"You're playing a dangerous game," Roman said.
"How long has it been now?" Seth asked.
"Three weeks," Dean answered.
"Three weeks of sneaking around and fucking in empty rooms in the arena," Seth shook his head and laughed. "Despite how fucked up the situation is, you're still one lucky man."
"You're eyeing my woman?" Dean smirked.
"How can I not? I mean, have you seen her yourself? She's not exactly ugly," Seth said.
A bottle of shampoo came flying towards Seth and he ducked down just before it hit him.
"Really, Dean?" He laughed.
"She's mine!" Dean stated his claim.
They both laughed but Dean's laugh quickly died down when he noticed Roman shake his head.
"You got something to say, Roman?" He asked.
"I got plenty to say but you don't wanna hear it," Roman answered.
"No no, I wanna hear it," Dean crossed his arms. "You got a problem with me and Catelin?"
Roman sighed and turned his eyes soft, hoping Dean wouldn't throw a fit. It wasn't that he didn't support Dean. He just tried seeing the bigger picture.
"I don't have a problem with you two being together. I wanna see you happy and if she's the one to do that, then I'm all for it," he said.
"What is it then?" Dean asked.
"One of these days it's not gonna be enough any longer. What's gonna happen when you wanna take her home and make her stay the night? Even if you could convince her, Bray's still out there and he's not gonna let a member go without a fight," Roman said.
It seemed like Dean deflated, like all life was being sucked out of him in a second, and he sat down with a heavy bump on the bench.
"You don't think I think about that already?" He asked. "God, Roman, I'm serious about her. Like really, really serious. I want nothing more than to take her away from that crazy man but I don't know how."
"It's not just fun and games for you?" Seth asked surprised.
"No, Seth. Eva Marie was fun and games. Cameron was fun and games. All the ring rats were fun and games. Catelin is..." Dean ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "She's something else, alright? I don't know what exactly but she's something more."
"She's love," Roman said.
Both Seth and Dean turned their heads fast to look at their older friend.
"Don't deny it, Dean. She's love to you. Plain and simple, put in a term we can all understand, you're in love with her," Roman said.
"She's my angel," Dean said lowly. "She's too good for me. She's too good for this world."
"Well, she sure as hell is too good for Bray so how about getting her out of there?" Seth tried with a smile.
"Great idea, Seth. You got a plan to follow up?" Dean gave Seth a look of annoyance.
"Not exactly," Seth muttered.
"We'll figure it out somehow. For now, just don't get caught," Roman said.
"Three weeks and he still doesn't know," Dean smirked a little. "And with that said, I'll walk home."
"As usual," Seth chuckled.
"Don't wait up," Dean said as he moved from the bench towards the door.
He quickly caught up with her as she was waiting for him like always. They made their way through the hallways hand in hand, feeling like a couple of kids sneaking out in the middle of the night.
Had he known everything would go to hell just 15 minutes later, he would have forced her out in their car and taken her home. He could do a lot of things but seeing the future wasn't one of them so he never saw it coming. He was lying on his back, his focus solely on her as she rode him. None of them heard the door open but suddenly she was yanked off him and he was pulled up from the floor. He tried struggling but there was just too many of them. His eyes only rested on one of them though. The one that had her jaw locked in his hand. Bray fucking Wyatt.
"I knew you betrayed me, child, but with him? A fucking Shield boy? Even you are better than that!" He spat.
"Let her go!" Dean shouted.
Bray turned his face towards Dean and grinned as he saw the man with his pants hanging down to his knees trying to get free.
"Luke, pull up his pants," he said.
Luke stepped forward and grabbed Dean's pants.
"Don't touch me!" Dean sneered. "I said don't fucking touch me!"
Luke didn't say anything. He just pulled up Dean's pants and closed them as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Let's go," Bray said.
Hands forced them both to move along. Dean tried his best to fight his way out but he couldn't. At least he had been half dressed before being pulled out of the arena but she was being pulled naked. Another one of Bray's sick punishments.
"Put some clothes on her," Dean begged as he felt the cold air outside.
"You don't speak!" Bray snapped.
"You can't fucking silence me!" Dean sneered.
"I can if I have to," Bray said.
They were moved towards a couple of vans. He lost sight of her as he was pulled into one while she was pulled into the other. He was being held down in the darkness in the back of the van but he knew they were moving towards the compound. He was about to enter enemy territory and he wasn't sure if he'd make it out alive. The van stopped and the door opened. Once again he came face to face with Bray's cruel face.
"Get him out!" Bray ordered.
At least he found her again as they both were being pulled out of the vans. She was still there. That was all that mattered in that second. They were being pulled over the ground and into a house, down the stairs to the basement. He was being pushed up against a pillar with his back first. His hands were being pulled backwards and he felt cold metal as a pair of handcuffs made sure he couldn't move. She was being held by Luke and Erick in the middle of the room.
"Now, child, you only get one chance at redemption here. Confess your sins and beg for my forgiveness," Bray said.
It took a couple of seconds, Dean was sure he saw her legs tremble, but when she finally spoke, she said the most beautiful word she could have said in that situation.
"No," she said.
"No?" Bray chuckled.
He grabbed her jaw and turned her head enough so she could see Dean over her shoulder.
"He put a devil inside you, child! It speaks through you! It's not you!" He raged.
"The only devil in this room is you!" She yelled.
Bray was taken aback for a few seconds. Clearly he had never had a member going against him in any way. He wasn't about to back down though. He would win this battle and have his child where she belonged.
"One chance!" He sneered. "No matter what, you're not leaving with him. You can either choose the easy way or the hard way."
She just looked at him, not daring to actually ask which way meant what. She knew there never was an easy way in anything Bray came up with.
"We can't have you running around like a fucking savage anymore. Luke has asked for your hand. You'll marry him," he continued.
"The fuck she will!" Dean sneered.
"Take the easy way, child," Bray ran his hand down her cheek.
"What's the hard way?" She asked.
Bray looked at her in shock and Dean couldn't help but grin. She still had some fight left in her.
"That's my girl," he said lowly.
Bray shook his head and tapped her cheek.
"I'll get the devil out of you myself," he answered.
He grinned as he took a step backwards and spread his arms out.
"What's it gonna be, child?" He asked.
"I'm not marrying Luke!" She said through gritted teeth.
By the look on Bray's face he sure was surprised by that answer but he nodded as he turned around and walked over to some iron boxes. He lifted the lit of one and shortly after he pulled up a knife and slowly moved back towards her.
"Have it your way then," he said.
He moved behind her, giving Dean one final evil grin before turning around and running a hand down her back.
"This beautiful back. This flawless skin. Such a shame," he said.
"Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare!" Dean screamed.
Her screams mixed in with his as Bray started carving away. He worked slowly, whistling and humming as if nothing was wrong, working methodically over her skin a little at the time while he created a symmetric pattern.
Her feet gave way but she was being held up by Luke and Erick that not once gave away any emotions while Bray worked on her back for half an hour. Dean's voice had long died but his tears had never stopped falling. His feet too had given way and he had sunk to his knees, not able to fall all the way to the floor due to the way he was chained up. Finally Bray stepped away with a nod and Luke and Erick just let go and her bloody body sank to the cold concrete.
"Unchain him," Bray's voice barely reached Dean. "Let him say goodbye."
He felt the cold metal leave his hands and he crawled across the floor to get to her.
"Catelin," he cried as he rolled her around.
At least she was breathing and that was all that mattered. She stared into nothing as if her mind had tapped out and she was far away.
"Catelin," he tried again as he pulled her up in his arms. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Had I known, I would have taken you far away from this place."
"That's enough," Bray's voice sounded.
Hands pulled Dean away from her and her body landed hard on the concrete again. He was being held up by Erick and Luke just as she had been minutes before and Bray stepped in front of him.
"I'm not a monster, Dean. I'm a visionary, a leader and a god," he said.
"You're a fucking dead man!" Dean sneered.
"Oh, Dean, still trying so hard to fight this," Bray chuckled. "You can't fight destiny and her destiny is to be here. Take him out, boys."
Dean felt himself being pulled towards the stairs again and further away from her.
"You're a dead man, Bray, a fucking dead man!" He shouted.
Bray just laughed in return while Dean was being dragged up the stairs. A few punches to his stomach made him stop struggling long enough for the two men to get him up the stairs and out of the house. He was dragged out of the compound and pushed out on the street. The big gate closed behind him before he could get back on his feet.
"What the hell happened?" Roman jumped up as Dean came through the door.
"Bray," Dean stumbled to his knees.
Roman quickly ran to his friend and helped him back up and over to the couch.
"Dean, what the fuck? Talk to us," he said.
"He took her," Dean cried. "He took her and he fucking cut her like she was a pig."
"She's dead?" Seth asked.
"She wasn't when they threw me out but she was naked and bleeding on the concrete floor. If he leaves her there all night, I don't think she'll survive," Dean answered.
"Shit!" Roman hissed lowly.
Dean moved forward, clenching his fists around Roman's shirt and just crying down on the older man's shoulder as if he was a little kid crying to his parent.
"I couldn't stop him, Roman. I couldn't save her," he cried.
"It's not your fault," Roman tried comforting him.
Catelin didn't open her eyes as someone picked her up from the cold floor and carried her up the stairs. She was laid down on a bed and a person sat down next to her. As a hand ran through her hair and down her cheek, she knew it was Bray. She had felt his touch way too many times.
"I didn't mean to hurt you but the devil had to come out," he spoke softly. "You do understand that, right, child?"
"Yes, father," she answered.