Dark Saviour
Chapter 16 - Reading Between the Lines
….
Undertaker stretched slowly, trying to relieve some of the tension that had settled into his body. He couldn't think of the last time he had been so stiff and sore. Turning, he glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 11:53 am.
No wonder I'm so sore, Taker thought as he sat up, running his fingers through the tangled mess that was his hair.
Glancing over to his left, he saw the wad of blankets on the bed beside him. Apparently Jeff had burrowed deep into the mattress as he slept last night, completely enclosing himself within the shelter of the blankets. Shaking his head, he found himself wondering how the hell the kid had managed to entangle himself so badly. Smiling a little, he slipped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom.
Jeff faintly heard the door close through the mountain of blankets he had wrapped around him. He could have sworn that he had heard the shower turn on, but his mind still felt a little fuzzy which left him unsure if he was hearing things or not. It wasn't helped by the fact that the blankets muffled out almost all sound, making it even harder to hear anything. Curiousity getting the better of him, Jeff began to unravel himself from the cocoon he had built.
Now I know how a present must feel.
Once he was finally free from the dark confines of the blankets, he immediately wished that he had stayed where he had been. The light that came through the window nearly blinded him and caused an immediate headache to pound at his temples. Groaning, Jeff lay back down, covering his head with the blankets.
So that's why they tell you to never have a drinking contest with Mark, Jeff thought miserably as he closed his eyes.
When his head stopped pounding and making him feel nauseous, he decided that it was safe to try and peak out again. This time Jeff came out from under the blankets slowly in hopes that the light wouldn't affect him as badly. With the blankets no longer smothering him, he could clearly hear the water running in the bathroom, telling him that shower was indeed on. Shifting into a sitting position, Jeff rested his back against the wall, before closing his eyes against the bright glare of the morning light, only opening his eyes slightly once the shower was turned off and the door was opened. He watched as Taker walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt, his dark red hair lay damp against his neck.
"You're awake," Undertaker said as his gaze fell upon the Rainbow Haired Warrior when the younger man blinked slowly.
"Barely," Jeff smiled.
"Can't handle the good life, can you?"
"I can handle it just fine," Jeff replied as he rubbed his hands over his face. "I just have to take the morning after a little slower then you apparently."
"Oh really?" Taker smirked. "That isn't what you were saying yesterday."
"Apparently I was wrong," Jeff shook his head, instantly regretting it as little black dots blurred his vision. He blinked rapidly to get rid of them.
"If you say so," Taker smiled, walking over to his own bed. "I guess I should have taken you up on that bet."
"Maybe," Jeff smiled before he turned to look up at the Deadman and asked, "So, how'd you sleep last night?"
"Like the dead," Undertaker joked.
"That's a relief," Jeff smiled.
Taker glanced up at Jeff, his eyebrow raised. "Oh really?"
"It means that I didn't keep you awake all night."
Taker looked at Jeff, confused.
"Hey, you said it yourself last night. Mixing candy and alcohol is not a good thing," Jeff paused, smiling. "At least not when it comes to me."
Undertaker shook his head. "You weren't as bad as Shawn."
"I would hope not," Jeff replied, silently thankful he wasn't as bad as the Heart-Break Kid on Pixie Sticks. "So, what's that thing you had to do here?" he asked, changing the topic.
"It's nothing really. I just have to go out later and I probably won't be back until tomorrow morning," Taker replied, suddenly acting nervous as he threw a couple of things into a smaller travel bag.
"Oh? What could you possibly be up to that would keep you out that late?" Jeff asked.
Taker shrugged. "Like I said, it's nothing really."
Jeff pouted. "Come on. You can tell me. I promise I won't laugh?" he stopped as if considering something. "Do you have a date?"
Undertaker nearly choked. "What?"
"Do you have a date tonight?"
"No," Undertaker replied, shaking his head.
"Then what else can keep you out that late?"
"A wedding," Taker answered sheepishly.
"A what?" Jeff asked in disbelief.
"A friend of mine is getting married tonight and he asked if I would go," Taker replied, trying to keep his embarrassment under control.
"Aw, the Deadman is going to a wedding," Jeff said, batting his eyes playfully.
"Watch it or you'll be the Deadman."
"Apparently you haven't lost your sense of humor." Jeff chuckled as Taker grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. "And you're very sensitive today. I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."
Taker didn't respond.
"So, how come you're going alone?" Jeff asked, deciding to risk another pillow attack from Undertaker to satisfy his curiousity.
Taker stood still for a moment before he shrugged. "I don't know anyone else who would want to go with me."
Before Jeff could reply to that, there was a soft knock on the door. Brow furrowed, Undertaker walked to the door and opened it, revealing a scrawny little boy who seemed to be shaking uncontrollably.
"Yes?" Taker asked expectantly.
"Um . . . uh . . . we got a letter for you . . . uh . . . Mr. Undertaker, sir," the boy quivered as he handed the envelope to the Deadman.
As soon as Taker took the letter from the boy, he turned and took off down the hall as fast as his little legs would allow him to go. Undertaker leaned out of the room, watching the boy run as if there was a bomb, or maybe the Boogeyman, behind him. Taker shook his head as he closed the door and moved back toward his bed, staring down at the letter in his hand with a frown.
"Mr. Undertaker?" Jeff asked jokingly.
"Shut it," Taker replied, opening the letter. As he quickly scanned its contents, he started to smile a little as he looked up a Jeff. "Besides, according to this, that would make you Mrs. Undertaker."
"What?" Jeff said in disbelief, quickly getting up so that he could go to Undertaker's side. "Well, what do you know?" he muttered, glancing at the letter.
"Yeah, I guess Glen decided to play an April Fool's joke early," Taker smirked.
"At least it's a decent one," Jeff replied, looking up at Undertaker.
"So," Taker looked down at Jeff. "Do you want to go?"
Jeff batted his eyes playfully, leaning into the Deadman slightly. "I do."
….
The two Superstars left the hotel once Jeff had finished his shower and had dressed. Before they went out the door, Jeff had begged Taker to let him keep the letter as a memento of their trip. Undertaker just didn't have the heart to say no as the Rainbow Haired Warrior pleaded with him. Smiling, Jeff gently put the letter on the nightstand beside his bed.
"I need to make sure that I frame that later," Jeff smiled. "I don't ever want to lose that piece of memorabilia."
Taker merely shrugged at that before he opened the door for Jeff and then led the way out of the hotel, which had led them to their current predicament as they traveled down yet another road, trying to find the church.
How difficult is it to find a church to marry two people in? Taker thought angrily to himself. The city isn't that big.
They had to have gone down several roads already and they had so far been unable to find the place they were looking for. After going down a side street for what seemed like the fifth time, they finally stumbled across the building they had been searching for.
"No wonder we couldn't find it. The place is so damn well hidden," Jeff said half to himself as they looked up at the old style church that had two large trees in front of it.
Taker didn't respond as he joined the small crowd outside and walked up the front steps into the building. It was a cute little thing, definitely meant for small, private affairs. As they walked into the main part of the church itself, they were assaulted by the smell of the millions of assorted flowers that littered the place. Cautiously, they picked their way through, stopping only when they heard someone calling Taker's name.
"Mark! Thank god you're here."
Both men turned to see a distressed looking man running toward them. "Hey, Keith, what's wrong?" Taker asked, his face showing the concern he felt.
"You wouldn't believe it. Jay got sick last night."
"Jay?" Jeff asked, looking up at Taker.
"Different guy," Undertaker said to Jeff before turning back to Keith. "So what's the problem?"
"Jay was my best man," Keith explained. "Without him, I don't have my best man."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Undertaker asked, slightly confused as he watched his friend work hard to keep his emotions in check and not fall apart.
"Well, I was wondering if you would take Jay's place?"
"What?" Taker asked, in shock.
"Please, Mark. It would mean so much to Julie and I."
"But . . ." Taker looked over at Jeff.
"Don't worry about me," Jeff said, patting Taker on the shoulder. "I'll be fine. Go help out your friend."
Undertaker nodded. "Okay then. If you say so."
"I do say so," Jeff smiled. "Just be glad that I made you change into a suit," he laughed.
"But what am supposed to do?" Taker asked, still unsure about the whole situation.
"Don't worry about the speech. I've got someone else taking care of that," Keith smiled up at Undertaker. "All you have to do is stand up there and look pretty."
"See. It's not all that bad," Jeff laughed at the expression on the Deadman's face. "You don't even have to look good while you're up there."
….
Matt ran into one of the hotels that the Superstars would be staying at as his panic began continued to grow. He had just flown in from California that day, desperately searching for his brother. After speaking to Cena, Matt had left the arena and had traveled to Death Valley, Home of The Undertaker, in an attempt to figure out if Cena had indeed been telling him the truth. Once he got there, however, he knew instantly that he had made a mistake. The house looked dark and empty even from the road as he drove up to it.
As he sat in front of the house, trying to decide on what he should do, he noticed that a few of the neighbors had started to come out of their homes, one of whom had come up to him to ask what he was doing. He could have sworn that one of the neighbours had been carrying a gun, as if expecting trouble. So, instead of testing that theory, Matt simply told them the truth. He explained to them how he was looking for Undertaker and his brother and that someone had told him that they had planned to stop here for a bit. To his amazement, the neighbours had actually opened up to him, some of whom recognized who he was, and told him that Taker hadn't been home for any length of time since he was injured the previous year. Matt thanked them for their help and quickly left, not wanting to push their hospitable mood any further than necessary.
Now, he stood in yet another hotel, hoping that this time he had gotten it right. There were only so many times you could go into a hotel and ask for someone specific before they would begin to get suspicious enough and call the police on him. Matt impatiently tapped his foot while waiting for someone to show up at the front desk. As minutes ticked by, he was finally able to sigh in relief when one of the workers stepped forward to help him.
"Can I help you, sir?" the man asked.
Sir? Do I honestly look that old? Matt thought, shaking his head slightly so that he could focus on what was important. "Yeah, I was wondering if Jeff Hardy had signed in yet?"
"I'm sorry sir, but I cannot give out that kind of information to anyone."
"He's my brother."
"I've heard that before, sir."
"Stop calling me sir!" Matt snapped, growing frustrated. "I just need to know that Jeff is okay."
"I can't," the man started, shaking his head.
"I know," Matt cut him off, running his fingers through his hair. "Can you tell me if Mark Calaway has signed in?"
"I'm sorry," he shook his head, barely refraining from adding 'sir'.
"Damn it," Matt said, leaning against the desk as he put his head in his hands.
"You know, sir, if you thought that he was truly in danger, that his life was on the line, I might be able to help . . ."
Matt looked up abruptly. "What?"
"If his life was in danger, I could, maybe, tell you where he is or at least where he's staying . . ."
"Really?"
The man nodded slowly as he looked around to make sure no one was listening.
"Well, I doubt Mark is in any danger, yet. But Jeff could be in serious trouble."
The man nodded, still glancing around nervously. "They are both staying in room 315, on the third floor," he said, looking quickly behind him as he grabbed the second set of keys. "Just bring these back when you're done."
Matt nodded, grabbing the keys. "Thanks," he said as he ran off toward the stairs. Before he entered the stairwell, another thought struck him. Turning back, he looked at the man before asking, "What's your name?"
"Tim."
"Thanks, Tim. You may have just saved Jeff's life," Matt said as he turned once again and opened the door that would bring him to the stairwell. Taking them two at a time, Matt reached the third floor faster than if he had waited for the elevator. He quickly ran down the hall until he came to the door he wanted. Stopping, he knocked on it gently, not really wanting to burst in and find that nothing was going on, or worse, interrupt something he really didn't want to see. When he got no response, he put the key in the lock and opened the door, fearing the worst.
Fortunately, his fears were unfounded. The room was completely empty. Matt walked through the room, looking for any sign as to where his brother may have gone. Just as he was about to head for the door, a piece of paper on the nightstand caught his eye. Matt walked over to the nightstand and picked up the letter, his eyes going wide as he read the fancy script.
You are invited to witness the magical union of Mark William Calaway and Jeffery Nero Hardy on Thursday February 14th at 1:00pm.
Two Hearts
Two Lives
Two Souls
Joined Together By Friendship
Bound Together By Love
Matt paused, staring at the invitation dumb founded. That would be so cute if it wasn't my brother.
He stood there, silently, for what seemed like hours, rereading over and over again the words in front of him. Matt just couldn't believe that Jeff would keep that big of a secret from him.
I mean this isn't something small like a secret relationship or something. This is marriage we're talking about here, a lifelong commitment.
Matt sank down onto the bed, his arms lying limply across his legs, his head hanging down in front of him. He felt completely numb. He didn't want to believe what he read but it was there in black and white, right in front of him.
Could Mark have pushed him that far? Is he that desperate for attention?
Matt shook his head. No matter what the situation was, Undertaker had never been desperate for anything. Lost in thought, Matt brought the invitation forward again and scanned it slowly, his gaze unfocused. As he stared at it blankly, another thought ran through his head.
February 14th, February 14th. That's today! Matt quickly glanced at his watch; it was 1:00pm. And the wedding has started already! Shit! I've got to get over there before it's too late! I have to stop Jeff from making the biggest mistake of his life!
….
Jeff tried with all his might to remain still, but he had so much energy bouncing around inside of him that it was nearly impossible. He couldn't believe that he had been able to convince Taker to do this. He thought that it would be impossible to get him to do it. Jeff beamed up at Undertaker as the priest was going over the familiar words.
"And I ask the same to you. Do you take him to be your beloved husband? In sickness and in health? In good times and bad? In all the journeys that you two shall face together? Till death do you part?"
Jeff couldn't remember the last time he had smiled a real smile. There was no force behind it. He truly felt at peace for the first time since Matt had left and his world had started to crumble around him. Jeff was so thankful to have Undertaker at his side. No matter what happened, the Deadman had been there to help him through it all. It was also, as the vows were exchanged, that Jeff realized that he might be feeling more for Taker then just the simple friendship they had fallen into.
But I can't think about him like that. He's not that type of person. Hell, I'm sure he would probably be one of the ones who would run away if they knew the truth, Jeff sighed as he lowered his gaze, twiddling his thumbs idly. But at least I know that he will always be there when I need him. Nothing can change that. As long as I don't show any of my feelings, especially when John's around, then everything will be okay. Nothing will happen and Mark will be safe. Sure, it might be a lonely life, but that's all I can hope for. I'm just not meant to have the perfect faerie tale ending. But I can at least have the faerie tale friendship with Mark.
Jeff smiled, looking up once again at Undertaker. Yeah, it would be a lonely, sad life, if he ever lost that man. So, he would keep his mouth shut. He wouldn't tell Taker about these strange feelings he had, nor would he tell Taker about his issues with Cena. He would make sure that Undertaker and Cena's paths never crossed. He would protect Undertaker from a similar fate that had befallen Shannon, the same one that could possibly fall upon his brother.
He shook his head. What the hell am I doing? This is supposed to be a happy occasion. I mean it's not every day you're invited to a wedding that the Deadman is standing in.
Jeff replaced his serious expression for a more light-hearted one. Although it wasn't completely forced, he knew that his smile wasn't as effortless as it had been before. Jeff wiped away a stray tear. As the ceremony was about to be completed with those seven little, powerful words, everyone's attention was diverted as the doors burst open.
"I object!"
What the hell? Jeff thought, turning with everyone else to look at the new comer. He could feel his heart and jaw drop as he stared in shock at the last person he thought he would see.
"Matt?"
Matt quickly scanned the crowd and found Jeff standing near the front, looking at him in horror. Another quick look showed him that Undertaker was standing at the altar, beside another man who was holding the hand of an angry bride.
Oops, Matt shook his head. "Jeff, get over here, now!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Matt?" Jeff said. "Sorry, Father," he added quickly as he glanced up at the priest.
"Just get your ass over here, now!"
Jeff remained where he was, desperately wishing he had the strength to tell Matt to go fuck himself. Closing his eyes, Jeff sighed before he walked over to the aisle. "I'm so sorry, Mark, and to you too, Keith. I never thought that this would happen," he said sadly before walking down the aisle.
Both he and Matt left the church, allowing the room to settle down and finish the ceremony. As soon as they were outside the building, Jeff turned on Matt. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Saving you from making a mistake."
"A mistake? How could my going to a wedding be a mistake?"
"Oh, please. I know that there is more going on then just that," Matt yelled. "I know what you're up to."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Don't play coy with me, Jeff. I fucking know you better then that."
"Do you?" Jeff retorted.
"Yeah, I do. I just wish you had told me yourself instead of letting me to find out through someone else."
"Who told you?" Jeff asked quietly. Unfortunately, it was too quiet for Matt to hear so his brother continued his rant.
"I didn't want to believe it. But then I found that fucking invitation! Why didn't you tell me, Jeff?" Matt snapped.
"What invitation?"
"The invitation to yours and Mark's wedding! What do you think?"
"That was a joke."
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Jeff," Matt replied sarcastically.
"Glen sent it to Mark as an early April Fool's joke. You can ask him yourself."
"I'm not going anywhere near that bastard unless it's to beat him senseless for taking advantage of you!" Matt interrupted.
"Don't you dare talk about Mark that way!" Jeff snapped angrily. "For your information he's been nothing but nice to me!"
"I bet. I guess he's been so good to you that you just decided to start acting differently for the hell of it."
"I'm not the one acting differently, Matt. I merely grew up," Jeff retorted. "It's you who has been acting differently. Is it because I don't need you anymore?"
"What?" Matt asked, a little taken back.
"That's right. I don't need my big brother to protect me anymore. I'm not a fucking baby, Matt."
"I know you're not."
"Then why do you insist on treating me like one?" Jeff asked.
"I don't. I just wish you would tell me these things so that I didn't have to find them out from other people or pieces of paper?" Matt said, his anger fading slightly.
"Who told you? Did Chris tell you?"
"Jericho? Why would he tell me anything," Matt paused as he realized what this meant. "Wait? So it's true?"
"Yes Matt, it's true. Your baby brother is gay."
"And Mark?"
"Doesn't know anything about it."
"But then, why is everyone saying that you guys are together?"
"Because I'm sure Chris had nothing better to do than to brag about it."
"What the hell does he have to do with it?" Matt asked.
"I'm sure that's where all the rumors started. He just couldn't keep it quiet that he slept with the Rainbow Haired Warrior," Jeff said bitterly.
"He did what?" Matt snapped, some of his anger returning.
"We slept together at the New Years party."
"Slept together?"
"You don't really need me to explain this, do you?" Jeff rolled his eyes.
"But . . ."
"Oh, come on. It's not that hard of a concept. Your little brother has had sex with guys."
"No."
"Yes. Get over it, Matt."
"But . . ."
"What? You didn't go and pay him to do it, did you?"
"Where is that coming from?"
"I don't believe it," Jeff said, looking at his brother as a newfound horror gripped at his heart. "The first possible relationship I have in years is because you paid someone," he continued, backing away. "Did you pay all of the other people I've had relationships with?"
"Are we back onto that subject?" Matt snapped growing ever more frustrated with his brother.
"Is everything okay?" Taker asked, walking up to the two brothers. He watched Jeff with concern as he saw the expression on the smaller man's face. It was close to the same look that he had seen when Jeff had knocked on his door, battered and bruised, when Shannon had been beaten within inch of his life.
"Stay out of this. This is between Jeff and me, not me and his lover," Matt replied bitterly, glaring at Taker.
"Don't you dare talk to him like that!" Jeff snapped, close to breaking.
"Come on, Jeff. I'm taking you with me on promotions. You need a break from all of this."
"No!" Jeff yelled, covering his ears. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I think you had better back off, Matt," Undertaker said as he moved slightly toward the younger Hardy.
"Don't you lay a finger on him," Matt snapped. "And don't you dare tell me what to do."
"Fuck you."
Both Matt and Undertaker looked over at Jeff, who looked at them with a glazed expression on his face. "Fuck you," he repeated.
"Jeff," Matt said, reaching out to his brother, only to have Jeff back away further. "Jeff, please."
Jeff just shook his head, continuing to back away from the two men before him.
"Jeff," Matt pleaded while Taker looked at Jeff sympathetically. He knew that the kid was badly torn up inside and even though he really wanted to go over and comfort the Rainbow Haired Warrior right now, something was holding him back. Something he hadn't felt in a long time: fear of being turned away.
"Jeff, just come back with me. We need to talk."
"No," Jeff shook his head, looking at both of them, tears flowing down his face. "I can't . . . I can't let you," he shook his head. Then, before anyone could stop him, he ran off down the street, quickly getting lost within the crowd.
"Damn it," Matt cursed, ready to chase after his brother. Before he could start running after Jeff, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he glared up at Taker. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I don't think you should go after him."
"And what? Leave him out there on his own? In his condition?" Matt paused. "Or maybe you want to go after him yourself? I don't think so," he continued, shrugging off Taker's hand.
Undertaker shook his head, holding fast to the older Hardy. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just suggesting that you leave him alone for a bit. If you go after him now, you may only end up pushing him further away."
Matt looked in the direction Jeff had taken, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Maybe you're right."
"Of course I'm right. Contrary to popular belief, I would never hurt Jeff."
….
A/N: I debated with myself long and hard about where this chapter was going to end. And I think I like where this one has ended . . . Even though it meant that I had to hurt Jeff again. Damn it that guy just can't catch a break (sniff). Oh well, it should all get better soon . . . I hope . . .