Before she knew it, Sunday night had already come and she was already in Albany. She didn't remember much of the plane ride from Florida, but here she was in front of the hotel at 9 p.m. Walking with purpose towards the elevator, she pressed the button and took a step back. A few seconds later, the door opened and she stepped inside, setting her one heavy bag down with a thud on the floor.

"Why in the world are you carrying that monster?" a voice asked behind her. She spun around and jumped at the smiling face of The Rock.

She tried not to blush, but she could feel the heat creeping up her face. "I'm not a tiny flower; I won't break," she said.

He shrugged. "Well okay then." He extended his hand. "Dwayne Johnson."

She smiled and shook his hand. "Yeah, I know. I'm Amy Dumas."

It was his turn to smile. "Yeah I know. Lita."

Amy dropped her hand back down to her side and studied the wall of the elevator. A second later, the door opened and they both exited the elevator. "I'm going this way," he said, pointing to the right.

"I'm going that way," she said pointing to the left.

"Okay, then I'll see you when I see you. Good luck tomorrow night," he said with a smile and his customary eyebrow raise.

Feeling flustered, she nodded and carted her bag awkwardly down the hallway, dropping it on the floor in front of her door, rummaging through her small handbag for the cardboard access key.

"Do you need some help, ma'am?"

Amy stopped completely in her tracks at the sound of the polite drawl behind her. "Jeff?" she asked, turning around slowly.

"Amy! My goodness! Hey!" Jeff grinned at her and wrapped her in a tight hug and then held her at arms length, looking her up and down. "Wow, you really did go all out. You look great!"

She laughed, feeling herself beam. "Thanks. Wow, you look even better in person than you do on TV!"

He chuckled low in his throat and hugged her again. "It's so great to finally see you again."

Amy nodded again and felt her hand close around the cardboard key in her bag. "Found it," she said triumphantly. She unlocked the door and Jeff carried her bag inside for her, dropping it on the floor beside her queen sized bed. "Thanks."

"No problem. You look beat, so I'll leave you alone," he said taking a couple of steps toward the door.

"Alright. Do you want to meet tomorrow morning for breakfast?"

He nodded. "Sounds great. I'll come get you at about eight?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay," he said, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "See you in the morning."

+ ~~ +

The next morning, Amy nervously brushed her hair in front of the bathroom mirror, her mind running over possible scenarios for the morning. Maybe Matt wouldn't want to talk to her. Maybe seeing his two betrayers at one table would be too much. Maybe he would want to pick their relationship up again. Maybe Jeff wanted to be more than friends . . .

Shaking her head, she set the brush down and double checked her outfit in the mirror. She had to admit that she looked pretty damn good. She was wearing a white string halter top that showed off her tanned stomach and a pair of black flair jeans. Her hair now shined with the fresh attention of the brush, and she had on only the faintest trace of makeup. Pushing all previous thoughts out of her head, she grabbed her handbag and went down to the hotel dining room, immediately spotting Matt and Jeff signing autographs by the buffet table.

Jeff looked up as she entered and smiled, waving her over. They signed the last glossy picture for a girl that looked about twelve or thirteen and then sat down at a table in the corner. Matt hadn't looked at her since she'd come in, and when they sat down, he took his first tentative look. Seeing her already watching him, he offered a small smile before standing up. "I'm going through the line before any one else comes in. Coming?"

Standing, Amy and Jeff shot each other a look behind Matt's back as they grabbed their plates from the buffet server. Piling her plate up with blueberry muffins and waffles, Amy grabbed a cup and filled it with orange juice before returning to the table. Matt and Jeff joined her a second later, gaping at her plate which held more food than both of theirs combined.

"Geez, Amy. Want a little plate with that food?" Jeff teased. "How in the world do you stay so skinny?"

Washing down a bite of muffin, Amy shrugged. "Beats me. I guess all those flips off the ropes helps."

Matt grinned and ripped off a piece of her waffle and shoving it in his mouth.

"Hello! You have your own!"

He shrugged. "I wanted yours."

Amy looked down at her plate, trying to suppress a huge grin. Things were looking up.

+ ~~ +

Nervously checking her watch, Amy concentrated on breathing instead of the cameras that were in front of her, about to be broadcasting to a live audience. Matt and Jeff were by her side, and each one took one of her hands as the cameraman told her she had three minutes.

"You'll do great," Matt said, squeezing her hand and looking into her eyes. "Don't worry. If you forget, Jake has the cue cards and Sue will direct you where to go. Essa and Jericho are around the corner waiting, and if you have to improvise, they'll follow your lead."

Gratefully, Amy nodded. That morning's breakfast was churning violently in her stomach, and she felt almost like she was under water. With one last encouraging look, Matt and Jeff left her in the hallway with the camera crew. "In three, two . . . "

With an authoritative flip of her hair, Lita walked down the hallway, turning the corner and running into a strong looking man with long blond hair. She huffed air between her teeth and looked the man up and down. There was another Mexican looking man beside him, and they were both staring at her with interest.

"Excuse me, but you're blocking my way," she said, getting ready to push through the two men when a hand stopped her.

"Excuse *me*, but I don't believe we've met. I'm Chris Jericho and this is Essa Rios."

She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to feign interest. "I'm late. Move."

Jericho chuckled. "Relax, girl. You've got all night."

Lita smirked and put her hands on her hips. "But you don't. If you don't move, I'm going to make you both very sorry."

Jericho and Essa threw their hands up and let her go through. Halfway down the hallway, she turned back and gave them a sultry smile. "I'm Lita."

Once the cameras were off her back, Amy sagged against the wall, her heart racing. Matt and Jeff turned the corner and met her, huge smiles on their faces. "You did great! You should've heard all the cat-calling back there. Hurry up or you're going to miss Stephanie's reaction!" Jeff said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the first open door they came to. There were several other people there, including Adam Copeland and Jason Reso, the two guys she'd be doing a scene with later.

Jason looked up as they entered and grinned. "You just missed Steph's scene. But we got it on tape. Hang on and I'll rewind it."

Amy sank down on the floor as Matt and Jeff leaned up against the wall by the television. A few seconds later, the boss's daughter Stephanie came on the screen. She was pacing angrily, as Amy saw herself disappear around the corner on Stephanie's television.

"Who does she think she is? She just can't come in here and take MY spotlight! This I will not stand for! I'm a McMahon, dammit!"

The camera flashed to J.R. and Jerry Lawler, the two announcers. "Man, oh man! I've never seen Stephanie that jealous of another woman!" J.R. said.

"I don't know about that, but Lita is hot! If she doesn't want Essa or Jericho, maybe I could introduce myself later!" Jerry said excitedly.

"And maybe you could keep dreaming," J.R. deadpanned.

The tape stopped and Lita squealed. "This is so exciting!"

Matt sat down on the floor beside her and squeezed her shoulders. "It'll only get better."

She looked up and caught the hidden meaning behind his words. With a smile, she looked away, feeling her face heat up.

+ ~~ +

The rest of her scenes went great and before she knew it, Stephanie was in the middle of the ring challenging her to a match. Pumping herself up, she let Matt and Jeff give her a hug before she stormed out on the stage, in full Lita mode.

Lita charged down the ramp, staring contemptuously at Stephanie as she slid into the ring. She grabbed the microphone from the princess and held it up to her mouth. "You want to fight me." It wasn't a question, but an incredulous statement. "You've got to be kidding me."

Stephanie's eyes shot fire as Lita's eyes danced with laughter. "Fine. But I hope Daddy won't mind watching his daughter get her ass kicked!"

Lita threw down the microphone and locked up with Stephanie. They circled the ring a few times before Lita kicked Stephanie in the midsection. The woman went down with a thump, holding onto her stomach. Standing, she tossed her hair out of her eyes and tried to slap Lita.

Stepping back, Lita grabbed Stephanie's arm and twisted it until the woman was yelling out in pain. Then she dropped her arm and delivered a DDT. Stephanie wasn't moving, but instead of going for the cover right away, Lita dragged the other woman to the corner of the ring where she climbed up on the top rope and back flipped off, landing right on the heart of Stephanie. Flipping the woman over, Lita hooked her leg and watched the referee slide to the floor and deliver the three count.

The bell rang and Lita took a step back, raising her arm in victory. Stephanie called herself a wrestler? She hadn't even gotten a hit in!

Backstage, Amy was met with a round of applause and several hugs.

"That was the quickest victory I've ever seen! Great job!" Vince McMahon said, coming around the corner to congratulate her. "We'll be seeing a lot more of you, young lady."

Vince walked away and Amy was swallowed up again by Matt and Jeff. After a few more minutes of graciously accepting praise and congratulations, Matt leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Shower and then come into mine and Jeff's locker room. We need to talk."

She nodded, and slipped away from the people, heading to her locker room. After a quick shower to get the baby oil and sweat off, Amy dressed in a pair of sweats and headed down to the door that proclaimed the name "Hardys".

As soon as she knocked on the door, it opened and Jeff invited her in, looking very serious. "Sit down," he said, pointing to the benches in the middle of the floor.

"What's this about?" she asked, noticing that Matt's expression was as serious as his brother's.

"Jeff and I have been talking and we've decided a couple of things. Since you've reentered our lives, there are a few concerns that we shared, and that you probably have too," Matt said, looking almost uncomfortable. "First of all, I just want to tell you guys that what happened between the three of us hurt. A lot. But I've gotten over it and I don't think it's fair to keep reminding you two of it. It wasn't anyone's fault, and there's nothing we can do to change it now. Everything happens for a reason."

Jeff nodded. "And we also agreed that it wouldn't be fair to any of us if we let the past interfere with the present and the future. So . . . "

He pulled out a kitchen knife from his duffel bag and Amy heard herself gasp. What in the hell was he going to do with that thing?

"If you're willing," started Matt, "we'd like to make a pact."

"A pact?" she echoed.

"A pact," Jeff confirmed.

"That the past will remain in the past and that we'll only concentrate on the future. And that we'll be best friends again. Because, Amy, I've been absolutely miserable without you. You've always been my best friend, and I don't want that to end with one stupid mistake."

Amy felt tears sting the back of her eyes and all she could do was nod.

"So, I'll cut Matt's palm, Matt will cut yours, and you'll cut mine. Then we'll mix the blood to seal the pact."

Feeling like a weight had sunk down in her stomach, she nodded. "Okay. This is the only way to put the past behind us."

Scooting forward on the bench, Amy turned her head as Jeff began to cut Matt's hand from his middle finger down to the end of his palm. The cut was shallow, but a good amount of blood rose to the surface. Matt winced, but took the knife from his brother. Amy held out her shaking hand and felt Jeff's hand tighten around her wrist. The blade dug into her middle finger and Matt pulled it across her palm. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it. After a few seconds of adjusting to the pain, Amy cut Jeff's hand.

Once all three of them were bleeding, they clasped hands and felt it sting as the blood mingled and then dropped onto the floor in tiny droplets.

"Now there's nothing but the future," Matt said as they all looked around at each other.

Jeff smiled. "And the future has got to be better than the past."