A/N: Hello, everybody. I managed to get a new update done. I'm really, really sorry. The updates should get some regularity in two weeks or so. My cat nudged my computer off my coffee table and damaged it pretty bad last month. So bad, in fact, that I have to go get a new one. That's the reason why there have been no updates. Thanks to everybody for their patience, and I hope this can sate everybody until I can get the new computer.
At five minutes to seven, Serena walked into the practically empty restaurant. It was a brightly lit, well-windowed place with light wood tables and sky blue vinyl booths, located very close to the beach. She only had to scan her eyes across the restaurant for a second before she spotted Wade sitting at a back booth. He waved her over, a smile spreading across his face. She readjusted her purse over her shoulder and approached. He stood.
"Serena, you look lovely this evening, love!" he greeted, wrapping his arms around her.
"How's your elbow?" she asked.
"Just a bone chip," he confessed. "They're setting up a scope to get rid of it next week sometime. It's more inconvenient than anything." They slid into the booth as their waitress approached. She was a little spitfire of about twenty, her sandy blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail. In her perfectly manicured hands, she held a notepad.
"Hi, guys, I'm Danielle," she introduced, her tone bubbly. "I'm going to be your waitress tonight. Can I start you guys off with a drink?"
"Sure. I'll go for an iced tea," Serena answered with a smile. Wade ordered a pitcher of beer. The waitress practically skipped back towards the kitchen area. Wade looked at Serena.
"Does Dean know you're here, love?"
"It was his idea," Serena told him, opening the menu in front of her. "He has this weird idea that you don't want to listen to anything he has to say."
Wade opted to ignore the statement rather than admit it was true. "How's Damien doing?"
"He's okay. I went and saw him at the hospital this morning. Poor Cody was just exhausted, so I sent him home and stayed with Damien. They released him today, so I took him home. He's really upset at the entire situation. We all know he's not a drug user, but the fact that he had an overdose has everyone looking at him like he's a liar."
"Any idea who could be behind this, love?"
"None," Serena confessed. The waitress Danielle returned with their drinks and they ordered their food. "I have this sinking feeling that what's happened to Seth and Damien are connected somehow, but I just can't prove it."
"What does Dean and the guys say about it?"
"I don't think they believe it, but they're humoring me, I'm sure. That's why I'm here, Wade. I don't know what's going on, but I want you to be careful."
"I'll be fine, Serena. You don't have to worry about me."
"I do. You're my friend. You've already been through enough. I don't want to see anybody get hurt anymore. Please, just promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise I'll be careful. Does that make you feel any better?" he asked. She nodded. "Good." There was an awkward beat between them. Serena turned her gaze out the window and watched a light grey Chevy Cavalier pull into the parking lot. "Your mother called me last night."
Her eyes snapped to Wade. She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice or off her face. She hadn't heard from her mother in ages. "Oh?" she managed, sipping her iced tea. "Do you talk to my mother often?"
"About once a week," he confessed. "She really took a shine to me during her visit. She's such a lovely lady, Serena. I see where you get it." Serena made an involuntary sound that resembled a scoff, and went back to drinking her iced tea.
"So what's new with her?"
"She's filming an interview for Mr. Turner's documentary," Wade told her. "She's asked me to help him. She wants me to do an interview, to help promote it."
"What did you say to that?"
"I told her I would. I film my segment with him on Thursday." He was quiet for a moment as the waitress returned with their food. Serena found most of her appetite had dwindled. "Does that upset you, love?" he asked. Serena shook her head.
"No. You can do whatever you want. You're a grown man. It's a free country."
"Sabrina and Brad wish you'd reconsider, Serena. You could add so much to the project."
"No. And this is non-negotiable." The venom in her tone was unmistakeable. "I shouldn't have to explain that to you, Wade." She picked at her chicken Caesar salad. Serena hated to admit that she was a little stung that her mother had opted to be more of a parental figure to Wade than to her, Sabrina's own daughter, but she swallowed the bitter pill and decided she wasn't going to dwell on it. Sabrina's attention wasn't something Serena craved at this point in her life, anyway.
"I'm sorry, Serena. He's donating the money he makes off this to charity."
"That's very nice of him, but it's not going to sway my opinion."
"Could you talk to Seth and Roman at least? Brad's been trying to get in touch with them, but they're not returning his calls," Wade told her. Serena shrugged.
"What do you want me to do? If they don't want to be part of it, they don't want to be part of it. Nobody owes it to Mr. Turner to be in his documentary." Serena sighed; she was beginning to think meeting with Wade was a bad idea.
Wade knew better than to push the conversation. "Have you heard anything about coming back on the road?" Serena shook her head. She certainly didn't want to talk about the situation between herself and Alicia Fox with Wade, who seemed to run back and forth between the friend zone and the boyfriend zone. "I'm sure you'll hear something soon."
"I'm sure," Serena murmured. Wade seemed to have just as little of an appetite as Serena, as the two of them were just picking at things and moving them around the plate.
"Would you mind accompanying me to the interview?"
"I'm not doing that."
"Sabrina is going to be there."
"Ask her." Serena put down her fork. She'd only managed to take four or five bites of her food. Wade had eaten even less. Her cell phone vibrated. Serena fished through her purse for it, and grabbed it. It was a text message from Dean. How is the meeting with Wade going?
"Dean?"
"You know it is." Serena typed a quick response. Not going too well; remember the filmmaker? Wade and Mother are doing it. He wants me to as well. She put the phone down on the table.
"You should come with me to the airport. Your mother is arriving tomorrow."
Serena blinked. "That's news to me."
"You should call her more often, love."
"She should answer more often." She couldn't believe Wade had the audacity to lecture her about a relationship he really knew nothing about. The information he had came from the most unreliable of sources. "But I'm not going into this with you."
"Come with me to pick up your mother. I know she'd love to see you."
"I can't." Her phone vibrated. Does that mean It's coming?
Tomorrow morning. Wade wants me to go to the airport with him. "Serena..."
"Wade, I have to take Seth to his doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. He has no one else to take him. I just can't." Wade sighed.
"She's your mother."
"She's never acted like it. Besides, Seth is my friend, and he has a broken leg and a broken arm. He can't exactly drive."
"I thought Roman's sister is watching him."
"She has to work tomorrow morning. I told her I would do it to make her life a little easier." Dean texted, her phone vibrating on the Formica tabletop. Are you?
Even if I wanted to, I'm taking Seth to his appointment tomorrow.
"You need to re-evaluate your priorities."
"Yeah, I think I'm done here," Serena told him. She reached into her wallet and dropped money down on the table. Her head was beginning to hurt.
"Serena, don't be like this."
"I came to ask you to be careful, because you're my friend and I care. I didn't come to be guilt tripped about my mother and documentaries asking me to relive a chapter of my life that's better closed and forgotten about." She shook her head. "Seriously...how dare you?" Serena struggled to keep her tone hushed so she wouldn't make a scene.
"Pretending it never happened doesn't mean it didn't," Wade told her. She snorted.
"Just because you're seeing a shrink doesn't mean you know everything," she shot back at him. She looked up at the ceiling, smirking to herself at the thought of Wade being a marionette puppet, with her mother pulling the strings. "It's my right to say no to having my hardships exploited. It's not your right to make me feel bad about it." She turned on her heels and made her way towards the door.
"Serena..."
She didn't turn back. She was halfway to her car by the time Wade came barreling out the door of the restaurant. "Serena, love, stop! I'm sorry!"
She stopped. Her phone vibrated in her hands. She looked at the text. I miss you. Serena turned to Wade. "I'm sorry. I'm a real bastard. I'm sorry. I won't push the issue anymore, all right?" Serena exhaled, running her tongue along the inside of her cheek. "I'll swear on a stack of Bibles if it'll make you happy, love."
"Wade..." He reached out and took her free hand in his.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine," she told him, taking her hand out of his. "But I'm going home."
"Serena..."
"Dean's coming back tomorrow, and we have plans. I still need to straighten up before bed." Wade scoffed. Serena's last nerve began to fray. "You know what, Wade? I'm so tired of all this."
"All of what?"
"All of...this. With us. I'm just done with it."
"You don't mean that."
"I don't know what I mean anymore. But I'm going to go." She sent a reply to Dean. I miss you, too. This was such a bad idea, but I warned him. Can I call you later?
Wade felt helpless. Their relationship had become a never-ending circle of animosity and frustration. He wasn't sure if there was anything that could save it. He knew Serena wasn't sure, either, but the constant head-butting they were doing seemed to be hurting her. "I promise you I'll be careful, all right? But you need to do the same for me."
"I'll be all right," she assured him. He approached her and hugged her tightly. "You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, love," he told her. He held onto her until Serena pushed her hands against his chest and broke their embrace. "It doesn't mean I don't worry."
Serena's phone vibrated again. Of course. I'll talk to you later.
"I appreciate that. But I'm going to go. I'll see you around." She got in her car. Wade's eyes watched her intently the entire time. She felt like she was under surveillance. She started the car and began the drive back to her home, fighting the urge to cry. Her mother was coming back to town. Wade was going to take part in the documentary. She was a little worried about what he had to say about the situation and what he had to say about her. Their relationship was nowhere near as good as it used to be.
She parked her car in the driveway and thought about the busy day she'd had, starting with the visit at the hospital with Damien. After driving him home, she'd gone grocery shopping and bought some snacks for Seth. She dropped them off and watched The Avengers with Seth. Then she went home and got ready to meet up with Wade. She stared at her phone, at Dean's last text message. She hated being stuck at home.
Serena sat in her driver's seat and stared at the last message. She was thinking about sending one last message before she called him later, after the show, but there was a feeling of discomfort in her veins. She put a hand to her forehead and sighed. She had hoped that the filmmaker's visit and her refusal was going to be the last she heard about it. Her mother and Wade were on board, and Serena was sure Vince would help promote it or produce it if Wade asked, in an effort to help support one of his top Superstars. She fought the urge to scream.
Wade's revelations about her mother had her wondering just what their relationship was. While Sabrina Lords refused to return Serena's phone calls, she was keeping up on Serena through Wade. The thought made her angry. She sucked in a breath and turned her attention back to her phone. I really wish you were here right now. I miss you. I love you.
She hit send.