Sempiternal

The next Monday, Lucy woke up in a hotel in Greenville, South Carolina. She looked over to Seth’s bed, but it was empty. A small not on the bedstand read that he had gone to a local gym, and would be back shortly.

She checked her phone and saw that she had one message from Adam, letting her know that they would be making an appearance tonight to further taunt Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. There was a knock on the door and Lucy rolled out of bed. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and tried to straighten out her mess of hair.

Through the peephole she saw a groggy looking Dean. She cracked the door. “Yes?”

“Where’s Seth?”

“He went to the gym. He’ll back later.”

He sighed. “Well in that case, do you want to go grab some breakfast?”

“Um?”

“It’s not gonna kill ya to grab breakfast with me, Luce. Don’t make me go alone.”

Luce? He was giving her a nickname now? She faked being annoyed and sighed, opening the door farther revealing that she was only in an oversized t-shirt. Dean’s eyebrows raised, his eyes roamed her figure as she walked away from him.

“Do you mind coming with me to the nearest Party City? I need to find a new costume for tonight.” She rummaged through her suitcase looking for something acceptable and clean to wear. All she found was a lavender cami and a pair of black leggings.

“What’s wrong with Jessica Rabbit?”

“I don’t want to wear the same thing every night.” She replied, disappearing into the bathroom to change and straighten up her hair. She tossed it up into a bun, not wanting to keep him waiting too long.

“But I like Jessica Rabbit.” He replied. She emerged and saw him sitting on the foot of the bed with the cutest pout on his face.

“So do I, but another outfit won’t hurt anything. It’s good to have options.” She said, pulling a light hoodie over her bare arms to hide the disgusting scars.

“Fine, I’ll go with you, but I get to choose what you get.”

“Dean, I hardly think that’s fair.”

“Life’s not fair, sweetheart.” He gave her a little pat on the head and held the door open for her.

His sudden acts of kindness threw Lucy for a loop, and made her feel like she was being set up. She didn’t want to get used to it, for fear that it was some kind of trick that he was playing on her. She definitely wouldn’t put it past him.

They didn’t say much to each other in the elevator or in the car. Until Dean nudged her in the arm with his phone, “Can you GPS a restaurant?”

She laughed, pushing his phone away and pulling out her own. “Look, it’s really easy. You just hold this button down and wait for the beep.” The phone beeped. “Siri, where can I get breakfast?”

“I know how to do it!” Dean snapped. Lucy rolled her eyes. “I’m driving right no-”

“I’ve found four restaurants close to you.” Siri replied.

Lucy scrolled through the small list of restaurants. “How does Coffee Underground sound? It’s not too far. The menu looks good.”

“Sounds fine.”

The chose a small table in the very back, away from the busy breakfast crowd.

“Hello! My name is Taylor, I’ll be takin’ care of y’all this mornin’.” The young waitress’ accent was heavy. “Can I grab you both somethin’ to drink?” She looked at Dean first, prodding him for an answer. Lucy brushed it off.

“Uh, I’ll just take a regular black coffee. And uh, I already know what I’m going to have.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I’m going to get the Thai Chicken Wrap.”

“Good choice! They’re delicious.” She smiled at him before turning to Lucy.

“I’ll have a Cappuccino, and I’ll have what he’s having.”

The young girl sauntered off, leaving them alone.

“So how long have you known Seth?” Dean asked. “I know it’s been a long time, but I’ve never heard him mention you until just recently.”

“I’ve basically known him my whole life. My parents moved into the house two doors down from his when I was three. My mom split soon after, and my dad was an alcoholic, so Seth’s mom kind of raised my brother and I in a way. We were always over at his house. We all went to the same school. He and my brother were best friends.” She replied.

“Where’s your brother now? They aren’t friends anymore?”

Lucy hesitated. “No, he died when I was sixteen. He uh- he overdosed on uh, heroin.” Dean’s face dropped and he muttered an ‘I’m sorry’. “It was just me and Seth after that. He started wrestling and I supported him, of course. My dad was a real asshole, you know? And I didn’t have a mom. Seth and his family were my family.”

Dean nodded, prodding her to go on.

“But then Seth left.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I understood, you know? He was pursuing a dream. But I didn’t really understand. I hated Seth for a little while. I had nothing anymore. No more escape. Until I found one.”

“The drugs.” He spoke lowly.

She hated talking about it. “I’m not proud. I don’t like that I chose that path. I could’ve done so many different things, but I didn’t. I chose the easy way out.”

A silence fell around them. The jitter of customers in the background was all that could be heard. Lucy ran her finger around the rim of her mug, thinking about the conversation. She hadn’t told that story since she was in rehab, who taught her that it was okay to talk about it, because she wasn’t defined by her past. It was something that she should wear proudly. She was an addict, but she overcame it. She conquered her demons. She went to war with something that had held her down for years, and she won.

“I think he wishes he would have been there for you more.” Dean offered.

“He cares a lot. I know that.”

“I also think he cares a lot more than you think.”

The young girl return with two plates in hand. She sat them down and gave Dean a bright smile before skipping off. Lucy rolled her eyes and Dean chuckled. They ate, and the girl was right, the food was delicious. Dean paid, leaving a hefty tip, and the pair headed off to the nearest costume shop.

“I hate Halloween.” Dean mumbled as they browsed the aisles.

Lucy gasped. “How can you hate Halloween!? It’s the best holiday of the year.”

“Christmas is the best holiday of the year.”

“I for one would much rather get delicious candy that I’m actually going to eat, instead of useless present that I’m never going to use.” She explained.

“Well I’m not getting you anything for Christmas this year.”

Dean threw costume after costume after her; ‘Sexy Cat Woman’, ‘Sexy Alice in Wonderland’, Sexy Sailor Girl’, ‘Sexy Police Officer’, ‘Sexy Prisoner’, ‘Sexy Schoolgirl’, ‘Sexy Head Nurse’. None of which Lucy would be wearing.

She had narrowed it down between ‘Sexy Wonder Woman’ which was a simple red and gold crop top and high waisted shorts with stars all over them, and a ‘Sexy Raggedy Anne’ which was probably the least revealing of all the ‘sexy’ costumes.

“Choose.” She told Dean, holding the costumes out in front of him.

“Sexy Wonder Woman, definitely.” She rolled her eyes. “What? If it were really up to me, you’d be wearing this.” He said as he held up an empty coat hanger.

“I’d be wearing an empty coat hanger?” She asked, thinking about if for a moment. “You’re sick.”

He laughed. They headed back to the hotel and disappeared into their separate rooms. Seth was on his laptop, sprawled out in his bed. He raised an eyebrow at her when she came in with a smile on her face. It disappeared when she spotted him, though. She wasn’t supposed to be smiling around Dean Ambrose. It would raise suspicions.

“Have a good time at the gym?” She asked, throwing her bags on her bed and plopping down next to Seth on his bed.

He immediately sat up, inching away from her. “Have fun with Dean?”

Her eyebrows cinched together. “Yeah? We went out to breakfast. He came to ask you, but you weren’t here, so I went instead.” Seth chuckled. “What?”

“Lucy, he knew I was going to the gym.” Seth stood up and collected his bags. “I’ll see you later.”

She sat there confused, wondering what in the hell had gotten into him.



Unlike last week, The Shield dominated Monday Night Raw. They took on Evolution was many times as they could; attacking them in the parking lot, interrupting their promo in the ring, and sending them running after Roman’s match with Batista.

They all decided they would go celebrate, but Lucy wasn’t in the celebrating mood. Seth hadn’t said a word to her all night long.

“Come on, Lucy girl.” Roman pleaded with her after she had declined to go out with them.

“I’m not feeling the best tonight, Ro.” She replied. “Maybe next time?”

“We’ll make you feel better.” He gestured to himself and Dean. “We know how to party. We’ve shut down every bar we’ve been to.”

Dean nodded in agreeance. “You should come. It’ll be fun.”

“I can’t drink.” She replied.

“Sure you can. You just need to know your limits. And we’ll be there looking after you. We wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

Seth rolled his eyes in the backseat.

“Okay, I guess.” She said. Dean and Roman let out a collective ‘yes’ and Dean even did the ‘yes movement’. Lucy laughed and looked at Seth who sat quiet next to her. “Are you going to come?”

“I guess I have to now.” He snapped.

Dean glanced over his shoulder at Lucy and gave her a look that said, ‘what the hell is his problem’. She shook her head. Trying not to let Seth’s attitude get to her.