Precious Pain

By Gabs

DISCLAIMER: Nah, they don't belong to me. Etc etc. so there.

*Everybody's got a hunger
No matter where they are
Everybody clings to their own fear
Everybody hides some scar*

"2 weeks. Feels more like 2 years, actually," Trish mused as she looked at a picture of herself and Jeff taken just days before he left. She missed him more than she had realized she would. Each day hurt more, walking the same roads they'd walked, going to the same places they'd gone, seeing the same things they'd seen. Nothing changed. The disdain she'd begun to feel towards the town grew with each sympathetic look, every word of encouragement. The only people she could bear to be around anymore were Matt and Amy. Jeff never returned her calls. She tried his cell phone at least twice a day. Every time, she'd end up leaving a message. The fact that he'd never even bothered to return a call hurt. But that pain, and the hope that one day he might call her back, was keeping her alive.

*Precious pain
Empty and cold but it keeps me alive
I gave it my soul so that I could survive
Keeping me safe in these chains
Precious pain*

"You! Get up, get dressed, and get going. Now!" Trish looked up in shock to see Amy. "What?" she finally squeaked. "You heard me blondie." Trish continued to stare at her until Amy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Canadians are so hard headed." She grabbed Trish's arm, yanked her off the bed, and pushed her into the bathroom. "Do whatever you need to. We're doing something." Trish looked at her strangely. "Do I not get a say in this?" Amy shook her head. Trish glared at her; Amy folded her arms, refusing to back down. Trish screeched, slammed the door shut, and pounded on the wall. Amy shrugged. "Not quite what I'd anticipated."

When Trish finally came out 20 minutes later, Amy looked at her expectantly. "What?" Trish growled. "Aww, Trishy. Would Jeff want you to be like this?" Trish plopped down on the bed. "Does Jeff even care how I am?" Amy looked startled. "Of course! Why would you think he doesn't?" Trish sighed. "He never calls, he never writes, he never… nothing! I haven't heard one word from him." She looked down. "Trish, I'm not going to say I know how you feel, or I can imagine, or anything like that, cuz it's not true. I don't know. But what I do know is that you cant let your whole life fall apart because of this. Do something. Go somewhere." Trish looked up, her friend's words ringing in her mind. "Ya know Ames… I think I'll do just that."

*Everybody's got a reason
To abandon their plan
How can I think of tomorrow
With my sorrow in hand*

Trish paced her room, trying to decide how exactly to go about it. He had given it lots of time and planning. She couldn't afford to. Amy watched her curiously until the phone rang. Trish looked wildly around the room, trying to find it. Not seeing or hearing it, she ran downstairs. Amy followed. "Damn it," the redhead heard a moment later. "Missed it?" Amy asked. "Yeah," Trish sighed. "Who?" The blonde shrugged. "Unknown," she said, indicating the Caller ID. As Trish went back upstairs at a slower pace, Amy grabbed the phone. "Call number 22," she noted of the unknown missed caller. She looked through the rest of the names and numbers, most of which she knew. "Matt… me… Matt… me… her mom… me… me… unknown… Matt… Matt… Shannon… me… Matt… unknown… Shannon… Shane… me… her mom… her mom… unknown. 4 unknowns in as many days?" A nagging suspicion in her mind, Amy went back and looked at the 4 unknown calls. Each one came between 4 and 4:15 on the day of the call. Judging by the area codes of each, Amy guessed that each one was a little closer to Cameron than the last. The most recent was an area code less than 45 minutes away. Not entirely sure what to think, Amy headed back upstairs. Stepping into Trish's room, she immediately ducked back out, just avoiding a flying shirt. "What are you doing?" Amy demanded. "Leaving. I can't deal with this place." Amy stared at her. "So you're going to… what? Follow Jeff?" Trish turned around. "I have no illusions Amy. I know the odds of catching him are slim to none. But if he's not here, I can't take being here either." Amy attempted to block her from putting anything else in the suitcase. "How did you decide on this?" Trish finally shoved her out of the way. "I'd been considering it for a few days. You gave me the final push earlier." Amy stared at her. "Me? How?" Trish glanced up briefly. "Do something. Go somewhere." Amy gasped. "I didn't mean something this drastic!" Trish shrugged. "It works for me. Amy, without Jeff, Cameron hurts. I moved here to be closer to him. Without him, there's nothing holding me here. I can't take it."

*Each road that I walk down
Reminds me of you
This whole town is haunted
There'll never be anything new*

Knowing she couldn't change Trish's mind, but also knowing there might be one person who could, Amy ran. "Matt can't change my mind either!" Trish yelled after her. 15 minutes later, she was loading the back of her car. Hearing someone pull up, Trish sighed. "Matt and Amy must be desperate. That was fast." She continued trying to shove her large suitcase in the back until a larger hand grasped hers. "Matt, I told Amy…" Trish's voice trailed off.

That wasn't Matt Hardy's hand. There was no way it could be.

Matt Hardy didn't paint his nails.

Trish whirled around to see the handsome face of her boyfriend. Bursting into tears, she threw herself into his arms. "I'm so sorry baby. I should've waited longer. How can you forgive me?" Trish sobbed a reply into his shoulder. "Because I love you Jeff." A moment later, she calmed down and pulled away. "But you're right. You should've waited, you asshole." He stared at her for a moment before a slow grin spread across his face, but faded as a hurt look suddenly came into her eyes. "Why didn't you ever return my calls?" He stared at her. "I did baby. I tried to call every day this week. I called about half an hour ago." Trish looked confused. "How come I never saw your cell number?" Jeff looked away. "Um… cause I need a new battery. I've been calling from houses and stores." Trish started laughing. "Unknown. No wonder I never recognized the numbers. God, Jeff, how could I have doubted you?" He pulled her into another hug. "You had good reason babe. I took off for two weeks without getting in touch." Trish nodded slowly. "You're right again. Asshole." He stared at her. "Guess I should stop pointing that stuff out, huh?" Trish smiled up at him. "You know I'm kidding." She leaned in for a kiss.

"Let's do this right. Trish, I want to leave Cameron for a while, see America and Canada and maybe Mexico. Will you go with me?" Trish thought for a moment. "Yes. Yes I will Jeff." He smiled. "Good. 'Cause I wasn't about to leave without you again." He grabbed her large suitcase; she got the small one, along with her purse. "Ready when you are." He grinned. "Let's hit the road babe." The tossed her stuff into his car and got in. After sharing a long kiss, they headed off. Matt and Amy pulled up in the dust. "Is that…?" Amy nodded. "And he didn't even say goodbye?" She glanced at Matt. "He did that right last time. He just needed to fix his mistake." Matt watched his brother's taillights disappear for the second time and wondered when he would see him again. Amy broke into his thoughts a moment later. "I hope Trish left a key."

Looking at Jeff's soft eyes, strong jaw and blue hair, Trish decided it was all worth the 2 weeks of hell. Nothing else could ever come between them now.

*Precious pain*

I think that's it. Where else could I go with this?