"So you're gonna protect me?" There was skepticism in Seth's voice and Charlie didn't even bother looking at him.

"Yup," she was used to being doubted.

At 5' 4" and 125 lbs. she was far from intimidating; at first glance anyway. She looked more like the girl next door, or your best friends little sister instead of what she really was. That was until you got to her eyes. Even then most people were too stupid to know what they were seeing, Princess Sethie was no exception.

One glance in the mirror told her the hair and makeup chick who had redone her whole look, including adding aqua streaks to her hair after bleaching most of it, was right about it bringing out her eyes, but not about it making her look more- formidable. Metal glinted from her nose, lip, and eyebrow, but it didn't do anything to make her look anymore badass either.

"How?" Seth's arms were folded across his chest defiantly.

Apparently he was determined to get answers.

"By any means necessary," she tilted her head slightly really looking at him for the first time since they arrived at the arena.

She spent the last few days doing nothing but observing him opting to keep her thoughts and opinions to herself, much to his and many others irritation. It wasn't as easy as it should've been to get a handle on who he really was, or what he was actually capable of. There were always people around influencing his behavior, but even that told her a lot about him. Now that they were finally alone she wanted to probe deeper.

A lot of how she would proceed from here on out depended upon him. She saw a glint of skepticism in his eyes, but mostly fear. Smart kid, she thought smirking a little. He quickly covered it up and replaced it with a disapproving sneer. There was no trace of fear left as she continued to scan his face.

"Impressive."

"What's impressive?" the haughty manner he had displayed when they first met was back.

"No trace of fear," her continued study of his features made him uncomfortable and he looked away.

"Well, if there was any fear it's because you're clearly not up to the task," his words were meant to be cutting, but she had heard far worse, then he continued irritably due to her lack of reaction. "Jesus, how are you supposed to protect me from anything? You don't look like you can even protect yourself!"

"Looks can be deceiving," she told him simply.

"Oh bullshit," he scoffed turning back to her. "I've noticed the scars, I'm not blind. You can barely lift your left arm."

"See what I mean," she smiled cheekily at him. "You're smarter than you look."

His glare faltered for a split second making her laugh.

"But, you don't have to worry about that, I'm right handed."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Confusion mixed with his indignation, and she could tell he was getting fed up with her more so now that they were entering the danger zone. "I could take you out myself without much difficulty. It doesn't matter what side of your brain you use when someone can over power you."

It may have been unconscious, but he took a small step repositioning himself directly in front of her and it gave him away. Before he could even fully extend his arm she'd unholstered the firearm strapped to her ankle and leveled it at him. He stumbled back into the bay of lockers wide eyed.

"Strength doesn't mean shit when it only takes seven pounds of pressure to put a bullet between your eyes and make the last thing you ever see my smiling face," she wasn't actually smiling, because playtime was over, but she was pretty sure he was getting the point.

The desire she had to be here matched Seth's desire to have her here, but they needed to be on the same page if she was going to keep him alive. He didn't have to like her, but he would respect her, even if that respect was fear based. Hopefully he would learn to trust her eventually. What she was about to do was probably going to put a kink in that for a while.

She took two slow deliberate steps towards him holding the gun steady as she pushed it against his forehead right between his eyes. They crossed trying to keep sight of the barrel, and she could see the terror take up residence. It was almost as though she could actually smell the fear rolling off of him. When she lowered the gun after a long moment of letting him stew in his fear, he visibly relaxed. Just as he let out a relieved sigh his breath hitched again. While he had been focusing on the obvious threat she'd slipped the knife from her left hip pocket, waiting until he relaxed for maximum impact. She pressed the tip of the blade into his gut. Not enough to do any real damage, but enough that he would know what it was without looking.

His reaction was exactly what she wanted.

"I don't have to have full range of motion to gut you like a fish," she pressed a little harder and ran the blade across his belly, and his eye twitched at the sound of the fabric of his too tight shirt ripping, "watching your innards spill out faster than your hands can scramble to hold them in."

She held his eyes with her icy gaze as his chest rose and fell rapidly. He was finally seeing a glimpse of what he missed before, now that she left it completely unveiled. Once she was sure her demonstration had the desired affect she stepped back and quickly tucked away her toys.

"You're insane," Seth breathed fingering the thin red line of blood seeping from the fresh scratch as she took a seat on the wooden bench.

"And you need a new shirt."

This time it took an extra beat, but again there was no trace of fear left behind once he decided he wanted it gone.

"What are you some kind of psychopath?" he asked angrily ripping his now ruined shirt off.

"The worst kind," she replied.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" he wiped away the blood he smeared across his abs with his fingers.

"I was created, not born," their eyes met and she could see the shiver run through him, but he kept it together.

"Do you always speak in fucking riddles?" she couldn't help but be a little impressed again.

Princess Sethie had some gonads, at least, but she could feel he was rattled.

"It means I used to be normal. I guess you could say I'm a product of my environment. I understand people and emotions better than most psychopaths, because I used to be one and I used to have them," she explained as best she could with a shrug.

When looked up, after she finished loading the weapon she'd just pressed against his skull only moments before he was staring at her. His eyes flashed to where she knew he'd caught a glimpse of her scars earlier. She was about to smirk at him when she realized his big brown doe eyes were shinning with sadness and sympathy, which was not what she had expected. It was a whole other side she had yet to see.

"Oh, no you don't Bambie; it was a choice more so than a tragedy."

When it started it had bothered her a little, but it was something she had wanted desperately so she continued. Soon without her even realizing it, the last ghost of emotion left her and she was hallow. They had seen it as an amazing accomplishment and she had ceased to care.

"That shit is for the birds, Bambie," she gestured to his extremely expressive eyes, the crease in his brow deepened as did his frown, but she continued. "You save that shit for someone else."

The knock at the door saved her from his response. The handle jiggled and then a louder impatient knock followed.

"Why's the door locked?" Triple H asked suspiciously and irritably when she opened it.

"Death threat," she shrugged opening the door wider so he could come in.

He gave her a hard look unused to people treating him so off handed, but she didn't feel like she worked for him, though he'd been the one to hire her. She worked for the mission. A mission was given and the mission came first. It was what made her the best at what she did. Stepping on toes meant very little to her.

"You guys read- what the hell happened to you?" Hunter's irritation turned into concern.

He strode across the room and ran his index finger across Seth's abs.

"Scratched it on the stupid locker," Seth cringed at the contact, but managed to turn on the haughtiness, diving into his duffel bag for a new shirt. "Ripped my shirt too."

He was a good liar. She nodded her approval when Hunter didn't even bat an eye. Seth continued to voice his discontent with what he deemed to be a substandard locker room as their 'boss' nodded along in agreement, promising to rectify the situation before the next show. Bambie was gone and Princess Sethie was back. A ghost of a smile played on her lips.

"Alexandria, are you coming?" Seth sneered, pausing at the door.

He had taken to calling her Alexandria, most likely to remind her she wasn't important enough to bother remembering her name.

"Yes, your highness. Right away your Highness," she gave him an awful curtsy, and true amusement flickered in his eyes as a the first genuine smile she'd seen him give graced his lips.

Luckily, Hunter had missed the exchange, because he was busy giving orders to the rest of the entourage that waited outside their door. Having so many people so close all the time wasn't something she was too thrilled about, but she isolation wasn't going to go over too well judging by the protective arm Triple H had wrapped around Seth's waist. It was going to be much messier than she originally anticipated.

The hallways were empty and she wondered where everyone was, until she noticed people popping back out of doorways after they passed. Simple observation could tell you so much about so many different things, like the relief in the eyes of the employees who managed to escape their notice. Redirecting her observation skills, she focused the group in front of her. Seth's shoulders were ridiculously tense. It made her own ache.

"Hey Princess, come here."

Seth huffed indignantly, but she saw him relax instantly.

"What do you want Alexandria?" his voice was hard, but everything else about him screamed thank god.

His gratefulness told her she had assumed right: the attentions were definitely unwanted.

"Stop, you two," Triple H snapped, sounding as thought he was going to put them in time-out. "Stop calling Seth, Princess, and her name is Charlie. You're on the same team; now, act like it."

"Fine," Charlie gave them her most brilliant faux smile. "Mr. Rollins, would you please come hither, I would like a word with you."

"What do you want Charlie?" Seth stalked back to her, but she could see the amusement glinting in his eye.

"We'll catch up," she waved the others on.

Hunter didn't seem so sure, but Seth nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

"What's up?" Seth asked once the others were out of ear shot.

"I just…Ugh," she wrung her hands together in the most nervous manner she could muster. "I wanted your advice on how I should act once we get out there. I was… I was embarrassed to ask in front of the others."

A moment went by before Seth barked out a laugh.

"You are fucking good," he wagged his finger at her, chuckling. "You're even blushing! You almost had me."

"What gave me away?" she asked curiously dropping the façade.

"Nothing," he replied. "But the idea of you asking for advice is ridiculous, especially from me. You're too goddamned stubborn for that shit."

"True," she conceded as they began walking again at a much slower pace, as to not catch up.

"Thank you though," he added without looking at her, his appreciation ringing clear in his voice.

"Anytime Princess."

"You know Lexie," he said thoughtfully after a moment. "This just may not be as bad we thought."

She had been thinking the same thing, but chose not to admit it. Their first couple days together had been tense and he had been obstinate just for the sake of it, but she had been right. Protecting him from something he couldn't protect himself from had won her brownie points. Yes, it was manipulation, but the mission always came first, and whatever made it easier was what she was going to do.

He took it as an olive branch and she let him.

"Lexie?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Alexandria is too long: Lexie for short."

"I do believe it's Charlie," she corrected.

"I like Lexie better," he shrugged.

"Whatever floats your boat sunshine."

It was all the same to her: Charlie wasn't her name either.

The next few corridors weren't as deserted as the others, and the number of dirty looks being shot their way was remarkable. It appeared the little Princess had more enemies than they cared to admit. Perhaps, they truly believed themselves to be invincible. Whichever the case she was going to have to cast a wider net. Today was critical because she'd yet to see the broader environment in which he normally circulated.

The silence as they walked was comfortable as they each contemplated the other. Seth had surprised and impressed her which wasn't an easy task. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as another dirty look was shot their way. He didn't seem to notice. His brain was working, running through everything that had happened. He was calculating how much was bravado and how much was real. For good or bad it was all real. She was curious as to which parts he would choose to dismiss.

Apparently, he was as smart as he was pretty, and so far had been on point, but normal people instinctively believed in humanity.

Her curiosity almost overrode her resolution to just observe, but his Bambie persona made a sudden appearance stopping her. The sadness in his eyes reached near impossible depths and for a moment she swore she could almost feel it, before it was replaced with utter betrayal, then anger, and finally: Princess Sethie was back. His steps barley faltered as he pushed his shoulders back and held his head high, continuing with a purpose. She looked up to see what could have pulled such a reaction from a man who possessed the ability to slip on a mask at will.

It should have been obvious, but the betrayal had thrown her off.

Twenty paces ahead Roman and Dean were deep in conversation and had yet to notice them. The tension emanating from Seth told her he preferred it that way, and was praying they wouldn't be detected. The chick who had remade her had recounted every sorted tale of the last ten years including this one. It clearly wasn't as cut and dry as everyone thought. Her research hadn't revealed anything to raise an eyebrow at.

Then again she had underestimated the little brat, which was something in and of itself.

Unfortunately, at least for Seth, his prayers went unanswered, and their approach drew the other men's attention. The blonde one, Dean, actually growled at them. Seth's reaction had made her curious, but their reactions had made her suspicious. Her observation resolution went straight out the window as she felt an inexplicable need to get a closer look.

"Lexie!" Seth hissed when she stopped in front of them and tilted her head studying them openly.

Over the years she found that openly studying people made them feel pressure. People under pressure cracked. Others tried to keep their faces blank, which sometimes subconsciously made them concentrate on the emotion they were trying to repress and it slipped. Some even overcompensated by pushing out the opposite emotion in excess. These two displayed none of that nor did they attempt to keep anything hidden.

Roman wore his emotions on his sleeve and only managed the scrutiny for a few moments before looking away, but the guilt was dominant and clear as day. There were undertones of regret and the same intense sadness that had registered with Bambie accompanied by longing, but the true reason for these emotions remained hidden. She was, however, positive she was getting pieces of a puzzle they had worked hard to keep secret.

Dean on the other hand was a torrent of emotion and utter chaos governed. Hurt and betrayal popped up more than once along with confusion and sadness, which he promptly channeled into anger. It was absolutely fascinating. His eyes held determination and intelligence. She was sure she could stand there all day just catching glimpses of what lie behind those baby blues, but that wasn't why she was there.

"Loyalty is an admirable trait, Mr. Ambrose," she said quietly after a long moment.

The way he had stepped towards the bigger raven haired man as soon as he saw them made her think all the chaos wasn't just for him. He seemed to think it best not to respond to the random compliment. The way he looked at her told her he maybe saw what everyone else usually missed. Street smart too, another smirk ghosted her lips. Time to toss him a curve ball.

"So is integrity, Mr. Reigns," shame, guilt, hurt, and confusion, washed over Roman's features and she got the desired results.

Roman's guilt was over shadowed by his shame and for something far different than what she was looking for. Dean on the other hand didn't seem to grasp exactly what she had been talking about, but his friend's pain was more than enough reason to release the torrent and chaos raging inside of him. A menacing growl was all he managed before Seth stepped in.

"Lexie!" His voice held quite a bit of command, but the pleading was evident as Roman grabbed Dean and pulled him back against his chest.

Neither Dean nor Charlie broke eye contact.

"Even admirable traits can be a double edged sword, Mr. Ambrose," she wasn't sure why she kept talking.

She'd gotten everything she needed, but such raw emotion was addicting. The storm inside of him thundered on, and it was breath taking.

"Don't mind her, she only speaks in fucking riddles," Seth tugged at her, but her feet stayed firmly planted. "Stop being a pain in the ass, Lexie."

"What's taking so…" Triple H and Kane rounded the corner first followed by the rest of the goons, but stopped dead and when they saw the four of them facing off. "What the hell did I tell you guys about this shit?"

Hunter was an extraordinary shade of red.

"We were just on our way," Seth walked over and rested his hand on H's bicep.

The gesture was rare, and surprise as well as satisfaction flitted across H's face. He seemed to forget to be angry.

"Charlie was just nervous about everything and wanted some last minute advice. She was too embarrassed to ask in front of everyone," Dean and Roman narrowed their eyes at the back of his head, but Charlie jumped right into the sell.

"I'm not used to this kind of thing," she wrung her hands together and gave them an embarrassed smile hoping she could manage a blush again.

"And these two?" Stephanie made an appearance.

If the disdain in her voice wasn't enough, she made sure to punctuate it with a look that made one think she was staring at week old roadkill instead of two unbelievably gorgeous men.

"I was just trying to boost her confidence," Seth batted his eyes innocently. "I mean Roman gets by and he has little to no talent."

She felt more than saw Dean tense and caught Roman out of the corner of her eye who looked like he had been slapped. She reached behind her to make sure Dean stayed put as Seth continued, but when she made contact with what she assumed was his abdomen he swatted her hand away.

"I'm not so sure she could get by on looks alone like Roman does though," Seth turned to look at her to make sure they were together on this. "What the hell are you wearing anyway Alexandria?"

"My apologies Your Highness," she gave him another awful curtsy. "I figured one person dressed like a cheap hooker was more than enough. Plus I don't think I could pull it off quite like you do. For some reason you just seem to scream slut. It really works for you."

Seth let out an indignant huff and started back towards her, but Triple H got a hold of him, "What the hell did I just tell you two about this shit? Charlie, not Alexandria, and Seth, not Princess, not Your Highness: Seth, got it?"

Seth huffed and pouted folding his arms in front of him, then allowed Hunter to steer him away from the sight of the confrontation. It was impossible to miss the jealousy and hatred that graced the faces of every single member of The Authority as Seth was led away. Isolation suddenly seemed like the only option no matter how well received it was going to be, but hiding him was absolutely pointless, and her gut told her from the start the fox was in the hen house anyway.

"Hurry up Charlie," Seth called without looking back. "We wouldn't want you to fuck up your debut, now would we?"

She ignored him uninterested in responding as she tried to gauge the group dynamics from the outside looking in, now that the power plays would be more obvious in this environment.

"You better run along now, like a good little lap dog," Dean said coldly interrupting her ponderings making her frown, which surprised her.

"Lap dog?" her voice sounded unintentionally sad, hopefully only to her own ears. "And here I had such high hopes for you, but apparently you're just as blind as everyone else: pity."

She meant every word. An uneasy feeling told her she was going to need some allies to accomplish this mission, and fast. There was a fine line between hate and love. With a little tweaking she was sure she could tip the scales in their favor.

"What are you playing at?" Dean's voice was laced with suspicion.

"Unfortunately, I fear it's some backwards, fucked up version of Russian Roulette," she said a little distractedly as they all watched the Authority pretend to laugh at something Seth said.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Dean demanded and she felt his eyes on her, so she turned to meet them.

"We've got five bullets, one empty chamber, and they're prepared to pull the trigger more than once," before she could read either Dean or Roman's reactions Seth's voice rang out.

"Alexandria, you're being paid to keep me alive, not consort with lesser beings: hurry the fuck up," Seth's voice was angry, but she could hear a bit of pleading.

He didn't want her near Dean and Roman, or he didn't want to be near Dean and Roman. Either way, it affected him more than anything else she'd seen in the past week or so.

"I'm losing the fucking motivation, Princess. It seems to happen every time you open your goddamn mouth," she shot back.

Seth huffed and stormed off, while most of the Authority gave her their best, but unconvincing version of disapproving looks, and Roman and Dean just looked confused.

She sighed at Seth's theatrics, but knew he wanted his former teammates to know he was in real danger. Coming to terms with ones mortality made everything look a little different. If Roman and Seth's reactions to each other was an indication "they" were one thing not only Seth wanted to fix before it was too late, but Roman wanted fixed too. Finding out why it broke and fixing it was the key to finding allies. It would take a little manipulation to convince them to cross that fine line, but with time running out she would do what she had to.

Charlie looked back and forth between the two men weighing her options for a moment, and made her decision. "This place is a goddamned hornet's nest boys."