Disclaimer Seth Rollins, 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.
Authors Pre Notes: At this point, my time line for what happens in the WWE diverges from what is actually going on. Now I write my own story lines.
The Girl Who Lives
Part Twenty
The bodies of Myron and Andrea weren't released to the funeral home until Friday, the official reason for death would be listed as "asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Seth had managed to talk to someone in the Coroners office and the police department, no easy feat as Payton was sticking to his side like glue when she was awake, but he finally was able to shake her off by telling her he had to go to Crossfit and Kayla backing him up, explaining to her that this was the same as work, it was something that he couldn't slack on. Instead of going though, he had driven away and sat in his car, making calls on his cell phone.
He was told by both police department and Coroner's office that since the stoves in the apartment building had been known to cause problems, and since no note was found indicating that the Caldwells had wanted to take their own lives, the deaths would be ruled as an accident. Seth was grateful. He knew a few officers in the Davenport police department, some he had even gone to High school with. He knew they were men with families, some of them with children Payton's age and he had the feeling that while they had not been at all dishonest, since Myron and Andrea's deaths were not a cause of danger to anyone, they didn't feel it was their job to speculate and possibly say or write anything that might later come to haunt Payton. As far as the media and anyone else who inquired of them, the deaths were an accident. An accident which would force the owners of the building to begin replacing the faulty stoves much more aggressively than they had been, which Seth found interesting. It seemed that Myron and Andrea's death had the potential to make the world, or at least one building of low income housing, a better place. It was fitting.
Seth had do to the Extreme Rules PPV, but it was to be held in Chicago that year, which meant it was a two hour drive from his house in Davenport. He and Kayla discussed it and decided that they would do what they originally planned and have Kayla and Payton come along with him. They had been in touch with Payton's grandparents, had even had them over for dinner Thursday night. It was agreed that the funeral would be held on Saturday of the next week. There would only be a small, private viewing an hour before, but no official wake. While it wasn't spoken out loud, the general atmosphere was that this funeral would not be as crowded as Preston's was. Yes, the Caldwells had friends, but most of them had been because of Preston, especially towards the end.
The Caldwells had paid for Preston's funeral, but not their own. They had also bought two grave sites next to Preston's. At first Seth was pissed that they had excluded their daughter from this final resting place of the family, but Kayla reminded him that when the plots were bought, they probably figured (as they should) that Payton would grow up, get married, and likely wish to be buried near her spouse. To buy her a grave site would have been an unnecessary expense.
Seth and Kayla also knew that while Andrea's parents had a retirement plan, that allowed them a semi comfortable living, they did not have money for funeral expenses. Kayla went to the funeral home with them and helped them pick out coffins and make all the arrangements, and then slipped the funeral directer her American Express card. She reported later to Seth that Evan and Beth both seemed dazed by the whole process. Evan wasn't having one of his better days, and Beth was grief struck. Kayla wasn't even sure if they realized she had paid, they might be expecting a bill to be sent later. They agreed they would say nothing about this unless Evan and Beth brought it up. They also agreed that if Evan and Beth did bring it up, they would not let Payton's grandparents reimburse them. It wasn't that Seth really cared much about what happened to the Caldwells bodies, but he did like Beth and Evan and of course he loved Payton, so for them, they would make sure the Caldwells had a proper send off to the great beyond.
Payton still did not want to let Seth out of her sight, so as they drove to Chicago, Seth explained to her that while he would try to spend as much time as he could with her and Kayla, he also had to work. He promised that whenever possible, even when he was working the autograph tables or having a Q&A session with the fans, she could at least be in the same room. She seemed to accept this, if not happily at least not with tears. She still wasn't talking about her parents, alive or dead. If the subject came up, she changed it. If people began speaking about them around her, as they had done after dinner with her grandparents, she tuned out and you would have to call her name almost sharply before she would shake her head and rejoin the conversation.
To Seth's relief, about half way into the drive, she fell asleep. When he and Kayla were certain she was sound asleep, Seth sighed. "I can't quit my job for her, Kayla. I'll do what I can to be here whenever I can, but-"
"No one is asking you to leave wrestling," Kayla said, calmly. "I know she's fixed on you right now, but she can't dictate your life."
"But..." he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. "I just feel so bad. I mean, it's like the one thing she wants that I can't give her."
Kayla shook her head. "Don't be silly. You've been spending as much time as you can with her. I understand that she's trying to cope with everything, but even if you worked a regular job, she can't expect that she can live in your pocket 24/7. By all means, talk to your bosses and get extra time off, you'll need it, not just for Payton, but because we'll be petitioning to adopt her soon enough and courts don't take too kindly to people trying to arrange court dates to suit their schedule." She took her bottle of water out of the center console cup holder and opened it, taking a sip. "But, she's going to have to adjust to life without her parents."
Seth took his eyes off the road for only a fraction of a second to look at her. "Wow," he murmured.
"You know what I mean!" Kayla said, her voice a little stern, but not angry. "I have nothing but sympathy, and I'll do anything in my power to help Payton cope with this, but facts are facts. You could leave the WWE, come home, I could work full time and you could spend every waking second with Payton, but that won't bring her parents back, nor will it teach her how to live in a world without them. That's something she's going to have to learn. Giving in to her on her fixation with being in your back pocket won't fix that."
"I know." He sighed, knowing she was right. "So, what do we do to get her used to them being gone?"
"Let her talk about it when she's ready," Kayla said carefully. "And if she doesn't bring it up after a bit, we'll bring it up. Right now, I'll play the game of Myron and Andrea being something we just don't mention, but one day, if she doesn't, I will bring it up. In the meantime, I'm also going to find a church and start taking her there. She told both myself and her therapist that she hasn't prayed since before Preston died."
Seth knew Kayla had grown up in a very church going household, although she didn't seem to be too stuck on religion herself. "Why?" he asked.
"Because she hates God right now," Kayla said.
"Maybe she's realizing she's an atheist," Seth suggested.
"No," Kayla said. "She believes in God still, she's just furious at him and I don't blame her. Her only real experience with religion was-" she frowned and looked at Seth, "What do you and Dean call those types of churches, again?"
"The Church of Greedy Jesus," Seth supplied.
"Yeah, her only experience is The Church of Greedy Jesus. And it awful that such places exist, but they do. However, I don't think it's fair for her to formulate all her opinions about God and Christianity based on one horrible church." Kayla took another sip of her water. "It's like formulating your opinion based on things that are said by the Tea Party. If you only had that to go on, you'd think all Christians were hate filled people who don't want to make wedding cakes for gay women, or want to be able to discriminate or hurt anyone who isn't like them." She looked away from him, away from the dashboard even, and instead turned to look her head out the window for a moment.
Seth said nothing, knowing she wasn't done yet, she was collecting herself and her thoughts. He was right, a few seconds later, she turned back. "I know you don't have the background I do, and I know I don't follow my religion like I did when I was growing up, but I remember Church as being a safe haven. We spent huge amounts of time there, my family and I. I was such an awkward kid, all arms and legs and buck teeth."
"I know that's true," Seth interjected. "I've seen pictures, but I look at you now, and that's so hard to believe. You're so perfect looking, so beautiful."
She smiled, but chose not to use this moment to gather compliments. "I got picked on in school a lot. But never at Church. If any of the kids ever tried to pick on me, someone talked to them. Not meanly, not harshly, but with love. They explain that Jesus loved everyone, and that meant me, too. And if Jesus could love me, they at least owed it to Jesus, me and themselves not to pick on me. Now, does this mean they didn't call me names or say things about me behind my back? Probably not. But they knew not to say them to my face. So, I knew there was one place I could go where I didn't have to worry about being called 'Freaky Kayla' or 'Funny-Bunny-Buck-Tooth' or far worse." She looked over at Seth, "I grew up believing God was a father figure. That if I was scared and alone, I could talk to God and he would always listen. The church I grew up in, every youth group meeting, Sunday school session, almost every event, we started out singing the same song every single time."
"What song was that?" Seth asked, "Kumbaya?"
She looked over at him, smiling, but through narrowed eyes. Kumbaya was the joke song he refrenced whenever anyone talked about God in that touchy, feely, sing around the campfire way. "No, not Kumbaya, although that's a beautiful song in its own right. You know Kumbaya is 'Come by here' so the song is asking God to come by. Someone's crying lord, come by here. Someone's singing Lord, come by here. And the first verse, just 'Come by here, my lord, Come by here.' Yes, everyone thinks about it as a 'sing 'round the campfire' song, and it is, but what's wrong, if you believe, in asking God to check it out? We're singing to you, Lord, we're inviting you here. There's nothing wrong with that, but that wasn't the song we sang."
"Okay, what was the song?" Seth asked.
"And they'll know we are Christians," Kayla said, then in a soft voice, sang it for him. Kayla did not have a professional voice, but growing up in the church meant her voice had been trained by years of choir and hymn singing. Now she didn't use it for much more than the occasional Karaoke night with the girls, but the song was simple and she could pull it off.
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
And they'll know we are Christians by our love
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
And, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
And, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
While Gospel was far down, maybe even right on the bottom of the list of music Seth liked, he could appreciate the song for the simplicity of the melody and the way the words wove in with the music. It was a very balanced song of rhythm and beat with simple melody to pull it all together. As he listened, Seth got a small inkling as to why some folks might find the idea of religion to be a comfort, rather than a restriction. The song made you feel something; that there really might be a supreme being out there who looked out over you and cared for you. "That's a pretty song," he commented when she was finished. "There's an almost native, tribal, feel to it."
"I know," Kayla said. "We sang that before almost everything. It wasn't just because it was a pretty song though, it was to remind us that our duty, as Christians, was to embrace the world with love. Not judgment, it's God's job to judge. Our job, as his children was to love each other. And respect each other. And I still believe that. My family believes that. The last verse is really important. 'Guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride,' it doesn't say 'Judge each man's lifestyle and threaten them with hell.' I grew up thinking that being a Christian didn't give me the power to be judgmental, instead it was a responsibility not to be judgmental. If God was not going to judge me, who was I to judge anyone else? Sure, I could go out and tell people about God. I could yell it from the top of the mountain. But more important was to show it. To embrace everyone with love, even people who I didn't particularly like. Especially people I didn't particularly like. Because that's what I was raised to believe God would do. And that's the God I want to show Payton; the God I grew up with. Not the judgmental Sky Bully that rules the world with an iron fist of hate, but the God that loves, the God that wants us to love, that made us to love. It's not fair that she only sees the God of Church of Greedy Jesus without seeing the God spoken of in that song."
"What if you do expose her to this wonderful God, and she ends up in a few years saying that she's weighed the options, checked the facts, and is pretty sure God doesn't exist?" Seth asked. "What do you do then?"
"I respect it," Kayla said. "Because at least then, she is armed with both sides. She'll know that some folks twist God for their own purposes, but others see being a Christian as a reason to be better people. That's the whole point of religion, isn't it? Not to say, 'My Skydaddy is better than your Skydaddy, thus, I can make the rules.' Religion should make you a better person. If it doesn't, then yes, by all means, become an atheist. There are a lot of folks out there who claim to love Jesus who I wish would stop loving him so much because that love is poison. But I've seen some atheists who need a good shot of God to take them off that mountain top that they think makes them superior to everyone else." Even though Seth was keeping his eyes on the road most of the time, he knew she was looking at him. "I want our daughter to grow up to be the best person she can be, and I think that showing her both sides is good," she continued. "Besides, until she can go to school next Fall, Church will be a good way for her to socialize with kids her age. It's wonderful she has Leah and Neil, but they live a fair distance. These will be kids she can interact with at least once a week. And maybe some of them will be in her class when she starts school."
"All right," Seth said. "I won't say I'll always go with you on Sunday, you know I'm not a church person, but I'll at least go with you some of the time when I'm home."
"Fair enough," Kayla said with a satisfied nod. "Do that, and I promise I'll get up early on Sunday and make you a proper Sunday breakfast, like my mother always made for us. Waffles, eggs, and sausage, the whole nine yards."
"Will you help me work off all that, Sunday night?" He asked, grinning.
"Why Mr. Rollins!" Kayla fell into her "Southern Belle" voice. "I do believe you're havin' some naughty thoughts."
"It's hard not to," Seth admitted. "Especially around you, Funny-Bunny-Buck-Tooth." Since her teeth now, thanks to braces, were perfectly straight and white as a virgin wedding dress, they both laughed.
When they got to the arena. Seth was almost instantly put to work signing autographs, giving talks, all those things the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was supposed to do. Kayla checked into the hotel, but they let Payton stay with Seth. She sat near him while he was signing autographs, or off to the side when he was giving talks. She was good though, she never tried to interrupt. But he felt her eyes on him most of the time.
He had one thing he desperatly needed to accomplish and he finally did manage to tell Stephanie that he needed to have a meeting with her, Hunter, Randy and Roman that evening, when everything had died down for the night and they had some time. Stephanie looked at him with suspicion on her face, but she had things she had to do, and no time to ask, so she said she would do her best.
Two hours later, when he was signing autographs, one of the interns slipped him a note. He opened it:
Tonight at 9:30. Suite #807.
He read the note, smiled, folded it and put it in his pocket. Hopefully, Payton would be asleep by then.
Suite #807 was a hotel room, rented to the WWE for this PPV, for the sole purpose of being able to hold meetings with the talent. When Seth knocked on the door, at exactly 9:30, Hunter opened the door for both him and Roman, who Seth had met in the hall. The bed had been moved out and replaced with an oval table set with chairs. Randy was already there along with Vince, Hunter and Stephanie. After everyone got comfortable, drinks were distributed, and small talk was exchanged, Stephanie decided to get right to the point. "Seth, you're the one that asked for this meeting, what's up?"
Seth could have hesitated, beaten around the bush a bit, but he decided to be direct. "I need to drop the belt."
Everyone in the room except for Stephanie stared at him in shock, Seth could feel their gazes on him, almost as if they expected him to jump up giggling, and yell, "Psych!" But Seth sat there, calmly.
"Y-you're joking, right?" Vince finally managed to say. "Tell me you're kidding. We're planning on having you hold that until Summer Slam. You barely got it. Tomorrow you're supposed to defend it against Randy and win. Are you saying we should just change everything and let Randy win?"
"Sounds good to me," Randy said, grinning. "I'll be happy to take it." A chuckle escaped from Roman, but he said nothing.
"Not tomorrow," Seth explained. "That's too soon, but at Payback, I need to drop the belt at Payback."
"Why?" Vince asked, still looking as if he were waiting for Seth to let him in on the joke.
Seth drew in a deep breath before speaking. "You all know about Payton's folks, right? They've died. So, I don't think it's going to come as a shock to anyone that Kayla and I are going to see if we can adopt her."
"Congratulations," Roman said, his smile warm and genuine. "Our daughters will be friends and cousins."
"Thanks," Seth said, "but don't be too premature. Nothing is carved in stone. Just because we petition doesn't mean we'll get to adopt her."
"Why not?" Randy looked puzzled. "She's been staying with you, right?"
"And don't you have custody papers signed from her folks?" Hunter added.
"Yeah," Seth said. "Yes to both. And yes, the guardianship papers we have are the reason why we still have her in our custody now. But they don't guarantee we'll be allowed to adopt her. We don't think the Caldwells left a will, at least not with any lawyer. If they left a holographic will, it hasn't been found yet, and we strongly doubt they listed anyone as potential guardians for Payton, otherwise, we'd imagine they would have contacted them to take care of Payton during Preston's last days. Payton's only living blood relatives, as far as we know, are Andrea's parents and Evan, the father has beginning stages of Alzheimer's, so they are not able to care for Payton."
"Sounds pretty cut and dry to me," Vince said, shrugging. "You love the kid, the kid loves you, you're taking care of the kid, possession is 9/10ths of the law, sign some papers, the kid should be yours."
Seth tried not to laugh, thinking Vince would not appreciate it, but it was funny the way Vince just assumed that this should be a non-issue. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" he said, trying to be diplomatic, "but the courts don't see it that way. Because Kayla and I are not relatives by blood, the state needs to be 100% sure we're the best parents for Payton."
"That's ridiculous," Vince said, scowling. "Of course you and Kayla are. You love the kid, right? It's not like she's a cute little baby either. No offense, but people aren't lined up around the block to take in a six-"
"-Eight," Seth interjected to correct.
"Eight year old," Vince corrected himself, not missing a beat. "The courts should be thrilled they don't have to worry about putting her in foster care where they'd have to pay folks to take care of her." He waved his hand dismissively, as if his very declaration was all that was needed, as if he expected the adoption papers would fall out of the sky and land in Seth's hands all properly filled out and notarized. "But, what does this have to do with the belt?"
Stephanie spoke up, "Dad, it's not that simple." Seth could tell from her eyes that she was trying not to smile at her dad's misconceptions about how the world worked. "I'm sure the courts will eventually agree that Seth and Kayla are the best choice, but they will have to appear in court. There will likely be visits at their house from social workers to make sure they can properly provide for the child-"
"Can't we just produce an income statement?" Vince asked. "We pay him enough, of course he can afford to support a child. And doesn't your fiancee make a good living?" He looked at Seth.
"When she works," Seth admitted, a bit flattered that Vince knew enough about him to know that his fiancee made a good living, even if he was sure Vince had no idea what it was she did. "But she hasn't been working, because of Payton. And the chances are she won't be working until Payton is in school and even then it's up in the air."
"Still, you make enough to support a family," Vince said. "I know you guys always gripe we don't pay you what you feel you deserve, but you're not exactly making Walmart wages."
Seth heard Roman and Randy sniggering on either side of him, but he ignored it. "That's true, I have no complaints about how I am paid." Actually, sometimes he did, but he wasn't going to bring those up now.
"Well, then, that's simple." Vince looked at Stephanie. "Remind me to have my secretary send a copy of Seth's contract, showing what we pay him, to the courts in Davenport. They'll see he can certainly afford a child."
"Again, it's not that simple," Stephanie said, and Seth was grateful to have her support. "Financial ability is only one thing the courts will look at. They want to make sure Payton will grow up in a home with parents who love each other and are committed to giving Payton the best life possible, so when she goes out into the world, she'll be the best she can be."
"Seth is a fine young man, Payton could do far worse." Vince looked at Seth. "You'll make a great father, I know you will. But what does this have to do with dropping the belt, as you put it?"
"I don't feel I can be a good champion," Seth said, finding himself again a bit flattered at Vince's attitudes about him, this time that he would make a great father. "I've gone through my contract, I am allowed to take time off for family emergencies and this is a family emergency."
"Are you talking about being completely gone?" Hunter asked, speaking for the first time. "No Raw or Smackdown even? Like we'll need to have you get 'injured' for awhile?"
"No," Seth said, shaking his head. "I'll be around for Raw and Smackdown. I'll even appear on the pay per views if I'm needed. I'll do what I can to make sure I won't have to be in court on Mondays or Tuesdays. But I don't want to be on any house shows. I need to be home. Not just for the courts, but for Payton too. Her parents died, she's having trouble coping with that. She needs the stability of both Kayla and myself for a bit."
Vince frowned. "Well, I don't like the idea of you being unable to do house shows and tours, but we could possibly work it out."
Seth shook his head. "No. I've thought about this a lot. I think it's better that I drop the belt. I know Lesnar is a cut and run champion, but he gets away with it. That doesn't fit my ring persona." He bit his lower lip thoughtfully before speaking again. "Look, I've always been the company man. You tell me to jump, I jump. You tell me to be in Peoria the next day, and I'm headed for Peoria. But this is different. This is my life. Let's face it, I could botch a move tomorrow and end up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. And if that happens, the WWE goes on without me. But my family? They'll be there for me. I don't want to screw this up. Until Payton is better able to cope with her parent's death and until we have legally adopted her, I have to put my family as my very top priority. I can't do that and be a good WWE World Heavyweight champion. So, I think for both myself and the WWE the best thing I can do is drop the belt." He took a sip of the diet Coke he'd chosen to drink before continuing. "Not at this pay per view though, for this one we should go as we planned. Let me win. I know I won't be around for House shows, but unless it's an emergency, I will be on every Raw, Smackdown and if needed, Main Event. I will film promos too. But at Payback? Let me drop the belt."
"Well, maybe we can get Lesnar to come to Payback," Vince mused.
"No," Seth said, shaking his head. "Let's not give Lesnar the belt again. Really, people had to live long enough with a champion who barely showed his face. Let's not go that way again, at least for awhile longer."
"I agree," Hunter said. "Yes, Lesnar has his fans and those fans adore him, but there are a lot of other fans who'd rather not have the absent defender." He leaned back in his chair and looked at Seth. "I have a feeling you have someone in mind. Who were you thinking?"
Seth didn't hesitate. "Roman."
Roman looked up at him, as if Seth had spit in his face rather than suggest he win the championship.
"What about me?" Randy interjected before Roman could say a word. "I'm in the running."
"You've had the belt," Seth said. "I think we should take a chance, do something different."
"I don't know," Vince said slowly.
"Do you think he's ready, Seth?" Hunter asked, looking quite doubtful himself.
"Not this second," Seth admitted, "But we've got a month to work with him. We'll get him going."
"But it would make more sense if it were me," Randy disagreed.
"I think it could work," Stephanie said, sounding as if she were thinking carefully while she spoke.
"Can I say something?" Roman asked. His voice was soft, as it often was, but something about it made it carry across the room. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. He cleared his throat. "Seth? Thank you. I'm honored you thought of me, but bro, no way."
"What do you mean, no way?" Vince asked, before Seth could speak. "I'm not saying we're going to give it to you, but for god's sake, you can't be rejecting it, it's the WWE World Heavyweight Championship! It's the brass ring!"
"I know that, Sir," Roman said, still speaking softly, but clearly. "And I do want it, more than anything else in the world, but not as a rush job. People were furious when I won the Royal Rumble. They said I was being shoved down their throats and maybe they were right. I'm just starting to be able to show my face in events without being booed. I'm just starting to see the WWE put up a video of me and not seen it immediately filled with 'he sucks' comments. I'm slowly proving to these people that yeah, I've got what it takes to earn my spot at the top. I'd rather fight my way to the top than be carried. People who once said I can't wrestle aren't saying it so loudly. People that say I can't talk on the mike are starting to change their tune. But if I get the strap at Payback? That all goes away. People will say I'm being forced down their throats and they'll be right." He turned to look at Seth. "Bro, you don't know what it means to me that you'd fight for me to get another chance. But I'm not ready."
"Are we in Montreal or something?" Vince muttered, looking around. "Since when does someone not want the Championship?"
"Don't look at me," Randy said, a small grin fixed on his lips, as if he were enjoying this entire exchange. "I'm not saying no."
"I don't think you should have it either," Roman said, very careful in a tone that showed he did not want to sound insulting to Randy. "Seth's right, you've been champion before. It's time for someone else. You're a great Champion, Randy, but I think it's time to put a new face behind the belt."
"Who did you have in mind?" Hunter asked. "Because it's pretty clear from the look on your face, you know who you think should get the chance."
"I do," Roman admitted. "We need someone who will breathe some fresh air into the championship. We've had the disappearing brute, we've had the weasel faced Brat Prince." he looked over at Seth, grinning and said, "No offense."
"None taken, Fabio," Seth quipped.
"We need someone who is neither of these things. We need someone who will make the championship interesting," Roman continued. "Someone people will tune in, just to see what crazy stuff he'll pull next. We need-"
Seth was looking at him, realizing who he meant and the two men spoke at the same time, "Dean Ambrose." Then, Seth nodded. "Yeah, that's brilliant."
"What?" Vince shook his head. "Are we in Bizarro World? Well, Punk's from this city, so we damned well could be. Dean Ambrose? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Roman said.
"Look, Dean is a nice kid and all, but he's not champion material." Vince said, still shaking his head.
"Why not?" Seth said, grinning as he thought about Dean as the champion. "Vince, he's master of the mike. Give him the belt, hand him the microphone and he'll deliver gold to you, every single time. You know he will, I know he will. Don't give him a strict script, don't make him do things like steal hotdog carts, just tell him what he needs to accomplish, tell him how much time he's got to do it, and let him go. He'll deliver promos that people will quote from for days."
"He's not that good," Vince muttered.
"Sir," Roman shook his head. "Not to be disrespectful, but you're talking about a man who launched a million memes on the internet, simply by saying the word, 'nope.'"
Randy frowned, but he was nodding too. "I hate to say it, but Dean would make a different type of champion than the WWE is used to, lately."
"He'd come clear out of the blue," Seth said. "No one is expecting him to become champion this year, so this would just shock the WWE Universe."
"Not everyone loves shock," Vince reminded him, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.
"But a lot of people love Dean Ambrose," Seth reminded him right back. "And a lot of people love Jon Moxley. Let Dean be Mox. Let him be the crazy champion. Don't make him some weird good guy, make him crazy, make him like he was back in the Mox days. Don't just call him unstable, let him be unstable."
Hunter was nodding too. "I think Roman and Seth have a point," he said. "Dean is popular. And when he's not forced to stick to a ridged script, when he's allowed to say what he wants, he's fantastic on the mike. He's got a charisma about him that makes people stand up and take notice. He's unpredictable, he's fun."
"And the championship isn't carved in stone," Roman reminded them. "Try it for a month. If he isn't blowing the socks off of everyone and getting pops loud enough to be heard six streets away when his entrance music starts? Then you have him lose it to Randy or whoever you decide would be the next best choice. What do you have to lose?"
"But we haven't even had him in the running!" Vince reminded them.
"So?" Seth asked. "We've got a month to put him in the running, we can figure it out."
"We figure out how to make the title defense a four way," Stephanie said, slowly as if she were warming up to the idea. "Roman, you should at least be a contender. Randy, you'll be in it too. And some how, some way, maybe Seth will piss Kane off and as a punishment, we'll throw Dean Ambrose in too." She started smiling, clearly warming to this idea as Roman, Seth, and her husband were. "The rumor mill has it that Seth will hold on to the belt until Summer Slam-"
"How do these rumors keep leaking?" Vince muttered.
"-we don't tell anyone about this," Stephanie continued, as if Vince hadn't interrupted, "We'll be the only ones who know. Everyone will think Dean is just a throw away, destined to lose, hell, they'll think all three of them are throw always, but Dean will be on the bottom of the candidates to win. And he'll win."
"I like it," Hunter agreed.
"Do I have a say?" Vince grumbled, but there was something in his eyes that said he was merely protesting as a formality. That if he wasn't delighted, he would at least let this happen. Dean Ambrose was gold on the microphone. He would make his run as Champion, even if it was a short one, memorable.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Roman rose to his feet. "I'll get that," he said.
"Great, now Roman's answering the door," Vince grumbled. "Next thing you know it, he and Seth over here will be running the company." He looked at Hunter and Stephanie. "We can open up a used book store or something. Serve coffee too."
Roman returned, Dean with him. "I hope no one minds, but while we were talking, I texted Dean," Roman said. "I figured he had the right to know what was going on."
Dean was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a black T-shirt with jagged white letters declaring "WVW" across his chest. His hair was tousled and he had the look of someone who had rolled into the fastest clothes he could find. He was probably getting ready for bed, if not in bed, Seth thought. Probably talking to Cinnamon or texting Neil when Roman's text came through. Wow, it wasn't so long ago when he would have been out partying and hitting on every woman he could find.
"Uh, hi," Dean said, running his fingers through his hair. "Am I in trouble?"
"No," Hunter said, shaking his head. "Have a seat, Dean."
Dean sat down, looking around at everyone. "So, uh, what's going on?"
Vince looked at him, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Dean Ambrose, how would you like to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion?"
Half an hour later, the three men headed back to their hotel rooms. Roman and Dean had not brought their families to this pay per view, so they were sharing a room, but unlike the old days where the three of them would bunk up in one room with two beds, they had a two bedroom suite. Seth was on the same floor in his own two bedroom suite.
"How can I ever thank you guys?" Dean asked, still looking dazed. "I thought I was destined to be an upper card jobber for at least another year, and now that's all changed." He spoke softly because you never knew who might be listening.
"Don't thank me, thank Roman," Seth said, just as quietly. "He's the one who suggested it."
"You deserve this chance," Roman said, also keeping his voice low. "And you can thank Seth too, he agreed with my idea and talked you up."
"Well, thank you to both of you," Dean said, wiping his eyes and sniffling.
"Dude!" Seth stared at him in disbelief. "Are you crying?"
"No!" Dean said quickly. "It's allergies. You know how Chicago acts with my allergies. And I forgot to pack any Allegra."
Seth shook his head. Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same, he pondered, remembering all the times when they were in The Shield that he'd made sure to have Allegra for Dean's allergies, because Dean never seemed to remember to buy any himself. The times he'd loaned Roman his phone charger, because Roman would forget to pack his. Seth had always been the one to remember the little things that his two brothers would forget, right down to grabbing and packing any extra soaps from hotel rooms that weren't Dial, because Roman hated Dial soap and some places used it exclusively. They were at the door to his hotel room and he paused, pulling out his key card. "Give me a moment, Dean," he said. "I've got some Allegra in my kit, I'll bring it down to your room."
"Can you lend me your phone charger?" Roman asked, looking sheepish. "I forgot mine and my phone died right after I texted Dean."
"Sure," Seth said, shaking his head again, grinning. "I've got an extra one you can use while you're here."
End of Chapter Twenty.
Author's Notes: No, I am not going to turn Kayla into a bible thumper. My betareader questioned that too, when we were discussing the chapter. I just figured that Kayla did come from a religious household where church was important, not just for the whole religious upbringing, but it was a place of meeting and socializing.
The church I grew up with was not quite as nice as the one Kayla grew up with, but they did try. But, there were/are churches like the church Kayla grew up with out there and if your only exposure to Christianity comes from the GOP, then yeah, you don't have the whole story. I'm constantly blow away when someone tells me that being a Christian means they have no tolerance for anyone who isn't just like them. I grew up believing that a relationship between you and God is a private one and that as long as your beliefs aren't an endangerment to yourself or society, then it's between you and God to work out what's best. That God gave me a brain and the power to use it.
I don't believe their is a war against Christianity because the clerk at Walmart told me "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." I also believe there are a lot of smartass atheists out there who are just as bad as any bible thumper and just as insulting. And I'm amazed that every time someone posts a You Tube video of anything that even hints of religion, they all show up to tell everyone how much better they are, how much they don't believe. And my opinion is, "Wow, for claiming you don't believe in God, you sure as hell spend a lot of time obsessing about him, don't you?" It's just as rude and obnoxious as the people who can't stop "witnessing" to everyone they meet, the assumption being that if you aren't going to their church, you must be a raging heathen in need of some saving.
I believe that religion should make you a better person, and more tolerant of others. If it doesn't, then it's a bad thing. Same thing with lack of belief. If not believing in God makes you intolerant to people who do? Then get yourself some faith, because you need that big Skydaddy to remind you that you're not nearly as great as you think you are.
The more I write about Kayla the more she emerges in my head as someone who doesn't believe you should make judgments on only one side of the coin. She sees that Payton is going through more than any child should go through, and where she (Kayla) would have been able to draw comfort from religion had she been going through the same things, Payton, has been burned by it. Not by God, but by the church she belong to, and their motto of demanding strict obedience and a constant hand out. Kayla wants Payton to be able to make an informed decision, based on exposure to all sides, before she decides what she believes or does not believe in.
So, no, this chapter was not my way of trying to hint to you folks, "Go get yourself some religion!" That isn't my place to call.
Special Thanks To:
Emilee: Yeah, poor Payton indeed. She's feeling like she doesn't know what way is up. She's lost so much, and she's afraid she'll lose even more, so she's got to test everything. Luckily, Seth and Kayla aren't going to give up on her!
Holly: You're right, she does need a fast adoption, so she can feel secure again. Sadly, courts don't always work that way and Kayla and Seth have their work cut out for them. Right now, she also needs some closure.
Torrie: Yeah, when I was writing her, there was something about Andrea that I found a little off myself. It's interesting that you caught that too. I don't know if that is my superub writing skills (snort) or your excelent powers of deduction. Let's say it was a bit of both and we can all be flattered.
Angela: Yep, kids are awesome, and it's even more awesome when they go home with their families who can spend their time loving them and undoing the damage I likely caused them by letting them stay up late and eat jellybeans with breakfast.
Yeah, I figure Stephanie is a mom first, and she sees that Seth needs to really step up to the plate now, and she's going to make sure he gets the chance.
I'm wondering now if Bryan is leaving wrestling. In my more cynical moments I'm thinking, If he does come back, please don't give him a belt at wrestlemania, apparently that's a bad idea. I would like to see him have a job with the WWE that doesn't involve wrestling. I guess he'll be a judge on Tough Enough, so, maybe that's the plan.
Yeah, I don't get that, "It's more special if he's not there!" No, it means he's not there. And I only find Lesnar fans saying that, and I have a feeling that it's more about Lesnar than his lack of appearance. To me, the Champion is supposed to be the star of the show. Lesnar is supposed to be the Very Special Guest Star. Yes, it's awesome when The Very Special Guest Star graces you with his presence, but he should not also be The Star too. It just isn't balanced.
I'm just tired of the whole, "It doesn't matter because the Authority always wins!" storyline. I mean, we all know wrestling is scripted, but it's just getting to the point where they're telling you how scripted it is. "It really doesn't matter, because we'll win in the long run!" It's just gotten so boring.
I dread that the plan is to give Lesnar back the belt, I really do. He makes more appearances towards the end of the year, so that's exactly what I fear we're leading into. Lesnar gets the belt back, he makes a few extra appearances and everyone goes nuts to see him, so the WWE goes, "Mmm... the sheep like it when they barely see the champion. And Lesnar loves having the belt, so let's again reward him, while everyone else works their asses off day after day, week after week to keep it all going, just for him."
To everyone who reviews, both guest and registered: Thank you so much. I was hoping this story would be finished in three chapters, now it looks like it will be four. I swear though, it will be done in 25 chapters or less, I refuse to turn this into the never ending saga, that is totally not the way I write. But there is one very important thing that needs to happen (Besides Seth, Kayla and Payton getting their day in court) and that's going to take a little longer to tell than I originally thought.
Again, I owe all of you so much for this story. Every Follow, every favorite, and doubly so, every review has been keeping me going, keeping me writing when the rest of the world conspires to keep me doing anything but writing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you have done any of these things, followed, favored, reviewed, you can take credit for this story too. Writing can be a very lonely thing indeed and it gets too easy for writers to think it was "all them" but in this case, a lot of encouragement went into this story, encouragement by you folks that have been willing to let me know how much you enjoyed it. So, keep it coming, it's just... wonderful.
Peace Out
Willow.