Chapter 5: The Demon II

"You ready?" She asked softly, "the car's here." When she looked back at Finn, he was staring off at some point in the distance. He inhaled deeply when she spoke but shook it off and stood up from the sofa.

"Let's go."

The ride to the airport was silent. He starred out the window as the sun rose, large headphones engulfing his head, and she watched him. She couldn't tell if he was nervous or calmer than he'd ever been. It was like this the whole way, at the airport, on the five-hour flight to New York, all the way through the city to the Barclays Center.

As they were walking up from parking the car, he suddenly spoke for the first time in hours. "Hey. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For just lettin' me…be." He sighed, he was exhausted, and she could see it on his face. "Honestly Bex, I've never been this stressed in my life."

"Whatever ya need Finn." She smiled softly at her best friend, knowing what it feels like to be on the cusp of your dreams.

"Hey Becky…you haven't been, uh, bothered by The Demon at all?" He asked as they entered the arena.

"The Demon?"

"My demon."

"Yeah no, I know which demon we're talkin' about," she kept her eyes on him as they made their way through the tables and chairs. "Why would he be bothering me?"

"I just…am under a lot o' pressure and I've been uh… losin' time," he was talking quickly again, "mostly at the gym, but…"

"I haven't seen him at all Finn," she looked at him straight. "Really."

He looked for a moment like he wanted to say something else, but they were ushered in different directions by talent relations. Becky settled into her seat for the Four Horsewomen meet-and-greet.

"Hey lovely," Sasha beamed at her "how's playing house?"

"Aiight that's enough of that."

"Sorry, just teasing. Seriously how has it been?"

"Good. Good good good." She twirled her hair and separated some curls.

"That bad?"

"Stop! It's great, really, I just…sometimes we have these moments…"

"I know those."

"And it's a little…confusin'."

"Is he playing with you?" Sasha leaned in so the others around them couldn't hear.

"I don't think so. That's not Finn, he just... I mean he's always stayed away from women. He's always said he doesn't want distractions. But I've seen him around those women and I don't think that means he doesn't indulge the thought sometimes."

"About you?"

"Well not in particular," she took a sip of her water.

"Yes in particular, that's what we're talking about."

"It doesn't matter. Just forget it."

"Okay." Sasha was good about that, she'd drop a subject if you asked her to.

Friday and Saturday were filled with fan and press events morning to night. They went by so quickly that by the time she saw Finn at catering on Sunday morning, she realized it was the first time since he'd asked about The Demon.

"Hey stranger," she approached him as he was pouring coffee.

"Hi, that's yours." He handed her a paper cup. "Two creams, one brown sugar. Right?"

"That's right. Thanks…you seem better."

"No, I'm a mess," he blew on his coffee as they moved away from the table. "But, tonight, The Demon is gon' to go to work for me. So I take some comfort in that."

"Great," She smiled "I'm looking forward to it. Really, this is the match o' the night."

"I told ya I'd make ya proud." He met her gaze, smiled, and said nothing more.

He was in make up for hours before the show, artists working on the demon paint that had come to define his best matches. Becky had seen the sketches lying around their apartment the week before, and they sent chills up her spine. When she passed the room where he was set up, she glanced in at his artist friend painting the Eye of Balor across his back. It was silly, she knew it, but she felt like it was watching her.

8:00 came and SummerSlam kicked off. The rest of the girls huddled in front of a monitor to watch the first matches, but Becky hung back. She watched as Finn entered the room smiling in full body paint. It took him 15 minutes to get through everyone who wanted to wish him luck or ask about his match, but eventually found his way over to her.

"Hey there. What match are ya?" He sat down in the chair next to her, careful not to smudge the paint.

"Fourth. You look…nice."

"I know, I know, you've always hated the paint."

"It's creepy."

He laughed and looked down at the eyes drawn on the back of his hands, "sort of the point yeah?"

"Can I ask," she said quietly, leaning in close, "right now, you're…"

"Right now I'm just Finn. The Demon doesn't come from face paint, it's always inside of me, you know that."

"I do."

"But, it helps me get into the mindset, channel The Demon when I need him. Plus it freaks out my opponent."

She nodded, and again they sat in silence. She had more questions, but knew that this is what Finn needed. He was one match from achieving his greatest dream. People came and went, and Finn sat there in his quiet mediation. Becky went to get her make up touched up and stretch, Finn was still sitting there when she passed by. She took one look back at him as she stood at the curtain, and he smiled at her.

Becky's music was playing at the end of the match, Natalya was stumbling out, defeated, and Alexa Bliss was holding her head in her hands after taping out to the Dis-Arm-Her. Becky flipped her hair out of her face and the ref raised her arm in victory. She passed through the curtain again to find Finn waiting for her, beaming. It was unbelievable how excited she was to see him.

"I don't want to smear your face paint!" He nodded and squeezed her hand, but faded back when Sasha and Bayley rushed up to hug her. Alexa came by to shake her hand, Triple H to congratulate her, Carmella, Corey Graves, and Sami Zyan. By the time it had all stopped, Finn was gone.

An hour later main event, his match, was next. Becky had claimed a front row seat early, Sasha looked at her with that smile again, the one that couldn't decide if she should be happy or nervous for her. She recognized The Demon the second the theatrical lights went off. That's what she had seen with the dumb Ikea couch, and those days in the gym when nothing was going Finn's way, and that bar in Dublin all those years ago…

She watched his every move, every impulsive decision he made, and every wild-eye look that came across his face. The Finn she had trained with, grown up with, he was so calculating, so in-control of every impulse and instinct his brain came up with. But The Demon, The Demon surrendered to those moments of uncertainty. He leaped into danger headfirst. It was The Demon for sure, who took a Coup De Grace from the top rope onto Seth Rollins, winning the WWE Universal Championship.

"YES!" Becky jumped up, the backstage was cheering.

She ran to the curtain, determined to be the first face he'd see when he walked through it. He emerged with the championship belt draped over his shoulder, his face paint almost completely worn from his face. He shook hands down the line and when he got to her, hugged her with both arms and lifted her off her feet.

It felt like years before he was done making the rounds, but he eventually made his way out to the production truck and motioned for her to follow. Finn's favorite spot, sitting on one of the crates, he looked out aimlessly towards the sky.

She shimmed next to him on the crate, and so quietly said, "wow."

That just made him chuckle and look down at the belt across his lap. "No really, Finn, you did it. I told you, I knew you would do it."

He didn't say anything, so she just kept talking. "I've known what you're capable of from the moment I met you. This wasn't luck Finn, you've worked so hard every single day for so long, you've fought, and you've sacrificed. Bloody 'ell, you didn't drink for two weeks! So if ya think for a second that you don't deserve this I can tell you that you 'ave never been more wrong about anythin' in your entire life."

She put a hand on his knee, "this was your destiny."

His eyes moved to her hand on his knee, and she moved it quickly, blushing. "Sorry…I didn't… Sorry."

But he shook his head, still not saying anything. She saw a smile come across his face, and he tilted his head to one side as if in an unsure thought. In one fell swoop he had his hands around her waist, and his lips were pressed to hers.

It was overwhelming, the warmth that rose up inside of her. The kiss was long and hungry. She kissed back that way, her hands finding his inner thigh and the back of his neck. 15 years of longing and pent up passion, she found it all pouring out as she grabbed on to him tightly. For a moment, it was perfect. When they broke the hold, she blushed harder, not knowing how to react.

"Oh…" was the only thing that managed it's way out of her mouth.

"You're incredible," he said, his voice thick and horse. It made her look up, square into his eyes. "He doesn't tell ya that enough." He raise both eye brows.

"Oh shit…you…"

"Finn doesn't have the courage to do that. But one o' us might as well."

With that, The Demon grinned.