A/N: As promised, NEW CHAPTER! I felt this one had to come pretty soon, especially after all the shiznit that went down in the last one. Johnny is a bastard, isn't he--and as much as I'd like to promise otherwise, we haven't seen the last of him yet. With that in mind...please enjoy this new offering! Peace!

Special thanks goes out to itsaviolentworld for suggesting the song used in this chapter. The song is "Ablaze" by the Armchair Cynics (all rights, etc, belong to them), and I am now totally in love with it; I listen to it constantly, so thanks so much!

Thank you to Esha Napoleon, extremist, nightmarelover, Anonymous, m-yaz, and cherrycokerocks for reviewing the last chapter! You guys are awesome; love yas!

Chapter 18: We're Ablaze

This love is a true romance

How the plot's thick and twisted

Too good to be real, too real to be fake

And I swear, you'll be the death of me

All this friction created generates too much heat

If you cared, you'd walk away right now

'Cause every bit of me wants you

Despite all the pain I withstand

I didn't light this fire

But how it burns, burns, burns...

Jeff pushed open the door, stepping aside so that Melina could enter the room ahead of him. "Sorry about the mess," the Charismatic Enigma apologized. "I wasn't planning on having company tonight."

Melina halted, her dark irises dully surveying the scene. The only light came from the small bathroom just to her left, its harsh fluorescent spill illuminating the unmade bed, the open suitcase propped against the wall. Truthfully, though, the disorder didn't bother the paparazzi princess. There was something comforting, almost homey, about the tangle of sheets, the pile of clothes on the floor.

Besides, when it came to sheer hurricane-like destruction...no one could trash a hotel room like Johnny.

At the thought of the former Intercontinental Champion, however, Melina felt a huge ball of emotion swell up in her throat, and she had to blink rapidly to keep her tears from spilling down her cheeks. Just the act of doing so caused pain to flare outward from her bruised eye, and the Dominant Diva felt her chest grow tight, so tight that she could hardly breathe. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. What had she done to deserve this--what had she done to deserve any of this?

Well, that was a stupid question, wasn't it? The past year and a half of her career had been one reprehensible act after another--what hadn't she done to deserve this after the havoc she had wreaked? What had happened tonight--it had merely been karma finally calling to collect.

The younger Hardy brother touched her arm, and Melina jumped a little at the contact. "What's on your mind, princess?" Jeff murmured. There was concern in his tone, and just the sound of it almost made the Dominant Diva burst out crying all over again.

Melina swallowed hard, forcing her tears down her throat. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice forced and in no way convincing. "Can I use your bathroom?"

Jeff didn't answer at first; merely let out a long breath that could have almost been a sigh. "Sure thing, princess," he replied after several seconds. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," Slowly, with each step feeling like an extraordinary effort, the paparazzi princess crossed the short distance to the tiny washroom, stepping inside, closing and locking the door behind her.

As soon as the lock clicked into place, Melina sagged against the door, pressing her face to the wood, pushing her fingertips into its surface as though they could somehow pierce the door itself. She remained like that for a long moment, before gulping down a deep breath and turning around, walking unsteadily to the sink.

Shrugging her oversized bag carelessly off her shoulder, Melina turned on the water, staring, mesmerized, at the clear liquid splashing into the basin, swirling along the curve of the sink into the drain. Eventually, with limbs that no longer felt like they belonged to her, she grabbed a washcloth from a nearby stack, dampening it under the warm stream of water. She washed her face, taking clear to clean away the flecks of dried blood clinging to her nostrils. Kneeling down, she rummaged around in her purse, locating an elastic hair tie. Straightening up, she pulled her long reddish-brown hair back into a makeshift bun, securing it with the elastic band.

These tasks accomplished, Melina lowered her hands, pressing them against the counter and leaning forward to study her reflection. The young woman staring back at her looked like a complete stranger--her eyes red and bloodshot from crying, the left side of her face swollen and already turning purple.

But this perception of alienation went far deeper than the surface--she not only didn't look like herself, she didn't feel like herself. The paparazzi felt strangely ...detached...as though she had been cut off from all sensation. She couldn't feel her skin beneath her fingertips, or the tile under her feet...and even though the water gushing from the faucet was scalding, she couldn't feel even a hint of its warmth.

The mind will often shut itself down to protect itself from pain, and Melina knew that was exactly what was happening--because all she felt was numbness. More than that, she felt a profound lethargy weighing down her limbs, the kind of fatigue that made her want to pull the covers over her head and sleep for a thousand years.

Or maybe...fall asleep...and never wake up.

The soft rap on the door startled the Dominant Diva, and she looked up with a sharp gasp. "Princess?" Jeff's voice sounded hollow through the wooden barrier. "You all right in there?"

The paparazzi princess quickly shut off the water, snatching her purse off the floor. "I'm fine!" she replied, her tone holding a note of forced cheer that set her teeth on edge. "I'm just coming out."

Opening the door and stepping out into the main room, the first thing she saw was the Rainbow-Haired Warrior. He had turned on the bedside lamp, and was setting a full bucket of ice down on the nightstand. In the soft glow of the lamp, he looked almost like a silhouette, the light illuminating the edges of his profile and casting the rest of his face into shadow.

Melina looked down, realizing for the first time that she was still wearing her coat. Hastily, she unbuttoned it, shrugging it off and dropping it on the floor next to her bag. At almost the exact same moment, the younger Hardy brother remarked: "Take off your coat, princess; stay awh---" His casual drawl trailed off into silence as he glanced up, his green eyes locking onto the small frame of the Dominant Diva.

For a moment, Melina wondered why he was staring at her so intently. She glanced down, blushing as she realized that she still had on the thin, low-cut camisole top she had worn to bed. The paparazzi princess quickly crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Sorry," she stammered apologetically.

"Not a problem, princess," Jeff answered, but his voice seemed just a bit huskier than it had been a moment ago. Tearing his gaze away from her (with effort, it seemed) he walked over to his suitcase, crouching down and pawing through the mound of clothes inside. Locating and grabbing two articles of apparel, he turned and held them out to her. One was a zip-up hooded sweatshirt; the other was a pair of thick white socks.

Melina tiptoed forward, eying the proffered clothing warily without speaking. A grin touched the corners of Jeff's mouth. "Don't worry, princess, they're clean." The Dominant Diva's gaze briefly swung to his face, their eyes meeting and holding for a second, and she finally accepted the garments, sitting down on the edge of the bed to don them.

In all honesty, Melina didn't really care if the socks were dirty or not; the numbness in her feet wasn't entirely the result of her state of mental shock. The hoodie was black, with some kind of neon green graffiti-like design splashed across the front. It was too large on her, but it was warm--and there was something safe and reassuring about its warmth, as though it was a security blanket surrounding her with its protective shield.

The mattress creaked as Jeff took a seat next to her on the bed. The Charismatic Enigma had retrieved a clean washcloth from the bathroom. Plucking a couple of the frozen ice cubes from the bucket and wrapping them inside the terrycloth folds, he created a homemade ice pack.

Melina gratefully accepted it from him, pressing it against her face, wincing as the blocks of ice dug into her bruised skin. Gradually, though, the ice began to do its job, dulling her discomfort down to an absence of sensation. She stared at her lap, but it was unnecessary; she could feel Jeff's eyes on her, his gaze pressing against her skin.

A minute of silence crawled by. Then two. Finally, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior cleared his throat. "So...want to tell me what happened?"

In spite of herself, Melina felt tears sting her eyes, and the enormous wad of emotion in her throat returned, choking her, making words almost impossible. She ducked her head even lower until her chin was almost resting against her chest. Her voice, when she eventually did speak, was a hesitant whisper. "He was drunk...and he was angry...and he just kept blaming me...blaming me for everything that's gone wrong." The Dominant Diva slowly shook her head. "And finally...I just couldn't...take it anymore. I screamed at him...screamed right in his face...and then he--" She faltered, her voice breaking. "He hit me."

The paparazzi princess sniffled, reaching up with her other arm to wipe her nose on her sleeve. For a moment, Jeff thought that she had clammed up again, but just as the notion flitted across his mind, he heard her voice again, even quieter than before: "This...this is all my fault."

The younger Hardy brother blinked in utter shock. "W-what?" he sputtered, almost too incredulous for words. "Princess, believe me: what that asshole did is not your fault--"

"I know that!" Melina snapped, her head shooting up, her eyes locking onto his. In the midst of her misery, Jeff could hear anger and the slightest hint of impatience in her tone. "He had no right to hit me; I know that--but it's my fault for letting it get this far." She hesitated, briefly stumbling over her words, her in-ring eloquence absent for once. "For letting it get to the point where he has to hit me for me to get the picture and finally leave."

The paparazzi princess shook her head again. "I should have dumped him long ago...when I first found out about him and Kelly--"

"Wait a minute," the Rainbow-Haired Warrior interjected. "Kelly Kelly? The ECW chick?" The query earned him a curt nod. Jeff shrugged, unable to keep a sardonic half-smile off his face. "Doesn't surprise me--she always did give off a 'town bicycle' kind of vibe."

At this, Melina let out an uncharacteristic snort of laughter, but her amusement faded just as swiftly as it had emerged. She lowered the ice pack, holding it in her lap, twisting the terrycloth material in both hands. "You were right," the Dominant Diva remarked. Her eyes bore into his. "I don't love him." She glanced off to the side, looking toward the open door of the bathroom. The light hit her face, illuminating the bruise. "Maybe I did...once--but I don't...recognize him anymore."

Melina closed her eyes, sucking in a choked breath. "It's like...there's this whole other person...wearing Johnny's face and speaking in his voice--but it's not him! Not--" Her voice faltered again, almost breaking. "--not the man I used to know, anyway." She flicked her gaze downward, staring at the floor. "The things he's done...I can't forgive him for." She pulled in another deep breath. "And even if I could--even if he had never committed them in the first place...it wouldn't matter."

Jeff reached out tentatively, his fingers grazing her finger, trailing along the line of her jaw. "Why's that?" the Charismatic Enigma asked, his voice just as soft as hers.

At his touch, Melina turned her head, meeting his eyes without flinching. "Because I can't stop thinking about you."

Her words seemed to echo in the space between them. Jeff froze, his hand still touching her face. Melina went on, picking up speed, her voice gradually warming with pent-up emotion. "You're all I see--all I think about anymore. When I look at you...I can barely breathe...and when you touch me...I feel like I wanna die. Sometimes...I hate you so much--" Her voice cracked, and the paparazzi princess quickly looked away, biting her lip as she struggled to rein in her feelings. "--but at the same time, I feel like...like I'll go crazy if you don't touch me."

The Dominant Diva pulled away abruptly, rising to her feet, moving across the room to stand in front of the window. Her back was to Jeff; the Rainbow-Haired Warrior could see her whole body shaking with pent-up tears as she spoke. "This...this is wrong, okay? I know it's wrong! You...have a girlfriend...and I..." Melina let out a bitter little laugh. "I don't know what I have." She ducked her head, squeezing her eyes closed. "We shouldn't like each other; we shouldn't have anything to do with one another! We're not supposed to--"

"--Fall in love?" the younger Hardy brother finished for her. His tone was flat; there was no way of determining what he was really thinking or feeling. "Is that what we're doing, princess?"

Melina swallowed, her lips trembling. "I don't know what we're doing," she admitted. A tear trickled down her face. Then another. "I just know that it kills me...being around you."

For the longest time, silence reigned in the small hotel room. Eventually, the Charismatic Enigma sighed, rising to his feet, turning away from the Dominant Diva. "You know...I almost lost my match tonight because of you."

Melina was so stunned by the sudden change in topic that she turned around, her lips parting in surprise. Jeff continued, staring down at his hands, at the branch tattoo running along his fingers. "I know, I know, you weren't there...but that's kinda my point. When you're not around..." The younger Hardy brother paused, tilting his face up toward the ceiling as he searched for the words. "...I can't concentrate, I can't focus. It's like...I'm in this fog...and when you're not there...you're all I can think about."

Jeff grinned bitterly, even though he knew that she couldn't see it. "I voted for my own match--voted every chance that I got." He paused for a moment, laying deliberate emphasis on his next words. "I voted for Johnny Nitro." The Rainbow-Haired Warrior glanced over his shoulder, meeting Melina's eyes. "Not because I wanted to give him another shot at the title...but because I wanted to make him pay...for what he did to you."

The paparazzi princess gasped, clamping her mouth shut. Her eyes were enormous; Jeff could see the white in them from across the room. They stared at each other, both unable to look away. The Charismatic Enigma went on. "You're right--this is crazy. This is insane. If either of us had any sense, we'd walk away right now, because this--whatever it is--will burn us alive if we're not careful." He moved toward the Dominant Diva slowly, one step after another, like a moth drawn to a flame. "But if it's so crazy...then why are we both here?"

Melina spun around, turning back to face the window, but she could still hear Jeff's approach, could detect each soft footfall on the carpet. The younger Hardy brother was still talking. "I have a girlfriend that I'm not in love with. I should be...but I'm not. But what I feel for you...I don't know if it's love or lust or something in between. All I know is that I can't make it stop." He was right behind her now; so close that she could feel his breath caressing her ear. Strange--minutes ago, she hadn't been able to feel anything; now just the warmth of his breath was scorching her. "I don't want it to stop."

Jeff hesitantly reached out, encircling Melina's waist with his arms. He could feel the heat of her body burning through all of her layers of clothing. "I don't want this to go away...any more than I want to stop flying."

Melina tensed, and for a moment, Jeff thought that she was going to pull away--or worse, hit him below the belt and run out of the room. But in the next instant, the paparazzi princess relaxed, leaning back against him until her back pressed against his chest. Her hands closed over his, and Jeff loosened his grip enough to allow their fingers to interlock. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to the curve of her ear.

They remained like that for what seemed like an eternity, holding each other, staring out the window at nothing. Melina abruptly spoke, her voice drowsy, as though she was already drifting off to sleep. "Jeff...what's it feel like to fly?"

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior felt a slow smile slip across his face. "It's like nothing else in the world, princess." He bent down further, punctuating his words with soft kisses to her cheek, her jaw, as he spoke. "When you're in the air, and you see the ground rushing up toward you, and you know--you just know--that you're gonna hit it...and you're gonna win. Hearing the crowd cheer...feeling the wind whip past your face...you don't even care about how it's gonna feel--all that matters is the feeling."

The Dominant Diva turned her face toward his a little. "What happens if you fail, though?" She paused for a moment. "What happens if you crash and burn?"

The younger Hardy brother chuckled. "It hurts--there's not a whole lot that hurts more. But it's worth it, you know? Just to feel that rush, that energy."

"Jeff--" Melina let go of his hands, slowly rotating her body around until she was facing him. She inched closer, pressing her hands to his chest. She tilted her head up, the soft light glinting off the tear stains on her cheeks. "What if we crash and burn?"

Jeff lowered his head, until his mouth was hovering above hers. "Then we do," the Charismatic Enigma whispered. He slid his hands underneath the hoodie, resting them on the small of her back. Her camisole had ridden up a little; he could feel warm skin beneath his fingertips. "But isn't it better to feel something for a few moments than to spend your entire life feeling nothing at all?"

The paparazzi princess stared at him for several long seconds before she suddenly tiptoed up, her lips meeting his. The kiss was hard, passionate, the Dominant Diva's mouth melting open beneath his, moaning softly in her throat as Jeff's tongue touched hers. The younger Hardy brother slid his hands up over the curves of her body, taking hold of the open edges of the hoodie and pushing it off her shoulders. Melina aided him; as soon as it was off, she stretched her arms up over her head.

Jeff didn't even stop to ask what she was implying; he grabbed the hem of her camisole, pulling the thin garment off, and tossing it to the side. Pausing long enough to seal Melina's mouth in another intense kiss, he stripped off his own long-sleeved shirt, throwing it down to join hers.

The younger Hardy brother lifted the paparazzi princess up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. They were both naked to the waist; the newfound sensation of skin against skin almost too much for either one of them to bear. Jeff kissed Melina's neck, flicking his tongue against her skin, hearing a pleasurable moan escape the Dominant Diva's lips.

"Jeff..." Melina's voice was husky with desire; her arms were entwined around his neck. With effort, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior lifted his head, meeting her eyes in the dim light. Melina's eyes were cloudy with need; she seemed to be having trouble focusing. "Don't...don't let me fall."

Jeff slowly ran his hands up her back, steadying her, her soft skin like velvet beneath his fingers. "I won't," the Charismatic Enigma whispered. "I promise..."

Slowly, reverently, without tearing his eyes from hers, he carried her over to the bed.