Thank you all for the reviews/favorites/follows. They really inspired me. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Two

Dean poured Spencer a cup of green substance, making her smell it, her nose scrunched in disgust.

"Drinking a glass of salad is supposed to give me my life back?" She asked him.

"Your body needs the nutrition." Dean said, a bit of amusement in his eyes. "You'll feel stronger. You'll think clear. You'll sleep better."

"I sleep just fine." Spencer said. She thought Avery was right, he was obnoxious. And the fact she knew him made her suspicious.

"I heard you doing laundry in two in the morning." He said.

"My sheets were dirty. What you want to analyze those too?" She spoke.

"I just thought it was unusual." Dean leaned on the counter. He thought of how Avery used to wake up in the oddest hours at night and do whatever crazy thing her mind came up with. He would sometimes wake up with her and they would stay up until the morning laughing and watching TV. You have to stop thinking about her. He thought.

"I think it's unusual how you and Avery know each other." Spencer said, making him glance at her in surprise.

"How much did she tell you about us?" He asked her.

Spencer thought for a second. "Absolutely nothing. Avery never dates" He felt disappointed that she didn't talk about him but he realised Spencer was her sister's friend, not hers. So it's less likely for her to know Avery's secrets.

"We used to date." He didn't elaborate more that. Instead he chose to change the subject. "You know, with ADHD meds, people tend to sleep a lot during withdrawal. And you're definitely irritable," Spencer rolled her eyes at that. "Any flu like symptoms?"

She looked down at her crossed arms. "Not anymore."

Dean put his hand on his chin "What about nightmares?" He thought of the times Avery would wake him from his sleep, saying he was tossing and turning.

Spencer spoke hesitantly. "Umm, what about hallucinations?"

"Maybe," He answered her, noticing the look on her face. "Nothing to worry about. It's just your body and mind getting reaquainted. You take drugs away and things come up."

"What kind of things?" Spencer remembered her Ali flashback earlier.

Dean straighten "Things you've forgotten. Things you've suppressed. Things you need to deal with." Spencer leaned on the counter with her elbows, dropping her head in her hands.

"When I was first on recovery, a healthy diet and exercise really worked for me." And Avery. "It took the edge off. It's worth the try." He said.

Spencer had her concentration on the phone sitting innocently on the counter, she nodded her head, hoping her hair covered her face enough.

"Ever do yoga?"

"No, not usually. I don't really excel in athletics unless there was somebody to beat." Spencer replied.

"I like to avoid competition. Now, I think that drive may have triggered your abuse in the first place." He said.

"But kicking your ass at tennis might be very therapeutic." Spencer said, a small hint of smile on her face. Dean glanced down in amusement.

"Yeah, I get the feeling you'll like to kick my ass period." He said. "But I'm in the barn until your parents and your doctor say otherwise. So get motivated." He moved to pick up the blender. "We got a lot to cover today."

Avery stared at the coffee mug in front of her. She had changed into her pajamas early, wearing a thin tank top and shorts, her dark hair was tied up in a messy bun over her head. She had officially given in to reality. Dean was here and he was more likely determined to get the truth out of her. And once he did, he wouldn't leave, she knew him enough to know that.

She lived in a one bedroom apartment away from her parents' home, she liked the solitude and independence the place offered her. Plus rent wasn't that bad so she could afford it. After Spencer's, she went straight home and showered, trying to forget the current present.

The sound of knocking made her jump, she laid the full mug on the small table in her kitchen. She had a feeling of who was on the other side of the door. She opened the door, Dean stood, in all his handsome glory, the scruff on his face still was the same. When she had first met him, he didn't have it, but then in the last year they spent together he grew it out, and she found out she liked guys with scruffs.

"Spencer asked me to give you this." He held a book in his hands. Avery didn't recognize the title, nor did she remember asking for it.

"Thanks." She couldn't help herself from the automatic answer. "I thought she couldn't do anything but breathe these days."

"She's stubborn." Dean said. "Besides, she's smart, but she must be getting desperate to go to such extreme ways to contact her friends." He opened the book and pointed out a page on the middle, a note stapled onto it.

"That's book abuse." Avery looked at the ruined page.

"But-" He said, looking in her eye. "I'll allow it under one condition."

"What?" She asked, thinking she probably was the only person outside Spencer's family and Dean she had contact to. She must have wanted to give this to her friends.

"Invite me in." Dean said, smiling a bit. Avery sighed but thought of her sister and left the door open, going back inside the apartment. She heard the door close and Dean's familiar footsteps following her. "Would you like some coffee or anything?" She asked, heading towards the kitchen and picking up her mug to take a sip from it, suddenly feeling like she needs to occupy herself.

"Sure." She gestured for him to sit on the other seat at the table. She made his coffee the same way she remembered he liked it.

"How did you get this place?" Dean looked around him, it seemed fairly decent.

"I sell stuff." She replied. "Like paintings or photos. It's good pay." She his coffee on the table in front of him. He took a small, careful sip, she almost snorted at how he thought she might have poisoned it it or something.

"Can I see one?" He asked. Avery tensed, she never showed her paintings to anyone, not her family, not her friends, only the people who bought it.

"Why are you like this?" She blurted. He furrowed his brows, quite adorably if she allowed herself to think so.

"Like what?" He said.

"You're treating me nicely." Avery said. "You're not supposed to do that. I don't deserve it."

"Stop acting like this." Dean said, almost snapping.

"Acting like what?" She asked, placing her half full mug in the sink so she had her back turned to him and he wouldn't see her expression.

"I know when you're lying Avery." Dean got up from the chair, coming to stand behind her.

No you don't. She thought. If he truly did then he would've seen the lie in her eyes when she ended things with him, or he would've heard her break down crying after she left his apartment.

Avery wiped her tears with her sleeve, hoping that he wouldn't notice her red eyes. She knocked on the door, something she never did. She usually barged in, making herself at home even if Dean wasn't inside.

He opened the door, clearly surprised at the formal gesture. "Avery, why did-"

"I need to talk to you." She said quickly, getting the words out. Dean wiped his hands on his jeans, a sign he was cooking.

"Let's talk inside, I'm making dinner, though it's not finished." He said, a happy glint in his eyes that made her heart break even more. He noticed the look on her face, his expression falling to concern.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, his fingers touched her face to wipe a stray tear. She jerked herself a step back from him.

"I can't do this anymore." Avery whispered, she didn't know what to say. The text's instructions were to break up with him, break his heart. She figured she could with the most said phrase.

"Do what?" Dean questioned, though he had a knowing look in his eyes. "If you just come in-"

"I can't," She closed her eyes to keep him from seeing the tears, her hands shook. "I can't because I'm breaking up with you." If it was possible, her heart would've crushed itself to pieces and choked her.

"W-why?" He said, his posture tense.

"It's not working for me." Avery said.

"It was working for you yesterday." Dean said, his voice shook a little but he kept it steady, unlike her. She didn't say anything, only waited for a few moments before forcing her feet to walk away.

"You're not going to give me the 'it's not you, it's me' speech?" He snapped. She didn't turn her head to face him, though she wanted to, more than anything in her life. If she turned around and looked him in the eyes, she would run back to his arms, and apologize for everything she said.

"Tell me something at least." He said in a quieter voice. "Tell me you're not in love with me. And I'll let you go."

"I-i'm not." She turned and ran before he could anything else, she heard a door slam violently and a loud swore followed by something breaking. Avery sank to the floor, her back against the wall, the rug scraped her bare skin that wasn't covered by her jean shorts. She wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them closer and broke down in tears, her chest heaved as she sobbed. He would never forgive her. They were the reason for each other's existence, they helped one another to get off drugs and start being sober. He kept her secret, and not once did he complain about it.

Avery closed her eyes tightly, she couldn't breathe when he was standing this close to her. When she told him she didn't love him-every word got stuck in her throat.

"You wanted to see that painting-" She turned her head to face him-only for her words to die as his lips connected with hers, they felt so soft and familiar, and just lovely. She got pulled into the kiss, losing herself quickly. It wasn't a deep kiss, it was a reminder, he was trying to get her to remember what was between them. She knew, she remembered every second of her day.

"Tell me you felt it too." He whispered against her lips when he pulled back. Avery locked into his eyes before her gaze dropped to the floor, she stepped away from him without saying anything. She cleared her throat and left him to walk towards the small hallway. Dean followed her, a protest on his tongue. She opened the door to the storage closet. It was stacked with shelves, meant to be for supplies but she filled it with paintings, from head to toe, every shelf in the small space had paintings on it. And the places that were empty on the wall had been occupied by hanged canvas.

"The ones on the wall were the most difficult to make but turned out the best." Avery told Dean. "The farthest to wall all the oldest and these here-" She lightly touched the highest shelf, the closet had a small window high in the wall, so she put freshly made paintings there to dry. "-are the newest."

"Where's the ones you sell?" Dean asked her, he looked fascinated with them, stopping at almost every one to check. She turned to the left wall, and gestured to the highest shelf. While doing so, the strap on her top loosed a little, falling to her shoulder.

"What's that?" Dean said sharply, his hands caught her elbow tight, but not enough to bruise. Avery had been afraid anyone would see it, the only ones who knew about it were Alison and the girls.

"Just a scar, Dean." She shrugged, trying to act careless though she was worried about his reaction.

"It wasn't there last time I saw you." He inspected the scar, his voice was angry but his touch was gently when his fingers traced the mark on her shoulder blade.

"How did you get it?"

"Drop it, Dean." She shrugged her shoulder from his hold and adjusted her shirt, she only wore revealing clothes at home, and nobody came to visit her except for Aria and her friends, and her parents.

"I'm not going to drop it." He snapped, touching the welted skin lightly before withdrawing his hand.

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt." She said softly. Avery heard him breathe and remove her strap again, goosebumps appeared on her skin at his touch. Dean bent down to lay a kiss on the scar, her whole body went on overdrive, everything felt hypersensitive to her.

"We can't do this." She whispered. He pulled back slowly and they stood again face to face.

"Why?" Dean tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"We just can't." She stepped away from him, her breathing shallow. "You should go."

Dean nodded, before walking and headed towards the front door. Avery ran behind him, catching him at the door. "Dean," She called, making him stop.

"I never wanted to let you go."