Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

** Jeffrey Nero Hardy is going to be a Daddy! **

In case you don't know, Jeff announced on The Hardy Show that he and Beth are expecting a baby! The Legend is going to be a Grandpapa and Matt is going to be an Uncle! Yayyyy! Congratulations to the happy couple! Check out his announcement on youtube at - .com/watch?v=_S1svCRzJ6U

Now, back to the reviews!

LegacyChick – Too much drama? Too unrealistic? You should check out some of my earlier stories. This paled in comparison. I write as I see it, but thanks for the feedback!

Redsandman99 – I agree with you, but somehow it didn't seem right to leave Adam out of the action. Don't forget, he gave up his title shot and I just can't bring myself to deprive him of his chance.

BellaHickenbottom – Don't feel frustrated because you can't make up your mind, cos' I haven't made up my mind as well! LOL!

Esha Napoleon – Thank you. How's grandmama Napoleon? Give my regards to her. Has she made a wild guess as yet as to who Jeff will end up with?

NeroAnne – I'm glad you agree with me that Adam so needs his moment with Jeff. I've done him justice … finally!

WraithRaider – Boys will be boys! Glad to know you enjoyed the video!

Takers dark lover – Jeff sure didn't need any more complications, but Adam had the golden opportunity. He's the ultimate opportunist after all!

Infection13 – I wrote that in because I can see the Shaman of Sexy doing just that. Will he get into trouble with Randy and Cena? Read on to find out. Glad you enjoyed the video! Shannon Moore uploaded another dance scene. Check this out if you're interested - .com/watch?v=BFcHnmuBErI You can actually see it better if you switch to full screen.

To one and all, thank you for your reviews!

-ooo-

Chapter 23

Chris and Morrison were trying to placate an outraged Randy who had not stopped hurling verbal abuse at them since he stepped into the room. Cena bristled quietly on the sideline. He had missed out on his one night with Jeff and he was sorely pissed! They had woken up next to each other and by putting two and two together, deduced it was Morrison who had set them up again. They couldn't find him in his room and Carlito told them he could be bunking with Chris, and that was where they found him.

While Randy was taking a respite from his outburst, Cena said his piece.

"I admit it's our own fault for getting ourselves drunk, but you shouldn't have played us around like that. We almost fell out with Jeff the last time and we promised him it won't happen again. I'm prepared to look the other way, but if we get into trouble with him because of your prank, then, you will have a major problem with us!"

"There won't be any problems. I promise we will clear up any misunderstanding with Jeff if there's a need," Chris assured him. He had covered up for Morrison and told them that he was the one who came up with the prank.

Cena nodded. "Alright, now that we've gotten that out of the way, do you know where Jeff is?"

"Adam took him to Randy's room last night," Chris informed them.

Randy frowned. "I have my key with me, how did he get in?"

The surprised looks on Chris' and Morrison's face told him it was news to them. With a snarl, he turned on his heels and dashed out the door. The others took off after him. As they headed to Adam's room, Chris prayed quietly that Adam didn't do anything stupid to jeopardize his relationship with the others. To everyone's relief, they found him alone. He was already up and dressed but something in his demeanor told them something was amiss.

"Where's Jeff?" Randy asked, fixing him with a gaze.

"He's with Matt" and as an afterthought, added, "I brought him to Matt about two hours ago."

The silence was disquieting.

"Are you telling us he stayed here with you last night?" Randy asked in a strained voice. He should have known that Adam wouldn't give up so easily.

Adam hesitated. Randy and Cena looked like they were going to throttle him, but he saw no reason to hide the truth from them. It was a matter of time before they found out anyways. He was about to tell them what happened between him and Jeff when Shannon and Carlito walked through the open door.

"Sorry for interrupting, guys, but Matt sent me. Jeff has something to tell you," Shannon informed them before leading the way to Matt's room.

Matt had his arm around his brother in a protective gesture when they walked in. Jeff looked nervous. He fiddled with his fingers and avoided looking directly at Randy and Cena. Shane nodded an acknowledgement to everyone but stood watch silently.

"Jeff?" Both Randy and Cena started making their way towards him and Matt spoke up. "Jeff has something private to say to you two … and Adam," he added, sending a glare at Adam's direction. He turned next to his brother, "You're sure you don't want me to stay with you?" he asked, a worried frown creasing his forehead.

"I.. I'll be fine," Jeff assured him with a weak smile.

Matt still looked unconvinced but he said, "Okay, I'll be right outside if you need me" and gestured the rest to follow him out.

As soon as the door closed, Randy and Cena moved to sit down on either side of Jeff while Adam moved to stand at the rear of the bed.

"What's it, Jeff? Have you come to a decision about us?" Cena asked as he took one of his hands in his, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I …" Jeff began and then stopped. He had to tell them, regardless of the consequences. It was the right thing to do. He took in a deep breath and told them what took place between him and Adam that morning. He made it clear that he was a willing participant to the incident and that Adam was not to be blamed. In spite of what he said, the other two didn't absolve Adam from all blame. Randy got up to confront Adam but Jeff pulled him down by the arm and begged him.

"Please, Randy, don't make it any worse. This is entirely my fault. I feel bad enough as it is. I won't blame you or John if you want to walk away from this," he said miserably.

Randy pulled him into a hug. "I'll never walk away from you, Jeff! Not now, not ever!" He sighed as he said, "This is partly our fault. None of this would have happened if both of us stayed sober!"

"We have failed you," Cena said glumly, "so, we are all to blame. The question is, what do we do now?" The deed was done and it was senseless trying to shove the blame on Adam. "I assume you didn't call us here to tell us you have made up your mind."

Jeff shook his head as he admitted, "I'm more confused than ever. I don't know what to do and that's why I think we should take some time apart from seeing each other for the time being."

Randy and Cena started to protest but Jeff pleaded his case.

"My feelings are in turmoil and honestly, spending time with each of you only makes it harder for me to make up my mind. I'm growing more attached to everyone and I seriously doubt it is helping. We shouldn't prolong this any longer as our feelings are involved. I really don't want to cause any more pain to any of you. I need time to myself to sort my feelings out. I know it's hard on all of you but it's for the best."

"How long do we need to stay apart?" Randy asked anxiously. He couldn't bear the thought of being away from him for too long. Just a day without him was already driving him insane! Cena and Adam felt the same way and vocalized their thoughts.

"We will still see each other, just not on one-to-one. I really don't know for how long. Let's take this one day at a time." His answer provided some relief, at least they would still spend time with him collectively.

"If it'll help clear your mind and get your answers, then, I guess we just have to bear with it," Cena said with a sigh.

"So, you're going to stay with Matt then?" Adam asked.

"I guess so," Jeff said, still undecided. Logically, he would stay with his brother but knowing how pushy Matt can be, he didn't want any pressure from him while he was trying to make up his mind. He was contemplating staying alone, but he would discuss with Matt first.

He started apologizing for the trouble he had caused. "I'm really sorry for putting you guys through this," he began but Cena cut him short.

"Don't worry about it, Jeff. Do what you need to do. We can wait while you sort out your feelings. Right guys?" he looked to them for their concurrence and Randy nodded reluctantly, although he wasn't pleased with the idea.

Adam felt at that point he should say something.

"I just want to say I know how you guys feel about the turn in the situation. I can understand if you're angry with me but I'm not going to apologize for my actions. I believe you would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes. I'm sorry if you think I was being sneaky but the opportunity presented itself and Jeff didn't refuse me. As I see it, I didn't do anything wrong."

Cena and Randy wanted to rebut but considering how wretched Jeff felt at that moment, they didn't want to upset him further by arguing with Adam in his presence.

"It wasn't his fault," Jeff concurred. At Randy's miserable look, he hugged him. "Please don't hate me, Randy," he whispered tearfully against his ear.

Randy held him tight for several moments before letting go reluctantly, "I could never hate you, you know that," he assured him with a broken smile. Jeff flung his arms around him, tearing up. He felt so bad, hurting him, hurting all of them like that. Randy gave him a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, I'm not angry with you. Don't be sad."

Cena waited for Jeff to turn to him before crushing him in his beefy arms.

"I'm going to miss holding you in my arms," he said, and with a heavy sigh, released him. "Just don't keep us waiting too long, you hear?"

Jeff nodded with tears shining in his eyes. He looked up at Adam who moved to squat down in front of him. Adam reached for his hands and kissed his fingers tenderly before saying smilingly, "Thank you for giving me another chance. I promise you that whatever decision you come to, I'll respect it."

The door opened quietly and Matt popped his head in.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in alarm, stepping into the room when he saw his brother in tears. He thought they had enough time to talk, plus he also wanted to check if Adam made it out alive after seducing his brother. He was surprised to find him unharmed and concluded that, somehow, Jeff had managed to convince Randy and Cena that it wasn't Adam's fault. He had his own thoughts about it but he promised Jeff he would stay out of his business. If Randy and Cena were fine with it, then, there was nothing he could say.

"Jeff?" he gave his brother a questioning look, "Are you done here yet?" and when he nodded miserably, he suggested kindly, "Why don't we all go out and get something to eat? I'll pay," he offered generously, trying to make him smile.

"You go on ahead, I'm not hungry," Jeff said listlessly.

"But, you have to eat something!" Shannon insisted, approaching him. He had been waiting outside the open door and overheard him. "Come on, I don't want any arguments from you!" he said, pulling him up, but Jeff resisted.

"Please Shan, I have a headache. I'll grab something later, okay?" His friend studied him critically and decided to leave him alone. "Okay, you rest for a bit and I'll come by later to check on you."

Matt ushered the whole lot out before turning to his brother, "You want me to bring back something for you, bro?"

"I'm really not hungry. Just let me rest for a couple of hours." He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He wanted some peace and quiet to think.

"I shall not disturb you then. I'll see you later."

Jeff heard the door close. Sighing, he turned on his side and opened his eyes. He couldn't rest. How was he going to decide? There were three men of them and he was going to hurt two of those three. He had never felt more wretched. What was he thinking going out with all three men? Oh yes, it was Matt's great idea and he was foolish enough to follow it, he thought wryly. Okay, who should he pick? He analyzed each man's strong and weak points and came up with no decision. His headache grew worse and he sat up, massaging his temple. He couldn't think past the throbbing pain. Maybe, Matt had some Tylenol in his bag. He went to his bag and rummaged through it but couldn't find any. He contemplated calling him next to get some for him but decided not to bother him. He recalled seeing a drugstore at the corner of the hotel yesterday and decided to go out and get some himself. Pulling on a jacket, he took the cardkey his brother left behind for him before leaving. As he made his way out of the hotel, his thoughts were far away. He didn't see the car pulling out from the other side of the road and following him in a crawl. He came to a junction and crossed quickly. The drugstore was just a couple of blocks away.

As Jeff stepped into the store, the car pulled to a stop outside it. Raven was bristling with excitement. He had done his homework well, checking up on where Jeff was staying and stakeout just outside the hotel early in the morning. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of him, knowing Jeff would have to step out of the hotel sometime. Imagine his surprise when he saw him walking out all alone, with no one to protect him. He knew that it was his opportunity to get his hands on him. As he waited, he glanced around, hoping no one was foolish enough to interfere when he made his move. Minutes ticked by and he started to grow impatient. The door swung open and Jeff stepped out carrying a paper bag. Raven was about to spring into action when a lady stepped out behind Jeff. She mouthed her thanks to him as he held the door open for her. To his vexation, they walked off together, making conversation. Raven cursed under his breath. Now, he had to turn back and pray that he got to Jeff before he made it back to the hotel. He quickly pulled out the vehicle and made a U-turn, thanking his lucky stars when Jeff and the lady went their separate ways at the junction. "Come on! Come on!" he muttered under his breath as he made a left turn at the junction and checked the rear view mirror to see if Jeff had crossed over.

Jeff made his way across and as he did, he glanced at the car up ahead that was parked at the side. He recalled vaguely seeing that car somewhere but before he could register where, the door was flung open and Raven stepped out towards him in a flash. Taken by surprise, he didn't get a chance to yell before a fist connected with his jaw, knocking him down. Dazed by the blow, he struggled feebly as he was picked up and shoved into the backseat of the vehicle unceremoniously. He heard someone calling out his name and he tried to sit up but a punch landed on his temple, knocking him out. Raven quickly climbed to the front and pulled out. He almost hit Shawn who tried to stop him from leaving. He grinned as he saw him and Hunter looking on helplessly as he put distance between them. Raven threw a quick glance at the slumped figure on the backseat and chuckled. Jeff had finally fallen into his hands and he promised himself he was going to have himself some fun with him.

-ooo-

Matt and the others were having a leisure breakfast in the breakfast room at the hotel when Shawn and Hunter burst in with panicked looks on their faces. They immediately headed towards their table when they spotted Matt.

"Matt! Raven just took Jeff away outside the hotel!" Shawn spoke hurriedly.

The news was met with mayhem. Everybody started talking and Shawn found himself bombarded with questions. "Hold it!" he shouted. "I took down the license plate but we have to call it in so the police can track them down! Come on, we don't have time to lose!" He urged them to follow and soon, the call was put through at the front desk.

"What do we do now?" Shannon asked, wringing his hands with distraught. Carlito put his arm around him. "Don't worry, the police will find them. We just sit tight and wait for their call."

Randy growled as he paced like a caged animal in the lobby, "We can't just do nothing! That psycho is going to hurt Jeff if we don't get to him on time!"

Everyone knew that but they were helpless. They didn't even know where to look.

"We can't wait for the police!" Matt decided. "Raven is not right in the head. He's going to do something really bad to Jeff! We have the license plate. I say we spread out and look for them ourselves!"

Hunter spoke up, "We don't know where to look and it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Let me call Jarrett. I'll ask him to check if anyone knows where Raven's at."

As Hunter contacted Jarrett, Shawn told them what he saw.

"Hunter and I were going out for a bite when we saw Jeff in the distance. We saw a man sprung out of a car and hit him, and then pushed him into the vehicle. We gave chase but we couldn't get to him on time."

"Are you sure it was Raven?" Matt asked.

"I only recognized him when he almost knocked me down with his car," Shawn confirmed it.

Hunter rejoined them. "Jarrett is going to make some calls and call us back. There's nothing we can do till then."

Randy let out a frustrated growl.

"Hey, take it easy, we are all just as anxious to get to Jeff but we need to stay calm and think of our next step," Cena advised as he put a hand on his shoulder to give him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm going with Matt's plan. We split up and start looking. Once Hunter gets hold of any news, he can call us on our phones," Adam suggested.

Everyone agreed and they exchanged their numbers with Hunter and the rest, so they could keep in touch with each other while on the move. Since they were in Shawn's hometown, he suggested the places they could look.

"He would bring him some place quiet and not too far away from here. If he had been scouting Jeff, he wouldn't want to waste too much time travelling. I doubt he would bring him back to a hotel, so let's focus our attention on motels. Hunter and I will check out the shadier parts of town. You guys drive around and keep an eye out for a grey Lincoln." He furnished them the license plate number and said, "Be on the alert but most important, stay safe. Call for reinforcements if you spot them but don't move in till you're sure it is safe to do so. I hate to make it worse than it already is, but, have you guys considered he may have a weapon?"

That thought unnerved them. They never considered it and it was a possibility and if that was the case, they had to act fast. But Shawn lay down explicit instructions for them to follow. He didn't want anyone to get hurt.

"If Raven really has a gun, you do not play hero! You call the police and you wait for them to deal with the situation. Is that clear?" After making sure they understood, they divided themselves into groups; Matt, Shane and Chris will go in one car, Carlito, Shannon and Morrison in another, Cena, Randy and Adam made up the third, and finally, Hunter and Shawn.

"Okay, let's move out!" Hunter gave the orders.

-ooo-

He woke up to find both his hands cuffed to the bedpost and his mouth gagged. And everything came back to him. Raven! Breaking out in cold sweat, he struggled frantically to free himself, his whimpers of fear muffled by the gag ball stuffed in his mouth. He froze when the door opened and Raven stepped in.

Raven grinned when he saw his captive had regained consciousness.

"Hello, Jeffrey. Did you have a nice nap?" and laughed when he saw the fear in his eyes. He bent down towards him and murmured, "Did you miss me?"

Jeff cowered away from him, refusing to look at him. His reaction infuriated him. Raven's disposition altered completely. He snarled as he pulled hard on his hair, forcing him to look at him.

"Think you could easily get rid of me with a restraining order? You should know me better than that, Jeffrey!"

At the pleading look in his eyes, he sighed, his demeanor softening.

"You shouldn't have done that. I don't understand why you ran away. I thought you loved me. After everything we've been through, you ditched me! Why? Wasn't I good enough for you?" he asked in an injured tone.

And his demeanor changed again. He started to get agitated.

"I saw you with those three men! What the hell do you think you're doing? You're whoring yourself out to them? One man not good enough for you?" he roared, spittle flying from his mouth.

In the next moment, he reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Jeff cried out in fear as the gun was leveled at his temple. He squeezed his eyes shut, trembling and shaking his head fervently.

"You're scared now? You should be! Where are your fucking friends, uh? They are not here to save you this time! Look at what they fucking did to me!"

He withdrew and pulled up his shirt to reveal his taped ribs. "Six months, Jeff, they put me out of action for six months! And Jarrett suspended me without pay! You and your fucking friends did this to me! You're happy now? You like seeing me cut down and stomped on, don't you, you fucking whore! Well, if I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

Jeff cried out as Raven smashed the butt of his gun at the side of his face. The Birdman sneered as blood trickled from the side of his mouth.

"I'm not going to make this easy on you. It's just too easy to shoot you and put you out of your misery! I'm going to make you suffer, Jeff. I'm going to inflict more pain than you have ever felt in your entire life!"

With that, he placed his gun on the side table and drew out a hunting knife from its sheath from his waistband. Jeff whimpered as he leaned over him. When Raven moved the knife to his torso, he kicked at him, frantic noises emitting from his covered mouth. Without hesitation, Raven punched him in the jaw, knocking him senseless. "That will keep you quiet!" he muttered as he started cutting his shirt and pants open, leaving him completely naked. He nicked him at several places, leaving little trails of blood on his body and thighs. Raven let out a low disturbing laugh as he studied his body.

"Still so beautiful, no wonder they're all fighting over you! But you don't belong with them, you belong to me!"

Saying, he placed his hunting knife next to the gun before undressing quickly. Jeff moaned as he slowly came to his senses. He screamed with pain when something hard was rammed into him. Tears stung his eyes as his insides burned with pain.

"Why are you screaming? With those men taking their turns with you, you should be able to take the knife butt easily."

He laughed as he drew it out and saw blood trickling from the hole. "I guess I was wrong," he cackled insanely as he threw the knife down and positioned himself on top of him. He spread Jeff's legs wider apart even as he fought him. "Let's see if you're still as tight as before," and thrust in roughly.

A long scream emitted from Jeff as pain tore through him like a knife. He felt like he was gutted from within. Shaking and crying, he prayed for it to quickly end as Raven rutted against him callously. Loud animal grunts escaped him as he thrust mercilessly into his captive. His eyes were bloodshot and wild and as he finally came with a howl, he raked his fingers down Jeff's thighs, leaving his mark. Panting, he withdrew and was pleased to see more blood flowing out of him. Jeff immediately pulled his legs up and curled himself into a ball. He squeezed his eyes shut, crying silently.

Raven got up and stood hovering over him. He just stared silently at him for several moments, and without a word, dressed himself and walked out. As soon as the door closed, Jeff broke down completely. Loud sobs escaped him and as he cried helplessly, he realized he wasn't going to make it out alive this time.

-ooo-

Reviews are greatly appreciated.