One year later
A lot can happen in a year. Time changes; Things change, people change. Sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worst.
She stood backstage with a growing anxiety in her stomach. Her hands felt sweaty and she wanted to faint. She adjusted her ring gear nervously for the 100th time. She'd only been officially wrestling for a few months, even though she'd been around the business for years. A while back, Vince had offered her a short on-air role, which had transformed into a long-term wrestling contract after the positive response to her character.
"Aubs?" His voice called softly as his hand tightly grasped hers. "Are you ok?"
She mustered a smile as she nodded her head.
Adam wrapped his arms around her waist tightly as their bodies swayed together. "You look amazing."
She smiled as he kissed her forehead softly.
Jay walked towards them and smiled. "You guys ready?"
Aubree nodded her head nervously. The music hit and she grasped Adam's hand tightly as they walked towards the ring. The cheers from the crowd were almost deafening. The camera flashes filled the arena as she felt blinded by it.
As they approached the ring, she caught a stare from Jeff that made her blush. Adam released her hand as he and Jay slid into the ring. She walked towards the steps and stood on the ring apron. Christian sat on the ropes as Edge extended his arm to her. She glanced at Matt and Jeff as they were both trying to hide their flushed cheeks. She laughed as Edge grabbed her tightly against his body as he glared at them before kissing her passionately.
Jeff looked away in disgust as he watched Adam kissing Aubree. It hurt him deeply to see that the love between them was real and it was just a constant reminder. Jeff hated himself for never telling her the truth about his feelings for her. Now, he was stuck being her friend watching her with someone who used to be his friend.
He adjusted his elbow pads as Edge ushered her towards the ropes and pulled them apart for her to exit the ring. Hazel kissed Edge once more before she climbed down from the ring and stood watching the match.
Jeff couldn't stop looking at her, she was wearing new revealing ring gear. He felt a stabbing in his heart as he glanced at her. Aubree always had the total package but she'd never seen herself as beautiful. She was shy and embarrassed by her body growing up. To see her standing confidently at ring side in front of thousands of fans with her stomach and butt cheeks exposed made Jeff face a tough realization.
Adam had boosted her self-esteem more than he ever could. He sighed as the match began feeling a pain in his gut. He wasn't good enough for her. Never was and never will be. He sighed as he glared at Adam.
He'd never been jealous of anyone until Bree had started dating Adam. It was his own fault for never telling her how he felt. He wanted to tell her many times but he always chickened out. He was scared that she didn't feel the same and the awkwardness of the rejection would destroy their friendship. He could jump off stages and ladders but he was afraid of a conservation with his best friend. Jeff had secretly prayed for Adam to mess up so they'd breakup. Bree truly loved him and Adam never crossed the line. It killed him to see her with another man.
The match between the 4 men quickly fell into chaos and the match was ended to contain the situation. Lita attacked Hazel ring side as the 4 men continued to fight. The crowd cheered as the two females began fighting in the ring. Lita was rag dolling Hazel when Edge separated the two and shoved Lita slightly into the corner. Matt stormed towards Edge and threw him over the top rope into Christian. Hazel watched as Edge hit the mat on the floor before Matt launched himself over the rope. Lita glared at her as she charged. Hazel side stepped her and Lita slammed the ropes. Hazel climbed the turnbuckle and steadied herself before launching herself towards Lita. The crowd cheered as Hazel executed a perfect hurricana.
Hazel jumped to her feet and was greeted by Edge. Lita laid out at her feet as they exited the ring.
"Oh my God!" Adam exclaimed grabbing her face with his hands as he kissed her outside of the ring. "That was an amazing!" He panted as they headed up the ramp. Matt was helping Lita out of the ring.
Bree held her chest tightly as the trio walked up the ramp towards the backstage area. Her heart was beginning to slow down. She brushed the loose hairs from her face as Matt, Amy, and Jeff walked through the curtain. Bree's eyes instantly connected with Jeff's. She desperately wanted his approval. He smiled at her as he approached her.
Adam tightened his grasp on her waist protectively. Jeff took note and quietly cursed Adam.
Bree smiled as Jeff gave her 2 thumbs up and smiled at her. "Miss Stanford would be so proud of you!" He laughed.
"I know! I was thinking the same thing!" Bree laughed.
Adam looked perplexed. "Who? Who's that?!" He was visibly upset and broke his physical connection with her.
Aubree looked taken aback by his reaction. Matt, Jeff, Amy, and Jay all looked at each other; why was Adam suddenly upset? Aubree looked at him in confusion. "My high school gymnastics coach…. Why?….What's wrong?"
"I've never heard you talk about her before…. Like never…" he spat as he glared at Jeff. "Apparently, it's a 'Cameron Crew' thing…"
Jeff caught a glimpse of the uncomfortable look on Aubree's face. She was biting her lower lip as she thought of a response. She hated this visible anger Adam had when he referred to anything or anyone from back home.
She touched his shoulder. "I don't understand why you're upset about not knowing my high school coach's name…. I don't know who your high school football coach was… but why does it matter?!"
"It's not about the coach!" He spat in her face. His sudden reaction startled her and caused her to jump away from him. "It's just ANOTHER thing that EVERYONE but me knows about because the Cameron crew basically had the SAME LIFE! All the inside jokes and the 'Oh! You should have been there' conversations! I'm sick of it! I can't wait until you move to Toronto and I won't CONSTANTLY feel like an outsider!"
He was seething with anger as he glared at Matt and Jeff. Aubree looked horrified by the outburst. Jeff felt a stabbing pain in his chest. 'She's moving…' he instantly thought. Aubree ran her hand through her hair in frustration.
"You're moving?!" Shannon yelled as he approached them quickly. "Bree?!" He screamed looking at his sister.
She looked at them anxiously and shrugged her shoulders. "We've been talking about it…"
Adam glared at her. "Only talking?! I thought when we went to Cameron this weekend you were calling someone about putting your place on the market!" Adam raged. "But we've only been TALKING about it?!"
"This weekend?! Aubree!" Shannon screamed before turning to face Adam. "It's Mother's Day weekend! Aubree is spending the weekend with her mom! You should do the same!"
Adam laughed and looked like he could physically attack Shannon. Jeff watched Aubree, who looked devastated by the turn of events.
"I'm going with Aubree! She'll see your mom, I promise…" Adam spat as he glared at her. "C'mon let's get outta here!" He ordered her.
Matt, Jeff, and Shannon exchanged looks as they looked amongst themselves and back at her. She looked so deflated and upset as she stood between her boyfriend and her family. She looked at Jeff and Shannon with pain in her eyes.
"Aubree!" Adam screamed gripping her arm.
"Hey!" Shannon screamed staring intently at Adam. "Let go of my sister!"
"Shanny…." Aubree whispered pleading with her brother "I'll text you later tonight ok?…"
Adam grinned as Aubree walked away with him; leaving them lost in anger and confusion. Jeff felt a pain in his chest. He didn't like the change in Adam's demeanor. He exchanged flustered looks with Shannon as they both felt powerless to protect Aubree.
Jeff reluctantly watched them disappear into a room down the hall. He didn't hear from her that evening despite his unanswered attempts. He sighed as he looked at his phone one last time hoping something was there. Unfortunately, this wasn't anything new since Adam came into the picture.
Aubree stood with Adam and Jay in the airport terminal. The crackled voice over the loudspeaker announced the flight to Toronto was now beginning to board.
"Bye Jay." Bree smiled as she hugged him tightly. "Tell your mom I said happy Mother's Day…"
Jay hugged her tightly. "I will… tell your mom the same…"
She looked at Adam and smiled awkwardly. "I love you… text me when you land…"
"I wish we were going together.." he said glumly.
"I know… it's just easier this way… I can see my mom, you can spend time with Judy.. I just don't want any fighting.."
"He'll be fine… just will miss you.." Jay laughed softly as he patted Adam's shoulder.
Bree kissed him softly as he nodded his head. "I love you too, Aub… I'll text you once we land.."
They embraced tightly, then she watched the two blondes walk out of sight into the terminal. She still had a few hours before her flight into Charlotte. She gathered her bags and headed towards her gate. Once she was settled, she looked at her phone and turned on her music. It was 3am. She saw Jeff's texts and felt bad for not responding sooner.
"Hey… sorry it's so late…" she texted.
A few minutes later, to her surprise, her phone chimed. She smiled seeing it was Jeff.
Jeff—It's 3am…Are you ok?!
Aubree—I'm fine. At the airport. My flight is in a bit.
Jeff—flight to Toronto?
Aubree—no… they just took off.. I'm coming home…
Jeff—you're by yourself in an airport? At 3am?
Aubree—yes…
Jeff—do you need a ride home?
Aubree—I can rent a car… I don't want you to go out of your way..
Jeff—I'll see you soon…
Bree smiled at his message. Jeff always went out of his way for people. She could always count on him. She sat in the terminal waiting on her flight to be called.
She heard footsteps approaching and looked up in surprise. Jeff smiled as she stood up with a confused look on her face. He hugged her tightly as he sat his bags on the ground.
He showed her his plane ticket that he'd just pulled from his pocket. "I'm not stalking you… I promise… see?" He said laughing.
She shook her head. "I should have known you'd be the only person on the 4am plane besides me. We always want to get home. Matt always prefers to sleep a night and go in the morning."
Jeff nodded with a smile. They had traveled a lot together in the past. They were each other's best copilot. Hi mind flashed back to a few memories of the past.
Once they landed in Charlotte, They heard people talking behind them and turned to see a group forming. "It's Jeff Hardy!" "Jeff Hardy and Hazel!" "Can I get your autograph?!"
They laughed at being recognized and met the fans quickly. Bree was new to being recognized in public, but she enjoyed meeting fans. Jeff grabbed her duffel from the ground and threw it over his shoulder. "Let's go home.."
"Definitely…" she said as she walked beside him.
Jeff pulled up to Bree's house and smiled at her. "Home safe and sound…"
Bree laughed. "Yes….. what are you guys getting into?"
He shrugged. "No plans."
"Do you want to hang out? I have to get something for my mom…" she asked nervously avoiding his eyes. She knew Mother's Day was a hard day for the Hardy brothers.
"Sure…" he said softly.
Jeff followed her into her house with her duffel.
"I want to jump in a shower, throw in some laundry in, then we can go to the mall… actually are you going to your dad's today? I miss Gil…"
"We can stop by to see Dad if you want… I'm sure he'd love to see you…. Oh my god!"he laughed as he saw the pictures hanging on her wall. "We look so young!"
She laughed. "We WERE young! High school seems like eons ago!"
Jeff smiled looking at the prom picture of them. He'd been so proud to have her on his arm that night. Bree hugged his waist as they looked at the picture.
"I wouldn't have been able to go to prom if it hadn't been for you…" she said softly. "Stupid Bobby Green dumped me two days before prom…"
"Bobby Green probably regrets that decision… especially now that you're on tv and he's a nobody…." Jeff laughed.
She sighed. "I highly doubt Bobby Green watches wrestling…. He always was making fun of the shows…"
Her phone rang and she saw it was Adam. He looked at her questioningly seeing her reaction. "Hey Adam…" she said as she answered the phone.
Jeff stepped into the living room to give her some privacy. He didn't want to hear her talk about missing or loving him. A while later, Bree walked out into the living room to find Jeff on the couch with her cat.
"You ok?" He asked feeling a change in her demeanor.
"I'm good…" she said softly. Jeff knew something had happened but wasn't going to press the issue.
She flopped onto the couch beside him and sighed. "He infuriates me sometimes…"
Jeff just nodded as he saw she'd been crying. "Bree…"
"I don't want to sell my house to move into his apartment! It seems ass backwards to spend more money on rent for a smaller place…. But he doesn't understand that! So he's mad I'm not meeting with a realtor this weekend on top of still being bitter I asked him to go home this weekend…. He keeps saying I'm hiding him instead of making everyone accept the relationship….he never wants to come here but gets mad that I want to come home…"
Jeff knew there was a lot going on between Adam and Bree behind closed doors. He could see a difference in her over the past few months. "You gotta do what YOU want to do… don't worry what Adam wants… or what Shannon wants… do whatever makes you happy…."
She smirked. "So you'd be happy if I moved to Toronto?"
He scowled. "I wouldn't be happy to see you move… but if it would make you happy, I'd be happy for you.. I'd even help you move up there… even though Adam wouldn't want us there…"
She patted his shoulder. She knew he meant his words. Jeff always supported her. "So any hot dates while we're home? I don't want to keep you from anything…."
She asked the question hoping he'd say no. She was so conflicted with her feelings. She always had a special place for Jeff in her heart; but she was his best friend's sister. Sometimes, he'd give her a look that made her wonder if he felt more for her than just friendship. She didn't know how she's react to hearing that he did have a date.
Jeff blushed. "Nope… no hot dates…"
He wanted to tell her that she was the only girl he wanted to spend time with but couldn't say the words. Bree felt slight relief hearing the words.
The next morning
Bree was out running errands. She'd missed her hometown as much as she hated to admit it. She'd picked up last minute flowers and a cake for her mom. As she drove passed the cemetery, she turned into the driveway. She parked near a familiar tree that was the marker for the grave. She climbed out of the car with a bouquet of flowers and began walking across the grass. A smile crossed her face as she saw the headstone marked "Hardy". She brushed the dirt away with her hand as she stared at the words. Tears started to weld in her eyes as she kneeled onto the grave.
"Hey Mom. I miss you." She said as she placed the flowers onto the stone and traced the engraving with her fingers. She sat at the grave lost in her thoughts until she heard something moving towards her. She turnt quickly, almost losing her balance, and saw The Hardy men approaching her. Jeff looked at her in bewilderment. She was pale as a ghost. Would they be mad at her for visiting Ruby's grave?
"Bree?" He asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?" There was a slight confused laugh to his questions.
"I'm sorry…." She stammered looking like a deer in headlights. She rose to her feet and wiped the soil from her jeans. "I…I was… putting flowers on mom's.. your mom's…the grave… I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries…" she blurted out looking embarrassed. "I…. I…. I'm so sorry….Jeff."
Jeff smiled softly. "I'm not mad that you came to see mom…"
Bree smiled awkwardly at Jeff. She felt relieved knowing that he wasn't mad at her. "I always come… to…the grave.. to see… mom.. I mean your Mom…" she stammered uneasily as she avoided his eyes.
Jeff smiled and nodded his head. There'd been a few instances where Gil and the boys had found fresh flowers that they didn't know who had placed them onto the grave. Jeff had always wondered if it was Bree. He reached out towards her and pulled her tightly in an embrace. He wanted to kiss her as they stood at the grave. He was touched deeply by her remembrance of his mother. She had been by his side through everything with his mom's illness and death. He fully believed that their bond had helped him cope with the loss of his mother. He'd always loved her kindness and thoughtfulness. He held her tightly against his chest and inhaled the scent of her perfume.
"There's my beautiful girl…" Gil said giving her a tight hug.
"Hey Pop…" she said hugging him tightly. "I'll let you guys visit with mom in peace…" she said awkwardly.
Jeff nodded his head as their eyes connected. He was fighting the urge to blurt out his feelings. "Bree…" he blurted out staring at her. "I've missed you." He said hugging her again tightly.
She felt a pang in her heart as she looked into his eyes. "I've missed you too…"
He released her and smiled sadly at her. "I'll walk you to the car…"
"No, I'm fine.. visit with your mom. Text me later.."
She felt tears brewing in her eyes as she walked to her car. Gil, Matt, and Jeff watched her leave the cemetery.
Bree paced around her room. She looked at her phone which had multiple missed calls/texts from Adam. The messages had escalated from lovey dovey to almost threatening. She didn't know what to do. She thought about Jeff. Whenever she was upset, Jeff had a presence about him that soothed her. She felt safe around him and could read him like a book. She'd fallen in love with Adam; but she never lost the tender feelings for her friend.
The relationship with Adam also wasn't as perfect as they made others believe. Sometimes, she felt uncomfortable around Adam. He'd told her that some of her hobbies were childish and dumb. She'd slowly lost interest in anything Adam disapproved of just as an effort to avoid a possible confrontation.
Since her on air debut, she'd noticed a major change in Adam. He seemed almost jealous and resentful of the attention she received. Prior to the storyline, fans would swarm them in the airport and focus solely on the guys; Aubree was never envious of any of their successes. She was so supportive that she had taken many photographs of fans with the guys over the years.
This included many photographs of Adam hugging and being kissed by female fans. Now, when they were in public, Aubree was also receiving fan attention which seemed to anger Adam.
It wasn't just the jealousy brewing in Adam that was causing issues. He seemed agitated and openly aggressive with everyone but especially his girlfriend lately. He had an arrogant and pompous demeanor now. He hated going to Cameron and would use any opportunity to make her feel beneath him. Aubree hadn't told anyone about her unhappiness in her relationship; especially not Shannon or Jeff. She didn't want them to gloat that they were right about Adam or the relationship all along. She looked at the old photographs she'd hung in her room. She smiled as she picked up a framed picture and saw two familiar faces.
She heard a knock on her door. It was too early for Shannon to be picking her up for their evening with their mom. She walked to the door and looked out to see Jeff standing on her porch looking disheveled. She opened the door and flung her arms around him instinctively.
"I'm sorry Bree… I'm so sorry!" He sobbed.
She led him into the house and held him as they walked towards her sofa. She pushed her door closed as they headed to the living room. He flopped down and looked at her with pain behind his green eyes.
"Shh…" she soothed softly as she sat next to him.
"It's so hard…" he choked out.
She sighed. She always felt awful for the Hardy brothers. When Ruby died, Matt was 12 and Jeff was only 9. Growing up, holidays and school milestones were difficult for the boys; especially Jeff. Aubree felt heartbroken watching her best friend cry. She tightened her grip on him in an effort to comfort him. He held her tightly as he felt himself cry.
"I miss her… I feel like the raw feeling never goes away. I feel like I'm a disappointment to her…" he cried.
She shook her head. "Jeff, your mom is SOOO proud of you!" She felt the tears brewing in her throat. "You are an amazing man, Jeff! You're such an amazing and awesome person! Everyone loves you! You're kind, honest, smart, hard working, selfless, loyal, athletic, and a driven wrestler; not to mention your musical and artistic talents! You're protective and a great friend! You can make me laugh when I don't want to… you're always been my rock…"
Jeff looked at her stunned. She blushed as she realized her outburst. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "It's true!"
He smiled slightly. "That means everything to me, Bree…"
They stared at each other in silence both wanting to say a lot more than they could muster. Jeff looked at the clock and jumped up. "Shit, I'm sorry! You gotta get ready to meet Shannon!"
Bree looked at him with confusion. She felt this dread in her stomach. She didn't want him to go. She grabbed his hand. "Please, come with us! Don't leave!"
Jeff looked at her and nervously laughed. "Bree, I'm not crashing Mother's Day dinner with your mom. I'll be fine. After you get back maybe we can watch a movie or something."
She felt panicked. Something in her gut didn't feel right letting him leave like this. "My mom loves you! It'll be fine! Please!" She implored him showing the seriousness in her voice. "I don't want you to go through today alone."
He was touched by my compassion. He'd considered Mrs. Moore to be his second mom. Aubree released his hand and grabbed her phone.
"What are you doing?" He asked seeing her dialing the phone.
"If you won't come with us, I'm canceling with my mom…. I can't let you go through this alone."
Jeff grabbed her phone. "Bree! It's Mother's Day! You can't cancel on your mom today of all days!"
"She'll understand I'm more concerned about you…." Bree said as she attempted to reach her phone from Jeff's extended arm.
"Bree, you never see your mom! Please don't do this!" He begged but still seeing the determination in her eyes, he relented. He handed her the phone with a look a defeat. "I need to go home to get ready. Where should I meet you guys? At your parents place?"
She felt a sigh of relief. She hugged his neck tightly. Her obvious relief made Jeff blush. She looked into his eyes and blushed.
"How about I ride with you to your house? I can hang out with Jack while you get ready."
Jeff smiled. "Jack has missed you."
Later that night
Aubree and Jeff had returned from dinner with the Moores. Jeff's spirits seemed much improved as they laughed and joked.
Aubree flopped next to him on the couch with a couple of beers. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun as she began scrolling through the movies. "See Anything good?" She asked. Jeff didn't care what they watched. He just wanted to spend time with her. Her phone dinged and she grabbed it.
"It's Adam.. you pick the movie…" she said handing him the remote as she read the text from Adam. He picked a movie and opened a beer for each of them. He saw her face begin to scowl.
"Everything ok?" He asked.
"Yeaaaa… " she sighed as she sent a text, silenced her ringer, and tossed her phone onto the table with visible frustration. "Adam really gets under my skin sometimes… he's upset that I didn't meet with the realtor…"
Jeff wasn't surprised that Adam was pouting about the realtor. It seemed pretty clear that Adam wanted to erase Cameron from her life. "Bree, don't let him pressure you…."
She shrugged. "Oh well, I'll deal with that tomorrow I'm sure… but what'd you pick? Adam isn't ruining our night…" she smiled at him.
It had been over a year since they'd spent time alone together. Either she was with Adam or it was a group activity.
Jeff had forgotten how much he missed these hang out sessions with just her. They watched movies, ate snacks, and drank. At some point, they'd fallen asleep on the couch snuggled together. Jeff felt her arm wrap around his waist and was quickly woken up. He looked around and realized it was almost 2 am. Aubree felt his movement and looked at him with confusion. Jeff began to gather his things to go home for the night.
Aubree stared at him. She didn't want him to leave. She knew tomorrow they'd be heading to Charlotte for Raw and she'd be back around Adam. "Why don't you just stay here?" She asked softly.
Jeff blushed. He didn't want to leave. He felt spending the night at her house would be inappropriate in Adam's eyes; then it would cause a fight. He glared at her. "I doubt Adam would approve. I don't want to be a reason for him to bitch at you…"
She looked at him and felt a pain in her chest. She shrugged. "I don't care what Adam thinks…You've been drinking. Please, stay here tonight?"
Jeff smiled at her. "I drank less than you… really, I'm fine to drive…."
"Please, I don't want you to go home…." She said softly. "Please, Jeff, please stay with me…"
Jeff nodded. He felt himself blush as he looked away from her. She wanted him to stay and that made him sooo happy. "I'll crash on the couch…"
She looked relieved. "You don't have to sleep on the couch. We've slept in the same bed before. Plus we can put on a movie and relax."
Jeff followed Aubree to her bedroom and they both stripped out of their jeans before climbing into her bed. She began rolling a joint with a smile. He laid on the bed and she snuggled up next to him. He wrapped his arm around her as she placed her head onto his chest. Jeff felt his heart racing as she wrapped her arm across his waist. He hated how normal this felt. He knew he wouldn't feel this comfortable with anyone else. Bree sparked the joint and inhaled deeply. She coughed as she handed it to Jeff. As he held her, he knew he'd never feel this comfortable with anyone else.
This realization was a major reason for his lack of interest in a relationship. He knew that his heart belonged to Aubree and it wouldn't be fair to enter into a relationship when he couldn't give his whole heart to another. He sighed as he held her and inhaled the scent of her shampoo. He was lost in thought and realized that she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He stroked her hair from her face and looked at her sleeping face.
He rubbed her cheek softly. "Bree, I love you. I always have…" he whispered softly into her ear.
"I love you Jeff…" she spoke sleepily.
Jeff instantly froze as his heart raced. Was she awake? What would she say? His thoughts raced as he was afraid to move. After a few moments, he realized she was asleep but had heard him. A smile crossed his lips. She loved him. She said his name so there was no doubt in his mind.