A/N: Spot the You reference!

Chapter 5: Everybody's Talking My Baby Down

Rebecca woke to sunlight streaming into her window and sat up, in a panic and glanced at the clock on her desk. "Oh no!" She muttered to herself as she hopped out of bed and rushed to grab some clothes to dress, shower forgotten in her scramble. "No…no...no...no...can't be late...not today...no no no..."

Dressed, she ran out of her room and grabbed a piece of fruit and dashed out the door! She was supposed to be in at 4am to help prepare for a big meeting and it was a little after 6 now. Oh man! Paula was going to kill her!

Rushing to work, she pushed past people coming and going to their desks and came to a stop at Paula's desk with a look of apology. "Paula…I am so sorry. I overslept." She came to stand beside her friend and taking out the papers she had been working on together. "You would not begin to believe the night I had."

"Yes...I heard," was Paula's smart reply, causing Rebecca to look at her. "Josh called me...at like midnight last night. Now don't worry, I didn't get involved, I promised, but that man...whooo..."

"Wait...what...?" Rebecca gave her a confused look before it sank in. "Trent? He didn't? Josh really called you..."

"No, he texted me and I called him. But gods, is he mad at me right now. I called him a manchild and told him to grow up." She looked mighty pleased with herself.

"Thanks, Paula...really...but later...presentation first." And they turned their attentions to their jobs in which they were being paid. But Rebecca wasn't exactly happy, and planned to confront Josh when she got home.

Nathaniel was similarly distracted at work that day. He knew Paula and Rebecca were joined at the hip, and there was probably nothing to worry about... He tried to convince himself of this, but wasn't quite successful.

Just before lunch, Nathaniel called Paula into his office to speak with her on "an urgent matter".

Hearing Nathaniel wanted to see her, Paula told Rebecca she would meet her later and headed into the 'boss' office. Shutting the door behind her. "Yes, Nathaniel? What could be so important as to call me in on work time?" She had a guess of what it could be he wanted to talk about, and she was ready for him if it was what she thought.

"This is... somewhat work-related. As in, if the weird texts Josh Chan sent me last night turn out to hold any water whatsoever, we might need to hire another new lawyer if Rebecca winds up dead in a ditch somewhere. And we all know how well it went last time we hired a 'new Rebecca,' as the morons out there so charmingly put it." Cornelia had quit before the end of the day.

Paula straightened and gave Nathaniel a look so serious, which was rare for her, that it changed the whole atmosphere of the room. "Nathaniel...I am only going to say this once. Stay. Out. Of. It." Her words were clipped but forceful, dammit she meant them. "As I told Josh, Rebecca is a big girl and can take care of herself. Her relationship is none of your business...or Josh's, for that matter. You both left her when it was convenient for you, so keep your mouth shut and leave it alone." She nodded, swaying her finger at him much like a mother scolding her wayward child.

She turned to walk out of the office and stopped, smirking. "Oh...and have a lovely day..." With a toss of her hair, she walked out and went to find Rebecca. This was getting out of hand. How many people had Josh talked to?

She was about to find out, because right as she got back to her desk, her work phone rang. It was none other than Greg Serrano.

"Hey Paula," Greg said, attempting to keep his voice casual. "Is Rebecca working today? I don't need to speak to her or anything, but she's safe and healthy? Not being locked in a basement somewhere?"

In the background, Greg's father, Marco, called out, "This is Southern California. We don't have basements, remember?"

"Greg...what..." Paula was getting exasperated at these boys who acted like they cared about Rebecca but very obviously didn't if they wouldn't respect her as a person and go talk to her instead of bugging Paula about her. "You know what...yes...she's fine. She's better then fine. She's HAPPY! Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do. And I swear, if one more of your group contacts me in any way about this, I fear I will explode and TAKE YOU WITH ME!" She shouted the last part before she breathed again and smiled even though she knew Greg couldn't see it before she slammed the phone on its receiver.

It promptly rang again.

"Paula, this is Father Brah—"

"NO! Not doing this!" She shouted into the phone. "Rebecca is fine...forgive me, Father, for my next actions."

She slammed the phone repeatedly on her desk so he would hear it echoing in the call and then held it back up to her ear. "If one more of you calls...ONE MORE...I will hunt you all down and cut off your junk and feed it to you in Baklava! You tell those...boys to leave Rebecca alone! Her love life is none of their business and if they wanted her in the first place then maybe they shouldn't have treated her like shit! Forgive me, Father. But I mean it...one more person...just ONE...and I will do it! I know where you ALL live!" she bellowed, before she slammed it down and hung up. Just as Rebecca was walking in from lunch.

"Paula...you ok?" Rebecca asked, looking a tad bit worried at her friend, who simply smiled a fake smile at her and chuckled.

"You have some... odd choices in friends sometimes. Be on your guard. I tried as best as I could..." With that cryptic remark, she turned her attention back to work.

The phone rang again, and because of a button that had accidentally been pressed, it went to speaker.

"This is Father Brah, again. I am calling to touch base regarding the property merger for the plot our church wants to build a homeless shelter on." Father Brah's voice was perfectly composed, as per usual, sounding completely unruffled by Paula's outburst. "But since I've got you... What's going on with Rebecca's love life? You're the fourth person to mention it to me today."

Rebecca heard the Father's voice on speaker and looked up at Paula, who pretended as if she didn't hear the recorder talking. In fact she picked up the phone and promptly hung it up without breaking her stride in her work...or so it seemed.

"Paula..?" Rebecca's voice was questioning as she looked at her best friend.

"I told you, I tried..."

The way she said it made Rebecca's skin boil. Seeing that defeated look on her friend's face, she knew what this was about. Her feelings for Trent. She understood Josh's worry, to an extent. He was moving out, but the rest of them?! They had no right! No right at all! Standing, she marched straight to Nathaniel's office and Paula only looked after her.

"Rebecca...where are you going?" Paula asked innocently, hiding a smile.

Rebecca slammed the door to Nathaniel's office open and she strode in and slammed her palms on his desk, all but looming over the man, in righteous anger.

"So...talking about my personal life with employees, are we, Nathaniel? Did you know I could have you arrested for that? But you know what...I don't think I will. I think, that because you and the others...oh yes, I know the others are involved in this...that you should invite them all here, right now and we can hash this out together. Or what...? You don't think I should have a say in my own feelings? Hmmm?"

She stood and walked over to his chair and sat in it, across from him. "Call them, Nathaniel." Her eyebrows rose as anger snapped in her eyes. "CALL THEM!"

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow at Rebecca and swivelled slightly so she could see the phone he was holding to his ear. "It looks like we're right on track with that merger, Father Brah," he said. "We just need to schedule a signing meeting. Although, if I can take just another few minutes of your time, would you mind coming down to the office for an... unrelated matter? And, if I could trouble you to please let Josh and the Serranos know? Thank you."

He hung up the phone and faced Rebecca full-on. "My apologies, Ms. Bunch," he said coolly. "But I got a couple of very disturbing texts from our mutual friend, Josh Chan." He opened the thread and showed Rebecca his phone. "See where I told him to fuck off? But I thought I should check in with Paula, just to be safe—just in case there's something going on that you would be prevented from sharing, for whatever reason."

Unbeknownst to Nathaniel, Rebecca had hit the speed-dial to Trent's phone, cause she...needed him to hear this? Not exactly. This was going to be messy and angry and hurt filled with some of her closest friends, but if Paula couldn't be there to support her, because she was keeping a wide berth, never having seen Rebecca this angry before, she wanted at least someone who loved her to hear the things that would be said. Support in any corner was better than none...and she was to mad to be scared at the moment, that would come later.

Taking Nathaniel's phone from him, she read the text messages from Josh that he had sent the night before and sighed deeply, anger radiating from every pore of her body. "So...you told Josh to fuck off, and then...what? Decided to call Paula in and harass her when she had already told me she told Josh to go to hell? I know what she said, she already told me…and I walked in on her literally exploding at someone on the phone, which is not her style unless she is pushed...so please...tell me...how are YOU, Nathaniel, concerned for my safety? When you certainly weren't a few months ago." She paused and raised her hand, smirking. "You know what...wait. cause I want everyone here cause I am only going to say this once...

It didn't take long for everyone to arrive at the office. They all piled into the conference room, along with a few nosy Nellies who had heard Paula's and Rebecca's outbursts.

At the hospital, Trent picked up his phone on the first ring. "Babygirl, what's wrong? You never call during work hours—" And then he realized Rebecca was yelling, not at him, but at Nathaniel. And Josh. And Greg. And Marco. And Father Brah. And someone named Jason.

Rage the likes Rebecca had never felt before flared up inside her and for a split instant, Rebecca saw red! Bright, blinding, murdering red!

"Will everyone just SHUT UP!" Her voice carried over the din of those in the small office space and beyond, silencing everyone within the entire office. Not a pen dropped, no one so much as breathed.

She took a few deep breaths and then one by one, she glared at the boys she had once thought of as friends. Eyes snapping fire as she all but shook with rage. "How...dare you..." She started slow, but once she let vent, it wouldn't be held back. "HOW DARE YOU! ALL OF YOU! You think you have a say in my life simply because we dated or slept together or were almost a thing!?" She threw that barb at Jason with a snarl. "My life is simply that...MINE! Not yours, not yours, not yours! MINE! I decided what I do with it. I decide who I like, spend time with, date, fuck, Love, ME! Not you! ME!" She was winding up into an absolute fit as she, one by one, called each male on their shit and tore them asunder. They had no right to speak that way about Trent! None of them! They didn't know him like she knew him. Like she was starting to know him.

"Funny enough, the ONLY one of you who actually seems to give a damn about what I want...is PAULA! I know she told each and every one of you to butt out, or threatened you to do so. Funny, that she's the only one who proves she cares by respecting my decisions, even if she might not like them...or Trent for that matter, but that doesn't matter to her, cause she cares for ME! For how I feel! None of the rest of you do!"

Trent was shocked and hurt at what he heard. Apparently everyone and their father thought he was bad news for Rebecca. A squeaky-voiced woman he thought might be Maya even referred to him as "bad news bears". They thought he was dangerous, and should be locked up forever. That he had no business being near Rebecca, now or in the future.

He waited for the various tirades to die down, and then, noticing the line was still open, ventured, "Can I just say something?" He didn't expect anyone to hear him, but he had to get this out. With tears streaming down both his cheeks, he said, "I never intended to hurt Rebecca or make her uncomfortable in any way. She's the best woman I've ever known in my life. Why does everyone seem to think I'm going to murder her? I love her. She is a good person. She's been visiting me in the hospital for months, and it was her own idea. I haven't pushed her into anything. I even told her we can take things at her pace. I... realized that some of the things I did before were inappropriate, and I've been trying to do better. I used to just want to be with her at any cost, but now... I want to deserve her." He choked up before he could say anything more, and one of his tears splotched onto the touch screen and ended his call.

Rebecca wound down after thoroughly letting them each have it, and then as she turned to leave, she paused in front of Josh and just glared at him. "I am disappointed in you most of all..." She shook her head, sighed and waved her arm at him as if he didn't matter. "Get out of my house." She didn't even care to see his startled look as she walked out of the office. "I want you gone! By the time I get home tonight...I don't care where..."

She smirked at Paula and lightly high fived her as she walked out of the office completely. She had only one thought in mind and that was to get to Trent. Who knows how he felt, hearing what he had heard.

Trent sniffled and rubbed the phone against his hospital gown to dry it off, and when he looked at it again, Instagram was open, to Maya's story.

"Oh. It's on the internet too," he said dejectedly to no-one in particular.

Trent put his phone down and took a moment to process everything he had just heard, and what he had seen in the video captioned "#awkwardturtle". Rebecca ...really cared for him. And Paula... Paula's opinion of him hadn't changed, but she was a good and true friend.

Surprisingly, the story had also captured what he had said as Rebecca was walking out of the office. He hoped she'd heard it, either over the phone or later from the Instagram story. He forwarded her the link to the story and wrote, Thank you.

Hearing her phone blip, she almost didn't answer it, but having it set to Trent's tone, she looked at it as she sat in her car, trying to calm down. She was still so mad, she was shaking. Watching the whole story, she heard Trent's voice come through and she felt so upset that he had had to hear all of that, but in a way glad too...cause now he knew, she truly cared for him. Loved him in a way, if she stood up to those closest to her, for him. Heck, she just kicked Josh out of her house! Setting her phone down, she turned the car on and pulled out of the garage. Work could go fuck itself today. She was needed elsewhere.

It didn't take her long to get to the hospital and walk up to Trent's room. But before she walked in, she had to take a moment to breathe. To settle herself. She couldn't let him see just how angry she was, when she knew he must be so upset already. A few deep breaths, and she pushed open his door and walked in. "Trent?"

Trent had been too lost in thought to remember what time Rebecca would be visiting. When she walked in, he had just changed into his street clothes and put his hospital gown and sheets into the hamper. He looked balefully over at her, his expression completely serious for once, his cheeks still tearstained and his eyes red from crying.

Seeing the way he looked, Rebecca didn't even think. She walked over to him and pulled him into a hug, pulling him into her embrace, which was slightly awkward considering he was way taller then her.

"It's ok, Trent...I'm here." She said softly as she nuzzled into his chest, trying to give comfort this time as she held him. He had been crying and that angered her.

He hugged her back automatically, breathing in the scent of her hair, which was so soothing to him. He, too, had the instinct of giving comfort at the same time as receiving it, so he cupped her head and stroked her hair until she raised her head so her eyes met and held his.

"Don't you think about it for a moment more, Trent. Not one moment. What they say doesn't matter. Remember? Nothing they say will change my feelings for you. Ever. I promised, didn't I? And I meant it. I choose you, Trent. You..." She reached up and lightly caressed his cheek, wiping away a few of the tear stains on his face. "It's alright...I'm not going anywhere...promise." She almost told him she loved him, but she wasn't 100% there yet. She was close. Closer then she had been in months, and she hoped he could see that when he looked at her and into her eyes.

He nodded speechlessly at her words, but her fierce protectiveness of him made fresh tears burn behind his eyes and spill out. He couldn't speak, but he wiped his eyes with the hand he'd been stroking her hair with. Then he took a moment to compose himself.

Seeing Trent cry again, she sought to comfort him and as he wiped his tears away, she kissed the ones that escaped and smiled up at him. She felt it, inside of her, that fire that had flared up in the middle of that fight and knew what it was. She had protected him, from those she loved most. Kicked Josh out of her house because he had crossed a line. She felt...strong. For the first time, in her life. Her life felt just that...hers!

"I'm headed to my last physical therapy appointment," he said. "The nurse said she'll give me my discharge papers there."

"You're getting discharged? That's great!" She just now noticed how he was dressed and she beamed up with him. "Then I'll go with you and wait and then we can go home together," she said with such confidence, before she paused. She had given Josh till tonight to get out and she REALLY didn't want to see him again. "Or go somewhere else till Josh leaves. I kind of kicked him out..." She snorted at that comment, as she still couldn't believe she had done that.

Trent relaxed and smiled at her. "I know, I saw it on Instagram," he said. "I'm assuming my assistant saw it too; she's probably on her way to pick him up."

She blinked up at him and then bit her lip and sighed. "Maya!" She muttered under her breath. But it didn't matter. Trent had heard and seen what she had had to say. How she had reacted to their unfair assumptions of him, and how she had torn each and every one of them apart for even thinking of speaking badly about him, or her life choices for that matter. Trent knew, how she felt about him, no more doubts, or worries, she hoped...and that, to her, was all that mattered.

"Where would you like to go, Trent?"

He took a deep breath. "I will go anywhere, as long as you're there. I'd even go to the beach," he said solemnly, "or Raging Waters." That probably sounded strange out of context; he didn't think he'd ever told her about his hydrophobia.

His comment made her eyes furrow a bit. Was...he afraid of water? She'd have to ask, but later. His smile practically made her melt with delight! Slipping her hand into his, she nodded, smiling brightly in return. "Then let's go. Get those papers and get you the hell out of here." She giggled as they turned to head out the door. She was so happy, she felt she could burst!