A/N: Hello, my awesome readers! So, I'm not getting a ton of feedback on this, but I really would appreciate some! With that being said, I really, really want to know what you guys think of this story so far, Valentina's relationship with Seth and the boys, what you think of Valentina, etc. As I've said previously, I'm also open to any suggestions you guys have. ^_^

Chapter Four – I Ain't The Lady To Mess With

"Baby, baby when you're looking deep in my eyes

I know you're seeing past my make up

Into the little girl that used to hide out and cry

When her parents fought, tryin' to be strong

You can see the hurt in me, the cover ups so secretly

And all that I aspire to be, you see, you see

You know who I really am, no entourage or caravan

And do you even give a damn, about all that and tell me

Would you love me if I didn't work out?

Or I didn't change my natural hair?

And I could be the one you want grow older with

Baby, I'll give you all that I got

See, I don't mean to scare you now or push you away

'Cause I'm not tryin' to rush anything

But when I look into your eyes I'm not scared to say

I'll sit near you; I'm in the picture too

Like a happy family tree, we're together constantly

This could be eventually, we'll see, we'll see

But all that I have got to know, is with me baby will you grow?

Through sun and rain and heavy snow, oh, tell me so now, baby

Would you love me if I didn't work out?

Or I didn't change my natural hair?

And I could be the one you want grow older with

Baby, I'll give you all that I got." All I Got by Fergie feat. Will. i . am

"Welcome back to the Killer Queen's Kingdom, Sethie," I said jokingly as we entered my apartment.

"I don't suppose the Killer Queen's got any good snacks for her favorite and loyal Architect?" Seth quipped, his smoldering brown eyes lighting up.

"Only if you're in the mood for a poison apple," I retorted. "All jokes aside, I've got some chips, ice cream, you know, all that good shit. I think we should shower first, seeing as we just got done swimming in the ocean and all."

He chuckled. "Wanna save water and take that shower together?"

"Maybe… if we can take a ride on the Milenium Falcon afterwards," I said playfully, flopping down on the living room sofa. "Alright, you know where the bathroom's at, I'm gonna text Roman and Dean and tell them we wanna Skype them once we're all cleaned up."

"Works for me," he replied. "Oh, and just remember… I'm still your only hope, Princess Leia." He winked at me and then disappeared down the hall.

I couldn't help but smile whenever he called me that. Being a Star Wars fan had its perks, and having Seth refer to me as Princess Leia was one of them. Out of all the nicknames Seth had given me over the past four years, Poison Ivy and Princess Leia were probably the ones I loved the most.

I fished through my bag and pulled out my phone to see five missed calls and a shit ton of texts from Roman and Dean.

Roman's texts consisted of the following: Valentina, where the hell are you and Seth at? Dean and I have been trying to reach you for the last hour now!

Valentina, if you don't pick up the goddamn phone there's gonna be a spear with your name on it!

Baby girl, I'm starting to get worried now. Should I send out a search party? Because I'm beginning to think you and Seth got kidnapped and are being held for ransom by the fucking mob or something! You're in Brooklyn, it's possible!

However, his were subtle compared to Dean's: Valentina Ava Monroe, I know you're a little "occupied" with Sethie and all, but a little heads up would've been nice!

Valentina, you should know by now that I am NOT a patient man, therefore, if you don't call me back or answer our texts, I will be forced to bring out Jon Moxley and hunt your pretty little ass down.

MONROE, I'M AWARE OF THE FUCKING FACT THAT YOU AND SETH HAVE A LOT OF SEXUAL TENSION YOU'VE JUST BEEN DYING TO RELEASE, BUT DO IT SOME OTHER FUCKING TIME! THIS IS IMPORTANT, GODDAMMIT!

Alright, darlin', I really didn't want to do this, but you've forced my hand. They won't find yours and Seth's bodies until they've already rotted in the Nevada desert soil. Trust me, I work out in the Nevada desert, there's plenty of places I could bury you both!

"It's official, I'm dealing with Bane and the Joker," I mumbled, before pulling up the 'new message' option and typing Dean and Roman's names in.

Chill the fuck out guys! If you must know, Seth and I were at the beach and we left our phones in our cars! And no, Dean, we did not fuck while we were at the beach either! Jesus, okay, Seth's in the shower right now and I'm gonna do the same once he gets out. We'll Skype the two of you once we look decent.

It didn't take long for either of them to reply.

Alright, baby girl. Just let us know.

Pssh, don't hold your breath, Ro. She's probably gonna end up taking that shower with Rollins.

DEAN AMBROSE, YOU'RE FUCKING LUCKY WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME STATE RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I WOULD TRACK YOU DOWN, REACH DOWN YOUR THROAT, AND PLAY JUMP ROPE WITH YOUR INTESTINES!

D'aww, that's the most romantic thing any woman's ever said to me. I'm touched, darlin' ;)

"Fucking douchebag," I muttered under my breath, and pulled up my playlist. I figured I'd listen to some tunes for the time being. Plugging my Beats in, I selected 'shuffle' and propped my legs up on the couch. I felt a grin grace my lips at the sound of Brie Larson's voice.

"Hello again, friend of a friend

I knew you when

Our common goal was waiting for the world to end

Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend."

At that point, I couldn't help myself; I unplugged my earphones, cranked the volume up, and got up from the couch.

"You crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again," I sang along as I swayed my hips to the music. "I'll send you my love on a wire. Lift you up, every time, everyone, ooo, pulls away, ooo. From you."

Suddenly, I felt a fair of warm rough hands caress my waist and warm lips (along with some stubble) brush against my ear. "Got balls of steel, got an automobile, for a minimum wage," he murmured softly.

"Who the fuck gave you permission to interrupt my solo, Mr. Rollins?" I demanded playfully, laying my head against his chest, a laugh escaping my lips once I caught a glimpse of the Glamour Kills logo on his shirt.

"No one gave me permission, sweetheart," he replied, a low chuckle leaving his lips. "By the way, you did amazing. You should consider performing on Raw."

"Maybe I will, we'll see," I said with a shrug. "So, I texted Roman and dean and let them know what the plan was. I just need to shower and we'll Skype them. My laptop's underneath my bed, could you turn it on and charge it while I'm in the shower?"

He grinned mischievously. "Is your password still the same?"

I clenched my fists in irritation. "Seth, don't fucking start with me."

"So when can I get on… Mistah J's Party List?"

"Say another fucking word about my second favorite DC villain and I will Sin City your ass out the window and make it look like a bloody accident!"

"It was just a fucking question!"

"And you just got the answer to it! At least my password isn't Seth Rollins Loves Crossfit!"

Seth suddenly charged forward, tackling me on the couch and tickling my sides. "Take it back, Monroe!"

"N-Never!" I said, in-between giggles. "S-SETH! STOOOOPPPPPP!"

"Nope! You've gotta take it back and say that Crossfit is the best workout routine known to man."

"Fuck you!"

"Buy me a drink first, then we'll talk! Now, take it back!"

"Okay! Okay! You win! Crossfit is the best workout routine known to man! HAPPY?!"

He wrapped his arms around me and smiled. "Couldn't be happier, Vee."

I wiggled out of his arms and snorted. "Yeah, and that's my cue to get my ass in the shower. Try not to spam my laptop with Crossfit videos in the meantime, will ya?"

"Again, no promises."

Once I'd showered and thrown some clothes on, I joined Seth in the living room and pulled up Skype on my laptop. Seth had already texted them again and let them know we were online so it only took about a minute or two for Roman to answer our call, with Dean sitting right next to him.

"Alright guys, what's going on?" Seth asked.

"We just got a voicemail from Vickie, she said Michael Cole wants us to do an interview with him on Raw," Roman informed us.

I snorted. "Let me guess, he wants to know what our motives are and why we're here."

"Sounds like it," Dean scoffed. "It's not that hard to figure out though. We're here to cleanse this company of all its injustice. Plain and simple."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Well, if it's an interview he wants, then we'll give it to him."

I laid my head on Seth's shoulder and giggled. "Amen to that."

"Jesus, it's like watching a car wreck, you want to look away, but you can't," Dean said sarcastically.

"Lighten up a little, bro, I think it's kinda cute… in a stereotypical, cheesy romance novel kinda way," Roman snickered.

"And I shall be hanging up now before I start spitting out more gruesome threats," I retorted. "We'll see you guys at Raw."

Raw

November 26th, 2012

Lafayette, Louisiana

We'd showed up at the arena prior to Raw to do the interview, and I wanted nothing more than to just get it over and done with. Then again, I told the WWE Universe that they were going to get an explanation, and this interview was the perfect opportunity to give them one.

For my interview attire, I decided on a black leather jacket with a belt attached to it, black skinny jeans with distressed ripping detail all over front and fishnet underlay, a black crop top with cutout detail along the back and a black, blue, and gray patch attached to the front that read Hounds of Justice, and black suede platform stilettos with studded straps.

I completed the look by slipping on a pair of black lace fingerless gloves and a silver necklace with my name etched into it. I left my hair tousled and straight and my makeup vampy and smokey.

My heels clicked against the stone floor as the four of us entered the room the interview was taking place. The boys had decided to ditch the turtlenecks. Instead, they were now donning some pretty kickass SWAT gear, which definitely suited them more in my opinion.

Four chairs were lined up and we each took a seat across from Michael, with me sitting in between Dean and Seth and Roman sitting next to Seth.

"Dean, Valentina, Seth, Roman," Michael addressed us. "It's been my pleasure to have known you guys for a while now, and worked with you down in the developmental territory in NXT, and um, it seems a bit odd though to be conducting this interview under these circumstances. It was eight nights ago at Survivor Series, um, many people say that you cannot-"

"Many people?" Dean interjected. "Who are these people? Michael, if you've got a question to ask us… just ask."

"Okay," Michael said. "Are you four working directly for WWE Champion, CM Punk?"

"Nope," Dean quipped, pursing his lips together.

"Not at all," I said smugly, folding my arms.

"Okay. So, if you're not working for Punk, then why are you guys here?"

"Ah, that's the question, Michael," Seth piped up. "That's the question you should be asking. You see, we sat down in NXT and we saw things clearly. Crystal clear, actually. You see, everybody around here has to answer to the likes of the Vickie Guerrero's and the Booker T's, and Vickie and Booker, they have to answer to the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors ultimately has to answer to the WWE Universe. The almighty WWE Universe. What is that, Michael? "

"That's a load of crap," I huffed, shaking my head in disgust. "That's a goddamn popularity contest, which is both unfair and disgraceful. This has gone on for far too long and we're sick of it."

"We saw things heading in the wrong direction, we stepped in and righted those wrongs," Seth said, and narrowed his eyes. "Michael, we are a shield from injustice in the WWE."

"I mean, come on, guys," Michael said, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "There's no secret that everything you've done so far has benefited CM Punk!"

"Michael, it's coincidence!" Seth exclaimed. "Happenstance, ever heard of it?!"

"It's not about benefiting Punk," Dean sneered. "It's about right and wrong. CM Punk, the WWE Champion, was forced to defend his title in a Triple Threat match against two guys he'd already defeated, that's wrong."

"Which is why we stepped in," I said, matter-of-factly. "If it'd been Ryback or Cena, we would've done the same thing. If Ryback held the title for three hundred and sixty-five days and Punk tried to ruin his celebration, we would've jumped in on Ryback's behalf."

"Three hundred and sixty-five days as champion in this era, that's a huge milestone," Dean said. "That should be celebrated, right?"

Michael nodded and glanced over at Roman. "Uh, Roman? I'd like to get your take on all this."

Roman looked up and shrugged. "When I wanna say something, I'll say it."

"Look, Cole, we see where you're gettin' at, ok," Dean snapped. "We hear everything you guys are saying, we read everything that's being written, ok. We know what you guys are thinkin'. We're not renegades, we're not mercenaries, we're not the Nexus, if you're looking for the NWO, go buy the DVD! We're about principles, we're about honor, where honor no longer exists, we're gonna step in." He looked over at Seth. "It's like he said, we're a shield from injustice. We're a shield from injustice."

"We are The Shield," I affirmed.

"Okay, so-"

"Hey, hey," Roman interrupted, rising from his chair. "I've got something to say. We've said enough. This interview's over, man." He pulled off his microphone and the rest of us did the same and left the room.

Shortly after that, we found out that CM Punk was gonna be facing Kane later on, which we intended on intervening on if things got out of hand again. Just to be on the safe side, I decided to ditch my heels and change into my combat boots.

"Hey, you're Valentina, right?" I heard someone say behind me.

I finished lacing up my boots and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Who wants to know?"

"Eve Torres, pleasure to meet you," she replied, holding out her hand, a smile faker than Regina George's plastered on her face.

Taking my foot off the bench, I glanced up at her and put my hands on my hips. "Likewise. Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but is there something you need? Because I don't really have time to chat."

She laughed and stepped closer to me. "I just wanted to tell you that I understand why you're here. You're just trying to make a name for yourself and earn your role as the most dominant Diva. However, I also wanted to let you know what your role in this company always has been and always will be."

Before I got a chance to protest, her hand swiftly connected with my cheek. I had to hand it to her, she knew how to slap, but what I was about to do to her was far worse.

Giggling, I moved some hair out of my eyes and turned my head to face her. "Oh, sweetie, you've just gone and done the dumbest thing in your whole fucking life."

I rushed forward, spearing her right onto the stone floor and relentlessly driving my fist into her face, furiously screaming as I did so.

She screamed and managed to shove me off her. Then she seized my arms and threw me against one of the lockers. "Do you know who I am?! Huh?! How dare you!" She yelled in my face, anger evident in her eyes.

I tried to block out the pain that surged through my back as my foot shot out, striking her in the gut and causing her to stumble backwards. I took advantage of this by quickly getting to my feet, grabbing a fistful of her hair and hurling her face first against the wall. Then I retaliated by snatching her by the hair again and slamming her head against the makeup table.

"Don't you EVER cross me again, you little bitch!" I roared in her face, my hands wrapping around her throat. "You hear me?! EVER! This is MY Kingdom now!"

"GET OFF ME!" She shrieked, slapping me across the face again –even harder this time, I might add- which forced me to release my grip on her.

She wasted no time in running out of the room, screaming that I was a psychopath and that I wasn't gonna get away with his.

Still dazed from the slap, I stumbled out of the locker room and glared at her retreating figure. "YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN, YOU LITTLE BITCH!" I yelled, breathing heavily.

"Well, would you look at that? She's already making friends," Dean snickered behind me.

I felt Seth's hands on my shoulders and he turned me around to face him, concern evident in his eyes. "What happened, Vee? You said you were just gonna change your shoes, not get into a brawl with the Divas champion!"

"You don't know what she fucking did to me, Seth!" I argued. "She slapped me and basically implied that my role in this company always has been and always will be her bitch! Excuse me for having a fucking backbone!"

"She's got a point there, man," Roman said. "Jesus, Vee, what in the devil did you do to her? I could hear you screaming all the way down the hall!"

"I just gave her exactly what she deserved," I replied. "She got a few good hits in, but I didn't let that stop me from spearing her and slamming her head against the wall and the makeup table."

"You sure you're alright?" Seth pressed, bringing his hands up to cup my face. "I don't want you to come out with us tonight if you're not a hundred percent."

"Trust me, I'm fine," I replied with a nod. "Now, let's go out there and serve up some cold, hard justice."

And we did just that as the night rolled on. Punk's opponent for tonight was the Big Red Machine himself; Kane. We all stood at opposite sides of the barricades, our eyes locked firmly on the two men duking it out in the ring.

Seth motioned for us to move closer as Punk hit Kane with GTS and went for the cover. The ref called for the bell as Punk picked up the win. That's when Seth and Dean jumped over the barricade and climbed onto the apron. Roman and I followed suit and hopped onto the apron on the opposite side of the ring.

We stayed focused on Punk as we stepped through the ropes, and Punk slowly backed into one of the turnbuckles.

Then, without warning, we turned and ran towards Kane, unleashing various blows and kicks anywhere we could.

"And now the attack on Kane!" Michael Cole yelled. "A four-on-one assault again on Kane! By this group known as The Shield!"

Through my peripheral, I saw Punk quietly roll out of the ring, and another man sprint down the ramp…. Daniel –fucking- Brian. Should've known he'd find a way to get involved in this, but his efforts were about to be in vain.

"Not today, Goatboy!" I spat, launching myself forward and taking him down with a spear. Scrambling to my feet, I raised my foot and rammed it into his stomach, with Seth, Roman and Dean quickly doing the same as we all backed him into a corner.

Bryan tried to get up, only for Seth to hit him with an enziguiri. Roman and Dean turned to Kane again and started slugging him again.

FEED. ME. MORE!

"Fucking really?!" I screeched in irritation as the Big Guy marched down the ramp. Fear flashed in Punk's eyes and he promptly ran towards the barricade, leaping over it and leaving us to fend for ourselves.

"Chicken shit," I snarled under my breath, before turning my attention to Ryback.

He slid into the ring and we instantly jumped on him again, continuing the same beating we'd given him before. Our beat down on him was cut short when he suddenly stood up and shoved all of us back. Dean ran towards him and his fist connected with Dean's head. Then he hit Roman in the face with his elbow, sufficiently taking them both out.

Seth went for another enziguiri, but Ryback was quicker. He grabbed Seth's leg, lifted him up on his shoulders, and delivered a powerbomb.

"YO! NEANDERTHAL!" I yelled, diving forward in an attempt to hit him with a clothesline. Huge mistake.

Ryback caught my arm and hoisted me up on his shoulders. I didn't even have a chance to fight back because my back was swiftly smashed into the mat. A strangled cry emitted from my throat as I writhed on the mat. My body felt like I'd just been chucked through a brick wall and I knew for a fact that I was gonna feel even worse later on.

Punk dove back into the ring and shoved Ryback, but Ryback abruptly whirled around and grabbed him. He went for Shell Shocked, but Roman put a stop to that by spearing him.

"Vee, you okay?" Seth whispered, carefully wrapping his arms around me and helping me sit up. "Look at me, I wanna make sure you're not concussed."

"Never better," I bit out, staggering to my feet. Roman walked over and helped both of us up while Dean incessantly punched the shit out of Ryback in the corner.

"Get him up! Get him up!" Roman ordered Seth and Dean. They nodded and hoisted him up onto Roman's shoulders and delivered another ruthless triple powerbomb. I clapped Dean on the chest and raised Roman and Seth's hands as we all stood in the middle of the ring, victorious once again.

TheKillerQueenOfWWE: There are things in life that I will NOT tolerate. One, being slapped in the face by some cheap, plastic mannequin. Two, being powerbombed by a gerbil-faced troglodyte. You mess with me and you've officially crossed the border into Hurtville. Those two learned the hard way. #IAin'tTheLadyToMessWith #BelieveInTheShield #You'reAllAnInjustice

After sending the tweet, I pressed another ice pack to my back. This having been my second one tonight. Normally I was used to travelling by myself (or with Seth) and staying in my own hotel room, but the boys informed me after the show that I'd been rooming with them from now on, which I didn't mind one bit.

We'd gotten two rooms, with Seth and I staying in one room and Dean and Roman staying in the adjoining room.

I wasn't opposed to Seth and I sharing a room together, we'd shared hotel rooms multiple times whenever we traveled together. Not to mention, waking up to him always made my day a lot better.

"Hey, you," I whispered, resting my chin on his bare chest. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good morning sweetheart," he said softly, tucking some hair behind my ear. "I slept fine, thank God we both took advantage of all those pain pills and ice last night, huh?"

"Hell yeah," I said with a smirk. "But there's one thing I want to do to you before we leave this room."

A devilish grin graced his features as he trailed his fingers along my thigh. "And what might that be?"

"This." I snatched the pillow he was laying on out from underneath him and proceeded to repeatedly whack him with it. "Consider this payback for tickling me, Rollins!"

"I don't think so, Monroe!" He jolted upward and grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down… right on top of him.

He tightened his hold on my waist and laughed. "Guess it's time for me to add another tally to the 'Valentina Owned Count' board. What is this, the thousandth one?"

"Congratulations Rollins, you just gave me even more motivation to kick your ass in training today," I retorted. "Although, if you're willing to take back what you just said then maybe I'll consider letting you leave the ring with all your limbs intact."

"Not gonna happen, sweetheart," he said lowly, before bring his lips up to peck my cheek. "Nice try though, now let's see you can back those words up."

About thirty minutes into the session, Seth and I were really pushing ourselves to the limit. Dean and Roman were on their way, having decided to grab a small breakfast first.

Bouncing off the ropes, I twisted my body and took Seth down with a springboard roundhouse kick. I then grabbed him by the hair and wrapped my arm around his neck, dragging us down in a neckbreaker.

I then bent over to grab him again, but he caught me off guard by elbowing me in the stomach. Not telling up, he wrapped his left arm around my neck and trapped me in a three-quarter facelock. While still maintaining the facelock, he backflipped over me and landed face down to the mat, ramming me back-first down onto the mat and executing the Sethwalker.

Our breathing came out in slow, ragged breaths and Seth crawled closer until he was hovering over me. His eyes gazed into mine and I felt my cheeks heat up again while my heart kicked into overdrive.

A few moments passed, the two of us staying in that position, not saying a word. Seth slowly raised his hand to gently caress my cheek. That's when I knew that training was now the last thing on our minds.

"Your eyes are absolutely stunning," he said softly. "I never noticed until now."

"Yours aren't too bad either, Seth," I replied, swallowing thickly.

He studied my face for about five more seconds before slowly dipping his head. Closing my eyes, I snaked my arms around his neck. His lips just barely grazed mine when I heard an all too familiar Cincinnati accent fill the Performance Center.

"It's about fucking time!" Dean called out, an amused smirk on his face, causing us to break apart and stand up.

"Hey, hey, don't stop on our account," Roman said with a grin. "Just go back to what you were doing and we'll go hang out or something."

"No, no, it's fine," I replied quickly, shaking my head. "L-look, I left my water bottle in the locker room, just let me get it and we can continue with the session."

Rolled out of the ring, I pushed past them and hastily made my way to the locker room. That's I when heard Seth say, "I swear, you two are like giant cock-blocking robots, like, developed in a secret fucking government lab."

Normally, I would've laughed at a comment like that, but right now my mind was completely frazzled. All this time I'd been afraid to tell Seth how I felt because I didn't think he'd feel the same way, but what just happened a few seconds ago proved otherwise.

My train of thought came to a halt when I heard my phone vibrating in my locker. I unlocked the screen to see a new Tweet from the Black Widow; AJ Lee.

WWEAJLee: TheKillerQueenOfWWE Alright, Monroe, you want a challenge? Consider it accepted. You vs. me next week on Smackdown. Just don't start crying when I break your tiara.

"Well, well, well, looks like I've got a crazy chick to deal with," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Honey, the only one that's gonna be crying is you, because I'm about to shred you with my tiara."

A/N: I really hope you guys liked this chapter! Oh, and don't forget to review and check out my polyvore collection (once again, the link to it is on my profile). I also wanted to let you all know that I started school this week, so updates are unfortunately gonna be slower than usual.