So, here we go, the first of the final two chapters and probably one of my favourite ones. Not sure why, I just kinda like it. Hope you all do too.
Skovko, He totally deserved it. Plus, we all know Seth can do evil really well if pushed!
Squeegee Beckinhime, Yay! Glad you liked it. Sorry I didn't let Dean get too battered. I just can't bring myself to hurt him really bad. Just enough to trigger lashings of hurt/comfort!
Ohana1337, Lol, seriously I will seriously keep writing! Super happy you liked the big climax though!
Mandy, I'm just glad you like it so much. It's always good to get people hooked! But yeah, definitely another one to come.
Ninjoy, Thank you, it's one of my favourites too. I kind of came up with that chapter before anything else (masochistic of me I know, but I can't control my muse) and the rest just fell into place around it.
AngelOfDeathOfWrestling, I hope you enjoy these last two. They're very much about the boys just bonding and tying up a few loose ends.
Lost And Found
Dean woke up to the bleep of machinery and a clinical smell that assaulted his nose. His eyes weren't yet open so the unusual sterility sent a bolt of panic through his bones.
He wasn't sure why.
His body was alive with a heady sense of danger and the feeling that he was somehow tied down. He felt helpless and utterly confused by what was happening.
The only thing he knew was that he had to get away.
At the exact same moment that his eyes sprang open, he also jolted up from the bed, rising suddenly like a mummy from a sarcophagus and scaring the two people in the room half to death.
"Whoa – ,"
It was clear to them both within less than a second that Dean had no idea where he was. His dazed and cloudy eyes scanned the room wildly but didn't seem to be able to process what he saw. The unease and panic on his face was heart-wrenching and Seth moved closer with his hands held up,
"Hey, you're alright," he offered across gently, stepping in as if approaching a cornered bear, "It's just us Dean, okay? It's Seth and Roman. You're alright man. I promise, you're safe."
"You're in the hospital," Roman added slowly, not moving a muscle in the chair by the bed. The last thing he wanted was to freak Dean out further and have him make a break for it and pull the equipment out. His heart rate monitor was going off like a fire alarm and every bleep of machinery made them wince.
In response, the blue eyes studied him cautiously before moving towards Seth and going through the same thing. Recognition and understanding dawned slowly but when it did it was both total and utterly relieved.
"Ugh."
Letting out a groan of discontent, Dean dropped his head back, his shoulders sinking deep into the pillow's soft folds. Against the stark white linen of the hospital, his face seemed pale – like he'd seen a damn ghost. His eyes were reddened and his brain was clearly rattled but he was finally back with them and that counted for a lot.
"How you doing?" Roman smiled, "You alright?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
Dean's brow quirked up,
"Do I still got two kidneys?"
"Yeah, you do."
"Both of 'em mine?"
Seth snorted loudly and the patented Ambrose ribaldry broke the apprehension of the earlier mood. After all, if Dean was both awake and kidding them he had to be better, right?
"Both of them are yours Dean, same ones you came with. You really don't remember what happened to you?"
"Remember what?"
Seth shrugged,
"Any of it?"
In reply Dean frowned and thought about it hard. The entire night – or was it day – swirled wildly in front of him, like snapshots from some really weird movie he'd once seen. It was like trying to pick apart the plot of Inception after having watched it drunk.
Not that he did that anymore.
Shifting against the pillows almost absently, he managed to upset his heart monitor cord. Yanking it away from his finger almost violently and then watching in a daze as Roman slid it back on.
"I remember The League were in the apartment and that they sent that Rusev guy after Seth," Dean's head jerked up and he suddenly looked fretful, "Hey, he didn't – ,"
Seth cut him off,
"No, don't worry man. I'm fine."
"We put his ass in jail," Roman grumbled, "All their asses."
Dean nodded back but it wasn't too convincing. It was like watching the pieces of a puzzle fall into place. Or at least it would have been were the puzzle not a big one – five-thousand tiles and most of them sky. Stepping in closer, Seth pushed him gently,
"You remember what happened after that?"
"Do I want to?"
Roman snorted,
"I'd say probably not."
There was a momentary pause as Seth and Roman fell silent, not sure whether their brother would or could cope with anymore. For Dean's part he simply continued to stare off eerily, desperately scanning the recesses of his brain.
His next sentence caught them both by surprise.
"He's dead, right? Barrett?"
Seth nodded,
"Uh huh."
"You shot him?"
"We both did."
Dean blinked again,
"He had somethin' sharp pressed up against my neck – ,"
"Yeah," Roman glowered, clouds gathering at the memory and Dean's sheer helplessness, "He did."
"I kinda remember wakin' up bein' fuckin' dragged somewhere and I definitely remember the red-eyed surgeon guy."
Seth raised a brow at him, uncertain,
"Red-eyed?"
"Hey, those drugs were some pretty heavy shit man, to me it looked like he had red eyes."
"Black is more like it," Roman muttered from the corner and in such protective tones that Dean couldn't help but grin, "Match his god damn black ass heart."
Evidently Roman Reigns wasn't a part of the Del Rio fan club, although the reasons as to why that was were still lost in Dean's mind.
Think.
"I remember Barrett pressin' my head down. Y'know, I never liked that guy."
"None of us did uce."
Without any warning, Dean's eyes abruptly widened and it was instantly apparent that he'd recalled a whole lot more. His mouth snapped up and down like a goldfish for a second and then he blinked across at them in horrified alarm,
"Where they goin' to do the fuckin' surgery on me? While I was awake?"
Seth sighed,
"Got it in one, man."
"Christ."
For a long time Dean could do little but stare at them, processing his brush with an agonizing death. The fear and the nausea and the heat came rushing back to him and he started to drag in big, deep breaths.
It was hideous, it was frightening, it was god damn unreal –
Then Roman palmed his nape and Dean turned towards soft eyes,
"Hey, don't worry, we got you just in time babe."
"How? Where were we?"
Seth snorted,
"Del Rio's place."
"His office?"
"The basement."
"Wow," Dean blinked, he had known that the Mexican surgeon was dangerous, but he hadn't much figured on cocksure as well, "What an arrogant fuckin' asshole the guy is."
"Trust me," Roman offered, "I've given it a lot of thought and arrogant isn't one of the words I've been using. I've got a whole damn bunch of other options and most of them are four letter words."
The statement was such a complicated mix of ire and jesting that Dean couldn't help but let out an amused snort. It quickly escalated up into a chuckle which – for no good fucking reason – turned into a cough. That then led into a spasm of spluttering that wracked Dean's whole body.
Great.
His teammates freaked out.
Almost immediately Roman's hands were pulling him forward and alternately rubbing and banging on his back while Seth rushed over to stand by the doorway, his fingers around the handle,
"You want me to call someone?"
As Dean shook his head and tried to regulate his breathing – while ignoring the oxygen starved and fast forming tears – Roman passed across a tall glass of water and raised it to his lips,
"Here uce, have a drink."
"No," Dean shook his head, "It's all good."
Then in the silence he started laughing for a second time, managing it successfully without any choking and frowning a little, Seth stepped in from the door.
"What? What's funny?"
"I just remembered that damn crocodile farm – ,"
Seth sighed loudly,
"Not that again."
Internally however he was thrilled that Dean recalled it and that he could draw the exact same comparisons he had.
"Like old times, huh?" the copper blonde beamed broadly, before shrugging, "I mean, like, kinda, I guess. Different though and look, what I'm tryin'a say here is thanks for bailin' me out back there."
He seemed a little awkward, which was all the more adorable and Roman reached out and dropped a palm across his leg, waiting until the blue orbs were focused on him and then loading every word with sincerity and intent,
"Uce, you're my best friend and my brother. Both of you damn idiots are. It's the three of us or nothing. I mean, we're a family. Us against the world like always, am I right?"
Dean blinked back at him.
Was he right?
The warmth of the bigger man's hand sank through the blankets and made him feel a million miles away from harm. He felt cushioned and safe. Someone had his back again. Only it wasn't just one person now, it was two.
Dean's eyes flickered up to Seth's pinched expression and the hesitance he saw emblazoned across his face. It was impossible to overstate how crucial things felt for him and Seth needed to hear an answer before it killed him stone dead.
"Dean?"
Come on man, say something, anything.
The wait was unbearable but then Dean grinned suddenly,
"Ah, what the hell? I surrender. Alright."
"Alright?"
"I fuckin' said it already didn't I?"
Seth stared back at him, smiling a little but needing to hear it in actual words,
"Say it man."
"Don't push it Rollins."
Roman chuckled broadly,
"Aw, come on Dean. You need to give the poor guy something. It's like somebody kicked a damn puppy over here."
With a groan of long-suffering, Dean threw his hands up and unleashed a mock tirade that was sweet as fuck to hear. Mostly because for a horrible moment they had thought they would never hear it again, but also because it was all the proof they needed that their teammate was feeling better again.
"Fuck, fine. We're a family. Are you happy now? I mean, a really, really fucked up family but a family all the same. Get outta here with that."
The last part of the sentence had been directed at Seth, who had moved towards Dean with both arms outstretched. Dean had responded with a swipe of his hands, dislodging his heart monitor for the second damn time. As the machine began beeping at the violent interruption, his fingers fumbled to track it back down and they were all busy trying to jam the thing on again when they suddenly became aware of an amused figure in the door.
Stephanie McMahon was leant against the threshold, arms folded across her chest and looking effortlessly cool.
"Gentlemen."
"Oh, look," Dean chirped, "Speakin' of fucked up families. Not brought the Emperor with you this time Steph Vader?"
A grey-twill suited figure strode in from behind her and fixed him with a look that made him gulp,
"Ambrose."
Damn.
His heart rate sped up a little and he flinched,
"Uh, hey Vince."
Behind their erstwhile Mayor, both Roman and Seth grinned and Dean could see their shoulders starting to shake. This was exactly the kind of shit they had been missing. That whole childish, naughty-kids, in-joke shtick. Having it back again felt like Christmas and he bit back his own smile as Stephanie raised a brow,
"We decided to drop by and see how you were doing, but since you seem to be running your mouth, I assume the answer is you're good."
"All the better for havin' two workin' kidneys. For a minute there it was a pretty close run thing."
Their boss' disapproval died away again completely and her typically firm expression actually wobbled in remorse.
"We heard."
Her voice was small and vaguely abashed sounding and as she swallowed her emotions, Vince took the floor. Crossing the space he dropped down onto the mattress and Dean complied by quickly moving his feet,
"How you doing slugger?"
"Y'know, I'm gettin' by – oh and a baseball reference?"
Vince shrugged back at him, kind of half-grinning and with a glint in his eye,
"Well since you don't get golfing handicaps I decided to switch things up. You a baseball man son?"
"Nope. How are you on football terminology?"
Vince let out a sigh – his gaze rolling skywards – and behind him Roman choked back a laugh, turning it into a broken string of coughing that didn't fool anyone.
Seth thumped his back.
"Well," their Mayor offered, smiling pretty falsely but trying to look sincere, "Maybe next time."
The grins of the teammates nearly lit the room up and Stephanie watched them with conflicting thoughts. When she had decided to reunite their unit, these were the type of interactions she had sought, the type of interactions she had missed in their break-up and the type of interactions she had needed in her life.
Historically she had never been a close circle of friends person. With the exception of Hunter, she had been a lone wolf. She had never really needed external validation or – for that matter – moral support. It wasn't her thing. But at the same time she had loved the dynamic of The Shield boys. She had loved their closeness and what they had become. The three men in front of her had been family to one another but her ex-husband had broken that.
Now it was fixed again.
Not that she wanted Dean Ambrose – or any of them – kidnapped and hospitalized, but at the same time, there they were. Laughing and slyly trying to catch each other's eyes in that conspiratorial way that the three of them had always done. Once upon a time it had driven her crazy but honestly, it felt good to see it again. Ambrose had been through hell and then straight back, so she was beyond glad she could finally give something back to him.
It was just a shame she would never admit it.
She couldn't.
She was the Big Bad Boss.
"You'll all be pleased to know," she started in snipped tones that didn't portray a single measure of what she felt, "That thanks to your extraordinary efforts, we have all of The League of Nations behind bars. Sheamus has agreed to testify on our side and as for Barrett, well, he's better off dead."
Her father nodded his agreement firmly,
"That he is and so are we. The city owes the three of you one hell of a debt of gratitude. It's very good for business to have The Shield back."
Dean blinked.
Back?
Was that official now? Unfortunately his thoughts were interrupted by a shadow and the appearance of someone else in the door. It was a heavy set guy with a suit, thick shades and an earpiece – Vince McMahon's security detail,
"Sir?"
In a none-too-subtle gesture, he tapped at his wristwatch and Vince let out a sigh and stood up from the bed, pausing briefly to gather his composure and smooth a few wrinkles out of his twill,
"Ah, excuse me, I keep a tight schedule. Ambrose, son, I'm glad you're alright and Rollins and Reigns, it was a good job well done. I hope to see it repeated many times. Believe in The Shield, eh?"
Well that answered that question.
Clearly the task force was officially unofficial.
Just like old times all over again.
The rest of them remained quiet until the Mayor had left them but the atmosphere had lifted and Dean couldn't help but smile. Once he was certain that their chief was out of earshot, he turned towards Stephanie and broadened his grin,
"Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like him? I can say that to you because you're not actually my boss."
The sentence was as questioning as it was deeply teasing and they all knew what it meant.
I don't want to resign.
"About that," Stephanie offered, deciding to save face for him, "Have you had a chance to reconsider your stance? You know you're an invaluable member of the team here – ,"
"Of course I know."
"Well?" she pressed, ignoring his amusement and feeling her ire growing in turn,
"Well what?" he shrugged back,
"What's your decision?"
"About workin' with these yahoos? Not sure yet."
As he jolted a cheery thumb in their direction, Seth let out a long-suffering groan,
"Come on Dean – ,"
"But on balance, I think I might be persuaded, but we're really gonna have to talk salaries at some point. I mean, I nearly got my kidneys cut out here. We need fuckin' danger money, am I right?"
"You're not getting a raise Ambrose."
"Company car?"
Pushing herself off the wall – arms still folded – Stephanie glanced over at each one of them in turn.
"I'll be in touch when we have another job for you. Try not to get yourself killed in the meantime,"
The final part of the sentence was directed at Dean, who simply stared back with a shit-eating grin. The fact that she had come close – they had all come close – to losing it, struck her suddenly. Luckily Roman stepped in, seemingly sensing her swirling emotions and saving her from having to own up to them,
"Don't worry, we won't let him out of our sight."
It was all the confirmation she needed and with a final nod, she swept from the room. Dean's voice echoed out as she was turning the corner and she smiled despite herself.
Damn him.
"Good luck rebuildin' the Death Star."
His parting shot was greeted with dual chuckles and in the silence, Seth dropped himself down onto the bed. A few days ago – forget that, a few hours – he would never have dared dream invading Dean's space. But a lot had happened in twenty-four hours and he suddenly felt comfortable doing it again. He was rewarded by Dean letting him do it without question and so he blew a teasing breath out and lightly shook his head,
"I can't believe you two never fucked."
"What the – ," Dean barked, in tones of astonishment, "Come on dude, she's like my sister, or my cousin or maybe – y'know – a totally bangin' aunt."
Seth grunted back at him,
"There goes my appetite."
Roman grinned,
"Serves you right," his expression faltered as Dean yawned violently and again he dropped a hand down onto his leg. Weary blue eyes swung back round to meet him and he tempered his voice, "Hey, get some sleep Dean. Come on, you've earned it. Me and Seth will be right here."
The fact that their teammate complied without bitching highlighted to them both how exhausted he was and as Dean rolled onto his side and settled down again, Roman helped out by tucking him in. The sight of him relaxed and contented beneath the covers was like the application of a magical balsam and as Dean let out a sigh of satisfaction, both Roman and Seth unwound a little more.
"Hey," he mumbled gruffly, keeping his eyes shut as Roman moved a comforting hand to his brow,
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here, both of you – y'know that?"
Seth grinned a little in reply,
"Yeah we do."
When Dean spoke again, his voice was hushed with lethargy and deep and slurred and a million things at once. What it also was however, was happy and the knowledge made his brothers smile,
"I'm 'a sleep now."
"Alright."
Within seconds Dean Ambrose was out for the count again and Seth and Roman settled back to wait it out. They both meant what Roman had solemnly promised Stephanie.
Neither one of them was going to let him out of their sight.
So The Shield are back again. You know what this means? Sequel! But not yet, we've got one more chapter yet.