Chapter 10

(Starts the same day, Austin recaptured Matt in the woods and left him locked in bathroom.)

Rob, Jeff, and Chris sat quietly while Shane McMahon scribbled down the notes he needed to relate to his father Vince. "What did the police say?" Shane asked Jeff.

Jeff snorted irritably, his patience with the police wavering. "The beer can was old so they couldn't just dust it for fingerprints, they had to send it off to be analyzed or whatever. Cameron's a small town. Apparently we don't have that kind of technology and it could be weeks before I find out anything."

Shane looked at Rob. "And the call you got yesterday, you're positive it was Matt?"

"I know it was." Rob firmly answered. "And it's the same situation. Unlike home phones, it takes weeks to get the records of a cell phone.

"Ridicules." Shane shook his head and started scribbling down the information.

Rob turned his gaze out the window of the downtown cafe and watched the busy people of Detroit rush around the sidewalks. He hated having to fly to Michigan and possibly leave Matt behind, if Matt was still somewhere in Virginia, but didn't have much of a choice. Vince wanted an update on what was going on and besides that, they needed to get their schedules worked out.

"At least we know Midnight is still alive. That's all that matters." He muttered.

Shane looked up. "Midnight?"

Rob nodded absently.

"Matt." Jeff cleared up.

"I see." Shane smiled understandingly then put his pen down. "Rob, you're scheduled to return soon, but I'm sure I can get you an extended leave. Everybody saw the second chair shot you received in your match so no one would think anything of it. Jeff, you on the other hand..."

Shane sighed, sympathizing with the younger Hardy's family situation. "You're a different situation. You and Matt have been gone from TV and the house shows for a week. We've put out the word that you were both injured and are recovering, the only problem is, there wasn't a match showing it. The fans are smart and are already starting to question the story. There's rumors flying around on the Internet as to other reasons why you two are gone."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "I don't care about rumors. Believe me, I'm used to them."

"I know." Shane replied. "But if you want to continue keeping this a secret, you've got to consider the possibility of a reporter or even a fan investigating and finding out the truth. Considering everything that's going on, I hate to suggest this, but if you started wrestling again that could hopefully hold people over. We would just have to explain that Matt's injury was more serious and he needed more time. " Shane held up a hand. "If you don't want to, I understand and we won't force you. You can take all the time you need."

Shane turned his attention to Chris. "Chris, I'm sorry, but we've got to have you return."

Chris nodded. "I'll start whenever you're ready."

"I will too." Jeff added.

"Are you sure?" Shane asked, genuinely not wanting to pressure him.

Jeff nodded. "The last thing I need is for the press to start digging and my Dad finding out."

Chris thought for a moment. "But, if your Dad thinks Matt is injured, wouldn't he expect him to be at home?"

Jeff stirred the spoon around in his coffee. He'd already considered the thought and had been working on some kind of story. Matt hadn't even been gone a full week and it was already getting difficult trying to deceive people. Especially since the one person he was trying to deceive the most was his Dad.

Shane thoughtfully tapped the pen to his lip. "Would your Dad think anything of it if say- Matt were doing work behind the scenes?"

Jeff smiled gratefully at the younger boss. Thank goodness Shane had a calculating mind like his father's. "That would be perfect. Dad would actually be more worried if Matt were home. He knows it would take a really serious injury to keep Matt from working."

"Done." Shane made the final note then closed his notebook. "I'll give my Dad the update, have my sister Stephanie get with the writers, and get back to you later with a schedule. Would performing on tomorrow night's Raw be a problem?"

Jeff and Chris looked at each other and shook their heads. Might as well since they were already in town.

Shane stood. "Then I need to go so we can get the arrangements started." He shook hands with each of them. "Thank you for your time guys and if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate."

They all thanked Shane and after the younger boss left, remained sitting at the table.

"You think Matt will be watching the show tomorrow night?" Jeff asked. "Maybe we could try getting some sort of message to him."

"How?" Chris asked. "The only way of doing that would be to talk right into the camera."

Jeff slouched lower in his seat. "I'd actually do it if I knew Dad wouldn't be watching and he would be." He looked at Rob. "Are you coming to the show with us?"

Rob nodded. "Yeah. It'll give me a chance to check things out."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure." Rob admitted. "But who knows, anything could pop up."

Stephanie didn't waste any time, for when the guys arrived at the arena the next day they found their names already on the card. Rob decided to go ahead and wrestle, so Stephanie had rearranged the Kane's vs. Al Snow match into a tag-team match. Rob would be tagging with Kane and luckily, the 'Big Red Machine' would be doing the majority of the work.

"Me and Kane." Rob mused, reading the card. "Talk about a weird combination. Could you imagine what it'd be like if we really became tag-team partners?"

"Can't see that one happening." Jeff replied then smiled seeing Jay walk over.

Jay clapped Jeff on the back. "So we're wrestling tonight-That's cool. We haven't had a match against each other in a long time."

"I didn't realize we'd be first, though." Jeff replied. "Sorry I'm late." They'd arrived at the arena in time for the show to start, but missed the in-ring workouts.

Jay waved a hand, not surprised. The younger Hardy's tardiness was nothing new. "Don't worry about. We can call-it in the ring. Anyway, I got to change so I'll meet up with you later."

"Later." Jeff watched his friend leave, wishing he could share part of Jay's enthusiasm. But honesty, wrestling was the last thing he was in the mood for. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"At least you get to wrestle Jay." Chris said, frowning at the card. "I've got to wrestle that idiot Test."

Jeff winced. "That really does suck."

"Hey guys!" Amy walked over with Jazz and Trish. "I didn't know you were here."

"Hey ladies." Rob greeted. "We tried finding you all, earlier."

"Sorry." Amy absently rubbed the back of her neck. "I was getting checked out."

"Is everything okay?" Jeff studied her, not realizing her neck was bothering her again. It seemed like more than a week since he'd last seen or talked to her. Since he'd last seen or talked to anybody, for that matter.

"I'll be fine." She gave him an assuring smile. "I was going to go home, but I decided to put it off until after the show." She lost her smile, her tone taking on a sarcastic edge. "I didn't want to miss the big comeback."

Trish shook her head, grimly. "To think, after all this time, he's just going to show up out of the blue."

"Who?" Chris asked.

Jazz regarded him with surprise. "Who? Don't tell me you don't know."

Chris looked at Rob and Jeff, who both were just as clueless. "Uh, I really don't."

"A lot's been going on." Rob explained. "We haven't really kept up with last week's shows."

Trish tossed her blond hair. "Must have been some vacation. Must be nice."

Jeff held back his cynical snort. "Yeah, real nice. So who's coming?"

Before any of the girls had a chance to answer, Stephanie pranced over. "Jazz Trish, I need you both to come with me. I want to go over a few things in your title match tonight." That being said, she pranced off, without waiting for a reply.

Jazz rolled her eyes. "I guess we'll see you guys later. The billion dollar princess beckons."

"More like billion dollar bitch." Trish grumbled, leaving with Jazz.

Amy remained and looked around. "Where's Matt?"

"He's still not feeling too well." Jeff answered. "It'll be just us."

Amy's expression turned concerned. "Wow. He must really be bad off to miss this many shows. Like I said, I'll be leaving for home tonight so I'll stop by and see if I can do anything."

"NO!" Jeff said a little too quickly. "I mean... He really isn't in the mood to see anyone."

Amy waved a hand. "He won't care if it's me. We can lay around in bed and be miserable together." She jokingly elbowed Rob. "As long as that doesn't make you jealous."

"I'm cool." Rob glanced over at Jeff, who was trying to think of something to say that would discourage her. However, she was right. If Matt was truly at home recovering, he was never in the mood to see anyone, but wouldn't mind if it were Amy.

"Believe me Amy." Chris spoke up. "I was home with Jeff and Jeff didn't even see him." He said truthfully.

Amy raised her eyebrows at Jeff. "Oh. I guess I'll wait for little while then."

"That'd be best." Jeff agreed. "I'll keep you updated."

Amy just gave a small smile. "Okay. Well, I'm gonna go catch up with the girls. Good luck in your matches tonight and..." She trailed off for a second. "I guess we'll see how tonight goes."

Jeff smiled without questioning further, relieved to see Amy leave, yet feeling guilty for having lied. She was one of Matt's closest friends and he could clearly hear the disappointment in her voice. He hated to make her think, Matt wouldn't want to see her.

"Poor Ames." Rob watched the redhead walked down the corridor. "I didn't know, her neck was still giving her problems."

Jeff looked away from her, feeling even guiltier. "I wonder who's showing up?" He said, changing the subject.

"I don't know." Chris answered thoughtfully. "But, I've been hearing about it since we got here. I wasn't paying too much attention, while I was in the locker room, but from what I got, this comeback is suppose to be a big deal." He looked at Rob. "You think it might be someone coming over from ECW?"

"I don't think so." Rob still kept in contact with his ex-coworkers; the remaining ECW and WCW wrestlers but hadn't heard of anyone else coming over. "Besides, it wouldn't be a comeback if they haven't been here before."

"That's true." Chris agreed.

"We'll find out." Jeff said, no longer caring. There were more important things to deal with other than somebody's comeback.

"You look like somebody just ran over your dog." Booker-T commented to Jeff. "What's wrong with you, Rainbow?"

"Nothing." Jeff forced himself to smile. "I'm cool." He leaned against a wall in the 'Guerilla' position, while Jay and Booker-T hopped around and punched the air, warming up.

The show was minutes away from starting and he knew he should be warming up too, but didn't feel like it. Booker-T would be doing an in-ring promo that Triple-H was going to interrupt, leading into a fight. It would happen before his and Jay's match, so if he somehow got the urge to warm-up, there would still be time.

"Worried about your brother?" Jay came over and leaned on the wall, beside him.

"Yeah." Jeff answered truthfully. "But, I'm sure he'll be okay."

Jay nodded. "Man, imagine how he's going to be once he watches the show. What'd he say about the shows last week?"

"I don't think he watched them." Jeff answered. "What's the big deal about tonight's show anyway? Is it because of this comeback?"

Jay's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me! You really haven't been watching or even heard on the news?"

Jeff furrowed his brow. What the hell have I missed? Before he had a chance to ask more, Vince McMahan walked up the stairs and took his place behind the desk with the music and pyro techs.

Vince put on his headphones and gave the signal to start the countdown for airtime. Jeff, Jay, and Booker watched on the monitor as the last commercial aired and the opening segment for Raw began.

The live segment was being shot in the arena parking garage and showed Eric Bischoff pacing anxiously. Rico, Jamel, and Rosie stood near-by, all armed with weapons.

Eric stopped pacing and turned to his three henchmen. "You are the first in line for the 'Welcoming Party'. I want you to bash his skull in but save a little for me." Eric paused to chuckle. "I want to personally make Stone Cold's return to Raw his last."

It took a few seconds for Eric's last comment to set in and Jeff blinked at the monitor, wondering if he'd even heard right. Usually Eric Bischoff played his 'heel' character smoothly, rarely making a mistake with his scripted lines.

However the crowd erupted once Eric said the name and Vince signaled the techs to hit the music and pyros, starting the show. Jeff could barley hear over the audience roaring and fiery explosions going off and had to shout in Jay's ear. "I could have sworn he said Stone Cold."

Jay stared at him incredibly. "He did! Jeff, tonight is Austin's return!"

Jeff frowned. "A celebrity look-alike or something?"

"NO!" Jay yelped, ready to shake him. "It really is Austin."

"No it's not." Jeff argued. "He's..." He stopped himself from saying dead. It was easy to forget everyone else believed Austin had simply walked out on the company.

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are." Jay continued, slowly shaking his head. "Even if he is Stone Cold, I can't believe they let him come back after the way he walked out. Especially after the fucked-up matches he had with you and Rob."

Jeff raised his eyebrows, surprised his friend was actually buying it. He glanced over his shoulder at the boss. Whatever Vince was doing, he was doing it well. Looking back at the monitor, he could see tons of signs being held up in regards to Austin.

Now that he thought about it, every since he'd arrived at the arena, everyone seemed to be buzzing about whatever was going to happen tonight. JR and Jerry Lawler came across the TV once the pyres had settled and the first thing coming out of the commentator's mouths was; the long awaited return of the Texas Rattlesnake.

What the hell was wrong with everybody? True, they may not have known about Austin's death, but Vince knew. Did the boss really believe people wouldn't figure out the person was just an actor? Vince was good, but not that good, even though he'd somehow managed to keep the knowledge out of the media. Vince had worked with the police, every step of the way while the search for Austin's body was conducted.

Jeff knew his brother didn't keep up with the investigation, but he had and as far as he knew, Austin's body had never been found. Suddenly, his own thoughts hit him like a sharp slap in the face- Austin's body had never been found!

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, hearing Jeff's gasp. He quickly grabbed Jeff's arm, fearful Jeff was about to faint as Jeff's face almost drain of all color.

Jeff forced himself to nod, any but okay. This can be real... "I'll be right back." Pulling away, he quickly raced down the stairs.

Jay and Vince were calling his name, but he never heard them. He took off towards the dressing room and nearly ran into Chris and Rob, who were on their way to find him.

"DID YOU HEAR THEM?" Jeff practically shouted. "DID YOU HEAR WHAT THEY SAID?"

"We heard." Chris grabbed Jeff's shoulders trying to calm him down.

"But how can that be?" Jeff cried. "I thought he was... He's suppose to be..."

"Dead." Rob finished. He held out his arms and let them fall helplessly to his side. "They never found his body." He whispered, barely able to speak the words, let alone believe he was actually saying them.

"I know but..." Jeff faltered at a complete loss. This comeback had been anticipated for the past week and this was the first they were hearing about it?

"JEFF!" Jay called from the stairs. "Come on, we're almost up."

Jeff impatiently waved a hand at him, without turning. "What does this mean? All of a sudden he's just here, like nothing ever happened?"

"JEFF!" Jay called out again.

Chris sighed. "Your match is first. You've got to go."

Jeff just looked at him. Of all things, the match was the least of his concerns.

"We'll come with you." Chris assured. "We'll hang behind the curtain."

Jeff hesitated, but knew he had no choice. Nodding, he briefly closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Why the hell did he ever agree to come back?

The fans erupted wildly, the moment he walked down the ramp and didn't stop for several minutes, once he was in the ring. The last few hours of performances and story lines were instantly forgotten. This was the moment the wrestling world had been waiting for. The return of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Almost all the wrestlers watching the monitors backstage responded with the same amount of enthusiasm. Jeff, Rob, and Chris watched in silence, each mentally battling with the same questions Matt had battled over days earlier.

Besides them, only their small group of friends, who'd known about some of Austin's evil games, were the only people not celebrating. Rob slowly shook his head, completely astounded at the reaction Austin was receiving.

Even if it was a blatant lie, Vince had led the world to believe Austin had selfishly walked out on the company and his fans. Despite what the fans were told, and the angry feedback they'd sent in, the fans still faithfully cheered their support for the Rattlesnake.

The rest of the wrestlers seemed to have forgotten they were told the same thing. Apparently it didn't matter that Austin had supposedly left story lines hanging and didn't care about working with them, for they were also welcoming him back with open arms.

Austin took the microphone and worked the crowd, feeding their frenzy. Almost all his comments centered on The Rock. Vince had flown the Rock in from his movie shoot, the night he'd made his speech to the world. After Vince's little speech, the Rock had given his own abrupt opinion of Austin's departure.

Rock's heated words were anything but flattering and bluntly spoken as he truly felt. Then again, The Rock's unique way with a microphone could almost be considered a gift, especially when he spoke against someone he had no love for. Although he'd more than proven he was capable of backing his words up, Rock had the power to mentally lay the smackdown on an opponent and crush them into dust without any use of physical force.

Austin more than took exception to the comments, however Rock's feelings were no surprise to anyone. Everyone had watched the rivalry between The Rock and Stone Cold since they'd first debuted with the WWF, which incidentally was the same year.

Each man boldly proclaimed that one day he would be the greatest. Little did the 'Brahma Bull' and the 'Texas Rattlesnake' know, they'd both equally become the biggest and most powerful names in the business, their superstardom surpassed only by the great immortal Hulk Hogan.

Just as expected, Austin's ranting and raving to the crowd was interrupted by the sound of The Rock's music. The Rock appeared at the top of the ramp and lowered his head, coolly staring down at Austin over his sunglasses. Austin chuckled, returning the gaze unwavering.

The audience went insane with excitement, finally seeing the Rock and Austin in the same arena again. The Rock issued his challenge to Austin for a match at Wrestlemania, Wrestlemania being the wrestling version of the SuperBowl & World Series.

When Austin accepted, Jeff nearly had to cover his ears as the deathening audience threatened to bring the arena roof down. Rock and Austin had wrestled against each other in two previous Wrestlemanias; both being the main event, but the reaction was like it was the first time.

After a little more trash talking, the show ended, but it was still another half-hour before the excitement died down and people started leaving. The wrestlers backstage slowly began to clear out and head for the dressing rooms.

"As bad as it may sound..." Rob spoke to no one in particular. "I'm almost glad Midnight isn't here to see this."

"I hate to agree but..." Jeff sighed. "I guess this will occupy people from wondering where he is."

"And like Shane said..." Chris added. "Seeing you should help."

Jeff nodded. "Hopefully."

Rob looked over at Jeff, suddenly feeling irritated. How the hell was keeping things a secret suppose to help Matt? If anything, it was probably hindering the whole process. "How long do you plan on keeping this act up? People aren't going to be satisfied for long just seeing you."

"I realize that." Jeff replied, a little surprised by Rob's tone. "We've just got to try keeping it up as long as we can."

"We?" Rob looked away. "This is your thing, Man."

Jeff folded his arms across his chest and sighed again. He knew Rob wasn't too keen about going along with the act and it was obvious Rob's patience was wearing. If the media were covering it, Rob believed Matt would be found in no time. Especially with the fans supporting and conducting investigations of their own. But that would also mean subjecting their Dad to the horrible news.

"Look Rob..." Jeff tried. "Just give me a little more time and if nothing..."

"...Time for what?" Rob snapped. "What more can you do? What more can any of us do?"

Jeff fell silent, unable to come up with an answer. So preoccupied with Austin returning, he hadn't had a chance to come up with any sort of plan.

Rob turned to leave, knowing he needed to cool down before a fight started, and nearly walked into Shane 'The Hurricane' Helms.

Shane smiled. "Cool to see you guys again. Where's my boy Matt?"

"Ask his brother." Rob grumbled. He walked past Shane without another word.

Shane raised his eyebrows, looking from Rob to Jeff and Chris. "What's up with him?"

Chris waved a hand in Rob's direction. "He's not too thrilled about Austin returning."

Shane nodded understandingly. "Who can blame him? So where is Matt? Amy said something about him being at home recovering?"

"That's pretty much it." Jeff dully replied.

Shane frowned thoughtfully. "I stopped by his crib the other day, but he didn't answer the door."

Jeff shifted his feet. "He might have been in the shower or something."

"That's what I thought." Shane said. "But when I went back later he still didn't answer."

Jeff cast a glance at Chris, silently asking for help. Not once had he taken Amy into consideration and now he had to worry about Shane too. Chris cleared his throat, unable to provide any help.

Shane frowned at them both. "Did he go to the doctor or something?"

Jeff impatiently shrugged. "I don't know... Maybe." Shit- Why couldn't everybody just mind their own business?

"Good." Shane nodded approvingly. "He should, if he's this bad off. I'll trying giving him a call. He should be at the house right?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Jeff finally snapped, unable to help himself. "I don't know where the fuck he is!"

Before anyone had a chance to say more, he quickly stormed into a near-by bathroom and threw open the door. Relieved to find it empty, he sank onto a bench and lowered his head into his hands.

Fuck, what the hell am I suppose to do? I can't keep it up. I can't even fucking keep it together. Raising his head, he drew a deep breath and stared bleakly at the cold floor. The floor was as cold and gray as the world crashing down all around him.

There was nothing he could do, but pray his Dad had the strength to cope. But what if the stress of it all put his Dad in the hospital or worse? According to the Doctors, he wouldn't survive another heart attack. And after all that, what if Matt still wasn't found?

The door opened and Jeff raised his eyes, expecting to see Chris. However his mouth slightly dropped, seeing the last person he ever wanted to see. Austin casually strolled over to the sink and began washing his hands.

Jeff slowly stood and found himself frozen in place. Momentarily, he'd forgotten all about the Rattlesnake and seeing him now brought back all the initial shock.

Austin smiled at him through the mirror. "How's things going?" He asked in a friendly tone.

"Fine." Jeff automatically responded. As uneasiness began to settle into the bottom of his stomach, he could almost feel a light sliver of pain run through his arm. His arm Austin had once viscously broke.

Austin regarded him thoughtfully. "I know how you must feel about me being here and all I can say is; the past is in the past. Think of this as a fresh new start."

Jeff blinked, taken aback. Austin couldn't even begin to comprehend how he felt and now the Rattlesnake simply wanted to make a fresh start?

Chris entered the room and briefly halted in surprise. He then quickly walked over to Jeff's side, never taking his eyes off the Rattlesnake.

Austin chuckled at the protective-like action. "Doing alright, Jericho?"

"Apparently I'm doing better than you." Chris replied with disdain. He gestured to Austin's head. "Hate to think someone might have beat the shit out of you."

Now that Chris had called attention to it, Jeff noticed the small bruised lump on the side of Austin's head. Makeup had been applied in attempts to hide if from the audience and the cameras, but being this close he could see the purplish color and scratches.

Austin just turned off the sink and grabbed a paper towel, seemingly unfazed by Chris's comment. "What can I say? Shit happens." He gave Jeff a pointed look. "When shit happens, I get over it... As should everybody else."

Jeff opened his mouth, but couldn't find the voice to speak. Get over it? Chris could clearly see the angry flush spread across Jeff's face and quickly grabbed his arm, leading him out of the bathroom.

He didn't stop until they were in a quiet corridor and practically spun Jeff around to face him. "What did he say to you?"

"Something about leaving things in the past." Jeff whispered, his voice shaking with anger.

"Redneck Bastard." Chris spat.

Jeff leaned heavily on the wall. The anger was dwindling, but the uneasiness still remained. What he wouldn't give to leave Austin in the past. With everything going on, he'd almost convinced himself things couldn't get any worse. Almost.

"Come on." Chris urged. "Lets find Rob and get out of here."

Jeff nodded, more than ready to get the hell out of there.

"Now that Steve's back things can finally get back to normal." Triple-H said to X-Pac. They stood by one of the refreshment tables backstage.

X-Pac snorted sarcastically. "Yeah, me playing errand boy again."

"Stop your whining, Sean." Triple-H shook his head at the smaller man.

"I'm not whining." X-Pac said. "But that's all I did when he was here before and now that he's back... Hell, just a few weeks ago he had me playing pharmacist."

Triple-H gave him a disapproving look. "So what are you saying? You're not happy to see him back?"

"I didn't say that." X-Pac started. He halted whatever it was he was about to say next, noticing Rob.

Rob approached the table and casually dug a bottled water out of an ice chest sitting on top. "Errand boy? Bet you're good at getting in and out of places."

X-Pac was about to comment, but closed his mouth when Triple-H shot him a 'shut the hell up' look. Rob pretended not to notice. "So you've known about Austin for a while, huh? About his coming back to wrestling that is."

Triple-H gave him a small sneer. "Does that surprise you? We are old friends. Don't tell me you didn't know anything about it. It was practically leaked by the press."

Rob shook his head. "Been kind of busy as of late. A little sick too." He turned his gaze to X-Pac. "Some kind of pharmaceutical thing or something."

X-Pac looked away, pretending his attention was distracted by something else. Triple-H just smiled at Rob. "Sorry to hear that, Rob. I so hope you're feeling better." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Rob gave him a sarcastic smile. "Much. I do appreciate the concern, Paul."

"Anytime." Triple-H elbowed X-Pac. "Come on."

X-Pac followed the 'Cerebral Assassin' back to the dressing room. He cast a glance over his shoulder at Rob and quickly looked away, seeing Rob still stood in the same spot watching.

Rob continued to watch until they turned the corner. At least that's one piece of the puzzle solved.

"Pharmacist?" Jeff frowned, perplexed.

"X-Pac put the drugs in Rob's prescription." Chris cleared up.

He stood over Jeff's chair, working the hair-dye into a lather on top of his head, careful not to drip any on the motel carpet. Normally Jeff never asked for his help in dying his hair because he hated to do it. But this time he offered, hoping it would ease some of Jeff's tension. Jeff always preferred his hair being worked on over massages.

"Why would he do that?" Jeff asked.

"They've always had it out for us." Rob answered from the bed. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Austin must still carry a vendetta." Chris guessed.

"Did he mention Midnight?" Rob asked either one of them.

Jeff shook his head. "No. But I wasn't exactly trying to carry on a conversation with him." He sat quietly for a moment. Chris's treatment was helping, but only so much. "What if it starts all over again?"

Rob ran a hand through his hair, wondering the same thing all night. "You know, none of this started until Midnight and I got together."

Chris sat on the bed, letting Jeff's hair process. "Actually you guys got together after it started. In a weird sort of way it brought you together."

Rob slowly nodded. "Sometimes I wonder if Midnight would even be with me if none of it had happened."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

Rob shrugged. "It's like one of those 'thrown together by crisis' things. Before any of it happened, I know he wasn't into me. Everything in his life was perfectly normal."

"Everything was normal." Jeff agreed. "Too normal. I don't think you realize how much better it got for him when you did get together. You were just one of those unexpected things he never knew he wanted."

Rob snorted. "Unexpected is right. Talk about altering his dept of perception."

Jeff smiled. "It's cool though. It may have been strange for him to get used to, but believe me, he's never had a regret."

"How can you be so sure?" Rob asked. "I know he's talked a lot to you about it, but I don't think even you could understand how life changing it must have been for him. At one point he's straight, now he's... I'm not sure what you'd call him."

"Call him Midnight." Jeff simply replied. "When I look at him, or anyone for that matter, I don't see straight, bi-sexual, gay, or lesbian. Those are just words formed by society, not by God. I believe that, good or bad, people are just people."

Rob regarded him thoughtfully. "You really have a different perspective of things."

Jeff shrugged. "That's just the way I am. Matt's my brother who just happened to fall in love with a guy, that's all. I can honestly relate." He smiled ruefully at Chris. "Although I did go through a lot of guys and girls to get there."

Chris shook his head. "That's for sure." He joked. He got up and grabbed a small bucket off the counter. "I'm gonna get some ice. Be right back."

Rob waited until Chris left before asking. "You've been with girls?"

"Quite a few actually." Jeff answered, amused. "Like I said, I can relate to my brother. The only real difference is, before you, he'd never been with a guy. My taste has always varied. Pie or strudel- It's all desert."

Rob shook his head. "Dude, you've defiantly got a different perspective of things."

Jeff chuckled. "All in all, it wasn't hard to understand what Matt was going through, as far as being with a man for the first time. And especially when it came to having a relationship for the first time. I wasn't used to having someone, other than my brother, want to be there and take care of me. I always assumed there was some kind of role each person had to play. Like one of us had to be the more dominant male or something. But it's not like that. We're both totally equal."

"Being with only one guy really must have been a change for you." Rob commented then flushed, suddenly realizing how that sounded. Jeff unfortunately had a reputation that wasn't too flattering. "I mean... I didn't mean it like that..."

"I know." Jeff smiled assuringly. "I can only imagine the things you must have heard about me when you first came here. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd heard them all the way over at ECW."

Rob regarded him curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you get with Chris?"

Jeff placed a hand over his chest in mock surprise. "Haven't you heard? I lured him into my hotel room for a cheap encounter, seduced his naive little soul, and have had him on my chain every since."

"Uh... I think that's what I heard." Rob cleared his throat, no longer sure he wanted to know. "I figured it was just another rumor." Chris certainly didn't strike him as the kind of guy who would go for some cheap encounter.

"No, Chris isn't that kind of guy." Jeff said, guessing Rob's thoughts. "And yes, I was that kind of guy. I guess you can say he altered my dept of perception. But, I've never had any regrets."

Rob smiled. "That's cool."

Jeff returned the smile, relieved that the tension between them was gone. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime."

What Austin had been doing all this time and where he had been, not even Vince could answer. The boss really didn't seem to care anyway. All that mattered was last night drew in huge ratings and it was due to his top moneymaker's return.

Jeff sat in Vince's office, trying his best not to explode. "How could you not have told us?" He demanded.

"As I already explained." Vince said patiently. "I know you've been dealing with a lot lately and I didn't feel it was right to call, bothering you about some show."

"You didn't feel like bothering me?" Jeff repeated incredibly. "After all the shit Austin's done, you had no right not to tell me!"

"I apologize." Vince said. "And as far as what Austin has done, the match you two had where he broke your arm..."

"...I'm not just talking about the damn match." Jeff hotly interrupted.

"Then what?" Vince asked. "Are you referring to Rob's match with him? The one your brother interfered on and nearly got himself..." Vince halted his words.

"Killed?" Jeff finished for him. "The match where Austin nearly killed him."

Vince sighed and placed his arms on top of the desk, lacing his fingers together. "Your brother himself told me it was an accident. He even said Austin tried to save him, but they both ended up going over the bridge. Thank God the both of them are alive to tell about it, however the accident would have never occurred in the first place if Matt hadn't got involved."

Jeff ground his teeth together and dug his nails into the arm of the chair. The urge to leap over the desk and strangle Vince was strong, but he had to remind himself, other than the matches, Vince knew nothing of the sick man's treachery or motives. Matt had never told Vince and made them all vow never to either.

"If you want to hold a grudge against Austin over the matches, I can't stop you..." Vince continued. "But I do recall a time where you had broken Matt's nose and cheek bone during a match. Did Matt hold a grudge against you?"

"You can't compare it because it wasn't intentional." Jeff argued.

Years ago, they had a brother vs. brother gimmick match- Him and Jay vs. Matt and Adam. At one point during the match Jay had bodyslammed Matt to the canvas, setting him up for Jeff. Jeff climbed to the top turnbuckle and did a 450 flip onto his brother. Unfortunately, he put too much force behind the flip and ended up landing wrong, his knee slamming into Matt's face.

Vince quietly regarded the young man a few seconds. "Look Jeff, I realize this is a hard time for you and you are under no obligation to perform. It is your decision. However, if you do decide to perform you've got to remember this is a place of employment. I don't expect every single one of my employees to get along with one another, but I do expect you all to act like professionals."

The boss's words were sympathetic, yet firm. Jeff sat for a moment then nodded and stood to leave. "Thanks for your time." He muttered.

"If you need anything, let me know." Vince added.

Jeff quickly exited the office, without looking back. So much for getting questions answered. He headed for the weight room to meet up with Chris and Rob.

The guys were standing around, taking a break and talking to The Rock. Jeff approached and shook his head at Chris and Rob's expectant looks. He was getting no where fast.

"What's wrong with you Rainbow?" The Rock asked studying Jeff's face.

"Nothing." Jeff nonchalantly shrugged a shoulder. "So you and Austin at Wrestlemania? How nice."

Rock raised an eyebrow at his dry tone. "I can tell you're thrilled. Maybe you'll get a kick out of seeing me lay the smackdown on his redneck candy ass."

"I know I look forward to it." Chris replied.

"Don't feel the need to hold back." Rob added.

Rock chuckled. "And I thought I couldn't stand the man."

"You have no idea how things got when you left to go film." Jeff said quietly.

Rock nodded. "I heard he went on a little power trip. Austin's got a big head to match his big mouth, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Believe me, that shit ain't gonna fly while I'm here."

"Speak of the devil." Rob muttered, looking towards the door. Austin entered the room and walked past them, going to a rack of hand weights.

Rock chuckled when the Rattlesnake picked up a weight and started inspecting it. "Damn, that redneck needs to worry about finding the ab machine instead. Apparently he used the 'away' time to work on filling out his beer gut."

Rob watched the Rattlesnake, thoughtfully. If they wanted answers, the best way to get them was straight from the horse's mouth. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Jeff asked.

Instead of answering, Rob went over to the Rattlesnake's side.

Austin looked up from his inspecting and gave Rob a smile. "Long time no see."

"Not long enough." Rob returned, without returning the smile. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Here and there." Austin answered. "Not that what I do is any of your business."

"I'm gonna make it my business." Rob looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "Believe me, I'm going to be watching your ass. The shit you've pulled in the past is going to remain there."

"Things are different now." Austin simply replied.

"Damn right things are different." Rob growled. "And things are going to stay that way."

Austin peered past Rob to where Jeff and Chris still stood with the Rock. "Cause Rocky says right? How cute of him to take you guys under his little wing."

"Because I say." Rob firmly replied. "Or next time it might be you taking the wrong pill."

Austin regarded him with faint surprise. Rob just smiled knowingly. "That's right. I know what you did, or more like what you had your errand boy do. And if you try that shit with Matt or even look at him the wrong way, so help me..."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Austin smiled. "You obviously do a good job of protecting him." Placing back the weight, Austin walked away.

Rob glowered at the Rattlesnake's back then frowned.

"What was all that?" Chris asked, coming over with Jeff.

"I'm not sure." Rob answered, still watching Austin. "Something doesn't seem right."

"Of course not." Jeff said. "He's here."

Rob shook his head. "No. It's something else. I just can't put my finger on it right now."

For the second night in a row, Austin made another sell-out crowd go wild with his traditional beer-drinking scenario. Austin gestured for the crew guy at ringside to keep tossing in beers and put on a show of cracking the cans open, downing half, then flinging the rest on the audience.

Once again, Rob found himself watching backstage with Jeff, Chris, and the rest of the roster. Austin's old routine never changed and people never seemed to get tired of it.

"I'll never understand how having beer splashed and spit on you can be so thrilling." Chris commented.

"Maybe it's the brand." Jeff said dryly. "Nothing like a Miller lite."

Rob furrowed his brow, concentrating on the monitor. "Wasn't the can you found in Midnight's backyard the same brand of beer?"

"Yeah." Jeff absently answered.

Rob looked at him. "Don't you think that's quite a coincidence?"

Jeff's eyes went wide as he watched the Rattlesnake crack open another Miller lite and turn it upside down over his open mouth. Jeff's own mouth dropped with shock. "Holy Shit!"

"Now wait a minute..." Chris started. "Half the country must drink that beer. I drink that beer. If you're trying to say what I think you're saying..."

"...Think about it!" Rob persisted. "Midnight suddenly disappears and Austin re-appears?"

"Then where is Matt now?" Chris held open his arms. "You think Austin's hauling him around in his luggage or something? I'm not defending the guy, but we can't just start making accusations without proof."

"What kind of proof do you need?" Rob argued. "He's always had some kind of sick infatuation with Midnight. You know the horrible things he did to him in the past."

Chris fell silent and studied Austin on the monitor. The Rattlesnake had finished up his celebration and was already heading up the ramp. Once there he stopped to hit a couple of beer cans together then threw them out to the audience.

Rob pointed to the Rattlesnake. "When I was talking to him earlier, he made some wise crack comment about me doing a good job of protecting Midnight. I mean come on... Read between the lines."

"So what do we do?" Chris asked after a moment. "We can take it to the police, but until there's proof, they'd just consider it some wild accusation. And you know Vince won't be as eager to help as he says, considering it's Austin."

Rob didn't respond right away, knowing Chris was right. The evidence wasn't there. At least not yet. "We have to stay around him, listen to every word he says. We'll even follow him if we have to."

Chris nodded in agreement. "Jeff..." He turned, but Jeff was gone.

Rob looked around. "Where'd he go?"

"Shit." Chris muttered. "I bet I know. Come on."

Austin walked through the curtain of the gorilla position and Vince immediately stood from his post. "Great job Steve!" He went over to give the Rattlesnake a clap on the back. "It's great to have you back!"

"It's good to be back." Austin smiled and shook the boss's hand, before heading down the stairs. He was greeted at the bottom by a few fellow wrestlers, who congratulated him as well. Austin slapped their hands as he walked past. "Thanks a lot." He then stopped as one wrestler stepped in his path.

Austin chuckled at the young man. "You come to congratulate me too?"

Jeff's intense eyes were blazing. "Congratulations... You almost had me fooled."

"Come again?" Austin held a hand over his ear as though he couldn't hear him.

"My brother." Jeff snapped. "Where is he?"

Austin looked around. "I was wondering that myself."

"CUT THE SHIT!" Jeff yelled. "I KNOW IT WAS YOU. YOU WERE THE ONE STALKING HIM!"

Austin looked around nervously, Jeff drawing the attention of almost everyone around. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about kid, but..."

"YOU KNOW EXACTALLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Jeff stepped up to Austin's face. "WHERE IS HE?"

"What the hells going on down here?" Vince came stomping down the stairs. He looked at the other wrestlers, who shrugged and muttered amongst themselves, then turned his attention to Jeff and Austin. "I said, what's going on?"

"I don't know." Austin jerked a thumb in Jeff's direction. "But somebody get this kid a cold beer."

A few of the wrestlers laughed, but Jeff was anything but laughing. "You really enjoy your cold beers, don't you? Especially when you're watching my brother undress."

"Now just a minute..." Vince quickly stepped in between them, facing Jeff.

"...He knows where my brother is!"

"You see him anywhere?" Austin replied. "Besides, last I heard he was sick." The Rattlesnake gave Jeff a slow dark smile over Vince's shoulder.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jeff lunged at Austin, hands going for his throat.

"STOP!" Chris quickly grabbed Jeff from behind, before he ran over Vince.

Vince's red face was livid. "I told you earlier that if you choise to perform..."

"...I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT PERFORMING!"

Vince pointed to an exit. "THEN GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ARENA!"

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER?" Jeff demanded, ready to lunge at Austin again.

Rob appeared at his other side, him and Chris forcefully turning him away.

"I'LL FIND HIM YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jeff yelled over his shoulder.

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Vince shouted. "AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING BACK!"

Shane Helms knocked on the dressing room door then opened it up, poking his head inside. "Mind if I come in?"

"Come on in." Chris said. Him, Jeff, and Rob were slowly packing up their gear.

Shane stepped inside and stood with his hands in his pockets, regarding Jeff. Jeff stood at the table angrily shoving his gear into his bag. Shane cleared his throat. "So little Bro, want to tell me what's really going on with Matt?"

"I already fucking told you." Jeff muttered without looking up. "He's not feeling well."

Rob just shook his head at Jeff's non-convincing act, but didn't say anything. Jeff had every right to be emotional and he couldn't blame him for his earlier outburst. One of the rare times he ever saw any similarity between the brothers.

"What are they saying out there?" Chris asked Shane.

Shane shrugged. "Not much. Everyone kinda figures there's a grudge against Austin over the match where he broke Jeff's arm. Not to mention the last match Rob had with him." He went to stand beside Jeff at the table. "If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. But Matt's my friend and incase you forgot, I know a little bit of what's going on. I went to the motel to check on him the night the stalker broke into his house, remember?"

Jeff ceased his actions and lowered his head with a sigh. He'd forgotten all about that. He could feel Rob and Chris's gaze on him and didn't have to look up to know what they were thinking. There was no point in trying to lie about it now. "I'm sorry Shane. Maybe you should sit down."

Shane looked and Chris and Rob. By their somber expressions he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know. Once Jeff had truthfully filled him in on everything, he wished he'd never asked. He shook his head in disbelief at the story. "You really think Austin is behind this?" He finally asked.

"We know he is." Rob firmly said. "And now, you can help us keep an eye on him. Whatever move he makes, whatever he says, we've got to know. Somewhere along the way, he's going to slip something up."

"Shit." Shane muttered. "He's already gone."

"What?" Jeff glanced at the clock, not even noticing how late it was. "Are you sure?"

Shane nodded. "I saw him leave the arena, just before I came by. I heard him tell Vince, he was heading to the airport. There was something important he needed to get back to."

Jeff, Rob, and Chris ran through the airport dodging around people and trying to haul their baggage. It was now a race against the clock to find Austin and luckily they weren't pulled over for how fast they were speeding on the way over.

They made it to the medal detectors and waited in the agonizingly slow line to put their bags on the belt and go though. Rob and Chris finally got through with no hassle, but Jeff instantly set off the alarm.

"Please empty your pockets, Sir." The security officer ordered.

Jeff swore to himself, frantically emptying out what he had and throwing it on the table. When he tried to pass through again, the detector still went off.

"Your jewelry." Chris pointed out.

Jeff looked down at himself, forgetting that in their haste to leave he'd never fully changed. He was still wearing his metal spiked belt, piercings, the Hardy Boyz chain around his neck and chains around his wrist. "Look..." He pleaded with the guard. "I usually take this shit off and that's all it is. I don't have anything on me."

"Please remove the items, Sir." The guard replied. "Otherwise I can't let you through."

Rob groaned, knowing it would take time they didn't have to waste for Jeff to get all the items off him.

"Just go." Jeff impatiently waved them away. "I'll catch up."

Rob and Chris left without another word and rushed over to a ticket counter.

"Excuse me Miss, I need some information please." Chris asked.

The ticket clerk sighed irritably, having been interrupted from whatever she was doing on the computer. "How can I help you." She automatically responded. She looked up and her eyes widened once she realized whom she was talking to. "Oh my gosh! Aren't you guys..."

"...Yes." Rob impatiently interrupted. "We need to find out some information on a flight. You know who Stone Cold Steve Austin is right?"

"Of course." She smiled widely. "I saw his return last night on Raw. Was he at the Smackdown taping tonight?"

"Yes, and somehow I think we got our bags mixed up backstage." Rob gave a silly shrug. "Can you tell me what flight he's on. Hopefully I can catch him before he boards."

"Just a second." The clerk began punching on her keyboard. "Actually I can't find anything for Steve Austin."

"Williams." Chris said, giving her Austin's real last name. "Try Steve Williams."

She nodded and tried again. "Here's his flight, but I'm afraid it's already departed."

"SON OFA BITCH!" Rob slapped his hand on the counter, startling the clerk. "I'm sorry, but we really need to get our stuff sorted out. Can you tell me what flight he's on? Where he's going?"

The clerk went back to work on her computer, but a man walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, indicating she move aside. Apparently he was a supervisor, because she did without question. "Is there anything I can do for you gentleman?" He asked.

"I need to know where a friend of mine is going." Rob explained.

"I sorry Sir, but we are not allowed to give out that information."

"Please Sir." Chris tried. "It's a matter of life and death."

"Then I suggest you contact the proper authorities and we will deal with them." The supervisor said.

"Give us a break, Man." Rob pleaded.

The supervisor didn't budge. "I'm sorry Sir, but this isn't company policy. Federal law does not allow it." He gave the clerk a stern look and she quickly began sorting through some paper work. He turned back to Chris and Rob with a fake smile. "Now is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No. Thanks anyway." Rob muttered.

They left the counter and went to sit in a waiting area, where Jeff finally caught up with them. "Did you find out anything?"

Chris shook his head. "They're not allowed to give out information."

Jeff sank into a chair. It never seemed to fail. Every time they got a step closer, there was always something knocking them a few more steps back. They had a few days off, but what were they suppose to do from here?

They all sat in silence for while, before Chris finally sighed. "There's no point in just sitting here. Let's decide where we're going and get some tickets."

Jeff and Rob just nodded and began gathering up their gear. What else could they do?

"Um...Excuse me, but are you guys still looking for a particular flight for a particular individual?"

They all turned to find the ticket clerk standing there. She smiled. "I noticed you guys sitting here while I was going to break. I was just wondering."

Rob smiled then noticed her supervisor was standing nearby. "It's cool. We don't want to get you into any trouble."

She noticed her supervisor too and pulled a pen and brochure out of her suit pocket. "Would you mind autographing this brochure for me?"

"Uh...Sure." Chris took the pen and quickly signed then handed it to Rob. Rob placed his signature on the brochure and handed it back.

The clerk held it up. "I've never been here, but I hear it's nice. At least certain individuals on flight-450 seem to think so."

Rob raised his eyebrows, finally realizing what she was doing and the brochure of the state she was holding. "Virginia huh? Yeah it's nice. Thank you."

She smiled and placed it back in her pocket. "Thank you for choosing American Airlines. Enjoy your flight." With that she walked away.

Jeff slightly frowned, watching her leave and the supervisor go back to whatever it was he was doing. "Did I miss something?"

"We'll explain in a minute." Rob smiled. "Just remember the name on her tag was Penny. We'll be sending her some front row Wrestlemania tickets and a backstage pass."

"There it is!" Chris yelped, pointing to one of the monitors hanging from the ceiling. "Flight-450. Destination- Williamsburg, VA."

"Willimsburg?" Jeff looked at them both. "That's the last place we were at with Matt."

Rob nodded. "And that's where Austin's headed." He slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let get some tickets."

TBC...