A/N: I would never write JeffxAshley into a long story, nor would I make up some lame name for the pairing.

For those interested, I closed the poll in my profile. You may now see the results.

"We're thinking of a program with Johnny Nitro," Vince explained to Matt as Jeff twiddled his thumbs happily.

"What does he think of that?" Matt skeptically asked. Albeit being friends with him out of the ring, Matt didn't know how he would respond to being in a program with a deaf Superstar, even if that Superstar just so happened to be Jeff Hardy.

"Contrary to what I'm sure you believe, Mr. Hardy, Nitro is looking forward to this. He thinks it will be a good experience for him to improve his improvisation skills and to deepen his ability to work a match. The real question is, Matt, does Jeff trust Nitro?"

Matt turned to look at Jeff, who had no idea that they were talking about him. Jeff was silently playing a game with his fingers as the two other men stared on. Vince cleared his throat and slid a pen and paper to Matt.

Can you trust Johnny Nitro with you in the ring?

Jeff was snapped out of his daze as Matt nudged him. He read the paper and grinned, nodding.

"Yes, I think he can trust him," Matt announced.

"Good, but…"

"No offense, sir, but that doesn't sound too good for Jeff."

"His first match back will be against Edge."

"No," Matt said almost before Vince even finished his sentence.

"Now, before you get your panties in a bunch, you should know that Lita will pull Edge out of the ring rather quickly. It will be a short match with a quick promo beforehand. Jeff will just have to stand there. We'll have one of the creative members act like an interpreter who will read some scripted words on Jeff's behalf. Jeff will just have to get in some quick offense when we give him the signal, and then Edge will be out of there. It's simple enough to understand, don't you think?"

Matt thought it over. "Hm…It sounds good. I know Jeff will be able to handle it."

"Good, because we've already started piecing together old footage of you two for vignettes advertising his return for August 21st. That's not very far off. Is he ready?"

"Yes, sir, he is ready."

The adrenaline running through his body felt familiar to Jeff. He remembered the enigmatic feeling. He remembered the butterflies in his stomach. He remembered his heart pounding in his ears.

But this time, he could only feel it, not hear it.

Matt told him that the signal for him to start beating on Edge would be when he dropped his WWE Championship belt. It seemed easy enough, as long as Edge didn't accidentally drop it. When Edge started his little head bobble, Jeff was supposed to look taken aback, since it would be pretty obvious that he said something bad about Jeff.

It didn't seem too complicated.

Jeff paced in the back with Brian Gewirtz, the head RAW writer. He was going to play Jeff's interpreter slash representative speaker for the evening.

Jeff could feel the vibrations from the crowd just outside the curtain. He assumed that they were happy sounds, and not grumblings of anger or boredom. But if Jeff could hear the Hardy chants, his heart just might have beaten out of his chest.

Maybe it's better that I can't hear this, Jeff thought to himself.

Jeff felt a tug on his arm. He looked up to see Brian telling him that he was ready to go.

When Jeff walked through the curtain, it was if he was born again. The crowd screaming for him thrilled him as much as a silent scream could. The crowd clapped along with the beat of his dearly missed entrance music, and that helped Jeff perform his signature dance to the correct time. As he walked down the ramp, he slapped hands with as many fans as he could, appreciating their support for him. If he wasn't so nervous, he may have broken down and cried right there.

Jeff and Brian slipped in between the ropes and entered the ring. Brian already had a microphone in his hand, prepared to speak. He pulled out some notecards from the inside pocket of his business suit.

The returning Superstar looked around and saw all of the fan signs welcoming him back into the WWE. His heart swelled with pride. He just wished he could hear what they had to say to him, and then his heart broke.

Brian tried to settle the crowd down as best he could. When he gave up, he just started to speak instead. He knew the crowd would listen.

"I have some words to read, and they were written by Jeff Hardy himself," Brian started, and the crowd silenced. Brian scanned what he had written on the notecards and began to recite, "Some of you know, and some of you may not know, that I, Jeff Hardy, am completely deaf."

The crowd let out a sigh of compassion.

"But that will not stop me from coming back, better than ever. Being deaf has made me a better person. I assure you that my wrestling skills will only get better, as other senses are heightened with the loss of another. You will not see Jeff Hardy out of the championship picture for long. I thank all of you for your support throughout my entire career. I promise to not let you down. The reign of Jeff Hardy is only just—"

Edge's entrance music interrupted Brian's speech. He and Lita walked down hand in hand to the ring, along with Edge's WWE Championship belt and a microphone.

"You know, Jeff Hardy, I destroyed your brother's life. I know that you lost your hearing and all, but I don't feel bad for you. I don't pity you. It was your own choice to come back here, and because of your stupid choice, I will destroy you."

Jeff could feel the crowd rumbling, and he knew that Edge had said something to anger them.

Edge stepped closer to Jeff. "You know what, Hardy? The only reason that these people are cheering for you is because you're pathetic. They feel sorry for you. You're a bigger charity case than Rey Mysterio. You'll never last here in the WWE. I don't care if you can't hear me, Hardy. You know what I'm saying. You fully understand that—"

Edge threw his championship belt down to the ground, and Jeff bull rushed him and started punching him.

Both Brian and Lita quickly fled the ring. A referee was sent down to the ring to make this match official. He had the timekeeper ring the bell to start the match.

Edge and Jeff were locked up on the mat. Edge's foot was sticking out of the ring from under the bottom rope. Lita used that opportunity to pull Edge out of the ring. The referee saw this, and disqualified Edge, making Jeff Hardy the winner.

The crowd heckled Edge as he taunted Jeff, even though he had lost the match. Jeff glared back at Edge, rubbing the back of his head. After the cameras cut to a commercial break, Jeff slowly paced back up the ramp, slapping hands with more fans.

Edge was waiting for Jeff in the back. "Good job, buddy. Welcome back," Edge said, hugging Jeff.

Even though he couldn't hear it, Jeff could tell it was a nice gesture on Edge's part.

With his television return in the books, what was next for Jeff Hardy? He didn't know, and he didn't care. Whatever it was, he knew that he was going to rock it.