Distracting bitch.
It was perhaps the most prominent of Ziggler's thoughts as he stared up at the bright lights overhead. He had been going toe to toe with Sandow when Carolyn had appeared yet again through the crowd with Ambrose by her side. While they didn't actually interfere in the bout there had been a lot of pointing and discussing, like they were critiquing the match and going over possible strategies for the future. They had been doing it all week; Raw, Main Event, Smackdown, even house shows. Not directly interfering, just showing up and slowly circling the ring like a pair of sharks that may or may not go into a feeding frenzy if the mood took them. It had him on edge and was fraying his nerves, compounded even more by the conspicuous absence of Rollins and Reigns.
In all honesty Dolph expected her to have dropped Dean like a hot potato after the picture he sent to her, she had always been one to run at the first signs of any complications. However, to his surprise they seemed to not only have worked the problem out but there was a new solidarity between the pair. He knew that meant only one thing, Dean Ambrose had succeeded where others before him had failed in managing to get past that barrier of casual indifference.
Their eyes met and she smirked at him; a cold, vindictive thing. To add insult to injury Dean was wearing a mirrored expression as his arm was lazily wrapped around her shoulders as if to say 'mine'. He began to leave when her voice suddenly filled the air.
"Oh, Dolph." Her voice carried throughout the arena in a mocking sing-song fashion, "You look somewhat upset. I can't help but think it's because of little old me."
Could she possibly state anything more obvious?
"I had a lot of time to think while spending six weeks at home, bored completely out of my mind no thanks to your little stunt." Ambrose was lightly trailing a finger over the fresh scar that marred the skin near her left shoulder as if to emphasise what Ziggler had done, "At first I was thinking of letting Dean beat you yet again, but I think there's only so many times he could do that before getting bored out of his mind. I debated with the idea of having Seth run circles around you. Promising, but I doubt you'd be able to keep up with him for very long. Then, as enticing and entertaining as the idea of watching Roman simply brutalise and throw you around like a rag doll is, the idea hit me. Why should they get to have all the fun?"
Dean became unnaturally still, he had an idea where this sudden line of open thought was going with this and he didn't like it at all. Slowly he looked at her and saw that unmistakable gleam in her eye, the one she got when she was about to do or suggest something a little on the insane side.
"So how about this. You and me, one on one at TLC. No Truth, no Ryder and no Shield. Or wouldn't your ego be able to handle you having your ass handed to you by a woman?"
Dolph's lip curled at the goading mockery, watching as her tongue slipped absently over her teeth, waiting for him to agree to the terms she had just suggested. He stood halfway up the ramp with hands on his hips as he looked around him, barely catching an incoming mic she threw at him to answer her challenge. Carolyn was eager for him to say yes, that much was certain, but the last thing he wanted to do was give her any sort of satisfaction.
"Forget it."
The smirk faded and her eyes narrowed a moment before a mask of boredom replaced it, "The hard way it is then."
He was done putting up with her games and marched up the ramp, only to get blind-sided by Rollins and Reigns. The two dragged him back down to the ring after a sufficient pummelling, Seth and Dean holding him up as Roman stood in front of him just behind Carolyn.
"Are you sure no is going to be your final answer?" she asked, a finger under his chin to lift his head up. He looked passed her a second and that crooked smile of hers was back, "Your little friends wont be making the save tonight. Turn about is fair play after all." When it was clear Carolyn wasn't going to get what she wanted she sighed and turned to Roman, patting him on a broad shoulder, "Make it hurt."
This was something Roman would do with great pleasure as they set up and executed the Triple Power-bomb.
"Give him another."
Reigns arched a brow but they acquiesced and repeated the move a second time.
"Again." The Samoan powerhouse gave her a questioning look only to have her hold his gaze with a cold, calculating one of her own, "Do it."
He glanced at the other two and shrugged, the trio sending Dolph to the mat for a hat trick.
Carolyn lazily sank down to the mat next to Ziggler's prone form, legs crossed underneath her as she hovered between that hard, icy deliberation and vindictive derision. "You want to break my bones and make me bleed? Fine, but surely you weren't dumb enough to think I wouldn't want blood for blood. As you'll soon figure out once you wake up, I'm not giving you a choice in the matter. We either have a dance at TLC, or else I have my boys power-bomb you into a permanent retirement."
Ambrose was upset, Carolyn could clearly tell if the stretching silence during the ride back to the hotel had been any indication. So perhaps keeping the whole challenging Dolph herself might not have been the best surprise, but if she had spilled the beans she knew he'd try and talk her out of it. Roman and Seth were staying well out of it as to not get caught in any potential cross-fire and all but bolted once they entered the lobby.
"Just what are you thinking?" he asked, coming dangerously close to snapping the question out once they had reached the sanctuary of the room.
"That I want to do this," she replied calmly as she slipped out of her jacket and folded it up neatly, "It wouldn't be the first time I've wrestled a man, Dean."
"And when was the last time you actually did that?" The silence stretched out for a long few seconds when he didn't get an answer, "I thought as much."
"What is that supposed to mean, exactly?"
He opened his mouth before promptly shutting it again, there was no way he was going to get caught out by that trick question. Ambrose scrubbed his face with one hand and heaved a sigh, "Look, I just don't want some repeat performance of Hell In A Cell happening at TLC."
Carolyn had long since figured out that Ambrose had something of a territorial streak and was trying hard to keep that in mind. The problem was she had just as large a one for her own independence, so the idea of letting someone else do a job she considered she was capable enough to do on her own rankled more than a few feathers. "This isn't something that's going to be solved if you two are constantly trying to tear out each other's throats."
He snorted a little and crossed his arms over his chest, "It will if I stop trying and actually do it."
God how she was beginning to want to strangle him again. Stubborn, obstinate, bull headed...
Sinking onto the edge of the bed she started to massage one of her temples. "I just want this over; win, lose or draw," she said quietly after a moment of agitated silence, "I'm so tired of this, it's been going on and slowly getting worse for months. If I win, great. If he beats me, fine; he can live with a delusion that it would mean anything to me that he won. But at least one way or another this pissing contest will finally be finished. I'm not asking you to like it, I'm just asking that you understand why I need to do it myself."
Dean sat down next to her before leaning back on the bed and stared at the ceiling a moment while he thought it over. He knew she was a lot stronger than she actually looked and was capable of holding her own, but it didn't change the fact he would never want her anywhere near Ziggler... unless he was pretty much in the state they had put him in tonight. Call it possessive, call it territorial, all he knew was that it was a part of his ingrained nature and couldn't change it.
"No crazy stipulations," he finally said, though with great reluctance at giving in, "No hardcore matches, last man standing, first blood... whatever. Just a regular match under normal rules, otherwise I'm going to fight you tooth and nail on this until we probably both end up trying to kill each other."
"Well there goes the idea for an inferno match."
The sharp glare he sported almost immediately softened when she grinned cheekily at him; always had to lighten the mood somehow. Perhaps they were getting better at this communication thing after all. He enjoyed the view as Carolyn stretched out languidly beside him, propping herself up on an elbow while the fingers of her free hand lazily traced the lines of his muscles through his shirt. Reaching out behind her head he tugged at the pin that was holding her hair up and ran his fingers through the thick, silky mane then tangled them in it at the back of her neck and pulled her close, his other hand sliding over her thigh and tugged it over his hip until she was pressed on top of him. He kissed her until she was breathless, his hands stroking up and down her spine, then nipped lightly at her neck.
"Carolyn..."
She only half heard her name, the bulk of her attention riveted on the sensation of his mouth at her throat, "Mmm?"
He hesitated a moment through a strange combination of nerves and the delicious distraction of his girl starting to grind against him. Eventually he got it out, not wanting the phrase to simply be his 'get out of jail free' card whenever he fucked up, "I love you."
There it was again; that tiny, fleeting tremor as she abruptly stilled. At first he thought he'd said the wrong thing as she rested her head against his chest and seemed unable to look at him. Then her fingers ran up his chest and over his shoulders before threading themselves through his hair. She claimed him with a kiss that shared the same intensity as he had claimed her on many occasion, instantly putting his budding doubts to rest. While she couldn't reciprocate the actual words yet he still felt it and wasn't disappointed, with any luck they'd eventually get on the same page in time. For tonight however, Dean was quite content to let his lady do whatever she pleased with him, he sure as hell wasn't going to have any objections...
Errmehgerd, it's over nine thousand! The view counter that is (You have no idea how I've been itching to spout that overused DBZ phrase these past week or so). Just... wow. That beats my second most read story by a little over 4K! Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside that so many people enjoy reading this, so thanks!