Disclaimer- Guess what?! I own Jeff Hardy!! ....ok, so not really, but I DO have a REAL pic of him, thank you Paige and Whitney, really and truly, Vince owns them all, except for Paige, she's a real person, and I also give her credit for helping me think of things to happen to her, and for help with the title, and keeping me from sleeping until I wrote her another page, and, uhh....I think that's all, oh yeah, any other characters that you don't recognize from the WWF , I probably own them! Hehe, and since I haven't yet mastered the whole chapter thing, I'll divide this into 2 chapters, and there we go! I really hope you like it, I worked pretty hard on it, so, have fun, I guess...oh yeah, at the last second it descided i couldn't use a .doc file, so there's no italics, if you know how i can fix this problem, or at least get italics, tell me please?
Summary:1 1/2 years ago Matt and Jeff Hardy left their hometown for the WWF, leaving behind Jeff's best friend, Paige, when they return, they find that Paige is in over her head, and no one to pull her out, can Jeff help Paige remember who she once was and save her from what she is becoming? But that seems almost as impossible as melting the rain...
Melt The Rain
*Summer of 1982*
The young blonde boy, who was about 4 years old, and his big brother, who was 6, sat up in their treehouse as they curiously watched the large orange and white moving van pull up to the empty house next door, followed by a white mini van, "Do you think they'll have a boy for us to play with, Matt?" the little blonde boy asked, his emerald green eyes burning with curiousity as he watched the van door open, getting no answer from his brother, he turned around, "Matt!", he yelled to the little raven haired boy who was busy playing with his action figures, "Hold on a second Jeff!" Matt growled angrily to his brother, Jeff sighed and plopped back down into the little chair beside the hole in the wall that was a makeshift window and stared at the family, the man was busily giving orders to the movers as they moved the heavy furniture into the house, and the mother was bent over something in the van, "You're no fun" Jeff sighed and climbed down the ladder, jumping down from the third step and landing on his feet with a thud, then curiously peeked his head around the corner of his house, looking at the little blonde girl about his age had just hopped down from the van and was sitting on a blanket on the green grass playing with her dolls, *It's a girl!* Jeff made a face, Matt didn't like girls, so neither did Jeff, but something told Jeff that this girl was different, she didn't seem like all the other little girls that Matt and Jeff's father had taken Jeff to play with at daycare, this girl's hair wasn't up in bows and ties, it was hanging limp just below her shoulders, and she wasn't wearing a lace dress or fancy clothes, instead she was dressed in a pair of little blue jeans and a blue shirt, Jeff noticed her sparkling blue eyes, they reminded him of his mom's eyes, this made him smile, he descided that he would go talk to this strange new girl, so he walked to where she was sitting in the front yard, "Hi, I'm Jeff" he said, startling the little girl and causing her to drop her doll, she turned and looked up at Jeff, "Hi" she said shyly, "What's your name?" Jeff asked, sitting down beside her on the yellow blanket, "I'm Paige" she said, looking down and twisting her fingers into the dolls blonde hair nervously, "I live right there" Jeff said, pointing to his house, "That's my mommy" Paige said, proudly pointing to her mother who was sitting on the front step, "Where's your mommy?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, and looking at the young boy questioningly, "My mommy's an angel" Jeff smiled slightly, "but there's my daddy" he pointed to his father who was now talking to Paige's mom and dad, making motions with his hands, then Paige's parents stood up and followed Mr. Hardy a little ways down the sidewalk before calling "Paige sweety, c'mon, we're going to Mr. Hardy's house" her mom called, Paige stood up, "C'mon Jeff!" she huffed inpatiently tapping her foot, waiting for Jeff to get up, Jeff got up and followed Paige to his house, where he opened the door and was greeted by a bouncing little ball of fur, Paige squealed when the dog began to bark and hid behind Jeff, "It's only Liger" Jeff soothed, "She's so big" Paige whimpered, "Go on Liger!" Jeff pushed the dog away, "Here, hold my hand and nothing can bother you" Jef said, taking Paige's hand and placing it in his, then leading her through the house and into the backyard, "I'm gonna show you my treehouse, and my brother Matt" Jeff said proudly, still holding Paige's hand tight, there was a comfotable silence between the two toddlers when Paige suddenly broke it with an innocent question, "Jeff, what's an angel?"
*Winter of 1989*
Paige and Jeff were 13, and still they had remained close throughout their childhood, Paige, who was an only child, felt like she had a brother in Matt and Jeff, so despite the rumors that she and Jeff were a couple, she stayed as close to Jeff as possible, knowing that he would protect her through it all..
"I'm sorry Paige, but it's over" the boy on the other end of the phone said, Paige's heart sank at his words as she slammed down the phone, angry tears mixed with sad tears as she put her hands in her hands and sobbed her small body shaking violently, she suddenyl looked up at the ceiling, her parents were gone and would be until late, so with one last sniff she walked downstairs and went out the door, never caring that she was wearing only her pajama's until the cold air hit her like a ton of bricks in her chest and she gasped for air as she walked barefoot on the cold ground, Paige shivered violently as she made her way to the bushes near the house next door and pulled out a ladder from behind them, tears blurred her vision and the feel of the cold metal against her bare skin sent another shiver down her spine but still she lifted the heavy ladder and scurried across the nearly frozen ground until she was positioned under the window, then she set the ladder up so she could climb up to the window, tears still falling from her eyes and landing on the hard earth, once at the top of the ladder she reached out and tapped on the window that the dim light was shining still shining, a shadow in the shape of a person appeared through the curtains, and suddenly the window opened, revealing the warm image of Jeff, his green eyes were full of concern, knowing that Paige would have called instead of climbing through his window had something not been terribly wrong, Jeff took one look at the small body shivering in front of him, her blonde hair was matted to the side of her face and her blue eyes were full of tears, Jeff reached out and in once quick motion reached out and picked Paige up under the arms like a toddler and held her sobbing shivering body close, "Shh shh, Paige, tell me what's wrong" Jeff said, sitting down with her still curled up in a ball in his strong arms in an attempt to keep warm, "J..J..Jake...he..he br..broke up wi..ith...me" Paige said through half shiver half sobs, "Oh god Paige, I'm so sorry" Jeff said, rocking her back and forth, "It's going to be ok, I'm here, I'm here" Jeff soothed, looking up to the wall as a glint of anger passed through his eyes, *how dare Jake hurt her like that* Jeff thought, looking back down at the now simply sobbing girl in his arms, the door suddenly swung open and Jeff and Paige's heads jolted up to see Matt, "Jeff, what's going on- Paige?!" Matt looked at the two, Jeff shot him an almost pained look and Matt's look softened as he went over to the bed where the two sat, "Paige are you ok?" he asked, reaching out and brushing a lock of her white-blonde hair out of her eye, Paige looked up and rubbed her eyes while shaking her head 'no', "Wanna talk?" Matt asked, leaning back on the bed, Paige shook her head again, "Ok, we're here" Matt said, looking up and catching his eyes in Jeff's, Jeff's eyes looked like he was burning with pain and anger inside, "Don't worry, Paige, I'll take care of it for you" Jeff soothed, guiding her head to his shirt and letting her sob there, then he took her hand and interlocked it with his with a soft smile, the three teenagers sat there for most of the night, before Jeff gave Paige some of his warmer clothes to put on over her pajama's along with a pair of shoes that didn't fit anymore, and sent her home with a warm smile and a promise that Jeff would make everything better tomorrow...
*Spring of 1997*
"Don't worry so much Paige, you know you'll be with us soon enough" Jeff soothed, touching Paige's cheek one last time as the annoying voice over the speaker spoke once more, "Flight 192 Raligh to Concord is now boarding at Gate Nine", "Jeff, I'm gonna miss you so much!" Paige's eyes once again began to tear up, "I know babe, I know, but you're an awsome wrestler, you'll be in the WWF in no time" Jeff assured her, wiping away the tear that drained from her eye, "You really think so?" she sniffed, wiping another tear away, "I know so, don't worry, I'll always be with you" Jeff smiled and took her hand in his, and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, Paige and Jeff were now 21, Matt had already been in the WWF for a few months, and now Jeff was going, he promised Paige would be soon to follow, but this goodbye was harder than ever, knowing that they may not see each other for a while tore at the hearts of the two childern who had never spent very much time apart, and had always had each other to lean on when they had problems, "Bye Jeff" Paige said as he began to walk away, but Paige clung tightly to his hand, "I'll be waiting" Paige said, forcing a smile as Jeff's hand slowly slipped away from hers, she followed him to the gate, and once he passed the checkpoint, the stood and waved at him, he turned and gave one last wave, and then he disappeared around the corner...
*Present Time*
Paige woke up and rolled out of the bed, she walked over to the mirror and examined her face with a sigh, she picked up a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on before she looked around the dirty apartment and at the sleeping form laying on the bed, "Daren Daren Daren, was this really neccisary?" Paige sighed as she picked up the broken pieces of the vase that once sat on the dresser, she glanced at the clock, it was 9:45, she was going to meet Jeff at 11:00, the sound of the name Jeff echoed in her head and almost made her smile, the smile felt new and strange to her normally sad and pursed lips, Paige quickly dressed herself in a blue short sleeved shirt and jeans, then stood sideways in the mirror, looking at her stomach, "Fat" she mumbled, being careful not to wake Daren, her stomach growled, "Ok ok, we're going to eat" she whispered, looking down at her stomach once more before slipping on her shoes and opening the door quietly, Daren stirred in the bed and Paige cringed as she heard his voice, "Paige! Where are you going?!" he growled, "Out, I'll be home soon" she said, slipping out of the door without waiting for an answer, she was meeting Jeff at his old house, his father would be out for the day so it made for the perfect meeting place that would cause less confusion, Paige pulled up the driveway, seeing that Jeff was already there, she threw her purse over her shoulder and walked inside, "Jeff?" she called into the house, knocking softly on the door, "In here!" a deep southern voice called, Paige smiled again as his voice reached her ears, and she walked into the kitchen where Jeff was sitting at the table, when he saw her he jumped up, Paige flinched at his quick movement, "What's wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes for the answer, "Nothing, just peachy" she said sarcasticly, "No, something is wrong, what is it?" he asked again, "God damn it Jeff! Mind your own buisness!" Paige fumed, sitting down at the table with a sigh, "Paige!" Jeff's concerned stare turned to one of hurt, this wasn't Paige, Paige had never been so skiddish and hostile, her normal attitude was just like Jeff's, something was deffinantly wrong, he just couldn't put his finger on it, anger welled up inside him at his best friend's harsh words "You're not the Paige I used to know! You've changed, Paige" Jeff said angrily, Paige stopped dead in her tracks and chewed her bottom lip, trying to keep the tears back, "Times change and people change, Jeff" was all she could choke out without sobbing, "See! That's not the Paige I grew up with! The Paige I knew would never say that!" he said, quieter this time, "Jeff, if you can't talk like a civil human being then I guess we just can't talk at all!" Paige fumed, bending down to pick up her bag, when she bent, her sunglasses accidentally fell off, she scrambled to get them back without looking up, but had no luck in doing so, she stood back up and turned to walk out the door, hoping Jeff didn't see the reason for her wearing those dark glasses, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is that?" Jeff asked, grabbing Paige's wrist, she flinched, and Jeff's attention was distracted to the finger bruises on her wrist, obviously someone had been trying to restrain her, Jeff's eyes slowly went up her body, stopping at her face, where his jaw dropped, "Paige, who did this to you?" he soothed, taking her chin in his left thumb and forefinger and holding it up then examining the large purple and black bruise under her eye with his right hand, "Nothing, it's nothing, I uh, ran into a cabinet, yes, I was having a rather blonde moment and I ran into the side of my curio cabinet, that's all" she lied, turning and trying to wriggle out of Jeff's grip while holding the tears back, this only made the pain in her wrist worse, "Paige, we need to talk" Jeff said sternly but gently, "We do." ,she agreed, walking over to the table and sitting down, Jeff took a seat in front of her, "Talk to me" he said, still gawking at the major bruise under her eye, one of the worst he'd ever seen, "Where should I start?" Paige pondered, sliently praying that Jeff would take the story ahead of him better than she hoped..
Paige took a long, deep breath, trying to find the best way to tell him, she finally spoke, "Well, when you guys left, I felt alone, so I withdrew myself from society somewhat, I didn't go out until about 6 months ago, I tried to make everything seem like it did before you guys left, so I went to night clubs like we used to do, everything was seemingly normal again, minus 2 of course," Paige smiled slightly before continuing, "anyway, the guys, well, I guess without you and Matt around, I was easy prey, because the guys, they touched me, it wasn't like when you were here, a lot of them tried to take advantage of me" Jeff's face turned down into a slight frown at this remark, "Then one night, about 4 months ago, I went to this party, I only had three drinks, Jeff, I swear I wasn't drunk.." tears began to form in her eyes as the memories flooded back to her,
*Flashback-Paige's POV*
"Hey Paige! C'mere for a second!" Jamie yelled over the blaring music, I turned and sat my drink on the bar, hopped off of my stool and walked over to where Jamie was standing with a new guy, I swear that girl had a new boyfriend every night, "Paige, I'd like you to meet Ross, Ross, this is Paige" Jamie smiled and winked at me, Ross and I exchanged a few friendly words before I went back to the bar where my drink was still waiting for me, I sighed as Jamie waved at me from the dance floor where she and Ross were hitting it off really well, I took another sip of my drink and suddenly became very thirsty, I swallowed the rest down fast, and began to get very sleepy, the floor, the walls, the people, everything started to spin, I held onto the bar for support as the world was covered by a sheet of blackness,
*Next Morning*
I woke up in a bed, naked, I had no idea where I was, and I had a massive headache, "What happened?" I groaned, but no one was there, that was when the pieces came together and hit me between the eyes like a rock, the drink! The drink! Damn you Paige! Never leave your drink unattended! I broke down and began to sob uncontrollably, someone I didn't know, and would never know, had just taken my innocence away, I quickly got dressed, and, feeling very dirty, walked out of wherever I was, caught a taxi, and rode home, vowing never to tell anyone..
*Present Time*
"..I was raped" Paige finished, tears overflowing her eyes, Jeff stood up, "Who was it, I'll kill him!" he said through gritted teeth, "I'm not finished" Paige sighed, causing Jeff to sit back down, "..I felt worthless, who would want to be with a slut? I asked myself, so I took the first man I found, he was fine for the first few weeks, but then he started drinking, and he became violent, and he hurt me, but it wasn't his fault! It was the alcohol, and I can't leave him like he is, he said if I leave him, he'll kill himself" Paige was now sobbing, "That son of a bitch" Jeff looked disgusted when he said that, "..and Jeff, you know how my body's always been really weird? How it does things without warning, well, I was late, 3 months to be exact, I finally went to the doctor, and Jeff, I…I'm pregnant, 4 months, from the guy who raped me", Paige's words were getting harder and harder to understand through her sobs, she stood up and turned around so Jeff wouldn't see her, "Paige, babe, I had no idea" Jeff said, standing up and walking over to face her, and just looked at her, she was at least a head shorter than him, and her normally flaming blue eyes were now bloodshot and swollen, her platinum blonde hair was matted with tears to the side of her face, Jeff stepped closer to her, taking her into his warm embrace and resting his chin on the top of her head, allowing her to sob into his shirt, "Paige, one way or another, we'll get through this" he whispered into her hair, he kissed the top of her head, "You're coming with us" he said, placing his arm around her and leading her out the door and to his black Corvette..
Paige sat perfectly still as Jeff weaved in and out of the other cars on the road, she couldn't help but ponder her future, but the way Jeff was driving made her smile, it was just like old times, she closed her eyes and envisioned Jeff as a teenager, but her thoughts were broken by new thoughts that invaded the calm recesses of her mind, "Jeff, what will Vince say?" Paige asked, sniffing back the tears, "I don't care" Jeff replied, he looked over at Paige who had begun to sob softly again, "Hey, it'll be ok, I'm here now" he soothed, reaching over and touching her hair gently, Jeff took his eyes back on the road, still thinking about what he had just learned about Paige, the girl he had grown up with, his little sister in more ways than one, *I should have been here, to protect her, why did I leave?* Jeff scolded himself as they pulled into the hotel parking lot, "Ok, here we are" Jeff said, stepping out of the car and helping Paige get out, Jeff started walking towards the hotel with Paige in step behind him, as they approached the door, though, Paige reached out and grabbed Jeff's arm, "Huh?" Jeff muttered as he turned around absentmindedly, "I don't want to go in, people will stare at me" Paige sighed, "If they do, it's only because you're so gorgeous, if you want, you can hold onto my arm, I won't let anyone eat you" Jeff said, laughing slightly, Paige took hold of his arm and held on for dear life as he led her through the crowd in the lobby to the elevators, Jeff quickly pressed the button, hoping that the large crowd that was forming around a few superstars didn't notice him, the bell dinged and the doors opened, Jeff stepped inside quickly, Paige following as Jeff pushed the button, Jeff sighed, "You never know when those fans are gonna get you" he joked, causing Paige to smile, "There's the Paige I know" he said, the elevator door suddenly opened and Paige and Jeff found themselves on the 3rd floor, where Matt and Jeff were staying, Jeff led Paige to the door, where he took out a key, "Matt's gonna be glad to see you" Jeff said, once again looking at Paige before swinging the door open, "Matt! I'm back!" he called, stepping into the room, Paige followed closely, almost stepping on Jeff's heels, they rounded the corner into the room, where the raven haired Hardy was sitting on the bed next to a candy apple red haired girl, that was Amy, "Look who I brought back" Jeff said, trying to get Matt to look up at Paige, he did, "Paige! Hey girl! How ya doin?" Matt asked, standing up and giving her a hug, "God girl, what happened to your eye?" Matt's voice softened a little when he asked this question, staring at the bruise on her eye, "Matt, we need to talk" Jeff said, leading Paige to the bed where she sat down, Matt sat beside Amy as Jeff retold the heart wrenching story, when he was done, Paige was on the verge of tears again, Matt looked at her and smiled softly before hugging her tight, "I'm so sorry, I should have been here" Matt soothed, Paige pulled herself from Matt's grasp, "What about Ronny? My boyfriend, he'll find me and try to hurt me" she said, tears rolling down her already wet cheeks, "We won't let him" Matt said confidently, "Yea, we'll protect you" Jeff said from the other side of her, "Thanks guys" Paige smiled,
"Let's go and get your stuff" Matt suggested, standing up and leading Paige and Amy out the door, with Jeff close on their heels, as they walked out to the car, Paige tried to shake the cold shiver that had the hairs on her neck standing on end with the thoughts of a new life with the three people she trusted most..
"Ok, Paige, Jeff's going to follow you inside, pack quick" Matt explained as they pulled up to Paige's apartment, Matt always had a plan for something like that, Jeff took hold of Paige's shoulder gently and led her into the house, Paige packed her clothes into a large suitcase, when she was finished, she exited her room to find Jeff standing beside her door, "Ready?" she asked, Jeff's body jumped a little, "Yeah" he said, taking the suitcase out of her hand and hauling it down the stairs for her, with a grunt, he threw it into the trunk and helped Paige into the backseat, Matt started up the car and they drove away, Paige turned and watched the apartment complex slowly vanish from her view, and with a sigh, she turned back around and leaned over onto Jeff, he put his hand gently on her head and smiled, "Sleepy?", he asked, Paige nodded, they pulled into the hotel parking lot and Jeff helped her out of the car, Matt and Amy followed them closley, and they all went into Matt and Jeffs room and sat in front to the TV, "Anything good on?" Matt asked Jeff, who was looking at the TV guide channel, "Uh, a few movies, that's about it" Jeff sighed, "What movies?" Amy asked from her place in Matt's lap, "Pet Semetary, Jawbreaker, and Star Wars" Jeff sighed again, "Jawbreaker" Paige suggested quietly, "Coll with me" Amy shot a smile at Paige, "I guess there's no use in fighting it" Jeff chuckled and changed the channel, the four watched 3 movies that night, and when they finally quit, it was almost 10, "I'm getting sleepy, I'm going to go to my room, you guys have fun" Amy announced with a yawn as she walked into her room through the door that connected the two rooms, "Paige, are you ok?" Jeff asked, placing his hand on her back, "Uh, yea, just tired is all", she sighed, "Wanna go to bed?" Jeff asked, "you're in Amy's room", "Ok, I will" Paige replied, heaving a breath, "Night boys" she almost smiled before walking over to Amy's room and crawling into the bed and falling sound asleep almost instantly,
*1:30 AM*
Paige screamed out in her sleep, waking Matt and Jeff in the other room, as well as herself, she was soaked in a cold sweat and had tears rolling down her cheeks, Jeff was the first to bound into the room, shaking her to snap her out of it, "Paige! Paige! It's just me!" he soothed, "It's Jeff" he repeated quietly and stroked her hair as she began to calm down, "Jeff" she panted, wrapping her slender arms around his neck, "Shh Paige, come on, you can sleep with me" he soothed, lifting her up and carrying her into his room, where he laid her gently on his bed, "There, you ok now?" he smiled at her through the darkness, she nodded and he lay down beside her still trembling body, he looked over at her, then turned back over to face the window, Paige rolled over to face the back of Jeff's head, "Jeff?" she whispered, "Jeff?" her tiny voice whispered again, "I'm here" he whispered, rolling over and coming face to face with Paige, "I'm scared" her voice trembled as she whispered, "It's ok, I'm here, nothing's going to hurt you anymore" Jeff whispered, "..but I'm still scared" Paige whispered, fear evident in her normally positive voice, "Paige, I know your scared, but you just have to trust me? Ok?" Jeff said, smiling weakly as he took her hand and interlocked it with his, "If you hold onto my hand, nothing will be able to hurt you, because I'll be right here" he half laughed at that remark, he would always say that when Paige needed consolation in the past, but now she was in real trouble, she was truly scared, and she had something to really be scared of this time, something bigger than them both, but Jeff was confident that they would make it through, "Night Jeff" Paige sighed, rolling over with her hand still in Jeff's and instantly slipping off into a dream world, "Jeez Paige, you're freezing" Jeff whispered to himself, knowing that Paige was already asleep, Jeff moved closer to share his heat with her shivering body, Paige's sleeping form smiled and heaved a breath before snuggling closer to Jeff and drifting off into a deeper sleep, "Night Paige" he whispered before he, too, fell off into the dark void of his own mind...
Summary:1 1/2 years ago Matt and Jeff Hardy left their hometown for the WWF, leaving behind Jeff's best friend, Paige, when they return, they find that Paige is in over her head, and no one to pull her out, can Jeff help Paige remember who she once was and save her from what she is becoming? But that seems almost as impossible as melting the rain...
Melt The Rain
*Summer of 1982*
The young blonde boy, who was about 4 years old, and his big brother, who was 6, sat up in their treehouse as they curiously watched the large orange and white moving van pull up to the empty house next door, followed by a white mini van, "Do you think they'll have a boy for us to play with, Matt?" the little blonde boy asked, his emerald green eyes burning with curiousity as he watched the van door open, getting no answer from his brother, he turned around, "Matt!", he yelled to the little raven haired boy who was busy playing with his action figures, "Hold on a second Jeff!" Matt growled angrily to his brother, Jeff sighed and plopped back down into the little chair beside the hole in the wall that was a makeshift window and stared at the family, the man was busily giving orders to the movers as they moved the heavy furniture into the house, and the mother was bent over something in the van, "You're no fun" Jeff sighed and climbed down the ladder, jumping down from the third step and landing on his feet with a thud, then curiously peeked his head around the corner of his house, looking at the little blonde girl about his age had just hopped down from the van and was sitting on a blanket on the green grass playing with her dolls, *It's a girl!* Jeff made a face, Matt didn't like girls, so neither did Jeff, but something told Jeff that this girl was different, she didn't seem like all the other little girls that Matt and Jeff's father had taken Jeff to play with at daycare, this girl's hair wasn't up in bows and ties, it was hanging limp just below her shoulders, and she wasn't wearing a lace dress or fancy clothes, instead she was dressed in a pair of little blue jeans and a blue shirt, Jeff noticed her sparkling blue eyes, they reminded him of his mom's eyes, this made him smile, he descided that he would go talk to this strange new girl, so he walked to where she was sitting in the front yard, "Hi, I'm Jeff" he said, startling the little girl and causing her to drop her doll, she turned and looked up at Jeff, "Hi" she said shyly, "What's your name?" Jeff asked, sitting down beside her on the yellow blanket, "I'm Paige" she said, looking down and twisting her fingers into the dolls blonde hair nervously, "I live right there" Jeff said, pointing to his house, "That's my mommy" Paige said, proudly pointing to her mother who was sitting on the front step, "Where's your mommy?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, and looking at the young boy questioningly, "My mommy's an angel" Jeff smiled slightly, "but there's my daddy" he pointed to his father who was now talking to Paige's mom and dad, making motions with his hands, then Paige's parents stood up and followed Mr. Hardy a little ways down the sidewalk before calling "Paige sweety, c'mon, we're going to Mr. Hardy's house" her mom called, Paige stood up, "C'mon Jeff!" she huffed inpatiently tapping her foot, waiting for Jeff to get up, Jeff got up and followed Paige to his house, where he opened the door and was greeted by a bouncing little ball of fur, Paige squealed when the dog began to bark and hid behind Jeff, "It's only Liger" Jeff soothed, "She's so big" Paige whimpered, "Go on Liger!" Jeff pushed the dog away, "Here, hold my hand and nothing can bother you" Jef said, taking Paige's hand and placing it in his, then leading her through the house and into the backyard, "I'm gonna show you my treehouse, and my brother Matt" Jeff said proudly, still holding Paige's hand tight, there was a comfotable silence between the two toddlers when Paige suddenly broke it with an innocent question, "Jeff, what's an angel?"
*Winter of 1989*
Paige and Jeff were 13, and still they had remained close throughout their childhood, Paige, who was an only child, felt like she had a brother in Matt and Jeff, so despite the rumors that she and Jeff were a couple, she stayed as close to Jeff as possible, knowing that he would protect her through it all..
"I'm sorry Paige, but it's over" the boy on the other end of the phone said, Paige's heart sank at his words as she slammed down the phone, angry tears mixed with sad tears as she put her hands in her hands and sobbed her small body shaking violently, she suddenyl looked up at the ceiling, her parents were gone and would be until late, so with one last sniff she walked downstairs and went out the door, never caring that she was wearing only her pajama's until the cold air hit her like a ton of bricks in her chest and she gasped for air as she walked barefoot on the cold ground, Paige shivered violently as she made her way to the bushes near the house next door and pulled out a ladder from behind them, tears blurred her vision and the feel of the cold metal against her bare skin sent another shiver down her spine but still she lifted the heavy ladder and scurried across the nearly frozen ground until she was positioned under the window, then she set the ladder up so she could climb up to the window, tears still falling from her eyes and landing on the hard earth, once at the top of the ladder she reached out and tapped on the window that the dim light was shining still shining, a shadow in the shape of a person appeared through the curtains, and suddenly the window opened, revealing the warm image of Jeff, his green eyes were full of concern, knowing that Paige would have called instead of climbing through his window had something not been terribly wrong, Jeff took one look at the small body shivering in front of him, her blonde hair was matted to the side of her face and her blue eyes were full of tears, Jeff reached out and in once quick motion reached out and picked Paige up under the arms like a toddler and held her sobbing shivering body close, "Shh shh, Paige, tell me what's wrong" Jeff said, sitting down with her still curled up in a ball in his strong arms in an attempt to keep warm, "J..J..Jake...he..he br..broke up wi..ith...me" Paige said through half shiver half sobs, "Oh god Paige, I'm so sorry" Jeff said, rocking her back and forth, "It's going to be ok, I'm here, I'm here" Jeff soothed, looking up to the wall as a glint of anger passed through his eyes, *how dare Jake hurt her like that* Jeff thought, looking back down at the now simply sobbing girl in his arms, the door suddenly swung open and Jeff and Paige's heads jolted up to see Matt, "Jeff, what's going on- Paige?!" Matt looked at the two, Jeff shot him an almost pained look and Matt's look softened as he went over to the bed where the two sat, "Paige are you ok?" he asked, reaching out and brushing a lock of her white-blonde hair out of her eye, Paige looked up and rubbed her eyes while shaking her head 'no', "Wanna talk?" Matt asked, leaning back on the bed, Paige shook her head again, "Ok, we're here" Matt said, looking up and catching his eyes in Jeff's, Jeff's eyes looked like he was burning with pain and anger inside, "Don't worry, Paige, I'll take care of it for you" Jeff soothed, guiding her head to his shirt and letting her sob there, then he took her hand and interlocked it with his with a soft smile, the three teenagers sat there for most of the night, before Jeff gave Paige some of his warmer clothes to put on over her pajama's along with a pair of shoes that didn't fit anymore, and sent her home with a warm smile and a promise that Jeff would make everything better tomorrow...
*Spring of 1997*
"Don't worry so much Paige, you know you'll be with us soon enough" Jeff soothed, touching Paige's cheek one last time as the annoying voice over the speaker spoke once more, "Flight 192 Raligh to Concord is now boarding at Gate Nine", "Jeff, I'm gonna miss you so much!" Paige's eyes once again began to tear up, "I know babe, I know, but you're an awsome wrestler, you'll be in the WWF in no time" Jeff assured her, wiping away the tear that drained from her eye, "You really think so?" she sniffed, wiping another tear away, "I know so, don't worry, I'll always be with you" Jeff smiled and took her hand in his, and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, Paige and Jeff were now 21, Matt had already been in the WWF for a few months, and now Jeff was going, he promised Paige would be soon to follow, but this goodbye was harder than ever, knowing that they may not see each other for a while tore at the hearts of the two childern who had never spent very much time apart, and had always had each other to lean on when they had problems, "Bye Jeff" Paige said as he began to walk away, but Paige clung tightly to his hand, "I'll be waiting" Paige said, forcing a smile as Jeff's hand slowly slipped away from hers, she followed him to the gate, and once he passed the checkpoint, the stood and waved at him, he turned and gave one last wave, and then he disappeared around the corner...
*Present Time*
Paige woke up and rolled out of the bed, she walked over to the mirror and examined her face with a sigh, she picked up a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on before she looked around the dirty apartment and at the sleeping form laying on the bed, "Daren Daren Daren, was this really neccisary?" Paige sighed as she picked up the broken pieces of the vase that once sat on the dresser, she glanced at the clock, it was 9:45, she was going to meet Jeff at 11:00, the sound of the name Jeff echoed in her head and almost made her smile, the smile felt new and strange to her normally sad and pursed lips, Paige quickly dressed herself in a blue short sleeved shirt and jeans, then stood sideways in the mirror, looking at her stomach, "Fat" she mumbled, being careful not to wake Daren, her stomach growled, "Ok ok, we're going to eat" she whispered, looking down at her stomach once more before slipping on her shoes and opening the door quietly, Daren stirred in the bed and Paige cringed as she heard his voice, "Paige! Where are you going?!" he growled, "Out, I'll be home soon" she said, slipping out of the door without waiting for an answer, she was meeting Jeff at his old house, his father would be out for the day so it made for the perfect meeting place that would cause less confusion, Paige pulled up the driveway, seeing that Jeff was already there, she threw her purse over her shoulder and walked inside, "Jeff?" she called into the house, knocking softly on the door, "In here!" a deep southern voice called, Paige smiled again as his voice reached her ears, and she walked into the kitchen where Jeff was sitting at the table, when he saw her he jumped up, Paige flinched at his quick movement, "What's wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes for the answer, "Nothing, just peachy" she said sarcasticly, "No, something is wrong, what is it?" he asked again, "God damn it Jeff! Mind your own buisness!" Paige fumed, sitting down at the table with a sigh, "Paige!" Jeff's concerned stare turned to one of hurt, this wasn't Paige, Paige had never been so skiddish and hostile, her normal attitude was just like Jeff's, something was deffinantly wrong, he just couldn't put his finger on it, anger welled up inside him at his best friend's harsh words "You're not the Paige I used to know! You've changed, Paige" Jeff said angrily, Paige stopped dead in her tracks and chewed her bottom lip, trying to keep the tears back, "Times change and people change, Jeff" was all she could choke out without sobbing, "See! That's not the Paige I grew up with! The Paige I knew would never say that!" he said, quieter this time, "Jeff, if you can't talk like a civil human being then I guess we just can't talk at all!" Paige fumed, bending down to pick up her bag, when she bent, her sunglasses accidentally fell off, she scrambled to get them back without looking up, but had no luck in doing so, she stood back up and turned to walk out the door, hoping Jeff didn't see the reason for her wearing those dark glasses, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is that?" Jeff asked, grabbing Paige's wrist, she flinched, and Jeff's attention was distracted to the finger bruises on her wrist, obviously someone had been trying to restrain her, Jeff's eyes slowly went up her body, stopping at her face, where his jaw dropped, "Paige, who did this to you?" he soothed, taking her chin in his left thumb and forefinger and holding it up then examining the large purple and black bruise under her eye with his right hand, "Nothing, it's nothing, I uh, ran into a cabinet, yes, I was having a rather blonde moment and I ran into the side of my curio cabinet, that's all" she lied, turning and trying to wriggle out of Jeff's grip while holding the tears back, this only made the pain in her wrist worse, "Paige, we need to talk" Jeff said sternly but gently, "We do." ,she agreed, walking over to the table and sitting down, Jeff took a seat in front of her, "Talk to me" he said, still gawking at the major bruise under her eye, one of the worst he'd ever seen, "Where should I start?" Paige pondered, sliently praying that Jeff would take the story ahead of him better than she hoped..
Paige took a long, deep breath, trying to find the best way to tell him, she finally spoke, "Well, when you guys left, I felt alone, so I withdrew myself from society somewhat, I didn't go out until about 6 months ago, I tried to make everything seem like it did before you guys left, so I went to night clubs like we used to do, everything was seemingly normal again, minus 2 of course," Paige smiled slightly before continuing, "anyway, the guys, well, I guess without you and Matt around, I was easy prey, because the guys, they touched me, it wasn't like when you were here, a lot of them tried to take advantage of me" Jeff's face turned down into a slight frown at this remark, "Then one night, about 4 months ago, I went to this party, I only had three drinks, Jeff, I swear I wasn't drunk.." tears began to form in her eyes as the memories flooded back to her,
*Flashback-Paige's POV*
"Hey Paige! C'mere for a second!" Jamie yelled over the blaring music, I turned and sat my drink on the bar, hopped off of my stool and walked over to where Jamie was standing with a new guy, I swear that girl had a new boyfriend every night, "Paige, I'd like you to meet Ross, Ross, this is Paige" Jamie smiled and winked at me, Ross and I exchanged a few friendly words before I went back to the bar where my drink was still waiting for me, I sighed as Jamie waved at me from the dance floor where she and Ross were hitting it off really well, I took another sip of my drink and suddenly became very thirsty, I swallowed the rest down fast, and began to get very sleepy, the floor, the walls, the people, everything started to spin, I held onto the bar for support as the world was covered by a sheet of blackness,
*Next Morning*
I woke up in a bed, naked, I had no idea where I was, and I had a massive headache, "What happened?" I groaned, but no one was there, that was when the pieces came together and hit me between the eyes like a rock, the drink! The drink! Damn you Paige! Never leave your drink unattended! I broke down and began to sob uncontrollably, someone I didn't know, and would never know, had just taken my innocence away, I quickly got dressed, and, feeling very dirty, walked out of wherever I was, caught a taxi, and rode home, vowing never to tell anyone..
*Present Time*
"..I was raped" Paige finished, tears overflowing her eyes, Jeff stood up, "Who was it, I'll kill him!" he said through gritted teeth, "I'm not finished" Paige sighed, causing Jeff to sit back down, "..I felt worthless, who would want to be with a slut? I asked myself, so I took the first man I found, he was fine for the first few weeks, but then he started drinking, and he became violent, and he hurt me, but it wasn't his fault! It was the alcohol, and I can't leave him like he is, he said if I leave him, he'll kill himself" Paige was now sobbing, "That son of a bitch" Jeff looked disgusted when he said that, "..and Jeff, you know how my body's always been really weird? How it does things without warning, well, I was late, 3 months to be exact, I finally went to the doctor, and Jeff, I…I'm pregnant, 4 months, from the guy who raped me", Paige's words were getting harder and harder to understand through her sobs, she stood up and turned around so Jeff wouldn't see her, "Paige, babe, I had no idea" Jeff said, standing up and walking over to face her, and just looked at her, she was at least a head shorter than him, and her normally flaming blue eyes were now bloodshot and swollen, her platinum blonde hair was matted with tears to the side of her face, Jeff stepped closer to her, taking her into his warm embrace and resting his chin on the top of her head, allowing her to sob into his shirt, "Paige, one way or another, we'll get through this" he whispered into her hair, he kissed the top of her head, "You're coming with us" he said, placing his arm around her and leading her out the door and to his black Corvette..
Paige sat perfectly still as Jeff weaved in and out of the other cars on the road, she couldn't help but ponder her future, but the way Jeff was driving made her smile, it was just like old times, she closed her eyes and envisioned Jeff as a teenager, but her thoughts were broken by new thoughts that invaded the calm recesses of her mind, "Jeff, what will Vince say?" Paige asked, sniffing back the tears, "I don't care" Jeff replied, he looked over at Paige who had begun to sob softly again, "Hey, it'll be ok, I'm here now" he soothed, reaching over and touching her hair gently, Jeff took his eyes back on the road, still thinking about what he had just learned about Paige, the girl he had grown up with, his little sister in more ways than one, *I should have been here, to protect her, why did I leave?* Jeff scolded himself as they pulled into the hotel parking lot, "Ok, here we are" Jeff said, stepping out of the car and helping Paige get out, Jeff started walking towards the hotel with Paige in step behind him, as they approached the door, though, Paige reached out and grabbed Jeff's arm, "Huh?" Jeff muttered as he turned around absentmindedly, "I don't want to go in, people will stare at me" Paige sighed, "If they do, it's only because you're so gorgeous, if you want, you can hold onto my arm, I won't let anyone eat you" Jeff said, laughing slightly, Paige took hold of his arm and held on for dear life as he led her through the crowd in the lobby to the elevators, Jeff quickly pressed the button, hoping that the large crowd that was forming around a few superstars didn't notice him, the bell dinged and the doors opened, Jeff stepped inside quickly, Paige following as Jeff pushed the button, Jeff sighed, "You never know when those fans are gonna get you" he joked, causing Paige to smile, "There's the Paige I know" he said, the elevator door suddenly opened and Paige and Jeff found themselves on the 3rd floor, where Matt and Jeff were staying, Jeff led Paige to the door, where he took out a key, "Matt's gonna be glad to see you" Jeff said, once again looking at Paige before swinging the door open, "Matt! I'm back!" he called, stepping into the room, Paige followed closely, almost stepping on Jeff's heels, they rounded the corner into the room, where the raven haired Hardy was sitting on the bed next to a candy apple red haired girl, that was Amy, "Look who I brought back" Jeff said, trying to get Matt to look up at Paige, he did, "Paige! Hey girl! How ya doin?" Matt asked, standing up and giving her a hug, "God girl, what happened to your eye?" Matt's voice softened a little when he asked this question, staring at the bruise on her eye, "Matt, we need to talk" Jeff said, leading Paige to the bed where she sat down, Matt sat beside Amy as Jeff retold the heart wrenching story, when he was done, Paige was on the verge of tears again, Matt looked at her and smiled softly before hugging her tight, "I'm so sorry, I should have been here" Matt soothed, Paige pulled herself from Matt's grasp, "What about Ronny? My boyfriend, he'll find me and try to hurt me" she said, tears rolling down her already wet cheeks, "We won't let him" Matt said confidently, "Yea, we'll protect you" Jeff said from the other side of her, "Thanks guys" Paige smiled,
"Let's go and get your stuff" Matt suggested, standing up and leading Paige and Amy out the door, with Jeff close on their heels, as they walked out to the car, Paige tried to shake the cold shiver that had the hairs on her neck standing on end with the thoughts of a new life with the three people she trusted most..
"Ok, Paige, Jeff's going to follow you inside, pack quick" Matt explained as they pulled up to Paige's apartment, Matt always had a plan for something like that, Jeff took hold of Paige's shoulder gently and led her into the house, Paige packed her clothes into a large suitcase, when she was finished, she exited her room to find Jeff standing beside her door, "Ready?" she asked, Jeff's body jumped a little, "Yeah" he said, taking the suitcase out of her hand and hauling it down the stairs for her, with a grunt, he threw it into the trunk and helped Paige into the backseat, Matt started up the car and they drove away, Paige turned and watched the apartment complex slowly vanish from her view, and with a sigh, she turned back around and leaned over onto Jeff, he put his hand gently on her head and smiled, "Sleepy?", he asked, Paige nodded, they pulled into the hotel parking lot and Jeff helped her out of the car, Matt and Amy followed them closley, and they all went into Matt and Jeffs room and sat in front to the TV, "Anything good on?" Matt asked Jeff, who was looking at the TV guide channel, "Uh, a few movies, that's about it" Jeff sighed, "What movies?" Amy asked from her place in Matt's lap, "Pet Semetary, Jawbreaker, and Star Wars" Jeff sighed again, "Jawbreaker" Paige suggested quietly, "Coll with me" Amy shot a smile at Paige, "I guess there's no use in fighting it" Jeff chuckled and changed the channel, the four watched 3 movies that night, and when they finally quit, it was almost 10, "I'm getting sleepy, I'm going to go to my room, you guys have fun" Amy announced with a yawn as she walked into her room through the door that connected the two rooms, "Paige, are you ok?" Jeff asked, placing his hand on her back, "Uh, yea, just tired is all", she sighed, "Wanna go to bed?" Jeff asked, "you're in Amy's room", "Ok, I will" Paige replied, heaving a breath, "Night boys" she almost smiled before walking over to Amy's room and crawling into the bed and falling sound asleep almost instantly,
*1:30 AM*
Paige screamed out in her sleep, waking Matt and Jeff in the other room, as well as herself, she was soaked in a cold sweat and had tears rolling down her cheeks, Jeff was the first to bound into the room, shaking her to snap her out of it, "Paige! Paige! It's just me!" he soothed, "It's Jeff" he repeated quietly and stroked her hair as she began to calm down, "Jeff" she panted, wrapping her slender arms around his neck, "Shh Paige, come on, you can sleep with me" he soothed, lifting her up and carrying her into his room, where he laid her gently on his bed, "There, you ok now?" he smiled at her through the darkness, she nodded and he lay down beside her still trembling body, he looked over at her, then turned back over to face the window, Paige rolled over to face the back of Jeff's head, "Jeff?" she whispered, "Jeff?" her tiny voice whispered again, "I'm here" he whispered, rolling over and coming face to face with Paige, "I'm scared" her voice trembled as she whispered, "It's ok, I'm here, nothing's going to hurt you anymore" Jeff whispered, "..but I'm still scared" Paige whispered, fear evident in her normally positive voice, "Paige, I know your scared, but you just have to trust me? Ok?" Jeff said, smiling weakly as he took her hand and interlocked it with his, "If you hold onto my hand, nothing will be able to hurt you, because I'll be right here" he half laughed at that remark, he would always say that when Paige needed consolation in the past, but now she was in real trouble, she was truly scared, and she had something to really be scared of this time, something bigger than them both, but Jeff was confident that they would make it through, "Night Jeff" Paige sighed, rolling over with her hand still in Jeff's and instantly slipping off into a dream world, "Jeez Paige, you're freezing" Jeff whispered to himself, knowing that Paige was already asleep, Jeff moved closer to share his heat with her shivering body, Paige's sleeping form smiled and heaved a breath before snuggling closer to Jeff and drifting off into a deeper sleep, "Night Paige" he whispered before he, too, fell off into the dark void of his own mind...
