The silence between the two was something that was driving CJ crazy. The air was tense and she had to lean back against the sink while Seth set to putting away his groceries. This wasn't anything she expected to have to deal with, and she was desperately searching for a way out of this tense situation that she landed herself in. But she knew that it didn't work that way. She got herself into this mess, she'd have to get herself out of it in the only way she could.

"Why?"

"Why do I want you to stay?" Seth asked, stopping what he was doing to look her in the eyes.

"No, I have a good feeling as to why you want me to stay. Why did you cheat?"

"I was drunk and desperate to fit in, maybe you'd relate to that."

"We're not talking about my sexual history, because I'm not the one who was desperate for this relationship and I'm not the one who cheated." She stated, narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend. "So I'm going to ask you one more time and I hope, for your sake, that you don't give me another bullshit answer. Why did you do it?"

"I was drunk, I missed you, and I was horny because you were punishing me for Thursday night and I hadn't gotten any. Does it help the situation if I was thinking of you the whole time?"

"Not at all. You could have called me, but oh that's right. Your phone was off." CJ spoke in an overly sweet, yet condescending tone. "How convenient."

"I don't like your tone." Seth stated, shutting the fridge and beginning to fold up the paper bags.

"You don't get to tell me that. You're the one who cheated, you can fucking deal with it."

"Fine. Any other questions?"

"How many other women have you cheated on in the past?" She tried really hard to keep her tone even, but she was desperate to find out whether or not he was a serial cheater.

"You're the first and the only. It was a fucking mistake, CJ." Seth's voice began to waver and, as much as CJ wanted to make him feel better, she knew that he needed to feel like shit. He needed to hurt like she did.

"I know you read my notebook so I know you know what I was feeling while you were off getting head from some stripper with your stupid buddies."

"It made me feel like shit. I'm such a shitty person and I know that, CJ. It'll never happen again, though."

"How can I trust that Seth? You told me last night that I can't trust anybody and then you had the nerve to throw that excuse of life I'm forced to call a father in my face." It took every ounce of restraint in her body to not yell at him and she felt that she should get a reward for not raising her voice. "You told me that I couldn't trust you."

"In the heat of the moment. I feel like shit about that, too." Seth spoke softly, sinking to his knees in front of her. She only kept her casual stance, leaning against the counter, and avoided looking at him. "I know what I did was wrong and I know that I hurt you with not just my actions, but my words too, and I feel like shit about it."

"You can get off your knees, Seth. It's really not getting you anywhere." She spoke calmly, tensing when he laid face down on the kitchen floor.

"Walk on me, kick me, take that anger you're obviously feeling out on me. Please. I deserve it."

She was honestly considering it. He did deserve some sort of physical pain for all the emotional trauma he put her through throughout the week. But she knew that wasn't the way to go. There were other ways to go about this, she knew it. She just had to figure it out.

"No. I'm not going to abuse you because you cheated on me." CJ said, grabbing her stuff and stepping over him on her way to the door. "I need space, Seth, and so do you."

"Can we specify terms to this break?" Seth asked, sitting up to look at her. He couldn't help but observe the sight of her ass in those jeans and appreciated the view until she turned to face him.

"We can do whatever with whoever and whenever. We aren't tied to each other at all." She listed, making eye contact with him for the first time in the last ten minutes. "Sound good?"

"That sounds like you're dumping me." He mumbled, brushing dirt off of his knees.

"I should. But I'm not, because I still live here with you and if this was truly a drunken mistake like you claim then it's something that can blow over after we both just spend some time apart from each other."

"Why do we need time apart?"

"Because I can't look at you without wanting to hit you!" CJ snapped, smacking the wall in frustration. It hurt, but she was going to pretend that it didn't so she could get out of there faster. "Stop asking me why, and fucking think about what you did and how you're going to fix it. We can't have a relationship without trust so, before you ask, start there. I'm sure you know what hotel I'm at, since I paid for it with that emergency card you put in my glovebox."

"Hunter told me to stay home over the weekend."

"When do you leave on Monday?"

"Three."

"Be dressed and ready to go at ten thirty on Monday morning. We're going somewhere."

"Where?"

"You'll see." Was all CJ said before heading out the door, remembering to throw the trash out on her way to her car.

"CJ, where are you going all in a rush?" Mikaela asked as she got out of her car and CJ shrugged.

"Away from here for the weekend. I'll be back."

"If you're not, I'll hunt your ass down. I'm starting to see you as a friend." The dark haired woman warned, pointing her sunglasses at the blonde.

"You'll be the first to know of my return." CJ assured before getting in her car and Mikaela nodded on her way into her house.

It was twelve thirty in the morning when CJ finally made it into bed after paying for another couple extra nights. It was then realized that she didn't grab extra clothes because Seth had caught her off guard with getting the weekend off and she couldn't stop the string of four letter words that tumbled from her lips. Tired and frustrated didn't mix well within the blonde and she found herself on the verge of throwing things like a child. But she wouldn't because she didn't want to clean it up.

So she did what she knew she needed to do for the health of her children. She took a couple deep breaths and then went to run a bath. She wasn't as generous as Dean was with the bubble soap, but there would be plenty of bubbles by the time the garden tub was filled to where she wanted it. Her phone chose that moment to ring, and when she got it out of her pocket she smiled when she was that Dean was calling.

"God, I miss you."

"I'm not God but I miss you, too." Dean chuckled, making her bite her lip to keep from grinning. "You sound...off. What happened?"

"Nothing major. I stopped by the house to grab a couple things, ended up asking Seth a few questions. The asshole got the weekend off and doesn't leave until Monday at like four."

"I'm assuming you're in the hotel for the weekend?"

"You're god damn right I am. I told him that we just needed space and that I wasn't dumping him. I'm taking him to Dr. Thompson on Monday."

"She made me realize that I need to be a bit more cuddly with you, who knows what she'll be able to make Seth see. Good idea." Dean praised as she pulled down her pants and she nodded. "Is that bath water I hear?"

"Yeah, I'm getting naked as we speak."

"I wish I was with you, sweetheart. Seth wasn't a dick, right?"

"He was begging. It was a kind of uncomfortable situation for me."

"On his knees?"

"He...laid down in front of me and demanded that I make him pay physically for what he did. It was weird."

"Did you?"

"I walked away. Psychological torment is more my style, anyways." CJ joked and Dean laughed. His laugh was truly contagious in her opinion and she almost dropped her phone while getting out of her shirt. "You have the best laugh."

"I like yours more."

"Such a charmer." She purred, putting her phone on speaker so she could set it on the counter while she wrapped her hair up into a messy bun. "Do me a favor and distract me from my asshole boyfriend?"

"Gladly, darlin'. But can I ask you something first?"

"Sure?"

"What are you going to do if your relationship can't be saved?"

"Move out and go back to Syracuse, I guess. I can't keep running between you and him and I won't be alone in Syracuse."

"I can live with that. We can definitely make that work, should that be the case." She could tell that he was trying really hard not to sound disappointed in her decision, but she appreciated that he wasn't pushing her to be with him in Vegas.

"How'd the bug thing go?" She asked as she got into the tub, carefully easing into the water with a soft sigh.

"Bunch of paper signing and 'get what you need' bullshit. They're paying for my hotel expenses over the weekend. Right now, I'm at a laundromat and my clothes are currently in the washing machine."

"Did you remember to separate the whites from the colors?"

"Yes, actually. Can you hear the song in the background?" Dean asked, and CJ tried really hard to pick it up.

"Ah, no. Do you know the song?"

"No, that's why I was asking. It makes me think of you, though." Dean said softly, feeling particularly vulnerable making such an admission. From where he sat on a folding table staring down his clothes in the washing machine, he knew that he was the only person in there other than the attendant who spoke broken english and he was glad since he didn't want to look like a pussy because he told somebody that a song made him think of her. Especially a love song.

"How cute. Have you heard it before your laundromat adventure?"

"I've heard it on the radio a few times." Dean mumbled, lazily kicking his legs in the air. "And I don't, and I don't, and I don't, and I don't. No I don't, it's true. I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't, no, I don't Want anybody else but you." He casually sang along, hoping that she'd not only get the point but also hoping that she knew the song so he could buy it once he got off the phone with her.

"That's Coldplay, darling. I don't know the name of the song, but I know Coldplay when I hear it." CJ spoke, bringing his attention away from the music and back to his love.

"Thanks. I was gonna buy it later, now I just get to sort through samples until I find it. Are you in the bath?"

"Mhm." CJ hummed, making Dean smile when he heard her splash a bit. "The tub is so big without you, Sir Ambrose."

"I can imagine, your highness. Let me know when you want me there after you deal with Seth. I don't want to come in between you guys while you're trying to fix things."

I'm lying through my teeth. I want them to crumble, but I can't tell her that. Dean thought to himself, shutting his eyes tight and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's going to take a lot of work, Dean, and I don't think-"

"Let's not think about that, then. Have you given any thought to baby things?"

"Baby things?" CJ repeated, almost sounding confused. "Like what?"

"Names and shit like that."

"Uh, no. Not at all, actually."

"Adam should have a namesake in there somewhere. Just my opinion."

"I'll be sure to remember that. But I think we should wait until we actually know what I'm having."

"That gives me time to think about it." Dean mumbled, stroking his chin. "Have you ever just stared at your laundry while its in the washing machine?"

"I can't say that I have. Is it entertaining?"

"Very. Not as great as talking to you, but a very close second."

Seth found himself back in his rut. The temporary happiness that had come in the form of his hopes of CJ staying had subsided rather quickly and not even the dogs were making him happy. The gym was closed and he wasn't about to binge eat because it was his fault she left. So he did what he did best. He grabbed a CD from the shelf and put it into his stereo on shuffle before laying down on the floor in his living room. It wasn't until the intro of the fifth song on the CD that he realized that this was one of CJ's, not one of his, and he wasn't feeling like getting up. He liked the sound of the song too much. He ignored the sound of his phone vibrating on the kitchen counter and just focused on the song.

A broken heart is blind, huh? Must be why CJ can't see how hurt I am because of all this. Seth thought to himself, keeping his gaze on the ceiling fan over his head and ignoring Kevin's concerned prodding. It wasn't too long before they Yorkie gave up on grabbing Seth's attention and just laid down beside the man, using his arm as a pillow.

Survive until Monday, Rollins. Survive until Monday.

So I don't own Magic by Coldplay nor do I own Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys. If I even need to put a disclaimer here, I dunno.

Also, SmackDown last night was okay. it's always great when we get Dean and Roman, but Seth and 3MB being butts was not appreciated. My roommate threw M&Ms at the TV when 3MB came out.

Thank you to angelsdee327, UntilNeverDawns, TaijiaK, TheShield'sGirl, and Sarcastic Nightmare for reviewing the last chapter!