Thanks girls and those who have reviewed, I'm really happy to see your enjoying this. Anyway hope you continue to like and are getting ready for an EricYoung/OC and Raven/OC fic in a few days and those promised one-shots. Kate
CHAPTER TEN
After Tyson's little disagreement with Alex, Matt decided to call the party a night. Alex was sitting out on the top of the steps near Matt's hot tub when he heard someone behind him. He turned slightly and watched as Matt sat down next to him. "I have one problem with you, Shelley and you wanna know what it is?"
"You gonna tell me anyways, right?"
Matt smiled, then frowned. "I saw you and Dylan outside the bathroom today." Alex glanced at him and swallowed the thick lump in his throat.
"Look man, I may not like Tyson but he has my cousin and if you do anything to ruin-"
"What's left to ruin?" Alex interrupted suddenly.
"Not my point. I've been cheated on, I know the pain it causes and it will be Dylan who will end up getting hurt. So- don't try anything. Especially while in my house."
Alex nodded in answer, not saying anything to Matt as he got up and left the young man on the steps.
- - -
The TNA locker rooms were a total mess when Dylan, Alex and Chris rolled up the next day for the taping. She was told that until Slammiversary she wasn't even going to be used on any shows as TNA wanted to alter her slightly. Chris looked down at her and rubbed her affectionately as he said so long as they didn't make her remove any of her tattoos or that, as he seemed to enjoy looking at them, then he was fine with the alteration.
Dylan sighed as she collapsed onto the bench in the locker room. Alex was on the opposite side of the room and she stopped when he started to pull his shirt off and she watched the muscles in his back tense and flex as each inch of his back was exposed. She swallowed thickly and told them she'd be back in ten. That'd give them enough time to get changed and her time to get the image of Alex and her at Matt's last night out of her head.
- - -
Chris found Dylan sitting with her back to him and headphones in.
Smiling, he came up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, chuckling when she jumped and turned to hit his chest.
"Chris!"
"What?!" he whined back.
"Don't do that!"
"Sorry Hardy, didn't know you were so easy to scare," he said as she pulled her headphones out.
"What are you doing down here?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
He shrugged. "I just need to take my shirt off."
She nodded. "So- Alex said you were avoiding him."
"What?! I- I am not," she retorted defensively. He put his hands up.
"Easy Hardy-" he told her. "I was only saying." Chris had taken to calling her Hardy ever since she'd told him that she would never answer him if he called her Mackenzie.
"I knew," she sighed, "I'm just- Tyson hasn't answered my texts."
Chris lifted her up and sat down before putting her into his lap. "Why do you stay with him?"
She shrugged. "Cause I'm stupid."
"You're not stupid girlie, you just- don't have a great choice in men at the moment," he told her, resting his arm around her waist and on her lap.
She chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I do."
A voice made her look up and had she been paying any attention to Chris, she would have seen him playing with her belt end absently and trying not to glare at Taylor and Roxxi as they appeared and dragged his little friend away.
- - -
Alex was showering after his first blood match with Mick, cleaning the blood from his face and trying to clean the small cut he'd received. "Hey Alex." He turned when he heard Chris' voice and glanced at his friend.
"What?" He had one hell of a raging headache and had already passed on doing anything after the show with the boys.
"Dylan's not avoiding you. She is- having relationship dilemmas is all."
Alex glanced at his friend as if he were crazy. "Dude, why the fuck you telling me that for?" Chris grinned and clapped as he turned the shower off and grabbed his towel. "What are you clapping at?"
"Dude, come on, you're giving a great performance but how long do you think that this performance will last?"
"What?!"
"You and trying to cover up how much you like her," Chris told him.
Alex shook his head as he started to dry off. "I do not."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
Chris sighed and held his hands up. "Fine, what ever. Look, I gotta go and talk to Dixie and JJ about something. I'll meet you and Hardy at the car," he said. Alex frowned seeing the evil look in Chris' eyes as he left.
- - -
Dixie and Jeff looked up as the door opened. "Hey Dix, JJ," Chris greeted.
"Hi Sabin. What can I do for you?" she asked knowing she only ever saw Chris when he wanted to talk about the show. Jeff nodded towards the younger man as he stepped inside and shut the door.
"I was thinking, about this storyline and well- What if Alex played the boyfriend? I- I mean either way its your choice, I just wanted to know what you that I would have no problem in which role I'm given, but it was just a suggestion."
- - -
Dylan stood, leaning against the car when Alex appeared which unnerved her while no one else was around. She straightened up a little. Alex smiled at her and she returned it as he dumped his bags in the boot before moving to lean against the car beside her. The young woman looked down at the ground and jumped when she felt an arm slip around her waist before Alex moved to stand in front of her and pressed her back into the car as his tongue slipped past her lips and she grabbed hold of his forearm, but didn't push him away. Somewhere nearby a car door slammed and both of them jumped apart.
Dylan covered her mouth with her hand which hid the smile that creased the corner of her lips up. Alex leaned his head down until he was just near hers as she looked up at him. "Alex."
"My off-"
"Don't please," she whispered and he bit his lip before he kissed her cheek and stepped away from her. Chris appeared about five seconds later.
- - -
Matt and Jeff were sitting on the couch with Lucas and Beth when the three got home. "And the heroes return." Dylan smiled at them while Chris laughed and Alex sighed. Out of everything Alex was hurting. His shoulder hurt and so did his head. "You guys hungry?"
"Yeah."
"No," Alex muttered.
Dylan watched him head for his bed and collapse as Beth got up, telling the hungry pair she'd find something for them to eat. Chris followed her, his stomach growling heavily for food. Dylan glanced at Matt who quirked an eyebrow at her before she looked away and followed Chris and Beth into the kitchen. "Has anyone ever told her she is a really good cook?" Chris asked to Dylan as she sat down at the table beside him. Referring to the food Beth had cooked last night for them. Nodding, she laughed when Beth put two bowls fried rice down in front of them. Chris mumbled what sounded like a thanks before digging in. Dylan crossed one leg over the other and rest her head in her hand as she watched him eat while Beth headed back into the lounge room and Alex appeared muttering something about needing something to eat after all.
"You can have mine," she said, pushing her bowl across to the free space at the table along with her spoon. Alex gingerly sat down in the chair and thanked her. She smiled at him and watched the pair of them eat. "So, Roxxi said you went to see Dix and JJ. What about?"
Chris froze and looked sideways at her, then to Alex who was always looking at him questioningly now. "It- It was nothing."
"Sure, it wasn't," she mumbled back and nudged him. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to him. "Chris, you're all sweaty, let me go."
He chuckled and shook his head. Alex sat there watching them as they mucked around before looking away. His phone started going off in his pocket and as he reached for it, Chris shook his head. The only problem with Alex liking Dylan was he pushed his affections onto some other girl who had been available a few days before they'd left for Japan. The problem that really had Chris bugged about the situation was the fact that the person who Alex had pretended to be interested in when Eric, Creed and Lethal had dared him to go up and ask the girl he liked out in return for six hundred dollars was Taylor Wilde. That was probably who was ringing.
"Hey." Alex stood up and headed outside while Dylan and Chris watched him.
"Who is calling him at this time of night?" she asked and Chris stopped.
He smiled slightly at her. "I- Uh- Taylor." Chris would never lie to the young woman who suddenly went quiet and looked hurt.
"Oh, well- that's good to hear they doing well. I'm going to bed."
Chris caught her arm as she made to leave. "Look, it won't last if that's what you're down about."
"I'm not down about anything. I'm happy that he has a girlfriend," she retorted and pulled away from Chris.
She disappeared just as Alex came back inside. "So which girl is it?"
"Huh?" Alex asked, looking up at his friend as they sat back down at the table.
"Which girl are you batting for?"
"Chris-"
"No. I know you are only dragging Taylor on to protect yourself against people thinking you have the hots for Pix," Chris stated and then pointed a finger at his best friend. "I love ya man, but don't hurt two girls in the process of trying to get one."
"I can't have Dylan," Alex muttered low as Matt appeared to grab a drink from the fridge.
Chris slipped into the seat next to his friend. Matt looked at the pair who both smiled at him widely and he quirked an eyebrow at them before walking off.
Chris turned to look at Alex. "Look you can have any girl you want. But- you need to dump Taylor before she thinks you really want a relationship out of it." Alex sat there as Chris stood up. "Alex, you're my bud and I know in the end you'll make the right decision." With that he walked off and Alex looked down at his phone. He brought up a clean message box and typed a few words before finding Taylor's number and hitting send.
Outside he'd tried to get a word in but Taylor hadn't let him. He liked the blonde as a friend, well as an acquaintance not a friend, but he didn't realise that doing what he had done could mean hurting Taylor in the process and incurring the wraith from nearly everyone other Knockout.
- - -
Dylan looked at the wall in front of her as she let the hot water run down her body. She was sore and she hadn't even had a match tonight. Her title was laying on her suitcase and when she left for home in Detroit after tomorrow morning and filming of the next Hardy Show episode. Maybe Alex and Chris could make a cameo? They probably would knowing Matt's evil scheming against the poor guys.