A/N: OH MY F'N GOD! No, this is not a drill; this is in fact a NEW chapter! I really really REALLY want to apologize; I fell into a bad patch and out of writing for a month or so, and am only just now getting back into it. Plus, I'm moving in less than two weeks, and that is freaking me out like you wouldn't believe. But writing this takes my mind off of all of that, so yay, thumbs up all around. Enjoy! Peace!

Thank you to nightmarelover, Missy89, cherrycokerocks, extremist, darkangelmel, Esha Napoleon, iluvhardy, BigRedMachineUK, wwekeks, J'aime Pour Croire, johncenaissohot, Kyahbell, XXDark CloudXXX, and NikkiCandiOE for your AWESOME reviews! I love you ALL! No, really, I do.


Chapter 19: The Possibility of Happiness

Jeff opened his eyes, blinking slowly in the dim morning light. For a moment, he was gripped by the usual waker's disorientation; unsure of where he was, why he was there, and why his body hurt so much. Then, as awareness gradually returned to him, the events of the previous evening swam back into focus: Cyber Sunday...his title defense against Carlito...his midnight stroll across the hotel parking lot following the conclusion of the pay-per-view...

The Charismatic Enigma drew his breath in sharply as the rest of last night tumbled back into the forefront of his mind: Melina, bruised and crying on the curb...her hand clenched tightly in his...their conversation in his hotel room...that first kiss, and then what had followed...

Jeff turned his head, gazing at the sleeping form of Melina beside him. The Dominant Diva had her back to him, her body rising and falling slightly with each inhalation and exhalation of breath. Her long hair was loose, falling across the pillow in soft reddish-brown waves. The bedcovers had been pushed down around her waist, exposing the sinuous contours of her naked upper body.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on his elbow. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the smooth curve of her bare hip, or her olive skin, glowing in the faint light...

In the midst of his voyeuristic desire, however, Jeff could hear a voice calling out faintly from the back of his mind—the rational part of his psyche clamoring for attention. And while he could ignore it all he wanted, he couldn't deny that it had a valid point.

He had slept with another woman. He had cheated on his girlfriend—a first even for him—and slept with another woman. More than that, the other woman in question was none other than the girlfriend of his worst enemy; a woman who, at least on camera, hated his guts.

Jeff had always spent his life living from one moment to the next; for him, adulthood had been little more than one unending leap of faith. But he had ended up in enough hot water over the years to gradually comprehend that all actions, no matter how small, had consequences. And something like this...would have major consequences. When Nitro found out...

More than that—when Maria found out...

He could already hear everyone's voices in his head, his older brother's chief among them, criticizing him, chastising him, asking what he had been thinking, telling him that it was wrong. Maybe they were right; maybe it was wrong.

But Jeff didn't really care. Despite their less-than-amiable history, he couldn't bring himself to believe that what had happened last night between him and the paparazzi princess was a mistake. Besides...while everyone might be content to judge his life all they wanted, in the end, he was the one who had to live it.

Sleeping with Melina might not be what everyone else wanted...but it was what he wanted. And to the Charismatic Enigma...that was all that mattered.

Slowly, Jeff reached over, taking hold of the sheet and tugging it gently up until it covered the Dominant Diva's slumbering form. As he did, his fingers accidentally grazed her shoulder and he continued the caress, trailing his hand along the delicate line of her neck, feeling the soft throb of her pulse beneath his fingertips.

Melina stirred a little at the contact, stretching slightly in her sleep. Moaning quietly in the back of her throat, she rolled over, nestling her body in the curve of Jeff's, draping her arm over his waist. Sensing that she was near waking, Jeff took the opportunity to cast one last long lingering look over her.

Melina's face was a portrait of beatific serenity; he had never seen her look so peaceful. But it was more than that; there was a...glow...about her; an inner radiance that he had never witnessed before.

Almost as though she was...happy.

Jeff touched her face, his fingers gently stroking the velvety softness of her cheek, and Melina's eyes fluttered open. The Rainbow-Haired Warrior would always remember the way she looked in that first moment: her dark irises lit up with drowsy desire, the way her mouth curved into a tiny smile at the sight of him.

"Mornin'," the paparazzi princess whispered, her voice a husky murmur.

Jeff felt a smile of his own touch his lips. "Mornin', princess," he replied tenderly. Bending his head down, he captured her mouth in a soft lingering kiss, which Melina ardently returned. Trailing her hands up his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck. The movement caused her body to press closer against his, and now it was Jeff's turn to groan. Already, the quiet flicker of desire in him had risen to a low ache; a few more minutes, and the need would be almost unbearable.

But then Melina suddenly drew back, and the Charismatic Enigma felt his ardor falter when he saw her face. The paparazzi princess's smile had disappeared, and there was apprehension in her dark eyes now, along with an amalgamation of other emotions fighting for dominance. Jeff felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She was pulling away, shutting herself off from him, and he could almost hear the nearly-audible bang of her defenses slamming back into place.

As though to illustrate this, the Dominant Diva averted her gaze, abruptly extricating herself from Jeff's embrace and sitting up. "I should go." Her voice was toneless, distracted, as though her mind was a million miles away. Shoving the covers aside, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

Jeff blinked in surprise. "What?" he managed to sputter. "Why?"

Melina paused, but didn't turn around. Her reddish-brown hair tumbled down her back almost to her waist, covering her like a cloak. "My stuff," she finally replied after a few moments. "My stuff...it's still back with Johnny. I should-"

"Fuck that," Jeff interjected brusquely. He pushed himself up on his elbows, peering intently at the paparazzi princess. "You can get new stuff. Hell, I'll buy you new stuff-"

"It's not just that!" Now it was Melina's turn to interrupt, a faint note of agitation creeping into her tone. She turned her head a little, bringing her profile back into view. Her lids were lowered; Jeff had no idea if she was even looking at him, but he strongly suspected that she was secretly studying him out of the corner of her eye. The Dominant Diva continued. "I have...to talk to Johnny."

Her voice faltered a little as she mentioned her boyfriend's name, and Jeff found his gaze unconsciously drifting to the bruise beside her left eye. The swelling had gone down, but only a little; even with a ton of makeup covering the discoloration, it would still be painfully obvious that someone had hit her.

Jeff felt a dull stab of anger knife through his insides, saw red hovering at the edges of his vision, and it was only with effort that he caught the paparazzi princess's next words: "I owe him that much-"

"Listen to me!" The Rainbow-Haired Warrior sat up in a smooth blur of motion, grabbing Melina's face in both hands and forcing her to look at him. He saw Melina flinch, and realized that his words had emerged as little more than a furious hiss. Jeff took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down before he went on. "This guy lied to you, he cheated on you, and when you confronted him—which you had every right to do—he hit you!" He leaned down, until his nose was almost touching hers. "You don't owe him a thing."

He was expecting Melina to offer at least a weak rebuttal to this, but the Dominant Diva said nothing; only stared mutely back at him. The Charismatic Enigma sighed heavily, casting his eyes downward. "Look, princess," he eventually added after a second or two. "It's your choice. I'm not going to tell you what to do. It's just that..." He hesitated, his tone softening. "...I would really love it...if you stayed."

Jeff leaned forward, sealing her mouth in a brief tender kiss. Breaking it off, he slid his lips along the line of her jaw, touching his tongue to her earlobe, which evoked a low moan from the paparazzi princess. "Stay with me," the Rainbow-Haired Warrior murmured.

A long moment of silence elapsed as Melina considered this. Finally, she pulled back a little until she was facing the younger Hardy brother once again. Her head bobbed up and down in a single nod. It was a small gesture...but it spoke more than the most eloquent of affirmations. "All right," the Dominant Diva whispered. "I'll stay."

Tilting her head up, she kissed him, one which was far less chaste or innocent than his had been. Jeff wrapped his arms around her waist, falling back onto the bed and pulling her on top of him as he kissed her back.

And pretty soon, they were doing more than just kissing.

Jeff peered out through the windshield as he steered the car down the road. The sky had a gray overcast quality, like it was about to storm, and there was a chill wind whipping through the air.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior wasn't concerned about the weather; it was still early afternoon, and he had picked up enough shortcuts over the years to shave some time off the two-hour drive to Columbus. Besides, his focus wasn't on the trip or tonight's Raw broadcast or even the stretch of asphalt ahead of him...but on his passenger.

Melina stared wordlessly out the window at the passing scenery, her hands folded limply in her lap. They had stopped at a nearby mall after leaving the motel, and she had since changed out of her pajamas into a newly-purchased pair of jeans and graphic t-shirt, her reddish-brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was still wearing Jeff's borrowed hoodie over her like an oversized jacket.

The younger Hardy brother shot a glance in her direction. It seemed strange that they could be so comfortable with one another, and yet so awkward at the same time. Despite the physical intimacy they had shared, Melina still remained extremely guarded around him. Her conversation was limited, and even Jeff's best attempts at humor were met with little more than a wan smile.

The Charismatic Enigma suspected that she was still a little shell-shocked; trying to reconcile the reality of last night with the uncertainty of this morning, with no clear idea of where to go from here. He didn't blame her; to a certain extent, he felt the same way. But then again, uncertainty was his milieu; it was something he thrived on.

He was pretty sure that it had been a long time since Melina had been uncertain about anything.

I can't stop thinking about you...

Except when it came to her feelings for him...whatever those might be.

Sometimes, I hate you so much...but at the same time...I feel like I'll die if you don't touch me...

What did they feel for each other, anyway? Love? Love was a word that Jeff didn't throw out too often in his life; it was an emotion as wildly unpredictable as himself. What he felt for Melina was largely physical attraction, yes...but there was more to it than simple lust. He felt a sort of irrational...protectiveness...whenever he was around her; felt it well up inside of him every time she grabbed his hand or rested her head on his shoulder.

There was more to Melina as well; a personality lurking inside her that he was only just beginning to glimpse. There was a shyness about her, a vulnerability that he never would have expected. Beneath her cold, arrogant exterior was a soul of surprisingly fragility—and that, more than anything, was what he wanted to protect...because he could already see the scars and scratches that Johnny Nitro had left on its surface.

The Rainbow-Haired Warrior shifted a little in his seat. He wanted to reach over, put his hand on her knee, but something stopped him—the fear that she would jerk away from his touch, draw even further within herself. Instead, he reluctantly pulled his gaze back to the road, clearing his throat awkwardly as he racked his brain for a possible topic of conversation.

Up ahead, in the distance, he spotted a familiar red-and-white sign, and a spark of inspiration flickered across his brain like lightning. "So, princess…" he began tentatively, hoping he didn't sound like as much of an idiot as he felt. "Care to make a little detour at Dairy Queen?"

The Dominant Diva looked up, but not over at him. "Dairy Queen? Now? It's freezing outside." Despite the harshness of her words, her tone held no real derision.

The younger Hardy brother chuckled. "It's never too cold for a Blizzard, princess," He leaned back in his seat. "What's your flavor, anyway? I bet I can guess." Taking one hand off the wheel, he pretended to tick items off on his fingers. "Oreo? Reese's Pieces? No…wait…I got it?" He shot a sidelong glance at the paparazzi princess, a teasing smile on his lips. "M&M…right?"

His grin quickly faltered, and then faded altogether when he saw that Melina was not laughing. The Dominant Diva had her head bowed, and was staring intently at her lap. Her slender form was trembling, and her lips were pressed together in a thin line, as though she was trying her very hardest not to cry.

Before Jeff could ask if she was all right, she spoke, her voice low and choked and full of unshed tears. "Pull over, please,"

There was a strip mall up ahead on the right. Jeff swiftly turned the wheel in that direction, swinging into the parking lot and pulling into a space at the far end, away from the stores. Before he could even put the car in "PARK", Melina threw open the passenger side door, vaulting out of the vehicle and striding across the pavement.

Jeff's first thought was that she was running away, and immediately began fumbling, trying to turn off the car and unbuckle his seatbelt at the same time. But by the time he exited the vehicle, nearly falling on his face in his haste, he saw that the paparazzi princess had halted about fifty yards away, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she wept.

The Charismatic Enigma jogged over to her side, reaching out hesitantly to grasp her shoulder. "Princess? What's wrong?" Gently, he turned her around, holding her by her upper arms. "Talk to me,"

"I don't deserve this," Melina's words emerged as barely more than a strangled cry.

The bitter sorrow in her voice made the Rainbow-Haired Warrior's heart wrench painfully within his chest, and he pulled the Dominant Diva a little closer to him. "Don't deserve what, princess?"

"This!" The paparazzi princess looked up, her beautiful face wet with tears. With one hand, she gestured emphatically at the space between them. "What I…feel…when I'm with you—what I'm feeling right now!"

Jeff slowly reached up, cupping her cheek in his hand, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "And what's that?" Emotion had crept into his voice, making it hard for him to speak. He felt something flutter within him, and realized that it was a sort of hopeful anticipation.

Melina sniffed, fresh tears rolling down her face. Her dark eyes never wavered from his, and when she did speak, her voice had not lost that low choked sound. "Happy," she whispered. "Happy…and alive…and free—and I don't deserve to feel any of those things!"

The Dominant Diva looked away from him for a second. "My entire career has been one shitty deed after another. Everyone on the roster hates me—and they have every reason to hate me!" Her voice, soft at first, began to rise in pitch and volume. "Why should they like me? I'm a horrible person—"

"No, you're not," Jeff interrupted quietly. He pulled Melina against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Melina didn't resist; merely clung to him fiercely. The younger Hardy brother knew that she had finally reached her breaking point; any further agitation and she would dissolve into hysterics. So he kept his tone calm, modulated, choosing his words carefully as he spoke. "You might think you are, princess—but you're not." Jeff pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring into her hair. "You have a heart, and as long as you've got that…you're not as bad as you think you are."

The paparazzi princess didn't reply at first; only sniffled. When she eventually did speak, her voice was still thick, but considerably calmer than it had been a few seconds ago; her words emerging in broken fragments: "When I woke up this morning…I thought...that last night…was just about sex…and that was it." She drew in a shaky breath, and then went on. "But…the more I'm with you…the more I feel like…this could work—like we could work." Melina pressed her face against his chest. "And it scares me more than anything…but at the same time…I don't want it to stop."

The words were out of Jeff's mouth before he could even comprehend what he was saying. "It doesn't have to."

At this, the Dominant Diva lifted up her head, her brown eyes still wet with unshed tears. Her expression was stunned. "What—what do you mean?" she stammered, although it was clear from the look in her dark irises that she already knew the answer to her question.

Jeff held her face gently in both hands, smiling in spite of himself. "What do you think I mean, princess?" he replied softly. "I'm talking about you and me." He paused for an instant, laying deliberate emphasis on his next word: "Together."

Melina gasped, her eyes growing wide. For a moment, the color evaporated from her face, but in the next, it rushed back in, flushing her complexion, tinting her cheeks a bright pink. She reeled a little, and for a second, Jeff thought she was going to go down, but the paparazzi princess quickly steadied herself. Her eyes never wavered from his face.

In the back of his mind, the younger Hardy brother was aware of much this situation mirrored the discussion he had had with Maria once upon a time about the nature of their relationship…and how much it differed from it. Back then, he had said everything that Maria had asked for…and had meant none of it. He had gone along with their relationship only because he had assumed that his feelings for the backstage reporter would eventually deepen into something more than friendship—but also because dating her was almost what was expected of him.

Now he was saying next to nothing, laying out his intentions in the vaguest terms possible…and yet he meant every word.

There was still no response from the Dominant Diva. Jeff sighed, glancing down at the ground for a heartbeat. "Look, princess—I'm just as freaked out as you are about this. But I want this; I want this more than anything."

He looked back up, his emerald irises boring into hers. "But I can't do it alone. It takes two of us to make something like this work. I'm willing to try…but only if you are, too."

The Charismatic Enigma hesitated, reaching down to take both of Melina's hands in his. "Melina…" Just uttering her name sent a shock through him, like a bolt of electricity. "Do you want this?"

As he spoke those words, Jeff felt the world around them slow down to an indeterminable crawl. A second ticked by. Then another. And then, slowly, the paparazzi princess nodded. "I want this," she whispered. Her tone was still soft, but there was confidence in her voice now that hadn't been there previously, and looking into her eyes, the younger Hardy brother saw a fire burning in their dark depths that he thought had been long extinguished.

The Dominant Diva's fingers slipped through his, entwining with his. Her lips moved, pouring out six of the sweetest words he had ever heard in his life: "I want to be with you."

To this, Jeff had no answer; he instead grabbed the back of Melina's neck, pulling her into a passionate kiss. The paparazzi princess returned it, wrapping her arms around him, arching her body against his.

They embraced for what felt like forever in the back of that parking lot, the high flyer and the Dominant Diva. Eventually, though, Jeff pulled back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, princess," he remarked, his voice warm with affection. "Let's go,"

Melina said nothing, only leaned against him, putting her arm around his waist as they strolled back toward the car. Just as the Rainbow-Haired Warrior was about to lean down to open up the passenger side door, she spoke up. "You were right, though."

Jeff looked up at her questioningly, unsure of what she was referring to. The paparazzi princess smiled—the first real smile she'd displayed all day. "It is M&M."

The Charismatic Enigma didn't know what kind of expression crossed his face at her remark, but whatever it was, it was enough to send the Dominant Diva into peals of laughter. After a second or two, Jeff joined her, the mingled sounds of their shared amusement wafting up into the cool air.

Of all the kisses he shared with Melina, the younger Hardy brother would always remember that one in the parking lot with the most acute clarity. Maybe it was the mixture of sensations that made it stand out from all the others; the chill atmosphere juxtaposed with the warmth of Melina's skin, the sweet softness of her mouth as it melted open beneath his.

Or maybe it was what she had said; those six short words that had resonated like an earthquake tremor deep within his soul…

I want to be with you…

He didn't know then that it would be a long time before he would kiss her like that again.