SmackDown taping, Philadelphia, PA

Adam was pleased with the way things had been going over the past week. He and Jay had been successfully reuinted as "brothers" and partners Edge and Christian when Edge ran out to help Christian win a match against Rob Van Dam. When it looked as if RVD was surely on his way to victory, Adam had run out from the back and pulled Jay out of the way of a 4-Star Frogsplash. As Van Dam came crashing to the mat, Edge roused the referee, who had accidentally been knocked out by an RVD kick. At this point, Christian had managed to get an arm over the fallen grappler, and the official counted the 1-2-3.

Christian had looked surprised upon seeing his brother Edge standing there, nodding, smiling, and finally, clapping for him. Edge had raised Christian's hand in victory, and after a moment, E&C did their vintage trademark high-five. The tag team of Edge and Christian was suddenly reborn.

Now, Adam and Amy sat backstage in a locker room with Jay and Matt and Jeff Hardy, discussing what they were going to do in their upcoming match later that day.

Amy, sitting on Adam's lap, turned to the Hardys, explaining how she was going to "turn" on them.

"I'm going to wait for Jeff to go up top to get a Swanton Bomb in on Jay...while he's on the turnbuckle, I run up after him and trip him," she said excitedly.

"That's when I step in," Matt interjected. "I grab Adam and set him up for the Twist of Fate..."

"Right," Amy said. "Matt, you don't realize what happened - you think Jeff just tripped...then I surprised you with the hurricanrana, enabling Adam-" She turned to gaze fondly into his sparkling green-brown eyes, "-to nail you with the Edgecution, and 1-2-3, it's over."

"Hence the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship between Edge and Lita," Adam said dreamily with a slight smile on his lips. As he gazed up into her eyes, he tilted his head a little, and Amy leaned over and kissed him.

"Alright, break it up, you two," Jeff cried as he began laughing.

"Yeah, get a room," Matt insisted, stifling his own chuckle.

"This is gonna be so cool," Jay said. "The only 'valet' Edge and Christian have ever had is Gangrel - but Amy is sure a lot better to look at," he said as he looked her over appreciatively.

"Hey..." Adam said, giving Jay a look. "...she's mine, pal." He grinned as he turned back toward Amy and met her eyes. She smiled back, and they kissed again.

"Jeez...what are we gonna do with these two?" Jay said good-humoredly, shaking his head.

The match was going as smoothly as Adam had hoped. As he and Jay double-teamed Jeff while referee Timmy White was distracted by Matt, he quickly chanced a glance at Amy. She was still in the Hardys' corner, jumping up and complaining to the ref now, like Matt was.

Adam grinned to himself as he realized this would be the very last time Amy would have to pretend to be Matt's girlfriend. He'd never even told her, but he'd always felt more than a little jealous of Matt for that, even though it was all acting on both their parts.

Jeff finally fought back effectively, and Adam felt himself sailing over the middle rope, out of the ring and onto the arena floor, courtesy of a dropkick. Jay tried to grab the Hardy Boy, but Jeff was too quick and tagged in his brother.

Adam noticed Amy bouncing enthusiastically a few feet away from him as she watched Matt dish out some hard right hands to Jay, sending him crashing on his back to the canvas. He quickly got back into the ring and attacked the elder Hardy with a spear when he turned around.

Jay grabbed Matt and tried to go for the Unprettier, but he'd forgotten about Jeff.

Jeff, who was currently sporting purple, blue and red hair, nailed Jay with his version of the Twist of Fate, then climbed the turnbuckles in preparation for the Swanton Bomb. While he did the guns sign to the crowd, and while Adam and Matt battled it out on the other side of the ring, Amy crept, unnoticed, over to him. She swiftly leapt up onto the apron and grabbed Jeff's left ankle as he tried to execute his finisher. In the process, Jeff ended up crotched on the top turnbuckle, crashing to the canvas a moment later.

Jay got up and grabbed Jeff, bodyslamming him into the opposite corner, then proceeded to kick him.

Adam and Matt now fought in the corner where Jay and Jeff had been, exchanging blows. This time, the referee was distracted by Jeff and Jay as Matt kicked Adam in the mid-section and signaled for the Twist of Fate.

Amy climbed up to the top turnbuckle, and as Adam quickly moved out of her way, she took Matt down with a hurricanrana. The damage done, she quickly slid out of the ring, still unnoticed by the referee, and Adam lifted Matt and delivered his Edgecution DDT. 1-2-3 - it was over.

As Adam and Jay's arms were raised in victory, first by the ref and then by Amy, who had joined them in the ring, Adam noticed that quite a few of the fans seemed shocked and confused. But this was a good thing - the fans had never expected Lita to turn against the Hardyz, split from her "boyfriend" Matt and from Team Xtreme. He made sure his grin was very wide as he stood victorious with Jay and Amy. It was the start of a new era - the ECL era.

"That was awesome!" Adam exclaimed as he hugged Amy tightly when they were backstage. "You did such a fantastic job, Ames."

"Err...actually, Matt and Jeff were the ones who did the 'job'," she pointed out, laughing.

Adam laughed as he hugged her again, this time lifting her up off her feet and swinging her around a little. "I love you!" he cried.

I love youAmy thought as she gazed directly into his eyes. She hated herself for still being unable to say those three little words back to him. Adam deserved that much. Instead, she moved her head closer to his and kissed him while he still held her up in his arms.

"Hey! There are people out here, you know!" Jay yelled in mock anger, cracking up as the two lovebirds abruptly stopped kissing.

Adam placed Amy back on her feet and grabbed her hand. "Aw, he's just jealous 'cuz he's got nobody," he said to Amy as he gave her a nudge. Amy giggled.

"Very funny! Come on, you two," Jay said. "We're gonna have an interview pretty soon, remember?"

"Edge...Christian...Lita?" Lillian Garcia questioned the trio as she looked at Amy with a confused expression on her face. "What prompted the three of you to unite?"

"Listen, you reekette," Jay began. "Last week on RAW, we announced that we had a big surprise in store for the world..."

"That's right," Adam continued for him. "One that would totally reek of awesomeness! Lillian, say hello to team ECL."

"Lita, why? Why did you turn against the Hardyz- especially since Matt Hardy is your boyfriend...?"

Amy glared at the other woman. "...Was my boyfriend," she corrected. "I got fed up - I tired of hanging out with those two boyz, and I found myself a couple of men." Moving to stand between Adam and Jay, she put an arm around each man, looking from one to the other before turning back to Lillian. "And believe me when I say that Matt and Jeff fall way short to Edge and Christian."

Her face still wearing a confused expression, Lillian turned to Adam. "Edge, weren't you and Christian calling Lita a 'hosebeast' just a year and a half ago?"

"We've seen the error in our judgment..." He gazed at Amy, allowing his eyes to look her up and down appreciatively, a huge grin forming on his face. "Babe, you are a total scorchcake!"

Amy smiled wordlessly, eyeing Adam up and down before the three turned briefly back to Lillian.

"Interview over," Jay said as he gave the interviewer/ring announcer a look.

Amy started walking away, and Adam and Jay followed. The guys exchanged glances, huge smiles on both their faces, then looked appreciatively after Amy as they followed her off the set.

Later that night, as they arrived back at the hotel and went to their room, Amy laughed as she recalled how the SmackDown taping had gone. She told Adam how much fun she'd had, not only working with him and Jay, but as a heel again after a long stint as a face.

"Yeah, it's more fun being a bad guy, isn't it?" Adam laughed. "You were awesome, baby!" He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, swinging her around a little.

Amy laughed and held onto him, her hands on his shoulders. Adam continued to swing her around a bit until he bumped into the edge of the bed and dropped her onto it, instantly falling on top of her. He anxiously sought her neck and nuzzled it.

Amy's arms instantly went around Adam's neck as she held him tightly against her. She moved her hands so that her fingers twined into his long blond hair. He moved his lips from her neck to her face and eagerly sought her lips, kissing her passionately. She kissed him back, spreading her legs beneath him. She moaned softly as she felt Adam's erection poking her.

They continued kissing, and Adam let out a soft sound that was almost a growl as he felt Amy's hand between his legs. She rubbed him through his black leather pants, her tongue seeking his own as they kissed. Adam allowed his tongue to perform spirals around hers before he turned his attention to her neck again, placing most of his kisses and love bites on the hollow of her throat.

"Oh, God, Adam..." Amy moaned. She wanted to feel him inside of her.

As if reading her mind, Adam rose himself up on his knees, between her legs, and lifted her shirt up over her head. He tossed it to the floor before removing her pants and then his own shirt and pants.

Amy looked Adam up and down hungrily, her eyes focusing the longest on the huge bulge in his black briefs and then his emerald-topaz eyes. She was nearly panting with welcome for him.

"Adam...Adam...God, I want you..."

He laughed softly and lowered himself back down to her, pressing his hot lips to hers again. He kissed her passionately, savoring the taste of her, sliding his right hand down between her legs. He moaned softly as he realized she was so wet he could feel it through the outside of her panties. "God, Amy..."

Adam moved and turned Amy over so that she was on her side, facing him, and he reached back to unhook her bra, then pulled down her panties. Afterward, she reached for his briefs, and he helped her to rid him of them.

Adam sighed and gently turned Amy over so that her back was to him, positioning her leg accordingly. He let out a soft moan as he pushed inside of her in the spooning position. His breathing quickened as he thrust into her quickly and easily.

Amy cried out loudly as Adam continued slamming into her. She was already nearing the delicious brink. Adam increased his pace and gripped her waist tightly. In moments, Amy's cries became sharper as she entered her climax. Adam was right behind her and he panted and moaned as he felt himself coming. He emptied himself into her and held her tightly against him, placing small kisses on her shoulder and the nape of her neck.

When it was over, she turned around to face him, and Adam held her to him. Amy smiled as her eyes met his, her breath warm against his face. Adam laughed, kissing her softly on the lips and then her forehead.

"God, I love you..." He moved his face close to hers again and touched the tip of her nose with his own.

I love you, too, Amy thought as Adam continued to nuzzle her. She felt upset suddenly because she was still incapable of speaking the words. She hated herself for it - she was perfectly capable of expressing her feelings for him with her body, but not with her voice. It hurt her enough to make her want to cry.

She realized that Adam didn't seem at all upset over this, but she hurt inside for him. She knew if the shoe were on the other foot, she would feel sad. Instinctively, she knew it must break his heart every time he said "I love you" to her and she never said it in return.

As Stephanie McMahon had promised, the WWF had big plans for Edge and Christian at SummerSlam, the very next pay-per-view event. Adam and Jay discovered that they were to compete in a table match against the current tag team champions, the Dudley Boyz, for the titles - and they were slated to win.

Amy was excited for them, as this would be their eighth tag team title reign. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling worried. Even she found it odd that she felt this way about a table match. Adam had competed in more dangerous matches in the past - ladder matches and TLC matches. So, why was Amy so nervous?

She and Adam read through their SummerSlam scripts in their hotel room. "I'm not so sure it's a good idea for you to be at ringside for this entire match," Adam said.

Amy thought it ironic that he was worried about her in regards to the match. "Don't worry about me," she said. "I'll be on the outside, not competing."

"But they're going to try to put you through a table," Adam pointed out. He raked a hand through his golden mane as he gazed into her eyes with concern. "You know what that means, Ames...eventually, you will be put through a table."

Amy reached over and squeezed his hand. "It's okay," she assured him. "Mark's put me through a table before, and he did a good job cushioning me. I'll be okay...but let's cross that bridge when we come to it."

Adam gazed at her tenderly, and Amy nearly cried at the expression on his face. His heart was in his eyes as he held his gaze on her. I love you...

Amy swallowed with effort, then said, "Adam...I'm worried about you going into this match..."

"Why? I've been in tons of these kinds of matches and have always come out in one piece."

"I know," she said. Sighing, she reached out and gently touched his cheek. "But I don't like the fall they have you taking." She was referring to the fact that the Hardyz were supposed to run in and attack Edge and Christian with ladders. Then, Edge was supposed to attempt to use one of the ladders to his advantage - by climbing nearly to the top of it to leap upon D-Von Dudley, who would be laying on the canvas near one corner. The plan would then be foiled as, while Matt would be going after Lita on the outside, Jeff would get into the ring and shove the ladder over, sending Edge crashing through a table set up outside the ring. This whole part of the match left a foul taste in Amy's mouth. Adam would be falling through a table from a distance, since he would be nearly at the top of the ladder.

"It'll be alright," Adam said softly. "The other guys have taken falls like that and came out in one piece."

"I know," Amy replied, "but I don't care...the other guys are not you, Adam...I don't want you to have to do it." She thought about speaking to Stephanie McMahon about making a slight change in the script.

"Hey," Adam said, pulling her into his embrace and holding her tightly, "I'll be okay." He rubbed his cheek against her red hair and inhaled her scent as she clung to him. After a moment, Adam pulled back slightly to meet her eyes, which still looked concerned. He drank in the sight of her for several long minutes, her beautiful face worried, then dipped his head slightly and placed his lips on hers, kissing her passionately. Her response was instant, fervent, and she moved her hands to his face as she kissed him.

Amy's emotions nearly overwhelmed her as she and Adam grew more passionate. He was so tender as he slowly undressed her, and as he helped her to undress him. She loved him so much. She wanted more than anything to be able to express in words the depth of her feelings for him. She couldn't imagine her life without Adam Copeland. He had shown her what it was like to love again.

As they made love, Adam gazed down into her eyes, and his own eyes burned with intensity. Amy put her hands on the sides of his face, drawing his head down to hers. She kissed him, and he kissed her back ardently.

All of Amy's worries left her as her body was overcome by beautiful pleasure. She wrapped her legs around Adam's waist and clung tightly to him, nearly crying as she came.

Adam kissed her and continued thrusting. He didn't stop, didn't allow himself to come until he brought her to the brink and over a few more times.

"Oh, God," she gasped after it was over.

Adam laughed softly, proud of himself, but mostly happy that she'd felt so good. He leaned down and plied kisses all over her. "Was that good?" he asked teasingly, his grin spreading even larger.

"Oh, God," Amy said breathlessly as she stared up into his bronze-green eyes. "Couldn't you tell?" She hit him playfully on the shoulder, laughing softly.

"Yes, I could," Adam said. He rolled over to lie on his back beside her, reaching over and grasping her hand. They listened to nothing but each other's breathing for a moment before Amy next spoke.

"That was, without a doubt, the best I've ever had it."