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Chapter 42

"Sami?"

The dark haired man standing opposite of her grinned and waved his hand at her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied. Scarlett smiled softly underneath her scarf and motioned towards the hotel.

"I'm staying here," she told him. "What about you?"

"Following you," he said simply. She stared at him before chuckling and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I had a meeting with a potential employer," Sami said, shrugging. A car honked and Sami turned around to look at the black sedan parked further up.

"Well, time for me to go," Sami said, returning his attention back to her. Scarlett bid him adieu and he promised he'll continue to stalk her across the country before he jogged off to meet his companion. Scarlett watched him go before she turned and headed into the hotel.

Once she was safely in the confines of her room, Scarlett pealed the scarf off of her face and threw it over the chair. Vitani jumped into her arms and Scarlett gave her an affectionate squeeze before setting her down so she could go and change into her pajamas.

Climbing into the bed, Scarlett sighed and leaned back against the headboard. Vitani jumped onto the bed and stretched herself on Scarlett's legs, silently requesting to be scratched and petted.

"I'm acting like a fool, Vitani," Scarlett said quietly. Her golden eyes turned towards her and Scarlett nodded.

"I don't know what got into me, intruding into someone else's life like that," Scarlett said. A memory surfaced in her mind and Scarlett shuddered at the thought.

Nobody but herself and those from her life before the fire knew who Scarlett Rayer truly was. And Scarlett Rayer hadn't been a nice person. She had been, for the lack of a better term, a bully. Raised in a home where she was spoilt rotten by her mother, Scarlett wore her confidence like a prized diamond necklace and dreamt things that most would call unachievable. But most importantly, Scarlett had always gotten what she wanted and she'd been willing to go great length for it. All for her own gain.

That Scarlett Rayer had died when the fire had struck along with Katherine Rayer, but today, today Scarlett had felt it again. The old Scarlett. The girl who would go to any means to get what she wanted had surfaced when she'd seen that name tattooed on Dean's back. And it scared her.

She'd spent five years carving out a new life for herself, one that was drive solely by the need to live a life in peace. She'd spent five years making sure the old Scarlett would never return and today she'd felt that part of her old personality strike again. The foolish, over-confident, spoilt brat that she'd been.

"I can't be like that again, Vitani. I can't," Scarlett whispered. The feline's whiskers bristled and Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut. The way she'd acted had been senseless and foolish. The old Scarlett could never come back. She wouldn't come back.

Deciding that the first thing to do tomorrow was to find Dean and apologise to him, Scarlett leaned over to switch off the lights and nudged Vitani off her lap as she settled into the bed to get some sleep. That night, Scarlett faced the one thing that she'd left behind; her good old nightly companions, the nightmares.

~oOo~

"You look as pale as a ghost," was the first thing Dean said to her when he opened the door to his room the next morning. He took her hand in his and steered her into his room, missing the part where she flinched lightly. He sat her down at the couch and kneeled before her, reaching up to gently remove her scarf and then touch her forehead with a frown on his face.

"You don't have a fever. Stomach ache?" He asked, pushing her hair behind her ear. His frown deepened further and he gave her a serious look.

"It's the nightmares again, isn't it?" Dean asked after a few moment of surveying her.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out when he moved away from her. Dean stopped and looked at her curiously and she reached for his hand. Twining her fingers with her, Scarlett tugged at him; guiding him to sit next to her on the couch.

"I shouldn't have behaved like I did yesterday. There was no need for it," Scarlett said. He opened his mouth to reply but she waved him off.

"It's your personal life, you're right. I have no business asking you about something when you don't want to tell me. This…relationship…" Scarlett trailed off, trying to find the right words to express herself. The entire time, he remained silent, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"It's been a long time since I've done this. I don't know what it's like to be in a relationship where these feelings are so strong," Scarlett said. "I was living in isolation until you just came barging into my life and turned it all upside down. I got a steady job that pays well, I got friends who care about me, and most importantly, I got you."

"Scar," Dean started.

"You're important to me, Dean. You've given me my life back. I can't promise I'll be the best…girlfriend, but I will try to be a good one," she promised, more to herself than him. It felt like she'd lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders and Scarlett lowered her gaze to their entwined hands; his thumb still rubbing circles on her skin.

A silence settled over them and Scarlett waited patiently to hear what he had to say. A part of her felt an irrational fear that he might end things with her but another part of her was convinced that he would understand. Nobody had understood her better than him and she hoped that right now, he would understand her again.

"Girlfriend," Dean said after a while. She looked up at his face and noticed how he seemed to be testing the word out. Her breath caught in her throat when his ocean blue gaze connected with hers.

"Only if I get the privilege of being called your 'boyfriend'," he said to her, his eyes twinkling. Scarlett couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes," she responded. He looped his arms around her waist and gave her a small squeeze. When the two broke apart, the air felt lighter and Scarlett watched him with her lips quirked up in a smile.

"It takes two to make the relationship work and I just want you to promise me something," he said.

"Anything."

"Talk to me. Don't shut me out. We're going to have our ups and downs but I can't bear spending my time away from you like I did yesterday," he said solemnly. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and nodded.

"I promise," and with that their lips met each other in a kiss that was filled with remorse, longing, and most importantly, affection.

~oOo~

"I told you, I have this handled," Phil growled into the receiver of his phone.

"And that's why she left you hanging in the middle of dinner," the voice on the other end responded. "I chose you because I knew of your affections for her, but I feel like I've made a mistake."

"The only mistake you've made is calling me to tell me I can't do this," Phil bit back then ending the call and tossing the tech onto his bed. Time was running out and he had to work fast.

~oOo~

Seth's arms were numb as he trudged out of the gym, his bag slung over his shoulder and a water bottle held loosely in his right hand. The workout had been intense and he'd doubled his reps to get the sweat on. Now he waited patiently for the ache to settle in after the rigorous training.

Stopping at a gazette stall, Seth browsed the titles and grabbed the Muscle & Fitness magazine off the shelf and dug into his gym bag for the money. Once he'd handed it over the salesman, Seth turned to leave. Except his eyes caught onto a headline that had him do a double take.

"That's two dollars," the man setting the magazines up said but Seth had already slammed the money for the second magazine on the table and was sprinting away. He didn't stop running until he approached the hotel elevators, bouncing on the balls of his feet, he waited impatiently for the doors to open.

"DID YOU SEE THIS?" Seth roared, throwing open the door to the room he was sharing with Roman. The dark haired man had been lounging on the bed reading a book before he was interrupted and he slowly lifted his gaze to acknowledge a seething Seth.

"See what?"

"This!"

A magazine flopped into his lap upside down and Roman lifted it to fix it before reading it. There was a plethora of emotions that passed over the handsome Samoan's face. Shock, disbelief, annoyance, anger, then finally a darkness that made even Seth take a step back.

"Where is she?" Roman asked.

~oOo~

His stomach was hot and hard to the touch. She felt the muscles rippling underneath her fingertips as his lips trailed from her jaw to her neck. His teeth nipped at the nape of her neck and Scarlett let out a sigh as her head fell back, giving him more leeway. Her body was humming, a distant heat building ever so slowly within her abdomen. What had started off as a simple kiss had turned into a raw hunger. Dean had wasted no time in pulling her down so she was laying underneath him on the couch as he began his voracious assault on her lips.

Boyfriend. That was what he'd wanted her to call him. The word rang out in her head and a shiver of delight ran through her. Her mind went blank when she felt his hand slide up from her thigh to the hem of her shirt. Her body tensed at its own accord but Dean was relentless as he continued to nibble at her neck, coaxing the tension to melt from her. His other hand gently took her hand and slid it from his stomach up to the center of his chest, squeezing it slightly before pulling away from her.

Scarlett groaned at the loss of contact, her body immediately feeling the chill of not having him near her. But she didn't have to wait long; slipping his shirt off, Dean returned to her and she let out another content sigh.

"I want to feel you," he whispered against her skin. His hand returned to its spot at her waist before it ghosted up towards her ribcage. She felt her shirt lift as he delved deeper, stroking and squeezing as he went. Scarlett was trembling. Her body was feeling the touch of another after a very long time and it was reacting to it. No matter how much her mind tried to interfere with those worries, her body shut it down as whimpers and sighs slipped past her lips.

His fingers brushed against the underside of her bra and Scarlett buried her fingers in his hair; Dean lifted his head to fuse their mouths together once more. His index finger slipped under the soft padding and she shivered.

"OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW!"

He withdrew from her abruptly and both of them turned their heads to look at the door where Seth was banging incessantly.

"I'm going to kill him," Dean growled darkly. He looked down at her and she momentarily forgot how to breathe as she saw the dark blue lust filled eyes of his. Warmth spread to her toes and she opened her mouth to say something.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?"

"Can we hit him together?" She asked hopefully. Seth really did have the worst timing. Dean lifted himself onto his feet and made his way to the door as Scarlett slowly sat up.

"You better have a good reason to be interrupting me right now," Dean said as he opened the door.

"WHAT TOO-," Seth stopped abruptly when his gaze fell on Scarlett. Dean's lack of a shirt and Scarlett's rumpled shirt was a good indication of what had been going on and why Dean's mood was so sour. Roman quietly entered the room and made his way over to Scarlett. Never the one to dally off, he planted himself firmly in front of her and Scarlett looked up at him.

A chill ran down her spine as she stared at the man. It was the first time she was seeing such darkness on his face and Scarlett felt a dribble of fear as well as confusion.

"Where were you last night?" He asked.

"Hey, back off, Rome," Dean said, putting a hand on Roman's shoulder. But the Samoan shrugged it off, only further infuriating Dean.

"You stay out of this, Ambrose," Roman warned before tossing the magazine at Scarlett. She caught it and looked at it before her eyes went wide and panic filled her eyes.

"I can explain!" She said quickly standing up.

"Would someone please tell me what the fuck is going on here? What's in that magaz-," Dean fell silent when his gaze fell on the picture and the headline in bold print.

MYSTERY WOMAN IN CM PUNK'S LIFE? Former WWE Champion spotted cozying up to a female that WASN'T AJ Lee.

A picture of CM Punk kissing the hand of a woman was plastered right underneath it. There was no denying who the woman in the picture was, the black scarf that covered her face was a dead giveaway and Dean's gaze snapped up to the woman standing across from him.

"Get out," he snapped. Scarlett jumped at his tone before she opened her mouth then shut it again. She made a move towards to the door but Dean grabbed a hold of her elbow and tugged her back.

"You two, get out!" Dean thundered at Roman and Seth. The two began to protest but the heated glare from the man the world had dubbed as the "Lunatic" was enough to have them heading out the door reluctantly. Once the door was shut behind them, Dean let go of her arm and let out a sigh, running a hand across his face.

"Just let me know who you're going to dinner with next time, will you?" Dean said before he fell back on the bed, to stare up at the ceiling. Scarlett stared at him in a shocked stupor. Regaining the command over her voice, she reached for his hand and shook her head.

"Dean, I swear nothing is going on. I just went to dinner with him because he…," Scarlett trailed off as she remembered why she went to dinner with the tattooed superstar. She'd wanted to know about Isabelle but if she told him that he'd get upset and would raise a question why CM Punk of all people would tell her. Better yet, when had her and Punk become such best friends?

"He's a good guy, Scar. I trust him," Dean said simply. He reached for her and pulled her. Scarlett let out a yelp as she fell on top of him and he rolled them over, effectively trapping her between himself and the bed.

"A woman who'd locked her heart and herself away for five years wouldn't just go around cheating on someone whom she cares about," he whispered. Dean bent his head and kissed her forehead softly and Scarlett stared at him.

"I told you before and I'll say it again, all I need to do is look into your eyes and I'll know what's going on in that head of yours," he said. Their fingers twined together and Dean swooped down to kiss her.

"That's all?" She asked when he pulled away from her. He grinned mischievously and before he acted, Scarlett shook her head quickly.

"You believe me just like that?" She asked, rephrasing her previous question. Dean frowned and cupped her cheek.

"Tabloids, they'll publish anything. Now, we were rudely interrupted by my two best friends while we were getting to the good stuff and I'm really eager to get back to where we were," he said. But while Dean seemed not to care, Scarlett couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Dean, stop," she said softly when he kissed her again. He cocked his head to the side as he looked down at her and Scarlett sighed. She gently pushed him off and sat up.

I have to tell him.

"I went to dinner with him becau-."

"Leave it, Scar. I don't care," he said cutting across her and waving her words off.

"Dean, please. Just listen!" She said exasperatedly. She couldn't do this to him, not when he trusted her that much. The guilt would eat her alive.

"No. You listen, Punk's a cool guy and I know he probably asked you to join him and AJ for dinner so that you could get used to hanging out with people other than Roman, Seth, and I. Knowing AJ, she probably ditched and left you two to go alone. So just relax," he said, gripping her shoulders.

"N-."

He silenced her with a kiss and pulled her towards him, engulfing her in his broad chest. His warmth wrapped around her like a blanket and his arms cradled her body, lost in the cocoon of his much larger frame. The familiar hum began to resonate through her again.

It was in that moment that Scarlett realised something. Being held by him, feeling his heart beating in harmony with hers, Scarlett understood that she'd spent five years in hiding because there was no one left to give her strength. Stripped of her family and the love she once had that kept her going, she had retreated into the shadows. But now, now she had Dean. He was her strength. His faith in her, his feelings for her, they were what spurred her on.

If Phil Brooks really wanted to win her heart by breaking her piece by piece, then he'd be in for a rough game. Her heart was in the hands of someone who granted her his strength and as long as she had him, Scarlett would fight. She would fight Phil, she would fight Summer and Renee, she would fight the world and let everyone know that her body may be scarred but she was still alive. She was a survivor and survivors won.

"Stop thinking," he muttered. Scarlett pulled away from him again and he brushed her hair out of her face as she looked at him.

"Thank you," she said to him then lifting herself on her toes, she pressed her lips to his and lost herself into the bliss that was him.

~oOo~

"Hunter, she was with him," Roman said darkly. Hunter looked up at him and then heaved a sigh.

"Are you upset because she could be two timing Dean?" Hunter asked him. Roman Reigns stood up and began to pace in the office of the suite his wife and him were staying in.

"She's not two-timing him. I'm worried about her being in the spotlight. She's not used to this and he's not going to be happy if the media begins to give her the attention she doesn't need," Roman said tersely.

"He's got his eyes everywhere Roman, you of all people should know that," Hunter responded.

"Dean trusts Punk but I don't. There's always been something off about him and somehow he's always around Scarlett," Roman said. Hunter stopped what he was doing and looked at Roman more closely.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"He was there when she collapsed on the stairs and then again last night for dinner. Dean told me he was asking about Scarlett when Seth and I had gone to help her out for her move," Roman responded.

"I have a hunch that the "Phil" she misunderstood me for was no one else but Punk," Roman said.

"She misunderstood you for "Phil"?"

"When I went to see her after she came running back from Vegas. She was apparently waiting for him. Hunter it makes sense, he's from Chicago and so is she! She's always on her guard around him and tries to avoid him! You can't deny that there is something going on!" Roman ground at, his hands fisting at his side.

"Do you have any proof?" Hunter asked after a few moments of silence.

"No."

"Then don't report anything. He always wants proof, remember? If you're wrong, then it's an innocent life at stake," Hunter cautioned.

"What should I do then?"

"What you've been doing. Keep her safe and keep an eye on Punk. Don't worry about him, I'll call him to let him know what's going on," Hunter replied. Roman ran a hand through his hair and growled obscenities under his breath, making his way out of the office and the room. He came across Seth who was waiting for him near the elevator swinging back and forth on his feet.

"You okay?" Roman asked.

"Do you think she cheated on him?" Seth asked quietly.

"No," he responded.

"Then why did you get so upset?"

"Because my anger makes me act first and think later. Let's go and make sure Dean didn't follow my lead," Roman said.

"I was angry too. When I saw the picture I thought it was…Magazines will publish anything nowadays won't they?" Seth confessed, then shook his head.

"We shouldn't have yelled like that," Seth continued, shoving his hands deep in his pocket before going silent again.

Roman glanced at the man next to him. There was a somber expression on his face and he seemed lost in deep thoughts. They waited for the elevator to carry them down to their floor and then made their return to Dean's room. Roman lifted his hand to knock and within seconds the door was thrown open with an angry and still shirtless Dean Ambrose glaring at the two of them.

"Dean, look. Maybe you should talk things out with Scar," Seth said quickly. Angry Dean wasn't one that they both looked forward to handling.

"IT'S SCARLETT!" Dean roared at them before tossing a sign at them and slamming the door shut. Seth rubbed his nose where the sign hit him and then bent down to pick it up.

"Is that a…." Roman trailed off looking at the sign Seth was holding. The red card that simply said "Do Not Disturb".

"Mmm, don't leave the bed like that," Scarlett's muffled voice came through the door.

…

I would've had this chapter up weeks ago but my aunt was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and that just threw my entire life into a whirl. If a loved one is suffering from the illness, don't ignore them. Let them know they are loved and they have something to fight for.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed this update. Lots of self reflection from Scarlett and a Dean Ambrose that was definitely in an extra romantic mood. A bit more progress into their relationship and a whole storm brewing. The story is taking a turn. And what about that ending, eh?

As always, let me know your thoughts in your Reviews. I always look forward to reading them!

x

K.