"Crossroads"

By Raising Kane

Disclaimer: I'd love to own them both. Oh the fun I could have! Unfortunately it's never gonna happen. I imply nothing about the sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc. of any of the characters. This is simply a work of fiction produced by my twisted and adventurous mind.
Distribution: If you really want it... just ask first please.
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Edge (Adam Copeland), Chris Jericho
Mentions of: Christian (Jay/Jason Reso), David Bautista, Hunter, various others
Content: M/M Relationships, language, angst, sex (talk of)
Notes: My mind absolutely refuses to let me call him Edge, except in the wrestling setting. So he's eternally Adam otherwise. In my pretty little world, none of the guys are married unless so noted. It's fiction; I'm allowed to do that. :D References to WWE story lines from Goldberg's stint with the company (around May 2003) until the present are possible.

*Chris's POV* I finally managed to figure out where Jay was. That's something else I neglected to talk to Adam about last night. Of course if I'd actually been thinking about anything besides Adam's ass in those leather pants last night, I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in now. I really hope Jay has time to talk about this, though I feel bad for asking. It's not like he doesn't have enough on his mind today of all days. As I knock on his door, I'm thinking I should have called first. I mean what if Adam is in there? Wouldn't that be awkward? As I hear footsteps crossing the room, I'm seriously considering bolting and calling to find out. The door swings open and so far I only see Jay. That's a good sign, though Jay looks a little pale. I wonder if he's having second thoughts or something. "Are you okay man? You don't look so good." Oops! Not a good thing to say to someone that's getting married today. Real slick there Chris! "Yeah, I'm okay. I just feel like I'm forgetting something important and it's driving me crazy." Hmmm. It sounds like he needs a distraction. I've got just the thing for him! See Jay never really forgets things, he just thinks he does, and drives himself and everyone else nuts in the process. "Hey, I hate to ask, but could we talk about something. I know you probably have a ton of things to do, but it's really important. I promise to help get everything done on time." "Sure. I could use a distraction about now." See, told ya! "By the way, how'd things go with the birthday celebration last night? Feeling old yet?" Look at that smirk! Just because I'm older than he is does not mean I'm getting old! I scratch the back of my neck, trying to figure out exactly how to approach this with him. I mean he's Adam's friend too, so I'm trying to do this without pissing him off. "Actually that is kind of what I want to talk to you about. I did something monumentally stupid last night and now I'm not sure what to do about it." "Did you get drunk and do a strip-tease on the table at the restaurant or something? I hope Adam got pictures." You may think you're funny Jay, but you're not, trust me. "Well, that might have been good compared to what I actually did." Jay's looking at me a little bit worried now. Might as well get it over with. "IsleptwithAdamlastnight." Okay, if you get the shit out of your mouth and stop mumbling he might actually understand you. Nope, wait, his mouth just dropped open. He got it just fine. "Oh my god! I knew it. After the bachelor party, I just had this feeling. Then I talked to Adam and we set up the whole birthday thing and I knew it was going to happen. So? Was it hot? I need details! Did you like your present? Isn't that sweet, that you let him sleep in? When's he coming down?" Holy shit! Grab a breath there Jay. I don't need you passing out before the ceremony. Here comes the hard part. Deep breath Chris! "It was extremely hot. Details, maybe later. He never actually got around to giving me the present. Yeah, I'm really sweet. Actually, no, I'm not. I'm scum. I don't know when he'll be here, because I'm a damn coward. I freaked out when I woke up, I got dressed, and I left. I've been in my own room for the last 3 hours trying to figure out what to do." Ya know, I don't think I ever noticed Jay's eye twitching like that before. "You did what?" I think I've just gone deaf. I thought Adam was loud? I bet Dave loves that. Whoa! Don't go there Chris. "How the hell could you just leave like that? Do you have any idea what that's going to do to him? It may not have meant anything to you other than extremely hot sex, but it's going to kill him. You idiot! He's in love with you!" I watch as Jay slaps his hands over his mouth. Obviously he did not mean for that last bit to come out. If I didn't already know that, I'd probably be passed out on the floor right now. "I know." Jay's eyes widen even further, which I didn't think was possible at this point. He's gonna ask, I know he is. I so do not want to explain this to him. "What do you mean you know? Did he tell you?" Jay seems surprised by the possibility. Obviously he didn't expect Adam to come clean so soon. Technically he didn't, since he thought I was asleep and all. "Well, I did hear it from him, but I don't think I was supposed to hear it. It was after we were...done. I was lying behind him with my arm over his waist, just getting ready to fall asleep when he said it. I'm pretty sure he thought I was already asleep and I didn't let on that I heard him. I was so tired I couldn't help falling asleep. When I woke up a few hours later, that's when I panicked and split. OW! What the fuck did you hit me for?" Damn, I can't believe he just smacked me upside the head like that. Even if I do maybe deserve it. "I was trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours, though I doubt that's possible. You have to have realized by now that Adam doesn't do one-night stands. So why the hell would you let him fuck you, if you knew that's all it was going to be? I know he's hot, I know he's hung like a bull, and I know that he's damn hard to resist, but damn Chris I thought you valued his friendship more than that." I know my mouth is hanging open, but I can't seem to close it. I can't decide if that's because he thinks I'm that mercenary, if it's because he assumes that I was the one on the bottom last night, or if it's because he's obviously checked Adam out himself at some point. I really hate the fact that Jay would think I'd give Adam up for something so simple. I need to at least try to explain where I'm coming from. "Look Jay, I know it seems like I just jumped on him and left, but it's not like that. The reason I wanted to talk to you was because I don't know if I can be more than just his friend. I'm going to try to explain this to you, and I'm hoping you can help me figure this out." Jay nodded, but I could tell he hadn't calmed down. Hopefully if I'm honest about everything he'll see this from my point of view. I sit down on the bed and rub my hands over my eyes trying to decide where to start. At the beginning, I guess. "I'm sure you've talked to Adam already about what happened at the bachelor party." He gives me a short nod, so I continue. "I'm not sure what happened that night. I know we'd both had a lot to drink and we were back at the table. Somehow when he turned to say something to me, his lips brushed mine and I don't know if it was hormones or the alcohol or what. I couldn't help myself. So I kissed him and it was like addictive or something. I couldn't make myself stop kissing him. Then you guys started making all that racket and I finally realized what we were doing." "At first I thought maybe it was just one of those drunken things you do and we'd both forget about it by the next morning. Only I didn't. I spent the whole week thinking about how he tasted and how he felt pressed up against me like that. I thought I was losing my mind. Then there was that whole deal with Shelton." I hadn't really meant to mention that, but that's what happens when I'm upset I just blurt things out that I hadn't intended to. Of course Jay had to know what I was talking about. "What about Shelton? How is he involved in this?" He really looks puzzled. I really don't want to tell him more about this because I really come out looking like an idiot, but I wanted to be honest, so... "He mentioned that he had wanted to come to the party, because Adam was going to be there. He hinted that he was interested in him and then he asked me to put in a good word for him." I can tell Jay is surprised. Obviously he had no clue about Shelton's interest in Adam either. "So what did you tell him?" "I kind of told him that I thought Adam was seeing someone." Jay's mouth drops but I figure I may as well tell him the rest. "He'd obviously already heard about what happened at the bachelor party, because he asked me if the person Adam was seeing minded the fact that the two of us were playing tonsil hockey that night." Jay starts laughing. I knew he would. Why am I friends with him again? "So not only did you lie to him, he knew that you did it? That's hilarious. It also sounds like you were a bit...jealous?" Jealous? Me? "If you think I'm jealous of Shelton Benjamin you've got another thing coming!" "Well if you weren't jealous, then why would you lie to him? I think Adam and Shelton would be...cute together." Jay's got this huge grin on his face. I'm considering killing him just to get rid of it. "Are you kidding me? They are so completely wrong for each other. Cute? Ha!" Okay so that didn't sound catty at all, did it? "Okay. Enough about Shelton. I know you were going out to dinner and then he was going to give you your gift. Oh and I know about the cheesecake too. What I don't know is how the hell you go from having cheesecake to having sex." **** I'm fidgeting like crazy. I so do not want to go through all this, but at this point I don't think Jay's going to let me go anywhere without all the gory details. Not that they were gory or anything, just really...embarrassing to talk about. I might as well get it over with. "Well. Dinner was great, I actually almost felt back to normal around him. We picked up some wine and went back to the room. He gave me the cheesecake complete with a candle and everything. We were watching the game...no, he was watching the game. He was sprawled out on the bed on his stomach, and I was trying to watch the game, but he was wearing those leather pants and you know how those things look on him." Okay I'm not sounding whiny at all am I? I was trying to elicit at least a bit of sympathy for being tested that way, but Jay's not going to give me any. He's just looking at me with one eyebrow raised. Hey! Gimmick infringement! At least I'm not the only one doing that these days. "So then the game was over and the next thing I know we're kissing and making out like a couple of hormonal teenagers. I tried to tell myself we should stop, but for some reason I asked if he was sure instead. And he said he wanted me. He's sitting there and he's looking at me like he's starving and I'm a ten-course meal. His hair is all mussed and his lips are all swollen from kissing and he's saying he wants me. God, I'm only human Jay. We were all over each other again and the next thing I know I'm naked and he's telling me I'm...beautiful. Don't you dare laugh!" He's trying not to, but the choking sounds he's making are insulting enough. "I know it sounds just hilarious for someone who looks like Adam to say something like that about me. But when he said it...the way he was looking at me. I...I almost felt like I was." I can't even look at Jay right now. I really don't want to let him in on all of my insecurities, even if I'm pretty sure he's already figured it out. I feel the bed dip next to me and then he's got his arms wrapped around me. "I'm sorry Chris. I didn't mean to laugh. You have to know there are lots of guys that think you are gorgeous. I think you're hot." He gives me a big squeeze then pulls back and winks at me. "Though if you tell Dave I said that, I'll deny it. So keep going, I need some more hot details here." I don't know that I want to give him all the details. I mean it's kind of weird since he knows both of us so well to be telling him all this stuff. I want him to understand where I'm coming from though, so here goes nothing. I can already feel the heat in my face and I'm hoping I'm not as red as I feel like I am. "Um. Well then he was touching me and then he...he went down on me and I sort of blanked out I think. I know it didn't last long and when it was over I couldn't have told you my name if you asked. It was better than anything I'd dreamt about and..." "Wait! You had dreams about you two..." "Yes. No I'm not going to tell you about them, but yeah I did." I wait for another comment, but apparently he's going to keep quiet for now. "So anyway...I should have been satisfied, right? But instead I just wanted him more. So I wrapped my arms around him and told him there was something else I wanted. Wanted...Ha! Needed, I needed him more than I've ever needed anything." "He said yes. God, it was perfect Jay. The way he felt around me, the way he reacted to every touch, the way he said my name when he came the second time...it all felt so right, like that's the way it was meant to be. I didn't want to let him go, so when it was over I wrapped myself around him. That's when he said he loved me, when he thought I was asleep." I finally look up at Jay and he's just staring at me. I'm not sure what I said that has him looking like a fish out of water, but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. "He...you..." Real articulate there Jay. "Are you saying that Adam let you...be on top?" "Um. Yeah. Why? Is there some reason he shouldn't have?" Okay this is just weird. Why does it matter who the hell was on top? "No. It's just that he's never..." He doesn't say anything else and it takes me a moment to realize exactly what he meant? "Never?" Oh god! I was his first? Why does that make me so fucking happy yet so damn terrified all at the same time? "Never. He once told me that he hadn't met the man that was special enough for him to give himself to in that way. So I'd have to say he's not just in love with you. I think I'd put it more like completely, totally, head-over-heels, worships-the-ground-you-walk-on, would-bear-your-children-if-he-could in love with you." I'm just sitting here blinking. For some odd reason that last part stuck in my head. I picture Adam with his belly all fat demanding I go get him some Chunky Monkey ice cream at 3A.M. And it's almost funny. Except that on some odd level it's almost appealing. Okay, so I know it's not possible but if it were...what in the hell am I thinking? Babies? No way! Babies mean commitment. I am so not ready for anything like that and why the hell am I worried about it when it's not even possible! I really hate Jay right now for putting that picture in my head. "Chris? Chris! Are you okay?" I finally snap out of my weird thoughts and look at Jay. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just don't know what I should do. What do you think?" I watch as he throws his hands up in the air and wonder if I should be ducking. I really don't want smacked in the head again. "God Chris. I think it's obvious from the way you talk about Adam that you feel the same way he does. Like it or not you're in love with him too. So what is the problem?" I get up and start pacing the room. "No! I know I have feelings for him Jay, but I can't be in love with him. I just can't. And even if I were, which I'm not, I can't tell him." "Why the hell not? I don't get it. It's so obvious that you are. Why would you not want to tell him?" "Don't you see I can't? If I do, then one of these days I'll fuck it up. I'll do something wrong, or not give him something he needs, and I'll end up hurting him, or getting hurt just like what happened with..." I don't finish the thought. I really don't have to because he already knows what I was going to say. "I'll mess up Jay. Then he'll want nothing to do with me. I don't think I can stand to not have him as a part of my life, even if it's just as a friend. That's better than losing him altogether." "Chris, you have to know that Adam is nothing like Hunter. He would never cheat on you. I know what you went through with Hunter was awful and how much it hurt you, but you can't let him color the way you see everyone else." "I know Adam is nothing like Hunter. That's not what I'm worried about. I...I almost thought at one point that I was in love with Hunter, until he changed. Obviously I wasn't giving him something he needed if he had to go to Randy for it. I don't know what it was, but I wasn't enough for him. What if I make the same mistakes with Adam? What if I don't give him what he needs and he decides he doesn't love me anymore? If I take the chance and he leaves me, I don't think I'd survive it Jay." "I know you aren't going to like this idea, but I think you need to talk to Hunter." Excuse me! Is he nuts? "Why would I ever want to do that? I've spent the last 6 months avoiding the guy. I'm not going to go looking for him now." "Look Chris, I think that you should ask him about why he cheated with Randy. I know you don't really want to know, but maybe if he tells you why, then it will at least...I don't know, give you closure. Maybe he just did it because he's a really big asshole. That's my bet, but if he tells you what went wrong, then won't that at least help you?" "So maybe it would help to know, if he'd actually tell me the truth. How though Jay? I can't go chasing after the guy. He'll think I want him back or something." Oh lord! Jay's got that evil plotting look on his face. That look just scares me for some reason. "I think...that I've figured out the perfect job for you to help finish up things for the wedding." Now I'm confused. Talk about a total change of subject. "I think that I need you to go make sure that Dave makes it to the ceremony on time, has the rings, doesn't forget anything. Think you're up for it?" Then it hits me. If I'm with Dave, I'll have to be around Hunter. Hunter's his best man and all. It would give me the perfect excuse to be around him without making it seem like I want to be. I throw my arms around Jay and squeeze him so tight he squeals. "Thanks Jay." "Of course Chris. I just want you and Adam to be happy. Now you had better get out of here before Adam shows up. Dave's in room 320. Get moving and good luck." I'm out the door in no time and on my way to Dave's room. I'm nervous as hell to be honest. I think I really need this. I need to know why Hunter wasn't happy with me...why he needed something else. Hopefully he'll tell me without being a huge asshole about it. If it wasn't my fault, then maybe, just maybe, I can have what I really want. **** *Adam's POV* I'm standing here waiting for Jay to open the door and I'm thinking that maybe I should have left Chris's gift in my room. Jay's going to ask why I didn't give it to him last night. That could be really awkward if Chris is here. Although knowing Jay as well as I do, if Chris is here, Jay's already asked him all about last night. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have called first to see if Chris is here. It might be just a little bit awkward seeing him in front of Jay for the first time since last night. In my typical fashion I've waited too long to consider this point because I can hear footsteps crossing the room to the door. Suck it up Copeland. You can do this! "Hey Adam. Come on in." Whoa. Is it just me or is he looking a trifle pale? I take two steps in the door before I realize I've left Chris's gift leaning against the wall in the hallway. Wouldn't that just make someone's day? I turn around and walk back into the hall to pick it up and when I turn to face the room again, Jay's staring at me curiously. I shrug and grin sheepishly. "So ... how are things for this afternoon? Anything you need me to take care of?" "No, I don't think so. We've got another two hours until we need to get to the hall. I feel like I'm forgetting something though. It's driving me crazy." Oh lord no! I know he hasn't really forgotten anything, that's more my style, but he's going to drive me nuts until he figures out what thinks he's forgotten, but hasn't. Still with me? "Jay, I'm sure you have everything. Don't worry so much. The tuxes are at the hall already, you've written your vows, the reception is taken care of, and the rings..." "Oh my god! I knew I forgot something. The rings...what did I do with the rings?" "Jay..." "I picked them up from the jeweler, because Dave would have lost them...." "Jay..." "Then I took them home and put them in my suitcase." I watch as Jay runs over and starts tossing things out of his suitcase. I barely manage to duck the bottle of shampoo that comes flying at my head. "Jay!" He turns around to look at me and I'm trying so hard not to laugh. I love it when he gets frantic like this. "What? I've got to find the rings Adam. We can't get married without them!" "Jay, calm down. You gave me the rings...at the rehearsal dinner last night. Remember?" Jay's shoulders sag in relief. I'll be damned, he actually did forget something this time. "Actually now that you mention it, I do recall giving them to you. So? Where are they?" I try not to look offended. As if I would forget the...oh man. I try to hide my embarrassment with a cough, but Jay doesn't fall for it. "They're...uh...in my room. With everything that happened last night, I forgot to grab them before I came down here." Way to go Adam, not only did you embarrass yourself, but you also left yourself wide open for questions on that one. "Don't you think maybe you should, I don't know, go get them?" Jay's staring at me with a huge grin on his face. I think I'd better get out of here while the getting is good. I turn towards the door, hoping for a quick escape. "Yeah. I think I'll go do that right now. I'll be back." I hurry out the door, hoping that by the time I've gotten back Jay will have forgotten my comment about last night. **** I dug the rings out of my suit pants pocket. Damn that was a good place to leave them wasn't it? I'm now on my way back to Jay's room. As I walk into the hall I think I see Chris getting on the elevator. I run down the hall to try to catch him, but with my usual luck, the doors close before I can get there. Oh well. Back to Jay's for now I guess. Maybe he sent Chris on an errand or something. I'll have to ask him. I knock on the door and thankfully he is much more prompt at opening it this time. As I walk in I hand him the rings and wait for the inquisition I know is coming. He's so not going to let my comment pass without question. "So...I peeked." I'm just staring at him not really sure what exactly he has been peeking at. Come on Jay, more info please. "Peeked at...?" "Chris's present." Now that's just pretty pathetic when you're sneaking looks at other people's presents. Your own presents, that's another story. "Nosy much?" Now he's looking all offended because I called him on it. He cracks me up. "Well I already knew about the thing in the box, I just wanted a peek at it." He whines. "I didn't know about the other thing though." Now he's pouting. Wait. He looked inside the card too? Man I thought I was bad. "That was a last minute thing. I wasn't even sure I could get them. Then to top it off, with the way things are now, he might end up having to exchange them for next year instead." I know I'm blushing. I'd never really planned on Jay finding out about this. "Season tickets to the Rangers games for 2 people in the VIP section. I'm sure they cost a disturbingly obscene amount of money, didn't they?" Give the man a prize. Not that it's really any of his business, but when has that ever stopped Jay? "Obscene enough I suppose." God! I'm going to be permanently red if this keeps up. "It's only money Jay, it's not that big of a deal. Besides, whatever games he doesn't get to go to, he can donate the tickets to the kids program. So it's like charity as well." "You are so far gone." He's grinning like the Cheshire cat. "If he didn't already know you were in love with him, that would be a sure tip off." Whoa! Back up! Hold the train! He what? I don't have to worry about being permanently red now because I'm pretty sure I've just turned white as a ghost. **** "What makes you think that he knows?" My voice didn't crack this much when I was going through puberty. Please, please, please let it be a guess. "I don't think that he knows...I know that he knows. He was here this morning." Huge groan on my part. That means that Jay knows at least part of what happened. I'm just hoping he doesn't know everything. I sit down on the bed, because I know this is going to be a fun conversation. Not! It doesn't mean Chris knows though, because he was asleep when I said it. Wait a minute... If Jay told him, I'll kill him...slowly and very painfully. "Did you tell him?" Jay looks almost perfectly offended. I would have fallen for it, if we hadn't been friends since we were kids. I've always been able to see that tiny flash of guilt he gets in his eyes when he gets caught at something. "You did! You told him! I can't believe you, Jay! Couldn't you have let me do that myself?" "Wait a minute! I admit I may have accidentally slipped and mentioned it to him and I won't blame you for being mad at me for that...but he already knew, Adam. You did tell him yourself. You just didn't know he was awake at the time." "Oh god! He wasn't asleep?" Breathe Adam! I flop down on the bed with my arm over my eyes. I wasn't ready for him to actually know just yet. I mean sure the present was a huge clue, but I planned on subtly suggesting that we should spend a little more time alone together. Maybe kind of...I don't know, date a bit? I wanted to give him a chance to get used to the idea of the two of us as something more than friends. "Apparently not. Although even if you hadn't said it, I'm sure he'd know by know. Beside the fact that I slipped up and told him, which I so did not plan on doing, he probably would have figured it out when I freaked out about him being your first." I peek from under my arm at Jay who is now scratching the back of his neck and looking at me warily like he expects me to jump on him. It takes a second for what he said to sink in. I sit up quickly and practically roar at him, "You told him what? Damn it, Jay! Are there any of my secrets you didn't tell him about?" Argh! I feel like strangling him right now. That was something I'd never planned on letting out of the bag. It was bad enough that Jay knew about it in the first place. The only reason he did was because I was seriously drunk one night after ending a bad relationship. "I didn't tell him about the present. That ought to count for something." I look at him incredulously. He is kidding, right? "Come on Adam don't be mad at me. Dave would be heartbroken if you killed me before the wedding." I sigh heavily. He's using that pouting little puppy dog look that he has, because he knows I always end up forgiving him when he does it. Just like I will again this time. "So...what did he have to say about last night?" The look on his face and his heavy sigh make me sorry I asked the question. I think my heart just dropped into my stomach. "That bad, huh?" "No. It wasn't all bad." He grimaces as if realizing how terrible that sounded. "When he first got here, he said he'd done something monumentally stupid last night and needed to talk to me about it." I can't help flinching over that remark. Monumentally stupid? It may not all have been bad, but it definitely didn't sound all that good so far either. "Then he told me that he'd slept with you. Um...he said it was extremely hot, if that helps at all." Great. He considers having extremely hot sex with me to be monumentally stupid? This just seems to get better and better. Congratulations Adam! You're a mistake. An extremely hot one sure, but a mistake none-the-less. I couldn't look Jay in the eyes right now to save my life. I can feel the moisture in my eyes, but I refuse to let it turn into tears. I knew there was a possibility that it wouldn't mean anything more than a one-nighter to him, but damn it hurts to know that he regrets it altogether. I lean forward with my elbows on my knees and look down at the floor. My hair falls in a curtain around my face. I'm hoping it hides how upset I am, but Jay will be able to tell anyway. He knows me as well as I know him. "Adam, I know it sounds really bad, but you don't have the whole story. He panicked. After what happened with Chris and Hunter, it's understandable that he's relationship shy. He's afraid that you're both going to end up hurt. Until he puts the past behind him, it has to have an effect on what happened with you." Jay sits beside me on the bed and runs a hand through my hair. He's used that for years to soothe me when I'm upset. Somehow this time it doesn't seem to help as much as it usually does. "Look, I know it all sounds bad, but it wasn't. I wouldn't lie to you about it. He thought about you all week after the bachelor party. He told Shelton you were seeing someone, because he didn't want him to ask you out. The way he talked about what happened between the two of you last night, he's as much in love with you as you are with him. He's just too scared to take the chance right now." "So basically what you're saying is that there was never a chance for this to work out. That because of whatever happened with Chris and Hunter, it was doomed from the start." My voice is rough from the effort of holding back my emotions. Even knowing that it's not me in particular that Chris is shying away from doesn't make it better. It looks like the best I can do is to try to salvage our friendship. If I can't at least have that, I'm not sure what I'll do. "I'm not saying it won't happen Adam. Maybe once he sorts things out with Hunter..." "No! I don't want him to have to suffer any more from that asshole than he has already. Obviously whatever Hunter did really hurt him. He shouldn't have to put himself through dissecting where it went wrong. The best thing I can do right now is try to salvage our friendship and stop hoping for more." "Adam, I really think..." "No, Jay. It's over." I laugh bitterly. "Well it's not really over, because it never got started except in my own head. This is the best choice I can make, and I've got the perfect place to start." "What are you talking about? What are you planning to do?" "Obviously I've got to convince him that last night was just a heat of the moment fling. No big deal. First thing I have to do is get rid of that." I point at Chris's present, which is still leaning against the wall. "But why wouldn't you give it to him?" "After my accidental confession along with the two you made for me," I manage to smile weakly at Jay instead of unleashing the glare that's trying to work its way out, "if I give him that, it will have one of two results. A...I come out looking extremely pathetic and needy, and push him farther away. B...He feels so bad that I spent that much on him, that he tries to give it a shot for my benefit and we both end up hurt when he figures out it isn't going to work." "But you don't know that either of those things would happen, Adam." "It doesn't matter. That's the chance that I am not willing to take. I'll go out and get him an appropriate gift from a close friend. When I see him at the ceremony, I'll act as if last night never happened. If he brings up what he heard me say, I'll pass it off as the lingering effects of afterglow. He wouldn't know if that is normal for me or not since it was the first time we..." I take a deep breath and push away the thought that it was the first and also the last time we'll ever be together that way. I should be happy that I've at least had that, but I'm finding it really hard to convince myself of that at the moment. "But what if he brings up what I told him?" "I made some comments, you misinterpreted them. Simple." "And the fact that it was..." "As far as that goes, you were mistaken. Something I said a long time ago in a drunken moment. It's quite possible that I might have let it happen with someone between now and then and I didn't tell you. It's not like I really discuss my sex life with anyone beyond the normal bullshit locker room discussions." "Adam, I really don't think this is the best thing to..." "Maybe it isn't Jay, but it's what I'm going to do anyway. It's my choice. Is there anything else you need me to do?" He shakes his head, a frown locked firmly on his face. "Then I'll meet you at the hall in an hour. I promise I won't be late. Don't worry about this Jay. I'm sorry it had to come up today of all days. Just concentrate on you and Dave." I give him a quick hug and stand up to head out the door. I've got my emotions on a tight leash. I refuse to let go until I'm away from here. Jay needs to concentrate on being happy. As I reach for the doorknob, Jay hollers out to me. "What do you want me to do with his gift?" It's not really his anymore, is it? I can't look back at him, I'm too close to breaking. I pull the door open a crack and keep my eyes locked on the wall across the hallway. "I don't care. Throw it in the trash, leave it for the maids, or keep it if you want it. The tickets...if you don't want them, it would be nice to give them to the charity for the kids. I'll see you in a bit." I'm really itching to get out the door, but his voice stops me once again. "Adam maybe you should rethink..." "I can't." Short and simple. "Make sure you make it to the hall in an hour or I'll come looking for you. Can't let you skip out on Dave, the guy is bigger than I am." I tried to put a bit of smile in my voice, but I know it was a pathetic attempt. I walk out the door pulling it closed behind me, despite hearing him say my name yet again. I hurry down the hall to the elevators and make a quick escape just in case he's tempted to chase me down. I get in my rental car and head for the nearest mall. I don't have much time to find him something that will suit him. Chris's tastes are usually rather...unusual. I'm fighting tears the entire way, but I refuse to give into them now. After the reception tonight, when I'm alone in my room again, then I'll let myself mourn over the loss of my dreams. **** *Jay's POV* "Adam!" I hurry to the door, but by the time I get it open, he's already walking into the elevator at the end of the hall. How in the world did this all get so messed up? They love each other, it's so obvious. Yet for some reason, instead of them being together and happy, Chris is having a face-off with Hunter of all people, and Adam is going to put on some noble act to convince us all it's better this way. What's going to happen if Chris settles everything with Hunter, then decides he actually wants to be with Adam, only to have Adam try to convince him it was just a one-off. This is going to get worse before it gets better, unless... My eyes land on the present that is still leaning against the wall. I'm hit with a sudden burst of inspiration. This just might work. I'll have to wait and see how things go with Chris and Hunter first, but if that works out... It's perfect! I'll have to set it up though so neither of them suspects that it was intentional. This requires a phone call! I pick up my cell phone from the desk and dial a number, waiting impatiently for the person to pick up on the other end. "Hey sweetheart. I need you to do something for me..." **** *Chris's POV* So here I am standing in front of the door to Room 320. I wonder if he's in there now? Am I really ready for this? Yes. I have to know. I knock on the door and wait. Footsteps, I wonder if it's... The door swings open and there stands the person I've come to face. He just stares at me for a moment, probably wondering why I'm here. I'm not going to get into this in the hallway. Is he going to let me in or not? "Hunter? Are you going to stand there and stare at me all day or are you going to let me it?" He blinks and steps back. He pulls the door open and gestures with his hand. "Uh. Come on in. If you're here to see Dave, he's not here right now. He went to talk to Randy for a minute." He grimaces a bit as he realizes whose name he's just brought up in front of me. I raise my eyebrows a bit as I walk into the room. He closes the door and just stands there, staring once again. Good lord, take a picture, it'll last longer. "Jay wanted me to make sure that Dave has everything, makes it to the church on time, that kind of thing. If I weren't so sure that Dave is too in love with Jay to do something stupid, I'd suggest he include a flea and tick scrub before the ceremony considering the company he's in." Damn. That didn't sound at all bitter, did it? He rubs his hand over his face and sighs heavily. I barely manage to restrain a smirk. Direct hit! "Chris, Dave isn't that kind of person. He'd never cheat on Jay." "I know he wouldn't. If I thought otherwise, I'd be out that door to look for him before you could blink. Good thing I took the time to get to know him instead of judging him by his friends, otherwise I'd have already labeled him a lying, cheating whore." Oops! Couldn't keep the nasty little smirk to myself that time. Could I possibly be more antagonistic? Not a good way to go about getting the information I want, but I can't seem to help myself. I never allowed myself a final confrontation with him to let him know how I felt. Maybe I needed this more than I thought. From the corner of my eye, I notice that Hunter's staring at the floor now instead of me. Good. It was starting to make me feel a little creepy. He sticks his hands in his pockets and you can almost see the wheels churning in his head. I'm actually surprised he hasn't shot off some kind of nasty reply. The Hunter I knew wouldn't take this kind of attitude from anyone. He tilts his head just a bit and I can see he's biting his lip. I'm waiting for him to cut loose on me when he lifts his head and looks me right in the eye. "I'm sorry." Excuse me? I think I'm hearing things. Did he actually say what I think he just said? I haven't moved. Hell I don't think I've even blinked. There's no way he just apologized to me. I shake my head a bit, hoping to clear it. "What?" "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I cheated on you. I'm sorry I lied about it. Most of all, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't." By the time he's done speaking, he's standing in front of me. I was so shocked at what I was hearing I hadn't even realized he was moving. He's sorry? Excuse me if I don't believe that. I'm not actually sure I even care if he is. I hope he's not expecting me to actually forgive him, because there's pretty much a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. This is my opening so I might as well take it. I'm sure as hell not expecting a real response, but maybe he'll surprise me. "You're sorry? Is that supposed to make it all better Hunter? Am I supposed to forgive you? Am I supposed to forget that you were fucking Randy behind my back for months? If that's what you wanted, why the hell didn't you say so? You were the one that pushed the whole relationship issue, and then you started seeing him on the side. So the only thing I'm interested in hearing from you right now...is why. Why did you ask for a commitment from me if you didn't want it and what the hell did Randy give you that you couldn't get from me?" I was shouting at him by the time that I finished my little speech. Ouch! I didn't exactly mean to put it that way or to be that damn loud about it. Can you tell I'm still really pissed off about the whole thing? I certainly didn't mean to give him the idea that I thought I was the one lacking something, even if that may be the case. I mean the whole point of this exercise is to find out where I went wrong so I don't make the same mistakes. He didn't need to know that I feel so inadequate though. I'm sure he'll get a big kick out of that. *Hunter's POV* Chris just answered a bunch of questions without my having to ask them. I had wondered why, after six months of avoiding me at every turn, he had suddenly allowed himself to be alone in the same room with me. It seemed that the night everything blew up in my face he had suddenly acquired his own personal guard. I had tried to talk to him one on one on more than a single occasion. Jay, Adam, and hell even Dave ran interference for him. If I got within ten feet of him, one of them was suddenly attached to him at the hip. I never really expected him to take me back, I just wanted a chance to explain why I had done the things I had. Apparently he's ready to hear it now. I honestly never meant for him to feel like he was at fault for what happened to us. It was strictly my fault. I know that. I had my reasons as stupid as they may sound now. He deserves to know the truth. Even if he doesn't forgive and forget, maybe I can at least have him look at me without all that hatred in his eyes. It kills me, it really does. I'll give him the answers he's looking for though he may not believe me or understand them. Hell, I'm not even sure that I understand them anymore. So I'll let him yell at me if he wants to. If anyone deserves that privilege it's Chris. "No, Chris. It's not supposed to make it better and I sure as hell don't expect you to forgive me or forget what I did. As for the commitment, you're right, I did ask for it. I didn't plan on what happened with Randy and it wasn't anything you did or didn't do that made me go to him." I'm sure I'm starting to sweat, because the next part is going to be the part he'll doubt. I can't help the fact that it comes out as barely a whisper, because I hate ever admitting that I'm in the wrong. "It was something that I did." "Are you trying to tell me that he caught you doing something and blackmailed you? Because I have to tell you that sounds like a pretty big line of shit." "No that's isn't what I'm trying to tell you. Just give me a minute here okay? When we first started out it was just extremely good sex. I think we both know that. The more we got together, the more I wanted it. Then came the night you didn't answer the door. I flipped, thinking you were with someone else. Call it jealousy, possessiveness, whatever you want, but I didn't want you to be with anyone else. That should have been my first clue. When we started the actual relationship, I looked at it as getting to spend time with someone fun and still getting to have all that great sex." He's looking pretty impatient with all this and it's going to get harder as I go. Why am I doing this again? Oh, right, to make him feel better. "We spent more time together and I know I admitted to you that I cared about you and what happened to you, but it still wasn't...I don't know, real I guess? The first night I told you that Vince asked me to stay over to talk story lines with Evolution...that was the truth. The next week, we were in your dressing room before the show. You probably won't even remember it as being different because that was normal for us at that point. We were listening to a CD you'd brought with you, warming up, and at some point I actually started paying attention to the song that was playing." Now he's looking pretty confused. Ha! Just you wait Chris, this ought to surprise the hell out of you. Before I can continue, he has to toss in his two cents again. "Look Hunter, I really don't need a recap of our relationship. I was there, remember? Are you going to get to the point or not?" I sigh quietly. I supposed I shouldn't be so surprised at his impatience. I can't imagine he'd willingly spend any more time with me than he has to. "That is the point though. The whole thing with Randy, it started because of that damn song. Well...in a way." "You started sleeping with Randy because of a song that I was playing? That's about the dumbest goddamn excuse I've ever heard. If you can't come up with something better than that I think I should just..." He's headed for the door. The only way I'm going to stop him is by just blurting it out. Fuck. Not the way I wanted to do this. "It wasn't the song itself that made me sleep with Randy. The song is what made me realize I was in love with you, damn it. That is the reason I slept with him." That came out quite a bit louder than I planned. He stops dead in his tracks with his hand on the doorknob. He turns around to look at me and I swear he's looking at me like I should be locked up in Bellevue. He takes a couple of steps back into the room and looks like he's about to say something when all of a sudden the door swings open. Dave walks into the room quickly. "What the hell is going on in here? I could hear shouting all the way down the hall." He's eyeing both Chris and me. He certainly doesn't look happy either. **** *Chris's POV* I barely heard Dave's entrance into the room, or his demand to know what was going on. All I can do is stare at Hunter after what he just told me. He slept with Randy because...he was in love with me. I don't understand that at all. Aside from the fact that I never even suspected that his feelings for me were that deep, I can't come up with one logical reason why that would make him want to sleep with someone else. I'm hoping he's going to actually try to explain it, but with Dave here it looks like I'm going to have to wait. "It's not a big deal Dave, Chris and I were just talking." Smooth try there Hunter, but I don't think he's going to buy that. "If you were just talking, I wouldn't have been able to hear it down the hall." Dave is all in protecto-guy mode now. He's got his arms crossed over his chest and is practically glaring at Hunter. Kind of weird that he's trying to protect me from Hunter and not the other way around, considering Hunter is his friend and all. I suspect that Jay may have given him the details about Hunter and I, which is fine with me. The only thing is now is not a good time for him to interrupt. I almost found out what I came here for in the first place. I'm damn sure not going to let Hunter get away without explaining what he said. I'm going to have to put it off for now though and do what Jay asked me to do. I'll make sure we have time at the hall before the ceremony though if it's the last thing I do. "Dave, it's okay. Actually I came here to make sure you didn't need anything. I'm also supposed to make sure you don't try to bolt." I give him an exaggerated wink just in case he might decide to take me seriously. "That's one thing you don't have to worry about Chris," he says with a smile. He's relaxed his stance a bit, so I'm hoping he'll give up on finding out what was going on. I doubt it though. "I need to have Hunter pick up a few odds and ends, other than that I think we're all set. We should head to the hall though to make sure everything is set up." I watch as Dave hands Hunter a short list and some cash. He'd better hurry up and get that stuff done. As soon as he gets to the hall and everything is set, I'm dragging him off to some corner so we can finish this. Hunter looks up at me and he must realize my intentions because he nods shortly at me before heading out the door. Dave looks at me with a questioning gaze. "So what was that all about?" "We were talking about why he was with Randy." Dave looks just a bit shocked. Guess he's surprised that I'd actually gotten up the nerve to confront Hunter on it. "That's really why Jay sent you here, wasn't it?" Damn. Hope he doesn't mind. I don't want him being upset with Jay for helping me out. "Yeah. Pretty much. Although he did want me to make sure you didn't need help with anything. I think he would have sent Adam instead though if I hadn't needed to do this." I see his eyebrow raise just a bit. Seems Dave caught the word "need" in there. "Trying to straighten things out, huh? So I take it something happened with you and Adam last night then?" I know I'm staring at him. Is this guy psychic or what? "Yeah. You could say that." This is too weird by half. I want to get going now though so I can get this all over with. "Maybe we should get going so we can check on things." Dave smirks at me. I guess I couldn't be more obvious, could I? "Okay, Chris. I can take a hint. I'll even make sure you get your time to talk to Hunter once we get there. I think you've needed to do it for awhile." You're creeping me out here, Dave. Can't deny it's the truth though. Now I feel a bit bad about avoiding Dave when he and Jay started dating. I think he would have taken my side even from the beginning, which seems rather odd to me. I won't question it though. "Thanks Dave." He nods and we both head into the hallway. As we go to get on the elevator, I hear a door open down the hallway. When I spot Adam stepping out into the hall I hurry onto the elevator behind Dave, hoping that Adam didn't see me. I'm still not ready to deal with him until I finish my talk with Hunter, but I don't want him to think I'm avoiding him either. That would really be a mess. When we get to the hall, I help Dave check to make sure that everything is all set. He and Jay decided to have the ceremony and the reception in the same place since there will only be a hundred or so guests. They decided to keep it small. Except for a few family members, the rest of the expected crowd will be employees from the company. Except for a few tables that were out of place, everything else seems fine. I quickly help Dave rearrange the tables and then we indulge in idle chit-chat while I wait for Hunter to show up. **** *Hunter's POV* As soon as I get to the hall, I spot Dave and Chris at one end of the hall. Chris is leaning against a table talking quietly to Dave about something. I thought about dragging out my errands so I could avoid the rest of our "talk", but that would hardly be fair to Chris. Obviously he's been dwelling on what happened between us and somehow ended up blaming himself for my actions. That's even more cause for regret on my part. It seems I hurt him even more than even I suspected, which is a painful realization. I walk over to the two of them and hand Dave the bag of things he'd asked me to pick up. Just as he takes the bag, his cell phone rings. He sets it on the table behind Chris and answers his phone. In order to avoid everything just a bit longer, I start pulling things from the bag and setting them on the table. I can feel Chris's eyes on me and it's making me nervous. I've never been great at expressing myself and in a few minutes I am going to have to bare all, so to speak. I half listen to Dave's end of his conversation and find I am slightly amused. "Hey babe. What do you need?" He pauses for a moment and picks up one of the items from the table with a smile. I smile as I realize he must be talking to Jay. He really makes Dave happy. "Yes, he's here." He casts a startled glance in Chris's direction and it makes me highly curious. It's obvious that whatever he's talking about involves Chris, though I think Chris is too busy watching me to even notice. "No, not yet..." Dave rolls his eyes a bit and listens for another moment. "Yes, I will make sure that..." This is so weird. It's like they are talking in code that no one else can understand. It must be nice to have that kind of connection with someone. "Whoa. Wait a minute. Are you sure you want to..." He's frowning a bit now, obviously unsure about whatever Jay wants him to do. "All right. If that's what you want. I'll get back to you on the other thing as soon as I know something.... Love you too, babe. See you soon." As he hangs up he looks quickly between Chris and I. I have a feeling my time just ran out for avoiding this discussion. Dave obviously knows we weren't finished talking and he's determined we're going to finish it. I see him nod slightly at Chris who was now looking at him. Chris smiles at Dave and turns to me. He grabs my wrist and tugs gently. "Come on Hunter, let's finish this now so we can have a good time later." Looks like my time finally ran out. **** *Hunter's POV* We cross the room and sit down at a table set up for the reception guests. As we sit down he releases his grasp on my wrist and it tingles for a moment reminding me of how I'd always reacted to his touch. I wish yet again that I'd made different decisions... that he was still mine to hold. I know it isn't going to happen, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it. He's staring at me now, his expression serious, yet otherwise unreadable. "So...would you care to explain what you said earlier? I'm completely stumped over how deciding you were in love with me would make you want to sleep with Randy. I'm surprised you actually felt that way about me, because quite honestly... from the way you acted towards me I never had a clue. I’m kind of curious over what song made you have this huge revelation. I can't even remember what CD we were listening to that night. So come on Hunter, fill me in here." Of course he never had a clue. I wasn't about to let him know how I felt, at least not then. Now it's a completely different story, but it's also way too late to make a difference. Might as well get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. "You were stretching out before your match, listening to some random music like usual. I usually didn't pay attention to the music you had on because I was busy paying attention to...other things." I could feel the heat in my cheeks and I could tell from the smirk on Chris's face that he had no doubt what I was usually preoccupied with. "I don't know what it was about this particular song that caught my attention, but the song was... 'Think About You'." I'm just about to ask him if he's all right because it sounds like he's choking on a hairball or something, when he finally decides he's going to speak. "You decided you loved me based on your reaction to...a Guns N' Roses song?" I can't really tell if he's more amused or shocked. Either way it means I get to see that cute little smirk I have always liked. "I know that's not the reaction a normal person would probably have, but then you know better than almost anyone that I'm not quite normal." I know the smile on my face is kind of goofy at the moment, but it's really nice to be able to just sit and talk with him again. I'm hoping I can explain myself well enough that we'll at least be able to do that once in awhile. "I know it's a weird choice, but parts of it really hit home with me when I heard it. You know... I do remember when we first met. I felt drawn to you even then. I didn't act on it because I was involved with Shawn at the time, but it was there." I can tell that shocked him. I'm also sure it won't be the last time I garner that reaction from him during this conversation. I look down at the table for the next part rather than at him. "I've never really looked at loving someone as a positive thing. I loved my parents once upon a time, but all that ever got me was pain. Dad promised he'd show up for some important event and then he'd miss it to spend time with the boys at the club. My mom loved my dad and I watched her cry time after time because he spent so much time with the boys rather than her or because she found out he'd cheated on her yet again. I swore I'd never get sucked into putting that much of myself on the line for anyone else. I stuck to it too, until Shawn. With him I actually put myself on the line and admitted I loved him, but when he mentioned a commitment, I couldn't do it. That's why we split up. He was tired of pretending we were just best friends around everyone else and I refused to give in." *Chris's POV* Trying to deny his feelings? Now why does that sound so familiar? I won't show him pity for his past. He wouldn't thank me for it. I can sympathise with him however. If this goes where I think it's going, I can almost understand why he did what he did. We shall wait and see. "The first night we got together...I was feeling pretty lonely and I was drunk as hell. I didn't expect it to be more than the one night. When I saw you the next week, I couldn't stop myself from asking you to come back to the room with me. It was like I needed it...needed to be with you. I kept telling myself it was a fling...that we'd both get tired of it and it would simply fade out. The night you didn't answer the door was the night I realized that I didn't want it to be over. Thinking that you might be with someone else ate at me all night. I knew then that I wanted you to myself, but until you brought up a relationship, I hadn't given a thought to how I expected to accomplish that. My first instinct was to bolt then, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't ready to give you up yet, so I agreed to it. The way you made it sound, it wasn't so threatening. Spending time with you definitely wasn't a hardship." He smiles at me and it's my turn to blush now, though I'm not sure why. Maybe because spending time with him, at least for the first six months, wasn't a hardship for me either. We were good together then. I've pushed that time aside though, dwelling on the bad rather than the good. "After I listened to that song, I thought about it. We were like best friends, but not. You'd touched some part inside of me. No matter how much time we spent together...I wanted it to be more. When you weren't with me I would think about you almost constantly. I made decisions on things based on how I thought you would feel about them. I had to admit to myself that I loved you and I panicked. That's where things fell apart. I couldn't help thinking...what if I let myself love you and you never felt the same way about me? What if I let myself love you and you left me? So I left you there in your locker room and made some excuse about getting ready for my match. I went back to my own locker room and just sat there. I tried every way I could think of to convince myself that loving you was a good thing, except I kept coming back to the fact that everyone I've loved has ended up hurting me." Panicking over being in love with someone. Check. I'm beginning to find eerie similarities between the two of us. I'm not sure I like where this is headed anymore, but I won't stop him. I think he needs to get it out as much as I've needed to hear it. It's kind of weird to think that if he'd opened up to me like this when we were together, it may not have ended the way it did. It may not have ended at all. I never would have had this chance to be with Adam, and as much as I might have felt for Hunter if we had stayed together, I know what I feel towards Adam is so much more. I'm at least ready to admit that to myself now. It's actually a good thing that Hunter and I broke up. I'm looking at this from a different perspective. I can honestly say now that I am more angry because he betrayed our friendship with lies than over the fact that he actually had sex with someone else. Not that cheating is a good thing, but it isn't the main issue for me. Maybe after this he can look at things from a different viewpoint as well. Why do I find myself wanting to help him with that? "I told you that I needed to stay and talk with the guys that night, but I really wanted the time to think. That's all I planned on doing, I swear. Then Randy showed up and started making passes at me. I knew he was after something and I should have tossed him out, but that irrational part of my head came up with a plan just to see if I was really as deep into us as I thought. It was stupid. I'll be the first to admit it. I thought that I could prove I didn't actually love you by being with him. After all, if I could go through with it, then I couldn't actually be in love with you, at least to my way of thinking. So I stopped fending him off, to see what my reaction would be. Before I knew it, he was on his knees and well... you get the picture. Except while he was touching me, I still thought of you, the way you touched me. At the end it was still your name that I yelled and let me tell you, that pissed him right off. The only reason I cared that he was mad was because I felt so damned guilty and I knew he'd tell you." I get the whole thinking thing, obviously since that's the course I took myself, but couldn't he have... I don't know talked to someone instead of letting Randy... do what he did? Good question Chris! Let's ask. "So why didn't you try talking to someone or something before you...let Randy do what he did?" "Look at my choices, Chris. I wasn't close to Dave back then. Hell, the reason Dave and I started getting to be friends was because he found me crying over you. " Hello! Didn't know that. "Ric... well Ric doesn't believe in real love. He's more a lust 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. Who was I going to actually talk to? Except for you, I didn't have anyone close enough to talk to at that point. Talking to you would have meant admitting what I was feeling and that was why I couldn't go to you. I'm not sure that makes sense, but..." Oh yeah. That makes a hell of a lot of sense actually. If I hadn't had Jay to go to, I probably would have sat in my room until I drove myself nuts thinking about it. If I hadn't had Jay to talk to about this... would I have done something as stupid as what Hunter did? I'd like to say no, but... "Let's say I can see how you'd do what you did with Randy that night. Not that I wouldn't have been pissed off about it, but maybe I could have understood it. Why did you keep going back to him? Three months Hunter? If it didn't work the first time, why would you think it would help after that?" **** *Adam's POV* For all my good intentions, I didn't make it any further than the mall parking lot before I started crying. I sat there for a good fifteen minutes with my head against the steering wheel and tears streaming down my face before some concerned passer-by knocked on the window to see if I was alright. I wasn't alright, but I managed to convince them that I just felt a bit ill. Some people will buy anything if you're convincing enough. Which brings me back to my plans for how to deal with Chris. I can't do that with him. I can't outright lie to him. If I do that, then the friendship I'm trying to hold onto so desperately would be a mockery of what it once was. It's still not looking good for the home team, that would be me, to end up on the winning end. I have to be honest with him. The new plan is to try to put things off until after the reception. This has caused too much extra stress for Jay on what is supposed to be his special day. I'll clue him in to my plans, but hopefully keep everything simple until he's taken off with Dave for their honeymoon. Once they're gone, I'll ask Chris to come back to my room and I'll spill everything. Note to self...get key from Jay for his room so I can pick up Chris's gift. I know that I told Jay to get rid of it, but I know Jay well enough to know he won't do it. He's too used to my fits of temper and irrationality to listen to me unless I've stuck to the same story for at least a week. While I'm here though, I really need to try to find another gift for Jay. The guy really is a true friend and I don't show my appreciation for him nearly enough. **** The mall didn't have what I was looking for, but they were kind enough to head me in the right direction. A couple of crystal flutes and a very old bottle of Roederer Cristal Rose later, my checkbook is quite a bit lighter, but I feel much better. It's something Jay and Dave can save for their first toast alone together in the new house they've just purchased. I prefer the twenty dollar a bottle variety myself, but Jay has always had a taste for expensive champagne. Arriving at the hall with about ten minutes to spare, I tuck the nicely giftwrapped box under my arm and go in search of Jay. He's the first person I find and it looks as if he's getting ready to change. I smile at him as I walk into the room. He eyes the package I have with me suspiciously. I can't help but laugh at the disgruntled look on his face. "Relax, Jay. It's not for Chris. It's a thank you gift for you and Dave... for putting up with me." I also can't hold back rolling my eyes at the cocky smirk on his face. "You changed your mind didn't you?" Why am I friends with him again? Oh right, because he knows me better than I know myself most of the time. "Yes, Jay. I changed my mind. After the reception, I'll ask him if we can talk in my room. I promise to be honest with him and I'll give him his gift, which I'm assuming you still have somewhere?" He's bouncing around now like the energizer bunny on speed. Like the thing doesn't have enough energy on it's own? All of a sudden he stops dead in his tracks. He's looking at me with that cute little Jay pout...you know the one. Wonder what's got into him now? "But Adam, if you wait until after the reception, I'll have to wait a whole two weeks to find out what happened." Yikes! I hate it when he uses the "Christian whine". Yes we did actually name it that. It drives half the company insane when he turns it on, too. *Jay's POV* I knew he'd change his mind! There are few people I know better than Adam. The one exception would be Dave. Looks as if my backup plan wasn't necessary. Thank goodness. Not that I wouldn't have gone through with it, but it will be much easier on our friendships if I don't have to interfere in Adam and Chris's romantic problems. Adam especially tends to get a bit prickly about things like that. Now I just have to hope that my whine was whiny enough. Can you believe they actually named it the "Christian whine?" If I weren't so good at it, I'd almost be offended. "I'll tell you what, Jay... If things work out, I'll leave you a voice mail. If you really feel the need to check it while on your honeymoon, then you'll be able to find out. I think you might have other things on your mind, though." "Of course I'll check it. You know that I have to know what is going on. Although..." My mind wanders off to exactly what Dave and I will be doing on our honeymoon. I can't wait! Two whole weeks alone with him! "...go find Chris and get him back here so we can get ready." By the time I've realised what Adam just said, he's already out the door and on his way into the hall. That's when I happen to remember exactly what Chris is doing at the moment and who it is he's doing it with. Oh shit! "Adam!" I chase out the door after him, yelling down the hall. "Adam, come back here!" He stops just as he reaches the door into the hall itself. He looks back at me in amusement. "Jay, get back there. You can't let Dave see you before the ceremony. It's bad luck. I'm just going to grab Chris real quick so we can all get changed." "No, Adam, wait. Chris is..." It's too late though. He's already pulled the door open and he comes to a stop on the threshold. "...very obviously occupied at the moment." Man, he sounds really pissed off. I wonder... I take a quick peek around him. I jump as he slams his hand hard against the doorframe and watch as he turns around and heads back to the room we just left. I'm still in shock at what I saw. Damn it, Chris. What the hell were you thinking? **** *Chris's POV* "I didn't, Chris. Honestly, I know what you think, but what Randy said the night you left me, it wasn't true. He knew you were standing there. I think he said it out of revenge and you never really gave me a chance to deny it. I'm not going to say nothing else happened, because you caught us together so you obviously know something else did. There's a long story behind that though." "If it wasn't true, why did you look so damn guilty that night? The look in your eyes...if it hadn't been there, I probably would have thought Randy was lying, but your face was pure panic, Hunter." "I'm getting to that. This is where things got even more screwed up. Our relationship was going to hell. That was completely my fault. I felt so guilty. I wanted to tell you and hope you'd forgive me for what happened, but I kept putting it off. That's why I treated you like I did. If you couldn't forgive me, I needed the distance between us so it wouldn't hurt so much when you left. I know now that it was too late, it was going to hurt anyway, but at the time it made sense." "The night you walked in on me and Randy in our room...I wasn't actually going to do anything with him. That's the honest truth. He came to me and told me that if I didn't get him a match for Wrestlemania, he was going to tell you what happened in the locker room. I wasn't going to let him blackmail me into anything, especially going to Vince for him, so I told him to get out and I went in the bathroom to take a shower. When I came out, he caught me by surprise and tackled me on the bed. That's when I figured out he had stripped while I was in the shower. I was getting ready to toss him off me when you walked in. I know it sounds like bullshit, but it's not. You were too pissed off to notice I had a towel on and I knew you wouldn't buy the truth, at least not then." "So why didn't you try to explain it later?" He really looks to be sincere. I don't know whether to buy it or not though. It wouldn't be the first time he's lied to me, but this time he doesn't have anything to gain... at least not that I know of. "Another one of my not so brilliant ideas...you'd caught me out, or so you thought and if I took the blame for that, maybe it would take care of the guilt without me having to actually confess to the blowjob. I mean, that was worse right? I figured if I tried to tell you the truth and you didn't believe me, I'd still have to confess to what happened before, and then you'd really be pissed. I know lying was wrong, but I was desperate for any chance to keep you with me. I was so thankful that you were willing to give me another chance. I wanted to make up for all the mistakes I'd made and treat you the way you deserved to be. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it too, until the night of Wrestlemania." I grimace as I recall that night. We'd only had a small fight and I hadn't worried about it too much because I knew he had to drop the title that night. The drinking afterwards though was too much to handle. Hunter wasn't a pretty drunk, especially when he was drinking tequila and I was thankful he didn't do it too often. "You did get pretty soused that night." I just love stating the obvious. *Hunter's POV* "This is where we get to the reason for me looking so guilty that night. I was pretty drunk by the time you left that night. I didn't blame you for leaving because honestly I was being an obstinate pain in the ass. We both know that. Benoit did deserve that title, but with the injuries I've had I'm not sure how long I'll be around yet. I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could. That's my only excuse." Told you I'd shock him again. Obviously he didn't know those things were weighing on me. We were just starting to rebuild things and I didn't want to burden him with outside issues. Yet another mistake I made with him. "The point is, I was so drunk when you left that night that I didn't even realize at first that you were gone. Once I did figure it out, I got pissed off at myself for driving you away. I finished what little was in the bottle and laid down with the plan to make it up to you the next day. That's the last thing I really remember from that night...until I woke up about 4 hours later. I was trying to figure out how I'd ended up undressed and under the covers. I was kind of hoping you'd decided to come back and I didn't know different until I rolled over and found Randy in bed next to me just as naked as I was. He'd told me the week before when we fought that if I didn't come through with a match for him, he'd make me regret it. I don't remember doing anything with him. I don't know how I ended up naked. It's all blank. As far as I could tell there wasn't any evidence that we'd done anything, but he insisted we had." "That's ridiculous. There's no way in your condition that you could have gotten it up Hunter. I've been there before, remember?" Now that hurts just a little bit. I mean sure it happened once or twice, but it's not normally a problem...That little shit. Look at that fucking smirk. He knew I'd jump on that. At least he's joking with me now, I'd much rather have that than his hatred. "I know it wasn't likely, Chris. The only reason I doubted it was because if I'd rolled over after it wore off some and found a warm body next to me, I'd have assumed it was you. I might have tried something. You know how much trouble I had keeping my hands off you...and we still weren't back to being intimate. I'd have jumped at the excuse that I was too drunk to remember I wasn't supposed to be touching you. So I couldn't be one hundred percent sure. That is why I looked so guilty. I wanted to tell you what had happened that night, but I didn't want you to kick me to the curb before we could work things out. Between my insecurities and Randy's interference, there was no way to save things at that point. I was hoping to explain later, but you wouldn't have anything to do with me. Now...now I think it's too late. There's someone else..." I have a feeling I know who it is too. Damn that lucky bastard. He'd better take care of him or I'll kick his ass, my right or not. "Yeah. There is. I won't insult your intelligence, Hunter. He's the reason I needed to find out why things went wrong with us. I...I love him. I wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes with him, because I think this is really it." Well, fuck. I knew it, but it doesn't make me any happier to hear it. I was still hoping... "That's good, Chris. I'm...I'm happy you found someone. He'd better make you happy though, or I'm going to be the first in line to kick his ass." I'm really surprised when Chris grabs my hand. I didn't expect any gestures from him at all. "Look, Hunter. There was a time, before all the fighting, that I thought a lot about whether or not I loved you. If things hadn't started going downhill, I think maybe I could have. I think maybe if you're honest with yourself, you had feelings for someone else before you ever felt that way about me. Maybe you should give him a call and give it another shot. You didn't do half bad with commitment you know. True you messed up with the bit in the locker room, but I could have forgiven you that. I...I believe you about the rest of it. It was circumstance. If you'd been honest with me, it may have worked out. It's too late for us to be happy together, but maybe if we can be honest with the ones we love, we can both be happy apart. I bet he'd be happy to hear from you." It's more than I hoped for, but less than I wanted. Maybe he's right though. There's still a part of me that will always belong to Shawn. Maybe if I go crawling back on my hands and knees, he'll give me another shot. If it works out, I'll have Chris to thank for it. I think I'm over this whole fear of loving issue. I do love Chris, but it didn't kill me when he left, it just hurt like hell. I survived it though and now that I know there's no chance he'll take me back, I can try to let go. I'll wait awhile and then give Shawn a call. Maybe I will end up happy. There's one thing I want though. Closure. Chris and I never really had that until today. Maybe he'll even give me that last thing I need to say goodbye to my feelings for him. It couldn't hurt to ask right? "We should go get dressed soon, Hunter. The guests will be arriving in about half an hour." He stands up and I get up as well. If I'm going to do this, it will have to be now. "Chris, wait. Can I ask you for one last thing? I know I don't have the right to ask, but I think it would help me let go. Can I...can I kiss you goodbye?" I'd laugh if I weren't so serious about this. He looks shellshocked. I watch as he darts a quick glance around the room. I can't blame him for not wanting witnesses. "Yeah. Sure. I suppose a goodbye kiss can't hurt." Chris has always been so generous, wanting to help others. I wish I could be half as good as person as he is. I pull him into my arms and cover his mouth with my own. Damn. He's still so sweet. I feel some pain at knowing this is the last time I'll be able to touch him, but it's healing in a way. Now I can move on with my life without him. I pull away, not wanting to press things too far. I'm gently stroking my hand down his face when there's a loud boom behind me. I loosen my grip on Chris and turn to find out what the noise was. Jay's standing in the doorway shaking his head and Chris has turned pale as a ghost. Well fuck. Now I know what the noise was and if Chris doesn't want to kill me, Jay or Dave may just do it for him. **** *Hunter's POV* I feel like a complete ass at the moment. If it hadn't been for me asking more of him than what I really deserved, Chris wouldn't look like he just lost his best friend right now. I guess if Adam refuses to listen to reason that might actually be what ends up happening. As much as I wanted another shot with Chris, I wouldn't want it this way. I feel as if I should do something, but I have no clue what. "I'm sorry, Chris. Do you...do you want me to go explain to him..." Chris is looking at me like I'm insane and I guess I don't blame him. That was a pretty stupid idea. Adam has one hell of a temper and the last thing we need is to have a fist fight just before the ceremony. I probably wouldn't get two words out before he started swinging. "Okay, that was a stupid idea. I hope you work things out with him and I'm sorry for my part in this. I promised I wasn't going to hurt you anymore and I managed to do it again anyway." "It's not your fault. I didn't think it would hurt anything if it was something you needed. Obviously I didn't expect him to...to walk in here just then, but I'm sure once I explain everything it will be just fine." I would feel better if he looked like he actually thought it was going to be that simple. He's still way too pale for my comfort. "You should go change. I'll talk to you later though...and good luck with Shawn." As he turns and hurries towards Jay I'm hoping that he does manage to straighten things out. Hopefully Adam is smarter than I was and he'll talk things out with Chris. I'd hate to think what it will do to Chris if Adam refuses to listen. The fact that Chris loves him should mean more than the world to him. I let that chance slip by me, hopefully Adam won't be that stupid. If he is...I will keep my promise and beat the hell out of him for hurting Chris. It may not be right, but it will make me feel a hell of a lot better about my part in all this. I need to go get changed and let Dave know about what happened. I'll be lucky if all he does is pin my ears back with a few choice words over this. *Chris' POV* I can't believe that Hunter actually volunteered to go talk to Adam. Is he insane? Knowing him, Adam would punch him first and ask questions later. That would so not go over well and Adam would hate himself later for making a scene here. I've already made enough mistakes today to compound it by letting Hunter go talk to him. I wished Hunter luck with Shawn and I really hope it does work out for him. Maybe he can finally be happy. Now if I can just explain things to Adam, maybe I'll get to be happy as well. As I walk towards Jay I can see the confusion on his face. I don't blame him. I'm sure the last thing he ever expected to see was me kissing Hunter again. I don't want to ask for his help with this though. This is his day and he shouldn't have to be worrying about Adam or I, though I know he will. "We should go get changed soon Chris. That's why he was on his way in here. I tried to stop him, but...fuck, Chris. What the hell were you thinking?" Yeah, he is worrying about this. I deserve this I suppose. I should have known things couldn't go smoothly for me now that I've found something I really want. "Jay, it wasn't...it wasn't what it looked like. He wanted to say goodbye and I didn't think it would hurt anything. Obviously I wasn't expecting Adam to see it, but once I get him to listen to me, I can explain everything." Like it's going to be that simple, right Chris. Jay echoes my sentiments. "Adam...listen? Yeah, right. Not when he's that pissed off. If you are lucky he might listen to your explanation next month. I've already had to convince him once today not to give up on you. He knows that you know Chris. His reaction to you leaving was just...not good. He was all set to convince you that it was a mistake and that he was just fine with it being a one-off because he thinks that was what you wanted. Then he decided he was going to talk to you later and be honest with you then let you decide where the two of you went from there. I don't know what he'll do now. Knowing him, he's assuming the worst...that being you getting back together with Hunter. Oh hell. His temper...we'll be lucky if he hasn't torn the dressing room to hell." Jay turned and hurried in the direction of the dressing room with me right on his heels. Please, please don't let him have gone AWOL. I'm more worried about that than any damage he might have done. If he left because of something I did, and he's not here for Jay's ceremony, I'll happily strangle myself. I don't think he'd actually do that to Jay, but with his temper he might not be thinking all that clearly. Especially if what Jay said is true. Without knowing what was actually going on with Hunter and I, he probably is assuming the worst. I'd imagine he's feeling pissed off and quite a bit hurt right now. Please, please give me the chance to fix this soon. When we reach the room, Jay carefully turns the doorknob and pushes the door open just a bit. There isn't so much as a sound from within the room. Jay carefully pushes the door open a bit farther, ready to duck any missiles headed his way. We both look in the room and I don't know about Jay, but I'm shocked as hell. Nothing seems out of place and there's no sign of Adam. Just as that thought crosses my mind Adam walks out of the adjoining bathroom in his tux. Jay and I exchange a puzzled look and then we both walk in the room. "Hey guys. You really should get changed. Not too long from now the guests will start arriving. Chris and I should get out there to do some greeting until we need to come get you Jay." It looks like Adam, sounds like Adam...so why am I not liking the way this is going? He seems almost too calm. That's when he looks up at us and smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes at all. Actually looking at him it's like he's not even really here and his words seem automatic and rehearsed. "Guys? Get in here and change. Do I need to drag you in here and help you or something?" I shake my head slightly and head over to where my clothes are hung up. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Jay watching Adam with this strange look on his face. At least I'm not the only one that thinks his reaction is weird. "Adam, are you..." Oh god Jay. Shut up. Don't set him off right now. I want to talk to him too and ask about the way he's acting, but not at the risk of setting him off when there will be so many people here soon. He raises his eyes from the floor and that look is still there. It's like he's just not...there at all, empty. I can feel my heart clenching in my chest. Please, please don't let him have given up on me yet. "Am I what, Jay?" He pastes on that dazzling smile, but you can tell it's not real. "I...just wondered if you were still going to do the first toast is all." Obviously Jay is still as much at a loss over Adam's reaction as I am. It's obvious that wasn't what he was going to ask, but I can't blame Jay for backing off. "Of course I am Jay." He smiles a genuine smile for Jay this time and I almost feel better for a moment. "Unless you and Dave wanted Hunter to do the first one?" Nope. Back to feeling like shit. There was definite ice in his voice when he mentioned Hunter's name. "No... no, Dave and I agreed we want you to do the first one." "Okay then. Of course I will. You know I'd do anything for you Jay." He gave Jay a quick hug and then walked towards the door without looking back at either of us. "I'm going to go out and see if anyone's here yet. I'll be back soon Jay." As the door closed behind him I looked at Jay. "What the hell was that?" Jay shrugged, looking just as puzzled as I am. "I don't know, Chris, but I don't like it." I finished dressing in a hurry. My head snapped up and I looked at Jay with panic as a thought crossed my mind. "Jay, what if Hunter's out there already?" Bloody everlasting hell. The last thing we need is for Hunter to try to explain things to him. I can honestly see Adam punching him if he even tries...although Adam is acting much differently than either Jay or I expected so far. Either way I need to hurry up and get my ass out there. I grimace as I think about the possibilities and flash a questioning look at Jay. "Do you need anything else before I head out there? Maybe I can send Adam back here. It might be better if he's not around Hunter for long." I'm already heading for the door as I wait for his reply. "I don't need anything else. If you think it would be better for him to be back here, make an excuse and send him back. I'll figure out something to keep him occupied until we're ready for the ceremony." I nod at Jay and then walk out the door, heading back to the scene of the crime so to speak, hoping that nothing bad has happened so far. **** *Adam's POV* I'm sure Chris and Jay are both confused right now. I know they expected to find the room in shambles when they came back and to be quite honest that was my first inclination. I wanted to rage and scream and throw things, because even if what I saw doesn't mean what I think it means, it still burns my ass that Hunter was kissing Chris. You're probably thinking that just smacks of jealousy and possessiveness...you know what...you're damn right it does! Even if I don't have the right to feel that way...I do. I don't want anyone's lips on Chris' but mine, so sue me. I picked up a chair when I walked in the dressing room and was just about to fling it across the room in a spectacular fashion when my eyes landed on Jay's tux. I managed to clamp down on that need to destroy when I remembered that today wasn't about me or Chris or Hunter...today was Dave and Jay's day and I needed to keep that in mind. It doesn't matter that I love Chris more than anyone I've ever had in my life. It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't feel the same. It doesn't matter if he is getting back together with that damn prick Hunter. And it doesn't matter how I'll feel about it if he tells me that is what he's going to do. I promised Jay earlier that I would talk to Chris and give him his gift and I still plan on doing that. Even if he is getting back together with Hunter, I still need to tell him the truth. It will help explain why I won't be around him as much if he is taking that asshole back. I want Chris to be happy. If being with him is what it takes then so be it, but you can't honestly expect that I'll want to watch them slobber all over each other. So I'll check with Chris later and as long as he doesn't have plans with the blond bitch... sorry does that sound spiteful? As long as they don't have plans, I'll still ask him to come back to my room so we can talk tonight. Surprised I'm acting so mature? Trust me so am I. Facing reality is painful sometimes, but if I want Chris to take me seriously later I need to act my age and not my shoe size. So despite the fact that I was pissed off as all hell, I didn't disturb one single thing. I took my tux into the bathroom and after punching the wall a few times, I wiped the moisture off my face and I started changing. Hey! It was much better than going and punching Hunter, though that was my second inclination. My hand hurts like a bitch, but I don't think I broke anything and best of all neither Jay nor Chris noticed the broken skin on my knuckles. I don't think they caught the redness of my eyes either. At least I don't think they did. They were both pretty quiet until I left the room...most likely due to that shock I mentioned. I hugged Jay and walked out of the room after our little talk. I couldn't look at Chris right then or I'd have gone back on everything I've said and asked him to tell me what the hell was going on. If I can keep it together until after the reception I'll figure I've done a good job. Of course I didn't think about the fact that Hunter was going to be out here to greet guests as well. I shove down the inclination to use his face as a punching bag. Lucky for me too because the first guests have arrived and it would have to be Vince and Linda. Getting in a fight with other talent just wouldn't look good and it'd embarrass Jay and Dave. I won't do that to them. So I fight down my instincts and go over to greet them with the most genuine smile I can muster. Hopefully they buy it because it's the best I can do when I feel like my heart's been ripped out of my chest. *Hunter's POV* So I managed to spit out my side of the story to Dave without getting punched for it. He did a hell of a lot of growling and cussing though and if you've ever seen Dave growl and cuss...it's a scary sight. He made it clear that I should stay away from both Adam and Chris for the night. Of course that's when I had the lovely thought cross my mind that there is going to be dancing at the reception. You know the DJ's always have those lovely ideas...the couple's first dance, the parents dancing, and of course the members of the wedding party dancing together. "Dave, I hate to bring this up, but what about the dancing? Were you planning on having the wedding party dancing together, because if you were I see a huge problem here." Dave turns to me with a look of sheer horror on his face. Oh god! That was obviously the plan. "I mean the way it would normally go, I should start the dance off with A...Adam and I don't think that's such a good idea. Of course me dancing with Chris might be an even worse idea...at least from Adam's point of view." "Damn it, Hunter. This just keeps getting worse. Yeah. That was the plan, but we'll have to figure out something else. I do not want you two fighting today. If you upset Jay in any way I'll kill all of you with absolutely no qualms. He was already worried enough about Chris and Adam before all this and I'm betting it's ten times worse now. Why can't things ever be simple around here?" I'd answer him, but I really don't know what to say to him, so I decide to head for the hills instead. "I'm going to go out and greet the guests as they show up. Where is Ric anyway? He is going to be here, isn't he?" I know Ric doesn’t really believe in love, but he did promise Dave he'd stand up for him. If he doesn't show up, I'll kick his ass myself and save Dave the trouble. "Yeah, he'll be here. He went to pick my parents up from the hotel. You can relax. At least about that. Go ahead and get out there. I'm almost ready, so I shouldn't need you back here until the last minute." So I'm off to do guest duty and as soon as I walk into the hall, who do you think is the first person I see? Bingo! The last one I really want to at the moment. He's fully aware I'm in the room too. What's that saying? If looks could kill...I would be dead on the spot. Then he smiles. I'm confused for just a moment wondering if he's completely lost his mind when he turns and walks towards the door. Vince and Linda...that explains it all. Can't misbehave in front of the boss now, can we? This may be a stupid idea, but I walk in their direction to say hi as well. So after doing the proper with Vince and Linda, I turn to look at Adam. He may be smiling but he's still shooting daggers at me with his eyes. So what do I do? Hold my hand out to him. That's it. Antagonize the guy why don't ya Hunter? Surprisingly he actually takes it...oh yeah, right. Vince and Linda are still standing here with us. I squeeze his hand a bit harder than I normally would. Male posturing at it's best. He hisses quite loudly and it takes me a moment to figure out why. I look down at his hand and note the nice shade of blue that decorates his knuckles along with a spot or two that had been split open. That looks like it just might hurt. Linda's looking at him a bit concerned right now, but for some reason I can't stop from opening my mouth. "Hit any walls lately?" He tosses out a smirk for Linda's benefit though I can see the underlying desire to pound me into dust still in his eyes. "Well, it was either that or the mirror and I figured I had better odds against the wall fighting back." He tilts his head to the side and flashes that evil grin at me. You know the one where you just know he's plotting something downright nasty? I let go of his hand and back up a step. Hey, I'm not completely stupid. "You know how it is don't you Hunter? When you need to release a little frustration but the source of that frustration isn't around to take it out on? I'm sure you've hit a wall or two." Of course I'm clear on his meaning. He took it out on the wall because I wasn't close enough to pound on, but right now I am and whether Vince and Linda are here or not, he's almost reached his limit. And the save goes to Linda. I watch as she lays her hand on his arm and he immediately turns to her with his smile back in place. "Are you okay Adam?" I freeze while I wait for his response. Way to open a can of worms there Linda. When he does answer her, it's not what I expected him to say and damn if I don't feel all the worse for it. "I'm fine. I got some really bad news earlier," he turns and looks at me for just a second before returning his attention to her, "and I let my temper get away from me a bit, but it doesn't matter now. The only thing I'm going to think about for the next three or four hours is keeping Jay and Dave from bolting and seeing them on their way to happily ever after. They deserve it." He manages a genuine smile for Linda. "Thanks for asking though. Now why don't I find you and Vince a place to sit right up front?" He leads her off towards the seats without looking back leaving Vince to follow behind them. Vince looks at me for a moment as if he's going to demand an explanation of what just happened, but I shrug at him like I don't have a clue. I'm not about to air our little group's dirty laundry, not even for Vince unless he insists. As he trails behind Linda and Adam, Ric finally makes an appearance with Dave's parents. I take over seating them so he can go change into his tux. As I'm heading back towards the door two things happen at once. First, Chris makes an appearance, apparently here to help seat the guests. Just after I see Chris walk into the hall, I hear Adam's voice from the doorway. "Mark! Shawn! I didn't think you guys were going to make it." I stop in my tracks and turn my head towards the door. I honestly didn't expect them to be here either and I can't say I'm happy that they came together. Just looking at him though makes my heart beat faster and my palms go sweaty. Chris was right. As much as I might love Chris, Shawn's the one I'm in love with and there's no way I can deny it anymore. It would probably be really tacky of me to try to spill my feelings here at the reception since he's obviously here with Mark, but nothing says I can't talk to him and try to arrange a time for us to talk later. I can't help but growl when Adam leans in and hugs Shawn. I cut it off rather quickly though when I realize that how I felt just now is probably a tiny fraction of what Adam felt earlier when he saw me kissing Chris. Now I'm back to wishing I could help the two of them somehow. I'll just have to keep my eyes open for an opportunity and hope for the best. I smile at Shawn when he passes by me on Adam's arm as he leads them towards their seats. I feel a little lurch in my chest when he smiles back at me. Hey, a little hope is better than none. Now that he's given me that little bit, I won't give up until I have him back. "Everything okay so far?" Chris' voice to my right startles me out of my thoughts. "He hasn't jumped on me, if that's what you're asking, but no everything isn't okay. He's a much better actor than I ever gave him credit for though. That's for damn sure." I hear Chris' sigh and I want to comfort him, but with Adam heading back this way it would not be a good idea. "We'd better head to the door and seat some of these people. It'll be show time pretty soon." As I turn towards the door I catch Adam looking from me to Chris and back again. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath and without looking back at either of us turns and heads towards the door again. Chris has his work cut out for him and I'm more determined than ever to help in some way. I just need an idea. *Chris' POV* I'm thrilled to see they haven't killed each other. I honestly was concerned that they wouldn't be able to be in the same room without provoking each other. Lord knows that Hunter trying to help right now would end in disaster. I watch Hunter as Adam greets Shawn and Mark. It's kind of humorous watching that little flash of jealously that Hunter can't hide. As far as anyone knows, Shawn and Mark are just biding time with each other. Rumor is that Mark's actually in love with someone else, but he thinks he's too old to make it work. So he spends his free time with Shawn who everyone knows is still in love with Hunter. Shawn and Mark do care about each other though. They just weren't meant to be. I wonder if Hunter will get up the nerve to say something to Shawn tonight. It should be interesting. I walk over to Hunter to make sure I haven't missed anything. It's probably not a good idea to let Adam see us together too much, especially if I plan to have any chance of talking with him later, but I need to make sure they aren't going to suddenly go for each others' throats. I don't dare question Adam so that leaves me one option. Of course with my luck Adam does see me talking to Hunter. His reaction just about killed me. I'm pond scum. If I could just think things through before I act, I wouldn't be in this position. I'd be excited for Jay and Dave, I'd be looking forward to dancing later with Adam, and I'd have a wonderful night of hot sex with the man I love to look forward to. Now I'll be lucky if he lets me within three feet of him unless it's during the ceremony. Everyone is showing up at once now and it keeps us all busy. Ric is here now and helping us get everyone seated. I can't help but look for Adam from time to time just to see how he's doing. Every once in awhile when I look at him he's looking at me as well. He looks so damn sad it just about kills me, but I doubt too many people will notice. See on the outside he's his happy-go-lucky bouncy self...smiling for everyone, cracking a joke or two, and I've even heard his laugh ring out across the room. Except it's all false...every bit of it. The smiles are too bright and considering the fact he smiles all the time that's saying something. The jokes are to fill the void of what would normally be entertaining conversation or personal inquiries. He always seems to remember birthdays, anniversaries, when someone's family has been sick... and he always has congratulations and well wishes to give, but not today. Even when he's laughed it's sounded hollow and forced. When our eyes catch, just for a second those beautiful green eyes flash just a bit brighter...I'm not sure whether it's from the love he's hiding from me or from the tears he's trying not to let go. It only lasts for a second though and then the light goes away and there's nothing there... just emptiness and maybe a touch of hurt. I've never wished for a day to be over as quickly as I'm wishing this one would be. Somehow I will talk to him when the hoopla is all over with and I will make him understand what happened earlier isn't what he thinks it is. Then maybe I can finally tell him that I love him too. I check my watch quickly and notice we only have about ten minutes to go until the ceremony is supposed to start. I look for Adam among the crowd. He needs to go back and make sure Jay has everything he needs. I catch his eyes as he walks towards the door again and there's that tiny flash of light just before he looks away again. When he acts like he's going to walk by me, I force my hand out to catch his arm. I feel a shudder run through him and I'm not sure if its from pleasure or revulsion at the moment. He bows his head for a second with his eyes closed and lifts it again to look at me. There's that blankness again covering up whatever he's actually feeling. "You should get back to Jay. Make sure he has everything and hasn't snuck out the back door." I thought maybe he'd at least crack a smile over that. No such luck. He nods at me and then heads for the door to the hallway. No bright smile, no small touch, no laugh. None of the things I'm so used to him gifting me with even if we were parting for just a little while. He just walks away and that hurts worse than any pain I felt when I left Hunter. *Adam's POV* I don't know which is going to be harder for me. Seeing him with Hunter or distancing myself from him because he is. When I saw them talking earlier I wanted to get as far away as possible, but I can't leave. I won't do that to Jay. He'd never forgive me and worse...I'd never forgive myself. So I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat and went on seating the guests like expected. Then when Chris stopped me to remind me of the time, he touched me. Such a simple touch...just his hand laying on my arm, yet the way it affected me was anything but simple. It was the first time he'd touched me since I had fallen asleep in his arms the night before and my traitorous mind chose to recall the feelings I'd had at that moment...the fulfillment, the hope, the sense that I was right where I belonged. The sound of his voice plunged me headfirst back into reality along with the knowledge that it had been false hope and that Hunter is the one that belongs there...not me. So I did what I had to do and got out of there as quickly as possible. If I'd lingered long enough to speak to him I'd have broken down right there and I won't make him feel guilty for following his heart. I take a deep breath as I reach the door to the dressing room. I need to put on my happy face so I don't upset Jay. Walking in the door, I spot him talking quietly on his cell phone and have to roll my eyes. You'd think they could maybe go five minutes without talking to each other when they are on the verge of getting hitched. He grins guiltily as he notices my presence and quickly ends the call. "You ready Jay? You have about ten more minutes if you want to make a break for it. What do you say? We can take the honeymoon tickets and go together. You and me...a beach...mai tais...the matching speedos I bought for the two of you." I couldn't help but grin as I wiggled my brows and tossed in an exaggerated leer. "You know if Dave heard you talking like that he would so kick your ass." Jay smiled and I was glad that Jay wasn't going to question my mood change from earlier. "Nope. If he was going to kick my ass for flirting with you, he would have done it the night I tossed you over my shoulder and locked the two of us in the bedroom without him." We shared a quiet laugh over the memory. I thought back to the incident in question and the stunned look on Dave's face as I had walked passed him with Jay hanging upside down over my shoulder. What was even funnier was Jay's fake display of indignation when we had opened the door 15 minutes later to find Dave calmly sitting on the sofa waiting for Jay to come back out. Jay had been ecstatic that Dave trusted him so much and it had convinced me that the two of them belonged together. Of course I had thought that Chris and I belonged together as well and look where that kind of thinking got me. I fight the frown that thought brings and manage to keep my smile intact. "You didn't really buy us matching speedos did you?" I can't help but laugh at the look of genuine horror on Jay's face. "Would I do something like that?" I ask innocently as I take his hand and pull him towards the door. "Come on Jay. Let's go get you hitched...then we can party." **** *Jay's POV* I'm not really sure if Adam was kidding about the speedos and that just scares me. Dave would look so hot in one, but I don't think I could parade around in one of those tiny little things and not be permanently pink. I know I'm stalling but I haven't run through my final checklist yet and I just know I'm going to forget something. Peeking around Adam out the door I can see Ric, Hunter, and Dave. Dave looks good in a tux. I'll have to find a way to get him in one more often. I don't see Chris, but I'm assuming he'll be back here in a moment or so. Okay...list. Dave-in a tux, looking happy...check. Officiant-standing way up there...check. Vows-written and memorized...hope I don't forget them...check. Rings...rings...rings-damn it! I tug on Adam's hand because he's holding onto me like he thinks I'm going to actually run or something. "Adam!" He's still looking out the door, probably looking for Chris...where is Chris? Oh! There he is! I knew he'd show up sometime. Now where was I? Oh yeah! Rings! "Adam!" "What Jay? Will you stop trying to get me to let you go? I was just kidding. If I let you leave...Dave will kill me." He's grinning at me like he actually thinks he's being funny. I'm trying not to growl at him but not being very successful. "Adam, let me go. The rings are still in my bag. I kind of need to have them, you know?" So he laughs. Thanks Adam, love you too. I glare at him and wonder if I concentrate hard enough if I can make his head explode. That might actually be an improvement right now. *Adam's POV* Poor Jay. I'm such a dick for laughing at him, but I can't believe he almost left the rings in here. He runs over and digs through his bag searching for the gold bands. I laugh again as I hear his shout of triumph and watch him race back over to me. He hands them to me and I shove them in my pocket, turning to hide the wince as my knuckles catch in the fabric for a second. I checked them out a bit ago and they are the most lovely shades of black and blue. I really need to learn to control my temper a bit better. We get back to the doorway and notice the wedding planner is now talking to Dave and Hunter. I wave Chris over to us as I remember something he'd missed out on during the rehearsal the day before. I could be nasty and not tell him, but I have a feeling if he passed out during the ceremony Jay would have hysterics. Looks like it's just about time for us to go. I hurry through the explanation as I notice Ric stepping out into the hall. "The officiant told us yesterday to make sure not to lock your knees during the service. We have to stand there awhile and apparently it can cause you to faint if you don't stay loose. If you notice someone start swaying...give them a gentle nudge. I doubt we'll have a problem with it, but I hope Dave, Hunter, and Ric remember it." He nods at me and turns towards the door so he can motion us through once Dave has headed towards the dais. "Ready Jay?" I turn to find him almost bouncing in place. It seems that now that the time is finally here, he is completely ready...no doubts at all. That has to be a wonderful feeling. "Completely. I'm so excited." I can't help but answer his smile with one of my own. Now if we can just make it through the reception without incident I'll consider myself lucky. *Ric's POV* Woooo! Thank god! The sooner we get this thing over with the sooner I can hit the bar. Not that I don't want to stand up for Dave. He's a good kid. I just don't get the point of commitment. Playing the field is where it's at. Still...he seems pretty happy with Jay. I'd be happy with Jay, too. Hell who wouldn't be happy with that little tomato? I finally get the signal to walk up to the platform. This is some pretty hokey music, but I guess that's normal. Smiling at all the guests just like the wedding planner said...actually it's more like scoping out the guests to see who might be available for tonight! I really need a drink. *Hunter's POV* I can't help but laugh at Ric. You can always tell when that man is on the prowl. My turn to start the long walk. Smiling as I walk here and no I am not staring at Shawn sitting with Mark, thank you very much. I can't help but feel bad for Chris though. You could tell just from looking at him earlier that he was upset. Then he disappeared for a few minutes after talking to Adam. I'm guessing he hasn't cleared things up yet. I'm more determined than ever to help fix this...if I can just figure out how. At least I don't have to worry about Dave. I would certainly be nervous if I were in his position, but the damn man is calm and happy as a clam. I guess that's a good thing though. Keeping him from running out would have been near to impossible if he'd panicked. I'm a big guy, but Dave is bigger. Oh! Shawn's looking at me. Smile! *Chris' POV* Nudge? I'd like to give him a nudge...and knock him right on his ass. After he walked away earlier I spent a good five minutes in the bathroom trying to control my reaction to him just leaving me standing there. Maybe it's not fair. Things would be easier if I just tell him the truth, but I'd rather wait until we aren't surrounded by other people. Maybe I can at least clear up the misconception he has about Hunter and I during the reception. I have to figure out something. This coldness between us is driving me nuts not to mention not being able to touch him. After last night all I want to do is touch him. It's just about time for Dave to walk out. Once he does then I'll wave Jay and Adam out here into the hallway. I just don't get the whole 'not seeing each other before the ceremony' thing. If the way Dave looked was going to make Jay run it would have happened before now. Dave looks really good in that tux. Jay though...Jay looks just beautiful. Shut up. I don't care if he is a guy...he does. Dave walks through the doorway and I wave back at Adam so they can come stand with me. I get to go first, oh joy of joys. I just have to remember I'm here for Jay and not to ham it up on that stage. Just the performer in me wanting to come out I guess! *Dave's POV* Oh hell am I nervous. I don't think anyone else has noticed. Thank god. I don't get it though. It's not that I don't love Jay, because I do...with all my heart. It's not that I don't want to be tied to him forever...I do. It's definitely not standing up in front of all those people...they're our friends and its not like I don't appear in front of much larger crowds. I couldn't even eat earlier. That's probably not a good thing, but it's too late to do anything about it now. Smile Dave...they are all looking at you. You can't make it look like your heading out here to be sacrificed! I'm just going to hope for the best and pray I don't forget my vows. It can't be any harder than cutting a promo can it? *Chris' POV* My turn I guess. Smile at everyone as I walk, wishing I could be somewhere else. Not that I don't want to be here for Jay, but I'd much rather be off talking to Adam somewhere...alone. Hunter is standing up there staring at Shawn. This could get interesting. Wonder if Mark's noticed yet? Not that he'd care...except he might kill Hunter if Hunter even thinks of hurting Shawn again. I don't think it's going to be a problem though. He might finally have his head screwed on right since we had our little talk. I can hope so anyway. Up here in front of everyone...now all I need is a microphone! Wrong! Curb it Chris. I'll get my chance anyway...as long as the other three still want to go through with the surprise. Eek! No grimacing over that...it'll give the wrong impression. Now I'm distracted because Adam's walking this way. I finally let myself actually check him out. Damn does he look good right now. Better not to think too much about it though or I'll be tempted to drag him off to find a broom closet. So romantic, eh? *Adam's POV* At least I won't have to worry about dragging Jay out behind me. He's still bouncing all over the place. I make him stand still for a moment so I can straighten his tie. I have to be happy for him when it's so obvious that this is what he wants. As I walk down the aisle towards the front of the room I notice Dave is craning his neck, waiting for a look at Jay. Smiling just a bit wider now. Looks like Dave is just as eager for this as Jay is. Ric is scanning the room. Ack. Is that man ever not looking to pick someone up? Memo to self...no matter how drunk you get tonight do not let Ric anywhere near you. Hunter is staring at someone sitting in the first half of the seating area. What is up with that? You'd think he'd be all over himself looking at Chris...right? Then there's Chris and he's looking...right at me. I shiver slightly but firmly hold my smile in place. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I tear my eyes away from Chris...quite a feat with as good as he looks, and manage a smile for some of the guests. Shawn and Mark...Mark returns my smile but Shawn is definitely preoccupied staring at...Hunter. Should have figured that one out right away. Linda and Vince...Vince smiles and so does Linda, but it's tempered with a look of concern. I'm betting she's still worried about that whole punching the wall thing. I'm betting I'll get one of her patented motherly lectures later. Why does this seem like it's taking forever? The walk is not that long! I take my place standing next to Chris and wait for Jay to make his appearance. I'm trying to keep my gaze from drifting to Chris again, but damn is it hard...at least until Jay steps through the doorway. He's completely radiant. I take a quick look at Dave or at least it should have been a quick look. His reaction to seeing Jay is...completely captivating. Bright eyes, glowing smile...his love for Jay is almost palpable, seeming to radiate from him in waves. That's what I want in this life...someone who will look at me with that same sense of wonder and love. *Jay's POV* I'm going to have to force myself not to bounce down the aisle. I'm so excited! Peeking around the corner...Adam's just now going up the steps. Time to make my appearance. Walk through the doorway...and I know everyone's looking at me. This is kind of strange. I'm used to people looking at me...it happens all the time at work, but for some reason I suddenly feel so self-conscious. Just keeping my feet moving and trying not to trip is harder than it seems like it would be. Then I notice the way Dave's looking at me and everything else just kind of melts away. I could be standing here bare-ass naked and as long as he was looking at me like that I could care less what anyone else might think...okay let's not get carried away here. There are definitely some people here I would not want to see me naked...Flair, Dave's parents, J.R. The point being...whenever Dave looks at me that way I feel all warm and cuddly like I'm wrapped up in an invisible blanket woven by his love and devotion to me. I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I'd willingly give up everything I am and everything I own if it would guarantee he'd never stop looking at me like he is right now. I've given up family for him and I'd do it all over again. My parents refused to be here today. Not because I'm marrying a man, but because that man is Dave. They said he's not the type of person that I should be with...that he's uncultured and completely uncouth. Nice of them to form that opinion when they've never given him a chance to prove otherwise. I don't regret it though...he is my everything. It's that simple. Almost there! I smile and I just can't stop it anymore...I bounce up the stairs. Dave grins at me and grabs my hand. It's time! We turn to the officiant and he starts to speak. "Welcome to you all on this special day. Regardless of the wonderful and loving relationship that Dave and Jay have shared to this day, today, that relationship changes. All of us know it will grow, and become stronger and better..." *Dave's POV* Damn he looks so good! I hope he's not expecting me to keep my hands to myself for too long. I'm paying attention to the officiant, really I am, but it's so hard not to just turn and stare at him. I know I have this huge smile on my face and I probably look like a huge dork, but he just makes me that happy. Readings...something I wasn't looking forward to , but this poem is kind of pretty. It describes Jay perfectly too. He makes me happy just by being himself and being my friend. I've been badly hurt before and swore off anything to do with relationships...tired of being used and treated like dirt. Jay started out as a friend. He walked up to me one day when I was being my growly self and told me if I ever needed someone to talk to he would be willing to listen. It took me a week before I took him up on it. He listened without judging me, but he also told me that refusing to let anyone get close to me because of a couple bad apples in the bushel meant I'd miss out on the sweetest juiciest apple I ever could have tasted that was hidden amongst all the bad ones. Now I don't even eat apples, but that made absolutely perfect sense to me. Even then I wasn't consciously looking for anyone. We talked from time to time and whenever we did he seemed to be able to understand what I was feeling even before I did. We were sitting one day talking about something completely pointless and all of a sudden I just saw the real Jay. Not that I hadn't looked at him before, I mean hell he's gorgeous, but I hadn't looked at him. Honest, sweet, sincere...everything I'd wanted from those bad apples but couldn't seem to find. So I asked him out. That was the smartest move I've ever made in my life. Together we've found passion, happiness, and a love so deep it would kill me to lose it. His touch is heaven...healing when I'm hurt, comforting when I'm sad, calming when I'm angry. It doesn't matter where we are, as long as I have him I feel like I'm home...like I belong there with him. And when we come together to express our love it's so damn powerful sometimes I want to cry, but it's not the basis of our love just an extension of an already perfect feeling. Whoops! Blinking now...I am not going to be one of those people that get teary-eyed at weddings, even if it is my own. Yep, keep telling yourself that Dave. Jay's right...I am just a big softy. Luckily I start really paying attention again because he's to that "I will" part. Wouldn't want to miss that! Love...respect...honesty...stand by him, yep you bet I will. "I will." I wait patiently for the guy to read the same lines to Jay and for his response. Not that I doubt what it will be but I will still feel much better once he gets it out. "I will." Yes! I knew it, of course. I know we have to do our vows next and I'm all set to do mine, except...I'm feeling kind of funny. I really should have eaten beforehand I think... *Hunter's POV* Aww. This really is sweet, but I'm just a tad bit preoccupied. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I've been pretty much staring at Shawn since I got up here. I can't help it. You know how gorgeous he is, right? Well since I know I love him that just makes him all the more gorgeous...if that makes sense. I really have to clamp down on the urge to growl though. Does Mark have to hold him so close? What is up with that? I shake my head a bit and put that smile back on my face. I can't just glare at Mark like that...he'd probably be more than happy to kick my ass. At least Shawn keeps smiling this way. I love his smile. *Adam's POV* I could just about kill Hunter. He's staring at Shawn like he's a ten-course meal or something. He was kissing Chris earlier...my Chris...well okay no not mine but you know what I mean...and now he's drooling over Shawn? What the hell is his problem? I know I'm probably glaring a hole right through his head about now, but do I care? Oh hell no! I mean I probably should be happy that he's proving what an asshole he is, but I don't want him to hurt Chris again. Wasn't once enough? I could make Chris so much happier than he ever could. Bastard. And he hasn't even noticed that Dave is starting to look really...bad. I seriously think he's going to just topple over here in a minute. If I were closer I'd nudge him, but that would be so obvious. Then again so would Dave fainting. At least he managed to make it through his vows and damn what vows they were. They decided to write their own and I have to tell you that after hearing Dave's there is no doubt in my mind at all that he's the perfect one for Jay. He's wobbling a bit again...oh this is so not good. *Chris' POV* If we weren't where we are right now this would almost be humorous. Jay's just glowing and looking at Dave. Dave is smiling at Jay, but he's looking just a bit paler than usual. I'm staring at Adam...I just can't seem to help myself. He's staring at...Hunter with an almost murderous gleam in his eye. I've so got to clear this up because there really is no reason for him to be mad at Hunter. As I glance over at Hunter, I notice that he's staring at Shawn. Interesting. I wonder if maybe part of Adam's anger is on my behalf? That would be so completely sweet, but as I've said it's unnecessary. I just have to find the time to tell him so. Mark of course is playing it up with Shawn because he's noticed Hunter staring and that really pisses Hunter off. Shawn's looking completely thrilled by the fact that Hunter's staring at him because he's staring right back. Just as I'm turning back to the front I hear a loud squeak. What the hell was that? *Hunter's POV* Time for the vows! I think that means we are like halfway done. Dave makes it through his just fine...although he seems to be talking a little slower than usual but maybe that's because what he was saying was...damn inspiring. As I turn to look at him I realize that he really doesn't look so good. Pale, kinda sweaty, swaying... oh shit. If he passes out he's so going to kill me. I bet he forgot about that locked knees thing...now what do I do to stop him? Panicking here. I got it! I reach over and give him a really sharp pinch to the backside. Sorry. It was all I could think of at the moment. I don't think it was such a good idea though because he jumped about three feet in the air. Oh boy. He's not going to be happy about that squeaky noise he just made either. I am so dead. He turns and glares at me for just a second and Ric is standing next to me coughing into his hand...yeah, right. That bastard is laughing about this. Asshole. I think I'd better hide from Dave for just a bit after this is over. I can see Jay, Chris, and Adam trying to stifle laughs as well. Oh I am so beyond dead. *Ric's POV* Oh man. And I thought this was going to be boring. That was just hilarious. Hunter had better keep out of Dave's way for awhile though. I never, ever thought I would hear the Animal squeak like that. Wooo! Now Jay's trying to get his vows out without laughing and that's just as funny. Actually listening to their vows though...damn I thought the romantic in me was completely dead. Maybe there is such a thing as true love...just not for an old disappointed codger like me. I haven't always been this cynical...but I've had my share of bad relationships. No use crying over spilt milk though. I'm perfectly happy with the way I am...aren't I? No thinking Ric...bad idea. I need a drink! *Shawn* Oh my god! Hunter is so cute when he's embarrassed. I know he didn't mean to pinch poor Dave that hard. It was obvious he just panicked! He'd better hide from Dave though. I may have to help him. He looks adorable in his tux, too. I made that comment to Mark earlier and he just gave me that look. I know he's just looking out for me and that makes me happy, but if things could work out with Hunter that would be so much better. I can't believe Hunter's been staring at me ever since he walked out here! Maybe he's finally ready to admit he loves me. I know he does even if he won't admit it. Now if I could just pin him down on that whole commitment thing it would be great. I don't even need a ceremony or anything...I just wanted him to admit to people that we were together. I refuse to give up hope. Maybe Dave and Jay's vows will knock some sense into him. They were so sweet I think I might cry. I care about Mark, but I know he's not in love with me. He's in love with...whoops! That'd be telling now wouldn't it? Anyway, I know Mark cares and that's why he's so protective of me. He won't be heartbroken if we aren't seeing each other anymore...but he'll miss the sex. I know someone who'd appreciate benefiting from Mark's frustration even if he doesn't know he'd appreciate it just yet. I'll have to see if I can get him fixed up with you know who...if he's even here. I look around trying to spot him and finally find him sitting way in the back. He doesn't look too comfortable here, but I don't blame him. Hunter and Chris would both like to pound on him. I don't blame them I guess. He isn't very nice and he uses people, but I like to think that Mark could straighten him right out. If he'd just get over this whole age thing. It's crazy. There is no reason that age should stand in the way of true love! Maybe I'll see if I can't get him to dance with Mark later. And what about Chris and Adam? After the party last week I thought they would be all over each other. I know they tried to pass it off as nothing...but that kiss was not nothing. They are completely perfect for each other if they would just open their eyes. I'm wondering if something might have happened with them though. Adam's hand looked like he'd had a talk with a brick wall and he was completely ignoring Chris when they were doing guest duty. The way Chris was looking at Adam on the other hand...damn me. I've never seen such a blatantly telling look...want, need, desire, passion, love...it was all there. Adam of course wouldn't have noticed because he avoided going anywhere near Chris. I'd say something has to have gone seriously wrong there. I may just have to poke my nose into things. *Mark's POV* Oh hell. I'm trying to stifle my laughing over this, but I'm probably doing a piss poor job. I can see Dave being on the warpath after the ceremony is over. Hunter had better run. That's almost a good thing to my way of thinking. You think I haven't noticed Hunter staring at Shawn the way he is? My momma didn't raise no fools. It's pretty obvious that Hunter is thinking about chasing Shawn again and there's no doubt that Shawn would probably stand there waiting to be caught. It's not that I hate Hunter...I just hate what he did to Shawn when they split up. The boy was damn near broken for quite awhile and I would hate to see him end up that way again. I won't stand in their way though if I think Hunter's finally got his shit together. One hint of waffling on his part though and I won't hesitate to take him out. I care about Shawn, but he and I both know it isn't love. Shawn still loves Hunter and yeah there's someone I love too. I'm not sure why though. He's greedy, self-centered, and quite frankly sometimes he's a real asshole. I know all about what he did to Hunter and Chris, but I think that if someone could get him off his self-destructive course he could be a real sweet kid. There's another problem...as if my worries about being used aren't bad enough there's this whole age thing. I know it shouldn't matter, but it's hard to take when you're on the end of being called a cradle-robber. Enough thinking about that though. It just isn't going to happen. Now that Jay has finally managed to spit his vows out without breaking into laughter...I actually think about what he said. Actually Dave and Jay's vows were both...inspiring. It's completely obvious how much they love each other and an inspiration that they aren't in the least bit afraid to show it. Speaking of completely obvious...what is up with Chris and Adam? Chris was looking at Adam earlier like he wants to kidnap him and hold him hostage for the rest of all time while Adam was doing his best to avoid looking at Chris at all. After last week I thought for sure they'd be living in each other's pockets. With the bruising on Adam's knuckles, I'm betting there's more to this story than we know about. I look at Shawn figuring he'd still be staring at Hunter, but he's not. He's looking at Chris and Adam with that 'I'm going to do something sneaky to help and end up regretting it later' look. Lord help me. I'm going to have to keep a close eye on him tonight to make sure he keeps out of trouble. *Jay's POV* I'm smothering a laugh with my hand. I shouldn't be laughing right now, really I shouldn't, but... I really just can't help it. I've only ever heard Dave make that noise one other time...the first night he let me...well you know...be his first in that way. It's kind of ironically apropos that he do it now, even if I'm not the one that caused it. The fact that he's made that same sound during two of the most meaningful events in our life together is like some kind of sign. I wonder what else I could do to get him to make that noise. I need to stop those kinds of thoughts right now or I'll never get my vows out. He was glaring at Hunter like he wanted to hit him with the Batista Bomb right where he stood, but then he looked at me with the cutest mixture of embarrassment and exasperation. That raised brow look like I should have something better to be doing than giggling over his faux pas. Whoops! I do have something better to do, don't I? Vows... As I'm saying them, I can only hope they convey all those thoughts I had about him earlier. The depth of love that I have for him is amazing. If I ever lose him, I would be losing my heart and soul as well. Jay would cease to exist and I'd be an empty shell of a man. I refuse to accept that will ever happen though. We will be together from now until death and then on into the hereafter. It's incredibly sweet that he actually cries while I'm speaking. I think people might actually believe me now when I tell them what a big ol' softy he is. I smile at Dave as I finish my vows and I know there is a little twinkle in my eye. He is so going to get teased for the rest of the night! Rings! Adam has them, but he seems to be looking at Chris. I really hope they get things worked out later...on second thought I'm going to make sure they at least talk to each other. Chris needs to tell Adam the truth before they end up saying things they can't take back. It's obvious even now that Adam thinks that Chris is with Hunter that Adam would do anything for him. Damn them both for being so blind. I nudge Adam a bit to get his attention. "Rings, Adam." He jumps slightly and shoves his hand quickly into his pocket. As he's drawing it back out he hisses loudly. What is up with that? Something I really need to look into later. He opens his palm and takes the rings out of it with his other hand before giving them to me. That's just as strange. I shake the thoughts off and turn to the officiant and hand him the rings. Almost to the end! I'm starting that bouncing in place thing again and Dave's looking at me with that indulgent smile. He's absolutely the best! *Dave's POV* What the hell? I know I was close to passing out, but did Hunter have to pinch me that damn hard? It's all I can do not to reach down and rub at the afflicted area while I'm glaring at him. That really hurt! I completely want to kill him. I can live with the jumping and the pain, but that noise. That is not a growly Dave noise. That is not a happy Dave noise. In fact I know that there is only one other person in this room that had heard that noise from me...until now and I'm not happy about sharing it. The only person who should be hearing me make that noise is Jay. I'd almost pout about it if he weren't laughing himself silly. Obviously he finds this quite amusing along with everyone else it seems. Finally I can't handle it anymore so I give him my version of Rock's signature eyebrow. He finally gets the hint and starts his vows. By the time he's halfway through I'm all choked up. I can't hold back a stray tear or two because the way he feels about me so closely reflects the way I feel about him and if I hadn't given him a chance because of those bad apples...I'd never have known anything this perfect. I wipe my face as covertly as I can...hey I've still got my growly image to uphold! Time for the rings. Adam has to be prodded by Jay. The poor guy was looking at Chris with such a sad look on his face that it almost makes me feel guilty for being so happy. I think maybe Jay's idea is a good one after all. If nothing else gets them together by the time we get to the gifts, this will have to work. I've heard all about the gift that Adam bought for Chris. If that doesn't prompt him to open his mouth and tell Adam the truth right then and there...nothing will. I notice the hiss Adam makes as he pulls out the rings and from my vantage point I can see the discoloration on the back of his hand for just a second. Ouch that has to seriously hurt. Jay must not know about it or he'd have told me what happened during our last phone call. As Jay turns and hands the rings to the officiant, I see Chris grabbing hold of Adam's hand out of the corner of my eye. He's trying to get a better look at the bruising...and trying is the operative word. Adam's trying to jerk his hand lose for all he's worth. He finally gets it free, but Chris must have gotten at least one good look because he's glaring at Adam. I turn back to Jay and he's doing that bouncing thing again. I can't help but smile at him. Way too much energy my little one has...not that I'm complaining...no way in hell. We're in the home stretch now... he's almost all mine...forever. *Adam's POV* Lord help me. I couldn't help but laugh over what Hunter did...but I managed to hide it pretty well. Except for the huge grin I couldn't get rid of. Hunter is so dead. Not that it would hurt my feelings at all if Dave pounded on him a bit. Okay, yes, that sounds bitter. As Jay starts his vows I look at Chris and I just can't seem to look away. I know that even though I've just recently admitted that I love him...the words that Jay and Dave have both said here describe almost exactly how I feel about Chris. It's hard to imagine not having him in my life and the fact that it may come to pass scares the hell out of me. As much as I want to say I wish he'd never heard me say I love him, it's a lie. As much as I consider the fact that if we hadn't spent last night together we would still have our friendship intact... I can't regret it either. It's not to my usual tastes, but I heard some country song once upon a time that explains pretty much how I'm feeling right now. I'm glad I didn't know how it would all end up because I might not have taken the chance and even though the way I feel right now is painful at least I was able to experience that one perfect period of time with him. I think I may have to figure out what that song was again, because I can see myself listening to it over and over again if things turn out the way I think they will after our talk later. Yes that is still the plan if he's not busy...just in case you were wondering. When Jay nudges me, I realize he's finished talking and I should have been paying attention. I'm sure he'll forgive me my lapse later though. I reach in my pocket to dig out the rings and when I try to pull my hand out my knuckles catch on the edge of the pocket. I can't stifle the hiss that slips from my mouth. Damn it all that hurts. Maybe I should seriously look into anger management. I hand off the rings to Jay and swear I'm going to pay attention to what's happening from now on...and then Chris grabs my hand. What the hell is he doing? I look at him and he's trying to look down at my knuckles. When I realize what he's trying to do I struggle to free my hand from his. I'm jerking hard for all I'm worth while trying to keep in mind that everyone can see us. He would have to notice the bruises now of all times, wouldn't he? My hand is tingling from just this brief touch by his own and I have a feeling if I don't get loose real soon I'm going to lose it here in front of everyone. I give one last hard tug and my hand slips loose from his. Thank god. Please, please don't let him touch me again right now. I can't handle it. *Chris' POV* I figured out what that squeak was. Who'd have ever thought they'd hear a sound like that come from Dave? Certainly not me. He was glaring at Hunter so I'm assuming something Hunter did caused that noise. Poor guy. Dave's going to be looking for him later. Maybe Shawn will protect him. Jay's vows are so adorably sweet that I can feel my eyes misting up. I'm doing better than Dave is though. True he's not looking faint anymore...and that almost prompts another giggle from me... he is actually shedding tears however and that is just as adorably sweet. He tries to wipe them away without being obvious about it, but I think everyone's noticed anyway. I'm beginning to suspect that Dave is a big old creampuff. I'm certainly not going to voice those suspicions to him however. I like my head attached to my shoulders, thanks. I think part of the reason I'm so bright eyed now has more to do with the fact that if I don't straighten things out with Adam soon, I won't get the chance to say those same kind of sweet sentimental things to him. I have to clear up the whole Hunter issue first, because if I don't there is no way he's going to believe me when I tell him that I love him. That I need him. That I can't imagine him not being with me. That he is the best part of my life now. I'm startled from my own thoughts by Adam's pained hiss. What did he do? I see him pulling his hand out of his pocket and watch him hand the rings over to Jay. I notice how he avoids turning his right hand over and just handing the rings to Jay...the same hand he just pulled out of his pocket after that sound of pain. I grab his hand and try to tilt it to the side so I can see it. He's doing everything he can to avoid me looking at the back of it but I finally catch the sight of the bruising. I want to take a better look but he jerks his hand quickly out of mine. When in the world did he do that to himself? I glare at him as I try to pinpoint when it might have happened, but he's oblivious to it because he isn't looking at me. That's when I realize that he must have done it while he was in the bathroom right after he caught me with Hunter. He didn't do it by hitting Hunter and Jay would have found some way to tell me if it had happened when Adam came back there later. Now I've got his physical pain to add to my sins in addition to his mental anguish. Good going Chris! *Hunter's POV* I'm still cringing over what happened. I wonder if there is any chance Dave might just forget about the whole incident? Right...didn't think so. I'm worm food. I didn't mean to pinch him that hard. I mean he should be used to all kinds of punishment from being in the ring, but a little old pinch makes him jump like a virgin. Kind of makes you wonder...doesn’t it? I am so grinning after that thought though it is probably the last thing I should be doing. As soon as Dave and Jay head for the area set up for the receiving line I'm going into hiding...at least for the first half-hour or so. I suppose I'll have to make an appearance for the dinner and the toasts and such...where I'm supposed to sit next to Dave. I somehow manage not to groan out loud over that fact. Good thing too because they're getting ready to exchange rings. Uh oh. Looks like Chris found out about Adam's hand. This would almost be humorous if they were talking to each other. Right now Adam is avoiding looking at Chris and Chris is glaring at Adam. If he sees that Chris, it's not going to get you on his good side. I should try getting them to dance together or something. Maybe Shawn will help me. Speaking of Shawn... He's looking at Chris and Adam with his 'I can fix this' look. That means we're all in deep shit. He starts out with the best of intentions and usually a pretty good idea, but for some reason something always seems to go wrong. No reason to panic though...I just have to convince him to go along with my plan instead of whatever little scheme he's cooking up on his own. And if I get to spend time with Shawn while in the process of helping my friends...then that's icing on the cake. *Ric's POV* Most people would say I'm completely oblivious to anything that goes on around me unless it directly involves me. Just because I choose to keep from interfering in other people's relationships does not mean I'm blind. To my way of thinking...if it's mean to be, it will happen. And after listening to Dave and Jay's vows...yeah I guess I do still believe in love. That doesn't mean I'm expecting to partake of it myself, but I can see it in others just fine. Dave and Jay made it glowingly obvious how they feel about each other. There are others here though that do not seem capable of expressing what they're feeling so clearly. Adam and Chris are a good example. They've been sneaking peeks at each other all through this ceremony. Their feelings for each other are so clear...except to the two of them of course. Chris looks at Adam like he holds the key to his future yet there is an underlying frustration apparent. Adam...now that poor kid is head over heels for Chris. You can see it in his eyes if you look deep enough beneath the hurt and anger. So why aren't they together if they love each other? Same reason so many instances of true love don't last...they won't talk to each other. I'm betting if they'd sit down and just tell one another how they're feeling it would knock down all those walls they seem to have built up between them. No good interfering though...if they have to be forced to talk to each other maybe they just don't want it badly enough. If it's really meant to be, then they'll figure that out all on their own. Now Hunter and Shawn...there's a whole other kettle of fish. If anyone was meant to be with each other I would think it'd be those two. Hunter's let his past stand in the way of what he wanted though. He needed to go forward in order to go back. Now that he's not focused on Chris he has a chance to go back and fix the mistakes he made the first time around. I know what you're thinking...how do you know that he's not focused on Chris? Observation is a great thing if you use it. When he's looked at Chris today there was still caring and tenderness in his eyes, but that desperation he's been showing for the last few months gone now. I think he's finally learned that he had to let go. I think he's finally realized as well that the light in his eyes will never shine brighter than it will for Shawn. Now if Hunter's made peace with his past and his present, he can start working on his future with Shawn if he's willing to stick his neck out and put it on the line. There's that pesky communication thing again. It's the same story though, if it's meant to be, then he'll take that leap. Me? I like to keep things simple. I've hit too many of those brick walls in my own relationships in the past. Too many times that I've been too scared to take that leap. Too many times I've taken that leap only to find out I've taken it by myself. So unless fate decrees otherwise I'll just stick to what works for me and take things one day at a time...and if that means someone new every day, well that will just make me all the happier. Damn. Got myself so caught up in this thinking thing that I missed the exchange of rings. At least I didn't miss the kiss! "...It is my honour and delight to declare you married and partners in life...for life. You may seal your vows with a kiss." Woooo! And one hell of a kiss it is. We may need to get a crowbar out here to separate these two. *Jay's POV* That's it! We're married. Damn Dave can kiss. I wonder if he'd object to running off and hiding in the broom closet for awhile? "I love you, Dave." *Dave's POV* That's it! We're married. Damn Jay can kiss. I wonder if he'd object to running off and hiding in the broom closet for awhile? "And I love you, Jay." **** *Chris' POV* I think Ric was hoping he could head to the bar as soon as the ceremony was over. Apparently he forgot that we need to dismiss the guests first. What the hell is this...school? Apparently once people are at a wedding they forget how to stand up and walk down the aisle without direction. Adam is still completely ignoring me, not that I really expected anything different...yet. I'm still hoping to have a chance to talk to him before the reception is over. Soon would be better, but I don't really see having time for it at least until after the dinner. I just hope he doesn't hit the bar too hard. He's looking in that direction almost as often as Ric is. That's just scary. We finally dismiss the last row, thank god, and head towards Jay and Dave to offer our own congratulations. Ric races through them with a smile and a handshake, then heads for the bar. Adam goes next and I think he's trying to avoid the whole handshake thing because he takes a different tack altogether. "So...do I get to kiss the other half or what?" Adam says with that ten-thousand-watt grin in place. Dave raises his brow and seems to consider it for a moment. Jay on the other hand seems to have found something rather amusing in what Adam said because he's stifling a laugh. "Sure, why not. You better make it good though because this is the last time I won't pound you for it." Dave says with a smirk clearly joking. This for some reason makes Jay laugh even harder. Adam just keeps smiling. What the hell is he thinking? "I think you have to stop laughing before he can kiss ya, babe." Dave laughs as he looks indulgently at Jay. Jay pauses in his laughing just long enough to blurt out, "I don't think that it's going to be a problem." Just as Jay finishes speaking Adam practically throws himself at Dave and lays one hell of a kiss on him. I do mean one hell of a kiss, too. Jay is laughing himself silly and Dave seems... shocked for lack of a better word. His hands are flopping around like he's not sure what to do with them, but after a second or two he settles for placing them loosely at Adam's waist. Various catcalls echo throughout the room. Great... kissing is now a spectator sport it seems. The longer it goes on...the louder Jay's laughing. Dave must have decided that since this is the "last time" it's going to happen that he's going to make the most of it. It damn well better be the last time! Like I actually have any say in the matter. I will before the night is over though, I damn well guarantee it. Could I sound any more jealous? Although I do have to admit that Dave and Adam look... good together. Finally! Finally, Adam pulls away and Dave looks a little bit lost. Which of course has Jay laughing hysterically. Dave smiles and runs a finger over his lips. "Not that I'm complaining, but I thought you were asking to kiss Jay." "Nope. I did say the other half and well, I've already kissed Jay so you are obviously the other half. Sorry if I confused you." Adam says with a wink at Dave. Dave's still looking thoroughly bemused. Must have been one hell of a kiss. That doesn't really surprise me because I know that Adam is a really great kisser. Jay's still giggling somewhat as Adam turns to him and lays a rather chaste kiss on his lips. Adam winks at both of them and then turns to walk away. He stops for a moment and looks back over his shoulder, "Oh. Congratulations by the way." Jay smiles and Dave just shakes his head as they turn back to Hunter and I. "So... I take it neither one of you has said anything to him yet?" Jay asks as he looks at us both with a glare. "Do you really think now is the time, Jay? He's not just going to stand around and listen to me right now. You know that. You know how he gets when he's pissed off about something. Although I have to say he's hiding it rather well at the moment." Does he seriously think that I'm happy about how things are right now? I'd drag Adam off and explain right now if I didn't know he would protest leaving until after Jay and Dave leave tonight. "'I'm not back together with Hunter, Adam.' How hard can it be to say? Kind of like a band-aid...the quicker you do it, the less pain." Dave says with a frown. "It would be, if that's all it was going to take. You know he's not going to let it go at that Dave. He's going to want an explanation. Even I know that." Hunter says with a grimace. "Fine...but as soon as the reception is over you had better have a talk with him Chris. If you don't I'll have Dave kick your ass." Jay said with a wink. I'm sure he's only half-joking though. He frowns a bit as he looks towards the bar. I turn and see Adam and Ric standing there, then watch as they both toss back a shot. Oh lord. "Looks like we had better get to the dinner soon or Adam and Ric will be under the table instead of sitting at it." Hunter says with a smirk. "Maybe you should go round them up Chris. If he's drinking like that I think I'm going to stay as far away from him as possible." Hunter walks off towards the table completely missing the grin that Dave flashes his way. Why does that just scare me? Apparently Dave still has plans to exact a tiny bit of revenge on Hunter. Can't say as I blame Dave and it should be rather amusing to see what Dave comes up with. I head over to the bar, all the while hoping that I can get Adam and Ric away from it without a scene. "You two holding the bar down?" Well that isn't going to tick him off now, is it? I try to keep a smile on my face as they turn to look at me. "They're going to start dinner soon, so we should head over to the table." Ric shakes his head at me, obviously aware of the tension, before downing the shot sitting next to him. "I'll see you two at the table. Try not to kill each other." Ric smiles as he walks away not noticing the confused look on Adam's face. "What the heck is he talking about?" Yeah...sure, Adam. If it's obvious to Ric that things aren't quite right, then it's going to be obvious to pretty much everyone here. Maybe Dave was right and I should just blurt it out. Then again, maybe I should test the waters first so to speak. "So...what did you hit?" I gently grab his hand and trail a finger over the broken skin. "I banged it on a door. No big deal." So now he's going to lie to me about it? I don't think so. *Adam's POV* I know he's not going to let it go at that, but I can always hope. I pull my hand from his and signal the bartender for a couple of drinks while I wait for the comment I know is coming. "Apparently more than once. You really should be more careful." Okay...so now I feel like a real shit for lying to him, but I promised myself I wasn't going to get into this here. "Fine...truth? I had a few stupid ideas that didn't pan out and took my frustration out on a wall...happy?" Of course he's happy, idiot. You just basically laid a guilt trip on him; he's not stupid. "No," he says tilting his head to the side in that cute little way that he has. "They weren't stupid." The bartender finally sets up the shots. I swear he's the slowest bartender on earth, but at least he has good timing. I pick up one of the shots and hand it to Chris. "Reading minds now Christopher? I didn't know you had that particular talent." I quickly down my shot and turn to head towards the tables. "I have all kinds of hidden talents." I stop walking for just a second. I really could let myself go here and make some snarky comment about Hunter being appreciative of that fact, but I decide for the sake of our friendship that I really shouldn't. After the barest pause, I continue towards where Jay, Dave, Ric, and Hunter are sitting. I'm feeling just pleasantly buzzed. Maybe those shots weren't such a good idea, but dinner should help soak some of it up. If I make it through cutting the cake and the toasts then I can hide out in a corner for the rest of the night except for the duty dances. If worse comes to worse, I can always hide out with Shawn and Mark. Jay smiles at me as I sit down beside him. "You okay?" "I'm fine, Jay. How goes married life?" "It goes perfectly so far. I'm where I belong." "Eww. That's just positively nauseatingly sweet, Jay." I add in a comical grimace for effect. As long as it keeps him from worrying about me, I'll be happy. "I know," he says with a huge grin. "So...what did you do with Chris?" "Not a thing. I'm not his keeper. Try asking..." I manage to cut myself off before I sound like a completely jealous bastard, just barely. Luckily for me the caterer shows up at the table right about then. At least if I'm eating it will keep my big mouth shut. *Chris's POV* Damn, damn, damn. I thought for sure that he'd at least let fly with some kind of comment about my talents. That would have given me the perfect opening. The thing is... I shouldn't need one. I should just be able to spit it out. So what is my problem? Maybe I'm a tiny bit resentful of the fact that he is willing to let me walk off into the sunset with Hunter without telling me how he feels. Which is completely hypocritical of me, I know. After all it's not like I've told him how I feel, have I? I guess I should be appreciative of the fact that he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness for mine, but I'm not. I'd prefer him to go all caveman and tell me how he's so much better for me than Hunter is, but he won't because he loves me enough to let me make my own decisions. That kind of makes me feel all tingly inside, but at the same time I'm still pissed at him for giving up on me like that. Crazy, I know, but then I've felt a bit crazy since the moment we kissed at the bachelor party. I toss back the shot of liquid courage that Adam so kindly handed to me and head off to demand that we have a talk. Okay so maybe demand is the wrong word, but you know what I mean. I walk up to the table just as the caterers start handing out plates and Jay's shooting a rather disgruntled look in my direction. What did I do now? I'm sure he'll give me an earful before too much longer. I sit down next to Adam. I'll need to thank Jay for that later. I lean just a bit closer to him as I speak, at least trying to keep it between the two of us. "We need to talk." "Weren't we just talking a few minutes ago?" he asks with his brow raised. Cute as he is he really shouldn't try to imitate Rocky. It makes me want to giggle...er, laugh. Men do not giggle! His reply doesn't make me want to laugh though. Stubborn bastard. "That's not what I meant...and you know it. We need to talk about last night...and earlier today." That should clear things up. We can get this all out of the way now and then we can spend the rest of the night dancing together. Have I mentioned how much I like dancing with him? "No." Say what? He did not just tell me no, did he? "What do you mean no?" As much as I love him, if looks could kill, he'd be dead where he sits. "Not here, not now. I'm not sure we even really need to talk about it at all." If I didn't know him so well, I'd think he was completely bored with the subject. Knowing him as I do, I've noticed the slight stiffening of his posture and the look he shot in Hunter's direction. He's offering to let me take the easy way out...forget about what happened last night, go on my merry way with Hunter. How... noble. There's that conflicting reaction inside of me again. Too bad I'm not going to let it go that easily. "If not here, not now...then when and where? We are going to talk about this, even if I have to tie you up to accomplish it." There goes that Rocky imitation again. I will not laugh. "Kinky. If you insist on talking about it, then it will have to wait until after the reception. Unless you have plans..." he trails off. Leaving me to add the obvious end to that sentence...with Hunter. Smartass. *Jay's POV* I'm really curbing the urge to laugh right now. They are trying to be quiet, but sitting this close to me I can't help but hear them. Chris is trying his best to clear the air and Adam is tossing up every roadblock he can. It shouldn't be funny, but it is. Adam's entered what I like to call his asshole mode. Whenever he's pissed off at someone he believes he should share the misery with that person. I suppose it makes him feel better. I'm not really taking sides, but I can't blame Adam for being disgruntled. Chris left him this morning, completely avoided him for most of the day, and then he gets caught kissing Hunter. If I didn't know everything that has been going on, I'd be hurt too if I were in his position. Even if he does agree to talk to Chris later, I may have to give them a little nudge before then. "No, I don't have any plans of any kind with anyone. After the reception is fine." Chris sounds completely aggravated. It still makes me want to laugh. "Well then I guess we have ourselves an appointment." "An appointment?" Oh Chris, you did not just open that door. I can see what's coming next a mile away. I can't seem to hold it in any more so I turn towards Dave and bury my face against his arm while I laugh. "Well, yeah. I was going to say a date, but that would give off all kinds of nuances that just shouldn't apply between...friends." I don't even have to look to know there is a huge smirk on Adam's face right about now. May I just say...fucking ouch! He went for the kill on that one. If I were Chris I think I'd give up this line of discussion for now. Which is exactly what he decides to do. We make it through the rest of the meal with quiet chatting, though I think Chris and Hunter are quieter than I would normally expect. Dave and I quickly cut the cake. We decided that handing out the cake with the champagne for the toasts would work out best. Dave was a real sweetheart and held the cake perfectly still so I could take a bite. I, on the other hand, was a completely mean little bastard and shoved it in Dave's face. Of course the only reason I did it that way was to give me an excuse to lick it all off! I'm not stupid. I may have traumatized his parents though. Once we've settled down with our cake and champagne I'm completely ready to get on with the evening. I'm not really worried about Adam's toast...really I'm not. His thought processes can be rather scary at times though so it's hard telling what will come out of his mouth. He manages to get everyone's attention straight off by letting loose with a loud whistle. That always was one of his more useful talents. "As most of you know, my name is Adam. Jay and I have been friends for so long that I really don't remember a time when he wasn't around. When Jay told me he was dating Dave, it really surprised me. Dave just wasn't the normal type of guy that Jay seemed to get involved with. In hindsight that's turned out to be a good thing. Like all best friends I wanted to make sure that Dave was good enough for him so I set up a test of sorts. I tossed Jay over my shoulder and walked off with him, right in front of Dave no less. I locked us both in the hotel bedroom for about 15 minutes and when I finally let Jay out of the room there sat Dave calm as could be. He had no doubts that whatever was going on in that room was completely innocent. That complete trust convinced me that Dave loved Jay in a way that he would never find anywhere else. That was the day I decided that Jay was right...the two of them belonged together." God, I can't believe he just told everyone about that. Dave's sitting beside me grinning like a loon. Of course that's just because he comes out looking like a great catch...which he so totally is, but still... The only way this could get worse would be if he...oh no he wouldn't. I groan even as I'm thinking that. Oh yes he will. "But being the best man for Jay, I still had to make sure that he was positive this was what he wanted. So today while we were waiting to walk out here I came up with a little test for him as well. And he passed with flying colors. I know that Jay is completely in love with Dave." Adam looks over at Dave and I can tell Dave is trying not to laugh. I honestly don't know what to make of him sometimes, but I love the fact that he isn't worried at all. I guess the fact that I married him is proof enough that I passed whatever little test Adam had for me and now he just wants the details. I wonder how much he's going to rub it in when he finds out what it was. "I know because before we came out here I asked Jay if he was sure this was what he wanted. I even offered to sneak him out of the building, told him we could take the honeymoon trip as a vacation of sorts ...drink a few mai tais, lay out on the beach, and run around in tiny little speedos... and he turned me down. Now that is true love." Hell the boy has an ego...which everyone finds extremely humorous. I think that was his entire point after all. Dave's laughing along with everyone else, but he leans towards me and whispers in my ear. "I truly appreciate the sacrifice you made there babe." I know I'm blushing, but I don't hesitate at all with my reply. "You know you're worth it." I consider smacking Adam for making me blush like that, but just about that time a voice rings out from the back of the room. "Hey blondie! Is that offer open to anyone else?" That sets off another round of laughter from everyone, myself included. It's Adam's turn to blush now. I'll have to thank Mark later, though I'm sure Chris is not happy about the question at all. I can hear him growling from here, which just makes me laugh harder. "Maybe... but what's Shawn have to say about that?" Oh... he didn't. Chris just went from growling to looking completely stunned. Adam is totally ignoring him, of course. "Hell blondie, it was Shawn's idea...ouch!" Apparently Shawn didn't appreciate Mark outing him on that little tidbit. This time the laughter is at Mark's expense. Shawn, Mark, and Adam running around the beach in tiny little speedos? The thought just boggles the mind. It has more than one person in the room stifling a moan as well, I'd bet. Dave has lost it at this point because he's noticed that Hunter is now wearing pretty much the same look as Chris. Adam looks shocked for a moment, but with his usual flair for the dramatic decides to turn the screws on Chris a notch tighter. "Well in that case you two have yourselves a date." I have a feeling that Adam chose to use that particular word on purpose and that has me feeling just a bit sorrier for Chris now. If Chris were in his right mind now he would realize that what just happened was nothing more than show and blow it off. Instead I think he's close to grabbing Adam by the hair and dragging him out of here so he can force him to listen to what he has to say. My mind is racing so fast with ideas for how to stop him if he actually tries it that I almost miss the end of Adam's toast. "Now that I have really great vacation plans, which was my purpose for this whole speech after all... I'm just kidding. They say when a newly married man looks happy, we all know why, but when a ten-year married man looks happy, we all wonder why. With Jay and Dave, I don't think any of us would wonder. If in ten years you only loved each other one-tenth of what you do today it would still be more love than what a lot of us will experience in a lifetime. To Jay and Dave... May your glasses be ever full. May the roof over your heads be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead." Color me shocked. That was almost sweet. Of course he pulled it out of the sap pit there at the last minute, but I expected no less. Not that Adam isn't sweet...in fact with those he loves he can be almost unbearably sweet, but it isn't a side he shows to many people. The fact that he let it show, if only for a moment, just for me makes me more determined than ever to make sure he and Chris settle things sooner rather than later. If they aren't hanging all over each other by the time we get to the gifts, it will be time to act. "And with that, I turn things over to Dave's best man...Hunter." *Dave's POV* I'm surprised that Adam managed to say Hunter's name without a trace of the anger he's got to be feeling about now. As far as he knows Chris and Hunter are together and Hunter's been staring at Shawn for most of the night so far. If I were the one in love with Chris, I'd be raging about right now. Of course the reason he's not letting it show is because of his love for Jay. I know most people think that I should be jealous or concerned about Jay and Adam's relationship, but I'm not. I'd consider them brothers if not for that whole practicing kissing when they were teenagers thing and an occasional ogle or two. I can't really blame them there...they are both extremely hot guys. They just don't consider each other in the romantic sense at all so I see no reason to be jealous. Although I must admit, that practice certainly paid off. I love just kissing Jay and Adam's certainly no slouch in the kissing department either as I found out earlier. I'm lucky I didn't fall on my ass from shock when Adam threw himself at me. I should have known something was up when Jay started laughing...sneaky little buggers. The fact that Adam let his sweet side show during his toast just for Jay's sake...that just endears the guy to me even more. I'd wager the only one that sees more of that side of him than Jay is Chris. Once the two of them finally admit their love to each other I'm betting they are going to surpass Jay and I in the nauseatingly sweet couple category. They may not have seen it coming, but some of us have seen it coming for months, Jay and I included. I can't explain why, but it's just obvious that they belong together. I feel bad for Adam because the poor guy is suffering from several misconceptions that have to be killing him slowly. If either Chris or Hunter don't tell him soon, I may take it upon myself to tell him. I hate doing that because it's not really my place, but if it will stop Jay from worrying I'll do it anyway. Speaking of Hunter...he's been a bit oblivious to my 'I'm going to get you back looks' here in the last few minutes. I'm not really mad at him, but it's that whole guy code. If someone does something that embarrasses the hell out of you...you just have to get them back somehow or let them suffer under the illusion that you're going to for a few days. That can lead to all kinds of begging, pleading, and sucking up. I think Hunter having to suffer through dancing with Adam may just make us even...of course he doesn't know I'm going to make him do that...yet. I'll just have to keep an eye on them so that they don't kill each other. At the moment he is, of course, preoccupied by that little exchange between Mark and Adam. I think it's hilarious. He was completely dumbfounded when Mark said it was Shawn's idea. I may just have to remind him he has some sucking up to do. *Hunter's POV* I cannot believe that Adam was flirting with Mark and Shawn! Well, on second thought I can actually. After all, he's not going to flirt with Chris, who he really wants to flirt with, because he thinks that Chris and I are together, which we aren't...so of course he's going to act like he's not bothered at all, which he is. I'm starting to confuse myself. The point is that I don't even want to think about Shawn, Mark, and Adam running around on a beach in almost non-existent swimwear. Okay so that's not the truth either if I really think about it... because that would just make a really, really hot picture. So sue me, I'm a guy and if I weren't completely in love with Shawn I wouldn't toss the other two out of my bed either. Oh... do not go there Hunter! I've come up with a pretty good plan to give Chris and Adam time to talk to each other...if it works. I'll have to ask Shawn to help me. I'm sure it won't be a problem getting him to ask Adam to dance considering he wants to run off to some exotic beach with him. That didn't sound the least bit like jealousy now did it? Once I explain the situation though I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help. Shawn's always liked Adam...and Chris. I'm sure he'd want them to be happy and the two of them will only be happy once they're together. Since it's partially my fault that they aren't together right now, it's only fair that I try to help make it right. That doesn't mean I'm going to be stupid enough to try to tell Adam the truth myself. I like my head right where it is, thanks. Thank god Dave canceled the wedding party dance or I'd not like my chances of making it off the dance floor in one piece. Whoops! Pay attention Hunter. It's my turn to make a toast. I look at Dave and instantly know that I'm not off the hook yet. I was so caught up in thinking about Shawn and my plans for Chris and Adam that I almost forgot I was in the doghouse with Dave. I suppose I should weave my toast with the proper amount of sucking up, if only to get that evil grin to leave Dave's face for a moment or two. I'm under no delusions however that he's going to let me off that easy...he'll drag it out until I'm squirming. "Thanks Adam. My name is Hunter. I'm Dave's best man. I have known Dave for quite awhile, but we really became close friends about six months ago. Dave has a seemingly endless supply of compassion, understanding, and determination. He's been there for me even when I was pretty sure I didn't deserve his support." *Adam's POV* Ha! There should be some serious sucking up in this toast. Dave's still giving Hunter the evil eye for what happened during the vows. Knowing Dave...he's going to let Hunter sweat it out for a bit before he exacts his revenge. This could be greatly amusing and I'm not just saying that because I'm jealous...honestly. I thought my own toast went rather well. Could have blown me over with a feather though when Mark interrupted. The idea of running off with Shawn and Mark is actually oddly appealing. Of course if Chris and I were together I wouldn't give it a second thought...okay maybe I would give it a second thought, but I'd be taking Chris along with me. Since I'm going to be facing Hunter slobbering all over Chris all the time...maybe I should actually consider taking Mark up on his offer. Hell, I've never really done the meaningless sex thing. It might do me some good or at least distract me for a little while. I won't do it though. Instead I'll stay here and wallow in misery over Chris while Chris is off making happy with Hunter. I'm pathetic. "Jay and Dave are the perfect couple, but we all know that someday there may be an issue or two they have to deal with. They come up in all relationships and marriage is no exception. When Dave asked me to be his best man I wanted to fulfill the responsibility in the best way that I could, so in the interest of supporting his love for Jay I searched out a top five list of words of wisdom to help him during his marriage." Oh this should be good. Words of wisdom on marriage from someone who's never been married? I wonder if he plans to use these words of wisdom in his relationship with Chris? Obsessive much Adam? Maybe I should talk to Vince about getting moved over to Smackdown. Then I could maintain my friendship with Chris, but not have to watch him with Hunter all the time. I'd hate to leave all my friends, but at least I'd have Mark to talk to and maybe I could try to get on with my life. "One-discourage nagging by answering ‘yes, dear’ to all prompts. The topic of discussion is irrelevant. Apply as needed, but be ready to duck." I'm hearing it, but I'm not believing it. Did he just imply that Jay is a nag? Way to go Hunter...that will get you on Dave's good side really well. I barely manage to muffle a snort of laughter. Keep digging Hunter! "Two-convince your partner that you have bad hearing. Ask him to repeat the question at intermittent intervals. This strategy will prove to be extremely useful if you ever need to stall for time." Selective hearing. That's not a bad idea I suppose. Of course Jay would pick up on it if Dave managed to hear just fine without repetition whenever the topic was sex-related. Hope Hunter doesn't try that one with Chris...he'll get smacked upside the head and a 'did you hear me, assclown?'. On second thought I hope he does try it. And yes Chris really does use that word outside of work. I'm sure Hunter will be hearing it a lot. "Three-whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up." Damn. I have to actually agree with that one. Dave's a really quiet guy by almost anyone's standards anyway and he definitely isn't the type to gloat. Hunter had better not expect Chris to stick to that though. Chris will argue with him until he has convinced Hunter that he's right even if Chris is wrong...and if he's right, you can bet Hunter will hear about it for days. It's actually one of the things I love about Chris, his stubborn determination. It leads to very interesting disagreements, which of course could lead to make-up sex. Ewww. Chris, Hunter, make-up sex...I think I'll cry now or pout at the very least. "Four-To err is human, to forgive is divine." Ding, ding, ding! Suck up alert! Too bad it's not going to work. I would laugh, but everyone would think I'm nuts. Actually I'm starting to wonder if I'm nuts. Talking to myself is okay I guess as long as I don't start answering myself as well. "Five-The most effective way to remember your anniversary is to forget it once." Yikes! That of course would never happen. Dave is way too sensitive to ever forget his anniversary...although he is a guy so I guess you can never completely rule out the possibility. "Of course we all know that Dave will never forget his anniversary because he will always remember the day he was joined with the other half of his soul and became complete. To Jay and Dave...may all your ups and downs come only in the bedroom." Sucking up again. Ah well. Thank god that's over. If I'd had to listen much longer I think I would have developed an irritating facial tic. I'm dwelling on it again aren't I? If I could I'd kick my own ass, I would. Unfortunately it's not physically possible. My buzz is wearing off and things aren't looking much better than they did before. Maybe after the toasts are finished I should go have a nice long conversation with my buddy Jack...Daniels that is. Nah. Knowing my luck I'd do something really stupid like strip off all my clothes in the middle of the dance floor. I really don't need a videotape of that coming back to haunt me later. I feel Jay's hand on my arm and realize that I was kind of in my own little world. I think I'm supposed to be checking to see who else wants to make a toast. Whoops. "Sorry, was waiting for Hunter to detach his lips from Dave's ass," I whisper to Jay as I get to my feet. Jay covers his mouth with his hand and then I hear a strangled laugh from beside me. Apparently Chris heard what I said. My bad. To cover up any hint of mischief on my part I turn to Chris with a smile. "Did you have a few words for the happy couple Chris? Go right ahead." I drop back into my seat with a thud and force myself to pay attention to the rest of the toasts. "Chris here. I thought I'd take it easy on you after having to listen to Mr. Ego and Sphincter Soul-Kiss, so my toast shall be just like me...short and sweet." Hear those echoing groans there Chris? You aren't fooling anyone. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him. "To Jay and Dave... may you live each day like your last, and live each night like your first." It was actually short...and sweet. I'll be damned. I'm looking at Ric now and I'm not even sure I should ask. I think he's had double the supply of alcohol that I have had already. This could be scary. "Ric?" As he stands up, I'm kind of hoping for a Kodak moment. We'll end up having at least one and if Ric goes first it'll take the pressure off. I almost get my wish too. "Wooooo! You all know who I am." Instead of a wink it really looks like Ric has an eye twitch going and I find myself kind of disappointed that he flung out his left arm instead of his right to steady himself. If he'd used the right he'd have belted Hunter upside the head. I grin over the possibility that it may still happen. "To Jay and Dave..." I smother a laugh as Ric lifts his glass and Hunter has to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face with it. If he does hit him with it, I'm so buying Ric a thank you gift. "Sex is like air, it's not important unless you aren't getting enough, so I wish you a plentiful supply of both." Leave it to Ric. Eyes rolling here. There are a few more token toasts by some of the guests and finally we are finished...at least with that part of the torture. Of course Chris has an altogether different form of torture in store for the guests. I ought to know because I'll be instrumental in that torture. Have I mentioned that I can not sing? "Hey, Dave...before you start the dancing, the boys and I have a wedding surprise for you." Surprise? Oh they'll be surprised all right. Hunter grabs hold of Ric's arm and leads him towards where the DJ is set up. Chris bounces over and talks to the DJ for a moment. I know he thinks this is a good idea. Poor Jay. Poor Dave. I step behind the two of them for a moment and lay a hand on each of their shoulders. "I'm going to apologize in advance. You know I love you guys, right?" I give them a sickly smile and then head over to the others. This is so going to suck. **** *Jay's POV* Can I just say I'm worried right now? I won't say it out loud of course, but I'm certainly thinking it. Dave's watching the four up on the stage with something akin to amusement, but I have a feeling this could be one of those "things" that happens at weddings. I hope someone has a video camera ready...you never know when you might need some good blackmail material. Normally when Chris is involved I wouldn't be too worried about it, but if Adam's worried then I'm worried. Chris grabs a few microphones from the DJ and passes them out to Adam, Ric, and Hunter. My feeling about this just got incredibly worse. Chris steps to the front and is apparently going to address us. I really hope I'm wrong about what he's got to say. "Jay, Dave, you know we all love you both. We decided that you needed something memorable for the occasion, other than the occasion itself that is, so we are going to sing a song for you." Oh my god. This is either going to be surprisingly good...or disastrously bad. Chris can sing of course and I'm pretty sure I've heard Hunter sing somewhat passably during a karaoke night in some bar. Ric, I've never heard sing before and Adam, as much as I love him, can't sing to save his life. Well, he can but it's just bad...really, really bad. I look at Dave and it's apparent he has no clue what we are in for here, but he will very soon. I know the look on my face has to be something akin to horrified, but I'm going to try to smile. It's got to look sickly though. Just then I hear the opening bars to 'Great Balls of Fire'. Okay...maybe this won't be so bad. Even drunken people can sing this song and the only one close to drunk is Ric. It can't be that bad...right? They start to sing and right away you can tell something isn't right. Chris is singing okay, Hunter's holding his own, Adam sounds like he's got his nuts caught in a vice...that almost makes me laugh, until I hear Ric over top of all of them. He's shouting the lyrics...except it's not the lyrics as they were written. Apparently he's into some rather...kinky stuff. You rake my curves and I battle the pain Too much S & M drives a man insane You smoked my drill But what a kill Goodness gracious my balls are on fire! Oh lord. Adam is giving Flair the evil eye, but he's still trying to sing. The problem is he's trying to sing over top of Flair and it's just not going to happen especially at that pitch. Chris is glaring at Flair with an 'I'm going to kill him later' look. He's trying to keep going as well but misses about half the words because he's just...stunned I think. Hunter has given up and has his mouth covered. I'm assuming that's so we can't hear him laughing. I laughed at bondage cause I thought it was funny You came along and luuubed me with honey Rearranged my spine Tied me with twine Goodness gracious my balls are on fire! Dave's laughing so hard he's crying. I can only imagine what his parents are thinking right now. I can hear a few people laughing, but I think most of them are either horrified or they think it's a joke. Chris is so pissed off you can almost see the steam coming out of his ears. Adam's watching him closely though. I'm sure he'd prefer that Chris not going to prison for homicide. Fist me baby....mmmmm...feels good Fold me baby Wellll I want you to love me with a cane of wood Keep me in line, confined Got to tell Vinnie Mac that I'm fine fine fine fine As soon as the word fist left Flair's mouth Chris turned in his direction and lunged. Adam just managed to grab him around the waist and hold on to him. I can't tell what Adam's saying to him right now but I hope he calms him down...on second thought maybe he should just let him go. Hunter's sitting on the floor laughing so hard I think he's got the hiccups now. Too bad we can't use the footage for one of those funniest home videos shows. I think Vince is really impressed that Flair named him in the song as well. Maybe we'll see a 'you're fired' episode tonight. You chewed my tail and you diddled my bum I paid lip service, you bought a stun gun Damn me baby, now things are hazy Goodness gracious my balls are on fire! (piano solo) Adam managed to drag Chris over to the DJ's booth. Now he's headed in Hunter's direction. Oh shit. Whew. All he did was get him to stand up. I think Hunter may have thought he was done for by the look on his face though. Hey, looks like Adam cleared up his hiccups for him. He took Hunter over to stand with Chris and now they're looking at some piece of paper. Couldn't one of them have at least attempted to shut Flair up? Although it is kind of funny if you really think about it. Adam has now left the stage and headed over to... Mark and Shawn? Wonder what that is all about. He talks to them for just a moment and now he's headed in our direction. Mark and Shawn are headed for the stage. This will be a night to remember, that's for sure. *Dave's POV* I suppose I really shouldn't be laughing. I think my poor Jay is mortified. I can't help it though. This doesn't surprise me at all... it's just typical Flair when he's been drinking. I thought about stopping him myself, but what the hell, we can always look back at this and laugh later. At least I hope so. Adam stopped Chris from killing Ric, though I wouldn't blame him if he tried to knock him out later. The idea was a sweet one, but with Ric involved it was doomed to failure. I wonder if they got Adam and Chris on tape? If they watched what we all were just witness to, then they'd have to face up to the fact that they're meant for each other. You could see it, even from here. No one else could have calmed Chris down that quickly without knocking him out. Adam's on his way over here right now. I wonder what he wanted with Mark and Shawn. Wellll whip me baby...mmmmm...feels good Scold me baby Wellll we're not crazy, just misunderstood The blindfold is fine, hit me with Nine Got to tell Vinnie Mac that I'm fine fine fine fine *Adam's POV* Christ, I'd like to kill Flair. I knew this was going to be a disaster, just not to this degree. Poor Chris. I thought there for a moment he was going to have an apoplectic fit, but he decided killing Flair sounded like more fun. He shouldn't do it in front of witnesses though. My Chris wouldn't make it one night in prison before some big guy named Bubba decided to make him his bitch. I may be willing to step aside for someone who is going to actually maybe love him, but I'll be damned if I give him up to someone that's going to use and abuse him. So I saved Flair for the moment. Now if I can just fix the disaster that is now Chris' surprise, that'll be a miracle. I'm working on it though. On the way back to the stage I stop by Jay and Dave's table. Dave's still laughing so at least he's getting a kick out of this. Jay looks like he swallowed a lemon. That's not good. I kneel down next to his seat and give him an apologetic smile. "This wasn't part of the plan Jay. I swear. At least for me, Hunter, and Chris." I give him a rueful smile. "Just give me a minute or two and I promise you'll get your surprise the way Chris intended it to be." I kiss him lightly on the cheek and then head toward the stage, where Mark is now tossing Flair over his shoulder. Flair it seems isn't finished though. He's still singing with Mark's shoulder in his gut. Now that takes pure determination. I whine and wail, and you fill me with cum Oral sex service, you hit a home run Damn me baby, Vince thinks we're crazy Goodness gracious... HEY! Flair's cut off way too late as Shawn snags the microphone out of his hand with that patented HBK smile. "Thanks Ric. I'm sure we'll all remember that in our nightmares for years to come. Now that the comedy portion of the evening is over, I'm sure you'll all enjoy the next performance much better." You've got to love Shawn. He can handle almost any situation with panache. Mark's taken Ric off... I don't know where and for the moment I don't really care as long as keeps him quiet and far away from Chris. Shawn, Hunter, and Chris are huddled by the DJ booth, so I head in that direction. I walk up behind Chris and lean down to whisper in his ear. "Hey, are you okay?" He doesn't even twitch at my presence. It's almost like he already knew I was there and I can't help but smile as I pull back. "Yeah. I think I've managed to rid myself of homicidal thoughts, at least for the moment." He's turned his head to look back over his shoulder at me and his eyes are full of emotion. I'm just not sure what emotion it is. Before I can figure it out, his lashes drop momentarily and block off my view of those beautiful baby blues. As he opens them again he smiles at me. "Thanks Adam." "I know how much you wanted to do something special for Jay. Don't worry. With Shawn and Hunter backing you up I'm sure it'll turn out just fine." He smiles at me before turning back to look at the paper in his hands. "You aren't going to join us?" His voice sounds a little odd, but I contribute it to any lasting upset. "No. I think that little bit up there proved that I can't sing for shit, which I already knew. I only attempted it because you asked me to." Speaking of Shawn and Hunter...they seem to be getting along quite well at the moment. I'm sure the look I'm giving Hunter right now is a little acid filled. Shouldn't he be trying to make Chris feel better right now instead of hanging on Shawn's every word? I bite my tongue against saying anything and surreptitiously rub my hand along Chris' back in a comforting gesture. He shivers slightly and leans back into my touch. I suppose I shouldn't be doing this right here in front of Hunter, but I can't help touching him. The only problem is that now I want to keep touching him and I can't. I must be a masochist. Just not to the degree that Flair apparently is. Chris turns suddenly and grabs my left hand. I'm thankful he remembered not to grab the right one. "Thank you for at least trying. It means a lot to me. " "You know I'd do anything for you Chris..." Whoa. Hold up. Putting it out there a bit aren't you Adam? I'd better qualify that before he reads into it exactly what I actually meant. Now just isn't the time for this. "I mean that's what friends are for, right?" "Of course." He's not exactly smiling at the moment and there's some weird flash in his eyes that almost looks like pain. He closes his eyes for a second and his thumb is stroking the back of my hand. When he opens his eyes again there is that same look I noticed earlier. It so close to the way I've been wanting him to look at me that I can feel myself start trembling. I know it's not what I'm hoping for though...it can't be. Whether it is or not, I can't seem to help myself from reacting to it. I lean towards him, my eyes locked with his and just as I'm to the point of kissing him with every bit of love I have for him, I remember where we are and who is standing right beside us. I pause a hair's breadth from his lips and turn to kiss his cheek instead. Just as I'm pulling away I hear Hunter's voice right beside us. Aw hell. "You ready Chris? The DJ has it all set up." We turn to look at Hunter and Shawn almost simultaneously. Chris smiles, but it's not the smile I was figuring he'd be wearing right about now. Maybe he's worried that Hunter's going to misinterpret what just happened. It wouldn't be a misinterpretation though, at least not on my part. I've got to learn to control myself a little bit better. "Yes. I'm ready. Let's get to it." Chris smiles at me one more time before he turns and walks towards the middle of the stage with Shawn and Hunter. Hopefully between the three of them they can pull this off. *Chris's POV* Fucking hell. Can this day possibly get any worse? Since the moment I left Adam's bed early this morning it's been nothing but a living hell. All the misunderstandings and confusion between Adam and myself. The disaster with Adam picking just that moment to walk in on Hunter and I. The fact that we haven't been communicating at all since then except in ways that have communicated absolutely nothing important. Shawn and Mark's teasing during the toasts. Sure, I know it was all teasing, but still it ticked me off. Ric's asinine hi-jacking of the song for whatever reason he felt it was necessary, though it may just have been the fact that he's almost toasted. And now...now when Adam is just about ready to throw caution to the wind and kiss me, really kiss me, he changes his mind for some reason and kisses me on the cheek instead. I was so sure that was going to be the point where things were going to head in the right direction. I'm not sure why he stopped though I have an idea or two. We were so close. I could feel the heat and the gentle brush of his breath against my mouth and then it was just gone. I'd like to kill Hunter for picking that moment to interrupt us. I'm sure if I'd had another moment or two I could have had him right back where I wanted him. All it would have taken was a few measly words. Now it will have to wait, just like Adam's insisted on. Damn. As we walk out onto the stage, I'm profusely thankful to the DJ. He had brought the Karaoke version of 'Great Balls of Fire' at my request. I was pretty sure he wouldn't have anything else we could use, but he actually keeps some of the stuff in his van at all times. He ran out a minute ago to get the CD for the new song we've picked out. Hopefully this time things go much better. Hunter isn't a half bad singer if he knows the lyrics. Shawn and I made sure he actually knew this song before we settled on it. Shawn's being a real sweetheart about this and I'm feeling kind of bad for my nasty thoughts about him earlier. The fact that he can actually carry a tune just endears him to me all the more. I do wish that Adam would have joined us up here, but I have to agree with him. As much as I love him, his singing is awful. Maybe I can find some way to help later or at least learn to tolerate it when he does it in the shower. That makes me smile for a second before I realize I've got a lot of work to do before that will be happening. Let me make it through the reception first per Adam's request and then that's my first priority. *Jay's POV* Oh! Here's Chris again. He's got Shawn and Hunter with him this time. Hopefully things go much better during this second attempt. Poor Chris. I might just smack Flair later. Although I do have to say that the effect on Chris and Adam over this has been most interesting. When Adam went back there to talk to Chris you could see the truth in their body language. Hell, it was so hot that it got me all bothered. Not that I'd actually admit to it...except if Dave asked. I swear to god there for a second I thought Adam was just going to pounce on Chris, but then changed his mind at the last moment. Too bad. There's always plan B if all else fails. Hopefully it won't be necessary though because Adam will not be happy about it. He might just want to hurt me and that would be a terrible thing to happen during my wedding reception. I'm pretty sure Dave would manage to stop him, but it's better not to take the chance unless there is no other alternative. "Okay folks, let's try this again. I promise that this one will be completely PG-13." Thank you Chris. Not that I have anything against something like what Flair sang... in the right place. This definitely wasn't it. The music starts and I'm just about ready to jump out of my seat. I really like this song and we almost picked it for the first dance, but then Dave and I decided on something else. Chris sounds good, which I knew he would. Oh. Hunter and Shawn doing backgrounds and they even sound pretty good. This is a great surprise. It's even got Dave smiling. I smile back at him as his hand slips into mine and squeezes gently. Very, very nice. *Dave's POV* I had a feeling Jay might like this once I heard the music start playing. We almost went with 'All for Love' as our first dance. We decided on something else though. This is actually a really decent performance by the three blonds. Hey, maybe they should form a group and name themselves that. Nah. Just kidding. Even though it sounds decent I think they make much better wrestlers than singers. As long as Jay's happy about it, I'm happy as well. I think Chris feels much better about this performance than the last. I'm thinking though that he'd have liked to put it off in favor of dragging Adam off to the broom closet. Damn. You could see the sparks from here. I'm pretty sure Jay still has his plan in mind if business doesn't pick up between the two of them. I managed to slip the package in with the others at the table when Chris wasn't paying attention. I just hope this doesn't backfire on Jay. I think Adam might get just a little upset, but I don't think he'd hurt Jay. The song's almost over now. Adam's standing off to the side and you can see he's happy it's going so well...for Chris' sake. I honestly hope the two of them get a clue soon. It's just so damn obvious. **** *Mark's POV* I took Flair out of the room through the door where the wedding party entered earlier with him still screaming in protest over my shoulder. As soon as we walk through the door he shut up so I drop him on the floor. "Move Mark," he says as he scrambles to his feet. Is he serious? Suddenly he doesn't sound or look quite so drunk as he did up on that stage. I'm a pretty suspicious guy at the best of times so this tips me off that something isn't quite right. "No way Flair. What the hell was that out there? If I let any of them see you for the next little bit, I'm pretty sure you're going to end up with your head having a new part...at the shoulders. Spill it." I give him my best intimidating look; it's never failed me before. Ric just makes some disgruntled noise and tries to push me to the side. Notice I said tries. "Come on Mark. Move. I'm not going out, I just want to be able to see out the door. I'll tell you everything if you just...move!" He punctuates his last word with another sharp push and I have to admit to my growing curiosity, so I move. He pulls the door open enough to peek through and motions for me to look as well. "I have a feeling that the reason I just pulled that stunt is the same reason you were flirting with "blondie" earlier. You knew what the response would be." I'm starting to get a hint of what he means and it shocks the hell out of me. Flair trying to play matchmaker? I don't believe it. Looking out the door I can see Shawn and Hunter talking. Adam and Chris are off to the side and just watching them you can see the sparks flying from here. We watch as Adam leans in towards Chris and then suddenly swerves and kisses his cheek instead. "Damn it! They were so close. I was sure it was going to work." Flair makes a disgruntled face and closes the door. This is getting weirder by the second. "So that whole stunt was an attempt to get Adam and Chris to fix whatever is going on with the two of them. Is that what you are trying to tell me?" I know I'm right but I still want the confirmation from Ric. I can't help but add a warning though. "You do know that Chris is going to want to kill you later, possibly Adam as well?" "Yeah. As long as I square things up with Dave and Jay later I don't mind having to hide from the blonds for awhile. It was worth the shot." I know I'm staring, but I can't stop myself. Flair as cupid. Unbelievable. "So what is going on with Adam and Chris? Last week they were all over each other, earlier Adam was staying as far away from Chris as possible, Chris is looking at Adam like he's starving and blondie is the buffet, and just a minute ago Adam purposely stopped himself from jumping on Chris... what's missing from this picture?" "Not a clue Mark. All I know is the tension between the two of them is so thick you could choke on it. I don't know what the problem is, but I was hoping that if Adam had to actually talk to Chris it might provide that opening they need. And they were so close...I just don't get it. That and the fact that Adam is shooting death glares at Hun... Oh my god! That's it! It has to have something to do with Hunter. Hunter has been chasing after Chris for months...ever since that deal with Randy at the taping. I have a feeling he's tied up in whatever the problem is between the boys." "Sounds like I should go have a talk with Hunter then. You've noticed him staring at Shawn haven't you?" "It's been pretty obvious. Look, I know you and Shawn have this thing going on, but you have to realize that Hunter and Shawn belong together as much as Adam and Chris do. Maybe Hunter's finally figured that out. I just can't figure out what that might have to do with the other two. Are you going to fight Shawn on this?" Ric looks like he expects me to say yes. I'd like to say yes, but I won't. "No, Ric, I'm not. I know Shawn's not meant to be with me. Sure we pass time together and I love him in my own way, but that's it. We're good friends. I just don't want him to hurt Shawn again." It sounds like the song is coming to an end. Time to go do some nosing around. "Why don't you head back to the bar Ric. Maybe you'll find someone to pass the time with as well. I'm sure the boys will appreciate your efforts later...much later. Surprised you had it in you." "I wasn't going to get involved. I just can't stand to see someone make the same mistakes I have. Finding someone to pass the time with is about all I can hope for these days. It's no way for those youngsters to live. It's no way for you to live either Mark. Go for it while you're still young." With a wink, Flair heads out the door and skirts the room towards the bar. That man sees way more than any of us ever give him credit for. I think he likes the fact that we all think he's oblivious. I may even take him up on his advice...after I figure out what's going on with the boys. First stop is going to be a chat with Hunter, even if I have to haul him off somewhere to do it. Walking back out through the door, I can see that the song is over now and the singing trio is now talking to Jay and Dave. Adam seems to have wandered off somewhere, but I'm betting he hasn't gone far. There are hugs all around with the group at the table and a few laughs. As I approach the table they make room for me and I lean in to give Jay a hug of my own. "Thanks for the save there, Mark." Jay whispers as I embrace him. "He did it for Blondie," I whisper in return. Jay pulls back quickly and looks at me, his eyes wide. I nod in affirmation and he laughs. Jay seems to be a bit happier now. I think he understood what I was hinting at and he'll forgive Ric if that's the case. Hopefully my intervention will give Ric a chance to explain himself rather than having Jay take his head off at first sight. The DJ just called for Jay and Dave to come out for their first dance. As they leave the group and head for the dance floor I figure now is as good of a time as any to question Hunter. Fisting my hand in the back of his tuxedo jacket, I steer him towards the side of the room where there are fewer people. I can tell Shawn is following behind us and he's going to think this has something to do with him. I've got nothing to hide though and if Hunter answers a few questions for me with brilliant responses I may just give him my blessings with Shawn. That's not my primary goal at the moment though. "We need to talk, Hunter." He's squirming quite a bit, but not really fighting me. The boy knows better than to argue with me. If I want something, I generally get it...one way or another. *Shawn's POV* Oh god! Mark is dragging Hunter off somewhere to "talk". I know he's protective of me, but isn't this a little overkill? I'll just have to make sure that all they do is talk. Dave will have a fit if they get into a fight here tonight. I follow behind them until they reach a table over by the wall. I hear Mark say they need to talk and I'm all ready to protest, but Hunter beats me to it. "Listen, Mark. I know you aren't real thrilled with me, but I promise it's not what it looks like. Okay, maybe it is, but I've got some things I need to say to Shawn. I know you aren't going to like it, but if he agrees to listen then I don't really think it's your business." I can't stifle a groan. Way to go Hunter. Just piss him off, why don't you? I wonder what he wants to talk to me about. I can always hope he's going to say that he's finally gotten his head out of his ass. Is that too much to hope for? "Shut up, Hunter," Mark says with an irritated scowl. "While I do want to talk to you about Shawn at some point, that is not the reason I dragged you over here. If you're smart, you'll shut up and answer my questions." Hunter looks puzzled but nods. "If it's not about Shawn..." "What's the deal with Chris and Blondie? Flair seems to think you might have something to do with what's going on between them... so spill it. No pussyfootin' either. Understand?" What the hell? I know Chris and Hunter were together for awhile. Heard all about the big scene at the tapings with Randy. I know that even last week at the bachelor party it looked like Hunter was chasing Chris around. I probably would have been pouting about it if not for Mark being there. Actually I did pout about it a little later, but Mark managed to distract me...rather nicely I might add. What did Hunter do now? I can accept that Hunter and I may never be able to be together, but he doesn't belong with Chris either. Chris belongs with Adam...and if Hunter's messed that up so help me god I'll smack him myself! "Oh, that." That's it? That's all he has to say for himself? That makes it sound like he is guilty. So be it. "Ouch! What the hell did you smack me for?" Ha! He's rubbing his arm. I've still got it! "So help me Hunter if you messed things up between those two I'll do more than just smack you! Now spill!" If smacking him didn't convince him, the glare I'm giving him will. He never could hold up when I gave him this look. He always crumbled like a cookie. "Okay, okay. Just don't smack me again." Ha! Don't you try that pout on me. I won't fall for it! "I may have inadvertently caused a problem between Chris and Adam, but I didn't mean to do it. Adam kind of, maybe, caught me kissing Chris," Hunter says as he rubs the back of his neck and peeks up at me with puppy dog eyes. Mark's rolling his eyes over that wishy-washy answer and I'm not too impressed by it myself. "Kind of, Hunter? Maybe? Either he did or he didn't..." Am I happy he was kissing Chris? Hell, no! Am I going to let him know that? That would be an emphatic hell no! "Okay! He did, but it wasn't what you guys are thinking. It was completely...well almost completely innocent. I swear. I'm sure you both know that Chris and I were seeing each other for awhile and ...what happened with Randy. Damn gossips never can resist a scene." Mark and I both nod in acknowledgment. We had even talked about it at the time. I was a little upset that he hadn't told me about Chris himself. I mean even if we weren't together anymore in that sense, I'd thought we were still friends. I'm sure his excuse would be that he didn't want to hurt me, but I think him not telling me hurt even more. "I knew it wasn't likely that Chris would ever accept an explanation, but I still had to try. Randy lied to him, at least about most of what happened, and I wanted to clear it up. I knew Chris wouldn't take me back, but I still wanted him to know the truth, if nothing else. He was still avoiding me...until today. He came to see me earlier and wanted to know what he did to make me...be with Randy. To make a long story short, I told him the truth about Randy and he told me he was in love with someone else. I knew he meant Adam, even though Chris never really said his name." "I'm happy for him, honestly I am. All I wanted was some...closure between us. I never really got that when things ended and regardless of what happened with Randy, I do still care about Chris. I thought that maybe I was in love with him, but he pointed out that I couldn't be because I'd already given my heart to someone else a long time ago. And he was right. So...I asked him if I could kiss him goodbye. He said yes and...and Adam walked in on it." Oh god. I can't breathe. I want to address the situation with Adam and Chris, but all I can think about right now is what Chris told him and that he said Chris was right. He was looking right at me when he said it... and, and, and...the way he was looking at me. God, I've been waiting so long to see him look at me that way. I've seen flashes of it before, but he's never let it show so clearly. He finally realizes... But if he thinks for one minute that he's going to get away with that little snippet and not give me the full begging, pleading, and kissing my ass routine, then he can just think again! I am not that easy, thank you very much! Now that I can breathe again I think it's time to address the matter at hand, namely Adam and Chris. Mark's got his hands over his face. I'm not quite sure if it's because he's exasperated or whether that's to keep him from smacking Hunter. I think I'll do it for him. "Ouch! What was that one for?" Oh come on now Hunter, sweetheart, you can't be that stupid. "Because you knew Adam would be here today. You should have been more careful, you idiot. Want to tell me what happened after he caught you two? Why he's still pissed off? I mean surely if you or Chris explained to him..." "Well, see, that's just the thing. Neither one of us has told him what he saw isn't really what he thinks he saw." "For god's sake, why not?" I'm going to smack him again. I know I am. He can be so thick sometimes it makes me want to scream. "Well...when it happened, Adam kind of punched the wall...I think, then he took off. I thought Chris would say something to him, but he didn't think Adam would listen right now. He wanted to wait until there weren't so many people around. Honestly, Adam is kind of freaking me out. I mean I kind of expected him to jump all over me when he saw me, but he hasn't. He's been civil when we talked and well...other than a glare or two, that's all I've seen to even give a hint that he's pissed at me. I thought he was going to have a go at me on the stage there, but he didn't. He helped me up, took me over to Chris, and then he just left me there with him. If he loves Chris, why would he..." Oh for the love of all that's holy. We've really got to work on his love demonstration skills once he gets through apologizing...on his knees. "Pay close attention to me here, Hunter. First of all, Adam loves Jay. Regardless of his feelings, he's not going to ruin today for him. That's why he hasn't knocked you on your ass. Second, Adam does love Chris. Any fool could see that. If he thinks that you and Chris made up, he's going to support Chris because he wants Chris to be happy, even if it would be with you. Third, he's giving you the evil eye because you've been staring at me all night, yes I've noticed, and since you are supposedly with Chris... are you following me here?" "He thinks I'm going to hurt Chris again. That's why he's watching me so closely." Hunter is looking at the floor, scuffing his dress shoe against the wood. I'd say he's got the right idea now. "So how do you plan to fix this then Hunter? Knowing you, you already have a plan." He looks up at me and smiles. I know him so well. "Yeah, I do actually. I'm going to need your help though...both of you, if you're willing." I nod at him. I'm more than willing to help. We both turn to look at Mark, who lets out a not-so-quiet sigh before he speaks. "Fine. What's the plan?" *Chris' POV* I'm watching Jay and Dave dance...kind of. I'm also sort of curious about why Shawn, Mark, and Hunter are all huddled up over at that table. I thought about tracking down Ric and giving him an earful, but I don't want to wander too far away from where I am, plus if I wait he'll have to come right to me. We still have the wedding party dance to get through. That should be interesting. By all rights, I'm supposed to dance with Ric. I wonder if I'll manage to keep from strangling him in the process. He'd better have a damn good reason for that stunt. Adam has to dance with Hunter. I know Adam won't cause a scene, but I'm betting Hunter's going to be nervous about it anyway. Kind of scary when the wedding party wants to kill each other. Another reason I'm not tracking down Ric is that I'm trying to figure out where Adam hared off to. I checked the bar, so I know he's not there. Maybe he's hiding out in the bathroom. I'm wondering if maybe the hint that I threw at him while I was singing was just a little too obvious. I know he can't be far. He's as aware of his duties as Jay's best man as I am. This song is just about over, so he'll have to come out from hiding soon. Not that I don't love Jay and Dave, but I really wish this thing was over with already. That or that I'd have the guts to just tell Adam what is going on despite his protests. Just before the song ends, I hear a couple of raised voices, but I'm unable to tell whom those voices belong to. As I look in that direction, I finally locate Adam who is currently helping Vince escort Carlito to the door. Seconds later, the song is over and we're all applauding the happy couple. Vince and Adam come back through the door minus Carlito. I'm sure he won't be missed. I'm not even sure how he ended up with an invitation. Next to Heidenreich, he has to be one of the biggest assclowns to debut for the company recently. Vince heads towards Linda, who is rubbing the back of her hand and smiling, while Adam heads towards the dance floor. I wonder what the heck that was all about? I'll have to get all the details later. Just then the DJ calls for the wedding party. Adam and I make it there relatively quickly. Ric shows up shortly after, looking just a little less blasted than when we last saw him. I wonder if Mark has anything to do with that. Hunter seems to be dragging his feet and has a dubious expression on his face as he finally wanders over to where the rest of us are standing. Oh this is going to be fun. Can you smell the sarcasm? Jay and Dave look at us all expectantly as the music starts. If I remember correctly Jay said the name of this song is "You've Got a Friend". I want to laugh considering half the wedding party wants to kill the other half. I sigh quietly and walk over to Ric. He's looking at me like he's sure I'm going to throttle him. I might just do that, but not here. I scowl at him as I grab his hand and pull him a bit closer so we can dance. Damn slow songs anyway. Now if it were Adam in my arms, you wouldn't see me complaining at all. Speaking of Adam... He is actually dancing with Hunter. I'm not really surprised. He's doing it for Jay, of course. I just hope Hunter manages to keep his mouth shut and not provoke him. Provoking of course brings me back to the subject of Ric. I'm pretty sure I'm still scowling at him. I just can't seem to stop myself. He's not really looking at me and his spine is poker straight. Every once in awhile he kind of peeks at me from under his lashes, though I'm sure he's not aware that I've noticed. Unfortunately the little devil in me wants to be provoking. "So Ric, you want to tell me now or would you rather have me glued to your side all evening until you do tell me?" That certainly got his attention. He can't very well pick someone up for tonight if I'm under his nose the entire time. "Tell...tell you what?" Sigh. Can nothing ever be simple? "Why you decided to turn 'Great Balls of Fire' into 'S&M Porn 101.' Not that I don't appreciate a good rib, but tonight wasn't the night for it. Need I go on?" I don't believe it. Ric Flair is actually blushing. What the hell is up with everyone tonight? "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't ask. Can I pass on that question? Maybe postpone my explanation until a later date and time?" Is he kidding me? "No and no." Seems that I've caught Adam's earlier taciturn mood. "Can I blame it on the booze?" Glaring again. "Alzheimer's?" All that gains him is a snort of irritation. "Brain injury?" Oh for the love of... "No, no, and...no." I'm almost pathetically amused at the lengths he's willing to take to 'not' confess to why he did it. Maybe I won't kill him after all. "Fine. I'll tell you, but you aren't going to like it." Then again maybe I will. Exasperation is ready to set in. "The way it looked earlier, you and Adam need to talk. I figured if nothing else you two could talk while he was trying to convince you not to kill me. After last week, we all kind of figured you two would be together, but you're not and it's obvious that neither one of you is happy right now. I don't normally involve myself in stuff like this, but I like you two. You really should just sit down and talk to him." I'm not sure how to describe what I'm feeling right now. Shocked? Annoyed? Amused? Maybe I should just take out a newspaper ad about that fact that Adam and I aren't exactly acting like our normal happy selves, but by the way it sounds I don't need to, everyone is already noticing. "Ric, I don't know what to say. You're right, but he's put me off until after the end of the reception. I plan to fix things as soon as he gives me a chance." God save us from well-meaning friends. "I appreciate that you were trying to help, but next time...please avoid using the words 'fist me.' That was really...disturbing to my peace of mind." Yes. I let him off easy. So sue me. At least he was trying to help, even if he did go about it in absolutely the wrong way. It completely changes my perspective about Ric as well. Seems we don't know him as well as we all think that we do. I finally break my eyes from Ric and look over at Hunter and Adam as the song is close to ending. Oh shit. *Adam's POV* I wonder if there has ever been an event attended by a mass of "professional entertainers" that has turned out relatively uneventful. We seem to be filling our quota for the night. From Hunter's faux pas to Ric's bawdy rendition of a Jerry Lee Lewis classic to the most recent incident which resulted in the eviction of Carlito 'Un-Cool' from the hall. When the guys were close to finishing the song they were singing for Jay and Dave, I felt the immense need to be elsewhere so that I could ignore my urge to drag Chris from the building and take him back to the hotel to talk. I love listening to him sing but with the song he was singing, it really hit a nerve. I swear, when he reached the one line that says ' When there's someone that should know then just let your feelings show...', that he turned and looked right at me when he sang it. But why would he do that? I mean maybe he doesn't know that I know that he heard me last night, but he knows that he heard me so he should know how I feel about him...right? So if he already knows how I feel about him then why would he sing to me about wanting me to let my feelings show, especially when it doesn't matter how I feel because he's with someone else. God, my head hurts now. Way too much thinking. Anyway the point is that I needed some space. When I turned around my plan was to go outside for just a minute for some air, but there stood Linda with that 'tell mom everything' look on her face. I knew it was coming, but I had hoped to avoid it at least until the next taping. So we took a walk over to where Vince was sitting. I did manage to avoid spilling all, at least for now. I told them I was having 'issues' with someone else on the roster and that it had upset me. That is the truth after all, I will certainly have issues with watching Hunter pawing Chris. I hinted to Vince that I wanted to talk to him alone sometime at the next show. While I was setting up a meeting with him, Linda had turned to watch Jay and Dave start dancing. That was just about the time that dorkchop Carlito showed up. For a moment I thought I was imaging the whole thing...more like hoping. The idiot walks right up Linda, looks her up and down, and then says, "I'd like to take a bite out of those apples." I was completely speechless. Just as I went to give the fool what for, Linda decided to take care of the matter herself...by launching her fist into Carlito's nose. He starts screeching, "Dat's not cool!" I wanted to laugh, I really did. Instead I helped Vince escort him, bloody nose and all, out the back door. Vince added a boot to the ass once we got there. Even a rookie shouldn't be that stupid. He's lucky Vince didn't give him another kind of boot. As we walked back in I noticed that Jay and Dave's dance was almost over. Now I'm standing here at the edge of the dance floor because the DJ called for the wedding party. Oh joy of joys, I get to dance with of all people...Hunter. It's not that I hate the guy, because really I don't. I just don't want him within ten feet of my Chris. I have so got to stop thinking that way or I'm going to do something I'll regret. Nothing says I have to be extra nice to him however. Chris is looking at Flair like he's something Chris scraped off his shoe. I'm pretty curious myself as to what got into the guy. Yeah, he likes to get drunk and party, but he usually keeps the incidents where he makes a complete ass of himself confined to smaller venues. Chris finally bites the bullet when he gets a pointed look from the happy couple and walks over to dance with Ric. Hunter's looking at me like he's afraid I'm going to bite him. I get a raised brow from Jay and figure I might as well get this over with. I grab Hunter's hands and place them accordingly with a whispered, "Move that hand one inch and you die." He stiffens just the slightest bit and I bite back a laugh. This might actually end up being fun. At least I have his attention for the moment, which leaves him one less to fawn over Chris or drool over Shawn. I finally notice the song that is playing...something about all you have to do is call and I'll be there, you've got a friend. Yeah, like I don't want to hurt Hunter and Chris doesn't want to beat Ric, but not in that fun S&M way that Ric was singing about earlier. I somehow manage not to put a stranglehold on the very nervous blond I'm moving around the floor with. He's still not looking me in the eye at all, which is kind of unexpected. You would think he'd be gloating or something, I mean this is Hunter. Unless he is completely unaware of what happened with Chris and I last night, which is completely unlikely. Chris would have told him. He's just too honest sometimes. Oh well. I shall chalk it up with the rest of the weird happenings for the day and hope to god that tomorrow things are at least somewhat partially back to normal, or as normal as they'll get with Hunter hanging around. The song is almost over. The torture is almost at an end. Hooray! I'm eagerly anticipating going off to hide for the rest of the night when I realize that I can't just leave things alone. I'm temperamental and have no illusions otherwise. In this case I just can't manage to curb the urge to give Hunter at least a warning where Chris is concerned, especially since I've noticed his eyes wandering...all over Shawn. So as the song ends, I put on my best manic grin and pop Hunter, almost gently, under the chin. Okay, so I could have been a little bit gentler, but give me a break. Once he looks up at me I tangle my hand tightly in his hair so that he has no choice but to stay in that position. "If you hurt him again, I swear to every god there is that they will never find your body." A tap on that huge nose of his with my finger and then I let him go. I don't look back as I walk away, but I'm sure he got the point. What to do, what to do. Maybe I'll go find Shawn and Mark and give them a hard time. They've got it coming after Mark's teasing during my toast. At least it will keep my mind off of other things for now if I have them to torture. **** *Ric's POV* Surprising, or maybe not so surprisingly, I still have my head attached to my shoulders. I mean, come on now, I am Ric Flair. Of course the fact that I was actually trying to help Chris added up to automatic points in my favor. The only other people that I have to worry about trying to separate my lovely head from body are Dave and Jay. Adam's way too tied up in his thoughts about Chris to give me a second thought, I hope. We're all pretty much freed up for the rest of the night except for maybe helping with loading gifts in the car later. Adam's supposed to be driving Dave and Jay to the airport and taking care of getting the gifts home. Dave and Jay are occupied by Hunter right now, so I think I'll just head over to the bar and find someone to spend some quality time with, if you know what I mean. As I'm walking in that direction I end up running into someone. Turns out to be Al Snow. I haven't seen Al in awhile and I have to admit that his new look really works for him. "Hey Ric, nice performance earlier. You have a death wish these days?" Now that I think about it, Al and I have a lot in common. We've both given up on finding that silly emotion known as love, though we have no problems seeing it in others. Al's tried his own matchmaking a time or two and he seems to get better results than I do. "No, I was actually trying my hand at a bit of matchmaking, believe it or not. Didn't work out though." I motion for him to follow me and while we walk I fill him in on what's going on, at least as far as I know it. We have a drink, which turns into two or three before we decide to go sit down and talk some more. Al's got some pretty good ideas, maybe one of them will work. As we wait on our drinks Al turns and hands me that ridiculous mannequin head. He doesn't always carry the thing with him, but it's become kind of a joke for him to bring it to special events like weddings and birthday parties. He says that if he brings it, at least he can say he has a date for the evening. I roll my eyes at him and speak without thinking, "Why are you giving me Head?" Al just smiles and grabs our drinks, motioning for me to walk towards a table. "I'm not yet, but if you're lucky, I might before the night is over." I have to laugh. I walked right into that one. The weird thing is that spending some time with Al doesn't sound so bad right now. *Hunter's POV* I almost grabbed Adam's arm and tried to explain things to him, but you see I have this special attachment to my body, I like it. Plus he really kind of freaks me out when he smiles like that, not to mention the fact that he was threatening me when he did it. I'm pretty sure he meant exactly what he said too. I think I'll leave the explaining up to Chris. I have no problem though in trying to make sure he has the time to make that explanation. That's where the plot I have cooking with Shawn and Mark comes in. The only thing I need now is the perfect song. I need to have a chat with Jay though, because he's going to have a better idea of what might work than I will. Jay's close with both Adam and Chris so I'm pretty sure he'll know the whole story of what's going on with those two. The problem is going to be convincing Jay that I'm actually trying to help them. I look around to make sure neither Chris nor Adam are close enough to hear anything and then head over towards Jay. Dave seems to be occupied talking with Shelton at the moment so I'm clear to do a little pleading here. "Hey Jay, do you have a minute? I need your help." Yep this is going to take some work. "You need my help?" "Yeah. It has to do with what happened earlier with Chris. I feel really bad about it and I thought maybe I could try to help or something." At least he's showing interest, although I think he's still trying to decide if I'm sincere or not. "I've got a plan, but I need your help to make it work." "What kind of plan? You have been chasing after him for the last six months, Hunter. Why the sudden urge to help him? Chris and Adam have finally realized what most of us realized months ago... they love each other. They haven't managed to actually admit it to each other though so I really don't know that you trying to 'help' them is the best thing here. Convince me." Thank you Jay. This is why I asked him rather than Dave. Jay gets so emotional that he tends to blurt out the information you want without realizing he's even done it. Sure it's a little wrong of me to exploit that, but if it works out in the end then it's worth it, right? "You're right, Jay. I have been chasing after him, but not for the reasons you think. I knew he wouldn't take me back...hell I wouldn't have taken me back. I just wanted him to know that most of what Randy said to him was a lie. I'm not saying that I did nothing wrong, but I didn't want Chris to think I was cheating on him all that time when I wasn't. We talked today, though I'm still not sure why he picked today of all days, and we cleared up a lot of things. I know that I love Chris, but I'm not 'in love' with him. He convinced me that I'd already given my heart a long time ago even if I couldn't admit to it. He also told me that he's in love with someone else. We both know who that is, Jay. I am honestly happy for him. I know that I'm responsible for this problem between them now. I just want a chance to fix what I messed up. So will you help me?" A little bit of truth, a question alluded to but not asked, and a plea for help. Jay's looking at me seemingly trying to decide whether I'm being completely honest with him. He must decide that he likes what he's heard because he nods at me and then starts to speak. "Okay, fine. I'll help, but so help me if you aren't telling me the truth I'll have Dave break you into little pieces. Capice?" "What is it with you people wanting to do unspeakable things to my body today. First Adam, now you." Okay so I'm whining, but you would too if you were going to be broken into pieces or buried in the back forty. "I'm telling you the truth, Jay. Now help me out." "The reason that Chris came to you today was because last night was the first night that he and Adam sle..." I look up and notice that Dave's hand is now firmly clamped over Jay's mouth. A bit too late though because I'm pretty sure I know where he was going with that sentence. He tries like crazy to cover up for it though as soon as Dave moves his hand. "The...uh, first night that he and Adam saw each other since the bachelor party and he freaked out a little bit." Dave's shaking his head and I have to agree with him. That was a pretty lame attempt to cover up what he almost said. Thanks again, Jay. I'm kind of surprised actually. I kind of thought they'd been sleeping together for the last couple months at least. I was pretty pissed off about it when I first suspected it. They were always touching each other, but never in an 'obvious' way. I know I'm not the only one that assumed that there was something going on there. I smile at Jay in silent thanks for what he's given me so far. I'm starting to get a few ideas about what might have happened in the last 24 hours and why Chris felt the need to speak to me today. "My plan is to get them together on the dance floor. If they are that close to each other for at least one song, I'm betting that Chris will find a way to tell Adam about what happened earlier. He just needs long enough to get up the courage to spit it out. I need help picking out the perfect song. I'm figuring it has to be something kind of slow, maybe with a line or two about the situation with the two of them. So, any suggestions?" Jay starts bouncing around like he's suddenly hit a sugar high. Dave and I are both looking at him with similar looks of amusement. He is pretty cute when he gets all bouncy. "I've got the perfect song. Come on, let's go over to the DJ and get it set up. Now how do you plan on getting them together on the dance floor?" "I've got a couple of people that are going to help with that." I say as we head towards the DJ booth. I finish explaining the plan to Jay on the way there. He and Dave both look pretty comfortable with the plan. I just hope it works. *Chris' POV* Adam seems to have wandered over to Shawn and Mark. I'm almost tempted to go over and drag him away from them. I know they weren't actually serious earlier, but it still irks me just a bit. Just as I'm considering joining them, I'm waylaid by Shelton. I can't help but roll my eyes just a bit. I'd thought he was occupied with Dave, but apparently he's decided to torment me instead. "Hey, Chris. How ya doing?" Like I said, normally I don't have a problem with Shelton at all, but I have a feeling I know right where this is headed. "I'm doing just fine, Shelton. Thanks for asking." He's looking at me right now with that irritating little smirk he gets when he's up to no good. I know it now because I saw it earlier this week. "Have you seen Adam? I was going to ask him to dance, but he seems to have wandered off." I know I'm glaring at him, but I just can't seem to stop myself from doing it. I mean honestly, Adam can dance with anyone he wants to, right? It doesn't mean anything if he does. "He's over talking to Mark and Shawn right now, but I'm sure you'll have a chance later." He's still smirking, damn him. He knows he's getting to me. Normally I'm not this transparent. Annoying little snot...I will so pay him back for this later. "So did you two hook up or what? I don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes. Oh wait. You said he was already seeing someone, didn't you? So who do I have to watch out for? I wouldn't want to make a play for him right in front of the guy...bad manners ya know." I'm pretty sure if I were a cartoon character they would have to draw me with steam coming out of my ears right now. Shelton apparently has a pretty messed up sense of humor... that or a death wish. I think he's trying to get me back for that little white lie I told him. "Look Shelton..." I hate the fact that I'm going to have to admit anything to him, but if it keeps him away from my Adam, it's all for the good. "I admit that I made that up about the other guy, but you already knew that I did. We did 'hook up' if that's how you want to put it. So the guy whose toes you would be stepping on, that would be me." Huge, huge grin on my face. Sure it's a lie, kind of, but since I plan to change it to the truth before the night is over with it's not really that bad, is it? Adam would kill me if he heard me say it though. "Really?" I give him a happy nod that may be just a little too enthusiastic. "Well that's just great Chris. Congratulations. I'll be sure to extend them to Adam as well." Aw shit. Am I that fucking obvious? "Well, see the thing is... we kind of had a disagreement earlier and he's a little upset with me right now. So you may want to hold off on that until the next show. I'm sure by then we'll have everything all worked out." So help me that had better satisfy him or I'll be tempted to throttle him. "Oh, I see. Well, I figured something must be up since you two aren't hanging all over each other. Most of the crew kind of thought you two had been together for a couple of months anyway. I just like giving you shit since neither of you let anyone know." That damn smirk again. And wait a minute, did he say...? "A couple of months? Really? Why would you all think that?" He's going to roll his eyes at me? What is up with that? "Damn, Chris. You two are touching each other all the time. Not the overt 'I'm doing him' touches, but the 'we're a nauseatingly sweet couple' touches. True, you two aren't as bad as Dave and Jay, but it still translates the same. All the extra little smiles, finishing each other's sentences, not to mention that you two practically live in each other's pockets. Don't see one of you without the other. We're not completely oblivious, even if we are wrestlers." Are we really that obvious? Apparently so. I'm just a bit in shock here at the moment. I don't think either one of us ever actually thought about how we looked to the others. I know that I didn't. Hell I hadn't even realized that we were doing those things. I realize he's right though. Adam is very tactile with me and it's just become a natural thing for me to be the same way with him. All it takes is his presence to make me smile. I hadn't noticed that we finish each other's sentences at all, but obviously other people have. And while it's true that we're together a lot, we are best friends, so that's not that unusual...right? Mark tapping me on the shoulder saves me from further mental musings. Shelton winks at me and then heads off in the direction of Benoit and Terry, no doubt to try to worm information out of the two of them. Too bad for him because neither one of them can tell him anything. I turn to face Mark. He's smiling but for some reason seems to be a bit uncomfortable. It doesn't take me long to figure out why. "Nice singing earlier. It was real pretty." I smile and nod at him knowing there's something else on his mind. "Do you want to dance or something?" He's looking at the floor and scratching the back of his neck. Why does that make me just a bit uneasy? That's when it comes to me that I've never seen him dance with anyone but Shawn in the whole time I've known him. I'm not sure why because he's definitely not bad at it. I'm still a bit uneasy about this for some reason, but what the hell...maybe I'll torture him just a little bit for that flirting he was doing with Adam earlier. "Sure Mark. I'd love to." He looks up at me and clearly he's surprised. We move onto the dance floor and he's really cautious about where he's putting his hands. It's humorous enough that I have to laugh. "Problem?" "Uh, no not really. I just don't want you to think I'm trying to put the moves on you or anything like that." I look at him and laugh. Nice of him to give me such an early opening there. "You mean like you were with Adam earlier? Wouldn't want him to get jealous or anything like that. It would be a terrible tragedy if he changed his mind about running off to the beach with you and Shawn." He looks at me exasperatedly and I just smile and flutter my lashes at him. "What?" "Nothing you smartass." I'm just about to reply flippantly when I'm tapped on the shoulder. As I turn to see who it is I realize immediately why Mark was so uncomfortable. We've been set up. *Adam's POV* So once I found Mark and Shawn, I proceeded to tease them just a bit. I told Mark to let me know when he had those plane tickets booked for and he just smirked at me. I almost told him I was serious just to see his reaction, but I was more curious about how the two of them were acting. Shawn was fidgeting like his ass was on fire...I don't even want to know why. Mark seemed to be looking for someone...or something. He craned his neck so far the one time that he almost fell out of his seat. Is it just me or is everyone acting pretty peculiar tonight? Then Shawn turns and elbows Mark hard enough to make him hiss. Mark jumps out of his seat and heads off towards the dance floor. I look at Shawn questioningly and he just smiles at me. We talk about Jay and Dave for a moment or two and then I turn to look for Mark again. Mark is following Chris out onto the dance floor. I'm even more puzzled now than I was earlier because I've never seen Mark dancing with anyone other than Shawn. When I turn back to Shawn he's trying to look innocent, but unfortunately for him, it's just not a look that he can pull off. Shawn and innocent just don't fit in the same sentence together. What he says next doesn't really come as a surprise, but it makes my curiosity grow just a bit more. "So... why don't you show me some of those fancy dance moves you've got." I'm a little apprehensive about agreeing, but that's when I remember that this is Shawn...he's a good friend and maybe I'm just overreacting to anything out of the ordinary tonight. "Sure, but you get to explain to Mark why you don't want to go back to him when I sweep you off your feet." Okay... I'm a huge flirt and supremely overconfident in most cases, so sue me. The thing is, no one ever takes me seriously. I'm guessing that if I did actually make a pass at him, he'd think I was joking. "You're incorrigible." He laughs and shakes his head at me as he grabs my hand and practically drags me towards the dance floor. I may be incorrigible and I may be blond, but I'm not stupid. Something is definitely going on here and I feel like I'm playing right into Shawn's hands, with whatever he has planned. I was trying out some of the fancier steps that I know and had Shawn giggling after an exaggerated dip where I pretended like I was going to drop him, when I noticed that he seemed to be looking for someone. The next thing I know he's maneuvered us to the other side of the dance floor. He reaches behind me and taps someone on the shoulder saying, "trade partners?" I don't even have to look to know who it is. Shawn and Mark set us up. I wonder if they were working all alone though. Unless they talked to someone else, namely Jay or Dave, they can't really know about our problems, can they? As Shawn and Mark make a quick retreat to the other side of the floor, I turn to look at Chris. "Any clue what that was all about?" "Not a one. My guess is they've been talking to someone." He smiles at me and I smile back, all our issues seeming to be fade for this one moment. Then the song ends and I realize that we are just standing here on the floor smiling at each other. I open my mouth to make an excuse about having somewhere else to be, but before I can say anything he puts his hand on my arm and stops me with three little words. *Chris' POV* "Dance with me?" Right now I don't honestly care if this is a set up. If it will get him in my arms, I'll grab the chance they've given me with both hands. Maybe I'll even get the courage up to broach the subject of Hunter and at least get that part of our misunderstanding cleared up. He looked like he was going to bolt a second ago. I can see the hesitation in his eyes and I make one last ditch effort to sway him towards saying yes. "Please Adam?" That's enough to convince him. He turns into my arms just as the next song starts and I pull him just a bit closer when I recognize the tune. That it happens to be this particular song seems to be too much of a coincidence. I'm pretty sure that in addition to Shawn and Mark we can include Jay on the prospective list of accomplices. Jay is the only one that would be able to pick a song this meaningful to our situation. I have a sneaky suspicion that Hunter may have been involved somehow as well. I saw him in a pretty lively conversation with Shawn and Mark earlier and then I saw him with Jay and Dave just a few minutes ago. I shake off my thoughts knowing that regardless of who all was involved that I'm thankful to all of them. I doubt that they would really want me to squander this chance by trying to sort it all out. I don't wanna hear about it anymore It's a shame I've got to live without you anymore There's a fire in my heart A pounding in my brain It's driving me crazy I lean into him, laying my forehead against his shoulder, and letting my thumb stroke slowly over his hip. I feel his body tense momentarily and then with a quiet sigh he relaxes against me letting his cheek brush against the top of my head. I breathe deeply, immersing myself in the way that he smells. It's a combination of the cologne he wears for special occasions and his own natural scent. He was wearing the same cologne last night when we went out...and later, when I made him mine. He may not think he is right now, but only because of my own foolish mistakes. Mistakes I plan to rectify before the night is over. We don't need to talk about it anymore Yesterday's just a memory Can we close the door I just made one mistake I didn't know what to say when you called me baby The heat and the strength of his body against my own comforts me, makes me feel safe. I realize that I've always felt that way with him. A simple touch from his hand can ease my fears. I've been blind, but now my eyes are wide open to what he means to me. I must have known deep inside all this time. It's why I panicked at the thought of losing him, of not having him in my life in some way. This relationship that we've built between us, call us friends or lovers, is a part of who I am. Without it I would cease to exist as the person I am now. I like that person more than I've liked myself in a long time. I have to believe that once I've explained everything to him that he'll be able to forgive me for leaving him this morning. I won't accept the alternative. I should be telling him about Hunter right now, but I just want to revel in Adam a little bit longer. Maybe there is a way I can let him know how I'm feeling right now and after this song is over I can get him alone long enough to tell him about Hunter. Don't say goodnight Say you're gonna stay forever Oh oo Oh, all the way *Adam's POV* I almost walked away. It probably would have been better if I had, but as soon as he said my name I knew I couldn't. I will always give him what he wants if it's within my power because I love him too much not to. When he leaned into me and I felt the heat of his body pressed against mine, I almost bolted. It's torture holding him this close and knowing that this is as close as I can be to him, that the closeness we shared last night won't be repeated. This song isn't helping matters at all. It's reminding me of what I've lost today. It's ironic that this song fits our situation in a way. All I can think now is that I should have been honest with him last night. I will never regret having that one night with him, but now that I know what I'll be missing it's so much harder. If I told him how I feel about him before it happened, would he have left then? Can you take me high enough To fly me over (fly me over) yesterday Can you take me high enough It's never over Yesterday's just a memory (yesterday's just a memory and) I can still feel his fingers tracing softly over my hip. It's near to driving me insane. It's not enough. It makes me want so much more from him. I feel him shift slightly and he looks up into my eyes. I can't describe the emotions swirling in his eyes right now, but the look he is giving me is so intense it makes me shiver. I know that if someone were to really look in my eyes right now, they would have no doubt how I feel about him. I wonder if he can see it? I need to try to shield those thoughts at least until we're alone and I can tell him the truth myself. What he does next makes the look he gave me seem like child's play. He starts singing along to the song. Softly at first, but as it gathers in intensity there is so much emotion in his voice that it seems as if he means every word of it. I don't want to live without you anymore Can't you see I'm in misery And you know for sure I would live and die for you And I'd know just what to do when you call me baby I'm panicking here. He's just singing some silly song, but I want him to mean it so badly. I want him to want me as much as I want him. I don't want to live without him in my life. I don't want to change shows just so that I can avoid seeing him with Hunter...oh god. This is the first thought I've given to Hunter since we started dancing. I shouldn't be holding Chris this close to me, even if he did instigate it. I'm pretty sure Hunter won't be too happy about it. As much as him being with Hunter is not what I want, I refuse to be a reason for the two of them to argue. Don't say goodbye Say you're gonna stay forever Oh oo Oh, all the way So I try putting a bit of space between us. That worked... not at all. Chris tensed when I tried to pull back and he's still singing like he actually means the words. I can't do this anymore. If I don't get out of here within the next minute or so, I'm going to forget why I shouldn't be here. I'll forget where we are, I'll forget who might be watching us, and I'll forget that I'm not supposed to pull him deeper into my arms and kiss him breathless. I have to do the one thing I don't want to do right now, I have to get away from him. Can you take me high enough Can you fly me over (fly me over) yesterday Can you take me high enough It's never over Yesterday's just a memory, I'm running I was running for the door The next thing I remember I was running back for more Yeah... Despite his resistance, I push just hard enough to pull away from him. He stops singing and tilts his head to the side as he looks at me. I'm sure he's trying to understand why I'm being so insistent, but I can't explain it to him right now. I just need to get some air. "I'm sorry Chris. I just...I can't..." Before he can say anything, I turn and head towards the doors leading outside. I need a few minutes to myself and some air to clear my head. Life seems so damn complicated lately. I can't stay outside too long in case Jay needs me for something else. I hate to say this, but I really wish that this reception was over so that I could take Chris back to the hotel for our talk. We need to get everything out in the open before we end up creating more problems than we already have. Don't say goodbye Say you're gonna stay forever Oh oo Oh, all the way (all the way, all the way, yeah) *Chris' POV* Fuck! I should have told him. Instead of pissing around and trying to be cute about things, I should have just come out and told him. As long as he thinks I'm with Hunter, he'll consider me off limits and refuse to even consider the possibility that I want him. I know him well enough that I should have considered that, but I got so caught up in the moment that I ignored it. Can you take me high enough Can you fly me over (fly me over) yesterday Can you take me high enough It's never over Woh oo oh oo oh oo oh I could follow him outside, but with how he looked before he went out there, it wouldn't be a pretty scene. Looks like I'd better stick to doing things the way he wants to. As soon as this reception is over, we are out of here. I'll talk to Jay and Dave. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if Hunter takes them to the airport instead of Adam. I have a feeling Hunter won't object to the change in plans either. Can you take me high enough Won't you fly me over (won't you fly me over) yesterday Can you take me high enough It's never over Woh oo oh oo oh oo oh I think a good stiff drink is in order and then I'll set about to rearranging things so that we can get this done sooner rather than later. Why the hell does life have to be so damn complicated anyway? *Jay's POV* Well...shit. I actually had hopes for Hunter's plan. Especially once I actually saw them out on that dance floor. If anyone in the company was unaware of the undertones between Chris and Adam, they sure as hell know about them now. The way they started out, you couldn't have slipped a sheet of notebook paper between them... they were holding each other so close. Then when Chris looked up at Adam, the look in Adam's eyes...hell, everything he feels for Chris was right there for everyone to see. Chris started singing to him then. We couldn't hear it, but you could tell that's what he was doing. Half the guests in the hall, men and women both, were wishing they were in Adam's place right about then. I was as surprised as anyone was when Adam bolted towards the door. I'm pretty sure I know the reason he did it though. I want to turn around and glare at Hunter, but I won't. He honestly sounded sorry earlier that he was the reason for Chris' current problem. Besides...Hunter, Shawn, and Mark all look just about as disappointed as I'm sure I do. Chris just looks...really pissed off, most likely at himself. I don't know why he's having such a hard time blurting out the truth about Hunter. The man has no problem talking at any time. In fact, more often than not we're trying to shut him up. Oh boy. Looks like it's his turn to make a foray to the bar. Luckily he's not going to have long to drown himself. Dave and I had a plan for tonight and since Chris is "the party host", we picked him to carry it out. Before I can take a step in Chris' direction I feel a pair of strong warm arms wrap around me from behind. Dave...I'd know his touch anywhere. I lean back into his arms just enjoying the moment. "Do you want me to go check on him?" I don't have to ask to know who he's talking about. Is it any wonder that I love this man? "No, I think he just wants a few minutes to himself. He won't go far." I turn around and kiss Dave gently. Though I'd love to spend a few moments just wrapped up in him, I know I have other things to do. "I think I'd better go rescue Chris from himself. I think it's about time to enact our plan. You want to make sure we've got tape in the video camera?" "You got it babe." I just love that evil smirk he's wearing right now. We wouldn't actually blackmail anyone, but it will make for some lively teasing down the road I'm sure. I turn to go get Chris and inform him of his part in this little bit of deviltry. I'm sure he'll have no problems whatsoever with it, since he's tossed back at least a couple of drinks by now. That might even make it that much more fun. What do you get when you mix a bunch of drunken wrestlers, party tunes, and a video camera? We're hoping for a bunch of hilarious footage to trot out at other special occasions. Dave and I are sitting this part out...hey, we're not stupid. Besides, we've already got the footage of Dave from the ceremony for giggles, though he may not agree. As I approach Chris I notice that he seems to have calmed down a bit. I'm glad. It will make things so much easier. "Hey, Chris. I've got a job for you man..." *Adam's POV* I'm feeling a bit better now. I spent about fifteen minutes just taking in some fresh air and hoping that this night goes a bit faster. I really want to talk to Chris and get things out in the open. Walking back into the hall, I notice that Jay is up on the stage making some kind of announcement. What in the world did I miss? That's when Jay calls Chris up front and hands him the microphone. Oh good lord. I can't help but laugh. Chris is now in party host mode or so he informs the guests. Seems that Y2J is making an appearance tonight after all. A Y2J that is just a bit tipsy to boot. He's lost his tuxedo jacket and has the top three buttons open on his dress shirt, but that's not what's making me laugh. His bow tie has now become headwear. He looks pretty darn cute with a bow in his hair. I consider sneaking off and hiding to watch the fun from the sidelines, but of course I can't get that lucky. "Adam..." Uh oh. I've been sighted. "Jay wants you out there. So get yourself moving." Groan! I turn around and give Dave my sweetest smile. "You could just pretend that you couldn't find me. I'd love you forever." I even try batting my eyelashes at him, not that I think it will actually work, but it never hurts to try. He seems to find it extremely funny rather than endearing if I judge by his laughter. "You want me to lie to Jay?" He's got that stern get-real look on his face now. Yep, I'm sunk. Even if I could have talked him into letting me squeak out of it, he'd never lie to Jay. That all becomes irrelevant in the next moment though. "Hey Adam! Get your skinny ass over here. If I'm going to make an ass of myself, then by golly so are you." I cannot believe he just yelled that into the microphone. It's so close to something he'd have said before this whole mess that it makes me almost wistful. For the moment, I'm just going to let myself slip into that best friend mode and go with it. By golly? And did he just call my ass skinny? He's so going to pay for that one later. I guess I should join him, if only to make sure that no one gets killed during this little fiasco. I think I've got the gist of what's going on here and I cannot wait to see the video later. I'm just going to make sure that I'm not featured as one of the stars of this production. As I reach the stage I turn to Chris and growl at him teasingly. "My ass is not skinny." *Dave's POV* I'm headed back to sit with Jay. I don't want to miss any of this. Jay always has such great ideas. We've set up a block of dance party songs and put Chris in charge of getting the guests out there to participate in them. We considered a bunch of different songs, but tossed some out because of the probability that no one would dance to them...such as the chicken dance and the Macarena. Those both just scare me anyway. The fact that quite a few of these people have been imbibing heavily sways the chances in our favor. It should be great and we'll have it all on video to review at our leisure later. I wasn't about to let Adam weasel his way out of getting involved, but Chris solved that problem for me. It seems that they are back on even footing at least as friends for the moment anyway. They're both up there on the stage trying to coax some of the other people out on the floor. The cruiserweights just agreed to participate on the condition that Adam adjusts his tux and tie so that it matches Chris'. I have to laugh because Adam looks horrified, but one look in Jay's direction convinces him to give in. That alone is going to make this tape worth it. They both look goofy as pet coons, to borrow a phrase from JR. Once Chris demands that both Hunter and Ric join him up on the stage, then he signals the DJ that he's ready. I'm kind of surprised that he asked Ric to be involved, but it seems they've cleared up the issues over Ric's bawdy song during their dance earlier. Didn't I say this would be worth it? Ric just stumbled up onto the stage with Head, Al's mannequin head that is. I don't even want to know. As the music to 'YMCA' starts up you can practically hear the crowd groan. They've managed to get at least half the people here out on that floor. This should be good. *Chris' POV* I'm having a blast and the three drinks I managed to down before Jay cornered me have absolutely nothing to do with it! Okay, so maybe a little bit. Most of my glee comes from the fact that Adam and I are at least acting like friends again...for now anyway. Even if our version of being friends is apparently a bit friendlier than just being friends...oh you know what I mean. . His comment about his ass not being skinny... well that's gonna come back to bite him in the ass later, skinny or not. So Adam and I are up here on the stage looking goofy as hell, Hunter's Y looks more like an X because he can't remember to keep his feet together, and Head is very good at doing the YMCA because Ric's managed to get it right so far. I don't even want to know what he's doing with that thing although I can probably guess by the way Flair's eyeballing Al. Weird pair there, but it's all good. So after a little warm up with YMCA, the next hit on this parade is 'Shout' and if that doesn't make for some humorous footage I'm not sure what will. By the time we get to the part where the music gets softer, with each repeat a few more of our tipsy co-workers fall on their asses. Ric's lying on the floor flopping around like a dead fish and still holding onto the mannequin head. Even though we're supposed to be participating, Adam and I are just standing here laughing our asses off over everyone else. There's a slight pause before the next song and I look over at him all happy and laughing. We share a smile. Then the next song starts and I'm singing my little heart out to 'Celebration' when I notice Dave and Jay pointing towards the left side of the dance floor. Once I realize what's happening I run over there with the microphone just to make sure it turns out clearly on the tape. There is a group of guys including Conway, Grenier, and Haas who are trying to convince Tajiri and Funaki that this is actually a song about self-gratification. In that pursuit they have changed the word from 'celebration' to 'masturbation'. I'm not even going to get into the lewd gestures they're using to further their claims. It'll make for great video though! Have I mentioned that this was a really great idea yet? We're up to the fourth song now, which leaves one more after this. Hey I can still count. These last two might just be the best of the night. The first because this is where Adam's claim will come back to haunt him and the second because there are a bunch of drunk idiots out on the floor right now. Now I'm not a huge fan of this song, but it should be fun to play with. I bounce through the crowd picking out my targets as 'Da Butt' starts up. Hey there are some guys in the fed that 'got back', baby! I'd use the Diva's names, but I like my head on my shoulders, thanks. Although I do owe one of them payback for a crack she made last week. Am I that mean? You bet your ass I am. I make sure I'm where a reasonable number of people can see me...on the steps up to the stage, when we get to the name list. As I point out certain people... the crowd inserts their names. Rob got a big ol' butt (oh yeah?) Rob just laughs and wiggles his ass even more cause no way in hell he can deny he's got a bubble butt. Kurt got a big ol' butt (oh yeah?) Kurt looks a little shocked, but come on, he looks like he's got a couple of melons stuck in his tights. Adam got a big ol' butt (oh yeah?) Everyone just laughs over the offended look on Adam's face. Told ya it'd come back to bite him in the ass. Jericho got a big ol' butt now Damn. The little shit got me back. I do not have a big ol' butt, thank you very much. It's a very cute, nicely proportioned butt if I do say so myself. And Hunter got a big ol' butt (oh yeah?) Lord help us, Hunter looks like he's about to drop trou' to prove his butt is not big...or to prove that it is. I'm not real clear on that. And Shelton got a big ol' butt (oh yeah?) Ha! See what you get for antagonizing me? Ol' Trish got a bubble butt (oh yeah?) Oh! If looks could kill, I'd be dead on the spot...but it was so worth it. One more to go... Little Vince got a big ol' butt, now, gimme the butt! I had to get him involved there somewhere! He took it better than Trish did, that's for sure. I'll probably still end up on Heat next week. I've really noticed though that some of the roster can not shake their asses, at least without scaring the hell out of me. Which leads me to my next announcement...concerning 'The Locomotion'... "I've been told to inform you might want to think twice about performing this next dance in front of your prospective lovers, because according to Jay and Dave, if you suck at this dance then you probably suck in the sack as well." Well it's true, damn it. If you can't swing your hips, you probably aren't very good at controlling the motion of the ocean. Did I mention I'm wonderfully adept at doing this? I take the lead, of course, and we have a 'train' wrapped around the outside of the dance floor. Things are going great until the midway point... hilarious, but great. That's when it happened. Cena for some fool reason stops in the middle of the line and sets off a chain reaction. Angle runs into Cena knocking them both to the floor, Van Dam manages to leap frog over the pile, Jindrak falls on top of the other two, and then the worse case scenario happens...Show trips and falls on top of all three of them. If someone didn't end up with internal injuries I'll be surprised. That had to hurt. So I had fun, but now it is over. The dance party portion of the night is thankfully done. At least it killed a good half an hour. It's gotten me that much closer to the time I can drag Adam off to the hotel room for our "talk." I turn around to look for my bundle of love and ... he's talking to Mark again. Not only is he talking to Mark, but he's wearing his 'I'm too cute to resist' smile and he's dragging him out on the dance floor for a slow dance. Can you say that I'm not a happy boy right now? If Mark lays so much as one finger on him, I'll be showing Mr. Bad Ass who is really the bad ass around here. On second thought, maybe Adam's the one I'm going to have to kill. He looks like he's actually flirting with Mark. Being all touchy-feely with him. What is up with that? Yes I know that Adam flirts with everybody, but why Mark of all people? There had better not be any mention of plane tickets during that conversation or so help me... *Adam's POV* So I have to admit that the whole set up situation on the dance floor earlier really has me curious. I know Shawn won't tell me anything. He's more likely to come up with some sort of elaborate half-truth. Mark, on the other hand, is likely to cave easier. So I dragged him out here on the floor and now I'm laying on the charm. It's pretty funny because it seems to make him nervous. Yeah, you heard right...Mark nervous. I'm playing with the collar on his shirt and smiling at him, all sweet and so-not-shy. I can tell I'm starting to get to him right about now. "Adam?" "Yes, Mark?" "Uh...what are you doing?" He reaches up and grabs the hand I have playing with his collar and holds it still. "Well if you have to ask, I'm obviously not doing a very good job." I throw in a wink and his mouth drops open. "No! You're doing a very good job. I guess I'm just wondering why you are doing it." He's looking everywhere but at me...that or he's really looking for someone else. He blanches slightly and I follow the direction of his eyes...Chris, a very unhappy looking Chris to be exact. "Okay. Out with it. Who have you been talking to? Jay? Dave? What did they tell you?" His eyes snap back to me and they are wide open and completely confused, but he jumps on my prompts. Damn it. "Uh...yeah, Jay, that's it. He just told us that you and Chris had a disagreement and well we were hoping you two would ki...er, make up, I mean. We hate to see two friends fighting." Now if that wasn't the biggest bunch of shit I've ever heard. Obviously Mark isn't going to crack. I may have to try Shawn after all. "That's really nice of you to care Mark. Thanks." The song is over, so I let him escape the dance floor. I'm even more curious now than I was before, but it's going to have to wait. Jay's waiving me towards his table. Looks like more best man duties for me. *Jay's POV* Ugh! I swear they both need to be taken out and beaten. Adam for flirting so obviously with Mark, for what reason I have no clue. And Chris because he looks like he's getting ready to cause a scene. I had thought I wouldn't have to launch Plan Jay, but it looks like I'm going to have to take the gamble...and hope that Adam doesn't kill me for it. I manage to catch Chris' attention and he changes his scowl to a smile, but it's too late, I've already caught him. I motion for him to join Dave and I at our table while I wait for Adam to finish groping Mark. Chris reaches the table just as the song ends and we both watch as Mark practically flies off the dance floor. If it weren't for the situation, it would have made me laugh like crazy. Chris grumbles something under his breath but I couldn't understand it. I'm sure it wasn't complimentary in the least though. I catch Adam's attention and waive him our way as well. Chris is scowling again and Adam looks completely confused as to why Chris is looking so grouchy. I swear if they act any more blond, I'll tell them both to apply for disability benefits. Dave's standing beside me trying to look bored, but he's completely aware of what I'm up to. He had to help after all. "Some of the guests wanted us to open their gifts before we left on our trip, so if you two would be so kind as to help us sort through them, that would be great." They both smile at me. Of course they're happy, they'll get to see what kind of weird stuff this crew decided to gift us with. I'm almost scared to open a few of them. The four of us walk over to the gift table and look at the mountain of packages. "We need to find one from Mark and Shawn, one from Ric, and one from Vince and Linda." Okay so Shawn was the only one that wanted me to open his early, but the rest of them don't know that. I wink at Dave as we all start sorting through the packages...that's his cue. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that this will give Chris the kick in the ass that he needs to open his mouth. "Damn Jay. You two are going to need a U-haul to get all this shit home. I hope Adam knows how to drive one." Chris seems pretty amused by that thought. Maybe he needs some medication for his mood swings. "Very funny assclown. Keep looking." Well at least that sounds like a normal Adam response. Uh oh. We're starting to draw a crowd here. I can see both Hunter and Ric headed this way and here comes Shawn and Mark as well. "Hey! Stop stealing my lines, you human vacuum cleaner." Ouch. Not good. Come on, Dave! Hurry up! "I do not suck!" Way to leave yourself open there, Adam. "Maybe not, but you blow very well as I learned first hand last ni..." EEK! "Oh hey! Chris, this one has your name on it." Nice timing Dave... A minute or two earlier would have been even better. As Dave hands the wrapped package to Chris I see Adam turn to me out of the corner of my eye. "Can we hurry this up? I've got to go give Al Head." Everyone turns towards Ric. Adam looks stunned, Chris looks kind of squeamish, Dave's laughing his fool head off, and Shawn and Mark both grimace. I'm trying to keep a straight face when Ric realizes what he just said and lifts the mannequin head as he points to it. "Head...you perverts." Uh huh. Sure it was all for effect there, Ric. "How do you know this is mine? It just says Chris on it. Maybe it's Ben-oyt's." Oh good lord. "What is that doing here, Jay?" Oh boy. An arctic wind is warmer than Adam's voice sounded just now. At least I have Dave here to protect me. "Open the card and find out Chris." Thank you, Dave. I think I'd squeak if I tried to say anything right now. Chris is rolling his eyes but pulls the card off the package. "What? You guys snuck my birthday present in here? You could have just waited and given it to me later..." Chris stops talking as he opens the card and sees the signature on it. "The mysterious birthday present from last night, huh?" He turns and smirks in Adam's direction as he opens the smaller envelope inside. Once he gets it open he looks at the contents and his mouth drops open. "So what did you get, Chris? Anything good?" Shawn...always wants to know everything. "It's...it's season tickets for the Rangers, for two people, club rinkside." I hear a whistle off to the right and see Benoit standing there with Terry. "Are you sure that's not for me, because I'd be willing to take them. Those things had to cost damn near ten th..." "Why don't you unwrap the present Chris?" Nice save Shawn. I hear a quiet whistle from Mark over the cost and know he's going to be even more surprised in a minute. Chris is pulling the paper off right now. I'm not sure how to interpret Adam's mood right now. He's got his hands shoved in his pockets, he's three shades of red, and staring at the floor. Embarrassed or pissed off? No clue. *Chris' POV* Benoit was in the ballpark, though I'd place my bets on closer to twelve for rinkside seats. Damn. I'm almost nervous about opening this present. I know they're all staring at me and somehow I have a feeling this is not a reaction I want to have in front of all of them, but it's too late now. Thanks Jay. Yeah. I have no illusions as to who really set this up. I'll get him back for it later. As I pull the paper off what seems to be a frame, I know what it is before I even set eyes on it. There are only three people that know that I wanted this particular painting. Benoit, Jay, and Adam were in the room when I found it online. I would have bought it myself except for the fact they were selling it in a lot of four paintings by the artist, Stephen Holland, and they wanted almost $27,000 for all four of them. I really only wanted the one of Gretzky in his Rangers Jersey, so I couldn't justify buying all four just to get the one. I really hope he didn't buy them all. "You didn't buy all of them, did you?" If he did, I might just throw up. Hell I might throw up anyway. Not the reaction I'm sure he was looking to get, but if he'd given this to me last night, he wouldn't have even needed to say those three words. I'd have known. "No, I didn't. I called them and they sold me the one you wanted, it was just a little more than the individual price." So I'm guessing close to $8000.00. He could have bought me a damn car for what he spent on me for my birthday. Not that the money is an issue as much as the fact that he noted something I wanted and then spent the time and effort to get it for me just because I wanted it. He still isn't looking at me either...not a good sign. Maybe he changed his mind. Or maybe he still thinks I'm dating someone else and hadn't actually planned to give it to me. I don't know what to say to him right now with all of these people standing here. If it were just the two of us, I'd tell him everything right now just to get that uncomfortable look off his face. He still hasn't looked at anyone. He just keeps staring at the floor. I open my mouth to say something, what I'm not really sure, but it turns out to be irrelevant because I'm interrupted before I can start. "Damn man. I wish my other half would buy me things like that." Benoit elbows Terry who just growls at him. Adam's head snaps up and he looks first at Benoit in shock and then at me. "I just remembered I left Jay and Dave's gift in the car." He turns and bolts for the door outside before I can say anything else. This seems so familiar... I swear to god we're cursed. I see Jay turn to look at Dave. He doesn't say anything aloud, but apparently they don't need words. Dave raises a brow and Jay nods at him. Dave takes off in the same direction Adam just went in. He catches up to him at the door and they have a short discussion. I can see Adam shaking his head side to side from here. Obviously he doesn't want to do whatever it is that Dave's asking him. That becomes even more apparent when Dave tosses Adam over his shoulder and heads back our way. Oh boy. "Hunter, Ric...why don't you two grab Chris' painting and stuff and follow us. What the hell, I think Shawn and Mark should come with us." What in the world? Where are we going? "Ow! Fuck Jay! What are you doing?" Jay just grabbed hold of my ear and he's trying to drag me off somewhere. I feel like I'm about ten years old and my mom is getting ready to scold me. "Dave if you don't put me down...I'm going to hurt you, just married or not!" Yikes. I'm not sure who has it worse right now...Adam or me. *Jay's POV* If I weren't so aggravated, I'd probably laugh myself silly right now. I'm leading our little entourage back to the room where Adam, Chris, and I changed earlier. The same room where Adam left the gift for Dave and I that he tried to escape to go find. He really should have known better. Dave drops Adam to his feet as soon as he's in the room and receives a fulminating glare from Adam in return. I knew he wouldn't be too happy about all this, but tough shit. I herd the rest of the group into the room and close the door. Chris isn't looking too happy himself at the moment either. Oh well. "Alright! I have had it with you two. You are going to take Chris' car and go back to the hotel to talk or I'm going to kill both of you! You are driving the rest of us up the damn wall." Adam and Chris are both looking at me like I'm insane. After this night, maybe I am. "Ric made an ass of himself; Shawn and Mark, with Hunter's help, risked bodily harm to get you two to dance together; and I probably just pissed you both off to hell...all in an effort to get you two to talk. Yet you are both either so damn stubborn or so damn blond that you can't figure that out. So we're kicking you out!" "You're actually kicking us out of your reception?" Adam doesn't look happy at all with this turn of events. "How the hell did you guys all find out about what's going on anyway?" Chris looks curious more than angry at this point. I think he's going to be grateful to finally get out of here, but he's not too thrilled that we all know what's going on. "It's called communication. You too have been so entirely obvious to the rest of them that they asked about what was going on. I suggest you two look that word up because you two need the definition more than anyone else I've ever met. Now give me hugs and get the hell out." *Adam's POV* I cannot believe that Jay is actually kicking us out of the reception, it's just so un-Jay-like. Although I can imagine he's probably getting pretty aggravated with both of us. Can't say as I blame him. We've both been acting like two-year-olds that missed their naps. I refuse to leave without a bit of flare though. I walk over to where I left the gift I bought earlier and then walk over to Jay. "I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass, but that doesn't let you off the hook for giving him his present," I whisper in his ear as I hug him. I hand him the package I'm holding and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Dave, Dave, Dave..." I say as I turn to the big man standing beside Jay. I owe him for carrying me in here like a sack of potatoes...order from Jay or not. "Make sure you save me a picture or two of yourself in that speedo. I got the thong ones." I slap him on the ass and watch the blush start to show on his face before I make a break for the door with Jay's laughter echoing in the background. Hey, I'm not stupid enough to stick around even though they all seem to think I'm clue-less. I sober up a bit as I walk out to Chris' car. I wait until I see him and Jay walking towards the car before I slip into the passenger seat. This is going to be a long night. *Chris' POV* Okay, so I could have done without being brought in here like a little kid, but I'm actually relieved. I've wanted to take Adam off to talk since the whole incident with Hunter and now I can. Adam's little stunt with Dave makes me smile. It's so like Adam and I know once we have things settled I won't feel that pang of jealousy over his flirting ways. Right now I just feel very insecure where he's concerned. I give Jay a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. I turn to Dave and snicker because he's still a pretty shade of bright red. "Hey, those pictures sound like a great idea. We'll take one and frame it to put on the wall beside the Gretzky." Dave growls at me but hugs me anyway. The poor guy is stuck with us now that he's tied to Jay. Hope he learns to stop blushing like that. On second thought, I don't. It's pretty darn cute. "I'm sure Adam will thank you guys once we get everything settled. Thanks for trying to help." I smile at Ric, Hunter, Shawn, and Mark. As I'm turning towards the door, Jay stops me. "I think you'd better take this with you or someone is bound to notice you forgot it." Whoops! He'd notice and probably want to drop me on my head to boot. My mind's just too tied up with setting things right with him right now. Jay hands me the painting and the card and follows me out to the car. I put the painting in the trunk and then turn to hug Jay one last time. As I walk to the driver's door, I wonder how tonight will turn out. I have to keep my faith that things will work out right. I'm about to have the most important discussion of my life thus far. At this moment, I'm just hoping the right words will come to me. I slip into the driver's seat and start the car. *Jay's POV* They just left. I hope they actually talk to each other tonight instead of letting their pride get in the way. As I turn around to go back into the hall, I see Hunter and Shawn standing off to the side talking. Maybe things will finally work out between the two of them as well. Ric is standing by Mark. "I think I may just take your advice after all Ric." Mark says as he turns to head back into the other room. "I'll walk with ya Deadman. You go talk to him. You never know until you try. I've got to go find Al and make sure he hasn't passed out yet." I smile as they walk out the door and turn to find Dave smiling at me. I think I'm going to drag him off to dance. It is our wedding after all. The End

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