A/N: Hello everyone! Man, it's been a long time since I've been on this site, longer time since I've posted anything. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my other stories, I will update them. I've decided to give you all a new story. It's an idea that came into my head not too long ago and I've been writing for it since three weeks ago, somewhere around that time frame. Things have been crazy, I started university, switching from a community college so my schedule has been much more hectic, but I'm trying to write still, stress reliever.

Anyways, this is my first Jeff Hardy story. First guy I ever liked in wrestling so I decided to give it a shot. As a heads up, this is AU to some extent. His drug habits, suspensions and arrest are still there. The timeline is set at the year 2012. Just wanted to make it clear for everyone.

I hope you guys will like the story, extremely nervous on posting this, but I hope you like it. Just would like to thank my friends who helped me with this story. You guys know who you are, I just want to hank you for putting up with me even though I can get repetitive and annoying.

Love you all! Enjoy!


One

Jeff walked out of his home, making the trek to Matt's house. His older brother had called him, insisting that he came to his abode this instant. Jeff didn't mind, it wasn't like he was busy. It was their first day back from being on the road. They were back on the road in a couple of days, but at least they were finally home.

He considered himself lucky.

He was thirty-five years old, thankfully he still had his career intact. There had been numerous of slip-ups in the last ten years. He lost his job in WWE and TNA, but now, he was back with TNA and he can honestly say it was going great. The mistakes he made in the past were still present to some extent, but thankfully, they weren't holding it against him.

Work was great, his personal life was alright.

Jeff never wanted to settle down, marriage was a myth of some sorts to him. Sure, at one point he wanted to get married, he found the right woman, but it was like she vanished in thin air. The last time he saw her was the day they broke up after she found out of his misdeeds on the road. He couldn't blame her. She handed him her engagement ring and walked away. Her last words always haunted him.

"I stayed with you for six years, just to learn that when you're on the road, your dick was always wet. Then you changed, you got clean and you asked me to marry you. I thought that I finally won against all these girls. One night stands were okay, at least I convinced myself they were okay. But to learn that you actually had a relationship with another woman, it snapped me out of my trance. I didn't win, I was always sharing you. Guess the joke was on me, right?"

He would never forget how devastated she looked, how angry, and how disappointed. The crazy thing was, she never yelled. Whenever she caught him high, drinking to oblivion, or even cheating, she never yelled. It was like she just took it in and wanted to be there for him. Some may call her stupid, but all she wanted to do was help him.

They were best friends before they were lovers. He went through women like they were candy on Halloween. Sure, he had his serious relationships, but they never lasted. Being tied down wasn't his thing, till confessions were made between him and his Emmy.

Emerson Leon was a family friend, she had met the two Hardy's through her older brother and sister, Stephen and Vanessa. Her older brother was a friend of Matt and through that she met Jeff who was six years older than her. But they got along since Jeff was a pretty nice guy and he wouldn't dare upset Stephen's baby sister.

Eventually, when Emerson was eighteen, things changed between her and Jeff. They went from acquaintances to best friends. No one's really sure how it all changed, but it did. Then when she turned twenty, Jeff was her boyfriend after a drunken confession from Emerson. Jeff had feelings for Emerson as well, so the two ended up dating. It was a good until they hit a snag down the road. The drugs definitely didn't help and it made matters worst.

Emerson knew every single incident, but she remained mum, not wanting to aggravate him because of his addiction. The last thing she wanted was for them to argue and for him to turn to drugs. So, instead of confronting him, she just turned the other way and just continued to support him. Stupidly enough, Jeff was still her best friend and even though they were together, her main concern was his well-being instead of hers.

Until she hit her breaking point.

The one-night stands were bearable. But once she found out that Jeff had an actual girlfriend on the road, she couldn't take it. The next time they were close enough to North Carolina, she confronted him and their relationship ended.

He was supposed to see her again, to talk to her. He had phoned her when he reached a breaking point and just felt like he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But she never came.

Two years has passed and he tried looking for her, but every lead was a dead end. Her family was no help, they told him she was fine and that was that.

It was like she disappeared out of thin air. She lived in the same town as him, but he never saw her, no matter how hard he tried to make their paths cross.

Jeff sighed, hating it when he reminisced about Emerson. She was the only person who held him together. She helped him get his life back together after getting suspended in WWE for violating the wellness policy. They had a sincere talk and Jeff committed himself to her again, that he was solely hers. The drugs were finally flushed out, that's what he told her. He insisted that he didn't need rehab and she believed him, she trusted him. After the suspension he just felt he disappointed so many people and to top it off, he just felt like he had to repay everyone for the trust they put forth in him. He had to repay Emerson for all the shit he put her through. Seeing how close he was to losing everything, it waked him up. He couldn't lose her, she was it for him. Not because she stood by all the cheating and the drugs, he just realized that he couldn't see his life without Emerson and that scared him before the busy, but it was different.

Granted, that time in their relationship ended, he was completely and utterly faithful to Emerson.

But she found out about a relationship he had with one of the Divas. Emerson went to the house show and met him at his locker. He remembered that day so clearly.


Jeff opened the door, walking hand in hand with Emerson. He didn't understand why she drove all the way to Virginia just to see him. He had seen Vanessa with her, but as soon as Jeff came into sight, Vanessa told her sister that she would wait for her in the car. It was peculiar since Jeff and Vanessa got along well and she didn't even greet him.

"What's up baby, everything okay?" Jeff questioned, as they sat down on the couch he had in the locker room.

Emerson nodded, looking around the room. "Where's Matt?"

"He's in catering with Shannon." Jeff replied. "You okay? You seem tired, have you slept?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she gave him a small smile. "I just wanted to talk to you."

Jeff became nervous. He had this feeling in the pit of his stomach and it wasn't one of those good ones. Something was changing and he wasn't sure just what it was going to be.

"What's going on," he held her hand, waiting for her to speak.

"Did you have a relationship with Candice?"

Jeff felt his stomach drop. There it was. There was the change. He was holding her hand, but he felt Emerson slipping away.

"What? No, why would you ask that?" He was stupid. He's not sure why he's denying it, but they've been doing so well. His past infidelities were forgiven. They were going to get married, to start a life together. This wasn't happening.

"Jeff, please don't lie," her voice was so soft and sounded so tired. She had enough. That was apparent. He knew at one point he would push her to the edge. He was hardly the ideal boyfriend and he's not even sure why she stayed. At some point, he was cheating and didn't even feel bad, why? Because Emerson would always stay, she loved him far too much to leave him. And he took advantage of that.

"Baby, it wasn't a relationship," he sounded like an ass. He could attest to that. "It was a mere fling."

Emerson took her hand away from his grasp. "God, I'm so stupid."

"No, Emmy, baby, you're not, this has nothing to do with you, this is all on me."

"No, no, this is on me," the tears begun to well up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and gave him the saddest smile he had seen. "I just took all this in because I had you. For some reason, I comforted myself that as long as you came home to me, we were okay. Shit, I even enabled your drug use because I didn't want you hurting."

Jeff stood up, but Emerson held up her hand. "Please, don't." She pleaded, breaking Jeff's heart. "I always loved you more. I always wanted this relationship to work more than you did. I was always more present in this relationship than you." The tears begun to fall from her eyes as she spoke, "I shouldn't have stayed, but every time I tried to walk away, you would come back and tell me how much you loved me and I stayed. I became that girl."

"What girl?"

"The typical girl who dated wrestlers, who knew that their man was most likely dipping their dicks in some other girl and they still stayed." She slightly laughed. "I always promised myself that I wouldn't let anyone do this to me, that the deal breaker would be cheating. But you're Jeff. You're the person I've wanted since I understood what it meant liking a boy."

Jeff took a step towards her and she shook her head, taking a step back. He knew what was going to happen. He pushed and pushed and she finally broke. How could he be so stupid? How could he hurt this woman as much as he did? He loves her and even if his past actions didn't seem to show it, he did.

She wiped her tears, trying her best to stay composed, to get to the point she came to deliver. "It really sucks to learn a harsh lesson this way. Just because I love you and made sacrifices for you, doesn't mean you can do the same. Was I not enough? I tried to be the best girlfriend I can be and yet, I was always lacking." Emerson ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm a strong person, Jeff. I would like to think that I really tried to make our relationship work, but I can't do this anymore."

"Wait, come on Emerson, we can work on this. You know it's only you now, I'm not cheating on you and I never will again." Jeff ignored her plea of space and placed his hand on either of her cheeks, making her look at him. He saw it then. The hurt, the anger, the disappointment in her eyes and he almost dropped his hands. How could he hurt the woman he loves so much? There was no excuse for his actions. "It's you and me against the world, Emmy, don't walk away from me, please. I love you, so much."

Emerson moved out of his grasp, moving closer to the door.

"No, I'm not falling for that again. We're good now, but what happens when it gets too much for you again?" Emerson crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm tired and I give up. I don't want to hold you back and have you miss out on anything." She uncrossed her arms and she removed the ring that has been on her finger since he proposed, rarely ever taking it off.

"Emmy, please, don't do this. I've changed, things are different now."

"It's not about now, it's about what you did." Emerson bit her lip to prevent a sob from escaping her lips. She took a deep breath and handed him the ring, closing his fingers around it. "I love you Jeff, but I think it's time that I take care of me. You were my world and I was never yours. You're free, Jeff, you can do whatever you want."

That's when he felt it, the tears coming down his face. He couldn't bare this, he couldn't have Emerson walk away from him. She was the best thing to ever happen to him.

"No, Emmy, please," he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "Don't do this, we can work on this, I'll do anything, just please don't leave me."

She shook her head, pushing away from him. "Please Jeff, I'm done, let me go." Wiping her tears again, she sighed. "I always thought that I won, you always chose to stay with me and you came back to me. I think you love me as well, but I always thought that I got the last laugh because these girls never had another shot with you."

She placed her hand on the doorknob and faced him. "I stayed with you for six years, just to learn that when you're on the road and your dick was always wet. Then you changed, you got clean and you asked me to marry you. I thought that I finally won against all these girls. One-night stands were okay, at least I convinced myself they were okay. But to learn that you actually had a relationship with another woman, it snapped me out of my trance. I didn't win, I was always sharing you. Guess the joke was on me, right?"


Emerson walked out of his locker room and he never saw her again. Vanessa picked up her stuff and when he questioned her as to why Emerson didn't come to see him, she just merely shrugged and walked out. But he understood. He did enough damage that she didn't want to face him again.

A month after their break-up, Jeff was arrested after a drug bust. When he was let go by the police, everything came crashing down. He was trying to heal from his injuries and get back to wrestling and now, he was arrested over drugs that he fell back on when Emerson left. It was horrible of him to go back, especially after all the hard work, but he wanted to heal much quicker, to make the pain go away. So he went back to using, but it all changed after the drug bust.

He got drunk and called Emerson numerous of times. He was angry at first, cursing at her for leaving him, but then the tone quickly changed. He realized just how much he put Emerson through and he tried calling the house number he memorized when he used to call Emerson at the house she shared with her siblings. Thankfully, Emerson was the one who answered.


"Hello," she answered.

"Emmy," he whispered. "Emmy, how are you?" His voice became slightly stronger.

"Jeff?" She questioned.

"Yes, it's me baby, how are you?"

"Oh my god, did you just get out of jail? I saw the news and Matt called me, are you okay?" Hearing the worry in her voice made him smile, she still loved him.

"I'm good, just drowning my sorrows."

"Jeff, put the bottle down, okay? You don't have to get drunk, you shouldn't even be touching that stuff. You just got out of jail!" She scolded.

"I miss you."

Emerson remained silent, closing her eyes, not wanting to fall for Jeff's words. She wanted to help him, to go over and talk to him, but she couldn't be that anymore. She couldn't be his crutch. He had to do this on his own, he has to want to change.

"Emmy, I really miss you, I'm so sorry."

Tears fell down from Emerson's eyes. "Jeff, why did you use again? I thought you were off them? That you were going to get better."

"I'm just hurting too much," he confessed. "How are you?"

"What hurts?" She ignored his question, not wanting to give Jeff the feel of being a part of her life. She wasn't even sure why she hasn't hung up, but she did text Matt to go over and see Jeff.

"My leg, my neck, my back," Jeff chuckled. "Everything hurts, but you want to know what hurts the most?"

"What?"

"My heart."

"Jeff, please don't do this."

"Emerson, baby, I need you, please come home."

"You know I can't do that, you're going to be fine Jeff, you're going to make it through this."

"I can't do it without you."

Emerson let out a sob, covering her mouth to prevent her siblings from hearing her.

"Emmy, don't cry," Jeff was crying as well. This was too much. He shouldn't have called her. Movies and people who say that calling the one you love just to hear their voice would make you feel better was fucking lying. He felt worst. The pain just increased tenfold. But he didn't want to get a pill and make it go away, he just wanted to have Emerson in his arms.

"I miss you Jeff, I'm hurting too, but we can't keep doing this, I don't think anything will change." Emerson said once her sobs subsided. "You were clean and now you fell off the bandwagon, I don't know how much more I can take. I love you and I'm so afraid to see you die."

Jeff didn't want to die. He wanted to live his life and fulfill his dreams. More importantly, he wanted to live a life with Emerson.

"Come home, please, I need you, I'm just feeling so shitty right now." Jeff took another swig out of the bottle. "You can leave again tomorrow, but I just really need this, please Emerson."

She sighed. "Okay, we need to talk anyway, I'll be there in thirty minutes."


And that was the last time he spoke to her. She never came, but Matt did. He was angry at her for some time, that she abandoned him at his time of need. But then again, she was there for everything else, she might have just been tired. He couldn't blame her.

Jeff looked up and noticed he was nearing Matt's home. He opened the front door, knowing it would be unlocked since Matt had been expecting him. Walking in his brother's home, he called out for him and followed his voice to the living room at the back of the house.

"What's up? Did something happen?" Jeff questioned.

He found Matt sitting down on his couch with the television on.

"Have you spoken to Shannon today?"

"No, I just got back from the gym, what's going on?" Jeff could see the nervousness in his brother's face mixed with worry.

"I found her, Jeff." Matt replied, knowing fully well Jeff would understand.

"What?" Jeff looked around. "Is she here? Did she come to see you?"

Matt shook his head. "No, idiot, I didn't see her, at least not yet. Stephen called Shannon and made an appointment for his sister to get a tattoo." Jeff processed Matt's word, not believing that she was in town, that she was here. "Before you ask, Shannon wanted me to tell you. He said he would text me once she was there so that we could come and say hello."

"Does he know what time she's coming?"

"Shannon said at three."

Jeff looked at the clock on the television display and saw it was twelve in the afternoon. His stomach was in knots. He wasn't sure how to process the information. What should he do? Should he buy her some flowers? Should he even go and see her? She might not want to see him.

"Jeff, Shannon asked that you don't overwhelm her, make it seem like it was a coincidence that we came in. Stephen specifically asked for us not to be there." Matt told him.

Stephen and Jeff were civil, at best. Emerson's overprotective brother hated Jeff and rightfully so in Jeff's perspective. He never tried to make Stephen like him, at one point he did, when he was sober, but once the drugs touched his system, Stephen highly disapproved of Jeff. But he never tried to break them up. He wasn't sure how much Stephen knew about their relationship, but he was shocked that the eldest Leon, the only boy in the family, hadn't killed him.

"Why? Does she not want to see us?"

"I don't know, I can't answer that, but you know Stephen, things changed between all of us." Matt sighed. "You should go shower, we'll go get some breakfast then head to Shannon's."

Jeff nodded his head. He was excited, but the nerves seeped in as well. He was finally going to see his Emmy. He was going to apologize and hopefully, she'll let him be a part of her life again. This last three years have been hell. Sure, he kept up the appearance, he didn't relapse, but he wasn't going to lie, it was so easy to do so. He was hurting and he knew how to make it go away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She would see her face and couldn't do it again, he wasn't going to sacrifice everything he worked for again.

He was going to show her that he's changed, that he was a better man. That he was a man who finally deserved her.


Shannon watched as Stephen, Emerson and a guy, who looked awfully familiar to Shannon, walked in his shop. It's been three years since he last saw Emerson and she just became more beautiful. She still had the same long dark brown hair that just rested below her shoulders. Her green eyes still shined brightly. The smile on her lips was still welcoming, showing her dimples. He always thought that Jeff had it all. His career was popping off and he had an amazing girl. Emerson was beautiful, but there was so much more than beauty with her. She was fairly intelligent and her personality was what won all of them over. Watching Jeff with all the girls he slept with on the road, he was greatly disappointed, Jeff had an amazing girlfriend waiting at home and he still cheated on her. It was sickening. But he gave up trying to tell Jeff how to live his life.

"Shannon," Stephen greeted giving him a hug. "How are you doing man?"

"Good, business is going well, how are you?" Shannon turned to Emerson and smiled. "Emmy, it's been far too long."

Emerson smiled at him. "It has been far too long, how are you, Shannon?"

"Don't go shy on me now little girl," Shannon opened his arms. "You know better than that."

She laughed before walking into Shannon's embrace.

Pulling away from Shannon, she looked back at her companion and smiled. He returned her smile and walked over to her. "This is my friend, Chace Crawford."

"Nice to meet you," Chace stuck out his hand.

It clicked for Shannon then, this guy was from one of those shows on television. He remembered watching it with Emerson before when he would hang out with her at the house she used to share with Jeff.

He wasn't exactly sure where Jeff's mindset was regarding Emerson. Sure, Emerson was the love of Jeff's life, but after all the damage Jeff caused in that relationship, he wasn't sure they could even rebuild.

"Nice to meet you, Gossip Girl, right?"

Chace chuckled and nodded. "That's me."

"Why won't you two come back later? I'll text you when I'm done." Stephen told the two.

"Alright, it was nice seeing you again, Shannon." Emerson smiled. "I have to unpack and decorate, so I hope we can catch up soon."

"Don't worry, I understand," Shannon returned her smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Shannon." Chace bid his farewell as well.

"Right back at ya," Shannon replied watching as the two walked out of the store. He turned to Stephen and shook his head. "You're a fucked up human being."

"Am I?" Stephen scoffed. "And why am I an indecent human being?"

"Jeff was going crazy looking for her and you couldn't even let him know where she was?" Shannon shook his head. "I know Jeff fucked up on her, but Jesus Christ, he deserved to at least know. I'm surprised you even got Emerson to come back here, after everything that happened."

"Don't worry about my sister and Hardy, they're old news." Stephen followed Shannon inside the store, leading him to his area in the back. "So are they on their way here?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb, Shannon."

Shannon sighed. "Look, Jeff's my best friend, I couldn't leave him out in the dark."

"You're loyal, Shannon, I can't fault you for that." Stephen sat down on the chair, leaning back. "I wanted you to just retouch my tattoos, it's slightly fading and just need a bit of retouching."

"Not a problem," Shannon prepared his things as Stephen relaxed, waiting for him to finish. "Unpack, is she moving back here?"

"Yeah," Stephen sighed. "She's been itching to move back, so I'm helping her settle in and all that good stuff. Moving is definitely not my favorite part about having a new home."

"Woah, wait, she's moving back?" Shannon shook his head. "Jeff is going to blow."

"Jeff has no reason to do so. They've been done for almost three years, I'm sure Hardy has moved on to another woman, wasn't very hard for him to find girls back then, surely he has a girlfriend." Stephen didn't want to think about Jeff and Emerson getting back together. It just wasn't an ideal situation.

"He hasn't, he's been waiting for Emerson." Shannon sat down on his chair, rolling over to Stephen who had his arm out. "You just want me to retouch your forearm?"

"Yeah, I would have you do my upper arm, but I'm planning to get a tattoo on my shoulder blade, so we'll leave it for now." Stephen shook his head. "Why would he wait for Emerson? He treated my sister like shit, he doesn't even deserve any time from my sister."

Shannon couldn't argue. He decided to remain silent and just work on Stephen's tattoos.

"You're not moving back?" Shannon questioned, breaking the silence after ten minutes.

"Ain't my home anymore," Stephen answered.

Shannon nodded. Before he could open his mouth, he heard his name being called. He looked up and the two Hardy's walked in. Stephen rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The last thing he wanted was to see Jeff. Matt he could deal with, but Jeff, there was just nothing to say there.

"Stephen, you fucking bastard, where have you been hiding?" Matt questioned as he came closer.

Stephen laughed. "Here and there, how you doing Matthew?"

"I'm good, just relaxing, we have some time off." Matthew shrugged. "TNA has a better schedule than WWE."

"That's good," Stephen's eyes landed on Jeff. "Jeffrey."

"Stephen." Jeff nodded his head.

"She isn't here," Stephen told the two.

"Who isn't here?" Matt feigned innocence.

"Don't play that," Stephen chuckled. "I told Shannon that she was getting a tattoo because I knew you two would come by. I wanted to talk to you both."

"What's going on?" Matt stood beside Jeff, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My baby sister is moving back here, I wanted to make sure that we're clear about something," Stephen paused, checking Shannon's work before his eyes traveled to the two brothers. "I want Jeffrey to stay away from my sister, the last thing she needs is his ass coming around."

"You're out of your fucking mind, I've been looking for your sister for years, like hell I'm going to stay away." Jeff's temper flared. He understood Stephen's concern, but he never tried to run his sister's life then, he shouldn't try now.

"I don't give a shit what you were put through looking for my sister, I think she went through far more bullshit than you ever did." Stephen's temper was beginning to rise as well. "It's a simple request, you should at least give her this. You did say you would let her go."

"Biggest mistake of my life," Matt placed a hand on Jeff's chest, making sure he's younger brother didn't attack Stephen.

They were thankful that the shop was currently empty. The last thing they needed was unwanted gossip.

"You know we can't stay away from your sister, who's going to look out for her? Don't you live in New Orleans nowadays?" Matt questioned.

"I do, but you don't have to worry about my sister," Shannon could see the smirk forming on Stephen's lips.

"Matt's got a point, we can look out for her, like old times." Shannon offered.

"You don't need to," Stephen said. "My sister's boyfriend is moving in with her, you don't have to worry about her."

Jeff wasn't sure what he was feeling. Was it a stab that he was feeling? Or falling through a table from fifteen feet in the air? Whatever it was, he was hurting. Emerson couldn't have a boyfriend. It didn't make sense. He's seen Emerson with guys before, it was the years before they dated. When she turned eighteen, she finally started dating and it wasn't so bad, till he realized he had feelings for Emerson. His requirements for her boyfriend were impossible standards to meet. They all thought it was adorable that Jeff was so overprotective over Emerson, till it changed and it was because he had feelings for her.

But she was a kid then, it was different now. Emerson was twenty-eight years old. Whoever her boyfriend was, this could be it for her. Moving in together is a serious feat and Jeff wasn't sure where to place himself. Alright, maybe he did, he was furious. How dare she move on when he was still trying to pick up the pieces.

Before Jeff could say anything, Matt dragged him to Shannon's office. Once they were inside, Matt blocked the door and waited for Jeff to explode.

"How the fuck can she get another boyfriend?" He flared.

"Hey, don't do this, you had to know that this was possible," Matt shook his head. "She wasn't going to wait for you, she walked away and for good reasons."

"You're my brother," he reminded him.

"I know that Jeff, but you pushed and pushed. She finally broke away and it's been three years, maybe there's a reason why you haven't been able to see her." Matt sighed, not wanting to hurt his brother any further. "You can't blame her for this, she's not purposely trying to hurt you. Her brother was the one who told you about her relationship, not her. She might not even want you to find out."

"I don't give a fuck," Jeff sat down on Shannon's chair. "I can't believe this," he ran his fingers through his hair. "She's back and she has a boyfriend."

"Look, I'm going to sound like an asshole, but did you expect her to still be coming after you?" Matt sounded harsh, he knew it, but sometimes that's what his brother needs, a reality check. "You broke her heart numerous of times, I know she loved you, but she had to draw the line somewhere."

Jeff didn't answer and just closed his eyes, remembering their happy memories. He wasn't even sure how to approach this, what Matt said was true, he was a shitty boyfriend, she deserved better. Her happiness should be what matters, not his. After everything he did, she deserved to be happy, even if it wasn't with him.

Matt watched his brother and decided to stay silent, letting his brother process everything that was going on. Jeff stood up and walked towards the door. Matt moved out of the way and let Jeff go. Exiting the office, Jeff was going to say goodbye to Shannon and go home, he couldn't be near Stephen. As much as he wanted to know about Emerson, he needed some time. When he lifted his head, his heart stopped, his eyes met familiar emerald eyes.

"Emmy," he whispered.

"Hi!" She greeted happily, which surprised Jeff, Matt, and Shannon. "It's nice to finally see you two again!"

"It is definitely nice to see you again, Ms. Leon. Where have you been?" Matt questioned playfully.

Emerson's eyes opened widely before she laughed with a hint of nervousness. "Here and there." She stood beside Chace, unsure if she could hug them or not. Even though Shannon welcomed her with open arms, the two Hardy's may not.

"Come on, you know better than that. Where's my hug?" Matt smiled and opened his arms.

Emerson made her way over, wrapping her arms around Matt. "Really nice to see you both, how are you?" She questioned as she pulled away.

"We're good, nice to have you home," Matt squeezed her shoulders. "Is this your boyfriend?" His eyes drifted to Chace.

Jeff's eyes landed on the man behind Emerson and didn't even notice him till now. Was this her boyfriend? The one Stephen boasted about? He remembered him, he was on that show Emerson used to watch religiously, Gossip Girl. She was dating Nathaniel Archibald, how fucking amazing.

Emerson gave him a confused look and shook her head. "I don't have a boyfriend, Chace is a friend of my older sister, he just came to help me move my stuff in."

Matt and Jeff looked over at Stephen who rolled his eyes. Chace chuckled and shook his head at Stephen. Jeff felt beyond relief. His Emmy was single, this was going to be a piece of cake. He'll show her that he was a renewed man and they would be back on track in no time.

"Emmy," Jeff called out.

"Hi Jeff," she replied softly.

He opened his arms, much like Matt and Shannon. She walked into his arms and everything felt right in his world once again. She always fit perfectly against him, her warm body giving him comfort he didn't even know he needed. Breathing in, he inhaled her scent and it was still the same. He wasn't sure why she was so welcoming, but he didn't want to ask, it was a conversation for another day. She just came back after all.

Emerson tried to pull away, but Jeff still had his arms around her. Stephen kicked Chace to break them up, but he shook his head, signaling for him to calm down.

"Jeff, mind letting me go now?" Emerson questioned.

Jeff reluctantly let her go and gave her a small smile.

"Sorry, got carried away, haven't seen you in years." Jeff replied.

"Not a problem, it's insane to be back here." Emerson looked around the shop. "It's nice to be home, I've wanted to come for years, but my brother said I should give Texas a chance."

Matt and Jeff shot Stephen a look and he ignored them. He wasn't going to be baited. Protecting his younger sister was the most important thing for him. If he had the choice, he would have kept her out of North Carolina, but she wanted to come home and he just couldn't say no. This would be the best for her, at least that's what the doctor suggested.

Jeff was shocked to say the least. He expected Emerson to be standoffish, cold, but not welcoming. It was like their break-up never happened, she was too nice. He wasn't sure if it was a test or there was a catch, either way he didn't want to know, he didn't want to push it. If she wanted to start anew, that's fine. They'll talk about their issues one day, but for now, he was just glad that she came home.

"As long as you're home now," Shannon said.

"Yes, definitely nice to be back home, I missed it here," Emerson looked around the shop. "I guess I kept in touch by watching you guys on social media and the television screen."

"So, we're assuming you watch TNA?" Matt questioned, studying Emerson as she walked through the shop.

"No, I watch the Hardy Show a lot and your older matches," Emerson replied. "I watch TNA sometimes, just to see how you guys are doing."

It touched Jeff that Emerson wanted to be kept up to date with what they're doing.

"You could have always called us," Matt suggested.

"I wasn't ready, I am now," she looked at Matt before her eyes landed on Jeff and she smiled. "It's just good to be home."

Stephen watched as Jeff's eyes traveled with Emerson. He couldn't deny that at one point, Jeff did love his sister. But he wasn't sure if that was still the case near the end of their relationship. He felt that Jeff asked for her hand in marriage out of guilt, because he was arrested and all the bullshit he put her through. He wasn't convinced that he had an epiphany and decided that he wanted to be with Emerson. Jeff would always be a fuck up in Stephen's eyes. He was happy for his younger sister, Jeff was a stand up guy, at least he thought he was, till the cheating began. The drugs were a problem, but Stephen could hardly judge anyone who dabbled in drugs. He did it, he got cleaned much quicker than Jeff, but he couldn't hold that against anyone.

Stephen always learned the hard way when it came to bringing his younger sister and Jeff apart. It just wasn't possible. Maybe the last few years was a success, but he knew that they would find their way back to each other and here they were now.

"Will you be staying for good?" Jeff questioned.

"That's the plan," Emerson's eyes drifted to her older brother. "At least, for now."

"She's staying for a bit," Stephen agreed.

"Where do you live? Did you guys move back to your old place?" Matt questioned.

Emerson looked at her brother and he answered for her. "She lives near Shannon."

Jeff wasn't sure how to take that. Their old property was a ten minute walk from theirs. He wasn't sure if they were doing it on purpose, but whatever the case was, she was back, that's the most important thing.

"Emmy, we should go, we still have to pick up some groceries," Chace told her.

"Yeah, that's right, we just came back to give my brother his cell phone," Emerson explained to the Hardy's. "It was nice seeing you two, maybe I'll see you guys soon."

"You will, don't you worry about that," Jeff smiled.

Emerson nodded her head, waving goodbye to them all. Chace walked out after her, waving as goodbye as well.

"This doesn't change anything, I don't want you anywhere near my sister." Stephen told him.

Jeff scoffed. "You aren't going to be here, you should be much more concern for your family than your sister."

"My sister is my family," Stephen couldn't stand up, Shannon had him held down, working on his arm.

"Shouldn't you let your sister decide? You afraid she's going to pick me again? Things are different now, I'm different." Jeff informed him.

"But for how long Jeff? How long till you step out on my sister again?" Stephen questioned.

Matt stood in front of Jeff, preventing his younger brother from stepping forward. Stephen would be defenseless right now, last thing he needed was for Jeff to go to jail.

"You don't know me, Stephen," Jeff sneered.

"Sure I don't know the new you, the Jeff I let date my sister was a stand up guy, you, you're just an egotistical asshole."

Jeff stepped forward, but Matt shook his head. "He's not worth it. Go to the car, I'll take care of this."

Jeff nodded his head, walking out of the shop. Matt pulled up a chair next to Stephen and watched Shannon worked. For a few moments, the men were quiet, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. Stephen didn't want Jeff near his sister, but he knew it was a losing battle. He couldn't watch her. And Vanessa would be more welcoming that he would be, especially after the last few years, Vanessa might just call Jeff to come over. Matt wasn't going to excuse his brother's actions, but at the same time, he knew his brother has changed, that he should be given another chance.

"He loves her, you know." Matt broke the silence.

"I'm sure he did," Stephen replied.

"You know he still does."

"Look Matt, I understand you want to look out for him, you're on his side, that's understandable." Stephen looked at his old friend. "But as an older sibling, you should understand what I'm trying to do, Emerson doesn't need Jeff's bullshit, not now, not again. He broke her last time and I'm not sure she can take it again."

Matt understood where he was coming from, but he learned not to run Jeff's life. That wasn't his duty. He could guide him. He could advice him. He couldn't hold his hand it wasn't benefiting anyone. The best thing he could do was to be there for Jeff, in whatever way he needed. They were no longer children, Jeff could handle his own and if he couldn't Matt would always be there for him.

"I do, I know where you're coming from, but running our siblings lives never got us anywhere." Matt replied. "Emerson can handle her own."

"It's not about that, she handled her own before, look where it got her." Stephen sighed. "There's no point of barring Jeff from seeing Emerson, just look out for my sister."

"I will, you know I will."

"Thank you."