He watched her pack up her supplies at the end of the night, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. She was dressed in a red sleeveless turtleneck with thick black bracelets around her wrists. Her skirt was short and denim, the look capped off with calf-high flat boots that zipped up along the inside. Her hair was down as usual. He watched her in silence for what felt like forever. Then her body straightened. She sighed. "I really need to get a bell for you, Wade," she teased with a soft laugh. It was a welcome change for Wade, who expected her to have a panic attack. It had been a long, strange night for Serena; Stephanie McMahon had caught wind of the episode the night before and sought Serena out during her dinner break. Serena took it in the back of the arena, eating alone to avoid the resenting glare of Rosa and Alicia and the looks of sympathy from the others. She wasn't in trouble with management or anything; they understood she was going through some heavy stuff. But everyone was concerned that she had passed out. Serena wished she could hide underground for the rest of her life.

"You didn't even turn around. How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"Because you seem to stick to me like a second shadow these days," she told him. She turned to face him, smiling. He was dressed in a Barrett Barrage T-shirt underneath a grey hoodie that was zipped up to his sternum and blue jeans. She thought he looked good. She leaned against the trainer's table and crossed her arms over her chest. "What can I do for you?"

"I didn't see you around catering tonight, so I thought I'd see if you were still here, see how you were doing…" he trailed off. She was surprised that anyone missed her presence in the catering room.

"I'm all right. Still really embarrassed about last night," she confessed. There was an awkward beat between the two of them. "I didn't mean to scare anybody last night, Wade. I'm really sorry. Poor Damien; I thought he was going to faint…"

"Don't worry yourself about it, love – we all understand," Wade told her. She smiled. He walked into the room, moving past her to pick up her bag. It had become something of a ritual over the past couple weeks; Wade stopping in to visit her in the trainer's room and carrying her bag to her car. "Are you staying in town tonight or have you already booked a red-eye flight back to Jersey?"

"I'm actually staying in town tonight," she answered. "I'm staying at this cute little hotel at the edge of the city. It's got a nice little café I wouldn't mind trying out for breakfast in the morning." Wade blinked.

"The one that's almost right off the interstate?"

"That would be the one."

"You're kidding me. I'm staying there, too."

"What are the odds?" Serena said with a laugh.

"The reason I was asking about what you're doing is because some of us are getting together to play video games at the hotel tonight. Sheamus and Kofi are setting it up. I wanted to know if you wanted to come out and join us. Have a little fun, you know?"

"Who else is going to be there?" she asked.

"Not Rosa and Alicia, I promise you," Wade told her with a grin. She smiled. "It'll be a couple of the old Nexus guys, probably Punk and AJ. Drew. Those guys will probably invite others, too, but that's the core group so far." He could see her hesitating. "Come on. Say yes. You know you want to join us."

"I don't know, Wade. I don't really play video games…I wouldn't be any good…"

"I don't play much either, Serena. We can be terrible together." There was a pause between them as they walked towards the parking lot. Wade wasn't about to drop the issue. He stopped her. "I'm not inviting you out of pity, Serena. I would really, really like it if you would join me."

"All right," she agreed. Wade beamed. "I'll follow your car."

"How is life out in Jersey?"

"Quiet. That's the way I like it," she confessed. "I've thought about getting a big dog or something, but I'm on the road all the time with you guys. It just wouldn't work."

"You don't have any flat-mates?"

"No, it's just me, myself and I," she told him. "It's scary sometimes, but I've rigged it up with top-notch security. Alarms, motion-sensitive lights, the works…it sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"Not at all, Serena," he assured her. "You can never be too careful these days." He knew that she knew that all too well. They fell silent as he opened the door for her. She thanked him and walked through it.

"Do you ever go back to Staten Island?" he asked. She shook her head. "Would you ever?"

"Not if I had my way," she confessed. "But I know in the next few years there's going to be parole hearings that I just have to go to." Wade blinked. It was the first time she'd referenced what happened to her with him.

"If you need anybody to go with you when the time comes, love…" She smiled sadly.

"I appreciate that. Dean, Seth and Roman have offered, too. I'd feel safer standing in the same room with you guys, to be honest. But it's still years from now, and who knows where we're all going to be by then? Until then, though, I just can't go back there; too many bad memories." She opened her trunk and Wade put the bag inside. She shut it. She unlocked the door and got into her car. Wade closed it behind her.

He went to his car, wondering if she had said anything to Dean, Seth or Roman about what she was thinking or about anything she had experienced or was experiencing. The idea of attending parole hearings was overwhelming to her. Wade knew that she was always going to be afraid of him being released, even though a convicted murderer of eight with no remorse had very little chance of being granted parole. It wasn't lost on him that she didn't bring up her family in Staten Island. He slipped into his car and pulled out of the parking lot first. He checked out the rear-view mirror, smiling when he saw her car following him, even though she knew her own way back to the hotel. He thought it was cute.

Wade knew he liked Serena. He wished he had a chance to get to know her better. He wished he got to know what kind of music she listened to, what kind of movies she watched and what kind of books she read. He supposed he felt a little bit of sympathy for her, but he mostly admired her for her will to survive. The night before, while Sheamus was passed out, Wade logged onto his laptop and read what he could about the Staten Island Slasher. He knew that she had lost her boyfriend during the ordeal; that she was meant to die before he was. It had taken them seventy-two hours to find her. When they had gotten there, she was close to death. She underwent multiple surgeries and blood transfusions. She had a long, tough recovery period. By the time she was ready to graduate college months later, it was time for the trial, where America came to know her, millions of people watching her sob, weep and have anxiety attacks on the witness stand. It took the jury less than four hours to find him guilty; the evidence was overwhelming, thanks to Serena's survival. The attorneys had tried to argue insanity, but hadn't gotten it.

He pulled into the parking lot at his hotel. He leaned against his car and waited for Serena to park and join him. She got out of the car and smiled at him, approaching quickly. He wondered what she was like before it happened. Even through her trauma, Wade could see a spark of life that radiated from her. She was too tough to die, meant to live. Whether she knew it or not, she was a tough woman.

"You ready?" he asked. She nodded, following him down the walkway to his hotel room. She noticed that she was about six doors down from Wade. It was a ground-level hotel, modeled like the Bates Motel in Psycho. She shuddered as she thought about that. He opened the door. It was just the two of them in the room; Sheamus had yet to return. "The others should be along momentarily. Can I get you a drink? I've got some pop and some beer."

"I think a pop sounds good." She sat down at the foot of the bed, feeling awkward and uncomfortable in her own skin. Wade went to the fridge and got her a can of Pepsi and himself a bottle of beer. He handed her the can and went about opening the beer bottle with a bottle opener on his keychain. "I assume you keep these around for Punk," she said, holding up the can. He smirked.

"You assume correctly. I don't drink much of that rubbish. It's bad for you," he said with a shrug. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. She was very aware of how close he was. They sighed, looking everywhere but at each other. Serena wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable they both were.

"I'm sorry. I really am terrible company…"

"Nah, you're fine. I wish I knew more about you so I could keep up a decent conversation," he laughed.

"I'm not that interesting," Serena assured him. She opened the can and took a sip. "I used to be that really annoying college girl who wore all pink and went nightclubbing all the time with her girlfriends. I used to have a revolving door of dates, keeping up with current trends because I wanted people to like me. I actually used to be pretty vapid and shallow, to be honest."

"I don't see that."

"I was, though," she answered. "I mean, it's not like I stepped out of the movie Mean Girls or anything, but my priorities were my having fun and schooling. In that order." She sipped her soda. "But when you hit rough waters, it makes you re-evaluate things. At least that's what I did."

Wade was about to ask her about her turtlenecks, what they were hiding, but there was a knock on the door. His shoulders curved, but he got up and answered the door to find Drew standing with Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel. Drew and Heath were dressed in snug jeans and baggy graphic T-shirts. Drew had his hair back with the bandana still, the big sunglasses covering his face. Justin looked comfortable and casual, his hair swept over his face.

"No way!" Drew exclaimed incredulously. "You actually got Serena to come over for this?"

"Hi, Serena," Justin greeted with a small wave. "It's nice to see you."

"You as well, Justin," Serena answered.

"You had us all worried last night," Drew informed her. She stood, slapping hands and hugging him. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better."

"I appreciate that. I'm fine. Just really embarrassed," she offered with a laugh. Drew shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize for anything. Fuck anyone who doesn't understand." He went to the fridge and got himself and Heath a beer. Justin helped himself to a Pepsi. Wade sat back down beside Serena. Drew shot him a look. Wade shot him a look that told him not to say a word. Drew shrugged and walked further into the room. Serena was too busy feeling uncomfortable to notice the small exchange between friends. Serena couldn't remember the last time she went out and had fun. Seth, Dean and Roman were always trying, but she always had an excuse. She felt like a burden to most of the people around her, a basket-case always on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

"What are we playing tonight?" Heath asked. Drew knelt down in front of the Xbox and started rifling through the games. Wade shot a look at Serena, and she offered him a small smile.

"We got some WWE games, a couple of snowboarding games, DOA…" Drew informed them. The door opened and Sheamus walked in, flanked by Kofi Kingston, Ryback and Randy Orton. Serena noticed that they had been to the liquor store, Ryback and Randy holding bags in their hands. Wade instantly tensed at the sight of Randy. She remembered they disliked each other, but he was friends with Sheamus.

"By the way," Heath piped up. "Drew and I invited Jinder along. He was just stuck talking to Michael Hayes and you know how that guy just goes on and on…" Everybody in the room nodded. "He'll be along when he manages to make it out of the arena."

"The more, the merrier," Wade replied. Ryback and Randy were in the kitchenette area, putting the bags in the fridge. Randy approached. He was dressed in an old Pantera T-shirt and black basketball shorts.

"Hello, Serena," he greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing all right," she answered. "What about you?"

"I can't complain." There was a knock on the door. Sheamus got it. It was AJ, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

"I brought an extra body," Punk announced, shoving Daniel into the room. Everyone shrugged.

"Oh, my God," AJ exclaimed. "Hello, Serena!" She waved frantically. "I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"I was a last minute addition, too," she confessed sheepishly, shooting a sympathetic look at Daniel. AJ jumped up and down like a kid high on sugar, clapping her hands. She was dressed in tight black jeans with skulls on the back and a cut-up Dolph Ziggler T-shirt. Her long brown hair was down around her face. She was still in the same outfit she wore on SmackDown earlier in the night.

"It's good to see you. I was worried about you last night," AJ told her. She grabbed Serena's hand and dragged her over to the TV. Serena shot a fleeting look at Wade, and he nodded. She allowed AJ to lead her to the Xbox.

"We should play some DOA," AJ told her cheerfully. "Have you ever played it?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"I call Hitomi!" AJ called out. Serena looked over at Wade and Drew, confused, but shrugged and decided to go along with AJ. She picked up the controller and let AJ give her a quick tutorial on the buttons.

"You're going to knock me out," Serena said with a laugh. She picked Tina, the pro wrestler. "Just make it quick and painful."

"Can do," AJ teased with a laugh. She kept her promise, though Serena put up a good fight, taking AJ into the second round. When it was over, she handed the controller to Kofi. She rested her head back against the bed and looked at the time. It was after one. She thought about calling it a night at around three. That way she could sleep, wake up and get to the airport. After a couple rounds, the WWE game went in, where multiple people could play at the same time. But Serena just sat and watched. Eventually she made it onto Wade's bed and sat back, thinking about how cool it must have been for the people involved to have their own characters in a video game. Jinder showed up, complaining that Michael Hayes talked too much, prompting a lot of jokes to fly. Wade joined Serena, sitting down beside her on the bed.

"Are you enjoying yourself, love?" he asked. She nodded.

"It's been awhile since I've done something with people," she confessed.

"Can I get you another Pepsi or a beer?"

"Another Pepsi would be nice. Thanks, Wade."

He got off the bed and got her another Pepsi, and himself another beer. Everyone was yelling at each other, a few people standing, the way people do when they're engulfed in what they're doing. Serena laughed. "I've never been much of a video gamer."

"Me neither," Wade confessed. "Sheamus, Kofi and the guys love it, though."

"When is your flight tomorrow?"

"Three-forty-five," he answered. "What about yours?"

"Three o'clock. On the button," she answered.

"Well, why don't we go to brunch in the morning at the café? Before you have to go to the airport?"

"I think that actually sounds like a good idea," she told him. "Make it for eleven?"

"Eleven sounds great," he said with a smile.

"You are such a dick, Phil!" Randy shouted. Serena and Wade laughed at the outburst. It was obvious Randy had lost his match.