Part Nine

"Ding dong"

"Coming!" came the muffled sound from inside the house. Edge and Matt stood outside on Jeff's step, having arrived in North Carolina after spending the remainder of the week in too many other cities to remember where they had even been. Both were tired, but a more pressing issue was at hand. They wanted to talk with Shane about their plan. For Matt, it also meant getting the chance to talk with Jeff and Lita too. Hopefully, to make things right with them again.

"Hurry, man" Edge called back. "It's freezing out here."

"Edge, it's 75 degrees here," Matt looked at his friend dumbfounded.

"I know," Edge said, turning to face Matt. "But this is Jeff we're talking about. You know how slow he is. We'll be out here all evening. Don't you have a key anyway?"

"Yeah, but given the current circumstances, I don't think that's such a good idea."

Just then the door swung open to reveal Jeff Hardy, standing there with an apron around his waist and dabs of flour on his face, arms, chest, and well, everywhere.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Edge, not missing a beat, "I thought this was Jeff Hardy's house. I'm sorry Mr. Doughboy, we'll just be on our way."

"Ha, ha, ha" said Jeff, wiping his hands on his apron. "I'm making cookies," he explained.

"What happened? Betty Crocker throw up on you?" Edge continued, smiling broadly.

"They're for Lita you moron," Jeff said. "Get in here. Shane's already here." He stepped aside, allowing entrance to the two men. Matt stopped beside his brother before stepping into the entryway. "Good to see you bro. I mean it."

"You too, Matt." Jeff answered, meeting his brother's eyes. "Come on in."

Matt stepped inside, hesitating slightly in the foyer. He turned back to speak to Jeff, but the flour covered younger Hardy already knew what he was going to ask. "She's here, man," he said. "She's in the living room with Shane."

"Do you think she'll actually want to talk with me?"

"Well, I think she might," Jeff said thoughtfully. "Some time has passed and she is doing great with her therapy. But tread lightly, Matt."

"Has Shane told her anything that's going on?"

"Shane explained to me everything you three lamebrains are doing. But he's only told Lita that there's some crap about to hit the fan with Bischoff and we intend to throw it. He and I talked about it and with her trying to recover, we don't want her worrying about us, the future of the WWE or her job. She doesn't need that right now."

"She has to know what's going on though Jeff."

"And I figured you're just the man to tell her, Matt. I understand you have some other things to say to her anyway, right?"

"Yeah. God, I've missed her. It's killed me that she won't talk to me. And, Jeff, I want to talk to you too. You know, about all this."

"In the kitchen," Jeff said, nodding his head toward the disaster area where he had been baking cookies. Matt nodded and followed his brother into the room.

"Soda?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah. I'll get it though."

Jeff went to the sink to wash his hands and face while Matt went to the fridge and pulled out a drink for each of them. Cracking the top open, he sat down at the table where Jeff soon joined him.

"Jeff, look. I know you now know what's going on. Bischoff is a giant ass, and Edge and Shane are very close to having the proof we need to bust him. We just need to coerce him into admitting on tape that he's sabotaging the company while he's been plotting to take it over. My part in this was to find out if Heyman and Lesnar are in on it to dupe Stephanie on the Smackdown side. They definitely are. I've found that much out."

"So, you turned on me, and in essence, Lita, to jump to Smackdown to spy on Heyman?"

"Yeah. It all happened so fast. Shane called one night and told me what he and Edge had stumbled onto. They weren't sure who all was involved. They needed someone to go in there and get close to Heyman and Lesnar, and neither one of them were in a position to do it. They were afraid Heyman was about to make a move to cheat Steph out of the General Manager position and take it himself. I was able to stop that by getting the Undertaker to beat the snot out of Lesnar. It didn't give Heyman the chance he needed to fake out Steph."

"But, Matt. Why didn't you tell me? You know I'd want to help. Geez, I'd have been the first one to suggest you faking a turn on me to set you up as a heel on Smackdown. You know that."

"Exactly. I know you, Jeff. I know that you'd not only done that, but you'd be right in there taking crazy chances with Lesnar, Bischoff, or any of his goons. I just wanted to protect you from getting hurt. Even if it meant, for a short while, that you thought I turned on you."

"Thinking you turned on me hurt far worse than anything Bischoff could ever do."

Matt dropped his head. "I know. It's just…" He struggled to find the words.

Jeff found his words for him. "It's just that for almost my entire life, you have been my protector. You've been there for me when I'd get picked on in school all the way to the feuds we've been in with guys in the WWE. You have a fierce protective instinct sometimes, Matt, as if I were your child."

"Well, yeah. That's exactly it. I can't help it. Except for Dad, it's always been just us. You know? I'd kick the snot out of
anyone I thought was trying to hurt you."

"But I'm not a child anymore, Matt. I'm not the little kid on the baseball field trying to play with the older boys. I'm a grown man who can take care of himself. And I'm doing that Matt, thanks in part to you. I would have liked the opportunity to watch your back in this thing."

"I'm sorry," Matt said simply. "I know now that I made the wrong decision. It's just so hard to allow you, or Lita for that matter, to go into situations where I think someone might try to hurt you."

"We're wrestlers for goodness sake. We go into situations like this every night."

"I mean," he continued, "this is different. If Bischoff figures out we're about to expose him, he'll aim to end your career" he
said. "Or worse."

"Like he tried to do to Lita," Jeff stated.

"Yeah," Matt sighed.

"Matt, do you think he had Lita attacked because he thinks you know something?" Jeff became extremely concerned.

"No, I don't think so. He would have sent a message to one of us, you know, to gloat about it."

Jeff studied what his brother said for a moment. "You're probably right." He stood up, taking their cans to the sink and emptying them, then tossing them in the trash.

"Look Matt. You are my only brother. And I love you, even though you are a bonehead at times. But you're a good-hearted bonehead. You do the things you do out of a misguided sense of love and protection. I forgive you for not telling me what's going on. But from this day forward, you have got to swear you'll tell me when stuff like this happens. Let me be a part and contribute to the effort. I need you to trust that I am my own man and that I can carry my weight. Most of all, you've got to allow me to protect you sometimes. Can you do that?"

Matt looked up at his brother, who suddenly looked very wise for his 25 years. He stood up and stood man to man with him and answered, "Yeah. I think I can. Thanks, bro."

Jeff reached out and embraced his brother. "Cool. Now, go see Lita, because we have some team planning to do in a little bit."

"Yeah," Matt said, heading towards the door. He felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his chest. He stopped and turned around before leaving. "Jeff?"

"Yeah?"

"Your cookies are burning." Matt turned around and left, headed down the hall towards the living room.

"Aw, MAN!" Jeff shouted, leaping towards the oven to rescue his forgotten snacks.

TBC