How Far We've Come

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own Jamie and Camille (though we've only been told who she is and haven't really met her just yet, though it will happen)…one of these days I plan on owning Stu/Wade…but until then, I'll accept what I've been given.

A/N: So, I've gotten a great response for the prologue, so I'm obviously keeping up with this story. Yay! :o) I took out the author's note for the last chapter because it somehow ended up in the middle of the chapter and the formatting was all wrong, even though I double checked it. Just my luck lol Anyways, I know I'm in the middle of a bunch of other stories, but I guess I just like giving myself options when it comes to what I'm updating. I get bored easily, so this keeps me interested in all of my stories, seeing as I can shift my focus. This story is going to be A LOT of flashbacks, so I hope you enjoy it! I appreciate the reviews I've received already and would loved to get some more, though I appreciate even just hits :o) You guys are the bestest, and I loooove you all! XoXoXoXo

Stu felt like he was a zombie. He couldn't function. Each passing moment was simply him going through the motions of living, though if he had any choice in the matter, he probably would choose to not be living. With every breath he took, he was proving that he could live without Jamie, and that was not something he wanted to give any validity to. Inside he was absolutely dying. The past week was too much for him to handle. Ever since he had received the divorce papers yesterday, he had become a shell of his former self, even more so than before. He refused to speak to anyone. He refused to even move out of the bed that he and Jamie had shared. He just laid there trying to remember the happier days, when life wasn't screwing him over the way it was now. Then, his mind wandered to the day that they met each other.

*Flashback*

Nine Years Ago…

Stu was sitting in Biology class, at the University of Liverpool. He was in his third year and was simply taking this class as an elective. Human Genetics. He didn't think it would be very complicated when he had registered for it before the semester had begun. He didn't expect to enjoy it, though it had quickly become one of his favorite classes, as he found every piece of information to be interesting. It was also a nice change from the endless Marine Biology classes that he had immersed himself in for the past three years. He was taking every single class he could that related to his field of study.

More interesting to Stu than the material, was the girl sitting next to him. The poor girl seemed to be trying so hard to simply pass the class, but clearly science was not her specialty…or even her weakness…it was worse than that. Well, it at least seemed that way to him. He'd been hearing the groans and sighs from her for the past month since classes had begun. Though he never spoke to her, he felt badly that she was struggling so much to just pass, whereas Stu was positive that he was on the path to acing the class with putting in the absolute bare minimal effort.

"Okay, so I hope everyone is prepared for Tuesday's exam. Enjoy the weekend," Professor Lundley signed off.

The stranger groaned, as she gathered up all of her notes and tried to organize them into her binder, before she left the lecture hall. Stu couldn't help but noticed the pained expression on her face and felt slightly guilty, though he knew her poor performance was certainly not his fault. He couldn't help but feel for her and want to help her.

"Excuse me?" he spoke. She looked up from her papers. Stu immediately realized that he had never taken a good look at her before. She was absolutely stunning. Her hazel eyes had darted over to him.

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to be nosy, and I promise I'm not trying to sound condescending or anything, but you seem to be having some trouble with the material we've been covering," he explained.

A smile formed on her lips. "That's putting it very gently. I'm terrible when it comes to science," she admitted. "I can study for hours upon hours and think that I've got it down, only to find out, come exam time, that I'm still as clueless to everything as I was before I stepped foot in the classroom," she replied.

"Well, I know that we haven't spoken before, and we don't know each other, but if you would like, I can try to help you," he offered.

"Oh wow. That's so sweet of you to offer, but I wouldn't want to burden you with my inability to understand…well, anything, really."

"It wouldn't be a burden at all, I promise," he insisted. "I just feel so badly watching you struggle with the material, when I get it so easily."

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Positive."

"Alright," she agreed. "Thank you…so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"It's my pleasure. I'm Stu, by the way," he introduced himself, offering his hand out to her. She shook it.

"I'm Jamie."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to be quite a long way from home, aren't you?" he pointed out.

She nodded. "Yup. I'm from America…New York," she replied.

"Wow. And you decided to come here?"

"I thought studying abroad would be a great idea. Clearly that's working out really well for me," she replied with a laugh.

"I certainly hope you're not a science major."

"Oh God, no. Never. I'm an English major…literature, actually, but it's a general education requirement to have to take a science class. And the genius I am thought that taking an interesting class over an easy class was a wonderful idea, which it was…on paper…not so much in practice," she told him.

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine. I'll help you."

"I really appreciate it. I suck at anything involving science."

"I'm sure you're not that awful."

"I don't even read science fiction."

Stu laughed. "Okay, well, I'm sure I can at least help you a little bit."

"I hope so."

"When are you free?" he asked her.

"Whenever I'm not in class. I go Monday through Thursday, from eight in the morning until three-thirty in the afternoon," she replied.

"Okay. Well, I'm free on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings," he informed her. "Do you live on campus?"

"No. I have my own apartment in Liverpool."

"Oh…okay."

"You can come by…or I can come to you…or wherever you'd like to meet up. I'm easy like that."

"Well, I can come by your place. Is tomorrow night…say seven o'clock?"

"Absolutely. I'll give you my number, as well." Jamie pulled out a piece of loose-leaf from her binder and quickly wrote her number on it. She handed the paper over to him, which he accepted.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll give you a call tomorrow, then."

"Sounds great. Thank you so much for doing this. You're really saving me," she graciously thanked him.

Stu smiled. "I do what I can."

*End Flashback*

Stu would never forget that first day they met for as long as he lived. That was by far one of the greatest days of his entire life. Though he was completely unaware of it at that time, he had met his soul mate, his future wife, the only woman he would ever truly love. She was one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen in his entire life, and though he hadn't expected a lifelong love to result from their initial meeting, he somehow did know that his life would never be the same with this new American woman in it. He just never expected how right he would turn out to be.

Jamie was laying on the queen-sized bed in the guest room that she had been occupying in Camille's house that she shared with her husband. She wished that she was in her own bed, next to Stu. She loved her estranged husband. Though they were soon-to-be divorced, Jamie knew that she would only ever love him. This situation wasn't the cause of her meeting or wanting someone else. It was a matter of feeling like she didn't have a husband. She was hurting without being able to see her man.

The days when they were first together were simply magical. After they had spent years apart and were fatefully reunited, things couldn't have been better. The two were so deeply in love with each other. Every single day of her life, since that day they first spoke in their Human Genetics class, she loved him. Not even one moment passed, where she could even doubt her love for the Englishman that she had married.

She could never forget how they met each other. They met because Stu was looking out for her. He had graciously offered to help her out with their class. Jamie remembered that day he first spoke to her, as if it were only yesterday. She wished she could go back in time and relive it

There was so much about the past she would change, if she could. It was because of her that they had spent so many years away from each other, and she regretted that more than anything in her life. That fateful day they met was the day that she developed feelings for him. Jamie didn't know what it was, but there was just something about that man that just reeled her in and hooked her. He was her knight in shining armor. He was somewhat of a new start for her, as her initial new start was supposed to be coming to England for school. She had not expected to be so lonely and stressed out, upon leaving her home country, but she was. And when Stu had started helping her out with her work, he had changed all of that. He was the one thing that made her want to stay in that country, away from everything and everyone she had known for her entire life.

Jamie had moved from New York to England to attend the University of Liverpool because it seemed like the kind of change she needed. And she loved being in the country. It was absolutely beautiful. The scenery was breathtaking and so full of history. She loved sightseeing and learning so much more than she had been taught in the New York public school system. It was such a wonderful experience.

On the other hand, Jamie didn't know anyone at all. She was having such a hard time, in the fact that she felt so alone there. That all changed when Stu walked into her life. She had found a friend and unknowingly at the time, her soul mate. The six-foot-seven Marine Biologist turned Professional Wrestler changed her life for the better. The road to their marriage was a very rocky one, but it was worth the ride. There were never two people who belonged together more than Jamie and Stu.

Having to let go of him was the hardest thing she knew that would ever have to do, and she wasn't quite sure if she could ever really do it, but it was for the best…for the both of them. She'd had to let go of him once before, and it was undoubtedly the biggest mistake of her life. And it was also quite possible that going through with this divorce would be an absolutely horrible mistake, but Jamie didn't know what else she was supposed to do. She absolutely hated spending most of her time away from him. Sure, having a career as a high school English teacher had occupied a lot of her time, but that certainly didn't make always having to come home to an empty house any easier for her to deal with. It didn't help her at any of those family gatherings, where she would have to go alone because her husband was always away. It didn't help her when she was having a stressful, terrible day, and she had to sleep in the king-sized bed all alone, when all she wanted was to be held and told everything would be okay by the one person she should have been able to expect to be there for her. The fact of the matter was that she didn't feel like she had a husband anymore. And she had finally reached her breaking point. Jamie was doing what she had to, even though it hurt like hell. She could only imagine how Stu was doing.

Jamie missed those days when she would see him everyday. When they were in school together, she remembered that she would get butterflies in her stomach on her way to class. She couldn't wait to see him. After all, who wouldn't look forward to seeing that face sitting next to her?

*Flashback*

Jamie sat in her class, impatiently awaiting Stu's expected arrival. She was always looking forward to seeing him. Ever since they had started their tutoring sessions, they had become really good friends. He was always trying his very best to make her feel like she wasn't completely alone in a foreign country. And he was succeeding at it.

Stu walked into the room and smirked as his eyes spotted his newfound friend. He sauntered over to the empty seat next to her and sat down.

"Hey you," he greeted.

"Hi Stu," she reciprocated the greeting, trying to control the excitement that coursed through her body, upon seeing him.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. How about you?"

"I'm good. Are you nervous about the exam?"

"A little, but I feel a lot better about it after the drills you put me through last night," she told him.

Stu gave her a smile. "Well, I'm glad I was able to be of assistance."

"I really appreciate it," she said. "Thank you so much."

"Of course."

"I'm so happy that the weekend is here…well, after this test the weekend will be here," she corrected herself.

"Me, too. I can finally relax a bit. I'm hoping the weather stays nice out, so I can go fishing," he told her.

"That sounds like fun."

"Have you ever been?" he asked.

Jamie shook her head. "Nope. Never."

"You should come," Stu invited.

Jamie laughed at the thought. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, then. That sounds like it could be a lot of fun," she accepted his invitation, feeling her heart flutter at the thought of spending a day with him. "Great. And you can finally meet Melissa."

Jamie had to force the smile on her face at the mere mention of Stu's girlfriend for the past seven months. She was definitely not anxious to meet her. Besides the fact that she seemed to be a total bitch, Jamie had a huge crush on him. This Melissa chick was standing in her way of being with him.

"That sounds great," she said.

"Well, just wait. I'm sure Melissa is going to be quite a treat. She absolutely hates fishing," he told her.

"So, why does she go?"

"So I don't have to go alone."

"Well, it's nice that she at least goes…"

"Yeah…"

"I think you're making it seem worse than it actually is."

"No, I'm downplaying how unpleasant she is out on the water. She is not a fan," he said with a laugh.

"So, why are you with someone who makes you so unhappy when you're out trying to do something that you love?" she asked, without thinking. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was out of line…"

"No. No. No. You weren't…it's true. Melissa and I have been having some problems lately, but I'm sure everything will work itself out…or not."

Jamie gave him a questioning look, as Professor Lundley entered the room. "I hope you are all prepared for the exam," she spoke, beginning the class.

"Good luck," Stu said with a wink.

"You, too…even though you don't need it," she said smirking at him.

*End Flashback*

That fishing trip was what really changed things for the two of them. Stu had invited her because she had no other friends to spend her time with, and to be honest, he liked her a lot. Sure, he was dating Melissa at the time, but Jamie was nothing like her. Melissa spent the entire time whining and complaining and trying to make it a miserable day for everyone there, while Jamie tried to have fun with this new experience and though it was obvious that if she had to depend on her fishing skills for sustenance, she would surely die or starvation, he managed to enjoy her company anyway.

It was the first time that Stu found himself longing for her. The laughing and joking around made him at ease. He didn't have to feel bad for bringing her out to do something she hated, as was the case with Melissa. It was that night when he considered the possibility of having feelings for Jamie, as opposed to his girlfriend. Stu felt comfortable with Jamie. Nothing was forced. It was easy. He always believed that being with the person you loved was easy. And that's how he felt with her.

Stu remembered the fight he had gotten into with his girlfriend at the time. She was absolutely furious that he brought another girl with them. She was even more pissed off that he seemed to be having a great time with the stranger and completely blew his own girlfriend off. Melissa was a very needy girlfriend and having to surrender the spotlight to Jamie was something she was absolutely not willing to do. She'd been rude and bitchy to Jamie, and Stu was impressed that Jamie managed to not turn around and punch the heavily made up brunette at any point during their fishing trip. He was sure she wanted to. Hell, It took Stu all he had not to push his girlfriend out of the boat and make her swim her over-pampered, spoiled, mean ass to the dock.

When Stu had realized how defensive he had been of Jamie, he knew that his feelings for her ran much deeper than those of someone trying to be a friend. He wanted to be with her. She was fun and enjoyed the simple things in life. Melissa wanted the dinners and gifts, whereas Jamie could make the most out of any situation. She loved being lazy and staying in. He liked that about her. It didn't take much to impress Jamie, though it took miracles to even catch Melissa's attention.

Stu remembered that day, though the memory was bittersweet, seeing as he was completely heartbroken. He missed the old days. He missed their friendship. Even more than that, he missed his wife. Jamie was his wife, his best friend, his world. And he was broken man without her.