Thank you to my fantastic beta, crazy-wild-and-free! You're simply the best, darlin!

Dean's smile was a great sight to wake up to.

I was already grinning by the time he crossed to me from the kitchen, cup of coffee in hand. I took his offering gratefully as he sat beside me.

"Mornin'," he said, toothy grin and all. At the smile I gave, he cleared his throat and dropped his voice so only I could hear him ask, "y'sleep good?"

"Great, actually. You're a very good pillow," I murmured back, enjoying the hint of pink that came over his cheeks. Like we were back in high school, the two of us sat all grinning and blushing as I sipped my coffee and willed the caffeine to kick in.

From the kitchen Roman called out,

"Ay, kid. You and Miss Bella like pancakes or waffles?"

"Waffles," Dean coughed to me, clearing his throat and casually leaning back on the couch, draping an arm behind me as he gave wink.

Well, he'd brought me coffee. I'd take his side. "I'm gonna go with waffles."

There was the sound of a utensil hitting the counter and suddenly the big dog was leaning around the kitchen wall, eyes narrowing dangerously at Dean.

"Don't go influencin' the votes," he threatened; Dean held up his hands in mock surrender. Roman's gaze slid to me and my eyes widened, coffee mug frozen halfway to my mouth. "An' don't you go influencin' him. Honest answer. Pancakes or waffles?"

Slowly raising the cup the rest of the way, I said idly, "well, fully honest answer is neither. I'm a French toast kind of girl."

Roman's face fell into a deadpan stare.

"'Course you are. 'Course she is," he muttered, slipping back into the kitchen. "More difficult than Ambrose. You know what? Y'all are gettin' pancakes and you're gonna like it."

"Hey, I said waffles," Dean objected, glaring in the direction of our master chef, who instantly popped back out to glare at him.

"I knew it was you –"

"I ain't eatin' those stupid breakfast frisbees –"

"They're fuckin' good! The only reason you like waffles is so you can put an unholy amount of syrup in all those stupid ass little pockets –"

Staring between the two men, I sat the coffee cup on the side table and got to my feet. Who knew breakfast food was such a heated topic? Dean paused his defense of his edible syrup boxes to look up at me, and I pointed to the room, inching past the couch. "I'm just gonna check on Nikki and call Bryan real fast. You two keep up this important debate, though."

The two of them dissolved into bickering as I gently eased the room door open. Nikki was lying diagonally across the bed, tangled in the sheets, snoring lightly and dead to the world. Shutting the door – not like their arguing would even rouse her – I grabbed Dean's phone and dialed Bryan's number.

"H'lo?" my best friend yawned after the fifth ring.

"Hey, Bry, it's me," I said, and when I didn't get a response I added, "… Jamie."

There was a noise of confirmation, and then a sleepy, "hey, Jay."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I just wanted to let you know Nikki and I made it to Nashville alright."

"Mhmm," he muttered; I was pretty sure he hadn't processed any of what I'd said. At least it got me out of an unwanted round of twenty questions. I had to hang up before that changed

"Right. Okay, well we'll call you once we get Nikki's phone. I'll see you –"

"Is that Jamie?" Brie asked in the background. Crap. There was a grunt from Bryan, some shuffling, and then a concerned, "Jamie?!"

"Yeah, hey Brie," I started, trying to dodge the interrogation I felt coming. "I was just telling Bryan –"

"Ohmygosh, I've been so worried about you two!" she rushed, and there was no stopping the flood of concern now that it'd started. "We had missed calls and when I called the number they just said you were asking for our room number, and they told me you left the lobby with a strange man –"

Oh boy.

"We're fine, I promise," I cut in, and didn't get farther than that.

"You just left with a stranger? Is that where you are now? Do we need to come get you? Bryan, wake up! We need to –"

"Brie, Brie, it's okay! It's okay. It's not a stranger. Dean brought us to his room when he saw us in the lobby."

The silence was almost worse than the panic.

"Dean…"

"Ambrose."

"You… you're in Dean Ambrose's room!?" there was an audible smack on the other end. "Bryan get up!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a heavy sigh. "We're not just in Dean's room –" I paused. "Okay, I mean right now I am. But it's the Shield's room –"

There was another smack as Brie exclaimed, "wait, wait, wait. You slept with the Shield?!"

The noise of alarm that left Bryan in the background was more alarming than their panic. "What?! No! We stayed in their – it's a penthouse. There's separate bedrooms –"

"The Shield get a penthouse?!" Bryan complained; I must've been put on speakerphone. "We didn't even get shampoo in the bathroom this time!"

"Not important right now," Brie hissed to him, then said to me, "give us the room number. We're coming to get you."

Rolling my eyes, I dropped my hand and shook my head. "You don't need to. We're just fine, and Roman's making breakfast."

"Roman's –"

"What's he doing, spearing the eggs into the pan?" Bryan snorted, earning another smack. "What?! It's a valid –"

"We're fine, guys. Nikki's still sleeping anyways. How about we meet you in the lobby at ten, okay?"

There was hushed discussion for several moments, and then Brie finally asked, "will you be okay until then? Are you sure you don't need us to come get you?"

"Nope. They're not planning to sacrifice us to their evil heel-wrestling Gods until after lunch, so we've got time to escape their murderous clutches. Of course, if they poison breakfast –"

"That's not funny," Brie stopped me; I bit back a grin. "Just don't be late, okay? And call us if you need anything. And if you need us to come –"

"Bye, Mama Brie," I teased, and thankfully she mumbled a reluctant goodbye and hung up the phone. With a quick check on Nikki – and a moment to roll my eyes after that ridiculous conversation – I quietly slipped back out to the main room. Seth had joined the other two in the kitchen, and he looked up hearing the click of the door.

His eyes narrowed as he leaned on the counter across from Dean. "Barbie."

"Princess Sparkle," I greeted as I came up to the breakfast bar. Dean was planted on one of the stools, chin in a hand propped in front of him and he looked over as I took the spot beside him, sliding my now-refilled cup of coffee to me.

"I'm sorry you got like, no sleep," I said meekly, giving him an apologetic smile. Dean just shrugged and gave me a small smirk as he leaned just a hint closer.

"Trust me darlin', I don't mind."

The giddy grin on my face was so wide it hurt, and Dean just chuckled as I busied myself with the cup of coffee. Roman had just finished with the bacon, and he made the mistake of setting the plate in front of the three of us.

All our hands shot out and before we even managed to touch a piece his spatula thwapped the back of Dean's hand. He yelped and pulled back, leaving an opening for Seth and I to sneak some pieces.

"Ay, those are for everyone! We wait until breakfast is ready," Roman chastised, sounding alarmingly like a dad scolding his kids. Under the counter, I broke my piece in half and handed it over to Dean. Roman poured the last of the pancake batter into the pan and he turned to the cupboards. "Here. If y'all are so damn hungry you can't wait, just have some Oreos."

Oh no.

Dean and I shared a knowing look as Seth pointedly turned his back to Roman. The big dog opened the first cabinet – where Seth had taken the cookies from last night – and he paused seeing it was near-empty. Dean cleared his throat and instantly tried to redirect our conversation.

"So y'think you're ready for Elimination Chamber, little Finch?"

"Of course. I mean, it's not like we're up against a real challenge. You know, like 3MB or something," I said idly, watching as Roman went to the next cupboard. Seth scoffed and gave me an irritable frown.

"Oh please. Are you forgetting how the Shield handed your asses to you at TLC?"

"Huh. Well you didn't hand anything to me on Friday, even after Team Justice gave a personal invitation to the big, bad Shield," I provoked. Dean leaned forward to give me a deadpan stare, knowing exactly what I was doing. What? Riling Seth up was one of my favorite pastimes!

"Oh come on – okay," he huffed, waving his free hand in the air as he scowled at me. "First of all, that's such a stupid name –"

"And Shield isn't?" I quipped back, getting a chorus of hey's from Roman and Dean as more cupboard doors opened and shut.

" – second of all, we weren't even there on Friday. Awful tough of you guys to challenege us when you knew we couldn't come kick your asses."

"The only reason you guys skipped out was because you knew you couldn't face us fair and square in that ring –"

"Oh whatever! How many times have we beaten you three down, huh? Honestly it's getting a little old –"

"Yeah, that's what I'd expect you to say. Chicken," I added under my breath. Dean choked on his coffee at the look on Seth's face.

"Okay Barbie, let's hear you say that in the ring –"

"Where the fuck do all the damn Oreos keep going?!" Roman snarled, ripping open the last cabinet and pawing furiously through it like they were somehow hidden behind the two spice bottles and a handful of ketchup packets inside. "We just bought another fuckin' package yesterday. Three cookies in a serving, twelve servings in the package means thirty-six fucking cookies so where the hell are they?!"

Muttering under his breath, he slammed the cabinet shut and turned back to the stove to angrily flip the pancakes. Seth went decidedly quiet, taking a wide-eyed sip of his coffee and slowly slinking out of the kitchen.

The door to Dean's room opened and a moment later a very disoriented and bed-headed Nikki trudged out into the living room. She spotted me first and smiled, but as her eyes slid over the other three around me, confusion took over.

After several silent moments of studying us – her eyes narrowing just a hint more every time they flicked back to mine – she finally asked slowly, "what is this?"

"Breakfast?" Dean offered, holding up the plate of bacon. Nikki narrowed her eyes but she didn't hesitate in coming to sit beside me at the breakfast bar. With the last pancakes done, Roman began moving everything to the counter as Dean hopped up and grabbed some paper plates, passing a couple to Nikki and I.

The five of us ate in companionable silence for a couple of minutes, but almost instantly I felt a gaze resting on me. I turned to look at Nikki, who was busy looking me up and down at she took a bite of her pancakes.

"Can I help you?" I asked after almost thirty seconds of her scrutinization, trying not to shrink away from her gaze.

"I just realized," she said slowly, reaching out to tug on the hem of Dean's shirt I was still wearing. "These don't look like your jimmy-jams."

My eyes widened at her over my mug as I felt all three members of the Shield turn to stare at me. Oh, I was gonna kill her. Forget outing that I was obviously wearing Dean's clothes… had she really just thrown out one of mine and Bryan's inside jokes? One that she shouldn't even know!? Dean leaned forward onto the counter until I could see him in my peripheral, chin propped on his hand as he tried to get me to make eye contact. I pointedly kept my glare on my best friend.

"I'm sorry. Your what?" he pressed, grin taking over his face when he saw the blush that crept up my cheeks.

"My pajamas," I said slowly, and somehow Dean's smile grew wider. His hand snaked out and he caught my chin between his thumb and pointer finger, slowly turning my head to him until our eyes met.

"I don't think that's what she called 'em."

"They… my jimmy-jams," I mumbled, and as the three guys laughed at the phrase I defended quickly, "it's Bryan's word! That's what he calls pajamas and I just – it's just a habit!"

"It's adorable," Nikki snickered. Dean swept my hair back from my face before he dropped his hand, giving a wink before he went back to breakfast. I resumed glaring at my best friend. "What? It is. You and your jimmy-jams."

My scowl deepened. "I hate you. I should've left you in Tallahassee."

"That's what she said," she smirked, and now the four of us fixed her with quizzical looks. "What? It is!"

"You know, for an explicitly sexual woman, you're surprisingly terrible at using that phrase correctly," I informed her. Instantly, her face scrunched up and she defended,

"I always do it right, you just don't know how to take it!"

"That's what she said," Roman and I rushed at that the same time; we air high-fived as Nikki huffed and shoved more pancakes into her mouth. The Shield picked up where we'd left off about Elimination Chambers and, having done enough to stir their pot with that, I turned to my best friend.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, patting her knee brace gently. She mhmm'd and nodded as she gave me another smirk.

"I couldn't help but notice you didn't sleep with me last night," she mused, flicking her brows up at me before leaning around to look at Dean. "Did you –"

"No," I hissed, widening my eyes at her in a vain attempt to get her to shut up. "Nothing. At all. So just shush –"

"Nothing? Wearing clothes that aren't yours after a night together doesn't usually mean nothing –"

I smacked her arm hard enough to make the eggs fall off her fork.

"Bitch!" she laughed, pushing me almost completely off my stool. On an instinct, without even looking back our pausing his conversation with the boys, Dean's hand came to the small of my back to steady me again. The giddy smile at his touch put a blush on my cheeks, and only too-late did I realize I was still being studied by my best friend. The grin that broke over Nikki's face at my reaction was worryingly mischievous.

"Oh I am so right," she started as she eyed the hand that Dean had kept on my back, and before she could embarrass me like she was clearly dying to do, I rushed out,

"We're meeting Brie and Bryan in an hour. You'd better get your butt moving or you're getting left behind."

Popping the last piece of bacon into her mouth, she at least took my words to heart. She gathered our plates – and Dean's empty one – to deposit them in the trash before turning to me with a smirk.

"This isn't the end of this conversation," she warned. Dean glanced over at her teasing tone and I willed the heat in my cheeks to go away. Just play it cool, Jamie. Play. It. Cool. "I'll go get ready, and once I'm out of the shower, you and De–"

"Just hurry up," I snapped; my face was seconds from full-on combustion now. She sauntered past me, giving a parting kiss on the cheek before she disappeared into the room once more. I got up and started to go around to help Roman and Seth clean up the pans, but the big dog shook his head and took the sponge from my hand before I could start on the dishes.

"Uh-uh. You're our guest," he argued; giving him a look, I reached for the sponge again and he unfairly held it up out of my reach. "We've got this covered, Smalls."

"Smalls?" I scoffed, crossing my arms. Roman raised a brow, pointedly leveling his hand with the top of my head and bringing it across to him; I was just a hair under his shoulder.

He smirked. "Yeah. Smalls."

"I am not small –"

"Grab the sponge, then."

"Excuse me?" I feigned insult. Dean stifled a snort and eased off the stool, motioning for me to follow him. When I kept my frown on Roman, the big guy shooed me away and pointed after Dean

Fine, he won this round. Reluctantly, I sulked across the living room. Dean paused at hoodie lying on the floor and dug out a pack of cigarettes. He saw me eyeing the jacket and frowned as he stood up.

"Y'already got one'a mine. You're not takin' another," he warned. So he thought I hummed to myself, following Dean out to the balcony. He slid the door shut behind me, and to my surprise he tucked the cigarettes into his back pocket as he turned to face me.

His hands settled on my hips and he walked be back, out of the way of the door so we couldn't be seen from inside. He moved until he pressed me back against the brick, until I was flush against his chest, head tipped back to look up at him. He ducked to my height and pressed a hard kiss to my lips.

Last night he'd been musky and earthy, a mix of mint and cologne and smoke. Today he was syrup and coffee and warmth, and it was just as intoxicating. When he felt me kiss him back he stepped impossibly closer, his hands sliding around and down my back, fingers tucking into the back pockets of my shorts.

My hands took his face and I held him to the kiss as our lips moved slowly against one another, thumbs brushing his cheeks. He smiled into the kiss before pulling back, resting his forehead against mine, eyes still closed. My hands slid down to link behind his neck; his own stayed in my pockets, fingers squeezing my butt gently as he murmured,

"You sure this is alright, darlin'?"

"Was I unclear in kissing you back?" I teased, getting a chuckle out of him. "Because if I need to make my point again…"

Even with him bent down I still had to pull myself up to meet his lips. This kiss was quick and chaste, and as I eased back down he followed my movement, stealing one more. Our lips lingered for a moment before he pulled away, and then took half a step back.

Concern flickered through me, and instantly my mind went back to the back hallway of the arena, our first kiss. He must've seen the panic in my eyes as I stared up at him in question, because instantly a hand slipped from my back pocket up to cup my face.

"Don't look like that," he said, fingers moving up to push my hair behind my ear. "I just… I don't want things movin' too fast."

"Fast how?" I asked him, the concern still prickling over my skin, setting me on edge. It wasn't like I was planning on throwing him down and having my way with him this instant. But I liked him… didn't he like me? What did it mean to make out at 3am and fall asleep together, other than you liked them?

"I like y'a lot," he admitted simply, hint of a smile flickering over his lips for a moment at his confession. "Have for a while. Thing is, though, I don't want you jumpin' into somethin' too quick an' endin' up regrettin' it."

He was nervous, worried his words had upset me. His soft blue eyes flicked between my own and I could feel his shoulders tensing up beneath my arms resting over them. At his words, though, the concern within me began to ease away and a small smile came onto my face. Seeing the give in my expression, Dean relaxed a hint, though he kept his hand against my cheek. "I wouldn't regret you. I don't. But… I do see what you're saying."

Dean made a good point. It was only a month from leaving Randy and, well, that was a disaster. Was it really smart to jump into something right away with Dean? Especially when I liked him as much as I did? I didn't want to risk ruining things with my long-time crush because I was still confused and wound up over an asshole ex.

"Look. I ain't plannin' on goin' anywhere," he promised, hand trailing down my jaw, following the flow of my hair down my shoulder. His touch swept through my strands, curling them gently around his fingers. "Y'got time, no need t'rush, alright? Y'don't needa make a choice right now. Just… really think on it."

"What if I choose you?" I asked him softly, tipping my head back against the wall to meet his eyes. His eyes took on an unreadable expression, studying me for just a moment before was on me again. He cupped my face again, holding me in place as our lips brushed again and again. My own hand came up to wrap over his wrist, holding him in place as I pulled him against me again.

My tongue brushed against his lips and a low moan left him as he parted and let me take control of the kiss. The hand he'd kept in my pocket slid up just a bit to rest against my lower back, pulling me off the wall and secure against him instead. My tongue tangled with his and I drew another moan out of him that had my knees going weak. I found myself lost to him, caught up in the sweet taste of him, the mix of oaky cologne and soft detergent on his clothes, the feel of his muscles flexing beneath my touch as my hand slid down his chest…

We finally had to pull back, both of us breathless and fully flustered. As we eased back, Dean eased in like he had before and stole one last quick kiss, leaving a blushing smile on my face. The two of us held still for a moment, only inches and smiles between us, letting our hearts slow down again. Finally, after a few more moments of stolen glances and soft giggling, he murmured,

"I ain't lettin' you go again. So if it is me y'want, darlin'… make sure y'mean it."

Dean was willing to wait for me. He respected me, he liked me enough to put my own feelings ahead of his own. It just made me like him even more. So for now, we'd go slow. Like he said, we had time. And I wanted to do this right with Dean.

One more thing to cover, though. The most important part of any possible relationship I could have. "I… think I need to tell my friends. About us. I mean – not that we're, y'know. I didn't mean like –"

Dean laughed and took my chin gently, giving a small smile and squeeze of assurance. "I know, Finch. Tell 'em. This ain't like Orton. I ain't hidin' anythin'. Besides, think Wonder Twin's already onto us."

"Yeah, Detective Bella's on the case. She's been on it since TLC though," I told him with a sheepish smile; he returned it with a grin as I glanced back towards the balcony door. "Do Roman and Seth…?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders, leaning his shoulder against the wall at my side, a hand still toying with my hair. "They know how I feel about ya. An' I'm sure they figured out somethin' went on last night… er, this mornin'. Roman at least, an' I'm sure Seth'll piece shit together. 'Course it won't matter with him. Soon as Roman figures out who took the fuckin' Oreos he's a dead man."

"You guys are weirdly passionate about your food," I mused, thoughts going back to the pancake-waffle fallout earlier before I peeked up at him. "You gonna turn him in?"

"Nah," Dean shrugged, smirk coming over his face. "I could use the blackmail."

The two of us dissolved into giggles, sharing a grin as he finally pulled back from me completely. Before slipping past him, though, I paused and he raised a brow at me. Wordlessly I stepped up and got on tip-toe to wrap my arms tight around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist and we stood together for a few quiet, calm moments. Dean turned his head and pressed a kiss to my neck and I smiled against his shoulder, squeezing just a bit tighter before we pulled apart.

As I pulled the balcony door open, I saw Dean tugging the cigarettes out of his pocket. He caught my staring and raised a brow as he tugged one out. I tsk'd and shook my head as I chastised, "those things are bad for you, you know."

"They haven't killed me yet. Can't be that bad," he argued, taking it between his lips and lighting it with a shrug. I rolled my eyes.

"They will eventually if you keep at it. Which means I might as well take your other hoodie now. You won't need it then you succumb to lung cancer."

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Don't touch my hoodie."

"What was that?" I feigned, cocking my head and putting a hand to my ear. "It's like the voices of the dead are trying to communicate… if only they hadn't purposefully filled themselves with toxins and disease…"

Dean rolled his eyes as he took a long, purposeful drag, leaning an arm on the balcony as I giggled and scampered inside.

Why did our family meals usually come with a side of drama and conflict? Granted, most recent history would show it was all my drama and conflict… but that was beside the point. I needed to stop trying to talk myself out of saying what had to be said. I needed to tell Bryan and the twins about Dean. Even if things were slow and nothing was really happening, I didn't want anything held back.

Except… I had no idea how to put it out there. What did I do? Present my case, announce all of my actions and intentions, then wait for the council to approve? Alright everyone. I made out with Dean Ambrose and I'll now be taking votes to see if we can proceed with a possible relationship.

…it wasn't a great idea, but it'd keep it in the running. Mainly because I had no idea how else to go about this. I wanted to be open with them – especially with Mr. Grudge-Keeper – but it was just so awkward.

As we settled into the booth, I stayed decidedly silent until after we'd ordered our food. This time I was aiming to not make the poor waiter as uncomfortable as we had the other night. While he passed out the drinks and took our dinner orders, I mulled over all the options I could come up with. Maybe a rousing game of twenty questions? Take a guess at what I did that'll piss you off this week. Charades? It'd at least be entertaining. Until they guessed correctly… I could scribble it on a napkin and slide it over to Bryan? Stripper-gram?... if I begged her, I bet Nikki would've dressed up and popped out of a cake for me. Hell, who was I kidding? I wouldn't need to beg. She would've done it without question…

No, that wouldn't work. Probably. As the waiter finally stepped away, I dismissed my ridiculous ideas. Nothing felt right, but I had to tell them. Clearing my throat, I sat down the dessert menu I'd been studying (like I'd ever get anything other than a chocolate fudge brownie) and simply announced point-blank, "I kissed Dean."

Bryan spluttered on the gulp of water he'd just taken, instantly dissolving into coughs. Brie – after a look of concern to her boyfriend – turned to me and for several moments all she could do was stare. I did tell them about the kiss before TLC, didn't I? When I'd spilled everything to them before the most awkward and uncomfortable dinner of the twenty-first century? I must've, right? It would've come up at some point. I couldn't remember, but after several moments of listening to Bryan struggle to breathe, I had to say something.

"It went a lot better this time."

"This time?!" the man across from me wheezed, watery eyes bulging at me incredulously (though admittedly that might've just been the whole choking thing). At least he'd survived his near-drowning enough to look absolutely blindsided by what I'd said.

Greeeaaat. Apparently I hadn't told them. Nikki was grinning to herself as she looked over the desserts, amused at what was unfolding, clearly not willing to make herself useful in this conversation. Brie pressed her hands together and briefly rested them against her lips as she processed what I'd thrown out.

"Oh… kay," she trailed, giving a slow nod as she took a breath, hands plopping onto the table and folding tight in front of her. There were dozens of questions in her gaze but I could tell she wanted to be supportive. She really had been trying to loosen up with me. "Is… this a serious thing?"

Shyness crept through me and I dropped my eyes to the table, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. Nikki aww'd at my side as I mumbled out, "I mean, like him. And he likes me –"

"Well I'd hope so if he kissed you –" Nikki started to tease, and Bryan nearly choked again.

"Quit saying that!"

Nikki thwacked him with the menu. "Oh don't even, Bryan! Just because you don't like him doesn't mean –"

"Of course I don't like him! He's a member of the Shield!"

"What?! No!" I gasped in feigned horror, hand flying to my chest as I recoiled into my seat. "He is?! Oh my god. If only I'd known… how did I not figure that out in the last three months I've spent brawling with them in the ring –"

"Okay, I meant that he's a heel," Bryan started. When I gave another over-the-top gasp he elaborated before I could start up again. "The point I'm getting at is he and his thug buddies attack us multiple times a week. We have a freakin' match at the pay-per-view with them next weekend, for crying out loud –"

"Did you really just say thug buddies?" I snorted, and he waved his hand at me.

"Not the point –"

"What about our whole what happens in the ring stays in the ring rule?" I pointed out. "Need I remind you we enacted that because of your girlfriend?"

Brie shot me a look at that, but I had a point and Bryan totally knew it. It took him a few moments of brooding silence, but before I could throw anything else at him he finally found another point to argue.

"So then what exactly has he done outside the ring to show he's not a conniving little conman for Punk and Heyman? Because so far he seems pretty slimy any way you slice him –"

Crossing my arms on the table, I leaned across to add to the glare I was giving him. "Oh, y'know, besides telling me about Randy cheating?" There was a flicker of surprise on his face, but I didn't stop there. "Let's see. I can start with how he sat with me right after that and made sure I was okay. Or how he spent most of our TLC match looking out for me even though we weren't talking to each other. OR if you want some recent history, where he took Nikki and I in and gave us somewhere to sleep besides the lobby –"

"Oh what, so now a few good deeds make up for jumping us in the ring every week, beating you up, taking shady under-the-table contracts from an even shadier man to help screw our friend out of the WWE championship?" he scoffed, waving his hand at Nikki who was still decidedly silent. "You know, your best friend's boyfriend?"

"Don't even start on the Heyman thing," I shut down, shaking my head. "It's not what you think it is."

"Let me guess. Dean told you they're actually good guys and it's all just a big misunderstanding?"

"Actually, yes. See, unlike you, I take the time to talk to people and get their point of view so I can understand them better instead of just making assumptions –"

"What's his sob story then, huh?" Bryan challenged. "What's the honorable sacrifice he's making that's so wholesome it redeems him from months of being a sleazy double-crosser?"

Seriously, he was the most dramatic man I'd ever met. I leveled a look at him as I told him pointedly, "I'm not going into all that. It's not my place to talk about what he said –"

"And what a surprise, more secrets!"

"Oh don't even start," I snapped, waving my hand at him. "It's not like that! It's a secret, but it's not my secret! It's his! It doesn't affect you in any way so you don't need to know!"

"If it's something you can't tell your family then it does affect me –"

We all fell into heated silence as the waiter passed out our meals. Once the waiter had left again, instead of starting right back up, Bryan and I both immediately dove into our plates. Argument or not, we both had a love for food. After a couple minutes of angry, moody munching, Brie couldn't take it anymore and spoke up,

"Jamie's right, Bryan. I mean, look at me and Nicole. We're total bitches in the ring but that's not who we actually are." Bryan shoved his entire piece of toast into his mouth to avoid admitting I was right.

"Exactly," Nikki backed, and then of course had to add, "I mean, even though Brie's still a bitch sometimes out of the ring –"

"I am not!" Brie scoffed, glaring at her sister. "If anyone's the bitch it's you –"

"Um, who was the one that told me my feet looked fat in my new heels?"

"Well they do –"

"Brianna, focus!" Bryan huffed heatedly around his toast as he finally looked at me, ramping up again. "So what, Jay, he's excused for the rest of his crappy behavior? Because he said some things that made him seem like a good guy he suddenly just is?"

"Dean's not just saying things to say them, Bryan," I argued around a mouthful of fries as I pressed, "he's a good guy, and he actually cares about me. He's the one who wants to take it slow so he doesn't hurt me. He's the one who encouraged me to tell you guys, because he doesn't want me keeping anything from you –"

"So you were gonna hide him from us too?! After what just happened with –"

Nikki smacked him again with the menu. "You missed the whole point!"

Bryan wrangled it out of her hands and pushed them back as she went to grab it again. "No I didn't Nicole. I get he's playing the hero here, trying to build himself up and put himself in a good light, but guys like Dean Ambrose aren't exactly what I'd call trustworthy!"

"So because you don't like Dean, the rules of not judging him on what he does in the ring don't apply?" I scoffed, shaking my head. "That's not very fair."

Bryan made a noise of frustration and jabbed his fork at Brie. "It is fair because I know Brianna, and I know what I see in matches isn't who she really is –"

"You didn't know that before I introduced you two, and if you hadn't looked past her in-ring attitude and you just made assumptions about her like you are with Dean, the four of us wouldn't be here right now!"

"See that's where you're wrong!" he nearly shouted, waving his fork in the air. Brie snatched it out of his hand and hissed at him to be quiet, but he kept going. "The thing is, Jamie, I know him enough to know he's not a guy I'd trust with my family!"

"You don't know him Bryan! That's the whole point I'm trying to make!" I argued back.

Bryan gave a sharp laugh and shook his head. "I might not know 'Dean Ambrose'," he admitted, throwing up air quotes. "But I know Jon Moxley. I know the rep he had both in and out of the ring and that's not helping the whole 'he's a good guy' shtick you're going for."

"The only thing I'm going for," I snapped, giving him sarcastic air quotes right back, "is trying to tell you not to judge someone on assumptions and get to know Dean before you decide you hate him!"

"I'll pass on that, thanks," he snarked, shoveling a handful of probably-cold fries into his mouth to end our argument. I began devouring the rest of my chicken strips in retaliation.

"Okay, new family rule," Brie finally said, dropping her head into her hand, eyes squeezed shut. "No more heated discussions at the table."

With a snort, I waved a strip at Bryan as I pointed out, "this wouldn't have been a debate if Beardy McGrudgerson over there didn't decide to have issues with people he doesn't know!"

"Oh, because between me and the Shield somehow I'm the bad guy in all this?"

"Why does anyone have to be a bad guy? Huh? Why do you insist on being right, regardless of whether you actually are or not?!"

"Because I am right! Pretending Dean Ambrose is a good guy just because of a few words doesn't make him that, Jamie!"

"If you could take a second to look past your ridiculously biased views –"

"Okay!" Brie cut in, holding up her hands to both of us before we could get going again. "Okay, okay. Enough. That rule's going into effect now. We're shelving this conversation until the two of you cool down –"

"And we're not in a restaurant," Nikki added, glancing around; the few heads that had been turned to us quickly snapped back around. Bryan and I gave identical grunts, burying ourselves in our food and falling into angry silence.

There was no point in trying to have a conversation with Bryan when he got defensive like this. Admittedly I was being a little defensive too, but he just didn't understand. He didn't see the Dean I did. He saw Jon Moxley, the ruthless, sadistic son of a bitch CZW king that only cared about himself.

Dean Ambrose wasn't that guy, and I was gonna make sure Bryan figured that out.

The silent drive to the arena was somehow more tense and heated than the arguing at dinner had been. Bryan drove with a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel, and I sat moodily in the back, arms crossed. The twins – Nikki to my left, and Brie in the passenger's seat – had given up trying to make small talk almost immediately.

The moment Bryan parked the car all of us scrambled out. Bryan and I moodily wrangled our bags out, and while he struggled with Brie's suitcase, I slung my duffle over my shoulder and stalked for the door. Nikki jogged to catch up with me, and her hand slipped into mine. I expected her to pull me to a stop, but instead she just gave me a small squeeze and walked with me in silence.

I leaned against my best friend as we headed down the hall towards the locker rooms, reveling in having her there with me for all this. It made a world of difference being able to be open this time around.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Nikki asked as we stopped at the men's locker room. Well, the men's-and-Jamie's locker room. I gave her a small nod.

"Yeah, we've just gotta cool off. I hate fighting with him, but it's better than lying to him," I sighed. Nikki gave me a gentle smile, cupping my face and squeezing softly. "What do you think about Dean?"

Nikki smiled and said instantly, "I like him. I can tell he cares about you, and I like the smile you get around him. I've seen more of him than Bryan has, and I think when he gets to know Dean a little better, he'll come around."

The small grin on my face couldn't be helped. "You like him? Really?"

"Yeah. I do. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's not a bad guy. And the way he looks at you…" she fake-swooned against the wall and I rolled my eyes, feeling a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"Okay, dork. Go bother your sister. I have a match to get ready for."

Nikki pulled me into a quick hug and a cheek-kiss before she continued down the hall to the diva's locker room. The only other people in the locker room with me were the Usos and Kofi. They all looked up as I came in and gave me smiles as I held up a hand.

"Any trouble planned for tonight?" Kofi mused, watching me dig out my ring gear. I scoffed and gave him a look.

"Me? Trouble? Never."

All three men snorted. Really, though, I wasn't that bad! I'd cut back! I'd never expected it to, but my personal problems had interfered in my drive for harassing innocent superstars. I'd been so preoccupied trying to keep my own life from falling into chaos that I hadn't been able to bring chaos to anyone else. I was really slacking; the others were getting too comfortable. I'd have to step up my game after Elimination Chamber.

By the time I'd changed, Bryan had shown up. He was busy chatting with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, so I grabbed my sneakers and made my way to the bench in the far corner. Raw had already started. Paul Heyman was giving a sob-story speech in the ring about how he'd be leaving for good.

Like we hadn't all heard that a hundred times before. As I focused on lacing up my shoes, I felt someone approaching. Wordlessly, Bryan settled beside me on the bench as he started to tug his shin pads into place. We stayed quiet, idly watching Khali and Mark Henry toss each other around the ring for a couple of minutes.

As I finally sat back, shoes ready to go, Bryan held out a roll of tape to me. Despite earlier, I gave him a small smile as I started to wrap up my wrists. He gave a sigh and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees, hands clasping together. Finally, in a quiet voice – not taking his eyes off the TV – he said,

"I punched Drake in the face."

His words took me by such unexpected surprise I froze, unraveled tape hanging from my arm as I slowly turned to look at him. "I… what? Drake Younger?" Bryan gave a single nod. "When?"

"The day we left the indies. You were saying goodbye to some of the other guys and he was looking for you," Bryan told me, voice so quiet I almost couldn't hear him over the guys talking in the background, eyes still fixed straight ahead. "He was pretty pissed at me, and he didn't want you to go. He said he was gonna convince you to stay in CZW with him. Said he had a right to you because he'd found you, so you were his."

This was news to me. Well, not the fact that Drake thought I was his property. He'd made that disgustingly clear. But he'd said that to Bryan?!

"I didn't talk to him the day we left," I said slowly, bringing myself back to that day. "He'd been pissed the night before when I told him, so I just figured he'd been done with me and didn't want to see me before I left."

Bryan made a noise of irritation. "He wanted to. He wasn't gonna let you leave. I told him you were going, that I was getting you out of that hellhole. He told me about his… relationship with you."

I could hear the anger in Bryan's voice. The same anger that had come out when I'd finally told him about Drake, about all that had happened and exactly why I was so thankful he'd pulled me out of CZW when he had.

"He saw you talking with Sami Callahan, and he wanted to go after you. I told him he needed to leave you alone or I'd punch him in the face. He didn't listen, so I punched him in the face."

"You don't punch people in the face," I said softly, trying to mask exactly how touched I was hearing that he'd done exactly that for me. Bryan finally turned and met my eyes as he said solemnly,

"When my little sister needs me to, I do."

Well, shit. Almost-instant tears to the eyes. He saw the change in my expression, saw the small tremble of my lip, and he pulled me into the first hug we'd had since the night of our fight in Vegas. I'd been so worried since then that we'd never get back to how we'd been before. Hell, I'd been terrified I'd lost our connection because of how stupid I'd been with Randy.

Now it was clear nothing had changed. My grumpy, grudge-holding brother had just needed time to cool down. He held me tight to him, hands running up and down my back in comfort until we finally pulled back; he had tears in his eyes too.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked softly, clearing his throat. "That's why I was so upset with Randy. You really are my sister, Jamie. My mom and dad call you their kid. You're closer to me than anyone. Even Brie at times. And it really hurt that you couldn't trust me with Randy, but it hurt more knowing that I couldn't protect you from that."

"You would've," I said with a small chuckle. "I was just too stupid to realize that's what I needed."

Bryan shook his head and reached out, taking my hand tight in his. "You're not stupid. At all. I was really hard on you when you first told us, and I shouldn't have been, Jay. I forget sometimes you're still just a kid, and you're just doing the best you can. You're still learning things, and it was wrong of me to expect you to somehow know how to handle what happened."

I took his hand in both of mine, playing with his fingers as I gathered what I wanted to say. After a few moments of silence I said softly, "I should've told you. I knew… part of me knew that if you knew I was dating Randy, you wouldn't have been okay with it. And if you'd said that at the time, I would've stopped. I care about what you think. I want to make you proud and I knew Randy wouldn't be something you'd be okay with."

Bryan nodded slowly, and then tugged on my hand to get my attention. When I looked up, he had a curious, timid smile on his face. "But… you told me about Dean."

I cleared my throat and quickly ducked my head, giving a small nod. "Yeah. He… he's been a good friend the last few months."

"He told you about Randy?" Bryan asked, and I nodded quickly.

"He, Roman, and Seth caught him with another woman. They came and found me the next show and told me. He sat with me when I was too afraid to go tell you guys what happened, and that match I walked out on.. he and the boys were supporting me. He told me to leave when I couldn't handle it."

Bryan sighed heavily and tipped his head back, lips pressed together, clearly running through a lot of different things on his mind. Finally, he gave a small nod and then looked back down at me. "I'll be honest. I don't know how I feel about it. As much as it pains me to say this, though, you're right." At the grin that lit up my face, he gave me a sharp look and I smothered my smart remark. "I know Jon Moxley, but I don't know Dean. I don't trust him, but I do trust your judgement. As long as you don't lie to me, and you're sure this is what you want… I'll support you."

That was the last thing I'd been expecting to hear, I didn't know what made me happier: hearing Bryan trusted me again, or hearing that he'd support me with Dean, if that's what I wanted. With a huge grin I threw myself into another tight hug with my big brother. He chuckled and held me to him again, ruffling my hair as he pulled back.

"Okay, enough soap opera moments," he declared as he stood up. His match was being advertised now, and he began to back to the door. "I'm gonna go smear Chris Jericho all over that mat. Your match is after mine, right?"

"Yep," I confirmed, shoving to my feet. Speaking of, I needed to find my tag partners… "Good luck, little goat man."

"Right back atcha, you little gremlin," he laughed, holding up a hand to me as he headed out for gorilla. For several moments after he'd left, all I could do there was sit there and grin like an idiot. Being on uncertain grounds with Bryan had been weighing on me for weeks.

Now, all was right with my family, I had kissed Dean Ambrose (many times…) and now I had a night of wrestling. After the month from hell, it felt really great to finally have a good night ahead of me.

Saluting Kofi and the Usos – plus Miz and Zack, who'd appeared with Bryan – I headed out in search of my tag partners for the night. Thankfully, they were hunting for me too. In just a few minutes I came across Sheamus and Ryback just leaving the Diva's locker room, heading my way.

"Ay, there's the little lass!" Sheamus called, strolling up to me with his arms held open. As he wrapped me in a hug, Ryback joined in, effectively sandwiching me between my tag partners. "You ready t'show 3MB who they're messin' with?"

"Trust me, ripping them apart is something I'm always ready for," I laughed as we all stepped apart. The two of them were already geared to go, so instead of the locker room, we made our way towards gorilla, catching snippets of Bryan's match on the screen. It… wasn't going that great for him. For just a heartbeat, it looked like he would pull through for a come-from-behind win, but in the time it took to walk from one monitor to the next, Bryan got slammed with a Code-Breaker and he hit the mat hard.

They hit the three count just as we reached gorilla, and I grimaced in sympathy watching him slowly roll himself out of the ring. A few moments later he came trudging backstage, scowl on his face, rubbing tenderly at his sore jaw. He saw us waiting and paused, turning and heading to meet us instead. He passed 3MB on the way; our opponents threw us smirks as their music hit, and the three of us chuckled as we watched them go. They wouldn't stay cocky for long.

"It looked like a really good match," I told Bryan with a sorry smile as he paused by my side. He blew out a breath and nodded as he rolled his neck, trying to loosen up the ache he clearly felt coming on.

"Would've liked a win, though. Especially going into Elimination Chamber," he mumbled, frowning and shaking his head.

Wanting to get a smile out of him, I told him, "you know, I heard they've got kale wraps in catering today."

That did the trick. Instantly perked up, Bryan grinned and took off in a trot towards the promise of his favorite weird little snack. He turned and jogged backwards to call out to us, "good luck! I'll save you some kale!"

"Please don't," Sheamus called back, getting snorts from Ryback and I as we made our way toward the ring. 3MB's music had just come to an end, and the three of us looked at one another to see who'd go out first.

"Let me go and get the booing out of the way so you guys can finish us with cheers," I reasoned, and the two of them gave me apologetic smiles.

"Alright lass," Sheamus agreed as Ryback nodded. "See y'out there."

With a nod to the stage manager, I stepped up and waited for my music to start. At the first notes, the crowd erupted. There were definitely less jeers this time, but they still outweighed the cheering. Regardless, I danced my way out onto the stage and threw up a peace sign as I came to a stop at the top of the ramp.

The music died out, and then FEED ME MORE erupted through the stadium, and Ryback's music hit. The big guy stalked out onto the stage, swinging his arms as he came to a stop at my side. He looked down at me, we shared a nod, and he held out his hand. We bumped fists just as Sheamus' music started up.

The crowd was torn between FEED ME MORE chants and FELLA chants as the last member of our team joined us on stage. Sheamus looked over at Ryback and I. "Ready?"

"Let's do this!" Ryback roared, and he sprung forward, practically bouncing to the ring. Sheamus and I shrugged and fell into step with one another, marching down the ramp after him. 3MB were already jeering as we all climbed onto the apron, and instantly Heath stepped up, beating his chest and shouting at us to face the music.

Ryback gave a low chuckle and he took initiative, stepping over the ropes and ripping his shirt off as he faced Slater. The guy at least had enough common sense to look a little worried for a moment, but instantly his cockiness took over.

As the bell rang, he started to taunt the big guy as the two of them circled one another.

"You think you can handle me, tough guy?" Slater scoffed, bouncing back and forth as he mimed playing guitar. "I'm the front man of the band! I'm the best in the business bay-bee!"

Ryback looked over his shoulder to give us an exasperated frown before he slowly turned back to his opponent. Slater, like the idiot he was, had the audacity to slam his hands into Ryback's chest, knocking him back half a step.

The big guy was done playing. He kicked out hard, catching Slater in the stomach and sending him to his knees. Without missing a beat, he reached out and plucked the front man up hoisting him over his head and turning to the crowd. He tossed him up, stepped forward, and let Slater fall face-first into the mat.

He threw his hand out and Sheamus slapped him for the tag, stepping through the ropes to take his turn. I looked up to Ryback as he took his place on the apron and gave him a grin.

"You gotta teach me how to do that."

He snorted and the two of us actually giggled, turning to watch Sheamus now. Slater had tagged in Drew McIntyre, and the poor soul was just as stupid as his teammate. He took a step towards our corner, ripped his headband off, and threw it in Sheamus' face.

Sheamus surged and slammed him into the corner, and the two began brawling around the ring. It was fast, aggressive, and particularly painful on McIntyre's part. He was flung from one corner to the other so fast he couldn't get his feet under him. In no time at all, Sheamus has whipped him around and hoisted him onto his shoulders to pop him up and over onto the apron.

He easily wrangled the poor guy against the top rope, pulled his head back, and began clobbering. Ryback and I led the crowd as we counted the hits Sheamus got in. At the tenth hit, Sheamus hauled him back over and tangled his fist into his hair. He looked back to our corner and saw my outstretched hand. With a grin, I wiggled my fingers, beckoning him for the tag.

He dragged McIntyre over, hit the tag, and then spun the disoriented band member around to face me. I popped up onto the top rope and dove forward, hooking an arm around his neck. Using the momentum of the jump, I swung myself around and dropped McIntyre to the mat in a tilt-a-whirl DDT.

The crowd cheered for that, igniting me as I rolled out of the move and popped up to my feet. McIntyre desperately scrambled for his corner and tagged in Jinder as fast as he could. The man across from me sneered and sauntered forward.

He slammed his hands into my shoulders and sent me stumbling back into the ropes. Ready for it, though, I bounced off them and surged forward. Jinder actually screamed as I leapt up, tackling him in a Thesz press. All he could do was bring his arms up to block the forearm hits I threw at his face.

With a snarl, having gained a few shreds of composure again, he twisted himself hard to the side and knocked me off as he scrambled up. I rolled to my knee and barely ducked in time to miss a spinning kick he'd aimed right at my face; asshole.

He went for it again and I caught his ankle, yanking his leg up as I got to my feet and flopping the man onto his back. He let out a huff and I grabbed his arm, rolling him to his stomach and trapping his legs back with my own. Before he could crawl away I arched back into a bridge and hooked my hands together under his jaw, yanking him back into a reverse chin lock.

"Lawless has Jinder Mahal in her Hemlock, and he's in a lot of pain!" Cole cried from the announce table. I felt the man beneath me struggling to break free and he gave a cry when I pulled up even more. His arm raised, and I arched a bit more, cinching tighter into the bridge just as I felt the mat shift. "Oh, he's gonna tap! Mahal is gonna – and there's Slater!"

Great.

I couldn't undo my bridge fast enough and Slater's kick caught me in the ribs. I slumped onto Jinder's back and Slater grabbed fistfuls of my shirt and pants, hauling me up and flinging me into the corner.

He was on me instantly but he only got two punches in before he was ripped back off me and thrown to the mat. Ryback took my hand and pulled me up as Sheamus dove past us, tackling McIntyre into the corner before he could jump us.

As Slater got to his feet, Ryback ducked and hooked his arms around him, hoisting him up onto his shoulders to march him around the ring. Jinder had just recovered from my submission hold and he got to a knee, ready to tackle me into the turnbuckle.

Taking a page out of Bryan's book, I turned and threw a roundhouse kick into Jinder's chest, knocking him back onto his ass into the center of the ring. As he struggled to his feet, I saw Sheamus and Ryback with McIntyre and Slater up on their shoulders. Time to end this useless match.

Vaulting over the ropes onto the apron, I hoisted myself to the top rope and then jumped forward. Arching back, I locked my ankles around Jinder's head and swung myself to the side, twisting around and flipping him up into my hurricanrana. He flopped to the mat, stunned,

and before he could recover I flipped over and scooped his leg, laying back across his chest as the ref called out,

"ONE…TWO… THREE!"

My music filled the arena, and though I heard the boo's, there was a lot of cheering too. Granted, it was probably just because we'd smeared 3MB, but hey, I'd take it. Ryback marched over to me and looped an arm around my waist, hauling me effortlessly to my feet.

Sheamus swarmed us the moment I was upright and the three of us hugged, grinning at one another excitedly. As we pulled back, Ryback looked between us, eyes still burning for a fight. This had barely been a warmup.

"You two up for givin' the Shield some shit?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Do you even need to ask?" I teased as Sheamus and I backed up to the ropes to give the big guy some room. As soon as he'd commandeered a mic Ryback was pacing, riled up, ready to call out next weekend's opponents.

"This Sunday is a day I've waited a long time for!" he bellowed, getting cheers from the crowd already. "It's the day I will feast on the Shield!"

He glanced back over his shoulder at us and I nodded to Sheamus, letting him go next. He stalked forward, took the mic, and then turned in a circle in the ring, looking around at the crowd.

"For the last couple'a months, all we been hearin' is believe in the Shield. Well, I'll tell ya what I believe in! I believe that even though we're facin' those fellas on Sunday, I say there's no reason why the three'a us don't get some'a our own justice tonight!"

The crowd was wild, their deafening cries shaking me to my core and pumping me up even more. Sheamus flicked his brows up as he met my eyes and held the mic out. The moment I took it though, raucous booing rose up around us.

Stifling a sigh, I put a bemused smile on and just nodded along with them as I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, yeah, okay, I understand. After a few moments, the noise finally started to die down and I lifted the mic, looking around.

"Sheamus makes a good point. And I happen to know that the Shield are here tonight…" that got some cheering for me, and I bobbed my head along with the crowd as I shrugged and turned to the other two in the ring with me. "I hate to disappoint, but I don't think they're gonna take us up on our offer. I mean, why would the Shield come out to face us when they know that on an even playing field, they're no match for us? Why do you think they didn't jump us during the match?"

Ryback and Sheamus nodded in agreement and I let the crowd jeer a moment before continuing. "Now I can't really blame them for not showing their faces, but I gotta admit it's a little disappointing. The three of them love to talk about how they run this ring, but you know what? It's clear that when they're facing real opponents, they know it's best to sit back and let the real wrestlers show them how it's done. I mean, I was expecting a lot more from the big bad Shield. Friday, I called them out, and what did they do? The same as they're doing tonight. Nothing."

Sheamus and Ryback were grinning ear to ear as I went on, and the crowd was loving it. I couldn't even hear the boo's anymore. All I heard was the WWE Universe backing us up, supporting us against the Shield. Chuckling into the mic, I lifted it once more and then looked directly into the camera, a dangerous smirk settling on my face. If I knew those boys, they were watching us right now.

"This weekend, the Shield will meet the sword. Their 'justice'…" I did air quotes, and then jammed a finger to my chest. "Meets Team Justice. That's Ryback, this is Sheamus, and I'm Jamie Lawless. Shield, if you want some… come get some!"

My music hit once again and it was almost drowned out by the crowd. I threw the mic down and Sheamus slung an arm over my shoulders, laughing and pulling me into a side hug. Ryback threw his arms up and started his FEED ME MORE chants as the three of us pointedly waited around in the ring. After a couple minutes of riling up the crowd, the three of us all shrugged our shoulders and hopped out of the ring. We slung our arms around each other, waving to the crowd as we marched backstage, grins on our faces.

"Y'got a way with yer words, lass," Sheamus chuckled, playfully ruffling my hair as we pulled apart. "We best keep an eye out for 'em, though. We've been rilin' them up an' they haven't done anythin' yet. I know we got a storm comin'."

"We're not lettin' them get the upper hand on us," Ryback vowed, punching his fist into his hand, brows drawing into a determined scowl. "We're makin' them pay this weekend and if they try to start somethin' before then, we'll be ready."

"Right on all accounts, big guy," I agreed as I began to back down the hall. "I'll keep my eyes peeled. Catering's calling my name, so I'll catch you two later."

"Feel free to not save us kale wraps," Sheamus threw out as both of them held up hands in goodbye as they made their way around the corner, headed for the locker rooms. Giggling to myself, mind already focused on food, I made the mistake of not paying attention to my surroundings.

I hadn't gotten more than a dozen feet before a hand fisted into the back of my shirt and hauled me down one of the side halls. Instantly I began to pull away but the hand jerked me back roughly and I lost my balance, falling back against whoever had a hold on me.

In the next instant, I was flung against the wall and as I turned, ready to fight, I came face to face with Randy. Of course. For someone who claimed they hadn't cared about me, he sure seemed to have a hard time leaving me the hell alone.

He stared me down for half a second, both of us frozen in front of each other, and then I darted to the side to make an escape. Unfortunately, short legs versus Randy's long reach didn't get me very far. He threw me into the wall again and then slammed an arm across my chest, pinning me in place.

"Get off of me –"

"Shut up," he snapped, pushing harder against my chest. "I'm talking and you're listening. You understand me?"

Knowing I wouldn't escape until he ranted about whatever was up his ass today, I pointedly shut my mouth and lifted my brows, signaling for him to talk. For several moments, though, he just leaned against me, face creeping closer as his eyes flicked between my own.

"Okay, if you're just gonna breathe on me, we're done here," I tried, lifting my arms as best I could to try and push him back. Randy's free hand shoved them down and I rolled my eyes. "Randy either talk or let me –"

"You wanna tell me why the hell Del Rio and Ryder are talking shit about me to the rest of the locker room, Jay? Sayin' I used you? Sayin' I'm a piece of shit? Huh?"

Pleasant surprise prickled through me; they were?! Zack and Del Rio were defending me? With a shrug, I answered almost on reflex, "well, in my experience, you are –"

Okay, self-preservation was apparently not my first instinct. Randy pulled back from the pin just enough to distance me from the wall so he could slam me back against it. I let out a yelp as the bricks dug into my shoulder blades, which only made him lean harder against me.

"They got half the locker room givin' me shit about you! What'd you fucking say, Jamie?" he shouted; I shoved against him again as I shouted back,

"I didn't say anything, Randall! Why don't you go ask them why they're trashing you and just leave me the hell alone?!"

Randy gave a cold laugh and leaned back, rolling his neck before dropping his dangerous gaze back to me. His sharp eyes cut through me as painfully as the brick, sending fear spiking in my veins as he growled out, "don't you dare fucking lie to me. Not right now. Not when I'm this pissed off at you. You understand me?"

"I didn't say anything –"

His arm against my chest dropped but before I could run he backhanded me hard enough to send me stumbling to the floor. I barely caught myself and for several stunned seconds I was on the ground, tears welling in my eyes, blinking fast to try and get my surroundings to stop spinning.

For half a heartbeat, I could've sworn I'd seen a sparkly blue robe and pink trunks at the end of the hall, but once things finally held still, there was nothing. I was alone. Randy grabbed my shirt again but this time I didn't let him pull me up. I brought my elbow back, catching him in the thigh. I'd been aiming higher but the hit was enough to get him to let go, and instantly I skittered back. Randy skirted past me, blocking my path back out of the hall, so I turned to run the opposite direction.

It was a dead end.

Shit. Self-preservation really wasn't in my vocabulary. I hadn't thought to look around for another escape route and now it was too late. As soon as Randy saw that I'd realized I was trapped, a predatory grin curled over his face and he began to stalk towards me.

"The last time we had a little chat, I thought you'd realized I wasn't someone to mess with," he began, shaking his head like he was reprimanding me. "And yet, here you are, a week later, thinking you get to run your mouth about me without consequences."

"Randy I didn't say anything to them," I insisted, crawling back from him until I hit the wall. He stalked towards me until he was hovering above me; the grin on his face legitimately frightened me. I'd never seen him this mad before, and now we were alone. No one knew where I was. No one was going to help me.

I had to help myself, but I had no idea what to do against Randy.

Randy knelt and grabbed my arms tight, hauling me up roughly and once again pinning me to the wall. I kicked out and caught his shin hard, and though a hiss of pain left him, his hold didn't ease up.

"Kick me one more time and I'll break you in half. Do you understand me?" When I didn't answer his hands tightened and he leaned heavily against me, getting a grimace of pain though I managed to keep quiet. "I said, do you understand me?"

"Yes," I whispered, and he smirked at my reply, reluctantly easing up off me just a hint as he continued,

"You think I'm stupid, do you? First you get your little friends to rally behind you and Cena, talking about how you don't owe any explanations… and now they're trying to turn the others on me. All because what, Jay? Because I cheated on you? Grow the hell up already and get over yourself –"

"It's you that needs to grow up. You cheated on me, I dumped you, and now every chance you get you're coming after me. It sounds like you're not as done with me as you keep saying you are."

Was it my imagination, or did I hear the crowd starting to grow louder?

Randy let out a sharp bark of laughter and leaned even closer. "Yeah? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I want to get even on you for pulling the little stunt you did with our match. You made me look pretty stupid like that, you know –"

"It's really not that hard to do –"

The second hit from him didn't catch me off guard and I could at least brace to keep my head from whipping around and hitting the wall. For a moment, I thought there was ringing in my ears, but the harder I listened, I realized what it was.

The crowd. The crowd was booing wildly, so loud it was echoing around us. As I blinked in surprise, I finally took in what was at the end of the hall. A camera man stood just a couple dozen feet from us, red light blinking, streaming Randy and I live onto the show. To the crowd.

And there, behind him peeking around the corner, I caught sight of Damien for just a moment before he ducked out of sight. It was him at the end of the hall earlier. He'd see me with Randy, and he'd gone to get the camera man.

He'd gone to get help.

When I turned back to Randy, he was still staring down at me dangerously; he hadn't noticed. He hadn't registered that the pop from the crowd was because of us. When he saw the slow grin taking over my face, though, his brow furrowed.

Pointedly, I turned my head and he followed my gaze. As soon as he saw the camera he dropped his hold and took several steps back. His head whipped back to me, but his hold over me was gone. I wasn't alone anymore.

"Looks like we're done. For good. Stay the hell away from me," I said coolly, and before I lost my opportunity I turned on my heel and stalked out of the hall, past the camera. The moment I turned the corner, I took off in a run for the Diva's locker room. I knew Bryan would be there with the twins, and if they'd been watching just now…

Not surprisingly, I didn't make it very far. I only got to the next turn in the hall before arms shot out and wrapped tight around me, hauling me back into someone's hold. For a heartbeat I thought Randy had somehow caught up with me, until the familiar scent of Dean's cologne wreathed around me.

"S'me," he said quickly as I spun in his arms. I was so shocked to see him the only thing I could do was stare. "He behind you?"

"No I – I don't think so," I said quickly; he still held me back as he leaned around to check, just in case. "I just wanted to get away. What are you doing here?"

Dean turned his attention back to me and held me at arm's length for a moment, taking me in. His eyes darkened as he swept over me, hands flitting gently over my upper arms – undoubtedly building up nice bruises already – and then lifting one hand to take my chin gently and turn my face.

He knew I didn't like being worried over, but I could tell that's all he wanted to do. His fingers slid up my cheek, tenderly touching my cheek where Randy had hit me the first time. There was thinly veiled fury in his eyes, but his touch was so soft I barely felt it.

"You okay, darlin'?" was all he finally asked, though I could see so much more beneath the surface of his gaze.

"I am," I promised. "Better than okay. The Universe knows why I left him in the ring. And they got to see what he's actually like with me."

Dean nodded, but he still didn't look happy. Slowly his arms wrapped around my shoulders and he tucked me to his chest. He was in his Shield uniform, with everything but his vest and the slicked-back hair, which made hugging him and burying my face into his chest even better. He didn't seem to care that we were out in the open, that his big, manly Shield persona was at risk for cuddling me into a hug.

His arms tightened around me and I took a deep breath, enjoying the soft, comforting scent of him as I let his hold soothe the last flickers of panic and pain that Randy had left. I could've stayed in his hold a lot longer, but an unexpected voice spoke up from beside us.

"Jamie?"

Surprised, I pulled back a hint to peek over Dean's arm, meeting Bryan's gaze. He looked as furious as Dean had when I'd first run into him, but there was another layer of surprise taking over his features. Dean let his hold drop and I stepped towards Bryan, letting him take over the hug.

"Did you run into him?" he asked, and I tipped my head up to frown at him. What kind of question was that? Did he not just see – oh.

Bryan wasn't looking at me. He was looking up at Dean, who gave a sharp shake of his head as he shoved his hands into his pockets, taking a step back to head down the way I'd just come from. "Might go see if I can change that, though."

"Don't get yourself in trouble," I said quickly as Bryan and I stepped apart. He still looked ready to rip Randy's limbs from his body and beat him with them (not a terrible idea, but still) so I added, "I believe the Shield's been called out twice now. You really gonna let us go for a third?"

He totally knew what I was doing, and he let me do it. He sighed, giving a last glance down the hall but turning to me instead of going to hunt for Randy. "Trust me. We'll handle Team Justice tonight. Believe that."

"Right. I'll believe it when I see it," I scoffed, starting to back up with Bryan. Dean, backing up as well, spared a last glance to the left, but instead kept going back, leaving Randy for another day.

"Keep an eye open then, little Finch," he playfully threatened, and added a little softer, "don't go thinkin' this'll make us go easy on ya."

With a smile I assured, "wouldn't dream of it, Deano."

His honest, toothy grin surfaced at the nickname. He just shook his head, giving me a parting wink before spinning on his heel and heading back to the Shield's locker room. I turned as well, falling into step with Bryan as he led us back to the Diva's locker room.

"I don't think I've ever see him actually smile when he wasn't putting someone through a table," Bryan mused, getting a chuckle out of me. "It's weird."

"Be nice," I laughed, smacking his arm as we drew closer to the locker room. He caught my wrist as I pulled back and he tugged us to a stop. He turned me to him, and the humor slid off his face as he looked over the marks Randy had left.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, and my thoughts went back to our talk earlier. He felt bad he hadn't known about Randy. That he couldn't stop me from getting tangled up in his nasty web. I shook my head and stepped up, pulling him into another tight hug. We rocked each other back and forth for several quiet moments until finally I murmured,

"Don't be. Really."

We stepped back, and just like Dean, he knew not to make a fuss over me. As we continued down the hall he nudged my arm gently and teased instead, "I hope you know you're never leaving the locker room on your own for the foreseeable future."

"How hard was it to keep Brie in the locker room?" I chuckled; Bryan gave me an exasperated look and I shrugged. "I dunno, she's pretty scary when she's mad. She'll be my secret weapon."

"Don't," he said instantly, frowning at me as he pushed the door open to the locker room. "We don't have money for bail."

"You only need bail money if you get caught, and I wouldn't leave anything behind," Brie promised, at my side the moment we stepped in. She must've been waiting at the door. Her small arms wrapped me into a mama bear hug and he instantly pulled me further in. We were on our way to where Nikki was waiting at the couch, but just a few steps inside and someone else came up to us instead.

I'd never actually talked to Naomi. The most I got from her were snide comments in passing, and dirty looks from her and Cameron. Not now. She stepped up to me with genuine concern in her eyes. She must've seen the segment with Randy too, then.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Well, color me surprised. I hadn't been expecting that. I gave her a small smile and a quick nod as she shook her head and said, "that was pretty shitty. Even for someone like Randy Orton. If you need someone havin' your back with all that, Jon and Josh got you, and so do I."

It took me a second to remember she was dating Jimmy Uso, and that his and Jey's ring names weren't their real names. As her words sunk in, though, I gave her a genuinely thankful smile. "That really means a lot. Thanks, Naomi."

"Of course, girl," she assured, and the smile she had for me dropped off as she glanced at Brie, saying dismissively, "Bella."

"Funkadactyl."

How they managed to turn each other's names into insults, I didn't know. Just another reason I wasn't cut out to be a diva. I let Brie haul me to the couch, and I was transferred from one hug to another.

Nikki pulled me to her and dropped to the couch; I gave a squeak of alarm as she hauled me down onto her lap. She planted a huge kiss on my cheek and I groaned, immediately reaching up to rub the lipstick off. "Nicole, gross!"

"This is a good color on you," she mused, batting my hand down and then kissing me again. She just held me tighter as I squirmed. As Brie and Bryan settled on the couch with us – and after I'd gotten what I hoped was most the lipstick off – I settled into Nikki's hold and rested my head on her shoulder as I finally tuned into what was happening on Raw.

"I know you're okay," my best friend murmured, softly so that I was the only one who could hear it. "But if you suddenly become not okay about that greasy little snake, you talk to me. Okay?"

Don't bottle things up anymore, she meant, and I nodded instantly, burrowing a little tighter into her arms. Having the support of my friends made this surprisingly easy, because I really was okay.

Randy got his own stupid self caught, he was probably done bothering me now that he'd been outed for the ass he really was, and my friends – Dean included – were with me every step of the way.

"I love you, Nik," I said softly, and I felt my best friend smiling as she promised,

"I love you too, Jellybean."

Most the rest of the show went by in a blur. Bryan made a food run (thankfully grabbing more than just kale) and we were sprawled out on the couch, gorging ourselves and slowly falling into a comfortable food coma, hardly paying attention to Raw as the show began to come to a close. The twins were bickering over my head about what colors were so totally in for Spring, and Bryan and I were seeing who could catch the most grapes in their mouth over Brie's head before she snapped and took them away. Again.

Just as I tipped my head back to catch another one, music crackled to life on the TV.

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

My head whipped around, and I hardly registered the grape smacking me in the face as I scrambled out of Nikki's hold and sat up on her lap. The boys emerged at the top of the stairs, took a look around, and started their descent. Dean's vest was on now, buckled tight to show off his lean torso and broad chest. Oof that was a good look for him.

As the twins kept at their arguing I shushed them, swatting down another grape Bryan threw my way as I watched the Shield hop the barricade and head for the ring. Dean had said to watch… were they finally gonna answer our taunts? As I tried to focus on them, I saw Brie glance over and Nikki, and to my surprise there was a smirk on her face. A moment later, Nikki leaned forward giggled,

"Sorry, are we distracting you from your man?"

Bryan sucked in a breath and immediately began coughing on the kale he'd just accidentally inhaled. Giving him a wary look, cheeks inevitably bright red, I elbowed my best friend back and tried to ignore the giggling from the girls behind me. Not that I didn't enjoy them seeming to be okay with whatever I had going on with Dean, but…

No time to think about that now. I had a promo to pay attention to. Unsurprisingly, Dean and his delicious arms ended up with the mic first. As the other two spread out behind him he began to pace slowly, glaring at the audience around him.

"We… are… The Shield! And we stand united in this ring with a sole purpose. We're shielding the WWE from atrocities. Atrocities like the one little Finch commits every day. Like tonight. Last week… y'really think it was a good idea to threaten the Shield, darlin'?"

He gave a low, sinister chuckle, face twisting up into an angry smirk as he shook his head, stalking out of the way as Seth stepped up. "Sheamus, Ryback, and Jamie Lawless – your heroes – think they're gonna accomplish something by threatening the Shield? Well in case you haven't noticed, when the Shield wants to deliver a message, we do it through action!"

"You're threatening us? You three are threatening the Shield? Let's make this simple enough for you to understand. You want us? COME GET US!" Roman bellowed. A second later I caught movement in the doorway as two heads popped into the locker room.

"Think that's our cue, lass," Sheamus grinned as Ryback eagerly beckoned me over. With a quick hug to the twins – and a last grape thrown at Bryan – I leapt up and vaulted over the back of the couch.

As the three of us took off towards gorilla, Sheamus nudged my arm and I stole a glance up at him. "You alright? Orton didn't do ya too bad, did he?"

"Nothin' worse than what we'll do to him when we get the chance," Ryback growled, punching his fist into his hand and giving a sharp nod. Having all my friends backing me up about Randy? Man that was a good feeling.

"No beating him up unless I'm there to watch," I told them with smiles as we came up to gorilla. Ryback immediately went to race out and confront them, but I caught his wrist, shaking my head.

"I think I have a better idea…" I hinted, nodding to the light panels along the wall. "Let's make this a little more interesting. Give Shield a taste of their own medicine."

Intrigued, Sheamus and Ryback shared a glance, and then gave an agreeing grin. The stage manager glanced down as I came up to his side. "You think you can cut the lights for us in a bit?"

He looked between myself and the men at my shoulders and gave a slow nod. With a thankful pat on his arm, we tuned back into the promo, waiting for the most opportune time. The boys were pacing in the ring, taunting us to come out, animatedly looking around when we failed to appear.

"Typical," Dean chuckled, "an empty threat from three morally empty individuals."

"You guys couldn't get the job done last week with half the roster. Hell… you could bring the whole roster – the whole world – and we will still be standing," Roman promised, snarling at the camera before he went back to angrily pacing the ring. Seth stepped up now and sneered,

"You failed, Jamie. It just seems to be a theme with you, because you just don't learn. You failed last week, you failed the week before that… and it won't be any different this Sunday at Elimination Chamber. At the hands of the Shield, Lawless, you'll fail again."

"She will fail," Dean agreed, tapping his finger on the mic, clearly debating what he was about to say next. "And y'know why yer gonna fail, darlin'? Because you put your faith in the wrong people. Now, you're a smart kid. We like you. Which is why we hate seein' you throw away your career over the pathetic pieces'a trash you insist on hangin' around."

"Take Orton, for instance," Seth continued, shaking his head. "We told you he was a bad person, Jamie, and you didn't listen. Where'd that get you?"

Well, that comment was gonna get him some glitter in his shampoo again, that's for sure.

"We've told you Sheamus and Ryback are no better, and where are you now?" Dean growled, lips twitching into a snarl. "You're gonna let 'em run you into the ground because you've fallen for their lies. You believe what they're doin' is right, but that's the problem here, Finch. That's what we're here to fix."

"The three of you are blind. You all believe in the system. Believe in the warped, biased ways of the WWE that have been laid out for you. You all follow it without question, but this Sunday… we have an opportunity to rectify decades of injustice that the three of you seem insistent to defend."

"This Sunday, the Shield will walk in together, and the Shield will walk out together. You three might not walk out at all," Dean threatened, rolling his shoulders back and flexing those arms I'd been staring at the entire promo. Seriously. He needed sleeves or something. It wasn't fair to be this damn distracting. "You better breathe as much fresh air as you can, because at Elimination Chamber we're going to bury you. Believe that!"

"BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!" Roman roared; the three of them threw their mics down, turning to the stage.

"Ready?" I breathed; Sheamus and Ryback nodded. I held my hand up to the stage manager, slowly counting backwards on my fingers.

Five…

Dean and Roman were practically foaming at the mouth, passing one another as they stalked along the ropes, both clenching their fists, glaring at the ramp as they waited.

"Where you at?!" Seth demanded, throwing an arm up as he looked around.

Four…

"I've got Reigns," Ryback murmured as we got into position, creeping as close to the stage as we could without revealing ourselves. As soon as the lights cut out, they'd know we were coming, and we had to get to the ring as fast as possible.

"I'll take Ambrose," I volunteered, more than eager to get my hands on him. The boys didn't think anything of it. They just nodded, and Sheamus made a noise of realization, turning to look at us.

"Shut yer eyes, get 'em used to the dark. Gives us the one up when we get out there," Sheamus suggested, and we all did as we were told.

Three…

"Last chance, Team Justice," Dean sneered. In the background, Roman was shouting, his angry voice picking up on the other mics as I heard the boys marching around the ring, itching for a fight.

Two…

"We're right here!" he continued; I could picture the taunting smirk on his face, hearing it in his voice. "The Shield isn't going anywhere, so you better face up to what you started."

One…

"Ready, and…" I murmured, and as soon as I dropped my last finger I hissed, "go!"

The lights cut out. The crowd erupted in the dark and the three of us took off like bats outta hell. Instantly I pulled ahead, beating both the boys down the ramp. Thanks to Sheamus' suggestion, my eyes were adjusted just enough that I could make out the shape of the ring.

With a jump, I slid under the bottom rope and rolled onto my feet. The Shield were stumbling blind, turning my direction when they felt the mat shift. Roman surged forward and I easily ducked past him, launching myself at Dean's shape.

He gave a yelp of surprise and instantly took hold of my arms as we stumbled back. The moment he recognized it was me, though, a low chuckle left him and he pulled me a little closer as he murmured, "nice one, little Finch."

Giving his arm a squeeze in return – more just to feel those unbelievable muscles shift under my fingers – I surged forward and knocked him back into the ring post just as the lights came on. The crowd roared to life seeing the three of us on the Shield. Roman was being pummeled into the ropes by Ryback, and Sheamus had Seth down on the mat behind me.

Now that we were in view again, Dean started to fight back. He threw a forearm into my throat and though he knocked me back, I attached to him once again. pushing him against the post, I stepped up onto the middle rope on either side of him to box him in and stand over him. All he could do was deflect the forearms I threw at him now

Ryback let out a roar behind me as he grabbed Roman by the hair, flinging him across and into the ropes beside me. As they shivered, I lost my footing and stumbled off my higher ground. Dean instantly took advantage, grabbing my arms and spinning us around to pin me down now.

As promised, he didn't go easy on me. He brought a knee to my stomach and as I doubled, he threw a few quick hits against my ribs, knocking the breath from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryback fling Roman over the ropes, and he turned to us now.

At his nod, I dropped to my knees and crawled between Dean's legs to get out of the corner. Surprised, he turned to stare down at me and then let out a yelp as Ryback grabbed him by the vest and threw him across the ring.

Hopping to my feet, I turned to Seth and Sheamus. My teammate was slumped against the ropes, lip bleeding, trying to deflect the kicks Seth was throwing at him. Time to get even for his Randy comment, it seemed.

With a running start, I launched at Seth. My arm wrapped around his neck and I leaned my weight on his shoulders, kicking my feet up to run along the ropes and swing us around into a running bulldog. As my feet dropped off the ropes he swung down and collided face-first into the mat with a groan.

I leapt back to my feet and grabbed a handful of Seth's vest, hauling him to his feet. He stumbled back and I used his own momentum to run him backward. He fell against the ropes and I hit him with a clothesline that sent him flipping out of the ring.

Grinning down at the stunned Shield member, I held out a hand to Sheamus and helped pull him to his feet. As I took a step back, I felt the ring shift and turned to see Dean rushing for me. Before he even got two steps, Ryback snagged his arm, whipped him back around, and then speared him into the mat.

"Ooh!" Sheamus and I winced, snickering to ourselves as Ryback kicked Dean to the apron. Before he could send him to the ground, Roman and Seth grabbed ahold of him and hoisted him to his feet and the three of them began backing desperately to the barricade.

Sheamus, Ryback, and I all exchanged a devious look, shared a nod, and surged out of the ring after them. We split up like we had before, with me rushing at Dean. He was still unsteady from the spear so when I hit him, both of us tumbled into the barricade. Dean used the fall to push me backwards, and as soon as I was off him, he vaulted into the crowd.

Oh it was on! Sheamus was busy chasing Seth in circles around the ring – they could have fun with that – and Roman and Ryback were already fighting up the steps. With a fair one-on-one, you bet I was going after him.

The crowd chanted my name as I hopped the barricade (less gracefully than Dean had, but that was beside the point) and took off up the steps after him. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't very easy to fight climbing stairs. I was out of breath by the time I caught up to him, so when I tossed myself into him, we both slumped onto the steps.

"Shit you're fast," he grunted under his breath, and before I could reply he stood up with me on his back. With a squeak I scrambled for a hold and wrapped my arms around his neck, making him slump us into the handrail and he growled as he reached around to pull me off. "Finch –"

Before he could get his hold onto me I wriggled off his back and hit the ground, then kicked at the back of his knee to send him onto the steps. He glared at me over his shoulder and I gave a cheeky grin as I popped up, ready for more.

Before I could grab him again, though, Seth shot past me up the steps, knocking into me as he went. He snagged Dean's vest and practically dragged him behind as he scampered through the crowd. I had half a mind to run after them – although, to be honest, running up the steps really didn't appeal to me – but in the next moment Sheamus was at my side.

"Let 'em go, lass. They learned their lesson," he chortled, grinning after them as he just shook his head. Sheamus' music started up in the arena and the man himself slung his arm around my shoulders, turning me to lead me back down out of the crowd.

My allegiances were torn.

Del Rio was in one corner, Damien in the other. Who did I root for? Was it possible to have a draw? Could they somehow pin each other? I'd barely been focusing on the actual match they were having because I still couldn't decide who I wanted to win.

"You ready to go?" Bryan asked, nudging my foot with his as he stepped around me packing his ring gear back into his bag. I shook my head, pointing to the TV.

"I need to see who wins. Can we wait a few minutes?"

"Only if you tell me who you want to win," he decided; when I glanced back at him he cackled at the look on my face. "They can't both win!"

I made a noise of frustration. "I know! But I can't just –"

"Pick. Right now."

"No!"

"Pick or we're leaving," he threatened; his hand moved for the remote.

"Damien!"

The moment I said his name, Damien turned to lunge at Del Rio and he was met with a vicious kick to the jaw. Bryan and I winced as Damien flopped onto the mat; the ref fell for the count.

"YES!" I cheered, throwing my hands up as Damien barely kicked out after two. "C'mon, Dames! You got this!"

As Damien scrambled to his feet, he surged and knocked Del Rio back into the ropes and lined him up for a clothesline. Del Rio instead shot forward, tackled Damien to the mat, and twisted him into a cross arm-breaker. The moment Del Rio applied pressure, Damien was tapping out.

"Aw, Dames!" I groaned, flopping back onto the couch. Bryan shook his head in mock sympathy and patted my arm as he tossed my duffel into my lap. Brie and Nikki had already gone to the car, and Bryan was already motioning for me to follow him to the door.

Though I trudged after him into the hall, instead of following him towards the parking garage I gave him a meek smile. Bryan sighed and returned it with a heavy look.

"The man just got kicked in the face. Do you really need to harass him?"

"Hey," I objected, pointing a finger at him as I started to back down the hall in the opposite direction. "I don't harass."

"Fine," he agreed, giving me a smirk. "Annoy, pester, agitate… take your pick. But I'm walking you there."

Sticking my tongue out at him, I turned and led us through the arena to the medic's room. With the show drawing to a close it was pretty empty and I made it in record time – with a record-minimal meddling, much to Bryan's relief.

He waited outside as I popped in, instantly looking for Damien's pink trunks. Hearing the door, Doc's head poked up from his desk and he smiled seeing me come inside. "It took you long enough. I've had a bed saved for you the whole show."

"I take offense to that. I'm not that accident prone," I scoffed, crossing my arms. Doc gave me a deadpan frown and pointed out,

"I agree. I'd say you're more reckless than accident prone." I opened my mouth to argue, realized he had a point, and promptly shut it again. He laughed and shook his head. "What can I do you for, Lawless?"

Oh, yeah. I was here for a reason.

"Is Sandow around?"

Doc shook his head. "He never stopped by. He usually doesn't, though. Said something about not wanting to be worked on by the mediocre staff…"

"Yeah, sounds like him," I sighed, and paused before I made to leave, looking back at him. "You got a bag of ice I could have?"

He pointed to the minifridge against the far wall before going back to his paperwork, saying idly, "if anyone asks, you didn't get it from me."

I tossed one of the bags up and caught it, rolling my eyes as I made for the door. "I don't get why everyone feels the need to tell me that."

"Gee, I wonder," he chuckled, shaking his head as he peeked back up at me. Grinning and giving him a departing two-finger salute, I spun on my heel and scampered out to Bryan.

"That was quick for your mischief," he noted, scurrying after me as I wove through the halls. I gave him a look over my shoulder.

"I'm not trying to harass him! I just want to check on my future tag-team partner."

"Right, and I'm six feet tall," Bryan snorted, and looked around when he noticed I'd woven us into the very back corner. "Where… are we going…?"

I paused outside a door partially hidden by some stacked crates and gave Bryan a devilish grin. "Dames and I play what I like to call unwilling hide and seek. He tries to hide himself in the most obscure part of the arena and I see how quickly I can track him down."

Bryan frowned, looking around slowly before settling his gaze on me. "How… you haven't been down here at all tonight. How the heck did you find him so easily?"

"A gremlin never reveals her secrets," I teased, patting his arm as I stepped around him. "I'll be back."

I gave two knocks on the door, and instantly I heard Damien call,

"Yes, come in! It's about time! You better be here with my lemon water. I thought I said to have it chilled and waiting for after my match. I'm absolutely parched and this plain water is agitated my tender esophagus –"

Giving Bryan a wink, I swung open the door and sauntered in. Damien was leaning forward, studying his face where Del Rio had kicked him with a grimace. Hearing the door shut, he glanced in the mirror and met my eyes.

"Jeanette!" he screeched, whirling on the spot and slumping against the mirror. When I gave a wave, he glanced down at himself and screeched again. "You can't see me like this!"

"You – you're in your wrestling trunks," I began with a frown. "I've wrestled you –"

He scrambled for his robe and quickly pulled it on, bundling it around himself. "This is a completely inappropriate setting! The ring is one thing, but in my personal quarters – why are you even here?"

Blinking in amusement at his flustered state, I held up the ice and gave a friendly smile. "That looked like a hard kick. I wanted to come make sure you were okay."

Damien stared at me unmoving for several long seconds before he slowly started to relax his rigid posture. I inched a little closer, holding the ice up as I approached.

"You wanted to check on me?" he questioned doubtfully, and when I nodded he asked in absolute bewilderment, "why?"

"Well, I like to think we're pretty close to friends at this point," I started, and then added a little softer, "and I wanted to thank you. For helping me with Randy."

Damien went quiet. Whether it was calling us friends or showing my appreciation, I didn't know, but for several long moments he just stared down at me. As he did, I noticed his gaze flicked to my arms, to my cheek, and then back to meet my stare.

He was studying what Randy had done, just like my other friends had. True to Damien Sandow fashion, though, all he did was clear his throat a moment later and dismiss, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Really, I hadn't expected anything different. With a small smile and shake of my head, I offered up the ice again, and he stared down his nose at it with unbridled apprehension and demanded,

"What've you done to it?"

"It's ice. In a sealed bag," I pointed out. "What could I do to it?"

"It could be poisoned for all I know," he started, and I pointedly looked down at the bag and gave a shake.

"Even if I somehow had the ability to poison ice, how would that affect you? It's in a bag."

Damien huffed and shook his head. "You're telling me you did nothing to the ice. That you've simply come here to check on my injuries and give appreciation for things I know nothing about?"

"Yep."

He actually seemed to deflate at my admittance and his arms dropped to his sides. He looked like he was about to go into a full-on pout.

"You know, Jeanette, I must say. You've really been letting yourself go," he tsk'd. With a frown, I pointedly looked down at my small frame, and then back up at him. Damien shook his head, sweeping his robe back and planting his hands on his hips. So much for his modesty… "There was a time I couldn't take a step in an arena without being relentlessly harassed. I can't even think of the last time I found a trace of glitter in my belongings. Do you even own a gem-applying wand anymore?"

"…A bedazzler?"

"Yes. The gem-applying wand."

"Of course I have it," I promised, and narrowed my eyes at him as my mind went back to what he'd said a couple weeks ago. He'd been upset I'd ignored him, that I hadn't been pranking him like I'd used to. After he and Cody ended Rhodes Scholars, was he… lonely? Did he actually see me as a friend?

"Well, I'll tell you, I've come to expect a lot more from you. To see you let yourself fizzle out, to become a lazy little miscreant like all the other below-par wrestlers… I must say, I'm very disappointed in you."

In his own little way, he had been worried about me. He'd noticed the change in my behavior and had gone so far as to seek me out to see what the problem was. Whether he'd admit it or not, I'd found a way to weasel myself into Damien Sandow's circle of care. Dare I say, his circle of friends?

Instantly, I knew the best way to thank Damien. The best way to tell him that I appreciated his concern – no matter the bizarre way he chose to show it. I gave him a slow, understand nod, my face drawing into a serious frown as I looked up at him.

"You're completely right. I've really been letting myself slide the last month, and my performance is just abysmal." Damien sniffed in agreement, raising a brow at me to continue. I reached out with my free hand and gave his arm a squeeze. "I promise I'll get myself back on track. Thank you for setting me back on the right path."

A pleased smirk came onto his face as he drawled, "you're welcome."

For several moments, the two of us stayed like that, staring unblinkingly at one another, letting the awkward moments settle in. Just as Damien frowned and opened his mouth to speak again, I dropped my hand off his arm.

Holding eye contact, I opened the bag of ice, grabbed the elastic waistband of his shorts, and upended the bag of ice into his trunks.

"Jeanette!" he screeched, instantly dancing back and yelping as he tried to paw the ice out of his pants. "How dare you! That was completely inappropriate –"

"And there'll be more where that came from, tag-partner," I promised him as I backed for the door. He threw me one last agitated glare as I gave a two-finger salute and slipped into the hall, leaving him to de-ice his nether regions.

The results are in! The winners are:

Grand Prize: Laura_Lightning

Runner Up: Grimbliss

Runner Up: Wrasslinfiend

Thank you all for participating! It means so much to me to have you all support the story. Don't worry! If you didn't win this time I'll be doing more giveaways and contests in the future! I will be contacting the winners shortly, so be on the lookout! You can view the video of the drawing at lunaticfinch dot tumblr dot com.

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Things for Dean and Jamie will be picking up now. I mean, do you really expect the two of them to take it slow? Please let me know what you thought! Did you like her talk with Bryan? How about Damien stepping up?! Are you excited to see their match at Elimination Chamber? Do you prefer pancakes or waffles? Let me know!

I say it every time, but I love you all so much for reading! Thank you so much!