PART 35
MONDAY-RAW
"Thanks for coming with me Adam," Stephanie said gratefully. After arriving at the arena, Stephanie decided there was no way she could handle seeing Paul. Since she didn't really need to be at Raw, she was going to leave… she just had to tell Jay, who hadn't seen her since Thursday night. Adam nodded, loosely and gently wrapping his arm around her. He was happy that she didn't wince or flinch… after being with Britney for so long, he had become very good at controlling his movements.
"No problem Steph. I… are you sure you don't want to stay for a little while and tell Jay what happened?" he asked. They had established that Stephanie was going to feign illness and that Adam was going to drive her back to the hotel. Stopping in front of the door where Jay was, Stephanie turned to Adam and shook her head.
"I… I can't do it. Not right now, Adam. I'll… I'll do it eventually, I promise. You have to understand… it's… it's really hard," she said.
"It's okay, I understand… well, let's go," replied, pushing the door open. When they were inside, they noted that Jay was the only one in the room. Looking up, he smiled at them, standing and approaching them.
"Hey guys," he greeted. "How are you two doing?"
"Fine," they both answered quickly.
"How was your weekend?" Jay asked, kissing Stephanie on the cheek. Adam noticed the brunette wince and for her sake, he was glad that his best friend hadn't seemed to notice. Her eyes widened slightly and she began shifting uncomfortably on her feet. Adam didn't want Jay to notice, so he gently placed his hand at the small of her back, encouraging her to answer.
"It… it was nice," she lied, though she knew the weekend was far from nice. It was absolute hell. Jay frowned as he eyed his girlfriend. Though he had no clue as to what had happened to Steph Friday night, he could tell something was up.
"Steph? You okay?" he asked, grabbing her hand in his.
"Uh, actually Jay, I'm not feeling to good. I… I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel," she told him, silently praying that he would buy her excuse for leaving. Feeling her forehead, Jay brushed a few strands of hair off her face.
"You do feel a little warm. Do you want me to take you back to the hotel?" he asked, eyeing her with concern.
Stephanie shook her head, "No, that's okay. Adam's going to take me… he's not busy." When Jay shifted his glance to Adam, the taller man took out his car keys and flashed them at him.
"No, I'll go. I haven't seen you in three days, and I want to see you. Just let me…"
"Really Jay, it's no problem. Your match is up early in the show, and it's almost eight now. Besides… I… wanted to grab some dinner anyway," Adam interrupted. He knew Stephanie didn't want to be alone with Jay just yet. And, knowing Jay as long as he had, he knew his friend would be expecting some after not seeing his girlfriend all weekend. Stephanie just wouldn't be able to handle that, not three days after being raped.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, the shorter man gave in. "Oh… okay. I hope you feel better hun," he said, kissing Stephanie on the forehead.
"T-thanks… bye Jay," she said in reply, allowing Adam to lead her out the door.
They briskly made their way down the hall towards the exit. Adam actually had to speed walk to keep up with her, she was going that fast. The Canadian felt horrible for her… it wasn't fair that she had to be afraid to show up for work. That damn Paul Levesque. Adam hoped Stephanie would come to her senses and tell the police soon, not just for her sake, but for the fact that if he did it once he'd probably have no trouble doing it again. The two made it all the way to the door without being stopped or noticed by anyone. Just as Stephanie began to push the back door open, Adam heard a voice call after him.
"Adam! Where you going? It's almost seven!" He turned to see Matt and Shane Helms, standing at the far end of the hallway.
"I'll talk to you when I get back… I shouldn't be long!" he called back waving. When he turned back to the door, he gasped. Stephanie was staring in horror… he looked past her to see Paul Levesque standing in front of her, grinning.
"Get the hell away from her," Adam said, putting his hand on Stephanie's shoulder.
"Defensive, are we? Cool it Copeland, I was just saying hi… wasn't I Princess?" Paul shot back. Stephanie could feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes. The reason she was moving so quickly was because she wanted to get out of the arena before she had to face Paul… now she had practically collided with him.
"Steph, go get in the car," Adam said, handing her the keys. She didn't protest, grabbing them and running towards Adam's rental car. Adam turned back to Levesque, "You are one lucky bastard. Be thankful I'm abiding by her wishes and not going to the police… I would have no trouble throwing your ass in jail, you stupid son of a bitch."
"Hey, here's an idea… stay out of my business. I'm the Game… I'll fuck whoever I wasn't to fuck… and if you don't like it, you can just kiss my ass," Paul retorted.
Adam shook his head, clenching his fists and teeth angrily. "I'm the Game." Boy, somebody's a little egotistical. Doing as best as he could to remain calm, the Canadian bit his lip and began to walk away. Sending him a satisfied smirk, Paul called after him.
"Watch out for that one man… I'm telling you, she's a fighter!"
Okay, there goes my composure. Adam turned and marched back, pressing the Heavyweight Champion up against the wall.
"Listen you pathetic piece of rat shit, I'm pretty much at my limit here with all the bullshit I can take. If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it if you'd knock it the fuck off. Now, as far as what you did to Stephanie goes, you disgust me. You are one of the most pathetic excuses for a human being that I think I have ever met. If you, or any of your friends for that matter, so much as TRIED to pull something like that on Britney, they'd have to throw ME in jail, because I would have to murder your ass," he said through gritted teeth. With that, he turned and stomped away, heading to his car and to Stephanie.
Paul laughed after him, "Yet you *still* left her alone in an arena where I will be ALL night."
IN THE ARENA CATERING ROOMBritney was sitting in the back corner of the room with Chris and Jay. Though she was acting normal, she couldn't help but feel awkward being around Jay. She felt as though she was hiding something from him, even thought it was Stephanie's job to tell him what happened, not hers. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling… she knew something very important about her that Jay deserved and needed to know. Maybe I should just tell him. What harm would it really do? I mean, she's going to have to tell him eventually or their whole relationship will be screwed, and God knows how long it'll take her to do it. If I…
"Hello? Earth to McMahon?" Jay's voice cut into her thoughts as he waved a hand in front of her face. "I thought we might have lost you there."
"Sorry Jay… I was just thinking about something. What were you saying?"
Jay raised an eyebrow curiously, but answered her question. "I was just telling Chris that Steph was acting a little weird today when I saw her… do you have any idea what's up with her?" he asked, hoping that maybe she had that answer. Chris eyed her wonderingly as well. Come to think of it, Britney was actually acting a little odd herself… he just hoped everything was okay.
"She's uh… she just wasn't feeling well. She… hasn't really been herself all weekend. Maybe she has a 72 hour bug or something," Britney said in a tone that Chris could only perceive as being nervous.
"Oh… are you sure nothing else is wrong?" Jay asked. If anyone besides him in the world knew what was going on with Stephanie, it would be Britney. He couldn't shake the feeling that the blonde woman wasn't telling him the whole truth. Maybe Stephanie really wasn't feeling well… but there had to be something more.
Plastering a smile on her face as naturally as she could, Britney answered, "I'm sure Jay. She's just… sick, that's all. I'm sure she'll be fine in a few…"
"JAY! Come here man!"
The three blondes looked up to see Sean Morley calling from across the room. Britney wasn't a huge fan of Sean, since he and Adam hadn't exactly been friends since he broke off his engagement to his sister, but she breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by the Morley.
Jay sighed as well, "Guess I better see what this dorkchop wants… hold up Chief, I'm coming!" After Jay disappeared with Morley, Chris turned to Britney.
"Alright, spill it," he instructed, and Britney sent him a confused look.
"Spill what?" she asked innocently. Chris snorted at her.
"You're already cute… you don't have to act that way around me," he said. "Something's up… and I want to know what it is and who I have to beat up."
"Chris, really, I… okay, I guess there's no use arguing with you," she replied in a defeated tone. She guessed she was going to have to make up some problem satisfy him enough to get off her back about what was REALLY wrong.
"Damn right," he said, nodding in agreement, and then waiting for her to continue.
"Well, I… it's not really me. I just… I…"
"You know what's wrong with Steph, don't you?" Chris interrupted. Damn him… he's too good. He knew Britney so well, he could figure out what he was thinking just by reading her expressions. Christ, I've got another Shane. Sighing loudly, she nodded in response.
"Well?" Jericho asked expectantly.
Shaking her head, Britney answered, "No. Chris, I can't tell you. If I could, you know I would do it, but I just… I really shouldn't talk about it." Come on Chris, just back off it.
Chris raised an eyebrow, "Why the hell not?"
"Cause it's none of your business," she shot back. Chris frowned. She tells me everything… why should now be any different? He decided to take a lighter approach to the subject.
"Come on Brit, I'm the Ayatollah! I must know all," he said humorously, cracking a smile. His grin faded when she sent him an icy glare.
"I'm glad you're so happy and smiley about all this, but I don't seem to find any of this funny. I'm sorry that I can't grant the almighty Ayatollah with his command, but I've had a long ass weekend," she said coldly. Chris frowned, slightly hurt at the way she was so snappy with him.
"I… I'm sorry kid. I didn't know it was something serious," he said. As he looked at her, his heart broke. She looked as though she was about seconds away from succumbing to tears. "Hey, are you alright? What's going on?" he asked softly. Britney rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"Chris, I'm only telling you this because I trust that you won't tell ANYONE. When you hear all this, you're going to want to tell, but Chris, you can't. You can't tell a soul, especially not Jay. I'll tell you what happened, but you have to SWEAR that you won't say anything to anyway. This all stays between you and me," she said.
He nodded seriously, so Britney took a deep breath and began to tell Chris what had happened.
MEANWHILE- AT THE HOTEL"So you're sure you don't need anything?" Adam asked Stephanie.
"Yeah, I'm sure. You've done way more than enough Adam… thanks again for everything," she answered, smiling gratefully at him.
"Alright, but if you change your mind, just call me or Brit, okay?" he said, leaning down toward the couch she was laying on to kiss her on the cheek.
The brunette nodded and smiled warmly as Adam winked at her before exiting the room. That man was so sweet. Not only did he drive her back to the hotel, he sat with her for nearly 45 minutes, just talking with her about stupid stuff. He practically made her forget about the entire weekend, he was that good at comforting her. He was so patient and understanding, and he actually listened to her when she began to talk more and more openly about the incident. Stephanie figured it was probably because he was with Britney… with all that she'd been through, he'd have to have the patience and understanding of a saint. Britney was so lucky to have him… not that Stephanie didn't feel lucky to have Jay. He was like a Godsend… but he just wasn't as strong as Adam. He couldn't handle things the way Adam could, and stay calm when he got really upset and angry. She still needed to find a way to tell him. She knew that even though she had come back to the hotel to try and relax, she would spend the hours till Jay came back thinking of him, and thinking of how she was going to break the news.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Adam was making his way back to his car. Stepping out of the elevator, he greeted some fans that walked by. They had asked him why he wasn't at Raw where he should be, and he laughed, answering them by repeating their question. As he headed out into the lobby, he thought of the brunette upstairs in her hotel room. Earlier, when he had taken her up to her and Jay's room, the two of them talked. At first it was just small stuff like music and sports, as Adam told Stephanie that there was no need to talk about Paul or the past Friday night or anything like that. Eventually though, she opened up to him, retelling the story… only this time, she explained what was going through her head. As she explained the emotions she felt ---dirty, used, violated, and terrorized to name a few--- Adam really began to grasp how scary the whole ordeal must have been, for her or any woman who had gone through it. The poor kid. She doesn't deserve this… no one does. As he headed out into the parking lot, the Canadian shook his head. He only hoped she would conjure up the nerve to tell Jay soon. As he looked out into the lot, he squinted as he spotted his car. Someone was standing next to it looking down, seemingly at the tires. As Adam got closer, he was able to make out who the person was… Paul Heyman.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, approaching the man suspiciously. Paul looked up, startled at first, but then calming down considerably. He knew that he had already done his job, just as Paul Levesque had instructed. After Paul was caught by Chris Irvine spying on Adam and Britney, Brock said things would be better if he kept all his work behind the scenes. Today, however, was different… Levesque had given Paul specific directions to ensure that Adam didn't make it back to the arena.
"Hello Adam. Just fixing up your car… there was some tire and window trouble," he said, smirking cockily. Adam looked at the car for the first time, and he gasped. The driver seat window was completely shattered and all four tires were slashed, the air draining out of them.
"Oh man… what the fuck?" he groaned, leaning down to inspect the deflated tires.
Paul grinned widely, "Looks like you'll be having a little trouble getting back to the arena." Shit, Adam hadn't even thought of that.
"Shit, I'm going to miss the show!" he thought out loud. He checked his watch. It was already 9:05… he spot was scheduled for 9:30. There was no way he'd make it in time.
Heyman laughed and responded, "Yes, you will miss the show. But I wasn't really referring to what you're going to be missing… rather, who it is you're missing."
Adam narrowed his eyes, "What are you getting at?"
"Really Adam, I'm surprised you haven't realized it yet. Brock may not be at the show tonight, but Paul Levesque is. You left your precious, sweet, fragile little girlfriend alone in a building with a rapist," he replied manipulatively.
Adam's stomach dropped… for once, the bastard was right. Britney was at the arena with Levesque lurking around in the shadows. Suddenly, he started fumbling around in his pockets, looking for his cell phone. If he could get a hold of Chris, or even Jay, he could make sure one of them was with her until he found a way to the arena. He kept checking, but he couldn't find his phone anywhere.
"Looking for this?" Heyman taunted, holding up a phone and waving it in Adam's face. Adam suddenly recalled leaving the phone in the car… the fat ass must have taken it when he smashed the window!
"Give me my phone back," he growled, sending Paul a cold glare.
Shaking his head, Paul replied, "I don't think so." When he saw Adam place his hand out, he dropped the phone on the ground, quickly stomping it to pieces.
"That was my cell phone you idiot! Oh man, this is gonna cost so much money!" Adam cried, cursing himself for even thinking of money at this time. He looked up at Heyman, decided how he was going to make him pay for this. When Adam made a move towards him, Paul wielded a thick knife, flashing it in the tall man's eyes.
"I already slashed your tires… don't make me slash your face, too," he warned.
Giving up, Adam plopped down on the hood of the car in a huff. He would have to go back up to Stephanie's room and try and call from there. That task was going to be pretty difficult, as he didn't have any of their numbers memorized… they were all programmed in his cell phone. Adam shifted his glance from the smashed phone to Heyman, watching in disgust as he got in his car and pulled away. As he drove by, Heyman called back to Adam, causing his eyes to widen.
"Don't worry about getting back to the arena, Adam… I'm sure Paul will take wonderful care of her!"
Well, there it is… the next chapter. LOL, so what did you think? I told you Heyman would be back… I didn't know what to do with him until now, but I have big plans for him. LOL, *evil grin*. Anyway, let me know what you think!!! 33
