AN: I loved the reviews for the last chapter. :D I'm ridiculously proud of this chapter. It's the wrap-up for this fic. I'm actually pretty proud of this fic. Thanks for sticking around this long, and I hope y'all enjoyed this as much as I did.

Thanks times a million to Captain. She edited this thing and was a solid mind to bounce ideas off of. You can probably blame her for this fic being this long, and thank her for me being prompt for posting. She's not a good editor. She's not a bad editor. She's the editor who's going to make sure I never use the word "that" in my writing. Oh wait, my bad - I meant to say, the's the best editor. :D

Chapter Nine: Back from the Future

Time: unknown Location: Unknown

There they were, illuminated by the most recent bolt of lightning, which was illuminating and streaking across the brooding sky. Roman could see three distinct gravestones.

Roman Reigns: May 25, 1985 - June 2, 2014

Dean Ambrose: December 7, 1985 - June 2, 2014

Seth Rollins: May 28, 1986 - June 2, 2014

There was no possible way this was real. Roman knew they didn't die that day; he knew. He lived through it. His present was November 2, 2015 over a year and a half after that day.

A part of him wanted to blame this situation on some sort of sick, twisted practical joke. But that thought was quickly dismissed. No, he had a sinking feeling this was all too real.

But why did his attempts to make things better, back to the way they should be, backfire so horribly? All Roman had wanted to do was regain his brotherhood, to make all three of them happy again, make all three of them a family again, to finally find that part of Seth that Dean said had died years ago. To show Dean that there was hope that they could be a family again.

And now he was stuck in some horrible limbo where not only did he lose both his brothers metaphorically but literally, and he too was lost. How did he mess up the timestream so spectacularly that he had managed to kill them all? Roman found himself curling his torso into himself with his shoulders hunched forward and his head dipping down.

For the first time in during this entire trip, Roman cried.

Why was it so wrong to just want his family to never be broken? Why couldn't he get it to work out? Why when he was left to his own devices was he such an asshole? Why couldn't he just make himself and his brothers happy? Why? Dammit, why?

He didn't know how long he was in that position mulling over his thoughts, whether it was hours or minutes, (then again, what is time if you cannot measure it?) before a warm hand settled on his shoulder, and he was pulled into a strong embrace. A part of Roman was vaguely aware that the rain had stopped, and the sun was peaking out of the clouds. He buried himself further into the hug, wondering where the miserable night had gone and if he really had sobbed in the mud for hours.

"Shhh, it's okay, darlin'."

Roman froze and pulled himself out of Marty's embrace confused, frightened and relieved someone was here with him. Even if that person was the accursed woman who gave him the damn watch in the first place. Was this all a sick joke to her?

Marty tried to set a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Roman flinched away from her. Marty sighed and said in a small voice, "I know you don't understand why at this point, so you probably hate me right now. But I gave you the watch for a reason."

"To screw with my head?" Roman said in a bitter and angry voice.

Marty shook her head. "Not quite. I saw how something that happened more than a year ago was still affecting you. It wasn't a healthy mindset. You needed to accept that some events are inevitable."

Roman glared at Marty. "Why is anything inevitable if you have the power to change anything that happened?!"

"Because the ability to change something does not immediately mean you should... Maybe it would help if I told you how I first acquired the watch," Marty said almost as though she was musing about adding an extra dash of vanilla into a cupcake recipe. She carefully turned the watch over in her hands. "But where would I start?"

"Why don't you just start at the freaking beginning! Not everything has to be so hard! Start at the beginning, and end with the end! Christ!" Roman shouted and then felt ashamed by his little outburst and fixed his gaze firmly on the mud and soaked grass.

Marty looked down at Roman. Her long grey hair falling forward and her brown eyes softening. "Oh Roman, if there's anybody that should get it; it's you. It's not as simple as a beginning or even an end. Time is a tricky thing. It's not as linear as the big wigs would have you think. Time's alive. A lotta times, there's not a place where things simply start. There's a place where something big happens; yes, that's true, but what started it was something where if you blink, you will have missed it. Things you thought were small were really much bigger and much more important than would've ever imagined. Look at your Seth. You thought if you could just head him off that night before the betrayal in the beginning, you'd fix things. Talk to him, and it would be a quick fix. Everything would be all hunkey dorey, but you weren't wrong. If you really wanted to stop him from thinking those things and doing what he did, you would've had to go back to June 14, 2013."

"What happened then?" Roman's brow furrowed. He didn't recognize or remember the significance of the date at all.

"That's the Shield's first lost by submission. Seth tapped out to the little goat man."

"Why would I have to travel to that date?" Roman asked, his mouth quickly pulled into a frown and his voice was almost monotone.

"That's when the thought wormed and wiggled its way into Seth's mind that he wasn't as good as you or Dean. He was the one to cause the team's first loss. If you wanted to change anything, you would've had to start there. But, before you go getting any funny ideas, listen. You would've had to stop nearly anytime Seth developed ammunition to break away. There are hundreds of little moments. Hundreds of moments that need a soothing touch."

"Hundreds…" Roman repeated in a far-off voice.

Marty nodded. "That's why, if it's inevitable and meant to be, something in time can't be fixed like how you would put a piece of tape over a ripped paper. No, it's more like shattering glass, like this watch face, sweetie. There are minute fractions and each one of them has to be mended in order for it to be properly fixed. If you don't attend to the small cracks first, you can never patch up the face and make it whole."

"Okay but if what you're saying is true, why didn't me preventing the car from hitting Dean and his death cause everything to go haywire?" Roman asked, suspiciously.

Marty shook her head with a small smile. "That's a good question, sweetie. The event wasn't natural; just you gaining the watch in the future caused him to alter his course. Dean wasn't meant to even go to the bar that night; in fact, he was supposed to stay in for the night with Thai food. As a result, an event occurred to rectify his presence there."

"By killing him off?" Roman asked, alarmed.

Marty shrugged. "Chronos has a tendency of being cruel and will use dubious methods to solve paradoxes. It's also why your duplicates would dissolve so violently when you would return to the same point back in time."

Roman made a face. "Yeah, that was one of the worst things I've ever witnessed."

Marty smiled. "I wouldn't doubt it, darling."

"Nothing I did seemed to make any difference. It's just so frustrating."

Marty sighed softly. "Trust me, I understand. I know from personal experience."

Roman looked up in confusion and gave Marty a stern look. Finally, he decided to ask the question that was on his mind throughout this entire adventure about how she managed to gain this supernatural watch. "Is that from when you first acquired the watch?"

Marty smiled, sadly; her eyes were distant. Before Roman's eyes, her hair darkened until it was the rich chocolate brown color, and her wrinkles smoothed into unblemished skin, skin that didn't know the test of time. "Yes… It's hard to know where to start; like I said earlier, things rarely happen in a way that's easy to tell when they began or when they ended. Some might argue that nothing ever really truly begins or ends."

Roman was about to open his mouth to say something, but he stopped when Marty waved her hand at him.

"I know; I know. I'll get on with it. I'll start with this; I was seventeen and naive, and I had fallen in love with a boy… The only rub in the situation was my daddy didn't approve of him. The boy was poor, and he was...what my daddy saw as below us. His ma was an Indian. I know that's not the term we say now a'days but old habits as you know…"

"Die hard," Roman said in almost a whisper.

Marty nodded. "Exactly, that's what they say, and I reckon, it might hold some truth to it. My daddy hated the idea of his oldest daughter, marrying someone below her social class standing. You see, it was a different time then where people couldn't chose their partners out of love and compatibility... No, things like social standing and race would dictate a marriage." Marty sighed. "I couldn't stand the man my father chose for me. He was more than twenty years my senior, and he was a cruel, awful man with an icy heart. So I convinced Will to run away with me." Marty was quiet for a moment.

Roman frowned as he glanced at Marty. He had a bad feeling about where this story was heading. Surely, there wasn't a happy ending. "And what happened next?"

"I snuck out one night to meet him; we thought we had the best plan to run away. But I...I had no idea my baby sister followed me. She was worried bout me. She wasn't even planning on stopping me, just on saying goodbye..." Marty's voice grew softer.

After staring into the distance for a moment, Marty walked passed the three gravestones, and Roman stared at her before he scrambled to his feet to follow her. He prayed she did not disappear leaving him stuck here for eternity.

"Marty?"

"She just wanted to say goodbye to me and to tell me she loved me."

"Marty?"

Roman almost ran into the woman when she stopped right in front of an old grave with a delicately carved angel, guarding a headstone.

Mary Beth Collins: April 6, 1845 - June 2, 1860

"My selfishness caused her death." Marty reverently stroked a hand across the gravestone. "She didn't know my daddy and my brother followed her out into the woods that night. I didn't have any notion of anyone of them behind us. All I knew was that one minute I turned and saw my daddy aiming a rifle at Will. The next my baby sister was crumpled up in front of us, lying on the ground, withering in front of us and dying because of a gunshot wound to her chest. And I held her as she bled out and took her final breaths in my arms."

"Marty, I-I'm so sorry." Roman stared at the woman, horrified at what she just revealed.

"So was I." Marty wiped a hand across her eyes. "At first, I blamed my daddy. He shot the rifle; he killed her. But then, I began to realize that it was all my fault...If I had told her before I left and gave her a chance to talk to me and say one last goodbye, if I hadn't avoided my duties as a daughter, if I hadn't fallen in love… she would have still been alive." Marty sighed, and she met Roman's concerned gaze. "It doesn't get any easier to talk about this even when so much time has passed."

Roman tentatively reached his hand out, and Marty held it. "It was after that tragedy when a strange woman visited me and asked me if I wanted a chance to change the past. It didn't take me more than a minute to say yes, and I was given a gold watch…" Marty lead Roman back to the Shield members' three gravestones.

"So you traveled."

"I traveled. I tried six different scenarios to try and save Mary, but I'm sure as you know from personal experience that none of them worked out. I didn't know about all the little cracks that needed to be repaired. I didn't know about how changing one thing could change everything else. It got to the point where I had given up completely. Then, finally when the woman came to me again, she introduced herself. Roman, have you ever heard of Ananke?"

"No?"

"Ananke means inevitability. She is also a Greek Goddess of the same concept; she tends to time and makes sure the inevitable happens. Ananke is the name of the woman who gave me the watch, and she is the Goddess that granted me immortality after I told her I had nothing, nothing left to live for. And even though over a century ago, I was just Martha Mae Collins; I am now Ananke since I gave my body and my psyche to her on her second visit."

Roman's mouth dropped open as he stared at Marty...Ananke? Did this mean she was going to take his body?

Marty snorted. "No, Roman, I'm not some body snatcher. I made it possible for us to meet in order for you to learn that some events are inevitable. Time is a fragile entity. Cronos is fragile. Trying to change the past will often result in outcomes you would never have wanted. Time is cruel and unforgiving, but it always has a purpose. Seth needed to betray you that day. You know why?"

Roman shook his head.

"Because it was meant to be. It was inevitable. He needed to betray you and Dean in order to find himself and realize who he wants to be, who he needs to be. You need to accept what's inevitable."

Roman felt what little hope he still possessed crumble. "It's inevitable? I can't ever have my family back?"

Marty frowned. "You need to accept the betrayal was inevitable; you need to return to June 2, 2014 and let those events play out like they were supposed to."

"I don't think I can do that."

Marty sighed and then smiled. "Reigns, I'm going to show you something. I don't do this for everyone, but I like you Roman. Plus, I think you need to see this for yourself, but I just want you to know that it won't happen unless the betrayal takes place."

"Okay? What do you want to show me?"

Marty picked up the watch from the ground and gently ran a finger over the glass, fixing it. There were no pieces missing now, but there were still the ghosts of the shattered cracks of the past showcased on the face. She gently took and grasped Roman's hand in her own. "Close your eyes, sweetie."

Roman closed his eyes, finding no will to argue with Marty. He was just going to go along for the ride, and maybe things would turn out alright in the end.

"You can open them now," Marty murmured.

Roman opened his eyes and saw they were standing in front of seats in the audience of a WWE show. He was embarrassed for a moment she had to prompt him; the atmosphere had changed so much from the quiet graveyard to the bustle of a full arena, so it should have been obvious they were somewhere else.

"Marty, why did you bring me here?" Roman asked, softly.

Marty shot him a small smile and nodded her head towards the ring. "Take a gander and see for yourself, boy."

Roman turned and for the first time, really looked at the ring and who was in it. On one side was a group called the Club: Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and AJ Styles. Okay, that was strange, Roman had to think to himself; last he checked, none of them were in the WWE… Then on the other side stood Dean and himself. This was obviously a handicapped match.

Roman winced as he saw Styles put his other self in a Calf Crusher. "Where are we? Better yet, when are we?" He paused considering what he just said. "I feel like that's not the way to say that…"

Marty laughed. "About a year ahead of your present. We're at Survivor Series in 2016 at a match between the Club and you two knuckleheads."

"Huh. And we're here because...?" Roman asked before he grimaced as Dean was hit with a nasty looking Big Boot from Gallows outside the ring.

"I want to show you what your future will be like if you revert the past back to the way it was, which, yes, includes Seth betraying you and Dean."

Roman saw Gallows toss Dean into the barricade. "And seeing this will motivate me somehow? Because from where I'm sitting, it seems like something has to give in the past or my future is still going to be total crap and suck."

"Not necessarily," Marty said with a grin (that turned into a wince of sympathy when she saw Roman finally grab the rope to break out of the submission hold, only to receive a punch to his head from Anderson for his trouble).

Styles then hit Roman's older self with the Phenomenal Forearm. Roman shook his head, mesmerized by the scene in front of him. It was sort of like watching a car accident unfold before his very eyes. It was terrible to watch but impossible to look away. He really shouldn't watch this; now it looked like Styles was going to set him up in a Styles Clash...

"I'm telling you the payoff is totally worth it. Sometimes we have to endure a little to really reap the rewards," Marty then said in an oddly muffled voice.

The ref signaled the bell for a DQ when Styles took too long to break the submission hold.

"Jeez, these guys are brutal," Roman muttered when the Club kept on with their beatdown even after the match was over. Roman glanced at Marty to see her hands were completely covering her face, shielding her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm all hunky dorey," she said. She actually squeaked when the smack of Roman hitting the mat rang through the arena. "Oh, I know you don't break your neck, but that move is down-right horrifying and a little too reckless for my taste."

Roman patted her arm, consolingly. "How do you think I feel seeing that? I'm not looking forward to being on the receiving end of that." He flinched when he saw Styles dropkick him clear over the top rope. "Jeez, that looked so bad I think I felt it…"

Marty uttered a muffled, "I think I felt it, too, and I'm not even getting my hide licked."

Roman raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. Nah, it wasn't even worth teasing her over slang. "So let me get this straight. You took me to a future where Dean and I get the shit beaten out of us by some crummy invading New Japan faction, where Seth apparently still hates us, and this is somehow not total crap? Marty, I'm sorry, but I think you're wrong about this one, Seeing this won't make me want to go back to the past and get blindsided again."

Marty finally uncovered her face and beamed at Roman. "You're right about that."

"It's just that-" Roman paused. "Wait, what do you mean, I'm right? I thought this was going to convince me to go back and take the chairshot?"

"Not the beatdown," Marty said with a shake of her head. She then pointed at the stage. "But that might."

All of a sudden The Second Coming began playing, and Seth feverently ran down the ramp.

In the audience, Roman scowled when he saw his former brother climb into the ring. "What's Seth doing? Is he really going to help them beat us even worse? Dean and I are already down and out. What an ass-"

Roman paused when he saw Seth launch into a suicide dive on top of Gallows and Anderson. He quickly pulled Dean up to his feet, just in time to see the older Roman pulling himself into the ring with Styles following him. "What the hell?"

Marty smiled smugly and nodded.

Outside the ring, Dean gave Seth a long, hard look and fliched when Seth set himself up for a superkick. Seth's Avada Kadavra went right past Dean and hit a kneeling Gallows, who as the audience had seen was getting ready to attack Ambrose. Seth grinned widely at Dean before he began climbing up to the top rope, overlooking where Styles and Reigns were brawling.

Dean seemed conflicted as to whether he should stop Seth or not. For once, his former brother had actually helped him instead of hurt him… Instead of knocking Seth from his perch on the top rope, Dean pulled Anderson up into a Dirty Deeds and hit the move easily.

Seth stood on the top rope, waiting for his opportunity, and after a simultaneous blow that left both Styles and Roman flat on their backs with Roman lying closer to Seth's corner, Seth knew this was what he was looking for. The former Architect of the Shield smirked as Roman's eyes fluttered open and the man made eye contact with him. Roman began to try and move, which was a difficult task when he felt entirely spent.

"Rome, don't move," Seth said with a grin.

Roman shot him a look that clearly said no way in hell.

"Trust me, big brother."

Roman stilled and wondered when in time he lost his common sense.

Seth turned around and jumped. Roman watched as Seth flipped over him in a glorious Phoenix Splash onto Styles. Seth carefully stood up and then reached his hand down to Roman. Roman stared at the offered hand for a split second before he grabbed it and allowed Seth to pull him to his feet. The Architect looked at Roman full of doubt as he wondered if he did the right thing and if his former brothers could ever accept him back.

Dean scurried into the ring, looking dazed. He shot a confused look at Seth and put a protective hand on Roman's arm. Roman glanced at Dean and nodded at him. He then put out his closed fist. Dean stared at Roman before he slowly stretched out his arm and touched his fist to Roman's. Then both men turned to look at Seth.

An unasked question hang in their midst.

Seth instantly touched his fist to theirs.

And as the crowd exploded and cheered them on, the Shield were finally reunited.

Marty carefully grabbed Roman's hand. "Close your eyes, sweetie. You know what you have to do...Don't worry about your past self; I'll take care of the rest."

Roman stared at his future self with both of his brothers by his side, and his eyes began to water. He closed his eyes and listened to the "Hounds of Justice" chant as the crowd showed their appreciation for the brothers finally being together once again.

June 2, 2014 9:55 PM

When Roman opened his eyes, he realized Marty wasn't next to him anymore. Instead of her soft hand in his, there was the smooth surface of the gold pocket watch, not nearly as warm and comforting to him.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, what I do better than anybody is adapt. Last night was Plan A; tonight - tonight is Plan B." Hunter paused before he smirked and said again, "There's always a Plan B."

Roman bit back the sigh he almost released. Here he was again. Could he do this… again? Marty was certainly asking a lot of him.

He was holding the watch. Who was to say he couldn't just turn back time again? He could jump from moment to moment and maybe by a miracle he could find a situation where he wouldn't have to go throw this.

He ran a finger over the cover of the watch. He felt the scuffs and the ding; he knew he would feel the outlines of a hundred cracks on the face if he opened the watch and would see the dried flakes of Dean's blood inside it. Everything he did had consequences; every time he changed the past, there were imprints.

Roman slide the watch into his pants pocket.

Dean glanced at Roman, and he nodded at his brother. Both men took a couple steps forward: one was ready to attack and the other was readying himself to be attacked.

Even though he knew what was going to happen, he left Seth standing alone behind them, leaving his back unprotected against his teammate, his brother. He could picture Seth tensing his arm muscles before pulling the chair back and preparing to perform the "chairshot heard around the world."

But he didn't have to imagine it for too long because sure enough the steel dug into his back, and he crumpled to the ground.

He didn't move by his own volition until he and Dean dragged themselves back to their locker room. He waited until after Dean left the room to grab some ice from the trainers' room before he pulled the watch out and slowly turned the dials forward. He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping he could just return to how things were.

November 2, 2015 9:45 P.M.

"Looks familiar, don't it?"

Yes, it really did. He held the watch in his left hand, and he traced the outline of the ding as he scanned the area around him. He recognized the crowd, the anti-Roman Reigns signs in the crowd, Dean knocked silly behind the barricade, and his younger brother stalking towards him with a steel chair in hand.

"Looks familiar, don't it?" Seth yelled, and he grinned at the audience as though this was the most fun he'd had for the longest time.

Roman sprang to his feet and drew his arm back for a Superman Punch.

Time seemed to freeze as he made eye contact with Seth, and for a moment, an odd expression flashed across Seth's face. Roman couldn't place the emotion. If he were to venture a guess, he would say it was a cross of confusion and regret. But...it was unthinkable for Seth to be regretful at this point… Right?

Roman's Superman Punch connected with Seth's face, and the Architect swiftly dropped, rolled out of the ring, and stumbled up to the stage.

Remaining crouched, Roman watched his younger brother seemingly panic and try to reassure himself that he had his title as Seth tightly grasped at the belt and cradled it.

Roman found Dean pulling himself to his feet, and after he slipped the watch into his pocket, he threw arm around the Lunatic Fringe's shoulders.

"It's okay, Rome. You'll get the championship. One way or another," Dean said as he looked at Seth's retreating form.

Roman just smiled. Suddenly, the championship wasn't all that important.

Dean nudged his side. "I think you're supposed to say 'Believe that' right now or a simple 'I can and I will' would do the job."

Roman ruffled up Dean's already messy curls. "Thanks for the tip, little brother."

Dean swatted away Roman's hand with a smirk. "Hey, what can I say? Along with my good looks and charm, I'm here to give solid advice."

Roman grinned. "And you do just that, Dean. You always have my back, and you always will."

Dean smirked knowing full well Roman was right. "Course, I do. I'm always here for you, brother. Believe that!"

Roman couldn't help but groan at the Lunatic Fringe's use of his tagline. "Really Dean?"

Dean slide under the bottom rope and began the walk backstage with Roman following him. He threw a cheeky grin at his brother. "Is it my fault that's so catchy?"

The two Superstars made their way to the locker room they were sharing to shower and change.

"Dang it," Dean mumbled under his breath.

Roman looked up from where he was tying his shoe to see Dean examining his abdomen. "I know we were planning on going out tonight, but I don't think we should. Look, I'll just order some of that nasty, stinky Thai food for you, and you can relax. You really deserve to have an easy night, bro. I think it would do you a world of good."

Dean considered it for a moment. "You mean Pad Sa Tor?"

"Uh, yeah, that one..."

Dean seemed to be waging a war between his stubbornness and his appetite; however, his appetite won. "Alright, add in some Tom Yum Goong and you got yourself a deal, Uce."

On the way to the hotel, Roman stopped at a Thai restaurant where he ordered Dean's prefered dishes in a manner that left the college kid who was working the register sniggering at his horrible pronunciation.

When he pulled the rental car up to the hotel (with the windows idealistically rolled all the way down to try and air out the smell of Dean's pungent dinner choices), Dean waved off his offer to walk him in and check in by saying, "I got it, Uce. Just stop at the desk to get your key; I'll have them keep yours there. Have fun. Go and flirt with some beautiful chick for me."

Roman pulled the rental car into the nearly empty parking lot for Marty's bar, and he took his time walking into the bar and back to the same table he and Dean had inhabited the last time they were there. Oh, that time never happened...

"Doc, about the future…"

"No! Marty! We've already agreed that having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically!"

Roman had to chuckle when he caught sight of the old movie playing on the wall over the pool table on a TV monitor, which probably predominantly played sports games. Back to the Future, really Marty? That lady had quite the sense of humor...

"Hello, darlin'," a familiar voice greeted him. "What can I get you tonight? Anything you're hankering for in particular? We're having a special on Fat Tire that's currently on tap."

"I'm going to pass on beer tonight." Roman grinned up at Marty and held out his hand. "I actually have something for you."

Marty took the gold watch from Roman with a fond smile. "Ah, I see. I suppose I haven't met you yet, Roman, so it's a pleasure to finally see you here."

"It's an honor to be here, ma'am."

"If you're not going to drink anything, boy, why don't I just grab us both some pie?"

"Is it your ma's recipe?"

"Oh, you know it most certainly is."

"Then what are you waiting for, Marty? I would love some," Roman said, cheekily in a very Dean-esque manner.

Marty laughed and walked back with the entire pie in a matter of moments. And Roman was content to just savor the decedent dessert, stealing forkfuls at a time while Marty chatted about - well- everything surrounding the bar: its politics, its workers and its customers.

Eventually, Marty decided it was time to kick Roman out. "I'm sure you have better things to do than chat with a very old woman." Ironically, Marty's hair chose that moment to darken into its chestnut brown.

Roman smiled. "Ma'am, if you're sick of me, just say so. I'll get out of your hair."

Marty chuckled and drew him into a hug. "I couldn't even dream of getting sick of you, charming boy. But you should get back. You have a busy schedule, and I'm sure those brothers need you more than I do."

Roman began walking out of the bar before he paused and looked back. "Marty, thank you."

"For what, darlin'?"

"Everything, Marty. Everything"

While driving back to the hotel Roman realized something, for the first time in a long time he had hope. Hope he had thought died a long time ago when Seth had turned on them, now he realized there was a spark...

As Roman walked away from the lobby's desk with his room key card in hand, he found himself wondering about endings. If this was a typical story, laid out on an outline to organize the plot, right about here there would be an ending. Maybe he would've added in a scene with him and Dean riding off into the sunset. But then again, if Marty was right, nothing ever really ended...

Roman quickly realized he hadn't showered or done anything in probably years, so he chose that moment to check himself over in front of the large mirror, which stretched tall and wide over the far side of the lobby's wall. As Roman gazed into the mirror, he saw Seth silently standing several feet behind him, which was extremely out of character for the young man.

Out of curiousity, Roman turned around but he did not find anyone there. He paused and scanned the lobby; the only other person there was the dozing concierge. That was strange he thought, but he shrugged it off and walked towards his room, musing about beginnings, endings, and everything in between.

Back in the lobby, Seth peered around the room, seeing Roman pause in front of the mirror. He gently touched the smooth glass, feeling it's strange cold seep warmth from his hand. In front of him, Roman glanced around and shrugged as he trudged away. In the mirror, Seth's pleading eyes frantically followed Roman's retreating form.

Roman quietly entered the room he was sharing with Dean. He carefully crawled into bed and fell asleep almost instantly until his alarm woke him up entirely too early. Zombie-like, he began getting ready for the morning.

He carefully shook Dean's shoulder as he called, "Come on Sleeping Beauty, up and at 'em."

The Lunatic Fringe didn't budge, so Roman ripped the blankets off the bed.

"ROMAN!" Dean shrieked as he jumped into the other man's arms in happiness, okay that was weird even for Dean, "You're you! You're not Cena's bitch! You're you, good; old I can and I will fight justice, believe that, Roman Reigns! I missed you, big brother!"

Roman stared at Dean, thinking that maybe, his brother had an experience as crazy as his. Nah, that was impossible. "Uh… Are you feeling okay, uce? You're acting really weird, weirder than usual I may add. I mean, I know I went out last night and you weren't feeling good, but still I thought that Thai food I brought you back wasn't that sketchy looking," Roman mumbled. A part of him was worried about revealing his adventure. What if Dean didn't believe him? "Maybe I shouldn't have brought you Thai food. What happened to you anyways? You were acting like you were having a nightmare?"

Dean said nothing until he pulled Roman into another hug, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Roman smirked. "I'm sure I would. You're not the only one with incredible stories, bro." He began putting their room into some semblance of order as he said, "We need to get on the road if we're going to make it to the next show on time since somebody thought it was a good idea to sleep in this morning."

The Lunatic dramatically rolled his eyes and flopped back onto the hotel room bed.

Roman continued to get both of their bags ready as he drank the complimentary hotel coffee. He glanced up when he heard Dean talking to someone.

"Hey Seth, good buddy, good pal of mine, I just wanted to say good morning to you and tell you, you are still the scum of the earth and a traitorous little weasel in my opinion." Then Dean slammed the phone down with a contented sigh.

Roman smiled and shook his head. He picked up his phone from where it was sitting on his open duffle bag. He unlocked the screen and saw that photo from when he and Seth won the tag team titles. His smile grew, and he glanced up to see Dean completely sprawled out on his bed like a contented puppy.

Everything may not be exactly how he wanted it to be right now, but Roman now knew if he was patient and just let the time stream work things out the way they were meant to be, the Shield would reunite. There might not be a sunset, nor would there be horses; however, there would be his two little brothers, and they would all be together, as a family, once again.

(And that's a wrap! :))

(RoRo comes around the corner in a bathrob in captain's apartment looking confused...

RoRo: You're still here?... It's over… Go home…

(RoRo then turns and walks away shaking his hand at the audience): Go…Crazy Writers...

(RoRo then rounds the corner, glances back once, and continues on his way.)

Brownie points for anyone who identifies the little dialogue bit. Tell me what it's from in a review. :D