Guys, I am so sorry this is so late! I got to go to Dublin and watch Summerslam at a wrestling party! It was amazing! College stuff kept me busy for the last couple of days, so this chapter is a bit longer than usual, hope you enjoy! And next chapter, everyone finally meets up! XD Peace!
"What's with all these black clad figures, broski?" Dolph asked, casually as he wiped down his ring jacket and hung it up to dry. "They're everywhere! And I think one of them is following me!" he thought, nervous. Every time he looked around, the same guy was always nearby, cold eyes watching him carefully. "Yeah, they're definitely following me!" he thought, unnerved. "Only place I haven't seen him is in here and the bathroom!" Ryder looked at him, his usually happy, cheerful face shadowed with barely concealed fear. "Zig-man, don't let anyone hear you asking about them, ok?" he whispered, his gaze flicking around. Dolph sat back down "Why not, man?" Ryder fidgeted "Cos Becky Lynch is in hiding, she can't even come out of wherever she is now without being attacked by some women The Authority sent after her! The rest of the Women's locker room watch out for her!" he said, glancing around.
"And remember The Uso's, Dean, Roman and Seth disappeared?" Dolph nodded, heart in his throat as he acted casual. "There's a rumour floating around that they caught Dean, and he's not doing so well!" he said "And those guards are involved somehow! Threats my ass!" Dolph tried to hide his shock "They have Dean?!" he thought, horrified. Panic hit him, but Dolph forced himself to chuckle "Broski, do you really think The Authority are doin' shit like that? Makes no sense, bro!" he said, checking his hair in his phone screen, but really checking where Neville was. He was talking to Ryback, the huge man making him look small. "He's ok" he thought, relieved. His heart was pounding "That can't be right! Roman and the rest of them would protect Dean to the death!" he thought, forcing himself to calm down. Ryder huffed, unconvinced. "Something's goin' on, bro" he muttered as he stood up.
"Later, Zig!" Ryder called as he left for his match. "Later man!" he called back. "Only threat here are those two psychos!" he thought, pissed he couldn't stop them. "Do they really have Dean?!" he thought, twisting off the ring tape on his wrists "Would explain why Ro didn't answer his phone, he'd be going crazy!" Pulling out his phone, he texted Neville, who was under 'Alfred' in his contacts. 'Nev, Ryder just told me there's a rumour going around that The Authority caught Dean! It would explain why Ro wasn't answering his phone! Did you hear anything?' Sending it, he waited. A minute later his phone buzzed 'Shit, really? No, I haven't heard anything! That's not good! Meet me in the cafeteria in five minutes, we can't talk here!' Dolph pocketed his phone and casually strolled out of the locker room, noticing the man, leaning on the wall, eyes fixed immediately on him. Heading for the cafeteria, he was aware of the man trailing him. Unnerved, he pulled out his phone as he passed the New Day, who were uncharacteristically quiet.
Dolph heard Xavier muttering "-our Captain, right? So, where'd he-" as he passed, waving a hand in greeting. 'Be careful when you talk to me in the cafeteria, ok? Pretend we barely know each other. There's a guy following me, probably by The Authority! This is bad! We need to be careful, Nev!' His phone buzzed a second later 'Did he do anything to you?! He does anything, tell me, ok? We'll kick his ass together and disappear like Seth and the others did! Not risking you, man!' Dolph had to admit, it was tempting. They had only been back for a couple of hours and he already wanted to leave. The atmosphere was tense and strained, it was uncomfortable. Everyone was holed up in the locker rooms and anyone who was out was walking fast, head down, avoiding attracting attention.
The only ones strutting around were people who had probably helped the Authority in some way. There was no sign of The League, though and that made him nervous. "It's creepy!" he thought, spooked, seeing the empty corridors. "And no, I'm not leaving if they have Dean!" he thought, stubborn. Entering the cafeteria, he bought a sandwich and a bottle of water and waited. He only looked up when "Ok if I sit here, man?" came from above him, making sure he spoke loud enough for the men at the door to hear him sound so casual. He nodded and waved a hand. "Go for it, dude!" he replied, looking back to his phone. Neville threw down his bag, sat and they ate quietly for a while. "This is so much worse that I thought it was, Nev! Did you see how empty the hallways are? And Ryder says they have Dean, man!" he said quietly, trying to look like they were just work buddies.
Neville frowned "We don't know if they have him, Dolph. But if they do, we can't leave!" he whispered back, waving a fork as if he was making a point. "I think we should get out as well, Dolph. I don't like the way Lynch is like a hunted animal, and now they're watching you?" he whispered fearfully, stabbing a tomato with his knife. Dolph was thinking "If they come after me, looking for The Shield, who knows what they'll do to me? And if they think I'm close to Nev, he'll be targeted too!" he thought, remembering seeing Dean in that coma, fear ratcheting up. "And they will come for me, it's a matter of time!" His heart sank with a realisation "We can't stay here, can we?" he whispered sadly. "I used to love working here, before The Authority went off the rails. Now, it's horrible!" he thought upset, looking around and seeing the other people in the cafeteria hunched down, trying to avoid attention and all the empty seats.
"They're squeezing the life out of everyone!" he thought, facing Neville again. Neville shook his head, an upset look on his face "I'm sorry, Dolph. I don't wanna leave, either! We both worked so hard to get here" he whispered, eyes downcast and sad. Dolph fought the urge to wrap his arms around him until that look was off his face. "But, if we help get rid of them, we can come back!" Dolph whispered, nudging him with foot under the table, where their bags were blocking the view underneath. Dolph rested his foot against Neville's, the only contact they could have. "And, we get to have some fun, pissing off The Authority!" trying to cheer him up a little, nudging him. Neville smirked "True, and if we get out, we don't have to hide us anymore!" he said, eyes happy again.
"That's what I'm looking forward to, Nev! As well as poundin' you into unconsciousness the minute we're outta here" Dolph said casually, tapping on his phone. He smirked, hearing choking noises from across the table "S-sounds like a plan, Dolph" Nev said breathlessly. Dolph smiled at him, keeping a careful eye on his shadow. A surreal felling came over him "We're really gonna do this?" he whispered, shaking slightly. "Yeah, we are! Kinda liberating!" Nev whispered, a twinkle in his eye. Dolph snorted, watching the men at the door warily. "You watching the guy that's following you?" Neville muttered, eyes darkening. Dolph nodded and wanted to smile at his protectiveness, but pushed it back. "No couple stuff!" he reminded himself. "Over there, talking to the cafeteria guard. Tattoo on his upper left arm" he replied, picking out the lettuce from his sandwich.
Satisfied it was all gone, he took a bite as Neville studied the man. "I could take him!" he sniffed, dismissing him. Dolph forced back a laugh and nearly choked. Dolph's phone rang and he looked at it. And stared. "Romans ringing me, Nev!" he whispered, pretending to wipe his mouth with a napkin with shaking hands. "Are they ok?" he thought, worriedly. "Did they get Dean?!" "Shit, you want me to answer it?" he replied, seeing how nervous he was, taking a sip from his water bottle. Dolph shook his head, slid his finger across and put the phone to his ear. "Don't say anything about the hospital, Dolph!" Neville whispered, pointing subtly to the now listening men who were trying to shift closer. "Crap! Gotta be careful!" he thought, seeing them shift closer out of the corner of his eye.
Dolph blinked at him, signalling he had seen them. "Hello?" he said casually, holding the phone with his shoulder as he fiddled with his sandwich, removing tomatoes this time. "Dolph! It's Roman! Can you talk?" he asked, sounding exhausted. Dolph could hear the phone was on loudspeaker and hoped that one of them would realise he couldn't talk. "Yeah sure, man, it's just me and what's your name again?" he asked Neville, who rolled his eyes, seeing what he was doing. "For the third time, Neville, man!" he said, annoyed. "Just sitting here with Neville. What's up?" he said, pretending it was a friend that wasn't being hunted on the phone. "Take the hint!" he thought, desperately. Silence on the other end. "Hold on a second, Roman. Dolph? Is someone listening in on you?" A guy's voice he recognised asked "Jake! Thank fuck someone realised!" he thought, relieved. "Yep! And I told him all the time!" he said, chuckling.
"Ok, does he have a radio and report where you are or what you're doing, or does he just watch?" he asked. "What does that matter?" one of the twins asked, curious. "If he doesn't report in 'til the end of the day, no one will miss him for a good couple of hours. Cough for the first one or sneeze for the second one, man" he said. Dolph sneezed "Sorry, dude. Hope I'm not getting sick!" he said, pretending to wipe his nose. "Good, we can work with that" he said, sounding thoughtful. "Is Neville being watched, too?" he said. "Don't think so. But that doesn't make sense, does it?" he said smirking. "Where are you now?" Romans deep voice asked, wary. "Dude! I can't get tacos now, I'm at work!" he said, rolling his eyes "Told you this morning my vacation days were cancelled!" "Wow, I'm awesome at this shit! Could've been a spy!" he thought, eyeing the listening shadow over Nev's shoulder.
A seconds pause "Are you at the Allstate arena in Chicago?" Seth piped up, sounding excited. "Yep, why?" he replied, confused. Roman spoke again, sounding angrier than Dolph had ever heard him "Dolph, The Authority took Dean yesterday and they're keeping him there" he bit out. Dolph paused, speechless "It's true?!" he thought, stunned, nearly dropping the phone. Dolph's mouth dropped open and he looked at Neville in shock. Neville looked back, worry creasing his forehead. "They actually took Dean? And they're keeping him here?!" he thought, stunned. "Ryder was right!" Quickly schooling his expression into a bored one, Dolph listened. "Can you get somewhere where we can talk without you being spied on?" Jake asked, hopefully. Dolph thought "The locker room should be empty by now, most of them should be in the gym. I can ask Nev to stand guard, anyway" he thought. "Of course, man! We'll catch up when I get some time off, ok?" he chuckled out.
"Good, call us back when you can, ok?" Roman said and hung up the phone. Dolph put his phone down and watched warily as the two men retreated to the door as he did. Dolph looked at Neville "The Authority took Dean last night, man" he whispered, upset. "Ryder said he wasn't doing good!" he thought, anxiously. Nev looked shocked. "Holy shit!" he breathed out, eyes wide. "Roman said they're keeping him here, at the arena!" he whispered shakily. Neville growled softly. "Now we know he's here, we're not leaving here until we help him!" he said, through gritted teeth. "Hell yeah, we're not!" Dolph replied, flinging the remains of his sandwich in the nearby trashcan. "Meet me back in the locker room in 5 minutes, ok? Don't let them see you!" he whispered, bent over his phone. "They actually took him!" he thought, still shocked.
Standing up, he stretched "Se ya later, Nigel!" he said. Neville scowled "For the last time, Its Neville!" he snapped, annoyed. Dolph cringed "Sorry, man! Catch ya later?" he called as he headed for the door "I doubt it, asshole!" Neville said, sounding pissed. Dolph inwardly laughed at Nev as he saw his shadow follow, not caring if he saw him. "I'm so using Nigel on him again!" he thought, amused. Chatting casually with Titus who was on his way to the gorilla, he headed for the locker room, keeping a wary eye on his tail. Entering, he looked around and sighed in relief when he saw it was empty. Sitting on the bench, he waited for Neville. "If Dean is hurt worse, and he probably is, we need to get him out of there as fast as we can!" he thought, tapping his phone off the wood with sharp clinks. He felt that weight on his shoulders again and he sighed. Dolph looked up and saw Neville slip in and close the door carefully behind him.
"Managed to slip in when his back was turned" he said, smiling as he sat down next to him. "Nice one, baby!" he smiled back and took his hand. Neville squeezed it and smiled at him. "Nothing more!" Dolph thought, focusing on the immediate problems. Dolph pulled him up and dragged him to the shower room. "Just in case someone comes in" he explained, seeing his puzzled face. Dolph dialled the number and hit the call button, putting it on loudspeaker. "Guys? You two ok?" Roman asked as he answered. "We're good, man" he said, smiling at the concern in his voice. "Can you talk?" Seth asked, warily. "Yeah, we're in the showers in the locker room" Neville replied. "We don't have a lot of time, man! The locker rooms empty now, but it won't be that way for long"
"Ok, here's the rundown. We were attacked at the hospital, we got away. They were following us, we stopped at a gas station, Jey and Dean went to the toilets. On the way back, they dogpiled them and took Dean. We stayed in Jakes place last night, Becky and AJ called Roman this morning, told us where Dean is and we're on our way to you now!" one of the Uso's said, breathing heavy by the end of it.
"They've had Dean since last night?" Dolph asked, knowing Seth and especially Roman would be frantic to get him back. "Yeah" Roman said, quietly. Dolph could hear the amount of pain in that single word and his heart broke for him. "That would be me if they took Nev" he thought, quailing away from the image of that happening. Neville noticed him paling and pulled him into his side, kissing the side of his head. Dolph sighed, relaxing into him. "Did you say that Styles and Lynch called you?" Dolph asked, curious. "I've never spoken to them, and I don't think one of them has either! And they called Roman?" he thought, suspicious. "Yeah, they told us where Dean was, we didn't know where to go before they called" Seth said softly. "Could it be a trap?" Neville asked and Dolph felt him tense slightly. "Seth vouched for Lynch, and after speaking to her and AJ, I trust them" Jake said casually. "Us, too" the twins chorused. "Same here" Roman rumbled, quiet.
"Ok, then! Guess we trust them, too!" Dolph said, smiling. "We might need your help to get Dean, guys" Roman said, sounding unsure. "Dude, of course, we're bros now! Just tell us what you want us to do and we'll do our best!" Dolph said, chuckling. "Thanks guys" Seth said, shakily. "Welcome, Seth" he replied, hearing the pain in the younger man's voice. "But you know you'll have to disappear once we get him, if they see you?" Dolph and Neville looked at each other and shrugged "We decided this already" Neville whispered and Dolph nodded sadly. "We've already decided to leave ourselves. When we came back, we didn't realise how bad it would be. If we stay, they'll come for us. So, we're leaving before they do" Dolph said, Neville nodding beside him. A pause "You're coming with us, then. If you wanna leave and do your own thing after we get him back, that's up to you" Roman said, sounding so tired.
"He must be nearly falling apart!" he thought, feeling so sorry for him, for all of them! Dolph smiled "Thanks, guys" Jake spoke up "I'll call up Becky and AJ. First things first, we need to get that guy off Dolph's ass, then you two can hide out with them. I don't like the way the guy follows you everywhere. We need to get him away from you" Jake said, sounding worried. "I can kick his ass, no problem" Neville muttered darkly. Dolph snorted. "Neville, be careful, ok? Don't take him on yourself. These guys are ex-military and know how to disable an opponent" Jake said, a note of warning in his voice. They froze, surprised. "Shit! Really?" Neville muttered, uneasy. "Still think you can kick his ass, baby?" Dolph said, smirking. Neville looked at him "If he was hassling you, yeah" he muttered. Dolph smiled softly at him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I love his protectiveness, and he's such a softie!" he thought, staying close to his boyfriend. They listened as the phone rang "Roman?" Becky answered.
"Did ya talk ta them? It's been feckin' hours, dude!" she asked, anxious. "Wow, her accents so cool!" Dolph thought, fascinated. "Sorry, Becky. Yeah I did. They trust you and they're on the line now. They don't know your names, guys" he said to Dolph and Neville. Dolph appreciated that Roman had left the choice to reveal themselves to them. "If they trust them, I think we should, too" Neville whispered, seriously. Dolph nodded, agreeing. "What's up, Lynch?" Dolph said, leaning forward slightly. "It's Dolph Ziggler and Neville" A pause "Wow wasn't expectin' you guys" she said, sounding surprised. "Umm … Thanks?" Dolph said uncertainly, glancing at a smirking Neville. "Ok, Lynch, Dolph's being followed by someone. If he lures him to where you are, can you four disable him and hide him? He could be a handful" Jake said, sounding worried. She snorted "I think we can manage him, Shepard! There's four of us, an' we'll take him by surprise. Asshat won' see us comin'" she bit out, pissed. "I like her!" Dolph thought, liking her no bullshit attitude. "Once Dolph loses him, there's a janitors closet with some rope in it. We could use that?" Neville said, leaning on the wall behind him, one eye on the door.
"Good idea! Just search him first for hidden knives, alright? Check the belt, inside his waistband and boots especially the heel, any jewellery or hidden under his clothes. If he has long hair, check there" Dolph felt his nerves grow a little "He could have that many knives?" he said nervously. "He could seriously injure us!" he thought, glancing at a grim Neville. "Doubt he has that many, but that's all the standard hiding places" Jake replied. "Ok, how about this? You and Neville lure him to us, we'll get the rope and have it ready. We intercept you and knock him out and stash him somewhere. You guys hide out with us for a while until Seth and the others get here, it's only an hour or so. We can work out a plan once you're with us. Main thing is to kick this guy's ass!" AJ said, sounding angry.
Neville stiffened, hearing voices approaching. "Dolph!" he whispered, pointing at the door. "Shit!" he thought, heart jumping. "Guys, we gotta go! Someone's coming!" he hissed. "Styles, we'll meet the two of you in half an hour, at quarter past one" he said, the voices closer. "Meet us by tha storage rooms. It's just close enough to tha back rooms that I can be there without a guard seein' me, an' they haven't put a guard on it yet" she replied quickly. "Ok, half an hour, storage rooms. Got it" Neville said quickly. "Ok, see you guys then" AJ said and hung up the phone. "Good luck guys" Seth said quickly. "Thanks, and you and Ro get some sleep before you get here, you won't be any use to Dean if you're exhausted!" he said quickly, hearing the voices get even louder and he hung up the phone. Dashing out of the showers, they headed for their bags and Dolph pretended he was putting his ring clothes into his bag and chatting with Neville as men poured into the locker room "That was so close!" he thought, heart beating faster.
"I'll meet you at the storage room, Nev. I don't want anyone seeing us together" he whispered to him, zipping his bag "Especially the guy outside, he thinks you hate me now" Nev nodded "I'll head there now. See you there, baby. Be careful, ok? He tries anything, send a text or call me. I'll come as fast as I can" he whispered back, brushing the back of his hand against Dolph's and smiling. "Same to you, Nev. Be careful, promise me!" he said, worried. Neville chuckled softly "I promise, Dolph" Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he headed out of the locker room, giving a quick wink as he did. "Another hour or two and we'll be away from here! Dean will be safe and me and Nev can actually touch each other" he thought, restless. Dolph waited ten minutes, grabbed his bag and then followed him out the door, gaze fixed on his phone. "Ooofff! Ow!" he grunted as he ran into a very solid body. "Ow! What the fudge!" he thought, rubbing his forehead.
Dolph looked up. And up. The biggest guy he had ever seen was in front of him, staring down with blank eyes. Dolph froze and then forced himself to relax "Shit he's huge!" he thought, suddenly on high alert. "Sorry dude, didn't see where I was going" he said, smiling. "Could be a coincidence!" he thought, heart thudding, praying it was. Moving to avoid him, the guy shifted as well, blocking him. His heart dropped and his pulse increased, fear hitting him, he was there for him! "Bosses want a word with you. Hand over the phone" he rumbled. His heart clenched "If they take my phone, they'll see all the messages from Nev and Ro!" he thought, suddenly terrified. Clutching his phone he backed away, wide eyes fixed on the man, who was now following him. "Shit, shit!" he thought, seeing a massive hand reaching for him as his back hit the wall. Dolph ducked under the arm and ran, as hard as he could, terror spurring him on as he heard the man speak into a radio "He's running! Corridor by the men's locker room!" Dolph cursed as he ran, bag bouncing on his back
"Shit! He's calling for back up!" he thought, knowing his escape chances were low now, especially if they were actively hunting him! "Not gonna get away, too many guards! But if I can delete everything with Nev or Ro in them, they'll be safe! Thank god Dean's stuff is in Nev's bag!" he thought, frantically scanning for a hiding place.
Sliding behind some crates a minute later, he unlocked his phone with shaking fingers and began deleting texts, call logs, photos and contacts, even the video of Dolph feathering Neville. "C'mon, c'mon!" he thought, peeping over the top of the nearest crate, scanning the hallway for any black clad figures. He sighed in relief as he deleted the last photo. One last scan of the phone "They're safe!" he thought, relieved, leaning on the wall and disconnected his cloud account and any other account he had. Freezing, he heard quiet footsteps at the top of the hallway, coming closer "Nothing here" a voice said, and then a beep. "He's talking into a radio!" he realised, slipping the phone back into his pocket "They're hunting me! I can't fight them, I gotta run!" Dolph took a deep breath and dashed from his hiding place, a shout following him. Skidding around a corner, he came face to face with a group of three men, who paused, surprised. "Shit!" he yelped, spinning on his heel and dashing back along the corridor. Shuts and yells followed him as he ran back the way he had come. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he thought, skidding to a halt when he saw the giant man and the guy with the radio in front of him.
Turning he made to go back up the hallway, but stopped as the three men burst in. His nerves grew as he saw he was trapped in between the two groups "Damn it!" he thought, scared and frustrated. Dolph tensed as they approached him from both sides. "Not fucking happening!" he thought, getting pissed off at the smug look on his face. As soon as they were close enough, Dolph ran at them, kicked one in the dick, punched another across the face and head-butted the last one. "That was easy!" he thought, slightly shocked. They fell back and Dolph leapt for the gap. "I got through!" he thought, giddy. The men's heavy footsteps followed him, making Dolph run faster "Nev and Ro are safe! Gotta lose these morons first and then I need to get to Becky and AJ!" he thought, frantic, a little hope he could escape entering him. Skidding around a corner, he stopped dead, dread forming in his stomach as he looked into Steph's crazed eyes. "Shit, shit, shit!" he thought, backtracking, fast, those creepy eyes making him shiver.
As Dolph flew back around the corner, saw Gigantor and men approaching "This isn't good!" he thought, sick with nerves, heart feeling like it was trying to escape his chest. Palms slick with sweat, he turned back around the corner and met with Steph's smirking face. "They have me. At least Nev's safe! Ro, too!" he thought, calming a little. "Ziggler! What a surprise! I was just sent a message saying they he had picked you up! And here he is!" she chirped as the mountain of a man rounded the corner behind him. "Nice work, Grayson! Even if he did escape!" she hissed, annoyed. "What the hell?!" he thought, unnerved. Dolph felt like something was seriously wrong with her, he didn't want to be anywhere near either of them! "I think we need to have a little chat don't we?" she purred stepping closer. "Shit! I'm boxed in!" he thought, glancing behind him, blocked on both sides and the wall at his back. He was sweating "About what, Steph?" he said, trying to keep calm. "Don't piss her off!" he thought, clenching his sweating palms
"I think you know, you little shit!" she spat suddenly furious. He jumped at her sudden enraged voice and twisted features. "Holy shit!" Dolph thought, backing up, fast. "She just completely changed in a split second!" he thought suddenly terrified. Smoothing down her clothes "Take him to my office and watch him! I'll be there soon, I think Hunters there already" she said, perfectly calm again. Dolph felt a thick hand bury itself in the back of his neck and he twisted, throwing a fast punch, aiming for his temple "Gotta knock him out!" he thought, desperately. The man caught his fist in one massive hand and cracked him across the cheek with the other, sending him crashing into a wall. "Shit! How am I supposed to beat a guy like that?" he thought, holding his face. He slid down it and landed in a heap, gasping. "Lesson one, Ziggler. Don't fight back. Doesn't work!" Dolph heard Steph say, sounding like she was holding back laughter. "Piss off Steph" he said, checking his teeth. Steph's eyes glittered "You're gonna be fun to break, just like Ambrose" she said and signalled the man. Dolph looked up at the mention of Dean "What did she do to him?!" he thought, so scared for him, seeing Steph's behaviour up close.
The man grabbed him by his hair and dragged him up, ignoring the pained yelp. Steph's phone rang and she held up a finger and answered "Hello? Yeah, he just picked him up. Ok, I'll see you there, so. Love you!" she said happily into the phone, making Dolph's skin crawl. His hands were latched around the thick wrist buried in his hair, trying to dislodge it. She sighed "Slight change of plan! Hunter went out for lunch, he's stuck in traffic now! Damn it! Looking forward to that iced cappuccino! It'll be ruined by the time he gets back!" she pouted, crossing her arms. "She can't be serious?!" he thought, incredulous, scalp burning from the pressure on it, tears in his eyes from the pain. She thought for a second "Ok, lock him in with the other one. We'll have to deal with both of them later" she said, sounding annoyed. "Is she gonna lock me in with Dean?!" he thought, hopeful "If they're gonna take me, I can at least look out for him!" Dolph was pissed off now, knowing he wasn't getting away
"Aw, Steph, gonna miss playtime? Me and Sasquatch here will make sure we send you lots of pictures!" he spat, struggling in his iron grip in his hair, kicking, aiming for his knees. Dolph was suddenly slammed against the wall and he yelped. "Mrs. Mcmahon, would you mind calling for an extra man? I had to leave the other one to help the ones he attacked. And he's not gonna go quietly" he said to her as he patted down Dolph. "Fuck you dickhead! You men were pissing me off! And damn right I'm not!" he bit out, wriggling for all he was worth as his phone was taken and his bag ripped off of him. "Did I leave anything in my bag about Nev or Ro?!" he thought, suddenly very nervous. As Steph talked to someone, Dolph was thinking "I hope they forget the bag! Need to get away before more arrive!" he thought, desperate. Slumping like he had given up, he subtly kicked his bag, until it was in the shadows.
"Don't look for it" he prayed. He waited until the guys grip slackened and drove his head back as hard as he could, a nasty crunch showing he had met the man's nose as he was leaned over. Blood dripped on the back of his neck, but the grip didn't slacken. "He didn't fall back!" he thought, surprised and annoyed. "Nice try, dickhead! You wanna be difficult? Fine!" he growled and he was flipped around and pressed, back first against the wall. The man's face was bloody, nose crooked. "How is he not on the floor?!" Dolph thought in amazement as he gasped. He dragged Dolph's hands up and held them in one massive hand. Reaching into a pocket he pulled out- "Handcuffs?! Hell fucking no!" he thought, kicking his legs and trying to head-butt immediately. The man sighed, picked him up and flung him into the opposite wall. Dolph connected with a sickening thud and dropped to the floor, awake but stunned.
He blinked, world muted around him. He could feel a wet patch grow on his back, something trickled down his face and he couldn't move his left arm. "Wha' happe'd?" he thought, seeing a blurry figure in front of him. Cold metal clipped on his wrists and he blinked "Tha's no righ'!" he thought, feeling like he should be afraid of something. He lay there, vaguely hearing a voice laughing as he fought to stand and the deep rumble of a male voice. "Why'm I han'cuffed?" he slurred. They ignored him as two pairs of hands dragged him up and marched him down the hallway. Dolph's head cleared a little as he was pulled along. He looked up and met Ryder's horrified stare as they dragged him past. He was looking around a door, phone to his ear. "He can hide my bag!" he thought, relieved. Dolph blinked, flicked his eyes back towards the hallway he had come from and mouthed 'Hide my bag!' Ryder nodded, looking sick.
He took a step towards him, but Dolph widened his eyes and shook his head slowly, warning him to stay back. "They see him, he'll disappear too! I'm not dragging him into this!" he thought, hoping he would stay where he was. Ryder hesitated and nodded, disappearing into the shadows. "Good, the kids safe and he'll look after my bag" he thought, relieved. "Ro and the others are coming and they have back up in AJ, Lynch and Nev. And they don't know about him!" he thought, so glad he erased everything that linked them to Dolph from the phone. "He'll raise the alarm when I don't meet him at the room. And if they're locking me in with Dean, I can protect him!" he thought, hopeful. "All I have to do is stall, and hopefully they'll come for us!"
Dolph looked around, they were in the maze of back corridors and they had stopped in front of a door. "Is Dean in there?" he thought, dread rising. The guard stood to the side. Steph unlocked the door. "Home, sweet home, Ziggler!" she chuckled. It was pitch black and cold when she opened the door, the light from the hallway the only illumination in the room. "I'm not going in there!" he spat, trying to back away. The hands on his body tightened and dragged him forwards. "Yes you are" she said in glee, her creepy eyes shining. The men shoved him "Get offa me you dickless fuckers!" he spat, fighting as they dragged him closer to the blackness of the doorway. They dragged him close enough and flung him in, Dolph landing hard and groaning.
"It's fucking freezing in here!" he thought, goosebumps on his arms as he panted. "Enjoy your new accommodations! We'll come get you two when we want to talk, ok? Have fun!" she gloated from the door way. "Fucking bitch!" he thought, hatred sparking in him. The door slammed as he scrambled to his feet. Slamming against the door as it clicked locked, he hit it with handcuffed hands, yelling "Let me go you fuckers! You can't keep me in here!" kicking it, he slumped down against it and put his head in hands. "Fucking asshats!" he muttered. "D-dolph?" a gravelly voice asked, sounding like it was weak and in a lot of pain. Dolph jumped and spun around "Dean?!" he said after a pause, shocked.
*Dean*
"The one an' only" he muttered. "Where are you? What did they do to you?!" he asked urgently. "Against the wall, light switch next to door" he rasped out, avoiding the question of what they had done to him. Humiliation came over him as he realised Dolph would see the collar. "It's a mark that they own me, an' they got it on me!" he thought, shamefully, weakly tugging on it as Dolph groped for the light switch. "I should've fought harder! They think they own me now, this fuckin' collar shows it! What'll Ro, the twins an' Seth think?" he thought, beginning to panic as his chest tightened again. The light clicked on and Dean hunched down, trying to hide his neck. A pause "Oh my god, Dean!" he heard Dolph whisper, horrified. "That bad, huh?" he chuckled out slowly, not looking up. Dolph slowly approached and knelt in front of him. Dean wouldn't meet his eyes, he couldn't. "Dean? Look at me, man, please" Dolph said softly, worried after a minute.
"I can't!" he thought, not wanting Dolph to see what they had put on him. He shook his head, eyes on the floor. "What did they do to you, Dean?" he asked, sounding scared now. He shrugged and yelped as his shoulder bones grated. "Dean! You ok?" Dolph said, carefully laying handcuffed hands on his arm and trying to meet his eyes. "They handcuffed him?!" he thought, pissed. He nodded, panting. "Dean, whatever they did to you, you can tell me. Who am I gonna tell?" he said, sitting cross legged in front of him and trying to peer into his face. Dean sighed, knowing he was going to see it sooner or later. "I trust Dolph! He saved my life an' he stopped Ro from losing his mind when I nearly died!" he thought, nervous. Forcing himself to raise his head, he lifted his chin, bared his throat and waited. Dolph was silent. Dean hunched in on himself again, heart pounding "Please don't laugh or yell at me!" he thought, hating the feeling of vulnerability he felt with the collar on.
"They put a fucking collar on you?!" he snarled, enraged. Dean nodded, shame filling him. "I couldn't stop them" he thought, humiliated. He dropped his head again, tears in his eyes. "He think freak! No fucking wonder!" he thought, tugging on the collar again uselessly. Dean could feel Dolph trying to control his anger and the room was silent for a couple of minutes. "You want me to take it off for you?" he offered, scooting closer. Dean shook his head "W-would take it off myself if I could! T-there's a padlock on it. S-steph has the only k-key" he muttered shamefully. "He's not angry at me? Or laughing?" Dean thought, warily, expecting him to laugh or yell at him. Dolph muttered something under his breath angrily. He moved and sat next to Dean, shoulders touching. Dean just waited, for whatever he was gonna do. Eventually "I talked to Ro 15 minutes ago" Dolph whispered. Dean froze "He talked to Ro?!" he thought, looking up with wide eyes.
The side of Dolph's face was bloody, swollen and sore looking and he had a split lip. "What did they do to him?!" he thought, angry. "Is he ok? And Seth? The twins? Did they get away?!" he said fast, urgent. "Please let them have listened!" he thought, praying they had disappeared. Dolph shook his head "Ro and Seth are pretty broken up, but they're ok. They're on their way here now, man! They'll be here soon, Dean!" he whispered, excited. "They're coming here?!" he thought, excited. Hope rose in him, but than it was quickly smashed. If they came here, they would be caught, beaten down and collared like he was! Panic rose in him "No, no, no! They should've ran when they had the fuckin' chance!" he whispered, hand in his hair. "Oh god! They're gonna come for me and they're gonna end up like this!" he thought sickened "Dolph, they've collars for them, too!" he bit out, the image of his brothers collared infuriating him.
Dolph froze, shocked. "They want all three of us! An' you saw the amount of men they have! They won't get fuckin' close! Shit, shit, shit!" he spat, hitting a fist off the ground. "They're risking it all for me!" he thought, clawing at the collar with his good hand, suddenly desperate to get it off. "They can't see me with this on! They can't!" he thought, heart racing, imagining their faces of disgust as they saw what he had allowed them to put on him. He clawed harder, not caring he was tearing his skin, that blood was pooling around his frantic fingers, he just wanted the fucking thing off! "They might leave me again! Seth already left me, who says he won't again?! Rome, he could leave me too!" he thought, feeling like a dagger was embedded in his heart as he imagined his brothers finding him, then seeing the fucking collar. Their faces would twist in disgust and they would turn their backs on him. He'd be alone again!
"No! That can't happen! It can't! I need to get this off! I don't want to be alone again!" he thought, tears beginning to run down his scarred, damaged face. His fingers were coated in blood as Dolph pulled them gently away from his neck. "Dean, knock it off, man! You're gonna damage your neck!" Dolph said alarmed, holding his trembling hands, eyes fixed on his face. "I don't fucking care!" he thought. "It needs to come off! I can't let them see me like this, Dolph! This collar is their fuckin' mark of ownership! If Ro an' Seth see me like this, they might laugh, or decide I-i'm not worth the hassle! They could leave me! I'll be alone again!" he sobbed out, the stress, pain and horror finally catching up to him.
"I c-can't be alone again, man! It'll kill me! All I want is t-them, but if they see this, I won't have b-brothers anymore! I'm their fuckin' collared dog, Dolph! Seth, Ro an' the twins will want nothin' to do with me!" he said brokenly, hand again tugging on the collar. "They won't! I'll have to room alone, eat alone and travel alone! I-I can't survive that!" he thought, heart breaking at the thought. Dolph was silent, letting him get it all out. "I'm like a fuckin' animal! I was in The Shield, one of the most feared groups of all time, an' now fuckin' look at me! I couldn't stop them from rippin' me away from my family, fuckin' collarin' me and chainin' me down! I won't be able to stop them when they take the rest of my family! They already have you!" he cried and immediately began to cough. "Shit, fuck!" he thought, feeling his lungs tighten, causing a wave of pain so strong, he nearly passed out. Crying out in agony, he slumped sideways and curled up on the floor, arms tucked into his chest.
"Dean!" he vaguely heard Dolph yell, horrified. Hands were on his arm and blue eyes watched him, terrified as he gasped. "Dean! Dean man, are you ok?" he asked urgently, face pale. "Fuckin' peachy! Just feel like my rib cage is collapsing!" he thought, weakly. Dean nodded, panting shallowly as the pain receded to manageable levels. "I'm ok, D-dolph. C-can't go above a n-normal level of talkin' or my c-chest spasms" he weakly gasped as Dolph gently pulled him back up. "Ow, fuck! Shit, that hurts!" Dean gritted his teeth, pain flaring again. He slumped against the wall again "You need a hospital, Dean!" he said, pale faced. "No shit, Sherlock" he thought "Not gonna happen when I'm here, is it?" he rasped weakly, grabbing his chest.
There was silence "And you're wrong, Dean. Roman, Seth and the twins will never turn their backs on you, man! No matter what happens! Neither will me and Nev! Dean, you have family and family doesn't turn their backs on each other" he said gently. "But Seth did" Dean whispered, voice wavering. He looked up at Dolph. "He left me n' Ro, an' I wasn't even wearing this fuckin' thing then! I wasn't a collared animal for The Authority then, Dolph! An' he still fuckin' left us, man! Left me!" he said tears appearing, struggling to keep his voice quiet. "Even if Ro doesn't, Seth will! And I let him in again, the minute I saw him in that hospital room! He looked so much like the old Seth, the one I used to laugh with, play pranks on Roman with, the one I nearly fell in love with!" he thought, wiping his face with his good hand. "Why wouldn't he leave me again? He has an actual fuckin' excuse this time!" he spat, yanking on the collar again.
Dolph gently reached up and tugged his hand away, a sad look on his face. "Whatever happens, man, you have people who will have your back, no matter what happens or what they do to you, ok? Me and Nev for one. The twins and Roman for another" he said, leaning closer. "I've heard that before" Dean thought, sadly "Only one who meant it so far was Ro, and he'll probably leave when he sees me like this" He shook his head, suddenly overwhelmed by all the conflicting emotions swirling around in his head. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore" he said quietly. Dolph sighed "Ok, man" he replied. They sat in silence for a while. "How'd you end up here, anyway?" Dean asked, guilt welling in him that he was here. Dolph shrugged "I don't know! Me and Nev were so careful! They must have just picked me up, in case I decided to help you guys. They grabbed me outside the locker room and slapped me around a bit, just as I was going to meet AJ and Becky. Another ten minutes and I would have been safe! I hope Nev made it" he said, worriedly, forehead creasing.
"AJ and Becky?" Dean thought, confused "Lynch I know, but who the fuck is AJ?" Dean saw the worry on his friends face "I think he did. If he had been caught, he would've been dumped in here too" he said and smiled slightly as the blond visibly relaxed. "Yeah. Yeah, he would have been!" he replied, relieved. "Thanks, man!" Dean smiled "Who's AJ?" he said, curiously. "Oh, yeah! AJ Styles teamed up with Becky!" he said and Dean's eyebrows rose. "I know! I was surprised too! He's like new here, but Seth vouched for Becky and Becky vouched for him, so we trust him!" Dean frowned "I trust Seth's judgement, but Becky's? I met her once! An' I never met Styles, just saw him around the place" he thought, uneasy. "I have to trust him, though! No choice!" he thought, hating it. He knew he had trust issues, due to a fucked up childhood, but being wary of people he didn't know had saved his ass on more than one occasion.
"I don't trust him, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, this time. Just because Ro, Seth an' the twins do" he thought. His hand flew to the collar again at the thought of his brothers, jerking his broken wrist. He hissed through his teeth and lowered it gently, not looking at it. It made him uneasy to see it. Dolph's eyes widened as he saw the swollen hand, the cuff sank into it. "Shit, Dean! Your wrist!" he said, slightly green. Dean looked down and shrugged "What can I do about it?" he said, casually. Dolph shook his head "No way! That cuff needs to come off!" he said getting up and marching to the door. "What's he doin'?!" he thought, seeing Dolph pound on the door. "Open up, assholes!" he yelled. "Dolph, stop! They'll hurt you, man!" he hissed. Dolph kept pounding, until the door was flung open. Dean flinched back. "About damn time!" Dolph snapped, angry. "Keep knocking on that door, you'll regret it!" the guard snarled, stepping in. Dean tensed and began to try and stand "Fuckers aren't gonna hurt him!" he thought, trying to lever himself up.
"Shove it, asswipe! But, then you'll have to explain why his wrist has permanent damage to The Authority!" he spat, furious. "Good thinking, Dolph!" Dean thought, hopeful "Maybe they'll leave the cuffs off!" The guard blinked "What are you talking about?" he snapped warily. Dolph looked at him "You broke his wrist, asshole, that's what I'm talking about! The cuff is cutting off blood. He'll get nerve damage if his hand swells anymore! You need to take the cuffs off!" he said, calmer now. "That's not happening! Show me your wrist!" he said to Dean. Dean had given up trying to move as he had nearly vomited and held up the grotesquely swollen wrist painfully. "Ow! Worth it!" he thought, as the slight movement set off the pain again. "Shit!" the guard said when he saw it. Backing up to the door he yelled out of it "Keith! Get down here!" Another one appeared "Shit! There's two now?" he thought, annoyed, sharing a frustrated glance with Dolph.
"What's up?" he said, leaning on the door. Dean glared at them. "Watch that one, while I deal with the other one" the first one said, pulling a small key from his right pocket and approached Dean. Dean tensed and glared as he came closer, an instinctive urge to fight appearing. "Dean, I'm right here, man. He's just gonna take off the cuffs, ok?" Dolph said calmly. "That's all he better fuckin' do!" he thought, suspicious. Dean nodded, glaring up at him, lip twitching. "Wrist, now" he demanded, crouching next to him. Dean pushed back the automatic 'Fuck you' glared and slowly moved his handcuffed hands to him. Inserting the key, he turned it and one side of the cuffs popped open. They were so embedded in his flesh, they didn't come off. "He's gonna have to pull it out!" Dean realised, pulling his hands away from him quickly.
"Dolph, will you pull it out?" he asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the guard next to him. Dean didn't trust him for a second. "He'll try not to hurt me, these fucks don't give a shit!" he thought, pissed. Dolph nodded, crossed the floor and kneeled next to him, his guard behind him. "Deep breaths, man, ok?" he said, resting Dean's hands in his lap. Dean nodded "This is gonna hurt! It's Dolph, he saved my life an' he won't intentionally hurt me!" he thought, preparing himself. Dolph gripped the part that was supposed to open and gently pulled it up in a quick motion. Dean hissed and gritted his teeth, pain flaring. "One part done. Ready for the next one?" he asked, worried. He was sweating. "Just get it the fuck out!" he thought, gritting his teeth. Dean nodded "Don't ask me, just do it!" he said, bracing himself.
Dolph nodded and yanked the cuff down as hard as he could. It slid loose with a sickening popping noise. Dean yelped and cradled his wrist as pain exploded. "Ow! Fuck!" he spat "Could've been gentler, Ziggler!" Dolph smiled "Better to get it off in one go, man" he replied, concerned. "You ok?" he said, shuffling closer and putting a hand on his back. "Y-yeah!" Dean nodded, the pain receding already. "Fuck that hurt!" he thought, a little queasy and weak. "Keith" the guard said. Dolph was dragged back and shoved on the wall. "Hey!" Dean spat, pissed as Dolph cried out. Dean watched anxious, as he was ordered to stay there. "I'm ok, Dean" he said, quietly, as he watched the guard near Dean carefully. "Wrist" the guard demanded again and Dean glared at him. "Yeah right!" he thought, pissed. "Wrist!" he demanded again, glaring. "Dean, just do it, ok?" Dolph said from the wall, worried. Dean sighed and slowly held out his good hand. The guard took it, closed the empty cuff, unlocked the padlock in the chain wrapped around the handcuffs, fed the chain through the empty cuff and padlocked it shut again. "Damn it! Was hopin' he'd leave them off!" Dean thought, disappointed.
"Wouldn't it be better to leave them off, you moron?!" Dolph said from the wall, shoving his guard when he put a hand on his chest "Where's he gonna go? He can barely walk!" The guard glanced down, considering. "C'mon, dipshit!" he thought, hating the power he had over both of them. Dean waited, hopeful. "No. He keeps the chain on. But, if you prefer, I can attach it to your collar?" he said, laughing as Dean flinched back, yelped and shook his head, fast. "No! Nononono!" he thought, terrified of that happening. The idea made him want to curl up and find a dark corner and never come out. "Go fuck yourself!" he spat, voice wavering. The guard smirked. Standing up, he left the room and came back as second later, two sandwiches and two bottles of water in his hands. "At least we're gettin' fed!" he thought, glaring. Throwing them down near Dolph "This is all you're getting today. You get one bathroom trip a day, that's it. You go one at a time. You act up, the other one will pay for it. Bang once on the door when one of you needs to go" he said casually.
"That's that plan out the fuckin' window!" Dean thought, annoyed. He growled and Dolph glared as they disappeared out the door, slamming it and locking it after them. Dean relaxed back into the wall, his wrist throbbing. "Thanks, man. I would have gotten damage if that had stayed on any longer" he said tiredly. Dolph smiled and Dean could feel him watching him carefully. He came over "Any other injuries I should know about?" he said, suspicious. "Dislocated shoulder" he replied. "And?" Dolph said, sensing there was more "Better tell him about my stitches" he thought "He can check them for me!" Dean nodded, sheepishly. "I think my stiches burst. I was trailing blood earlier" he admitted. "Your stitches burst?! Dean, you gotta tell me shit like that, man!" he said frantically. "Are you coughing up blood? Any pain anywhere? Is your temperature ok? Here, I'm going to lift your arm, ok?" he said, gently lifting his arm up.
"Nope. No blood coming up, no new pain anywhere. Temps fine" he replied, smiling a little at his mothering. It reminded him of Roman. Dolph sighed in relief "Looks like it stopped! There's no new blood on the bandage, or on the floor. I'm not gonna remove the bandage, it could be holding it together. You're ok" he said, giving a sigh of relief. "That's good, right?" he said as Dolph gently pulled down his shirt. "Hell, yeah that's good!" Dolph said, settling back. Dean relaxed, relief running through him "I won't bleed out! And if the stitches were gonna go, at least it was the outside ones" he thought, relieved. "Want some food?" Dolph asked, pointing to the sandwiches. Deans stomach grumbled and Dolph laughed "That answers that question, I suppose!" he chuckled. Standing up, he retrieved the water and sandwiches. "Ok, ham and cheese or BLT?" he said, sitting back down, weighing a sandwich in each hand.
"BLT" Dean responded, just realising how hungry and thirsty he was. "Good choice!" Dolph said, nudging him. Dean smiled as Dolph unwrapped his sandwich and opened his water bottle and placed it near his good hand, before opening his own. Dean felt so grateful to him "I wish he wasn't here, but I'm so glad he is!" he thought, guilty at the thought. Dolph hadn't turned his back on him, when he saw the collar! He had gotten angry, and not at him, at The Authority! "Would Ro, Seth an' the twins be the same?" Dean thought, hoping they would be. "It's not coming off, they are going to see it, whether I like it or not!" he thought, picking at his sandwich, stomach roiling. "We'll have to wait and see" he thought, forcing himself to finish the sandwich. Dolph had been tapping his shoe off Deans as he ate. "Dude, what's in your shoe?" he said, feeling the bulge in it. Dean froze "Can't believe I forgot!" he thought, stunned.
"Dolph, it's a cell phone! I completely forgot I put it there!" he said, excited. "We can call Ro an' Seth now!" he thought, reaching for his foot. He groaned and slumped back, black spots and a wave of pain appearing. "Ow! Fuck!" he bit out, cradling his ribs. "Dean, I'll get it! Don't move!" Dolph said worriedly. He hopped up "Can't believe you had a phone in your shoe and you forgot!" he snickered, hopping slightly in his excitement. "This could be our way out, Dean!" Dean smiled slightly "Lay off, man. I'm super injured!" he whined. Dolph laughed. "How did a phone end up in your shoe?" he asked, pulling the phone out and wiping it down and hopping excitedly. "When they took me, Jey was there an' he slipped his phone into my pocket. Moron saved our asses!" he replied, smiling slightly. "I owe him a massive thank you" he thought, missing his cheerful face. "Wow, good thinking, Uce!" Dolph said, smiling.
He switched on the phone "Please tell me you know the code?" he said nervously, looking up. "Um… 234768" and Dolph punched it in. Dean held out a hand for it and Dolph passed it over and sat back down next to him, peering over his arm. "Don't tell them what they did to me, ok? Especially this!" he said, tugging again at the collar. Dolph eyes softened "They're your brothers, Dean. They won't care if they forced you to wear that!" he said sadly. "And they're gonna see it when they get here, anyway, man" he whispered. "I know they will! But, if they know what they did to me, they'll rush straight here, without a plan! Jake might stop them, but they'll do their best to get here as fast as they can! That could be how they're caught!" he thought, scared.
"It's not about that right now. If they know what they did to me, they'll rush in an' get taken down. I can't stop them comin' for us, but I can make sure they don't panic and rush in! An' Roman an' Seth will panic if they find out about my arm an' the stitches. I'll tell them when … if they get here" he said, seriously. Dolph nodded, seeing his point. "Ok. I won't say anything, but you'll have to tell them something, Dean" he said, watching him. "I'll tell them about the dislocated shoulder, nothing more" he decided "Ro'll panic, but I can talk him down. He won't calm down if he knows about the stitches an' the broken wrist. Neither will the twins or Seth!" Dean nodded and tugged on the collar again, blood smeared on his fingers
"As for this, I don't want them to see me like this, Dolph" he whispered brokenly. "It won't come off, so I don't have a choice. T-they know how much it'll fuck me up with it on, so don't say anything to them, man" Dean looked down "I'll deal with it if they get to us, ok?" "Unless they leave when they see it, just walk right back out the door and leave me here" he thought, terrified of the possibility. "Will they laugh? Yell at me for being so stupid for ending up like this? Kick me to the curb? Turn their backs on me?" he thought, sick with nerves. He had survived Seth leaving, barely. Seth and Ro leaving him at the same time? "That'd kill me" he thought, shying away from what he knew he would feel if that happened. "I don't wanna be alone again!"
"They won't judge you, man. Trust them when you see them" Dolph said calmly, seeming to know what he was thinking. "All they care about is getting you back" Dolph said, gently. "We'll see" he said quietly. Dolph frowned. "Let's call your brothers, shall we?" he said, smiling. "Your brothers too, Dolph. Neville's too" Dean said, shifting into a more upright position slowly. "An' they are! Maybe not the same as me, Ro an' possibly Seth. But like the twins an' Kevin. A part of our family" he thought. "Thanks, man" he said softly. Dean nodded "Let's call our brothers, man!" he said, typing out a number. "Ready?" Dolph asked when he paused. Dean nodded and hit the call button with suddenly shaking hands. They both leaned in as it rang "Please answer, Ro!" he begged.