TLC 2 had been completely crazy so far, it had been more adventurous and more dangerous than the first one at Wrestlemania! But like all good things, it soon had to come to an end so Summer and Jeff were leading Edge and Christian up the ramp towards the staging area. Summer had been battling with the women but they were cat fighting about who was going to be the women's champion so it let her loose to battle with Christian. The fans loved that Summer could compete with the men and they were chanting her name loudly as she hit Christian over the head with a steel chair. Jeff had managed to floor Edge so they could walk up the steps onto the stage to clear the Spanish announce table so the area was clear. They overturned the table and let it crash to the floor so Edge and Christian had to quickly roll out the way and get up in time to crawl onto the stage.
Jeff shouted to Summer "You ready to do this?!"
"Hell yeah!" Summer shouted back as she stomped on Christian to prevent him from moving. It was Summer who had to climb up the stage first and then try and entice Jeff to climb up after her, so she walked to the edge of the stage and the fans soon knew what she was going to do and they were soon going crazy. Rung by rung she climbed higher and higher before motioning for Jeff to follow her, the fans were cheering and chanting his name and after kicking and punching Edge and Christian a few more times to stop them from moving. Summer quickly looked over to the ring and saw Matt battling with Bradshaw while Farooq was knocked out cold outside the ring. Trish and Jackie were battling outside the ring so Matt was able to pick up the victory from Bradshaw to retain all 3 titles.
"Keep going sis!" Jeff called from underneath Summer who started to focus again and continue to climb up the ladder towards the top of the stage. She climbed on top and waited for Jeff who stood up and saluted the fans who were going crazy at this point.
"Sure you wanna do this?" Jeff shouted as he looked down to check whether Edge and Christian were in position and they were, so Summer held out her hand which Jeff took and they stepped forward to the edge of the stage. It was a long way to fall to screw this up but Summer was ready to do it, she loved being reckless and wanted to prove it to the world.
"Ready?" Summer asked and Jeff nodded and soon Summer jumped off the stage with Jeff to hit the double leg drop, but without it being planned, Edge and Christian rolled out of the way so both siblings crashed into the stage. Thankfully it wasn't too serious because the ring crew had padded the stage up extremely well, but with the force of both Summer and Jeff falling onto it the wood cracked and they did fall through it. Summer knew that she'd probably reinjured her ribs again but she was so full of adrenaline she didn't care, that was amazing!
The rush of falling off that stage sent her adrenaline levels through the roof! She slowly turned her head to see Jeff and she could see that he was grinning from ear to ear; both of them were okay and that was the important thing. She still couldn't believe that the guys had moved out of the way, but they hadn't been warned that Summer and Jeff were climbing all the way to the top of the stage so it was probably a good thing that they moved.
Summer faintly heard the sound of the bell ringing which meant that Matt had won the match, they were still champions! But both she and Jeff knew that Matt would scold them when they got backstage for going too far, they'd promised him they would jump from halfway and not climb all the way to the top. So he was seriously going to lay it into them when they were backstage.
"Sums can you move?" Jeff asked his sister as he slowly got up from the mess to go and tend to his sister, "My ribs hurt but other than that I'm good" Summer replied as she slowly moved from the wreckage to roll onto her side. The referees and EMT's had come out to check on them both but were surprised when the two of them were up and awake without a scratch on them. Jeff ached from falling off a ladder earlier in the match, other than that he was feeling better than he deserved.
"Let's get you guys checked over backstage" Terry the head trainer said as he was still amazed that both of them were standing up straight. Jeff held Summer's hand as he led her down the steps and the fans went crazy for them, they saw Matt walking up the ramp with all 3 belts and he looked extremely pissed. But he gave them their belts and they held them up for the fans making them go crazy once more, cameras flashed all around and the chants were getting louder and louder. But soon Matt turned around and stormed backstage leaving Summer and Jeff to follow, both knowing they were in for an ass kicking.
Steve was glued to his chair waiting for the TLC match to start, he was pretty anxious to see how it would turn out so he remained watching the screen as the build up video played. He hadn't realised just how physical Summer could be and watching this video proved that she was, with the beatings that she took and the beatings that she gave out. Steve had always known that she was going to be a handful when they started their relationship, but that was what attracted him to her, because she was just so different. He loved her dearly but with everything that had been going on, he needed space to clear his head and do some soul searching.
He'd been staring at the screen so long he'd gone into his own world, not realising that Jeannie had walked into his locker room. He looked at her and noticed straight away that she looked different, she'd tried to tidy her hair up but it was still a mess and her lipstick was smeared, what had she been up to? He found it strange that a hint of jealously was bubbling up inside of him, but he managed to control it and just stare at her.
Jeannie tried to wipe her mouth again but noticed Steve was staring at her, "What?"
"Nothin'" Steve replied with a frown as he turned his attention back to the TV where Summer was dancing around with her brothers with the fans going crazy. It was that loud he could hear it from the arena; he was still amazed that the fans loved them so much. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Summer, she always looked so damn beautiful wherever she went, always making heads turn.
"I hope you'll pay attention to how reckless she can be" Jeannie said as she came out of the bathroom once she'd cleaned herself up from the romp she'd just had with one of the superstars, she'd wanted to get her hands on him for years and tonight she finally got to climb all over him. It was perfect timing seeing Summer standing there watching, now she'd be paranoid and push Steve further away... maybe break off their engagement? That would be the best thing ever!
"She's not reckless" Steve mumbled as he watched Summer jump over the ropes and land on Farooq and Bradshaw knocking them to the floor. Jeannie watched as well and could feel the jealousy burning away inside, she knew that Summer was talented and extremely beautiful and she hated it completely. Why did she get to be so successful? Why did Steve love her so much to want to marry her? It just wasn't fair!
"Steve be serious for a moment, you can tell how reckless she is by wrestling men"
"That's because I trained her" Steve replied making Jeannie just stare at him, "You trained her?"
"Yes I trained her when she was cleared from her neck injury"
"And you told her to wrestle men?"
"I didn't tell her, she's always wrestled with men even when she was training before she came to the business" Steve replied and Jeannie felt more jealously deep inside, but she calmed herself down before saying "That's a pretty tough thing to do"
"That's why I'm so proud of her" Steve replied as he felt the pride inside his gut, she was a tough young woman and could tackle anything physically. But he also knew that emotionally Summer did struggle to cope, she didn't handle change very well and this situation looming over her head was causing her to struggle and cause her to go overboard with her matches. She needed to be spoken to after the pay-per-view was over, it was going to be tough but it had to be done. And while Jeannie was with him, he had to speak to her as well, "Jeannie" Steve started and then cleared his throat, "Sit down I need to talk to you about somethin'"
"Okay" Jeannie replied sceptically as she sat down on the couch opposite Steve who looked serious, which did worry her, "What's wrong?"
"I've been thinking about this a lot and somethin' needs to be done about it" Steve said
"I don't understand" Jeannie replied, a little confused as to where this was going but Steve continued, "I ain't gonna lie, these past few weeks I've been feeling things I haven't felt in years since being around you" Jeannie smiled at that, so he did still love her! But the smile was soon wiped off her face when Steve said "But it's completely messed me up"
"Why? It shouldn't mess you up, it's a good thing!"
"I ain't so sure it is"
"But why?"
"Because my heart belongs to Summer, I love that little lady but then I think about you and I feel so confused" Steve said as he ran a hand over his face in frustration, he hated this situation and just wanted it to be over. Jeannie just stared at Steve, her heart racing because she knew what he was going to say, "Steve, sweetheart look at me" Jeannie then reached out and gently took Steve's hand and carried on, "You know what we had was amazing both physically and mentally, we understood each other and we just made the perfect couple"
"Until you turned into a bitch" Steve replied
"And you turned into a stubborn jackass"
"I've always been a stubborn jackass"
"It was difficult raising 2 girls on my own while you were on the road"
"I told you that it would be fine if you travelled on the road with me" Steve replied as he narrowed his eyes, Jeannie scowled at him and said "This is no business to raise a child in"
"Shane and Stephanie turned out okay" Steve shot back and Jeannie knew she wouldn't get anywhere with this, she thought she'd done the right thing by raising their children away from the business. But then without Steve it was difficult to cope when things got tough, things just got out of hand and in the end Steve walked away and filed for divorce.
"We're never going to agree on this" Jeannie said "But things are different now, the girls are grown up and can travel with us"
"They need their education" Steve replied sternly, he was never a strict father but he'd be damn sure both of his girls got the education they deserved. "I agree they need their education" Jeannie replied making Steve frown, she was just contradicting herself and making this up as she went along and he was tired of hearing it. He pulled his hand away from hers and said "Look Jeannie this isn't what I wanted to talk about"
"Then what is it?"
"I need to take some time away from both you and Summer"
Jeannie jumped up from the couch and said "That's bullshit!"
"No it's not, dammit sit down and listen to me!"
"No I'm tired of this! We both love each other so why the hell can't you just get rid of Summer and be with me!?"
"When did I say that I love you?"
"You said it earlier!"
"All I said was that being around you stirred up some old feelings; I never once told you I still loved you"
"Even if I don't say it I know that you do love me"
"I don't know how to feel about you anymore, but I know that I can't be around you anymore"
"I've got a contract now" Jeannie said smugly "I'm not going anywhere" Steve stood up when she said that and glared at her, "You ain't gonna threaten me darlin'" Steve said sternly with narrowed eyes, he saw Jeannie cave slightly at that but she soon regained her composure and said "I'm your manager Steve, you've gotta work with me whether you like it or not"
"Yeah? Well we'll see about that" Steve replied and he could see that he'd won, Jeannie didn't know what to do or say now and he'd got her cornered. He had more power than she did and he could get things done, he didn't want her as his manager so he'd pull some strings to get her fired.
Steve noticed that the crowds were really pumped up and so loud it was almost deafening, "What's going on?" Jeannie asked and both she and Steve stared at the screen to see what was happening. And what Steve saw almost made his heart stop beating, Summer and Jeff were climbing to the top of the stage, "No" is all Steve breathed out, surely she wasn't going to do this? But Steve's silent prayers did no good; Summer still continued to climb to the top of the stage until she was standing hand in hand with Jeff.
"Don't do it" Steve said loudly, "Please don't do-" Steve cut himself off when he watched his fiancé jump off a 20ft stage landing pretty hard onto the wooden platform. Jeannie was about to say something but Steve was already out the door and running towards the stage to go and check on Summer.
"What the fuck is wrong with you guys?!" Matt shouted as soon as they were backstage and clear of the gorilla position, "You said you'd only go halfway! You could have killed yourselves!"
Matt then shoved Jeff who shoved him back, "It was all planned Matt! We knew what we were doing!"
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Matt shouted and shoved at his brother again, this time Summer got angry and shoved Matt back and said "Don't push him!"
"Don't get involved!" Matt shouted but Summer shoved him again and said "We didn't tell you because we knew this would happen!"
"Do you guys have a death wish or something?!" Matt replied as he ran his hands through his hair to try and calm down, watching his siblings jump off that stage nearly caused him to have heart failure!
"Just relax bro we're okay" Jeff said as he stared at his brother, if he laid a hand on Summer he'd be a deadman!
"But that doesn't stop me from worrying! I nearly died a thousand deaths inside that ring!" Matt said as his temper was rising again, "You need to tell me about these things!" Matt stepped forward and both brothers were going to fight but Summer got in between them and said "Stop this! Enough!" Both brothers were still trying to get to each other but Summer shouted "Enough!" one last time and both brothers stopped because they knew they'd hurt their sister who was sandwiched between them.
"Do as the little lady says and walk away" all three heard a voice and they looked to see Mark standing there ready to get involved in case all 3 started fighting. Matt and Jeff soon backed off but were still glaring at each other,
"This is none of your business Mark" Matt said sternly, Mark narrowed his eyes and said "It would be my problem if you laid a hand on that girl right there"
"I wouldn't touch her" Matt replied
"Neither would I" Jeff replied
"Then I suggest you both go your separate ways and cool down and reign in your tempers" Mark replied as he took his shades off and stared at both brothers who glared right back, but soon Jeff sighed and said "Sis I'll see you in the locker room"
"Okay" Summer replied and watched her brother storm off down the corridor, "You can move your stuff into my room if you want" Mark offered but Matt shook his head and said "I'll be alright, but thank you Mark"
"No problem"
"Sis I'll see you in a bit"
"Don't be too hard on him" is all Summer said as she watched him head down the corridor to cool off.
Summer realised she was left alone with Mark so she looked up at him and laughed a little, "Sorry you had to see that"
"Don't worry about it kiddo these things happen"
"But we're normally such a close family"
"Things happen darlin', I know it sucks but in a way you did kinda see it coming" Mark replied making Summer stare up at him with raised eyebrows, Mark smirked back down at her and said "You should have told him that you were going all the way to the top of the stage"
"But-"
"Yes I know he worries but you should have given him some sort of warning, I nearly had a heart attack just watching that"
"It wasn't meant to be that bad" is all Summer could say making Mark fold his arms and say "Darlin you knew damn well how extreme that was going to be" Summer didn't say anything and just stared at him, Mark could see the twinkle in her eye and just laughed making Summer smile at him.
"At least you're in one piece"
"We planned it well so that the stage was padded enough that we wouldn't feel it" Summer said proudly making Mark smirk at her again, "I saw you out there earlier with Jeff, is that what you were doing?"
"Yeah we planned it all but we didn't want to tell Matt because he'd freak out and get it changed"
"I know he can be protective"
"That's an understatement" Summer replied, "He's always been like this, if he had his way I'd be wrapped up in cotton wool"
"Keep this sort of behaviour up and I'll wrap you up in somethin'" Mark replied making Summer just stare at him wide-eyed, he'd tie her up? With what? Summer felt the butterflies in her stomach and her legs felt weak, why did that turn her on? She was about to reply but she saw Steve marching towards her, and what made it worse was that Jeannie was not too far behind him. She was still mad at what she saw and she wanted answers from Steve, this had gone too far now and she was getting tired of it.
"Steve-" is all she got out before he crushed her against him, she squeaked out in surprise as her ribs didn't like that... they were still sensitive from landing onto that wooden surface. He smelt so damn good she'd almost forgotten that she was mad, but then she came to her senses and shoved him off and then stared at him,
Steve looked at her and said "What's wrong?"
"You stay the hell away from me" Summer said coldly, "Don't pretend everything is alright when it's not"
"Darlin I don't understand"
"Don't lie to me"
"I'm not"
"Just leave me alone" Summer said as she tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm and said "Tell me what's wrong"
"You know damn well what's wrong"
"But I don't" Steve replied as he was getting more and more confused, what the hell was going on?
"See I told you she was crazy" Summer heard Jeannie say behind Steve, so Summer broke free from him and stood in front of Jeannie who looked worried now that Steve wasn't in front to protect her. Summer towered over her with narrowed eyes and said "I'd be careful"
"You're only worried because he wants me back"
"You're lying"
"Tonight was just the beginning" Jeannie whispered and then smirked which sent Summer's temper dangerously high, she tried to control it but Jeannie wasn't making it easy.
"He doesn't want you" Summer said but Jeannie just smirked and said "That's not what he said earlier tonight and boy did he prove it too" that did it, Summer slapped Jeannie so hard it made her hand sting after the contact, Jeannie fell to the floor and Summer was about to come after her but Steve grabbed her by the waist and said "That's enough!"
"No it's not!" Summer replied as she tried to squirm free from his strong grip, she was wriggling that much Steve was actually struggling to keep a hold of her, "I told you that's enough so stop it!" Steve shouted pretty loudly, Summer stopped wriggling and pulled away from him as she'd never heard him shout that loudly before. But it didn't stop her from being angry as well, she was extremely pissed off with him and wanted a damn good fight with somebody.
"We're gonna sort this out later" Steve said sternly as he stared at Summer who was glaring back at him, "Damn straight we are, go and tend to your 'girlfriend'" Summer said sarcastically before storming down the corridor with Steve staring after her. But he looked up and saw Mark standing there with his arms folded and he was shaking his head, "Boy, you've really screwed things up now"
"Fuck off Mark" Steve replied irritably making Mark raise his eyebrows at him, "I'd watch yourself, you haven't exactly done yourself any favours just now"
"Meaning what?"
"You chose your ex over your fiancé, in my view... bad choice" then Mark sidestepped Steve and walked through the gorilla tunnel to get himself ready for his upcoming match. Steve stared at him walking away, realisation dawning on him... he'd chosen to stand up for Jeannie rather than Summer. Why the hell had he done that?
"Dammit" is all Steve said before turning around with his hands linked on top of his head, he looked at the mess in front of him, Summer had stormed off and he'd been left with Jeannie who was sitting on the floor holding her tearstained face. Now how the hell was he going to clean this mess up?
"I can't believe the bastard did that!" Summer shouted angrily as he paced back and forth in her brother's hotel room. They'd made it back to the hotel safely with everything patched up and sorted, they'd all calmed down and made friends again. But Summer was still seething about what happened with Steve an hour ago, he'd actually chosen Jeannie over her? What an asshole!
"I'm just as surprised as you sis" Jeff said as he watched his sister pace back and forth in the middle of the room, he was lying on the bed while Matt was in the shower.
"He chose that witch over me, and I'm his god damn fiancé!"
"Explain what happened earlier"
"I did"
"Not clearly, you were that angry you could barely get your words out... you were close to foaming at the mouth" Jeff said and started doing impressions making Summer just stare at him, usually she'd find it funny but tonight she was too angry to laugh.
Jeff noticed this and said "Alright I'm sorry, carry on"
"I saw Jeannie walking out of a room wiping her mouth and readjusting her clothes"
"When?"
"A few minutes before our match started, that's why I was so distracted"
"That's makes sense as to why you weren't behind us"
"I just didn't know what to do about it, she looked a complete mess and then the bitch had the nerve to smirk at me"
"She saw you?"
"Yeah and smiled as she sauntered off down the corridor" Summer replied as she copied Jeannie's walk making Jeff laugh and say "Oh man if she walked like that I wouldn't want to be seen with her"
"That's exactly how she was walking, she knew damn well that I saw her and what pissed me off was that I couldn't go and confront Steve about it"
"How do you know it was Steve's room she was leaving?"
"It was one of the locker rooms; Steve could have been in any one of them"
"How do you know?"
"I've barely seen him today and remember I arrived at the arena with you guys so Steve could have arrived and dumped his shit in any locker room"
"That's true"
"Exactly! Steve obviously slept with her and she was rubbing it in my face"
"Do you really believe that Steve would cheat on you?" Jeff asked making Summer stop pacing to look at him, "In your heart do you really think that he would?" Summer thought about that and just didn't know what to say,
"I just don't know"
"Really?" Jeff asked surprised, there was a time when Summer would say that Steve wouldn't do anything to hurt her but to hear her say that did surprise him, "Summer I'm in shock"
"Why?"
"It just seems like you're losing faith in him" Summer sighed and then looked down at the floor, and then back up at Jeff and said "That's because I am" before they could discuss anything in more detail, there was a knock at the door startling them both. Jeff rolled off the bed and headed towards the door and was surprised to see Steve on the other side, "What do you want?"
"Is Summer in here?" Steve asked and Jeff was reluctant to say anything, but he soon sighed and opened the door further to reveal Summer pacing in the middle of the room.
"Sis" Jeff called and Summer looked up and scowled when she saw who it was, "I've got nothing to say to you"
"Please Summer" is all Steve said as he stepped further into the room, but Jeff didn't let him get any further, "There's a lot we need to discuss" Steve continued making Summer just stare at him, she'd changed into her grey shorts and navy blue vest with her hair clipped up messily all over her head, she looked incredible and Steve wanted nothing more than to hug her. Summer eventually just sighed and said "Fine" then she walked towards him before grabbing the spare key off the table, a clear sign that she was not stopping with him.
"I'll be up waiting for you" Jeff said before he kissed his sister's forehead and watched her walk down the corridor to head to Steve's room.
Steve unlocked the door and let Summer walk in before he did, as he always did like a gentleman. She stormed past him and then stood in the middle of the room with her arms folded, "Let's get this over with" is all she said as she stared at Steve who shut the door and then slowly walked towards her, "Don't" is all she said making Steve stop walking and then say "What's wrong?"
"I wanna know what the hell happened back there" Summer said angrily, "Why the hell did you choose her?"
"I didn't choose Jeannie"
"Bullshit"
"I ain't lying darlin, I was just dumbstruck as to what happened"
"You know damn well what happened because you were a part of it"
"Part of what?"
"Stop acting so innocent!" Summer shouted angrily as she was getting tired of this, Steve just stared at her wide eyed but he knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Shawn told him that she'd been patient so far, but she was starting to crack and the anger was boiling over.
"Honey I ain't lying to you, what's got you so upset?"
"I saw Jeannie walking out of one of the locker rooms with her hair and clothes a mess and she was wiping her mouth" Summer said as calmly as she could without looking at Steve, she was that angry she'd love nothing more than to punch him in the face.
"When was this?" Steve asked as he'd also wondered why Jeannie had looked such a mess when she walked into his dressing room.
"A couple of minutes before my match, I couldn't even confront her because we were heading out to the ring, if Jeff hadn't of grabbed me I would have screwed everything up"
"You gotta believe when I say that wasn't me she was with"
"But I don't know that do I"
"That's why you've gotta trust me, and you know that I have my own dressing room so why would I be in the locker room?"
"I don't know Steve, I don't know anything about you anymore because I've barely seen you today. You arrived at a different time so maybe you did go to the locker room I don't know" Steve felt bad when she said that, it was true that he'd been distant lately and he felt terrible about it but he needed to explain himself.
"Summer please stop pacing, I need to talk to you so please sit down" Steve said gently making Summer look at him, at first she felt like being a brat and annoying him but then she decided against it so she sat in one of the comfy chairs instead of on the bed. Steve sat in the other chair and faced Summer who was waiting for him to speak, but he was finding it difficult to put the words together. How could he tell her that he needed some space? It would destroy her!
"First of all sweetie, you gotta know that I love you very much"
"But?"
"But... being with Jeannie these past few weeks has started to stir things deep inside me, things that I thought were long gone" Steve said making Summer just stare at him, she was starting to get uncomfortable now, was this the part where he was going to say he was leaving her?
"In a strange way, I've really enjoyed being around her again and being with my girls has meant the world to me" Summer felt the tears rolling down her face and she started to slide off the chair, she didn't want to be around him anymore, she couldn't even look at him.
"Darlin' please don't cry" Steve said as he watched Summer get up from the chair and wipe her face to get rid of the tears, "Just tell me straight Steve, right now... are you leaving me?" Summer asked as she wiped at her face again, frustrated with herself because she was crying and just couldn't stop. Steve just stared blankly at her and Summer knew right in that moment that he was leaving her, "I can't be here" is all Summer whispered as she headed for the door.
"No! Summer don't leave"
"Answer the question Steve" Summer said as she spun round to face him, "Are you leaving me?"
"No dammit I ain't leaving!"
"Then what the hell is going on?!"
"Dammit it's hard to explain"
"Try harder then" Summer replied as she just stared at him, she'd never seen him like this before, so tongue tied and so edgy... what the hell had Jeannie done to him?
"Were you in that room when Jeannie walked out?"
"I was not" Steve replied honestly
"Then where were you?"
"In my dressing room getting ready to watch your match when Jeannie walked in and she looked like a mess" Summer just looked at Steve, she desperately wanted to believe him but the trust they'd built up together was taking a few blows and starting to crumble.
"So she wasn't with you?"
"No honey she wasn't"
"Then why is she allowed to share a dressing room with you and I can't?" Summer asked with narrowed eyes, "How do I know that something isn't happening in there?"
"Because you have to trust me!" Steve shouted making Summer just stare at him in surprise, "You should know me well enough now to know that I would never cheat on you!"
"I don't know what to think anymore" Summer replied as more tears formed and started to fall, she wiped them away and said "I don't know what's happening to you, you're slipping further and further away from me and I don't know what's going on. Tell me what's going on"
"I'm trying to Summer but it's too hard" Steve replied as he ran his hands over his face and sat down on the edge of the bed, "I don't know what to do about all this"
"Alright then I'll make it easy for you, are you or are you not still in love with Jeannie?"
Steve looked up at Summer and eventually said "I don't know, that's the problem"
"Do you want to get back together with her?"
"I don't know" is all Steve said again, making Summer dread her next question, "Do you want to stay with me?" it came out barely a whisper as she tried to choke back more tears, she had to know the truth even if it killed her.
"Darlin I just don't know anymore, I need time" Steve managed to get out before looking down at the floor feeling ashamed, Summer however just stared at him and felt her world crumbling all around her, he'd thought about leaving her? She couldn't believe it, she stood frozen to the spot and hated it when Steve started talking again "I love you so much it hurts to breathe sometimes, but I think I do love Jeannie as well... but I need to figure out what that love means and whether it's worth it"
"Oh god" is all Summer said as she put her hand over her mouth, mostly to stop herself from vomiting all over the floor, Steve looked at her and said "What I'm trying to say is that I think we need some space away from each other, I need to really think about what I want"
"Have you told Jeannie that?" Summer choked out with disgust making Steve nod and say "I will talk to her later"
"Oh great save the best till last" Summer replied as she rolled her eyes, she was both angry and extremely upset and she just wanted it all to end.
"Darlin I am so sorry about all of this, this is not what I wanted"
"You promised me" Summer bit out, "You promised you'd never leave"
"I know, I know I did"
"So what the hell has changed? Kick her ass to the curb so we can move on with our lives, our relationship"
"Summer it's not that easy" Steve replied and Summer was angry now, he needed to grow a pair and take action against her!
"I'm gonna make it easy for you then" Summer said as she took a big breath to try and calm herself down, she held up her left hand and slowly started to slide the ring off of her finger... her precious engagement ring that meant everything to her. She held it between her fingers but then threw it at Steve, it bounced off of his leg and landed on the floor, "I don't need a part time fiancé Steve, I need you with me 100% through the good and the bad. But you've hurt me tonight, more so than I ever thought you could but you managed to accomplish it by spending more time with Jeannie. So I'm gonna make this real easy for you, you should get back together with Jeannie-"
"Summer-"
"Spend more time with your children and repair your relationship with them, become a big happy family again and move on with your life" Summer finished and then headed towards the door without a backwards glance, the tears were still streaming down her face as she opened the door, "Please don't go" she heard Steve say behind her, she wiped her face before saying "I'm already gone" then she walked out of the room without a backwards glance. As soon as the door closed she finally let the dam open and the tears starting falling, her whole world had just fallen apart... she had nothing left.
"I can't believe I decided to bet against you" Hunter said glumly as he threw his cards back on the table and scowled at Mark who smirked and said "I told you boy, you don't ever bet against me because you won't win"
"Yeah yeah" Hunter said glumly making Mark and Shawn laugh; they'd decided to chill out after the show tonight by playing some poker and having a few beers. But Hunter was not happy because of losing so much money against Mark, he'd claimed he wasn't very good at poker but he was obviously bluffing because he'd cost Hunter nearly $200.
"All you gotta do is admit you suck and I'll stop playing" Mark said as he shuffled the cards before holding them in his hands waiting for Hunter, would he admit that he sucked?
Hunter however just glared at Mark who was just smirking and waiting for his response, Hunter threw up his hands and said "Alright you win I lose"
"That's not the right answer"
"Okay I suck at poker!" Hunter shouted and then folded his arms making Mark laugh and then throw the deck of cards onto the table, "Damn boy you're a sore loser"
"No I'm not" Hunter said childishly making Mark raise his eyebrows at him before taking a swig of his beer, "So what do you wanna do now?" Shawn asked both men,
"Well I would have suggested we go out on the town but somebody has taken every dollar I had" Hunter replied as he stared at Mark who just smirked and said "I told you that you could have stopped but you didn't"
"I thought I had the upper hand"
"You've never had the upper hand... in anything" Shawn interjected and then laughed at Hunter's shocked face, "We're supposed to be friends man" Hunter said and sniffed loudly pretending to get upset, "You said you loved me"
"I do honey, I do" Shawn replied as he too pretended to get upset, but both men started laughing and looked at Mark who was just staring at them both, "You guys are sick"
"You're just jealous" Hunter replied with a grin but all 3 of them fell silent when they heard something outside in the corridor.
"What's going on?" Shawn asked
"Let's go check it out" Hunter said as he got up from the table and walked over to the door with Mark and Shawn behind him. He opened the door and was surprised at what he saw, "Summer?" Hunter said making Mark fully alert as he walked past Hunter to see what was happening; Summer was curled up on the floor sobbing her heart out and was inconsolable.
"Summer" Mark said gently as he crouched down slowly in front of her, he gently reached out and touched her arm causing her to jump, "Whoa steady kiddo, it's me, it's Mark" Mark said gently as Summer looked up at him and tried to wipe her eyes but the tears wouldn't stop falling, she was sobbing uncontrollably and just couldn't stop it, her heart was shattered in pieces and she didn't know what to do.
"Up we get kiddo, come on" Mark said as he gently scooped Summer up into his arms and carried her into Hunter and Shawn's hotel room. They stepped aside as Mark carried her into the room and set her down gently on one of the beds. He gently stroked her face and said "Baby girl what's happened" Summer just looked at him and couldn't get any words out because she was still sobbing, she fell back onto the bed and covered her face again. Mark just looked at her and then back at Hunter and Shawn who looked just as clueless, they had no idea what was going on or what had happened. But Shawn walked forward and sat on the bed and gently stroked Summer's head, trying to calm her down. He had a strange feeling that this had something to do with Steve; he'd promised he was going to talk to her later tonight after the show and it looks like he had. But the thing that Shawn didn't know was what Steve had actually said to her to make her so upset.
Summer's sobs eventually stopped and she was left sniffling and shaking because she was cold from lying in the middle of the hotel corridor. Shawn stroked her back gently and then tried talking to her, "Sweetie" he started as he felt Summer slowly sit up, her eyes were puffy and red and her cheeks were still tearstained from crying so much, she looked at him and eventually found her voice, "I'm sorry" she squeaked out as she wiped her face again.
"For what sweetie? You haven't done anything wrong"
"For this" Summer replied as she gestured towards her appearance, she knew she looked like a mess.
"Kiddo we're more concerned about you not your appearance" Mark interjected as he swept her hair away from her face, she looked at him and then said "Thank you"
"Not a problem kiddo. Are you gonna tell us what's happened?" Mark asked and he could see Summer's bottom lip trembling again, but she took a deep breath to calm down and then said "Me and Steve had an argument" then she wiped at her eyes to stop the tears from falling, Mark and Shawn looked at each other and then back at Summer, "And what was the outcome of that sweetie?" Shawn asked but he had a feeling he already knew the answer, "I- I broke up with him" Summer whispered and then looked down at the floor, more tears swimming in her eyes.
"As in... you completely broke up with him?" Shawn asked
"Yes"
"The engagement? Everything?"
"Yes" Summer whispered, "I broke it all off, we're no longer together"
"Sweetie I'm-" Shawn started but just couldn't find the words, instead he pulled her into a hug and held her tighter when he felt Summer snuggle into him and start to cry again.
Mark just sat there completely stunned; she'd broken up with Steve? They were no longer together? It was a bit of a shock because Steve and Summer had always been so happy together, they were the perfect couple and nothing could come between them. A very small part of Mark was happy that she'd broken up with him; it meant that he could swoop in and spend more time with her. But then he felt ashamed of himself, Summer needed a friend right now and a friend he would be, he'd protect her and make sure that nobody else hurt her.
"Is there anything we can do kiddo?" Mark asked making Summer look at him blankly, she didn't know what to do about anything... she just felt numb.
"I don't know what to do" Summer said honestly and then wiped at her eyes again, "I'm too tired to think"
"Then try and get some sleep" Hunter said as he pulled the blankets back on his bed, "I'll sleep on the floor"
"I couldn't do that to you" Summer said but she could already feel her eyes drooping, she was so tired she just wanted to forget about everything for a while. Before Hunter could respond Summer had already fallen asleep in Shawn's arms, "I'll put her in my bed" Shawn said as he gently shifted with Summer in his arms, then he moved her so she was lying in the bed, she snuggled into the blanket and was soon in a deep sleep.
"Man she's wiped out" Hunter said as flopped down on his bed and looked at Shawn who was still standing next to Summer, he stroked her hair and said quietly, "She's been through enough tonight, maybe things will look different tomorrow"
"I doubt it Shawn" Mark said, "She's just broken up with Steve, she'll be messed up for a while"
"I still can't believe it actually came to that" Hunter said
"Well Steve did say that he was going to talk to her" Shawn replied
"What's actually been going on?" Mark asked because he was actually a little confused about everything that had been going on lately. Shawn looked at Mark and motioned for him to sit back down at the table so that they were away from Summer so they didn't wake her up. Mark sat down at the table and then Shawn followed, he took a swig of his beer and then said "Things have been complicated between Steve and Summer for weeks now"
"Because of Jeannie, right? I remember Steve saying she was back in his life at Wrestlemania"
"Yes she came back around Wrestlemania time and is trying to worm her way back into Steve's life"
"Looks like she's succeeded" Hunter added in as he sat at the table and grabbed a handful of nuts to eat, Shawn looked at him and said "Yeah it does look that way"
"So Steve still loves Jeannie?" Mark asked quite surprised
"He doesn't know" Shawn replied
"He doesn't know?" Mark asked "Surely you know if you love somebody, you either do or you don't"
"He said he doesn't know how he feels about both women"
"So it's kind of like a love triangle?" Mark asked
"In a way yeah" Shawn replied, "He doesn't know what to do about it, he's really torn up"
"I agree man he's a complete mess, it's making him crazy" Hunter added in, "I've never seen him like this before"
"But what can we do about it?" Shawn asked both men
"Well first of all we've got to support Summer and help her get through this" Mark said straight away, his first priority was to make sure that Summer was okay and didn't go down a bad road.
"Of course we'll help her" Shawn said "I've always looked after that little lady and always will"
"Yeah me too I'll make sure she's alright, it'll take a while but I'm sure she'll get back on her feet and carry on fighting"
"But what are we gonna do about Steve?" Shawn asked
"What can we do?" Mark replied, "You know as well as I do, Steve will do what Steve will do and there's nothing we can do to stop him"
"But he can't end up with Jeannie" Shawn protested, "Look how happy he's been with Summer! He can't throw that away because of a psycho ex wife with issues" Hunter looked at Shawn and couldn't believe how angry he was getting, "Jeez Shawn relax a little bit"
"No I won't relax" Shawn replied angrily, "I've hated seeing Summer so miserable because of Steve being so bone idle about all of this, Jeannie is using the children to her advantage and basically blackmailing him, if he pushes her away she threatens to take the children away and he falls for it every single time"
"But you know that Steve has to figure these things out by himself" Hunter replied, "You can talk to him until you're blue in the face but until he sees it himself he won't believe you"
"So what are you saying?" Shawn replied, "We've got to sit around and wait for Steve to come to his senses?"
"Pretty much yeah" Hunter said as he leant back in his chair and stared at Shawn who was irate, it took a lot to piss Shawn off but Steve had been driving him mad for weeks now by upsetting Summer so much.
"I know it'll be frustrating Shawn but we've just gotta be patient" Hunter said to his best friend who was looking over at Summer who was still curled around a pillow fast asleep, she'd been through so much and it was painful for all 3 men to just sit around and do nothing about it. It was up to Steve to sort this mess out; they just hoped it wouldn't take him too long to do it.