a/n: Helloooooooo everybody! It's been a long time, I know but I am back with a new chapter. Since I started my new full time job (almost a year ago already), I was promoted within two months and then things started to get extra busy. Not only that but I had some serious writer's block. This story ended up going in a totally different direction but I think I'm finally finding a way to make it work and hopefully wrap it up within the next couple of months. I can't promise when the next chapter will be but I will try my best to update as much as I can over the months. This chapter is a little shorter than usual but I wanted to update this ASAP for you all.

Thank you all to who have reviewed and messaged me about the story, I'm glad you're all still interested. Hopefully I didn't lose too many readers. Anyway, enjoy and happy reading! :)

June 11, 2015

Pop's Diner

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Allison was in the back room, munching on some fries as she took her break. She had a long shift in the morning and since she was pulling a double, she had a long night ahead of her. It was okay though; she desperately needed the money, especially since she opened up her phone line again. While she wasn't using it much, it was still useful for her to have in case Paige, Seth or her brother wanted to get in touch with her.

"Ally, you have a visitor." She heard her co-worker, Lisa, tell her.

Saying thank you and finishing up her fries, Ally started to get a little nervous. She hoped it wasn't Dean showing up. After seeing him last month, she ran out and while he did go after her, she refused to say anything to him. She was in shock and honestly, she had no idea what to say and Ally wasn't sure if she wanted to hear anything he had to say at the moment. So, she didn't try to reach out or anything. It was best that way.

After throwing away her plate and drinking some water, Ally tied her apron around her waist and then headed out to see who it was. To her surprise, it was Seth. It was a pleasant surprise though since she was back on friendly terms with him.

"Hey Seth." She said with a smile. "I didn't know you would be in town."

Seth gave her a small smile and nodded. "Actually, I didn't know either but I had to."

Ally looked at Seth, seeing that something was…off. "What's wrong?"

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know that something is wrong before I can even say anything?"

Ally shrugged. "I've known you for years, so I guess I can pick up on things." She said. "That and I know you very well." She said with a small smile.

Seth nodded at her response and then put his head in his hands before letting out a sigh and looking at her. She could see his eyes getting watery and she was suddenly very nervous.

"Dusty passed away."

June 17, 2015

Memorial Service

Tampa, Florida

They say that there are two types of special occasions that bring people together; weddings and funerals. Unfortunately, the occasion today was the funeral of Dusty Rhodes. When Seth broke the news to Ally, she was heartbroken. Dusty was a man that believed in her deeply and saw something special in her when nobody else did. In a way, Dusty was the father figure she had after her own father passed away. Ally needed to go to his service and be there for his family. The times she had met Dusty's wife were always so pleasurable and they got along very well. With Seth's help, she managed to pay for a flight out to Tampa so that she could be there.

She had landed very early in the morning and was picked up by Paige, who was in town for the service as well. It didn't click in Ally's mind that she would be surrounded by so many people, especially her former co-workers, since all that was on her mind was being there to celebrate the life of Dusty. During the service, nobody seemed to pay any mind that she was there and she was fine with that. Now, however, things were different. After the funeral service, everybody was spread out at the Rhodes' home, giving their condolences and sharing memories they had of Dusty. She knew a few people finally realized she was there and she tried her best not to show knew they were staring at her, but it was hard. Ally told Paige she was going to step away for a moment and when she was ready to go, to come get her. Excusing herself, Ally went into the kitchen and asked Dusty's wife, Michelle, if she needed any help with anything and when she politely declined, Ally decided to head to the backyard and clear her head a little. Luckily for her, there wasn't anybody outside and she didn't have to deal with the stares of her former co-workers.

Allison was outside for a while so when she heard the sliding doors open, she knew Paige and Seth were ready to go. "Ready to head out?" she asked, turning to face Paige but she froze when she realized it wasn't Paige at all.

Dean was standing in front of her and this time, she had no way out. The last time she saw him was when she was in Davenport last month and she figured she would never see him again.

"…you're not Paige." She simply said, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm not." Dean nodded. "I uh, came out for a smoke. I didn't know you were out here. Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

Ally wasn't going to be mean and ask him to leave; he was allowed to do what he needed. Plus, she knew when he was stressed he usually came out for a cigarette. Dusty was a fan of Dean's and supported him as well. She knew this had to be hard on Dean. "It's fine." She simply said as she turned back around to look out into the backyard.

Dean nodded and continued about his business, lighting up his cigarette and smoking it in silence. There was so much he wanted to say to her, everything went to shit and it was because of his stupidity that he lost the love of his life. If he could turn back time and just listen to her when she was trying to explain, they would most likely still be together. Seeing her last month was a lot for him, just when he thought he'd never see her again, she was at the bar and when he tried to go after her, she took off. Not that he blamed her either; he was a dick to her when they were at the diner all those months ago.

Dean was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even realize Ally had said something to him and he only realized it when she looked at him in concern. Even after everything, she still cared and that made him feel like maybe there was hope after all.

"Dean?" Ally asked, tentatively reaching over to put a hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah." He nodded, finally managing to say something. "I guess I just got lost in my thoughts. What were you saying?"

Ally removed her hand from his arm. "I um, I asked how you were doing. You know, since hearing Dusty passed."

"I've had better days." He told her. "He was somebody we all looked up to and admired. We were like his kids so it sucks to know that he's gone and we won't be able to see or talk to him anymore."

Allison nodded and let out a sigh. "Yeah, Dusty was the best and he is going to be missed."

They both stood there in silence, knowing this was awkward between them. It was going to be for a long time until they both finally talked things out but truth be told, Ally felt like it wasn't going to happen for a while. For her, everything was still so fresh and how things ended between them was terrible. His behavior when she saw him back in January didn't help matters either.

"Ally…" Dean said. "We need to talk about what happened."

"Not now, Dean." She shook her head.

"I know but we need to at some point."

"I don't know if I'll be ready for that any time soon." She shook her head. "You really hurt me, Dean."

"And you didn't hurt me when you kept things from me?" he retorted.

"I'm not doing this here, Dean." Ally said. "This is not the time or place for it."

"So then when is it going to be the time or place for it?" he asked her. "I know if I try to see you to finally talk, you'll run from me and that's not what I want. I want to be able to let everything out and fix things."

"Fix things?" Ally asked, shaking her head. "There's nothing to fix, Dean. At the end of the day, you never fully trusted me no matter how much you loved me. We wouldn't have worked."

"You truly believe that?" he asked as he stepped up to her. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that." He told her and he gave her some time to do so, but she couldn't. "That's what I thought. I want to try to fix things and I don't mean fix it for us to be in a relationship because I know that won't happen right away. I want us to be able to at least be cordial or be friends with one another, instead of acting like total strangers. Let me have the opportunity to do so."

Ally looked at Dean as she thought about it and could see he was genuine. Maybe they needed to clear the air for good to at least be around one another. After all, he was still Seth's friend and now that she made amends with Seth, she was sure Dean was going to be around.

"I—"

Allison didn't get to finish her sentence as the sliding doors opened and Paige appeared. She looked between Ally and Dean, sensing that she ruined a…moment between them. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "We're getting ready to leave and I came to get you." She told Allison. "Um, we'll wait for you inside." She said to Ally, who thanked her and nodded.

After Paige left, Ally turned to face Dean again. "I'll think about it." She told him. "Just…give me a few days and I'll get back to you."

"I'm okay with that." Dean said as he gave Ally a small smile.

She gave him one back and then started to head back inside. Before she did though, she turned and told Dean to take care of himself, to which he said he would. As soon as she went back inside, Dean let out a sigh of relief. While her answer wasn't a yes, it also wasn't a no. Maybe, just maybe, they could work things out. As long as he had Allison in his life, that was all that mattered to him.

a/n: So, she didn't exactly say no or yes. Maybe there's hope for them! I guess we'll have to wait and find out. Review? :)