By request... the sequel... the characters portrayed in this are not my own, nor do I profit from their use. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental... read and enjoy!
Freedom!
With a bounce in his step, Adam left the courtroom a free man. It had been a long time since his incarceration and he was looking forward to doing something. He laughed as he recalled seeing Jeff's expression when the verdict was read. He laughed even more when the full implication set in... he. Adam Copeland, had gotten away with murder! So what that his aunt was doing time? They were never close to begin with.
"I need a drink." He said out loud. So what if anyone heard him? The cockiness that had been missing while in jail was back and in full force. He sauntered into the nearest bar, in a celebratory mood, and announced that "this round is on me."
The bar cheered. It was not often that a stranger bought a round. Well, not everyone cheered. Of all the gin joints in all the towns, Adam had to walk into the same one the Jericho and Cena had popped into.
"Hey guys, why the sad faces... you look like you just lost your best friend... oh wait, you did." Adam gloated. Hey, the bar was pretty full. He was sure that one of the rough trade that he'd just bought a drink for would back him up if either of them got physical.
"Shut it, Cope." Cena growled
"Go have your own fun somewhere else Junior." Jericho added
"Sore loser, Irvine?" Adam catcalled. He only ever used Chris' real name when he wanted to antagonize him really badly or he was really drunk. Since he wasn't drunk yet, the rationale was obvious.
"Not as sore as you're gonna be if you don't get out of my air space." Jericho signaled for another.
Adam smirked and sauntered over to another part of the bar where he proceeded to get ripped, all the while watching the pair.
"God, I hate that fucking guy." Cena groaned, likewise signalling for a refill.
"How do you think Matt and Jeff are doing?" Chris tried changing the subject, but no matter what they talked about, they could feel Adam's eyes on them, like he was waiting for one of them to make a move.
"Dunno. Jeff was kinda shaken up though." Cena replied
"Well, wouldn't you be?"
"Yeah, I guess." Cena stared at his drink. "Well, here's to making Adam's life hell."
"I'll drink to that." Jericho agreed
They tapped glasses and drowned their sorrows a little more with alcohol.
...
The dinner dishes still sat on the table. If Eric had been there, he would've been annoyed. He was always fastidious about cleaning up after a meal. Matt and Jeff, wine glasses in hand, had gone into the living room.
"Damn, Jeff, that was awesome!" Matt burped. "And, even though this isn't Turkey, that was a compliment."
Jeff blushed. He always enjoyed it when someone appreciated his creative side. Or his ability to give head, but that's another story for another time.
"I've been meaning to ask you something, bro." Matt looked somber. "What did you mean when you said you saw Eric in the bathroom? Are you sure you weren't..."
"I saw him!" Jeff screeched "I was standing at the sink and I saw him. He was right behind me!"
"Jeff, if you say you saw him then..."
"You don't believe me, do you?" Jeff put on his pouty face. "You think I'm nuts, don't you?"
"Jeff, I believe you." Matt replied "Have I ever not believed you?"
"There was that time when I told you Santa wasn't real." Jeff responded
"Yeah. You were six and I was nine if I recall." Matt reminded him. "Christmas was never the same after that."
"What does it mean, Matty? Why would I see him?" Jeff asked "It scares me."
"Well Jeff, I'm not a religious expert, but maybe that was his way of reminding you that he will always be with you, just not physically." Matt replied
"Like an angel, you mean?" Jeff replied excitedly. "My own angel?"
"Something like that." Matt replied "Or there's the other school that thinks when someone dies unnaturally, their spirit could return to seek revenge."
"You've been watching that movie again!" Jeff teased
"Not since you kept having nightmares." Matt responded
"If that's what happened, yeah right, then why did I see him?" Jeff demanded
"Beats the fuck outta me, li'l bro. Either way, I think he just wanted to make sure that his love was gonna be alright." Matt answered. Damn Jeff and his questions. After today he just wanted to eat, drink, and be merry with him, not have a psychological discussion in the middle of Eric's living room.
While he waiting for the next imponderable, Matt's phone rang. This time it was a recognizable number.
"What does he want?" Matt asked
"Who is it?"
"Vince... hello, boss. Not much... just finished dinner with Jeffro... yeah, it was a weird day... we thought so too... okay... are you sure? But Vince, could we at least talk about this... I mean, now is not a really good time. Okay, we'll be at Titan tomorrow at eight. Thanks Mr. McMahon, I do appreciate this." Matt hung up and faced Jeff.
"Da boss, I take it."
"Yeah... we're drafting on Raw on Monday."
"Cool. New blood." Jeff always enjoyed messing with new people in the locker room.
"Yeah, but they want to split us up again." Matt answered
He got the reaction he'd expected when Vince first dropped it on him. Jeff turned pale, then started to cry.
"Matty, you can't leave me! I'll quit if you go!" he wailed
"Shhhh, Jeff." Matt set his glass down and moved over to be beside him. "We have a meeting with Vince tomorrow. I agree with you. With everything that has gone down, there's no sane person who would ask you to be alone. Especially with Adam lurking around."
"Pleeeeeeeasssseeeee." Jeff sobbed helplessly.
"No sense getting worked up right now." Matt stroked his brother's locks. "Let's wait until the meeting tomorrow. Maybe we can work something out." He hoped to hell that Vince could see how bad a move this would be. Screw the Hardy vs. Hardy angle, the fans weren't buying it from the start, but Jeff by himself right now was a disaster waiting to happen.
...
"You gotta know when to walk away, know when to run!" Jericho drawled
"You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table..." Cena joined in
"You do." Chris interrupted
"No I don't... fuck, I lost my spot. Where was I?" John blinked, trying to remember the lyrics.
"How should I know?" Jericho slurred "You were the one singin' it."
Arms linked, they staggered down the street toward their hotel.
...
"If we gotta meeting with Vince tomorrow, dontcha think we should get some sleep." Matt drawled, thick with drink.
"Might be a good idea, dude." It took a lot of effort, but Jeff finally was able to bring his arm close enough so he could see the face of his watch. It was a little past midnight.
"I'll take the couch." Matt said, fluffing a pillow.
"Matty, would you stay with me tonight?" Jeff asked "Just for tonight."
After their encounter the previous morning, Matt wasn't sure how to reply. The last thing he needed was any more rumours to be floating around. He and Jeff already had enough to deal with, and that ridiculous story line with Eric just before he left had done nothing to lessen people's opinions of them as anything by incestuous rednecks.
"Jeff, I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Matt replied
"Okay, I understand." Jeff averted his eyes to the floor. He was lying and both he and Matt knew it.
"I'll be out here if you need me." Matt stretched, his toes tickling Jeff's ribs.
"Hey, stop that!" Jeff giggled
"You're in my bed."
"Hhmph." Jeff sulked
"'Night Jeffro."
"'Night Matty."
Matt fell asleep almost immediately. He dreamed that he was in the middle of the ring, face to face with Eric, of all people. It sounded like they were doing a promo, but the arena was totally empty.
"What do you want from me?" Matt asked
"I need a favor, Matt." The Eric-specter responded "I don't know how much you know about the afterlife, but apparently I can't just appear and disappear any time I want."
"You mean the bathroom?" Matt hoped that's what Eric was referring to.
"Yeah. I hope Jeff understands that I will always be with him, but I need your help." Eric sighed
"You know I'll do anything for him." Matt answered
"That's what I was hoping you'd say. Just take good care of him. I tried to, and look where it got me... this is my existence now." Eric waved at the vacant expanse.
"It wasn't your fault." Matt rebutted
"I know that, and you know that, but I guess it was just another black mark against me. It all adds up." Eric said "So you'll promise me?"
"I will." Matt said
"Thank-you Matt. I knew I could trust you... one more thing?"
"Anything, bro."
"Cool." Before Matt could otherwise change his mind, Eric hit him with the Twist of Fate. "I have always wanted to do that."
Matt hit the mat hard. And woke up on the floor. He'd fallen off the couch. It was morning, he had a headache, and a meeting at Titan in a few hours.
"Don't worry Eric. I keep my promises." Matt staggered to the bathroom. He hoped there was some aspirin handy. In Eric's medicine cabinet, he found a lot of weird stuff, but didn't want to think about why he had needed some of the things he saw.
"Aspirin, there we are." Matt dry-swallowed several of them. "Jeff? You awake?" He shouted down the hall.
"Yeah." Jeff sounded like he'd just awakened, probably by Matt's voice.
"We gotta hurry. You know Vince. He doesn't mind keeping us waiting, but he hates it if we're late." Matt wet his fingers and ran them through his hair, hoping that some of the parts that were sticking up would stay down.
"Jeff?" Matt shouted
"What?" Came a louder reply
"Ten minutes and then I'm leaving. If you ain't with me, I don't think Vince will be too happy." The implication was obvious. No Jeff meant no chance of Matt staying on Smackdown.
Matt went out and started the car. He had every intention of leaving without Jeff if he wasn't ready. With exactly one minute left, Jeff bounded out of the house.
"You like cutting it close, don't you?" Matt scolded
"I had to make sure Bunny was gonna be alright on her own." Jeff replied
Matt drove as fast as legally allowed, and sometimes faster. Traffic wise, it was okay, but they still had to make up a lot of ground in a short time.
"Whee!" Jeff threw his arms back like was on a roller coaster. "This is fun."
"Whatever, bro." Matt focused on the road. "I think we're gonna make it."
They did, pulling into the Titan parking lot with twelve minutes to spare.
"Ah, Matt and Jeff. Mr. McMahon left this for you." His secretary sanded them an envelope. Inside, in Vince's distinct scrawl was a message for them.
"Sorry, I'm not there to meet you, but I'm running a little late. Take a seat and I'll be there as soon as I can. I've taken the liberty of providing a few light snacks. Vince."
"This way please." They were escorted to Vince's office the second his secretary noticed that they had finished reading the note.
"If you need anything else, let me know." She said
"Coffee?" Matt asked
"How do you take it."
"One cream, one sugar." Matt replied
"Be right back."
"Did you want anything?" Matt asked Jeff, who seemed in awe of the plushness of the furnishings.
"Wow!" Jeff repeated over and over. "This is awesome! I want an office like this."
"Just take over the company and you will." Matt answered, then something came to him. "You've never been in here before?"
"Nope. I've only met with J.R. for contracts, suspensions, and shit." Jeff answered
"Here's coffee and a few refreshments while you wait." Laden with a tray, Vince's secretary returned. "I"ll be at my desk if there's anything else."
"Thanks."
"Yeah, thanks." Jeff replied, still in awe.
"I think you've goggled enough. Sit down and eat your Skittles." Matt tossed two red packages to Jeff.
"Skittles... how did she know?" Jeff tore into the first bag.
"Who doesn't know... now don't spill any on the floor." Matt sipped his coffee, watching Jeff devour his favorite candy.
They waited on Vince. His secretary popped in from time to time to check on them, but by ten, Vince still hadn't shown up. In fact, it was almost eleven before he arrived.
"Matt... Jeff... I'm really sorry to have kept you this long, but I assume my secretary took care of you." He apologized "And I've got another meeting in an hour, so let's cut to it." They all took seats.
"I remember what you told me over the phone." He said "What exactly is the problem with splitting you two up. They're not gonna believe it if we just stop the feud, but you two are still on the same brand."
"I understand that, Mr. McMahon, but you know what Jeff has been through. If I go to Raw, Jeff will be left all alone. I'm the only thing between Jeff and Adam right now." Matt explained
"Please, Vince, don't make my Matty go away!" Jeff pleaded, tears coming to his eyes.
Like having a grown man cry in his office was a normal occurrence, Vince passed over a box of tissues.
"From a production standpoint, you have to understand something, personal feelings aside. It would make for a better show to have Adam and Jeff together." Vince stated
"I don't see how. Jeff still has that restraining order. Not that it helped the first time..." Matt interjected
"I forgot about that." Vince pressed his hands together. "I guess we will have to do something about that."
:"And if you're worried about our angles, we can do a kiss-and-make-up promo on the show." Matt replied
"Eeew! Do I hafta kiss you?" Jeff wrinkled his nose.
Vince rolled his eyes. "I knew I should've only hired one Hardy. Anyway, how about this idea. I keep all three of you on Smackdown until Backlash. We can arrange some sort of altercation there, followed by a loser gets drafted to ECW match on Smackdown the following week. Would that work?"
"If you can keep Adam away from Jeff until then." Matt replied
"Let me worry about Adam." Vince said "Do we have an agreement?"
"I think so." Matt replied "How do you feel bro?"
"My Matty gets to stay? Yay!" Jeff cheered
"Then we have an agreement." Matt answered "Thank-you for understanding, Mr. McMahon."
"I try. If there is anything else, let me know personally. I am going to be handling this myself from now on." Vince stood, an indication that the meeting was over. "I hate to rush you, but I do have a tight schedule."
Handshakes all around, and Matt and Jeff left the office. At least one of them was a lot happier now than he was before the meeting started.
...
That Friday night...
"Welcome to Smackdown! Four days after the annual draft, we are ready for a new beginning...
Jeff's theme song interrupted Jim Ross. "And it looks like we're gonna start it off with a bang."
Jeff entered, with a little more spring in his step today. Vince had made good on his promises. Matt was still on Smackdown (much to Creative's annoyance), and Adam hadn't been anywhere around. Jeff knew he was here, but so far, he hadn't made his presence known.
"It's been a hellacious couple of months for the Rainbow-Haired Enigma. Who knows what's gonna happen tonight?" J.R. shouted
"I guess you're all wondering why I'm here tonight." Jeff took the mic. "After that brutal stretcher match with my brother last week, a lot of people thought that maybe Jeff should just disappear... obviously he's not as good as Matt, he's not as talented as Matt, he's not as emotionally stable as Matt. Well I say crap to that! Jeff Hardy ain't going nowhere!"
The crowd exploded into cheers.
"So what if Matt has beaten me twice? Who cares? Today starts a new chapter in the saga that is Jeff Hardy..."
More cheers.
"And I'm sure all of you know what else has been going on in my life." Jeff lowered his voice. "I'll admit, it's been tough. I had seriously considered leaving the business. I even had my letter of resignation with me when I went to see Mr. McMahon earlier this week."
Jeff waved a creased sheet of paper in the air. It was actually his grocery list, but no one would be any the wiser. "Due to personal reasons, I , Jeffrey Nero Hardy, do hereby resign from World Wrestling Entertainment effective immediately..."
Boos.
"Then I started thinking. I am Jeffrey Nero Hardy, Goddammit, and I am not a quitter!"
The cheers began again.
"Actually, someone told me that over and over. I finally believed him. And before I go on, I want him to come out here so I can thank him..."
Jeff waited. So did the audience, wondering whom it could be.
"Oh yeah...."
The audience booed loudly.
"Nice promo Jeff." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. "I was almost touched. Why don't you tell these people the real truth. It had nothing to do with you and me, or even your dead boyfriend. You are a quitter, Jeff, and nothing is gonna change that." Matt smirked, walked down the ramp toward the ring. "I've beaten you twice before, and tonight I am gonna finish this."
"No matter how much you hurt me, I'll keep coming back, Matt. You know that!" Jeff waved at his brother to come on in and they'd finish it.
"Not this time, Jeff. Not this time." Matt shouted
"Well, what are you waiting for. Let's do it." Jeff pounded the mat anxiously.
Matt stepped through the ropes and stood right in front of his younger sibling, who was shaking.
"Come on Matt, you know you want to do it. Go ahead, hit me!"
Matt hesitated, his fist still at his side.
"It's my turn to get inside your head. Why not? Are you afraid? Come on, hit me!" Jeff screamed, closing his eyes against the eventual impact.
Matt swung at him, but to everyone's shock, came up short.
"What's wrong with you? Why won't you do it!" Jeff opened his one eye. "I'm giving it you, hell, I'm letting you do it!"
"I can't Jeff." Matt softly answered
"Why not?" Jeff shouted, his voice starting to croak.
"Because Jeff last night I made a promise to someone that I would take care of you..."
Jeff's jaw dropped.
"And I always keep my promises." Matt dropped the mic and embraced Jeff.
Staying in character just long enough to struggle when Matt first held him, Jeff soon returned the hug.
"Oh, oh, oh, that's great... now, all of a sudden you two are back in each other's arms... that's sick!" Adam walked out onto the ramp.
"Edge. What the hell are you doing here?" Matt shouted
"I came here tonight expecting to see the two of you beat the holy hell out of each other and what do I get... an episode of "Brotherly Love"... this is sick! If Vickie were here, she'd soon stop this." To at least one of the Hardy's horror, Adam began walking toward the ring.
"Stop right there! I still have a restraining order!" Jeff yelled
"So, who's gonna stop me?"
The opening bars of the Chairman's music answered Adam's question. Vince power-strode onto the stage.
"It appears to me that Smackdown isn't big enough for the three of you. I have been on the phone with my lawyers and since there is no clause in your contract that allows me to terminate you legally, despite what you have done recently. And everyone here knows what you've done recently, despite what twelve individuals say."
The fans started chanting "Guilty!"
"Therefore, tonight, in this very ring, I am booking a match. It will be Edge vs. Matt Hardy with the stipulation that the loser leaves Smackdown."
"Wow! That's a bombshell from our Chairman!" J.R. interjected "A loser leaves town match."
"With one added stipulation. If Matt wins, Edge will leave, but if Edge wins, both Hardy's will be gone. Oh, and one last thing, Edge, if you take one more step toward that ring, I will have you arrested on the spot! In answer to your question, I am gonna stop you!"
Edge looked from the ring, where the Hardy's stood to the ramp, where an irate Vince McMahon, now jacket-less, was waiting.
"Fine. I'll see you later Matt. Don't worry Jeff, I won't hurt your brother too much. Just enough so you don't recognize him when you're both back in Cameron watching me on Smackdown!" Edge taunted, throwing his mic into the ring. At the top, he pointed to Vince, who just waved him back while he grabbed his jacket from where he'd thrown it.
Matt and Adam continued to stare each other down until they went to commercial.
"Matty, is he serious? He's not gonna hurt you is he?" Jeff seemed worried. So was Matt, but he had a better handle on his emotions.
"Not if I can help it." Matt replied, his mouth set into a straight line. "He'll be the one who needs facial reconstruction."
"Oooh, Matty, you're so brave." Jeff hugged him.
"Just lookin' out for ya." Matt responded, hugging Jeff in return.
Matt and Adam did not meet to discuss their match beforehand. There was too much animosity between them. Instead, they each sent a representative to work it out. Matt sent Jeff and Adam sent Jay. Between the pair, they managed to put together a good outline for the contest. All of those TLC matches they'd had years ago made it a little easier. Once the rough draft was worked out, each Ambassador returned to his locker room.
"What the hell?" was Adam's reply. "Who came up with this finish?"
"Mr. McMahon." Jay answered "Don't worry, he said he'll see you after the show."
"What the fuck? Jeffro, what the hell is with this finish? Are you still pissed at me?"
"No. It's Vince's idea. He does wanna talk to us both afterward, thought." Jeff replied
"I hope he can explain this." Matt went over the sheet in his mind, hoping that Adam would try to stay professional. Visions of Summerslam floated in front of his eyes. And this time, the stakes were higher.
"This contest is the retirement match, scheduled for one fall." Lillian yelled loud enough for everyone, even those in the back, to hear. "Introducing first, from Toronto, Canada, weighing 241 pounds, Edge."
The crowd responded appropriately to Edge. He seemed to enjoy the reaction more than usual.
"And his opponent, from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing 232 pounds, Matt Hardy!"
A complete reversal of the reaction from the previous week. He was now being cheered by almost everyone.
"Never have the stakes been higher for a match." J.R. shouted over the din.
"That's right. After tonight, either Edge or the Hardy Boyz will no longer be appearing on Smackdown." Todd Grisham added.
Matt and Edge stared at each other, pure hate energy passing between them. Matt finally snapped, slapping Edge. Edge's head snapped back, but damn if he wasn't smiling when he once again looked at his foe.
Edge slapped Matt, then all hell broke loose. The match quickly degenerated into a hardcore match. The carefully worked out script went out the window around the same time Matt's head met a trashcan.
"I didn't think this was an extreme match." Todd said to J.R.
"Neither did I and apparently neither did Matt."
In the back area, Jeff and Jay watched.
"Did we plan this?" Jeff asked, playing with his tongue ring.
"I don't think so. Adam is definitely going in a different direction." Jay replied, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. On screen, Adam nailed Matt with a chair, bringing blood.
"Now I know we didn't set that up." Jay said. Jeff starting pacing nervously.
In the ring, Adam was clearly out of control, yet referee Jack Doan could not, in good conscience, throw the match out. He didn't want to face Adam's wrath if he disqualified him.
"Hey, Hardy!" Adam grabbed a mic. "Yeah, I'm talking to you Jeff. Unless you want me to beat your brother into a bloody pulp, you'll get your ass out here right now, restraining order or no restraining order!"
Jeff continued to pace backstage. He didn't know what to do.
"I'm waiting." Adam shouted "Let me help you make up your mind." He pulled a set of handcuffs from his tights and bound Matt to the top rope. "You have until I count to ten."
"One... two... three..."
"Addy, please don't." Jeff whispered
"four... five... six..."
"Let me handle this." Finally, a friendly voice.
"seven... eight..."
At eight, Adam's count was interrupted.
"Thank God. It's Jericho!" J.R., now completely hoarse, croaked.
"nine... ten!" Adam swung at Matt's face before Chris could get to the ring.
In horror, Jeff watched his brother's face shatter, much like Joey Mercury's had done. Blood fountained from Matt's broken nose, his mouth, and his forehead, completely covering his face.
Y2J got into the ring a second later and attacked Edge like a man possessed. Even the chair he held could not protect him from the wrath of the man from Massachusetts. Not one, not two, but three Codebreakers later, and Adam was groggy on the canvas.
"Somebody get me some ****in help out here!" He roared
The staff trainers and medical personnel, stretcher in hand, made their way to the ring, followed closely by WWE road agents. While Adam was taken from the ring by the WWE employees, Matt was attended to by the doctors.
In a display of his strength, Jericho, single-handed, snapped the cuffs keeping Matt attached to the top rope. He immediately fell, mercifully he was out of it.
Behind the scenes...
"Chickenshit!" Adam yelled at Jeff as he passed. "I knew you didn't have the guts. I hope you enjoyed what I did to him, 'coz you're next." Adam was shoved into one of the offices and the door slammed.
"Matty." Jeff wept.
"Adam's gone. Go to him."
Jeff looked up to see who had spoken, but there was no one near enough. He ran down the aisle and to the ring, where Matt had just been loaded onto a backboard.
"Stay back, son." In his urgency, the medic didn't realize who he was.
"He's my brother." Jeff pleaded "I need to be with him."
"Let us get him on the stretcher first, okay?"
Jeff waited anxiously. It seemed to take forever to stabilize Matt. Blood was still flowing freely from his face. Finally, he was placed on the stretcher.
"Thank God he's unconscious." Jeff heard one of the medics whisper. "There's some serious damage."
"Matty." Jeff sobbed, grabbing his brother's hand.
"Let's move."
Matt was slowly wheeled up the ramp, while the arena clapped slowly, as if that would revive him. When they passed the door to the offices, Jeff wished he could be a fly on the wall for whatever Mr. McMahon and Edge were talking about. He could hear loud voices, but couldn't make out individual words.
"You comin', son?" Jeff realized they were waiting for him. He didn't need any more encouragement, jumping into the back of the ambulance. It took off, sirens blaring, which thankfully drowned out the sounds of the argument from within the office of Vince McMahon.
"Adam, just what the hell has gotten into you?" Vince pounded his desk angrily.
"Can I explain?"
"No, you cannot! It was a rhetorical question! As if killing one of your coworkers wasn't bad enough... don't give me that jury of your peers crap, I don't believe that you are innocent any more than I believe in the Tooth Fairy, now you put Matt in the hospital! Just what is going on in that head of yours?" Vince's face had gone beet red from the force of his exaltation's. "Now, if you can come up with an explanation for your actions and why I shouldn't throw you back to the wolves, now would be a good time to say so!"
"I love Jeff." Adam said softly
"I know that... we all know that, but that still doesn't account for it."
"It's just that I can't stand to see him happy with anyone else." Adam responded
"Okay, that covers Eric, but why Matt... those two are blood related for Christ's sake! Did you think that you were competing with Matt?"
"I dunno, sir. It's just that when those two are together, it seems like maybe there is something between them. Sometimes, when I see them celebrate in the ring after a match, it looks like something more than just brothers."
"What are you saying... Matt and Jeff are a couple?" Vince refused to believe what his young superstar was tying to tell him. "That there's been... Hardycest going on under my nose!"
"Maybe I'm seeing stuff that ain't there, but how do you think I feel? I can't control myself any longer! It's like when I see Jeff with anyone else, the part of me that is Adam Copeland shuts off and the Edge part of me takes over... I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't help it anymore..." Adam broke down, sobbing into his hands.
Vince was stunned into silence.
"Adam, if you need help, we can help you... but you gotta be straight with me..."
"I am!" Adam wailed
"And no one else knows?" Vince asked
Adam shook his head, wiping the tears from his face with his arm. "No one." He sniffled
"Why didn't you come to me sooner?" Vince asked, then he answered his own question. "It's because of Randy, right." Orton's anger problems were well-known to the other wrestlers, as had been Vince's response.
"Adam, listen to me." Vince walked around his desk, and leaned against the front of it, facing him. "If you need help, I guarantee that you'll get it." He gripped Adam's shoulder for emphasis. "But you've got to want it... do you want help?"
"Yes, Vince, I do. I hate not being myself." Adam whimpered
"Then Adam, consider it done. Now Brisco will drive you back to your hotel and we will discuss this further tomorrow, okay."
"Thank-you, Mr. McMahon." Adam wiped his eyes one last time and followed Gerald Brisco back to the locker room. The other guys, assuming that he'd been fired, gave Adam wide passage. After quickly changing into his street clothes, he got into Brisco's car and was driven back to the hotel.
"You need help getting into your room, kid?" Even though he was 35, Brisco still called everyone kid.
"I'm fine." Adam sighed. It felt like a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders.
"Good. Don't worry. If Vince said he'll help you, then he will."
Adam staggered into his room, knowing that he was going to break down the second he got there and not caring the least. He threw himself onto his bed, sobbing fiercely as the implications of what he'd done recently hit him and hit him hard. He scrambled in his luggage for something to calm him. He found it right at the bottom: a picture of he, Jay, Matt, and Jeff, taken by Mick Foley after one of their TLC matches. Ironically, Adam and Jeff were in the middle, arms around each other, cheesy grins on their faces.
Adam rolled over on the bed, looking tenderly at the picture. This was his own little secret. Much like Jeff had Bunny, Adam had this. A long time ago, he'd drawn a heart around the two of them.
"Jeff, I'm sorry." He clutched the photo to his chest and closed his eyes, willing the tears not to flow again, but they did and Adam ended up crying himself to sleep, praying that now that Vince knew, this nightmare may finally come to an end.
TO BE CONTINUED
Can Edge get the help he needs before it's too late? Tune in to find out!