"OK, but like, what if I don't act nice?" Chuck Taylor asked, wiggling his eyebrows towards you. Your response was an unimpressed stare.

"Darling boy, you will," you stated, holding open the door for him to walk through. Once through the doorway, he put an arm around your shoulders, tucking you to his side.

"I'm glad one of us is confident in me," he declared, causing you to smile, as he steered you further in to the building, effectively ending your conversation about a potential date scenario for Chuck.

It was December in California, and you found yourself back at your favorite stomping grounds: PWG. It was the night of Mystery Vortex, the show that PWG held each year wherein they announced almost none of their matches. It was a surprise to the audience who would come out to face who as it happened in real time. The wrestlers themselves also didn't know until arrival what their matches would be. It was one of your favorite shows to do honestly. There was something so fun about it, sometimes ending up in the ring with people you never did, and getting to create matches on the fly. The night fed to your creative and spontaneous side, the part of you that you were trying to reconnect to most.

So when you found out that you and Candice would be in a match against Trent and Chuck, you were beyond ecstatic. The four of you quickly found each other, animatedly going over possible spots and plans for the match. It was so nice to work with your best friends. It was even better to work with people who didn't care what gender you were, and only that you were a good wrestler. It made life so much easier, so much happier.

When it came time for your match, you and Candice had the boys get introduced first. The crowd was excited when Chuck came out, but they practically lost their minds when Trent followed, declaring they were a team that night. The crowd settled down in anticipation of their opponents. And when the opening notes of Pat Benatar 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' came through the speakers, you were sure you had never heard a crowd get so loud.

Candice and you waited for the song to kick in entirely, before bursting through the black curtain together. You couldn't help the wide smile on your face as you slapped hands with the crowd as you made your way to the ring. You slid in under the bottom rope, Candice climbing through the middle. You stood tall in the middle of the ring together, you throwing up the 'rock on' sign, while Candice stood and looked adorable like always.

The crowd settled for the announcer to introduce the teams, Best Friends versus PowerTuff Girls. You watched everyone else's introductions, and curtseyed at yours as The Queen.

The match started as the announcer had barely finished speaking, when you and Candice double clotheslined the boys right out of the ring. It was a heavy back and forth match, full of team work spots, as well as big moments, such as when Chuck threw you head first in to the crowds' chairs, and Candice DDT'ed Trent on to the floor. There was plenty of funny spots too, such as you using your chest to distract Chuck for a takedown, and Trent trying to "hug Candice to death". It went by all too quickly, with the boys scoring a victory over your team.

You retired to the locker rooms, cleaning yourself up and changing out of your ring gear, before taking a seat by the monitors in the back to watch the rest of the show. As your match had started the show, only two more had been completed since then. Currently there was another tag match, with the team of reDRagon getting the win over Death By Elbow. You found yourself getting teary-eyed as Chris Hero gave a speech in the ring, knowing in your heart he was going to be leaving for WWE even if he didn't say so.

"What are you doing?" You asked, realizing Chuck was standing beside you now, leaning with one hand on the back of your folding chair, still in his ring gear.

"Oh, ya know, having another match," he answered, causing your eyebrows to go up. "Yea, so thanks for that lovely pile-driver earlier. I feel fabulous."

"Yo, what?! Who are you going against now?!"

"Me." Your eyes moved from Chuck, to where Adam Cole had approached, standing beside Chuck. He looked over you, eyes ahead at the monitor. He was in his usual ring gear; black leather jacket, black trunks, and wet hair hanging down his back. His overconfidence was also well and present.

"I'll kick his ass," Chuck leaned down and whispered in your ear, causing you to giggle. You didn't miss the scowl that came to Adam's face at this.

Soon enough the boys were having their match, with Chuck in fact kicking Adam's ass, and securing himself the #1 contender's spot for the PWG title. It had been a shock to the crowd, and you found yourself beaming in excitement for your friend as well. The rest of the show went off without issue, as did the post-show fan mingling. Once all was said and done, you were gathering your bags from the back "locker room", which was more a spare office than anything, so you could leave.

"Hey! C'mere," Chuck called from the doorway, causing you to look over your shoulder at him.

"What?"

"Come here!" He said again, gesturing out of the room. You stopped gathering your stuff, setting your purse down on a chair, turning towards him.

"Again, what?"

"Come with me," he declared, holding out his hand to you. With a begrudging sigh, you walked to him, where he promptly took your hand and tugged you out of the room. You allowed him to guide you down the narrow hallway, and back out into the main area of the venue, where the ring was still being torn down. However, you quickly noticed almost everyone from the roster was still standing around near the bar area.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Their voices all meshed together, loudly and on different levels, when they noticed you were there. Your eyes widened a bit, as you realized there was a lit cake resting on the bar. And that apparently it was now after midnight, and officially your birthday.

"Do not…" you started to say, but were promptly cut off as Chuck began to loudly sing 'Happy Birthday', others joining in. He kept his arm secured around you, forcing your body to sway back and forth along with his, as the group continued to sing to you. You rolled your eyes, attempting to press your ear against your shoulder, entirely uncomfortable in the situation. You hated being sung to, and had since you were little. There was photographic evidence of this. You noticed the shit-eating grin on Chris Hero's face as he sang loudly, and the sheer joy on Zack Sabre's face as he knew how much you hated this moment and were forced to endure it.

The song was over eventually, though it felt like a lifetime, and the group let out loud cheers and whoops once they had finished. Chuck pushed you gently towards the bar and the cake, indicating it was time for you to blow out your candles. As you reluctantly walked towards the bar, you gave a shy smile to the crowd of your friends watching you. The whole locker room was there, Candice and Trent, Excalibur and Kyle.

You were entirely surprised to find Adam Cole among the crowd, albeit in the very back, next to Nick Jackson. When your eyes caught his, he looked back indifferently.

You made it to the bar, looking down at the cake. It was two tiered, a dark grey color overall, with multicolored bright butterflies stuck on it. You knew Candice had made it, given her baking background.

Closing your eyes, you took a moment to enjoy the silence that surrounded you. You had no idea what to wish for. Your life was so different from a year ago, so confusing, so new. There was nothing you wanted necessarily in the material world, and you finally felt like mentally you were in a good place. You didn't need calm, or peace, or love, anymore. You had found your way to those things, through your friends and your job.

I wish that this year I can stay on a positive path, you decided, taking in a deep breath and blowing out the candles. Another cheer resounded from your friends at your action. Opening your eyes, you looked to the crowd, smiling gently.

"I hate you all, but I love you all," you declared, a laugh rumbling through your friends. Candice pulled you in to a hug, as the group relaxed around you.

"Thank you, it's beautiful," you told her quietly, causing her to giggle.

"Only the best for my best girl," she responded, letting go of you. You were pulled immediately in to another hug by Trent, albeit awkwardly.

"I hope today sucks for you," he decided, causing you to roll your eyes. "You're what? 40? 50?" Standing on your toes, you pressed a kiss to his check, making sure to make a loud 'muah' as you did so.

"That just makes me a cougar for you," you declared, leaning back from his embrace with a giggle, the blush obvious on his face. You accepted others' birthday wishes gracefully, some with hugs, some with simple smiles.

Candice took it upon herself to cut up the cake, paper birthday plates complete with balloons acting as the serving wear. You stood back, accepting the plate handed to you, engaging in conversation with Marty Scurll. After having your cake, you took a beer, as many others had as well. You eventually found yourself sitting in one of the remaining folding chairs, laughing with Bobby Fish, as he animatedly told you a story from the England ROH tour you hadn't been on last month. The group eventually thinned out, with the Bucks declaring they wanted to get home to their families, and others wanting to get back to the hotel for some sleep.

Chuck, of course, declared he had alcohol, and your "birthday party" would continue at the hotel. So you gathered your bags and got in a car with him and Trent, heading back to the hotel. You were sharing a room with Candice, and after throwing your stuff in there, the two of you headed to Chuck and Trent's room. Upon entering, you found not only those two, but also Zack, ACH, Trevor Lee, Matt Sydal, Marty, Pete Dunne, Kyle O'Reilly, and Chris. And Adam.

Within a moment of entering the room, a beer was pressed in to your hand, and you found yourself pulled down on to a couch beside Kyle, who began to talk animatedly with you about his wife. You found yourself relaxed in the room, eventually floating over to other friends and conversations, continuing to have some beers. You were almost able to forget that Adam was in the room, especially considering he did not acknowledge you once.

After about two hours, when the clock showed it was past 4AM, you declared it was time to go to bed. By now only a handful of people remained; Zack, Chuck, Trent, Adam, and Kyle. Candice had retired back to your guys' room some time ago, and others had trickled out after sharing a beer and a laugh.

The boys didn't argue your decision to end your impromptu birthday party. From his spot on the floor, Chuck shouted out one last 'Happy B-day, ho', causing Trent to giggle. You rolled your eyes affectionately at their shenanigans, before throwing a small wave to the others. You tossed your last beer bottle into the trash, exiting the room into the empty hallway. You'd barely made it ten feet from the room, when you heard the door open behind you.

"Brenna."

You froze in your steps. His voice was the last you had expected to hear. And the last you honestly felt like hearing right now.

"Adam, I'm tired. I want to go to bed. Just…let me go to bed," you pleaded, continuing to face in the direction you had been going.

"Will you just…come here?" He implored, his voice soft, a gentle tone you hadn't heard from him in a long time.

You didn't go to him, but you did turn around to face him. You put your hands on your hips, your entire being looking exhausted and suspicious. Adam considered you for a moment, before his eyes diverted down to the floor. It was then you noticed, as he moved his left arm more away from his body, that he had been hiding a small bag behind himself. It was light purple, with white handles.

"Happy birthday," he mumbled, holding it out to you. With hesitance, you stepped towards him and took the bag, bringing it towards your body, as his arm dropped again down to his side. Part of you wondered if it was a bomb meant to blow up on contact with your skin. And part of you was surprised when it didn't.

Adam had always given you a small present around your birthday for years. There had been more shows than just this one that had fallen around your birthday, normally ROH Final Battle. The presents were usually silly and somewhat-sarcastic; a bunch of your favorite candy to "keep you happy and not murder-y", an airplane pillow before your first overseas trip because you always complained about how uncomfortable it was to sleep against the window, or a handful of cheap headphones because you were always losing yours. You had always had a feeling Evan had something to do with the gifts, especially given how loudly he'd laughed about the headphones.

You hadn't expected anything from Adam this year though, not given the state of your guys' relationship. Or really, lack of.

"Thanks," you murmured, unsure if you should look in the bag now or not. He nodded ever so slightly to acknowledge your response, before turning away from you. Apparently he didn't care if you looked now or not. You watched Adam return back in to the hotel room you both had exited moments ago.

Looking down at the bag, you decided to open it now, curiosity ruling you. Reaching in, you extracted a small black square jewelry box, Kay embroidered across it. Biting at your lip, you cracked open the box.

What lied inside was a silver crown pendant, attached to a silver chain on each end. The crown wasn't overly intricate, the prongs of it smooth and almost antler-like. There were three blue jewels at the base of the crown itself, a row of sparkling clear jewels along the entire bottom.

You were amazed. It was beautiful.

And you were very, very shocked. This was nothing like the silly, but thoughtful, gifts that you had gotten before. This was expensive. Which confused you even more. Getting a gift was surprising enough, but getting such a striking gift was wholly puzzling.

Closing the box, you put it back in the bag, and walked to the hotel room that still contained your friends. You needed an explanation. Pushing open the door, a couple sets of eyes landed on you immediately.

"Come here," you demanded as soon as your eyes met Adam's. Everyone else in the room fell silent. He was sitting on the desk, having been talking with Kyle who was sitting in a chair in front of him. Without setting his beer down, he slid off the desk, and came towards you. You turned and left the room, trusting he was following behind you. The door shut completely after he exited, indicating he had moved the bar from keeping it propped open.

"What?" He inquired, leaning his shoulder against the wall beside the doorway, his beer dangling in his hand against his side, arrogance radiating from him. This was not the same reserved, almost shy, Adam that had been in the hallway with you minutes ago.

"Why?" Was your comeback, moving the bag slightly to indicate what you were asking about. He said nothing for a moment, before shrugging one shoulder nonchalantly.

"You're the queen, aren't you?"

"I meant giving me something in general," you clarified, choosing to ignore his smartass answer.

"It's your birthday," he replied, as though that explained everything

"And?" You challenged. "Typically you don't give presents to people you don't like."

"…never said I didn't like you." You couldn't help that your eyes narrowed a bit at his response, hating that you never knew anymore what you were getting when it came to him.

"Well, ya fooled me," you stated. With a scoff, and a roll of your eyes, you turned away from him to leave. You were not playing this game with him. If he wanted to be vague and confusing, that was on him. But you weren't going to waste your time, your emotion, on the situation, knowing that the payoff would eventually never come.

"Bren, wait," his voice stopped you a handful of steps away. Closing your eyes, and gritting your teeth, you turned on your heels to face him again. He was no longer leaning on the wall, instead standing upright, looking…dejected? The mood changes he was showing you tonight were giving you whiplash. He was looking downward, and reached up with his free hand to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Look…I just…" he trailed off again. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"Which time?" Your retort came viciously, surprising even yourself. Adam lifted his head at your tone, his body going stiff, his mood shifting yet again. He clenched his jaw, his eyes glaring in to yours. Clearly your words had made him mad.

"Do not make me entirely the bad guy here," he demanded.

"Aren't you?"

"I didn't do anything purposely to you," Adam practically growled. "You have this horrible idea of what I am, and it's not fair."

"Your actions have made me have this idea of you," you stated. "I haven't just made up this story in my head, Adam. You have treated me like shit for months, and I, for the life of me, have no idea why! You used to be my friend, and then you went to wanting nothing to do with me! But then you decide that you do? When it's what, convenient for you?"

"Because I didn't think you needed me around!" He exclaimed, his arm without the beer flinging out at his side. "You came back, and I didn't know what to say to you. Evan was my friend too, and it just…I didn't know what to do. So I left you alone. I figured everyone else had a better idea what to do for you than I did. And then…you just…got better. You were happy again…and I wasn't a part of that.

"So I thought you didn't need me around…you were fine without me… If you're fine without me, then I'm not going out of my way to be around you. I wanted you to be happy, and you were, and I figured coming around would ruin it. And it just…pissed me off, OK? It sucked that you could move on without me, and that you didn't spare me a second thought. But that's not all on me! You're the one who punched me!"

You felt like the air had been sucked from your lungs the more he had spoken. He looked enraged and sounded…hurt. Like you had hurt him, more than just physically. Like it was wrong of you to have moved on with your life, and gotten emotionally better. Like you had purposely cut him out of your day to day. Like he hadn't made the first move down this road of separation and hostility.

"You didn't speak to me, not once, past the basic hi and bye, for weeks. Long before I was better, you ignored me. And then you got mean when I was around, purposely leaving when I came in a room, glaring at me, or just downright avoiding me," your voice was tight, trying to keep yourself from shouting. "I did nothing to deserve that treatment, Adam, nothing. From the day I came back, to now, this is on you. You could have said something, and you didn't."

"You could have too," he muttered.

"Yea? And what could I have done? Approached a man who clearly wanted nothing to do with me? Sorry if that didn't seem like a very appealing option. Sorry if I was dealing with some other things, like ya know, not crying at every moment because my husband was dead."

You found yourself at a standstill with him. He was staring, glaring, at you, the hand around his beer bottle tight. His back was tense as he stood still, the veins of his neck prominent as though he was holding in a scream. You didn't know what else to say, or do, so you just stared back. You knew you didn't cut an intimidating figure like he did, but you refused to back down, and maintained your own rigid posture.

"Forget it," he finally declared, shaking his head slightly. "Just, fucking forget it."

Before you could agree, or disagree, or give back the present, Adam had turned and walked away. He strode passed the hotel room where everyone was, and continued down the hallway, before going around the corner, out of your sight.

Stay on a positive path, you scoffed to yourself mentally. Here's to fucking hoping.