__________You break the fall, it's not easy to trust...

Strange how the most ridiculous things in life are the ones that are the most frightening for you and your cherished estate.

You'd twist your ankle and keep walking on it for weeks, bearing with the suffering because deep down, you know it'd toughen you up.

Your boss would despise your every move, wishing that vital actions such as breathing would become impossible for you, but you'd keep on living another day.

Your loves ones would turn their backs on you - or maybe it'd be the opposite ? - leaving you alone with your remorses and sorrow, but you'd keep on moving forward.

Yet a simple text would cast doubt upon the entire foundation you've built yourself upon for what seems to be ages.

An irritated man keeps pacing back and forth in the gloom of the backstage area, his dark eyes scrutinizing the words in hopes to unmask the culprit.

His grip can't help but to tighten itself around Sasha's phone, battling his inner demons not to throw it against the nearest wall - as if it'd be enough to erase the concern written all over her mesmerizing features.

"I talked with Aries and he certified that he doesn't know anything. Apparently only Ambrose has any contact with the snitch." Seth recalls for the sixth time in a row, making very clear that despite him swallowing his pride to address a man he hasn't spoke with for years now, his attempt had been unsuccessful.

The sole fact such a despicable entity would even dare talking about betrayals seemingfully strikes a chord within Owens, immediately raising his head up from the crate he rests his back on, shooting daggers his way.

Rollins has been the one people always pointed their fingers at, disbelief perceivable through their bewildered gaze while they'd spot him with a knife in his hands and blood dripping from both.

Although those memories will most likely haunt him for the rest of his miserable existence, he eventually found someone worthy of his trust and loyalty and for her, he's ready to go through hell once more.

"Where are you going ?" Her voice lowly asks, the extent of her torments easily recognizable because of her defeated tone.

"Getting answers." He lets out, annoyance and determination igniting a flame within his cold entity, quickly turning around to avoid meeting her overwhelming stare.

She wants to follow him, assuring herself he is and will remain safe, but the tech guy suddenly voices that she's up for her segment in less than two minutes.

Kevin gently pats her back, tenderness resting inside of his soft eyes while he accompanies his precious friend to the curtains.

Seth rapidly marches towards the exit door, pushing it with such force it slams itself against the wall, provoking a slight jolt in Emma's body since she was leaning against it earlier.

His gaze scans the entire smokers' area, catching a glimpse of a helpless Becky arguing with Dean before ultimately fixing his undivided attention upon the one he's now so sure is the traitor.

"I knew I was right to hate your guts from the start." He rages, inches apart from the astonished blonde's face, obviously drawing the enemy's team leader curiosity which is fast to turn into animosity.

"If you have a problem with anyone here, it's with me." The Cincinnati native fires back, getting in Rollins' face and locking his menacing eyes into his.

"Don't act like a honorable gentleman when you feed your own teammates to the wolves." Seth retords, motioning toward Lynch while vivid hatred exudes out of his tense body and the mysterious enigma finally resolving itself inside of his twisted mind.

Like a moment of clarity just stroke his brain, the former champion internally puts together the pieces of a complex puzzle, undoubtedly revealing Emma's masquerade - he's a master in this field.

He not only heard that Sami only got with her to set a spark inside of Sasha's faded heart, hoping to revive the smallest bit of humanity within her, but he put an end to their "relationship" the moment he realized how far he's went.

Besides her history with both Carmella and Ambrose, she also was the only one to know the bar's location in which she lured Banks into, probably giving it to Dean so he could take the picture used in the blackmail's text.

The more the fog of confusion vanishes around of the situation, the most eager Seth becomes to unleash the thunder readying itself inside of his soul, subtly nodding to Becky to assure her that no matter what would happen next, he'd have her back - if Banks trusts her, then so would he.

Unfortunately for his needs to let go of the raging storm inside, a very familiar wise man positions himself between the two clans, being as neutral and collected as usual.

Instead of letting his influence reigns supreme thanks to harmful words and destructive hits, he just lifts his finger up, more charisma and authority distinguishable in that sole movement than most of the poster Superstars would ever dream of holding within.

The previously empty place slowly gets deserted, Ambrose and Carmella being the first to retreat before Becky awkwardly disappears in the opposite direction, leaving both the ROH acquaintances staring deep inside of the other's eyes.

Noiseless advices and theories are exchanged under the scraps of light the full moon offers to the men, connected by the white line spreading itself between both their shadows.

______

Days pass by as fast as a shooting star, barely covered by a polluted sky, his newly found conclusions becoming a burden he's debating whether to share with Sasha or not, giving her time to build herself back up and him to think of the decent way to introduce the crushing news.

Seth's sitting in one of the rare chairs placed around the arena, impatiently waiting for her meeting with Vince to end up, mentally preparing himself to pick up her shattered pieces.

But no matter how much time he'd have spend envisioning the fateful and demoralizing moment, it'd have never been enough for him to properly handle the emotions running wild through his poisoned veins.

Tears are staining her perfectly shaped features, her voice cracking way too often for him to stay stoic while she proceeds to explain that she just got stripped off from the championship, officially because of an injury.

Unofficially the evil McMahon dared throwing at her the pictures she's been blackmailing with, shouting at her how "such pitiful behavior was the most shameful he's seen inside of his company" - forgetting to mention the likes of Hulk Hogan's devious past.

Each translucid drop dripping down her rosy cheeks hurts him like hell, burning down the entire world unfolding around of them as he's dying to wrap his arms around her but is afraid she might suffocate inside of such sinful objects.

"I think it's Emma." Banks manages to mutter, drowning her own words inside of her sobs, though the expression written deep in her eyes drastically changes.

Seth pictures her as a phoenix, perpetually aimed and shoot at yet constantly rising up from the ashes and dust, raising her chin to fight another unfair turns of event.

"She's the one that had your back since the beginning but she's also the one that had to live in your shadow for so long, it'd be logical if that was her." He rapidly answers, trying his best to keep the conversation flowing as the sole sound of her cries echoing through his ears would most likely wreck his heart.

"Why didn't you think of me, the first time the whole snitch affair came up ? The real and actual reason, Sasha." Rollins' gaze wanders into space, unable to handle her pain as if he was feeling each ounce of it while the fear he might not be able to fix her up furtively invades his mind.

"Do you remember when we were in NXT with Dusty ?

How much time he was spending fixing his "broken toys", as he used to call us ?" A sincere curve draws itself to the side of her disformed mouth, battling against the sorrow with all her forces.

At the mention of such a holy and pure name, Seth's eyes quickly get teary, only nodding to inform she could continue yet internally crying alongside her.

"For some reason I always thought you'd be interested to see that I've listened to your advices and that my glory wouldn't even exist without you.

Sasha Banks would be nothing without you." Silly goosebumps take over his entire body, leaving their mark on every parcel of his rough skin, her statement moving him more than she could ever imagine.

"What about Mercedes ? Didn't I break her in the process ?" He withdraws into himself, the brief light gracing him vanishing away the second he recalls how badly he hurt her in the past.

"That's what I thought for a long time but in the end, I figured you only made her stronger." Sasha eventually lets out while calming herself, focusing solely on the sound of his voice and blocking everything else out of her system.

"What about Colby, how is he handling everything ?" She asks out of curiosity, almost certain that his life must have turned out better than hers.

"Well, since Leighla broke up with me again and she basically put all of my stuff in a bag in front of the door, I've been-" He honestly answers after a small sigh escaped from his dry lips.

"Wait, you're threw ? Since when ?" She cuts him off, a puzzled look letting him know the extent of her surprise.

"Since a little while now but I didn't want to mess you up with it, you had your own things to worry about that and they were way more important than that." Seth shamefully admits, understanding that she may take it the wrong way, concluding that he doesn't trust her one bit while it's exactly the contrary.

"You mean more important than you ?" Sasha gently corrects, her gaze never diverting from the facade he's attempting to put on, his broken soul unable to fool her.

"You're a part of the team, nothing's more important than the team." The words seem like unlocking a path he's kept secret for too long, travelling to his beating heart, surprisingly racing faster the more he comprehends their meaning.

The chains restraining him from fulfill his actual desire break the moment her sentence hits his brain, lifting it from an unbearable weight, before his body collides with her freil and trembling one, the accolade sending electricity through him.

He holds the pose for a little while, unsure if he's applying that much pressure upon her shoulders because he's trying to put together her missing pieces or his.

Once he lets go he already misses the contact of her warm breath on his neck, wishing he could keep her in his arms for a lifetime and beyond.

Seth reluctantly accepts that both eventually have to part ways, admiring her fading away yet still sensing her presence deep within him.

The precious scene gets ruined by a far from discreet figure, knocking him out of could nine.

"Quit staring at me like a psychopath and spit it out." Rollins lets out, already annoyed by the way her dark eyes are fixed upon him.

"Isn't it that obvious that you fancy her by now?" Paige sympathetically mocks both the oblivious child of the wild, each able to tame down the savagery present in the other's insane mind.

________

E L E N A ;

Guys, be ready for a roller-coaster coming your way really quick because the snitch's identity + motives are about to get entirely revealed in the next chapter.

What are your guesses on that person, is it really someone from Banks' crew or someone completely disconnected to it ? What are that person's goals ?

Thanks a lot for reading until that point, the book will soon comes to its end and I couldn't be happiest to know that some of you actually supported it all the way,

love you all xxx