Catelin had been so good, extra good the rest of the evening, but as the next morning started, she found it harder to stay away. She paced around close to Bray's room, trying to be as silent as possible but nothing ever escaped his attention.
"Come in here, child," he called.
She moved to the doorway, hands locked together in front of her, trying to give off as much child-like and innocent vibe as possible.
"What is it?" He asked.
She bit her lip and took a step into his room.
"It's just..." She sighed as she worked up the courage. "Can I come tonight?"
"You wanna come tonight?" He chuckled. "Why would you wanna do that?"
She moved fast towards him, dropping down to her knees next to him, groveling at his feet like an obedient follower.
"You always say to follow the light and drive out our demons and I've been so wrong, father, so very wrong. I need to be there to drive him out completely, to show him I'm so much stronger than him," she said before going into begging pitiably. "Please, father, I need to do this. I need to be there."
He hummed lowly as he started stroking over her head. She stayed on her knees with her head bowed, knowing better than to do or say anything else until he would speak.
"You have been good all week," he said.
"I'll be even better next week," she said.
"I believe you truly repent what you did and I agree that you need to drive him out for good," he said. "Sure, child, you can come."
"Thank you, father," she said.
She reached for his hand and kissed it before getting back up and leaving his room. Her stomach turned and she felt clammy all over so she just hurried away before he would notice. He had given his permission. She was gonna try and stay invisible until it was time to leave so she wouldn't accidently give him any reason to change his mind.
"Dean, you're fucking crazy," Roman sighed for the umpteenth time.
"Still not gonna change my mind," Dean said.
"She better be fucking worth it because I ain't losing you out there tonight," Roman said.
"She's worth it," Dean looked at his friend. "Come on, Roman, I'm not gonna put my life on the line for a good fuck. I want her. Not just now but for good."
"I know," Roman sighed. "I know what you're doing is right but I can't help being scared, alright?"
"Me neither," Seth piped in.
"You can always come join in. Death matches don't have any rules but you might not make it out alive," Dean said.
"We'll be close," Seth grinned.
"Just remember that so will Luke and Erick," Roman said.
"Doesn't matter. As soon as Bray or I go down, the match it over. It won't matter if there's fifty people out there by then. Only his or my life goes," Dean said.
Dean was the first to enter. Before even getting into the ring, he pulled out a table from under it and set it up. He hadn't been in a death match for years but back in the days, back when the beast inside him ruled over the man, he was in his fair share of them, always coming out on top. He only needed to come out on top this time too and the beast inside him was more than ready to be unleashed.
Bray's music hit and Dean looked up the ramp. He wasn't sure what to feel when he saw her walk next to Bray, dressed in a knee long, white dress as usual, looking so fucking innocent that it almost killed him inside. She shouldn't be there and still she should be there. He wanted to see her, to make sure he could take her away right after the match, and yet it was dangerous having her out there. He let out a small sigh of relief as Bray walked her over to sit by the commentator table. That was one table Dean wouldn't be using to put Bray through. Any other table though but not that one. She needed to be kept safe.
"You got no business going up against a god," Bray mocked Dean as he entered the ring.
"Once I'm done with you, they'll all see you for the pathetic human you are," Dean spat back.
The bell rang and the two men wasted no time in jumping each other and starting to rain down punches. None of them wanted to back down or go down first and it was a straight up brawl from the beginning.
She watched nervously from behind the commentator table while she was almost chewing her lip open. She didn't know what to do or how to act. She knew who she wanted to win, who she wanted to be with, but if the outcome was that he would lose, she still had to make Bray believe she was still following blindly. If she didn't, he would do way worse than he had done that dark night in the basement.
A loud crack was heard as Bray went through the table Dean had set up before the match. While Bray was rolling around on the ground, trying to catch his breath, Dean spent the precious moments setting up two more tables. He yanked Bray up by the hair just to slam him down through the next one. Once again he grabbed his hair and sent him through the third one.
He leaned against the apron, heaving after his own breath. He looked at her and pointed at her. No words were needed. She knew what he was trying to get across. She gave him a smile but then her face suddenly turned scared. Too late he realized Bray was back up and he found himself being thrown hard into the stairs.
"I am a god!" Bray shouted.
"You're fucking dead!" Dean growled.
He started pushing himself up, refusing to bow down and give up in any way. Bray grabbed him and rolled him under the bottom rope and back into the ring. A weird sound followed, almost a kind of sibilating sound although it wasn't a human sound. Something went through the air and the moment the pain shot through his back, he knew Bray had a kendo stick with him in the ring.
"Why do you keep fighting, Dean? Look at her!" Bray held out a hand towards the commentator table. "She's here with me and she'll leave with me! She's my child!"
"She's mine!" Dean shouted.
He tried pushing himself up again but he was sent straight back down with another hit from the kendo stick. He blinked the tears away from his eyes and noticed two people coming down the ramp. He knew he was in trouble. He wouldn't make it against all three of them. At the same time something big and black sprinted up the ramp, taking down both men with a spear.
"Roman," Dean whispered and smiled.
"What the...?" Bray started.
He never got to finish the sentence as Seth jumped from the top rope to land a perfectly placed knee on Bray's face. Bray stumpled to his knees while Seth bounched off the ropes and ran in with a curb stomp. A hand dangled in front of Dean's face and he grabbed it, allowing Seth to pull him up.
"You got this?" Seth asked.
"Yeah," Dean answered.
"Good. Roman needs me," Seth said.
He jumped out of the ring and disappeared up the ramp to help Roman keep Luke and Erick as far away from the ring as possible. Dean scrambled towards the ropes, leaning over them while looking down at her. She sat there, all scared and worried about him, and he didn't wanna let her down. He saw her lips move, her mouth form his name, and he knew he had messed up. He was grabbed by the hair and slammed down hard on his back. Bray jumped him right away, raining down punch after punch. From Dean's blurry vision he saw Catelin move away from the commentator table and towards the ring.
"No," he whispered. "No, Catelin, don't come close."
She ducked down and disappeared completely from his sight and his mind struggled to keep up with what was going on. He tried concentrating on Bray, defending himself and fighting back and he managed to push Bray off him.
"Catelin?" He asked as he grabbed the middle rope to yank himself up.
"You can't have her!" Bray shouted.
Once again his attention was forced back to Bray as the fight continued. She suddenly appeared again behind Bray, slowly moving up the stairs in that corner with something in her hand. Dean didn't have time to figure out what it was or what she was planning. The ring wasn't a safe zone for her.
"Stay out!" He shouted.
He tried running past Bray to get to her, to make her move down again, but again Bray was fast, grabbing Dean and bending him backwards over his knee.
"Oh Dean, so close," Bray chuckled.
He kissed Dean's forhead and swung him around so he hit face first down in the mat. Dean tried focusing, he tried moving, he tried telling his mind and body to work together and just do something, but he couldn't move. It hurt too much. He couldn't even speak. All he could do was feel. Feel the pain going through his body and the fear running through his mind. Not the fear of dying but the fear of her being inside the ring.
Bray crawled towards him with a grin on his face and he saw white appearing from behind Bray. She lifted her hands slowly and Dean blinked to focus, finally noticing that out of all the things in the world she held on to Triple H's sledgehammer. Dean channeled the beast one final time, using the last of his strength to grab Bray and pull him down close to his face.
"I warned you, Bray! You're a fucking dead man!" He sneered.
He stretched his arms fully, pushing Bray up, watching as she swung the sledgehammer with all the force inside her down on Bray's back. Bray's face turned into one of pure pain and Dean pushed him down next to him.
"Catelin!" He said.
He jumped up as fast as he could and grabbed the sledgehammer from her hand.
"Get out!" He barked.
She wasn't fast enough. Bray was up again, somehow managing to fight through the pain, running over to lock his arms around her body and holding her in front of him like a shield.
"Swing it! I dare you!" He shouted mockingly.
"Dean," she looked at him scared.
"Fuck!" Dean muttered.
"Swing it at her or let it go and let me take it," Bray said. "Make a decision, Dean. Is her life more important than yours?"
She watched as he loosened the grip on the sledgehammer although not completely letting go.
"Don't drop it, Dean," she looked at him with begging eyes. "Just do it. Don't make me go back with him."
His mouth dropped open. His angel, his fucking innocent and precious, little angel was begging him to kill her. He couldn't do it. He wouldn't do it.
"What's it gonna be, Dean?" Bray laughed.
As a godsend, Roman's roar reached them all. All three of them turned their heads to see him and Seth running down the ramp, leaving the unconscious bodies of Luke and Erick behind.
Bray forgot what he was doing as fear crept up on him and he loosened his grip just enough for Catelin to slide down on her knees. Bray turned his head back to try and capture her again but was met by the sledgehammer straight to his head. His eyes went glassy and his body dropped down behind her.
Dean looked down at her, his angel gone devil, the white dress painted with red as blood had spurted down on her from Bray's head. He dropped the hammer and hurried towards her, grabbing her arms to get her up and back to safety, back in his arms, back to him. Somewhere behind her a referee moved in to check on Bray, doing a signal in the air and the bell rang.
"Here is your winner and survivor: Dean Ambrose!"
He smiled at her as he leaned down to kiss her softly. His hands moved up to pull out the elastics that held her hair in low pigtails. Never again did he want to see them on her. He ruffled her hair while kissing her and she started giggling against his lips.
"You're not his child or sheep," he said as he broke the kiss. "You're free at last."
"And yours?" She asked.
"And mine," he assured her.
"Can I live with you?" She asked.
"I'm not letting you live anywhere else," he winked.
"Can I wear black too?" She asked.
"You can wear whatever the fuck you want although I prefer you naked," he chuckled. "No one's ever gonna tell you what to do anymore. Not even me."
He moved them both to the ropes and stepped through them. He jumped down first before lifting her down as well. Seth and Roman came to join them, making sure their brother was completely okay while moving out of everyone's sight towards their locker room.
"You both need a shower," Roman said once they were out there.
"No shit," Dean shook his head.
"You alright?" Seth asked.
"Yeah," Dean nodded.
"And you, Catelin?" Seth asked.
"I think so," she answered.
"Good," Roman stepped up and gave her a hug. "You're a part of us now. Not in there, of course. No fighting for you. But we got your back."
"Thanks," she smiled.
Seth reached his hand forward and handed Dean the car keys.
"We'll walk home. Take your time here to shower and whatever you need to do," he winked.
"Really, Seth?" Dean chuckled and shook his head. "We just need to shower and get changed and then we'll come home."
"Whatever you say, man, whatever you say," Seth smirked as he moved backwards.
Roman and Seth quickly disappeared out of the locker room while Dean just snickered a little while still shaking his head. He looked over at her just to see her take off the bloody dress.
"I'm never wearing white again," she said.
"I got an extra shirt in the bag. It's long enough to work as a dress," he said.
"That sounds good," she said.
She moved over to the trash can and dropped the dress down in it, smiling widely as it went down.
"I might need some help," she said as she moved over to him again.
"With what?" He asked.
"With life in general," she answered. "I'm uncertain about a lot of things."
"We'll take one day at the time," he leaned down to kiss her. "But first, let's just get in the fucking shower and go home and sleep. Tomorrow is a new beginning."
"A new beginning," she sighed happily. "With you."
"With me," he chuckled. "You and me, sweetheart, we're in it for the long run."