Chapter 18

Ceridwen couldn't lie. The idea that Vince was well aware of her and Dean, and that he knew what Hunter's end game was had her rattled. It was to the point that Ceridwen now found herself staring at the title belt, the belt she dreamed of getting her hands on since she was five and realizing she may well lose it that night in the Extreme Rules match. It was one thing to face The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell. But it was quite another to face him, Roman, Seth and Dean in this kind of match up. For the first time in this whole mess, Ceridwen found herself realizing that no, she was in too deep. That she couldn't do this. As show time drew near her silence wasn't un-noticed by her friends, although it was The Undertaker who pulled her aside to talk.

"You're unusually quiet, Feral." He said with a frown.

"Taker, I can't…I can't do this." She said, dropping the belt on a nearby table. "I can't do this anymore." Ceridwen sat down on the table too and put her head in her hands. Though she refused to cry, a tear or two still escaped.

"Now? Now of all times, you can't do this?" He asked incredulously. "Not when you entered the Rumble. Not when you were going to face Lesnar. Not when you were to face me at Mania. You've done all this and now you crack?"

"I have wanted this belt since I was a kid, and now I…I'm not going to retain this evening Taker. We both know that. I shouldn't even have won at Mania." She shot him a look and he laughed.

"I didn't throw that match, Ceridwen, as much as you'd like to believe it." He said as he pulled his jacket aside and sat down next to her. "You are a hell of a lot tougher than you give yourself credit for. You'll retain that belt tonight no problem."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Ceridwen wiped her eyes and returned her idol's smile. "I appreciate it."

"I will let you in on something." Undertaker looked around to see no one else was around before he continued. "When he told me that I could have revenge on Lesnar, I jumped at the chance. He said all the right words, all the right things. Because Vince is like that, he knows exactly how to say things to get what he wants. But he told me he expected you to fold like a house of cards." Undertaker chuckled to himself and Ceridwen raised an eyebrow. "He thought all you wanted was my recognition, because of the ink on your arm. He thought that by telling me to go after you, to offer that match you would get your recognition and that you would back down."

"He was wrong I guess." Ceridwen laughed this time. "I was so not backing down from that."

"Oh I could see that. I saw how pissed off you were when you punched that box on the way out after I challenged you. That you had been deadly serious about Lesnar. Hence me collaring you for that car ride. But that night, after you punched the equipment hard enough to stick a hole in it, I rang Vince. I told him everything I heard. And he didn't believe me that you were legitimately going to go after Lesnar. That you weren't backing down about going through me. He thought he could read you like a book, and he failed."

"What?" Ceridwen looked at him in surprise. Undertaker put a hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

"He thought he had you pinned. He underestimated your ability, in and out of the ring. He underestimated just how quick thinking you, and Hunter and Steph, were about this. He was fully expecting you'd have folded before Mania. So was I. Why do you think I begged you to pull out? You managed to do what so many people have tried and failed to do, and you threw him for a loop. Right now, Vince is in damage control. He saw his chance to screw you, and Hunter over and it slipped through his fingers." He picked up the belt and put it in her lap. "You're retaining tonight. You're going to beat the living shit out of me again, just like you did at Wrestlemania. And I want you to use Hell's Gate to do it if you end up pinning me." The belt almost slipped out of her grasp as Ceridwen looked up at her idol in surprise and shock.

"But…but that's sacrilege. I can't use that against you. The crowds would go mad, I should be Tombstoned for it on RAW tomorrow. I mean, not to mention how much-"

"Vince would hate it because he knows I never give permission to anyone to use any of my moves, and it means I trust you implicitly?" Undertaker asked, cutting Ceridwen off as she protested. "Oh I know what would be expected if you did it. And I also know how much it would piss Vince off if it didn't happen."

"Is it really wise to poke the bear again right now?" Ceridwen asked as someone spotted them and called it was almost show time.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. But it will send a message." He smiled as he stood up and began to walk off. "And that might be enough."

The words of The Undertaker stayed in her mind as they got near time to go out. As they warmed up. Things got worse as show time arrived and the five found out Vince himself was there.

"He wants to fuck me over live on air." Ceridwen said as Steph apologized and hurried off to make sure Hunter and Vince didn't kill each other. There were muttered curses and threats of bodily harm from her friends.

"How though?" asked Roman. "I mean, coming out there and screwing with you isn't Vince's style."

"No but outing a relationship to the fans is." Ceridwen replied with a hollow feeling in her gut.

"I'd like to say he wouldn't, but well, I've worked with him long enough to realise that yes, he absolutely would." Undertaker shook his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did try and do something at the end of the match. Or at the very least tomorrow on RAW." Silence descended on them once again as warming up finished and they prepared to go to the gorilla position for their fight. Ceridwen had no idea what Vince was planning by being there. It made her belt weigh heavy around her waist. What purpose could this possibly serve other than to try throw her off her game? Or, she thought suddenly as her friends prepared to go out, was it to throw them off theirs so they screwed up? Or more importantly, Dean's game? No, that won't happen, she told herself. She knew Dean well enough to know he wasn't easily rattled. She just hoped that Vince wasn't planning to upset the fight in someone else's balance.

The crowds roared as one as the group fought. Ceridwen pulled herself to her feet in the corner and wiped her hair from her face. She wasn't bleeding, yet. But her friends had not been easy on her. Roman had thrown her out of the ring, Seth had beaten her down with a chair, Dean had hit her with a kendo stick and Undertaker had guillotine leg dropped her twice and given her an Old School. And she was nowhere near done, but nowhere near winning. She watched as Roman and Undertaker faced off, while Seth and Dean fought outside the ring in front of the walkway. A glance to her left showed a ladder lying half in, half out the ring. She grinned. This was going to be epic. The ladder was hauled horizontally in to her hands and she ran at the two men in the ring, bulldozing them towards and through the ropes on top of Dean and Seth. The pile of bodies groaned in pain as Ceridwen pulled the ladder upright. She hadn't realized it was one of the taller ladders but to hell with it, she was committed. Climbing the ladder all she could hear was the crowd roars. She saw the look of sudden panic on Dean's face, the look that said they were going to kill her for this on the faces of Roman and Seth. The look that said he knew she was nuts on Undertaker's. Still she climbed higher and stood two steps down from the top of the ladder and turned to face the four men beneath her. Jeff Hardy you better be watching this, she said to herself as she took a deep breath and leapt from the ladder. Air rushed past her as she flipped herself, performing a perfect Swanton Bomb on to the four men to the sound of a frantic roaring crowd. Her breath was knocked forcefully from her as she landed on them. She couldn't afford to wait, however, so she pulled herself to her feet as quickly as she could. Which wasn't all that quickly. She stumbled and fans nearby got a rare chance to clap her on the back and arms as she fell backwards into the barriers. Once more she pushed herself upright and headed back to the ring.

The ladder was miraculously still in place and she hauled herself into the ring next to it. As she stood, aiming to climb it again and pull another Swanton Bomb, she felt movement behind her. She got up two steps when she was abruptly pulled from the ladder by Undertaker himself.

"Don't you dare!" He yelled as he pulled, sending her to the floor across the ring. Ceridwen got on her knees, an arm holding her ribs. Things hurt. She tried to stand, but stumbled, ending up in the position that a lot of people had been in before. He grabbed her as if he were about to choke slam her, hauling her to her feet. Ceridwen laughed; the crowds were roaring for one move. She was going to make sure they got it.

"This is my yard now." She said, drawing a shake of the head from The Undertaker. In one swift move, he pulled her in to and delivered a Tombstone piledriver. She saw out of the corner of her eye the faces of Roman, Dean and Seth watching them with horror. But, as the referee began to count, Ceridwen knew she wasn't done yet. The moment he counted two, Ceridwen kicked out, knocking The Undertaker aside and rolling away to get her breath back. He looked over at her in surprise as she pushed herself to her feet.

"You really think you can win this?" He asked aloud. "Look at you!" Ceridwen knew it was just theatrics, but his words provoked a reaction anyway.

"I told you at Wrestlemania I would win. And I'm telling you now I'm going to win today!" She fired back, finally getting upright as Roman decided to take the chance and dashed in the ring to take The Undertaker by surprise and try steal a win. He wasn't expecting to be drop kicked aside as he pinned the man by Ceridwen, who then put Roman in a choke hold.

"My yard, my title, my pin!" She yelled in his ear as he tried to free himself. Undertaker had reached the ropes now and was pulling himself to his feet. Dean darted in the ring now followed by Seth, and the fight renewed itself as Roman threw back his head and caught Ceridwen in the mouth. She released him and her hand went to her mouth immediately as the familiar taste of blood filled it. Roman crawled a step or two away to get breathing space now he was free of her arm. Nearby Dean and Seth were fighting with The Undertaker. Dean earned himself a chokeslam for his troubles, and Seth ended up with a last ride. Ceridwen spotted the nearby chair and as The Undertaker stood back straight again and turned to face her, she jabbed him in the gut with it. He doubled over as Roman came at her and was dealt the same thing. She slapped the chair down on the backs of both men. Dean and Seth pulled Roman from Ceridwen's reach, as Undertaker grabbed the chair from Ceridwen's hand and threw it aside. He pulled her in to a chokehold now and she fought it hard.

"Give up?" asked the referee as Ceridwen tried to free herself.

"Never!" She yelled, blood from her mouth now trickling down on to The Undertaker's arm.

"Come on woman, give up already!" He growled. Ceridwen shook her head, holding a hand skywards again as the referee asked a second time. Somehow, some way, she forced herself to her knees. Undertaker found himself surprised as she got on to one knee, and his hold loosened, and he was then thrown off to the roars of the crowd. Ceridwen massaged her throat, Glancing round at where the man sat with a look of surprise on his face. Ceridwen knew that had taken a lot of her energy reserves and if she didn't end it soon, she would end up losing the match. Undertaker found himself under assault by the three members of The Shield as Ceridwen reached the ring ropes. She managed to get up and watched as he was treated to the iconic triple power bomb that made the group so popular. And watched as none could agree who would pin the man as he lay groaning on the floor. There were yells from individuals in the crowds as the men began to fight for the right to pin Undertaker, who had now rolled over and gotten to his knees, crawling away. Now or never, she told herself as the three men brawled in the walkway and stumbled over to him. She sunk down to her knees, making him look up into her face.

"Hi." She smiled with a little wave. He frowned, before the frown was replaced with ultimate surprise as he was subjected to his own move. He struggled, tried to stand and stumbled as Ceridwen kept hold, hanging on for all she was worth. The sudden roaring of the crowd as she sunk the move in tighter made the three men outside the ring pause, turn and dash for the ring. They shoved and pulled each other out of the way making the m take longer than they should. They got less than a meter away when there was movement from The Undertaker in the form of an arm being raised as if to strike, then dropping and tapping out. The bell rang. Ceridwen immediately let go of the hold, and he rolled aside while she fell backwards, gasping for breath.

"I did it…I actually did it," She gasped. The referee came over with her belt and handed it to her as she lay there, knowing full well she couldn't get up. Ceridwen clutched it to her chest. There was a moment of just laying on the canvas, getting her breath back before she decided she should at least try and stand. She rolled to her knees, then slowly she crawled over to the ropes. She had no idea The Undertaker was nearby. He was now on his feet, looking over at her like he should justifiably murder her. He carefully walked over to her and looked down at the woman as she clutched the title tightly in her hand. The crowds were baying for the appropriate retribution. He grabbed her roughly by the arm, and pulled her up, acting for all the world like he was going to beat the living crap out of her for using his move. He levelled his fist and drew it back as if he was going to strike, before dropping it. He shook his head and laughed.

"You crazy bitch, you actually did that." He said, before letting her arm go. She stumbled and was caught by Roman, Dean and Seth as they watched, open mouthed as The Undertaker got out of the ring and walked out of the ring.

"You did it." Roman said as he finally found his voice, helping Ceridwen stand upright.

"I did it." She said as she winced at the pain in her body.

"I am never going against you again." Seth said in her ear, and he clapped her on the shoulder before leaving the ring. Roman followed suit, leaving Dean with her. The crowds roared as he took her arm and raised it to the sky. They wholeheartedly agreed with the outcome. Dean gave her a grin before starting to walk off to follow his colleagues. Ceridwen looked down at the belt once more, but was suddenly grabbed by the arm, and before she knew what had happened, Dean had pulled her in to his arms and planted a kiss on her right in the middle of the ring. More roaring from the crowds as they stood there, the belt dangling limply in Ceridwen's hand. He finally released her and shot her a wink before walking off to join the others backstage. Ceridwen was left looking dumbstruck as she watched him go, the pay per view going off air with her standing in the ring belt in hand and her hand to her lips.

When Ceridwen and Dean arrived at RAW the next day, she instinctively refused to hold Dean's hand before they walked in. He shook his head and grabbed her hand tightly.

"He knows. The world knows, even if they think its for TV. What's the point in being quiet about it?" he asked. Ceridwen sighed.

"I suppose there isn't any, really." She said, wincing as she hoisted her bag and the belt further on to her shoulder.

"You know Vince is probably going to set us against each other, right?" Dean asked as they went in. Ceridwen nodded. She fully expected it.

"I do. I half expect it to be a Hell in a Cell." She said as Dean opened the door. "I mean, what would be worse right now?"

"Another round with me?" asked a voice, and they turned to see The Undertaker just catching up to them. "I mean, lets face it, after last night he's going to want to punish me too."

"Considering I thought she was going to get Tombstoned when she Hells Gated you, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted you to dole out some kind of punishment, willingly or not. Could have said something about that by the way." Dean replied as he gave the pair of them a disapproving glance.

"What, didn't you tell him?" Undertaker chuckled.

"It kinda slipped my mind." Ceridwen admitted sheepishly as she squirmed a little under her boyfriends look.

Filming that night went relatively smoothly. Ceridwen did a backstage segment with the Undertaker where he complimented her guts, but that next time she used his move he might not let her get away with it. She waited in catering with zero incidents. But Ceridwen knew it was too good to be true. She knew that Vince was in the building. Something was going to happen. And as she claimed a victory over Chris Jericho that evening, he struck.

Dean had slid in the ring to celebrate her victory, holding up her arm to signal she was the winner with a grin so typical of his on screen persona. As the pair embraced and kissed in the middle of the ring, the sound of Vince's music rang out. He came out followed by Steph and Hunter. Ceridwen felt her stomach drop as she noticed neither Steph or Hunter were quite able to hide their upset.

"What a match, well done, well done indeed Feral." He said as he reached the ring and got in.

"Thank you, Mr. McMahon sir." Ceridwen managed as Dean handed her a microphone.

"I'm have to admit, I am very impressed by your performance last night. But, I wonder. I wonder if there is more in you." He looked her in the eye as he spoke. Ceridwen didn't dare break character.

"More in me?"

"Indeed. You beat The Undertaker at his own show, in his own match. We all know how well he knows a Hell in a Cell. You beat Roman, Dean and Seth, and beat The Undertaker again last night, with his own move I might add. That took guts, you're lucky not to have been Tombstoned. But I still think there's more in you." He smiled at her. Ceridwen did not like it. He'd got something up his sleeve.

"Well, what's your plan, Sir? You've clearly got one." She asked.

"So I've been thinking. Let's take one more out of the Undertaker's playbook. One more match that he's done. And let's face it, there are a few to pick. But I wonder if you would put your belt on the line in…an Inferno Match?" The crowds went crazy. Steph's face paled. Next to her, Dean's grip on her arm increased.

"An Inferno match? Hell yes!" She said, surprising everyone. "Oh gods yes, definitely! I'd LOVE to do that. It's my favorite match!" Ceridwen knew her reaction wasn't the one Vince was expecting as he frowned.

"Your favorite match?" He repeated with a frown.

"Oh it really is!" Ceridwen exclaimed. "I've always wanted to do one of those! Is this a reward? Because it kinda feels like it's a reward." Behind him Steph was trying her hardest to bite her lip and not laugh. Ceridwen realized what had happened. Vince had expected Ceridwen to panic and say no, maybe resulting in a handover of the belt.

"But I haven't told you your opponent yet." Vince looked at Dean. "Your oppo-"

"Your opponent is me." Hunter stepped forwards, cutting the chairman off and leaving Ceridwen, Dean and Steph horrified. "It. Is. Me."

Enjoying so far? Let me know! Thanks for reading! Zelks xxx