A week after Jeff found out about his limited time, he was allowed to leave the hospital. Matt had not explained the plan to him that same night, nor had he explained in any of the other days, but he had promised to explain it tonight, when Ric was asleep and they could speak without interruption.

Right now both Jeff and Matt were eating dinner with the man, who was doing his best to not even speak to any of them. Not like either teen blamed him. He had become a kind of father figure when their mother passed and their father wasn't good enough to take care of them, then he had officially become their father when their dad passed and left them in his care.

Also, Ric had been good friends with the Hardy family since before Matt and Jeff were born, so the deaths of both parents had really taken their toll on him. And now, with Jeff only having three months left to live, he was doing his best to not break down and start crying.

"Matt." Ric said as he placed his fork down, which made the older Hardy look up at him with a raised brow. "I've already spoken with the school about this delicate... Situation, and they have agreed that it's best for you to be with Jeff in his last months. They are willing to excuse you from these months, as long as you can catch up with the rest of your class during Summer."

Both Matt and Jeff were shocked at the information, and Matt stared at Ric with wide eyes. "Are you serious, Ric? They're really letting me have these three months free?"

Ric nodded solemnly and explained, "With Jeff only having three months before he-" He choked and looked away, the tears trying to escape. "He dies..." The word was spat out, as if it burned Ric, "And him being your closest living relative, the school board is willing to do this."

Matt actually smiled at the news and turned to Jeff, only to find the younger picking at his food with a pout. "What's wrong, Jeff?" He asked without even thinking of his question, then quickly regretted it when Jeff flashed him an annoyed glare.

"Oh, maybe it's the rainy weather that's getting on my nerves. Or maybe it's the neighborhood kids doing their best to ruin my art-work. Or... Oh, I don't know... I'm going to die in a few months and I can do nothing about it!" Jeff finally yelled, making Matt cringe and shrink in his chair.

Jeff puffed out a breath, then looked at Matt and Ric, who was staring at him wide eyed, and instantly regretted having yelled. "I'm sorry, Mattie. Mr. Flair. It's just..."

"It's not easy, Jeff. We understand." Ric informed him, grabbing his fork once more and taking a bit out of his food.

Jeff nodded uneasily, then looked at Matt, who had his head down while eating. He sighed, feeling horrible for having yelled at Matt, who had been a sweetheart this past few days and done everything he asked, and tried to go back to eating.

A few more minutes of silence passed by the three when Ric spoke once more. "I was thinking of letting you two go visit your Aunt and Uncle over in Florida for a week. You know, so you can at least say good bye to all of your family members." He informed.

This made both Matt and Jeff groan, which almost made Ric want to smile. Matt had always acted almost ten years older than his actual age, and Jeff had been so down these past few days that he had actually missed the teen moments they used to have.

"Do we have to, Ric? They don't like us over there." Matt informed, actually relieved that he had another excuse to not eat.

For the past week he had been having problem wanting to eat, seeing how he wasn't even interested in food anymore, but he ate whenever he was forced to. But he stalled it as much as possible, without Ric or Jeff noticing, of course.

"Yeah, and the kids over there are jerks." Jeff added, nodding as he crossed his arms. "Last time we were there they made fun of Mom and her stories!"

Ric rolled his eyes and dropped his own eating utensils. "Jeff, that was ten or eleven years ago. You cannot hold a grudge for that long."

"Yes I can. You see? I'm holding it right now." Jeff closed his eyes, nodding to himself as if his philosophy was flawless.

Matt stared at him, then shook his head and looked at Ric. "Not only that, Ric, but the kids just don't like us. Aunt Mickie and Uncle James are nice enough, but the kids have grown up thinking that they're above us- and that's really shocking 'cause both Aunt and Uncle are Rednecks- and they go out of their way to make us miserable." Matt explained.

Ric nodded in understanding, but countered, "They were kids when they were like that, Matt. Not older than ten, and let me remind you that you two didn't give them much reason to love you. Who put worms in their pillowcases in the camping trip?"

Jeff blushed at this and chuckled nervously. "Shannon dared me?" He used an excuse, which made Ric shake his head.

"People change, Jeff. And it will only be a week. I need some time to get some things straightened out and your other family members have the right to see you at least one more time. Just do this one thing for me, please." Ric pleaded, looking at both of them with pleading eyes.

Matt and Jeff both groaned at the request, but still agreed. "If you promise it's only a week and won't make us hug the chicks." Jeff said, which made Ric smile as he nodded.

"Now go to bed, you two." Ric said after they had agreed and finished eating, which made both boys get up from the table and start getting ready for bed.

As they lied down in their beds in the shared bedroom, Matt couldn't help but say, "Jeff? You know how I told you I'd tell you my plan tonight?"

Jeff sat up in his bed, nodding at him. "You going to fulfill your promise, Mattie?"

Matt nodded, and smiling, said, "Think back to Mom and her stories. What was the on thing she told us to keep our eyes open for?"

Jeff scrunched up his face in thought, and scratching at his head, asked, "Keep our eyes open for gold?"

Matt sighed, but moves his head from side to side, "Close, Jeffy. What was her favorite story to tell?"

It seemed like a light-bulb went off in Jeff's head when he said, "The one about Prince Jeff and busboy Matt and the fields of gold. Mattie... Are you telling me you're going to put my life in pure hope and fairy-tales from our child hood?"

Matt smiled at him, then said, "You just have to believe in me, Jeff. And with this week in Florida, our search will be able to start soon enough."

"You're actually going to look for them?" Jeff asked, wondering if his brother had finally fallen into complete lunacy.

"No, Jeff, we're going to look for them." Matt smiled, then leaned back down in his bed. "We're going to find the Fields of Gold and give you a chance to live."

And the adventure begins! Two reviews and I'll update tomorrow.