Authors Note: Look, two chapters in one day! *dances* Also, the Backlash Match was probably the most painful thing for me to watch ever, and I was at the Smackdown Stretcher match live. SO GLAD THE HARDY VS. HARDY FEUD IS OVER.
Disclaimer: If I owned Matt Hardy, we'd all be in trouble. Pretty sure neither Jeff Hardy nor Beth Britt has crotch crickets, fyi ;) Emma Keating = mine all mine.
If This Isn't Love - Chapter 5
Saturday had been a complete blur of airports, airplanes, hotels, fan encounters, and exhaustion, and like every day, Sunday came too early. Matt and Jeff headed to the arena to do a run through of their match while Emma took Lucas for a walk and headed back up to the room to do some work on her laptop. She and Matt always got adjoining rooms with Jeff and Beth when they traveled, and like usual, Beth was sprawled across the bed watching some overpriced pay-per-view movie while Emma tried to get her creative jusices flowing.
Lucas lifted his head as he heard voices coming down the hallway and a few moments later Matt and Jeff came into the room, looking surprisingly energized for it being before noon and after a run through.
"Hello laaaadies," Jeff grinned in his best-worst Val Venis impression. He flopped on the bed beside Beth before Matt swatted him.
"Off my bed man, I don't want your crotch crickets on there," he teased. Beth wrinkled her nose and eww'd as she jokingly scooted away from Jeff. Matt walked over to the desk Emma was in front of and leaned down to plant a kiss on her shoulder.
"Working hard?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Something like that," Emma answered, smiling. "How'd it go?" Matt stood up and looked at Jeff.
"What?" Beth questioned, sitting up. Emma turned around in the chair to look at the brothers.
"What's up?" she asked. The men continued to look at each other, willing the other to go first.
"Seriously you two, what?" Beth prodded again, beginning to grow annoyed. Jeff sighed and spoke first.
"Creative has this idea for the match tonight. I'm gonna tie Matt to a table, duct tape his hands and feet together, and hit him from the ladder."
"I'm sorry, what?" Emma blinked a few times. "You're kidding, right?" She looked from Matt's face to Jeff's, and then back to Matt's. "You're not kidding." Matt shook his head. From the bed, Beth groaned and put the heel of her hand to her forehead. She had been around long enough to know that what creative wanted, creative got, especially when it came to pay-per-views, but she knew Emma was stubborn as a mule and would try to argue it anyway. And she knew Emma would be none-to-pleased with this idea.
"Hey Jeff, let's um .. go that way," Beth pushed him off the bed so quickly he nearly landed on his ass, and he gave her a look as she continued pushing him out the adjoining door and into their own room. The door closed with a click and Matt exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath in the first place.
"So .." he began, shoving his hands in his pockets. Emma continued to stare straight ahead, trying to absorb the information. "Let's have it." Emma looked up at him and took a deep breath.
" .. just be careful, ok?" Matt blinked a few times, his brow furrowed in confusion. That had not been the reaction he had expected, and judging from Jeff and Beth's quick exit, they had expected something different as well.
"Really? That's it?" Emma shrugged, turning back around in her chair to focus on her laptop again.
"You're a professional Matt, this is part of the job, I get it. You rehearsed it, you guys know what you're doing .." She trailed off as Matt spun her around by the shoulders to face him. He was crouched down, his brown eyes burning into hers.
"Ok, now tell me how you really feel Emma." Emma sighed, twirling her hair in her fingertips again, the telling sign of how she was feeling. When she spoke, it was soft and laced with worry.
"Look, I'm scared ok? I'm scared every time you step into that ring. But I love you and I trust you, and I just have to accept whatever it is you're going to do and hope that you come back to me the same way you left." Matt put a finger under Emma's chin and lifted her face to look at him.
"Thank you." He placed a soft kiss on her lips to help assuage her worry.
A few hours later and they were at the arena, Beth and Emma staring at a monitor in the backstage area as Matt and Jeff's match started. Neither woman said a word, just held each others hand and watched, both praying for a good, safe match for their men. The match was going over amazingly well, the crowd was on fire, and Matt bringing up their parents caused even the women to wince, even though they knew it had been scripted. It wasn't until Jeff climbed to the top of the ladder after Matt said "I Quit" that panic set in.
"Shit. Matt's hands," Beth pointed out, noticing his hand position was not correct for Jeff's landing.
"Oh no," Emma whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. She couldn't bare to watch, but she couldn't bare to look away. She knew what was coming as Jeff lept and landed on Matt. Matt's face gave nothing away as Jeff rolled away, but as soon as he sat back, Jeff's face said it all.
Something had gone wrong.
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