The Lita-being-harassed-by-the-married-and-lecherous-Dean Malenko angle was finally coming to an end.  Amy was actually relieved, because, quite frankly, this storyline was getting really old.  She was looking forward to new endeavors.

Still, right now, she had to concentrate on the matter at hand.  She felt a bit odd about the new spin on this dying angle and had mentioned so to Matt and Jeff.

Dean made his way to the ring, prepared to do whatever it took to beat Lita, but it wouldn't happen.  When the referee was temporarily incapacitated, the older Hardy Boy ran to the ring via the crowd and attacked Malenko.  Afterward, he instructed the fiery redhead to pin her opponent and slid out of the ring.  It was just at the moment the diva took her friend's advice that the official roused.  He counted the three for Lita's victory.

Adam and Jay watched all of this on a TV monitor in the backstage area, and Adam wasn't enjoying a moment of it aside from the former Radical being taken care of.  He dreaded the moments that would take place after the match.

From the other side of the small couch on which they sat, Jay eyed his best friend knowingly.  He realized just how difficult this was for Adam, even though the tall blond was still too stubborn and blind to realize his true feelings for Amy.

In the ring, Matt was hugging Lita.  Seconds later, he pulled back and then planted a firm kiss on her lips.  The redhead looked shocked by this turn of events as she held a hand up to her mouth.  Matt backed off, cursing himself and apologizing profusely for what he'd done, then departed the ring and began heading up the ramp.

Much to Adam's chagrin, instead of screwing up and not sticking to the script, Amy slipped out of the ring and went after the dark-haired man.  Catching up to him, she reached out and placed a hand on Matt's shoulder, prompting the Hardy to turn around.  Lita instantly pulled him to her and kissed him, her left hand tangling itself in his long hair.

Adam leaned forward as he stared at the screen in disbelief.  "He's kissing her back!" he cried.

"Of course he is, Adam," Jay said matter-of-factly.  "That was in the script."

"But he's really kissing her, Jay...like Jerry Lawler just said - tonsil hockey!"  He ran a hand through his long blond mane, his face a mask of pure, naked disappointment.

"It's not all that bad."

"The hell it isn't!" Adam shouted, standing up and beginning to pace the length of the small room.  "Now we have to endure who knows how long of...of...this!"  He gestured with one hand toward the TV.

Well, you have to "endure" it, Jay thought.  Aloud, he said, "Look, Adam...I don't know why it's bothering you so much - since you vehemently deny being in love with her."

"Well...it's because...it's just because she's my friend and...I'm concerned about her," Adam sputtered.

Jay laughed.  "Know what, man?  You sound exactly like Matt did during this angle right around New Year's - when they decided to turn the story into this."  It was now his turn to gesture toward the TV screen.

Adam didn't reply.  He merely stared at the monitor, a frown dominating his handsome features.

*

WrestleMania XVII, April 1, 2001

The biggest annual extravaganza of wrestling was upon the WWF.  Edge and Christian, the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz were to compete in TLC II, again for the tag team championships.

Adam and Jay were psyched, as they were slated to win yet again.  As their goofball, fun-loving WWF personas would say, they were the kings of the TLC match.  Much like the first contest, it was non-stop action and innovative offense galore.  Tables, ladders and chairs alike were utilized in creative fashion.

During the part of the match that Adam was most excited, he was the only man standing - on a ladder, no less.  As he climbed the rungs to try to reach the gold, a chill of anticipation ran up his spine.  He stalled a bit as he waited for her...

...In his peripheral vision, he saw Amy running down the ramp from the back.  She was wearing a pink fishnet top and tight pink and black leopard-spotted pants, her dark red hair flowing behind her.  Adam had to pace himself not to stare.  She was stunning.  She was gorgeous.  He suddenly realized that, ninety-nine percent of the time when they were working together, she dressed in very sexy clothes.

Lita stormed into the ring just as Edge's fingers barely grazed one of the tag team belts.  She instantly shoved over the ladder upon which he was standing and the blond man ended up crotched on the top rope.  After, as he crept to the corner in pain and lay back against the bottom turnbuckle, she stripped off her shirt and charged at him, an angry expression on her face as she gave him what-for.

Adam winced but could not take his eyes off of Amy in the lacy black front-close bra that was now all the wore on her upper torso.  Suddenly, he caught sight of the Dudleys slowly sneaking up behind her.  As he watched, and as Amy slowly turned around, Buh-Buh Ray and D-Von 3D'd her.

Not much later, an old friend of Edge and Christian's, Rhyno, had run out to help his comrades.  The bulky man gored a couple of their opponents, "evening up" E and C's odds.  But before long, another newcomer appeared.  Spike Dudley, the little half-brother of Buh-Buh Ray and D-Von, grabbed Christian and executed his finisher, the Dudley Dog, on the Canadian.

Bodies were everywhere, and like J.R. had said, it looked like the competitors and their counterparts had been in an automobile wreck.  Out of the corner of his eye, Adam spotted Amy with a steel chair in hand.  In a flash, she raised it and clocked little Spike in the head.

The match lasted roughly a half hour.  When it was finally over, everyone was feeling at least a bit sore.

*

"Hey, are you all right, man?" Adam asked Jeff Hardy with concern.  He'd tried his best to cushion his friend a bit when he'd had to spear him from the top of a ladder - but how much could one cushion someone doing that?

"Yeah...just a little achy," the younger man replied, nodding.

"You all right, girl?" Devon Hughes was asking Amy, noticing that she was holding the back of her neck.

The redhead smiled at him.  "I'll live," she said.

Mark LaMonica smiled.  "You know, Ames, Devon - she's one tough cookie...she's hardcore, and don't you forget it!"  He gave the redhead a friendly pat on the back.  "Nice work out there, kiddo..."

"Thanks, but you six guys did all the really great work."  She turned to look at each of the other men in turn.  "This match was a hit!  Definitely the best of all WrestleMania, and a definite candidate for match of the year!"

"Ames, there are still more matches to take place," Matt pointed out.

"Yeah, but yours has to take the cake."  She turned toward Adam and Jay, who were holding onto the tag team belts.  They had both placed the gold over their shoulders and looked exhausted, and rightly so.

"Congratulations, you guys."

"Thanks," Jay and Adam both said in unison.

"Look, I'm gonna hit the showers," Jay said.  "Nice work, gang...See you all later."

"I second everything he just said," Adam stated.  Grinning meaningfully at his friends, Amy in particular, he turned and headed into the locker room he was sharing with Jay.  The rest of the group started to disperse as well, the other four men going to their respective locker rooms.  Amy lingered just outside the door through which Adam had disappeared for a moment, then tentatively stepped up to it.  She knocked five times, then waited.

"Come in," came Adam's voice.

Amy pushed open the door and stepped into the room.  Adam was sitting on a chair, a towel swung over his shoulder.  He was still clad in the purple tights he'd worn for the match, but he had removed one of his wrestling boots.  The other was untied, and he yanked it off, then looked up at the redhead.

She had put her pink shirt back on, but her black bra was clearly visible underneath the thin material.  Adam couldn't help but wish she hadn't put the top back on, then felt like a jerk for such thoughts.  Amy was his friend, and he respected her tremendously.  And what would she think of him if she knew what he'd just been thinking??

"Adam, I..." Amy started, running a hand through her hair.  The blond stood up before her and she moved closer to him.  Her lovely face wore an expression of concern.  "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for inadvertently crotching you on the rope when I pushed that ladder over."

Adam gazed directly down into her hazel eyes.  So, this was why she looked so concerned?  He suddenly felt a warm, pleasant floating sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, that's okay...I'm fine.  You didn't have to apologize for that."

"Are you kidding?  I felt so awful when I saw your landing!"  She winced and bit her lip.

The distinct but slightly muffled sound of water running from a shower suddenly filled the small room.  In the bathroom just next door, Jay had started his shower.

Amy took a couple of steps closer to Adam.  "I'm still sorry, anyway," she said.

They stared at each other wordlessly for a moment before they reacted to a sudden knocking on the door.  Adam was startled but didn't say so.  "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Matt Hardy stuck his head in.  "Hey, Amy - Jeff needs you for a minute."

"Why?"

"It's the stupidest thing - he wants you to help him change the color of his hair."

"Right now?" the redhead asked, rolling her eyes for Adam's benefit.

"Uh huh," Matt replied.  "He said he needs you ASAP."

"Okay, okay," Amy said resignedly.  Turning back to Adam, she said, "I'll see you later."

"Later, Ames."

After the redhead and Matt had gone, Adam sank back down into the chair and pondered how he'd felt only seconds earlier as he and Amy had been alone together.  He realized he had a lot of thinking to do.

*

Judgment Day, May 20, 2001

Amy sighed as she stood in the hallway, awaiting her time to walk out to the arena.  Tonight, Lita would be facing her friend Chyna for the WWF Women's title in a long-awaited match.  They had been building things up between the two for awhile, and now it was time.

Amy was thrilled at the prospect of facing Joanie Laurer in the ring, but it was bittersweet.  This was to be Joanie's final match with the WWF.  The woman had recently announced that the company no longer knew what to do with her character and therefore, decided not to renew her contract, which would end in November.  However, Amy knew this was not the whole picture - which the Women's champion had confessed to her friends and confidantes.  The deeper reason behind the raven-haired beauty not wanting to continue with the WWF stemmed from her longtime boyfriend, Paul Levesque - Triple H.  A few months earlier, Paul had confessed that he had been carrying on a secret affair with Stephanie McMahon.  Joanie, with whom he'd been living and in a relationship with for four years, had been devastated.  She'd carried on valiantly with her personal and professional life, but things had just gotten to her too much.  She'd opted out of her contract rather than having it renewed.

Amy ran a hand through her long auburn locks.  She was deeply saddened by the knowledge that this company would be without Joanie Laurer after this match.  It would never be the same.  Over the last fifteen months since she'd joined the WWF, she and Joanie had developed a strong friendship and mutual respect.  Amy viewed the woman as a big sister, and even as an inspiration.  After all, as Lita had told Chyna on a recent RAW, the Ninth Wonder of the World had paved the way for the rest of the women in this business.

"Hey...are you okay?"

Amy spun around, startled by the voice, then settled down.  She gazed up into Adam's green eyes and sighed again.  "Oh, yeah...yeah, I'm okay," she said.  Her eyes returned to their previously downcast position.

Adam didn't speak for a moment.  Amy suddenly felt his arm go around her, his hand gently stroking her back.  He knew how she was feeling and that she and Joanie were close.  He felt lousy about the woman leaving as well.

The redhead allowed herself to sink against the man, her head still down.  She was terrified of breaking down in the ring.  She couldn't allow that to happen.  The fans were not yet aware of the turmoil going on for Joanie Laurer, and if she cried during the match, they would just think Lita was being a wimp.  And that was certainly the last thing she could ever be.

"I'm up next."

Adam moved his arm to grasp Amy's hand.  He gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze as she looked up at him and met his warm gaze.  "Everything will be all right, Amy," he said.  "We're throwing that going away party for Joanie tonight...She's not expecting anything, is she?"

"No...I don't think so.  If she was, she would have said something to me or Chris."

Adam gazed at her for a moment, still holding onto her hand.  He was pleased that she didn't pull away and that she was grasping his as well.  Then, he spoke.  "Anyway, good luck out there.  I know this is your first real match against her..."  He hesitated, knowing that Amy was probably thinking the rest of the sentence for him. ...And my last.

Instead, the diva simply said, "Thanks."

The tall Canadian sighed as he looked down at his friend.  "Wow 'em, Ames..."  He bent down slightly to embrace her, and the redhead slipped her arms around him, hugging him back.  Adam held his breath, savoring the moment of such close contact with her.

After a moment, she pulled back and glanced up at him.  "Well, I'd better go out there," she said, noting that her theme music, "It Just Feels Right," had just begun to play.

"See you later..."

*

Amy winced as she pulled herself up to her feet after losing the match via a big powerbomb by Joanie.  She saw the referee about to raise the woman's arm in victory, but the redhead came over and grabbed her friend's hand instead.  Joanie looked over at her, a smile on her face, and a feeling of great respect toward the other diva swept through her.  The fans' cheering was nearly deafening as they showed their appreciation of both women.

When they were backstage, Joanie nudged Amy on the shoulder.  "Well, this is it, Amy...You're going to be number one in the women's division - and you deserve it."

"I could never even come close to what you've done in this business, Joanie.  You have done so much for all of us."

"Oh, come on - you're the best female wrestler in this company, and you know it."  The raven-haired woman laughed sardonically.  "It's really ironic, isn't it?  I go from wrestling men exclusively because of my size and strength - which goes back to my training days - and I get reduced to wrestling only women later on in my WWF career."  She met the redhead's hazel eyes, which looked disappointed.  "I'm sorry, Amy - I didn't mean it like that.  It's not that I didn't enjoy wrestling you and the other women.  It's just that I am so much stronger than all the rest of you that...You know."

"I know, Joanie," Amy said.  "And I don't blame you.  As wrestlers, we're supposed to make the matches look convincing - which I think we managed to accomplish out there tonight - but I know you're not going to go out there and make it look like we're really hurting you.  I mean, there's no way I could ever take you in a fair fight."

Joanie patted her friend on the shoulder.  "I wouldn't ever fight you, hon.  Now, Stephanie McMahon, the little rich princess, she's another story."  Her expression changed from a pleasant smile to an angry, disapproving scowl.

"Oh, Joanie..."

"You know what?" the woman asked as she placed the Women's championship belt on top of her bag.  "She's not even worth it...hell, Paul isn't worth it.  I'm moving on - to bigger and better things.  And I'm letting go of all the anger and bitterness in the process...because I'm bigger than that."

Amy smiled, but the feeling she had in her heart was not without sadness.  "Daily affirmation with Joanie Laurer, huh?"

The muscular diva winked.  "Darn right!"

The redhead looked at her friend wordlessly for a moment, then suddenly felt as though she might burst into tears.  "Damnit, Joanie...I'm really going to miss you."

Joanie looked seriously at the other women.  "I'll miss you, too, Ames..."  She reached out and hugged her friend and fellow WWF diva.

*

"So, we're all set?" Chris Jericho asked the group of wrestlers in his room. "We turn out the lights, Amy brings her here, and then we yell 'Surprise!'"

"Yeah, I think we all got that part, Chris," Jay quipped.

"Just checking, Junior..." The blond man gestured as he regarded the man nearest the door. "Kurt, you get the lights. Amy should be back here with Joanie in a minute or so."

"Gotcha," Kurt Angle said as he moved closer to the light switch by the hotel room door. He flipped it, placing the room in complete darkness, and the group remained silent until there was a knock on the door.

Out in the hallway, Amy shook her head, feigning frustration. "Don't tell me Chris is sleeping already!"

"That party animal asleep at *this* hour?" Joanie asked incredulously. "He's probably out. Wouldn't surprise me." She smirked, knowing her friend's reputation for going out to clubs on nearly a nightly basis and living it up with the ladies.

"Well, would you look at this?" Amy said as she turned the doorknob. "The door's unlocked." She pushed it open, and the women were met with a chorus of "Surprise!" as the lights suddenly went on.

Joanie looked genuinely surprised as she glanced around the room at all of her friends. Chris came forward and gave her a hug. "Oh, my God, I can't believe you guys!"

"Hey," Jericho said as he gazed into her blue-gray eyes, "we couldn't let you leave without a going away party! After all, you *are* the *best* Wonder of the World."

The diva smiled, feeling her eyes filling up with tears. "And I bet it was all the idea of our 'party host' to hold it here." She threw her arms around the man again, enveloping him in an even bigger hug than he'd given her.

Chris Benoit approached, a smile on his face as he regarded Joanie. "I just wanted to say that you are the toughest woman I have ever met. Your strength is amazing, and you have given me some of my best challenges in the squared circle. I want to wish you nothing but the best of luck in your future endeavors. You deserve it, Joanie..."

Joanie smiled at the Canadian Crippler, putting her hand out for a handshake, but Benoit instead put his arms around her for a warm hug. At this point, the raven-haired woman was softly sobbing.

Kurt Angle expressed his appreciation of the Ninth Wonder next, and one-by-one, each of the wrestlers, male and female alike, had some kind words for Joanie. Before long, Chris had to run to the bathroom to retrieve a box of Kleenex.

Later on, as the group were enjoying the party, Joanie sidled up to Adam. She'd noticed him watching Amy, although the redheaded diva seemed oblivious of his scrutiny. "You really care for her, don't you?"

"What?" Adam turned at the sound of the woman's voice. He hadn't noticed her approach him. He glanced back at Amy, then looked into Joanie's eyes. "Well, yeah, of course I do."

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"What do you mean? She knows I care about her."

"Well, *yes*, but she doesn't know how *much*," Joanie said. She smiled, realizing she was treading uncharted waters. Well, maybe not quite - she was sure that Jay, being Adam's best friend, had broached this subject with the man on at least one occasion.

Adam eyed the beautiful, muscular diva. "Well...I don't want to scare her off or anything. That's the last thing I'd want to happen."

"Talk to her," Joanie said. "Somehow, I don't think she would be frightened. Amy is a great person. You might be surprised how she would react."

Adam absorbed the woman's words, then turned back to gaze at the redhead. Joanie was so right - she *was* a great person.

Part 6

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