"You're really lovely, underneath it all…"

Serena was swaying back and forth as she dried the last of her dishes and put them away, murmuring the words under her breath. She was dressed in a black turtleneck dress that ended at her knee. She didn't bother belting it at the waist, just letting it hang loose. The sleeves ended at the crook of her elbow. She was texting with Dean and Seth. They were waiting to meet with Roman for a Shield meet and greet in Chicago.

Her doorbell rang. She jumped, almost dropping the plate in her hands. She put it down on the counter and tried to catch her breath. She wasn't expecting anyone. "One of these days it's going to be so nice to not be afraid of answering my door," Serena murmured under her breath, laughing in spite of the fear she felt. She put the rag down on the island counter and walked to the front door. She peered through the peephole and she flung the door open in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

She blinked. Wade Barrett stood on the other side of the door, dressed in a black T-shirt, his grey zip-up hoodie and blue jeans. Beside him was his suitcase. Wade laughed. "You aren't happy to see me?"

"No, no, of course you are," Serena told him with a laugh, the initial wave of shock subsiding into the pleasant feeling of surprise. She took Wade by the wrist and pulled him into her cottage, closing the door behind him. Outside the sky was grey and overcast. The weather channel said there was a chance of sun and rain intermittently, so Serena knew it could go either way. Wade put his suitcase down in front of the main closet and hugged Serena, giving her a tight squeeze. "You should have said something about coming out, though. I would have gotten the spare room cleaned up and I would have run…"

"It was a spur of the moment thing, love. I'm sorry," he apologized. "Roman gave me your address. I told him you wouldn't mind, so please don't get too mad at him."

"I'm not mad at him at all," she said with a laugh. She pulled back, but he kept his hands on her hips. "I'm just surprised, that's all. How was your flight?"

"Boring, but mercifully short," he said with a laugh. He moved his hands from her hips. "You look lovely today. I didn't realize you wear turtlenecks at home, too."

"Thanks," she said, deciding to just ignore his observation about the turtleneck. "Well, welcome to my home."

"It's a nice little place," Wade said, looking around her living room.

"Thanks. How about we get you settled and then I'll take you out for lunch? There's a really nice little bistro in town that I always go to." There was a new energy about her. Wade realized quickly that she was ecstatic to have company. He smiled.

"That sounds great."

"Follow me," she said as she started making her way up the stairs. Wade followed close behind. "Forgive the mess in the room. I started straightening it up after Dean left and rearranging it, but I got too lazy to make the bed and Swiffer the floor."

"It's fine, love." They reached the top of the stairs. She opened the second door on the left. Wade walked into the sky blue bedroom, the windows covered by sheer white curtains. The bed was a decent size, big enough for two. The pillows were stacked in two rows of two. The baby blue, black and white comforter was bunched up at the head of the bed. Light blue sheets were in a folded pile on the bed, along with the pillow cases.

"I should probably apologize in advance if this bed is too short for you. You're considerably taller than Dean," Serena observed. Wade put an arm around her shoulder and drew her close, chuckling.

"It's fine. Everything is fine. Stop worrying so much."

Serena moved away from him and went to the bed to get it made. Wade went to the other side of the bed to give her a hand. "Thanks," she told him. In less than three minutes, the bed was made. "It's nice to have you here," she confessed. Wade flashed her a grin. "I'll let you get settled and then we'll go for lunch."

"That sounds great."

"I'll meet you downstairs when you're ready to go," she said with a soft smile. She left the room. He could hear her footsteps down the stairs. He sat down on the bed, thankful to find it was comfortable. He was thankful that Serena wasn't angry that he had shown up on her doorstep unannounced. He looked out the bedroom window at her big backyard, decorated sparingly with two lounge chairs and an outdoor dining set. He decided he could unpack later and went downstairs, where he found Serena readjusting the purse strap over her left shoulder.

"Good to go, love," Wade told her with a smile.

"Great. It's only a ten minute walk. I figure you're probably tired of sitting," Serena told him.

"You have no idea," he laughed. He watched Serena set the alarm and the two of them left. About halfway there, the rain started to fall, a light drizzle. The sky was bright, the sun trying to escape from its spot behind the blackened clouds. "Doesn't seem to know what it wants to do today," he laughed.

"Yeah, the weather channel said it was going to be all over the board. I don't mind a little rain," Serena told him. She sighed. "I always thought small town life was boring, but I'm just so in love with this place."

"Do you ever miss New York?"

"Not really, but I suppose it has to do with all of the memories I've got."

"Fair enough," Wade conceded. They walked into the bistro. It was a clean, well-lit little place with soft music that played in the speakers. They sat down at a table by the window and watched the rain fall.

"I think there's going to be a rainbow," Serena said. "It's hard for me to be unhappy when I see one."

The waiter arrived. "The usual, Serena?" he asked.

"You know me too well, Tanner," she said with a smile. He looked at Wade.

"I guess I'll go for whatever the usual is," Wade said, confused. He nodded and disappeared. "I didn't order eel or something, did I, love?" Serena laughed.

"I'm not that crazy. It's just a ham and Swiss on rye with extra honey mustard and bacon and a raspberry and cream cheese Danish. With a cappuccino, of course," Serena told him. "I've been coming here twice a week for the past six months. It's usually the only way I socialize when I'm not on the road with you guys."

"It seems like you've built up a good routine," Wade pointed out. She nodded.

"Just the quiet existence I've always craved," Serena told him. In a matter of minutes, the waiter returned with a big tray that had their lunches. Wade was surprised at the size of the sandwiches and the Danishes. Serena picked up the first half and bit into it.

"I've seen you. You eat like a bird," Wade pointed out. "You really eat all this?"

"It depends on how I'm feeling," Serena confessed. "Today I'll finish one of these. Some days, though, I just pick at it. I end up taking half of it home for later."

"What else do you do around here for fun?" he asked.

"Not much. There's an ornamental garden up the road that I like to walk through. It's really beautiful. I've been a couple times. I dragged Dean up there once, but I don't think flowers are really his thing," Serena confessed with a laugh. "I get it, walks and flowers…it's kind of girly."

"I didn't say anything," he told her with a grin. She sipped on her coffee. When they finished their lunch, Wade talked her into going up to the ornamental gardens. The rain had stopped and the sun was coming out, though the sky was still a little grey. They walked through the gate. Wade's eyes were instantly assaulted with colorful flowers.

"How long were you thinking about sticking around for?" Serena asked. "Not that it's a big issue. I'm just curious."

"I was thinking two or three days," Wade said. "Is that all right?"

"Of course it is," she said. He could see a new light in her. The ornamental garden obviously made her happy. "I just love this place. I planted some flowers at home, but I've never been much of a gardener. I'm almost afraid of how they're going to end up."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he assured her. There was a beat between the two of them. He sighed. "Serena, I have something to tell you that's kind of important."

"What's that?" she asked. She was examining a rosebush, running her fingers along the pink petals.

"It's about Alicia. I kind of used to date her," Wade admitted.

"I know." She turned to him. "Dean told me."

"Oh."

"She's responsible for her own actions. What she's been doing to me isn't your fault," Serena told him. They fell back in step with one another. "I've learned that. It's easy to blame everybody else for the way people act, but it ultimately comes down to you. She chooses to act like this. So does Rosa and Brie and Nikki. It has nothing to do with you. You've got nothing to feel bad about."

"I can't help feel a little responsible."

"You have nothing to apologize about. I would have said something earlier that I knew, but I really didn't think it was important," Serena told him.

"Why did Dean tell you then?" Wade asked, suspicious.

"I asked him why she hated me. He pretty much boiled it down to jealousy," Serena confessed. Wade nodded.

"There's a lot to be jealous of," he told her. Serena snorted.

"Please."

"I'm serious. You're a sweetheart, love. The lot of us are lucky just to know you."

"I don't know about that, but thank you. I'm lucky to know you guys," Serena confided. Wade draped an arm over her shoulder. She hugged him. The two of them exited the ornamental gardens and started walking back towards Serena's cottage. "It's nice to feel like I have a family."

"Isolation's no fun, is it?"

"I guess you know that as well as I do," Serena observed. "I imagine your family is still back in the UK."

"You would be correct about that," he told her. "Do you talk to your family much?"

"No. They don't seem to care that I still exist," Serena confessed. "My family's always been fractures and fragmented. It just got worse after my dad died and everyone started fighting over the will."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be. It always surprises me how ugly people can be to each other, especially when there's family involved. I mean, my life could have been a lot worse growing up, but my father – God bless him – was a pushover and my mother is a narcissist living on her own planet."

"You turned out all right," Wade told her. She smiled.

"I was going down that road," she confessed. "Before everything happened, I was the vapid, shallow girl that people always made fun of. The only thing I was missing was a purse with a little dog in it. My heels were always high, skirts always short. As horrible as it sounds, I kind of got a severe wake-up call. When I needed those people around me, I didn't have anybody. It was pretty devastating."

"How did you meet The Shield?"

"My first night," Serena confessed. "Dean sought me out. Dean doesn't outright say it, but I know he followed the news. I'm sure he told Seth and Roman everything. He came to me while I was unpacking my things for the first night and told me if I ever needed anything, he was there. I'm really thankful for his friendship. I don't know what I would do without him."

She stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it, love?"

"I don't recognize the red car in my driveway," Serena told him. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He started to walk, but she had planted her feet. He stopped and turned to her.

"I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. Come on. Let's go check it out." She nodded, but Wade noticed she was moving very slowly. As they got closer to her home, Wade spotted a news van driving down the block. He looked at Serena, who was visibly shaking.

The van stopped in front of Serena's house as they stepped onto the front lawn. "What in the hell is going on?" Wade whispered. Serena shook her head; she was speechless. She looked at the front steps and her jaw dropped. "Sarah? What are you doing here?"

Serena walked quickly across the lawn while the cameramen worked feverishly at the truck. Wade rushed after her. The woman stood up. She had thick brown hair and little eyes, dressed in a blue sundress. "I've been waiting for you to get back. Serena, I have some bad news, and I don't want you to be alarmed."

"What's going on? Why are these cameramen here?" They turned to see them rushing across the lawn. More camera crews were pulling up. She felt the familiar waves of anxiety begin. Wade gripped her shoulders tightly to keep her standing. "Spit it out, Sarah. What's going on?"

"He's escaped, Serena. The Staten Island Slasher is back on the loose."

Serena blinked. "Are you sure?"

"I came as soon as we got confirmation."

It suddenly felt hot around Serena. Her chest was constricted and she found she couldn't breathe. It felt like everyone was crowding her. She bolted away from everybody, up the steps. Cameramen followed, shouting questions at her she barely heard. It took her a try or two to get the door open, but she practically fell into the house, slamming the door behind her. The cameraman opened the screen, but Wade was there, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and practically shoving him off the balcony. He looked at Sarah, his eyes blazing.

"Get these vultures the fuck out of here, will ya?" he snarled. He stood in front of the door and thought about Serena, who was finally starting to do well. Now they were back to square one. He opened his cell phone and called Seth. He waited for him to answer, watching as Sarah tried to urge everybody off the property. Wade shouted a threat to call the cops as Seth picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Seth, it's Wade. I know you have an appearance today with the boys. Is Dean with you? It's important."

"He sure is," Seth confirmed. "One second."

"It's her right to know!" a cameraman protested.

"It's not your right to treat her like a commodity! She's a human being!" Wade shouted back. "How would you like it if it was your sister, or your mother? You ought to be ashamed."

"What do you want, Barrett?"

"It's bad news, Dean. Serena's in bad shape."

"What did you do to her?" he raged.

"I did nothing," Wade shot back defensively. "There's fucking press and reporters camping out on her lawn. They're saying her tormentor's escaped prison."

"Motherfucker!" Wade had to hold the phone away from his ear as Dean shouted a few more obscenities. He put the phone back to his ear. "Are you done with the outbursts, Ambrose?"

"I'm just getting started," Dean told him. "Hold tight and lock up the house. We're packing up the car. We're on our way!" Wade snorted.

"Are you out of your mind, Ambrose? It's an eleven hour drive!"

"Don't even care. I'm not going to wait a few hours to catch a flight. I'm leaving now."

"Does this even make any sense to you?"

"We're driving. Too late now," Dean told him. Wade shook his head. He wasn't thinking clearly, but Wade couldn't blame him. He could barely think. The cameramen were trying to plant their heels in. The woman identified as Sarah had already left. Wade recognized her from somewhere, but he didn't know where. He stood in front of the door and watched. "Stay with her. Don't let her out of your sight," Dean told him. Then the phone went dead.

Wade sighed and watched more news trucks pull up as the other ones pulled away. Turning, Wade disappeared into the house and locked the door behind him.