NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: First of all, a big THANK YOU to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this series. It means a lot to me, because writing is my passion.
This is Book Three of my Angel In The Dirt series, featuring Jay/Christian and his journey with the Wyatts. Book One was told from Jay's perspective. Book Two was Luke's perspective. Book Three is Bray's story. This will cover the weeks that Daniel was part of the Wyatts.
Originally, I was planning on this installment being Jay's decision (in my story, anyway!) to postpone his retirement after learning of Vince's plan to break up the Wyatt's and bury them to protect his cash cow, John Cena. However, after watching the Wyatt/Daniel Bryan feud, I've decided that there's a bit more mileage in this series before we get to that point. That might turn into Book Four! Normally, I don't like writing series, or sequels, because sequels (with the exception of the Lord Of The Rings movie trilogy and Harry Potter series) tend to lose their quality after a few installments.
And all of this was spawned from a series of one-shots!:)
Which reminds me...
DISCLAIMERS (And I will only type this out once): NOT MY CHARACTERS (except for my OC's, which not surprisingly, will be quiet for this installment). This series was based on and inspired by the Jay/Wyatt one-shot series written by theytalktome on FFDN, AKA Valiumforaviper on Deviant Art, and ItsBeckettBitch on Twitter, and it's used with permission from the author!
Sermons, promos, etc, are courtesy of cagematch dot net, their extensive promo database, and webmaster Philip Kreikenbohm, along with onlineonslaught dot com and other sources that I'll be happy to cite if necessary. Match descriptions, if necessary, are courtesy of wrestleview dot com and Wikipedia. Story avatar is Haunted by Lindsey Ward, AKA Galixa on Deviant Art.
Angel In The Dirt, Book Three: Follow Me
By Debwood-1999
Chapter One
"Transformation is my favorite game and in my experience, anger and frustration are the result of you not being authentic somewhere in your life or with someone in your life. Being fake about anything creates a block inside of you. Life can't work for you if you don't show up as you."
― Jason Mraz
From the word Go, I've been trying my hardest to spread my message in the WWE. But up until Jay joining my flock, it was largely hit or miss. Jay was the jewel in my crown. He was of course, was an extreme case, and if you're reading this, then you're already familiar with his story. He would have been a suicide statistic had my family and I not intervened.
Kane, Kofi Kingston and The Miz...those didn't stick.
CM Punk...suffice it to say that he was a selfish, self-centered Straightedged hypocrite, and I was glad to see him take his ball and go home.
Daniel Bryan...sigh. So much potential. He was an underdog in need of guidance. In need of a family, a message, a purpose. But at the end, you couldn't describe that situation without using the word cluster in it somewhere.
I wanted to save Daniel from himself, like I'd saved Jay Reso.
Daniel wasn't suicidal by any stretch, but I could sense his despair and heartache. I wanted to give him a place where he belonged, far from the Authority, and their influence. The Authority would never let him succeed, and I knew that. Everyone around him knew that. But with us, he would be safe. He'd be loved. He'd grow in knowledge, and eventually, he would be able to spread my message, like the others in my flock.
Of course, my methods were unorthodox (like they usually are), but in the end, he admitted that the Authority's machine would never let him succeed, and he accepted my invitation. He was one of my flock for a few glorious weeks, until he decided to betray me and the others in front of a worldwide audience.
Luke warned me. Erick warned me. Even Jay warned me. But I chose not to pay attention to their warnings. Long story short, Daniel Bryan made a mockery of the message I've been trying to spread through the WWE.
Where I come from, being a traitor is a sin of the highest order. Daniel Bryan didn't expose me in the steel cage the night he turned his back on the family. He only exposed himself. Because only a coward would use his free wings to fly right back into the cage he came out of. The fans who cheered him and rewarded him for his betrayal were nothing but animals. Mindless sheep who only looked up to him because they chose to kneel.
Pity those poor, misguided, misunderstood souls. Maybe some of them were salvageable. Maybe not.
I hoped that Daniel went home that night, hugged his mom, told her he loved her, and told her he was sorry. Because everything that happened to him afterwards...he brought on himself.
So, this story is about how I tried to save another soul. But it's not about how I failed with the one man I wanted. It's about how I succeeded with the ones I already had.
After Jay went back to Florida to settle his affairs, I had a nagging doubt in the back of my mind. What if he was just going through the motions of being part of the family? What if he went right back to the dark place he was at before we found him? What if, after everything we did, after all the efforts we made, he went right out and killed himself?
What if...what if...what if…?
Well, after what Daniel Bryan did to humiliate us, those what if's were unfounded.
Sometimes you need failures in your life so you can better appreciate the successes. What Erick and Luke and I did for Jay Reso was the greatest success of all.
And it had to take a failure with the magnitude of Daniel Bryan's for us all to see it.
~~~ANGEL~~~
"We live in a world where false heroism is a sickness and must be dealt with. I know what plagues them, and I hold the cure in the palm of my hand. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."
-Bray Wyatt, WWE Smackdown 11/1/13
RAW 12/30/13 -
Richmond, Virginia
"There's a place in the meadow,
A place you can hide.
Walk with the reaper,
Leave this world behind..."
Bray sung softly into the microphone he held in his hand as he gazed down at the fallen Daniel Bryan. Across from him stood Erick and Luke, whose poker faces easily concealed their anticipation. It was now or never. If Bray couldn't bring Bryan into his fold now, then there would be no more chances.
His own words rattled around in his head; I've done horrible things to people in the name of cause. I justified it because I told myself that it was for the greater good. I was brutal, I was unconventional, but if I could make someone see the light at the end, then it was all worth it.
The Eater of Worlds spoke again, in a more serious tone. "I'm afraid, Bryan," he announced. "This is where our story ends. I have no mercy left to give! It could have been different, it could have been better, it could have been perfect!" His voice rose as he continued to speak, and there was a sense of urgency in his words. He paced the ring like a giant cat, shaking his head in disappointment. "Well now, this is your fault. I'm gonna punish you. I want you to open your eyes."
Bray grabbed a bunch of Daniel's hair in his hamlike fist and pulled his head up. "Open your eyes and look at your dismay!" he shouted, dropping to his knees. "Open your eyes, Bryan!" he continued, and he giggled in spite of himself. "This is the end."
Daniel fixed his dazed eyes upon the Wyatt's patriarch. His voice was faint. "You're...you're right."
Bray smiled inwardly. Had he finally convinced Daniel of the futility of fighting the Authority? He had to be sure. "Say it again!" he demanded, shoving the microphone in Daniel's face. "Say that again!"
"You're right," Daniel repeated. Bray let go of Daniel's hair and his soon-to-be convert dropped face first onto the canvas. He was exhausted.
A chant of No! No! No! began to rise from the crowd. Inwardly Bray shook his head. They don't understand what I'm trying to do, he sighed to himself.
He crouched down and got right into Daniel's face. "Say it again! Stand up and say it again, Daniel! Say it!"
Daniel stretched out his hand and tried to grab the mic from Bray's hand. Bray pulled it away. If Daniel wanted to speak, then he had to put forth the effort. "You want this? You want this? Then say it, Daniel! Say it!" A moment passed, and then Bray realized that Daniel was too beaten down and exhausted to get up, so he finally put the mic into Daniel's hand and climbed to his feet. "Come on! Say it!"
Daniel locked eyes with the Eater of Worlds. "You're right," he sighed, as a beatific grin spread across Bray's face.
"You were always right," he continued. "No matter how many matches I won, no matter how loud these people cheered for me, you were always right. No matter how many matches I won...no matter how loud these people cheered for me...you were always right. The machine...the machine would never let me win. No matter how loud you people chanted. You chanted Yes! in every building I've ever been to and they don't care."
Daniel looked up at his twisted savior, as the crowd shouted and jeered in surprise. "I'm yours," he said, his voice thick with resignation. "Let me join...your family."
The Eater of Worlds stretched his hand out, beaming like a proud papa. "I always have a home for you, Daniel."
Daniel reached out with his own hand, intending to grasp the hand of Eater of Worlds. But at the last second, Bray jerked his hand away and kicked Daniel in the ribs, sending him toppling sideways onto the canvas. He stepped back several feet and spread his arms out to the side, like a crucifix.
"Then you better start crawling. Crawl, Daniel! C'mon! Crawl!"
Daniel half-crawled, half dragged himself forward slowly, laboriously, across the canvas. Bray stood only ten feet away from him, but to the beat-down combatant, he was miles away. "Is this what you want?" Bray shouted, in an odd form of encouragement. "Is this what you desire? Come on. What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, DANIEL? COME ON!"
It took some time, but eventually, Daniel managed to reach Bray, and he grabbed a handful of Bray's pants to pull himself up to his knees and held his arms out to the side. Bray felt an odd sense of Déjà vu as he crouched down and wrapped his arm around Daniel's chest.
When did I do this before, he wondered with a chuckle, thinking back to the long days of discipline last summer with Jay in the garage.
Bray brushed Daniel's sweaty hair aside and kissed his forehead. "Welcome to the family," he whispered, before he hit Daniel with the finishing move he'd named after the woman he'd loved and lost. Daniel crashed to the canvas in a stunned, sweaty heap.
Bray sunk to his knees and gripped Daniel's hand. "This is forever," he announced, as Luke and Erick drew closer. Daniel could do nothing but nod. "This is going to change everything."
And with that, he climbed to his feet and instructed Luke and Eric to help their newest convert out of the ring and help him up the ramp. He beamed like a new papa as he lead his family backstage. Halfway up the ramp, however, Bray's sons hesitated.
"No!" Daniel insisted. "I can walk." Luke and Erick looked at him with some concern, but kept their distance. They glanced up at Bray, who was nodding and beckoning Daniel with his fingers.
Amidst the chants of his name, as well as a chant of No! No! No! Daniel staggered towards the Wyatt's twisted patriarch, but then he hesitated and turned towards the crowd, as Luke and Erick caught up to their leader on top of the ramp.
Bray could sense his uncertainty. "How far have they gotten you?" he exclaimed. "How far have you got listening to them? Come on, let me show you what you can be! Come on, Bryan! Come on, what are you waiting for? The world is waiting outside."
Silently, he thought, Come on, Daniel! Don't let them change your mind! Let us help you! Let me heal you! Daniel turned to Bray, then to the crowd...and then he turned away to follow his new family backstage.
Bray couldn't stop the grin that spread once again across his face. His family was growing, and he couldn't wait to share his knowledge and love with his newest convert. But as Proverbs says, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
And that destruction would be swift and painful.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Love these chapters that write themselves. And since today was slow at work, I got it finished sooner than I thought (YAY ME!). Jay wasn't in this chapter, but he will be in the next one.
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