Author's Note: I do not own Matt or Jeff Hardy, nor am I in any way affiliated with Titan Entertainment, WWE, or any of its subsidiaries. This story is strictly for entertainment purposes.

TRAGEDY

Chapter 2: The Unexpected

Samantha walked through the downstairs rooms towards the kitchen. In the doorway she stopped for a moment, her arm reaching around the doorjamb, searching for the light switch. Her hand found the switch and she sharply turned her head to the side the blaring force of the light too much for her eyes to handle. They had become too accustomed to the darkness. Slowly Samantha opened her eyes and moved across the room. On the counter, she turned on the coffee maker and thanked God she had remembered to get a new coffee filter ready before she had gone upstairs last night. She stood leaning against the counter before her, arms sprawled out over the countertop and her head resting against their warmth. Given enough time, Samantha could fall asleep standing here. The burning sensation in her eyes was an ever-present reminder that she should be in bed. Samantha heard the front door, followed by footsteps against the floorboards. She lifted herself up and decided she could wait no longer for coffee. She reached above the counter to open the cupboard.

"Would you like some coffee?" She asked without bothering to turn around.

Kelly had stopped in the doorway, not wanting to frighten Samantha. "Yeah, I could use some. Jeff will probably want some too. He's right behind me." She said as she started for the table set in the middle of Samantha's kitchen.

The sound of the front door closing could be heard. Jeff dragged himself into the kitchen as Samantha finished pouring the coffee. She turned and placed the cups on the table, one before each of them. She moved to the refrigerator, grabbed the cream, and brought it back to the table with her. She sat in her usual place at the head of her table. The three of them prepared their coffee to their own liking. A few moments later, they were finishing their cups, not a word said between them. Samantha got up from the table and took her cup to the sink. She was rinsing her cup when Kelly spoke.

"I'm sorry I woke you so early this morning, but I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible." Kelly began.

"It's not a problem. You guys are welcome anytime, you know that." Samantha responded.

Kelly paused, not sure how to continue. Jeff wrapped his arm around her. "Mr. MacMahon called Jeff. Because he and Matt are brothers and so close, he thought Jeff should be the first to know." Tears had started to well up in Kelly's eyes and her chin was quivering as her emotions took hold of her. "Oh God, I'm so sorry Sam." Jeff squeezed Kelly closer to him.

Samantha set her coffee cup on the bottom of the sink, but she hadn't turned off the water yet. She stared straight ahead of her, into the distance beyond. She was trying to understand what Kelly was saying, images flashed through her mind too quick for her consciousness to grasp at them. "What happened? What are you saying?" Samantha asked placidly.

"Matt. The plane. They don't know exactly what happened. Sam, I don't know what to say." Kelly tried to explain.

"Kelly, what happened?" Samantha almost demanded, turning to face her. She heard the words Kelly was saying and she knew her mind had already pieced it together, but Samantha was unwilling to let it sink in until she heard those words she feared most.

"Sam, they plane went down. There were no survivors. Matt's gone." Jeff said, looking up at her, studying her face for a reaction, his arm still around Kelly who now sat with her face in her arms atop the table.

Without warning, tears streamed down Samantha's face with a quickness Jeff had never before witnessed. Her legs gave out and she collapsed into a heap on the floor. Her body contorted itself as she thrashed about and tried to scream towards the heavens. Her mouth opened wide and she wanted to cry out, but no sound came. Her body was so racked with emotion that her muscles shook. Samantha could feel her esophagus swelling to a close in her neck and gasped wildly for air.

Jeff moved from the table, towards Samantha. He sat next to her on the cold floor. He put his arms around her, and held her close to him, placing her head on his chest. He gently smoothed her hair and squeezed her to him as much as he could, hoping to calm and comfort Samantha. Jeff wasn't sure what to expect when he and Kelly drove over. He knew Matt loved Samantha more than he had ever cared for anyone and he knew that in her heart Samantha loved him too. Jeff wasn't prepared for her reaction. For the first time, he realized just how fragile Samantha was. She always made it point to prove she was not some helpless little girl and would take on anyone who treated her like a delicate flower. She had made her own way in the world and was extremely hesitant to accept help from others. It broke his heart to see her like this.

Jeff himself was still denying the facts. He didn't want everyone to see his pain; he couldn't even face it. Now he was glad for this lack of emotion on his part. Samantha needed to get through this difficult time, and he wanted to be there for her. In a way, it was the least he could do for his brother. And after all, Samantha was family. Jeff knew only one thing for sure; it would be a long road for Samantha, and he would be there every step of the way. Jeff was rocking them back and forth, and Samantha had begun to slow her breathing. Her body shook against his, her crying still uncontrollable.

Samantha was trying to regain some amount of composure. She hated to let her emotions overwhelm her, the vulnerability of allowing Kelly and Jeff to see her in this state. In her mind, she kept thinking this was all some kind of cruel joke and Matt would walk through the door at any moment, saying he had taken an earlier flight. It was all a mistake. She imagined Matt coming through the kitchen doorway to her, picking her up from her heap on the floor, promising he would never let her go. She curled her arms his body, feeling his warmth on her cheek. She closed her eyes and allowed a sigh of relief to escape her lips. Her arms squeezed tighter about him. She leaned up and planted a slow, gentle, thankful kiss upon his lips and she swore it was Matt. Their lips lingered on each other's breath for a moment before Samantha slowly opened her teary eyes and rested her head against his chest once more.

Jeff stared back at Samantha for a moment longer, unable to believe what had just happened. It was obvious she had been thinking of Matt, he tried to tell himself. He turned his head quickly to glance at Kelly who was still crying, head down in her arms across the table. He was grateful Kelly hadn't seen anything. He didn't want her to be hurt over a mistake made in grief. Jeff rested his head on Samantha's and stared into the distance, trying not to think about anything lest his emotions get the best of him.