Disclaimer: I own Tiny.

Author's Note: Wow, and I'm updating again today. Thanks for the reviews and I am sorry yet again for the wait of this story. I promise I'll have it finished in the next few weeks. I hope the last chapter made you guys smile because I know this one is another one of those good chapters I really like. Enjoy!

When I was home, time seemed to slow by. Work wasn't any better, but the dull days kept me busy. I poured my heart into my job, making sure each child I taught received the best education they could get. I made sure each student understood the work they were given, and spent time with those who were not fully there yet. And as for the children who gave me trouble, on the days I didn't label "bad", they were nothing but little problems easily resolved.

My students were part of the reason I was still sane. It was stupid, but pain still ached my body when there was a reminder of him, whether it was on the TV, or on the internet. I liked to put myself through pain, though. It was the images of him that kept me holding on at the same time.

The next day, I came into school and avoided Mike Lows and all the other teachers. I went directly to my classroom and took a seat at my desk, unloading the books and looking at the clock. I had about an hour before my students would bring to arrive in the school. It was enough time to prepare some more work and get ahead on grading.

"Hello?"

I didn't look up at the voice. "One second." I wrote down a few more things, and motioned for whoever was at my door. "I'll be with you in just a second. Take a seat."

"Thanks."

There was a familiar tone to the voice, but I couldn't place it. Quickly, I folded the paper I was writing on and set it in my bag. Then, I took a deep breath and looked up. In the seconds after, I felt my heart nearly jump into my chest and my breathing catch.

"You must recognize me," the person chuckled.

I tried not to nod. "Hi."

The person smiled. "Hello."

"What can I help you with?"

The person smoothed a hand over their blond hair. "Actually, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, if that's okay."

"Sure. Is Hailey here yet?"

Adam Copeland shook his head. "No. Her mother brings her. However, I wanted to make sure she fits in here. I'm sure you know by now that I work in a company that gives me a good amount of exposure and for some children, this becomes a problem. Whether it's jealousy, or something else, children tend to bother Hailey. My daughter doesn't reflect the career path I chose, and that's one of the reasons she's in public school. I believe she should live a normal life. So, I just wanted to ask if anyone begins to bother her you contact me immediately. She's a good kid and I can't stand to see her upset."

I nodded my head, still unable to believe Adam Copeland was sitting only a few feet away from me, discussing something as simple as his daughter with me. It was so funny to know the man that had once been close with Matt was now talking to me. Did he ever mention me to Adam? Was I that girl no one had ever met yet everyone hated? Or did he never mention me at all and I was just a distant memory, fading more and more each day?

"I'll be sure to contact you if anything like that happens. I can assure you though… she won't have a problem. From what I can tell, she's a very smart little girl and she has already made some friends here."

Adam smiled, giving me a look that reminded me of his wrestling character. "Thank you."

"Is that all you needed today, Mr. Copeland?"

He stood up as I did, and I found myself staring up at a tall man. I had forgotten how much taller most wrestlers were. "That's all. Thank you, Miss. Malibu. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me."

"Not a problem. If you want, I can leave you the number that you can contact me by if you find any problems come about that you'd like me notified of."

Relief came onto his face. "That would be wonderful. Maybe I should leave you a number to reach me by too. I travel a lot," he explained, "but I do have a cell and I would like to be updated on my daughter's progress. While her mother and I are still friends, it's hard trying to keep up with one another."

"I understand."

We walked to the door together, and once more, I got a feeling of pain in my chest. There I was, so close and yet so far away from Matt. All I had to do was mention my past with him and maybe I could let everything change. But would that really happen? Sometimes I felt as if I could just do one thing and everything would return the way it was. And others, I still felt as if I had done something that never would be forgiven.

I wanted Matt to hate me so badly. And another part of me hoped he never had.

"Miss Malibu?"

"Yes, sorry. What did you say?"

"I just wanted to say thanks again. I'm sure Hailey will enjoy your class very much." He held his hand to me and I shook it. "Have a great day."

A few more weeks passed, and the WWE made it's way back to Florida for events. It felt strange to know Matt Hardy was in the same state as me, standing on the same state ground that I was. I felt myself ache several times during the day, hoping somehow he knew I was thinking of him, and at the same time, praying he wasn't.

The children were excited, as it was Friday and the WWE was in town that night. Many were fans and had tickets for that night's show. Several children had on WWE t-shirts and were discussing superstars that were their favorites. I could see Hailey bite her tongue several times when someone mentioned they hated Edge.

However, there were many Hardy fans in the room, particularly Jeff. They loved his strange style, and the way he didn't care what others thought. They discussed his move set and how he jumped from high places. It made me happy that they didn't know about his struggle with drugs and only saw the talented and good-hearted man he was. They didn't need to know about that kind of thing.

It upset me when I did hear people talk about Jeff's past with drugs. Many people were quick to judge him for what he had done and many didn't know how nice he really was. Whether he struggled with drug use shouldn't have mattered. It wasn't their business and they didn't care about all the good parts of him. All they cared about was the gossip and trying to make his persona life a living hell.

I could still remember the talk we had one night late on the pond while everyone else slept.

It was late and I could not sleep. I knew Matt had fallen asleep a few hours before, as his light had been off for nearly three hours and he would not answer my phone call as I quietly snuck the phone into my room to call him. Without him to comfort me, I decided the pond was my next best place to be.

The air was calm and there was a sweetness to the air. A soft sound came from the water, fishes swimming beneath. I sat as close as I could, letting my feet soak there. Gentle waves coated them. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were all over. I laid back on the sand and closed my eyes, breathing in. How anyone could not love the country I did not understand.

"I guess you can't sleep either."

I jumped back up, nearly falling into the water. I turned quickly and narrowed my eyes at Jeff, trying to hold back from screaming both at him, and from fear. "God, Jeff. You scared the living shit out of me."

He grinned. "Sorry."

"You look it," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "And no, I can't sleep."

"This is a good place to come," he whispered, sitting down next to me. He had on torn up jeans, ripped beyond repair. "I think I already told you I could here a lot."

I nodded. "You did. I can see why. It's nice."

"It is." He put his hands on his knees, setting his chin on top. He also took a deep breath and leaned back, staring at the stars. "I always wonder how many are in the sky. I know the people can predict, but how many are really there? Would there be enough for one star for each person or would there be more? I can't imagine it would be less."

I looked up at the stars, seeing each one pass my eyes and onto the next. Jeff was right… there were many stars to look at. He seemed to always bring up a topic I couldn't supply an answer to, but I didn't mind. I liked that kind of thing. It made me wonder and it gave me a chance to think.

"I don't know," I finally said. "But I think they're pretty."

"I'm not going to say they're pretty."

I laughed at his expression. "You don't have to."

There was a brief silence. "Why can't you sleep?"

Taking a moment, I looked down at my jeans, seeing the edges were wet. I began to pick at the ends, pulling off pieces that had been destroyed in our adventures. There were spots that had a dark green color, results of running through a field earlier in the day, chasing after Matt who had taken my notebook because I wouldn't show him my story. Finally, I was able to tackle him to the ground, giving us a chance to really look at one another. It was a powerful moment, something I never wanted to forget. There was just something about being on top of him, feeling him breath beneath me while I looked into his eyes, seeing the security and the safety he wanted me to have. And then when he kissed me, it was so gentle and loving, I couldn't help but want to kiss him back and make him understand how much he meant to me.

"Tiny?"

"What?" I asked.

"You never answered my question about why you couldn't sleep." He made a face and leaned closer to me. I studied Jeff for a moment, wanting to perfect his face in my mind. His hair was light blond, barely coming above his eyes, giving just enough room to showcase the green beautiful eyes inside. They lit up when he was happy, and even in the dark right then, I could see them just as beautifully.

"I don't want to sleep," I finally admitted. "I like for these days to go on for as long as they can. Sleep makes us miss out on some of the things we could be doing if we weren't sleeping. Why can't you sleep?"

Jeff shifted again, looking at the water. "I actually just had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I put my hand on his shoulder, seeing his face darken and those eyes cloud.

He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "It was about my mother."

I felt my heart ache a little. I knew how hard it had been on their family when she died, and of course I had my own problems with my past. Could I handle talking about something like that with him?

"What happened?" I asked quietly.

He looked at me sadly, as if he sensed my feelings on the topic. "It was perfect at first. It was summer and you were there. Matt and I were wrestling on the mat, and suddenly, she was calling us and we came. Matt hand his hand around yours and he just seemed so proud. I think it was the first time you were meeting her. He came up to her, smiling so widely and began to talk, motioning to you. My mother was just beaming at you. I pushed you forward, and Matt turned around to face you, but when we both looked back up, she was gone, and in her place was nothing but air."

He continued, "Then, it began to pour and the sky just got so dark. I couldn't see anyone, and we got separated somehow. I was in the woods and couldn't find my way home. I heard your voices, and my mother's voice. I barely remember it anymore, but I still know it when I hear it, if only in my dreams. I kept stumbling, but I couldn't find you guys. Then, I tripped over something in the dream and woke up."

I opened my mouth, but he stopped me. "I know it sounds like it wasn't that bad, but I haven't dreamed of her in such a long time. Actually, its been years. I just thought it was strange that you were in it and how happy she seemed to meet you."

I took another deep breath, and smiled at him. "Maybe I was meeting her. Maybe in your nightmare, it wasn't a nightmare at first. Maybe it's her way of saying hello from heaven."

He looked at me. "You think so?"

"I do." I set my hand on his knee. "I really do."

He made a face though and sighed. "Then what about the bad part?"

"You were scared of seeing her. You haven't seen her in so long… I know that scares me when I think of my father and brother."

Jeff nodded. "Matt told me about that…"

"Yeah…"

We grew quiet. "Do you feel better?" I asked.

He shrugged and looked at the water again. "I think I do. I didn't think of it the way you did. I didn't take it as a message that maybe my mother is watching over us and really thinks greatly of you." He smiled. "But I can see why she does. I'm so glad Matt met you, Tiny. I mean that."

For some reason, tears filled my eyes. "Thanks."

As school ended for the day, I saw Hailey waiting for me after all the other children had went into the hallways, making their way to their parents. "Miss Malibu?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to the WWE show tonight?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm not."

"My Daddy is going to be in the show." She smiled. "He does great. I have front row tickets."

We walked together down the hallways while she told me stories about her father and how cool his life was. I couldn't help but smile as she led me to where her mother was supposed to be waiting, but when I saw her face light up even more as I looked down at her, I knew it couldn't just be her mother.

It was Adam and he was standing there, someone behind him.

"Daddy!" she cried, running into his arms. He picked her up quickly and she hugged him. "Are you bringing me with you?"

"Yes, Hailey." He noticed me standing there. "Hello, Miss Malibu. How are you today?"

I smiled. "Good. How are you?"

But before he could answer, the person standing behind Adam stepped forward, and for the first time in sixteen years, I felt my knees go weak and my heart flutter as if I was seventeen again and back in North Carolina with him.

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