A/N: Hello all! So, this is it, we're finally at TLC and trust me when I say you may want to grab your Kleenex for this one because shit's about to get real.

Lill2350 - *claps hands* Thank you so, so much, hun! I can't tell you how nervous I was writing that fantasy, but knowing how much you enjoyed it makes me feel so relieved and happy. I'm so glad you liked the Last Man Standing match between Valentina and AJ. They've definitely got that whole Mickie/Victoria rivalry going on XD And no problem! I really love Olivia's character and I'm interested in seeing her relationship progress with Seth and the boys. Thanks again for reviewing!

Chapter Eight – You'll Never Lose Me

"You don't want me, no

You don't need me

Like I want you, oh

Like I need you

And I want you in my life

And I need you in my life

You can't see me, no

Like I see you

I can't have you, no

Like you have me

And I want you in my life

And I need you in my life

Love

Love

Love

You can't feel me, no

Like I feel you

I can't steal you, no

Like you stole me." You by The Pretty Reckless

"Baby girl, are you even trying?"

"What the fuck do you think?!"

"I think you're making this far too easy for me."

"Roman, I will put itching powder in your fucking shampoo if you don't put me the fuck down! Ugh, I can feel the blood rushing to my head!"

"I know we're supposed to be taking this shit seriously, but now I kinda wish I had some popcorn for this oh-so hilarious moment."

"Dean, you're supposed to be the fucking referee for fucks sake! At this rate, I'd rather have a donkey as the referee! Hell, even a nutless monkey could do a fucking better job!"

"I'd watch that mouth if I were you, darlin', unless you want another Dirty Deeds."

"Guys, come on, I think she's had enough."

"Ease up, Sethie, we won't hurt her too bad because we know how badly you wanna fuck her until the sun comes up."

"DEAN!"

"Eat shit, Ambrose!"

Roman reluctantly let go of my ankle –effectively dropping me on my head in the process- because he was more than entertained by the Ambrose/Monroe/Rollins banter. I landed with a thud and glared up at him. "You could've put me down gently, you ass!"

"Hate to break it to you, Vee, but Team Hell No and Ryback aren't gonna be gentle with you just because you're a woman. In fact, Kane's tombstoned women before and he'll gladly do the same to you with no hesitatio-Argh!"

I swiftly cut him off with a spear and hooked his legs up. Dean noticed this and stopped arguing with Seth before falling to his knees and hitting the mat with his fist.

"One!"

"Tw-"

Roman got the shoulder up, emitting an exasperated scream from me which was abruptly followed by a two frustrated hits to the mat.

Roman stood up and cockily grinned at me. "You're holding back on me, Monroe. What happened to the vicious, cunning Killer Queen that kicked AJ's ass and handed Team Hell No and Ryback theirs a few days ago, hmm?"

"Don't fucking start with me, Roman," I warned.

He chuckled. "Or are you still asshurt that my spear will always be better than yours?"

"If you're trying to piss her off, you're going about it the wrong way, man. This, is how you piss her off."

Dean's hand suddenly came down hard on my ass, causing me to scream and turn to him with an aggravated glare.

"Ambrose, you've really got a death wish, don't you?" I snarled under my breath, and stalked towards him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Break it up!" Seth's arms suddenly wrapped around me and pulled me away from Dean. "We're supposed to be training, not trying to kill each other!"

"Then why don't you two give it a shot?" Dean suggested, a devious grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, this I gotta see," Roman said, getting to his feet and leaning against the turnbuckles.

"Remember, I'm the ref and what I say goes, so don't be tryin' to fuck each other in the middle of the ring," Dean said brashly.

I riposted by giving him the finger again while Seth just rolled his eyes. Then we looked at each other and locked up. Using the right amount of strength, I was able to overpower him and back him into a turnbuckle. I held him there until Dean counted to four before releasing my grip and backing up.

Grunting, I advanced on him again, but Seth was quick to anticipate my next move. Locking an arm around my neck while the other rested on my waist, he propelled his body backwards and drove me face-first into the center turnbuckle with a reverse STO. Then he turned me over so that I was on my back and went for the pin.

"One!"

"Two!"

I jerked my body upwards and got the shoulder up, which caused Seth to look down at me with a challenging smirk on his face.

"You didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did you?" I said slyly, hurling my body upwards into a kip-up.

"Oh, you're mine now, Vee," he murmured before standing up.

"There's no flirting in wrestling!" Dean derisively cut in. "Either get your heads in the game or get a fucking room!"

I simply scowled at his remark before launching myself at Seth again. Looping my arms around his neck, I leapt up and drove my knees into his gut, taking him down with a front lung blower.

I leisurely took a couple steps back and waited for him to get to his feet. Still dazed, he scrambled to his feet and I sprinted towards him again and turning by body sideways. He let out a pained grunt as I connected with a spinning heel kick. Breathing heavily, I pulled his leg up.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Smiling, I sat up and pushed my hair away from my face before holding my hand out to Seth, which he took. For the remainder of the day we trained like we were entering the Olympics. Well, maybe not that hard, but it was still safe to confirm that Team Hell No and Ryback were about to be in for the fight of their lives. Aside from that, no matter how hard I tried, that fantasy I had about Seth was still on my mind, practically tormenting me for the remainder of the week. No. I had to stop thinking about it and I had to do it now. The last thing I needed was that in my head going into TLC. Besides, it meant nothing… right?

TLC

December 16th, 2012

Brooklyn, New York

Barclays Center

"Okay, you can do this, because you are one tough bitch," I said tenaciously as I peered at myself in the mirror and skimmed my fingers over my gear: a black PVC crop top with eyelets along the front, black shorts adorned with fishnet paneling and studs, black lycra fingerless gloves, black o-ring choker decorated with spikes, black fishnets, and black distressed leather lace-up boots. My hair fell in loose waves and my eye makeup was dark and dangerous while my lips were coated in a dark cranberry colored lipstick. I then took a mirror selfie and posted it on Twitter and Instagram.

TheKillerQueenOfWWE: Well, hellllllooooo Brooklyn! Tonight, we're bringing the sword of justice and KaneWWE, WWEDanielBryan, and Ryback22... shall fall. #Brooklyn #TLC #ThisIsOurYard #MirrorMirrorOnTheWallWhoWillDominateThemAll? #BelieveInTheShield

I'd only been walking down the corridor for a grand total of ten seconds before I heard a, "Psst! Monroe!"

Whirling around, I saw Dean motioning for me to follow him and quirked a brow. "What are you up to this time, Ambrose?"

"Just follow me; we wanna send a little message to our opponents before the match," he replied, before eying my ring gear with a grin. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind me saying this, but… you look hot."

"Thanks, Deano!" I grinned, raising my fist and fist-bumping him. "So, is Jon Moxley about to make an appearance tonight?"

He slung an arm around my shoulders and chuckled as we began walking down the corridor. "Possibly, if that's what it takes to get these dickheads to open their eyes. What about you? You ready to tap into that cunning, malicious side of yours that drives Sethie boy crazy?"

"You bet your ass I am, they'll never know what hit em'."

"Wow," Seth breathed once Dean and I walked into the room, his eyes darkening as he took in my appearance.

"Way to go, Vee, you've turned him on," Roman snickered, lightly elbowing Seth. "Stop drooling, man, can't have you going out there with a boner. And I know for a fact that you don't wanna traumatize all those kids in the audience."

Seth shook his head and scoffed at Roman's remark before he cleared his throat and held up the camera. "Now I'm assuming Dean already told you the plan?"

"Yeah, he said you guys wanted to send them one last message to really fuck with their minds," I affirmed, walking over to stand beside him. Dean stood on the other side of Seth and Roman stood next to Dean.

"Precisely," he said with a smirk before hitting the 'on' button and pointing the camera at himself. "My name is Seth Rollins!"

"I'm Valentina Monroe."

"I'm Roman Reigns."

"I'm Dean Ambrose," Dean sneered. "We are The Shield; the shield of justice. Ryback, you put WWE Champion CM Punk into surgery?!"

"Big mistake pinhead!" I jeered, letting out a maniacal giggle.

"You're reckless!" Dean spat. "You're dangerous! Punk's champion for 392 days and he's robbed of the honor of defending his title tonight?!"

"We can't let it stand," Roman growled. "We won't let it stand."

"So tonight, Ryback, The Shield gives you a taste of your own medicine!" Dean said menacingly.

"Feed Me More! Feed Me More!" Seth mocked. "Well tonight, The Shield will feed you more than you can handle."

"And when you and your "teammates" are broken, bloody, and defenseless, The Shield will finish you!" I said venomously.

"Kane! Daniel!" Dean snarled. "You think you two are off the hook?"

"Hell no," Roman snorted.

Seth rolled his eyes. "You guys have the audacity to walk around calling yourselves the Tag Team Champions?!"

"A team never argues," I pointed out.

"A team never doubts each other," Dean added. "A team works together. A team trusts each other!"

"Right!" Seth agreed, nodding his head.

"A team fights together," Dean said matter-of-factly.

"And most importantly… a team wins together," I said smugly.

"Tonight, we fight together, we win together!" Dean declared. "You two are a disgrace! You're an insult to all tag teams and what a tag team should stand for! That is an injustice! And on top of all that…"

"… We just don't like you," Roman finished.

"I'm Dean Ambrose."

"Seth Rollins."

"Valentina Monroe."

"Roman Reigns. Welcome to the shield of justice."

Keeping my nerves at bay was easier said than done once the stagehand told us to go to our mark. Even though the boys assured me that we had this in the bag, I was still in a 'don't fuck this up' state of mind. Not only was I competing in my first pay-per-view in WWE, but said pay-per-view also happened to be in my own backyard. I had no doubt in my mind that my dad was watching, as well as all my fellow Brooklyn fans, which added to my nervousness.

Sierra. Hotel. Echo. Lima. Delta. Shield

Thunderous guitar riffs and drums reverberated throughout the arena as the four of us marched down the steps. We split up halfway and I followed Dean and Seth while Roman went the opposite way.

"And their opponents, at a combined weight of 838 pounds, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Valentina Monroe, and Dean Ambrose: The Shield!" Justin Roberts announced.

"Seth Rollins, leading the charge, Dean Ambrose in the middle and Valentina Monroe right behind him, and on the other side is Roman Reigns" Michael Cole said. "As they get set for their first match in WWE and it's no normal match-up. It's tables, ladders, and chairs, and all those things can be used in this match. Not only that, but it's also an intergender tag team match, meaning that Valentina also gets to take on Team Hell No and Ryback. On top of that, for the first time ever, this match is also gonna end via pinfall or submission, wasting little time-"

All hell quickly broke loose as Daniel ran towards Seth and I and Ryback and Kane went after Dean and Roman. Seth and I traded countless blows with Daniel, but he refused to go down that easily. He rotated his leg, sweeping my legs out from underneath me before wrapping his arms around Seth's stomach and ramming him into the ring post.

I clenched my teeth as the pain shot through my back, but I refused to fully acknowledge it and scrambled to my feet as Daniel hurled Seth into the barricade. Rushing forward, I corkscrewed my arms around him and floored him with a spear.

"Spear!" Cole exclaimed. "A spear from Valentina Monroe!"

"That's the way to do it!" JBL said.

Seth gave me a quick high-five before grabbing Daniel's arm and retaliated with another array of punches with me abruptly following suit. Somehow, Daniel once again found the strength to overpower us and hurled both of us back-first into the apron. He lunged toward us again, only to me met with elbow jab to the face courtesy of me. Seth grabbed Daniel again and chucked him into the barricade.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Dean delivering chops to Ryback, but Ryback wasn't fazed by any of them. He growled and bounced back with a few chops of his own, each one fully effective in knocking Dean on his ass. He whipped Dean into the ropes before going for a powerslam, but Dean countered it and began kicking Ryback's legs. A "GOLDBERG" chant rang out as Dean delivered an elbow shot to Ryback's back. He backed up and rebounded off the ropes, but Ryback caught him and slammed him down with a Thez Press and then started ramming Dean's head into the mat.

Roman took his attention off Kane, with Seth and I doing the same with Daniel in order to slide in the ring and triple-team Ryback. Dean got to his feet and we all ruthlessly punched and stomped on him. Our beat down was short lived as Ryback shoved us off him. Hurling himself forward, he struck Seth and I with a double clothesline over the top rope. A strangled cry left my mouth as my back smacked against the hard floor, but I couldn't help but force a small smile when I saw Dean dropkick Ryback off the apron.

Dragging myself up, I climbed into the ring again with the boys, scowling when Kane suddenly grabbed a ladder and slid it into the ring. Seth put a stop to that, and briskly dropkicked it into his face.

In a flash, Daniel was in the ring again and drove Dean into the turnbuckles. He only got a couple hits in before Roman and I intervened. Merciless punches were thrown at Daniel's back before Dean tossed him into the ring post and responded with a few punches of his own.

Seth gestured for Dean and I to follow him and we left Daniel to Roman, knowing he had it under control. Seth pointed to the ladder and we nodded our heads in response. Seth and I took hold of the top of the ladder and lifted it up while Dean grabbed the base of it.

"ROMAN!" I yelled. The Samoan swiftly turned around to see the three of us holding up the ladder. Wasting little time, he seizing hold of Daniel by the hair and propelled him face first into the ladder. However, we weren't able to celebrate our accomplishment.

Unexpectedly, Ryback rolled into the ring again and took out Roman before dropkicking the ladder into Dean, Seth, and I. I howled and writhed in agony as he repeatedly slammed the ladder onto us, augmenting the unalloyed pain I was already in. He lifted the ladder up higher and mercilessly brought it down again and again, forcing more harrowing screams from the three of us.

Thankfully Roman stormed into the ring before Ryback could do anymore damage –if that was even possible at this point- and jabbed him in the ribs with a steel chair before pelting him across the back with it.

Rolling out of the ring, I knelt down by the apron and rubbed my stomach, hissing in pain through gritted teeth as I did so. As much as I hated to admit it, these fuckers were truly giving us the fight of our lives. They detested us and wanted us to pay for what we'd done to them these past couple weeks. On the other hand, we were The Shield, and we'd be damned if we let them walk out of here victorious. There's only one way they'd be leaving this arena… on a fucking stretcher.

My head snapped up when I heard Roman cry out in pain. Kane and Daniel had whipped him into a ladder that'd been set up against the turnbuckles. Kane grabbed Daniel by the wrist again and Daniel connected with a dropkick as Kane whipped him into Roman, which sent him toppling over.

"ROMAN!" I shouted as Kane went for the pin, and then sighed in relief when Roman kicked out at two.

Daniel stepped over the ropes and delivered a kick to Seth's head. He doubled over and Dean grabbed Daniel's ankle and flipped him onto his back. Daniel rolled off the ring apron and I looked at Dean, a mischievous smile crept onto my face as a thought of an alternative plan to take out Bryan.

I lightly grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him down to my height and whispered, "Get Goatboy over to the announce table, I've got an idea."

He chuckled darkly. "Can do, darlin'."

"Oh God, what are these two up to now?!" Cole demanded.

"You know Valentina and Dean, whenever these two work together chances are their opponent's not gonna come out unscathed!" Lawler exclaimed.

"It's teamwork!" JBL argued. "Like they said earlier, they're a team and they'll always fight together and have each other's backs!"

I rolled into the ring again and crouched down, waiting for the opportune moment. I had to time this right and pray that Daniel did move out of the way… or else I was fucked.

"WE WANT TABLES!" the crowd chanted as Dean grabbed the back of Daniel's head and threw him into the ring post. He landed in a heap beside the announce table and that's when I barreled forward. I dove out of the ring, looped my arm around his neck, flung my body around and executed a suicide dive tornado DDT.

"Oh my God!" Cole shouted. "Did you just see that?!"

"Valentina had a plan and she was more than willing to go through with it even if it meant hurting herself," JBL said.

"Well her condition's not as bad as Daniel's is right now, I can tell you that much!" Lawler chortled.

Dean walked over wielding a steel chair and using his free hand, he helped me to my feet and patted me on the back.

"Hey, mind if I borrow that for a sec?" I asked sweetly, nodding my head towards the chair.

"Be my guest," Dean drawled, handing it over.

I took it from him and laid it beside Daniel's body before snatching him up by the hair and hastily convolved my arm around his throat before nailing him with a Femme Fatale. His back hit the chair with a loud thwack and he rolled onto his side with a groan.

Seth's screams suddenly filled the air and I swiveled around to see that Kane had wedged him in between the ladder and was continually taking chairshots to Seth's body. Infuriatedly, I kicked Daniel off the chair, picked it up again, rushed into the ring and struck Kane across the back with it. Dean came to Seth's aid as well, driving another chair into Kane's ribs and then hit him with a DDT onto it.

I stalked over to Seth and gingerly wrapped my arms around him. "How you holding up, Architect?"

"N-No comment," he mumbled against my shoulder, and leaned against me for support.

Out of nowhere, I was pulled off Seth and thrown against one of the turnbuckles. Ryback smirked at me and delivered a harsh chop to my stomach and then another one to my chest, causing me to cry out once more. Seth and Dean ran over and pounced on him, but Ryback pushed them off and chucked Dean into the opposite turnbuckle before doing the same to Seth.

Dean lunged at Ryback and ferociously punched him in the back a couple times before pulling him up and applying a camel clutch to hold him in place. Through my peripheral, I saw that Seth was now wielding the ladder and shoved it into Ryback's gut. Still somewhat stunned from the chops, I staggered to my feet and walked over to them as Dean bounced Ryback's head off the ladder. He dumped the ladder over Ryback's chest before hoisting it up and pointing it towards me. I tauntingly waved down at Ryback before callously plunking it onto him.

Dean then lifted the ladder up walked over the turnbuckles, laying the ladder against it with Seth and I helping out and making sure it didn't fall over. Seth looked at me and pointed at Ryback for a brief moment before storming over and delivering a sharp kick to the man's back.

"You can't win, Big Guy!" I shouted, swiftly kicking him in the chest as he tried to crawl away from us.

We backed him into the turnbuckle adjacent to the ladder, each of us winding our arms around him and setting up for an Irish whip. Ryback let out a growl and precipitously grabbed the back of our heads.

"For the love of-" I managed to grit out, before I was firmly planted on my stomach along with Seth and Dean.

Ryback grabbed Dean's arm and whipped him into the ropes. Dean rebounded off them, only to be met with a clothesline. He did the same to Seth, and then turned to me. My eyes widened and I desperately tried to back away from him, but he was quicker and snatched my arm. He rammed me with a clothesline before lifting me up and tossing me into the turnbuckles... and right into Dean. Seth was leaning up against the ladder, trying to catch his breath. Ryback suddenly looked at me with a twisted smile on his face. Next thing I knew, his hand coiled around my wrist and he ferally whipped me into Seth. My back collided with his chest, but that was mild compared to what I felt next. I let out an excruciating scream as Ryback whipped Dean into me and then inexorably slammed himself into all three of us, crushing us against the ladder.

Collapsing alongside Seth, I whimpered, unable to block out the unbearable pain that'd now surged through my body. Ryback seized me by the hair and wrapped his arm around my neck before standing in front of the ladder. Another shrill scream was forced from my mouth as he suplexed me, my face twisting in agony as my back collided with several rungs. Not letting up, Ryback delivered a double suplex to Dean and Seth. He picked them up again as they rolled off the ladder.

Roman bolted into the ring and punched Ryback in the stomach followed by the back, eminently saving our asses. Roman and Dean pummeled Ryback with kicks before Dean jabbed Ryback in the gut with a chair and Roman dropped the ladder on him.

"Come on, sweetheart, I need you to stay with me," Seth murmured, carefully helping me to my feet. Coughing, I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dean drag Ryback out of the ring and Roman following him.

"GET UP FOOLS! THIS SPOT'S TAKEN NOW!" Roman shouted at the Spanish announce team as he began to clear their table.

Hopping out of the ring, I tossed one of the monitors on the Spanish announce table aside and turned towards the crowd and shouted, "BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD, BROOKLYN! THIS IS OUR YARD NOW!" Half of them chanted my name in response, while the latter booed me like there was no tomorrow. I refused to let it faze me as I turned on my heel and watched Dean and Seth hoist Ryback onto Roman's shoulders and triple powerbombed him through the table.

I looked down at Ryback and waved mockingly. "That's what you get!" I said snidely before flinging my arms around Roman and Dean. Then Daniel fucking Bryan had to be the fucking hero again and leapt through the ropes, taking all of us out with a suicide dive.

What will it take to end these fuckwits?!

He kicked us while we were down before we promptly leapt to their feet and pushed him backwards into the apron, quickly turning it into a four-on-one assault. Something hard suddenly slammed against my back, forcing be to sink to my knees and clutch it.

Kane laughed at me before heaving himself in Roman's direction while Daniel and Seth brawled inside the ring. Daniel picked up a chair and delivered two shots to Seth's back. Dean ran in and jabbed Daniel in the face.

"DEAN!" I shouted, causing the lunatic to look over at me. "HOLD HIM!"

Dean nodded and put Daniel in a cobra clutch while I achingly picked myself up and rolled under the ropes. My eyes landed on the ladder. Licking my lips in concentration, I grasped it and walked over to the turnbuckles, tactfully lodging it in the center one. Swiveling around, I sauntered over to Dean and Daniel. Dean released Daniel as I pulled him up by his wrists. Wrenching my body sideways, I whipped him into the ladder.

He barreled face-first into the ladder and cried out in pain. He laid on the mat for about two seconds before Dean decided to join in on the fun. He picked up a chair, followed by Daniel, and lined the chair up so it was pressed against Daniel's back before lifting Daniel up and brutally slamming him into the chair. Then Seth managed to subdue him momentarily with a chairshot.

"Come on, Goatface! Come on, Goatface!" Dean sneered, his hand wrapping around Daniel's throat. He makes good use of the chair again, bashing Daniel's head into it before hoisting him up again and countlessly power slamming him onto it.

All the while, Seth had snapped the legs of the table open, determination evident in his features as he turned to me. I put my hand up, letting him know I had one more trick up my sleeve before clambering up to the top turnbuckle. Dean, sensing that I was aiming for Daniel, dragged him over as I turned around and meticulously steadied myself. I backflipped off, wrapping my arm around Daniel's neck and propelled him downwards in a shooting star DDT.

Jolting upward with an appeased grin on my face, I strode over to Seth and Dean, helped them turn the table over, and propped it on the top turnbuckle. Roman -who was patrolling the outside of the ring- gave us a nod, meaning that Kane and Ryback had been taken care of.

Dean and Seth shoved Daniel into the table, both men letting out a chuckle as he dropped to the mat. They lifted both him and themselves on to the table and draped Daniel's arms over their shoulders.

"Good God almighty!" I exclaimed, anxiously raking my hands through my hair as they superplexed Daniel off the table. Roman was back in the ring in seconds, hooking Daniel's leg and going for the pin.

"One!"

"Two!"

Kane broke up the pin, enabling me to stamp my foot in frustration. Roman launched himself at Kane, but Kane moved out of the way and Roman went tumbling over the ropes.

Dean grabbed Kane's arms and held him in place while Seth jabbed him in the stomach with a chair. I snatched it from his hands and infuriatingly thrust it into his gut.

"THIS IS AWESOME! THIS IS AWESOME!" The crowd chanted as Dean and Seth repeated their actions from earlier and pushed Kane head first into the table.

They propped the table up again; making sure it was steady before lifting Kane up and placing him face down on the table. Dean suddenly turned to me and let out a chuckle. "Hey, Monroe! Mind giving us a hand with Kaney here?"

"Gladly!" I skipped over to them and Seth moved to the right side of the table while I took the left. Dean placed a hand on my back, rigorously hoisting me up onto the table. Propping up on my knees, I elbowed Kane in the face in attempt to weaken him, but all it did was stun him.

Kane lunged forward, his hands roughly connecting with my chest with enough force to send me plummeting off the table. Another piercing scream ripped through my throat as my body smashed into the steel steps for a brief second before hitting the hard floor.

I could hear Cole, Lawler, and JBL screaming like madmen as a result, but I was in far too much pain to pay them any mind at the moment. I didn't know how much more pain my body could take, but I couldn't give up. Even if I wanted to, it wasn't an option. I had to keep fighting, not just for myself but for my boys as well. They were counting on me, and I'd be damned if I threw in the towel and let them down.

A team works together. A team trusts each other. A team fights together

Dean's words rang through my head, giving me more reason to strenuously push myself up. A pair of strong, tanned arms wound around me. Already knowing who it was, I leaned into him and coughed again.

"We're almost done here, Vee, don't worry," he breathed in my ear.

"Great, because I'm due for a gigantic bag of ice and about ten bottles of Advil," I muttered sardonically.

Kane clotheslined Roman over the ropes and bashed his head into the canvas. Seth pressed a kiss to my forehead and quickly mumbled that he'd be right back, before diving towards Kane and struck the back of his knee, giving Roman the chance to spear him straight through the barricade.

Seth helped Roman up as I wobbled over to them. Seth yelled for us to start stacking any debris that we could on Kane. Barricade pieces, steel chairs, and part of the announcers table were stacked on top of Kane, and by the time we were through, he was buried underneath all the rubble.

"That should hold him," I said with a smirk, dusting off my hands.

"We got this shit," Seth said assuredly, wrapping his arms around Roman's neck and patting him back of his neck.

The audience burst into cheers again and I heard Dean yelling in pain. The three of us turned around to see that Daniel had Dean trapped in the Yes Lock.

"Not on my watch," Roman snarled before him and Seth made a beeline for Daniel, but Daniel saw them coming and let go of Dean before stealthily applying the hold on Seth. Roman beat Daniel down for a few seconds until Daniel grabbed his arm and put him in the Yes Lock as well.

Vaulting over the ropes, I dropped to my knees and Dean and I simultaneously landed blows and kicks to Daniel's back to break the hold. Sighing aggravatingly, I lugged Daniel up and positioned my shoulder under his jaw before falling to my knees and enacting a shoulder jawbreaker.

As soon as he was down, Seth and Dean started punching and kicking the shit out of him until Seth ordered Dean to stop. Seth picked up one of the chairs lying about, opened it, and placed it in the middle of the ring. Latching Daniel's arms around their shoulders, they hoisted him up in attempt to superplex him onto the chair, but Daniel fought them off.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Daniel shouted, punctuating his chant with a series of kicks to us, the crowd eagerly chanting along with him.

Backing up, he bounced off the ropes and Dean kneed him in the stomach, causing him to stumble forward. Once he was in range, Seth hit him with a curb stomp onto the chair. Dean grabbed Daniel's leg and went for the pin.

"One!"

"Two!"

Ryback –now having recovered from the triple powerbomb- dragged Dean out of the ring before stepping through the ropes. He swiftly took out Seth and kicked Roman's face into a chair and then… he fucking powerslammed me.

"WHY?!" I shouted through clenched teeth, holding my back.

"Who's the injustice now?!" Ryback jeered, picking Seth up and powerslamming him right next to me. He lifted him up again -this time above his head- and tossed him outside the ring onto Dean.

Laughing, he kicked another chair towards Roman and snatched him up by the hair. He positioned him in front of the chair, setting up for another powerslam.

Dean rushed to Roman's aid, rapidly punching and kneeing Ryback anywhere he could and then rebounded off the ropes. Ryback took him down with a spear and moved back to stand in front of the turnbuckles. Thoughtlessly, I ran at him, and was instantly given a clothesline.

My neck felt like it was about to explode. I'd taken clotheslines from Ryback before, but this by far hurt the most. Between him, Kane, and Daniel, I knew that he was gonna be the most difficult to take down, especially since he outmatched me in both size and strength.

Whipping my head to the side, I saw Dean get Shell Shocked by Ryback. Ryback desperately moved over Dean and hooked his leg up.

"One!"

"Two!"

Instantaneously, Seth and I pounced on him, screaming obscenities as we did so. Seth and Ryback exchanged blows, quickly moving their brawl to the outside of the ring. Cautiously, I rose to my feet and grabbed a chair. If I couldn't take Ryback down physically, I was gonna use something that would.

Apparently Seth had the same idea as well, mercilessly swinging the chair at Ryback. I followed suit, ferociously striking him across the back. Both shots took him down but -much to our dismay and shock- he got up. He charged at Roman, the two of them crashing through a series of ladders and chairs.

Before long, our brawl with Ryback ended up on the stage. More punches and kicks were thrown, along with a myriad of chairshots. By this point we'd had enough and we wanted to do whatever it took to end this.

Roman dragged one of the tables next to the barricade over to us and they laid him on it, individually jabbing him in the chest. I raised my right leg up and gratingly slammed it down onto Ryback's throat, effectively pinning him down and forcing a strained groan from him.

My torment was interrupted when Seth tapped me on the shoulder, prompting me to take my leg off Ryback's throat. He pointed to one of the ladders, and I wanted to praise him for coming up with an ingenious last resort.

"Take care of Goatboy, I've got this," he said breezily.

Not needing to be told twice, I nodded and made my way back to the ring where Daniel laid, still in palpable pain. My lips twisted into a sinister smile as I nonchalantly jumped on the apron and stepped under the ropes.

I slapped him across the face then grabbed the back of his head, ramming my knees into his gut in a front lungblower. The adrenaline in my veins kicked into overdrive as I threw myself upwards with a kip up. I then pulled him up and confined him in a cobra clutch, hoisted him up by the neck, and leapt backwards, executing a cobra clutch slam as my ass harshly hit the mat while Daniel landed back first.

A loud crash caused me to tear my attention away from Daniel, and I damn near had a heart attack when I saw the cause of it. A horrified scream tore through my throat at the sight of Seth lying in a somewhat battered heap on a bunch of broken tables. As much as I wanted to throttle Ryback for his actions, making sure Seth's spine wasn't broken was my main concern.

I threw a quick, "Handle Daniel!" over my shoulder as I sprinted past Roman and Dean like I was in a marathon. When I finally reached him, I fell to my knees, tears leaking down my cheeks as I frantically pushed the chunks of broken wood off him. His breathing was labored and his eyes were closed, and that's when panic rose in my chest. As sappy as it sounded, the thought of losing him was unfathomable.

"SETH!" I cried, sobs now wracking my body as I lightly cupped his face. "Seth, please wake up! Please, I need you! Seth, come on!"

"Valentina now checking on the condition of Seth," Cole said.

"Let's hope he's okay, or else Ryback's really gonna be in for it!" Jerry exclaimed.

Lowering my head, I sobbed into his chest, desperately begging him to wake up and stay with me and how I couldn't lose him. I was having a breakdown on live TV, in front of Brooklyn and anyone else watching at home, but I didn't care. I was just praying with all my might that he was gonna be okay.

"V-Vee," he croaked, his eyes fluttering open. "D-Did we win?"

"Oh my God!" I choked out, throwing my arms around him and burying my face in his shoulder. He winced and groaned, to which I immediately loosened my grip.

The bell tolled and Justin Roberts announced us as the winners, and Seth let out a low chuckle. He placed his finger under my chin, lifting it up so that I met his gaze.

"We did it, Vee," he whispered. "We won. Nothing can stop us now. We're untouchable."

"Damn right we are," I laughed lightly, wiping my tears and draping a supporting arm around him to help him up.

Dean and Roman hobbled over to us, leniently slung Seth's arms over their shoulders for support. Dean looked at Ryback –who was now giving us an icy glare, clearly pissed that him and his teammates lost- and yelled, "That's what happens!"

We limped backstage to the trainer's room. Getting medical attention was definitely a must after the match we'd just got out of. Luckily Dean, Roman, and I didn't have any severe injuries to report so the doctor told us rest and take some painkillers once the show was over. Seth, however, needed further evaluation so they kept him in the trainer's room for the time being while we waited outside.

"Are you alright, baby girl?" Roman asked, his voice laced with concern as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

I bit the inside of my cheek and sighed. "I will be. I haven't had a breakdown like that since… since Seth broke his jaw during a match back in 2009. H-He finished the match, b-but there was so much blood and it… it was just awful… It scared the shit out of me and stayed with me for months."

"While being put through a bunch of tables is painful, it's nothing compared to splitting your jaw open, Vee, but he still bounced back. Trust me, he's gonna pull through," he replied earnestly.

"I hope so," I mumbled.

"Does this mean you're finally gonna tell him?" Dean spoke up.

Before I could answer him, the door opened and the doctor came out. He let us know that Seth wasn't concussed and didn't have any broken bones (thank fuck) and like us he also needed to take it easy and take plenty of painkillers before Raw.

As much as we wanted to leave, we were required to stay for the rest of the pay-per-view. Nothing too surprising happened aside from AJ turning on Cena by pushing him off the ladder and letting Dolph pick up the victory. I didn't know whether to laugh at her or pity her for pursuing the same guy that called her a desperate, pathetic, sad, weak, pitiful cling-on a matter of weeks ago, but hey, it wasn't my burden to bear.

Walking into the parking garage, I rummaged through my purse and took out my keys before unlocking my Camaro, having picked it up a few hours prior to TLC. We put our suitcases in the trunk and Roman loaded Seth into the backseat before climbing in and sitting next to him, which meant Dean got shotgun. Wonderful.

"Nice ride, Monroe," he said, a mischievous chuckle leaving his lips.

"Don't even think about it, Ambrose," I shot back, clenching the steering wheel as I pulled out of the garage.

"Come on, pleeeeeaaaaasssseeee?"

"Let me make this perfectly clear, this car is my baby, and if you even think about taking it for a spin while I'm asleep I will rip your arms off and beat you with them, understand?"

"Whatever. Can I at least play some tunes for the time being?"

"…. Fine."

"Fuck yeah!" Dean leaned over and turned on the radio. Despite the fact that I was irritated with him at the moment, I couldn't help but grin at his song choice. For some reason, it just seemed to suit all of us.

Company, always on the run

Destiny is the rising sun

Oh, I was born 6-gun in my hand

Behind the gun I'll make my final stand

That's why they call me

Bad company

And I can't deny

Bad company

'Til the day I die

Oh, 'til the day I die

'Til the day I die

Dean and I sang along as the song rolled on, with Seth occasionally telling us to shut up so he could get some sleep and Roman laughing at his annoyance and at Dean and I. Rather than staying in a hotel, I invited the boys to stay the night at my place since it was only ten minutes away from the arena.

"So this is how the Killer Queen lives," Dean said once they'd all entered my apartment. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Grabbing some spare blankets from the hallway closet, I set them on the couch and turned to the boys. "Roman, Dean, you guys got the pull out couch, don't worry, it's pretty damn comfortable. And Seth, you're rooming with me. Bathroom's down the hall and I've got a smorgasbord of snacks and drinks in the pantry if you want a midnight snack or somethin'."

Dean raised his hand.

"Yeah, Dean?"

"Just letting you know I'm invoking that 'no fuckin'' rule again."

"You really are a dickhead, you know that?"

"I've been called worse, toots."

After I'd helped Roman and Dean set up the pull out couch it wasn't long before they crashed. Seth was in the bathroom so I went in my room to change. I pulled on a black and white button-front sleepshirt that came to my mid-thigh and my white Siberian husky slippers before slipping into bed and pulling the blankets over me.

The door opened and quietly closed before I felt Seth's arms around my waist. Turning over, I placed my hand on his cheek and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

Tenderly stroking the stubble on his jaw, I blew out a sigh. "Tonight, I was so scared… I…I thought I lost you."

He reached over and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "You'll never lose me, Valentina. No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you."

He pulled me against him and my eyes fluttered shut as I snuggled into his warm, comforting embrace.

A/N: And this concludes chapter seven! Also, the second song used in this chapter is 'Bad Company' by Bad Company. I first heard it in my film class last semester and I couldn't help but think of The Shield when I did. So if you haven't heard it I definitely recommend checking it out.

References: The 'nutless monkey' insult is from the movie Tropic Thunder, which is one of the funniest movies I've seen.

Don't hesitate to review because I'm really excited to hear you guys' thoughts on the match, Valentina's breakdown, all the Monrollins moments, things you liked, didn't like, things you think I could improve on, ideas for the story, etc, etc.