Flames

Join the Club, part 1

There were bad ideas and then there were bad ideas. Seth had had enough of each that he knew the line between them wasn't as clear—or impermeable—as he would like it to be. Some would say flirting with Becky while he had still been in a relationship would count as a bad idea, especially since he tried making a move on her in her own apartment, but considering it all ended up with him having an incredible wife and a wonderful daughter, he disagreed. Teaching at a wrestling academy while wrestling full-time probably seemed like a bad idea to a lot of people, but he thought there was a lot of value in being taught by an active wrestler, one his students might conceivably face one day if they were successful enough.

Bringing Roux to RAW the night Naomi was going to announce her pregnancy, though? Even Seth had to admit that bordered on bad idea territory:—terrible, disastrous, doomed even. Roux was still fixated on the idea of a little brother and seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion at times. He knew their daughter meant nothing bad by it, but he could also see how Becky's gaze dimmed a bit each time, knowing they might not be able to give Roux what she considered the best present in the world.

"Maybe we should have Naomi tell her somewhere more... private," Seth murmured, leaning in close to Becky's ear. They were in Catering, which was quiet at the moment, and Roux was currently busy helping CM Punk put a shirt on his dog, Larry. "I'm sure she won't mind."

Becky gestured around at the general lack of people. Roxanne, Raquel, and Dominik were taking the last of the doughnuts from the dessert table and Adam Pearce was pouring himself a much-needed coffee, but otherwise Catering was empty. Most people knew Naomi's announcement was coming up and they had gone to the viewing area to watch; Naomi had asked to keep Roux's special reveal until just before the televised one to preserve the secret as much as possible, though the internet was already full of speculation. "At least there are distractions here."

"If by 'distractions', you mean 'snacks'," Seth retorted, "then yes, but that will probably just give us two problems instead of one." Before he could continue or Becky could counter, Naomi and Jimmy walked in. After kissing Naomi's cheek, Jimmy detoured over to CM Punk, setting Naomi's title on the table. "Roux!" Seth called out. "Come over here, please."

Roux gave Larry a final hug and waved at Punk. "Thank you, Uncle Punkle!" She had already turned and was running over to her parents, but Seth had to laugh at the mixture of amusement and confusion in Punk's expression.

Uncle Punkle? Punk mouthed to Seth. "That's not going to be a thing, is it?"

Seth could only shrug. "You can never tell. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it doesn't." He moved so he could catch Roux as she launched herself at him.

"Guess we'll see." Punk clipped Larry's leash to his collar and then gave Naomi a hug. "Congrats," he said simply. "Enjoy your time out there."

Naomi nodded, and Seth could see her eyes getting misty. It reminded him of when Becky had to make her fateful announcement, and he couldn't help but wonder how Becky's would have gone over with a live audience. "I'll do my best." Naomi waved her husband over before holding her arms out. "What's this all about, Miss Roux? Do I have to ask for a hug today?"

Roux hopped off Seth's lap and hugged Naomi eagerly. "Mama said you had something to tell me. I was being a good girl and waiting." With her mother's perfect timing, she turned to Seth and said, "I was good, right? I waited. I didn't ask or anything."

"You were very good, Roux," Seth confirmed. "Thank you for being so patient."

Beaming, Roux gave Jimmy a quick hug before heading back to Naomi. "Now can I know?"

Naomi pulled a chair over and sat down, pulling Roux onto her lap. "I know I owe you a craft weekend, and I'm hoping you'll help me with a new project. It's even better than the Money in the Bank briefcase," she said, brushing some curls out of Roux's face.