A/N: Next chapter - welcome back!

BRIE

Sunday. Mid-morning.

Brie stands in front of the hotel mirror, her attire laid out on the bed to her right. She'll put it on before she leaves for the arena so she has extra time to get in the zone without having to worry about dressing. Her foundation brush is raised to her cheek, but the Diva doesn't feel inclined to finish making up her face at this moment. Rather, her mind is elsewhere, focused on thoughts of her role in tonight's show as a part of Team Authority.

She'd been woken this morning by a hug and a kiss from her husband. The sweet gesture had been more than welcome considering the nerves in her stomach, but the pleasant feeling subsided quickly once Daniel Bryan had left her to go grab some breakfast with some of the guys. On her own, Brie was reminded of her huge main event match all the more — not that her mind had ever really strayed from it.

Setting down the brush, Brie steps closer to the mirror to analyse herself. She looks good, feels healthier than ever. But the nagging feeling doesn't go away. It's more than just nerves about participating… it's about what she brings to the table. How a small part of her — if she really had to admit it — isn't sure if she brings anything.

Brie isn't stupid. She's aware of what the other Divas think of her. A weaker version of her twin; the less confident Bella; the pushover. She brushes the thinly-veiled insults away every time and always tells herself that she hasn't been in this business so long and worked her ass off all the way to the top just to be treated like this. Her aggression in the ring reveals that, the dangerous glint in her eyes more so, even as it works alongside the sweet smile on her lips.

She knows her strengths... it doesn't mean she doesn't have her down moments. Like now. Of course, she'll snap out of it because the need to prove to herself that she belongs in the ring is greater than any insecurity she may have. But this is a private moment she's content to have.

Brie starts to think about a few things. How she'll act in the ring, for one. There's no doubt that Nikki will flaunt herself and show off, but Brie knows she can get away with more if she's sly and sneakier. Even if that entails having patience while Nikki demands to be tagged in and cuts off her time to really show her skill set...

Annoying. The word that springs to her mind.

Once upon a time, she was just as arrogant as her sister. Maybe Daniel mellowed her out, or maybe she just isn't as power-hungry as her twin, but Brie knows that they're not one in the same anymore. It's a shame that they can't really read each other's minds or they're not quite on the same wave length - the little things that makes being a twin so fun.

But she isn't sorry, will never be sorry, for who she is. Or the decisions she's made and is yet to make.

So she'll let everyone think she can be bossed around. That she's meek. There to take orders. Be a placeholder for someone better.

Then Brie Bella will show them that she has a few tricks up her sleeve after all.

DEAN

Four hours before the show is set to start, Dean paces Roman's invaded locker room, only stopping occasionally to stretch out any part of him that feels too stiff. Anyone would think he's about to go out now, not later this evening. Not that he's worrying about what the others think of him right now. His mind is set to the damage he's going to do to Team Authority, specifically Triple H and Seth Rollins.

He feels a smile on his lips at the thought of putting his hands on his former Shield brother. The hunger for revenge is always strong when he thinks of Seth. Though he went hard at him at Wrestlemania and Summer had to bring him back into a calmer reality, he felt like it could have gone on forever. It might have done.

After so many difficult childhood moments, trust has been a hard concept for Dean to believe in. To have that betrayal go down in such a harsh, callous way only reignited his belief that it just didn't exist. If not for Roman, he would have given up on humanity completely. Then Paige came along with her plan bringing with her a leggy blonde who knew how to hold her own and wasn't afraid to lash out if need be. Now he knows he's surrounded by the right kind of people, which makes it easier to realise who he should be fighting against.

So yeah, he's looking forward to getting his hands on Seth again. If not for himself, then for Roman, who'll have to fight at some point and would be better off with his opponent worn out before that point.

As for Hunter? Well, he just wants to show his boss that he might be a lunatic, but he's a skilled one.

He suddenly remembers what Seth told him once, back when they were in The Shield together. After a particularly tough loss, The Architect had slapped him a little too roughly on the back and told him to buck up because his emotional side kept getting the better of him. That he was too much of a wildcard. Went off on a tangent oftentimes. Didn't have the patience like him to see a match through to the end. Seth had said it, hit him again, then walked off.

It struck a chord then and it strikes a chord now. But Dean doesn't see it as a weakness anymore. He'll use that stored up emotion to his advantage and Seth Rollins will be sad he ever messed with their brotherhood.

Summer slips her hand into his in that moment. Pulled from his thoughts, he turns to her and is instantly wrapped up in her charming smile. He has no doubt in his mind that the woman standing in front of him is his anchor, and the person to pull him back from the chaotic emotion he gets caught up in when he's inside that ring. She'll do that for him tonight, too. Too bad for Seth.

Paige looks to be in deep thought as she sits alone over in the corner while Roman and Natalya talk elsewhere. It doesn't stop him from approaching her anyway. Better than anyone, he knows it isn't a good idea to be so lost inside of yourself for a long time.

"I'm not one for sentiment."

"Of course not," Paige winks as she looks up at him.

"But you remember what I said the first time you approached me with this plan?"

She nods. "That you don't regret anything you do."

The champion holds out her closed fist, and he follows suit, bumping his knuckles against hers. "Damn straight," he smirks.

SETH

Seth knows where he should be right now. The show is starting, he can hear the pyro going off, and it's about time to work himself into game mode. Where he should be is in the zone. That's where the members of his team are. Brie and Nikki are prepping one another now; Stephanie is glossing over her in-ring attire, the same outfit she wore to face Brie last year; and Hunter is taking a moment for himself with a solemn look on his hardened features.

They're all getting in the zone, and yet here he is alone, having requested a few minutes to have in his personal locker room. He feels like he needs some peace and quiet without the excited chatter around him. Besides, his mind is elsewhere. Not in the zone but with her. Particularly, their diner conversation where he explained his decision to abandon her way back when.

"Why are you with me now?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you thought what I did was so wrong and you'll never be proud of me for it then why did you take an interest in me again? It doesn't make sense."

It hadn't made sense for Paige to accept him back into her life so willingly. How had he been so blind to it? It's a question Hunter had also asked him when he came round following Wrestlemania, though the query soon got lost in fiery promises for revenge. He didn't know the answer then and he doesn't now. But he'd felt Hunter's anger down to his very core.

It's reflected in him now.

"My feelings for you and what we have are stronger than anything you did. Seth, I'll tell the truth: I'll never be okay with what you did. I didn't think you had it in you. But... but I love you."

She'd put his hand over his and lied straight to his face. How easy it must have been for her to do that. He'd fallen for the lie, genuinely believing the love they shared was real. As if she had ever truly loved him. "She played you," Hunter had said. Stephanie had nodded, Nikki had rolled her eyes. Again, he saw the ridicule in their expressions that he'd felt for himself.

"All I ever wanted was your forgiveness."

Those words had come out of his mouth. Now, he wants her demise. He wants power. He wants what is rightfully his. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship is as good as his come the end of the show.

He has to thank Paige for all that she's done. In a sick way, she's done him some good in deceiving him like this because now his eyes are wide open and he knows everything that he stands for. Who he stands for. She's helped him see which side he's on.

Tonight, it's time to prove it.

PAIGE

One minute Rusev and Cena are having a brutal showdown, the next Cena has the pin, and the time has come for the main event of Extreme Rules.

Paige has felt butterflies before a lot of big matches in the WWE — when she debuted, each title defence, when she betrayed Seth — but this is by far the most nervous she's felt in her life. She chews on her bottom lip. No doubt she's ruining her make-up but the artist who did her face will just have to forgive her; this is a lip-biting moment. Is she about to make her last ever entrance as a Diva for this company? She hugs her title close to remind herself of her importance around here. There's no way she's giving this up easily.

Everybody on her team looks a little nervous apart from Dean, but she knows the moment they step through that curtain they'll be as confident as ever. She'd do well to follow in their footsteps.

Though she had wanted her plan to wind them up here it still seems so surreal to be granted her wish. She has the chance to put a stop to the power trip The Authority have been on ever since they were reinstated: the same power trip that caused Nikki Bella's arrogance, that maintained Seth's, and derailed the lives of many of those around her. This is their one and only opportunity to do something about it.

"We're up," Natalya rubs her hand. "Are you ready?"

The words seem distant somehow, like her surroundings aren't her own. Still, she says, "Yep."

Because she is ready. She's ready to finish what she started. She's ready to get out her frustration towards Nikki, and her anger towards Seth to be unleashed in the open. Stephanie's shit-eating grin, and Hunter's all-knowing smirk; to hell with both of those expressions. Power is only ever somebody's if you let it be. Paige won't.

Their team is out first. She watches as Natalya makes an appearance, then Summer and Dean together to his music, and she imagines Roman making his own stoic entrance as he barrels through the rowdy crowd. Finally, her music hits. Her fingers reach the curtains, but she falters, having to stop to take a deep breath to regain control of any wayward emotions.

Then she slips into her Diva self, a kick-ass woman with the willpower of a champion, the strength of a survivor, and the power of a boss in charge. She holds her head up high throughout it all: stepping into the ring, interacting with the crowd, waiting for her opponents... when Team Authority make their appearance together looking like a strong, coherent unit.

She finds herself saying she'll start off the match because there's no better way to get in the zone by just diving right in. So, Nikki steps up to the plate to answer her challenge.

Everything has been said. No more bitterly worded rants, or games to play to undermine the other team. It's all about to be put out in the open in this very ring. It's time to fight. The fearless one and the reckless one circle the ring, eyes locked on each other, hungry for action.

The bell rings.