Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

I was watching the "Greatest Stars of the 90's" wrestling DVD and that Kevin Nash is one hunk of a gorgeous man! Those long locks, that massive chest and those winsome looks! *ooh la la!* His entrance theme was a sultry harmonica number and it just screamed SEXY! Yeah, he's BIG SEXY alright! Just needed to share it with you! Now, on with the story!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 21

"What do you think you're doing?" Kevin asked in a disquiet tone.

The three men were in Kevin's room. Kevin was up against the wall, arms crossed with a glare fixed on Shawn. Sean looked nervously from Shawn to Kevin. He didn't have to stay but he chose to. Now that Hunter was in the hospital, Shawn was alone and he just felt that he should stick around in case he was needed.

"Look, Kevin, I know you and Mark are tight but his brother attacked me! Why are you taking their side?" Shawn rasped out angrily, taking a few steps towards him, "Shouldn't you be on my side?"

"This has got nothing to do with Mark and I being friends! And don't you dare question my authority as to whose side I'm on!" Kevin said angrily, pointing his finger at Shawn. He let out an exasperated sigh, "You said Glenn attack you. What did you do?"

Shawn opened his mouth and then shut it. He looked away angrily.

"You provoked him, didn't you?" Kevin moved away from the wall and walked towards Shawn. Shawn bit down on his lip and looked down.

"Jeff was with Glenn when Mark left with us. Did you threaten the boy?"

"I'm just telling it the way it is!" Shawn burst out with an enraged look. "That little slut tried to seduce Hunter!"

"He did no such thing and you know it! Sean has testified to that! Hunter was the one who was way out of line but Mark assured me that he wouldn't hold it against him because he was drunk." Kevin closed in and asked, "Why are you doing this, Shawn? Do you know you're hurting a lot of people, including yourself? If you don't stop this nonsense, you're going to lose a lot more than you bargain for!"

Shawn let out a bitter laugh. "I should have known! You're besotted with that bitch, aren't you? I saw the way you look at him!"

He turned to Sean, "You too! I heard you propositioning him! I'm not surprised that you're taking his side on this too!"

He waited expectedly for Kevin to lash out at him but Sean got up quietly and approached him. "Don't say things that you'll regret, Shawn. Yes, I did proposition Jeff but he wasn't interested. And you want to know why?" He paused to make sure that he had Shawn's full attention before saying softly, "It's because he has found his place in Mark and Glenn's hearts."

Shawn's body trembled with anger, his features contorted with conflicting emotions.

"Matt was right." Sean moved to stand in front of him. "Before you cause irreparable damage, let me remind you that you were the one who walked out of Mark's life. He didn't try to come between you and Hunter even though he was dealt with an unfair hand. You want to know why? It's because he knows that you've found happiness with Hunter. But now that he has Jeff, you can't stand the thought of him with someone else. I'm going to lay it down in plain, simple words so that you can understand, since your huge ego is blinding your judgment! You have no claim, whatsoever, over Mark! You gave up that right the moment you went off with Hunter! Come to your senses before you destroy what you have with Hunter!"

Shawn stared mutely at his feet, stunned at Sean's words. They stabbed him deep to the core!

Kevin gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "It hurts to hear the truth but Sean is right. Mark came to me this morning and we had a long talk. There's no doubt that Jeff rules their hearts. You're hurting Jeff because you're jealous that he has taken over your place. I want you to know that what you're doing will not get Mark back because he doesn't love you, Shawn, he loves Jeff! But if you keep this up, you'll lose the man who truly loves you! Do you want to risk losing Hunter?"

Shawn didn't respond. Kevin sighed and released his shoulder. "Go back and think over what we said. We'll go with you to visit Hunter later. I've a lunch appointment but we'll come back to get you." As he was about to leave, he turned back to Shawn, "I think you need to apologize for your behavior to several people. I hope you'll do the right thing. We'll see you later" and then, they were gone.

Shawn stared at the closed door. He looked completely lost and he felt so alone. Slowly, he walked towards the bed and sat down. He let out a shuddering sigh. What must he do?

~*~*~*~

Matt stormed out of the lift with Scotty giving chase.

"Please, Angel, don't do this. He's one of us! I'll ask Kevin to talk to him!" Scott pleaded as he reached out and pulled Matt to a stop.

"Did you see what he did to my brother? He almost destroyed his spirit! I'm not going to sit back and let him take my brother slowly apart! Now, let me go!"

Matt struggled to free himself but Scott held on to him firmly and said, "It'll not solve anything! I give you my promise that I'll deal with him personally if he so much as slur your brother's name! Let me handle this, okay?"

And just at that moment, Shawn walked out of his room. Matt tore himself from Scott's grip and lunged forward. Shawn looked up just as Matt launched himself at him. He found himself on the floor with Matt astride him. Matt managed to sock one to Shawn before he was pulled off by Scotty.

"You come near my brother again and I'll beat the tar out of you!" Matt screamed as he was dragged away.

Shawn sat up and winced, rubbing his jaw gingerly. The lift doors opened and Kevin and Sean walked out. Taking in the scene, Kevin shook his head in despair. Matt was still fighting Scott, trying to get out of his grasp and it took everything to hold on to him.

In a few strides, Kevin reached them and called out authoritatively, "Cool it, Matt! Scotty, let him go!"

Sean went forward quickly to help Shawn to his feet. But as soon as Scott released Matt, he lunged forward again but Kevin anticipated his move. He reached out quickly and grabbed Matt by the back of his shirt.

Pulling him back easily, he ordered, "Stop it!" but Matt fought him. "I say, cut it out!" and Kevin pushed to hold him against the wall. He held him there until Matt calmed down somewhat to listen to reason. "You don't fight your own people, you hear me?" Kevin spoke with an assertive tone. "If you have issues with Shawn, you come to me! You do not take matters into your own hands! Now, will you behave if I let go?"

Matt reluctantly nodded. Kevin released his hold and Matt straightened his shirt and brushed his disheveled hair back with his hand. He glared at Shawn who was nursing his jaw.

"Okay, now that we have some order, shall we proceed to my room and sort this out?" Kevin said as he opened his door open and led the way in.

They all trooped in and took their places. Kevin sat on a chair and turned towards Matt. "I know you're angry, Matt but this is not the way to settle your differences. Now, tell me what happened."

Kevin knew about that morning's altercation but he hadn't heard what Shawn actually said to provoke Glenn to attack him. Matt told him word for word what Glenn told him and how he had just been to see Jeff who was completely devastated by Shawn's vile accusations. Everyone was stunned at Shawn's callous behavior. But to Shawn's credit, he actually looked shamefaced for once. He had done some soul searching during the past hour and realized that Mark never once tried to get back with him. Mark had cut himself loose the moment Shawn went with Hunter. It was his own ego that held the belief that he meant more to Mark. Everyone thought that Mark wasn't over Shawn when he didn't go with anyone. The fact of the matter was that he was alone because the right man hadn't come along, until Jeff.

Kevin remained silent after Matt finished. He gave Shawn a disappointed look before saying quietly, "I had no idea!" He was appalled at what he had just heard!

Kevin knew then that Mark would be paying him a visit soon. He remembered the promise he made him. He sighed heavily and decided that he should go and see Mark first and try to resolve the issue before the situation got out of control.

He turned to Sean, "Stay here with Shawn until I get back. We're going to see Mark and see if we can settle this amicably."

~*~*~*~

After their lunch with Kevin and Sean, Chris decided to head back to his room. He complained of a headache and quickly headed back to his room, leaving Jay and Adam to their own devices. Jay was disappointed at his departure and Adam tried to cheer him up. They were wondering where Matt and Scott had gone to. They didn't turn up for lunch and Adam thought they could be with Jeff. The two men decided to spend a lazy afternoon at the pool. They changed quickly and headed out to the pool.

It was a hot day and Adam took a leisure dip in the pool. As he got up, Jay was already settled on the deck chair, shades on and a book in his hand. Adam stretched out on the deck chair and put his shades on. He sighed blissfully as he closed his eyes, intending to catch up on lost sleep. As he dozed lightly, he couldn't help thinking over what Matt had said. If only it was that simple, to just switch off his emotions for someone he really likes and direct it to someone else. He opened his eyes to peer at Jay from behind his shades. What exactly was it he felt for Jay? Was it more than friendship? He still didn't know but he was positive about his feelings for Jeff. He wished he had known earlier. He had known both Hardys before Mark and Glenn came into the picture but he only found out his feelings for Jeff recently. He cursed at his misfortune. All that time when he could have been together with Jeff!

"Hey, mind putting the lotion on my back? I can't reach," Jay asked as he sat up and threw the bottle of lotion to Adam.

As Adam lavished the lotion on his back, he asked tentatively, "Jay, can I ask you something but I need an honest answer."

Jay turned curiously towards him, "What is it?"

Adam replaced the cap before posing the question, "Are you jealous of Jeff?"

"Of course not!" Jay replied quickly.

Adam shook his head sadly, "I said I want an honest answer and that wasn't it."

Jay looked glum and Adam decided to coax him to open up to him.

"Come on, Jay, we've known each other for a long time. Don't lie to me. I saw your reaction when Jeff hugged you. It's not his fault that Chris likes him. Don't treat him that way. He's our buddy and buddies don't need to hide things from each other."

Jay took off his shades to look at Adam. He looked sorry. "I know, I feel like a jerk about my behavior! I know it's not his fault but I can't help it!"

"It's never easy to hear and accept the truth but we're buddies and I don't want to lie to you. There are things I want to tell you but I'm not sure if you want to hear them."

Jay sighed before nodding, "I think I know where you're heading with this but tell me anyway. Just lend me your shoulder to cry on when you're through."

"Okay, but promise to hear me out to the end. I don't know if I can go through it if you cut me off half-way."

"I promise. Now, shoot!" Jay gave him his undivided attention.

Adam took in a deep breath and said, "I know you like Chris but I don't think he's interested. He has been evading you. We know he has his heart set on Jeff. As your friend, I think you should just ask him pointblank if he's interested and if he says no, then you should just let go and move on!"

He paused to study Jay's reaction and as expected, his friend looked sad. "Are you okay?" he asked and Jay nodded wordlessly. He gestured to Adam to continue.

"The other thing I want to tell you is … I've fallen for Jeff." Adam whispered the last part with a guilty look on his face.

Jay gasped in shock and Adam nodded sadly, "Yes, I know. Call me foolish or dumb but that's how I feel! And do you know what's the worst part? It sucks knowing that I don't stand a ghost of a chance to be with him!"

Jay looked at him sympathetically and Adam sighed before saying, "We may have to cry on each other's shoulders. But, I'm not done yet."

He hesitated momentarily and decided that he didn't want to hold anything back from Jay. If anything else, he wanted to be honest with his buddy.

"Jay, we've known each other for a long time and we've both found out recently that we're into guys. Well … what I'm trying to say is … I think I have feelings for you."

Jay stared at him in shock but Adam decided to continue before he lost his courage. "I know it must come as a shock but I'm not sure about my feelings for you, yet. I feel jealous when you're with Chris. I just don't know what to make of it. Hopefully, now that you know, maybe we can figure it out together?" But he was quick to add, "But, of course if you don't feel that way for me, it's fine with me! I just thought you should know. Well, I think that's about it!"

He breathed out a sigh of relief. He waited anxiously for Jay to respond but his friend just sat there with his mouth froze open in shock.

"Jay?" he snapped his fingers in front of him and Jay finally reacted. He blinked several times before finally closing his mouth. He stared at Adam and tried several times to speak but nothing came out from his mouth.

Adam gave him a nod of understanding and said with a wry smile, "It's okay. It'll take a while for the information to set in. Just lie down and take a nap. You don't have to say anything until you're ready."

Adam lay back on the deck chair and closed his eyes. He felt better already getting that load off his chest. Jay stared at him numbly before propping himself up against the chair. His thoughts were in a whirl. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on one thought at a time. Slowly, his mind processed the information it had just been fed. He breathed easier and surprisingly, he felt a lot calmer. Finally, everything clicked into place and he made up his mind. He sat up abruptly and turned to his long-time friend. "Adam?" he called out.

Adam roused himself and lifted his shades to look at him with half-lidded eyes, "Yeah?"

"Want to go out on a date with me tonight?"

~*~*~*~

Jeff opted to stay in, refusing to go out for lunch. He didn't want to chance meeting Shawn downstairs. Mark and Glenn didn't want to force him so they ordered room service. After making sure that Jeff ate something, both men settled down to read while Jeff sat back to finish the drawing on Glenn. He hummed softly under his breath as he worked and the brothers were glad to see that he had put the nasty incident behind him. Or, maybe it was because he was looking forward to going to the fair but whatever it was, he had cheered up. They were grateful to Matt for stepping in when he did and lifted his brother out of his gloom.

Satisfied with his drawing, he showed it to them and said, "I'm going to frame your pictures up when I get home and put it in my room. It will feel like you're at home with me."

Mark and Glenn looked startled. They never thought that they would be apart from Jeff at any given time. They spent a fair amount of time on the road but Jeff would want to go home to see his dad and friends on his off days. It wasn't anytime soon but it would come.

Glenn hugged him close and said, "Maybe when you go home, Mark and I can come with you? You can introduce us to your old man and friends."

Jeff beamed and clapped his hands excitedly, "Daddy will be thrilled to meet you two! He admires you! It'll be a treat for him to meet you personally! Shane and Shannon would go ape-shit when they hear you're coming to visit! In fact, everyone we know will want to meet you! I can't wait to see their faces when I introduce you to them!"

"Woah there, Jeff!" Mark laughed and ruffled his hair, "When are you and Matt going back any way?"

Jeff frowned before saying, "I don't know, Matty didn't say."

Mark's mouth quirked in amusement, "Didn't you ask him?"

Jeff shook his head, "Matty plans everything for us. He says to leave everything to him."

"Come here" Mark said as he opened his arms and Jeff shifted out of Glenn's arms to go to him. He settled himself comfortably against Mark who wrapped his arms around him and settled his chin on top his head.

Mark spoke softly, "Jeff, you must learn to do things on your own. I know Matt has been taking care of you since your mother passed on but you will stay on your own one day. What if Matt is not with you, how are you going to cope?"

Jeff turned his head to look up at him and told him shamefaced, "But I can't do anything right! I always messed up!"

Mark shook his head, "It doesn't matter if you mess up. You just try and get it right the next time. Don't say that you can't do anything right! You should have more faith in yourself as we have faith in you."

Jeff nodded bashfully at the compliment before saying, "I'll try."

Mark squeezed him affectionately before letting him go and said, "That's all we ask."

There was a knock on the door and Jeff jumped off the bed, calling out, "I'll get it!"

"No, Jeff!" both Mark and Glenn shouted in unison as they lunged forward to stop him.

Mark got to him first and pulled him back, saying, "Never open the door, leave that to Glenn and me, okay? We don't know who's at the door."

Jeff let out a shudder as he thought of Raven at the door.

"It's okay, we won't let anything happen to you," Mark comforted him as he felt him trembling against him.

Glenn checked through the peep-hole and announced, "It's only Kevin," and he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Kevin, Scott and Matt greeted them and Jeff asked excitedly, "Are we going to the fair already?"

Everyone laughed and Matt told his brother, "Not yet Jeffro, it's too early. We came by because Kevin has something to discuss with Mark."

"Glenn, why don't you take Jeff with you? It's a nice day for a swim. I'll join you later at the pool." Something in Kevin's demeanor told him that Jeff shouldn't stay.

Kevin turned to Scott and Matt, "Why don't you go with Glenn and Jeff? I'll come get you before we visit Hunter at the hospital."

Both men hurried back to their room to change after arranging to meet at the pool.

"Come on, Jeff!" Glenn grabbed hold of Jeff's hand after they had changed into their swimming trunks and headed towards the door.

"Bye …" Jeff waved jauntily before Glenn closed the door.

Kevin grinned and turned back to Mark, "He's a real sweetie, ain't he?"

Mark's eyes twinkled with amusement as he asked, "Jeff or Glenn?" and both men laughed uproariously.

~*~*~*~

Glenn and Jeff stepped out into the pool area. Jeff's face broke into a wide grin and he called out as he ran forward, "Addy! JJ!"

Adam was lying on his stomach. He brought his head up fast, pulling up the shades when he heard Jeff calling them. Jay sat up and turned to watch Adam. He broke into a smile when he saw Adam grinning widely as he stood up to meet Jeff.

"Are you coming to the fair with us tonight?" Jeff asked excitedly. Glenn came up from behind and they exchanged greetings.

"Yes, we are and I can see you can't wait!" Adam said in a teasing tone.

"You bet! It has been ages since I've been to one! Aren't you excited at all?" Jeff asked, his eyes glowing with excitement.

Adam gave him an amused smile, "Of course, we are! You know, I'm pretty good at shooting down targets. I bet I can shoot down the most targets among you!"

Glenn smirked, "Is that a challenge?" and Adam looked at him confidently, "Care to take me on?"

"Hold it, guys!" Jay said as he stepped between them. "We admire your competitive spirit but why don't we make things a little bit more interesting?"

All eyes turned to him and Glenn asked curiously, "What do you have in mind?"

"Hmm, even if either of you beat the other, there's no reward. Lets have a prize. The best shooter among us gets a kiss!"

Glenn and Adam made a face. Adam said with a shudder, "I'm not going to kiss him if I lose!" pointing at Glenn with a grimace.

Glenn retorted, "I wouldn't want to kiss you even if I win! Yucks!" and made a disgusted face at that thought.

"For Christ's sake, guys, I'm talking about Jeff!" Jay clarified and looked to Jeff for approval.

Jeff was stunned speechless. Glenn pulled him possessively towards him, "No! No one else kisses our Jeff! He's off-limits!"

Adam just stared at Jay in disbelief. But Jay ignored him and played his ace card.

"Why, Glenn! I thought you're so sure you'll win! Well, I don't blame you for backing out because Adam is that damn good!" Jay taunted the big man.

Glenn snorted derisively. He pondered momentarily and then said, "Give us a minute," before pulling Jeff away.

As he conversed with Jeff in low tones, Adam hissed at Jay, "What the hell are you doing?"

Jay leaned towards him and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm giving you your chance with Jeff! If you want it, then you make sure you win! They're coming back!"

Glenn smirked and said, "We're going to accept your terms. The man who shoots down the most targets gets to kiss Jeff!"

Adam was surprised to his sudden change of heart. He looked at Jeff and asked, "Are you sure about this, Jeff?"

Jeff wanted to say he was against it but Glenn had assured him that between him and Mark, no one could best them in target shooting. He nodded in reply to Adam's query.

"That settles it!" Jay rubbed his hands together gleefully. He was glad to do something for Adam in return. They were going to give this dating thing a shot. Even if things didn't work out, he knew their friendship would hold strong. But there was an opportunity for Adam to get close to Jeff and he was going to do everything he could to help his buddy realized his dream, might it be only temporary!

Matt and Scott made their appearance and Jay thanked the Lord that Matt came after the deal was made. He knew that Matt would have caught on that something was going on. He wouldn't have agreed to let Glenn seal the deal, especially where his brother was concerned. He prayed that Glenn and Jeff won't say anything to Matt. Matt would tan his hide if he found out! He looked over to Adam. The rest was up to him now!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reviews greatly appreciated ………………………………………….