((Thank you for your patience everyone! Here is the newest chapter for you : ) please enjoy and let me know what you think!))

COTTONWOOD

'So I said to him, it's not my goat, what do you want me to do about it?'

Dean's raccous laughter could have been annoying to some. But for Roman? It was better than gold. For as long as he could remember, Dean's laugh had been limited to his episodes of psychosis. It had been high, terrifying. But this? It was oddly comforting. It was obnoxious. It was nasty, a filthy laugh – but it was fucking beautiful. It was real, it was true, and Dean actually slapped the former cop on the shoulder. The man didn't even flinch, but his simple smile was pretty much tattooed onto Cena's massive mug. The two of them clearly had an odd affection for each other from all those years before. Dean had a habit of picking up strays as Roman did pretty women.

'What happened Cena? What happened to that ol' goat?'

'Well after I took him to a medic, I was told he'd have to be put down. Later? Went to pick up the body – wanted to give him a better burial than the hole he'd been dumped in, ya know? Time I got there, he'd gone!'

'Just got up and walked off?'

'Got up and walked on off. Broken neck and all.'

'He's looking good for it.' Roman muttered, more to himself than to the others. Dean had barely registered Bryan's existence when they'd met again, too devastated by AJ. Poor AJ buried in Cottonwood, back in her patch of starlight, weighed down with rocks so that none might try and use her again. Wyatt? Left to rot in the house he'd built. Harper and Rowan could mourn him. But would they? Would anyone mourn a mad man?

Roman couldn't help but throw a side glance to Dean who clearly was still enjoying himself. His smile could have been adorable in a childlike way, it always reached his eyes. The murderous creature he'd found hidden by shadow, chewing a dead man's heart was gone. He'd been pushed too far. Now? Walking through the trees with the cold scratching their skin, he seemed content. At least for now. Roman however was less calm. The addition of Cena to their party didn't comfort him – he may have found Dean but Seth was out there. Renee too. Had they collected their wits? Were they even still alive.

'Cena? You have a phone?'

To his complete surprise, his question was answered with electric light appearing from the dungaree clad man's pocket.

'You have this why?'

'Tetris.' Cena admitted with a shrug of his bulky shoulders, 'Sitting around tending fires can get dull.'

The battery was near non-existent, signal not much better. Technology was Seth's area, but he knew well enough what he was doing as he padded in the number he'd committed to memory. He held it up to the sky, eyes squinted against its light as he tried to find some traces of signal.

'Big Dog trying to make a call?' Dean asked and then, without another word, he grabbed the phone from Roman's hand, and clambered up onto his friend, stepped on his hip, his arm to sit on his shoulders, tried to get it even higher. 'This is shit.'

'Dean get off!' Roman tried to heave him down, but Dean was relentless, dodged his grabbing hands and somehow managed to maintain balance enough to cling on. Cena seemed to find the whole thing rather entertaining, and from his height, snatched the phone from Dean and pushed the dial button.

'That help?'

Roman dumped Dean unceremoniously on the floor and grunted, took the devise and pressed it to his ear.

'Hello?'

An odd feeling rose inside him, some great relief. 'Renee? It's Roman.'

'Roman!' she sounded tired but there was no disguising how pleased she seemed. 'Are you alright? Mick told us what happened! Did you find your friend? I have Seth here, it's so good to hear from you!'

He couldn't suppress the chuckle. 'Cold, damaged, but alive – Dean's with me. We're alright Renee, we're all alright.'

The sound was horrendous, it crackled and the volume fluctuated, but he could hear her. He could hear that voice and could picture her face and it made him feel something. Something inside his gut that clenched, but not in sadness, in some peculiar, pleasant sensation. Like his wounds had all healed at once.

'Oh Roman...' she didn't seem to know what to say to him. Just to have her on the line was more than enough – she was alright. She was still alive. 'I've been so worried.'

'Save your worry for yourself baby girl.'

'The things that have happened Roman, but what does it matter? Do you want to talk to Seth?'

'Yes.'

'Yes!' Dean abruptly yelled. His hearing was very acute, and it didn't surprise Roman one bit that he could hear it all from where he stood. But he was right next to him, hand grabbed the mobile and pulled it between them so they could both hear, could both talk to their missing brother.

'Roman?'

Oh that voice. Seth sounded shaken, but almost stronger through the static of the bad signal. He was still going, still ticking despite the sickness.

'Seth!' Dean near pulled the phone from Roman but his grip was far too strong.

'Dean? Dean!'

'You stupid motherfucker what you go and get yourself sick for eh? Just wanted the bloody attention didn't ya? Well if you wanted me to stop by all you had to do was ask, not contract some deathly death of diseases! Dammit Rollins, I left my nurses outfit back in the crazy house. It blew up. I'm sorry. No Dean nurse for you. And I bet you were excited for that weren't you? Fuck it man...'

You could almost hear Seth's smile on the other side of the line.

'Missed you too big brother.'

'How you doing?' it was such a simple question. It was one they never asked each other. They always assumed they could walk until one fell down, then they'd carry one another. Words didn't become them – but Seth was out of sight, and it was a question that burned inside them both, the need to know that the youngest of them, was alright. It was almost easy to forget that Seth was the baby of the group – he had more brains than Dean and Roman put together, he'd been the one to betray them for his own vanity. But then...at the end of it all, he was Seth.

'Been better, met an old friend with a fiery temper. You chose well Roman, this girl of yours, she broke his nose.'

Roman couldn't help the swell of pride.

'Mick found me Dean. When we stop he's going to try and help me. We've got some tagalongs too. By the name of miss Brie Bella. And a fella named Dolph.'

He didn't need to add anything to the sentence. Brie Bella – that was worry enough, but worry for later. But you could hear the concern he had with this 'Dolph'. This was something to look into. Their resources were limited however, to a dying phone, several dead trees, and their three bodies which could soon be deceased if they didn't start moving again.

'Where are you heading?'

'Buchanan.'

Long way – safe from Authority touch, supposedly. After all, what would they want with a burned out shantytown? It would be a good place for them to lay low. But it was a distance for them to cover that would take weeks on foot the condition they were in. They needed wheels, fast ones. The delay caused by wandering into Cottonwood would mean the roads would be covered by Authority eyes. What had happened in the pits would mean worse than death if they were caught. Mad men would want to rip their skin from their faces, and above all the Game, with a viper and an animal at his heels, would want to remind them of who he was. What they'd done.

Had their crimes been so great against him that the hounds would be followed forever? He could easily see in his mind's eye what lay hidden in Harrison.

'Seth? Is it safe?'

'...I should think so.'

He had it with him. Roman didn't know how, but he couldn't help but curse Seth's sticky fingers. He couldn't let things lie. He'd never been able to resist the thrill of holding what was supposed to be hidden.

'Seth -,'

'Ditch it.' Dean finished. Roman turned and stared at his brother, who promptly ignored him. 'It's not worth it anymore. Hide it in Buchanan, something, anything. We'll find you and bury it forever, the three of us.'

There was no response from Seth. The phone died there in their hands.

Cena, who'd been respectfully quiet during the whole exchange somehow managed to pry it from their fingers, and tapped the screen idly. When it was clear it wasn't coming back, he shoved it back into his deep pocket and patted them both on the shoulders as they stared into the vacuous space where their brother's voice had been.

'Well, if you boys want to get to Buchanan you'd better have some plan short of me carrying you there. Because ain't no way you're going to make it on foot.'

'Kennedy. Get us back into Kennedy. I know someone. They can help get us some wheels.' Dean said with a strong nod.

'Dean we only just fucking left there. Do you know what's waiting if we go back?'

But there was the smile he thought had gone. That cruel sickle that forever reminded him of the shades of Dean Ambrose. They cut through each other, sliced so fast and hard you never knew who you had. This was the smile that had ripped out a man's heart.

'Oh I know, and that's the fun of it. You may have made your friends in the sewers Roman. But I know my fair share of rats on the surface.'

'I can't protect you in Kennedy. As soon as I step back into that city, I'm a cop once again.' Cena warned. 'I will try and stop you.'

'Who's side are you on Cena?'

He puffed out his chest proudly. 'I gave my pledge, my heart body and soul to the law. I did what they asked of me. Kennedy is the city that made me and I shall protect her.'

'Even though the people at her head are corrupt bastards who want to lower the people into early graves and despise those with good intentions?'

'Even then,' Cena nodded slowly, 'Kennedy may have forgotten John Cena, but I have not forgotten her. I shall move against any crime I see.'

'What if you don't see it?' Dean prompted, and waved a hand in front of the bigger man's face. 'What if, John Cena, you can't see me?'

'Well then...I suppose that might mean I can't stop you.'

'Bingo.'

Cena crossed his arms. 'What are you planning Ambrose?'

Roman was already regretting the answer before it was given.

'Some dirty little deeds.' Dean's smile near glowed in the dark it was so wide, his nicotine teeth near spelled the word trouble. 'So damn dirty I'll stain those pretty streets we call home. All for a set of wheels. The lengths we men go to, isn't it just gorgeous?'

'Dean -,'

'Not now Roman, I'm enjoying my psychosis.'

Somewhere beyond Cottonwood, Kennedy stood, with her spikes of power, greed and despair protruding from the rotten earth. She was a throne on which a devil king sat with his strings of skulls and a sledgehammer named My Little Friend. They could have run in the opposite direction, but would never have found what they were looking for. The only way was to head back into her iron maiden embrace. This was not going to be fun – but you wouldn't have known it looking at Dean. Because what scared him most was the look in his brother's eyes – Dean had a plan.

Fuck.