Disclaimer Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and the various other superstars mentioned in this story are the property of the WWE and/or the actors / sports entertainers / superstars that portray them. This story is intended as tribute only and is not intended to infringe on any copyrights.

Original characters are the property of myself, and only children of my own imagination. Any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

The Girl who Lives
Part Two

By the time they got to catering, Payton was practically skipping and Seth was having trouble believing that this was the same depressed, older-than-her-years looking child he'd seen in the room with her family. With her hair brushed neatly and styled a bit, and her Seth Rollins T-shirt (it fit her a lot better than the Dolph Ziggler one had. The Dolph shirt had been too big, Mitchy had made sure to give Payton the right sizes) she might have been any child that was lucky enough to come back stage, even a niece or a daughter of another wrestler. She could be my daughter, Seth thought, then frowned for a moment. Where had that thought come from? Seth had nothing against kids, he thought Roman's daughter, Leah was a great little girl, and she was around Payton's age. He liked Neil, Dean's son too. But, he never thought much of having kids of his own, even though he was engaged. Being a superstar for the WWE was such an all consuming career, it was hard to imagine when he'd get the time to be able to get married, never mind for Kayla and he to have kids. So, he found he didn't think much about children, he just filed it all under, "Someday this will happen." Now, with his hand curled around Payton's, her skipping beside him, wearing that Seth Rollins T-shirt, he found himself wondering if perhaps he ought to start thinking about some day sooner rather than later.

Some of her shyness came back when it came time to get something to eat. She stared at the chaffing dishes with an expression of bewilderment that had Seth wondering if she just wasn't used to seeing this much food, or if the types of food was unfamiliar to her. It wasn't wildly outlandish fare though. There were the standard pasta dishes, several different forms of chicken, some boring and presumably healthy, some with thick, creamy sauces that made the diva's bemoan the potential fate of their waistlines if they even sniffed them. There was plenty of vegetables, overcooked and lifeless in many cases, but there was salad too.

Since Payton wasn't his child, and seeing that she was as thin as a spring born sapling, Seth felt no obligations to make sure she ate healthy. He lead her down the line, and whatever she indicated she would like to eat, he put some on the plate, letting her decide when he'd put enough on. Still, she didn't pick a meal that was too unhealthy, considering the source. A lot of salad, green beans, a good helping of ziti with a simple tomato sauce and a little bit each of two different chicken dishes, one chicken tenderloins in a lemon pepper sauce, the other chunk white chicken cooked with various vegetables, in an attempt to look like Asian cuisine. For a drink she wanted grape flavored water. There was always flavored water and sports drinks at these things. Every catering company seemed to think that flavored water or sports drinks were the ultimate health drink, even though that was far from the truth, at least with the sugar laden so-called "sports drinks." Seth picked plain bottled water for himself.

When their plates were full, Seth looked around and saw Dean and Roman sitting at a table, swapping their phones back and forth. Seth smiled, he'd seen this before. The two were showing each other picture of their kids. "Do you want to sit with Dean and Roman?" Seth asked, remembering that she mentioned that she liked Dean Ambrose.

She hesitated, then nodded. "If they don't mind."

"They won't," Seth assured her, as they headed over. "We're friends, still." He realize that this might be breaking some taboo, it was obvious Preston believed wrestling was real. But Payton nodded and went with him. I think she realizes this is a TV show, he thought. And that in essence, we are really athletic actors.

Seth could hear the two of them before they even got there. "Cinnamon sent this one this morning," Dean was saying, showing Roman his phone. "These were taken yesterday at WVW. That's Neil with Nate, Jasper, and this new kid, Makaio. He's the cousin of Ka'eo the kid who helped me with the Christmas light display. Cinnamon got him a try-out with WVW, and he's wrestling for them. But look at Neil, I swear he's grown since I've seen him."

"You saw him two weeks ago," Roman reminded him, with an amused grin.

"Kid's growing like a weed," Dean remarked, seriously. "He's probably put on another inch."

Roman chuckled, then looked at Seth as he and Payton approached. "Hey, Seth."

"Hi," Seth said, "Roman, Dean, this is Payton, she kindly agreed to be my lunch date." Seth decided not to mention she was Preston's sister. She probably was tired of having no identity around here except that of being "Preston's older sister."

"Hi, Payton," Roman said, smiling. "You can sit here if you like." He motioned to the chair next to him. Roman would now be sitting between Dean and Payton. Seth sat on the other side of Payton, next to Dean.

"Hey, Payton, nice to meet you," Dean said, holding up his phone so she could see the picture on the screen. "This is my son, Neil. He's the handsome one."

"Wow, he looks a little like Mr. Reigns!" Payton exclaimed.

"That's Makaio," Dean said, frowning, "Neil's the one who looks like me."

Payton swallowed and looked around, an expression of terror in her eyes, until Roman laughed and said, "Never show anyone a picture with a Polynesian man in it and expect them to think one of pale guys is the handsome one." He ruffled Payton's hair affectionately, and winked at her. "Good job, Payton."

"Thanks?" Payton half stated, half asked, managing a smile, especially when she noticed Seth was laughing too.

Dean scowled, but kept the phone up. "Okay, okay, Neil is the one on the left, who looks like me. He's the youngest one, even though he's almost as tall as the other guys."

The last part wasn't quite true. While Neil was taller than the average ten year old boy, standing at 5'2", the other three men were at least six feet tall. Payton looked again and nodded. "He does look like you," she said. "Except for his hair."

Dean's voice balanced a line between admittance and bragging, "He gets his hair color from his mom. Hold on a second, I have a picture of him and his friends from a couple years ago, before I knew about him, they went out for Halloween as the Shield, you can really see how much-"

"How about we let Payton eat?" Seth interrupted to suggest. "I can't keep her forever, her parents will wonder."

"No they won't," Payton said, her voice so matter-of-fact that it made Seth inwardly wince. "Not unless Preston wants or has to leave."

The three men looked at her, then looked among each other as if hoping one of them would know the right response for this statement. Seth found himself biting his lower lip to keep from saying the first thing that popped into his mind, which was, "If Preston wants to jump off a bridge, will you all run for your swimsuits?" Part of him knew that the Caldwells were in a difficult situation and a child as ill as Preston needed a lot of care, but Payton was still their child, too. Did they forget that?

If Payton saw their awkwardness, she showed no sign. Instead she folded her hands in front of her and announced, "I have to pray." She bowed her head and then spoke her prayers out loud and rapidly, "God, thank you that Preston is still alive and having a good day today. Please watch out over Preston and make him better. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen." When she raised her head she smiled and started eating.

Again there was an awkward silence. Not at the praying, there were a few wrestlers whose faith expected them to pray before meals, so they were used to that. But the prayer itself, seemed a little too much to be the ode to Preston. Again, Seth reminded himself that Preston was terminally ill, it wasn't that surprising most of the good will energy the family could muster was spent on praying for the life of a little boy they wanted desperately to keep on this plane of existence.

"I've got a daughter about your age, I think," Roman said, finally breaking the silence. "How old are you, Payton?"

"Eight," Payton said. "What's your daughter's name?"

"Leah," Roman said. "She's six going on seven."

The awkwardness passed and soon the three men and the young girl were talking. Payton was animated in her conversation and ate everything on her plate. When Seth offered to let her have more, she agreed to a bowl of fruit salad as dessert, but declined anything else. She ended up eating two small bowls of fruit salad. When the last piece of melon was chewed and swallowed, she leaned back and rubbed her tummy. "I ate a lot!" she declared, looking almost proud of herself. "My tummy is full!"

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, grinning. "I'm sure Seth would take you for another round, if you're still hungry."

"Oh no, I'm full," Payton said, her voice earnest. "I think if I eat another bite, I'll explode."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Roman said, smiling. "We have a rule about exploding children; we allow them to come to Smackdown, but not RAW." Payton giggled at this.

Seth rose from the table. "I should get you back to your parents," he told her, feeling a bit reluctant. He was enjoying the company of this now lively child who had held her own in a conversation with three adults. She reminded him of Leah in that she was smart for a kid, but she wasn't "just" like Leah, she had her own charms as well. But, he did have to get ready for tonight's RAW, he couldn't spend hours entertain one child, as much as he might have liked to.

Payton herself looked as if she might object and ask for more time, but then she paused and her expression changed. It wasn't a huge change, but to Seth, it looked like some of the light was draining from her eyes and she nodded. Rising from the table, she started to gather up her plate and utensils.

"Don't worry about those," Dean said, leaning across the table and taking the bowl from her fruit salad out of her hands. "We'll clean this up."

"Thank you," she said. She reached under the table and pulled out the bag with her t-shirts and hoodie. When she stood up, she took Seth's hand and he lead her back to the room where her parents were. Going back was almost a reversal of leaving, the closer they got to the room, the quieter Payton was, the heavier her steps seemed.

When they got back to the room, Preston and his parents were still there, along with Dolph, Daniel, and a few other wrestlers and divas. Preston was sitting on Dolph's lap, looking a little tired, but in pretty good shape for such an ill child. Seth remembered that his parents had said he was having a 'good day.' He walked Payton over to her parents. "We're back. I hope you don't mind, we stopped by promotions and they gave Payton a few things."

Preston sat up and stared at his sister, then frowned. "I don't like that shirt!" he barked, shaking his finger at his sister, "take it off!"

Everyone but Payton, Seth, and Preston laughed as if Preston had told a really good joke. "I like it," Payton said, looking at her parents, with an expression that clearly showed she was hoping they would take her side on this. "And Seth gave it to me!"

"That's a Seth Rollins t-shirt and he's a bad guy!" Preston declared. "I don't like bad guys!"

Part of Seth wanted to turn to the kid and tell him to mind his own business, that if his sister wanted to wear a Seth Rollins T-shirt, well, maybe he should just suck it up and let her. But he didn't want to make the situation worse for Payton. Instead he said a hasty good bye, saying he really had to prepare for tonight's show and left the room.

As he headed off to get ready, he wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing or not.

The show that night was a good one. Seth had a match with Dolph, which Dolph won by DQ, not surprising. The Caldwells were right by the ring, and when Dolph left, he paused by the family to give Preston a quick hug, which made the audience let out a collective, "Aww!" Preston had already been featured on several internet articles about the WWE and all the work they did for Make-A-Wish. The young boy was rapidly becoming a celebrity in his own right. Seth watched the display of affection, and while he was glad for Preston, glad for Dolph even, that the two of them could have this moment, he kept looking over at Payton. She was wearing the too-big Dolph Ziggler T-shirt again. Seth just hoped they hadn't gotten rid of the other shirts she'd been given, just made her change back into this one.

As Seth was heading towards the ramp, he saw Payton with her arm outstretched as if trying to touch him. Normally, bad guys did not play up to the fans, that wasn't what bad guys did. But, it was a commercial break, so Seth moved so he was walking closer to the barricade. When he was close enough, he reached out, meaning merely to brush against Payton's hand, to show her she too had her friend in the WWE, just as Preston did. She reached out to him, then her eyes widened. Before he could react, he felt a slap on his head. Not too hard, but with enough force that Seth knew it wasn't an accident. Preston's voice trilled out, "Go away, bad man! You don't touch my sister!"

A camera had stayed on him, they kept them running during the commercials, so the moment was captured on the titantron. The audience broke out in laughter and Cole made a joke about how even children knew Seth was a bad guy. Seth really didn't care, except that he saw a look of shame and embarrassment in Payton's eyes as if she expected Seth to scowl at her for how her brother was acting. Seth still managed to give her hand a quick squeeze, hoping to assure her that he wasn't upset, then hurried off to the jeers of the audience, who were thrilled to see Sell Out Seth being taken down a peg or two by such a cute little boy.

This was Seth's last appearance of the night, so he went to the locker room to get changed. He was a big enough star that he probably could have gotten a private dressing room, but he never minded sharing one of the smaller locker rooms with some of the other guys. And tonight, as if it were old times week, he was sharing with Dean and Roman.

When he walked in, Dean was sitting on one of the benches, looking at the monitor that was set up so the wrestlers could keep an eye out for what was going on with the show. Dean had performed earlier that night, and had cleaned up and change into clean ring gear. Certain fans were allowed to come back stage after the show, and while they wanted to see their favorite superstars in their ring gear, they did not want to smell the sweat a good match could build on someone. "Hey, Seth," he called out.

"Hey, Dean," Seth said, heading back to the shower area. "I'm going to clean up."

"Okay," Dean said, still watching the show.

When Seth came back into the dressing area, freshly showered, Dean was still watching the TV. Seth went over to his locker and started changing into clean ring gear. He wasn't going to wear the top, he would just wear the pants and then wear one of his T-shirts.

"I saw you get slapped by Preston," Dean said casually. "He's kind of a brat, isn't he?"

Seth stopped, holding the towel he had wrapped around himself and stared at Dean, a part of him wanting to agree, but the instinct to defend a sick child kicked in instead. "Preston's sick," he said, slowly, "and he's had a long day today. He's probably tired and a little cranky, that's why he smacked me. You have to admit, Dean, it looked pretty good. The cute, sick child hitting the bad man."

"If it was scripted, I'd say it was adorable," Dean said, "but I don't think it was planned, was it?"

Seth shook his head, then added, "I don't think so... well, actually, no, it couldn't have been. I decided to go over to Payton at the last minute, figuring it would be all right during a commercial."

"Yeah," Dean said, his gaze back on the TV. "And I get that the kid is sick and he's had a long, exciting day, which might make him a little cranky, but he sure didn't look tired. He did get a nap backstage here, I saw him on the couch sleeping while his parents looked upon him with adoring eyes," he rolled his own before continuing, "and I'm not saying that Preston doesn't deserve the best medical care, that it's a horrible shame that he's likely not to live to see adulthood, possibly even adolescence. That's a horrible thing, and for that, his family has my sympathy, for what good it will do them."

"Then what are you saying?" Seth asked as he quickly dropped the towel and pulled on the clean pair of pants he had waiting.

Dean looked at Seth and tipped his head to one side. "I guess what I'm saying is, would it have been as adorable if Payton had slapped you?"

"Payton is older," Seth reminded him, as he pulled the Seth Rollins 'I Bought In' t-shirt. "She knows better."

"I know that, okay, good point." Dean nodded. "Then let's put it this way, if Payton was the younger one, would it have been as cute then? How about if Preston was the same age he is now, but healthy? Never had cancer? Would it still be so cute?"

"I'll bet a lot of people would have laughed," Seth pointed out, which was absolutely true. It was actually funny when he thought about it, the sweet, innocent, child putting the heel wrestler in his place. It was the sort-of thing that seemed almost staged. -

"People laugh at bratty things all the time," Dean countered, his gaze going back to the TV. "Hell, you do bratty stuff all the time as part of your character. I did bratty stuff to you when we were having our conflict. People laugh at them,that doesn't make them any less bratty or annoying. I'm not saying Preston is evil, I'm not saying he should be smacked about the head and shoulders, and I'm not saying that it isn't still a horrible shame the kid is sick. Hell, I'd go as far to say that if donating one of my kidneys would save the kid's life, I'd do it, and I'm rather fond of my kidneys. He's a kid and he deserves a full shot at life, just as much as anyone else. But, I still say he's bratty. Being sick doesn't make bad behavior suddenly good."

Seth sat down on the bench near Dean, realizing he was right. "Well, everyone else seems to think it's cute," he said, the defense sounding lame, even to his own ears. He wasn't sure why he was defending Preston in the first place. Probably because it just seemed wrong to point out negative behavior in a child who might not make it to his seventh birthday.

"Yeah? Well, I'm wondering what will happen if the kid goes into remission," Dean said thoughtfully. "Let's say he's one of the really lucky ones who goes into remission and is cancer free. What then?"

"His parents will rejoice, his sister will rejoice, it will be a great thing."

"Yup," Dean agreed. "It will. If I was the type of man who prayed, I'd pray for that, but I'm not. I'm sure everyone in the WWE who has faith in prayer are filling the heavens with requests that Preston lives, not to mention his family and I'm sure everyone else who knows him. If the miracle happens, there will be rejoicing, for a time. Then, the miracle will fade a bit. People will get used to the idea that Preston is no longer in danger of dying right away. Preston's parents won't greet each day scared it might be their son's last day on this planet. But, what about Preston? He's been the focus of attention since he was diagnosed. He's been the alpha and omega of the family existence. What happens now that he runs the risk of becoming, 'Payton's baby brother?'"

"I-I don't know," Seth said, wondering why this conversation was making him so uncomfortable. "I guess he'll get used to it. He might just be glad to be alive."

"Maybe," Dean said, shrugging. "But, it won't be easy. The kid is used to getting everything he wants, whenever he wants. It might not be his fault, but his parents have really encouraged him to play the, 'I'm sick!' card to the fullest extent possible. Preston has been on TV commercials for St. Jude's, which I do understand, because he's cute as a bug's ear. But, I also understand he's met a lot of music stars, been given VIP seating and backstage passes to every musical act he enjoys. He likes wrestling, so the WWE has adopted him and made him our poster child for Wrestlemania, in a sense. If he lives, don't you think it'll be a little hard for him to adjust from being the center of the universe to just a kid?"

"Maybe, but who says he's going to live?" Seth protested. "More likely than not, he won't, so, why not indulge him a little while he's on this planet?"

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, looking at him. "You seem a little too defensive of Preston, here. Am I touching a sore spot?"

"No," Seth said. "I'm fine." Although he wondered himself why he was being so protective of Preston's reputation. Dean was merely voicing some of the thoughts that had been floating around inside Seth's head, Dean just had the courage to say them outloud, at least to Seth.

"I'm just remembering Payton's prayers at lunch," Dean said. "As I said, I'm not a praying man, but I did have some exposure to religion as a kid, I was taught to pray. And before meals, prayers usually start with thanking God or Jesus that you have food on your plate. 'Thank you God, for this food we are about to eat.' It's almost mandatory. The first prayer kids are taught besides, 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep,' is 'God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food, Amen.'" Payton never mentioned the food. All she prayed about was Preston. She was grateful Preston was having a good day, she wanted God to save Preston."

"Well, why wouldn't she?" Seth asked, still wondering why he was Preston's advocate in this debate. "He's her brother, he's got a terminal illness. If he were my baby brother, I'd never say a prayer without including him."

"Including," Dean repeated. "But this wasn't including Preston, this was only Preston. She didn't pray for any other sick kids and I'm sure she's met a lot traveling around with Preston. She didn't pray that God would watch out over her Mom and Dad who probably are under a lot of strain with Preston. She didn't thank God for her food, or that you had volunteered to take her to lunch and a back stage tour-"

"-she doesn't owe me anything like that!" Seth interrupted, his voice a little louder than he intended it to be, "or God. She prayed for her sick brother. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"I didn't say there is," Dean said, his voice still casual and not the least bit ruffled. "I'm just saying that it seems a little odd that Preston is the only one worth praying about in that family. The only one worth praying for in her life, it seems. I don't know what the kid says after she goes through the whole, 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep,' prayer at night, but when it comes to the part where she lists off the 'God bless so and so' part, I'd bet you fifty bucks the first person is Preston. And I'd bet you twenty five more that Preston could be the only one she asks God to bless."

"What are you getting at, Dean?" Seth asked, trying not to scowl.

"Nothing," Dean said, getting to his feet. "Just making conversation." He looked at the clock on the wall. Show's over, the fans with the passes will be coming back stage. We'd better not be seen together, since we're still supposedly enemies." Before Seth could answer, Dean walked out the door.

Seth sat down on the bench to wait a few minutes before leaving himself. He was still a little upset with Dean, not because Dean was crazy, but because as un-politically correct as he was, he was also completely right.

End of Part Two

Author's Notes: Wow, this story got quite a few follows and faves on the first chapter, I'm not used to that. Thank you! Yes, I would love to hear from some of you who followed/favored, but just the follow/faves are pretty nice too and I'm glad the story inspired you to do so. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

But, again, I will remind you that reviews are what keep me going and I do respond to any and all reviews I get, either by private message or at the end of every chapter. And, yes, if you want to leave a critical review, I'm a big girl, I can take it, providing you're trying to help me improve/fix the story. If you just want to tell me what a jerk I am or anything else that's only designed to make me feel bad and not help? Don't bother.

Until next time, Peace Out

Willow