I Deserve It


Adam stepped into his locker room after Amy, and, as they faced each other, that rush of adrenaline was still pumping through his veins.

"That was awesome, Ames!" the tall blond man exclaimed, beaming at her.  Her SmackDown debut had gone over fantastically - in his eyes, it couldn't have gone better.  He was also glad for what they'd done to that miserable Matt Hardy - surely, the man would require at least a couple of stitches to patch up his bloodied forehead.

"You were terrific," Adam said, wrapping his arms around the redhead's slender form.  He pulled back to gaze down into her face, and after a moment, he leaned his head down a bit to place a quick kiss on her lips before releasing her.

Amy gazed up at him with a tiny smile, a slow blush starting to creep over her cheeks.  She raised her left hand up to brush her fingertips just over her lips, her pulse pounding at the sensation of the small kiss.

She had surprised herself as well.  While she'd been out there, she hadn't felt any fear at all.  Even though she'd insisted to Stephanie that she wanted to partake in the storyline with Matt and Torrie, she had experienced doubts.  The redhead hadn't been completely sure about having to deal with her former boyfriend, even if she wouldn't be getting physically involved.  However, she knew that Adam would protect her with everything he had.

The two of them looked up at the sudden knocking on the door.

"Adam?  Are you in there?"  It was Stephanie's voice.

The tall blond went to answer, opening the door and letting the General Manager in.  She smiled at him, then grinned even more as she saw that Amy was in the room as well.

"You two did a fabulous job out there!"

"Thank you," Adam said.  "And I definitely couldn't have done it without Ames."

"No, you couldn't have," Steph agreed, eyeing the other woman with appreciation and respect.  Amy's face was suddenly as red as her hair at the storm of compliments.  She wasn't used to that sort of thing, as Matt hadn't paid her a compliment in so long.  However, she was slowly but surely learning to adjust to a whole slew of them, particularly from the tall, handsome Canadian.

"Thank you," the redhead said modestly.

"Anyway," the brunette continued, "I just came by to tell you guys this and also to let you in on one other little thing..."

Adam and Amy watched Stephanie with anticipation.  "Your brand new storyline is going to be on the backburner for the next couple of weeks," she announced.  "I have suspended Matt Hardy without pay for the next two weeks."

The redheaded diva blinked, then swallowed hard as she eyed the other woman fearfully.  "Y-you have?"

"That's right...I should've given him an entire month.  But as I told him, I was being too generous."

Amy looked up to meet the blond man's eyes wordlessly.  Adam held his gaze on her, certain he knew what was going through her mind at that moment - she really hadn't expected, or rather, wanted Stephanie to do her job and take disciplinary action against the elder Hardy brother.

Because he could plainly see that the redhead wasn't going to say or ask anything, the Canadian did the honors.  "So...what happens in the meantime?"

"In the meantime," Stephanie answered, "you and Rey Mysterio will compete for the Tag Team titles.  And Amy, of course, will continue to be in your corner.  After all, she is your new manager."  The brunette gave the other diva a knowing wink.

Amy managed a weak smile for the GM's benefit.  She had to literally force it, because she certainly didn't feel it.

"All right...great," Adam said.  "Rey and I really wanted to go for another shot at the Tag titles again.  Thanks a lot, Stephanie."

"You're very welcome..." the brunette said graciously.  "Again, nice work tonight, you two."

Stephanie left a moment later, and Amy held her head in her hands, fingers massaging her temples as she feared she might soon have the beginnings of a migraine.  Oh no... How was Matt going to handle his suspension?  She was positive that, once he returned after the two weeks, he would seek her out and make her life miserable yet again.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up to meet Adam's warm, sensitive green gaze.  After a moment, she shook her head.  "I...Matt's going to get me for this," she said, chasing her sentence with a sigh.

"I won't let him get near you," the tall blond said emphatically.  His voice was strong and firm.

The redhead nodded, knowing that he was making a promise to her and that he never went back on his word.

"Th-thank you."

Adam gazed at her tenderly, wordlessly for a moment, then came forth and pulled her into his embrace.

"Ames, it's going to be okay."

She looked up into his intense eyes, which seemed to caress her with their gaze.  Amy managed to crack a genuine smile, and the Canadian hugged her against his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head.







Part 17

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