Author's Note: Holy wow, it's been a while since I updated any of my stories! It feels so strange updating a story after such a long time away from writing...which is actually annoying, considering I've spent about half my life writing, lol. Well, since I have a job now (that I hate with a passion and am looking for something else), it's pretty much stamped out just about any creativity that I had been able to have in the past year because this place is so stifling creatively and professionally. In any case, I've been working on this chapter off and on for about maybe a month or two, and felt tonight was the best time to finish it, and here it is! Enjoy! -KJ
Chapter Twelve:
(6:00 PM EST)
"Matt, I really don't know if this is really such a good idea," Krys said to Matt as she followed him out the door of Jeff's home and locking it up. "I mean, yeah, Shannon's a piece of shit for saying what he said to me, I get that, but I don't need to get out of the house to a club or anything to try and lift my spirits up or anything; I'm not that fucked up over it. It's nothing he hasn't said to me a thousand times over the past few years."
Matt stopped at his truck, pausing long enough to give Krys a look that plainly told her that he saw through her act. "Krys, come on, I know I wasn't there long enough to hear everything, but I heard the worst of it and you have to admit, it was fucked up. I swear to God, I should kick his ass for saying that…"
That familiar dark look crossed his face, and he went to head back towards his place, but Krys took hold of his wrist and pulled him back. "Matt, please don't," she said quietly. Turning back to face her, he saw that her head was down, her gaze pointed toward the ground, and when she went to speak, her voice was quiet again. "Look, okay, it upset me, I know…but going out and beating the hell out of him just because he said something you didn't like won't exactly make things better. It won't make you my knight in shining armor, and it certainly won't set a good example for the girls."
"He needs to learn that he can't get away with saying shit like that," Matt said angrily, but Krys shook her head firmly.
"No, Matt. While I'm all for you beating the shit out of him, think about what it would mean in the long run. Shannon would probably run home crying like a bitch to Julie, and she'd call the cops on you. And either your dad or Jeff would have to bail you out…and do you really want to put your dad and the girls through all of that, just because Shannon ran his mouth like a bitch again? Seriously, I appreciate it, but…it's not worth it. I'm not worth it," she added in a little whisper.
Matt could see that Shannon's words had cut her deeply, and that it still hurt her to see him hold so much contempt for her, no matter how brave a face she tried to put on. He took a firm hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him, and he stared directly into her eyes. "If you don't want me to kick the hell out of Shannon…then I won't. But I insist on taking you out somewhere so you can put that crap out of your mind. Are you sure you don't want to go out for a burger or something?"
She shook her head. "I don't know… I think I'll just wait for Jeff to get back, and we'll go get the girls and take them out for dinner."
Matt scoffed, a little impatient now. "Come on, Krys, you know as well as I do how Jeff is; whatever he's off doing, he'll more than likely be at it all night, and I don't want you to starve. How about I take you and the girls out for dinner as a family, we drop the girls back off at my father's place, and then you and me go out to a club or something? If Jeff's back by then, he can come with us."
"Matt, I really don't think that's a good idea…" Krys started to protest, but Matt cut her off.
"Krys, I won't bite," he said with a small attempt at a smile, a smile that Krys didn't return. Finally, he sighed. "Krys, I swear, everything that's happened between you and me is in the past. Okay? It's in the past. We're over and done; I've accepted that and moved on. Shannon's the one who has his head so far up his ass that he still seems to think that you hold some sort of silly little torch for him, so he has to parade all his issues and insecurities around in front of you like they're a badge of honor or something, not me. Please give me a little credit for at least trying to be a good friend to you, and father to our children?"
At that, Krys' head shot up, and she stared at Matt with horror. "Oh my god, Matt, I would never say you're a bad father," she protested with a shake of her head. "You're a great father; anybody who sees you with the girls would say the same thing. I don't have a problem with you taking them out for dinner, if that's what you want. But I'm afraid I can't go with you…not unless Jeff goes with us. Sorry, Matt, it's just…I trust you…but I don't trust you."
For a moment, a brief, flickering moment, time seemed to stand still, as Matt leaned against the truck, staring at her. Bracing herself, taking quick, shallow breaths, Krys tensed, almost anticipating the familiar slap across her face for daring to speak to him in such a manner, but there was…nothing. Nothing, save for a cool breeze kissing the side of her face, cooling her heated, sweaty skin. Matt stared at her silently, regarding her words for a few moments, before shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, Krys, I just wanted to cool things down for a bit after all the shit Shannon started," he said finally, turning and bracing his back fully against the truck. He lowered his head, kicking the heel of his boot lightly at the ground. "I wanted you to unwind, have a little fun, even if it's with Jeff and the girls and not me," he admitted softly. "Can you blame me for wanting you to feel at least a little good about falling in love with the right guy?"
At that, Krys lowered her own head again, guilt and shame creeping into her face, turning her cheeks a dark cherry red. Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw this shamed look cross her face, and hid a triumphant smirk. Only a little bit more pressure, and she'll be eating out of the palm of my hand in no time, he thought to himself, mentally patting himself on the back. Almost immediately, the image of Krys on her knees, taking his cock into her mouth assailed his mind, and he gripped the side window as a means of keeping his hands to himself for the time being, until the time was right to take her fully.
Finally, he looked up as Krys looked up at him, and gave him a light smile. "Okay, fine, fuck it," she said finally, with a light grimace resembling a smile. "Let's get out of here. Maybe wherever we take the girls, Jeff can meet us there."
"That's the spirit, gorgeous," Matt cheered as he opened the passenger side of his truck to let her in. Heading around to the driver's side, a flash of that triumphant smirk appeared once more. One success, one step closer to having his wife where she rightfully belonged once more.
Jeff sighed as he dug through his bag, suppressing a growl of frustration as he upended the bag and turned it inside out, spilling all the contents out onto the desk of his studio. His phone hadn't been anywhere in sight, and he could've sworn he had put it in there earlier in the day before he'd left Krys back at the house, watching television and looking somewhat happier than she had in the past few days.
Krys… At the thought of his wife, Jeff's hands stilled for a moment, his mind wandering to what his wife could have been doing at that moment in time. Probably sitting on the front steps as he thought of her, a cigarette tucked between her lips and a book in her hand, head tilted to one side as she read, her bare toes curling on the top step as she read a particularly steamy scene and envisioning her and Jeff reenacting those scenarios. His mind conjured up the events of a few hours prior, and a small smile crossed his face at the feel of Krys beneath him, all around him. How she had felt on top of him, taking all the love he had to offer and returning it to him in spades. The feel of her surrounding him, consuming him…the passion that had enveloped him had nearly moved him to tears, the love he could feel that she held in her heart for him.
He'd understood that it hadn't been easy for Krys to up and leave Matt, especially after the second time they'd reconciled and had Jodie; he'd known how difficult it was for her to finally take enough of the abuse and get herself and her children out. Yes, Matt was a terrific father, one that Jeff had even hoped to pattern himself after, should he and Krys be blessed with children of their own, but one good did not outweigh all the evil that had consumed his brother. Matt had been sick, and it took Krys finally mustering up the courage to walk away for good for him to see the light and fight back against his demons. The fact that Krys had finally managed to walk away from the hell she'd endured for so many years, and to find love and happiness and security with him meant more to him than words could ever express.
He loved her, plain and simple. She completed him, she had been the piece that had been missing from his life all those years, and he would do anything for her, do anything to make her happy.
Picking up his bag and quickly shoving the contents back inside, he scanned the room of his studio, looking for a phone that he could use. Spotting a cell phone nearby that he recognized as belonging to one of his bandmates, he shouted to whoever was able to hear him that he was stealing their phone for a minute, then walked out of the room and into a secluded corner, dialing Krys' phone and lifting it up to his ear.
"Hey, Krys, baby, it's me. Sorry, I can't find my phone; knowing my luck, it's probably still at the house. But I just wanted to let you know I'm all done here at the studio, and I'm on my way leaving out to come see you. I just…I really want to see your beautiful face right now, darlin'. I can't wait to see you."
"Mark down the date and time, Matt Hardy actually had a great idea," Krys joked lightly from the passenger seat, shooting a teasing grin in her former husband's direction as he drove down the highway, with the girls in the backseat, all three asleep.
In response, Matt gripped the wheel suddenly, pretending to lose control. He shot a mock shocked glance at Krys before shifting his attention back to the road, a matching grin of his own forming. "Did my ears deceive me? I mean, did I really hear that correctly? Did you, Krys, actually say that I had a great idea?"
"Don't get used to it, freak; it doesn't happen that often," she shot back with a short laugh as he turned at the cutoff onto the dirt road path that led up to their respective homes. Heading straight up was the path to his father's; the left led to his home, and the path to Jeff's was on his right; Matt kept straight, heading towards his father's house to drop the girls off for another weekend with their grandfather before school on Monday morning.
Matt grinned again. "Oh yeah it does; you just never want to admit that I'm right all the time. If you only admitted I'm right every single time I say something, we'd have such a wonderful relationship," he joked. Krys merely flipped him off, making him chuckle as he pulled to a stop and killed the engine, just as his father came lumbering out of his home, a bright, beaming grin on his face as he emerged, ready for another weekend with his beloved granddaughters.
For Krys, despite everything that had happened between herself, Matt, and Jeff, the one thing that would never change for her was making sure that Gilbert Hardy remained in his grandchildren's lives. No matter what fresh round of hell the three of them reaped on one another, Gil and the girls were the only innocent parties in the entire ordeal, and to separate them from one another would deliver a cruel blow to the girls, and would probably be the one thing that finished Gil, already an old man who was not in the best of health, off for good.
She climbed out of the car to greet her father-in-law with a hug, then leaned in the back seat to pull the youngest girl, Jodie, from her car seat. While she did, Gil pulled his eldest son to the side. "Everything okay, Matt?" he asked quietly, low enough so as not to disturb Krys. "I know you guys really try to be as civil to one another as possible for the girls' sake and whatnot…"
Matt hooked his hands in his jeans pockets and shrugged, a smile on his face. "Things are good. They're actually great between us, dad, better than they've been in a long time. Krys and I…it's been a work in progress, but I think we're becoming really good friends again, despite everything that's happened. I think she's been very generous with me seeing the girls, all things considered."
Gil nodded his head in understanding. "That's good son, real good. I'm glad to hear it, honestly. It's good to see you guys getting' along and all that, especially in front of the girls; I know you two won't be getting back together anytime soon, what with Jeff in the picture and all, but…what was the reason for this get-together tonight?"
Matt shrugged again. "Can't a man take his family out to dinner for no good reason, dad?" When Gil fixed his dark eyes on him, that shrewd gaze fixated on him, analyzing him, Matt lowered his head with a sigh. "Krys actually hasn't been all that happy lately, for whatever reason. I think she's eager to start a family with Jeff; I know Jeff loves Amy, Ruby, and Jodie with all his heart, but they're not his and I know he's getting antsy to have one of his own. That puts a little bit of pressure on Krys, and with Shannon coming around again, starting his mess with her every time he sees her, it's all just a bunch of unnecessary stress that she doesn't need to go through. I'm just…I'm trying to be a friend to her, dad, that's all." I want back what's mine, she belongs to me, that predatory voice snarled suddenly in the back of his head, and Matt closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself before that darker influence took hold of him once again.
"I get that you're trying to be a friend to her and all that, boy, but…" Gil's voice dropped lower as Krys came over with Jodie, grunting slightly under the child's weight. "…be careful, boy. You know what kind of hold that woman holds over you boys, and I'm not even sure she knows how powerful that hold is. Just…be careful, son. Keep yourself in check, and don't get caught up in anything that can hurt you. You know I love you, boy, and your brother too…and that girl, dammit, she's special to me, too, as well as those girls. I don't wanna see anyone hurt anymore, alright? Just be careful," he whispered as she reached them. He then fixed a smile on his face once again as Krys handed Jodie over to him. "There's my gorgeous little grandbaby!"
"Aw, Gil, be careful, man; I don't want you throwing your back out with that heavy load of brat," she said with a laugh, then went back to the car once more to wake up Amy and Ruby, who sleepily climbed into their parents' arms before dozing off once more. "Hell, I think my back might give out, carrying these bugs. What on earth have you been feeding them, Gil?!"
"The same slop that Matt and Jeff have been shoveling down their throats for years," he said in a mock offended voice. Matt snorted into the ground, lowering his head so as not to respond to his father's affronted response, and earned himself a glare from his father in response, as well as a laugh from Krys as she walked past them into the house, carrying Ruby in her arms to place on the couch. "So I take it they had a good time?"
"Oh yeah," Krys beamed. "We took them to Friendly's, and they loved every minute of it. They all got ice cream after dinner, and Jodie threw a fit because she wanted the monster sundae like Amy and Ruby, and we got her a regular cone. So Matt, because he spoils her rotten—" she got a glare towards Matt, who suddenly seemed very interested in something on the ceiling "—got her an extra sundae with extra nuts and caramel, and she devoured both of them like the adorable little porker that she is, and made an absolute mess out of herself. So Amy and Ruby pitched a fit because Jodie got extra ice cream and they didn't, and so Matt had to buy two more sundaes to calm them down, and that's how they all ended up passed out in the backseat of his car…and you have extra ice cream." She held up a bag with two containers inside, wiggling her eyebrows in amusement at her father-in-law, who accepted them with a chuckle. "We also got you some nice steak, because you're a man's man and all that jazz…and also because we know you'd never let Matt hear the end of it if he didn't get you anything," she finished with a laugh.
"That's my boy," he said proudly, clapping Matt on the shoulder with a chuckle. "Now go on, you two; get on outta here, I have the girls."
"Do you want us to move them upstairs to our old room, dad?"
"No no, it's fine, son," Gil said, waving a dismissive hand. "They're fine right where they are. Besides, I can see you two are ready to fall over yourselves. You gotta get Krys back home before Jeffrey gets back and sees she's not home. You know how he worries about you, gal," he added with an affectionate look at Krys, who smiled lightly back in return.
"Yeah, that's true, I really should get back. I got Jeff a little something too for dinner, and I think he'll appreciate it too; it'll cut down on me having to cook dinner tonight when I'm really not up to it." Krys strode over to the older man and gave him a tight hug, one that he returned warmly. "Thanks so much for looking after the girls, Gil; I know it has to be a burden on you."
"Don't trouble yourself over it for a second, little lady," Gil said back, patting her on the back. "I've never minded looking after my grandbabies a day in my life, and I won't start now. It keeps giving this old man a purpose in this life, knowing that my boys are successful in their lives and have happy families. I'll see you kids later." He then released her and gave a strong one-armed hug to Matt, who returned it as well, and walked them to the door, seeing them off with a wave as they piled back into Matt's car and drove off towards Jeff's house.
During the car ride, the silence was thick between former husband and wife. Now that the girls were safely tucked away with their grandfather, the façade fell away, and they could be themselves with one another. As they reached Jeff's house, Krys unbuckled the seatbelt and went to open the door, but Matt, sensing an opportunity, swung the car around to the back of the house and parked.
"What on earth are you doing, Matt?" Krys questioned, but didn't bother waiting for an answer before opening the door and climbing out. Matt was hot on her heels a second later, and when she turned around to go to the front of the house, Matt met her with a hug, wrapping his arms around her.
"I just wanted to thank you for letting me take you out tonight with the girls, Krys," he said softly, wrapping his arms even tighter. Krys' arms remained at her sides, accepting the hug but not returning it. She steeled herself to his touch, doing her best not to react; she knew that if she gave any reaction, especially the wrong one, he would capitalize on it in a heartbeat.
"It's cool, Matt. It was something that was long overdue. Besides, like you said, it took my mind off of the shit Shannon was talking. It was no big deal; don't worry about it."
"I mean it, Krys, you have no idea how badly I've wanted this with you. Even if it was just to take your mind off of Shannon starting shit with you again, I really have wanted to take you and the girls out for a while now, and I'm just…I'm really grateful that you let me talk you into it."
"You've always been able to convince me to do what you wanted, Matt." The words were uttered softly, and Krys, unable to help herself, closed her eyes. Memories assailed her then, moments of happier times between the two of them, Matt comforting her each time Shannon had turned his fury on her, the time she turned to him after she had caught Shannon cheating on her, how she had turned to him, gave herself to him in a moment of weakness, and how blissful they had seemed together.
A gasp passed her lips, and she tried to pull herself away. Her eyes flew open and locked with Matt's, and before she knew what was happening, he was lightly kissing her. Her lips remained locked, refusing to give in, simply accepting it and wanting it to be over. Don't, her mind begged. Fight him. Don't give in.
Please, Matt…stop!
Finally, he ended the kiss and looked at her once more, seeing her eyes avert away from him, her lips still firmly pursed, locked off, denying him access to the sweetness he so desperately craved still, after all these years. He cupped her chin, tilting her head up, forcing her to look up at him, and he brushed her lips lightly again, before planting a kiss firmly on her lips, no longer gently persuading, but cruelly demanding.
She tried to pull away, struggling with what strength she could muster, but it was almost as if he was almost amused by her struggles. Her eyes squeezed shut, her arms tried to push him away, tried to pull herself away, but his grip was like iron, holding her firm so she could not get away. "Matt, stop!" she finally cried, finally seeming to break through and push him away.
She was breathing heavily through the exertion of trying to fight him off, but he remained calm, vigilant, looking at her as if she were still the very reason he breathed, as if she were the very thing that kept him alive. She strode over to him and slapped his face, once, twice, then shoved him, kept shoving him.
"Why?!" she yelled. "Why do you keep doing this to me? Why won't you let me go? Why won't you let me be happy?"
It was then that Matt's control broke, and the beast seemed to emerge. He took hold of her by the forearms and pulled her up close to him, so that she was flush up against his body, could feel every hard inch of him. His eyes, darker than usual, were filled with a dark and angry need, and her eyes grew wide with fright. "Because you're mine," he snarled. "You belong to me, and I'm not done with you yet."
