"Hi, Joanie," she replied, still sulking after her little visit to Adam.

"What's wrong?" asked the beautiful raven-haired diva as she packed the Intercontinental title belt into her suitcase.  Chyna had won the championship the previous night at SummerSlam.  "You look upset..."

"I am," Amy admitted with a sigh.  She sat down across from her friend and ran her fingers nervously through her long hair.  "I got this bump on my head last night when Adam speared me during the TLC match.  I hit my head on a ladder," she explained.

"And when he speared you after your match tonight, you felt the pain again?"

"Yes - because he speared me hard enough that my head hit the canvas right on the bump.  I...I just came from giving him a piece of my mind," Amy said.

"Aww..." the muscular woman said sympathetically.  "You should get an icepack.  But you know Adam didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, I know," the redhead said despairingly.  "I feel so bad for how I yelled at him...he apologized profusely to me, and the look on his face...and I even punched him!"

"Aww, poor guy," Joanie said.  "He must feel so bad...But think of it this way - at least it was you who punched him, and not me.  I'd have hurt the guy...ya know, I'm not called the Ninth Wonder of the World for nothing."  She winked at the other woman and smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Amy smiled despite the fact that she felt remorseful over what she'd done.  "Yeah, that's true..."

"Amy, don't worry," the other diva said, her lovely face turning serious, "I'm sure Adam doesn't hold it against you...You guys are such good friends, and he cares about you.  I'll bet he even thinks he deserved what you gave him.  I'm sure everything will be fine."

Amy nodded.  She hoped Joanie was right.

*

Adam blankly eyed the television in the hotel room he and Jay were sharing.  Although he was in the middle of a program, he wasn't paying it any attention.  Instead, he couldn't get his mind off of Amy and their earlier encounter.

He was angry - not at her for striking him and yelling at him, but at himself.  He should have known better.  He'd tried to be gentle, but he guessed he just didn't know his own strength.

Adam's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knocking on the hotel room door.  He looked up for a moment, then stood up and went to answer.

A regretful-looking Amy stood in the doorway, looking up at him almost shyly.

"Hi," Adam said softly.  He was surprised and had never expected to see her there, after what had occured earlier that night.

"Hi, Adam," she spoke.  "Umm...Can I come in?"

"Of course..."  He held the door open wider, then shut it once she strode inside.

"Is Jay here?"

Adam felt a surge of disappointment.  Was that why she was here?  She was looking for Jay?  "No," he began, "he went out with Chris and Drew."

"Why didn't you go with them?" the diva asked curiously, her eyes locked on his.

"I didn't feel like it," he said.  "Not much in a partying mood."

Amy winced slightly, feeling lousy.  So, she had made him feel miserable after all.  "Listen, Adam, I just wanted to apologize for earlier tonight," she blurted.  "It was nasty of me to just go up to you like that.  I'm especially sorry for the punch.  I...I had no right to hit you."

"Hey, that's all right, Amy," he said.  "You were angry, and you had every right to be.  I'm just sorry about your head.  I wish you'd told me last night you'd gotten hurt."

The redhead nodded, looking down as she pushed a lock of hair behind one ear.  "I should have..."  She looked up to meet the tall man's emerald-bronze eyes.  "Listen, is it all right if I just hang around for awhile?"

Adam gazed down at her.  "Sure...of course...You know you're always welcome to spend time with me, Amy."

A small smile spread across the young woman's beautiful face.  "That's good to know," she said softly.  "I was afraid you would be angry with me after earlier.  I'm glad we're still friends."

Adam suddenly noticed an odd, almost tugging sensation in his heart.  How could she think he would ever see her in a negative light?  He knew he'd deserved her angry words.  He reached over to graze her bare shoulder with his fingertips.  "Hey, want to watch a movie?  I think I heard that American Pie 2 was going to be playing on this channel in a few minutes."

"I'd like that," she replied with a smile, her hazel eyes still locked with his.  She crept over to the bed on the far side of the room and plopped down on its right side, reaching down to take off her shoes.  She then proceeded to make herself even more comfortable by leaning back against the pillows that were propped up against the headboard.

Adam smirked at her, shaking his head as he surveyed her actions.  Man, but she sure made herself at home.  His smirk transforming into a brilliant trademark grin, the blond joined the diva, laying on his stomach on the other side of the bed.

A moment later, the movie started.  Adam sat up slightly and glanced over at Amy.  "Hey, by the way, how's your head?" he asked, his face showing clear concern.

"Better," she said.  "I decided to take Joanie's advice and get myself an icepack.  The swelling went down."

"Good," Adam said with a smile.

For a little while afterward, the pair watched as Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and company got into one silly and embarrassing situation after another.  They had both admitted to having already seen the movie before but Amy realized she was enjoying it more now, seeing it with Adam.  Before it ended, they were engaging in one conversation after another, and after awhile, neither was really paying attention to the flick anymore.

Adam laughed as Amy compared herself to the character of Michelle in the movie.  "Yeah, I'm serious...I wanted to go to baseball camp!" she laughed.  "Of course, since it was a sleepaway type thing, my mom wouldn't let me."

"Overprotective, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely.  And you know what really sucked?  The following year, my parents let my brother go to baseball camp, and he's four years younger than me!"

"Ugh, that sucks," Adam said with a grimace.  "You must have been so pissed.  But hey, Ames - maybe it's a good thing you didn't end up going.  I mean, if you had, you might be telling me stories like" - he raised the pitch of his voice as if mocking her speech - "'One time, in baseball camp, I stuck a-'"

"You're disgusting!" Amy shouted as she pounced on him, beginning to laugh.  She tackled him, wrapping her arm around Adam's neck in a headlock.

"Hey!" Adam yelped.  "That's not fair!"  He couldn't stop laughing.

"Do you give up?" the redhead asked in her most menacing voice as she held fast to him.

"No - never!"

Amy tightened her grip ever so slightly.

"Okay, okay!  You win, you win...I give up!" Adam cried.

"That's what I thought," Amy said with a chuckle.  She reached down with her right hand to pummel Adam's head with noogies before finally releasing him.  Afterward, she laughed uncontrollably.

Adam gazed at her wonderingly.  He couldn't help but remind himself of what an amazing, fun person she was.  He loved the sound of her girlish laughter.  He marveled at how happy she appeared to now be, when, earlier, she'd been feeling the opposite.

"You know something?" he asked softly.

"What?"

"You are something else...You really are."

Amy giggled again, her eyes still locked with his.  "I know...You know what?"

Adam stared into the redhead's hazel eyes expectantly.  "Hmm?"

"So are you..."

*

Jay Reso yawned as he finally approached the door to the hotel room he and Adam were sharing.  It was around three in the morning and he was exhausted.  He'd wanted to leave the club and head back to get some shuteye two hours earlier, but Chris had insisted they stick around - he'd wanted to try to get the hot brunette in the black velvet minidress to dance with him.  Jay wished he'd gone back to the hotel early with Drew, who'd been lucky enough to break away from Chris.

He yawned again as he dug the keycard out of the back pocket of his jeans.  Slipping it into the slot on the door, he heard the lock click and then pushed it open.  He stopped dead in his tracks as his blue eyes took in the scene inside the room.

The TV was still on, and some old black and white movie was playing.  Adam and Amy were both sound asleep on Adam's bed, side-by-side and fully clothed.  Amy's head was resting slightly on Adam's shoulder, her right hand laying on his chest.  Jay was amazed that the volume of the televison set plus the brightness of the bedside lamp did not disturb them.

He chuckled softly to himself as he continued to watch them.  He tiptoed quietly across the room so as not to wake them, then flipped off the TV.  Afterward, he came back over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp.  Then, although he knew nothing had happened between his two friends that night, he tiptoed out of the room, deciding Chris owed him enough to share his hotel room for the night.

*

SmackDown taping, December 5, 2000

Adam frowned as he and Jay chatted with Matt and Jeff Hardy about their current angle.  Team Xtreme would be going head-to-head with the Radicalz, particularly Dean Malenko.  Since the previous night on RAW, the storyline had Malenko relentlessly pursuing Lita.  Adam violently loathed the idea and knew it would only progress to much worse.

"So, we're gonna hide in the room and have a surprise ambush for Dean," Matt explained with a chuckle.  The dark-haired Hardy seemed to take obvious enjoyment in the new angle.

"So, what does Amy think of all this?" Jay questioned.

"Oh, she's cool with it," Jeff said.  "She thinks tonight's storyline is pretty funny, and after last night's match, she told me she enjoys working with Dean."

Adam was about to offer his own two cents worth when the door to the locker room was suddenly opened a crack.

"Are you guys decent?" Amy's voice asked from the other side.

"Yeah, come on in," Jay called.  He and Adam were already dressed for their later return match against Road Dogg and K-Kwik, and Matt and Jeff didn't have a match, so they were in the clothing they'd arrived at the arena in.

Amy stepped into the room wearing a short silky white robe, which she held closed with one hand.  On her feet was a pair of white pumps, and her auburn hair was freshly styled, the locks hanging in springy curls.  Her makeup was expertly applied in natural, neutral tones.  Adam's eyes focused on hers, but it was mere seconds before he was drawn to her bare, shapely legs.

"Hey, guys," she said.  "I just wanted to get your opinion on something..."

The four men eyed her expectantly.

The redhead untied her robe, then opened it to display the exquisite lingerie she wore underneath.

"Do you think this will do for tonight's little hotel room scene with Malenko?"

"Oh, my God..."  Adam's jaw dropped as he drank in the vision of her in the white, patterned bra and thong set.  God, but she was gorgeous.  He actually felt his pulse and heart racing.

"That's perfect, Ames," Jay said as he looked over her form with appreciation.

"I told you earlier you'd seriously turn some heads wearing that stuff," Matt said.  "I'm just glad you didn't model it for Jericho."

Jeff and Jay laughed and agreed.

Amy emitted a throaty laugh.  "I'm sure he'd have some kind of unforgettable comment for me."  She glanced from Matt to Adam, who had thus far remained silent aside from his "Oh, my God."

"Adam?" she said, spreading her arms and moving to end in a pose.  "What do you think?"

The tall blond Canadian felt dumbfounded.  "I...err...I think you look beautiful," he stuttered.  "Absolutely beautiful."

Amy gazed directly and unwaveringly into his green eyes and was silent for a beat.  "Thank you," she said, a soft smile playing on her features.

Nobody spoke for a moment.  Then, breaking the silence, the diva turned and headed for the door.  "Well, I'd better get back to the women's locker room and get dressed.  Can you guys believe I have to wear a dress for Lita and Dean's date tonight?"  She rolled her eyes for emphasis.

"Poor baby," Jeff said sarcastically.  Amy smiled at all the young men before stepping out of the room.

*

A couple of hours later, Adam was glued to a TV monitor in the back while Dean Malenko picked Lita up for their dinner date.

He'd never seen Amy in a dress before, but he liked what he saw.  His redheaded friend was wearing a short, black, sequined number with spaghetti straps.  A fair amount of leg and cleavage showed, and the massive tattoo on her right shoulder looked cool next to the black shininess of the dress.

"Wow," Adam breathed.  "She looks great, doesn't she, Jay?"

"Yeah," the smaller blond agreed with a nod.  "She's pretty hot."

Adam glanced at him.  "What, you've got the hots for her now?"

"No...did I say I did?"

Adam gave him another look before turning back to the monitor.  Matt was telling the diva to call him and Jeff if the Radical tried anything "funny."  As Lita and Dean left, Malenko told the Hardys not to wait up, and after another moment, the scene came to an end.

"I just wish she didn't have to appear in her lingerie later on," Adam muttered.

"Hey, she looked great...very tasteful, too, I might add," Jay said.

"I know - you're right...but I hate this storyline, and why does she have to be sitting there in her bra and panties?  You know?"

"Yeah, I know, Adam," Jay said with a laugh.  "You're completely in love with her..."

"What?" Adam asked, turning to stare at his best friend.

"You heard me...You are so totally in love with Amy."

"No, I'm not, Jay!" the other man insisted.  "She's my friend and I care a lot about her...that's all."

Jay laughed as he noticed Adam's face was suddenly red.  "Dude, you are so totally in denial..."