Saturday brought another high pressure game for our three extraordinary freshmen. Crestview City College, a small school from Rhode Island, or somewhere, was traveling to Stamford to be the second home game of the season for our Titans. Dean Ambrose couldn't wait to get it over with. SU was favored to win by 30 pts. over the smaller school, and as a result coach Layfield had told Dean and Roman that the starters probably would be leaving the game early to make sure they didn't get injured before next week's big away game with Newbury University. Dean and Roman were fine with that, but Dean couldn't resist one poke at his coach:

"So then we don't have to stay for the rest of the game?"

Roman chuckled despite himself, knowing Dean simply could not resist driving people insane.

"Hey Ambrose?" Coach Layfield called, keeping his eyes on his play sheets for saturday.

"Yeah?"

"Get the fuck out of my office."

Roman's chuckle turned into a full laugh as the two young athletes shuffled out into the hallway that led to the locker rooms and then to the playing field.

Bayley loved later afternoon kickoffs. That meant more time to sleep and then get ready for the game. The "Creatures" were expected in their seats a full half our before kickoff, and Bayley didn't want to upset anyone by being late, so she was already beginning to prep her face paint. She was interrupted from her routine, however, by a soft knock on Roman's door.

Bayley opened the door a crack, then let the door open all the way on its own.

"Hey, Charlotte. Roman's not here. They've been at the hotel since yesterday."

Charlotte smiled politely and glanced the smaller but still somewhat formidable looking dark haired girl in the doorway and sighed. "Actually, Bayley, I'm here to see you. Do you want to...hit the quad and get a coffee? I need a pickup before the game starts."

Bayley nodded thoughtfully. "Sure, I have an hour or two before I have to be in my seat. Let me get my hoodie."

With that, Bayley stepped back briefly into the apartment and out of Charlotte's vision, then re-emerged with a crimson "Stamford U" hoodie. She pulled the door closed and locked it with the key Roman had given her. As the two walked towards the staircase, Bayley got the chance to size Charlotte up the way Charlotte had to her when she'd first opened the door. Charlotte was wearing her black SU Volleyball warm ups, having been the star player last year, and was expected to be a big contributor again this year. Charlotte smiled at Bayley.

"Thank you for doing this. Roman speaks SO highly of you, and I thought I should get to know the girl who's living in my 'sort-of' boyfriend's room."

Bayley giggled. "Yeah, it's a weird arrangement, but my roommate really hurt my feelings, and RoRo let me sleep in his bed." She stopped, suddenly conscious of how that last sentence sounded. "I mean, I slept in there alone. He slept in Dean's bed."

Charlotte made a face. "Roman slept in Dean's bed? Shit, I have to get tested now."

Both girls laughed as they walked out the back exit of Sammartino and walked over to the central green area of main campus.

The Quad, a large, flat, grassy area fixed in between several campus classroom buildings, was awash with crimson-clad fans and students on game day. People buying SU merchandise, greeting people they hadn't seen in a while, or just enjoying being on the campus that had meant so much to them at one point. The coffee line was surprisingly tolerable, and the two girls made small talk until it was their turn to order. The two placed orders for lattes and found a table that hadn't been swallowed up by the influx of football fans onto campus. As they waited for the barista to call Charlotte's name, the two began the conversation Charlotte desperately wanted to have.

"Yeah, so, how well do you know those guys?"

Bayley nodded, understanding the purpose behind asking the question. "Pretty well. Roman and Seth anyway. I don't know that much about Dean, but I think no one else really does either."

Charlotte shook her head in appreciation for the honest answer to her question. "And there's nothing between you and Roman?"

Bayley giggled again. "No, Roman's like, super cute, and I get why every other girl on campus seems to want him, but he's like my brother. He takes SUCH good care of me. I think he's attractive, but i'm not attracted to him. Does that make sense?"

Charlotte tilted her head in anticipation of her next question. "And your boyfriend doesn't mind?"

Bayley snickered. "Well, he's only been my boyfriend like two days, but he said it's cool. As long as I sleep with the door closed if Roman's there."

Charlotte nodded in agreement. "I think I want that rule, too."

Bayley's eyes got softer. "But why would-"

Charlotte slid her hand over Bayley's, stopping her mid-sentence. "Bayley, you're, like, hot. A LOT of guys on this campus know who you are and want to date you. Please believe me. And I don't like the thought of a pretty girl like you just sleeping in the next room as Roman without some checks in place."

Bayley's head was spinning. Charlotte was tall, gorgeous, and maybe the most popular girl on campus. She was a strong early frontrunner for Homecoming Queen and her family had more money than the Facebook guy. Why would she see Bayley as a threat?

Bayley took a deep breath. "Charlotte, I don't know why a girl that looks like you would be threatened by me."

Charlotte grinned, a toothy, perfectly white smile that only came from regular dental visits. "Bayley. You're pretty. You have washboard abs. If I were a guy I'd take a run at you."

Bayley was more confused now than she had been. "Well, why did it take so long for me to have a boyfriend, then?"

Charlotte shrugged, genuinely puzzled. "I dunno. It could be that like 97% of the guys at this school are mouth-breathing unwashed miscreants that only go for sure things."

Bayley laughed. She liked this girl! "Yeah, that makes sense. No, I don't want you to think for a second that I want anything, like, adult, from Ro. He's my buddy. He looks out for me and talks to me when I'm sad. He's sensitive like that. But he's only had eyes for you since you two met at the lake."

Now it was Charlotte's turn to have a spinning head. If anyone would know how Roman felt about her, it would apparently be Bayley. And she was telling Charlotte exactly what Charlotte had wanted to hear. "Really? He said that?"

"Not exactly. But Roman is the easiest to read of the three of them. You should've seen him when he found out you came by a couple weeks ago looking for him. He told Dean he was going to shower with the toaster because you didn't get in bed with him."

Charlotte chortled with laughter, not expecting to hear that from Bayley. "Well, that's good to know. I think. So," she asserted, changing subjects,"who's the lucky guy for Miss Bayley?"

Bayley's eyes shifted to the ground, clearly a bit embarassed by this line of conversation. "His name is Zack. Zack Ryder. He runs cross country here. I met him at the last game."

Charlotte brightened at the mention of Zack's name. "I know Zack! He is the sweetest guy. Pretty good runner too, apparently."

Bayley nodded her affirmation. "Yeah, he had his first meet today in Maryland. I was going to go but he said I should stay here and he'd see me tomorrow."

Charlotte continued. "You be nice to him. Emma put him through the ringer last year."

"I plan on it. He's been very sweet and patient with me." Bayley left out the part where she was still mildly hung up by her original roommate Seth, because she didn't think Charlotte needed to know until Bayley could figure out what it was that was going on with him. The two girls, now unencumbered by the prospect of being romantic rivals, now conversed with the relaxed air of friends, and even made plans to get coffee again that week.

Charlotte opened her arms to Bayley, who readily accepted her gesture.

"Bayley, thank you SO much for talking with me. I feel so much better. And you're awesome. We should be besties now."

Bayley grinned again. "Yeah. I'm ok with that. Ro is my best friend, and if he thinks you're cool, then so do I."

"Sweet. Now can you PLEASE get me in to the creatures today? I had to watch the last game from my stupid dad's stupid luxury box last week..."

Bayley shook her head. "Yeah, I feel SO sorry for you, having to watch the game in the air conditioning with free alcohol and food with your millionaire dad and his millionaire friends."

Charlotte sighed wistfully. "Still, I've never just gotten to watch a game. It's always schmoozing my dad's friends or entertaining someone's son while dad tries to con his parents out of their money."

Bayley honestly felt sad for this girl. Here she was, cover girl looks and every advantage in the world, yet she felt trapped by her dad and his lifestyle.

"Yeah. Come back to the room with me. I'll paint your face and we can cut up shirts to wear to the game."

Charlotte smiled and threw her arm around Bayley. "This is gonna be awesome."

The atmosphere on campus wasn't quite as good as it had been the week before. This game wasn't expected to be nearly as close as the last one, and the team coming in to play the Titans was not the force that had come in last week. In spite of that, Dean Ambrose was on edge. He was gearing up for his first college start, and he wanted nothing more than to dominate every time he was on the field. His concentration was thrown, however, when he overheard Chad Gable's conversation with a growing huddle of teammates regarding what had happened to him the other night.

"...yeah, so I was minding my own business shooting pool in the student center, then this girl with purple hair just comes up to me and tells me she needs it. She took me by the hand and led me back to her room."

"No fucking way," Baron Corbin inserted.

"Yeah dude. I wasn't even trying. I mean, I looked her up and down, but I didn't think she was interested. It was awesome."

Having finished his story, Gable basked in the adulation of his freshman teammates. Ambrose, to his credit, calmly walked up to Chad and pulled him aside.

"This purple haired girl, did she have a roommate?"

Chad got a knowing look on his face. "Yeah, actually. This really good looking girl with bright orange hair. Why, you know them?"

Dean swung his hand back and forth. "Kinda. I met them at a party. But I know the orange haired girl a little. Becky. She's good people."

"Well, I didn't really have a chance to make small talk, if you catch my drift."

Dean grimaced. "Oh, I caught it, and now I'm releasing it. Just don't get distracted, Gable. We're all probably playing today."

Chad nodded, then offered his fist for Dean to bump. Dean really didn't want to, but Chad would have no idea why Dean was irritated with him, and filling him in would involve telling Becky's secret, so he just extended his own fist.

"Let's go to work."

The two freshmen walked back over to where the defense was holding their group meeting, intently focused on helping their team.

Bayley and Charlotte arrived to the "Vinnie Mac" exactly 36 minutes before kickoff. Both presented their student ID's and Bayley showed her "bleacher pass." When asked for hers, Charlotte acted like she couldn't find it, then made the security guard feel so sorry for her that he allowed her in. "Just bring it next time, ok?"

Charlotte nodded. "I will."

With that Bayley and Charlotte found their way into the famous stands, greeted by familiar faces in the front section. Bayley waved at Alexa on the sideline, who gave her a bright smile and a wave back.

"You know Alexa?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah. She's dating Dean."

"Wow. Shit moves fast. I'd heard they hooked up after that first BPO party, but I had no idea they were together."

Bayley shrugged and shook her head. "Yeah, I think it was a surprise to them, too."

"Well, they look good together, anyway, Other than Dean being 19 inches taller than her."

Bayley giggled again. "I think it's probably only 16."

With that, the two girls decided they wanted drinks, then flipped a coin to see which of them would have to go get them. Bayley lost, so she went to stand in the concession line.

Alexa Bliss felt sick to her stomach. She'd been practicing some tumbles, getting ready for the day's game, but something felt off. She didn't typically eat lunch on game days, so as to avoid something like this, but there was no denying that she felt some pretty distinct discomfort. As she was one of the two smallest girls on the team, she played an important role, often being the one at the top of pyramids or being thrown into the air to do twists and other stunts. She pulled aside her fellow cheerleader, a tiny girl named AJ Lee, informing her of the issues she was having.

"I just don't think I can 'fly' today. I feel...weird. Can you do it for today?"

Lee, herself a three year participant, nodded knowingly. "I've been there. I'll cover you. Just stay down today and do the pom pom stuff and chants and things."

Alexa smiled in gratitude. "Thank you so much. I'll be back to normal by next week, I promise."

AJ ran her hand up and down Alexa's back a few times. "It's no problem. Just get well. Ok?"

Alexa tried to offer her most reassuring smile. She wanted to. Really bad. What did make her feel better was getting to be just feet away when the loud music once again played over the PA and the group of students dressed in crimson and gold armor led the Titans out onto the field. She saw Dean, up close to the front, stoic look on his face, intensely focused on what he had to do. He did steal a glimpse over at his dream girl, who again blew a kiss at him. This time, however, he simply winked back. "He's focused," Alexa observed. "Good."

And Dean was. The first half was nothing short of total domination for Stamford University. Dean and Roman each made a handful of great plays, with Dean catching another tipped pass for an interception. He didn't score this time, but the crowd nonetheless went crazy again. As the defense jogged off the field, he could feel multiple sets of hands slapping him on his shoulder pad or rear end, and when the dealers of said slaps jogged by him, he could see that some of them were former Curt Hawkins allies. Dean had to admit it felt pretty good.

As the defense sat on the bench receiving instruction, Dean let his eyes wander to Alexa. He could tell something was up, because she wasn't being thrown in the air by the other cheerleaders, and her grin wasn't quite so effervescent as it often was. Dean was lost in thought, trying to figure out what was wrong with his gorgeous girlfriend when the voice of Titus O'Neil broke his concentration.

"Damn, y'all see that lil cheerleader with the red highlights? She could get it."

Dean felt his temper raise and his fists curl up, but felt the hand of Seth Rollins on his shoulder telling him nonverbally to calm down. Then Roman spoke to Titus.

"Big T, that's Ambrose's kool aid. You better calm the fuck down."

O'Neil looked over at Ambrose with a look that could best be described as a mixture of admiration and jealousy. "Word?" O'Neil asked, needing that validation from Ambrose. Ambrose, seeing that the offense was about to punt, simply popped up from the bench, strapped on his helmet, glanced over at O'Neil and said simply; "fuckin' right."

That was the last good thing to happen to Dean on the field that day. The next series, an offensive lineman "cut blocked" Dean, a technique where a player will launch himself parallel to the ground and low in an attempt to slow down a bigger or more skilled defender. Dean found himself with an opposing player's helmet just above his knee, and before he knew it he was flying head over heels, just before hitting the ground with a thud that almost instantaneously cued a nervous silence from the 40,000 at the "Vinnie Mac." To his credit, Dean didn't try to retaliate or stand up, instead he laid on the ground calmly, refusing to give his opponents the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. Team doctor Damien Sandow quickly made his way over to Dean, giving him a brief exam before telling him they'd examine him further in the locker room. A concerned Roman Reigns helped Dean to his feet, then gingerly threw an arm underneath Dean to help him walk of the field. Dean then felt another player throw an arm under him to support his other side. Dean looked to that side, fully expecting Seth Rollins, and nearly audibly gasping in surprise when he saw the aforementioned Titus O'Neil helping stabilize Dean's other side. Once they reached the sideline, a team of trainers helped Dean sit comfortably in some kind of wheelchair designed to handle players in uniform, as they wheeled him into the locker room.

Dean had barely gotten a word in with the Dr. before he heard the sounds of the rest of his team coming in for halftime. SU had been winning handily when Dean left the field, and based on the jovial nature of the voices he heard from his teammates, he had no reason to suspect that the margin of victory had shrunk any. Dean acknowledged the concerned looks on the faces of Seth and Roman with a wink and small nod, then heard Dr. Sandow ask him if he'd heard or felt a "pop." Dean answered truthfully, saying he hadn't, and that he thought the worst thing that happened to him on that play was getting the wind knocked out of him. Dr. Sandow chuckled and nodded, then informed Dean he'd be examining the knee in question anyway. He touched a series of pressure points on Dean's knee, carefully gauging Dean's pain response, nodding whenever Dean reacted in any way.

Finally, Coach Anderson wandered toward the exam room, hoping for an update on the health of his new star player.

"What's the verdict, Doc?"

Sandow looked back at him, thoughtfully. "Well, I don't think there's any tear. Or long term damage. He'd have been crying in pain after his exam. I think it's a deep bone bruise. If it were a close or meaningful game, I'd give him a cortisone shot and let him play, but since it's 24-0-"

Coach Anderson corrected him. "31-0. We scored again."

Sandow smiled. "Even better. I say let him rest and get him ready for Newbury next week."

Dean pretended to protest for a minute, but deep down he was relieved that his knee was ok and that he didn't have to pretend to give a shit about this game anymore. This opponent was beneath him, and his teammates, and Dean was content to be done with it. He saw Coach Anderson looking at him, and heard his North Georgia twang as he began;

"You heard the doc, son. Shower up and get in your street clothes."

"Can I come back out after and watch?" As badly as Dean didn't want to care, he did want to see his teammates succeed, especially his two best friends.

"Of course. Use the crutches when you come out."

Dean really didn't want to do that. But he was too tired and his knee was too sore to argue. For the record, Dean thought Dr. Sandow's diagnosis was accurate. He'd torn a ligament before and this didn't feel like that at all. Dean's cleat hadn't been planted when the block was delivered, and so the potential for Dean's knee to be permanently damaged was much lower. Still, it didn't feel good, and Dean knew he was going to require lots of rest. He limped slowly toward his locker, grabbing his towel and some athletic wear the school had provided him, then took his worn and aching body to the shower. He undressed and headed for the far corner of the shower room, turning on three shower heads, letting hot water hit him from several angles.

By the time he'd finished, SU had returned to the field for the second half of their game. Dean changed into the clothes he'd taken from his locker, then found a pair of crutches that matched from a shelf in one corner of the locker room. He tested them briefly, then, finding them acceptable, made his way back out toward the field. When Ambrose made it out the door to the playing field and into the view of the crowd, the spectators cheered loudly at seeing the dynamic freshman coming out of the locker room, in appreciation both of his play and his toughness. Dean briefly acknowledged the crowd, then made his way to the sideline where his team was gathered. He was directed toward a bench by one of the student trainer assistants, and found himself growing antsy at not being able to play. He directed his attention toward Alexa, who he saw was staring at him with a look of concern on his face. The Titans were on offense, and the game was well in hand, so cheerleading was not at the top of anyone's priority list. Knowing that, Alexa set down her pom poms and quickly strode over to where Dean was sitting, despite him vigorously shaking his head from side to side.

"Babe, you can't be over here."

Alexa rolled her eyes. "What're they gonna do, throw me in football jail? How's your knee?"

Dean moved it from 90 degrees to straight, then back again, demonstrating to Alexa that he would be fine. "I just gotta elevate and ice. You know how it is."

"Well, come over when you're done. I'll help you."

Dean grinned and nodded. Then Dean noticed that Alexa still seemed down about something.

"Hey babe," he called, regaining her attention. "You all good?"

Alexa shrugged. "I'm not sure. I feel weird. It's not anything you did. It's like, my stomach or something. I'll be okay. Promise."

Dean winked his approval. "Good. Because I'm looking forward to seeing you."

Alexa, for the first time that day, felt the weird and unfamiliar feeling in her stomach go away, replaced by the butterflies she still got when Dean said something that made her feel special.

"Me too, babe."

With that, Alexa turned and walked confidently back to the cheerleading area, trying desperately to avoid the incredulous gaze of Coach McCool.

The game itself was a rout. SU won, 45-7, with Seth scoring the final TD on a long kick return. Dean cheered and grinned, but was ready to go. He wished he'd brought his shit for the locker room with him, because he knew he'd be bombarded by questions once he got there. He was relieved when Roman and Seth met him at the door, both holding some of his stuff. They escorted him to the parking lot, and Seth gave him a ride to Poffo Hall.

"Man, I really appreciate this," Dean asserted.

"Bro, it's not a problem. I understand."

Dean nodded slowly. Despite their heated discussion a few nights prior, Seth had his back. Dean knew that. And it was good to see Seth smile.

"So, man, what're you gonna do about this Dana thing?"

Seth shrugged, truly puzzled. "Man, I'm not sure. I know the relationship has an expiration date, but how do you say no to a girl who aggressively wants your dick in her mouth? It's like slapping our forefathers in the face. With my dick."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, Ben Franklin would be fuckin' pissed."

"I'm serious," Seth admonished. "Dana is unbelievable in the sack. And I should be happy with that. I know that. But I'm not. It's weird."

Dean nodded again. "Man, I don't know what to tell you. Discouraging women from kissing my 'fun stuff' is not in my repertoire."

Seth laughed. "Thanks man. Your advice is always so timely and poignant."

"Oh, I was supposed to be giving advice? I've been picturing Dana naked this whole time."

Seth's demeanor changed as he laughed. "That part of it is phenomenal. But sometimes you need more, you know?":

Dean continued playing dumb. "Really?"

"Oh, like that's all you and Alexa do. You bought her chicken tenders with money Roman's parents sent you because of how much you like her."

Dean nodded. "I do like her. No argument there."

Seth's gaze narrowed. "You're thinking of another 'l-word', aren't you?"

In the past, Dean would've flown off the handle. This time, he just shrugged and made a face. "I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure I know what love feels like. I haven't ever even said those words to someone I wasn't biologically related to or someone that isn't Samoan."

Seth nodded thoughtfully. That was as insightful a statement as had ever been made about Dean Ambrose. With that, Seth turned his Impala onto the small street than ran in front of Poffo Hall. He turned and looked to his right at Dean.

"You need help getting up there?"

Dean shook his head. "Nope. Got the crutches. And Sandow hooked a brotha' up with some sweet painkillers!"

Seth grinned in spite of himself. Dean could turn on an absolute dime. One minute he's sharing a touching sentiment about having never been in love before. The next he was crowing about the painkillers he was on. He watched as Dean got out of the car, crutched his way up to the entrance, and then into Poffo Hall. He then sped away, hoping to get some clarity on the Dana situation.

Dean noticed the door to 438 was slightly ajar, so he knocked and called Alexa's name before entering?

"Come in," was her reply. Dean maneuvered himself through Alexa's hallway, closing the door behind him. He saw his goddess, changed from her cheerleading uniform into her SU cheerleading practice shorts and last year's long sleeve SU "Spring Fling" T-shirt. She was currently a whirling dervish in the kitchen, working feverishly on a meal for the two of them.

"Have a seat, babe. Let me finish dinner and I'll help you ice your knee."

Ambrose lowered himself gingerly onto Alexa's couch, grateful to be stationary. Crutches are no fun, and Ambrose hated keeping up with them, so he laid them down at his feet parallel to the sofa. Dean gently propped his effected right knee up onto Alexa's small coffee table as he took in the many scents swirling around the small housing unit. He tilted his head back, totally relaxed for the first time that day, and let the painkiller he'd been given take him to dreamland.

Dean was gently awakened from his nap by his smiling, radiant girlfriend.

"Hi babe."

Dean smacked his lips the way some do when they're still waking up.

"Hey girl." He saw in Alexa's hand a sizable plate with several smaller dishes on it.

"I made dinner. It's not much, but I remember you telling me how much you used to love it when your aunt Sophia would make you hamburger steak when you stayed with her, so I made you one. I also did green beans, salad and steak fries."

Dean's eyes widened considerably. "Holy shit, Lex. You didn't have to do all that."

Alexa smiled and lowered his plate to the coffee table. "I know, but I wanted to. You seemed like you were in a lot of pain and I wanted to do something nice for you. I brought you ranch, A1 sauce, and ketchup. There's no need for you to get up at all."

Dean's insides filled with a sensation he hadn't felt much. He wasn't used to people he wasn't related to or didn't live with just doing nice things for him. Still, he remembered what Alexa told him earlier about how she felt.

"How are you feeling, Lex?"

"Much better," she answered truthfully. "I ate a bit a couple hours ago and took a nap. I think you're just wearing me out."

Dean grinned. "Well, I'm sure as shit not gonna stop doing that."

Alexa rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant...but good to know."

With that, she lowered herself onto the other side of the sofa Dean was sitting on, sliding her own plate in front of her. She reached into the front pouch of her hoodie and pulled out two bottles of water, opening Dean's for him. She alternated for the next half hour between eating her own evening meal and making sure Dean didn't have trouble eating his. When they'd finished, she cleared the small table and came back into the common room, walking behind the couch where Dean was sitting. She threw her arms gently around Dean from behind, nuzzling her face in the side of his neck. She gave him a light kiss on his neck, then another on his earlobe, then gently told Dean she was going to "take care of him."

Dean rubbed his hands together, lifting his hips off the couch in an attempt to take his athletic shorts off. Alexa responded by laughing, a deep laugh she didn't get to apply nearly as often as she once did, and replied "not like that, idiot. Although... maybe later." She disappeared into her room and came out with a small plastic tub marked "injuries." She held it up to his field of vision, then pulled the ottoman that rested in front of Nia's chair on the adjacent side of the room from the sofa Dean occupied. She brought it to rest right next to Dean's outstretched leg. She began rummaging through he container, first pulling out a small tube of some kind of ointment. She set the tube on the table, then gently and carefully folded back the leg of Ambrose's shorts on the effected side until they were to his mid-thigh. She gently, almost imperceptibly, ran her hands over his knee, even angelically placing a run of four or five small kisses over the area.

She giggled. "Step one."

Dean smiled, trying not to let his butterflies show on the outside. He pondered again to the gods how he'd managed to find himself with this stunning, big-hearted, kind-natured goddess. Then his thoughts were rudely invaded by a tingling sensation spreading over his knee. Alexa dispensed some ointment from the previously located tube in a line over Dean's knee, then gently spread the remedy out over Dean's sore joint. She carefully and lovingly kneaded the ointment her as much of the bruised area as she could, letting the medicine do the difficult part. Then, satisfied that the pain was at least temporarily alleviated, she reached into the plastic tub again and pulled out some athletic "pre wrap" and scissors. She painstakingly wound the brown thin cloth around Dean's mid leg, going both above and below where the effected area was. Then, she rose to her feet and headed towards the refrigerator she shared with her suite mate Nia. She grabbed a nearby discarded plastic shopping bag and filled it partially with ice from the freezer door. She returned to Ambrose, wrapping the ice bag in a towel so as to not soak Dean or the wrapping job she'd just done. When Dean went to reach to place the bag, Alexa playfully swatted his hand away.

"Nope," she purred. "This is Nurse Alexa's job."

"Nurse Alexa," Dean volleyed, clearly intrigued. "Does that mean you're gonna get one of those outfits?"

Alexa drew her face just inches from Dean's, then naughtily bit her lip before she spoke. "How do you know I don't already have one?"

From where her hands were on Dean's body, Alexa could almost instantly feel his biological response. She did her best to keep from melting inside, all the while pulling a roll of ACE athletic bandage from her container. She wrapped the ice bag over Dean's knee, firmly but with room to give for some movement. "Now," she resumed, "we ice this for 30 minutes, then take it off. Then we'll elevate and ice again. Sound good?"

Dean nodded emphatically. "Sounds good to me. Can I ask you something?"

Dean smiled. "Of course, baby."

"Do you do this for a lot of people? The food, the care?"

Alexa rose again to her feet, having gathered her medical supplies back into the container.

"No," she mused, head over her shoulder as she walked away. "You're lucky I love you."

Alexa had often said this phrase to friends when they needed a ride somewhere last minute, or to borrow her Chem notes, or something like that. However, this was a completely different scenario. One, she wasn't saying it jokingly and two, Dean WASN'T just a friend. She knew how she felt about this madman with a soft side. What she wasn't sure of, despite many reassurances, was how Dean felt about her. She walked back into the kitchen without breaking stride, hoping the comment had escaped Dean.

It hadn't. When Alexa emerged from her solace, she noticed that Dean was now sitting, still with his knee elevated, but with his arms now folded and an amused look on his face.

"I'm lucky, eh?"

Alexa turned a shade of red she was assuming was darker than she'd ever displayed before. But the next words she heard Dean say would assuage all the doubt she'd let build up after she'd told him she loved him.

"Damn right I am."

Alexa bounced over to Dean and threw her arms around him, gingerly embracing him. She kissed him, once, then twice, then pulled her head back to look him in the eye. "Do you mean it?" She asked, needing one more validation.

"Hell yes I do. I have never met ANYONE like you, Alexa. You are four feet, seven inches of perfect."

Bliss playfully stuck her tongue out at Ambrose. "I'm five feet, jerk."

She went in to kiss him again, but Ambrose stopped her momentarily. "Hey," he said, his gruff tone softer than normal.

Bliss made eye contact again. "Yes?"

"I love you, too."

Alexa grabbed Dean's face with both hands, kissing him longingly, passionately, deeply. Dean Ambrose was like no other boy she'd ever known. She felt a rush of adrenaline every time he touched her, while at the same time feeling completely safe with him. It was an incomprehensible feeling, yet here she was, experiencing it in real time.