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 39

"You sold off everything while we were gone?" Scarlett stared at Seth dumbfounded as he grinned at her and took a swig of beer from the green glass bottle he was holding.

"Yep. There are a few people that seemed to be interested in the house too and they're coming in tomorrow, if we can crack thi-."

"What's the rush?" Scarlett inquired. When neither answered her, Scarlett raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"What's the rush?" She repeated. Roman was the one who answered her.

"Dean wants you back by Friday evening," he told her. A look of surprise came over her face and she looked from Seth to Roman.

"I thought we would be going back Sunday?" She asked.

"Lucky for you the guy you've began to date isn't exactly happy with spending too much time away from you," Seth said hesitantly. Scarlett opened her mouth to reply but Seth ushered her towards her bedroom.

"I've moved whatever you wanted to keep in here and Roman and I will get the boxes from the shed. We can help you pack it up," Seth said. They didn't let her speak and Scarlett was still lost in the suddenness of it all. Her phone's buzzing snapped her out of it and her heart rate spiked when she saw the name.

"You going to answer that or stare at it?" Roman asked coming back in to grab his phone off the table she was standing next to. Scarlett pulled the phone towards her chest to hide the screen and looked at him.

"Yeah. It's…it's my lawyer," she lied before excusing herself.

"Tick tock, tick tock. What took you so long to answer?" Phil asked when she finally answered the call.

"What do you want with me? You were one of my closest friends, Phil. Why are you behaving like this?" She asked.

"Scarlett, that's the thing. I don't want to be just your friend. I want more," he replied.

"You're married!" Scarlett said indignantly.

"To a woman I don't love," Phil responded. Not having the stomach to endure what more trash would spew from his mouth, Scarlett hung up and stared at her phone with a look of pure terror. He was obsessed with her and Lord help her if she knew why. Time was ticking and she found herself thanking Seth for his brilliant idea for getting everything sold as soon as possible.

The phone rang again and Scarlett turned it over the screen was facing down. Cold fear was freezing her blood as the phone continued to ring. A chill settled around her, no doubt a warning of the impending storm in her life. The ringing stopped halfway through and an eerie silence filled the room she was in. Somewhere further in the house she could hear the murmur of chatter as Roman and Seth talked, the clock ticking on the wall furthest from her, and there was the sound of heavy breathing…her breathing. Scarlett took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She reached for her phone; hesitating slightly before picking it up and stowing it away in her jeans.

"I'm going out! I'll be back in hopefully twenty minutes!" Seth announced. A moment later she heard the jingle of keys and the front door slamming shut. The loud noise tugged her back to the real world and she headed towards the lounge where Roman had settled in front of the TV.

"Where's he gone?" She asked.

"Take-out. Come," he said patting the spot next to him.

"Take out? I can make dinner in less than half an hour," she said, taking a seat next to him. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and Scarlett allowed him to tuck her into his side; taking the opportunity to snuggle into his side, a foreign sense of safety encompassing her.

"I know. But you're going to be cooking from here on out so just take a day off," he said.

"Is that 300?" She asked once she'd focused on the television.

"Yep." Was the only answer she received.

~oOo~

"Dinner's here!" Seth hollered once he entered the house. When he got no response and could only hear the dialogue from a movie, Seth placed the food on the island in the kitchen before wandering to the lounge.

"Hey you guys, di-."

"Shh!" Scarlett hissed, her attention fixed on the screen. Seth fell silent before he glanced at the screen then back at Scarlett. Both Roman and Scarlett's gazes were glued to the screen as Queen Gorgo tried to persuade the Spartan Council to send reinforcement. Seth shook his head and chuckled before turning around and heading back to the kitchen. He took out three plates and distributed the food evenly. Once finished, he carried two plates back to the lounge along with some cutlery and handed one to both Scarlett and Roman. He returned to the kitchen once more for his own food before joining the other two on the couch.

"I hate Theron," she whispered to him once he settled down next to her. Seth grinned and shook his head; observing a side of her that he'd never really seen before. She was lost to the world as she watched the movie; absorbed in the tale and characters on the screen. She was relaxed, a look he hadn't ever seen on her. His phone buzzing in his pocket distracted him and Seth fished it out.

It was a message from Dean reading, 'Sold the house?'. Seth responded with a hasty 'Some people coming in tomorrow,' and then added that they were having dinner before putting his phone away. Dean was adamant about getting Scarlett back to him as soon as possible and Seth knew just by his territorial behavior that Dean had genuine feelings for the girl sitting next to him.

"Oh!" Scarlett exclaimed as Stelios leapt over Leonidas to kill the Xerxes' general. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and Seth chuckled and shook his head. As long as Dean was happy, Seth could accept it all.

"I love this movie," Scarlett sighed as the credits began to roll. She leaned back into Roman's side and sighed again; her eyes falling shut.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on the couch. It does no good for your back," Seth chided; gently nudging her. She opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily before shutting them close and digging deeper into Roman's side. Seth chuckled and stood up before reaching forward and tucking one arm under her legs and the other behind her back.

"Seth!" She yelped when he hoisted her into his arms; her arms looped around his neck and she stared at him in surprise as he headed towards her room.

"Rome will clean up but you need to sleep in a bed," he told her. She was holding onto him tightly and Seth couldn't help but chuckle.

"Relax, I'm not going to drop you. I promise."

It seemed to have reassured her for her grip loosened slightly, but she remained stiff in his arms. It was only when he'd placed her on her bed did she relax and look up at him.

"I could've walked," she muttered.

"Don't lie. You were planning to fall asleep using Rome as a pillow," he said then burst out laughing when her eyes widened as guilt swept through her gaze. Seth told her to sleep and she shrugged before sliding under the covers. Tucking her in, he stood back up and looked at her to find her gaze resting on him.

"What?" He asked. Scarlett sat up as she reached for him and Seth allowed himself to go willingly into her arms.

"I really am sorry about prying into Dean's life," she mumbled; her arms tightening around him. Seth turned his head and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry for getting upset," he repeated. He truly was. He should've known Scarlett wouldn't do the same thing the rest of the girls did but a part of him still battled him for not worrying about Dean.

"I hope the house gets sold tomorrow," she said and Seth smiled as he heard the underlying message in those words. She missed Dean just as much as he missed her. Seth pulled back and held her face in his hands.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure this house gets sold tomorrow. You just make sure you're packed and ready so we can get you back to Dean," he told her. She nodded and Seth bent forward to kiss her forehead before taking his leave from her room. Roman confronted him at the foot of the stairs as he made his way back to his room.

"You were in there for a while," he noted. Seth looked at Roman then shook his head.

"She misses Dean," Seth responded. The Samoan's shrewd grey eyes narrowed as he surveyed Seth but after a few seconds he shrugged and turned around to head up the stairs; Seth following him. Tomorrow was a big day.

I was going to update this way back when but SmackDown Live on November 22nd catapulted me into a dreamworld. Perks of having front row seats means lots of pictures, videos, and signatures. ie: I died.

But I'm alive now and back to updating. I have exams coming up but will try my absolute best to update quickly quickly. Let me know your thoughts because I'm very curious to know what's going on in your heads after reading this.

Cheers!

- K.