A/N: YAY for new chapters! Gawd, it has been a hellish semester; I really just want the school to give me my piece of paper and be done with it. I just got back from my spring break in Florida and banged out this chapter (You can tell, at the end, where it starts to reek of 4AM) Sorry for any typos; I TRY, but I SWEAR that they BREED while I'm not looking. And of course, I hope that you enjoy the chapter, b/c that is most important to me.

The lyrics in the beginning are from "Hostage" by Digital Summer; all rights, etc. belong to them.

Thank you to cherrycokerocks, PrettyReckless09, Esha Napoleon, BigRedMachineUK, kyahbell, FANOFJOLINASPUFFY, extremist, rebelwilla, LetNys, depfan, feartheSPEAR, XxXMXxX, GoGoGurl, Molly J, XxMoonlightCharmxX, wwefan176xxX, and skg16 for reviewing the last chapter. Good gravy, way to make me feel like a total slacker, lol. LOVE YAS! PEACE!

Chapter 22: Just Let Me Go

It's all right to hate me

I don't mind if you leave

But it's not all right for you to say you love me

And this time

I've finally had enough

'Cause I've tried

I should've given up

Now I'm just another casualty

Take what you want

Just let me go

Take what you need

And leave me alone...

Jeff laced his fingers together, stretching his arms up over his head as he arched his upper body first to the left, then to the right. His lower back-permanently ravaged from a career of daredevil maneuvers-instantly protested, sending a series of painful twinges up the length of his spine, but for once, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior welcomed the discomfort. The sensation might be far from pleasant...but it was also what he needed.

The pain...it was the same reason he was stretching in the loading dock of the Manchester News Arena without a jacket, shivering in the brisk November night air. It was the reason the music blasting through his earbuds was cranked to a nearly excruciating volume level. Pain was the one element that he could count on; the sole factor that he could truly trust to be real.

It was the only thing that allowed him to focus anymore...and the only thing which kept him from thinking about...her.

The Charismatic Enigma sagged back against the riveted metal side of one of the equipment trucks, ripping the earbuds out of his ears and squeezing his eyes closed as he sucked in a big gulp of air. Just the suggestion of Melina, the barest outline of the thought of her, made his stomach clench, as though a steel vise had been clamped around his insides, and for a few agonizing moments, Jeff couldn't breathe.

Eventually, though, the feeling passed, and the younger Hardy brother fell to his knees, coughing violently. His eyes stung with involuntary tears, and Jeff pressed the heels of his hands against the sockets, blotting out the dim light as he struggled to catch his breath.

For the past seven days, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior had been stumbling through his day-to-day existence in a mental and emotional haze. He felt dazed, off-kilter, as though the gears that ran the universe had inexplicably been knocked out of sync. And with each passing second, he could feel them wobbling back and forth on their axes, waiting for the inevitable instant where they would eventually slip free and tumble down toward chaos.

When Jeff had finally emerged from his hotel bathroom last Monday, pale and weak-kneed, Maria had already gone. They hadn't spoken at all during the week, and their only interaction so far during the overseas tour had consisted of awkward stilted greetings; neither one of them able to meet the other's eyes.

The Charismatic Enigma knew that if he didn't at least try to address what had happened during that disastrous make-out session with Raw's backstage reporter, he would most assuredly lose her altogether...that is, if he hadn't already. However, so far, Jeff had made no attempt to do so, telling himself that the one thing he needed to focus on right now was tonight's rematch against Johnny Nitro.

But deep down, in the shadowy recesses of his subconscious, the younger Hardy brother knew that the real reason he hadn't yet tried to repaired his strained relationship with Maria was because doing so would have meant admitting the truth: that for all her beauty, all her personality, all her warmth, Raw's backstage reporter would always be nothing more than a substitute; a stand-in for the one that he really wanted...

More than that, it would have meant accepting that it had been a lot more than just a title that he had lost last week...

Memories danced across his mind, fragments of images and sensation that had slipped through the mental barrier he had constructed around himself:

The hazy gleam of desire in Melina's dark eyes...

The subtle scent of her olive skin...

The almost childlike expression of hope on her face and the way her fingers gripped his as she whispered that she wanted to be with him...

For not the first time, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior found himself wondering if last Sunday night-and everything preceding it-had been little more than a crazy dream; a half-baked fantasy concocted out of his own insane notions.

That he had loved her...and that she, at least for one brief wondrous night, had loved him back...

"I thought I'd find you out here."

Matt's bemused remark cut across the self-pitying loop of Jeff's thoughts, jarring him out of his reverie. The Charismatic Enigma glanced up, his face registering merely faint recognition at the sight of his older brother. "Aren't you supposed to be in Ireland?"

The SmackDown Superstar shrugged. "Yeah, but it was either be here or else wrestle Chavo Guerrero for the nine hundredth time-and, quite frankly, no one really wants to see that. Besides," Matt paused, tilting his head back a little as he studied his brother. "I thought you'd appreciate having someone to watch your back tonight."

Jeff didn't answer at first; merely rose slowly to his feet, his joints creaking and popping quietly in protest. He didn't look at his older brother, but rather, stared off at a point just above his shoulder. "You think I'm going to lose it out there?"

"No," Matt retorted, his tone slightly exasperated. He moved closer toward his younger sibling, reaching out to grasp Jeff's upper arm. "But I do think that you're going to wind up exactly where you were at the end of last week's match, if you don't pull your head out of your ass and stop dwelling on the past." There was a pause as the SmackDown Superstar considered his next words. "Look, bro, whatever happened between you and Melina-"

As soon as the Dominant Diva's name floated out into the air, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's countenance instantly hardened, closing down in something even stonier and more unreadable than it had been a second ago. He yanked his arm free, pushing past his brother and storming in the direction of the arena entrance. "I don't have to listen to this-" the younger Hardy brother muttered.

"Maybe you do!" Jeff could hear the rapid patter of Matt's sneakers on the pavement as he chased after him; when it came to sheer dogged persistence, no one could match the elder Hardy brother. "Have you glanced in the mirror lately? You look like hell! You don't sleep, you don't eat-and whenever someone tries to talk to you, it's like you're a million miles away. Even now-it's like the lights are on, but no one's home-"

The SmackDown Superstar finally caught up to his younger sibling, grabbing Jeff's arm and whirling the Charismatic Enigma forcibly around to face him. Matt stared hard at his brother, irritation and concern emanating from him in equal measures. "You really don't get it, do you? Right now...you're sleepwalking...and if you don't wake up; if you keep letting whatever that chick did get to you...then you're not the only one who's going to to get hurt."

Jeff didn't respond; only stared mutely back at his older sibling, and Matt gradually felt his resolve falter. Even during the worst moments of his life, the times where he had hit rock bottom, Jeff had never looked like this. There was something unnerving about the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's eyes; a total lack of anything in their green depths-and it wasn't just the absence of emotion or comprehension, but life, period.

It was as though...when the paparazzi princess had ripped out his brother's heart, she had also ripped out some vital part of him; something that he could barely function without. The Jeff Hardy standing in front of him looked almost nothing like the free-spirited daredevil that the fans adored, but rather like a shadow of the real thing; a hollow empty shell that walked and talked.

The younger Hardy brother was talking now, his lips barely moving as he spoke. His voice was soft...but not soft enough to mask the bitterness in his tone: "You know... you're one to lecture me about going crazy because of a girl."

With that, he was gone, moving across the loading dock and disappearing behind behind one of the equipment trucks...leaving his stunned older brother behind to mull over the unshakable logic of his noncommittal response.

Melina stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror, her ring finger gliding over her lower lip as she carefully applied a layer of glittery lip gloss to its full contours. That accomplished, she turned her face to one side, then the other, her dark eyes never wavering from her reflected likeness.

The image greeting her scrutiny was flawless, as per usual: low-cut red corset top, short black skirt, hair pinned back from her face and tumbling down her back in a mass of reddish-brown curls. However, for the first time, the paparazzi princess could see that it was nothing more than a mask-a pristine and exquisitely beautiful one...but a mask all the same.

On the surface, she was Johnny Nitro's girlfriend, the WWE's Dominant Diva and (in the eyes of both rosters) a Grade-A bitch. Inside...well, she wasn't sure what she was anymore.

Maybe, deep down, she was nothing more than plain, ordinary Melina Perez; uncertain, fearful, and shy. Maybe that was who she had been all along...and maybe that was all she needed to be.

Because that was all that Jeff had ever needed her to be.

The Dominant Diva ducked her head, biting the inside of her lip to stop the tears from coming. She hadn't realized until now just how seldom the Charismatic Enigma had actually called her by name. With him, it had always been "Princess", a word which was simultaneously a term of endearment and an epithet of scorn. Perhaps that was why the few times he had uttered her name resonated with such clarity with her.

The night they had spent together. The overwhelming pleasure tearing through her body, hot and sweet and intoxicating. Jeff's lips pressed against her ear, the breathless whisper of his voice audible over her own ecstatic moans, spitting out the three syllables of her name-Me-li-na-with exactly the same cadence that one utters I love you...

Arms snaked around her waist, pulling her against a muscular frame, followed by a soft kiss on the side of her neck. Melina stiffened almost immediately, her head shooting up, her dark eyes narrowing imperceptibly.

Nitro pressed his cheek against Melina's, meeting his girlfriend's eyes in the mirror. "Damn, Mel, you are fucking sexy as hell," he remarked, the confidence and swagger oozing from his voice.

Melina didn't respond; she was too busy molding her expression into one of carefully constructed insolent arrogance. Over the past seven days, her feelings toward the current Intercontinental Champion had altered drastically, transforming and intensifying from mere disinterest into downright disgust. Even now, the sensation of Nitro's arms around her was almost too much for her to stand; she actually had to swallow the bile that climbed up her throat, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't prevent the faintest flicker of disdain from registering on her face.

A few months ago, the self-proclaimed A-lister's touch would have sent desire shooting through her body. Now, just the thought of his hands on her made Melina want to throw up.

Luckily for her, Nitro must have assumed that the brief flash of contempt in her countenance was meant for the younger Hardy brother, because his self-assured grin widened even more. "Don't worry, baby," he murmured soothingly. "Once I beat that loser tonight, we'll never have to worry about him again. He'll drop back down to the bottom of the pile while we call it an early night, head back to our hotel room and..." A brief pause as he gently nibbled her earlobe. "...celebrate."

The paparazzi princess remained silent, allowing the corners of her mouth to curl upward in a lazy smirk. The sneer was just as phony as the rest of her expression, but it effectively masked her revulsion and her loathing. Only her eyes betrayed her, glinting with a steely resolve that did not quite match the rest of her countenance.

Perhaps if Nitro had looked, really looked, into her eyes, he might have glimpsed the truth then; might even have sensed her intentions. Perhaps he might have realized at that moment that his girlfriend's heart no longer belonged to him...but to the man who had somehow become his nemesis.

But the current Intercontinental Champion merely continued talking, alternating between the beating he was going to inflict on Jeff Hardy and the celebration that was going to follow his inevitable victory. Melina gradually tuned him out, her expression never wavering as she offered a silent retort to Nitro's earlier assertion of triumph:

That's what YOU think...

Nitro clasped his hands together underneath Jeff's chin, forcing the Charismatic Enigma's head back as he locked in the modified Camel Clutch. Jeff's green irises were glazed and unfocused, the tip of his tongue protruding from his mouth as he gasped for air.

From the far side of the ring, the Dominant Diva watched intently, her expression fixed into one of wicked glee, as though she was enjoying the younger Hardy brother's predicament. However, Melina wasn't sure how long she could maintain her outer facade; her facial muscles were starting to ache from the exertion, and she had already bitten the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.

Besides, every time one of Nitro's punches or kicks connected with Jeff's lean frame, the paparazzi princess felt herself sway unsteadily on her stiletto heels, as though the blow had somehow collided with her as well.

This match...it was like the worst possible kind of hell, where not even she was completely cognizant of where the lines between fiction and reality began and ended. Walking down to the ring, going through the motions of her entrance with Nitro, the whole time painfully aware of the weight of Jeff's gaze against her skin...and now, standing here, pretending that she didn't care while in reality, she cared so much that she could hardly stand it-

Was this what a conscience felt like; this heavy weight hanging from her heart? Was this what it felt like to regret, to care, to feel, really feel things? If so...how had she ever managed to shove it aside and carry out the reprehensible deeds she had incurred during her tenure with the WWE? Right now, the feelings of love and empathy swelling within her seemed almost too great to be contained, and she wanted nothing more than to storm the ring and drive the toe of her boot squarely up into Nitro's testicles...

Melina clenched her fist, squeezing her fingers until she felt her nails pierce the skin of her palm. As warranted and justified as such an action might be, it wouldn't win Jeff the Intercontinental Championship. In fact, it would be more likely to unleash Nitro's wrath upon her as well.

The last time she had stood up to the self-proclaimed A-lister, he had given her a black eye. And while her boyfriend could claim all he wanted that the incident had been the result of too much alcohol...there was something about his rage that had been terrifyingly sober.

In the ring, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior struggled to his feet, driving his elbow repeatedly into Nitro's sculpted abdomen as he fought to break free of the hold. Melina slammed her palms down on the canvas in what she hoped looked like frustration. She had been unusually mute throughout the match so far, afraid that the tiniest scream of annoyance or triumph would crack her artificial expression like the fragile shell of an egg.

Jeff managed to extricate himself from the self-proclaimed A-lister's submission hold, grabbing hold of Nitro's arm and Irish-whipping him into the corner. Hard. The younger Hardy brother launched himself into a cross-body, but the current Intercontinental Champion somehow slithered out of harm's way, and Jeff's jaw connected painfully with the turnbuckle post.

The paparazzi princess flinched, biting back the gasp that sprang to her lips. She paced back and forth, clapping enthusiastically with hands that were now completely numb. Nitro smirked, posing for a second in the center of the ring before hurtling toward Jeff in an attempt to take out the Charismatic Enigma with the very same maneuver.

Before he could make contact, however, the younger Hardy brother somehow managed to counter the move, picking up his arch-rival and dropping him unceremoniously on the top rope...crotch-first.

A startled giggle burst from Melina's lips, and she clapped her hands over her mouth to hide her involuntary grin. Her shoulders shook with repressed laughter and she hoped that the stunned amusement in her eyes was passing for chagrin on-camera. As Nitro slid awkwardly back down to the floor, curling up into the fetal position and clutching himself with both hands, all the Dominant Diva could think was: Guess he won't be calling that little ECW bitch tonight...

The counter had taken almost as much out of Jeff as it had out of the Intercontinental Champion; the Rainbow-Haired Warrior had collapsed a few feet away. Just looking at him was enough to quell Melina's mirth, and her expression immediately sobered. She steepled her hands together in front of her mouth, her gaze fastened to the Charismatic Enigma.

Referee Chad Patton had already started his ten-count when both Superstars staggered to their feet; Jeff first, Nitro second. Even from her vantage point at the other side of the ring, Melina could see the younger Hardy brother's green eyes blaze with fiery intensity, and she felt a small hopeful smile touch the edges of her lips. Come on, Jeff... she urged silently.

As though he had somehow heard her tacit encouragement, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior lashed out, taking Nitro down with one clothesline, two, a back elbow, a spinning mule kick. The last offensive maneuver knocked Nitro onto his back, and Jeff quickly dropped down for the cover.

1...2...

Nitro's left shoulder shot off the canvas. Jeff's lip curled briefly in disgust, but he didn't break motion, hauling the current Intercontinental Champion to his feet and Irish-whipping him toward the ropes. The self-proclaimed A-lister, too dazed to counter, hit the ring barriers and bounced back-right into a back body drop.

Jeff hit the mat again, hooking his rival's legs in a pinning combination, but Nitro-displaying an unusual amount of flexibility-managed to flip out of it, breaking the count. The Charismatic Enigma sprang up, yanking Nitro to his feet yet again and Irish-whipping him toward the corner.

This time, however, the Intercontinental Champion was able to reverse the momentum, sending Jeff hurtling toward the turnbuckle post. Instead of connecting with it, though, the younger Hardy brother sprang up onto it with the nimble agility of a gazelle, pausing only an instant before launching his body backward into Whisper in the Wind.

Unfortunately, just before he could make contact, the self-proclaimed A-lister dived out of the way, and Jeff landed awkwardly on the canvas, lying motionless in a crumpled pile of legs and arms.

Melina felt as though someone had just slapped her; she actually heard all of the air rush out of her lungs in a single hoarse gasp. Her legs wobbled beneath her, and she grabbed onto the ring apron lest she collapse on the floor in a heap. She couldn't think, she couldn't even breathe, and at the edges of her vision, she could glimpse a sparkling blackness beginning to unfold.

Nitro, of course, was oblivious to all of this; he was too busy gloating, deftly flipping his hair back from his face as he soaked up the animosity emanating from the Manchester crowd. Reaching down, he grabbed a handful of the Charismatic Enigma's multi-hued locks, pulling Jeff ungraciously to his feet and Irish-whipping him toward the ropes.

Jeff looked dazed, out of it, but just as he completed the swing, he abruptly dug his heels in and reversed the momentum. Whether he had been biding his time, or whether the reversal was the result of unconscious ring instinct, Melina wasn't sure; all she knew was that, all of a sudden, Nitro was the one hurtling toward her.

And as the Intercontinental Champion hit the ropes, the Dominant Diva didn't even think; she just grabbed her boyfriend's ankle and yanked backward as hard as she could.

The move didn't have quite the desired effect; instead of dropping Nitro on his face, it only knocked him to his knees. The referee, mercifully, had been checking on Jeff and thus hadn't witnessed her outside interference. Melina quickly spun around to face the crowd, preening and smirking as though she'd just interfered on behalf of her man-which, to be truthful, she had.

A second or two later, she heard Nitro's indignant shout: "Babe! What the fuck did you do that for?"

The paparazzi princess whirled back around, her countenance morphing into one of confused incomprehension. "I'm sorry, baby!" she replied, hoping that her show of innocence didn't look as unbelievably phony as it felt. "I thought you were him!"

"Do I look like I'm him?" Nitro retorted angrily. His face was flushed; if there was one thing the self-proclaimed A-lister abhorred more than defeat, it was public humiliation. He leaned even farther over the ropes, glaring down at his girlfriend. "What the fuck were youlooking-"

His tirade ended in a surprised squawk as Jeff grabbed his head, guillotining the Intercontinental Champion on the top rope and knocking him back down onto the canvas. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior didn't hesitate for even a moment; he climbed the nearest turnbuckle, posing for a second before diving downward and connecting with the Swanton.

For Melina, everything had slowed to a crawl; she felt as though she was witnessing some sort of ever-changing tableau. In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware that she should be frowning, screaming, throwing a full-scale tantrum-anything except letting this happen.

But instead, the Dominant Diva merely took a step back...because the truth was, she wanted this to happen.

Jeff flipped over onto his back, hooking Nitro's leg for the pin. Patton was beside him in an instant, slamming his head against the gleaming white canvas.

1...2...3...

Everything seemed to erupt at once: the ecstatic screams of the crowd, the throbbing beats of the Charismatic Enigma's entrance music, the triumphant crow of Lillian Garcia's voice as she proclaimed Jeff Hardy the new Intercontinental Champion.

In the midst of all the commotion, however, two individuals remained silent: the newly-crowned Champion...and the Diva who had helped him win.

Jeff gingerly rose to his feet, gratefully accepting the blue-and-gold champion belt from Patton and allowing his arm to be raised in victory. His gaze drifted over the crowd, gradually settling on Melina.

As soon as it did, both of them froze. Jeff gently pulled his arm free, taking a tentative step toward her, then another. Melina did the same, ascending the steel steps until she was on the same level as the younger Hardy brother. They were close, so close...and yet, at the same time, she was aware of the emotional distance that still existed between the two of them.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior took another step toward her, his eyes never leaving her face. There was distrust in his expression, but Melina could glimpse conflict simmering beneath the surface, as though a struggle for comprehension was taking place. Jeff stared at her; for just an instant, his countenance softened-

-and then, without warning, Nitro appeared out of nowhere, driving his elbow into the back of Jeff's neck, knocking the younger Hardy brother to his knees. Snarling, the now-former Intercontinental Champion hauled him back to his feet, looping his arm around the Charismatic Enigma's neck and flattening him with a vicious-looking DDT.

"Don't," Melina tried to say, but she couldn't speak; her voice had been snatched from her in that moment of pure unadulterated shock. As she watched, unable to move, unable to do anything more complex than bear witness, the self-proclaimed A-lister rolled out of the squared circle, pushing aside the ring curtain and rummaging around underneath the ring.

At first, the paparazzi princess thought he was going for a chair, or perhaps a trash can lid, but then her dark eyes bulged in horror as Nitro yanked a six-foot steel ladder from the dark recesses beneath the ring. In that instant, Melina's stunned paralysis snapped and she stumbled down the stairs, tripping on the last one and falling to her knees. "Johnny, don't-"

Nitro didn't seem to hear her; his handsome features were fixed in an expression of stony hatred. Grabbing the ladder, he slid back into the ring. Rising to his feet, he hoisted the ladder up in both hands. For a long moment, he stood over the writhing figure of his nemesis, regarding him without moving.

Melina pulled herself back up to her feet, grimacing with the effort. She had twisted her leg in the fall-her left knee in particular was throbbing-and all the wind had been knocked out of her. Holding onto the edge of the ring for support, she reached out toward her boyfriend, as though the sheer force of her will could yank him back to her. "Johnny, please," she gasped, her voice little more than a barely audible croak. "Don't-"

Nitro's face abruptly twisted with fury, and with a guttural roar, he hurled the ladder down as hard as he could onto Jeff's prone frame. As soon as the unyielding metal connected, Melina felt her insides contract, as though someone had punched her in the stomach. The Dominant Diva doubled over, and for a few agonizing seconds, came dangerously close to puking on the floor. Her vision blurred, alternating with pulses of red and black, and all she could hear was the sound of Johnny's voice-

If I'm not the Champion...and you won't put out...then what good are you to me?...

-the painful sting of his knuckles crashing against her eye socket-

You...you're just another pair of tits that talk...

-the dull THUNK of her head bouncing off the carpeted floor-

If you can't even do that...then you're worthless to me...

-and the blood, oozing between her fingers...

Melina didn't even realize that she was running until she was halfway up the ramp, her ankles wobbling back and forth dangerously, the breath tearing in and out of her lungs in frantic gasps. For an instant, she whipped her head back to look behind her, to see if Jeff was all right, but all she could make out was watery blurs of light and color, and so she kept moving.

As the paparazzi princess reached the top of the ramp, reeling in the overwhelming calliope of sound and light and sensation for a second before disappearing into the comforting darkness of gorilla, she cursed herself.

For leaving Jeff at the mercy of a possible psychopath...and for admitting, however indirectly, that she was still afraid of Johnny.

The younger Hardy brother limped unsteadily down the hallway. His entire body was ablaze with agony; the Intercontinental Championship resting on his shoulder felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds.

After the first ladder shot, Jeff had blacked out; his next clear memory was waking up in the trainer's room to find three concerned referees and the trainer all staring down at him. It was through them that he learned Nitro had climbed the turnbuckle post and slingshotted the ladder onto him before storming out of the ring, through the crowd, and out of the arena. Of Melina's whereabouts...no one had a clue.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior had vague recollections, during the haze of darkness that had encircled his brain, of a female voice screaming Don't and Please. But then again, for all he knew, it was nothing more than a dream; a figment of his imagination.

Like how, for a second, he could have sworn that Melina had tripped her boyfriend up on purpose.

Or how, in that instant before Nitro's elbow had slammed into the back of his neck, she had been trying to tell him...that she was sorry.

Jeff shook his head, a bitter smile playing around the corners of his mouth. That ladder must have hit him in the head harder than he had originally thought; why else would he be entertaining such ridiculous notions?

"Congratulations, bro," The Charismatic Enigma turned at the sound of his brother's voice, wincing as Matt's hand smacked his shoulder just a little bit harder than he would have preferred. His green irises narrowed to small slits, blotting out the harsh glow of the fluorescent bulbs, as he continued plodding gingerly down the corridor.

Matt went on. "-after what happened out there, Nitro'll be lucky if he even gets to cash in his rematch clause. With any luck, you'll never have to deal with that douchelord again-" His Southern drawl died away into confused silence as Jeff suddenly burst out laughing, the sound of it jarring and hoarse and echoing with just the slightest hint of insanity.

The new Intercontinental Champion leaning back against the wall, tears streaming down his cheeks as he struggled to rein in his laughter. "You-you don't g-get it, do you?" he whispered, gradually regaining his voice through the occasional chuckle. "This...was never...about the title."

With an arm that was visibly trembling, Jeff hoisted the title off his shoulder, holding it up for a second before opening his fist and letting the belt hit the floor with the sharp slap of leather on concrete.

Matt's jaw dropped and he jumped back a step; the Rainbow-Haired Warrior didn't seem to notice. His voice fell to a whisper. "It was about...her." He looked up, meeting his brother's eyes, and behind the deadness, Matt thought he could glimpse the bright gleam of acute agony. Jeff continued. "She's trapped, Matt. She's trapped-but she has no idea how to break free because the cage is all she knows. And I want to save her-" The younger Hardy brother hesitated, his voice cracking. "I thought I could save her-but now...I'm not even sure that she wants to be saved. But I-"

Jeff stopped, but Matt could see the words written in his eyes, as clearly as if he'd uttered them aloud: I love her...even after everything that's happened...I love her so much that it hurts...

The Charismatic Enigma's head sagged to the side, his emerald irises staring off at an unseen point in space, his voice soft and faraway. "Last week, everything made sense. But then, all of a sudden, everything changed...and now, nothing makes sense anymore."

Matt waited for more, but the younger Hardy brother didn't add anything further; only scooped up his championship belt, and heaving it back onto his shoulder with a low sigh, continued down the corridor, disappearing out of sight around a corner.

The elder Hardy brother wasn't sure how long he remained there, staring in the direction of his sibling's departure, mulling over his words, before he sensed a presence at his elbow...followed by a hesitant voice: "I couldn't stop him,"

Matt turned, starting a little at the sight of the Dominant Diva. Melina had been crying, her eye makeup snaking down her cheeks in tiny black rivers, and she wore a black hoodie over her low-cut top and short skirt. The sweatshirt was way too big for her-its oversized proportions made the paparazzi princess seem even tinier than she already was-but from the way Melina was wrapping it around her slender frame, it was clear that she had no intentions of parting with it.

The SmackDown Superstar eventually located his voice. "Stop who?"

"Johnny," the Dominant Diva whispered. At the mention of the self-proclaimed A-lister, she shivered, hugging the hoodie even tighter around herself. Her voice was dull, lifeless, as though her emotions had bled out along with her tears. "I didn't want him to hurt Jeff...but I was afraid...that if I tried to stop him...he'd hit me again...and when he picked up the ladder...I-I ran." She lifted her lids, meeting the elder Hardy brother's gaze with a sort of detached steadiness. "I never...wanted this to happen-" Melina's voice broke on the last word, and fresh tears began to pool in her eyes.

"I know," Matt heard the words emerge from his mouth as though from a great distance. He no longer cared about what the paparazzi princess had done to him in the past-looking into her eyes, all he saw was his brother's pain, his brother's anguish, reflected back at him.

And just like with Jeff...all he wanted to do was to make it go away.

The elder Hardy brother reached out, encircling Melina's shoulders with his arm. The Dominant Diva stiffened a little at the contact, but didn't pull away. "Come with me," he whispered, and with his arm still wrapped around her shoulders, he led her off in the direction he had seen his brother depart.

Neither one of them noticed the tall figure sidling out of the shadows behind them. Randy Orton watched Matt and Melina with detached interest, cocking his head to the side as the pair disappeared around a corner.

The Legend Killer smiled. So...Nitro's girl and Jeff Hardy... he mused to himself. Interesting... Randy didn't care much for the self-proclaimed A-lister personally, but he had to admit that the guy had potential. Lose the fur coat and the shades, and he probably could be one of the best.

And the whole time, that smoking hot girlfriend of his was banging the burned-out, washed-up black sheep member of the Hardy clan behind his back...

Interesting...

Normally, the third-generation Superstar made a point of staying out of other people's business. Between his and Edge's shot at the Tag Team titles tonight, and Rated RKO's ongoing feud with D-Generation-X, the Legend Killer had more than enough to keep him occupied.

But this...this had the potential to be...interesting.

More than that...it could be...

Useful.