I woke up alone the next morning, a development for which I was grateful. Last night felt like a terrible dream, and I needed a little while to try to dig through the debris and figure out how I was going to proceed.

The least of the concerns I had, oddly enough, was that I was now unemployed. I had enough money saved to make it at least two months, for which I was grateful. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to find another gig once I was settled back in Stamford.

That left the unpleasant stuff.

Wade was an asshole, first and foremost. I wanted to hear why he'd done it, and then that would be it. I had so many other questions – was any of it real, how long had he been in league with Heyman – but, really, the answers didn't matter. The end result mattered. He'd betrayed me. There wasn't any coming back from that.

That left Dean.

Last night had been...weird. I was used to Dean being weird, but this was...weird even for weird. He'd been so gentle and kind at a time where he really could've rubbed salt in the wound. It should have made me relax, but it was the exact opposite – it made me nervous.

I decided that there wasn't much I could do; I just needed to see what happened now. But I would be cautious. I'd let my guard down way too far last night, and I wasn't sure that was such a smart idea.

All of that thought out, I hauled myself out of bed to take a shower. I was just getting out when I heard the door to the room open. Dean cracked the door to the bathroom and poked his head in, bringing the scent of cigarette smoke with him.

"Good, you're up. We're gonna be leaving in about fifteen minutes."

He shut the door before I could say anything. All right then. I got dressed and walked back out to pack up and put my shoes on. He didn't even acknowledge me.

The rest of the day would go pretty much the same. We rode with Seth and Roman, both of whom were cordial to me while Dean maintained his silence. They dropped me off at the next hotel while they went to search out a gym.

Of course, my luck would dictate that I ran into Wade in the lobby. I briefly thought about ducking behind a potted plant, but he saw me before I could act.

He froze for a second, his eyes wide. "Liz –"

I held up my hand. "Don't." My eyes were doing that weird watering thing again, and I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.

I checked in, praying that he would be gone when I turned around. He wasn't. I ignored him, taking my bags around the corner to the elevator. I just made it through the doors when he rounded the corner. I pounded on the 'close door' button, and mercifully it shut just in time. I hit the button for my floor, looking forward to hiding and having a good cry.

It had unsettled me to see him so unexpectedly. All those decisions I'd made about not needing to know had flown out the window – I wanted to know everything. I wanted to know how he could've done this to me.

The elevator dinged, knocking me out of these thoughts, and as the door slid open Wade stood there, a little out of breath.

"What the hell?" I was genuinely baffled, even as I saw the door marked 'stairs' swing shut in the corner.

"I just want to talk to you," he panted. "I want to explain."

"I don't care," I snarled. "I don't want to hear it."

I walked past him and turned down the hall before he caught up, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. "Damnit Liz, listen to me! Please!"

"Let. Go. Of. Me. Before I kick you in the junk."

"Are you going to stick around and listen to me?" He asked, dropping his hand.

"No." I turned and continued on my way, trying to walk fast before my eyes started leaking. That was the last thing I needed; for him to know how badly this hurt.

"I did it for you," he said from behind me.

I stopped dead in my tracks before turning around slowly to look at him. Standing in the middle of the hall, hands on his hips, he actually looked defeated.

"For me," I said flatly. "You decided to betray and embarrass the fuck out of me for my benefit. You decided to stick me with a man who's had a dangerous obsession with me for months for my fucking benefit. Are you kidding?"

He took two steps towards me. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. I fucked him," I snapped. I just wanted to hurt him, and judging by the expression on his face I succeeded. "Are you happy now?"

"No, but I deserve that." He continued towards me. I didn't back up. He cautiously put his hands on my arms. "I know what I did hurt you, but please believe that I had a good reason. It's all going to be clear later on. I know you'll still be upset with what I did, but I hope you'll see that my intentions were noble."

I shook my head. "I don't care about your intentions." To my horror, my voice broke and I felt a few tears slide down my cheeks. "I care that you lied to me and you made me lose...everything. I have nothing now."

He reached up and lightly brushed my tears away, reminding me of Dean and that whole mess. "I know it feels that way now," he said in a low voice. "But I promise...I took everything away to give you something better."

He bent and kissed me, his lips gentle on mine.

"Oh fuck right off with that," a voice snapped behind him. Wade stiffened and pulled away, and I found myself cursing my luck.

Dean was standing behind him, his fists clenched tight. He took a few steps towards us. "Liz," he barked. "Go get in the room. I'll be there in a minute."

I didn't move right away, not until he swung his eyes towards me. I couldn't possibly describe the anger I saw there, and I decided to just nope right the fuck out of this situation.

I walked away without looking back and shut the door behind me, momentarily considering locking the deadbolt before I realized that it would just piss him off more.

Five minutes sitting in that room waiting felt like forever, but I finally heard the electronic beeping that signified that a key card had been accepted in the door.

He walked around the corner and saw me sitting on the bed. "The fuck was that?" He asked, hands on his hips.

"He followed me up from the lobby and wanted to talk to me," I replied dully, not even caring enough to lie.

"Didn't look like much talking."

"You came in at the end of the conversation. Why are you even here?"

"Forgot that my shoes were in my bag, so I came back to get them and walked in on you and that fucking asshole kissing. Do I really need to lay ground rules with you? Do you really not know how I want you to act?"

"No, I don't," I replied, shaking my head. "You and I...had a nice night, and then you spent today ignoring me. I don't know what you want from me."

He sighed, hanging his head before coming to set on the bed next to me. "Listen. Last night was...ok. You were upset and I just wanted you to stop crying. But that's really not me. I'm not your 'someone better,' no matter what you might think."

I turned to look at him, stunned. "But these last few months...that was all you could talk about, how you deserved a chance. Last night you finally proved it and now you're saying...whatever the fuck it is you're saying?"

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm saying that I don't want you to get the wrong idea. About what this is."

"And what is this, exactly?"

"It's a month for me to fuck you and get you out of my head," he said bluntly.

I made a small noise of disgust in my throat. "I see," I replied, managing to sound calm in spite of the fact that my blood was boiling. "Thanks for setting me straight."

After a moment of contemplation, I stood up and made my way towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Not your concern," I replied, stepping out and letting the door slam behind me.

I made my way back to the elevator bank and punched the button. I was headed down to the bar. If I had any hope of getting through the next few hours without resorting to murder or succumbing completely to despair, I was going to need a few drinks.