Chapter 3 - I Want In
Roman was in a deep sleep when Dean finally stomped back into the hotel room. He slammed the door and then proceeded to bang things around in the bathroom.
"You alright, Dean?" Roman called.
"Nope," Dean replied curtly.
Roman sat up, struggling to shake off the sleep that clouded his brain. "Wanna talk about it?" he offered.
Dean slammed the bathroom door behind him as he left. "That little scumbag is right. I am a chump," Dean said angrily.
"Now, Dean," Roman began soothingly.
"Don't 'Now, Dean,' me, Roman," Dean interrupted. "I know what I know. He's Mr. Money In The Bank and the Undisputed Future of the WWE. You're the Royal Rumble winner, WrestleMania main eventer, and future WWE World Heavyweight champion, and I'm the chump who can't win at a pay-per-view to save my life and had to to tie someone up just to get a shot at the Intercontinental Title. I know a chump when I see one."
"Dean, come on. Seth didn't mean the stuff he said. He was just trying to save his own skin."
"I don't care whether he meant it or not. I've worked too hard for too long to be a loser. Enough is enough, and it's time for a change," Dean declared.
"What are you gonna do?" Roman asked hesitantly.
"You know what they say: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
"What does that mean?" Roman asked, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear the answer.
"It means that I'm gonna join the Authority," Dean said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.
"Dean, come on! This is crazy talk. You can't join the Authority," Roman protested.
"You think you can tell me what I can and can't do now, big guy?" Dean questioned threateningly.
"You know that's not what I meant," Roman answered quickly. "I just mean that joining the Authority is like going over to the dark side. You don't want to do that."
"How do you know what I want?" Dean demanded. "What I want is to be successful. What I want is to main event shows. What I want is title opportunities. And I can get all of that a lot easier working with the Authority than I can being your little buddy."
"But just think how hard we worked trying to take the Authority down," Roman pointed out.
"I think you're a little mixed up," Dean countered. "We didn't do anything. If I recall correctly, it was you who wanted to take on the Authority. I just wanted to get back at Seth."
"But now you want to join his side? What makes you think he would even let you?"
"Oh, he'll let me. Opportunistic bastard that he is, he'll recognize a good thing when he sees it. Besides, he owes me. It's not like I'm doing this to be his friend. I'm doing this for me. You don't have any problem looking out for yourself. He certainly doesn't have any problem looking out for himself. Well, now it's my turn. I'm gonna do what's best for me."
"Can't you do that without joining the Authority?" Roman asked.
"You know anybody better to ask for favors than Trips and Stephanie?" Dean challenged. "No? Then I rest my case."
"Dean, please. At least sleep on it before you do something you'll regret," Roman pleaded.
"Nope. I've wasted too much time already," Dean said and marched back out the door.
"Seth!" Dean yelled as he pounded on Seth's door. "Seth! Open up!"
Seth squinted at the clock. Who the hell is pounding on my door at 3:43 in the morning? he wondered. He listened and sighed: Dean. He briefly considered simply pulling the pillow over his head and ignoring the racket, but he knew it was hopeless. Dean was stubborn and would be more than willing to wake up everyone on the floor in order to get his way.
"Give me minute," Seth called, his voice hoarse with sleep. "Let me throw on some clothes."
"Oh come on. The whole world has seen you naked. Just let me in already," Dean demanded.
Seth ignored the command. He had no idea what Dean wanted or what kind of mood he was in. There was no way he was going into this situation half naked. He fumbled for his glasses and quickly pulled on his jeans and shirt from the night before. As he walked toward the door, he really regretted not packing a taser in his briefcase like he had thought about. He took a deep breath and opened the door. "Dean, what a... uhh... unexpected surprise."
Dean pushed past Seth and walked confidently into the room. Seth shut the door and trailed behind him. He looked at Dean dazedly. Maybe this is a dream, he thought hopefully.
"Let's get right to the point," Dean said. "I want in."
"You... want in?" Seth repeated, thoroughly confused. "You want in what? What are you talking about?"
"Wow, not so clever when you're sleepy are you? I'll have to remember that. I want in the Authority." Dean said the last sentence slowly, so Seth would be sure to catch each word.
"You want in the Authority?" Seth again repeated disbelievingly. This had to be a dream. It made no sense at all. "Why?"
"You were right," Dean responded simply as if that explained everything.
"I was right about what?" Seth said, exasperated. He was growing increasingly irritated at not being able to follow this conversation.
"About the stuff you said earlier. I've been holding myself back. Well, that stops right now. I'm putting myself first from now on, and you are going to help me."
Seth didn't question why Dean thought he would be willing to help him. He simply sat down on the bed, put his head in his hands, and groaned. "Dean, I didn't actually mean the stuff I said. I was just trying to get in your head so I could avoid an asskicking. Go back to Roman. He's been a good friend to you. You don't want to join the Authority."
"Why do you and Roman both think you can tell me what I want," Dean yelled. "I'm telling you I want to join the Authority."
"Okay, okay. Calm down," Seth begged. "Just give me a minute to process this. It's a lot to take in."
Seth's mind raced. Was Dean serious? Did he really want to join his side? Or was it some sort of plot to regain his trust, so they could betray him like he had betrayed them? Did it matter?
"Alright," Seth said slowly.
"Alright, what?"
"Alright, I'll talk to Triple H and Stephanie. I'll see what I can do."
"Great!" Dean patted Seth on the back. "I'll talk to you after the show tomorrow. Just text me to let me know where you're parked." Dean whistled as he left the room.
Seth lay back on his bed with only one thought going through his head: What the hell just happened?
Seth tried his best to go back to sleep but was unsuccessful. Too many questions kept running through his head: How was he going to convince Hunter and Stephanie to let Dean join the Authority? Did he really want to convince them to let Dean join the Authority? What would happen if he failed? And, scarier yet, what would happen if he succeeded? He had finally given up on sleep and had just finished packing his bags, when he yet again heard banging on his door. Who can it be now? he thought irritably. It's only, he glanced at the clock, 5:03. Doesn't anybody sleep around here any more?
He stormed to the door and slung it open, too frustrated to care who was on the other side.
"Roman. Thanks for stopping by. I'm good, thanks. 'Bye." He tried to slam the door back closed, but Roman caught it and forced his way into the room. "Okay, fine," Seth muttered as he closed the door and followed Roman. "At least I'm awake this time."
"What do you want?" Seth demanded.
"I want you to not lure Dean into your evil little world," Roman responded forcefully.
"You think I'm luring Dean? I'm not luring anybody. I told Dean that he shouldn't join us, but he insisted. This is what he wants."
"Well, make him not want it, then," Roman insisted, raising his voice.
"What do you think, Roman, that I have special mind control powers or something?" Seth snapped.
"Yes?" Roman answered uncertainly.
Seth looked at Roman for a moment in disbelief and then began to chuckle. Roman soon joined him. The tension momentarily broken, Seth sat down on the bed and asked seriously, "So give it to me straight. What is really bothering you about this whole Dean joining the Authority thing? What exactly are you worried about?"
"What am I not worried about?" Roman sighed as he sank into the desk chair. "I'm worried about Dean getting hurt. I'm worried about losing my friend. I just don't think this is a good idea."
"Look, I can't promise that Dean won't get hurt. I can only tell you that I don't plan on hurting him and that I will do what I can to keep him safe."
"Well, that makes me feel so much better, seeing as your word means so much to me and all," Roman cut in sarcastically.
"I'm not asking you to believe me," Seth returned sharply. "You came to me remember? Look this is stupid. We aren't friends anymore. You don't believe a word that comes out of my mouth. Why are you sitting here talking to me anyway?"
"Because I didn't know what else to do," Roman answered honestly.
"Look. Dean is just doing this to advance his career. He's using the Authority. He's using me. There's no reason you two can't still be friends. Just try to stay off your high horse, and I'm sure you'll both be fine," Seth advised. "Who knows? He could still change his mind."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Roman stood, ready to leave.
"Of course, there is one more thing you could do," Seth couldn't resist adding.
"What?"
"You could join the Authority, too. Then you'd really be able to look after Dean."
"No way," Roman said emphatically. "I don't need to take shortcuts."
"That's rich, coming from you," Seth mumbled.
"What did you say?" Roman said, looking intensely at Seth.
"Never mind," Seth said quickly, berating himself for not being able keep the conversation civil.
"No, go on. I want to hear what you have to say. You think I've taken shortcuts?"
"Uhh, yes?" Seth quipped. "You were born with a shortcut. Not all of us were born into legendary wrestling families, Roman. Me and Dean, we worked for years on the indies before we even got a chance to prove ourselves in developmental. How long did you bust your butt in armories and high school gyms trying to build up your reputation, Roman? Oh yeah. You just waltzed into FCW with your family background and your movie star good looks. I also don't remember you complaining when we broke into the main roster together. What did you think the Shield was all about, Roman, huh? I'll give you a hint: it wasn't justice. We were all about using whatever means necessary to get the three of us to the top. And we dominated. But I guess that now that you've gotten where you want to be, you're too honorable to game the system anymore. Well, screw that! I'm still scratching and clawing to get to the top, and if Dean wants to join me then I'll do whatever I can to see that he makes it to the top too!"
Roman stared at Seth, dumbfounded. He knew that a lot of the other guys felt like he'd gotten into the WWE the easy way, but neither Seth nor Dean had ever called him on it. He wondered if Dean felt the same way. "Yeah, well, you do that," he returned weakly and trudged out the door.
Seth had wracked his brain all day trying to decide the best way to convince Triple H and Stephanie to let Dean join the Authority. After carefully considering all his options, he finally settled on a brazen approach. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and plastered an arrogant smirk on his face before entering the Authority locker room.
"Hunter, Stephanie," he greeted in a booming, confident voice. "I have excellent news. Dean Ambrose has decided to join our side." Seth clenched his jaw, trying to hide the nervousness he felt at the announcement.
Hunter's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed.
Seth walked up to him and patted him on the back warning himself to keep up his cocky facade. "I knew you would be excited," he said, grinning.
"Steph... Rollins..." Hunter stammered, too upset to form a coherent sentence.
"Best for business, am I right?" Seth crowed, secretly worried that his plan was about to backfire.
"Rollins, who do you think you are?" Hunter roared.
"Now, honey," Stephanie interrupted, trying to calm her husband down.
"No, no. This has been coming for a while. Rollins, here, has clearly let success go to his head. Let me make something perfectly clear." Hunter glared at Seth. "You are not in charge around here. I am in charge here. You don't get to decide who does and does not join our group."
Seth decided to switch tactics. Feigning remorse, he responded, "Hunter, please, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to overstep my bounds, I promise. It just never entered my mind that you would have a problem with this. I thought you would be excited to have Dean under your control. I apologize for my misjudgment. Please, let me try again." He paused, then said in a formal voice, "Hunter, Stephanie, Dean approached me this morning and informed me of his interest in joining the Authority. What do you think?"
"I think Dean can go—" Hunter began but was once again interrupted by Stephanie.
"I think that is a wonderful idea," Stephanie said warmly.
"What?!" Hunter sputtered.
"I think," Stephanie continued, shooting her husband a look that clearly said 'we will talk about this later in private,' "that this is an excellent opportunity. Dean Ambrose will be a valuable asset for the Authority. We'll work out the details after the show."
Seth bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. Hunter liked to believe that he was the boss, but this exchange clearly showed who was really in charge. Seth didn't know Stephanie's motives, but he was glad that she was on his side. "Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you, Hunter. I'll let Dean know the good news."
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Dean: "You're in."
Dean was leaning casually against Seth's rental car, when Seth finally got away from the arena.
"You been waiting long?" Seth asked as he unlocked the doors and both men got inside.
"Nah. Only five minutes or so."
Seth marveled at how traveling with Dean like this simultaneously felt totally natural and yet utterly surreal. He didn't really know how to act around his former best friend. Dean didn't seem to share Seth's uncertainty, though. He pushed his seat back as far as it would go, stretched his legs out, and asked casually, "So, what's the plan?"
Seth glanced at Dean and cocked his eyebrow. "What makes you think I have a plan?"
"Dude, I know you. You always have a plan," Dean answered.
Seth laughed. "Okay, you're right," he agreed. "Here's what I think we should do. So, you already have your match with Barrett booked for Sunday at Fastlane. You come out like always and start your match. I'll come out a little bit after you start. You look at me like you're confused about what I'm doing there, but you don't let me distract you from your match. Now, the announcers will be going nuts, asking what I'm doing there. They will all be convinced that I'm there to cost you the match. Now, if I see an opportunity to interfere and trip Barrett up without the referee noticing I'm gonna do it, but I won't risk getting you disqualified. It's important for you to look strong. After you win, I'm gonna come into the ring. Everybody's gonna be really suspicious of my motives, and I think you should play it up by looking at me really suspiciously too. I'll offer to shake your hand, and after some deliberation, you'll agree. Then you'll surprise everyone by pulling me into a big hug. Now we'll have everybody wondering what's going on. Am I leaving the Authority? Is the Shield getting back together? The crowd will be going wild. Then we'll start walking down the ramp together and the Authority will come out, all of them: Hunter, Stephanie, Big Show, Kane. It will look like we're totally outnumbered. But we'll just stare them down and keep walking toward them. And when we reach them, you'll crush everyone's hopes and dreams by shaking Hunter's and Stephanie's hands. The crowd's gonna hate us. It's gonna be great. What do you think?"
"I think it sounds perfect." Dean replied. He couldn't help noticing that Seth hadn't mentioned what would happen if he lost the match with Barrett, and he didn't think it was an oversight. Seth was the type that prepared for everything. So if Seth wasn't sharing an alternate plan, then that meant that he was one hundred percent certain that Dean was leaving Fastlane as the Intercontinental champion. Dean leaned back and smiled. A pleasant thought drifted through his mind: I think I'm gonna like the dark side.
