Author's Note: I don't own anyone from the WWF in this story. I only own Crai, Beka, Avi, and Jaime. Please don't sue. Oh, and if you like this story, please ask before taking it. Thanks.


A Slow Year...Maybe

She sat looking into the fire, with tears in her eyes. Looking slowly at her friends, she noticed that so did they. She laughed softly at the group and the threw another log on the fire with her good arm.

"Girls, " she asked, " Why do we do this year after year? We camp, we pour our hearts out, cry and then have the best time ever. Can't we for once, skip the tears? I mean we have a HUGE cottage at our disposal and finally, we have a few cute neighbours."

That last comment was received by several giggles. All four girls watched yesterday as five (hopefully single) guys moved into the next cottage. Crai, Beka, Jaime and Avi came up to Beka's cottage once a year to talk about heartaches, and heartbreaks. This year, all four girls had their separate problems. But none of them struggled like Crai did. In work and play.


FLASHBACK

"Thank you very much, Mr. McMahon. I promise you won't regret hiring me. " Crai almost cried when she finished signing her WWF contract. When she went back into the hallway, she ran over to her friend from training. Crai tapped her on the shoulder and almost got a black eye when the blonde turned around.

"Damn girl !! I only wanted you to meet the newest WWF Diva, in training !" Crai said laughing.

"What ? . . . You got the job? I mean . . . YES!! You GOT the job. Congratulations." The shorter blonde gave her friend a much deserved hug. "You have to come clubbing with me tonight. To meet you future co-workers that is. Everyone always clubs together, it's easier on the drivers. " With that Crai and Trish got a cab back to their hotel and started to get ready for the long night ahead.

Later that night, they arrived at Jeckles & Hyde, and started to dance the night away. It seemed like hours later that Crai noticed that a lot of the other Superstars had arrived at the club, to "get their groove on". Trish grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her to a table. there sat seven people, mostly guys, who looked rather upset that Trish was walking towards them.

"Crai, this is Shane (Hurricane) Helms, Adam (Edge) Copeland, Jason (Christian) Reso, Amy (Lita) Dumas, Shannon Moore, and Chris (Y2J) Irvine." Crai said a quiet hello to each of them, receiving a few once-overs from the guys. "Opps, and that is Matt and Jeff Hardy. You know, The Hardy Boyz?" finished Trish. Matt said a pleasant hello while Jeff set everybody's drinks down on the table. He turned around slowly and Crai almost lost her breath when she looked into his deep green eyes.

PRESENT

All of the girls walked back into the cabin and re-aquatinted themselves with the building. Beka took Crai aside into a new area of the cabin. I use the term "Cabin" loosely, for lack of a better word. The cabin was bigger than most houses. Beka took her into a long room that had a small alter at the end of it.

"Dad knew that you wanted a practice room at the cottage, so he built you one. I thought you might want an alter, but I wasn't sure to who though." Beka said softly, " I hope you like it. And you better use it. I would hate for you to go back to work all lazy and stuff. Not able to fit into your skimpy outfits."

Crai stayed in her make-shift dojo for the entire night, after she discovered the numerous weapons in the wall closets. Her friends found her half asleep at her alter in the morning. She had found a small statue of Isis and had placed that on a corner of the alter, besides a little Buddha. After a few minutes, Crai woke up, and noticed that she wasn't alone. Her friends had invited their male neighbours over for breakfast. Crai ran her tired as up stairs and twenty minutes later, she was ready for breakfast with her friends.

"Hiya, I'm Crai." she said as she sat down. She was a little self conscience, being in her p.j.'s, but she immediately started talking to the guy to her left. After everyone had eaten, and the dishes were washed, everyone went down to the beach to swim. She noticed that Jake (Her talker at breakfast) was doing the same thing that her friends were. That is, checking out the guys in their wet swimsuits. Jake looked at her suddenly, and blushed. She smiled at him and nodded, promising never to tell anyone. He came over and sat down beside her.

"So, when did you come out?" Crai asked bluntly. She almost hit herself though, when he winced. "I'm so sorry, I thought that . . . I didn't . . . do they ?" Jake laughed at her, stuttering like a schoolgirl, and after a brief pause, he explained his situation.

"Two of my friends over there know, and of course my parents know. I think my mom always knew. Anyway, I haven't told him yet," pointing to his third friend, "I don't know how he will react to it. It's funny though, he still takes me to sport games and stuff. The last thing we went to was a WWF Pay-Per-View. Do you know what that it?" he asked she with no idea of who, or what she was. She nodded slowly, carefully.


FLASHBACK

Jeff and Crai were almost inseparable since that first night at the club. Crai was hired to teach martial arts to the Superstars and in return, learn wrestling moves. Crai became good friends with everyone from the club, especially Chris Jericho. Jeff and Crai had become best friends and soon, he taught her his finisher, the Swanton Bomb.

"I'm showing you how to do this on one condition. And that is to show me how you do that squating-flipy-leg to the mid-section thingy you did to Raven." Jeff said with a wicked smile on his face. They got into the ring slowly and after an hour and a half, Crai had his move down pat. Jeff however, just couldn't get his leg around fast enough and almost took Crai's head off. Jeff stood up slowly, holding his hurt leg and looked around for Crai. He almost screamed when he saw her laying on the ring, motionless.

"Oh my God!! Crai, come on. Come on, wake up! Please wake up, " Jeff said, holding her, cradling her head in his lap. " Please, dear God wake up. I didn't mean too! Maybe . . . Crai, I wanted to ask you out to dinner. Crai? You have to wake up? OK?" Jeff was too panicy to notice that Crai was moving around. "Crai !! You're awake !" Jeff yelled almost into her ear.

After being released from a huge bear hug, Crai asked what was she doing on the floor. After a small pause, Jeff told her what happened, leaving out the part that he was going to ask her out.


PRESENT

That night, after the guys barbecued dinner and everyone was just sitting around being lazy, Beka got a mysterious phone call. Crai, like everyone else, only heard one side of it.

"Hello? Oh, hi . . . well, yeah. Oh, hold on a minute." Beka put the phone down on the table. " Could someone hand this up in a minute? I need to take this in the kitchen." With that she walked into the other room. Everyone else just looked around in confusion. As Crai walked pass the kitchen to the washroom, she overheard Beka speak into the phone.

"OK. This is how you get up here. Look, I don't want the entire Federation coming up as well. Crai doesn't need to be overwhelmed. "

When Crai walked back into the "play room" , Beka didn't say anything about the phone call, but Avi couldn't hold Crai's eye. Everyone wanted to know how Crai broke her arm, and so she told them that she broke it one day as she was training. she slipped and fell wrong on to it, hard. Not only was Crai amazing at martial arts, she also danced for the "Lord of The Dance" troupe. The guys thought she was lying, so they pushed the furniture around and found a Celtic C.D. to put on. Crai almost died of laughter when she heard the music. It was Beka's "Lord of The Dance" C.D.


FLASHBACK

In the span of two months, Jeff and Crai had become so close, they had started to share rooms in hotels. This shouldn't have been a problem, but they both secretly like each other, a lot. As in, more than friends. However, Trish thought that Jeff was in love with her, thanks to recent story lines. Crai had decided that since Trish knew Jeff first, she should get "first pick". However, this was killing her. One night, after a hard day at work, Chris Jericho kicked Jeff out of their room to talk to Crai alone. Jeff then had to room with Trish, much to her delight.

"When are you and Jeff going to hook up? I mean, he totally likes you. And I know you feel the same. So what is stopping you? Never mind that. Who is stopping you? Is it Trish??" Crai looked up at the mention of her friend's name. "Damn that was simple enough." Chris had finally shut his mouth. Crai couldn't believe how easily her friend had picked up on each vibe she had accidentally put out.

Crai and Chris could sit down together and say nothing or they could sit together and not shut up for hours. She knew that he was gay and went with him to tell his parents. He knew everything she felt for Jeff and why she couldn't tell him. He also knew that Trish only wanted Jeff because she was jeleous off his feelings to her friend. Chris knew that Jeff wanted Crai, and he was blind enough to go out with Trish instead.

It was almost two months later that Jeff had given up. He decided that Crai in fact didn't feel the same way as he did, even though everyone was telling him different. Trish on the other hand, was treating him like a king, and boy did it feel good. As he was getting ready to tell Crai this, she came into the hotel room.

"Jeff, I know you always have a full social calendar, but I was hoping you would have an opening on Friday night. Before you ask, it's dinner, on me, at a fancy Italian place. I know how much you love Lasagna. Did you know that I've worked here for six months now?!" Crai cried out in one breath. Just a Jeff was about to tell her of course he wanted to, Trish walked in the door. "Oh hey Trish." Crai hadn't really talked to her friend in along time. Ever since Trish asked her to back away from Jeff.

"Hey Crai." Trish replied with no feeling. "Jeffy, are we still going out on Friday? Remember, for Thai food?" What Jeff and Crai didn't know was that Trish had been listening at the door. She was thinking about smacking Crai for asking Jeff out. Trish thought that Jeff was her's alone. However, she decided to hurt her more in the ring.


PRESENT


Jake had spent the night at Beka's cottage, mainly because he feel asleep in the middle of a movie. Crai almost choked on the cookie when she heard him moan her friend Y2J's name. Crai thought absently at inviting Chris up to Beka's cottage to meet Jake. However, inviting him meant inviting everyone she ran away from and explaining why. She just wasn't ready yet. However, she had only one week to prepare herself. She was due in Raleigh on Monday and today was TUESDAY.

"Crai, we might be having guests later on, say, Thursdayish." Beka broke Crai out of her reverie. "This is a warning and a plea. Be nice or at least, civil. You know that my mom grew up in Greenwich right? She is kinda friends with a woman named Linda . . . McMahon."

Crai jumped up and started pacing the room, tears already flowing down her face. She knew that if Stephanie said anything, Chris, Jeff and everyone else would be up there in no time. She was about to go pack up her things and leave the cabin when Beka started again.

"I know you hate this, but you need people who understand. We all love you, but we don't know what it is like to move around so much. And anyways, you have to see them again. Why not in a place you know like the back of your hand? You can hide almost anywhere and I can't find you, let alone people who don't know the woods." Beka, for once, didn't have anything else to say to her best friend. She knew her friend was in pain, through love and betrayal. But then again, she would know everything that caused it on Thursday.

Crai didn't tell anyone but the McMahons' where she was going for a week. Basically, she disappeared without telling anyone who cares where she was going and what she will be doing. Chris tried to call her cell, but Crai had just left it off. Luckily, Vince had granted her three months semi-leave. Crai had to continue teaching and training, but she wasn't going to be in the ring again till she was 100% , which could take awhile. However, she wasn't thinking of training or 'developing an in-ring personality' like Vince had suggested. Instead, she was panicking about what to say to her friends. How does one explain that she is in love with a man who not only is dating her once friend, but is probably laughing at the failed attempt at live wrestling?

The days flew by though only in part to Jake. He kept her mind off of things and made sure that she wasn't given enough time to sulk. He kept asking things about her many previous jobs and eventually, Crai told him that she worked for the WWF. So, for a straight three hours, he asked her about a certain Chris Jericho. She couldn't help but think what a cute couple Jake and Chris would become.


FLASHBACK


Jeff watched a monitor in disbelieve as his girlfriend Trish ripped into their friend Crai. Matt could hardly believe his ears and Amy had to be physically restrained from running into the ring and beating the blonde into a bloody pulp.

"Cut her music!!" Trish yelled into a mic. The arena was disturbingly quiet with out the hook of "It's Over Now" by Kurupt. Crai stood on the bottom of the ramp, she knew that this wasn't a part of the script. "Crai, I just wanted to clear a few things up before I kicked your ass. First off, I HATE YOU! The only reason I ever hung out with you was because Jeff Hardy was blind to anyone but you. I will never forget the way you ran out of that hotel room, tearing streaming down your face after you heard Jeff ask ME out. Believe it or not, that was the first time he and I ever, ahem, made love."

Crai almost screamed when Trish said that. in the back, everyone turned and stared at Jeff, who in turn, went beet red. Jericho and Amy almost got to Jeff with intent to smack him before the Acolytes stopped them.

"I . . .We . . . Shit." Jeff tried to explain but was cut off again by Trish n the ring.

"Do you know how hard I worked to make him forget about your worthless ass? I mean, I did things that I . . " Trish stopped suddenly. " He was in love with you, but you were too blind and stupid to see it."

The arena was so quiet, you could hear the proverbial pin drop. Everyone, including those in the back couldn't wait to hear Crai's answer. Jeff was sitting on the floor, in tears. He thought no one knew his feelings for Crai, especially Trish. Chris was beside him, Matt behind him and Amy was too shocked to move, thanks to the recent revelation. Chris knelt down to Jeff and whispered that Crai had felt the same way, but was too shy to say anything. That started Jeff crying again.

Crai started slowly, not wanting her voice to crack with emotion. "Trish, let me get a few things off of my NATURAL chest. I should have know you were nothing but a backstabbing trash-bag, buy one get two free, does anyone have change for a nickel HO!" Crai started with a bang. The WWF superstars were cheering her on, understanding at least a part of her pain now. " Trish, I know that you have slept with everyone in the Federation and the Alliance. Hell, you even got the one gay guy in bed once. That is before he knew her was gay. Maybe YOU helped him with that." This time not only Jeff was red, but everyone else was too, including some married superstars. However, Y2J was laughing his ass off. "Trash, I mean Trish, I bet Jeff even called out MY name, not yours!"

With that, Trish flung herself at Crai, who had worked herself to the ring. Crai was caught off guard, but soon fought back strong. Crai had the match won until Trish somehow managed to get a chair. She beat on Crai mercilessly, not even stopping when she heard the tell-tale sound of bones breaking. Trish stopped when she was pulled off Crai by four officials. She was still in the ring when Jeff came down the ramp to see Crai. By this time Crai was bleeding and unconscious. You could tell that her arm was broken as well as a few ribs.

She woke up in the hospital, with Chris Jericho and Vince McMahon looking down at her. The door opened before any of them could speak and in walked Beka, her best friend. As the door swung closed, Crai saw Jeff leaning against the wall, tears on his cheeks.

"damn girl, I thought I taught you better than to let your emotions get the best of you," Beka started, while taking off her lab coat.

"If I may, Miss?" Vince started.

"No, you may not," Beka cut off Vince with a wave of her hand. "But that bitch did deserve it though. So you fell for Jeff Hardy, didn't ya? I could tell you wanted to kill her when she said they had sex. And trust me babe, that's all it was. No emotion, no feeling, just physical."

Chris, Crai, and Vince looked at each other and her and they couldn't really talk. Chris wanted to pick Beka up and swing her around for telling Crai the truth. He was smiling and nodding in agreement. Vince opened his mouth to talk, but realized that she would only cut him of again.

"That does it then, you're coming home with me. No questions, we will buy clothes on the way. Vince here, gave you a 'personal' week and so we are going to the cottage. Avi and Jaime will meet us up there. Mr. McMahon, here is my cell number. Use it only in emergency." With that, Beka helped Crai into a wheelchair and pushed into the hall. Crai kept her head down, trying to hide, and didn't notice that the entire locker-room was there waiting for her. Beka quickly pushed her to the 'staff only' elevator and using her key, made sure it was only the two of them going down to Beka's car.


PRESENT


Crai told all of her story to Jake, or at least the parts her remembered. He listened in silence, unsure of what to tell her. To him, it was obvious Jeff loved her, not Trish. It was obvious that Crai had amazing friends who tired to look out for her. To him, Jeff was a complete fool, and Jake couldn't wait for Thursday to tell him so.

It was early Thursday morning when Crai wandered down to the rocky beach, wrapped in a huge flannel blanket. She was wearing a Hardy Boyz jersey, because A) it was clean and B) she didn't realize it. Crai didn't hear the cars coming up the driveway. She didn't see half of the locker-room pile out of the limos and rental cars. And for once, when she closed her eyes, she didn't see Jeff standing in the hall of the hospital.

After an hour of training slowly at the water front, she wrapped herself back into the blanket and slowly climbed the stairs back to the cottage. She didn't se her co-workers until it was to late to run back down the steps. Everyone stopped what they were doing and saying and looked at her. out of the blue, both Chris and Amy ran up to her and gave her a back breaking hug. It seemed that everyone she missed was sitting in the dinning room. When she saw Matt, though, she clued into what she was wearing, Crai excused herself quietly and as she left the room, she saw Jake talking softly to Chris Jericho.

She ran to her room, and leaned against the closed door. Crai uttered a silent thank you, thankful that it looked like Jeff hadn't come. She started to locate fresh clothes and was almost ready to change when she heard a soft sigh from her corner chair.

"Do you know how long it took me to realize how stupid I am? I gave up on a girl who was prefect in every possible imaginable way for a piece of trailer-trash." Jeff's low, painfilled voice surrounded Crai. Her tears started again, silently at the sound of his voice. " I let the only person I love slip away because . . . because. Damn it, I don't know. Maybe because I was . . . scared!"

By now Jeff and Crai were both in tears. She had slumped down and was crying into her blanket. He had slowly crawled across the floor and was sitting in front of her. She raised her head slowly and looked into his tear-rimmed eyes.

"I'm sorry." They said it as the same time and for some reason, they laughed. It was as if they had never heard something so funny. "Come on Jeff, let me show you around this place." Crai lead him to the make shift dojo and let him pretend to use the weapons. After a few minutes of playing around, Crai put him to shame. She told him how she let Trish 'have' Jeff, even though it killed her. "We should go back to the dinning room, before they eat all the food." Just before she opened the sliding door, Jeff tackled her. Everyone downstairs came running to the noise and found Jeff sitting on top of Crai.

"Promise you'll never let someone 'have' me again?!" Jeff whispered into Crai's ear, not noticing everyone at the door.

"Of course." came her answer. They kissed softly, yet it was full of passion. It was slowly getting heavier when someone interrupted with a deep "Ahem". Crai broke off the kiss and looked towards the sound. "Oh, hiya daddy."

Jeff's head snapped up with a start. Looking down at them, besides the superstars of the WWF, was the owner, Vince McMahon. He looked back at Crai, his eyes full of questions.

"Umm, I think I need to tell you something, Jeff." Crai started. "See, the McMahons kinda are my foster family. They let me live with them when I was younger. Are you ok? I mean, I knew I should have told you, but a lot of other things kinda happened."

"Crai, Jeff, as long as you two are happy, Linda and I don't care if you date, or whatever. We want you to be happy." Vince said before Jeff could really react.

"Jeff, if this bothers" Crai began but was interrupted when Jeff kissed her softly.

"I don't care. I want you in my life." Jeff said slowly. " I lost you once, I won't lose you again over something stupid."


THE END