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*Present time - October 2004*
He cursed himself mentally as he stood by and watched her.
She was so beautiful - a fact of which he'd always been aware. Hers was a beauty that went so much farther and deeper than the mere surface - it was what was on the inside that counted more than the pretty exterior.
Adam Copeland sighed, knowing full damn good and well that he'd blown it. He'd missed his chance to be with the goddess known as Amy Dumas - time and time again.
He'd fallen for the lovely redhead way back when she'd debuted with the WWE nearly five years ago. He wouldn't go quite so far as to call it love at first sight, but there had definitely been a spark. *More* than a spark, actually. He'd gotten to know her a bit after they'd met, and he'd quickly found himself head over heels.
The blond man shook his head over his stupidity. He'd never garnered up enough nerve to tell Amy how he really felt. And so, subsequently, she'd soon after started dating Matt Hardy - a man who, as he'd witnessed and heard things from her, Matt and others, had neither deserved her nor ever treated her right.
When it had seemed futile that he would ever in this lifetime have a chance with her, Adam had moved on. He'd stopped pining away for the woman who was with one of his friends and had met Torrie.
Torrie Wilson had just debuted with the company in the spring of 2001, and he'd gone for her immediately. He hadn't realized it fully at the time, but now, when he reflected back on it, he'd been on the rebound - bigtime. A mere five months after they'd been dating, he and Torrie had gotten married.
And of course, two weeks before the wedding, Amy and Matt had finally called it quits. In a way, he'd been devastated because of the timing - it was as though the gods were reinforcing the idea that they were destined to never be together.
As it was, he'd never had enough time to really get to know Torrie before the marriage. The relationship went sour pretty quickly and they'd spent months fighting and bickering. They'd separated, and, before he knew it, Adam had found himself divorced - and after only eight months of marriage.
Then, although Amy had never gotten back together with Matt Hardy, she remained unavailable to him - because three months after his wedding, she'd started seeing Jay Reso - his one and only very best friend in the world.
And now, he was forced to literally stand by Jay's side at his and Amy's wedding. He was the best man. It sickened him that *he* was responsible for handing his best friend the wedding ring to place on the redhead's slim, dainty finger. He had to stand there and watch the woman he loved marry his best friend.
It was his own damn fault... Not only had he never told Amy how he felt, he'd never even told *Jay*, either.
Adam felt completely numb as he stood there, his feet feeling as though nailed to the floor. His mouth was dry as ashes and he couldn't take his eyes off of the bride.
"The ring..."
Jay suddenly nudged him, and the best man nearly flinched as he came back to his senses. He reached into the pocket of his black tuxedo pants and pulled out the gold band, handing it to the other man.
Jay gave him a sly smile, and Adam felt like he was going to be sick.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Adam sat at his table, his eyes glued to the new Amy Reso's ethereally beautiful form as she glided across the dance floor with Jay - her... *husband*.
He felt as though he were going mad. How could fate be so cruel to him as to take the one woman he'd ever truly loved and have her end up married to his best friend? It was sheer insanity.
He didn't even have a date for the wedding, although Trish Stratus had been the maid of honor. He'd walked down the aisle with the little blonde on his arm, hardly a thought given to her as he'd been totally consumed by the bride.
Then, moments later, as others began to pile onto the dance floor, Adam grew startled as Jay suddenly appeared and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, man... Go and dance with my wife."
It seemed to him an impossibility that the short-haired man was speaking such words in reference to Amy. He glanced over at the redhead in the beautiful crisp, white satin and lace wedding gown, his gaze lingering probably a lot longer than it should have. Their eyes met and she bit her lip.
Adam's mind was made up, and he made his way to her.
"Hey," she said, smiling softly as he approached her on the dance floor. She moved in for a hug, which he eagerly gave her. His eyes closed for a beat as he inhaled the beautiful, sweet fragrance of her rich red hair.
"Hey... congratulations," he said as he pulled back to gaze into her lovely face again. God, she was beautiful. He'd always loved her exotic hazel eyes and thought he could just about lose himself in them. "You look so beautiful and amazing..." Inwardly, he thought, 'And you should have been marrying *me* tonight - not *him*.'
She smiled brightly and thanked him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Dance with me, Adam..."
Silently, the tall blond man obliged. A slow, soft ballad was suddenly playing, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. They began to dance slowly, in time with the music, and Amy raised her head, gazing up into his green eyes, the smile slowly leaving her face.
She clasped her arms around his neck, her head still as she rested the side of it against his shoulder. Why was she suddenly experiencing feelings of regret and second thoughts? Why did it have to feel *so* good to be in Adam Copeland's arms, even if only for a dance at her own damn wedding?
Adam's eyes closed as they danced, his mind whirling as her luscious, beautiful scent filled his nostrils. He moved his head just enough so that his nose was practically touching her hair. And then, after a moment, she raised her head and met his eyes again. Why was he struck by the overwhelming urge to actually *kiss* her? She was now his best friend's *wife*! Yet, their faces were so near - so close in fact that he felt her warm breath on his cheek.
He was in deep, and he was in deep trouble. There was absolutely no denying it now - he was deeply,
madly and hopelessly in love with his best friend's wife.