"ITVR: Chapter 93"
Dinners.

By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane

Chris had fallen asleep even quicker than he'd thought he would. The soft beat of Chris' heart in his ear and the warmth of his lover's body should have been enough to lull him back to sleep as well, but he had no intention of allowing that to happen. Despite resolving the whole 'Dave issue', he was still quite shaken up about the rest of the dream. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen and knew if he fell asleep he would end up right back in the middle of another nightmare with another terrible scenario. He'd never had a problem with nightmares until just before his surgery. The horrifying list of 'what ifs' that the doctor had given him had snuck up on him in the middle of the night, creeping into all of his dreams. They hadn't been worse after the surgery, but continued in the same vein with the doctor's cautions of doing too much before he was ready. Then after his altercation with Terry at the show he'd had horrible nightmares every night for a month of what could have happened if Brock hadn't stepped in. Both his mother and Jess had sat with him from time to time during his recovery and they had both witnessed the results of those dreams. The further he had progressed in his recovery, the fewer dreams he'd had. Eventually he had ended up having only the occasional bad episode, though he had woken Jay several nights when he'd actually made it back to their room to sleep before dawn. He'd sworn Jay to secrecy about the dreams, with the exception of Tyson because Jay just couldn't seem to keep anything from the man, because he hadn't wanted anyone to think he was weak or some kind of weirdo. Now the dreams were back and not about himself this time. He was really hoping this was a one-time thing, but he couldn't predict the way his brain would work while he was sleeping. With all the bed-rest that Chris was going to be sure to force on him, he knew he'd have to sleep eventually and just hope there wasn�t a repeat performance. But Chris was sleeping right now and would be for awhile. He didn't have to stay there and sleep. He lasted all of fifteen minutes before he was itching with the need to get out of the bed. Rationalizing it by convincing himself that they would have to eat he pulled on a pair of shorts and a light T-shirt and headed to the kitchen. Hopefully he could have supper almost ready before Chris woke up and caught him out for not being tucked up in bed. Poking through the refrigerator and cupboards to see what Jess had picked up for him, he was thankful not to find tofu, bean sprouts, or any of the other things that were included in her current 'health food craze'. Considering the available options, he decided on an easy menu of Chinese food. There were plenty of fresh vegetables and both chicken and beef among the items he'd noticed. The rest of the things he'd need were staples he kept around since he had started his cooking experiments. He'd also noted the ingredients for lasagna and other various Italian dishes and smiled. His normal Italian menu was Jess' favorite and the presence of the fixings were a clue like a neon sign that she wanted to pop in for supper some night while he was home. He was pretty sure that Chris wouldn't mind... maybe tomorrow night if his lover didn't skin him for cooking in the first place. He worked quickly, ignoring the slight pull in his ribs that had been dulled by the medication, but he was careful not to push himself too hard. Not that slicing chicken, vegetables, or beef took a huge effort. Within a half-hour he had the preparations done and simply had to wait another ten minutes for the chicken to finish marinating. He sat down on a chair at the counter and flipped through a car-restoration magazine. Fifteen minutes later he was in the midst of multiple stir-fries when the phone rang. Grabbing the portable kitchen extension, he answered with a quick hello and tucked it between his shoulder and his ear, then he continued tossing ingredients into various deep bottom skillets that he'd purchased in place of traditional woks. "Hey, it's Mark. Sorry to bother you guys..." Smiling at the familiar voice, he tossed a handful of mushrooms into skillet for the Moo Goo Gai Pan. "Not a bother at all. Chris is taking a nap and I'm making Chinese. And don't you dare laugh... I have learned how to cook since the last time I stayed at your place," he said as he remembered a few disastrous attempts he'd made while staying overnight at Mark's house. Rubber eggs, burned bacon, and scorched soup were only a partial list of things that Mark had had the good sense not to try to eat after taking one look at them. "I need to ask you something." Odd... he'd almost swear that Mark sounded nervous, but that couldn't be right. The man had nerves of steel. Maybe it was the connection. Deciding to keep things light, he purposely replied with an answer to amuse his ex. "Well, if you're going to ask for video of Chris and I having hot sweaty sex, we haven't made one yet. Other than that, I'm at your disposal." "That's fine by me... I wouldn't want to go blind watching you together� and I'm fairly sure that your kinks would send me screaming from the room." "I don't have any kinks Mark, you should know that," he deadpanned. Ignoring Mark's snort at his reply, he almost dropped the phone when he heard Mark's request. Making a quick grab for the handset before it shot from his shoulder, he started laughing. "You never got his number? You're usually much more thorough than that Mark," he replied as his laughter tapered off. Quickly stirring the broth for the egg drop soup, he started turning the beef frying in another skillet for the Szechwan beef stir-fry. "Sorry, I was a little too busy to be thinking about phone numbers!" He couldn't help it. He burst into loud laughter. Mid-laugh he pressed a hand lightly to his ribs as his breath caught in his throat and he winced. "Fuck." God that hurt. Laughing was obviously off-limits for the next few weeks. He'd almost dropped the phone again and as he settled it against his shoulder again he heard Mark asking if he was all right. "Yeah. You know the drill with cracked ribs... it only hurts when I cough, laugh, or breathe. No big deal," he added, pawning off the question. Not that he didn't think Mark was sincere in his concern, but after his nightmare earlier the subject was still a little too raw for him to want to dwell on. "Now that I'm done taking the painkillers from hell, I'm fine, though I had a close moment with Scott Hall wanting to take my head off. Nothing lingering from the concussion. Chris keeps 'forgetting' to wrap his fingers, but I'm going to ambush him after supper and tape them up again. You have pen and paper ready?" After receiving an affirmative answer, he rattled off Jeff's home number and his cell number for good measure. While he'd been reciting the injury list he had dumped several of the skillets contents into serving dishes, including the Asian vegetable stir-fry, and stuck them in the oven to keep warm. The skillets he stuck in the sink to wash later. He stirred the soup again and put the pans that he'd already filled with water on to boil for the rice and the noodles. Turning serious for a moment, he decided to ask a few questions about the whole Mark/Jeff thing because he had to admit that curiosity was killing him. "So when do I get the juicy details? I wasn't sure you'd ever get around to asking Jeff out especially after he left the company. I mean it's not like you're shy or anything... I should know. But considering all the signals you gave off when you two were working together the last time, I couldn't believe you never took the chance. So come on, spill it... finally get up the nerve to drag him into a closet backstage?" He knew he was pushing his luck and the quiet sputtering ended by a growl from the other end of the line just confirmed it. Adam couldn't help but smile though as he remembered an incident with Mark and a closet backstage. That was one of his fondest memories of the time he'd spent with the tall dark man. He'd never looked at closets in quite the same way after that either. "You don't ever get the juicy details. Not from me, anyway." Now why did that not surprise him? That's okay... he'd just ask Jeff. "...Working with him for a few months... he didn't have a place to stay last night, I offered him the spare bed in my room." He really, really wanted to be a smartass and say that he didn't know that Jeff walked in his sleep or that he had sex in his sleep either. It had been obvious from lunch that Jeff hadn't simply slept in the spare bed. But he didn't want to end up getting beheaded so he kept his mouth shut. That didn't mean he wouldn't get up the nerve to say it later... as long as he had plenty of running room. "No, I'm not shy� although I'm not sure what "signals" you think I gave off, either." With an extreme bit of control he managed not to snort into the phone. Obviously Mark was blind to how often he'd touched Jeff outside the ring. It hadn't been anything overt, just random touches, but for Mark that was close to shouting his interest. And the looks... he'd almost melted because of a few of them and they hadn't even been directed at him. Maybe he was just hypersensitive to it because of his history with the 'DeadMan', but he didn't think so. "I didn't do anything, actually. Waltman did." Waltman? And Mark hadn't killed him for it? Now that was a big surprise. Those two were like oil and water whenever they ended up in the same room. Sean had obviously grown a huge set of balls if he'd interfered in Mark's love life. He was so going to tell Sean that Mark had given him the credit. "Anyway� Jeff� made the first move." That was a huge surprise. He was definitely going to corner Jeff and get the details. Whatever Sean had done must have been huge though, because he was pretty sure that Jeff wouldn't have made the first move without having some sort of sign that he wouldn't be rejected. Jeff had been hurt too often to put it all on the line like that. "He said he'd come out and stay with me until Bad Blood � I just wanted to make sure he was� okay." Good. He was glad that Mark wasn't going to be alone anymore. He really had been worried about the guy since they'd ended up on different shows. Even if they weren't together now, he had very fond memories of Mark and they were still friends. Hopefully Mark would be able to be happy now and move on with his life. He deserved to be happy. And wasn't it just like Mark to want to call and check up on Jeff? The guy truly was a romantic at heart even if he liked to hide it under that gruff exterior. Mark hadn't said a work about the closet reference. He'd bet his house that they'd ended up in a closet in the last twenty-four hours. He'd just ask Jeff if he'd seen the inside of any closets lately. Jeff wouldn't kill him just for asking. He'd just added the rice and the noodles to their respective pans when he heard a splash from the pool area. "What the hell..." His eyes went wide and he hurried towards the door. If that stupid cat had fallen into the pool he was going to have to fish him out. Chris wouldn't be happy if his pet ended up at the bottom of the damn thing. Adam could hear Mark asking about what had happened, but as he stepped through the doorway onto the tiled floor, he stopped short. He was completely speechless for a moment, admiring the picture in front of him. With a smirk, he finally answered Mark's inquiry. "Sorry. I seem to have a naked blond nymph in my pool. I'm not letting you off the hook, I'll want the details later... but I have a bit of fishing to do. Take care. I'll catch ya later." He turned off the phone and dropped it on the bar, grabbing a towel as he walked slowly to the edge of the pool. "When you're finished giving me all this fodder for my next wet dream," he said with a smirk, "supper's almost ready and clothing is optional." Supper... food... stove... soup. Damn it. Chris hadn't quite made it to the edge of the pool when he came to the logical conclusion. Dropping the towel on a nearby deckchair, he blew a quick kiss at his lover and turned to hurry back through the doorway. "I'll never hear the end of it if I burn the damn soup," he muttered as he headed back to the kitchen **** God it was great to be home. Cuddled up on their couch, in their house, watching their television, eating food off their living room table... things that a lot of people took for granted. Scott would never be fool enough to do so again. Because he had been that foolish at one point in his life. He had almost lost all of this for good. But more importantly he'd almost lost the other part of the 'their' in all of those things... the man sitting beside him. Quite honestly he wasn't sure he deserved a second chance to have any of this, but Kevin had given him one anyway. This time, Scott wouldn't take these things for granted, wouldn't take Kevin for granted, expecting him to always be there, because he knew what it was like to suddenly lose it all. So for Scott sitting here naked in the living room watching 'Young Guns' and eating great Mexican food with his lover was pretty damn close to heaven. He probably should have put some clothes on before sitting down to eat, but the less material he had chafing his ass the better. The cream had pretty much soothed the aches away along with Kevin's gentle massage, but having something constantly rubbing against the sore areas would have just prolonged his recovery time. Besides, it wasn't like they had company to offend or anything like that and Scott was perfectly happy to spend the time alone with Kev. Another good reason for not wearing clothes was the absolute mess that Kevin was making whenever he offered a bit from his plate to his lover. The first time he'd written it off to bad aim, though how he had missed that mouth was a mystery. After the third time something had landed on a bare portion of his anatomy and Kevin had licked it off, he'd cottoned on to Kevin's little game and helped to make a few 'messes' of his own. Who wouldn't if they were guaranteed that it would be cleaned up by the talented tongue and lips of one Kevin Nash? Scott wasn't stupid. The movie was an old favorite if only because of all the eye candy on display. In between Kevin's forays for 'cleaning him up', Scott made the occasional comment on one of the actor's assets just to see what Kevin's reaction would be. So far all he'd managed to get was a smile or an occasional snort of acknowledgment. He was trying to come up with something that would net him a guaranteed reaction when Kevin hit a particularly sensitive spot on his inner thigh with his tongue. Squirming and moaning quietly under the assault of lips and warm, wet tongue, he opened his eyes to find Kevin smiling at him. "Good dinner... don't you think so, Bad Guy?" He'd grinned and nodded his agreement, though he doubted that Kevin had noticed at all since his tongue was tickling another tender spot at the time. "For some reason, though... I'm looking forward to dessert." Oh... dessert! Kev was going to kill him. Leaning down and giving his lover a quick kiss, he untangled himself from Kevin's grasp and darted to the kitchen. Taking the container with the Choco Taco topped with vanilla ice cream from the freezer he grabbed a spoon and hurried back to the couch. Instead of taking his previous seat, he climbed on Kev's lap facing him, straddling his thickly muscled thighs. Popping open the Styrofoam container, he spooned up a portion of the deep-fried tortilla filled with banana and cream and covered with chocolate. Another dip into the ice cream and he offered the bite to his lover. "I know this isn't exactly the dessert you were thinking about, but we really should finish off the rest of the meal properly first," he said with a smile. Just then one of his favorite parts of the movie sounded in the background and he half-turned on his perch to catch a glimpse of Kiefer Sutherland as "Doc". He'd just figured out the perfect comment to get a reaction from his lover... unless Kevin was already too distracted to pay attention. "He's got really great hair, don't ya think? Kinda makes my fingers itch," he said, turning back to his lover with a wicked smirk on his face. It really was great to be home. **** Waiting for someone to answer the phone, Mark realised on the third ring that it might not be Adam answering. Damn. Hopefully he wasn't interrupting anything� racy or restful, since neither would surprise him from those two. Although if Adam answered, he'd at least be spared having to tell both of them why he was calling. Adam would undoubtedly tell Jericho anyway, but at least that way he wouldn't have to hear Chris's response. As the phone was picked up, the familiar voice on the other end reassured him, and he greeted his ex a little apologetically. Normally he wouldn't have called during precious time off, let alone together, but� "Hey, it's Mark. Sorry to bother you guys..." "Well, if you're going to ask for video of Chris and I having hot sweaty sex, we haven't made one yet. Other than that, I'm at your disposal." Rolling his eyes at the wall, Mark couldn't help but smile. It was good to hear Adam sounding so cheerful, especially considering what had happened yesterday. That reminded him� he'd need to remember to look into that little incident. Later. Probably after Bad Blood. As irritating as Vince could be, he wasn't the type to let something like that slide without immediate action. Mark just wanted to make sure it was action he approved of. Beating Terry's head against a wall sounded incredibly appealing, but that wouldn't happen for any number of reasons, not least of which being that out-of-ring reprisals were something he'd never approved of anyway. Which just made Terry's attack that much worse in his mind, of course. The fact that it had been against someone he cared about only added to the stack of grievances against the "Man-Beast", and he was planning on bringing every single one of them up with Vince. Refusing to let his mind dwell on the images that Adam's tease had brought to mind, he answered dryly, "That's fine by me. As incredibly stunning as the two of you, I wouldn't want to go blind watching you together� and I'm fairly sure that your kinks would send me screaming from the room." "I don't have any kinks Mark, you should know that," Not bothering to hide his snort at that, he suppressed the retorts that came to mind. It was time to get to the point. Adam would never let him live this one down, he just knew it. His reluctance obvious in his voice, he finally said, "I called because I� need Jeff's phone number. I'd like to make sure he got home okay." Hopefully that was� innocuous. "You never got his number? You're usually much more thorough than that Mark," "Sorry, I was a little too busy to be thinking about phone numbers!" Almost immediately he wanted to bang his own head against the wall for saying that. The laughter ringing over the phone line only made his embarrassed aggravation turn mildly annoyed. No matter how he'd meant it, he knew exactly what it sounded like and where Adam's mind would've immediately gone with it� and he wouldn't be that far off. That only made it that much worse. He'd have to have a talk with Jeff about that. Wouldn�t that be a fun conversation, too. Not that he'd mind if Jeff talked about their sex life� as long as he didn't do it in front of Mark, and as long as Mark didn't hear about it from a third---or fourth, or fifth---party. Mark's lips were just curving in amusement as he realised that those qualifications pretty much eliminated Adam as a confidant when he heard a pained noise and an exclamation that immediately turned his annoyance into concern. "Are you okay?" Stupid question, when he was half the country away---what could he do about it if Adam wasn�t? Of course, if he wasn't okay� where was Jericho? "Yeah. You know the drill with cracked ribs... it only hurts when I cough, laugh, or breathe. No big deal," Right. No big deal. Repressing the urge to growl at the man for blowing off his injuries because Mark knew better, he remained silent instead. "You have pen and paper ready?" Answering in the affirmative, he grabbed the pencil stub on the counter and the nearest bill envelope, writing the numbers down as Adam gave them to him. Just another sign of how distracted he was that he hadn't gotten the address book out before calling. "�though I had a close moment with Scott Hall wanting to take my head off." What the hell had he done to provoke Scott? From the sound of it, something momentous� Why did he suddenly have the deep-seated suspicion that it had something to do with Kevin? Mark had been on the receiving end of Adam's twisted humour often enough to know exactly how irritating it could be when you didn't know if he was kidding or not, and the only topic that could provoke that sort of reaction from Hall these days was Kev. He'd have to ask� well� no. He'd ask Kevin, if he remembered, next time he talked to him. Better not to bring it up around Scott� just in case. "So when do I get the juicy details? I wasn't sure you'd ever get around to asking Jeff out especially after he left the company. I mean it's not like you're shy or anything... I should know. But considering all the signals you gave off when you two were working together the last time, I couldn't believe you never took the chance. So come on, spill it... finally get up the nerve to drag him into a closet backstage?" Surprised into a sputtering silence, Mark growled slightly before recovering his tongue. Only Adam would dare� well� him and Shawn. This was why he hadn't really wanted to call his ex---their prior relationship meant that nothing was sacred between them. Not that anything had ever been in Adam's mind anyway, but that attitude had only increased after they'd started seeing each other. And he was not answering the prod about the closet. Definitely not. "You don't ever get the juicy details. Not from me, anyway," he said dryly. He wouldn't be surprised if Jeff confided details, but if he did, Mark didn't want to know. Explaining briefly would be the best tactic; hopefully Adam would let it rest after he got the basics. "I'm working with him for a few months, to get him back in ring shape. Since he didn't have a place to stay last night, I offered him the spare bed in my room." Pausing to gather his thoughts, he reflected on the fact that yet another of his close friends had seemingly figured out how he felt long before he did. Maybe it was a sign� or maybe he was just getting paranoid in his old age. "No, I'm not shy� although I'm not sure what "signals" you think I gave off, either." Ignoring the random touches he'd stolen and memories of watching Jeff whenever he was within sight, Mark continued, "I didn't do anything, actually. Waltman did." "Ask him, I'm sure he'll tell you." More than Mark would ever want him to, he was sure. "Anyway� Jeff� made the first move." Almost having to force the words out, Mark changed the topic. Adam wouldn't be satisfied with that, but he'd have to live with it, because that was as much as he was getting out of him. Realising that he probably sounded pathetic, he added, "He said he'd come out and stay with me until Bad Blood, but he had to go home first to check in with the family, so� I just wanted to make sure he was� okay." Still coming, you mean, the voice in the back of his mind taunted him with. Shaking his head, Mark closed his eyes for a minute, trying to shut away his doubts. Jeff had said he was going to come� so he would. Just because Mark was over a decade older than him and slowing down and didn't share any of his interests and was in no way a good match for him� Dammit. Trying to stop his thoughts from proceeding with the dark turn they'd taken, Mark's self-reproaches were interrupted by a half-startled, half-upset exclamation from the phone he'd nearly forgotten he was holding. "What the hell..." "What's wrong? Adam?" Worried by the tone in his voice, Mark was also strangely comforted at having his thoughts dragged away from the abyss they'd been heading for. "Sorry. I seem to have a naked blond nymph in my pool. I'm not letting you off the hook, I'll want the details later... but I have a bit of fishing to do. Take care. I'll catch ya later." "Oh, for�" Biting back the rest of his words as the dial tone sounded in his ear, Mark clicked the phone off and set it back on its cradle with an amused glare. At least he didn't have to worry about Adam� from the sound of things, Adam was more likely to collapse in the ring at Bad Blood from self-inflicted exhaustion than from his injuries. Mouth twisting in a grin at the thought, Mark's thoughts flashed briefly to his other favourite blond. Not that he needed to worry about Shawn, either. He would have to try to track Batista down as soon as possible, though, to apologize for his hasty assumptions of the day before. Knowing Shawn, he was even closer to that exhaustion than Adam was. Hopefully Hunter and Dave were enjoying discovering that side of him� Shaking his head again, Mark decided that he most definitely did not need to be thinking about that. Catching sight of the hastily-scribbled numbers on the torn envelope in front of him, he flicked a glance at the clock. It wasn't too late to call, even accounting for the time zone differences. He was just starting to reach for the phone when the doorbell rang. **** ��so yeah, with that �Taker finally stopped beating the crap outta you �cos your so plucky� storyline, me and Leo could see there was some obvious vibes goin� on there between you and the Dead Man.� Matt informed Jeff�s irritated expression with sadistic glee, �Although I gotta admit, I thought it was more him really wanting to kick your ass� not drag it into bed.� Jeff rolled his eyes at his brother�s teasing words. There was very little doubt in his mind that his Matt, along with everyone else backstage, had little or no clue that he and Mark liked each other. Their programme had been pretty minor in the scheme of things and for all the �vibes� that Jeff had been generating, he�d been holding himself together enough that he hadn�t seen any of it show through in his performance. Of course, there had been a shit-load of other issues he�d been dealing with at the time, so his unrequited attraction to Mark had been the least of his emotional worries. Jeff let Matt�s teasing go over his head, a reaction most little brothers develop in childhood and rested his elbows on his crossed legs, fingers idly playing with each other. Matt�s pillow had been lost earlier, after a brief attempt at suffocation, and now cushioned a damaged knee from the floor. He�d told Matt about Mark because� well� he told Matt everything; they had a vow, now he needed advice. Jeff needed his sibling to quit with the smutty-teasing and either tell him he was insane� or tell him to go for it. �I�ve already fucked him over.� The quiet, stark tone of Jeff�s words silenced Matt�s ramble about the �riveting eye-contact� shared between Jeff and Mark during one of their matches and brought the midnight eyes up to meet Jeff�s despairing green ones. �How?� It wasn�t accusing, Matt would never accuse. It was going to hurt, but he needed to know if he could make this work. �When I find out he went to Vince for me, I got naked and offered myself to him in the shower�� Matt�s opened his mouth to comment, but Jeff kept going over the top of his brother�s voice, ��then when I was going down on him this morning I told him he could pretend I was Shawn if he wanted.� Matt�s face did several things that would have been hilarious if Jeff hadn�t reminded himself � again� exactly how badly he�d misjudged the man he was rapidly falling in �maybe-love� with. �Shawn?� The dark haired Hardy choked out. Jeff�s eyebrows rose in surprise. Of all the points to get stuck on that would have had to be the least in Jeff�s confession. He waved a careless hand in dismissal. �Yeah, yeah� they dated for a while. I thought Mark was still in love with him and was using me as a�� Jeff�s shrugged, ��replacement.� Matt�s regained his composure with a sudden snap, his brows drawing down to frame angry dark brown eyes. �You are completely fucked up Jeff!! Why the fuck would you do that?� Jeff had to stop himself from leaning over to help Matt as the older Hardy frenziedly struggled into a sitting position. Given the state of his brother�s temper, Jeff would likely be pulling back a bloodied stump for his unwanted solicitousness. Matt�s pulled himself to standing position and delivered a solid thwap to the back of his baby brother�s head. �Oww�� �Stupid little shit!� Another thwap. �We fuckin� talked about this, Retard. The crushing inferiority complex shit is old, lame and twice fucking dead!!! You think he�d help you just to get in your pants? You think you�re not worth helping? Fuck that. Why would he rather have Shawn than you? Stupid!� A third and final thwap sent Jeff�s hair floating down over his eyes in a rainbow cascade. Turning, Matt hobbled to the door and wrenched it open with enough force to almost pull it off the hinges. �Ya know�� Matt said to the hallway beyond, ��it isn�t funny to be so fuckin� down on yourself Jeff. It really isn�t. Thinking� your worth nothing doesn�t just insult you, it puts me down too, and Dad� and Grandee. Hardys are worth more than that Jeff and it pisses me off that you think you�re something not good enough for anyone. Fuck that� Dom was wrong Jeff, but when you pull that shit, you make what he said� true.� Jeff watched his brother inch painfully out of the room and wondered if he�d ever be able to look his family in the eye again. **** Sighing a little as he found a position that didn't aggravate his inner aches or make him wish that he could get rid of an arm, Shawn was happily draping himself across Hunter's side when Hunt's phone rang. Glaring in the general direction of the noise as Dave leaned over to retrieve the device, he had to wonder who would be calling now... and why in the world Dave was even bothering to look. They were so going to have a long, long discussion about appropriate times and places for cell phones---and the bedroom was definitely not one of them. Feeling the muscles beneath his arm shift, Shawn tightened his grip as Hunter tried to twist around Dave to snatch the phone away, smirking at his friend when Hunt turned his head to glare at him. "Oh, no, you don't. I've put too much effort into keeping that damned thing away from you," he said. Then he leaned over and pressed his lips to Hunter's, keeping the kiss light and teasing in an attempt to distract rather than arouse. Nibbling at Hunter's lower lip before soothing it with his tongue, he pulled away as Dave answered the phone, only to narrow his eyes at the man he was half-draped over as another attempt was made for the phone. "Remember what I said earlier about breaking that thing?" he asked softly as Stephanie's voice pierced the air. "If you've finished shaking the upper floor yet, get cleaned up and come downstairs..." Leaning on one elbow, Shawn traced the muscles of Hunter's chest and abdomen with a light caress, fingers slipping softly across golden skin as he stole the moment to simply look at the man. He knew Hunter's body extremely well; in their line of work, after this many years of working together, that was a given. But knowing it through work and stolen glances was so different from knowing it like this, through intimate touches and loving situations. At some point during these precious few days of time off, Shawn planned on thoroughly exploring the bodies of both of his lovers, simply to get to know them. That he would thoroughly enjoy every second of it was a secondary pleasure. "...Because my mother is going to be here in ten minutes and I was hoping you'd greet her smelling like sex." Dave's blush made him smile even as he shook his head at Stephanie's teasing. In this house, there was no possible way that their activities had been audible or even noticeable past these four walls, especially to the Princess, who had most likely been at the other end of the house with Meg. The reminder of the previous plans for the evening made him sigh; he'd been hoping for a nice, quiet evening with his lovers, but if he had to spend it with Steph and Meg and Linda as well, he wasn't going to complain. He'd loved Steph like a little sister since their first meeting, and Meg had immediately joined her in his heart. Linda... well... the woman could be incredibly intimidating, but she was also near and dear to him, although he sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have any reason to turn That Look upon him tonight, because he might just run and hide if she did. "So... was it as good as it sounded?" Grabbing the phone as Dave held it out, Shawn stuck his tongue out at Hunter and pushed himself back to a half-sitting position as he laughed. "Nope... even better," he smirked. "Not that you could've heard anything unless you were positioned directly at the keyhole, Princess mine." Grinning at her response, Shawn just shook his head and told her they'd be down shortly. Pressing the button, he turned to meet Hunter's narrowed eyes and shook his head. "Not a chance, Hunt." Reaching over the side of the bed, he dropped the phone. Onto Dave's discarded clothing, but he wasn't about to tell Hunter that he'd checked first to make sure the stupid thing wouldn't get broken. "And if you touch that thing for the rest of the night... I'll make you regret it." The light dancing in his eyes probably gave away his game, but he didn't care. The threat was the latest in a game they'd played for years, although never before with these sorts of undertones... and he could already think of at least one thing he could "punish" Hunter with. The fact that all three of them would love it only made it that much better. Moving with some reluctance to the edge of the bed, another wince crossed his face as all of his weight pressing down against the mattress made his aches flare up again for a moment. Ignoring it, he stood up. His pants were on the other side of the bed... but the bags were probably just outside the door. At least, they were if "normal procedure" from his prior visits had been followed... and unless Steph really was peeking through the keyhole, there shouldn't be anyone around. And if there was... well... oh well. Walking across the room, he was aware of two sets of eyes following his movements, at least one of which was disbelieving, he was sure. Smiling to himself, he unlocked the door and opened it a crack to peek out. Not seeing anyone, he pushed it open farther and saw their bags against the wall beside the door. Quickly grabbing each in turn, he pulled them into the room before closing the door again. Taking his to the chair in the corner so that he could look for clean clothes, he pulled out a light blue button-up shirt and dark slacks, pulling them on before turning to face the bed again. God, those two were gorgeous together. He'd never get tired of looking at his lovers... even if they were currently sporting expressions of mixed shock and amusement at his actions. With his fingers on the buttons, Shawn cast a mock frown at Dave. "If you keep that up, Dave, I'm going to have to start charging you. These aren't cheap, y'know." **** His shoulders turning in a smooth repetitive arc, Chris clove through the lightly chlorinated water, eyes shut against the faint chemical sting, but finding the pool edge without difficulty. He�d been away from home for a while now, with work, promotions and making as much music as they�re studio would let him, so this time in the water was something precious and almost unusual in his busy life. Tipping his head for a quick breath, Chris swam another few laps, letting his mind drift off into the cool liquid surrounding him. Jess must have activated the pool�s systems, or maybe they were on a timer because the water just tepid, cool enough to be refreshing with the sharp bite of cold taken out. CJ liked his showers to go ice-cold at the end, not his swimming pools. It was another thing to add to his ever expanding list of reasons why he developed such great taste in men recently. Not only was Adam clever as hell, funny, sexy, taller than Chris with a great body, cool hair and a package of goodies that he was slowly becoming enamoured of... he had a big honking pool! If CJ hadn�t fallen for the rest, well that would have been the killer. Another dolphin turn and CJ paused for a moment as a short, sharp sound echoed into the dulled atmosphere of the water� a phone? Pausing for a moment, he tread water and shook water out of his ears. Catching a low rumble of conversation from the direction of the kitchen, Chris dove back under the surface and made his way to the far end of the pool, where Valentino sat trying to determine when His Human had gone insane. Every now and then the black feline would reach out a tentative paw to smack at the shallow puddles of water lining the sides. This would result in vigorous paw-shaking and much licking of the contaminated area� followed by more puddle-smacking. "...Naked blond nymph�off the hook... a bit of fishing to do�� The words were mostly smothered by the heavy closeness of the water and throbbing hum of the pool filter, but Chris could still tell that Adam was speaking� just not to him. Lifting his head out of the water he could see Adam strolling towards the pool, a soft clunk indicating the telephone�s placement on the bar. "�All this fodder for my next wet dream,� Chris almost inhaled a lungful of water as he chuckled at the terrible pun. A few swift strokes had CJ at the pool�s edge, smiling as Adam dropped a towel just shy of the splash zone. ��Supper's almost ready and clothing is optional." Chris decided then and there that Adam�s preference for him being naked was one that he could get very used to. It also reminded him of his own little spin on his �nude twenty-four hours� that they had planned later in the week. He�d have to make time to escape from Adam�s radar for a while sometime tomorrow�a morning run would do that nicely. Valentino stared at him with an expression displaying his complete disgust at Chris� damp state, so CJ shook his head like a sodden collie-dog and showered his cat in a curtain of droplets. Watching his feet as a black blur soared past his ankles into the house, he caught up his jeans and stepped into them. Buttoning the fly and toweling off the edges of his hair, Chris ambled towards the kitchen� Supper�s almost ready? As in�? Chris stood in the doorway and ran his eyes over something that resembled the studio of a T.V. cooking show. The delicious aromas he�d been indulging in upstairs were stronger now, emanating from the oven, while several pots bubbled with the white, grainy flavour of rice or noodles. Adam was intently watching a pot filled with something that was topping out all the other smells in the kitchen while carefully adjusting the temperature on the stove. Finding himself with two choices, Chris had to resolve what he wanted to do. It was obvious that he wasn�t having �take-out� for dinner, Adam, his beautiful, wounded, broken-ribbed stubborn Adam, was cooking them dinner with his very own hands. And doing it spectacularly too. In his brief estimation, brief because Adam would only be distracted by the soup? for so long, Chris could either chuck a bitch-fit that Adam wasn�t in bed resting his ribs, thereby getting down on his new boyfriend and more than likely spoiling the meal and their evening with his temper, or� he could deal with it. Looking at the long sweep of back presented to him, Chris could see that Adam wasn�t hunching or holding at his chest. The occasional, muffled curse indicated that breathing wasn�t a problem and his lover�s colour was good, even with the heat from the dishes giving a warm glow to that arresting face. Adam was okay, he was an adult and Chris trusted him. Still� �So is this under the term �bed rest� in the Adam Copeland book of recuperation or are you just trying to wear yourself out so I won�t pester you for sex later on?� Reaching his arms gently around Adam�s waist, Chris looped his thumbs into the fabric over his love�s pelvis and went up on tip-toes to look over one broad shoulder into the pot before them. Damn�that looked awesome. **** �Oh, no, you don't. I've put too much effort into keeping that damned thing away from you,� Shawn was distracting him. Beautiful Shawn. Hunter�s best friend, his long-time colleague and love of his life. Gorgeous, pretty Shawn of the sweet, dusky blue eyes and bitable lips, who was kissing him with just that right touch of sultry promise, but mellowed by the satisfaction of recent, mind-melting orgasm. Hunter had known the moment he�d fallen in love with Shawn, it was burned into his memory alongside a first agonized kiss and a more recent one that redefined his world. Unlike grand love stories, there was no climactic fight, charisma-charged dance in the ring, or even a exhaustion induced haze. No. It had been a very calm, very uneventful day traveling from one city to the next. They were manufacturing the original D-Generation and had just embarked on their �male nudity is surprisingly good for ratings� campaign when Hunter�s heart had stopped. For one long moment he�d completely frozen, every fragment of his being suffused with realization. Shawn was getting their room key. That was all. His beautiful best friend, a man that Hunter liked with appalling ferocity and desired with an almost shameful ache� was everything. The hotel had joined the blur of every hotel in his life, the receptionist�s bored civility a faded memory, but Shawn was imbedded in Hunter�s soul. Something old and primal calling out as it spied the creature standing not ten feet away. For me�mine, mine, mine. The late evening sun hitting the gold in his hair, roughened voice conveying good humour despite the sour person he was dealing with. All Hunter wanted contained in one man. Somewhere�far off in the distance, a hammer blow sounded, metal on metal and just like that�Hunter was in love. Forever. For ever. All the denial and life-management in the world hadn�t changed that simple fact. Now, lying in his bed with Shawn pressing those sweet lips to Hunter�s face, he knew that the memory of that moment would be glazed with a happier sheen. For years he�d despaired of that love, sometimes even coming close to hating it, but not now. Now, Shawn was his and Hunter couldn�t contain the surge of emotion he felt swell within him at the thought. Anymore than he could contain his instinctive lunge towards his cell phone when Dave picked it up. �Remember what I said earlier about breaking that thing?" The weight settling on his middle kept Hunter in place for a moment, but it was his wife�s strident voice filling the room that kept him still. �...cleaned up and come downstairs..." Manfully ignoring the path Shawn�s fingers were taking on his chest, Hunter retaliated by lifting a hand to smooth over the skin of his lover�s hip, while sending the other behind his head to assume a pose of complete disinterest in the location of his cellular. Stephanie�s teasing was either an indication that she�d been away from Meg too long� or that she�d bugged his room. Unable to completely dismiss the second option� he knew her� Hunt hoped that his wife�s lover had returned from her business trip with enough time to curb some of Steph�s hormone-driven behaviour. That woman in heat was downright frightening when she wanted to be. Dave, however, wasn�t anywhere near as frightening as Stephanie even with the muscles and tattoo, in fact the �Animal� was looking the definition of cute right now, what with the blushing and bright eyes. Very cute. Hunter was so distracted by the �cute� and the desire to lick that blushing skin to see if it tasted different to the rest of the bronzed glory, so focused on that thought he didn�t register his lover�s words until it was too late. "It's for you," Shawn had the phone and was happily teasing Stephanie before Hunter had wriggled out from under the other blond. Catching the drift of the conversation, Hunter wondered if he�d have time to shower before having dinner with his mother-in-law and realized that he probably couldn�t. Sudden silence indicated the end of the phone call, but Shawn�s expression and then his words told Hunter clearly that he�d be bereft one piece of technology for a fair while. Okay. Fine. After dinner he was making a break for his office, let�s see if they could stop him then. Allowing himself one long, luxurious stretch, Hunter grinned at the view of his very naked lover strolling casual as all hell towards the door. The sudden tension flooding through the body beside him only caused the grin to blow out into full-on smirkdom, when Shawn opened the door. Hunt would admit to being a tad surprised that Shawn had actually done a hall-check before flashing the empty house, HBK had never been known for his modesty. Feeling his mind and body move up a gear, Hunter dropped a quick kiss to Dave�s pink cheekbone, before diving into the bathroom and going through a speedy clean-up. Fortunately, some of the people in his life seemed to think that Hunter had as expensive taste in cologne as he did in suits and were never short of feeding his preferences at every birthday and Christmas. Picking a bottle that would hide the lingering musk of love-making without causing eyes to water from the smell, Hunter headed into his wardrobe to find something to wear. Linda McMahon, unlike her husband, didn�t expect her employees or family to dress to the nines for casual social occasions, but his mother-in-law was a Lady with a capital L and Hunter always dressed well for the ladies in his life. Attired according to the weather and the familiarity of the company, Hunter caught both his lovers just as they were finishing with their own quick-changes. Moving to stand in front of Dave, Hunter placed his hands on his lover�s shoulders and looked seriously into enquiring chocolate eyes. �I feel, as your lover and loyal friend, that I should give you the same warning Shawn gave me the first time I joined the McMahon family for one of Stephanie�s dinners.� He could practically hear the smile on Shawn�s face from over his left shoulder. �The key words here are Stephanie and dinner. Having the food actually hot should be an achievement celebrated with champagne, vegetables ready at the same time as the meat will be as unlikely as Rico living down his �queen� persona and anything presented without charred edges with be of Biblical significance.� Seeing Dave�s reaction, Hunter tried to inject an element of hope. �She did say that Marina, our housekeeper, lovely woman by the way, had helped her, so that�s something.� A fortifying kiss to the smirking lips in front of him, then Hunter took on the demeanor of a man readying for battle. A short trip downstairs and they entered the formal parlour where Steph was pouring drinks while Meg handed Linda a small sheaf of documents. �Seriously,� Hunter murmured under his breath to Dave, �the woman could burn ice-cream.� **** Hunter practically eating him with his eyes was not helping his condition at all. It did amuse him though that Hunt was so busy staring at him that he'd missed the opportunity to snatch his phone before Shawn got his hands on it. Of course if he'd known what Shawn was going to say, he probably would have happily handed the phone over to Hunter. "Nope... even better. Not that you could've heard anything unless you were positioned directly at the keyhole, Princess mine." Dave's brows shot to his hairline at that little witticism, because a) he hadn't really considered such a thing and b) considering his interactions with the 'Princess' so far he could actually see her with her ear pressed to the door. That just gave him something else to blush about because if she had been listening at the door, he most likely would have been the loudest of the three. Even with his brain subconsciously tempering his reactions because of where they were, he'd still been rather loud. One could hardly blame him considering who his companions were but still... "And if you touch that thing for the rest of the night... I'll make you regret it." Shawn's warning brought him back to the moment and Dave barely restrained a snort. What was Shawn going to do... tie Hunt to the bed? Oh wait... they'd already done that and it had hardly ended up being a punishment. He almost bit his tongue though when he remembered that he needed to make a phone call of his own after supper. After his conversation with Randy he had completely forgotten that he needed to call Darlene and tell her he wouldn't be making it home this week. She was used to last minute changes to his schedule so she wouldn't consider it odd that he wasn't home, but he'd promised to check in just in case there were any problems with the contractors doing the bathroom renovations. And he would need to make sure she could let them in tomorrow and Friday if necessary. By the time he had considered how much trouble he was going to be in for daring to challenge Shawn's threat, which really had only been directed at Hunter he thought with a smirk, Shawn had climbed from the bed and Hunter was stretching enticingly beside him. When Shawn by-passed the door to the restroom, Dave found himself wondering where exactly their lover was going. Having completely forgotten that their luggage wasn't tucked neatly in the room as it would have been at a hotel, he watched in disbelief as Shawn reached for the doorknob. Was Shawn going to go to make his appearance at the dinner table au naturel? Surely not... but then it was Shawn so anything at all was possible. Breathing a sigh of relief when Shawn pulled their luggage into the room, he considered smacking himself in the head. Duh! Lingering for a moment, he watched as Shawn pulled clothes from his bag. Would it really have been a huge surprise if Shawn had decided to wander the halls naked? From what he remembered of the locker room visit by Stephanie, he had been the one diving for towels to cover them up while Shawn had seemed completely unconcerned by his nudity even in front of his best friend's wife. Shaking his head slightly as Shawn turned to face them, he smiled at the quick kiss pressed to his cheek by Hunter. He was really going to have to figure out a way past this little bit of shyness he had going, because his lovers didn't know the meaning of the word shy. That would have been obvious even without Shawn's latest display... how many times had Monday night audiences been given a view of his lovers' 'assets'? He could do the naked thing! He could! Okay... probably not on national television without having a seizure, but he could work on not diving into a locker if Steph happened to walk into the locker room. She probably hadn't even bothered to look... not that he would have known if she had or not since he'd been searching frantically for a towel. Giving up on his mental castigation, he climbed off the bed just in time to hear Shawn's comment. "If you keep that up, Dave, I'm going to have to start charging you. These aren't cheap, y'know." Oh for the love of... Ignoring the renewed pink tint to his cheeks, he smirked and approached Shawn. "If I get to take them off you that way then I'll buy you a couple dozen," he said, dropping a light kiss oh his lover's lips before turning to grab his bags. "Of course you could save your shirt next time by taking it off before you provoke the animal in me." With a wink at Shawn, he tossed his bag on the bed and sorted through it for clean clothes. At this rate he would either need to find a nearby dry cleaner's or go shopping for a couple of sets of clothes. He hadn't given it a second thought when he'd agreed to this impromptu trip to Hunter's home, but he had only packed enough dress clothes to see him through another day or two. Other than that he had shorts and T-shirts for working out and one pair of faded black jeans. Maybe he'd pick up something light or pastel... colors he barely had a chance to wear in public with his 'bad guy' persona. But for tonight he'd have to settle for navy slacks with a white button-up shirt... and a pair of boxer-briefs. He'd be damned if he had supper with Linda McMahon without wearing underwear, Shawn's preference or not. Even if his ass would thank him for the oversight, it would be more uncomfortable to go without. Mrs. McMahon just exuded class and it would feel extremely weird appearing in her presence without undergarments. Besides, he would be twitching enough just from the fact that he was sleeping with her son-in-law. This whole situation was still a little hard to wrap his mind around. Just as he finished fastening his shirt, Hunter approached him. The hands on his shoulders and the serious look in Hunter's eyes captured his complete attention, as did the words following. "I feel, as your lover and loyal friend, that I should give you the same warning Shawn gave me the first time I joined the McMahon family for one of Stephanie's dinners." Warning? That sounded dire. Although... Shawn was smirking so it couldn't be anything too terrible. Right? "The key words here are Stephanie and dinner. Having the food actually hot should be an achievement..." So Miss Stephanie wasn't a gourmet chef? As Hunt continued he realized that that was a bit of an understatement. He couldn't quite hold back a grimace. Even if he was terribly hungry since he'd skipped most of his lunch and even if he did have what most would consider a cast-iron stomach, he got the point that he'd probably not want to eat too much of their dinner. Well... it couldn't be any worse than the cooking of his friend's mother during high school. The woman had actually found a way to ruin Macaroni and Cheese. He was still awed by that fact all these years later and he wouldn't even eat the stuff now. Maybe he could talk them into sneaking out for a late night burger run. When they stepped into the parlor, Dave greeted Linda and Stephanie quietly and received his introduction to Meg. He'd say one thing... Stephanie definitely had good taste. Accepting a glass of ice water from Stephanie, he wandered over to a large window and leaned against the edge of the frame. He felt a little off amongst all the finery and he was trying to avoid sitting down. Even if he hadn't been concerned with the lingering sting present, he was a bit dubious about some of the furniture that littered the room. Obviously Hunt hadn't helped pick out the furniture in this room either, he thought with a smile. This was going to be a long night. **** He knew that Chris was there, could feel his eyes on him even though his lover hadn't said a word to indicate his presence. Tensing slightly, he waited for the verbal ass-chewing that he knew he was going to be subjected to for cooking dinner rather than ordering in. It was inevitable because Chris always made a point of prodding his friends when they didn't follow doctor's orders, even if he had a deplorable habit of ignoring most of them himself. So he waited... And was pleasantly surprised to be on the receiving end of a gentle reminder without being lambasted or called several inventive names... and Chris was always very inventive. "So is this under the term 'bed rest' in the Adam Copeland book of recuperation or are you just trying to wear yourself out so I won't pester you for sex later on?" Leaning back against the warm body behind him, he turned and nuzzled Chris' cheek and damp hair for a moment before nipping his earlobe. "Actually there is no definition at all in my book for bed rest. It immediately translates to don't do anything that will have you passing out, falling down, or laying comatose on the floor. I told you I was going to be difficult, sweetheart." Giving the soup one last stir, he turned off the rice and the noodles and just enjoyed the comfort of Chris' arms for a moment. "I appreciate your restraint though. I was expecting something like stupid fucker with less brains than a ring post or dumb sonofabitch," he said quietly, an easy grin on his face as he proved that he had actually been listening the other night. "I'll try not to do anything to exacerbate my problem, but I can promise you that it will take extreme measures to keep me in the bed unless we are sleeping or having incredibly hot sex. After all the time I had to spend there after my surgery... I just can't stand to lay there looking up at the ceiling. It's like being in a prison or something." Turning in his lover's arms, he dropped a light kiss on his lips before gently breaking the hold. "I love you Chris and I�m sorry if this is going to drive you nuts, but I promise I'll try to avoid anything that's going to actually hurt me," he said quietly as he took the pan of noodles to the sink to drain. "I like cooking, it relaxes me, so this is one of the least risky things I could have been doing while you were sleeping. I could have been out tinkering on the car or mowing the lawn instead." Turning and putting the drained noodles in a bowl, he winked at his lover. "As far as you pestering me for sex later on... I expect... no actually, I demand that you do so or I'll have to find something else to keep me occupied," he said teasingly. Grabbing his oven mitts, he set about transferring the items from the oven to the dining room table, setting them on the long runner to protect the piece. He had come across the items in this room in an antique shop that dealt with oriental pieces. They were one of his favorite acquisitions that he'd made for the house during his time off. Once he had the food in place, the table already having been set, he turned to Chris who had followed him into the room with drinks from the refrigerator in hand. He eyed his lover's jeans with a grin. "Not naked, but I really like you in tight jeans so I won't complain. You going to sit on my lap so I can feed you or are you going to insist on doing it yourself?" Just as he asked the question, he saw Valentino eyeing the table from a spare chair that was set against the wall. "Don't even think about it furball. If your completely hot owner wants to give you leftovers in the kitchen that's fine, but do not even contemplate setting one paw on this table or I'll hang you out on the clothesline by your tail. And don't think I won't do it either." The animal seemed completely unconcerned by his warning or the glare he was aiming its way and showed his disdain by lifting a paw to lick mockingly. **** Conversation at the Hardy dinner table was usually fairly lively, all three males doing their very best to get some kind of reaction from the others, be it violent or a burst of raucous laughter with drinks being spat across the table. Gil Hardy liked to interrogate his sons on various issues, ranging from international trouble to the truth about the Spaghetti-Tree April Fool�s joke all those years ago. Adamant that his sons should form valid and defensible opinions on the subjects, Gil would niggle and pester at the two young men until they gave in and argued well enough that he was satisfied he hadn�t raised a couple of morons. Above all this verbal tennis, Eleanor would calmly watch the by-play of her beloved family, intervening only when Gil became too irritating or Jeff started swearing more than arguing. But tonight�s dinner was a little different, Gil and Eleanor knowing that something had occurred between the brothers, even if they didn�t know the details. Matt�s cold expression and mono-syllabic conversation, a sharp counter-point to Jeff�s deceptively cheerful chattiness. Still, to the elder Hardys the boys had been squabbling for years, just because they no longer stole each other�s underwear and buried it in the back-yard anymore, didn�t mean the siblings acted any nicer after a fight. Fortunately, Jeff�s new contract was a source of discussion for most of the meal and Jeff didn�t have to do more than answer his Grandee�s enthusiastic questions. When the subject of his working conditions came up, Jeff didn�t back down from explaining the truth, even with Matt�s figure going deadly still just across the table. �You haven�t met Mark, I don�t think. He�s not the type to come to the birthday parties we used to throw and we weren�t on the same shows when you visited.� �I know who he is.� Eleanor stated confidently. �I like him� never got himself involved in any of that ridiculous rubbish we used to see some of those boys and girls doing.� Jeff wasn�t sure exactly what his Grandee termed as �rubbish� these days. Her opinion of the Divas often ranged from �that Missy should keep her knees together (Sable), to �she�s a tough little one, got her head on straight� (Trish). That this delightful woman didn�t pay enough much attention to the story-lines was something both Hardy boys were eternally grateful for. Each young man had several cringe-worthy moments that they would rather forget and having Grandee see them would have been icing on the moldy cake. Jeff looked over at his father, ignoring Matt�s deliberate scowl and waited to see if his parent had any opinion on the subject of Mark Calloway. Gil Hardy wasn�t a foolish man. He knew that whatever was causing the tension between his boys had something to do with this man he had seen barely a handful of times on the television. Being the senior Hardy and the man genetically responsible for the phenomenon that was his sons, Gil went in with all guns blazing. �Looks like he could break you in half with one hand behind his back Jeff. You trust him to get you ready for the ring?� Jeff�s spine stiffened without his consent, whether from Jeff being so easily beaten by a bigger foe or the inference that Mark was untrustworthy, he wasn�t prepared to analyze. �Yeah I do. You may not have seen him much, but he�s awesome in the ring and patient as they come when helping someone out. In fact� I�d like to ask you if it�s okay�..� Jeff�s question was interrupted by the sound of his cellular phone burbling from the front hallway. He�d emptied his pockets on the mirror-stand, the phone clattering alongside his keys, when he�d arrived home from the airport. A look to Grandee received a nod that had Jeff spinning from the table to pounce on the phone before he lost the call. �Unknown number.� Okay. Jeff didn�t care who was interrupting, only that he�d managed to put off telling his father about Mark for a few more minutes. �This is Jeff.� A short pause and then the voice Jeff had hoped he�d never be subject to again. �Hel-lo Baby. Ric tells me you�re ba�� Jeff lifted his finger from the �end� button and stared at the �Call Ended. 00:09� for a moment in shock. No. No way. He wasn�t allowed to get into Jeff�s brain for even a moment. Not now, not today when Jeff just might be able to get something for himself that would be better than false promises and vicious lies. �Who was it?� Matt leaned against the archway from the living room, the old wood supporting his weight and taking away some of the pressure on his wounded knee. Jeff didn�t say a word, just stared at his brother with old, tired eyes for a few second, before taking a deep breath. He knew his body language said it all. No-one could get to Jeff the way the owner of that voice did. Well, maybe one other man could. �It wasn�t true.� Jeff handed his cell to his older brother. �I�m going outside.� Moving past the kitchen where Grandee and his father were clearing the dishes, Jeff reached the balcony and stepped out into the warm, sultry air of a Carolina evening. The glass door sliding closed muffled the sound of his ring-tone once again echoing through the Hardy house. **** to be continued...

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