A/N: Animal Luvr 4 Life, yes, Vickie sucks, but she is amusing; Neroanne, LOL; Nelpher, thank you; JNHwwe, thank you also; Crystalgurl101, Matt is a low-down bastard in this story, and it's only going to get worse; I also want to put an arm around Jeff, and tell him it'll be ok!; Onions, as always, fascinating stuff; Nobody's Love, much obliged; ExtremeDiva18, I'll do my best to update more often. :)
Thank you very much to all who reviewed, and I'm sorry it took me so long to update this time around. Life intervenes, as we all know.
As always, WWE owns all, and I am poor. Oh yeah, and I own nothing and no one.
Jeff sat in a shadowy corner of the locker room after the show that night, exhausted in both mind and body. He couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, and yet he couldn't find the strength to move just yet.
He sat with slumped shoulders, watching the hustle of the locker room. At least the others were ignoring him now.
Their incessant whispers and gossiping had ceased at the onset of a more interesting subject, which, currently, was Brie Bella possibly dating Kane. The locker room was abuzz with rumor and speculation about the pair. Jeff felt sorry for them.
He sighed, running a hand through the unkempt blue hair he hadn't even bothered to brush that day. He felt so alone, and it was really starting to eat at him. His sad green eyes studied the wrestlers surrounding him. Most of them were engaged in amicable conversation, laughing with each other, talking about going out to clubs or bars later that night. Jeff knew he wouldn't be invited along.
Shaking his head, he decided to stop torturing himself. They would get over this bullshit soon enough. They just didn't know how to approach him yet.
He shouldered his backpack, and moved to walk out of the locker room.
When his gaze fell upon the group standing across the way, he froze suddenly, every muscle in his body stiffening up.
His brother was there, having an intense discussion with John Morrison. Jeff's breath caught in his throat as he realized that he would have to pass them in order to reach the exit. He thought about waiting for Matt to leave, but angrily dismissed the prospect. Why should he be forced to hide? He chastised himself for acting like a coward. He'd just walk by them, and if Matt gave him shit, he'd give it right back.
Squaring his shoulders, Jeff made his way along the wall towards the door. He walked right past Matt and Morrison, taking care not to look at them. He couldn't help but feel relieved when his brother said nothing. He grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open, moving to slip out.
"Leaving without saying goodbye?", came a cold voice from behind him.
Jeff stopped. He turned slowly to face Matt, memories of their last encounter very prevalent in his thoughts.
The older Hardy stood with a crooked smile on his face, his dark eyes appraising Jeff, up and down. "My god, little brother, you look fucking terrible."
"Fuck you, Matt", Jeff turned to leave, refusing to be baited.
Matt moved with surprising swiftness, grabbing his brother by the arm to stop his departure. Jeff turned again, glaring at him.
"What do you want?", Jeff asked, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.
Not relinquishing his grip on his brother's arm, Matt moved closer.
"Just giving you a warning, little Jeffro", he said, his eyes narrowing, "Stay away from me." He pulled Jeff closer despite his protestations and struggles. "Because next time I see you", he leaned in and whispered gently in his ear, "you could get hurt."
Jeff stared at Matt. "What the fuck is wrong with you?", he said, his voice breaking, "Why are you acting like this?"
Matt patted him on his cheek. "Just remember my warning. I won't give it again."
The older Hardy walked away then, whistling tunelessly.
Jeff watched him go, despair clutching at his heart. How could this ever be fixed? It was really beginning to look as if things would never be the same between him and Matt, and that thought terrified him.
Shaking his head, he left the locker room. He needed to get the fuck out of here. He just needed to forget about all of this. He usually didn't have any desire to imbibe, but tonight he felt a desperate and overwhelming need to get so mind-numbingly drunk that he couldn't remember his own name.
Head bowed, he walked briskly towards his rental car. Matt's words returned to him with harsh clarity then, causing him to wince.
Yeah, he thought, grimacing, a drink was starting to sound awfully good.
* * * * * * *
Matt lounged on the soft bed in his hotel room, a smile perched on his full lips. He was thinking back to tonight's encounter in the locker room, and how perfectly it had gone.
He'd left Jeff alone for a few days, to let it sink in that his brother had, indeed, turned against him. He seemed to be having a hard time accepting that. Good. Let him suffer.
There was a loud knock at the door then, interrupting his happy musings. Matt scowled, and rose to answer it.
"Hey, man", said Adam, shouldering his way into the room, "I've got some news for you."
"It had better be good news", said Matt in a low voice as he shut the door, "I was just about to go to bed."
Adam didn't notice the threatening undertone in Matt's voice, or he blatantly ignored it. "Oh, it's good", he said happily, "I cooked up a kick-ass plan."
"Mmm hmm", said Matt, urging him to continue.
Adam took a seat on the bed. "I got the idea for my little plan when I saw Jeff wandering around, all alone. It just seemed like he was begging for someone to hang with, you know? So, I am going to provide him with one." Edge looked proud of his stroke of genius. Matt's face twitched. "I talked to Jay, and told him to gain Jeff's trust, and befriend him-"
"You did WHAT?!", yelled Matt. His dark eyes were wide, his breaths heaving.
"Well… that is, I… ", stammered Adam, "Jay talked to him, and-"
Matt began to pace. "Please, PLEASE tell me, Adam, that you did not bring another person into this, especially your asshole friend Jay Reso."
"It's done", Adam said in a small, squeaky voice, "He talked to Jeff this morning."
Matt, growling, grabbed Adam by the throat and squeezed, hard. The Rated R Superstar clawed at the older Hardy's wrist, and tried desperately to pull in air, to no avail.
"The more people that are involved, the more probability there is that the plans will fail!", snarled Matt, "We don't need Jay. I have plenty of my own plans that are ready to be executed. If only my accomplices would stop thinking and start listening!"
He gave Adam's throat one last, painful squeeze, before dropping him to the floor. Edge lay there, coughing and spluttering.
"Get rid of him, Adam. I don't care what you have to do to shut him up, just do it." Matt's voice brooked no argument.
Adam's voice was hoarse when he spoke. "Wait Matt, at least let me tell you what I had in mind!" He knew he was on unsteady ground here, but he stood by his plan. He knew it could help them in the long run. When Matt said nothing, he continued.
"Wouldn't it be helpful to have an inside man, a mole, someone to tell us what Jeff is feeling at any given time? I have full confidence that Jay can gain his trust, and his friendship, especially now, when he's so desperate. And then, he can report back to us, letting us know what's going on in Jeff's camp, so that we can adjust our plans accordingly, if need be."
Matt tapped his lip thoughtfully. "It's definitely interesting", he said, all anger at his comrade apparently forgotten, "But I have one problem with this. Compensation. I get revenge out of this. You get a title. But what the hell does Jay Reso get? Nothing. I hope you didn't promise him money or anything, because I'm not paying him shit."
Adam smirked. "I'm forcing him."
Matt's eyebrow quirked. "Excuse me?"
"I used my influence with Vickie, and his status as a new wrestler to the company, to threaten him. I said that if he didn't cooperate and do this one thing for me, I would ensure that he was jobbing for the rest of his time here."
Matt grinned. "You bastard."
"I could do it, too. All it would take is", he shuddered visibly, "one night with that ugly bitch."
Matt shook his head. "I don't know how you stand it."
"The gold." Edge smiled dreamily. "I would do anything for the gold."
* * * * * * *
Jeff sat in the hotel bar, nursing a glass of Grey Goose vodka. He didn't know why he'd ordered this particular drink. Matt had always loved to down it at parties. He missed seeing his brother in better times, laughing, smiling, regarding him with kind brown eyes.
"God dammit", he muttered angrily, pushing the foul-smelling alcohol away.
He didn't know why he was torturing himself like this. None of this was his fault.
Resting his head in his hand, he stared down at the tabletop, and began to trace shapes on the wood with his fingernail.
"Hey there, Jeffro. Fancy seeing you here."
He looked up, startled. Jay Reso stood next to his table, an amused grin on his face.
"So, you gonna let me stand here all night, or can I join you?", he asked, leaning casually against the wall. Jeff noticed that he was drinking a Canadian draft. So predictable.
"Have a seat", the young Hardy said, motioning across the table to the empty bar stool.
The blonde superstar took a seat.
Jeff stirred his drink, and stared at the tabletop. It didn't appear as if he was in the mood for conversation.
"So, that was some scene, with your brother, before", said Jay, taking a sip of beer. He wasn't going to mince any words. He wanted to gauge Jeff's reactions to the Matt debacle. That was, after all, why Adam had recruited him for this. He felt like a complete shit for mentioning it, though, when Jeff visibly winced.
"I don't want to talk about it", he said quietly.
"C'mon, man", urged Jay gently, "Maybe it would help you to unload a little. I mean, everyone's seen the way he's been treating you."
"Yeah, I've been getting a lot of support from the guys", Jeff muttered bitterly.
"It's not that they mean to be dicks or anything, Jeffro", Jay explained, "I just think that a lot of them are staying away to let you and Matt resolve this thing on your own. They don't want to be seen as being on one side or the other, because they care about both of you. A lot of them are giving Matt the cold shoulder too, in case you haven't noticed."
Jeff just gave a non-committal shake of his head.
Jay sighed, and took a deep swig of his beer. "I'm sorry things suck so badly for you right now, Jeff." He spoke quietly, and with such sincerity that Jeff actually looked up.
"It's not your fault", the young Hardy replied with a bitter smile, "This shit just follows me around, I guess."
A pang of guilt stabbed Jay's gut as he watched Jeff grab the glass of vodka and down it in one swallow. The young Hardy slammed it down on the hard tabletop, exhaling with a grimace.
"Jeff-"
"No. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Stay if you want. But I fully intend to drink myself into a stupor."
He reached across the table and plucked the beer out of Jay's hands. Jeff drank, long and deep. He finished the half-empty draft.
"Jeff, come on, man, just go to bed", Jay said, his brow furrowed in concern.
The younger wrestler's gaze locked with Christian's, his green eyes intense on the older man's face. The blonde wrestler swallowed uncomfortably.
"Bring me something to drink, will you, Jay?", Jeff asked, his soft voice rough with exhaustion.
"Jeff-"
"Just do it", he interrupted, averting his gaze.
With an audible sigh, the Canadian wrestler pushed away from the table and rose, moving to walk over to the bar. He ordered a few shots of something, and paid. The waitress immediately brought them to the table. Without pretense, Jeff downed three, one after another.
Jay grabbed his arm to stop him from reaching for a fourth.
"You've had enough", he said, gently but firmly.
Jeff didn't look up. He was shaking. Anger, frustration, and a deep, penetrating sadness were taking their emotional toll on the Charismatic Enigma, and he didn't know how to deal with it anymore.
"C'mon, Jeff, just go to bed", said Jay quietly.
Jeff's green eyes raked Christian's pale face. "Why the fuck do you care?!", he yelled, his breaths heaving, eyes glazed over with unshed tears.
Jay took a breath, weighing his response. "Do you think I like seeing you like this, Jeff? You used to be the one we all protected. No one ever fucked with you, because they knew they would answer to Edge, myself, or, especially, a very pissed off Matt. And now, I return and everything is different." He paused to drink the last shot of bitter alcohol himself.
Jeff was watching him, his sad green eyes filled with confusion and suspicion, not understanding what the point could be.
"I don't like seeing my friends like this", said Christian softly, in such a low voice that Jeff wasn't sure that he'd heard it, "You should be holding the WWE championship right now. And Matt should be protecting you like he always has. I don't understand how all of this could've happened."
Jeff's hands clenched into fists on top of the table. He screwed his eyes shut for a moment, as if he were in pain.
"Ask Matt", said Jeff bitterly, "I'm sure he'd love to tell you."
Jay regarded the younger man with worried eyes. He looked exhausted, beaten down.
Where was his protection now?
"There you are, kid." A low, gravelly voice cut through the background din of the bar, causing both Jeff and Jay to look towards the entrance. Mark stood there, as if conjured, his dark eyes running over Christian slowly. As if he were deciding whether to kill him, or let him go. Jay swallowed audibly.
The Undertaker moved gracefully towards the table, navigating the near-empty barroom quickly. When he reached them, he turned towards the young Hardy and crossed his arms in an admonishing fashion.
"Hey, Mark", said Jeff in a long-suffering voice, "You didn't have to come and look for me. I told you I'd be fine."
Mark pulled up a chair, completely ignoring Jay for the moment.
"Yeah, well, forgive me for not believing you", he replied, eyes narrowing, "But you are a recovering drug addict who tends to revert to unhealthy habits in stressful situations. And I wasn't gonna let you fuck up another chance at the title."
"I'm fine. I'm just sitting here, talking, for fuck's sake!", cried Jeff defensively, his fist coming down on the tabletop and rattling the empty glasses.
Mark's gaze moved down to said empty glasses. "How many has he had?"
He was obviously talking to Jay now.
"He's fine, Mark. Just a few-"
"How MANY???!!!"
Mark yelled, the force of his anger focused fully on Jay now.
Jay's eyes widened in fear, and he found himself rattling off the list of Jeff's alcohol consumption for the night before he could think.
"A, uh, few shots, a glass of vodka, and half a beer."
Mark glared at his young friend.
"Didn't we agree you were gonna stay away from alcohol, because it makes you crave the drugs?"
"Fuck off, Mark", Jeff mumbled angrily, his gaze firmly on the floor.
"This isn't a fucking joke, Jeff!", said Mark, pulling his face up by the chin so that Jeff was forced to look at him.
Jeff's face was a mask of green-eyed rage. "I fucking know it's not a joke!", he hissed, "I wasn't going to go near any fucking drugs, if that's what you're so fucking uptight about."
Mark let go of Jeff's chin, watching as he slowly became unglued. It broke his heart.
The young Hardy closed his eyes. His breaths began to hitch in his throat as fat tears slowly leaked out of his tightly shut eyelids. "I just… needed to feel something… other than the certainty that my brother hates me, for no fucking reason at all."
He dropped his head into his hands, and began to sob uncontrollably.
Mark and Jay glanced at each other, neither knowing what to do, or what to say.
In the end, they just let him cry.
Jeff, for his part, was grateful for the silence.
* * * * * * *
It was going on three in the morning, and Jay was so exhausted that his eyes were beginning to close as he walked down the gaudily-carpeted hallway in their hotel. He had just left Mark and Jeff in the elevator, getting off a floor below theirs. Jeff was dozing lightly on the shoulder of the Undertaker, who had his arm wrapped around the smaller man's waist to prevent him from falling.
Jay had to admit, it was… kind of cute.
Who would've ever thought those two would have ended up friends? It was an odd acquaintance, to say the least.
Mark had given him a cursory nod, before the elevator doors had shut. Jay thought it was an acknowledgement of some kind, a promise that he wouldn't be destroyed, at least right now. He'd done alright by Jeff tonight.
If only the Deadman knew where he was going, right now. He would pull his head off with his bare hands.
Jay stopped in front of one of the nondescript doors, and knocked three times. He heard nothing for a moment. Soft, shuffling footsteps broke the silence, moving clumsily towards the locked portal. Finally, the door opened, to reveal a glaring, sleep-mussed Adam Copeland.
"Could this not have waited until tomorrow, Jay?", he said, his voice hoarse.
Jay pushed past him, and waited until he closed the door to speak.
"No, it couldn't", he replied, "I want to be out of your service as soon as possible, Adam. What you're doing to Jeff-"
"Is what?", interrupted Adam, smiling widely, "Repugnant? Terrible? Without moral conscience? HA! Fuck that shit, Jay! I don't have a conscience!" He laughed, before continuing. "I don't care if you hate every second of it. You will get in his good graces, and report back to me everything that goes down. So, what happened tonight?"
Jay glared, not particularly inclined to give up anything. But thinking about his career, the years of hard work that had brought him to this point and how Edge could bring it all crashing down with a sweep of his hand, he reluctantly began to spill details about the incident in the bar.
Edge seemed particularly interested in the fact that Jeff and the Undertaker were close friends.
"Hmmm", mused the Rated R Superstar, "that is interesting. Can't believe I never noticed before. But then again, I guess I never gave enough of a shit about Jeffro before he started taking my titles away from me."
Jay shook his head, brow furrowed in annoyance.
"Alright, Jay, you can go", Adam said, waving his hand as if he were dismissing a servant. He appeared to be musing over the information that Christian had just brought him.
Jay shot a glare over his shoulder as he moved towards the door. He had a bad feeling about this. Adam had a shit-eating grin on his face. Never a good sign.
He turned around, holding the doorknob in a tight grip.
"You're not going to hurt Jeff, right?", Jay asked, face tight with concern.
Adam smirked. "Whatever I have to do, I will do, mon frere."
Shaking his head, Christian left, pulling the door shut with a resounding slam.
Chuckling, Adam picked up his cell phone and text messaged Matt, knowing that to call him this late would mean death.
"Jeff and Undertaker are friends. Take Undertaker away, Jeff will have no one but Jay. Then, Jeff will be right where we want him."
Discarding the phone, Adam returned to bed with a sigh.
Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.
* * * * * * *
What has Edge got planned for Undertaker?! What has Matt got planned for Jeff?! Do the reviewers plan to review?! I hope so! ;)