NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Just to reassure my readers …Damien's NOT here to cause any trouble. If anything, he kinda rescues Jay in this chapter, as you'll eventually see. Thanks to everyone who liked the previous chapter. It was difficult to write the Main Event cage match, but apparently I did it some justice, so thanks for the kind reviews.

The next series I'll write will be called An Army of Angels. It'll be a retelling of the Wyatt/Cena feud, with Jay deciding that retirement isn't in the cards yet. If you hated the way it ended, well, you aren't the only one. Bray didn't need to put Cena over, Cena should have put HIM over. So, I hope to rectify that and tell the tale in a more satisfying way.

DISCLAIMERS: Please see the previous chapters. Story series is inspired by and based on theytalktome's Wyatt/Jay series and used with permission from the author. Bray's recollection about Daniel Bryan is from the December 16, 2013 episode of RAW. The dirty cheatsreference that Jay makes in this chapter is from Taylor Swift's song Shake It Off.

Follow Me: Chapter Eight

The war to bring down the machine and change the world is a long and daunting process, and the fallout after the steel cage match in Providence hammered home the point for me.

After everything I did for him, after putting my neck on the line for him, Daniel Bryan exposed himself as a coward. A minuscule ant trying to pierce the armor of a scorpion. I felt him, I heard him, and I even held him in my arms. My boys had been gracious, accommodating, and willing to put their own necks out for him. But then Daniel had to humiliate us all.

I offered him a way out of Hell. I told him I can take the pain away. But in reality, all I'd felt was his empty heart beating.

As I lay in a hospital bed after the match, I realized what a fool I'd been. I owed my boys an apology for doubting them. I owed them my thanks for looking out for me. And I understood what I had to do. If Daniel Bryan refused to walk with the reapers, well… he was gonna burn with the fake saints.

~~~ANGEL~~~

"A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal."
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

"When you think yours is the only true path you forever chain yourself to judging others and narrow the vision of God. The road to righteousness and arrogance is a parallel road that can intersect each other several times throughout a person's life. It's often hard to recognize one road from another. What makes them different is the road to righteousness is paved with the love of humanity. The road to arrogance is paved with the love of self."
― Shannon L. Alder

Bray had been moved to a semi-private room and was lying in a hospital bed, propped up with a couple of large pillows. The black tank top he normally liked to wear to the ring was replaced by a standard issue hospital gown. He had a bandage on the right side of his head where the ER doctor had put in stitches. An IV was plugged into the back of his hand. He was awake, but his eyes were closed. A slow sigh escaped his lips as he parted his eyelids.

"What hit me?"

"You're awake." The voice was unmistakable. "I never thought I'd see the day when you didn't wear one of your crazy shirts."

Bray turned his head in surprise. Jay was straddling a chair. A full bottle of water dangled from one of his hands.

"Jay... what are you doing here? I thought you'd be back in your hotel room sleeping. Aren't you flying back to Orlando in the morning?"

"Luke called me. I rescheduled my flight. I couldn't just leave knowing you were in the hospital. Thought I'd swing by to check on you. I'm flying out tomorrow afternoon."

"You didn't need to do that—"

"Yes I did. You need me right now."

Bray nodded. Deep down, he knew Jay was right. He didn't need someone else telling him he'd been wrong. From the looks of things, the blonde Wyatt wasn't here for that.

"So, how do you feel?"

"Like a Kenworth ran me over, then backed up and ran me over again."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Some water would be nice."

Jay opened the water bottle and handed to Bray. He emptied the bottle in three big swallows. "Shouldn't you have sipped that?"

Bray cocked an eyebrow. "When have you known me to follow convention?"

Jay had to laugh at that. "So if you don't mind me asking, how long are you staying here?"

"The doctors insisted I stay overnight. They're worried that I may have a concussion."

Jay shrugged. "You know how the WWE trainers are about concussions these days. They don't mess around. Perhaps you should listen to them."

"In this case, I think I will." Bray paused. "So, you've made a new friend, I hear."

"When did you hear that?"

"Luke told me while I was getting stitches. I have eight stitches in the side of my head, by the way. I cut my head open on the chain link after Daniel threw me. Doc had to shave part of my head, but my hair's so thick, nobody will notice. Speaking of Luke, where is he?"

"Waiting room. He and Damien were discussing religion last I checked. Erick went to get something to eat. There's a Dunkin Donuts not far from here. He said he'd bring you a couple of jelly donuts."

"Krispy Kreme's better."

Jay smirked. "There's no Krispy Kreme stores here. You'll have to make do, I'm afraid."

Bray chuckled. "So, getting back to your new friend …"

"Damien's being held back."

"Damien?"

"Sandow. He's lost, like I was. Only I didn't seek him out. He found me. And he stopped me from making an enormous mistake tonight."

Bray cocked his head, puzzled. "Mistake?"

Jay sighed and stared down at the floor before he spoke. "I'm not proud of what I did, but you need to know. Before I got here, I swung by the arena. I saw Brie come out with Daniel's things. I wanted to find Daniel so I could dish out some payback. Since she was there, I figured that Daniel wasn't far behind…"

~~~ANGEL~~~

"Betrayal is common for men with no conscience."
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

"Karma takes too long! I'd rather just beat the crap out of you now."
-Quote unknown

Jay got the call on his iPhone while he and Damien were in the rental car on their way back to the arena. "Hello? Hey, Luke. Yeah? He's where? How bad is it? I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm bringing a new friend, if that's alright. Okay. Keep me updated. Love you back. Bye."

"Bray's in the emergency room, Rhode Island Hospital." Jay ended the call and gave Damien the Cliff Notes version of what they'd both missed on TV.

"Oh, no! Is it serious?"

"Hopefully it isn't. The trainers sent him there as a precaution. He was complaining of a headache and blurred vision, and he got busted open after the match."

"So we're going there instead?"

Jay's eyes narrowed, and then darkened. "We'll go there, but not just yet." The arena was the next exit, and Jay slow the car down. "I'm giving Daniel a piece of my mind first."

"Be careful, Jay. Don't do anything you'll regret."

The arena crowd was thinning out when Jay pulled into the parking lot reserved for the WWE talent and staff. He saw Brie emerge from the building, a couple of bags in her hand. Without speaking, he threw the car in park and approached her, his steps heavy and his strides long and purposeful.

Jay's voice was icy. "Where's Daniel?!"

Brie dropped the luggage she was carrying and glared at the blonde Wyatt. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because Bray's in the ER, and it's HIS fault" Jay snapped. "He lied! He lied to Bray, he lied to me and Erick and Luke. He lied to everyone who dared to call him a brother!"

"Why should I tell you where he is? He doesn't have to give you lunatics any explanation."

"Bray isn't a lunatic!" Jay growled, advancing on the snotty diva. "I've heard it all before, Brie. Bray's a psycho, a lunatic, and crazy. Don't follow Bray, he's a wackjob. Well, two thousand years ago, there was a carpenter's son everyone thought was a wackjob, and he did more for this world than you'll ever know. Bray isn't him by any stretch, but he wanted to help your fiancé. He saw a lost soul in need of healing and guidance, and what did Daniel do to us all in return? He spit in our faces before he stabbed us all in the back!"

Brie snorted. "And you actually believe what Wyatt's spewing? No wonder Vince hates you! You're crazier than a bag full of cats!"

Jay snarled and did something he never thought he was capable of. He lunged forward and grabbed Brie by the throat. Terror flashed across her face like lightning, and she struggled in Jay's rock-iron grip. "Let me go!" she wheezed as she was shoved up against the side of her car. "Don't do this!"

"The only thing that keeps me from snapping you in half is the fact that you're a female," he hissed, his blue eyes blazing.

"Let her go! You wanna hurt someone, Jay, hurt me!"

Jay let go of Brie, who was more frightened than injured by the unexpected display of domestic violence. His eyes narrowed to slits, and rage erupted inside of him like a mushroom cloud at the sound of the voice. Well, if it isn't the man of the hour, he thought bitterly before he turned around to face the shaggy-haired traitor.

Daniel stood several feet away, the jumpsuit exchanged for jeans and a simple Respect the Beard t-shirt.

"You..." The single word Jay uttered was an unrecognizable growl.

Daniel locked eyes with the blonde Wyatt, and the silence that followed almost crackled as if an electric charge had been released into the air. One second, two seconds …and suddenly, Jay rushed towards Daniel like he'd been fired from a cannon, knocking the beaded traitor to the ground in a vicious spear. Daniel landed hard on the pavement, the wind rushing out of him. Jay locked his fierce blue gaze on Daniel before he let fly with a barrage of punches.

"You lying Judas!" Wham! Wham! Wham! "We offered you family! We gave you a place to belong! We gave you everything we had! And you betrayed us!" Pow! "That's the thanks we get! HOW DARE YOU! I OUGHTA SNAP YOUR NECK LIKE A TWIG!"

Strong hands suddenly grabbed the back of Jay's shirt and yanked him off a fallen Daniel. Jay's body surged with adrenaline, and he flailed about in surprise. "Hey! Let go! GET OFF ME! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Jason! STOP! You don't wanna do this!" The owner of the voice wrapped his arms around Jay and held him back until the struggles slowed. "I know this isn't my place, but you're about to do something you'll regret! Let's go. I'll drive, you're in no condition to drive right now."

"Damien …" Jay gasped as he was set down carefully on the ground.

"Jason! Stop!" Damien's voice was firm, but kind, as he locked eyes with his new friend. "I know you're angry, but it's not worth it! Don't do this. Don't ruin what's left of your career, Jason. If what Daniel's done is as bad as you say it is, then what goes around will come around, and he'll be punished."

The silence that followed was nearly thick enough to slice. Brie had dropped to her knees and was tending to Daniel, who was nursing a sore jaw and cut lip. Jay was catching his breath and Damien had his arm out in such a way that it restrained Jay and kept him at a safe distance.

Finally, Jay fixed his gaze back on Daniel and spoke; if looks could kill, Daniel would be dead a hundred times over. "Go back to your plastic girlfriend," he snarled, his voice low and venomous. "The two of you deserve each other! And mark my words, this isn't over. This is so far from over. It's not even in the same AREA CODE as over!" His fierce gaze whipped over to Brie. "You better not say ONE WORD about this. If you do, I won't be held responsible for what happens to your boyfriend …"

~~~ANGEL~~~

"It was a moment of weakness, Bray. I was angry. I just… I was just angry, and I dealt with it in the worst way possible." Jay had his head in his hands now, and he couldn't look Bray in the eye. He was just too embarrassed and ashamed of himself. "I may have torpedoed what's left of my career because of it. Yet another reason for Vince to hate me."

Bray reached forward and took Jay's chin gently in his big hand, gently lifting the blonde Wyatt's face so that the two of them could see eye to eye. The big man's voice, surprisingly, was kind and soft. "You meant well, Jay. You were trying to be a good son. Your heart was in the right place, just not your head. But if it's any consolation, what goes around comes around. Daniel's gonna pay for his treachery. It may not be now. It could take a day, a week, a month, as long as it takes, but he'll pay. You just need to be patient."

"I will," nodded Jay, relief drifting across him like a cool breeze.

"You're not the only one who screwed up tonight, Jay. I should have listened to the boys. If I had, I wouldn't be here." Bray sighed and leaned forward so that Jay could fluff the pillows up behind his head. When Jay finished, the big man leaned back into the comfortable nest. "You and the others were right about Daniel. He's nothing but a traitor."

"So why didn't you listen?"

Bray pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and glanced towards the ceiling before he spoke. "I wanted to believe that Daniel was a changed man," he said, honestly. "I wanted to believe that I'd saved him. I wanted to save Daniel from himself, like I'd saved you. He just... he just looked so lost. All I wanted to do was give him a place where he belonged, away from the Authority.

"You know their machine will never let him succeed. They did the same thing to you for years. Same regime, just different names. And if they have their way, they'll continue. Not just with you, or with Daniel, but with anyone else on this roster they consider undesirable." Jay nodded in understanding. Bray continued. "If Daniel couldn't thrive in the WWE, then he could thrive with us and help change the world. You know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah. I do."

"And the last thing I expected was Daniel pulling the stunt he pulled tonight. I didn't want to believe that after everything I did to bring him into the fold, he'd stab us all in the back." Bray shook his head, his long tangled hair shaking about like the roots of a giant weed. "I wanted to prove everyone wrong, Jay. I saw something in Daniel, at least I thought I did. How could I've been such a fool! I put my neck on the line for him. Deceiver! Deceiver! Liar!" He spat the last two words out like they were poisonous.

"You didn't want to think he was capable of that." Jay paused, and then got to the crux of the matter. "After all the effort you put forth, you didn't want to believe that failure was a possibility."

"You're absolutely right. In my mind, failure wasn't an option, even when it was staring me right in the face and everyone was in my ear about it."

"Well, I'm not gonna tell you I told you so. I'm sure Erick and Luke already have that covered. I just wanna say I'm sorry about what happened to you tonight. And I'm here if you need me."

"Thank you." Bray smiled tiredly, feeling a sense that things with Jay had come full circle. Jay had needed the Wyatts after he'd descended below everything in his life. Bray had done some descending of his own tonight, and Jay had chosen to be here for him. Now it was time for him to rise above.

"Uhm, Jay. Your new friend, Damien. Tell him that if he ever has an evening with nothing to do, or if he wants to get together to talk, that our dressing room is always open."

"I told him the same thing. But, if you don't me asking... why would you be so accommodating, especially after tonight? Wouldn't you want to be more careful?"

"Perhaps in this case, it's because he was willing to stick his own neck out for you tonight in the parking lot, and he's not even part of this family. The fact that he sought US out, and we didn't have to beat him up has quite a bit to do with that as well."

Jay nodded. A comfortable silence passed between him and the Wyatt's patriarch before he spoke again. "You know, Bray, you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar. That's what my dad's always said to me."

Bray tilted his head in puzzlement. "Where's this coming from?"

"Bray, if I may be so bold, maybe you should stop beating people up to make them join the flock. You can't put a lion in a cage and expect him to be grateful for the shelter. At the same time, you can't beat up someone and expect him to thank you for saving his life. I know I was an exception, but still… "

Before Bray could say another word, Jay drew closer. "For all the good you did for me, I still have scars. Not on the outside, but on the inside. One of the reasons why I moved to the smaller place in Orlando was because I can't live in a big house anymore. I tried sleeping in my bedroom, and I couldn't. I kept remembering the days I spent chained up in the garage. Middle of the floor, with no place for me to curl up against and protect myself. It feels like the walls close in. My heart begins to race, and I feel trapped. I have to curl up against the corner of the couch, or wrap up in a blanket to feel safe. Sometimes I'll scream myself awake after a nightmare.

Bray's heart sank. He was beginning to realize that the ordeal that he put Jay through had left him both scarred and healed. He'd hurt Jay as much as he'd healed him, and that was difficult to hear. "Have you… have you seen anyone?"

Jay shook his head vehemently. His voice was firm and steady. "I haven't gone to see a therapist, and I never will. Therapy means I'd have a lot of questions that I'd have to answer, and those questions and answers could lead to big problems. Not just for me, but for you guys. You're my brothers. You're my family. And Luke …I don't think I could love someone as much as I love him." Jay fixed his blue gaze on Bray, his voice firm with conviction. "I could never in a million years betray my family. So therapy's not an option. Instead, I draw closer to the Lord on my bad days. Good days or bad, I know that He's as close as any prayer. I pray to the Lord and let Him take care of it, and that's how I stay sane."

The silence that fell between Bray and Jay was thick enough to slice. One minute, then two. Finally, Bray reached over and took Jay's hands in his. His voice was soft, and while he wasn't crying, there were tears in his voice as he said, "Jay… I'm so sorry. I know what you're capable of, and how important you are to my cause, and I was so determined to show that to you, that I didn't realize what kind of damage I left you with. What the boys and I did to you …it was criminal. No matter what kind of brush you try to paint it with."

"You saved me," reassured Jay. "Never doubt that. I'd have been dead if not for you. Out of everyone that I knew, you and Erick and Luke were the only ones willing to save me. Nobody else was brave enough to do what you did. If it hadn't been for you guys, I wouldn't be able to appreciate simple things.

"Y'know, one of my favorite things to do now is go outside on my balcony in Orlando and watch the sunset. It's peaceful, and as the day ends, my problems during the day end as well. At the Performance Center, I'll go work out, and I'll talk to the new kids. I've become sort of an unofficial trainer. I share my knowledge, I work out with the kids, and a couple of them I've been able to bring to the Lord. I haven't told anyone about the days I was so severely punished, and I never will. But I wouldn't have been able to give back to the new kids if it hadn't been for you guys. And I have you to thank for that."

"I should be the one thanking you," Bray answered back, softly. "For not castigating me tonight, although I deserve it. And, for being so forgiving after what I put you through."

"It's water under the bridge now." Jay smiled. He paused and then said, "Have you thought of changing your approach, Bray? Instead of getting down and out about the liars and the dirty cheats in this world and beating people into following your cause, you can take them on in the ring and defeat them. Don't try to make them join the family. Expose them for what they really are and just take them out.

"And at the same time, you can spread your message outside of the ring. You have the tools! You have the manpower! Y'know, I got caught up with all of your promos on You Tube. You had everyone eating out of the palm of your hand. Imagine directing all of that to the masses who really need a savior!" Jay's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "You took Kane out at Summerslam. You showed the world that all Kingston was doing was spinning his wheels. You showed everyone that Mizanin was as fake as his hairdo. You exposed them, Bray. You took them on and took them out. You did that before ..." Jay paused. "And you can do that again."

A knowing look passed between Bray and his convert as the big man rolled the idea around in his mind. Expose the liars and fakes in the ring. Gather followers outside the ring. It was so simple, it was ridiculous. But it could work. "You've given me something to think about, Jay. Perhaps you're right. Maybe I should change my tactics."

"I'm not asking you to become a big softy, Bray. That's not your style. Maybe you could call it …redirection?"

Bray nodded. "Channeling the violence elsewhere."

"It could work." Jay paused. "No, scratch that. I think it will work." With those words, the blonde Wyatt climbed off his chair. "It's almost one in the morning, and I should be getting back. I promised the boys I'd drive them back to the arena to pick up your rental car. And I do need to get some rest." A little smirk crossed Jay's face. "Though Luke might have a few ideas to keep me awake, now that I have some more time. Not that I mind. We'll be in touch, and my phone's on if you need me…"

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Well, leave it to Jay muse to blab on longer than I expected! I was gonna include Daniel's explanation as to why he turned on the Wyatts (January 20, 2014 episode of RAW), but that'll have to wait until the next chapter. I'll try to end this with ten chapters, depending on whether or not the muses have more to say!

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