Chapter 48: A Tale of Queens and Banshees

[Apologies everyone for the wait for this newest chapter, I know it's been months. I want

to thank you all for your support and for allowing this story to reach nearly 24,000 views.

It's absolutely wonderful that people like Seth and Paige's story! I'd love to know your

thoughts on this newest chapter. Thank you once again for your patience. This chapter is

dedicated to Paige Rollins ( u/8317944/Paige-Rollins) for

being so supportive and really giving me the drive to push on with this story! There are

many more chapters to come, so please, everyone, enjoy!]


It was painful, watching her go out onto that stage, hearing the banshee scream that signaled her arrival. She was a queen to these people, some Gothic, raven haired goddess. She commanded their attention and their love with a power that he loved to submit to and they gladly cried out for. For him, knowing that this was what she lived for, knowing that wrestling was what had pulled them together, had made them fall in love and fall into bed, it brought him joy, elation that could have reached the stars in the sky, but it was a brittle happiness, punctured by the knowledge that the foundations they stood on where shaky at best.

It was easy to miss simpler times. But the Shield had thrived on somehow staying on their feet, despite the earth cracking between them, still held on to one another despite being pulled miles apart in all directions.

Paige was the strongest of them all. It was all there in her defiant smile, in the black smouldering pits of her eyes. She played up to the thousands, decreed the house that they stood in as hers. And it was, like she'd allowed them to be there to witness her. The depths of what he'd do to make her happy knew no end. But only Paige could do this now.

This was her moment; her time.

Next to Seth, Roman sat with crossed arms. The eyes behind those thin glasses were focused, as strong as the muscles in his body. He had a faith in Paige, they all did. But Seth could tell – his brother was as nervous as he was. They couldn't go to ring side. She didn't want them there. A part of him was regretting not telling her about Dean. Regretted the fact that he'd not told her the news Vince had pressed into his hands. He ran a hand through his hair and watched that monitor with a breath hitched in the back of his throat that didn't quite want to shift. She walked down that ramp toward the ring.

'She's going to destroy that bitch,' Rome muttered and altered his sitting position, his hand reaching up to hold his delicate head. Despite the Samoan's apparent ability to rebound from any injury, or to sustain a beating without taking too much long lasting damage, it appeared that his head would forever be his weak spot. It was delicate, despite holding that fantastic brain and those dark eyes that the ladies seemed to adore, even if they didn't work properly anymore. 'I can't wait; it's going to be spectacular.'

Seth had every faith in the world that Paige was going to win this war. She looked the true warrior as she clambered up into that ring and bayed to the blood thirsty crowds. But they all knew Stephanie was a crooked witch. If she could come up with some way of swinging this to her advantage, if there was some way to make Paige weak, she'd do it.

Welcome to the Queendom started up seconds later. Seth turned in his chair to peer around for the GM of Raw but Stephanie was nowhere to be seen. Paige stood ready in that ring, eyes on the stage, waiting for her opponent to appear. But where was she? Seconds ticked by and nothing happened, no one appeared. There was no Stephanie in all her grandeur; there was no pomp or flair. There was...nothing at all. The crowd's heavy boos vibrated throughout the area. Paige's frown was lined with suspicion.

'What's going on...where is she...' Seth muttered, peering around the room once again. There was no evidence of Stephanie at all. The theme continued but still, Paige was left waiting in that empty ring. 'Rome, she's up to something.'

'Tell me something I don't know,' as it turned out, Roman Reigns was already on his feet, already leaving the chair and heading to the door. Seth knew better than to ask where his brother was going – on the hunt. He couldn't follow, not with his legs. He felt that weight in the bit of his stomach a little heavier and his own frown matched that of Paige, who, by now, bored of waiting had motioned for a microphone and was now stood, in the centre of the ring with a rage she just couldn't wait to spit out.

'So it looks like the queen bitch is a no show! Too scared Steph? You too scared that I might take the belt back for good? Too scared that I might beat you to within an inch of your life and pop those silicon tits of yours? Scared I'll mess up that resting bitch face of yours permanently? Well I'm not having it! I've waited too long for this moment. I want my rematch and I want it now. If you don't come to me Steph, then I'll come to you. I don't care if you're in this building, I don't care if you're Japan, Australia, hell you could be in the Himalayas and it wouldn't stop me. You've got something of mine McMahon and I'm going to take it back. Right now,'

Paige dropped the microphone. It slammed against the canvas and let out a horrid screech of feedback. She backed away and made to slink out the back of the ring, but suddenly stopped. Something had caught her attention. Seth leaned forward in his seat, eyes narrowed as he tried to see as she did. The microphone – it looked as if it were – smoking?

'Don't pick it up baby, don't go fucking near it,' Seth grabbed his cane and stood up from his chair. She didn't want him at ring side? He didn't care. He didn't fucking care. He made to dash past the monitor toward the Gorilla position, but then he stood, froze in place as he saw new movement on the monitor. Paige had crouched down near the microphone, a hand reached out to either pick it up or poke it. 'Paige don't -,'

The microphone exploded in a cloud of hazy smoke. Thick, polluted smoke plumbed around Paige, covering her completely, hiding her from view. The commentators were going nuts, confusion sparked. Panic in the people. What the fuck. What the fuck had just happened? Seth didn't wait. Cane gripped in his hand he moved as quickly as he could manage, heading toward the Gorilla, heading toward the curtain, ready to go out and help his girl, to find her. He should have been out there the whole time.

He should have fucking been there.

One hand grabbed the curtain to throw it back and proceed, but before he could, fingers closed a vice like grip around his wrist and he was heaved back.

'I don't think so Rollins.'

The eyes that met his were a set of glowing embers; fiery hell pits that had gleefully put his brother through three levels of hell. The face was battered from the battle against Dean but there was nothing to stop the pure hatred that emitted from the expression.

'Kane don't you fucking touch me. Don't you fucking dare,' Seth snarled and jerked his wrist back. Kane hung on. Pain, white hot pain erupted through his limb. Only recently fixed from the break, it hadn't quite recovered to put up with such strain. 'Kane if you don't -,'

The threat was cut short as sounds of a struggle erupted behind him. He half turned; still caught in the vice like grip of Kane's meaty hand. There was a flurry of bodies, he couldn't quite make out who was who but amongst them all he was sure that he could see Roman's form, fists wildly swinging and impacting with the bulk of something huge.

'Rome!'

'Mr Reigns was snooping where he didn't belong and he found someone who bites just as hard as he does,' Kane sounded thoroughly pleased with himself. 'You however don't need to remain for this, in fact I think you should come with me Rollins,' the tug that he snapped on Seth's wrist was agony. The hellish power that Kane possessed was credit to his size. Years ago, when the brother of The Undertaker had debuted, he'd terrified fans all over the world. The burned, psychopathic little sibling of the Dead Man had the strength to rip off cage doors, to go toe to toe with the most revered and feared wrestler the WWE had ever allowed into the ring. But now...Seth had seen too many sides of The Big Red Machine. He'd seen the Demon, he'd seen the suit and tie, hell he'd even see the man eat in a fucking restaurant. He should have held some respect for him, should have known that defiance would mean getting hurt.

But he didn't fucking care.

With a roar, he brought up his cane and smashed it as hard as he could against the other man's forehead. It was a heavy shot, cracked right between the eyes. For a second, a split second, Kane was stunned, surprised by the attack; little beads of blood started to well where the weapon had hit. The grip slacked, just enough that Seth could pull free and dash through the curtains.

The stage and the lights and the world, everything was so bright and his sudden presence brought screams of joy from the crowds but he barely heard them. He stumbled down the ramp, eyes fixed on the still hazy ring. Something was happening, but he couldn't quite make it out. Behind him he heard Kane, recovered from the attach chasing him down. But Seth, knee braces and all wasn't going to get caught. He quickly reached the steps up to the ring; half climbed them and injected himself into the fog. It caught in his nose and throat and he coughed and hacked, his eyes watering as he reached the top step.

'Paige?' he roared.

He tried to wave away the smoke. It was starting to thin. Kane had caught up, but Seth was ready, he raised his cane once again and cracked it off the top of the other man's head, another blow hit the shoulder, another to the other shoulder, the crown of the head. Kane was made of stern stuff. He grabbed a hold of the stick and heaved. Seth found himself leaving the steps, but instinct snapped into play.

He turned his body with the momentum, legs hitched up, caught around Kane's neck and with his own body weight he swung, throwing the two of them to the floor. Not a bad hurricanrana for someone who'd just recovered from surgery. Though he hit the ground hard, Kane went headfirst into the barricade. Seth didn't allow himself the luxury of the pain or pride and was back up those steps. The fog was thinning and he squinted his eyes through to see two bodies squirming on the mat.

'Paige?'

'Not now baby, mama's working,'

His eyes widened in wonder at the sight that befell him and he couldn't help but let out an almighty, victorious cackle.

There, in an utmost tangle, was Paige and crying, tears streaming down her face from pain, caught in the P.T.O, was Stephanie. He could have just frozen that moment forever, caught it in a Polaroid and put it on his wall and it would forever be his favourite thing to look at. The fight in Paige's face was phenomenal. Her skin, her cheeks, everything was reddened and smudged where the smoke bomb had exploded close to her face. Her eyes were red raw. Her hair was half pulled from its braid, there were claw marks on her arms and she looked positively Amazonian.

'Now, Seth, if you could keep the rest of the stooges busy baby, could you possibly get a referee out here to start my match? I'd hate for Stephanie to tap out before I'd even begun to play.'

The bell hadn't even rung. The match hadn't even started yet.

Stephanie looked fit to burst a lung.

But now the smoke had cleared, people could see what was happening and the support for Paige was so loud it could have brought the entire arena crumbling down in a pile of dust and shambles. On the floor Kane was stirring. On the stage, a referee suddenly appeared – but not one of the usual ones. Instead, Sami Zayn was wearing a white and black striped shirt that looked to be three sizes too big for him, his flat cap perched on his head at a jaunty angle. The crowd went nuts.

He looked a little worse for wear, but he was alive. Alive and recovered enough to participate in the Money in the Bank ladder match that would take place later that night. It almost looked as if the chant of welcome back might bring him to tears but he stayed strong and as his theme belatedly started up, he skanked his way down to the ring with abandon.

'Looking sharp Mr Zayn,' Seth congratulated as he approached. He held out a hand which Sami took and shook with a strong grasp.

'Thanks to you guys, might not be here otherwise. Now...I disposed of the old ref,' a glance back up to the stage saw a clearly dazed and confused, shirtless Kevin Owens staggering through the curtain. Almost as soon as he was into the main of the arena though, he crumbled to the floor, twitching slightly. 'He'll be fine,' Zayn muttered dismissively at Seth's quirked brow, 'What do you say...we let this wrestler and this business lady have a fight?'

'Thrilling idea, I'll make sure that we don't have any more interruptions, shall I?' Seth smiled and then, pulled Sami in a little closer, 'Is Rome alright back there?'

'Fine,' Sami confirmed, 'You'd never think he's missed a day in the ring, he speared Braun Strowman through a wall. Through a wall!' Sami chuckled and clambered up into the ring, and gestured for the bell to be rung.

Seth returned his eyes to Kane, and picked up his stick from the floor.

'Now, are we going to have some more trouble from you big man?' Seth poked Kane's shoulder with the cane and satisfied that the Big Red Machine had twitched from reflex and that he would be little harm for a while, he grabbed a steel chair, unfolded it and sat down next to the prone body of the Monster, a ring side view of what was to come next.

This was the fucking life.


As soon as Sami had had that bell rung she knew it was about to begin. Oh she could have kept Stephanie tangled up all night; never could have become bored of hearing the bitch squeal like a pig and could never have grown tired of feeling the shoulders of her victim crunch. But she wanted a fight. She wanted more than just to torture the woman. She wanted to humiliate her. She wanted to her to feel every single thing that she'd put Paige and her boys through.

Because whilst Stephanie McMahon had been so focused on crippling the boys, her boys, she didn't realise that she'd been stoking a fire than had been burning for a thousand years. The Knight family didn't breed fools or suffer them. If they were wronged they made it right. Paige had lost too much of what had mattered to the McMahon family recently.

Her pride, her brothers, her belt, her man; every single thing that had a place in her heart had been snatched from her in some capacity. She'd only just gathered her family back together again. They were a unit, the Shield. She had her guardian, the strong and silent big dog that she knew had her back no matter what, she had her crazy, maddening, horny little brother who she loved far too much and worried about even more. Then there was Seth. Her Seth; she owned every piece of him and knew it. She'd worked hard to ensure he fell so completely in love with her that it was agony being apart.

Because she'd loved him from the moment they met, the second they'd locked eyes she knew that he was the largest fragment of the fractured soul she'd been trying to piece together for so long.

All that was missing now, was that belt.

So she dropped Stephanie.

The rush of air that escaped the GM's lungs was a delightful wheeze of sob and swear and Paige stood over her, cracking knuckles and neck, lip stick smudged from the lucky punch Stephanie got in just after the smoke bomb went off. Sneaky cow was hiding under the ring.

'Come on Stephanie...fight me. Come on,' Paige mocked, kicked the woman hard in the ribs with booted foot. 'You think you own this place? Well you're in my house now bitch!'

Watching her struggle to get up after being locked in the P.T.O was delicious. But she wasn't going to just let her lay there and get pinned. Oh no, she wanted more fun than that. Paige stooped low and grabbed a thick handful of hair, a foot on the small of Stephanie's back and pulled, heaving the other woman's abdomen off the ground before she slammed her back down again. She pulled, and then hit down.

But she had to give the bitch some credit. She still had some fight in her yet.

Stephanie, with a scream reached up, manicured nails clawed at Paige's cheek. A sharp kiss of pain caused her to release the GM, three sharp, deep, quickly starting to bleed scratches embedded in her face. But instead of rage, her eyes lit up, her tongue flicked out to try and reach for the blood as Steph scrambled to a corner and heaved herself up to face the banshee.

'That's it Stephanie. Give me a fight. Come on. Come on you soulless hag!'

Paige rushed forward to deliver a running knee, but Steph dodged out of the way, stumbling to the mat but recovering quickly enough to take advantage as Paige tried to detangle her leg from where it caught on the ring rope. Stephanie's hands caught Paige's shoulders and heaved down, slamming her to the canvas.

Sami, for all intents and purposes, seemed keen for it to be a fair bout, despite what Stephanie had done to him. He monitored every move, gave warnings, made counts.

For the next twenty minutes, everything was a blur. Punches were thrown, hip tosses, suplexes, kicks, holds, a brutal ruthlessness brought out in both women. Stephanie, somehow managed to get an advantage, Paige caught in a Boston Crab, her eyes fixed on Seth was in agony, her back bent, her body screaming at her. But she couldn't break the hold, Steph had it locked in tight, a deep squat fixing Paige firmly in place. She could see her man, her husband to be, there at ring side, cheering her on, occasionally walloping Kane with his walking aid.

Even in the position she was, she had to smile.

He was screaming her name, telling her how strong she was, how if she lost she'd regret it. How he'd be angry at her for giving in because he knew how badly she wanted this.

So she did the only thing she could think of.

The ring rope was just out of reach. She needed just a little room. Bending her back even further was pain like she'd never experienced. But somehow, somehow, she managed to tangle her fingers in Stephanie's hair and pull.

With a scream of rage, the GM released the hold.

Paige slumped to the floor. Exhausted; kicks haled down on her, every part that was exposed, Stephanie didn't care. She wanted to hurt the woman on the floor, as much as Paige wanted to harm her. She'd wanted a fight.

She was getting what she'd asked for.

Paige could taste blood. It welled from inside her mouth as a stray kick made contact with her jaw. She raised her hands above her head to try and protect her face but as she did, Stephanie caught hold of her right wrist.

She'd noticed the ring.

At ringside Seth's face was a picture of rage. Stephanie was screaming something at him but Paige couldn't quite hear. The world felt a little dull. A little out of tune, a little dark; but there was nothing that could have prevented her feeling what Stephanie did next.

She pulled that obsidian ring from Paige's finger.

She held it and looked at it, and laughed before she threw it to the mat and stamped her full weight down on it. Paige's eyes widened as the obsidian stone split from its silver casting, as the metal buckled and bent.

No. She'd been waiting for that ring too fucking long.

No.

Stephanie let go of Paige's wrist, seemingly far more interested in talking shit to Seth. He couldn't get distracted by her, the second he did, Kane would recover and the fight would begin on the floor once again. Paige spat blood onto the canvas. Her hand reached out for that stone, desperate fingers just about to grab it when Stephanie's heel came down.

Fingers broke instantly.

The scream pierced the arena walls.

Sami threw Stephanie away, threatening to disqualify her but the GM clearly didn't care. If she was disqualified, then she didn't lose the title. It made things easier for her. Paige had to pin her, had to submit her, right here in the middle of the ring.

'Kane! Hold him still! Make him watch! I want him to see his precious Paige defeated, destroyed!'

The shriek was another call to war and Paige saw that exactly what she feared would happen, had. The Big Red Machine was on his feet, his thick arms had managed to grasp a hold of Seth, holding him firmly in place despite his insistent struggles. He tried to scream out to her, to talk her into getting up but they were soon silenced by one of Kane's massive hands. There was desperation in Seth's eyes.

Those beautiful eyes; eyes that if she gathered enough of their sparks, she'd have enough stars to fill the universe.

She couldn't let those stars go out. They were her everything.

Paige braced herself against the floor and heaved herself up. Broken fingers and all. She rose to her feet, defiant in the face of Stephanie. The other woman couldn't believe it. Paige's lungs were laboured but she refused to break the glare between them.

'You can't...beat me...I won't...let you.' she snarled.

'I've already won. The title is mine. The Shield are nothing. I'll break every single one of you if I have to for what you've done to me and my husband. You honestly believe that just because you have him that you're unbeatable?'

'No.' Paige spat once again, blood and spittle splattered the canvas as she pointed a shaking hand toward Seth, 'he's unbeatable because he has me!'

Seth's cane had been in his hand the whole time, but he'd been unable to angle it to hit Kane's skull. So this time he went for the groin.

Kane crumbled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Stephanie couldn't believe it. Shock, horror, rage, it all intermingled.

Paige didn't give her time.

She moved swiftly, as if the world had slowed down around her. There was a grace in her few steps, in how she grabbed the other woman, swung her foot around Stephanie's calf and brought both of them crashing down to the mat. The impact was so hard she felt a rib pop. But she kept her body weight pressed firmly over the other woman. Her head hurt. Her jaw ached.

She couldn't see anyone or anything. Only felt the rhythm of Sami's hand hitting the mat.

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