Christopher Daniels walked through the bare corridors of soundstage 21 with his head held high. His muscles ached, his skin felt clogged with a mixture of oil and sweat and there was a heavy weight on his shoulder that had not been there earlier in the night. He picked up the weight and held it in his hands, the gold and leather feeling both familiar and strange at the same time. The bright red X on the belt before him held his gaze and instantly made all of the pain of the last few months worthwhile.

He tore himself away from the spell in his hands and continued walking towards the locker room. He could faintly hear the sounds of an enraged Samoa Joe continuing the destruction he'd started on the ring steps in another locker room yards away from his own and was instantly glad for the eerie quietness of the almost deserted corridor.

Chris' grip on the precious belt in his hand loosened slightly when he saw the lone figure leaning against the clean cream coloured wall of the corridor. Daniels scoffed mockingly when he saw that the figure had chosen to stand immediately below one of the corridor's strong artificial lights. The light bore down with all of it's strength and illuminated the figure in just the right way to make Chris' heart beat that little bit faster.

But that was AJ Styles all over.

Everything was always so effortless for AJ. Most people, including Chris, would have needed a professional photographer to position them in just the right way to make the light bounce off them so perfectly but AJ Styles merely needed to fall against any part of the wall that took his fancy. It didn't even matter that his skin was flushed with the last traces of adrenaline and exertion from the match a few moments earlier or that his hair was pointing in a few million different directions. To Chris he still looked like he'd just walked out of a photo shoot.

AJ was staring into space, his still booted foot tapping an unknown rhythm on the wall behind him as he leaned against it. He seemed blissfully unaware of both Chris and the faint sounds of the still raging Samoan as he continued to wait for whatever had captured his attention. Chris had seen AJ do this before. It had always amazed him how AJ could spend hours staring out of hotel room windows without ever really seeing the scenery or the people walking past. There had been a time when Chris would have given every title and every win of his long career for a glimpse inside that little world that existed purely inside AJ's head but that time had passed.

The belt suddenly felt increasingly heavy in his strangely weakened hands as he stopped just short of AJ's reach. There was still no reaction from him, only the soft rise of his chest and still tapping foot proved that he was the same flesh and blood AJ that Chris had once known so well. He contemplated sneaking past while AJ was preoccupied with whatever thoughts were running through his mind but he knew that he had been sneaking past AJ for far too long.

The belt felt heavier still when his right hand remembered the handshake he and AJ had shared in the ring earlier. If he concentrated he could almost feel AJ's skin against his own again or maybe it was just his mind trying to fill the AJ Styles shaped hole that had been left behind. It was strange how that handshake could still make the skin on his hands tingle moments later when the body contact they'd had in the course of their matches had never affected him.

But then again no wrestling hold could match up to the indescribable fire in AJ's eyes as he'd offered his hand and there were no certainly no Styles Clashes or Angel's Wings that could ever compare to AJ's reluctance to let go.

"Congratulations champ."

The words were spoken so quietly that Christopher couldn't decide whether they had truly been spoken or if his mind was playing more AJ related tricks on him. Chris looked for any outward sign that AJ had spoken but he still stood as he had before, his blue eyes focused on something Chris desperately wished he could see as his foot continued to tap at the wall. Daniels re-shouldered the title and waited for any signal that his presence had registered in AJ's little world but there was no hint of recognition on AJ's stoic face. Chris sighed heavily and walked past suddenly eager for the closed comfort of his locker room.

"Not even willing to take my congratulations Daniels? I thought ya'd wanna rub it in my face."

The X Division Title fell from Chris' shoulder and dropped to the carpeted floor with a dull thud. Trust AJ Styles to say the perfect thing to strike Chris dumb.

Chris could almost feel the strong gaze that was trained on his back and was loathed to turn around and face the judge, jury and executioner that could exist in one fierce look from AJ. He was the elder by several years but AJ had constantly been able to make him feel like a juvenile delinquent with just one sweeping glance of disapproval. But that was AJ - old beyond his years and always expecting more from Chris than he could ever give.

"I thought that belt was too important to ya to be dropped on the floor like that."

The sarcasm of AJ's previous comment had gone to be replaced with a much softer tone and it gave Chris the confidence he needed to face AJ's stare. He was still casually leaning against the wall and his foot was still tapping a rhythm that had now doubled in tempo since Chris' appearance.

He also held the X Division Title in his hands.

The polished gold shone brightly in AJ's hands but Chris couldn't quite decide if the reflected gleam was due to the light overhead or AJ's own personal light. Either way, Chris knew that it never looked that bright with him.

"May I have my title back please?" Chris asked in an even tone that betrayed the tremors in his hands as he reached for the belt.

AJ's previously casual stance stiffened but he spoke in an equally even tone, a tone that was far too emotionless than AJ could ever muster naturally. "Always the same Daniels. Still hankerin' after the belt when there's better things on offer."

He handed the belt back without further word but the stiffness of his limbs refused to leave. Christopher took the belt back in equal silence but there was no golden shine in his hands, just gold, leather and a sense of perspective that had been sorely lacking in the post match celebrations. There was no pride in wearing the X Division title for Chris now so he allowed the belt to hang limply at his side, the strap brushing the floor as it became a tonne weight in his hand.

"All that hard work tonight and ya drag the belt along the floor again…"

"Stop it AJ," Chris said firmly, "are you hanging around in this corridor just to annoy me?"

"Don't flatter ya'self." AJ spat, "I'm waitin' for the doctor."

Christopher hadn't noticed before because he had been transfixed by the title belt but AJ was indeed stood outside the trainer's office. He frowned guiltily as he quickly scanned AJ for any obvious injuries. "I didn't hit you too hard did I?"

AJ laughed mockingly. "No. I hurt my leg by kickin' the crap outta your back. I don't usually kick people that hard but I thought I'd make an exception for you."

"I'm touched," Chris said softly, the memories of stiff kicks running his mind.

"Yeah just don't think that makes you special," said AJ as he fixed Chris with a steely gaze, "it was all in the spirit of competition. Nothin' else."

"You know what they say in this business AJ," Chris spoke as he slowly moved closer, "you always hit your friends harder than your enemies."

"Is that so Daniels? Then how hard do ya hit lovers who dump ya for a hunk of gold?"

And there it was. Two months of pain and hurt summed up neatly in one Southern tinged sentence.

"Was it worth it?" AJ asked as he took the X Division title from Chris' weakened grasp. "Are these few pounds of gold and leather really worth losin' what we had?"

Chris had no answer. He had found his comfort in the title's cool gold and memories of how the leather felt against his skin and it had been his inspiration while recuperating from his severe concussion. It had consumed every part of him until he was seeing it's gold and leather every time he closed his eyes.

But it looked remarkably small and insignificant when held by AJ Styles.

AJ looked at the weight in his hands and smiled bitterly. He could still remember the rush of adoration he'd felt when that title had first been handed to him at the start of TNA's existence nearly four years ago and it had been a long standing love affair. Not even the glories of being NWA Heavyweight Champion could take away the extra pride AJ felt whenever he had fastened the X Division Title around his waist. This belt had once been his life and his world.

Until Chris.

It had started with a sarcastic handshake after Chris had stolen that same X Division Title from AJ in the Ultimate X match at Destination X last year and had ended in a nondescript hotel room two months ago on a night that AJ had tried hard to forget. He had been seated by the window, his attention caught by the cloak of darkness that coloured the midnight sky when Chris had entered the room and disturbed the early morning calm.

There were no explanations he could give that would halt Christopher's rage that night and he had allowed the words to wash over him until he was numb from their stings and venom. He continued to stare out of the room's full window but never once noticed the cars that occasionally drove past or the drunken revellers that left a nearby club. AJ was in his own little world, a world where his Chris was still happy and the X Division Title wasn't worth the gold and leather it was manufactured from.

Nothing could tear AJ's eyes away from the endless black of the night sky that lay behind that window. Not even the clean white towel that was thrown in his lap or the sound of the hotel room door softly clicking shut after Chris had left could distract AJ from watching the black give way to the colourful sunrise.

Now here he was standing in a corridor with that same title in his hands and Chris standing meekly before him.

"It's funny how somethin' so worthless can cause so many problems," AJ said wistfully as he continued to gaze at the belt. "Yet you still chose it over me."

"I never…"

"It's okay Chris," AJ interrupted, "you ain't gotta apologise or nothin'. I threw in the towel on you bein' champion at Final Resolution so you threw in the towel on us. Poetic ain't it?"

Suddenly Daniels was transported back to that fateful night two months ago. Final Resolution. The night he had been waiting for while he'd been recovering from the beating he had suffered at the hands of Samoa Joe at Genesis. It was his chance, possibly his only chance, at retribution and to regain the title he had still considered to be his.

But the chance and the championship had been lost, had been taken from him by the one person who should have understood more than anyone what that chance had meant.

As he had lain on the mat after the match had finished, his eyes screwed shut tightly in an attempt to block out the maddening pain in his temples, his thoughts had been consumed by the never ending looped video that played in his mind of a clean white towel sailing into the ring. He could feel AJ's hand at the back of his head cradling him softly as the trainer had checked him over but he took no solace from AJ's loving touch. There was no comfort in the knowledge that AJ had saved him from another serious injury.

When he had finally opened his eyes and they locked with AJ's all he had seen was the man who had cost him the gold and leather he had so desperately craved.

There were no cravings now. Chris had regained his title and achieved his retribution. AJ was no longer the man who had cost him the title merely a vanquished foe. So why did it still feel like something was missing from his life?

Chris stared at the belt that was still firmly held in AJ's hands and finally saw it for what it was. Gold and leather. Nothing more and nothing less. He could still feel a warm tingle in his right hand and he knew that there was no title belt in the world that could produce the same reaction as that one small handshake. And no gold and leather would ever love him as unconditionally as AJ Styles once had.

"I'm sorry AJ," Chris said softly, pleasantly surprised that the words came to him easier than he had ever thought possible.

AJ blinked. "I said I didn't want any apologisin'…"

"That wasn't for you," Chris interrupted, "I needed to say that. I should never have allowed that belt to come between us."

"But ya did," AJ whispered as he handed the belt back to Chris, "and no amount of apologisin' can undo what's done."

"I know," Chris said quietly. He took the belt from AJ and repositioned it on his shoulder.

AJ sighed. "No, I don't think ya do. You're only apologisin' now 'cause you won that darn title and everythin's' right in your world."

"That's not why I'm apologising…"

"Then why are ya apologisin'?" AJ asked firmly.

Not for the first time that night Chris was struck dumb.

He pulled the black tape from his hands as he considered AJ's question. He thought back over the last two months of arguments and locker room fights but the only reason he could find was that it just felt right. It seemed so natural to be standing in front of AJ in that corridor on this night saying those words just like it had seemed so natural to accept that lingering handshake. There was no rhyme or reason behind it but wherever AJ was concerned Chris had always lost all reason.

There had been no reason behind Chris accepting AJ's mocking handshake in that same corridor one year previously. There had been no logic in AJ smiling at him when he should have been pissed at losing the gold and leather to Chris' cheating but the most nonsensical thing of all had been AJ accepting Chris' offer of a relaxing drink in his hotel room.

All of the nonsense and lack of reasoning had been replaced and rendered insignificant by crystal clear clarity when Chris had opened his eyes the next morning to the sight of AJ sleeping serenely next to him.

There was no serenity in AJ as he continued to watch Chris. He frowned slightly when Chris threw his discarded wrist tape onto the floor but he made no comment. The ache in his leg had disappeared only to be replaced with an ache for understanding.

Chris could see that ache. He could see the need for an explanation burning brightly in AJ's blue eyes and he knew that there were no theories of naturalness or ease that would be an adequate explanation. AJ needed something more concrete and real than a feeling, he needed something that he could turn over in his mind and think about for hours as he stared out of a hotel window.

Chris only wished he could give AJ that explanation.

"I don't know why I'm apologising now," Chris answered honestly. "Maybe winning this back," he said as he tapped the belt lightly with his knuckles, "finally put everything in perspective."

"Perspective…" AJ repeated slowly as if he were weighing every syllable and considering their meanings.

"I'm not like you AJ," Chris said softly, his fingers finally falling from the title on his shoulder, "I don't see things as clearly as you can. I'm not able to think things through and consider every option, I don't even know how to do the right thing anymore. Sometimes it takes something, like a worthless title belt, to make me realise what's important."

AJ paused. "What does that mean?"

"For so long this was my focus" Chris said as he took the belt from his shoulder and held it up in the space between himself and AJ. "Despite lying next to you I still dreamt about holding it, about being able to call it mine and fasten it around my waist again. I could barely stand to look at you AJ after you beat me for it at Unbreakable but somehow I ignored that anger and sense of loss because it made you happy.

"But Final Resolution. That meant so much more to me. This title represented not only what I had dreamt about but it was revenge. Vindication, for everything Joe had done to me. But I lost. All I could see when I looked in the mirror after the trainer was finished stitching me up was failure. I failed AJ. I failed because of you and I couldn't get past that."

AJ was silent, his thoughts concentrating on Chris' words as he stared blankly at the X Division title that hung in the air only inches away from his face. The polished gold shimmered brightly in Chris' hands but it looked as wicked and sinful in his possession as a new lover by his side.

Finally AJ spoke, his voice small and barely audible above the distant noises of the nearby locker rooms. "I didn't want ya hurt…"

"I know," Chris interrupted. "Your intentions were honourable but I would never ask for your help. You should have known that. The truth remains that I felt this title was worth risking everything."

As the belt continued to glisten from it's secure position in Chris' hands AJ found himself hating that title with a passion that scared him. That gold had stolen Chris from him. That leather had torn them apart as surely and easily as a sordid encounter in a seedy hotel room with a cheap whore and here it was, in Chris' hands mocking him with it's victory.

"Get that title outta my face," AJ said firmly.

"Why?" Chris asked. "It's just gold and leather. It's worthless, isn't that what you called it earlier?"

AJ folded his arms across his chest. "Compared to some other things then yeah, it ain't worth nothin'."

Chris made no attempt to move the title away from AJ, his attention briefly stolen by the faint shine it was casting onto AJ's flushed chest. "You mean that compared to me it isn't worth anything."

AJ didn't answer. He stared down the seemingly never ending corridor, his lips pressed tightly together as he waited for Chris to break the silence.

"And that's why I'm sorry," Chris said slowly, the truth behind his apology finally becoming clearer and clearer with every word he spoke. "I'm sorry that I never realised how worthless this and all titles are until it was too late. There really are more important things than gold and leather."

The X Division title belt was again hanging loosely at Chris' side when AJ finally tore his eyes away from the endless space of the corridor and returned them to that half smile of Chris' that had always lightened his mood. It was a good explanation and an apology that pleased him but AJ had been burnt too often in the past to immediately jump back into the fire after a few honey words, especially from one as persuasive as Chris.

"It's never too late if ya meant what ya said."

The words were quiet, nervous even, but they came to Chris as loudly as the cheers from the crowd had earlier. He could see that AJ was waiting for an answer from him but Daniels' didn't trust himself to speak. Again AJ Styles had struck him dumb. It was strange how every cell in his tired body could be screaming "yes, I meant what I said" but his mouth couldn't form the words. AJ, to his credit, seemed to instinctively realise the trouble Christopher was having with his speech and instead held out his right hand, much like he had earlier in the ring, only this time it was accompanied by the brightest smile he'd given in two months.

Chris reached out his hand to take AJ's but abruptly stopped. In his right hand was still the X Division title.

The smile quickly fell from AJ's face at Chris' pause. "You can't take my hand if you're still holdin' that thing."

"I know," Chris said plainly but still the title was in his hand.

AJ battled hard against the rising anger he felt building against that gold and leather. For him it would have been so simple to just casually throw the belt over his shoulder but Chris seemed reluctant to release his grip. AJ stared intently at the leather in Chris' hands and could see that Christopher's knuckles had turned white with the force of his hold on the title.

"Throw it down."

Chris blinked rapidly. "What?"

"Throw it down. It'll still be here for the tapin' on Tuesday, some crew member will pick it up. You'll still be the champ Chris. It don't matter if the title's with ya or left here."

Chris now held the title in his two hands, the red X again staring up at him from it's nest of gold and leather. It was so simple. Leave the title in the corridor where it'd no doubt be picked up, after all James Storm was always leaving his NWA Tag Title behind in some corner of the iMPACT Zone after one too many beers only for it to always be returned to him, take AJ's hand and go back to the hotel. Together. Simple.

So why couldn't he let go of the gold and leather in his hands?

"I can't..." Chris said meekly. He didn't expect AJ to understand the hold the title had over him when he could barely understand it himself.

AJ pushed himself off the wall and turned to leave, his hands on his hips in a sign of exhausted defeat. "You're married to the belt Chris. And I ain't willing to be your mistress."

With that he was gone leaving Chris alone with his gold, leather and a renewed sense that something was missing.

THE END