Next chapter is the finale...

Chapter 36:

Nerves

It was too damn quiet.

Seth and Jory awoke in silence before the sun rose, showering together and getting dressed before they were herded into a black Lincoln SUV. They were on their way to WESH News. The two of them sat in the back of the vehicle in silence, with a cameraman in the row behind them, trying to capture their thoughts and fears two days before professional wrestling's biggest event of the year. Seth was willing to talk, but he noticed that since Stephanie's attack on Jory four days prior, Jory had retreated into herself. She said nothing to the cameras, instead choosing to stare out the window and watch the world pass by. She was dressed all in black, from her leggings to her tunic, to the giant Gucci sunglasses covering half of her face.

"Hey." Seth reached out and put his hand over hers. She looked at him, offering a weak smile. "You okay?"

"Fine. Just...nervous," she confessed quietly.

"Everything's going to be fine," he assured her, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure what she was referring to. Is she talking about media today, or about the match? I can't tell much with her these days, it feels like. "I think our first order of business when we get to the studio is finding some good coffee."

"Oh my God, yes!" she exclaimed. He looked over at her and grinned.

"Jordana." The cameraman, a young man named Barry, jumped in, seeing his opportunity to get her to open up a bit. "This is obviously a big weekend for you, heading into WrestleMania with your match against Stephanie McMahon. What are your thoughts going into this weekend?"

"It's a jumble," she confessed. "There's a lot of pressure, especially considering where I was at this time last year." She looked out the window. There was no way the bruising on her face would be gone by Sunday. From a vain and selfish standpoint, she hated that she was going into the big event with markings that makeup probably wasn't going to cover, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it.

"Are you ready for the Hall of Fame tonight?" Seth asked her. She nodded.

"Who are you most excited to see go in?" Barry asked. She smiled.

"Kurt Angle. Kurt's always been one of my favorites," she answered. "I'm excited to see all of them, but Kurt is one of the best ever, and I've been waiting a long time for him to come back."

"I'm with Jory, there. Kurt's one of the best to lace up his boots, period. I'm really looking forward to that." Seth looked out the window. It had been a long journey for him, too, and Jory knew that there was a lot on his mind as well. She worried about his knee; would it hold up in this "unsanctioned" match? Seth had everything to lose, but he was still willing to put it all on the line for a shot at Hunter. Jory couldn't tell if it was admirable or stupid.

The car pulled into the parking lot, and Jory and Seth were quickly ushered out of the vehicle. They moved, neither of them having any time to stop and take pictures with fans who had gathered, holding signs and cell phones. "I love you, Seth!" a young girl screamed at him. Seth acknowledged her with a wave before the two of them disappeared inside the building. Once she crossed the threshold, Jory found she felt even more nervous. What if she said something stupid on live TV? What if she made Seth look stupid?

As if he could sense her fighting all the internal chaos inside her head, Seth reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm going to tell you what Hunter told me when I became champion," he said, close to her ear. "Fucking relax."

She couldn't help but laugh. Hunter had told her the same thing after she'd won her first championship.

"I need breakfast."

Seth looked over at Jory, who had her face in her cell phone, her sunglasses on top of her head. The car had just dropped them off at the hotel, and the two of them were in their room. Now that the sun had risen, Seth noticed that Jory was beginning to show some signs of life. It had been a short appearance; once the light on the camera went red, Jory had let her charm loose. Seth thought it went great, and after it was over they stayed behind for a little while to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. It wasn't until they were out of the SUV and inside the elevator at the hotel that he saw her anxiety dissolve.

"That's great. Where do you wanna go?" he asked. She shrugged.

"No idea. You got any ideas?"

"I guess. There's a place just up the block where I used to live. They make a killer omelet."

"Sounds like a plan. At this point, I'd eat dirt if you put enough ketchup on it. Ugh." He could tell by the way her hands shook and the way her foot tapped that she felt restless, like she didn't know what to do with herself. Her phone went off and she began typing quickly.

"What's your day look like?" he asked.

"Busy. I meet Renee and Nia at around one to go and get our hair done, and then we are all going to Nia's room after to get our dresses on and get our makeup done for the ceremony tonight." She looked up at him, and he could see the chaos in her eyes. "Did you want to meet here or in the lobby?"

"For the bus to the Hall?" he asked. She nodded. "We can meet in the lobby. Saves you an extra stop."

"You're right." She sighed as her phone went off again. Before she could look at it, Seth approached her, placing his hands on her hips, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Seth..."

"Jory, I need you to do me a favor, okay? Take a deep breath. I know it's easy to get overwhelmed..."

"I'm...It's fine. I just...Oh, fuck it. You're right. I'm in my head. She's going to throw everything at me, and there's a good chance that even prepared for that I'm not going to be able to handle it..." She was silenced by Seth's mouth covering hers. She pulled back. "Seth..."

"Would you relax? I know you're nervous, but every other woman is busy at Mania, so the odds of you and Steph having a one on one match is pretty good right now," he told her. The words were supposed to calm her down, but provided her no comfort or serenity; Jory knew how resourceful the McMahon family could be, and she knew they would use any resource necessary to come out ahead in the end.

"And if Hunter runs out and tries to take me out? I mean, he's made it pretty clear that he's got no bones about hitting a woman..." Seth sighed.

"Jory...If Hunter runs out, I'm out. I mean it – we're in this together. He tries anything, and I'll be running down that ramp to take his ass out, okay? He won't make it to you. Over my dead body." Jory nodded, but Seth could tell that she wasn't all that confident. He moved his hands from her hips and pulled her into a hug. "I know. We've been through so much. WrestleMania is almost here, and I know it's hard, but now is the most important time to keep it together. It's important. If Stephanie sees any kind of weakness, then she's going to burrow in there. I know you don't want that."

"You're right. I don't." She let her head fall against his shoulder. He wished they could stay that way for the rest of the day, just the two of them. He wished they could drown out all the chaos around them. But her next words dashed every hope of it happening.

"I need food. Let's go." She untangled herself from Seth's arms and went for her purse. Seth grabbed his keys, his wallet and the key-card to the hotel, placing the Do Not Disturb sign on the door on their way out.

"Hey, man, how's it going?"

Seth looked to his left as Roman approached, clapping a giant hand on Seth's shoulder. He stood beside his former teammate, the two of them looking out the glass double doors of the hotel. There was a barricade set up on both sides, but they could see fans leaning in with signs. "Not too bad. Happy to be here this year," Seth answered. His eyes fell on a sign that said something explicit about Finn Balor, who wasn't making it to WrestleMania. Seth cringed.

Looking to his right, Seth was stunned when Dean fell into place beside him, dressed in a suit that looked far more casual than it should have. But Seth knew Dean; he'd fix himself up on the bus. He didn't like to be formal, and he would stay as comfortable as he could until he had to. The fact that Dean was standing in the same vicinity as Seth and not attacking threw him for a loop; for the longest time, it had been an on-sight basis with Dean.

The three of them stood in awkward silence, their hands in their suit pockets. Roman was waiting for his wife and daughter to come down to the lobby. Renee was already at the hall, hosting the red carpet event for the Network. Seth was waiting for Jory, who was still up in Nia's room.

"Hey, Dean-O," Roman greeted, breaking the tension. Seth nodded.

"Hey, man."

"Brother. Scumbag." Seth kept his expression blank, but he knew which tag belonged to whom. A long time ago, he'd given up hope that Dean would ever understand or forgive the things he'd done. But the fact that Dean wasn't starting a brawl in the lobby told him that maybe someday the two of them could find some sort of even keel. Even if they were never friends again, they could co-exist. Seth realized that it was probably the best outcome he could hope for. "Waiting for your women?" he asked.

"Something like that," Seth answered. "You didn't go with yours?"

"Nah. They wanted me to hang back." There was ice in Dean's tone, but he was cordial. "You ready for Sunday?"

"I think so."

"You better know so," Dean told him with a shrug. "You aim for the crown, motherfucker, you better not miss."

"This kinda feels like old times," Roman commented.

"Not another word about that," Dean told him, shooting Roman a pointed stare. Seth looked over at Roman, who was smiling, and it put Seth at ease. They heard the elevator ding and the three men turned.

Seth's breath caught.

Jory stepped out of the elevator, and it was clear to Seth that she felt out of place. The days of Authority perks being long gone, Seth found that she was uncomfortable being glamorous. Her hair was curled beautifully around her face. The dress she wore was gold, with a deep sweetheart halter neckline and a high slit that went up to her thigh. It shimmered underneath the lobby lights. In her hand, she held an ivory clutch.

She spotted the three men together, and she couldn't hide the surprise on her face. While she knew that Roman and Seth were testing the friendship waters once again, seeing Dean standing with the two of them was an unexpected development. From across the lobby, she could tell that Seth was uncomfortable. Roman looked amused, and Jory presumed it was because he was enjoying the current predicament between his former teammates.

Straightening her posture, she approached them. She was grateful the other girls were wearing elaborate gowns, but it still did little to make her feel like she wasn't overdressed for the event. Approaching the men, she smiled. "Hello, guys. Seth. Roman. Dean."

"Jordana." Dean's greeting was curt. He shrugged. "I'm gonna get on the bus. Later."

Roman followed after him, leaving Seth and Jory alone in the lobby. "Well, I don't see any broken bones, so I guess everything went okay?" she asked, examining Seth with her eyes. He sighed.

"Yeah. It's a bit weird." He pulled her towards him by her hand, kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"You don't clean up too badly yourself," she commented. "You don't think I'm overdressed, do you?"

"You see what Lana's wearing?" he asked. "You are fine. Take a deep breath."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous." She smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of the front of her dress. Seth held out his arm for her to take and she linked her arm through it. "I mean, it's just the Hall of Fame. Stephanie's not going to jump me on the red carpet or anything. This is a classy affair."

"Just...deep breath. Everything is going to be okay." Seth gave her a moment to straighten herself up before the two of them made their way towards the door and out to the awaiting bus.