Fighting to Let You Go

A/N: I have to admit I was a little surprised at the reviews for the last chapter. I'm glad to know, though, that you guys care enough about the characters to want them all to get a happy ending. This story was hard to write - but it was also incredibly theuraputic. Thank you all for your support! You're the best. And this is it - the final chapter of Fighting to Let You Go - Enjoy!

An hour earlier, the Orlando air had been thick with humidity. But as Trish stepped out of the building and watched Adam's back, she felt an unexpected chill. He rested lazily against the chain-link security fence, his fingers barely clutching the metal as he rested his forehead there. For a moment, she wondered what she could possibly say to explain the moment he had just witnessed.

"I told Jeff that I'm with you now," she finally spoke calmly as she moved toward him.

Turning, Adam leaned against the fence and smiled. "I'm sure he didn't buy it either, Trish."

She sighed. "I've told you a hundred times, Adam. What Jeff and I had was good. I loved him. But it's over. I'm with you now," she repeated, stepping even closer.

"Why?" Adam asked, stepped away from her and kicking a rock from the asphalt. When Trish didn't answer, he turned to her and put his hands on his hips.

She stuttered. Why? Did she really have to explain herself? Wasn't it enough that she just did? "Adam, why can't you just trust my feelings for you? What do I have to do to show you that there is no one else I want?"

She felt as though she was at the end of her rope. She had said everything she could think of to convince this man that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Turning her back to the fence where he had just been, she leaned against the hard metal and rubbed her hands over her face. It was bad enough that Jeff had once again turned her world upside down. But now Adam was throwing her off balance, too. "You're my best friend," she whimpered slightly. It was the final card in her hand, the last thing she could think of to show him that he was important to her.

He hoisted himself onto a nearby dumpster and nodded. "I know," he conceded. With a tender look, he smiled again. There was nothing vicious or cold about the smile. It wasn't the smile of a heartbroken man, trying to fight tears with a big fake grin. It was genuine and loving, and it held all of the affection that he had for the woman staring back at him.

They spent a long moment just looking at each other. No words seemed necessary as the still night wrapped its comforting arms around them. "I'm so sorry, Adam," she finally whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you."

He nodded. "I know, Trish," he answered softly, as though a loud voice would shatter the peace they had both found in silence. "I really thought we could make it work, ya know? Isn't that supposed to be how it works? Best friends first, lovers to follow?" She smiled and gave a slight eye roll. "Seeing you after Jeff left was so hard for me. You were my girl, and you were so broken. I never wanted that to happen again - I never wanted to see those tears from you again," he shook his head and jumped down from the dumpster.

For the first time, Trish saw it. Deep in his eyes, she saw the truth. "And if you were my man, nobody else could hurt me like Jeff did," she whispered. He just nodded and walked toward her. "I love you, Adam," she smiled.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, too, Trish," he spoke.

She could tell that he meant it. She knew she meant it. But it wasn't the love they had been professing for months. It was the love of two best friends who would do anything to keep each other from getting hurt - even if it meant sacrificing their own chance at true happiness.

Something broke between them in that moment. It was as if the proverbial elephant in the room had finally been addressed, and expelled. Without actually breaking up, Trish knew that her romantic involvement with Adam was over. But any sadness she would have felt at the end of a normal relationship was just filled with elation at the prospect of having her best friend back.

"Can I tell you something? Honestly?"

Adam nodded and pushed back from her slightly. "Of course. But first, I have to tell you something," he blushed slightly and looked at his shoes. Trish squeezed his hand, encouraging him to go on.

With a slightly deviant smile that made him look like a small child with a secret, he licked his lips. "I met someone."

As if it were the ultimate test, Trish did a mental check. She felt no twinge of jealousy. No anger filled her chest, only a sense of joy that her friend looked so happy at this news. "Who?"

Adam shook his head. "You're not gonna believe me," he said. She braced herself for something horrible, but nothing could prepare her for the next word out of Adam's mouth. "Lita."

Trish didn't try to hide her shock. "Matt's Lita?" she asked.

He shrugged and looked slightly embarrassed. But only slightly. "I can't explain it, Trish. Other than to say she makes me feel like Jeff makes you feel."

Taking a step back, Trish shook her head. "Oh no! Jeff doesn't make me feel anything," she looked away and then back at him, surprised that the denial had come out so forcefully, with such ease. But the steady glare he gave her told her to shut up and stop lying to herself and to him.

She shook her head again, though. "Doesn't matter if he makes me feel like a princess or like I'm going to throw up on my shoes, or whatever other way that's supposed to mean he's THE ONE or whatever," she rolled her eyes.

Adam took her hand and dragged her back toward the building. "Stop spewing bull shit for thirty seconds and think about what you felt when he touched you back there," he instructed. Trish gave him a defiant look. "Fine," he threw his hands up. "Go ahead and pretend it was nothing. But we both know it wasn't."

And with that, he disappeared into the building once more, leaving Trish to contemplate the one truth she had been running from for months. Staring out over the back lot, she sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. She wouldn't worry about how they were going to make a long-distance relationship work. She wouldn't worry about what happened to them the next time he decided to "find himself." She wouldn't even think about whether or not it could be as good between them this time as it had been the first.

She still wanted the butterflies that he set free in her tummy. She wanted the fury that he ignited in her head. And she wanted the passion that he evoked in her soul. She wanted the poetry, the songs, and the art. No matter how much time passed, and no matter how unsure she was of the outcome, she still wanted Jeff Hardy.