Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

Glad to see the regular reviewers on my first fic here. Thank you so much for your support, I can't tell you how much it means to me! To be honest, I'm not happy with the first chapter, it came out short! I hope this chapter would make amends for it! Happy reading!

Chapter 2

Mark pulled Jeff into his dressing room and locked the door. He didn't want anyone to interrupt their private conversation. He turned to face Jeff and found him making himself comfortable on the couch. Jeff looked up at him, eyes twinkling while fidgeting restlessly on his seat.

He patted the seat beside him, "Come on Mark, have a seat. We have so much catching up to do!"

Mark smiled and shook his head but he sat down beside Jeff, patting him on his leg.

"It's great to have you back. So, are you excited about getting back in the ring? You look like you're all ready to go and you look in great shape!"

Jeff grinned up at him, "Yes, I am. I can't wait to see who my first opponent is, I'm fired up! I have Matt to thank for helping me get into shape. You know me, I wouldn't step into a gym if I don't have to."

Mark laughed, Jeff would never change his old ways.

"Glad to hear Matt's still pushing your lazy ass to work out, but you look good."

"Thanks Mark, but enough about me. How are you?"

"I'm fine but I want to talk about you."

Mark paused before asking, "I need to ask you some personal questions. Do you mind?"

Mark was worried about him. He had noticed those eyes that were following Jeff earlier on in the waiting room. He needed to know if Jeff would be in any danger.

"I don't mind, what do you want to know?" Jeff folded his legs up as he leaned back against the couch.

"Jeff, are you gay?"

Jeff blushed, he wasn't expecting that. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering why Mark wanted to know. He didn't answer immediately and Mark noticed how awkward he looked.

"I don't mean to pry," Mark apologized.

Jeff thought for a bit and decided that there was no harm in telling Mark the truth. After all, the big guy had taken care of him and Matt ever since they joined the company.

"I .. I think I'm gay, Mark," he looked down at his feet, his cheeks tinged rosy with embarrassment.

Mark frowned, "You think? You're not sure which way you're leaning?"

Still blushing, he nodded. He was really feeling uncomfortable talking about the subject.

"Have you ever been with a guy?" Mark decided to be forward, no point beating around the bush.

"Mark, do I have to answer that?" Jeff protested, his face burning with embarrassment.

"Jeff, I think if you would just tell me the truth, I can help you figure out if you're gay or bi or whatever. Don't you want to know? Please, this is important."

Jeff buried his head into his arms and mumbled, "Okay, I've never been with a guy."

"With a girl then?" His reply would confirm his sexual preference.

Jeff shook his head, his face still hidden from Mark's view, "No."

Mark was stunned. He didn't expect a negative reply to that last question.

He reached out to gently pull away Jeff's arms away from his face, "Jeff, are you telling me that you're still a virgin?"

Jeff nodded affirmatively, his face had turned a beet root red.

Mark pulled him in for a hug, "You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Jeff finally lifted his head to look at him, "Oh Mark! I'm 28 years old and still a virgin! And I haven't a clue which way I'm leaning, this is so embarrassing!"

Mark's mouth twitched, but he held back from laughing. The little pup had no idea how adorable he looked right now! What he wouldn't give to be ten years younger, he would claim the little one for himself. Shaking his head at his foolish thoughts, he focused on the issue at hand.

"Don't be. It would come to you slowly. But, haven't you dated any one all these years?"

Jeff gave a small smile, "Not really, I always hang out in groups. It wasn't like we paired off or anything like that, you know."

Mark nodded, the people Jeff went out with were just regular friends. He had not found that special someone yet.

"Okay, what was that all about out there?"

Jeff failed to understand what Mark was getting at, "Huh, what?"

"With Dave! You guys were so absorbed with each other!"

The memory of that weird feeling he had when Dave touched him caused him to flush. He really didn't know why he was feeling that way, it was a strange and new feeling for him.

"I don't know Mark but he .. he looks nice."

Mark rolled his eyes, "Jeff, haven't you notice? He didn't say a single word to you! He was dumbstruck!"

"You think he likes me?" Jeff brightened up at that thought. There was something about Dave that seemed to pull him in.

Mark smiled down at him amusingly, "I think 'like' is putting it mildly, I believe he's smitten with you! He couldn't keep staring at you!"

"Oh!" Jeff chewed on his bottom lip nervously. He hadn't felt this way about anyone before and didn't know what to make out of it.

Mark watched the emotions sweeping across Jeff's face. Undoubtedly, the little pup was attracted to Dave. It was Dave's intention he was worried about. He had never heard of or seen him date a guy before. He didn't want to see Jeff ending up getting hurt. He would talk to Dave at the first opportunity he got. Maybe, Dave would be able to shed some light on the matter for him.

The important thing right now was to keep his young friend safe from harm.

"Jeff, I want you to exercise precaution when you're in any part of the arena. Avoid going to the shower by yourself. Always stay with someone you can trust. You got that?"

Jeff turned pale, he swallowed hard and looked away. He really didn't want to think about it but after three years, he thought he had put it all behind him. Mark and Matt didn't know, nobody knew. Was the past going to come back and haunt him again?

Mark studied Jeff closely. The boy looked fearful, he saw that look in his eyes before he turned away.

"Jeff? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Jeff shook his head, refusing to look at Mark. He felt a chill run through his body and chided himself for being foolish. There was nothing to fear, the past was long gone dead and buried. He had moved on and even if Matt would not be by his side, he still had Mark. He would be fine.

Mark pressed on, "Jeff, are you hiding something from me?"

Jeff licked his lips to moisten them before replying, "It's nothing Mark. I'm just overwhelmed, that's all."

Mark sighed, "You're lying to me. We're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."

Trust Mark to know him, even after a three year separation.

Jeff considered his words carefully, "Something happened way back then, before I left. I thought I was over it but what you just said brought back bad memories."

Mark recalled that Vince had decided to split the Hardys up, Jeff was sent to Smackdown and Matt, to Raw. He was with Jeff. He searched his memory, he wasn't around for several months as he took time off. Jeff had already left the company when he came back. He had left messages but Jeff didn't return his calls. Jeff just cut himself off from him.

Mark wanted to kick himself, he should have realized something was wrong then. He should have pursued the matter.

"You want to tell me what happened?"

"Mark, I don't want to go into it. Can we just don't talk about this anymore? Please?" Jeff pleaded in a shaky voice.

The boy was upset. He didn't want to force the issue. Jeff was not ready to talk yet.

"Okay, I won't force you to tell me but if you need me, I'm here for you."

Mark thought back to what he had said earlier. He was telling Jeff not to go off alone by himself and that had triggered the fear in him. His eyes narrowed at the thought, did someone abuse Jeff? If his guess was right, who had hurt his little friend?

He needed to discuss this with Matt when he got back. He made up his mind, Jeff would room with him and share his dressing room. He would be the boy's shadow and watch over him carefully. If the perpetrator was still around, he would flush him out and take care of business! The boy didn't need to live in fear. He wasn't going to leave Jeff alone by himself if he could help it.

Now, to distract Jeff, Mark suggested, "Why don't you come with me to the ring? I need to practice some moves and you can be my sparring partner. Matt will know where to look for us. When we're done, we can go get something to eat before the show starts."

Jeff brightened up and nodded his head, "I like that but I didn't bring my wrestling gear. Vince told me that I'll only be making my appearance next week, so I didn't bring anything with me other than the clothes on my back."

Mark was glad that Jeff was almost back to his cheerful, talkative self, "We can borrow some gear from wardrobe. Let me change and I'll take you there."

They spent the next hour sparring and by the time Matt joined them, they were both panting from their exertions.

"Hey Matt, what took you so long?" Jeff jumped down from the apron to join his brother.

Matt looked at his borrowed ring attire which consisted of tights and a Hardy Boyz Extreme T-shirt.

Matt grinned widely, "Jeffro, your attire reminds me of our OMEGA days when I sewed every pair of tights to save money. You know, you should consider wearing tights again instead of those baggy cargo pants that you are so fond of. That nice ass would pull in the crowd! Vince would appreciate it, it's good for business!"

Mark chortled with laughter at what Matt had just said, that only made Jeff huffed and moved away. He pouted as he walked to the water case to grab two bottles of water. On second thought, he also took a can of Pepsi and making sure that Matt wasn't watching, he shook the can hard. Walking back nonchalantly towards Matt and Mark who were chatting, he handed a bottle of water to Mark, taking a swig from his own.

He passed Matt the can, "Here Matt, I thought you would be thirsty after spending all that time negotiating with Vince in his office."

"Thanks bro," Matt accepted the can gratefully. He popped the can and "WHAT THE HELL?! "

The contents shot up like a geyser hitting Matt in his face and drenching him! Mark and Jeff doubled over with mirth, laughing uproariously at the spectacle of a spluttering red-faced Matt who glared at his brother.

"Jeffro, you little twerp! I'm gonna get you and give you a good spanking!" Matt took off after his brother who ran, giggling, up the ramp. He was looking back at Matt all the time and didn't see where he was going.

He hit someone hard headlong, "Ow …!" and fell backwards but a pair of strong arms held on to him.

Jeff looked up, meeting the brown-eye owner of those muscular arms. He gulped nervously as Dave continued to hold him. Dave was wearing an amused smile on his face. He had witnessed the prank Jeff pulled and was tickled by the boy's wicked sense of humor.

Matt caught up with Jeff and grasped the back of his tights, preventing him from escaping. "Thanks Dave, I got it from here."

He half carried, half dragged his brother to a chair.

"Hey! Let me go!" Jeff tried to squirm out of his brother's grasp.

Jeff realized that Matt meant to carry out his threat and pleaded with his brother, "Please Matty, I'm so sorry, let me go." He stuck out his lower lip and pulled puppy dog eyes at his big brother.

Matt gave a devilish grin and bent Jeff over his knees, "Not this time, Jeffro."

"No, don't! Mark, help me!" Jeff kicked and thrashed to get away but Matt held firmly on to him.

Dave wanted to intervene but Mark shook his head, "Don't, let them be. Matt won't hurt him."

Holding Jeff down with one hand, he raised his other hand and brought it down hard on Jeff's buttocks.

"Oww…! Matty, let me go, I said I'm sorry!"

Matt gave him a couple more resounding smacks on his rump before releasing him. Jeff stood up and rubbed his butt cheeks ruefully, looking chastened by the punishment.

Looking at Jeff's forlorn face, Mark came up to him and patted him on his head, "Come on Jeff, lets get some ice on it and we'll go get something to eat. My treat."

A smile immediately broke up on Jeff's face, he linked his arm with Mark's and stuck his tongue out at Matt before telling Mark what he wanted while pulling him along, "I want a double cheese burger with everything on it, a large fries and a chocolate shake! Can I have ice-cream too?"

Matt shook his head at his wilful brother while Dave was trying hard to keep from laughing out. They followed behind, Dave couldn't help asking Matt, "Is he like that all the time?"

Matt grinned sheepishly, "Most of the time. He comes up with these crazy pranks and pouts when I punish him. But, he doesn't hold it against me, he knows I love him. I must warn you though, he's full of tricks. Once, he put pink dye in Jay's shampoo and the poor guy had to have several washes before all that color came off. Can you imagine walking around in pink hair?" Matt shook his head in disbelief, the pranks Jeff could come up with!

"The other time, Bubba called him a dumb blonde trapped in a man's body and Jeff took offense to that. He put thumbtacks in the back pockets of Bubba when the guy was in the shower. Let me tell you, Bubba screamed like a girl when he sat down. He had to go to a doctor to have them removed from his fat ass! With Jeff, you'll never know what he's going to do next!"

Dave chuckled and shook his head, "He is a handful, huh?"

Matt smiled in agreement, "He is that, but I wouldn't change him for the world!" he added affectionately.

Dave noted that the brothers were real close. He remembered Matt telling him that he had lost his mother at a young age. He didn't know then that he had a brother too. It must be hard for them to cope with just a single parent. It was really admirable that both young men grew up to be decent young people.

After taking care of Jeff's little problem and having washed and changed, the guys decided to drive out to a burger restaurant. On their way out, they met John, Randy and Adam who had just left Vince's office. They had just been briefed on the recent changes on their return from an autograph signing session.

"Jeff! Glad to see you back! Hi guys," Adam welcomed Jeff and greeted his co-workers.

He had known Jeff back in the days when they had feuded in tag team matches. Jeff had already left when the unfortunate situation with Amy, Matt's ex-girlfriend, occurred. Adam and Amy were no longer together and Matt and Adam were, at least, on talking terms.

"Thanks Adam, and congratulations! I heard you are the current WWE Champion!"

Jeff was glad to see Adam, they got along well before and he hoped that Adam would be on Raw too.

Adam winked at Jeff and smiled broadly, "Thanks and by the way, glad you are on Raw. We could hang out together after shows, that is, if you want to."

He gave Matt a sidelong glance, wondering if Matt would object to him hanging out with his kid brother. He didn't get a chance to find out.

John coughed deliberately, catching their attention. Ever since he laid his eyes on Jeff, he couldn't wait to introduce himself to the gorgeous creature standing before him. He couldn't take his eyes off him and was completely taken in by the soft allure of Jeff's looks. Oh Lord, that southern accent gave him goose bumps! It made his knees go weak to hear him speak in that soft Carolinian drawl!

Mark noticed John practically drooling over Jeff and groaned inwardly. Hell no! Not another one!

Randy smirked at John's reaction, his friend was obviously besotted with the younger Hardy.

He turned towards Jeff, "Hi, the name's Randy Orton, third generation superstar and your future WWE champion! You must be Jeffrey. Welcome to Raw."

Jeff smiled up at him and shook his hand, "Thanks Randy, just call me Jeff. Glad to meet you, future champ!"

John finally found his voice, "Huh.. I'm John Cena, glad to have you on board, Jeff." Sweet Jesus! He has such a beautiful smile and those eyes! John found himself melting under Jeff's gaze.

Jeff shook the proffered hand and smiled shyly up at him, "Thanks John, I appreciate that."

John's huge hand enveloped Jeff's, his heart thumped loudly against his chest, his blue eyes were locked onto Jeff's.

Jeff was flattered by the attention John was paying him. A slow blush had started to creep into his cheeks and this was not lost on John. His eyes widened with the knowledge. He likes me too! He grinned widely, his cute dimples catching Jeff's attention.

Jeff felt so tempted to poke his finger at those trademark dimples and giggled at that thought. How would he react if I actually did it?

While the two were preoccupied with each other, the other guys were left dealing with their own thoughts. Mark was wondering how he was going to keep the wolves at bay. Damn! He would have his hands full with those two already!

Matt was casting wary glances at John, Dave and Adam. Jeff wasn't even there for a day and those guys were hitting on him already! He gave his little brother a worried look. Please Jeff, tell me you're not into guys?

Dave's demeanor showed that he wasn't pleased with the attention John was paying to Jeff. He moved to stand close beside Jeff and gave John an unfriendly glare, sending a clear message to his rival.

John was taken aback, Dave was telling him to back off! So, he had a rival for Jeff's affections! He narrowed his eyes and set his jaw firmly, returning the glare. He wasn't going to back down on this!

Everyone sensed the tension between John and Dave and feared the situation might get out of hand.

Mark knew the only way to diffuse the antagonism between the two, he pulled Jeff forward, "Come on Jeff, lets go get that burger. Matt, lead the way."

He directed his gaze at the others, "We will see you guys, later."

He made sure to emphasize the 'later' bit. He didn't want the rest to tag along. He wanted to talk to Matt alone. Let them settle the problem among themselves.

Once Mark and the brothers had left the scene, John turned to Dave, "Lets get something straight. I have as much right to pursue Jeff as much as you do. It's every man for himself! Don't think you can push your way around me. I don't take that crap from anyone!"

Dave hated to admit that John was right. He was out of line just now.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier on, but from here on, I'm making my intentions clear, I want Jeff. Lets see who will win him over!"

"Fine, we do this fair and square. Let Jeff choose who he wants to be with and the loser backs off. Hey, no cheating allowed, you hear?"

Dave smirked, "I don't need to cheat, John, never have and never will. We do this the right way!"

The two men shook each other's hands to seal the deal, the fight for Jeff's affection had begun. Who would come out the better man?

Back at the restaurant, Jeff was happily chomping on his burger and slurping his shake in between bites. The sparring session with Mark had built up his appetite.

"Slow down, bro," Matt noticed Jeff stuffing his face. Mark looked on amused. At least Jeff's mind was on something pleasant, and right now, it was eating.

"Ifwhuvtahery..stilwanicsream" Jeff mumbled with his mouth full.

Matt sighed, "Jeff, don't talk with your mouth full, I don't understand what you're saying."

Jeff chewed hurriedly and swallowed, grinning at his brother. "I said I have to hurry, because I still want some ice cream. So, did Vince agree to let us stay together?"

Matt's shoulders slumped forward, "No, he didn't agree. He said that he wants us to compete in the singles division."

Matt perked up quickly, adding, "He has plans for us to capture the US Championship and Intercontinental Championship belts on our respective brands. Isn't that great?"

Jeff nodded half-heartedly, he wasn't happy that they couldn't be together but Vince had dangled what every wrestler wished for in front of them, a championship title match! What could be better?

"But, I'm going to miss you Matty," Jeff stopped eating to look sadly at his big brother.

Matt tried to cheer him up, "I'm going to miss you too, Jeffro. However, Vince promised to let us get back together occasionally as a tag team. He said the fans would love to see the Hardy Boyz back into action again. So, we will still be together from time to time."

"I guess we'll just have to go along with it then," Jeff couldn't hide his disappointment.

Matt reached forward and stole some pieces of fries from his plate and it got the response he wanted.

"Hey, no stealing! Get your own, Matty!" Jeff moved his fries out of Matt's reach, giving him a cute pout.

"Okay, but can you get it for me? Get some ice-cream for yourself while you're at it." Matt pulled out some money from his wallet to pass to his brother.

Jeff got up and went over to place his orders, leaving Mark and Matt alone. As luck would have it, there was a long queue, and it helped that some of the customers were asking Jeff for autographs. They had plenty of time to talk privately.

Matt quickly got down to business, "Mark, I need a favor from you. Could you watch over Jeff for me, please? You saw what happened back there. I don't want those guys harassing Jeff."

"You know I'll do it even without you asking, Matt. Don't worry, I'll watch his back. But, I need to let you know. If Jeff is leaning towards guys, you know you can't stop him from going there."

Matt's mouth opened in shock, "Did Jeff tell you that he's gay?"

Mark shook his head, "He said he's not sure."

Mark contemplated, should he tell Matt? He made up his mind, Matt was Jeff's brother after all and they were concerned about him.

"Matt, promise me you'll not freak out. There are some guys here who have beaten on the homosexuals behind the scenes. So far, they are targeting the lower card guys. Vince can't do anything unless these guys come out from the closet and press charges. I don't know if Jeff's in any danger but I promise you I will not leave him alone. And there's another thing I need to know, did Jeff ever mention to you his reason for leaving the company in the first place?"

Matt thought back and told Mark what Jeff had said then.

"Jeff said he needed a break, his body was pretty banged up and he was in pain all the time. I know that if he had gone to Vince and ask him for a break, he would have agreed to it. Between the two of us, I didn't buy his story. Why are you bringing this up now?"

Mark glanced over at Jeff, making sure he wasn't about to come back.

He confided in Matt, "I think Jeff might have been terrorized by someone back then. He looked so scared when I warned him not to go off alone in the shower or anywhere else by himself because of those homophobes."

Matt looked like he was about to freak out. He breathed heavily, trying to digest what Mark was telling him.

"Are you telling me someone sexually abused my baby brother, my Jeffy?"

The thought that someone had forced himself on his baby brother made him want to kill.

Mark knew how Matt felt, he felt the same way too.

"That thought did cross my mind. I asked him and he almost broke down. He told me he didn't want to talk about it. Matt, I know you don't want to hear this but I believe I'm right. Someone abused Jeff and if he's still around, I'm going to flush him out and take care of him! You have my word on it!"

Just then, Jeff came back with a tray laden with more food and a toy.

"Look guys, it's Nemo! I just love that movie! Here Matt, I got you some fries and a Pepsi!" He grinned cheekily at his brother.

Mark and Matt shook their heads.

Matt asked, "Jeff, don't tell me you ordered a kid's meal just to get that toy?"

Jeff nodded happily, "How then can I get Nemo?"

He tore off the wrappings and removed Nemo, immediately playing with it and at the same time, he licked at the vanilla ice cream cone that came with rainbow toppings he had ordered for himself.

Matt watched him with misty eyes. How could anyone abuse his innocent brother? And the part that hurt him the most was that Jeff didn't tell him, he had hid it from him all these years! He wanted to weep for the torment Jeff had been put through. He should have been there for him!

Matt couldn't help himself, he hugged Jeff tightly to him, surprising him with his action. Over Jeff's shoulders, Matt exchanged looks with Mark and smiled gratefully at his big friend.

Who ever he was, when the time came, both Mark and Matt would make him suffer!

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