Chapter 11

Seth couldn't sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could do was picture the horrific events Missy had described. He couldn't help but check on her every time he opened his eyes. He had to admit, he was quite surprised to see that after all she had been through, Missy slept with the slightest hint of a smile on her face. It didn't make sense to him when he thought about all the hell she had faced. In fact, he didn't understand how she could ever smile again after all the pain Mike had caused her, but then again, maybe he did. Maybe telling Seth was exactly what she needed to do. Maybe he finally made her feel safe again and Seth was beyond grateful for that. There was one thing, above all else that he'd been told that night, that made Seth have a sinking feeling in his stomach every time he thought of it. Missy might have forgotten it, but he hadn't. Earlier that night, Missy's phone kept ringing, the name "Dave Scull" flashing across the screen. Seth knew that it couldn't have been good news. The detective usually only called if he knew Missy was hurt, or to warn her of possible danger, usually regarding Mike. Missy clearly wasn't hurt, so Dave's calls could only mean one thing, and that made Seth want to throw up. Seth decided to wait until a reasonable hour until taking matters into his own hands and calling Dave, so when 7:00 came, he quietly snuck out of the bed, unplugged Missy's phone from the charger, and exited the room. Seth walked a ways down the hall and then took out Missy's phone to call Dave. "Shit," he sighed when he realized he needed a passcode to have access into the phone. Seth tried Missy's birthdate, but he was unsuccessful. He knew he only had a limited amount of tries to get into her phone before he was locked out of it, and he didn't want to waste them trying stupid combinations of numbers. Suddenly, it dawned on him and Seth knew the exact date Missy would pick for a code, 1226. That made December 26th, the day of Tim's death. Just like that, the phone unlocked. Seth took a deep breath before scrolling through the contacts and dialing Dave's number. He answered after only one ring, his voice a nervous, rushed tone, "Missy? God I've been trying to call you all night!"

"It's Seth," he informed him.

"Oh...Seth, is...is everything okay with Missy? Did something happen?" Dave asked quickly.

"No no she's fine. At least, I hope she is. That's why I'm calling. I was hoping you could tell me what's going on," Seth pondered.

"Look Seth it's really not my story to tell - "

" - I know. Everything. She opened up to me about everything last night. It's partly why I'm calling you," Seth interrupted.

"Oh wow. She told you? So are you two...?" Dave questioned.

"Well sir, yes, we've finally made it official. We're together," Seth chuckled.

"It was only a matter of time," Dave agreed.

"Look," Seth started. "I noticed you calling last night. I told her to pick up the phone and she just wanted to ignore it but I'm worried for her Detective. I mean now that I know how dangerous he is, I want to be involved. With everything. Missy's business is my business now. I don't want to let anything happen to her ever again."

"I completely understand that. I'm actually happy you called. I just hope you can talk some sense into her. She listens to you," Dave responded.

"So what's going on?" Seth asked.

Dave sighed, "Look. The son of a bitch is in jail right now, but who knows when he'll get out. He always finds a way. I just want Missy to be safe. I've been calling for weeks now and she just doesn't want to hear it, but she needs to cut the shit and get the restraining order I've been telling her to get for months. She needs guaranteed protection from him and this is the best way to go about it, but she refuses to do it. Maybe if you tell her, she'll finally agree."

Seth nodded, "I 100% agree with you. I'll try to talk to her, see what I can do."

"Let me ask you something son," Dave started. "Are you scared?"

"Scared? I'm not scared," Seth shook his head.

"If you love her as much as I think you do, you should be. You should be very afraid. Mike's dangerous," Dave informed him. "Keep her safe Seth," Dave stated.

"Always," Seth responded and then the line went dead. Seth locked the iPhone and started to head back to his room when he collided with someone.

"What the hell are you doing up so early?" spoke the gruff voice of Dean.

"I guess I could ask you the same question," Seth retorted.

"Where's Missy?" Dean asked.

"Still sleeping," Seth answered. The two stood in an awkward silence for what felt like a lifetime until Seth finally spoke. "Look man, she uh...she told me everything."

Dean's eyes went wide, "What? She told you!"

"Yeah. Last night. She came clean about the whole thing. I was really surprised, I mean I wasn't expecting it at all," Seth explained.

"I just can't believe she told you," Dean said grabbing the back of his neck.

"Neither can I," Seth agreed. "But I mean, in a way I can. Let's face it, she couldn't keep this from me forever, especially now that we're dating."

"Oh man, you're taking this a lot better than I would've," Dean mumbled. "Look, I'm sorry okay?"

"For what? What are you talking about man?" Seth questioned.

"Wait...what...what are you talking about?" Dean asked genuinely confused.

"She told me about Tim," Seth said, with a sort of "obviously" hint to his voice.

"OH! That! Right! I thought you meant she told you about...yeah nevermind, anyway that's, uh, that's good that she told you. It was about time you knew," Dean forced a smile.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked, trying to meet Dean's eyes.

"Me?" Dean laughed. "Yeah man, I'm great! Better than ever! But hey, I'll catch you later," he smiled as he slapped Seth on the back passing by him and heading down the hall to his own hotel room. Seth just watched him walk away, shook his head, and laughed.

"What if I never get over her?" Dean suddenly asked his Samoan brother as he exited the bathroom.

"You're crazy," Roman laughed.

"Look, I'm trying to be serious dick, can you please give me advice?" Dean asked annoyed.

"You know in all the years I've known you, I think this is the first time I've ever heard you ask for help," Roman chuckled.

"Yeah well, it's not something I enjoy doing, but I don't really know what else to do," Dean explained. "Look I'm just asking for your help. I'm actually being a little vulnerable and I hate doing that, so I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to make fun of me for it Rome," he groaned.

"Hey, I'm not making fun of you. I already told you my whole opinion on your so called love," Roman said. "And of course you're gonna get over her. You just have to be willing to let it happen. Like I said, I think you should date again."

"You know what Rome? I'm kinda sick of you telling me how I felt and saying that I didn't love her because you have no idea how the fuck I felt!" Dean yelled pointing his finger at Roman.

Roman stood up and got in Dean's face, "And I'm kinda sick of your fucking attitude and you being mad at the one guy who's trying to help you. Get the fuck over yourself Dean!"

"Fuck this!" Dean shouted and turned away from Roman.

"Hey!" Roman shouted and spun Dean around. "Why are you so mad at the world?!"

"Because!" Dean yelled and then he sighed. "I'm mad at myself."

"Why?" Roman questioned.

"For letting my guard down," Dean sighed. He turned and sat on the bed with his head in is hands and Roman sat across from him, letting a sigh escape from his lips. "I just...I've built my walls up so high and let this tiny little brunette break them in a few short months. And I hate myself for it. I hate myself for letting myself ever fall for her. I knew she never felt the same way about me but she's the first woman I trusted in a long time. Maybe the first woman I've ever trusted now that I think about it. She's the first woman I could see a future with. Someone who was just as broken as me. I don't know man. She just made me feel a way I'd never felt before. And I don't want to lose her. I mean I'm happy that her and my best friend are happy I really am. It's hard seeing it though. So yeah, maybe you think it was just infatuation, but for me it wasn't. I don't want to be in love with her, but I think I...I think I might be."

"You got to let her go," Roman sighed. "If you really care about her like you say you do, you gotta let her be happy."

"God I never should've told her how I felt," Dean groaned. "And I don't want it to come between me, her, and Seth. They're both too important to me."

"You just got to forget it happened. Let it go. Let them be happy Dean. And then go find your own happiness," Roman replied.

"But what if that never happens?" Dean questioned looking Roman in his dark gray eyes.

"It's never going to if you don't let it," Roman replied. As Dean went to speak, the sound of a phone ringing broke through the air. Roman reached over and grabbed his cellphone. "Sorry man, it's the wifey. I gotta take this. Keep your head up," he ruffled Dean's hair as he spoke and walked out of the hotel room leaving Dean alone with his thoughts.

Missy rolled over in the bed as her eyes fluttered open to find the side next to her empty. "Seth?" she sleepily whispered, a slight pout playing on her lips. "Seth?" she called louder this time. She hopped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom to look for him just as the door to the hotel room opened. Seth surveyed the room and quickly ran to replace Missy's phone as she wasn't in the room. "There you are. Where were you?"

Seth's head snapped up to meet hers as he quickly put the phone in his pocket, praying she didn't see. "Sorry babe I had to take a phone call and I didn't want to wake you up," he half lied.

"Oh," Missy smirked. "I thought I might've scared you away with what I told you last night." Seth gave her a puzzled look.

"I don't understand how you find it in yourself to joke about it," he said.

Missy shrugged, "If I can't joke about it, I'll cry about it. Laughing's easier." Seth walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, placing a small kiss on her forehead. "I don't want to sound like a crazy girlfriend or anything, but I'm not gonna lie, I kinda hated not waking up next to you this morning. I've gotten used to it," she laughed.

Seth returned her smile. "I'm sorry." Seth let his arms unravel from Missy and bit his lip as her stared at her, unsure of how to bring up the whole restraining order issue. Then suddenly the distinct text tone of Missy's phone erupted from Seth's pocket.

"Was that my phone?" Missy asked looking towards the pocket of Seth's sweatpants. Seth just stood there in silence knowing he had been caught. "Why the hell do you have my phone?" Missy asked, the angry tone clear in her voice. Seth let out a sigh as he took the phone out of his pocket. "No seriously Seth why the hell do you have my phone?"

"I was worried about you okay?" Seth yelled.

"So you stole my phone?" Missy yelled back.

Seth ran his fingers through her hair, "Yeah you know what? I did Missy okay? You weren't answering Dave and I thought something might be wrong so I called him!"

Missy snatched the phone out of Seth's hands, "Seth what the hell? That's not okay! Why would you do that?"

"Missy he said you haven't answered his calls in weeks. Why are you ignoring him?" he questioned.

"That's none of your business!" Missy snapped.

"No Missy it is! You are my business now!" he retorted. "What is stopping you from getting a restraining order what other reason do you need huh? What is it gonna take for you to finally try to get some protection for yourself?"

Missy shook her head and reverted her gaze up to the ceiling. "I'm not doing this with you. I'm not having this conversation," Missy said as she stormed passed Seth towards the door.

"Missy stop!" Seth called out. "What's so wrong about trying to keep yourself safe!" Missy didn't even answer Seth and stormed out of the hotel room. "Fuck man!" Seth yelled aloud to no one.

Missy knocked on the hotel door, too furious to even realize she had started crying. Just as she went to knock again, the door swung open and she met the blue eyes she so desperately wanted to see. "What the hell happened what did he do?" were the first words out of Dean's mouth as he pulled her in close to him.

"I just need you right now," Missy cried into his chest. Dean hugged her closer and let the hotel room door close. Dean stroked Missy's hair as she cried against him. "Why the fuck am I even crying right now?" she asked herself. Dean lifted her head up so her eyes would meet his.

"What happened?" he asked her, praying Seth didn't do something to break her heart because he really did not want to have to break his face today.

Missy took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "Nothing. He didn't do anything. I shouldn't even be mad at him and I shouldn't have stormed away from him. I overreacted," she sighed. She pulled herself from Dean's embrace and sat on the bed. "He was trying to protect me."

"Protect you? From what?" Dean wondered.

Missy sighed, "He took my phone and called Dave and Dave told Seth about me getting a restraining order so Seth brought it up. He thinks it's a good idea and yeah it probably is. I don't know why I got so mad I just...I can't get a restraining order. I can't."

"Missy. Missy look as me," Dean started, tilting her chin towards him. "Dave, Seth, myself, we all want to keep you safe and the restraining order is your best bet. I know you don't want to go into courtrooms and stuff, but I also know you better to know that's not the real reason you don't want the restraining order. Tell me the truth." Missy averted her eyes from his and tried to hold back tears. "Please."

Missy let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. "Because Dean. He's fucking crazy! Do any of you even realize what he's capable of? A fucking piece of paper telling him he can't come near me isn't gonna stop him! Putting him in jail doesn't stop him, we can't stop him!" Missy yelled. "I just wish he would kill me already," she whispered.

"Hey! Don't you ever fucking say that. We're not going to let him hurt you Missy," Dean said sternly.

Missy let out a laugh, "Yeah like I haven't heard that before. That's what everyone fucking says. That's what Summer said, that's what Tim said and look what happened to them." Missy shook her head. "I can't do that again. I can't watch him hurt anymore people that I care about. I can't lose anyone else."

"Wait wait wait...Summer? What the hell did he do to Summer?" Dean asked, confusion spread across his face.

Missy let out another long sigh, "Remember a few years back when Summer was out of action at FCW because she was in the bad car accident and was in the hospital?" She watched as Dean nodded his head. "Yeah that was him. He caused the accident on purpose. He's a fucking psychopath with a lot of connections in a lot of high places. You all want to get rid of him but the only fucking way to get rid of him is to kill him."

"That's a little extreme don't you think?" Dean questioned.

"What other choice do I honestly have at this point?" Missy retorted.

"Why are you even here?" Dean asked slightly under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Missy asked, her eyes wide.

"No really why are you here telling me this? Why aren't you talking to your boyfriend about this?"

"I...I just...I don't know," Missy sighed.

Dean let out a sigh of his own running his fingers through his fringe. "I can't keep doing this with you," he whispered.

"I know," Missy agreed. "I'm sorry."

Dean's blue gaze met hers. "Me too."

"Can I ask you something?" Missy spoke slowly.

"You know you always can," Dean replied.

"Do you...how far do you think Seth would go?" Missy questioned.

"I don't know, why?" Dean answered.

"That night in the alley...when you guys saved me...it's just I saw this darkness in his eyes and he was like a completely different person that night and he...I don't know it scares me what he might be capable of," Missy spoke honestly.

"He loves you Missy. And I think he would do anything to keep you safe. We both would," he said looking straight into her eyes. Missy's body formed goosebumps at the possibility of both Seth and Dean actually attempting to kill Mike. Missy finally broke the eye contact between her and Dean and got up from her seated position on the edge of the bed.

"I should head back. Apologize to Seth. He's probably worried about me," she said and turned and headed towards the door.

"Missy wait," Dean called and lightly grabbed her wrist, turning her to face him. "I've been driving myself crazy. I just need an answer...do you love me?" Missy was completely taken aback by Dean's question.

"I mean...I...Yes Dean of course I love you...but...not in the way you want me to," she stuttered. She could see the heartbreak wash over Dean's face. "Dean I'm sorry."

"No I needed to hear you say it. I needed to hear you say it so I can let you go and be happy with Seth, so I can move on," Dean said, his blue eyes locked on the floor. "You should go." Missy tried to cup his cheek with her hand but Dean jerked his head away, still refusing to make eye contact with her.

"I really am sorry Dean," Missy whispered and turned, walking out of the hotel room praying she hadn't just lost her best friend.