Okay, final chapter in this particular story for this couple but I hope you like this ending because personally I really liked the way it turned out. As ever, thank you for those who have followed this story. Every time I write another Dean and Lauren I wonder if people are going to get sick of them, so having people as invested in them as me makes me super happy! New story coming soon!

Skovko, Yep, angry post-nearly-wedding-sex is evidently the best kind for these two and I mean, they could hardly let that empty locker room go to waste! As ever my lovely, thank you for reviewing and keeping up with this weird girl that I write about and her angry wrestler fiancé!

Mandy, Haha, I'm sorry I didn't add you in as a random fan that jumps from the audience and marries Seth on the spot! Next time! Thank you as ever for reviewing and loving this couple so much! More stories on them to come, I promise. I has ideas!

Minnie1015, Lauren and Dean sweetness cavities are the best kind though right? Not going to say anything about your guess, but you might wanna get back to me at the end of the chapter…oh who am I kidding, I know you will! Thanks you for always reviewing. You know you rock right?

Wolfgirl2013, Yeah, weddings have historically not turned out too well in this story have they? Lol. Still hopefully you'll like this final chapter I've got for you. I feel like maybe this has been a long time coming. Also, thank you so much for your reviews.

xXBalorBabeXx, Ah but that's the beauty of being the owner of the company. Nobody is chasing Vince down to do mean things to him, so he will probably just keep on swaggering around the halls with that crazy walk of his! So glad you were back for this one, thank you for reviewing!

Labinnacslove, Hmmmm, maybe? Don't want to give anything away, so as ever you're gonna have to read to find out! Super happy to have you back on board for the ride with this one. Thank you soooo much for your reviews. Hopefully I'll see you at the next one!

Okay then, for the last time on this one…

If It's Meant To Be

For the most part the locations for the weekly live tapings were so far flung it meant hopping on a plane and schlepping from terminal to terminal like zombies while towing our badly packed worldly belongings in our wake. It was an element of the traveling life that I had never been sold on since my relationship with flying was still sketchy at best and usually required me having cling onto someone throughout the taking off and landing processes –

Dean normally.

In fact more than once I had held his hand so forcefully that I had actually pressed in red little fingernail marks and which he had then tried to pretend he hadn't even noticed because he was a big tough wrestler and his species shunned signs of hurt.

Roar. Me wrestler. Pain is for puny humans.

Maybe he simply liked me making it up to him later on?

Fortunately however the night after my almost marriage the hectic traveling schedule actually lucked out on us for once, because instead of having to trail halfway across the country and haul ass through security checks the venues were only six hours apart and so the three of us folded happily back into our rental and hit the road in style with the windows rolled down.

In spite of my having been a literal syllable away from have become Mrs. Orton twelve hours before, the sun was out and it was a beautiful morning with the sort of warm breeze that blew hot through long hair and chased out the residuals of fear and frustration to replace them with feelings that at times bordered on content.

I shut my eyes and hummed a happy note out as it flooded through the window,

"What's the deal with Seth?"

"Huh?"

It was Roman who fired the pivotal question from his position up in front with his broad hands tight on the wheel, or one of them at least since his left elbow was on the doorframe in the quintessential pose of a man at one with his vehicle.

Dean growled back tersely,

"Same deal as always, once a dick weasel always one y' know? I mean, you saw him out there last night when they were tryin' to pull their bullshit."

Roman sighed,

"I saw him try to stop them getting hitched."

His big brown eyes rose up into the rear view and then quickly caught mine in measures of concern, like he wasn't too sure how I was feeling about the whole thing, but which I couldn't really help with because I wasn't too sure. How was anyone supposed to wrap their heads around being tricked into pulling on an actual wedding gown and then being hauled in front of millions of viewers by their father to be made to marry a man who had no concept of consent? If I was totally honest then I felt numb about it as if it had happened to somebody else or like I had dreamt it in some horrible nightmare and then woken up thinking ooh, that was weird.

I shrugged in response.

Dean however was far more vocal as he threw a grouchy snort out and then shuffled his big frame back so that he could lift his feet up onto the dashboard in a lazy sort of slump that sat at odds with the way he felt.

"So? He still knew they were gonna pull that shit show but did he give us a heads' up about it? Nope. Not even a fuckin' hint. He let them grab her an' get her dressed up an' drag her out there so if you think I should be – like – grateful to him or somethin' then I got news for ya man, that ship has long fuckin' set sail. Dick weasel, nothin' more an' nothin' less to say about him."

Roman blew a fond little snort out,

"Okay then."

But regardless of how my fiancé felt about it, both the bigger man and I knew that he had raised a key point because like it or not Seth had stopped the preacher from uttering the words that would have sealed the whole thing and so therefore had saved me from the black void of a hellscape where Randy and I would have been legally man and wife.

"Ick," I shuddered and involuntarily heaved the word out and blue eyes spun towards me,

"Princess? You alright?"

"Um, I was just thinking."

"Let me take a fuckin' guess about what," Dean rumbled back before twisting a hand through and laying it over my kneecap with a squeeze, "We gotcha baby an' m' not gonna let 'em get to you, I promise okay? I'm gonna keep you safe."

"How?"

It wasn't that I was mistrustful of his sentiments, because if I had learnt anything over the near twelve months I had been with him, then it was that he always but always came through for me. However much like the Wyatts our foe seemed too wily and whereas when we had been facing the bayou monsters it had at least been sort of a three-on-three, suddenly our team had shrunk to only he and Roman while our enemy numbered four and possibly even Vince. Not that I actually believed for one second that the company boss thought Randy and I were meant to be, but he was absolutely hung up on his ratings and so whatever created hot spots I knew he would push to the nth degree. Me being kidnapped repeatedly was good for business and so how I felt about it wasn't something that he took in.

Dean tensed his hand,

"I'll fuckin' think up a solution or somethin' okay?"

"We should just do what you said," I responded sort of absently as I tangled up our fingers and then turned them over to rub his calloused knuckles with my thumb, "You know? Run off and get married and not tell anyone so that way they can't burst in and try to mess things up."

Dean blinked,

"Uh – ,"

Oh good god.

I had frightened him and so I quickly hurried to make it right before he could realize that he no longer wanted to marry me and that actually he was more of a bachelor-type man.

"I'm kidding it's okay, I know we can't do that."

His fingers tightened again and I took that as thanks and so went back to lazily looking out through the window as we slid past cornfields that reminded me of home and let the bright sun warm my poor numbed features and make me feel at one with the world. In front of me I could hear Dean and Roman still talking and their familiar low tones made me further relax and I eventually dozed off to their background of grumbling and Creedence Clearwater Revival lilting softly beyond that.

Dean woke me up again about an hour later,

"Princess?"

"Huh?"

I came to with a start pretty much expecting to be looking at a preacher and feeling somebody holding onto my arms which in my sleep fogged state I thought was likely Randy or somebody else I wouldn't want and so I squeaked a little and then tried to twist out of it before relaxing in an instant as lips ghosted across mine,

"Whoa, it's just me baby."

"Oh – um – I knew that."

Dean snorted a little and then raised his scruffy brows so that the blue eyes sparkled back at me both wry and non-believing as I pretended pretty badly that I hadn't been fast asleep. He was hanging so close to me that for the first several seconds I assumed that he had clambered in to join me on the backseat but as a breeze blew in from somewhere behind him, I realized that the rental had finally stopped and that he was leaning himself in through the open rear doorway.

I kissed him for no other reason than I could do,

"I love you,"

"We've stopped for gas, but there's somethin' you gotta see."

It wasn't exactly the response I had expected considering that I had literally just declared my love, but since his eyes were shining so brightly I sat up a little and clipped off my belt, letting him take my hand and guide me from the vehicle and out to the glamorous sight of a gas pump.

I blinked,

"Oh, wow it's – it's really lovely."

Dean snorted and then turned me around bodily,

"Not that, that."

Following the semi-amused point of his fingers I turned from the pumping station and back towards the road which was a busy two-laned and fast flowing piece of asphalt but no more or less inspiring than what I had just been looking at.

"Um – ,"

Luckily however before I could say that I realized his finger was pitched at something beyond and so focussed my eyes on a big white building stood opposite with a pediment and columns and an impressive looking domed top which stood out amongst the sprawl of the modern day metropolis on accounts of its being both pretty and old. Dean swept in behind me and clamped his hands around my stomach before leaning in to use the curve of my neck as a headrest and it made his low register vibrate clean through me as he mumbled his next sentence,

"It's the local courthouse."

"Oh that makes sense, I mean, it's far too nice to be a fast food place or something although the way things are going I guess it's only a matter of time."

It was about as political as I tended to get on things, but I had always felt passionately about the history of the land and so launched right into my one-woman-monologue rather than trying to fathom why he was pointing it out and so therefore was caught by complete surprise by his rejoinder which was delivered with a grin that I could hear but not see.

"Wanna go file us a marriage license Princess?"

"I – sorry, what?"

"I mean, since we're here an' everythin'."

In response I spun around towards him feeling breathless and almost drove my shoulder clean into his throat which he managed to avoid since his reflexes were speedy from having spent his career trying to duck and weave hits.

"Are you – is this you playing a prank on me? Because if it is then it's not very funny you know. People shouldn't tease about certain things with women and I'm pretty sure that anything wedding related is one, besides any jokes about sleeping with mothers or sisters which – well – in my case probably won't be an issue for the most part, unless Steph and Hunter end up having a baby, but then she would be really young and so that would kind of be ick."

Dean flicked my nose to stop me from talking like a seven year old boy trying to impress a girl he liked and I jolted a little but at least shut up successfully which was clearly his intention.

He offered up a shrug,

"Hey, this was your idea, you said earlier we should do it an' – ,"

"But only because you said it last night."

"So what you're sayin' here Princess is that you don't wanna do this?"

I blinked at him in a panic,

"What? No."

Because the last thing I wanted was him thinking I'd changed my mind on him, which honestly would never have happened in a million years since no way would I have been mad enough to let go of the best thing I had ever had in my bizarre little world. Luckily however he already knew that since he was grinning at me teasingly,

"So then what's the problem here? I mean, it's only a licence right? Doesn't mean we have to get hitched or anythin' because I'm pretty sure we get – like – a year or somethin' to do that."

"But do you want to get married today?"

Dean looked at me and then reached his hand across and tweaked out my lip, which I realized that I had begun to bite pretty hard on in my state of heady panic.

"I'll marry you any fuckin' time."

He stepped in closer and then pressed our lips together while at the same time moving his hand hold to my sides and in particular where my body curved above my hip bones as I leaned into him and pillowed my breasts against his front. It wasn't a heated kiss like we had exchanged in a frenzy the previous night but was calculated instead to cool me off and center my headspace back firmly in the real world which it succeeded through being soft and beautiful and chaste. Mostly when I kissed Dean it made me want to melt into him and somehow become a literal part of who he was and happily the contact by the gap pumps was no exception since it sent me weak-kneed and made me realize something else.

"I want to marry you," I whispered as we parted but kept our heads pressed together,

"I know."

"No, today."

For a second he simply blinked back and frowned a little, to the point where I could feel his soft little lashes flickering up and down and briefly tangling in my own. He seemed a little hesitant which was by no means a normal Dean thing and his voice was so grumbly it hardly made sense.

"Y' sure Princess?"

"Uh huh, I'm positive, I want to be with you – officially – right now."

He beamed back suddenly and then kissed me with more passion and childlike rambunctiousness than I had ever known from him and it made me laugh as he threw in his teasing mwah noise and then broke off to pepper smooches right across my face, planting them on me like a blitz attack of kisses until every part of my head was buzzing with love and I was squirming as they ghosted me and tickled and sent my spirits soaring because it simply felt so right.

Roman wandered out from the gas station frowning and holding three bottles of coke with potato chips and sandwiches in his hand too,

"Uh, what am I missing here?"

I giggled,

"We're getting married."

"Uh huh, yeah I know that."

Dean waved a hand across the road as he kept on kissing me in obvious enjoyment at my protesting little squeals and then stopped long enough to fill in the gaps for our bewilderedly blinking brother,

"Like now man, over there."

His brown eyes followed the pointing finger like I had done but clued in a lot faster to what was being said, because he coughed in surprise but then grinned like an idiot as he looked back at us,

"Damn uce, congrats man."

Roman crossed the distance towards us speedily and then took his teammate and brother by the hand before pumping it up and down with manly enthusiasm while clapping him solidly over the back in a one-armed hug. It was nice that someone was completely ecstatic for us since there were few enough people beyond him who would have been and in which I included my turncoat of a father who had practically thrown me onto that path. I wondered briefly how my mother-in-law would take it, because she had already been pissy about the engagement being under wraps. Possibly missing the big day itself would fire her up again which wasn't the best of ways for us to start our married life.

Mother-in-law.

Mother.

Ouch.

It stuck in my gullet as I remember pretty starkly that my own mom would not be there and I lifted a hand to unconsciously rub at the pendant that Dean had made me for Christmas but which had previously been hers. Knowing she wouldn't be there in person killed me and I bit back a sob that was suddenly keen to slip out because god if I wasn't still angry about it and why it had been my mom who had been taken so young.

"Ugh – ,"

"I know," Dean murmured back from out of nowhere, removing my hand from where it was fondling the chain and then holding my fingers to stop them from twitching, "I know okay? It isn't fuckin' fair."

"I miss her so much."

"We don't have to do this, I mean, if you wanna get hitched in your hometown or some shit – ,"

I shook my head,

"But she won't be there either and – ," I blew a steadying breath out, "I want to get married right here and right now, I want to be able to walk through gorilla with my head held high tonight and a big ring on my hand, I want everyone in the world to know you got me and that I got you."

He kissed me,

"Fuckin' amen to that."

Roman was still stood off to one side of us, watching in the soothing big brother way that he had, letting us come to our own natural conclusion before quirking his lips a little.

"So are we doing this baby girl? Because I got your limo right here," He swept his big hands out and flamboyantly indicated our trusty rental car before tugging down his shirt like he was neatening up his uniform and then even tipping an imaginary hat.

I grinned and then made my decision,

"Yep, we're doing it."

In response he popped my door and helped me into the car and I sat back against the seat and then internally screamed a little because we were actually doing it and the whole thing felt right. I had meant what I'd said when I had shunned a big wedding but it had only been partly because my father had ruined the thought. I had also turned against it because I had never been able to fully picture Dean in a suit with groomsmen or in a church. No matter how many times I had envisaged our nuptials I had never been able to make him really fit since I had wanted our wedding to be a reflection of both of us but country clubs and ballrooms were in no way his thing. What his thing was however was standing in a courthouse in his jeans and a baseball cap looking comfortable and super hot and so that was why it felt like we were making the right decision.

Location wasn't important as long as we had love.

Never before having filed for a wedding license I was kind of surprised by how speedy the entire process was and also hugely thankful for our nomadic sort of lifestyle meaning that we had passports and identification to hand. In the end it was simply a matter of signing papers, proving that we were us then paying the seventy dollar free.

From there we had our marriage license –

Hey presto.

Dean had looked up at me,

"Still time to back out of this, I mean, we could can this one and have the ceremony back in your hometown or my hometown because you know how nice that is."

"Funny."

But no, I had still wanted to do it and so as Roman and Dean had gone off to check for openings on the basis that the courthouse would be rammed with newlyweds, I had slid into the bathroom to freshen up and put in an emergency call to my best friend who was the only other person that I wished could have been there. I skipped the telephone and instead went straight to FaceTime.

"Hey Laurie are you – are you calling me from a bathroom?"

"Um, yep, I'm in the courthouse."

"Has Dean been arrested?"

I blinked in confusion that her mind would go there and then remembered how much he had pummelled at Randy and how reckless he could be in general and figured that it made sense.

"Not exactly."

Kelly was sitting at her big kitchen table with my godson Roger bouncing merrily on her knee and looking even bigger than he had the last time I had seen him which hardly seemed possible since he had been pretty huge back then. It was seriously like the kid had a bicycle pump in him that kept him inflated in a happy baby sort of a way. I was still working on that image when Kelly gasped at me and so loudly that I very nearly let go of my phone.

"Oh my god, you're getting married?!"

I nodded,

"Uh huh, but please don't be mad."

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because we're doing it without you and Brent here and because I'm denying you the whole maid of honor thing and because we're not going to sip champagne in a dress shop and get the chance to cry because I've found the right dress or have a bachelorette party or – ,"

Kelly interrupted me,

"Laurie sweetie, breathe for me here,"

"Um, okay."

I took a few gulps of oxygen as requested and was pleased to find that I calmed back down, because Kelly being mad at me had been the one hiccup that I had felt could possibly derail our plans and so the fact she wasn't was hugely relieving or at least she didn't seem to be.

"Is this what you want honey?"

I nodded emphatically,

"More than anything."

"Then I'm behind you all the way and honestly, bachelorette parties are not my favorite thing ever and I think we both know you would have hated it too, plus there are a million other milestones we can bawl about, like your first anniversary or baby so don't you worry about that."

Her eyes were gazing back firmly through the phone screen, being careful to reassure me with every last word and I sniffed a little and then threw a crooked grin at her,

"You're the best friend ever, you know that right?"

"Damn right I do, but forget about me what are you going to wear for it?"

I spent the next ten minutes running her through my traveling clothes as she helped me to pick my best long white shirt dress with the sheer overlay around the neck which made it feminine and then the singular pair of heels I had that weren't actually boots. For some unknown reason I had saved the flower garland that Stephanie had pressed onto my head the night before, mainly because the thing was delicate and pretty and so had therefore deserved a better showing than it had got. My plan had been to maybe display the thing somewhere, but with Kelly's approval, I put it over my hair, which I kept long and flowing in a flip at my stepmother who had instead chosen to twist my long locks up.

Roman tapped awkwardly on the door,

"Uh, baby girl?"

"Is everything okay?"

"If you're quick they can squeeze you guys in right now."

Breath billowed out of me in a rush of excitement but also anticipation and a teensy bit of fear,

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"Um, in that case I'm all ready."

I stepped out from round the corner and then grinned in sheer fondness at the single finger holding back the only fractionally open door as Roman adhered to the age old tradition of men not setting foot inside the ladies' bathroom but which was totally shy-seeming and super cute. I reached out and pulled it wider before biting my lip bashfully and then shrugging massively awkwardly,

"Ta-da."

He exhaled heavily,

"Baby girl you look beautiful."

"Even without a proper dress and flowers and – ,"

Roman pulled me closer in a sudden brotherly type hug and I nuzzled myself into his broad chest fondly before folding my arms in tight because I loved him so much and was so incredibly grateful for his being there and for never once having let us down. In the moment it made me miss Seth pretty keenly but at least there was now the hope that someday he might come back and that the feelings he had held for us were not totally broken since he had saved me from something terrible and so had therefore saved Dean as well.

Kelly broke the moment by screaming suddenly,

"Brent, get down here, Laurie and Dean are getting hitched."

Roman snorted and it made my hair ruffle but I pulled myself away from him grinning as well, because somehow all the people I cared about in life were there, either physically or technologically.

It had worked out pretty well.

Panting noises alerted us to Brent arriving on the phone screen, wearing only a shirt, boxers and a black pair of socks and clearly having been interrupted in the middle of getting ready for what he had probably assumed was another standard day of work.

"What did you just say? Lauren and Dean are – ," Brent stopped as he noticed me peering back at him from inside the screen of his wife's rose pink cell and blinked a little before waggling his fingers and grinning a little, "Um, hey, ignore the clothes."

Kelly was more succinct,

"Go get your man Laurie, we'll be watching, we love you girl."

Blowing them a kiss I handed the phone to Roman and then took my final fortifying breath, before heading over the threshold and turning towards the lobby feeling hazy and pumped up and sort of trancelike all in one.

I was getting married?

I was getting married.

My stupor lasted right through Roman leading me up the staircase onto the second floor of the big historic haunt being careful to keep holding up my live streaming cell phone in his brand new unofficial photography and video capacity as well as he turned the handle of a pair of big doors and then nodded me through with a warm looking grin,

"I'm real crazy proud of the both of you baby girl and before you do this, I just want to say thank you for making my brother so happy this last year and for loving him so much."

"Aww, thank you for being our brother."

He kissed my forehead,

"Always gonna be too."

Moving across the threshold two faces looked up at us from somewhere across the far side of the room, which was actually pretty nice and surrounded by elegantly carved woodwork that I figured was likely lost on the usual clientele since the room was laid out exactly like on Judge Judy so therefore was probably more used to neighbor disputes. Both of the figures in front turned to look at me but there was only one person that I cared for of the two and the look on his face made me involuntarily bite my lip hard because I couldn't believe that he was going to be mine.

Ugh.

Dean was wearing the same blue pants he'd been in earlier but he had switched into a plain black round neck top which made his muscles bulge tantalizingly against the threads of it and he had tousled his fingers through his hair at some point too which hadn't exactly made it look any neater but had fluffed his bangs up into an adorable nest. His blue eyes blinked over at me a couple of times in amazement and then softened at the corners as a crooked smile crossed his lips and I took it to mean that he was on board with my outfit and was as happy to see me as I was to see him.

Roman stopped me as I went to walk towards him,

"Whoa, hold up."

He put out his elbow and my heart almost exploded as I threaded my arm through, because while the big man wasn't my father he was better than that and we all knew it as well.

Kelly sniffed loudly,

"Oh god he's so perfect,"

"Honey," Brent hissed, "He can hear you."

"I know."

Beaming broadly and very nearly trotting I was so madly keen to get to where he was, I reached Dean breathless and giggling like an idiot with my face feeling tingly and likely bright red from the happy buzz. In turn he looked me up and down appraisingly and with a lopsided expression as he fought back a grin and then he tweaked at the folds of my shirt dress a little before growling at me,

"How did you know this was – like – my all-time favorite dress you own?"

"It is?"

"Uh huh," Dean let it go again somewhat reluctantly and then moved his hand towards my neck whereupon he began to hunt beneath the collar before catching up my necklace and pulling it out.

Mom.

I heaved a breath in then looked up tearily but it wasn't so much sad as a million things in one and knowing it he rearranged the pendent above my buttons making sure it was visible like he wanted my mom to see.

"Ready Princess?" Dean asked and I nodded and then seized his hand up to underline that fact only instead of answering I let out a snort noise, which was hardly the most romantic sounding reaction but which made him grin and tug me forward nevertheless, "Then let's fuckin' do this."

He roughly kissed my nose tip and then pulled me towards where the waiting officiant was and I was faced by a middle aged woman with a bowl haircut who smiled at me with kind motherly eyes. Roman moved in to stand close beside us holding up Kelly and Roger and Brent in one hand, while the other held his own shucked off wedding band and a twisted hair tie which I gathered were going to be our temporary rings. Dean saw me looking and whispered into my ear gruffly,

"First thing tomorrow baby, we'll get the real thing okay?"

I teased his hair through my fingers,

"Doesn't matter, as long as we're married I honestly don't care."

My heart was in my throat as he stepped back and looked at me, holding my hands in his rough calloused palms and both of us feeling unusually nervous but only in the very very best kind of sense because the biggest adventure was still to come and after everything we had been through and everything that had been done to us, we were still together and deeper than ever in love. My best friend was looking on and so was my brother and I knew my mother was somewhere too and it put a fire in my soul since I had ended up right in the place where I was meant to be.

I mouthed I love you at Dean and then suppressed a giggle as the officiant started with the words that would change our lives and that I had heard once already but which felt so much more perfect the second time around.

"Dearly beloved – ,"

Lauren Ambrose.

Holy crap I liked the sound of that.

Ta-da! They're married! Which they never would have been if you guys hadn't kept on reading about them, so again, THANK YOU!

Next story will feature Dean and a brand new Lauren Ambrose! It's going to be called Love You To Death and will be coming sometime in September, so look out for that!