Disclaimer: The WWE and all things connected to it are owned and operated by one Vincent Kennedy McMahon. This is a work of fiction and the only thing I own is the creative license to be able to bring this story to the fans of fiction.

A/N: First of all, thank you all for the reviews, it does keep me going with this story, and well this chapter may be shorter then the rest but there is a reason, so bear with me. Chapter Eight should go up sometime later tonight to make up for the shortness. Read and review as always and I thank you.


Monday Night Raw – Later That Day

The fans were at their peak in the arena tonight. The screams could be heard throughout the entire building and none of it got by Ashley as she dressed for her one on one match with Melina. She had been looking forward to having this title shot, but now with what was going to happen at the end of it. After reading over all of the paperwork about what was supposed to go down in the ring, she again spent the few hours she had alone debating whether to warn Johnny or not. Sure Melina knew already, it was part of her script too, but Ashley also knew that Melina would rather have a heart attack then talk to Nitro again, even though at the very least she needed too, if not to clear Johnny of any wrong doing in their relationship.

"You ready chica? This might just go down as one of our best matches." Melina said, patting Ashley on the back. After what had happened in the diner only one short week before, she was shocked Melina was even talking to her. Of course since she had shared one dance with Jeff, Ashley figured that had shut Melina up. Or Joey had gone ahead and told her to lay off.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She mumbled under her breath, standing, and shaking out the last lingering doubts she had playing in her mind. It was go time, and she only hoped that after the dust had settled Johnny would understand.

Jeff waited behind the curtain, his heart pounding faster then it had in months. Sure, he had held the IC title for a long time and he had fought some good people for it, but something was different about this. He had the chance to work with Ashley, on a one on one basis and make it work really well. There were numerous ways this whole storyline could play out. Maybe one of them could even be he could finally tell her how he felt.

The real feelings, not the ones he put on for show at the diner the week before. Sure he wanted to be her friend, but after seeing what his brother had done to her, and knowing just how it felt after what happened between him and Beth, he thought maybe they could find something in each other and make something work. It might be an uphill climb but Jeff knew somewhere in his heart and mind that it was worth it.

Now all he had to do was wait for the swinging neck breaker and then he was in the door to getting what he really wanted. To kiss the one girl of his recent dreams Ashley Massaro.

Johnny watched from the back curtain as Jeff ran in to make his save during Ashley and Melina's match. When Melina had brought the chair out, something she had done before when they tagged together, he hadn't felt the same rush as he used too. What he felt was like he was going to be sick. Sure he knew Jeff had to interfere, he had talked to Jeff about that earlier, but it didn't mean he still didn't worry about what the chair shot might do to Ashley.

He knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a chair shot and he wished more for Ashley, her head was going to be a mess after it.

Johnny watched Melina hit Ashley over the head with the chair when the referee wasn't watching, watched her throw it out of the ring and watched as Jeff ran from the back to Ashley's rescue. The minute Jeff entered the ring the bell sounded and the match was over even before it really began.

Without a moments glance as Melina again picked up the deadly chair, lying in the sidelines, Jeff laid a superkick on her, worthy of Shawn Michaels and she fell to the mat. Within seconds Johnny watched Jeff bend down to tend to Ashley. As he helped her slowly to her feet the crowd starting losing control.

What exactly was he doing? Johnny watched on in amazement as Jeff looked into her eyes and planted a passionate kiss on her, as if they had been lovers for months and were only now getting to show it. What the hell was going on and why hadn't Ashley told him about this? For that matter why hadn't Jeff?

Johnny scanned his mind, looking for a time when another of his friends, Jeff, had told him that this was going to go down and he couldn't recall a time. Jeff and Ashley had kept this a secret for him even though he was as much a part of it as Melina. Why would they do that unless they wanted it to happen?

The longer the kiss lasted in the ring, the sicker Johnny got in his stomach. His match with Jeff had been long over and he no longer had anything to do that night. So without another thought he headed back to the locker room to grab his duffel and get the hell out of there.

If Ashley and Jeff wanted to make an ass out of him then let them. Sure, Ashley and him hadn't said anything more about dating since she had convinced him of her feelings for him but he had expected more then this from her. He felt like his heart was being yanked out of his chest.