Disclaimer Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and the various other superstars mentioned in this story are the property of the WWE and/or the actors / sports entertainers / superstars that portray them. This story is intended as tribute only and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.

Original characters are the property of myself, and only children of my own imagination. Any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Additional Author's Notes: (Chapter specific) I don't really know a lot about Wrestlemania as far as all that goes on around it. I took some liberties, I may have gotten things wrong. If I did and it bothers you, just tell yourself, It's Willow's fictional world, it might not run exactly like the real world does.

Also, I got a little confused on the time line. It is this Wrestlemania I'm using for this story, but things got mixed up in my world with the time lines, so this is actually next year. Again, think of this as a weird parallel universe where Shield stayed together another year and everything happened a year off. Or, tell yourself, "Man that Willow effed up but good!" Whatever makes you happy!

The Girl Who Lives
Part Fourteen

Wrestlemania was more than a four hour Pay Per View event, Wrestlemania was the closest thing wrestling nerds had to nirvana, a combination of wrestling show and convention. While Wrestlemania the PPV event was on Sunday, Wrestlemania convention started the Wednesday before, with house shows and all types of events going on inside the local convention center, right near the stadium, and ended on Tuesday, when the post Smackdown would be filmed. Not in the big, outdoor arena, but some place near by.

It was a heady week for the superstars, a week of rubbing elbows with the fans, doing all sorts of media events, of being a big shot in whatever city they were in. Even folks that claimed to be indifferent to wrestling got pretty excited when Wrestlemania came to their city. For that one week, everyone in the area was either a big wrestling fan or hated wrestling with a passion, but nobody was indifferent. You couldn't be, because Wrestlemania and thus, wrestling, was everywhere.

This would be the fourth Wrestlemania for Seth as part of the WWE. The first three he had been a member of Shield. Now he was Seth Rollin's Mr. Money in the Bank. And he was looking forward to this year more than any other, even the first year when he'd been so excited and nervous that he was terrified he'd fall down the stairs as they made their way through the crowd. Not that he was worried about getting hurt, but because that would have been so embarrassing. This year he felt almost like a veteran, but there was still that air of excitement.

There was a strict schedule you followed for Wrestlemania week, and being absent or tardy for anything was highly frowned upon and could lead to fines. However, the powers that be also recognized that everyone needed to be at the top of their game for the PPV, and that families, both immediate and extended would be there, and that their superstars needed this time to connect. Therefore, while the schedule needed to be followed to the letter, there were still down times, both for sleeping and visiting with loved ones.

Seth had an autograph session when Kayla and Payton were due to arrive, so he wasn't able to get to the airport to pick them up, but they had made arrangements to meet in one of the restaurants in the convention center, right after his session. So, he was pleasantly surprised when the last half hour was starting and he suddenly heard Payton's voice above the crowd surrounding his table, "Uncle Seth!"

He looked up from the picture he was signing and looked around. He saw a small hand appear and disappear above someone's head, and he laughed. Payton was jumping up and down with her hand raised to make up for her lack of height. "Excuse me," he said, politely, but loudly enough to be heard by everyone surrounding him, and the members of the security team. "Would anyone mind if my niece and my fiancee came over? I won't stop signing, I promise."

While it was true that wrestling fans could be a little bit on the obnoxious side when it came to some things, Seth generally found that in situations where everyone was face to face, and the rules of Kayfabe were not followed closely, the fans were very considerate of their favorite Superstars. Even though people had been waiting in line for a long time to get these autographs and some of them were tired and irritable, when Seth pointed to where Kayla was waving and Payton's hand kept appearing as she jumped, the crowd parted as if he were Moses and they were the red sea. Payton didn't hesitate, she scurried through the crowd, ducked under the apron draped around the table Seth was sitting at, crawled under the table and popped up on the other side, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, tightly. "Good to see you, Pay," he said.

"I missed you!" she enthused, as if it had been weeks instead of four days since he last saw her. Then, she saw the crowd watching them and drew back. "I'm sorry!" She sounded contrite, but not horrified and she was grinning, too. "I'll let you finish!"

The crowd laughed in appreciation. If anyone recognized her as Preston Caldwell's older sister, they said nothing about her now being identified as Seth's niece. Payton moved back, standing by the wall. Kayla, who had been more patient came up too, giving Seth a quick half hug. "She really wanted to see you," she whispered into Seth's ear.

"It's okay," he whispered back, going back to signing autographs.

"We'll stay out of the way until you're done." Without waiting for a reply, she drew back to where Payton was standing and let him continue. And they stood there, quietly for the rest of the session. Occasionally, when he could, Seth turned to look at them and saw both of the smiling at him. Payton was wearing her Seth Rollins T-shirt, with her Dean Ambrose hoodie over it. If it occurred to her how weird that looked, given the current story lines, she obviously didn't care. She was grinning brightly, obviously pleased to just be close to him, even if she couldn't talk to him.

When the autograph session was finally finished and the area cleared out, Seth was able to greet Kayla and Payton with proper hugs and a kiss from Kayla that even even though it was perfectly PG, he felt it all the way down to his toes. "I see Payton's not the only one who missed me," he whispered in her ear when their lips had separated.

"Oh, no she isn't," Kayla whispered back. "I got spoiled, having my man in our bed for five days."

While the Superstars and their families were welcome to wander the convention center and go to any of the facilities within, sometimes it was hard to actually do that without getting mobbed, by eager fans, especially when trying to eat. Because of this, there was always catering at the arena and convention center and it ran as long as the activities were open. And usually, because it was Wrestlemania, the food quality was better. Being the company that got to cater for the stars of Wrestlemania was a feather in a catering company's hat, and the WWE wasn't above using that as a bargaining chip to get the best place in the area for a minimal price. Having eaten breakfast in catering, and knowing whoever was doing the catering this year was knocking themselves out to impress the talent, Seth suggested they eat lunch there instead. Both Kayla and Payton agreed.

When they got to the catering area, the Caldwell's were there, sitting with Dolph and Daniel. Preston was in a wheelchair, and he was wearing a nasal cannula, which lead into a portable oxygen concentrator. He was still too thin and he still had dark circles under his eyes, but those eyes were bright and taking everything in. He actually looked a lot better than Seth thought he would.

"I need to go say hi," Payton said quietly, looking at her family, then at Seth. "But I'll be back."

She left, not asking for permission, which at first bothered Seth, then he realized that she was going to see her parents, of course she shouldn't have to ask them for permission. He watched as she went over there. "Her folks didn't even meet her half way," Seth muttered darkly.

"We were all on the plane together," Kayla told him. "So, it's not like we haven't seen them recently."

"Oh," Seth said, then frowned. "I'll bet they didn't rush to hug her when you met up at the airport or whatever, did they?"

"No," Kayla said softly, as they joined line for food. "But, she has seen them every day, when visiting her brother."

Big deal, Seth thought, but out loud he changed the subject. "Preston doesn't look too bad. I mean, he doesn't look super healthy by any means, but I thought he'd look... worse."

"He's looking better than he did," Kayla admitted. "I think Wrestlemania and seeing his buddies again helped revitalize him a bit."

"So what happens when Wrestlemania is over?" Seth pondered, barely aware he was speaking out loud.

"We'll see," Kayla said. She might have said more, but Payton came over. Apparently in less time than it took to brew a cup of coffee she had greeted and said all she needed to say to her biological family.

"Is everything okay?" Seth asked, hoping he sounded casual.

Payton nodded, but said nothing. She looked around the room instead, and when she saw Dean, Cinnamon and Neil, she tugged on Seth's sleeve. "It's Uncle Dean!" she exclaimed happily. "And Aunt Cinnamon and Neil are with him! Can we sit with them, Uncle Seth? Can we? Please?"

"Of course we can," Seth said.

By the time Seth, Kayla and Payton got their food, Dean and Cinnamon had also been joined by Roman, Jessica and Leah, too. The two young girls greeted each other like long lost sisters, Leah leaping from her chair, once Payton had put her tray down, and running over to hug her. Payton hugged her back, squealing happily, then the two of them started a rapid fire conversation back and forth, which to Seth, sounded almost like watching a movie in another language, where the occasional English word sneaked in.

Leah said, what sounded to Seth like, "Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, Oh, blah hair! Blah blah blah blah blah!'

And Payton nodded and responded with, "Blah blah, blah shoes! blah blah blah blah blah!"

Then Leah shrugged, looking modest and said, "Oh! Blah blah blah blah blah lipstick blah pink! Blah blah!" And both of them clutched each other and jumped up and down a few times, clearly very excited about this.

"That's enough, girls," Jessica finally said, her voice firm, but smiling too, "Sit down and eat."

Seth looked at Kayla, "Did you follow what they were saying?" he asked.

She nodded, looking serene and calm. "Leah likes Payton's hair. Payton thinks Leah's new sneakers are pretty. And Jessica is letting Leah wear lipstick, now. Pink. Actually, looking at her lips, I'd say it's more of a pink tinted lip balm than real lipstick."

"Okay." Seth shook his head, still confused.

Payton slipped next to Seth and sat down so he was sitting between her and Kayla. "Am I old enough for lipstick?" she asked, looking automatically at Kayla, convinced that this was something Seth would be useless about.

"I don't know," Kayla said, studying her. "You're a little young for the lipstick I wear, but we might be able to get you some like Leah wears, would you like that?

Payton nodded, happily. " Yeah, I would!" Then she dug into her lunch enthusiastically.

Lunch was interesting, with a combination of the three kids talking excitedly with each other, or at least Leah and Payton. Neil would join in until they switched the conversation over to girl things, and the six adults trying to catch up with each other. Of course, Dean, Roman, and Seth were talking about the things they still had to do to get ready for Wrestlemania, which at times seemed to bore the women, who wanted to catch up with each other and talk about their jobs, the kids, fashion, and current events that had nothing to do with wrestling.

Then, Neil spoke up and there was enough of a lull in the conversations, that everyone heard him. "Mom's taking me to a laser tag place tomorrow, while dad has to work. I'm sure we can take you two, too, if your parents say it's okay."

"Cool!" Leah's eyes lit up and she looked from her mom and her dad for conformation.

Payton looked between Seth and Kayla. "Can I? Please?"

It was only after the parents agreed that it occurred to Seth that Neil had said they would have to ask their parents, and that Payton had never even looked in the direction of her parents. It was like everyone just automatically acted like Seth and Kayla were her parents.

He would point that out to Kayla later that night, while they were in bed, talking quietly. With Kayla and Payton there, Seth didn't just have a hotel room, he had a two bedroom suite, which was pretty sweet. "Do we have to talk to Payton's parents?" he asked her. "Get them to give permission? I mean, do the parents have to allow it? I've never gone to one of those laser tag places, I don't know how they work."

"Usually, no," Kayla said. "It's assumed whoever brings the kids have permission from the parents or guardians to bring the child. But even if they did, it wouldn't be a problem."

"Why is that?" Seth asked, looking at her.

"We have a paper signed by Payton's parents giving you and I temporary custody of Payton. It gives us permission to act in her best interests regarding her physical and emotional well being,"

"What?" Seth said, staring at her. She had dropped this bit of information with about as much fanfare as she would have used to announce that she had reordered checks from the bank.

"Remember when you were home and I said I had errands to run, Sunday?" she reminded him. "That was the errand."

He couldn't stop staring. Only Kayla could be this efficient. "How?" he started, shaking his head. "Okay, let's start with the fact that it was Sunday. How could you get a lawyer to write something up?"

He wouldn't have been surprised if she had said, 'Oh, don't be silly! I wrote it up myself with a little help from Legal Zoom.' But she smiled. "For the right amount of money, lawyers will work on Sunday. Besides, you forget, Stevie. our lawyer is a big wrestling fan, he's always happy to do these things for us, so he didn't even charge more than he would have if I'd asked him on a Monday. He wrote it up for me, and we went over to the Caldwells and had them sign it." We also got a notary public to stamp it and make it official."

"Was that hard?" Seth asked, still looking at her in amazed admiration. "Did Andrea and Myron kick up any type of fuss? Express any worries?"

"Not as much as they should have," Kayla said, her tone light and breezy, but a slight furrow in her brows told Seth she wasn't happy at the lack of objection. Of course she wanted them to sign the paper, but obviously, she had hoped for a little more argument. "Stevie explained that it can be revoked at any time by them, that it isn't permanent."

"So, does this mean she's ours until they say otherwise?"

"Sort-of," Kayla said. "I mean, we can't move out of state with her. We shouldn't even take her out of state. But, there was a clause in it for Wrestlemania, so it's fine for her. But it does allow us to take her to a doctor if she's hurt. It would allow us to sign release forms in case she needs life saving surgery. Or, if we feel it's best for her emotional well being, we can take her to a child therapist, or a grief counselor."

Seth nodded, understanding now, exactly why Kayla had done what she did. Kayla wanted to get her help coping with her brother dying. "So, when does she have her first appointment with the grief counselor?" he asked.

"The Thursday after Wrestlemania," Kayla said. "I got her name from the local hospice group, she specializes in helping children deal with the loss of a loved one. She's said to be one of the best in the business."

Seth shook his head, trying not to laugh. Leave it to Kayla to get this all down and organized. "I think if you weren't part of my life, I'd be in total chaos all the time," he admitted.

"Well then," she said, pushing him on his back and climbing on him so she was straddling his waist. "It's a good thing I'm not going anywhere, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh," he said, allowing himself a broad smile. "Why Ms Springer, do you have something on your mind?" he asked as she leaned over and started kissing his chest.

"Mmm hmmm," she said, then looked up at him. "Just relax, baby, and let me do all the work."

It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

The next four days passed in a busy blur of autograph signings, house shows, talks, and various other activities, interspersed with down times all the wrestlers hid in their rooms and tried to sleep. But also, there were times when Seth could be with Kayla and Payton. They didn't go out and explore the city, knowing they'd get mobbed, the women were taking this kids out without their guys. But they did spend time in their suite, the three of them, playing cards, joking, watching TV, even ordering room service. Roman, Dean, and their families were on the same floor, which was heavily guarded at all times by security, so all of them wandered in and out of each other's suites on their down time, looking for missing kids or spouses.

On the night before Wrestlemania, Roman, Seth, and Dean met in Dean's suite, while the kids and the women were in Seth's suite, watching a family appropriate movie. On this night, as they had done the past three Wrestlemania's, the three men had a drink and toasted to the event that would happen the next day. The only difference was that this time, they would not be Shield, they would be three guys with their own thing. Dean in the ladder match for the IWC, Seth against Randy Orton, Roman against Brock Lesnar.

None of them knew the outcome of their matches, that would all be told to them tomorrow, but of course they speculated. Dean said he was 99% sure Daniel Bryan would win and that made sense, even though it didn't seem quite right. Seth was pretty sure he'd lose against Orton. Roman was strangely quiet.

"Do you think they'll let Brock win?" Dean finally asked him.

Roman was staring into his glass as if instead of Jack and Diet Coke, it might have the wisdom of the ages. "Yeah," he finally said. "I think they will."

"No way!" Dean said quickly. "People are tired of a part time champion. Yeah, okay, Brock has his fans, people like him, and I think there's a place for him, but it gets boring that the belt only gets defended every six months or so."

"Yeah," Seth agreed, taking a sip of his own drink, a screwdriver, which yes, he knew was not good for him, but somehow, because it contained orange juice, he could convince himself it wasn't bad for him either. "C'mon, you've been marked as the man to win for a long time."

Roman took a sip of his drink and brought the glass to the table, a little too quickly. "Yeah, and everyone fucking hates me for it." His voice was flat, devoid of anger, devoid of any emotions at all, he might have been saying it was raining outside.

"That's not true," Dean said quickly. "You have your fans."

"Yeah," Roman said, a derisive snort escaping him. "I've got my fans all right. But compared to my anti-fans, my fans are few, far between, and drowned out. Every time I walk around this place, people boo me." He swallowed. "I was in the men's room near the autograph area today, and some 'fan' almost held me prisoner as I was trying to take a leak, to tell me everything that's wrong with me." He paused to knock back his drink, then slammed the glass back on the table and stood up and started pacing the room. "He had a long list of complaints about me too; I can't wrestle, I'm only where I am because of my family, I think everything should be handed to me because I'm an arrogant good looking snot, I don't deserve this shot, there are people far better than I am who are getting overlooked because of me. I should leave my wife so my kid doesn't grow up knowing her dad is a fucking loser."

"What?" Dean stared at Roman, nostrils flaring as if he wanted to find this person, right now, and have a little 'talk' with them. "Did he really say that?"

Roman looked at him, "No, I'm making it up, of course he said it." He had emotion in his voice now, and it was bitter. "Over five minutes he rambled at me, until security finally came in and broke it up, but let me tell you, they let him go on for awhile, as if they enjoyed watching him tear me down."

"Was it WWE security?" Seth asked, feeling almost shocked at this turn of events. As he had noted when the fans happily parted to let Payton and Kayla move in on him, usually fans of the WWE were polite in more one on one sessions. They saved most of their hostility for when they were in the crowd.

"No," Roman said, "It was local security boys, hired for the events. And I think they thought I was getting what I had coming to me." He paced the room, long strides eating up the heavily carpeted floor. "And what kills me is that if I say anything that sounds even remotely like I could be questioning his right to tear me down? He'd run on social media talking about what an asshole Roman Reigns is, how arrogant and mean I was to him. And soon enough, the whole event would become, that he was minding his own business, maybe made one remark that maybe could be taken out of line, and I told him off. Meanwhile, I have to listen to him telling me how terrible I am, how I'm a terrible wrestler and a lousy human being?"

"Okay, you have your detractors," Dean admitted. "But seriously, that guy was just an asshole. Most folks aren't like that!"

Roman paused in his pacing and stared at him. "You're right, the nicest ones tell me that I can't wrestle, I suck on the mike, but it's not my fault because I'm being pushed too fast. Those are the nice ones. Today I'm signing autographs and several people came up to say they didn't want my autograph, they just wanted to tell me that they're going to have so much fun booing me out of the stadium at Wrestlemania. Several people," he stressed the word again.

"I don't know why that is," Seth said slowly. "When they told us Shield was going to break up, you were the one I worried least about. Everyone loved you, not only the fans, but the Powers that Be. Everyone who knows you personally says you're a great guy. I figured I was the one who'd get lost in the shuffle."

"Is that why you volunteered to become the Authorities Spoiled Prince?" Dean asked.

Seth nodded. "Yeah, I-I figured it would give me some exposure. I-I didn't know I would be pushed like I was. I knew about being Mr. Money in the Bank, but you know, I figured I'd drop that, get the title for a week, then have it taken away from me. Now look, I still have the silly thing."

"Yeah," Roman said, looking at him. "Amazing, isn't it? You still have it."

"What are you saying?" Seth asked, sensing there was more to Roman's words than what was on the surface.

Roman shrugged. "I'm saying don't stash it in your locker tomorrow, thinking you won't need it." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, this isn't fair to you guys. You're both going to be awesome tomorrow, and I'm thrilled for both of you. I'm like a wet blanket at this party, so I'm going to pack it in and call it a night. You two go on without me, I'll see you in the morning." And before either of them could object, he left the room.

For a moment, Dean and Seth took turns staring at the door, then back at each other, not knowing quite what to do. "Do we go after him?" Dean asked.

As much as Seth wanted to, he shook his head. "No, he needs to be alone." Roman normally was the complete opposite of a broody, moody guy, he was cheerful and outgoing. Seth remembered when he first saw Roman, back in the days of FCW, before FCW became NXT. Roman was the newcomer, trained by his father and other members of his family, but FCW was his first shot at professional wrestling. Seeing him for the first time, Seth pegged him for an arrogant douche bag, who would barely talk to anyone, not thinking them worthy of his conversation, a good looking guy who knew he was good looking and thought therefore the world owed him everything. Instead, Roman was friendly with everyone who gave him a chance. Seth expected him to be defensive and stand offish about his lack of wrestling experience, instead he was open, honest, and appreciative of any and all advice. He treated the guys who had been in the indies, as if they were veterans and he was the rookie. He listened to what they had to say, he asked them for advice. He had been the complete opposite of what Seth had thought he would be and the three of them became friends even before the idea of The Shield was ever suggested.

"Do you think he's going to lose to Lesnar tomorrow?" Dean asked.

Seth bit his lower lip. "I think the odds of that are pretty high, to be honest. I don't know why, Dean, but he's right, for some reason, a lot of the WWE Universe has a big Hate-On for Roman, and he can't do anything right. I know he's trying, but these folks are just looking at him, waiting for him to screw up. Oh, sure, they say it's because there are people in the back who are more worthy, like Dolph, but Dolph had his time as the champion. Okay, Bryan fans? Yeah, they're pretty upset that their boy isn't winning. They seem to forget that Bryan was out on an injury, that it wasn't the fault of the WWE that Bryan couldn't be a defending champion. They feel the WWE owes them something. I-I tried to tell Trips that they should let Bryan win this year. But Trips thinks that no one would ever believe Bryan could defeat Lesnar."

"It would look pretty far-fetched," Dean agreed. "But you're right, it would have been the best thing for Roman. Give Bryan a good long run as champion, then let Roman take the belt from him."

"Yeah," Seth finished his drink and put his own glass down, much quieter and gentler than Roman had. He looked over at the clock and realized they had been talking and drinking for over two hours. "The movie should be over by now," he remarked, standing up. "And I do want to get some sleep before tomorrow. It'll be a big day."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, standing up and walking to the door with him. "By the way, how are things going with Payton?" he asked just as Seth's hand was on the knob.

"Things are going great," Seth admitted. "It's like she just fits in so well with Kayla and I. And she seems happier, you know? Like less of the weight of the world is on her shoulders."

"Yeah, that's obvious, just looking at the three of you together and it's like all I see is a family that isn't, but should be. Too bad you can't keep her." While Dean had spoken in a light voice, there was a deeper truth, as if he were saying more than the mere words.

"Yeah," Seth opened the door, sighing a little louder than he intended. "It is too bad."

End of Chapter Fourteen

Special Thanks To:

Guest I: I'm so glad you love this story, and I hope that love continues!

Torrie: I think I understand how you feel. I've loved it when I've found stories that are wonderful and I can read a bunch of chapters and it's almost sad when you catch up. Thank you for all the great comments, thank you for leaving one on every chapter and thank you mostly for your first comment on chapter one. It's amazing when someone tells me something like that. Because it shows that I can write and that sometimes even people who didn't expect to like it, will.

Guest II: It's okay, I don't care that you ask me to update, I just appreciate that you take the time to let me know you're enjoying the story and hoping for the next part soon.

Zipper: Mmmm roast beef on whole grain bread! Thank you, that's my favorite. Throw in one of those packs of mayo and we're all set.

I'm glad you like the little things in the chapter. I just figure that if you're on the road 300 days a year, you do appreciate any down time you get.

Angela: Thank you, I'm glad you like the chapter. Yeah, it is sad that Payton has to grow herself up and without a lot of help to make her feel good about herself. I think she was always overshadowed by Preston, but it got worse when he got sick.

As for the other stuff, yeah, I totally agree with you. Everyone seemed scared that Seth would be somehow punished for those pictures, which I thought was wrong, but we shouldn't have been worried, it seems that Seth is the true golden child. Again, I don't resent Seth for anything he's done, he's worked hard, I just resent that it seems like Dean and Roman got thrown under the bus.

Guest III: Thank you! I'm glad you love it.

To all people who took the time to review, follow, and favor: Thank you so much. I know sometimes I forget to say thank you and let you folks know how much I appreciate it when I respond one on one, usually because there's a conversation starting. But seriously, every review is just awesome. As I've said, I've got the busy season at work and I've been discouraged by things going on, not just in the WWE, but in life in general. And there are times when I just want to put it all aside, but your constant devotion keeps me going. Thank you so much!

Until next time

Peace Out

Willow