Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Threesome, Mpreg, Self-Harm, etc.


Seth went out cold as soon as he hit the sheets. The look of absolute innocence about him stood in stark contrast to the manic, heartbroken look that Roman had seen in the elevator. Seeing him lay so perfectly still on their bed almost seemed fake, like he was waiting for them to leave so that he could break down again. But the lines of exhaustion present on his face convinced him that that simply was not the case. Seth had spent the majority of his waking hours worrying about the baby that he had lost... he needed to sink into a deep, dreamless sleep.

After watching him for several moments, Dean turned to Roman, barely able to stifle another yawn. "It's your turn to sleep."

But Roman shook his head. "I'm fine, really." It was clear, however, that both men were just as exhausted as Seth... but both were too proud and too concerned to mention it. "You, on the other hand, look like you're about to pass out. I'll wake you up at six and we can switch."

"No, really. I just need some coffee, that's all. I'll even head down to the hotel restaurant so the smell doesn't wake up Seth." Dean was really pushing the issue, and for some reason, Roman didn't like it at all. "I'll be back to wake you both up in time to catch our flight. Okay?"

Roman shrugged, feeling somewhat defeated. "You clearly have it all mapped out. I don't think that I have much of a choice either way."

"I'm glad that you're finally staring to see things my way." Dean offered the big man a smile, before clapping Roman on the shoulder. Begrudgingly, Roman started to strip down into his boxers, before sliding into bed. "Now, cuddle with the baby, you big teddy-bear." Roman's eye twitched.

"I don't cuddle." Roman forced out gruffly, almost petulantly. But the way Seth latched onto him completely defeated that argument. "...And I'm not a teddy-bear."

"Whatever you say, cuddle bug." Dean's teasing jests would earn him a whole slew of shit later... but right now, it was so worth it.

Dean dressed a little better to head downstairs for some breakfast. Pulling on a wrinkled black t-shirt and some baggy blue jeans (Roman could make a decent argument that they were probably his, but he wasn't in the mood and didn't have the energy) with considerable haste, it almost looked as if he was anxious to leave. Roman could understand that. Even if Seth was the one that had lost the baby, the baby had been theirs collectively. It shared DNA with either Dean or Roman - they had long ago decided they didn't want to know which. And now, it was gone.

After awhile, Dean had sort of numbed himself to the idea of it. While he had always wanted to have kids, there was no use hoping for something that was clearly impossible. Each time the news arrived of another miscarriage, it had hurt, yes, but... a little less each time. Perhaps there was no hope to ever have a biological child related to him or to Roman, he didn't know. There was no telling what fate had in store. But he had stopped crying after the third... stopped wishing after the fourth... and now...

Dean shoved his feet into a ratty old pair of tennis shoes and made his way toward the door. As he had predicted, Roman had gone out like a candle. Like a giant teddy-bear, Seth clung to the bigger man, placing his head on the smooth, bare chest and hooking a leg over Roman's. He couldn't help the small smile that stretched across his face at that image. And he would carry that with him as he grabbed his messenger bag, the key to the hotel room, and his cell phone. He had some thinking to do.


"Hello sir, and welcome to the Coffee Corner. Can I get you started with something to drink?" A busty young waitress, perhaps no older than twenty-five, leaned over him to hand him a menu perfectly within his reach. If only she knew that he swung for the other team...

"I'll take a regular coffee - black, with no sweetener." He would need something stronger than that if he expected to make it through the day, but it was a decent place to start.

The waitress pouted her pretty, full ruby lips. The effect was lost on Dean. Rolling her eyes, she forced out a polite, "Will that be all, sir?"

"For now." Dean dismissed her, not even bothering to look at her.

She turned around and stormed off, her short skirt revealing a hint of her white lace panties underneath. A soft, "Why do I always get the weirdoes?" could be heard, before she disappeared into the kitchen. Now, it was Dean's turn to roll his eyes.

Opening his messenger bag, he pulled out his laptop. The restaurant boasted free Wi-Fi, and he intended to take full advantage of it. Quickly logging on and waiting for it to boot up, he wondered how Roman and Seth were doing back at the hotel room. He really wished that he was back in that bed, curled up on the other side of Seth, gently carding his fingers through that deceptively soft hair and kissing his bare shoulder, simply reminding him that he was still loved. Because isn't that what everyone wanted, needed? Confirmation that they were still loved and needed? That everything was going to be okay in the end?

His coffee arrived and he placed an order for an omelet and a piece of cinnamon swirl coffee cake, and the waitress left once more, once again in a huff. Taking a sip of the bitter black liquid, he tapped the Internet icon and, after a few seconds, typed in the web-address of the adoption agency that he had been in touch with over the last several weeks. It had been difficult to find one that would support the number of days that they were on the road - never mind the fact that they would be taking the child with them, but just the fact that there was no 'stable' home environment.

This agency, however, was different. It was started by a couple in a similar situation... too many miscarriages were starting to take a toll on the sub's body and mind, and, just like Seth, he was beginning to question himself and his own self-worth if he couldn't successfully carry a child to term. So, they'd turned to adoption. But adoption had fallen short as well, because of the Dom/sub dynamic of their relationship. Eventually, however, they'd found an agency that would work with them and had successfully adopted a little girl named Rosalie. This led to the beginning of a new agency to help couples (or threesomes) in the same situation.

"Well, Dean, fancy meeting you here. I didn't exactly think of you as much of the 'early-bird' type." Dean slammed the lid of his laptop closed and looked up, coming face-to-face with Hunter Helmsley. Ironically, just the man that he needed to talk to. "You mind if I take a seat here?"

Actually, he did. Very much so. This was supposed to be a detoxing hour before he had to go back and immerse himself in the real world again. But the reality of the situation was that he would have to deal with Hunter eventually, so why not sooner rather than later? "Of course not. The more the merrier." He forced a smile.

Hunter summoned the waitress and ordered himself a cup of coffee, the same way as Dean's. She scribbled it down and stormed off, not even trying her 'charms' on the COO. "So, any particular reason as to why you're gracing the hotel restaurant at five in the morning?"

"I could ask the same of you." Because, really, Dean had no interest in telling Hunter of Seth's most recent miscarriage. The false pity in his eyes might lead to an unexplainable black eye.

"Oh yes, you could... but I asked first." There was an almost evil glint in his eyes. It was like this was some stupid schoolboy game of 'chicken'.

"Fine." Dean rolled his eyes. Sometimes, the COO could be so very immature... "Seth had an... accident of sorts... on RAW. I'm giving him some alone time to recoup."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." Dean could barely stifle the retort of I bet you are. "If there's anything that I can do -,"

Dean, not even allowing him to finish, jumped in with, "You can pull him from the house shows and RAW and SmackDown tapings for the next two weeks."

The idea went over about as well as could be expected. Hunter, eye twitching, violently replied, "And who, pray tell, do you expect me to put in for one of the best things that WWE has going for it right now? Do you realize how much of a cash cow The Shield really is?"

"Roman and I are still ready, able, and willing to compete. Do whatever you want with us. Just leave Seth out of it."

Hunter was silent for a moment. Dean could almost see the twisted, demented cogs grinding round and round in his head, and he knew that whatever he was plotting wouldn't be good for anyone involved. They were truly falling deep and hard into this 'Authority' plotline, where the good guys never win and the bad guys were simply the bitches of a higher power, consisting of Triple H, Stephanie, and Vince. Dean hated the storyline because it made him feel exploited - they had come to WWE to bring back justice, and even if their justice was a little out of sorts, this was way out of line.

"On SmackDown on Tuesday, the Shield will contest three matches. Two three-on-one handicapped matches, one against Dolph and one against Big Show. Finally, the third will be an eight-on-three handicapped elimination match." Hunter said firmly.

"Seth can't go through that much trauma!" Dean exclaimed, eyes narrowing at his boss.

"Well, then, I guess you and Roman will just have to not get eliminated. Good luck with that." And with that, Hunter rose. He slapped a few bills down onto the table to pay for his coffee, and left without another word.

Dean was absolutely fuming, "Self-righteous prick!"