"Mom please!" begged Madison's thirteen year old daughter, Amber.
"No, you're too young to date! You should be focused on Christmas in three weeks" Madison argued.
"But Justin is so cool. We're not trying to date. We just like hanging out" Amber pouted.
"You need to be concerned about spending more time with your father. Adam is concerned about you constantly canceling you're visits to Florida" Madison pointed out.
"Dad annoys me okay? He stares at me all the time I'm there" Amber groaned.
"Maybe he's proud of the young woman you've become" Madison grinned.
"Mom! He has a wife and another kid. I hate it when he pretends like he cares about us" Amber huffed falling back onto the loveseat.
"Adam isn't pretending. He loves you"
"Like he loved you? He didn't even marry you Mom!" Amber argued.
"Hey! Adam and I loved each other. We just weren't in love with one another. We were friends in high school and we hung out together the summer I moved with grandma Ginny. Matter of fact, when I went into premature labor with you a few days before Christmas, Adam came to Charlotte and spent the night in the hospital with me until the contractions stopped. After you were born, he got you atleast one weekend out of the month. He was very responsible to be sixteen" Madison informed her as Amber stared at the picture of her and Jeff at the prom on the mantle.
"So, what about the pretty boy?" she pointed to the picture.
"Jeff was the love of my life. I wasn't over him when Adam and I got together. I guess you can say we both were on the rebound" Madison sighed.
"So, Jeff and Dad went to high school together?" Amber laughed.
"Yea, they were friends"
"Ooh Mom, you were scandalous!" Amber laughed as Madison blushed.
"Jeff never knew about us. We didn't tell anyone about us" Madison explained.
"We've been living in Cameron for two months and you've yet to run into Jeff?" Amber asked.
"Haven't been looking for him. I see him on TV. He retired a while back but went to wrestle for TNA and eventually ended back up on Raw. He's the guy with the colorful hair sometimes" Madison said.
"Wait...he's Jeff Hardy?" Amber eyed the picture closely. "Oh my God! Mom, you dated Jeff Hardy!" Amber screeched.
"Yes, we were in love when we were fifteen"
"What happened?" Amber asked with interest.
"Well, he got a girl pregnant and decided to marry her. We broke up. Your grandma and grandpa sent me away when they found out I was intimate with Jeff. We haven't seen each other since"
"So you and Dad hooked up and made me?" Amber figured out.
"Yea"
"So, I was a mistake?" Amber whined.
"No! We were happy we had you. You brought me back closer to my parents. They saw you when you were two months old and you drew them in and they accepted that I wanted to keep you. Matter of fact, your grandma wanted to bring you back to Cameron. She had you all the time but I decided I was going to raise you myself. Grandma Ginny was a great baby-sitter" Madison laughed.
"Yea, I miss her" Amber smiled. "Hard to believe she's been gone for three months"
"Yea, well we're back home in Cameron now. This house is our home now," Madison said looking around her parent's house. "I'm redecorating and over time it will feel more like home to you"
"I guess. Can Justin and I atleast go to the movies later? His nanny can drop him off and pick him up" Amber said pushing her black hair behind her ear.
"I guess so Amber. Call him and get the movie time" Madison groaned as Amber hugged her tightly.
"I love you!" she squealed running up the stairs to her room.
"I'm not ready for my baby to start dating!" Madison groaned before grabbing her car keys and heading out to the grocery store.
Jeff's House
"That's great son" Jeff Hardy nodded over his thirteen-year-old son, Nero's shoulder as he painted a picture of a meadow.
"You think so Dad? Really?" Nero asked full of hope.
"You are a great artist. Too bad you're not into wrestling but art is cool" Jeff teased ruffling his blonde hair.
"Dad!" Nero fussed trying to straighten his hair.
"You will definitely get a scholarship for this one" Jeff said proudly.
"I take after my old man" Nero laughed.
"Yea, you'll be rich enough to take care of me when I get old. Change my diapers and all" Jeff chuckled.
"Naw, that's when you go to the home" Nero teased.
"Oh that's cold man!" Jeff laughed as Amy and Matt walked into Nero's room.
"We heard you guys from the living room. Your front door was wide open" Amy grinned.
"I just came in" Jeff told them.
"Guess who's back in town living in her parent's old house ten minutes away?" Matt asked.
"I dunno. Who?" Jeff questioned.
"Madison" Matt replied with a wide grin.
"Oh" Jeff nodded.
"You knew?" Amy asked.
"No" Jeff said as Nero stared at him strangely.
"She's been back about two months according to Tonia. I saw her yesterday and she says Madison kept in touch with her over the years. Aren't you going to go see her?" Matt asked.
"What for? She's a part of my past" Jeff mumbled.
"So, you don't want to see her at all?" Amy asked in shock.
"Actually, I don't. Obviously she doesn't want to see me. She's been here a few months and haven't called me? I'm an easy person to find in this town," Jeff said curtly.
"Well, we just wanted to let you know before you ran into her" Amy said as she and Matt headed to the front door to go home.
"Madison huh?" Nero inquired.
"Old girlfriend" Jeff explained.
"You still like her huh?" Nero asked.
"No, I've been over Madison for years. We parted on bad terms so I prefer to leave it alone and not even think about her. She's a part of my past" Jeff said heading outside.
Nero stood in his room a few minutes trying to figure out where he'd heard the name Madison. Something hit him and he went to his father's art room and there on the wall was a painting of a beautiful half-dressed brown-eyed brunette lying across a bed. At the bottom right hand corner was Jeff's signature. On the bottom left hand corner was the word Madison written in tiny letters.
Raw Taping
"You lost?" Matt Hardy asked the dark haired, green-eyed girl who was looking around backstage in awe.
"I'm looking for my dad. He's Edge"
"Adam? I thought he only had a son?" Matt said pushing open a locker room door and ushering her inside.
"No, there's me too. He and my mom were teenagers in high school when I was conceived" she said sitting on the bench.
"That's funny. Adam and I went to high school together and he never said he'd gotten a girl pregnant" Matt said taking a sip of water from a cup on the bench next to her.
"That's probably because my mom was shipped off to Charlotte for being defiant" Amber laughed.
"You say your mom was shipped off? That sounds like what happened to the girl my brother dated, Madison Campbell" Matt said eyeing the girl as her green eyes got as big as saucers.
"That's my mom!" Amber shouted.
"No! How is Maddy?" Matt laughed as Amy stuck her head in the door and walked in.
"She's fine" Amber nodded.
"Hey Ames, guess whose daughter this is?" Matt grinned.
"Tell me she's not yours?" Amy groaned looking at Amber close up trying to inspect her facial features.
"No, Adam's! Take a wild guess who her mother is?" Matt challenged.
"Umm, someone we know?" Amy asked.
"From high school" Matt hinted folding his arms.
"Umm, Trina?" Amy asked.
"Umm no, she's with Crystal remember? This girl has to be about 12?" Matt asked Amber.
"Thirteen" Amber answered.
"Wow, so your mom had you young?" Amy pondered staring at her. "Macy Lombardi? Katie?"
"Nope! Give up?" Matt asked rocking back and forth anxiously.
"Yes!" Amy said giving an exasperated sigh.
"Madison Campbell" Matt laughed.
"What! You're Maddy's daughter? Wait...Adam's your dad? I never knew they hooked up" Amy frowned.
"Neither did I" Matt laughed. "Your mom dated my brother Jeff"
"The guy from the prom picture" Amber laughed. "He was hot" she grinned.
"I'm not so bad am I?" Matt questioned teasingly.
"Naw your okay" Amber shrugged.
"Your mom was my best friend in high school," Amy said rubbing her hands together. "Is she here?"
"No, she's probably at home or out with some new client she's always showing houses to. She went into real estate about four years ago. Always on the go" Amber shook her head.
"You look like your mom" Amy said continuing to stare at her.
"Amazing huh?" Matt asked as Amy nodded.
"Hey Amy, you coming to the club or what?" Trish Stratus asked sticking her head through the door with her eyes closed. "Matt decent?" Trish giggled.
"Yes" Amy laughed as Trish opened her eyes and walked in.
"Who's that?" Trish asked pointing to Amber.
"I'm Amber Campbell" Amber said offering her hand. Trish shook her hand.
"This is Adam's daughter" Matt chuckled.
"Oh, I didn't know he had a daughter" Trish said in shock.
"Yea, her mom is Madison" Amy said putting her arm around Amber as Adam walked in wiping his face with a towel as he joked around with Christian and Shane Helms.
"Hey!" Adam said hugging Amber. "You stayed out of trouble?" he scolded.
"Always" Amber answered quickly.
"Give me a few minutes to shower and we're out of here" Adam said trying to walk to the shower area but Matt and Amy stepped in front of him blocking his way. "What?"
"When were you going to tell us you had a daughter?" Matt inquired.
"And that her mother is Madison Campbell" Amy added.
"Umm...well I figured it was no big deal" Adam hunched his shoulders as he eyed Amber nervously.
"Adam, you never thought to mention you were dating Madison in high school?" Trish asked.
"Yea man, that's dirty to hook up with her after you knew how hard Jeff took their breakup" Shane Helms said walking over to Adam.
"Dude, that's heinous to sneak behind Jeff's back like that" Christian fussed grabbing clean clothes out of his bag.
"My thoughts exactly!" Matt shouted into Adam's face.
"Look, can we discuss this at another time?" Adam begged as he realized that Amber looked absolutely terrified as they all encircled him.
"Dad? What's going on?" Amber asked in a low voice.
"Nothing sweetheart. They all went to school with your mom and I. They never knew we dated when your mom moved to Charlotte" Adam explained.
"Everything is fine" Trish assured her. "Let me take you out for a burger or something so the guys can talk. Come on Amy, let's go. We'll meet you guys back at the hotel," Trish said opening the door for Amber and Amy. Amber looked at her dad feeling reluctant to leave.
"Go ahead sweetie, it's okay," Adam said in a chipper voice as she left with Trish and Amy. As soon as they were gone Adam turned and looked at Matt angrily."Hey Hardy, who gave you the right to dip into my personal business and question me in front of my daughter?" Adam shouted in his face.
"Why did you hide the fact that you dated Madison? You got her pregnant! You hid it for how many years Adam? Thirteen! How could you have done that?"
"You really want to know? Jeff got Stacy pregnant so it was all fair in love and war!" Adam screamed in Matt's face.
"Man that's sick!" Shane grimaced.
"Jeff knew I liked Stacy and he dated her anyway! Then he got her pregnant and married her. I had to see them together everyday! Why do you think I moved back to Canada? Stacy flirted with me letting me think there was a chance for us. We hooked up a few times and then she messed around with Orton. Next thing I knew she was back with Jeff and pregnant. It wasn't a revenge thing. I went to Charlotte to visit my aunt a few weeks after Madison left. I saw Madison at the mall. We hung out those few weeks and confided in one another. We realized that Stacy and Jeff hurt us so bad that we could no longer stand the pain. We had sex. I left a few days later but we kept in touch. She never told me over the phone that she was pregnant until her grandmother called my mom a few months later because Madison went into premature labor a few days before Christmas. I went there and stayed in the hospital with her until she was well enough to go home. After Amber was born a few months later I kept her atleast one weekend a month. That's why I was always busy the third weekend of every month. I knew I'd have Amber from Friday to Sunday. I wasn't ashamed of her by far but after I saw Jeff finally getting over Madison I figured the last thing he needed was to find out that I had a child with her, so I kept it a secret" Adam rambled out the whole story.
"Damn, you'd better be glad that Jeff is over Madison after all these years" Christian said heading to the showers.
"Yea, after all this time I'd say you were pretty safe now. The past is the past. I'm sure Jeff will see it that way too," Shane said grabbing his towels before patting Adam on the back before heading to the showers.
"So, I guess you'll tell him now?" Adam guessed eyeing Matt.
"I have no choice. He has a right to know so that he won't be in total shock when someone else mentions it in front of him" Matt said sitting on the bench. "Adam, you wouldn't be..." Matt started and thought better of it.
"Wouldn't be what?"
"Nothing. I'm going to the hotel. I'll see you later," Matt said grabbing his bag and leaving. Adam breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall trying to calm his nerves before heading to the showers.
The Next Night
"When were you ever going to let us know you were a mother?" Trish Stratus asked as soon as Madison swung her front door open.
"Trish?"
"Yea it's me," Trish said walking into the house. Madison tried to close the door but someone stopped her. She cracked the door open and saw Amy pushing her way into the house.
"You sneaky little slut!" Amy laughed pulling her into a hug.
"Amy! I missed you guys!" Madison cried as Trish hugged them tightly. They stood there holding one another for a few seconds before pulling away.
"We met your daughter last night" Trish said closing the door.
"Really?" Madison asked nervously.
"Really" Amy said throwing her arm around her shoulder.
"Met her father too" Trish piped in from behind the bar.
"Yea, he's a cutie. Can you believe we've known him practically our whole life?" Amy said sarcastically.
"R-eal-ly?" Madison stuttered.
"R-eal-ly" Trish mocked mixing drinks. "Amber is a little sarcastic but I like her. If I was allowed to be in her life from the beginning as her godmother, she'd be sweet and kind like me" Trish giggled.
"Oh please! I'd have been her godmother. I'm the responsible one" Amy fussed.
"Whoa! First off, she's very sweet. Matter of fact she's starting to like boys now and it's driving me nuts!" Madison screamed.
"Do you realize that it's just like we've never been apart?" Amy laughed throwing her body down across the black sofa.
"Yea, I see you still like to make yourself at home" Madison snickered as she sat in the black plush chair next to the sofa as Trish handed them drinks and sat on the matching loveseat.
"Can you believe we're grown ups?" Trish smiled.
"No. Anyway, why didn't you call us?" Amy asked Madison.
"I was ashamed. You guys looked at me as the strong willed one. The virgin who was saving herself for marriage and I ended up pregnant going into the eleventh grade. I was hurt and confused. I couldn't face you guys," Madison said wiping tears from her eyes.
"Jeff was so depressed when your parents sent you away. He had a little breakdown but after school started up he threw himself into sports and then he married Stacy. They have a son, Nero. They're no longer married of course. Lasted maybe three years before she up and left with Andrew Martin who wrestles as Test. She left Jeff to raise Nero alone" Amy told her.
"Yea, Jeff is a great father. I know you've watched him on television over the past few years" Trish said as Madison nodded.
"A few times" Madison lied. She watched wrestling every week on the phone with her old friend from the cheerleading squad Tonia. She'd try to stop from screaming every time Jeff got hurt so Amber wouldn't hear her.
"You should have gotten into wrestling with us" Trish said sipping her pink drink.
"It wasn't for me" Madison shook her head.
"Well, almost all of us are in the wrestling business" Amy pointed out.
"Yea, I saw Cena. He looks nice" Madison blushed.
"Oh, you're attracted to him!" Trish pointed.
"I wouldn't mind letting him rotate my tires" Madison admitted taking a sip from her glass.
"Madison! You're so bad!" Amy giggled.
"Hey, I'm human!" Madison argued.
"I can call him and give him your number" Trish offered.
"I may just take you up on that offer," Madison said raising her right eyebrow.
"What about getting Jeff to rotate your tires? He's single" Amy threw in.
"No thanks. I don't believe in going backwards," Madison said.
"But yet you'd hook up with Cena? He's a part of your past" Trish reminded her.
"Yea but I didn't sleep with him" Madison replied.
"So...you slept with Jeff?" Amy probed.
"I didn't say that" Madison laughed.
"You did!" Trish accused.
"You slept with Jeff? Tell us" Amy said nudging her.
"Yea, we made love," Madison admitted.
"I know, we heard about the letter your parents found that Jeff wrote saying that he didn't regret that you two had made love. Just wanted to see if you were still honest Madison" Amy winked.
"Yea my parents were adamant that I stay away from him. They shipped me off so he wouldn't ruin my life...well that was then and this is now. I'm over Jeff now" Madison nodded trying to convince herself.
"So, Amber is Adam's daughter? I'll admit the first thing that popped into my mind was that she was Jeff's when they said you were her mother. I couldn't see you and Adam together but stranger things have happened" Trish chuckled.
"Guess who we saw a few weeks back?" Amy smiled.
"Who?"
"Trina and Crystal! They are like the biggest web designers out there now. They are actually cool now. They have a business called T&C Web Designs" Amy laughed.
"They were so happy too. They hated us in high school and are wrestling fans now. Weird huh?" Trish grinned.
"Yea, that's awesome that they're nicer than they were in high school and are actually happy" Madison chuckled.
"Yea, I have Chris and Amy has Matt" Trish sighed.
"Chris?" Madison asked.
"Jericho" Trish said happily.
"Oh no! You went from Christian to Jericho?" Madison asked in disbelief.
"Yea yea! Jericho matured okay?" Trish laughed.
"Good for him. I'm so happy for you guys," Madison said.
"Yea we all turned out pretty good," Amy said lying back on the sofa.
"Who's up for pizza? Oh come on! We're Charlie's Angels remember?" Trish asked placing her hand over the table.
"I'm in!" Madison shouted placing her hand over Trish's.
"Here we go! Oh okay! I'm in!" Amy giggled and placed her hand on top of theirs.
The Same Night At Jeff's
"You're not going to respond?" Matt asked as Jeff walked across the living room with a blue bandanna wrapped around his head. He was in a pair of paint splattered blue jean overalls with no shirt underneath. His hands were covered with black, yellow, blue, and red paint. He picked up his beer off the coffee table and took a few sips.
"What am I supposed to say? I'm gonna kick Adam's ass for something he did years ago? It's just not worth it to get all upset about something that was out of my control. I'm cool with it" Jeff said calmly as he leaned back against the wall.
"I figured you'd have some type of response whether it was anger, regret, disappointment or something," Matt said staring at Jeff as he shook his head.
"Madison and I were over years ago Matt" Jeff reminded him.
"You must have forgotten I was with dad the night we found you in the woods trembling and in shock" Matt reminded him. "The many nights I heard you crying over her in your room when you thought we couldn't hear you" Matt said.
"Hey, after a few weeks I was okay" Jeff chuckled.
"Jeff you cried for over six months! Dad and I wondered if you needed a psychiatrist" Matt laughed.
"I'm okay. I deal with things in my own way" Jeff told him as he finished up his beer. "Now can you leave so I can get back to my painting?" Jeff asked.
"Fine, throw me out! See how I treat you when you come to my house" Matt fussed heading to the door as Jeff laughed at him. After he left Jeff headed to the room he painted in. He stared at the painting of a man sitting on a bench doubled over in pain. He stared at it until it began to blur. He blinked a few times and it blurred even more. He touched his face and realized it was wet with tears.
"No! Get out of my head!" Jeff screamed as he pushed the painting on the easel over and dipped his hand in the paints and smeared the painting until he could no longer recognize the man on the bench doubled over in pain that reflected his feelings. He wiped his hands onto his overalls. "You are a part of my past! Don't you dare try to come back into my life after giving my friend a child!" he shouted up at the painting on his wall of Madison lying across his bed. She was nude with a red sheet wrapped around her body as she stared at him as if she was looking into his eyes, his soul.
Grocery Store
Madison headed down the flour and sugar aisle. She threw a few boxes of brownie mix into her basket. She'd decided to make a cake and eyed the boxes of instant cake mixes. She decided on strawberry cake and vanilla icing. She went to turn the corner and slammed into a basket coming from around the corner. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Madison shrieked.
"It's okay" Jeff said glancing over at her and then did a double take. "Madison?"
"Jeff. I didn't know it was you" Madison stuttered. He looked so hot in his blue jeans and white sweater.
"I heard you were here in Cameron. I figured we'd run into one another but not literally," he said leaning on his basket.
"Well, nice seeing you" Madison said pulling her basket back and going around him.
"Still running away from me, huh?" Jeff asked.
"I've never ran away from anything a day in my life" Madison said over her shoulder.
"You never called to let me know you were okay"
"You never tried to find me to see if I was okay" Madison challenged.
"Are we going to argue?"
"No, this conversation is over!" Madison huffed going down the other aisle.
"So, you have a kid with Adam huh? Didn't take you long to move on" Jeff scoffed pulling up alongside her.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that you screwed my friend and gave him a kid! I never would have thought that you had it in you to be a slut" Jeff shook his head in shame right before Madison slapped the taste out of his mouth. "I'll let you get away with that because I accidentally let my thoughts be heard" Jeff laughed rubbing his inflamed right cheek.
"I hate you Jeff Hardy! I'm glad we didn't work out because you've turned out to be an egotistical asshole!" Madison shouted in his face.
"Back out of my face Madison! I'm no longer the lovesick teenager who loved you. I'm a man who has a son to worry about. Your opinion of me means jack to me!"
"Don't remind me that you knocked up that tramp" Madison grumbled getting her basket and heading to the checkout counter. She paid for her groceries and headed out to her black Altima. She put her bags inside the car and fumbled with her keys and dropped them on the floor trying to hurry up. As she threw the last few bags into the car she closed the back door and heard the locks click. "Shit! My keys!" she whined peering inside the window eyeing her keys lying on the gray carpet. She leaned against the car and realized she needed a cellphone at a time like this. It was after 9 and she was starting to feel uneasy as if she was being watched in the dark, not to mention she was freezing.
"Hey!" Jeff shouted from across the parking lot. He walked over to her car. "Why aren't you gone?"
"I locked my keys in the car" she pointed at her back window.
"I see" Jeff said turning and walking off. He slowly got in his car and drove off.
"Asshole!" Madison laughed in disbelief. She went into the store and called for roadside assistance. She waited fifteen minutes and headed back to her car. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Jeff standing next to her car with his arms folded.
"Thought you'd left" Jeff grinned.
"Called for help"
"Your keys" he said handing her the keys. "I couldn't leave you here in the cold" he shrugged. "I popped the lock. I guess me being able to break into cars were one of the many things your parents hated about me" he smiled.
"Yea, among other things" she said taking her keys and getting in her car.
"No thank you or a little reward for getting your keys out?" Jeff teased.
"Thanks" she said starting her car.
"Are you going to keep running from us clearing up what happened between us?"
"I'm not running, I'm walking away or driving away or whatever!" she sputtered.
"I make you nervous?" he asked in a pompous tone.
"You make me ill. The mere thought of you makes me want to vomit!"
"So you're saying I do bring up an emotion in you even though it's gross?" he chortled.
"Go to hell Jeff" she shouted closing her door.
"Only if you come with me" he teased as she backed up almost running over his feet. "You can run but you can't hide!" Jeff shouted after her as she drove out of the parking lot.
A Few Days Later
"So you saw him?" Adam shrugged.
"Do you know how hard that was?" Madison shrieked.
"Maddy! Calm down!" Adam laughed forcing her to sit down.
"I'm calm but yet I'm falling apart"
"Maddy, you're still letting him get to you. Stop freaking out" Adam chuckled. "Jeff will not pop up on your doorstep, trust me! He has too much pride. He may want to but he won't. He totally lost it over you years ago. He doesn't want to get involved with you again unless he's a glutton for punishment" Adam giggled.
"Gee, thanks a lot!"
"Oh, I didn't mean it like that" Adam grinned caressing her shoulder. "You look pretty in pink" he sighed eyeing her light pink sweater.
"Thanks"
"You'd look even prettier naked" Adam hinted caressing her cheek.
"You're married Adam" she implied.
"Yea, and your just so eager to remind me. Oh, by the way, we need to talk about Amber. She was questioning me about something she learned in school a few weeks back and I couldn't lie to her about it so..."
"Hey Dad" Amber said coming through the front door with shopping bags.
"Got my Christmas gift?" Adam asked trying to peek in the bags.
"Yes and you can't see" Amber laughed pulling the bags out of his reach.
"You and Justin have fun shopping together?" Madison asked.
"Yea, his nanny is the coolest. If she wasn't in her late 40's Justin would fix her up with his dad but he's too young for Ms. Nettles. He's like 30" Amber chuckled.
"Stop playing matchmaker young lady" Madison pointed.
"Yes ma'am. I guess Justin and my plan to hook you up with his Dad is out now huh?" she grinned.
"You've seen him?" Madison inquired.
"No" Amber giggled.
"Oh yea, that idea is definitely out" Madison frowned.
"Justin says his dad is handsome and gets a lot of women," Amber said.
"Well how can I compete with all those women? I want an ugly man that I can have all to myself" Madison laughed.
"Yea right! You've never dated an ugly guy in your life" Adam derided.
"They were normal looking" Madison argued.
"Come on princess, we're going to get a Christmas tree" Adam hollered up at Amber as she took her bags upstairs to her room. "Hey, Justin's dad may be normal looking" Adam said looking over at Madison.
"No thanks. I want to be single awhile" Madison replied.
"I get it" Adam laughed.
"Get what?"
"He's no Jeff Hardy. You have to get Jeff out of your system" Adam fussed.
"He is! I've been dating a guy I showed a house to but I'm taking it slow"
"Good for you"
"I'm ready," Amber shouted coming down the stairs handing them both sheets of paper. "My Christmas list" she shrugged walking to the door.
"A car?" Adam shouted.
"Being able to stay out to midnight?" Madison yelled.
"Just kidding! Here's the real lists" she giggled handing them the lists.
"Whoo! Clothes and her own phone line" Madison sighed with relief.
"Yea, just the simple stuff huh?" Adam frowned eyeing the list she gave him.
"What's on yours?" Madison asked trying to see his list. He quickly folded it up and placed it in his pocket.
"It's between Amber and I" Adam said with a worried look on his face. He pasted a fake smile on his face. "Let's get out of here and get this darn tree!"
Conversation With Tonia
"So, you saw him. Were there any sparks?" Tonia asked as she scooped up her black cat and scratched behind his ear.
"No!" Madison said quickly.
"You're lying" Tonia giggled.
"No"
"Yes. You still want him don't you?" Tonia probed.
"No. I just want to be able to speak to him without getting nervous"
"Hmm, what did he say?" Tonia grinned.
"Stop grinning!" Madison shouted.
"I'm not!" Tonia lied as her cat Salem purred.
"Umm hmm. Anyway, he was pissed at me but for some odd reason he came back and got my keys out the car"
"I heard" Tonia giggled.
"From who?"
"Amy. Jeff told Matt he saw you and you know Matt can't hold water" Tonia smiled pushing her brown hair back into a ponytail and tying a rubber band around it.
"What did Jeff tell them?" Madison asked with interest.
"He said that you were still pretty and that he'd hoped you'd gotten fat from having eight kids" Tonia teased.
"Tonia! Honestly, Jeff looks good. I can't lie about it. He looks damn good"
"Good enough to sit down and talk out the past to maybe work towards having a future together?" Tonia suggested.
"Ehh, talk yes. Date? No" Madison sighed sadly. "He called me a slut Tonia"
"He was angry! He didn't mean any of it"
"Well, he said it in a hateful way" Madison whined causing Tonia to laugh.
"You two will be in bed together by Christmas" Tonia promised.
"I can't even see myself with Jeff sexually" Madison said even though she probably would attack him and rip his clothes off if they were left alone too long. Madison laughed to herself realizing she still wanted Jeff a little bit. She was in denial and she was on a path of nothing but pain and heartache messing around with Jeff Hardy.
"Well, Charlie is home with the kids. I need to go get them ready for bed so I can have my husband all to myself" Tonia chuckled.
"Be careful or you two will be expecting baby number three" Madison taunted.
"Hey, what can I say? My husband still can't keep his hands off of me" Tonia bragged. "You just make sure you and Jeff use protection," Tonia said before hanging up leaving Madison at a loss for words.
Amber's Dinner Date
"Mom, this isn't fair!" Amber whined as they waited for Justin and his nanny, Ms. Nettles in Chili's.
"I want to meet his nanny so that we can make arrangements to meet so that I can pick you up after the movie" Madison said sipping on her Dr. Pepper.
"I don't want Justin to think I'm a kid" Amber huffed crossing her arms.
"Ambrosia Collette Campbell?" Madison warned.
"Mom! Don't call me Ambrosia! I hate that!" Amber pouted.
"Relax. Justin is coming in now. We'll work out the plan to pick you two up and I'll leave" Madison promised as Justin sat at the table.
"Hi Ms. Campbell" Justin smiled widely pushing a piece of blonde hair behind his ear. "My Dad gave Ms. Nettles the weekend off, thank God," Justin said rolling his eyes. "He's seeing I'm maturing and won't need a nanny after awhile. My Dad will take us instead" Justin said pointing to the door as Jeff Hardy made his way over to them in a heavy black leather jacket, black shirt, blue jeans and a pair of black boots. He froze in his tracks and looked at Madison and Amber then back to Justin. "Dad! Over here!" Justin waved Jeff over to the table.
"That's your father?" Madison pointed.
"Yea" Justin nodded proudly.
"Jeff Hardy is your Dad?" Amber asked with an amused look on her face. "He dated my Mom in high school." Amber snickered as Jeff sat at the table and cleared his throat.
"Long time no see," Jeff said as he stared at Madison intensely.
"Jeff" Madison mumbled looking away quickly.
"This is Adam's daughter?" Jeff asked staring at Amber so hard that she started to move in her chair uncomfortably.
"Yea, I'm Amber" Amber responded shaking his hand.
"Amber" Jeff said letting the name roll off his tongue as he stared at her trying to figure out why he felt a fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I thought your son's name was Nero?" Madison asked.
"It is. Justin Nero Keibler-Hardy" Justin answered before Jeff could respond.
"I think we should go" Madison said standing up and grabbing Amber by the wrist and tossing a few dollars on the table for the sodas.
"Why? What's wrong?" Amber asked.
"You can't date his son!" Madison hissed pulling her up from the table.
"Mom! You're hurting me!" Amber cried out.
"Let her go!" Jeff demanded standing up. "My son is a good person! She'd be lucky to date a boy as nice as him!" Jeff yelled at Madison causing customers at other tables to stop and stare.
"Amber go to the car!" Madison demanded handing her the car keys.
"Why?" Amber asked through tears.
"Just do it!" Madison shouted at her.
"I hate you!" Amber screamed at her as she ran out the restaurant.
"Look at what you did?" Justin said getting up to go after Amber.
"No you don't!" Madison said stepping in front of him. "You stay away from my daughter. You two are no longer allowed to see each other, you understand?" she said in a shaky voice as Justin stared at her with big sad blue eyes.
"Nero, go to the car" Jeff said calmly staring at Madison as if she was crazy.
"Okay" Justin said grabbing his keys and heading to the car.
"You are absolutely bonkers! What happened between us years ago has nothing to do with those kids relationship" Jeff muttered.
"Yes it does! I will not let him do her the way you did me!" Madison whispered.
"You know what happened back then! I had no choice," Jeff said angrily.
"Yes you did! You could have chosen me!" Madison shouted.
"That wasn't an option," Jeff said in a tired voice as he stared into her light brown eyes.
"Yes it was, you just didn't stick around long enough to see it!" she said poking her right index finger in his chest. He looked down at her finger and grabbed it. The warmth from his hand caused her heart to race even faster.
"Calm down Maddy. People are starting to really stare" Jeff whispered.
"Don't call me that!" she said pushing him in the chest.
"Maddy! Madison!" he shouted after her as she walked towards the exit.
Madison headed out the door and tried to remember where she'd parked. Jeff was right behind her. She smelled his cologne before she saw him. "What do you want?" she asked turning to face him.
"For you not to hate and prejudge my son because of who his mother is" Jeff said straight out.
"I don't hate him"
"Why is it a problem for him to take your daughter to the movies?" Jeff asked.
"Because...he's a Hardy!" Madison cried wiping tears from her eyes.
"That's bad because?" Jeff asked holding her face between his hands forcing her to look into his green eyes.
"Because...because...so is Amber!" she shouted pushing past him and headed to her car never looking back.
Jeff stood there with his mouth hanging open. He covered his chest and sat down slowly on the hard bricks surrounding the flowerbed. He was starting to hyperventilate. He didn't know how long he sat there. "Dad? You okay" Justin asked touching his shoulder.
"Yea son, I'm fine. I don't think you should see Amber anymore. Not that I'm against it but I think it would be best for everyone involved" Jeff said standing up as his feet felt like little needles were sticking into them. He headed to the car with Justin and got in.
"So, Amber's mom is the lady in the painting. You're first love," Justin said as they headed out to the highway.
"Something like that" Jeff answered staring straight ahead.
"So in other words, I can't date Amber because you and her mom will probably be dating," Justin said running his hands through his short blond hair.
"I doubt it" Jeff said through a huge smile that started to spread across his face. He realized that Amber wasn't Adam's daughter but his. He actually had a little girl! Then the anger took over as he realized he'd missed out on all of the firsts, like her first word, step, or tooth. Then he realized that Madison left Cameron because she was pregnant. She never even tried to get in touch with him to tell him. He would have definitely married Madison. He knew that in his heart.
"Dad, why are you frowning?" Justin asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm just a little pissed son. Nothing for you to be concerned about" Jeff assured him as he went over in his mind what he wanted to say to Adam and Madison.
Shooting Pool
"So I was like dude she totally hates your ass!" Adam laughed along with Christian and Jericho as Matt leaned over the pool table to take his shot.
"Dude, that sucks!" Christian snorted as Jeff stormed over to the side of the pool hall where they were standing.
"What's up Jeff?" Jericho smiled but his smiled quickly faded as he noticed the anger masked across Jeff's face. Jeff grabbed Adam and punched him across the face twice before slamming him onto the pool table and grabbing him around his collar.
"You knew didn't you?" Jeff shouted in his face.
"What is your problem?" Adam asked wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Jeff, calm down!" Matt said trying to pull him off of Adam.
"Tell them what you did!" Jeff demanded shaking him by his shirt collar.
"I did nothing to you!" Adam swore.
"You kept my daughter to yourself all these years!" Jeff hissed as Matt let him go and stared down at Adam with a sickened look on his face.
"Is this true?" Jericho asked.
"Let me up and we can talk" Adam shouted. Jeff let him go so he could stand up.
"Start talking Copeland" Jeff ordered.
"Look, I ran into Madison a few weeks after she was shipped off to her grandmothers. When I saw her she was already showing in late August. I promised to keep it a secret. We became close and when she went into early labor her grandmother assumed I was the father and called me because Madison's parent's had disowned her because she'd slept with Jeff and gotten pregnant" Adam said as Jeff realized how horrible things must have been for Madison back then. "I offered to say I was actually the father because her parent's were forcing her to give the baby up for adoption in order to come back home. She figured with me as the father her parents couldn't force her to give the baby up without my signature on the papers. They feared that my mother and I would fight them. When Ambrosia was born I got attached to her. I won't lie. So many times I wanted to tell you Jeff but I lost my nerve. A few times I saw you with Stacy and decided not to tell you. I was hurt that she'd chosen you over me. I'm over her now but back then I hated you and wanted to get a little revenge on you but I never meant for it to go on for almost fifteen years. Ambrosia will be fourteen on February fourteenth. How appropriate for you and Madison huh? Valentine's Day" Adam chuckled.
"So her name is Ambrosia?" Jeff laughed. "She has my eyes. I couldn't stop looking at her for some reason. When she shook my hand I felt close to her" Jeff muttered to himself.
"Adam, you kept me away from my niece? Not to mention Dad away from his only grandchild" Matt complained.
"I did what I did back then so that Madison could keep her baby. After a few months her parents saw the baby and fell in love with her. They wanted Madison home but Jeff had started planning he and Stacy's wedding. Madison couldn't bear seeing you with her so she chose to remain in Charlotte. By the way, there's something you should know about Amber that Madison doesn't know. Amber knows I'm not her real father. A few weeks back she asked me my blood type and like a fool I told her. She told me that I couldn't be her father because my blood type and her mother's blood type could never equal to hers. I was stumped. I told her I was her stepfather. She's never mentioned it to Madison but she's been snooping around and asking me weird questions about who Madison was involved with back then. She knows Jeff was her first love but I doubt if she figured it out yet. According to her Christmas list, the only Christmas gift she wants from me is to tell her who her real father is. I don't know what to do. Bet you didn't know that Amber's actually a natural blonde so she has Jeff's hair color and eyes" Adam shrugged.
"She's a blonde?" Matt asked.
"Yea, she dyed her hair black a few months ago with some friends while Madison was at work. Boy was Madison pissed!" Adam laughed. "Actually, as a blonde she favors Jeff more" Adam admitted.
"Damn" Christian sighed.
"How do I tell her who I am?" Jeff inquired as he sat up on one of the pool tables.
"I don't know" Adam answered.
"Talk to Madison first jackass! Maybe you two can talk to her together" Jericho suggested.
"I don't think Madison is even ready to see me right now. I'm not even sure I'm really ready to see her again," Jeff said covering his face with his hands.
"Bro, you have to get it over with eventually. I'll go with you" Matt offered.
"No, this is something I have to do myself" Jeff said getting off the pool table and heading for the door.
"Good luck!" Christian shouted.
"Thanks" Jeff said as he left out the door.
"Maybe I should go over there," Adam said starting to leave.
"Whoa! You've done enough. Let them work things out for themselves" Matt said picking up his pool stick. "Let's play some pool"