Title: Soulmates

Author: Shakito

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. They belong to WWF and Titan Sports. No copyright infringement intended.
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Raining again.

I stared out the hotel window, at the sheets of water pouring down from the cloudy, night sky. It had been raining like this for the last week, and if it was still raining tomorrow, I may as well stay in bed. At least it would be warm, tucked underneath the blankets and I wouldn't have to listen to Gangrel sneezing. Not that it was Grel's fault that he'd caught a cold. It was surprising that all of us weren't sick, considering this miserable weather. All the same, sharing a bus with a person who had raging germs didn't appeal to me. I hated being sick, and at the moment I couldn't afford not to be well. Not with the major tag-team match at Wrestlemania looming on the horizon. If I couldn't compete there would be no chance to win the tag-titles and no pay packet, and on top of all that, I would be letting Edge down. That, I did not intend to do unless I had absolutely no choice in the matter.

"We'll start sprouting fins soon" Edge said, coming into the main room from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

I smiled. "That would be something. I wonder if they'd pay us more for being half-fish, half-man wrestlers"

Edge chuckled; he came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips.

"It would depend on who was writing the storyline"

"Have to be Vinnie Mac. He could sell ice to the Eskimos"

"That he could"

Edge kissed my neck "I missed you Chris."

"I know, love. I missed you too," I said softly.

"I hate us being apart"

Hearing the catch in Edge's voice, I turned and wrapped my arms around him, uncaring of the fact that his upper half was still damp from the shower.

"It's alright. We're together now"

"Only for tonight" Edge responded, burying his head in my chest "I have to be in some other shithole tomorrow. Boston, I think and you'll be...where?"

"Here. I promised the guys that I'd spend my day off with them"

"You should be spending it with me."

I sighed.

" Darling Edge.. if I had any choice I'd spend every day with you, but you know the score. We go where we're told to go, or we say goodbye to our jobs"

He groaned and pulled away from me, stalking over to the couch and starting to get dressed. I leaned back against the windowsill, watching him from under lowered lids. God, he was beautiful. We'd been together for six months and I still loved gazing at him while he dressed, or more often, undressed. My eyes would rove over him, drinking in every line of defined muscle and inch of smooth, tanned flesh, which formed his sculpted body. Okay so the guys had called me a perv, but they don't understand the relationship between Edge and I. It's not about sex [not that the sex isn't wonderful], we connect on a deeper level than merely physical. Some would call it being in love. I guess conventionally speaking that would explain our bond. However, I have never been happy with the conventional way of life. My term for how we feel about each other is soul mates. We understand each other so well that, sometimes we can communicate without talking. But this doesn't mean that silence is the status quo with us. I like silence, I find it peaceful. Edge, on the other hand, loves to talk. I suppose his vocal nature makes up for my quiet one. Between us, we achieve a balance that neither could alone, in that way and in others too. Still that doesn't mean everything's perfect for us. Most of the time, we're peachy, better than I could ever have imagined such a mismatched couple being, but there are times when we fight. Not over mundane things like money or other trivialities. We argue over the big ones, like religion and family. My father in particular. But no, I don't want to think about him right now. This is the last night that I'll be spending with my beloved for a whole week and I should be making the most of our all too precious time.

I walked over to the couch where Edge was in the process of doing up the snaps on his leather jacket.

"Why don't we stay in tonight?" I suggested, sitting down on the couch and curling my legs underneath me.

Edge hesitated, a slight frown marring his usually carefree brow "Why?"

"We're always going out. Staying in would make a nice change, don't you think?" I replied in a carefully oblique tone of voice.

"I guess so" he started to undo the snaps, and I rose to help him, then pulled the jacket off his broad shoulders before tossing it back onto the couch. I sat down again and he curled up next to me, his head resting on my chest. I slid my arms around his back, holding him tightly and loving the feel of his body against mine. This was when we were closest, I mused, combing my fingers through the thick strands of his blond hair. Not during sex, but sitting like this, with my arms enshrining him, keeping him safe. He needed that sometimes, he'd told me, having someone to be his protector. When he first said it to me, I'd been surprised. Edge had always seemed like a loner who didn't need anyone, but that wasn't true. Everyone needed someone, and for Edge, I was that someone.

His hands crept up to rest on my shoulders.

"Do you ever wonder whether it's worth it, Chris? "Whether what's worth it?" I asked, dropping a kiss onto the top of his head.

There was a long moment of silence and I felt him tense against me, then finally he said.

"When I was younger, I thought being a wrestler was all I could ever want, despite all the sacrifices I had to make. But lately I've been thinking; can a job be more important than love? I mean we hardly ever see each other from one week to the next, and when we do, its nearly always because of work. What kind of a relationship is that?"

I wasn't surprised. I'd been expecting him to say something like this for a while. I lifted my hands to smooth back his hair from his face, and rubbed my thumbs over his cheeks.

"It's the only one we can have while we're in this business. You need to relax, Edge. You're tired and overworked"

"But I can't, can I?" he pulled away from me again, and slumped back against the couch with a sigh. "There's work tomorrow and the next day, and the next and so on into infinity"

"Edge, don't do this to yourself. That's just the way the business is. You can't change it"

He made a frustrated sound.

"I know that, but-"

"But what?" I asked. He probably felt that I wasn't being sympathetic enough but practically speaking there was nothing either of us could do, save quitting. I was feeling stressed too by our work schedule, but I had never be one to rail against the unavoidable.

Unlike my beloved Edge.

"I don't know" he turned towards me and reaching for my hand, squeezed it tightly "I just know that I can't stand missing you this much. It feels like my heart is being torn apart"

I lifted my free hand to his cheek.

"I miss you too, love, terribly. But you know the score as well as I do. There's just nothing either of us can do"

"Unless I quit" he said quietly.

"What? You can't. Wrestling means everything to you. It's your life."

He shook his head "No. That's where your wrong, Chris. It was everything to me, but if it means that we're apart more than we're together, I don't think it's worth it anymore"

My mouth dropped open and I shut it again quickly, but I couldn't make any words come out. I felt stunned. Sure he'd been complaining a lot recently about our hectic work schedule, and for that I couldn't blame him, but leaving? Quitting the job that he'd sacrificed so much to get. He must just be feeling overworked.

He couldn't mean it, could he?

I looked at him closely, noting the shadows under his green eyes and the weariness of his expression. He was definitely pushing himself to hard, and needed a break. After a few days of rest, he would realize that the idea of him leaving wrestling was ill-conceived. This was his dream, to be in the WWF and I couldn't let him give that up, especially not for me.

Finally I got my tongue to work again.

"We shouldn't be talking about this now. You need your sleep. We can discuss it tomorrow, if you need too"

He bowed his head "Your not taking me seriously, are you? I would leave for you"

"But I don't want you to, Edge" I cupped his chin with one hand and lifted his head, so he had to meet my gaze. I flinched inwardly to see the hurt in his eyes, but went on gamely "You may not admit it now, but leaving wrestling would make you unhappy. You've invested your life into it and you know how much you love it. I couldn't expect you to leave for me. That would be selfish"

He smiled slightly "My saintly Christian. How did you become so selfless?"

"It's a gift" I responded lightly, but my heart felt heavy with foreboding. He'd dismissed the seriousness of our conversation, as he often did, with a teasing comment but his words hung in the air between us. I knew that he was feeling tired and stressed, so perhaps I shouldn't place any import on what he'd said. However my instincts told me that he'd meant most of it. He wanted to change the way things were, and he would in one way or another. I just wish I knew how.

We went to bed then. Edge laid one arm across my chest and pillowed his head in the crook of my shoulder, just as he always did when we slept together. He was soon fast asleep, but I lay staring at the ceiling, my insides knotted with worry for some time, before I finally made myself relax. Edge would do what he felt he needed to do, and when the time I came I would stand by his side. In the meantime I would talk to the guys tomorrow and see if I couldn't find a way to cheer my beloved up, maybe even wrangle a vacation out of the boss when I saw him tomorrow night. Between the six of us, we would surely work something out. Once I'd relaxed, sleep came quickly and I fell away into it's warm, soft darkness.

When I reluctantly opened my eyes in the morning, Edge was already awake and lying propped up on one elbow, looking down at me.

"What are you staring at me for?" I grumbled, still half asleep.

He touched his fingertips to my cheek.

"Because your beautiful"

I reached up a hand to drag it over my face, feeling foggy from sleep and not a little cranky.

"Well I feel like shit. I hurt in places I didn't even know I had"

A half smile tugged at his lips.

"You shouldn't have let Viscera land on you like that"

"Gee. I guess I forgot to go up to him in the locker room and say "Mr. Viscera will you please not squish me like a bug in tonight's match. I have this weird allergy to having my body parts flattened." I said in a heavily sarcastic voice.

Edge burst into uncontrolled laughter. Pushing myself into an upright position, I sat and glared at him until he finally managed to quell his amusement.

"Well I'm so glad that my pain isn't causing you to have any twinges of sympathy or discomfort" I said waspishly.

Edge sucked in his bottom lip, a part of his contrite look that never fails to send a twinge of desire through me.

"Sorry, Chris. Its just, you can sound damn funny when you want to"

I sighed. "I'm sorry too, love. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Am I forgiven?"

He smiled slightly "Of course"

Then his eyes wandered away from me to the small clock on the bedside table, and I saw the expression of shock come over his face.

"Shit. I have to be at the airport in an hour"

Before I could say anything, he had leapt out of bed and disappeared through the door into the bathroom.

I sighed again. Part of me wanted to drag the covers over my head and sleep for the rest of the day, but I'd promised the guys that I'd meet them for lunch. No rest for the wicked, I thought, yawning as I forced my tired, aching body out of bed and into one of the complimentary silk dressing gowns.

Going into the small living area that adjoined out hotel bedroom I picked up the cordless phone from the glass topped coffee table and dialed room service.

Twenty minutes later, I was curled up on the couch watching Oprah, and sipping from a cup of tea. Our breakfast of hotcakes and maple syrup sat on the coffee table in front of me. Edge still hadn't come out of the bathroom, and I could hear the shower running just faintly over the noise of the TV. Hopefully Vinnie Mac wouldn't fire us both over the cost of a heating bill, I thought uncharitably, then chided myself. Edge had taken a nasty blow to his lower back last night, thanks to a peeved off Faarooq. It was a testament to my beloved's level of fitness that he still felt able to compete this afternoon, and if he needed the world's longest hot shower to help him deal with the discomfort, then he could damn well have it. To Hell with McMahon and his penny pinching. I took an angry swallow of my tea, and it was as the stimulating warmth finally reached my brain that I remembered the contents of our conversation last night.

A cold needle of apprehension touched my spine, a shadow of the foreboding that I had felt last night. I wanted to shake it off and convince myself that nothing was going to change, but I couldn't. Edge was determined. Somehow he would get his own way, whether it meant renegotiating his contract or even quitting the WWF altogether, and I couldn't stop him, not when his happiness was my own. I didn't want him to quit for me but I was powerless to offer him any other permanent solution to the problem of us being apart so much. Even though I hated our long term separations, it had simply never occurred to me that one day, one of us would feel the pain strongly enough to consider leaving the WWF. I had reconciled myself to the fact that while we were competing at this level, our relationship would have to remain a case of snatching time whenever we could. Of course it had been easier recently, with us being in tag-team matches. Usually we stayed at the same hotel and traveled between arenas with the guys, but as Edge had pointed out, it was work, not love that was bringing us together. And if the Powers That Be ever decided to split us up into singles competition, our time would be cut in half.

On the other hand, if Edge quit we could be together most of the time. Of course he would be little better than a wrestling groupie, following me around. Which was why it just wasn't worth him quitting. He had a stellar career in front of him. Any idiot could see that. Some were saying that he was the next Shawn Michaels in regards to the level of talent and fame that he could achieve. I knew that Edge was only to aware of his potential success, and what people in the business were saying about him. He was a star already. In time he could easily become a legend. But he was still willing to give all that up, if that's what it took to make our relationship stronger.

And he called me selfless, I thought with a tired chuckle. He was the one willing to put not just his career, but his dream, on the line. But maybe I could still convince him not to. After a vacation he might be able to look at the situation less emotionally than he was right now. I couldn't stop him once he'd definitely decided to quit, I knew my beloved too well to even attempt that, but swaying him from deciding might still be possible.

I had to try anyway, for his sake.

Just then, Edge came out of the bedroom, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt with his black leather jacket over the top. He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the Styrofoam cup of coffee that I'd ordered for him.

"I've gotta get going, Chris"

Setting my cup of tea down on the table, I got up and closing the distance between us, laid a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I'll miss you, like I always do"

He nodded.

"I know. Have a good time with the guys today, okay?"

"It won't be the same without you." I said softly.

"Yeah, there'll be no one to tell warped jokes"

"No. You won't be there to save me from Jess and Billy. Their like a pair of sex-crazed school kids"

Edge smiled and shook his head.

"Just remember that we were like that once. It might make you more patient with them"

"I'll try" I smoothed back some strands of hair from his face "And you try to be careful"

He crooked an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. Jeff will go easy on me"

"You hope"

"No. I know. I'm blackmailing him"

I couldn't help laughing, and Edge laughed too. Then our lips met for a gentle kiss, before breaking apart again.

"I really have to go now" he whispered, his warmth breath tickling my skin.

I nodded, forcing myself to take a step back.

"Alright. I'll see you next Monday"

He went to the door and pushed it open, then hesitated on the threshold.

"I'll call you tonight. Let you know how thoroughly I kicked Jeff's ass"

"Okay. I'll look forward to it" I said lightly, trying to ignore the sudden cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Now go, or you'll be late"

He nodded, then left, closing the door behind him.

I went back to watching Oprah interview Brad Pitt about his latest movie, but I was distracted worrying about Edge, and as soon as I'd eaten all the hotcakes I could stomach [about four] I switched the TV off. It was time for me to kick myself into action anyway. This was my first full day of rest for three weeks, and I should make the most of it. I had lunch to look forward to with the guys, and maybe afterwards I could go for a walk on the beach. I was free to do whatever I wanted today, and normally that would have been enough to secure my happiness, but I knew Edge would be on my mind all day and considering his turmoil, my own happiness was the farthest thing from my thoughts.

An hour later I had navigated my way to the ground floor of the hotel, managing to avoid running into Too Cool, who were staying a few doors down from our room, on my way.

I walked out of the elevator and almost collided with Triple H. I stepped back hastily, raising my hands in front of me.

"Sorry. I was in a rush"

He shook his head.

"You sure as hell were." Then his brown eyes narrowed, as he looked hard at me "I thought you supposed to be in Boston by now"

"Its my day off" I said quietly, not liking the way he was staring at me.

Without warning, he reached out and shoved me back into the elevator, following me in and pushing the UP button.

"What are you doing Helmsley?" I asked, picking myself up off the floor.

He advanced on me, and in a second had me trapped against the back wall of the elevator, his arms on either side of my neck.

"Well it just so happens that I have the day off too, and no one to spend it with"

"Why don't you spend it with X-pac?"

"Let's just say that I wore poor old X-pac out. He's quite exhausted" Hunter kissed my cheek and I flinched as I smelt the alcohol on his breath. Great, he was wasted and alcohol always made him aggressive. It was the only reason why Helmsley had the spaldings to do this. Normally he just insulted me or pretended that I didn't exist. I had become used to bearing the brunt of his temper, but not this raw aggression. This was something that I wasn't sure I could deal with. I just hoped that when the lift finally stopped someone would be waiting outside to either pull him off or take my battered carcass to the hospital.

"Listen, why don't we go back to my room and I'll order you some coffee. It'll help you sober up"

"Naw. Someone might interfere. I want you all to myself"

"Hunter, you have to let go of me. I'm with Edge now"

He snorted. "That pretty boy. I'll bet he can't satisfy you like I used too"

"That's none of your fucking business" I snapped, resisting the urge to knee him in the groin. I still had hopes that this situation wouldn't become violent, but they were becoming fainter by the moment as he stood over me, leering down.

"I never stopped loving you, you know baby" he flicked his tongue over my lips "Why don't we have some fun together, like we used too. Its not gonna hurt anyone"

"Isn't it? You may not care about Edge, but what about X-pac? He loves you, Hunter. How do you think he's going to feel when he finds out?"

"Fuck X-pac. He's just a little boy with a crush, compared to you and how we feel about each other"

"Used too, Hunter" I shook my head, feeling frustrated "Why can't you accept that we're over? Have been for ages"

"Because I still love you, sweetcakes. Now let's have some fun"

He took one hand from the wall and began to undo the buttons on my shirt. I squirmed away from his fingers.

"No, Hunter. That's enough"

He slapped me once, hard, on the cheek. The stinging pain brought me up short, but before I could hit him back, the elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors slid silently open.

"What the fuck?" said a voice.

Hunter spun around, and as he moved out of the elevator I saw Test standing in the corridor, an expression of mingled shock and disgust written clearly across his face. Helmsley advanced on him, his finger stabbing the air.

"Get the Hell out of here. Christian and I have some personal business to attend to"

Test didn't say anything. He glanced at me, and after seeing the distress that I was in, turned his sharp gaze back to Triple H.

"I think you should be one to fuck off. Christian obviously doesn't want to talk to you"

Hunter cast me a menacing glance, then he met Test's hostile stare.

"Alright, I'll go. But this isn't over. Not for either of you"

He pushed roughly past Test and stalked down the corridor, disappearing around a corner. I exhaled in relief and slumped to the floor, my knees weak.

Test rushed into the elevator, smacking the DOWN button on his way before coming to kneel beside me.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, as the elevator began its downward descent.

I shook my head.

"Just shaken really. He was really full on"

Test frowned "I've got a good mind to go and teach him a lesson"

"No. He's too drunk. You'll just end up getting into a fight and wrecking the hotel"

"He's been out drinking since 1am. He and X-pac had an argument. A bad one." Test informed me, his Canadian accented voice layered with disapproval.

"About what?"

"Stephanie. X-pac resents having to be her friend, and the time that Hunter is spending with her" his eyes narrowed "Of course that doesn't mean that he can take his anger out on you"

I gave a half-shrug.

"He was just drunk and pissed. It won't happen again" trying to convince myself of the words as I said them.

"I don't know, Christian. Helmsley seems to have a thing for you, and he doesn't give up easily"

"Can I call Edge for you?" he asked, changing tact before I had a chance to respond.

I savagely quelled the urge to say "yes" accompanied by the sudden desperate need to feel Edge's arms around me.

"He'll be halfway to Boston by now. Besides there's nothing he can do"

Test frowned, but all he said was.

"It's up to you. I just don't think that you should be alone, at least not until Helmsley has himself under control again"

I shook my head. I didn't want a nursemaid, but I could see that Test was determined that I wouldn't be alone, and after a moment he said.

"I'm meeting someone for dinner, but I'm going to stay with you till then. And if that jerk tries to bother you again, I'll rearrange that big beak of his"

I sighed quietly to myself as the lift came to a halt and the doors slid open. But what could I say? Test was right; I did need someone to keep me company. It would have been foolish of me to try and face Triple H alone, considering the temper that he was in, and I couldn't very well keep my lunch date with Jess and Billy. They were almost as tight with Hunter as they were with each other. That hadn't been a problem before, but it was now. Helmsley had made it so, merely because he couldn't control his temper or need for alcohol when life got rough. I only hoped that where ever X-pac was, he had someone to look after him as I did. He would need it.

Just past nine o'clock I walked slowly back into the hotel room and without even bothering to turn the lights on, flopped down onto the couch. I was exhausted, after spending the last three hours dancing with Test in a nightclub because his friend had cancelled their dinner date. My clothes, a pair of leather pants and a black silk shirt were wet with sweat and smelled of cheap aftershave thanks to Test, but I lacked the energy to change. Besides there was no one here to offend with my ragged appearance. Test had retired to his own room, off his face with beer and Edge was far away in Boston, probably taking a shower after his match with Jeff Hardy. I suppressed the need to pick up the phone and beg him to come back to New York. I had to be strong, even though all I felt like doing was curling into a ball and crying. The incident with Triple H had left me shaken to my core, and though I hadn't seen him since then, my exhaustion was making the shock of his actions seem harder to bear. Coupled with the dull ache from my cheek from where he'd slapped me. There was an ugly purple and black bruise there now, that would take at least a week to fade. Which meant that it would still be there when I met up with Edge in Miami, and he'd want an explanation for it. Telling him that I'd got it in a wrestling match wouldn't cut it unfortunately because I wasn't due to have another match until I teamed up with him in Miami. The next week would be spent on a promotional tour for the WWF, signing autographs and making appearances. The usual shit. It was tiring, but not capable of providing me with an explanation for my beloved Edge. I couldn't tell him the truth either, because he'd only want to bust in Triple H's face as Test had desired too. I had managed to stop Test, but I didn't know whether I could do the same with Edge. If he felt the need to whack Hunter around, then he'd probably find a way. It would do no good to remind him that Triple H was now cozy with the boss, which meant that he had influence on the future of our jobs. Or to tell him that there was no need to beat up Hunter anyway. The incident in the elevator had been ugly, but isolated none the less. I could handle Triple H by myself so long as he didn't get violent, and if he did so again then I would simply have to reconsider my position. For now though all I wanted was to sleep for a few days....well what was left of tonight anyway. I had to be at the airport by seven a.m. tomorrow.

I arranged the cushions more comfortably under my head, and was just drifting off to sleep, when the phone rang. I sat upright and picked it up instinctively, not aware enough to realize it would be Edge before his voice sounded in my ear.

"Chris. It's me."

"Edge. How'd the match go?"

"Not so good" his tone was quiet, hesitant, so unlike usual that I felt cold fingers brush against my spine. "There was an accident"

"An accident" I repeated, trying to ignore the tremor in my own voice. Visions of Edge lying in a hospital bed with a serious injury flashed across my mind, but his next words dispelled those images.

"It happened during the match. I had Jeff laid out on the mat, ready for the frogsplash. I climbed up to the top turnbuckle and everything was going to plan, but then I lost my footing and fell. I landed with all my weight on top of Jeff's ribs. They'd already been cracked by the Dudley's. My fall broke them"

"Oh God"

"We had the whole match planned out so I wouldn't hurt his ribs. I should have been more damn careful."

Edge's voice was shaking now, and I would have given anything to be able to take him in my arms and soothe him, but we were hundreds of miles apart and I could only offer comfort over the phone.

"Darling, you can't blame yourself. Accidents like that happen all the time. We run the risk of injuring ourselves or our opponents every time we step into the ring. It comes with the territory"

"But you weren't there Chris. You didn't hear him scream"

"Edge listen to me. You weren't to blame. It was not your fault, so stop beating yourself up about it"

"Are you at the hospital now?" I asked, before he could respond to that.

"Yeah. Their just patching him up now"

I heard the unshed tears in his voice and felt my heart ache in sympathy. God, if only I could hold him, comfort him.

"If your there, then your doing everything you can do for Jeff and I know that he won't blame you, because it wasn't your fault. He knew the risks stepping into the ring with an injury, just as you did when you wrestled with a sprained ankle. So don't you dare feel guilty"

There was a moment of silence, then Edge spoke again and I could tell that he'd lost the battle. He was crying, I could hear it in his voice and it took all my strength of will not to break down as well.

"I wish you were here, Chris"

Damn him, I thought silently, why does he have to make it so hard to be apart?

"I know, love"

"I miss you like Hell. It's not fair"

"Edge don't keep talking like this. Its only going to make you depressed."

"Too late, Chris. I think I'm already there"

And I'm halfway there, I thought, trying desperately to think of something that would distract us both from our misery. Finally an idea presented itself.

"Would you let me sing to you?"

"What?" he sounded startled.

I tried again. "Do you remember the song that I sang at our fourth month anniversary?"

There was a moment of silence, then.

"I remember getting drunk and crashing at Grel's place"

I held back a sigh. How had I managed to fall for such an unromantic clod? But I had, and hard too.

"Edge you have to remember. It was in the karaoke bar on Fifth Street. I got up in front of all our friends and sang just for you, and I wasn't even inebriated either"

Another long moment of silence stretched out between us.

"Oh, yeah I remember now. You sang "No Matter What" didn't you?" before I could respond, he went on and to my relief his voice had become calmer, more like the Edge I knew, and loved.

"That was a brave thing to do, especially considering that the guys were in the audience. They ribbed you mercilessly for weeks afterwards"

I smiled, feeling my spirits lift for the first time since Helmsley had confronted me in the elevator. Somehow, no matter how down I was, Edge could lift me up again.

"Yes they did. It was worth it though"

"Because of what we did when we got to Grel's place?" Edge asked, teasingly.

I felt myself blushing. Drat him. He could still make me blush like a schoolboy when he wanted too.

"Partly, but mostly because I got you to smile. It had been a rough couple of days for you around that time. I wanted to remind you that I was always there for you"

"You always have been, Chris"

"And I'll be with you through this to" I paused, willing back the emotions that threatened to close my throat "That's why I want to sing for you. Will you let me?"

Silence was my only answer for a time, during which I prayed that he'd accept. Eventually he said.

"Okay. Sing for me, my Christian"

I began to sing, the words falling easily from my lips. "No Matter What" was one of my favorite songs and I always sang along to it when it was playing on the radio. As I sang, the images of Triple H leering down at me that had been plaguing me all day, finally faded into the background. They were replaced by memories of Edge and I. Our first date. The first time we kissed, under the shelter of a tree while rain fell in torrents around us.

By the time I'd finished, my throat was dry but I felt calmer. My shakiness had been soothed away, thanks to all the happy memories that Edge had helped create for me.

For a while there was silence between us, but I was content to listen to his soft breathing.

Then he said.

"That brought back a lot of memories"

"I know"

"Good memories"

"Yes"

"Most of them had you in them"

"Same here"

A slight pause, then he sighed.

"That was nice, Chris. I don't feel so bad anymore"

"Me either"

"Listen, we've talked enough about my day. What about yours? Did you have a fun time with the guys?"

My mind went suddenly, horribly blank. What could I tell him? Not the truth, but could I lie to him without him knowing?

A shrill sound interrupted my panic. It took me a moment to realize that it was the doorbell to my room. Saved by the bell, I thought, holding back a huge sigh of relief.

"Edge, there's someone at the door. I have to go"

"Who would be calling at this time of night? Your not seeing someone else are you?" his tone was teasing, but I couldn't help the sharpness of my own.

"I would never do that, and you know it. It's probably just Too Cool wanting someone to go on a nightclub crawl with them. Besides its only-" I glanced at my watch, horrified to find that the glowing numbers read 12:01. "Not that late for them anyway" I finished somewhat lamely.

Edge just laughed.

"Alright. You go off and enjoy yourself. I'll talk to you again soon"

"I love you" I said softly.

"I know, Chris. I love you too, heaps"

"Goodbye"

"See you"

He hung up, and putting the phone down on the coffee table, I went to answer the door.

"Shane" I said a moment later "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, we had a meeting early. You never showed"

"Damn" I shook my head "I'm sorry, Shane. Something happened and I just forgot all about it"

He cocked one black eyebrow.

"Would that "something" have been the incident with Helmsley in the elevator?"

I nodded slowly.

"Yes. How did you find out about that?"

Shane shrugged.

"Let's just say that Test can't keep a secret when he's plastered"

"So" Shane began once we were settled on the couch with glasses of mineral water from the mini fridge "Why didn't you come to me and tell me about it?"

I shook my head.

"No offense, Shane. But your not exactly running the show anymore. I couldn't have expected you to do anything"

Shane sighed. He put his half-empty glass down on the coffee table, then leaned back against the couch and regarded me with his dark brown eyes.

"To be frank, Christian, there isn't much I can do. Dad's handed the reins over to Stephanie, but I could have made sure that you were okay, at least"

"Believe me, I was well protected" I replied with a roll of my eyes.

Shane chuckled.

"Test mentioned that he'd been moonlighting as your bodyguard. Of course, if rumor is to be believed, you'd rather have had another young Canadian looking out for you"

I shrugged.

"If you mean Edge, then yes. Its no secret that we're together"

Shane nodded, but he didn't say anything. I started to wonder why he was really here. I'd reconciled myself to not getting any sleep, but a shower would have been nice. I smelt like a wino who'd been out on the town. It seemed to me as though Shane had more on his mind than simply my well-being. It also seemed like he was in no hurry to get the point. I decided to prod him along.

"Shane, I appreciate your concern in coming up here to see me, but was there anything else? It is getting kind of late.." There, it wasn't subtle but I was exhausted and not in a subtle mood.

He had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, to be honest, I was trying to beat around the bush. I have some bad news to tell you, and I wasn't sure how to deliver it"

The cold feeling was back. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach, and it suddenly made the state of my clothes and my exhaustion seem secondary to whatever Shane was about to tell me. It was going to be bad, I could tell that by the concern in his brown eyes and the paleness of his features.

I couldn't say anything, as my throat had closed with apprehension, but I gestured for him to speak.

He took a deep breath.

"I overheard Triple H and Stephanie talking. Apparently he's convinced her to set up a match for Edge at the next PPV as a form of punishment for your...uh..reluctance"

"Whose he going to face?" I asked, forcing the words out past the lump in my throat.

"Kane"