Disclaimer: I own none of the WWE Superstars or Divas featured within this story. Only the OCs and storyline is mine.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, favourites, follows etc. I do hope you all like this latest installment! Also, it's mammoth length so enjoy :)

31st December, 2012

"Well, well, well, look who came crawling back or did your cousin do the crawling for you?"

Zoe Winters could pretty much feel the heavy beating of her heart in her chest. Standing right before her with his Hollywood smile was The Rock. The same man who had continuously placed little doubts in her mind about her friends and family, and who was opposed to everything she tried to work for and change in this company. She cast a glance at Stephanie, who still looked frazzled and apologetic, before turning her attention back to the man also known as Dwayne Johnson, "Mr Johnson, how lovely it is to see you."

The Rock's smirk only got wider at her smart tone, "Oh c'mon Miss Winters. Don't act like you haven't missed me."

"I haven't." She could sense Dean and Seth stand from their chairs to stand behind her and she wished she could've told them to sit down, because the Rock looked beside himself with glee at the protective nature of the two men.

"Well would you look at that? You've got new pets to play with! Tell me, do they have titles yet or haven't they worked you hard for them yet?"

Zoe's hands moved quickly to halt Seth and Dean from moving towards the older man. The last thing she needed was for them to attack Vince McMahon's golden child and they would be carted back to NXT for good. Her face twisted into her own smrik, "Tell me Rocky, why are you here? Is it time for your annual 'let's see how far you can stick your head up Vince's ass'?"

"There's not enough room with your cousin all up in there."

The dark haired woman took a step forward, anger coursing through her, "That's a bit rich coming from you."

The Rock chuckled, his arms crossing over his chest, "So what brings you back Princess? Don't tell me you're helping out with my storyline."

Stephanie cut in, "No she's not part of your storyline, Dwayne. Now can we leave this alone? We have work to do."

The Hollywood star ignored the young McMahon daughter, his eyes still trained on the young woman in front of him, "Oh thank god for that. I don't think I could've handled your personal vendetta against me again."

From behind Zoe, Dean and Seth shared a look with one another before looking over their shoulders at a silent Roman Reigns. The duo had remembered that the Rock was Roman's cousin and they were all watching the exchange with curiousity. Zoe had failed to mention to them her interactions with the Rock. She had only mentioned that some of the roster had used her, but now the Rock was painting a very different picture and they weren't sure what the hell was going on. Roman had yet to move from his seat, his eyes trained on the interaction in front of him. He knew his cousin. Sure, he was family, but at the end of the day, he remembered his father's words to him about coming to the WWE. He had been repeatedly told to not let it get to him like it had to others. And as he watched his cousin berate and harass the woman in front of him, Roman knew what his father had meant.

Zoe hadn't noticed the looks shared by her three friends behind her but her body stilled at the accusation from the Rock. She didn't dare turn to see what the three members of the Shield must be thinking. Her eyes took in her surroundings at the many people gathered around, watching the stand off between the Hollywood star and the WWE Creative writer. She needed to stop them from believing him, "I didn't have a personal vendetta against you. I just didn't think you deserved to win at Wrestlemania. It was what was best for the company."

The Rock snorted in disbelief at her words, "You're trying to tell me right now that I'm not good for business? Lady, I made those ratings for all the PPVs I've been on. For all the shows I've been on, I've gotten them the highest ratings. And you're telling me that you would rather have me lose than win. Is that best for business or best for your little game of one upping me." He paused, shaking his head with a laugh, "You wanted to do what was best for the company? You spent the whole first half of your employment trying to stop your cousin from winning because it was best for the company. But on the biggest stage of them all, you had to let him win."

"Because I didn't want you to win," snapped Zoe.

"Because it was best for business or because you disliked me?" As the words sunk into Zoe, she hesitated her response for the slightest of moments but the Rock noticed it immediately and the shit eating grin was back on his face, "Face it, Miss Winters. You're exactly like the McMahons. You pick and choose your favourites. Whether it be your family, friends or boyfriend- oh exboyfriend I found out a while ago. I bet you played to these guys the whole sob story that your friends used you but at the end of the day, you'd screw anyone over just to keep whoever is your friend of the moment happy. Don't tell me I'm wrong. You don't think I noticed that when you hated Punk, you screwed him over. But when you guys were in love-" He momentarily looked nauseous much to Zoe's annoyance, "He was WWE Champion and maineventing." He flicked his eyes back towards Dean and Seth, "What's going to happen to your new flavour of the months when you get tired of them, huh? Or when they upset you? C'mon Zoe, don't play the innocent card-"

"That's enough!"

The third voice made Zoe and Dwayne still and Zoe watched as Dwayne looked shocked at the interrupting voice, "Roman?"

The tall Samoan stood up from his chair, stepping forward to stand in front of Zoe. He had had enough. He could see Zoe slowly shaking and ready to fall apart and he knew he had to step in and stop his cousin from his word assault on the girl, "Back off Dwayne."

Dwayne looked stunned by his cousin's need to defend the young woman. He stared incredulously at Roman, "Are you serious, Roman?! You're really going to take her side."

"I know what you're like sometimes Dwayne-"

"Do you know what she's like, Ro'?" exclaimed Dwayne, his arm outstretched towards Zoe, "Can you honestly tell me that you really know what she's like? After everything that happened around here when she was here?" In front of him, Roman hesitated slightly, his glance wavering between Zoe and The Rock, and The Rock's smirk returned to his face, "Ooooh, you didn't know the whole story, did you?"

"I knew enough," snapped Roman.

The Rock tilted his head back, letting out a small laugh, "Did she pull the whole 'I tried to change things around here for the better'? That was her whole punchline when at the end of the day, she only changed things around to benefit her-"

"Dwayne, that is enough!" yelled Stephanie, "You have said enough. There is no need to get into this all again."

"But-"

"Hey! Just shut the fuck up Hollywood!"

There was stunned silence as CM Punk stepped forward, his WWE title thrown over his shoulder. Everyone gathered in the monitor area stared at the Champion as he stepped towards the Rock, a scowl on his face. The Rock raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling his lips again, "Sticking up for her so you can get back in her good books to keep that title from me?"

"I'm not sticking up for her. I'm just telling you to shut up because everyone here is tired of listening to your self righteous bullshit. We get it. You're Vince McMahon's favourite toy, now shut up." He turned to look at Stephanie McMahon, who was clinging onto her husband's arm preventing him from coming in between the Rock and CM Punk. Despite all his ill feelings towards his former girlfriend, Punk had watched the exchange in interest and then with growing dread as Zoe seemed shaken up at the accusations the Rock was throwing his way. Just like Roman, he had to put a stop to the words and ideas that the Rock was pushing into her mind. There was just something about the way she looked at his accusations that made Punk uneasy about her involvement all those months ago. He shook his head and readjusted his title on his shoulder, "Now are we going to get this meeting underway? I'm fucking tired as hell and I know this isn't going to end pretty."

Stephanie nodded, pushing Paul gently forward to dismiss the Superstars and Divas that weren't needed. John Cena cast a hesitant glance at his cousin, making sure she was alright, but Zoe nodded at him, reassuring him that she would be fine. In reality, she was not. As The Shield, Zoe, Stephanie, Paul, Punk, The Rock and now Paul Heyman pulled up chairs in a circle to discuss the outline for the upcoming Royal Rumble Pay Per View, Zoe couldn't even look at her friends. She kept her seat a little bit away from them. Normally, her and Seth would have their seats pressed together, leaning against each other's shoulders. Seth Rollins noticed immediately her absence from his side and also the fact she was avoiding looking at them. He sent a questioning glance to Dean, who shrugged his shoulders, his own frown furrowing his brows at the state of their friend.

Zoe closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing for a moment before an anxiety attack occured. Her heart was pounding in her chest. All she could think about was what happened months before when the others thought the worst of her. She had to give it to the Rock, he had spun the story well enough to make her look terrible. She knew that she'd only given the Shield her side of things and now that they had heard what the Rock had said, she was terrified that they would take into account what he said. But even after everything he said, realisation dawned on Zoe that she had done it again. She had gotten too close with the Superstars. Those three boys were in her life now. And the last thing she needed was to be accused of favouritism again. Or worse, what would happen with them if she had to drop someone or push only one of them. She couldn't risk losing these guys. She knew she needed to distance herself again. It would hurt, but she needed to do it to avoid losing them completely just like she had the others. With her breathing somewhat under control, she took part in the meeting that was currently underway.

"Alright, so for the Royal Rumble, we have a title match between CM Punk and The Rock." Stephanie tried in vain to ignore the snort from CM Punk and she continued on, "We will have the Shield interfering with the lights out and Punk will get the win. But he will be stripped of his title and given to Rock."

CM Punk snapped his head up at the announcement and he frowned at Stephanie. He looked at Paul, and saw that the ends of his lips were slightly curled up and it dawned on him what they had done. They didn't want the Rock to win cleanly. He tried to hide his smirk and slouched down in his seat, his eyes dancing in mirth at the angry look on Dwayne Johnson's face. The Rock spluttered for words, "He gets stripped and I just get the title? No pin, no nothing."

"Nope," said Paul, trying hard not to smirk at the man in front of him. As far as his father in law was concerned, they were going to let the Rock win, but on their own terms. He glanced at the Shield, who were sitting with their arms crossed over their chests, "You boys alright with that?"

Dean shrugged, "Whatever is best for business."

Stephanie nodded, sending a small smile to Zoe, who tried her hardest to return one back. But Stephanie saw through it straight away and she glanced at her husband worriedly. He frowned, before turning his attention to the Rock, who had stood up quickly from his spot, "Everything alright, Dwayne?" The Rock nodded stiffly before disappearing down the corridor. Stephanie raised an eyebrow, "Ok, he didn't chuck a fit. Now I'm worried. Anyway you are all dismissed. See you all on Friday."

The group all stood up to leave and Zoe tried her hardest not to get too worked up over what she thought the Shield thought of her now. She only prayed that they didn't react like her former friends had. But deep down she knew that she had gotten involved too deep again. Something she swore she wouldn't do, but somehow the Shield had wormed their way into her day to day life and now she feared the worst. She needed to get out before it escalated. She had no idea what they thought but it was better if she just took off for the night. As they entered the locker room, she hurried around the room, intending on avoiding any confrontation with them. As she reached for her bag, she felt a hand on her elbow, halting her movements, "What?" She choked out, the urge to cry thickening her throat.

Seth frowned, his dark eyes filled with worry at the state of his friend, "Babe, what's wrong?"

She tugged her elbow out of his grasp, her hands shakily throwing her bag over her shoulder. She kept her head down, not wanting to look Seth in the eye, "I know what you guys must be thinking. I get that it looks bad-"

"Zoe, you need to calm down," said Seth, gently, his hand reaching out to steady her shaky shoulders.

"No," she exclaimed, stepping out of his grip, "You guys believe him, I know it-"

"No, we don't," said Seth, shaking his head, "Sure, it had us a bit stunned, but we don't believe him."

"Don't lie to me!"

Seth was stunned at her outburst. He cast a glance over his shoulder at Dean and Roman, who both looked equally as stunned by her outburst. It was starting to make sense to Seth, however. He realised this is what happened when she left the WWE originally. Her friends lost trust in her and accused her of things that she didn't do, and right now, he could see that she was terrified they were going to do the same thing to her. He stepped closer to her, his heart dropping as she took a step back from him, "We're not lying to you, Zo'."

Zoe shook her head, "Yes you are-"

"Yes, we are, is that what you want to hear?"

"Dean!" yelled Seth, turning around to look at his friend, incredulously.

Dean stepped towards Zoe, his protective vest unzipped, "That's what you want to hear, isn't it? You want us to lie to you. You want us to say we believed him. Hell yeah, I'm not going to lie, I believed him for a second. But considering how much I know you, I realised that what he said isn't who you are." He leant closer to her, his eyes narrowing at her, "We know you're not that type of person. But if you really think that we would think you're exactly what he said, then lady, you have a problem."

Roman stepped forward, pulling on Dean's arm, "Dean, stop-"

Dean pulled his arm out of Roman's grasp, "No, you want to play the victim? FINE! I'm not a dumb guy, Zoe. I figured out what happened. You went on some crusade with the McMahons trying to change everything around here, but Zoe, you're one girl. And clearly, you forgot that. And even your friends forgot that too. So at the end of the day, when it all went to pieces they turned on you because they only knew one side of the story." He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flashing with anger, "Hell, look at tonight. If we hadn't of heard you, Paul and Stephanie tell us one side before, then hell yeah, I would've been thinking the Rock had a point. But after listening to both sides, it makes sense what happened. So maybe instead of hiding, you could go talk to your friends and sort this shit out because sunshine, I am sick of seeing you crying! You need to sort this shit out because it's not healthy for you-"

"I tried to tell them!" cried Zoe, her eyes wide in disbelief at the outburst by Dean Ambrose.

Dean stepped closer to her, his face still in a scowl, "When?! Huh? On the night that shit went down? You didn't even know what happened so what the hell did you try to convince them with? And then you took off! Just like you were about to do now! Do you know how guilty you look? If we didn't know you better... If we didn't know everything that had gone on, then I would've thought the same as them. But right now, you were about to toss us to the side like trash just to save yourself and make you look like the victim. You're not the only victim, Zoe. Everyone in this company is and until everything is cleared up, you're going to continue to feel as shit as I know you've been feeling the past few weeks." He paused, shaking his head, his voice softening, "You can think we believed him. You can think whatever you want, but I would've thought that our girl would know us better and not think we are scum like the Rock." He turned on his heel and stormed into the shower area, slamming the door closed.

Zoe stood there, her mouth opened in slight shock at the outburst from Dean Ambrose. She deserved it 100%. She knew she shouldn't have reacted the way she did. But based on her past track record, she just didn't want to face the devestation that was her friends accusing her. She glanced at Roman and Seth, who were looking at her sadly. She shook her head, "I'll leave you guys to it. I'm sorry."

As the door slammed behind her, Seth looked at Roman, shaking his head, "She's messed up, man. She really thought we'd turn our back on her."

Roman sighed, heavily, raking a hand through his dark hair, "My cousin was a part of this. He's an asshole and I think he was the one that initially messed with her first."

"You gonna talk to him?" Roman nodded and Seth scoffed, "You really think he's going to come clean to you about what he did, when he knows how chummy you are with Zoe?"

Roman's lips curled into a small smirk, "Unless he thinks his little stunt worked tonight." Seth matched his smirk, before they turned to look at the door Zoe had just disappeared through, "We will give her the night to cool off-" He cast a glance at the door Dean disappeared through, "And him to cool off. And then we will find her in the morning. I hate seeing her so upset. I don't think she's truly been happy the whole time we've been here."

Seth sighed, shaking his head, "Yeah, me either."

In hindsight, it was the worst move ever for Zoe to leave the Shield. She had no way of getting back to the hotel and her room was shared with the Shield members. Zoe sighed sadly, stopping to lean back against a wall and calm her breathing down. It was only a few moments before she felt fingers curl around her hand and another small hand reached up to wipe some of her tears. Zoe opened her eyes and was surprised by the young woman next to her, "April?"

AJ Lee smiled gently, "C'mon, I heard what happened. Let's get you back to the hotel." The small Diva guided her down the hall and out into the carpark, the cool air hitting their faces hard. They made a dash for AJ's rental, which was running, much to Zoe's surprise. She dived into the backseat, her mouth opening in surprise at the sight of Kaitlyn in the driver's seat.

"Kaitlyn?"

"Hey Zoe, right? AJ told me about you. You alright?"

"I've been better," said Zoe. She leaned forward through the middle console, glancing at AJ, "Don't you stay with Ziggler?"

"He's having a man's night with Mike and co initiating Big E to the main roster," explained AJ. She paused, a small frown on her face, "That actually sounds quite bad. But I don't ask questions and he doesn't tell, so we're good."

Zoe let out a small laugh, momentarily forgetting about the exchange with the Shield, "Thanks for the lift."

"No problem," chirped AJ, her bubbly nature coming through, "We're having a girl's night. You can stay with us. Brie and Nikki are coming as well!"

Zoe nodded, resting back in her seat, trying in vain to get her mind off of what just occured in the locker room. Dean had never spoken to her that way. But he was right. She shouldn't have reacted the way she did and she only hoped that the Shield would forgive her. But right now, she needed some time to herself to sort herself out. And maybe a night with the girls would do her some good.

"Do you enjoy making girls cry, Ambrose?"

Dean looked slightly startled by the angry Bella twin at his hotel room door, "Well hello to you too.. whichever Bella twin you are."

"It's Nicole."

"Pleasure." He rolled his eyes as she pushed past him to enter their hotel room, "You're welcome to join us." He closed the hotel room door, following the brunette into the room. Seth and Roman looked just as amused by the appearance of the Bella twin and Nicole smiled at them tightly, before turning on her heel to face Dean, arms crossed over her chest.

"FYI, some of us heard your lovely talk with Zoe." Seth snorted at the fact Dean was about to get his ass handed to him by a Bella twin and Nikki turned to glare at the two toned man, "And don't get me started on you two. Way to have your girl's back, guys." She ignored the pout on Seth's face and the gobsmacked look on Roman's and turned back to Dean.

Dean crossed his own arms over his chest, a scowl on his face, "FYI, that was a private conversation."

If looks could kill, Dean would be six foot under at the glare that Nikki shot him, "A private conversation that you decided to scream about in an arena full of people." She rolled her eyes, shaking her head, "You're lucky AJ found her when she took off. God knows what state she would've ended up in this time."

"I was only telling her the truth-"

"In such a tactful way-"

"Lady, did you have a better idea? Because your little intervention with your boyfriend and her ended in disaster that I had my arms full of a hysterically crying girl that afternoon!"

Nicole threw her hands in the air, "You know that wasn't my idea for Punk to be there!" She raked a hand through her hair, "I get that you were trying to make her see reason but she's sensitive. Look at all that has happened. You can't go acting like that."

"And she can't go around accusing us like she did." He paused, shaking his head, "Why are you here anyway?"

"I need you to apologise to her," explained Nikki, "She needs you guys in her life. You're all she has right now, really."

Dean shrugged, "If she listened to anything I said, she should have all of you back soon." His tone sounded hurt even to his own ears. He knew he shouldn't have yelled at her the way he did but he had to get through to her. However, when he had exited the bathroom, he had noticed her absence and his gut filled with dread. He regretted it instantaneously, thinking that she might never come back to them, or even forget about them once she went back to her old friends.

Nikki tilted her head, her eyes looking curiously at the man in front of her and it dawned on her, "You think she's going to replace you with us?" She let out a small laugh, "Oh c'mon Ambrose. I speak to her on the phone regularly now and you should hear how she speaks about you boys. Sure, we were her friends first, but you guys were there to pick her up when she was broken down. You've slowly brought her back to being the Zoe I know she is. And despite the fact I hate that you screamed at her, I think you gave her the wake up call she needs." She glanced at all three men before turning to head for the door. Nikki paused, looking back over her shoulder, "She's going to get us back but don't think she's going to replace you guys. You guys are a lot more special to her than you might think. Have a good night, boys."

Seth let out a low whistle, "I like her."

Roman rolled his eyes before looking over at Dean, "Tomorrow morning?"

Dean nodded, "Tomorrow morning."

1st January, 2013

Zoe could hear the whispers as she slowly started to wake up. She'd fallen asleep in AJ's double bed and stayed over night with the small Diva and Kaitlyn. The girls night had been a hit and had lasted till all hours of the morning before Brie and Nikki headed back to their rooms. She had needed the night with the girls. Especially the ones that she had left all those months ago. Her ears pricked up at the sound of male voices and she tried not to get her hopes up at who it was. She felt the bed dip on either side of her and as wrong it sounded, she recognised the scents around her immediately. She peeked her eyes open to see Dean scoot under the covers on AJ's vacant side and he lay down next to her, his face nuzzled against her cheek, and judging by the large tattooed arm that was flung across her waist, she knew Roman was behind her. A loud laugh left her lips as Seth flung himself on top of her, his face buried into her neck, "Guys, aren't I the one that's supposed to be apologising?"

"We're sorry," grumbled Seth, his beard tickling her neck.

"We got our ass handed to us by a Bella twin."

"Which one?" laughed Zoe, reaching a hand up from the blankets to curl around Seth's neck, and tangle her fingers in his hair.

"The mean one."

Zoe giggled, before smiling sadly at the three men surrounding her, "I'm sorry too."

Roman grunted, lifting his head to catch Dean's eye, "Isn't there something you need to say?" Dean feigned sleep and Roman rolled his eyes, lifting his arm from under Seth's body to reach over and smack Dean across the head.

The former CZW wrestler lifted his head, his eyes narrowed at the Samoan. He rolled his eyes before burying his head back against Zoe's cheek, "I'm sorry I'm an asshole."

She smiled, turning her head slightly to face Dean, "I kinda deserved it."

"You did."

Roman groaned from Zoe's other side, "DEAN!"

Zoe let out another laugh as Roman reached over to smack Dean again. While the two bickered over the top of her, she cast a look at Seth, who was resting his chin on the top of his hand, a small smile on his face, "We still good?" Zoe nodded and Seth grinned, leaning down to kiss her cheek quickly, "Good. Now I need you to touch up my hair."

She snorted, pushing him off her with a laugh, and he grabbed her hands with his right hand, his left hand going to tickle her waist over the covers. While the two of them continued to laugh, Dean and Roman continued to bicker over the top of them, none of them remembering that Kaitlyn and AJ were still in the room.

"I'm actually slightly jealous. This is a popular fantasy of mine."

The four bed occupants paused in their activities and all turned to look at Kaitlyn and AJ, who looked amused at their antics. Dean sent a smirk towards Kaitlyn, "I'm sure it's a popular fantasy for a lot of women."

Zoe grabbed the pillow from behind her head and whacked it against his face, "DEAN!"

"That is also a popular choice of phrase amongst women-"

"DEAN!" yelled Roman, grabbing another pillow and hitting him with it.

Seth darted off the bed and stumbled to his feet in front of the two women. He sent them a charming grin, offering his hand, "Hi, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Seth Rollins."

AJ shared a look with Kaitlyn amused, before shaking his hand, "AJ."

Kaitlyn shook his hand next, "Kaitlyn. Nice hair."

Seth grinned, "You too. I have to say you pull it off much better than I do."

AJ's eyes widened at the look the two were sharing and she shuffled away, leaping onto the bed with a warcry to help Zoe. She grabbed Zoe, pulling her to the side while Dean and Roman continued to try and smother one another, and she pointed at Seth and Kaitlyn. Zoe grinned, a small giggle escaping her at the exchange.

"Well, isn't that interesting?" murmured Zoe to AJ. AJ nodded, her own giggle escaping her as they watched Kaitlyn and Seth chat. The two didn't realise that Dean and Roman had stopped their fight and Dean shot a smirk at Roman, gesturing his head towards Seth testing his charms on the hybrid Diva.

"WOO! Get in there Seth!"

"DEAN!"

7th January, 2013

"Dean, is the reason you carry both my tray and your tray because whatever food you can't fit on your tray, you pile onto mine?"

Dean Ambrose had the decency to blush at the accusation and Zoe grinned at the red stain on his round cheeks. He shrugged, balancing the two trays in his hands expertly while Zoe chose their dinner to eat, "Just helping out a lady."

"And your appetite."

"I'm a growing boy."

"Growing sideways, yes."

He shot her a glare, before piling some more food on his plate, "Watch it, lady. Without me, you would eat all the poptarts."

"You're saying that like it's a bad thing."

He glanced her over, a smirk on his face and she slapped his arm, "What?!"

"You're a perv."

"Just imagining what would happen if you ate more poptarts."

"Did you just call me fat?"

Much to Dean's relief, Roman stepped in, having overheard the exchange and he grinned at the stunned look on Dean's face, "Run, Dean. Run now." Before Dean could make a getaway, Roman grabbed Zoe's tray to balance next to his own and let out a deep laugh as Dean darted for the table that Seth was occupying in the catering area. He grinned down at the small woman next to him, and Zoe rolled her eyes, curling her arm around Roman's bicep.

"Thanks, big guy."

"Anytime, Zo'." He handed her her tray once they finished and he started to walk over to their table, but realised she wasn't following him. Roman frowned, turning to look at Zoe, and he realised what she was looking at. With a small smile, he patted her hip gently, "Go over there. I think it's about time you said something to them."

Zoe nodded, her hand reaching to squeeze Roman's hand momentarily, "Wish me luck." She didn't know what possessed her to do what she did, but Zoe was certain her feet had developed a mind of their own and they guided her towards the table that sat many Superstars and Divas that were her former friends. As she approached the table, the conversation amongst her old friends died down and silence descended upon the table, all eyes on her. If it weren't for the encouraging smiles from the Bella twins, AJ, Kaitlyn and her cousin, she would've high tailed it back to the Shield's table and called it a day. But right now, she stood there on shaky legs, her tray held tightly in her hands, "Uh.. hi guys."

Brie smiled at her gently, "Do you want to sit, Zoe?"

The darked haired Boston native shook her head, "No, I think it's probably best I don't. But I just wanted to say something." She paused, taking a deep breath, "I know that when everything went down, it looked bad and I know I didn't have the answers that you wanted to hear. I swear on my life I had no idea anything was going to happen-"

"We know-"

AJ smacked Dolph's arm, "Ziggy, hear her out!"

Zoe continued, "I know that it looked bad when I took off. I know that made me look guilty as fuck. But I found out what happened and you have my word that it was not only beyond my control, but also Stephanie and Paul's. It came from higher up and while they knew, Stephanie didn't want to tell me what was going down because she knew I would risk my career to stop everything that happened. She knew that I would put you guys first and that's why we were all left in the dark. I can't say I'm innocent either. I shouldn't have accused you all of using me. I guess that little seed of doubt was placed a long time ago and with emotions running high that night, I just thought the worst. I'm sorry I didn't trust you all enough to know that we all said hurtful things that night that we probably didn't mean, myself included." Her eyes looked over all the wrestlers that were sitting there, not knowing what they were thinking, "It's been a long time and maybe it's been too long. But you were my family first and foremost and despite everything, I do miss you all. It's not the same without you guys. I'll let you get back to dinner."

She turned on her heel and headed straight for the table that the Shield were occupying. She slid into the seat next to Dean, and he smiled reassuringly at her. Zoe sighed at the empty table that they sat on. She had a bad feeling she was the reason these boys weren't being welcomed into the fold as easily as she thought. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of the chair next to her scraping against the concrete floor and a body dropped into it, a loud voice echoing in her ear, "So, Shield guy.. dudes.. agents.. wait what do we call you?"

Zoe's heart thundered in her chest as she watched Mike Mizanin take the seat next to her, and then slowly, Daniel Bryan, Brie, Nikki, John, Dolph, AJ and Kaitlyn took the remaining seats, all of them engaging in conversation with the Shield members. She caught her cousin's eyes and he grinned at her, nodding his head and Zoe couldn't help but let her own grin take over her face as Dolph and Seth started arguing about a video game. She could tell it was going to be baby steps with them, but she was glad it was a start. As she got caught up in the conversation with Nikki and Brie across from her, she felt a hand on her knee, giving it a quick squeeze. Turning her head, Zoe raised an eyebrow at Dean Ambrose, "What?"

"You better not replace us."

She laughed at the mock scowl Dean sent her, and she leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Never." She squeezed his shoulder, her arm wrapped against his side, "But thank you for kicking me into gear."

"Just wanted to see you happy, that's all."

Zoe smiled, before a movement behind her caught her eye. The young woman looked over her shoulder and frowned when she spotted nothing there. But what she didn't see was CM Punk slipping back out of the catering area, a ghost of a smile on his face. He had heard the entire apology. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as bad as he thought she was.

27th January, 2013

It didn't take a genius to work out that with the Rock booked to win against CM Punk at the Royal Rumble, John Cena would be winning the Royal Rumble match to face him at Wrestlemania. As the numbers whittled down in the ring during the annual 30 man battle royal, Zoe stood with the three members of the Shield, CM Punk and the Rock as they went over their match outline with Stephanie and Paul.

"Dean, Seth and Roman. You need to be in position to attack the Rock when the lights are out. You'll be putting him through the announce table," instructed Stephanie, "And then my father will come out and announce that he has a feeling the Shield did it and as per stipulations, Punk will be stripped of his title. Do we all understand?"

While the others nodded, The Rock interrupted, "They're going to be powerbombing me through the table in the dark?"

Roman sent a smirk towards his cousin, "I think we've powerbombed you enough times to do it with or without light, Dwayne."

The Rock glared at his cousin and Zoe smothered a giggle at the look on his face. Rolling his eyes, the Hollywood star turned to the couple, "Fine, let's get this started." He paused, a smirk curling his own lips, "I can't wait for the ending."

As he headed towards the gorilla area, Zoe frowned at his choice of words, especially the accompanying smirk. She shook her head, trying to not think anything bad out of it. She looked up and caught the eyes of CM Punk. He nodded at her, before turning to the Shield, sending them a nod as well, "Good luck boys." Zoe was a bit stunned at the exchange, but it had been happening for a while now. She didn't know what it was, but Punk wasn't as hostile to her as he was before. While he did not really acknowledge her presence, he didn't go out of his way anymore to public berate her or insult her. She had a sneaky suspicion that he was who she thought she saw a few weeks ago at catering, but she wasn't 100% sure. As she waved bye to the Shield, she stood in front of the monitors with Stephanie, bracing herself for the main event. And she prayed that everything went well.

But knowing the WWE, it didn't.

"CM Punk, it seems to me that your celebrations are over. I told you that if the Shield got involved in your match up, we would strip you of the Championship!"

The crowd gathered to watch the Royal Rumble erupted into cheers as Vince McMahon addressed CM Punk from below the Titantron. The main event had just ended after CM Punk pinned the Rock due to a supposed attack by the Shield. And judging by the screaming by Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, it seemed that it most definitely was the Shield.

While CM Punk clutched his Championship to his chest, his voice screaming that it wasn't the Shield, Vince continued as per the booking sheet, "Yes, yes I know. Technically, we couldn't see that it was the Shield involved. So that means we are all stupid.. It wasn't the Shield?" Vince took a breath, "CM Punk, it is my duty as Chairman of the Board to officially-"

"No, no, no no no no no no no no no!"

From backstage, the entire roster gathered to watch the main event, along with Stephanie, Paul and Zoe, were all stunned into silence at the voice interrupting Vince McMahon. Zoe turned to look wide eyed at her boss, "Steph.. Is that who I think it is on the microphone?"

Stephanie looked pale, "Who gave him a microphone?"

Paul reached up a hand to loosen his tie, sweat already appearing on his brow, "Dad's not wearing a mic, Steph. We can't stop this."

Outside beside the ring, The Rock continued to speak on the microphone, "We ain't ending this night like that. You don't take it from him. I am." As the camera panned back and forth between Vince and Punk, it became painfully obvious to everyone that Dwayne Johnson had sabotaged the match. He struggled to stand, his body leaning against the barrier, "Restart the match now!"

CM Punk could not believe what was happening to him. He glared up at Vince and his face paled at the look of resignation on Vince's face. The fans were cheering for the restart and Punk's heart dropped as Vince screamed to restart the match. This moment quite literally defined what was best for business and CM Punk braced himself for the Rock onslaught. He knew he wasn't booked to win. So he took what the Rock dished out to him and as the ref counted to three, the entire arena erupted into cheers for the newly crowned Champion.

Worst Royal Rumble ever.

"DAD!" cried Stephanie McMahon, as she rushed towards her father when he stepped into the backstage area, "What did you do?!"

Vince looked absolutely crestfallen at what had happened, "I don't know. You heard the fans. I couldn't not restart that match. They wanted the restart."

Stephanie shook her head, her hands clutching her dad's shoulders, "But that's not what was supposed to happen."

"You don't think I know that!" yelled Vince, taking a step back, "What did you want me to do Steph? I had to do it! I have made too many mistakes with these people! I couldn't not give them what they so obviously wanted!" He turned to see CM Punk rush through the backstage area, his head down, "Punk! Punk! PHIL! WAIT!"

CM Punk paused, aware that all eyes were on him. He turned to face Vince and his face was blank of any emotion. Zoe frowned. She had expected him to erupt but this was more unnerving. She had no idea what to expect now. "What?"

"I am so sorry-"

Punk held up a hand, silencing the CEO of the WWE, "Don't. You got your Champion, Vince. Congratulations. Maybe with him, you'll be able to reach your own brass rings." Before Vince could say another word, Punk turned on his heel and walked away, his shoulder hunched over in defeat. But just as he left, the new WWE Champion appeared and Zoe watched as a deep red colour enveloped Vince McMahon's face. Her face lit up with glee at the impending eruption and she stepped back to stand beside her cousin, everyone waiting to see what would happen.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT JOHNSON?"

The Rock grinned at the CEO, "Your new ratings hit and your new WWE Champion."

Vince stepped closer to him, a growl escaping him, "You took over my show."

"I made it better."

"No, you didn't," said Vince, shaking his head, "But you made me realise something. You are not worthy of that title-"

"Vince!"

"YOU WILL NOT INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!" roared Vince, stepping even closer to the Rock, his voice now dangerously low, "I brought you back because I thought you would be good for business. That you would be good for the boys in the locker room. But you have disappointed me. You are everything everyone wanred me about but I didn't believe them. Until now. Enjoy your reign while it lasts, Mr Johnson."

The Rock frowned, "I thought I was to have a long reign till Summerslam."

"You're losing at Wrestlemania. Just like I should've left it to be last year." Vince looked over his shoulder at Zoe and Zoe saw the regret in his eyes. Vince turned back to the Rock, "You were a mistake to bring back Rock. You've caused nothing but trouble here. And I can't wait till you're gone. Have a nice night, Mr Johnson."

With the Royal Rumble PPV over, Zoe Winters knocked on the door of the men's locker room, her intentions to find the three members of the Shield so they could leave to go back to the hotel for a few drinks with the others. The night had ended in disaster and Zoe didn't think she was ever going to forget the look on Dwayne Johnson's face as his only ally in Vince McMahon suddenly turned his back on him. She still couldn't get over the balls of the Rock to even go ahead and change the ending of the match the way he did. She had crossed Vince McMahon before, so she knew what it was like to cop crap from him. But the Rock? He copped it the worst and Zoe enjoyed every minute of it. As Roman yelled for her to come in, Zoe entered the locker room, an exasperated sigh leaving her as she spotted Seth Rollins sprawled on the floor shirtless, listening to music on his phone.

"Really? Seth, get up!" She kicked his side and Seth grinned cheekily at her, bouncing up to rummage through his bag for clothes. Zoe noticed that Dean and Roman were ready, "Want to go warm up the car while I wait for his royal highness?"

Dean smirked, "Alright, we'll see you in a few." He paused, jerking his chin to something behind Zoe, "Um, FYI, Punk alert."

Zoe looked over her shoulder and sighed, spotting her exboyfriend hunched over on a bench, his head in his hands. She looked back at Dean and nodded, "It's alright. Just go." As the two disappeared and Seth continued to search through his large bag, Zoe found herself walking towards the former WWE Champion. The locker room had emptied out quickly, leaving just the Shield and CM Punk as the last ones. Zoe stood before Punk, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag over her shoulder, "Hey."

The Chicago native looked up at Zoe, "Hey." He paused, rubbing a hand over his face, "How did my losing to Rocky look in HD?"

"Almost as painful as it seemed to be for you." She sighed, "Are you alright?"

Punk nodded, "I'll live."

"You know Vince had no choice but to go with what Dwayne had said. This wasn't planned."

"I'm slowly figuring out a lot of things happen around here that aren't planned."

Zoe nodded, shuffling on her feet, "A lot of things happen without anyone's control. It's just the way it works here. Things happen and no one can control it." She paused, a sigh leaving her, "And no one can really explain it sometimes."

CM Punk leaned over and grabbed his bag, moving it to sit in his lap, "I'm starting to get what happened now."

The dark haired woman knew he wasn't talking about tonight and she smiled sadly at him, "You know I would never mean to hurt you like that. Or any of the others."

His tattooed hand clutched his bag tightly, "But we still did ended up hurting each other anyway."

Silence descended over the two of them, neither knowing what to say. Too many hurtful things had already been said that a simple sorry didn't seem like enough. Zoe turned her head to see Seth Rollins standing there waiting for her and she waved at him to hold on a minute, "I'm sorry about what happened tonight, Punk."

As she turned to move away, she paused upon hearing his voice, "For what it's worth, I think I'm starting to believe you now."

Zoe smiled gently at him, "Me too." As she headed to the door with Seth, her smile widened slightly. Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up for them.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that and let me know what you thought! Also, should I get Zoe with one of the Shield or move her back to Punk? I have various scenarios in mind but I want to see what people are thinking :)