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 7

Finding an internet café, Scarlett connected her phone to the WiFi and tried to find some tickets. The cheapest one she could find was $61 but from that seat, Scarlett doubted she would be able to see the action in the ring. So instead she invested a bit more and bought a $125 ticket for a seat on the bleachers as well as a ticket to the evening's SmackDown taping (another $80), deciding that she would wait until a few more months to get the heating fixed considering that it would be summer soon. Once her tickets were purchased, Scarlett took the bus to a small yet affordable motel where she would spend the rest of her week. Once inside the room, Scarlett set the carrier (Vitani snoozed away in the cage) on the table and dropped her bag to the floor before pulling out her purse and counting how much cash she had on herself.

"Two-hundred and eighty dollars. That should be enough for food. If not then I'll just have to use my card," she mumbled to herself before stowing away her wallet. Scarlett would have to monitor her expenses while in Chicago in order to insure she had enough to get home and run her business. Feeling the early pangs of hunger, Scarlett took a quick shower and dressed in some loose clothing and covering her face and arms with her scarf and gloves. Filling up Vitani's food and water bowl with the supplies she'd brought with her, she locked the door and head out into the city in hunt for something to eat.

The clock ticked 2:00 PM by the time Scarlett was able to locate a small Chinese restaurant that would cater to her budget. Picking up a quick meal of noodles and a bottle of water, she began her walk home. On the way, Scarlett looked around to survey her surroundings. Not much had changed in the big city, people went about their business regardless of the time of day. Crowded and quick. Life was still the same in Chicago and the traffic jams just as bad if the long jam was anything to go by. But what good came of it was that due to the fast pace in life, very few people actually looked at her with questioning gazes, too focussed on their own business. Scarlett stopped in her tracks when her eyes fell on a billboard on the building across from her.

Underneath her scarf, a smile was playing at her lips for it was none other than a big image of Dean along with his opponent, Randy Orton, advertising the upcoming event.

"Move it lady," a pudgy man said brushing past her causing her to stumble slightly. Scarlett mumbled a sorry to no one in particular and hurried to the motel room. She smiled when she saw Vitani crack open a golden eye to look at her before returning to her snoozing.

"Come on sleepy head. It's time you eat something too," Scarlett said setting down her food on the table, then moving towards Vitani's carrier. Opening the latch, she gently took Vitani out and her food bowl, carrying it to the table and setting it down next to herself. Vitani purred and rolled around in her arms, clearly in the mood to play.

"I saw his photo again you know," Scarlett told her once she had gotten Vitani to eat. Opening up her own food Scarlett dug into the fried rice as she though back to the image on the billboard.

"I wonder how they're doing," she thought out loud as she ate away. Scarlett knew her decision to come attend a wrestling event was taken in haste, but somewhere inside she wanted to see them again in person rather than a photo print. Tonight would be the first time she would be going to a place with so many people since the fire. She would test her own limits of being a part of the society once more and Scarlett hoped she got through it with ease.

Once she finished eating, Scarlett took a glance at the time before settling in to read the book she had brought along with her. The ticket had stated the doors would open at 7:30 PM but Scarlett would have to leave at 6:00 in order to get to the arena on time using public transport, not to mention the traffic would be horrible at that time.

~oOo~

Roman, Dean, and Seth walked into the arena discussing their planned matches for the evening. Seth and Roman would be going against each other for the main event of SmackDown while Dean would be partnering up with Cesaro against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.

"Dean, go find Steph or Hunter and ask them for some time off," Seth suggested as they set their things down in the locker room. Dean was about to shrug it off but remembering the fatigue that crashed over him the night before, he chose to heed Seth's suggestion and set off to find them.

It didn't take him long to locate Hunter, who was talking with Michael Cole (no doubt discussing the commentary). Hunter glanced at him as he saw him approaching and waved whatever Cole was saying off with a hand before turning to Dean and smiling at him.

"I was wondering when you'd come find one of us for some time off," Hunter said before Dean could even say a word. Dean couldn't help but crack a smile at his words and looked at Hunter sheepishly.

"May I?" He asked. Hunter chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Had it been my dear father-in-law you went to, you would've gotten a "no" in response, but I know the toll this business can take on your body. Take some time off after Payback and get some rest. You're one of our top stars, Dean. I can't afford to lose you out to health issues," Hunter said frowning as he finished. Dean nodded and the two shook hands before parting ways. Hunter had been right about one thing, if Dean had gone to Vince (like he was originally planning to before Seth suggested Hunter or Stephanie), he wouldn't have gotten the time off at all. He found Seth and Roman in the locker room where he'd left them and shared the news with them.

"Told you," Seth said with a grin on his face. It earned him a whack upside the head from Dean as he walked past him to get to his bag. Seth grumbled darkly under his breath, rubbing the back of his head, while Roman rolled his eyes and strolled out of the locker room to go find his cousins.

"You going to go back to Vegas?" Seth asked after a while.

"Not like I have anywhere else to go," Dean responded. He didn't. Cincinnati had nothing for him to go back to while Nevada brought in the mountain range that he would go climbing from time to time. The mountains brought with them a sense of calmness and silence that left Dean at peace with himself. Often on his days off, he went climbing up the mountains and would sit down once he reached his usual place, letting his mind mull over things.

"Come on, I want to grab a snack before we start," Seth said and Dean found himself being dragged down to catering where they were met with some of the other Superstars and Divas.

"Don't look to your left," Seth said to him as they walked towards the food. Dean almost had but stopped when Seth warned him and with a quick look out the corner of his eyes, he saw why Seth had spoken up. Summer, The Bella Twins, and Renee were at the table on the left and had their eyes on them. Dean felt a sudden temptation to send a harsh glare towards them but the look on Seth's face stopped him, instead he turned his back towards them, waiting as Seth grabbed what he needed before heading to sit with Roman and Jimmy and Jey Uso.

"Looks like you're being stalked, Ambrose," Jey said as they sat down. Dean sent the glare intended for the four women towards Jey and the man recoiled, taking the hint and shutting up.

"Why don't you just take her on a date and get it over with?" Roman asked. He had already changed into his gear as he would be opening SmackDown and had his arms folded in front of his chest as he lounged on his chair.

"And risk Dean-o turning into a sappy lovesick fool? Think before you speak, man," Seth said feigning horror before bursting out into laughter. However Dean hardly saw the humour in the suggestion for the mere idea of taking Summer on a date was next to impossible.

"Why are you all so interested in my love life anyway, wives not giving you what you want?" Dean snapped at Jimmy and Jey. Their faces blanked before anger settled in their eyes but it was Roman who spoke first.

"That's enough you three. Dean, there's no need to get all worked up and you two, enough with the personal questions," he said, his deep voice laced with authority. Seth rolled his eyes at the exchange, expect Roman to be the one to break apart what could've been a heated fight.

"Nobody's interested in anyone's personal life here, Dean. We all pull your leg because you get pissed off so easily," Seth said as took a bite of the health bar he was eating. That seemed to calm Dean visibly but his eyes were steely as he watched the retreating backs of Jimmy and Jey (who had taken their cousin's advice and left the trio alone).

"I don't get pissed off easily," Dean retorted. The other two gave him a look that had Dean's anger dissipating as self-awareness poked its head up.

"Okay, maybe I get ticked off when people ask stupid questions but that's different," he defended himself. Roman rolled his eyes as Seth chuckled and silence settled over the three. However, the peace didn't last long for a small hand was placed on Dean's shoulder causing him to tense up.

"What?" Dean snapped whirling around to meet the gaze of a surprised AJ Lee.

"Well hello to you too," she said her gaze narrowing at him. Dean's irritation was swept clean and he grinned at AJ sheepishly. AJ was one of the few Divas he got along with really well and respected her equally. Although the woman was petite, when angered she could easily take down the entire roster.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Don't worry about it. I heard rumours of you three having heat backstage, but I'm guessing all's good?" She asked surveying the trio.

"Those rumours have been floating around since we were in The Shield together," Seth said shrugging his shoulder.

"Even the ones that say you and Dean are fighting over Summer?" Seth choked on the water he was drinking when AJ delivered this information while Roman let out a laugh.

"What?" Seth asked incredulously. Dean cracked a grin and looked at Seth, who was now staring at the blonde across the room in fury.

"Look, it's no doubt you three are favoured by Steph and Hunter, and some people aren't taking it too kindly while others are trying to take advantage of it," AJ said then glanced around to make sure nobody overheard.

"What do you mean?" Roman asked curiously.

"I mean that while there are women, like Summer, who are trying to leech your popularity for their failed careers, there are also others that aren't too happy with you three. You are getting the spotlight when you've been in the business for less time than others and it's rubbing some people the wrong way," AJ told them.

"Who?" Dean asked. AJ looked at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Dean, if I had known, don't you think I would've told you rather than say 'some people'?" She asked.

"AJ!"

The four of them turned to see Paige walking over to them. She threw the boys a smile and then turned her attention back to AJ.

"I wanted to talk to you about our match," Paige said. AJ nodded and throwing one last look at the trio, the two women walked away.

"You don't think Hunter and Steph favour us, do you?" Roman asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Dean glanced at Roman and immediately understood what was going through Roman's head. While Roman was proud of his Samoan heritage, he despised the idea of being handed things due to the blood that ran in his veins. He wanted fame on his own terms, not on who his family is. Being The Rock's cousin put him in the constant spotlight and while Roman loved his family, he wanted nothing to do with them when it came to his work.

"I doubt it. What with the amount of pins I've eaten in the past few months," Dean said shaking his head. The call for Main Event starting to tape came and a few of the superstars hurried off while Seth, Roman, and Dean headed to the TV Room to see what the story was for tonight.

~oOo~

Scarlett had made it with just 15 minutes to spare and was now strolling around the merchandise stalls. She couldn't buy anything as it would take away from the amount of money she had to spend on her food, also she wanted to save for Sunday night. Scarlett wandered over to a stall where they were selling shirts for Dean Ambrose shirts. She looked down at the shirt that read "Ambrose Stole My Heart" and couldn't help but smile at it.

"You're buying that?" A girl asked pointing to the shirt Scarlett was holding.

"No, I'm not," Scarlett replied. The girl snatched it from her hand and pushed her away.

"Then get lost and let people who are real fans of Dean buy his merchandise," the girl said to her snootily. Scarlett froze in shock at the rudeness and stared at the girl.

"What? Can't handle the truth? Judging by the way you're dressed up, this is clearly way out of your league," the girl finished turning her back on Scarlett and grabbing a few shirts. Scarlett ducked her head down and walked away from the merchandise stalls. The doors had opened and she entered the arena, finding her seat near the edge, closest to the exit, and sitting down.

Did everyone I treat like crap feel like I did when that girl talked to me like that? Scarlett thought. There was a reason why Scarlett didn't have friends who came to her aid when her mother perished. She had been cruel to people and made them feel like dirt, but today, after five years, Scarlett realised exactly how cruel she had been to others. The way she had felt when that girl insulted her, was that really how others felt?

Her thoughts were cut short when a family of four bustled past her further down the row to get to their seats. Scarlett took a moment to push away the negative thoughts for later and focussed on her surroundings. Her seat was on the bleachers, not too far from the ring and not too close to be straight into the camera's view. She could see everything clearly and could feel the atmosphere pumping with excitement.

The lights dimmed as one of the ladies went into the ring and welcomed the crowd earning a loud roar of applause and cheers. She knew they taped Main Event before they began to tape SmackDown and Scarlett watched the matches go along as Main Event progressed. It helped her get back into the wrestling aspect and soon she found herself cheering and whooping as the matches happened. Scarlett was pleasantly surprised with herself when she realised just how much she used to love wrestling as a kid. Her blood was pumping in her veins and Scarlett felt happier than ever to be a part of the crowd. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her attire for at this time, the fans were together as one to celebrate their favourite wrestling Superstars and Divas.

When the stagehands began to change the ring aprons, Scarlett checked her watch and found one hour had already passed. When she looked up again, the aprons now read "SmackDown" and the titantron was flashing "Payback: This Sunday".

Cheers erupted once more when the music hit as pyros for SmackDown went on and Scarlett clapped along, realising that this was when the tapings started. As the pyros died down, she saw the cameras being moved around near the ring. Music hit again and since Scarlett had no idea whose music it was, she looked to the titantron. When she read the name, her eyes widened and the crowd began to stand up, turning to look at the entrance doors located close to her. She stood up too and couldn't help the smile that stretched along her face as her eyes fell on the tall and brooding figure of Roman Reigns when he appeared at the entrance, flanked by security.

She began to cheer and clap once more as he began to descend down the stairs, fist bumping those who held out their fists. Scarlett watched him descend, a part of her hoping he would turn his gaze to her. Scarlett almost jumped in joy when his eyes looked at her…but his gaze swept past without a moment of recognition. Scarlett felt her stomach drop, the smile being wiped clean off of her face, and she stood there, her hand held halfway up to wave at him.

He hadn't recognised her.

Ouch. Wonder how Scarlett is going to handle it now. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. We got to see a how deep the friendship between the trio is as well as Scarlett's return to her home. Again, story does not follow Wrestling canon but rather fantasy bookings. Let me know what you thought of it and yeah, leave me a Review. I love to hear from you all. :)

- Kalista

To caz21 - Welcome! Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)

To Seth Rollins Babe - Haha, he is indeed in for a surprise. But for now, I think poor Scarlett is the one getting surprised. Haha, true. I went to RAW in Montreal last year and was supposed to meet up with a friend, took me forever to find her in the chaos. I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Hahahaha, we'll see about Seth. Lol. Thank you for all your support! 3

To Dawnie-7 - Firstly, welcome welcome! Truly, I'm happy you are enjoying it. It never fails to make me happy to hear from new readers. Haha, I understand. I personally didn't like Scarlett either when I wrote the first chapter (and I created her for all it's worth, lol) but all I needed was reader's trust. Haha, Chapter 2 is definitely where the story really picks up. Thank you! Yes, even though there is an element of romance, I also wanted to show the friendship between the three as it is equally important. They're all different from each other but their bond is stronger than ever. I'm really happy to know you're enjoying it so much. It means so much to me. Welcome aboard and thank you for your support, I appreciate it greatly! :) 3

To WinchesterAngel3389(Marina) - OMG YOU'RE A SUPERNATURAL FAN TOO! Okay, I'm calm now. Lol. Well I'll be honest and say I was thinking of skipping up to eight months, but my own treacherous heart felt bad and I pushed it down to six. To have them meet each other within the first few weeks would be a bit too early and I wasn't really feeling it. I needed the extra time. Haha, he is definitely the wise one amongst the three in this story. True, their personalities are different and that's what I want to keep in my story, after all no two people are the same. Haha, we're all looking forward to that reunion! Thank you so much for the love and support! Means a lot, Marina! :) 3