"Pride and Prejudice"
An Edge/Ashley fanfic

Thanks to Farra Sti, The Rated R Superstar, csimiamigirl73, purplefeather21, Christal-R, Inday, Thee Britty, xAttitudex, KxH, Dirty Diva and xOxRaNdYOrToNxOx for reviewing last chapter, you all rock!

SO sorry for the long wait, as soon as my tutoring season is over i promise i'll update definitely more often!
I've enjoyed writing this one so much so i hope you'll like it too :)
R&R and enjoy it!


Chapter 27: "Secret Revealed"

"What the hell have you done?!" Paul exclaimed punching Adam right in his face.

"I told you I didn't see her!" He yelled in his defense, but it was just a matter of seconds before the argument became a fight, all over again, among the three superstars.

"It seems like a serious injury, John." Michael Cole commented with a serious tone as the paramedics rushed at ringside along with the doctor and gently placed the helpless punk diva on a stretcher.

"Things like that should never happen." JBL echoed as he observed closely what was going on on his monitor.

"Let go!" Adam yelled finally pushing Brian away from him and immediately sliding out of the ring to reach Ashley.

"You're not going anywhere near her!" The other hooligans cried hitting him from behind and making them both fall on the floor with a loud thud.

"Someone should better stop them, this is not the moment!" Michael Cole indignantly said.

"I'm afraid this is getting personal, Michael." JBL responded while, fortunately, other two referees came out and finally separated the trio.

As one of them held him back and far as possible from the other two, the Rated R superstar lifted up his gaze just in time to catch glimpse of her for a brief moment before the stretcher disappeared behind the curtain.

"Let me go, damn it!" He yelled finally breaking free from the ref's hold and running down the ramp with nothing in his mind but her, not even hearing the loud (or better, louder than usual) boos of the crowd in his direction.


"How is she? Ash, can you hear me?" Michelle immediately asked touching her friend's arm as soon as she arrived in the backstage.

"We have to get her to the hospital. Right now." The doctor announced rushing past a group of superstars gathered there to have news of the unconscious dirty diva.

"Who's coming with her?" One of the paramedics turned back to ask.

"I'm going." Matt promptly stepped forward following them in their run to the ambulance. "Tell Paul and Brian to come directly to the hospital!"

As one of the guys responded to the older Hardy brother, Michelle sighed and ran a hand through her long blonde hair, quickly marching to the curtain. She knew she was the only one who could do that.

And in fact he almost bumped into her coming out from the ring-area in full speed.

"Where is she?" He asked without even catching his breath for a moment and already looking over the all-American diva in search for a glimpse of her.

"They had to-"

But she couldn't finish her sentence cause they were interrupted by the two hooligans storming in.

"Go to the hospital, immediately! Matt is already going with her." Shannon Moore urged as Batista handed them two t-shirts.

Adam listened carefully at the address before quickly passing the diva by. "I'm going."

"No, wait! Adam! Wait!" Michelle exclaimed following him.

"What I have to wait for?!" He snapped without neither stopping nor turning as he ignored the dirty looks from the other superstars.

"Listen," she pressed not leaving his side for a second.

"What?" He asked between gritted teeth turning to her.

"Here." She said taking his arm and dragging him inside his locker room, closing the door behind her.

"Whatever you want to say, hurry up." He urged her as he frantically searched for a t-shirt.

"It's better if you don't go." She said after taking a deep breath.

"…you're kidding, right?" He harshly said stopping and raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, I'm not." She sighed.

"Then you're insane. How on earth can you possibly expect me to stay here when my girlfriend is lying in a hospital bedroom… because of me?!"

"It's better this way, trust me." She repeated.

He just shook his head, going back to what he was doing.

"Adam, listen to me" she softly said trying to make him understand her point "what do you think will happen when you show up while they're all there? A fight, we both know that."

"I don't care of fighting them! I need to be there for her."

"And it's her you have to think of. Do you think she would be happy to know what was going on while she wasn't around? Or that a fight in the middle of the hospital would somehow help her?"

"…no." He finally admitted with a weak sigh.

"Then do what I'm suggesting you, for her…"

He didn't immediately respond and turned his back at her, but she could see that he was trying to control his emotions. And in fact when he spoke again, his voice was unusual low, almost a shaky whisper. "She was still unconscious, I know. I can't stay here not knowing what's going on… it's killing me!"

"I'm going there myself" she promptly said "and I'll let you know every single thing as soon as I receive news, I promise you."

"Will you?"

"I swear to God, I'll text you by the minute."

"Thanks…"

"Don't mention it. I'll see you later then." She said marching towards the door.

"Michelle?" He called out as she was already twisting the knob.

"Yes?"

"…I didn't do that on purpose, I didn't see her…"

"I know, I know." She softly said touched by the visible anguish in his eyes. "And I'm sure she knows too."

"How can I… if something happens to her… I can't-"

"Nothing's gonna happen to her, nothing." She firmly cut him off "You know her too well to know that she will personally kick your ass for having fought with her boys."

"Yeah," he lightly smiled picturing in his mind the usual expression she made to reproach when he called them 'midgets'.

"Then don't even think for a minute of other options." She smiled back before closing the door behind her.

He slowly nodded thinking of Michelle's words but it wasn't long before he collapsed on the black leather couch and with his hands covering his face, cried like he hadn't in several years.


The whole locker room was shocked by what had just happened and for having seen the still unconscious dirty diva leaving in an ambulance.

Everyone but one, of course.

And so Kelly was happily humming a song while she gathered her things from around the room.

"I don't understand what passed in Cherry's mind" Maryse said in her French accent "the guys said it wasn't supposed to happen."

"Cherry or not Cherry it wasn't her who knocked Ashley out anyway." Brooke rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe Edge did that."

"Yeah, that was scary, hope Ash is okay." Layla added distractedly looking over the bench when the dirty diva's bag still was.

"Please," Kelly scoffed "now you're all worried about her… that's pathetic."

"But have you seen how hard that was?" Brooke asked with wide eyes.

"And so? Who cares!" The blonde shrugged, "Anyway I'm tired of being here… who's joining me for a couple of drinks?"

"Me!" Both Maryse and Brooke immediately cried out, showing that their concern was just momentary.

"Awesome." The Extreme Exposé dancer grinned in satisfaction, "You coming, L?"

"I don't know… I mean…"

"What? Do you already have plans? Maybe with a superstar?" Brooke teased her.

"I actually was thinking of going to the hospital, you know…"

"Are you serious?" Kelly rolled her eyes "You want to waste a Friday night like that?!"

"Kelly, she's my friend." The brunette protested.

"Yeah, your friend… cause she tells you everything, right? And why she didn't tell you that she was going out with Jeff Hardy then?"

"She said that it was just a rumor, remember?" She retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Whatever. But I think you'd better choose your friends more carefully L, and I say it in your own interest, of course. You gonna decide who's worthy of your friendship."

"She's right," Brooke promptly agreed "we always have a great time with Kelly. Ashley's always ignoring you lately."

"She's not ignoring me, I've been ignoring her… after I believed she was dating Jeff…" She said a little ashamed of herself.

"And you were right if you want my opinion," the blonde went on "who cares of the little, pathetic, punk princess. Anyway we're going, you're free of doing whatever you prefer." And with that the two Extreme Exposé members linked arms and marched towards the door, followed by the French diva.

Layla lightly sighed before shrugging, "Wait girls, I'm coming!" She called rushing after her friends. Apparently she had made her choice, but not far from her there was another diva, already regretting the same decision…


"What do you think you were doing?!" Domino yelled.

"I… just… thought…" Cherry tried to answer sobbing uncontrollably.

"That's the point, you don't have to think!" Deuce shouted "You just have to do what we say!"

"I wanted to help… I thought this could make our match easier on Sunday… she said that-"

"Deuce and Domino don't need help! You stupid girl! You know what's gonna happen now? They all would think that we asked Edge to do this… while we can perfectly destroy those three on our own!"

"Of course we can!" Her brother went on "Or maybe don't you think we're better than them?"

"NO! I could never think something like that!" She rushed to say in between the tears "You know that I love you guys… you know that I need you…!"

"Well, maybe you don't need us as you say you do after all."

"Yeah, if you start acting on your own like that…"

"Oh no guys, please no…" she pleaded "I'll never do something like that again, I promise!"

"Fine! But that's your last chance, get it?"

"Another surprise like that and you're out, Cherry, you get it?"

She just nodded, scared only at the thought of being on her own.

"Good and now stop crying… why on earth are you crying anyway?!" But without waiting for her answer, they both walked away, leaving her in the corridor.

"…Cause I'm sorry for her…" She said in a whisper, sitting on the floor with her legs pressed to her chest and crying.


Not more than 15 minutes had passed since Michelle had left him alone and he was already pacing the room back and forth, with his eyes glued on the cell phone resting on the coffee table… even though he knew it was impossible that she could have already arrived at the hospital.

But the waiting was killing him nevertheless.

"Screw that." He muttered lighting kicking the small table and firmly marching out of the door.

"Hey dude," Kenny called out as soon as he appeared "we were going to take a couple of beers, are you in? Hey! Are you listening?!" But his question remained unanswered as the Rated R superstar ignored him, and whoever he crossed in the corridor for the matter, and quickened his pace to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Where the hell is he going?" The younger superstar muttered while both Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, just drafted from ECW, shrugged.

Little they knew that he had somewhere very important to be at and nobody, not even the whole roster, could stop him. She came first. And she needed him there, next to her.


"Why can't they tell us anything?" Brian complained.

"Apparently cause we're not family." Michelle shook her head as she paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room.

"That's bullshit." Paul echoed "I mean her family obviously can't be here, so why can't they just tell us?!"

"Do you think we should call them?" Matt asked distractedly playing with his cell phone.

"I don't know… maybe we should, but what if it all turns out for the better and we just scare them?" Brian objected.

"If they haven't already seen it on tv." His tag team partner pointed out.

"They haven't," Michelle sighed "they're on a trip in Europe."

"Hey guys, any news?" Jeff Hardy anxiously asked as he reached the small room followed by a couple of Raw divas.

"We've come as soon as we knew." Torrie explained sitting down next to the two hooligans; since the upcoming ppv featured matches from all the three rosters they were all in the same town.

"Trish said she's catching the first plane available." Mickie joined the group as she flipped her cell phone closed.

"How's she?" The younger Hardy asked.

"They won't tell us anything." His brother explained.

"Wait…" Brian muttered as a nurse approached them.

"Someone for Ashley Massaro?" She asked reading on her notebook.

"We all are." Paul responded standing up.

"Relatives?"

"Friends."

"Oh I'm sorry, but I can only tell family."

"Please wait," Michelle stopped her as she was leaving again "can't you tell us just if she's better?"

"I'm sorry but I'm not allowed-"

"Listen," Matt interrupted her "we understand that… but this is not a normal case. We all work together, traveling the whole year, so we're kinda her family… which for this reason is not here."

"I'm afraid you'll just have to wait until they arrive then…"

"They're in Europe right now." Brian rolled his eyes "It could take a whole day for them to arrive here. We can't wait that long!"

"Please?" Mickie pressed on.

"Just if she's still unconscious?" Jeff added.

"I'm really sorry guys," she sincerely said "but these are the rules. In this case I can only make an exception for really close relations… is there anyone?"

As they were all about to shake their heads in defeat an other, unexpected, figure appeared from behind her.

"How dare he even showing up…!" Matt muttered.

"I'm her boyfriend." Adam informed the nurse taking off his shades.

The whole group immediately fell silent in shock, staring at him in disbelief.

"Can someone confirm this?"

"I can." Michelle promptly stepped forward and proceeded to sign the paper the nurse handed her.

"I'd need another one actually…" She said hopefully turning to the group, obviously not knowing the situation.

"I can too." Jeff piped up as the others' shocking looks moved from the all-American girl to the rainbow haired warrior.

"What the…" Matt muttered as his brother added his signature under Michelle's.

"Okay then, if you want to follow me…"

"Actually you can openly speak in front of them." He said knowing that they were all concerned for her, and saw Michelle lightly smiling at him with the corner of his eye.

"Well in this case… she woke up a few minutes ago." She paused as relieved sighs were heard from anybody "You can see her if you want now."

"Thank you," The Rated R superstar promptly turned to follow her giving a last, quick, glance at the shocked group behind him.

"Thank God." Michelle sighed closing her eyes for a moment.

"Is he really…?" Torrie trailed off looking at Paul with a puzzled look.

"We didn't know it…" He shrugged.

"We knew she was seeing someone but she hadn't told us yet who he was." Brian corrected him.

"And what the hell is going on, huh?" Matt harshly asked turning to his brother who was just waiting for it to start. "How come you know they were together and you didn't tell me?! I can't believe you did that…"

"Hey!" Jeff protested "It's her life and her decision. If Ashley asked me not to tell anything about it what right did I have to do so?"

"I'm your brother!"

"And that's her privacy!"

"This is not a normal situation, you know who he is. And you hid it from me!"

"Yeah I know who he is and I dislike the guy myself, but that has nothing to do with you, Matt. Ashley's not your girlfriend, not anymore, and for your choice. That's different."

"…Bullshit." He just muttered. "And she's here because of him!" And with that he kicked the recycle bin next to him and left.

"I'll go after him." Jeff said rolling his eyes and following his brother.

"That's crazy." Brian almost whispered.

"Guys it's not like that, he really didn't see her… he would never hurt her." Michelle sincerely said.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"Cause he loves her."

"Yeah," Paul rolled his eyes in an 'as I buy this' expression.

"The guy's a jerk." Brian pointed out.

"He's not like that if you have a chance to know him better, really…"

But her try didn't succeed as the two guys skeptically looked at her.

"I'd better call Trish," Mickie piped up "you know, to reassure her that everything's okay…"

Torrie just nodded as the perky diva walked away to make her call and leaving the room in an awkward silence.


"This is the room," the nurse said stopping in front of a door "you can remain as long as you want but don't let her talk to much if she's tired."

"Sure, thanks." He nodded as she left. Then he nervously sighed and, after closing his eyes for a brief minute, finally opened the door.

He slowly stepped inside, carefully to not make a noise if she's was resting… but her light blue eyes were actually glued to the door and lively as usual. "Hey there…" She smiled.

"Hey…"

"You intend to remain on the door?" She lightly giggled making him nervously chuckle.

"Nah," he shrugged and walked up to her, sweetly kissing her forehead before sitting on the chair next to her bed. "How you doing?"

"Just a little ditzy, I've had worst injuries." She bravely smiled. "But the doc said it's normal… just I had to drink a nasty thing for my headache." She said sticking her tongue out as a kid.

"Aw poor baby," he smiled amused reassured by her usual behavior. "You really decided to scare me, huh? How could you dare to remain unconscious for like 20 minutes?"

"I'm an evil girl, you know." She giggled, then frowned as he smile turned into an unreadable expression and looked away from her. "Hey, what's wrong?" She said softly touching his hand.

"…I'm sorry Ash, I really am. It should have never happened, I don't know how I could…"

"Hey, it's okay." She softly said holding his hand, "It's not your fault. You know things like that happen often to us… especially to me." She added with a playful roll of her eyes.

"I really didn't see you were just on the apron behind Paul when I went to spear him." He earnestly said. "Do you believe me?"

"But… of course I believe you!" She exclaimed surprised, obviously unaware of what everybody else seemed to think of it. "Why shouldn't I? I mean, besides the fact that I know you would never hurt me… of course it was an accident."

"Yeah," he tried to smile reassured by her reaction.

"…But not everybody else thinks so, right?" She added with a roll of her eyes as she read his expression.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" He half chuckled.

"Okay then, write down the names so I can just go and kick their ass one by one." She resolutely said trying to stand up "…Or maybe not so soon… at least until the room doesn't decide to stop turning around me." She corrected herself placing her head on the pillow again.

"Hey hey easy," he said helping her down "you need to be careful."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes "I'll make my point clear later then."

"Good girl." He smiled.

"So… you got scared?"

"You have no idea how much…" He said taking her hand in his "Don't do that, never again."

"Trust me, I most willingly would like to hold that promise." She lightly laughed. "It feels like I just had one of those famous Randy Orton's kicks to the head."

"I still don't get why you were there though, on the apron I mean…" He questioned her.

"Oh tell me about it!" She echoed "One minute I was cheering for my boys and the other one I was attacked by Cherry…! And it wasn't planned, of course!"

"That's crazy." He shook his head.

"Yeah… oh speaking of, are my boys here?"

"Yes," he smiled "they're just outside. You want me to get them?"

"Nope, I want you here." She pouted.

"Then I'm not going anywhere." He smiled.

"Good." She grinned. "What now?" She suspiciously asked as he looked embarrassed for a second.

"Nothing."

"Spill it." She rolled her eyes.

"Well… actually there's one little, tiny problem." He innocently smiled.

"What?"

"How do you feel if say that I kinda told not only your boys, but even the others that we're dating?"

"Did you?" She asked surprised.

"Yep."

"Well… I'd say…"

"Yes?"

"That I love you, Adam Copeland." She brightly smiled.

"And you have no idea how much I love you too miss. Massaro." He smirked leaning in to kiss her.

"So you really told them?" She giggled.

"Of course." He playfully rolled her eyes.

"Aw I would have seen the scene!" She complained with a laugh.

"Sorry babe, but I was too concerned for carrying a camera with me and snap pics all around the waiting room." He playfully rolled her eyes.

"Yeah… and you didn't even bring me flowers or something… what a shame." She pouted.

"But I brought you myself… the Rated R superstar. What's better than that?" He grinned.

"Nothing." She smiled linking their fingers together.