Monday Night, Post-RAW

3rd Person POV

The duo of Lexi and "M" finally arrive in Florida and are more than hour-and-a-half away from the former's home. An obviously tired Lexi struggles to keep herself awake, dozing off every now and then while lost in thought. "M" reaches one hand over and places it on her leg, causing her to look over at him. Another surge of familiarity courses through Lexi as "M"'s hand lays on her leg.

"M", quietly: Go ahead and sleep. We've still got awhile before we get to your house.

Lexi: No. I'm not that (yawn) tired.

"M", chuckling: Lex, you need some sleep if we're gonna talk to my uncle tomorrow.

Lexi: I'll be fine, thanks for looking after me though.

A few moments of silence pass by. Then, Lexi decides to speak up and break the silence.

Lexi: Your Kane mask looks better.

"M", smirking: Oh yeah? Why's that?

Lexi: It tells more of a story than your other ones. The other two are cool and all, but the Kane one lets us know a little piece of who you are.

"M": What does the mask tell you?

Lexi: That you're keeping your face hidden for a reason. You also have legacy to carry on. You're somehow connected to both of the Brothers of Destruction.

"M": You got all that from a leather mask?

Lexi nods.

"M": I can put the Kane mask on, if you'd like.

Lexi, laughing a little: No. Just keep driving.

It goes quiet once again. This time, "M" breaks the silence.

"M": Got any idea who I am yet?

Lexi: Just suspicions. And a gut feeling, but I'm not sure if it's right.

"M": Maybe you should sleep on it.

Lexi: Good idea. (Yawn) Let me know when we get there.

"M": Goodnight, Lex.

Lexi: Night, "M".

Once he's sure she's good and asleep, "M" turns off his voice disguiser and removes his mask to reveal his true self, Caleb Winters.

Caleb, whispering: Wearing a mask like this is cool and all, but after six hours you kinda miss breathing actual air.

Eventually, he is forced to stop at a red light, which he uses to his advantage by reaching behind him and pulling out his bag. He places his bag on his lap, unzips it, and places his Saibot mask inside. He fishes through the bag quietly and retrieves two masks. One is the all black Kane mask, while the other is a plastic Sting mask. He places the Kane one on the top of his head like it's a baseball cap, then goes back to looking at the emotionless plastic face meant to resemble his uncle's.

Caleb, mumbling quietly: Need to find a way to incorporate this in my gimmick. I'll ask you and Uncle Mark about it tomorrow. Y'all haven't let me down yet, don't start now.

He places the plastic mask back into the bag, zips it, and throws it behind him. The light turns green and his silent journey continues. As he drives, he occasionally looks over to make sure Lexi is still asleep. Every time he glances over, a small smirk crosses his face. He knows that Lexi and Gionna will figure out who he is and neither will be very happy when they do, but that's part of the fun. For now, he's going to let it play out however it does and do his best to make it up to them when the time comes. It's all he really can do.

Timeskip

The duo get closer to Lexi's house when Caleb hears her start to stir. He looks out of the corner of his eye and sees her rearranging herself in the seat, trying to get more comfortable. He gently places a hand on her shoulder as her eyes slightly open.

Lexi: Caleb?

Caleb, whispering: Shhh. Go back to sleep, darlin'.

Lexi's eyes shut once more and she's out like a light. Caleb retracts his hand and quietly talks to himself once again.

Caleb: Huh. Had no idea that was gonna work.

Timeskip

The Southern Juggernaut, now disguised by his mask, pulls into the driveway and shuts off the car. Knowing better than to wake a sleeping Alexa Bliss, he walks around to her side and bridal carries her to the door. While holding her, he lets go with one hand and unlocks the door. The sound of many little paws clattering against the ground and running to the door could be heard growing louder. Right before any of the animals got close enough to wake up Lexi, "M" pulls his mask on top of his head and turns off his voice disguiser.

Caleb, whispering: Shhhhh. Momma's sleepin'. Let's get her to bed, kiddos.

The zoo of animals follow the Marine through the house. Unbeknownst to him, Lexi had partially woken up and saw him address the animals when they were approaching. Due to her energy being completely depleted, she went back to sleep almost immediately as if this was a regular occurrence.

The Southern Juggernaut enters her bedroom and lays her on the bed softly. He then turns to the zoo and whispers to them.

Caleb: Watch her for me. I'm gonna get our stuff and lock up. When I get back, y'all can sleep on the couch with me.

He puts his mask back on and switches on the voice disguiser, then leaves the room, gets their bags, and locks everything up. Once he's done, he sits down on Lexi's couch. He turns the voice disguiser off and removes it, then removes his mask. He holds the mask in his hand and stares into its empty eyes. His concentration is broken by the zoo climbing on the couch with him.

Caleb, quietly: I know, I know. I need to go to sleep. Let's hope this goes better than last time.

With that, he turns the mask back around and lays it on his face, as if he were trying to wear it without putting on the straps. He closes his eyes, praying that he'll be blessed with a sleep without nightmares this time. Unfortunately, he isn't that lucky.

As he sleeps, flashes of memories from overseas flood his mind. The memories of the things he'd done and the friends he lost in battle were accompanied by the memories of having to tell his fallen brothers and sisters' families that their relatives weren't coming back. He wasn't ever actually told to be the one to do it, but he always felt that it had to be him to do it. He knew all of his personnel well and knew their families well too. He celebrated with these people, mourned with them, and fought beside them.

Being the bearer of the tragic news got him called a lot of things: liar, bastard, coward, selfish, son of a bitch, and many others. He never took what they said personally. He knew it was their emotions talking. The larger man never retaliated. He allowed them to let their feelings out, even if it meant getting insulted or having to be a grieving widow's punching bag.

All of the most tragic parts of his past collide and form one gigantic nightmare. After what seems like an eternity, the nightmares stop. Instead of being trapped in a firefight in the Middle East, Caleb finds himself in an oddly perfect house. In front of him, there's a woman with her back to him. He walks over to her skeptically. When he goes to turn her around, a surge of energy runs through him and the large man's eyes shoot open.

Caleb: What the hell was that?

He looks over at his phone and sees that it is now Tuesday morning. He looks down to see Lexi sleeping. She has her arm on top is his abdomen. That's when he realizes where his left arm is: trapped under the frame of the former Goddess of WWE.

Caleb, thinking to himself: That explains why the nightmares stopped.

He lays the for a couple of minutes, then decides he has to get up and get his morning routine going.

Caleb, thinking to himself: As adorable and comfortable this is, I gotta get up.

He goes to sit up, but Lexi's grip tightens on the arm she's laying.

Lexi, mumbling in her sleep: Don't leave...you just got back.

Caleb, whispering back to her: If I don't get up, you won't have any coffee when you wake up.

Lexi's grip instantly loosens and she rolls over in her sleep.

Caleb, to himself: Works every time.

He stands up, does a few stretches, and then places his mask, which has been in his right hand since he woke up, in its rightful place. With his face now covered, Caleb starts his morning routine.

Timeskip

Lexi is awakened by the sound of her front door opening. Her eyes open as the smell of coffee fills the room.

Lexi: Caleb?

"M": What'd you say?

Lexi, rolling over to see "M": Oh. I thought you were someone else.

"M": And what's led you to believe that?

Lexi: Nothing. I just had a weird dream last night.

"M", handing Lexi her coffee: Wanna talk about it?

The former Goddess of WWE sits up and takes a sip from her coffee.

Lexi: In my dream, I kept hearing Caleb's voice. I saw him carry me to my room, set me down, and then leave. But that wasn't the weirdest part. The weirdest part was that he had your mask on top of his head.

"M": That is rather strange.

Lexi: It all felt so real. Like he was actually here last night.

"M": Lex, I can assure you that we were the only ones here last night. Speaking of which, how'd you get on the couch?

Lexi: I thought I heard Caleb having flashbacks in his sleep, so I got up and came to the couch like I used to do when he'd stay with me. Guess I just dreamt that too.

"M": No, you didn't. I was having a nightmare last night. That's what you heard.

Lexi: Oh. What'd you see?

"M": The people I failed to protect.

Lexi's thoughts: That's exactly what Caleb used to say. I guess he and "M" really are close.

"M": Do you mind if I use your shower right quick?

Lexi: Of course not. Go ahead.

"M" nods his head in appreciation, then walks over to his bag, and takes out his change of clothes and a towel. After grabbing these items, he leaves the room and goes to the bathroom.

A few minutes go by since "M" went to go shower. Lexi continues to sit on the couch and takes a sip of her coffee. Suddenly, something catches her eye: a phone resting on the arm of the couch. The phone is on the opposite side of the couch from her. Normally, she would just ignore the phone and focus on her caffeine-filled beverage, but today is different. She knows she'll never get another opportunity like this. An opportunity to finally get an edge over her mysterious ally.

As she mentally battles herself, she feels the couch shake a little, due to the vibrations that only come from one thing: a text message. The phone screen lights up. Not wanting to move too far from her comfy spot on the couch, Lexi desperately reaches for the one thing that can tell her who "M" really is.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom

An unmasked Caleb finishes his shower and shuts off the water. After drying off and tying the towel around his waist, he looks at the other stuff he brought with him and notices that something's off. His eyes go wide as he realizes that he grabbed his work phone instead of his personal phone.

Caleb: Oh. Shit.

With Lexi

She hears the water shut off and her reaching gets more and more desperate. In one final effort, Lexi manages to grab the phone and pull it back with her to her spot. She looks at the phone and sees that the text is from Jason.

Jason: Dad wants to know if you're bringin' anyone to the Krew gathering tonight?

Lexi begins to question what the text means, but her train of thought is derailed when she notices his wallpaper.

Lexi smiles as her mind wanders back to the day that picture was taken. Caleb got home from serving overseas about a week before the picture was taken. He went with them, Jason, and his brother to help set up for WrestleMania, and to watch his "uncles" wrestle. He managed to catch a tired, uncaffeinated Gionna off guard by saying "hey Gionna" quickly right before taking the picture.

Lexi: Caleb didn't share this picture with anyone except me and Gionna. How did "M" get it?

She spends a couple of seconds racking her brain when the realization hits her. Not truly believing what her gut has been telling her this whole time, Lexi decides to test her theory by trying to unlock the phone. Lexi types in the password Caleb used to use for his phones. Her eyes widen even more than they did after she saw the picture as the phone unlocks. Knowing she doesn't have much time, Lexi goes through as much of the phone as she can, desperately trying to find anything that denies what she already knows to be true.

With Caleb

He quickly finishes getting ready, puts the mask and voice disguiser on, and leaves the bathroom. He knows he can't make too much noise or she'll get suspicious, but he also knows that Lexi will go through his phone to find out who he is.

With Lexi

All of the texts, photos, and even the music point toward Caleb being the man behind the mask. She continues to scroll the phone and opens his notes. As she looks at the different notes he left in his phone, one marked "To Lexi and Gionna" catches her eye. She goes to read what it says when she hears someone clear their throat, but she doesn't pay attention to it.

"M": Can I help you find something?

She looks up from the phone and sees "M" standing at the entrance of the room to her left. Instinctively, she clutches the phone to her chest.

"M": Going through someone's phone without permission isn't very kind, Alexis.

Lexi: Neither is keeping secrets.

The large man doesn't even take a step into the room before Lexi darts off the couch. "M" runs right after her, chasing her throughout her house until they finally wind up in front of Lexi's indoor pool. "M" slowly walks closer to Lexi, who has her back to the pool and is holding the phone over the water. Every step he takes from the doorway is met with a small shuffle backward from the former Goddess of WWE.

"M": Give me the phone, Lex.

Lexi: Take off the mask.

"M": You know I can't do that.

Lexi: Then I can't give you back your phone.

"M": Give me the damn phone!

Lexi: If you want it, come get it!

"M": As you wish.

His words catch Lexi off guard long enough for him to lunge at her and playfully spear her into the pool. Right as his body makes contact with hers, Lexi throws the phone out of her hand, keeping it from crashing into the water with her and its owner.

Lexi comes up first, swimming over to the side and holding onto the wall. Once she grabs the wall, she turns her attention to the man who just emerged from the water as well. She can hear him growling as he reaches up to his voice disguiser, which keeps cutting on and off, and takes it off. After he removes the voice disguiser, he throws it out of the pool. The large man climbs out of the pool before removing his mask and turning to face Lexi. Unfortunately for Lexi, the man's long hair is covering his face so she can't see who he is. He walks over to her and reaches his hand out to her, which she takes. The unmasked "M" pulls her out of the pool, but due to the amount of strength he put into doing so, she loses her balance and crashes into his abdomen. The large man doesn't react to the impact. He only puts his arms around her loosely and looks down at her.

Lexi, panting: All you had to do was ask nicely.

Her remark causes the big man to release a chuckle that is all too familiar to Lexi. She looks up at him and, from the angle she's standing at, sees the bearded face of her best friend/long time crush. The sight of his smirking face causes her to gasp and back away a little. Her reaction forces another chuckle from the large man, who flips his hair out of his face and looks straight at Lexi. He holds his arms out before speaking.

Caleb: What's wrong? Don't recognize me, Lex?

Lexi's eyes widen as she remembers the night she first met "M" last week. Her hands cover her mouth. Then, without hesitation, Lexi runs to him and traps him in a hug that the big man immediately welcomes. Her hands make their way to either side of Caleb's head before she pulls him down into a kiss. After the emotional kiss, their foreheads rest against each other. A few moments pass before Lexi speaks up.

Lexi, smiling: You're an ass.

Caleb, smiling too: Yeah. Yeah, I am.

The former Goddess of WWE finds herself giggling at her old friend. A few more minutes pass before they speak again.

Caleb: You're not mad at me for this, are ya?

Lexi: I was a little at first, but now it all depends on your answer to my next question.

Caleb: Alright, but it better not be a geometry question. I was never good at those.

Lexi, laughing a little: Don't worry, it's not. It's about you. About us. Did you mean it? All that stuff you said in the elevator. About loving me and Gionna. Did you mean it?

Caleb, releasing a sigh: Every word.

Lexi pulls him down once more and kisses him again.

Lexi: Good. We can figure the whole Gionna thing out later. For now, it's just me and you.

Her hands move to his back as her grip on him tightens. She lays her head on his chest and closes her eyes as she relishes holding onto her best friend again.

Lexi: Just please...please don't run again.

The large man tightens his grip on her as well and rubs her back slowly with one hand.

Caleb: I'll never run again.

Lexi: You promise?

Caleb, smiling: Yeah. Yeah, I promise.

Lexi: Good.

After a long embrace, the two separate to dry off and change into dry clothes. Once they're ready to go, they make their way to Texas to see Caleb's uncle Steven also known as the Icon, Sting.

A/N: I want to thank SuperSaiyan4Life for helping me with this chapter. The man is a legend with so many great stories of his own. Be sure to check his stuff out. Thank y'all so much for reading and I'll talk to y'all later.