Chapter 19:

A Heart to Heart

"Seth?"

Her voice sounded distant in his ears, but it had the effect of acting like a life preserver, pulling him back from the abyss of his thoughts, back to reality. It managed to snap him out of the negativity, despair, and fear circling around inside of his head. His brown eyes shifted to the woman across from him in the booth, dressed in that Blackcraft hoodie that was ridiculously oversized for her petite frame. Before they left the arena, she had thrown her hair back into a messy ponytail. He took in the concern on her face, the worry flashing in her eyes; it only dissipated slightly when he offered her a tight, reassuring smile.

The duo sat in a back booth at Coach House Diner, a twenty-four-hour eatery located off the New Jersey Turnpike. Jory had never been to the place. On the way, Seth had surprised her by confessing that it had been a secret Shield hideout, that he had only ever been with Roman and Dean in tow. It was hard for him not to feel honored about him bringing her to such a special spot. On the turnpike, he had driven home the point that until the split, the place had been their hideout on the east coast. Now that they were split, Seth silently wondered if Dean had ever brought Renee.

At the moment, Seth was halfway through a glass of beer and he had made even less progress on his California veggie wrap. Across from him, Jory was working on a Southwest Panini and a glass of Coke. At the edge of the table was a box of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, a request Jory made so she could take them with her on the road. Seth wasn't at all surprised; in the time he had come to know her, he had learned her sweet tooth was gigantic. He couldn't think of anyone else with a bigger love of ice cream and baked goods.

"I'm fine. Sorry. Just thinking. You were saying?"

"Nothing important. I just...I don't know. What do you think I should do here?" she asked. Seth took a moment to contemplate his answer. Jory wasn't completely oblivious; since Shane's phone call, Seth had been quiet. For the rest of the night, he seemed to space out on their conversations. She had her suspicions that he wasn't at all thrilled about Shane calling. Jory wasn't sure how she felt, either; she couldn't imagine SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan was happy about the situation and she couldn't imagine that he would want her on his roster, given their history. It all felt so strange.

"What are you thinking of doing?" he asked. Seth knew he was turning the question back on her, but he still couldn't process what he thought or felt. He knew - it wasn't really a secret to anyone - that Jory was frustrated and depressed with her career post-Authority. He knew that she was tired of fighting with Stephanie, that she was exhausted with the seemingly never-ending cycle of being crushed underneath the Authority wheel. As much as it killed him, he knew the right decision for her would be to go to SmackDown Live and reinvent herself. It was a chance to go somewhere else, with new people, and a chance to start over with a semi-clean slate. It made sense for her to switch brands and leave Hunter and Stephanie in the rear-view mirror.

But selfishly, he didn't want her to go.

He wanted her to stay and fight The Authority by his side. It would be a way of righting the universe: the two former poster kids of the group who team up to overthrow the king and the queen. The story wrote itself; he couldn't think of anything better. Shane's call threatened to throw a monkey wrench into everything.

And when it came down to it, he just didn't want to lose her. Not now.

"I don't know what I'm thinking," she confessed with a sigh. "I've been dreaming of getting away from Stephanie for years, and now it's a possibility, and I feel conflicted. People are starting to respect me now, and it feels like there's some unfinished business." She ate a French fry. "But I can reinvent on SmackDown." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm reading into it too much right now. Shane wants to talk at Survivor Series. Since it's obvious I'm not going to be doing anything at the show anyway, I've got all the time in the world to hear what he has to say." She took a sip of her soda. "I'm under a Raw contract that is pretty ironclad, so I don't see anything really happening. But who knows? Maybe Shane knows something I don't."

"Are you going to tell Mick that you're negotiating with Shane?" Seth asked. She shook her head.

"In a perfect world, I would, just to be professional and respectful. But I need to be careful. If I tip my hand and it blows up in my face, then things could get even worse for me." She looked down at her sandwich. "It's going to be hard enough doing it at an arena where Stephanie and Mick are both going to be present. And I don't know...SmackDown probably is the place for me to go. I'm spinning my wheels here, and Stephanie is just making the mud deeper and thicker it feels like. And Mick...I don't think he's going to last past-WrestleMania. He's not going to work out as General Manager. It's admirable he's trying, but those with good hearts never work out with Hunter and Stephanie."

Seth hated to admit it, but he knew she was right. Anyone with a working set of eyes could see that Mick was on thin ice.

"Well, maybe with the way things are going, you can get Shane to take me with you," he cracked. Jory smiled.

"Stephanie would never let you go. Even if she comes to despise you, you are far too good for her to let you go. Especially to her brother." He nodded.

"Raw would suck without you," he told her. She laughed.

"I'm never on it."

"Jory..."

"I'd miss our ice cream nights. Your workouts probably won't, though," she added with a laugh.

"I'd miss all of this. I like this."

"I do, too." She flashed him a sad smile. "I'm just going to hear him out for now. I haven't decided anything. But it is something to consider."

"Come break me down - bury me, bury me. I am finished with you!"

Driving towards Newark, Seth and Jory were shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs, Jory swaying side to side in her seat. "God, I haven't heard this song in forever!" Jory exclaimed with a laugh. In the backseat, the cupcakes were nestled securely. Seth told her they would be at the hotel in about fifteen minutes, and Jory was surprised to find that she felt wide awake; dinner with Seth had given her a second wind, an unexpected development.

Seth looked over at Jory and flashed her a tight grin. This fucking sucks. I just get to know her, find out she's amazing, and now she's going to leave. Her words at dinner had done nothing to dissuade Seth from thinking she was going to trade in her red shirt for blue. From an unbiased standpoint, he knew that it was the smartest move for her to make. Friends were friends; if she didn't make the move now, all she could do was stand there while her WWE career got swept under the rug and died a slow and painful death. SmackDown Live had become known for being the Land of Opportunity; it had made people care about Heath Slater after years of being ignored by management. It made Jinder Mahal a legitimate contender. With Jory's talent, he knew that it could do big things for her.

But I don't want you to go.

"Seth?"

He looked over at her. "Yeah?"

"What are you thinking?"

"SmackDown is going to gain something special."

"You're too sweet. But I'm not committing to anything at the moment. This might be a colossal waste of time," she told him. "I'm not going to worry about anything until after Survivor Series."

"We've got unfinished business with those two," Seth reminded her. "I'd love to see you at least stay long enough to handle that."

"And how do you propose we do that?" she asked.

"I have a plan. But I'll have to get back to you on it when things come together."

Jory studied him, surprised. In the course of a night, after everything had seemed so lost, now it felt like things were about to become much more interesting.