Serena looked up at the blinking diamond stars in the sky and found herself smiling. With everything she had been through, sometimes she tended to forget about the simple things in life, like the simple beauty of nighttime, like the rushing waters of the oceans or the scent of a flower. Even though she constantly vowed to never take anything in her life for granted again, she always tended to forget.
It was almost two o'clock in the morning after Raw, and the fans were long gone. All that was left were several Superstars, Divas and crew members who were slowly making their way out to their cars. It was a cool night, but not quite bone-chilling. Her car was already packed and ready to go, but Serena was caught with the sudden urge to enjoy the stars in the sky.
"Hey. Can we talk?"
Serena turned to find Dean standing by himself, his hands jammed in his pockets. She smiled. Earlier on in the night, Seth, Dean and Roman had brought Serena dinner at Dr. Rios' office so she wouldn't have to worry about facing Alicia, Rosa and the Bella twins. It had been a nice, quiet dinner. Serena had regaled them with tales of her girl's night with AJ and Kaitlyn, leaving out the important bit of information where the two of them talked to her about what was going on with Dean Ambrose and Wade Barrett. Since then, she found herself confused. Serena didn't know if she had the courage to bring up the subject with Dean. "Of course," she answered with a smile. He walked down the three steps and joined her on the concrete barrier.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I just had the urge to watch the stars," Serena confessed. "It's hard sometimes, but I know I tend to take the little things for granted."
"I think we're all guilty of that now and then," Dean told her. There was a comfortable beat between the two of them. "It's a beautiful night."
"It sure is," Serena agreed with a sigh. Since her talk with AJ, she could feel a new aura resonating from Dean. It confirmed AJ's suspicions. Serena kept her eyes on the night sky. "So what's going on?"
"Serena, do you like Wade Barrett?"
"He seems nice enough, but I don't think that's what you're asking."
"You'd be right."
"I don't know how I feel," Serena confessed. "A long time ago, I used to think of my future. You know, am I going to have the nice little house with the white picket fence, a nice husband and a litter of kids. These days, I don't think that far ahead; I'm too busy struggling through my life day to day." She looked over at him, silently observing that his hair was always hanging in his face. "Is that why you tracked me down? You're telling me not to go for it?"
"Nope," he answered. "I'd never stand in the way of you being happy."
"Am I going to be in the position where you think differently of me if I do something you don't agree with?" Serena asked. "You've got me feeling like I'm going to do something stupid."
"Absolutely not," Dean assured her. "I'm one of your biggest supporters."
"I've never had to doubt that," Serena told him, putting a hand over his. She gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's been forever since I've felt like I have a family, you know. You, Seth, Roman, Damien, Cody, Wade, AJ…I never hear from my mother. It's always been that way."
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be. I'm just saying that it feels nice to have people care. I know it might seem like I'm not aware of it, or I take it for granted now and then, but I do appreciate it. I really do."
"I know. None of us doubt that, Serena."
"You know, it's been forever since I've been on a date," Serena confessed with a laugh. "Or gone and gotten my haircut. I've never really thought about it, but I've kind of let my life become abnormal. Then I think about what my life was like before, and it wasn't that great. My friends were shallow, and they pretty much left me hanging after everything happened. The guys just wanted to get into my pants. College was like high school all over again. Now, I think about dating and I just think: who would want me? The baggage that comes with me is astronomical, and it's going to last for the rest of my life, what with the parole hearings and the trauma and the therapy. I'm never going to be normal again."
Dean made a sound. "Normal is overrated anyway," he told her. "I hate when you think like this, though. Any guy would be lucky to have you. If Seth, Roman and Wade were here, I'm sure they'd agree with me." He wished he could lay it all out for Serena, but he was worried about the damage he would cause. Dean had talked it out with Roman and Seth and decided the best course of action would be to stand back and watch Wade carefully. They were the Shield; if Serena was wronged, Dean knew the three of them could make Wade rue the day he was born.
"You would think so," Serena said with a laugh.
"I do think so." He looked at Serena, only illuminated by the moonlight. "Are you thinking of dating again?"
"At some point, I guess," she answered. "One of these days I'm going to need to start piecing myself back together. Holding a steady job is a pretty good first step, I'd say." Dean smiled.
"Wade likes you, you know," Dean told her.
"You think so?"
"I think so," he confirmed. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Eventually you're going to have to stage a full-on return to the land of the living. We're all waiting for you." She laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Live a little, Serena. The worst is behind you."
"You're right," she told him with a smile. "You're absolutely right."