Dean and Seth were waiting for Roman in the parking garage. Dean took a drag of his cigarette lazily. He watched the smoke ribbon from the end, twisting and turning in the air.

"That's such a bad habit," Seth said quietly.

He too seemed mesmerized by the smoky tendrils.

Dean exhaled through his nose, "Not gonna make me quit."

Seth crossed his arms indifferently, watching Dean take another puff, this time blowing perfect smoke rings.

"There are worse things I could do." Dean sang slightly, remembering the song from Grease.

He smiled the kind of unnerving smile that could raise the hairs on the back of your neck if he was in the right mood, "Could be meth or something, ya know?"

Dean cut his eyes at Seth to see his reaction.

"Yeah whatever Rizzo," he mumbled.

Dean laughed, proud of himself for getting something out of him. He flicked the cigarette away when Roman came around the corner.

Something was off. They both instantly knew just by looking at him.

"What happened?" Seth asked.

Roman shook his head, breaking into a smile. They both looked at each other again, hoping the other knew what was going on.

"I'm a fucking idiot." Roman laughed.

He ran his hands over his hair and clasped his hands behind his neck. He looked up at the concrete ceiling of the overhang with a groan.

"Okay, coo, so both of you are crazy now." Seth shrugged.

"I told her I was going to marry Shiloh." Roman moaned looking at them both, "I don't know why I did that. I just said it and I couldn't take it back."

The three of them stood in shocked silence. Roman couldn't contain another laugh as he bent and put his hands on his knees. He was almost hysterically laughing at the absurdity of what he had just divulged to them.

"So now you gotta marry her? How'd Steph take that news?" Dean asked.

"She didn't say no." Roman wheezed.

"At least she's pretty." Seth finally muttered, shaking his head.

They started walking back inside to get ready for their match.

Seth held the door open for them when he was hit with a sudden thought, "Who's going to be your best man?"

"Really? You really just asked him that?" Dean turned to glare at him.

"What? This was his idea." he retorted, looking offended.

Dean squinted sarcastically back at him before clapping Roman on his back, "It doesn't matter. I mean I'm the obvious favorite. You could be the ring bearer or something."

Roman interjected before they really began arguing, "Guys, it's not going to happen. There's no way she's agreeing to anything. We'll be back on our own doing our thing like always. There's not going to be any wedding."


Shiloh sat fixed in her chair across from her sister. To her utter surprise, she had been summoned yet again, only this time with even less information than normal. It couldn't be good news. Stephanie's posture was almost too easy to read these days.

"Something has come up that I need your help with." She began.

Shit. It was important.

Usually, Stephanie took a lighthearted approach at first. Sometimes she would even start with a joke to warm her up for an inevitable agreement. This was all business from the jump, however.

"You were requested personally. Your anonymity is one of your strongest attributes, so obviously I'm not very happy with this curveball." She continued.

Shiloh lowered her line of sight to her tightly clasped hands, "I'm sorry."

There was no tangible reason for her to apologize, she knew what was expected from her, so she did it anyway. She also had to atone for her sins with Roman. There had been zero contact from any of her family for a little over a month after that mishap.

Stephanie let out an aggravated breath, "You will be back with Roman, with several added stipulations might I add.

Shiloh was taken aback, "Not him. Why?"

Stephanie fixed her with a face that dripped with annoyed disdain, "Apparently you made such a wonderful impression on him that he wasn't ready to let you go. The game has changed, so you need to be on top of everything this time and I most certainly do NOT fucking mean that literally."

She nodded meekly, "I don't understand why he's asking for me though. I got the impression he never wanted to see me again actually."

"He thinks he's going to win. He thinks we've shown all of our cards and that it will give him an advantage." she laughed, "He thinks you're going to be his bargaining chip, but he has no idea that I plan on weaponizing you and taking them down from the inside out."

Shiloh blanched, "He's not going to fall for it this time, especially now that he knows it's coming. Dean won't let him either. He's an even bigger obstacle than Roman is."

She expected Stephanie to berate her for second-guessing her plan. She waited for her to yell and tell her to leave to scare her into submission.

When her smile never faltered, a chill ran through her.

"He thinks I'm going to deny his request. He doesn't even know you're here. I'm already three steps ahead of him and he doesn't even know it yet."

Shiloh cleared her throat nervously, "So what am I supposed to do this time? You said there were stipulations?"

"He wants to marry you, and I'm going to let him." Stephanie grinned smugly leaning back in her chair.

Shiloh's jaw went slack. Marriage? Was he fucking high?

"I-I don't want to marry him though," she whispered.

Tears were clouding her vision. It felt like her throat was lined with cotton.

"Do you really think you have any say so in the matter after the stunt you pulled? You will keep your mouth shut until I'm done explaining your role in this little charade, or I'll switch Randy for Roman and never speak to you again." Her threat was laced with venom and perfectly articulated, "Do I make myself clear?"

Twin tears fell down Shiloh's face as she nodded quickly.

The idea of marrying Roman was absurd. The idea of marrying Randy was insufferable.

Stephanie waited for a beat before beginning again, "He's calling my bluff. I plan on seeing this through as far as he allows it. We will do a reveal tonight. He'll get you AND the ball back in his court. He can decide his next move and we go from there. He's not going to marry you, Shi. Why would he?"

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at that dig. Why would he indeed? She was just the mouse in this game of cats.

"He came up with this on the fly, there's no way he'll see it through." Stephanie laughed giddily, "He's not even going to know what to do when he assumes the responsibility for you tonight IF he even does."

Shiloh was crestfallen, to say the least. She had been used all of her life against her will. This was a brand new low for her. Not only would her family be volleying her back and forth, but practical strangers would also be waiting to return the serve.

"You will do as he says. You will be compliant and grateful for even the smallest thing he does for you. He won't believe you at first, but you will wear him down. I want this to be excruciating for him." Stephanie continued inspecting her cuticles.

Her devious mind was in overdrive right now.

"He doesn't deserve this. I know you could come up with something even better, something that doesn't involve me this time." Shiloh sniffed, daring to look up at her sister.

"Of course, I could. I have that in the works as well. The cherry on top, if you will." She smiled again seeing Shiloh's confusion, "This is the nightmare he created for himself. It's just too good to pass up."

The abysmally dim light at the end of the tunnel was officially extinguished.

"You also don't have to do anything you don't want to. I want to make that perfectly clear. You had better refrain and keep yourself and your morals composed this time. If he or any of the others try anything with you, I expect you to tell me immediately. I will not allow you to be taken advantage of like that."

Stephanie was adamant about protecting her sister's virtue. The last time was too close of a call for her. Stephanie had been placed in those types of situations growing up one too many times. She and her sister were on the same road but had always taken different paths. No one had protected Stephanie as she did for Shiloh. When she assumed her father's role and took Shiloh under her wing she swore to never let her see the sinister side of the world as she had. Shiloh of course didn't realize her intentions and why she was so fiercely protective of her in that aspect. It was definitely a trigger that she hadn't realized she had her finger on at that moment.

"I want you to have your things packed and ready, mainly for show. Wear something enticing and be ready at eight tonight." Stephanie concluded their meeting.

Shiloh rose from her seat. She was shell-shocked, to her core. Never in a million years would she have guessed she would be offered up in marriage. She made her way through the hall not really focusing on anything. She was consumed with the plot that had been laid before her. Stephanie did seem pretty confident that Roman would back out of the plan completely. Maybe it was a good thing after all that he was repulsed by her now. Maybe she could save him from any more heartache after all.

Before she knew what happened, a hand shot out and grasped her chin and neck in an eagle-like claw. She was whipped around into a dark hallway and pressed hard into the wall. A strangled whimper escaped her lips as she tried to make out features in the dark room. When her eyes adjusted she looked into Randy's furious face. He didn't say anything. He studied her visage that he still had in his hands. His eyes terrified her. He was livid, the bright blue clouded with his long abated anger. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him this bad.

"Daisy, Daisy, Daisy." his voice betrayed his eyes.

It was soft, almost comforting, a direct conflict of the ire that resided in his gaze.

"I know you know why you're here." His finger gently rubbed over her full lips, mushing them back and forth, "I'm on your side. You're not marrying him."

He paused to laugh, "He has no idea all of the ways I'm going to make him suffer for causing you all of this distress."

"Randy..."

"Shhh...shhh...shhh. I've already made up my mind baby. He's going to pay dearly. This is non-negotiable." Every word was drawn out for emphasis.

He brought his other hand up to cup her face. He brought his lips to her forehead pressing them to her skin, "You know I'd do anything for you."

He dropped a chaste kiss lower to the tip of her nose, "Everything I do is to protect you."

He moved lower to kiss her mouth, but she turned her head sharply to avoid his lips.

He clenched his jaw fiercely, his large hand grabbing her chin and snapping her head back to face him.

"Even now you deny me! But you let him kiss you everywhere?" His breath was coming in short blasts, "Why Shiloh?"

Her jaw was aching from his tight grasp, "You scare me, Randy."

"It's only to keep you safe. You get complacent when you're comfortable. You had to have learned that by now." he murmured lowering his lips to hers.

She stayed completely still, too scared to pull away from him again. She pinched her eyes shut when she heard a low groan rumbled in his throat. She felt his tongue slide softly along the tight line of her lips and then retreat.

He pulled away to look at her with a frown, "Our first kiss shouldn't have been like that."

She swallowed the bile rising in her esophagus, "I-I'm sorry."

There she went apologizing again for no reason. His bottom lip poked out in a slight pout.

"The next time will be better, don't worry little Daisy." he groaned again tilting his pelvis into her abdomen, "You see what you do to me? You really don't understand the power you have over me."

She closed her eyes again, her heart was racing. He had never gotten this intimate in all of the years they had been having these little run-ins together.

"I'll be there with you tonight. You won't have anything to worry about." he assured her, pressing a final kiss to her lips, "All I'm asking is for you to trust that everything I do is with your best interest in mind. Can you do that for me, Daisy?"

She nodded her head slowly. In her mind, she was screaming 'No' as loud as she could.

He smirked oblivious to her lie, "I promise I'll protect you from him. Don't worry about a thing."

With that, he left her just as quickly as he had appeared. She closed her eyes feeling her anxiety creeping up. She thought of Roman and how easily he'd gotten her to calm down. She thought of the ink flowing perfectly along with the muscles in his arm. She inhaled deeply through her nose, recalling the scent of his cologne. She could almost smell the notes of citrus and amber mixed with the smokey hints of some type of wood. The steady beat of his heart made hers fall into cadence. Once she was settled she opened her eyes.

She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth to dispel any remnants of Randy off her. She set off with a renewed determination. She didn't need them. She didn't need any of them. She would figure out a way to save herself. She'd let them think that she was as docile as she always was and let them turn on each other. She would look out for herself, because as many times as she had heard them promise and assure her that they only wanted the best for her, she had yet to see it from them.

She'd play their game, but she was determined to tip the scales in her favor this time.