Fighting to Let You Go

A/N: I don't really have much of a note - just to say thanks to a couple of people who have really helped my motivation lately. To Rachel (the Original Rachel) - thanks for getting my ass in gear for an update or two tonight. I know you didn't mean to, but it was a big help. Also, to Vera (my brilliantly genius equal) - thanks for encouraging me to finish this story. Your support of my ideas means more than you know - just because the pain is a bitch when we feel it does not mean that it can't be used for good, right? And to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and connecting with this story - thanks a million. Your love alone has gone quite a long way in helping me get through a difficult situation. So, you know I don't own any of the people mentioned herein - and, as always - Enjoy!

"You're kidding me, right?" Trish asked as Adam climbed into the bed and sat a tub of ice cream between them.

With a shake of his long locks, he offered her a spoon. "One hour, no interruptions. We can do it, Trish. If we apply ourselves."

He seemed so adamant, so sure that they could finish an entire gallon of ice cream in sixty minutes, that she felt bad informing him that she didn't feel like eating anything at all. Her match that night had been brutal, and she could already feel the start of a chest cold taking root. Food of any sort, even the cookie dough variety, just didn't seem appealing.

"What if I throw up?" she asked skeptically, taking the spoon from him as he turned the television on and settled against the head board beside her.

A characteristic wink preceded his trademark smile. "I'll hold your hair for you," he promised.

Casting a side-long glance at the concentration on his face, as he tried to find something they could both agree on watching, Trish thought about the man who shared her bed now. He wasn't Jeff, and maybe that was why she liked having him there. It wasn't like she could avoid all mention of her ex, seeing as she still worked with his brother and a lot of his close friends. But not seeing him had made getting over him a lot easier than she had anticipated.

Once she had stopped clinging to the pain, Trish found that he was drifting further into her memory's background every day. By the time Adam had asked her on a real date, a trip to an alligator farm in Southern Florida, she was kind of surprised to find herself ready to move on. And her best friend seemed to be the most logical partner, as she couldn't really remember a time when he hadn't been a constant in her life. Sharing road trips, hotel beds, and kisses backstage felt natural with Adam, and she was confident in saying that she was perfectly happy with her life now.

"What's this?" she asked, as Adam shoveled a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth and then mumbled an answer around it. "Nice," she rolled her eyes and kissed his nose without thinking.

Smiling, Adam managed to swallow his food and nod back toward the television. "TNA," he said simply.

Trish heard murmurings about the fledgling promotion around the company all the time. But no one really seemed too concerned that yet another group was stealing all of their former stars to build it's own reputation. So she, in turn, hadn't paid it much mind. She had her own career to think about, and if she remembered correctly, this TNA didn't even have a Women's Division. How good could it really be?

"The storylines are kinda weak," Adam criticized. "But the wrestling is pretty sick. Their X Division is insane," he added, nodding to the screen as AJ Styles made his way to the ring.

Trish focused her attention to the television as the announcers explained that, due to an injury, the champion's opponent for the evening would be unable to compete. They went on to say that his in-ring challenger for the evening was a complete surprise. Instead of listening to the build-up, she looked at the fans, the ramp, the tunnel, and the ring. It was all so different – so unusual. There was something about this atmosphere that just felt strange.

"It's so indie," she finally said out loud. When Adam turned to raise his eyebrow, she nodded to what she was watching. "Low budget, obviously. But it's got that hard-core, passionate fan-love feeling. Don't ya think?" It's the kind of thing Jeff would love. The thought raced through her head without permission or warning.

And, as if she had willed it to be so, the arena went dark and a video presentation started. Thumping music played, and a voice filled the arena just before his name flashed on the screen. Of course, she didn't need the name – she would know his voice anywhere. The way he sang was so sensual, with that sexy growl – sometimes she still heard it in her dreams, though it was no longer attached to his body.

The only sound in the room was that of Adam's spoon falling into the ice cream carton, now resting on his chest, just before it tumbled over the side of the bed and hit the floor with a dull thud. After a year of trying his best to keep Trish from thinking about that man, he was there – in all of his colorful glory, smiling and trading high-fives with the fans. The announcers went nuts, talking about what a great acquisition it was. But Adam felt like he was the one that would throw up before the night was over.

Reaching for the remote, he stuttered slightly. "We can change it," he said.

But Trish reached her hand out and touched his, drawing his eyes from the bedspread to her face. "It's okay, Sweetie. I can watch him wrestle without breaking into tears."

But tears were not what Adam was afraid of. "Can you watch him without falling in love again?" he asked, a touch of bitterness creeping into his voice.

Turning her full attention from her ex on the television to her boyfriend in the bed, Trish rested a palm against his cheek and smiled, a full-on Stratus grin. "Adam, Jeff and I broke up a year ago. Any feelings I had for him at that time have long since passed. I would not be with you if I didn't want to be with you. You know that," she reminded, leaning forward until her forehead rested against his.

"You also haven't seen him," he voiced his concerns for the first time since they had started dating, three months earlier. He had done everything he could to ensure she wouldn't see him – made sure that Matt didn't talk about his brother when the two couples went out together, that no one else made mention of speaking to him, or seeing him out and about. How he had forgotten Matt's mention of Jeff's debut on the show that night was beyond him.

It wasn't that he was scared of losing her, though that was part of it. But Adam had never seen anyone as heartbroken as his girl had been over him. And, if it was the only, and last, thing he did, he would be sure that the woman he loved never cried those tears again.

Trish just kissed him, in hopes of calming his fears, and then settled back against his shoulder to watch the match. She could insist until she was out of breath and blue in the face, that she had no more feelings for Jeff. The truth, and everyone knew it, was that he would always hold a special place in her heart. If she was honest, she felt like he should, that he had earned that. He had loved her, and until the moment he left, he had always put her first. He showed her what love was supposed to be, and for that she would be forever grateful.

But she was nothing if not determined. And, as far as Trish was concerned, it was time to take what Jeff had shown her and apply it – to her relationship with Adam. Even if no one else believed her, she was over Jeff Hardy and ready to move on.

And if she reminded herself of that often enough, she thought she just might start to believe it.