Chapter 5

The officer sat back in his chair scrutinizing the young man over his desk. "I don't want to sound insensitive, I can understand you're worried, but look at it like this- you are a celebrity, Mr. Hardy." The officer snorted. "People like you, who always got to be in the spotlight, are stalked all the time. Chances are, this isn't the first time you've been stalked and it might not be the last. If it makes you feel any better, 80 of stalkers never carry out their threats."

People like me...? Matt raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you've told the victims of the 20 that did?" He stood and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, heading for the door. He was sick of the officer's attitude, which clearly said; he had better things to do then look after some spoiled celebrity.

The officer stood, making no attempt to stop him from leaving. "There are measures we can take to insure your safety. Phone calls to your home can be traced and if things start getting out of hand, we can provide you protection."

Matt was already halfway out the door. "Don't waste your time." He said, before slamming it behind him.

Rob, Jeff, and Chris jumped out of their seats, in the waiting area, as Matt walked out of the office.

"What are they going to do?" Jeff asked.

"Exactly what I said they would." Matt walked past them, without waiting, and out the doors of the police station. The trip was as worthless as he knew it would be, but still got talked into coming.

The other's hurried to catch up, Rob jogging to his side. "They're not going to do anything? Stalking is illegal."

"Apparently not if you're a celebrity." Matt snorted. "He said something about providing protection or whatever."

"That's not such a bad idea." Chris said. "You don't know what this guy could do next."

Matt turned to him. "Are you kidding me? Protection? I can fucking take care of myself. I don't need anyone's protection."

Jeff sighed, seeing his brother's hard head immerge. "Matt, there is nothing wrong with it. You're not invincible."

"And neither is this guy." Matt firmly replied. "And when I get my hands on him, we'll see who needs the protection." With that, he climbed into the passenger seat of the new rental and stared ahead, impatiently crossing his arms.

Rob, Jeff, and Chris exchanged glances, before climbing in and heading back to the hotel.

Matt walked to the hotel elevator with the others and stopped, seeing the small little lobby store was still open. "I'll be up in a minute." He left before the others could say anything.

The cashier looked up from the magazine, she was reading and smiled.

"Can I get a pack of those menthols, please." Matt asked, pointing to the shelf behind her.

"I need to see your ID." She said.

Matt stopped himself from snorting and dug it out. Like I really look that young. Still a few years away from thirty, he felt like he could pass for forty.

She examined it a moment then her face lit up. "Wow! I thought it was you." She smiled wide. "I am such a huge fan!"

Matt smiled, although the thought of a huge fan wasn't too comforting. "Thanks. I appreciate it. Can I get the cigarettes?"

"Sure." She happily twirled around, finding his selection. While she rang them up, Matt studied the assortment of liquor bottles behind the counter, his eyes pausing on the Jack Daniel's. It'd been a while since he'd had a good drink and where the thought of liquor used to be nauseating, it suddenly seemed inviting.

"I'll take the bottle of Jack too."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, disappointed at having to refuse him. "It's too late for me to sell it." Seeing Matt sigh, she quickly tired to make it up. "If there's anything else I can get you, I will."

I want the fucking Jack, Matt wanted to say, but instead, gave her a charming smile. "Who's going to know if you sell it to me? I can give you the money now and you can ring it up later." He pulled a fifty out of his wallet and laid it on the counter. "And keep the change."

She smiled and looked around, making sure the few people in the store weren't paying attention. "Well... I guess, no harm done." She quickly grabbed the bottle and shoved it in a bag. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Reaching into the magazine stand, beside him, Matt pulled out a copy of the WWF magazine and autographed it. "No thanks, and thanks." He handed her the magazine and she practically hugged it to her chest.

"Thank you, thank you. If you need anything else, anything at all, come see me." She beamed.

"I will." Matt promised. Gathering his bag, he gave her a wink on the way out.

On his way back to the suite, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt over his actions. It always pissed him off to see how a couple of the wrestlers would take advantage of a person, simply because they were a fan and now, he'd just done the same thing. But he had his reasons, and it wasn't like he was never appreciative of his fans. He would always remember, it was them that made him.

Matt entered the suite to find Rob, Jeff and Chris, sitting around in the livingroom. They all raised their eyebrows when he pulled the Jack Daniel's out of the bag. "Wanna play quarters?"

Jeff studied his brother, intently. "So not only are we back to smoking, but we're back to drinking now too?"

"I never said I quit." Matt went to get some cups out of the kitchen and returned, setting them on the coffee table. "I was just taking a little hiatus."

"Midnight..." Rob started, not sure what to say. After everything that had gone on, Matt wanted to play quarters? "It's really late, don't you think you should try and get some sleep? Maybe we can talk about things in the morning."

"What's to talk about?" Matt sat on the floor, in front of the coffee table and poured himself a drink. "Some weirdo's stalking me and that's about it. I really don't care to talk about it anymore. Besides, we're going home tomorrow and I'll get plenty of sleep then." Toasting them, he downed his half-full glass.

Jeff made a face, watching Matt grimace in disgust. "If you're going to drink, at least get something else besides whiskey." However, he picked up the bottle and poured himself a little.

Matt smiled and played bartender, pouring some for Rob and Chris. Chris took a drink and shrugged. "I don't mind an occasional whiskey, but give me a Budweiser any day."

Rob pushed away his glass. "I can't. I still got that shit in my system, remember? Who knows what adding alcohol can do."

Matt nodded, not sure himself, and downed Rob's drink for him. "Anyone else want more?"

Jeff held out his cup. "Since you're offering."

Chris shook his head, still preferring a beer. Matt shrugged and re-filled his brother's cup then his own, again and again and again... Neither of them had drank in so long that barley an hour later, they were both drunk. The fact that it was Jack Daniel's also helped speed things along.

By then Jeff had joined his brother on the floor, laughing at whatever comment Matt had made, nearly falling over on his side. Rob and Chris occasionally shook their heads at them. It was amazing how great the brothers could get along when drunk. But then again, didn't everybody.

"Hey, you remember that time in high school..." Jeff paused, trying to hold back his laugh. "...That time that woman paid you $300 to take her daughter to the prom?" He finished, busting up.

"Oh yeah." Matt busted up with him. "Now that was weird."

Chris raised his eyebrows. "You were a gigolo?"

Rob chuckled, having heard the story. "Guess it pays to look that good."

Matt proudly tossed his head. "Can't help it if everybody wants me."

Jeff gave a loud groan. "Will you please shut the hell up! You are the most concend... conceed... Whatever the word is, you are the most of it." He picked up the bottle and took a drink, no longer caring about a glass.

Matt snatched the bottle back. "You're just jealous."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Oh you're sooo right..." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'm soooo jealous. I wish everyone wanted me too. I wish I had a psychotic killer stalking me too."

Matt regarded Jeff with mild shock, almost dropping the bottle.

Jeff slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shit... I didn't mean killer."

Matt tried to force a smile for his brother. "It's cool." Suddenly, he was no longer in the mood for joking around. "I think I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed."

Rob reached over and took the bottle from Matt's hand. "I think that's a good idea."

Chris snorted. "I think that's a good idea for both of you." He yawned loudly. "Me too, for that matter."

Jeff leaned over and wrapped his arms around his older brother, wishing he hadn't ruined the mood. "I'm sorry, Brother. Everything will be better when we get home. It will. We'll figure things out. You're smart enough to figure out anything." He rambled on drunkenly.

Matt pat him on the back. "Okay. When we get home."

Jeff pulled back and gave him a small smile. "Love you, Bro."

Matt smile back. "Love you too." Man, am I really this drunk?

Chris held out a hand, pulling Jeff to his feet. "Say goodnight, Baby."

Jeff waved. "Goodnight baby."

Matt waved back and once they left the room, turned to Rob with a smile. "So, feel like doing anything?" Raising an eyebrow, he slowly licked his lips.

Rob regarded him with amusement. "Thought you were tired."

Matt twisted to his knees and crawled with cat-like grace over to Rob on the couch. Sitting back, he crossed his arms over Rob's legs, looking up at him through thick lashes. "I might be up for a little something." He purred, suggestively.

Rob just smiled. Even drunk, Matt could still be gracefully seductive. But unfortunately... "Not tonight, Midnight."

Matt pouted, half-acting and half not. "Why?" He pulled the rubber band from his hair and tossed his head, letting the dark curls fall around his shoulders. A gesture he knew Rob liked. "Don't you want some of this?"

Still smiling, Rob slowly shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea. Especially with how you must be feeling."

Matt brought a hand to his forehead, barely able to feel the bump where he'd hit it on the steering wheel. "I feel fine. I've got a really hard head."

Rob snorted. "Don't I know it. But what I meant was, how you must be feeling about this guy stalking you. I can tell it's bothering you."

Lowering his eyes, Matt was quiet for a second then shrugged. "I'm not worried about him. I can handle it. I just wish he'd leave me alone. Get over me or whatever."

Rob chuckled. "Get over you? You're kind of a tough act to follow."

Matt looked up and smiled. "Why don't you follow me into the bedroom then."

"Help you, is more like it." Taking Matt's arms, Rob helped him to his feet.

Matt let Rob lead him into the bedroom, surprised at how unsteady he really was. He flopped on the bed and kicked off his shoes, while Rob brought over a change of cloths and pulled down the covers. Matt slowly managed to change and once finished, noticed Rob had set aside a pillow and blanket for himself.

"What are you doing?" He asked, seeing Rob intended on going to the couch. "The bed's right here."

"Midnight, this stuff is still in my system." Rob patiently explained. "I'm not going to risk loosing control and hurting you again."

Matt stood and wrapped his arms around Rob's shoulders. "Maybe I want you to get wild and loose control. I want you to be with me."

Reluctantly, Rob pulled Matt's arms down and cupped his face. "I will be with you, just not like that." He leaned in to give him a kiss, but Matt jerked his head away.

"Fine." Crossing his arms, Matt turned his back to Rob. "Have a good night."

Rob sighed. If only he could make him understand. But there was no point in trying, seeing Matt's stubbornness had set in. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Matt gave a curt nod without responding. If Rob didn't care, why should he bother? Hearing Rob leave the room, he sank onto the bed, picked up a pillow and sat holding it for a few moments. He knew Rob truly did care and maybe he was acting a little childish toward Rob about it, but couldn't help it. He should respect the fact that Rob was only looking out for him, but didn't want to.

Sighing, Matt lay down on his side, unaware he was still holding the pillow. They'd been together long enough that sleeping alone felt empty and cold. He closed his heavy eyeslids, wondering how he'd gotten so dependent on another person. He never used to be that way...

Rob quietly returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Only a few minutes had passed and Matt was already out.

He cupped the side of Matt's cheek and lightly brushed his thumb over the still healing busted lip. Hopefully the scar would eventually fade forever, otherwise it would always be a haunting reminder of what he'd done. Leaning over, Rob carefully feathered his lips over Matt's, barley touching him, then turned off the lamp and left the room.

Jeff sat slouched in his seat, his stomach unsettled by the motion of the airplane landing. "Why'd you guys let me drink all that shit?" He grumbled for the hundredth time.

Matt sat across the isle from him. "You're a big boy. Nobody forced you to."

Jeff glowered at him. "I was doing you a favor, dickhead." He was more irritated at the fact, Matt rarely got hangovers.

"Your kindness knows no bounds." Matt said dryly. Rob sat snoozing beside him, and he gently elbowed him awake. "We're here."

Rob opened his eyes and sat up yawning. "Cool. Can't wait to get to the house."

Matt looked forward to it as well. Although Rob shrugged it off, he wanted to make up for his childish behavior last night. Maybe this time he'd actually show Rob a few places other than his bedroom.

"Hey..." Rob started, an idea coming to him. "You think we can go to that beach, where you guys do that yearly ritual thing?"

Matt smiled, remembering the time Rob had taken him horseback riding. That was defiantly an experience worth reliving. "Anything you wanna do."

"And, maybe we can do some late night swimming as well." Rob continued. "Who needs swim trunks in the dark." He chuckled.

Matt lowered his eyes and began to unconsiously chew on his lower lip. After his near-death experience, he'd been left with a slight phobia for water. Due to what everyone had told him, he knew what all had taken place. He also remembered falling off the bridge, before he'd died, and the experience of seeing his mother afterwards.

But as far as the moments where he was actually drowning, he couldn't recall what it had been like. All he knew was when he tried to think about it, he was filled with such a horrifying sense of fear and pain, he didn't want to think about it anymore.

Rob noticed Matt's expression and could have kicked himself for forgetting. What kind of insensitive jerk am I? "On second thought, I'd rather check out the NASCAR scene in Charlotte."

Matt didn't reply at first. He'd told Rob about the yearly beach rituals him, Jeff, and their friends would do on New Years. The Cleansing, they called it. Rob had always wanted to check out the beach, seemingly fascinated with any aspect of his life. Every time he went to Rob's home, Rob was always willing to do whatever he asked to do. Wasn't it only fair, he did the same?

"No, the beach is cool. Let's do that." Matt said. The water thing was something he wanted to get past, only hadn't had the nerve to do so yet.

"Are you sure?" Rob asked, hesitantly. "We don't have to."

Matt nodded determindly. "I want to."

"Man, I love roasted marshmallows." Jeff said, holding the stick over the campfire.

They all sat in the warm sand at the beach, dusk about to settle in. Shaking his head, Matt smiled, watching Jeff shove the gooey mess into his mouth. He remembered always going camping when they were kids, and his mother roasting marshmallows. She would say, a marshmallow always makes things better. Despite the times he chided Jeff for it, he hoped his brother never lost his child-like enthusiasm for the simple things.

"Are you having a good time?" Rob asked Matt.

"Yeah." Matt answered truthfully. He figured coming to the beach would be a good opportunity to face his fears. Yet he was having such a good time, the thought of going in the water didn't seem to bother him at all.

Earlier that day, they'd rented some horses and road all over the beach. This time Jeff got to show off his skills for Chris, who wasn't quiet as skilled. Jeff encouraged and congratulated Chris, proud of the fact, he'd gotten back on the horse all the five times he'd fallen off.

Later on, the two had taken their horses back early and did some dirt biking instead. Matt was happy to be left riding alone with Rob. It was just as nice as when Rob first took him riding, even if they didn't end up rolling around in the grass afterwards.

Chris stood and pulled off his shirt. "I don't know about you guys, but it's hot and I'm ready to go swimming."

Jeff jumped up with him. "Are you guys coming?" He asked, Matt and Rob.

Rob glanced questionably at Matt.

Matt however just smiled. "Be there in a sec."

Jeff smiled at his brother, knowing how Matt felt about the water. "We'll stay close by." He promised.

Matt nodded and watched as Jeff and Chris took off down the sand and jumped in the ocean, hollering like a couple of fools. Talk about made for each other.

Rob laughed and turned his attention to Matt. "We don't have to. They look like they're going to make more waves as it is."

"I want to do this." Matt quickly stood and pulled off his shirt, not giving himself any extra time to change his mind.

Rob remained sitting and shook his head in admiration. The sun was nearly set and the golden hues of the sky made Matt's naturally tanned and toned body, nearly shimmer with copper. Against the sky's background, he was a living picture of perfection.

Matt raised his eyebrows at Rob's stare. "What? These shorts make me look fat." He joked.

Rob chuckled. "Nah... As a matter of fact, you look really damn good."

Matt smiled and held out a hand to help Rob up. "Come on, let's go."

They made their way down, Matt stopping when the water touched his feet. He took a deep breath and forced himself to step further in. This is no big deal. I've swam here a million times before. Noticing Rob's concerned expression, he smiled. "So, got any special tricks?"

"Well..." Rob thought for a second then snapped his fingers. "I do have this one special technique." He stepped into the ocean until he was knee deep then suddenly, jumped up and flopped down on his stomach with a huge splash.

Rob resurfaced with a proud grin and Matt laughed. "The belly flop? You call that a special technique?"

Jeff and Chris applauded from a few yards away and Rob mockingly bowed. "Dude, that's my special frog splash. Get it?"

Matt groaned. "Got it."

With the lightness of the humor putting him more at ease, Matt walked into the water until he stood waist deep, next to Rob. "This isn't so bad." He sank down to where the water was up to his shoulders. Surprisingly it wasn't bad at all.

"Atta boy." Rob praised. He walked backwards, until his feet no longer touched and he was treading in the water. "Can you come to Daddy?"

Matt cocked his head to the side. "I'm a big boy. I think I can manage." He pushed himself off and swam over, with smooth easy stokes. Amy, having been an accomplished swimmer on her swim team, had taught him years ago and it was as simple as riding a bike. He even felt silly, thinking how nervous he'd been over the whole thing.

"Way to go, Brother." Jeff and Chris swam over beside them.

"Piece of cake." Matt replied.

"Well in that case, wanna race to the buoy?" Jeff smugly asked. Amy had been his teacher as well, and not once had Matt ever beat him in a race.

Matt smirked guessing Jeff thoughts. "The only reason you always beat me is because you're scrawnier. If you had as much muscle as me to pack around, it'd be a different story."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Chris and Rob are bigger than you. If you can beat either one of them, I'll buy that lame-ass excuse."

Competitive by nature, Matt couldn't refuse the challenge. "You're on."

They all lined up, as best they could in the ocean, and studied the buoy that bobbed several yards away. The sun was set, darkening the sky, but the light on top of the floating instrument kept it visible.

"GO!" Jeff yelled and took off, before asking if anyone was ready.

"Fucking cheat." Matt yelled. Him, Rob, and Chris hurried to catch up.

Jeff had the lead, thanks to his great start, but Matt wasn't far behind. Rob and Chris were simply trying to keep up with them. Matt, determined to prove his brother wrong, swam hard until he was finally shoulder to shoulder with Jeff. Pride working as his fuel, he push himself harder and made it to the buoy, seconds before his brother.

Matt laughed, triumphantly. "Looks like I beat your ass."

Jeff snorted. "I let you. I would have felt bad winning, since you hadn't swam in so long."

This time, Matt rolled his eyes. "Talk about lame-ass excuses."

"As fun as this was..." Chris panted, hanging on the buoy. "I'm ready to go back."

"Dude, I'm with you." Rob agreed, panting just as much.

"What's wrong?" Matt looked at them both. "Can't keep up?"

"That's why you two are the Hardy Boyz." Chris replied. "Us men, aren't used to these acts of boyhood agility."

"That's for sure." Rob added. "See you at the shore." Him and Chris both swam off.

Jeff shook his head. "They really need to work-out more." He turned to his brother with a smile. "Wanna race back?"

"No." Matt quickly answered, more than happy to have proven his point. "I'm ready to go back too."

"Man, you getting lazy or what." Jeff sourly let go of the buoy and swam off.

"Don't bitch cuz' I beat you." Matt said, following at a slower pace.

Truth be told, he knew he wouldn't beat Jeff the second time around, for he was already beginning to feel the effects of pushing himself so hard. Swimming was no doubt the best workout and by morning, he'd really be feeling it.

Just make it back to shore, he told himself. His tired muscles steadily grew heavier with every stroke. The lead-weight sensation began to sink in and, somewhere in the back of his mind, another sensation slowly returned. A sensation of the pain and fear, he'd never been able to recall, seemed to surface above the water and overshadow him with darkness. The same kind of darkness that had blinded and surrounded him the night he'd drown...

No matter how hard he'd tried, he hadn't been able to find the surface. The fiery agony of not being able to take a breath, was like nothing he'd ever known. It was a hopeless battle for life, in which Death had appeared as the victor.

Panick and fear overwhelmed all as the forgotten memory fully returned and suddenly, it was too real! Matt desperatly faught to stay above the surface, but the ocean had ten times the strenght of the river, pulling him down fast. This time, there would be no soft bed to lay in. This time he was falling into a bottomless pit of no excape. This time he would die...

Unable to see under the water, Jeff reached out grasping until he caught his brother's arms. Pulling Matt close, he kicked hard, bringing them back to the surface. Matt gasped for air, still struggling to stay afloat.

"HOLD STILL!" Jeff yelled, Matt's wild movements threatening to take them both under. "I'VE GOT YOU!"

Rob and Chris waited at the shore, until they could finally see Jeff coming over through the dark. When they realized, Jeff was trying to pull Matt in they both ran out to met him.

"What Happened?" Rob pulled Matt away from Jeff. "Are you okay?"

"NO!" Matt choked and coughed as he clung to Rob tightly. "I WANT THE FUCK OUT!"

An hour later, they were back by the fire, sitting in silence. Matt drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, staring into the flames dully. Rob had thrown a blanket around his shoulders and sat behind him, soothingly rubbing his back.

Finally Jeff broke the silence. "What happened out there?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't know."

Rob sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Midnight. I never shouldn't have left you."

Matt shook his head. "It's not your fault. Everything was fine, until..." He trailed off.

"Until what?" Jeff urged.

"It was like I was drowning again. I can remember everything." Matt shuddered at the returned memory, which had haunted his dreams for so long. Haunted his dreams? "That's it! That's what the nightmares have been about. I was drowning!"

Rob regarded him in amazement. "You've never been able to remember what it was like to drown, and you've been dreaming about drowning this whole time and couldn't remember the dreams either?"

Matt shook his head taken aback by himself. But suddenly, felt like he was waking up for the first time.

Jeff was just as amazed. "Man, that is so weird. What do you think it means?"

"Maybe it means you've come to terms with things." Chris tried.

Matt thought for a second. "I don't know. Whatever it means, I've done what I wanted to do and don't plan on doing it again."

They all sat quietly again, staring into the fire. Jeff picked up his stick, dug a marshmallow out of the bag and stuck it on the end. "Here Brother, I'll roast you a marshmallow." He smiled, hoping to change the mood. "It always makes things better."

Matt smiled, despite himself. "Just don't over burn it."

Jeff sighed a satisfied sigh, his head resting on Chris's shoulder while his fingers absently ran up and down Chris's sweaty chest. Upon returning from the beach, Matt and Rob had dropped them off at his house and all he could think about when getting home was a hot shower and long afternoon nap. However the long afternoon nap had turned into a long afternoon shag.

"You know, we should have done this before we showered. Now we have to shower again." But it wasn't like he was complaining.

Chris lazily played with Jeff's blue locks. "That's the point. Now we get the pleasure of showering again." He simply explained.

Jeff chuckled. "Am I nothing more to you than an incredibly amazing sex toy?"

Chris pretended to think about the question. "Pretty much."

"Just making sure." Jeff wrapped his arm around Chris's waist and closed his eyes. The shower could wait. The phone on the nightstand started ringing, but it could wait too.

Chris lightly shook him. "Are you going to get that?"

"No."

"It might be your brother."

"Defiantly No."

Chris maneuvered himself from under Jeff and picked up the phone. "Hello?" He listened quietly for several seconds. "Who is this?" After another second, he hung up.

When Chris didn't lay back down, Jeff opened his eyes to see him sitting with his brow furrowed.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure." Chris answered. "It was some guy and he must have thought I was you."

"Why? What'd he say?"

Chris looked down at him. "He said- way to go, saving your Brother. Wouldn't want him to come to any harm."

"What?!" Jeff sat up. It couldn't be the same guy. Not here. "That could have been anyone. In this small town, everybody always knows when we return home. Anybody could have seen or heard about last night."

Chris thought for a moment. "It's possible but, did you happen to see anybody there besides us?"

Jeff hesitated, unable to remember seeing anyone else. Yet someone had been there. "Did he say who he was?"

"A fan." Chris answered.

Jeff looked at the phone, an eerie feeling settling in his stomach. Suddenly, he didn't like the thought of his brother and Rob being at the house alone. "Would you mind if we hung out at Matt's? We can shower there."

Chris nodded, sharing Jeff's feelings. "Let's get dressed."

Matt woke, alone in his bedroom. Glancing at the clock, he saw he'd only been asleep for forty-five minutes. No wonder he was still exhausted. Last night at the beach, he'd pretended to sleep while everybody else really was. Being able to remember his dreams did little to help him sleep.

He could hear Rob messing around downstairs and became aware of the scent of spaghetti sauce. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. Rob made the best spaghetti. Climbing off the bed, he left the room and passed the bathroom door, stopping at the sound of the shower going. Maybe he heard Rob in the shower instead, so the sauce must be simmering.

However, when he went down the stairs and into the kitchen, he saw Rob standing at the stove. "Did you leave the shower on?"

"Hey there..." Rob looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Jeff and Chris are in it."

"How nice." Matt groaned as he went to prepare the coffeepot. Don't we see enough of each other on the road?

Rob took-in Matt's tired appearance. "You didn't sleep long."

"Wasn't that tired." Matt lied. He hopped on the counter, waiting for the coffee to brew.

Rob didn't say anything. He knew Matt didn't get any sleep last night and after a few moments, was practically swaying where he sat.

"Here." Rob held out the wooden spoon for Matt to taste the sauce. "Tell me what you think."

Matt was happy to oblige. "It's good. Is it done?"

"It will be as soon as you throw the noodles in that pot of boiling water." Rob instructed.

"Is that what that's for." Matt picked up the bag at his side and started to dump them in.

"Wait." Rob said. "Break them in half first then slowly put them in."

Matt did as instructed, although not sure what difference it would make. Still, Rob knew more about cooking than he did. Other then the last time Rob had been here, he didn't know when the stove was last turned on.

Rob watched Matt and smiled, imagining how happy he could be for the rest of his life in this small town. He could almost see himself cooking dinner every night for Matt while Matt perched on the counter and helped with the little things. After all, it was the little things that made a difference. "This is kinda cool, huh?"

Matt looked up from his task. "Breaking spaghetti noodles?"

Rob chuckled. "No... Well yeah. But I mean us, right now. Together."

Finishing the noodles, Matt leaned back on the counter and smiled. "I kinda dig it."

Rob stepped away from his sauce and moved in between Matt's dangling legs. "I more than dig it." He wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist.

Matt drapped his arms over Rob's shoulders. "You're not getting sappy are you?" He pressed his forehead against Rob's. "Cuz' you know, I can't stand that shit."

Rob chuckled. "Can't help it, Man. You make me that way."

Matt lightly laughed. "That is the corniest thing I've ever heard."

Jeff started to enter the kitchen and halted, seeing his brother and Rob wrapped up in each other. He stepped back out the room, not wanting to catch Matt off his guard. Why Matt hated to be caught like that, he didn't know. Without even trying, he made it obvious to everyone how much he loved Rob.

Chewing on this thumbnail, Jeff pondered whether or not he should mention the phone call. Matt couldn't hide how stressed he was from him, not that he didn't have reason to be. Even being home didn't help matters. But for the moment, Matt wasn't stressed and this was their last night home. He really didn't want to mess up his brother's mood or night.

Making his decision, Jeff loudly cleared his throat, before walking into the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" He headed to the stove, hardly surprised to see Matt practically shove Rob away.

"Rob and I are having spaghetti." Matt stated. "I don't know what you and Chris are having."

Jeff picked up the spoon and tasted the sauce. "Wow, this is good. Can't wait." He proceeded to grab four plates out of the cabinet. "Hope you picked up some Diet Pepsi."

Matt sighed and Rob chuckled. "Come on, Midnight. There's plenty for everybody." He opened up the oven and pulled out the Garlic bread.

Jeff glanced over while setting the table. "Are you going to get some silverware or just sit there?"

Matt raised his eyebrows, warningly. "Get it yourself if you want to eat. Besides, I'm helping."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Way to break those noodles." He smiled as Chris entered the room and gave him a kiss. "Looking good baby."

"As are you." Chris returned, giving him another kiss.

Matt groaned. "Is there some reason you're showering here?"

"Mine's broke. Drains clogged or something." Jeff quickly answered. Chris looked at him questionably, clearly reading the 'don't say anything' look on Jeff's face.

Matt shook his head. "I told you, you need to stop using that dye shit. All that dead hair, falling off your head, probably clogged it up."

Jeff just shrugged without saying anything. It'd happened before. He got the table set just in time for Rob to bring over his pot of rich spaghetti. They fixed their plates and, regardless of the table setting, ended up eating in the living room.

Even though he wasn't spending the evening alone with Rob, Matt had to admit it was kinda nice having them all there. They all sat on the floor, watching recorded wrestling matches on the big screen. Jeff cranked up the volume on the new entertainment system so loud, the roar of the audience nearly vibrated the walls.

"What's that sound?" Chris asked, looking at the ceiling. "Did you hear that?"

"I don't know how you can hear anything." Matt yelled. He snatched the remote from Jeff's hand and turned the volume to a decent level.

"You know..." Jeff pointed to the screen with his fork. "The Rock's really kinda hot."

"Rock's also kinda married." Matt reminded.

Chris frowned at Jeff. "What do you mean, Rock's kinda hot?"

Jeff shrugged. "You have to admit, Man. He's not too bad on the eyes."

Chris just stared at him. Am I not sitting here? Jeff smiled sweetly and leaned over to give him a kiss. "Don't worry, Baby. I'd rather keep my eyes on you."

The Rock deliver a 'Rock Bottom' to Triple-H then rolled on his back and leaped up to his feet with the greatest of ease. Matt watched, absently tapping his fork on his lip. He'd never given the matter much thought, but now that Jeff mentioned it, Rock wasn't too bad on the eyes.

Rob nudged Matt's side. "Staring a little hard at the screen, aren't you?"

Matt shook himself out his thoughts, giving Rob a blank look. "What do you mean?" He quickly lowered his head, taking a bite of his food.

Rob chuckled. "Hey, can't blame you for looking at him. Man, if he weren't married, I'd probably..." He purposely trailed off.

Matt raised his head, his mouth slightly dropping. "What? That Jabroni?" He couldn't help but feel a spark of jealously and when Rob started laughing, he realized he'd been baited. Letting out an exasperated breath, he fought the urge to shove Rob's face in his plate.

Jeff snorted, amusingly, at his bother. "Ahh.. You're so cute all green with envy."

"Shut up!" Matt snapped, feeling his face warming. "Like I care."

Rob mockingly pinched Matt's cheek. "You really are cute like that."

Matt brushed Rob's hand away. "Whatever."

Chris stretched and yawned. "As fun as this intelligent conversation is, I'm getting tired." He looked at Jeff, wondering what he wanted to do.

Jeff contemplated for a moment. Matt had Rob staying with him and everything seemed to be fine. The eerie feeling was gone and his concerns for his brother seemed unwarranted. "Yeah, we should go. We've still got to pack. Besides, I ate too much. It was all I could do not to unbutton my pants."

"Appreciate you holding back." Matt dryly replied.

They made travel plans for the next day and after saying their good-nights, Matt and Rob looked around at the dishes sitting on the floor and the mess in the kitchen.

"Nice of them to eat and run." Matt muttered. Could he expect anything else from his brother?

Rob gathered up a few cups and plates. "At least you don't have to worry about left-overs in the fridge." They'd all cleaned up the whole pot of spaghetti.

Matt gathered up the remaining plates, taking them to the sink. "We can leave this mess for tomorrow. It'll be waiting for them when they come back over." He began making another pot of coffee.

"What are you doing that for?" Rob asked. "You must be tired as hell. I know I am and I've slept."

Matt shrugged. "I'm not. Maybe I'll watch a movie or..." He smiled at Rob, raising a suggestive eyebrow. "Or I might come to bed with you, after all." He brought his arms up to Rob's shoulders. "You're not that tired are you?"

Rob sighed, dreading this moment and the reaction that was sure to come. "Midnight..." He hesitated.

Matt regarded him curiously, then frowned. "Don't tell me you plan on sleeping on the couch."

Rob lowered his head, trying to figure out what to say that would make Matt understand. Matt removed his arms, throwing them up in the air. "What the fuck was the point in coming home with me? I thought you wanted to be with me?"

"I do want to be with you and I am." Rob reached out to cup his face. "You've got to understand..."

"...I know." Matt pushed Rob's hands away. "You don't want to fucking hurt me." Before Rob could say anything else, he angrily walked past him and stormed up the stairs. "Stay down there for all I care."

Rob shook his head, wondering if he should follow and try to explain his reasoning. Matt was so hotheaded, it might make things worse. He was so hardheaded, he probably wouldn't want to hear it anyway. Might as well make the attempt anyway.

Rob climbed up the stairs and paused at the top, seeing Matt standing outside his bedroom door. Matt stared into the room, covering his mouth in horror.

"What's wrong?" Rob hurried over, instantly alarmed, and gasped when he looked into the room.

Feathers were everywhere, all over the bed, floor and furnature. The wind from the open window blew a few around in the air. A ripped up pillow lay in the middle of the bed, pinned to the matress by a long sharp butcher knife.

Matt could only stare in silence, too shocked to act. Rob ran to the window and leaned out. "Nothing." He pulled himself back in. "Stay here, I'm going to look outside."

"NO!" Matt shook off enough of his shock to block Rob when he tried leaving the room. "What if he's still out there?"

"I hope he is." Rob said, fury building by the second. "And if so, he'll wish he'd never came."

"NO!" Matt instisted. All he could think of was the crowbar, he'd seen the stranger carry. "He could have a weapon. A gun! Let's just get out of here."

"Midnight, this is your home!" Rob tried. "He has no right to drive you out of it."

"He had no right to be in here and he was!" Matt looked around his bedroom again, horrified to his very soul. "Holy Shit! He was standing above me this whole time. Chris heard a noise, remember? HE WAS IN MY FUCKING HOUSE!"

Rob grabbed Matt's shoulders, shaking him. "Calm down."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Matt yelled. "I WAS DOWNSTAIRS WHILE HE WAS IN MY FUCKING BEDROOM, AND I'M NOT STAYING HERE ANOTHER SECOND!"

"Okay, okay." Rob firmly held his shoulders. "We'll call the police then go." He went over to the phone.

Matt nodded, shaking with anger and rage, thickly laced with fear. His home, his peace of mind, his very soul had been violated. What would have happened if at one point, he'd gone upstairs? What if the stranger was outside watching now?

Rob started to dial out, but Matt suddenly grabbed the phone from his hand and slammed it back down. "We can call the fucking police later. I want to go, now!"

TBC...