a/n - penultimate chapter…enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Last Minute

Matt wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong, but I was hoping that he just thought that I was missing Jeff. I watched him closely as he read over the script for the show. I must've read it at least ten times already, to make sure that I knew exactly what I was going to say. I tried not to read too much into the script that I had been given, Simon was getting his own way now and I had no choice but to go along with it. I had given up my right to have a choice when I was given the ultimatum of Simon keeping quiet and Simon telling Jeff exactly what had been going on in the meetings.

I had convinced myself that it was better this way. It wasn't the easy option or the coward's option, it was the only option. Jeff deserved to be champion and everything else was irrelevant. The only way that Simon was going to give Jeff a good title reign was for me to disappear, unannounced, without reason. They could use it as a story device as well Simon being able to tear me and Jeff apart.

"You ready?" I glanced up at Matt, forcing a half hearted smile.

I stood up and dusted myself down, "Yeah, let's go next door."

I lay down on the sofa, playing absent-mindedly with the Hardy's pendant. It was getting easier to forget about the cameras filming the supposed intimate moments of the locker room. I focused completely on Matt, doing my best to ignore the cameras altogether. He stood in the doorway, just watching me, a small smile appearing on his face as he entered the room, "Y'ok Kat?" he asked.

I jumped up, pretending to be startled, "Seeing your face, yeah." I smiled.

"Where's Jeff?" he asked, the tiniest edge of concern in the tone of his voice.

"Home. Maybe you should go visit once we're done here. We could both go. I get to spend some time with you, talk some sense into you and then maybe you can try talking to Jeff?" I suggested hopefully. I stood up and moved closer to Matt, "You are brothers Matt, I know it's been a mess the past couple of weeks. But you need each other." The last sentence I spoke before hugging him were the easiest to say, the words I meant the most. When I upped and left unannounced, they would need each other. And Lou too. "And I've missed you."

Matt pulled away from the hug and ran his hands over his face and through his hair, "I've missed hanging out with you too Kat, but I don't know if things with Jeff will ever be the same. The things I've done…said, I've hurt him and I've hurt you."

"You were blackmailed Matt. And I sorta used you too," I reminded him, "We've all done things we aren't proud of, for different reasons. Jeff forgave me for everything I did wrong, maybe he could forgive you too?"

After my fake call to Jeff, I walked down the hall into the film crew just as planned. Although they weren't alone, Simon was with them. Obviously here to gloat. It was a lot easier to be angrier when I saw his face, his smile, his satisfied smirk at my misfortune.

Slamming my fist of the wall, I let out a small scream of frustration, before leaning against the wall and burying my head in my arms. I wasn't scripted to cry, but seeing Simon just set me off. It was the release of emotion that I needed to be able to function for the rest of the night, probably for the next few weeks as I had to lie to those that had become like family in a very short time. I was turning my back on old friends, new friends and my boyfriend. I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I snapped completely. For now, this outburst would have to do.

I could hear Matt calling my name as he approached me, genuine concern in his voice. "Kit, what's wrong? What happened?"

I turned from the wall and almost collapsed onto him. I held my arms tight around his waist as he held me close into him. In the back of my mind I knew this would really set the fans off, and probably please Simon even more than the words we were following in the script. "You, all of you. That's what's wrong." I pushed away from him, wiping the tears from my eyes, "I can be friends with guys without anything going on, y'know? But Jeff can't seem to handle it. Jeff now doesn't want to talk to either of us. I just don't know what to do anymore. I love your brother Matt. I would do anything for him, everything. How do I make him see that?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders, "You shouldn't be alone right now. Come down ringside for my match. Jeff would want someone keeping an eye you. Even though it's his fault you're in a state like this," he sighed.

After I had successfully slipped into the ring and clocked Jason over the head with his MITB briefcase, Matt went for the pin and got the win. I stepped into the ring as scripted and moved toward Jason, who was struggling to get up. The chants of "Christian" were louder than anything else. I walked around him as he slowly got to his feet and took a microphone. "That briefcase is only gonna bring you trouble Christian. Your brother won his title because of you. You facilitated his victory, made his head bigger, made him even more unbearable. I can only hope that next week he gets crushed just like you did. Whoever is Champion come Extreme Rules, Jeff Hardy will be leaving with the gold."

I had barely sat on the bed in the hotel room when my cell began ringing incessantly with messages and soon after Jeff called, "You cried."

"Yep," I sighed, "I guess I'm done with those acting classes, huh?" He didn't laugh, but remained silent. I pictured him in my mind, pacing anxiously up and down the room, running his free hand through his hair. "Jeff?"

"Has Simon said something? Something about the new secret storyline he's keeping til Extreme Rules?"

I shuddered at the mention of his name. They had been talking, obviously. Otherwise Jeff wouldn't know there was a new storyline. I wanted more than anything to speak to him in person, for him to hold me and say something stupid to make me smile. I wanted to be with him and forget about the rest of the world for a few days. "I'm coming back with Matt. I need to pack my things, I love you."