SEASON THREE FINALE

"Face the camera. Stand up straight please."

Dean wasn't ready for the sudden flash. He blinked several times, trying to chase the temporary blindness away.

"Face left."

"Make sure you get my good side."

Another flash. Dean sighed, dragging his feet into the next room. This wasn't his first run-in with the police but being processed, booked, and officially "arrested" was a new frontier. Maybe it was true when they say there was a first time for everything.

Dean didn't have anything snarky or sarcastic to say. Too physically drained from his long night and just wanting to go to bed weighed heavily on him. Part of his brain thought this was a surreal dream that he was bound to soon wake up from.

The cold black ink covering his fingerprints certainly felt real enough to warrant extreme doubt that he was in a fantasy land of some kind. Maybe he was, and maybe he was about to wake up in Sammartino Hall, in his warm bed, next to his beautiful girlfriend who would get a kick out of this.

Alexa…

"Fuck," Dean muttered to himself.

Where was she? What was she doing? God help her get back to her apartment safe. Maybe she would listen to him in the morning after he figured out what to say and how to make this better.

Could he make it better? There was a video sent to their group of friends where Dean openly admitted to cheating on his then-pregnant fiance while she was out shopping for him during Black Friday.

Another thought passed Dean's brain: Did he deserve a chance to explain himself to Alexa? Was she even going to want to listen? Did she tell AJ, and would she be ready with a fucking sniper rifle waiting for Ambrose to walk within five hundred yards of ZBZ?

There were a million questions left unanswered, but Dean just wanted the warm embrace of Alexa while they held each other close under the covers of his bed. But for now, the ice-cold metallic table of a police interrogation room kept him company.

The car ride back to their home felt like a bomb was close to setting off any moment.

Zack had never felt this anxious around his wife before - not when he proposed, not when they made love for the first time, not even when he found out she was pregnant. Bayley kept silent since she got in the car, amping up the tension to a near maddening level.

Despite the silence, Zack was thankful Bayley stopped running from him after reaching his car. She stayed silent while Zack tried to explain his situation. He realized Bayley was waiting for him to unlock the car, which he did, and opened the door for his wife. Bayley did mutter a quick "thank you" before stepping into the car, so there was that.

Zack pulled into the driveway. Bayley sighed heavily, unbuckled herself, then slid out of the car.

Making the silent walk into their home was almost as bad as the brief drive over. Zack ignored his noisy neighbors trying to get his attention, simply nodding to them and saying goodnight.

"Babe?"

Bayley stopped moving deeper into the house. Her fingers instinctively caressed her tummy, letting the tiny movements from her son and daughter bring a slight smile to her face.

Zack tried again. "Baby, please?"

Bayley sighed. "What?"

Zack locked eyes with his wife as she turned to face him. Bayley kept silent, waiting to hear what her husband had to say before she showed any emotion.

"I don't want to fight about this, ok?" Zack promised, his voice was soft and sincere.

Bayley blinked. A few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You lied to me, Zack. You told me you were a virgin when we met and that I was going to be your first."

"You were, babe."

"But I wasn't, Zack. I wasn't your first."

Zack dropped his head. He scratched the back of his neck, feeling his throat tighten. Talking about his "first time" wasn't something he liked to discuss, but it looked like he was going to have to whether he wanted to or not.

"It's not like when we have sex," he tried to explain in a way Bayley could easily understand. "When you and I have sex, it's because we love each other. The girl I lost my virginity to didn't love me or anything like that."

Bayley pressed her brow together. "You weren't dating her?"

"No. Nothing like that."

"Did you have a crush on her? Did you think she was pretty?"

Zack shrugged. "I was sixteen and thought every girl was pretty."

"Then why did you have sex with her?"

Zack's heart started to race. A cold sweat broke over his brow. Why did he have to say anything about his first time? He'd been drinking around the campfire with everyone, but he never let this situation slip before since it happened, so it was anyone's guess.

Zack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Because she made me."

"What do you mean?" Bayley asked, unsure what her husband was saying.

"She… made me. I was a camp counselor for this Summer camp after my Junior year. My dad made me go, but I wanted to since I can't stand the city during the break. So I went. I met this girl there. I guess her dad was an oil executive or something; It was a camp for kids with rich parents. Anyway, we talked some and we flirted a little and that was it. I didn't want to focus on a girlfriend and I told her that, and she said she was cool with it…

"Then the last night before everyone went home, we were doing this big bonfire. I went back to my bunk to get batteries for my flashlight. She followed me into the cabin and… asked me to have sex with her. I told her no. Then she kissed me. I pushed her away and… she grabbed my, uh…"

Bayley could tell this was hard for Zack to say. She took one of Zack's hands in hers, gently caressing the back of his hand with her thumb.

"It's ok, baby." She encouraged softly.

Zack chuckled dryly. "Uh, then she kissed me again. I said no. She told me to… pull 'it' out. I told her to leave me alone before I reported her. Then she told me that she'd tell the head counselor that I… uh, forced her to touch me unless I… fuck, sorry."

"It's ok, Zack. You don't have to say anymore." Bayley nearly burst into tears at the sight of her husband breaking down, but she stayed strong for Zack in his time of need.

Zack shook his head. "I don't know why I'm so dramatic about it."

"She did something terrible, Zack," Bayley pointed out. "That wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, but I was hard. And I… ya know."

Bayley shook her head. "Guys get hard in their sleep. That doesn't mean anything. That wasn't your fault and she shouldn't have done it. What happened to her?"

"I tried telling one of the older counselors. He gave me a high five."

"Are you serious?" Bayley asked.

Zack nodded but didn't say anything. There were only two people in the entire world he told about that night; Not even Emma knew about this. Zack figured the story would come out sooner or later, but he didn't expect a "hacker" to be the reason his wife had to find out he wasn't completely truthful about his first time.

Bayley thumbed some tears away from her husband's cheek. She softly pecked his lips, then leaned her forehead against his.

"You were my first and I was yours. Period."

Zack nodded, trying not to get emotional again. Bayley's unconditional love was something he never really had in his life. He had his mom and dad, but they were often distant and too hell-bent on ruining each other to really notice when Zack was in any kind of distress.

Bayley pecked Zack's lips.

"How about you get some water. Give me a few minutes, then come to bed. Ok?"

Zack snickered. "You don't have to do that, babe."

Bayley giggled. "I know, but I want to show you that I love you and I'm glad you're honest with me. We'll figure out what to do about the leak tomorrow. Let's just focus on us for the rest of the night."

Zack nodded. After one more kiss and a playful grope from his wife, Zack ventured to the kitchen while Bayley headed for the bedroom.

A nagging feeling sat in Zack's chest. The darkest pits of his mind thought Bayley was putting on a front and didn't actually fully believe him. But his logical way of thinking contradicted that with a mental picture of Bayley rubbing lotion in her hands, humming to herself as she waited for him.

"You're good, bro," Zack whispered to himself with a chuckle. "You're good. She's not going anywhere."

Zack sipped the ice-cold water. He dug his phone out of the front pocket of his camouflage pants, which he wore for his portrayal of Dutch from "Predator."

No notifications were waiting, but the video that led to the near fight sat paused on the screen. Zack thought about putting it down and walking away, but curiosity got the better of him and he hit play.

Ryder cringed when Ruby suddenly appeared naked on his phone. He skipped forward a few seconds, stopping when he saw his wife talking to Alexa.

"I don't know, Lexi. I just feel kinda weird about it."

"Yeah, but it didn't mean anything, right?"

Bayley recoiled in disgust and shook her head. "It was like kissing my grandpa. I'm so glad I never dated Seth."

"Seth?" Zack asked himself.

When the hell did Bayley kiss Seth? Maybe it was a long time ago, but the Bayley in this video had a noticeable bump under the cover of her hoodie. It couldn't have been recent, right? Maybe it was when Bayley still roomed with Seth. But didn't she say he was her first kiss?

Zack's mind started racing in all different directions. He almost didn't hear his wife return to the room or hear her sweet voice calling out to him.

"Zack? I'm ready for bed, my handsome hubby."

Zack glanced over his shoulder. Even the sour thoughts of Seth kissing his woman didn't stop the smile from stretching across his lips.

Bayley stood in an oversized tee, holding her hands behind her back swiveling on her heels like she was innocently standing around like she wasn't trying to seduce her husband into the bedroom.

Zack switched his phone screen off. Two incidents were going to be forgotten about for tonight, but he wasn't sure which one he was going to be more concerned about in the morning.

Dean wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in the cold cinderblock room. He counted the lines in the walls a million times, counted the seconds between each flicker in the ceiling light. There was no clock, so he couldn't be certain about how much time passed.

Maybe it was an hour, maybe it had been six weeks. Or maybe it was hardly twenty minutes and the silence had already driven Dean insane.

The empty seconds gave him time to reflect. Not just on tonight, but everything he'd been through since coming to Stamford over a year prior. There were so many ups and downs that Dean wished he kept a journal to track his growth as a person through the insanity that was college life… or lack of growth when it came to some of the more juvenile shit he found himself doing.

His first day on campus, his first party, meeting Alexa and kicking her out of bed the next day, tracking her down and begging for another chance, earning a scholarship to play football, rushing BPO, finding out Alexa was pregnant, proposing, the lip sync battle, homecoming, losing Alofa, winning the national title, spending New Year's with Alexa and AJ, focusing more on his schoolwork and BPO, fucking Cabo San Lucas and the many "firsts" he experienced there, helping Alexa ween off the Molly, re-finding his relationship with God, encouraging Alexa to chase her dreams, nearly losing Alexa due to his own insecurities, Disney, therapy, finding the spark again, visiting a fertility clinic…

Where the hell did all the time go?

Alexa… she would get a kick out of seeing Dean recount all the experiences he went through while he sat waiting for an officer. Perhaps the current climate wasn't ideal for some personal reflection, but if he had any hope of fixing things with Alexa, he needed to think.

Dean dropped his head in his hands. Why did he have to fuck around with Ruby? He thought before that some kissing would be easy to forgive and forget, but what happened after was damn near unforgivable.

Ruby made it abundantly clear that she wanted Dean in that fucking park. Dean wanted her too, he wasn't going to deny that. Then they kissed… and Ruby was shirtless… and then for a few heart-stopping seconds, it was like they were kids in high school again.

Thankfully Dean stopped her before anything escalated beyond a few seconds of a blowjob. Ruby kept true to her word and didn't breathe a word to anyone, and Dean appreciated that.

"Fuck!" Dean spat, tearing at his shaggy hair.

Why did he have to say anything to Becky, or Seth, or Roman? Why the fuck did he say anything in front of that nanny cam? Bayley mentioned something about finding a Bluetooth connection but didn't think anything of it until just now.

Dean could easily push the blame onto Tessa and hunt her down the moment he got out. Would that resolve the hatred Alexa absolutely had for him? No, it wouldn't, and Dean would wind up right back here for a more serious crime.

Finally, the metallic door opened. A tired un-uniformed policeman shuffled into the room, yawning and sipping at a cup of coffee.

"I haven't had anything from SU worse than an underage in almost six years, kid. I could almost thank you for making my life a little more exciting."

Dean shrugged. "I live to entertain, sir."

The officer chuckled. "I'm Detective Morgan. Our boys said they pulled you in today because they found you beating the tar out of an administrative assistant in front of a frat house?"

Dean remained silent. He wasn't using his fifth amendment rights or anything; He was simply too embarrassed about losing his temper to talk about it.

Hawkins continued talking. "Several officers arrived on the scene because of a noise complaint from the kid you jumped. Is that why you hit him?"

Dean didn't respond.

Morgan clicked his pen. "How about we start with your name and why you were at the scene?"

The lines in Morgan's forehead showed interest and his age. Dean figured he didn't care for his life story and probably wanted to be at home with his wife as much as he did with his.

"Dean Ambrose. I'm a student at Stamford University. I was attending a party tonight. I was trying to talk with my fiance after a video of some, uh, personal shit got leaked and the guy got in my face when I really didn't need it."

"Is that why you hit him?"

Dean didn't say anything.

"Kid, we got a dozen officers with bodycam footage of you whipping this guy's ass…"

Dean sighed. "Yeah."

Morgan nodded, taking notes. "You said you're engaged?"

"Yessir."

"Congrats. I got married when I was about your age. Military wedding. Her daddy told us we'd be divorced in a month. It's twenty years this May."

"Right."

"So, a video upset your girl, you go after her to, I'm guessing, calm her down, and this guy gets in your face at the wrong time and you give him a few. You get arrested, get booked, and wake me up from my nap."

"Sorry, sir."

"Don't be. This is the most interesting thing that's happened since some poor prick got his face caved in last Winter in the parking lot of the Stop N' Shop."

Dean's eyes lifted from the table. Detective Morgan, a telling smirk on his face, nodded his head slowly.

Morgan sat up, then continued speaking. "I had that case on my desk for years: this pretty little blonde girl keeps showing up to class with black eyes and split lips. Can't press anything against him because she's not talking and we have no proof. Then she files a restraining order and he gets expelled, and I'm praying this prick slips up. Then we get a call that the asshole got his face smashed in by the girl's boyfriend. Been doing this fifteen years, Dean - nothing has made me smile more than seeing that sack of shit black and blue."

Dean dropped his gaze again, not finding as much pride as Morgan did.

"I did what anyone would."

"I know. I'm proud of you for that. But unfortunately, I can't do you any favors tonight. You will be charged with an underage drinking and third-degree assault charge. It's a slap on the wrist in this state. We'll get you in front of a judge Monday morning. Plead guilty and I'm sure he'll let you off with a fine and some community service. Drag this on any longer than it needs to, and..."

Dean nodded. "I understand, sir."

Morgan was about to close his notebook, but he stopped himself and scribbled a few notes.

"What was this about a video?" He asked.

Dean shook his head. "Uh, my brother's girlfriend. Tessa Blanchard. She leaked some private videos and recorded us with a nanny cam."

"And where is she now?" Morgan asked.

"Fuck if I know, sir."

"And this video?"

"On my phone," Dean explained. "Should be the only thing on there from a number I don't have saved. It's a five-minute video of me and my friends being recorded by a nanny cam we didn't know was there. Some stupid personal shit was said and my girl got heated."

"Ok. I'll see what I can do..." Morgan finished jotting his notes down. He got up to leave, then paused when he got to the door. "Can I ask you a question, Dean? Man to man."

"Sure, sir."

Morgan smirked. "What was it like kicking that prick's ass?"

Dean tried to fight it, but he shook his head and chuckled. "One of the best things I've ever done in my life, sir."

Morgan nodded his approval, then ducked out of the room and walked off. A moment later, a different officer arrived to take Dean to the holding cell. He secured a set of cuffs around Dean's wrists, walked him through the jail, then stopped at an electronically locked door. He flashed his badge and another officer buzzed them in.

Dean stepped into the holding cell. It wasn't like the movies depicted. There wasn't some juiced-up muscle guy with face tattoos or a crazy homeless person drawing with his feces. It was a few drunk morons, some of whom Dean knew, and one guy laying in one of the bunks.

Dean sighed heavily and sat on a bench with his back to the wall.

"What are you in for kid?"

Dean looked over at the bunk. The man was looking at him, studying him closely. He had a few missing teeth, no hair, and a thick stubble beard. Ironically enough, Dean felt he could trust this guy more than some of the men in suits he saw every day.

"Got in a fight," Dean told.

The man chuckled. "Yeah? I remember my first fight. Second grade - kid called my X-Men lunchbox dumb, so I cracked his head open with it."

Dean sputtered a chuckle. "Goddamn."

The man sat up. "Nick Gage. Pleasure to meet you."

Dean bumped fists with Nick. "Dean Ambrose."

Nick bit his thumbnail. "Hey, Mike! Can you turn the radio to some good shit?"

"Not on your life, Gage!"

Dean chuckled. "Been here a few times?"

Nick laughed loudly, but not obnoxiously. "Yeah, you could say that. They picked me up for a DUI, but I wasn't even driving... as far as they know."

Dean nodded, not wanting to further the discussion anymore. He had a lot to think about, and hopefully, the next few hours were what he needed.

"What's up with you?" Nick asked. He gestured at Dean. "You're thinkin' about shit. What's up?"

Dean shrugged. "Just thinking about my girl."

"She the one you hit?"

"Fuck no."

"Good. We don't deal well with those pussies here."

Dean chuckled. "No. We got in an argument 'cause she found out I cheated on her a while back."

Nick inhaled sharply. "Oooh. That never ends well. I know from experience. But she'll forgive you. They always do."

"How?" Dean calmly shot back. "She's never going to trust me again. It's fucked, man."

"Not unless you talk to her," Nick explained. "She's mad, sure, but she'll want to hear what you have to say. Don't lie to her or nothin'. Just promise it was a one-time mistake and you won't do it again. And mean it. I fucked up once and haven't done that shit again."

Dean nodded. "I know. I don't know what she'll say though."

"Fuck, man. You're already in jail. What's the worst that could happen?"

Dean grinned. "Good point."

An officer approached the cell. "Ambrose! Let's go!"

"Why?" Dean asked.

"You made bail. Consider this your lucky day."

Dean stood up. Before he left, he thanked Nick for his advice and bumped fists with him. Nick wished him luck before laying back and rolling over to get some sleep.

Dean followed the officer down a separate hallway from before, heading towards the front from its look.

"Who bailed me out?" Dean asked.

The officer shrugged. "Some tall blonde and this redhead."

Dean spotted the two culprits waiting in the lobby. Charlotte, Becky, and one other girl in a leather jacket stood when Dean walked through the door into the lobby.

"Thank God you're here," Charlotte threw her arms around Dean's shoulders. "I was going to call the morgue if we didn't find you here."

Dean groaned into the embrace. "Good to see you too, Char. Glad I could keep the party going."

Becky was next to hug Dean. Dean hugged back, just appreciating the fact that he still had a few people who wanted to see him.

Becky gestured at the third woman. "This is Shayna. She's a friend."

Shayna nodded once. "I've heard a lot about you, man."

Dean chuckled. "Shayna... like..."

"Yep," Becky and Charlotte said at the same time. Shayna rolled her eyes and snickered under her breath.

"Where's everyone else?" Dean asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "Roman and Sasha aren't answering their phones. I saw Seth get in his car with Toni. Bayley and Zack are home. Fucking BPO got raided hard tonight."

Dean could already safely guess that they hadn't seen Alexa either since the police showed up, but he had to ask anyway just in case she came back or she reached out to someone.

"Lex?" Dean asked.

"Texted me and said she's fine," Charlotte confirmed.

Dean chewed his tongue. "Did, uh, did you guys watch the whole video?"

"We did," Charlotte confirmed with a solemn frown.

"Would you take me back if I fooled around with my ex?" Ambrose asked.

The three girls exchanged a look. The only one who had some experience in the field of the question was Becky, but she only shrugged.

"I figured," Dean muttered.

"Let's just get you back to Sammartino and we can get everyone together tomorrow," Charlotte grabbed the plastic bag with Dean's belongings from the front counter and handed it to her friend. "We all need to rest right now, ok?"

The other three agreed with Charlotte's plan. Flair led the way back to her car, keeping close to Becky's side. Shayna, finishing off the last of a cigarette she had lit beforehand, blew a thick cloud of dirty smoke into the air.

Dean, head hung low, considered calling Alexa now and begging her to keep him, but he pushed the thought out of his head and climbed into the backseat of Charlotte's SUV.

The following morning hit like a shotgun blast to the chest. Not so much the mild dehydration and persisting headache, but the fact that things would never be the same again.

Alexa Bliss shook awake from a dreamless sleep thanks to AJ's snoring. ZBZ's President made her way to the house after a bitter ending to her involvement in the Halloween party. Her best friend AJ, and ZBZ pledge Nikki followed along and kept her company.

Somewhere between crying her eyes out and shit-talking her fiance, Alexa fell asleep. She woke up, clinging to her best friend. AJ snored loudly, muttering to herself in her sleep. Nikki was still out cold, sprawled over her side of the bed with her tangled hair covering her face like a veil.

Dean - that was the first thing to pop into Alexa's head. She turned her phone off when she got back to ZBZ. Did he even bother trying to call after she took off? Where was he right now? Was he safe? Even though her trust in him was gone, she still hoped he was safe.

Alexa slipped out of bed, carefully lifting herself off the mattress trying not to disturb her two bedmates. She shuffled to the bathroom with her phone in her hand.

After a moment to herself, she powered on her phone while washing her hands.

No new texts or missed calls. Alexa frowned. The lock screen selfie of her when she still had blonde hair and Dean, who was trying to hide a smile, was one of her favorite pictures of herself and her fiance; It was from a normal day lounging around last semester sometime after New Year's.

Alexa sighed. What was she going to do about Dean? She showed the video to both Nikki and AJ, asking for their input on the issue. Nikki stayed silent, but AJ of course started listing off ways she could get revenge on Dean. Alexa knew AJ was more than likely just trying to make her feel better, but at this point, with these circumstances, she dreaded to think AJ was thinking about going through with any of it.

Alexa's phone buzzed. She thought it might be Dean, nearly dropping the phone when she quickly checked. Her rapidly beating heart started to calm. It was a check-up text from Charlotte.

C: you good? where did you go last night?

A: ZBZ... did you see the video?

C: yeah... how are you feeling?

Alexa sighed. What was the appropriate response? She was angry, heartbroken, furious, and exhausted all at the same time. The logical outcome to this was to call off the relationship and move on, but Dean had been part of her life for so long. Could she continue life without the man she envisioned ninety-nine percent of her future with?

A: I'm fine. Just need to do a lot of thinking

A: have you seen Dean?

C: yeah. we took him home from the station last night.

"What?" Alexa exclaimed.

Dean was arrested? When the hell did that happen? Was he ok? Was he going to prison? What the fuck happened after she left?

A: Is he ok?

C: He's a little shaken up, but he's ok. I think he wants to talk to you more than anything.

Alexa felt a little relief. Dean was ok, as far as she knew. But did she want to see him so soon after she found out about Ruby? Did she want to see him at all?

Alexa sent a quick thank you to Charlotte and promised to buy her lunch one day. Alexa almost set her phone in her pocket, but she thought about her boyfriend; Trust lost or not, she still cared about him.

Alexa typed out a text to her boyfriend. She deleted it and tried again. Deleted that and tried again with a more casual approach. She backspaced and replaced the gentle words with fiery accusatory vulgar insults, then erased all of that and tried again.

A: Are you home?

After a few slow minutes, Dean responded.

D: yeah. can we talk? I get why if you don't want to.

A: Sammartino? Twenty?

D: See you there

A flurry of rapid knocks hit the bathroom door.

"Lexi? LEXI! You better not be sending nudes to that douche-canoe!"

Alexa rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She loved AJ, but now wasn't really the time to be over-the-top.

Alexa opened the door. "AJ, honey, I'm not doing anything."

AJ crossed her arms, looking far from convinced. "Are you sure? If I see one titty on that phone that isn't getting sent to me..."

Alexa did let a small chuckle escape. "There isn't. I'm meeting Dean at Sammartino in a few minutes."

"Uh, why?"

"To talk, AJ. We have a lot to discuss."

AJ shook her head. "What's there to discuss? He fucked another girl while you were pregnant. It's pretty simple that you block this fuck and never speak to him again."

Alexa sighed. "Please don't be mad at me right now. I have to think and I don't need you to turn on me."

AJ crossed her arms, feigning annoyance, but she knew Alexa was right. One of the things she learned in rehab was the power of communication. Ironically enough, she didn't use that much since coming back to Stamford, but she figured Alexa was only doing what she thought was right.

Alexa said good morning to Nikki, who was just now sitting up in a tangled web of her midnight-black hair. Bliss collected a suitable outfit for the day, kissed AJ on the cheek, then stepped into the bathroom to get a much-needed shower before heading over to Dean's apartment.

AJ thought about texting Dana and asking her and Brian out for breakfast. She also thought about the eighteen species of penguins in alphabetical order after remembering their trip to the NYC zoo last year, which prompted her to remember she needed to take her meds.

But something else had AJ's attention right now. Nikki was still here, looking through her phone, in Alexa's bed. Why was she here? AJ didn't remember how Nikki gained access to the President's bedroom or why she suddenly had cuddle dibs with Alexa.

"Hey, Willy Wallace."

Nikki looked up, her brow pressed together. "Me?"

AJ moved towards the bed. "Yeah, you. Didn't I already tell you that there's only room for one five-foot little person in Alexa's life?"

"No?"

"Oh... well, I'm telling you now."

Nikki set her phone aside. "Why are you tellin' me?"

"I know you have a thing for Alexa."

Nikki's cheeks burned red as her eyes narrowed. "I don' need yer attitude right now."

AJ's eyes widened. "Oh, really? Are we about to do this, girlfriend? Do I need to put some color in those pale-as-fuck cheeks?"

Nikki's hands fidgeted in her lap. AJ cocked an eyebrow, not sure what was going to happen, but admitting to herself that it was fucking disturbing to see Nikki muttering and calling to herself a few seconds after snapping at her.

Instead of firing back with more words or any physical violence, Nikki rolled out of bed. AJ watched the equally tiny woman dig through an overnight bag and pull out a prescription pill bottle.

AJ crossed her arms. "Et tu, crazy girl?"

Nikki sipped some water. "Don't give me sass right now or you'll regret it."

"I'm not. I'm serious," AJ said calmly.

Nikki threw AJ a dirty look, then shook her head. "I'm no' crazy. Don' call me crazy."

"Fine. Off your meds. Whatever. What's your deal?"

"Borderline personality disorder. Happy?" Nikki sighed, shaking her head.

AJ fought a grin. "I'm just glad I'm not alone here. Maybe I jumped to conclusions, but you really shouldn't mess with Lexi right now."

"I'm not." Nikki insisted.

"But you have a little girl crush?" AJ asked.

Nikki shrugged. "Can ya blame me?"

AJ shook her head. "Oh, sweetie, you have no idea."

"She's jus' very pretty and reminds me of Springtime," Nikki said, starting to calm down a little. "I wan' ta be her friend. We can both be 'er friend."

"You think it's fair for Lexi to have two crazy BFFs?" AJ asked.

Nikki shot AJ a side glance, only grinning when AJ flashed her a wink and a giggle. AJ skipped to the bed and sat cross-legged next to Nikki.

"Maybe I misjudged you a little at first," AJ said. "But, stick with me. I know what it takes to survive at SU with voices in your head."

Nikki giggled, which slowly melted into a blood-curdling cackle. AJ chuckled too, though she was making a quick mental survey of which window was closer to dive out of if things got out of control. Before she decided which exit was closer, Nikki threw her arms around AJ's shoulders.

"Thank ya. I'll make a new batch of Snickerdoodle jus' fer ya."

AJ nodded. "Ok. Yeah, I think you and me will get along just fine."

Once again, Sasha woke up inside room six-oh-four of Sammartino Hall, only this time she was hungover and aching from her escape from police.

Sasha chuckled. The way she was brought up in a nice neighborhood with religious parents, she never once thought she would find herself fleeing from police after they interrupted a frat party. But, as she recalled hearing on a podcast, there was a first for everything. She just hoped this was the last time it happened.

She sat up on the living room sofa. The spare blanket she used a few nights before was once again draped over her. Roman brought her a pillow and blanket sometime after they arrived. He offered Dean's bed, but he showed up with Charlotte, Becky, and Shayna a few minutes after that. If Sasha didn't stay up talking with Roman, discussing anything that came to mind, she might've had a chance to sleep in a bed.

The hospitable boy she found refuge in sat across the room from her, his head cradled in his hands. The sizzling pops of bacon took Sasha's attention too; Dean was in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

"Morning," she said to both boys.

"Mornin'!" Dean yelled back.

Roman nodded his head at Sasha. "How'd you sleep?" He asked.

Sasha stretched out her legs. "Fine. My feet are still killing me though."

Roman chuckled. "Yeah, mine too. Dean's making a few hangover cures. That'll fix anything wrong with you."

Sasha smiled and thanked both boys for their kindness. She switched on the TV, pulled up YouTube, and found the SU Student News channel. Thinking there had to be something about the party last night, as well as the fallout, she turned on the live stream.

Kayla, head of Student News and co-editor of the school paper, read from off-screen cue cards while she gave the news updates.

"Why does she look familiar?" Roman said over his shoulder.

Dean peeked at the TV. "She lives on Lexi's floor. Her roommate was kicking the shit out of this one chick."

Kayla spoke on the TV. "...the Titans remain six and two going into this weekend's game with Liberty. As for women's soccer, there isn't much hope for the ladies to make it to the playoffs this year, but they can still finish strong with a .500 record if they win here on out..."

Dean handed a plate to Roman and Sasha, as well as a cup of questionably colored liquid. The smell made Sasha gag but she figured it was better than being in pain so she drank it down as she ate her sandwich.

"Ugh, that's rough," Sasha muttered. She looked at Roman, who was having no trouble with his food. "How are you doing, Ro?"

Roman chuckled dryly. "Never been better. Why do you ask?"

Sasha shrugged. "Just making sure you're ok after last night."

Roman nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it, Sasha. I don't know where Tessa is, but I hope she's fucking miserable wherever she is."

"She is," Dean chimed in. "She's a miserable fucking cunt that deserves a hot fire poker through the eye. If some random tweaker doesn't shove her in front of a bus, then she'll end up fucking with the wrong people and get her ass kicked."

"You said you filed a report?" Sasha said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but who knows where that gets us. We don't know where Tessa is and everything she did was electronic. That shit's hard to trace and shutdown, ya know?"

"...and now we take you to our top story this morning: Fallout from Beta Pi Omega's Halloween party following a nine-one-one call..."

Dean hurried into the living room. "Turn that up."

Sasha clicked the volume a few more notches.

"...the night ended prematurely when police arrived to shut down the party. Dean of Student Affairs, Mr. John Laurinaitis, has called for an end to all Greek activity for the foreseeable future..."

A clip played from the morning news. John Laurinaitis was shown talking to a reporter in his office.

"It is within the best interests of the students to suspend all Greek activity for the time being. That includes both fraternities and sororities. Any house caught hosting any kind of party will risk suspension and possible disciplinary actions for the individuals involved. We already suspended one student as of this morning, but I'm not at liberty to say his name at this time..."

"What a fucking joke," Dean spat, shaking his head. "Dude doesn't know what the fuck he's doing! Suspending Greek Row is just going to make everyone want to do it more. They can't fucking do this shit!"

While Dean fumed in the kitchen, Sasha and Roman continued watching the student news.

"Who do you think got suspended?" Sasha asked.

Roman shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe Kevin or Sami."

Sasha's eyes grew soft. "You sure you're ok?"

Roman sighed but nodded. "I'll live. I'm just used to getting fucked with at this point."

"Roman-"

"No, it's fine," Roman insisted, trying his best to hide his anger with a smirk. "I'm fine. Everything will be fine."

Sasha knew that Roman wasn't being truthful with that, but she decided not to press him any further.

Across the hall from Dean and Roman's dorm was Seth's apartment. Rollins, who had been awake for a little while now, watched his irresistible divine girlfriend jump on her toes to make her joggers fit. It was a simple visual pleasure, but Seth was starting to appreciate the little things in life.

Toni tugged an SU Athletic Department tee over her shoulders. Under suggestion from Seth, she started keeping clothes at his place. She thought that growing too comfortable would spell disaster for them before they found refuge, but so far they managed to stay together under their coaches' and teammates' noses.

"I love you," Seth said, admiring Toni's perky chest before it was covered with her top.

Toni flashed a smile. "I love you too. What's with you?"

Seth shrugged. "Just admiring my girl. Can't I count my blessings after we escaped police custody?"

Toni chuckled. "Hardly custody, mate. Almost broke me leg jumping into the bushes last night."

"Yeah, but still. It'll be a fun story to tell one day."

Toni nodded, giving another smirk. Though she was smiling and joking with her boyfriend, she wasn't sure what to think of him at the moment. The video that set off the chaotic end to their night showed a nude woman playing with herself for Seth. Toni didn't know who she was or why Seth still had that video in his iCloud, but she didn't think to ask while they fled from the police.

"You ok?" Seth asked.

Toni didn't realize she was staring into space until Seth said something. She nodded, trying to play off her concern, but Seth got out of bed anyway.

"What's up?" Seth asked lightly, pulling Toni into his person. "You can tell me. If it's about the tackling drill on Tuesday, you told me not to hold back."

Toni laughed. "Oh right. I'm so upset that me man hit me with as much power as a baby girl."

Seth chuckled. "Ouch. But really..."

Toni chewed her bottom lip. "It's stupid of me. Really. But why do you have a video of another girl on your phone?"

Seth knew this was going to come up. He deleted the video of Ruby shortly after he and Storm decided to become exclusive, but must've left it in the "recently deleted" folder without thinking. Tessa must've found the video, put it in with the rest, and sent it out to try and ruin Seth. The fact that Dean hadn't bust down the door with a fire axe yet must've meant that he hadn't seen the video yet.

Seth responded truthfully. "That's Ruby. She's the girl I told you about. I hooked up with her over the Summer and had the video saved. Then I erased it when you and I got together. I still talk to her, but I completely forgot about that video."

"You don't have a secret folder on yer phone or nothin'?" Toni asked.

Seth handed Toni his phone. Toni, pleasantly surprised, punched in Seth's phone password. She scrolled through the apps until she spotted a calculator app she knew was a front for a secret photo folder. She tried punching in the password again, but it didn't work this time.

"I changed it to our football numbers," Seth said.

Toni tried to hide a smile as she punched in the correct combo this time. The secret vault opened; The only folder in it contained a few semi-explicit, PG-13 selfies of Toni in her underwear and one brief video of Toni dancing in her swimsuit on Lake Wallenpaupack.

"That's it?" Toni asked.

Seth nodded. "I had a few things of my exes, but I cleared it out. I have you now, so..."

Toni rolled her tongue between her lips, trying to conceal a smile. Seth chuckled and pecked Toni on the lips.

"I have something for you," Seth stepped away for a moment to retrieve something off of his dresser. "It's, uh, going to get me my ass kicked by BPO, but I want you to have it."

In Toni's hand was a silver necklace with the vertical Greek symbols of Beta Pi Omega on them. Her eyes went wide, realizing that what Seth said was true and a huge understatement.

"Seth! Christ, they'll skin you alive!" Toni chuckled.

Seth nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you're important to me and the letters are supposed to be held by someone like that."

Toni lifted her hair to let Seth secure the silver necklace around her neck. She dropped her hair, then stared admirably at the letters.

"How do you like it?" Seth asked.

Toni slowly pecked Seth on the lips. "Want to get back in bed fer me?"

Seth snickered. "Sure, babe."

Seth leaned in for another kiss. Toni draped her arms around Seth's neck, moaning lightly into his mouth. Unfortunately for them, neither noticed Seth's roommate at first when he entered the room.

"Yo, Seth, you got a charger- WHOA!"

Seth and Toni quickly parted. Adam, with a massive grin on his face, lifted his hands in mock surrender and backed out of the room. Toni and Seth exchanged a worried look, both agreeing silently that they ultimately fucked up this time.

It took a lot of personal strength for Alexa to make her way to room six-oh-four in Sammartino Hall. After crying on the phone with her mom the night before, and both Nia and AJ trying to talk Alexa out of going to talk with Dean, she wasn't sure if giving her boyfriend the chance to explain himself was a good idea.

Part of her must've thought they could work it out. She always admired how quickly they could resolve conflicts if they just sat and talked with each other instead of slamming doors or screaming until their voices gave out. Alexa also knew she owed Dean the benefit of a conversation after he'd been patient with her throughout her troubles the year before with AJ, the miscarriage, and her problems with ecstacy.

The elevator slowly ascended to the sixth floor. The video played over and over again in Alexa'a brain. Dean admitting to horrible things brought up nothing but negative thoughts about him when she tried to think of the positive.

Every time he woke her up with breakfast was taken over by a time where he argued with her about AJ. A happy morning spent making love became a sour reminder about their fight last year that almost cost them their entire relationship. Listening to Alofa's heartbeat for the first time just melted away into finding Dean sneaking whiskey after she went to bed.

The lift came to a steady stop. The metal doors slid open, revealing the hallway to Dean's apartment.

KNOCK KNOCK

Dean dried his hands off with a dish towel. He smoothed out any wrinkles in his black polo, brushed any loose strands of hair out of his eyes, then opened the door.

"Hey," he greeted his girlfriend, offering her a smile.

Of course Dean had to look his best right now. Alexa came to have an important talk with him, and now all she could think about was how much she wished he dressed like that more. Maybe he did it on purpose because it's what she would want, which might have gotten him a few kisses if it were any other day.

"Hi," Alexa moved into the dorm. She thought about kissing Ambrose when she stepped by him, but figured it wasn't the most appropriate gesture at this moment.

Dean inhaled shakily, trying to keep his nerves in check. "Uh, I made some extra eggs if you're hungry?"

Alexa shook her head. "I'm ok. Thank you though."

Dean nodded. He stared at Alexa with baited breath, then realized she was waiting for him to start. He gestured at the couch.

"Charlotte told me you were arrested last night," Alexa said.

Dean shrugged. "Uh, yeah. Max got in my face after you left. I gotta see the judge on Monday. The detective told me it wouldn't be more than a fine and some community service. He was the guy who handled your shit with Adam. Says he's glad I kicked his ass."

Alexa managed a small giggle, finding a sick sense of joy in knowing her ex was rotting away somewhere in pain and alone.

"Um... fuck, Lex." Dean sighed, trying to remember the list of things he wanted to say to try and make Alexa stay, but everything just kept coming up blank. "I... I know it won't make it better, but I'm so sorry. I fucked up so bad. I just... I was going to tell you about what happened with Ruby, but I didn't know how. Then when we lost Alofa, I just told myself to forget about it."

Alexa swallowed hard. "So you did cheat?"

Ambrose took his gaze away from Alexa. He nodded slowly. "Y-yes. I cheated."

Alexa felt numb. The man who she trusted with everything was now just like any other boyfriend she had in her life. Sure he wasn't as abusive as Adam or controlling as Buddy, but what even was he if there was no trust?

Alexa spoke again. "Dean, I don't know what to do. You cheated on me, then fought me so many times about AJ and... it feels like everything we've done in the last year meant nothing."

Dean settled his hand over Alexa's. "It has. It's meant so much to me. Alexa, I've never cared about someone as much as you. That's the truth. I had one fuck up, that was it. It will never happen again."

"How do I know that?" Alexa asked. "How do I know that you don't still want her? How did you feel about the video of her getting leaked?"

Dean raised his brow in concern. "What video?"

Alexa sighed. "The video from last night. She's talking to Seth, and she's... doing stuff."

Dean's chest tightened. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

Alexa saw the rage flare in her boyfriend's eyes. She grew quiet, silently wishing she didn't come.

"See? This is what I mean," she said. "You're getting pissed about it. Kacy is my best friend, and I want nothing but the best for her and Buddy."

Dean shook his head. "I still care about Ruby. Of course I do. But I don't want her. I want you. I want us. Alexa, baby, I'll do anything to fix this."

Alexa pulled her hand away. "I don't think we can fix this, Dean."

Dean shook his head again, feeling himself get choked up. "No. Lexi, please, just give me a chance to fix this. I can. I will. Please don't give up the greatest thing to happen to me. I... there is nothing for me without you."

Alexa felt the tears well up in her eyes. She didn't want this. She wanted to make things work with Dean. But what the hell was there if there was no trust? He still cared for Ruby; Dean made that very clear just now with how quickly he got mad at Seth. But was Alexa in any place to judge Dean for cheating when she was just as guilty?

"What did you do with her?" Alexa whimpered, trying to keep her tears in.

Dean played back last Black Friday in his mind. "We took a walk to the park we used to go to as kids... we made out and she..."

"Did you fuck her?" Alexa whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Dean shook his head. "No. I didn't. She... started... sucking my dick. But I told her to stop and that was it. We laid flowers on our kid's grave and we came back."

Alexa wiped her eyes with the tips of her fingers. "So I was right to be worried? Before anything with AJ happened, you messed around with your ex?"

"I did, but-"

"While I was still pregnant with our daughter?"

Dean stopped talking. Alexa stared Dean in the eye for a few more heartbeats, then looked away.

The realization of the situation slowly fell on Dean's shoulders. Alexa wasn't here to save the relationship. She just wanted to know why it had come to this, and why she was about to pull the trigger on them.

"We can fix this, Lex," Dean said, trying to keep level-headed. "We can. Just please give me a chance."

"I did. You only get one chance in a relationship, Dean. I know I did things with AJ, but you forgave me and I'm thankful you did that. I guess you can take more than I can. But I just can't stop thinking about you with her. You were supposed to be mine, Dean. That was it. You proposed to me and promised to raise our baby together and stay loyal to me. That was it. And you broke that promise. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Dean's eyes were already filled to the brim with tears. He held his breath, hoping Alexa was about to take everything back and dive into his arms and beg him to hold her and never let go. But she didn't.

Alexa fought hard not to cry. She inhaled sharply, let a few tears fall, then quietly breathed out.

"This is it then?" Dean asked, his voice low and broken.

Alexa sighed, nodding her head. "Yes."

Dean felt like he'd taken a harpoon to the chest. His heart had to have stopped beating. The blood pumping through his veins turned ice cold, making breathing feel like a chore. He meant it when he said there was nothing without Alexa. He tried thinking about waking up tomorrow without Alexa next to him, but his tears kept blurring his vision.

Dean nodded slowly. "Ok. Ok. I'll, uh, let you get your things from here, ok? I can come get my stuff from Poffo later. Or you can drop it off. Whatever you want."

"I'm keeping your hoodies though," Alexa quipped quietly.

Dean chuckled, smiling as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "That's ok. I'll just buy more. Uh..."

"I love you, Dean," Alexa held Dean's hand as she spoke, making sure to keep eye contact with him. "I will always love you. We'll always have a bond between us. Always. I'll never forget what we had... and what we could've had."

Dean stood at the same time Alexa did. After an awkward moment of silence, Dean offered a hug. Alexa practically fell into Dean's arms, inhaling his colgne deeply through her nose. Dean buried his face in Alexa's dark hair, trying to keep the scent of her shampoo as long as he could.

Some time later, Alexa walked out of Dean's room with a garbage bag filled with her clothes. The ex-lovers shared one more embrace, neither really wanting to break away. Dean did but only because a knock came at his door.

"Forever and always," he told his ex.

Alexa smiled softly, her eyes red from crying. "Forever and always, Dean."

To say Dean was surprised to find Big Boss Man standing on the other side of the door when he opened it for Alexa would be the understatement of the century.

"Hey, man," Dean said. His confusion showed, until he figured why the campus guard was there. "Oh, uh, are you here for Tessa? We haven't seen her since last night."

Officer Traylor had a look of disappointment in his eyes. "Actually, Dean. I'm here for you. I've been asked to escort you off campus."

"What?" Alexa asked.

Dean's heart skipped a beat. "I was suspended this morning, wasn't I?"

Officer Traylor nodded his head, momentarily looking at the ground. "You were. Dean Laurinaitis asked me to make sure you didn't cause anymore trouble on your way out. I know you're a good kid, Ambrose, but orders area orders."

Alexa looked at Dean. Dean bit his tongue, hoping it was enough to keep his anger from bubbling over.

"Can I get some of my shit out?" Dean asked.

Traylor nodded and let Dean leave the room. After a moment, Dean returned with some essential items he would need.

"Officer, there has to be some kind of mistake," Alexa persisted.

"I wish there was, Alexa," Traylor said. He nodded at Dean. "Ready?"

Dean nodded and stepped into the hallway. Just stepping off the elevator was Roman and Sasha, who shared a laughed that died the moment they saw Big Boss Man and Dean.

"What's going on?" Roman questioned.

Dean chuckled. "Kayla Braxton knew about my suspension before I did. Ain't that a bitch?"

Dean moved down the hallway without another word. He stepped in the elevator, watched Big Boss Man hit the button for the ground floor.

Alexa, Sasha, and Roman watched as the doors closed. Dean stared back at his friends, offering a quick wink just as the metal doors came together.