April 1, 2016: Dallas, TX.

WrestleMania week was a non-stop rollercoaster ride. To say there was work in the ring and outside of the ring over the course of the week was an understatement. It wasn't enough to say those in the business simply worked. They hustled from signing to event, came in and out of interviews, and all the while had to prepare for the biggest night in their business. Opportunities on the grandest stage of them all may flourish or fall to the wayside in a matter of moments. Lifelong dreams were made and crushed in an instant. WrestleMania was make or break for all involved. Being able to catch a breath was rare and those able to do it jumped at the chance.

Though she often worked backstage during the NXT TakeOver specials, she had been lucky enough to get this particular one off. The satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the week would be wonderful, but they had to make it to the end first. While Claire loved the work, even she had to admit that WrestleMania week was hell to get through. The night off would be a nice reset. She could watch amazing matches backstage, relax, and enjoy herself before the hectic schedule resumes.

Claire slipped into her heels, took a careful glance in Dean's direction as she did. Things between them have been a little rough lately. Dean had retreated inside himself in a way, rationalized that it was just how he dealt with things. She had offered her support, continued to be around in case he wanted to lean on her. It was a tough time for the talent and Claire wanted to be as understanding as possible. However, it was hard not to believe something was amiss on a personal level.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to TakeOver tonight?"

Though his back was facing her, Dean bit down the urge to wince at her question. It had been a hard few weeks since Sami had joined the main roster full-time. Sami's presence seemed to stick in the back of Dean's mind, tucked in the corner like that damn box he had come across. TakeOver was bound to be a great show. All the specials were history in the making. It was impossible for his mind not to immediately narrow in on the fact that Sami Zayn was scheduled to have a huge match that night. A bitterness had begun to seep inside of him and he hated it. Hated the emotions it stirred inside of him, hated the reasons why they were there…

"Dean?" Claire's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I'll pass," Dean finally answered, "Not really feeling up to it. Tired."

He sunk further into his seat on the couch as Claire moved around behind him, continued to get ready. A faint sigh filled the silence that had formed between them again. She was upset with him, but was too nice to tell him. Part of Dean knew he was using that bit of knowledge to his advantage and that one day that luck would run out.

Apparently that day was today.

"Tired seems to have become the standard answer these days," Claire softly said, "For when you don't want to open up… or when you don't want me around."

Dean shifted on the couch, turned back to look at Claire. She stood by the bed, jacket in hand. He readied himself for this talk like he would ready himself for a battle. He mentally hunkered down as he pushed himself up from his seat. Rounding the corner, he leaned lightly against the back of the couch. He didn't reply to her words, didn't quite know what to say. Claire didn't allow silence to fill the room again.

"I know this week is important," she continued, "I understand that it's entirely likely to be exhausted, but you've been tired for a while now and I don't think it's the work, Dean."

"You don't?" he asked, challenged her words.

"No, I don't," Claire told him, "I think it's us."

It irritated him that she nailed it on the spot, that she had seen through the crap and called him on it. It frustrated her that he was being unresponsive. Claire nodded, accepted the silence for what it was. She turned from Dean, faced the nearby mirror as she slipped into her jacket. Her mind wanted her to stay, to reach out, to try and understand. Her heart told her to take a lap, take a moment away from the upsetting emotions that had begun to bubble to the surface. Heart won out.

"Get your rest if you're tired," she softly said, "I'll go by myself and see you after."

Claire grabbed her purse, her hotel key. She forced down the urge to tear up. They had never really had this kind of interaction before. Not while they were in this relationship. It wasn't something she was used to and definitely not something she knew how to handle.

"It's not really by yourself though," Dean's voice called out after her as Claire had begun to head towards the door, "Not if you're trading one boyfriend for another."

Stopped in her tracks, Claire whirled around on her heels to look at Dean. His eyes were cast downward, his stance off-putting. It took Claire a moment to wrap her mind around the words that came out of his mouth. Frustration turned to irritation in an instant. While Claire prided herself on not flying off the handle when it came to her emotions, she also prided herself on not letting comments like that one slide.

"Care to clarify on that one, Ambrose?" she asked him.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I really don't."

"I'm not an idiot," Dean finally broke, "Neither are you. You really going to deny the way he looks at you? See the way you two are when you're together?"

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and fixed her with an unconvinced look. When the pieces began to fit together, Claire looked at him in shock. Shaking her head, she placed her purse down on the nearby table. Hands firmly planted on her hips, Claire took a step further into the room. She took a moment to gather her words.

"You're talking about Sami," Claire said, "Dean, he and I are just friends. That's it."

They were words Dean wanted to hear, but there was no satisfaction in hearing them. No lifting from the weight that was on him, no sudden burst of happiness. He had let the bitterness sit far too long for that. Instead, Dean hardened inside. The walls that had formed over time grew higher.

"I don't believe you."

Claire took his words, turned them over in her mind. She had presented him with her thoughts, with her truth where it concerned Sami… and he didn't believe her. The urge to follow her heart came once more. To get some space between them, to air out the negativity that had formed between them.

"I don't know how long you've been sitting with these ideas," Claire told him. She fought to keep her voice calm and collected. "Or how long you've thought of me in this light, but you either believe me or you don't… and clearly you don't. So I'm not going to stay here and work to convince you that I'm being true to my word. Especially when I have done nothing to earn your mistrust."

Dean watched in silence as Claire collected her purse once more. Pride demanded that he continue his silence, but ego forced him to call after her.

"Where are you going?"

Claire didn't stop as she moved to leave, nor did she look in his direction when she replied. She had made herself available to him for weeks now. Tonight was not the night he was going to have her undivided attention. Not after what had been said between them.

"I'm going to the arena to watch my friends wrestle. Nothing more, nothing less."

And with those words, she left.

Drinks seemed appropriate. Several drinks. Some of them alcoholic. Okay, most of them alcoholic. Dean knew how to hold his liquor. He definitely knew not to drown himself in it when shit got rough. He had that phase, knew better not to fall back on it during one of the most important weeks of his career. Bottles of beer had been steadily replaced by glasses of water during that time. TakeOver had long since ended when Roman found him. The sight of his best friend posted up at the bar was not a new sight for Roman. However, seeing him look as miserable as he looked was.

"Got a call," was the first words that came out of Roman's mouth, "She told me to take care of you."

Well damn if that didn't make him feel even worse.

"What the hell happened, dude?" Roman asked, "I thought things were cool with you two."

"Not anymore," Dean replied, "I don't know what happened, brother."

"I think you do," his friend gently prodded.

"Found something awhile back," Dean began, "Claire had a box at her place just filled with stuff from Zayn, then not too long after that Sami came up and... I don't know, man. It fucked with me." He fiddled with the straw in his glass, stirred around the ice that remained inside. "I implied something was going on, said I didn't believe her when she denied it. She left after. I didn't stop her. I don't know what the fuck I'm going to do now."

Roman stayed silent as Dean spoke. He wanted to wait until everything was put out there before he spoke. His friend had definitely stepped in some serious shit and it was the worst time to do it. Taking a seat beside Dean, Roman motioned for the bartender nearby to refill Dean's water. He needed to sober the fuck up in more ways than one.

"I heard once that there are two things that could ruin a relationship when it comes to guys," Roman finally said, "It's when they leave the house hungry or horny. Both tend to have us looking elsewhere, you know? Results in guys looking for more, trying to fill that void inside. Shit's that simple when it comes to it apparently. You know what ruins a relationship when it comes to women?"

Dean sat, numb, as Roman spoke. The guy was in a happy marriage. He had a family, had that life. That meant he had to know his shit. Roman wouldn't steer him wrong.

"It's when they leave sad," Roman continued, "It's not a matter of filling a void for them. It's a matter of making things right. Making sense of the sadness and fixing it whichever way it needs fixing. They're a little more complex compared to us." He reached out, placed a supportive hand on Dean's shoulder. He gave his friend a light shake and hoped some sense fell into place. "Claire's one of the good ones, man. You know this. Are you really going to sit here and let this be the end of it?"

Claire laid out the black buttoned shirt on the hotel bed. It sat neatly beside the jacket and slacks she had placed there just moments before. With the Hall of Fame later that night, Claire had to arrive hours earlier to receive those who would arrive. Talent - legends and current - and their family would come from all over to attend the yearly event. It was a night where the company honored those of the past. Special individuals that paved the way for those in the present and beyond.

The morning had been awkward. She had moved throughout the early hours in relative silence, save for a few words to Dean when she left earlier to organize the fan signings that morning. He had returned to the room in the late hours of the night as she slept. At least as he believed she slept. Given the state they had left things earlier, Claire had not been up to hashing things out so late in the night. So she laid with her back to Dean as he crawled into bed, waited until he had drifted off into his dreams before dreaming her own. Silence had filled the hotel room since then. Though the reasons why were upsetting, part of Claire found solace in the quiet. She had grown used to it in the past weeks. It was in the quiet where Dean found her.

The door to the hotel room clicked softly into place when he stepped further into the room. With a towel over his shoulder and a sweat-drenched shirt, Dean watched as Claire registered the sound. She kept her attention on the suit she laid out for him though, moved about the room in a busy manner.

"I have to get to the arena," Claire instructed, as she picked up her purse, "But a car will come to pick you up later tonight."

She would have left then and there without another word had Dean not stopped her in that moment. He reached out a hand, lightly touched hers when she began to pass him. Dean didn't know what to expect or what he wanted to say. It didn't matter much in the long run anyway. Claire stiffened under his touch, politely pulled her hand away from his when she did.

"I have to go."

Dean tried to close the gap between them, heard Claire's soft exhale as she stepped back.

"Claire…"

"We're not going to do this now," she told him, "Tomorrow is WrestleMania. There's too much to do, Dean."

Even on a good day, Claire was against letting the personal life affect the professional one. It wasn't just about the job. Dean knew she needed some space. From the situation, from him… He had let negativity fester within their relationship. Whatever she needed, Dean had to accept. It had been less than a day since their conversation. Dean couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same helplessness he experienced in that moment. How did Claire stand this feeling for weeks when Dean was barely able to sit with it for a day? Not being able to fix, to connect at a time where it's needed. Dean was out of his depth.

"After tomorrow then," Dean said, "After WrestleMania. You'll talk to me then?"

"I will."

It was early morning on WrestleMania day and one of their last autograph signings was with the former Architect of the Shield. Though he had been out of action and off the road for months now, Seth was one of the more anticipated signings of the week. People, fans and talent alike, wanted to know how Seth was doing. In all honesty, Claire had expected to see a much different Seth Rollins than the one before her. Instead Claire saw a more subdued Rollins. Seth arrived before the signing and had stuck to himself for the most part since then. The man who would take up a room and draw all attention to himself seemed to have been replaced.

"You're quiet. It's really unsettling."

Claire watched as Seth Rollins looked up from the phone in his hand. They sat in the green room, waiting for security to arrive and escort Seth to the signing and the waiting fans.

"How's the rehab going?" she tried to make conversation.

"It's fine," Seth replied, voice somewhat clipped, "Why? What'd you hear?"

Claire watched as Seth's eyes narrowed on her, scanned her as if she knew more than she was letting on. She wasn't, which was exactly why she stared back at him in confusion. Claire knew he was still in recovery. She wanted to assume that was part of the reason he was acting the way he was. Some guys dealt with injury differently than others.

"I didn't hear anything," Claire said, "I just wanted to see how you've been."

"You always were nosy like that," he grumbled, "I'm fine, by the way. Probably more than I can say for you."

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"I heard you're dating Ambrose," Seth scoffed, his eyes on his phone again as he typed, "That alone warrants some pity. I'm an asshole and even I know you can do better than that mess."

When there was no reply back, Seth's gaze raised to focus on Claire. She sat quietly across from him. Her attention suddenly focused on the skirt of her dress as she picked at nothing in particular. He clearly had touched a nerve and upset Claire. That was pretty much the equivalent to kicking a puppy. As a proud dog owner, that didn't seem to sit right with Seth.

"That's none of my business though," he grumbled out.

The words faintly sounded apologetic and Claire watched him, clearly surprised, because of it. Shifting in his seat, Seth adjusted the hat on his head. Talk about feeling unsettled.

"What?" he snapped out.

"Nothing," Claire replied, an amused look appearing on her face, "You're just… different. Whatever you've been doing while off the road has been good to you."

Seth seemed to crack a small smile at those words, though Claire could have imagined it. Whatever it was, it had disappeared as quickly as it came. Seth immediately shifted to a look of indifference again as he pointedly looked back at his phone in an attempt to ignore her again.

"Stop staring," he told her, though the word lacked any serious bite, "It's annoying."

Claire bit back the small chuckle that threatened to spill out. Despite his prickly demeanor, interacting with Seth had been a small distraction and a nice change of pace in a rather upsetting few days.

WrestleMania had gone off without a hitch. The busy week had paid off as thousands in attendance and around the world witnessed the yearly event. While there were several things to look forward to post-WrestleMania, the conversation was not one of those things for both Dean and Claire. The ride back to the hotel had been relatively quiet, as was the short trip to their shared room. He had days to think about what he had to say, what he needed Claire to know. Even now Dean wasn't sure if he was ready. There was an uncomfortable air between them, a growing nervousness as they moved about the area. Dean set his luggage down at the end of their bed before he began to sort through it, preparing for the next night's Raw. He tried to sort out all the thoughts in his mind as he listened to Claire shuffle around the room. It wasn't until he turned to face her that he realized she wasn't organizing for the next night as he had been.

She had been packing her bag.

"Claire," Dean breathed out in a soft plea. "Don't."

A wave of dread washed over Dean as he watched Claire roll her suitcase and settle it beside the hotel room door. He stood frozen beside the bed as she turned to face him. Though her expression was nearly unreadable, it didn't take much for Dean's mind to reach what was happening.

"Grace's assignment is closing up soon," Claire explained before Dean could think to ask, "She's going to let me room with her tonight, drive towns with her for shows."

"Putting space between us... it won't work," Dean said, desperation laced in his words, "It won't make things better."

There was a level of irony in Dean's statement that didn't go unnoticed between them. Claire smiled at the words, but the curve of her lips was one that mixed with sadness. As the reality of the situation dawned on him, Dean felt himself sink down. He sat onto the edge of the bed as he stared at Claire. She took a step in his direction.

"We weren't ready, Dean," she said, earnestly, "I don't know when we will be or if we ever will. So we should slow things down. Maybe even just go back to how it used to be. Before any of this started..."

"I don't want that," Dean instantly told her.

"Maybe I do."

He had an image of Claire in his mind. A soft, almost breakable woman who could and, in his mind, would be easily swayed away from him by another man. A better man, in Dean's mind at least. In a better dream, it would be that Claire that would stand beside any of the shit he pulled. It would be that version of Claire that would continue to be with him, that version who would prove she'd endure whatever emotional pain he cause her.

The woman before him was completely different from the one he had fabricated from all his insecurities. She wasn't a shrinking flower or someone who could be snatched or lured away in a moment of weakness. Neither was she an emotional punching bag that could withstand any weight or hit set upon her. It wasn't her responsibility to absolve Dean of all his sins, to forgive all the wrongs he had done to her, to sit and accept loneliness or isolation in a relationship that should have only been filled with love and life. In his selfish attempts to self-sabotage one of the few truly good things in his life, he had forgotten who he was with. He had lost focus on who Claire truly was, on the relationship they had, on the things that should have mattered.

It was then that Dean saw Claire. Really saw her.

A perfect moment of clarity.

One that came too late.

"I put so much attention on trying to accept your past," Claire confessed, "I was so worried about your history with relationships. Or rather your lack of. I wanted to try and take things at your speed, try to make sure I wasn't pushing you into anything too soon. I didn't even make room for the possibility that that wouldn't be the issue with us. I didn't even think about the idea that you would have a problem with me and my history… with that I used to have with Sami."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Dean replied.

"It does," she told him, "It'll continue to matter for however long you feel the way you do about Sami."

Claire took a shaky breath as she stepped further into the room.

"Sami's one of my best friends," Claire said, "He's also someone I loved very much at one point in my life. How could that not matter, Dean? Let's say we forget this week. We forget the past month and beyond that, beyond all the times it felt like you were pulling away. If we were still together and you were to see me with him, would it bother you the way it does now? We work with him, Dean. We travel the same cities, spend our days living in the same hotels. There will be moments where I'll have to work with him. Backstage, for signings, special events… There'll be days we'd all have to be in the same room together. There will also be times where I'll just want to hang out with my friend. Would you have doubts then? Would it still matter to you on some level?"

She watched as Dean's eyes slid downward. They both knew the answer to that question.

"I could learn to deal," Dean tried, "I could get past it."

"You could," Claire nodded, "Someday… maybe. Not today though and definitely not the past few weeks, Dean."

Dean hung his head, let it drop into his hand as he let his elbow rest against his knee.

"Do you remember before we became exclusive?" Claire asked. Dean kept his head in his hand as she moved forward, took a seat beside him on the bed. "You and Roman had some kind of argument and you misplaced your emotions. We had an argument…"

"I told you I'd make a shit boyfriend."

"It's not that," Claire told him. "You might not believe it, but you're not as terrible as you think. As a boyfriend and as a man." She watched as Dean raised his head, turned it to meet her gaze. "When I brought up that time, I'm bringing up what we talked about after that argument. I didn't ask a lot of you then and I like to believe I never asked a lot from you now. All I asked was for two things..."

Dean remembered.

"Trust and respect."

Claire nodded, that same sad smile on her lips. She shifted her gaze away from Dean, focused on the hotel room door and the luggage that waited for her there.

"You didn't give us a chance to work through it, Dean," she said, "You didn't give me a chance."

Dean could hear the tremble in her voice during those last few words. He watched as she pushed up from her seat beside him, took steps to place some distance from him as she worked to compose herself.

"And maybe I could have looked past that," she continued, "But when I told you that Sami and I were just friends and you told me that you didn't believe me…" Claire turned to face Dean. She scanned his face with sad eyes, tried to find something in him in that moment. Something she used to see in him, but couldn't quite anymore. "The fact that you said that, the fact that there's still a small possibility that you still believe that… I can't pretend it didn't matter or that it wasn't said."

Dean knew he had fucked up terribly and had let it go on for so long. The consequences of that had just now begun to form and he was too late to salvage what he had, much less stop it.

"I'm sorry," he said, though he knew those weren't didn't carry much aid in that moment.

"I know you are," Claire softly replied, nodding as she spoke, "It doesn't erase how I felt in that moment though, Dean. That moment and all the moments before then. I tried space. When that didn't work, I tried asking you what was wrong. All I tried to do was understand you, Dean. I did nothing but try and make this work, but it was never going to work if you weren't going to let me in. I was never going to help you the way you needed me to if you weren't willing to meet me halfway. You didn't, Dean. You couldn't. Instead you chose not to tell me any of what you were really feeling. Not when you first started to feel the way you did and not until it was too late… and it is too late, Dean."

Dean pushed himself up from his seat. Though he accepted it would be nearly impossible to close the gap between them emotionally, he tried to close the space between them physically. He was stopped just steps before though as Claire shook her head, kept a few steps between them.

"To feel like a stranger in your own relationship," she told him, "To know that you thought so little of me and the relationship we had… You told me you didn't believe me and I'm not entirely convinced you don't think that anymore. When I'm with you - physically, emotionally, in all the ways I want to be - that disbelief will be there and it'll stay there for as long as you believe there's something going on with Sami. I can't be with you knowing that you resent a part of my life, that you resent me. I can't be with someone who can't trust me, Dean."

There was a shame that Dean hadn't expected to feel. It was one that burrowed deep, overshadowed all other emotions. It was the kind of shame that came with knowing the full extent of his mistakes. The shame in knowing he was not the kind of man Claire deserved, the kind of man he wanted to be.

"I never wanted this for you," Dean confessed, "I kept all this shit inside for so long. I didn't think of anything outside of myself. I didn't think about you. Not in the way that mattered. I didn't know how to do what needed to be done. If I did… it wouldn't be like this. You gotta believe me."

"I do believe you," she replied.

"That's the kicker of it all," he admitted, "You believing me when I couldn't do the same. I fucked up and the damage is done and… It's too late, right? I'm too late."

"You are."

Dean took a breath, felt the tremble there as he did.

"What happens now?" he asked her.

"We go back," Claire replied, "To before. Before… all of it. You'll do shows and be amazing, albeit completely wild and dangerous to yourself and all those around you."

Dean lips curved at the words and formed into a full smile when he heard Claire's shaky laugh. Though it was brief, there was a lightness in that moment.

"And you?"

"Me?" Claire said, "I'll go back to work. I'll be around to make sure you get to where you need to go and help you with any complications on the road."

"All work and no play," Dean replied, though he couldn't seem to make his tone as playful as he wanted it to be.

"My play is in the work," she told him.

"I've heard that before."

"I know you have."

Dean watched as Claire stepped further away. He stood still as she moved towards the door, as she began to collect her things. There had to be something he could do. It couldn't end like this, could it?

"Claire…" he tried to say, "Through everything, all the shit, all the mistakes… you have to know that I lo-"

"Don't."

Her hand on her suitcase handle, Claire turned to look at Dean. She knew what he was going to say. There was a pleading expression on her face as she shook her head.

"Don't say it, Dean," she told him, her voice heavy with emotion, "Not as a band-aid or a last-ditch effort to fix the problem. Please don't let tonight be the first time I hear you say it. Not after everything else that was said."

"I don't know what else to say," Dean admitted, "I can't say goodbye, Claire. I can't do it."

"It's not goodbye. Not really. It's just… I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow?" he asked, "Just like that? Just that easy?"

"I doubt it'll be easy," Claire replied, "But yeah, just like that. Say it to me tonight and tomorrow and the days after that… until things gets better."

Or until saying it became easier.

Dean nodded as he let his eyes move over Claire. He looked at her, head-to-toe and back, as if he was trying to memorize her. The curve of her hips to the way it felt when his hand was in her hair. He wanted nothing more than to feel that again, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. No matter what Dean felt, he knew things wouldn't continue while they were like this. Not while he still had issues that needed to be dealt with. Not until he fixed what he broke.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he carefully said.

Claire smiled, though her eyes carried a sadness in them. She allowed herself one last look, one last moment, before she opened the hotel room door. It wasn't until she began to leave that she tore her gaze away from Dean. She disappeared from his sight as the door slowly swung closed. Though it had been all he wanted weeks before, there was a hollowness that stuck with him now. Dean was alone and it was his actions that brought him that result.

There was no tearful reunion, no last kiss.

Just regret and the possibility of tomorrow.

A/N: THE END.

Just kidding. It's not over by a long shot.

I know some of you had hoped Claire would stick by Dean and prove she's in it for the long haul, but there's only so much reaching out a girl can do, okay? Plus the majority of you reviewers seem to agree that Dean's a dummy for letting things get as bad as they did. It's Dean's turn to put some work into this relationship... or at least attempt to. Is it still okay to call this a relationship if they technically aren't together anymore? This chapter has been a long time coming and hopefully you guys aren't too mad at me for putting these two crazy kids through this mess. There's still the Sami situation to deal with. Not to mention the fact that Dean hadn't mentioned that pesky little box yet. There's more to this story still and I can't wait to continue it.

Thanks to all those who follow this story and thanks to those who left reviews over the past nine chapters. You guys are the best and seeing your feedback/reactions to the story gives me the kick in the ass I need whenever I sit down to write. You guys are awesome and I hope you like where I take the rest of this story.