Disclaimer: Don't own anyone or anything. I only own Adrienne, and anyone else you don't recognize.

A/N: Thanks to all the people who read this (: For those of you who are actually following this, I'm sorry for the delayed update. I forgot where this was going for a while, but I'm back on track. I hope people enjoy this and let me know what you thought in a review, please (:

The car ride to the hotel had been filled with pointless conversation and Jeff constantly flipping radio stations. Adrienne had been amused by his inability of sticking to something for too long. When she had pointed this out to him, his only comment was, 'Why should I be confined to the austerity of one wave?'

Now that Adrienne is surrounded by the calmness of the empty elevator, she leans back against the wall, watching as the numbers light up, and her mind drifts to the enigma that was Jeff Hardy. Since her first day he had been welcoming and honest. There was nothing simple about Jeff; he was a mix of serenity, energy, curiosity and knowledge. He was walking, talking oxymoron and Adrienne smiles at the thought. It summed him up pretty well and as the doors of the elevator slides open, Adrienne finds herself wanting to know more about him. What other contradictions did he represent?

Walking down the hallway, Adrienne's eyes flutter over the various numbers until she stops in front of her room. Opening the door with her key she enters the medium sized room with two beds to find that someone was already sitting on one of the beds. The woman has her back to Adrienne so first Adrienne moves further into the room and carefully shuts the door behind her. She glances at the woman again and frowns when she notices her red hair and fingerless gloves. Adrienne tries to hold back her groan as she walks up to the woman and taps her on her shoulder.

Jumping, Maria turns around to see Adrienne looking down at her. "Oh!" Quickly pulling out her headphones, Maria apologizes. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in! Are we rooming together?"

"Looks like it," Adrienne says and then she waves her hand at the loud techno beat pumping out of Maria's small headphones. "What were you listening to?"

"Propane Nightmares. Do you like Pendulum?"

Adrienne shrugs and sits down on her bed. "They're alright. I like near enough anything, though I wouldn't have put you down as a fan."

Maria grins as she turns off her iPod. "That's what everyone says." Maria opens her mouth to continue talking when the shrill ringing of her cell stops her. She frowns and tries to place where the sound is coming from. "Can you see it anywhere?"

Adrienne smiles and points to Maria's suitcase which was sitting on the bed. "I think it's under that."

Reaching underneath the suitcase, Maria pulls out her small cell and flips it open. "Hello?" A grin immediately breaks out on her face. "Feeling better now?"

Adrienne looks away from Maria and settles herself against her headboard, trying not to care that Maria was clearly talking to Punk. It was going to be hard being friends with Punk's girlfriend but Adrienne tells herself that it shouldn't bother her. There was nothing between her and Punk, they weren't even friends. When they were in a group setting, they would at least be civil towards each other but other than that, Adrienne had no place in interfering. She could handle being friends with Maria, or at least that is what she keeps telling herself.

The sound of Maria addressing her snaps Adrienne out of her thoughts. Looking up at the other woman, Adrienne frowns. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"That was Punk asking if we wanted to have lunch with the guys," Maria informs her as she gets off her bed and picks up her jacket. "They're in the hotel's restaurant, d'you want to come along?"

Adrienne is hesitant for a moment but then decides that Punk shouldn't stop her from making new friends. She was going to be in this company for hopefully a long time, and so they would need to learn to coexist with each other. Adrienne gets up from her bed and tries to smile. "Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks."

Maria smiles at Adrienne and then says softly, "I hope you know that I'd like us to be friends, Adrienne."

"I, er…" Adrienne breaks off before she nods her head, a small smile on her face. "I'd like that too, Maria."

"Great," Maria grins and walks to the door. When Maria leaves the room, Adrienne sighs and tells herself that she could do this, Maria was a nice person and there was no reason for her not to like her.

Except for that fact she was seeing Punk.

Adrienne groans at her own thoughts, it was as if she had no control over them. But now she was going to go downstairs and have lunch with a group of people who had been nothing but welcoming and nice to her. She was going to once again forget about Punk.

He wasn't important to her. Not anymore.

Once at the restaurant, it didn't take long for Adrienne and Maria to spot Punk and Jeff sitting in a corner booth. As they approach them, the differences between the two men immediately strike Adrienne. Punk is sitting up straight in the booth, his hands clenched at his sides. His stance is controlled and serious, which contrasts with his bright yellow T-Shirt and blue beanie. Adrienne tilts her head when she notices that Jeff is the opposite of Punk. Although his clothing was dark, with the exception of his red and purple hair of course, his body language was open and welcoming.

Adrienne wonders why Punk seemed so closed off all the time. A small voice in her head reminds her that he wasn't always like that, and that maybe, just maybe, it was her who changed him. Maybe he was like this because of her, because of his past with her…Or maybe because she came back.

If she wasn't here, maybe he wouldn't be so tense all the time. Maybe then he could breathe again and maybe–

"Adrienne?"

Her eyes snap up to Jeff's and Adrienne frowns. "Sorry, what?"

"You zoned out," Jeff says, his amusement showing in his voice. He taps the seat next to him, "Sit down."

"Oh, sorry," Adrienne mumbles as she sits down next to Jeff. Adrienne looks down at the table and attempts to read the menu, trying to ignore the feel of Punk's gaze.

"Adrienne?"

Adrienne continues to look at the menu as she answers, "Yes, Jeffery?"

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm? I'm fine."

"You're staring at that menu quite seriously."

"Well, deciding what to eat is a very serious decision. It deserves my full attention."

Adrienne expected Jeff to laugh at her but when he told her that he thought she was correct, Adrienne looked up to see Jeff pull open his own menu and stare at it. Adrienne smirks slightly, "Is that your concentration face, Jeffery?"

Jeff nods slowly as he continues to frown at the menu. "Yes, it is." A smirk forms on his lips, and he turns to look at her. "Do you like it?"

Adrienne laughs. "Well, it's very nice. Not the best, but acceptable."

"Acceptable?"

Adrienne shrugs and looks at Maria, who is sitting opposite her, when she says, "I've seen better."

Jeff laughs and Adrienne feels the small hairs on the back of her neck stand at the sound of his deep, husky laugh. She tries not to bite her lip when he asks, "Are we talkin' about my concentration face or…"

Before Adrienne has the chance to answer, Punk clears his throat and asks, "Are we going to order?"

Adrienne takes a quick glance at Jeff and notices how his expression turns serious briefly before he smiles easily at Punk. "Sure," he says and then turns to look at his menu. "Ah," he murmurs when he notices something. Jeff looks up at Punk and Maria and then teasingly says, "Buffet lunch anyone?"

Immediately, Punk scoffs but Maria grins at Jeff. "Ohh, I like that idea." She then rolls her eyes when Punk mutters something under his breath. "Honey, just because you think it's the root of all evil–"

"It's encouraging people to gain weight!"

"You know Punk, that's an irrational belief you have," Jeff says as he rests his forearms on the table and leans forward. He studies the other man for a moment before shaking his head. "Just because you feel the need to be controlled–"

"Shut up, Jeff," Punk interrupts harshly. "You and Maria go get your food. I'm not hungry."

Maria sighs and squeezes Punk's hand. "Phil…"

"Just go, Maria." Punk says as he continues to stare at Jeff. He can feel the annoyance flare through his body as Jeff looked at him thoughtfully. Punk always hated it when Jeff tried to figure him out. It was all bullshit, but Jeff would continue to try.

Snapping his gaze away from Jeff, he looked down at Maria. He softened instantly and sighed before bringing his lips down to hers. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, knowing that she hated it when he was angry. "I'm just having a bad day."

"I know," Maria says quietly as she runs a hand down his cheek. "I'm sorry. I'll cheer you up later…"

Punk smiles gently and kisses her again. "I'd like that."

"Okay, if you two are done, we better go get some food."

"Mmm," Maria hums before quickly placing another kiss on Punk's lips. "Okay…"

Jeff rolls his eyes as the couple continues to kiss. He looks down at Adrienne and notices her face was paler than usual. "Hey," he says softly. Startled, Adrienne looks at him with wide eyes and this causes Jeff's concern to increase. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I, er…Yes." Adrienne shakes her head and laughs nervously. She looks down and begins to scratch at her tattooed wrist. "I'm fine. Sorry. I-I guess…I feel a bit ill."

"Maybe you should eat something…"

"Oh no," Adrienne shakes her head. After seeing Maria and Punk kiss, she knew if she ate anything, it wouldn't stay in her stomach. "I'm…Maybe I should go lie down," Adrienne says quietly and her nails dig deeper in her skin when she hears Maria giggle softly.

Jeff looks at Adrienne for a moment and then his gaze latches on to her wrists. For the first time he notices the ink staining her skin but that wasn't what he was focusing on. His eyes narrow when he notices the red marks on her pale skin. "Adrienne…" Jeff starts, unsure of how to make her stop before she cuts herself.

Looking up at him, Adrienne stops scratching and tries to smile at him. "Yes, Jeffery?"

His eyes meet hers and he wants to say something, anything, but words fail him. The look she is giving him, her eyes wide and clear, silently telling him not to say anything, to leave her alone and not to question her, Jeff has to listen to her, even though she never spoke the words. He sighs and turns away from her, trying to ignore the pull on his heart. "Maria," Jeff says, causing Maria to pull away from Punk's kiss. "Come on, let's get some food."

"Oh yeah, sure!" Maria kisses Punk again and then carefully slides out of the booth. She looks at Adrienne and then frowns slightly, "Hey, don't you want anything?"

Adrienne raises her hand, "Er, no. I don't feel so good. I don't think food will help."

"Oh…Well you can always take something off my plate if you want."

Adrienne smiles slightly. "Thanks, Maria."

"Er, Adrienne…"

Turning around, Adrienne looks up at Jeff and when she notices that he wants to leave the booth, she blushes before quickly scrambling out to give him room. "Oh, sorry," she says quietly.

Jeff laughs and moves out of the booth, his arm gently brushing against hers as he moved around her to stand by Maria. Adrienne clears her throat slightly, embarrassed that she is immediately affected by his touch, however little it had been. She steals a glance at Jeff and their eyes meet, his eyes appearing darker than usual as he stares intently at her. Suddenly, a wave of nerves hit Adrienne again and she has to avert her eyes and slowly slip back into the booth before her knees give out below her.

Once Maria and Jeff had moved across the large restaurant to stand before the buffet table, Adrienne glances up at Punk, who has his eyes fixed on the table. She swallows nervously and tries to say something, anything that would make this situation bearable, but the words don't come to her and so Adrienne has to settle for staring at him.

A few moments pass between them before, to the surprise of Adrienne, Punk's deep voice floats between them. "You don't look sick."

The way he says it, so impersonal and cold, Adrienne feels a wave of sadness hit her despite the fact she wasn't supposed to care. She sighs softly before replying, "I'm just not hungry, okay?"

"Whatever," Punk mutters in response, his attitude showing through once again.

The silence stretches between them again and Adrienne feels the annoyance rise inside her. Despite the years that had gone by, there was no doubt that Adrienne still knew Punk. This attitude he was showing, it wasn't like him. In the past, if he was given the chance to talk, the attitude would slip away and he would say what is on his mind. Adrienne wonders briefly if it would still work. She's too afraid to try.

But then, another thought enters her mind: she isn't afraid of anything. Well, that isn't entirely true, but in this case, Adrienne knows she isn't afraid of Punk. Maybe if she talked to him, if she was calm and civil and showed that she was willing to be nice to him, then he would stop acting this way. After all, they needed to control themselves – they would be working together for what should be a very long time.

Taking a deep breath, Adrienne begins to speak quietly, "You've been angry all day." She doesn't look at him when she says, "It's not like you."

"And how are you meant to know that, Adrienne?" Punk asks, his voice taunting. "We're not friends. I thought we didn't know each other."

Adrienne sighs; well she knew this wouldn't be easy. "Don't be like this…"

"Like what?" Punk interrupts with an unexpected snarl. "We only just met, Adrienne. For all you know, this is how I always act."

"Oh, cut the bullshit, Punk," Adrienne snaps. She rests her forearms on the table and leans forward, keeping her voice down to a harsh whisper, "Despite trying to forget everything about you, I still know that this is not the way you usually act. I know you're in this mood because of what I said last night."

His eyes narrow and burn into her skin. "You think you're right, don't you?" He scoffs and turns his head to look at Maria. He watches as she talks animatedly with Jeff and he bits out, "You throw yourself at anyone, Adrienne, y'know that? It doesn't matter who they are. You just leap at the chance. Something's just don't change, do they?"

Initially, it feels as if Adrienne has been slapped but then, the red hot rage flares behind her eyes and Adrienne grits out, "Excuse me?"

"Shannon."

Adrienne scoffs at the ridiculousness of the situation. Is he being serious with her? "Please, it's called talking to someone. I was not throwing myself at him and I cannot believe you would even suggest that. You have no right to act this way and you know that."

Although he knows he is in the wrong, Punk seems to lose control of his own mouth when he adds, "It's pathetic, Adrienne."

"And it's also none of your Goddamn business, Punk," Adrienne says, trying to keep her voice from shrieking. "God, this is so wrong. Even if I was 'throwing' myself at Shannon, then what the hell is it to you? It's not like you and I–"

Before she can continue, Punk shakes his head and looks at her, his eyes giving away nothing as he calmly says, "Jeff."

"What about him?" Adrienne asks, attempting to appear nonchalant but there is a slight blush tinting her pale cheeks and immediately Punk knows he has caught her out.

"Stay away from him."

It escapes his mouth before he can stop himself and Punk silently curses when he sees Adrienne's jaw clench and her eyes narrow. Suddenly she glares at him, her lips curled up into a snarl. "What did you just say?"

Punk sighs and looks away, opting to stare at the table instead. "Never mind," he mutters.

"No. Tell me what you meant by that."

"I said never mind."

"And I don't give a damn what you said, you're gonna tell me what you meant." When he doesn't reply, Adrienne lets out a frustrated groan. "Punk."

He sighs before quietly saying, "I'm…We're good friends, and I see the way he looks at you, Addie. Yeah, he's nice and all but I know how he works and…" Punk breaks off and sighs. He shouldn't be saying this, and although he knows this, the words escape him before he has the chance to rationalize the situation. "And I don't like it. I don't want him looking at you. Not like that. Not you."

His admission causes Adrienne's heart to sink and she closes her eyes before taking deep breaths to calm her rapid heartbeat. This was so screwed up. Adrienne hadn't even noticed Jeff looking at her in any particular way, but then she had to admit, Punk knew him better than she did. Maybe there had been signs and she was just too oblivious to notice anything. But that didn't matter. What mattered now was Punk's reaction. He had no right to say this to her.

Taking another deep breath, Adrienne opens her eyes and says quietly, "Why are you doing this? Why do you have to do this to me?"

"I…I don't know," he replies, his voice and confusion mirroring hers. "I just…One part of me doesn't want anything to do with you and the other…the other part of me wants to–"

"Don't," Adrienne says suddenly, her voice slightly raised. She groans slightly and then shakes her head. "It…It doesn't matter if you like it or not," she says quietly, referring to what he said about Jeff. It was safer to talk about that rather than dwell on what Punk was about to say.

Adrienne shuffles nervously in her seat and decides to stare at the table instead of Punk. "If…If Jeff is…" Adrienne sighs and begins to scratch at the inside of her wrist nervously. "I'm not throwing myself at him. Although you may think I throw myself at any man I see, I'm not like that. I'm not. And…and I don't think he is throwing himself at me either. He's…He's just being nice. Nothing more and nothing less. We're allowed to be friends. We're being friendly. But…The point is that it doesn't matter what you think, Punk. You can't…You can't say these things to me anymore because it isn't right and it isn't fair."

Finally, Adrienne looks up at Punk and she tries to keep her face from showing any emotion as she says softly, but clearly, "You haven't got a say anymore."

He stares at her, his eyes intense and Adrienne feels a familiar tug at the bottom of her stomach. She used to love the way his expression would deepen and his eyes would spark with fire and intensity. Slowly, his eyes trail over her and Adrienne can feel her breathing becoming more difficult and her heart speeding up as the sudden urge to touch him takes over.

But then he speaks, and the illusion breaks.

"Because we're not friends, are we?"

His voice is low and calm and despite everything she had been telling herself, it hurts to hear him say the words. They weren't friends. They were nothing, except colleagues. She berates herself for getting caught up in his stare.

Although she was freaking out silently, Adrienne calmly replies, "We're not friends."

Before Adrienne has the chance to continue, two plates crash down onto the table and the noise causes both Punk and Adrienne to look up. Jeff grins down at the pair before asking cheerfully, "Have fun without us?"

"Sure," Punk says immediately, and it is only Adrienne that picks up on the sarcasm behind his statement. He stares at Adrienne when he says, "Adrienne's great company."

"That's good," Maria says happily, completely oblivious to the looks Punk is sending Adrienne.

Suddenly, heat rushes to Adrienne's cheeks and a feeling of claustrophobia takes over. She shouldn't be here, she thinks as she looks away from Punk. She shouldn't be sitting here in front of the world's biggest mind-fuck. Quickly, Adrienne turns to her side and taps Jeff on the shoulder. "Er, Jeff? Could…could you move please? I'd, er, I need to get out of the booth."

Looking down at her, Jeff instantly notices her flushed face and he frowns in concern. "Hey, are you okay? You look–"

Adrienne nods her head frantically. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Faster than lightning, Jeff is up and holding his hand out for Adrienne to take. "Here, I'll take you to the–"

"Er, no, no," Adrienne says in a hurry. She doesn't bother glancing back at Punk because she knows if she looks at him again, she really will be sick. "I-I just need to get outta here."

Without another word, Adrienne dodges around Jeff and nearly sprints to the exit. Once outside, she leans against the door, trying to regain her breath. She groans loudly as she raises a hand to her forehead and is nearly burnt by the heat.

In that moment, there was only one thing Adrienne was sure of: she fucking hated CM Punk.