The Calm Before

"Banned from the arena?" Dean exclaimed, "The hell are they up to now?"

"I have no idea," said Carly, shaking her head worriedly, "If they want all of us out of the way, it can't be good."

"They're probably gonna make a move on Daniel Bryan," said Seth.

"We can't just leave him for dead like that," said Roman.

"My thoughts exactly," said Carly, "But it's no use. The Authority says you'll be fired if you set foot in the arena tonight. I already called Daniel to ask what he wanted us to do, and we both agreed that the Authority is getting too desperate to continue being greedy. This time, they're not just making idle threats. Daniel said he's grateful for our concern and all our help so far, but he can handle this one on his own."

"I don't like this at all," said Seth, "But if that's what he wants, alright."

"But that means we suddenly have the entire day off," said Dean, throwing himself back onto the hotel bed, "What are we gonna do?"

Carly and the Shield sat silently for a moment. They'd essentially been running nonstop through their entire partnership. Any days off were spent at their respective homes, or training. And now that they found themselves with free time on their hands, they had no idea what to do with it. Roman looked up with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We could go on a field-trip," he suggested.

The word 'field-trip' had the same effect on Dean and Seth that the words 'walk' or 'treat' would have on puppies. They sat up, abruptly alert, and turned their eager faces to Roman.

"Could we go to the zoo?" Seth asked excitedly, "It's been forever. And Carly hasn't ever gone with us!"

"Well, that settles it," said Dean, getting to his feet, "Now we have to go. Come on, Carly. It'll be fun. I promise. And besides, you could use the fresh air. You still look all pale and stuff."

Dean tossed Carly's shoes and purse to her as the others scrambled to throw on their jackets. Personally, she was still worried about what might happen to Daniel Bryan tonight, but there was really nothing that could be done. And going to the zoo with Seth and Dean and Roman sounded like much more fun than sitting around and stewing. At least it would be a welcome change of pace from the insanity that had been her job lately. Some fresh air and sunlight would be nice for a change, too. Carly barely got her shoes tied before Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door.

xXx

"See, Roman? That thing over there is a sheep, not a llama," Seth explained slowly.

"Oh yeah, wise-ass? How would you like it if I chucked you in there with 'em?" said Roman.

He lunged at Seth and tried to put him in a headlock, but Seth was too quick and dodged away, laughing. Dean snuck up behind Seth and grabbed his arms, trapping him.

"I got him for you, Roman," Dean called, as Seth struggled to free himself.

Carly watched in amusement as the boys tussled playfully. It was good to see them enjoying themselves doing something other than kicking the daylights out of people. Not that that was bad, by any means. She was just glad to see them in good spirits, and under less weighty circumstances.

"You three make it look like the animals are taking over the zoo. 'Ambrose and Rollins and Reigns, oh my,'" Carly said teasingly.

"Wait, does that mean Dean is a lion, and I'm a tiger, and Roman's a bear?" asked Seth, releasing the other two from the headlocks he'd somehow managed to get them both in.

"Not exactly," Carly mused, "I think you'd still be a tiger, Seth, because you're all stealthy, but Roman would be a lion and Dean would be a bear."

"Makes sense. I've got the best mane," Roman grinned, running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, but how am I a bear?" Dean wrinkled his nose.

"Well, you've got the whole twitchy-berserker thing going on, and berserkers were associated with bears in all the old sagas," Carly noticed the skeptical looks the boys were giving her and trailed off lamely, "Which is trivia that you'll never need to know, I guess."

Dean considered this for a moment. Then his expression shifted and he grinned, casting a sidelong glance at Carly. They all knew what that look meant.

"Here it comes," said Roman.

"This one is all on you, Carly," said Seth.

"Oh no," said Carly, "Please, Dean, don't start-"

"Baby, let me be your lovin' teddy bear," Dean began.

"Singing," she groaned.

"Put a chain around my neck, and lead me anywhere. Oh, let me be your teddy bear," Dean went on.

"Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut?" sighed Carly.

"I don't wanna be a tiger," Dean sang, throwing an arm around Seth's shoulders, "Cause tigers play too rough."

"What?" Seth exclaimed in mock indignation.

"I don't wanna be a lion," Dean put his other arm around Roman's shoulders, "Cause lions ain't the kind you love enough."

"I'm not loveable?" Roman raised an eyebrow, "Is that what you're implying?"

"Dean, you're making a scene," said Carly.

"Don't care," Dean grinned, "I just wanna be your teddy bear – what are you looking at, buddy? Yeah, you keep walking – put a chain around my neck and lead me anywhere. Oh, let me be-"

"Oh, let him be," Seth and Roman joined in.

"Your teddy bear!"

Carly covered her face with her hands. At this point, she was laughing almost too hard to stay standing.

"That's it," she said, "I quit. I refuse to be associated with this."

She turned and started walking in the opposite direction. In an instant, the boys caught up with her, and Dean caught her around the shoulders.

"Oh, come on, Carly," he wheedled, "You know you love us."

"Down, boy," she commanded, and he released his hold, laughing.

"Don't even try to deny it," Roman smiled at her.

"Yeah," said Seth, "Why else would you let yourself be seen in public with those two in the first place?"

"What do you mean, 'those two'?" said Roman.

"Wait. Guys, wait," said Dean, suddenly distracted by a nearby line of food stands, "They've got that ice cream. The kind that comes in the little dots."

"Race you there, Dean," Seth said hastily, "Last one there has to buy. Ready set go!"

Seth was off like a shot with Dean hot on his heels. Roman just shook his head, following at a more reasonable pace with Carly.

"You look like you're feeling better," he said, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Very much," Carly smiled up at him, "Thanks for bringing me along. This is fun."

"It is," Roman nodded, "We try to get away as much as we can and… well, act like small children, clearly."

They had caught up with Dean and Seth, who stood in front of the ice cream stand, arguing. Roman continued past them and got in line.

"Admit it, Seth. You lost," said Dean.

"I didn't lose! You cheated," Seth said adamantly, "You tripped me on purpose."

"You're just saying that to get out of buying the ice cream," said Dean.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not! Carly, you saw him, didn't you?" demanded Seth, "He tripped me on purpose, right?"

"I wasn't watching," said Carly, throwing up her hands, "And even if I had been, you're not dragging me into this."

"So stop fighting and eat your ice cream," said Roman.

He had reappeared carrying four bowls which he distributed amongst the group. It appeared that ice cream was in instant argument finisher. With the way Roman had immediately bought it himself and now watched his brothers with a long-suffering smile, Carly surmised that this wasn't the first time this had happened. They continued walking as they ate, looking at the animals. Carly noticed a small billy-goat perched high atop a pile of rocks in its enclosure.

"Hey, look!" she pointed it out, grinning, "That one's king of the hill. It's Daniel Bryan."

"I like this game," Dean laughed approvingly, "Let's go find a weasel so we can name it Brad Maddox."

Carly and the Shield wandered through the zoo, trying to find the animals they could most fittingly name after their coworkers. A pair of energetic otters were dubbed Jimmy and Jey. One unfortunate hyena ended up being named Bray, and the most condescending-looking owl they could find they called Damien. Dolph Ziggler's name was given to a peacock that seemed to particularly enjoy fanning out to be admired. Of course, they couldn't pass up the opportunity to call the laziest-looking walrus Paul Heyman. And Carly made a compelling case to name a pair of Nile crocodiles Hunter and Stephanie, starting to sing "Never Smile at a Crocodile" as supporting evidence before Dean called her a hypocrite for singing and she smacked him upside the head.

"What do you want to do next, Carly?" Roman asked.

"Well..." Carly hesitated, "Could we-? No, that's silly. Nevermind."

"Me and Seth just spent a good ten minutes arguing over whether Randy Orton is a better name for a chimpanzee or a dung beetle," said Dean, "We passed silly about two hours ago."

"Could we go ride the carousel?" Carly asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Seth immediately agreed, "I haven't done that since I was a kid."

"Me neither," said Roman.

"I don't think I ever went on one of those," Dean tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Well, come on, then!" said Carly, "There's a first time for everything."

She seized Dean's hand and eagerly pulled him towards the carousel, Seth and Roman following close behind. Once they were in line, Carly quickly let go in embarrassment. It just seemed surprising and a little sad to her that Dean had missed out on this as a kid, and it had been such a fun and ridiculous day so far that she had taken his hand impulsively. But they had been acting like kids, so why shouldn't she? Dean hadn't seemed to mind, anyway.

Being that it was a Monday afternoon, the zoo wasn't too busy. Still, the sight of three tall and muscular young men getting on the merry-go-round was bound to turn heads, even from those who didn't recognize them as WWE superstars.

Carly looked around at the Shield as the carousel started to spin. Roman sat on a white warhorse, with elaborate armor plates covering its head, neck, and flanks, and medieval trappings on its saddle. Seth chose a slender black horse with a golden mane that seemed to be leaping rather than running. Dean had picked one that was grey or blue roan, with its neck arched and head drawn to the side, wild-eyed, that looked ready to rear up and strike out with its hooves. Carly herself had chosen a chestnut-colored horse with a black mane and tail that streamed out behind it as it appeared to charge headlong towards something. It seemed strangely appropriate.

The boys pretended it was a race as they whirled around. Of course, since they were going in a circle, nobody knew where the starting line or the finish line was, so nobody could tell who won. Unfortunately, the wind had picked up in the last few minutes, and quickly advancing clouds covered the sky. The first few drops of rain began to fall as they disembarked, and they decided it was probably time to go.

As it seemed that all zoos make people exit through a gift shop, Carly and the Shield browsed for a while before leaving. There was the typical assortment of overpriced souvenirs, keychains with names on them, and chintzy toys that really didn't have anything to do with a zoo but kids would want them anyway. Carly noticed a wall full of stuffed animals. She had a silly idea to top off this whole silly day. Glancing over the shelves, she picked out a lion, a tiger, and a bear.

"What are those for?" asked Dean.

"Presents for some friends of mine," Carly smiled, then added, "You don't have to keep them if you don't want."

"Of course we're gonna keep them," said Roman.

"But now we have to pick out something for you," said Seth.

"You go pay for those and wait over there while we decide on something," said Dean, shooing Carly away.

A few minutes later, Carly saw the Shield exit the gift shop, grinning broadly. Seth held something behind his back. Carly eyed them with good-natured suspicion.

"Since you got the animal versions of us, we found the animal version of you," Seth explained.

"Okay, now I'm worried," said Carly.

She half expected it to be a mouse or a dodo bird. But Seth brought his hands in front of him and held out a stuffed red fox.

"Get it? Because you're on a mission to out-fox the Authority," he said.

"He thought up that pun all by himself," Dean grinned.

Carly laughed and took the fox from Seth, handing him the tiger in exchange and giving the bear and the lion to Dean and Roman. They were just big kids, really, these three brothers who donned combat boots and worked together to become an unstoppable force of justice, destroying everything that stood in their way. Now here they stood, hugging stuffed animals and smiling like they hadn't a care in the world. Carly had grown to love these boys. She considered herself one of the luckiest people on earth to have their friendship, and she hoped to never see a day without those smiles.

The rain fell harder now, driven in sheets across the parking lot. It showed no sign of slacking off anytime soon. They decided to make a break for it, dashing to the car and calling for Roman to hurry up and unlock the doors. They piled in and slammed the doors quickly, drenched and laughing. This had been a good day. As Carly tried to wipe some of the rainwater from her face, she thought she heard Dean quietly humming "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear."

xXx

Seth switched off the TV. Numbed by shock, Carly covered her face with her hands.

"I should've been there," she said dully, "I should've gone in tonight. They can't fire me. There was nothing stopping me, but I could've stopped that. This is all my fault."

They'd been right. The Authority had wanted them out of the way in order to take care of Daniel Bryan. They put him in a handicap match against Randy Orton and Batista. And when those two had broken him down, out came Kane. One choke-slam and three pile-drivers later, Daniel Bryan was taken to the hospital with a career-threatening neck injury. They were already saying he'd be out indefinitely. What a chilling word that was: indefinitely.

"Stop it," Roman ordered, "Don't start blaming yourself. It isn't on you."

"Yes, it is," said Carly, "I could've done something."

"Like what? Run in there and get yourself torn to pieces by Kane? By Randy Orton?" said Seth, "Yeah, they can't fire you. But they can still hurt you, and they would've if you'd tried to interfere tonight. It isn't your responsibility to stop the Authority all by yourself."

"Rest assured, we're gonna make them pay for what they did tonight," Dean said grimly, "We're the Shield, remember. A shield from injustice. And there's no greater injustice in this company than the Authority. And we're gonna take them down together."