Chapter 13 - Score Card

AJ woke up the next morning when Dean got out of bed and padded to the bathroom door in nothing but his birthday suit. AJ stirred slowly, turning over just in time to see his bare naked ass disappear into the adjoining room. Smiling, she stretched and checked the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was nine o'clock in the morning; they'd only been sleeping a couple hours but she felt rested somehow. She curled up, waiting for Dean to come back. She was going to enjoy the view.

Dean returned, still naked, and smiled when he saw AJ's eyes were open and watching him. He lifted the blanket and crawled back into bed, on top of her.

"You got anywhere you need to be?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before planting a soft, slow kiss on her lips.

"Eventually." AJ answered when Dean lifted his head. She had a new start time at the gym, which worked in her favor both for this date and her increased time at the Kitten Club.

"I can give you a ride." Dean offered. AJ wrapped her arms and legs around his waist, an already familiar feeling. Dean could feel himself getting hard, and the tight little body under him could feel it too. Before long he had her all worked up, enough to let him inside, and they rocked against the bed vigorously, as if they hadn't spent hours doing it already. They napped another hour afterward. The gloomy, gray, autumn sky made it easy to stay in bed, but after one o'clock AJ let him know it was time for her to go.

She cleaned herself up as best she could in Dean's bathroom and put on yesterday's clothes. When she came out, Dean threw on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt, threatening to ruin the rest of the day's plans when he leaned down to kiss her one more time.

"Is your dad going to see us?" AJ asked, feeling shy about leaving Dean's bedroom. She hadn't showered yet and her hair needed a brush.

"He's probably still asleep." said Dean. AJ realized for the first time he may have been home during...but no, Dean assured her, his father had taken a night shift in a taxi. They'd been asleep when Roddy got home, and he'd been fast asleep when they had wake up sex.

"Promise?" asked AJ.

"I promise." said Dean, though when it came time to make their escape he took the stairs just as quietly as she did.

AJ had him take her back to Kaitlyn's, where she had a shower and a change of clothes waiting for her - and no prying parental eyes.

It was difficult to leave the car. AJ lingered, telling herself every kiss was going to be the last, that she'd see him again soon enough. She was able to resist the urge to crawl into his lap again, at least, much to Dean's disappointment. When she sucked his lower lip into her mouth at the end of her kiss, he was tempted to stomp the gas pedal and take her right back to his place.

AJ had a key to Kaitlyn's apartment, so she let herself inside, calling out to warn Kaitlyn she was there. Kaitlyn shouted her name excitedly from the bathroom and told AJ to wait while she finished showering.

"I'm not going anywhere." AJ laughed.

When the busty blonde-and-brunette hopped, skipped and jumped into the bedroom, she had a towel around her torso and another perched on her head with her hair wrapped inside it.

"I'm assuming, since I didn't hear a peep from you last night," Kaitlyn said to her best friend, grinning from ear to ear. "That everything went well?"

AJ did not have words for it yet. All she could do was bite her lip, close her eyes and collapse onto the bed with a revealing giggle.

"Oh my goddd!" Kaitlyn squealed. "Let me get some clothes on before I bounce out of this towel. And then you're going to tell me everything."

Kaitlyn put on her gym gear and demanded every detail. She was not above begging when AJ tried to be vague. When AJ told her she had to get in the shower or else she was going to be late, Kaitlyn stood in the bathroom the entire time, asking every conceivable question through the shower curtain. By the time AJ was dressed and ready to go, Kaitlyn had heard it all.

"You have no idea how jealous I am." Kaitlyn shook her head with equal parts awe and envy.

"Didn't you go over to Roman's?" AJ asked.

"No, I had to cover for Layla!"

"Oh nooo," AJ lamented, laughing at Kaitlyn's desperate tone.

On their way to the gym, Kaitlyn listed names from the party they'd attended, including all of the hook-ups - both confirmed and simply rumored - that had been reported the previous night at the Kitten Club.

"So there's you and Dean," Kaitlyn began, pressing one finger against the steering wheel. "Like, fifty times."

AJ chuckled smugly, smiling as she looked out the window at the drab houses in their neighborhood. Autumn clouds didn't exactly help the look of the place. But it didn't matter how gray the sky was that day. There was sunshine inside of her and she was practically glowing with it.

"Who else?" she prodded Kaitlyn.

"Zack and Aksana, apparently."

"Aw!" AJ laughed, happy for Zack and a little worried at the same time.

"I know, right? Aksana was trying to tell us about it last night but there are words for what she does that do not translate into English. Zack has a huge dick, by the way."

AJ's eyes widened. "Good for him?"

"And good for Aksana. She kept rubbing her butt, I wasn't sure if that meant spanking or anal..."

"Oh my god, stop." AJ closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't care what her friends and coworkers did with each other, but she wanted to be able to look them in the eye again without seeing certain mental images.

"Okay," Kaitlyn moved on, extending a third finger. "So then there's Seth and Kelly."

"Well that one was obvious," AJ replied dryly, "They were pretty much doing it at the party."

"Nikki told me about that, so who knows what the real story is. Either way, word is that fun was had by both parties."

"Of course."

"Summer Rae and Johnny-"

"Curtis?" AJ cut Kaitlyn off immediately. "Dirty Curty?"

"The one and only."

"Did no one warn Summer?"

Kaitlyn gave AJ a look. "It's Summer."

"Oh," AJ nodded, feeling foolish. Maybe Johnny was the one that needed a warning. "Right. What about Maxine?"

At that, Kaitlyn grimaced worriedly. "Hopefully she doesn't find out?"

That went without saying; Maxine was always angry about something. AJ scanned her memories of the party. She'd spent most of the night talking to Dean and their small group of friends.

"Does anyone know what's wrong with Brie yet?" she wondered.

"Not yet," Kaitlyn said, frowning slightly. "I might ask Nikki tonight."

"I've seen her cranky before, but not like this." AJ commented.

"Yeah, it's weird at work too."

AJ looked out at the sky again. The clouds were getting darker.

"So," said AJ. "Aside from what I already told you about last night..."

"Ooh...!"

AJ rolled her eyes at Kaitlyn's sound of excitement. "I found out some other things about Dean and his friends."

"Good or bad?"

"Well..."

Dean went for a run after he got home. He ran further and faster than usual, feeling more energized than he had in a long time. He stopped in the park near his father's house, to shadow-box in front of an ancient oak tree for a while. He practiced what Coach Michaels had taught him, with a few twists he'd learned on the street with his friends. He was feeling so good after his night with AJ, he almost convinced himself to call Shawn up, apologize and ask if he could resume his training. But he was also thinking about Regal and the cage match he'd been promised. So he went home and set up the punching bag in the basement instead.

A quick series of punches and some powerful kicks made the chains ring. In his head, it was the sound of a rattling cage and a crowd screaming for blood. He struck the bag with his forearm, over and over again, imagining someone's bloody nose breaking under the force of the blows. The place he went to inside his head put a heavy stone in his stomach but it was also like getting high; the discomfort could be ignored.

He wanted to do this job for Regal. He wanted to put on a show. He wanted recognition for his talents instead of reprimands. He wanted his hand to be raised in victory with someone flat on their back beside him, bleeding like he'd bled for this.

The punching bag had a face. His step-father's face. Even if it didn't start that way, it always ended up morphing into his step-father's face. Dean punched the bag harder, faster, trying to make the face go away. That was the truth he tried to forget. Even after a perfect night with a perfect girl he could still get angry enough to punch his own knuckles bloody, when he allowed those thoughts to surface.

With a final punch and a growl of frustration, Dean stopped, took a step back and breathed.

He heard the door at the top of the stairs open with a familiar squeak, and he remembered the floorboards in this house were like paper.

"You all right down there, Dean?" his father called down to him.

Dean cleared his throat, not trusting his voice yet. "Yeah." he answered a few seconds later. He pressed his taped fist against the bag - to still it, to measure his reach, and to make himself feel like he was in control. Whoever he faced was going to take the brunt of some pretty intense anger. He hoped he'd have enough control to stop himself without Regal's goons rushing in to stop him instead.

The basement door creaked shut, and Roddy retreated to his office on the second floor.

Dean wondered briefly what Heath Slater was up to. The pang of guilt that followed was real. He couldn't ignore that truth.

Heath, you fucking dipshit. Why'd you ask for a fight?

A part of him wondered if he was walking into his Friday night fight just like Heath, too cocky for his own good. Maybe they'd pit him against someone bigger, faster and more dangerous - what then?

"You got a fuckin' death wish, Slater."

He heard his own voice echo in his head. After another glance at his perpetually scabbed knuckles and another brief memory of Heath's face gushing blood - Dean realized he didn't care who ended up on the floor bleeding. Winning or losing, causing pain or receiving it, it gave him the same high.

Dean opened his hand, stretched it out, and then balled it back into a tight fist.

It's not like you deserve any better.

He resumed punching the bag. The sounds helped drown out the little voice in his head telling him he was worthless.

"Holy shit." Kaitlyn said, once AJ was done explaining Dean's penchant for stealing cars. Kaitlyn wasn't exactly shocked, merely fascinated that Dean had come clean on a first date.

"I guess that's why they dropped out of high school." AJ mused. "Why bother graduating if you're already a professional in your field?"

"And he seriously just pulled a roll of twenties out of his pocket to pay for everything?" Kaitlyn giggled. "Girl, you are dating a thug!"

AJ smiled and looked out the window again.

Kaitlyn waved one of her hands at her own eyes, pretending to choke up with emotion. "I'm so proud of you!" she squeaked. AJ laughed and smacked Kaitlyn's arm with the back of her hand.

Kaitlyn gasped. "See, you're already turning gangster on me."

"You better watch what you say." AJ joked.

"Thug wife, thug life." Kaitlyn told her, grinning as she glanced over.

"I mean..." AJ got serious again. "Is it weird that I don't feel any differently about him?"

Kaitlyn shrugged. "You already knew what he was like back in the day. They stole the principal's car, for god's sake."

"Yeah, but that always seemed like a high school prank."

"True, true..."

"The three of them were in a stolen car when we first met up."

"Involving you in their illegal activities already." Kaitlyn tsked. "Remember at the party, when that redheaded guy showed up and Roman shut that shit down? I knew they were into something."

"And Dean looked me straight in the eye and confirmed it. I feel like I should be disappointed or scared but I'm just not."

"That's 'cause he rocked your world last night." said Kaitlyn. "It's clouding your judgment."

They both laughed.

"Listen," said Kaitlyn, more seriously. "He's honest. He treats you with respect," she pointed out. "That's more than you ever got with your exes."

"They're always sweet at first." AJ reminded her.

That's what had AJ wondering, if it was still the same old mistakes she was making. She tended to devote herself way too fast, both body and mind, and sometimes all it took was the smallest bit of positive attention. Daniel and Dolph had both acted like gentlemen at first, until AJ's vision had cleared and she saw their true colors. Was it really different with Dean, or was she fooling herself so she could have a boyfriend again?

"Dean seems different to me." Kaitlyn said, as if she could read AJ's mind. "Not just his looks or personality. It's in the way he treats you. He's not hiding who he is at all."

"And he gets it. My job, my situation at home..." AJ felt a flutter in her stomach. They'd shared a lot on their date.

"Maybe I'm a terrible friend," said Kaitlyn. She glanced at AJ. "Cause maybe I just really want to hook up with Roman..."

AJ giggled.

"But, I don't think you should be worried right now. Even if you do get caught up in his gangsta lifestyle..."

AJ smiled and shook her head. Kaitlyn really just loved saying it.

"I feel like he will take care of you." Kaitlyn concluded. "Oh, and if he does end up hurting you? I'll fucking kill him."

"You really do just want to hook up with Roman before you tell me the truth, don't you?" AJ teased her best friend.

"Tell me again how Dean just tossed you up onto his face like a male stripper?"

"Oh my god." AJ muttered after she stopped laughing. "That was the best..."

Dean borrowed the old town car from his dad's garage so he could go hunting on the city streets. It was the best way to unwind after an intense workout. On his way through a light commercial area, he spotted a brand new Mercedes GLE coupe parked at an expired meter, looking like a lone gazelle on the savanna. It sure looked nicer than the clunky, almost-out-of-commission town car he was currently driving.

However junky it felt, the town car still had his father's name on it, so Dean drove a few blocks further and found a legal parking spot that would be fine until the next day, in case he didn't have a chance to come back and get it until then.

He sauntered back toward his target slowly, making sure there wasn't anyone watching too closely, and that the owner of this expensive vehicle wouldn't be in sight. There was a cafe a few buildings down, but with autumn in full swing, there wasn't much outdoor seating being used.

"Who left you out here," Dean spoke to the SUV under his breath. "All alone, with a guy like me stalking these streets..."

He paced by it, a fly-by to check the surroundings one last time. At the same time he fished around in his front pocket for the device Seth had programmed for his buddies. It didn't always work, but one out of five times it prevented them from having to stick a wire hanger down the car door. Dean rubbed his thumb over the panic button on their remote control skeleton key, and sent a silent prayer to the saint of thieves.

The double sound of the doors unlocking - boop-boop, click - was the answer to that prayer. Dean grinned and looked around one last time before strolling around to the driver's side door.

Act like you own it. Dean thought to himself. Fifteen seconds later, he was pulling away from the curb.

And drive like you don't. Dean pressed the gas down hard to get through a yellow light. The engine was a little quiet for his tastes, but the speed made up for it. "Fuck yeah." he muttered, his mood considerably lightened.

Walking into the gym from the locker room, AJ was still thinking about the previous night. Her fingernails digging into his chest, Dean's hands holding her by the waist, the tape on his fingers rough against her skin... She thought it was a private reverie until she saw the look on her trainer's face. The man they called Punk narrowed his eyes and crossed his tattooed arms.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked in a jokingly accusing tone.

It caught her off guard, and AJ was pretty sure she turned a new shade of red. The smirk on Punk's face only made it worse. Was her dreamy-eyed look that obvious?

"Nothing..." she said innocently, even though her uncontrollable smile gave her away. She tried to hide behind her hair as she began her normal warm up.

Punk smiled, finding her reaction both telling and adorable. "You got a boyfriend I don't know about?" he asked.

"There wasn't a space for that on the sign-up sheet." AJ teased back, starting to recover and get back to her normal sarcastic self.

"Don't give me that 'none of your business' crap," he said, drawing a knowing smile from his trainee. She was getting used to his tough love approach. "You don't need those kinds of distractions," he continued. "I'm trying to make a champ out of you."

"I promise, I will not let it distract me from my mastery of the Cobra Kai."

Punk chuckled, taken out of his half-serious concern by the reference. He let her warm up for a few seconds in silence, but he couldn't help asking a few more probing questions.

"How long have you known him?"

"Since high school."

Punk nodded.

"...Is he a good guy?"

AJ felt her cheeks grow hot again. This personal concern was...new.

"So far." she said, stretching an arm over her head.

"Oh jeez, 'so far'..." Punk griped with an exaggerated eye roll.

"You are really starting to sound like my dad." AJ deadpanned.

"Oh I'm way worse than a dad," Punk assured her. "I'm your trainer."

"I'll be fine." AJ stressed.

"I just don't want you showing up late or canceling sessions 'cause you found something more interesting to do."

"You know how important this is to me." said AJ, her voice more confident than before. She looked at Punk's reflection in the wall of mirrors in front of them. He knew exactly what she sacrificed to be there, and to never miss a session.

"All right." said Punk, satisfied. "There's someone I want you to meet," he continued without pause. "Finish your warm-up, I'll be right back."

When he returned, there was a blonde girl trailing slightly behind, in track pants and a sport top. She seemed shy; one of her hands played nervously with the fingers on the other.

"AJ, this is Emma," Punk introduced her. "Emma, AJ."

Emma barely moved one hand to give a shy wave.

"She just moved here, and asked about a sparring partner when she signed up for training. I know you weren't sure if you were ready for that yet, but, if I don't push you I don't think you ever will be. You willing to try it out?"

"Yeah." AJ answered, trying to sound confident. She smiled Emma's way and tucked the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.

"You're about the same level," Punk told them both. "With strengths in different areas. I think you'll compliment each other perfectly. Emma's going to help you with putting power behind your moves, really getting the most out of your momentum. And you're going to help her with confidence and agility."

"I can be a little awkward." Emma admitted, chuckling sheepishly. Her Australian accent seemed to make her self-conscious too. "No center of gravity." she added, sticking her hands out from her sides and wobbling as if she was off balance.

"AJ'll have you doing spinning kicks in no time." Punk assured her. He turned to smile at AJ, who was starting to look a little nervous herself. "Hey," he said, giving her a light tap on the arm. "Sometimes teaching someone else is the best way to learn what you still need to work on."

Dean parked near the gym he was no longer allowed in, and he waited in his new car until he saw Roman and Seth emerge.

"Hey!" he yelled harshly through the open window, tapping the horn in an obnoxious rhythm and causing his friends and a bunch of baffled strangers to look in his direction. "You kids know where I can find some hookers?"

"Hey to you too, asshole." Seth called back, already walking his way.

"Where the hell did you get this?" Roman asked in a quieter tone once they got closer to the driver's side window.

"Candy store." Dean answered, since that was what the street was to them most of the time. "Some asshole bought it and left it on the street. What was I supposed to do, just leave it there?"

"Did the skeleton key work?" Seth asked. He poked his head inside the window, checking the model and glancing at the dashboard.

"Like a charm." said Dean. "Hop in, I'll take you home."

"In a hot ride?" Roman asked skeptically. They usually stashed the really nice ones right away, or took them straight to Santino's. This one looked like it cost more than a hundred thousand, and that was without all the added bells and whistles.

"I'll put it back where I found it." Dean assured him. "Or nearby."

Roman chuckled. They called that game Scavenger Hunt, and they could only imagine how it went for the owners of the stolen vehicles, since Roman and his friends were never around to watch the fun unfold themselves.

"We need to hash out the truck job." Seth reminded them both, as if this Mercedes were a distraction.

"The faster you get in, the faster we'll get there." Dean told him, revving the engine with a love tap from his boot on the gas pedal.

"Jesus," Seth muttered. In the three years of their adult lives they'd never gotten caught, but Dean really pushed it to the limit sometimes. The gym rats hopped in, Roman in the front passenger and Seth in back.

"Hey."

Dean looked over at Roman.

"You see a cop," said Roman. "Drive faster."

"Road rule number one, baby." Dean said, and the two of them bumped the sides of their fists together.

With the Mercedes parked in the alley behind the apartment building, the boys sat down to go over the information Santino had given them. It seemed simple enough, but Seth wanted to go over it one more time to make sure they were all on the same page.

"There's gonna be a few minutes when the driver is inside the warehouse checking in, since it's a night drop and they have to open the bay door for him." Seth explained. "Me and Dean, we keep watch on either side of the rig while Roman gets in and starts it up. I'll bet you the driver leaves the keys in the ignition, but worst case scenario, we hotwire. Make sure both doors are unlocked first. Once Roman is done, I hop in the cab and Dean goes back to whatever we got there in, to escort us to the drop - or cause a distraction if we draw any unwanted attention."

"You don't trust me with the truck?" Dean asked, feigning insult at Seth's perfectly acceptable plan.

"If the job was to set the truck on fire and drive it into the lake, you'd be heading up the whole damn thing." Seth teased him.

"I'll set your mom on fire." Dean muttered.

"It's my turn to drive." Roman reminded him, kicking the leg of Dean's chair.

"I know we were joking about it before," Seth cut in. "But are we worried about Heath and his little buddies retaliating? I think they're just stupid enough to think it's a good idea."

"Even if they did, what would happen?" Roman asked, his face contorting with disbelief that Heath would even try.

"Just saying," said Seth. "They already blame us for getting pushed out of Santino's inner circle. And we publicly humiliated them at the party."

"You don't have to worry about Slater." said Dean. "He's been incapacitated for the time being."

Both Roman and Seth turned to look at him, awaiting further explanation.

"He was at the meeting I went to." Dean explained. He slouched in his chair, offering a shrug. "Regal wanted me to beat the shit out of him. So I did."

The air in the room dropped a few degrees.

"What're you talking about?" Seth asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Dean felt his defenses go up. He hadn't expected a round of applause from them, but he hadn't expected them to look so perturbed either. Seth's tone in particular was starting to irritate him.

"It was my audition." said Dean, prickly and tense. "He wanted to see what we were made of."

"When you say incapacitated..." Roman asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer to his unfinished question.

"He talks too much." Dean said coldly, while his eyes were still locked with Seth's. Then he turned to Roman. "So I punched him in the face until he couldn't talk anymore."

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Seth asked, staring at Dean. Dean turned to stare at Seth, their eyes intensifying as they challenged each other.

"I'm sure whatever Dean did, Heath deserved it." Roman said, trying to diffuse the current situation.

"I don't give a shit about Heath deserving it or not." said Seth, glancing at Roman before turning his attention back to Dean.

"Then why do you have his dick up your ass all of a sudden?" Dean sneered.

"Look at your fuckin' hands, Dean!" said Seth, his voice rising in volume. "You can't go a day without destroying something. You broke Shawn's garbage cans into a hundred pieces, and now you're trying to kill the wannabe gangster that's already pissed at us. We're about to perpetrate a goddamn heist, I don't want to be worried about the guy next to me!"

Dean stood up abruptly, which caused Seth to stand up in response. Roman stepped in front of him before any more words could be said, putting himself between his two brothers.

"Calm the fuck down, both of you." Roman said, in the only authoritative voice they'd listen to. He pointed at Seth, and looked him in the eye. "You're stressing too much." he said plainly. He turned to Dean next. "But I'm not gonna lie, lately I've been worried about you too."

Yeah, welcome to the club. Dean thought to himself, disturbed to hear his father's voice coming out of his friends' mouths. It didn't help that they were sort of right.

"I'm the same as I ever was." Dean insisted. "I'm up for anything, anytime. I'm not the one shaking in my shoes over something we've done a hundred times."

Seth pushed his hair back and made a sound of frustration. "We can't fuck this one up." he said.

"Who's fucking it up?" Dean asked incredulously, peering around Roman at his accuser.

"This is bigger than the other stuff!" Seth shot back.

"It is." Roman agreed, staying between them. "But we've been looking for something bigger. It's nothing we can't handle, right?" He turned back to Dean, who took a deep breath and let it out harshly through his nose. "Right?" Roman asked again.

"Right." Seth answered for him, sounding deflated compared to his outburst.

"Have I ever let you guys down before?" Dean asked them both.

"No." Seth said emphatically. "But..." he trailed off, mumbling the word.

"But what?" Dean demanded.

"Something's off with you, Dean." Roman cut in, concern in his tone and in his expression.

Dean looked from Roman to Seth and back again. Their concern was joined by guilt, as if they'd been discussing him behind his back.

"I'm the crazy one, remember?" Dean said, though it was with bitterness instead of the usual pride.

"It's not about that." Roman chided him. "Come on, we know you."

"You aren't telling us why you're angry," said Seth, joining Roman in his concern. "And you barely say a word about this Regal guy until now. It just seems shady."

Dean felt the guilt too. He still remembered the day they skipped their fifth grade gym class to hang out behind the school, hiding between the dumpsters so they could share stories while they found discarded items to tear apart.

"I get angry all the time too." a ten-year-old Roman had confided to Dean.

"You can always tell us if you're angry or sad," little Seth promised. He was still nine years old, but his birthday was coming up. "We won't make fun."

In the present day, Dean realized he'd been shutting them out. Seth wasn't just worried about a job. He was worried about his friend. But for Dean, it wasn't just frustrating, it was embarrassing. How many years would have to pass before he got over it?

"It's the same old bullshit." Dean admitted, deflated now too. "It doesn't go away."

Roman and Seth got quiet. They both knew the story. None of them had particularly fond memories of childhood before they'd formed their pack, but Dean's past had a hold on him in a way the other two didn't have to deal with. The monster stayed with him.

After a few seconds of silence, Seth tried to ease the tension.

"I thought getting you laid would help." he said lightly.

To his relief, Dean and Roman both chuckled.

"It did." said Dean, his eyes widening for a moment as he flopped back into his seat. "Believe me. Just not enough, apparently."

Seth nodded. He'd never blame Dean for getting angry over his past. It still made Seth angry too.

"I've been hearing things." Dean began to elaborate.

Roman and Seth listened patiently.

"She's got a new family. New husband, new kids."

"Shit." Roman muttered.

"And she called the other day." Dean went on, his lips curling around the words like he could taste poison on them. "She called the house. Wanting to talk."

"Did you talk to her?" Roman asked.

"Fuck no." Dean answered immediately, disgusted by the very thought. "I wasn't home anyway. My dad mentioned it, saying I should give it a try. For closure."

Seth sighed, with sympathy this time instead of frustration.

"Fuck closure." Dean muttered. "I'll get closure when she's dead. And I won't go to the funeral either."

"We'll be raising a few beers on that day." Roman promised him. Dean chuckled inwardly. He did feel better having shared the news.

"I've been hearing things too." Seth said, once the moment passed. "Heath is talking a lot of shit about us, to anyone that'll listen."

"He ain't talkin' anymore." Dean said, shaking his head slowly.

"What about Jinder and Drew?" Seth asked. "Those guys are like cockroaches, they're gonna pop up again no matter how hard you put them down."

"They weren't at the meeting." Dean pointed out.

"Neither were we." Roman reminded him somberly.

"And look who still came out on top." said Dean. "You talk about this truck job being bigger. This thing with Regal, it's bigger too. The way I see it is, I took care of a few problems, putting Heath down for the count. You see what's going on." he added, referring to the incidents with his coach as he held up his hands. "I gotta put it somewhere."

Seth looked at Dean's raised hands with a sad understanding.

"I found an outlet for this." said Dean. He clenched his fists. "I'm gonna get paid to vent it. And when we do our jobs for Santino - the big ones, the small ones, whatever we end up doing after - my head will be that much clearer."

Seth was not fully convinced that it was a solution; it felt more like a ticking time bomb to him. But hearing Dean describe it the way he did, it made a hell of a lot more sense than before. Seth had created opportunities with Santino, and Dean was finding his own with Regal. There was just this lingering doubt, and Dean could see it in his eyes.

"Will you trust me?" Dean asked.

"I always trust you," said Seth, his tone apologetic with a hint of warning. "I just don't trust an underground fight promoter. There's no rules there. It seems an awful lot like the sort of thing we swore to stop."

The bullying, and the abuse. Dean nodded, but he didn't back down.

"We didn't have a choice back then." he said. "We didn't ask to get the shit kicked out of us. But all the people signing up for these fights? They're making a choice. If I get my ass handed to me, at least I'll know it was my decision."

Seth pressed his lips together and nodded. If he had anything else to say, he was going to keep it to himself.

"Are you scheduled for a fight yet?" Roman asked.

Dean hesitated. "Yeah." he said.

Seth's look of disappointment cut deep. It looked like he wanted to ask - And when were you planning on sharing this? - but Roman waved it off.

"When is it?" Roman asked, keeping things straight forward and constructive.

"Friday night."

"We're going with you." said Roman. It wasn't a question or an offer, it was a fact. "We do this truck job together, we go get your ass kicked together."

Seth chuckled, smiling smugly at Dean.

"You think you're sooo clever..." Dean muttered in Roman's direction, in a jokingly menacing tone. What he meant was, Thanks, guys. And they both knew it without needing to hear the words. Dean was grateful, and he took Seth's next comment without argument, when Seth told him not to keep things like that from them anymore. They all needed each other, to scrape each other off the pavement if things went south.

"We'll always find you out, boy." Roman warned him in a lighter tone.

"Alright." Seth said, concluding the tough talk. "We're all set for tomorrow night with the truck, right?"

"Easy street." Dean assured him. "Everything's gonna be perfect."

"Fuckin' jinx." Seth smirked.

"I'm your good luck charm." Dean corrected him.

Yeah, Seth thought to himself. So don't go getting yourself killed.