The Kobayashi Maru
The Shield wasn't officially scheduled for any matches on Smackdown, but everyone knew that could change at a moment's notice. Dean and Roman didn't want to sit at home and miss out on any chance to make a statement, so there they were. Of course the Authority had to go down to the ring in all their glory to crow about their greatness, and of course Carly was backstage just waiting for the right moment to crash their party.
Carly didn't know why, but she just wasn't feeling it tonight. She hadn't been for weeks now, come to think of it. The idea of going out and messing with the Authority didn't seem as exciting as she knew it should be. Her heart just wasn't in it. She should be feeling something, shouldn't she? They were inches away from everything they'd been working so hard for. She should be happy, or nervous, or she should at least feel anything other than a sort of dull sense of apathy.
She listened half-heartedly as Triple H and Stephanie extolled the virtues of their chosen ones. She'd heard it all before. Randy Orton was the face of the company, and soon to reclaim the title WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Paige was a prodigy and the youngest ever Diva's Champion, set to defend her title against AJ Lee. Seth Rollins was the future of the WWE, and almost guaranteed to soon be known as Mr. Money in the Bank. Kane was… well, Kane was there, too. That's about all they could really say for him. Carly signaled to one of the techs that she'd be interrupting now.
The Authority didn't seem at all surprised to see her, but still vaguely annoyed by her presence. Usually, the sound of her music and the crowd cheering for her would make Carly's heart beat faster. Tonight, she was glad she was a good enough actress to convincingly fake a smile.
"Well, don't you all sound optimistic?" she said, "I don't know if that's heartwarming or just plain delusional."
"I don't think you're in any position to accuse anyone of being delusional, Carly," said Stephanie.
"Really?" said Carly, "Because I'd say that adjective best fits our once-glorious monarchs, as they stand here in total denial of the fact that their empire is crumbling. So keep on smiling. Keep on pretending that you aren't on the verge of losing all control. Because, these people? They're not scared of you anymore. You have long since forfeited your right to any respect or obedience from them. And come Sunday, we are all going to watch as the Authority fails one final time."
Carly paused a moment for the shouts of agreement to die down.
"You're out here painting this picture of your upcoming triumph," she went on, "I've got a better one. Seth, you're gonna learn that traitors never prosper. And Randy Orton, you're gonna find out the hard way that you're no longer the face of this company, and you've already been left in the dust. How does this sound to all of you? Mr. Money in the Bank – Dean Ambrose! And your new WWE World Heavyweight Champion – Roman Reigns!"
The thunderous cheering that quickly organized itself into a 'Hounds of Justice!' chant brought a genuine smile to Carly's face. At least these people were able to keep the faith, even when she was struggling to. Triple H raised the microphone to his mouth.
"That's cute, y'know. That's real cute," he said, "The way you think that you, or your little group of freedom fighters, or any of these nobodies sitting out here have any chance at making something of yourselves. You don't have what it takes, any of you. But you know who does? All the people standing right here in this ring. Kane, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Paige – this is what champions look like. This is what power looks like. And since you still haven't seemed to grasp that, Carly, I'm gonna let them decide the best way to teach you a lesson."
He turned and held out the microphone to whoever wanted to go first. Seth stepped forward eagerly, because of course he did. Carly had a theory that Seth's smug smile could provoke a Buddhist monk to violence.
"I know Dean Ambrose," said Seth, "I know what he wants. He's just itching for a fight. So that's exactly what he isn't going to get. Not against me, not against anybody else. In fact, Dean Ambrose is banned from ringside for the whole night. And if he violates that ban, he forfeits his place in the Money in the Bank contract ladder match."
If ever there was a sure-fire way to make the WWE Universe angry, it was to deny them Dean Ambrose. Seth practically cackled in glee at the outraged response they gave. Carly was certain that Dean was backstage throwing a minor fit at the decree himself. Randy Orton stepped forward next.
"Roman Reigns thinks he has something to prove," he said, "He thinks he's got what it takes to be a champion, and he thinks he's got a score to settle with me personally. Well, they call me a legend killer, and I personally guarantee you that I'm gonna put an end to Roman Reigns before he makes it far enough to be called a legend. Matter of fact, I don't think he's even gonna make it to Sunday, because he's gonna have a match with me tonight."
Carly was glad Roman had had these past three days to rest, because he'd need to be at the top of his game to face Randy Orton. Not that she doubted Roman's ability at all. But it wasn't for nothing that one of Orton's nicknames was the Apex Predator. She smiled coldly at him.
"Then you'd better brace yourself for a storm, Randy Orton. Do you know how justice comes down on you from heaven?" said Carly, "It rains."
Carly had to admit, she'd been wanting to make that Reigns/rains pun for a really long time. Paige was about to step up to take the microphone from Orton when Triple H intercepted it. He said something to Paige that made her nod and stand aside, and Carly had a bad feeling about what was coming next.
"One thing I've got to hand to you as a manager, Carly," said Triple H, "Is your willingness to do anything to create opportunities for the Shield. You always take a very hands-on approach. I mean, some people might even go so far as to call you interfering."
The affable smile was gone from Triple H's face now, and his meaning was perfectly clear. She'd been afraid of this. She knew it wouldn't take Triple H long to figure out the trick she'd pulled on Monday, but she also knew he had no way of proving that she was behind it. Carly had a feeling that wasn't going to stop him from making her pay for it, though. She masked a growing feeling of dread with a mildly confused expression.
"And since you like getting involved so much," said Triple H, "You're going to be in a match tonight against the Diva's Champion, Paige. Of course, the Shield will be banned from ringside. And like Seth said, any violation of that ban – and any infractions of the rules whatsoever – will result in them losing their places in the Money in the Bank pay-per-view."
A subtle gesture from Triple H cut off any further discussion by cuing his music. Carly forced another smile and walked nonchalantly backstage. Luckily, she didn't have to say much when she got back to the Shield. Roman was all intense and keyed up in anticipation. Dean was oscillating between being distinctly miffed that he had to miss out on all the fun and being excited for Roman's match. But they were alright, both of them. That was good. It gave Carly a chance to sit and think about her own situation.
This was a very unfortunate development, but not really an unexpected one. She'd known all along that the Authority was going to make her pay for pulling one over on them. And it wasn't like she hadn't ever been put in unfair matches as punishment before, right? Then again, the last match she was in had been against Paige, and Carly'd succeeded in pulling one over on her then. It was safe to assume that Paige was looking forward to enact some personal retribution on Carly. This was bad. This was very bad.
"Or you could just, y'know, sit there and keep staring off into space while I'm talking to you."
Carly blinked. Dean was standing in front of her, and she honestly had no idea how long he'd been there.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.
"I was just… well, now I can't remember," Dean looked away for a second, wrinkling his nose, "It must not have been that important, I guess."
Carly smiled faintly. Dean had been doing so well at keeping the faith and keeping it together recently. He seemed happy most of the time. Carly didn't like to think what might happen if anything went wrong on Sunday. Dean looked back down at her, a hint of worry clouding his face.
"Hey, are you feeling alright?" he asked, "You're looking kinda pale again."
"I'm just tired," said Carly. It technically wasn't a lie, "And I know tonight's gonna hurt for me, so I'm not exactly looking forward to that."
People talk about there being a wrench in the works, but nobody ever stops to think about what happens to the wrench. At this point, Carly knew from personal experience that being the wrench sucked.
"Do you think they know it was you on Monday?" said Dean.
"I highly doubt it," said Carly, "Adam and the Rosebuds would never rat me out."
"I dunno," said Dean, wrinkling his nose, "That rabbit seems kinda shifty to me."
She knew Dean wasn't kidding, and even in her current state of apathy, Carly had to smile.
"If they had any actual proof," she said, "They would've just overturned the decision on the match and kicked Roman out of the pay-per-view. No, I think they know it was me, but they just can't prove it. Hence the punishment match."
"Anyway, you beat Paige once already, didn't you?" said Dean.
"That was a fluke," said Carly, "I caught her by surprise. But if I know Paige, she's not gonna let it happen again, and she's gonna make me pay for what happened last time."
"If you want, I'll go take your place in that match," Dean offered, "Just find me a wig. I could fool 'em all into thinking I'm you, right?"
"Nobody would buy it, Dean," said Roman, grinning, "She's a lot prettier than you."
Dean made a face at him, and Roman laughed. Even Carly laughed a little. It was sweet of Dean to always try to cheer her up like that. It's just too bad it wasn't working right now.
"Thanks for the offer, though," she said, "I think I'm gonna go for a walk. Clear my head a bit."
"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Dean asked.
It was very hard to lie with him looking at her like that, and with Roman eying her keenly from across the room. Carly summoned up a smile.
"Sure I'm sure," she said, "Don't worry, I'll be back before Roman has to leave."
Carly couldn't afterwards remember where she all walked, and she definitely couldn't remember what she thought about. She wasn't even certain she thought at all. Her mind was all static, and she didn't have enough energy to be annoyed by it. But at least the walk gave her time where she didn't have to put on an act for the boys' benefit. Her inexplicably feeling out of sorts was nothing they needed to worry about, especially with the pay-per-view not two days away.
By the time she got back, Carly was okay enough to wish Roman luck on his match with a fair amount of enthusiasm, and she was able to keep up with Dean's banter enough to keep him from getting suspicious. Carly had the feeling that Dean was putting on an act almost as much as she was. He was trying his hardest not to let it get to him that he was grounded for the evening. But if he could stay upbeat about things, then so could she.
Carly had seen this match before. At least, she thought she had. With all the times Evolution and the Shield had come up against each other, Carly thought she knew exactly how a match between Roman Reigns and Randy Orton would go. Roman would go for the power moves. Orton was dangerous because he could combine power and speed, and he also had far more experience than Roman. Nothing new to see here.
She was wrong. Oh, it started out just the way she thought it would. Roman started trash talking, which Carly wished she could hear. He had a surprising knack for sass. Then Roman slapped Orton across the face and the fight was on. It was the usual back and forth for a while. Typical Orton moves from Orton. Lots of punching and clotheslines from Roman. He went for a Samoan drop, but Orton slipped out of it. Orton shoved Roman away. When Roman tried to return with a spear, Orton countered with a powerslam so swift and decisive that it made Carly gasp in shock. Orton went for the cover, but Roman was able to kick out at two.
Roman rolled out of the ring, and Orton followed him. Roman scrambled to his feet, driving Orton back. He went to whip Orton into the stairs. Orton reversed, and Roman went shoulder-first into the steel steps. Orton dragged Roman upright and tossed him back into the ring. Another cover and a kick-out at one. Dean started biting his nails at this point.
For a while, it was all Orton. He was beating Roman left, right, and center, until he had Roman on the ground with his arm clamped around Roman's throat. It looked like Roman was fading fast, but somehow he powered out and got some space from Orton. Just enough distance to leap through the air for a Superman punch, only to eat an RKO that literally came out of nowhere. Kick out at two. Dean raked his hands through his hair, cursing under his breath. As Roman lay in the ring, breathing heavily, Randy Orton sizing him up from a distance, Carly saw the very moment a strange light started to flicker behind Roman's eyes.
Suddenly, Roman was moving with an agility that rivaled Orton's. A kip brought him to his feet in an instant. He dodged past Orton, catching him in a full nelson and driving his knee into Orton's ribs. Orton, that snake, fought out. He was on the offensive, but that wasn't enough anymore. Where Orton was fast, Roman was faster. Carly was awestruck. She'd never seen Roman fight like this before. And clearly, Orton hadn't either. A one-handed facebuster caught him completely by surprise. As Orton staggered to his feet, Roman leapt high into the air and drilled a dropkick right into Orton's chest. Roman went for the cover, but Orton kicked out at two. Roman backed off for a second, recalculating. He dashed to the corner and used the second rope as a springboard to bring his hand crashing down on Orton's head.
Orton stumbled, but didn't go down. Roman backed off for an instant, then charged at him again. But Orton had been playing possum. He went for an RKO. Roman countered, shoving Orton away. Orton rebounded off the ropes only to be shoulder-checked to the ground. The crowd screamed as Roman raised his fist in the air, signaling for a Superman punch. A disoriented Randy Orton was no longer able to think fast enough to counter it. Roman retreated to the corner, gearing himself up for a spear while Orton tried to pull himself to his feet. Roman threw back his head and roared. Orton never saw him coming.
Unable to keep still any longer, Dean leapt to his feet, punching the air emphatically as the referee hit the three-count.
"How's that for outta nowhere?" Dean crowed, "Believe in the Shield, you son of a bitch!"
Carly was still sitting, still a little stunned.
"Where did that even come from?" she said, "Where'd he learn to fight like that?"
"Who, Roman?" said Dean, "He's always been able to do that. He just never had to up here. I mean, he's the heavy artillery of the Shield. But it looks like he's dusting off the old move-set. And besides, Roman's always been a hard worker. When he sees something he needs to improve on, he does everything in his power to get better at it."
Carly nodded. Come to think of it, Dean had been throwing new moves into his repertoire as well – missile dropkicks and tornado DDTs and such. That shouldn't make her feel uneasy, but it did. It was a good thing, wasn't it? Dean and Roman were adapting their move-sets to better suit singles competition, and it was clearly working like a dream. They were both proving their worth as individuals in this business. But at the same time… that meant they were moving further and further away from fighting as a team. Carly supposed it made sense. They both had different goals at the moment. Dean was focused on taking out Seth, and Roman was focused on Randy Orton. But what did that mean for them as the Shield? Did it mean that Evolution, and the Authority, and Seth had succeeded after all? The sudden, foreboding notion crept into Carly's mind that they were seeing the final days of the Shield.
That thought dropped a heavy feeling of dread into Carly's stomach like a stone. Dean's thoughts were clearly far from where Carly's had gone. He'd thrown all his pent-up energy into being excited for Roman. Not wanting to risk going anywhere near the backstage area, he paced around the dressing room, looking for all the world like a kid on Christmas morning. And the instant Roman walked through the door, Dean threw himself at Roman in a hug that nearly knocked Roman off his feet. Roman was practically beaming. He somehow looked even happier hearing Dean's enthusiastic praise. Dean only paused his talking long enough to grab Roman's head and press a kiss to his forehead. Roman grinned and ruffled Dean's hair.
They were happy. They were so close to getting everything they wanted. That was good. It… it was good, right?
In the midst of the boys' chattering, Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam stuck their heads in the door.
"Hey, Roman," said Chris, "Great job out there. That was some real impressive work."
"Thanks," Roman grinned.
"Sorry you got left out, Dean," said Rob, "But hey, the word on the street is catering made too much dessert, and now they're trying to pawn off the extra. Wanna come with us and get some?"
"Go for it," Roman laughed in response to Dean's questioning look.
"Alright, I guess," Dean shrugged.
Dean made a half-hearted attempt to not look as eager about the prospect as he felt, but a victory for Roman and seconds on dessert for himself was doing decently to cheer him up. He hurried off with Chris and Rob, promising to be back before Carly's match. Carly shook her head and smiled.
It'd been interesting to witness, how the boys' "us vs. them" mentality had slowly shifted from being the Shield vs. everyone else to being them and all their allies vs. the Authority. It came easily to Roman. His charisma, his lack of pretension, his perceptive nature and genuine sincerity had quickly earned the admiration and friendship of their allies. Even though he was younger than most of them, they came to look up to Roman, and he in turn looked out for them.
Dean was different. As long as he was sure that he came first in Roman's heart and that nothing would jeopardize that, he didn't mind at all that Roman was making new friends. Dean just didn't have any desire to do the same. But somehow, Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam had taken a shine to him. The pair of veterans found something unique and endearing about Dean, and they decided to take him under their wing. Chris found out they shared a love of music, and used that as a way to get Dean talking. From there, Rob started swapping crazy stories with him, and before Dean knew what hit him, they'd won him over.
"Would you look at that," said Carly, "Dean actually made some friends."
"I think he's more surprised by it than anyone," said Roman.
"I don't know why he should be," said Carly, "There's something really… I don't know, loveable about Dean. And don't you dare tell him I said that."
Roman laughed, throwing up his hands.
"My lips are sealed, princess," he said.
"You were amazing out there, by the way," she said, "Talk about making a name for yourself. Anybody who doesn't take you seriously is an idiot."
Roman smiled and thanked her. Something on the monitor caught Carly's eye. Apparently, Renee was conducting a backstage interview with Paige. Carly pursed her lips in disapprobation. Noticing her sudden change of expression, Roman followed her gaze.
"Should I turn the volume up?" he asked.
"Might as well," Carly shrugged, making a show of nonchalance.
"Renee, as the Divas Champion," Paige was saying, "I'm expected to set a good example for the rest of the Divas. So if the Authority asks me to teach Carly a lesson, that's what I'll do. I have a score to settle with that little hellcat. Somebody needs to make an example of her, and I'm just going to take my time and enjoy it."
Carly felt cold all of a sudden, sort of numb and empty. Whatever had been ebbing in the back of her mind all day now washed over her. It pulled out every shred of passion, all her drive to fight and overcome, and left her hollow. She didn't want to go through with this match. She didn't want to do anything. She just wanted to stop for an hour, for a week, forever.
"Carly, talk to me," Roman's voice broke sharply through her mind.
When Carly looked up at him, there was worry in his eyes. He switched off the monitor.
"What's wrong?" Carly asked.
"You tell me," he said.
"Nothing's wrong," said Carly.
Roman's brows furrowed and he shook his head. He took Carly by the shoulders and sat her down on the couch, then sat down beside her.
"Carly, you know I'm never going to force anything out of you," he said gently, "But there is no way in hell I'm letting you go out there without telling me what's going on."
"Don't worry about it," said Carly, summoning up a smile that she already knew would not convince him, "I'm fine."
"I have never seen your face go blank like that," said Roman. He gave her a hard, searching look, "Please, tell me what you're thinking. Are you scared?"
"No, I'm not scared. I just…" Carly's voice suddenly wavered, "I'm tired, Roman. I'm so tired."
To her own bewilderment, Carly started to cry. Roman's arms were around her in an instant. Carly didn't know what was the matter with her. She felt miserable and ridiculous. But the harder she tried to stop herself from crying, the harder she sobbed. She couldn't make it stop.
"It's alright. No shame in crying if you need to," said Roman.
"I'm sorry," said Carly, burying her face in his shirt.
Roman hushed her softly. For a while, he just held her and let her cry, his warm, strong hands rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Sometimes I forget just how much you took on, and how quickly," he said at length, "Me and Dean, we've had years to get used to all this. You've only had months. And it's hard sometimes, I know it is. But I want you to know that you've got more grit than pretty much anyone I've ever met. You took everything they threw at you and never let it stop you for a second, and that takes courage. It takes strength. Everybody's got their breaking point. Just know that you've got two guys who care about you a lot, and we'll always have your back."
Carly took a few shaky breaths. Maybe, just maybe she'd regained control a little. She pulled away from Roman, sniffing and trying to wipe off her face. Carly knew she looked like an absolute mess when she cried. While she was composing herself, Roman got up and rummaged around in his bag for a water bottle. Then he sat back down, handing it to Carly.
"Thanks," she managed.
Carly forced down a few gulps of water. She never quite knew why, but water was always the best thing for calming herself down after crying. After a few more deep breaths, her voice was steady enough to speak.
"Really, Roman, thank you," she said.
"Not a problem," he said, "You feeling any better?"
"A little," Carly said with a tremulous laugh, "I just need to hurry up and get a hold of myself."
"There's no rush," said Roman, "You got time before the match."
"No, that's not it," said Carly, "I don't want Dean to see me crying. I just… don't want him to think I've given up or something."
In all honesty, Carly hadn't known that that was the reason until she said it out loud. Worry creased Roman's forehead again. He shook his head, laying a hand on Carly's back.
"Don't worry about Dean," he said, "He'll understand."
Carly wasn't so sure. She shrugged and took another drink of water. She didn't know why she was so concerned about what Dean thought. Or was it that she was concerned about what Dean thought of her? In any case, it didn't matter now. What mattered was getting through the tonight. She could worry about everything else later.
From the second Dean walked back into the room, Carly knew that her face must've given her away. Dean glanced between Carly and Roman in alarm.
"What's wrong?" he asked, "Is she okay? Did something happen?"
Carly looked down and shook her head, suddenly not trusting her voice again.
"The princess is having an off day, that's all," said Roman.
Carly was glad Roman decided to downplay the fact that she'd just had a legitimate breakdown. She could explain it to Dean later. For the moment, at least, he seemed to accept Roman's answer. Then he tilted his head, looking worriedly at Carly.
"Y'know," he said, "You don't have to go through with the match."
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I do," said Carly.
"But couldn't you get yourself counted out or something?" said Dean, "Or let yourself get disqualified somehow? Just to cut it short, at least."
"You heard what Triple H said," said Carly, "Any rule-breaking at all and you guys are out of the pay-per-view. I'm not gonna risk it. This has to be a clean fight."
"But there's gotta be some way," Dean said, running a hand through his hair in agitation.
"There isn't," said Carly, "Don't even start thinking about it. I'm just taking one for the team, alright?"
"I heard how Paige was talking," Dean protested, "She doesn't just wanna beat you in a match. She wants to hurt you, bad."
"I know that," Carly said sharply, "Don't you think I know that? You aren't making it any easier right now."
"You're just gonna let this happen?" Dean asked incredulously.
"What choice to I have?" said Carly.
"No," Dean shook his head, "You're not doing this. We're gonna think of something. You got around them on Monday, didn't you? Maybe-"
"That's not gonna work more than once," said Carly, "They adapt. The Authority always adapts."
"But-"
"No."
"Are you forgetting that the Authority put you in a hospital once?" Dean said angrily, "They did that just because you took one step out of line. What do you think they're gonna do to you now? You want that to happen again?"
"This isn't about what I want," said Carly, "There's no discussion here."
"I'm not gonna stand by and-"
"Dean, listen to me," she said sternly, "You aren't going to do anything. No matter what – look at me. Dean, look at me! No matter what happens, no matter what they do to me, you are not going to interfere. I'm not going to let you throw everything away like that. Promise me. I want both of you to promise me that. Right now."
Dean clenched his jaw in irritation. Carly could see that every fiber of his being was rebelling against this plan. He looked to Roman imploringly.
"I promise," Roman said.
Dean's expression hardened. He shifted his weight back and forth, drumming his fingers against his collarbone. Without a word, he turned and ripped open his bag. After a quick and violent search of it, he returned with tape in hand. Dean dropped to one knee in front of Carly.
"Give me your hand," he growled.
Carly hesitated, staring at him in confusion.
"Hand," he ordered, snapping his fingers, "Now."
Carly held out her hand, and Dean set to work swiftly wrapping and taping her fist. When he finished one hand, he demanded the other. Carly glanced over at Roman, but he only shrugged slightly and shook his head. Carly ventured to speak.
"Dean?" she said, "What are you doing?"
He finished up and threw the tape down, raking his hands through his hair. It looked like he was trying to compose himself enough to speak. And when he did speak, his voice was low and strained.
"I get it, alright?" said Dean, "I get it. I know why you gotta do this. I understand. But don't think for a second that I'm okay with the fact that I… that we have to sit back here and let this happen."
Dean took Carly's hands in his and looked up into her eyes. The fierce intensity of his gaze caught Carly off-guard.
"We can't protect you out there. So this," he said, holding more firmly onto her hands, "This is me protecting you. Y'know, the only way I can."
His tone softened by the end, and the anger was gone from his eyes. He looked distressed, like the idea of being powerless to help physically pained him. It made Carly want to cry all over again.
"Dean-" said Carly.
That was all she could say before her voice broke. She slid off the couch and threw her arms around Dean. He held her tightly as she tried to steady her voice, her breathing. The thought of having to go through with this match was a little easier to deal with, somehow, when she had someone to hold onto.
"Thank you," she managed.
"Don't lose heart, alright?" he said softly.
xXx
Paige went down to the ring first, Carly second. Carly got the sense that she was walking down the ramp to face a firing squad. Whatever the Authority had in store for making an example of her, it wasn't going to be pleasant. Dean and Roman had walked as far backstage with her as they dared. Carly desperately tried to hold onto the feeling of their hands on her shoulders.
Carly knew she was doing a decent job of not looking as scared as she felt, but Paige wasn't buying it. Paige just smiled, very aware that she'd already gotten in Carly's head. Carly hated that cool, professional smile. Paige must be taking lessons from Stephanie. Carly barely listened as she was announced. She rubbed her hands together, feeling the tape wrapped around them. It made her feel a little safer, somehow.
She almost flinched when the bell rang. Paige kept her distance at first, just toying with her. It made Carly want to scream. She held her ground, deciding that the only show of defiance she could make was making Paige come to her. Paige needed no second bidding.
Carly was off her game from the start, and Paige capitalized. She could focus enough to counter. She was hardly even quick enough to be on the offensive. Paige had learned from her mistakes last time. It was clear that she knew Carly's limited move-set, and was more than prepared for her. Carly did manage to get in a few hits, but then Paige lunged forward, grabbing hold of Carly and hitting her with a Paige-turner.
The back of Carly's head crashed into the mat so hard that she bounced back to a seated position. She was too dazed to react before a superkick from Paige slammed into the side of her head, knocking her down. Carly was dimly aware of Paige rolling her onto her stomach. She felt Paige's knee dig into her back. Then Paige wrenched her arm back. It wasn't exactly a submission maneuver. Carly wasn't sure what was going on until she felt Paige's fingernails scratching at her wrist. Horrified, she realized that Paige was trying to tear the tape off.
No. She couldn't let that happen. Carly struggled frantically, but to no avail. Paige held her arm firmly and ripped the tape from her hands. As she went to toss it away, Carly felt Paige shift her weight just enough for her to scramble away. Carly hugged her now bare hand protectively against her body, feeling that somehow, some protection had been torn away from her. The rising panic she felt must have been written on her face, because Paige was smiling again.
Carly knew she shouldn't have reacted. She shouldn't have given herself away, but it was too late now. Paige didn't know why Carly was so afraid of losing the tape, she just knew it was one more way to punish her. Carly tried to get away, but Paige seized her by the hair and slammed her facefirst into the mat repeatedly. Carly was unable to stop her from ripping the tape off her other hand, and Carly suddenly felt completely vulnerable. She was alone out here with no way to fight back and no way to win.
Before she could try to scramble away again, Paige's arm locked around her throat in a sleeper hold. Carly clawed at Paige's arm in desperation. It was no use. Paige had the hold locked in too well. Pressure was building up inside her skull, like it was about to explode. Carly's vision began to blur. Then Paige suddenly let go, letting Carly fall facedown on the mat. But only for a second. Paige grabbed a handful of Carly's hair and hauled her upright.
Carly lost track of what happened after that. She was dragged and thrown around the ring, flipped and slammed to the ground so many times that she didn't know which way was up anymore. Now she was hung up on the second rope with Paige driving her knee into her ribs. Now she was being tossed into the corner, and Paige's boot was stomping down on her chest until the referee pulled her away. Now she was getting suplexed, no more able to counter than if she'd been a ragdoll. At any signs of life from Carly, Paige locked in the sleeper hold again to take the fight out of her.
Carly had no idea how long this went on. She only knew that everything hurt, and she couldn't get enough air, and she was so dizzy that she thought she might be sick. It took Carly a while to realize what was happening when she felt Paige twisting her legs around her own and then rolling her onto her stomach. And then it was too late to even try to fight out. Paige grabbed her arms, wrenching them back as she locked in a PTO. The pain of the submission maneuver made Carly tap out almost instantly.
She didn't care. She didn't care if it made her look weak or something. She was just grateful for the relief of Paige dropping her to the mat and disentangling herself from Carly to celebrate her victory. Carly lay perfectly still where she had fallen. She just wanted to breathe. Even the stale smell of the canvas didn't bother her in the slightest. After nearly being choked into unconsciousness who knows how many times, whatever oxygen she could force into her lungs and up to her brain was wonderful. God, everything hurt. But it was over now. It was –
It wasn't over. Of course it wasn't. Why would she even think that? A sudden chorus of boos from the audience made Carly lift her head to see Alicia Fox, Eva Marie, and Rosa Mendez walking down the ramp. Oh, this was bad. This was not good. She had to get up. There was still time. She had to run.
Carly pushed herself upright, only to be kicked in the back of the head. In an instant, the women had swarmed her, kicking her and stomping on her and dragging her towards the corner. She couldn't summon the strength to resist as the women stretched her arms out over her head. Carly felt cold metal close first around one wrist, and then the other. Handcuffs. So painfully tight that they bit into her skin even without her pulling on them at all.
But Carly did pull against them. She realized that they were looped around the ring-post just above the middle turnbuckle. Carly pulled herself to her knees and tried to look around. She was trapped, and at the mercy of her enemies. In a panic, she yanked hard against the handcuffs, knowing in the back of her mind that it was useless.
Suddenly, the referee was there outside the ring, shouting at the women to knock it off. He pulled a handcuff key from his pocket (now why the hell did the refs carry those?) and went to release Carly, only to take a superkick to the chin from Paige. Down he went, unconscious on the floor. Carly's heart sank. There went her last and only hope and being rescued. Whatever they were going to do to her, there was no escaping it.
Carly couldn't turn far enough to see, but she could hear somebody rummaging around beneath the ring, and she could feel the women walking around behind her. Suddenly, Carly heard the sharp, unmistakable sound of someone striking a kendo stick against the mat. Cold horror washed over her. She'd seen what Evolution had done to Roman at Payback. Now, she was going to find out for herself just what it felt like.
Carly flinched as she felt someone tapping the tip of a kendo stick against her back. Paige's voice echoed over the sound system.
"Just so you know," she said, "We don't have to do this. All you have to do is just agree to pull the Shield out of the pay-per-view, and we can call it a day."
A "no!" chant started almost instantly. Paige leaned down next to Carly, so the microphone was near enough to pick up her voice.
"And you can go straight to hell," Carly said through gritted teeth.
The scattered cheering at her defiance did nothing to lift Carly's spirits.
"Suit yourself," Paige said lightly, "Let me know if you change your mind. And I have a message for Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, because I know they're watching. Triple H wanted me to remind you boys that this is only happening because of you."
Carly heard a thud as Paige tossed the microphone aside.
"Ladies?" said Paige.
The other three women answered. Carly's heart pounded in a useless show of fight-or-flight. There was nowhere to run, no way to escape, and nothing that would stop this except her giving in to their demands. She couldn't do that. She wouldn't.
The first strike came crashing down on her back, catching her unawares. Carly barely managed to choke back a pained cry. The sting and the force of the blow hurt like hell. She gritted her teeth and tried to hold in any audible reaction. Internalizing the pain only made her feel sick to her stomach. A second strike bit into her skin. Carly's back arched involuntarily. The movement wrenched her shoulders harshly, and tears stung Carly's eyes as she felt the handcuffs cutting into her wrists. She cowered under a third strike, a sob forcing its way from her throat.
Carly tried to breathe, tried to think, tried to tell herself that it was alright if she couldn't bear this quietly. Even Roman hadn't been able to do that. A fourth blow fell. Carly screamed.
xXx
"This is… this is sickening to watch."
"No escape for the rebel princess this time. I have to admit, this is unfair, plain and simple."
"And they're going to keep torturing that young lady until she agrees to pull Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns from the spots they earned in the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, and there's nothing the Shield can do about it."
xXx
Nine. Or maybe eleven. Carly had lost count. Her whole back felt like it was on fire, her shoulders ached unbearably. She was slumped forward in agony. The only thing keeping her upright was the fact that she was handcuffed to the ring-post. Carly didn't have the strength to stop herself from crying. She felt like she was going to be sick. Every breath dragged her deeper into despair.
Carly was utterly alone. There was nothing she could do to defend herself. No one was coming to save her. Nobody could. Dean and Roman had promised not to. But a treacherous shard of hope stuck in her heart like a splinter, silently begging them to break that promise.
A wild, irrational flare of anger sprang up against them. How could they have agreed to this? How could they leave her out here alone? How could they stand by and let this happen? Didn't they care?
Another blow sent fresh shocks of pain coursing through Carly's body, the outraged shouts of the crowd drowning out her scream. What the hell was the matter with her? There was no reason – none at all – to start getting mad at Dean and Roman. She wasn't thinking straight anymore, that's all. If there was such a thing as mercy in this world, she would pass out soon. She didn't know how much longer she could last.
As she waited for the next strike, the incongruous sound of the audience cheering fell on Carly's ears. There was the sudden sound of a scuffle in the ring behind her. After a brief fight, somebody went crashing to the ground. Then somebody else. The crowd kept cheering. Carly saw Paige go flying out of the ring, pursued by a short brunette.
"Carly?" she heard Natalya's voice beside her, "Just hang in there, okay? We'll get you free in a second."
Natalya? How on earth had she gotten out here? Carly raised her head to look around. Emma had just retrieved the key from the ref's hand and was hurrying over with it. She hopped up to kneel on the apron, and started to unlock the handcuffs. As one wrist was released, Carly gasped in pain, gingerly lowering her arm and holding it close to her body.
"Sorry," Emma said, wincing sympathetically, "I'm being as gentle as I can."
"It's alright," Carly managed to say, "I'm alright."
A stinging sensation filled her arms as circulation returned to them. Carly's legs ached from being forced to kneel for that long. She tried to shift so she could straighten her legs out and nearly toppled over. Fortunately, Naomi was kneeling beside her, and caught her carefully by the arm.
"Just take it easy," said Naomi, letting Carly lean against her shoulder, "Keep still as much as you can."
"Thank you," said Carly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Carly broke off as her voice got closer to a sob. Natalya gently smoothed her hair.
"You're okay," she said, "Everything's gonna be okay."
"But how?" Carly asked, "How did you-?"
"Well," said Natalya, "When Roman and Dean saw what was going to happen after the match, they started begging the officials to come out here and stop it, but they wouldn't. I guess they were all either bribed or threatened into staying out of it. Your boys got upset and started yelling at them to do something, and so security came over to make sure they didn't start a fight or something, and then Dolph and all the rest of the rebels came over to demand that they put a stop to this, and because of that the goon squad came over and nearly started a brawl. That wasn't doing any good, and we couldn't just leave you out here. So while everybody was distracted with all that chaos, we snuck around through the audience."
"Outsmarting every other WWE employee?" Carly smiled faintly, "You three are good. Was I imagining things, or did I see AJ Lee out here, too?"
"You did," said Naomi, "When she saw what we were up to, she volunteered to help."
"I thought she didn't wanna take sides," said Carly.
"She doesn't," said Emma, "But she likes any chance to beat up Paige."
"Don't we all," Carly mumbled, "Can you help me up? I think I can walk now."
"Maybe you should let the medics help you," said Natalya.
Carly shook her head.
"No. I gotta be able to walk away from this one," said Carly, "Please, will you help me?"
The other three women glanced at each other, then nodded in agreement.
"If you say so," Natalya said, "Come on, lean on us."
With their help, Carly slid under the ropes and put her feet on the floor. Her knees buckled almost immediately. She would've collapsed if Natalya and Naomi hadn't had a firm hold on her arms. Leaning heavily on them, Carly slowly, painfully made her way up the ramp. Maybe they didn't understand, but Carly knew that she had to walk out of the arena in view of everyone. Anything less would be admitting that she'd been beaten. Even in her disoriented state, the necessity of that stubborn, proud gesture burned in Carly's mind.
And it must've resonated with the crowd. By the time she made it halfway up the ramp, it sounded like the entire arena was chanting her name. It helped, a little. It made Carly feel like what she'd just been through actually counted for something. But whatever sheer force of will had enabled her to walk abandoned her the instant she got backstage.
"Wait," she said breathlessly.
Natalya and Naomi paused, still holding onto Carly. She stood very still and tried to breathe as she waited for the lightheadedness to pass. She heard the sound of two familiar voices calling her name. She raised her head just enough to watch Dean and Roman running towards her.
Dean got there first, of course, seeming completely oblivious to the presence of anyone but Carly. He carefully took her by the shoulders as Roman stepped past to look at her back.
"It's all over now," Dean said, "It's over. I've got you. You're gonna be alright."
Carly flinched. For a moment, she heard Seth's voice instead of Dean's, felt Seth's hands on her shoulders. Now she was trembling, her eyes shut tight, shaking her head against that memory. She heard Dean curse under his breath, felt his warm hands on either side of her face.
"Hey. Carly, look at me," he said, "Look at me."
Still shaking, she opened her eyes. Dean held her gaze as he tried to talk her down.
"I'm here, alright?" he said, "Roman's here, too. I promise you – no, no, listen. Listen to me, Carly. I promise it's over. Nobody's gonna hurt you, okay? Nobody's gonna hurt you anymore. You just keep breathing."
Dean had misinterpreted the reason for her reaction, but Carly wasn't about to correct him. It didn't really matter, anyway. Carly held onto Dean's shirt to steady herself, leaning forward and resting her forehead against his chest. She didn't care how pathetic she looked right now. She didn't care.
Carly could hear Roman fervently thanking the women for their help. She felt like she should thank them again, but she couldn't bring herself to move before they left. Dean still held her head in his hands and gently stroked her hair. Carly was glad he hadn't let go, because she needed to feel something that didn't sting and ache right now. She shivered. The combination of an adrenaline crash and Dean's comforting presence was making her very tired.
"How's it look, Roman?" Dean asked quietly.
"I've seen worse," Roman replied.
But he said it in a careful sort of tone, and Carly could tell that meant he was worried.
"Should we get her to the trainer's room?" said Dean.
"I think we should get her out of here as soon as possible," said Roman.
"But if it's that… If she's this… y'know?" Dean faltered, not quite able to talk around the subject as well as Roman.
"What can they do for her that we can't?" said Roman, "This isn't a good time for any of us to stick around, least of all her."
There was a pause, and Dean shrugged. Carly felt something being draped around her shoulders. Roman's sweatshirt. It hurt where the fabric brushed against her back, but she was so cold that it didn't matter. She raised her head and took a step back, wrapping the sweatshirt more tightly around herself.
"You with us, Carly?" asked Roman.
"Yeah," she said.
"Alright," said Roman, "We can either take you to the trainers' room and let them take a look at you, or we can go right back to the hotel and me and Dean will take care of you. It's up to you, Carly. What do you want to do?"
Carly understood that he was asking her a question, but for some reason the very idea of making a decision was muddling her thoughts horribly. She couldn't even find the words to tell him that she didn't care either way. All she could do was stare blankly at him. But Roman seemed to realize the trouble and backpedaled quickly.
"Okay, too many questions. I'm sorry, Carly," he said, "We're gonna take you back to the hotel. Is that okay?"
"Uh-huh," said Carly.
Thank goodness Roman knew how to take charge of a situation. If it was up to Carly, she probably would've just laid down right there in the hallway and fallen asleep.
"Good," said Roman, "I can't carry you, 'cause it'll just hurt your back more, so I'm gonna need you to walk to the car with us. Can you do that for me?"
"Yeah," Carly nodded.
"That's my girl," said Roman, smiling at her, "Let's get out of here, alright? Don't rush yourself, it's okay. Go as slow as you need to."
xXx
Carly stood in front of the bathroom mirror in her hotel room. Her thoughts were much clearer now than they had been at the arena. She was still exhausted, but at least she wasn't in a complete daze anymore. She hadn't bothered changing out of her gear. It'd be comfortable enough to sleep in, anyway. She craned her neck, looking over her shoulder to assess the damage. Just looking at the latticework of dark, angry welts made her back hurt even worse. Carly shivered and turned away, trying to push the memory of the whole experience from her mind.
It bothered her, and she couldn't tell if it should bother her as much as it did. It's not like this was the first time she'd been cornered, or beaten, or humiliated. (That fact in itself was worrisome enough.) Yes, she'd ultimately been rescued. But the hopelessness, the actual despair she'd felt stuck in her like a splinter. The Authority had her number, and they knew it. They knew she wouldn't let Dean and Roman risk the opportunities they'd worked so hard to get. Whatever they threw at her, she had to take it. Even if it was a medieval goddamn public flogging.
No, she had to stop thinking about it. As long as Dean and Roman were around, she had to keep her composure. They hadn't liked the idea of leaving Carly alone, so they'd taken shifts staying with her while one of them went to drop their things off at their own room. Roman had stayed first so Dean could retrieve his first-aid kit, and now Dean was staying so Roman could go get some ice. Carly had immediately gone into the bathroom the second she got to her room. She wanted to wash her face and brush her teeth and try to make her hair less of a mess, but mostly she wanted a few minutes alone.
Carly heard the room door opening, signaling that Roman was back. After a moment, she heard his voice through the bathroom door.
"Carly?" he called.
"Sorry," she said, "Just give me a second."
She didn't want to go out there. She didn't want to have to face them. She was very tempted to turn on the shower, curl up under the warm water, and fall asleep. But that was impractical. She could do this. She could keep it together for a few more minutes. As soon as the boys were satisfied that she was alright, she wanted nothing more than to pass out for the next eight to ten hours.
Carly retrieved Roman's sweatshirt and wrapped it back around her shoulders like a blanket, trying to ignore the way it brushed against the welts on her back. The fact that it smelled like Roman was reassuring in its familiarity. Carly felt like she needed a hug, but in her state, this was the closest she was going to get without hurting herself.
Roman watched her keenly as she walked into the room, and Carly knew he was noting everything about the way she carried herself – the slow, small steps she took, the fact that she couldn't quite look him in the face. He stepped closer to her and gently laid his hand on her arm. Roman was careful not to make any sudden moves. It was like he was approaching a wounded animal.
"Everything alright?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, just moving a little slow," said Carly.
She had the right to move slow at this point. Carly had absorbed more damage in the past year than she had in the previous twenty-three combined. Roman nodded.
"If there's anything you need, anything at all, you just let us know," he said.
"Lucky for you, we make house-calls," said Dean, motioning for Carly to come sit down next to him.
It seemed like Dean was trying to keep the mood light, and Carly was grateful for it. She would've been happy if they could all just pretend that that second half of the night hadn't happened. Roman walked across the room with her, probably noting her struggle to keep a neutral expression as Carly carefully sat down cross-legged on the bed beside Dean while he rummaged through his first aid kit. Roman returned to the sink briefly before coming back to join them, carrying a cup of water.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better, ish. Not as foggy," said Carly, shaking her head a little, "Everything still hurts as much as you'd expect."
"Not hard to imagine," said Dean, "Hell to watch, though."
"Welcome to my world," Carly said grimly, "I have to watch them tear you two apart every week, and then see them smile as they hand me back the pieces."
Dean and Roman glanced at each other, and Carly knew she'd said too much.
"It bothers you that much?" asked Roman.
"No. Yes. I don't know," said Carly, "I just don't like having to see you get hurt all the time."
That was the wrong thing to say, too. A heavy sense of guilt already pervaded the atmosphere, and Carly didn't want to make it any worse.
"Well, you just take it easy and let us take care of you, alright, princess?" said Roman, "First things first – drugs."
Carly cracked a smile at the blunt pronouncement. Roman dropped a couple ibuprofen into her hand, and then passed her the water as well. Carly sometimes thought that the professional wrestling industry could single-handedly keep ibuprofen manufacturers in business. She handed the cup back to Roman after she'd taken the pills and he set it down.
"Come on, let's get you all patched up," said Dean, "Let me see your wrists."
Carly disentangled her hands from the sweatshirt and held them out to Dean. He winced at the sight of them, and the cuts where the metal had bit into her skin.
"Geez, how tight did they have those things on?" he said.
"Tight enough that I couldn't pull a Houdini again," Carly said wryly, "They didn't want me getting loose this time."
Dean shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Then he composed himself quickly, grabbing a couple antiseptic wipes.
"I'm guessing this is gonna sting a little," he said, "Sorry."
Dean took her hand and cleaned out the cuts as gently as he could. It did sting, but it was nothing compared to how horrible Carly's back felt. Dean kept his head down as he worked. Carly didn't mind. She didn't really feel like looking either him or Roman in the eyes right now. She felt like she'd disgraced them somehow. That was stupid, Carly knew. She hadn't done anything wrong. And yet, she almost felt guilty about the despair and anger that had come over her earlier.
When Dean finished cleaning the cuts, he called Roman over to help him bandage up Carly's wrists. Roman held the bandages in place while Dean secured them with strips of gauze. Roman went back to the sink when they finished. Dean stayed sitting, still holding onto Carly's hands. Bandaged as they were now, they looked almost the same as they had when Dean taped them for her before. Dean sighed, then laughed faintly, a bitter little smile pulling at his mouth.
"It didn't mean a thing, did it?" he said.
"Don't say that," said Carly.
Dean looked up. He didn't ask why not, at least not out loud, but the look in his eyes certainly did. It seemed guilty, like he felt that he'd failed her or something.
"It didn't work," said Carly, "That doesn't mean that it didn't mean anything."
That didn't make much sense. Carly wasn't even sure what she meant by it. She just knew that it was true, whatever it was. Dean seemed to understand. He held onto her hands a little more tightly, then looked away. Dean let go of Carly's hands and gathered up the scraps of gauze to throw away. He stood up quickly. But before he walked away, he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.
Roman had walked back over, and he gently touched Carly's arm again to get her attention.
"Let's have a look at your back, okay?" he said.
Carly shrugged slightly. She had the strange urge to refuse. The idea of not having something covering her back made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Carly suddenly understood the wary look in Roman's eyes the night Seth betrayed them. But she let Roman remove his sweatshirt from her shoulders. A second later, Dean let loose a strangled string of curses before Roman cut him off by saying his name sharply.
"Sorry. Sorry," Dean said, "I'm sorry. I just-"
Here Dean became inarticulate again. Carly couldn't quite follow the jumble of swearing, incredulity, and threats. In spite of herself, she found it a little funny. She turned a little so she could see Roman standing there, eyeing Dean in exasperation. Still, he let Dean get it out of his system, only speaking up when Dean ended on one final, emphatic curse.
"You done?" Roman asked, nonplussed.
"Yeah, I'm done," Dean muttered.
"Good," said Roman, "Using that kinda language in front of the princess. Come on, uce."
"I know, I know," Dean said apologetically, "I just didn't realize it was that… Terrible. Give me a break, Roman. She already knows it looks terrible, alright? Caught me off-guard. I'm sorry, Carly."
"It's fine," said Carly, "It was vicariously cathartic, actually."
"Don't encourage him," said Roman.
Carly laughed weakly. Roman shook his head at Dean once more before leaning over to survey Carly's back.
"Doesn't look like they broke the skin anywhere, which is something, at least," he said.
"Still feels awful," Carly muttered.
"Trust me, I know," said Roman, "How about you lay down so we can get some ice on that?"
Carly nodded. Dean, perhaps in an attempt to make up for his lapse of decorum, retrieved one of the pillows and set it on top of the quilt so Carly could make herself comfortable. Her back hurt enough when she was sitting still. It strenuously protested the idea of being made to move. Carly was able to keep it together, and managed to stretch out on her stomach with only minimal wincing.
Dean sat down on the bed as well. He'd been hovering as Carly tried to lay down, looking distinctly annoyed that at his own helplessness. He bit his lip. Trying to keep from launching into another blue streak, Carly imagined. She was impressed that he'd kept his temper this well. Being stuck on the sidelines all evening hadn't exactly sat well with him.
The sudden, painful sensation of Roman laying the ice across her back overwhelmed her. She knew he was being as careful as he could, but it still hurt. It felt like every single nerve had been flayed raw. Carly wasn't able to keep a shamefully pathetic-sounding whimper from escaping her lips.
"I know, babygirl. I know," Roman said sympathetically, "But it'll help in the long run."
Carly's mood abruptly dropped back down into the kind of misery where kindness only makes things worse. The warm, soothing tone of Roman's voice and the pitying concern that had been startled into Dean's expression made her want to curl up in a corner and die. Carly closed her eyes.
"Sorry," she said stiffly.
Carly felt the mattress shift as Roman sat down. She wished they would stop looking at her like that. She could tell they were without even opening her eyes.
"It's alright, sweetheart," said Dean.
She flinched slightly as she felt something touch her face. But it was only Dean, smoothing her hair back.
"God, they really did a number on you, didn't they," he said.
Carly answered with a noncommittal hum. This sort of sustained calm gentleness was extremely out of character for Dean. She'd expected him to be joking around and being bossy like he usually did, or to at least be the kind of frantic-worried that only Dean Ambrose could be, but he hadn't done any of that. Even the way he said sweetheart was without its usual teasing tone. Tonight must've shaken him.
Really, they'd all been acting out of character this week. How out of sorts she'd been feeling was just the latest bit of strangeness. Carly didn't know if it was just symptomatic of all the other changes that had been gradually spreading throughout the whole company, or what. She wasn't sure how she felt about it either.
"Just hang in there for ten minutes, alright, princess?" said Roman, "Then we'll let you get some sleep."
They didn't know how close to the edge she'd been pushed tonight, and she wasn't going to tell them. Not that she ever would've caved and pulled them from the pay-per-view. But she'd been so desperate and helpless and angry that she'd almost started to blame Dean and Roman for what was happening. That was ridiculous. It was stupid. It wasn't their fault. It was the Authority's. Why was that becoming so hard to remember? Carly opened her eyes.
"I'm sorry that this keeps happening," she said.
"What do you mean?" Roman asked.
"I'm sorry that you guys keep having to patch me up ever since you took me in like a stray, or something," said Carly.
"Is that how you see it?" said Roman, raising an eyebrow incredulously, "Because that's not how it looks from our perspective. If anything, you got it backwards."
"Maybe we all took each other in," said Dean.
Maybe he was right. That was probably one of the most accurate descriptions of this group of friends. It was almost painfully appropriate that to "take someone in" could mean something else entirely. It could mean to deceive them, and that's exactly what Seth had done.
"Just so you know," Carly felt suddenly compelled to say, "I wasn't going to give up. I was counting on passing out before then."
Dean and Roman seemed surprised at the abrupt declaration. But Carly had to say it. She couldn't let them think that she would ever… After everything that had happened, she couldn't bear the idea of letting them down.
"We knew you wouldn't," Roman said reassuringly, "We know our princess."
"And that's what made it so hard to watch," said Dean, "It's just… what Paige said. That me and Roman were the reason that happened to you. And the worst of it is that she's right."
"Dean, please don't," said Carly.
If he started blaming himself for this, Carly didn't think she could handle it. Only she was a terrible enough person to even momentarily blame the Shield for what had happened. Fortunately, Dean heard the distress in her voice and immediately dropped the subject.
"I'm sorry, Carly," he said, "I won't. Forget I said anything."
"The only people to blame are the Authority," said Roman, "If there's one thing they're good at, it's torture. And they always save the worst of it for the ones they're most afraid of. Remember what happened to Daniel Bryan back before Wrestlemania?"
Triple H had handled that matter personally. He'd had Daniel handcuffed before beating him mercilessly – even going so far as to forcibly hold Daniel's head underwater – while Stephanie cheered him on in sadistic glee. It had been disturbing to watch, and agonizing to have all Carly's attempts to stop it fail.
"Maybe I should take it as a compliment," she joked shakily.
This was bad. She was getting perilously close to losing her composure again, and judging by the worried looks on Dean and Roman's faces, they knew it, too. Roman's hand was on her arm once more.
"You're alright," he said, "Whatever you're feeling, there's no shame in it. Remember that."
"I shouldn't be letting it get to me this much," said Carly, "It's no worse than what happened to you at Payback."
"Yeah, but that was different," said Roman, "I was never alone out there."
Carly looked away, and there was silence for a moment.
"That's the problem, isn't it?" said Roman, "It's not that they hurt you. It's that they got inside your head."
"I'm sorry," said Carly.
She buried her face further into the pillow and hoped she wouldn't start crying again. Roman's hand never left her arm. Dean pushed her hair aside, and started gently massaging some of the tension from the back of her neck. It was silly, but just being able to feel both of them with her was quickly calming her down.
"They knew exactly what they were doing, separating you from us like that," Roman said sadly, "I'm sorry, Carly. I'm so sorry that they did this to you."
Carly took a deep breath and managed to look back up at them.
"It's alright," she said, "I'll be alright. I had to let it happen. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, y'know."
"Don't you go quoting Star Trek at us like it makes this any better," said Dean.
Carly smiled faintly.
"A no-win scenario," she said, "My own personal Kobayashi Maru test. Well, it could've gone worse."
"And it's never gonna happen again," Dean said firmly, "The only thing that matters now is what happens on Sunday. We're gonna take everything away from the Authority. Roman's gonna take that title, and I'm gonna personally make sure that Seth loses everything he was promised for stabbing us in the back. After everything you've done, Carly, we're not letting this one get away from us. It's the only thing that matters."
Carly hoped he was right. After the hell they'd all been through since the start of June, she didn't even want to consider what would happen if they failed. It was unthinkable. It would probably break her. And with Dean's single-minded obsession with this final bit of revenge on Seth, it'd probably break him, too. And if Dean was lost, then so was Roman. They couldn't fail. They just couldn't.
"Carly?"
Her eyes shot open at the sound of Dean's voice. She had no idea how long they'd been closed.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.
"Nevermind that," said Dean.
"It's high time you got some sleep," said Roman.
He stood up and started carefully removing the ice from her back. It was a little numb with cold at this point, so it didn't hurt as much this time. While Roman went to dump the ice out in the sink, Dean retrieved a spare sheet and quilt from one of the drawers. Carly gingerly pushed herself upright a bit so she could shift onto her side. It'd be far more comfortable than trying to sleep on her stomach.
Dean and Roman worked together to pull the blankets over her as gently as possible. Carly shivered. She hoped the bedding would be warm. It felt like the ice had chilled her all the way to her bones.
"Goodnight, Carly," said Roman.
To Carly's surprise, Roman leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. Roman was a hugger, but he never gave out kisses like Dean did, so the sincerity of the rare gesture warmed Carly's heart.
"Goodnight, sweetheart," said Dean, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Goodnight," said Carly.
There he was, saying sweetheart in that strangely gentle tone again. Carly was too tired to think much of it.
They didn't leave. Instead, Roman sat down and leaned against the headboard. Dean knelt next to the bed, folding his arms on top of the mattress and resting his chin on them.
"We'll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay?" said Dean.
"Don't do that," said Carly, "You guys should be in bed. You need all the rest you can get before Sunday."
"Don't worry about us," said Dean, "Besides, look at you. You can barely keep your eyes open."
He wasn't wrong. Carly was about ready to pass out at any second. She shivered again. Dean and Roman glanced at each other.
"Y'know," said Roman, "Maybe we oughta spend the night here, just in case. If that's alright with you, Carly."
"You don't have to do that," said Carly, "I'll be alright."
"I know you will," said Dean, "We just… We want you to know you're not alone."
She couldn't deny that the idea of having Dean and Roman nearby did make her feel a little better. Carly slid one hand out from under the blankets, reaching out to Dean. He took her hand and enveloped it in both of his own. Roman started to gently stroke her hair. That comforting sensation, along with the exhaustion Carly already felt, was quickly pulling her towards sleep.
"Thank you, Carly," said Dean, "You went through hell for us. Thank you."
"Rest easy, princess," said Roman, "We'll be right here if you need us."
Carly let her eyes close. She couldn't have kept them open even if she'd wanted to.
Her sleep was filled with chaotic dreams. Her mind seemed to be running through every possible and impossible thing that could go wrong. The dreams followed one after another, never giving her a moment's peace, for Carly didn't know how long. One dream was different, though, and it was the last one she remembered when she woke up the next morning.
She dreamed that she was awake, but that she couldn't open her eyes. The aching in her back was so painful, and the memories of the other dreams so disheartening, that she was crying. But then she felt someone's fingers combing through her hair, and then there was the indistinct sound of someone speaking – or maybe they were singing – quietly in a warm, rough voice. For some reason, the nightmares didn't come back after that.
(Note: After much delay, I am finally back to posting chapters! Again, thanks so much for your patience, and thank you to the lovely people who left reviews.)