A/N: NEW CHAPTER! Yes, seriously! I know, I know, it has been an EXTREMELY long time since I updated - I was writing a screenplay, finishing some other stories, working, dealing with personal issues, etc. But like I said, I never abandon anything, and this story is one of my main focuses now. Writing this chapter took FOREVER - I'm still not quite back in the groove of this fic, and I started to hate it toward the end, but I really hope you like it.
A/A/N: The songs lyrics are from "This Isn't Everything You Are" by Snow Patrol; all rights, etc. belong to them.
Thank you to WeAreTheShieldofInjustice, Esha Napoleon, MelinaJeff1, Extremist, BigRedMachineUK, lazy4ever, Guest, Markus, bellabea, and HARDY IS SEXY for reviewing! And all of you who are still reading for reading! Yay! Hugs for all! PEACE!
Chapter 28: Done With You
The bedroom was dark and silent, only broken by the occasional call of a nightbird from the cluster of woods outside the windows. Jeff lay on his back, the bedcovers bunched down around his waist, one hand tucked up behind his head. His wiry frame rose and fell as he slept, his eyes twitching slightly at whatever unseen mental imagery was playing out on the opposite side of his closed lids.
All at once, the Charismatic Enigma drew in a sudden strangled breath, sucking air between his teeth with a sibilant hiss, his emerald irises flying open and darting over the shadowy contours of the room. For a few moments, he remained where he was, rigid as a board, the pounding in his ears drowning out the ambient nocturnal stillness as he struggled to catch his breath.
He had been sound asleep, dreaming - of what, he was no longer sure; the particulars had already melted away into the bottomless ether of abstraction - when this feeling had swept over him; this sensation of panic and unease that was acute, absolute, and utterly petrifying. He wasn't sure if it was a product of the dream, or some part of his subconscious mind bleeding out into his awareness - either way, the emotion had been enough to yank the Rainbow-Haired Warrior back into the waking world, leaving him panting and slick with icy sweat, his muscles tense and tight with a fear that seemed to have no source.
Gradually, as the seconds ticked by into minutes, some of Jeff's paralysis eased, and he was able to turn his head to the side enough to make out the glowing green numbers on his alarm clock:
3:09 AM.
The Charismatic Enigma sighed, reaching up to cover his face with both hands. The initial surge of anxiety was subsiding, but his chest still felt constricted, and his body's internal thermometer seemed to be out of order; he felt hot and cold at the same time. Groaning quietly and squeezing his eyes shut once more, the younger Hardy brother rolled over onto his side, reaching out blindly with one arm for Melina, hoping that the nearness and warmth of the Dominant Diva would drive away these unwarranted sensations festering inside him.
Instead of the slender form of the paparazzi princess, however, his fingers met only the soft texture of his flannel sheets. Jeff frowned, opening his eyes a crack. Melina's side of the bed was vacant, the comforter and sheets thrown back. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior sat up, pushing back his multi-hued locks with both hands as he looked around the room. "Melina?"
No answer greeted his tentative whisper. The Charismatic Enigma waited for a moment or two, then extricated his body from beneath the sheets, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, the hard wood floor boards cold beneath his bare feet as he stood up.
His first thought was that the Dominant Diva had merely gone to the bathroom, but a quick glance in that direction showed that the door was open and the space beyond it dark and vacant. He looked further down the corridor, but the other rooms on the second floor were dim and silent as well.
The younger Hardy paused at the top of the stairs, biting back a jaw-cracking yawn. grabbing onto the newel post as he rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand, As he did, his gaze fell on the open expanse of the living room area below him, the bluish-white glow of moonlight illuminating his hodgepodge assortment of furniture - and a very familiar figure sitting on the sofa.
In spite of his fatigue, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior still felt a slow smile slip reflexively over his face at the sight of the paparazzi princess. Holding onto the bannister for support, he made his way down the steps, crossing the living room and closing the distance between himself and Melina, reaching out to gently grasp her shoulder. "Hey, princess."
Even thought his approach hadn't been exactly silent, Melina still jumped a little at his touch, a startled gasp escaping her lips as she looked up at him. With her knees tucked up against her chest, her slim body dwarfed by the folds of his zip-up sweatshirt - although Jeff had officially bequeathed it to her, claiming that she looked much better in it than he did - and her face scrubbed clean of makeup, she seemed oddly childlike. "Hey," the Dominant Diva exclaimed breathlessly. She shrugged, the movement a trifle sheepish. "Sorry - I couldn't sleep."
"Hmm..." Jeff slid his hand up along the curve of her neck, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers, feeling that familiar heated rush of love and desire as the paparazzi princess leaned into his touch with a soft sigh. "Something on your mind?"
The paparazzi princess bit her lip pensively, ducking her head, her reddish-brown tresses tumbling forward and hiding her face. "No..." she whispered. Then, a beat or two later, in an even quieter tone of voice: "Yes..."
The Rainbow-Haired Warrior vaulted neatly over the back of the sofa, easing himself down onto the cushion. Melina immediately snuggled closer, nestling her body in the curve of his, and Jeff wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her against his chest. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, breathing in the clean scent of her hair. "Talk to me."
Melina was mute for a long time, and when she finally did speak, her tone was slow and measured, as though she was choosing each word with care before uttering it. "This week...here, with you...has been amazing - like...I can't even describe how amazing it's been."
Jeff didn't blame her inability to articulate; he had been feeling very much the same way. When he had first made the offer, he hadn't really known what to expect from the Dominant Diva's visit, but ever since the two of them had arrived on Tuesday afternoon, it was uncanny how quickly and easily they had slipped into the roles of a cohabiting couple, as though they had been living together for years.
There was nothing particularly thrilling about their daily routine - they made dinner together, went jogging on the paths running through the surrounding woods, argued over little things like who got the bathroom first or whose turn it was to do the dishes - but it never felt boring or ordinary; it never felt like anything other than right.
And in his opinion, all the excitement in the world could never compare to just seeing Melina smile, or laugh, or say I love you, you goofball and knowing that it was real.
The paparazzi princess went on. "All I want...is to stay here with you." She hesitated again, her voice cracking as a single sorrowful note crept into it. "But I can't have that...can I? Eventually, I'll have to go back...back to that world. I'll have to look-" Melina faltered, her mouth moving as she tried to force out the syllables of her former boyfriend's name. "-him in the eye...and tell him that it's over."
She drew in a deep shuddering breath, and the Charismatic Enigma looped his arm tighter around her petite frame. Melina clung to him, gripping his bicep with both hands, her fingers sinking into his tree root tattoo as though she was trying to anchor herself more firmly to him. She pressed her face into his chest, and Jeff felt her hot tears soak into the fabric of his shirt.
"He won't let me go," The Dominant Diva's voice was dull and miserable. "Not without a fight - his pride won't allow it. Once he finds out...about you and me - and he has to suspect something by now; there's no way that he can't - he'll want revenge."
She lifted her head up, staring at the younger Hardy brother, the moonlight's faint radiance unable to mask the heartbroken expression etched across her beautiful features. "He's obsessed with you, and not because of me. I think...deep down...Johnny really believes that just because he's good-looking and talented, he'll get whatever he wants, and when you refused...when you wouldn't quit, you wouldn't stay down - you got to him, in a way no one else could before."
Melina exhaled slowly, gnawing on the edge of her lower lip. "Johnny may act like nothing more than a spoiled little kid - but he's dangerous...and he's losing it...and once he knows about us, it'll push him over the edge-"
Jeff dipped his head down, tenderly kissing the paparazzi princess's forehead. "I won't let him hurt you-"
"But what about you?" the Dominant Diva interjected. Her cheeks were wet with tear stains. "It kills me to see you get hurt now - it took everything I had just to keep it together during that ladder match - and if Johnny knows that, he will use it." She paused, then added bitterly. "I should know - I was the one who taught him how."
Melina let go of his arm, reaching up to touch the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's face. "It's one thing...for him to hit me - but if he hurt you to get to me...I'd never forgive myself-"
"Don't worry about me," the younger Hardy brother cut in forcefully. "I can handle that asshole-"
"You don't know him!" the paparazzi princess cried. "Not even I know him anymore, and if I don't..." She let the thought trail off into silence, unable to vocally acknowledge what they both feared - that not even she knew how to defuse the walking time bomb that Johnny Nitro had become.
Melina leaned closer to Jeff, until her forehead touched his. "Please..." the Dominant Diva murmured. "Just...be careful."
Her plea became a soft surprised gasp as Jeff sealed her lips with his, wrapping both arms tighter around her body. "Don't worry," the Charismatic Enigma whispered when they eventually broke apart for air. "After Survivor Series...after this match...it's over. Okay?" He held her face in both of his hands, his emerald irises fastened onto her dark ones. "It's over, and you won't have to have anything more to do with him."
Melina stared at him wordlessly for several long moments before her full lips quivered and parted, voicing the one question that Jeff unfortunately did not have an answer to:
"Then why do I keep thinking that something bad is going to happen?"
Is he worth all this, is it a simple yes?
'Cause if you have to think, it's fucked
Feels like you loved him more than he loved you
And you wish you'd never met...
Melina ran down the cluttered arena hallway as fast as she dared in her stiletto-heeled boots. Her and Jeff's flight from North Carolina to Philadelphia had been delayed, so it had been a mad dash from the airport to the Wachovia Center. The Survivor Series pay-per-view was already in progress when they had arrived, and the Dominant Diva had barely finished getting dressed before a production assistant knocked on the door to summon her to gorilla.
Part of her was grateful for the unexpected tardiness - her mad adrenalized dash to prepare had left her almost no time to dwell on the dreaded chore awaiting her - but another part of her was uneasy. She'd had no contact with Nitro since the previous week - she didn't know what kind of mood he was in, what he was thinking, feeling; what he had merely conjectured, and what he knew for certain...only that, with each passing second, he was becoming more and more unstable.
Melina had always bragged about her acting ability, but she was heading into a situation where she didn't know all the variables - right now, she felt less like the star, and more like an understudy who's been handed a script with missing pages and shoved out onstage.
Her only recourse, then, was to do what she had always done - fake it. Swallow her disgust and her loathing, force a sneer onto her face, and go through the motions one more time knowing that it would be the last; that once she stepped back through those black curtains, she would never have to play the role of Johnny Nitro's girlfriend ever again.
The paparazzi princess turned the final corner before the gorilla area - and promptly ran smack into someone barreling out of it from the opposite direction. Melina reeled, grabbing onto the wall for support, her ankles wobbling dangerously as she struggled to regain her footing.
The Dominant Diva snapped her head back, flicking a red-and-brown ringlet back from her face with one manicured fingernail. "Excuse me-" she snarled, the invective immediately dying in her throat when she saw exactly who she had just collided with.
Maria reared back, pressing one hand against her ample chest, her expression fixed in that typical clueless Oh my gosh expression of hers. "Holy crap!" the backstage reporter babbled. "Are you all right? I totally didn't see you-"
"It's fine," Melina replied faintly. She could feel all the color draining from her face, and through the rushing sound in her ears, she heard Ashley's voice, admonishing and relentless-
Did it ever occur to you...that 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...
The paparazzi princess swallowed hard, forcing saliva down a throat that had inexplicably become bone dry. "I...I'm sorry," she added, somewhat lamely, and wondered if Maria knew that she was apologizing for so much more than just almost knocking her flat.
"Oh, that's okay!" the backstage reporter chirped, flashing one of her ditzy beaming smiles. Tossing her brown hair over one shoulder, she turned to go - but as she did, Melina thought she saw something in the depths of the other Diva's emerald irises; a hint of a cold, intelligent, reptilian awareness that didn't quite mesh with her bubbly, likable demeanor...
...and for just a moment, an instant, the Dominant Diva wondered if Maria Kanellis was really as clueless or as innocent as she seemed to be...
The moment passed, however, and Melina gave herself a brisk shake, dashing the rest of the way to gorilla. As usual, the small backstage area was packed with people, and the paparazzi princess maneuvered deftly through the crush of bodies, her pace slowing and her heart grinding to a halt within her chest when she saw the figure in the silver fur coat and designer shades standing next the black curtained entrance.
Unconsciously, the Dominant Diva began to make a check of her appearance - smoothing down her black leather corset and short black skirt, fluffing her reddish-brown ringlets, touching the corners of her mouth to make sure her lipstick hadn't smeared - but she was barely aware of doing so; all of her attention, all of her focus, was on the man in front of her; a man who, only a few months ago, she had loved...and now despised.
Taking a deep breath and planting one hand on her hip, Melina sauntered over to where Nitro stood, stopping at his side, but not saying anything. Beyond the black curtain, she could hear the ecstatic screams of the fans, occasionally drowned out by Triple H's roars as he went through the D-X introduction - but both were barely audible over the thunderous pounding of her own heart.
The former Intercontinental Champion shot a brief, disinterested glance in her direction - then a longer probing look when he realized who had joined him. Melina tilted her chin up haughtily, keeping her gaze neutral and fastened on the folds of the curtains, trying not to flinch as Nitro's icy hiss invaded her ears: "Where have you been?"
The paparazzi princess glanced at him without really looking at him, twirling a lock of hair around her index finger as she tried to sound nonchalant. "My flight was-"
"No!" Without warning, the former Intercontinental Champion grabbed her arm, whirling her around and forcing her to face him. Melina couldn't see his eyes; only her own face reflected in the dark lenses of his sunglasses, and she had to bite the inside of her lip to hold back the scream that had suddenly climbed up her throat.
Nitro leaned closer, jabbing his finger into her face, his handsome features tight and pinched with barely contained anger. "Don't play games with me - you know what I mean." He paused, and the Dominant Diva could almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding together. "Where...have...you...BEEN?"
Melina couldn't move; she was too transfixed by the terrified reflection of herself, like a mouse caught in the gaze of a snake. Before she could scramble for an answer, however, the shrill guitar wail of their shared theme music cut through the gorilla area, signaling that it was time for them to make their entrance.
The paparazzi princess relaxed, hoping that her sigh of relief wasn't audible or visual. "Come on, Johnny, let's go-" She turned toward the curtains, reaching out to push them aside.
The former Intercontinental Champion, however, didn't move; nor did he relinquish his grip on her arm. The twin mirrors of his sunglasses were still trained on the Dominant Diva. "You...didn't answer my question." He sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth. "I'm not going anywhere...and neither are you...until you give me an answer."
For one long agonizing second, Melina didn't know what to do - and then, out of nowhere, like the instinctive recognition you feel when you hop on a bike for the first time in years, the habitual conceit kicked in, and the paparazzi princess flicked her gaze upward, fixing her boyfriend-in-name-only with a withering look. "Are you serious?" she asked sarcastically. "You'd forfeit a Survivor Series match...just to wait on an answer from me?" She brought her hands together in a sarcastic show of applause. "Oh, brilliant. Just brilliant, Einstein."
Nitro flinched, his initial rage already starting to evaporate beneath the relentless heat of her scorn, but the Dominant Diva wasn't finished. Shooting a quick look over her shoulder, she spied the World Tag Team Champions several feet behind them. Edge was jogging briskly in place, while Randy was merely staring off into space in that vacant sociopathic way of his.
Melina rolled her eyes back toward Nitro, shaking her head. "I'm sure your team captains will love that-"
"Shut up," the former Intercontinental Champion growled. "Just...shut up." Before the paparazzi princess could add anything further, he grabbed her by the hand, pulling her through the curtains and practically dragging her out onto the top of the ramp. Melina's insides gave a sickly lurch, but she forced herself not to show it, forced her features into their customary countenance of contemptuous disdain, all the while chanting in the back of her mind:
Just a few minutes more, and you'll be rid of him...just a few minutes more, and you won't have to fake it...
Just a few minutes more...
Jeff stood on the edge of the ring apron, holding onto the rope with both hands, ready to tag in should the need arise. His emerald irises were glued to the fighting forms of his Survivor Series teammate CM Punk and the self-proclaimed A-lister - but it was taking everything he had not to shift them a tad lower; to disregard the match and focus instead on the figure at the opposite side of the ring.
When Nitro's music had hit, and the former Intercontinental Champion had emerged at the top of the ramp with his beautiful manager in tow, the Rainbow-Haired Warrior had experienced a dizzying sensation of deja vu, and for one petrifying moment, he almost thought that this match was destined to play out the same way as the night he lost the Intercontinental title.
However, the feeling dissipated just as rapidly as it had emerged, and as the A-list approached the ring, Jeff could see plainly the difference in the demeanor of the Dominant Diva. There was a fearful reluctance in her, as though she was walking on eggshells and trying not to show it, and despite the haughtiness of her expression, it didn't quite extend to her dark eyes, which remained glued to the younger Hardy brother whenever Nitro's back was turned.
He and the self-proclaimed A-lister had squared off early in the bout, but not for long - while Jeff would have been content to beat Johnny Nitro senseless until the end of time, he had four other teammates relying on him, and with his body still not at a hundred percent after that hellacious ladder match, he knew that he needed to conserve as much of himself as possible.
Besides - as he soon found out - it was just as satisfying watching the former Intercontinental Champion get the absolute shit kicked out of him.
In the ring, Punk looped his arm around Nitro's neck, running toward the center of the canvas and dropping the self-proclaimed A-lister with a bulldog. The crowd roared with excitement, and Jeff didn't blame them - for a rookie, the ECW Superstar was proving himself more than capable of hanging with the big dogs. Punk jumped to his feet, reaching down to pull Nitro up; the Charismatic Enigma followed the downward motion of his arm - but instead of settling on the groaning form of the former Intercontinental Champion, his gaze fell on the Diva standing just outside the squared circle.
Melina's attention was - obligingly - fixed on Nitro, one slender hand gripping the bottom rope, but almost as though she could sense the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's eyes on hers, she looked up, her dark irises meeting his green ones across the expanse of canvas. Jeff's mouth curved up in a half-smile, and he winked at her. The Dominant Diva immediately ducked her head, but the younger Hardy brother still saw a blush spreading across her cheeks that was almost the same hue as her hair.
In the back of his mind, he knew that he should stop there - the two of them were already tempting fate just making eye contact - but Jeff couldn't help himself; sometimes, you don't know you're going to crash until you're already in free-fall. Puckering his lips together, he blew the paparazzi princess a kiss from across the ring.
This time, Melina couldn't bite back the smile that touched her lips; a slow, achingly sweet smile that was so incongruous to the customary countenance of her heel persona. She looked up, her eyes locking onto him - and then all of a sudden, her smile evaporated, her complexion turning ashen as a look of utter horror materialized on her beautiful features.
The Rainbow-Haired Warrior froze, his own grin fading. Following the line of her gaze upward, he realized with a heart-stopping shock that Nitro was staring at him. Right at him. With a look of hatred so intense Jeff could almost feel the heat of it lapping against his skin like flames.
The former Intercontinental Champion strode toward his nemesis, disregarding Punk, disregarding his teammates on the opposite corner, as though he had forgotten about everything save both of them. Reaching out, he grabbed the younger Hardy brother by a fistful of his multi-toned hair, jerking him closer, spitting out words in a tone so soft only the two of them could have heard it:
"You fucking junkie - did you think you could fuck my girl and get away with it?" Nitro leaned even nearer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You're gonna pay for embarrassing me...and so is she."
Jeff's emerald irises narrowed, and before he was entirely cognizant of what he was doing, he grabbed Nitro's head, whirling around and dropping the self-proclaimed A-lister onto the top rope with a Twist of Fate. Nitro, gagging, staggered backward - right into the ready arms of his ECW opponent, who immediately used the former Intercontinental Champion's disorientation to drop him and lock in his finisher, the Anaconda Vise.
Immediately, Nitro waved his free arm frantically in a tapping motion, and referee Mike Chioda motioned that the self-proclaimed A-lister had indeed been eliminated from the match. The sea of fans screamed their approval, and for a few seconds, the younger Hardy brother was swept up in their elation...an emotion which soon faded as he gradually comprehended exactly what he had done.
Nitro was no longer in the match, which meant that he would have to head back to the backstage area.
And wherever Johnny Nitro went, Melina went.
Which meant that, until Jeff got eliminated or until his team won the bout, he was more or less stuck out here - while the woman would be backstage in the clutches of an unstable, violent man.
A man who knew she had been unfaithful. Who had promised to hurt her.
And who would do anything within his power to carry out that promise.
Jeff covered his face with his hands, his expression twisting into an anxious grimace as he spat out one single syllable in a panicked moan:
"Shit!"
And in one little moment
It all implodes
But this isn't everything you are...
As soon as the pair burst through the curtains into the gorilla area, Melina tried to extricate herself from Nitro's grip, hoping to achieve at least a modicum of distance between them before the active volcano seething inside the former Intercontinental Champion erupted. However, almost as though he had sensed her intentions, the self-proclaimed A-lister merely tightened his hold on her arm, his fingers clamping down with such force that Melina was certain the bone would shatter.
The Dominant Diva cried out, but Nitro ignored her squawk of pain and indignation; instead, he shouldered his way bodily through the crowd of production personnel and Superstars, moving out of gorilla and back into the labyrinthine cluster of hallways beyond it, dragging the paparazzi princess along behind him with the same care and concern one shows an oversized piece of luggage.
"Johnny, what-" Melina tried to say, but that was the most she was able to get out - now that they were out of the crush of bodies, Nitro's pace had increased to a furious rate, and her only options were to jog after him or risk having her arm pulled right out of the socket. Besides, she doubted very much that her words would have had any effect - the feeling of Nitro's hand clamped over her arm like a manacle was proof enough that the former Intercontinental Champion was beyond words.
And if he was beyond those...then what chance could she possibly have of stopping him?
The self-proclaimed A-lister halted abruptly, simultaneously swinging Melina around and shoving her forward. The Dominant Diva went flying, stumbling out of her red stiletto heels, her forward progress coming to a sudden end as she slammed hip-first into an equipment crate.
Instantly, pain flared outward, rocketing up her torso and down her leg all the way to the ankle. For a few moments, the paparazzi princess remained where she was - too stunned to move, or even think - before pulling herself up, grabbing onto the crate and the wall behind for support as she stared at her former boyfriend with a combination of incredulity and fear. "Are you insane?" she gasped. "What the hell-"
Whatever she had intended to say next was immediately rendered irrelevant as the self-proclaimed A-lister stormed toward her, balling his hand into a fist and driving it full-force into her abdomen.
All the air was expelled from Melina's body with a shocked explosive PAH. The Dominant Diva collapsed to one knee, all eloquence and articulation deserting her in the wake of pure exquisite agony. Vomit climbed up her throat, filling her mouth with its disgusting acrid taste, and it took all of her remaining awareness just to keep herself from puking onto the floor in front of her.
Nitro, meanwhile, continued to loom over her, his hand still molded into a hard knot of muscle and bone; with the other, he raked his highlighted hair back from his face, its handsome features fixed in an expression of crazed fury, the breath tearing out of him in rapid animalistic pants.
His voice, when he finally did speak, was rough with contempt and rage: "You...stupid...WHORE! Did you honestly think that I wouldn't find out? About you...and-and him?" The former Intercontinental Champion practically spat out the final word.
Melina didn't answer, mainly because she was still physically incapable of doing so. She couldn't breathe - her body felt as though it had been vacuum sealed shut - and her head was starting to spin from the lack of oxygen, filling her vision with bright spots of color. Her abdomen was a hard throbbing node of pain. Letting out a soft strangled sound that was too weak to really be classified as anything at all, the paparazzi princess groped blindly for the edge of the equipment crate, trying to regain enough control over her motor functions to pull herself to her feet.
The self-proclaimed A-lister, meanwhile, had begun to pace back and forth, running both hands through his hair as he went on. "I mean, I know that I fucked up, that you wanted to punish me for sleeping around - but come on! Were you really so desperate for revenge that you had to stoop to screwing Jeff Hardy?"
He glanced at Melina for a reply, but there was none. The Dominant Diva was still hunched over, one hand pressed against her abdomen, sucking air in with swallow, hesitant breaths. Nitro's features darkened with wrath, and he grabbed a handful of her reddish-brown curls, yanking her bodily up to her feet and slamming her against the wall. "Did you enjoy it?" the former Intercontinental Champion roared. "Did you enjoy humiliating me? How could you do this to me?"
Still holding onto her hair, he shook her, the way one shakes a small dog. "Answer me-"
The paparazzi princess let out a laugh; a bitter, hollow sound that was more like a cough. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her eyes were almost closed - only her full lips moved as she spoke, her voice soft, but dripping with vitriol. "You...you...you - it's always about you...isn't it?"
She laughed again, and this time, Nitro heard a distinct mocking peal echoing through it. "You poor dumb bastard."
Melina's eyes abruptly flew open, and the self-proclaimed A-lister released his hold on her hair, actually taking an involuntary step back at the sight of the unadulterated hatred burning in his girlfriend's gaze. Inhaling as deep a breath as she dared, the Dominant Diva drew herself up, pushing her petite frame off the wall and taking one cautious unsteady step forward, never taking her focus off her former boyfriend as she spoke: "This...had nothing to do with you. It never did. I slept with Jeff because I wanted to-"
She hesitated, then continued, her tone brimming with unmistakable tenderness: "-because...I love him."
Stunned surprise flitted across the former Intercontinental Champion's features, momentarily erasing the anger, making him appear like the lost little boy that - deep within the innermost chamber of his heart - he still was. "No..." Nitro whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "No...you don't! You can't!"
Without warning, he grabbed her by the upper arms, shaking her once more, peering into her face with a desperation that was both comical and tragic. "You don't love him - you love me!" the self-proclaimed A-lister babbled. "You always have-"
He stopped, his lower lip actually trembling. "Don't do this, Mel." Nitro's voice had dropped to a pleading murmur. "Please. I need you-"
"Need me?" Melina repeated scornfully. "You need me? Why? Because you love me...or because you can't win a match without my help?"
As soon as she uttered that last sentence, the former Intercontinental Champion went stock-still, his face flushing a dark mottled red. "You...bitch!" he snapped. "You really are as dumb as you look! All I've done is give you everything you've ever wanted!"
He brought one hand up, ticking items off on his fingers. "You wanted jewelry? I buy you the biggest rock in the store. You want to party? I take you to the hottest clubs. You want a winner, I become the Intercontinental Champion-"
"Former Intercontinental Champion," the paparazzi princess shot back.
Nitro's frown deepened. "Yeah, thanks to you." he hissed hatefully.
Melina tilted her chin up, her upper lip curling in disgust. "You're welcome." she retorted.
At this, the self-proclaimed A-lister's face twitched as another tremor of fury swept over his countenance. He leaned closer, until their faces were almost touching; the Dominant Diva could see a small vein throbbing up near his temple. "My point," Nitro went on, his voice dangerously soft. "is that you wanted the spotlight, so I gave it to you. But now - you're telling me that, after all I've done, it's not enough? That you'd rather throw it all away just so you can shack up with some...burned-out loser? That I'm not good enough for you anymore?" He gestured at himself. "Me? Not good enough for a fucking slut like you?" He punctuated this statement with a hard shove, knocking the paparazzi princess back against the wall.
Melina felt another haze of pain float over her as her body met the unyielding cinderblock, bringing involuntary tears to her eyes. She blinked them back as best she could, meeting the former Intercontinental Champion's gaze without flinching, shaking her head slowly. "I don't...expect you to understand-"
"Understand?" Nitro echoed disdainfully. "Oh, I understand perfectly! I understand that you wanted to make me suffer, so you jumped on the dick of the first guy who showed you the slightest bit of attention, and now you think that you can just walk away and leave me behind after everything we've been through?"
Grabbing her wrists, he forced them up against the wall on either side of her head, jamming his face into hers, his voice dropping to an insidious whisper. "You really think that that junkie cares about you?" He let out a scornful humorless laugh to emphasize his point. "The only thing that he cares about is keeping that Intercontinental title on his shoulder, and he knows that the only place you're of any use is either outside a wrestling ring or on your knees!"
The self-proclaimed A-lister moved in closer, dipping his head down until his mouth was next to her ear. "I'm going to hurt him." This statement, uttered in such a flat uninflected tone of voice, sent a chill rippling through the paparazzi princess.
Nitro went on, his tone casual, as though he was merely suggesting where they might have dinner after the show. "I'm going to make him suffer. I'm going to break him down and take back my title. And once I do that - once he sees for himself just how worthless you are-"
The former Intercontinental Champion smiled, and it was awful. "Well then, I guess you'll be exactly what you were when I first met you - nothing."
Melina couldn't speak at first; she could only stare wordlessly at the self-proclaimed A-lister, wondering how they had ended up here, wondering what had happened to the sweet charming guy who had stolen her heart in OVW to turn him into the cold-hearted bastard standing in front of her.
Well, that's no surprise...the irritating little voice chirped up, its tone faintly patronizing. Johnny was a ruthless competitor even back then...but YOU'RE the one who REALLY taught him to be cruel...
But the Dominant Diva knew it was more than that, more than the underhanded deeds from their developmental and SmackDown days. There was something inside Nitro - a dark twisted shadow of malice and appetite. Perhaps it had been spawned during the former Intercontinental Champion's title reign, perhaps it had always been there, lurking in the seemingly shallow depths of his psyche - either way, it had fed off of his arrogance and his success, lying dormant and complacent...until the night of Cyber Sunday, when it had finally lashed out.
Looking back, the paparazzi princess pondered how she could have believed even for a second that Nitro could be redeemed - after all, you can't close Pandora's Box once it's been opened. The self-proclaimed A-lister had tasted cruelty and found that he liked it, and the ugliness was fully a part of him now.
And if she hoped to make it out of this hallway in one piece, she would have to accept the heart-breaking fact that Johnny - her Johnny - was gone, possibly forever, leaving only this vicious monster in front of her.
Melina shook her head, her reddish-brown ringlets bouncing limply against her cheeks. "Not everyone...is like you, Johnny." Her voice was dead and hollow, and despite being pinned against the wall, she managed to draw herself up a little. "Jeff wouldn't do that to me-"
"Oh, really?" Nitro drawled sarcastically. He cocked his head to the side, his eyes bright with malevolence. "Why not?"
"Because he loves me!" the Dominant Diva shot back.
It was as though she had just spat in his face - Nitro flinched, his mask of rage cracking just enough to reveal a flash of very real pain. So the monster has a heart after all...Melina thought, but the notion gave her no satisfaction. The former Intercontinental Champion released his hold on her wrists, backing away, as though her words were weapons that he needed to take cover from.
Melina took a step toward him, then another, enough so that the self-proclaimed A-lister could see that she wasn't cowering, she wasn't backing down. She was afraid, but she was also angry - she could feel it flowing through her veins like liquid heat, infusing her with a new sort of power.
It was dangerous, this anger - the last time she had unleashed it, it had earned her a backhand - but the paparazzi princess didn't care, because she was tired of being stepped on and used, tired of the lies and the phony smiles and the cowardice...tired of clinging to this shallow phony imitation of a life for the sake of her career.
She was so. Fucking. Tired.
"He loves me," the Dominant Diva reiterated. "for me. He doesn't need me to win his matches or help him keep his title - the only thing he needs is for me to love him as he loves me. And I do...I do."
Melina took another shaky step forward, her mouth stretching into a bitter, triumphant smile. "And you won't beat him...because he's better than you." The paparazzi princess threw her head back, letting loose a bitter humorless laugh, her dark eyes glittering with derision and loathing. "That's why you hate him so much - because deep down, you know that you'll never be even half the man he is-"
Nitro's fist crashed into her face, snapping her head back. Melina reeled, collapsing against the blue equipment crate. A sickening vertigo swept over her, turning the world sideways, and she could taste the coppery tang of blood in her mouth - but still the Dominant Diva's shoulders shook with laughter, the sound of it derisive and shrill with near-hysteria.
"Shut up!" The self-proclaimed A-lister's face was dark and quivering with fury. He pointed at her, his whole arm shaking with barely restrained emotion. "I swear to God, you better fucking shut up, or-"
"Or what?" the paparazzi princess interrupted contemptuously. "You'll hit me again? Snap me out of it? Show me how big a man you are?" With effort, she pushed herself up, clawing her hair out of her face as she glared at her former boyfriend. "Face facts, Johnny: you're not a man - you're a boy; a little boy who stamps his feet and throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way."
Melina's delicate features twisted into a sneer. "You know what? I'm glad you found out. I'm glad - because now I don't have to fake it anymore." Her voice rose in pitch and volume. "Now I can tell you to your face how much I hate you; how just the thought of you touching me makes me want to puke-"
Her caustic flow of words abruptly dissolved into a surprised shriek as the former Intercontinental Champion wrapped both hands around her throat, throwing her back against the wall. Melina's spine and skull met cinderblock with an ugly SMACK, driving the remaining air out of her, and she felt her feet leave the floor.
Nitro's handsome features pulsated with wrath, his lips pulling back from his teeth and making him appear bestial. Without loosening his hold, he leaned in, jamming his face into that of his choking girlfriend's. "I'm not a man?" he roared. "I'm not? I'll show you-" He squeezed harder, his thumbs pressing against her windpipe. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll beg me to take you back-"
The Dominant Diva gagged, grabbing Nitro's hands with her own, trying to peel his fingers back from her neck. She couldn't scream - there wasn't enough breath left in her lungs to force the sound out - but her mouth was full of blood and the acrid taste of fear, as black spots began to flash across her vision.
And as the tendrils of unconsciousness began to reach up and drag her down into oblivion, Melina realized - with the sort of clarity that comes too late to be of any real use - that she had underestimated the monster. The look on Nitro's face the night of Cyber Sunday - as terrible as it had been, the awful truth was that it had merely been the fin in the water; a heinous but ultimately tame foreshadowing of this very moment.
The paparazzi princess's eyes rolled back into her head, and her lips moved, silently forming the words that her larynx was incapable of uttering:
Someone...please...help me...
"You sick fuck, let go of her!"
Something crashed into the two of them with all the force of a charging bull elephant, knocking them over and tearing loose Nitro's grip on Melina's neck. The Dominant Diva crashed into the edge of the equipment crate, her shoulder taking the brunt of the blow, slumping to the ground and coughing violently as air rushed back down into her lungs.
Almost immediately, she felt strong gentle hands on her shoulders, holding her up, accompanied by a voice - Easy now...you're okay...everything's going to be okay - that sounded as though it was coming from the end of a long hallway.
I don't FEEL okay!...the paparazzi princess wanted to scream, but she was too busy coughing to even consider getting the words out. Her throat was raw and aching, and no matter how deeply she inhaled, it was never enough. She felt lightheaded and sick, and part of her wanted nothing more than to lie down with her face pressed against the cool concrete until the world around her stopped pitching and heaving.
Gradually, as her choking spasms subsided, as the deafening pounding in her ears faded and sound filtered back in, she heard a new voice - Jeff's, bellowing with a fury she'd never imagined him capable of:
"I'll fucking kill you, motherfucker! Hey! Get off me! Let me go!"
Melina opened her eyes just in time to see Matt and CM Punk bodily haul the Charismatic Enigma off of Nitro, who was now lying prone, his booted feet kicking weakly for purchase. Jeff struggled violently in their grip, his emerald irises blazing with wrathful fire - it was clear that he wasn't finished exacting punishment on the former Intercontinental Champion.
Pressing one hand to her chest - which currently felt like there was a ten-pound weight sitting on it - the Dominant Diva turned toward the source of the hands holding her up, and found herself looking into the warm sympathetic gaze of Shawn Michaels, who merely smiled and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.
Another figure moved in front of her - for being so deserted a minute ago, this hallway was certainly filling up with bodies quickly - and Melina recognized it as the imposing figure of Triple H. The Game cast an almost cursory glance at the mewling self-proclaimed A-lister before stepping nonchalantly over his sprawled legs and reaching out to grab the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's shoulder, giving him a solid brisk shake. "Hardy! Hardy, look at me!" Jeff obeyed, albeit reluctantly, his green eyes shooting sullen sparks. "He's not worth it, okay?"
A low moan floated upward from Nitro. The Cerebral Assassin glanced at the former Intercontinental Champion with an expression of faint annoyance, as if to say: Would you keep it down back there? I'm trying to talk... before looking back at his Survivor Series teammate. "There's no reason you should take the heat for giving some asshole exactly what he deserves."
Triple H drew his hand back, cracking his knuckles one by one, a slow, vaguely sinister smile spreading across his bearded face. "So...what do you want us to do with him?"
"Hey, man..." Grabbing onto the wall, Nitro gingerly pulled himself up to one knee. The Charismatic Enigma had gotten a few good shots in - there was blood leaking from his nose and mouth, and the skin around his left eye was already beginning to swell.
The self-proclaimed A-lister looked around, perhaps noticing for the first time that the odds were most assuredly not in his favor, and Melina saw him blanch a few shades paler beneath his spray-on tan. "Hey, listen..." Nitro stammered, holding out both hands in a placating gesture. "I don't want any trouble - this has nothing to do with you-"
"If I were you," the Game interrupted, his tone considerably more frosty than it had been a moment ago. "I would shut my fucking mouth before I ended up spending the rest of my life drinking my meals through a straw." He glanced over at the paparazzi princess as he said this, and Melina could feel the menace radiating from his implied threat. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's pricks like you who get their rocks off by hitting girls."
Nitro paled even more, and he quickly snapped his mouth shut. The Cerebral Assassin looked back at the Rainbow-Haired Warrior questioningly. "Well, Hardy?"
For what seemed like an eternity, there was nothing; only the tense silence of indecision - and then finally Jeff stirred, wrenching his arms free and massaging his shoulder. His features had closed down into a cold stolid mask of animosity. "Let him go," the younger Hardy brother spat, his tone just as unemotional as his countenance. "Like you said - he's not worth it."
He took a step toward Nitro, and the former Intercontinental Champion scrambled to his feet, tottering a little, holding up his fists in a fighting stance. Jeff only stared at him, his green eyes narrowing to small dangerous slits. "But if you lay so much as a finger on her again - I'll kill you. Understand?"
Without waiting for an answer, he turned his back on the self-proclaimed A-lister, his gaze falling onto the petite figure of the bruised and trembling Raw Diva. Instantly, the Charismatic Enigma's face softened with love and concern and he closed the distance between them, dropping to his knees and pulling Melina into his arms. The paparazzi princess wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him, her tiny body shaking as she - finally - began to cry.
Nitro watched them, his muscular frame trembling, his expression a curious mixture of outrage and disbelief. "You think this is over? It's not over!" He stormed toward the couple, his forward progress halted by the Game, who stepped in front of them like a human wall, shielding them from the former Intercontinental Champion.
However, that didn't stop Nitro from poking his head around Triple H's shoulder, his eyes glaring daggers at the embracing pair. "You hear me, you worthless cunt?" At this, the Dominant Diva shrank a little. The self-proclaimed A-lister pointed at them, his index finger stabbing the air like a knife. "I'll make you pay - both of you-"
His vindictive diatribe abruptly ended in a started grunt as the Cerebral Assassin unceremoniously kicked him in the gut, knocking him back several feet and back down onto his ass. "Shut the fuck up," Triple H commanded. "and be glad you're leaving with all of your teeth."
The former Intercontinental Champion opened his mouth yet again, thought better of it, and instead half-ran, half-crawled in the opposite direction, disappearing around a corner and out of sight.
Jeff pulled back, tenderly brushing Melina's hair back from her face, wincing when he saw the marks that Nitro had left. "Jesus Christ..." His face crumpled with remorse and guilt, and he pulled the paparazzi princess to him, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'm so sorry, princess, I'm so sorry - I should have gone after you-"
"It doesn't matter now," Sucking in a sob, Melina held his face in both of her hands, soaking in the warmth of him like a healing balm. "He's gone...it's over."
Even as she said it, Nitro's final threat kept echoing through her skull, sending a chill through her body that not even the younger Hardy brother's embrace could banish:
I'll make you pay...
Both of you...