A/N: Thank you so much for all the feedback and everything, glad you're still enjoying the story. Enjoy the chapter and hope you review! :)

And Happy Holidays!

She was so focused on Dolph's match that she didn't even have time to think about that kiss. If she did have time to think about it, she might think about how it was much more intense than any of their kisses had been before. She might think about how carried away she got, and how lost she became in the feel of his mouth on hers. She didn't have time for that though because Dolph was out there, wrestling, having a match and kicking ass, and she was incredibly proud of him for it.

He was more than holding his own. The numbers were dwindling, there were only three more entries, and Dolph was still going strong. AJ had a brief moment of fear when Chris Jericho, of all people, came out second, but so far, he hadn't been able to better Dolph. AJ knew that he was dangerous though, not just because he was a great wrestler, but because of the history between the three of them. Chris had to be bitter because it was AJ who made the match that forced him to leave, and Dolph was the one to beat him for it. It was like a double whammy.

"He's doing well," E said from over her shoulder. She gave a slight nod to acknowledge that she heard him, but she didn't say anything. She wasn't sure she could say anything with how she was biting her lip in nervousness over Dolph's match. This would be such a huge win for him, and he deserved it more than any of the other guys out there.

She also thought of the implications that meant for their group. If Dolph had the title shot, if he had the briefcase, that would help her own case with getting a match against Kaitlyn at WrestleMania. Aligning herself with Dolph was benefitting the both of them, and this is exactly what she wanted out of their partnership. She hoped he felt the same way because they were well on their way to becoming something seriously powerful.

"Final four," she heard E mutter, and she focused back on the match, and it was true, Dolph made his way all the way to the final four, and there were only three men standing between him and the title shot at WrestleMania. He just had to get through Ryback, Sheamus, and her eternal enemy John Cena.

The four men looked at each other, sizing each other up, and AJ had to resist the urge to run out there and help Dolph. He'd come this far by himself, so he could just get that little bit farther. Each man was daring the other to start this next phase of the match. Everyone else was gone, and it was just them, and now each one had laser focus.

It was Ryback first, charging at Sheamus, seemingly intent on slamming him through the ropes or something. He was probably going to try to lift Sheamus and throw him over the ropes, but his momentum was too much and Sheamus grabbed him by the back of the head and simply tossed him over the ropes, and then, all of a sudden, it was just down to three, and one of those three was Dolph. Ryback was pissed on the outside, and he stalked around the ring like a shark, eyeing Sheamus dangerously.

Dolph watched that all go down, but then noticed that John was watching it all happen too, so he took advantage and jumped on Cena's back, locking him into a chokehold, John wasn't suspecting it, and Dolph's impromptu plan was to get him down then lift him and throw him over, but before he could execute anything, Sheamus was hitting his back and causing him to lose his grip on John. Dolph fell to the ground as Sheamus kicked him a few times then tried to lift him up in a fireman's carry. Dolph struggled out of it, and as soon as he did, he hit a superkick on Sheamus, making him stagger back towards the ropes. He managed to catch himself before he hit them fully, shaking his head like he was trying to put his brain back in the right position.

Sheamus then made a move to go after Dolph, but as he tried to take a step, he found he couldn't. His foot was stuck in place, and as he looked down, he could see Ryback holding onto it, not letting him go anywhere. Sheamus, angry and red-faced, started to yell at Ryback to let him go. John was still trying to gain his bearings in the corner, and Dolph saw an opportunity. He met Ryback's eyes for a moment of solidarity, and Dolph walked over to Sheamus, who was still yelling at Ryback. He tuned up the band so to speak, and finally, Ryback let go of Sheamus's leg, only to have Sheamus look up to meet the bottom of Dolph's boot.

The unexpectedness of it staggers him, and he inadvertently falls over the top rope, right to the ground below, where Ryback starts pounding into him. Dolph has to stare for a moment because he actually just got rid of Sheamus, but it's only a moment before he turns to where John is standing, watching the action in front of him. Now it's just him and John, him and the man who broke AJ. The significance of this moment is not lost on him or on John as they eye each other up and down, taking in the moment.

AJ is standing backstage, and her nerves feel like coiled wires. She is nervous beyond words, and bouncing on the balls of her feet because now it's just Dolph and John. John has never deserved to lose more, and she thinks back to their cage match a little earlier in the month, how John beat Dolph, how he thought he was on top of the world, and now is the time for revenge. Now is the time when Dolph can prove everyone wrong, prove that John is nothing but a scheming asshole. She's never wanted anything more.

Dolph looked across the ring and suddenly they were sparring. He was tired, his body aching from the length of time he'd been in this match. It felt like years ago that Jericho's music hit and he was trying to quell the shock of it. Now it was just him and John. They went back and forth, both of them feeling varying degrees of fatigue. This was an iron match, you had to have fortitude to last this long. He could feel himself starting to fade a little bit, and that's when John took advantage.

He pulled him up into the Attitude Adjustment, walking him closer to the ropes as Dolph tried to struggle to get out of the hold, but John has him, and all Dolph can do as John tries to flip him over is grab at the ropes. He managed to grab the ropes as he flies through the air, and he's looking at the Titantron. It would be so easy to let go, just drop to the floor and give in to the exhaustion, but as he looked up at the Titantron to see himself struggling to stay afloat, he couldn't let himself give up like that.

He used every bit of strength he had to skin the cat, pulling himself back into the ring. John clearly thought he'd won as he's facing the other direction, unaware that Dolph is back in the ring. Dolph runs towards him, lifting up his forearm and hitting a clothesline from behind on John. Again, Dolph used someone's surprise to his advantage and John topples over the ropes before can even think to grab the ropes. Dolph dropped to his knees, finally giving in to the tiredness that seeped into this bones. He felt like jelly almost, like he couldn't stand at all. But then the referee held up his hand, and he staggered to his feet. He could actually hear the crowd cheering for him, speaking to how much they hated John.

Then suddenly he was being supported by small hands and a slight body. "Oh my God, oh my God," she whispered into his skin as she hugged him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe.

"Too tight, babe," he told her affectionately, and she loosened her grip. He looked up and saw E standing a few feet away from them, his arms folded and standing prostrate as usual, but he had a smirk on his face and he was smiling, which Dolph took as him being proud and happy for him.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, pulling away from him. He could see there were tears welling up in her eyes, and he could only guess they were from happiness. "I'm so proud of you, I've never been more proud, I'm just," she couldn't contain her emotions any further, and she hugged him again for lack of any better way to express herself. Dolph kissed the top of her head.

"This was for you," he told her.

She pulled back, "What?" Now she was confused again.

"John," Dolph said, "he hurt you, he had to go, and…this was part of the plan, right? We get it all, right?"

"All of it," she nodded. "Do we give them a show?"

Now that earlier kiss was flitting through her brain, and it was making her flush a little bit. They'd gotten so carried away earlier, but she likened it to sending him off to war. He was going into the Rumble, and he would truly need to go through 29 other men to win. He needed a little something extra, right? That was the point, right? They just got carried away.

He didn't even answer her, just pressing his lips against hers in a kiss. Their positions made it a little awkward, so she moved a little so he could kiss her further. She pulled away and licked her lips a little bit as he smirked and started pointing towards the WrestleMania sign that was hanging from the rafters. It was the usual thing to do, and he felt like this was just the tradition of which he could now be a part. The show wasn't over though, so they finally had to leave the ring and AJ supported him to the back.

"Good job, man," E slapped him on the back. "You did good out there."

"Thanks, it was hard, and I'm so freaking tired, I think I'm going to sleep for the next three years."

"Nope, you have to win WrestleMania," AJ laughed, "and you're going to go for the WWE title, and you'll win, and maybe we can cash in the briefcase then I'll win, and—"

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves," he told her.

"But—"

"I may cash in the briefcase before that," he winked at her, and she laughed, feeling good that they were on the same page. "E, you need something too, have you thought about going after the Intercontinental Title?"

"Not really."

"Dude, you need to, maybe the US Title if you feel more comfortable or whatever, but you shouldn't be left out," Dolph told him. "We've got a good start, but we can go bigger.

Let's start getting you into some matches, what do you think?"

E rubbed his hands together, "More than ready."

"Good," Dolph said. AJ looked at him with pride, and he stared at her, "What?"

"Nothing, I just, I'm really happy," she told him, and she was. "I'm just really happy that this is all really starting to come together. All I had at the start was an idea, and I never thought it would culminate into this."

"Hey, like I said, we're not there yet, but we will be, this is a good start," he repeated himself, "we still have to get those titles. It's not going to be easy either, but we can, we can."

They started walking towards the locker room, and Dolph kept his arm around AJ the entire time. She started to notice how perfectly she fit into his side. They were like puzzle pieces or something, cut from the same cloth. She liked that they were getting closer. She almost liked it too much, and she tried to keep her feelings in check. They were a team, not a couple.

"Dolph, Dolph!" Matt Striker is trying to flag them down. "An interview?"

"Sure, why not?" Dolph said, stopping to give the interview, his arm still firmly around AJ.

"How does it feel to have just won the Rumble, one of the only people to have done it from number one?" Matt asked.

"It feels like it was a forgone conclusion," Dolph said, "I knew I was going to win, I said I was going to win, and then I did what I said. I'm a man of my word, Matt, and because of that, I'm saying right now, I'm walking out of WrestleMania as the WWE champion. Hell, maybe I'll walk out as World Champion too, and I know, I know that AJ is walking out as diva's champion, aren't you, babe?"

"That's what I was planning on."

"We're an unstoppable force at this point, so every superstar and diva, watch out."