There's A Fire Starting In My Heart
She reminds him of a doll who has stepped off of a shelf and come to life.
The golden ringlets framing her small round face, her large blue eyes, her small stature and the overall air of innocence that hangs around her wherever she goes. Even in the ring, when she takes down opponents who by no rights should have any trouble at all defeating her, she looks like a doll. Her ring gear is always in pale pastels and ruffled like baby doll dresses, all of this supposedly to accentuate how young she looks and how small she is. The fans eat it up; they think she's darling, but he sees through that charade without even having to try.
The warm smiles, the laughing eyes, even the way she plays with her curls during interviews? All of it is a sham. She uses it like clever cover to hide the darkness lurking at the very edges of her mind, no doubt restricting her truer self so the cameras never see. So the fans and her opponents never see. So many people underestimate her because they do not realize just how dangerous she is, how the mind of a predator lurks beneath the surface. They only realize it when it is too late, when her opponents stare up at her from their backs and she continues to win.
For whatever reason, the Authority seems to like her and they push her hard as a result of this; they risk revealing her dark secret to the world without even themselves knowing they are about to do it. She must be frustrated at the amount of screen time and interaction she must endure to do her job, but at the same time, he knows she secretly delights in each victory she obtains and, in the process, the pain she inflicts. Hard to miss the gleam of dark triumph in her eyes when she returns backstage, tossing her sweat-laden hair back behind her small shoulders. On the off chance she loses, she makes her opponent work for it far more than most wrestlers have to work in order to land a victory. This is yet another thing he has come to respect about her.
There are so many, but above all, her fearlessness is definitely at the top of the list.
He doesn't even see her coming. For that matter, he has no idea she is coming in the first place. His focus is entirely on Cena and not losing the match; he has to win, to further his cause and his message. But one moment, he is splayed on the mat, certain he's about to be put through Cena's finisher, and the next, a familiar voice is calling out to Cena far too close.
In retrospect, it probably is an accident. Cena isn't the kind of man to hurt a woman, much less knock her off of the apron and into the barricade, but in the process of getting her hands off of him, he does just that. The smack of her back against the barricade is jarring to say the least, and he wastes no time in capitalizing on the distraction. Much as Cena never saw her coming, he doesn't see the kick or the Sister Abigail coming, either. As soon as he gets the pin, though, he leaves the ring to check on the little doll who unexpectedly showed up at ringside to aid him.
She's exactly where she fell, half-curled in a ball and biting her lower lip as one hand moves to her lower back where she must have struck the barricade. Even though the barricade is mostly padding, it's still rather rigid and more than hard enough to cause pain if it strikes certain parts of the body. Around them, the fans are screaming her name, telling her to get up because he's coming toward her, but she doesn't move. Just lifts her head, peering up at him with dazed eyes, her lashes fanning around her eyes like sunrays against her pale skin. When she does seem to reclaim a little of her conscious mind, she sits up rigidly and presses her back into the barricade, her breath coming a little harder and faster. But it's not fear. It's exhilaration. Anticipation.
Rowan and Harper are flanking him when he finally kneels down in front of her; he can feel the silent question from both of them, but he doesn't have an answer for it yet. Only she does, and her pretty little lips are pressed together so none of her secrets spill out. But he can see in her eyes that she wants to spill them, that she wants to tell him why she did this if only to share the information with someone. But he can also see uncertainty in those eyes, lingering even as he offers her a hand to pull her to her feet. Considering she just ensured he would win his match, why not extend the olive branch of peace and help her up?
Her muscles twitch, as if she means to lean forward and take his hand, but the wince that follows speaks for itself. She did hit hard; it's not surprising that even little movements are hurting, especially compounded with the fact that she hit her back, which means she will feel that pain no matter how she moves. And because she is genuinely injured, he makes the decision to slide an arm under the back of her knees, bracing the other against her uninjured upper back.
None of the other Divas would dare let him do this, get this close, but she only tenses momentarily before relaxing and allowing him to lift her off of the floor without risking hurting her worse. There are horrified faces staring back at him when he stands with her cradle against his chest, but she doesn't seem to pay attention to any of them. Behind him, he can feel Rowan and Harper shifting nervously, not sure how to take what they are seeing right now, how to interpret it and make sense of it. Right now, he doesn't know, either. Until he can sit down and talk to her properly, he is never going to know what is running through her pretty little mind. All he does know was that he wasn't informed that she was going to make an appearance at ringside, and if the look on Cena's face is anything to go by, he had no idea, either.
Going against the Authority that worked hard to put her over is a telltale risk, especially considering how quickly they can yank her off of the roster and send her back to NXT. But she did it anyway, curious little creature that she is. She found it in her to ignore the people who tell her how to act and, for once, gave into that darkness lurking inside of her. The question is, did she do it to aid him, or did she do it just because she could? He isn't sure yet. He hasn't had a chance to get to know her half as well as he would like, so he will have to sit back and wait.
"I can walk," she says as soon as they reach backstage, wriggling free of his hold.
He smirks and crosses his arms across his chest as he looks down at her, watching her rub the red mark blooming on the small of her back before she curses softly and looks up at him. Now, there is nothing but challenge in her gaze, daring him to question her actions and what they mean while promising he might not get an answer out of her even if he does ask. What a curious little girl she is. He knows they will have to have this talk at some point, because she needs to disclose her intent. Not for him; he will find out in due time based on the rest of her actions. She needs to let it out in words for her own good, and he will make sure she does just that for him.
"So," she says, narrowing her eyes up at him, "aren't you going to ask why I did that?"
He cocks his head at her, watching her face. "I could. But I choose not to ask."
She tilts her head slightly, eyes narrowing further as if she is trying to read him like he has been reading her for such a long time. Of course, she gets nowhere; he doesn't need a mask like Rowan's to hide his thoughts, and right now, he is choosing to do just that. Not to infuriate her, though he knows it will make her angry, but simply because turnabout is fair play.
"That's your business, then. I'm going to Medical." She turns on heel, preparing to walk away.
He doesn't let her get but a few steps away before catching her by the arm, the touch halting all of her movement and forcing her into an almost deadly stillness that makes him grin. Just like he thought. Her head turns, her eyes falling on where his hand is around her arm, before darting up to his face. Her dark brows furrow at him, telling him she is displeased by this course of action.
"You." The word comes out in a low snap, her arm tensing in his hold until he can feel her muscles just beneath the smooth pallor of her fair skin. "Need to let me go right now."
Not a chance in hell, little girl. He simply tugs her back the few steps she has gone, impressed when she rapidly backpedals instead of allowing him to make her stumble. Luckily, this part of the night was unexpected and so there are no cameras in their faces to capture this rapturous moment when the dark part of her begins to surface. The anger sparking in her eyes is a part of that darkness, and beyond Rowan and Harper, he is not sharing this with anyone else. Not yet. Maybe later, when she admits the truth and is no longer willing to hide for the public.
He smiles slowly at her. "I don't think that's what you want me to do."
"It's exactly what I want you to do. I need to go to Medical to check my back. Then I'm leaving, so let me go." She tugs on her arm again, her eyes darkening to sapphire when he does not relent.
"No, sweetheart. You don't want me to give up that easy." He pulls her a little closer and her eyes widen but not in shock. In something indiscernible. "You don't give up that easy, either."
Now there is shock laced in with that emotion he can't quite name, and her fruitless struggling ceases as she stares up at him. "You've been watching me, haven't you? You have been."
He can lie to her if he chooses, and she might believe the lie—except he knows she won't even if she goes along with it and pretends to. She has caught on to him a little, and she is going to hold onto this little slice of information until she can figure out more. Clever little girl.
"Yes, I have been. That surprises you. Thousands to millions watch you every night. What is one more, really?" He smirks at her, and she presses her lips together in a thin line.
"You aren't like the others. I'm not that stupid." She gives her arm a lighter tug this time, and without regret, he lets her free. "I know what kind of watching you do. You don't scare me."
Had that little claim come from anyone else, he would have laughed it off because he knows it would be a lie. Most of the roster is terrified of him; he sees it in their eyes when he passes them in the hallway. But her eyes hold no lies or deceit, much less even the slightest trace of fear. No, this little girl isn't the least bit afraid of him and he has to smile at just how courageous she is.
He bends slightly so his eyes are on a level with hers. "I know you aren't, darling."
Her jaw clenches slightly before she leans closer, her face mere inches away from his and he has to give her credit because most people would never be able to hold eye contact with him, much less hold it half as efficiently as she is. But she isn't most people. She is something different, something just a little darker, a little more shadowed and waiting to simply burst from the cocoon she must keep herself in for the moment to gain momentum within the company.
"Then you should know your scare tactics won't work," she hisses, poking him in the chest.
"I don't plan on trying to scare you," he assures her, noting the way she leans back slightly, surveying him with uncertainty. "Scaring you away would negate keeping you around."
She scowls at him and flicks her hair back over her shoulder; he notes that had her back still hurt, the move would have caused her to wince. But it doesn't. "Why keep me around, Wyatt?"
"I do believe you're the one who walked into this." He smiles when she frowns up at him.
Keeping her around is a little more delicate of a procedure than he thought it would be when he first planned on this. She happens to be smart enough to not simply believe what she is told like so many of the other sheep now following the vultures. Instead of simply hearing pretty words and being wooed into a state of intrigue because of them, she keeps her distance and dissects them, discovering if the meaning behind them is sincere and her own meaning in the process. The fact she came to help him is proof she found something worth valuing, else she would simply have ignored him like so many of the others and went on her way. Abigail would have liked her very much. This is the kind of girl who seeks to watch the world burn as well.
"Well, I'm not even sure why I walked into this so—" She stops and frowns at herself while he rejoices silently in the victory. One secret down. Countless others to go, but this is a start. "Look, I need to get to Medical and back on the bus. It's only a matter of time before Hunter—"
"Comes to punish you for doing what you thought was the right thing to do?" he finishes for her.
Her eyes widen slightly, and this time he sees a little more than just shock in them. "You can't know why I did what I did when I don't even know why I did it. So stop trying to guess."
"I simply made an educated guess about your motives." He taps her temple lightly with two fingers; she doesn't even flinch. "The answer is somewhere in this little head of yours."
"Well, I haven't found it yet. And I don't intend to go digging for it. It was a one-time thing. You won't see me at ringside for you again," she sneers, batting his hand away.
Interestingly enough, she actually believes those words. "I think I will. You might think not, but I think I'll see you again. Maybe not at ringside, but make no mistake. I will see you again."
She shakes her head up at him. "No, you won't. You can take care of yourself."
"And yet," he muses, "you felt the need to help me. To the point where you yourself were hurt."
"Not surprising. It's wrestling. People will get hurt." She brushes it off carelessly and shrugs.
He hums softly in agreement. "But most people don't get hurt trying to ensure that I win."
"Well." She pauses, then smirks up at him. "I'm not exactly most people in case you missed it."
Oh, how could he ever have missed that? He's been thinking it since the moment he first laid eyes on her, and her actions tonight proved that she was not like the others. Considering her on their level is a dangerous thing to do, and he will make sure not to do so while others continue to make such a horrid mistake. When the dust settles, they will all realize what they have done.
She finally takes a step back, not for any reason but to lean her back against the concrete wall behind her as she looks up at him. Such a small, pretty little doll with such a big spirit. How she manages at all to contain herself here is beyond his understanding, but then he never tries to contain himself anymore. She is still doing what he stopped doing long ago, still holding onto some rigid control. Perhaps he can teach her just how fulfilling it is to let that control slip away.
"Why have you been watching me?" she asks, and the question catches him momentarily off-guard simply because he is not expecting it. Her eyes flash with knowing; she can see through him to an extent, then, which only deepens his interest in her. So few people see...
"Like you said, you aren't exactly most people. It made me wonder just what you were hiding behind your pretty face and your fake smile." At the words, she stiffens and he knows he's onto something. Might as well carry it through, then. "I see you, sweetheart. You can hide from the others, but I see right through you. You enjoy causing pain. You're dark."
She bites down on her lush lower lip. "You can't know that about me. You just can't."
"I think the lady doth protest too much." The reference only seems to inflame her further.
But amazingly, she reels it back in and straightens. "Maybe so. Maybe not. Either way, Bray Wyatt, you do not know me and you never will. I won't let you in that far."
"What makes you think I need an invitation before I search the corners of your mind for the truth?" He steps closer, and she doesn't falter or try to flinch away.
"Because there's only so much I let people see who don't know me well." She smirks up at him, actually reaches up to touch his cheek. "And I can lie better than you think. You'll see."
He shrugs and brushes his thumb over the delicate inside of her wrist. "I'll know when you do."
"You think you will. But you don't know me that well." And with that, she turns to go.
Now would not be a bad time to let her slip away, but he isn't quite ready for that. Instead, he clears his throat and watches as she turns around once again, looking up at him with curious, wide eyes. Ah, now it appears as though he has the upper hand between the two of them.
"The Wyatt Family is always accepting new members," he reminds her, watching her carefully kept-blank face. "New members who understand that this world is wicked and corrupt."
She cocks one dark brow at him. "I don't know what you've heard about me, Wyatt, but I'm not a sheep. You want followers. I don't follow. I might agree, but I don't follow anyone."
"I know you don't." He smirks when she twitches but keeps her face blank.
"Then why offer?" She turns to face him once again. "If you know I'm going to say no, that is."
He chuckles softly. "Who says you were going to say no? You haven't said it yet, have you?"
He watches her mentally backtrack over their conversation before she furrows her eyebrows at him. "Well, look at that. I guess I didn't come right out and tell you no, did I?"
"Maybe you want to think about it?" he offers.
"I don't follow, Bray." Funny how she's already switched from his surname to his first. "I can see why you do what you do, but I can't follow behind you like the others do."
He nods and steps closer to her once again, and this time she actually stops and allows him to step right in front of her. No moving away. No leaving. "You still haven't told me no."
"Tricky thing about no. It cuts off all possibilities," she muses.
"Which is why I suggest you think about it." He motions down the hallway. "While you walk."
She nods slowly before turning to go once again, and this time he lets her go. No use in keeping her here; she has things to think about, many things to think about, and his family is only one of them. She needs to think about why she did what she did and what it means for her, too.
Harper clears his throat, and Bray turns back, waiting for him to speak. "Do you think she will?"
"Join us?" Harper nods, and Bray smiles slowly before turning to see her turn the corner. "Yes."
Because she will. When she gets a chance to think about herself, about what joining them will mean for her and her life, then she will do it. It has nothing to do with being a sheep; Bray knows very well she will never wear one of the masks. She will insist on not being a follower, but she will join just the same. Not as a follower, but as a leader. He's convinced of it.
Because he knows her very well, and he knows she wants to do this as badly as he wants her to do this. She wants a cause, something to cling to. She will get to destroy all of those who stand in their path along the way; he will not refuse to let her do so. That would be unfair.
"She'll join us in due time when she's had time to think," he continues.
Harper looks uncertain. "She doesn't seem like the type to carry our message. Or care about it."
Oh, how to explain the conundrum that she happens to be? She craves the chance to stand out and do something that matters even as she continues to chain herself to this corporation.
"She is. She does. And she will join us," Bray assures Harper, patting him on the shoulder.
When he first saw her, he had his doubts. She seemed like the rest of them in the very beginning when she was plucked from the dark recesses of NXT and thrust into the spotlight, expected to perform to a standard she had not yet been expected to meet. Then she did it. Multiple times. And continues to do it with each and every match she is placed in. They tell her who to fight, and she does it. But she wants a reason, a faith to cling to that will fuel her need and desire to destroy those around her. That is where they come in. He already knows she agrees with his message; he sees it in her eyes when he passes her backstage, that momentary flash of respect. She wants to side with him, join his family. Why else risk injury and punishment to distract Cena? All she has to do is figure it out and everything will be just fine.
But she needs time to figure it out on her own. If he tries to push her toward the truth, she won't believe it quite as well as she will when she discovers it for herself. If he influences her at all, she will shrink away and claim he tried to influence her mind or push her in a different direction. He needs to sit back and let her figure things out for herself. Once she has had that chance, and when she realizes she aided him because she wants to and for no other reason, then she will come to him and join their family. Like all of the little lambs, she just needs time.
He waves for his boys to follow him and leaves the hallway, content enough with his first conversation with her. When she's ready to talk to him again, she will inevitably seek him out and confront him. Depending on what conclusion she comes to—whether a wrong one or the right one—will determine what direction the conversation heads toward. Though he has all the faith in the world that she will come to the correct conclusion and ally herself with them.
He has no doubt he will have to talk to Abigail about her sometime soon if only to assure himself that she is the right choice to join their family. Though he has made great strides in determining who is right for them and who is wrong, he is sure this time that he is entirely right.
She isn't anything like Daniel Bryan. She won't abandon them when they need her.
She will be there and stand by their side, stand with them when they go into the ring. She will stand by them when it's his time to speak and when it's their time to fight. She will fight with them if the situation allows for it as it did tonight. Given the chance, she will choose what is right and do what is right; she craves that whether she knows it or not, but soon, she will know it. She only looks like a doll, but anyone who gets close enough to look into her eyes will know just how ancient they are, how ancient she is. No, not her. Her spirit, her essence. Her soul is eternal, and it must have seen something truly beautiful before settling into her body.
That something will bring her to them in one way or another.
All they have to do is bide their time, and bide their time they will. Harper and Rowan will wait for his signal no matter what, and he has an abundance of patience with which to wait for her to make her choice. Once she does, then they can effectively move on from there.
Until then, he will be waiting and watching her, determining which way she is leaning.
She can't go anywhere, not with her commitment to the company and her matches anyway, and she wouldn't walk out on those even if he did manage to rattle her. Her loyalty runs deep.
And it will be that very loyalty that assures she remains with them for as long as they need her.