AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic is a companion fic to Shining Wizard and contains spoilers for that fic. The other two companion fics I promised will be called Shining Stars (about Dean and Nattie, which is already up) and Shining Souls (about Rosa and Drew, coming soon). It doesn't matter what order you read these three fics in, because they all go in different directions, but please make sure to read the original fic first! Enjoy Taylor and Tenille's sides of the story! Please read and review, and as always, thanks for your support!
CHAPTER ONE
TAYLOR
Anything is possible. I really do believe that. It's not just part of my gimmick. My name is Taylor, but you probably know me by my ring name, Bo Dallas. Almost everyone calls me Bo, except for the people closest to me. Still, more people call me by my name than my brother, Windham. Everyone calls him Bray except for me. I'm not sure if they do it because they dislike his real name or because he almost never breaks character, but around me, he's not a cult leader named Bray Wyatt, he's just my big brother Win.
"You okay, Taylor?" Win asks me.
I'm far from it. My mind is racing. My body is still sore from Big Show beating me up tonight. He came at me so hard, it knocked the wind out of me. Heck, I'm pretty sure he was trying to knock my soul out of my body. Big Show isn't really a bad guy, but sometimes he forgets to hold back on people who are smaller than him, which is basically everyone. I don't mind much, because that's the job, and I love it even when I'm left unable to walk after a match.
I put on my brightest smile and say, "I'm great!"
"I'm gonna beat his ass for this!" Win says as he realizes I'm lying through my teeth.
"Win, stop. It's okay. It's the job. Sometimes, I'm going to get hurt."
"Not like this. You're a kid, Taylor! He needs to go easier on you."
"You can't fight my battles for me. If I can't stand on my own two feet, why am I even here? I'll be fine."
Windham ignores me and calls a trainer over. He examines me quickly before saying, "I think it's just a bruised rib, but you better get an x-ray to be safe."
I groan inwardly. I know it's not serious. I have broken my ribs before, and it felt a lot worse than this, but with Win being so overprotective, I have to do this.
"If he broke you, I'll break him," Win assures me.
I love my brother, but I hate when he pulls this. I can handle myself. I get into my rental car, which Win insists on driving, and we head to the hospital together.
TENILLE
I believe in dancing through life. If you stay upbeat and surround yourself with good energy, great things will come. Why walk when you can run, right? Why skip when you can dance? (Unless you're AJ Lee, in which case, skipping is perfectly acceptable.)
It started pouring rain after tonight's show. I don't have an umbrella and my rental car's stuck in a ditch because I hydroplaned right off the road, but I can't do anything about either of these things, so I turn on my radio full-blast, step out of my car, and start spinning and dancing in the rain. It seems like as good a way as any to kill time until my cell phone decides to work so I can call a tow.
A car is driving by at a little over the speed limit. It slows to a stop. The passenger window rolls down. Bo Dallas peaks his head out.
"You okay, Emma?" He asks me. We're co-workers, but we aren't on a real-name basis. That happens a lot in this business.
"My car's stuck," I tell him.
He gets out of the car and examines mine. "Wow, you skidded off the road pretty badly. Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm good. Just wet."
He looks back at his car. "Win, come give me a hand," he says.
Bray Wyatt gets out of the car and I remember his name's actually Windham. He looks at me and he's all Wyatt. I take an automatic step back toward the car. Bo puts a gentle hand on my arm. "It's okay," he tells me. "My brother can help."
It's weird to think of Bo and Bray as brothers. I mean, yeah, they look a lot alike, but the similarities end there. Bo is all light and happiness, while Bray is dark and creepy. He nods at me in acknowledgement before turning his attention toward my car.
"You'll need to put it in neutral," he tells me.
"Right," I say nervously. I get in the car and do that.
Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas attempt to push my car out of the ditch. That sounds like the start of a bad joke. The punchline is that, even with all the bo-lieving and the following of buzzards, my car won't move an inch.
"I need you to turn it on and give it gas," Bo tells me.
I try, but am quite frustrated when the car refuses to turn over. "I can't," I say.
"Pop the hood," Bray tells me. He pulls a set of tools out of the trunk of their car. Who carries tools in a rental car? Bray Wyatt, apparently.
Suddenly, Bray drops the gimmick and sets to work on my car like a skilled mechanic. He actually seems human as he twists one thing and turns another, working hard to get my engine to cooperate. Bo hands him things as he requests them. Finally, Bray says, "Try now."
My car turns over. I let out a sigh of relief. "Now hit the gas!" Bray says. I do. This time, the brothers get my car out of the ditch.
"Let me ride back to the hotel with you," Bo says. "This way, if you have any more issues, you won't be alone."
That's so sweet that I melt inside. "Thank you guys so much," I say.
"You sure you're okay?" Bray asks Bo.
"The doctor confirmed it's just a bruised rib, Win. I'm fine," Bo says.
"You pushed my car with a bruised rib?" I ask in horror.
"I'm okay," Bo reassures me. Bray drives their car off and Bo gets in mine.
"Thanks, Bo," I say again.
"It's Taylor, actually."
I smile. "Tenille," I tell him. He's smiling back at me now. His smile is adorable. It lights up his entire face. It's not the creepy Bo Dallas smile you see on TV, but a genuine, sweet one that makes him look about twelve years old.
"It's a pleasure to rescue you, Tenille," he tells me.
I laugh. "I'm totally a Bo-liever now," I inform him.
He laughs, too. "I guess I'll have to join the Emmalution. Actually, I'm already a member. I think you're great. You should be featured more."
"You make one mistake and they bury you…" I sigh and try not to let it get to me. This night that could have been a disaster is actually perfect, and I'm not going to let anything ruin it. I decide I like spending time with Taylor and we'll have to do it more often.
We reach the hotel. "Will you be okay?" Taylor asks me.
"I'm always okay," I say. I hug him. "Thanks again, Taylor. You're my hero."
Taylor blushes as he walks away. He's totally adorable right now. I walk into my room and get changed, quickly falling into a pleasant sleep. I dream of Taylor dancing with me in the rain and feel weirdly peaceful.
TAYLOR
I get back to my room and change quickly. The pain's kicking back in, but I ignore it. I'm in too good a mood to care. Tenille's happy nature is contagious and I'm feeling relaxed as I shower and get changed. I curl up in my bed and for once, my mind doesn't race with ten million concerns before I fall asleep. Instead, I dream of Tenille. I see the way she looked as she danced in the rain and I start dancing with her. We're laughing and I can't remember why I've ever felt depressed in my life. This is the first relief I've had in a long time. No one knows this, but I struggle with severe depression. It's why I try so hard to stay positive. Unfortunately, when I'm alone, the pain comes back, but not tonight. Tonight, I'm just dancing with Tenille and I'm actually feeling happy. I may have rescued her tonight, but with this dream, some part of her is rescuing me.
