Sixpence None the Wiser
"Welcome to ECW... less than forty-eight hours after the Night of Champions, we are ready to get extreme! I'm Joey Styles ready to bring you all the action live!" It didn't take much to rile up this crowd.
"And it looks like we're starting off with Mr. McMahon..."
Vince power-walked to the ring, his associates in tow.
"Good evening." Patterson and Brisco looked very nervous,. "I'm sure all of you have heard the recent news. My ECW General Manager was attacked by person or persons unknown. He was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. If there's one thing I will not tolerate... it's people taking matters into their own hands." He stared at both Stooges when he said this. "Therefore..."
The Hardy Boyz entrance music interrupted him. The fans erupted as one when Tom appeared at the top of the stage.
"Hey, Vince... I guess you're surprised to see me back so soon."
Mr. McMahon performed his famous gulp of fear.
"I heard what you said and I agree... I won't tolerate people taking matters into their own hands either." Tom played to the crowd. His face was still bruised, and his ribs ached, but he was determined to get through this. "One of my former talent said it best... 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. I have no proof that you had anything to do with this, but your associates are gonna pay. Tonight, in an extreme rules match... it will be Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco versus the team of... "
The crowd started chanting "Jeff! Jeff! Jeff!"
"The fans have spoken... the extreme enigma Jeff Hardy and his partner... the new ECW champion... Christian!"
"And just to make sure that you don't get involved Vince, I will be at ringside."
Pat and Jerry looked like they'd just crapped themselves.
"One last thing, gentlemen, the match... starts now!" Referee John Finnegan ran down to the ring, followed by the playing of the new music of Team Charisma.
It was total annihilation by Team Charisma. Patterson and Brisco didn't stand a chance as they were quickly beaten down by the Swanton and the Killswitch. Vince didn't lift a finger to help either of them, which led Tom to believe that maybe he wasn't involved in the attack. But this was the same Mr. McMahon who had fooled the WWE universe, his fans, and even his family with the "higher power" gimmick back in the day.
"Nice." Tom grabbed a mic the second the academic three counts were made on the prone forms of both of McMahon's associates. "Team Charisma, you ain't done yet." He pointed at Vince.
Tom ascended into the ring and waited. Eventually Vince was cornered with the only escape route being to roll under the bottom rope. He cowered, sliding toward a corner.
"Vince, you also need to chill the fuck out. I just have one question for you." Tom squatted over him, mic in hand while Vince looked for a way out.
"Hardy, listen, I agreed to the match tonight, but that was it..."
"This has nothing to do with why we're here tonight." Tom yelled "I just wanna know why you sicced your stooges on me last week!"
"I had nothing to do with that!" Vince shrieked. For once in his billionaire existence, he was telling the truth.
"Are your sure? 'Coz if I think you're lyin', then Team Charisma's gonna do some serious damage to ya."
"Please... Tom, that stuff I said to you in my office I didn't mean it!" Vince bellowed
"What stuff? About how if I didn't tell you where Matt was, you'd make me pay?"
"Yeah... let me up... please!"
Tom signaled for Jay and Jeff to come back into the ring. McMahon's eyes went wide.
"Get up, Vince." Tom pulled his boss to his feet. It was career suicide what he'd just done, but Tom was a man of morals and if there was one thing he hated, it was being played. "You're off the hook for now." Tom turned away, disgusted with the chairman. Patterson and Brisco had overstepped the bounds, but Tom could care less.
"Oh, there is one other thing." Tom turned back around. "I just wanted to show you something." He ripped open his dress shirt.
Vince gasped. Jeff and Jay gasped. The entire audience gasped and more than a few spectators turned away.
"This is what Imma gonna live with for the rest of my life." Tom pointed to the left side of his chest. It looked like JBL had carved his initials into Tom and then sloppily sewed them up.
It was gruesome. So bad, that the Canadian networks that carried the ECW feed blurred out the damage for their audiences.
"You've scarred me, Vince." Tom answered, a little sadly. "Whether directly or indirectly, you're responsible for this."
"I swear I had nothing to do with this." Vince pointed to the prone forms of his Stooges, still face down after their beatings.
"I said you were off the hook. Despite what others think, I believe you. I just want you to know that I may forgive but I will never forget!"
His theme started to play. Jay, Jeff, and Tom left the ring and a stunned Providence crowd in their wake. Backstage, it was more of the same. He went directly to the locker room to change, but even that short trip was interrupted several times by personnel questioning his sanity.
Flinging the torn pieces of his shirt into the trash, Tom stepped into the shower. This was only the second time he'd taken a good look at himself without the wrappings. Even he had to cringe. The scars were red, angry-looking, and just placing his hands over top of them, Tom could feel the heat radiating from his core.
"You almost done in there?" Jay stepped in.
"Almost." Tom answered, staring at Jay's reflection in the mirror. "You need somethin'?"
"Yeah, sorta." He answered
"Well, what?" Tom asked
"It can wait 'til you're done. You got an office tonight?" Jay asked
"Can't stand to look at me, can ya?" Tom answered. Jay's wandering eyes told him everything.
"I'm sorry, but not like that." Jay backed away
"My office is right next to the broom closet. Ten minutes." His words hurt a little, but Tom was understanding. The first time he'd seen the damage, he'd heaved.
"Thanks, boss."
Jay left. He adored Tom, considered him like a brother, but he could not face Tom when he looked like that. It was almost like a mask-less Phantom of the Opera.
"Jeffers, can you bring me my tape?" Tom prayed that his husband had a better reaction to the damage.
"Here y'are Tommy." Jeff's face turned white when he saw what his husband looked like. "Dude, that's fuckin' sick! How could Mr. McMahon let this..." his lip trembled.
Tom quickly wrapped the gauze around the worst part of his injuries. "Jeffro, c'mere."
Jeff hesitated slightly. He was still apprehensive about touching Tom. The only contact since the accident had been above the neck and even that was done with a minimum of touching
"You can't break me. " Tom continued to wrap. With each round, more of the damage was hidden. "Good as new... Jeff, I said come here."
Less squeamish, Jeff did approach. Tom took Jeff's hand and placed it gently on his chest.
"You feel that?" He asked
Jeff nodded, his cheeks shiny from where several tears had fallen.
"That means I am still here." Tom smiled warmly. "I'm still alive, I still have fight in me and most importantly, I still love you. I hope you still feel the same."
"I do!" Jeff squealed "It's just a little scary, knowing how close I came to... to... losing you."
"You didn't, bro." Tom kissed Jeff on the forehead. "It'll just be a few weeks before we can go back to our normal routines. I gotta go see Jay now. Can you stay outta trouble while I'm gone?"
"MM-hmm." Jeff said "Can I have my allowance?"
"Allowance?" Tom asked
"Imma want Skittles." Jeff put on his puppy dog face.
"You're making five times what I make and you want me to give you an allowance?" Tom laughed
"Please, Tommy... I'll do anything."
"Don't tempt me." Tom reached for his wallet. "All I got is twenty."
"Yay! Imma buy lots of Skittles!" Jeff danced out of the bathroom, waving the money at anybody he saw.
T-shirts out of the question for now, Tom tossed on a loose-fitting dress shirt and buttoned it. A little difficult, since bending his left arm was forbidden. Some nonsense about connective tissue damage. As much as possible, he made himself look human, and then met up with Jay.
It was getting repetitive... Tom would come into his office and someone was wanting him.
"Before we start... is this business or personal?" Tom asked
"Personal." Jay answered
"Does this concern my brother?" Tom asked
"Matt? You could say that." Jay looked real nervous. His charisma had vanished.
"Then shouldn't you be talking to him instead o' me?" Tom replied
"He ain't here. You are."
"Look. I told you that whatever you have going on with Matt, it won't affect our working relationship." Tom stated. "So whatever you need to say, you should really be saying to him."
"Tommy, please listen to me. I wanted to talk to you 'coz I need to know. Do you think Matt wants me back?"
"I don't think Matt ever wanted to let you go." Tom answered
"Oh."
"Just between you, me, and the turnbuckles, it was strictly career what Matt did. You just got stuck in the middle." Tom replied "I saw the way he used to look at you. It was love, pure and simple."
"Thanks, I guess." Jay stood
"Not what you wanted to hear?"
"I'll tell you before you hear the gossip... I've found someone else." Jay answered
Tom nodded. "Anybody I know?"
"Just so you can say I didn't tell you, I won't mention his name..."
"But..."
"But" Jay's eyes twinkled "You can call me the R-rated boyfriend."
"Whoa!" Tom mouthed "Can I ask how this happened?"
"Well, I went to visit him the day after the Night of Champions. We had a few drinks, and we started talking, then one thing led to another..."
Jay and Adam stared at each other for several long seconds, wondering if he'd heard corrected from the other man's mouth.
"Say something Addy, please?" Jay begged, hoping that something wasn't along the lines of "I'm joking!" or "Psych!"
"Dude, I told you not to call me Addy?" Adam tried to look angry, but the way Jay was gazing into his eyes made it impossible.
"You mean it?" Jay asked
"If I didn't mean it, I wouldn'ta said it, eh?" Adam answered
"Wow!" Jay climbed on the couch and wrapped Adam up in an embrace.
"But that doesn't mean you can take advantage of me just because I'm banged up." Adam answered
"Oh." Jay looked downcast. "Can we kiss?"
"Sure, dude. Pucker up."
Slowly, hesitantly, Jay brought his lips to Adam's, kissing them softly, tasting beer, and something minty, possible toothpaste. The taste was exquisite and he held it as long as Adam would allow. Which turned out to be a good minute plus.
When they finally split, they were both breathing heavily.
"Do you know how long I have been waiting for you to let me do that?" Jay gasped, his face red with a mixture of excitement and embarrassment.
"How long?" Adam voice had a taunting lilt to it.
"Since eighth grade." Jay answered "Gym class. The day they pantsed you and everything fell out."
"Well, maybe we should make up for lost time." Adam cupped Jay's chin and brought his mouth in for another smooch...
"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Tom interrupted "That's more than I need to hear, Christian. This isn't some fan fic where graphic details are used to liven up a boring chapter."
"But you asked." Jay responded
"And I regret doing that." Tom replied "How much of this am I at liberty to divulge if say, Matt threatens to shave off my eyebrows?"
"None. But don't worry. The Smackdown grapevine will probably be buzzing soon, if not already." Jay replied
"Anything else I need to worry about, my lovestruck Champion?"
"Nope. Just thought I'd tell you the good news."
"Cool. Tonight, I'm leaving as soon as the show is over." Tom announced. "I'm taking my husband out for dinner and nothing is gonna stop me!"
Tell that to the idiot driving a forklift down the corridor. Two steps out of his office and Tom was face-to-face with a wall of two by fours. The idiot in question slammed on his brakes, but the momentum dislodged the payload and they tumbled directly in front of the GM, missing him by several fortunate inches.
"Oh. Mr. Hardy, I'm so sorry!" The driver apologized repeatedly while re-stacking the timber.
"Not half as sorry as you woulda been if that had hit me." Tom responded, pointing a warning as he started to look for Jeff.
"Anybody seen Jeff?" He must've asked at least a dozen people before he got something resembling an answer. One of the grips pointed toward the offices.
Tom nodded. "Jeffro? C'mon, I'm famished. Let's go."
His husband was not in any of the offices, and no one had seen him.
"This is getting ridiculous." Tom opened every door, calling Jeff's name, including the women's powder room; thankfully empty.
"Enigma... come on bro. Olly olly oxen free."
Sniffling came from an area near the fire exit.
"Jeffers?" Tom came across his husband, curled up on the floor crying. "What's wrong man?"
The answer surprised him.
"Vince fired me." Jeff waved a pink sheet of paper in Tom's face. "He said I failed a drug test."
"What!" Tom crouched down. "When were you last tested?"
"Three weeks ago." Jeff wiped his nose with his arm.
"That's bullshit. It doesn't take that long for a test to come back." Tom answered "Look at me."
Jeff raised his tear-streaked face to Tom's.
"Someone is fucking with us and I know who." Tom looked over his shoulder. "Let's go back to the hotel, grab some chow, while I make a few phone calls."
"What are you gonna do?" Jeff asked, hiccuping softly.
"Everything I can. If I have to, I will bring this entire company crashing down." Anger flared across Tom's face. "C'mon hon, let's go."
Tom led Jeff outside. His day had gone from bad to worse. His ribs throbbed, he'd almost been squashed by a forklift full of lumber, and now his man had been fired.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Tom mumbled, climbing behind the wheel. "Fuck!" He slammed the wheel, accidentally setting off the horn.
"Tommy, please..." Jeff whimpered. "You're scaring me."
"You've seen me angry before, sweetie. You know I'd never turn on you." Tom turned as much as he could. "Right, honey bunny?"
"Imma guess." Jeff cringed.
Tom breathed loudly several times, removing his hands from the wheel. "Okay, I'm calm. Shall we?"
Jeff nodded, still a little nervous. He knew Tom usually controlled his anger, unless he was in a match, but he was still scared about Tom losing control. Just remembering what had happened after Tom had caught Jack in the process of raping him still haunted Jeff.
The ride home was smooth until some fool made the mistake of cutting Tom off.
"Son of a..." Tom sped up until the 'vette was inches from the other driver's bumper.
"Tommy, what are you doing?" Jeff sat up.
"Imma teach that asshole how to drive." Tom pushed forward slowly, tapping his bumper. This got the driver's attention, alright. Tom gave him the finger, then slowed down putting enough space between the cars so he could pull into the lane on his right.
"Tommy, please... just let's go home." Jeff was scared.
"In a minute." Tom sped ahead, then pulled right in front of the other car, cutting him off in the same way. "Your seat belt on?"
Jeff nodded. "What are ya gonna do?"
"Hold on." There was less than a foot between his rear bumper and the other car's front. Tommy slammed on his brakes. No chance to stop, the other car hit the back of Tom's rental, whiplashing both men. The airbags didn't even have time to deploy fully before Tom was out of the car, strutting toward the stunned driver.
"Roll down your window!" He shouted after a few yanks failed to open the jammed driver's door.
The other driver shook his head. "Fine." Tom slammed his forearm into the window, shattering it. The driver held up his arms to protect himself from the shower of glass.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tom stuck his head into the compartment. "Where the fuck did you learn to drive?"
"You cut me off."
"You were fuckin' tailgating me!" Tom screamed. "You were up my ass so far I could almost taste the exhaust."
"But... but..."
"But nothing. You're payin' for this! This was a fuckin' rental!" Tom was grabbed by the shoulder and pulled away. "What?"
It was Jeff, crying again.
"Are you okay?" Jeff's mouth said yes, but when Tom took a step towards him, he backpedaled.
"Imma callin' Matt." Jeff fumbled his phone out of his pocket.
Matt arrived a few minutes after the police and fire services.
"What happened?"
"This jackass was driving too close to me. I had to stop suddenly and he rammed me." Tom explained
Away from the scene, Jeff was also telling his side of the story, but it was to Matt, and it wasn't the same explanation Tom was giving to the officers.
Matt looked over, anger burning behind his eyes, as he watched his brother-in-law. "You sayin' he caused this?"
"I don't know Matty, but that's not the Tommy I know." Jeff's face told how scared he was.
"That's not the Tommy any of us knows." Matt answered "Baby brother, I tell you what. Let's go back to the hotel, relax, and maybe Tom will calm down enough so we can get to the bottom of this."
"Will that work?" Jeff asked
"It better, or we may have to take drastic measures, but don't worry your little head. Big brother has everything under control." A little irony in that, given that the other big brother seemed to be losing it.
Waiting patiently for Tom to finish with the cops, Jeff told Matt about the events of the day, leading up to his firing. Matt's eyes darkened even further.
"Fired! Failed a wellness test? How? You've been clean for over a year!" He shouted
"I dunno. Tom said he'd do something to help, but I'm really frightened, Matt. Ever since that night at the bar, Tommy hasn't been himself."
"Jeffers, I said we'd take care of it when we got back to the hotel. I'm just gonna call someone."
"Who's Matt talking to?" Tom asked.
"I dunno." Jeff answered "He's comin' back with us, okay?"
If Tom didn't know better, he'd think that Jeff was scared that he'd say no.
"Look, Randy, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't desperate, but everyone knows you've overcome anger issues and I'm afraid that if Tom doesn't get some help, he's gonna snap and hurt Jeff." Matt spoke low.
"Tom wouldn't do that, would he?" Randy yawned. He'd just settled down to sleep when Matt had interrupted.
"Jeff told me that he just had a case of road rage and caused an accident, so I don't know what he's capable of." Matt whispered "Dude...?"
"Fine. But you owe me one." Matt heard the sounds of covers being thrown aside. "I can be there in an hour."
"Thanks, Viper. If this works, I'll make it up to you." Matt hung up before Randy could make a caustic comment.
"You done?" Matt shouted over.
"Yeah. The other driver is yammering that I caused the accident. What a crock!" Tom exclaimed
"Let's just go back to the hotel and relax." Matt suggested
"I don't think that's possible." Tom responded "I'm running on adrenaline right now."
Matt looked at Jeff slyly, nodding almost imperceptibly.
"We'll get some room service, you can have a warm bath, and we'll try to forget all the shit that's been goin' on." Jeff added "Bunny hasn't seen you in a while. She misses her other daddy."
A bath sounded good to Tom. Curling up with Bunny, not so much; he preferred the company of Lizard.
"Fine." Tom sighed
Matt winked at Jeff. Tom saw this.
"What are you two up to?"
"Nothing." Matt started blinking both eyes. "My allergies are bugging me."
Tom bought it with a shrug.
"Mr. Hardy. Here's your papers back. It looks like a pretty clear cut case. If we need anything else, we'll be in touch." The trio was briefly joined by the investigating officer before departation.
"Cool." The fire still burned behind his eyes, but at least it wasn't an inferno.
Matt drove his brothers back to their hotel. As they looked around for a parking spot, Matt kept his eyes open for a familiar car. Not seeing it, he breathed a little easier. Things were going to be much simpler now that Randy wasn't waiting for them.
"Why don't you grab your bath while I order in?" Matt needed to get Tom out of the way for as long as possible. At least until Randy arrived. The plan was fubar if Tom answered the door for Orton.
"Whatever, man." Tom replied "After today, I don't give a crap about anything any more."
"Awwwww, Tommy, things are gonna be okay, you'll see." Jeff grabbed Tom's good side, but let go in seconds. The skin under the light shirt was hot! It was like a fire was burning inside his husband, and every muscle, every tendon was standing out, almost like he was being consumed from the inside.
"Can't get much worse, can they?" Tom looked down at Jeff, the loving smile he usually wore a distant memory. "I mean, as of 9:47 p.m. on Thursday July thirtieth, two thousand and nine, the lives of the Hardy collective are a ten on the fucked-up scale."
"Don't worry. Things will get better. I promise."
Once the door was open, Tom made a directly line to the bathroom.
"Half-an-hour. I hope Tom takes a long bath." Matt whispered
"Me too." Jeff answered in a whispered tone as well.
In the bathroom, Tom pulled off his shirt and bandages and stared at his torn flesh. He still hated to, but he forced himself to focus on it. He reached up, feeling his neck, and grimaced when he felt the tightness. It was like a real bad sunburn. He ran the tub full of lukewarm water, hoping a trick he used for sunburn relief would take some of the redness out of his skin here as well.
Quickly stripping off the rest of his clothes, he immersed himself in the tub and waited for the water to wash the stress away. Twenty-five minutes later, he stepped out of the tub. It hadn't worked as well as Tom had hoped. His skin had lost some of the redness, but was still really tight.
"It'll do." Wrapping himself in a terrycloth robe, Tom exited. Matt and Jeff were both waiting for him, but they were not the only people in the room.
"I thought you were ordering dinner?" He demanded, pulling the robe closed. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"Tom, Randy's here to help you."
"Help me. With what?" Tom asked, looking from one man to the next with suspicion.
"Matt's told me everything. I've been there." Orton responded
"Been where?" Tom demanded "Just what the fuck is going on?"
Jeff sighed. This was going to be difficult. "Tommers, you know I love you, but this can't go one any more. You need help."
Tom looked from Jeff to Randy to Matt, then back to Jeff. His bad day... had just gotten worse.
TBC