A/N - For the people who read 'What Now?' I know I've still not completed the story but I'm working on it and the final chapters will be out before new year on the plus side I've written 8 chapters so far (the rate I'm writing will very soon be around 10 chapters) of this story so that when I go away I'll be able to post it automatically every few days (or when I have internet lol) I've just been so excited about this story and I was going to wait to post it but I just couldn't! It's set in AU and Trish/Jeff pairing but won't just focus on them it'll have other WWE characters who are VERY relevant... The good thing about this story is I can literally take it so many different places. I hope you love it as much as I love writing it. If you could read and review it would be very much appreciated as I'm trying to keep the Jeff/Trish pairing alive even after all these years.
DISCLAIMER - I DON'T OWN WWE CHARACTERS OR ANY LYRICS THAT MAY BE USED IN THIS STORY. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS AND NOT MYSELF.
The sound of a glass vase smashing into a million pieces was enough to wake the rockstar up. His eyes were sticky and sore from the minimum sleep that he had received from the night before - or early morning. His mouth was dry and the taste of whiskey and other substances was still fresh on his taste buds. He didn't know what day it was… but that was tour life.
"You fucking piece of shit!" A familiar voice echoed through the room as Jeff finally snapped into reality. He examined the room and watched his girlfriend of 5 years on a rampage in his hotel room. Still not knowing what was going on… he looked to the side of his bed to find a half-naked brunette who was slightly terrified by the actions of his girlfriend.
"Trish… baby… what you doing here?" Jeff's southern accent was hoarse. No matter how many years he had lived in New York the southern accent stuck on him like glue.
"Baby? What am I doing here? Are you being fucking serious?" Trish's eyes looked psychotic as she picked up an ashtray which had half a joint rested in the middle and threw in between Jeff and the unknown girl causing the brunette to try and run away as Trish pounced on her like a predator on its prey.
Jeff's eyes widened as he jumped out the double bed and grabbed Trish by her hips lifting the blonde off of the girl. The whole time Jeff examining the rest of the room - girls passed out all over the hotel room, his friend Ron Killings (better known as R Truth) standing in the corner smoking a joint while bags of cocaine smothered the room and pretty much any inanimate object that was there. Seeing his band members (his older brother Matt and his best friend who also happened to be his brother's girlfriend Amy) at the hotel door.
"You let go off me!" Trish was still kicking and trying to wriggle her way out but the strength of Jeff was too much. He wasn't overly-muscular but he didn't need to be. "You're a fucking mess… Bitches all over your hotel room and in your bed! You cheating scumbag!"
"I didn't cheat on you… I wouldn't cheat on you… it was just a party… it's not what it looks like!" The blue haired 21 year old rockstar finally let go of Trish who had finally stopped screaming and kicking and throwing fists in the air instead more defeatedly she began to cry.
"What about the drugs Jeff? Huh? The white shit that I can still see in your nose!" Trish sobbed lightly as she couldn't even make eye contact with him. The use of his first name made his stomach drop to his feet and a sickly feeling came upon him. She rarely called him Jeff… and if she did - he really fucked up. "You told me you were clean… you told me you wouldn't be doing this while you were on tour! You lied to me!"
"Yo come on now blondie… you need to chill… he ain't cheat on yo' ass… this homie love yo' ass too much you got him whipped girl… we was just chillin' and havin' some fun shawty… you know how it gets… it ain't even that deep sis…" Ron's attempt at calming the situation down was not helping as Trish's tears turned to anger and she began to throw daggers at the rapper with her eyes… if looks could kill… "Smoke some of this girl… you be 'aight…"
Ron offered the blonde the nicely-rolled joint she looked the rapper in the eye, her nostrils flaring at the cheek of him before slapping the joint out of his hand. Jeff still felt the sickness in his stomach… the gagging began to start...
Maybe it wasn't Trish's words making him feel sick… maybe… it was…
BLEURGHHHHH
Jeff began to throw his guts up for a solid 2 minutes. Trish's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head in disgust. Amy and Matt over-viewing the situation with remorse in their eyes. They had told Trish where Jeff was. They didn't go out their way to tell Trish but when Jeff's long-term high school sweetheart said she needed to speak to him urgently and he's not answered her calls or messages they couldn't lie and say they hadn't seen him he was on tour with them.
Once Jeff had stopped throwing up, his green and yellow guts lay in perfect view for everyone on the floor. Jeff wiped his mouth with his sweatshirt as he turned to look in Trish's eyes but she was already stomping out of the hotel room.
"Trish… Trish… wait… Trish!" Jeff called after his true love who wasn't responding until he had finally caught up to her, halting her exit as he stuck a hand on her elbow and forced the blonde to turn around. "Please don't go… I'm sorry baby… I let you down… I know that… but I love you… I didn't cheat on you I promise… I didn't fuck that girl… I just passed out… it was a crazy night that's all… I'll walk off the tour right now and go back to New York with you…. Whatever you want me to do I'll do it…"
Trish looked up as she attempted not to start sobbing like a baby - instead she took a deep breathe. She wasn't shouting. She wasn't screaming. She wasn't fighting. She was defeated. "You don't get it Jeff… It's over… for good… I don't care what you do anymore… go and have your fun…"
Jeff couldn't believe what he had just heard. He shook his head in denial. "Nah we aint over… You know we aint… we can't be over… I love you and you love me… I'm gonna marry you Trish… you're my forever… you know that… we're not over."
Trish tried to break free from Jeff's hold but to no avail. "Let go of me Jeff… we're over… we were over the minute you put that shit up your nose… the minute you went to sleep in the same bed as the girl… you didn't need to fuck her!"
Jeff pushed Trish against the wall in attempt to stop her from walking away. "No… please… we need to talk… we need to sort this out… like we do…"
Matt, Amy and Ron came running down the corridor of the hotel where the commotion between Jeff and Trish was continuing. Jeff had Trish pinned up against the wall as Trish tried to push back but still unsuccessful.
"Get off me… look at you… you're a mess!" Trish spat at her now former boyfriend.
"No… I just need to sort things out with you… I can't let you walk away Trish…" Jeff began to plead with the blonde who's heart broke more and more as Jeff was withstanding the inevitable outcome. They were over.
"C'mon brother… let it go…" The older Hardy brother began to intervene as well as Amy who also tried to reason with her best friend who she barely recognized.
"Do you think this is going to help you win her back?" Amy's tone was harsh and blunt but something that the lost soul needed to hear whether he liked it or not. "You're making things worse… let her go!"
Jeff finally released his grip on Trish, her voice was shaky and dry. "Who are you?"
Hanging his head in shame Jeff watched as the love of his life made her way out of the Vegas hotel as if a knife to his heart was getting pushed in more and more with every step she made. She finally was out of his range as he could feel his temper growing and his anger building up inside him.
"This is all your fault!" Jeff hissed as he got into his brothers face. "And yours you dumb bitch!"
Matt pushed Jeff for the way he spoke to his girlfriend. The two brothers began to get head to head. "You watch your mouth! This is your fault! You're out of control!"
"Fuck you!" Jeff pushed Matt back.
Ron pulled Jeff away from Matt while Amy pulled Matt away from Jeff. Amy wasn't taking the comment personal and as much as she loved Matt for defending her honour - it wasn't the right time. Jeff had been on a spiral since the first day of the tour 5 months ago. It was never a good idea for Jeff to be around the music industry especially with his history of substance abuse but he had promised everyone it was just do what he loved; which was to perform music. Amy and Matt both started to notice he was losing sight of his morals and his passion for music. He had lost his way…
"You know what Jeff… we're done… fuck this... I don't want any part of this!" Matt screamed in the face of his brother who just chuckled.
"I don't need you… I don't need any of you!" Jeff chuckled maliciously. "You go… take your whore with you!"
"Jeff…" Amy sighed. "Why are you being like this? We've been best friends since we were kids.. When you used to visit Brooklyn to see your uncle when he used to live in my neighbourhood… I'm not the enemy…"
"Don't speak about her like that!" Matt shouted back to Jeff.
"You know what Amy let me ask you a question!" Jeff's grin becoming more poisonous by the minute. "Why did you fuck Adam Copeland on the night of your prom when you're supposed to be dating my big brother? Would that be because you're a whore maybe?"
Amy's face immediately painted with guilt and flashbacks of her dreaded prom. Jeff walking in on her cheating on Matt as she pleaded with him not to say anything to Matt and that it was a drunken mistake and she loved his brother. Jeff had promised not to say anything.
"Like I'd believe you… you fuck your own life up and now you're try to fuck everybody else's up!" Matt laughed not believing Jeff until he looked at Amy's face and there was only one word to describe her. Guilty. "Amy…?"
Jeff began chuckling as Amy grabbed Matt by his arms. "I'm sorry Matt… it was a mistake… I was 18 and I was drunk and it didn't mean anything!"
Matt pushed Amy off of him. "Don't you dare fucking touch me…"
"Matt this was years ago I was young and stupid… I'm 21 now and I'm still with you! I don't want to be with anybody else!" The roles quickly reversed from Jeff begging to Trish and now it was the fiery redhead that was begging for the love of her life.
"What do you want Amy a prize? You fucked one guy once and it's not a big deal because you stayed with me? Is this a joke?" Matt laughed. "Fuck this I'm done… I'm done with all of you… Fuck this shit I've had enough…"
Amy shot Jeff a look of despair as tears began to run down her face. Jeff just smirked with no remorse for his former best friend and big brother as he watched them walk down the corridor arguing about the night that Amy had tried to erase from history.
"Dude… what the fuck... Team Xtreme is done… no more tours…" Ron's first sentence since they had all entered the corridor, he was still stoned and didn't really know what to do while all this was going on. In all the drama nobody had realised there was people out from their hotel rooms with cameras in their hands recording what had just happened.
"What the fuck you all looking at!" Jeff screamed at the guests in the hotel. "Fuck this… let's go out of here…"
"Look like it's trouble in paradise for socialite Trish Stratus and her high school sweetheart rockstar and frontman of the band Team Xtreme Jeff Hardy. The two were heard to have a heated argument in a Las Vegas hotel room which then erupted on to the corridors to be filmed by guests at the hotel. Jeff and his brother and bandmate Matt Hardy were then seen to go head to head with each other before Matt and girlfriend and also bang member of Team Xtreme Amy Dumas then began to argue as they left the hotel. Controversy has risen over the band Team Xtreme over the last couple of months and it looks like the band are splitting up without finishing the end of their national tour in addition to both relationships being ended as well … All parties involved have no comment on the situation and any upset fans will be refunded for the cancelled tour dates… I'm Gail Kim and I'm reporting for NewsOfAmerica."
"This is a bloody nightmare for your public image!" Jeff's publicist William Regal spoke in a strong English accent. "I bloody warned you Mr Hardy... I said you do what you bloody want on tour… party like it's 19-bloody-69 for all I care but you've bloody made everything public knowledge. We can't even withhold the public bloody knowledge on the reason why we cancelled the tour because videos are bloody knocking round the internet like I don't know what… your brother has told me to do one and not that nicely either may I add and that bloody Amy has disappeared of the face of the earth… This is a publicists nightmare you do understand this don't you young man!"
"Any publicity is good publicity right?" Jeff chuckled as he sat in the chair opposite from William and began to pour himself a whiskey on the rocks. Something about dark liquor appealed to him - he imagined it reflected the darkness in his soul.
"Not when it has a video of you holding American Sweetheart Trish bloody Stratus up against a wall as she bloody begs you to let her go!" Regal aggressively turned the laptop around as Jeff watched the repeat of the events that happened in Las Vegas before downing the whole of the glass of whiskey. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?"
"It's 5 o'clock somewhere right?" Jeff chuckled, he was acting completely out of character but he had nothing to lose - he didn't have to hide from Trish anymore. "Look Willy…"
"I told you my name is bloody William… Mr Regal to you in fact…" Regal being dramatic as usual as he fixed the tie on his suit.
"Right William… Mr Regal in fact… This is perfect… Everybody loves a villain… the bad boy… the tortured soul… They don't call me the charismatic enigma for nothing y'know…" Jeff smirked as he began to pour another whiskey in his glass. "I can do this on my own… I'm talented… I can sing… Matt and Amy were just holding me back… now I can write the music I want to right… perform the way I want… party how I want… everybody loves a rebellious rockstar!"
"I bloody hope you're right…" William shook his head before taking the whiskey out of Jeff's hand. "Now that's enough drinking in here get out my bloody office before I change my mind and get rid of you as a client altogether!"
"I'm Gail Kim and I'm reporting for NewsOfAmerica."
Trish sat in her New York (Upper East Side) penthouse as she watched the news report and sobbed into a pillow. Jeff had broke her heart - he lied to her, he made a fool out of her, he had let her down. Trish began to blame herself for everything that she should've went on tour with him and been by his side but she soon shook it off. He should be able to restrain himself without the presence of her company. They weren't teenagers anymore… they were teenagers… Trish was creating her own fashion company and Jeff was making a name for himself in his music career but at the end of it all they were going to get married, start a family, have it all - he had ruined it all.
"Come on Trish you need to eat something…" Trish's best friend since childhood Stephanie McMahon had been by her side since the blonde had returned from Las Vegas.
Trish sniffled as she wiped her tears from her eyes but the evidence of heartbreak was all over the blonde's distraught face as she shook her head. "I'm not hungry… I just feel sick…"
Stephanie hated to see her best friend in this condition, the only times she had ever seen the blonde this upset was when her parents got a divorce when she was ten and then four years later when her mother married somebody else and then a year ago when her mother decided to sell her fashion company instead of handing it down to Trish. Twenty one years of friendship and that was the only three times she had ever since Trish break down except for now.
"I hate seeing you like this…" Stephanie sighed as she pushed Trish into her arms and began to cuddle the blonde who's tears and mascara was getting all over Stephanie's white gucci shirt - if that wasn't love then Stephanie didn't know what was. "You're going to be okay… it hurts now… but you made the right decision… he will only bring you down… time heals everything… you got this Trish… you're one of the strongest people I know… and I've got your back until the day we die… and if you don't want to do anything… I'll sit by your side until you do…"
Stephanie's words were making Trish cry more. Their friendship stopped being friendship when they were 10 years old and quickly turned into more of a sister relationship. They may not be blood sisters but they were most definitely soul sisters and it was nice to know that there was somebody that Trish could count on. Unlike every other person in her life.
"Stop crying Stratus before I hurt somebody!"
Maybe there was one other person Trish could count on. Her step-brother Chris Jericho. Her mother Alice married his father Ted when they were 14. The two had known each other forever because their parents roamed in the same circles and they hated each other at first but siblings do hate each other then they love each other then they hated each other then they love each other once more and Chris was the closest thing to family Trish had anymore.
The only problem was… Chris and Stephanie hated each other. Their families were rivals and had been for many years - Stephanie's father Vince the owner of McMahon Corporation and Chris's father Ted the owner of Jericho & Co. Not just that but Chris was pretty much an ass to everybody and didn't really do himself any favours but he was never an ass with Trish… well not when something serious was happening… when it came down to it he had her back.
"Please don't argue with him…" Trish looked at Stephanie and then back to Chris.
"I'm not going too… I'm the one who called him!" Stephanie wasn't too happy to admit it but Chris was the exact person they needed right now.
Trish's jaw dropped at the news in shock that Stephanie managed to be civil enough to get through a phone call with him never mind be in the same room as him.
"Yes… the billion dollar trash bag hoe…" Chris smirked as Stephanie's eye darted at him and began to squint in annoyance. "...sorry… I mean Stephanie McCunt…"
"Chris…" Trish sighed, not really in the mood for Stephanie and Chris to go at war with each other. "Stop it…"
"I'm joking…" Chris laughed as he playfully hit Stephanie still more forcefully then he should have as she punched back, hurting his thigh. "Owww."
"I phoned him because I knew you needed him…" Stephanie saying the words caused her more pain than anyone could imagine but Trish did need him.
"Yeah I was living my best life in Miami… couple of bad bitches by my side on my dad's yacht when I seen Trashbag Hoe pop up on my phone… I knew then it was serious…" Chris planting next to Trish opposite to where Stephanie had already been sitting with the blonde.
Chris had seen all the news regarding Trish and Jeff and he was used to it. He was good friends with Jeff when he arrived in their prep school in sophomore year with his brother - they stuck out like a sore thumb. Jeff and Matt were country boys and the whole big city life was new to them but when their parents died in a horrific car accident they had nowhere else to go except their uncle's who enrolled them at Sacred Hearts Preparatory School. The most elite high school in New York City where all the rich and famous teenagers were all put together under one roof. Chris took them under his wing where Jeff eventually met Trish who had caught his eye the first day he started and by the time they were 16 and starting Junior Year they fell in love - but their relationship was passionate which at times resorted in heated arguments and Trish throwing the occasional plate at Jeff's head. Chris didn't believe they would be done for good.
"I finished with him Chris… we're done." Trish began to cry as she said the words knowing that she meant everything she had said to her now ex-boyfriend. "He was a mess when I seen him and I've needed him the last few weeks and he's not been here for me and then I go to Las Vegas and I find him with stupid bitches all over the room and drugs everywhere and I just can't do it anymore Chris… that wasn't my Hardy Boy that I seen in Vegas… I can't do it anymore I've given up so much for him I mean my mother practically sold her company that was supposed to be my family legacy because she didn't want me with Jeff and after everything we've been through he just wants to go down this road again… I can't do it… I just can't…"
By this point Trish began to sob once more. Steph looked at Chris as she sympathised with her best friend and Chris sighed as he put his hand on his head.
"You'll be okay Trish…" Stephanie hugged her friend one more time knowing that no matter what she said she would not be able to take away the hurt her friend was feeling.
"Yeah… we're going to be with you… every step of the way…" Chris solidifying his role in the upcoming mission in mending and putting Trish Stratus back together as he hugged the two girls even accepting Stephanie.
"I'm Gail Kim and I'm reporting for NewsOfAmerica."
Matt sat in his uncle John Bradshaw Layfield's townhouse in New York. Matt still couldn't believe how far his uncle had come from living in Brooklyn when he was a kid to becoming a successful stock investor - he was living the dream and he had done so much for the boys when their parents died. Matt didn't have anywhere else to go.
He needed to speak to his uncle about the whole situation, the recent outburst between Team Xtreme was more than a band issue. It was personal. His brother had spiralled out of control destroying his whole life and breaking the silence on Amy's affair also destroyed his life in the process - but Matt couldn't just blame Jeff. Jeff wouldn't have been able to ruin his life if Amy hadn't slept with somebody else.
"See what I mean JBL!" Matt raised his voice slightly before being shushed by his uncle.
"I know it's bad Matt… I just don't know what to do… you're not high school kids anymore… I can't just pay off Jeff's chaos like I used too… he's on his own now!" JBL rubbed his head unknowing what to say to his oldest nephew.
"He won't listen to me… maybe he'll listen to you?" Matt was angry at Jeff, he was disappointed and hurt but no matter what he was still his older brother. He still wanted to protect him.
"When has that boy ever listened to me?" JBL chuckled as he flicked the television over to another channel.
"There must be something we can do?" Matt began to get angry at JBL for being so calm and relaxed about the situation as he frowned at his uncle.
"There is…" JBL said as Matt began to look hopeful before JBL replied once more. "Leave him to make his own mistakes… He's going to party and think everything is dandy but when that comedown hits him and he's alone and the party's over he will realize…"
"Realize what?" Matt raised an eyebrow unsure about his JBL's tough love routine. Yeah Matt gave him the whole 'Fuck you, I'm done, I don't care' routine but he was fronting. He was also planning to go back to Jeff once he had calmed down and talk to him.
"He will realize that drugs don't love him, alcohol don't love him, them phoney friends, them strippers or escorts or regular hoes don't love him… You love him, I love him, that Stratus girl loves him… Amy loves him…" JBL saying Amy's name caused Matt's blood to start boiling. "Speaking of Amy have you spoke to her since y'all broke up."
Matt shook his head.
"Why not?" JBL raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Because like the drugs don't love Jeff… she doesn't love me." Matt hissed with a lot of venom and bitterness on his tongue. He didn't think Amy would ever break his heart, she was like his family, his brother's best friend, a girl he watched grow up and would tease and call her names to hide the fact he secretly had always loved her. He was hurting just as much as Trish or Jeff.
"That's bullshit son…" JBL chuckled. "You need to talk to her… now I don't know the ins and outs of it I'm trying not to get to involved with your boys affairs and business as you get older you're twenty-three and Jeff is twenty-one you boys aren't teenagers anymore but I heard rumours that Amy cheated on you a few years ago and that's why you broke up… now if that's true boy… you need to talk to her."
"Fuck her… I don't ever want to speak to her ever again… she's dead to me." Matt hissed once again, his ego speaking up for him as he tried to act like he didn't care no more. He was hurting but he still cared and he did want to speak to Amy but she cheated. She was in the wrong and she was the one that broke them up. Why should he speak to her?
"Now boy don't say things like that… you've experienced death first hand and once someone's gone they ain't ever coming back… whether you like it or not you know you need to talk to her and if you can't forgive her then you stay split up but you need some closure or you'll never move on…" JBL was always wise and behind his southern accent (which was still present no matter how long he had stayed in New York for) there was always a deeper message. Unfortunately for JBL that deeper message was not what Matt wanted to hear at that moment.
"Fuck that… You know what you're right I'm going to leave people to clean up their own messes, fuck Amy if she wants to disappear then thank the Lord, Mary and Joseph she's doing me a favour and if Jeff wants to party his way to rock bottom then let him! I'm focusing on myself and cleaning up my own mess!" Matt jumped up off the sofa.
"Where you going boy?" JBL tried finding out where Matt was going to go but just rolled his eyes as the raven-haired young man went out the door.
