Hey guys! I'm really sorry about the delayed update; this chapter took me quite a long time to write, and I apologise in advance if my writing sucks. I'm kinda sad that Seth turned on Ambrose and Reigns, and some of the comments I've seen are incredibly horrible. However, at the same time, I'm super happy that it was Seth and not Dean who betrayed the group; having Ambrose turn on The Shield would have been far too predictable. In addition, having Seth turn heel and join Evolution shows that creative has faith in him, which means they see him as the future of the WWE (which he will be).
But since this story was started before Seth's betrayal, the time setting will be when the three of them are still a trio. I hope you guys enjoy!
"Laramie!" Hans's gruff voice echoed throughout their Beverly Hills mansion, "Come down here so I can kiss you goodbye!"
Lara wasted no time, bolting out of the kitchen as quickly as she could; consider it lucky that Hans allowed her to go barefoot on days that she was to cook him dinner. She knew exactly what Hans met when he wanted to kiss her goodbye; he was off on one of his trips again. Being one of the most famous poker players in the country, whenever he was called upon to participate in a tournament, Hans would spend days, sometimes weeks, away from Lara, and Lara was well aware of what went on during his trips. Hans Epperly was not a man who would let a single woman tie him down forever. Like many young, wealthy men, he took every opportunity he could in living the dream life, surrounded by money, luxury, alcohol, and beautiful dames. He certainly wasn't going to turn down a trip to the gentleman's club or leave a group of pretty centerfolds uninvited to his yacht parties.
Surprisingly, Lara didn't care. In fact, she would secretly cheer in happiness whenever her husband was absent because that meant he would leave her alone. More importantly, that meant she could do whatever she wanted—meet up with friends in the city, go shopping, go for a jog around the neighborhood, and other activities that didn't involve sitting around and looking pretty for the man of the household.
Emerging from the kitchen, Lara found her husband standing by the foot of the large French doors, surrounded by at least five pieces of luggage despite only being away for a little over a week. He was wearing a partially unbuttoned shirt, exposing part of his chest, cargo green khakis, sandals, and a fedora: a sign that his destination was anywhere but within the States.
"I'm heading out to St. Bart's with the jet; I'll be gone for a couple of days," she was informed, after giving him the kiss that he'd requested. Of course; she'd nearly forgotten about his private jet that he 'kidnapped' her with after the wedding to their honeymoon all over the Caribbean. Hans glanced behind him to make sure that the chauffer couldn't hear him and lowered his voice, "now you know the rules when I'm gone. You can take the car to Rodeo Drive and do whatever the hell you want with the credit card. Get something hot from La Perla when you welcome me back. Laramie, you should be thankful that I give you whatever you want, and I'll buy you every single pretty thing out there so as long as you don't go around watching that low class wrestling crap again." Hans snarled at the word 'wrestling' as though it were poison, "do you understand?"
"I understand, Hans," Lara replied sullenly.
"Awww, don't be sad, wifey. You should understand that all of this," Hans looked around at his mansion, taking one last look at her before continuing, "didn't just fall from the sky by itself. I worked hard for all of this, and now I'm going to give myself a break. I'll be back before you know it, Laramie; I might even get you something from St. Bart's."
Lara held back a sob as Hans pressed one last sloppy kiss on her lips. As soon as the limousine rolled out of the driveway, Lara closed the door and crumbled to the floor, breaking down in tears. She wasn't devastated that Hans was gone; it was the way that he spoke to her, as though she were an object that he'd bought with his 'hard-earned' wealth. She felt so dirty, so ashamed of herself because of what she was now. She'd never been so helpless until she married Hans Epperly, who was supposedly the man that every woman desired to be with. She'd never found herself sinking to the floor, letting someone stomp all over her until she married Hans. To this day, she regretted having let herself sign the binding contract, the deed that made her the Epperly trophy wife.
Her regret soon turned into resentment as she recalled how insulting and degrading Hans's words were, all of a sudden realizing that she had the house to herself for a while. Lara instantly headed back up to her room, changing into something more comfortable and relaxed than booty shorts. After tying her hair up into a messy bun, Lara made a few phone calls, making appointments and setting up meetings with friends she usually never saw. As she engaged in a lighthearted conversation with one of her friends, she noticed, on her TV, three men in black combat armor attacking an executive in a suit in what appeared to be an advertisement for the WWE. One of the three men, with striking two-toned hair, instantly caught her eye.
Colby…
A couple hundred miles away, in Sacramento, Colby Lopez, or as he was known to the WWE Universe, Seth Rollins, had just finished his CrossFit workout for the morning. Grabbing a towel, he wiped his sweat-soaked forehead, in desperate need of a shower as soon as he returned back to the hotel. He dropped the large barbells and took a swig of Gatorade, jogging to the locker room to pick up his things. There was a house show tonight and he needed to arrive at the arena early in order to rehearse his tag match with Roman and Dean against the New Age Outlaws and Batista.
He was feeling rather frustrated. Although he usually felt exhilarated after a good CrossFit workout, today he felt as though he was underperforming. Even his spotters were surprised at how he could barely lift two hundred pounds. He was drained and frustrated with himself, but he knew that a certain auburn-haired beauty was on his mind.
He wondered what Lara Lemay was doing right now. He wondered if she was stuck in some mundane office desk job, organizing her planner as she slurped down a miserable plate of Lean Cuisine. Maybe, from all the years that he knew her, that she wasn't at a desk job, but beating the holy hell out of a punching bag at Gold's Gym. Or perhaps, she was somewhere in a suburban neighborhood, fetching groceries or whatever household chores she needed to finish. The last time he'd heard about her, he'd attempted to contact her, only to have her mother inform him, in a rather snooty tone, that she was happily married to a well-off gentleman and being "the perfect stay-at-home wife to her loving husband".
That didn't sound like Lara at all. She was far too free-spirited and stubborn to allow anyone, let alone a 'gentleman', to tie her down and constrain her to the role of a pretty little housewife. He recalled one day when they were fifteen and decided to skip health class, running off to the empty playground in their neighborhood and sitting on the swings. She was ranting to him about some boy, Tim Chadwick, who was dared by his friends to kiss her, and then swearing on her life that she would never ever let any man tie her down and use her like some object. Still, he wondered, could it be possible that Lara had changed her mind?
Seth secretly envied the man who was able to convince Lara to give up her hand in marriage. Having known Lara all these years, getting her to give in was no easy task. All throughout high school he'd witnessed the many suitors, ranging from shaking nervous to boisterously cocky, attempting to ask her out, only to be turned down. He himself had planned on doing the same thing, except there was one problem.
One day, in the middle of the tenth grade, she suddenly disappeared.
She and her whole family had moved without a trace, leaving no obvious hints of premature plans to move from the neighborhood. Afterwards, when he sent her continuous texts on what had happened to her, he'd gotten very vague answers. The last time he'd heard from her was when she finally answered one of his many phone calls, explaining that she had to move because of her parents and couldn't tell anyone else because the whole situation was complicated. He was not just shocked; he was completely heartbroken, the moment she completely cut off all contact from him. And although he moved on with his life, headed for the indies and wrestled his heart out, deep down inside of him, he still remembered her promise.
"Lara, wait!" He managed to cut her off before she hung up, "you still remember my promise, right?" He wasn't going to let her go just yet. She'd left so suddenly and he wasn't going to let her get away with it.
"The one that we made since the day we met?" she questioned.
"If one of us gets signed with a promotion, the other has to go see them wrestle in person. I just got a local gig at Scott County Wrestling."
"Colby, I don't know when I'll be back in Iowa, or if I'll ever come back," Lara sighed.
"Why not?"
"It's a long story…"
"Lara, don't give me that long story crap! I want to know what happened and why you didn't tell anyone about it!"
"Colby, stop! If I tell you, it's going to ruin everything!"
"I won't bother you about it, then. But you have to promise me that you'll go see a show of mine, even if it's not in SCW. Hell, if I even make it to the big leagues I won't be stuck in Iowa anymore. So one day, you gotta set that one day aside, just to watch me wrestle in a real ring with a real opponent. And you don't have to follow me everywhere, Lara. Just one show. That's all I ask."
To this day, Lara hadn't fulfilled her promise. He'd been wrestling for over ten years and he hadn't seen her once, not even once out of all the thousands of matches he'd wrestled. What frustrated Seth even more was the fact that she'd completely cut off all contact with him from the moment she said goodbye to him on the phone. Don't ask him if he's tried calling her parents; trust me, he certainly did, only to get the same answer every single time he asked where she was.
"She doesn't want to talk to you anymore, Colby. I think I made it clear the last time that you called," Lara's mother remarked in a snide voice, with a hint of condescendence behind her tone., "Lara has a new life now, and that means she's leaving everyone in her past behind, and unfortunately you were included as well. I'm sorry, Colby, but there's nothing I can do for you."
"Mrs. Lemay, could I please have her number? Just some way I can contact her."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, ever since we moved out of Davenport, Lara's become an entirely different person. The poor girl had a terrible episode with alcohol and heroin and decided that she wanted to start over, after I was able to convince her to finish her Alcoholics Anonymous sessions and rehab."
Seth rolled his eyes. He knew Mrs. Lemay was lying. He'd heard that story far too many times before. It was too perfectly concocted of a story for him to believe. He'd known Lara for years; she was the very last person who'd collapse into rehab from drugs and booze.
"I already know that story, Mrs. Lemay. You know that aside from your family, I care about Lara more than anything in the world, and if she had gone into rehab, I don't understand why you hadn't told me the minute you found out!"
"Listen to me, boy, I made it very, very clear several times that Lara does not want to talk to you anymore! She's moving on with her life; I suggest you do the same with your little wrestling thing. And if you dare call this house again looking for my daughter I will have the police slap a restraining order on you," snapped Mrs. Lemay nastily, hanging up before Seth could respond.
He had to admit he was being persistent. Seth Rollins was not a man you'd leave hanging like that. He was not someone who liked to be left without answers to the problem. But something inside of him told him he needed to let go, to move on with his life. Maybe Lara really had decided to start a new life and wanted to leave everything in her past, including him, behind.
After tonight, if she wasn't there, he was going to move on, just as she had.
"Come on, girl, you look amazing!" A shrill voice echoed throughout the small apartment, the source of that voice looking extremely excited, her eyes bug-eyed in awe.
Nervously, Lara emerged from the bathroom, looking completely different from her appearance this morning. No longer in skimpy clothing, the auburn-haired beauty felt more comfortable, more herself, in acid washed gray skinny jeans lined with black lace panels on the side, a black top adorned with a skull and roses print and cut-out at the shoulders, and a crimson red motorcycle leather jacket with buckles around the waist. She knew that Hans would never let her wear what she was wearing right now; he'd rather get castrated by wild dogs than let her leave her bedroom in such a state. Somehow, that only made her even happier.
"I never thought I'd appreciate skinny jeans until now, Pam," Lara let out a sigh of relief. Hans would rather be castrated than let her wear what she was wearing now.
"I'm so happy you decided to come out with us tonight, Lara. You can finally do whatever the hell you want now that your husband's in Cabo. He can't force you to stay in this place forever, as glorious and amazing this mansion is," remarked Pam, not hesitating to drag Lara out the door.
"He's in St. Barts," corrected Lara, following her best friend out the door.
"Whatever," Pam waved her off, "Lara, I just don't understand why you can't let loose once in a while. I know that you love Hans, but ever since you married the man you've been acting differently."
"I'm sorry, Pam, I just don't get to see Hans very often. You know that he's a professional poker player so he's away often with his tournaments and whatever it is that guys like him do," sighed Lara. Inside, however, Lara shuddered after hearing Pam assume that she was in love with Hans. If anything, she was glad that Hans was gone, leaving her alone for some time, "and sometimes he gets stressed so we end up fighting a lot. But you know what, Pam? I want to spend this time enjoying my own free time, so can we please drop the subject?"
"Sure, no problem," agreed Pam, as they drove out of the neighborhood and onto the main streets, "so I've got a surprise for you tonight. Just like we planned over the phone, we're meeting up with Travis and the guys at Palm for an early dinner, but after that, guess where we're going?"
"I don't know, a club?"
"Not tonight; they just went a few nights ago. My awesome boyfriend Brett got us front row seats to tonight's WWE Raw taping at Staples Center! Plus, he bought the both of us the Superstar VIP Experience Package as part of our anniversary present!"
The surprise left Lara both shocked and excited, her heart racing rapidly. This was it, her first time attending a wrestling show, in what better way than smack right in the front by ringside, just a few feet, maybe inches, away from all the action that would ensue for three whole hours. Suddenly, she recalled the TV ad she watched earlier that day, the same one that featured a distinctive two-tone haired wrestler…
"Colby…"
"What did you just say? Lara?" Pam's voice snapped Lara out of her short-lived fantasy.
"Nothing," Lara lied quickly, "I was saying holy, as in 'holy shit; that sounds awesome!' I never took you as a pro wrestling fan, Pam."
Hans would have never let her out of the house alive if he found out she'd gone to a WWE show.
"That's because it's one of my guilty pleasures, Lara. Who are you going to root for tonight? Don't tell Brett, but I've had my eye on John Cena the moment Brett took me to my first show," Pam giggled, blushing furiously.
"How would I know, Pam? I've never watched a wrestling show before," replied Lara worriedly, as they pulled into the parking lot of Staples Center. As they had VIP Experience tickets, Pam parked in a special designated area right next to the arena doors and was greeted by an onsite greeter, as part of the package. Lara felt guilty that she was having the VIP Experience, even though she wasn't even a fan of professional wrestling.
"Then I'll help you out, rookie. You cheer for the faces, who are the good guys, and you boo the heels, who are the bad guys. But sometimes you don't follow that rule if you have a preference for certain superstars," explained Pam, leading her towards the shopping area so they could purchase some merchandise. Lara noticed a poster featuring the same three men—The Shield, as the poster claimed they were—she saw on TV promoting a new t-shirt of theirs. Not hesitating she purchased one for herself, her eyes still fixated on the two-tone haired member of The Shield.
Afterwards, the ladies met up with Pam's boyfriend, Brett, and two of his best friends from college, and proceeded to another room where they were to participate in a meet and greet autograph session with three WWE Superstars. Pam squealed in excitement when the organizers announced that John Cena was one of them. Lara laughed upon seeing the jealous look on Brett's face. She enjoyed the meet-and-greet experience, collecting autographs from John Cena, Cesaro, and Dean Ambrose of The Shield. While Cena and Cesaro were especially charming and flirty towards her, she noticed that Dean Ambrose had eyed her with much curiosity the moment she stepped in front of his table. She not only had an official photo taken with him, but he also asked if he could take a selfie with her, to which she agreed to anyway; she didn't mind that she'd probably make his Twitter page.
When they were brought to their seats, Pam and Brett proceeded onto explaining how professional wrestling worked. The slams onto the mat were called 'bumps', the moves that a wrestler performed as his finish was his 'finisher' and was usually unique to a particular wrestler, the tops of the corners of the ring were called 'turnbuckles', and a wrestler could win by either pin or submission, or if their opponent was disqualified or counted out. The extensive vocabulary buzzed in Lara's head. All she could think about was whether she would get to see Colby again.
Seth Rollins felt like he was on the edge tonight. All he could think about was her. When Dean came back into the locker room and showed them his fan selfies, one particular photograph captured his attention. On Dean's right side was the most beautiful redhead he'd ever seen, wearing a sexy leather jacket. The makeup made her brilliant green eyes stand out, and her smile lit up her lovely features. He knew exactly who that girl was: Lara Lemay.
He could hardly believe it. All these years he never saw her once, and all of a sudden she was right here in the very same arena. All he knew was that she was with her friends and sitting quite close to the ring because she had the VIP package. Seth had marveled at her beauty from Dean's phone; she'd certainly gotten more beautiful than he imagined from the last time he saw her.
But most importantly, she'd fulfilled her promise. After all these years, she finally showed up.
"You mean to tell me that this is the woman you've been looking for all these years?" Roman had interjected after the revelation, when Dean had returned from the autograph signing and showed them his picture with Lara.
"I think that's exactly what I just said."
"She was super hot," mused Dean. Seth felt his blood boil in jealousy all of a sudden.
"I can't believe that's the same woman who used to put you in a headlock when you were kids," added Roman, "she certainly doesn't look like the type."
"I know," admitted Seth, holding back his urge to sock Dean in the face, "I still wonder what took her so long to finally see me. Why did she wait all this time to finally show up?"
"You'll find out when you see her face to face, Rollins," suggested Roman, "I know that sometimes we're allowed to get security to bring certain fans backstage, usually if they're important to us or related to us in some way."
"Yeah right, as if the blonde Ziggler brought in at last night's show was his cousin," scoffed Dean sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the thought of another one of Dolph Ziggler's sexual conquests, "but your girl was part of the VIP Experience crowd, so I don't think it should be a problem getting her backstage."
"Sounds like a good idea, Ro," agreed Seth, immediately heading out of the locker room to find the head of security, "and Dean," he added, "even though I want to punch you in the face for getting to see her before I did, thanks for the tip."
Standing in the darkness along with his teammates, he waited for the cue to begin making his presence. A single spotlight shone onto the three of them, The Shield, signaling that it was time. Gradually they made their way down the stairs, looking nowhere but straight ahead. Seth, however, began searching for that familiar face when they began descending towards the front rows. Just before he reached the barricade in front of him, he noticed a gorgeous redhead standing in the front row on the opposite side of the arena. Flawlessly, he hopped over the barricade and made his way around the ring to get a closer look. His suspicions were confirmed when he rounded over to the other side.
It was her. It was really her.
Her friends and the other spectators around her screamed in unison, standing up to applaud the trio donned in black combat armor. Lara noticed he led his two accomplices down the steps, a single spotlight highlighting their presence. She clapped alongside everyone else; she felt awkward not knowing anything about The Shield and their immense popularity. Her eyes were fixed on him the whole time, knowing that he looked very familiar. When he jumped over the barricade and kept his gaze over to where she was she knew it was him.
She couldn't remember feeling so nervous. Aside from his half-blond, half-black long hair, the man she knew as Colby Lopez looked no different from the last time she saw him in person. He still had the same, soft brown eyes, the same ones that haunted her thoughts the moment she saw him on the television earlier that day. But the way he carried himself now was far from an amateur dreaming of breaking out into the pro wrestling world. This time, he aired the confidence of a skilled veteran. Lara's heart fluttered as she took in his toned, muscled arms, his biceps bulging out of the muscle shirt he wore. She couldn't believe that after all these years, they would meet again in this very circumstance.
He wasn't boy-next-door Colby Lopez anymore. He wasn't Gixx anymore in some little Indy wrestling promotion back in Iowa. He was Seth Rollins, WWE Superstar.
Cautiously, Colby approached the green-eyed beauty staring back at him. He'd always been attracted to her, but now the woman that stood before him blew every other woman crush he'd had out of the water. Although she was dressed in a simple top, red leather jacket, and skinny jeans, she looked sexy as hell. As much as he wanted to pull her out of the audience, swoop her into his arms, and show her how much he really missed her, he had to be Seth Rollins, architect of the Shield. Still, that didn't stop him from carrying out his task.
Seth stopped right in front of where she stood for a moment. Ignoring the other fans around him, he took a step in front of her till he was close to her, but not too close to the point where he looked like he was breaking character.
"Colby…" Lara whispered, struggling to hold herself back from reaching out and touching his face. It had been over twelve years since she last saw her neighbor, her best friend, the only person in her life who truly understood her. At that moment she felt a teardrop trickle down her cheek.
"Lara…"