Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, other than Kelly.
Rated: M
Warning(s): AU, Slash, Threesome, Teacher/Student, BDSM, pain kink, etc.

"W-What?" It was obvious that the reality of what Jeff had just said was just starting to sink in, and Matt was looking at him as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. "Jeff, are you crazy? This is home." There was a brief pause, then, "It's way too early for you to be awake. Go back to bed, okay?"

"No, Matt. You need to listen to me. You remember how Adam fell off of the tower and got injured?" There was a bleary, half-conscious nod. "I think I know who hurt him, and it is possible that they could try to do it again. Please, Matt... we need to go back."

Matt sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. He tried and failed to stifle a yawn. "Jeff, if we go back, I can't guarantee that you'll be safe from Dad."

Jeff shook his head. "I can handle Dad. But Adam's in trouble and I need to confer with Jay."

"Jay?" Matt reached forward and pressed the back of his hand to Jeff's forehead. "Bro, you don't even like Jay. I mean, I know how you feel about Adam, but Jay was your high school tormentor. What is it that you're not telling me?"

Jeff sighed. He really didn't want to tell Matt all that he'd discovered - mostly because he didn't want Matt to know that he'd been conferring with his ex-girlfriend, Amy. At the same time, he didn't know why he'd expected that Matt would just agree to such a demand without asking any questions. And he brought up many valuable points. Most importantly, that Jay and Jeff had a significant history of not getting along, so why would he willingly return home to work together with him? But the one thing that was continuously overlooked was Adam. Adam meant the world to him, and was worth the pain that might accompany working alongside Jay.

At the serious look on Jeff's face, Matt inched himself up on the bed and took hold of Jeff's arm, pulling him down so that Jeff was seated perpendicular to Matt. And after a moment, Jeff just broke. He buried his face in Matt's chest and, much to his embarrassment, tears were streaking down his face and soaking Matt's tank top. He confessed to Matt everything that had happened (leaving out a few key details, such as Adam's miscarriage and exactly how they had stumbled across this information about Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, and the Wyatts). He explained to Matt that this was so much more than an accidental fall and that Adam was in real danger.

"Jeff, then we need to contact the police." Jeff tore himself out of his brother's arms, shaking his head vehemently. "No - Jeff, if it really is how you say, then the police need to be notified because that's attempted murder."

Jeff slowly began backing away from his brother, and flinched away when Matt attempted to reach for him and console him. "Why can't you just understand?"

Matt frowned. "I understand that it's my job as your guardian to make sure that you're safe and healthy. Bringing you back to that shit-hole, where it is an all-too-real possibility that he can get his hands on you, is not keeping you safe. I'm sorry, but that's the bottom line."

Jeff's features hardened. "Then I'll go by myself."

Matt didn't seem to be too terribly convinced. "You'll runaway?"

"If I have to." Jeff said, suddenly not meeting Matt's eyes. "I can drive, and I know how to read a map. I'm sure that I'd be able to find my way back on my own."

"You don't have the keys." Matt said, and, as if to prove his point, patted his bulging pocket.

"Then I'll hotwire the car."

It seemed as if Jeff had an answer for everything. He was ready for anything and everything that Matt could throw at him... except, perhaps, for the most hurtful thing of all - the 'non-answer'. Simply seeming to accept what Jeff had said was fact, he rolled over without complaint, pulled the blankets over his body, and closed his eyes. For a moment, Jeff simply stared at him, awe-struck. This could be a matter of life or death, and his brother was just brushing it aside like it meant nothing! Reaching forward, he shook his brother's shoulder harshly, only to be weakly swatted away for his efforts.

"Matt? Matt, this is serious! I don't think that you're getting that we need to be packing and leaving now!" Jeff exclaimed, quickly seeing that his efforts to rouse his brother were in vain.

"We're calling the police tomorrow morning, Jeff." Matt said, his words slurred as he allowed himself to fall back into his dreamland. "Now, would you please go back to sleep? I don't care if you crash in here or head back to your own room, but I have to be up for work in an hour and I'd enjoy another half-hour of sleep."

And just like that, he was out. Jeff looked at his brother in disbelief, feeling a hot ball of anger coil in his stomach. Seriously? He laid his heart out on his sleeve for his brother, told him everything that had happened, and what did he get in return? This? Angrily, he slid off of the bed, feeling tears of an entirely different sort come to the corners of his eyes. He hurried out of the room, not wanting to accidentally rouse Matt and find himself the victim of another vicious back-and-forth. Once he was out of the room, the door closed behind him, he paused. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

And that's when he saw Matt's wallet, half open, lying there on the dining table. He'd just cashed his latest paycheck and the faux-leather was swollen with fresh earnings. Matt might've had the keys stowed safely away in his pocket, but with the wallet... there was a train station about a mile or so down the road from the apartment, and he could buy a ticket for the next train upstate. It might take him a little longer than he'd like to make it back, but he'd be far enough away by the time Matt awoke that he wouldn't be able to track him down immediately, and the trail would go cold a lot faster if he didn't take the car.

Matt obviously didn't give him enough credit. He'd made his intentions quite clear - if Matt didn't help him leave, then he'd take the car or he'd find some other way to get the hell out of dodge. He wasn't about to sit silently on the sidelines any longer. Especially not now that the trail was becoming so twisted, with so many people that would've normally never crossed paths becoming interconnected... Jay needed help, and if Adam was in trouble, than Jeff was willing to give it. That was all the convincing that he needed. Without another thought, he grabbed the wallet and made his way toward the door.

Seth was trembling in Roman's arms, his eyes swollen and red-rimmed as he recounted the awful tale. He told his two lovers about how Dolph Ziggler had told him that they couldn't be trusted, how they were working a plot against him to try and take him out of the equation like they'd done with Adam. And then... here, fresh tears started to fall from his eyes, and he told them about how Dolph had pushed him into the bathroom, and... and... Roman squeezed him that much harder, and Seth buried his face in Roman's chest, unable to meet his lovers' eyes.

"I'm going to fucking kill him." Dean growled. He cracked his knuckles ominously, pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table.

Seth was stuttering, trying to force out words against the tears, and Roman smoothed a hand over his head, attempting to calm him. "Shh, you don't have to say anymore." He handed Seth the box of tissues, which he accepted gratefully. "And while I wish that we could kill him, there's one problem."

"And what's that?" Dean's eyes were like flames, his breath coming fast and hard. How could Roman say such a thing when Seth was sitting there telling them about how he'd been assaulted by this bottle-blond maniac?

"We need him. Right now, he's our in. He's the only one on the Cheer Squad that really trusts Seth, and without him, we lose our edge. If we lose our hold on the Cheer Squad, we lose Adam. We lose Adam," suddenly, everything became very quiet. Roman swallowed hard. "We lose Kelly."

Each of them were all-too-aware of the reality of their situation. Paul Heyman was still reeling over the loss of his son, and he wanted revenge on the one that he deemed responsible for his loss. And if his top assassins couldn't bring about the resolution that he desired, well... he would take away what meant the most to them. All was silent for a moment as they allowed this truth to sink in for the thousandth time. Roman was subtly rocking Seth back and forth, not even noticing that Seth had stopped crying a long time ago. And then, Seth offered his alternative.

"We could make him... temporarily indisposed." He said slowly. Both Roman and Dean were watching him carefully, waiting for him to continue. "Think about it. He once told me that he was leading the movement to make Adam their Student Coach when he came back. He's the last link between Adam and the Cheer Squad."

Roman nodded, understanding where Seth was going. "It would almost be too suspicious if he were to suddenly... 'disappear'. But a freak accident -,"

"Like being dropped at cheerleading practice -,"

Seth finished with, "Would be just enough to temporarily remove him from the equation, just long enough to find out who undermined us and to finish what we started."

Dean squatted down beside Seth, gently prying Seth's face away from Roman's chest and kissing the tear tracts on his cheeks. "You're brilliant, you know that? Absolutely fucking brilliant." He kissed him again, this time on the forehead. "The bastard that did this to you will pay. It'll be slow and painful and oh... so... perfect."

He kissed Dean once, then gently pried himself from Roman's arms. "If you guys don't mind... I'd really like to go see Kelly."

Neither had any objection to this, not that he'd really expected one. He got up off of the couch and walked down the hall and into Kelly's room, before taking a seat beside the little girl on the bed. She was sound asleep, her silky smooth blonde hair fanned out behind her head like a halo. For a moment, he simply sat there, stroking her hair. His face was void of all emotion. This was not the first time that he'd slept around, but it was the first time that he'd mentioned his infidelities to his lovers in any manner. Even if it was a lie... they didn't need to know that.

He was sore, the not-so-pleasant ache between his shoulders a nasty reminder of how Dolph had pounded him into the lockers. He paused in stroking her hair. And then, suddenly, he yanked his hand away. He was dirty - he hadn't even taken the time to wash Dolph's seed from his thighs - what right did he have to be stroking the hair of their blue-eyed angel? Quickly, he rose off of the bed, feeling sick to his stomach. Kelly barely stirred as he raced out of the little bedroom and into the bathroom, falling down in front of the toilet and emptying the contents of his stomach.