This Fire Burns -Chapter Four
Hope you guys all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter five should be out next week.
XXX
He was crying, sobbing. No he was wailing.
"Mah house burned down Philly!! Mah house is gone!" He cried into the phone. His accent was strong when he was scared.
"Don't worry Jeff, I'll be there. Everything is all right." I said softly, hoping to comfort Jeff.
"NO! NO IT AINT ALRIGHT! MAH DOGS WERE IN THE HOUSE PHIL!" He screamed. He began to cough. A sure sign that he had been crying for a long time before he had called me.
"Everything will be ok baby. Im coming for you ok? Don't cry baby." I cooed into the phone.
"Don't get off the phone with me…" He whimpered. His voice was hoarse from all the crying.
"I wont baby I promise you I wont." I whispered softly. I smiled a little as I imagined cradling him in my arms and kissing the top of his bright red head. He had dyed it red despite my protests on him keeping it blue and red. It didn't matter. I loved him either way.
"I want you to come home…" He whispered, sniffling a little . What home? I thought to myself. We had no other home to go to but my apartment in Chicago and I didn't know how he would take to living in the city.
"Hey baby how about I go there and pick you up and then we stay for a little while at my place? How does that sound?" I asked, a little unsure of the answer.
"Could we really?" He asked me.
"Of course baby." I smiled. "Go stay with your dad for the night and I'll be there for you some time tomorrow. Get some sleep. I love you Jeff."
"How you gonna get here by tomorrow? Aint Vince gonna pull a shit fit?"
"I don't care Jeff. As long as I make it to you. That's all I care about."
"Ok. I love ya Philly. Don't forget about me tomorrow." He sighed.
"I wont baby, I wont." I whispered. "I love you Jeff."
"I love you too." He said and hung up the phone.
I got up in the morning and went straight to Vince's office and knocked softly.
"Come in." He says.
I push the door open slowly and hold it opened for Finlay who smiles at me and leaves the small office.
"Oh and Finlay, you're on tonight against Khali." Vince says to the Irishman as he turns to look back at boss. Finlay nods his head in approval and smiles at me once more then leaves.
"What can I do for you Phil?"
"Hey…" I begin shyly and scratch the back of my head. Its something I do when Im nervous." I was wondering…I need to take a few days off. My best friends house burned down."
"Your best friend? How stupid do you think the people of the WWE are Phil?" He asks me and throws his hands up I the air. "We all know Phil. Its as plain as day. You're gay and your boyfriend is that Hardy. Jeff right?"
I gulped before answering. " Yes, yes he is and I need to be there for him right now. Can I take a few days off?"
"Well of course you can. Send him my best wishes."
I have to admit I was shocked with his answer. I didn't really think he was going to have the days off without a fight. I jogged through the halls and out of the big building to the hotel. I run up the steps two at a time and when I get to the elevator I frantically push the three button. Three is the floor Im on. Once the elevator door opens I fly out of it and straight to my room. I swipe my card and get into my room, then quickly throw my belongings into my suitcase. I decide to take the stairs instead and run down to the hotel garage and find my jeep. I unlock it and throw my stuff into the back seat and start the truck before I even get into it. I've got plenty of miles to drive so I hit the road as soon as my butt hits the seat. I plug my iPod into the connector and turn the music on very loud. I need something to keep me awake. I hadn't slept a wink last nigh. I kept thinking of poor Jeffy and how torn his heart must be. As I drove down long stretches of Highway I would sing along to songs that Jeff had put on my iPod. He was always stealing it and putting strange songs on there. I smiled as a Peroxwhy?gen song came on. I knew that my baby had worked so hard on that song. The sky was turning a pale shade of blue. To the east it was a light shade of pink mixed with peach and just above it a vibrant shade of indigo. It reminded me of Jeff's hair. I had driven all morning and now it was turning dark. Jeff had called me once. I told him I would be there and not to worry. I plan on staying true to my word.
I got into the heavily wooded area of Jeff's dad's home a few hours later. Well I had made it at two in the morning. I called Jeff.
"Hello?" A groggy voice asked.
"Hey baby let me in." The phone clicks and I watch as lights flip on through out the house as he makes his way down the stairs and to the door. I see the door fly opened. Light floods the porch and a small figure stands softly silhouetted against the light. He runs from the porch and into my arms and hugs me like he will never see me again. I feel the front of my shirt becoming wet. He is crying. I pull him close to me and kiss his tears. He looks so beautiful when he wakes up. His hair is all frazzled and he has a sleepy look in his eyes. He looks up at me, his face streaked with tears and takes my hand.
"Lets go inside. Ya might catch a cold out here." He says sniffling a little. He leads me into the house. Its very big, bigger than any other house I've seen. It sure as hell makes my two bedroom apartment look small. He leads me up a flight of stairs and into a small blue room. I take it this is his room because I couldn't picture his dad or Matt having such a messy room.
"Hey what's your dad going to say if Im in here?"
"Nothin, he wont know you're in here anyways." He mumbles as he falls face first onto the bed. His arm hangs off the bed and his long delicate fingers trace little patterns in the little bit of carpet that is exposed. I look over him and smile. He has his shirt off and a pair of leopard print pajama pants on. His hair is pulled back into a messy bun. He stares at the floor blankly as he wiggles his feet to some unknown beat. I take my shirt off and move a bunch of clothes off a chair so I can sit down and untie me shoes. Once they are off I tug my pants down and leave them in a puddle on the floor as I crawl into bed beside Jeff. He sighs and rolls over to face me. He put his arm around my waist and buried his face in the part between my neck and shoulder. He softly kisses it and slowly goes to sleep. He doesn't sleep well. He twitches and kicks and mumbles. He has never done that. I think he is probably just traumatized by the fire. I hold him close all though out the night. In the morning we go see the charred remains of his house. He digs through the ash a little and finds a picture. In the picture is me and him hugging and in between us his his dog, Jack, and they puppy we got not to long ago, Xena. He begins to cry again and runs back to the jeep. I look around the burned house for anything that might be salvaged. I find nothing but a few pictures. I take all the pictures of his family, pets, me and what not to him. He just sits there and runs a slender finger over the faces of the two dogs.
"I know you're going to miss them baby.." I murmur.
"I already do." He sobs. Big wet tears come from his eyes and fall onto the pictures. He pulls his jacket sleeves over his hands and wipes his eyes. Then looks at me.
"I bet you think Im a baby for cryin like this, dontcha?"
"No Jeff. Never." I brush a strand of red behind his ears with a finger and tilt his chin to me. I give him a small kiss on the lips, and we drive to his dad's house.
"Go on in and gather some clothes."
He looks at me gloomily. "What clothes? They all burned. All I have are these pictures, the clothes on my back and my iPod."
"Well go on in and tell your dad we are going ok?"
He nods and runs up the steps to the almost mansion like house. A few minutes later he is bounding down the stairs and back to me. He gets in the car.
"Arent you forgetting something?" I ask with an eyebrow raised.
He looks around thoughtfully for a moment." Uhmmm…no?"
"Your seatbelt Jeff." I laugh a little. He frowns and buckled up. We begin the long drive from North Carolina to Chicago. Jeff is pretty good on the ride. He listens to music and looks out the window, admiring the scenery. Once in a while he asks me a question. We stop a few times to go to the bathroom and eat. Later on in Virginia we check into a hotel and he flops onto the bed, exhausted from the long drive.
"Hey Philly? Since I aint got no clothes are ya gonna take me shoppin when we get to Chicago?" His eyes get a special twinkle.
"Yeah baby. I will. " I smile and lay down in bed. Im about to fall asleep when suddenly I cant sleep. I was just got to thinking, you know how crazy he is and all the weird things Jeff does when he lived in the woods, imagine what he'll do in the city…
Im in for the ride of my life...
Thanks for reading you guys!! :D Please review.
Kat