Title: Choices
Author: MidniteRaven
Summary: Jeff Hardy is back in WWE, but not long after he saves a young woman from being raped and forges a relationship with her, friendship or more. But secrets unbury themselves and Jeff finds himself having to choose between the woman, his career and his friends.
Disclaimer: I own no part of the WWE or anything that has to do with it. The only thing that I own in this story is Kiki and the storyline.
A/N: I had originally wrote this story a while ago, but my writing has improved drastically and I feel I can now add more detail and depth to it. The original story, "Hero", it's still in my account if you want to take a look at it, I wrote just the basic surface stuff about how Jeff had saved Kiki, a young teenager with no place to go from a terrible fate. This one deals with better details and plot, whereas Kiki was mostly friendly and immature in Hero, she is now moody and depressed, which I believe fits her situation better. Anyway, I feel like I gave away enough, so enjoy!
Chapter 1
"I'm gonna go now, man." The dark haired Hardy brother told his younger sibling as the two of them raced to finish off their supper in the Texas restaurant.
"Oh, c'mon, wait for me." The younger Hardy pleaded around a mouth full of beef, obscuring his words.
"That's gross, Jeff." Matt got up and stretched. "I'll see you later at the hotel, make sure you chew before swallowing." He ruffled Jeff's hair then walked off.
Jeff swallowed. "Arrogant." He told his supper then went back to tackling the mound of food he had ordered.
***
Fifteen minutes later Jeff had paid his and Matt's bill, while muttering something along the lines of 'so that's why he left before me, cheap son of a-' and went outside the building. It was a fairly cool but clear night, you could look up and see the full moon surrounding by all the stars. For a moment Jeff almost wished that he had took the time to learn the different formations of the stars but his thoughts were soon cut off when he heard the scream of a young woman.
Jeff looked around to try to figure out where it had come from, sounds of struggling followed the scream from the back of the building and Jeff carefully followed them around the side then ducked down behind a few crates where he could perfectly see what was going on.
A young woman, couldn't be more then a teenager, was being thrown roughly to the ground by her long red hair by a larger man who even where Jeff was stationed, could tell that he had been drinking. Jeff took a second to consider his options but his thoughts quickly flew out the window as the woman just barely avoided a punch to the face.
Bravery before brains Jeff raced out from behind the crates and swung his leg out behind the large man and tripped him. It only took Jeff a second to grab the young woman's hand and pull her to her feet and around to the front of the building, where she leaned against the side breathing heavily.
"Are you okay?" Jeff asked. He stood in front of her and took a moment to look her over. She was smaller then he had thought, almost as if she hadn't eaten in a long while and her large blue eyes were clouded over, she was also short, barely five feet if that and she wore ripped and faded denim jeans, beat up Nikes, a black tank top and a black and white patterned bandana on her head. When the woman didn't answer he reached out to touch her arm. "Hey, can you answer me?" He asked quietly. "Are you ok?"
She shrugged his arm off and pushed away from the building. "Just leave me alone, everyone else does." She hissed at him and started to walk away but Jeff grabbed her arm and turned her around.
"Hey now, I'm just trying to be helpful, you-"
"I don't need your help or anyone else's either." She spit on the ground in front of him.
Jeff sighed. "Look, I know I don't know you but everyone needs a little help every now and then, and I think you just needed some."
"Well you're wrong." She stuck her chin out in defence.
Jeff took another look over her. "Well, tell you what then, don't consider this helping you, instead consider it you helping me by letting me do my good deed for the day, therefore by me not helping you, you're really helping me."
The woman looked at Jeff as if he was insane for a second before starting to laugh.
"What'd I do?" He asked innocently.
She shook her head. "Believe it or not that was the most normal thing anyone's said to me in a long time."
He smiled proudly. "Well, now that you've decided to be at least partly nice to me, can I ask you where you're headed?"
"No where's." She said and looked down to the sidewalk.
"No where?" Jeff repeated. "C'mon, you got to have somewhere you were going."
She shook her head no.
The clues started to add up in Jeff's mind, the clothes, her weight, she really didn't have anywhere to go. Pity took a stab at him. "Hm, the one thing I know about you is that you don't like help, correct?"
She nodded.
"So then it's easy, you can stay with me at the hotel tonight," She looked at him suspiciously, "completely innocently." He added. "And there you can keep me company, so instead of me helping you, it'll be you helping me again, ok?"
"I don't know…" She thought for a second, trying to decide.
Jeff shrugged. "It's not like I have anything to do really, actually I have nothing to do, so your company will be a big help to me." Seeing her hesitation Jeff didn't wait for an answer but instead grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the sidewalk to where his car was parked, he opened the passenger door and stood back, letting her wrist go as she looked over the sleek, expensive car. "Don't get too attached, it's only a rental."
The woman looked at him once in wonder before getting in. Jeff closed the door then walked around the car to his own door and getting in. "So, you haven't told me your name yet." He hinted as he turned the key in the ignition.
"I could say the same to you." She replied.
"True." He agreed with a nod. "Jeff Hardy and you are?"
"Kiki." She replied absently, looking out the window at the shapes moving past.
"Kiki." He repeated, testing out the feel of it on his tongue before coming to his conclusion. "I like it! Do you have a last name by any chance?"
"No."
"I find that hard to believe." Jeff responded and thought for a second. "How long have you been alone for?"
"Who said I'm alone?" Kiki replied defensively, turning in her seat to look at him.
"Sorry, I just assumed." He apologized. "You said you had no where to go and that you have no last name."
"I'm a run away." She told him. "I'm almost eighteen anyway."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Jeff said quietly, sympathy evident in his voice.
"Don't be, I made the chose, it was either leave or stay, I choose to leave." Kiki shrugged. "It was my decision and I made it, I have no problem with how it turned out."
Jeff shook his head sadly. "I'd never be able to imagine life without my parents and brother, me and Matt are nearly inseparable backstage."
"Backstage?" She repeated curiously.
"Never mind." He replied as he pulled into the hotel parking lot. He quickly turned the key and jumped out of the car, followed more slowly by Kiki.
Jeff started rambling on but Kiki paid little to no attention to him as she followed him into the hotel, she was too busy sending dirty looks to anyone who looked at her in a wrong or right way.
"You're not paying any attention to me are you?" Jeff asked as he pushed the forth floor button in the elevator.
"Huh? What?" Kiki asked, coming out of a daze.
Jeff sighed. "Forget it, you just answered my question."
The doors opened and Jeff walked into the long hallway with a few doors on either sides, marked by the appropriate numbers. He walked up to the third door and turned a key in the hole, opening the door and walking through, Kiki followed him in then closed the door behind him.
Jeff flopped down on the bed then sat up as if suddenly inspired. "You hungry?" He asked happily.
"I have no money." Kiki replied.
Jeff shrugged and grabbed the phone off the hook beside the bed and motioned for Kiki to come closer which she slowly did, not quite sure whether to trust him or not. As soon as she came within reach he shoved the phone into one of her hands and a room service menu in the other. "It's a good thing I have lots then." He smiled at her.
Kiki ordered a salad and soft drink.
Jeff looked at her in bewilderment after she hung up. "How can you survive on plants?"
"At least I'm not a carnivorous meat eater which by your question I suppose you are." Kiki replied hotly.
"Guilty as charged." Jeff said and looked at his watch. "Hey, I got to go pick up some wrestling gear, why I don't go get my bro to stay here with you while I'm gone?"
Kiki shrugged, having already been distracted by the view out the window, which she looked sadly down upon.
Jeff looked at her for a second, trying to decide whether or not to ask her what was wrong, but he soon came to the conclusion that based on what he's seen so far, she wouldn't tell him anyway. He stood from his seat on the hotel bed and walked towards the door. "Matt will be in in a few." He told her as he left.
Jeff walked the couple feet between his and Matt's door then almost collided with his older brother leaving the room.
"Watch it man." Matt said, steadying Jeff. "What'cha doing here anyway?"
"There's a girl in my room and I need you to stay with her while I pick up some gear." Jeff told him.
"Whoa, back up." Matt put his hands up. "You have a girl in your room and you want me to stay with her? What'd you have to do, tie her up?" Matt laughed. "Can't get a woman any other way?"
Jeff slugged him on the shoulder. "C'mon, man, get your head back on your neck. I saved her from this dude with really nasty intentions, she had no where to go so I brought her back here."
Matt rolled his eyes. "Su-ure you did."
"Fine, if you don't want to help your little brother, who would do anything for you if you asked, out…" Jeff trailed off.
Matt shook his head and sighed. "Fine, but don't be long." He relented.
"I won't." Jeff smiled happily. "By the way, her names Kiki." He yelled over his shoulder as he started to walk away. He entered the elevator and right before the doors closed he said, "Oh, and by the way room service is delivering, you can tip the person."
Matt chuckled then entered Jeff's room to find a small woman looking at him suspiciously as he entered and closed the door behind himself. Kiki's eyes narrowed at him and his got bigger.
The connection was broken when a knock sounded on the door and Kiki literally jumped then hunched down as if expecting to have to fight. Matt shook his head. "What'd you get yourself into Jeff?" He muttered as he opened the door to the room service delivery. He took the food and tipped the guy before sending him on his way.
Matt looked back at her, she was still hunched down. "S'ok, only room service." He laid the food on the table and backed away with his hands up in innocence.
Kiki spared him one more glance before straightening up and walking to her food to begin to eat, every so often throwing dirty looks the way of Matt Hardy.