Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Threesome, Alleged Suicide, Self-Harm, BDSM, etc.

Seth couldn't believe it. No, more like he didn't want to believe it. Why would Hunter want to break them apart so badly, especially when they raked in so much money as one of the greatest factions of the 21st Century? The two men were his family. He didn't think that he'd be able to make it through what had happened to him without Dean and Roman. Sure, they'd had their setbacks… but he wanted to think that all of that was behind them. Even this new setback, with Roman taking his little 'leave of absence', would eventually be just a blip on the radar, rapidly fading into the background. They would be able to move on.

Or, at least, that was what he wanted to believe. But his cell phone was like a ball of fire, burning a hole through his pocket. Even if Hunter was hundreds of thousands of miles away, it was like he was standing right behind Seth, walking close behind him as he aimlessly wandered the streets, breathing down his neck and waiting… but waiting for what? He didn't honestly think that he would do this, did he? But if it was such a ludicrous idea, why did it keep circling around in his head? Seth paused, tilting his head back and looking at the crystalline blue sky overhead. Why did something like this have to happen to him right now?

He thought back to Dean, who was simply lying on the couch, indifferent to the world around him. What would happen if he called Hunter back and told him that he'd take him up on that offer? He might never be able to reconcile with Roman, that much was certain. But what about Dean? Would Dean simply continue to lie aimlessly on that couch, and in couches like it in nameless hotel rooms and locker rooms for the indefinite future? These were questions he didn't even really need to be asking. He already knew the answer. Leaving now would destroy all three of them, each in their own way. So why couldn't he get the idea out of his head?

Maybe because, on some deep, unreachable level of his subconscious, he knew that it was time to break. He'd seen the way that this whole situation had made them all come down like dominoes. It couldn't be healthy to be so dependant on one another. At first, it would be bad. In fact, in the beginning, it might make everything that much worse. But he couldn't risk just standing by and letting fate dictate what would happen to them. It might break their hearts, but if it would save their lives… didn't that make all of the difference? If he could do this, maybe there was some part of each of them that could be salvaged from this mess.

Pulling out his phone, he didn't call Hunter, or Dean, or Roman. He dialed a number that he never thought he'd have to use, and was even more surprised when he actually picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Randy." He took a deep breath, knowing that, while he was more than a little nervous, this was something that he absolutely needed to do. "Can we talk? It's kind of an emergency."

Randy, thankfully, didn't ask any questions. "Yeah, sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"Thank you again for meeting with me." Honestly, he was more than a little surprised that Randy had agreed to fly out and meet him like this. "I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

There were fifteen hours left in the twenty-four hour time frame that Hunter had given him, as it had taken Randy a little over nine hours to fly out to Rio. Randy knew very little about the specifics of their meeting - in fact, the only information that he was privvy to was that which Hunter had shared with him. Hunter had expressed to Randy the possibility that another person could be joining the little group under the puppet-strings of the Authority. He didn't know who he was specifically referring to, but he was smart enough to put two-and-two together when Seth had called him earlier. And he knew that they needed to talk.

They put in their food orders, and then, Seth immediately cut to the chase. "I got a call from Hunter, and he wants me to break-up the Shield and join the Authority."

"And you called me for first-hand experience with working under the Authority, to see whether or not it would be the right fit for you." Randy said. Seth nodded - he'd hit the nail right on the head.

There was a pause, and then, "It would be a giant career risk for me, as I see it. I mean, I've seen first hand the carnage that the Authority causes when they don't get their way. I need to know if it's worth the risk."

Randy shrugged. "No risk, no reward."

Seth nodded, having already thought of this. But he needed a little bit more. "What has been your experience with the Authority?"

Leaning back in his chair, Randy sighed. "I've had a mixed association with the Authority, as I'm sure that you know. When you're in good favor with the Authority, the sky is the limit. Well worth the risk."

"Having been out of favor with the Authority for awhile, I totally understand what you mean." The three of them had been forced to vacate their titles, even after they'd been promised to be allowed to keep them until their return.

And then, Randy met Seth's eyes. "But then, when you screw-up, you're close to those in authority to punish you. Sometimes, a little too close." Randy tried to hide a shudder, but couldn't quite do it.

"What do you mean?" Seth asked.

At first, it seemed like Randy didn't want to answer. However, when he did, Seth felt his blood run cold. Randy explained that Hunter ran a tight ship, not unlike an incredibly BDSM-heavy relationship. When you initially agree to join the Authority, it is like entering a sexual relationship with Hunter at the head. When you behave well, follow orders, and succeed in your career - you were rewarded. However, on the other hand, when you act out, disobey orders, and fail at the milestones Hunter sets for your career - you were punished. Here, he paused for a beat. And then, he explained the 'punishment' process.

Apparently, upon first entering the Authority, you were asked about your turn-ons, turn-offs, squicks, and sexual history. Randy explained that this was in case there was a history of past abuse, like in Seth's case. A punishment regiment was then devised from your answers. In Hunter's eyes, punishment wasn't meant to terrify you or turn you into a catatonic mess, but merely to impress upon you that the Authority was always right, and you either adapt and evolve, or you perish. From the way that he shifted uncomfortably as he described this, Seth figured that he'd been on the receiving end of many punishments as of late.

"I wouldn't change working with the Authority. If I wasn't part of the Authority, I probably would have been relocated to mid-card by now. And at this point in my career, I can't take that." Randy said.

Seth looked at him uncertainly, before voicing yet another of his concerns. "I'm worried that, should I tell him 'no', he'll break-up the Shield anyhow and force us all down to mid-card or back to NXT."

Randy didn't make him feel any better when he continued, "That's totally possible, I'm sorry to say."

"I don't want to think about what that would do to Roman and Dean. We're all so fragile now. It's awful, what's happened to us. And I worry that anything I chose to do will break us all apart." Seth confessed.

"Honestly?" Randy started, "I'd be more worried about what he'd do if you turned him down."

"Really?" Seth seemed surprised, as if this idea had not crossed his mind.

"Ever since he married up, he's not used to hearing the word 'no'. None of the McMahons are. If you tell him 'no' now, you could all be sent back to NXT, yes… or you could be fired."

This was an idea that had not crossed Seth's mind. Fired? How would he explain to Dean and Roman that he'd gotten all three of them fired because he turned down the boss's offer? The answer was quite simple. He didn't. Out of this entire conversation, it was truly that last little bit that answered Hunter's simple 'yes' or 'no' question for him. He would join the Authority, so that he could save Dean and Roman's jobs. After all, there had to be a reason why Hunter had contacted him, right? He wanted him, not the others. And Seth refused to give him a reason to take all three of them down together.

"I think that I've made up my mind." Seth said, and Randy could see in his eyes what his answer would be. "Thank you."

Randy didn't comment. He didn't want to think about how he'd just won Seth over to the dark side. The kid had a bright future ahead of him, and it was just a shame that Hunter wanted to corrupt it like this. "When do you get the cast off?" He asked instead.

Seth looked at it warily, before answering, "Three days."

It was almost nighttime when Seth returned to the hotel, and he figured that he would call Hunter and make his arrangements for joining the Authority in the morning. Upon returning to their room, he found Dean on the couch, looking as if he hadn't moved an inch since that morning. However, dirty dishes from room service suggested otherwise. Silently, Seth found himself once again questioning whether this was the correct decision. But then, was becoming a sell-out ever the right thing to do? And, really, wasn't that what he was doing? Selling out on those that he loved, even if it was for their own good?

"Dean?" He asked softly. When Dean didn't turn, he tried again, a little louder this time. "Dean!"

The dirty blond turned to him, messy curls falling in front of his face. He looked tired, and his eyes were swollen and red-rimmed. "What is it, Seth?"

Seth felt his heart plummet into his stomach, and sighed. "Is there anything that I can get you? Water… blankets… the TV remote…" he trailed off, watching and seeing that none of this was sinking in.

"I'm fine." Dean assured softly. "Thanks, though."

"Okay…" he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Dean somehow, by not telling him about what had happened while he was out. But then, Dean wasn't asking about it, so…

And that was when Dean asked, "If Roman doesn't come back," Seth could see that it was hard for him to deal with this possibility, of his former dominant possibly abandoning him. "If Roman doesn't come back… we'll stay together, right?"

"Believe that." Seth smiled softly, but if one looked closely, it was painfully obvious that it was forced. "And believe in Roman." And for the first time that day, Dean smiled too.

It killed him to then go inside their bedroom, take out his suitcase, and begin to pack his things into it. He did it quickly, with the lackluster attention to detail of someone who wants something over and done with as quickly as possible. Maybe, once all of his things were packed away and he didn't have to think about the possibility that this was the last time he'd be sleeping in the same hotel room as Dean, things would get better. Or, better yet, all of this would prove to be one nasty nightmare that he's just having a little bit of trouble waking up from. And yet, at the same time, deep down inside, he knew:

This wasn't a dream, nor was it a nightmare. This was reality, and that was so much worse.