Mark found James out back sucking on a cigarette like his life depended on it. Connor was jumping around him, making failed attempts to cheer him up. "Come on Daddy, don't be sad cuz of poopy head Cooper!" He gave James a big hug. "I still loves you."

James rolled his eyes but at least he cracked a smile. "I love you too Connor."

Mark cleared his throat, putting an end to the touching father/son moment. James looked at him and sighed while Connor stuck his tongue out at him. "Go away!" Connor ordered. "We're busy!"

Mark shook his head. "I need to talk to James right now. Why don't you go play with Snoopy or something?"

"NO! I want my Daddy!"

James gently grabbed on to Connor's shoulders. "There's some cookies and cream ice cream in the freezer," he said. "Why don't you go eat that while Mark and I talk?"

Connor's eyes widened. He loved that kind of ice cream. "Yay! Cookies and cream!" He took off running towards the house as fast as he could. At one point he almost tripped over his own feet, but he managed to regain his balance at the last moment and then got in the house without further incident.

Mark shook his head as he looked back at James. "That kid and his damn ice cream," he muttered. He stared at his lover for a second before sighing. "You know that Annabelle comment was out of line."

James scowled. "If you're here to make me feel bad, you might want to just go back inside. I feel enough like shit as it is." He took another drag from his cigarette before throwing it down on the ground and stomping on it. "Fuck fuck fuck," he muttered under his breath as he dug around in his pocket for another cigarette. "This whole fucking situation…stupid fucking Hardys…Cooper has to be a damn Hardy lover…."

Mark rolled his eyes. "James come on, you are blowing this completely out of proportion. Jeff is--"

"Stealing my child!" James snapped angrily. "That's what he's fucking doing. He's stealing my baby damn it!"

"For God sakes Lawson, Cooper is going to be twenty eight here in June! I think its time you loosen the umbilical cord a little bit."

"Why can't he just be happy with Connor?" James muttered under his breath. He was acting like he hadn't heard Mark say anything at all. "Life would be so much simpler if he--"

"What? Stayed with Connor? James, your boys have a dysfunctional relationship at best," Mark pointed out. "Connor is not stable enough to give Cooper what he obviously needs. Can't you understand it?"

James sighed unhappily. "I understand it…but I don't like it." He finally managed to get the cigarette he was looking for out of his pocket. "I mean, Twinky Dink isn't as bad as Tom but I'm just sensing badness with this whole him and Cooper thing. His shit head of a husband just died not that long ago. He's not gonna be able to give Cooper what he really wants or deserves. Fuck…Cooper should know just as well as I do what losing someone really does to you."

Mark knew that James had a good point there, but he felt like Lawson was still missing the overall point. "Look, I get why you're worried, but you need to just let Cooper do his own thing. You keep smothering him like this and you're going to chase him away."

"Yeah yeah yeah I know," James muttered.

"Are you sure that you--"

"Yes damn it! Did I just say that?" James attempted to light his cigarette and ended up dropping his lighter. "Damn it to fucking hell!"

Mark chuckled and wrapped his arms around James's waist from behind. "Calm down Lawson," he ordered. "Just take a deep breath and calm the fuck down."

"I don't wanna," James muttered.

Mark smirked and stuck his hand up James's shirt so he could run his fingers over the psycho's stomach. "What if I make it worth your while?"

James grinned as Mark's other hand began rubbing his crotch. "You will?"

"Oh yeah." Mark began nibbling on James's neck.

"Well okay then. But there's one thing we need to make clear." James spun around and quickly threw Mark over his shoulder. "I'm so topping tonight."

Mark groaned. He should have expected a move like that. "Oh come on! This isn't fair! Put me down!"

"All's fair in love and war baby," James said. He smacked Mark's ass as hard as he could. "Now quit bitchin'. We're playing by my rules slut."

Mark sighed. He was going to get James for this even if it was the last thing he ever did.

...

Matt pulled his car into the driveway. Ever since leaving Justin in what he hoped were Randy's capable (and not too frisky) hands, he had been focusing on what was coming: trying to explain to Jeff why not only did he think it was not a good idea to go back to TNA, but why he should be careful in jumping into a relationship with Cooper. Randy was right about one thing... he'd already lost one brother thanks to the Lawsons, though indirectly. It would always be a mystery as to why Tom had not gotten into the car with them that night, and it would forever nag at Matt why he didn't try harder to convince him.

"Jeffro, you home?" He banged on the door and waited. Bro better be here or this will have been a waste.

Matt banged again, yelling a little louder when Jeff didn't respond right away. Thoughts of what his little brother could be doing were enough to make Matt seriously consider kicking the door down and rushing inside.

"Jeffro, open up! I need to talk to you... RIGHT NOW!"

Matt was just about to renovate the front door when it was opened and a very sleepy-eyed Jeff stood in front of him.

"There you are. We need to talk." Matt pushed his way inside.

"I heard." Jeff rubbed his eyes. "In fact, I think the entire neighborhood heard."

"Sorry, but this is important." Matt glanced around the ground floor. There was no evidence that anyone else was in the house, to his relief.

"He's not here." Jeff retorted

"Who?" Matt tried to play it dumb, but Jeff was seeing right through him.

"Cooper." Jeff leaned against a wall, glaring at Matt. "So whatever you have to say, just go ahead."

"Jeffro, I'm not here to bust your balls, but I am a little worried."

"Worried? About what?" Jeff laughed "That I'm getting involved in another relationship that I shouldn't? If you've come here to tell me that you think I'm making a mistake, then you can just turn around and go. The only thing between the two of us is we're going to the hall of fame ceremony together."

"It's not that." Matt stepped back. "I just wanna..."

"Wanna what? Stick that beak of yours into something that doesn't concern you? As usual?" Jeff waved his arms around frantically. "Can't you just be happy for me for once?"

This isn't working. Matt changed his attack. "For one thing, I am not here to tell you something you don't already know. And two, you should probably stop waving your arms around before Bunny gets airsick."

Jeff clutched his cuddle toy to his chest. "Shows what you know. Bunny likes playing airplane."

"Jeff, can we just sit down and talk this over like grown men... or as near to it?" Matt asked

"Fine. But Bunny's coming." Jeff pranced into the living room.

"Jeff, Randy and I are just a little worried that you might be..."

"...jumping into another relationship too quickly? Fuck, I've heard this all before." Jeff dropped into a chair and curled his legs underneath his body. "Don't you want me to be happy?"

"It has nothing to do with happy. We buried our brother less than two weeks ago. Don't you think you need to step back before..."

"Let me say this once more so you'll get it. There is nothing between Cooper 'n me. Nuh-thing. " Jeff crossed his arms as well.

"If you say so." Matt sighed.

"Do you want me to call Cooper and have him come over here and explain it to you?" Before Matt could tell Jeff that it was both unnecessary and he wouldn't believe a word out of Cooper's mouth anyhow, Jeff had his cell phone in his hand and was rapidly dialing Lawson's number.

...

He knew his father kept a secret stash of really potent liquor somewhere in the house and if Cooper didn't find it soon, someone was going to need a blood transfusion. Seeing his father walk past him and go up the stairs with Mark slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes made it worse.

"Connor, do you know where dad hides that Chinese stuff?"

Connor pulled his head out of the freezer, his face covered with ice cream. "Nuh-uh Coopy. Daddy said you can't have any more of that after what happened last time!"

"Connor...!"

"'Sides, you're a poopy head for making daddy unhappy." Connor cackled and ran away, dripping ice cream across the kitchen floor.

"You better hope I don't catch you or what dad and Marky are doing is going to seem like fun compared to what I'm going to do to you." Cooper took off after his brother, chasing him out of the house, through the backyard, through the neighbors' backyard and down a nearby hill.

"Nyah nyah nyah... can't catch me, Coopy!" Connor giggled

"And stop calling me Coopy!" Cooper started sprinting. Little brother was going to pay.

"Coopy Coopy Coopy Poopy Coopy Poopy Coopy Poopy..." Connor turned around to stick his tongue out at his brother and ran into a tree.

"Now I've got you." Cooper jumped on his brother and pinned him to the ground.

"Get offa me... meanie!" Connor tried to bite Cooper's arms, hands, neck, or anything else he could reach.

"I'll get off." Cooper smiled "Eventually." He started groping Connor's crotch, making him hard.

"Meanie!" Connor screamed again. "Imma telling daddy!"

"Go ahead. He'll probably say you deserve it." Cooper pulled Connor's pants open and began roughly stroking him. "Or... oh fuck me!" His phone had just rang.

"Is it your boyfriend... owie!" Connor screeched when his dick was squeezed tightly.

"Shut up." Cooper answered the phone while still jerking Connor. "What?"

"Uhm... Cooper?" It was Jeff.

"What's up?"

"Uh, can you come over here?"

"Sure, but why.... goddammit Connor!" Cooper pulled his now bleeding hand away. In his distraction, Connor had bitten him really good.

"Are you busy?" Jeff asked

"Not any more." Cooper sucked on his wounded hand while Connor, cackling loudly, ran away. "What's the problem."

"Matty's being an ass to me." While Matt was taking a leak, Jeff decided to call Cooper. Maybe he could convince Matt that there was nothing to worry about. "He hates it that we're together."

"But we're not." Cooper answered "You said so yourself."

"I know, but he never listens to me. Please?" Jeff whined

Cooper sighed. What is it with brothers... fuck! "Okay, but if he doesn't believe me, then it's your problem."

"Yay... oh, Matty's done potty. Get here soon." The connection was severed before Cooper could even say goodbye.

"Fuck fuck fuck," he muttered under his breath. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped up his throbbing bleeding hand as he began to walk towards Jeff's place. Along the way, he asked himself why he was doing this. How was this fair to him? He wanted to be with Jeff. Hell, Connor could see it and he was the most self centered person Cooper knew. Yet here he was, on his way to Jeff's house to tell Matt that there was nothing going on between him and Jeff, even though he wanted the exact opposite of that. Jeff needs this, he told himself. It's been like two weeks since Tom died. You were a wreck for a year after Joie died…hell, the only relationship you've really had since him has been with Connor…and look how THAT'S turned out.

Maybe Jeff needs support but why does it have to be from you? a voice that sounded remarkably liked James asked.

Come on, let's get real here: what if, even after Jeff gets past Tom's death, he doesn't want to be with you? Just because you fucked once and you jacked him off another time doesn't mean that he even wants to be with you. I mean, he's already been with James…why would he want to jump back on this family's crazy train?

Cooper growled and did his best to shut out the voices the rest of the way to Jeff's. "Just be cool," he muttered under his breath as he rang the doorbell. "Just fucking be cool."

It didn't take long for Jeff to answer the door. "That was quick," he said as Cooper came in.

"Yeah well, I was already out and about," Cooper replied. He did everything he could to avoid direct eye contact with the youngest Hardy. Looking into Jeff's eyes was just going to make it harder on him.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Connor bit me. Where's Matt at?"

"Living room," Jeff answered. "Come on."

Cooper followed Jeff into the living room, involuntarily checking out Jeff's ass the entire way. He stopped as soon as they entered the living room, but judging from the look on Matt's face, he wasn't sure whether Matt had saw him or not. "Okay, let's get this over with," he said quickly, walking past Jeff and standing right in front of Matt. "I'm going to Connorize this for you so you can understand this better." He cleared his throat so he could speak loudly, clearly and very slowly. "Me…not…with…Jeff. Me…no…fuck him right now. We…no…date. Understand?"

Matt glared at him. "I'm not stupid like your--"

Cooper quickly grabbed him by the throat and squeezed it tightly. "I would really reconsider what you are about to say," he growled. "Or you will be leaving this house on a stretcher." Despite the way Connor constantly frustrated him, he didn't put up with people insulting his brother's intelligence. Only he was allowed to do that.

"Cooper! Let him go!" Jeff said nervously.

Cooper kept up his grip for a few seconds longer and then let Matt go. Matt coughed and rubbed his throat while glaring at Cooper. "Why exactly should I believe you?" he asked. "Last time I checked, you Lawsons weren't exactly trustworthy."

"Oh God," Jeff muttered. "Matt stop it! You're being an ass!"

Cooper scowled and shoved his hands into his pocket in an effort to keep himself under control. "We might not really be trustworthy, but we're not liars. Not unless we have to be." He cast a quick look at Jeff before returning his gaze to Matt. "Now look. I know you're looking out for Jeff and I admire that. But you have got to stop being so paranoid about this. Jeff and I are not together. Now can you understand that?"

Matt didn't nod or shake his head. Instead he just looked Cooper in the eyes and blurted out this lovely gem: "You say you're not a liar…so tell me…do you want to be with my brother?"

Cooper almost hit Matt for that question. He really did. Bastard backed me into a corner…fucking son of a bitch. "What I want doesn't matter. It never matters so why should it start now?"

"That didn't answer my question."

"Yeah well, it's what you're getting." Cooper shoved Matt back on to the couch and then handed Jeff a lamp. "He gets out of line you just whack him in the head with this. It should work just fine." He patted Jeff on the shoulder and then left the house as suddenly as he had arrived.

If Matt believes that, then I'll be surprised. Hell, I don't even know what to believe any more.