Disclaimer: I do NOT own the following wrestlers, or any of the events that actually happened on camera, or anything remotely recognizable.
I respect the actual beliefs and sexualities of the following wrestlers.
Thanks for the reviews, all. I love them. And I love the speculation! Keep speculating! This chapter's dedicated to Redsandman99, because each review she leaves makes me wish I wrote a longer chapter.
When we last left off, bad things were happening...
Chapter Ten: Identity Crisis
"Can you believe it?" Shane asked his friends, "Julie said she saw Matt yesterday. They keep driving him from the Sheriff's house to the police station and back."
"Why the fuck are they holding him?" Shannon asked, "They can't think he hurt Gil and Jeff, can they?"
"They can think whatever they want," Marty said, "They're the police."
"But come on! It's been a week since they took Matt," Shane said, "Why aren't they any fucking closer to letting him go?"
"Boys!" They looked up and saw Shannon's father at the door. "Don't bring those fucking potty mouths into my house."
"Dad, you just fucking cursed," Shannon said.
"Boy, you are sixteen fucking years old and you don't pay the god damn bills. You will watch your fucking mouth." He snapped.
"Fucking hypocrite," Shannon muttered.
"Shannon Brian Moore, this is the last fucking warning I'll give you," Mr. Moore said. "Shane, you're the eldest here! Exercise some control!"
Shane, nineteen like Matt, was never much of a leader. He was content with letting Matt run their little group. Shannon was funny, Jeff was artsy, Marty was the kind one, and Shane didn't care for a label. All he cared about was that he was blessed to have such good friends, even if Shannon and Jeff were younger than them.
And he lost them. Matt was being treated like a criminal, and Jeff... he didn't even want to think about poor Jeff. Everyone was freaking out; no one knew what to think. Who would do this to such a kind family?
Shannon started the 'Free Matt Hardy' protest, where a bunch of people stood in front of the station and demanded he be released. Then, a big, scary, bald man in a suit told them that if they kept doing this, they'd be obstructing justice and he'd have them arrested.
Of course, Shannon did not expect that man to come to his house. There was a knock, and Mr. Moore answered the door. "Can I help you?"
"I'm Agent Williams, and I'm here to talk to you about Gilbert Hardy." Shannon, Shane, and Marty all rushed to the kitchen, where Agent Williams and Mr. Moore were sitting.
"We don't know what to think, sir," Mr. Moore said, "Gil was a good friend of mine. My boy and his Jeffrey were thick as thieves, skipping school and hanging out. Matt and Jeff were like sons to me."
"I just have a few questions," Agent Williams said.
"If this is about Matt having troubles adjusting after the tragedy, we'll put him up here," Mr. Moore offered, "He practically lived here anyway."
"I doubt Matthew's in any condition to rejoin the world," Agent Williams said, but Shane heard a bit of acting in his voice. As the least talkative, he caught things like that. "No, this is about Gilbert... and his wife, Ruby. Now, she first showed signs of brain cancer twenty years ago, correct?"
"Yes, but... I don't understand. How does this help with Gil's investigation?"
"Wasn't she dying?" Agent Williams prodded.
"Well, yeah... Gil was heartbroken. He tried all the doctors he could, but none could help. He was getting more and more hopeless. And then, one day, he comes to me and says, ''Ruby's not going to die'. I don't understand what he means, but he said he found someone who could help her... a doctor, I guess. And sure enough, Ruby got better, and they had Matt about a year later, and then three years later, they had Jeff. Ruby died when Matt was twelve and Jeff was nine."
"Thirteen years later," Agent Williams said. Shane wondered why that was important to him.
"Yup."
"Did Gilbert ever tell you the name of the doctor who helped Ruby?" Agent Williams asked.
"No... do you think he owed someone money because of that?" Mr. Moore asked.
"Maybe. I'm investigating all avenues," Agent Williams said.
"Gil might've had money problems, but he managed," Mr. Moore said, "Tell me... will... will Matt get out in time for the funeral?"
Agent Williams looked down. "His fate is out of my hands. Before I came, it was already decided... they're sending him to Hellespont."
"No!" Agent Williams and Mr. Moore turned around as Shannon shouted out, alarming Marty and Shane.
"Boys!" Mr. Moore chastised, "How dare you eavesdrop?"
"Mr FBI Agent guy, you can't send Matt to an asylum!" Shannon said, "If Matt said he saw something, he saw something. He's not crazy."
"I never said he was, kid," Agent Williams said gently.
"Then why are you sending him? Come on... we lost Gil and Jeff. Don't take Matt from us too."
"I wish it was in my control," Agent Williams said. He walked over and said, "Matt will return... eventually. Just wait for him."
"You're a monster," Shannon said, before running off. Marty ran after him and Shane looked up at Agent Williams.
"Is there nothing you could do?" Shane asked.
"I wish there was, kid." Agent Williams said goodbye, and he walked out.
Matt watched the fires, almost entranced by their haunting, evil, cruel beauty. He turned to Mark. "Put them out."
"Not my job." Mark grinned at him. "I light the candles, Matt... you blow them out."
"I can't!" Matt didn't even understand how he made the fires he made appear in the first place. "Put them out! People... people in those buildings..."
"I'm the Demon Master, Matt. Why should I care about them?" Mark pulled his arm as he pointed around. "All of this? It's mine to use as I wish. If I wanted to, I could go down to your friend with the tube down his throat and turn him inside out. We'll see if he can attract girls like that."
"You won't," Matt said.
"And why is that?" Mark asked.
"Because I'm here. I'm the reason you're here." Matt said.
"That's right."
"You going to kill me, like you killed... like my brother?" Matt asked.
Mark laughed. "Raven killed little Jeffrey, not me. And you know better than that. I'm not going to kill you."
"Then what do you want from me?" Matt asked. He looked at Adam's body, and Adam stirred a little. A small flash of relief filled him; that meant Adam was alive.
Mark looked at him. "You still don't know? You can't sense what you are, deep inside?"
"I'm a Nightstalker," Matt hissed.
"Sure." Mark pulled Matt closer and grabbed his arm. He ripped the sleeve off his shirt, revealing his tattoo. "You know, it's a very easy thing, making something so pure into something ugly and tainted. It's harder to make something pure again. But what if you were never pure, Matt?"
"You're games won't work on me," Matt said.
"They won't?" Matt's eyes widened as he felt himself grow heavier. It was as if his body increased in mass to the point where he couldn't move. "It's alright, Matt. It's only temporary paralysis. I just don't want you doing something stupid while I bring you back to my world." Mark snickered. "It's your world too, Matthew."
He picked up Matt's motionless body. Matt began panicking inside, unable to fight or do anything. The monster that broke into his house and ruined his life was now holding him, taking him to... to the fucking demon world. Was this what Vickie meant, when she said that Matt would soon be at his mercy?
Suddenly, the door burst open. Mark, surprised, dropped Matt, but he was caught before he fell. Mark put him down as someone else from Matt's past whom he never wanted to see again came in. I fucking hate my life, Matt thought glumly.
"Well, I thought I smelled demon shit." Obviously, Agent Williams wasn't his real name. Matt doubted he was ever an Agent now. He walked out holding a shot gun in his face.
"Austen," he hissed.
"Mark, now, didn't your mother ever teach you playing with your food is a bad habit?" The man, apparently named Austen, said. He looked down and saw who was on the floor. "Matt Hardy?" Matt would roll his eyes, if he could move. "I left you at Hellespont..."
"They broke him out," Mark said, "They made him their third. Isn't that laughable, Austen? Mysterious Matt, the one you've been trying to understand for the past year, is now a Nightstalker." Matt looked at Austen- he was trying to understand him? What did that mean?
"You're going to back the fuck away and leave the kid alone," Austen demanded.
"Kid?" Mark laughed, "Matt's anything but a child." Mark stepped forward again. "I would've thought someone with your experience would know that a shot gun would have little effect on me."
Adam was completely up now and he saw Matt on the floor, near Mark's feet. He crawled over, trying not to call attention to himself, and patted his face. "Come on, Mattie. We've got to move," he whispered.
"I know. This shotgun's not your average shotgun, though." Austen let out a round, and the bullet tore through Mark's chest. The sharp sound of searing flesh filled the air, but Mark showed very little weakness, just wincing a little. "Hurts like a motherfucker, doesn't it?"
Mark looked at Adam holding Matt protectively, and knew he couldn't risk a big fight happening up here; not until Matt fully realized and accepted who he was. "I got what I wanted anyway." He looked into Matt's eyes, and Matt heard the next thing in his mind.
"You can fight me all you want, but you won't succeed. This has been your fate since before you existed."
Mark turned to Austen. "One day, I shall rip you to shreds."
"Do it now, you yellow-bellied bitch!" Austen bellowed, "Come on, pussy! Fight me!"
"I'm not one who'll be goaded." Mark looked at Matt again, giving him a 'This isn't over' look. Then, he disappeared, the fires disappearing with him. It was as if the room became too cold to sustain flame.
Austen walked over to Adam and Matt. "Steve," Adam said, "What're you doing here?"
Austen crossed his arms. "That's all you have to say, you little shit? How about a hello?"
"I'm sorry, Matt's paralyzed. We can dispense pleasantries on a later date."
Austen chuckled. "That's the Adam I've come to want to kick in the pants. And.... he's the reason you were gone for so long."
Adam nodded. "What're you going to do about it?"
"Nothing. I'm not your fucking mother." Steve picked up Matt quite easily. If Matt could move, he'd beat the bastard up. "He just needs to sleep this off."
"You're not mad that Christian and I broke tradition?"
"Fuck tradition. I don't give a damn. That's not saying Rapunzel and the Woodpecker'll feel the same, but you don't have to worry about me freaking out on you. Where's Christian?"
Matt remembered their friend, stuck with a tube down his throat, and wished they could get it out and Christian can go back to being Christian. "He's downstairs, in a hospital room," Adam said, "Let's go get them."
As they walked, Steve looked down at Matt. "I know what you're thinking, Kid. This is the bastard from before. But believe me, I couldn't stop the wheels from turning. You were already on your way to the looney bin. If I got there sooner, I would've told you to shut your clamp trap and pretend you saw nothing. I thought, if you thought you were insane, you'd eventually heal."
'That makes A LOT of sense, asshole' Matt thought. Steve then said, "You're a tough son of a bitch, and I didn't count on that. If I had, I would've never thought that stupid asylum would do anything for you. I'm not going to fucking apologize, if that's what you want, because then you'd never be here."
Matt knew that was true, but that didn't change the fact that he hated the two months in that damn asylum. Two months of trying to convince himself he wasn't crazy, no matter what everyone said.
They went to the room and there, sitting on the bed, was Christian, eating the cake they cut him. "Hey Addy-dick, you saved me! Where's Mah-" He trailed off as he saw Matt in Steve's arms. "Matt!" Christian dropped the cake and ran over to Matt. "Is he okay? What happened?"
"He's just paralyzed, Christian," Adam said.
"Why, hello, Steve, long time no fucking see," Steve said. Christian looked up and crossed his arms.
"Teammates first, loudmouth Texans second," he shot.
Matt woke up with his head in Christian's lap. Christian was absentmindedly playing with Matt's hair, looking ahead at the road. Matt realized that they were in the car, and that they must have left. He thought about Candice and Maria and everyone else they met there, and wondered if they said goodbye.
No wonder Christian's never been in a relationship.
"So," Adam said, while driving, "You've been trying to learn about Matt?" Upon hearing his name, Matt closed his eyes, thinking that they'd stop talking if they knew he was awake.
"About him, his family, anything that could tell me why Mark targeted them." Steve twirled a knife in his hand. "Matt's paying for the sins of his parents, it seems."
"What does that mean?" Christian asked.
"His mother was going to die a year before his birth," Steve explained, "No one could help her... but Gil found someone. And her death prolonged itself for thirteen years."
"Thirteen? You mean..." Adam shook his head. "You can't be serious."
"I'm always dead fucking serious, Adam. There's no room for joking at a time like this." Steve shook his head. "They made a deal with Mark so that she could have more time. Thirteen years exactly; that's how long Mark could delay the inevitable. Her death."
"What did they give Mark in return?" Christian asked.
"That's the problem," Adam said, "They didn't give him what he wanted, did he?"
Steve nodded. "That's what I'm thinking. I think... I think Matt's parents promised Mark Matt himself."
There was a silence. "What, now this is Rumpelstiltskin?" Christian finally said, "They didn't promise Matt to Mark!"
"They probably did."
"That makes no sense!" Christian argued, "He... he told me about his parents. They loved him!"
"If I remember correctly, in Rumpelstiltskin, the parents tried to back out last minute too," Steve countered.
"But... come on! Why would Mark want Matt in the first place?"
"Well, my mind immediately jumped to one conclusion," Steve said, "Mark came to little Ruby on the eighth month mark. Matt's a demon." Matt thought about that for a second, and realized it made horrible sense. The man in the future would've been right- Adam and Christian would kill him for the good of humanity.
"He's not," Adam said.
"He is," Steve said.
"He can't be," Christian said, "He's a great guy..."
"You of all people know that, before the nature kicks in, they could be Mother Teresa," Steve said.
"And he's got the triquetra on his arm!" Christian said triumphantly, "There! If he was a demon, he couldn't have a mark that means so many good things on his arm."
Steve turned around. "You two inked him?"
"That's right," Christian said, "If he were a demon, the skin would've bubbled, even IF the nature hadn't taken him over." Matt felt a little relief, but not a lot- that meant he still didn't know what he was.
"And the bastard finally listens to me," Adam said. Christian shot him a look.
Steve turned his eyes to Matt. "Well, there is one other possibility, but... it's impossible. No, no it can't be."
"What is it?" Adam asked.
"Well... no, it's ridiculous. The triquetra would still burn him, I think..." Steve shook his head. "Even entertaining the possibility would give Matt nightmares. And big mouth over there's sure to tell him."
"If I were Matt and Matt were me, I'd want him to tell me anything he could about what I am." Christian's hands became gentle against Matt's head, and it felt kind of nice. "I'm surprised he doesn't have nightmares already."
"He's a fighter," Adam said.
"Yeah, well, he'll need to be a fighter. Mark's not done with him... not by a long shot." The rest of the ride was in complete silence. They pulled over at a gas station and Steve and Adam left the car, Steve after food and Adam to fill the tank, leaving Matt and Christian alone.
"Christian?" Matt whispered. Christian looked down and stopped running his hands through Matt's hair.
"Feeling better, buddy?"
Matt nodded. "Christian, I have a question."
"I have an answer," Christian said.
"If I were a demon..."
"You heard us?" Christian asked, looking upset, "Why didn't you tell us you were awake?"
"You would've stopped talking," Matt said softly.
"You've got a point. But you're not a demon, Matt. The tattoo proves it," Christian said.
"Let's say, for argument's sake, I was. Would you kill me?" Matt asked.
Christian stared at him. "You can't ask me to answer that question!"
"I am," Matt said, "If I was, would you kill me?"
Christian looked away. "You mean a lot to me, Matt. I..."
"Promise me," Matt said, "Christian, I need you to promise me. If the reason Mark wants me is because I will do something evil in the future, you have to stop me before that happens. You have to kill me."
"Matt..."
"Promise me," Matt whispered.
Christian locked eyes with him. "I won't. Because I don't have to. You are one of the best people I know. You are not a demon, and I would stake my life on that. So, if you want to commit suicide, grow a pair and do it yourself. I refuse to kill you."
"Even if my death meant the world's salvation?" Matt asked, "That's pretty selfish of you."
"Well, then, I'm selfish." Christian snapped. Matt sat up and shook his head.
"Christian, I really need you to promise me that," Matt said, "I've seen too much... I don't want it to have been my fault, the future I saw."
"It won't be. We'll stop it." Christian reached out and grabbed Matt's hand. "Do you trust me?"
"Yeah," Matt said, kind of thrown off by how Christian was staring at him.
"Then, when I say you won't do anything to condemn the world, trust me. Believe me. Believe in yourself."
Matt pulled his hand away. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked.
"Because it's kind of sad, the way you don't see how great you are," Christian said. "I see it all the time."
The car door opened, and Austen through in a plastic bag filled with various junk and beers. "Bon appetit," Austen said. Matt didn't know what to say next, and neither did Christian, so they welcomed the intrusion.
"So, no Hardy boy?" Raven asked. Mark looked at the Nightmare demon as he entered his chamber again with a smirk.
"It's only a matter of time. But thank goodness you're here. I have a mission for you." Raven looked at him.
"I'm interested. What is it?"
Mark just smiled cruelly.
Reviews deeply appreciated