’t slicked back; fluffy auburn curls stuck out from under the black hat he had on backwards.

“It’s weird, seeing you alone,” I noted, already heading back towards him. He stayed leaning on one shoulder, arm crossed over his chest. His eyes were glued to me, watching as I mimicked him and leaned on a shoulder to face him. “I’m surprised Roman and Seth let you out of their sight.”

Dean smirked and glanced away, shrugging his shoulders.

“They’re packin’ up. I came to find you.”

The surprise was evident on my face; I tried to hide it as he looked back down at me.

“Why?”

Dean’s head jerked in the direction of Booker’s office as his eyes burned into me. I kept quiet, staring up at him as I crossed my arms under my chest.

“You really think you wanna be in a TLC match with the Shield, Finch?” he asked, voice going low. I gave him a challenging stare, setting my jaw as I looked up at him.

“Let me guess. I should sit this one out because I’m not good enough –“

“All of you should sit this one out. This ain’t fun and games. This ain’t gonna be some quick little tag team match. We don’t play nice, and if you and your little friends know what’s good for you, you won’t get in our way.”

Dean pushed off the wall now, moving forward to tower over me. I turned and pressed my back to the wall, and he closed in. One hand came up to rest on the wall beside my head, and the other moved to my arm. With one finger, he lightly traced the pattern of my tattoo, from my shoulder down to my wrist.

His touch sent a shiver through me, and he didn’t miss the hitch of my breath as he let his hand encircle my own; he turned my arm around to take in the entire design as I said quietly,

“You know, just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean –“

“I don’t care that you’re a girl,” he cut in, eyes flicking to mine briefly before returning to my arm. “You put yourself out in that ring, we don’t hold back. Think we’ve already shown you that. Doesn’t matter who you are, what you are. You step in that ring, and you become our target. And we don’t miss, little Finch.”

“I have a name, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, giving me a cheeky smirk as he finally let my arm drop back to my side. “Like I said, we don’t wanna hurt you. Me an’ the boys, we like you. So puttin’ you through a table, that’s gonna be unfortunate.”

I scoffed at what he said, and his eyes flicked down to my own.

“You guys like me? What, do you show affection by powerbombs and suplexes?”

Dean’s lips twitched into a brief smile as he shrugged his shoulder, leaning just a bit closer. The hand that wasn’t supporting him went to my waist. His fingers curled around my hip, thumb lightly circling over my hipbone as he toyed with the fabric of my shirt.

“Well, from what I know about you,” he said lowly, tongue swiping tantalizingly over his lips, “you seem to like being overpowered.”

My entire face burst into a blush, and I immediately ducked my head, trying to hide my embarrassment. Dean chuckled; he lifted his hand from my waist to tip my chin up with a finger; when I met his gaze, my words caught in my throat.

He was staring at me with a look of hunger, eyes just a little darker than before, mouth parted slightly. He watched me as I swallowed hard, and he took half a step to me to close the space between us. His chest pressed to mine; the fingers on my chin swept up across my jaw, curling around to tuck my hair behind my ear.

“There’s nothin’ wrong with that, darlin’.”

I tipped my head up even further; our lips were just centimeters apart. One little shift, and they’d meet. He held perfectly still, wide eyes flicking between my own.

My hands came up and slid between us, resting lightly on his chest for a moment before I started to slide them down. My eyes lowered to watch their progress, my movement affecting me as much as it was him. I paused on his stomach for just a heartbeat, and then let them slide even lower. Dean swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath as my fingers rested along the waist of his jeans.

When I met his eyes again, it was Dean that lost his breath. He looked crazed with desire, as if he was barely holding back from closing the minimal space between us, barely resisting taking what wanted. And it hit me that I wanted it just as much. Kissing Dean Ambrose was what I wanted to do; I leaned up, tipping my head back just a bit more. I wanted to get a taste of him. Wanted to feel his lips on mine –

Dean pulled himself off of me, hands dropping to his side as he stepped away slowly. My hands slipped from the top of his jeans and fell useless now at my sides. Though he still looked at me with the same unbridled desire, he began to back down the hall, jamming his hands into his pockets. I was left breathless, leaning on the wall, looking after him as I tried to get ahold of myself.

“Keep yourself outta trouble,” he warned, pausing at the end of the hall to give me one last look. I opened my mouth to shoot back a response when he suddenly smirked and added, “See you around, Westy.”

With a wink at my shocked expression, he disappeared around the corner. Oh my god. He remembered me.

Mox remembered who I was.

--

“Is Nikki coming back?” Randy asked as he dropped onto my bed. I shut the door and flicked off the overhead light, settling down beside him as he snapped on the TV.

“Nope. She’s with John tonight,” I said, grabbing one of the cookies out of the box and popping it into my mouth. “You’re stuck with me tonight.”

“Poor me,” he teased, nudging me as I stretched out on the bed next to him. Both of us were in pajamas; Randy in a pair of flannel pants and a white tee, and myself in my plaid shorts and an old faded band tee.

It didn’t look like either of us would be getting back up at this rate. He’d probably end up crashing here, like he always did when Nikki was gone. It was nice having a single friend, I was starting to realize. Though I was happy for Nikki, now that she had a new guy, it wasn’t as exciting sharing a bed with me as it was with him. She made a point of saying that, in fact, John didn’t mind her sleeping shirtless.

“You really ready for a TLC match?” he asked after a few moments of watching TV, snapping me out of my thoughts. I rolled my head over on the pillow to meet his curious gaze, and I shrugged.

“I mean, I’m not as innocent as everyone’s assuming,” I told him, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. Brie and Bryan – to my surprise – hadn’t been as thrilled as I expected when I told them about my addition to the match. “I was in a few Cage of Death matches back in CZW. I think I can handle whatever gets thrown at me.” I paused. “Or, y’know, whatever I get thrown into.”

“That’s not funny,” Randy said with a frown. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Jamie. Wrestler. Nice to meet you,” I said with a snarky smile, sticking my hand out. Randy scoffed and batted it away.

“Don’t get like that with me, Jay,” he chastised, rolling onto his side to look down at me. “I’m not doubting your abilities, okay? I just care about you, and don’t like the idea of those assholes getting away with hurting you.”

“Randy, I appreciate your concern,” I sighed, turning to face him as well. “I’m just sick of everyone assuming I’m all delicate and fragile just because I’m a girl. No one’s telling Bryan or Ryback they shouldn’t be in the match.”

Except for Dean, I reminded myself. So far, out of everyone else, he was the only person who didn’t immediately assume I was gonna get my ass handed to me. True, he’d given a warning not to compete, but it had been for all of us, not just me. So far, Dean Ambrose was the only one not counting me out.

As I spoke, Randy’s face softened just a bit. His eyes, that had been on mine this whole time, flickered down to my lips, and slowly dragged back up to meet my gaze. My cheeks flushed as I stared at him. What was he doing

“Can you really blame me for being so protective?” he finally asked, breaking the silence. Again, his eyes darted to my lips. “I don’t like seeing my girl get hurt. I care about you, Jay.”

My heart was in my throat, beating so hard I barely heard myself whisper,

“Randy?”

He shifted just a bit closer so he was angled over me. He grabbed the remote and switched off the TV, leaving us in just the dim glow of the bedside table. There was an unreadable expression on his face as his hand slowly came up and rested on my cheek. As he leaned down, my hands immediately came up and pressed on his chest, holding him back.

He’s not Dean, my mind immediately argued as I stared up at Randy. He studied my expression, trying to figure out why I was stopping him. I don’t want Randy. I want Dean.

“Jay?” he asked, pulling back just a hint. “Is this okay?”

“I uh, I just –“ I cleared my throat. I had nothing. No other reason not to kiss him, other than he wasn’t Dean. And I wasn’t going down that road right now. Why did I want to kiss Dean? I had a lot of shit to think about; my eyes flickered between his.

There wasn’t the same rush of excitement, like I’d had earlier with Dean trapping me against the wall. There was uncertainty; unease at the feeling of his hand on my cheek, his lips so close to mine.

But, c’mon, was kissing Randy so bad? I mean, he was attractive. And we were friends. And I mean, kissing didn’t always mean a relationship, so I didn’t need to really worry about that. And hell, I was single. I could kiss whoever I wanted. So why wouldn’t I let myself kiss Randy? What would be so bad about –

Randy’s lips pressed to mine.

I was so shocked I didn’t react; I stared wide-eyed up at him as the kiss lingered for a few moments. When he finally pulled back, I still hadn’t moved. Randy, catching my expression, sat up slowly and ran a hand back over his head, letting it linger on the back of his neck.

“I uh, I think I should go,” he said quietly. All I could do was watch as Randy crawled up off the bed; he didn’t meet my eyes again as he grabbed his stuff and went to the door. His hand paused on the door handle, and he stopped for just a moment. “G’night, Jay. Sleep well.”

The soft click of the door kept me up the rest of the night.