Just over one month ago, Serena Lords barely escaped the Staten Island Slasher with her life.

He had escaped prison just to finish what he had started. Moving from Staten Island to Roselle Park, New Jersey hadn't helped. The media had tracked her down and practically led him to her doorstep. He had blown up her cottage, killing four police officers and wounding others. Serena had been injured in the blast. For as long as she lived, she knew that she would never forget the sight of the overturned and burning cars in what had once been her driveway.

The Staten Island Slasher had tried to kill Serena's friends. He had knocked out and tied up Wade Barrett, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns before setting the cottage ablaze. The Roselle Park Fire Department was able to rescue them before they succumbed to smoke inhalation. Dean Ambrose had been stabbed trying to get Serena to the hospital. He had chased her through the woods. There was a struggle, and Serena killed him. For the second time, she had survived his onslaught.

It was a balmy Monday night in Denver, Colorado. Raw was emanating from the Pepsi Center. It was around dinner time, and Serena was sitting at one of the tables with Paul Heyman, CM Punk, AJ Lee and The Shield – Dean, Seth and Roman. Seth was still traumatized from almost dying. He had suffered the worst of the injuries in the house. Dean was stabbed in the hip. For a while, it was difficult for him to move around, but he had endured.

Everybody was in disbelief at Serena's current predicament. She ran a hand through her dark brown hair, her light blue eyes flickering between anger and incredulity. For the past ten minutes she had been picking at her plate, not wanting to accept that her appetite was truly gone. She wasn't eating much these days, still haunted by the nightmares that came with killing a human being. Every now and then, she felt as if she could still see his blood all over her, recalling the way his blood spurted when she pushed the branch through his throat. The vivid memories haunted her.

"Get the fuck out of here," Phil Brooks, known as CM Punk, snorted. "They can't really do that, can they?"

"Apparently they can," Serena told him, deflated. Paul Heyman's eyes flashed with anger.

"This is such bullshit, Serena. I'm sorry," Paul offered. Serena shrugged. Everyone at the table nodded.

Two nights ago, as Serena packed her bags to go back on the road with the WWE, she was visited by a process server. The family of the Staten Island Slasher was suing her for the "wrongful death" of their son. Serena couldn't believe it as she read over their lawsuit. He had killed eight people, tried to kill Serena twice and had injured many, and they were suing her for wrongful death. They wanted millions, an amount Serena didn't have and probably would never have in her lifetime. To say she was stressed out would be an understatement.

"You're going to fight this BS, right?" Paul asked her.

"Of course," Serena replied. "I just can't believe this is happening."

"Maybe you should fly up to Stamford on your day off," Punk suggested to her. "Vince has got an army of pit bulls that I'm sure he will unleash for you. Talk to him tonight and see if he can set you up with a consultation."

"Do you really think Vince would do that?" Serena asked. Everybody around the table nodded. Dean noticed she looked exhausted. A couple weeks ago, she had decided to give up on constantly wearing turtlenecks. Tonight she wore a white T-shirt that showed off the scar on her neck and the spiral scar on her arm. Serena had become too tired to care about what other people think, though she knew Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes were whispering about it.

"I absolutely think he'd do that for you," Paul assured her. "Talk to Vince. I'm sure he'll set everything up for you once you explain what's happening. This is such bullshit."

"I think I'll go do that." Serena got out of her chair. Dean started to stand, but she put her hand on his shoulder. "Stay. Have dinner. It's a busy night for you three. You need to keep up your energy. I'll be right back." Dean nodded reluctantly and sat back down in his chair. Serena left the dining area, ignoring the glares from Rosa Mendes.

She made her way down the hall, moving swiftly in the direction of Vince's office. Distracted by one of the techs, she crashed into a firm body. She blushed. "Jesus, I'm sorry…"

Serena looked up, into the haunted eyes of Wade Barrett. "It's all right, love," he told her quickly. He tried to walk past her, but she reached out and grabbed him. He turned to her, surprised.

"Can we talk for a moment?" she asked.

"I don't know, Serena…"

"Please. I won't take long." With a sigh, Wade nodded and allowed Serena to lead him into his locker room. They sat down. Serena felt awkward around the man she considered a good friend. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked. She kept herself leaned against the door to keep him from leaving.

"What?"

"I just feel like you're avoiding me." She noticed the tremor in his hands as he struggled to hold onto the armband he was holding. She went over to him, kneeling in front of him and wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her actions caught Wade by surprise, but he hugged her back. It was nowhere near as tight as the hug Serena was giving him. He could smell her delicate perfume. He ran his hand over her hair, remembering how silky and smooth it was. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, love. I've just been busy and I'm dealing with a lot." Serena understood all too well. Everybody involved was still reeling. She knew that WWE Management had renewed their faith in Wade Barrett. They were using him a lot more, making him travel and do media appearances. He had just gotten back from the UK a couple days before. But there was still that nagging feeling that he blamed her for what happened. It was natural, she supposed, but she knew what happened was the fault of a deranged madman.

She pulled back and looked at his still-shaking hands. Wade looked down at them. There was something in his eyes that Serena could only identify as shame. Wade was a tall, intimidating man of six-foot-seven, but even Wade was no match for a lunatic with a stun gun. Someone had tried to kill him, and had almost succeeded. That sort of experience would drive the manliest of men to their knees. She took his hand and held it. She flashed him a soft smile.

"I'll be all right," he managed. "It's nothing compared to what you've endured. How are you?"

"I'd be a lot better if his parents weren't suing me for wrongful death."

"You're fucking kidding." Wade was incredulous. Serena assured him she was serious. "That's not right."

"No, it isn't. I was actually just on my way to talk to Vince about pointing me in the direction of a good lawyer when I ran into you," Serena told him. "I'm glad I did. What did the doctor say about the shaking?"

"He said it'll bugger off with time. I just have to be patient. It's bloody inconvenient is what it is," he vented.

"Are you talking to somebody about what happened?" Wade shook his head.

"I have been thinking about it, to be honest."

"I think you should. It can only do good to get the thoughts out." She put her hand to his face, a caring gesture that caught Wade by surprise. "We're here for you. Me, Dean, Seth and Roman are all here. Don't go this alone. I've made that mistake before."

"I appreciate your concern, Serena," Wade managed. He smiled. "Why don't I come with you to Vince's office?"

"Oh, God, that would be great. I'm going to be honest with you, Wade: Vince intimidates me. I'd rather always deal with Stephanie and Hunter. Vince is just so…larger than life."

"You and most of the roster feel that way, love," Wade chuckled. They stood and left the locker room. Serena could tell Wade was a changed man, even without seeing the shaking in his hands or the new gleam in his eyes. He followed close behind her. She was surprised when his hand came up, touching her spine gently as he guided her down the hallway towards Vince's office.

Wade knocked and then opened the door, gently pushing Serena into the room. Vince was on his cell phone. He turned to them and smiled. Even though Serena was intimidated by the ringleader aura that surrounded Vince McMahon, the truth was he had never been anything but nice to her.

"I'll call you back, Linda." He snapped the phone shut. "Serena! Wade! What can I do for you both?"

"This is really awkward, Vince, but I was hoping you could point me in the direction of a good lawyer?" Vince cocked an eyebrow. Serena quickly filled him in on the situation. Vince snorted.

"Let me get this straight: this guy kills people, tortures you twice, injures a bunch of my Superstars and commits arson, and his family is suing you?" Serena nodded. "Jesus Christ. Quite frankly, Serena, I wonder about people sometimes." Wade and Serena nodded in agreement. Vince grinned. "Don't you worry, Serena – I'll set up a meeting with you and our legal department. If they want to play hardball with you, we'll play."

Serena blinked. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Would an appointment on Wednesday be all right?"

"Sure." Serena was still caught by surprise that Vince was so open to help. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. You're part of the family." He looked at Wade. "Was there something you wanted?"

"No." Vince's phone rang again. "We'll go." Vince gave them a slight wave and answered the phone. Serena and Wade left the office. Through the door, they could hear Vince's booming voice as he spoke with his son, Shane, who had left the company three years before. Serena turned to Wade.

"Are you wrestling tonight?"

"Yeah, I've got a match with R-Truth."

"Good luck out there."

"I'll probably see you afterwards." He hugged her.

"Stay strong, Wade."

"You, too, love." He let her go and disappeared down the hall. Serena watched after him, feeling awkward and fidgeting. She jumped when a hand clamped on her shoulder. She turned to see Dean Ambrose, trailed by Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Serena sighed.

"Jesus, you can't just sneak up on me like that," she chided them. Dean smirked, pulling her closer to him.

"Everything good?" Dean asked her.

"I don't know yet. Hopefully."