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Chapter 19

The others may not have noticed it but Scarlett did. Dean Ambrose has gone quiet and walked further away from the group, refusing to walk with her even. Though she did not want to pry, Scarlett was feeling dejected at the sudden retreat from him. Everything seemed to have been going fine and he'd even cracked a grin, but after that he seemed to be hanging back. She walked in between Roman and Seth, the latter pointing out various locations and shops while the former became engrossed in a game on his phone. Whilst making sure she didn't ignore Seth and Roman, her attention remained fixed on the blue eyed man that was trailing behind them, his hands shoved in his pockets and his baseball cap pulled low over his head.

Time's constraint caught up with them and the four returned to the hotel to head to the airport. The ride to the airport was filled with the occasional banters between Roman and Seth while Dean turned to his headphones to block out the rest. Scarlett was left with two men grown men that wouldn't stop arguing over whether or not tribal tattoos were worth it and another man who silently brooded. She looked down at Vitani and could almost see the "What have you gotten yourself into look?" on the feline's face.

It was only when they were standing in the airport ready to part ways did Scarlett actually feel the pang of sadness. Vitani on her leash and her bag slung over her shoulder, Scarlett looked around the airport then at the two men who would be going another way.

"I guess this is where we say adios then," Seth said, turning to Scarlett. She smiled at him gently from underneath her scarf and allowed him to pull her into a tight embrace. Once again, the feeling of wanting to tell them that she would not be seeing them after two weeks began to envelope her but something held it from consuming her entirely; forcing her to keep her mouth shut.

"Thank you for not saying anything about the nightmares," she whispered so only he would hear, choosing to hold onto him tightly and returning his embrace. He responded by kissing the top of her head and giving her a reassuring squeeze. Once he let her go, she was swept into Roman's big bear hugs and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"We're going to miss you, Scar," he said, mimicking Seth's action of kissing the top of her head.

"Scarlett!" Dean corrected sharply. It was the first time he'd spoken up since their walk around town and she glanced at him to see him glaring at Roman. The big man sent a glare of his own towards Dean and Scarlett gently tapped him on his chest to get him to calm down. She'd heard stories of Roman's anger from the girls and while the three of them seemed to be famous for their temper, Roman's temper put Dean and Seth's to shame.

Scarlett pulled back from Roman and looked at him then at Seth. Lord help her but she would miss the two terribly. They were great men and Scarlett sincerely hoped that this wasn't the last time she would see them. The mere thought of never seeing the two again was unsettling and Scarlett's smile faltered as she looked between the two. Her mouth twisted and she wrapped an arm around their necks, pulling them into a hug of her own.

"I'll miss you both too," she whispered softly to them.

"Seriously? I'm only taking you away for two damn weeks. You're acting like you'll never see each other again," Dean growled.

"Way to ruin the moment, Ambrose," Seth said darkly when they broke apart.

"Oh shut it pretty boy," Dean countered. Sensing where this was going Scarlett shook her head and looked at the two firmly.

"Let's say the goodbyes on a happy note and make sure you two don't miss your flight," Scarlett said, cutting across Seth who had opened his mouth to retort. As much as she was hating Dean in this mood, she really didn't want to say her goodbyes in low spirit. At the mention of goodbyes, some tension eased off of all of them and Seth and Roman relaxed while Dean simply crossed his arms.

"See you in two weeks, Deano. And for the love of God don't give her a hard time," Roman said waving at Dean before turning around.

"Enjoy Vegas you two," Seth said grinning at the pair. Roman and Seth left the two alone and headed towards their flight while Scarlett turned to face Dean, who was glaring at Roman's back.

"Dean?" Scarlett said, her voice gentle. Dean looked at her before he slung his bag over his shoulder and turned on his heel.

"Come on, I've got the whole of Vegas to show you and only one week to do it," he said. Scarlett picked up Vitani and shuffled off after him.

What on Earth was wrong with him?

~oOo~

It was when they were seated in the plane did she allow herself to relax. They had a three hour flight ahead of them and Scarlett felt a little bubble of excitement. Las Vegas had been a city that she had wanted to visit since she was a kid, but never got the opportunity to. Now here she was, headed there with her cat and Dean.

A very brooding Dean.

She turned to look at him and found him leaning his head back with his headphones in and eyes closed. Knowing his mood wasn't at its prime, Scarlett turned her attention to Vitani, slightly miffed. She petted the feline and played with her, laughing every now and then when Vitani would do something funny.

Dean had plugged his headphones in but his mind was focused only on the girl next to him. He opened his eyes and they fixed on Scarlett as she began to play with her cat. Dean had noticed that it was the first time he was seeing her hands without her usual white gloves and he couldn't help but notice the small scars that littered her skin. Every now and then she would let out a laugh and Dean's gaze would return to looking up at her eyes. Those beautiful chocolate eyes that he had come to look forward to seeing so much. There was no music blasting through his headphones and he found that the only thing he liked hearing in that moment was the sound of her laughter.

"You looked torn when you were saying goodbye to Seth and Roman," Dean said to her when he remembered the look that had passed through her eyes. She jumped when he spoke, catching her off guard, and turned her attention to him.

"I was wondering if I'd ever see them again," she said earnestly. Dean raised his eyebrow and removed the headphones, stowing away his music to focus his attention on her.

"Why won't you?" He asked, genuinely confused. She sighed and turned slightly so her torso was facing him, as much as she could with being buckled in.

"Dean, you know this won't happen again. I have a business to run while you three have the world to travel and do what you love to do," she started. Dean had an idea where this was going and he wanted to stop her but she held up her hand, requesting him to let her finish.

"I am a girl who has no family or friends, you have millions and millions of people chanting your name and rioting for a glimpse of you. All these facts don't give me too much hope of ever seeing you three again," Scarlett said. Dean couldn't help the frown that formed on his mouth.

"You know what your main problem is, Scar?" He asked. She cocked her head to the side in question.

"You're pessimistic," he said simply. A flicker of amusement passed through her eyes and she straightened herself in her seat.

"It's hard not to be when you've been burnt by life. Literally," she added glancing at him.

Dean opened his mouth to say something but at the same time the announcements kicked in before the plane began its taxi. Scarlett stroked Vitani's fur and Dean turned his attention out the window. His mood hadn't been the best and he knew Scarlett picked up on it. He'd wanted this to be her best vacation ever, but Roman's words had sparked thousands of questions within him and already the vacation was off to a rocky start. Why did she appear more comfortable with Roman and Seth? Why did she let them kiss her? Hug her? Why does she never come to him?

Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice when the plane took off or how long he'd been in thought until he looked over and saw that Scarlett had fallen asleep, her head leaning back against the headrest and Vitani curled in her lap. Her head lolled to the side and Dean instinctively moved closer to her, gently taking a hold of her face and letting her head lean on his shoulder. She groaned softly in her sleep and wrapped her hand around his arm, before going silent once more. Vitani lifted her head to look at her mistress then at him and he raised his eyebrow at the cat.

"Don't give me that look. She would've had the worst sore neck imaginable," he said to her. Her whiskers ruffled and she slinked onto his lap from Scarlett's, curling up on top of his legs. He grinned and petted her as he rested his head against Scarlett's. It didn't take long before sleep overtook him and Dean fell into a dreamless sleep, his mind somewhere content with the feeling of the girl sleeping against him.

~oOo~

They were sitting on the park bench in Des Moines. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and she was hugging his side, snuggling into him. Every now and then he would kiss her forehead and whisper how much she meant to him, and every time she would smile and hug him tighter. The feeling of being with him was euphoric.

"Be mine, Scar," he said to her after a few moments.

"I was always yours," she said to him, turning her head to look up into his bright blue eyes. He smiled and leaned his head down, towards her lips.

"Scar, wake up."

Scarlett's eyes shot open and her gaze locked with the same bright blue eyes from her dream. Her eyes snapped down to his lips, ones that had been leaning towards her moments ago.

"Scar?" His voice seemed to have gone an octave deeper and Scarlett realized that she was resting against his shoulder with her hands wrapped around his arm. She immediately pulled away and reached up to her face. Her fingers came into contact with the lace scarf and she blinked a couple of times to rid herself of the haze of sleep.

Sleep.

She gasped and looked around the plane. Some people were waking up from their naps, others were reading, no one seemed to be staring at her with an odd look. She turned to Dean to find him watching her with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I fell asleep," she said dumbly.

"Yeah, you did. And quite comfortably too. Sorry to disturb your sleep but I thought it best to wake you since we'll be arriving in about forty minutes," he explained, his expression morphing into one of calm.

"I slept?" She asked. Dean gave her a look and she looked down at Vitani, who was watching her with her yellow eyes from where she was curled on Dean's lap.

"When did you get over there?" She asked Vitani as she reached forward and picked her up. The cat nuzzled her cheek and then bopped Scarlett on the nose gently, making her laugh.

The lack of nightmares surprised her and Scarlett tried not to dwell on it too much. One thing that she did pick up on, happily too, was that Dean didn't seem to be in a gloomy mood anymore. His body language told her he was relaxed, no more tension in his shoulders, hands placed loosely in his lap as opposed to clenched into fists. Her gaze trailed up to his face and she found herself entranced as she studied his profile while he gazed out the window. His light brown hair fell into his eyes, a piercing in his right ear, and a five-o-clock shadow grazing his cheeks. He had the ultimate rugged look down and his dressing style added immensely to his appeal.

Her heart skipped a beat and a tight lump formed in his throat. She tore her gaze away from him and stared down at Vitani. Her heartbeat began picking up speed and soon her heart was hammering in her chest.

I like him more than I should.

The realization came with a stab of pain and Scarlett broke out into cold sweat. All those questions she'd asked herself, all those feelings that she couldn't place, everything seemed to fall into place. And that dream. That dream that had kept the nightmares away from her. It was the first time she'd dreamt like that…scratch that, it was the first time she dreamt of him like that.

He will never look at you that way.

And there it was. That voice in her head that always told her the way things were. As much as she hated that part of her mind, she couldn't help but agree with it. Dean Ambrose was a God compared to her. No. She would not let these feelings take over her. Scarlett bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly, pushing away those feelings. She would not ruin her friendship for these ridiculous feelings. Scarlett knew she only felt this way because he was nice to her. That was the only reason.

"You okay over there?"

Lord help me.

Scarlett opened her eyes and looked at him to find his concerned gaze settled on her. She steeled herself to make sure he could not read her in any way. The man was incredibly good at reading people and if he found out…No.

"Fine. Just…ah…thirsty," she said, glancing around the flight. As she looked around her gaze fell on a man sitting across the aisle, whose eyes were fixated on her. She fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably and looked back down at Vitani, glancing at the man from the corner of her eye. The way he looked at her made her cringe and Scarlett momentarily forgot her earlier worries.

Dean Ambrose was indeed very good at reading people, but in that moment, his thoughts were occupied with the memory of the way her eyes had slipped from his eyes to his lips upon being awoken from her slumber. It's just because he was so close to her, right? He broke out of his thoughts when he felt her move around her seat, looking at her, he saw her playing with Vitani. The only problem was that her back was straight and she seemed to almost be hiding. He tried to catch her gaze but found it to be locked firmly on Vitani, her eyes swiveling to the corner then returning to Vitani. Dean raised his head and found the source of her worry, one that made him clench his teeth.

"Relax a bit," he said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded, as he placed an arm around her shoulder and drew her into his side. Scarlett was as stiff as a log and Dean rubbed her arm up and down, up and down, up and down. She let out a shaky breath and Dean felt her shoulders easing up after a few seconds. She leaned into him slowly and Dean held her tighter, glaring at the man across the aisle darkly. He seemed to come to his sense and he looked away, focusing instead on the book he was reading.

"There. He's not looking anymore," he said to her, retracting his arm. She sat up straight and stared at him for a couple of seconds before she shook her head and leaned back in her seat.

"Thanks," she mumbled. A frown pulled at his lips at hearing her go so quiet all of a sudden. He thought he'd broken down those walls that she'd built around herself but clearly he'd been wrong.

As the plane began its descent, Dean and Scarlett became lost in thoughts of, well, each other. While one promised herself to never feel those emotions again, the other pondered on what it was that made her be on guard at all times.

Lots of Dean and Scar moments in this update. And would you look at that? Scarlett's figured out what the hell is going on with her feelings! Well, let me know what you thought. I look forward to reading all your Reviews because they always help feed the muse. :P

- K.

Replied to user reviews through PMs.

To Marina - I am sorry for your loss. Truly. Having gone through it myself, I do not wish it upon anyone. Having all your support and my family has really helped me move on and this story is definitely another means to heal. I'm glad the chapter was worth the wait. I promise I won't take long with the updates simply because I seem to find this the best way to relax. I will for sure hit you up with a PM when in need. Take care! :)