1/29/13…

"Seth?"

The third member of The Shield jumped and turned the Tv to a different channel before seeing 22 year old Amanda.

"I didn't mean to scare you… why were you watching the news, what happened?" Amanda responded, sitting down and tugging at her right ear, which Seth noticed.

"Just someone being stupid… you okay?" Seth replied.

"Somewhat… started as a scratchy throat, now my ears won't stop hurting." Amanda explained, Seth putting his right hand to her forehead and then picking her up into his arms as she was still in her pajamas. "What are you doing? We're scheduled for the SmackDown taping later." She responded as he set her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her.

"Until that cold is gone, you're not going anywhere." Seth replied as Dean walked in.

"Who's got a cold?" Dean asked.

"Young missy here has." Seth answered, before he noticed the news page on Dean's phone.

Dean closed it out and walked over to Amanda, putting his hand to her forehead.

"Yep, she's burning up. Roman, where's the thermometer?" Dean replied as Roman walked in.

Roman picked it up and put it in Amanda's ear as Seth and Dean wandered into the hallway.

"I saw the news bulletin and looked it up… fucking scary how the woman died." Dean said quietly.

"Try to keep Mandy from finding out, I don't want her having nightmares." Seth responded before they walked back in.

"100.3°… try to find a washcloth and I'll go get some cold medicine." Roman replied before he kissed Amanda on her forehead.

Amanda narrowed her eyes at Seth and Dean but decided not to ask…

Present time…

"Surprised you didn't break anything of yours when you hit him." Amanda said as she held an ice pack to Finn's hand.

"I wasn't gonna hold back for long, against doing that… he knew the limit and he pushed it." Finn replied as he moved his other hand to take over on holding the ice.

"He's also our friend… but he should've stopped himself." Amanda responded as she put the contact lenses in her eyes, turning them from hazel to a pale blue. "First night bringing this character to the main roster… think the crowd will get angry or cheer?" She questioned before Rachel walked in, Amanda standing up.

"Finn, what happened?!" Rachel asked, noticing his bruised hand.

"Punched Sami for being an idiot." Finn explained before turning to Amanda. "I know you're nervous about bringing your other side to the main roster but you'll be damn great out there, love." He said before they hugged.

When Amanda was having the wings painted on her, she lifted her head up to see a familiar face.

"I'd hug you but…" Amanda said as Billy Kidman noticed the grey, green and white wings and chuckled.

"Well I actually stopped by to ask a question but since he's not here, I'll ask it to you. What are his intentions with you?" Billy replied.

Amanda's eyes widened slightly and she gave him a look that clearly meant "What the fuck?", Billy sitting down.

"Out of left field it feels like to you, I know, but it was the same question Torrie's dad asked her when she brought me over to meet the family." Billy responded.

"The difference is that you guys had dated for 6 months before she introduced you to her parents." Amanda replied.

"I know, it's just that protective figures like to know what's going on." Billy responded.

"We're close. Finn and I have known each other for a little over a year… and I take it that you've been talking to Bradshaw again, not surprised that he's gotten suspicious. Even the alleged locker room bully can be protective." Amanda said, Billy glancing over her once the wings were finished. "How does the paint look?" She asked before he smiled.

"Nicely coloured, Mandy. Very nice art." Billy answered.

Out in the ring to start the show off, Amanda was cut off mid sentence and looked to the stage… a tall man with white hair that was clearly dyed walked out as music that could aptly be described as haunting blared through the arena. He put the crucifix he was holding in its platform and got into the ring, circling Amanda before grabbing a microphone and looking at her.

"Oh damn… the last time we saw Mordecai was in 2004! He destroyed Scotty 2 Hotty in his debut match at Judgement Day and caused massive amounts of chaos, claiming to trample underfoot the evil doers, the wicked and the profane! Claiming that he had been chosen to tear the veil off and look the sinners in the eye!" Michael Cole exclaimed.

"You remember me? I remember you, Amanda." He said.

"Mordecai…" Amanda responded, Mordecai nodding as he observed her. "The last time you saw me, my career hadn't started." She said as he ran his fingers through her hair in a creepy manner but was scripted to much like Amanda was scripted to remove his right hand from her hair, the man in front of her knowing that she'd never be intimidated by his Mordecai or Kevin Thorn personas as he ran his index finger along the side of her face… she let her microphone fall and reached her hand up to pull his down... and did so swiftly, kicking his arm and Mordecai screaming as he fell to his knees before Amanda kicked her foot up to connect with his jaw.

Mordecai looked up to see a blur of black and white paint before he screamed out when Finn's feet slammed into his torso, the taller wrestler rolling out of the ring before Finn grabbed the microphone and turned Amanda to him, one arm wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, Mordecai… you want to bully her for her choices, you're gonna have to go through me. But since you don't seem so eager to get back into this ring…" Finn responded before he dropped his microphone, turned Amanda to him and lifted her right leg up under his left hand before crashing his lips against hers as she rested her right hand on his back and left hand on his right shoulder, which made the fans go crazy.

As scripted as it was, it made John's eyes widen in the backstage area and him drop his Styrofoam cup as he wasn't told beforehand.

"John, you okay?" Nikki asked.

"Those two are damn…" John responded, pointing at the TV.

"It's scripted, John." Nikki said, John turning to her. "You weren't told, were you?" She asked.

"Not a peep." John answered.

"Some things are kept secret for a reason, John." Nikki replied as she glanced around, John knowing that she had been waiting for Seth to react from wherever he had been watching. "Maybe he's okay with it." She said after they didn't hear anything from Seth's locker room nearby… before going over and opening the door, finding the room empty.

At the same time, Seth was in the hallway across the arena when he heard two people talking.

"Told you they weren't fooling anyone." Tyler responded, Summer chuckling before Seth walked over.

"Who wasn't fooling anyone, Mr Johnny Nitro wannabe? The ones not fooling anyone are you and little miss Stacy Keibler ripoff… but Stacy actually wrestled in that ring without pulling hair or scratching her opponents." Seth replied, Summer narrowing her eyes at Seth and slapping him.

"And how many of your idols cheated their way to championships, or fought their opponents with emotional abuse backstage?!" Summer growled in response.

"Go cool off!" Tyler whispered, Summer leaving and reaching the interview area at the same time that Finn and Amanda walked through the curtain.

"Just like NXT TakeOver Brooklyn…" Amanda said with a slight laugh as she realised that her right thigh and hip were covered in paint, Finn chuckling as well. "I thought the paint wasn't supposed to budge. Stop laughing, you." She replied before Finn wrapped an arm around her back and lightly nipped at her neck. "Finn, stop!" She said with a slight yelp, making him laugh… before Summer cleared her throat and approached them.

"Is there a problem, Summer?" Finn asked, his left arm around Amanda.

"If you're finished being kinky with each other, there are more important matters to attend to right now." Summer answered.

"Important how exactly?" Amanda asked, managing to stay calm which made Summer narrow her eyes for a split second.

"A certain someone wants a fame boost for his return. He's going to explore an abandoned hospital and record it to be put on the site… and he wants some company." Summer explained.

"Great. Then you and Prince Pretty can join him." Amanda said in a tense tone, Summer turning suspicious and Finn lightly rubbing his left hand up and down her back.

"Give her a break, Summer, she's had a rough few nights." Finn responded, Summer noticing that he misinterpreted her words as a taunt towards Amanda.

"He did ask… by name. But maybe it's better for her that he did ask for you as well, Finn." Summer replied, leaning against the wall. "If he'd asked her to go alone with him, I would've rejected to tell you. But he wants the both of you."

Before they could ask, Summer left and both left to go get the paint off of them.

"This better not be another joke from Road Dogg or Billy Gunn but I doubt they found out about the place." Amanda said once both were in normal clothes and she put her contact lenses back in their case, Finn knowing that she kept in touch with the Attitude Era veterans known as the New Age Outlaws.

"I don't think they did, or if they did know then they'd probably be some of the few to actually be sensible and mature about it." Finn replied, walking with her as they headed out into the corridor.

"Even in their older years, they still act like they first did back in the 90s and 2000s… I remember one time watching SmackDown and those two baited Bradshaw and Farooq into a fight in a bar, then ran." Amanda responded, her and Finn chuckling as his right arm wrapped around her back… and him noticing her cringe slightly as a twinge of pain hit her left side for a few seconds.

"Yeah, that was their era alright… sometimes I miss those kind of fights. They would make some good memories to look back on." Finn replied as he lightly rubbed her back, and massaged around the area where the twinge hit her.

"They were… all the times I'd jump onto my brothers, trying to put one of them in a headlock. Didn't end well once… I fell off of Dan's back, hit my arm and then Sean punched Dan, thinking that the fall wasn't accidental." Amanda explained, Finn cringing at that thought.

"Well at least you copied your idols, unintentionally started a fight. Could've been a lot worse." Finn joked in response after a moment.

"Could've… my brothers and I sometimes fight but we always fix things, that's how siblings are." Amanda said as they stopped for a second… before both were poked in their sides and jumped. "John, what the hell?!" She responded, lightly swatting John's right arm as he laughed… but his laugh stopped when he realised he poked her left side, the kidney injury that Amanda had suffered having acted up at times like old injuries did.

"You okay?" John responded.

"Yeah… it was hurting for a few seconds but that's all it hurt for. I guess Summer told you the same thing she told us?" Amanda answered.

"Yeah… seems like we're going on some sort of scary ghost hunt." John replied, not that excited or passionate to speak of it. That's how he was with most things to do with myths and mysteries, like ghosts or mythical creatures, he'd accept the stories but not put too much into believing them until he saw something himself.

"If there's a ghost… if not, I'm gonna hurt that bitch." Amanda said quietly.

The three waited until Raw was over before going and finding the hospital itself… and from where she'd been watching in it, Emily smiled when she saw them.

"New people…" Emily whispered.