Upon hearing that CJ was cleared for in-ring competition early, she and Dean had completely different reactions. She was ecstatic, but he definitely wasn't. She was bound to get hurt again, and he didn't want her to leave again while she healed. He didn't want to watch her leave,
and he damn sure didn't want to watch her get hurt again. He liked her too much.

Way too much.

From the moment he spotted CJ walk into the arena he had been right beside her. He didn't want to be near Seth and Roman at the moment, with all the "dissension" rumors that had started after TLC getting stronger. He knew his teammates would be upset that he wasn't with them because The Wyatt Family had decided to target The Shield, but CJ's safety trumped his teammates worry. Being around her gave him peace of mind, something that used to be hard for him to come by.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Dean asked casually as they walked around backstage. They were both in their gear already and he liked walking around with CJ.

"Seth wanted to go out to eat so we could talk things out. I agreed, but I think that he just wants to sleep with me."

"If that was the case, would you do it?"

"Sadly, yes. It's been close to a month and I'm feeling all the pent up sexual frustration." CJ admitted with a sigh, not noticing the way Dean clenched his jaw and the way his eyes darkened at the knowledge that he'd have to go through another night of listening to Seth sleep with CJ and imagining that it was him making her cry out in pleasure instead of the two-toned man. But there was a light at the end of that dark tunnel, and that was the knowledge that it would be the last time Dean had to suffer silently because CJ had agreed to sharing a double with Dean starting the next night. He'd sleep easier knowing that she was in the other bed instead of the next room, and she'd sleep easier because having the presence of somebody she enjoyed in the room was better than nobody at all.

"You could've said something and I would've taken care of it." Dean mumbled and CJ stopped walking to look up at him.

"Really?"

"I told you that I'd bang you." Dean reminded, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I thought you were joking."

"I don't joke about sex often, your highness. I take that shit seriously."

"I'd bang you, too, Sir Ambrose." CJ informed with a smirk, poking his chest before she ventured on down the hall.

"So, what are the chances of getting tomorrow night's double changed into a single?" Dean asked with a smirk of his own, following behind the shorter blonde.

"Highly unlikely, considering that tons of people will be in town for the Chamber event. But nobody said we had to sleep in separate beds."

"So, hypothetically, if I wanted to snuggle with you..." He trailed off, looking down to see her adjust her top.

"Then I'd let it happen. Hypothetically, of course, because I'm a cuddler and a spooner. Not a snuggler because I hate the word snuggle." Even as she spoke, her nose scrunched up once she said snuggle. Dean thought that the way she scrunched her nose was adorable, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Noted."

Dean watched her match from gorilla, biting his knuckle the whole time from where he stood between Seth and Roman. She was pulling off a lot of high risk maneuvers in this tag team match, but the plus side was that she was teaming with Natalya and fighting the Bellas. Three people who understood how hurt she was and wouldn't intentionally make it worse. That put his mind at ease.

"What's that kick called again?" Seth asked quietly, looking between Dean and Roman. "CJ is the only person I've see do it."

"Enzuigiri." Dean mumbled, not taking his eyes off the monitor. "What I would give for an hour of in-ring time with her."

"All you'd probably have to do is ask." Roman commented and Dean nodded. "She'd put on a clinic, but-"

"Woah. You think she'd beat me?" The dishwater blonde asked, looking around Seth to his Samoan teammate.

"Guys, this isn't-" Seth tried to intercept, but Roman gently pushed him aside.

"I don't think she'd beat you. I know she would."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Dean asked, stepping do that he stood toe-to-toe with Roman.

"Dean-"

You act like you're hard to beat." Roman said with a smirk, his pale grey eyes meeting the cold blue eyes of Dean.

"Roman-"

"I bet I could beat you. Who's still champion out of the three of us? That's right, me."

"Dean-"

"Is everything okay, guys?" CJ asked, coming between the three and pushing Dean back a couple steps.

"Everything is fine." Seth assured, looking between his two best friends. "Right?"

"I'm good." Roman assured, smirking down at Dean. Dean only narrowed his eyes, which sparked a concerned look from CJ.

"We're fuckin' peachy." He muttered, looking down at CJ. "Locker room?"

"Uh, yeah. You guys weren't busy, right?" She asked as Dean gently pulled her away and he shook his head.

"Not at all. You doin' okay in the ribs?"

"I've been better and I've been worse." CJ dismissed with a confident smile. "Winning was a big deal uplift for me, so there's that. Can I ask you something, Dean?"

"Anything, darlin'."

"What's the big deal about the Wyatt Family? Like, I was here when they debuted and stuff, but why does it seem like they run shit around here?" She asked as Dean stopped in front of the Divas locker room and he shrugged, releasing her wrist and turning to face her.

"They're backwater hillbillies who spent too much time in the sun. They're fucking creepy and, because of that, nobody wants to stand up to them alone. Nobody has been able to put Bray Wyatt down until he called out The Shield." The way Dean spoke with such disgust made her worry. The look in his eyes told CJ that there was more to it, but she wasn't going to pry. He was upset enough and she didn't want to make him more upset.

"Why does the Wyatt family have a problem with you guys? Or is it the other way around? I haven't been around, so..."

"I don't know. Bray Wyatt speaks in these fucking riddles and I just don't understand. I don't think I want to understand. We'll just take 'em out like we do to everybody else. Any other questions?"

"What was going on between you and Roman?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, your highness. Get changed, I'll be out here."

"Thank you, Dean." He wasn't sure what she was thanking him for, the walk or the Q and A, but he did like the soft smile on her face. It was one he hadn't seen before, but he knew that he wanted to see it again.

"Any time, your highness."

Seated across from Seth at a diner close to the hotel, CJ found herself looking everywhere but at the man sitting across from her. It didn't feel right for her to be with Seth in what felt like a date situation, and she really didn't want the internet thinking that she and Seth were an item. She didn't date, and she was certain that she never would.

Seth didn't know what her problem was with him, but he wanted to. He had apologized and been trying his best to make things right between them, and she was absolutely normal in the car(well, normal for her), so he just didn't get it. He had feelings for CJ that he didn't want to deny any longer. Especially with the new sleeping arrangements coming into play, he didn't want her getting into a sexual relationship with his best friend and realizing that Dean was better. Seth didn't want Dean to steal CJ from him and, in his honest opinion, she was out of Dean's league.

"So, CJ, how have you been feeling?"

"Well, uh, better I guess. Still pretty sore but I'm functioning better."

"Syracuse did you some good, then." He commented with a smile and she smiled back, stirring her straw around her glass of sprite.

"Yeah. I guess it always does, but I never want to be a burden for Adam and Beth." CJ said softly before taking a sip.

"I've always loved that considerate side of you." Seth spoke with a smile and CJ shifted in her seat a bit, growing uncomfortable with Seth's eyes being locked on her. He'd only looked away from her to order in the whole hour that they'd been sitting there.

"Thanks, I guess. You said you wanted to talk, so can we talk?"

"Right. I'm not really good at beating around the bush, so I'm just gonna come out and say it." Seth started, clearing his throat before continuing. "I want us to be an 'us'. I want to date you and be your boyfriend, CJ."

CJ could only look away from Seth's intense gaze as she thought to herself about what he had said. This was something that she knew was bound to happen and was dreading ever since she and Seth had started sleeping with each other, but she had to admit that she wasn't ready for him to slam her with that at this particular moment in time. Nowhere close to ready. She wouldn't even place herself in the same galaxy as being ready to discuss why she couldn't date Seth.

"Seth you're a great guy. You really are. But, I'm not a relationship kind of girl. I told you this when this-" she waved a finger between the two of them for emphasis. "-became a thing. I've got issues up the ass and I can't put myself in a situation where I get attached and then constantly wonder when you're going to abandon me. I still do that with Adam, and he's been around since I was sixteen."

"CJ, I would never-"

"You can't promise that. We don't know what the future holds. Besides, a girl like me is no good to a guy like you. I'm too damaged."

"I can fix you CJ."

"You can't just expect to be able to fix everything, Seth. You can't 'fix' people." CJ argued, fishing around in her jeans for her emergency twenty. She had to get out of there before she started crying.

"I don't understand why I can't." Seth debated as she stood and set her twenty on the tabletop.

"You just can't. Thank you for dinner, Seth, I'll see you around." With that being said, CJ made her way out of the diner in a hurry, leaving a stunned and heartbroken Seth at the booth.

"You just had to open your mouth and scare her away, Rollins." He mumbled to himself, lightly drumming on the table before leaving a twenty of his own on the table and walking out. She wasn't anywhere in sight and he realized that she must have ran in the snow to get away from him, and that broke his heart more. He had a nice, sexual, thing going for him that was almost like dating because he got to call her "babe" and kiss her behind closed doors. Then he got attached, wanted a stupid label, and lost it all. Just because he was greedy and wanted to take her away from Dean.

But now he may have lost her to Dean completely.

Shoutout to my boyfriend for unknowingly helping me write this chapter by answering random questions throughout the day and for having to work so I had time to write this chapter instead of watching Main Event with me and my roommate.

And another shoutout to my lovely reviewers ArtisticLullaby, angelsdee327, UntilNeverDawns, and ChelleLew for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are so awesome!