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~The next night, WrestleMania XX~
He could hardly wait for the stagehand to give him his cue to run out there... Or, as he and Jay used to say when the E&C Dynasty was at its prime, make his run-in.
Adam raked one long-fingered hand through his golden hair as he stood in gorilla position, the anticipation nearly overwhelming. And then, he got his cue - much to his delight.
As he ran down the ramp and to the ring, he could see them - Chris Jericho and Christian... The match was officially over, Jericho having been victorious, but his former best friend hadn't just let things lie at that.
Jay was choking the other blond man in the turnbuckle, then kicking him as Jericho collapsed to one knee.
Adam crouched in wait on the opposite side of the squared circle, the roars and cheers of the Madison Square Garden crowd not lost on him. They were ecstatic to see Edge back after his lengthy neck injury. They all *loved* him.
Just as Jay rose from his position on the canvas after further choking his opponent, the tall blond struck. Adam made extra certain that the spear he delivered was harder than usual, and he felt a measure of satisfaction run through him as a gust of breath left his best friend. And as a matter of fact, he wondered if he might have just dislocated the other man's shoulder, as Jay lay there, writhing and holding that bodypart. Well, that was just tough luck if that was indeed the case...
As Chris Jericho continued to merely lay motionless on the met, the petite form of Trish Stratus suddenly appeared, the blonde diva entering the ring. A look of horrified concern was on her pretty face as she examined the injured blond man.
"Get up!" Adam shouted to the short-haired heel, gesturing wildly, his green eyes wide. Then, as Jay rose wobbly to his feet, he delivered an equally devastating Edgeucution - causing the smaller man's forehead to bust open. Blood was everywhere.
The tall Canadian's face wore an expression of almost maniacal glee as he eyed his once tag team partner. Jay was wincing in pain as he exited the ring, shaking his head as though to ward it all off. And the crowd went absolutely wild.
He walked over to Jericho and Trish, the little blonde still knelt over the man. She looked up, eyeing him as though in surprise, and then, he helped Y2J to his feet.
The fans became more ballistic than ever as Edge stood between Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus, raising each of their hands in victory. It was definitely a moment to remember, one that would go down in history...
...And one Adam would relish for the rest of his days...
*
"Hey, are you okay, man?"
Jay looked up from where he sat in the locker room he and Chris Jericho were sharing, an icepack held up to his bruised forehead. He looked very weary.
"Oh... yeah, I'll be fine, Adam."
Copeland could barely hide the smirk he felt coming, but somehow, he kept it away.
"Sorry about that, buddy." He really hated having to apologize, but the reality of the situation was that the guy was his best friend. Besides, he had to save face.
They looked up as the door suddenly opened, and Chris, Trish and the person Adam took the most notice of - Amy Dumas - entered.
Something inside of him seethed with rage as the redheaded woman made a beeline straight for Jay. Her face was a mask of concern as she sat down beside him, her gaze fixed to the still bleeding wound on his forehead.
"God, Jay... Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'll live..." He briefly removed the icepack, and the diva hissed through her teeth in sympathy as she caught a glimpse of the wound. "The trainer said I didn't need any stitches."
"And isn't *that* quite the miracle," Amy said, tentatively reaching up as though to touch the blond man's battered forehead. She winced again, sorry that such a mishap had occurred.
Adam stood by silently, his green eyes traveling from Jay to the redhead and back and forth. He didn't like the woman's reaction to Jay's minor injury, not a bit. He just wondered how she would act and react if *he* were the one who'd been busted open.
He honestly didn't know - but he intended to fix it so that if such a
thing *did* happen, her display over Jay would be nothing in
comparison...