"I hate my life!" Jay grumbled as he finished lacing up his wrestling boots.  He'd been upset all week, as he was completely dissatisfied with the way the WWF had begun to handle Christian's persona.

"Come on, Jay," Adam said with a smirk.  "It's not that bad."

"That's easy for you to say!" the shorter man cried.  "You don't have to throw temper tantrums in the middle of the ring like some cranky two-year-old!"  He tore at his long blond hair.  "I really hate this!"

"Just let it go over your head," Adam said.  "That's all you can do."

"Yeah, right!  And tonight, I get to lose against you of all people!"

The tall Canadian sat down to tie his own wrestling boots, then wrapped his wristbands into place.  Eyeing his frustrated best friend, he shook his head.  Jay had a point - a valid one at that.  For the last week or so, the WWF had written into the script that Christian would be losing all of his matches, whether they were singles or tag team bouts.  This was really all a way to set up a partnership and, later, a feud, with Diamond Dallas Page.  Jay had explained to Adam that he didn't even so much mind having to job to everyone - his problem lay with having to flop around the canvas like a fish out of water and act like a big crybaby.  Such temper tantrums were not his thing.  And although Adam actually found them amusing, he felt badly for his friend for being forced to act them out when he truly hated doing so.

Looking back up at Jay, he said, "Calm down...I'm sure Trish will make you forget all about your loss to me tonight.  And hey - at least you don't have to throw a tantrum tonight."

"Whatever, man...not throwing one tonight when I'll have to throw one in my next match doesn't sweeten the deal."  Jay sat down heavily and leaned over, holding his head in his hands.  "I would give anything to be back in a tag team with you again - why did they have to split up E&C?  Hell," he said as he raised his head to look back at his friend, "I would even be happy doing the Brood stuff again.  The bloodbaths, riding up in that elevator thing, that was way cooler than this shit..."

Adam didn't respond because there was nothing he could say that would make the other man feel better.  It seemed highly doubtful the two of them would be put back together as a team.  That thought made him feel a bit depressed.  He wanted Edge and Christian reunited someday.  It would be nice to go for an eighth tag team run with his best friend.  Hell, it would be nice to just be a team again - even if they lost most of their matches.  He'd also always thought the idea of Lita turning heel on the Hardys to hang with Edge and Christian was an awesome idea, but fat chance of that ever happening.

"I need a vacation," Jay muttered.  "I wish Trish and I could just get away for awhile."  He barely looked up when a knock sounded at their locker room door.

Adam got up to answer, and when he pulled open the door, he smiled at the sight of Amy in the doorway.  She was wearing the brand new Team Xtreme T-shirt, but done with her own tasteful flavor - the hot pink shirt was cut sleeveless and short to expose her belly.  Her red hair was held back away from her face by a thick white headband, and Adam noticed her olive green cargo pants were not slung as low as she normally would wear them, and her thong was barely showing.  Damn Vince McMahon for making her modify her style.  The diva had told him the night before that the boss had requested her presence in his office before RAW and that he'd told her to do this.  He found it odd considering the man had never had a problem with it or with anything else Amy had done previous to December.

"Hey," the redhead said with a smile.  "I just wanted to wish you guys a good match."  Although she was speaking to both of them, she kept her hazel eyes on Adam the entire time.

"Thanks," the tall blond said with a grin.  He glanced over his shoulder at Jay, who hadn't responded.  He wanted to give his best friend a dirty look for snubbing Amy, but he decided to just let the other man stew in his juices instead.

The diva gave him a questioning look.  Adam simply shook his head.  Amy got the message, as she knew well enough how Jay felt about his current angle.  She couldn't say she blamed him.

"Where's Trish?" the Canadian man suddenly asked as he glanced over toward the doorway.

"She's having her hair and makeup done," the redhead told him.

"I'm going to go see her.  I'm too annoyed to just sit around here waiting for our match.  Damn!"  He strode to the door and slipped past Amy without another word to either of them.

Amy watched the angry man disappear down the hallway, then stepped into the room.  "Poor Jay...but at least he doesn't have to throw a tantrum tonight."

"That's what I told him," the blond man said with a small, amused smile.

"Anyway," the redhead began, "Matt, Jeff, Stacy and I were talking with Chris a little earlier...we were talking about going out after the taping.  Want to come?"

"Of course," Adam replied.  If you're going, he thought, I'm there.

Amy's smile broadened.  It had been awhile since they'd been out together after a show, and she was really looking forward to it.  "This is sort of like a celebration for Matt and Jeff and me..."

"How so?"  And then a silly thought went through his mind.  It had been just about a year ago that the Matt-Lita angle in which they'd become a couple, had occurred.  But certainly that couldn't be what she was referring to.

"Well, since we didn't get to do anything last night, tonight is our night to celebrate Team Xtreme's official return."

He grinned at her.  "I'm really glad you're back regularly now..."

"Yeah...me too."  She gazed up into his emerald eyes, wanting nothing more than to just reach up and caress his cheek, his long blond hair.  Ever since Christmas, when she'd opened those beautiful gifts from him - particularly the cameo - her feelings for this man had deepened considerably.  And she had already been in love with him.

As Amy continued to eye her dear friend, she reflected on the night she'd thanked him for the presents.  It had been right after New Year's - Wednesday, January 2nd to be exact.  That was the night of the first house show of the new year.

"Hi!" Amy cried as she saw Adam standing in the doorway of her locker room.  Jay was there as well, with Trish.  At the moment, they were talking in soft voices, the petite blonde gazing into her boyfriend's eyes, a big smile on her face.

"Happy New Year, Amy..." Adam said as he stepped further into the space of the room.

"Happy New Year."  She allowed herself to be swept into the tall blond man's muscular arms, hugging him tightly.  She was so excited to see him and realized how much she'd missed him in the last two weeks and two days.  Although that wasn't a long time, it had felt like an eternity to her.

Amy couldn't help but wish it were still around Christmastime and that there had been some mistletoe above their heads.  She would have loved the opportunity to kiss him for the very first time that way.  She bit her lip as Adam held her loosely at arm's length.

"Thank you so much for the beautiful gifts you sent...I love them - especially the cameo!"

"You're very welcome," he said a little coyly.  That was another thing Amy loved about him - he was quite modest, and in more ways than one.  A lot of guys as gorgeous as Adam knew how good-looking they were and carried themselves with a ton of arrogance - but not Adam.  He wasn't like that at all.  In fact, Amy had been very surprised when he'd told her how insecure and shy he'd been as a teenager.  He was still a bit shy to this day, and she found that very appealing.

"How did you remember that story I told you about my grandmother's cameo?" Amy questioned, cocking her head to one side as she stared up into his warm green eyes.  The only people who ever seemed to remember that story were Matt and Jeff, but then, they went back a ways.  Both brothers had met her grandmother on more than one occasion.

"I wouldn't forget something like that," Adam said softly, his eyes locked with hers.  He shrugged.  "Besides, I have a really good memory."

She smiled.  "Well, thank you again...I love the gifts..."  And I love you, she thought.  She bit her lip again, reaching up to touch the cameo, which she'd worn.  She had been wearing it pretty much every day since opening it on Christmas.

"It looks beautiful on you," the Canadian said.  "I mean, you look beautiful wearing it..."  He allowed his eyes to absorb the sight of her, her happiness.

Amy bit her lip again, a feeling of slight inadequacy coming over her.  She had sent Adam Christmas gifts as well - a PlayStation hockey game, for she knew what a video game freak he was, and three CDs she knew he didn't have and would enjoy.  Her presents seemed so impersonal, while his gifts to her had been the exact opposite.  She felt a little bad about this, although he'd called her thanking her for them, claiming he loved them...

"Well, I'd better go out there," Adam said, breaking through the redhead's reverie.  "Jay's and my match is one of the early ones tonight, and I'm guessing he's just pacing around by Trish.  I hope she can calm him down."

"Oh, I'm sure she'll find a way to do that," Amy replied, grinning mischievously.

"Want to wait with me?"

Amy smiled up at him.  "Sure..."

As they walked out into the hallway together, the diva spoke again.  "Stacy told me she's worried about Matt..."  She shook her head, rolling her eyes, although she thought it was sweet how the tall blonde woman worried so much about her boyfriend.  "...it's like, ever since they've become a couple, she worries every time he gets in the ring - she's so sure he'll get hurt.  Funny thing is that he hasn't gotten hurt once since they started dating.  But before - whoa."

Adam smirked and nodded, knowing full well the darker Hardy's injury history.  The man just always seemed to get hurt.  Whenever he and Jay had had a match against the Hardys, or whenever the four of them had one with the Dudleys, Matt was always the first one to come out injured.  He recalled how badly his friend had been busted open in the steel cage match they'd had at Unforgiven in September of 2000.  That had been bloody.  He and Jay had been so concerned for Matt and had felt a little guilty - even though it was in their scripts to smash him head-first into the cage.  The poor guy had needed eleven stitches following the match.  Actually, now that he thought about it, Adam didn't blame Stacy one bit for worrying.  He knew how the leggy blonde felt.  He worried about Amy each and every time she went out there for a match, particularly because of all the high-flying maneuvers she did.

But love did that to people - it caused them to worry more about the object of their affection... Only the redhead didn't know how he felt about her.