Daughter of the Devil Himself

The atmosphere backstage that Sunday night was beyond electric. It'd been so long since Carly had seen Dean in such high spirits. He was strutting around, half-dancing, singing to himself, happy as a lark. And Roman was standing tall, unable to keep that beaming smile from his face. Dean kept repeating (with the utmost confidence) that he was going to win, and so was Roman, and that was the only thing that mattered anymore.

True, there was something a little too eager in both their eyes every now and then that made Carly uneasy, but she dismissed it. Everything that had happened over the past month, everything that had happened while the Authority had been in power, all the lies, all the cruelty, all the injustice, everything – it all came down to this. The Shield and all their allies were ready, so very ready. And then…

To say that the pay-per-view didn't exactly go their way would be a grave understatement.

Just before the broadcast began, the Shield and their allies stood together and shook hands. They were going into the matches with the understanding that it'd be every man for himself. It was a competition, after all. That wasn't a problem. The problems started when the Authority's chosen ones started to cheat.

The Money in the Bank contract match was brutal to begin with. It was obvious that Dean and Seth were the most desperate and determined to claim the briefcase. Anyone that got in their way was simply collateral damage. The beginning of the end was when Dean and Seth were both atop the ladder, trading punches, and Dean superplexed Seth over top. Dean landed badly, right on his neck and shoulder.

Against his will, Dean was taken backstage so the medics could look at him. Roman and Carly weren't even allowed to see him. Security was almost tripled for the event. It was clear that the Authority didn't want anything getting in the way of their plans. They were forced to wait elsewhere, watching the match on a monitor, completely in the dark about Dean's condition.

The match continued as brutally as before. As JBL would say, there were bodies everywhere. It looked like Dolph would be the one to finally reach the briefcase, but then Seth – like some sort of two-toned cockroach – reappeared in the ring. He pulled Dolph off the ladder, nailed him with a chair-shot to the back, and then kicked him out of the ring.

Seth was alone in the ring. There wasn't anyone with enough life left in them to challenge him. But as Seth made his way up the ladder, Dean came bolting down the ramp and into the ring.

Carly and Roman had leapt to their feet, cheering at the sudden reversal of fortune. Now Dean pulled Seth down, unloading chair-shot after chair-shot in retribution for that terrible Monday night. He tossed Seth from the ring.

Now Dean was alone. Holding his injured left arm close to his body, Dean dragged himself up the ladder. He reached out, fingertips just brushing against the briefcase that hung suspended above the ring. The crowd cheered wildly. And then –

Jets of flame erupted from the ring-posts. Kane.

It shouldn't have been allowed. Carly didn't care if there were no disqualifications in a ladder match. Kane wasn't in the match. He should not have been allowed to run down to the ring, and drag Dean off the ladder, and hit him with a chokeslam and a tombstone piledriver. It was cheating.

And it was cheating when he held the ladder steady for Seth to climb it and retrieve the briefcase. Carly felt sick to her stomach. Neither she nor Roman could bring themselves to watch as the Authority came out to celebrate their victory. Their prize investment had paid off after all. But it wouldn't have, without the assistance of Kane.

They went to look for Dean afterwards, only to find that he had vanished. Carly told Roman that she would worry about finding Dean. Roman had a match he should be focusing on. He wasn't happy with the arrangement, but there was nothing he could do. Carly wished him luck and went off to keep looking.

This wasn't how this was supposed to go. They shouldn't be scattered and separated like this. The match shouldn't have ended the way it did. That briefcase should be in Dean's hands now, and that belt around Roman's waist when all was said and done.

Carly called and called and called before Dean finally answered his phone. It was a brief call, very terse on his end. He only said not to worry, said his shoulder was just sprained, told her the name of the bar he was at, and then hung up.

She didn't tell Roman. She only texted him to say that she'd found Dean, that he was alright, and that he wanted to tell Roman good luck. Carly didn't care if she was lying. She didn't care anymore.

Cena won the title. There wasn't much else to say about that match. Carly supposed she should be glad that it was Cena and not Orton or Kane, or any of the others who weren't on their side. But still… This isn't what was supposed to happen. Not at all.

She told Roman afterwards were Dean had gone. She let Roman take the car to go get him, said she'd find another ride back to the hotel. Roman didn't say much, which was just as well. There wasn't much to say.

Ultimately, it was Dolph who spared her from having to take a taxi by letting Carly catch a ride with him. There wasn't much conversation there either. Dolph was tired, subdued, but resilient. Dolph Ziggler was a where-there's-life-there's-hope kind of guy. Carly ended up telling him her idea about calling in a favor from Mr. McMahon to use against the Authority. The notion brought a little bit of life back into Dolph's eyes. They talked about it for a little while, agreed they would have to be careful and specific in what they asked for. It was like they were discussing the best wish to make of a particularly vengeful genie.

Dolph was in marginally better spirits when Carly bid him goodnight. She hoped he'd be able to rest a little easier tonight. She used her spare keycard to get into Dean and Roman's room to wait.

She turned on some gameshow marathon and let her mind go blank. And she waited.

It was hours later when they finally made it back to the hotel room. Dean was absolutely plastered, and Roman was none too sober himself. Dean stumbled around the room, swearing incoherently and slurring together strings of promised vengeance against "that sonofa bitch rat bastard two-toned sell-out traitor." It took Carly the better part of another hour to get both of them to bed.

She went back to her own room and sat on the floor, leaning her head against the bed. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. There was no plan B. She'd pinned all her hopes on this Hail Mary pass, and it failed disastrously. If it was just her own failure, Carly would have been able to bear it. But other people were at stake here. There were going to be consequences for everyone who stood by the Shield, and Carly couldn't shake the feeling that it was all her fault.

Then there was the issue of Dean and Roman. This whole endeavor had been so personal for them that it made their defeat that much more agonizing. It'd been rough for them, trying to keep their heads above water after Seth's betrayal. And now? Quite frankly, Carly was worried about the effect this setback would have on both of them.

She sat there on the floor all night, but she didn't cry. She just shut down all her thoughts and let that emptiness possess her again.

And that's how they'd ended up here, standing around backstage before the broadcast of Raw. The Monday after a pay-per-view was always a tense, unpredictable affair, but this was the worst one yet. Dean, still a bit hung-over from last night's drinking, was somehow both sullen and buzzing with electrified rage. Roman was an eerie sort of calm, like the sky before a storm.

Carly wore her blue dress again. It was the only armor she had left.

Seth was fashionably late, arriving after the broadcast had started. There was a camera crew waiting in the parking garage to show him pulling up in a shiny new car. The audience thundered with disapproval as they saw him step out of the driver's seat, all smiles, and toss the keys to another employee, condescendingly ordering her to park it for him.

When Carly asked one of the techs what that was all about, he told her that Triple H had bought Seth the new car as a reward for winning the ladder match. Roman glowered in disgust.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Dean muttered, rubbing at his injured shoulder.

Inspiration dawned on Carly suddenly that she wouldn't have been surprised if a literal light-bulb had appeared over her head. She turned to Dean and Roman, who reacted with confusion to her Cheshire cat grin.

"I'm no mechanic," said Carly, "But it seems to me like that car could use a little… maintenance."

Dean and Roman glanced at each other, eyes widening as they caught her meaning. Slow, cagey smiles spread across their faces. Thank goodness. These were the first signs of life they'd shown all day.

"I love it when she gets devious," said Dean.

"Keep talking, girl," said Roman, "I like where this is going.

"Alright," Carly lowered her voice, "Here's what we're gonna do."

xXx

Truth be told, Carly felt a nagging sense of shame as she walked down to the ring. The audience was cheering for her as loudly as they ever did, but she still felt like she'd let them all down as well.

"After every pay-per-view, somebody's bound to end up disappointed with the results," she said, "I'm certainly feeling a little dissatisfied today, and I'm sure a number of you are as well."

Carly paused a moment to let the crowd's agreement quiet down a little.

"But that's to be expected," she said, "When you put that many talented men in a ring together, anything can happen. Sometimes it just isn't your day and you just have to accept that, for that moment at least, the best man won. But sometimes… Sometimes that isn't the case at all. I'm sure all of you know exactly what I'm referring to."

The energy of those thousands filling the arena was on her side. Carly turned to face the stage, drawing herself up to her full height.

"Seth Rollins!" she called, "I know you're back there. Why don't you come on out, and we'll have ourselves a little talk?"

Her words didn't have the chance to echo before his music started. Carly lowered her chin and smiled. Typical. The Authority was always eager to gloat, and that was going to play to her advantage tonight.

Chants of "You sold out!" only got louder as Seth's music faded out. He waited on the stage, seeming to bask in the hate like only members of the Authority can. It still made Carly feel sick to look at him.

"Carly," he said.

"Mr. Rollins," she replied pointedly.

"So formal," said Seth, tilting his head.

Good, he noticed. At least that meant she had his full attention.

"Come to think of it," Seth continued, "You're even dressed more formally than usual, aren't you. You almost look like a real McMahon."

"I see you continue to favor taking cheap shots," Carly replied acidly.

"I see you've developed a penchant for exploiting the rules," said Seth, "Not particularly honorable of you, princess."

Carly had not anticipated how much it would hurt to have him throw that nickname at her, now that he said it so mockingly. Oh, if he only knew what was happening in the parking lot.

"I suppose I'd have your approval if I honed my backstabbing skills instead," she said.

"Speaking of which," said Seth, "How's your back?"

That smug son of a bitch. Carly's face flushed angrily under Seth's mocking smirk and his flat, empty gaze. His remark had the unfortunate consequence of making her very aware of her back, and the pains that ran in dull, pulsing lines across it.

"How's your conscience?" she retorted.

"My conscience? Is that what this is all about?" Seth said, "I thought I made myself very clear about 'why I stabbed my brothers in the back', or whatever it was everyone so desperately wanted to know."

He said it dismissively, almost flippantly, but he looked away as he did. The stage was not that far away from the ring, really. But it felt like she and Seth were standing years apart. Carly waited until he looked back at her, and she held his gaze across that distance. It was easier than she had imagined it would be, for her. Strangely enough, Seth seemed pinned to the spot where he stood.

"I wanted to look you in the eyes," said Carly, "The traitor - Seth Rollins. Not even brave enough to look his brothers in the face when he turned on them. Too squeamish to get his own hands dirty. No, he had to resort to attacking from behind with a steel chair. Unbelievable. You're… you're actually laughing right now, aren't you. Smiling, damnèd villain."

"Are you really in a position to be passing moral judgments on me?" Seth smirked, "You're no stranger to hitting people in the back with chairs, are you, Carly?"

Of course he would bring that up. That was a lifetime ago. It had been her glorious moment of defiance, and now? It was just one more thing the Authority could ridicule her about. What a fool she had been, to protect this man.

"Don't you dare compare my actions with yours," Carly said in a low voice, "When you betrayed your brothers for the sake of your own selfish ego. You sold your soul for a piece of paper."

"Sold my soul?" Seth repeated amusedly, "It sounds to me like you're bitter. You came from the Authority, Carly. I mean, compliments where compliments are due? You could've been something. With your potential - your ability to adapt - you could've done great things. You could've had everything, and you threw it all away. And for what? Because you're just like Reigns and Ambrose. You had to go and bite the hand that fed you. You're out on this mission to out-fox the Authority, but you're not even a threat to them."

Out-fox? The memory abruptly came back to Carly, of Seth grinning eagerly at her as he held out that plush red fox, and Dean teasing 'He thought up that pun all by himself.' Why would he bring that up now? Nobody but Carly would know what he was referencing.

"You're like a gnat, you know?" he said, "Annoying, but ultimately inconsequential. Just look at you, standing in that ring like you think you belong there. You're in so far over your head that everybody else has given you up as lost, and you don't even realize that you're drowning! Look where you're standing! You're completely alone up there."

"Looks to me like you're completely alone over there, too," Carly said evenly, "I turned on the Authority to protect someone who was alone and defenseless. If only I'd known that he wasn't worth protecting, I… No. I would've done the same thing, even if I'd known."

Carly didn't know why she'd said that. She hadn't meant to. She meant to tell Seth that she would've let Triple H beat him to death. And up until that very moment she thought that was the truth. But the lie of it stuck in her throat, and the truth fell out in a tone far gentler than she had wanted. Seth simply continued to smile that smug smile of his.

"Don't think I'm not grateful," he said, "Because, I mean, look at me now! So, thank you, Carly. That's one thing I can't fault you for. No matter how bad it looked, you were never wrong about who you promised to believe in, no matter what."

Carly blinked. That was… a very odd thing for him to say. Unless-

"I mean, your idealistic naiveté would be amusing if it wasn't so pathetic," Seth continued, "But it was also very useful."

Nevermind.

"That's your problem, Carly," said Seth, "You keep on trying to lead this revolution, but you can't seem to see the bigger picture."

"But you can," Carly said, unconvinced.

"Yes, I can," said Seth, "And if you would just stop for a minute, and watch what I'm capable of, you would see it, too."

"All I see," said Carly, "Is a person stupid enough to side with the guy who hit him with a sledgehammer. Although… maybe that's your reason. I mean, Triple H is the definition of 'if all you have is a hammer, all you problems start to look like nails.' And you were tired of getting hit. Is that right?"

"Don't you try to spin this and make me look like a coward," Seth warned.

"You only have yourself to blame for that," said Carly.

"We always said the Shield does what's best for the Shield," said Seth, "Well, Seth Rollins has always done what's best for Seth Rollins. And you don't succeed in this business by standing still."

"If this is what you call success," Carly said drily, "I have to say, it doesn't suit you at all."

Seth straightened his tie, smirking. Before this moment, Carly had never fully appreciated how infuriating his face could be.

"Maybe you weren't paying attention last night," he said, "Did you miss the part where I won? I'm Mr. Money in the Bank now, baby."

He did not just call her "baby." Seth Rollins was lucky he was too far away for her to backhand him across the face again.

"I can't argue with you and your oh-so-shiny briefcase," Carly inclined her head mockingly, "But you fail to realize your position, Mr. Rollins. You of all people should know what a serious mistake it is for someone to hurt the people I care about."

Seth's eyes widened as he laughed incredulously. "Are you threatening me?"

"Merely reminding you of the facts," said Carly, "And I think I've wasted just about enough time on you. But I have to ask just one more thing before I let you go. Is, uh… is that your car?"

She pointed to the TitanTron where, on cue, video feed from the parking lot appeared. Seth turned around to look, and the microphone slipped from his fingers. Dean and Roman had really done a number on that thing. Apparently sheet metal was no match for a sledgehammer. Carly had a hard time keeping a straight face as she continued speaking.

"Oh, that looks bad. Somebody tore that engine to pieces. Almost like they wanted to rip the heart clean out of it. And, did they put a chair through the back windshield? That's almost poetic, isn't it."

Seth, who had been staring at the screen in shock, turned back to face Carly and starting shouting angrily. She couldn't hear what he was saying over the enthused reaction of the crowd and the sounds of JBL having an aneurism behind her.

"You can't think I did that, can you?" said Carly, feigning innocence, "I've been standing here talking to you this whole time."

Seth's mood was quickly deteriorating into a fit of apoplectic rage, much to the amusement of the entire arena. He threw his head back and tore at his hair, shouting words Carly didn't have to hear for her to know that they weren't PG.

"You see, Mr. Rollins," said Carly, no longer able to disguise a devious smile, "If there's one thing gnats are good at being, it's a distraction."

Carly's own theme music started to play, and her laughter followed Seth as he bolted backstage. She sauntered up the ramp, high-fiving spectators along the way. The look on Seth's face had been priceless. If only she could see Triple H's reaction when he found out what happened. She hurried through the backstage area to find Dean and Roman.

But still… The grin faded from Carly's face. Whenever the Authority made a statement, it was important to listen to their exact words. She knew that. Seth knew it, too. So why had he used those exact words?

'Seth Rollins, I will always believe in you, no matter what.' Those were her exact words to him the night before Payback. Why bring them up at all? He hadn't mocked her with them, just like he hadn't mocked her about falling for Stephanie's bluff about firing him.

Those words. Seth had begged her to say them. He said that she knew him. He said he needed to hear someone say that they believed in him as he was in that moment. And tonight, he told her that she wasn't wrong, no matter how bad things looked.

Seth had betrayed the Shield. How much worse could things look than that? But if she wasn't wrong to believe in him, then…

"Carly!" Dean called.

He motioned to her from around a corner. Carly was glad to see him and Roman smiling. The point of this whole plan had been to give them an outlet for their frustrations. But as Carly got closer, she had cause to worry. She had expected them to look relieved, or more relaxed, or something. The look on Dean's face was a little unsettling, almost sickly or feverish, like he'd gotten worse somehow. And he was still carrying the sledgehammer.

"Nice work, boys," Carly said lightly.

"Tearing the engine apart was Dean's idea," said Roman, clapping him on the shoulder, "The chair through the windshield was mine."

"That car's just a preview of what I've got planned for Seth," said Dean, hefting the sledgehammer, "Come on, Roman. Let's go track him down."

"Wait!" Carly blurted out.

Dean and Roman froze, turning to look back at Carly in confusion.

"What do you mean, wait?" Dean wrinkled his nose at her.

Carly was tongue-tied for a moment. She did not like the look in his eyes right now, and Roman didn't look much better. Maybe she'd been wrong to encourage this whole revenge quest. And after what Seth had said tonight-

"I mean… M-maybe," Carly stammered, "Maybe you shouldn't-"

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" asked Roman, "I thought you wanted to teach him a lesson as much as we do."

Carly took a deep breath. She'd never mentioned her suspicions to Dean and Roman, never told them about that late-night conversation between her and Seth. But they were going to beat the hell out of him with a sledgehammer, and if there was even the faintest possibility that Seth might still be working on their side-

"I j-just mean," said Carly, "M-maybe Seth has a plan."

"Yeah, we know," said Roman, "Backstab, lie, and cheat his way to the top. What's your point?"

"No, not like that," she said, "What if… What if it was all an act?"

Carly's throat was dry as sandpaper, and her heart was thudding in her chest. She should've told them sooner. She should've said something. Now they were both looking at her like they thought she'd lost her mind. Dean set the sledgehammer down, leaning it against the wall.

"If what was an act?" said Roman.

"All of it," said Carly, "Everything. Turning on you guys, joining the Authority. W-what if maybe he was j-just pretending to be a traitor?"

An unreadable, conflicted expression settled onto Dean and Roman's faces. The very suggestion caught them off-guard. It simply did not compute. After all the terrible things Seth had done and said? It didn't make sense.

"What are you…?" Roman's brows furrowed, "Where the hell did you get that theory from?"

His voice was wary, distrustful. Carly was acting suspicious, and these two were gun-shy of liars. She had to tell them. She had to tell them now.

"It's…" Carly took a deep breath, "Something he said tonight was something I'd said to him the night before Payback when you two were asleep and-"

"The night before Payback?" said Roman, "You never mentioned that before."

"Well, I just… I mean…" Carly struggled, "Before that, when he kept disappearing, I could've sworn I saw him talking to Triple H. And then the night before Payback, he said… Seth said he had a plan."

"Carly," Dean said slowly, "What are you talking about?"

"He made me promise not to tell you-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean interrupted, "Are you… are you saying that you knew Seth was gonna stab us in the back?"

The look on Dean's face was an echo of the stunned, heartbroken confusion of that terrible day. It pierced straight through Carly's heart.

"No!" Carly said, but she knew she had hesitated too long.

"Then what are you saying?" said Dean, advancing on her.

"He just said he had do something-"

"And you didn't tell us?" Dean demanded, "You knew Seth was up to something, and you didn't tell us?"

"I didn't know-"

"Stop lying to me!" Dean shouted

"I'm not!" said Carly, "I didn't know what he was going to do. You have to believe me."

"Shut up!" Dean roared, "You don't get to talk anymore. This is all your fault. You could've stopped this. I lost my brother because of you!"

Dean was towering over her now, the truth of his outburst disarming her completely. Seth was gone, because of her. When Dean spoke again, his voice was dangerously quiet.

"Everything we've done since Payback has been your idea, and look where it got us," he said, "We lost everything. For all we know, that's just what you wanted. And maybe you're just like him. Maybe you're just waiting for the chance to go running back to the Authority. Well, I don't know what your plan or his plan is, but I don't want any part of it. You and us, whatever this is, it's not happening anymore. Let me make this abundantly clear: I don't want to see you anywhere near us again. Got it?"

Carly stared, numb and speechless. All the pain, all the rage in Dean's eyes pinned her to the spot like an arrow through her chest. She could not physically bring herself to look anywhere but his eyes, but she could see how fury twisted his whole body: shoulders stiffened, jaw tensed and trembling, chest heaving with breaths he strained to subdue.

"I should've known, y'know," he said, his voice harsh and bitter, "Never trust a McMahon."

Dean turned and stormed off, seizing the sledgehammer as he went. As Carly helplessly watched him walk away, her gaze fell on Roman.

Roman, who had been silent this whole time. The look he gave her froze Carly to the core. She hadn't seen that expression on his face in months. It was the cold look of disdain he'd worn when she was the enemy, and Carly knew that she'd failed him.

The one thing Roman said he couldn't bear to lose was Dean, and every time Dean was hurt or his trust was damaged, it pushed him further away from Roman. She'd broken her promise. She hurt Dean. In Roman's eyes, that was unforgiveable.

Roman shook his head slightly. With one final glance of utter contempt, he ran after Dean.

What had she done? Oh God, what had she done?

A sharp gasp, the beginning of a sob, forced its way into Carly's lungs. She pressed her hands over her mouth to stifle any further sound. She shut her eyes tightly as tears blurred her vision.

It was all her fault. Everything that had happened to the Shield, to everyone since Payback – it was her fault. How much had the people she claimed to care about suffered because of her failure to speak up, to act? All the pain Dean and Roman had gone through, it was all on her.

"Hey, Carly!" she heard Dolph call cheerily, "Nice job playing Seth like that. I thought he was gonna… Carly?"

Carly couldn't answer. She couldn't even turn to look at him. Her shoulders shook. Carly heard the sound of Dolph dropping his bag to the ground, and heard footsteps as he ran to her. Dolph's hands closed around her shoulders.

"Carly, what's wrong?" he asked, "What happened?"

Carly tried to speak, but another sharp gasp was all she could manage. Dolph wrapped his arms around her, and Carly clung to him tightly, burying her face against his shoulder.

"I didn't know," she sobbed, "I didn't know!"

(Note: Thank you once again to the lovely people who left reviews!)