Before they knew it, it was time for the main event. Test and Angle were announced and they made their way to the ring the audience booing them loudly. Matt, Jeff, and Lita came out taking their places outside the ring and Jericho following them. Then it was Edge and Kayla's turn. They entered the ring as the audience cheered.

The audience murmured as Christian's music played and he walked down to the ring. Test and Angle grinned thinking Christian had come to help them. The grins were quickly wiped from their faces when Christian high- fived his brother and gave Kayla a hug.

Calling for a microphone he turned to face his former tag team partner. "Test," Christian began, "You and I made one hell of a tag team. But there's one thing I've come to realize lately, and that is blood is more important than titles. You made a big mistake by attacking my brother."

"Why are you here then huh?" Test yelled furiously.

Christian smiled, "I would think that was obvious. I'm here to watch Kayla and Edge kick your sorry asses." The crowd went wild as they realized the E&C was back and better than ever.

The crowd fell silent as APA's music began to play and Bradshaw and Faarooq walked down the ramp gloves on and ready to go to work.

"What the hell," King cried, "What is APA doing down here?"

Edge looked down at Kayla, "This is your little business huh?"

Kayla smiled, "I wanted it to be a surprise." Kayla took the mike off Christian, "I must have forgotten to mention this earlier, but I hired Bradshaw and Faarooq to make sure Test and Angle don't get any help from the peanut gallery." Kayla turned cold eyes to her opponents. "You two are going understand what it means to be outnumbered."

Kayla tossed the mike out of the ring and then climbed out herself taking her position at the corner as Angle did the same. Edge handed her his coat and the ref rang the bell.

Kayla winced as Test got in the first shot clotheslining Edge to the ground. Test moved to pick him up but Edge booted him in the face, getting quickly to his feet. Test ran at him and Edge nailed Test in the face with a drop kick. Test climbed back to his feet wiping blood from his lip. Edge smiled, "Come and get me asshole."

The two men ran at each other apparently having the same idea. They dived at each other grabbed two handfuls of hair and drove each other into the mat. Kayla winced and leaned over the ropes calling out for the tag while Angle did the same from his corner.

"Get up, Edge!" she screamed, "Come on!"

Hearing her voice, he roused himself from his daze and raising his head, climbed to his knees. His hand connected with hers at the same time Test tagged in Angle. Angle sauntered into the ring smiling at Kayla smugly. "You're going to learn some respect," Angle told her snidely.

Kayla smiled sweetly, "Then bring it, Kurtie."

Kurt charged at Kayla and Kayla bit back her fear, standing her ground. Just as he would have rammed into her she grabbed him and using his own momentum threw him over her shoulder.

Angle looked up at her shocked and Kayla gazed at him with mock sympathy. "Awwww, what's the matter? Am I playing too rough with little Kurt?"

Enraged, Angle jumped to his feet approaching her warily. Kurt grappled with her using his greater body weight and strength to do a belly- to-belly suplex.

Kayla lay on the ground reeling from the pain flooding her body. She felt Angle grab her by her hair, pulling her up. Desperately she gave him a low blow and he released her and found himself on the ground the next second. Angle had let himself get close enough to the ropes that Jericho had been able to reach into the ring and pull Angle's legs out from under him. Jericho smiled and waved jovially to Kurt.

Kayla staggered to her feet and kicked him viciously in the ribs. "This is for Edge, you bastard," she ground out as she pulled her leg back and kicked him in the head. Satisfied that he wasn't going anywhere for a while she tagged in Edge who gave Angle a neck breaker.

Starting to loose his temper, Test climbed into the ring ignoring the referee's orders for him to get out. Kayla also entered the ring picking up the chair that Matt slid into the ring. As Test approached Edge from behind Kayla walked up behind him tapping him on the shoulder. When he turned around he was hit by a one-man conchairto.

All occupants of the ring turned around when Albert's music began to play and Test's one time tag team partner began to make his way down the ramp. Kayla smiled as the Acolytes stopped him. Whether Albert mean to help or hinder her and Edge he wouldn't be getting the chance.

Turning red, Test grabbed Kayla by the throat choke slamming her into the mat. Edge dropped kicked him from behind as Jericho, Christian and Team Xtreme climbed into the ring and began to pound Angle and then Test. Kayla was assisted to her feet by Edge. "You okay?" he asked her worriedly.

Kayla nodded, "I'm fine." She stood on her own feet and motioned towards the melee. "Shall we join them?"

"Let's." Edge smiled and the joined the beating.

Angle was thrown from the ring, as Test became the focus of the attack. Kayla saw Kurt slither back into the ring, metal pipe in his hand. Her eyes widened as he closed in on Jeff Hardy from behind. "Jeff!" she screamed as she launched herself at the younger Hardy knocking him to the ground with a spear. Kayla cried out in pain as the pipe came down hitting her between the shoulder blades.

Jeff turned to see Kayla curled up on the mat and Angle standing above her pipe in hand. Angle had meant that shot to be for him. Jeff saw red as he realized that Kayla had taken the shot to save him. He shot to his feet knocking the pipe from Kurt's hand as Kayla crawled to the ropes using them to pull herself to her feet. Jeff pounded Angle to the ground as Test was finally knocked to the mat.

Edge and Kayla locked eyes and smiled. Together they executed a lionsault and the ref, Earl, pounded the mat to a count of three. Edge's music began to play and Jeff walked slowly over to Kayla. "Kayla, I . . ." Jeff trailed off before pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Princess."

Kayla ignored the pain the embrace was causing to shoot through her back and returned the hug feeling tears come to her eyes. "I know." She whispered, "I'm so sorry you got hurt."

"It doesn't matter now," Jeff assured her releasing her.

Edge came up beside her. "You okay?" he asked concerned.

"My back is killing me," Kayla confessed as he put an arm around her leading her from the ring amidst the cheers of the fans. Together the group made their way to up the ramp and disappeared from view.

"My baby!"

Kayla was nearly knocked off her feet as someone practically dove upon her wrapping her up in a hug. Kayla took a second to recognize the voice, "Mom?" she asked a hopeful tone creeping into her voice.

"I'm here, baby," Kayla's mother confirmed hugging her daughter even tighter.

Kayla closed her eyes and she let herself enjoy the feel of her mother's arms. Slowly tears began to leak from her lowered eyelids. "Oh Mama," she whispered throwing her arms around her mother.

Edge smiled as he watched the reunion. His eyes moved the where Kayla's father stood behind them an impassive expression on his face. Edge's eyes narrowed and he and Jeff exchanged glances. If that man hurt her again Edge thought that he just might kill him. Or at least severely injure the stubborn father.

Kayla pulled back from her mother's embrace and her eyes fell upon her father. "Daddy," she greeted him softly.

"Kayla," he returned equally as softly. Mr. McIntyre hesitated a moment, "I saw you get hit with that pipe out there, are you okay?"

Kayla shrugged and winced, "It hurts a bit but it's not too bad."

Edge moved forward and put a hand on the small of Kayla's back. "Why don't we take this somewhere a bit more private?"

Kayla's mother nodded, "I think that would be a very good idea."

Edge led the way to the dressing room he shared with Kayla and everyone at Kayla's insistence, made themselves comfortable. "What are you doing here?" Kayla asked her parents as she down on the arm of the couch.

Mrs. McIntyre smiled, "I received a call from a young man who spoke passionately in your defense." She turned her eyes to the man who had been showing a quiet protectiveness of her daughter. "You must be Edge."

Edge gave Kayla's mother his best smile. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Likewise," Mrs. McIntyre assured him, "I'm glad my daughter has friends that care so much about her."

Kayla looked over at her boyfriend, "You called her?"

Edge nodded, "I wanted you to be happy, Princess. And that wasn't going to really happen until this got sorted out. And since you and your father seemed to be the stubborn ones in the situation," Edge shared a smile with Mrs. McIntyre, "We thought it was up to us."

Kayla's mother elbowed Mr. McIntyre in the side, and he sighed, "Kayla, I know that I've been overly harsh in my actions lately."

"Overly harsh?" Kayla repeated incredulously, "You try to force me into a marriage that I didn't want, and then you disowned me!" Tears fell from Kayla's eyes and she wiped them away angrily, "I thought that you'd always be there for me! You're my father dammit! All I ever wanted as a little girl was to make you proud of me!"

The others shifted uncomfortably but Kayla's father had the grace to look chagrined. "Kayla," he began slowly, "I only want what's best for you. You're too young to realize that sometimes you don't know what's best."

"I'm twenty-one years old, Daddy!" Kayla burst out coming to her feet, "I'm not a baby anymore!"

Mrs. McIntyre put a restraining hand on her husbands arm before also rising to her feet. She hugged her emotional daughter, "Kayla, we've always been proud of you." The elder woman pulled back a bit, "But you will always be my baby and your father's little girl."

"We want you to be happy, Kayla," her father tried, "I'm sorry I sent you away. I want you to come home."

Kayla froze and stared at her father wide eyed. Home. She looked around at the people in the room with her. She looked down at the man she was quickly falling in love with. Edge had been so good to her. Christian had become the brother she'd never had, so with Matt and Jericho. Her eyes traveled to Lita, her friend, her ally and her sister. Finally her eyes settled on Jeff. They were so close to making peace, she missed her friend.

Kayla felt everyone's eyes on her. She walked to the wall leaning her forehead against it. Kayla felt gentle hands on her shoulders and turned to look up into the ice blue eyes of Chris Jericho. "No matter what you decide, you'll always have us." He told her softly.

Torn, Kayla looked over at Edge and saw the fear of loosing her mixed with the need for her to be happy warring across his handsome features.

"Do what you think is right, sweetheart," Edge told her, "Only you know what's best."

Suddenly she had her answer. This was her home. "I can't." she whispered softly turning to her father, "Daddy, try to understand," she pleaded as she saw hurt and anger flash in his eyes, "I've come so far. I have a real chance with the WWF."

"We're your family, Kayla!" he father reminded her gruffly rising to his feet.

"And so are the people here," Kayla countered softly. "These people are willing to support my choices. They've been there for me no matter what. I have a boyfriend who I'm crazy about." Kayla walked over to stand before her father, "Daddy, I'm happy, please try to be happy for me."

Mr. McIntyre laid his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "You're going to get hurt. I saw that match tonight you could have been seriously injured. This isn't the life you were raised for."

"No," Kayla agreed shaking her head, "But it's the life I think I'm meant to live."

"They don't care about you. These hoodlums are brainwashing you!"

"No we're not."

Everyone turned in surprise as Jeff Hardy spoke up taking several steps closer to where Kayla stood with her father. "What will it take to convince you that we'd never let anything happen to her? That we'd never intentionally hurt her? We fought with her, for her, tonight! We stuck our necks out for each other."

"And she nearly got it whacked off!" Kayla's father ground out as his wife laid a hand on his shoulder. "I want my daughter to be protected!"

"Then where the hell have you been?" Jeff snarled closing the distance between him and the older man, moving Kayla gently out of the way so he stood toe to toe with her father. "We've held her as she cried because you turned your back on her! We took her into our homes and she became one of us." Jeff put an accusing finger in Mr. McIntyre's face. "And where were you? Back in your cushy little house in Pennsylvania."

"The boy is right, Michael." Kayla's mother spoke up finally, "These people do care about our daughter very much. Edge called me cause he was worried about her. Like it or not our daughter is a young woman now. We need to let go."

"Sir," Edge began solemnly, "I'd never let anything happen to her. I'd protect her with my life." His eyes never wavered as Mr. McIntyre turned to regard him, "Kayla means everything to me."

Kayla moved over to Edge allowing him to wrap his strong arms around her. "Daddy, I'm staying here. This is where I belong. If you want to be a part of my life you're going to have to accept that I can make my own decisions even if you don't always like them."

Mr. McIntyre sighed. "Then I will just have to accept your decision."

Kayla smiled and rushed forward to hug her father, "Thank you so much," she whispered as her father wrapped his arms around her, "You'll see that I'm right." She promised him.

Mr. McIntyre smiled, "The only problem with you is that you take after me far too much."