A/N This is the final chapter of this story and aren't I such a nice person that I don't make you wait long for it :D And I'm not going to make you wait for the sequel either. Look for I'll Keep You… which should be up soon after this. Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 26
Fall!
Now the dark begins to rise
Save your breath it's far from over
Leave the lost and dead behind
Now's your chance to run for cover
The days of downtime flew by and they were soon back at work. Jeff travelled with them and the storm seemed to be over. Days, turned into weeks and Matt and Sevina's storyline heated up. Matt was now in a full rivalry against John Cena, seemingly all to gain Sevina's affection. Two faces fighting for a heel. Sevina seemed to be giving in to neither of them and the fans weren't sure whether they loved or hated her. She played her part well and really loved her job. She was living her dream and there was no hint, no small sign that all was not exactly how it should be. Though for all that she was riding a high, winning matches and fans, something was missing and she knew what it was.
The tension between herself and Jeff had ebbed away and they were able to be around one another again, but they still maintained a cool distance. They never touched. Never. Matt noticed and he wasn't the only one. Before, they had been happy to hug and beat each other up, playfully punch or even hold hands, the affection was obvious. Now it was gone. Everyone saw it, but they weren't stupid enough to comment or ask questions. None of their business.
As the weeks went on, the storyline got more and more involved, until it was time for the turn-around that would blow the whole thing open. Sevina was turning face. Two weeks more and she would expose her true 'character' to the world. Her mind was focused entirely on that, she refused to let it wander even the slightest bit, because when she did, she only thought of one thing, one face, one set of emerald eyes, one burning touch that she could never again feel and she didn't need that right now. She needed to focus on her career. She needed to do anything and everything she could to keep this up, to let the world know that she was alright.
Of course, it hadn't taken long for rumours to fly that there was something going on between herself and Jeff, but she was relying on the storyline to eradicate those suspicions. There was nothing between herself and Jeff Hardy and there never would be. Not now.
I don't want to change the world
I just want to leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up
Take the path that leads to nowhere
All is lost again, but I'm not giving in
Matt was uncertain. He wasn't sure what to make of Sevina or his brother. They were both trying to act normal and for all intents and purposes, it was working. They would talk casually and laugh at each other's jokes, but only as long as there were other people around. He'd walked into his locker room a week or so back to find them on opposite ends of the room, not talking, but as soon as they'd seen him, normality had resumed. What was worse, was Shannon's increasing presence. Matt had only just convinced Vince to let Jeff come backstage, but Shan had been welcomed with open arms and his friendship with Sevina was uncomfortable for Matt to witness.
Shannon would hold her hand, hug her after a match or simply throw an arm over her shoulders. In essence, he was doing all of the things that Jeff used to do and Matt wanted to scream at him sometimes. Wanted to tell him not to be so insensitive, shoving it down Jeff's throat, but then he reminded himself, Shannon didn't know. Only Matt knew what had gone on, aside from Sevina and Jeff themselves and he wasn't going to be the one to break the truce they had.
Work wise, Matt's life was great. He loved really getting into storylines and John made it easy to fall into the role. He was every bit as enthusiastic as Matt and the two had formed a strong friendship. They both found it hilarious that Sevina practically puked every time she had to kiss one of them on screen. Still though, he couldn't get the nagging doubts out of his mind. This peace couldn't last.
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
Jeff felt like screaming most of the time. He wanted to grab Sevina and shake her. He wanted to tell her that this wasn't how he wanted things, that he wished he could take it all back and tell her the truth. He didn't. She was happy. Her career was sky-rocketing and her personal life was thriving. His jealousy of John Cena was gone, but it was swiftly replaced by one of his closest friends. Jeff loved Shannon like a brother, but now spent most of his days wanting to punch him, or kick him. Anything to get him away from Sevina. He didn't.
He watched them getting closer and closer, knowing it was only a matter of time. He kept his distance and hated himself for being the guy who sat back and let it happen. He watched as Sevina wrapped up her storyline with Matt, turning face, but choosing neither man. He watched as she spent increasing amounts of time with Shannon, to the point that he was visiting in almost every city they travelled to. When the announcement was finally made that they were dating, he wasn't surprised, but he was devastated.
He was the guy, he was the nameless face, the faceless form that had taken Jeff's place. Jeff shut himself away for a while. He didn't go to shows, he didn't call anyone or talk to anyone. He needed time. He needed space. He needed to let it out, to get it out of him somehow. He came close, in those first, unendurable days to leaning on his old fallback, to reaching for the substances that he knew would make it go away, but every time he was tempted, he saw Sevina's face in his mind, the day he's told her about him being arrested and he stopped. He couldn't have her and he couldn't be the friend to her that he had always been, but he would be the man she thought he was. He would be strong enough to endure this. He would be brave enough to see her happy and not hate the man she'd chosen.
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
Sevina had been nervous about telling Jeff that she was dating Shannon. She didn't know what she had expected, but he had barely reacted. He had smiled and nodded, said he was happy for her and then left. She didn't hear from him for a week and a half after that and some small part of her mind wondered if it was because of this new development, but quickly assured herself that that could not possibly be the case. Of course he would be happy for her, he was just having one of those moments that he sometimes had where he needed to break from everyone.
She couldn't dwell on it for long, still focusing on her work more than anything else and letting Shannon take up all the spare time that she had. She was in a number one contender race for the Woman's Championship. She battled on for weeks, trying to reach that elusive point, but as she had come close, it had been snatched from her hands. She couldn't feel bitter about it. She'd only been with the company for a few months and it was a little early to expect a real title shot. She had enjoyed the fight, she had thrived on the new support from the fans. She was beloved and that was what she had worked so many years to achieve. She could stand in the ring and flaunt at the crowd and they cheered, for her. This was her victory, but it was hollow somehow. It wasn't complete. Without her best friend it was almost meaningless. She knew she would have to reach greater and greater heights to get the same kick out of it that she always had, but even then, it would never be enough. There would always be a void that nothing could fill.
Watch the end through dying eyes
Now the dark is taking over
Show me where forever dies
Matt received his summons to Mr McMahon's office with a certain sense of trepidation. He had no idea what to expect or what the chairman could possibly want with him. What he got when he arrived there was more of a shock than anything he could ever, in his wildest dreams or even nightmares, have imagined. When he left, he felt like he was in a daze. He was sworn to secrecy and he hated that. All he wanted to do was run to Sevina's hotel room and tell her everything, tell her what McMahon had planned. She would be just as freaked out as he was.
He couldn't say anything though. If he did, he had no doubt that his job would be on the line. He tried to calm himself but remembering that it was all part of the job, just a career path that had to be taken. Still, this was huge! It felt wrong not telling Sevina about it. Not warning her about what awaited her.
Take the fall and run to heaven,
All is lost again, but I'm not giving in
Sevina arrived at Vince McMahon office in Conneticut, not really sure why she had been summoned. She approached the front desk and was immediately led to Vince's office. She lifted her eyebrows as the speed with which she was admitted. She'd seen the look on Matt's fast yesterday when he'd come out of here and she felt a lurch of anxiety at what that might meant for her. She looked at woman who let her into the office, clearly nervous as she stepped over the threshold.
She was shocked initially to see that she wasn't the only one who'd been summoned at that time. She was even more shocked to find that the two other superstars in the room with her were Glen Jacobs and Mark Calaway. She stared at them both for a moment, before Vince coughed conspicuously. Sevina's eyes snapped to him and she flushed. He simply motioned for her to take the only seat that remained. She did so, slowly, awkwardly. There was a long silence before Vince began to speak. Sevina listened, but was sure now that she had to be trapped in some kind of dream, that was mixed in with a nightmare.
She pinched herself on the arm, wincing, but did not wake up and as Vince handed her the bulky script, she had to admit that this was reality. She flicked through the pages, her eyes widening more and more as she read. Her head snapped up and she stared at Vince.
"What?! You can't be serious!"
I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
And I'll survive, paranoid I have lost the will to change
And I am not proud, cold blooded, fake
I will shut the world away.
A/N So that's it! What IS going on? Well, you'll have to read the sequel to find out :D Please review and thank you for reading this first ever fanfic of mine!
The lyrics in this chapter are from Breaing Benjamin - I Will Not Bow. As I stated at the beginning of this story, so shall I state it again at the end; I do not own WWE or infact anything of the characters in this story apart from Sevina. I do not own any of the music either. No copyright infrginement is intended.