(For Story info, Please see Chapter 1)
Chapter 9: Damaged
-Black & Blue-
The pad of his thumb lightly rubs over her knuckles. The beep of the monitor is the background song. His grey eyes, full of worry, never leave her bruised face. He's glad that the meds are allowing her to sleep. She needs it after the ordeal she went through. One that, the Samoan Powerhouse blames himself for-because he wasn't there to prevent it.
Roman was helping Naomi with the Twins when Lana came running through the backstage area yelling for help. When their eyes met, the Russian Beauty quickly made her way over to him. Instantly she started pulling on his arm while speaking very quickly in her native tongue. However it made her hard to understand. Just as Roman was about to ask her to slow down, he heard Dean's name. That's when his heart dropped. Something happened to Dean.
The dreadful feeling got even worse as he followed Lana out to the parking lot. When he finally got to Dean, Roman almost lost it. A crowd had formed nearby. EMTs were loading the badly beaten female onto a stretcher. Roman tried to go to he, but hands grabbed him and held him back, while voices told him to let the EMTs help Dean. All the wrestler could see was the person he loved had been harmed.
Later on at the hospital, as the doctors worked on Dean, Roman found out from Rusev that she was attacked by Randy Orton. He knew right then that Orton was dead to him. The next time he laid eyes on that son of a bitch would be the last time he breathed. Roman was glad that he and Dean listed each other as emergency contacts. He was able to get Dean's condition without any hassle: Besides the cuts and bruises to her face and hands, she had broken ribs and abdominal bruising.
"Rome?"
Dean's soft, unsteady voice breaks Roman from his thoughts. He gazes up to see tired blue eyes looking back.
"Hey." He replies back.
The bed ridden female slowly looks around the room, surveying her surroundings. "Lana and Rusev…"
"They saved you." Roman tells her. Though it doesn't show on his face, the guilt of not being the one to accomplish that still weighs heavy on him.
"Fuckin' Orton." Dean breaths out but ends up cringing at the tenderness of her injured ribs. "Fuck him…I knew he was a slimy prick, but I didn't think he was a stupid slimy prick."
"It's not your fault okay? Orton will get his, don't you worry."
A few seconds of silence passes before Dean speaks again. "You still want to say it though."
A dark eyebrow is raised. "Say what?"
"I told you so."
"What?" Roman croaks out. "No. What happened to you shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry that I doubted your ability to take care of yourself. I just…I just…" He ends it with a sigh. He feels like he's rambling now.
A soft chuckle is heard from Dean. "You're such a teddy bear, dude."
"But I'm your teddy bear." Roman says with a lopsided grin. He doesn't care if it sounds corny. It's the truth.
"Oh god." Dean snorts out.
"Love you Dean." Roman whispers.
"Love you too, Rome." Dean whispers back, a soft smile on her lips.
-Don't Kill the Messenger-
Luke Harper enters the Wyatt's dressing room. He glances over at a corner to see his tag team partner Erick tinkering with a Rubik's cube. His lamb mask is sitting on top of his bald head, his eyes squinted in concentration. Luke's gaze then move over to the patriarch of the family who is sitting on a bench. His blue eyes focused on a cork capped vile of dark green powder.
"What is it, brother?" Bray asks. He shifts he eyes away from the vile to look over at the standing man.
The wild looking man doesn't respond right away. He walks over to Bray, then leans down to whisper into his ear. As he tells his message, the once calm cult leader become furious. Luke steps away after he's done. Bray's eyes reflect the rage that he is feeling. Someone dares to destroy what is his!
"Brothers, it's time we go snake hunting."
-A Not So Quiet Reflection-
This is not how he pictured it. All Seth wanted was to teach Dean a lesson-a quick lesson. Now it's this big complicated mess.
That obsession may have been his weakness. What seemed like an answer to his prayers, has turned into an unsettling feeling about his ally, Bray Wyatt. The possible future Champion does not feel that the cult leader has told everything about his reasons for helping him. Tickle his fancy? Nope, nit buying it. His face forms into a scowl the more he thinks about. It's time he had a talk with the swamp preacher.
-Snakes in the Grass-
Roman slowly stands up then stretches his large arms up, the joints to pop in relief. He lets out a quiet yawn as he looks down at the sleeping form of Dean. The pain meds kicked in again and she's been asleep for a couple of hours. A deep rumble from his stomach breaks the silence. That's when the big man realizes that it's been hours since he had eaten. Also he becomes conscious to the fact that he needs a shower and a change of clothes. This would be a good time to take care of everything, he thinks. Plus he can bring back some necessities for Dean. Roman gives her a gentle kiss on the forehead before walking out of the room. As soon as he steps into the hallway, he spots Triple H approaching.
"Hey Roman." The Game says when he comes near.
"Hey." Roman responds. Something about Triple H being there makes him feel ill at ease.
"I came by to check up on Dean. How is she doing?"
Roman tells him everything, including the extent of her injuries. A sigh of dread leaves Triple H and his shoulders drop a little. A bit of remorse is reflected in his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Rome. Shit..I didn't think-"
"With all due respect, Hunter, apologies aren't getting me closer to Orton." Roman doesn't want to hear "I'm sorry". What he wants is to get his hands on Randy and make him pay for what he's done.
Hunter understands his logic. He would be pissed too and out for blood if someone did harm to Stephanie. "Fair enough. We've gotten the Authorities involved in looking for him."
"Better hope they find him before I do." comes the growled out reply.
"Roman, please let them do their jobs."
The Samoan wrestler shakes his head. A frustrated grumble comes from him as he tries to keep his emotions in check. "If you think I'm just going to sit back and…that bastard tried to end her! That shit isn't gonna stand!"
"It won't. But you have to trust me. Let the cops handle this. Focus on taking care of Dean. You going out there looking for Orton-"
"Me taking out Orton is taking care of Dean."
Roman walks off before Triple H can utter another word.
-Mirrors of You and Me-
She pulls and pulls, but the chain will not give. Sweat covers her brow. Strands of strawberry blonde sticks to her face. Her breathing comes out in short bursts. A breeze comes through and causes goosebumps to appear all over her naked skin. Blue eyes move over to the floor length mirror in front of her. The reflection-her true reflection-looks back at her, does everything she does.
"We gotta get out of here." They both say.
The sound of a creaky door opening echoes loudly. A gasp escapes from her as she looks around, but she only finds other mirrors and only her reflection. He body tenses up when laughter is heard, a very ominous cackle.
"Hey!" Dean calls out. "Let me go!"
Without warning, a hard blow connects to Dean's stomach. It sends her sailing through the air then crashing into a mirror. She cries out as the shards of glass cut and prick her skin as they rain down on her. Dean doesn't get a chance to recover before being hurled into another mirror then another and another. This continues until all but one mirror is broken. Her body is literally covered in blood from all the cuts and scratches she maintained from the broken glass. Pieces of the glass are also in her hair. Tears fall from her agony filled steel blue eyes as Dean tries to steady herself against the agony of the cuts.
Using what little strength she has, Dean crawls over to the one standing mirror. The reflection copies her motions. He too is covered in cuts and blood, eyes reflecting pain. Both reach out, bloody fingertips smear the surface of the mirror. One word passes softly between their lips.
"Rome…"
Suddenly their faces are shoved violently through the mirror.
"Dean!"
Roman jumps up from his seat then steps quickly to Dean's bedside. He grabs at her flailing arms, however one of her wild swinging hands catches him across the cheek. He grunts but doesn't stop his mission. Roman continues to call out to her and calm her down with soothing words. Dean eventually opens her eyes. She pant harshly as she wildly looks around the room, her mind tries to register when she is.
"Dean." Roman says to her softly. "It's okay. I'm here." He reaches up to brush back some of her hair.
"Rome?" Dean's eyes finally settle on him. Fear is written big and bold all over her face. Roman could feel her trembling under his touch.
"Baby, it's okay. I promise." Roman again tries to console her. He touches her cheek.
But was it really? As Dean tries to calm herself down, her mind keeps going over her dream. Is this how it's going to be? What if Orton comes back to finish the job? What if someone else tries to? Rome won't be there all the time, no matter how much he says that he will.
-Take Me to Church-
"Bray we need to talk."
Seth decides to speak with Bray before the house show. The issue he has with him is too big to wait until later. Bray rocks back and forth in the dark wooden rocking chair. The silence sits heavy in the air. His blue eyes focus on his ally. Seth shifts slightly under the intense gaze. The two-tone haired man takes quick glances at rocking man's two brothers. Both men return crossed stares.
"Can we talk in private?"
"Whatever you have to say, Mr. Rollins, you can say in front of my brothers." Bray says, finally breaking his silence. "So how can I help you today?"
"I think it's time we end this." Seth tells him. "Change Dean back. My point has been made."
The rocking chair abruptly stops.
The wildly bearded man lets out a soft chortle. "I'm sorry but I must have heard you wrong. Did you say-"
"No." The Money in the Bank winner cuts him off. The apprehension that he had before the meeting drains away. His body straightens up and his voice changes to a commanding tone. "I wanted Dean to stop his stupid games. Him getting damn near killed by Orton wasn't a part of the plan."
Bray stand up from his chair. "You're right, Mr. Rollins." He approaches Seth, his face unreadable. "The Snake was not a part of the plan. But I see that as your fault. I mean, he is a part of your camp, is he not?"
"Hey don't-"
"No matter. He will be taken care of soon. Now back to Dean Ambrose." Another menacing chuckle from the cult leader melts away some of Seth's courage to the point that a shiver goes down his back. "She's mine. You will deliver her to me as promised."
"Him." Seth's corrects him. "Dean's not a real female. The game is over, Wyatt. Change him b-"
Without warning, the smaller man's neck is put in a vice like grip. His chocolate orbs bug out in shock and gurgle noises come from his throat. He punches hard at the hand around his neck. Meanwhile Bray's expression has twisted into something dark and foreboding.
"You will deliver to me what is mine…" he snarls low. "Or I will make sure that hell will definitely be on earth for you…Mr. Rollins."
The cult leader then throws Seth away from him. He hits the floor back first; the sudden ability to breath causes him to gasp and cough. It's then that Seth realizes his grave mistake and the path that he has no choice but to follow.
-Truth and Consequences-
The news of what happened to Dean quickly spread thought the wrestling world. It became a trending topic all over social media. It even made mainstream news. Renee Young interviews Stephanie McMahon and it is placed on WWE's official website.
In the interview, the Authority co-leader updates the WWE Universe on Dean's status. She emphasizes how the WWE strives to maintain a safe work environment for its crew, Superstars and Divas. Actions done by Randy Orton will not be tolerated.
With that being said, she says that the decision made by the Board of Directors is as follows: Randy Orton is hereby immediately terminated from his contract. A warrant for his arrest has been issued. The company will back Dean is she so chooses to file a lawsuit against him. Stephanie concludes the interview by saying that she is terribly sorry for what happened to dean, that it should not have happened and that she will personally make sure that nothing like that will ever happen again in the company.
-Band Aids Don't Fix Bullet Holes-
The next day starts out a little better for Dean and Roman. The Uso, Naomi, Natalya and Rosa come by for a visit. While the girls fawn over Dean, Roman and his cousins converse on another topic.
"You heard about what happened to Randy, right?" Jimmy asks Roman.
"Yeah, Hunter told me." Roman replies. "Doesn't mean that I'm not gonna kick his ass the next time I see him."
"I don't blame you." Jey pipes in. "We got your back okay?"
"Yeah." Jimmy says. "We can grab some more cousins and take that motherfucker out."
Roman can't help but crack a smile. "Thanks Uce. I'll let you know when it goes down."
Just then, his cell phone sounds off. Roman takes it out and the second his grey eyes land on the caller ID screen, his smile fades into a scowl. Against his better judgement, he answers the phone.
"You have a lot of fucking nerve calling me."
"Rome, I know you don't want to talk to me but-"
"You damn right, Seth." Roman hisses out. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hang up on your ass."
At the mention of Seth's name, everyone in the room becomes quiet. The Usos look over toward the bed in concern. Naomi shares a similar look when she looks at Dean. Dean's cerulean orbs are focused on Roman.
"Rome? What's wrong?' she asks.
Roman looks over to Dean when he hears the question. His scowl softens a bit before shaking his head and then stepping out of the room. Rosa frowns as she mumbles something in Spanish as Natalya sighs.
"Don't worry. " Naomi tells Dean as she gently rubs her upper arm. "Rome will handle it. You just concentrate on getting better."
Meanwhile in the hallway, Roman is getting more and more annoyed with the phone call.
Seth's voice is becoming more and more unstable as time goes on. Will Roman listen? "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything."
"Oh now you're sorry." You could hear the tenseness in Roman's voice. "You didn't seem sorry when you hit me in the back with that chair. And you're definitely not sorry for all the hell you've put Dean through."
Seth knew this would be a difficult climb. He did cause all of this. He couldn't deny that. However, he has to get Roman to listen to him. There's a bigger danger out there!
He lets out a sigh before speaking again. "How is Dean?"
"She's fine no thanks to you. This is all your fault."
"My fault?"
"Yeah. I blame you as much as I blame Orton."
No, that's not what Seth wants to hear. He does not want to be put in the same category as that prick. Roman, please listen to me! "Please forgive me. I fucked up big time. Br-"
"Forgive you? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Roman's grip on his phone is threatening to crush it. How can Seth even think that forgiveness is even an option for him now? "You know what? Keep your pathetic sorry. There was a time where I thought that maybe I could forgive you, but that's long gone."
"Roman!" Seth isn't above begging at this point.
"Shut up! You, me and Dean-never again. We are truly done. Stay away from me and you dam well better stay away from Dean."
"I have to tell y-"
That's when Roman ends the call. He didn't want to hear another word. A fleeting thought of tossing his phone comes across his mind. Grey stormy eyes glance at the door that leads to Dean's room. He knows if he goes back in, Dean will ask questions. With a frustrated sigh, the Samoan turns and walks in the opposite direction, making sure to send a text to Jimmy in the process.
-Truth "Reigns"-
The echo of the slammed back door causes the already nervous man to flinch. He cradles the cell phone in the crook of his neck as he quickly walks around the silver Lexus NX. On the phone is his father giving him detailed fleeing instructions.
Randy knew he had royally fucked up the moment he landed the first kick. It was if he had an out of body experience as he watched himself kick Dean over and over. He tried to will himself to stop but his anger, his rage took over everything. If Rusev and Lana had not shown up…
Without warning, the former World Heavyweight Champion's body slams hard into the side of the SUV. The phone falls to the ground as Randy slides down to the ground in pain. His father's voice is filed with panic as he asks what happened. The panic morphs into yelling as he hears a scuffle followed by his son's cries of agony. It seems to go on for a long time. And then a deep, angry voice is heard.
"You should have never touched her, Orton!"
His body trembles. His breath is shaky. His skin is sticky with sweat and blood. A few things feel possibly broken. Pain radiates from everywhere. Light blue eyes look up to see the source of his torment.
"R….Roman…I'm-"
The last thing Randy sees is a large fist coming toward his face.
The line is abruptly cut when a heavy boot is stomped on the device, crushing the touch screen.
-Lantern Lullaby-
Visiting hours are long over. Roman hasn't come back even though he did call her and tell her not to worry and that he would be. Doctors and nurses and stupid TV shows and…Dean is bored and cranky. Her right shoulder is twitchy and her fingers drum rapidly against her thigh.
"Fuuuuuccckkkk" she draws out in a dramatic fashion. Her narrows steel blue eyes look up toward the ceiling. "Somebody break me outta here."
"My beautiful bird is read to be free from her worrisome cage."
Dean's eyes are immediately drawn to the door. Her already annoyed scowl gets deeper when she sees the unexpected and unwanted visitor.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Bray?"
Anyone but him. This creepy bastard from Gatorville decides to further ruin her night by showing his face. Bray closes the door then moves over to her bed. In his hand, he has a bouquet of flowers, calla lilies to be exact. On the outside the smile he carries on his face could be considered cordial. Deep down, the hurt wrestler knows that Bray is anything but friendly and this isn't just a social call.
"I just came by to see how you were holding up. Look, I even brought you flowers." The bearded man places the bouquet on Dean's lap. She tries to bat them away from her, but the sudden movement is not welcomed by her ribs, causing her to hiss in pain.
"Now, now Deana…" Bray scolds her in a gentle tone.
"My name is Dean."
"Of course it is." His eyes fall on her torso. Instinctively (and carefully), Dean moves her arm to block his view. Her free hand moves over to the call button.
"Get out."
Her visitor doesn't move. His eyes shifts from her torso to her face. Totally wolfish and totally makes her skin crawl.
"Randy had no right to put his hands on you. But don't you worry darlin', your savior has gotten the snake out of the garden."
Dean's eyebrows furrow in confusion. Her savior?
"Did he finally get arrested?"
Bray chuckles as he shakes his head. "We police ourselves in the Bayou, my dear." He reaches up to touch her face, however, Dean flinches out of his reach. His smile dissipates and is replaced with coldness. "I will make you crave my touch like air. My lips like water. My words like blood."
"Right now I crave for you to get the fuck gone." Dean barks at him as she pushes the call button. Why is no one coming? What the fuck?!
Without breaking eye contact, Bray's hand sweeps the air in front of Dean. The agitation in her face fades away, her eyes droop and the rest of her body falls into a relaxed state. He listens to her even breathing for a moment before pushing the white cotton sheets down then lifting the blue hospital gown up to expose her wrapped ribs. From out of his pocket, he removes a small vial that contains a milky beige liquid. He places his unoccupied hand between her slightly legs then moves it up the inside of her bare thigh before coming to rest on the outside of the bandages. The act had no purpose; it was mere for his own perverted amusement. The faint pop of the top is heard just before Bray pours the liquid on to the bandage. As he does that, he recites a pray in an unusual language. This continues until the vial is empty.
"Sleep my darlin'" he says as he rearranges the sheet and the gown to their original positions. "We will be together soon." He uses his finger to trace a line down her cheek. "I will fix your mirror; I will worship your cracks unlike that savage who claims to love you." The cult leader leans down and places a kiss on her lips. Bray gives her one more lingering gaze before leaving the room.
-Checking Out-
Okay, so maybe he was more upset than he thought. All the same, he still should have come back to be with Dean. Roman's mind mulls over his past decision. He didn't feel comfortable being around Dean while he was still pissed off with Seth. Sure the Powerhouse has been around his partner while angry, but this is different. Because of Seth's actions, Roman could have lost someone close to him, someone he truly loves. Someone Roman failed to protect. Plus Dean would have asked questions that Roman wasn't ready to answer or could answer with a clear mind.
He knocks on the door to Dean's room before turning the knob then walking in. The Samoan takes an abrupt pause. His grey eyes blink slowly once, not sure about what he is seeing. Dean is out of the bed. Not only that, but also dressed in regular clothes and talking on her cell. All the while, she is packing her belongings. So engrossed in her call, Dean doesn't notice that she has a visitor.
"I need this, Trips." Dean says to the caller. "I don't care how. Please make it happen." That's when she spins around and sees Roman who looks back at her in confusion. "I gotta go. Rome's here."
She ends the call them smiles brightly, her dimples on full on display. The smile is short lived however when the auburn haired woman doesn't get a smile back. "What?"
"What's going on?" Roman questions. He glances at the bed then back to Dean. "You could barely sit up the last time I saw you."
"I know right?" Dean responds gleefully. "I don't know what happened. Not only did I wake up not in pain, but they checked out my ribs and they're completely healed! I'm back to normal."
"Wait, wait, wait….what?" Roman is having a hard time processing this news.
Dean places her phone onto the bed then walks over. She places her arms around his waist then looks up at Roman. "Come on, Rome. Let's not question it. My body knows I have shit to do, so it got better quickly."
Yeah maybe, Roman speculates. He's still not buying the miraculous healing properties that Dean somehow has gained. Something isn't right, he can feel it in his gut.
'You were talking to Hunter?"
'Yep!" Dean pulls away to go back to packing. "I wanted to get the ball rolling again on my Battleground match with Seth."
"No! Are you kidding me?!"
The healed wrestler quickly turns back to Roman because of his reaction. This time the look on her face is disbelief.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Dean is a little put off at the backlash that she is getting. "Seth needs to fix this! And the last time I checked, I'm a grown ass man. So don't come at me like that okay?"
If Roman wasn't so peeved at the notion of her going after Seth again, he would call her out on the whole "grown ass man" bit.
"That's not what I..." He lets out an agitated moan. "Dean, you're just coming off a brutal attack. Don't you think you should, I don't know, wait a bit before jumping into this fight with Seth?"
"I can't wait!" Dean fights back. "Don't you understand?"
"Make me understand!"
"GODDAMMIT I'M TRAPPED!"
The tension and silence in the room are thick. Both people are at a standstill. Dean doesn't know if she wants to punch Roman or run away from him. Either way, the urge to yell and cry is hammering hard within her. Right now, the corner of her eyes sting, causing her to blink a few times.
"I'm trapped…and it's my fault. Just like…just like when my mom…"
Roman instantly pulls Dean into a hug. No, he wasn't going to let her blame herself for what happened-in either case. She pleads to be released even tries to pull away. Despite that, he refuses to let her go.
"Uce, it's not your fault." He tells her. "None of it. Yeah, you ran into people that did nothing but hurt you, but guess what? You survived it. You took their worse and you still won." Roman can feel her struggles die down. He looks down at her just as she looks up at him. A few tears did manage to fall down her cheek. He smiles at her as he uses his thumb to wipe them away. "You're a survivor, Baby."
Dean lets out a shaky breath before returning a smile to Roman. Just then, his phone goes off. Roman pulls it form his is pocket. The caller ID says it's from Jimmy. They both part as he answers the phone.
"Hey Jimmy…what?...hey what?...bro, slow down…hold on…" Roman excuses himself before going into the hallway to take the call.
Now that it's just her, Dean takes a moment to collect herself. Roman's right. She's been through a lot of shit in her life, but she fought and clawed and scratched her way out. She refused to stay down. And here she is still standing. She pulls at the while hospital ID band, frowning when it would not give. She remembers she has scissors in her bag, so she grabs them. She decides to check her face to make sure no more tears are falling, so she goes to the bathroom. She turns on the light, a second later, she jumps back in shock.
"What the fuck…"
Horrified blue eyes are frozen on the image in the mirror. Dean reaches up to touch her cheek, but quickly snatches it away. Instead of being covered in stubble, it's surprisingly smooth. She touches her face again. Fingertips trace over pink plump lips. She then moves her hand to her hair that is now flowing over her shoulders.
Déjà vu.
"Oh fuck no."
Dean looks down at the pair of scissors in her hand then back at her reflection in the mirror. Bad intention in her eyes and a wicked grin stares back. Dean Ambrose don't do sweet and damn sure isn't fragile. Dean's gonna go into this fight the only way that ever worked.
"Sorry lady," Dean says. "but you gotta go."
As she takes a step toward the mirror, she uses the scissors to cut off the first lock of hair.
Meanwhile, outside in the hallway. Roman finishes up his call with his cousin. He gazes down at his phone, still dumfounded at the news. On one hand, he should feel bad about what happened to Randy. But on the other…you live by the sword, you die by the sword. So caught up in his thoughts that the wrestler doesn't hear the approaching footsteps until it's too late.
"Roman Reigns?"
He looks away from his phone to see a couple of policemen. A glance over their shoulders reveals a few more approaching.
"Yeah? What's going on?" Roman knows, he could feel it. What are the cops here? Do they think…
"I need you to put your hands behind your back. You are under arrest."
What?
