[A/N] So, yeah, I am alive and I am sorry. I wish I had an explanation for my horribly extended absence, but I don't. Just, I dunno, life? Anyway, I promise to anyone still following this story and my others...I am settled now & will be devoting more time to finishing all of my stories for you guys. Weeks may pass, but I won't be a year again. You have my word. Thanks. Enjoy.

November 14, 2016

After she left, slamming the door behind her, the silence in the empty locker room was deafening.

Not that Dean could hear anyway, the way his pulse was roaring in his ears.

He plopped down on the bench and stared at the pale, white wall. His breath coming shallow and fast, he was highly aware of his hearting pounding against his rib cage.

Cori was pregnant.

His mind was reeling in complete and utter disbelief.

"You don't even know if it's yours, Dean." He spoke the words out loud, but the statement wasn't true. He knew Cori – she wouldn't have shown such anger, such hurt, if the baby wasn't his.

He was just trying to make himself feel better about the disgusting words that had left his mouth.

He'd regretted them the moment he saw the tears building in the emerald pools she called eyes.

Dean was self-aware enough to know what he was doing; he was scared spitless and he was pushing her away.

Of course, he didn't want her to get rid of it.

"Fuuuuuck." He expelled a heavy, frustrated breath.

Dean Ambrose aspired to many things in his life – fatherhood was never one of them. He wasn't anywhere near ready to contemplate bringing a child into the world.

Not after the childhood he'd endured.

Certainly not as the result of one-night stand with one of his best friends.

What was he supposed to do now?

Could he really walk away from Cori and her baby?

She'd told him to.

He certainly wanted to, that much was true.

He didn't want a baby. He didn't need a baby.

But, then, he reckoned what he wanted or needed didn't really matter anymore.

A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him to go after her and make it right.

He shook his head, trying to ignore it, and went back to shoving his belongings into his backpack. She'd give him his out and he was going to take it – but after a few minutes of silence, it started in again.

Swearing under his breath, he slung his bag over his shoulder and set off to find her.

After checking the catering area and with another of the seamstresses, who told him Cori had left for the night, he hurried to the exit.

There, he found her, but he stopped short of calling out her name.

She was with Zayn, which was surprising to Dean because she'd never talk about him before.

What was more surprising to Dean was the way the other man looked at Cori, her back to Dean.

The way he looked into her eyes as she spoke, like there was nowhere in the world he'd rather be...

The tenderness of his hand on her shoulder...

Watching them walk out together, a jolt of some uncomfortable emotion shocked Dean's system; it took a moment before he realized he was jealous.

It caught him off guard, not simply because he wasn't the jealous type – but because he didn't understand why he was jealous?

His grip on his bag was so tight that after a while his hand went numb. The sensation brought him to his senses, and he realized he was just standing there, scowling down an empty hall like an idiot.

"I guess she doesn't need me after all."

January 4, 2017

Las Vegas, NV

Four weeks had passed since their dinner date with Cori and Rami.

Christmas had come and went, along with New Years.

Although he hadn't seen or spoken to Cori since, their altercation was still forefront of Dean's muddled mind.

"I just wish I knew that creep's angle." Sitting in the living room he shared with Renee, Dean pondered out loud. More so to himself than the visiting Roman sitting with him.

It surprised him, honestly, how much the thought of Cori with the other man still rattled him. While he knew it was juvenile, what bothered him most is that she wasn't more troubled without him.

All thanks to the other man.

"It is not my place to be discussing this with you, man." Shaking his head, the Samoan sipped his beer.

Dean leaned forward on the couch and slammed his own empty beer on the coffee table, a bit harder than intended. "No, Ro, seriously."

"Seriously?" Roman echoed, the word dripping with sarcasm. "Why do you care? Not that you shouldn't." He shrugged. "I just figured, given your recent behavior, that you wouldn't."

Dean sighed, hung his head in shame, and muttered. "You know me better than that, Roman."

Of course, he acted like it was no big deal, but he had to do that to protect himself. It was eating him alive on the inside – all of his guilt and shame.

He wanted his child.

He wanted to be there for Cori.

He didn't want to lose Renee.

How could he choose one without hurting the other?

Maybe he was being unrealistic, or even greedy. But, constantly found himself desperately searching for a way he could have all three.

If anyone would understand that, he figured it would be the man he thought of as a brother.

"I thought I did." Roman answered thoughtfully, then paused a moment before continuing. "You know I was the first one Cori told about the baby?"

Dean looked up, a bit taken aback before he shook his head.

"I told her that you would want to do the right thing by her and the baby." He stated matter-of-factly. "She was terrified, dude. So, sure, maybe a part of me just told her that because I didn't want her to be afraid. But, most of me thought it was true." He nodded his head slowly, though he smiled and seemed regretful.

Dean saw it in his eyes, in his demeanor, heard it in the tone of his voice.

It compounded his pre-existing guilt tenfold and he wanted desperately to tell his friend that he wasn't responsible for his dumbass choices.

But those words wouldn't come.

Instead, he got up to toss his empty beer bottle in the trash and went to the fridge to get another one.

"Well, for reasons beyond my comprehension, good ole Rami seems more than happy to play daddy to the kid." Envy coiled in the pit of his stomach as he popped the top on the bottle and took a huge gulp of the ice-cold beverage – but it didn't cool the fire inside.

"So, what does it matter?" He added, stalking back into the living room and plopping onto the couch.

His envy flowed out of a deep, seething anger at the way he felt life was cheating him. He was clutching that beer so tightly, it nearly dented beneath his grip.

The sound of footsteps in the yard, followed by the door slamming, interrupted his gloomy thoughts.

"Hiya, boys!" Renee's silvery voice announced her return. "How's it hangin'?" She asked as she strolled into the living room and took a seat on the arm of the sofa, next to Dean.

Slightly surprised to see her, Dean glanced down at his watch and back up at her beaming face. "I thought your yoga class wasn't over for another hour?"

"Yeah, but I had to pick this up from FedEx before they closed, otherwise I won't get it to the bakery before our flight tomorrow." From her jacket pocket, she revealed a small manila envelope.

"What's that?" He took a sip of his beer and examined the envelope as she twirled it in her hands.

"Results of the gender scan for Cori's baby." Renee's answer made him almost spit his beer, but she was too focused on the item in her hands to notice the color draining from his face. "Becky and I are going to have her gender reveal party here since Becky's apartment isn't big enough and Cori's in the middle of packing for her big move to Montreal before the baby comes."

His shock quickly turned to anger. "She's moving to fucking Canada with the baby!?" The words came out before he had time to consider them.

"Uh, yeah?" Renee eyed him, clearly confused by his anger.

Dean snapped his attention to Roman, again slamming his beer can on the coffee table. "Did you know about this Ro?!" Although he knew it was misplaced, his anger smoldered inside of him.

Roman remained motionless. He seemed to want to speak, and yet he was unable to find the words, or perhaps to make the decision to say whatever it was.

But, it was Renee who spoke up.

"Well, you'd know that if you hadn't acted like an ass the last time we saw her." She scoffed from behind Dean. "I take it you've yet to apologize? Which reminds me, you never explained why you were such a jerk."

Dean ignored it.

He stood up and began pacing the floor, ranting to nobody but himself, really. "Who does that fucking prick think he is?!" He spoke the words through gritted teeth. His rage was complete, consuming him as fire envelops all things. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to place his hands around the other man and choke the life out of him. "He thinks he can take MY b-" Somehow, he was able to see past his fury long enough to prevent his almost confession.

He stopped pacing and exhaled deeply, raking his fingers through his hair. "….my best friend to Canada."

His anger was overtaken briefly by a pang of sadness. He was losing his best friend, and his baby. And, despite how much he wanted to, he couldn't place the blame on anyone but himself.

With Renee staring at him like he was a mad man, his resolve shattered, and his emotions threatening to overwhelm him – he needed some air. "We're out of beer." He stated plainly, walking to the front door. "Mind driving me to the store, Ro?"

Without question, Roman stood from the couch and joined him at the front door.

Before they could depart, Renee followed after. "Hey, while you're out, do you mind dropping this at the bakers?" She placed the envelope in Dean's hand. "I'll text you the address. But, no peeking." She teased him, but he didn't really care."

"Sure."

The ride to the store felt like the longest ride of his life, which was saying a lot for two men who traveled hundreds of miles on a nightly basis.

Most of the drive had been in uncomfortable silence, until Roman finally spoke up.

"This is what you wanted, man." He said, keeping his eyes on the road. "You should be happy, right? The baby will be taken care of and Renee will never know."

Dean wasn't sure if Roman was trying to console or mock him, but he wasn't too concerned with his friend's tone. No, his attention was fixated on the envelope in his lap, contemplating how the contents would ultimately change his life forever. Finally, he took a deep breath and reached for it. He carefully ripped the envelope open, making sure the document inside stayed intact. With trembling hands, he pulled the one-page document from the envelope and read it.

"What are you doing?" Stopping at a red light, Roman noticed what Dean was doing. "Renee said -" He started to protest, but it was too late.

"Shit..." Dean muttered, folding the paper up and shoving it back into the envelope.

"What?"

"You have to talk to her, man." Closing his eyes, he exhaled as he scrubbed his hands over his face. "You can't let her take my daughter to Canada."