He was looking forward to the SmackDown taping in two days - not only would he have a match, but Amy would be making her debut on the show - since the roster split.  He couldn't help smiling at that thought.

Finally at the door to the room he and the redhead were sharing, the tall Canadian swiped his keycard and entered.  An instant feeling of alarm came over him as he looked across the room.  He parted his lips slightly, his mouth gone dry as he stared at the scene before him.

Dawn Marie was sitting with Amy at the small table across the room, apparently comforting the redhead.  And from what he could see, Amy's face looked...battered.  She looked as though she'd been beaten up.

"Oh, my God!  What happened?"  Adam shut the door and quickly made his way over to the two women.

Amy kept her head down, unwilling or unable to raise it.  She glanced up at him from beneath her eyelashes and remained silent.

The tall blond man shifted his gaze to the brunette.  "What happened to her?!"  Then, realizing that was a stupid and self-explanatory question, he rephrased himself.  "Who did this to her?!"

Dawn Marie's lips parted to speak, but no words came out.  She faltered for a few seconds, then started to explain, but Amy cut her off.

"Matt did this to me..."  Her voice was barely a whisper, but Adam knew he wasn't mistaken in what he'd heard her say.  His green eyes widened in shock and anger.

"Matt did this to you?!"  He couldn't believe it.  Although the older Hardy brother had been a royal pain in the ass and become a total asshole of late, he couldn't believe the man could stoop that low.  Matt Hardy would never hit a woman, no matter what.  But then again, the Matt he'd known up until recently had seemingly all but disappeared - only to be replaced by the disgusting, spiteful, ungrateful, sadistic bastard who had done this to his beautiful ex-girlfriend - who'd done nothing to deserve it.

Amy nodded slowly, finally raising her head to gaze at him fully.

Adam tore at his long blond hair at the rage he suddenly felt swelling within.  His mind began to fill with all the torturous acts of violence he wanted to inflict on Matt.  It was bad enough the man had cheated on the redhead with someone as low-class as Torrie Wilson, bad enough that he'd taken to verbally abusing Amy with undeserved insults - but to resort to physical violence - this was the last straw!

Staring seriously into the redhead's eyes, the Canadian spoke in an oddly calm and even voice.  "I'm going to pay that asshole a little visit at his room...and I'm going to kill him..."

Dawn Marie raised an almost amused eyebrow while Amy, on the other hand, felt a cold knot of fear forming in her belly at the words - and the fierce gleam she detected in the blond man's emerald eyes.

"Adam, no!" Amy's hazel eyes widened with fear.

"Oh, let him..." Dawn said.

"Yes, let me..." Adam hissed through gritted teeth.  He turned to storm toward the door, but the battered redheaded diva rose from her chair and chased after him.  As he felt her hand grab at his arm, he stopped and turned back to face her.

Amy stared at him, absorbing the firm set of determination of his strong jaw, the almost frightening intensity in his eyes.  One thing was for certain - if this man were to get his hands on Matt right now, the dark-haired Hardy would never be the same...

"Please..." she finally pleaded, her eyes begging.  "This isn't the answer, Adam...just wait until you get him in the ring before you tear him apart...please!"

The tall blond gazed into Amy's bruised face for a moment, feeling something nearly break inside of him.  Then, finally, he relented.  "Okay...but the only reason I'm not going to do anything right now is because you asked me not to, Amy...because of you, and you alone, Matt Hardy will be able to walk tomorrow morning..."  He had no idea why or how the redhead would want him to spare a miserable wretch like Matt Hardy, but he would let it go - for now.

*

Adam stepped out of the bathroom after having gotten ready for bed.  About a half-hour earlier, Dawn Marie had gone back to her own hotel room, promising her friend she would check up on her first thing in the morning.  The Canadian was glad Amy had had such a good friend around while he'd been away at his appearance - Dawn Marie and Nidia, actually.  Although they hadn't been able to prevent what had happened, at least they had both been there for her when she'd needed them.

His eyes instantly traveled to the form of Amy lying on her bed across the room.  The redhead was huddled under the blanket, clutching at one of her pillows almost protectively.

The blond man winced at the sight.  Poor thing... She looked so tiny in that large bed, lying curled in a tight fetal position, her long auburn hair framing her face.  He wanted nothing more than to turn around, waltz directly to the door, let himself out and barge into Matt Hardy's hotel room to pound him into unconsciousness.

Unconsciously, Adam balled his right hand into a fist as he climbed into bed, turning over to face Amy.  She was turned toward him, and he noted the pained expression on her face.  Her eyes seemed unfocused, glazed over.  The look in her hazel depths worried him.

"Ames?  Are you...are you okay?"  He hated the way the question sounded - it sounded damned stupid, as he knew she wasn't okay.  How could she be when the man who had been her boyfriend for close to the last two years had brutally beaten her?

The diva's eyes shifted so that they met his.  She blinked once, twice, and then finally spoke, her voice small and sounding scared.

"I...don't know..."  She clutched at her pillow even tighter, her knuckles turning white.  She continued to stare at the Canadian, biting her lip gently as an overwhelming need filled her.  "Adam...?  Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Adam wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.  "What?"

"I'm...I'm sorry...never mind."

"It's all right, sweetheart...I just wasn't sure I heard you right.  Sure...sure, you can..."  The blond moved over on his bed, holding the blanket up for her to slip underneath.

Amy was grateful as she practically leapt out of her own bed and slid beside him in his.  Instead of curling up on her side with her back to him, as he'd assumed she would do, the redhead turned over onto her left side, facing him.  She burrowed her face against his chest, holding onto him with one hand as possessively as she'd gripped her pillow a moment earlier.

The diva was holding so tightly to him that Adam was reluctant to ask her to move for a moment so that he could reach over to shut off the bedside lamp.  She seemed to have found the spot and position that brought her the most comfort.  He tightened his left arm around her protectively, holding her securely against him.

He felt sick as he thought about everything she'd been through that night.  He knew all of the details of what had happened from Dawn Marie and Amy herself - mostly from the redheaded diva, as her friend had actually been doing a spot in the ring with Torrie Wilson.  The poor girl had been alone in the women's locker room when Matt had accosted her.  Basically, she'd told him that her ex-boyfriend had attacked her because she had struck Torrie the previous night.  But unlike the blonde, Amy had not deserved such treatment and had done nothing to provoke it.

The redhead suddenly lifted her head to stare up into Adam's eyes.

"What is it, honey?" he asked with concern, moving his arm so that his hand rested on her unbruised right cheek.  He gently, lovingly caressed that side of her face.

"W-would you turn off the light?"

"Of course..."  The Canadian felt an almost sharp pain in his heart at the pleading tone of the woman's voice, the crestfallen look on her face.  He hated the elder Hardy brother for putting her through such violence and hatred.  As he reached over her for the switch on the lamp beside the bed, hearing Amy sigh sadly, he vowed that Matt's actions would not go unpunished.

Now in darkness, the blond man stretched out on the bed, returning to his position on his right side.  He put his arm protectively around Amy, holding her close against him and sighing when he felt her burrow her face against his chest once more.  He rubbed his chin against her soft long hair for a moment before he realized she was suddenly crying.

The diva's sobs were soft, nearly inaudible, but Adam could feel her body shaking slightly, and the moisture that suddenly soaked the front of his T-shirt were unmistakably tears.  He gently lowered one hand to her face, finding her cheek in the darkness.

"Amy...baby, don't worry...he won't ever touch you again - not if I have anything to say about it..."

Amy's sobs became louder as she clung onto him as though for dear life.  She began to take gasping, gulping breaths as she tried to speak.

"Oh, honey..."  Adam felt horrible, even a little bit responsible.  Damn it, he should have been there for her - if he'd been around to protect her, that bastard never would have gotten the chance to touch her.

"Just...just hold me, Adam?"  It was half-request but also half-demand.

The Canadian man did what she wanted, holding her tightly, nearly cradling her against him.  He kissed her tear-stained cheeks and gently stroked a hand over her hair until her sobbing ceased.  He was relieved when she was fell asleep a few minutes later.  The poor girl must have been exhausted.

Within a few minutes of Amy falling asleep, Adam followed suit.