PART 2
LATER THAT NIGHT
Britney sped back to her hotel room, checked in, and immediately headed to the room she was sharing with Amy. After she washed up in the bathroom, she noticed the makeup and dark circles under her eyes from all the crying. She absolutely hated that she was crying over Brock, but also felt that she had a right to be afraid. And she sure as hell was afraid, Brock scared her to death, but she couldn't show it. All of her friends, and everyone else for that matter, believed she was so incredibly tough and that nobody could do anything to upset her. Here the mere mention of this man's name was sending chills up her spine. As she climbed into bed, she thought about her fight with Amy and how she had blown off Adam earlier. She really did feel horrible about that, but she just couldn't tell them, or anyone for that matter. She considered calling Adam, for some reason she thought she'd feel more comfortable talking to him. She actually took out her phone and dialed his number, but opted to press cancel instead of send, too scared to go through with it. Britney decided she would have at least two months before Brock would be on the shows, so she figured she might as well enjoy it. She knew Amy would be returning soon, so she decided to just go to sleep right then. That way, she wouldn't have to answer to Amy when she got in. She laid down in the bed and, within minutes, was fast asleep.
THE NEXT DAYBritney stood in an arena hallway with Adam, Jay, Jeff, Amy, Chris, and Rob. She and Amy never really talked about their little fight, Amy had just told her not to worry about it. Britney was relieved because she didn't think she COULD tell her, even if she was one of her best friends. They were all supposed to be talking about their matches for the night, but they ended up just hanging out.
Suddenly, Stephanie ran from around the corner over to them. Breathless, she started to speak, "Brit, guys… oh god. Brock is… he's…" then she stopped.
Jeff, Rob, Chris, and Adam all spoke together, "He's what?"
Britney followed, "Brock is what Steph? Brock is…"
"Here," they were interrupted by a voice coming from behind them. Britney's eyes widened as she turned to meet the voice, others following suit.
There he was, Brock Lesnar. Jeff and Chris, neither of whom were very tall, looked up at his stalking figure in awe. Adam's eyes widened as well, this guy was pretty damn intimidating. "Brock is here," he finished his sentence, before slowly making his way towards Britney. Adam jumped to move forward, but Rob grabbed his arm.
Brock leaned down, threw an arm over her shoulder and continued, "Long time no see, babe. We got some catching up to do." Adam winced as he saw Britney's eyes fill with tears. Brock laughed and as he saw Vince waving to him from down the hall, called, "Coming, Vince!" before walking away.
Stephanie burst into tears and ran off, Chris and Rob tailing her. Jeff said he needed to go talk to Amy and Matt about this, and left Britney alone with Adam. As she jumped up and sat on the equipment crate behind her, Adam thought about the guy he had discovered to be Brock Lesnar. Where had he seen him before? Vince mentioned something about the NCAA title… but Adam only watched amateur wrestling if Kurt had control of the TV. He wondered as his gaze passed over pictures on the wall from the Divas photo shoot… pictures! The pictures he found in Brit's room, they were of Brock! Shit, Adam thought, what is with this guy? His thoughts were broken when he heard a sniffle. He looked down at Britney, who had since given into the tears that had been pressing up against her eyes. Just looking at her, so helpless and afraid, made Adam feel the tears come to his own eyes -- and his blood boil. Trying to decide how to approach his vulnerable friend, he sat slowly next to her, not wanting to startle her. He waited a moment before speaking to her.
"Brit?" he asked, softly putting an arm around her shoulder. "Hun, are you… what did he do? Brit?" He looked down and his piercing eyes met her tear-filled blue ones, and his heart sank yet again as she tried to speak.
"Adam, he… well, he and I… damn it, I can't believe I'm letting him get to me!" she cried. She turned, grabbing Adam's hands, fear flooding her eyes. "Adam, he's gonna do it again, I know it. Oh god," she said, fresh tears spilling over. Finally, Adam couldn't take seeing her like this and wrapped Britney in his arms tightly. Running his fingers through his hair, he tried his best to calm her down, while trying to keep composure himself.
"Shh… it'll be okay, I promise. I won't let him hurt you, I swear." Britney nodded against his chest and wiped her eyes. "You know," Adam started before getting cut off by Jeff.
From down the hall, Jeff yelled, "ADAM! Come here for a minute, it's important!" Sighing, he cupped the young McMahon's face in his hands, "Do you still want me to drive you to the hotel after the show?"
She attempted a smile as she nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind."
Patting her on the shoulder, he stood up, kissed her gently on the cheek, and walked away. He felt a little uneasy about leaving her alone with Lesnar running around the halls, but figured she'd be okay for now. After he walked away, Britney touched her cheek where Adam had just kissed her. She recalled what he said a few moments earlier. "I won't let him hurt you, I swear." She really was lucky to have a friend like Adam. He was the sweetest, most generous, caring, compassionate, and… she tried not to get too close to him. She had learned that in life it was best to trust no one, but he gave her no reason not to. As much as she tried to be in survival mode around him, he gave her absolutely no reason not to fully trust him. She half-smiled as she thought, Maybe that's what a TRUE friend is.
IN THE LOCKER ROOMAdam followed Jeff until they reached a locker room. Inside, they were met by Matt, Amy, Jay, Chris, Rob, Benoit, Torrie, Stacy, Drew, Mark, and Stephanie. Adam's eyes darted around the room, confused. What the hell was going on?
"Uh, guys?" he asked. "Whatever this is about, hurry up. I don't like Britney out there with that Lesnar faggot following her," he said sternly.
Stephanie jumped, "What? What the fuck did you leave her out there alone for?!" Jay grabbed a hold of her arm, pulling her down next to him.
"Don't worry Steph, it's okay. I sent Kurt out there to watch her back," he said reassuringly.
Stephanie smiled, "Thanks."
Amy stood and began talking, "Okay guys. I'm worried, as I'm sure you all are. None of us know about this Brock or his relationship with Britney other than they dated years ago. So, we really don't know what he did, or if he'll do it again, or if he'll…"
"He won't," Adam interrupted. Stephanie almost smiled at the intensity on his face, knowing it was directed at Brock. Deep down, she knew Adam loved Britney and would protect her cousin with his life. "I don't know who this bastard is, but I swear if he does anything to hurt her, I'll have his ass."
Jay nodded, "All of us will. Steph, you gotta help us. We need to know more about what happened. You're the only one who knows. What did he do?"
"I don't know damn it!" she cried throwing her hands in the air. "Whenever Brit came to me… she'd never say what happened, and I was too stupid to ask."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Torrie spoke up. "It's not your fault either." Stephanie smiled at the pretty blonde's kindness.
"Hey," Mark said, speaking up for the first time. "Britney's like a daughter to me, and I'll be damned if I let some punk fuck with her. Apparently, I have a feud coming up with this guy. I'll find out as much as I can."
Jeff looked at Mark, puzzled. "I don't get it. You're the champion. Why is a new guy getting such a high profile angle?" he asked inquisitively.
"Got me. My bet is he's a big McMahon ass kisser. Well, Vince McMahon ass kisser, I mean." Mark paused for a minute, looking at the clock. "Uh, it's 7:15, we better go get ready for the show."
"Right," everyone said together, beginning to file out of the room.
As Stephanie left, Jay grabbed her hand and gave it a firm, but gentle squeeze. Winking at her, he reassured her, "Brit's gonna be fine." She smiled at him before leaving for her office, leaving Adam and Jay at the door.
"Man, that Stephanie sure is something," he said, fondness of the brunette McMahon growing. When he got no reply from his childhood friend, he turned to look at him. Adam appeared to be in a daze, staring at the white wall across from him. "Hello? Earth to Copeland!" he said, waving a hand in front of his face, stirring him out of his trance.
"What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how we can help Britney out." A smile formed on Jay's face, "I know why now." Adam looked at him confused. "I mean," the shorter blonde Canadian continued. "I know why you want to help Britney so badly."
Adam shrugged, "Cause she's one of my best friends and I…"
"Am totally in love with her?" Jay finished.
Adam shook his head quickly, "No! It's not like that at all! I mean, I like her and all, but I just want to help out a good friend."
Jay shook his head and patted Adam on the shoulder. "Don't bullshit me, cause I've know better!" he said laughing. "Now come on, let's go get ready for the show."
Adam sighed, "Alright." He knew his friend was right. He wasn't "totally in love" like Jay had said, but he was falling fast and hard. But that's not important right now. She needs you to be a good, loyal friend --- and ONLY a good, loyal friend.
AFTER THE SHOW
Britney put the last of her ring gear away in her bag. She decided, after a long talk with Kurt earlier, that she wasn't going to let Brock bother her for now. Suddenly, there was a knock on the locker room door. Her heart stopped, just for a second, as she saw Trish go to answer the door. When she heard the little blonde say, "Hey Adam!" she breathed a sigh of relief. She jumped up and walked over to the door.
"Hey Adam. I hope you're not ready to leave yet cause I still have to shower and stuff."
He smiled at her, "That's okay, I need to shower too, as you probably can tell," he said, gesturing to the "Edge" tights he was still wearing. "Anyway," he went on. "I was just wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat before we go to the hotel," he suggested. Before she answered, she looked at his sweat-slicked body. My god, he's hott, she thought.
"Sounds good! I'll meet you at the car at like 10:45."
"Good then, it's a date," he said, mentally kicking himself for sounding like such an idiot, though he didn't know Britney thought of him as the opposite. As the tall Canadian walked away, Britney watched his long legs carry him down the hall. When he reached the end of the hall, he turned and gave her a wink before turning the corner. He's gorgeous, she thought as she pushed the images out of her mind. Grinning at how her night was taking a turn for the better, she grabbed a towel and headed for the showers.
Adam was ¾ of the way to the showers when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned to see a neck bigger than his head, and his gaze traveled up to meet Brock Lesnar's. Struggling to keep composure, Adam played nice.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
Brock stuck his head out before saying, "I'm Brock. We didn't exactly get introduced earlier, so I figured I'd take care of that myself."
Adam smiled nervously, "Hey, I'm Adam." Damn this guy was scary!
"Nice to meet you Adam," Brock said, playfully smacking him on the arm. Adam glared at him, he really was creepy.
"You too. I'm… uh, gonna go take a shower. I'll see you later," he said, pivoting and going the other way. He didn't make it too far because Brock grabbed his arm again, this time more roughly than before.
"Hold on buddy, I'm not done," he said, moving in real close to Adam. "I hear from my new agent Paul Heyman that you're pretty content with Britney. Dude, just stay away from her, she's a bitch and I…"
"I would appreciate it if you'd stop talking about her like that!" Adam shot back, offended. How dare he talk about her like he was! And he should have known that little snitch Paul Heyman would easily give Brock any information he wanted.
Brock frowned, then closed what little distance was left between them off, backing Adam up against the wall as he glared at him. He figured that this was the guy that bitch Stephanie ordered to "protect" Britney from him. He knew this was the guy he was going to have to… deal with… to get Britney back. "Look pal, Britney is MINE. She belongs to me, so I'd really appreciate if you kept your fucking hands off of her!"
Adam was about to snap. He didn't care how big Brock was, or how much trouble he could get in for starting a fight with a new guy. He pushed Brock, just enough to send him a few steps backward, and returned the glare. "She does NOT belong to you! Or anyone else for that matter. And I suggest you stay the hell away from her, because there are about 20 guys around here who will rip your dick off if you so much as touch her! And that's NOTHING compared the slow, merciless way I'd kill you if you did anything to hurt her!"
"Ouch," Brock replied sarcastically. "Well, when I get her back where she belongs, none of your little threats will matter. She fucking loves me and will do whatever I say." Adam was about ready to lunge at him and rip him apart.
He yelled, "You sick son of a bitch! I don't know what you did to her, but you better hope that I DON'T find out. Cause if I do, I will fucking kill you. Besides, pal, Brit isn't stupid enough to fall for that shit and go through everything you put her through again!"
Brock laughed, "Everything I put her through? That bitch got everything she deserved! She was getting out of control. And believe me, I WON'T let that happen again."
Adam turned immediately and stormed away, knowing that if he made eye contact with Brock after what he just said, he'd live out one of those threats. He walked straight to the showers, stripping down and turning on the cold water. He needed to cool down for when he saw Britney… he had to keep her away from Brock because he was a danger to her, because she was one of his best friends, because Jay was right… he was in love with her.
AT THE HOTEL
Britney laughed hysterically at a story Adam was telling her about a trip across a frozen lake he had taken with Jay and Terry Gerrin to get to an indy show years ago. He was just finishing up the story as he walked her to her hotel room. They had stopped at a diner and ended up talking for what had seemed like forever. She seemed to be having such a great time, Adam decided not to tell her what Brock had said earlier. When they reached the door, Britney turned and stood on her toes to give Adam a hug.
"I had fun, thanks a lot," she said sweetly. She grabbed his hands and gave them a quick squeeze before digging out her room key and sliding it in the door. Before she got in, she turned to face him once more. "Oh Adam? I think I forgot something," she said, looking up at the handsome blonde in front of her.
"What's that?" he asked, looking down to meet her eyes. She smiled, before pilling his face down for a quick kiss before heading in and closing the door.
On the outside, Adam leaned up against the door, childish grin on his face. She was so beautiful and sweet and that kiss, though it was nothing big, sent chills up his spine, and the blood to leave his head. The grin turned to shock as he heard Britney say his new least favorite word.
"Brock?" Britney asked as she saw the man she used to love sitting on the couch in HER hotel room, watching TV as if it were HIS.
"Hey Brit! Come sit down, what took you so long?" She glanced at him nervously, suddenly wishing she had brought Adam with her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked him.
He stood and replied, "Okay, I won't beat around the bush. I'm here because… I want you back. REALLY bad. I… I really need you," he pleaded. Britney looked at him in disbelief. Was this the same Brock who put her through all that shit and hurt her so bad?
"Brock, I…" she began before he cut her off.
"Please! I know I've given you no reason at all to trust me but… I've changed baby, I swear! I don't wanna hurt you!" he whined, trying to be persuasive. He picked up a vase full of flowers and held them out to her. He just needed to get her to say yes so that he could get that damn Copeland guy off of his back. "Brit, please… I… I love you."
Adam stared at the wall in disbelief. He had heard every word of the conversation. How could Brock tell Britney he loved her after the shit he said to Adam earlier? He was such a two faced bastard! He prayed that she wouldn't make the wrong decision. Please god, don't say yes. When he heard her begin to speak, he listened closer.
"Brock, I… no. I'm sorry, I just can't."
Adam heaved a huge sigh of relief until he heard the sound of loud SLAP and Britney's voice cry out. It was obvious that he just hit her. Adam jumped and began prying and pulling and kicking at the locked door, trying desperately to get it open. He HAD to get in there. He was ready to rip the damn thing off its hinges when he heard Britney crying.
"Brock… please! Please stop. Oh god, Brock, stop!"
What the hell was he doing in there? Adam furiously jingled the door handle, but to no avail. He listened in again, praying this asshole would stop whatever it was he was doing.
"Brock…" Britney whined less fiercely, as if she'd given up hope.
There was some more banging noises and other sounds coming from the room. When she couldn't take it anymore, she stopped trying to stifle her sobs. Adam froze as he heard her begin to speak again.
"Brock, please don't… don't do this.. I'm not… I can't. You can't do this…"
Adam was fuming, if Brock even THOUGHT about taking this any further, he'd have snapped.
"Shut up and calm down!" he heard Brock say. "I'm not gonna fucking do anything else! You're that Copeland kid's little slut now aren't you?!" he said angrily, slurring slightly.
"Brock, you're drunk. Come talk to me when you're…"
"Shut up you stupid whore!" he yelled even more loudly. Adam heard another slap, this time he knew it was from Britney because of her immediate apology.
"Brock, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it. I…"
"Fuck you Britney! You know what? I don't give a shit anymore! You wanna go and fuck Copeland, you go right ahead cause I don't fucking care!"
Then Adam heard the worst sound of the night, a really loud shattering SMASH, followed by more crying from Britney. Adam jumped once more at the sound, "That was glass!" he yelled loudly, pounding on the door.
"Alright open the goddamn door!" He was surprised when he saw the handle turn. He was now face to face with Brock Lesnar, the man who was just screaming on the other side of the door. He seemed amazingly calm considering how he'd just been acting.
Smirking, he looked at Adam, "Enjoy the show pal?"
Adam glared at him, "What the fuck did you do?"
Pushing past him, clad in a t-shit and a pair of sweatpants, Brock smirked once more. "Nothing she didn't have coming to her."
"You bastard," Adam muttered, then rushed into the room when he heard Britney crying again.
He walked in and was horrified at the wrecked room, magazines thrown across the floor, shattered glass everywhere. "Oh my god," he mouthed silently, then, "Oh no," when he saw Britney. She had half of her back facing him, and he didn't think she knew he was there. Her red shirt was completely torn in half, and the sight of her made Adam seriously consider leaving the room and hunting down Lesnar and pummeling him. But he didn't want to leave her, so he decided it would be best for him to stay and make sure she was okay, although he didn't understand how she COULD be. He looked and Britney, hugging herself as tears silently fell down her cheeks. Adam slowly walked up behind her, trying not to make any noise. All he wanted to do was put her in his arms and keep her there, hold her until she felt safe. He gently sat down next to her on the couch, still managing to startle her. She jumped, flailing her arms defensively.
"Don't touch me! Get away!" she yelled, obviously not realizing it was Adam behind her.
"Britney!" he cried, shaking her gently, but hard enough to snap her out of it. "Brit, honey, it's me, Adam. Shh, you're okay, I got you," he said as she settled down against him. Turning her around and wrapping her in a tight embrace, he gently rocked her back and forth, whispering softly to her. "Shh, it's okay now baby, I'm here. I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner, but it won't happen again. I won't let him hurt you anymore."
Finally, she spoke, "Oh god Adam, it was h-horrible! I thought he was going to kill me or something! He could have ra-… oh god. Adam, I was so scared."
Even though she didn't finish that statement, he knew what she was saying. If Brock had tried to rape her… Adam didn't even want to THINK about that. For a second, they made eye contact, and that did it. Adam broke. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at her, so deathly afraid of this man.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I heard the entire thing, I never left the door. God, I should have done something."
"But you're here now, and you have no idea how much that means to me," she said, actually managing a smile, a watery one, but a smile no less. She really amazed Adam, after all that just happened, managing to stay positive. They sat in silence for a few moments, Britney's clutch on Adam not lightening up for a minute.
"Adam?" she asked suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Can you stay here with me tonight?"
He looked at her hopeful face and smiled, "Of course I can sweetie. Let's just go to bed now, you look exhausted. We'll clean this up tomorrow." Or maybe I should find Lesnar and make him EAT this shit off the floor, he thought to himself.
"Okay," she said, fully looking at him for the first time.
When he saw that there were no marks on her face, he stood up. Adam led her into the bedroom and helped her into the bed, checking once again just to make sure Brock didn't hurt her physically. Wrapping his arm around her waist securely, he kissed her softly on the cheek, reminding himself not get carried away. "Goodnight Brit," he said, and then noticed she was fast asleep. He smiled at how at peace she looked, as opposed to her expression a few minutes ago. He decided to enjoy the moment, her being in his arms where he knew she belonged, and decided to worry about Brock and Vince in the morning. He kissed her once more before he too was sound asleep.
