Author's Note: I usually hate doing these, but I really feel the need to comment. My email has been flooded with all sorts of alerts for reviews, new followers and author alerts. I really just want to thank everybody for the time they've taken to review this story and let you know that I love each and every one of you for taking the time to read my work. Since this and the fans hijacking Raw last night (God help me, I've been humming Fandango's theme all day long) have me in such a good mood today, I thought I would give you guys a bonus chapter. Peace, love and happiness, guys! Hope you're all having a good week.
"I wanna swim away, but don't know how. Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean…"
Serena looked out her kitchen window and watched the heavy rain practically flood her backyard. The sky was a deep grey, the clouds pitch black and threatening to spit thunder. It was a lousy day, the kind of day that called for people to stay indoors with a blanket, hot chocolate and a good movie. After she got off the plane the day before, she had gone directly to the grocery store to stock up for the next few days. When she saw the weather channel announcing the rain, she was thankful that she had already gone out and gotten what she needed. Now she looked out at her backyard and thought about Dean, hoping his flight had gotten in all right and that he was going to arrive at her home safe and sound. She couldn't see two feet in front of her, so she knew the drive for Dean was going to be perilous. The weather channel said the weather had no sign of letting up for the day, but Serena hoped they were wrong as usual.
She hummed along to the Blue October in her stereo. She was exhausted. Her entire night was plagued with the same nightmares that had been dogging her since the hospital. Combined with the jetlag, she felt like she was a zombie. At five o'clock, after waking up in a thin sheen of sweat, she decided to just get out of bed and start her day. It was ten-thirty, and she had already cleaned her entire house and baked and decorated a cake for dessert. Serena had painstakingly decorated the cake and she was satisfied with the result. It looked like something that belonged in a bakery window.
Serena was dressed weather appropriate, in a sky blue wool turtleneck and blue jeans. She wore no makeup, knowing that it was just Dean coming over, and she didn't need to go out of her way to impress him. He seemed to like her for the way she was. She appreciated the fact that she could just be herself around him, that she could be weak if the mood struck her. Serena also appreciated Wade's efforts, considering he barely knew her.
Outside, the sky began to rumble. Serena was filling up her crockpot with water. She had already put the giant roast she bought at the grocery store inside. Serena loved her crockpot. In the afternoon, she would just have to add potatoes and carrots and everything would be ready by dinnertime. It was a lazy day; Serena had already decided the cake was the most difficult thing she was going to do.
On the granite countertop, her cell phone went off, the familiar Counting Crows ringtone faint in her ears. The phone moved across the countertop, towards Serena, propelled by the vibrations. She put the measuring cup of water down and closed the lid on the crockpot before she picked up the phone. She smiled. It was Wade. Good morning, Serena. Is Dean there yet?
Not yet. I hope he's okay. It's raining pretty hard here today. Can't see two feet out my window, she replied before setting her phone down on the counter. She went and got herself a glass of orange juice and sat down at the island counter, just watching the rain fall. The sky rumbled again and she knew that in a matter of minutes or hours there would be lightning. She was bored. Lately Serena had been thinking about getting a cat or a dog, but she knew it wasn't feasible with all the traveling she did. Her phone vibrated again.
I'm sure he's fine. I still need to get out there and see the sights. She smiled and tried to fight that niggling worry in her stomach that Dean was in trouble. She texted back at Wade that he should come out when New Jersey wasn't drowning in rain and set the phone back down on the counter. She sent a text to Dean, begging him to be safe on the road. As the minutes ticked away, the lack of a response began to worry her. It was rare he went five minutes without texting her back. He never left her hanging.
Her phone went off again. She grabbed it quickly, her shoulder slumping when she saw it was Wade and not Dean texting her back. I guess I won't tell you that it's beautiful here. She laughed and texted him back. There was a knock on the door. She jumped. A familiar lump formed in her throat, but she shook it off quickly, leaving her phone on the counter to answer the door in the living room. She peered through the peephole and quickly unlatched the door, swinging it open. Dean stood on the other side, drenched from the rain, holding a backpack. "I texted you like ten minutes ago. I was starting to worry," Serena told him, launching herself into his arms. After being momentarily taken aback, he hugged her back.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I would have texted back, but I was driving."
"That's all right. I've been worried about you driving in the rain," she told him, aware that his arms were still around her waist. She pulled back and stepped to the side, letting him into her home. She closed and locked the door behind him. "It's not supposed to let up today. It's been a long time since I've seen it rain like this."
"The drive was insane," Dean told her, shrugging out of his jacket. Serena hung it up in the closet and rushed to get him a towel to dry off. "I couldn't see two feet in front of me on the road. I saw a couple accidents along the way into town. I just took it slow and that seemed to do the trick, but the idiots sure are out in full force. Some moron passed me on the fucking shoulder because he thought I was going too slow!" Serena came down the stairs with a towel and handed it to him. "Thanks."
"I'm just glad you made it. I've been worrying about you all morning."
"I know you have, Serena," he said. He dried his hair. "God, it's good to be off the road."
"I can imagine. Do you want a coffee? I can put on a fresh pot."
"That would be great." Dean kicked off his shoes and followed Serena into the kitchen. He spotted the crockpot on the counter. "What are you making?" he asked, going towards it and lifting the lid.
"A roast," Serena answered. She had her back to Dean, adding the coffee grounds to the filter. "I have to confess that all my energy went to baking a cake this morning, so I got kind of lazy for dinner." Dean laughed.
"My mom loves her crockpot. Do I get to see this cake?" Serena cocked her head in the direction of the cake platter and moved past Dean to fill up the coffee pot with water. Dean pulled up the lid and whistled low. "Wow."
"You're too nice," Serena laughed, filling up the coffeemaker with water. She flipped the switch. Dean sat down at the island counter and noticed a blinking red light on her cell phone.
"I think you have a message."
"Oh, yeah, it's just Wade. He's been rubbing it in that Florida is beautiful today," Serena laughed.
"If there was something going on between you two, you'd tell me, right?" Dean asked. Serena cocked an eyebrow. She considered herself oblivious about most things, but it wasn't lost on her that Dean had been asking a lot of questions about Wade Barrett lately. A look flashed in Dean's eyes. "Is there something going on between you two?"
"No, Dad, there's not," Serena teased. "I don't know if I'm in the right space to date right now, but if something were to happen in my love life, you'll be the first to know." She picked up her phone and texted him back. "Are you seeing anyone these days, Dean? It's only fair I start picking on you."
"No, I'm not seeing anyone, Mother," Dean teased. Serena giggled. "I'm far too busy for all of that dating shit right now." Serena knew that he had his pick of women, though, and she knew the line started to the left. He had legions of fan-girls stemming from his independent days, plus whatever new fans he accumulated since arriving in WWE.
"Everybody missed you at the video game night," Serena told him. Dean snorted. Serena knew there was a strange dynamic backstage between Seth, Roman, Dean and the rest of the locker room. The general consensus was that it had to do with Dean's old-school way of thinking, with the way he kept himself isolated from everybody else. It rubbed people the wrong way, but all the old-timers understood what he was doing. "I missed you guys." There was a beat between them. She sighed. "What do you take in your coffee?"
"I take it black," Dean told her. She poured him a cup and handed it to him. "Thanks."
She sat down beside him at the island and the two of them stared out the window. The sky rumbled again and the kitchen seemed to get a little dimmer. "How many turtlenecks do you even own?" Dean asked.
"Too many," Serena laughed.
"Don't you ever get hot in those things?"
"I have ones that aren't wool," Serena pointed out. Her phone vibrated again. It was Wade. I'll let you go. Have fun with Dean. I will see you Monday. She smiled and sent him a quick goodbye and put the phone down.
"He's awfully talkative with you," Dean observed, sipping his coffee.
"He probably just feels sorry for me," Serena replied. Dean blinked.
"You shouldn't think like that, Serena."
"It's hard sometimes," she confessed, shaking her head. "It's done now, I know, but I wish the judge never allowed cameras in that courtroom. I could have gone the rest of my life without people knowing my face." There was an awkward silence between the two of them.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I wish I knew what to say," Dean confessed.
"Don't be sorry, Dean. It's fine, really. It's just that sometimes I need to get the thoughts out," she replied. "I should be apologizing for making you uncomfortable."
"Don't worry about it, Serena. I know you need to talk sometimes. I just wish I knew the right things to say."
"Sometimes I don't need to hear anything. I just need an ear."
"Well, I can give you that," he said with a smirk. "Is it really so hard to believe that people want to get to know you because you're awesome?"
"A little," she admitted sheepishly. There was another beat between them. "AJ seems like a real doll."
"Yeah, she is. She's hilarious."
"Do you talk to her a lot?"
"I do," he admitted. "She's one of those types that will make you talk to her."
"I got that impression the other night."
"It's nice to see you're making friends, Serena. You deserve to be happy."
Serena felt the familiar feeling of tears welling up behind her eyes. "Thanks," she managed. Dean draped an arm around her shoulder and their heads rested together. On the counter, her cell phone vibrated again.