CJ waited patiently as Jay looked around, obviously uncomfortable and she assumed that he was uncomfortable with the question. But she had to know, even though she didn't know what she was going to do if Jay admitted to being in love with her. She didn't want or need to worry about a third man being in love with her when she was still trying so desperately to get Seth to move on.
Jay's eyes danced around their surroundings, trying to focus on anything but CJ's curious gaze. He wasn't sure what to tell her, since he wasn't sure, so he tried his best to stall until some distraction came to fee him from his question.
"Miss Jericho? It's time for you get ready to join commentary." A runner called out from the door and CJ nodded before giving her confirmation that she was on her way. It was then that Jay took a big leap and kissed her in a last-ditch effort to figure it out for himself. She stayed still, trying not to give in to the familiar feeling that was Jay kissing her like she was all that mattered.
"Damnit." He whispered against her lips, having found no clarity in his actions. His mind was only further scrambled, and CJ looked scared. "I'm sorry, Tina. I am."
"What was that?" She asked, taking a couple steps away from him.
"I was hoping to find some clarity, but I was wrong. I don't know if I'm in love with you, but I know that I shouldn't be. You're happy with your family and I should be working to be happier with mine." Jay explained, reaching for one of her hands. "Contact between us may be scarce from here on out, but it's so we can still be friends."
"Not family like we have been for years? Just friends all because you're not sure how you feel and your wife is catching onto the fact that your heart is in the wrong place?" CJ questioned, pulling her hand away before opening the door. "Fuck you, Jay. And if you drag Adam into this again, I swear to god I will never speak to you again."
With that, she left him outside and followed the runner to get her hair fixed. She was handed a coat to wear and realized that it was one of her and her father's new merchandise zip ups. It was more her father than her, but she wasn't complaining because she was cold and too pissed off to care. Her father met her at gorilla, noticing that she wasn't feeling like herself but not wanting to comment and further upset her.
"And we're being joined here at commentary by CJ Jericho." Cole announced, all three men looking to the Canadian woman as she leaned back in her chair and played with her fishtail braid.
"Hello, kind sirs." She greeted, smiling at JBL more than the other two as they performed their secret handshake. "Lovely evening we're having."
"Would've been better if you weren't screwed." Jerry spoke up, bringing a smirk to her face as the match went under way. Chris and Luke Harper wasn't exactly what CJ wanted to see, but she could care less at this point.
"I feel the same. But I needed to have my schedule free for WrestleMania and I will get my title back in due time. Baby steps."
"Speaking of babies," Cole started, looking around JBL to CJ as she sat up straighter. "You and Dean Ambrose welcomed a little girl into the world around the holidays."
"We did, just before Thanksgiving." CJ confirmed, smiling despite not knowing just how much information about Olivia she should give to the world because she hadn't talked about it with Dean and Seth. "And before that we welcomed a fur baby into our home, too."
"A fur baby?" Jerry asked, and CJ was proud of herself for keeping all of the attention on her and not the action in the ring. That's what she wanted because she knew that Chris would be watching the tapes to hear what was said about him during his match. He always did.
"Yeah. At around Halloween Dean rescued a puppy from the streets and brought him home to surprise me." She explained, pulling out her phone to show the men pictures. "That's our Bear, and he's laying with the baby."
"Is he protective?" JBL asked once Jerry and Cole looked back to their monitors and he and CJ continued to look through pictures on her phone of Bear and Olivia. "You and Ambrose have amazing genetics, by the way."
"Thank you, and yes Bear is extremely protective of us. He doesn't bark or bite, but he makes sure his presence is known whenever strangers are in the house."
"And a Lionsault from Chris Jericho onto Luke Harper and we know what comes next!" Cole cheered and CJ clapped boredly as Chris tried to flip Harper into The Walls. He was unsuccessful and CJ had to refrain from cheering for Harper even though she desperately wanted to.
"How long are you and your father going to be a team?"
"Not very. I assume he's got big summer tour plans for his band and I've got bigger things planned in my head that I just don't need my father for."
"Are you still working with Heyman?"
"You'll see, Michael, you'll see." Was all CJ said before she stood, taking off the headset and shaking JBL's hand before walking up to the ring and hopping onto the apron. This wasn't the plan, but she had frustrations to vent and this was the only way she knew how to without Dean.
The ref was yelling at her to get out of the ring and so was Chris. Harper just stared at her, not really sure what she was doing but knowing that she wasn't there for a good reason. The whole arena was almost dead silent until she finally moved, jumping up and hitting Chris with the Code Breaker. It was then that the ref called for the bell as she tossed her jacket down at her father and the crowd went wild, technically disqualifying Harper and infuriating the dirty man. But CJ didn't care. She really wished that she did.
A hand clasped around her throat and lifted the blonde off her feet and into the air, forcing her to look Luke Harper in those dark and empty eyes. She couldn't read him, but she couldn't breathe either and that was the more pressing matter as her legs flailed and her hands scratched at the large one holding her up. The referee was trying to get Harper to let her go but was pushed down by the monstrous human being without loosening his grip on CJ. It was when her vision started to darken that she knew that she had royally pissed off Harper and she feared that he didn't realize what exactly he was doing but she recognized Dean's entrance music starting just before she was flung to the mat with enough force to send her rolling beneath the bottom rope and to the floor in an unconscious heap.
There weren't enough men in the world to keep Dean off of Harper. The sorry excuse of human life put his dirty hands on his Queen, and that was reason enough for Dean to want to beat the man's face in. Every time he was pulled back, he found a way back onto Harper to continue the assault. It was only when he saw the ringside doctor who was tending to CJ wave in for a stretcher did he end his assault with Dirty Deeds and last kick to the ribs before he slid out of the ring to tend to his girlfriend. The medics looked wary of having him near her while she was in such a delicate state; oxygen being forced into her system to help bring her breathing back to normal as she was lifted onto the stretcher. Fortunately for Dean none of the medics wanted to further upset the already furious Lunatic Fringe, who already had the blood of one man on his hands, and they just let him come along, takin one not CJ's hands in his as they walked.
He looked back to see that Harper was standing and pointing at him, most likely making him a target. But he really didn't care right now. His main priority was his girlfriend, his Queen, who needed him by her side. She couldn't verbalize that need because she was out cold, but that was why she needed him.
Once backstage, he heard everybody trying to figure out what to do now, since that match was expected to go on for another ten minutes. Stephanie ordered that the show needed to cut to commercial and they'd send a couple Divas out to kill time at the very least. He was surprised to see that she wasn't furious with CJ, even asking if she was alright over all the commotion to which Dean quickly assured that she would be as he continued down the hall.
"She's coming to." One of the medics whispered to him and Dean looked down to see that her eyes were fluttering open and beginning to look around frantically.
"I'm right here, darlin'. You're okay." He was more than just relieved to see that she wasn't going to have to go to the ER because of Luke Harper. If she had, then Luke Harper probably wouldn't have lived to see WrestleMania.
In the trainer's room, they took her off the stretcher and let Sampson look her over while Dean hovered. It was all he could really do and he felt so helpless about it, too. His phone was vibrating in his pocket and he knew that it was most likely Adam needing an update on CJ's condition but Dean wasn't going to answer it until he knew she was okay.
"Don't talk just yet, kiddo. You're lucky that your windpipe wasn't crushed." He heard Sampson whisper to her and looked up in time to see her nod her understanding to the best of her ability. "You're going to be sore in the neck area for a while, might have trouble swallowing while eating and drinking, but it'll pass. If it lasts longer than a few days, get it checked out by your doctor."
"She will for sure." Dean commented, standing closer to her. She reached out to him, taking his bloody hand in hers and giving a gentle squeeze. "I know you're mad at Jay for something but he was my only trustworthy option to watch Olive since Seth left."
The look in her eyes was enough to tell him that she wasn't a fan of his decision, and he hoped that she didn't take it out in him. Jay was literally his only choice because he had to save her, and he couldn't take Olivia out there to do so. But she nodded, wincing slightly as she did so but didn't let go of his hand.
Commotion from down the hall brought everybody's attention to the door where Chris was being helped in. His nose was bleeding and CJ firmly believed that she broke it and was pretty proud of herself for it, too. There was no room to feel sorry for Chris anymore. He didn't deserve it.
"Fucking brat!" Chris shouted as Dean lifted CJ into his arms, the couple trying to ignore him. "Screw the tag match against The Authority, at WreslteMania I want you!"
The only response CJ gave was a one finger salute as Dean carried her out, proud smirk on her face as she looked up at her boyfriend.
"Everything works itself out in the end, your highness." Dean mused, bringing a smile to her face as she cuddled close. "You're getting WrestleMania."
Thank you to UntilNeverDawns, Sarcastic Nightmare, calwitch, Imagineer1392, Guest, JeffHardyChicka365, and ChelleLew for reviewing the last chapter!