Chapter nine, it seems that Judgment Day has played a role in creating this chapter, so hurray!! I'm kind of torn about J.D.…I'm glad, but so depressed. Poor HBK!!! I really hope that he won't retire after this, but you have to do what your brain tells you over all else. If he does end up leaving for good, I'll support him, but I'll miss him terribly, too…-kicks Randy Orton in the balls- Bastard! Why'd you have to go out there, Shawn, why!?
And for any of you who've re-read this, or will re-read it or whatever, you'll notice some small changes hither and thither, because I've been editing like a fiend. Nothing too big, not story-altering, just grammar and junk. Hurray me!

Anyway, in this chapter, a dejected Kane and a confused Ashley! Enjoy!

The morning after Judgment Day, Ashley lay on the floor in Matt's hotel room along with Jeff, Paul, and Brian, having celebrated Team Extreme's victory over the redneck team of Cade and Murdoch in an all-night bash. Before they got too underway, they posed a toast to Shawn Michaels, Ashley's idol and Paul and Brian's trainer in the indies. They all felt terrible about the Showstoppers' rush to the hospital, and tried to block out any rumors that the Judgment Day mach last night might would be the Heartbreak Kid's last.

Staring at the ceiling, the blonde Diva watched as the Tag Team Championships hanging above her sway along in the breeze created by the A/C. They'd managed to hang the belts with a clever mix of tape, paperclips and thumbtacks, and there they continued to dangle, safe from many drunken attempts to get them down. Ashley, the situation in Milan still fresh in her mind, turned down any alcohol, and was therefore able to smile happily in remembrance of the crazy antics from the night before. From somewhere across the room in a heap of blankets, Jeff's leg twitched, nudging a severely hung over Brian and making him moan.
"Damn it mom, I told you I graduated already…" the high-flying blond muttered, shoving his head deeper into the pillow supplied to him. Ashley snorted, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles, cautious of waking her hung over friends. As silently as the lumbering bodies strewn around her would allow, she stood and carefully made her way to the door, exiting the room and slipping out into the hallway, shutting the door with a soft click.

Making her way to her room, she passed through the lobby, where she saw Kane sitting with a mug of coffee, staring into nothing. Unsure of whether or not to approach him, she stood there, shuffling her feet, but the sigh he gave made up her mind for her. Weirdness of not between them, they were still friends, and she had to be there for him. Plopping down next to him, she gave the Big Red Machine a concerned look. "Hey, what's up?"
Shrugging his shoulders, he set the cup on the table in front of them and leaned back. "Don't wanna talk about it, huh," she asked knowingly, clucking sympathetically.
Shrugging again, Kane finally answered. "I don't know why it bothers me, I really don't, but last night John Cena did something that I myself was unable to do. What does that say about me?"
"It doesn't say anything. Cena got lucky, so what?"
"You were all for him to win," he said almost petulantly.
Ashley stared. Was she going crazy or did he sound…jealous? "Yeah. I like him better than Khali. Is that wrong?"
Sighing, Kane sat forward again, resting his elbows on his knees. Ultimately shaking his head, he said, "No. No it's not wrong. But why did he succeed when I couldn't? What was so different?"
Placing a hand on his, Ashley ignored the slight flutter her heart sent through her insides and answered softly, "Cena had something to defend. Cena had his title. You, you didn't have any other motivation other than to beat him up. A rather wise person once told me," she said with a smile, "that the desire for a title surpasses all else. John Cena was going to fight to the last to keep his Championship. And besides, you took the Great Khali off his feet. John Cena couldn't do that."
Letting her words sink in, he grinned and nodded slightly.
"And they're disputing Cena's win anyway, they say Khali's humongous foot was under the rope when he tapped."
Slightly surprised at the news, Kane raised a brow. "What are they planning to do about it?" The thought of Khali being handed the WWE title made him nervous.
The blonde Diva shrugged. "All I know is that Khali is going to present his case tonight. He's bringing a translator and everything. Anyway I don't care about all of that tonight; all I care about is introducing the new Timberland vid!" Ashley shook her long hair excitedly, and Kane chuckled.
"Yeah, you girls are announcing that tonight, aren't you?" he asked, making a mental note to watch.
Nodding, Ashley smiled. "Yeah, I'm gonna head up there with Jeff as soon as he gets his lazy butt up."
Ashley? Alone in a car with the girl-favorite Hardy for God knows how long? Another stab of jealousy flitted through Kane, but he shook it off. "How was it like?" he asked.
Shrugging, she replied, "It was a lot of fun to work on, but really long, you know? Like Smallville."
Making a noise of assent, Kane thought back to the episode he and the Dirty Diva filmed together with slight satisfaction. 'You know, I never did see that…"
Laughing, the blonde woman nudged him. "That's a relief. I didn't either!" Still chuckling amongst themselves, Kane finally stood and offered his arm to the Diva. Taking his hand, she rose to her feet. Strolling out of the lobby, Kane gave her a sideways glance. "So how are Layla and the other girls doing?"
Ashley shrugged. "Haven't talked to her much since I appeared with them. No Snitsky appearances, as far as I know. You put the hurt on him real bad," she grinned.
Giving her a light shove, he chuckled. "Well what was I supposed to do, let him hurt you? I hope I would've shown that I care more than a little about you by now."
Ashley sobered immediately, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that—" she began but he cut her off gently.
"That wasn't meant to make you guilty, Ash." He said, rapping her gently in the forehead with his knuckles. "I just hope that you know that I do care about you." A lot, his mind added.
Face glowing, Ashley smiled. "Don't worry, I know. Someone who didn't care about me wouldn't make fun of me so much," she said, sticking out her tongue.
"Hey, you better watch what you do with that thing," he warned, trying to sound playful. The mere sight of the pink muscle sent shivers down his spine and images careening through his head.
Continuing on down the hallway, she turned her head to him and stuck out her tongue again. Turning away from him, she was surprised when a big hand caught her elbow in mid- step and whipped her back 'round. What shocked her more was the warm pair of lips that came crashing down on her own. Before she could think, her brain shut down.

Fire spread through Kane's body as he kissed the woman in front of him, one hand firmly clenched around her arm, the other tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck. As quickly as he had done it, his mind snapped back and he pulled away, his eyes wide with longing and something that looked a lot like fear. Rapidly muttering apologies, he released her and backed away from the stunned Diva. He disappeared around a corner quickly, leaving the blonde standing in the hallway, her fingers pressed to her lips in shock.
What in the…was the only thought her mind could muster.

Whew, chapter nine, guys. Kinda heated towards the end! I wrote this kinda quick, though, so I feel pretty good right now. I hope you guys like this chapter, see ya for Chapter Ten!! Love, me!!