Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and the plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 5

Scarlett found herself once again immersed into the stories that the three men were telling her. She absorbed their words like a sponge and gasped when they mentioned injuries and laughed when they told her of their in ring faux pas. Their life was an adventure. Travelling all over the world, putting on shows, being loved by the fans, it was a wonderfully exhilarating adventure. Scarlett loved it all.

"Do you guys ever take a break?" She wondered as they finished telling her about the upcoming tour to Australia.

"It's up to the bosses to decide who goes on which tour. Sometimes we'll be in Australia and the next day we'll be back in America on Monday Night RAW. It's tough but I wouldn't have it any other way," Seth told her smiling. Scarlett had picked up the pride and happiness that each man exuded whenever they spoke about the business. They were happy to do what they were doing regardless of the rigorous travelling.

"Wow. Sounds like an adventure. What are your favorite places to go?" She asked.

"I love going to the UK. The crowd there is amazing. The energy, everything," Seth replied.

"I think having shows back in my hometown are always fun. My family gets to come out and I get to do what I do in front of them," Roman said. She turned to Dean who was leaning back on his chair with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

"Ohio," he said simply. Scarlett looked down at her mug of coffee (still full) and thought about all that she had heard from them. It sounded so fun! To be able to travel different places. When Scarlett was little she had always wanted to travel the world. Visit places that she had seen in movies. But fate had other things in store for her and she was now running a B&B.

"Scarlett, hello?" Seth waving his hand in front of her face broke her out of her thoughts and Scarlett cleared her head.

"Sorry. Anyway, I should get the table cleared up. Do you guys have anything specific in mind for lunch?" She asked getting up and gathering the plates.

"Make whatever you want but here, let us help you clean this all up," Roman said standing up to help her.

"Oh no. That's not necessary," she said, horrified at the idea of her customers helping her clean the table.

"Don't worry about it. It's not like we have anything else to do," he said shrugging. Scarlett began protesting but they weren't having any of it, so she was forced to quiet down and let them help her.

"We could help you out with making lunch too," Seth said as him and Dean settled at the island while she began to do the dishes with Roman helping her dry them.

"You guys are doing way too much than any of my customers and I feel like I'm failing as a hostess," she said frowning.

"Psh. You tell me of another place that offers three meals yet calls itself a B&B," Seth retorted. "Not to mention you make the best food I've had in ages."

Scarlett's lips quirked up in a smile as she did her work. Her cooking skills had improved immensely since she started this B&B and she was glad for that. Her mother was a great cook and Scarlett felt a hint of pride knowing she had inherited that skill.

"Don't mind Seth. His first love is food and food alone," Dean said as he punched Seth in the shoulder lightly.

"Really? When was the last time you had a decent fresh meal?" Seth countered. From there on the two began their argument and Scarlett chuckled as she listened to them.

"Are they always like that?" She asked Roman who was finishing up drying the last of the dishes.

"Sometimes even more. I guess that's why they put on some amazing matches when they are facing each other in the ring," Roman said chuckling. Scarlett turned to watch the two and couldn't help but smile. They truly were like brothers.

"Mind if I use your phone again?" Roman asked.

"Go ahead."

Seth excused himself shortly after Roman left and exited the kitchen after throwing a glare at Dean and a smile at Scarlett. Finding herself alone with Dean once more, Scarlett shifted on her feet nervously. In the short time they had been acquainted, he was the one that Scarlett found herself wondering about the most. Seth and Roman had some pretty straightforward stories about their childhood, but she had scarcely heard him talking about his family or childhood. Scarlett opened her mouth to ask him just that but shut it when Roman strode back in with wide grin on his face.

"Just got off the phone with Hunter, RAW is airing from Stamford but we're expected to be in Indianapolis by tonight, so we can leave soon. They've sent out a car for us what with the rental broken down," he said cheerfully.

"The roads?" Dean asked.

"Plough went by when I was on the phone. We should be good to go," he said.

"Sweet!" Dean said as he leapt onto his feet. The two headed out the door and Scarlett heard them clambering up the stairs, no doubt informing Seth of the change in plans. Scarlett sighed and mused at the situation. With her guests leaving once more, she would find herself alone again. It was the first time Scarlett felt a pang of disappointment for hearing about someone's departure. The trio had been extremely kind to her and talked with her. Something that many didn't like to do. They had regarded her presence and appreciated her and surprisingly reminded Scarlett of the joys of socializing. Scarlett shook herself out of her musing and resumed her duties as a hostess.

~oOo~

Two hours later found Scarlett sitting at the reception absorbed into her book that she was reading. A car honked, breaking her concentration and she peaked out the window to see a black GMC standing in the doorway. Scarlett turned to call for the boys but fell silent as Roman, Dean, and Seth trudged down the stairs with their belongings. Placing a bookmark to hold her place, she set her book down and got up.

"Thank you so much, Scarlett," Seth said as he strode up to her.

"I didn't do anything," she replied, confused.

"It's not easy finding a place to stay on such short notice and get service better than some five star hotels," Roman added smiling at her.

"It was no problem. I enjoy keeping my guests happy," she said nodding her head.

"How much do we owe you?" Dean asked, the last one down the stairs. He had a hint of a smile playing at his lips and Scarlett found herself smiling at that observation.

"I normally charge $60 per night but you three have been the kindest customers to come around so I'll bump it down to $40," she said looking at each of them warmly. They started to protest but Scarlett cut them off promptly.

"Please. It's the least I can do," she said.

"If you weren't so generous, I would think you were trying to give us another reason to come back," Dean said earning a round of laughter from the group.

"Maybe I am," she responded cheekily. But Scarlett wasn't trying to impress them, they had been wonderful guests and she wanted to give them a lower price. Once the payment was cleared she opened up the guestbook and nudged it towards them.

"If you would be so kind," she said. Roman grinned at her and took the pen, but Dean snatched it away from him.

"I got this," he said and then began to scribble away. Scarlett chuckled and walked around the desk to get to the kitchen, returning with a paper bag.

"I packed up a few things for you guys in case if you got hungry on the road," she said simply handing the bag to Seth. He stared at her for a few seconds before placing the bag on the desk and enveloping her in a hug. The car honked outside again, signaling the urgency (and impatience) of the driver.

"Thank you," he said sincerely into her ear. She patted his back awkwardly and pulled away just as Dean finished signing off on the guestbook.

"Come on," Roman said and with that the trio gathered up their things once more and departed. Scarlett wrapped her arms around herself as the cold wind swept over her from the open door. She saw the two go ahead while Dean held back and turned to her.

"You know, I might just drop by again sometime," he said to her smiling. She chuckled softly, her laughter cut short when he reached over and took her gloved hand in his.

"Here, keep this. It's a little token of our thanks," he said pushing something metallic into her hands. Scarlett looked down to see a pair of dog tags strung in a silver ball chain. She flipped them to see an image of three dogs with the words "Hounds of Justice" written on top on one.

"What is-."

"It's what Roman, Seth, and I used to call ourselves when we were in The Shield," he explained.

"Dean, I-I…thank you," she settled on thanking him for Scarlett was at a loss for words.

"Goodbye Scarlett," he said. Then it happened. His blue eyes met her brown ones and Scarlett felt a tug at her heart. His gaze was piercing, the sapphire orbs sharp and commanding yet reminding her of the oceanic waves. They held her gaze firmly so that even if she wanted, she couldn't pull away. There was something in his eyes that drew her in, but she couldn't pinpoint what. Was it that his eyes were so well guarded she couldn't read them? Was it the way that his eyes glinted when he was with his friends? But the moment was gone when the driver honked again and his turned to look at the car.

"Thanks again, Scar," he said. And then he was gone, the door shutting behind him with a soft click. Scarlett stayed routed to the spot, not moving even when she heard the tires screech on the ice and the engine rumbling away on the road. He'd called her "Scar" again.

Hey everyone!

Sorry about disappearing. Both my laptops decided to die on me on Wednesday and I was stuck with no means of typing away or posting new chapters. Thankfully one of them got fixed and I just got my Mac back this morning so here I am posting Chapter 5. As always, do leave me your thoughts on the chapter and the story so far. I love hearing from you all!

Hugs!

- K.

To anonymous Guest: Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you're liking it! :)

To Seth Rollins Babe: Haha. I guess we're in the same boat then...oh wow that was a horrible pun. We'll indeed come up with something along the way, lol. Thanks so much for all your support and for loving this story! It means the world to me! :)

To Marina: Phew, I'm glad. Oh! Well you were close enough! Haha, that was the aim. I've read stories where Dean let's the anger get the best of him but in this I wanted to show that he is still the temperamental guy but with a perceptive side of him that he displays once in a while. Don't worry, you'll definitely see more of Seth and Roman. Haha, you never know. Maybe I'll have a change of heart and voila you'll get a Shield/OC story instead ;). But yes, Seth and Roman will definitely be around. Thank you so much for the love and support! I appreciate it! :)