Shield Reformation

Disclaimer - All talent names (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins etc) belong to WWE. I own my OCs and the plot.

Chapter 1 Realization

"Ro...yeah..." Dean tilted his head and played with his hair for a bit. "I'm so-r-ory for hitting DirtyDeeds on you. You know, before the Payback match. Like really. Sorry. So yeah..."

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose were just settling in their locker room before the start of Raw. The Lunatic Fringe had recently come to realize that someone was not really speaking to him or having anything to do with him since he hit his Shield brother with DirtyDeeds on Raw, May 11th.

Roman considered him for a moment. "Dean... are you drunk?"

"Am I?"

"Dean!" Roman exclaimed, irritated.

"What?" The Lunatic asked, chuckling before turning serious. "Let Sierra know I apologized, okay?"

Roman smirked. "Ohhh, now I get it!"

Dean feigned ignorance as he started stretching. "What?"

Payback was one thing. The brothers were in the match so they had to wrestle one another. Sportingly and with respect, of course. But Dean had hit Roman with DirtyDeeds outside of a match. Though Roman knew his brother well and let it go...unfortunately Dean knew someone else wasn't going to forgive him that easily.

"My wife's not talking to you is she?" Roman laughed. "I wondered why she didn't remind me to save some of the treats she sent for you, like she always does."

"Didn't you tell her that you didn't mind I hit DirtyDeeds on you?" Dean asked earnestly.

"Oh, no." the Big Dog answered causally. "Its too much fun to watch you squirm. And I did mind," he added. "Which is why I had no problem kicking your a$$ at Payback."

Dean scowled.

"Which I did, bro," Roman smirked. "And probably would have beat you too, if-" his jaw tightened, as he fell quiet.

But Dean understood. It was Seth. Their traitorous brother. Only it wasn't just the fact that he betrayed them; Roman and Dean got over that months ago.

Besides Seth turning into a brat of a coward, he almost ended Dean's career with the cinder blocks and he stole Roman's Wresltemania moment together with the most important title in WWE.

Seth just kept making it personal.

~oOo~

Seth Rollins angrily tossed his water bottled in the trash can on his way to the locker room. He couldn't believe how Roman was still sticking up for Dean. Seth had given his previous Shield brothers one or two (or maybe three tops) months until they also turned on one another. The Architect was the glue that held the Shield together – because those two fought with each other all the time – even during their matches!

Seth thought it was just a matter of time before Roman and Dean would have started to fight with him. Their brother who was always trying to keep the peace.

Seth entered the locker room, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, also known as J&J Security, right behind him with his gym bags. Joey Mercury smiled at him as he put down Seth's bag. "Right here, boss?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." Seth replied. Jamie and Joey were good guys, almost his friends. Almost. But they worked for him…and for some reason he didn't have much respect for them, despite they have showed great loyalty and courage on a number of occasions.

"Want another water bottle, boss?" Jamie asked.

"No, no thanks," Seth said. "You know what? Why don't you guys take the night off or something?"

Both J&J stared at him in disbelief.

"But Brock Lesnar-" began Joey.

"I'm fine," Seth repeated firmly. "It's okay, go."

Taking one last long look at their 'boss,' J&J left.

Seth sat down and took out his phone. He still had pictures of Dean and Roman for some reason.

It has been over a year now, and Roman and Dean still consider themselves brothers. And then Roman, who had his eye on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt himself, helped Dean.

Seth almost crushed his phone. Roman actually helped Dean so he could sign the contract before the show ended. How could those two still look out for each other? Fight each other for the championship, and still remain brothers?

Roman called Seth his brother in a promo. Well, he did say little brother to humiliate the champion. But in another time, where Seth didn't betray the Shield, it could be seen as an affectionate term; Roman and Dean are after all older than Seth.

Seth could no longer deny that his Shield brothers were family, and will probably always be family, through title reigns and competition or whatever else they have to face. Roman and Dean proved that.

Looks like they didn't need Seth Rollins to be the glue after all.

Hunter's wife had been the one to approach and cajole him to join the Authority. But she told him the facts; what she had experienced. Of course it was manipulated and told from a certain perspective, but truth all the same. All stables eventually disbanded, often by betrayal.

Seth couldn't honestly say that it was Stephanie's fault. Evidence of previous WWE stables disbanding through betrayal never meant it would have ever happened to the Shield brothers – they could have made the choice to stick together.

Roman and Dean made the choice to stick together, Seth swallowed. I made the choice to destroy it.

~oOo~

Sometime later, Dean Ambrose had a promo, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on his right shoulder.

"Somebody call the police," JBL pleaded. "Ambrose is a thief. That title belongs to Seth Rollins."

Michael Cole chuckled. "Why doesn't Rollins just come out here and take it himself?"

"Yeah, so that sniveling coward isn't here tonight," Dean continued as he paced around the ring with a slight limp. "But-"

The Lunatic Fringe sighed at the disruption as Brock Lesnar's music hit.

The Beast walked to the ring with purpose in his strides. Paul Hayman was behind him, looking anxious.

"Brock, you'll get your chance," Hayman pleaded. "Just think for a moment here-"

Brock was still after Seth. Lesnar hadn't forgotten that Curb Stomp, or the title Seth took without actually defeating him. But the worse was when he couldn't get a rematch and got suspended instead. Brock Lesnar remembered. But since the champion wasn't at the show, the Beast was going to take out as anger and frustration on any superstar. And the Lunatic Fringe was the perfect target: not only was he in possession of the title, he was also in the ring.

As Lesnar was ready for battle, Dean tossed the title aside and took a fighting stance. Unfortunately for Ambrose, Brock entered the ring with a running tackle, his shoulder colliding with the former Shield affiliate's legs.

White hot pain, unlike during the MITB match, spread across his already throbbing shin as Dean hit the canvas. Swallowing hard and ignoring the ache, he tried to fight back, clawing at any part of the Beast he could, to no avail.

The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers.

"Here comes the Big Dog!" Booker T hollered, as Roman entered the arena for the second time. "Always coming to his brother, Ambrose's aid."

Roman slid into the ring and immediately pulled Brock off Dean.

"I don't know if Reigns can handle Brock after fighting Bray Wyatt tonight." JBL said.

Sure enough, Brock managed to fight off Roman, and soon both (wounded) brothers were flat on the canvas, at the Beast's mercy. Lesnar laughed at Reigns trying to position himself to shield Dean, who was holding his leg in agony.

And that's when the unexpected happened.

The crowd roared with exhilaration, disbelief and maybe even relief all at the same time.

"Oh, boy!" JBL exclaimed as Second Coming hit. "Someone tell Cena, the real Champ is h-"

Cole cut him off. "I don't believe it. Lesnar's on a rampage. Rollins' wouldn't want to be anywhere here especially with no J&J or the Authority for backup."

Roman couldn't believe it either. But never mind that. He looked at Lunatic Fringe beside him, holding onto his leg, writhing silently in pain. The big brother only had one goal in mind: get Dean out of the arena and away from Brock Lesnar.

Dean raised his head slightly so Roman did the same. Seth didn't even stop on stage or at the ramp. Had Roman not been in so much pain himself, his jaw would have dropped at Seth (in his street clothes) sliding into ring. He knew his little brother was afraid of the Beast. And Lesnar may have made a deal with the Authority, but Brock was still red for Seth.

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