Turning Tables

Disclaimer: We all know that I am not lucky enough to own Jeff Hardy or anyone else..just Xerxes and the OC(s).

Chapter 7: A Change of Heart

…...

I ditched the hotel early the next morning. Way earlier before Tayryn woke up. I'd deal with that problem later. I had a pretty long flight ahead of me. I knew I shouldn't have gone drinking. Nothing good ever comes of me drinking. I mean, Tayryn was good, but she was an interference with my plans. Maybe after I've got Xerxes' hand, but no sooner.

I was sitting in my seat on the plane listening to some music when I caught a glimpse of a pair of smooth tan legs next to me. I looked up and took in the image of this raven haired beauty who'd come to sit next to me. My luck was just too much.

"Hi." She laughed. "I'm Carsey. Looks like we're seat buddies." She said as I stood up to let her in.

"Jeff and yea looks like." I said. She moved into the seat and put her stuff in the overhead compartment before sitting down.

"So, how often do you guys have to fly?" She asked.

"What?" I asked her.

"Sorry, it's just, I saw you wrestle Thursday night. Plus who wouldn't recognize you? " She giggled.

"Thanks, I pretty much fly every other week. How long have you been a wrestling fan?" I asked her.

"Ugh, ever since I was a little girl. I'm 28 now. If it counts for anything, I'm so glad you went to TNA. WWE was and is still getting extremely overrated. It isn't even about the wrestling anymore over there." She said.

"It counts for a little bit." I smiled at her.

"So where ya headed?" She asked next.

"Back home thankfully." I said letting out a sigh of relief.

"Ohh. Back to a girlfriend I suppose?" I caught her hint and began thinking in my head. She was cute and she had a great body. Someone obviously wanted me to have these girls or they wouldn't keep throwing them at me. Plus, it'd be nice to sleep with someone who was experienced.

"Nope. Not going back to anyone worth while."

…...

I guess I really wasn't going back to anyone worth while. She looked...different. She'd cut all her beautiful hair off into a shorter style that touched her shoulders and that just seemed to do it. It was a lot more of a change that you'd think it be. Like when I cut my hair and I look like a legit redneck. She stood in front of me in a short little red dress that clung to her hips. It was low cut so her cleavage was exposed. Behind her the table was clothed in a white drape and embellished in plates with fancy foods and deserts. Wine glasses and bottles. The works.

"I'm so glad you're home." She smiled as she strode over to me. She reached up and kissed my lips softly before pulling away and stroking my cheek.

"I really missed you." She told me.

"I can tell." I told her. "Your hair. What did you do to it?"

"You don't like it?" She said with a sad expression.

"You look different...but still good. I just want to know why." I told her.

"Well new friend, new powers, new hair...new job." She cooed.

"Woah woah woah. Friend and job? I was only gone for a week." I said.

"Yea and can you believe all this happened in less than that? Her name is Tessa Malavo. She's white and Hispanic. She's really sweet and shy too. Oh and pretty, and creative and I really really like her. She's helping me make merchandise for my marathon at the academy that I'm hosting to raise money to buy the bakery downtown hence my new job." She said. I absorbed all this information bit by bit caring less and less.

"That's great. Glad you're fitting in and branching out."

"Thank you." She said giving me a quick peck. "Come on let's sit down. I made something so delicious for you." She said as we took our seats.

"What exactly is it?" I asked.

"Just something simple. Some salad, meats, vegetables, pudding. Chardonnay." She said.

"You aren't even legal to drink." I scoffed picking up the wine bottle.

"At Dusk Dinners I am. It's like you guys have your own separate universe. I love that store! It has tons of delicious stuff for my recipes. In your world I'm legal for anything! You just have no clue the busy week I've had." She exclaimed. Something was up with her. She seemed a little too excited. Surely my coming back wasn't this exciting?

"What's going on with you?" I asked.

"Nothing." She said shaking her head. "Can't I be happy for your return?"

"Well, with the conversation we had before I left I thought you'd be a little...pissy." I told her.

"I'll admit, I was hurt, but you were right. And you're right now, there is something going on. While you were gone I met someone." She admitted.

"You what?" I snapped. "What the hell do you mean you met someone!?"

"Wait wait, it's not like that!" She said in defense.

"Then what the hell is it like?" She tapped her fingers along the table and then folded her hands.

"I met your parents." She said. She waited a moment for me to respond and when I didn't she kept going. My hearing was in and out of the conversation. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that she met my parents. Laura. She met that woman.

"So anyways Lucas was all like 'You should come to my house this time and-" Of course it would've been Lucas' fault this happened.

"Your dad is cute. I see where you get your looks from. Laura, she's so beautiful. She said she'd heard lots about me too. I didn't know you talked about me with them."

"How did you come about meeting them again?" I asked.

"Lucas. He said I should come to his house and we were in the backyard practicing the usual and they came out looking for him and found me there too. It was really an accident."

"Yea, I bet it was. Look, Xerx I'm not really in the mood to eat. Thanks, but no thanks."

…...

"Hello welcome to the Mystic Library, how may I help you?" The woman spoke in a dull nasally voice while she smacked on a piece of tired gum. She had her white hair held up in a neat bun with decorative chopsticks. Bright red lipstick stained her lips that seemed to curl upward at me.

"Yes we were looking for a book of spells..for witches." Tessa said when I didn't answer.

"Do you have a library card?" She asked us turning in her chair to face us.

"No. This is my first time here." I told her.

"And you?" She said directing her attention to Tessa. Tessa opened her purse, pulled out her wallet, and flashed the woman her library card.

"Come with me." She said standing up out of her chair and walking from behind the oval desk. The woman wore a simple black pencil skirt and a white button up blouse with black pointy toe heels. The cliché librarians outfit. She was a tall slender woman. She waved me along with her bony finger and Tessa and I followed her. We wound up in the librarians office.

"Sit on that stool." She said pointing a to a red top stool. I moved slowly towards the little stool and sat down smoothing my dress out.

"You get three chances for your photo and that's it." She said. "Ready?" I nodded. I tried giving a happy smile, but I couldn't really muster one up. I was stressed. Jeff was treating me differently and I didn't like it. I'd latched onto him way too quickly and now I was starting to feel the bad side effects.

"Honey, no one smiles like that." Tessa said shaking her head.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"Picture two." The lady said. I couldn't help it though. I just wanted him so bad. Jeff was my real first time and it felt amazing. He was the most important thing I had in my life now. I loved him and it hurt knowing he didn't love me the same way.

"Xerxes, you're an extremely beautiful girl. You should be able to take thrilling pictures, but they're all coming out so bland." Tessa sighed.

"Get ready for the last picture." Tessa. Taeler. Lucas. So I'd made some nice friends in this life. If Jeff didn't love me at least I had them. And knowing that brought a real smile to my face. So I wasn't completely alone.

"Yep." Tess nodded. "That's the picture."

…...

"So why exactly are these cards so professional and important?" I asked Tessa while we were picking out some spell books.

"You wouldn't want mortals getting in here and seeing all this stuff would you? It's a very complex system." She said.

"What if I lose the card?" I asked.

"If you lose the card and it doesn't come back to you then you simply come here. They'll ask you questions about yourself and the stuff on the card. Like your element. Electricity. Your source of power. Valkyrie's Amulet. Your sponsor. Lucas and Jeff." She said pulling another book off the shelf.

"Why wouldn't the card come back?" I asked next.

"If you have overdue books the card won't come back until you turn them in or pay the fee." She said. We sat down at a table with our books and by the time I finished skimming one book Tessa had skimmed through at least fifteen. I decided I'd rather do this by myself at home where I can read embarrassingly slow by myself. I said my byes to Tessa and went to the house.

Jeff was there and by surprise so were his parents and Lucas.

"Well hello again." Laura smiled to me.

"Hi." I said. "Jeff can I talk to you?" I asked him.

"Hi Xerxes." Lucas said smiling at me as Jeff stood up and walked over to me.

"Hi Lucas." I smiled.

"What do you want to talk about?" Jeff said stepping in my line of vision.

"Oh so, now you wanna talk to me?" I asked him.

"Excuse me?" He scoffed.

"I wanna know what's going on with you. Then after you tell me that I wanna know what's going on with us, because I'm confused okay I'm just-are you cheating on me?" I asked him.

"Xerxes-"

"Are we even together?" I asked him. Jeff sighed looking down at the table.

"This isn't the time Xerxes." He said.

"Then when is the time, because I'm sick and tired of ignored by you. Last night I tried to do something special for us and you just walked away."

"Sounds like someone has an apology to make." Laura cooed.

"You know you're right Laura." He started. "Xerxes you do deserve an apology and I'm sorry. You deserve so much better than what I've done. Me giving you life, and giving you a place to sleep, and blowing thousands of dollars on you doesn't mean shit when I don't talk to you for 24 damn hours. I'm so sorry that I broke your fucking heart." He spat.

"Woah calm down Jeff. You don't have to jump down her throat about it." I heard Lucas chime in. It would be in character to try and be my superhero.

"The only one who's trying to jump anywhere is you, down her pants. So why don't you kiss my ass, sit down, and shut the hell up while I talk to my girlfriend. Which by the way I hope answers your stupid question." He said turning back to me.

"Don't you mean your toy?" Lucas said standing up.

"Lucas stop." I pleaded quietly.

"Jeff why don't you go ahead and tell Xerxes what she really truly deserves?" Lucas said.

"Oh and what's that? You? I don't think so. Why would she settle for something like you when she has me? What exactly could you do for her Lucas? You couldn't take care of her, you couldn't please her, you wouldn't even be able to kiss her the right way and if by some strange piece of luck you do get to be with her just once, the whole entire time you two were together, she'd be thinking of me."

"You know what, maybe you're right. Maybe I couldn't 'please' her or take care of her, but there is one thing I could do that you will never be able to and that's love her."

"She doesn't want your love." Jeff growled.

"It's better than nothing now isn't it?" Lucas growled back.

"Stop! Please just stop! Look, I just wanted to talk to Jeff okay. I didn't need or want anyone else opinions or inputs. I didn't want anyone trying to be my hero. This was between Jeff and I and no one else. Lucas, thanks, but no thanks. I can fight my own battles." I looked between the two of them one more time before disappearing to my bedroom. I didn't intend on starting a fight. I just wanted to talk.

…...

"I want all of you out." I growled.

"How dare you speak to my son that way." Laura sneered.

"How dare you still talk to me like I care." I said rolling my eyes.

"Oh calm down." My father said. "We're leaving, but I just thought you should know that the council is having a meeting tomorrow. You should come, it may benefit you."

"Whatever." I scoffed. "Just get out. Please." I turned my back to them and sighed to myself. I'd have to fix this with Xerxes. I'm pretty sure I had a right to be mad. She was mad at me because I didn't eat with her? The hell? That made no sense. I went to her room and stood outside her door. I could hear her crying on the other side and something inside me felt weird. I felt..bad. I felt a little guilty on the inside. She was really upset over this.

"Xerxes." I called lightly knocking.

"Go away!" She yelled. Something hit the door, fell down the steps and then to the floor. Probably a pillow. Isn't that what they all throw?

"Xerxes may I come in?" I asked.

"I said, go away! What part don't you understand!? Go or away!?" I bit my tongue and opened the unlocked door. I shut it after me and walked the way to the bed. She was face down on the mattress crying her eyes out into the blankets. I laid down next to her gently and put one around her.

"Xerxes." I whispered. I moved some of her short hair from over her ear and kissed it.

"Stop it." She sniffled.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that." I told her.

"I don't care." She said sniffling some more.

"What do you want me to do to make it better?" I asked honestly. Her tiny shoulders shrugged against the covers.

"Lucas was right. You're never going to love me. Yea it hurts to know that, but I can handle that if I know that you at least like me, but it doesn't even seem like you like me anymore either." She cried.

"But I do like you. I might..I might even love you in a way." I told her. Love? Nah, couldn't be.

"Really?" She asked lifting her head up.

"Yes, really." She shifted her body a little, wiped her eyes and propped herself up on her elbow.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me whether you know it or not." She leaned in and kissed me. I slid her over on top of me and locked my arms around her waist.

"I wanna be with you Jeff." She moaned. "I want you to be mine, all mine. Forever." This scene seemed familiar, those words too seemed familiar. Like someone had said them to me before. Someone had said these to me before. I rolled her over on her back lying on top of her. But I saw another woman. A woman both unwanted and wanted.

"Take me." She breathed. I wanted her so badly. I was throbbing and aching all over for her, but something was stopping me.

'What the hell are you waiting for? You've never hesitated on a woman before, why now? Why this one?' He said in my head.

'She's too much like her. It'd be like being with her all over again.' I told him.

'Stop being a pussy. The bitch is dead, this one's live and willing, begging. Take her. Now. Take her!' So I would. Giving in to his voice in the back of my head. The monster within me. It may as well have been him in this bed with her. Tearing off articles of clothing. Kissing and touching. Penetrating her with such a need that nearly burned my very core. Thrusting with an impatient force deep inside of her.

It made me wonder. Could she really feel this deeply about me so quickly? I felt like I felt decades ago. When I fell in love that first, unfortunate time. She was so beautiful. She was so sweet. I bent and broke every bone in my body to please her. To make her happy. And she cheated on me. She humiliated me. She used me and had the nerve to come crawling back to me. Did she think I'd really feel sympathy for her and her tears? Because she begged and pleaded on her knees? No.

Her lips came down on me again. I looked up at her. She was nothing like her. I hardly doubted that Xerxes could ever have an evil bone in her body. Why was it that hearing those tears fall made me realize all this now? Did I actually care about her now? Because she cried? The confusion that made me right now was practically unbearable.

"I love you Jeff." She said again. "I'll never to you what Heidi did." Heidi. All these thoughts revolved around her and now, finally, someone had spoken her name. It wasn't someone I expected though. Xerxes. How. How did she know about Heidi?