A.J jerked awake to the sound of someone screaming Heart racing as he tried to clear his sleep clouded mind, he turned in surprise at the groan behind him, reaching for Shane until he lashed out. "Shane?"

"Don't fucking touch me! You son of a bitch I'll kill you all for this!"

A.J.'s eyes widened at the tone, surprise and fear racing along his nerves. He had hoped Shane hadn't had to go through this, he'd hoped...

"Allen...wh-where are you? Help me...please, the pain..."

Shivering, A.J slowly moved closer. "Shane?" At the swift intake of air, he paused. "Shane, I'm right here. Can you hear me, honey I'm right here." He remembered Wells had tried to turn Shinsuke against Hiroshi with hypnosis. A.J hadn't been able to stop him then but he wouldn't let them win by taking Shane from him. "Honey, open your eyes for me, please?" He reached for Shane, fingers brushing across cold skin. "Why are you so cold?" Reaching for the blankets, A.J pulled them up and over Shane, watching as he slowly relaxed back against the bed. "What did he do to you, what did you have to go through because you won't let me go?"

"Nothing I wouldn't go through again. He can't have you, the spoiled, selfish bastard." Shane sighed as he looked up at the man watching him. "I've started having nightmares it would seem." At A.J.'s watery chuckle, Shane slowly sat up. "Did I hit you?"

"No, you uh, you scared me for a minute but..." A.J paused at the sound of a soft knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Daddy?"

"Ams?" Looking from the door to Shane then back, A.J climbed off the bed. "Baby what's wrong, why..." Opening the door, he stopped at the three anxious faces now looking at him. "Hey guys, want to come in for a few?" He moved back, watching as both boys looked at the man behind him.

"Dad?"

Shane grinned, scooting back against the headboard. "Hey guys, come join me?" He waited until everyone was on the bed and comfortable. "Careful, careful, your old man isn't fully healed." He chuckled as both boys gave him tight hugs. Amber, who had decided that she wanted to be the closest to Shane, was now curled up on his lap. "Did I wake you guys?"

Dominic shook his head. "We were already up, Aunt Sadie and Aunt Juls were in the kitchen making pancakes."

"She has a new recipe dad! You have to try them they were..."

Shane listened to Asher and Dominic describe breakfast, smiling as they talked over each other. Running a hand over Amber's back, Shane pushed back the fear threatening to take over his nerves. Glancing up, he was surprised by the wide, worried blue eyes watching him. "Allen?"

A.J watched Shane as the boys talked. He noticed the pale face and stiff position despite his usual grin. When Shane looked up at him, A.J gave him a small smile. Shaking his head at Shane's silent question, A.J turned and headed towards the kitchen. He needed to talk to Sadie and find out what he could do to help his boyfriend. Running a hand through his hair, A.J frowned at the sound of three voices, two in anger, the other in sarcasm. Slowly easing towards the door, A.J tried to hear what was being said without being noticed.

"It is not up to you to decide this, Shane is very much capable..."

"Not now Saffire! Why won't you listen to us when we tell you that what he went through is not going to be easy for him to get over?! Why must you be so stubborn woman?! Why must you always wish to argue when there is another alternative? He is the only one who can fix this, not Shane. Shane did not put himself in this position, he earned it. You are expecting us to hand Allen his by blood alone? Non, my love, we can not do that. He left us, not the other way around. If this is the only way to save Shane, why are you set against it?"

"Because what you two wish to do would put not only him but my brother in harms way. I will not sacrifice Allen for the revenge still sitting in your's and Bray's hearts. Allen means nothing more to you than a means to an end where as he is my brother. You will not go through with this, if you do then I will not be a part of it or anything else!"

"Now you listen to me Sadie DuBois, I understand the love you hold for Allen but this is of his father's doing as well as our own. All of our father's are responsible for this and as such it is up to all of us to pay the price or suffer the consequences."

"Everyone has suffered enough, Bray Wyatt. Do not think I do not know what is at stake, do not think I do not wish for an end to this conflict but I will not allow the use of my brother's life to be the bargaining chip and neither will Shane."

"He no longer has a valid say, there is, however, one who could speak in his place."

"Fuck you Wyatt, I will not subject Allen to the Initiation. You, better than anyone else knows what it can do to those closest to us. It almost blinded Dean, putting him in a come for three days. I will not allow you to subject Allen..."

A.J pushed open the door to the kitchen, eyes moving between the four people in the room. "If it's what I have to do to protect Shane then I will. After everything that's happened, it's time I accept who I am."

"That shit ain't pretty Styles, trust me. Abigail will intentionally make it painful. More so for you because you are full blooded family." Dean studied A.J., taking in the stubborn set of his jaw. "Or maybe you may just surprise us." Dean grinned at A.J.'s glare. "Trust me when I say that this ain't a game or match in the ring. This shit can real life kill you, ain't no coming back from that alone." Glancing up at Bray, Dean sighed. "You don't want to be alone for any of that."

Eyes narrowed in thought, A.J turned from Dean to his sister. "Why do you not want me in the club?"

"It is not a matter of what I want it is a matter of you being ready and you fré are not ready. The Initiation is a form of possession, one where you give everything over to the family and your partner. It is not the same as the Tournament, which is the celebration of the champions. This...this is something completely different and until Shane is better..."

"There is no way to get him better not after what Wells did to him. What ever I need to do I will do it. I can't let this go unanswered Sadie! Did you see what the fuck they did to him?! Did you see the scars on Shane's body?! They're the same scars that were on Shin when we left Japan. They were the same scars that had been left on Chris by his ex. Shane said Wells did it but I know he didn't, there's no way, the coward that he is, had the balls to do any of that." A.J sat down next to his sister, sighing as he took the cup offered to him. "I know how the initiation works, once we get back to the house we'll figure out how to get it done."

"Allen, Shane will not like this decision. Especially if he is not the one..."

"It's better if he isn't. Did you see what we did to each other before and during Wrestlemania? It's been almost a year and despite that hell, we're now together." A.J sucked in a quick breath before turning to Bray. "You've been wanting to do this for years, now's your goddamn chance. The only thing I ask it that you don't force Shane to do anything..." Breaking off in uncertainty, A.J studied the impassive man. "I-if he doesn't have to be there for the first half..."

"We will not subject him to the pain or violence of the Initiation. The problem you will run into will be how to convince Shane to remain home." Bray studied the man in front of him, aware that he was no longer the spoiled child from their youth. "Are you certain you wish to greet them, once done, neither Sadie nor myself are able to undo their actions. If you choose to do this without Shane..."

A.J looked between the pair, aware of the fear that radiated off of his sister. "What ever I have to do to protect my family I will do it. I can't keep running from this asshole, not anymore. Look what happened this time, he took Shane and we almost didn't get him back."

"Your certainty that he was alive and where he was helped us find him. If there is a way to make things better for him then we will find it. Question is do you trust us to do our work?"

"If you have convinced him to go through it without me I swear..."

A.J looked up to find Shane standing in the doorway, face pale, eyes dark with his anger. "You need to be in bed resting, what are you..." Standing up, he turned to Shane, frowning in concern. "Shane?"

Shane moved back from the man reaching for him. "I won't allow this to happen like this and not without me. You have no idea what it is you're asking for. You say you know but you've never gone through it. The Initiation, just as Dean said, is not easy. She will make you pay with your life if that is what you offer." He watched as A.J.'s jaw hardened, his temper spiking at the angry look he was given. "If you do this now it will be without me. I don't agree with this decision to rush into something so important." Turning from A.J to Bray and Juls, Shane scowled at the twin, blank looks. "And you two know full fucking well that if Nattie were here she would not agree with this either. The only reason he's doing this is because of what happened. I am not dead so there is no reason..."

"I woke up to you screaming, begging me to help you. This is how I can help you Shane. I understand the consequences of..."

"No the fuck you don't! You don't if you think I would allow you to do this without me! This could kill you and I can't let that happen, not after everything we've gone through. You need to talk to Juls and Dean before you make this decision, you need to understand that it's not as simple as saying the words. If you offer your life that is what she will take as payment. I can not..." Shane sucked in a quick breath as the room started to spin. Taking a step back, he jerked at the hands touching him. Letting out a soft sound of distress, he turned to the man now standing in front of him. "Please, Allen don't do this."

A.J nodded, moving next to Shane. "Look, we'll talk about this later. You need to be in bed and resting not stressed out and upset. Come on, where are the kids, did they leave?" A.J glanced back at Sadie and Bray before turning to help Shane back to their suite. "Come on big guy, you're getting worked up about nothing, let's just worry about you getting better."

Shane looked back at the group in the kitchen, dark gaze narrowed in warning as he was led through the door. "Pa panse mwen pa konnen ki sa ou ap eseye fè. Ou vle l 'tounen nan fanmi an Lè sa a, ou pral gen yo rete tann jiskaske mwen geri, pa anvan. Ou pa gen dwa pou ale pi devan san mwen. Se mwen menm ki patnè li yo ak nan sa a mwen pral obeyi."(Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. You want him back in the family then you will have to wait until I am healed, not before. You don't have the right to go forward without me. I am his partner and in this I will be obeyed.) Shane turned and left without waiting for a response. He let A.J pull him back down the hall to their room. "You can not agree to this Allen, not without me. To do it alone..."

"Sadie and Dre will be with me, what's the worst that can happen?" A.J pushed open the door to their room, surprised to find the kids asleep on the couch. "What happened here?"

"The boys wanted to watch television and Ams was already sleep." Shane said in a breathless voice. "Honey you don't understand, the stories of the Initiation are not exaggerated. It requires going through it with your partner, the other half of your soul. The only reason Dean didn't die was because Wyatt refused to let him. He went against her in order to save Dean and it almost cost him his life as well. Juls had to fight to get Sadie back, she lost her in the swamps and it took almost two weeks for us to fucking find her. I can not protect you like this, I'm no good to you if you choose to do this alone right now." Shane looked at the pale face in front of him. "I need you to understand I'm not trying to be an asshole I just...a-after what happened the risk of losing you scares me."

A.J blinked in surprise at Shane's admission. He knew Shane wouldn't admit to his fears if he wasn't really worried. "Ok look, if we do this and that's a big if considering how you're feeling..."

"You need to understand how it works, the stories of the families partners going through hell are true." Shane interrupted A.J., pulling him towards the bedroom. "When I say Dean almost died I mean that. We found Bray, half dead, beaten and bruised because he refused to let Dean go through the sacrificial ceremony alone. They were angry Bray went against Abigail's wishes. So they almost killed him and Dean." Shane sucked in a quick breath as he sat down on the bed. "They punished Juls for what they said was allowing her to be harmed by an outsider. Two weeks...two weeks is how long it took before Juls found her floating in the black swamps! Sadie was pregnant, half dead from dehydration and malnutrition." Reaching for A.J., Shane pulled him down onto his lap. "You don't know what this can do to you Allen. You keep saying you know the old ways but you don't. The consequences aren't just for you they are for me as well."

"I didn't know..." A.J broke off as he thought over what Shane said. "Sai said it was like a possession, usually that would mean..."

"It means that you would have to give full control to her. You would have to watch, without interfering, as she takes what is offered to her." Shane ran a hand across A.J.'s back. Head tilting at the sounds of drums filling the air. "She's upset with me." Shaking his head, Shane moved A.J to his side. "Wait here." Giving him a hard look, Shane walked over to the window, a frown curving his lips down. "He's demanding a blood sacrifice, Bray and Sadie can only pacify him for so long."

"What in the hell does that mean and what..." A.J frowned as a shiver moved over him. "Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"

Shane glanced at A.J before turning back to the window. "The story of how Bray's father died, how well do you know it?"

A.J frowned as he thought back to what he'd heard as a teenager. "Not much, mostly weird ghost stories and accusations. People used to say he had these strange powers to talk to the dead or control them or something weird like that." Looking at the broad, scarred and bruised back in front of him, he stiffened. "The, uh, the stories say he died in the black swamps trying to kill Bray but they never say why or how." Leaving the bed, A.J slowly walked up behind Shane. "Shane, the drums..."

"Amalia is about to be judged, she's part of the reason this whole god damn mess started." Shaking his head, Shane turned to face A.J. "You don't understand the old ways as well as you think Allen. The stories, I've heard them, when I first met Juls and Bray, I'd heard the rumors surrounding them and Sadie." Shane looked back at the window. "Call Alexander and have him come stay with the kids." At the look of surprise, Shane gave A.J a tight smile. "You think you know what to expect. The history of your family isn't what you think it is, sweetheart." Shane pulled A.J to him, sighing as he shook his head. "I'm going to take you to see how the family passes judgment." Shane pulled A.J with him as he turned towards the closet. "The black water of the swamps is just as dangerous as the old stories tell."

A.J studied the man now getting dressed in black jeans and matching turtle neck. "You know this, how?"

"I didn't become Sadie's protector by accident, there's a reason I earned my Tournament name." Shane handed A.J a black pullover before turning and looking for his boots. "We need to hurry or you'll miss your father's murderer pay."

"Wait, what?" A.J blinked in surprise as Shane handed him a pair of boots. "Shane what in the hell are you talking about? I was told dad sold me, what do you mean..."

"Remember what I said about him and your uncle being murdered? How they disappeared before paying off the contract?" Shane watched A.J., closely, waiting for him to respond. "Honey, you need to see what happens when you cross the family. Amalia is guilty of not only that but more."

"What else did she do and I not get told about it? What else about me do you know that I don't know?" A.J followed Shane from the room, glancing up at the man standing in the living room. "Alex, where's Clay?"

"He is with his mother, he refused to remain here due to the, umm, familial ties involved in the situation."

A.J frowned as Alex looked away, his bright, green gaze shuttered and flat. "Alex?"

"We need to go." Shane slid an arm around A.J.'s waist. "I'll explain more on the ride out." Looking up at Alexander, Shane frowned. "He made a scene?"

"Yes so I had no choice but to give in." Alex picked up a blanket, covering Amber then doing the same for Dominic and Asher. "Ms. DuBois was not pleased but decided that Clayton had a valid reason for participation." He turned to Shane and A.J, taking a deep breath before he continued. "Mr. McMahon, you have been a good employer and I have never asked for anything but what was needed. Now, however..."

"Nothing will happen to him Alex, don't worry, we'll be back as soon as we can. You know what you need to do once the children wake up. My mom will be here in a few hours, once she's settled you and Alistair make your way to the judgment place." Pulling A.J towards the door, Shane shook his head. "Come on, I think there is a lot you need to catch up on."

A.J nodded, looking from Alexander to Shane. He tried to figure out the look they'd shared before leaving the room. "Shane?"

"Don't forget I can't protect you as I need to right now so please, do as I ask and stay close to me, ok?" Shane pressed the button for the elevator, sighing as it opened without a wait. "Once we get to where we're going, I need you to remain with me, ok? The fireflies protect the black swamps, Bray and Sadie will offer Amalia for punishment as well as to fulfill the request of a blood sacrifice." Shane watched the lights on the wall in front of him, relieved when they reached the garage without stopping.

"What do you have to do, is there something you're going to have to help with?" A.J followed Shane off of the elevator and through the parking garage. "Who's driving if Al is..."

"Ready boss?"

Shane nodded as he pulled A.J behind him. "Where is my father right now? Did he make it as requested?"

"Sure did boss, he wasn't to happy about having to come but I reminded him of his, uh, obligations."

"Thanks, take us to where the meeting place is. Did you bring the file?" Shane climbed into the back of the black truck, pulling A.J behind him. "It's time that he knows what's been going on since he left the family." Shane sighed as the door was closed behind them. Turning to the silent man next to him, Shane sighed. "Tonight will change what you thought you knew when you were younger. The stories they told you about Bray aren't to far off target but they also failed to mention your sister and Faith's mother...Amalia."

A.J blinked in surprise as he opened the file. "Faith's mom, wait how is that possible, I thought..."

"She changed her name after running away from home, left Faith in an orphanage because she couldn't take care of her, and married the first man who asked. Lucky for her it just happened to be to Sydney." Shane laid his head back against the seat, holding in a groan as his back throbbed. "Christ, we should have picked up my pain meds."

"The med kit has a pack of pain killers if those will help boss."

Shane nodded as he turned to A.J. "Allen?"

"They kidnapped and tortured you for some past life history information?" A.J flipped through the file until a picture of his parents appeared. "How..."

"Read the file, we have time. Read what you can and we can talk about it later, right now you need a crash course in what's going to happen tonight."

A.J looked up as the truck pulled out of the parking garage, stomach churning as he looked over at Shane. "How much of this did you know before you met me?"

"None of it, actually, not until Sadie came to me and told me why she was looking for you...and why Juls and Bray would not like it." Shane watched as A.J skimmed through the folder. Shifting to his side, he studied the silent man. "Allen?"

"Kids used to tease her when we were younger. They would say she was possessed, by uh, a demon or something. Dré and I had to stop these two guys from trying to...th-they had her pinned against a wall, pulling at her clothes. They were saying all these things about her and she was crying, trying to fight them off." A.J looked down at the photo in his lap, the three smiling faces reminded him of a time when his sister had done her best and he'd given her hell. It also reminded him of when he first met Juls Red and Bray Wyatt, the pair having saved them when they needed it most. "Juls had beat one of them to a pulp, said that she'd kill the next one who touched her."

"Well, she kept her word then and has since they've been together. Tonight, I need you to stay close to me, I know I'm repeating myself but..." Shane glanced up as they crossed a wooden bridge. "We're five miles from the house, everyone has a plot of land in the surrounding area so just remember that you're five miles from help."

"What do you mean, why would I need help if I'm there to watch?"

"Because everyone knows if I show up you're with me. That's why I need you to remain in the truck." At the small nod, Shane sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I have no plans on getting out either. I'm in no shape for a fight but I don't want anything to happen to Sadie or Juls."

A.J nodded as he looked through the folder. There were things he'd heard about growing up and things he'd never known about his family or himself. Glancing up at Shane, he wasn't surprised to find him dozing next to time. Shifting closer, A.J let out a soft sigh as Shane slid an arm around his waist. This was a year of changes, his relationship with Shane proved that but it was also a year of possession. When Shane's arm tightened around A.J.'s waist, he glanced over at Shane. Running his fingers through bright silvery gray strands, A.J smiled as Shane sighed. He now understood why Wyatt and Juls had been so hard on him. What he possessed would give Wellington and his family more power than anyone else in the circle. "Well big guy, good thing I ended up with you, hmm?" When Shane hummed softly, A.J chuckled. Where ever they were going their driver knew, until then, A.J decided it was time to know exactly what his family had gotten into and how, if possible, could it help Shane.