A/N: Hey guys! I haven't forgotten about you or this story I promise! I am currently overseas and writing each chapter on my phone and the wifi here isn't the greatest. But I have managed to get another chapter up for you guys and it is a long one so grab some popcorn. The drama will soon begin to unfold so hang tight my friends! Once again, thank you for all your reviews and love for this story. I love reading them all! Also hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! So hopefully this uploads correctly and if it has, hope you enjoy Chapter 37. Happy reading everyone! =)

• Chapter 37 •

Trish and Jeff walked hand in hand into LAX airport, smiling and giggling at each other like high school sweethearts. Trish had rung Matt earlier and told him that she would be travelling to the airport with Jeff and that she would meet him there. Though the loved up couple were beaming at each other after the afternoon they spent together, there was an uneasy feeling in the pits of their stomach of knowing they would have to leave each other. Their relationship had just been taken to the next level and now they were going to have to tear themselves away from each other for a couple of days for the first time since their paths had crossed.

After checking in her luggage, Trish accompanied Jeff as he checked in his bags and received his boarding pass, she felt her eyes start to sting a little and get a little cloudy as she watched Jeff check in, realizing that time was ticking away and that he would be boarding his plane soon and leaving her behind. She tried to think back to their afternoon with one another to try and force her mind to think of anything else but the current situation.

Once Jeff had finished he approached Trish who was leaning against her hand carry luggage. He noticed this deep sadness written all over her face.

"Hey…you okay?" He asked, gently lifting her chin so that her gaze was brought to him. Trish didn't want to look at him because she knew that she would lose all control of her tears if she did, but as he lifted her chin, she couldn't help but look at those beautiful emerald eyes. Just like she suspected, a few tears escaped from her eyes and ran down her face.

"Hey…baby…don't cry." Jeff said using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. Her heart fluttered at the sound of Jeff calling her baby and this only caused more tears to fall. He cared. He genuinely cared. Trish had finally found someone that made her feel that she was worth every ounce of their time, that made her feel that she mattered, that saw beyond her looks and that would stop everything just to make sure she was okay. She had never experience anything like this before and even though she told herself not too, she couldn't help but think about all the 'what ifs' that could occur whilst they weren't together and take all of this away from her. 'What if something happened to Jeff at this motocross event?' 'What if Jeff's plane didnt make it to Cameron?' She knew she was being ridiculous, but she was being her own worst enemy at this point.

"I don't want you to leave." Trish finally said as more tears came streaming from her eyes. She couldn't help it, she had opened the flood gates now. She tried to wipe them away but they just kept on coming. "I don't know why I'm getting so emotional" she added, trying to brush her feelings aside.

It hurt Jeff to see her so upset and emotional. He hadn't seen this from her yet and he didn't realise how much it hurt him to see her hurting until just now. He didn't like this feeling, this emotional pain was more painful than any physical pain he endured from motocross.

"Trish…I won't go. I'll cancel my flight and fly to New York with you." Jeff said, continuing to cup her face and wipe away her tears.

"No! I can't let you do that." Trish replied adamantly.

"Why not? I can't leave you like this."

"Jeff you can't. You love motocross and on top of that your father. You miss him dearly and you miss Cameron dearly. I know how much all that means to you. I can't ask you to do that. I could never live with myself if you decided to drop all that for me."

"But I don't want to be apart from you either. I never liked the idea of you going in the first place. I could go with you and that way you can still see New York and I will be with you."

Trish shifted, causing Jeff to let go and stand upright as he continued to gaze at Trish. Trish wiped her eyes and swallowed the big golf ball that had formed in her throat. She had to put all emotional feelings aside. She was not going to let Jeff give up the things he loved for her. There was no way. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her hips and squeezed them gently. She brought his forehead to hers as she gently kissed his lips.

"You are amazing you know that." Trish said softly. "I appreciate the offer, but I can't ask you to do that. I will be fine, you will be fine and we will see each other sooner than we're making it out to be." She didn't know who she was trying to convince more...Jeff...or herself.

"Then come with me to Cameron…" Jeff whispered. He wasn't thinking, he was too caught up in this emotional whirlwind that he couldn't control what he was saying. Clearly his heart was speaking for him now. His suggestion caused Trish to smile.

She kissed his lips softly again. "Jeff you are going to have so much fun in Cameron and I have New York waiting for me. As much as I would love to visit the town that holds a very special place in your heart, I made a promise to your brother that I would attend this convention."

Jeff let out a big sigh in defeat. He was hoping that maybe she would reconsider going to New York and come with him to Cameron. A wave of disappointment swept through him when she declined his offer. "Trish I don't like the idea of you going to New York without me, especially considering Jason, Adam and Randy will be there with you..."

"Jeff, Matt is going to be there. As long as he is around, then you have nothing to worry about."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. Matt tends to get caught up in business talk that he might not realize what else is going on around him."

"Maybe so, but I'm a big girl Jeff. I can hold my own."

"But you shouldn't have to…"

Trish gave him another kiss to silence him. His protectiveness of her was such a turn on for her and it only added to his overall appeal. When she thought it wasn't possible, Jeff always managed to find new ways to make her fall for him even more than she already had.

She continued to kiss him as she felt the same heat from earlier this afternoon pulsate through her entire being. Jeff normally wasn't one for public displays of affection but Trish always managed to bring out a side of him that he didn't know he had in him. With Trish, it was like he had tunnel vision, he saw nothing else but himself and her. He returned her kiss with just as much passion, as he pulled her closer to his body. It wasn't a goodbye kiss but it had a goodbye feeling to it. It was more of a kiss to remind each other what they would come back to.

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?" came an all too familiar voice.

Trish and Jeff pulled themselves apart as they turned their heads to the direction of the voice.

"Now, I might be wrong, but don't people usually condone mixing business with pleasure?"

"Lucky for me I could give two fucks about what people think." Jeff was quick to respond. "You're looking a little worse for wear Jay. How's the jaw?" Jeff added pointing out some bruising on Jason's face.

Jason lightly touched his jaw, remembering the pain that Jeff caused. "Lucky for me, the jerk that hit me is weak as shit and didn't cause any major damage." He answered, trying to insult Jeff.

"Yeah we'll that jerk wasn't finished with you yet…" Jeff said taking a step closer to Jason whilst protectively guided Trish to stand behind him.

Jason was about to open his mouth to respond but was stopped as his eyes meet those of the beautiful babe behind Jeff.

"Jason…" Trish said sternly narrowing her eyes. The look on her face reminded Jason of his promise that he had made to Trish about starting fresh and acting professional. He made that promise to Trish, but he made no such promise to Jeff and it was so hard for him to act professional around him after everything the two had been through.

"Jeff come on, let's go find your brother." Trish said trying to stop the situation from getting any worse. She knew that Jason couldn't help himself, she was a little disappointed in herself to even think that maybe Jason had changed. Trish grabbed Jeff's hand to try and pry him away from Jason and to try and stop him from throwing any more fists his way.

"No need to go find him. Matt is with Adam checking in. They should be here any minute." Jason said glancing from Trish to Jeff. "It's a shame you won't be joining us this weekend Jeff. You'll be missing out on so much…fun." Jason added, shooting a wink Trish's way. He couldn't help himself, everytime Jeff was around, he couldn't control his cocky nature that would come out. He felt he always had to one up Jeff, even though Jeff always came out on top because he had the girl that Jason wanted.

"You smug motherfuc-"

"Hey guys!" Adam interrupted as he approached the others accompanied by Matt who approached with caution. He could already read his brother's facial expression and body language and he already knew that Jason had rubbed Jeff up the wrong way.

"Good evening Trish. Nice to see you again." Adam greeted and he quickly glanced at Jason. Whilst on their break from work, Jason had confessed to Adam about his infatuation with Trish, even though this wasn't news to Adam. Adam warned Jason that she was off limits, but he knew full well that Jason was stubborn and when he wanted something, he would do everything in his power to get it. So it was a losing battle for Adam to try and convince him otherwise.

"Hi Adam, nice to see you again." Trish replied as she held onto Jeff's hand, trying to provide some reassurance to him. Jeff and Jason continued to stare each other, eyeing each other down, both men putting their guards up waiting for the other to make a move.

"Jeff, it's good to see you too. You're looking well." Adam continued, breaking up the staring contest as he extended a handshake to Jeff. Jeff reluctantly tore his eyes away from Jason to shake Adam's hand.

"Nice to see you again Adam" Jeff replied, shaking Adam's hand as he continued to glance back at Jason, making sure that he wasn't up to no good.

"It's such a shame that you won't be joining us in New York Jeff. I'm sure your brother will miss having you alongside him." Adam said.

"Yes, well unfortunately the timing just wasn't right, but Matt is capable of representing NeroMoore on his own and besides, he has a wonderful person accompanying him who is more than capable of representing our company to high standards." Jeff answered smiling down at Trish, who still held his hand in hers.

"You're not wrong there." Jason interjected before Matt could respond. This caused Jeff to turn his head suddenly and narrow his eyes at Jason. His jaw clenched as his body stiffened. Jeff was getting fed up with his snide remarks. This didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Ahh…Jay why don't we go and quickly grab something to drink shall we?" Adam quickly intervened. As he placed his hand on Jason's back trying to quickly move him along and prevent the situation from escalating any further. "Matt, Trish we shall see you soon. Jeff best of luck in Cameron and I'm sure we'll see you again soon." Adam added with a small smile before quickly moving along, not even waiting for a reply from the others.

Jeff's gaze followed the two Canadian men as they walked off towards the direction of the nearest bar. Jason took a look over his shoulder at Jeff giving him one last nasty look before smirking to himself and turning to Adam.

"God I seriously hate that guy!" Jeff growled in frustration. "I swear if he tries anything with you Trish, you tell me straight away and I will seriously fly over and kick his ass!" Jeff continued, squeezing her hand a little to release some of the anger and frustration building up inside of him.

"Hey it's okay" Trish reassured, gently rubbing her hand up and down his back to try and calm Jeff down. Jeff took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily, his anger and frustration subsiding. His attention then turned from Trish to his brother. It was the first time that Matt and Jeff had been within the same vicinity as each other since his suspension. The two brothers stared at each other in silence, not knowing what to say to the other.

Matt finally broke the awkward tension as he cleared his throat to speak.

"Hey…Jeff. You're…umm…looking well." He said stuttering a little.

"Yeah…you too" were the only words Jeff could come up with. Trish stood glancing back and forth at the brothers, wondering whether they would make amends or whether another disagreement was brewing.

"Look…Jeff. I'm sorry for how things…" Matt began to apologize before his brother shook his head and silenced him.

"Matt seriously, you don't need to apologize. I understand why you suspended me. To be honest, you did me a favour. I needed a break from the business and just needed to focus my mind on other things. I totally get your reasons but I need you to understand something."

Matt listened intently to what Jeff had to say.

"I need you to understand that I cannot work with Jason. I don't like the guy. I don't like being around the guy and I don't want him anywhere near Trish. I understand we have a partnership and I have no issue with Adam but I'm telling you now, if Jason…Jay…Jackass…whatever you want to call him, if he steps one foot out of line, I'm coming for him…fists and all. I'm not asking you to dissolve the partnership, from a business perspective I believe this partnership is great for our company, but from a personal perspective, his toxic! I don't trust him and I'm just asking you to have my back on this. As my older brother, I need you to have my back when it comes to protecting something the means everything to me." Jeff requested sternly causing Trish to smile quietly to herself.

Matt took a moment to take in everything that Jeff had said before answering. "You're right Jeff…and I'm sorry. I'm your big brother before anything else. I should be more supportive of you and I will do my best to be a better brother from now on. However I just need you to remember that we do run a business okay and I do expect some professionalism on your part. I tell you what, if Jay steps out of line, can you promise to try and resolve things professionally first…preferably with words, and if that doesn't work, then you have my permission to try…other means…and I will not intervene. Deal?" Matt proposed.

Jeff took a look at Trish, trying to get an inkling of any thoughts or opinions she might have but all he got from her was a shrug of her shoulders. Matt was willing to compromise and he wasn't asking too much of Jeff. He was willing to turn a blind eye as long as Jeff was willing to act within reason first. Jeff glanced back over at Matt before extending out his knuckles. "Deal." Jeff replied causing a smile to come across his brother's face. Matt tapped his knuckles against his brother's before pulling him in for a hug. "I've missed you brother Nero! Work wasn't the same without you." Matt said, ecstatic to be talking to his brother again.

"Missed you too Matt." Jeff replied. It did feel good to be on speaking terms with his brother again. He hated arguing, especially with Matt.

"Attention all passengers, Flight DL880 to Raleigh/Durham, NC will be boarding in 15 minutes. All passengers please make your way to Gate 24 for boarding" came the voice over the PA system.

Jeff's eyes quickly darted to Trish who's smile quickly faded. This was it. It was time to say goodbye.

"I'll give you two a minute." Matt said knowing all too well that the two of them needed some time alone to say goodbye. "Trish I'll meet you at our gate when you're ready." Matt added. He then turned to Jeff, bringing him in for another hug before holding him at arm's length, giving Jeff's shoulders a little squeeze. "Say hi to Dad for me."

Once Matt had left, Jeff and Trish made their way slowly to Jeff's gate. It was all silent between the two as Trish tried to blink faster to try and stop tears from forming. Stopping at gate 24 Jeff turned to Trish, pulling her in close to him and holding her tight.

"It won't be long babe. It's just the weekend and we'll be back here before you know it." Jeff said as Trish rested her head against his chest. She smiled to herself at the sound of Jeff calling her babe. He was right, it was just the weekend, but it felt like it was going to be eternity.

"Attention all passengers, this is the final boarding call for Flight DL880 to Raleigh/Durham, NC."

"As much as I don't want to, I really have to go." Jeff said sadly.

"I'll miss you." Trish managed to say as she looked up into those all too familiar emerald eyes. It was getting harder and harder to fight back her tears. "Call me when you get home?" She added.

"Promise." Jeff said leaning in and giving her one final tender kiss. He then picked up his backpack and threw it over his shoulder before slowly making his way towards the desk and handing over his boarding pass. He took one final look at Trish who smiled a small smile and gave him a small wave. She stood there and waited, waited until her handsome blonde haired, emerald eyed man disappeared through the doors. Once she could no longer see him, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She placed her hand over her mouth to silence her cries as tears escaped her eyes like a waterfall. She was quick to wipe her tears away and pull herself together. "Get it together Stratus" she told herself before she grabbed her little suitcase and made her way towards her gate.

•••••

Not long after Jeff's plane departed it was time for Trish and Matt to board their plane to New York. Matt was there to console Trish when she had arrived at their gate and he tried his best to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. A part of Matt felt a little guilty about tearing the two lovebirds apart, but he knew that as much as it hurt Trish to be apart from Jeff, she didn't want to miss out on an opportunity like this.

"Not long now Trish and we will be touching down in New York." Matt said as they joined the queue to board their plane.

"I'm so excited. I hope I get a chance to see some of New York" she replied, trying her best to focus on her trip ahead.

"I will do my best to ensure that you don't get stuck at the convention the entire trip and you get time to see New York." Matt said with a smile. "Now I believe that our seats are a few rows apart, but if you need anything during the flight, don't hesitate to come find me okay. Wake me up if need be, I don't mind. As per Jeff's orders, you are my responsibility, so please Trish, let me know if there is anything that I can do or anything that you need okay."

"Thanks Matt. I really appreciate it and again, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Trish replied with a small smile. It was hard for her to be happy when a part of her heart had boarded that plane with Jeff, but she was excited for the adventures that awaited her in New York.

Walking into business class, Trish sat herself down in her assigned seat. Matt was seated three rows in front of her and had already made himself comfortable. Lucky for Trish she was seated next to a window which allowed her to gaze out at the bright lights and try and distract her mind from thinking of Jeff. They hadn't been separated long, but she already felt like he had been gone forever. Once she was comfortable, she grabbed a novel from her bag and opened it up. She thought maybe if she read, she could escape the mental turmoil that was going on inside her head.

"Well will you look at that...it looks like fate has some kind of plan for us sitting us next to each other like this" came the voice that sent shivers up Trish's spine.

Trish looked up from her novel and sure enough there stood the blonde haired, blue eyed, smart-mouthed son of a gun who stared at her with a big grin on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me..." were the only words she managed to say as she locked eyes with Jason.