Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Kidnapping, Threats, Non-Con, Murder, Self-Harm, Suicide, etc.

Roman barely realized that he was trembling upon finishing the letter. Yes, he had had his suspicions about what Dean had done, but he'd never considered that everything would spiral out of control so quickly and so totally. It was like he could not trust the ground beneath him to keep him standing. What the hell did he think that he was doing? How did he think Seth would react to his death - after all, there were not many interpretations of "...this is all I have to give you, my final offering. By the time you read this, it will be too late..." But he refused to see that suicide would solve nothing, only make things one-thousand times worse.

"Why?" He didn't realize that he was screaming, and frankly, didn't care. Crumpling the note into a ball in his hand, he threw it at the wall with all of the force he could muster. "Goddamn it! Why would you be such a fucking idiot? Do you really think making a martyr out of yourself will fix anything?"

No, it wouldn't. It wouldn't change the fact that Seth had been kidnapped, held against his will, and raped repeatedly until he believed that he was trash and unworthy of Dean and Roman's love. It wouldn't change the fact that that sick bastard had raped Roman on a city sidewalk in the middle of nowhere, out in public for everyone to see. Dean's death wouldn't change anything - except, maybe, the future. Seth had a real chance at recovery as of right now. The right balance of medication and therapy might be able to bring him back from the brink. But not if they lost Dean. Everyone was so vulnerable right now... his death could end everything.

Throwing caution to the wind, he yanked out his phone and dialed Dean's number. After several seconds, the outgoing message met Roman's ear. "Hey, this is Dean Ambrose. I'm away from the phone, so leave a message and I'll get back to ya. And if this is Seth... I'm sorry. For everything."

There was a beep, and then Roman started in on his message, "You listen here, Dean. This... all of this... it's not right. You can't do this to Seth." He swallowed hard, squeezing his dark brown eyes closed. "You can't do this to us. Listen, as soon as I find out where the hell you are, I'll come get you, okay? Just stay put."

He cut the call there, tossing his phone onto the bed and running a hand over his face. He needed to think. Where it all began? Where it all began? If he was referencing the start of their relationship, then that would cross the border into Canada, as Roman had still been playing professional football when they had first gotten together. But Roman had a feeling that it was much more significant than that. Everything so far had been centered around Seth. Why should this be any different? And if 'where it all began' meant what he thought it did, he was referencing the NXT arena where Seth had first been raped...

Just then, his phone went off. He had half a mind to just let it go to voicemail, but some unknown instinct forced him to answer. "Hello?"

"Is this a Mr. Roman Reigns?" Roman affirmed that statement, holding the phone with his shoulder as he started to shove his feet into a pair of shoes. "I'm calling to let you know that Mr. Rollins just woke up five minutes ago. He's coherent, stable -,"

Here, Roman cut her off. "Can he speak?"

It seemed like such an odd question, considering the fact that no damage had come to Seth's vocal chords. Several seconds passed, seconds that Roman didn't have to waste, before she answered, "Why, yes, he can. He's chatting up a storm, actually. He's wondering why everyone left him."

Roman smiled a little at that. "You can tell him that I'll be in to visit him as soon as I can. Right now, though, I have an emergency I have to take care of." Shifting the phone to the other ear, he continued, "I need you to ask him something. One word. Where. Tell him it's from me, and he'll know what you mean."

She seemed a little hesitant, but did so nonetheless. When she returned, her voice was tight. "He said Orlando. And he wants to know why you want to know."

"Tell him that I'll talk to him about it later. Thank you for your help." And then he ended the call.

Immediately after, he dialed Vince's number. While he was sure that the boss was tired from hearing from him, he knew that he was the one that he needed to turn to. He answered on the third ring, and Roman immediately poured into his story. He pleaded with Vince to find any way to get him a ticket to Orlando, because he needed to help Dean. After finding out that Dean could possibly be preparing to commit suicide, he promised to see what he could do. Ten minutes later, he called back, having gotten Roman a ticket for a flight that night - it would be leaving in twenty-five minutes. Roman couldn't be more thankful.

Roman stormed out the door, stumbling down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. "Please, don't do anything stupid, Dean. Don't do anything stupid... For everyone's sake." And even as he said that, he couldn't help but feel that it was too late.

There was a pause, before Seth's voice came through the outgoing message. "Hey, this is Seth Rollins. I'm not around to answer the phone right now, so leave a message at the beep. I'll get back to you when I get back to you."

Dean forced a small smile. That was just like his baby, to be a sarcastic little smart-ass. "Hey Seth... it's Dean. I really... I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it. I'm gonna leave, honey. It's time for me to move on, and I think it's time for you to do so too.'

"I want you to know that I will always love you. This isn't about falling out of love with you, or not wanting you anymore, or anything that happened regarding the monster. No - this is me realizing that I love you, and in order to truly show you that, I have to let you go.'

"Roman's gonna take good care of you, baby. I have no doubt that you'll be in good hands." Here, Dean squeezed his eyes closed, attempting to hold back the tears, and finished with a meek, "This is the end, Sethie. I love you, so I'm willing to let you go. And if you love me... you'll let me go too."

The phone slipped out of his hand, but he didn't care. Instead, he lifted his bag onto the bench and started to unpack what he had brought with him. A few of the items consisted of a pair of steel handcuffs, a knife, what appeared to be a black silk blindfold, a ball-gag, and a towel. Slowly beginning to undress, his eyes locked with the scattered items. Once he was naked, he grabbed the towel and headed toward one of the shower stalls. He twisted the knob to make the water as hot as it would come, before allowing the scalding liquid to cascade over his body. It felt like his skin was on fire, but right then, he couldn't care less.

Reaching for the gag, he carefully positioned it in his mouth. The heavy symbolism behind this would not be lost on Roman, he was sure of that. When he deemed himself sufficiently wet, he turned off the water and dabbed himself dry with the towel. Then, falling to his knees, he landed with his rib cage stretched over the metal bench in the middle of the room. It was then that he secured the blindfold and, with some difficulty, reached for the handcuffs and cuffed his left wrist to the bench. He could only imagine Seth being forced to submit in the same way, stretched open so totally and completely vulnerable.

That's when he took hold of the knife. Kneeling on the floor, the towel bound around his waist, he looked almost as if he had slipped coming out of the shower. But for Dean, every second, every action, every movement, was symbolic of the torture that Seth had endured at the hands of Ryback all those years ago. The description of the horrific torture had been seared into Dean's brain, and as he relived it now, he could feel that same fear that must've coursed through Seth's veins at the time. Even if he was the only one in the room, he felt an undeniable fear of the unknown. But no need to fear... that would be gone soon enough.

"I thought I told you to go die in a hole!" Seth screamed, lethal malice dripping from his voice. "I don't want you here. Get out!"

There was no hesitation as he made the cut. It was fast and deep, and then the knife fell from his hand, no longer needed. Immediately, blood started to pour from the wound, coating the handcuff in a thick crimson bath. It splashed down onto the tile floor, staining it much like Seth's own blood had when Ryback had ripped him from one of the shower stalls and had had his way with him - only to leave him there to rot. He was moaning behind the gag, but it was near impossible to comprehend what he was saying. While most likely little more than pained ramblings, the occasional muttering of a name, Ryback, could be made out.

Seth smiled ruefully. "And what would they want with me, huh? I'm not exactly a first place trophy, in case you never noticed."

Painful memories of the first days of the letters filled his mind as the blood continued to slowly ooze from the wound. The room had already started to melt away into crystalline colors, and he knew that it wouldn't be long now. The fight in the hotel room between Seth and Roman, followed by his own fight with Seth. Realization about how hurt and confused Seth must have been only strengthened his resolve that all of this had to end... and sooner, rather than later. He slumped against the bench, no longer having the strength to hold himself up.

And as consciousness finally eluded him, he was reminded of words of wisdom he had told Seth at the hospital: "Sometimes, you just have to accept that there was nothing you could do."

"Mr. Rollins?" A man in an expensive looking business suit addressed Seth, who looked at him with tired, swollen brown eyes. "My name is Officer de Blanc, and I'm head investigator in the Ryan Reeves murder case. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Seth blinked once, before stifling a yawn. And then, "I have a feeling that it doesn't really matter whether I say yes or no, huh?" Officer de Blanc offered a small snicker, like he thought Seth was joking. Seth shrugged. "I'm not really all that interested in the case. As long as he can't hurt me, I'm happy. But I'll tell you whatever you need to know."

"Good." Reaching into his suit jacket, he pulled out a picture. "This is the man suspected of murdering Mr. Reeves. Do you know him?"

Seth's eyes slowly widened and his heart stopped, because that was a picture of Dean...