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Chapter 6

"And your winner for this match is, Dean Ambrose!" Lillian announced, the roar of the crowd filling the arena as his music hit. The referee held his hand up in victory and Dean grinned before he rolled out of the ring and walked around the ring greeting fans. Once through, he hobbled backstage once more, craving a hot shower more than ever.

"Ambrose!" Dean groaned in annoyance but turned to face Stephanie as she walked to him.

"What now?" He ground out. She raised an eyebrow at him but then ignored him to continue with whatever she had come to say.

"You have a meet and greet tomorrow morning. For god's sake show up on time," she said to him firmly. He threw a glare at her and turned to leave but her hand on her shoulder stopped him.

"I mean it, Dean. You did well out there tonight but please just be at the meet and greet on time tomorrow. Payback is coming up and you've got a lot of people routing for you for that win against Orton," she said. Dean was about to snap at her but she looked at him sharply and he bit back his retort, opting to nod. Thankfully Stephanie had no more to say and Dean was free to head on. Once he got to the locker room, Dean pealed the clothes off of his body and stepped into the shower. Hot water rained down on him from the showerhead, relaxing the tensed muscles. His anger ebbed away slowly and Dean took several breaths to calm himself.

Contrary to popular belief, being a crowd favorite came with disadvantages. More days were spent travelling and attending live events or being part of Meet and Greets. Dean loved wrestling but there were times he wished he could have a day off to just relax and be left alone in peace.

"You're not planning on drowning yourself in there, are you?" Roman's voice called from the other side of the door. Dean huffed but turned the water off and quickly dried himself with a towel, wrapping another around his waist as he went out the bathroom.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"If you've forgotten then let me remind you, we're travelling buddies, remember?" Roman asked. Dean rolled his eyes and grabbed some clothes out of his bag before heading back to change. Once he returned, Roman was leaning against the wall, whistling, as he tapped away at his phone.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Dean snapped in annoyance. Roman glanced up at him and frowned before pushing himself off the wall.

"Thought you would be happy to head to the bar tonight considering you've been wrestling nonstop for the last two weeks," Roman said. Dean groaned and ran a hand over his face.

"You guys go on. I'm going to head to the hotel and catch up on some sleep," he said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Roman opened his mouth to say something but Dean waved him off and headed out the door to get to the rental. He wanted to sleep and if he wanted to keep Stephanie and Hunter happy, he would have to show up at the meet and greet on time with a smile on his face rather than an awful hangover.

It didn't take him long to get to the hotel and once he was inside his room, Dean shrugged off his hoodie and his shoes before collapsing into bed. The exhaustion was wearing him down and the sleep was oh so welcomed. As chocolate brown eyes swum forth in his mind's eye, sleep drew his body under and soon he was fast asleep.

~oOo~

Scarlett's eyes snapped open and a scream caught at the back of her throat. Her pupils were dilated and sweat was running down her face. It took a few seconds for her to gather her surroundings and once she realized she was safe in her room, she let out a small choked sob before she sat up in bed and pulled her knees to her chest. The sound had awakened Vitani, who let out a soft 'meow' and padded to her mistress' side and placed a paw on her stomach. Scarlett picked her up and hugged the feline close as the tears flooded and sobs let free from her lips. It was that dreaded dream again. The one with her mother trapped behind the fire and Scarlett staring at her helplessly.

"I killed her. I killed her," she sobbed.

It had been weeks since she had been able to sleep properly. The nightmares had begun to get worse and worse, there was nothing she could do to prevent them or save herself from the torture that the darkness brought. Murderer. That's what she was and that's what she would always be until her death. Her mother's blood was on her hands and no matter how many times she cleaned herself the stain would never leave.

Scarlett loosened her hold on Vitani and the cat licked her tears away, bopped her on the nose with her paw before she left Scarlett's grasp and hopped off the bed. Scarlett sniffed once more and reached over to the nightstand to pick up the photo of her parents that was sitting in a simple photo frame. It was taken three months before their divorce and the year before her father's demise. It was the only picture she had of her father and now her mother for the rest had perished in the fire. This was the picture that Scarlett was given after being told it was found with her mother's body. It was the only physical memory that Scarlett had of her parents and she had kept it safely with her, speaking to it whenever she needed reassurance.

"I love you both," she whispered before hugging the frame to her chest and shutting her eyes tightly as fresh tears poured down her cheeks. Scarlett opened her eyes when she felt Vitani nudge her and looked down when Vitani deposited something in her lap before sitting down beside her.

"Wha-," Scarlett's words were cut short when she realized that it was the dog tags that Dean had given her before he left. She looked down at the piece of merchandise and ran a thumb over the engraving of the dogs. It had been six months since the night Seth had knocked on her door and they were now settling into the month of May, yet she hadn't seen them since. Shortly after they had left, Scarlett had hoped that they would come back so she could once again have somebody to talk to but her hope died down when time ticked by and only a handful of customers showed up at her door. The necklace had been tucked away in her wardrobe and she had almost forgotten about it, but it turned out Vitani hadn't.

Sighing, Scarlett looked at Vitani as she watched Scarlett with golden eyes, her tail flicking lazily. Scarlett wiped her tears, taking a deep breath she pulled the necklace over her head. It was just an ordinary necklace in anyone else's eyes but for Scarlett it was a gift of what she hoped was genuine friendship. The first of this kind. The three had shown her the kindness that had never been shown before and for that Scarlett owed them a lot. Looking down at the necklace once more, Scarlett tucked the tags underneath her shirt before sliding back down to lay in her bed and tucking her hands underneath her cheek. She closed her eyes once more to welcome sleep and drifted off as a pair of ocean blue eyes painted her thoughts.

~oOo~

The morning sun brought forth some good news in the weekly paper that Scarlett had delivered. She straightened the paper out as she was eating away her breakfast and her eyes were immediately caught onto the bold header in the sports section "WWE Payback comes to Rosemont once more". Her spoon lifted halfway to her mouth, Scarlett read through the section quickly and couldn't help the smile that came onto her face as she read. The article was singing praises for the three men that had stopped at her B&B and her smiled widened further when she read how much support there was for Dean winning against Randy Orton. Scarlett set down the spoon and reached for the necklace that still hung around her neck and looked down at it.

In that moment, a raw hunger made its presence known and Scarlett wanted nothing else than to buy a ticket and attend the event. It had been years since she had been to Chicago and she felt the want pulse through her. When was the last time she had taken some time off for herself? Scarlett looked up at her trusted familiar for suggestions and found Vitani munching away on her own food.

"What do you think, Vitani? Should we take a trip to Chicago?" She asked reaching forward to scratch her behind her ears. Vitani purred and Scarlett chuckled taking it as a yes.

"The next bus to Chicago comes around in an hour. I think we need to start packing," Scarlett said before standing up. An odd happiness was bubbling in the pit of her stomach and she found herself welcoming it with open arms. Scarlett headed to her room and pulled out a small duffel bag, throwing in a few clothes that she owned and some scarves and gloves. She headed to the storeroom and fished out Vitani's cat carrier and cleaned it up before carrying it back to her room.

"The event's on Sunday so we should get back on Monday. That would leave the B&B closed for…a week," Scarlett stopped moving around and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Business was slow but what if she missed her customers? That would mean less income for the month. She had taken the decision to leave on a whim, but what if it wasn't the right one? What if it cost her more than she could afford? As if she had sensed her beginning to doubt her choice, Vitani scratched her leg lightly. Scarlett looked down at the golden eyes and then sighed.

"You're right. I think we should go," Scarlett said making up her mind. The tickets would be expensive but she would try and get the cheapest ones so it didn't take too much out of her bank.

Once her small bag was packed, Scarlett went downstairs and removed whatever little cash was in the register and stored it into her purse before locking the register and switching on the "Closed" sign. Scarlett peaked out the window to check for any signs of the bus but when she didn't find any she returned back to her room to wrap up herself securely so her scarf didn't go flying off even by accident. She would step into the busy city life after five years and while there was some trepidation, the elation was surpassing it. The only thing Scarlett would have to be very careful of was to make sure that she didn't stand out too much. People were curious and they would ask question, but Scarlett didn't want any inquiries. She just wanted to attend the event and see Dean (along with Seth and Roman too). As his name was uttered in the chaos of her mind, his face floated into her thoughts.

Dean Ambrose was a man who intrigued her like no other man had. He was charming in his own ways but Scarlett had picked up on the walls that he had surrounded himself with. There was something about him that drew her to him and while it wasn't attraction, it was the curiosity that made him a constant subject of her thoughts. He had flittered in and out of her thoughts since he had left and Scarlett found she didn't mind it. Initially she had questioned why she was thinking of someone who she was never going to meet again but after a few days, Scarlett had gotten accustomed to it. Although she was sure that she would not be able to meet any of them when she attended the event, there was a tiny spark of hope that had ignited.

Scarlett checked the time and hurried to get Vitani into her carrier before she locked up everything. Once Vitani was safely (although a bit grumpily) stowed in her carrier, Scarlett locked the door to her room and the backdoor before stepping out of the small house and locking the main door. She picked up Vitani's carried and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder, making her way to the bus stop. Thankfully she didn't have to wait too long for the bus thanks to her knowledge of the schedule and twenty minutes later they were zooming down the highway towards the busy life of Chicago. Scarlett was going home.

~oOo~

"You're my favorite Dean!" The young boy said excitedly as Dean signed the photo for him. Dean smiled at him before posing with him for a photo. The kid hugged him quickly and walked off the stage. Dean flashed one final smile and waved at the rest of the fans before he headed off the stage to get towards the car that would take him back to his hotel. Dean loved meeting his fans but there were time where he wished he could just get the day off to spend it locked inside his hotel room doing nothing. His phone began to ring and Dean answered it without glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Dean! Where are you?" Dean cringed at the voice and cursed himself for giving his number to the Divas.

"What do you want, Summer?" He asked.

"You don't have to be so rude. I just wanted to know whether or not you wanted to go out tonight," she said sweetly. Dean rolled his eyes before he questioned himself as to what he was thinking when he traded numbers with Natalya. Apparently, no phone number was safe from being leaked within the Divas Division.

"Not interested," he said before disconnecting the call and leaning his head back against the headrest of the car seat.

"Everything okay, sir?" His driver and bodyguard, Donovan, asked.

"Yeah Don. All's good," Dean reassured sighing deeply.

"I know it's not my place to say, Sir, but I think you are in dire need of a break," Don told him, glancing up at him through the rearview mirror. Dean smiled and ran a hand over his face.

"With Payback around the corner? Hunter and Steph would kill me before I could even ask for a holiday," he said chuckling. Don sent him a sympathetic look and Dean waved it off.

"It's alright, Don. I could always run away," Dean joked earning a small laugh from the young man at the wheel. Silence settled in the car once more and Dean pondered over his upcoming match on Sunday. He looked forward to facing Randy in the ring again and then being able to hopefully take some time off. He had worked nonstop since Wrestlemania and even his body was screaming for a holiday.

Once he reached the hotel, he was met with a group of superstars heading to the coffee lounge, Seth and Roman included. Dean wanted to find a way to escape them but Seth had already spotted him and had jogged over to him.

"What's the matter with you? You've been so distant since the last few days," Seth said frowning when Dean made a face.

"Nothing's wrong. I just want some time off from all this," Dean told him. While The Shield may no longer be together, the bond that three of them shared had only strengthened. While Dean may have been able to wave off others, when it came to his brothers, he held nothing back.

"You've been working hard in the last few weeks. Everyone's noticed and that's why they all love you even more," Seth said falling into step beside him as they followed the rest of the group to the coffee lounge.

"You think Steph and Hunter will give me time off?" Dean asked Seth, the only one of the three who was on better terms with them. Seth looked at him sideways then chuckled.

"Believe it or not, even though they play the bad guys on TV, Steph and Hunter are pretty understanding. Tell you what, corner them tonight at the SmackDown tapings and ask them," Seth offered clapping hand on Dean's back. Dean settled into the seat between Roman and Seth, ordering himself a mug of black coffee.

"So what's this I'm hearing about you and Summer, Dean?" Randy asked after they chatted idly for a while. Dean looked at him bewildered while Roman and Seth sniggered beside him.

"What have you heard?" Dean asked.

"Relax man. I'm not trying to steal your girl. Just wondering why her and Renee couldn't seem to stop talking about how you are in bed," Randy said laughing. Dean groaned and shook his head.

"First off, she's not my girl. And secondly, I would rather sleep with Seth or Roman than soil myself with any of the Divas," he said harshly.

"Keep us out of this, bro," Roman said holding his hands up in self-defense as Seth howled with laughter.

"Come on man, some of them aren't so bad," Zack Ryder chirped up from next to Cesaro.

"Most of them are," Dean retorted.

"So then what? You'll never date a girl or something?" Cesaro inquired.

"Of course I'll date a girl. Just not a Diva," Dean responded. The men looked at him oddly and Dean shrugged.

"He needs a girl who can handle his lunacy," Seth chimed in. Dean shot him an annoyed glare and earned thumbs up in response.

"Dean needs a girl who can handle him in general," Roman added. Dean would've snapped at him but he instead let out a groan of annoyance when he saw who had walked into the coffee lounge.

"Speak of the devil," Seth said. The men glanced at the two women who were making their way over to them and chuckled under their breaths.

"Hi boys," Summer said sweetly before making a beeline towards Dean. Renee was busy on her phone but there was a knowing smirk plastered onto her face.

"Dean, you didn't answer me earlier," Summer said perching on the arm of his chair. Dean was glaring at his coffee mug and was counting to 100 in his head trying to ignore her, praying she got the hint and went off.

"What did you ask him?" Seth asked. Dean felt a sudden urge to strangle the man but settled on directing his glare at Seth who had mirth dancing in his eyes at Dean's obvious torture.

"Oh just that if he wanted to go out tonight after the tapings," Summer said reaching forward and stroking his hair. Dean slapped her hand away and leapt onto his feet.

"No I don't. Not tonight, not tomorrow night, not ever," Dean hissed at Summer before he stormed out of the coffee lounge. This was what Dean hated about the women that were in this business. They knew they were gorgeous, they knew they were famous, and the worst part was that they had the worst attitude that anyone could've imagined. Fame and money was what dictated their lives and Dean would never, could never, date any of them because none of them possessed the simplicity that he wanted in life. They were women that were hungry for money and fame. If that meant sleeping their way to the top, then so be it. He had come across very few Divas that he got along with but Dean preferred to stay away from the ones that strolled around haughtily. Roman had been right, Dean didn't need a girl who could handle him, he needed a girl who understood him.

And we took a bit of a time leap, didn't we? Six months ahead and a sneak peak into what everyone's feeling at the moment. A bit of a filler of sorts but yep. The story isn't going to follow the storylines depicted in WWE. Some of it might just be fantasy booking from my side (teehee!) while at other times the wrestling won't play a big role. Also, I have NOTHING against the WWE Divas/Female Employees. I respect all the hard work they put in and I'm just playing around with what type of characters I think they'll be good at by taking hints from the characters they've played. If I have offended you somehow, please not that it was not my intention. Well that was all I had to say about this update. So do leave me reviews. Reading your thoughts on the updates gets me all warm and fuzzy inside and puts a goofy smile on my face. :P

- K.

To Ambrollins lover - Thank you! You're very kind. :)

To Seth Rollins Babe - You'll see them soon for sure. Don't worry :). Glad you enjoyed the chapter! Haha! At least you have some ship names. I have come up with zero because I am undoubtedly the worst person to go to for coming up with ship names. Lolol. Thanks for your comment and support 3.

To Marina - Lol, I'm sure you won't. Thank you so much. Having a reader tell me they trust me is a huge thing for me so I appreciate it and will try my best to not let you down :). Lol, no I don't think you are. I've always thought Roman to be the more nonchalant one of the trio when/if they get into an argument. Glad you enjoyed it! Well the separation makes the union even more worthwhile, eh? They are wrestling superstars and she is a mere B&B owner, they'll have to leave eventually. And better now than when she's super attached to them, no? Thanks so much for your reviews and your support. I appreciate it abundantly 3.