Adam stood in the Tacoma Washington shower before the Raw show, almost feeling nervous. He hadn't wrestled in almost a month. It seemed as soon as Rachel had woken up, Vince was on the phone calling him. He had hated to leave Rachel still at the hospital, but she insisted for him to go. He couldn't say no.
"Adam? It's almost time for us to get out there." Jay yells into the shower.
Adam turns off the water, and leans against the wall. He was almost about to have a panic attack, he thought. He had never felt that way, not even when he first started out. He breathed heavily, and pulled a towel around him. He'd be OK, he thought. He wasn't going to let Rachel down, he thought as he left the shower.
-----------
Rich sat the phone down after speaking to one of the magazines the company dealed with. They were upset by an article that had gotten past him. Of course, it was written by Meri. She had sent it to them without him looking over it. He picked up the phone again, wondering he should bother Rachel. He sighed, and started to dial the hospital number. He was so happy she was awake, he thought.
"Hello?" A male voice answered.
"Is there any way I could speak to Rachel?" Rich asks the man.
"Hello?" Rachel says as she answers the phone.
"How are you feeling? I'm sorry I am not up there, but someone has to run the place." Rich says laughing.
"RICH!!" Rachel yells into the phone.
"Yeah, it's me. I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have to tell you about what's going on with your little company." He said and sighed.
"Is it good or bad?" Rachel asked, hoping it was only good news.
"Bad really, again I am sorry. I really hate calling you with bad news." He says and starts to roll a pencil on the desk.
"Rich, these drugs they have me on, I am so groggy. I'll hopefully be home soon to take care of things. Can you work on all the bad stuff until I get there." Rachel asked, sleepily.
"OK.. I guess I can do that. All this has given me a headache. I know Meri is your friend and all, but." Rich says to her. They hang up, and he sits staring into space for a few minutes.
He decides he is through early for the day. He locks up and walks to his car. He turns and leans on his car lost in thought. He needed a break, he thought, and he needed it now.
He pulled out of the parking lot, and called Meri on her cell. No answer, he leaves a message. Was this his crossroad, he thought? He drove off, leaving Tampa behind.
--------------
"I can't watch wrestling tonight. I'll just get aggravated about my ankle." Jeff said, as he sat down on the porch swing.
Beth looked at him through the screen door. Jeff was so hard headed sometimes, she thought. She hid a spray bottle behind her back, one used to spray the plants with.
"Are you going to wine all night??" She asks, as she stepped out on the porch in front of him.
Jeff stared at her, knowing she was up to know good. "You look like you are up to something." He said, as she started to giggle.
Beth pulled the bottle from behind her, and sprayed at him.
"Oh this isn't fair, I can't run from you!" Jeff says laughing, as She sprays him again.
"Who said life was fair?" She said, and sprayed him a third time. She stepped back from him, as he made a grab for her. She was having so much fun with Jeff, she thought. She jumped into his lap, and they fumbled over the bottle. The lid twisted off, and the rest of the bottle dumped into her lap.
-------------
Michelle stood in the lower section of the arena and took pictures of the crew taking down the stage.
"Hey, are you going to be much longer?" Kurt says, coming up behind her. "I'm supposed to hook up with some of the guys and go out. But I am sure they wouldn't care if I took off with you." He says with a smile.
She sat in a seat, and Kurt kneeled on the one in front of her. "Where are the other guys going out?? We can go with them if you want." She says, as she snaps off a picture of him.
"You really want to go out with those guys and party?? I just didn't want them to corrupt you." Kurt says laughing.
"Corrupt me?? How can you corrupt someone that has already been corrupted?" She says, as he takes her hand and helps her up. "Come on, lets go!"
He could be alone with her later, he thought as they left the arena.
----------------
Chris ran back into the arena to look for a necklace that had been torn off him during his match. He searched the floor, and even asked the crew that was taking down the set. His mother had given it to him, and it had meant the world to him.
"Maybe your girl found it, she was out here earlier." One of the crew members said. "She's walking off over there with Kurt." The guy said and pointed in their direction.
Chris looked up in their direction, and watched them walk out hand in hand. Maybe it was for the best, he thought. He watched until they were out of sight. He would ask her later if she had found it. He walked back to the locker room, and almost ran into Scotty.
"Woah, quit looking at the ground. A few of us are going out.. Kurt, Justin... a few others. You're welcome to come." Scotty said, as he was backing away to leave.
Chris thinks for a moment. He was sure Michelle would end up with them. He shook his head no, and decided to just go back to his motel room. Seeing Michelle with Kurt only made his heart hurt.
------------
Michelle woke up with a pounding headache, as she lay in the motel bed. Rolling over, she realizes she is not alone. She rubbed her eyes, thinking maybe she was still dreaming. But when she heard a male moan, she had to moan herself. She couldn't remember what happened the night before. She started to rub her eyes again, when the person next to her began to speak.
"Quit rubbing your eyes so hard, it's not going to make me disappear." Kurt said, and pulled Michelle's hands away from her face.
"Did we...." Michelle starts, but Kurt finishes.
"Have sex? If we did, would it be so bad?" He asks Michelle.
"No, but I am not one for one nighters." Michelle says. She pulls the sheet up to her chin, and he pulls it back down. " Was it any good??" She asks with a chuckle.
"Who said it had to be a one nighter?" Kurt asks, as he pulls her close. " We have fun in each others company." He says, and kisses her cheek. "I gotta get up, I have to go pack." He says, and gets up from the warm bed.
"Kurt, I am not ready for another relationship." She says, as she watches him dress.
"Just think about it. There's no hurry." Kurt says, and kisses her forehead. He lets himself out the door, and almost runs into Chris.
---------------
Meri sat at her desk, wondering if Rich was asleep in his office. She had been at work two hours, and he hadn't been out to insult her once, she thought. It was awfully quiet. She stood up to go to his office when the phone rang. It stopped after three rings, and then started again.She sat back down at her desk. She wasn't going to answer it, Rich always did. she put on her headphones and turned on her computer. She was going to edit her own story again, she knew how, she thought.
------------
Lily and Sean pull into the L.A. arena to find a small group of people waiting for the wrestlers to arrive.
"Is it like this all the time??" Lily asks him.
"Sometimes worse." He says, as he parks the car. "Amy's over there signing autographs."
"I'll be in a minute." She says, and starts to take pictures of her signing.
A car pulls up and Kurt Angle rides through the gate. A few of the girls start to scream his name, and he waves.
Lily turns to go inside, and she hears Matt calling her name. She turns and waits for him to catch up. No matter how often she saw him, he still made her weak in the knees.
"Hi." Lily said, as he caught up with her.
"Business or pleasure today?" He asked, as he played with her camera.
"Pleasure." She replied. "No work for me today."
"Good, would you object to having lunch with me?" He asked
"No." She said, hoping she hadn't replied to fast.
He guided her to the rental car to go in search of some decent food. Amy smiled and waved as they left.
--------
Jay, Adam and Chris rode together in their rental car, Chris in a much noticeable silence. He had been that way almost the entire trip down from Tacoma. Even in the airplane. Adam looked back at Chris, and decided to ask him what was on his mind.
"Do you ever get the feeling that you didn't do the right thing?" Chris asked the other two men.
"Michelle?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, I know I broke up with her, but. BUT, I saw Kurt leaving her room this morning and I just wanted to mess him up." Chris said, as he looked out the window.
"KURT?" Adam asked with surprise. He turned to look at Chris to see if he was joking, but the look on his face told him different.
"Kurt." Chris said, as he looked back at Adam. "I still have feelings for her, I do. It hurt me to see her with Kurt, and to know she has moved on."
"But Kurt?? She never seemed interested in him before. Maybe it's nothing. What about Jess, she's still around, right?" Adam asks.
"She's around. She seemed more happy to see me the other night when I came back than Michelle did. I had to almost throw Jess of me." He said with a small laugh.
Chris looked back out the window, lost in thought. They passed through the security gate, and he could barely hear the fans screams. He got out of the car, and started to walk into the building. The fans had started to chant his name, and when he looked their way they all screamed. He sighed, and stared to walk over to them. He would do anything to keep his mind off Michelle and the fact that she was now with Kurt.
-----------
"Dad, do you want to play some seven card stud?" Rachel asked, happy to be back at home.
"Sure." He said, and put a package on the table that was for Jeff.
The phone rang, and Rachel answered the phone. For a few moments, no one seemed to be on the other end.
"Is this the Hardy residence?" The female voice asked.
"Yes, may I ask who is calling?" Rachel asked, as her dad looked at her with eyebrows raised.
"Um.. This is Kira, is this Rachel?" The girl asks.
"Yes." Rachel responds.
"I just wanted to see how you were. I sent a package to Matt, and there is a card in it for you. I just really wanted to see if you were OK." The girl said nervously.
"I'm find, thanks." Rachel said, as her dad quietly shuffled the cards.
"OK, great." The girl says and hangs up.
"That was weird." Rachel said, as she hung up the phone.
"A fan?" Jeff asks, as he hobbles into the room. He sits at the table and stares at the package on the table.
"Yeah, a fan." Rachel says, as she watches Jeff with his package. "Open it!!" If he didn't open it soon, she was going to tear through it herself.
"You should see some of the things I get. Underwear, bras...adult toys." Jeff laughs at the thought of some people thinking he is gay.
Beth enters the room after being out on the back porch tanning. "Oh package, open it!!" She says, as she stands behind Jeff with her hands on his shoulders.
Jeff rips open the paper and box, to find a video from a fan.
"What no underwear?" Rachel says laughing.
-------------
Dinner had been excellent, Jeff thought. Beth had cooked them dinner, and then had decided to put in the movie Powder. She sat on the floor in front of him to watch the movie. He started to braid her hair, and to his surprise she let him.
"You don't have to sit on the floor." Jeff asked, hoping she wouldn't leave from in front of him.
"I'm comfortable." She replied, looking back at him smiling. "Oh, the popcorn." She jumped up and ran into the kitchen. No movie was a really a movie without popcorn. No matter how full you were.
"Make your move, go!!" Rachel whispered to Jeff.
Jeff smiled, and then hobbled into the kitchen. He stood inside the kitchen door and watched as Beth put the popcorn in the microwave. She turned around to see him, and smiled.
"Go sit back down. You and Rachel don't need to be up." She says, as she playfully punches him on the shoulder.
He catches her hand, and pulls it to his lips. She looks from her hand to his eyes.
"Jeff, I can't." She says, knowing all to well that she could.
They continue to stare, as the popcorn starts to burn. She knew how he felt about her, because she felt the same way about him. Not every man is like David, she thought. Her knees were starting to feel weak.
Jeff took her hand and put it to his chest. She could feel his heart thumbing wildly to the touch. she realized he was as scared as she was. She put her other hand on top of her other hand.
He closed his eyes afraid the vibe he was getting would go away. Her lips touched his in a feathery kiss. He opened his eyes in surprise.
"You can't??" He asks, as he pulls her close for a kiss that would seal their fate.