Title: I Want You With Me

Part 2: So Far Away

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters are property of WWE and themselves

Pairing: Edge/Stephanie

Notes: Each part of this series uses lyrics from the 98 Degrees album 'Revelation' (which, yes, I sadly admit I own, LOL). This part is from 'Yesterday's Letter'

I wrote a letter yesterday
Just trying to explain
Couldn't find the words to say
Cause you are so far away
So far away

The brunette breathed an angst-ridden sigh, dropping the pen she held between her thumb and forefingers. She blinked as it hit the desk she was sitting at, and her blue eyes came down to rest on the oak table top. She pursed her lips together, scanning over the piece of paper in front of her. The handwriting was all too familiar - after all, it was her own - and yet she couldn't process a word of what she had written. All of her phrases ran together, blurring her vision till she could see nothing but a jumbled mess of chicken scratch. Hell, for all she knew she may not have written anything coherent at all.

Perhaps it was because she waited too long. Her relationship with Edge, which had spanned over an eight month period, came to an end nearly five months earlier, while the blonde man had still been rehabbing from his career threatening neck surgery. And she had waited the entire five months to come to the conclusion that she needed him. She needed him more than anything in the world, and because she had waited so long to say anything, it was probably too late. Edge was further away from her than ever before.

All of a sudden, she found herself recalling a comment that Dawn Marie, one of her best friends, had made upon hearing of their breaking up.

"Oh, honey, he'll be back. You're Stephanie McMahon, and if he doesn't realize just how wonderful you are, he's the biggest idiot I've ever known."

Stephanie almost smiled, but caught herself with yet another thought. He was out of her reach. Even if she could muster up the guts to deliver the letter she had written to him, who was to say he wouldn't laugh in her face? Things had changed too much, in both of their lives. He had been drafted to Raw, and she just plain jobless. She just wanted him to know how she felt, and yet such a seemingly simple task could very well be impossible.

I wrote a letter yesterday
It's so hard for me to face
That it had to end this way
But my love will never change
Will never change

What had gone wrong? The questioned remained unanswered, despite the fact that Stephanie found herself repeating it time and time agin. In Edge's mind, the decision to split was mutual, and she supposed he had every right to assume that. She didn't protest when he said it wasn't working out. She didn't fight it... hell, she didn't even cry. But now, all these months later, it was eating her alive.

She had never stopped loving him, and if the terrible aching in her heart was any inclination for the future, she never would stop. From their first date, Steph had been reeled in. Despite how corny she considered the idea of a soulmate to be, she had thought Edge was the one. In fact, part of her still thought of him to be that way.

When I search my soul to find the truth
About the love we share
I wonder why you're no longer here

"Our relationship was always healthy," Stephanie mumbled as she read over a section of the letter. "We had love, we had trust, we had honesty... what more did you need?"

Reading her own question had the brunette's mind inquiring again. What didn't she give Edge that he needed? What did she do wrong?

After some serious contemplating, she concluded that the answer to both questions was nothing. She had done nothing wrong. They were madly in love... she loved him and there was no doubt in her mind that he loved her as well. This realization led her to believe that he was the one at fault, and if this was true, she deserved to know why. She deserved to know why he would leave her, when even after digging to the depths of her soul she could find a damn thing wrong with their relationship.

Stephanie couldn't understand how he could simply walk away from what they had, how he could give up without fighting or at least trying. For the first time in a long while, a sorrowful tear worked its way into her eye. And for the first time since they broke up, she didn't fight it. She could no longer conceal her feelings, not even from herself.

You can just walk away
But I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you, breathes for you, sings for you
And those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you

Though she had managed to drag herself away from her desk and into bed, Stephanie had done anything but fall asleep. Her mind was too consumed with thoughts of Edge. Writing that letter to him earlier in the evening had stirred up so many memories in her mind. An smile unconsciously played on her lips as she fondly recalled their happier times.

She tilted her head to the side, sighing with despair as she was snapped back to reality at the sight of the empty pillow beside her.

"Oh, Edge, we used to be so happy," she spoke into the dark room. "It's not fair for us to be apart..."

If only he could hear what she was saying. Her feelings always managed to work their way into words late at night while she was laying in bed, reflecting. She almost laughed at her silly wish. Only in her dreams would he be able to hear her... and it seemed that he dreams would be the only place he saw her as well.

I've been talking in my sleep
About the way it used to be
And I pray that you'll hear me
And I'll see you in my dreams
In my dreams

Stephanie smiled lazily as she felt herself finally starting to drift into sleep. Just as her eyelids grew heavy enough to close, she had a flashback of sorts. She could see Edge standing before her, but the words he was saying were not at all the ones she wanted to hear. They were the very same words he said to her five months earlier.

"I hope you understand why this has to happen, Steph," he had said, though his uneasy tone made her feel like he didn't quite understand it himself. "It just isn't going to work."

"I...I guess I do," she had reluctantly admitted.

Looking back, she guessed it could really be called 'admitting'. She was lying through her teeth. She didn't understand it at all. When he didn't respond, she had taken the opportunity to speak again.

"I guess this is it..."

"I'm so sorry, Stephanie," Edge told her, his green eyes watering a bit. "It's not going to work out... we need to move on."

Stephanie had nodded her response, but ultimately she was protesting on the inside. She could hear his words and voice as though he were right beside her, saying it all over again. From the corner of her eye, she saw the letter, which she had placed on the nightstand beside her bed. The Raw roster would be in town the next day, and the former Smackdown general manager knew exactly what she had to do.

Well I can't forget the words you said
To move on with my life
And no matter what, I'll carry you inside

You can just walk away
But I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you, breathes for you, sings for you
And those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you

Letter clutched tightly in her left hand, Stephanie used her right to knock on the door in front of her. It took every ounce of strength she had to keep herself from shaking, the thought of her exboyfriend just on the other side of the door being a bit overwhelming. In the time it took for him to answer the door, she had already begun to second guess herself. Maybe coming to the hotel to deliver the letter wasn't the best idea.

Before she could even consider walking away, the door swung open, and she gasped. Edge stood before her, his expression more than a little surprised.

"Steph?" he questioned, and her knees nearly buckled at the sound of his voice.

"Hi..." she said, suddenly forgetting everything she had planned to say. For lack of a better word, he was beautiful.

Edge merely stared at her, blinking a few times as if he wasn't sure it was really her standing before him. Then, he stepped back a little, opening the door wider.

"Here, come in," he said, gesturing towards the interior of the room.

Despite how much she wanted to, Stephanie firmly declined his offer with a shake of her head. She couldn't make him come back... he had to see what they had on his own. She didn't want to go inside and talk to him, fearing that she would break down and beg.

"No, that's okay. I just... I had to give you this," she said, handing him the letter.

He took it from her, his hand lingering over hers just a little longer than necessary.

"Just read that, please. Hopefully, I'll be hearing from you."

Having said her piece, she gave him a small smile before excusing herself, leaving the confused Canadian behind. Though she was nervous over him reading her letter, a satisfied smile came across Stephanie's lips. She had done all she could for now.

Now she just had to wait, and hope that in reading her letter, Edge would find his way back to where he belonged... with her.

Sooner or later
You're gonna realize
That this type of love
It happens once in our lives
So open your eyes
And see what we could be
Come back to me

You can just walk away
But I don't feel the same
My heart still beats for you, breathes for you, sings for you
And those feelings will never fade
I can't hide my pain
I can never hide the way I feel for you