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Chapter 2
5 years later
"You have got to be fucking with me," Dean Ambrose groaned as he stared at the smoke emanating from the hood of the car. His partners Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins bore the same expressions on their faces, a cross between gloom and frustration. They weren't even halfway to Indianapolis and they were broken down already.
"I told you guys we should've gone on the bus with the rest of them," Seth said as he leaned against the side of the car and rubbed his gloved hands together.
"Shut up," Dean growled as he glared at the SUV that had broken down.
"Stupid, piece of shit," he cursed and continued muttering obscenities under his breath.
Roman glanced at his watch before trying to call one of their friends. While Seth and Roman leaned against the car, Dean was pacing back and forth in front of them, stopping ever so often to glare at the grey SUV before continuing to pace.
"I can't get through to anyone," Roman told them, sighing as he cancelled the call that had once again gone dead.
"We should find a place to stay for the night, it's getting dark out here and I'm freezing," Seth said, his eyes flicking up to the darkening sky that signaled an approaching storm.
"Oh sure. Let's just try and find a five star hotel in the middle of nowhere," Dean hissed.
"Would you relax?" Seth said exasperatedly as he pushed away from the car and scanned his surroundings.
"I am relaxed," Dean retorted.
"We're not going anywhere tonight with a broken car anyway. I think I see a house over there that may have a working telephone or something," Seth said, squinting at the dimly lit outline of a house.
"I'm not going anywhere leaving our stuff in here," Roman said, eyeing his laptop and iPad sitting in the car.
"Fine, I'll go check it out. You two stay here," Seth said before he made his way to the house as quick as he could, the snow crunching underneath his feet. As he approached the house he realized that maybe it wouldn't be the best place to stay for the night. With the dim lighting, it resembled something akin to a haunted house that movies warn you to stay away from. He stopped a few feet away and stared up at the dark building before he shook himself out of it and made his way up the wooden steps to knock on the door. The door opened to reveal a figure with a scarf around their head with only the eyes visible.
"Yes?" The higher pitch told Seth that it was a woman under the scarf and he released a breath of relief.
"Hello Ma'am. My name is Seth Rollins, my buddies and I can't seem to get reception to our cellphones. Do you have a telephone we could use to call up our bosses and friends?" He asked politely.
"Of course. But you guys might want to stay here tonight. There's a storm brewing and I have spare rooms," she said kindly. Seth turned to look at the sky and sure enough the dark clouds were creeping closer and closer.
"I'll be right back," he said before he trudged back to the car.
"That was quick," Roman said.
"We should spend the night here. She has some spare rooms and there's a storm coming," Seth said motioning towards the clouds. Roman and Dean followed his gaze before they agreed (half-heartedly on Dean's part) and grabbed their stuff. Once the car was locked, they made their way to the house and the girl opened the door wide to let them in. If the house was dark from the outside, it was even darker inside but the warmth that they were greeted with was divine in this weather.
"I'll turn on the lights for you," she said moving into the shadows. A few seconds later the entrance hallway was flooded with light and the three of them blinked to adjust to the lighting.
"Thank you so much for inviting us in," Roman said politely. She stayed hidden in the shadows but he could hear the smile in her voice as she told him it was no problem.
"I can show you to your rooms if you would follow me," she said as she motioned for them to follow her up the stairs. Once she stepped into the light that lit the stairway did they notice her attire. She was wearing a cotton shirt and jeans with full length black gloves and a black scarf that covered her entire head and face, save for her eyes. The only skin visible was that of her eyelids and a bit of her nose while the rest was covered.
"Sethie, what exactly were you thinking when you agreed to staying here?" Dean asked staring at the girl in wonder. Roman elbowed him in the gut, glad that she hadn't heard him, and Dean glared at him before they followed her up.
"Please freshen up. I'll have dinner ready within the hour," she said.
At the mention of food, their stomachs grumbled loudly and the trio shuffled into their rooms quickly to freshen up. Before entering his room, Dean turned to ask the girl where exactly they were but she had disappeared.
"Weird," he said before he stepped into his room.
Fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and warmed up, they made their way downstairs to the smell of freshly baked lasagna wafting from the kitchen. They entered the kitchen and found the girl wearing an apron as she took out a dish from the oven.
"The dining room is that way," she said motioning towards another door. While Seth and Roman rushed to the table, Dean held back to talk to her. She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him.
"May I help you with something?" She asked politely.
"I was wondering if you could tell me exactly where we were," he said.
"Just off of Highway 65," she responded bending back down to check on the lasagna before moving around to the counter where she was chopping up some vegetables.
"How far from Lafayette?" He asked, hoping it wasn't too far off.
"About an hour and half drive," she responded, her back still turned to him. He cursed loudly causing her to jump. She turned to him sharply and Dean grinned at her sheepishly.
"Pardon my French," he said. She chuckled before returning to her work. Dean watched her chopping away in silence for a few minutes. His curiosity picking up when she pulled the gloves tighter up her arms. Who was she hiding from?
"Dinner's ready. You should join your friends at the table and I'll bring it out," she said pulling him out of his reverie. Dean shook his head and made his way out the kitchen and into a dining room where Seth and Roman were sitting at the table farthest to the right.
"We're not even halfway to Indianapolis," Dean told them as he approached.
"I don't know how we're going to make it to RAW tomorrow with the storm coming in tonight," Roman said glancing out the window. The door to the kitchen opened and their hostess strolled in pushing a trolley. The smell of food reached their nostrils and the trio couldn't help as their mouth began to water.
"That smells delicious," Seth groaned as she placed the lasagna in the center of the table.
"I hope you enjoy the food. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," she said backing away with the now empty trolley.
"You're not going to eat?" Roman asked, his eyes furrowing.
"I'll eat in the kitchen," she responded.
"Wait!" Dean called, halting her in her tracks. She turned towards him and he glanced at his two best friends before turning his gaze back to her.
"Do you often let strangers into your home and treat them with dinner?" He asked. She stared at him in silence for a short while before she began to chuckle.
"Calm down. My front light has been busted that is why you probably didn't read the sign that says Kathryn's B&B," she replied. "Don't worry. I'm not going to murder you in your sleep or anything."
She immediately froze after she finished speaking as the three of them chuckled, but Dean noticed her eyes go a bit unfocussed. However; the moment was gone in the blink of an eye and she was soon disappearing behind the door to the kitchen.
"Can you believe our luck?" Seth asked as he helped himself to a serving of lasagna. He took a bite and moaned as the flavors infused in his mouth.
"This is the best lasagna I've ever tasted," he said before he dug into his food. They chatted idly as they ate, Roman trying to get reception on his phone while Dean and Seth discussed their upcoming matches.
"Sorry to disturb your dinner but would you like any desserts or something to drink. I baked an Apple Pie earlier and I could ser-."
"PIE!" Seth yelped happily cutting her off. Her eyes glittered with amusement and she was gone once more to fetch pie.
"How much are you going to eat man?" Roman asked Seth who had cleaned up his plate after thirds.
"It's okay. You're the only occupants for now so all food must go," she said placing the aforementioned pie in front of them. Even though Roman and Dean were convinced their stomachs could hold no more, they couldn't help themselves as they each took a slice of the pie.
"Kathryn wait!" Roman called as she began to head back. She stopped in her tracks and turned slowly towards them.
"Do you have a-."
"Scarlett," she said softly.
"Excuse me?" Roman asked politely.
"My name is Scarlett," she said inclining her head down towards him.
"Oh. I just thought…Well…umm. I'm Roman, this is Dean and this is Seth," Roman said clearing his throat and motioning to the other two.
"Nice to meet you," she said politely.
"Do you have a phone in here, Ka-Scarlett?" Roman asked, switching halfway through. The corners of her eyes crinkled, as if she was smiling at them from underneath her scarf.
"Kathryn was my mother's name. And the telephone is at the reception. It's fully functional and requires no extra charge," she said before leaving them once more.
"Scarlett," Dean tested out her name on his tongue. He looked up at Roman, who had a small frown on his face as he stared at the door she had disappeared through.
"What's the matter, Rome?" He asked.
"She said "was"," Roman replied.
"I heard her."
"Does she live here all alone?" Roman asked looking at the two of them questioningly. The three of them turned to look at the kitchen door and then outside the window. It was pitch black, the darkness spreading miles and miles away with no light interrupting it.
"Why would a lonely girl run a B&B in the middle of nowhere?" Seth asked, voicing what all three of them were thinking.
Alrighty, chapter number 2 is here. Yes we took a leap. Woo! But I guess in a way this is where the story really starts. :P As always, let me know your thoughts, I am always looking forward to hearing from you all more.
Toodles,
- K.
To Seth Rollins Babe - No offence taken, I'm just very glad that you think of her that way as that was the intention. I appreciate your review and your follow, thank you so much! :)