A/N: Sorry for the looooong delay, but at last I present to you a new chapter. In this chapter I'm introducing a wrestler some of you may not know named Drake Younger. He's been a favorite of mine for a while and I found a nice little place for him to make an entrance into this story. Also, he's signed with the WWE so he may be on our TV screens soon! Thanks to all for the continued interest in this story!

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The talk she'd so long dreaded took over two hours to complete. Despite a throbbing headache, Aidan started from the very beginning and recounted to Punk her less than rosy childhood. She explained the abuse she'd sustained at the hands of her father. She told him about the move to her Aunt's house where she was always an unwanted guest and never a part of the family. She spoke of the slippery slope into drug and alcohol use that kept her mind clouded and her future uncertain. Then she told him about how wrestling had saved her life—that the promise of a future with the WWE drew her out of the mire of depression and self-loathing that she'd basked in for so long.

She recounted the night Dean had told her he'd slept with her at some party years back. She explained how angry and mortified she'd been. Then she told him all about the strange relationship that developed between the two of them—sometimes friend, sometimes foe.

Punk seemed dissatisfied. He paced around the room, never looking her in the eye.

"It doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" she asked.

"Do you have…feelings for him?"

"It's not like that."

He stopped pacing and drew closer to her, making eye contact for what seemed like the first time since they'd begun talking.

"Then what is it like?"

She hesitated, unsure of how to put her dysfunctional relationship with Dean into words.

"He saw through me and told me things about myself that I didn't want to hear. He knew about my past without ever having to ask me about it. I guess in a way we share a bond that only troubled kids share. We both escaped the lives the world handed us and made our own way."

He pondered for a moment over what she'd said.

"Then why did you kiss him?"

She sighed deeply.

"I wish I had an answer. It was a stupid, stupid mistake. I regret it more than anything."

A fleeting memory returned to her—Dean sitting beside her at the bar.

"Do you regret that kiss?"

No was her answer. She felt her face flush.

Punk shook his head as if he was in disbelief of himself.

"I really don't know what to say, Aidan. Every part of me wants to be mad at you. But deep down I know I should be angry with myself. How could I be so blind?" he asked, laughing in spite of himself.

"I thought I knew you better. I'm ashamed that you had all this history and I knew nothing about it."

Aidan shook her head.

"It's my fault. I've kept it all secret from everyone. Instead of accepting my past and moving on I just hid it away. I didn't want anyone to know, especially you. I've always been so afraid of losing you."

He looked at her, a mix of pity and regret shone in his olive eyes.

"I wish you had told me sooner. I would never have thought less of you because of all those things. You are the bravest person I know."

"I'm not brave at all. A brave person doesn't hide from their mistakes."

Punk looked at her and smiled. He surprised her by putting his arms around her.

"Let's make a promise to each other. No more secrets from now on."

She looked deep into his eyes. A strange sense of fear overcame her in that moment. She swallowed hard and forced a smile.

"No more secrets."

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She considered herself lucky that she didn't have a match that night. Her night out along with the highs and lows of the past twenty four hours had taken its toll on her. Though she and Punk had seemingly come to terms she still felt apprehensive about the entire situation. This unease seemed to be increasing with each hour that passed that she hadn't seen or heard from Dean. She felt she owed a great deal of gratitude to him and wanted to let him know how much she appreciated what he'd done for her. She also knew that now was not the time to seek him out. Punk hadn't said as much, but she got the hint that he wanted her involvement with Dean to be minimal at best. Still, she'd expected Dean might try and make some kind of contact with her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. The number on the screen wasn't one that she expected at all. She hesitated to answer; the person that number belonged to was one that she hadn't spoken to in years. Her curiosity got the best of her and cautiously she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Aidan."

His voice was so familiar to her even after the years that had passed.

"Drake?"

"Yeah, it's me. I, uh….I'm sorry to bother you."

"No, it's not a bother. It's just…it's been a long time."

"I know. Almost three years, isn't it?"

"Sounds about right."

There was an awkward pause. Drake Younger had once been a great friend of hers. However, when she'd left indie wrestling behind and started anew he was one of the casualties in the cleansing of her past. She hadn't spoken a word to him since their last show together. The decision to leave him behind was a difficult one, but at the time it was necessary. They'd both used drugs, sometimes together, and it was a relationship she knew she couldn't keep if she wanted to get sober.

"How have you been?" she asked him.

"You know—same old same old."

"You still with CZW?"

"Yeah, still at it. I guess you've been doing well?"

"Fair enough."

There was another awkward pause. Drake seemed to be building up the nerve to tell her something. It seemed he was going to need a little push to come forward.

"So what's up?"

He hesitated.

"Well, the reason I called is because I wanted to give you a heads up on something."

"Like what?"

"You know AJ, right? AJ Lee?"

"…Yeah. Why?"

"Well…she called me a couple of nights ago. At first she was making small talk, and then she started asking questions about you."

Aidan was perplexed.

"What kind of questions?"

"Just stuff about your past. She found out we knew each other somehow and got awfully curious about your time in IWA."

She didn't know how to answer. Why would AJ be digging up dirt on her? AJ had just begun working with the WWE and she barely even knew her.

"Why do you think she was asking about me?"

"Beats me. I thought I should warn you though. I don't know her well, but I know her well enough to say when she's up to something."

"Why do you suspect she's up to something?"

"She started asking questions that were none of her business. She seemed to be especially interested in whether or not you used to hang around Dean Ambrose."

She clenched her teeth as her stomach turned. She tried to go on listening through the furious buzzing in her head.

"I didn't tell her anything of course. I told her to go ask you if she had so many damned questions about you."

Aidan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I appreciate the heads up."

"Any idea what she's up to?"

"I have some ideas."

"Well, it's none of my business. Just be careful. She can be a vengeful bitch sometimes."

"Oh, I'll be keeping an eye on her from now on."