Part 41:

Stacey stood in front of the lake, her wet clothes clinging to her skin. Her heart was heavy but she was driven by her duty to her Golden Dream. Paul had been a worthy candidate but his casual rejection of her had sealed his fate. She made her way to the boulders where she'd stashed a set of dry clothes. As she stripped, she thought about her next candidate. Maybe Badd Ass Billy Gun or Test… well, she'd figure something out by Monday. Dragging Paul's big body into the water without getting her hair wet had been exhausting work.
Stacey looked up at the lowering orb of the sun and smiled. She'd get her Golden Boy yet.

From their vantage point, Lissy, Steve, Brian and Kip watched Stacey. They'd gotten in position in time to see her push Paul's head under the dark waters. The sight had made Lissy's eyes tear with pain. Her heart and mind warred but she remained in control as she quickly came up with a plan.
“Steve, Kip,” she said in hushed tones, “I want you guys to get Paul out of the water. Kip, I'm going to draw her attention to me. I want you to get into the water as fast as you can. I want both you and Steve to go by those boulders over there. The second I get her back to the water, go for it.”
“Okay,” said Kip and Steve together, getting up.
“And be quiet about it. Stay underwater as long as you can.”
As Steve and Kip disappeared under the cover of the trees, Brian scooted over to Lissy.
“What's your plan?”
“I'm going to beat her until she forgets what her name is.”
“Lissy…”
“Brian, that bitch needs a beating.”
“She's tougher than she looks. I mean, she can wrestle.”
“Wrestling Brian. Both you and I know there's a difference between fighting and wrestling. I'm on my way to pick a fight. I don't intend to lose. Now, do you want to sit here and argue or do you want to help me save Paul?”

Stacey was tucking her wet clothes and boots into a black garbage bag when she heard the clatter of horseshoes on the flat stones surrounding the lake. She turned around and her face clouded as she recognized the rider.
“Lissy,” she said with her fake smile plastered on her face, “I didn't know you were going to be here.”
Of course you didn't, you murderous bitch, thought Lissy.
“Well, I finally gave in and realized how much I loved Paul.”
“Oh, that's wonderful. Paul and I were talking about you for the longest time.”
“You were? Did he say anything bad about me?”
“Not a bad word. He really does love you.”
“So,” said Lissy, sliding off her horse, “where is he?”
“He went for a walk.”
“Oh. Good, that way, he won't have to witness this.”
“Witness what?”
Lissy's hand flashed out before Stacey saw it coming and she slapped her. Hard. Stacey staggered to the ground, her blond hair blocking her view of the lake as Kip went in after Paul. Stacey got up and faced Lissy, her eyes hard.
“What the hell was that all about?”
“That was all about you going after my man, you conniving little bitch. And if you think I'm about to stand by and let go through with it, you're wrong!”
When Lissy started in on Stacey, Brian almost stepped out of his hiding place to stop her but, frankly, he was enjoying it too much. Stacey managed to put up a token defense but against a woman who was taller, stronger and in much better shape, she didn't stand a chance.

Stacey was lying on her side, blood tricking from various splits in her lips, her nose. Her eyes were already starting to swell and she knew, in her heart of hearts that she had a couple of bruised, if not broken, ribs. She looked at the scuffed black motorcycle boots a few inches from her face, suddenly afraid. This was the first time anyone had ever put a hand on her. She'd never gotten so severely beaten before.

Lissy looked to the lake at Kip as he dove into the water, approximately where Stacey had left Paul's body. She held her breath as Kip disappeared into the dark water, crossing her fingers. Then there were bubbles and Kip came up to the surface. Alone. Lissy leaned over Stacey's prostrate form and anchored her fingers into the layers of her flannel shirt and of her thick cable-knit sweater.
“What do you know about pain Stacey?” she asked softly.
“…”
“What do you know about pain, bitch?”
“N-n-n-n-nothing…”
“After what I did to you, you know nothing about pain? That doesn't say much about my skills.”
“I know about pain,” said Stacey, very quickly.
Out of the corner of her eye, the blond saw movement in the trees surrounding the lake. In a great effort, she twisted her head and spotted Steve's bald head off a boulder. She swung her legs up and pushed Lissy off her, making the private investigator fall and hit her head on some of the smooth stones. When she looked out to the water, Stacey finally saw Kip bring Paul's inanimate form to the surface of the water.
“No!” she screamed. “No!”
Just then, Brian tackled Stacey from behind. Armed with despair and rage, the young woman kicked him off her body and rained her fists down on his massive shoulders. As he truggled to capture her flailing fists, she brought her legs up to her chest and struck him with both feet in the middle of his chest. The hit surprised Brian and he staggered back as he tried to catch his breath. When he looked up, he saw Stacey above him, bringing a rock down on his head.

Her vision was blurry but Lissy saw Stacey take Brian out. She'd underestimated her opponent. She wasn't about to make that mistake again. This time, when she would hit, she would hit with everything she had.
Stacey walked past Lissy and took a quick look at the fallen PI. She was still unconscious and that fitted Stacey's plans just fine. She started to make her way around the lake to where Steve was. When Stacey got into position, the blood was pumping so loudly into her ears that she didn't hear the rustling behind her. She picked up another rock and threw her arm back, taking aim at Steve. But something snagged her arm, stopped her movement. She turned around and was greeted by Lissy's fist.

As Kip swam towards him, Steve saw Stacey and Lissy stumble out of the trees, engaged in a vicious fistfight. He was torn. He could tell Kip was exhausted by the swim but he could also see that Lissy wasn't fighting as hard as she could. Finally, he decided to pull Paul and Kip out of the water and then he'd take care of the little blond bitch.
“You ruined it all,” screamed Stacey as she rained punches on Lissy's ribcage.
“You ruined it all by yourself,” said Lissy, landing a punch to the little woman's haughty jaw. “All I wanted was my Golden Boy.”
“Buy a fuckin' doll.”
Lissy got her second wind and started using kicks where she'd been using punches. They had a devastating effect on the little blonde. Lissy stood above her, ready to deliver the final punch, the one that would effectively knock her out.
“Give up Stacey!” called Steve as he got closer to them.
“Never!”
“Stacey! If you don't stop fighting, she'll have to kill you and it'll be justified.”
“All I wanted was my Golden Dream,” wailed Stacey, giving up her fighting stance.
“All you wanted was impossible,” said Lissy, flipping her on her back and securing both of her wrists at the small of her back with a rope Steve tossed her.
“But we would have made such a lovely Golden Couple, don't you think?”
Afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself around the would-be Golden Woman, Lissy went to Kip, who was sitting by Paul. His full lips were tinged with blue and his eyes were closed. Lissy grabbed his wrist for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief when she found one. She guessed it was hypothermia. He would be okay. He was going to be okay. Paul was safe and he was going to be okay. The realization brought tears to her eyes.

While Steve slung Stacey's body across the back of the horse she had ridden to the lake, Brian saw to it that Kip was carefully wrapped up in a blanket before he went off on his horse. Kip was fine, although he grumbled about being wet and cold. They were going up ahead with Stacey and Paul, who would ride, unconscious though he was, in front of Brian. Lissy and Steve would close the column. Lissy watched Brian and Paul disappear and turned to Steve, a bright smile on her lips.
“All's well that ends well,” she said to him.
“Let go,” he said simply.
Lissy smiled at him and her smile quickly turned into a torrent of tears. Steve opened his arms to her and she went to him willingly, crying her eyes out. She was so tired and she'd been so scared. But Paul was safe. That was all that mattered. Paul was safe.
But she wasn't. Her heart was broken into tiny little pieces and chances were, no one would ever be able to put it back together again.

Part 42:

A week after Stacey had tried to kill Paul, she was sitting in a Dallas prison as her attorney tried to figure out where would be the best venue for her trial. He was also trying to get her declared legally insane, which according to most of the WWF roster, she was.
Barry had been found behind the barn, with a huge bump on his head. Apparently Stacey had hit him in the head with a shovel to keep him from following her and Paul while they went on their ride. As for Paul, he'd quickly recovered from his unplanned swim but he was still dealing with the concussion Stacey had given him when she'd hit him with that rock.
As for Lissy, well, she'd been holed up in her house for a week. She had refused to speak to everyone. She stayed inside her house, listening to music, watching movies and TV, but not much of anything else. And she cried a lot during that time. When her mother called to tell her that the WWF had added a half a million dollar bonus to their fee for protecting Paul, Lissy felt the world cave in on top of her.
It was early Sunday morning when she woke up to find Debbie sitting on a chair next to her bed. Her friend seemed concerned.
“How did you get in?” she asked, sitting up in bed.
“I used my key.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Is that all you're going to say? Oh? Lissy, damn it! I was scared out of my mind wondering what was wrong with you. And your mother was too.”
“I spoke to her last night.”
“Grunts and monosyllabic responses do not qualify as a conversation.”
“Whatever.”
“No, damn it Lissy, not whatever. Ever since you came back from Texas, no one's heard anything from you. It's like you dropped off the face of the earth.”
“I needed some alone time.”
“Then let us know so we won't worry about you.”
“Now you know. Will you leave now?”
“No. You and I have a club we have to open in the next couple of months. We have too much work to do for me to allow you to slack off.”
“Debbie, please, I'm not in the mood for this at all.”
“Tough luck. Now, get up. You have to wash up, get dressed and then we have to meet Max at the club. He was supposed to teach us the ropes, remember?”
Lissy glared at her best friend and started to swing her legs off the bed. When she did, a black teddy bear fell from the sheets onto the floor.
“Since when do you sleep with teddy bears?” asked Debbie with a warm smile.
“It's nothing,” said Lissy quickly, moving to grab the stuffed animal from the floor.
“It's something,” said Debbie, getting to the teddy before Lissy and keeping it out of her friend's reach. “So let's have a look at this bad boy…”
Debbie turned the teddy bear around and smiled when she saw its adorable button eyes. The bear was wearing a cute Harley Davidson leather cap backwards and it was wearing a black DX tee shirt under a black leather jacket. Its outfit was completed with a pair of blue jeans and black leather motorcycle boots. There was no doubt in Debbie's mind who this teddy bear was replacing in her friend's life.
“Oh my God,” she said, turning to Lissy, “you're still that much in love with him, aren't you?”
“Never mind,” snapped Lissy, grabbing the teddy bear from her friend's hands.
“Lissy, talk to me, we're friends.”
“He was a job,” said Lissy, stalking off to the bathroom. “And now, that job is over.”
Lissy slammed the bathroom door shut behind her and Debbie sat on the bed, confused. She looked over to the closed door and grabbed the phone. Quickly, she dialed Kip's cell number.
“Hello?” said his voice on the other end.
“Hi sweetie. What's up?”
“Deb? I miss you so much.”
“Me too. How are you?”
“Not bad. You?”
“Worried.”
“What's wrong?” asked Kip.
“It's Lissy. I'm over at her place right now. We hadn't heard from her in ages so I came over and found her in bed. And she's been crying.”
“Shit! Why?”
“She wouldn't tell me. But she had a HHH teddy bear in bed with her. And she got really defensive when I asked her about it.”
“Damn!”
“How's Paul?”
“Well, we haven't spent that much time with him, but he's not that much fun to be around either.”
“Great!” said Debbie, keeping an eye on the bathroom door. “Maybe it's time for us to get to work on these two.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Ever played matchmaker?”

Over the next two months, Lissy completely lost herself in the process of preparing the opening of her club. It was hard work, which literally made her forget Paul. Well, it didn't. She though about him every second of the day but she dealt with it a lot better. She didn't bite her friends' heads off as much as she used to and she almost got to the point where she was pleasant.
The club, which was christened Home, was scheduled to open in two weeks. And, with Max's help, Debbie and Lissy managed to get Ricky Martin as their star attraction for the opening. He was going to perform a few songs from his CD and maybe even join the dancers on the dance floor. Debbie was setting up those details. As for Lissy, she was closely working with Logan and his dancer friends on several choreographies for Ricky's songs.
When Mike and Kip came over to the club to check out some of the last minute preparations and saw Logan and Lissy on the dance floor, they went up to Debbie, angry looks on their faces.
“What the hell is that all about?” asked Kip.
“Trust me,” said Debbie, “Logan and Lissy aren't sleeping together. They're just working on something. Anyways, Logan's on board with us. We're going to get Paul and Lissy together, even if it kills them.”

Part 43:

It was The Night. The club was opening, tonight. Lissy and Debbie were backstage seeing to the last minute details. Both of them were wearing headsets equipped with microphones that kept them in touch with the special security crew they'd hired and the hostesses. So far, everything was going along very nicely. Max came up to them, smiling.
“You guys, this is great! Everything's going along without a hitch.”
“So far Max, so far,” grinned Debbie. “Did the other partners get here yet?”
“Not yet. But don't worry, the second they get there, I'll take them to their special seats.”
“Good.”
“Now, the star of the show would like to meet the two of you.”
“Deb,” asked Lissy, “do we have time?”
“I think we can squeeze in a few minutes for our star attraction.”
Lissy and Debbie quickly followed Max to the small office they'd converted into a dressing room for Ricky Martin. It wasn't much but it was the best they could do. The club was not equipped to house stars. Ricky was alone in his dressing room, doing some breathing exercises when Max led the girls in. He opened his eyes and smiled at the girls. Both of whom blushed and giggled before they stuck out their hands for handshakes.
“Mr. Martin,” said Lissy, “it's a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine ladies. From what I've seen so far, the club looks great.”
“Thank you.”
“The boys are in,” called a voice into Lissy and Debbie's headsets, “I repeat, the boys are in.”
“All right,” said Debbie, “I'll go make sure they get settled in.”
“Cool,” said Lissy. “Sorry about that Mr. Martin. But I guess that makes it our five minute cue.”
“I see. And your name?”
“Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Lissy Carlson and my partner is Debbie Hines.”
“You'll be dancing with me tonight, won't you?”
“Yes.”
“My stand-in gave you all of my moves?”
“Yes. Everything should be just fine.”
“I know it will.”
Ricky flashed her the sexiest smile she'd ever seen and Lissy had to restrain herself from lunging at him, lips first. But she managed to find her way to the door. Calling Debbie backstage, the two of them saw to the final details and hurried to their office to change into their outfits. The two of them were going to wear dresses which were basically circles of colored glass held together by extra strong nylon strings. And, depending on how they moved, the dresses look like they were either naked or surrounded by flashes of color.
Naturally, Ricky was going to kick tonight off with a rendition of Living La Vida Loca. Then, he would go into Shake Your Bon-Bon and, depending on crowd reaction, he might, or might not, do Spanish Eyes. During Vida Loca Lissy and Debbie would dance on top of pillars, a few steps behind Ricky, at opposite ends of the small stage. For Shake Your Bon-Bon however, they would dance next to him, shaking their stuff along with him. And if he did Spanish Eyes, Debbie wouldn't dance, but Lissy would, on the small dance floor, with Logan and some of his friends. It was going to be great.

Lissy and Debbie stood on the small stage, holding hands, waiting for lights to come on. They were as nervous as could be but there was no turning back. They were doing this and there was no escaping that reality. Finally, the lights came on and before they could say anything, the claps and the yells drowned them out. Finally, once the noise somewhat died down, they brought the microphones to their mouths.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” they said together, “welcome Home!”
The crowd was so wild that the two girls felt the ground shake. “We're not going to talk for too long, but we want to thank all of you for coming out,” said Debbie.”
“And before we bore you, let's welcome our opening act. Ricky Martin!”
The claps were thunderous as the lights went down and Ricky came onto the stage. While his musicians and backup singers took their positions, Lissy and Debbie went to their respective pillars, waiting for the music to start.
“You two are beautiful,” said Ricky before the music started.
His words were exactly what the two friends needed as they started to move. They didn't miss a step and when came time for the line She'll pull and push you out, Lissy and Debbie stood on their pillars, making pushing and pulling motions. As he sang, he drifted to and from them, smiling as if he was trying to decide which one was crazier. The best lighting effect came for the She'll make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain line, during which all three were bathed by a light blue spotlight which made Lissy and Debbie look like they weren't wearing much and Ricky look like he was naked, and dancing in the rain.
The crowd's response was enthusiastic to say the least. The club was shaking from top to bottom. There were only a few beats of silence until the musicians and Ricky segued into Shake Your Bon-Bon. Lissy and Debbie danced all around him, weaving their way all around him. As he sang, his eyes darted left and right to the blond to the brunette, back to the blond, grinning the whole time, looking like he was having the time of his life.

From the VIP room, the members of DX and their friends watched Debbie and Lissy as they danced, moving around a bit, smiling and laughing. Even Paul was moving from side to side, smiling and clapping. Lissy looked great and he had to face it. He'd missed her. He'd missed having her in his life. And tonight, he was going to get her back.
As Paul watched, Shake Your Bon-Bon wound down and Debbie made her way off the stage. As the tempo slowed, Lissy went to stand at the edge of the stage, poised and ready for Logan and another male dancer who would lift her down to the dance floor. As the rest of the dancers paired of into pairs, Lissy and Logan took their positions and started to dance, acting out the words of the song. And this time, although he felt his friend's worried eyes on him, Paul didn't get mad or angry. Because now he knew that whatever was between him and Lissy was much stronger and very different from whatever was between Lissy and Logan.

On the dance floor, Lissy and Logan danced, waiting for the song to end but out of the corner of her eye, Lissy saw Ricky bark out some orders to his musicians and then he made his way to the dance floor, straight to her. Logan carefully bowed out and let the young Puerto Rican take over. In his arms, Lissy danced like she'd never danced before. She'd never felt alive that way before and it felt great. Ricky was a great partner. He led her through the steps smoothly and she'd never enjoyed herself in that way before. And at that moment, she forgot all about Paul.

Part 44:

After they were done dancing, Ricky dragged a dizzy Lissy backstage to his dressing room. He pulled her into the room after him and slammed the door shut, locking it. She shook her head and smiled up brightly at him.
“That was great!”
“It was,” he agreed, surveying her features and her body. “You are a truly fantastic dancer.”
“Thank you! I had a great partner.”
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the small couch, “I want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“There is an open spot on my team.”
“Your team?”
“Of dancers. The girl I usually dance with. She was injured, sprained ankle. I've been looking for a suitable replacement for over a month now.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure I could introduce you to anyone of Logan's friends who danced tonight. I'm sure they'd love the opportunity of work…”
“I want you.”
“What?”
“As her replacement. I want you to dance with me.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I have to work with someone with whom there is a certain chemistry. I believe that chemistry exists between you and me.”
“Me?” repeated Lissy.
“Yes, you,” said Ricky with a tender smile.
“I don't know. I mean, dancing is a hobby for me and I just started this club with my friend Debbie and I can't just leave her hanging.”
“First of all, you're a wonderful dancer. And second of all, I understand, you have to talk with your friend. And let me know, by tonight. Tomorrow, I leave to go to Europe. I would like to know if you will join me.”
“You want me to give you an answer tonight?”
“Yes.”
“All right. I have to go now.”
Lissy ran out of Ricky's dressing room and into the office she shared with Debbie. As she changed out of the colored glass dress, she grabbed her headset and told Debbie to meet her in the office ASAP. When Debbie got there, Lissy was pulling on a pair of dark green ants under a shiny grey halter top that displayed a lot of cleavage.
“What's up?”
“Sit down,” said Lissy, “I have news.”
“Should I be dreading your news?” asked Debbie, sitting down behind the desk.
“I don't know,” said Lissy, pacing in front of the desk. “I just got a very interesting offer.”
“Let me guess, Ricky Martin wants you to be his sex slave.”
“Close. He wants me to go on the road with him.”
“As what?”
“A dancer.”
“A dancer?”
“I know. I had the same reaction. But he told me I was a great dancer and that we have a lot of chemistry, which is a fact. And he wants my answer tonight because he leaves for Europe tomorrow and he wants to know if I'm on board. Oh God Debbie, Lord knows I've always secretly dreamt of dancing professionally but this would be… it would be… so unfair to you and Logan, since the two of you have the training to be real dancers… but Debbie, this is a once in a lifetime chance. Who am I to say that this isn't what God meant for me to do? Debbie, input please!”
“Well, I would have added my two cents if you'd given me a chance to talk. First of all, decide this for you, not for me, not for Logan. Do it for you.”
“But what about the club? We just opened…”
“So what? I was practically an assistant manager when I stopped working at the club. And I still have Max and the boys to help out, if I need it. Listen, owning the club is one of your dreams, dancing is another.”
“Well, it's not, not really.”
“It so is Lissy. It's one of those dreams you pushed to the background because the rest of your life got in the way.”
“Well…”
“Stop welling me girl! I know you and I know that dancing would make you so incredibly happy you'd burst.”
“It would,” finally, admitted Lissy, slumping against the corner of the desk.
“So do it.”
“Are you sure?”
Debbie briefly thought about Paul and about Kip and about their plan to get Lissy and Paul back together. But what kind of friend would she be if she stood in the way of Lissy's most precious dream? Paul would just have to be patient.
“Yes, I'm sure.”

While Lissy went to inform Ricky of her decision, Debbie went back to the VIP lounge where the boys were. She'd taken off her headset and she was free for the rest of the night, unless there was some kind of emergency. The evening was hers. Kip came up to her, looking over her shoulder.
“Where's Lissy?”
“Well, that's something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Hey guys,” yelled Sean from the balcony that looked out onto the dance floor, “Lissy and Ricky Martin are going at it again.”
Debbie and Kip made their way to the balcony and saw Lissy and Ricky hit the dance floor. He was holding her tight, swinging her around this way and that. Finally, Ricky brought her up and held her tight, laying a light kiss on her lips. Lissy quickly pulled away from the kiss, but her smile softened as he whispered a little something into her ear. Then, everyone watched, in shock, as Ricky Martin dragged her right out of her club on opening night.
“What the hell was this all about?” asked Kip turning to Debbie, his eyes blazing.
“I was going to tell you,” said Debbie, “Lissy just took a job as a dancer with Ricky Martin?”
“She did WHAT?” screamed Kip.
“Good for her,” said Paul, “that'll make her happier than I ever could.”

Part 45:

The next two months were a big blur in Lissy's life. All she knew with any certainty was that she was in the best shape of her life and that she'd traveled all over Europe with a very lively bunch. And although dancing and working with Ricky was exhausting work, she often found herself missing the life she'd once had. Being on the road with Ricky was fun, but it wasn't anywhere near as much fun as being on the road with the WWF and the boys. Lissy talked on the phone with Debbie and her mother at least twice a week but she missed them terribly.
After the two-month long European tour, Ricky and his people were back in the United States for a few concerts and to film a video. But things weren't going well between Lissy and Ricky. Most of their arguments were on just one topic: the fact that she staunchly refused to dance Be Careful with My Heart with him. It was the one thing she couldn't bring herself to do. That song, in a way, belonged to her and Paul and dancing to it with Ricky was tantamount to cheating on Paul and that was one thing she would not do.
“Just one time,” begged Ricky, “just dance to it with me one time.”
“No, I can't.”
“Why not?”
“I'd rather not say.”
“Is this because of him?”
They were in Lissy's dressing room and Ricky picked up the HHH teddy bear Lissy still slept with.
“Put it down,” said Lissy, rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes. “Please.”
“Dance it with me. You'll be wonderful.”
“Tina is doing a great job of it.”
“You'd be better.”
“I can't.”
“Listen Lissy, all through the European tour was fine but we're in the States now. Be Careful With My Heart needs to go over as much as possible and the critics will pick up on it if you don't dance it with me.”
“Then maybe I shouldn't dance with you at all. Maybe Tina should take my place and I should take hers.”
“That's out of the question.”
“Then accept the fact that I won't dance to Be Careful with you.”
“Then the least you could do is tell me why.”
“It was our song,” whispered Lissy, picking up the teddy bear Ricky had carelessly dropped on the bed. “It was my favorite song because I gave him my heart and told him to be careful with it but he wasn't. He was careless and he broke my heart.”
“Is that why you've been so sad?”
“Yes. I love him and he broke my heart.”
“So go after him,” said Ricky, sitting beside her on the bed. “Do the Miami concert with us, film the video as planned and then go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Lissy, you're still in love with him and it's affecting your work. Now, promise one thing.”
“What?”
“That when you see him, you dance with him to my song. Okay?”

Part 46:

It was Monday night, seven o'clock and all the boys of DX were sitting in their dressing room, waiting for Entertainment Tonight to air. It was the debut of Ricky Martin's new video and from the information Kip had gotten from Debbie, Lissy had a major part in the video. Actually, not only the boys of DX were there. Shane, Joanie, Y2J and Mike were there too, as well as the members of the Canadian Mafia.
The video started with a vision of a beautiful snowy peak. A lone figure was seen, weaving painting beautiful curves on the snow. The camera got closer and closer until the figure was identified as a female, a beautiful woman with brown hair streaked with gold. As her face came into view, everyone in the small dressing room started to clap. It was Lissy.
Suddenly, a figure appeared at her side. It was Ricky. And the race was on. There was no music yet, just the two bodies, weaving in and out of each other's paths in a wild competition. Then, they were others skiers on the desolate slope, all dressed in black and carrying weapons. Ricky and Lissy nimbly avoided the bullets and were seen flying off a snowy cliff. Before they could land, the image changed and Ricky Martin appeared in a tuxedo, wielding a gun, à la James Bond.
The whole video concept was to honor the James Bond persona and everything it had meant to people all over the world. And while Ricky eagerly stepped into the James Bond persona, before everyone's eyes, Lissy became the living embodiment of every Bond girl that had ever appeared on the screen. She was good, evil, innocent, wicked, smart, daring, beautiful, stunning, sexy and sensual. Within those five minutes, she became Pussy Galore, Solitaire, Holly Goodhead, Octopussy, May Day, and Xenia Onatopp. But by the end of the video, Lissy was the good Bond girl who draped herself all over James Bond before the final scene, in which they tumbled into a satin covered bed.
When the final credits appeared, a roar of applause filled the dressing room.
“She looked great,” said Sean, “I mean, never mind Pussy Galore, I should have thought about her when I was a kid.”
“Tell me about it,” agreed Andrew, stroking his chin, “and I got to kiss her too.”
“I wouldn't boast about that, kid,” said Mike with a smile, “I mean, all you got was a kiss.”
“Yeah but…”
The words died on Andrew's lips as Paul made his way into the dressing room. No one said a word as ET blared on during the interview with Ricky and his dance partner. Everyone looked at Paul, waiting for his reaction. Finally, Bob Goen was seen, shoving a microphone into Lissy's face.
“Now, how was it for you to be all the Bond girls wrapped up into one?”
“Well, it was a lot of fun,” said Lissy, still dressed up in a very intricate Solitaire costume. “I mean, I loved James Bond when I was a kid and this is as close as I get to being a Bond girl, how could it be anything but fun?”
“You and Ricky did the European tour together. Can we look forward to seeing the two of you dance your way across the states?”
“Unfortunately not. The video was my goodbye to the Ricky Martin experience. I have certain engagements I have to get back to.”
Then, they showed Lissy's past gig as WWF's Mysteria.
“You got to go on tour with two very popular organizations. Can we ask you which one you liked best?”
“Well, being with Ricky allowed me to do something I loved with people I liked a lot. But being on the road with the WWF was more. I got to learn something very important about myself, something I love and I got to work with people I really, really loved.”
“And now,” said Ricky, reappearing on screen, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “I'm going to lose her all over again.”
“You're no longer touring with Ricky Martin?”
“No. I've decided to go back to my one true love,” said Lissy, looking straight at the screen.
In the room, everyone wondered what this meant, but above all, what it meant for Paul. But before anyone could ask or make any kind of speculation, Pat Patterson came in to tell them to get ready for the show. Two people stayed back, two people who had once had a very deep and particular connection.
“Do you know what she meant?” asked Joanie.
“By what?” said Paul, getting his boots from his equipment bag.
“When Lissy said she was going back to her one true love. Do you know what she meant?”
“No, not really.”
“Come on Paul, this is me. Don't hide behind the whole stoic façade. I know you better than that.”
“I don't know Joanie. I want her back in my life, desperately so. She's the only thing that matters in my life.”
“Don't say that. Wrestling matters too. I mean, you had that long before Lissy came along and it kept you going.”
“Yeah, and for a while, when you and I, when we were in love, I saw things differently, you know. I mean, God this sounds like one of those romance novels, colors seemed brighter when I had you in my life.”
“And?” asked Joanie, sitting down next to him, “how was it with Lissy?”
“An explosion. A wild explosion of life and color, it was something I'd never felt before.”
“Boy, you have it bad,” sighed Joanie.
“I know I do. And until I figure out what to do, I want out of here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… I asked Vince for a leave of absence… and he said yes.”
“What?”
“I'm giving up the title, tonight. And then… then I'm out of here.”

When Lissy arrived at the Miami airport, she briefly second-guessed herself. Would Paul know where to find her? And if he didn't find her soon enough, would she have the courage to draw him to her? She shook the doubts out of her head and went to pick up the car she'd arranged for. Doubts were for the weak, she thought, and she felt strong, strong in her love for Paul.
An hour later, she got to the house. She pulled her car into the garage and went inside. Paul had given her a key and she used it freely. Lissy put her luggage in the bedroom and started to tour the house. She walked outside and found a man in his forties looking after the garden.
“Hello,” she said softly.
“Hi there,” answered the man, “I'm Fred. I'm the gardener. Who're you?”
“I'm Lissy Carlson. I'm a friend of Paul's.”
“I see. And how long are you going to be staying here?”
“As long as I have to.”
“Well, give me a moment and I'll be out of your way for at least a week.”
“It's okay.”
Lissy took a deep breath and went to the bedroom. She was exhausted and she needed to rest. She took off her jacket and her jeans but when she looked at the bed where she'd made love to Paul so many times, the bed where he became her dream lover. She couldn't sleep in that bed alone, without him. With tears streaming down her face, Lissy went back to the living room and lay down on the couch.

Lissy woke up fifteen minutes before nine and went to the kitchen to prepare herself a light snack. She wasn't terribly hungry but she knew she had to eat. Armed with a plate full of fresh fruits, the young woman sat down in front of the television and got ready to watch RAW. She hadn't missed a single episode of RAW or of SMACKDOWN since she'd first started going on the road with the WWF and it was a routine she enjoyed.
Tonight, there was something off-kilter. She could feel the negative waves emanating from the wrestlers. Something was wrong, something was terribly off and she was unable to pinpoint it. That is until DX made its first appearance.
HHH wasn't with them. And that couldn't be good.
In an unusually stern manner, X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws came down to the ring and the Road Dogg didn't even do his usual routine. The boys were going up against Too Cool and Rikishi Phatu. DX walked away victorious but there were none of the antics that made DX, DX. A chill filled Lissy. She was afraid of what was going to happen next.
The last scheduled match-up was a heavyweight championship title match between the reigning champion, HHH, and the people's challenger, The Rock. From the moment Paul appeared at the top of the ramp, Lissy knew, in her heart of hearts, that he was not going to walk away a winner.

Dwayne still didn't know how he was being rewarded with a title shot tonight. He'd heard that Paul was taking a leave of absence and he figured that he was going to take the belt until The Game came back but he knew that this was completely unexpected. Everyone backstage was talking about it. And the other guys from DX were crushed by their friend's decision. But they had agreed to abide by it.
The Game gave a good show but when came time for him to lose the belt, he did it with class and gave the audience everything they came to see. Dwayne almost hugged his friend for his show of showmanship but from the tears he saw in Paul's eyes, he realized that the man needed this time off.

In Paul's house, tears ran down Lissy's cheek as she watched Paul lose the championship belt. She knew that she was the reason behind this loss. It was her fault and she was going to make it up to him.

Part 47:

For the next six days, Lissy waited and waited and waited. There was no sign of Paul. There was no guarantee that he would come to her, but she had hoped that he would come back to this place, where their love had been pure, untouched. By the second day, she called Debbie and tried to get a bead on Paul and his whereabouts.
“You have no clue where he is?”
“No. As a matter of fact, Kip called me this morning, and asked me where you were.”
“Did Paul ask for me?”
“No, Kip thought Paul might be with you.”
“Deb, if Paul was with me, do you think I'd have called you?”
“No, I guess not. Anyways, other than that, how are you?”
“I want Paul back in my life.”
“And?”
“And nothing… once I get him back, then I'll see.”
“Lissy, are you sure you're not putting all of your eggs in the same basket?”
“Debbie, so far, I've done everything I was supposed to do. I acted logically. But now, it's time for me to do something for Lissy. And right now, that's getting Paul back.”
“And then what?”
“Then, I come back to New York and I look after the club for a couple of months and give you and Kip plenty of alone time.”
“Well, we could use some time to get to know each other better.”
“I've been a bit selfish but I'm not going to forget about my best friend. You deserve happiness and I'm going to shove it down your throat if I have to.”
“Thanks.”

While Lissy waited for Paul, she retreated into herself like she never had before. She spent most of her days on the beach, swimming and running and reading and dancing. Lissy had brought a lot of CDs with her and by positioning the speakers next to the patio windows, she could listen to the music whenever she felt like it, even if she was outside. There was one CD she played more often than the others. But there was one track she never played. There was one track that Lissy could not bear to hear.

Paul was driving down from Seattle to Miami. He needed the time alone. He needed to be by himself, to think. He drove at night and slept during the day, stopping off in ratty motels, eating stale food and, for the first time in years, not working out. He got to his Florida home seven days after walking out on RAW. He felt tired, out of shape and not quite clean. He pulled into the driveway just as the gardener, Fred, was leaving.
“Hey there Mr. Levesque.”
“Fred, what's up?”
“Nothing much. I just got finished taking care of your garden. Your lady friend seems to like it.”
“My lady friend?”
“Yeah, the dancer… she's out on the beach, dancing all by herself. Playing that Latin music.”
“Fred, you're losing me here.”
“Your friend, she's been out there since this morning, listening to that same CD over and over again.”
“You said it was some kind of Latin music?” asked Paul, hope coming to life inside of him.
“Yeah. That Ricky Martinez or something… the wife's been driving me crazy with it… wants us to take dance less… hey, hey, where're you going?”
Halfway through Fred's sentence, Paul ran into the house and out to the patio. He saw Lissy out on the sand, wearing a tiny black bikini, dancing to the music blasting from the speakers. He recognized the music right away. It was track four on the Ricky Martin CD. He should know, he'd been listening to the CD for the past six days. He knew it by heart. As the song died down, Lissy's body moved around a lot more slowly.
Paul held his breath. She was so beautiful. And he loved her so much. He wondered what she was going to do about the next track. It was their song, Be Careful With My Heart. He was curious to see what she was going to do. But the CD skipped to track six, I Am Made of You. Paul frowned and went to the sound system. He checked the list and saw that Lissy had taken their song out of the play selection.
Paul hung his head down and sat down on the couch. He took a deep breath and took in what he'd done. The kiss with Stephanie had destroyed them, torn them apart. And although he'd promised Lissy that he would be careful with her heart, he hadn't been. He'd broken her heart. And now, now, he had to fix it.

Shake Your Bon-Bon was ending for the nth time and Lissy started to hum the first bars of I Am Made of You. But instead, Be Careful With My Heart started. She froze and ran to the house. With tears blurring her vision, she started pushing at the buttons on the CD player, muttering curses and trying to get that infernal song to end.
“Let it play.”
“Paul…”
“Let the song play.”
“No… I can't… deal with that right now…”
“Please…” “I came here to tell you that I loved you and that I wanted to be with you,” said Lissy all at once, turning around to face him.
“Then be with me,” said Paul, reaching out to cup her cheek.
“Let me stop that song, please.”
“I know you hate it because of me,” said Paul, “because I promised I wouldn't hurt you and I did and…”
“Stop… I was shocked when I saw you with Steph and… huh… I shouldn't have let that get in the way. But I did… That song, though, that song… it's our past… It can't be our future, or our present.”
“Why not? I promise I'll be so…”
“Don't promise me anything Paul. Because no matter how much I love you, I just can't bring myself to…”
“Lissy, if you and I are going to be together, you're going to have to trust me. And take my word.”
Lissy took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Then, she finally looked at Paul and smiled. He had bags under his eyes, his beard was turning into a great big bush and he still looked like something that had just walked out of her dreams. He looked dangerously good in a pair of blue jeans and a tight red tee shirt. His hair fanned his shoulders, making her yearn to run her fingers through it.
“Take your word,” she said slowly.
“Yeah, take my word.”
“When you kissed St… that person, you hurt me. But I know you didn't do it intentionally. And you know what, for some reason, that matters to me.”
“Good, right?”
“Yeah good.”
“Will you re-learn to trust me… for the sake of our love?”
Lissy took a step back, away from Paul, trying to make sense of the conflicting emotions swirling in her heart. Paul looked at her, trying to guess her thoughts. Then he looks at her and a smiled lit up his face at he drank in the sight of her. She was fitter than he'd ever seen her. Her long legs seemed to stretch from heaven to hell and her hair was full of highlights, probably from all the time she'd spent in the sun. But what made his smile stretch from ear to ear was the fact that she was wearing the DX bikini he'd given her… oh, it seemed like ages ago, at this beach house.
“You're my DX babe,” he said, remembering the conversation they'd had that day.
“What?”
“Nothing… I mean, you're wearing the DX bikini… that means you're my babe.”
Lissy shook her head and looked down at the bikini she'd been wearing for the past week. She smiled at Paul.
“You didn't really break my heart, you know.”
“What?”
“When you kissed Steph… that person… you didn't really break my heart,” she said.
“I didn't?”
“No… I mean, you were being nice, you were being the man I fell in love with in this house. I let my pride deprive us of what could have been many months of happiness.”
“Yeah but…”
“Listen, screw Stephanie McMahon…”
“Okay, whatever you say, don't say that,” he said with a chuckle.
“Fine. Paul, I love you and… I'm sorry I went on tour with Ricky.”
“Why are you apologizing for that? Lissy, Debbie told me how much this meant to you. There was no way in hell I was going to deprive you of that. True, it delayed our happiness but it was too important for you to miss.”
“You're just being perfect, aren't you?” said Lissy, stepping into the comfort of his arms.
“Well, yeah. I've got to be me…”
Lissy shut him up with a kiss. She'd been dying for this kiss for the past couple of months. She'd dreamt about it, she'd fantasized about it and now, now she realized that no fantasy could even come close to the real thing.
As his arms tightened around her slender body, Paul felt like he was being struck by a bolt of lightning. It was incredible to think of the effect this woman was having on him. So this was love, he thought to himself as he dug a hand through her curly hair and deepened their kiss.
The two bodies tumbled back on the couch, forgetting about the world and focusing on their love. Outside, the sun seemed to shine brighter and the sea seemed a bit clearer. It was as if the world was finally in harmony.

Part 48:

Paul and Lissy drove around the Las Vegas strip until he came upon the place he was looking for.
“I cannot believe you got me to do this,” said Lissy, giggling.
“You can still say no and we can have the big church wedding,” he said with a smile.
“No, I want to do this. And trust me, if we have a really big party, Mom will forgive us.”
“Cool, so you want to do this?”
“Yeah. I want to do this.”
Paul drove up to the drive-thru window and ordered.

“Well, King,” drawled J.R., “tonight on RAW, DX is about to be debunked. There has been some us in-fighting ever since HHH walked out and tonight, according to Vince and Shane McMahon, the Outlaws and X-Pac are going up against each other in a triple-threat match.”
“I don't know J.R., ever since they've been without a leader, DX's lost its touch. If Hunter doesn't come back tonight, he might not have a DX to come back to.”

All three of the remaining degenerates came out to their own music, the dislike in their eyes clear. These former best friends had nothing but negative feelings left for each other. Hunter was the glue that held them together and without him, they were falling apart. They all stood in the middle of the ring, waiting for the first bell to toll when the first bars of a theme they hadn't heard in over a month filled the arena.
The crowd's reaction was deafening. HHH walked out, in all of his splendor, wearing jeans, motorcycle boots and a good old-fashioned DX tee shirt. His long blond hair, made golden because of exposition to the sun, fanned his broad shoulders and he smiled cockily at his friends.
“What is this? I go away for a little while and all hell breaks loose?”
“What happened to you man?” asked Billy, after getting the mike from Lillian Garcia.
“Well, I went ahead to take care of some business. What happened while I was away?”
“We lost the belts and we got into a couple of fights,” said a contrite Road Dogg.
“I heard you had to have Vince and Shane split you up a couple of times.”
“Yeah well… I can't have you boys do that… I mean, we're DX.”
“That's right,” said X-Pac, “WE are DX. You can't just walk out on us like that whenever you feel like it.”
“I won't do it again,” said Paul with a smile, “I promise.”
“Now, how about you tell us about this business you had to go and take care of?”
“Well boys, I did something I thought I would never do. I went and got myself a wife.”
The looks on the faces of the boys in the rings were priceless. Their jaws dropped, their eyes went wide and they swayed on their feet. Deep down in their hearts, they were all fervently praying. They knew that Paul had something planned for them, something he'd been working on with Shane and Vince. No one would tell them about any of the details, to make sure they looked surprised when they made the announcement. But the whole wedding thing was shocking their socks off.
But what was scaring them the most was the fact that Vince and Shane had been toying with a marriage between Stephanie and Hunter for a while. If Hunter expected them to look happy at the thought of welcoming the youngest McMahon into the DX fold, he had another thing coming.
“So let me get this straight,” said Billy, “you left for a month and you come back to us married?”
“Hitched?”
“With a ball and chain?”
“Yep,” answered Hunter, “you guys want to meet her?”
Billy, Jesse and X-Pac looked at each other and shrugged. The lights went off and HHH's music started again. A tall, female shape appeared and started to walk down the ramp confidently, heading towards Hunter. When the lights came back on, she appeared, dressed in black leather from head to toe. A mask covered her features but everyone recognized her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it's Mysteria,” announced J.R. very excitedly, “Mysteria has returned ladies and gentlemen and she is now married to HHH.”
As soon as his wife reached him at the bottom of the ramp, HHH wrapped an arm around her and drew her to him. And then he slid the mask off and kissed Mysteria for all the world to see. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, kissing him back just as passionately.
“All right you two,” laughed Road Dogg, “this is a family show after all.”
“Since when?” asked HHH, leading his new wife to the ring.
“You did go away for about a month,” said X-Pac, “things change.”
“Did they ever…”
Billy helped Mysteria into the ring and the young woman waited for her husband to join her.
“Now guys, I have a question for the three of you. You know I always thought of DX as my family and, huh…” Hunter looked at his friends uncomfortably, at a sudden loss for words.
“Hunter seems at a loss for words,” said J.R.
“I think Mysteria about to become the den mother for the DX fraternity.”
“What my husband is trying to say,” finally said Mysteria, taking the microphone from her husband's hand.
“Mysteria spoke! For the very first time since she came to the WWF, Mysteria has spoken!”
“Calm down J.R.,” said Mysteria, “I always could speak, I just had nothing to say until now. Now boys,” she said, turning back to DX, “Hunter and I wanted to know if you would mind if I became a member of DX.”
“Do you mind if we talk this over?”
“Sure.”
Hunter and Mysteria went off to a corner and the other members of DX huddled in another corner.
“King, this could be pivotal to the future of DX. If they accept Mysteria into the DX fold, DX could be reborn, stronger and better than it had ever been. But if they turn her down, it could mean the end of DX, forever.”
“Wait up, wait up, wait up,” said a voice too rarely heard but terribly missed, “you can't really have DX without its founding members.”
“And since you guys are accepting new membership into DX, you might want to consider someone else.”
Chyna, Jericho and the WWF commissioner stood at the top of the ramp. “What do you say?” asked Jericho, dressed in black to match Chyna, “is DX too small for Jericho?”
“Never,” said Road Dogg, “but I wouldn't be surprised if Jericho was too small for DX.”
Laughter filled the arena and even the usually too proud Jericho grinned.
“So guys,” asked Hunter, “the three of you have stayed loyal to DX while we were all off doing our own things… the choice is yours.”
Billy, Road Dogg and X-Pac looked at Hunter and Mysteria in the ring, then at the Heartbreak Kid, Chyna and Jericho standing at the bottom of the ramp and they shrugged.
“DX is back baby!” yelled Road Dogg.
As everyone crowded into the ring, laughing and giggling, Lissy showed off her ring.
“It's real,” she whispered.
“What?”
“We did it,” said Paul, “we eloped!”
The cheers that went up in the ring almost surpassed the ones in the ring. Everyone screamed, laughed and congratulated the newlyweds. But their joy was short-lived as the No Chance theme began.
“Well, well, well, DX is back. Well guess what DX,” said Vince, “guess who else is back?”
The music from the Corporate Ministry began ominously and the Undertaker came out, along with all of his minions, the Acolytes, Mideon, Viscera, Mosh, Thrasher, the Big Boss Man, Prince Albert and scariest of them all… the Big Red Machine, Kane.
“Vinnie Mac,” said Shawn, “should I, and the rest of DX, take this as a challenge?”
“It's a threat,” said Undertaker with an eerie smile, “attack!”
As the members of the Ministry ran down to the ring, DX got ready for the attack, with Mysteria and Chyna taking up their positions to protect Shawn Michaels.
“So let me get this straight,” asked Mike as he watched the fighting, “you really married that degenerate?”
“Yes,” answered Lissy, delivering a kick straight between Mosh's fake boobs.
“Wow! So does that mean you and me, there's like no chance of us ever hooking up?”
“Nope!”
“Well, can I still do this?” he asked, pinching the firm cheek of her bottom.
“Hey Mike,” said Paul from the ring, as he set Thrasher up for a Pedigree, “keep your hands off my wife's butt!”
“Damn, you're strict!”
“Same here,” said Chris, preparing himself for a jump off the top rope that would take out Mideon and Prince Albert, “touch my fiancée and die.”
“Fiancée? For real? Oh Joanie, that's wonderful,” said Lissy.
“He proposed a week ago… we haven't told anyone yet,” gushed Joanie as she low-blowed Viscera.
“Wow!”
The fighting ended with DX sending the Corporate Ministry backstage to nurse their wounds. Shawn Michaels pulled DX jerseys out from under the ring and gave one to all DX members, new and old.
“San Antonio, Texas,” he said, “I've got two words for you.”
“SUCK IT!”
As DX celebrated as only DX could, Paul and Lissy stood in the middle of the ring, their arms wrapped around each other's waists.
“I love you,” he said, “and I will, forever, be careful with your heart.”

THE END

Want to re-read Be Careful with My Heart?
More Series Fics
More Fan Fic
Main Page