A/N: Here we go. By the way, this is going to be a 40 chapter fic so not long left to go now!
ROMAN
Roman's vision isn't so blurry anymore. He's been dragged around and knocked about and Brock has weakened his body beyond belief… and yet the exhausting, bloody bout is a satisfying feeling to him considering it's led to this very moment.
The crowd has taken a break from hating him to focus their attention on Paige's shock move, so he takes a quiet moment alone to pull himself up with the use of the ropes, fully intending on getting his breath back before he takes Seth out once and for all. A glance in the referee's direction confirms his suspicions, too: he didn't see the illegal disruption being made.
Seth's getting to his knees now, too, but his gaze is still locked tightly onto the woman who dragged him away from his championship opportunity. The shock is clear to see in his eyes. It's a look Roman knows he'll take pleasure in remembering for the rest of his life. He savours it before glancing over to Paige whose expression is somewhat surprising. Does she look like she's on the verge of tears? She looks like she's trying to hold something back anyway.
Focus, he tells himself, and begins to crouch while his sight returns to his former brother… the confused man getting up now… slowly turning towards him…
Turning enough for Roman to nail the most impressive spear of his career.
Known more for his strength than his speed, he now moves eagerly to hook Seth's leg for the three count, prompting the referee to drop to the mat poised for position. This is it. With eyes wide open and staring up into the night sky on this special evening, Roman counts along with everybody else.
1… 2…
3.
In a moment, the wrestling world alights with passion, their shock turning into cries of either outrage or cheers. The mixed reaction seems weighted more in the favour of cheers which Roman will be sure to think about later… as of right now he's too busy crawling onto his knees and staring out anywhere and everywhere. His achievement is almost unbelievable. Almost. Then Lilian Garcia announces that he's the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, the title is collected and shoved in his face by Dean, and he's forced to work through the overwhelming moment to stand to his feet and accept a hug from his real brother.
Despite the odds he's done it. Roman Reigns is on top of the world.
The others are joining him in the ring now. Paige beams at him; whatever sadness he thought he saw when she double-crossed Seth is gone for now. He puts a little more effort into her hug than he does with Natalya and Summer, if only because without her plan him winning the title tonight might not have been possible. She's proved The Authority doesn't always win... they all have, as a group.
Now it's time to spread that message publicly.
PAIGE
Hesitation was never part of the plan. Paige imagined feeling a deep sort of satisfaction when she pulled Seth away from Roman, and to feel it deeper still when he was taken out with a devastating spear and covered for the three count, but somehow it didn't manifest in that way. There was satisfaction there - definitely so - but she experienced nothing as greatly as desolation after single-handedly taking his dream away from him.
That emptiness is a feeling she pushes away as she grabs a microphone and walks back towards the centre of the ring. As far as she's concerned now, Seth Rollins is history, and the present requires her undivided attention.
The crowd has been rowdy since the beginning of the show so it's no wonder they're loud now, but even so they quieten down as Paige raises the mic to her lips and opens her mouth to speak. The thousands of fans in attendance are expecting a long speech... maybe some kind of explanation as to why the five wrestlers are gathered in the ring having not publicly appeared together before... but only one sentence is spoken, and it's directed at the two-toned man trying to recover on the mat.
"This is for everything you've done."
It's plain and simple and not easily understood to the outside world. A hint of what's to come arrives, however, when Roman asks Summer to look after his title and he and Dean slip outside the opposite sides of the ring to begin searching underneath it for a specific item. Both Shield boys return with black metal chairs identical to the one Seth Rollins drove into their backs time and time again on June 2nd, 2014... and without Hunter and Stephanie around to put a stop to it, who's to say how far they'll go this time?
Though hazy, Seth's perception of the current moment sharpens almost immediately as Dean and Roman progress towards him. He starts pleading — almost begging — for them not to do anything rash but there's no use in even trying because almost instantly he's attacked from both sides as the chairs come crashing down on any part of his body they can target.
Paige clenches her jaw at the sight as they start to take turns, tempted to look away but telling herself not to. This is for him abandoning their friendship and abandoning her. This is for him not giving a damn who he hurts on his way to the top so long as he comes out looking like a star. This is for... for not knowing who he really was the entire time we were friends, she thinks.
It starts to feel good seeing his destruction after she reminds herself of the facts... not that she can dwell on it for long, because here come Brie and Nikki running down the long ramp to save the golden boy. For the first time since the reveal, Paige smirks. She figured the twins would make an appearance before long: either to save face for their loss earlier, to prove themselves to The Authority since Nikki lost her place there, or both. She doesn't care for whatever excuse it is because she knows this will not work out in their favour.
Summer passes Roman's newly-won title to Paige and nods at Natalya. The blonde women slip out of the ring before Brie and Nikki can meet them inside of it; Summer taking on Brie, Natalya heading straight for Nikki. They trade punches back and forth... the crowd going crazy for what's happening right before their eyes... crazier still when Kane and J&J security make an appearance too. Paige isn't surprised. The Authority need all the help they can get without Hunter and Stephanie around.
Paige is about to deal with them herself when Natalya knocks Nikki down, then advances onto the trio herself. Noble and Mercury attempt to square up to her but the Canadian Diva isn't having it... she knocks out Mercury first before doing the same to his idiot partner... then pulls one on top of the other on the ramp to execute a double sharpshooter, much to the crowd's delight. Kane goes to grab Natalya but Roman quickly appears — done with Seth — to take the corporate sellout down with a vicious clothesline.
Natalya decides she's finished embarrassing J&J and shoves them away from her... noticing Nikki get to her feet to save Brie from Summer's assault... about to go and rescue her friend until Paige does it for her, slipping outside of the ropes... Nikki realising what she's about to do and shoving Brie in the way... Paige taking her out with a somersault senton. Summer takes advantage when Nikki goes to check on her sister and nails her with a big boot to the face which is sure to keep the former champion down.
Dean has done away with the chair shots now, instead just pummelling away at any part of Seth he can reach, his former friend no longer able to shield himself away as he slowly loses consciousness. As Roman puts Kane away by throwing him off the stage, and Paige and Natalya check on each other, Summer rushes into the ring and over to her boyfriend.
She kneels beside him and touches his knee, before gently saying, "Okay... okay, it's over."
The hold she has over him works. Dean backs away from a lifeless Seth Rollins and breathes quickly and heavily, trying to get his breath back after his angry outburst. He looks over at his girlfriend and expects to see her frightened half to death at his rage; he's greeted with a smile instead. Dean smirks back.
The damage is done — something everybody understands now. Natalya, Paige, Dean and Summer all head up the ramp to join Roman where he stands staring out at the stage. Paige passes him his title and the microphone. The new champion recovers his breath, then says very clearly, "This is the start of a new era. We won't stop until The Authority is no more. Believe that."
Roman's music hits, prompting the crowd to start reacting again, this time in a more positive light for the new face of the company. The five stand in a row and raise each other's hands to signal that a new power stable has arrived to deal with the unfair politics going on in the WWE. Their message is clear: a change is coming.
SETH
Every inch of his body hurts. Seth comes round in the medical room with members of The Authority suffering besides him, as well as Hunter and Stephanie staring intensely at him with concern. He tries to sit. Feels dizzy. Stays where he is. Yeah, his body has definitely been put through hell tonight and he won't be forgetting about it in a hurry.
But it's not the physical pain his brain is latching onto.
He stares out at the people propped up around him: his pouting security team, his furious bosses, a scorned Kane, and a pacing Big Show who swears he would have been out there had he known what was going down and not celebrating his big battle royal win backstage. None of them matter to him though. Whispers of revenge are meaningless because he's so detached from it.
It feels like Paige is filling up every corner of his mind and creeping into the places where he wishes she wasn't. Not after what she did.
They were happy, weren't they? He was, at least. It felt so right for them to fall back into each other's arms in what seemed like such a natural way. Their first real conversation in the parking lot after the time they spent away from each other had filled him with hope and excitement immediately. She was talking to him again — that had meant the world to him. Then to start dating after years of repressed feelings? A perfect dream.
Dream is right, he thinks suddenly, but without wanting to. Because it was all pretend for her wasn't it? Not a single moment was real for her like it was for him. She faked it all... and for what? To get back at him?
Finally able to prop himself up against the cold wall, which proves to be quite soothing considering his bruised back, Seth wonders how she's feeling right now. He's curious. Is she laughing it up with Dean and Roman, his former partners, and people he should have realised she was working with when he saw her with them before? What about Natalya and Summer — were the conversations they had spent giggling about him? Is he just a massive laughing stock to her?
He cracks his knuckles before he knows he's doing, getting the attention of Stephanie in the process, who remarks, "This is the end of all of them, I'll make sure of it, Seth."
He wants to say that he doesn't really care right now, or make them see that his anger isn't nearly as full-blown as theirs just yet, but then Brie and Nikki walk into the room and he's distracted from opening his mouth at all. Instead the former Mr. Money in the Bank just watches as the twins take turns to hug Stephanie and express their apologies for not being able to get the job done on the Divas, which of course she laps up.
The fake atmosphere turns him away and back to himself. Heartbreak is a weird feeling, Seth reckons, and one that he's only felt with Paige like this. Twice. Once when he upset her after breaking up their friendship, and now.
"Seth... Seth, you shouldn't be getting up. Where are you going?" Stephanie asks, the first person in the room to notice his attempt to leave.
"I need to walk it off. I'm fine."
He's sure he looks like a broken man the way he hobbles past everybody in complete silence but right now he doesn't care, he just wants to be alone and away from everybody else. He walks slowly at first contemplating things. What's happened tonight is still overwhelming to take in. In a matter of hours both his opportunity to become the champ and his girlfriend have left him. Where does that leave him now?
"Future of this company," he mutters bitterly, shaking his head down at the floor.
He stops completely in place as something comes to mind.
"I'm still the future of this company."
He pieces a few other thoughts together too. Roman's the new champ but for how long? The Authority are most definitely not out of power and, Seth notes quickly, they never will be. Let Paige plan what she wants because they're not going anywhere... and she'll see that, he muses. She'll regret her decision to ever turn her back on him once she realises their partnership would have been the best thing for their careers. Now he can only afford to think about his.
Seth tries to smirk but doesn't quite manage it.
But it's coming. He can feel it. Just as his heartbreak is building, so is his rage. If Paige is hoping that he's down and out then she can just think again.
"Seth... ?"
Nikki's with him again. He's tempted to roll his eyes but doesn't, instead turning around and waiting for her to say whatever it is she came to find him for.
"She's not worth it," the Bella twin says with a sympathetic smile. "I tried to tell you."
He sighs. "Well congrats, you got it right."
"Look. I'm just saying now that you know you can make her pay... her and her friends. We can make her pay. The Authority back together again. Just think about it."
Nikki Bella disappears; Seth watches her go. He thinks about her statement. Does he want to make Paige pay? As much as he hates to admit it... no. He loves her. He's still in love with her even after her betrayal in the main event and suspects he will be for a long time to come.
But does he have to make her pay?
Yes.
And he will.
