Retribution
"Okay, let me see if I've got this," said Carly, rubbing her forehead, "It's the Monday before Extreme Rules, and Evolution wants to take you on in a six-man tag-team match, despite the fact that you've already beaten them at that game?"
Seth threw up his hands and shrugged.
"I don't get it either," he said, "What are they gonna do that they haven't already?"
"Win?" said Dean, "Not that they're going to. But that's gotta be the end goal for them, y'know?'
"I don't like it," Roman shook his head, "It's too quiet. No crazy stipulations, nobody talking at all. It's weird."
Carly wasn't particularly thrilled about the situation either. It didn't exactly make her worried. It was confusing, more than anything. And if Seth was stumped, that meant it had to be a conundrum.
"The usual battle plan, then?" asked Dean.
"I guess," Seth said dubiously, "Go in there and stay alert so we don't get caught off-guard again. I don't know, man. This is just weird."
The distinct ordinariness of their entire evening had the Shield feeling off balance. For some reason, tensions were running high for everyone but them and Evolution. It was almost like Triple H had given up on targeting the Shield. But that couldn't be right.
Carly made her usual reconnaissance rounds and returned to the Shield empty-handed. None of her sources had anything to report. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was that nothing was out of the ordinary. The whole situation would've been boring if it wasn't so baffling.
Carly and the Shield just hung around backstage as the hours went by. Dean paced, Seth looked pensive, Roman sat there with his head leaned back against the wall. Nobody was terribly inclined to talk. Maybe Evolution's plan was to lull them into a false sense of apathy.
The sound of quickly approaching footsteps caught Carly's attention and roused the boys from their collective stupor. Paige was hurrying down the hallway towards them. She looked worried. Carly got to her feet.
"Carly, I need your help," Paige said, "Can you come with me?"
"What's wrong?" asked Carly.
"Anything we can help with?" asked Roman, looking as though he'd welcome any sort of break in the monotony.
"No, it's nothing we can't handle," said Paige, "And you three have a match to get ready for."
"Right. How could we forget?" Dean said drily.
"I better go handle this," said Carly, "If I don't see you before the match, good luck!"
She hurried to follow Paige. Paige was looking around nervously, as if she was afraid they were being followed.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Carly asked.
"It's Natalya," said Paige, "She heard that the Authority is going to come down on her for helping you. She was afraid to come into the arena, so she asked me to bring you out here to talk to her."
Paige led Carly out into the parking lot. After everything being too normal so far, this was almost too hard a swing in the opposite direction. Natalya, afraid? That didn't sound right at all. She had been so sure of herself, so confident in her defiance. Just as Carly was about to turn to ask Paige for clarification, she realized her mistake.
Eva Marie, Alicia Fox, and Rosa Mendez materialized from behind a tour bus. Carly stopped dead in her tracks. Stupid, rookie mistake. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for it.
"Paige-Turner, huh?" Carly said wryly, "How appropriate."
"It's nothing personal. I'm just taking care of business," said Paige with a thin smile.
"What a high opinion you must have of yourself," Rosa sneered at Carly, "Running off alone because you actually thought somebody would come to you for help."
"And before you start thinking that Stephanie went back on her promise-" said Eva Marie.
"Triple H sent you," Carly finished slowly.
"Aww, so you aren't as dumb as you look," Alicia tilted her head and smiled mockingly.
A heavy feeling of dread filled Carly. So that was the plan. Evolution wasn't going after the Shield at all. They were going after her. She should've seen it coming, but she hadn't even considered the possibility. She wasn't actually part of the Shield. She didn't fit anywhere into the three-on-three or variations of one-on-one competition between them and Evolution. But she had been there trying to thwart their plans every step of the way. Evolution had systematically made examples of all three members of the Shield, and tonight, it was Carly's turn.
She had the sudden urge to say something like "You won't get away with this!" but she knew that they most certainly would. The four women were surrounding Carly now. She glanced around warily. Why didn't they have security patrolling around here, anyway? These parking lots were death traps. Paige had made certain that nobody saw where they'd gone, so there'd be no chance of someone coming to Carly's rescue. There was no one in sight, no one within earshot. Carly bolted towards the arena doors.
They were on her before she could make it three feet. That panicked desperation surged through Carly once again. She had to get out of there. She'd seen what had happened to Roman, and to Seth, and what had nearly happened to Dean. Carly struck out violently at her attackers, scratching and clawing and throwing elbows in a frantic attempt to free herself.
Eva Marie and Rosa trapped her arms, dragging her back. Carly struggled fiercely against them, but couldn't avoid a punch to the jaw from Paige. Paige locked her arms around the back of Carly's head and drove her knee repeatedly into Carly's stomach. As she felt the hold on her arms loosen slightly, Carly doubled over in pain. She couldn't even collect herself enough to try to run before Alicia seized a handful of her hair and yanked backwards.
Carly landed hard on her back. The wind was knocked out of her. She couldn't breathe, sprawled out on the pavement as her attackers stomped and kicked viciously at her. Any vulnerable part of her body she tried to protect, they just focused on every other part she couldn't. Blow after blow jolted through her. She managed to roll over, tried to shield her ribs, hands, joints, but that only meant the assault now fell on her spine and the back of her head.
Carly desperately tried to scramble to her feet and run, but she was caught again. They held her upright as Paige kicked her in the ribs. They let Carly fall forward only to wrench her back, flinging her backwards. Carly stumbled as she fell. Her back slammed into some car's trailer hitch, the force of the impact shooting through her body like a bullet. She slumped to the ground, writhing as the pain throbbed in her back, gritting her teeth and trying not to scream or sob.
"Get her up," Paige ordered.
xXx
"Less than a week until the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, ladies and gentlemen, and we're going to get a preview of the main event here on Monday Night Raw."
"Evolution vs. the Shield, I love it! Two of the most dominant factions in WWE history going head to head."
"We've been seeing skirmishes between the members of these two groups over the past few weeks, and this six-man tag-team match looks to be pretty straightforward. The Shield is already in the ring as Evolution is making their entrance. But, hang on, it looks like Triple H has something to say."
xXx
Carly was collapsed against the four women who had nearly beaten her senseless. Any signs of life from her were answered with a blow to the head or the ribs until she didn't have the strength to resist anymore. Their hold on her was the only thing keeping her upright. Carly heard Evolution's music fade out and Triple H's voice echo through the arena.
"In every encounter between Evolution and the Shield," he said, "It's become clear to me that the Shield has something of a management problem. By which I mean, your manager is a problem. If Carly Caden is ringside, she causes trouble. If she's banned from ringside, she still causes trouble. No matter where she is, she just can't seem to mind her own business. I was at a bit of a loss about how to deal with this, but I came up with a solution. Now, don't look so worried. This is mutually beneficial, for my own peace of mind, and since you boys are suddenly so keen on making sure it's a fair fight. It's best for all of us if we keep Carly somewhere we can keep an eye on her, and if we're sure she's in no condition to cause any trouble."
xXx
"What is he-? Oh my God."
"Oh no…"
"Eva Marie, Rosa Mendez, Alicia Fox, and Paige are dragging Carly Caden out onto the stage. I'm guessing those women are also responsible for the condition she's in."
"Looks like they really put her through the wringer."
"Oh, the Shield couldn't have been expecting this. They do not look happy."
xXx
Alicia and Rosa released Carly's arms and she dropped to her knees. Somebody, probably Paige, planted a boot on her shoulder and shoved her over onto her side. Everything ached. Carly could hear the crowd buzzing with shock and outrage. Any other time, it would've made her feel better to know they were on her side. But she was too angry with herself for being tricked, too indignant at being humiliated like this to care.
Seth, Dean, and Roman must've been standing close enough to Triple H for their angry, shouting voices to be faintly picked up on his microphone. Triple H laughed.
"You just focus on the match, boys," he said, "She'll be perfectly safe where she is, as long as you don't try to get anywhere near her."
. The bell rang.
xXx
"Starting things off with Randy Orton and Roman Reigns, and Orton not wasting any time, catching Reigns off-guard it seems. The Shield still seems a little shaken up."
"That's why they call Triple H the Cerebral Assassin. He knows how to get in an opponent's head."
"By ordering a hit on their friend, apparently."
"Hey, if you make yourself a friend of the Shield and an enemy of the Authority, you put that target on your own back."
"So you think he's justified in sending four Divas to beat Carly Caden senseless?"
"Orton has been in complete control of the match so far, not giving Reigns any space to gain momentum. Reigns trying to power out of that chokehold now, and he's – oh! Big right hand from Orton. He whips Reigns into Evolution's corner and makes the tag to Triple H."
xXx
From the sounds of it, though, things weren't going so well for the Shield. If Carly could just sit up, she could at least see what was happening. Carly gingerly, painfully raised herself to her hands and knees. She got no further. Somebody kicked her forcefully in the stomach, and Carly dropped back to the ground.
"You stay down," said Paige.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Carly growled.
But she did stay down. At least that way she'd get a chance to recover somewhat. Carly closed her eyes and listened to the crowd.
xXx
"Roman Reigns finally able to make the tag to Dean Ambrose."
"The Shield just can't get ahead of Evolution tonight. This is something we haven't seen since the night Evolution returned."
"Uh-oh, looks like trouble. Looks like they aren't done with Roman Reigns yet."
"Orton and Batista stalking Reigns and Orton outside the ring."
"We're gonna have a brawl on our hands pretty soon."
"Rollins tries to take out Batista, but he jumps right into an uppercut! Rollins is down! Batista and Orton going after Reigns. They're slamming his head into our table here and-"
"Look out!"
"Reigns thrown violently over the announcers' table! Back in the ring, Ambrose can't concentrate."
"He doesn't know where to look."
"Better watch out, Dean. This is not a good time to lose focus."
"Triple H hitting him with a backbreaker from behind! And then a Pedigree! Triple H goes for the cover… and he's got it."
"Huh. That was… that was kind of a short match for these two groups, wasn't it?"
"And Evolution isn't even waiting around to celebrate their victory. They're just walking out."
"Would you look at the Shield? They're in shock. They don't even know what hit them."
"After the brutal beatdowns Evolution has inflicted on them over the past weeks, now they just take a quick victory and walk? I'm confused, too."
xXx
Triple H paused on the stage as Evolution made their exit.
"Nice work, Paige," Carly heard him say, "Ladies, you can stand down."
With parting kicks to Carly's back and ribs, that pack of she-devils left. Carly shut her eyes tightly and breathed, trying to ignore the aches that echoed through her bones. What a disaster. What an unmitigated disaster. A rushed match ending in a loss for the Shield, the week before Extreme Rules? This night was a mess from start to finish.
Suddenly, Carly felt someone's hands on the sides of her face, carefully supporting and lifting up her head. She opened her eyes to see that Roman was cradling her head in his lap.
"Easy, now," he said, "You're okay. We've got you, Carly. Just lay still."
Dean and Seth knelt on either side of her. They didn't look much the worse for their defeat at the hands of Evolution, thank goodness. Seth was looking over her, as if by doing so he could somehow ascertain if she was hurt. Dean's eyes never left her face.
"Carly? Come on, girl, talk to me," said Dean, "What did they do to you?"
For some reason, his concern annoyed her. Carly knew that was unfair of her, but honestly, what did it look like they did? Took her out for ice cream? The sooner they established that everybody was okay, the sooner they could leave.
"You guys are alright?" Carly asked.
"Don't worry about us, we're fine," Seth said dismissively, "You take it easy, alright? Where does it hurt?"
Everywhere. But mostly her feelings. Carly would've made a joke about it if she wasn't so angry that she could almost cry.
"And where are the damn medics when you need them?" said Dean, his voice crescendoing from a growl to a shout.
Making a scene again. It was like he couldn't help himself. All Carly wanted was for them to shut up so they could get out of there.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt," Carly shook her head, "Just… just help me up, huh?"
"Hang in there until the doctors check you out, okay?" said Roman.
That soothing tone in his voice only irritated Carly further.
"Fine. I can manage on my own," she said shortly.
Carly pulled away from Roman as sharply as her stiff, aching body would allow. She eased herself upright in spite of their protests that she was in no condition to do so. It didn't matter. If they weren't going to help, she'd walk out on her own and call a cab back to the hotel, just to end this whole wreck of a night as soon as possible.
"Come on, Carly," Dean pleaded.
"I said I'm fine," Carly said.
She tried to take a step towards the exit, but putting weight on her left knee made her have to stifle a pained gasp. Not quickly enough to keep the others from noticing, unfortunately. Dean and Roman jumped to catch her, but Carly shrugged them off. The sprain had been healing. Must've gotten reinjured. Great. Nobody better say anything, or -
"I'm not sure I believe you," said Seth, looking down at her skeptically.
"I'm not sure I care what you believe," Carly snapped, "Don't patronize me, Seth."
Seth was startled into silence by her outburst, and Carly hated herself for it. She felt like she'd just kicked a puppy. By that time, a few medics had gathered around and they were staring apprehensively at her. She could tell Dean and Roman were staring, too. Worse yet, she could almost feel the disapproving look in Roman's eyes. Carly messed up, and she knew it. She wanted to be anywhere but there. She just wanted to go.
"Carly?" Roman said softly.
"Seth, I'm sorry. I just… I'm tired, I'm angry, and I want to go home. Back to the hotel, I mean. Whatever," Carly muttered, "Please, can we just leave?"
Seth's expression softened and he nodded.
"Okay. We'll get you out of here," Seth said, turning to the medics, "Is that alright?"
"She does have the right to refuse treatment," one of them said reluctantly, "But I wouldn't advise it."
"I'll take responsibility for her," said Seth, "We'll make sure she's taken care of."
The medics didn't look entirely supportive of this decision, but they stepped aside. The Shield slowly walked with Carly as she limped toward the locker rooms. Roman's hand hovered an inch from her arm, ready to catch her if she stumbled, but she refused to lean on him. Her pride was still too damaged to even think of accepting help.
xXx
It was another rather quiet drive back to the hotel. The boys seemed a little wary of Carly, like they were worried she would snap again. Carly slouched in the back seat, pushing herself against the door to be as far away from Dean as possible. He kept shooting her glances like he wanted to say something, but he was silent. That was bad. She'd succeeded in putting up a wall that even Dean Ambrose dared not approach.
She felt lousy about losing her temper at them, and for yelling at Seth in particular. It was completely uncalled for. After all the times they stood by her, she had to go and be an absolute jerk. She couldn't remember ever getting really angry at them before. Even the spat she'd had with Dean the week before was just that: a spat. And remembering that made her feel worse. Dean honestly cared about her. They all honestly cared about her, and she'd taken her anger out on them. Maybe she should've taken a taxi back to the hotel, just to spare them all this awkwardness.
Suddenly, Seth took a deep breath and turned back to Carly.
"We're so sorry," he said, "We should've known… I should've known they were coming after you next."
"We should've done something to protect you, and we didn't," said Roman.
Wait, what? They were apologizing to her? Why on earth-?
"What are you talking about?" said Carly, mystified.
"Aren't… aren't you mad at us?" Dean asked hesitantly.
Incredulous, Carly couldn't help but laugh. The very idea that the boys thought they had done something wrong was just too ridiculous. But now they looked even more confused, and slightly concerned about her sanity. She'd better clear things up.
"Of course not!" said Carly, "I'm mad at myself."
"Wait, why would you be mad at yourself?" asked Roman, glancing back at her in the rear-view mirror.
"Because I fell for that stupid trick like an idiot," Carly sighed in frustration.
"What trick?" said Seth.
"Yeah, you never told us what happened after you left with Paige," said Dean.
"Paige," Carly growled the name, "Told me Natalya was in trouble for helping me. I followed her out into the parking lot, like a moron, and that's when they kicked the daylights out of me. I can't believe I walked right into a trap."
Dean reached over to rub her shoulder comfortingly, which actually kind of hurt, but Carly thankfully had the presence of mind to smile at him instead of flinching.
"I thought Paige was on our side," Roman shook his head incredulously, "Wonder how Triple H got to her."
"You're telling me," Carly grumbled, "If you don't already have trust issues coming into this company, you'll get them soon enough."
"Look, you had every right to be upset," said Seth.
"But I don't have any right to take it out on you three," said Carly, "I'm sorry, guys. I shouldn't have lost my temper at you. I just wanted it all to be over."
"Don't worry about it, princess," Dean said, "We all lose it every now and then."
"Some more often than others," Roman said under his breath.
"Cute," said Dean, wrinkling his nose.
"But seriously, Carly," said Seth, "We've had our fair share of stupid fights. One time, just before you came to work here, we were at each other's throats so bad that it was almost the end of the Shield."
"Really?" said Carly. She knew they argued from time to time, but it was hard for her to imagine them getting to a point where the Shield would seriously consider breaking up.
"Mhmm," Dean nodded, "Me and Roman only got our act together because Seth walked out on a match. Personally, I would've preferred it if the three of us duked it out in the parking lot and then went out for beers afterwards, but-"
"Hey," said Seth, throwing up his hands, "I'll let you and Roman settle your differences with your fists. I prefer making a point."
"I distinctly remember you making a point to slap me across the face," Dean said drily.
"Well, I distinctly remember you punching me in the mouth," Seth retorted, "So we're even."
"I knocked Dean down," Roman added after a pause, "Not that it had any effect on the proceedings. Just felt like the thing to do at the time."
"Yeah, thanks for that, uce," said Dean.
"No problem," Roman grinned.
By that time, Roman was pulling into a parking space at the hotel, and Carly was relieved that she'd been able to clear the air with them. Seth and Dean went to get their gear from the trunk. Roman opened the door for Carly and looked down at her with a faint smile.
"Are you at least gonna let us help you now?" he asked.
Carly blinked in surprise. She hadn't even considered that refusing their assistance would bother them. But now that she thought about it, of course it'd be upsetting to have someone essentially tell you they'd rather continue suffering than accept your help. Carly cringed inwardly. She'd sunk to new depths of discourtesy tonight.
"I'd really appreciate it, actually," she said humbly.
Roman needed no second bidding. He gently lifted Carly and carried her inside. Carly was grateful they had forgiven her that readily. She knew they were well used to fighting and making up with each other (they were brothers, after all) but she hadn't been the one causing strife before tonight.
As usual, they all went to the boys' hotel room to talk strategy. Roman set Carly down on one of the beds. While Seth and Dean dropped off their baggage, Carly carefully tried to take off her jacket. She couldn't help wincing as her joints resisted the movement. Roman stopped her.
"Let me," he offered.
"Thanks," said Carly.
Roman moved behind Carly to ease the jacket off her shoulders.
"What is that?" Carly heard him exclaim.
"Carly, what happened to your back?" Seth asked sharply.
"What do you mean?" said Carly. She turned to see them all looking at her concernedly.
"There's blood on the back of your shirt," said Roman, "What happened?"
It took Carly a moment to remember, and doing so returned her attention to how much her back actually was hurting.
"Oh. Well," said Carly, "I did get thrown into a trailer hitch at one point, so I guess-"
Shocked outbursts from the boys cut her off.
"They did that on purpose?" said Roman, "What is wrong with those girls?"
Dean raked his fingers through his hair. He looked like he wanted to punch something, but at the same time was very aware that there was nothing and no one he could punch that would help the situation. Seth just frowned concernedly down at Carly.
"Will you let me take a look?" Seth asked.
"Sure, I guess," Carly shrugged.
She figured it couldn't hurt, and they all looked so worried that it would be pointless to argue. She had promised herself she'd let them help, after all. Dean and Roman went to stand behind Seth, who sat on the bed behind Carly and raised the back of her shirt a bit. Carly heard Seth inhale sharply through his teeth.
"Oh man…" said Roman, "Do we need to get her to a doctor?"
"No, I don't think so," Seth said slowly, "The cut itself isn't that deep. It just looks bad because it's bruised all to hell."
In a small way, the knowledge that she actually was hurt was validating to Carly. She'd felt kind of pathetic for letting herself be taken out by one blow to the back. Dean sat down facing Carly and took her by the shoulders.
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" he said. He spoke a little more slowly than necessary, as if he was trying to keep from shouting.
"I didn't know," said Carly, "How am I supposed to see if something happened to my own back?"
"But that looks like it hurts," he protested.
"It does hurt," said Carly. The statement ended up sounding like a question.
"Then why would you-?" Dean spluttered, "You didn't think to mention-? Busted your back on a trailer hitch,for the love of-! I can't."
Dean stood up hurriedly to pace off his incredulous exasperation. Carly watched him guiltily, and Roman shook his head.
"Go easy on her," Roman said, "Don't you think she feels bad enough already? Anyway, you can't even talk, Dean. Remember that time back when we were first starting out, when you cut up your hand punching that windshield? I literally had to pin you down so we could take care of it."
"Roman, why do you have to be right all the time?" said Dean.
He glared petulantly at Roman, but calmed down all the same. The mental image of Seth and Roman trying to patch Dean up while he fought like a wounded animal was amusing to Carly, but only until she actually stopped to think about it. Then it wasn't funny at all. It was a little sad and kind of distressing. Poor Dean, to be that unresponsive to kindness. Poor Seth and Roman, to be distrusted like that. But look at them now. Carly was so grateful for all their sakes that this unlikely band of brothers had come together.
"We should be able to get you patched up ourselves, Carly," said Seth, "If that's ok with you?"
"Amateur medical attention? What could possibly go wrong?" Carly said wryly. In all honesty, she'd rather take her chances with that than have to get up again, "Go ahead, doc."
"Alright," said Seth, laughing at her pronounced lack of enthusiasm, "Dr. Ambrose?"
"On it, Dr. Rollins," Dean played along.
He knelt down and rummaged around in his suitcase. Carly watched curiously as he produced a first-aid kit.
"You carry a first-aid kit?" she asked.
"After all the crazy stuff that happens in the indies," Dean grinned, "You learn that it pays to be prepared. You should hear some of the-"
"No. Dean, no," Seth interrupted, "If you're thinking of telling her about the time you did that cowboy surgery on – no. Now is not the time for that story."
"It's never the time for that story," Roman muttered.
"Bunch of lightweights," said Dean.
Dean set the kit on the bed and flipped it open. As he and Seth rummaged through it, Carly noticed that in addition to the usual components, it also contained a flask and a pack of sewing needles. Yeah, she really did not want to hear that story. Seth went to the sink and held a few gauze pads under the faucet.
"I'll go get some ice while you take care of her," offered Roman.
"Good thinking," said Seth.
"Don't worry, Carly," Roman called as he walked out the door, "Believe it or not, those two actually do know what they're doing."
"You're in good hands," said Dean, "We're experts."
"Dean's the expert," said Seth, "I just play one on TV."
Carly laughed a little in spite of herself. Seth started gently and meticulously cleaning the cut. Now that she was sitting still, Carly would've liked nothing more than to collapse and sleep for the next five years. Her aching body felt stiff and tired. Even though the boys had forgiven her, her treatment of them when they were just trying to help still weighed on her mind, as did the memory of Paige turning on her. Carly wondered if she had done something wrong, anything that would've prompted that sudden shift in loyalties. But maybe it didn't have anything to do with her at all. Paige had said it was just business. That was an even more chilling thought – that someone could abruptly alter their morals like that just to suit their own selfish goals.
Seth got up to throw away the used pieces of gauze, and Dean retrieved and opened an antiseptic wipe. The sting of it coming into contact with the cut startled Carly out of her musings. She flinched away.
"Hey, relax. Relax," Dean said soothingly, holding onto Carly's shoulder to steady her, "We're almost done here."
Roman let himself back in, ice in hand.
"Still alive, Carly?" he asked.
"I resent that, Roman," Seth said, feigning offense, "We haven't lost a patient yet."
"The only other patient you two have had is me," said Roman, "And I'm little sturdier than she is. No offense, Carly."
"None taken," she said, grimacing because he was right.
"Hey, paging Dr. Rollins," Dean called, "I need a hand finishing up here."
As Dean and Seth worked together to tape another piece of gauze over the cut as a bandage, Roman started making up a makeshift ice-pack.
"There," said Seth, rubbing Carly's shoulders reassuringly, "All fixed."
"Thanks," said Carly.
"Now, Miss Caden, are you sure they didn't hurt you otherwise?" said Dean, half-jokingly, "They didn't beat the common sense out of you? Not that you had much to start with."
He took Carly's head in his hands as he talked, pretending to examine it for further damage. Carly made a face at him but didn't pull away. She owed it to the boys to play nice for a while.
"Very funny," she said wryly.
"Seriously, though, Carly," said Seth, standing up and facing her, "If you get hurt, don't lie about it for any reason. Even if you think it's nothing, okay? That's how people in this business get into a lot of trouble."
"Right," said Carly, a little abashed, "Sorry, Seth."
"Alright, mom," Roman interjected, "No more lecturing. Let her rest."
"I just want her to be smart about this," Seth protested.
Dean muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Don't hold your breath."
Dean had stacked a couple pillows, and he helped Carly to reposition herself so she could lean back against them. She had to admit, he and Seth were pretty efficient when it came to first-aid. She supposed the Shield had a lot of practice making sure each other got patched up and taken care of.
"Here," said Roman, sitting down next to her, "We better get some ice on that knee. I'm sure getting stomped into the pavement didn't do it any favors."
"You can say that again," said Carly.
She winced as Roman helped straighten her knee out and settled the ice-pack onto it.
"Sorry," he said with a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, you good now?" said Dean. He still seemed a little miffed for some reason.
"Better than I was," Carly answered honestly.
"Good. No more making us worry," he ordered.
Dean sat down on the bed. When he glanced over at Carly, his irritated expression softened, and he reached over to brush the hair back from her forehead.
"Scared the hell out of us, y'know," he said, "Seeing you not moving, beaten half to death like that."
"I'm sorry-" Carly began.
"Stop that," Dean interrupted, not unkindly, "That's not what I meant."
He looked down for a moment. When glanced back at Carly, there was a smile on his face that, incongruously enough, almost made him look shy.
"I kept that promise, y'know," he said softly, then wrinkled his nose, "I didn't want to, but I did."
That's right, he did. Dean had done his level best to focus on the task at hand, the match, against all odds.
"Knights oughta keep their promises," said Carly, taking his hand for a moment, "I'm proud of you, Dean."
"Yeah, well," he laughed self-consciously.
Carly saw Seth and Roman shooting each other knowing looks during that exchange. At first she assumed it was because Dean must've told them about their conversation, but then they looked confused when she mentioned knights. When Roman noticed that Carly had noticed, he smiled disarmingly. There they were, being evasive again.
"We're just glad you're alright, more or less," said Roman.
"Hopefully it'll never happen again," said Seth, "But if it does, just let us help, alright?"
"Alright," Carly said sheepishly.
It was at moments like these when Carly realized just how much her brief time with the Authority had skewed her thinking. The Shield had perfected the art of camaraderie. They were defined by their trust in and reliance on each other. Carly, on the other hand, couldn't quite shake the proud, every-man-for-himself selfishness the Authority prized so highly. For all her talk of honor, and for all that she was willing to do to help the Shield, Carly's first impulse was always to handle matters on her own. It was becoming apparent to her that she was not particularly good at being a friend.
But maybe it wasn't fair to blame the Authority (ridiculous as that sounded, since they were to blame for pretty much everything). Maybe it was a fault of her own. Maybe there was more McMahon in her than she'd been willing to admit.
"Alright, Seth," said Roman, "Any theories on what the hell tonight was about?"
"Punishment. At least as far as what happened to Carly is concerned," said Seth, "My guess is that Randy Orton dragging her into his match with Dean was supposed to kill two birds with one stone. You know, put the hurt on Dean and Carly at the same time. Since that backfired, and since Carly's been instrumental in messing up Triple H's plans, he put a hit out on her in particular, and used it to keep us off-balance."
"And the match itself?" asked Dean, "If you can call that mess a match."
"So simple it was too stupid to bear thinking about," Seth said drily, "They threw my own strategy back at me, in their own vindictive way. Aside from what happened to Carly, they won clean. That's the first time they were able to do that. And, they got it done without wearing themselves out. They wanted a win going into Extreme Rules, but they didn't want to risk anything."
"That's pathetic," Dean said emphatically.
"That's Evolution," Roman shrugged.
"So you don't think they'll be at Smackdown?" Carly asked.
"I can almost guarantee they won't," said Seth, "But they're gonna make sure we are, and they probably have something spiteful planned to make sure we won't be at one-hundred percent on Sunday."
"Let me guess," said Roman, "There's no way we can figure out what it is?"
"Probably not," said Seth. He sighed in frustration, "We can handle anything, as long as we know it's coming. Even that stupid eleven-on-three match could've been taken care of if-"
Seth broke off suddenly. He looked around at the others, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.
"I think I know how we can get a little retribution of our own," he said.
xXx
Verified: Evolution and the Authority would not be making an appearance at the Smackdown broadcast. Carly and the Shield slipped into the arena far earlier than they normally would. As usual, though, they found an "undisclosed location" to use as their base of operations. Carly had more or less recovered from the unfortunate events of Monday, though, at the boys' insistence, she'd let Seth wrap and tape her knee. Just to be safe, they'd said.
"Just about showtime, I think," said Seth, rubbing his hands together, "All set, Carly?"
"All set," Carly nodded.
"Are you sure you can swing it?" asked Dean.
Carly didn't appreciate the skeptical look he was giving her. She raised her chin and smirked up at him.
"Sweetheart," she said, mimicking the cadence of Dean's voice, "I can handle Vickie Guerrero any day of the week. I'm surprised you don't know that by now."
Dean's eyes narrowed. His mouth twisted into a grimace, as though he was trying to fight back a smile.
"You're mocking me, aren't you," he said drily.
"Seriously, Carly," said Seth, "You remember the plan, right?"
"Come on, Seth," Carly groaned, "We've been over this. I helped you come up with the plan. It's a walk in the park. All I have to do is go to Vickie and beg her not to throw us in that briar patch."
"Then hop to it, Br'er Rabbit," Roman grinned, "Only don't actually hop. You'll hurt your knee again."
"Don't worry about me, boys," said Carly, "Subterfuge and sabotage are what I do best."
"Except when you get caught and locked in closets," Dean called after her as she walked away.
Carly ignored him and continued on toward Vickie's office. If she didn't know the Shield as well as she did, she might have been insulted. But Seth was just being overcautious because he wanted the plan to go according to plan. Dean, on the other hand, was just being Dean. And Carly gave as good as she got from him, so his teasing never really bothered her.
Carly paused a moment to collect herself in the empty hallway outside the general manager's designated office. There was a good reason she'd been given this part of the mission. Carly and Seth were the only ones in the group with any amount of acting ability. Roman was far too honest and straightforward to be convincing, and Dean could control his emotions just about as well as he could control the weather.
Carly took a step back and rearranged her expression into one of outrage. She charged at the door, bursting into the room.
"Vickie, how could you!" she cried accusingly.
Startled, Vickie Guerrero gave a little shriek and threw up her arms, losing her grip on her cell phone and making a futile attempt to juggle it back into her hands before it clattered to the floor. Carly had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Vickie tried to draw herself up into a dignified posture.
"You can't just barge into my office like that," she said, "And what are you talking about? How could I what?"
"You know very well what!" said Carly, advancing on her, "I have it on good authority that Triple H gave the order to have the Shield put in another eleven-on-three handicap match tonight, and you're just going stand by and let this happen?"
"Triple H didn't order anything of the sort," Vickie fired back, "I would know, because-"
"Oh, I see how it is," Carly nodded, glaring at the other woman, "It wasn't Triple H's idea at all. It was yours! I should've known. Only you could've come up with such a devious strategy. That's why the Authority gave you this position of power. I bet Triple H and Stephanie were so pleased when you told them. You're every bit as cruel and cunning as they are!"
Carly worried that she might be laying it on a bit thick. But a slow smile was spreading across Vickie's face, and Carly knew she'd taken the bait.
"You're right," Vickie said with an abrasive laugh, "It was my idea. I didn't just get this job because of my looks, you know. And you can go tell the Shield that they will have a match tonight against Curtis Axel, and Ryback, and Alberto del Rio, and 3MB, and Jack Swagger, and Fandango, and Titus O'Neil, and Bad News Barrett, and… and-"
Vickie seemed unable to think of an eleventh name. Carly jumped in.
"Not Damien Sandown," she said, as though the thought of it horrified her. She felt a little bad for picking on Sandow. She had nothing against the man, but his name was the first one she thought of, and anybody was preferable to Rusev.
"Yes, Damien Sandow," Vickie crowed triumphantly, "And there's nothing you can do about it!"
Carly opened her mouth, then pursed her lips distressedly, looking down as if she had become aware of her inevitable defeat. When she finally looked back at Vickie, Carly appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"It's impossible," she said in a broken voice, "The Shield doesn't stand a chance. I hope you're proud of yourself, Vickie!"
And with that, Carly turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. There were other employees milling about by that time, so she had to keep up the appearance of being upset as she ran back to the Shield. She was rather pleased with herself. Vickie Guerrero was easily managed, sure, but Carly had put on a mighty fine show. Too bad no one was there to see it.
When she reached the all but deserted hallway where the Shield waited, she slowed to a saunter. The boys looked to her expectantly. Carly grinned.
"Mischief managed," she proclaimed, high-fiving Roman.
"I never should've doubted you, princess," said Dean. He threw an arm around Carly's neck and kissed the side of her head.
"Vickie fell for it?" asked Seth.
"Hook, line, and sinker," Carly said proudly, "Just call me Colonel Hogan."
"Who?" Seth tilted his head in confusion.
"Oh come on, Seth," said Roman, "You're telling me you've never seen reruns of Hogan's Heroes?"
"Explain it to me later," said Seth, "It's time to suit up and go hunting, boys."
xXx
Carly sat near one of the backstage monitors, only half paying attention to the match between Cesaro and Jack Swagger. At some point, she would have to scout out the Shield's next target, but she didn't want to miss all the fun. She wished one of these two would hurry up and knock the other one senseless.
She was trying to focus. If she started thinking about what might happen at Extreme Rules, her stomach began to twist itself into worried knots. Why fret about that now, anyway? It was two days away. Besides, the Shield would be on their own then. There'd be nothing she could do to help, so… Actually, no, that was a really good reason to worry.
Finally. Cesaro picked up the win, he and his walrus celebrated beside a fallen Jack Swagger, and cue Shield. Heyman and Cesaro made a hasty retreat while the Shield surrounded the ring like a pack of wolves. Just as Swagger got to his feet, a Superman punch from a thoroughly keyed-up Roman Reigns floored him again. One roar to the heavens, one triple-powerbomb, and goodnight, Swagger. Carly stuck around only long enough to hear the crowd explode with anticipation at the Shield's declaration of war. She had reconnaissance work to do.
xXx
"Great start, guys," said Carly, "Slight hitch in the proceedings, though."
"Aww, come on," Seth groaned, "What could've gone wrong already?"
She'd caught them still fired up from their strong start. She didn't like having to bring them down, but it was part of her job as scout to bring bad news on occasion.
"Nothing terrible," she said, "Just thought you'd want to know that Vickie got sent home for the night. Brad Maddox was brought in to take over, and he wants you all to come to his office."
"Looks like we're gonna have to take care of business," Roman smirked, "We never did get a chance to repay him for his fine work ratting you out to Triple H."
"I think I'm gonna enjoy this," Dean grinned, rubbing his hands together.
"We can let the weasel wait for a bit," said Seth, "We can dispose of him easily enough. Who's up next, Carly?"
"3MB. They were hanging out just past catering last I checked," said Carly, "I'd love to get my hands on that punk, Heath Slater. Show him what it feels like to be trapped in a wrist lock for five minutes straight."
She glowered and rubbed her shoulder absently. She hadn't had anything against Slater before that awful Friday night. Now she couldn't bring herself to forgive him for siding with the Authority, with Evolution, and for being the one who forced her to watch that brutal attack.
"Right, he was the one that twisted your arm, wasn't he," Dean said thoughtfully.
"Leave him to us tonight, alright?" said Roman, massaging his wrist as he clenched his hand into a fist, "We'll teach him a lesson."
Carly sighed, and Seth put his arm around her shoulders consolingly.
"You'll get a crack at Slater at some point. I promise," he said, "But I don't want you risking yourself after the beating you took on Monday."
"You're probably right," Carly said resignedly.
"I'm always right," said Seth, grinning.
Carly watched from a distance as the Shield surrounded 3MB, appearing one at a time in an almost theatrical manner. She smiled to herself. The boys were such show-offs. Dean and Seth proceeded to beat the daylights out of McIntyre and Mahal while Roman held Slater frozen in terror by the sheer intensity of his wolf's eyes. Slater tried to get away, but Dean kneed him in the head before tossing him back into the path of a Superman punch from Roman.
The Shield left the crumpled remains of 3MB without so much as a word or a backward glance. Carly couldn't help thinking that these were the sort of men who walked away from explosions. She didn't bring it up, because she was sure they knew exactly how cool they looked at any given time. Carly fell in step with them as Seth lead the way.
"Off to hunt ourselves a flying monkey?" asked Dean.
"Might as well," Seth shrugged, "Coming along, Carly?"
"Wouldn't miss it," she grinned.
Carly leaned against the doorframe as the Shield stalked into the office, surrounding Brad Maddox. His smug confidence faltered a bit when Seth plucked the cell phone from his hand and passed it to Dean, who immediately tossed it over his shoulder.
The boys certainly weren't listening to anything Brad was saying. They let him ramble for a few seconds before Roman reached over and took hold of his tie. Carly could see true fear in the eyes of Brad Maddox as Roman wrapped it around his hand. Seth clapped him in the back, smiling insincerely, and instantly had to step aside as Roman hurled Brad full force against the wall.
Brad landed, stunned, on top of the couch. Seth and Roman pulled it away from the wall, dumping him to the floor. Seth took a step towards the fallen weasel, but to everyone's bafflement, Dean held him back. A confused Seth asked what he was doing, and then-
Dean leapt – no, pounced – over the couch like a wild animal and tore into Brad. It almost sounded like Dean was ripping him to pieces. Carly knew she shouldn't find it funny, but she nearly burst out laughing. From where she stood, the couch blocked her view of Dean and Brad, and the whole thing looked so hilariously slapstick-ish that she almost lost it.
Seth and Roman stood back and let him go to town. They were every bit as entertained by it as Carly was. With a final stomp, Dean stepped away. He looked proudly, expectantly back at Seth and Roman, as if to say 'Don't worry, guys. I got 'im.' Seth laughed and threw an arm around Dean's neck and pulled him away.
"I love it when he gets like this," Roman remarked, grinning, as he clapped Dean on the back.
Carly stood in utter bemusement as the Shield walked past, her hand pressed over her mouth. Roman and Dean didn't seem to notice, but Seth paused.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"What Dean just did," said Carly, "Does it make me a bad person if I thought it was adorable?"
Seth burst out laughing at her conflicted bewilderment.
"Oh, Carly," he said, patting her on the head, "Let's go."
xXx
"One more down," said Dean, dancing a bit as he and the boys returned to Carly.
"Don't you think that might have been overkill, just a little?" Carly said hesitantly, "I mean, sure, Fandango is a two-timing scumbag, but he… I'm sorry. I have no idea why I was trying to defend him. Good work. He completely deserved to be triple-powerbombed off the stage onto a table."
"Is there still time to level the field some more?" asked Roman.
"I'd say we could take out one more," Seth said thoughtfully, "Carly?"
"The rest of them have gotten wise and made themselves scarce," she said, "Except for Curtis Axel. He's still in the locker room."
"Maybe we oughta teach him what happens when you go tempting fate like that," Dean grinned.
"'Better than perfect', huh?" said Roman, "We'll see about that."
As Carly watched them stalk into the locker room, she wished she could see the looks on the Authority's faces now. They may hold the power in this company, but the Shield was still better by far than Evolution. Better fighters and better men, just like Seth said. She had no doubt whatsoever that the Shield could pick up the victory at Extreme Rules.
When the match finally began, the opposition had been whittled down to only five men. Not exactly ideal, still, but well within the Shield's ability to handle. The boys were able to use the strategy that had been employed against them weeks ago. Frequent tags to a cornered Ryback and Titus O'Neil quickly wore them down.
Unfortunately for Dean, that lout Barrett was able to take over for a while, and passed the poor guy off to get tossed around by del Rio. Seth was pacing agitatedly on the apron, but that was more due to adrenaline than nerves. Carly wasn't worried either. That's what she kept telling herself, at least. That is, until del Rio landed a brutal kick to the side of Dean's head and got a near-fall.
The look of shocked concern on Seth and Roman's faces convinced Carly that now was the time to panic a little. And now Dean was getting manhandled by Ryback. Carly fidgeted anxiously, flinching every time Dean took a hit. This was not good. He needed to tag out, and soon. Her heart nearly stopped when Seth jumped in to save Dean and got tossed to the ground by Ryback for his troubles. They couldn't lose. Not now. Not after all they'd done to set this up.
Finally! Thank goodness, Roman was tagged in. Sandow never knew what hit him, and the fight quickly devolved into a brawl. An interfering Ryback and O'Neil were dumped out of the ring by Roman to be disposed of by Dean and Seth. Poor, unfortunate Sandow took an apron dropkick to the head, and would've taken a Superman punch if not for the half-hearted attempt at interference by del Rio and Barrett.
Those two quickly decided that better part of valor is walking away like cowards, and that was all the Shield needed to swing the night in their favor. Seth flipped over the ropes to take out Ryback, then he and Dean took out Sandow and O'Neil with a suicide dive. Carly didn't know what had happened to Roman, del Rio, or Barrett, until she saw the latter two walking up the ramp. Then Roman, like some kind of avenging angel, flew out of nowhere and took del Rio down with a Superman punch while Barrett ran off with his tail between his legs.
It was one of the most satisfying, triumphant sights in the world: Dean and Roman and Seth walking side by side back to the ring and to certain victory. And with a dropkick and a spear to Sandow, it was theirs. To the crowd's delight, they capped it off with a spear to O'Neil and a triple-powerbomb to Ryback.
Carly really hoped that no one had heard her loud, excited shouting during the final stages of that match. But let Evolution take note: the Shield was – and would always be – victorious.
(Note: This chapter got away from me a bit, so it's somewhat rough around the edges. Thank you to all the lovely people who left feedback! It means a lot to me that you're enjoying the story.)