"I mean can you believe it? Every single sign showed us that we're not welcome there." Stacy giggled taking a sip of her wine as she, John, AJ, Trish, Taryn and Evan were having a dinner. "It started off that they delayed our flight. Then, after the flight, they couldn't find our luggages. Like what do your bosses pay you for?!"

"We got so pissed off" John nodded putting a fork with some salad in his mouth. "Not to even mention that this girl, who was sitting near me during the flight just threw up!"

"Jesus Christ we're eating here John!" Evan almost spat out the soup from his mouth, his face expression sour and dissatisfied. "And you're not raising our appetites buddy."

"What? I'm just sharing my trip impressions." John innocently shrugged his shoulders, little sexy smile playing on his lips.

"Nice impressions you've got there." AJ smiled raising his eyebrow.

"Don't get us wrong tough." Stacy swallowed some mouthful, shaking her head. "Besides the stupid airport part, the honeymoon was great. We had so much fun."

"I bet you did." Tiffany giggled as Trish playfully elbowed her.

"That's the only thing you manage to think of, now isn't it?" Trisha giggled before AJ leaned closer her.

"Me too." he whispered as she blushed a bit, placing a kiss on his lips.

"And how are you two lovebirds holding up?" Stacy smiled noticing the girly cute flushing on Trish's cheeks.

"Oh, we're good." AJ nodded. "Very good to say least."

"Super happy." Trish added.

"All lovey-dovey." Evan smiled.

"Who's talking?" Trish giggled as Evan proudly smiled. "You just can't remove your hands off my sister all day long."

"Not that she minds it." Evan smirked as Taryn playfully elbowed him.

"You guys, thank you for the dinner. It was so great to see you all. We missed you so bad." Stacy smiled.

"Aw, that's not a problem." Taryn waving aside her hand. "We're happy that besides everything, your trip worked out."

"I bet, you're tired." Trish added with a little smile taking a sip of her drink. "You're bedroom is ready for having some rest. . . "

". . .or having some other activity" Evan added making everyone laugh a little.

"We'll leave those other activities to you and your iron nerve girlfriend. I swear I don't know how does she handle you." John smiled shaking his head and standing up stretching his hand for Stacy, also helping her to rise from the table. "We wouldn't mind some sleep. Today was a hard day."

"Couldn't agree more." Stacy yawned. "Thanks for the dinner again."

"You guys definitely want us to get fat, if you keep making such delicious food." John smiled a bit as they were climbing the stairs up to their bedroom.

"Tomorrow I'll make sure to deliver you guys a big, full of calories dessert." Taryn stuck her tongue out, just before Stacy and John were out of her view.

"They're such a wonderful couple aren't they?" Trish smiled a bit looking at the stairs, which were already empty.

"Totally." Taryn nodded. "Isn't it all great? Our lives I mean? Three sisters, each one having a charming gentlemen by her side?" she let out a dreamy sigh, resting her chin on interlocked fingers. AJ and Trish both quickly took a look at Evan - he was licking the sauce off the plate, and both broke down giggling.

"Yep, charming gentlemen." Trish giggled nodding her head as Taryn rolled her eyes and took a gulp of wine.

"The right words to describe Evan." AJ nodded as Evan placed the plate down.

"You, my friend," he pointed to AJ with an index finger. "don't look like a charming gentleman as well, when you go out there, to the wrestling ring, and broke poor guys' hands, legs, jaws' and necks." he responded making AJ and Taryn giggle. Trish put on a little smile as well, not wanting to go further to the topic. She was happy for being called a girlfriend of one of the thoughest guys on Maywood city. But she wasn't happy of having to see how miserable and beaten up would AJ look after each one of his important matches. Even after his wins, he looked like after car crash or something. How many times had she stayed with him in hospital, silently listening to the "beep" sound of the heart monitor. How many evenings had she spent cleaning his wounds with peroxide. How many nights had she stood awaken, resting her head on his chest and listening to his calm breathing, afraid that this sound might stop?

All in all, Allen and his desire for wrestling was a soft spot in her.

She knew that he was on the top of his game, he was one of the main players as a matter of fact. But she was also afraid. She was worrying about his health. Hell, she was worrying about his life. Maywood city's wrestling company was different than what do you see every week on WWE and TNA. In those companies, guys beat the hell out of each other in the ring, and in real life, they're all pretty good friends. The situation was different in Maywood. There ain't any scripts, any story lines, you are who you are. It's all about wrestling. All about pain. All about torturing and going on the top.

The competition that the guys had to go through, was insane. In each corner you'd see a no good meaning face, who expects you to fall down, to get in some sort of an accident. To fucking disappear and release your spot.

How much can a guy survive in this sort of environment?

Trish shook her head getting rid of a thought. "We shouldn't stay up late, don't you have training tomorrow?" she bit her lip realizing, that she just got further into the topic, she hated.

"My training. . . uhm. . . yeah" AJ mumbled under his breath putting in a small amount of salad into his mouth and then drinking it off with red wine from his glass. "It's. . . well it's kind of gonna be longer than usually tomorrow, since the. . . " he gave a cough. ". . . .since Sunday is a few days away." he confessed as Trish's hands started shaking a little bit. Her smooth skin became a bit paler, hurt and fair leaving it's nasty signs in her eyes, yet her face expression didn't change. Trish slowly took a sip of her wine and swallowed it. Her throat started burning a bit.

Sunday. . . Sunday is coming. That day is only a few days away from now. How could she forget it? Trish marked that day in her calendar with red marker, and it just slipped off her mind. Well, maybe it's not fair saying that "she forgot it". It's simply that "she tried not to think about it" - it worked for awhile. And now reality, using AJ's words, slapped her straight in the face. And man, reality is a good bitch-slapper.

Taryn once joked that "Sunday is upcoming funeral of AJ", and she had no freaking idea what a long and painful scarf her words left in Trish's heart, though she played it off cool, trying to pretend calm and relaxed. But there was no way in a hell that that was true. In AJ's agenda, Sunday was his championship match against the current champ Christopher Daniels, who once used to be his closest friend. Used to be. . .

Allen covered Trish's hand with his palm, almost undetectedly stroking her skin beneath his fingers. He knew damn well what she thought about it. "It's a usual work out. Just a bit longer. Besides we have to coordinate some trifles." he said silently as Trish slowly pull out her hand and put it on her knee. AJ once again took a glass of wine and sipped from it. His throat was dry. Evan uncomfortably stirred in his place, Taryn felt terribly awkward as well. She tried to catch her sister's gaze and somehow get the message of what should she and Evan do, but Trish was staring at her knees, never once lifting her eyes.

"Uhm. . . Evan, honey. . . ain't you tired?" Taryn asked puting on a little smile.

"Yeah, some rest wouldn't hurt." Evan nodded lifting a napkin to his face and brushing off some drops of sauce from his lips. Then he stood up with an uncomfortable smile on is face. Even Evan was speechless. Usually he would try out some new joke and lighten up the mood, changing the topic, but he was Taryn's boyfriend and Taryn was Trish's sister, and he knew what a hurtful topic for her was the one, she and AJ just touched. He didn't really wanted to be there, in a dining room, no matter how interested he was in what AJ or Trish is gonna say next. "Good night, guys" he said as AJ nodded and Trish gave them a very weak smile.

"We're gonna all clean this up tomorrow." Taryn nodded quickly scanning the table full of plates, glasses and dishes.

"OK" Trish nodded. "Sweet dreams guys."

"Night" Taryn smiled a little placing a small kiss on Trish's cheek, after what she and Evan got upstairs. Then silence.

"Coordinate the trifles, huh?" Trish asked once again sipping her wine, her voice silent and calm. AJ let out a deep breath. "Trifles like signing papers, which says that no matter what happens to you during the match - company takes no responsibility for that? Is that what you call a trifle?"

"Don't dramatise, ok?" AJ took a quick look at her a bit shaking hands and the concentrated his attention on the table again. His voice calm, yet strict. "That's an ordinary document, not a death sentence." he put his elbows on the table and started wringing his hands.

"You do realize that Daniels is gonna put you through hell, do you?" she asked nervously playing with the edge of her yellow dress. "He isn't giving you the title easily."

"I don't even want him to. The harder he fights, the sweeter will be the win. My win." AJ responded clenching his fists. "I knew that the way to the top. . . is gonna be hard to say least. From the very first time, when I stepped into the ring, I knew that there's gonna be a bunch of people, who'd try to bring me down, who'd try to take my dream away from me. I just didn't expect that you'd be one of them."

Trish eyes grew wide as her eyes started watering, she started at him in disbelief. The words just escaped his mouth. Did he really think this way or did he just try to hurt her? She. . . bringing him down? . . taking his dreams? How the hell does he even dare to think this way? She opened her mouth once. . . twice. . . trying to say something, but she was speechless. She couldn't find the right words. "Bring you down?" she finally whispered the tear rolling down her eyes. She couldn't believe how sensitive she got. He said only a few sentences, and that was enough to make her cry? AJ didn't look at her face, afraid to see her expression. "Is this how you feel about me? That I'm bringing you down?"

"Don't get me wrong" he shook his head. "I just. . . I just wish you were more supportive about me. . . about my decision to go into wrestling. And now I feel that. . . " he shook his head once again, letting out a heavy sight and taking his glass from the table. "doesn't matter" he whispered taking a big wine gulp.

"No, it does matter." she disagreed quickly wiping her tear away, which he decided to ignore. He hated the fact that she was crying because of him. Their conversation was very hard. "I try to support you, but I also don't wanna lie to you." she confessed. "I can't pretend to be happy and excited about your career choice. . . I hear those stories. . . about how perspective wrestlers end up in a wheel chair or even worse. . ." she gulped. "Eddie Guerrero. Chris Benoit. Owen Hart. . . I don't want you to join this list." a couple of more tears rolled down her eyes as he moved in his chair, so now he was sitting straight in front of her.

"Baby," he took her hands in his as she buried her face to his chest. He tightly hugged her, placing a kiss on her head and she wanted that moment to last forever. She wanted to erase such day as Sunday. "You gotta trust me, I know what I'm doing." he whispered to her ear as the very familiar shiver got through her body as she felt his breathing, his hot breathing, on her neck. "I'm not asking you anything else. . . just be there for me. Without you I'm nothing. Without you I'm empty, I don't have motivation, I don't have strenght, I don't have will to stand up after each bump I take. I need you, Trish."

"I'll always be here." she nodded filling her nostrils with the scent of his cologne. God, she loved that smell.

"You promise?" he kissed her neck and continued kissing all the way up her throat, then a little kiss just under her lips, which was followed by a little kiss over her lips. He took her face in his arms, their foreheads touching. He closed his eyes, wanting to hear an answer. He needed it.

"I promise." she whispered melting in his arms, just before their lips tangled in a passionate kiss, which none of them wanted to end. Her eyes were closed all the time as she just enjoyed him being here, with her. So damn close, that she felt like a melting wax, and still, she couldn't help wanting him closer. Trish could feel as AJ picked her up from the chair to his arms and started climbing upstairs. . .

The next time she opened her eyes, she was lying beneath him in their bedroom. And sleeping was the last thing in their plans.