Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

Author's Note: Hey! I'm glad none of you wanted to kill me after that tragic chapter, haha. That's good! Thank you so much to Expected-the-Unexpected75 (thanks again for your help! That turned out beautifully!), - .I .Dream .of .Hardyz.-, the hardy boyz lover, dumwolf16, and xOallisonqtOx for your reviews! I really appreciate them! Just a note. The lyrics I use toward the beginning are actually from a Disney song (wow, I feel almost nerdy now, lol. But I still love them!) called "If I Never Knew You," which is the "lost" song in Pocahontas that was released on the DVD. Just thought it fit the mood a bit. Now, how will the Core deal with the loss? Well, we'll see… Get ready for the "Kleenex chapter!"

Chapter 9- Come Back to Me

Artist: David Cook

"If I never knew you

If I never felt this love

I would have no inkling of

How precious love can be…"

She had a feeling Jeff was dead before Matt and Shannon even came back to the house and confirmed it, she had just desperately hoped otherwise. It was something she couldn't explain. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she had just imagined it. But even before her friends had gone to look for him, she had heard Jeff's voice clearly in her mind, though it had also been very weak.

"I love you, Beth."

She truly believed that she had found her soul mate in Jeff, and she also believed that they were connected on a deeper level that would almost seem supernatural. That was how she had heard Jeff tell her he loved her for the final time.

"And if I never held you

I would never have a clue

How at last I find in you

The missing part of me…"

Beth felt tears sting her eyes as she sat on the bed in the guest bedroom they had been using, holding a picture of her and Jeff tightly in her hands. It was one of her favorites, one that had been taken the previous summer on one of the Core trips to Myrtle Beach before the house fire. It was a simple picture with her wrapped tightly in Jeff's arms while he kissed her head, but it was one that reminded her that no matter what happened, she would always have him with her.

But now… everything was different. Jeff was gone. Jeff, the love of her life, her soul mate… was dead. Jeff had been the one constant in her life even when she lost everything else, the one thing that she could always depend on to be there. Jeff had promised her that he would always be there when he needed her, that he would be there to catch her if she should fall. And the one time that she had fallen the hardest, Jeff was not there to help lift her back up.

"In this world so full of fear

Full of rage and lies

I can see the truth so clear

In your eyes, so dry your eyes…"

Beth's body shook as she began to quietly sob, watching as her tears fell onto Jeff's face in the picture she still held tightly in her hands. How could he do this to her? How could he leave her now when she needed him the most? They were going to start their new lives together in their new house, they were engaged, she was expecting his child…

That last thought made her heart flutter with panic. At first, she had been thrilled when she learned that she was pregnant with Jeff's child, but now that he was no longer with her, she was terrified- terrified because she didn't want to have the baby on her own, didn't want to raise the child without a father. For one moment, she wondered if this child was even worth having.

But then, a small part of her deep inside told her that yes, this child was worth it. Beth clutched the picture she held a bit tighter. Not only was this child a part of her, but a part of Jeff as well. He would still be with her in that way.

"And I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Lost forever if I never knew you…"

Beth gently set the picture on the bed beside her before pulling her knees close to her chest as she cried into her arms. She knew she was now alone without Jeff, and that thought scared her. Her heart had been shattered into countless pieces since half of her had also died along with him, and she was now filled with a strange feeling of emptiness that couldn't be filled. She had no idea what to do.

"Jeffro…" Beth whispered through her tears, looking out the window beside her longingly. "Please… come back to me…"


"I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong

All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night…"

Matt sighed as he finished setting up Jeff's silver Hardy Boyz pendant on the mantle above the fireplace, making sure that it wrapped around a few more important things that reminded him of his younger brother. It still felt as though Jeff was only away on some sort of errand or something and would be coming home soon. But that wouldn't be the case. The older Hardy knew that he wouldn't be coming back, and that thought broke his heart.

Turning away from the mantle with a heavy sigh, Matt's sorrow-filled gaze then landed on the presents beneath the Christmas tree, which provided the only light in the room, and he slowly walked over and knelt down in front of it. He hesitantly picked up one that he had bought for Jeff, wondering what to do with them now. If they remained where they were, they would never be opened, but he couldn't bring himself to get rid of them, even though Jeff would not be there to open them. After a short, internal debate, Matt decided to just leave the presents the way they were in his memory.

The steady pain that had been pulsing in his heart was becoming unbearable. Jeff, his baby brother and best friend that he had been there for ever since their mother died and before, was gone forever. He still couldn't bring himself to believe that. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Jeff should have died before him, especially by someone else's hand. But what was devastating him the most was that the one time Jeff had needed him the most, he hadn't been there for him.

"Jeff…" Matt's voice broke as he buried his face in his hands and sobs racked his body, feeling almost guilty that these were the first tears he had actually shed for his brother. Beth had already shown her grief, and he had even seen Shannon cry a little. Why was it that he finally cried so much later? It wasn't because he cared about their Enigma any less, that much was certain. He had known Jeff for his entire life. But whatever the reason, his feelings were coming out strongly now as knelt on the floor sobbing, the hard reality finally settling in for him. "Jeff, please… don't leave…"

Then, Matt stopped his tears for a moment as a warm, almost calming feeling bloomed in his heart when he definitely felt another presence in the room with him, and he slowly lowered his hands and looked over his shoulder. What surprised him was that there was no one there, though he was sure he felt someone.

"Jeff?" he wondered hesitantly, his voice shaking. The presence lingering in the room was very familiar and comforting to him…

But then, the older Hardy gasped when quiet footsteps brought him out of his thoughts and the presence vanished, and he watched as Beth came down the stairs and entered the living room. She kept her distance as she lingered near the entryway, and Matt noticed that her face was pale, her eyes moist and red-rimmed from crying.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked hesitantly, unable to meet his gaze.

"Of course you can, Britt," Matt answered, wiping his own tears away as he took a deep breath and got to his feet. "Come on."

Beth gave him a small but grateful smile as she slowly walked across the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. She moved as close to the older Hardy as she could, and Matt wrapped his arm securely around her. His presence was comforting to her. "I couldn't stay in that room any longer," she explained quietly. "Being alone in there was too difficult…"

"You shouldn't have to be alone now, Britt," Matt told her, rubbing her arm in a calming manner. "None of us should."

With a heavy sigh, Beth slowly looked up at him. "Matt… can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Sure, Britt," Matt answered as he looked back down at her. "What is it?"

Beth sighed again. "I don't know," she said, almost as if she was changing her mind. "You… you would probably call me crazy if I told you…"

Despite himself, Mat laughed a little. "Britt, you've lived with us for how long?" he replied. "Right now, nothing's crazy to me."

"Promise?"

Matt couldn't think of a time where he had seen Beth so unsure, so helpless before. But, he knew he couldn't expect anything less. The man who she considered to be her better half was dead. "Yes, Britt, of course," he muttered, tightening his arm around her to reinforce his words.

Beth sighed again. "I heard him," she told him in nearly a whisper, and Matt immediately knew who she was talking about. "I can't explain how or why, but I heard him. He said he loved me. There was just something about the way he said it that sounded final, you know? It was as though he knew he was going to die…" Her sentence trailed off as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"There's something else I think you should know, Britt," Matt said quietly with a sigh of his own. "His last word… was your name. He never stopped thinking about you."

That statement caused a broken sob to escape from Beth as she started to cry harder, and the older Hardy pulled her closer as he tried to comfort her. The depth of Beth and Jeff's love was truly amazing, and it was something that he knew he would never fully understand. Their connection was just unbelievable. That was what made his death so difficult for her to handle.

Once she calmed down a bit, Matt gently tilted her face up so he could look her in the eye. "How are you feeling, Britt," he asked quietly with concern as he wiped her tears away. "I mean, with the baby and all."

Beth sighed heavily, gently placing her hand on her stomach. Though it wasn't outwardly visible yet, there was definitely a life beginning to form inside of her. "I'm scared, Matt," she answered truthfully.

"Scared?" Matt repeated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why, Britt? This baby's a blessing!"

Tears formed in Beth's eyes again, and a few leaked out as she tried to blink them away. "I can't have it, Matt, I just can't," she told him in nearly a whisper. "I'm too scared… I can't have this baby on my own and then raise it without a father. I can't…"

"You won't be alone, Britt," Matt muttered, kissing her forehead lightly. "I'll be here for you however you need me to be, and for the baby too, of course. But I know Jeff, and I know he always wanted to one day be a father. This child is something that he would want."

Beth nodded, knowing that Matt was right. If anything, she would have this child for Jeff. Her fears were calmed slightly by his words, though they were still there in the back of her mind, but she did feel comforted knowing that the older Hardy would be there for her every step of the way. "I just wish I could have told him, Matt…"

"I know." Matt pulled her closer again as he turned on the radio using the remote on the small table next to him. "Just know now that you expecting his child would have been the best news he could have ever heard."

"Yeah…" Beth rested her head on Matt's shoulder, calmed more by the upbeat melody of the song that was playing. She was afraid to close her eyes because of what she might see, but she soon found that she couldn't fight her exhaustion as her eyes slowly closed against her will.

The older Hardy sighed as he listened to the song and merely stared at the Christmas tree in the corner. He knew that Jeff had promised Beth that whenever she needed him, he would be there. Never once had he failed to be there for her- all she needed to do was ask. But the one time she needed him the most, Jeff wasn't there for her. He knew that Beth had been broken beyond repair by his death, and he desperately hoped that the birth of her and Jeff's child would help her somewhat. It would give her a reason to live, at least, and that was important.

Matt then looked down at Beth in his arms, able to tell by the quiet sound of her even breathing that she was asleep. He was relieved about that since she desperately needed the rest after the emotionally draining night. He sighed, still holding her close as he shifted to a more comfortable position and rested his cheek on top of her head before closing his eyes, feeling relaxed by the lights coming from the Christmas tree. It only took him a couple minutes to follow Beth into what he knew would be a restless sleep.

"So I'll let you goI'll set you freeAnd when you see what you need to seeWhen you find youCome back to meAnd I hope you find everything that you needI'll be right hereWaiting to see you find youCome back to me…"

Author's Note: And those last lyrics were from the song that this chapter was named after, lol. Wasn't that sad? The Beth hearing Jeff thing was inspired by the book Jane Eyre, so yeah. No, this story is not over yet, lol. They still have Brittany to deal with. But, I am curious as to what your thoughts are as to who killed Jeff. Hmm… Anyway, thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!