Sasha didn't know how to feel. She felt absolutely livid, but also like she wanted to sit down and cry until she couldn't anymore. She took a quick glance over to Becky, and saw that she wasn't faring much better. Becky was staring down at the spotless white floor. Everything else was just as white. It made the dried blood on her hands stand out even further. Bayley's blood.
After Paige had screamed Bayley's body had been enveloped in shadow. They'd looked up to see Finn chanting some dark words that had brought forth the shadow and enveloped Bayley. Page, they had come to find out her name from Bayley during her goodbye, was still crying, and Becky had been crying and clutching on to Sasha for support. Charlotte had disappeared by the time they had gotten there, as had The Nature Boy's sonic suit.
Becky began to wring her hands together again to try to chip off the blood as they waited for news about Bayley. Finn had continued to chant and summon energy for a solid ten minutes before paramedics arrived. Paige had gone with the ambulance as Finn collapsed from his efforts. Roman Reigns had taken them by car to the hospital to see their friend. And while Becky began to get more and more desperate to get the damn blood off of her hands, Sasha was not having it any easier.
Sasha was angrily muttering to herself, but she was sure Becky couldn't hear any of the words, plus it looked she couldn't be bothered to focus on that because the blood wasn't coming off. She stood up and Sasha turned to face her. Becky looked like she wanted to peel the skin off her hand just so she didn't have to look at the blood anymore. Sasha knew she was about to freak out and strode forward in three easy steps to grab her hands. Becky fought against her for a few seconds before becoming complete dead weight. She dropped her head on Sasha's shoulder and let out a desperate sob. Sasha hugged her back and rocked her back and forth. Sasha wasn't really a comfort person but Becky needed her to be right now, and the more Sasha focused on Becky the less she had to examine her own feelings.
They sat like this for a while, before finally Becky and Sasha both sat down. Becky sniffed and looked to her friend, "What are you thinking?"
Sasha tried to look hateful, "I'm thinking about Bayley, what else would I be thinking about?"
Becky gulped, "She's gonna be okay right?"
Sasha nods, "She has to be."
Becky looked up towards the white ceiling, "Why did this happen? How did this happen? Did Charlotte miss or was it an accident?"
"Of course it wasn't an accident! She stabbed her through the stomach. She wanted to hurt her! Wanted to kill her!" Sasha couldn't believe that Becky still wanted to find good in their former friend.
Becky face showed her heartbreak. Sasha felt the same. Charlotte was their friend… It didn't make any sense. Charlotte was amazing. She cared for everyone and was like the older sister they never had. She was the backbone of their group and she'd just tried to kill Bayley.
"There has to be a reason." Becky once again tried to find something good about a situation where nothing was ever going to be good about it.
"Who cares about the reason!?" Sasha shouted back at her, "We are going to make her pay, and we'll find out why right before we send her away for good."
Becky tried her best to nod, but the look on her face couldn't help but make Sasha feel her heart tearing more. "D-Do you remember how we all met?"
Sasha deflated from her righteous anger quickly. "Of course I do. We all met one right after the other."
Becky sighed, "It was good times for sure."
Flashback
Sasha sighed at the bell ringing from the storefront. She had a test tomorrow to study for and someone had to come in five minutes till close? She loved her retail job at this boutique, but some of the customers really irked her the wrong way. She pulled her nose up from her text book and saw a girl, a couple years older than her, with pretty blonde hair peeking around the store. She had a nice leather jacket on with a nice white shirt and very stylish jeans. She saw Sasha and walked up to the counter. She gave Sasha an apologetic smile, and Sasha could already tell that this customer wasn't going to give her too much trouble.
"Hi, I'm sorry for getting in here so late. I don't need to buy anything, but I heard you guys have personal shoppers? I could really use some help, cause finding clothes in my size is super difficult. So I just need to sign up for that."
Sasha smiled and nodded, "I can do that. I'll just need to get some of your information. Name?"
"Charlotte Flair."
Sasha smiled; she loved when customers made things easy for her. "Okay, I'll just need your phone number and email address."
Charlotte rattled them off in quick succession. Sasha typed everything in and smiled back at the pleasant woman. "Alright, we're all set. Just come in when you're ready and we can get measurements and start finding clothes we'd think you'd like."
When Charlotte didn't respond Sasha tracked her line of sight. Charlotte was looking at her still open textbook. Sasha blushed a little at leaving it in the open like that. Charlotte turned back to her, "You go to college?"
Sasha nodded, "Yeah, fashion design major with a minor in health and fitness studies."
Charlotte beamed, "No way, I majored in health and fitness! I actually do personal training at a gym not far from here. You should come down sometime. Or I can help you study while we shop."
Sasha was grinning, "That actually sounds really nice. You want me to be your personal shopper?"
Charlotte smiled, "Well absolutely. We're already hitting it off and I'd love to shop with someone I like more than someone I could only tolerate. So it's nice to meet you…"
"Sasha." She said pointing to her nametag.
Charlotte laughed, "Yeah, I know. Some people don't like you using their named unless you ask first. It'd be weird if I just called you Sasha."
Sasha nodded her head, "Thank you! At least someone gets it. I can't tell you how many middle-aged women come in here and do that. Annoys me so much."
Charlotte laughed at Sasha's humor, before giving her a warm smile. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
End Flashback
Sasha remembered that time fondly. She had been a senior at the time and really struggling in school. Charlotte had helped her a lot with that class over the next several months of the fall. By the time her final semester was rolling around, she was hanging out with Charlotte rather than going to campus parties. They almost always agreed on things and had similar taste in fashion. Sasha didn't really care for Charlotte's husband at the time. Bram was brash and arrogant, but he doted on Charlotte and Sasha could respect him for that, at least.
She was broken out of her memory by a flash of white on the white background. She and Becky stood as the doctor came around the corner. He looked at them and came closer, withholding the information that they truly wanted to know. He finally spoke, "You are Sasha and Becky? I was told you were family."
They looked at each other before Becky turned back, being better at thinking up things for these situations. "Half-sisters. Dad got around, ya know?" Bless her quick wit.
The doctor shrugged, before turning serious. "She's alive. The wound just missed her spinal cord; otherwise we'd be having a different conversation. But that's all I can really say at the moment."
Sasha felt immense relief at the statement, she felt like all the tension in her body drained out in one swift moment. She staggered into Becky, who caught her.
"What do you mean?" Becky had seemed to catch the tail end more than Sasha did.
"She's in a coma. I don't know when, or if, she'll wake up. Could be hours, could be years. Normally, I'd ask the family if they'd like to decide if it worth it to keep her in here long term, because housing her and treating her here for, possibly, years would be extremely expensive. But Finn Balor says that the Sentinels are paying for her, so I'll not burden you with that decision."
Sasha breathed out. She was alive, but she wasn't awake. She might never be awake. But Sasha knew Bayley and she was strong. Maybe the strongest out of the four of them, just from how pure and good her heart was. She could come back from this.
Becky wrapped an arm around Sasha. Sasha leaned into it. "Can we see her?"
The doctor shrugged, "I have no problem with it, but you'll have to talk to the Sentinels that are guarding her. Shimmer won't leave her side, and they are always protective when one of theirs gets hurt."
Becky took Sasha's hand and led her down the way the doctor came after listening to the room number Bayley was in. She was always amazed at how quickly Becky could bounce back from something. A minute ago she was a crying mess, but now she was being the adult out of the two of them. Sasha couldn't help, but think on how she and Becky had met and how two opposites ended up being the best thing for them.
Flashback
Sasha smiled at the blonde woman, Summer, that was just getting up from her couch. They had just finished an interview to be Sasha's new roommate and Sasha had to say that Summer was a great candidate. They both had an interest in fashion, and Summer seemed like a genuinely sweet person. The interview hadn't gone the best, but they had enough in common that they could grow into friends. Just because Sasha made a few jokes and poke fun at some things, and Summer hadn't laughed, didn't mean anything.
She opened the door for her. "Thank you for applying, I'll let you know in a couple days."
"Of course! Thanks for even considering me."
Sasha watched Summer walk down the hall. She was sure that they would end up meshing together better over time. She was a lot better than any of the other candidates at least. Sasha turned to clothes the door before a hand shot out and stopped it.
Sasha jumped back surprised. A girl with reddish brown hair had her hands on her knees and was panting. She looked dirty and sweaty in her tank top that was ripped and dusty. Were those oil stains on her hands? She had a piece of paper, the flyer for her roommate position clutched in her hand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to cut it this close! Is the room still available?" The girl peeked up from her hunched over position. Her eyes peeked through the curtain of her hair. Sasha didn't want to have another interview, nor did this girl seem to be compatible with her. She was sloppily dressed and if she was late then there wasn't much she could do.
"Sure. Come on in and we can talk." Dammit, sometimes Sasha was too nice. But the girl gave her a relieved smile and stood up. She was just a little taller than Sasha, but not obscenely so.
"Oh thank God." Her Irish accent was easy to pick up now that she wasn't so out of breath. The accent really made her pleasant to listen to. Something that Summer didn't really have with her voice being so high. "I had to run from work and didn't get a chance to change or anything." She moved over and sat down across from Sasha on the couch, sitting right on the edge.
"It's totally fine!" Sasha reassured her. "So you have a job…?"
"Becky Lynch," she supplied. "And yeah I have a job. I'm a mechanic, which probably explain all," she waved around at herself, making Sasha snort with amusement, "this."
"So where are you living now?" Sasha saw Becky fidget in her seat on the couch and blush.
"Uh, my car. I've been saving for months to put a down payment on an apartment, which means my car is basically stationary at the moment cause I can't pay for gas." She holds up the flyer, "Then I saw this and I have a couple months rent saved up now, and it'll be less than paying for a place of my own."
That explained a whole lot for Sasha. It explained why Becky looked dirty and exhausted. She must have been working hard and having restless nights on the street. "Wow, that's a lot to take in…"
Becky gave her a sheepish smile, "I'm not trying to guilt you, I swear. I look like a right mess right now, but your rent seems really manageable for me." Then she looks down at the flyer and frowns, "But based on your interests, we may not have a lot in common, but I'm a good roommate, and I'll give you free car maintenance."
Sasha smiled, this girl was trying really hard and she admired the passion. "I don't have a car."
"I'll build you one." Becky looked completely serious.
Sasha let out a little laugh, "Thank you for the offer, but I don't really need one with all the cabs around."
Becky deflated a little, "Yeah, it was a long shot… sorry to waste your time."
Becky began to stand up and silently and very slowly, so much so that it looked like she was making a conscious effort to go that slow, began to walk away. Something hit Sasha like a lightning strike in that moment. They'd been talking this whole time and, for the first time, she didn't feel like she was interviewing someone. It might as well have been a friendly getting to know you conversation. "Becky wait!"
She turned around quickly; hope sparking in her eyes. "Oh thank God. Walking that slowly was gonna be real embarrassing if that didn't work."
Sasha laughed again, "Listen, every girl that I've interviewed has had my same interests and it was such a task to go through those interviews. You're funny and adorable," Becky grinned at her widely, a little blush staining her cheeks, "and, for the first time, I felt like I was chatting with a friend."
Becky smiled, "Does that mean I get it? Cause I'm good at being a friend. All the angry boys in high school back in Ireland will tell you that."
Sasha laughed again at her corny joke about "the friendzone" and nodded, "You can move in this weekend. Until then, you are going to stay for dinner and take a shower."
Becky blushed, "Um, alright. Do you always order people around this much?"
Sasha smiled, "Yep. You'll meet Charlotte soon and she'll tell you all about it."
Becky smiled, "Whatever you say, Boss."
End Flashback
Sasha entered the room first. She almost ran right back out. But Becky was right behind her so she couldn't go anywhere. Bayley was right there laid out on the bed. Tubes were sticking out of her arms and her nose. Luckily, she didn't need help breathing so her throat wasn't obstructed or anything. The other wise white room had a dark spot. Paige was sitting with her head down, her arms outstretched and holding Bayley's hand. She didn't even look up at them when they entered.
Becky grabbed Sasha's hand and they both walked towards the bedside together. Sasha gripped Becky's hand hard. Her sadness and rage were beginning to consume her again. Becky squeezed her hand back just as hard and their eyes connected. An understanding passed between them and they both turned to grab chairs. They pulled them up to Bayley's other side and sat. They both grabbed her other hand and stroked their thumbs over the back of it.
Paige still hadn't moved or spoke. Sasha looked over at her, "You're staying with her?" She watched as Paige just nodded. "You'll protect her here?" Again, she nodded. "And your team is paying for her?"
Finally she spoke, "She's one of us. She'll get the best care."
Sasha looked at her closely, "Not just cause she's on your team. You love her." She had heard what Paige had said to Bayley. None of them knew if Bayley had heard what she said, but Paige had admitted love for their super strong friend. It was kind of an accepted fact, among the four of them, that Bayley and Becky didn't date. Maybe this was Bayley's reason. But in the end, Bayley was one of her best friends, and girl or guy, Sasha was going make sure they were going treat Bayley right.
Paige finally looked up at Sasha; mascara was coming down her face in thick rivers. Her eyes were red and she looked like she already hadn't slept for a couple days. "Yes."
Sasha looked her over. Bayley was her best friend and had been for a long time. It was her job to look out for her, but sometimes Bayley looked out for others more. She always had since they met.
Flashback
Sasha was walking to her next class. She was trying a new shortcut that was supposed to cut five minutes off the long walk. She had just rounded the corner of a building when she saw a group of dudebros surrounding someone. She didn't like to get involved with those types. They always led to trouble, and they were the one type of guys that Eddie had warned her about before she went off to college. Before he died.
As she tried to sneak past them without attracting their attention she caught a glance of what looked like clothing that had been vomited on by a rainbow. She stopped and took a closer look. There was a girl, about her own age that was surrounded by all of the boys. She looked uncomfortable and kept trying to leave the circle of them, but they weren't letting her through.
That pissed Sasha enough that she stormed over and shoved two of them out of the way. "Back off, jackasses. She's trying to walk." She watched the girl snap her head over and look at her wide-eyed.
The leader of the guys looked over and scoffed, "We were just having some fun, chill out."
"Well your fun doesn't look like it's contagious. Now let her walk."
The guy held up his hands. "Fine, she can go with you."
Sasha glared at him, but turned to the girl and nodded with her head. The girl fell into step right beside her quickly and shot her a grateful smile. Sasha was about out of the throng of boys when she felt a hand cup her ass and squeeze. She jolted and, before she could even squeak in surprise, the girl beside her turned and punched the boy, who was still pulling his hand back, right in the nose. He reeled back and clutched at his face, blood starting to seep through his fingers.
"You bitch! I think you broke my nose!" He lunged at the rainbow girl, who yelped and looked surprised by the sudden aggression. Sasha had her wits back now, however, and delivered a punch to his eye. Just like she learned from Eddie. The guy fell back into his friends, who all looked completely shocked.
The girl looked at her wide-eyed again, and took her hand, sprinting the opposite direction of Sasha's class. She didn't really need to go anyway, plus her hand hurt now. That was an acceptable reason to miss class. They finally came to a stop before the girl let go of her hand. She turned to her, still a bit out of breath.
She grinned, happily at Sasha. "I'm Bayley. Thanks for the save."
"Sasha. Sorry I didn't come sooner. But I do have a question." Bayley furrowed her brow.
"Sure, shoot."
"If you could punch like that, why didn't you just deck them and walk off on your own?"
Bayley tilted her head like she didn't think about it. "Well, I don't really know. I mean the only time I've punched someone before was when it was my roommate's ex who wouldn't leave her alone. Maybe I only punch good when I protecting other people… that's weird."
Sasha laughed, "You're adorable. My roommate would love you."
Bayley smiled, "I'm glad you think so." She frowned, "Am I keeping you from something?"
Sasha waved her off, "No, I can miss a day. I say we go get lunch and chat. You'll have to teach me how you learned to punch like that."
Bayley smiled and held her arm out for Sasha to take. Sasha rolled her eyes at the playfulness and took it.
End of Flashback
Paige had held her gaze the entire time, and Sasha could only see devotion, love, and pain in them. All directed at and for Bayley. She was lucky that this woman cared so much about her. She knew in the end it would be Bayley's decision, but Paige had earned Sasha's respect, and her approval. "Good. You protect her, and you and I are good."
Paige gave her a tiny smile and nodded before turning her eyes back to Bayley. They watched her sleep peacefully for a few hours without saying anything, before Sasha began to feel Becky start drooping next to her. They said goodbye to Paige and each placed a kiss on Bayley's forehead before the left.
Becky and Sasha didn't say anything, both of them needing sleep after the day they had. Sasha crawled into her bed and reached over to turn off the lamp when her eyes strayed and landed on the framed picture of the four of them. Becky was standing together with Sasha in the middle, while Bayley and Charlotte stood on the outside of them both. They were all smiling and had their arms around one another. Sasha was hit with another batch of nostalgia of happier times, before it all went to shit.
Flashback
Charlotte sighed and put her head in her hands. Sasha couldn't help but feel awful for her. This divorce was taking it out of her. She rarely smiled anymore, and after the court hearing today where she found out that Bram was going to keep the dog, she had come straight over to Sasha and Becky's place. Becky was rummaging around in the kitchen for something to drink and eat for them. Sasha had texted Bayley who was on her way over.
Sasha sat down next to Charlotte who was still hunched over and rubbed her back soothingly. Charlotte just sat like that for a while before finally sitting up. She gave Sasha a small thankful smile before Becky interrupted their moment. She came over with a couple glasses and a large bottle of Jack Daniels.
Sasha glared at her roommate, "She doesn't drink that stuff. It's unhealthy and-" She was interrupted by Charlotte grabbing the bottle from Becky and drinking straight from it. Sasha's eyes were wide, and Becky was giving her a victorious smirk. Charlotte put the bottle down and let them pour a glass for each of them. No sooner had they done this than the front door banged open and in ran Bayley.
She had a Kroger bag slung over her shoulder and she skidded to a stop in front of them. "Don't worry Charlotte! Bayley is here to save the day! I brought every flavor of ice cream that they had and bought a bunch of those action movies you like!"
Sasha looked at Charlotte who was actually smiling. "Thank you, Bayley. That's very thoughtful. The movies and sitting here squeezed onto one couch with you all and eating ice cream out of the carton is exactly what I need."
Bayley ran over and began to set the DVD up on the TV. Becky plopped down on the other end of the couch, while Bayley sat between her and Charlotte once the movie was taken care of. She snuggled into Charlotte who wrapped an arm around all of them, and then they busted open the ice cream cartons.
End of Flashback
They had all ended up falling asleep against each other that night. It was on the best night Sasha had ever had. Sasha felt a tear, the first one she had shed all day, fall onto the picture that she now held on her lap. Things could have stayed that way forever. But now, Charlotte had almost killed Bayley and now Bayley might now ever wake up. Charlotte broke them. She tore them to pieces. It was her fault.
Sasha felt the rage build up again and she slammed the picture down. The glass scattered everywhere along her floor. She squeezed her eyes shut as angry tears streamed freely now. She had worked too damn hard to put her life back together after Eddie died, only to have all that she worked for ripped away from the inside. She was going to make someone pay.
Charlotte stared down at the picture. She and Bayley on the outside of Becky and Sasha while they all smiled into the camera. Bayley and Charlotte, the two opposites. Good and Evil. Opposite ends of the spectrum while Becky and Sasha sat in shades of grey. She couldn't believe what today had turned into. After finding out that her dad was the Nature Boy after finding his Sonic Suit in the office, she'd be wracked with nightmares and indecision.
Those feelings soon turned to hate for her father. He was putting his life on the line and helping those "heroes" kill more innocents as collateral damage. But when she had seen what he was doing today, and how close he had been to losing, her protective instincts for him shot through her. Bayley was one of them now. The ones who killed her brother. She may hate what her father had become, but Charlotte could be better than him. She protected him because he was the only family she had left. But she would be better than him, and she'd make sure that the right people paid for her brother's death.
"They'll come after you now." Her father's voice sounded from behind her. "You can't have sentimentality now."
She whirled around on him, her body becoming crystal. Spikes formed along her shoulders and arms, the picture still clutched in her hand. "Shut up, old man. You have no right to tell me what to do. You're lucky I chose to save you. Now, go fix your stupid machine, and then you'll take orders from me, or I'll finish what Bayley started."
Her dad looked like he'd been struck. She'd already told him that she was in charge now, and he hadn't taken to that too well, but when she had showcased her powers he had backed down like the coward he was. He nodded and sulked out of her room.
She looked back down at the picture, the frame now cracked from her showcase of dominance and strength. Her dad was right, she didn't need sentimentality. She'd chosen her side, and she'd chosen her family. Reid would understand, even if Sasha, Becky, and Bayley didn't.
She threw the frame down and began to stalk out of the room. She needed to go prepare and make sure her idiot father didn't screw up the instructions that she gave him. They had already raided her apartment for anything she'd need. Obviously, Bayley, Sasha, and Becky all knew where she lived so that was going to have to change.
When she reached the doorway, something wasn't letting her leave or go beyond the threshold. She looked back at the wrinkled photograph lying in a pile of broken glass and felt sadness and longing overtake her. She took a few steps back and picked the photo up gently. She looked at it once more, scanning their smiling faces, and flashing through every good time they'd had together.
She folded it quietly in half and then in half again. She took the folded picture and stuck it in her jacket pocket, the one right over her heart. She placed a hand over it and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered to her empty room, and then she walked out, never to return to this place.