PART 17

THE NEXT DAY

Adam slowly made his way down the arena hallway.  There was house show at 6:30 at he couldn't wait for it to be over.  He hadn't exactly gotten a full night's sleep the previous night.  In fact, he hadn't slept at all since Stephanie came pounding on the door.  He was finding it extremely difficult to keep his eyes open at the moment.  He had tried to figure out what happened when he talked to Jay, but that had gotten him nowhere.  His best friend had been down right cold, forcing Adam to leave at 6 A.M. frustrated, exhausted, and very pissed off.

"Hey man, what's wrong with you?"

Adam glanced over---and down---to see Rey Mysterio standing next to him.

"Hey Rey-Rey.  Long night," Adam replied as he shook hands with Mysterio, who was scheduled to be his tag team partner for the show.

"You okay?" Rey asked as they made their way down the hall.  Sighing, Adam raked a hand through his long hair.

"Oh, lets see… Britney had some kind of flashback involving Brock, Stephanie came knocking on my door at 3 in the morning with a bloody hand after she got in a major fight with Jay, and I left my room to talk to him only to get kicked out at 6 with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of what happened," he said, seemingly in one breath.

"Damn… I guess that explains why you look like shit.  I'm sorry man," the short man said sympathetically.

"It's alright, I'm just wiped out.  I'll live," Adam assured his friend tiredly.  The two men walked in silence, each man on the way to the locker rooms.

"So speaking of Britney, how are you two doing?  With the exception of last night I guess," Rey asked, suddenly remember what the Canadian had just said.

Adam grinned, "We're fine.  We're great actually.  She's amazing, Rey, she really is."

Rey smiled at his friend, "Yes, that she is.  She's really something else, that kid, I'll tell you that.  I'm really happy for you man."

"Thanks Rey.  It really makes these last few months worth it.  It's just so… great, and…" Adam trailed off and his grin faded.  Rey looked up to see what Adam was looking at---- Brock Lesnar… and he was headed in their direction.

"Adam, get out of here," Mysterio said quietly.  Adam shook his head.

"No, I'm fine right where I am," he said stubbornly.  Rey began to panic. Lord only knew what would happen if those two butted heads, especially after Britney's whole flashback.  It was only a fresh reminder of why Adam despised the man.  Turning his back on Brock's direction, Rey stared at Adam with pleading eyes.

"Adam please, go before you do something you'll regret.  Come on man, just…"

"You."

Rey cringed… he was a little late.  "What do you want?" Adam asked, pushing Rey out of the way and coming face to face with Brock.

"Let's just say you and I need to have a little chat, Adam," Lesnar quipped, glaring into Adam's eyes.  After a moment though, the Next Big Thing had to look away.  Not that Brock was afraid of the Canadian or anything, but he did have some intense eyes.

"Let me guess, Brock.  You've come to yell at me for 'stealing something that belongs to you' again, haven't you?" Adam said, cocky grin forming.  He was really beginning to find Brock amusing.

Brock smirked, "While that is a topic I'd love to 'chat' with you about, I'm actually here to discuss your friend Jay and his bitch, Stephanie."

Adam narrowed his eyes, "What the hell do you mean?"

"Well, I hear they had a 'problem' last night.  It's a shame, isn't it?  You think you know your girlfriend till she stabs you in the back.  I mean really, I always knew Stephanie was a rotten whore, but even I didn't think she was so cruel.  And to think she even pulled Paul into this whole mess… it's just a damn shame," Brock said, sly grin beginning to show.

Neither Adam nor Rey could believe what they where hearing.  No one except Adam, Britney, Stephanie, and Jay knew the details of the night before.  How the hell could he know?  Unless he had something to do with it!  Adam moved closer to the former NCAA champion.

"You bastard… you did this, didn't you?  You PLANTED the picture of Steph and Paul so Jay would see it!  You asshole," Adam said, clenching his teeth angrily.

"Hey, let's give credit where credit's due.  I didn't plant the picture anywhere.  See Adam, I like to assume the position of 'brains' of the plot.  I don't do dirty work.  I let Paul do his own grunt work… I just do a little of my own and help him along," Brock replied.  Adam backed off slightly, mouth dropping wide open.

"What?" he voiced quietly, noticing Rey take the opportunity to retreat, obviously no longer wanting to be involved.

That evil grin Brock was wearing grew, "You really thought I'd just LET you get away with taking my girl, didn't you?  And you thought that Jay could do the same to Paul?  You ACTUALLY thought that by going out with them, this whole thing would come to an end?  Wrong, pal.  It's just starting.  Whether or not you realize it, Adam, we've been watching the four of you very closely… waiting for the right time to strike.  By starting a relationship with Britney, you triggered the start of this whole scheme.  You and Reso are done, and there's NOTHING you can do to stop it… oh, and by the way, I DARE you to go to Vince about this.  Like he'd EVER believe you over me."  Adam was speechless.  He had this all planned out.  He had some huge, most likely brilliant scheme, to take Jay and him out, and there was nothing he could do about it.  All he could do was stand there, gaping at Lesnar as he glared triumphantly back at him.

"You… are sick," Adam said slowly, trying his best to steady his voice.

Brock simply shook his head, "Not sick, Adam.  I'm a genius.  I have it all planned out now, and you'll still never see ANY of it coming… but honestly, we don't need to talk about that now.  Let's talk about… Britney."  Adam grimaced, anger beginning to boil in his stomach.

"Leave her out of this Brock.  You want to come after me and Jay, that's fine.  Leave Steph and Britney out of it," he warned.

"Ah, but then where would the fun be?  It's really so amusing to see how you boys react to us messing with your women, especially you.  And really Adam, you make it seem as though Paul and I are ONLY after you.  It's all about them.  This whole thing is about reuniting Britney and I… and Stephanie and Paul.  Sooner or later, Britney will be mine yet again, only THIS time you WON'T be getting her back.  As much as it'll hurt you, you'll just have to accept that one day it'll be ME screwing Britney, not you.  Hell, according to what she envisioned last night, she still doesn't forget what it's like to be with the Next Big Thing…"

"How the fuck do you know about that?!" Adam cut in, completely taken aback yet again.  How the hell does he know so much?  I can understand the whole Steph and Jay thing now, but he'd have to read Brit's mind to know about what happened last night!

"Well, I was 'passing by' and I 'overheard' Britney talking to her big bad cousin Shane.  She told him, and consequently, me, the entire story," Brock answered.

Adam's eyes narrowed even more, "So you were STALKING her?!"

"Technically, yes.  But like I said, you don't have the balls to tell on me.  You know, it's nice to know that even after all this time, Britney STILL thinks about what I'm like in bed…"

"And whatever she remembered scared her shitless!  You are really disgusting Brock, you know that?  You are a rotten, sadistic, sick, disgusting little prick.  I'm warning you one last time to stay the fuck away from my girlfriend or else you will fucking pay," Adam threatened.  Brock laughed, looking down to check his watch.  It was perfect… Britney should be heading past them to the women's locker room.  Adam wasn't sure what Brock's expression was, but he was sure he didn't like it.

"Flattery won't work, I'm afraid," Lesnar said, laughing.  "Hit me," he demanded.  "Come on, Adam.  Hit me now… cause if you don't, I'll hit something else… your precious girlfriend.  And by 'hitting' I don't mean a punch, if you know I what I mean."  That did it.  Adam had been putting up with his shit for far too long, and he had had enough.  He lost it.

"Goddamn it!" he screamed, lunging at Brock, tackling him to the floor and pummeling him.

Brock was in disbelief… Adam hit him.  The bastard hit him… and it was hurting like a bitch, too.  This guy was ten times stronger than his friend Jay was.  The two men rolled around on the floor, neither man getting a clear upper hand.  They continued brawling even after they saw a small figure appear behind them.  Adam gave Brock one hard, swift punch in the jaw, knocking Lesnar flat on his back.  As Adam pinned Brock with his knees, he vaguely heard a voice calling, "Stop guys!  Knock it off!  Stop… stop it!"  He ignored it and continued nailing Brock with rights and lefts.  The Canadian felt a small hand on his shoulder, seemingly trying to pull him off of Brock.  Adam cringed… Rey.  He was a great guy, he really was, but he needed to stay out of this one.  He reached back to swat the hand away, finding it odd that Brock didn't take the opportunity to swing at him.  He didn't let it bother him for too long, as he went right back to punching him, earning a pained groan from Lesnar.  Then, he felt that damn hand again, pulling at his shoulder.  This time, Adam swung back hard, knocking who he thought was Rey off balance and crashing into the opposite wall of the narrow hallway.  "Ow!" a feminine voice cried out in pain as a loud thump against the wall was heard.  Oh shit… that's not Rey.  Adam couldn't believe what he had just done… he hit a woman.  Brock took the opportunity to roughly shove Adam off of him.  The two men made eye contact, and Adam immediately knew something was wrong.  Brock was smiling.  Adam suddenly realized that Brock had been facing whichever diva it was the whole time.  He knew who was there… and with the look on his face…  Oh, no.  Adam slowly turned, wincing as his fears were confirmed.  Sitting on the floor, staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes as she held her neck was Britney.  Adam's mouth went dry.

"I, uh… oh god, Brit, I'm so sorry."

She didn't respond, quickly shifting her glance away from him.  He slowly moved closer to her, noticing that she was shaking as she hugged herself protectively.  Damn it!  What the hell have I done?

"I'm sorry.  I-I… I didn't mean it, honey, I swear," he said softly, reaching out to grab her hand.  She jerked away from his touch, shooting up and walking away quickly, not daring to look back.  "Shit… Britney, wait!" Adam called, standing up to go after her.

Clutching his now aching jaw, Brock sat up, grinning evilly.  "I told you I never lose."

10 MINUTES LATER

Adam searched frantically for the Women's Locker Room, where he knew Britney was headed.  Oh god, he was SO stupid.  I hit her, I hit her… the mantra played over and over in his head.  Finally, he found the door, marching up and knocking.  Part of him wanted to fling the door open and just walk in, but Britney was probably already scared enough without him barging in and making a huge scene.  After a moment, the door opened, and Adam saw Trish and Stacy in the door.

"Please let me talk to Britney," he requested.

Trish frowned, "Honestly Adam, I'm not so sure she wants to see you right now."  Stacy nodded and placed her hands on her hips.  Adam looked in past the two blonde divas.  He could see Britney in there.  Amy was hugging her and Jacqueline was stroking her hair while Torrie, Terri, Nidia, Carly Moore, and Nora Greenwald stood back, watching sympathetically.  Christ, what had he done?!

"Please, Trish!  I NEED to see her," he begged, meeting the chocolate brown eyes of his fellow Canadian.

"I'm sorry Adam, but I can't do that," Trish replied.  She turned to close the door, but Adam stopped her, using his force to hold the door open.

"Let me in," he demanded.

"Adam, please, don't make a scene," Stacy begged.  The tall man threw an exhausted sigh.  His head was starting to hurt like hell from his fight with Brock only a few minutes earlier.

"Oh come one, get out of my way!" he yelled, catching the other divas' attention.  His eyes met a pair of hazel orbs, and he cried out.  "Amy, tell them to let me in, please!"  The redhead motioned for Trish and Stacy to come to her.

"Stay with her, please.  I'll go talk to him.  I'll be right back, Brit," she instructed, and the two blondes took her spot.  She made her way to Adam, crossing her arms under her chest as she stood in the doorway.

"Thanks Ames, I really need to talk to…"

"Out," she demanded, pushing him out the door, shutting it behind her.

"Amy, I…"

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" the redhead snapped angrily.

Adam answered, "It's not as bad as it sounds."

"Oh really?" she asked.  "All I've managed to get out of her so far is that you hit her."

Adam lowered his head shamefully, "I… I know.  It was a total accident though, I swear.  I didn't see her."

"How the hell did you NOT see her?  Were you blindfolded?" the highflying woman said sarcastically.

"Okay, I deserved that.  But Ames, you know I would NEVER hit her on purpose.  Listen, I… I got into a fight with Brock," he admitted, shuffling his feet.

Amy's eyes widened, "You what?  Did you get caught?"

Adam shook his head, "No… I didn't mean it Amy.  She… she tried to pull me off and I thought she was Rey, cause he was there a minute earlier.  I swear I didn't see her… you know I'd never hurt her on purpose."

Amy nodded in response, "Wow… yeah, I know Adam.  You just have to give her space to calm down.  She, uh… she said she's booking another hotel room.  She said she can't stay with you.  It's just for tonight though."

Adam sighed, "Oh my God, what have I done?  She'll never trust me again!"

"YES, she will, just give her a little time.  Now, I have to go talk to her.  I'll call you later… I'm gonna try and get her to stay with me," she told him, turning and re-entering the locker room.  Adam threw his hands in the air, sighing as he sank back against the wall.  He screwed up big time.  Even though it really wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but feel that he completely screwed up.  Suddenly, another realization hit him.  Brock was right… he was winning.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Britney tossed and turned in her empty bed, unable to sleep.  As hard as she tried, she couldn't shut her eyes, fearful of falling asleep alone.  After awhile she jumped up, leaving the bedroom.  She walked directly out of the hotel room, not bothering to get changed or put shoes on.  She needed to get out of there and find someone, anyone.  She hated feeling so paranoid about being alone, but she couldn't help it.  As she walked down the empty hall, she wished that Adam was with her.  But she just couldn't see him now, not after everything that happened.  She finally stopped when she reached the door that she knew belonged to the room Jeff and Chris were sharing.  She knocked lightly, hoping at least one of them was awake.  She was relieved when she heard someone fumbling with the locks.  The door opened to reveal a very sleepy looking Jeff Hardy.

"Hey," he mumbled, smiling tiredly at her.

"I'm really sorry I woke you up Jeff, but I can I please come in?" she asked softly.

The younger Hardy smiled, "Sure, come on."  He took her hand and led her in.  He took her into the dark bedroom where the TV was playing softly in the background.  "So what's wrong?  Why aren't you with Amy?" he asked curiously.

"I, uh… got my own room, but now I can't sleep.  Wait… how did you know I was supposed to stay with Amy?" she questioned her rainbow haired friend.

"She told me.  She was gonna kick Matt out if you stayed.  Don't worry Brit, I didn't tell anyone, only me and the diva's… and I guess Adam and Brock know," he told her, adding the last statement on after seeing her expression.

"Not even him?" she asked, pointing at Chris's sleeping form.

"No, I didn't tell Chris either," he assured her.

"Didn't tell Chris what?" Chris asked as he opened his eyes and sat up in his bed.

"You know what?" Jeff started, standing up.  "Why don't I go out and watch TV. I'll let you two talk… I'll probably fall asleep anyway."  After watching the rainbow haired man leave the room, Chris turned to Britney.

"Not that this isn't a pleasant surprise, but what the hell are you doing here?  What's going on?" he asked her, confused, worried, and curious all at the same time.

"I, uh… I was kind of scared.  I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to be alone, so I came here," she told him.  It was all true, she just left a few major details out.

"Well where's Adam?" Jericho asked.  Now he was really confused.

"He, um, he's in his room.  We… we didn't stay together tonight," she said quietly, looking down at her feet.  Britney fumbled with her hands nervously as tears began to work their way into her eyes.  Chris jumped upon seeing this, going to the opposite bed and sitting next to her.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he questioned her, "What happened?  Come on, tell me… you know you can trust me."  Britney looked up at him for a moment.  He was right, she definitely could trust him.  After all, she had gone to him many times with things she wanted kept secret, and Chris always did just that.  She was lucky to have a friend like him.  She sniffled and took a deep breath.

"I… I saw him… and Brock… they were fighting.  Fist fighting.  I yelled at them to stop, but they didn't hear me I don't think.  Adam… he had Brock pinned to the floor, and he just kept punching him.  I didn't want them to get in trouble, so I… I tried to pull him off of Brock.  He… I don't think he knew it was me.  He, uh, swung back and he… he hit me," she said in a watery tone.  Chris's mouth dropped open and went dry.

"He did what?  How could he?  I… I'll kill him," the Canadian said furiously.

"No!  He didn't mean to, he really couldn't have seen me.  But I still got scared, and I… I can't be around him tonight, that's all.  I just can't.  I thought I would be okay alone for one night, but I… freaked out and I just ran out of there.  That's why I came here," she revealed.  Chris sighed sadly, the poor girl was probably scared shitless.

"Hey, what are you afraid of?  What… did you think someone was going to come after you?" he asked quietly.

She laughed dryly.  "I… I guess it's kind of stupid, but Brock saw the whole thing.  He KNOWS me, so I'm sure he knew I was going to be alone.  See, Jay and Stephanie got in a huge fight about something that I think Paul Levesque did.  And this whole thing with Adam and Brock… it's just not right.  I know Adam wouldn't just pick a fight with Brock, and Brock sure as hell would never pick a fight with him.  It just… doesn't add up.  I keep getting the feeling that Brock and Paul are in this together, that they have something much… bigger, in plan.  Needless to say, I just thought that if Brock knew I was alone, then he…"

"He won't touch you.  I don't know about all this shit with Brock and Paul, but then again, you just gave me a mouthful.  I don't picture Brock and Paul as friends, but I would totally take your word over theirs.  We'll figure out what's going on soon enough.  As for tonight, neither of them will be laying a finger on you.  You're staying with me," Chris interrupted.  Britney gazed up at him with her now drying eyes.

"Are you sure that's okay?" she asked uneasily.

"Of course I am.  Why don't you just stay in that bed?  Jeff said he was probably going to fall asleep out there anyway, and you know he won't mind," the blonde Canadian suggested.

"O-okay," she said, settling back.  Chris watched as she slid her tiny form under the covers.

"If you want, I'll take you to see Adam tomorrow," he offered, frowning as she shook her head.

"No.  I'm going home tomorrow, and I don't want to see him before then.  You can go see him if you want, but I won't be there," she informed him.

Chris sighed loudly and tiredly, "Britney, you should really go and at least talk to him.  Just tell him you understand that what happened was an accident.  You know he didn't mean it, so why not just go and let him apologize?  I know you two, and I know…"

He trailed off when he looked down to see that she was already asleep.  Leaning down, he gently kissed her on the forehead before moving back to his own bed.  "Poor kid… I guess I'LL go see him in the morning."

TBC

Ah, angst.  LOL.  By the way, I've decided that Chris Jericho has officially become one of my favorite wrestlers, so he's probably gonna start showing up a lot.  For all of you who like Jericho, that will be a good thing.  If not, oh well, I like him and its my story!  LOL, so what do you think of this chapter???