PART 13

TWO WEEKS LATER

Chris and Adam sat quietly in the hotel lobby, each man picking at the food they'd selected for lunch.  Both men were a little fidgety, and it was clear that they were a little uncomfortable.  Adam sighed loudly as he raked his fingers through his long hair.

"Do you think I should call and see if they're okay?" he asked uneasily.  Chris looked up at him, a lock of blond hair freeing itself from its ponytail as he did so.

"Adam, look," he started, sighing.  "I know you're worried, but there just isn't anything you can do.  You can't follow her around 24/7.  You seriously need to calm down. You're… you're scaring me."  Adam sighed again, pushing his plate aside and resting his head in his hands.

"Chris, I can't… I can't help it.  Ever since a couple weeks ago, I… I'm really worried about her.  She's just not the same Britney anymore.  I know she's with Amy and that Ames would never let anything happen to her, but I just… it's like I'm not sure she's okay unless she's with me," he admitted.

Ever since Chris had discovered Britney with the cocaine, the young McMahon had been so distant and shady.  She became very jumpy around everyone, and it was becoming extremely difficult to keep the whole ordeal to the four of them.  Adam was even more heartbroken on a few nights when he would enter their hotel room to find that she had yet again cried herself to sleep.  It was like she was slowly slipping away and there was nothing he could do to stop it.  His thoughts were suddenly broken when an annoying voice cut through them.

"Hey guys!  Why the long faces?"  Adam lifted his head to see Paul Heyman standing at the side of their booth.

"Nothing Paul," Adam replied, turning to Chris and rolling his eyes.  Chris smirked, hoping Paul would just take the hint that they didn't want any company and just go away.  He knew, though, that the former ECW owner was too annoyingly persistent to just back off.  He also knew that he was up to something, as the Paul didn't just walk up to people acting concerned for the hell of it.  The shorter of the two Canadians rolled his eyes as well as he saw him go to speak again.

"Are you sure?  Cause it looks like you boys are upset… hey, this doesn't have anything to do with Britney, does it?  Cause I saw her a little while ago, and boy, did she look depressed!  I mean depressed with a Capital D!  I mean…"

"Alright Heyman!" Adam snapped, slamming his fists down on the table.

Paul jumped at Adam's response, "I… sorry, I went a little far there.  Well, while we're at the subject, I hear Ms. McMahon has been having quite a rough time lately.  I guess the stresses of the business are finally getting to her.  I didn't know her too well, but she just seemed much happier while she was with Brock."  Adam turned to glare angrily at Paul.  That fat asshole has no clue what the hell he's talking about.  Taking a slow, deep breath, Adam tried his best to remain calm.

"Don't you dare-" he started, stopping abruptly when Chris kicked him in the shin from under the table.  He knew exactly what Heyman was up to, and he didn't like that his game was working on Adam.

"Paul, if you don't mind, we're trying to finish our meal here, okay?" Chris said, hoping this conversation could end without Adam strangling the man.

Pulling his smug face into a cold frown, he sighed, "Fine."

As Heyman turned away from Adam and Jericho, the frown on his face transformed into the sly and evil grin seen on WWE TV.  Wait till I tell Brock that his whole "psychology" thing is working.  Both Adam and Britney are slowly breaking down, and eventually they'll break apart.  Hell *both* of the guys will be ecstatic.

LATER THAT AFTERNOON

Vince McMahon sat a desk in his temporary office, speaking on the phone with one of the producers for that night's show.  He looked up when the door opened, preparing to scold whomever it was for not knocking.  He stopped when he saw Britney walk in, wearing baggy black sweatpants and a white wifebeater tank top.  Hanging up the phone, Vince studied her intensely as she loudly chewed a piece of gum.  She looked much younger than her 21 years, and Vince couldn't help but notice how similar she looked to, well, when she was 14.

"Well?" she said, placing her hands on her hips.  "You said you wanted to see me?"  Although the chairman had personally requested a meeting with his niece, he dreaded the moment actually coming.  They hadn't spoken much since Vince had hired Brock Lesnar and quite frankly, he thought she wanted it that way.  The look she was sending him all but confirmed her thoughts.

"Yes, I uh--- well," he started, clearing his throat.  Damn it, why am I so nervous?  "Britney, I called you in here because I'm worried about you.  You haven't been yourself lately," he said honestly.

"How nice of you to notice," she said dryly.

"Well, do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked curiously.

Britney laughed ruefully, "Yeah, I would like to tell you what's going on.  Thanks to your newest employee, I have had the shittiest four months of my life."

Vince sighed, "Brit, I know you've got no reason to like Brock, but he's not a bad kid, and he's a super athlete.  I can't NOT hire him because of you.  Let's not be selfish…"

"Selfish?!  You've got to be fucking kidding me!  Vince, you don't know Brock!  He's not such a good kid like you think he is!  You're fucking insane if…"

"There's no reason to raise your voice to me young lady!  I didn't tolerate it when you were a kid, and I sure as hell won't tolerate it while you work for me.  I asked you to come in to talk, not yell at me about my business decisions," he said as calmly as possible.

Britney rolled her eyes, "Sorry Uncle Vince."  Vince sighed loudly as he eyed his niece one more time.  She looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days.  He couldn't stand seeing her this way.  Ever since his sister and brother-in-law died, Britney had been like a daughter to him, and he didn't want to see her so depressed.

"Brit, honey, I'm sorry.  I'm just worried, that's all.  I don't want you ending up like your mother, that's all," he said seriously.  He didn't want his niece to end up like his sister, marrying some bastard crack addict and bringing her down with him.

"Don't bring my mother into this!  It wasn't her fault she ended up like she did!  If you weren't so damn BLIND, you'd see that I already AM like my mother.  If you were a REAL uncle, you'd get your head out of your ass and see through Brock!  He's not a good kid!  He's a monster, and he destroyed every ounce of self respect I ever fucking had!" Britney snapped testily, turning and storming out of the room.  Vince sighed once more, resting his head in his hands.

Outside the door, a bulky man slowly made his way out of the shadows behind the door.  Once he was sure Britney was completely out of sight, he took out his cell phone.  He located the name "Lesnar" in his address book, pressed "Send" and waited.  Smirking as the phone rang, he thought of what he had overheard while he was "walking by" Vince McMahon's office.  Brock would certainly get a kick out of what the tiny McMahon had said about him.

FOUR DAYS LATER

Adam was driving his rental car down a highway, Britney sitting in the passenger seat as he made his way to the next city.  He had met up with her at the airport after a two-day break and they were now headed to the next hotel.  Once again, neither of them were saying much of anything.  Pretty much every time they were together, Britney remained silent, speaking only when Adam couldn't bear the silence any longer and asked her a question.  For the most part, the drive was smooth.  However, a few miles up there was an accident, and Adam cursed as they approached a back up of cars.

"Shit," he mumbled as he came to a stop.

Britney said nothing, but leaned over to flip on the radio.  After fumbling around with the buttons, she settled on a rock station.  Adam knew that the diva preferred rap, but she knew that he despised it.  So, when they traveled together, she settled on his music, which she honestly didn't mind.  Adam turned to gaze at her as another song, which he recognized as Linkin Park's "Crawling" began to play.  As she stared out the slightly opened window, Adam saw somewhat of a transformation on his friend's face.  She reached over and twisted the volume button, turning the song up until it was blasting out of the speakers before resting her head on the window and staring out it once more.  Her expression grew dark as she sang along with the radio.

"This lack of self-control I fear is never ending.  Controlling, I can't seem… to find myself again, my walls are closing in," she sang quietly.

Adam's eyes widened slightly at her, almost in fright.  Normally, the Canadian would have enjoyed hearing the song and would have sang to it with her.  But quite honestly, she was scaring him at the moment.  The possessed look in her expressive eyes told him that the lyrics described exactly what she had been feeling as of late.

Crawling in my skin

These wounds they will not heal

Fear is how I fall

Confusing what is real

Discomfort endlessly has pulled itself upon me

Distracting, reacting

Against my will I stand beside my own reflection

It's haunting, how I can't seem

To find myself again, my walls are closing in

((Without a sense of confidence I'm convinced that there's just

too much pressure to take))

I've felt this way before

So insecure

Britney continued singing until Adam, who couldn't take it any longer, snatched the button and turned the radio off.

"Crawling in my… hey!" she said, startled as she realized she was now singing alone.  Adam said nothing, turning his head and clutching the steering wheel.  Britney gazed at him, her glance traveling to his hands, which were gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.  "Damn, I didn't think I sung THAT badly," she said sarcastically.

Once again, he remained silent, so Britney gave up and turned her head away.  Traffic began to move, and Adam slowly drove the car for about a mile before reaching another bumper to bumper jam.

"Damn it!" Adam yelled, slamming his hands on the steering wheel, causing Britney to jump.

"Christ, Adam!  It's just traffic!" Britney said moodily.  Adam sighed, raking his fingers through his hair as he shifted in his seat to gaze at her.  If only it WAS the traffic that was making him so frustrated.  Though she obviously didn't know it, Britney was the actual cause of his frustrations.

"It's not the traffic, Brit.  It's… it's you," he said, somewhat reluctantly.  He watched her whip her head around to glare at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" she snapped.

Adam hesitated before answering, "Look… I didn't mean it like anything!  I… I don't know what I mean!  All I know is that, well, lately, you've changed.  It scares me to see you slipping away like this!  You just seem so out of it, and I'm really worried.  I just… I just care about you so damn much and, I… I want the REAL you back."

Britney bit the inside of her lip as it began to quiver.  She could tell by his tone, expression and eyes that Adam wasn't lying.  He really did care, and she really did worry him.  To have someone like him in her life really touched the young woman.  It also made her realize how selfish she was being.

Lowering her head slightly, she spoke, "God, Adam, I… I'm sorry.  You've done nothing but support me and take care of me and I treat you like shit.  I guess Shane was right when I said I was taking you for granted. I-I… I'm sorry."  Adam's gaze turned from upset to sympathetic almost immediately after hearing her statement.

"Don't be.  I understand that it's hard for you, but… it's hard for me too, sometimes," Adam said softly.  Britney sighed, resting her head against the window.

"I'm trying Adam.  To get better, I mean. And I was doing fine, up until my… incident… a while ago.  I'm hoping it was just a setback, that's all.  But still, I know it's gotta be hard for you.  I must not be the best roommate in the world, or friend for that matter.  Like I said before, if you want me to stop…"

"And like I said before, I would never want you to go," Adam interrupted.  "I know you're a good person, Brit.  I know that buried somewhere deep within you is the woman I've grown to have such an amazing friendship with.  I just wish you'd show more of it.  Either way, you are an amazing woman, and… I…" he trailed off.

I love you… damn it! I'm NEVER gonna tell her how I feel.  Come on Adam, how hard could it be?  What's the worst that could happen?  He opened his mouth to speak when another voice in his head caught him.  She could unhook that seatbelt, get out of the car and book ass, that's what's the worst that could happen!  Okay, so maybe stuck on a jam-packed highway wasn't exactly the best place to profess an undying love to someone.  He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Britney's arm move out of the corner of his eye.  She raised her left arm, opening her hand so that her palm was facing toward him.  The tall man was confused for a moment, but quickly realized what she was doing.  Taking his right hand off the steering wheel, he opened his hand and flattened his palm against hers.  For a moment, he simply stared at their hands, marveling at how much smaller hers was than his.  As traffic finally began to move, their fingers entwined and they rested their connected hands on the middle of the seat.  Adam thought the scene to be very symbolic.  It seemed that when the two were separated, life became overwhelming and turned to an unwelcome standstill, much like the traffic.  However, they could make it through the traffic, and any other tribulation of life for that matter, as long as they were connected and together.

JUDGEMENT DAY- MAY 19, 2002 Adam sat in the back of the locker room he was sharing with some of the guys, lacing up his wrestling boots.  He was getting ready for his Hair vs. Hair Match with Kurt Angle later on that evening.  Adam was especially excited about tonight's match, not only because it would be one of the best name-making matches of his career, but he would also be winning the match, which meant he was shaving Angle's head bald.  A smile crept to his face as he noticed the barber chair on the entrance ramp being shown on the monitor.  He was SO going to enjoy shaving his friend's head bald.  A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come in!" he called, finishing tying his boot as he looked up to see Shane McMahon walk into the room.  "Hey, haven't seen you in awhile," Adam said, smiling at the shorter man as he sat down next to him, shaking his hand. "Hey, I know.  So, you ready to become Edge the Barber tonight?" Shane asked jokingly. Adam laughed, "Oh, I can't wait.  I might consider taking it up when I'm done in the ring."  Shane laughed, and then his expression grew serious. "Um, seriously though, Adam, congratulations.  This is a real big match on the card and I'm really proud of you.  No one deserves the push you're getting more than you.  I expect you to go out there with all you got, like you always do, and have a kick-ass match," he complimented.  Adam was flattered by Shane's comments.  The boss's son was only 3 or 4 years his senior, but he knew the business inside and out, and a compliment like that was much appreciated. "Wow, thanks man," he said graciously.  Shane grew silent, and Adam took the opportunity to study the man.  Although his expression was unintelligible, Adam sensed that Shane had more on his mind than his match with Kurt. "Shane?  What else did you come here for?" he asked knowingly. The Boy Wonder laughed somewhat nervously, "Ah, you know me well.  Okay, I guess I shouldn't beat around the bush… have you told Britney?"  Adam felt his stomach drop at the question.  Adam had honestly planned on telling her about his feelings for her, but with everything that had been going on with her as of late, he just didn't want to pile any more stress on her. "Well, I, uh… not really," he said, and quickly added, "but I meant to, I really did.  We just… it's been a rough few weeks."  Adam didn't like leaving out the details, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell Shane that his baby cousin was caught with drugs.  Shane eyed him for a minute, hesitating before answering. "I know about something's up, Adam," he said matter-of-factly. Adam's eyes widened, "What?!  How?  W-who told you?!" Shane shook his head sadly, "No one did.  You'd be surprised what I can figure out just by looking at her.  I've known her her whole life and she hasn't changed one bit.  But I trust that you talked to her about it, so I'll spare her the agony of explaining it to me." Adam didn't know what to say.  He knew he had let Shane down, as this was the kind of thing he had promised to keep from happening.  "I… I'm sorry man.  I-I know I should have seen… this… coming, but I just turned a blind eye.  I'm sorry," he said shamefully. Putting a hand up in protest, Shane replied, "Don't be sorry.  You never could have saw it coming.  She's really good at hiding things like this," Shane assured him. "But Adam," he continued, "I really want you to tell her, and soon.  I know for a fact that she loves you just as I much as I think you love her, but she won't wait forever." Adam frowned, "I've tried SO many times Shane, but I always choke.  It… it just doesn't come out right." "Well for her sake and yours, I hope it comes out right soon.  If you don't suck it up and do it soon, you will lose her.  And trust me when I say this, you WON'T get her back.  She will go crawling back to Brock, and God only knows what would happen then," the brown haired man said, standing up.  "I have to go, but think about what I said," Shane said as he made his way to the door. Adam nodded silently as he watched him make his way to the door.  As he twisted the knob, Shane turned to face Adam again.  "I mean it Adam.  I love my baby cousin and I want to see her happy.  She's been hurt so much, and I'm not sure she's got much left in her.  You might be her last hope.  Please take advantage of it."

To Be Updated REAL soon! Let me know what you think, PLEASE!!!! ;)