Long time no see, fellow readers... No, I have not forgotten about this story - I've just been very busy and haven't had any time in months to sit down and finish writing this. I've had most of this chapter in my notebook for a long time but it was a matter of completing it that was the hard part, haha. I hope you all still continue to enjoy and revisit this... thank you for the kind messages and reviews, and hopefully I will see you again soon. :) Enjoy...
The Demon Inside Me
Chapter Eleven: Fear
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" asked Bayley; the newly formed couple returned to their hotel that night and decided to quietly munch on some stirfry in Finn's room. He had been particularly quiet ever since they got back, causing the Hugster to worry. Her dark brown eyes looked up to try to meet his but to no avail; his gaze was steadfastly on his plates.
"I don't want to worry you," he said, a quiver in his little voice.
"Telling me not to worry is going to make me worry more." She frowned; they were sitting adjacently at a small wooden table. "You can talk to me. Honest. We're friends first before all else."
"It's the Wyatts," he blurted out as soon as she stopped talking. "The Duck Dynasty lookalikes decided to…" - he chose his words carefully - "...approach me today. Well, maybe that isn't quite accurate…" His nervousness was getting to him as he remembered certain details. Bayley put her hand over Finn's and turned her body so that she was facing him completely, giving him her full attention. "They grabbed me before my match even started…"
"I remember that… where did they take you?"
"Couldn't tell you… I don't know it was a different building or if it was backstage, but the room was dark if not for a few lanterns… typical Wyatt-esque sort of thing. And they…" he bit his lip, cutting himself off and shaking his head. Should he tell her the part where they pulled out photos of the two of them and admitted to stalking her? He decided against it at the moment to avoid panic. "...Bray wants my demon. He says he's the one who knows how to control it and that I'm no good anymore…"
"He couldn't be more wrong." Bayley put her hand over his.
"I don't know about that… I can barely keep myself in gear nowadays."
"You're under so much stress; you haven't really stopped to breathe since you made your debut on Raw. Maybe you need a break."
"No way; I worked so hard to make it here; I can't stop now. Taking any time of would destroy any momentum that I've built."
"Not even just one day? We'll do something fun, go to the beach or the mountains or something."
"You'd take time off…?"
"What's a day?"
"No. Neither of us can do that. Hell, you still have NXT to think about, plus the main roster." Bayley frowned at that; he did have a point. "You're our NXT Women's Champion, Bayley. You have to stay. For the fans, the little kids out there… you know."
"I still care about you and your well-being though... " The two met each other's gazes, sincerity sparkling in those brown eyes of hers. Finn's face relaxed as he leaned forward and kissed her softly; if anything granted him peace nowadays, it was when he could just lean over and capture her lips. He pulled away slightly, his lips still lingering over hers. Her heart skipped a bit still.
"I know… and I appreciate your concern," he said in a soft voice, sitting back in his chair. "It's gonna be okay."
"If you need anything…" she started, giving him that sincere look. She'd do just about anything to keep him safe.
"I'll come find you. Promise." He forced himself to smile a little - which wasn't that hard since she knew how to do it for him - and she nodded in response.
"Now! Catch me up on what's happening with the Women's Division."
"Slowly but surely…. We are going to tear down Phoenix. All four of us!" Bayley beamed at the idea of taking the 'top dog' position with her best friends (and Charlotte). "We're going to change the game up on the Main Roster like how we did in NXT… these girls better be ready for us."
"You guys are unstoppable. Excuse me, you ladies." He grinned at the correction. She grinned in response; never had she felt prouder to be a woman than when she held the NXT Women's Championship, or having the best women friends around, or the fact that she gets to wrestle the very best in the business… those times were now.
The two lovebirds moved on to more lighthearted conversation, Finn secretly praying for the bad air around him to disperse. He was all alone in this room with Bayley, but every instinct in his body told him they were being watched. After a few hours of eating, chatting, and watching a movie, Bayley returned to her hotel room down the hall. Finn gave her a kiss good night and nearly asked her to stay the night; the thought of being alone made him all the more nervous, but he knew he had to let her go. She paid for that room… money still mattered. And besides, they were taking this relationship slow. No need to jump into everything or ruin a good thing. The lights went out in his room, and he laid in bed, a million thoughts running wild in his mind. Sleep not come easily that night as his blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the ceiling above him.
After a weekend of rather peaceful live events, Monday Night Raw reared its head yet again. Bayley and Finn arrived together, still keeping this relationship quiet for the time being; it was for them to enjoy and no one else. No hand holding, no kissing, no nothing in public. The two split up to go to their respective locker room, Bayley finding her buddy, Sasha, to talk to.
"So, what's the plan for tonight, champ?" Bayley asked the Divas Champion. "Kicking some Bella butt?"
"Oh, you know it," Sasha replied, connecting her knuckles with Bayley's as her face lowered. "Though Stephanie decided to create a Divas Beat the Clock challenge so she gets a new Number One contender for my title, and you can probably guess who's gonna be in it."
"Phoenix for sure…"
"And you, and Charlotte, and Becky, and some others. I gotta be on commentary for the entire thing… that should be interesting."
"No pressure! You're gonna have fun; sure, there's probably gonna be a brawl or two with the Boss close by…"
"Do you expect anything less?" The two besties smiled at each other and headed off to the locker room in order to get ready for the night; 'twas to be a long one.
The night started off with one of the several Beat the Clock matches; the first was Paige versus Foxy, two members of Phoenix. Something strange happened with the two of them when the bell rang; the two of them just sort of stared at each other. They walked around the ring, circled each other, and teased starting the match only to laugh it off as some kind of joke that they were faking out the crowd, their fingers brushing the others' only to slide away. The crowd, obviously confused, grew a little restless and began to chant: "Start the match!" only for their annoyances to fall on deaf ears. It took a minute before they finally did square up, though their hearts weren't in it. This was a chance to be the next woman to challenge for the Divas Championship and potentially be the next top dog, but there was no competition between the two of them; it was as if they were just wasting time.
Five minutes passed, then seven, eight, nine… they were in no rush. Even those on commentary were expressing confusion over the two; JBL could be heard saying: "You have an opportunity to face Sasha Banks for the Divas title at Battleground, and these ladies are wasting time dillydallying!" The clock reached ten minutes, and suddenly, Paige put Foxy in the PTO, and immediately tapped her out. People were happy to see the match end, and were also happy to express their displeasure. The women cleared the ring, allowing the next segment to roll.
At the end of the next segment around 8:45 pm, the women were back out, this time the match including Naomi versus Summer Rae. This was a significantly more athletic match, the crowd much happier to see these women. Naomi was particularly impressive; there was a fire in how she wrestled that night, as if she had a point to prove to anyone and everyone who was watching her. No strike, no kick, and no attack was a wasted effort as she pummeled the yellow haired dancer. Six minutes passed and Summer got caught in the Slay-o-mission, instantly tapping and crying out in pain. The bell rang, and Naomi turned to face Sasha immediately. Naomi, her eyes ablaze, set her eyes on the Divas Championship that lay securely on the announce table beside the champion.
"I'm coming for you, baby girl," the winner of the match declared, her hands over her stomach where the title would be. "I'm coming for you and that title; it's coming home to me!"
"Come and get it, Naomi - who's stopping you?" Sasha yelled back.
The second hour began, and Finn knew he had to go out there soon. He had found a secret room in the arena and hid there for about a half hour. People would wonder where he was, and hell, why he was hiding, but he needed a quiet place to get his thoughts together. Or did he? The longer he stayed in one place, the more his own thoughts began to betray him; the Wyatts, if they reared their ugly heads 'round, could easily whisk him off, and he'd never be seen again. Forcing himself to move from the deserted, tiny room, Finn made his way back to the Gorilla Position, where he could properly wait his turn; the monitor showed a segment between champions Ambrose and Reigns, bragging about how they were going to clear out all the divisions so only they were left at the top. Finn watched and rolled his eyes, only to suddenly hear the theme that summoned the Wyatts; he swore all the air in his body came rushing out all at once, needing to put his hand on the wall to steady himself. Well, this was sudden.
The two champions and the Wyatt Family were all joined together in the same ring, Ambrose hosting his occasional show, "The Ambrose Asylum," with special co-host, Roman Reigns, and special guests, The Wyatt Family.
"So! Bray, my buddy," Ambrose said into the microphone with the typical inflections in his voice, smiling enough where his dimples were showing. "You're a bit of a spooky dude. And a hard man to try to find for an interview. Have you noticed that? It's kinda hard?" He turned to his brother to ask that question, even nudging him, Roman shrugging and saying: "I'm not that surprised."
"If you know where to look, that's where you'll find me, Ambrose," Bray said with a relaxed and cool voice. Finn was watching his heart attempting to beat out of his chest.
"Cool story. Now, back to why I called you out here… you've been quite the busy man as of late. You seem to have your eyes fixated on a certain Irishman." Dean leaned in toward Bray a bit, but still kept his distance from the Eater of Worlds. "What're you up to?"
Bray laughed, the world around him chilling from his creepy smile. "It's never just an answer, Dean Ambrose. What I see lurking deep inside that man's belly, I have never seen in anyone else. That fire he's got, that demon… he will never admit his fear over it, but that is the reason why he keeps it locked away, chained to the walls of his inner mind, only letting it free on his terms. However lately… the more I'm around him, the less control he has. His power is slipping, the chains are weakening, man… and I'm the one who's takin over whether he wants me to or not."
"Them's fightin' words, Bray!" Dean said laughing a bit, as if this situation was all some kind of hilarious joke. "What if I struck ya deal, you crazy psychopath? How about… we give you Finn to do whatever you want with? And you just… keep doing you." Bray blinked in response, some curiosity blooming in his icy blue eyes. "No catch!"
"There is always a catch."
"We just want him out of the way," Roman said, his voice relaxed. "And since you want him so bad, we can give him to you. Everybody's happy."
"You misinterpret my message, Reigns, Ambrose; I have him where I want him. No one other than the Wyatt Family shall touch him. I work for no one…" His voice was slow so the audience had to listen in on his words, but it only added to the intensity of his whispered words. "However… for a sweet price… I would be more inclined to aide my fellow man."
"So what is this 'sweet price' you speak of, Bray?"
"Join me."
'Ambreigns' exchanged a quick glance at one another before looking back at Bray, smirks curled on the corner of their lips. "You're the boss," Roman simply said, quiet understanding between those three men. If letting Bray think he was the one in control helped get what they want, 'Ambreigns' were happy to let him indulge in that façade.
"But do not get too comfortable; the only ring leader around here is me."
Finn couldn't believe his eyes watching this segment; he knew those guys didn't like him very much, but to make a deal with Bray in front of the WWE Universe? This had to be a ruse; no man in that ring could possibly be trusted. They would turn their backs on the other at the first chance they got, and they knew that there was a chance that he would be watching this, right?
"Finn, I know you're watching," said Bray as if on cue. Finn gasped a little at the mention of his name. "I've got a piece of advice for you." He laughed quietly to himself as if he told an amusing turn of phrase. "Run." And with that, the segment was over, and all he wanted to do was just that. There had to be some way to make this all go away. Some way… he swallowed hard, trying desperately to get his mind back in gear and focused.
Another segment passed, another Women's match, this one being Tamina versus Becky Lynch. Finn was still watching, feeling the slightest bit of comfort in watching his mentee take action. He always felt this spark of pride in his heart whenever he got to see her wrestle, knowing that she went from being a wide-eyed teenager eager to learn from him to a full-fledged warrior, taking on anyone and everyone who crossed her path. Tamina was no slouch, though; after all she was the daughter of Hall of Famer, Jimmy 'Super Fly' Snuka, and she had a power unlike anyone else in her division. The two women had a tense back and forth natch, knowing they had about six minutes to work with if they wanted to continue forward. Tamina hit a powerbomb, Becky hit a leg drop from the top rope, Tamina landed her patented super kick. One, two, three minutes passed, and the audience could feel the urgency in both women as they passed the four minutes. Who was going to be the winner, or would there be one? Neither were willing to give into the other…
…until Tamina got caught in the Dis-Arm-Her with ten seconds to spare. Tamina kicked her in the gut so the orange-haired lass would collapse to the ground, laying with her back to the canvas and surely seeing stars. Hastily, Tamina reached her arm out to grab Becky to finish the job when she sprung back to life, wrapping her legs around her shoulder and yanking the thirty-eight year old's arm close to her chest. Becky twisted so she was sitting on Tamina's shoulder, pulling the arm in a position it never should be in with all of her might. The audience began to count down, and no matter how much pain she was in, Tamina was not giving in. Five… four… three… Becky was practically draped over the Hall of Famer daughter's back, pulling as hard as she could, but before she knew it, the clock buzzed and time was out. It wasn't until the end that Tamina started to tap.
Naomi remained in the game, while Paige, Alicia, Tamina, Summer Rae, and Becky were out, much to the Lass Kicker's chagrin. Once again, she was coming up short. It was up to Charlotte now to make sure that the likes of Brie and Nikki don't advance forward, though trusting her was something that made Sasha's stomach churn with uneasiness; even as a group, she had to watch the Nature Girl like a hawk.
Bayley went to look for beau backstage, her mind with concerns between her own affairs and her love interest; now that she had a second to breathe, it was mainly concern for Finn. She had seen that segment with Bray and 'Ambreigns' when it aired and to say that she was horrified would be an understatement; there was no way that Hunter would allow them to threaten one of their own like that, right?
"Hey, have you see Finn anywhere?" she asked one of the light guys, to which the answer was no. She kept moving, the NXT Women's Championship bouncing slightly against her stomach as she walked. Her dark eyes scanned every object as if it were some kind of clue that would lead her into the proper direction. She made it into the nosebleed section of the arena, where down below people were tearing down the ring for the night. Bayley's head twisted and turned, but as she swiveled on her feet to continue her search, something caught her eye, a man with pale skin whose face was buried in his hands. Her search was over.
"Finn…?" She kept her voice soft as to make sure she wouldn't frighten him. "That you…?"
The sound of her voice forced him to snap his head back up, caught off guard and slightly embarrassed. "There you are," Finn said, forcing himself to smile. It was evident by the redness in his eyes that something was wrong. "I was looking for you."
"I could say the same to you."
The five-foot-eleven man stood up and embraced her, his arms trembling; he quietly cursed at himself in his mind for being so obviously broken. "I thought I lost you…"
"What do you mean?" She wrapped her arms around him gently, concerned and a tiny bit wary; what caused this sudden change in him?
"I thought… maybe that the… the Wyatts had…" He took a breath, his speech failing him. "...that they got you…"
"Of course not, they haven't laid a finger on me."
Hearing that confirmation made the tears well up in his eyes, but he would not allow them to fall; instead, he hugged her closer, a teensy bit desperate to believe this was all real.
"How about we go back to the hotel… kick up our feet and watch a good movie… get some food… and we just relax?" she asked him, offering a quiet, comfortable night.
"Will you stay with me?"
"Of course I will."
The festivities would continue on the blue show, Smackdown, as the remaining women in the preliminary round - Nikki, Brie, Charlotte, and Bayley - would be off to face each other in a Fatal Fourway. The time to beat at six minutes stood tall as the four women gathered in the ring at the start of the show. The moment the bell rung, Brie dropped to the canvas as Nikki quickly went for the pin; Charlotte and Bayley immediately grabbed Nikki and tossed her elsewhere to break the count. Charlotte then grabbed Brie's legs and went for the Figure Eight, to no avail as Brie pushed her away; Bayley threw her arms around Nikki for the Bayley-to-Belly, but also to no avail as Nikki blocked it. They were at a stand still, however with the clock ticking, they had to work fast.
Three, four minutes passed, and the NXT Women's and former Divas Champions were in the ring together alone; Bayley and Nikki ran at each other, Bayley hitting her patented Double Ax Handles. She landed a dropkick on her opponent, causing her to fall back against the ropes and giving the Hugster a moment to pull her ponytail into place, her arms outstretched for the final blow. Charlotte and Brie were collapsed outside as Charlotte speared Brie through the barricade. Bayley ran forward and caught Nikki in the preliminary hug, however time froze for just a moment in her world and a chill grabbed ahold of her; a voice like a hushed whisper breathed against her ear, saying simply: 'Run.' She knew, in this moment, Bray was speaking to her, and he had the control.
This hesitation allowed the Fearless One to push Bayley off her and slam a Bellahammer into her face, the Huggable One getting a hard dose of reality back as she could taste blood fill her mouth. Nikki was able to take full advantage as she pulled Bayley up onto her shoulders, hitting the most hardhitting Rack Attack that she could, and getting the pinfall at five minutes.
Even with the likes of Charlotte and Bayley in the match, they together could not overcome the leader.
Sasha stared at her new Number One contender, sucking part of her bottom lip into her mouth as her eye twitched in annoyance. 'Here we go again,' she thought to herself. Nikki made eye contact with the current Divas Champion and blew her a kiss.
"That championship is coming home to me," she said with an air of confidence, her lips curling into a twisted smirk. 'Like hell it will,' Sasha thought, raising the butterfly belt high above her head before stepping into the ring for a real staredown. They got up in each other's faces with the title still high in the air, but they didn't allow themselves to start a fight; their match was going to happen again, and they weren't going to mess with the timing. Not today, but soon.
The veteran versus the up-and-coming star; 'tis a curious one.
Finn remained backstage, and was watching the entire match unfold; why did Bayley hesitate? She went in for her finisher but suddenly just stopped when she hugged her; she had the match won but she hesitated. He didn't see anything wrong… was it a footing issue, an injury, or did her mind go blank? Never before did he see something like that happen. He had to ask about that later; he hoped she were okay.
Meanwhile in his mind, he could feel himself slipping, the demon inside him starting to ache for freedom. Never in his life had he had this lack of control, and it was driving him off the edge, not help from the Wyatt Family's interference. Maybe he should go back to NXT where he could be safe… but then again, they could just show up there as well; that was their original home anyway. Nowhere was safe, and Finn knew it. Perhaps it was time to just… accept it.