Chapter Twenty Six:

"Baby?" Nattie gaped at Chris, who was uncharacteristically silent. "What baby?"

Chris ran a hand through his spiky blond hair and sighed. "My…our…Jewel was pregnant, Nat."

Nattie shook her head. "No, she wasn't. She's always wanted kids; she would have told me if she had gotten pregnant. Hell, she would've told all of us, if she were pregnant."

"Bret didn't want to tell anyone just yet, not until after we were married. That's why he pressured us to get married so quickly." His eyes raised to meet hers, and Nattie was struck by the amount of torment that lay hidden in the blue orbs. "She was so excited, Nattie, and I was excited for her. Of course, we were both terrified as hell, because I was an only child, and Jewel barely looked like she was strong enough to carry to term. But she was determined to see it through." The memory of his wife, with her hands wrapped loving around the slight swell of her belly brought a small smile to his face, one that quickly faded.

"One night, she was in so much pain, and I couldn't get back to her, no matter how hard I tried. I called Adam and Jason and begged them to take her to the hospital, but by then it was too late. She had been cramping badly, and the pain wouldn't go away, no matter what she tried to do. I managed to get an early flight out to see her the next morning, but there was nothing I could do. The baby had self-aborted. It was…" Chris took a deep, shaky breath, but a tear spilled down his cheek anyway, and Nattie's stomach dropped out as the horrific realization dawned. "It was too early to even tell what the baby's gender was."

"Oh, my god, Chris…" Nattie was at a loss for words. She was still angry with him for all that had happened with Jewel, but her heart constricted with sorrow at the burden the two of them had had to endure. Her heart tightened even more at the thought of her cousin having to deal with the pain alone, while her husband eventually sought comfort with another woman. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. It's not…it's not something either one of us likes to talk about very often, because it's too painful, even now."

Nattie took a deep breath, then looked back up at Jericho. "I'm sorry for your loss, Chris, I really am, but that doesn't give you a free pass to treat Jewel the way you have these past few years. Didn't it ever once occur to you that all she wanted was for you to love her the way you used to, and you kept pushing her away and throwing your affair in her face?"

Chris scrubbed a hand down his face, suddenly looking older than he was. "It did. And believe me, Nat, I wanted so many times to just tell her to leave me, because she didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated her. I…I didn't know how to deal with the loss, except to throw myself into work, only coming home when I absolutely needed to, and even then, I didn't stick around much. I felt like I couldn't communicate with Jewel, because we were both hurting. And I think that, after a while, she stopped trying. I—we both stopped trying to talk. And then, the feud with Stephanie and Hunter happens, and my career in the WWE takes off, and Stephanie wants me, and…oh, my god, it was just all too much to take in. Stephanie was the opposite of Jewel in every way; she didn't give the appearance of being fragile, she had nothing to hide and she wanted the world at her feet, even if she had to burn the world to do it. Jewel was content to stay in the background, stay the good girl, and even though I loved her, there was that distance, and I…I began to resent her because of it."

"You resented her for the distance that you created? That's beyond messed up, Chris."

His head snapped, and he glared at Nattie, who returned it in spades. "It's not like I blamed her for our baby dying," he snapped. "It just happened, and the chasm grew wider when Stephanie came around. I'm not making excuses for myself, there's no way I can excuse how I've behaved towards her, especially after tonight. But I just think that…I don't even know what to think anymore." He was silent for a minute, then, "…She loves him, doesn't she?"

"She does. It took years for her to realize and even admit it to herself, but yes. She does. And he's mad for her. If it wasn't for the fact that she was so emotionally screwed up, I think he'd be down here instead of me, and you'd be a bloody mess on the floor."

"I would deserve every bit of it." At Nattie's curt nod, Chris straightened up and rolled his head from side to side, working out stiff muscles. "I will say, though, don't think Jewel is as innocent as she lets on, Nattie. You know as well as I do that she could be vindictive as hell if she put her mind to it."

"After being married to you? I don't doubt that," she said with a small smirk. "She's stronger than you think, Chris. But now you both must decide. Do you both want to work things out, and try to recapture the love you once had, or do you end things and finally put yourselves out of each other's misery?"

Chris sighed. "It's not that easy, Nattie. There is love there, otherwise I never would have touched or looked at her again once I started seeing Stephanie. Obviously, she loves me, but there's too much hurt for me to regain her trust, not the way she trusted me when we first got together. I don't want to keep hurting her, Nat, but at the same time, I don't want to lose her from my life, either. She's the best part of me, and I know I don't deserve her after everything I've put her through, but…" His hands fisted at his sides "…I just love her too damn much to let her go and be hurt by someone else."

Nattie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at him. "Chris, you distance yourself from her because you're cheating on her, ignore and berate her for years, probably giving her an inferiority complex as a result, but you don't want to let her be with someone else—someone possibly better for her—because you love her too much to let her go? I'm sorry, but you don't get to use that word, not after everything you've done."

Chris sighed again. "Nat—"

"No," she said firmly. "She deserves better than you. And if Adam is the one, then you should let her be with him. Maybe you're not so selfish as to finally let her be happy with the man she loves?"

She turned on her heel and walked out of the gym, leaving Chris leaning against the wall, head spinning, eye throbbing, and a hell of a lot weighing on his mind.

Jewel awoke the next morning enveloped in a cocoon of warmth. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she glanced around the darkened room blearily. Realization suddenly slammed into her with such force that it nearly took her breath away. She was not alone in the bed. Her heart flying into her throat, she tried to slowly slide to the other end of the bed, the events of the previous night flying through her mind, but a low growl caught her attention, and gently, but forcefully, pulled her back.

"Don't…leave…" Adam's soft plea reached her, and she froze again, looking down at him. "Want to protect you. Take care of you."

Adam… she thought, warmth flooding through her once more. If it was even possible, the fact that he had stayed by her side from the moment he and Nattie had found her in Chris' suite, had put aside his desire to rip Jericho apart for what he had done to her and instead put her needs ahead of his own, made her fall even harder for him.

But then again, she mused to herself, Adam had always been that way for her. He had looked out for her for years, always putting her before nearly everyone else. The only person who came before her was his mother, Judy, and Jewel loved him all the more for it. Adam may look ferocious, and very much could be when pushed, but he had never been anything but gentle and kind to her, with just the right amount of firmness to put her in her place if he needed to.

Whenever he looked at her, she felt such fierce love and protectiveness that it made her weak in the knees. She was never a person who needed protection, but the fact that Adam looked at her as if he would happily take a bullet for her, then get back up and rip apart the person who dared to aim the gun at her was more than enough proof that she had finally made the right decision. Her father had never wanted her to marry a wrestler, the way his sisters had; he had known the business, grown up in the business, and knew that getting involved with a wrestler would only hurt his daughter, but Jewel was her father in nearly every way; she knew her heart and what she wanted, and when she set her mind on something, there was next to nothing that could keep her from it.

And she wanted Adam.

"Mine," Adam growled in his sleep, with a growl of such fierce possession that Jewel's cheeks flushed deep pink. His lip curled as he dozed, baring white teeth, and despite the fear that still lingered from what had nearly happened with Chris, of its own volition her body began to tingle. Emotions that she couldn't quite describe washing over her, Jewel lay back down and lay her hand on Adam's chest, watching his expression change from ferocious and possessive to calm and placid. "Never leave me, Jewel…need you."

The blush deepened. Eyes staring at him in wonder, incredulous as to why she had never once realized or acknowledged the love that this man held in his heart for her, Jewel placed her head where her hand had previously been, and stroked her hand slowly up and down his torso, marveling in his heartbeat and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Everything about this man marveled her, now that she was seeing him with opened eyes and a cleared, cleansed mind. It was like she was seeing him, truly seeing him, for the first time, and every aspect of him fascinated her.

Biting her lip softly, she let her hand trail lower, keeping her eyes on Adam's face to watch for any change. Slowly, she curved her fingers and gently raked her nails back up his naked torso, watching transfixed as his lip curled and he gave a husky growl in his sleep. Feeling emboldened, she trailed her fingers back down then up again, taking in his every reaction, before finally slipping her hand under the blankets, where she found him fully erect.

Eyes widening in surprise, she gently took hold of his manhood, and, still watching his reaction, moved her hand up and down the shaft. A deep groan emanated from him, and, feeling bolder by the second, Jewel continued her motions, completely enthralled just watching his reactions to what she was doing. Even in his dreams, she affected him, and the thought of that excited her. Feeling quite proud of herself and the effect she had on him, she sped up her motions slightly, taking in every groan and grunt that Adam emitted, taking a ferocious delight in the reactions she was eliciting from him.

She let out a squeak of surprise when suddenly, his hand shot out and gently captured her wrist. Her eyes shot up to meet his now-awake gaze, green eyes still sleepy but awake and very, very aware.

Her breath caught in her throat as Adam held her gaze, then, silently, his eyes still locked on hers, returned her hand to its former place. Biting her lip again, now very much aware that the action had caught his attention, she resumed her motions, moving her hand deliberately slowly up and down his erection. He exhaled a deep, throaty sigh, which she took as encouragement, and continued on, slightly speeding up her action. He groaned as she sped up, his hands fisting the quilt, throwing his head back against the pillows, his blond hair spilling all across the pillows as he closed his eyes and groaned again, pleasure etched in every inch of his face.

She moved her hand faster still, her own breath coming in aroused gasps as he matched her motions, thrusting his hips into her hand. "Jewel…" he half-groaned, half-growled, a plea for her to not stop the exquisite torture.

A sort of frenzy had overtaken the younger woman by that point. The Jewel of old would have gasped and turned away, blushing furiously, but this newer, liberated Jewel was enjoying what she was doing to Adam, watching the frenzied pleasure crossing his face, watching him thrusting into her hand.

Suddenly, she stopped, just as he was very near the brink and teetering over the edge of oblivion, and climbed into his lap, straddling him. He froze, green eyes flying open, still glazed with rapture, and gazed up at her. Her lips, still bruised and split from her previous encounter with Jericho, were parted, swollen from her biting on them so harshly, and her eyes were widened in wonder and fascination. "Do you… I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do," he whispered hoarsely.

He was barely himself back from burying himself inside her, Jewel could tell. The thought excited her beyond belief; it was what she wanted to keep her mind off of the terror of possibly seeing Chris again. This was the man she wanted, the man she should have always wanted. He was hers to control, hers to love. Hers to worship and adore.

Wordlessly, she removed her nightshirt; creamy breasts spilled out from underneath the fabric, and Adam stared in wordless wonder at the beauty before him. She then reached down, taking his hands in hers, and brought them up, up, up, until they cupped her breasts. "I want you to," she whispered, squeezing his hands gently, before moving hips, grinding herself against his erection.

Giving another pained groan, Adam palmed her breasts once more, and she arched into his embrace, gasping in bliss at the sensation. The feel of her pressing against him, feeling her wetness on his hardness, was almost too much to bear, and he almost came right then and there, but he wanted her to feel him, feel every inch of him, sear himself into her brain and her consciousness, so that she would never have to worry about fear or pain ever again. She threw her head back and moaned again, writhing against him. Her nipples hardened into tiny little beads in his hands, and he rose up against her, taking one into his mouth and suckling the pert little bud as if it were his lifeline. She gave a needy little whine, whimpering his name as he gently bit her nipple, then shoved him back down to his back. Removing her panties, she straddled him once more and took him into her in one fluid motion.

Both of them stilled at the motion, Jewel moaning in bliss as he filled her. Adam's heated groan at being enveloped in her tightness once more brought her out of her reverie, and she moved against him, taking him even deeper inside of her. His hands came around to her hips, pulling her closer and creating more of that delicious friction, and he gently lifted her up and back down onto his hardness again.

Again and again, slowly, then faster and faster they moved, moaning, pleading, and growling. It was passionate, it was intense, and it was loving. Jewel shoved Adam down onto his back once more and continued to ride him, up and down, faster and faster, until neither one could take it anymore. With a snarl, Adam placed his thumb on her clit and pressed with each thrust, sending beads and waves of pure sensation through her. "I'm yours, Jewel," he growled through gritted teeth, one hand still on her clit, the other still gripping her hip painfully. "Yours to do with as you please. I am yours, you are mine. Come for me, Jewel. I want you to come for me."

Nearly crying from the sensations running through her, Jewel's moans turned to whimpers then finally snarls of her own, before finally exploding in a wail as she came, shuddering all around him. Her orgasm triggered his own, and he pumped his hips furiously, thrusting madly, blindly, her convulsing sheath quickly bringing him to his own. With one final snarl, he gripped her hips painfully and nearly roared as he came, grunting as he exploded deep inside her.

Coming down from the euphoric high, Jewel lowered herself down onto his chest and pressing kisses to his torso. As their breathing returned to normal, she sighed contentedly and closed her eyes blissfully, drifting back off into a peaceful sleep.

Adam stroked her back silently, listening to her purr as she slumbered. His own body was telling him to sleep for a few more hours, but a part of him was slowly coming back to life. That part that thirsted for Jericho's blood for what he had done. That could wait for the moment; for now, he was solely focused on helping Jewel recover from her ordeal.

Now that she knew that she was capable of better things and deserving of more love, the decision was hers. He had declared himself hers; it was now up to her to decide what she wanted, though he was quite sure he knew where her heart lay. She and Jericho were over and done; he still had to figure out where exactly Hunter fit into the picture but he had a feeling whatever had happened between the two of them had come to an end.

On the other hand…WrestleMania was certainly shaping up to be interesting.