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 8
Numb. That was the feeling that had washed over her as Roman walked straight past her and jumped over the barricade to get into the ring. Had she misunderstood their sincerity for something that wasn't there? Roman was talking in the ring, but his voice sounded so far away. Dread was filling her inch by inch. Music hit once more and boos filled the arena, Scarlett turned her attention to Seth as he walked down the ramp with a cocky expression on his face. Her breath was coming in short gasps and when the two men continued to do their job, even after Seth said some hateful words to the crowd; his eyes passing over her just like she was another audience member.
But you are a regular audience member. That treacherous voice in her mind whispered. Scarlett bit her lip and watched as the two men fought. Her mood had changed significantly and Scarlett began to second guess her decision. Glancing around herself, she found the audience invested in the fight that had broken out between Roman and Seth. She was an idiot. Scarlett shook herself out of it and tried to get back into the match, but all she could feel was the loneliness creeping over her again, its claws sinking into her slowly and pulling her down into the abyss. Even with hundreds of people around her, Scarlett gave in and let the familiar loneliness wrap around her. This was safe. Loneliness was safe.
~oOo~
"I'm telling you it's her," Seth snapped at Roman once they were backstage. Their match had taken a lot of their energy and both were huffing as they crashed into some seats backstage.
"I don't know, there are hundreds of women here," Roman said skeptically.
"I still think it's her," Seth said defiantly.
"It's who?" Dean asked as he came strolling over to them fixing his leather jacket.
"Scarlett. Roman thinks it's not her but I think it's her," Seth said. Dean froze in the middle of fixing the collar on his jacket and looked from Seth to Roman.
"I can't tell. She was just a girl covering her face," Roman said shrugging.
"Where did you see her?" Dean asked quietly.
"The bleacher seats. Close to the entrance," Roman replied.
"Facing the hard camera?"
"Yes!" Seth said. He sent a glare at Roman who raised his eyebrow at him and crossed his arms.
"Seth, you think it's her. For all we know she could be just another fan," Roman said. Seth opened his mouth but shut it, for even he wasn't sure if it really was her. Dean, on the other hand, had made a beeline to the gorilla position.
"You're not on until after Sheamus and Neville's match," one of the backstage coordinators said as he checked his clipboard with a frown on his face.
"Any problem if I arrive ahead of schedule?" Dean asked raising an eyebrow at him. The man looked up and quickly shook his head, scurrying off. Dean scanned the monitors that showed various camera angles but his eyes couldn't find what he was looking for. Grunting in annoyance, he stalked back to where Seth and Roman were. Seth was staring moodily at the floor while Roman had his chin in his hands, deep in thought.
"Where exactly did you see her?" Dean asked.
"I didn't see her Dean. I think I saw her," Roman said.
"She had the seat closest to the entrance on the bleachers where Roman makes his entrance from," Seth told him, sending a glare at Roman. Dean stored that piece of information before he made his way back to the gorilla readying himself for his match.
"You alright, Dean?" Cesaro, his tag partner for the evening, asked when Dean paced back and forth.
"Wonderful," Dean replied, his mind focused on his match as well as the seat that Seth had described. When his music hit, Dean popped his shoulder and pushed open the curtain, the roar of the crowd filling his ear and pushing forth the throttle of adrenaline to surge through his body.
~oOo~
The moment Scarlett saw him come through the curtain, she felt a dull aching joy within her. She was happy to see him but at the same didn't want to see him. He would look past her like the other two had and Scarlett didn't know if she could handle that. It shouldn't hurt her this much, to be ignored by people, it should be pleasant and comfortable. Then why, why did the thought of him ignoring her feel like a blow to the gut?
Scarlett wanted to look away from his figure in the ring but couldn't find it in her heart to look away. The girls in the front row, closest to the ring, were going crazy and screaming for him. But he was focused on his opponents. The moment the bell rang, Scarlett found it next to impossible to take her eyes off of him. He moved with calculated steps and his delivery was impeccable. The crowd was on its feet the entire time he fought and laughed when he did something quirky. The man oozed natural charisma. And Scarlett could only watch transfixed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of this match, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose," the ring announcer said as the two celebrated their victory.
And then it happened.
In the ocean of people, blue met brown and were instantly glued together. Scarlett felt her breath catch in her throat as those incredibly blue eyes bore into hers from the ring. Her insides melted and an overwhelming feeling slipped over her as the corners of his lips quirked up ever so slightly.
He recognized her.
~oOo~
"Great match out there, Ambrose," Cesaro said clapping him on the back before heading off. Seth and Roman were waiting for him and Seth was looking at him questioningly.
"Did y-."
"It's her," Dean said not letting Seth finish. Seth grinned while Roman frowned at Dean.
"How are you so sure?" He asked.
"It's her," Dean said firmly, his blue eyes flashing. Roman still looked skeptical while Seth had a childish grin on his face.
"We should go meet her," he suggested. Dean was about to agree but Roman, ever the wise one, stopped the two of them.
"Hold on, you two. We aren't even sure that it's her and you're just going to walk out into a crowd and ask a random woman if she runs a B&B near Highway 65? Think about it for a minute will you? You two have an immense fan following and any girl would readily agree to that even if it isn't her," Roman said. Dean felt exasperated as Roman spoke and he cracked his knuckles.
"But Dean said it's her, Rome," Seth said.
"Seth, neither of us has seen her face. We only know she covers herself with gloves and scarves. And honestly, I still don't think it's her," Roman said shaking his head. Although both of them didn't say it out loud, Dean and Seth did understand where Roman was coming from. However, Dean was sure it was her. He had felt that buzz when the moment his eyes had found those familiar chocolate brown ones.
"No. It's her Rome. I'm sure," he said, shaking his head. Seth stared at the two, torn between Roman's rational thinking and Dean's confident tone. When Seth had walked into the ring, before he was handed the mic, Roman had briefly told him about the girl he'd seen walking down. Seth had swept his gaze and had found her but had to stop himself from focusing on her due to his heel character. He was sure it was her but Seth was second guessing as he had not gotten a good look at her, while Dean had.
"There are lots of women out there who cover their faces, we can't just go around assuming they're a girl we met only once. Mind you, we don't even know anything about her and inviting a random person backstage is the last thing I want to do," Roman added. Dean narrowed his eyes at Roman and crossed his arms.
"Coming from the man who invited her to have breakfast with us, you sure sound condescending," Dean snapped. Roman looked at him blankly before he shook his head.
"Dean, I'm not. I just don't want unnecessary drama," Roman said sighing.
"But what if it's her?" Seth piped up.
"It is her," Dean said sharply.
"We can't be sure Dean and I would rather not risk anything," Roman said with an air of finality before he turned on his heel and walked off to the locker room. Seth stared after him then turned to look at Dean.
"As much as I really want it to be her, if it isn't then we're going to be in a shit load of trouble with Steph and Hunter for inviting her backstage," Seth said after a few seconds of pondering. Dean wanted to argue but the exhaustion was slowly slinking up and he decided to let it go. He knew it was her and for once, Dean was hoping that it was just his wishful thinking.
~oOo~
As the crowd bustled along, Scarlett was feeling lightheaded. That one moment that their eyes had connected had been so powerful for her and Scarlett was praying that her assessment of his recognizing her hadn't been a mistake. She followed the crowd out the gates of the arena and noticed some of them heading around towards the back, chattering about a possibility of seeing the Superstars and Divas leaving the arena. Scarlett wanted to follow but the self-protective part of her mind banished those thoughts. The night had been fun and she didn't want any more disappointments. Hailing a taxi, Scarlett took one last look at the arena before turning her gaze away and taking the road to her motel room. It was time to see what destiny had in store for her.
~oOo~
Sunday came way too early for Dean's liking and he walked into the arena with his earphones plugged into his ear blasting some relaxing trance music. While rock bands and country music was fun, sometimes he just needed music alone to relax. The beats were soothing, something he needed before he went head to head with Randy. Albeit it wasn't a title match, but Dean didn't think he could handle the travel schedule as a Champion with the way his body was aching for rest.
"Dean!"
"For fuck's sake," Dean growled turning around to face Renee as she walked towards him, a smile on her face.
"What?" He asked, irritated. Could a man not have his peace?
"I heard you didn't want to take Summer out. Listen, I'm always free after shows, so if you want, you know…" She trailed off looking at him expectantly. Dean stared at her.
"You would turn your back on your best friend like that?" He asked, amazed how some people defined "friendship" as just a passing thing. Renee faltered but her gaze turned cool.
"Summer's my best friend but I was the one that saw you first," Renee snapped before she stormed off. Dean watched her go with a raised eyebrow before he heard someone clapping and turned to come face to face with his opponent for the evening.
"Gotta say Ambrose, you remind me a lot of myself when I entered this business," Randy said, a smile playing at his lips. Dean made a non-committal gesture and fell into step beside Rand, he may not like the man but he was more welcome than Summer or Renee.
"Getting attention from the girls, the company's rising star, I see a young me in you," he continued.
"Don't get me wrong, Deano. You're doing awesome, just watch out. Some people don't take it too kindly here when a younger talent surpasses them," Randy told him, stopping momentarily to give him a sharp look before waving and heading into his locker room. That was the second time in one week that someone whom he respected, and got along with, told him to watch his back. Was there something he should be worried about?
Dean shrugged it off and walked ahead, once he located his locker room, he dumped his bag down and sped off to where the ring was being set in order to examine the arena before the evening began. They were still setting up the ring when he arrived and various Superstars and Divas were huddled here and there. Dean's gaze fell on AJ, who was sitting cross legged on a chair, glasses perched on her nose as she read one of her comic books. Dean sauntered over to her and plopped down into the seat next to her.
"What are you reading?" Dean asked, glancing sideways.
"It's Phil's comic book," she mumbled back. Dean chuckled but fell silent when she glared at him from behind her glasses. AJ's husband, Phil "CM Punk" Brooks, was out due to injury and had written his first ever comic book whilst he recuperated. Anyone who knew the two could immediately understand why the two got married to each other and how well they fit together. AJ placed a book mark and shut the comic book before turning to look at him with a smile on his face.
"Now. Tell me. What's going on in that crazy little head of yours?" AJ asked. Dean spared her a glance and then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Do I really need to be thinking something to come talk to you?" He asked, his chin in his hands.
"No, but that is usually the case with you," AJ replied.
"Dean, there are seats open here too!" Summer called, causing both Dean and AJ to fall silent as the blonde strutted over to them. Dean grit his teeth and his hands balled into fists.
"Shouldn't you be practicing, Summer? Maybe tonight you might actually win a match," AJ said coolly. Dean glanced over at her and found her frowning, he didn't have to look at Summer to know the blonde was probably turning a nice shade of crimson if the spluttering was anything to go by.
"Shouldn't you be taking care of your husband, AJ?" It was Nikki who spoke this time around as her and Brie flanked around Summer.
"What? Too much of a coward to fight your own battles that you had to bring these two with you, Summer?" AJ asked, now on her feet as she glared at Nikki. Dean saw the movement first and shot to his feet, grabbing Summer's wrist as she attempted to blindside AJ.
"I don't think so," he growled glaring at Summer.
"What the hell is happening here?"
Dean turned and was met with the confused gaze of Seth, Roman, and Randy. He sighed and let go of Summer's wrist as the three girls gave one last venom filled look to AJ and walked off to their own corner.
"His little fan club is really beginning to annoy me," AJ said, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the group of women that were now joined by Renee. Dean saw the look that Renee threw his way, a look that didn't go unnoticed by Roman, who looked at him questioningly. Dean shook his head at him, silently telling him "later".
"Tell us about it," Seth said as he plopped down on the seat AJ was occupying earlier.
"You guys chat away. I'm going to go call Phil and check up on him, hopefully let loose of some steam," AJ said before she skipped away. Had Dean not been paying attention, he wouldn't have caught it, but he noticed the way Randy's gaze was fixed on AJ's retreating back, a dark look marring the man's face. Realization dawned on him and when Randy's gaze turned to Dean, he was met with Dean's hard glare.
"She's married for god's sake," Dean hissed at Randy. The other man's shoulders slumped and he gave a stiff nod to Dean before he turned on his heel and walked away. Dean stared after him, his gaze still cold. He turned his attention back to Seth and Roman, who had been watching his exchange with Randy with interest.
"Dean, Randy has never told her what he feels," Roman told him. Dean opened his mouth to give a nasty retort but he stopped when he understood what Roman was trying to tell him. The anger he felt for the third generation Superstar, who could potentially destroy the marriage of one of his closest friends, dissipated as sympathy edged in.
"He let her go?" Dean asked, now understanding the look on Randy's face as that of sheer longing and anguish.
"He let her go," Seth agreed.
~oOo~
Scarlett brushed her hair back before tying it into a messy braid. She had spent the past few days going around the city that was once her home. Some places had brought back good memories, while others she had turned her back upon to protect herself from the pain. She was yet to visit her old home and see what had become of it, choosing to keep it for Monday as the last thing to do before she left the city to go back to her B&B. Vitani had kept her company the whole time she had been in Chicago and Scarlett was glad she was there. Her heart gave a dull ache every time she thought back to what had happened at SmackDown. She had thought Dean had recognized her, had been so sure, but it was foolish to think so. How would he know? Scratch that, how could he possibly even remember her? He met thousands of people, so why on Earth would he remember her?
There was a small thud and Scarlett turned to find Vitani staring at her from atop the bed, the tags that Dean had given her had slipped from where they were sitting at the edge of the bed onto the floor. She walked over to the bed and bent down to pick them up. She looked up at Vitani's golden eyes and the cat stretched forward to bop her on her nose. Scratching Vitani behind the ear, she stood and pulled the ball chain over her head. If he didn't remember her, she would honor and cherish their meeting forever.
"Time for you to get back into your cage," Scarlett told Vitani, scooping the cat and gently depositing her in the carrier where the she curled up and immediately began to snooze. Scarlett made sure Vitani's food and water bowl was full before she picked up her small bag with her tickets and other essentials, then headed out the door locking it behind her.
The bus ride to the arena took longer than expected but soon Scarlett found herself wandering around the merchandise stalls once more. This time around, Scarlett made a beeline to the area that was selling Dean Ambrose merchandise and hunted down the shirt she wanted. Once it was bought, she quickly headed to the bathroom and slipped the shirt on in a stall before fixing her scarf and gloves once more. She left the bathroom wearing a shirt that had "Ambrose Stole My Heart" stamped onto the front. While she knew she wasn't the only one wearing it, Scarlett still felt a touch of joy to be wearing it. It was her first piece of merchandise and she didn't want to sullen the mood.
The doors opened and Scarlett followed the crowd as it filled out the seats. Once again, Scarlett found her seats at the bleachers and sat down, awaiting the start of the event. It was time for some Payback.
A bit of a wait, sorry about that. Had some assignments to submit for Uni and all. But yeah, here it is! What did you all think of the boys' reactions to "seeing" Scarlett there? Was Roman's argument justified? Next chapter is going to be Payback and let's see what happens.
Someone asked me a question about why Scarlett doesn't get a surgery to get rid of the scars. The answer: I did some research prior to writing this story (that includes looking at as many burn pictures as I could) and while skin grafting helps with 3rd degree burns, there's only so much it can do when the initial treatment (in Scarlett's case: her treatment in the hospital after the incident) happens as additional surgery also leaves scarring. There is only so many times one can go under the knife with 3rd degree burns. Skin grafting in itself can cost roughly $18,000 and our girl only runs a B&B.
Remember: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Let me know your thoughts!
- Kalista
To Dawnie-7 - I hope Roman didn't let you down. Lol. Yes, sometimes getting the taste of your own medicine sucks but it's necessary to know what it feels like. LOL! I don't think Dean's going to put a bullet in his head because of Summer and her gang of all people. As for where else he has to go, let's see! ;) Thank you for love and support!
To Moxley Gal1 - AJ is a fiery one! She definitely isn't going to sit quietly if they take a dig at her. It's AJ after all, lol. Thanks for the love and support! :)
To Marina - Haha, yeah! A die hard SPN fan! Baby's coming to Comic Con here and I'm super excited to go! Yes, let's get back to the story indeed. I felt it was high time Scarlett felt what one went through when they are treated like dirt since she spent most of her time doing just that. Haha, some of the guys have a good rapport with each other indeed. Lol! Well I think Dean can handle himself but AJ sure won't sit still when it comes to the girls taking a dig at her. I hope this chapter justifies Roman's behavior :P. Wow, that's very kind of you but with this update coming on a Saturday, I doubt it's going to be the highlight of the day, lol. Thanks so much for all the love and support! #SPNFamilyUnite
To Seth Rollins Babe - Hope you were satisfied with AJ and Summer's (w/ The Bellas) spat, lol. AJ isn't going to sit quietly with someone taking a dig at her. Haha, let's see if he's going to go to Nevada or somewhere else ;). Take care and thanks for all the love and support! I hope you liked Seth's behavior in this update, lol. Ever the eager one, eh?