So, once more unto the breach…(some Shakespeare, why not?)

Kayla English, Safe to assume Hunter's not very happy! He's kind of on the warpath in this one!

MizHyde, I like the way you're thinking...maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. Also, I think you're going to love the next one!

Raze Olympus, Sorry, hope the wait wasn't too bad and that this chapter makes up for it!

AngelsDestiny22, Ooh, yay, chills are good! So glad you're enjoying it.

Skovko, Is she unlucky though? Or is she actually lucky that Dean's always there? Oh no, wait, you're right, she's definitely unlucky!

Psion53, She could hide away, but where's the fun in that? Besides, Stephanie and Hunter have another way around it, as you'll find out…

Also, just as a general aside, we are now officially, exactly half-way through! Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a true thing, so...there you go!

Taking The Stage

I wasn't sure if the worst part about telling Hunter was his glowering expression or the fact that he remained quiet – as in deathly quiet – as the tale of woe was painstakingly revealed.

We were in his office, crowded round the desk, with me in a chair and Hunter sitting opposite while Stephanie stood listening over his shoulder.

Although Dean was usually The Shield's main spokesman, Seth had taken over the reins of the narrative and instead Dean hovered close behind me, his clasped hands occasionally brushing the back of my neck. It wasn't an intentional touch – there was nothing obvious or bold about it – but the warmth fizzled through me nevertheless and gave us both a sense of physical contact. It was softly reassuring and it made me feel safe. His touch was at odds with Hunter's expression which bubbled dangerously over the desktop and threatened to erupt at any given second. It was the first time I had seen my father look anything other than sort of benign and it reminded me starkly that we were still as good as strangers.

Really it had been an evening of revelations.

Including that someone was potentially trying to kill me.

"So that's when we decided to come to you," Seth finished up having listed all of the incidents and hearing them laid out made the whole thing seem real. Hunter's head moved slowly in a nod and he looked up sharply across the steeple of his fingers,

"Was anyone going to tell me about this?" he sounded icy, actually he sounded murderouswhich was sort of ironic given the whole truck thing, "How long were you planning on lying to me?"

"Hunter – ," Stephanie began evenly, but he roundly ignored her and bellowed instead,

"How long."

His shout echoed in off the walls all around us and I could feel the guys physically stiffen in response. It was all so unfair. How could he blame them? I couldn't let that happen and maybe it was the shock or the adrenaline of what had happened but suddenly I found myself raising my voice back,

"Hey – no – it wasn't their fault. None of this was. Stop yelling at them."

For a second everyone simply stared back at me with varying degrees of pride and surprise. I continued to frown at Hunter however who – for his part – kept up the murderous façade,

"They lied to me – ,"

"Because I asked them to. I begged them not to tell you. They were doing it for me."

"Why?"

"I didn't want you to send me away."

Away from you.

Away from Dean.

Hunter's expression flickered slightly,

"You think I would do that?"

I shrugged,

"I don't know. I just – I mean, I pretty much turned up here out of the blue and I figured that I was already kind of pushing my luck being allowed to say in the first place, you know? So then when all of this stuff started happening I was worried you would think I was more trouble than I was worth and send me home or something – I don't know – I'm sorry."

Somewhere along the way my explanation had become a monologue and in my haste to get out exactly how I felt and why I had messed things up so badly, I managed to nearly upset myself. I felt pathetic but I had nearly been run over. Perhaps the emotion was coming from that? Dean's fingers lightly grazed my nape and I sucked in a breath and leaned back into them.

"Lauren," Hunter offered, sighing a little as conflicting emotions raged behind his eyes. Fortunately for me however, his father side won over which was clearly as new a sensation for him as it was for me, "That's not going to happen. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. Not now that I've met you and started to get to know you and – ,"

He paused momentarily and then glanced up at The Shield, obviously wondering how much they knew. No one spoke and in the silence I bit my lip guiltily and cleared my throat,

"Um, it's okay – they kind of know."

"Kind of?"

"We know," Dean asserted confidently, moving to take some of the heat away from me. As Hunter's fierce gaze swung in his direction, Seth stepped in swiftly to back him up,

"We figured she was more than just a runner since the boss' wife asked us to look out for her."

Dean snorted,

"I mean, we're not exactly known for our bedside manner here, you know? So if you asked us then there had to be a reason, so we made sure we got the truth out of her. Didn't have to try very hard. We're pretty persuasive when we wanna be and she's just a little small town girl. Not her fault. But yeah, we know."

Okay, he was definitely taking the fall and my heart completely sang with it. God I loved him. As Roman stepped forward to back up his brothers and the tension rose just a millimetre more, Stephanie sighed and held her hands up, sensing the need to seize control,

"Fine, so now you know. I assume you haven't told anyone?"

"Who would we tell?" Dean spread his hands wide. He had a point, they weren't exactly popular and although I found them sweet as hell, my sentiments weren't shared by the rest of the roster. Stephanie nodded briskly,

"Good."

"Good?" Hunter shot at her tersely, "How exactly is that good Steph? Because while they might not have told anyone, somebody in this company sure as hell seems to know."

Her expression drew in and for the briefest of moments I couldn't tell whether she was confused by his statement or annoyed at having been snapped at in public. In hindsight it was probably both.

"Why do you think that?"

"Steph, did you not hear everything that's happened? Rollins is right. Someone is targeting her and I can't think of a single good reason except for the fact that she's my daughter."

My heart lurched violently and Dean's fingers pressed down on me, sensing it and silently trying to help. What I wanted was to throw my arms around him and have him shut out the insanity that had seemingly become my world. Under the circumstances however – him pretending to be big and scary and my long-last father glaring over the desk – I decided to simply sit there quietly and try my hardest not to cry. It worked pretty well.

"I heard them Hunter," Stephanie bit back at him and – yeah, okay – she was totally pissed, "But I happen to disagree. These things are just unfortunate incidents. Let's think logically about this, okay? What just happened in the parking garage was obviously a driver not paying attention. He causes an accident, worries about his job and then runs off before anyone sees him. We'll find him and we'll fire him. Simple as that. As for the Wyatts, well, we know what they're like and if they're fixated on Lauren then all we do is warn them. We instruct them to stop and back off or be fired."

Seth had deliberately left out the drugging. None of us had wanted to bring that up and as the ferocity continued to rumble around us, I found myself glad we had kept it to ourselves.

"What about the damn cockroaches Steph?"

She shrugged as if the detail were minor and her airiness about it made me feel better about it too. Huh. Who would have thought that my wicked stepmother would be the most reassuring person in the room?

"Locker room pranks – hazing the new girl – or maybe it is the Wyatts after all. That's why we warn them to stay far away from her. Hell, we'll warn the whole company if we have to."

Hunter glanced up at her,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She gazed back at him evenly,

"You know what it means – it means I think our hand has been forced here. Which really only leaves us with one thing to do."

Hunter drew in a levelling breath and although everything seemed suddenly tenser, I had no idea what they were talking about. More worryingly still The Shield had stiffened and if I knew nothing else, then I knew that wasn't good. Without any warning, Dean stepped forward and his tone was solemn,

"No – no way. You can't be for real here. You seriously expect her to go out there tonight? It'll be like givin' her to the god damn lions."

Lions? I blinked. Wait a minute, was Stephanie suggesting introducing me? The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I gasped. What had happened to taking things slow? Luckily before I could start to hyperventilate, Hunter shook his head at her,

"Steph, it's too soon."

"So what are the alternatives?" she threw back sharply, "There are none Hunter. I want her safe too. This is the best way that I can think of to do that. Once people know that she's with us, they're not going to touch her. Not one of them would dare."

She had a point and clearly knowing it, Hunter glanced across the desk in my direction. Evidently my expression wasn't good because the next thing I knew he had stretched a hand out and placed it softly over my own.

"Do you trust me?"

I blinked. Was that a trick question? What was I supposed to say? If I said no – which was probably the answer – then I was bound to break the big guy's heart, but if I said yes to spare his feelings then he was going to drag me in front of the crowd. It was the literal definition of a no win situation and I floundered helplessly.

"Um – ,"

"Lauren?"

As the awkward silence stretched out in front of us, Dean grew restless on my behalf and once again he stepped forward a little and practically snarled at his two-headed boss,

"This is fuckin' crazy."

"I don't remember asking you Ambrose," Hunter snapped warningly, "Watch yourself."

Behind my chair I could feel Dean tensing and for a second I thought he might pick a fight, but then there was a gentle murmuring beyond me and feet on the carpet as Seth and Roman backed him up. Hunter's eyes were still narrowed dangerously and not wanting things to deteriorate any further, I blurted out what I knew he wanted to hear.

"Yes."

He glanced at me in confusion,

"Yes?"

"I trust you," I nodded quickly, "Yes."

There was a momentary pause as we drank in the statement, which was more than a basic declaration of faith. It was consent to be dragged in front of millions of viewers and – oh my god – I was going to be sick. What had I done? I was nuts. I had to be. Behind me I heard Dean exhale a shocked breath and honestly, it made me feel so much worse. I had literally just agreed to the one thing he had never wanted me to do in the first place and although the decision had never been his, I still felt like I had let him down. Hunter on the other hand seemed much more happy and almost borderline emotional as well. The hand that was still wrapped solidly around my own tightened a little and he offered me a smile,

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he intoned reassuringly, if not a little late in the game, "All we're going to do is tell people who you are – you don't need to speak, you don't need to act. You just stand there and be yourself, alright?"

In the background Stephanie was already moving and barking out orders into her phone. I nodded in response, feeling disconnected, like I was moving through a dream instead of the real world.

"Is De – ," I blinked, "Are The Shield coming with us?"

Hunter looked up at them,

"For security, yes."

That was an oddly mixed emotion because on the one hand it meant – thank god – that Dean was coming but on the other it hinted at trouble ahead. Before I got the chance to ask about it however, Stephanie promptly finished her phone call and shot me a smile,

"Okay, they're opening up a slot for us – we need to get over to gorilla now."

Now?

I gaped. It was moving so quickly and the thought of it filled me with instant alarm. Seeing it, Hunter walked around towards me and helped me up gently with one hand on my arm. Once I was back on my feet he stooped and looked me,

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Not really, no.

Sadly however, Stephanie answered for me and even as she spoke she was crossing the room. Stopping by my side, she drew me in close to her and viewed her husband while rolling her eyes,

"Stop worrying Hunter, of course she's sure. She knows this is the best way to keep herself safe. Besides, she's your daughter – she's going to be a natural. Sweetie, come on."

I let her lead me in a daze from the office, throwing a bewildered look at Dean as we went. His expression was tight and his blue orbs burnt into me, silently checking that I was okay. Was I? No. But there was little I could do about it as Stephanie marched me swiftly through the corridors and into the backstage bustle of gorilla. Heads turned our way as we waltzed in together and across the cluster of headsets and frowns I could just about see Matt staring at me, open mouthed. As Stephanie moved away to deal with the particulars, Hunter stepped up with a microphone in hand.

This was it. It was genuinely happening.

Up to that point it had still seemed like a dream but as the sound of the crowd filtered in through the curtain that hope faded. It wasn't a dream. I also realized – with a violent shudder – that there was very definitely no way out.

As Hunter turned towards the long black drapes, a hand reached out and caught mine from behind. I didn't need to feel the rough surface of the tape to know that it was Dean, I already knew. The realization that he was still there however – and would be there with me through it all – briefly quelled some of my churning apprehension and when the curtain was pulled aside and we were briskly ushered forward, I did as I was told feeling positive again. It lasted until Dean's fingers slid from mine and Hunter led me out.

Oh my god, oh my god.

The moment we emerged into the brightness, Hunter and Stephanie's music hit and I practically jumped at the ear-splitting volume and then swiftly jumped at nearly everything else. The arena seemed to stretch out around us as a sea, consisting of banners and bright cell phone lights. By looking closely it was possible to see faces but at a glance the fans seemed to blend into one, melting down into an ocean of people and all of them moving and swaying around. They were everywhere – as far as my poor eyes could see them – watching us intently and yeesh were they loud. I had read about crowd noise sounding like a roar and it had always made sense to describe it that way, but standing in front of them, with their faces turned inwards, made it seem like an audible explosion. It was a screaming, braying, whistling cacophony and although at first it seemed like a jumble as Hunter lead us purposefully down the ramp, it became possible to pick out individual voices and calls across the wider sound,

"You suck Hunter,"

"Hey, Shield, you guys are assholes."

"Who's the girl?"

"Steph – whoo – get 'em out."

It would be no exaggeration to describe that walk as the most terrifying experience of my entire little life and even sticking close to Hunter and having Dean a pace behind me didn't much help. By the time we hit the ring I was shaking like a leaf and it only got worse when Hunter stepped away from me, confidently vaulting up onto the apron and leaving me standing, lost on the floor. A gentle tap on my back from Dean guided me discreetly in the direction of the ring steps where Stephanie was waiting with her hand stretched out. I took it and followed her along the narrow apron, silently making deals with myself not to fall.

If you do this, I'll go running more often, I'll drink more water, I'll stop snacking before bed.

As Stephanie ducked under the lower of the ropes – which Hunter was holding down with his foot – I copied her and came to a somewhat shaky standstill in the middle of the ring.

In the middle of the crowd.

As the music cut out I could hear the fans more clearly and they sounded both thunderous and murderous as well. If I had ever been in doubt about Steph and Hunter being the bad guys, then the response they were getting made it totally clear. Beneath my feet the ring surface bounced and I looked up to see The Shield swing in as well. Dean made sure to keep himself close to me and although his game face didn't once flicker, the feeling of proximity certainly helped. Nothing was going to happen to me as long as he was there. I fully believed that.

I essentially had to.

"Tonight," Hunter abruptly announced into the microphone and as his voice boomed around us my heart hit my throat, "I have a something very special to share with you."

The crowd noise rose as ten thousand people cheered lustily, thinking that the big reveal was something to do with the show. I winced a little, imaging the jeers when they realized the revelation was about – well – me. Stephanie came over and took my hand before smiling at me warmly,

"You're doing great."

In front of us, Hunter continued undaunted, clearly drinking in the catcalls as applause. Whatever worked for him I guess, although it didn't have quite the same effect on me.

"Last week, I was given some news that would change my life and my family forever. I found out something incredibly important and that something was – ," he paused, stretching out the moment and although a large part of me – okay, all of me – wished that would just get on and say it, the rest of me was impressed by how he worked the crowd, "That I was a father."

Whatever reaction I was expecting didn't happen and instead of boos Hunter received a solid, huh?

"You see, before I married my wife – the amazing Stephanie," he turned round to look at her and beamed from ear to ear, "I was in a relationship with another woman and unbeknownst to me, that woman had a child."

Turning on the spot he came in closer and gently pulled me away from his wife. Pacing back, he took me with him until we were standing exposed in the very centre of the ring. As I watched him wide-eyed, with my heart in my larynx, he smiled and raised my hand up high,

"I would like you to meet my long-lost daughter. The new woman in my life. This is Lauren."

For the briefest of seconds I couldn't hear the crowd since the noise was drowned out by the whistling in my ears, but gradually as I stood in bewilderment, the mixture of apathy and clapping flooded in. It wasn't very loud but it wasn't vehement either and I assumed it was down to my look of sheer terror that they had collectively decided not to go in too hard. Holding up my one free hand I waved somewhat awkwardly and prayed to the gods that the excruciating moment would soon be done. The second Hunter let go of me I stumbled backwards towards Dean and I was grateful when Stephanie swept back in again and protectively encircled my shoulders with her arm.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Hunter continued and his in-ring personality so was totally different to the behind-the-scenes-guy that I couldn't take it in. It was cocky and arrogant and I wasn't sure I liked it. Although I guessed it was kind of too late for that now, "My two girls. I'm a pretty lucky guy."

I blinked, not sure how I felt about that one although unable to deny that it was nice to be claimed. Not that I was a lost dog or anything, but it felt good be included in a family again.

"So now, I guess there's not a lot left for me to say. I mean, I've introduced my kid, I've let you see my family. Although – now I think about it – there is one other thing and that is to warn every person in this company that to mess with Lauren, is to mess with me. Anyone upsets my kid, singles her out or touches her then they will have worked their last match in this ring. I'll make sure of that, won't I boys?"

Throughout the course of his speech-come-warning, he had been building up to a furious point. His expression had darkened and his eyes had narrowed until he was essentially nothing more than a big angry boss. The last part of the monologue had been directed at The Shield and they nodded enthusiastically and smirked.

Oh yeah.

Glancing up, I could see them blown-up on the big screen and then my eyes then grew wide as I suddenly saw myself. Somewhere a camera was zooming in close on me and I gasped and instantly cast around. Dean edged across a step, blocking the visual and he winked at me reassuringly and in return I almost smiled. If it wasn't for the fact that I was having a heart attack, I might have even giggled. But – you know – heart attack.

Around us the crowd continued to stir restlessly and Hunter tossed the microphone away. Clearly the big reveal was over and Stephanie propelled me forward a step,

"See? All over, you were great. Hope it wasn't too much for you to handle?"

I smiled but said nothing, knowing that if I did my voice would break. Never again. I chanted internally. I would never go out in that damn ring again. It was a mantra I kept up as I headed for the ropes and was still repeating as Hunter swung out ahead.

Never again, never ever again.

I had one foot raised when the lights went out suddenly and there was a cheer from around us as the crowd sprang to life. At first I assumed the arena had had a blackout but then I remembered who came out in pitch black. My heart seized up. It had to be Wyatt and as a pair of hands grabbed me from behind I half-screamed. I stopped at the feel of a familiar body and seconds later Dean's voice sounded gruff beside my ear,

"Whoa easy, Lauren it's just me, alright?"

"Dean," I whispered, breathing heavily, "What's going on?"

But before he could answer, the arena lights came on again and left me squinting, not sure what was happening. In my dazed state it took me a second to register that there was something sitting on the edge of the stage and it took me even longer to work out what it was. As soon as I did however, I wished I hadn't because there all alone at the top of the ramp, was the glowing red form of Bray Wyatt's lantern.

Uh oh.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

So, it seems like the Wyatts didn't get the message. Oh and in case you're wondering (which you're probably not, but hey) the next chapter is hands down one of my favourites! See you then...