"Dean, they're mandatory." CJ stated, quickly losing her patience with the father of her child while they sat in the waiting room for Olivia's check up. He was overly concerned with the shots hurting the baby, which she could understand, but he was trying to get CJ to decide that Olivia didn't need the shots. That's where her patience started to dwindle.

"I know, but what if they make her cry? I can't handle that, babe."

"Dean, she's a baby. Babies cry. It'll be okay." She commented, taking her daughter from her boyfriend and kissing her cheek. "Fact of the matter is: she needs the damn shots."

"What do these shots do anyway?"

"Prevent things like Hepatitis B and Polio. There's more, but I can't think of them right now."

"You're lucky those sound important. Didn't a president have polio?" Dean asked, looking to his girlfriend for an answer until he saw the look on her face and remembered that she was Canadian. "I'll google it."

"Sounds like a plan." She spoke with a chuckle, turning and placing her legs between his open legs, staring at him with Olivia. "Isn't daddy so handsome?"

The loud babbles that left the infant made both parents smile and Dean reached over to kiss her nose, which made Olivia giggle. CJ smiled just before Dean kissed her chastely. She looked him in the eye and noticed that his hair was growing out again, which made her bite her lip. The lip biting concerned Dean, because that meant that she was thinking hard about something.

"What's up?"

"You need another haircut, babe."

"Nah, I'll just start combing it back again. No big deal."

"You sure?"

"Positive, darlin'." He stated, looking back to his phone to get an answer to his earlier question. "I'll get it cut before we come back because it's going to get unruly, but I don't want to deal with that right now."

"Alright. It's your hair so it's your decision."

"I appreciate it, babe." Dean murmured, kissing her forehead. "It was FDR, by the way."

"Didn't he serve four terms instead of two?"

"Look at my little Candian, knowing about American presidents and stuff."

"That's probably all I can tell you, Ambrose." CJ laughed, letting him pull her to sit on his thigh. "I wish they'd call our name so we can get this show on the road. I don't want Roman sitting on the front porch for too long."

"There's a key taped to the porch light and I texted him about it. He'll be fine." Dean assured, gently patting her side before his free hand tickled Olivia's stomach. Both parents were oblivious to the cameras pointed in their direction and continued to have fun with their daughter while they waited for her appointment.

Seth was already in a bad mood when he got to the arena. The rat he had drunkenly brought to his hotel room the night before was still there when he woke up and that set the tone for the whole day. The car Triple H had hired for him was late and they got stuck in traffic, so he was late to his signing and got to hear about it from Randy. Then there was the way Randy not-so-subtly scrolled through Instagram and Twitter for mentions of CJ during their break.

"Oh, look Seth. It's Dean and CJ with their baby-well you can't really see the baby but you can tell there's a baby- and the caption is 'relationship goals'. Did you know that the fans call them Jeribrose?"

Randy was so proud of that, just because he knew that it pissed off Seth. But Seth was passed the point of punching things to release his anger. This was why he kept a bottle of Jack and a shot glass in a box in his suitcase. He always told airport security that they were gifts for a friend, but his friend was his thought process and the gift was the fact that the alcohol made him temporarily forget that he lost his love to his former best friend.

So that's where Seth was, three shots in and putting the cap back onto the bottle before his match against Rusev. He was good at getting just buzzed enough that he could function normally and not have that pain in his heart, and not have to worry about screwing anything up. He knew damn well that it wasn't safe or healthy, but he needed the escape too desperately and he didn't even get that in the ring since he'd been tagging with Randy lately and their "pre-match strategizing" was just Randy making him miserable over CJ which then threw his game off.

He just wanted to feel better.

But instead his bad mood was made worse the moment he saw Randy approaching, phone in hand and looking like he was ready to show him something. So Seth took a deep breath and got ready to tell Randy to fuck off. It was how things usually happened, anyways. Besides, he had a singles match that night so Randy had no need to speak with him.

"Hey, Seth, did you know that-"

Against his better judgement, Seth swung and hit target hit home. It was almost in slow motion for him. His fist connecting with Randy's nose. The way the older man stumbled back before leaning against the wall, slowly bringing a couple fingers to dab at the blood dripping down. For the moment, Seth was proud of himself. Until someone grabbed him by the hair and threw him into his locker room.

It was Stephanie. She was still casually dressed, and looking quite nice if Seth could give his opinion. She looked upset, until her gorgeous blue eyes found the bottle in his open suitcase. Then she just looked disappointed- heartbroken, even.

"I don't know what to say, Seth."

The younger man could only nod, since he had no clue what to say either. What could he say? "I've been wrestling buzzed since I came back from my eleven day Thanksgiving vacation." Because that would certainly bode well with the Billion Dollar Princess.

"You need to get yourself right. How long have you been drinking like this?" After a moment of silence she forced Seth to make eye contact. "This is the part where you answer my question."

"A couple months." He admitted quietly, looking away from his boss who had a tendency to mother him.

"The fact that it took this for us to realize is a testament to how damn good you really are." Stephanie stated, small smile on her face. "But it's unacceptable behavior, Seth. You're the future of this business, blemishes like this can't be on your record here. Which is why we're not going to talk about it."

"Really?"

"Really. Just go home and get yourself sorted out. Come back in a couple weeks and we'll have a chat."

"Alright."

"I don't know what to do, man." Dean told Roman as they programmed the treadclimber. "I want her to be comfortable with her body again, but I'm afraid that I'll start pushing her and then she'll be concerned that I'm pushing her to lose weight because-"

"I get the picture and it's a lose-lose for you unless you tread lightly." Roman cut him off, pleased when the complex machine started working without a hitch. "You need to make baby steps with her and compromise a bit as you do."

"How do you compromise trying to get your girlfriend naked?"

"Try having sex with the lights off, or under the blanket so she can't really see herself and you can't either." The Samoan explained, moving on to the weight sets with Dean following close behind. "Feel her up all the time to make her feel like you want her body as much as her everything else."

"You're a genius."

"I try. Now help me set this rack up for your girl."

"Do you think I went overboard on getting a second rack even though we have one that came with the bench?"

"Nah. You need space for squats and definitely have to keep the weights away from the playpen because you never know what could happen."

"Alright, cool. Thanks."

"Hey, Dean?" CJ called down the stairs, and both men looked up to see the uncertain look on her face as she held her phone up to her ear. "It's Seth, he's in bad shape and wants to speak with you."

"What?"

"I dunno. But I have to get back to Olive so can you get the damn phone?"

"Right." Dean agreed, hopping to his feet and taking the stairs two at a time. "I'll bring it up to you."

"Thank you."

"What's wrong, Rollins?" Dean asked, making his way back down and seeing the amused smirk on Roman's face as the Samoan continued to unpack the weights.

"I need help, Dean. I just- I know you don't like or trust me, but I need help."

Damn, this sounds serious. Dean thought to himself, cringing when he heard Seth sniffle. "Dude, are you crying?"

Roman couldn't stop the chuckle that left his lips at Dean's obvious discomfort, watching as the blonde but the phone on speaker and tossed it onto the weight bench so they could get back to work. It took Seth a moment to compose himself, but when he did the two men weren't ready for the influx of information.

"I've been drinking a lot and I punched Randy and Steph told me to go home but I don't wanna go home because I'll just drink more and IneedyourhelpDean."

"Slow down, Rollins. You punched Randy?"

"And have been wrestling drunk?" Roman asked, obviously unimpressed.

"Buzzed. But yeah. Broke his nose."

"Damnit. Come to Vegas and we'll talk, alright?"

"Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me for shit, I don't know that I can help you just yet." Dean spoke before hanging up, looking to Roman when the Samoan stared at him. "I know. But I've still got destroy The Authority plans in place with CJ's plans to destroy her father. Seth could come in handy with both."

"How long have these plans been brewing?"

"The week before Christmasish. Hers is a bit more elaborate, hence why went to lunch with her father last week, but both are great."

"I want in."

"You've always been in." Dean assured, fist bumping his brother before they went back to unpacking weights. It was mainly silent between the two as they worked, only talking to each other to direct one another in setting up the actual rack.

"I thought you said this would be our man cave?" Roman asked once they were done and Dean smirked.

"This is our man cave. Once she's in ring shape this is ours. Until then we have the attic."

"We can't go balls to the walls over football in the attic."

"We can in the living room, though. CJ already said that we could have a Super Bowl party."

"I could kiss that woman."

"She doesn't even like football."

"I could kiss her on the mouth." Roman stated as he and Dean shut the basement door behind them.

"Go for it." Dean shrugged, smiling when he saw CJ on her stomach in front of Olivia, but Olivia was holding her head up. "Hey, babe?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Seth is coming here."

"What." It was then that Roman felt an argument brewing, but Dean didn't falter. He was stubborn and so was she, and that terrified Roman. He'd seen them argue before, but wasn't sure if they'd argue in front of the baby.

"He needs us and we need him to set Operation: Screw The Authority in place."

"If that's what you want, I'm not arguing with you." She stated calmly before looking back at Olivia and smiling. "Come look at your daughter. Roman, you come, too."

And so the three adults laid on the floor together, watching the infant with small smiles as she looked around at them. Dean had leaned into CJ, who in turn leaned into Roman. The Samoan didn't mind, lightly nudging CJ's head with his own while he gently pinched Olivia's cheek.

"She's got Ambrose cheeks." He observed, making both parents smile as CJ looked over at her boyfriend before looking back to her baby.

"Oh my god, she does." The blonde spoke with a smile, reaching up to pinch Dean's cheek. "Ambrose cheeks."

"I think it's just baby fat." Dean commented, pinching Olivia's other cheek. "She'll get older and thin out and look just like her mother."

"Who said she'd thin out?"

"I was a fucking rail when I was a kid and you were healthier but still thin. She doesn't have to be thin. She can be chubby, too."

CJ found herself anxious as she waited for Dean and Roman to get back to the house with Seth. Dean had told her that Seth developed an alcohol problem and she couldn't say she was surprised that he turned to the bottle. But she had to say that she was proud of him for breaking Randy's nose and asking to be with them instead of going home to his enabling mother. They'd get him sorted out.

At least she hoped that they could.

She knew that she and Dean could be hardasses when it was necessary, but she was concerned that she'd let her judgement be clouded by how badly she missed Seth. But she also feared Dean and Roman having their better judgment clouded by Seth's actions in June of the last year and everything that followed afterwards. She didn't want Seth feeling like he came to be in a hostile environment, but at the same time she didn't want him feeling like it'd be totally hospitable.

She was brought from her thoughts when the front door opened and looked at the half eaten chocolate-dipped strawberry in her hand. So she shamelessly threw it into her mouth and chewed, knowing that Dean would've been proud of her "fuck it" moment.

Seth...didn't look like Seth. Had she not known that the guys had gone to pick him up, she would've assumed that they saved a guy from a mugging and brought him along for coffee. Dark circles rimmed bloodshot eyes, an obvious black eye forming over his left while his lip was split and dried blood sat on the corner of his lips. His normally neatly pulled back hair was a mess, as if mussed up but he didn't bother to fix the bun. His clothes were disheveled, his shirt actually torn at the collar and CJ actually found herself grateful that it was just a plain tshirt and not one of his band shirts that harbored memories of good times. That would've destroyed Seth's already crushed spirits and she knew it.

Seth wasn't expecting CJ to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug, but it's what he got. He welcomed the embrace, bringing his sore arms around her waist to the best of his ability. He was overcome with emotion, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He wasn't ready for this, feeling his knees start shaking and heart start racing.

He was in her arms again. He was home.

"Ease down, Sethie." She whispered, beginning to slowly lower herself down onto the ground and ignoring the confused and worried looks from Roman and Dean. Seth followed suit, keeping his face pressed into his neck while the tears started flowing onto her skin. "You're safe here. Who did this to you?"

"Orton jumped him on his way to the airport." Dean snorted, kneeling down beside her and patting Seth's back gently. "If you get the chance to see his knuckles, our boy hit back a couple times, too."

Our boy. Seth thought to himself, hoping that he had heard Dean right. That was endearing, was it not? Were they wanting him back? It'd hurt to turn his back on Stephanie, who'd been a real friend and guidance to him, but he'd do it if it meant being with them again.

"You should get cleaned up, Sethie."

"Stay." Seth mumbled, and CJ looked to Dean for some inkling as to what she could do.

"As long as you need to." The blonde stated, offering a small smile to CJ. "I'll take your stuff up to a guest room while she cleans you up and then we'll all get some rest and talk in the morning."

Seth nodded into CJ's neck, allowing the couple to help him to his feet. He pulled back from CJ, taking a moment to look between her and Dean and glance briefly to Roman before CJ took his hand in hers gently to investigate his busted knuckles. The gentle frown on her face was enough to make him feel how much she cared and bring a round of fresh tears to his eyes before she guided him up the stairs, leaving Dean and Roman downstairs.

"When are you going to tell her that Orton has been using your relationship to get under Seth's skin?" Roman asked, following Dean to the front door to get Seth's suitcases from the trunk.

"I'm not, because it's not my place to tell." The blonde answered without looking to his brother, feeling honestly guilty that he was part of the reason why Seth was driven to alcoholism. "He needs to sleep this incident off, and we'll talk to him about our plan in the morning over breakfast."

"It doesn't bother you that Seth finds solace in CJ?"

"Nope." Dean stated, giving a slight head shake as he grabbed one of Seth's suitcases. "Because somewhere in her heart and mind, she finds solace in Seth just like I do."

"Good to know that I'm not alone in that."

"He was once our brother." Dean gave his own reasoning- the reasoning that helped him cope with still being kinda comfortable with Seth around. "Just because he nailed me twelve times with a chair and drive my head through cinderblocks doesn't mean that those two years of brotherhood and great times never happened."

Roman could only nod his agreement as they started up the stairs. He wasn't proud of himself for being comfortable around Seth, but if the younger man was willing to turn on The Authority he might be willing to change that. It was all just a matter of time, they'd talk about it in the morning.

The two men could hear CJ talking to Seth about how much Olivia had grown, most likely in an attempt to get his mind off of his problems. The proud edge to her tone made Dean smile as he opened the door to the guest bedroom right beside the nursery, knowing that Seth would prefer being close to his daughter. He and Roman then stayed close to the bathroom, listening to CJ try to keep Seth calm and avoid more crying from the two toned man. It wasn't too long before they exited the bathroom, CJ pulling Seth into a tight hug and whispering to him that things would get better before wishing him a good night and doing the same to Roman.

Dean followed suit and soon joined her in bed, holding her close to his chest while she stared at the wall. He wanted to know what she was thinking so badly, but knew that her thoughts would be difficult to decide even if he was a mind reader if her tired rambling was any indication of how freely her thoughts flowed.

"Randy was using us to hurt him." She finally spoke, not looking up at her boyfriend when she felt his strong hand rub her back.

"I know." He sighed, looking to the same wall space that occupied her attention. "I honestly feel kinda bad."

"You're not alone on that boat."

"Good to know."

"We'll figure it all out."

"We will definitely help Seth to the best of our ability since we technically drove him to drinking." Dean stated, meeting her gaze and smiling down at her. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

What? Two updates in the same week? Say it isn't so, Batman!

To the Guest who reviewed asking about the baby's name, it's Olivia but they call her Olive as a nickname.

I'd like to thank Guest, Sarcastic Nightmare, Artistic Lullaby, angelsdee327, ChelleLew, Sammie94, UntilNeverDawns, and and ItReignsJustice-619 for reviewing the last chapter. Id also like to thank everyone who has favorited and followed this story and taken the time to read. If you silent readers could leave a review-just one and you don't even have to be logged in-and tell me what you think, I'd honestly appreciate it. Thank you!