Dixie got ready for the summit early the next morning. While she was finishing up her makeup she gave pause, staring at her reflection. The face looking back at her appeared tired.

She tossed her makeup brush into her bag with a sigh. Turning away from the woman in the mirror, she leaned back against the dresser.

She'd had a sleepless night with only her thoughts to keep her company. And as the hours passed her raging emotions had calmed. The morning had brought not only a new day, but had led her to see things in a new light.

She began to understand why Sting had remained silent. For all he had known, the rumors about Serge and Madison had been just that. Rumors. She could understand why he wouldn't have wanted to get her upset over idle gossip.

She crossed her arms and bowed her head, shame welling up inside her over the things she had said to him. He really had been a good friend to her. Better than she had been to him.

How could she doubt him? Sure, she had been hurt and needed to lash out. But it shouldn't have been at him. Especially when he had proven time and time again that he was her friend. That she could trust him.

Absently her fingers went to her lips. If that kiss last night was any indication, 'friend' was the last thing on his mind.

That kiss. . .

She was still stunned by it. She never would have believed that he had feelings for her. At least, not of a romantic nature. She had always assumed that he only saw her a friend. A good friend and nothing more.

"I came back for you!"

She blinked, remembering his words. She could still hear the conviction in his voice, see the fire in his eyes at his declaration.

Had he really had feelings for her all this time? Was she really that blind to them? Or was it that she didn't want to see them; was too afraid to see them?

She straightened from the dresser and began to pace the length of the room.

What about her? What did she think about all of this?

She paused, running a shaky hand through her hair. She couldn't deny that she had feelings for him. Had for a while now. Maybe longer and she just hadn't realized it until now.

She had definitely felt something from that kiss.

That kiss. . .

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She couldn't think about that now. And she certainly couldn't act on it. Not until she figured out what she was going to do about Serge.

Serge. . .

She had to admit to herself that she felt better with him gone. In those past few weeks the strain and anxiety that had surrounded her when he had been there had begun to fade away more and more. She was even beginning to feel like her old self again.

And then there was the revelation about his possible infidelity. . .

At the thought of it her anger began to come back with a vengeance. And along with it was a deep seeded betrayal.

Oh how she wished Sting had told her when he had first heard about it. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.

She let out a sigh, not sure what to think.

She finished getting ready and grabbed her purse, stepping out into the hall.

Up the hallway Sting's door opened and the Icon emerged. He was decked out in his ring gear, Insane Icon face paint adorning his handsome features.

The pair locked eyes, Dixie immediately feeling intimidated. There was just something about that man, when he was dressed like that, that was completely unnerving.

Sting regarded her evenly, his mouth a slash. Without a word, he made his way past her and over to the elevators.

Dixie hesitantly joined him, the pair staring at the closed elevator doors. She felt her nervousness rise. She knew she should speak, but at that moment she just couldn't find the words.

The doors slide open and they entered, Sting hitting the button for the ground floor. As the elevator made it's descent Dixie dared to peek at him. He was staring up at the lights above the door, his eyes slightly narrowed and his jaw tense.

She mentally built up her courage and at last dared to turn to him.

"I'm sorry." she replied, her voice sounding timid to her ears, "I'm sorry for accusing you of knowing about Serge and Madison and not saying anything. It was. . .it was completely uncalled for. I know better than that. I know you better than that."

Sting slowly turned to her, studying her for a few moments. His face revealed nothing.

"I'm sorry for not saying something when I first heard about it." he at last spoke, his tone soft.

His expression grew fixed and his words adamant as he added, "But I'm not sorry for kissing you."

Dixie blinked, astonished. While part of her had been up half the night thinking about Serge and Madison and Sting's revelation about them, the other half had been thinking about that kiss.

It was unlike any kiss she'd ever had before. Words could not describe how passionate, how intense that kiss had been.

But she was still married. And she needed to deal with her marriage before even considering anything else.

"I'm not sorry for that kiss, either." she admitted quietly, her eyes going to the floor.

Sting felt his heart swell at her words. He had been so worried that she would have regretted it. Or, worse yet, been offended by him for being so forceful with her.

"But I can't act on those feelings." she added as she looked back up at him, "At least not right now. Not until I figure out what I'm going to do about my marriage."

"I understand." Sting nodded, "And I respect your position.

"But you need to know a few things first." he went on, throwing caution to the wind, "I want you, Dixie. And I want to be with you. I have for a long time."

Dixie's eyes widened at his admission, but she said nothing.

Sting bowed his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he exhaled, "I just thought you needed to know that."

"Steve-" whatever else she was going to say quickly died on her lips as the elevator doors opened and Hulk and James entered.

The pair stepped inside, instantly taking notice of the tension between Impact owner and wrestler. They traded curious glances but said nothing as the elevator once again started up and began to descend.

"So it's last day for the summit." Hulk spoke up in a bid to alleviate the stress, "I've been hearing nothing but good things from the Spike execs. If we keep this up, I see really good things for Impact in the future."

"I just hope my voice holds out." Storm flashed his pearly whites, "All this talking could give a man laryngitis."

"I've never seen you have a problem with running your mouth." Sting joked, adding with a smirk, "Or talking about yourself."

"Hey." James took a feint swing at the Icon, who easily ducked away with a laugh.

The trio continued to talk but Dixie remained silent, all but tuning them out. She glanced over at Sting thoughtfully before casting her eyes to the floor once more.

She was in trouble.

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The summit ran late into the day. From the moment they had entered they had been bombarded with interviews and conferences; meet-and-greets and the like.

Dixie took a step back, taking in the activity all around her. Hulk was smoozing with television executives like a pro. James was being interviewed by CMT. Despite his slight nervousness, he was funny and charming. The perfect Impact Champion.

Her eyes finally landed on Sting. He was talking to a report from Access Hollywood. She couldn't help the slight smile that formed on her lips as she watched them. In spite of his ring gear and face paint, Sting had the female reporter eating out of the palm of his hand. She was grinning and giggling, completely enthralled with the wrestling icon.

Not that Dixie could blame her.

She let out a sigh and turned away. Though they had spent all day together, acting professionally, the tension from the night before and this morning was still there before them. It had made for a slightly edgy working environment.

"Ms. Carter!"

Dixie blinked, coming out of her thoughts. She turned around and began to smile as an older man with thinning gray hair and a beaming grin approached her.

"Alastair." she greeted Mr. Bennett Alastair, the head of the summit, warmly.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done." Mr. Alastair shook her hand, "I won't lie. I had some reservations about your people coming here this week. But they've more than exceeded my expectations."

"I'm surprised at how well behaved they were, too." she joked, earning a boisterous laugh from the exec.

"Thank you." Sting sent a parting smile to the reporter.

She offered a bright smile and flipped her blonde hair, "Here's my number. In case I need a follow up."

The reporter handed him her card. He took it with a kind smile but the moment she walked away he promptly slipped it into his jacket, forgotten.

Sting glanced over at that moment, eyes locking in on Dixie. He watched as she and some suit talked and laughed together.

Jealousy instantly churned in his gut and he had to keep from gritting his teeth at the feel of it. He hated it. He hated seeing her standing there a few feet away, laughing with some guy. He wanted to be the one she was laughing with.

He wanted her.

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. He didn't know how he'd feel or what he would do if she went back to that worthless husband of hers.

He couldn't think about that right now or else he'd lose it.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm bushed." James replied as he approached the older wrestler and slapped him on the back.

Sting blinked, coming out of his thoughts. He turned and looked at his friend with a slight smirk.

"Tough work being Top Dog, huh?" he quipped lightly.

"Tiring work." James sighed, but then he began to grin, "But it beats the alternative."

Sting's own smile faded away as thoughts of Roode slipped into his head. At the thought of him the anger that was simmering in his gut began to rise.

That piece of garbage was never far from his thoughts. He may have put him on hold as Dixie began to consume his mind, but Roode was always there, lurking in the shadows.

At his suddenly change in expression and mood Storm instantly sobered.

"Hey, don't worry about him right now." he tried to tell his friend, "That jackass is way back in Florida. You're here in New York. Just kick back and try to have a good time."

"Kind of hard to do." Sting muttered, though his malice wasn't aimed at the Impact Champion, "You got your revenge on Roode. I haven't."

"But you will." James nodded, set, "You'll make him pay for what he did to you at Victory Road."

"It's not about what he did to me." Sting snapped, garnering looks from the people around him.

He took notice and sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"It's not about what he did to me." he repeated, his voice softer this time, "I knew the risks going into the match."

Determination flared in his eyes as he replied with venom, "It's what he did to Dixie. He's going to pay for that."

James remained silent, not sure what to say. Having had his own problems with Bobby Roode, he could understand Sting's anger and frustration.

Of course Roode hadn't gone after his wife, but he imagined if he had he would be as angry as the old Stinger. Even a blind man could see how fiercely protective he was over the Impact owner; how much he cared about her.

"So I, uh, noticed things were a little heavy in the elevator this morning." the Impact Champion gently bridged the subject.

Sting's jaw tensed, his eyes narrowing slightly in the corners. But other than that he remained silent.

"Hey, if you don't wanna talk about it." Storm raised his hands in surrender, "It's none of my business anyway."

Sting inhaled, raking a hand through his hair. Frustration welled up in his brown eyes as he contemplated.

"I kissed her last night." he said at last, unable to keep it inside any longer. Besides he knew he could talk about it Storm, knowing that the other man would keep his mouth shut.

James's eyebrows arched with surprise. He would have thought that would've been a good thing, but by the look in his friend's eyes, coupled with the tension between the pair this morning, he knew it was anything but.

"So what happened?" he inquired.

Sting's hands slipped onto his hips, his eyes clouding over in thought, "We went out to eat. And everything was going so well. Until she got a text from Serge."

"Uh oh." James whistled quietly.

"She said it was nothing but it got me thinking." Sting turned to him, "I'd been debating on whether or not to tell her about the rumors about Serge or Madison."

"And so you told her." Storm surmised, the older wrestler nodding his head.

"With Madison pretty much confirming it, yeah." Sting replied, "I thought she deserved to know."

"And I'm guessing she took it badly."

Sting chuckled coldly, no humor in the sound, "Oh yeah."

He began to frown, "She accused me of not being her friend for not telling her sooner."

"Ouch." James sighed.

"I couldn't believe she could say that to me." Sting shook his head, "After everything we've been through together."

"So what happened?" James asked.

"I lost my temper." Sting shut his eyes tightly as he looked back on the night before, "I blew up at her. Told her I was her friend. That what I had done was for her, because of her."

He opened his eyes, not really seeing anything, "And then I just. . .I just grabbed her and kissed her."

"She hit you?" Storm gently pressed.

Sting turned back to his friend and shook his head, "She kissed me. Man. . ."

He looked out over the summit, running his hands through his hair, "That kiss. . ."

He exhaled and shrugged, "Anyway, thankfully she put a stop to it but she ran off."

"Thankfully?" James repeated in confusion.

"It wasn't the right time or place." Sting told him, "Not with everything going on between her and Serge right now."

"So. . ." a teasing smile began to form on the Impact Champion's lips, "How was the kiss? That good?"

Sting gave him a narrowed look, earning a laugh from his friend.

"Keep it up, Storm," he threatened, "And I'll Death Drop you right here."

James relented, laughing.

He soon grew serious, clapping the other man on the back, "Just take it nice and easy. She's got a lot of baggage."

"I know." Sting looked at him, set and determined, "But I don't care. I can't let her go. Not if there's a chance."

"Well I wish you luck, Stinger." James told him, sincere, "I hope it works out for you two."

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The tired foursome made their way into the lobby of their hotel some time later, James and Hulk leading the way.

"I think I'm going to order room service and hit the hay." James let out a yawn.

"Just don't go overboard." Dixie warned him with a teasing smile, "We do have to budget these trips, you know."

"Um, you don't wanna see the bill for the mini bar." James hedged, taking off his cowboy hat and running a nervous hand through his hair.

That earned a laugh as they made their way towards the elevators.

They had gone a few feet when Dixie felt a hand on her arm, causing her to stop. She turned and looked up at Sting expectantly. His features revealed nothing, though he stared at her for a few moments.

"I, uh," he slowly removed his hand from her arm and rubbed the back of his neck, offering her a nervous smile, "I just wanted to apologize. I don't know for exactly what, but I'm sorry."

Dixie found herself smiling, the tension she had been feeling leaving her, "I'm sorry, too."

"Listen," Sting replied, "It's our last night in New York. I'd like to take you to dinner if I can. Just dinner. No pressure. We can take it as slow as you want."

Dixie sighed with contentment, relieved that he was willing to give her time to figure everything out.

"I'd like that." she replied with an easy smile.

"Yeah?" Sting began to grin, himself.

"Yeah, but on one condition."

"What's that?" Sting inquired with a frown.

"You change first." Dixie winked at him, "And wash your face."

He threw back his head and laughed, "Deal."

They started to once again cross the lobby when he drew to a stop, his smile fading away.

Dixie noticed that he was no longer beside her and she also stopped, turning back to him in confusion. She took note of his expression and slowly followed his gaze. Her eyes widened slightly, surprise washing over her like a bucket of cold water.

"Hi, Mom!" Davy greeted her with a bright smile and wave.

Standing behind him were Tamara and Serge. Her daughter appeared cool, a small smile forming on her lips as she looked from her mother to Sting.

Serge stepped forward, beaming broadly, "Hello, Dix."