That Crazy Writer, Ley!

            “Do you want me to stay with you for a bit?” he asked quietly. “Maybe I can help you relax a little so you can sleep.”

            My heart skipped a beat before taking off in a gallop. I heard it thumping in my ears and pressing hard against my ribs. It was almost panic, but not entirely. Something just on the edge of it.

            “Okay.”

***

            Bryan nodded, even though he was pretty sure she couldn’t see it. He took a deep breath and toed off his shoes before walking around the bed and sitting against the headboard behind her. There was a short distance between them. He reached out to brush his fingertips on the back of her shoulder.

            “Roll over onto your back,” he said softly. “And put that pillow behind your head.”

            He listened to the sound of the sheets rustling as Morgan rolled onto her back. Her shoulder brushed against his knee as she settled down. She lifted her hair up from beneath her head, draping it over the pillow above her.

            “Good girl,” he murmured before reaching out to brush his fingertips along her forehead. “Close your eyes. Put your hands on your stomach, one on top of the other.”

            She did as he told her to. His thumb traced over her brow soothingly. He felt her expression relax just as she let out a soft breath.

            “I want you to focus on the feeling of my hand on your forehead. Nothing else. Don’t think about anything else but the feeling.” Bryan watched her for a moment, giving her time to sink into the start of something calm. “Good. Now just breathe. In and out slowly. Don’t force it, just breathe and focus on my hand.”

            He gently stroked his thumb across her forehead, timing his movements with the cadence of her breathing. He stayed as still as possible otherwise. If he could just help her stop thinking for a few minutes so she could sleep, he’d be happy. She deserved some peaceful rest after everything.

            It took ten minutes for Morgan’s body to sink into the mattress. Bryan knew the moment that her muscles let go and relaxed. Her breathing grew deeper, slower. Yet he kept his thumb brushing gently along her forehead. He rationalized that she might wake up if he didn’t.

***

            Anna sat against the arm of the sofa with her eyes fixed on the door leading into Morgan’s bedroom. She clutched a pillow to her chest as she thought about what was going to happen when they had to go back to their lives. Morgan wouldn’t go home with her. No. She’d get on a flight to Houston and walk right back into the horrors that Sammy would bestow on her.

            “I wish I could get her to stay away,” she said softly. “I don’t know what it going to take to make her leave him. For good.”

            Moxley grunted. “Bry and I will give it a try, talking to her. We can be very persuasive.”

            “She won’t listen to me. What makes you think she’s going to listen to you two?”

            He grinned at Anna, stretching one arm out on the back of the sofa. “You don’t know the two of us very well, cupcake. I know for a fact that Bryan isn’t going to just step back and let her walk right back into everything with Guevara. He will drag her back to Aberdeen if that’s what it takes.”

            Anna felt a small smile curve her lips. Something burned in the bit of her stomach, but she couldn’t explain it. It was somewhere between hope and a deeply sad desperation. “Why are you guys doing this?”

            Moxley looked for a moment like he didn’t know what to say. “It’s fucking crazy, isn’t it?” He chuckled nervously. “Honestly, I don’t know what it is. Not at the heart of it. But I know that there’s nothing that’s going to get in our way of keeping her safe from him. You, too, just so you know.”

            “He’s good with her,” she replied quietly, surprisedly. “I don’t think anyone has ever been like that to her. That sort of firm gentleness if that makes any sense.”

            “Perfect sense, cupcake,” Moxley said, reaching out to pat Anna’s knee. “Don’t worry. You’re not alone in this anymore.”

            Anna sighed. “I don’t know how to help her, Mox. I’ve never known how to help her.”

            Moxley gestured her toward him. He draped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a firm squeeze before dropping a brotherly kiss on the top of her head. “You’ve never given up on her. That’s more help than you know, Jay.”

***

            Bryan sat back against the headboard; his focus turned on Morgan. He’d barely looked away from her since she’d settled into sleep beside him. His chest tightened as he watched her chest rise and fall with each slow, smooth breath. It was a moment of peace for her, and he gently swept his fingers along her hair, brushing it back from her face.

            “I don’t know what he did to you, but I swear… Sammy Guevara won’t ever lay a hand on you again, Morgan. It’ll happen over my dead body.”

            He’d no more than said the words when Morgan twitched violently. Her brow furrowed, and her face scrunched in something like pain. She clutched at the sheets draped over her, twisting them in her fingers. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream just before she wailed. It was a sound of intense pain. Of fear and terror. Of agony.

            Bryan moved faster than he could think. He ripped the sheets away from her before snatching her up against him. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against his chest. He held her firmly, tightly, but gently.

            “Morgan,” he said calmly, his lips against her ear. “You can hear me. You are safe. I’ve got you. You’re safe. It’s Bryan. I’ve got you.”

            She thrashed against his hold, throwing her head back hard enough that she would have broken his nose if he hadn’t moved. Her legs kicked. Her hands clawed at his forearms, nails digging in hard enough to draw blood. Bryan did little more than flinch as she tore into his flesh. His head vibrated with the wails and screams that tore from her throat.

            “Shh. Shh,” he soothed. His voice was calm but solid. Commanding. “Hush. Stop fighting. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

            Bryan didn’t look up when he heard the commotion at the doorway. He knew that Morgan’s screams would have brought Anna and Moxley running. The two of them stumbled into the room, one after the other. Anna took two steps toward the bed before Moxley reached out and stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

            “Let me fucking go!” she shouted at him, yanking hard.

            Morgan screamed again, legs thrashing and kicking. Bryan’s arms hugged her against his chest as he held her legs down with his ankles on top of hers. He rested his chin on her shoulder, keeping his mouth next to her ear.

            “You can hear me, Morgan. You can hear me.” His words came out almost stern, but with a soft edge to them. He closed his eyes and tucked his face against her neck. “You’re safe, bunny. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ve got you.”

            Her body shuddered, giving one last whining thrash before she sank back against Bryan’s chest. He breathed deeply, rocking her side to side gently.

***

            It felt like I couldn’t get away. Every step took enormous effort. Pain lanced through my limbs. My flesh seemed to flay off my bones. Terror ran like venom through my veins, keeping me locked into this continuing spiral of torture that dragged me further and further down. I couldn’t breathe. My throat closed until I could only choke, desperate for air. The screams died against my vocal cords.

            I was alone. Totally and completely alone.

            You can hear me, Morgan.

            The words echoed through me, shuddering along my bones. They were somewhere so far away. Barely there. Almost lost in the haze of pain that continued to rocket through every cell of my body.

            You can hear me.

            I felt myself turn in circles, searching. Hoping to find the source of those words. I knew them. They were so close, like a name dancing just at the front of my mind but a breath out of reach. I ran, trying to find them. The ground rolled beneath my feet, tripping me and dragging me into something like quicksand. Every step bogged me further and further down.

            I’ve got you.

            A deep, heavy scream ripped through my chest. It sent blood pouring from my lips as my throat ripped open. Every muscle in my body tensed, tightening until it felt as if my bones would shatter from the force. It was an agony that would never end. My own personal hell that would hold me, enfold me in its arms until it had crushed me completely.

            You’re safe, bunny.

            As suddenly as the pain began, it vanished. It rushed away and left nothing but a numb, aching hollowness behind. What had been tears of terror and agony fell into wailing sobs of emptiness.

***

            Moxley stood behind Anna, watching from the door as Bryan restrained Morgan against his chest. Even across the distance, he could tell that his hold on her was firm but gentle. He held her and spoke calmly against her cheek.

            “Just given him a second,” Moxley said lowly. Anna tried to yank her arm away from his hold on her wrist, but he held on with just enough strength to keep her from getting any further.

            “Look at her,” she hissed back at him. For a moment, she was overcome with the urge to slap him just to get him to let go. “She’s in pain.”

            He sighed and tugged Anna back toward him. “Just… be patient. Give him a chance.”

            Moxley sucked in a deep breath as he watched Morgan slowly stop thrashing in terror. His heart raced in his chest as he saw Bryan’s hold loosen. Fingers gently slipped around her wrists, crossing her arms over her chest gently. Bryan’s chin dropped onto her shoulder, and his voice dipped too low for them to hear.

            “See,” Moxley said softly after a few moments. “I told you.”

***

            Bryan sighed in relief as he tilted his face into the curve of Morgan’s neck. Her skin carried a deep warmth and a faint scent of salt from her nightmare-conjured sweat. He closed his eyes and made himself take one slow breath after another as he counted her heartbeats beneath the pads of his fingers. She trembled against his chest, faint sobs ripping from her lungs as tears ran hot down her cheeks.

            “It’s okay,” he whispered against her ear. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

            He set his chin against the curve of her shoulder, fighting the urge to press a kiss against the soft sweep of her throat. A heavy sense of relief rushed through him as he felt her breathing slow.

            “What?” Morgan’s voice was small, almost broken. It was thick with the tears that still raced down her cheeks. “What’re you doing?”

            The sound of her voice was sweet against his ears. He tried to wipe the memory of her thrashing in deep and wounding pain in her sleep. Bryan gave himself just a moment more before he carefully let go of her wrists. He let his fingertips skim up her forearms before setting his palms against the bed beside him.

            “I came to sit with you,” he murmured, “and you started having a nightmare. You were thrashing and… I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

***

            I looked from Bryan toward Anna and Moxley standing in the doorway. My friend nodded in confirmation of his words. Something warm settled deep against my spine as I turned my attention back to the man holding me between his legs, my back pressed against his chest. If I closed my eyes and focused, I almost thought that I could feel his heartbeat somewhere near by shoulder blade.

            “I…” The words were caught in my throat. I couldn’t make my brain function. My tongue was stuck against the roof of my mouth. “I…Bry…”

            “Shh, it’s okay, Morgan,” he said, his mouth right next to my ear. His voice was that low and steady tone that calmed the rush of adrenaline through my veins. “There’s nothing to feel guilty or embarrassed about. Do you understand?”

            My head nodded of its own accord. Tears burned against my eyelids. Before… with Sammy… I shuddered, my entire body trembling with something between fear and shame. Bryan’s fingertips brushed against my wrist, and I jerked. Muscle memory dragged my body in tightly, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I moved to press my face against my knees.

            Bryan’s fingers ghosted up my arm until they cupped against my chin, stopping me from hiding. He gently turned my head until I was looking into his crisp blue eyes. “You’re safe, Morgan. You are safe with me. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re safe. Tell me you understand.”

            I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. The tears swelled, slipping down my cheeks. The intensity of it took my breath, shoving the air out of my lungs. It punched through my chest as if it would rip me into pieces.

            The fingers settled against my chin tightened just a bit. His voice came low and steady. “You. Are. Safe. And it’s okay to feel the way you are.” Bryan’s thumb stroked gently over my jaw. “There’s nothing wrong with you. And I’m not upset or disappointed with you. If you want me to give you space, I’ll move. I’ll leave the room. If you want to be alone, we’ll let you be alone. I promise you… Mox, Anna, and I are going to take care of you. Tell me you understand, Morgan.”

            I licked my lips, trying to force my tongue to form words. Bryan was a blur through the tears that still poured down my face. I ached. And I wanted so badly to believe that I could be safe. That I could rely on Bryan Danielson and his promises.

            “Please,” he said softly, almost to himself. His next words were stronger, clearer. “Tell me you understand.”

            “I…” My voice broke in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, cleared my throat, and tried again. “I-I understand, Bryan.”

            Bryan’s finger and thumb squeezed my chin gently. “Good girl,” he praised, a faint smile on his lips. “Good girl.”

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            He kept looking over his shoulder at Morgan, afraid something would happen the moment he took his eyes off her. “Do you have Tylenol?” he asked Anna in a hushed whisper as he stepped into the nearby bathroom and picked up a glass from the sink. He filled it with cold water, trying his best to be as quiet as possible.

            “Order some food, Mox. Get something bland for Morgan. Chicken soup or bread. Plain rice. Something that’ll go down easy,” Bryan instructed as he passed by, holding out his hand for the tablets from Anna. “And do it in the other room so you don’t disturb her.”

***

            Moxley watched Bryan cross back over to the sofa where Morgan rested. The other man sank slowly onto the edge of the cushion, sitting the glass of water on the side table. His back was straight, shoulders squared. This was take charge Bryan. Manage a situation Bryan. Even if there was something soft in the way he looked at her.

            He could hear Bryan’s voice murmuring, soft and firm as he lifted Morgan’s head and helped her take the medication. He gave her a few sips of water then tilted her head back to make it easier to swallow them. Once Bryan was satisfied, he settled Morgan once again and sank down onto the floor beside her head.

            “Huh,” Moxley said under his breath. He watched his friend for a moment more before reaching for Anna Jay’s hand and pulling her through the door into the bedroom. A second glance let him know Bryan hadn’t moved.

            “What?” Anna said, her brow lifting.

            Moxley shook his head. “Nothing. So, what does she like to eat? Orders are something basic.”

            She shrugged. “I guess Panera.”

            Anna stayed at his side while he put in the order on the app. She watched him carefully, making sure he picked all the right things. After the order was in, Moxley sank down on the end of the bed and ran his hand over his face. He sighed from deep within his chest.

            “Anna,” he said after a moment of silence, “what happened with Guevara? Seriously.”

            “It’s not my story to tell,” she said. “But it’s enough to say that he tried to break her. There was a long time that I thought he had. And when I say he almost killed her, I mean it. He literally almost killed her. She was in the hospital for God knows how long. She had so many surgeries… she doesn’t even really look like herself anymore.”

            “I don’t think I want to know,” Moxley replied with a groan.

            “No, no you don’t.”

***

            I felt my eyes get heavy as every ounce of my energy poured from my veins. I shivered. Everything hurt. A hand slipped tenderly into my hair, lifting my head while another held a glass to my lips.

            “Drink,” came a stern but gentle voice. “Not too fast.”

            My hand came up, fingers closing loosely around the cool glass. The fingers beneath mine were warm and a little rough. But they were gentle as they tipped the water against my lips.

            “Good girl,” the voice soothed. “A little more.”

            I took a few more sips before the water disappeared. The careful hand in my hair guided me back onto the soft cushion beneath my head. I took a few breaths and tried to figure out where I was. Not knowing made a sliver of panic settle against my spine.

            “It’s Bryan,” the voice came again. “It’s Bryan. Take a deep breath… good girl… again… good… one more… very good.”

            The calmness of Bryan’s voice settled into my bones. I took one more steadying breath and opened my eyes just a bit. “Thank you, Ma—” He gave me a stern look, and I stopped. “Bryan.”

            He smiled behind his beard. His thumb reached out and stroked gently against my cheekbone. “Good girl, bunny,” he whispered. “It’s just me. Bryan. The only thing you call me is Bryan, okay? Tell me you understand.”

            I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into his touch. “Just Bryan.”

            He opened his hand, setting his palm against my face. “You’re never to call anyone ‘master’ again. Tell me you understand.”

            I opened my mouth to argue, knowing that it wouldn’t be that easy. But the crisp look in his blue eyes stopped me. Part of me felt a thrill run through my chest at the idea of being my own again. Of not having to… I didn’t want to think about it. “I understand.”

            Bryan’s lips turned up into a gentle smile. The rough pad of his thumb brushed along my cheek in slow, soothing strokes. Back and forth. “Whatever’s happened before, you’re safe with us, Morgan. Mox and I won’t let anything happen to you or Anna.”

            Something slipped behind my ribs. It felt like my heart stuttered, skipping every other beat. Like it had forgotten how to work.

            “Stay,” I said quietly, looking down to focus my attention on the pattern on the fabric of the sofa. “Please?”

***

            Moxley stood at the door looking out into the little living room of the suite. Bryan was still there beside Morgan, sitting on the floor beside her head with his hand cradling her cheek. His knees were drawn up, ankles crossed as he watched her. His shoulders were still squared and solid as if he were about to take on the weight of the world.

            Stay. Please. The words were so quiet, but they hit Moxley like a freight train. All the air rushed out of his lungs. His nails dug into his palms as he clenched his fists. Morgan sounded so… small. So afraid.

            A fierceness rushed through him, setting fire to the base of his spine. He was overwhelmed with an urge to fight the world for her. No one deserved what happened to her—whatever it had been—and he would burn the world to ashes to protect her now. Moxley didn’t stop to understand or try to explain it. All he knew was that Morgan Knox would never be around Sammy Guevara again.

            “Food’s on the way,” he said softly. He was careful to keep his voice even and calm. She was already messed up enough, and he wasn’t about to make it any worse. “You can eat and rest.”

            Morgan’s eyes flicked toward him. There was exhaustion and a deep sense of what he could only describe as loss in her dark eyes. He grinned in the hopes that it would lighten her mood. “I promise the two of us won’t throw too big of a party. Mitch won’t be invited.”

            Warmth surged through his veins when he saw the small smile on her face. It wasn’t much, but he’d take it.

            “Anna, you want to help our girl here get cleaned up and changed? Bry and I will stay out of the way. You know, like gentlemen.”

            Morgan looked away from him, and he would have sworn that there was a faint pink across her cheeks.

            Bryan tucked hair behind her ear and tilted his head. “Mox and I are going to go down to the car and get our bags. You’re going to go with Anna. When you get finished, Mox and I will be here waiting for you.”

            Moxley choked on his breath. He’d never heard Bryan use that voice, that tone, with anyone. Morgan’s eyes settled on Bryan’s, something faint and soft in her eyes.

            “Tell me you understand,” Bryan said evenly but gently.

            She nodded, leaning into his touch. “I understand.”

            “Good girl.”

***

            Anna stood by the bathroom door while Bryan helped Morgan up from the sofa. He was gentle with her in a way that she didn’t expect. He held one of her hands while he wrapped his other arm around her waist as he helped her walk slowly across the room. When she stumbled or swayed, he stopped and whispered to her gently.

            After a few more steps, Bryan slipped one arm behind her back and leaned down to curl the other behind her knees. He lifted her from her feet and walked slowly toward Anna, who stepped aside to allow Bryan to carry Morgan into the bathroom. He sat her gently on the lid of the toilet and brushed her hair back from her face.

            “We’ll be right back. Nothing will happen to you or Anna, okay?” He crouched so he could look into her eyes. “Do you understand?”

            Anna watched Morgan’s eyes flutter shut for a moment before she nodded. “I understand.”

            He leaned forward, almost as if he were going to touch her again, but he pulled himself back. As he stood up, he turned toward Anna.

            “We won’t be fifteen feet from the hotel,” he promised quietly. “Keep the door locked and call one of us if anything happens. We’ll give you twenty or thirty minutes alone.”

            Anna nodded, lowering her voice. “What are you going to do? Stand guard at the door?”

            Her stomach flipped in surprise when he gave her a brief and firm nod. “Until I can literally watch over her, I’ll make sure nobody comes in that goddamn door.”

            Bryan reached out and touched her shoulder gently before stepping around her and disappearing out of the room. A moment later, the door of the hotel room shut firmly.

            Taking a deep breath, Anna turned back to where you sat on the lid of the toilet. “C’mon, sweetie. Let’s get you out of those clothes and into a bath. You’ll feel better after.”

            “Okay,” Morgan replied quietly, her voice small and timid.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she tugged her clothes off while Anna ran a bath. The water was warm enough to help Morgan relax just a little bit. Without shame or awkwardness, Anna helped Morgan stand and settle into the bathtub. She helped her friend to dip her head back into the water so she could wash Morgan’s hair.

            “Are they coming back?” Morgan asked quietly, not looking at her best friend.

            Anna could read the sadness and fear that ran in a current beneath Morgan’s question.

            “Yeah,” Anna replied soothingly as she tilted Morgan’s head back to rinse the shampoo from her hair. “They’re just outside the hotel. Then they’ll be just outside the door until you’re ready for them to come back inside.”

            Morgan nodded gently. “Sammy…”

            Anna shook her head firmly. “We’re not going to talk about him. Or even think about him right now. Mox and Bryan are here to protect you. They won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.”

            “I’m scared.” Morgan’s voice was so quiet, so full of an exhausted sort of terror.

            “I know. But I trust them.’

            Silence settled in the room for a moment. Morgan drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Me too.”

***

            I felt surprisingly normal after Anna helped me get dressed and dry my hair. She sat behind me on the sofa and gently braided my hair. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been able to sit alone with Anna. Sammy had kept us apart for so long that it was almost as if we’d forgotten how to be friends without him watching over our shoulders.

            The knock on the door made me jump, sending adrenaline rushing through my veins. My body curled in on itself, knees pulled up to my chin and my arms tight around them. I hid my face to hide the tears already threatening to spill out. He was on the other side of the door. I just knew it. It didn’t matter what Bryan and Moxley had promised. Sammy had found me.

            Anna wrapped her arm around my shoulders as her phone rang. She leaned over to grab it, keeping one of her hands on my back. Her body relaxed beside me as she turned her phone screen toward me. Bryan’s name flashed with each ring.

            She answered, putting it on speaker. “Where are you guys?”

            Bryan’s reply echoed through the room. “Right outside with food. I’m going to knock on the door.”

            A jolt of fear ran down my spine as the sound of knuckles against metal filled the space. It reverberated through the speaker of Anna’s phone.

            “I’ll be right there,” she replied before hanging up. She leaned over to kiss the side of my head before getting up to cross the room. I watched her hand clench around her phone as she looked through the peephole before swinging the door open.

            Everything drained out of me when I saw Bryan and Moxley step inside. Moxley pulled two rolling suitcases behind him even as he balanced another two backpacks on his shoulders. Bryan held up a carrier of drinks and a bag of food. I felt my heart settle just a little.

            “Relax,” Bryan said, a gentle firmness in his voice. “Put your feet on the floor and take a few deep breaths, Morgan.”

            A strange sort of peace began to leach through me. Nodding, I did as he asked. He watched me with a faint smile as I stretched my body out, settling my feet flat on the floor and drinking in one slow lungful of air after another. His smile got wider, and something flashed in his eyes.

            When he was satisfied that I’d relaxed, he carried over a drink and a small bowl. Instead of sitting next to me, he sank onto the floor beside my feet and placed the drink beside him. His fingers gently pried the lid from the bowl and handed it to me. The scent of chicken broth wafted up just as my stomach growled. Bryan chuckled softly. I was surprised I was even hungry after how messed up my stomach had been all day.

            “It’s warm,” Bryan said as he handed it up to me. A spoon followed a few seconds later. “Take it slow.”

            He waited a beat, holding the spoon just out of my reach. His brows lifted. I took another deep breath and nodded. “I understand.”

            “Good girl.”

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            “I don’t think she said that she liked you,” Anna tossed out.

            He laughed and the sound echoed through the car. I winced and reached up to put my hand over my ear. Bryan’s body shifted as he leaned forward, his words too low for me to make them out. When he settled back in the seat, I reached for his arm and drew it around my shoulders. The noise of Moxley’s laughter, the murmur of the radio, and the rocking of the car was starting to make my stomach turn.

            Bryan’s fingers brushed against my cheek, tucking hair behind my ear. “Just take deep breaths,” he soothed. His other hand stroked gently up and down my arm. “Close your eyes, plant your feet, and take deep breaths.”

***

            There you go, Bry, Moxley thought as he watched Bryan and Morgan in the rearview mirror. His friend felt horrible for what had happened, for letting Morgan go out to wrestle that night knowing that she wasn’t okay. It didn’t matter how many times Moxley had told him that it wasn’t his problem. As stubborn as Bryan was, he’d just keep beating himself up over it.

            He reached over and tapped Anna Jay on the knee to get her attention. He jerked his finger toward the backseat. He grinned as his companion pulled down the vanity mirror to catch a glimpse. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that Anna was as fierce a protector as anyone he’d ever seen, and after seeing how Sammy treated Morgan, he was glad for it.

            “I’ve never hated someone like I hate Sammy,” Anna had told him as they walked out to the car. Moxley had looked around to get a read on where the little dipshit had parked himself to spy on the doors of the hospital. “He’s almost killed her, Mox. More than once.”

            Jon Moxley wouldn’t ever be described as a gentle man. Or one who could hold his temper for long. The moment Anna Jay had mentioned the lengths that Sammy Guevara’s abuse had gone, it had been almost more than he could do to keep his feet moving toward the SUV. Rage boiled in his guts as he thought about the things he’d do to protect Morgan from that asshole.

            But he knew that no matter how much he wanted to protect the girl sitting in the backseat, Bryan already wanted it infinitely more. He split his attention between the road and his friend, watching as the gentle side of Bryan began to peek out. Very few ever got to see it. Most people knew him as they guy who threatened to kick your fucking head in. And then actually did it.

            “I’ll kill him if…” Anna growled in Moxley’s direction. She’d seen her friend go through enough hurt for ten lifetimes.

            “If I don’t get to him first, cupcake.” It felt strange to be threatening one of his oldest friends, but he couldn’t help the overwhelming surge of protectiveness that rose in his chest when he looked at Morgan Knox.

***

            Once we got to the hotel, it felt like the world started to fall out from beneath my feet. Just stepping out of the car and into the underground lot made my head spin. Vertigo washed through me just as my stomach clenched, bile rising in my throat. There was nothing left to vomit. Everything I’d eaten for the past day had ended up in that plastic bag now dripping in the garbage can on the far end of the lot. Now, it was just dry heaving that made pain lance up the back of my skull.

            Bryan hadn’t complained that I’d thrown up on his sleeve when the nausea first roiled through me. He’d held my hair back with one hand while helping me hold the bag open with the other. When it was clear that I’d finally emptied my stomach, he’d simply tied off the bag and put it on the plastic floormat. Then he’d stripped off his plaid overshirt and used it to wipe the vomit, drool, and tears from my face.

            “Thank you,” I whispered as I felt his hand come up to settle in the middle of my back. He held the other out in front of me as if he were ready to catch me when I stumbled.

            “It’s okay,” he replied softly. His palm was warm against my back as he walked slowly beside me, guiding me through to the lobby. “You’re doing great. Slow and steady.”

            Anna walked up to the counter to check in while Moxley walked straight over to the elevator, punching the up button with his thumb. He leaned against the wall as he watched me shuffle forward as fast as I could.

            “Take your time, princess,” he called, one corner of his mouth curling up in a grin. “We got all day.”

            I sucked in a breath and tried to move faster, but Bryan took hold of my hand to stop me. “He’s messing with you, Morgan,” Bryan soothed, a smile in his voice. “He’s a sarcastic asshole sometimes. You’ll get used to it. After a while. A long while.”

            Without warning, a laugh bubbled out of me. It might have made my ears ring and my head throb, but it was a sort of laughter that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d made the sound. Bryan let out a chuckle in response, fingers squeezing against mine almost reflexively. He grinned as we got within a few feet of Moxley.

             A wave of vertigo crashed into me, and my feet stumbled, tripping over each other. In less than a single breath, Bryan had slipped his arms around my waist to hold me up. “Steady,” he said softly. He let out a sigh and moved smoothly as he tucked one arm around my back and another beneath my knees. He lifted me from my feet. I let out a yelp of surprise and clutched the collar of his shirt in my fists.

            “It’s okay,” he soothed. “I’ve got you.”

***

            Bryan forced himself to breathe slowly to control the racing of his heart. He was sure that Morgan could feel his pulse beating against her fingers. She’d grabbed hold of his collar the moment he’d lifted her up into his arms, knuckles white as she gripped the fabric so hard that he felt like she might choke him. Truth was, he didn’t care. He knew that in that moment—at least—she was safe. And that was all that mattered to him.

            He shared a look with Moxley, who was clearly trying not to grin as he stepped aside to let them into the elevator. By the time he’d settled with his back against the wall and his arms firmly around Morgan, Anna had jogged across the lobby and slipped in just before the doors clinked shut.

            “How you doin’, princess?” Moxley asked as he propped his shoulder against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. The bags sat at his feet.

            “Gonna be sick,” Morgan mumbled against Bryan’s shoulder. “My head is splitting open.”

            Moxley pulled a face that made Anna giggle. “Bry’s going to need a whole new wardrobe when you’re done with him.”

            Bryan huffed and pulled her just a little bit higher against his chest. The urge to kiss her hair suddenly rose up in him, and he had to fight hard to stop himself. Her head settled against the curve of his neck as she breathed slowly and deeply. He realized that his thumb was stroking gently against the outside of her knee. Maybe he thought it would soothe her. Or at least distract her from the nausea. Or—more likely—it settled his own nerves about what was going to happen once she had to go home.

***

            Anna watched Morgan carefully, trying to determine if she really was going to be sick. Her face was pale and had a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her eyes were squeezed closed as she leaned against Bryan’s shoulder. Without thinking about it, Anna stepped forward and brushed Morgan’s hair back from her face. Her friend’s skin was clammy.

            “Are you sure you’re okay, Morgan?” she asked quietly. Something caught in her throat, a fear that hadn’t been there since the night she’d almost lost her best friend.

            She sighed against Bryan’s shoulder. Her fingers loosened their hold on his shirt. “So tired, AJ.”

            “It’s okay,” Anna replied with her hand against Morgan’s cheek. “We’re almost to the room. You can rest.”

            Moxley’s voice slipped into the elevator before the door opened. “We’ll hang out a while if you want.”

            There was a faint grunt of assent from Morgan as Bryan stepped out into the hallway, taking care to walk slowly behind Anna’s retreating form.

________________

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@unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin

@rollynchwhore

@mrsmatt

@imagineall-the-fandoms

            Anna scowled and reached up to push some of my hair back from my forehead. Her fingertips hesitated over the raised scar hidden just at my hairline. There was half a dozen more, all carefully camouflaged. I didn’t want to think about how they got there.

            She scowled. “Restraining order, Morgan. Why didn’t you keep the restraining order?”

            “Lawyers are expensive. And he never lived by it anyway.”

            “That’s what the cops are for,” she replied. “His ass should have been in jail years ago.”

            Before I could reply, there was a gentle knock on the door. We both looked up, and I couldn’t help the acute fear that cut through me. It swung open slowly.

            “Everybody decent in there?” Moxley’s voice called out.

            The fear receded so quickly it left me dizzy. “Yeah,” Anna replied. “How about out there?”

            Moxley appeared in the doorway with his arms loaded down with a huge bouquet of flowers and a get well soon balloon tied to the wrist of a huge stuffed teddy bear. There was a faint smile on his face as he practically sauntered across the room.

            “What in the name of—”

            “I told you it was ridiculous,” Bryan said, appearing from around Moxley’s broad shoulder. “One or the other or the other, not all three!”

            Bryan sounded exasperated, and I couldn’t help but grin when he made a face in my direction. “How’re you feeling, Morgan?”

            “Bitch of a headache. Anyone ever tell you two that you’re louder than a frat party on free beer weekend?” I sucked in a breath and held out my free hand toward Anna. “Can I have those glasses?”

            The doctor insisted that I wear a pair of dark, anti-glare sunglasses for the next few weeks. I knew it would help. That going without them would just make the recovery process from the concussion longer. But I knew they’d go missing within an hour of being back home.

            “Those are really pretty, Mox,” Anna said, gesturing to the flowers. “And that little guy is adorable.”

            “Ain’t he?” he laughed. “Name’s Jon.”

            Anna giggled, and I could have sworn that she was blushing. “Isn’t that a coincidence.”

            Bryan rolled his eyes and sank down on the end of the bed. There was a foot or two between us, and he kept his hands in his lap. But I could see the worry in his sky-blue eyes. “Seriously,” he asked softly, “how are you?”

            I shrugged, not quite knowing how to answer. Half a dozen responses existed to that question. “I—”

            “Morgan is out of commission for a couple weeks. And she can’t travel for a few more days, so we’re stuck here for a bit longer.”

            “Where are you staying?” Bryan asked.

            “Hotel,” I replied quietly. “Just until I’m given the okay to go home.”

***

            Bryan felt the moment that Moxley’s eyes turned to him. The two men looked at one another, almost as if they could understand each other without speaking. It didn’t take a genius to realize that home for Morgan meant with Sammy Guevara. And after what he’d heard in that hallway—what he’d learned in the last few days—there was no way he was going to let that happen.

            “You know,” Moxley said as he handed the teddy bear to Anna. “I’ve got a few days off, too. Want some company?”

            Anna smiled at them with something deep and grateful in her eyes. She looked between the two of them and to Morgan and back again before giving a firm nod. “Wouldn’t be so bad, would it, Morgan?”

            He watched Moxley gently tap Morgan’s foot with the tip of his boot. She jumped and drew her knees up to her chest. Her eyes went deer in the headlights wide before going flat and distant. If he looked close enough, he could see the tremble in her limbs that she was trying so desperately to hide.

            A new rush of hate splashed into Bryan as he found himself wondering about why she felt she had to fight to hold it back. If he ever got his hands on Sammy Guevara, he was going to rip him apart one muscle fiber at a time. They’d been by the hospital a few times since their first visit, and it wasn’t lost on them that Sammy was often outside in the parking lot staring at the building. Anna had filled them in that he’d been banned from entering the hospital. Sammy hadn’t been subtle about hiding his distain for them at work this past week, either.

            There wasn’t a doubt in Bryan’s mind that the moment Morgan left this building, Sammy would get his hands on her. And God knew what would happen to her after that. He didn’t want to entertain the thought.

***

            He’s got to get that rage under control, Moxley thought as he held the flowers out to Morgan in the hope of drawing her back out of her shell. He understood the feeling, but he knew that all it would do was scare her right back off. And they couldn’t protect her if she wouldn’t even be around them.

            When Morgan wouldn’t look up, Moxley crouched down so that he could look into her eyes. The pupils were wide, irises so dark they looked black barely visible around them. The terror in them made his guts clench.

            “Hey, it’s all good,” he said quietly. He kept his voice low and his hands in sight as he spoke to her. “It’s just an idea. At least let us make sure that you get to the hotel and get settled in okay.”

            She blinked and then squeezed her glassy eyes shut. He couldn’t tell if it was from the concussion, the meds, or something else entirely. After a few deep breaths, Morgan Knox nodded. Her brow furrowed as if the movement hurt. He supposed it did.

            “Think you guys could give us a lift?” Anna asked, drawing his attention.

            Jon Moxley had never really thought of himself as an intuitive person, but somehow he got the gist of what Anna Jay was really asking. Is he here? He felt his mouth curl into a sneer as he gave her a brief, barely there nod of his head.

            “You grab the gifts and I’ll get the bags,” he said as he straightened himself out. His joints popped and cracked, making him grunt. He thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Morgan’s face. “We’ll bring the car around for princess here. Bryan can handle getting her outside.”

            The two met looked at one another, communicating in a quiet way that wrestlers had. They had both seen Sammy sitting in the driver’s seat of his car in the parking lot. It wasn’t hard to imagine the horrible things that were stuck deep in his mind. Moxley hadn’t exactly seen everything that Bryan had, but he knew for sure that he didn’t like the idea of Morgan going anywhere near the asshole who’d put her in the hospital.

            “We’ll take it slow,” Bryan said as he stood up. He held out his hand to her, palm turned upward. “If you get dizzy, we can stop or get a chair.”

***

            I stared at Bryan’s hand, confusion slipping through my thoughts. “What?” I mumbled.

            His eyes crinkled as he reached his hand closer. “Mox and Anna are going to get the car. I’ll walk out with you to make sure that you don’t get dizzy or anything.”

            My eyes darted toward the door, but Anna had already disappeared out of sight. “I… okay,” I replied, clutching the dark glasses in one hand. For a moment, I didn’t quite know what to do with Bryan’s outstretched hand.

            “It’s okay,” he soothed. “You don’t have to. I’ll just walk close enough that I can catch you if you start to stumble. Is that alright?”

            I swallowed hard, surprised by the rush of feeling that settled deep into my chest. My breath rushed out of me as I reached out and placed my fingers against his palm. I pulled myself to my feet, swaying as the world started to spin.

            Bryan’s hand tightened on mine as he stepped forward to slip his other arm around my waist. “I’ve got you.”

            Squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned into him. “I’m tired,” I whined. “My head hurts.”

            “I know. Hold onto me, and we’ll take it slow,” he soothed. “As soon as we get you to the hotel, you can rest.”

            I let Bryan lead the way, shuffling along beside him with shaking steps. He made me stop and put on the glasses when I whined at the light shining through the windows.

            “You’re going to stay with me, right?”

            Bryan’s fingers tightened on mine. He tensed for just a moment before replying. “If it’ll make you feel safe, of course I will.”

            My head leaned against his shoulder in relief as we took the last few steps toward the door.

____________________________

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@not-that-kinda-gurl08

            Creature felt his stomach drop into his toes at the sound of his name on her lips. He ached with love for the girl in front of him. Without a thought, he brushed his left hand against her cheek. She turned to press a kiss against the heel of his hand and curled her fingers around his wrist, holding his palm in place.

            Lisa looked up at Creature—James—and saw the true depth of his feelings reflected in his eyes. His pupils were dilated, the ring of green around them darkening. He smiled softly at her—at his Lisa—and opened his right hand. Crystals of sugar stuck to his palm, glistening around the two gummy peach rings settled there.

            He took a steadying breath. “Lisa,” he croaked. He winced, hating the way that her name came out so broken and quiet. James cleared his throat and tried again. “Lisa S-swallows, I love you.”

            She leaned toward him, her chest rising and falling with gasping breaths. The words rolled around her head, filtering through every cell of her body. She knew their time was growing short. Any minute police could descend on the house ready to take them away from each other for what they’d done to Janet, to Doug, to Michael. Lisa pressed forward, brushing her lips against his.

            “I love you, too, James,” she whispered against his mouth. “I’ll love you forever.”

            James leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone. Lisa looked back at the gift he’d held out to her. She had a brief flash of his tombstone—the sculpture of him at the top, the chipped marble that had lost all but the last two letters of his name, the word Unmarried engraved below. Tears blurred her vision as she reached out to take one of the peach rings from his palm. Her knees turned to water and she sank onto the edge of the bed.

            “James Cohen,” she said, hoping that every ounce of her love and affection was audible in her voice. “Be mine forever.”

            He sniffed, knowing that the scent of his tears bothered her. A small smile curved his lips as he nodded. “Forever.” Lisa pushed the gummy candy onto his left ring finger, her own hand shaking in nervousness and anticipation.

            James knelt in front of her, wishing beyond wishing that this moment could last forever. He kissed her hand, his chest aching at the fact that she’d carefully redrawn the lightning bolt onto her skin. “Be mine. My beloved forever.” His throat ached from speaking, but he didn’t mind just then.

            Lisa’s response was a breathy whisper, eyes bright. He looked up at her with his heart in his gaze. He carefully placed the peach ring on her finger.

            The smile that spread over his face was practically angelic. As he stood, he gathered her into his arms. She settled her hands on his shoulder and watched him with awe as he carried her toward her bed. He smiled, settling his forehead against hers. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. He would have to settle for showing her.

            Lisa brushed her fingertips against his restored ear and let out a faint giggle at the thought of how much she liked how he looked with the diamond stud. She shifted, leaning toward him. “I love you,” she murmured. “I love you.”

            James thought for a moment that his knees would give way at the sound of those words in his ear. His heart sped up as he settled her gently on the bed. He was fascinated by the way that her curls spread out over the pillow. She looked up at him with such love and trust that he had to blink away the sting of tears. He followed her onto the mattress and felt a white heat rush straight to his clearly functioning loins as she made room for him between her thighs.

            My beloved, he thought as he gazed down at her. You brought me back. Your voice brought me out of a century of nothingness. I will give you anything, my love. Anything.

            He gave himself a brief moment to burn the image of her into his mind. Her smile was angelic. James leaned forward and brushed gentle kisses against each of her eyelids, her forehead. Lisa let out a faint hum of happiness that sent shivers down his spine.

            When he drew away, she was staring up at him with bright eyes and a soft, shy smile. His hair rustled, an insect falling out onto her collarbone. But Lisa didn’t even blink. Instead, she stared right back up at him while he carefully picked the bug up and tossed it over the side of the bed. Secretly, he hoped the bug phase was drawing to an end with his last trip through the tanning bed.

            Lisa drew in a deep breath. For the first time, her lungs filled with the scent that was just James. It was earthy, but not like before. It was like the forest after a gentle rain or the scent of a crisp spring morning. She’d spent all that time in Bachelor’s Grove sitting beside his grave, reading to him, telling him all the things she couldn’t say to anyone else. His green eyes said the words that his voice couldn’t just yet.

            He’s loved me the whole time, she realized in awe. He could hear me all that time ago. He was awake down there. James… James came for me. For me!

            Emboldened by the realization, Lisa braced her hands on his ribs and pushed. She grinned and laughed happily as she rolled the two of them over. James let out a gasp of surprise and grinned as he found himself settled beneath her. Her fingers brushed against his own as she found her comfort straddling his hips. Each time she wiggled the tightness in his trousers grew until he was certain she could feel it.

            When she reached for the fabric of his shirt and shifted her hips, the faint gasp that rushed past her lips confirmed that she had. James didn’t know what to do. He lifted from the pillows, shifting his shoulders as he looked up at her. His fingers toyed nervously with his buttons as he watched her tug at the bow that held the sheer cover of her nightgown. She bit her bottom lip and looked away as she let the fabric fall down her arms.

            Lisa shifted as she pulled the cover away. A faint whine drew her attention back to James. Even as he looked up at her with nothing but adoration, his hips reflexively lifted toward hers. She smiled wickedly and rocked against him. His hands came to grip her hips of their own accord. It was as if the instincts buried within them both had bubbled straight to the surface. Lisa reached for his hands, brushing her fingers up over his arms, along his shoulders and collarbones. Bravery spilled through her veins as she slipped free the last few buttons on his shirt.

            “Lisa,” James moaned as her fingertips parted the fabric and brushed against his bare skin. She rocked her hips; he flexed up against her.

            He skimmed his palms down her legs before slipping his hands beneath the hem of her nightgown. Her skin was so soft and warm, and he felt the muscles of her thighs flex as she rocked against him. Lisa leaned down against his chest, sighing as she nuzzled against his neck and pressed soft, open-mouthed kisses against each freckle and mole. The shift in angle and pressure made him whine even as he tilted his head for her, as he lost himself in the warmth of her body over him and the way the flesh of her hips gave way beneath his fingers.

            The nightgown was rucked up around Lisa’s hips and James held her by the waist. She felt the fabric flutter as his beautifully cool fingers drew the garment along her body, forcing her to sit up so he could pull it over her head and drop it unceremoniously by the bed. Her hair settled wildly around her shoulders. A blush began at her collarbones and rose up along her cheeks.

            He remembered being in this very bed beside her last night as he watched her come undone. The groan it dragged out of him was as inhuman as he had been only hours ago. His Lisa was bare above him, the glow of the rose lights above her bed casting a soft glow against her alabaster skin. He let his fingertips trail down along her spine and sweep around her waist to settle once again on her hips. It was only then that he realized that she was truly bare. That he was the first to see her like this.

            James lost all control.

            A growl vibrated up from his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, rolling quickly until she was beneath him again. He nearly tore the shirt trying to get it off his shoulders. Lisa hooked her legs over his hips. He ground himself against her center as he leaned forward to capture her lips with his own. Gone was the tentative gentleman who truly had no idea what he was doing. Here was the young man who was drowning in desperate need for the woman he loved. Lisa slipped one hand into his curls while the other curled around his back, nails digging gently into him.

            When she sighed, James pressed the advantage and licked along the swell of her bottom lip, the seam of her mouth. Lisa shivered and arched her entire body up into him. Her fingers tangled in his hair and her hips bucked up in search of friction. Shyness fell away. She opened to him, whimpered at the taste of him, returned his kiss with a frenzy that nearly drove her to the brink of madness.

            Sparks burst behind her eyelids as his hand slid between them, fingertips grazing her clit. The ease with which he found just the right way to touch her was practically magical. Even lost in the heat of his kiss and the gentle touches of his fingers, Lisa couldn’t help but marvel at the unconventional scene of it all. He’s been waiting for me. For so long.

            “James!” she exclaimed as he trailed his hand lower to press one finger into her. Such an intimate touch, the way his thumb searched out her clit as he teased her with slow strokes. She gripped his black hair tightly as he settled his mouth against the soft skin beneath her jaw. He listened carefully to the sounds she made, to the music that he drew out of her as he played her like a sonata that had been waiting deep inside him for all these years. When her hips rolled, he added a second finger and listened to her panting. He sucked and licked and nipped at the flesh as she tossed her head back against the pillows.

            Lisa had never felt anything like this in all the times she’d touched herself. His fingers reached places inside her that she never could. He fluttered his fingertips against a spot that made her entire body press up against him. James pressed his thumb harder against her clit and stroked his fingers in and out of her faster, always making sure that he hit that spot that had made her bow up.

            “Yes, beloved,” he murmured against her flesh. His teeth nipped at her earlobe. His breath was hot against her skin. “Come apart for me, Lisa.”

            Her fingers tightened almost painfully in his hair, her nails dug deeply into his back, and his name fell from her lips in a whine. The tension started to coil within her belly and spread throughout her limbs. And when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, the coil snapped sending waves of pleasure to every cell in her being. James grunted as he stroked her through her orgasm, his mind already conjuring fantasies of how it would feel when she found her release on his cock.

            He watched in awe as an expression of angelic peace made her face glow. Her eyes had fluttered closed, and he couldn’t help but dust fleeting kisses to her eyelids. He pressed his lips against the tip of her nose, the curve of her cheeks. The tip of his nose brushed along her jaw to press one last, chaste kiss against her lips before he sat back on his heels.

            James couldn’t help but blush at the sight of his wife spread out before him. His Lisa shivered as he gently drew his hand away from her center. Curiosity made him lift his hand to his mouth and suck gently on his finger, tasting her release.

            Lisa opened her eyes only to find him kneeling between her thighs licking the taste of her from his sinfully perfect fingers. Her stomach clenched when their eyes met. Only a thin ring of green remained outside his blown pupils. She barely had time to register his ravenous expression before he dipped his head between her thighs. Her fingers went into his curls on instinct at the first touch of his tongue against her flesh. James wrapped his arms around her thighs, fingers splayed against the soft skin where her leg met torso, lifting her hips up to his mouth.

            Her fingernails scratched against his scalp, setting off a purr of pleasure that vibrated up through her core. He teased her flesh with long, slow laps of his tongue. His lips found her clit, sucking and lashing his tongue against it. Lisa whined and rocked her hips against his face. With a growl, he doubled his efforts, desperate to taste her release and hear his name on her lips again.

            “Oh!” she cried out as he scraped his teeth against those tender nerves. She bucked even harder. “Oh! Again! Please, James, please!”

            The world had constricted until the only thing that mattered was the taste of her on his tongue and the sound of her crying her pleasure. James held onto her tightly, keeping her from rocking her hips so he could control the pace. She pulled hard on his hair as that coiling sense of tension spooled tighter and tighter.

            “James!” His Lisa screamed his name as every muscle in her body tensed and released in a crashing wave. She tried to buck against him, but he was content to draw out her orgasm.

            When she trembled and pushed weakly at his head, James let his attentions turn to the inside of her thigh. His lips trailed gentle kisses up along to her hip and toward the softness of her stomach. He nuzzled against her bellybutton with the tip of his nose. Traced the line of her ribs with his fingertips. Rested his head on her chest, cherishing her breasts and collarbones with kisses. Lisa’s arms draped limply over his shoulders.

            “Are you alright, beloved?” he murmured between soft, open-mouthed kisses along the line of her throat.

            Lisa giggled. “Amazing,” she replied dreamily. She stared up at the ceiling as she tried to catch her breath. Her fingers carded gently through his hair. So soft, she thought with an ache in her chest. Reality crept into the moment. This is it. This is all we’ll ever have.

            The tears burned as they slid down her cheeks. Her fingers trembled as she cupped his cheeks and drew him up toward her. His green eyes darkened with worry as she ghosted her thumb along the line of his bottom lip. She sniffled and leaned in, kissing him so tenderly that he thought he might join her in tears.

            “Lisa, my dearest,” James began. She shushed him with a shake of her head.

            “There’s no time,” she whispered before kissing the tip of his nose. “Make love to me, James.”

            He squeezed his eyes shut to hold back tears of his own. She was right, of course. Their time together was running short, and the future that awaited them was dark and uncertain. For a moment, he pressed his face against her neck and breathed in her scent. He wanted to commit it all to memory. To be able to keep this instant in his mind for as long as he continued to exist.

            He sniffled and leaned up to press another series of soft kisses along her face before bracing himself on one arm and kicked his trousers to the floor. Now that the moment had arrived, nervousness settled into him. He looked down at his Lisa, his bride. She watched him with trusting blue eyes, a soft smile on her face. Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath as she nodded.

            James leaned down to rest his forehead against hers as he reached between them. He trembled. Lisa wrapped her arms around his shoulders, one hand against the back of his head. He kept his eyes on hers as he pushed forward. She sucked in a breath. He flexed his hips into hers slowly, reading her every expression as he gasped for air, so afraid of hurting her.

            She was surprised by how little it hurt. Taffy said the first time always hurt, but all Lisa felt was a stretching that was new and delicious. She rocked against him with a faint whine, nodding that it was okay. James captured her lips with his as he began to move within her.

            If heaven existed—if there was ever a chance that he could join that paradise—James knew that it was this feeling. It was the warmth of Lisa’s body wrapped around him. It was the friction that sent shivers up his spine and sucked the breath from his lungs. It was the way she moved with him and whispered his name. It was how nothing else mattered but that white hot feeling that began to boil deep within him.

            He kissed her with renewed hunger as the pace of his hips increased. Lisa met each of his thrusts with her own. She held him as close as possible, arms and legs wrapped around him. He slid an arm beneath her, tilting her hips so that he could hit that spot that she seemed to like so much. The moaning gasp that fell from her lips let him know he’d succeeded.

            Time compressed into a single point of infinity. Lisa whined as her body tightened around him. James gave in to instinct, chasing the heat that was threatening to explode. When it did, all he could do was hold onto her and chant her name like a supplicant at prayer. They came apart in each other’s arms, giving in to the sensations racing through every nerve of their bodies.

            “Lisa,” he whispered at last, brow pressed against hers. “My beloved Lisa.”

            She brushed the hair back from his face and smiled. “I’ll love you forever, James Cohen.”

            The finality in her voice sent a stab of ice through his chest. No, he thought, shaking his head desperately. No, not yet. This isn’t enough. It isn’t long enough.

            “We have to go,” she whispered, her voice tight.

            “I can’t,” he replied, trailing his fingertips along her cheekbone. “We can run away.”

            Lisa shook her head. “This is the only way we can be together. I trust you. I know you can do this.”

***

            Beloved Wife. James ran his fingertips over the words he’d lovingly carved into her gravestone. She’d told him the signs to look for, and he knew that tonight would be the night. After so long apart, it was almost time. He closed the book of poems that had been her favorite, marking the place with a blade of grass.

            Click. “You’ve reached Shaye Walker. Please leave a message at the tone.” Beep.

            My stomach dropped out. Of course she wouldn’t answer my call. She hadn’t done it for the last month, so there was no reason for her to change her mind now. I felt my jaw tighten as my breath caught in my chest.

            What’s the point, I thought. “I’m sorry,” I said almost too softly to hear my own words. “I shouldn’t have called.”

            I hung up and tossed the phone somewhere near the foot of the bed. My stomach grumbled and my head throbbed.

            What’s the point?

***

Shaye

            I tugged my bag tighter against my chest as I waited on the platform for the train to the Upper East Side. My head felt like it had been squeezed in a vice all day, and all I wanted to do was go home, crawl into my bed, and wait for Kenny to call. If he called. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn’t. I never knew which one it was going to be, so I kept myself awake for as long as I could and dragged myself out of bed as early as possible. I didn’t want to miss his call no matter how much it ground me down day after day.

            The subway was hot and stuffy. I rubbed my fingers over my forehead and groaned as I checked my watch. The train was late. I just wanted to go home. Was that too much to ask? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this exhausted. Or the last time I’d existed on so much caffeine. A yawn worked its way out.

            I blinked and the train doors were just about to slam shut in my face. Before it could, I forced my way onto the car and found a place to sit. My body practically collapsed into the plastic seat as I dug in my pocket for my phone. Maybe Kenny would be available. Maybe I could speak to him for a bit and then be able to go to bed not long after I got home.

            The voicemail icon caught my attention. I tapped it without checking who called.

            It played once, but I could barely hear the words against the noise of the subway. The message was short, not even ten seconds. What was the point of leaving a message if it was so quiet that it could barely be heard and so short that it could barely contain any useful information?

            Frustrated, I connected my headphones, turned up the volume as loud as it would go, and then replayed the message.

            “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called.”

            The line went dead, but I could still hear the words rolling around in my skull. It had been a long time since I’d heard that voice. Not since I’d practically told him to leave me alone. But I would never forget the sound.

            My heart skipped one beat after another. It nearly choked the breath from my lungs. That was the only explanation I had for what I did.

            I closed my eyes and tried to calm my heartbeat as I waited for the call to connect. The seconds between each ring seemed to stretch out further and further. Almost as if the universe was giving me a chance to rethink what I was doing. To stop the manic stupidity that I was exhibiting in that moment.

            My finger hovered over the screen, ready to disconnect the call.

            “H-hello?”

            My heart clawed up my throat. “Hey.”

            For a moment, I thought the call had dropped. It sounded like nothing but static and then a prolonged silence.

            “Are you there?” I asked softly. My fingers trembled with anxiety.

            “I… Yeah, I’m here,” came the reply. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he sounded drunk. “I… Are you okay?”

            A warm, gentle sensation settled into my chest. Almost as if something I’d lost had fallen back into place again. I took a deep breath. When was the last time I’d been able to breathe this easily?

            “Good. I’m good.” The words were out before I could stop them. The huge lie that they were. “What about you?”

            He cleared his throat. I heard a rustle that sounded like he was rolling around in blankets. I looked at my watch. Had I got the time wrong?

            “You didn’t have to call,” Nick said after what felt like forever. “I didn’t expect you to. Honestly, I didn’t even expect you to listen to the message. If you even got it. For all I knew, you’d blocked my number.”

            I felt those words like a blow to my chest. He hadn’t said it to be hurtful. I knew that much about Nick Jackson. But it had hurt nonetheless, and it reminded me of how I’d treated this guy who’d been more than kind to me when I needed it most.

            “I—Why d’you think I’d do that?”

            Nick groaned. I heard a thump and wondered if he’d knocked his head back against the headboard. A memory rushed into me unbidden of falling asleep in Nick’s bed after everything that happened in Winnipeg. Realization settled over me. California had really been the last time I’d felt remotely safe or normal.

            “Last time we talked, you basically told me to get lost. I guessed from there.”

            Tears prickled my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they came so fast that I couldn’t hold them back. So much had happened since the last time Nick and I had spoken. The weight of it all was suddenly the only thing I could think about. I couldn’t breathe through the tears.

            “I’m sorry, Nick,” I said, knowing the brokenness in my voice was evident. “I shouldn’t have called and dragged you back into my mess.”

            It sounded as if Nick let out a growl. “Am I going to get a say in anything that happens?” he spat angrily. “You and Matt… I’m a grown man. Let me act like it.”

            “I… Wait, what happened with Matt?”

            Nick huffed on the other end of the line. “We’re done. The Bucks are over. Matt still wants to wrestle in a trio with Kenny, even knowing everything that he did.”

            Bile burned the back of my throat. “Nick, please,” I whimpered, “don’t let what happened tear you guys apart. It isn’t worth it.”

            “It is to me. Because I don’t like it when people I love get hurt. Even if it’s other people I love who do it.”

_________________________________

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            Dean appeared from the locker room in his jeans and boots. I couldn’t understand how he could fight in them, or why they allowed him to, but he insisted. At the door to the cage, he toed off his boots and pushed them aside. Barefoot, he walked forward as he rocked his shoulders back and forth. The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed beneath his skin. He looked toward us, cornflower eyes landing on me. A faint smile curled the corners of his mouth.

            Then his gaze drifted, and his smile faded. His lips twisted into a snarl as he slammed the cage door behind him.

            “Something’s pissed him off,” Seth said, leaning toward me. “Was he like that earlier?”

            I looked toward Dean and then back at Seth. “No. He was… grumpy. Not this.”

            “Fuck.” Roman’s voice drew my attention. I turned to him, a question on my lips as I followed the line of his gaze.

            Dean stood on the far side of the cage, brows drawn together and jaw set. My stomach turned upside down at the rage in his eyes.

            The bell rang and he launched himself at his opponent, right arm already cocked back. The moment he was within reach, Dean threw his body into the punch. It landed square on the other guy’s jaw, knocking his head sideways. He stumbled backward, and Dean followed, pressing him back toward the wall of the cage. Dean beat into his opponent, throwing a series of elbows against the side of his head and jabs into his kidneys.

            He backed up, putting space between them. He pivoted on his back foot and let go a kick against the other guy’s ribs. His opponent blocked the kick and swept his other leg out from under him. Dean landed hard on his back, his head bouncing against the mat. I screamed and nearly jumped out of my seat. The sound must have gotten Dean’s attention as he turned his head toward me. His blue eyes were unfocused for a moment before the rage returned to his face and he rolled back onto his shoulders. In the blink of an eye, he had pushed off with his shoulders and hands to kip up to his feet again.

            Dean took a deep breath, cracked his neck on each side, and then curled his fingers in a bring it on gesture. I felt sick watching his opponent run at him, throwing elbows against Dean’s jaw. He followed up with a series of body shots that looked like they knocked the wind out of him. A deep red mark started to bloom over Dean’s left kidney and another along his ribs.

            My stomach clenched. I gagged. I wanted to run.

            Blood oozed from a split in Dean’s lip from one of the elbow shots. He wiped his mouth with his hand, crimson streaking against the white tape. I saw him glance down at it, almost as if he were fascinated at the sight. The distraction was enough for his opponent to throw a cross that rocked Dean’s head up and to the side.

            “Dean!” I screamed and lunged toward the cage. My fingers laced through the steel wiring. I couldn’t stop myself, even though I knew that he didn’t need any other distractions. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me backward, practically ripping my fingers from their hold on the cage. I kicked and fought. “Let me go!”

            The arms tightened and tried to turn me around. “Addy. Addy, calm down.” Seth’s voice whispered firmly in my ear. “Relax.”

            “He’s hurt. Dean’s hurt,” I whimpered, clawing at Seth’s hoodie covered forearms. “Let me go. He’s hurt!”

            “If you don’t calm down, we’re taking you out of here,” he threatened softly. “You’re going to get him knocked out running at the cage like that. Relax, sweets.”

            Adrenaline rushed through every cell in my body. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to run. I wanted to break into the cage to get him out. Even though the rational part of my brain knew that Seth was right, I couldn’t get past the sight of Dean so bloodied and beat up. It hadn’t ever been like this before.

            The sound of the bell reverberated through my bones. It sucked the air out of my lungs and the fight from my limbs. I sank back against Seth, grey edging the sides of my vision. I gasped for breath as tears rushed down my cheeks. There was no looking away from Dean as he stood on the other side of the cage. Red marks were already darkening into deep purple bruises. There was a gash on his jaw and another on his cheekbone, both oozing blood as his chest rose and fell as he panted.

            Our eyes met. For a moment, I thought I saw Dean’s blue eyes soften behind the obvious pain that clearly ran through his body. He looked back at me. Yearning lanced along my nerves. I just wanted to be where he was. He blinked and glanced away. My heart fell into my stomach as he squared up for the next round. Rage colored his features as the bell rang once again, launching him toward his opponent.

            I turned in Seth’s arms and hid my face against his shoulder. “I can’t watch anymore.”

            “Come on,” he said soothingly. “We’ll go out to the truck for a minute. Get some fresh air. It might help, sweets.”

            It was so hard to turn my back on the cage with Dean still inside. Since that very first time, I hadn’t missed one of Dean’s fights. I’d done everything it took to get there, to see him before he walked up those steps and after he ripped off the tape in the locker room. But now I couldn’t bear to watch. I couldn’t bear to listen, even though the sound of fists on flesh echoed against the rafters. My mind’s eye conjured up the worst possible images as Seth led me toward the exits.

            The moment we got outside, I doubled over retching and gagging. Seth rubbed the middle of my back even as he held my hair back with the other. The world spun around me. I couldn’t explain why I felt this way. Why, after all the fights I’d been to and how I’d actually started to enjoy them, I couldn’t bear to watch this time.

            “Deep breaths, Addy,” Seth murmured. “You’re good. Deep breaths.”

            I reached up and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “I can’t—”

            He shushed me gently. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Deep breaths, sweets.”

            Muffled noise erupted from the gym. I could just make out the sound of cheering and the loud dinging of the bell that indicated a fight was over. I practically collapsed onto the sidewalk when I realized what it meant.

            “Stay here, just a second. I’m gonna go see what happened.” Seth squeezed my fingers before he went back inside. A few minutes later, he reemerged with Roman in tow. “He won.”

            Momentary relief flooded my veins. But Seth’s next words opened the floodgates of worry once again. “He looks like he got run over by a Mack truck. But he won.”

            Roman sank into a crouch next to me. “He’s okay, Addy. Dean’s good.”

            “Comparatively,” Seth interjected. “Phil’s gonna need six weeks in the hospital and some massive rehab. Dean just broke at least twelve bones in that guy’s body.”

            “Seth?”

            “Yeah?”

            “Shut up. You’re not helping.” Roman gripped me by the elbows and pulled me gently to my feet. Everything went grey and hazy as the blood rushed from my head to my feet. If it weren’t for Roman, I would have fallen right back down onto the concrete. “Dean’s fine. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself.”

            “I… I-I need to see him,” I whimpered. Before either of them could say a word, I ran toward the doors. My feet carried me away from the gym and down the hallway to the locker rooms. I pounded on the door with the flat of my hand, screaming his name at the top of my lungs.

            After a few moments, the door yanked inward. “What?!”

            My eyes lifted, taking in each inch of Dean and cataloguing his injuries. There was a rip in the front of his jeans that revealed a raised red welt along his thigh. His torso was crisscrossed with bruises that were already turning purple. The one over his right kidney ran from the base of his ribs all the way down to his hipbone. Another spread down his breastbone, and I swore that it was the size and shape of someone’s foot. His knuckles were busted and bloody. He had a split chin, busted lip, a gash on his jaw and cheekbone, what looked like a black eye, and another cut through his left eyebrow.

            Tears filled my eyes, spilling down over my cheeks and dripping onto my shirt. His face blurred, but not before I saw the angry disconnection in his gaze. I reached my fingertips toward his chest. He took a step back.

            “Are you okay?” I brushed at the tears and tried to take a deep breath. My clearing vision brought his injuries back into sharp focus.

            Dean crossed his arms over his chest, showing off a few other welts on his forearms and biceps. “I’m fine. You can go now. I’m sure they’re waiting.”

            I felt myself recoil just as if he’d shoved me. “What…?”

            He leaned his shoulder against the door, wincing as it put pressure on the bruise along his side. “Go back to the apartment or the dorm. I’m good. It’s about time you and Seth had a little alone time, isn’t it? That’s your timeline, right? Don’t let me get in the way.”

            Before I could say a word, Dean backed away and slammed the door in my face.

__________________

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            Kat turned her attention toward the baby and smiled. “She’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

            Something like a heavy weight dropped off him. He hadn’t realized how much fear he’d harbored for the safety of both of them. “What about you?”

            “Sore as fuck. Mildly traumatized,” she laughed. “But I’m okay. Because you were there and did everything right.”

            He sat there in silence for a moment, looking between the two of them. The same sense of protectiveness that he’d always felt for Kat poured into him as the baby watched him with those wide blue eyes.

            “Here,” she said, pulling her hand away and holding the baby toward him. “Hold her.”

            Jack’s heart thundered in his chest as he took the baby from her. He held her carefully as he bounced her gently. She looked up at him, waving her fist in the air. Without hesitation, he leaned down and kissed those chubby fingers.

            Kat looked at him with her dark eyes. Eyes that reflected a strange mixture of hope, worry, and confusion. All of it overlaid with a cautious fear. Jack couldn’t blame her. The words he’d said to her, the way he’d acted for the last two years… he was ashamed of the way he’d behaved. He’d been so caught up in his own feelings that he hadn’t stopped to think of how she felt.

            “Kat… I—” Jack stopped and took a deep breath. His guts churned as if he were going to be sick. The baby wrapped her hand around his fingers as if to give him support. “I don’t know why you want me here. After everything…”

            She closed her eyes for a moment. He could see the memories of everything running across her face. That day in her apartment ran through his mind. He’d been drunk, but it didn’t excuse what he’d said. The rage that had rushed through him at the news she was with Chris Jericho had overwhelmed everything else. Even his love for Kat.

            Because that’s what it had been. He loved her. He was still as in love with her now as he had been that day in the hospital when his father passed. When he’d realized that she was happy but not happy with him, it had nearly broken his heart. But he’d promised himself that he would be her friend. That he would do everything that his father had asked of him. To help Kat be happy.

            The thought struck Jack hard in the chest. He felt like he was choking.

            Luke would have been so ashamed of him.

            “I’m sorry, Kat,” he said at last, his voice coming out in a gravely rush. “I’m so sorry. For all of it. I still…”

            Kat gave him a faint smile. “I know. So do I. But—”

            “He’s better for you. You love him more.”

            “Differently,” she whispered. “You’re my best friend, Jack Perry. And you always will be. Chris can’t change that, and I really want my best friend back.”

            Adjusting the baby in his arms, he reached out to take her hand. He squeezed her fingers tightly. “The day Dad died, when I went into his room after you, he asked me to do one thing for him when it came to you. He asked me to help you be happy. The last two years… I’m let him down so much. Because I’ve been so fucking selfish.”

            Kat turned her hand over and threaded her fingers with his. “I want my friend back. I need him back.

            Jack squeezed his eyes shut, tears brushing past his lashes and slipping down his cheeks into his beard. “Can you forgive me, Kat? For everything I said and did. For letting you down.”

            She took a deep breath and set her eyes on him. Her face changed as if she were having an argument within herself. For a moment, he thought he could hear her heart beating.

            “Will you be her godfather, Jack?”

            “What?” He felt absolutely stupid. “What? Jericho…”

            “Don’t argue,” Kat said firmly. “Otherwise, we have a big problem.”

            His brown eyes met hers. “Why?”

            “We’re going to have to change her name.”

***

            It was so hard to hold back the laughter at the look on Jack’s face. It was like he’d been slapped. The expression on his face was the same as he’d had that day in my apartment, but this time it was kinder. Gentler in his surprise.

            My heart felt heavy and light all at once. Hearing Jack apologize for everything he’d done was enough to make me feel like hundreds of pounds had fallen away from my shoulders. I couldn’t necessarily forget the hurt he’d caused, but I could try to move forward until they became a faded, fuzzy memory.

            “What?”

            I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Her name, dumbass. If you don’t say yes, we have to change her name. And that’s going to be really annoying.”

            Jack’s eyes glittered. I realized he was about to cry.

            “We named her Louise.” I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “Louise Jacklyn Antonia. For you and Tony. For Luke.”

***

            Jericho walked away from Kat’s hospital room, one hand on his hip and the other pushing his hair back from his face. He was tired. There was a fatigue settled into his bones, and he couldn’t explain why. Old worries came rushing back to the surface. Could he be a good father? Was he too old to be a father? Would he be able to be there for their daughter? For Kat?

            And he hated the fact that he worried that Kat would change. Not physically—it didn’t matter to him. But what if she didn’t want him in the same way anymore? What if she didn’t want to go back into the Playroom? Jericho loved Kat Prince for every single thing about her—her intelligence, her tenacity, her focus, her laughter, her beauty—and the idea that he couldn’t love her this way anymore made him feel sick.

            “Chris!”

            He looked up at the sound of his name. The Inner Circle sat around in a circle in the waiting room. Santana had called for him, waving him over toward the boys. As he walked over, Jericho looked around. Members of the AEW staff and roster had filled up the small lobby. Tony Khan sat in the corner on the phone.

            “How’s mamí doing?” Ortiz asked as Chris sank down into a chair facing them.

            Chris couldn’t help but smile. “Sore, but good. They’re both amazing.”

            “Then why the long face, boss?” Jake asked quietly. It was something that very few people ever knew about the big man. He was smarter than he looked and more observant than most knew.

            “Worrying about fatherhood. About how things are going to change.”

            Santana leaned forward to look at him. “Yeah, things are going to change. You’ve got this new being to look after. Kat’s gonna be a little different for a while. Let her adjust to being a mother.” He cracked a smile. “And you might be old as hell, but you’re going to be a good father, Chris.”

            He laughed despite himself. “That’s not the only thing I’m worried about.”

            He looked down at his hands. At his fingers. He took a breath.

            An idea came to him.

___________________________________

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            The wind would whisper and I’d think of you

            And all the tears you cried, that called my name

            And when you needed me I came through     

            I paint a picture of days gone by,

            When love went blind and you would make me see…

            My throat tightened. Tears stung my eyes as I squeezed them shut tightly. I just wanted to stay in this moment. It didn’t matter that I was in pain or uncomfortable or in a diaper. There was something so fundamental about listening to the man I loved singing softly to our newborn child. It made my heart ache in the most beautiful way.

            “I know you’re awake,” Chris said with a happy indulgence. His voice sounded different somehow. It sent waves of warmth through me as I opened my eyes. There he was, sitting in the armchair beside my bed with our daughter swaddled in a blanket while she held his finger in her fist. “How do you feel?”

            I shifted, letting out a faint grunt of discomfort and pain as I pushed myself into a sitting position. It was more than just my hips and between my legs now. My chest had begun aching, my breasts feeling heavy and sore. “Tired. Aching.” I held out my arms. “Give her here.”

            He frowned and cuddled her a little tighter. “You rest. I’ve got her.”

            I reached upward to unbutton the shoulder of my hospital gown. “Please. It hurts.”

            The realization spread over his face as he stood up to cross the space between us. I tucked my gown out of the way and took her from his arms, settling her against my chest. I took the pacifier from her mouth and handed it to Chris. Her bright blue eyes opened as she started to wail.

            “Shh, shh,” I hummed softly as I held her against my breast. She nuzzled against my flesh before finding and latching on to my nipple. I let out a sigh of relief as she began suckling, feeling as if the pressure began to ease.

***

            Jericho watched in a sort of awe as Kat cradled their daughter against her breast. Of course, he’d been hyper aware of the way her breasts had changed throughout her pregnancy, growing fuller, heavier, more sensitive. He couldn’t count how many nights he’d been in bed beside her gently caressing and tasting her flesh. There weren’t words enough to explain how his desire for her had changed over the last nine months. But this was different. This was something breathtaking and beautiful in the most ancient and astounding way.

            He drew the chair closer to the side of the bed. His fingers settled against her face, stroking his thumb over her cheekbone. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered with reverence. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, momentarily unable to see anything else but Kat Prince.

            She leaned into his touch, her eyes momentarily falling shut. Their daughter snuggled against her breast and suckled heartily. Jericho felt his heart swell and burst in his chest. His pulse spiked, adrenaline and pride and an absolute ferocity of protectiveness ran through him.

            His fingers trembled slightly as he brushed the soft curve of the baby’s cheek. “She needs a name,” he said softly, gesturing to the end of the bassinet where a sticker reading Baby Girl Jericho was taped to the end.

            “I have a few ideas,” Kat whispered with a faint grin. Suddenly, she gave a faint laugh. “Were you singing Skid Row as a lullaby?”

***

            There were too many people in the waiting room. Jack felt his head spinning. He’d lost track of time since the ambulance raced away from Daily’s Place with Kat. Someone told him he’d wrestled a match and won, but he didn’t remember a second of it. He couldn’t get the moment when he’d caught that baby in his arms out of his mind. It was almost too much for him to fathom. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. It felt like he was going to pass out.

            For a moment, his memory flashed back to the last days in the hospital before his father died. He remembered standing outside his father’s room, back against the wall and tears pouring down his face, as Kat said her goodbyes inside.

            He was trying so hard to be strong for his mother and his sister. For his father. If it hadn’t been for Kat, he would have broken long before then. She had been his strength throughout the whole ordeal.

            He sucked in a breath and turned toward the sound of the door opening to his left. Kat slipped out into the hallway wiping tears from her cheeks. He reached for her, hooking his arm behind her neck and drawing her quickly against his chest. Her fingers wrapped into fists in his shirt as she sobbed against his shoulder. Whatever his father had said to her had hit hard. He could only imagine that he’d called her Katarina and made her smile.

            “He wants you,” she murmured as she turned to press her cheek against his chest. “It won’t be long, Jack.”

            “I know,” he replied as a heavy weight settled in his gut. “Go wait with mom and So. They need you right now, too.”

            She’d hugged him tight before rising up on her toes to press a soft kiss against his lips. She held onto him tightly for a moment, as if she wanted to give him every ounce of her strength. “I love you, Jack Jack.”

            He watched her walk away before running his hand through his hair, shoving it back off his face and drawing in a deep breath. When he pushed the door open, his heart dropped into his toes. The many lying in the hospital bed wasn’t the father he’d known. The Luke Perry he’d known had been full of fire and life and laughter. There was barely any of that left in his eyes then.

            “Hey, Dad,” he said as he crossed to his father’s bedside. He perched on the edge of the mattress and took his hand. “Kat said you wanted to see me.”

            Luke swallowed hard, dragging in ragged breaths. His face was earnest. Like there was something important that he wanted to say. “Jack.” Luke’s voice was broken and low. “Take care… o-o-of Mom and Sophie. Ka-Kata-ri-rina. Please.”

            “Of course,” he replied, nauseous at the sight of his father struggling to speak. “I always will. You know that. I… I’m going to ask Kat to marry me, Dad.”

            Something sad settled in Luke’s eyes. He squeezed his son’s hand with as much strength as he had. “Help… h-elp her be ha-happy.” The way he said it made the words sound less like a blessing and more like a resignation.

            “Perry!”

            The sound of his name snapped him out of his memory. For a minute, he didn’t know where he was. Once he recognized that he was in a hospital, tears rushed down his face. Past and present slammed into one another as he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t waiting for news that his father was gone. He was waiting for news that Kat and her baby were okay.

            He looked up and saw Chris Jericho standing a few feet away. The older man looked tired even while his eyes were lit up with something like euphoria. Jericho hooked his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans and shrugged.

            “Kat wants to see you.”

___________________

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            “Why the fuck aren’t they here?” It was Jack screaming, his voice cracking with rage. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

            The pain crested and slammed into me with enough force to shove the breath out of my lungs. I couldn’t hold back the scream as my body tensed, bearing down of its own accord.

            EMS or not, the baby was coming now.

***

            The crowd of people in the hallway scared the shit out of Jericho as he ran full tilt behind Santana. He heard Kat scream, and he started shoving people out of the way. He didn’t care who it was or where they ended up, only that they were between him and her.

            “Fucking move!” he shouted as he passed by Christopher Daniels. The other man slammed into the wall shoulder first, cursing under his breath as he watched Jericho race past.

            The backstage medical team was there. Tay held people back at the other end of the hallway. He barely recognized the rest of the Inner Circle standing there watching. Kat was on top of a road crate, leaning back against an absolutely terrified looking Tony Khan.

            Jericho wanted to roar at them all to get out of the way. To stop staring. To do something. He wanted them to disappear. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. This wasn’t right.

            “C’mon, Kit Kat,” Jack Perry said from her side. She had his hand in a white-knuckle grip. “Just breathe. Five minutes.”

            “I don’t have five minutes,” she growled back. “This baby is coming now!”

            Jericho barreled through the medical team to her side. Something inside him realized that it was a waste of precious time to try to get rid of Jack Perry. Instead, he took up the place opposite him. Kat’s face was flushed, sweat already beading on her hairline. She had nearly folded herself in half, teeth clenched, fear in her eyes. Oh fuck, he thought, this kid is going to be born in a hallway.

            “Where’s Chris?” she whined as she gasped for air. It seemed like a momentary reprieve from the pain.

            He finally reached her side and took her hand in his. “I’m right here, Kat.”

            His heart thumped against his ribs as he looked over her toward Jack Perry. “What happened?” His worry for Kat far outweighed his hatred for the younger man.

            “I just walked up, and she was leaning against the wall,” he said in a shaking voice. It suddenly dawned on Jericho how much fear clouded Jack’s eyes. “I ran to TK so they could get you. Then I came back here.”

            “Where’s the ambulance?” They almost always had one on standby backstage.

            Jack scowled. “On the way.”

            Before Jericho could say anything, Kat let out a wail of anguish through her clenched teeth.

            “Get ‘em off!” she ordered. It took him a moment to realize she meant her pants. He looked around, acutely aware of the crowd of people watching.

            He glanced between Tony and Jack. “Help me get her to the trainer’s room.”

            Kat thrashed in pain. “Get them off!” The words came out as a roar as she doubled over.

            As uncomfortable as it was, he complied. Between them, he and Jack were able to shield her from most of the prying eyes. Her wet underwear and pants were dropped to the floor. Jericho tried to figure out a way to hide her further but didn’t want to leave her long enough to find something. In a smooth motion that barely jostled Kat, Tony slipped off his jacket and draped it over her the best he could.

            “Towels. Sheets. Gear. I don’t care,” Tay shouted at Ortiz and Sammy, pointing over their shoulders toward the locker rooms. They stared at her in surprise. “Go! And fucking hurry!”

            Kat squeezed his hand so tightly that he lost feeling in his fingers. She gasped for breath and doubled over, drawing her knees up involuntarily. He looked beneath the jacket draped over her legs.

            “Jesus Christ,” he rasped. “I can see… Kat, she’s coming!”

***

            “Help me,” I moaned. I felt it, felt something happening that I knew I couldn’t stop. “Somebody help…”

            The worst pain I’d ever felt tore through me. It felt like my body would split in half. I couldn’t stop the scream that ripped from my throat as the pain and pressure peaked.

            “Catch…” I gasped, unable to control my body. “Catch her.”

            One of them disentangled their hand from mine. I didn’t know what to do but grip the side of the road case so hard that I thought I was going to break my fingers.

            And then, suddenly, the pain and pressure were gone. I gasped and choked for air as I slumped backward. I thumped against something warm. Someone. I tilted my head, blinking through sweat-blurred eyes to see Tony Khan sitting between me and the wall.

            “Hey boss,” I slurred with a faint smile. The relief of the pain seemed to make me drunk.

            “Kat,” Chris said, his awe-filled voice filtering into my brain. I felt his fingers brushing my hair back from my face. His forehead settled against my temple. “You’re amazing, Katarina Prince. Amazing. Look, sweetheart. Look.”

            I heard sirens in the distance. Blinking sweat from my eyes, I finally took stock of everything around me. People were still hovering at either end of the hallway. Sammy looked green as he held an armful of towels. Santana, Ortiz, and Tay worked to push everyone out of the way, shouting that they needed to make room for the EMS.

            My attention wavered for a fraction of a second. The sound of crying drew my attention. Jack stood between my knees with a blood-tinged towel wrapped around a bundle in his arms. A little fist waved in the air. Something caught in my chest.

            After all this time, our daughter was here. There was a new strange sensation of something still inside me—her umbilical cord probably—but I couldn’t make myself think of anything else. Even when a feeling of pressure started low in my stomach again.

            I held out my arms, not willing to delay holding my daughter any longer. Jericho reached up, his deft fingers undoing the buttons at the top of my AEW polo. He held the fabric open as Jack helped settle her against my chest. She was warm and slippery.

            She was perfect.

            The last thing I heard before exhaustion started to turn my senses funny was the sound of squeaking wheels and unfamiliar voices. And the echo of Jack Perry shouting.

            “Took you fucking long enough!”

________________________

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            I couldn’t help but smile back, even as his blue eyes found my anxious fingers toying with my necklace. He was in a t-shirt and jeans, but I could see the way his muscles had changed over the last few weeks. He’d been spending more time in the gym and had begged me to stop making pancakes for breakfast so often. He’d trimmed down and said he hadn’t felt this good in ages. He wouldn’t admit it, but I knew it was his way of managing his own worries about my impending labor. And I think it might have worried him that he was too old to be a father.

            He’d also grown a goatee that was an attractive mix of faint grey and sandy blond. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but now it made my knees go a little weak. And he knew it.

Chris came around the production table and slipped in behind my chair. His hands settled on my shoulders, fingers kneading firmly. After a few moments, my eyes drifted closed and my head leaned back against his stomach.

***

            Jericho noticed the way Kat’s fingers were toying with her necklace almost the moment he walked around the corner. He hated seeing her anxious. He knew it wasn’t good for either of them to be under so much stress, and he would have done absolutely anything to take it away from her. As he kneaded her shoulders gently, he felt some of the stress melt out of her. When her head fell back against him, he leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead. The tip of his nose bumped hers.

            “Are you okay?” he asked softly. There was so much tied into that word okay. He just wanted to bring her through this with a safe delivery and a healthy baby. The thought of losing either of them scared him shitless. That fear had manifested itself as a deep-seated worry that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with a kid. That Kat would realize that she could do so much better than him, that she could have someone younger.

            She let out a little hum and nodded. “Tired. My back hurts. Peanut’s really low. Right on my bladder.”

            He settled his hand on the curve of her belly and felt a strong, stretching kick against his palm. “Not happy right now, huh?”

            Jericho would never be able to explain what it was like to feel his child moving in Kat’s womb. It made his heart turn over in his chest in a way that stole his breath. It was a rush of protectiveness and love and overwhelming terror that he would fail at being a father. The closer it came toward the baby’s due date, the more he couldn’t bring himself to let Kat out of his sight. Being at work was painful since there were times when he didn’t know where she was or what she was doing.

            “I think Peanut’s getting restless,” Kat replied with a faint smile. “And so am I’m as big as a house.”

***

            “You’re beautiful,” Chris said indulgently. He pressed a kiss against the tip of my nose and straightened up. “I’ve got to get ready for my match. Do you need anything?”

            I smiled and tried to wiggle my feet back into my shoes. “Give me just a minute.”

            “Hell no,” he replied, pressing down gently on my shoulders. “You stay right here. I’m a grown man, Kat. I’ve been getting ready for wrestling matches on my own for thirty years. I think I can do it this time.”

            I rolled my eyes playfully and gave him an indulgent grin. “Of course you can.”

            He gave me a dramatic, exaggerated scowl and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, I let out an oof as the baby moved funny, stretching upward in a way that caught my breath. A flash of worry rushed over his features as Chris sank into a crouch beside me, his hand curling protectively over my belly.

            “Kat? Kat, what’s wrong?” The terror in his voice was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I closed them and forced myself to take a slow, deep breath.

            “Yeah,” I said, reaching for his hand. Chris wrapped his calloused fingers around mine and squeezed gently. “Peanut just kicked me in the fucking liver.”

            “Tony,” Chris said, worry bleeding over the terror in his voice. “Cancel my match.”

            I glanced quickly between them and huffed. “Like hell he will. Go get ready. You’re on in twenty,” I replied, glancing at the run of show taped up by Tony’s monitor. “Go!”

            For a moment, I thought he was going to argue. My brow lifted in challenge even as I steeled myself against the ache that throbbed in my lower back. That kick had radiated down my spine. If I let him see I was in any kind of discomfort, he’d have me on a plane back to Odessa before I could blink.

            He stood up and something crackled in his eyes. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it made me shiver all the same. “We’ll talk about this later, Katarina.”

***

            That woman will be the death of me, Jericho thought as he laced up his boots in the Inner Circle locker room. He’d never been this stressed out in his life. Thinking straight was nearly impossible, his entire attention focused on Kat, and he knew that no matter how hard he tried that he’d be off in the ring. As much as he hated it, he was going to have to rely on Orange Cassidy to get him through the match.

            Jericho shrugged into his jacket and picked up Floyd. A memory slammed so hard into his chest that it knocked the wind out of him. It nearly knocked him off his feet. Kat, dark hair in a ponytail trailing over her shoulder, coming toward him in the back hallway of Daily’s Place with a tray of coffees balanced in one hand and the other holding Floyd propped against her shoulder. He could still hear the first words she said to him echoing in his brain. Those fateful words that changed his entire world. Hello, Mr. Jericho. I’m Kat Prince.

            She was innocent and sweet with her easy laugh and disarming smile. The more he let himself dwell on the memory, the clearer it became. So clear that he couldn’t deny it any longer. He’d belonged to Kat Prince from the moment he’d met her. He’d just been far too stupid to realize it at the beginning.

            The next thing Jericho knew, Judas was spilling through the arena speakers, and he was halfway down the tunnel toward the ring.

***

            I rubbed my palm slowly over my belly as I watched Chris head out to the ring. The ache had settled low in my abdomen now as well, and I had the uncomfortable feeling that I had to go to the bathroom. I massaged the bottom of my belly to alleviate the throbbing pain. At times it was enough to make my breath catch.

            I focused on the monitors, watching Chris and Cassidy exchange chops. It didn’t matter how many times I’d seen him in the ring, I was always astounded and mesmerized by the way he moved. Like he didn’t have to think about it. It just happened and it was beautiful.

            “Oh!” Suddenly the ache gave way to something that felt like a faint pulling. The sensation hovered there for a moment before changing once again. The only way to describe it is a pop followed by the feeling that I’d wet myself. “Oh!”

            Tony turned toward me. “Kat? Are you okay?”

            Sitting down was suddenly the most uncomfortable thing in the world. I stood up, feeling something wet running down the inside of my legs. Embarrassment raced through me as I tried to shuffle away from the production table. I didn’t wait to put my shoes back on. I just started waddling toward the bathroom with my thighs clenched together. There was no ignoring the humiliating feeling of a wet spot on the back of my pants.

            “Kat?” Tony called after me.

            One hand curved around the bottom of my belly, I waved over my shoulder with the other. “I’m good.”

            Walking made the ache in my back spasm around my belly until I could barely breathe. I could see the bathroom halfway down the hallway, but it felt like it kept getting further and further away. My head started spinning, and I stopped to press my forehead against the wall. The pain spiked for a moment then started to trail off. There was still something wet running down my thighs. The baby stretched.

            “Kat?” I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see the last person I wanted to deal with just then. Jack was dressed for the ring with his hair down and one of his wrist wraps dangling from his fingers. “Are you okay?”

            I opened my mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a low wailing moan. I clutched at my stomach, gasping for breath in the aftermath of the spike of discomfort. “Jack… get… get…”

            Without a word, Jack closed the space between us and took me by the arm. He guided me to a road crate and made sure that I was steady before he took off at a run toward production and Tony. I could hear him swearing under his breath as he went.

***

            Jericho was definitely off his game. He’d botched the Lionsault and nearly missed a kickout. His head wasn’t in it. He was at the end of his rope as he landed flat on his back from a lariat from Cassidy. The younger man fell into the pin and hooked his legs. Aubrey slid into place for the count and whispered something that made him feel like he was going to be sick.

            “Eat the pin,” she hissed. “You need to get backstage. It’s Kat.”

            “Shit,” he hissed back. “What is it?”

            “Labor.”

            Jericho nearly choked as Aubrey hit the mat for the third time. The bell rang. He rolled out of the ring and bolted, not caring that it was absolutely out of character.

___________________________________

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