Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and the plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 34

"Scarlett," he breathed looking at her. Scarlett stared at him in surprise.

"What are you doing here, Phil?" She asked, her walls slowly going up in defense. She'd told him to only come see her when he'd sorted his own feelings. She hadn't expected him to stalk her all the way to Missouri.

"Phil, are you stalking me?" Scarlett asked, eyes going wide and taking a step back from him.

"No! I'm not! It's…wow, it's good to see you," he breathed looking at her. His gaze ran from head to toe and Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you doing here if not following me?" She asked.

"I see you've finally met him," AJ said coming up next to Scarlett. Scarlett looked at her and then at Phil, who'd paled considerably.

"Scarlett, I want you to meet my husband, CM Punk, aka Phil Brooks."

~oOo~

"What the fuck did you two do?" Dean growled at Seth and Roman as he watched Scarlett disappear out the door of the diner. The two looked at each other guiltily but remained silent.

"It's the first time she's snapped at any one of us and God help me but I know you two had something to do with it," Dean said darkly. The duo knew they'd messed up by cutting across her whenever she tried to speak up, but if she'd talked about Randy and AJ, all hell would've broken loose and Dean would've forgotten his feelings for her in that moment. He was too protective of AJ and the mention of Randy could set him off. If his kiss with Scarlett was anything to go by, it was best if Scarlett didn't talk about her desire to see AJ and Randy together.

"It's nothing," Seth said shaking his head. Dean slapped a twenty dollar bill on the table before storming off after sending a sharp glare at the two of them, his half-eaten breakfast forgotten on the table.

"I think we screwed up, Sethie," Roman said after a while. He didn't need verbal confirmation to know Seth agree with him.

~oOo~

"Husband?" Scarlett asked dumbly as she stared at a still pale Phil. He wasn't looking at her and AJ sent him a funny look.

"Yeah. He's the guy I got married to," AJ sounded none too happy at all as she stated that fact. But before Scarlett could dwell on further, she felt a hand on her waist and turned to see Dean come stand beside her.

"Don't run off on me like that," he said, pressing his lips against her temple. She thought she saw Phil's face darken as he looked at Scarlett and Dean, but it was gone before she could identify it properly.

"Hey Punk!" Dean said, noticing the tattooed man standing across from him. Phil nodded coolly at him, his gaze fixated on Dean's arm that was around her waist.

"Sup," he replied.

"Glad to see you back and healthy. AJ's been keeping you well fed I see," Dean said noting how healthy Punk looked even after taking a nasty bump on his shoulder and undergoing two surgeries.

"Yeah. I had a good chef," Phil said, his gaze settling on Scarlett. Scarlett felt her stomach churn as she thought of the countless times Phil had come over for dinner or lunch and the two had spent hours eating and talking.

"I'm not feeling well," Scarlett said, more to Dean than to anyone else. He looked down at her with concern and she felt his gaze roam over her to check of any injuries, when there were none.

"I can take you to your room. We can get to know each other on the way up," Phil offered quickly. Too quickly, for AJ and Dean sent him an inquisitive look.

"No. Dean," she said looking up at the man next to her.

"I got her, man. She's my girl after all," Dean said flashing a dimpled grin at Phil and leading her to the elevator. Scarlett felt the heated gaze on her back and she huddled closer to Dean, her heart skipping a couple of beats when she felt Dean's grin as he pressed his lips to the top of her head once more. Scarlett trembled slightly and she knew Dean could feel it, but he said nothing and only escorted her up to her room in silence.

Once inside, Scarlett collapsed on her bed and Vitani jumped into her lap. Wrapping her arms around the feline, she hugged Vitani close to herself. The bed dipped beside her and Scarlett looked up towards Dean as he settled next to her. His blue eyes were filled with concern and she reached back and pulled her scarf off before leaning towards him. He responded just as she'd wanted to, by curling his hand around her neck and allowing her to kiss him slowly.

She'd initiated the kiss for the second time and he let her have her control. Keeping the pace slow and steady, Scarlett tried to forget the new revelations in her life and focused on the lips that were working wonders against hers. The kiss was slow and passionate but it didn't ease her trembling and soon enough, Dean pulled away and cupped her face gently.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked her gently. Should she tell him? Should she tell him that CM Punk was not worthy of AJ? Should she tell him that she knew the real face of CM Punk and it wasn't a pretty sight? Would he even accept her truth? Did he even trust her?

"I think I'm coming down with something," she said finally. If Dean was as protective of AJ as she knew he was, then there was no way he would take the news of Phil two timing her lightly. She'd have to talk to Phil and sort things out between them before things went out of hand.

Her phone began to buzz and she snatched it up before Dean could read the name. Phil's name flashed across the screen and she stood up slowly.

"It's my lawyer," she lied. What was it with her and not being able to tell him the truth? This was the second time she would be lying to him. Dean nodded and left the room to give her some privacy.

"Stop calling me," she said without even a hello.

"What's he got that I don't? Why him, Scarlett? Why him?" Phil's response came. Scarlett clenched her teeth and she thanked God that Dean wasn't in the room.

"You lied to me, Phil. You lied about everything," she said sharply.

"I never lied about my feeling for you," he replied. The thought that he didn't even seem to care that he was a married man and was hitting on her made her want to hurl and she felt disgusted.

"Feelings? Phil, you're married! You're married to a wonderful woman, why are you doing this to her?" Scarlett asked.

"Because my wife's too busy screwing the life out of Randy Orton. But you on the other hand, you're everything I wanted, Scarlett. Kind, generous, sweet, everything. Ambrose fell for you, didn't he? Then why are you blaming me?"

"AJ is fully committed to you and unlike you, Dean doesn't have another woman in his life, Phil," she said to him, her voice taking on a sharp edge.

"Oh please. He's not a saint. I know him better and longer than you've known him, Scarlett. One night stands are his specialty and his and Renee's relationship needs no introduction. Do you even know that he almost proposed to Renee?"

Her gut twisted and Scarlett's retort died on her lips as she heard his words. What?

"He's probably told you that Renee wanted more when he'd told her from the beginning that it was just casual sex. Come on, Scarlett. I've seen him pull this line way too many times," Phil's voice was rough and Scarlett couldn't find the words to respond to him with anything more than silence.

"So you see, if you think I'm the one at fault then no, I'm not. I only hid my marriage because I was ashamed for getting married to a woman I didn't even feel that strongly for. I feel strongly for you, Scarlett. You know I do," he said. Scarlett's head cleared and she coughed slightly.

"That doesn't change the fact you still lied to me and are trying to justify it. Don't call me again, Phil. And tell AJ what you've done or else I will," with that she ended the call and her body shaking, Scarlett sunk down onto the bed.

Do you even know that he almost proposed to her?

We slept with each other a couple of times and that's it.

He's probably told you that Renee wanted more when he'd told her from the beginning that it was just casual sex.

I didn't want a relationship and neither did she, but we wanted to blow off some steam.

Her head throbbed and Scarlett rubbed her temples as Dean and Phil's words echoed in her ear. The worst part was she didn't know who to trust. Dean had gone out of his way to let her know how he felt, but then how did Phil know about what Dean had said to her about his and Renee's "casual" relationship if he hadn't even been there? The questions were buzzing in her head and she grabbed her head to dull the pain that was slowly edging in.

Why was life so difficult for her?

~oOo~

She was holding onto her head when Dean walked into her room and he immediately attached himself to her side. When she didn't look up at him, Dean tried not to let it bother him but it did. She always looked at him; he'd become accustomed to seeing the warm chocolate pools of her eyes turn to him and light up.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She grunted and then pulled away from him as she scooted back up the bed and rolled over onto her stomach.

"Baby, do you need anything?" He asked, running his hand up her leg. She tensed and Dean immediately stopped. What the fuck had happened?

"Just…please just leave me alone for a bit, Dean," she whispered out after a few moments. Dean sat on her bed in stunned silence. Everything had been fine moments ago. Dean tried not to let it irk him but it did. Maybe it really was her health that was causing her to behave like this. Getting onto his feet, Dean tucked her into the bed, spending extra time (definitely trying to buy more time with her) to make sure the blanket was tight around her.

"Dean, I'm fine," she mumbled from where her face was stuffed into the pillow. Leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her head, Dean slowly headed out of her room.

"Why the long face?" Seth asked as him and Roman approached Dean.

"She's not feeling well," Dean replied, a frown growing on his face.

"She was fine mome-."

"Something's up with her, you guys. Her eyes are shut off again," Dean said sharply. "So tell me right now what the hell you two said to her or else I'll forget our brotherhood."

"Dean," Roman said quickly, shaking his head.

"There's nothing like that, we promise," Seth assured him. Dean tried to believe them, he did. But the way she just seemed to do a one eighty with her behavior worried him.

"But I think you deserve it," Roman spoke up after a few moments during which time Dean glared at the ground, deep in thought.

"What?" Seth and Dean asked looking at him. One with surprise the other with anger.

"How many times have you been all sweet to her then shoved her away like you didn't care about her?" Roman asked, his grey eyes boring into Dean's. Dean's anger was wiped clean as he stared at Roman as if he'd been slapped in the face.

"I thought so," Roman replied before he turned on his heel and strode off. Seth whistled and turned his attention to Dean.

"He has a point," was all he said. Dean looked at Scarlett's door and thought back to what Roman had said. He'd done it enough times. Every time they'd come close, he'd pushed her away. It was only now did Dean understand what she must've gone through. The stinging feeling, the stomach dropping, and heart twisting painfully. Had he really put her through the same emotions he was feeling now?

"Funny how you can hurt someone without even realizing," Seth mused wandering off and leaving Dean with those parting words.

~oOo~

Phil looked out the window of his room then turned his attention to AJ. He glared at icily at her as she was sat on the couch munching on a bag of chips and reading a comic book. Had he not been tied to her with this metal band on his finger and his vows, Phil would've left her oh so long ago. Hell, his wife (Phil mentally cringed at the word) was the wrong woman for him. Scarlett was the one for him. He knew it.

Phil clambered out of the car and headed into the grocery store. It had been two months since his surgery and he was damn happy to be out and about as he recuperated. AJ was off in Europe with the company and while he missed her, it gave him a good excuse to get everything ready before she returned.

There were flurries falling down on him as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and quickly entered the store, welcoming the warmth. Grabbing a cart, Phil wandered up and down the aisles picking up what he needed.

"Sorry!" He said quickly when he accidentally brushed against a girl standing in the pasta aisle. She looked at him through the opening of her scarf and Phil did a double take when he saw those warm brown eyes staring back at him.

"It's alright. I'm okay," she said, nodding at him as the corner of her eyes crinkled from a smile she was probably sending him from underneath her scarf. Phil remained rooted to the ground as she moved on ahead, dropping whatever she needed into her cart.

Her skin was entirely hidden from his view and while he preferred knowing what girls he became interested in looked like, Phil felt an odd desire surface within him as he watched her walk away from him. Her shirt was loose fitting but her jeans were anything but and he saw the slim waist. The sway of her hips stirred something within him and Phil swallowed tightly.

"Fuck!" He swore under his breath. Getting turned on by a random woman was not the way to go. Specially when you were married.

But those eyes. Lord help him; that had to be the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen. So warm, so clear, and oh so inviting. Phil parked his cart to the side and headed after her. Grabbing a packet of pasta on the way.

"Hey, you dropped this," he said. She turned to look at him once more then looked down at the pasta in hand. She shook her head at it then returned to look at him. Phil took the moment to soak in those eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's not mine," she said before she moved on. He returned to his shopping and it was when he'd paid and was grabbing his bags did he see her walking with three bags in her hands. Phil quickly made his way over to her again.

"Do you need help with those?" He asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," she said. But she stumbled and Phil reached for the bags, his strength allowing him to lift the bags with ease.

"Come on, I'll drop you to your car," he said.

"I'm heading to the bus stop," she responded. She tried to take her bags from him but he shook his head.

"Then let me drop you home," he offered. Those brown eyes widened and she stared at him in shock.

"I'm not going to kill you or kidnap you," he said.

"That's something any killer or kidnapper would say," she said apprehensively. Phil sighed and nodded to her phone.

"Call 911 then. I promise you they will not arrest me," he told her. At those words, she seemed to relax a bit.

"You're a cop?" She asked. Phil opened his mouth to tell her no but decided against it.

"Something like that, yeah," he told her.

"Where's your badge?"

"It's my day off, sweetheart," he told her. She remained looking distrustful but when he waited patiently for her she finally agreed. Phil was surprised when she told him she lived about an hour from Chicago but the excitement of spending more time with her made him giddy.

He learned a lot about her throughout the ride and Phil fabricated his own story to make it seem he was just a guy who worked as a lawyer for the Chicago Police Department and not in fact, a married WWE superstar. He'd surreptitiously removed his wedding band and slipped it into his pocket when he'd helped loads her bags in his car. The thought of telling her he was married made him feel sick. But the more time he spent with her, the more Phil couldn't help but feel the stir in his pants as well as within himself.

Phil had known that day in itself that he'd wanted her like he'd wanted no other. He didn't know what she looked like but god she had the body and the heart to make him want her obsessively. He'd created a bond of friendship with her and had soon become the one link between the grocery store and herself. With his "police's go to guy benefits" in buying "cheaper groceries", Phil solidified a means to come visit her whenever he wanted. The more he got to know her, the more he craved her.

When he'd seen the darkened B&B with no response from her cell or anything, he'd become immensely worried that he'd lost her. The panic that he'd felt had been inconsiderable and it was only when he saw her walking up to the porch had he taken a breath of relief. But then life had screwed everything over again and he'd met her in the one place where he'd been so convinced he would never see her.

At work.

That too with his wife giving her the lovely introduction. Phil had seen the surprise and then the disgust in her eyes as she'd looked at him. Then Ambrose had come and touched what was his. And she'd let him. He'd called her his girl. The anger Phil had felt in that moment had been too much and it had taken everything in him to not lunge for Ambrose and hit him. And her, she'd declined him when he'd offered to take her to her room. She declined him. Him! The man who had stood by her all this time.

Phil let out a growl and had to cover it up when AJ's attention shifted to him. He stalked to the bathroom and locked himself in. Looking up at himself in the mirror, Phil grasped the marble counter and grit his teeth. No. She was his. Not Ambrose's. Ambrose couldn't, wouldn't, have what was rightfully his.

"I'm going out. Call me if you need anything," AJ's voice came through the door. He grunted in response and heard the door slam shut. Phil thanked the gods that she was gone and headed out the bathroom, grabbing his phone on the way. He had to talk to her.

~oOo~

"Scar, I brought you coffee," Dean's voice was soft when he entered her room an hour later and Scarlett hastily wiped away the tears as she slowly sat up. He came towards her and took a seat on the side of the bed, setting her cup of coffee on the side table. She reached for it as he stretched out his hand to her, running a hand through her hair.

"You were crying," he stated. Scarlett's hand stopped in mid-air and she turned to look at him.

"No," she lied. The look he gave her told her he saw right through her.

"I'm not going to ask you why. Sometimes there are some things we need to keep to ourselves until we feel like sharing them," he said simply. She felt her heart constrict at his words. How could she be doubting him? Dean seemed to understand her like no other. He gave her space when she needed it and never pushed her.

She moved closer to him, refusing to let the tears fall when he shifted and moved his arms around her waiting for her to wrap herself around him. And she did. Pressing herself into him, Scarlett sniffed and blinked away the tears. What cruel game was fate playing with her?

He kissed the top of her head and then cupped her face, pulling back and looking down at her. Scarlett looked at him, staring deep into those blue eyes that made her heart do somersaults. She tilted her head back, offering him her lips and he took them with the gentleness only he could possess. His kisses made her stop thinking and right now, she needed to stop thinking and only feel.

Scarlett felt his hand snake around her leg and he pulled so she was seated in his lap, their lips remaining connected. Her hands tangled in his hair and she pushed forward against him, trying to get close to him as possible.

"Scar," he groaned out in between before taking her bottom lip and sucking on it. She let out a surprised gasp when he tucked his arm around her waist and flipped her around, pressing her into the mattress with his firm body. Their lips left each other when he flipped her over and Scarlett only got a shuddering breath in before he was on her again. Kissing her hungrily.

She felt his hands touch the skin on her waist (had her shirt ridden up?), his thumbs pressing against her hipbone. Scarlett let her own hands wander down the front of his chest. Her fingers found the top button and on their own accord, they slipped the button through the slit and opened it. Undoing the remainder of his buttons, she pushed the shirt down his shoulder as he suckled her tongue. His chest was laden with muscle and a shiver ran up her spine as her hands pressed against the hard, heated flesh.

"Fuck," he ground out against her lips and that was when she felt it. Something stiff pressing against her inner thigh. Something which made her freeze and become very aware of the position they were in.

"Shit," Dean swore once more before he pulled back from her, his hair mussed up from her hands. Scarlett lay in bed staring up, her body tense, while he fixed his shirt and buttoned himself up.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," he said, running a hand through his messy hair; messing it up further. As movement returned to her body, Scarlett sat up and felt the heat slowly edge up her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. I got carried away," he responded, chuckling nervously. Silence fell over them and Scarlett had to do everything in order to stop her thoughts from returning to the feeling of his bare chest against her hands. Dean moved to the couch and took a seat, grabbing the remote and switching on the TV, trying no doubt to distract himself and her.

She could still feel him even though he was sitting across the room. Her body prickling with awareness and goosebumps covering her body as she remembered his much stronger and larger body pressing flush against hers.

Had she really done that?

I lied. Lol. Happy (belated) thanksgiving! Instead of Turkey (which I don't think I will want for another year or so), kindly leave me some Reviews! :)

- K.