A/N: Thank you guys so much for reviewing the last chapter. Really glad that you enjoyed it, this chapter is on the long side, so hope you enjoy it.
- - - - -
Jeff glanced at the women besides him, and smiled. She was blankly looking out of the window, completely in her own world. When they talked to Dan about their storyline, he told them that Vince wanted to take it to the next step. Both of them were confused, because to them, they didn't know what else they could do. They always sat together on the plane, they went to meet-and-greets together, and they share a room. That's when Dan told them that they were going to have to get closer for television. After telling them what the boss wanted, he left the two saying he'd see them at the next show.
Placing this earphones back into his ear, he leaned his head back, his mind wondering back to what he heard the day before. He still couldn't believe that she had feelings for him. He watched as Maria reached up and started to fidget with someone around her neck. Trying to look closer, he noticed that it was the necklace that he gave her.
"Tired?" He teased when he saw her sigh and lean her head against the window.
"No surprise there huh?" Maria grinned.
Jeff nodded, and raised the arm rest and motioned her to come closer. She did so, and nestled herself into the man next to her. They both could not deny that this felt right, but with neither wanted to admit it.
"Are you excited to be going back home?" Maria whispered, knowing that people around them were sleeping.
"Yeah," Jeff answered with a smile, "Matt said he'll be there too."
They both let the conversation end, knowing that nothing more needed to be said. Jeff looked across from them and shook his head. Chris had his arm around Mickie as they continued to sleep.
"Our storyline sure is getting more interesting."
"Yes it is," Maria agreed, "But the fans are really getting into it."
"So is Shawn," Jeff laughed, "He came up to me the other day."
"What did he say?" Maria asked picking her head up to look at him.
"Asking if I'm treating you right," He answered, "Then said if I hurt you, then I can kiss my wrestling career goodbye."
Knowing that only Candice and Shawn knew how she really felt about Jeff, Maria couldn't help but frown.
"I could tell he was just teasing though," Jeff continued, hiding the fact that he saw her frown.
Nodding, Maria didn't even think notice that she was leaning against him again. Closing her eyes, and taking in the smell of the cologne that Jeff was currently wearing and let the warmth of his body ease her into an easy sleep.
- - - - -
"Hey Matt," Maria asked walking up to the older Hardy who was in the kitchen, "Have you seen your brother?"
"I think he's outside," Matt pointed to the door with a smile.
Returning the smile, Maria exit the house and out into the chilly weather. Looking around, she grinned a little when she saw him in the distance. Crossing her arms around her small frame, she slowly made her way over.
"Hey," She said once she was in earshot.
"Hey," Jeff echoed at the sound of her voice, "What are you doing out here?"
"What you don't want me out here?" She smirked.
"Now why would I decline your company?" He smirked back, handing over her jacket, which she gladly accepted.
"So," Maria started, "What are you doing out here all alone?"
Jeff shrugged, as he put his hands into his pocket, "Thinking."
"Any thing you want to share?"
Smiling, he shook his head to decline her offer.
"Who was your first kiss?" Maria asked when the silence came over them.
"Macy Green," Jeff answered with a slight smile, "Six grade."
"Six grade?" Maria giggled, "Oh."
"When was yours?" Jeff challenged.
"I don't know," Maria shrugged, "I don't remember."
"Yes you do," He said, "And this game is called, 'Truth', and right now you're not telling the truth."
Rolling her eyes, she gave in, "Fourth."
"With who?" Jeff asked amused.
"Hey, mister," Maria pointed at him, "That's two questions."
Raising his hands up, he signaled that it was her turn.
"How did yours happen?"
"Well," Jeff started, rethinking of the memory, "Matt and some of the other guys were teasing me, because I still haven't kissed anyone yet. So, I picked a girl out, and kissed her."
"You picked a girl out?"
"Not like that," He assured, "I mean, I had a crush on her for a while."
"And you just went up and kissed her?"
"Yeah," He nodded.
"Wait," Maria cut in, "Is this the same girl that you first cut class with? The one where you got caught making out with?"
"Thats the one."
"Ew," Maria cringed as Jeff laughed, "Sorry I asked."
"By the way, that was five questions."
Maria looked at him, and rolled her eyes, before a chilly wind passed them. Hugging the over sized jacket around her, she glanced at the man standing next to her and smiled. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone that would answer stupid questions, someone that would always be there to make her laugh.
"Brandon Marks," Maria smiled, and turned to Jeff, "He was my boyfriend."
"Does that even count?" Jeff interjected, "It seems too early to count that as a boyfriend."
"Says the man that counts the girl he went out with for four days."
"Okay, fine," Jeff nodded, "Go on."
Maria shoved her hand into the pockets and continued, "We were on a field trip, to some place that we all went to before, and we were riding back to school. I was leaning over to get my bag, but somehow, someway my lip brushed against his."
"Your first kiss was an accident?" Jeff raised his eye brow.
"Well when you put it like that!" Maria playfully shoved him.
Both laughing died down, and they were left gazing to the world beyond them.
"Whos turn is it?" Maria asked losing track.
"Let's just say it's yours."
"What do you worry about the most?"
"What do I worry about the most?" Jeff pondered out loud, "Thats a hard one."
"You could always pass."
Maria knew he wasn't going to pass. And she wasn't either, to others it was just a little game. To her, it was something so much more. It was something, not only to get to know him, but to get close to him. She knew that some of the questions she asked, he never had to answer before. She knew some secrets that even Matt didn't know about. And the same went for her.
She never told anyone why she wasn't close to her family. She never told anyone the real reason she wanted to join wrestling; they all just assumed that she was a huge fan. But Jeff knew. Jeff knew that even though her family loved her, she felt that they were never proud. That's also the reason she wanted to join the business. That way, she could prove to everyone that she could do something.
"The future." Maria heard him say.
"The future?" She repeated.
"Yeah," He nodded, "Where I'll be, what I'll be doing, who I'll be with. Stuff like that."
Maria nodded in understanding, she too was afraid of what the future held for her.
"You?" Jeff asked, even though he had a feeling he knew the answer too.
"Never making my parents proud." Maria said, voice barley audible.
Jeff didn't say anything, knowing that Maria wasn't finished talking.
"Never could live up to their golden child," Maria said bitterly, "Everything I did was never good enough, or done all wrong. They never showed it, but I knew. I mean, I knew they loved me and everything. But I knew they were never proud of me. They were never proud like I'm sure your dad was when you guys made it into the business. I mean, I didn't even win the diva search. Just like they thought I would, I failed. I used to think about it all the time when I first started out. Thinking, 'what would my parents think', 'would they approve,' all the time."
Wiping the freshly fallen tears she rubbed her arms, "I don't think I even care anymore. I mean, it never happened before, what could I do to make it happen now?"
Giving off a bitter laugh, she shook her head trying to get rid of the thoughts flying around in her head. Looking up at Jeff since the first time she started talking, she noticed he was actually listening to everything she said, and this just made more tears fall.
Making his way closer to the broken diva, Jeff wrapped his arms tightly around her. Making sure that she knew he was there for her, and always will be. When Jeff first heard about her parents, about a month or so into their storyline, it broke his heart. Knowing that Maria felt like this crushed him. He knew that she was something special, and if her own parents could see this. Jeff thought, 'well screw them.' That got a giggle from Maria, but she then went on saying that they were right.
Resting his chin on top of her head, he felt as she sobbed into him. Stroking her hair, he kept whispering that it'll be alright. Saying that where she is now is such a accompaniment, that if she's proud of herself that's all that mattered.
They stood there, saying nothing, just cherishing the others presences. Maria's cries soon died down, and she stepped out of his grasp and frowned at his shirt.
"Sorry," She gave a soft laugh.
Looking down, he smile and waved it off, "It's fine."
He watched as Maria wiped her tears, knowing that she was a mess.
"You're doing okay you know Maria," Jeff said, "Just look, you're one of the most popular diva on the roster, thats says something."
"Like what?" Maria eyed him, "They think I'm hot?"
"Probably," Jeff smiled, as Maria punched him on the arm.
"Thanks," She rolled her eyes at him.
"All I'm saying is," Jeff wrapped his arm around her once again, "There are a lot of people proud of you. If you're parents can't see that, then thats their problem. Cause of you ask me, I'm sure all those people in the house are proud. I sure am."
And with that, Maria couldn't help but smile. She sure was lucky to have him in her life.
- - - - -
"They're flirting," Chris smirked as he watched from his spot at the in window.
He's been watching ever since Maria went outside to look for the younger bother. He seen them laugh, he seen Maria cry, and now he's seeing them, 'flirt', as he called it.
"It's not right to spy," Mickie told him from where she sat on the couch, "Get away from the window."
"And you don't have to be so giddy about it." Torrie called.
Rolling his eyes, he continued to watch the young couple outside. He watched as Maria blew a raspberry on his cheek and started to run away.
"She gave him a raspberry," He laughed, "How cute."
Mickie looked behind her to see Candice shaking her head and Matt and Torrie in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Standing up, she made her way over to the window just in time to see Jeff gently take her to the ground.
"Aww," She half laughed and half gushed, "They look so cute."
"What are you talking about?" Candice finally gave up and went to see what her best friend was up too.
Seeing them both on the ground, a smile appeared on her face as she motioned the other two to come look. Torrie giggled when she saw that Jeff was now tickling the young diva, and Matt was happy to finally see someone right for his younger brother.
"We should break them apart soon," Candice started, "The foods almost ready."
No one said anything, instead five pairs of eyes just watched as the two young superstars engaged in a whole laugh fest outside.
- - - - -
"You're an ass you know that," Maria laughed as she was being pinned to the ground.
"How am I the ass in this?"
"Cause you're always on top of me." Maria smirked, before looking at Jeff, who had an amused look on, "Oh, freaky."
"You said it not me." Jeff laughed and got off the red-head.
After he pulled her up, they sat on the grass facing each other, the smile never leaving their face. Jeff glanced at the diva next to him, and couldn't help but feel really happy. Remembering what he heard the day before, he really wanted to confront her about it. But it could either go two ways. One, she'll actually tell him the truth, or two, she'll be really upset that he eavesdropped on her conversation.
Only one way to find out.
"Hey, Maria," Jeff got her attention, "Um, theres something I wanted to talk to you about."
Maria looked at him, ready to listen, "You see, the other day, I kind of-"
"Guys!" They heard Matt call, "Dinner."
"Coming!" Maria called back, "What were you saying?"
Jeff shook his head, "Nothing, forget it."
Maria nodded and stood up, extending her arm to help the superstar up. Smiling, he accepted her offer and they made their way into the house.
- - - - -
"Why are we doing this again?" Chris asked when he, Matt and Jeff were in the kitchen grabbing a few beers.
"Either we do this," Matt started, "Or we watch chick flicks."
"Right now, I'd rather see a chick flick." Chris muttered.
Jeff stood there amused. After dinner, they all sat around thinking of what to do next. Since they had the next few days off, they were staying over at Matt's house. Of course the girls wanted to watch a movie, where as the guys, they would do anything else. Thats when Mickie suggested a game. She said that they've all been working together for more than two years, and they should at least know the basics about each other.
So they girls decided to play a trivia game. They would break into groups, Torrie volunteering herself out, and they'd have to answer questions about their partners. Unfortunately for Chris and Matt, they didn't really know anything about Mickie and Candice.
"Why?" Jeff smiled.
"Well we all can't know our partners like you little bro." Matt pointed out.
Thats right, Jeff had gotten Maria. Not that he wasn't happy about it, but he just thought it was kind of weird that Torrie would be the 'host' and everyone else was already paired up.
"I don't know that much about her," Jeff assured, "Just some facts."
"Oh my god!" They heard Mickie yell, "How the hell is he suppose to know that?!"
While the guys were in the kitchen, the girls were writing their answers in the living room. The guys already wrote their answers, and were now waiting for the girls to finish up. The two Hardy brothers laughed, knowing that Chris had the same reaction.
"Can't believe I got stuck with her." Chris sighed.
"Hey guys," Maria bounced into the kitchen and grabbed the bowl that Matt was holding, "We're ready."
She laughed as Matt and Chris left the room looking upset, before she let Jeff leave, she grabbed a hand pull of popcorn and threw it in his direction.
"See," She smiled, "My aim got better."
Jeff laughed as he watched her walk away with a handful of the snack in her mouth. Walking into the living room, he sat in between his brother and his partner.
"Okay," Torrie started, "After the end of these questions, the one with the most points wins. And doesn't have to clean this place up."
Everyone looked around, and frowned, in the little time they spent there; they manged to create a huge mess.
"Let's get started shall we?" Torrie smirked at her friends.
- - - - -
After six set of questions, the score was Maria and Jeff with 10, Candice and Matt with 8 and Mickie and Chris is a sad 4.
"Okay," Torrie laughed, "We're half way through. Chris, what did Mickie say as her favorite color?"
"Am I really suppose to know that?" Chris asked for the fifth time that night.
Everyone else rolled their eyes, and got ready for yet, another wrong answer.
"Pink."
"Pink?" Mickie repeated, "Really? Really! Do I look like a person that likes pink?!"
Maria had to cringe, as she heard Mickie yell. Ever since they started the game, Maria could swear that she lost some hearing. Shooting a look at Jeff, he smiled and shook his head. There was no way he was sitting next to Mickie when she was like that. A pleading look in her eyes, Jeff sighed and placed her on his lap before moving over so he was sitting next to Mickie and she was sitting next to Matt.
"Can we move on?" Candice snapped, annoyed with the bickering, "Please."
"Maria," Torrie looked at the youngest diva in the room, "What did Jeff say is his favorite color?"
Maria took sometime to think about this question, she knew that she asked him this, but right now she couldn't remember it. Looking at Jeff, who had to keep a straight face, Maria played with a strand of hair.
"Oh!" Maria clapped her hands together, "He doesn't have one! He says that it changes a lot that he can never stick to one color!"
Everyone looked at her, slightly amused at how excited she got when she remembered the answer.
"Um," Torrie pressed her lips together and looked at the card that she held, "Surprisingly, or not, thats correct."
Maria sat there with a proud smile on her face, so far she was the only one who got that question right. She looked at Candice, who rolled her eyes at her friends too happy state.
"Jeff, what did Maria say is her favorite color?"
"If he gets his correct," Chris interrupted Jeff's answer, "We'll all know they're cheating."
Rolling his eyes, Jeff looked at Maria like she did before. Maria looked back, and chewed her lip, trying to keep herself from laughing.
"Red," Jeff nodded, taking his eyes away from her, onto Torrie, "Red."
"Correct." Torrie smiled.
"Come on!" Chris exclaimed, "Thats what twelve right now!?"
"Shut up!" Mickie yelled.
This happened a few times, before the score then moved from Candice and Matt with nineteen points, Maria and Jeff with eighteen and Mickie and Chris with twelve.
"Right?" Chris wasn't sure if that was the correct answer.
"Are you seriously asking if I'm right handed?" Mickie narrowed her eyes at her, "Wow."
"Correct." Torrie rolled her eyes when Chris did a happy dance.
"Chill out," Matt shook his head, "We all got that one right."
Chris shot him a dirty look, before he sat back down, "Joy-Kill."
"It's Kill-joy," Maria smirked.
"Yeah, yeah," Chris waved her off, "I'm sure it is."
"Matt," Torrie started placing a card on the table, "What is Candice's favorite Disney song?"
They watched as horror came onto Matt's face, and Maria couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey, don't look at me," Jeff pointed to Maria, "It was all her."
"Um," Matt started trying to at least think of a Disney song, "Under the Sea?"
Maria threw her head into Jeff's chest, as everyone started to hear her laugh. A giggle escaped Mickie's lips, Torrie gave a low whistle, while Candice just shook her head.
"Well," Chris, the ever-so-cocky one started, "I guess he got that one wrong."
"Okay then," Torrie smiled, "Lets go to Chris shall we?" She said after Candice answered her question.
"Oh boy." Mickie dropped her head and listen to whatever stupid thing was going to come out of his mouth.
"Lucky guess!" Candice stood up when Chris got that answer right, "That was such a lucky guess!"
"Oh sit down," Chris smirked, "You're just upset that I actually got it right."
"No!" Candice pointed at him, "That was the only one you probably knew! Everyone knows that song!"
"I can't help it if my favorite song is A Whole New World." Mickie smirked.
"Yeah, watch that pretty little smirk disappear when Chris gets the next one wrong." Candice mumbled before sitting back down.
"Moving on," Torrie started after Candice's little comment, "Jeff, same question. What is Maria's favorite Disney song?"
Maria parted her lips a little, so her teeth were showing a bit. She knew that Jeff didn't know this answer, because she never told him. Her favorite wasn't that well known song. It wasn't A Whole New World like Mickie's, nor Someday my Prince Will Come like Torrie's, it was even When You Wish Upon a Star like Candice's. There was no way that Jeff could get this one right.
Jeff thought back of all the questions he asked, and everything she said that might help him with this question. He knew that not even the three other girls knew this answer. Well Torrie knew, since she had the answer in her hand, but before that she had no idea. He then remembered something about Maria's favorite move.
"At the Beginning With You," Jeff answered, "I think."
Maria went wide-eyed when she heard this. She told him that her favorite movie was Anastasia, but she never said anything about the songs. A smile came onto her face when she heard Torrie say correct, and saw Jeff sigh with relief. She didn't know what possessed her, but she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"How did you know that?" Candice asked shock, "I didn't even know that."
"Well she said that her favorite Disney movie was Anastasia," Jeff smiled from the kiss, "And I just guess it was that song."
"How do you even know that song?" Matt eyed his little brother.
"I don't know."
"Yes you do," Maria smirked.
"No I don't."
"Yes you do," Maria repeated.
"No I don't."
"Fine," Maria crossed her arms, "It's my turn anyways. How do you know the song At the Beginning With You?"
She watched as his eyes dropped and he took in a sigh, "You can always pass." She said once again, knowing that he wouldn't
"This girl I use to watch," Jeff started, "She was obsessed with that song. And she use to sing it all the time."
Maria smiled, knowing that no one really knew about the game. Looking around, she saw that all eyes were on them.
"Is that why you guys were getting all these right?" Torrie asked.
"What?" Maria asked, eyes innocent.
"That," Candice motioned, "The questions."
"What?" Jeff answered this time, "Asking questions about each other?"
"Yes!"
"Well will you look at that?" Jeff stood up and extended his hand to Maria, who took it, "Looks like we won."
"Have fun!" They heard Maria's voice carry when they ran upstairs, alone with her wonderful laugh.
- - - - -
A/N: Well there you go. The power went out last night, so with nothing to do, and being home alone, I went into my room, with a lot of paper and wrote. I didn't think it would be this long, but it's mostly useless stuff. Um, I just wanted to show that their little game is very improtant to this story, and it will still be after this chapter. I know this isn't the best chapter, but please review!