Disclaimer: I do NOT own the following wrestlers, or any of the events that actually happened on camera.

I respect the actual beliefs and sexualities of the following wrestlers.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Just angsty.

Well, here's part nineteen.

As Punk got out of the elevator and began walking to the lobby, Adam twisted his hand in his hair and he rammed him into the wall headfirst. Adam kept banging his head against the wall again and again. Punk was making no sounds, just flailing and thrashing as blood poured from his newly opened skull.

Punk finally screamed and began kicking Adam. Adam kicked him in the gut and threw him onto the floor, kicing him again and again until the Straightedge superstar couldn't move. Punk's chest rose and fall erratically with his fading breath, and his eyes were trying to blink through the bloody mask.

Adam laughed and looked at the elevator. He held his hand out, beckoning someone over, and Matt walked out of the elevator, grinning broadly. "Want a go at him, love?" Adam asked.

"Would love it," Matt said. He brough his foot back and brutally, in a way that would make Randy Orton proud, kicked Punk in the skull.

Matt's eyes snapped open as his heart monitor sped up. He looked around and saw he was in a hospital. "He's awake!" Matt looked up and saw Punk above him, smiling broadly, "Oh God Carolina, you scared me shitless..."

Matt looked at Punk's stitches from his encounter with Adam, and remembered his dream. Punk bleeding, at his and Adam's mercy. And it wasn't such a stretch, in Matt's mind... Matt beat up Chris, Adam beat up Chris... they were more alike than Matt wanted them to be.

He wanted to hate Adam with every fiber of his being. But Adam was the man he loved, possibly still did, and there was the ever nagging feeling that he and Adam were meant for each other. That they were too alike, that they completed each other.

He laid down next to Matt, who said, "You're a fucking sadist, Addy."

"And you are a masochist, Mattie." They laughed and then they kissed sweetly.

It seemed so innocent at the time, a joke; they both knew they weren't actually sadists and masochists. But now Matt wondered if he actually was one, and loved the thing his Adam became, even if he wanted to hate it.

"Carolina?" Punk waved his hand in front of Matt's face. "You okay?"

"As okay as possible," Matt said. Punk nodded and sat on the bed. He picked up a cup from the table and handed it to him.

"Drink it," he said, "The doctor said to drink all of it." Matt nodded and took the cup. He began drinking and was surprised to find it was orange juice. He looked at Punk questioningly. "I had no idea someone could faint from breathing too fast," he said, "Apparently, it was a combination of shock from shooting Adam and emotional upset

over the past few days. Acid'll help, and that's where the OJ comes in. Drink up."

"What happened to... Chris... Adam..."

Punk patted his knee. "Don't worry about them. They're both in hospital rooms now. Adam had to get the bullet removed from his leg and bandaged up, and Chris needed a bunch of new stitches, among other things. Oh, and if you're wondering where Jeff is, he was kicked out of the hospital."

"For what?"

"For trying to go into that shithead Copeland's room and kill him." Punk shook his head. "You have no idea how shitless we all were when we found out that you three were brought here. We came as fast as we could. Jeff went to get Adam went he found out that the little bitch was the real person who attacked you and me."

Matt put his head in his hands. Adam did it, and yet he couldn't bring himself to hurt him. He was upset about the bullet. But he easily ganged up on Chris... "Carolina," Punk said, "Carolina, why didn't you tell us? Why did you keep it a secret?"

"I didn't want to believe it..." Matt shook his head. "But it was, it was Adam, he did everything, he..." He gulped. "How couldn't I see this coming?"

"None of us saw it coming," Punk said, "I defended the jackass, even though I knew he could be a skeeze."

"Adam was never... not to me," Matt said.

Punk shook his head. "Despite his faults, no one can deny that he loves you... or maybe the word's obsessed, I'm not sure anymore. He wanted you to be happy, and he wanted it to be with him."

Matt sighed. "I brought this on us, didn't I? On you and me and Chris..."

"I'm going to be honest with you. Chris has been a little underhanded himself... although he fixed himself, he did make things crazy. And you had a hand in things yourself. You lied to Adam about the date, which probably made him suspircious in the first place, you didn't tell us about Adam before you went chasing the psycho... you made mistakes. But don't forget, in the end, it was because Adam was inbalanced. Adam was the one who beat people up, who brought a gun into a picture, who..." Punk skipped mentioning the rape.

"I should've known."

"No one knew."

"But I'm not anyone! I was his fucking boyfriend!" Punk put his hands on his shoulders.

"Carolina, don't scare yourself into unconsciousness!" Punk yelled, "Look, you cannot blame yourself. You were fooled, you were in love... these things happen. You're not the first, you won't be the last. Please, just... relax. Drink your orange juice."

Punk stood up, and then Matt said something that totally jarred him. "Did I deserve it? Did I deserve... everything Adam gave me?"

Punk turned around, "No, Carolina. No. Don't even think that. You didn't deserve it at all." Punk sat back down on the bed. No, Carolina was broken, and he needed someone. But it wasn't Punk he needed.

Damn it, Chris, why didn't we listen to you? Why... damn it! You might be the only person who can help him now...

**************

Chris was the first person pulled away on a stretcher out of the hotel room. He insisted he was fine, that Adam and Matt needed more help, but they ignored his protests and pulled him out.

When Matt fainted, Chris caught him. Chris carried him to the bed, and Adam said nothing, although his look was filled with murderous intent... he was more worried about Matt. So maybe the monster really did care about Matt as more than a possession.

It didn't mean Chris trusted him, or that he liked him, but he understood him somewhat.

As he was wheeled into the ambulance, he thought about Matt's heart, how it was practically beating out of his chest as he carried him to the bed. And he wondered if he was the reason Matt was in this situation. He never wanted to hurt him... and there he was, dead to the world, completely unconscious.

Chris was stitched up and cleaned up, although he still looked like he went through hell. And he wondered if Matt, and even Adam, were alright. If they got out of this, Chris understood his mistakes now: he wasn't supposed to be following Matt like this. He had to stop chasing him, probably leave him alone all together.

Adam snapped and hurt Matt because he was the idiot who had to interfere. Had he just left him alone, if he hadn't made him go on that date, if he didn't make out with him after Matt nursed him after he hit him with the chair... Matt wouldn't have been raped. It was all his fault, all because he loved him.

He didn't care that so many people apologized. He didn't care that life was going to get easier. All he cared about was that he caused the pain that he felt in his body, or the pain Matt felt.

He stood up and went to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. He was hardly the Chris Jericho of before. So many stitches and bruises. He traced the bump on his lip. Who did it? Matt? Adam? Did it matter anymore? In the end, forget who made the wounds... they all still ached equally.

The door opened, and he turned around. Jake stood at the door. "Chris... shit..." Jake walked in and looked at him. "Vince said we're going to go ahead without you and Matt. Mark's going to stay with you guys."

"I understand. I wouldn't want to parade this on stage."

Jake frowned. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean? I'm still same old selfish Jericho," leaned against the wall. "I'm still me."

"No, you're not." Jake shook his head. "You know you've changed."

"Maybe I have," he said, "But that might not be a bad thing."

Jake shook his head. Chris was in such pain. He needed help, more than Jake could give. But he wondered if Matt could bring himself to get over everything and start over with Chris.

************

Adam wrote five different letters before he wrote one he was satisfied with. Vince talked to him, and so did the cops... he was going to be arrested. And he would never see his Matt again.

He wasn't allowed to see him, Chris, or anyone else actually. But he wanted to tell Matt how he felt, seeing Matt faint like that. Never being able to see him again. He wanted to tell him that he did everything for them, for him, and that he loved him. And the nurse was an E&C fan who would deliver the letter.

He swallowed. He just wished he could've held onto everything he had one last time before he lost it all. No, before Chris stole it all. But he loved Matt more than he hated Chris.

All he hoped was that Matt would get the letter.

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