A/N: NEW CHAPTER! I apologize for the wait; I've been working on a new screenplay, one which not only dominated my time, but also gave me crazy acid flashbacks about how much I hated high school. Right now, I'm between drafts, and decided it would be a perfect time to update my FF. Sorry if this chapter isn't as strong-I've been knee-deep in screenplay format, which is like night and day, and I had to break myself of a bunch of recently developed habits while writing this. If this doesn't make sense, I'm sorry-there comes a point where my brain stops working. Anyway, ENJOY! PEACE!

Thank you to Esha Napoleon, mariahbenetatos, PrettyReckless09, BigRedMachineUK, Extremist, MelinaJeff1, x thelovelythings, Deppfan, and cherrycokerocks for reviewing! You are AWESOME! I love you ALL!

Chapter 27: Calm Before The Storm

The car's tires crunched softly against gravel as Jeff steered the vehicle carefully down the winding driveway. The Charismatic Enigma's home wasn't exactly out in the woods - just set far enough back from the main road so that the average person couldn't just stumble onto it by accident...which was the way that Jeff preferred it.

The younger Hardy brother had always had a reclusive side, even back before he and Matt had become household names. It had devolved into a crutch during his darkest days; a vain attempt to hide his growing addictions from everyone around him. But now that he was clean and the worst of his demons had been left far behind him, that same personality quirk was now merely an instinctual recoil from the aura of stardom that seemed to cling to him no matter where he went.

Celebrity - it was a strange double-edged sword. That same world that loved you, that adored you...it also judged you at the same time - and if you didn't have somewhere to escape, if you allowed yourself to become lost in everyone else's opinions of you...there was a good chance you could wake up one morning and find that the very core of what made you you had inexplicably disappeared, never to return.

In a way, he understand Melina's desire to flee. It was a feeling that he shared; that all of the performers in the WWE felt to some degree - the need to outrun their own popularity, to get away from the image everyone else had of them. Out here, in this ordinary house, on the outskirts of an ordinary town, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior was a different person; a calmer, saner, wiser version of Raw's resident adrenaline-craving daredevil. Out here, there was no need to perform, to entertain, to lie - he could just stand still for a second and breathe.

Perhaps that was the main reason that the Dominant Diva was so unhappy - in her world, there was no escape. No matter what happened to Jeff in the ring, he always had this place to come back to; for Melina, there was no such refuge. She had lived the lie so long that it had become the truth, and in her mind, there was no way to shake off the bitchy persona she had created.

But that was all about to change.

Jeff glanced over at the passenger seat, a slow smile slipping across his face. Melina's head lolled to one side, her chin tucked against her shoulder as she slept. With her oversized sunglasses covering her eyes and her full lips parted slightly, she looked absolutely adorable.

It had been hell getting here - first the rigamarole of changing flights, then the additional chore of coaxing a perfect stranger to switch seats so he and the paparazzi princess could at least sit together. It was early afternoon by the time they landed in North Carolina - but yet, once the wheels had touched ground and he felt Melina's hand grip his, all Jeff had felt was the same satisfaction he experienced every time he dove off that turnbuckle; the realization that it was worth it, no matter what the cost.

The Charismatic Enigma turned the steering wheel, rounding a bend, his house emerging into view up ahead. He tapped the brakes, stopping the vehicle in front of the closed garage door. The subtle movement jarred the Dominant Diva out of slumber, and she stirred, stretching slightly as she sat up straighter. "Ummm...are we there yet?" she asked, the last word almost swallowed up by an enormous yawn.

Jeff turned off the ignition, twisting around in his seat to grin at the Raw Diva. "We're here, princess." He watched as Melina pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head, leaning forward as she peered up at the unadorned facade of the simple two-story house. The younger Hardy brother followed her line of sight for a moment, before glancing back at her. "I know, it's not much - but it's home."

The Dominant Diva tore her gaze away from the house, her dark eyes locking onto his green ones. "No...it's great." A rare smile appeared on her lips, lighting up her face from within. "It's really great," she repeated, and Jeff felt whatever uncertainty he still possessed melt away beneath the pure child-like delight and sincerity in her tone.

The pair exited the car, pulling their luggage out of the trunk. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior jogged up the short flight of cement steps, unlocking the front door and then stepping aside to allow the paparazzi princess to enter first.

Melina stepped tentatively into the foyer, walking the few paces into the living room. Patches of golden sunshine drifted through the windows, illuminating the sofa, the armchairs, the glass-topped coffee table. The space wasn't particularly neat, but the Dominant Diva didn't mind - if anything, it set it apart from the endless cavalcade of blandly sterile hotel rooms; reminding her that this was more than just a place to sleep, this was a home.

Home...up until this moment, she'd always assumed the word meant someplace with walls, a roof, and a floor that was designated as yours. But now, standing here in Jeff Hardy's living room, Melina realized that the term referred to so much more than that. Having a home - it wasn't about the space or the physical objects you filled it up with...but, rather, the memories and emotions you created and played out within its walls.

She could feel those sensations - full of love and laughter and warmth - leaching up out of every surface, and the longer she stood there, soaking in its aura, the more and more clinically impersonal her apartment back in Los Angeles seemed.

Behind her, she heard the front door close, followed by Jeff's hand against the small of her back, his voice a low murmur: "How about we take our stuff upstairs, and then I show you around?"

With effort, Melina tore her gaze away from the living room's inviting interior. "All right," Hefting her large suitcase with both hands, she followed the younger Hardy brother up the dark wooden staircase to the second floor.

The master bedroom was at the end of the hall, and since its windows faced away from the light, dim even in the mid-afternoon sunshine. The first thing the paparazzi princess saw when she entered the room was the massive queen-sized bed, covered with a plaid comforter in muted blues and greens.

The Charismatic Enigma set his suitcase down, spreading his arms wide to indicate the space. "As you can see, this is my room." He nodded toward the bed. "There's plenty of room for two - although, if you'd feel more comfortable, there's a guest room down the hall-"

"No!" At the sharp, almost panicked note in Melina's voice, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior looked back, concern creasing his forehead. The Dominant Diva immediately closed the distance between them, reaching out to take one of his hands in both of hers. "I mean...I want to stay with you." Her voice dropped to a hesitant whisper, and the paparazzi princess ducked her head, blushing.

The worry evaporated from Jeff's countenance, and he carefully disentangled his hand, reaching out with both arms to encircle Melina's waist, pulling her close. Dipping his head down, he sealed her mouth in a soft kiss, his pulse rate increasing ever-so-slightly upon hearing the Dominant Diva moan quietly in the back of her throat.

The younger Hardy brother eventually pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "You know," he remarked after several long seconds of comfortable silence had gone by. "I was going to give you the grand tour...but from the way you keep eying my bed, something tells me you'd do a lot better with a nap."

The paparazzi princess shook her head vehemently. "No, I-" Right on cue, the remainder of her sentence was engulfed by another huge yawn. Jeff raised his eyebrows in response, as though to say: "I told you so." Melina shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry...I guess I must be more tired than I thought."

The Charismatic Enigma smiled. "Not a problem, princess." Leading Melina over to the bed, he watched her kick off her shoes and stretch out on the mattress, her tiny frame almost dwarfed by its broad expanse. Jeff unfolded a handmade quilt lying at the foot of the bed and covered her with it, then climbed onto the bed himself, stretching out next to the Dominant Diva.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand against the flat plane of her stomach. He felt the paparazzi princess snuggle closer to him; felt her slender body sag slightly as she let her breath out in one long sigh...and just like that, she was gone, caught in the grasp of slumber.

Jeff pressed his face against the heated softness of her hair, breathing in her scent. He could feel fatigue weighing down his limbs, as though Melina's exhaustion was somehow a contagion that had now been passed on to him...but it was more than just that.

There had been only a handful of moments when he had felt this particular sensation; this sort of exquisite harmony with the world and his place within it. The first time he and Matt had won the Tag Team Championships. The instant he had stepped out onto the ramp in his second return to the WWE. And now, lying here next to Melina, drinking in her warmth, her nearness, knowing that he loved her and that she loved him...it was as though every mistake, every bad decision in his life, had also been a blessing in disguise - because in the end, they had ultimately led him to her.

A moment later, sleep claimed him, too, and he knew no more.

Melina awoke sometime later to the various aromas of cooking food. The Dominant Diva sat up, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she struggled to get her bearings. The room was dark - dusk had fallen outside and the space was swathed in shadows. Melina looked around, momentarily unsure of where she was - and then it all came back to her: Jeff...North Carolina...his home.

The paparazzi princess swung her legs over the side of the bed, her brain sorting the mingled aromas in the air into individual components: chicken, herbs, spices. Immediately, she heard her stomach grumble impatiently, reminding her that all she'd had to eat that day was a granola bar prior to their flight.

Stretching her arms up over her head, Melina rose to her feet, padding softly onto sock-clad feet out into the hall and down the stairs. Jeff was in the kitchen, with his back to her, his multi-hued hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was peering into the oven - the Dominant Diva caught a glimpse of golden-brown chicken breasts and thighs before he shut the door again.

The younger Hardy brother turned, jumping a little at the sudden appearance of the paparazzi princess. "Jesus, princess, you scared me," he remarked, but there was no accusation in his tone; only a sort of warm amusement. He crossed the space between them, leaning down to give her a kiss. "Hope I didn't wake you,"

Melina shook her head. "No, you didn't." She glanced behind Jeff; at the trappings of food preparation spread out across several counters. "I have to say I'm surprised - what's the occasion?"

Jeff's mouth curled upward in a wry grin. "You, mostly - but my brother's also coming over for dinner; I hope that's okay."

Melina returned his smile. "Of course," Another glance at the various utensils and food items. "Anything I can do to help?"

Jeff looked back at the cutting board, where a bag of lettuce and several tomatoes sat, awaiting their incorporation. "Well...if you want...you can start making the salad-"

The words weren't even out of his mouth before the Dominant Diva sidled past him, grabbing a knife out of the butcher's block and beginning work on the tomatoes. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior watched her slice up the vegetables with expert ease, aware that his mouth was hanging open in surprise.

Melina glanced back over her shoulder, noting his astonishment and flashing him a coy smile in reply. "What? Contrary to what you may have heard, we actually know how to cook out in Los Angeles."

With effort, Jeff managed to snap his mouth shut. "Well, then, I stand corrected-" He stopped, his ears picking up the faint familiar crunch of tires on gravel. "That must be Matt," He walked over to the paparazzi princess, giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'll go let him in - be right back."

Melina said nothing; only flashed him another smile before focusing on her chopping. Jeff exited the kitchen, just in time to hear the front door. He bounded into the foyer, a warm greeting poised on his lips - and then abruptly stopped dead, his smile evaporating instantly as another figure stepped through the doorway.

As though from a great distance, he heard himself speak, his previously relaxed tone now forced and stammering: "Ash! What...what're you doing here?"

The Dirty Diva shook her head, her face crinkling up in a bemused smile. "Hello to you, too." She looked back toward the open door, where Matt was just now ascending the front steps. "Matt! Your brother is being his usual charming self!"

The elder Hardy brother merely rolled his eyes as he walked over the threshold; Ashley glanced back at the Charismatic Enigma, shrugging. "Matt invited me down. It wasn't that hard of a decision, considering that the alternative was to sit in my empty apartment for the next five days and watch trashy television."

The SmackDown Diva's blue-green eyes narrowed slightly, as she favored the younger Hardy sibling with a critical look. "Why're you so jumpy? Don't tell me you were in the middle of watching porn."

"No, I-" Jeff's voice trailed off, and he shot a helpless look at his brother. Comprehension immediately flitted across the elder Hardy brother's features, his amused countenance fading, his dark eyes flicking to a point above Jeff's shoulder. "She's here...isn't she?" His voice was flat, making the query sound more like a statement.

Jeff said nothing; only nodded miserably. Ashley glanced from one brother to the other, her own smile disappearing and a frown taking its place. "Okay, what's up? Now both of you are acting weird." She stared hard at the Rainbow-Haired Warrior. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

"Jeff?"

All three of them froze as Melina materialized around the corner, wiping her hands on a dish towel. The paparazzi princess stopped dead in her tracks, a startled gasp escaping her throat at the sight of Ashley, the towel slipping from her hands and falling to the floor. The Dirty Diva's reaction was equally astonished; Jeff was certain for a moment or two that her bulging eyes were going to pop right out of her skull and roll across the floor.

For several tense agonizing seconds, no one said anything; merely stared at one another like participants in a Mexican standoff. Melina was the first one to eventually speak, clearing her throat awkwardly, the words tumbling from her mouth in a forced squeak: "Ashley! I didn't know that-"

Ashley, however, was already backing away, the shock in her expression rapidly being replaced by anger. She jabbed her finger accusingly at the Dominant Diva, her voice a strident bark: "What the fuck is she-"

That was all she got out before Matt clapped his hand over her mouth, stifling her cries. Grabbing her arm, he dragged the struggling DIva toward the threshold with a terse: "Outside, now.", slamming the door behind them.

Both Jeff and Melina flinched at the harsh BANG of wood hitting wood. Slowly, the younger Hardy brother reached out, wrapping his arm around the paparazzi princess's shoulders, pulling her against him. He could feel Melina shaking, like a small dog in a strong wind. Her voice was a soft, tearful whisper: "Jeff...did I do...something wrong?"

The Charismatic Enigma immediately shook his head. "No...no, you didn't." He leaned down, gently kissing her on the temple; his gaze, however, remained fastened on the door. "This has nothing to do with you."

It was a lie, and they both knew it.

"Let go of me!"

Ashley wrenched free of Matt's grip, stumbling down the front steps and almost face-planting on the gravel. She recovered, however; whirling around and fixing her boyfriend with an accusing glare. "What the hell, Matt? What the hell is that bitch doing here?"

"Would you keep your voice down?" the elder Hardy brother retorted through gritted teeth.

"What for?" the Dirty Diva shot back. "Are you afraid she'll hear me?" She stormed toward her boyfriend. "Why is she even here? What reason would that skank have to be anywhere near here?"

Matt met her furious gaze without flinching, and his voice, when he eventually did speak, was low and tightly controlled. "Why do you think she's here?"

The Diva Search winner stared at him for a moment, the ire in her countenance gradually melting away and awareness taking its place. "No...no way. Her...and Jeff? That's crazy-" She backed up, sagging awkwardly against the front of the car, blinking stupidly in the faint light.

"It's not crazy," Shoving his hands in his pockets, Matt approached his girlfriend, his expression sympathetic. He took up a position next to her, sitting on the hood of the car. "I know it seems impossible...and part of me still thinks that it is...but it's the truth."

"I don't...understand," Ashley's voice was soft, hesitant. She shot a look in her boyfriend's direction, her beautiful features full of child-like confusion. "Why didn't Maria tell me?"

Matt felt his expression sag. "Huh?"

The Dirty Diva went on, seemingly oblivious to the elder Hardy brother's incomprehension. "Maria...she's crazy about Jeff - something like this, it would have killed her, so I don't understand why she..." Her voice trailed off as she gradually grasped that, with the utterance of one bewildered syllable, Matt had just revealed an entirely new facet of the situation.

Slowly, Ashley looked over at him; there was a look on her face that Matt couldn't quite read in the fading light. "Oh my God...she doesn't know...does she?"

The elder Hardy brother said nothing; only stared back at her. An indeterminable moment of uncomfortable silence crept by - and then the Diva Search winner sprang to her feet, shoving her boyfriend hard with both hands. "Jesus, Matt!"

The SmackDown Superstar stumbled back a pace or two, glaring at his girlfriend with more than a little irritation. "Calm down, will you?"

"Calm down?" the Dirty Diva echoed incredulously. "That's easy for you to say - how long have you known about this, anyway?"

Matt didn't answer at first. "A while," he admitted after several seconds had elapsed.

"A while?" his girlfriend repeated sarcastically. "Your brother is cheating on one of my best friends with some slut who thinks she's Paris Hilton - and you couldn't even be bothered to tell me?" She punctuated her statement with another hard shove. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Listen to me!" The elder Hardy brother grabbed his girlfriend by the shoulders, yanking her toward him, jamming his face into hers. "First of all, I agree with you about Maria. I think it's fucked-up that he's leading her on like this, and if he had any balls at all, he would tell her the truth and get it over with."

The SmackDown Superstar paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I was just like you, all right? I thought: 'There's no way those two have anything in common.' But I've seen them together and I've seen them apart...and I'm telling you, Ash...they don't work without the other."

Matt sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not asking you to be her best friend - I'm just asking you to keep an open mind." He bent his head down, peering hard into her face. "Can you do that for me?"

Another agonizing increment of time crept by, during which Matt was almost positive Ashley was going to jerk free and tell him to go to Hell. Eventually, though, the Diva Search winner sagged slightly, her expression simmering with a sort of resigned resentment. "All right," she replied, her tone full of that same sarcastic defeat. "I'll try - but only because you asked me."

She leaned forward a little, her blue-green irises narrowing to tiny slits. "I'm not doing it for him - and I'm certainly not doing it for her." Spitting the last word out, she pulled free, storming up the front steps through the door and slamming it closed behind her.

Dinner was a terse affair, with no one saying much of anything. Afterwards, once the dishes had been cleared, Jeff suggested that they build a bonfire out in the backyard. Matt immediately chimed in to help - leaving the two Divas to sit out on the deck and observe the construction process.

Melina hugged the thick blanket tighter around her, shivering. Down in the yard, the brothers were arguing about the placement of sticks and the distribution of gasoline. The Dominant Diva shot an amused glance at her SmackDown counterpart. "At this rate, it'll be springtime before they get that thing lit."

Ashley didn't answer, or give any indication that she had even heard. She continued to stare straight ahead, her face shadowed beneath the brim of her black trucker hat, her expression stony.

The paparazzi princess's tentative smile drooped, and she looked away, staring down at her lap. Several minutes of tense silence ticked by - punctuated by the occasional epithet or curse word from the direction of the yard - before Melina awkwardly cleared her throat. "Look...Ashley..."

Still no reaction from the Diva Search winner; the Dominant Diva bravely went on. "I know that...I've said and done a lot of shitty things...things that I can't even begin to make up for." She lifted her head, fixing her gaze on the Dirty Diva. "And whatever I've done...to you...I'm sorry-"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Ashley's voice was low and terse, as though she was clenching her jaw as she spoke. She turned her head toward the paparazzi princess slightly; the movement sharp, staccato. "This has nothing to do with me."

The Diva Search winner slowly shook her head. "Did it ever occur to you, that while you and Jeff snuggle and play house, Maria's sitting at home all by herself, knowing that her boyfriend's pulling away from her, and wondering what she did to make him act that way. And that's fucked-up...because, out of everyone...she's the one person who didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Melina replied miserably. She gnawed on her lower lip. "For what it's worth...I'm sorry-"

"You think that changes anything?" Ashley interrupted bitterly. "Just because you say you're sorry?" The Dirty Diva shook her head again. "If I was even half the friend I claim to be, I'd be on the phone with 'Ria right now, telling her the truth, telling her exactly what her boyfriend's up to-"

"Then why aren't you?" The words popped out of Melina's mouth before she could stop them, harder and more challenging than she had intended.

There was a long moment of silence, and even though the Dominant Diva couldn't see her face, she could feel Ashley's eyes on her in the dark. "Because Matt vouched for you," the Diva Search winner replied, her tone slightly gentler than it had been a second ago. "He stood up for you - when he's got even less reason than Jeff to do so."

Ashley looked away, watching the pair of brothers as they assembled the bonfire. "Jeff might have lost his mind...but I'm pretty sure that Matt hasn't...so when he says that you and Jeff don't work without one another...I believe him."

There was another pause, as the Dirty Diva drew in a tentative breath. "And also...as much as I adore 'Ria, and as cute as I thought she and Jeff were together...the truth is that I never once saw him look at her the way he looks at you." Another pause, and in its void, Melina could hear the remainder of Ashley's inner defenses giving way. "He loves you...and you love him."

The paparazzi princess felt her head bob up and down in a nod. "Yeah...I do."

Even in the faint light, she could still make out Ashley echoing the movement. "And if that's good enough for Matt...then I guess it's good enough for me, too."

Another silence drifted between the two Divas, but for the first time, there was nothing uncomfortable about it. Gradually, Ashley cleared her throat. "So...what does this mean for Johnny 'Don't Call Me Monday' Nitro?"

At the mention of her "boyfriend", the Dominant Diva rolled her eyes. "I hate him, and I don't want anything more to do with it."

The Dirty Diva let out an abrupt hoot of laughter. "Finally! Something we both can agree on! Fist bump!" She extended her fist, and after a few uncertain second, Melina reached out with her own, tapping her knuckles against Ashley's.

The SmackDown Diva drew her hand back, twisting around in her chair to face the paparazzi princess, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "So...care to make a wager on which one of those two is going to light themselves on fire first?"

Melina stared at her dumbly for a moment or two before the hilarity of the statement crashed over her and she nearly fell out of her chair laughing. Ashley soon joined her, tears of laughter rolling down her face.

The two Divas giggled and talked, while their boyfriends built a fire - all of them blissfully unaware that in less than five days, all hell would break loose.