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Amy was quiet as Adam walked her backstage after the match. She was still in relative shock that the blond Canadian man was even here. From what she'd understood, he hadn't been expected to return until at leat February.

"You sure you're all right?"

The redhead looked up sharply, her eyes meeting his, and she noted the concern on his face. Evidently, he could tell that everything that had occurred out there hadn't all been an act.

"Yeah," she said with a weak smile for him. "I'm fine - really, Adam. It's just that... Well, I'm so surprised to see you here..."

"Oh." The tall blond smiled. "Well, I can't say your reaction surprises me. I spoke to Linda McMahon several weeks ago and told her my doctor had cleared me to return to the ring," Adam explained. "I asked her if it could be kept a surprise." A bright grin came to his handsome face. "And the reaction you had when you saw me out there is exactly the sort of thing I was going for... Fortunately, Linda allowed my return date to be a secret." He winked at the diva, who by now wore a look of shock on her face.

"I'm glad you're back," Amy admitted. Inwardly, she thought, You don't know how much... Matt had really looked insane out there, a wildness in his eyes. He really looked as though he'd meant to do her some serious bodily harm...

As they continued walking further down the hallway, Amy looked up to catch sight of Lisa Marie. The dark-haired woman was heading right ofr her, a look of concern on her face.

"Honey, are you okay. I am so sorry if I was a little too rough on you out there!"

The redhead gave her friend a half-smile that was actually half-smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous, Li - it was our very first steel cage match. It was expected to be rough," Amy said. "Besides, you didn't hurt me too badly. Just the usual bumps and bruises, which are a given in this business."

"Are you sure?" Lisa Marie asked. "You knocked me around pretty bad in there - especially when you threw me into the cage early on."

The high-flying diva laughed almost nervously.

"Sorry about that." Then, self-consciously, she turned back to Adam, the blond man amused by the women's banter. "Hey, you remember Adam, right?"

"Sure!" the raven-haired woman quipped. "What a surprise to see you back so soon!"

The blond man arched a brow, surprised to discover just how bubbly Lisa Marie Varon was. Although he knew she'd been affiliated with the WWE as far back as three and a half years ago, he hadn't known the woman very well - and he found her personality amusing.

He noticed Amy glancing around, looking somewhat nervous, and he couldn't help wondering why that was.

"Would you two excuse me?" she asked rhetorically.

Adam watched the redhead as she retreated down the hall a moment later.

"So... Which do you prefer playing - heel or face?"

The blond man swung his eyes back to Lisa Marie, noting the smile on her face. The way he figured it, the woman could easily become one of his closest friends in no time, but for the moment, he was a bit distracted...

...Something about the way Amy had looked, and the way she'd told them to excuse her had him worried. But the why of it was a mystery, even to himself...

*

Amy felt reluctant as she reached the locker room she knew Matt was using that night.

She bit her lip, her heart thudding almost painfully in her chest.

She hated the way she was feeling right now. It was a most unpleasant, uncomfortable sensation she'd not experienced for a little more than two months now...

The redhead cringed as she knocked twice, then turned the handle on the door and let herself in. She recalled the way Matt had dumped Lita on RAW last week and realized how, in a sense, life had imitated art. Because as recently as September, when she'd made her return to RAW, the dark-haired man had done the exact same thing he'd done for TV purposes the previous week - he'd called her selfish and expressed fury at her decision to join the RAW roster as opposed to going to SmackDown to be with him...

She didn't consider that to be selfishness - she loved being on RAW. Not only were more of her friends there, so was the Women's championship.

And of course, there was also the little matter of Matt not being there - at least at the time. In that sense, she hadn't had to listen to all his nasty, brittle, downright cruel, abusive remarks - or deal with his wrath in a physical manner.

But now... Now was a different story...

"What the fuck is your problem?!"

Amy whirled around in shock and fear. Matt hadn't been in the room a moment ago, but as she'd been standing here, he'd come in - and was standing right behind her...

"What are you-"

"Why'd you look at me like that out there? Huh? And oh, yeah - I saw the way you looked at Adam, too..." His dark brown eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.

"Matt..."

"Don't you 'Matt' me, you little bitch..." The man lunged and slammed her on the side of the head - and that was when everything went black...