"Listening to anything good?"
Wade pulled a headphone out of his ear and looked to Serena. She was dressed in a sky blue turtleneck dress with a white belt around the waist. Underneath the dress she wore white tights and wedged sandals. Her hair was down, framing her face in a way that was downright flattering. He smiled. "Just a little Joy Division, love. How was your Christmas?"
"I got through it," she said with a smile. "Dean and the guys came out to see me after Christmas."
"You're awful close with those boys, aren't ya?"
I guess I am," she admitted sheepishly. "They look out for me the way that big brothers do."
"Do you have any…?"
"Goodness no," Serena said with a laugh. "My mother said I wrecked her figure enough." Wade blinked. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to such a personal tidbit of information. Serena sighed. "I'm sorry. I made you feel awkward. I've never been very perceptive, but I can tell that much." She leaned against the trunk Wade was leaning against. "I don't think I've ever heard Joy Division. Are they new?" Wade shook his head.
"They disbanded in the eighties after the lead singer died. They became New Order."
"New Order…didn't they do that Blue Monday song?"
"They did," he said, smiling.
"So what genre is Joy Division?"
"Brit punk," he answered, taking out the other headphone, holding it in his hand.
"Hello there, beautiful."
Dean Ambrose draped an arm over Serena's shoulder and pulled her into him. She stumbled, but fell into him. Roman and Seth crowded around them. They were all dressed in their usual black riot gear. Dean's hair was already wetted and slicked back. He grinned as Serena turned into him and gave him a hug. "Hi, guys. I was starting to wonder when you guys were showing up."
"You look great tonight, Serena. Thanks for having us in your home," Roman offered. She smiled and broke away from Dean, giving Roman and Seth a hug. Wade stood up straight, moving away from the black and silver trunk he had just been leaning against.
"I'll catch you later, Serena…"
"Don't worry about it, Barrett. You're no trouble," Dean told him. "We just wanted to say hi to Serena."
"I have a match coming up with Randy Orton. I need to stretch out."
"Oh. Good luck out there tonight," Serena offered. Wade flashed Serena a warm smile.
"Thanks, love. I'll catch ya around sometime." With that, Wade was gone. Serena sighed.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation," Roman offered.
"It's all right. We were just talking about music." There was a beat between the four of them. Serena forced a smile on her face and tried to drown out the familiar approach of irritability. "It was great seeing you guys."
"If you don't have plans next year, you're coming home with one of us," Roman told her firmly. Dean and Seth nodded vehemently. "I think I speak for Dean and Seth when I say that we were all worried about you being home alone for the holidays."
"I'm sorry…" Serena felt the familiar feeling of guilt creeping up.
"We don't want you to feel guilty," Seth told her. She was surprised that he could sense such a thing. "We just want you to feel like you aren't alone. We're here if you need us. I'm not sure if you know that."
"I know it, and I appreciate it," Serena confessed. "Believe me, back here I appreciate it. I think the Divas hate me. They probably think I'm some kind of snob because I never go out with them."
"Don't worry about them," Dean replied. "The Divas are their own little clique anyway."
"What's up with you and Barrett?" Seth asked. "I really get the feeling we interrupted something important."
"Nothing, and no you didn't," Serena answered. "We seem to run into each other a lot these days. He seems nice enough." Her face darkened. "Why? Do you guys think I should stay away from him?"
"What? No. He's harmless enough," Roman assured her, much to her relief. Dean snorted.
"If you want to call an ex-bareknuckle fighter harmless," Dean retorted. Serena's eyes widened.
"That's legit?" she asked. The trio nodded. She asked Roman for the time. "I hate to cut this short, you guys, but I need to get back to Ferdinand." She turned to leave, but Seth reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned to him, cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow in curiosity.
"Did you want to come back to Dean's room at the end of the night with us? We're going to watch Evil Dead."
"What one?" Serena asked.
"The second one," Roman answered. She grinned.
"I'm in. That one rules so much…" They laughed. "I'll meet you at the hotel at the end of the night. You're in room four-nineteen, right, Dean?" she asked. Dean nodded. That's when she bid them farewell and disappeared down the hallway, back towards the trainer's room.
Serena found Chris Jericho sitting on one of the trainer's tables, trying to work out a knot in his shoulder. His face was a mask of pain. Dr. Rios was busy stretching out John Cena before his match against CM Punk in the main event. Serena approached Chris. "Hi, Serena," he managed.
"What happened? You're normally one of the healthier ones," she teased. Chris smirked, moving his hand so she could start working the knot out of his shoulder.
"I botched a landing," Chris confessed. "It was just one of those freak things, you know?"
"Not really, but I'll smile and nod like I do," Serena replied. Chris laughed and then groaned when she hit the sore spot. "That's it?" Chris nodded. "How were your holidays?"
"Good. Kids got everything they wanted, while the wife and I got splitting headaches." Serena laughed. "What about you, Serena? What did you do for Christmas?"
"Nothing really," she answered. "I drank a lot of hot chocolate and did some baking. Dean and the guys came out for a few days after Christmas. We exchanged presents."
"You're that close with the Shield, are you?"
"We're close," Serena said absently. The guys had bought her a charm bracelet, complete with charms. They had gone out of their way to pick strong charms, charms that symbolized strength and rebirth and everything Serena wished she could do with her life. Too afraid to wear it, in case she lost a charm, it was sitting in her jewelry box at home. "It was nice to have somebody around the house for the holidays?"
"What about your parents?"
"My dad died when I was five."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You didn't know." She continued to work his shoulder before she strapped an ice pack to it. "When does Fozzy go back on tour?" Chris smiled. Serena learned from a few of the other guys backstage that Chris had his own rock band. Out of respect, Serena did her research. Although the music wasn't her cup of tea, she respected what he did, and she did find his last album pretty decent, even though she didn't listen to a lot of rock music.
"Next week. I'll miss a week or two of Raw."
"You're touring with Metallica, right?"
"I am," Chris confirmed.
"Is there anything you can't do?" Serena teased.
"Not sure yet," Chris laughed. "I'll get back to you." He slid off the table and gave her a hug. "Thanks, Serena. Say, if you aren't busy tonight, why don't you come out with me and the guys?"
"I would, but Dean and the guys got their hooks in first. We're watching Dead By Dawn tonight."
"Evil Dead?"
"You know it is."
"Motherfucker," Chris murmured. He grinned. "Think you can get me an invite?"
"I'm sure I can swing it. But aren't you going out with the guys?"
"Fuck them." Serena laughed. Chris grabbed her shoulder and gave her a once-over. "Are you okay? You look a little off tonight. Do you want to talk about it?" She smiled.
"I'm all right, Chris. I promise." He shot her a look. "I promise you, I'm fine. I appreciate your concern."
"We're a family here, Serena. You're part of it."
"I know. I'm not used to having a lot of people so concerned…" Serena smiled. Just then, the door opened. It was Wade Barrett, looking to be stretched out before his match. Chris flashed Serena a grin and left.
"Are you busy, love?"
"No. Chris just left. Hop up on the table." She patted the surface with her hand. Wade was already dressed in his red trunks, kneepads and boots. He got onto the table. Serena put a hand on his chest, gently pushing him down so he lay on his back, facing up at the ceiling. "What are we working out first?"
"Legs, love."
"Works for me," Serena told him. They worked with the right one first. "I'm sorry if Dean and the guys drove you away earlier. They always feel bad when they pop up. They have this idea that it's hard for me to make friends when they're around."
"Is it true?"
"It's hard for me to make friends, period. I don't need the Shield to make it difficult," she said with a laugh. She pushed the leg back until Wade made a grimace of pain. "Sorry, but I need to hold it like this for at least five seconds."
"No worries," he managed. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Movie night with the Shield," Serena replied. She lowered his right leg and went to work on the left. "I think Chris Jericho wants in on it, too. I could always talk to the guys, if you're interested. Unless you don't like horror movies…"
"Well, Sheamus, Drew and I were going to head out for a few pints after the show. Maybe we can take a rain-check?" Serena nodded. He made another sound as she bent his leg even further back than the right, holding it for five seconds. "I hope you have fun, though."
"I'm sure I will. I know it's hard to believe, but Seth and Roman are just like big kids."
"And what about Dean, love?" Wade inquired.
"He's like me. He doesn't like to smile," she replied with a laugh. She continued working with his legs, stretching them in ways that almost seemed unnatural. "Except, between you and me, I think he's worse off in that department than I am." Wade roared with laughter. The door opened. It was Ryback. After finishing with John Cena, Dr. Rios took a look at Ryback's leg, which he had tweaked lifting up two of the 3MB members for his Shellshock finisher. Serena found herself becoming lost in her thoughts as she went through the motions. When it was over, Wade sat up and stretched again.
"Thanks, love," he told her.
"Good luck out there. I'm sure I said that earlier…"
"That's all right. I could use all the luck I can get," he told her with a grin.
"Well, I mean it. Have fun with your friends tonight."
"You, too, Serena," he told her. "I'll catch you around."