Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for your reviews, guys! I'm glad you're all liking this! And though we are coming up on the end soon, there have been some revisions on these last couple chapters. There were originally going to be ten all together, but with some last minute changes, there will be eleven. Not that you guys mind, I don't think, lol. So, thanks to Expect-the-Unexpected75, Renna33, Vampirebaby13, vampiregirl2009 (sorry for combining your pen names!), ThePinkyPop, x0allisonqt0x (Girl... your mind is just about as evil as mine, lol! Thanks for the ideas!), myers1978, and elliexhardy (thanks for both chapters, girl!) for your reviews! So, let's continue!

Chapter 9

Matt and Jay stumbled back and fell to the concrete, the force of the explosion knocking them over as the intense heat swarmed over them. Jay winced when he landed on his right arm hard while Matt slowly sat up, looking at the flaming building in front of him with horror.

"No! Jeff!" The older Hardy got to his feet and began to run toward the arena.

Jay started to sit up but cringed when his arm still hurt and started to tingle as it lost a little feeling. "Matt, stop!" he called after him.

Phil and John ran past Jay and quickly caught up with Matt, grabbing onto him to stop him from getting any closer to the burning building. Jay slowly got to his feet, looking back at the couple still behind him. Taryn was wrapped in Drew's arms, both of them looking at the arena with shock.

"Let go!" Matt shouted, trying to fight out of Phil and John's arms. "I have to... Jeff!"

"You can't, Matt," Phil muttered, looking at the flaming arena with defeat. "There's no way you could get in there."

"We're too late," John added quietly, his tone reflecting the sorrow of the loss of another one of his best friends. "I'm sorry, Matt."

Matt struggled in their hold for a couple more minutes before collapsing to the ground, sobs shaking his body. "Jeff..." His little brother was gone.

Jay sighed heavily, wishing they could have gotten to the arena in time to save the younger Hardy. He began to walk toward the three men, but then he stopped with confusion when he saw two dark figures walking out of the arena from what appeared to be a side door. His eyes narrowed as he watched them slowly walk closer, gasping as his eyes widened again in disbelief when he recognized one of them.

"It's Jeff!"

Matt, Phil, and John quickly looked up, watching as the two people got closer to them. One of them truly was Jeff, leaning on a man with a hood over his head as he limped toward them. The older Hardy immediately got to his feet and ran over to them, taking his younger brother from the hooded man. Jeff's shaking legs finally gave out on him after the ordeal, and he dropped down to the hard ground.

"God, Jeff, are you okay?" Matt asked, kneeling next to him and looking him over. Other than a couple cuts on his wrists and some minor burns, he didn't appear to have any serious injuries.

Jeff looked at Matt with shock before he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug as sobs shook his shoulders. "Matt... I'm so sorry..."

"For what?" Matt asked, surprised by the sudden action as he held his little brother close. "It should be me apologizing, not you."

"I... I thought I wasn't going to get to tell you..." Jeff muttered through his tears. "I... forgive you..."

Matt tightened his arms around Jeff as he began to cry as well, the two brothers simply comforted by each other's presence. The hooded man watched them for a moment before he walked away from them, starting to head away from the burning arena.

Jay watched as the man started to cross the parking lot, wondering if he was the one who had called Matt to tell him where Jeff was. Acting on instinct, he followed after him.

"Hey," he said, grabbing his arm to stop him. "Aren't you going to stick around to let us thank you for saving our friend?"

The man didn't say anything, but he also didn't try to fight out of his hold. Then, he slowly turned to face him, and Jay released his arm when he caught a glimpse of his features under his hood in the light from the crackling flames that was familiar.

"Who are you?" Jay asked quietly.

After a long, tense moment, the man lifted his hands and slowly lowered his hood. Jay's eyes widened in shock as he stared at his face. A thin line of tears formed in his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief, unable to say anything to the man.

"Don't you dare start crying," Adam told him. "Because as soon as you do, I'm going to start."

"It can't..." Jay muttered, still not believing that his best friend, his brother, was standing in front of him after he thought he had been buried alive. "Adam..."

Adam gave him a small smile. "Yes, Jay," he replied. "I'm just fine."

Jay let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he wrapped his arms tightly around the other man. "How..." he began to ask, only able to get that one word out as he struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Shane left before the hole was completely filled, and that's when I made my escape," Adam explained, hugging him back. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Jay. I had to keep low so Shane continued to think I was dead. I would have told you if I could..."

"I know," Jay said, feeling a couple of tears fall despite his efforts to keep them back. "I'm just... so glad you're alive..."

"Hey, what did I say about crying, Jay?" Adam felt tears forming in his own eyes as he held the man he considered to be his brother closer.

Jay laughed quietly as he began to cry a bit more freely. "Well, you'll have to forgive me for that."


Shane pulled his car into the arena parking lot and slowly came to a stop toward the back, wanting to see Matt's response to learning that he had been too late to save his brother. He wanted to at least see one of their reactions since he hadn't been able to see Jay's.

But what he saw instead was not what he expected. Matt was kneeling on the ground next to Jeff, both with tears streaming down their faces as Phil and John approached them with broad smiles. Not far away, Jay and Adam released each other from a hug as Drew and Taryn joined them, the latter laughing when he was tightly hugged by the blonde woman.

Adam and Jeff had both survived.

Shane slammed the steering wheel as he cried out in anger. His plan had been perfect. Adam should have been crushed and Jeff burned, but yet, they both survived the traps he had set for them. It wasn't possible...

He watched the two smaller groups join together, his breath coming a bit more quickly as he rolled down the window before he opened his glove compartment and pulled out a small handgun.


"So, you escaped from the hole before it was completely filled?" John asked.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, I honestly don't know how I did it. Adrenaline, probably," he answered. "I didn't even know Shane was setting Matt up, so I'm sorry about that. But, while you guys all thought I was dead, Shane included, I was able to keep an eye on him without him knowing. I knew he was going to go after Jeff next, so I wanted to make sure I could step in to help if I could. I called Matt to tell him where he was, but I could tell that you guys wouldn't get there in time, so I went in myself. I should have called sooner."

"That was you?" Matt looked at Adam with surprise.

"Good thing he called," Jeff muttered, smiling slightly at his older brother. Matt returned it before ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, that was me," Adam told the older Hardy with a small smile of his own. "Sorry for blocking the number and what not, but I couldn't risk you knowing I was alive in case Shane overheard you."

"That's okay. I understand," Matt replied. "You had us all going. But because of you, Jeff's alive, and that means more to me than I can say." He then stuck his hand out to him. Adam looked at it for a short second before taking it, somewhat surprised when the older Hardy pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you," Matt muttered.

Adam returned the hug before he pulled away, and he smiled at the other man as he went back to stand next to Jay. "You're welcome."

Suddenly, the group jumped when a loud gunshot echoed in the night air around them. Adam watched with horror when Jay screamed with pain as he collapsed to the concrete, hands at his left side as blood blossomed on his shirt.

"Jay!" Adam knelt down next to him, wrapping his arm behind his back to support him, Jay's head resting on his shoulder, while Matt and Jeff dropped down in front of them with worry.

Then, a pair of headlights landed on them, and they all squinted in the sudden bright light to try to see before they heard the sound of squealing tires as a black car sped out of the parking lot.


Shane glanced in his rearview mirror, watching as John, Phil, and Drew ran after his car for a little bit but stopped when he pulled out onto the dark street. He tossed the handgun into the passenger seat next to him as he drove away from the arena, glad that he had made some sort of impact.

But it wasn't nearly enough. He hadn't had his full revenge. Shane's hands tightened around the steering wheel as his eyes shone with anticipation, the lights of the hotel coming into sight. He had noticed at the arena that there was one person missing from their group.


Maria paced her and Phil's hotel room with Lexie as she cried, nothing she tried to do to console her working. She sighed heavily, holding the girl close to her. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay..."

"Da..." Lexie mumbled in between her tears.

"He'll be back soon, Lexie," Maria whispered, kissing her daughter's head. "I hope..."

"Da..."

Then, Maria gasped quietly when she heard a knock on the door. Sighing with relief, she quickly crossed the room and opened it. "Thank God you're back, Phil..."

But her sentence trailed off when she saw that it wasn't Phil, and she held Lexie close to her chest protectively as she backed away from the door. Shane McMahon followed her inside, a smirk appearing on his face when he saw the fear in her eyes as he shut the door behind him.

"Hello, Maria."


Adam watched as Phil, John, and Drew stopped running after the black car disappeared from sight with mounting anger, tempted to go after who he had no doubt was Shane McMahon himself. But his attention was returned to his best friend when Jay groaned in pain when Matt carefully lifted his shirt a little, seeing that the bullet had gone deep into his side.

"Hang in there, Jay," Adam muttered, able to tell that the other man was trying trying to keep the extent of pain he was in from them. He was going to wring Shane's neck.

Jay laughed hollowly, wincing when the older Hardy placed his hands on either side of the entrance wound to try to get a better look at it. "I'm okay," he told him quietly, his face growing a shade paler as he tensed in Adam's arms. It was painful enough without the other man touching it.

Adam shook his head and smiled slightly, feeling a thin line of tears form in his eyes. He wished it would have been him that had been hit instead of Jay. It hurt him to see the man he considered to be his brother trying to fight through the extreme pain he was obviously feeling as though it was no big deal. "Just hang in there, okay?"

The other man's next words were uttered with a more defeated tone, his uneven breath coming shakily. "I will..."

"Jeff, call for an ambulance," Matt told his brother anxiously as he looked over the gunshot wound. The younger Hardy nodded, getting to his feet and pulling out his cell phone before dialing the number.

Taryn knelt down where Jeff used to be, taking her light sweatshirt from around her waist. "Here, this will help slow down the bleeding," she muttered, bunching it up and putting it firmly on Jay's side.

Jay bit down on his bottom lip, his face draining of all color when he couldn't hold back another cry of pain. Adam tightened his arm around him comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Jay," Taryn said quietly, squeezing his hand. Blood loss was her major concern. "But this will help..."

After a moment, Jay nodded, his breath quickening. "I know..." he replied, his voice hardly audible. "It's okay, Taryn..."

Adam's gaze saddened as he watched his best friend struggle, looking up only when Jeff came back over to them. "An ambulance is on the way," he announced, putting his phone back in his pocket as he crouched down next to his brother. "How ya' doing, Jay?"

Jay slowly turned to look at the younger Hardy, his gaze disoriented. "I'm okay..." he answered in a whisper.

Matt sighed, looking at his friend with concern before turning his attention to the other two. "Taryn, keep the pressure on the wound," he instructed. "Adam, keep talking to him. We need to keep him with us."

Taryn nodded as she pressed down on her sweatshirt, Jay hissing with pain, as Matt and Jeff got to their feet and stood nearby to watch for the ambulance. Adam tabbed Jay's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, Jay, look at me," he said, smiling slightly when his best friend slowly turned back to look at him, his gaze dim. "Hang in there, Man. Help's on the way. Hold on, okay?" His voice cracked a little due to the tears that were threatening to fall.

Jay looked up at Adam for a long moment, a hint of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "... Okay..." Then, his eyes slowly closed.

Adam's heart nearly stopped as he looked down at him with fear. "Jay! Come on, Jay..." he shouted anxiously, shaking him gently to try to get him to respond. "Jay, don't you dare... After all that's happened... I can't die but you can? No, that's not going to happen! Jay, come on! Don't you dare die on me!"

Taryn kept the pressure on Jay's side, feeling her own eyes beginning to water as she watched tears fall freely down Adam's face as he held the man he considered to be his brother. She reached forward and placed two fingers on Jay's neck, feeling light, uneven movement under her fingertips. "He's still hanging in there, Adam," she muttered, hoping that her words would be somewhat comforting to the Rated R Superstar.

But Adam hardly acknowledged her as he looked down at Jay, his face blurred by the fresh tears that were rushing to his eyes. "Damn it, Jay," he whispered. "Please... Hold on, Jay..."


Drew sighed as he kicked a loose piece of concrete out of anger. "Damn..." he muttered. "If only we noticed the car sooner..."

"Nothing we can do about it now," John added, turning back to look at Jay with concern. "It had to be Shane..."

"I have no doubt in my mind." Phil's hazel eyes were blazing, but he couldn't help but wonder where the younger McMahon was going in such a hurry.

The three men stood in silence for a moment before John sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to go check on Jay," he told them, starting to hurry over to where they were tending to their injured friend. Drew went with him, and Phil began to follow them but stopped when his cell phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket, seeing that it was Maria. The Straightedge Superstar turned and walked in the opposite direction as he answered the call.

"What's up, Ria?" He opened the driver's door of his car and climbed in behind the wheel, thinking he may have to rush back to the hotel because of something with Lexie, but his eyes narrowed in concern when she didn't answer. "Ria?"

There was a long moment of silence before he heard quick, uneven breathing. "... Phil..." Maria finally muttered shakily, tears in her voice.

Phil was immediately on high alert as he tensed in the seat. "Ria, what's wrong?" he asked anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"No... It's Shane. He's here. He-!" Maria's sentence was immediately cut off as she whimpered with pain.

"Ria! Ria!" Phil waited for a moment, wanting to hear her voice again. But the next voice he heard was not the one he wanted to hear.

"Hello, Phil."

"You bastard!" Phil shouted angrily, his hand tightening around the phone. "Stay away from my family!"

Shane laughed. "A little late for that," he said. "But don't worry, they'll be well taken care of. It's all part of the plan. Maria's a bit... tied up at the moment, though. And your daughter... She's so cute. But does she always cry this much?"

Phil cursed heatedly under his breath when he heard Lexie's familiar cry in the background. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" he snapped. "Or I swear I will kill you with my bare hands!"

"I would like to see you try." Phil heard Maria scream his name, and then the line went dead.

Cursing again, Phil tossed his phone to the passenger seat and shut the door before putting on his seatbelt. He started his car, watching as the rest of his friends anxiously tried to help Jay before he backed out of the parking lot and sped off toward the hotel, hearing the approaching sirens of what he knew must have been an ambulance as the arena was soon out of sight.

He didn't think he had ever driven so fast in his life. After ignoring a few phone calls that must have been from some of the group wondering where he was, Phil pulled into the hotel parking lot, taking up two spots, before he hurried into the building and up the stairs. He ran down the hallway, coming to a stop in front of his room and ramming his shoulder into the door to force it open.

The first thing he saw was Maria, tied to the chair next to the desk with a gag in her mouth. Her eyes widened as she shook her head when he knelt down next to the chair and removed the gag from her tear-stained face.

"It's okay, Ria. I'll get you-!"

"No!" Maria said anxiously, cutting him off. "He has Lexie!"

Phil's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly looked over his shoulder when he heard the door to the bathroom open. He watched as Shane entered the main part of the room, a crying Lexie in his arms.

Author's Note: That's it for this one! Remember, there will be two more chapters instead of just one. Yes, Adam and Jeff both survived! But it's not looking good now. What'll happen next? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!