Rainbow Edge
A/N: I'm sorry this is a bit late…I don't have much to say right now…I'm still crying after Roman's devastating news…and what happened later on. Fair warning…this chapter will be very emotional. I lost my father to cancer when I was in 8th grade…it's a very touchy subject for me. I record Monday night and watch on Tuesday…and usually I update Tuesday night but last night I was just reeling emotionally so…yeah…It took me most of last night and this morning to figure out what to do with all of that…
Peace486: Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Jon is the shyer and quiet personality so he's not out as often but there will be more of him I promise.
DarkDragonessFlies: You're so sweet to say that. I'm honored that you like my story so much hun.
Chapter 12 – Devastated Family
During the week Roman had gone to see the WWE Doctor's several times and Iris was concerned, as were Seth and Dean, but he kept telling them everything was fine and not to worry about him…which honestly only made Iris worry that much more.
When Raw began in Providence, Rhode Island Roman was the first one out but he looked…troubled and unhappy and Iris just knew something wasn't right. When he began speaking her worry grew to the point that she was clinging to both Dean and Seth to try and stay calm.
"I feel like I owe everybody an apology. For months…maybe even a full year…I've come out here and spoke as Roman Reigns and I've said a lot of things you know? I said that I'd be here every single week…I said I'd be a fightin Champion…I said I was gonna be consistent…and I said I was gonna be a workhorse, but…it's all lies."
Iris looked between Dean and Roman in the back but they were just as confused as she was…and everyone else in the back that had gathered around to watch the monitors and listen to the Champion speak.
"It's a lie because the reality is…my real name is Joe…and I've been living with Leukemia for eleven years…and unfortunately it's back."
Dean had to quickly wrap his arms tightly around Iris as her knees buckled and she nearly collapsed to the floor, tears already beginning to fall down her cheeks. Seth wasn't much better as he too started crying so Dean took it upon himself to be the strong one for both of them and he refused to let his tears fall.
"…and because the Leukemia is back I cannot fulfill my role, I can't be that fighting Champion and I'm gonna have to relinquish the Universal Championship. I'm not gonna lie…I'll take every prayer you can send my way but I'm not lookin for sympathy, I'm not lookin for you to feel bad for me…because I have faith. When I was 22 years old I was diagnosed with this…and very quickly I was able to put it in remission…but I'm not gonna lie, that was the hardest time of my life. I didn't have a job, I didn't have any money, I didn't have a home, and I had a baby on the way…and football was done with me…but you wanna know what gave me a chance? The team that gave me a chance was the WWE…and when I finally made it to the main roster and I was on the road they put me in front of all of you…the WWE universe, and to be honest ya'll have made my dreams come true…and it didn't matter if ya cheered me…it didn't matter if ya booed me…you've always reacted to me and that is the most important thing…and for that I have to say thank you so much."
When the fans started up a "Thank you Roman" chant Iris damn-near lost it in the back and Seth was now openly sobbing himself, but Dean was fighting his emotions back hard to try and keep it together.
"Thank you…but you all know the deal…ya'll know how life is…life's not fair, it's not all peaches and cream…sometimes life throws you a curveball…and right now the best thing for me to do is to go home…to focus on my family and my health…but I wanna make one thing clear…by no means is this a retirement speech…because after I'm done whoopin Leukemia's ass once again I'm comin back home…and when I do it's not gonna just be about titles and bein on top, no, it's about a purpose. I am comin back because I wanna show all of you, the whole world, my family, my friends, my children, and my wife…that when life throws a curveball at me…I am the type of man that will stand in that batter's box, I will crowd the plate, I will choke up, and I will swing for the fences every single time…because I will beat this, and I will be back, so you will see me very, very soon. Once again thank you so much, god bless you, and I love you…believe that."
As Roman leaves the ring the fans start chanting his name which soon morphs into more "Thank you Roman" chants. As he steps onto the stage Iris is running full speed from the back and runs right into his chest, her arms wrapping tightly around him as she cries into his shirt. Roman's big arms wrap around Iris as Dean, so everyone thinks, and Seth come out behind her with Seth clearly still crying while Dean is making odd faces trying to hold his emotions back. Dean is actually Jon at this point as he and Seth join in the hug and then Roman turns to face the fans, Iris still clinging to him, and puts his fist out. Jon and Seth join their fists with his before Jon buries his face into Roman's neck for a moment, with Seth doing the same on roman's other side. All three men are clearly struggling with the overwhelming emotions and Iris…Iris is in obvious distress as the three try to make her feel better but it's not really working too well. Once they get into the back the show goes to a commercial break to allow the fans a little time to process the news before moving on with the show. Backstage Roman is wrapped in hug after hug with words of love and encouragement. Jon just wraps Iris up in his arms and holds her tightly against his chest as he tries desperately to calm her down, Seth trying his best to help as Roman leaves the arena to head to the airport for his flight back home to Florida.
When the commercial is over Finn Balor heads out to the ring for his match against Bobby Lashley…which he wins. As Finn heads backstage Lashley is pitching a small fit in the ring while his mouthpiece tries to reassure him. Once backstage Finn sees that Iris is still very upset and tries to cheer her up a bit.
"Awe Lass…yer gonna make the rest of us cry…Roman will beat this thing again…and then he'll be back lass…better than ever. Tell ya what lass…how about I go get ya some chocolate? Will that help?"
"…maybe…"
"Then that's what I'm gonna do lass…I'll be right back."
Dean is now back in control as he and Seth share a slightly amused look when Finn runs off and comes back a couple of minutes later with several different types of chocolate bars in his arms. He had Kit-Kat, Reese's, a Hershey bar, a Milky Way, and several others. Iris immediately grabbed the Kit-Kat and all-but inhaled the thing, leaving the three men around her gaping at her.
"Well…I think we know what her favorite is now lads…"
The other two men nodded at Finn as Iris picked out a few more candy bars that she ate more slowly. Dean was just happy to see a little smile make its way back to her face. Seeing her cry like that only made it that much harder for him to keep it together. After Finn left the three remaining Shield members holed themselves up in their locker room for the rest of the show, tuning out the entire world in order to focus on each other and get their heads back into the game for the boy's match against Dolph and Drew for the Main Event match. Shortly before their match is set to begin the three of them meet up with Charley for a little interview, all of them clearly still struggling with their emotions though they're a lot calmer now. Dean speaks up first, followed by Seth, and then Iris speaks last, her voice soft and choked with emotion.
"Seth, Dean, Iris…are you able to put into words the emotions of tonight?"
"There are not words…to describe…the ride that the three of us have been on together…for the last six years. There are not words…to describe…the ups, and the downs, and the highs, and the lows, and everything in between. When you don't know what to what to do…and you don't know what to say…you just gotta do…the only thing you know how to do, and you always do…so tonight…we're gonna do what we always do…win."
"There are no words…but there are plenty of emotions…and tonight we are gonna channel those emotions…we are gonna go out there, beat Drew, beat Dolph, become the new Raw Tag-Team Champions…and we're gonna do it for you Roman…we love you…Believe that."
"I haven't known Roman as long as these two have…but he's become very important to me over these last few months. He's been there for me to give me advice and to let me just rant about whatever was bothering me. I love you Roman…you're my secondary Big Brother…and just know that whatever you need…I'm here for you…all you have to do is ask…and I'm sure that goes for these two as well. If you need us…we're just a phone call and a plane ride away. You do what you need to do…and you kick this thing's ass…and then you come back to us…better than ever."
The three of them left the area and eventually made their way up to their usual entrance spot at the top of the stairs, Iris in between Seth and Dean for safety reasons. The fans they passed were surprisingly rather quiet and subdued, though many reached out to pat their shoulders or backs and give soft words of support and encouragement. Iris had to choke back the urge to start crying again, but feeling Dean's solid presence at her back helped to ground her a bit. Seth reached back behind himself and squeezed her hand for a moment before they stepped out from behind the curtain and that helped her too. The roar of the fans when they came out was just incredible and Iris had to bite her lip hard to keep it together as they descended the stairs and climbed into the ring. Dolph and drew came out next and when they climbed into the ring both of them gave Iris a sympathetic look and she supposed she must look pretty bad if even those two were looking at her like that.
Dean and Seth dominate the match from the start, their emotions fueling their energy as they throw their opponents out of the ring. Later Seth clears the ring on his own like a man possessed until Drew pushes him off of the top of the turnbuckle and he lands in a heap on the mat. When Seth goes to tag in Dean Dolph drags Dean down off the apron so Dean chases him only to get slammed down by Drew. Eventually though Seth manages to make the tag to Dean who really takes the fight to Drew, letting his emotions out in the best way he knows how…with his fists. Seth nearly gets the pin twice after Dean saves his ass, with a constant back and forth between the two teams.
Braun comes out and distracts Dolph and Drew, but his focus is on Drew after Drew gave him a Claymore kick earlier in the night and he ends up chasing the Scotsman through the fans and out into the back of the arena while Dean and Iris just watch from the floor and stay out of the way. Seth accidentally runs into the referee during the distraction as he and Dolph end up hitting the mat hard. Dolph sits up to realize he's by himself now, and that the Ref is out, so he slips out of the ring and grabs one of the title belts. He climbs back into the ring, clearly intending to hit Seth with the belt only to have Dean pull the belt out of his hands…and then Dolph turns around into a kick from Seth who then curb stomps him and goes for the pin. The ref is only just coming around so Dean and Iris help him back into the ring and he hits the mat for the three count, making Seth and Dean the new tag-team champions. Dolph rolls out of the ring as the ref hands them their belts and the two men manage to stand up for a hug before Seth sits back down again.
Dean hits the mat with his fist and Iris focusses on him as Seth stands back up and pulls who he thinks is Dean into another hug…and then after the hug Mox drops the belt and pulls Seth into a Dirty Deeds. While Seth lies there in shock Dean looks like he's having a mental breakdown as he fights with Moxley for control. At one point while Dean is in control he bites his own fist and screams, "I can't do this!" but then Moxley takes control back as Seth says "its ok." while reaching towards him.
Mox turns his attention back to Seth and just unloads on him in a flurry of punches and apparently Seth asks why somewhere during the punches because Mox screams at him, "I thought I told you why!"
Moxley starts screaming at Seth while attacking him and Iris is standing next to Renee at the announcer's table with her hands over her mouth and tears flowing down her face…Renee is just staring in open-mouthed shock with the other two announcers, Michael and Adam, unable to form words either…just a constant repeating of 'oh my god' and 'what the hell is happening'.
"Say it's ok, say its ok! Buddy…huh? Say it again huh? Say it again. Say it! Say it again."
Mox throws Seth out of the ring and into the barricade then sits on the apron and says something about time before going after Seth yet again. Iris is screaming at him to stop but it's as though he can't even hear her. He slams Seth into the timekeeper's area while screaming at him to, "Watch your mouth. Watch your damn mouth." while kicking him. Mox picks up one of the title belts and throws it at Seth, hitting him in the head with it, then throws the other one at him as well while saying, "That's what's important to you right?" Mox goes over and rolls up part of the protective padding at ringside, exposing the hard concrete floor beneath, and advances back towards a barely coherent Seth.
"Yeah, now what huh? How you gonna talk your way outta this one?"
Iris pulls on Mox's arm to try and make him stop but he just pushed her to the side, almost making her fall if Adam Cole hadn't caught her and held her up. Mox grabs Seth and drags him over to the exposed floor as he starts screaming at Seth again.
"Suck it up. Suck it up! You asked for this! You asked for it! You told me…you told me it was gonna happen…you asked for it!"
Mox plants Seth's head into the concrete with a hard Dirty Deeds and Iris just…collapses in Cole's arms with a harsh sob that breaks every heart within earshot. Mox rips off his Shield shirt and tosses it into the ring, pacing around a bit before hopping the barricade and heading up the stairs through the fans who are torn between cheering him and booing him. As he reaches the top of the steps he looks back down at where he left Seth, his eyes misty, and sees Iris cradling Seth's head in her lap while trying to check his pulse…and Mox's face twists into one of rage before he storms out of the arena.
Back down by the ring Iris is frantically trying to get Seth to respond to her, calling his name as her hands flutter across his face and neck checking for injuries. Eventually he whispers her name and she lets out another sob, this one of relief that he's not broken.
"Seth? Can you hear me Seth? Please…please just say something…anything…just let me know you're ok…please Sethie?"
"Iris…?"
"Yes…oh thank god…Seth…it's me…its ok…you're going to be ok…the medics are coming."
"No…I can stand…just help me up."
"Seth…"
"I need to do this Iris…please? Just help me up."
The referee helps Iris get Seth to his feet, with Seth using the barricade for help, and Iris lets him lean on her as they make their way backstage and into the medical room. After Seth gets checked out, and informed that he has a minor concussion and got really lucky, Iris helps him back to the hotel and into his room.
"You gonna be ok Sethie?"
"I think so. Iris…please be careful…the last time he was like this he was extremely violent and unpredictable. Here…take one of my keycards and if anything happens you come here ok?"
"I'm sure it'll be fine Seth…he loves me remember?"
"I thought the same thing…but maybe I was wrong…"
"Just give him some time to cool down and process everything Seth. You know he doesn't deal with emotion very well and we all had a big shock tonight…he's vulnerable and his method of dealing with being vulnerable is to lash out. I'll talk to him and see if I can help him get through this in a healthier way. Goodnight Seth."
"Goodnight Iris…"
Iris left Seth's room and went just a few doors down the hall to the one she and Dean had been sharing. As she entered the room and the door latched behind her she noticed Dean sitting on the edge of the bed with his head hanging down.
"Dean? Are you ok love? What happened out there?"
When he looked up at her she realized this was Moxley…but the simmering rage in his eyes coupled with the dark grin on his face frightened her into taking a step back. In the time it took her to blink he was off the bed and right in front of her, seething in rage.
"I saw you with him you know? Layin his head in your lap…pettin his hair…cryin over him. You love him don't you? Is that it then? Huh? You wanna be with that little scumbag? Huh?!"
"Dean…Mox…what has gotten into you tonight? I love Seth like a brother…it's not the same as what I feel for you…Mox…Ow…Mox let go…you're hurting me."
Mox had grabbed her wrist in a vice grip as she spoke and then he threw her to the floor hard, making her yelp in pain as she landed, and then he was pinning her to the floor and ranting in her face again.
"I thought ya liked pain Princess? You belong to ME?! I will not let you leave me for that backstabbing little scumbag! I'll just have to beat him outta ya."
Iris felt true fear of him for the first time and reacted on pure instinct as her knee came up between his legs as hard as possible and he rolled off to the side curled up in pain. Iris made a run for it, slamming the door open and racing down the hall to Seth's room. She used the keycard her gave her to let herself in and had just barely gotten the door closed before Moxley was on it. He started banging on the door and yelling at her through it, calling her names and cursing up a storm. Seth looked up from his book at the noise and when he saw Iris collapse against the door, sobbing and shaking like a lonely leaf in a hurricane, he ran to her side and pulled her into a hug. He tried to whisper encouraging things to her but Mox's yelling frightened her into running into Seth's bathroom and locking herself inside. Seth sent a quick test to Roman for him to call as soon as he landed and then opened the door…which, in hindsight, probably wasn't his best idea as Mox shoved his way in and pinned Seth to the wall by his throat.
"I knew she'd come to you. Tryin to steal my girl huh? You haven't taken enough from me in the past? Where the fuck is she?!"
Seth pointed to the bathroom door and Mox started to storm his way over there…but froze in place as he heard the harsh, heartbroken sobs coming from the other side. Seth watched Mox's face and body seem to just crumble before his eyes and then his shoulder rolled and his face looked as heartbroken as Iris sounded. He slowly approached the door and when he spoke this time his voice was soft and gentle and Seth realized this was probably Jon.
"Baby? Baby it's me…it's Jon…please Baby I'm so sorry…I couldn't stop him…Baby please just open the…door."
Jon is shocked when Iris not only opens the door but she launches herself into his arms, still crying as she wraps her arms around him. He just sinks to the floor and pulls her into his lap, holding her tightly to his chest as she cries and whispering apologies over and over into her hair. He glances at Seth and offers him an apology as well.
"Sorry about earlier Seth…Mox…he's apparently been holding in a lot of anger and hurt from years ago and it just…festered…Dean and I didn't realize it was that bad…"
"And tonight was a big emotional shock and he lost control…it's alright man…I understand. I'm not thrilled about getting my ass kicked…but I get it man. It's her I'm worried about. What the hell did he do to her?"
"He yelled at her…saying she loved you and wanted to leave him for you and that he wouldn't let her…he threw her to the floor at one point…Dean and I weren't able to see everything…just bits and pieces because he was trying to lock us out but we were both fighting him…he said something about beating you out of her and she…I don't know exactly but there was a lot of pain from him and the next thing I know is I'm being shoved to the front as I hear her sobbing."
"She came running into my room with the keycard I gave her earlier…then collapsed in tears and then ran into my bathroom and locked the door."
"I kneed him…hard…then ran. I forgive him…but he scared me Jon…I've never been scared of him before…I don't like being scared of one of the men I love."
Jon and Seth both did their best to calm her back down and then Roman calls. Seth explains everything that happened after he left and then winces at the yell that comes through the phone as he puts it on speaker, Dean lets Jon go back and deal with a very self-depreciating Moxley while he handles Roman.
"I leave you guys alone for a couple of hours and THIS happens?! What the hell?!"
"To be fair Roman…you did drop a huge emotional bomb on us all earlier with no warning…and you know Dean and company have trouble dealing with emotions in a normal setting. You had the whole week at least to tell us what was going on but you kept saying everything was fine and not to worry."
"Babygirl…"
"No! I love you dearly Roman…and I pray for your speedy recovery…but you should have told us before making that announcement. You should have told us earlier so we'd have time to process it instead of dropping it on us at work in front of the whole damn world."
"You're right Babygirl…and I'm sorry…and Galina's glaring at me right now so I have a feeling I'm gonna get an earful from her in a little bit too."
"Good. I love you but that was…that was just not cool…"
Dean and Seth shared a look and Seth shook his head to indicate he wasn't planning to say a damn thing and it was all on Dean this time.
"Ro…look…technically this was all Moxley. I was upset over your news, and Iris being so upset and crying, and seeing Seth crying, and trying to keep it together to be strong for them…and then when we won the belts…Seth said something about how it was over now…probably referring to the match and all but Mox…Mox took it the wrong way and just…exploded in rage. I tried to take control back but his rage made him too strong to overpower this time. It only got worse when we were leaving and he noticed Iris trying to take care of Seth…For what it's worth Darlin…Mox is in the back of our head feeling like absolute shit right now…Jon is trying to reassure him that he didn't scare you away…he didn't…did he Darlin?"
"No Dean…I'm not going anywhere. I told you before I'm with you until the end…ride or die remember?"
"I…WE…don't deserve you Darlin…"
"That's not your decision to make…it's mine…and I love you three so deal with it."
"You two good now?"
"Yeah Ro…we're good."
"Great…now Seth…Dean…hug it out."
There was a long moment of silence before Roman spoke again.
"Did I stutter you two? Hug it out and move past this shit. You two are Tag-Team Champions now so you need to be on the same page or you won't have those belts for long."
Seth and dean gave each other an awkward hug while Iris snorted at them and then made them do it again until they got it right…in her opinion. They quickly let Roman go back to his wife and Dean spent the rest of the night switching between himself and Mox as they took care of Seth and Iris both…trying to make up for the events of that night. Iris was eventually able to feel comfortable around Mox again, especially when he looked at her like a kicked puppy while apologizing for scaring her and being an asshole. She really did love him and she knew that wasn't going to change no matter what he did.
A/N: Ok…so hopefully I did ok with this chapter…I made myself cry writing this. My other two fics shouldn't be quite as emotional as this one…but I will be keeping Roman's speech intact for them as well because it's an important one. Let me know how I did guys.
