A/N: Thanks for all the support so far. I'm still easing my way in to make sure I want to continue so I don't leave you guys hanging like I've been known to do in the past.


"Why does Summer have to come?" Dean complained as they waited on both the blonde and the raven-haired woman to join them at their meeting space. It had been blindingly obvious that he didn't show a great amount of affection towards the judgmental woman just from their one meeting. He wasn't particularly fond of her type to begin with: Haughty, rich girl who was only getting by on her looks.

If he could bet the gods above that him and her couldn't go one hour without insulting each other just so he could get out of this ridiculous predicament, he would have. But alas, he didn't get much of a say in this considering it was Seth's car and he couldn't necessarily kick her out without permission.

"That's the only way Paige will come. It'll be fine, man. They'll sit in the back and you won't have to make any conversation with her."

"She's going to be around all summer, Seth. We're bound to cross paths at some point. You saw how she silently critiqued me." Rubbing his temples in pure frustration, the shaggy haired man glanced in the side mirror and saw the two women approaching, their luggage in tow. "The she-devil's here. And she's brought her whole closet with her apparently. What the fuck?"

Hopping out of the passenger's side to get a better view, Dean Ambrose leaned up against the side of the car and folded his arms as he watched Paige with her two bags of belongings and Summer with her trunk-on-wheels and her big duffel bag on her opposite shoulder, struggling to drag the gigantic thing behind her.

Once she made it to the back of Seth's vehicle, she dropped her stuff and looked at Ambrose. "Do you mind?" She gave a sweetly sick smile before admiring her nails. "Oh dear, these things look terrible."

He wasn't sure if she was doing that on purpose just to get a rise out of him or if she was actually serious. All he knew was that she'd only been there a mere thirty seconds and he already wanted to rip her head off. Taking his dear, sweet time rounding the vehicle, he stopped and looked at her. "Sweetheart, Iowa's a way different ballgame than New York – I doubt you need this much clothes."

"Oh, that is not my clothes. That has my makeup and hair supplies in it. Even if we're going to Losersville, Iowa, I still want to look good. Okay, honey?" Then she put her hand up to his face to prohibit him from speaking any further.

Rolling his eyes, the man put her things in the back of the vehicle without even breaking a sweat and then got back inside, folding his arms in an annoyed manner. He was going to kill Seth when he got the chance.

His friend, however, was helping Paige with her things, Dean watching the way they barely spoke to one another – maybe it was because the woman was way too nervous because she was about to meet her birth mom. It was easy to tell that neither of them wanted to be there. They were both just doing their part for the sake of Diane.

When one of the back doors opened, Dean sighed because he knew who it was. Playing around on his cell phone as a sure way to ignore the annoying woman, who was staring daggers his way, the man almost got away with it when she loudly cleared her throat to get his attention. "What? Am I breathing too loudly for the princess?"

"No, but your presence is nothing to miss. I was going to thank you for the help that was all. Do you always get so rude with people?" Adjusting the beanie on her head, Summer Rae then pulled the seatbelt over her and snapped it in place.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. I have a sucky attitude. But you'll find that out a lot this summer." He retorted.

"I can hardly wait," the blonde sarcastically said.

Before they could carry on with their banter, their friends hopped into the vehicle – Paige gripped onto her leather jacket for dear life and Seth wasted little time shoving the key into the ignition and listened as his car roared to life.

Peeling out of the parking lot, he soon hit the freeway, the deafening silence billowing the air; it made him uncomfortable having to listen to his thoughts when there could have been somewhat of a conversation going on.

"So AJ texted me to ask about you, Seth. I thought things were over with you guys." Dean casually brought it up.

"We are over. I told her I didn't want to see her again." The two-toned man defended himself, staring into the rearview mirror to see the curiosity level of the girls in the back. Summer was on the edge of her seat, leaving Seth to believe that she loved juicy gossip. That made him want to roll his eyes. And Paige had a very stoic expression on her face – he was unable to read her and it bothered him a bit. She was a hostile mystery, to say the least.

"Well according to these very descriptive text messages, she hasn't got the memo. She says and I quote, 'He's the best thing to have ever happened to me. I know I screwed it up but he'll forgive me because he'll realize that I'm the best thing to have happened to him. When two people love each other the way we do, they don't go their separate ways. They fight. I'll fight for him. Dean, please help him see that he's made a mistake. Please?'"

"I'm not budging. Why should I forgive her for doing that to me? If she can't even come to terms with why we broke up then there's no hope for her or for us ever repairing what was broken." Nonchalantly, Seth shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea what to do in this type of situation. Usually when it was over, it was over. He never had to say it twice.

But AJ Lee was apparently a different story – she seemed pretty normal at first but now he was seeing just how crazy she could be when things didn't go her way.

"Why don't you just tell the poor girl that you're standing by your decision and that you can't forgive her? If she doesn't get the memo then, then I would say you're screwed." The British woman offered some wisdom, not sure if it was even warranted. Still, the least she could do was say something to make the long drive to Iowa seem less painful.

"Or you could do the harsh thing and just tell her to fuck off." Summer, the ever-honest one, didn't hold back any punches. When she gained stares from her best friend, Dean and Seth, she tensed up. "What? Sometimes in these situations you have to be harsh to make your point." Slouching back in her seat, the blonde crossed her arms and shook her head. "Apparently I'm the only one who's told an ex to fuck off."

Trying not to laugh, Paige gave her a condoling look. At least the car ride was becoming somewhat enjoyable though they still had a long way to go.


They had stopped at a gas station in Arizona to get some snacks while Seth filled up his Tahoe. When the girls went into the place, they got stared at by a couple of older gentlemen. Paige and Summer quietly grabbed items from the shelves until they made it to a safe corner of the store to talk. "So are you okay, Paige?"

"I think I'm more numb than anything – the anticipation is actually not getting to me. I'm not nervous. I just want to get it over with. The sooner I find out if I'm a match or not, the sooner we can get the hell out of there." Taking a gamble on what Seth liked to drink, the dark haired woman grabbed him a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the cooler, along with one for her. "Dean will probably want beer, huh? Well, Mr. Ambrose, I don't have a fake I.D. He'll have to settle for Coke."

"You cannot change the subject like that – which you're really good at, okay? I'm your best friend, Paige. Best friends tell each other stuff. I know you're not for the girl bonding but it is okay to say what's on your mind." The blonde really wanted to be there for her friend, but it was absolutely difficult when she was getting nothing to go on.

"Truth be told, I don't know what's going to happen and that scares the crap out of me. I don't like it when I'm not prepared. For all I know, she could be the nicest lady in the world and I could wind up liking her. But I'm mostly scared of not being able to forgive her. I know she had her reasons for giving me up. It just… makes my head spin that once she got her shit together, she never fought for me."

"Paige, I can't even imagine how you're feeling, but maybe she thought you wouldn't want to speak to her if you found out the truth. From what you showed me of the letter, she seems sincere and she seems like she really loves you; going to Iowa is a good thing for the both of you."

"But she's dying. I don't want to put myself through that." Holding in the tears that she had been fighting back since finding out about everything, Paige took a deep breath and made a beeline for the front counter to pay for everything. Right as she was about to pay, she was stopped when Seth gave the clerk his card. "You really don't have to do that."

"Think of it as a free vacation. I pulled you out of California. The least I can do is pay for all this stuff." Taking the plastic bag from the clerk, Seth walked in front of both the girls and held the door open for them.

"You know I can pay for my own things. I'm not a charity case." Her defenses were up – they weren't close enough to be doing stuff like that for one another. When he continued walking to the car, brushing off her remark, she raised her voice. "I'm talking to you, Seth."

Giving the bag to the blonde woman and gesturing for her to go on without him, the man went back over to Paige and said, "I know you're not a charity case. I'm just trying to be nice. If you don't like how I do things, then maybe you should just shut up for the rest of the way. You've had an attitude with me all morning. What did I do to you?"

"What did you do to me? Really? You have your friend's family member look up my information, then you track me down like a stalker. Oh, and my favorite part, you tell me I'm adopted like it was some walk in the park and tell me that my birth mum is dying. And I might be her only way to live. Does that answer your question?"

"No one held a gun to your head and forced you to go through with this. So while you're blaming me for possibly saving a life, maybe you should take another look in the mirror and figure out why you don't want to." And just like that, he walked away from her, completely undeterred by their conversation.

Following step, the British woman got back into the vehicle, trying to figure out what made her snap the way she had. But when the memory of her parents came rushing back to her, she realized that she needed to tone down her anger. It wasn't anyone else's fault for what happened to her. Resting her head against the seat, Paige soon drifted off into a much-needed sleep.


Seth and Paige had fallen asleep in the backseat while Dean opted to drive and Summer rode shotgun because she had no choice. The last thing either one of them wanted was to be in an even closer proximity than they had to be. "So what's your story, Dean? Why are you the way that you are?"

"My story? I don't have a story," the shaggy-haired man kept his eyes on the road, maintaining his nonchalant demeanor. This was not the time to share stories about how they currently came to be and to bond over how similar they were – if that were even possible.

"Everyone has a story, Dean. Fine, I'll go first if you don't feel comfortable. My parents divorced a couple years back because my mom was having an affair while my father was away all the time on 'business trips'. My little sister, Autumn, and I were constantly going back and forth between them, but truth be told, they were too bothered to care about us. We were too much of a burden for them.

"When my junior year of high school hit, I realized I wanted to get out of New York and make something of myself and not be stuck with parents who stopped making an effort to be involved in my life, so I got my shit together and started applying myself in my school work. When I got offered a scholarship to California, I didn't hesitate. It was the furthest away.

"Autumn understood but ultimately resented me for leaving her. I was going to go home this summer for her but she requested for me to stay as far away as possible. That's why when Paige told me about this trip, I offered the company. She doesn't know that my own sister didn't want me home."

Wiping the tears that had fell from her blue eyes some time during her story, the blonde turned her attention to the scenery outside the window beside her. She could sense that Dean had taken his eyes off the road and had put them on her, perhaps in an empathetic way.

Feeling like it was his time to share the tragic tale of his life, Dean let out a sigh – he didn't like talking about it, considering all the emotion came back to him every time he opened up, which was why he never told anyone. Except for Seth.

"My parents died in a car accident when I was five. My older brother was twelve at the time. We went to live with my grandparents and things were going fine for the longest time. Our wounds were healing from our loss. But then they died. I was twelve and my brother was at the age where he could take me in so that I didn't have to wind up with some relative I rarely knew.

"He didn't. He said that he needed to live his own life and he was in no way capable of taking care of a prepubescent. The court ordered me to be shipped to my aunt in Iowa – I could tell she was put out by having to care for me, but was still grateful to have someone. But losing four people in less than a decade and having a brother not want me pulled the trigger for my behavior.

"When I entered high school, I got into countless fights. I barely graduated had it not been for Seth. He bailed me out and even tutored me in the subjects I was failing. That's how him and I became good buds. He had my back even when I didn't deserve it."

Not sure what to say to him, Summer blew out air from her mouth before reaching over to put a hand on his lap. It felt weird to be so consoling to someone who was absolutely repugnant, but since he had divulged something that was clearly painful, she felt obligated to be nice.

"So I guess we both know how rejection feels, especially by those we love. I'm sorry about your parents and your grandparents. I can't even imagine how you felt."

"You've never lost people?" Dean asked, completely undeterred by Summer's hand. Usually he would have made a crude joke, but since they were being serious, it didn't seem like the right time.

"My grandparents died before I was old enough to really know them. Other than that, no. I've been lucky."

Not sure what else to say, the two soaked in the silence for the next hour until Paige and Seth woke up. When Dean pulled into the parking lot of a Wal-Mart so everyone could stretch their legs and use the restroom, the raven-haired woman grabbed Seth's arm to stop him from going inside. "Hey, about earlier, I'm sorry. My issues, public or not, is no reason to go off on you the way I did."

"Thank you." That was all he said before leaving her behind, causing a confused Paige to stare as he got further and further away. What had just happened? Was he pissed at her for the way she freaked out on him? Was it a thing of he didn't know what else to say?

A minute later, she trundled her way through the doors of the store and eyed Summer browsing the clothes section, which surprised the British woman to say the least. In the two years she had known the blonde, there was never a mention of her love for Wal-Mart. "I didn't think you fancied the likings of a discount store like this."

"I usually don't. But damnit, Dean Ambrose is getting to me, Paige. I hate him. I really hate him. But we had this really deep conversation and he just… understood me. Even for a split second. And I understood him and why he's such an ass."

"So you like him?" Paige asked, slightly confused by her friend's incoherent ramblings.

"God no! I don't think I ever will. But I can relate to him in so many ways."

"That's why you're looking at discounted shirts?"

"No… I saw this really cute blue sweater and had to look at it." Pulling the shirt off the rack, the blonde looked at the price tag and smiled. "I don't want to be like my parents and buy high-priced things. You know the reason I came with you, Paige? It's because my sister—my baby sister—doesn't want me to. She still resents me for leaving her behind."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Paige draped an arm over her friend's shoulder and pulled her in closer to her.

"Because you have enough stuff going on in your life and I didn't want to load my family drama on top of the drama you already have."

"Oh my little blonde crumpet, if you're going through something and you need me, you can come to me no matter what."

As they waited in line so that Summer could pay for her shirt, the guys joined them, Seth receiving a phone call in the process. Grunting in frustration, he stepped aside to answer the call. "What part of us not talking do you not get?"

"Seth, can we please be adults about this and just talk? I miss you." His ex spoke, making him roll his eyes.

"AJ, I don't miss you. I don't want to talk to you. You broke my heart. It's kind of hard to forget about that so easily, especially since you laughed about me to all your girlfriends. Don't call me again." Then he clicked the phone off and shoved it back into his pocket.

"Everything okay?" Paige sauntered over to him, leaving Summer to fend for herself as Dean stood there behind her, clearly getting on her nerve. "You seemed pretty upset."

"It was AJ – she just doesn't know when to quit." He ran a hand through his two-toned hair, slightly uncomfortable from having to discuss this with someone he barely knew. "She made a bet with her friends that she could convert me to someone I'm not. I overheard her and her friends talking about it. There was no remorse in her voice."

"And now that it's over, she wants you back." When he nodded, she continued. "Yeah, I know about that. My ex Wade cheated on me and the other night he told me that he made a mistake and that he wants us to have another chance. But the root of our problems lies so much deeper than what was on the surface. He cheated on me because I wouldn't have sex with him even though we were together for over a year. I guess he felt entitled to go out and sleep with the first girl he saw."

"Maybe AJ should look up this Wade guy and they could date. At least that would get us off the hook." For the first time since he met her, Paige proffered a smile. And God was it beautiful. Elbowing her to look at their friends, Seth shook his head in disbelief. "I don't think Dean has ever had so much fun tormenting someone."

"And I don't think Summer has had so much fun being annoyed – she says she hates him but it looks like she's enjoying herself." Folding her arms across her chest, the pale woman just stared at the sight of Summer and Dean having it out.

When Seth's phone rang again, bringing Paige out of her reverie, he simply ignored the call and stood with her as they waited on Summer to finish paying. Moments later, they were back in the car, only this time it was Paige riding shotgun and Seth in the driver's seat.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket, her good mood shifted when she read the text message: Paige, please call me when you get the chance. It's important. Love mom.

Instead of replying back, she hit the delete button and acted like nothing had happened. But there was no way in hell she could forget about it. What did that woman want? For Paige, she was definitely in no rush to find out. Elena Knight would have to wait.


A/N: I'm not very happy with how this chapter turned out. But you got some background on Dean and Summer.