Chapter 2: What's Your Plan?

Despite the fact that it was a large city with constant action happening within the city limits and even outside of it, there was something very calm and peaceful that hung in the air of Chicago in the wee hours of the morning, especially when the rain was just clearing out. Jennings had even braved the elements for a few minutes to roll down the windows in her Jeep, to breathe in the brisk air and the fresh smell of rain.

She was tired; weary. It wasn't even really physical but all she wanted was her bed and the chance to lie in her bed for as long as she pleased when the sun rose and the day started. Not that she would lay in it for long, she never could really 'sleep in', but at least she would have the option.

Once she had left Orlando on Friday afternoon she had been jet setting and car tripping back and forth from Michigan, to all over Canada, and back to Florida before finally touching down at home.

Something about the mist of light rain in the street lights and the empty streets made her mind drift back to her couple of days in Orlando, her dinner with Seth, her bonding with Lana during their photo shoot and just how her mind had felt like it was on a different wavelength since then.

Maybe it was the silence and the stillness.

She remembered getting to the performance center early the morning of the shoot. Nobody had been around yet and she had taken a few moments to just sit in one of the empty rings, soaking everything in and letting her mind clear. She knew she had to make a decision and she needed that moment to herself to let everything come back to her; the smells, the feeling of the mat beneath her feet, the memories of the crowds and matches. It was a whole different world from where she was now; when the bell rang, she wasn't in the action, she was quietly off in the shadows. She missed the action.

She caught herself smiling in the darkness of her Jeep as she pulled into the parking garage of her apartment's building. Despite the fun she had traveling, it always felt good to be home.

The house was quiet and still. It was after three a.m., she had known her little sister would be sleeping. She flipped on a bedside lamp to give her some light and scanned the room quickly, glancing at the suitcase she had abandoned near the open doorway and then stopping her gaze on a box that was lying across the foot of her bed.

She frowned and reached for the sticky note resting on top of it.

"Miss you and love you. Tell me immediately what's in this big ass box!" was scribbled across it in her sister's handwriting.

"I don't know what's in the box…" Jennings mumbled in to the silent room, looking over the top of the box where the shipping label was.

It didn't have a return address, just her address, and that caused her frown to deepen.

What in the world?

"I'm too tired for this," she stated. "There's probably a dead body or something in there anyways…"

She heaved the box off her bed, it wasn't all that heavy, and discarded it in the floor near her night stand. She would deal with that when she woke up.

The last thing she remembered was slipping into her bed and snuggling under her blanket before her eyes were fluttering open to sunlight coming through her window and the smell of fresh coffee lingering in the air. She rolled over to check the time on her phone and after blinking and groaning a bit at the prospect of getting up, she drug herself from the bed and started towards the kitchen and living room.

"Hey, James…" Jennings mumbled, standing near the entrance of the living room and looking at her sister.

Jamie, her little sister, was sprawled comfortably across their couch. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she was huddled in an oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants like it was the dead middle of winter and not late summer.

"Hey you! Welcome home!" she was greeted with a bright smile from her sister.

"Mmm," Jennings simply grunted and nodded. She continued on to the kitchen as Jamie continued to speak to her, asking if her trip home had gone smoothly. She started a cup of coffee in the Keurig and leaned against the countertop to engage with her sister.

"What was in the box, by the way?" Jamie asked.

Jennings furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and bit her lip slightly, "you know, I was too tired to even open it so I don't even know yet. I probably ordered something and just don't remember ordering it…"

Jamie's eyes grew a little wider and then she sat up, discarding her tablet to the side and getting up from the couch. "We're finding out."

"James…" Jennings glared at her slightly.

"It's been sitting here for a few days and it's been driving me crazy, we're finding out!"

Jennings mumbled a 'fine' as Jamie disappeared down the hallway. She returned a few seconds later, sliding the box on to the counter top and giving her sister an eager look.

Jennings rolled her eyes and turned to retrieve a knife to cut the tape and cure Jamie's curiosity.

Under the flaps of the cardboard box were stacks of unmistakable black apparel; shirts, jackets, sweat pants and even hats. They were littered with the various 'Black and Brave' logos of Seth's wrestling school and Jennings couldn't help but shake her head and roll her eyes slightly. This was incredibly unnecessary.

"Oh what kind of swag are you getting sent now?" Jamie's eyebrows rose slightly at her excitement.

"It's not even 'swag' really," Jennings mumbled. There was a small note and a loose sheet of paper resting in between two of the shirts and she pulled it out to read it. Just look at all the cool merch we have! Share with Jamie :)

"What is it then?"

"Colby," Jennings sighed. She removed all of the contents of the box and started to separate everything into two piles and then slid one towards her sister. "He sends his love."

"That's a name I haven't heard in a while," Jamie stated, picking up a shirt and examining it. "Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, I like it. Very him."

Jennings had started to slip on the zip hoodie he had sent and nodded quietly as Jamie talked. "He's done well."

"Why exactly is he sending this to you, though?"

Jennings had a brief flash of a memory pop in to her head of commenting on the Black and Brave hat that he had been wearing in Orlando.

"Well...I kind of asked for it," Jennings frowned, scrunching up her nose and she thought, "and I think he's also kind of trying to butter me up."

"Jenn..." Jamie stated in a warning tone.

"No," she interrupted her sister, "it's nothing bad. He..." Jennings paused and sighed, reaching for her mug of coffee she had almost forgotten about and taking a sip of the warm drink. "When I was in Orlando and I had that meeting, he was down there, too. We got wings one night and caught up and whatever. But my meeting I had was an offer to come back to the ring and I told him and this is him trying to get me to train with him and Nick."

"Yes, you have to!"

"No, I do not have to," Jennings replied. "I may have to say yes to WWE but not him. We don't need to train together."

"Maybe you do. Maybe you two will be able to repair everything."

Jennings studied her sister quietly. How in god's name had the tables turned so that her little sister was the one providing her with guidance and advice?

"Maybe I don't want to do that."

"Maybe you do. He obviously wants to. This could be his proverbial olive branch. Here, Jennings, here is some sweet swag and I'm offering to train you and we can go back to being the happy best friends we used to be. Give me a chance! What's it going to hurt?"

"Take your free shit and go away. You're annoying me."

Jamie laughed lightly and shook her head as she started to move from the bar stool she was perched on to return to the couch. "End the cold war, already. It's been too long...it's been like two years, let it go."

"Don't you have to go to work or something?"

"No, I had to kill some vacation time before I lost it so I'm off. I figured I could take advantage of you having some extra time off, too."

Jennings simply grumbled in response, a soft 'hmph' and continued to sip her coffee. After a few moments of standing in the kitchen, alone, and in silence she sighed, "I'm going to go shower."

"Call him!" Jamie called as her sister trekked back down the hallway she had come from.

Jennings had no intention of calling him but she did plan to text him.

She pulled up her messages and started to type out a text and then paused. Fuck it she thought and skipped to the call screen. Jamie had gotten in her head, apparently.

She was greeted after a few rings with his warm voice. "Well hello."

"Hi," she responded.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

She could sense a bit of laughter in his voice and she rolled her eyes.

"You know damn well why I'm calling. That box was very extra."

"I mean didn't you tell me that you wanted some gear?"

"This is not what I meant."

Seth chuckled, "Did you at least like it?"

"I did. You've...you've done some big things. It looks good and it's very 'you'."

"Did it work at all?"

"I don't know..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"What is there not to know?"

"I just don't know, Colbs. That's it. I don't know how to explain it more. There's...we have a lot of hist-"

"Come to Davenport, on Friday," he interrupted. "I'm here until Saturday morning."

"How did you get Friday off?"

"We get an extra day since we were in Canada, you know that."

"Don't you want to do...you things with your extra day off? Enjoy a Friday night?"

"I can find time for you. Just come visit. You can see the gym, we can work out, and we can get tacos..."

She sighed, audible to him over the phone, and she bit her lip.

"That sigh was all I needed. You're sold."

"Friday works but I have one request."

"What's that?"

"Pizza instead of tacos."

He let out a low chuckle and she could almost see the entertained smile on his face in her mind. "Deal."

"Okay, well since that's settled I'm going to go now. I have things to do."

"Wow I get a three minute conversation...you don't want to chat at all?"

"No, I'm still annoyed with you. I'll see you Friday."

Two days later, Jennings found herself in somewhat familiar territory as she turned on to the street that Seth lived on. She had a brief moment where she realized the stark contrast in her feelings between her return home to Chicago just days before and her return to her friend's home, her old stomping grounds, the past.

The funny thing about all of it is that she really wasn't all that familiar with his house. She had visited him a few times after his knee injury and had been in the house once before that time. None of the visits had really ever gone spectacularly. In fact, the last one had been the moment she had accepted that their friendship would probably never return to the place it had been for so many years.

"Hey, Kevvie!" Jennings crooned, squatting down to scratch the excited dog's ears and head as she stepped in to Seth's house.

It was late January, and on the surprise chance he had realized she was in Davenport visiting her grandmother thanks to Instagram, Seth had asked her to drop by so they could talk. She was in a bit of a time crunch to make it to the airport but figured she could at least give him a few minutes.

Ups and downs, good and bad; he was still one of her best friends and she hadn't seen him, or really spoken to him, since right after his knee surgery. It had been two months and she was curious about why he wanted her to come by.

She looked up at Seth, giving him a shy and awkward half smile, and then stood to follow him as he led her deeper in to the house, towards the kitchen.

"Do you want a drink, water or coffee?" He asked as they walked the short distance. "That's really all I have right now."

"I'm trying to catch some shut eye on this flight so I'll pass on the coffee, water works though."

"Where are you heading out to?" He asked, fishing a bottle of water from his fridge and turning to toss it to her.

She watched Kevin dance around his feet before rushing back over to her as she slid on to a barstool at the kitchen island. He sniffed both of her feet, inspecting her again. Seth settled across the island from her, leaning back against the kitchen counter. She smiled and looked up and over at him, "you're walking really well. How long have you had the brace off?"

"Three weeks now, I think."

"You barely even limp."

"Yeah, things have been moving along ok. Not great, but ok."

"Lifting yet?"

"Not really," he shrugged.

"Meaning you do even though you aren't supposed to?" she countered.

"I'm still trying to make it to Mania."

She nodded quietly, "well you look good."

"How's your hip doing?" He asked, figuring while they were on the topic, they may as well get that part of the small talk out of the way.

Jennings had been through two surgeries the year before; one to repair a tear in the labrum of her right hip and one to clean out an infection she got in the same hip a few months after her first surgery. She had returned to the ring for a short amount of time in between the two srugeries, just long enough to get a few matches and pay per view behind her, before she was sidelined for the foreseeable future. Who knew that an infection would do more damage than an actual injury?

"Ah, I'm doing fine. I'm...all healed up really. I'm still working on building my strength back up but it'll come. Everything else is fine, though. This cold weather makes it ache a bit."

"Tell me about it. We're still too young to feel this old."

"Mhmm," she nodded. She took a sip of her water as a silence fell over them. This felt weird yet it didn't. It felt weird because it had been awhile since they had sat and had a long conversation, since they had shared the happenings and ins and outs of their days and world. This was normal for them, though. This was what should be their normal, at least.

"I'm supposed to head back on the road next weekend; the house shows," she stated, breaking the silence. "I'm not sure if I'll be wrestling but I'll be back on the road."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It's all kind of still up in the air. Right now, they want to wait until after Mania to really bring me back, give me a little more time...no room on the rosters, blah blah. There's been some chatter about maybe teaming me up with Renee..."

"Did you tell them to go fuck themselves? You're a wrestler, Jenn," he took a step forward and leaning against the island. "Did you get told you can't wrestle?"

"No, not yet-"

"Yet?" he interrupted.

She shook her head, essentially brushing it off, "but it's really all up in the air and it's...I don't even know why I told you, it's not a big deal. It's the politics."

"It is a big deal."

"There's really nothing I can do about it. I'm lucky I haven't already been released, honestly, I'm kind of an injury hazard it seems."

"Jenn, stop."

"I'm 30, I'm old in this industry...as a female at least. Retiring isn't an awful idea," she shook her head and ran her hand across the tiled top of the island, directing her eyes away from him.

"You aren't retiring."

"I don't really want to talk about this," she inhaled deeply and looked up, slightly taken aback by how intensely he was looking at her, studying her. Even in the dim light of the kitchen, his eyes had more expression in them then she cared to read in that moment. "Like I said, I don't know why I brought it up."

"I've missed a lot, apparently," he stated, quietly.

"Yeah, you have."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really."

"I don't want it to be like this."

"Is that why you called me?"

Here it was; the roots to the unexpected phone call.

It was his turn to look down. "I've wanted to reach out for weeks, since at least Christmas, and it just...didn't feel like the right time. It felt forced. I saw you were in Davenport, I shot my shot."

She didn't respond. She sat and studied him, letting the words brew.

"I..." He paused and inhaled and sighed, stepping back away from the island again. "I guess you heard that Zahra and I split up?"

"Yeah, it made the rounds."

He nodded. "That wasn't the catalyst, if that's what you're thinking. I've always missed you; I've always missed your friendship. I hated that you were going through your injury and surgeries and I just...wasn't connected."

"I needed the space, Colby. It wasn't...it wasn't all just you. I pushed you away as much as you pushed me away."

"And I should have never pushed." She started to counter and speak but he kept talking, "I mean that. You've been…I've been on my own and so have you and, I just should have been better. I lied to you and kept you in the dark and let you take heat for something you had no part of and I was a dickbag and I would change it if I could, in a heartbeat."

"So would I, Colby, but we can't. I don't want to do this, I don't want to sit here and has this out and have a thing about all of it, we've both moved on. I know you don't really want to do this..."

"I do if it means you stop keeping me out."

She was quiet, dropping her head to her head to rub her forehead. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up at him again. "Things aren't...the same; we're both different and I can't be the same friend for you that I've always been. I can let you in but I don't know if you really want that."

"Why wouldn't I want that?"

"I'm moving to L.A.," she responded, flat. "That's where I'm flying to tonight; I'm signing paperwork on a condo for me and Nathan."

She could read the surprise on his face even though he tried to quickly recover from it.

"You hate California," he stated, "how did this happen?"

"Things change," she shrugged, "things change, people change, there's evolution...I don't know. I'm excited about it though, and in love, and happy."

"If you're excited and happy then I'm excited and happy for you," he responded.

There was another silence the fell between them. Kevin got up from where he had been laying under Jennings' feet and his claws made light tapping noises on the hard wood as he made his way to the living room.

"I probably need to head to the airport," she stated.

Seth nodded.

She slid off the stool and stood next the island, looking at him, waiting to see what kind of move he would make. It took him a moment but he stood to his full height and motioned for her. She hesitated a moment and then moved the short distance around the island to meet him in a hug.

"For what's it worth, I don't think things have changed all that much," he said after a moment, his breath rustling her hair slightly. "I do want back in."

She inhaled deeply, catching a hint of his cologne, or body wash, or some scent that was lingering on him. Whether he would acknowledge it or not, they couldn't be as close as they had been for so long. She knew that.

"I'll see you at Mania," she said, pulling away from him. "I'm sure you'll be back for that."

Maybe it was a chance to start anew, like Jamie had suggested.

She inhaled deeply and cut the power to the car, leaving only the radio still playing, and after a few seconds opened the door to start towards the front porch. Her shoes made soft thuds on the concrete and then the stairs and before she could even lift her hand to ring the doorbell, Seth opened the door.

"Talk about some prompt service," she smiled.

"I saw you pull in."

He quickly hopped out of the doorway to give her room to walk in. She glanced down, noticing his bare feet peeking out from under his sweatpants, as she stepped by him and he closed the door behind him.

"I'm…early or something aren't I?" she questioned, giving him a questioning look as he stepped around her.

"No, I'm just…slow moving today."

She lifted her eyebrows.

"I fell asleep on the couch after you told me you were on the way. I had every intention of not doing that."

"You've been napping for three hours?"

"Ish," he shrugged, pairing it with an 'eh' hand motion. "I had a late night."

"Hot date?" she quipped.

"Yes with Brandon and the PlayStation."

"Your one true loves."

He chuckled and smiled, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. He had to admit that he had been nervous about Jennings coming to Davenport that day; excited and nervous. It was like old times and he was relieved and genuinely happy when their normal banter started to takeover. There was a relaxation coming over the room.

"I'm gonna change. Make yourself comfortable, there's still some slightly warm coffee."

She started to open her mouth to speak, to remind him she really didn't know where everything was, but stopped as he turned to start towards the hallway. She would manage.

She unzipped her Under Armor throw jacket and tossed it on the arm of the couch as she made her way deeper in to the house and in to the kitchen. There was coffee and it was less than slightly warm but she popped it in the microwave, topped it off with some milk, and took the few extra minutes to snoop around his house.

He hadn't changed it much since the last time she had been there. His furniture was different but the decorations were basically the same. She sipped her coffee and scanned his shelf of vinyl with her eyes before stopping in front of the piano near his fire place.

"Did you ever learn to play this?" she yelled towards the back of the house, hoping he would hear her.

"No!"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Why in the world did he waste money on an instrument he couldn't even play? She flipped up the lid and hit a few keys before she heard his footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Mostly Ralph sleeps on it but I can't remember the last time it was played," he stated.

She turned to him and sat down on the bench, watching as he sat on the couch to put his shoes on.

"Why do you still have it?"

"It looks good," he shrugged.

She nodded quietly and sipped her coffee.

"Honestly you were the only one of us who was ever decent at anything musical unless you count guitar hero." He sat up and rested his arms on his legs, looking at her across the room. "Leighla liked having it. You're the only person who ever really played it. I guess I just didn't want to get rid of it."

"It needs to be tuned," she said.

He eyed her quietly and then his mouth lifted in a partial smirk. "You wanna go to the gym first or you wanna see the sites of Davenport that probably haven't changed at all?"

"I'm gonna finish this coffee, first. Then the gym I guess."

The drive was quiet but comfortable. She spent it mainly sipping the coffee that he had insisted she just bring with them- when his impatience took over it really took over- and watching the sites go by on the short drive. He led her into the darkened building and gave her a look as he slipped through the doorway of the office to give them some light.

"I...expected people to be here..." She stated as he appeared.

"It's Friday afternoon, Jenn, some people have a life."

Her mouth dropped slightly at his use of her words on her and it quickly changed in to a glare, albeit a playful one.

"You're an ass."

"Yeah, yeah, you've told me that once or twice," he brushed off her insult and led her further in to the gym. "This is it. This is my baby."

She took in the equipment, the banners, the belts, the pictures of his and their crew's days of wrestling past speckling the walls, the rings; it was everything that had ever been imagined.

"So what's your plan?" She asked, making her way to the ring closest to them and running her hand along to mat and the bottom rope. She kept her gaze on the empty ring while she waited for him to respond.

"That's up to you," he said.

She shook her head and turned to look at him, letting her body lean back on the ring slightly. "This was all you, Colby. You sold what you could to get me here, you want me to work with you and be a part of all of this; so sell me. If I come do this, what am I getting in to? What's your plan?"

"What makes you think I have a plan?"

"Because I know you and I know that you probably have a new finisher, a new top rope move, and a new submission move already planned out for me in your head."

He was quiet for a moment, his arms folded across his chest. She could see him biting the inside of his lips even across their distance.

"Work out first," he started. "I know you've kept yourself in shape but I'd like to see just how much in shape you've kept yourself. I would like to know what I'm getting myself in to as well. Then we can get in the ring but...just something small and basic for today. I know you've been cleared but I want to be comfortable knowing that you aren't going to break or that it's too much."

She nodded, accepting his words, and smiled, "Where's the locker room?"

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