Forbidden - Jeff Hardy 18+ Fiction

Forbidden;

Chapter 25;




GAS CHAMBER INK;

Amber’s POV;

It wasn’t unusual for customers to come in and ask for a specific artist to work on them so when Kerry said that there had been a guy in yesterday asking to get a tattoo done by me, I hadn’t thought nothing of it.




But now sitting in the booth with him, I could literally feel my blood running cold. Wearing a baseball cap; all but pulled down over his face and big dark shades that covered his eyes.




I hated not being able to look in to someone’s eyes because normally I could tell what kind of person they were by just one look but this guy was guarded that much was obvious.




Shifty had moved out back with Shannon to talk about designs for his tattoo that I would be working on the following day, Kerry was stood at the customer desk talking with a girl of no more than 20 as they discussed what kind of tattoo that she wanted done.




I knew that there were people around but something about this man was screaming to make sure that I wasn’t truly alone with him.




“So have you worked here long?” He asked me as I quickly prepared the area on his wrist where he had wanted his tattoo.




“Yeah a few years now,” I replied trying to keep conversation minimal as I reached in to my needle cupboard and pulled out some and got to preparing the ink and needle.




“You like it?”

”Excuse me?” I glanced back at him and feeling more cold than I thought possible.




“You like working here?” He asked sneering at me causing me to all but run from the room and throw up everything that was in my system.




“Yeah,”




“Not very talkative are you?” He mumbled but I didn’t reply as I finished getting ready to work on him.




The quicker this was over the better as far as I was concerned.




Glancing down at the stencil which was the infinity sign and the date 4^th March 1998. Normally I would ask why people got certain tattoos but something about this man told me that I didn’t want to know.




“You sound like you are from around here?” He asked as I finally sat down and began the work.




“Yeah; I grew up here,” I said glancing up at him as he smiled but it wasn’t a nice friendly smile.




Shaking off the fear and coldness that he had welled up inside me, I began the work at a speed that was a little quicker than I normally worked but I knew even at this speed I could do a good job on him.




“I thought I saw you in City Limits the other night; who do you hang out with?” He asked and instantly alarm bells were going off in my head.




“If you’re not from around here you wouldn’t know them,” I said thinking fast as I placed the needle in to the ink and getting back to the task at hand.




Now I wanted him out of here quicker than before.




“Well I was thinking of buying a place out here,” He said and I could feel his eyes on me despite the glasses that covered them.




“Why are you getting this tattoo?” I asked refusing to be pulled in to that conversation with him.




“Oh…this is something that I promised my girlfriend I would get ever since we got together,” He said his voice calm and collected.




“Have you been with her long?” I asked forcing myself to talk to him when all I wanted to do was run and hide from him.




The presence that he gave off was nothing short of intimidating and I wasn’t scared to admit that I was feeling more than intimidated by him.




“Since we were kids,”

”That’s sweet,” Why would any girl want to be with someone like him?




“I know she is going to think so too,” He said instantly turning quiet as I continued to work on him.




Thanking God for small mercies, I quickly finished up and just told him to pay Kerry on the way out.




I needed to get away from him; I couldn’t stand to be in his presence a moment longer. Getting up without even cleaning up my mess, which wasn’t me, I was as big a neat freak as Leland especially when it came to work.




But this guy was making me feel sick and there was nothing that I could do to stop it from making me all but run from the room and in to the back where Shannon and Shifty were sat chatting.




“Hey what’s wrong?” Shannon asked as Shifty was instantly on his feet and pulling me close. “You’re as white as a sheet,”




“That guy I had to tattoo…? I don’t know what it was about him but I have never felt so physically sick in someone’s presence before but he…”

”Did he try anything with you?” Shifty asked keeping one arm around me as he pulled back and used his free hand to wipe the hair from my face.




“No! He just…there was something about him that I can’t put my finger on but I am just glad that he is gone now!” I said resting my head against his chest and taking the comfort that he was offering me.




For the past couple of days all I could seem to think about was what it would feel like to kiss him, confusion seemed to be keeping me awake.




How could I be falling for Shifty when I was in love with Leland?




I knew that I still loved my man but all I could think about was that I couldn’t see us lasting much longer with him being so far away.




I didn’t want my relationship to be over but Leland just couldn’t give me what I wanted and needed anymore. Even though I knew that I still couldn’t bring myself to just end things with him when he had been all I had known for the longest time.




Shifty’s POV;

I was pretty certain that she could feel the obvious chemistry between us but what was I meant to do with that?




Leland was still a huge part of her life, she had made that obvious from day one and even now although she was mentioning him less and less I knew that she still thought about him in fact I was pretty sure that she was thinking about him right now.




There was no denying the shake in her body that seemed to rock through my own frame as she let her head fall against my chest.




I gave her all the support and attention that I could; I was more than aware of the fact that she had indeed found the man that she had just tattooed unnerving but he was gone now and she was safe.




Slowly her body began to relax and she just seemed to melt in to my frame, where I held her close unwilling to let her go. Even if it meant that I had to just be her friend then so be it because walking away from her was just something that I knew I would never be able to do.




“Why don’t we get back to the house?” Shannon suggested as he put away the drawings that we had been working on.




It was obvious that although he wasn’t a tattooist he was heavily involved in his business and was willing to learn from the bottom and slowly work his way up.




“I think that is a good idea,” I admitted as he led the way out of his office and quickly locked up.




Moving in to the main area of the tattoo shop that he owned we moved to the desk where Kerry was on the phone to a potential client.




Amber stayed firmly in my arms as we stood and waited for the huge bear of a man to be finished with the caller. I was glad that she stayed in my arms, I liked holding her, I liked being the one to support her; it just felt more right than anything I had ever experienced with a woman.




“You guys heading home?” Kerry asked once he hung up the phone and quickly jotted down the appointment and who was going to be working on their new customer.




“Yeah! I am all done and I need to wash that creep off me,” Amber smiled at her friend as she shivered in my hold.




“He was a little off!” Kerry admitted as he closed the appointment book.




“Dude he was more than a little off,” She said still holding on to me tightly and I gave her all that I had, all the support that I could, all the attention that I could and all the comfort I could muster.




“I don’t normally get weird vibes from people but that man was giving off more than weird vibes,” Kerry finally admitted. “It was like he knew…”

”What?” Shannon asked softly as he moved behind the desk and checked the checkout drawer.




“It was like he knew us…”

”Maybe he was a fan of The Hardy Show?” I suggested.




“No it wasn’t that!” Kerry pondered

”It seemed more than that,” Amber said at the same time.




“Wrestling fan?” Shannon asked counting up the money and placing it in to cloths bags.




“He didn’t seem the type,” Amber and Kerry both replied at the same time.




We stood around talking about the mystery customer as Shannon moved out the back and placed the money he had just removed from the checkout in to the safe in his office.




Once he reappeared we bid farewell to Kerry and headed to Shannon’s hummer, which had picked us up earlier. Amber climbed in to the front with Shannon which left me to climb in to the back seat.




I watched her as she looked around; her eyes darting all over the place and it was obvious that, that customer had really gotten to her in ways that I hadn’t noticed previously.




The ride back to Amber and Cameron’s house was uneventful; and almost suffocatingly silent. Handing her a cigarette she lit up happily as she rolled her electric window down.




The cool breeze swept through the interior of the car calming all irrational thoughts of the guy who had been tattooed by her a few short minutes ago.




Shannon parked the hummer on the street outside the girl’s home and as we climbed out we could hear shouting and laughing from the back yard.




“Sounds like we’re having a party,” Amber smiled as we moved to the front door and stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind us.




“Oh and a BBQ!” Shannon said smiling as we moved to the back of the house where we saw; CT, Jeff, Matt, Shane and the Bullet out on the grass of the back yard playing soccer and laughing while doing it.




Cam was lazing out on one of the loungers watching and laughing at the commotion of her friends.




“Hey!” Shannon said moving to my sister and kissing her head softly.


”Hey guys!” Cam smiled happily as she looked up at us.




“Hey honey!” Amber leaned down and kissed her cheek before excusing herself to have her shower.




Leaning up she kissed my cheek and thanked me for looking after her after that guy, I nodded and watched as she headed inside and out of view.


”What’s going on?” Cam asked watching me as Shannon headed out on to the grass to join in on the fun.




“Amber had a creep to tattoo…”

”Creep?” My sister asked as she glanced out to the guys in the yard then turning her full attention back to me.




Informing my sister of what I was talking about she shivered just at the thought of it and said that at least Amber hadn’t been alone in the shop with the guy, which I had to admit was a blessing in disguise.




Steven’s POV;

I had picked Gas Chamber Ink for a reason; Shannon Moore a friend of Shayne’s owned the place and I knew that if I went there would be a bigger chance of me finding Shayne quicker than just looking for her address.




The tattooist named Amber had, a pretty good reputation from what I had heard thus far so I had requested her when I had went in to book the appointment originally.




When I had seen her arrive with Shannon and Shayne’s brother Seth, I knew in an instant that she was friends with my girlfriend.




It was too much of a coincidence for her not to be a part of my girl and son’s life. So as she had worked on me I had tried to get information out of her but she was a closed off bitch and I knew that once I had Shayne back I would have to make sure that she severed all ties to these people.




What was she thinking?




Did she think that hiding from me was really going to last forever?




If she truly thought that she could leave me, find another guy and play happily families with my son then she was in for a rude awakening.




Sitting in the rental car that I had purchased, I watched the tattoo shop as the girl who had tattooed me and Shannon and Shayne’s brother had moved to the desk where I had paid my fee to the huge bear of a man who was covered in tattoos.




I knew that I just had to bide my time, watch them and they would finally lead me right to the person that I was looking for. The one person I had spent the past 3 years hunting for high and low.




Bitch had done a good job of covering her tracks, but she hadn’t been that good. Silently I thanked Randy Orton for calling me as I went back to watching them talking as Shannon disappeared from view.




Finally they came wondering out of the shop and headed for the large black hummer that obviously belonged to Shannon as he climbed behind the wheel.




The girl taking the passenger seat and Seth sitting in the back seat, but the girl was looking around nervously. Had she known who I was?




No there was no way that she would have been able to recognize me with the disguise that I used. I had to stop being so paranoid. I was here; I had come too far for it to be over in the space of the hour that it took for her to tattoo me.




Ensuring that I kept a safe distance, I followed them through the streets until Shannon was pulling his hummer to the curb in front of an unmemorable house and killed the engine.




Driving past I moved to the end of the street and did a quick u turn before heading back the way I had just come to find that they had disappeared in to the house.




Parking a little way down the street, I climbed out of the car and moved to the house. Looking through the windows to see that there was no one in sight.




Moving to the house next door where I checked to see if there was anyone in the house but it lay dormant so I slowly sneaked through to the back yard and out the back of the garden and positioned myself to watch the house where Shannon, Amber and Seth had disappeared in too.




Instantly I was watching the group of guys who were all easily wrestlers, except for Seth playing soccer with a boy of no more than 10 years old; Shayne was on the balcony watching them and laughing and I was instantly aware that the kid was Dylan.




He had grown; he looked exactly like I had at that age; I wonder if Shayne was disturbed by that! The sound of him laughing and enjoying himself left me angry; I should be the one he was having fun with not these guys.


”DAD!?” He yelled out causing me to almost jump from my hiding spot and tell him that I was here. “OVER HERE DAD!?” He yelled as Jeff Hardy threw the ball to him and he ran off down the yard.




He was calling another man Dad? That wasn’t about to happen. Shayne was about to have the biggest fight she had ever had on her hands. There was no way that I was having my son call another man Dad! It just wasn’t going to happen.

Forbidden;

Chapter 26;




Cameron’s POV;

Lying back in the lounger on the decking that led in to the house that I shared with my best friend and my son and now my brother, I felt calm, at peace and almost still.




Reaching for my smokes, I could feel the overwhelming sense that I was being watched and when I looked up my eyes fell on Jeff stood watching me with a huge smile on his face.




My insides seemed to instantly calm as I realized that it was just my man watching me and I smiled back at his handsome features causing him to blow me a kiss which earned him a few sick noises being made by his friends.




Shrugging his shoulders he went back to playing the game every now and again looking up at me, mostly when CT called him Dad and I could see that he was more proud of that than of anything else causing me to sit here watching with a permanent grin on my face.




“Hey hon; why so happy?” Amber asked as she finally walked out on to the decking and took the lounger next to me.




“Everything seems to be in…I feel like I am finally in the right place you know?”

”That’s a good thing honey,” She smiled as she helped herself to a cigarette from my packet.




“It really is! But what about this customer you had at the shop…? Shifty said he really freaked you out,” I said watching her closely.


”Yeah he was…off the chart weird; I mean I have seen my fare share of weirdo’s but that guy was something else. It was like my entire body was screaming at me to get as far away from him as I possibly could you know?”




“Yeah hon I know that feeling all too well,” I sighed thinking of Steven for a fleeting moment before my mind cast me to Randy but the minute my eyes met Jeff’s I was left feeling calm and collected with no thought of my ex or former employer.




“It was just like after one second with him I could feel my skin crawling; like I wanted to itch so badly you know?” She said looking out in to the yard where the guys were playing soccer with my boy before his game. “It’s hard to explain; it was just…it was awful and I never want to feel that way again,”




“I know hon! Trust me I know all too well what that feels like; with Steven I could literally tell when he was on his way home because my entire body would react that way…I would itch and itch trying to stop the feeling but nothing worked and then with Randy it was just like…my insides would curl in to this tight ball that threatened to explode every time he was near,”




“How you feeling anyway hon? I feel like we haven’t talked at all since you got back,”




“I know I’m sorry about that honey; it’s just been super mad you know?” I sighed looking at her and smiling as I silently thanked God for bringing her in to my life.




Amber had proved that she was a good friend and I just hoped that in the long run I was just as good a friend to her.




“I’m doing ok though; Jeff and I are tighter than we’ve ever been, Jeff and CT are…well look at them,” I smiled as Jeff hugged CT tightly as they scored a goal. “CT would…he could never have had that with Steven you know?”




“Jeff loves that boy…almost as much as he loves you,”




“I actually think that he loves him more than he loves me,” I giggled softly as CT was propped up on Jeff’s shoulders in a victory stance.




“Not possible hon,” Amber giggled along with me.




“What about you…? How are you coping with Leland being gone?” I asked reaching for the smokes and lighting another as we watched them get back to their game.




“Honestly?”

”Mmhmm?”




“I would be a mess if it weren’t for your brother,” She admitted.




I know that Jeff had mentioned the connection between my best friend and my brother but lately I had been so wrapped up in my own shit that I hadn’t really noticed much else and I felt terrible for it.




“You like him?” I asked watching her closely for her reaction.




“He’s amazing; he’s kind, he’s sweet, he’s generous and he listens you know?”

”I’m so sorry hon!”

”No sorry’s remember? I completely understand why you haven’t been around hon; that was never a question so just drop that thought ok? You have had so much going on, that I knew you wouldn’t be able to be there for me…”

”Well I’m here now so talk to me?” I said reaching for the ashtray once she had stubbed her cigarette out in it.




“I don’t think that Leland and I are gonna last much longer,” She blurted out and in that moment I saw her entire posture change as if she had been waiting to get that off her chest.




“What…? Why?”

”The distance is too much…I just can’t; I don’t feel like I can handle it! I mean I thought I would be able too, I thought that what I felt for him would always be as strong as it ever was but since he’s been gone it’s like I’m slowly starting to build a life away from him and it’s like I am realizing that I can do it without him you know?”




“Does he know how you feel?”




“I don’t think so; I mean I haven’t said…that is the first time that I have admitted it out loud,” She said looking at me closely. “God does that make me a bad person?”




“Not at all honey! It makes you human…long distance was always going to be tough I mean especially with how close you guys were and in all honesty I thought you guys were pushing it by trying to make it work but no it doesn’t make you a bad person hon, not at all!”




“Can I tell you something?”

”Of course you can; you can tell me anything,” I said turning to watch her more closely as she shifted around uncomfortably and avoided looking at me.




“I think…I think that…I’m-falling-for-your-brother!” She blurted out quickly.


”What?” I asked moving so that I was sitting up and watching her more closely than before.




“I’m sorry!” She whispered.




“Sorry for what? For liking my brother?” I asked watching her as she nodded her head yes. “There is nothing to be sorry about ok? You like who you like; I don’t care…does he like you?”




“I don’t really know; sometimes I think he does and then other times I am just left more confused than I thought possible,”




“Do you want me to talk to him?”




“No!” She said shaking her head adamantly.




“All right! Ok I won’t say a word, but if you are feeling this way about another man I think it may be time to end things with Lele; don’t you?”




“I’m scared Cam!”




“Scared? Of what?” I asked leaning my elbows on my knees and resting my head in to my hands.




“Lele…he has been all that I have ever known and I-I guess I am scared of starting over…”




“It is scary to start over I won’t lie to you, it is absolutely terrifying but you aren’t going to be happy until you do it…and if you feel like you are drifting apart from Leland then you owe it not only to yourself to set yourself free but you owe it to him too,”




“I know that, that makes sense and I know that I need to do it but I just can’t bring myself to do it over the phone you know? I mean what if when he comes to visit things are great…?”

”Sweetie you can’t live your life for a few days of happiness every couple months…that’s not living!” I knew in my heart that she would do the right thing when it was best for her and until then all I could do was support her. “But I know you, I know that you will do what is right for you and I am not going to judge or push you in to something that you are clearly not ready for ok? All you will get from me is support and should you need an ear I will be here,” I smiled at her softly.




“You know you and your brother ain’t too different…”




“I guess we’re not!” I replied looking at my brother as he seemed to fit in with my new friends and family easily.




I was glad that I had managed to get him out of LA even if it were just for a little while, whether he planned on staying or not was something that remained to be seen but whatever he wanted to do I would support his decision 100% without question.




A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER;

Jeff’s POV;

The game ended with CT, Shifty, Shannon and I winning against Matt, Shane and the Bullet, who were complaining that we had an advantage of having 1 player more than them.




Ron and Amber were getting the BBQ going as I climbed on to the deck and moved to my girl and wrapped her up in to my arms, kissing her neck softly.




“I’ve been wanting to do that all afternoon,” I growled in to her ear softly.




“Mmmm and I have been wanting you to do that all afternoon,” She smiled as she looked at me and instantly I was drowning in her beauty.




Shifty moved to Amber’s side and asked if she needed a hand with cooking, to which he was welcomed and engaged in conversation with her; an action that I knew he wasn’t complaining about.




I just hoped that they would get their acts together soon, I knew that Amber was with Leland but how much longer could they keep their relationship going from the distance that was between them?




And it was obvious that Amber was falling for Shifty and from what I could tell of Ron’s older brother he was falling for Amber at much the same rate. With one look at them it was apparent that they would make a good couple, their dynamic was much like my own with Ron; support, understanding, caring and an almost devastating love that seemed to just get stronger with every passing day.




“Will you guys manage to handle this…?” I asked them as they both turned to look at me. “I need to…talk to Ron in private,”

Slipping my hand in to hers and began to drag her inside, as she giggled; not attempting to fight as I pulled her through the house without waiting for them to answer.




Moving in to her bedroom, I kicked the door shut and slammed her against the wall as my lips claimed hers in a lock so hungry that we were both panting out of control by the time we broke apart.




“You’re an evil, evil man Mr. Hardy!” She panted letting her head rest against my heaving chest.




“It’s all you baby,” I growled holding her head close to me, not caring what anyone thought we were doing in here, all that mattered was the fact that I had her in my arms, in my life, with me always and the love that we shared only seemed to be growing stronger.




“Mmm you say all the right things,” She said lifting her head to look at me the smile wide on her beautiful features.




Gently she pushed me backwards until I was lying out on the bed that was still unmade from where we had made love this morning after CT had rushed off the finish his homework before playing soccer with us.




Straddling my body she smiled down at me before slamming her lips to mine hungrily. Quickly flipping her until she was on her back and I was lying on my side still kissing her passionately; holding her frame as close as possible.




“I love you Ron,” I said breaking the kiss and fighting to catch my breath.




“I love you too Jeff,” She replied her eyes almost burning a hole in to me with the intensity in them. “But maybe we should get back,”

”No! No! Not yet,” I refused to head back outside right now, I just wanted to hold her close, to feel the connection between us as we just held on to one another.




With Ron it didn’t always have to come down to sex which was something that was new for both of us, and I liked to just bask in the feeling of being contented with her in ways that I had never been with a girl before.




“But they’re gonna be wondering…”

”Let them wonder! Please baby; I just want some alone time with you before we head out in a couple of hours,”

”You’re going to get me in to trouble you know that?”

”How so?” I asked watching her closely as she ran her soft smooth hands through my hair.




“Well you are going to be heading off on the road again soon and I am gonna be…”

”Come with me; take the job that Matt and I offered you months ago…then we’ll never have to be apart,”




“I can’t…”

”Why not?”

”Matt might not want me to…” She started and before she could finish her sentence I had my phone out and was dialing Matt’s number.


”Hey brother where’d you and the pretty lady go?” Matt answered instantly.


”Can you come to Ron’s bedroom now?” I asked as Ron looked at me questioningly.


”What’s happened? What’s wrong?” He asked instantly as the sound of him moving through the house filtered down the line until he was close enough that it filtered through the closed door.


”Nothing’s happened brother,” I chuckled softly as the door opened and he stepped inside.

”God you guys are sickening,” Matt said hanging up his phone and chuckling as I held Ron so close that she was complaining of being unable to breath.


”Sorry!” We both mumbled as I let her go at the same time that Matt sat down on the bed next to Ron, facing her and smiling softly.




Leaning up she hugged him tightly, which he returned just as tightly.


”Thanks for coming over and playing soccer with CT today big man,” She smiled her voice sincere and honest.




“You’re welcome honey! I had a blast! But what’s going on?” He asked glancing at me.


”Remember we offered Ron a job a few months ago?” I asked looking from my girl to my brother hoping against hope that Matt would still be up for this.




“Yeah; but she turned us down…”

”I’d like to offer her the job again but she is worried that you don’t still want her to work for us…”

”Are you crazy beautiful?” Matt asked reaching for her hands and holding them close to him. “Of course I still want you to work for us! Jeff is going to be a nightmare on the road if you ain’t there so you have to say yes,”




“A mess really?” She giggled as they both turned and looked at me.


”Yeah a complete basket case,” I replied wrapping my arm around her shoulder as Matt held on to her hands.


”Then I don’t want that to happen…”

”Is that a yes?” Matt and I asked at the same time.




Nodding her head, she was literally lost in the embrace of me and my brother as we hugged her so tightly that the 3 of us fell on to the bed laughing.




I couldn’t wait to get this show on the road; I was going to have her with me all the time and I didn’t have to worry about hiding our relationship while on the road no more.




Life really couldn’t get much better than it was right in this moment.

Forbidden;

Chapter 27;




A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER;

Cameron’s POV;

Jeff and I had gone to the local dog pound to look in to rehoming a dog for CT. It had been all I had heard about for the past couple of days and had finally given in but my son didn’t know that we were doing it.




Jeff held on to my hand tightly as we moved through the cages that held the dogs that were up for rehoming, there were easily a 100 dogs sitting in kennels; watching with huge sad eyes that begged someone to take pity on them and give them a home.




“This is bad Jeff; I want to take them all home,” I whispered as the guide moved on ahead of us.




“I know princess! I feel the same,”




One of the things I loved most about my man was that he was a huge animal lover; he had many dogs at his home but I would never have asked him to part with any of his own because he loved them all as much as he loved me and my son. I knew that it would be like asking him to part with a member of his own family.




Walking along, I tried not to feel so emotional about seeing so many dogs in need of homes but I couldn’t help it, then we came to the last kennel in this run and my eyes fell on the huge sad brown of a pure breed German Shepherd sitting at the gate.




Stopping in front of the cage his eyes stared up in to mine pleading silently to take pity on him as I knelt down and slowly placed my hand towards the mesh of the cage.




“Careful; he’s a bit tempermental!” The guide said turning back to look at us as my hand touched down on the metal cage and instantly the dog was sniffing softly at my fingers then he began licking me. “What the hell…? He’s never like that with…” His voice trailed off in amazement.




“What can I say?” I smiled up at the man as he moved back to where Jeff was stood behind me watching as the huge dog continued to lick at my hand through the cage and whine softly. “I think he likes me,”




“I would have to say he likes you too,” The guide said watching closely as the dog continued with his assault on me.




“Can I step inside with him?” I asked looking up at him.




“We don’t normally let anyone in there with…”

”And I am guessing he isn’t normally like this with anyone?” I asked looking back in to his soulful brown eyes that instantly had me falling in love with him.




“I guess,” He said shrugging his shoulders he moved to the cage and grabbed the key that hung on the side.




“Be careful baby,” Jeff whispered as I stood up to my full height next to him.




“I’ll be fine! What’s his story?” I asked the kennel hand as he pulled the cage door open letting me step inside.




“Ex police dog; was rehomed a couple of months ago but the new owners didn’t like his temperament so they shuffled him on to us,”




“Is he good with kids?” I asked as I stayed near the door and waited for him to come to me since he had sunk back in to the kennel when the door had opened.




“He’s basically a good dog; been trained for searching and protection, from the tests that we have done he is not known to be aggressive around children,” He informed me as slowly the dog made his way towards me; tail between his legs until he stopped in front of me.




Slowly I held my hands out to him and he sniffed once again before continuing with his licking to death of me causing me to giggle softly.




“What’s his name?”




“Shadow!” The man informed me.


”Jeff?” I turned to look at my man as I felt absolutely no danger with this dog.




“Its up to you beautiful; he’s gonna be your dog,” He smiled as I slowly bent down until I was level with the dog; Shadow moved towards me and licked my face before resting his head on my shoulder.




“I think I will take him,” I admitted falling in love with him even more, as he just held his face on my shoulder and let out an almost relief filled sigh.




The guide ushered me out of the kennel for the time being until we filled out the necessary paper work and then Shadow was all ours.




Standing in the waiting room while the man went to collect him; Jeff wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek softly.




Jeff’s POV;

I was glad that Ron was an animal person; animals were a huge part of my life and seeing her with Jack and my animals at my place it was obvious that she was a natural but seeing her with that huge dog it just made me realize how much more natural she was.




People said that you picked the dog when you came to places like this but I strongly believed it was the other way around and it was more than obvious that Shadow had picked Ron.




Finally the man came back with the huge dog and we were on our way home. Placing him in to the back of Shannon’s hummer that he had leant us to come here, Ron climbed up in to the passenger seat and as soon as she sat down, Shadow was resting his head on her shoulder again.


”Do you think CT will like him?” She asked as I placed all the things that she had purchased in to the boot of the car and then climbed behind the wheel next to her.


”I think he will love him but there is one thing that you didn’t think about…”

”What?” She asked turning her head to look at me but was obstructed by the face of her new pet causing her to giggle softly. “Lie down boy,” She commanded and instantly he did as he was instructed.




“CT is never going to be able to walk him…he’s just too big I mean I know that CT isn’t exactly weak but he just won’t be able to control him,” I smiled at her as I turned the key in the engine and the hummer roared to life.




“Oh shit you’re right! I never thought about that,”




“Don’t worry about it baby; I will help out and I am pretty sure that you will be able to control him; he really seems to have taken to you,”




“And me to him,” She admitted glancing in to the back seat where Shadow looked up and let out a little whine as she reached back and petted him softly.




“I can see that! And I have a feeling that I am going to be replaced,” I pouted at her causing her to giggle.




“Not a chance handsome,” Placing her hand to my leg I felt the shivers sparking through my body violently.




By the time we got home and shipped everything in to the house it was nearly time for CT to get home from school.




Shifty and Amber arrived home just moments before CT walked through the front door. Ron shut Shadow in the kitchen as we greeted him in the living room.


”Mom,” He said softly as he hugged her like he always did when he got home from school.




“Baby I have something for you…”

”I need to talk to you first,” He said sitting down on the sofa and looking from his Mom to me, to Shifty then to Amber only to look back again.




“We’ll be in my room,” Amber said reaching for Shifty’s hand and leading him out of the room closing the door quietly behind them.




Looking from CT to Ron, I shifted around uncomfortably as CT’s eyes met mine and I could see that this was something that was bothering him.


”Do you want me to leave you 2 alone?” I asked touching Ron’s shoulder supportively.


”No I want you to stay!” CT announced determinedly.




Looking at Ron as she nodded her head, I nodded back and waited for CT to talk about what he needed to tell her. It was more than obvious that he was nervous and there didn’t seem to be anything that I could do but wait to hear what it was before I knew if I could help.




Cameron’s POV;

As I watched my son I could see how nervous he was, the fear in his eyes seemed to flash wildly at me. Taking his hand in to mine he flinched from the touch slightly.




“What’s wrong baby?” I asked as he pulled his arm back and rubbed over his wrist. “Let me see your wrist,” I said holding my hand out to him.




“It’s nothing Mom,” He objected.


”Let me be the judge of that; now show me your wrist,” I pressed firmly.




Sighing he moved his wrist in to my hand. Gently I pulled the long sleeved shirt up to find that he had a deep, dark purple bruise wrapping all the way around his tiny wrist.

”Who did this to you?” I asked looking up in to his eyes that seemed to look everywhere but at me. “Corey Taylor Reid; who did this to you?”




“Mom don’t get mad…”

”Don’t get mad? CT someone hurt you; it’s my job to get mad, now tell me who did this,”




“It was…it was…Mom it was Steven!” He said his voice barely a whisper.




“What? How did he…? When did he…? Where…?”




“It was at school; we were outside for lunch and he came over to talk to me and when I told him I didn’t want anything to do with him, he grabbed my arm to try and get me to go with him…”




My blood ran cold as I looked to Jeff who moved to both of us and wrapped us up in to his powerful embrace and held us close giving all the support and comfort that he could.




But nothing seemed to calm me down; Steven had tried to take my son, he had tried to get him to go with him and when that hadn’t worked he had tried to use brutal force.




“What happened? How did you get…?”

”The teacher came out and told Steven if he didn’t let me go then she was going to call the police,” CT informed us.


Sickness was rising in me, I knew I shouldn’t have put him back to school; I should have just kept him here where I knew he was safe.


”And no one thought to tell me? Not one person thought to call me?” I asked feeling my anger and frustration getting the better of me.


”Mom…”

”Ron!” Jeff said at the same time as CT.


”What?” I snapped angrily.




How was I meant to put my son to a school that obviously didn’t see fit to call me and tell me that my son had nearly been abducted?




I was past angry, I was livid; my son was supposed to be safe at school, I was supposed to be able to put him there in the morning and not have to worry about him being in any kind of danger.




Getting up from the sofa, I moved in to the dining room where the phone was sitting in its charger.


”What are you doing?” Jeff asked following behind me as I picked it up and dialed the school number.

”I am calling the school; I am not accepting this Jeff; he is supposed to be safe in school, I am supposed to feel calm about sending him there! I shouldn’t have to worry about someone trying to take him out of school,” I said waiting for an answer. “He’s not going back there,”

”Mom please I am fine…” CT said getting up from the sofa.


”No! CT you are supposed to be safe when you are at school, and look at the mess of your arm…that shouldn’t…they should have fucking called me!” I ranted as finally someone answered on the other end.


”Hello; Northside School,”




10 minutes later I came off the phone with an appointment to see the principal first thing in the morning. Moving back to my son and pulling him close to me.




“Mom I need to breathe,” He complained as I took his good hand in to mine and led him through the house to the kitchen where Shadow instantly jumped up from his bed and moved over to where I stopped in the doorway. “Mom! Is he for me?”




“Yeah baby,” I smiled down at him as Shadow instantly seemed to take to him like he had with me; licking his face and then resting his head against CT’s shoulder who had knelt down until he was level with the dog.




Happy that they seemed to be getting on ok, I moved to the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas and gently reached for my boy and placed the bag over his bruise.




Wiping his hair from his eyes, I watched him closely as Shadow moved to my side and sat down at my feet and looked up at me with his huge brown eyes.




“He seems to have taken to me; but he is your dog ok?” I said watching my son as he smiled happily.

”Thank you Mom,”

”You like him right?”




“I love him Mom; he is awesome! Can I take him to my room?”




“Yeah sure just remember to keep those peas on your wrist ok?”




“I will!” He sighed as he called Shadow to his side; who went happily leaving me and Jeff alone in the kitchen.




Moving to my side he wrapped me up in to his arms and I felt my entire being melting in to his frame where he gave me all the comfort that he could.




“I can’t fucking believe this Jeff; what the fuck are the teachers in that school thinking?”




“Baby you need to try and calm down…”

”CALM DOWN!? Didn’t you just see the fucking bruising on his wrist Jeff? Steven did that; he hurt my son and no one saw fit to inform me of what had happened,”




“Getting upset now isn’t going to help beautiful! Wait for morning when you see the principal…” He smiled at me.


”You agree with me then?”




“100%; you put your son to school; expecting him to be safe and if something happens you expect to be informed…you are well within your rights to rip seven shades of shit out of them honey but you need to try and calm down right now, let’s go out in to the gym and you can have a few punches on the bag?” He suggested wiping the hair from my face; as I slowly realized that he was right; there was no point in getting mad right now.




What could I do?




Nothing; the school would have been closed by the time I managed to get down there, and that would have ended up just making me more mad. No I had done the right thing; I was being responsible in waiting until morning.




Moving to my room, I changed in to a pair of yoga pants and a vest top; pulled my hair from my eyes, moved out to CT’s room, told him that we were going out in to the gym and to come lock the door behind us. Then I knocked on Amber’s door and informed her where I was going.




Steven was here in town; I had known that he would come but I hadn’t thought for a moment that he would literally try to abduct our son because he couldn’t get his way.




Shadow followed Jeff and I in to the gym and lay at the entrance; ears pricked high in the air, his head resting on his paws but obviously he was alert and ready for action should it come.


”Damn shorty; you got some power in you,” Jeff chuckled as he struggled to keep the punch bag still for me to assault it.




I punched and kicked at the bag that seemed to morph in to an image of my ex; taking more comfort in that fact, I let all my frustrations and anger and fear out on the bag as Jeff tried to keep it in place for me.

Forbidden;

Chapter 28;




THE FOLLOWING MORNING;

Jeff’s POV;

Ron had trained until late last night; punching and kicking at the bag with so much force that I was sure that she was going to burn out quickly but no she had kept on going.




Anger and frustration marked her movements and her eyes; as she stayed focused on the bag as if it were the only thing in the world. Then when I had finally managed to get her to come to bed; she had been unable to relax and I had found her sat on the window sill this morning.




Just looking out on the front lawn, an empty pack of cigarettes lying next to her and a mug of coffee that had long since been drained of its contents.




It was more than obvious that she had been awake all night; the bedroom door lay open so that she could listen in to the house and she looked more exhausted than I had ever seen her.




I knew that Steven being at CT’s school wasn’t going to be an easy thing for her to deal with but this wasn’t the answer; how was she meant to fight him if she couldn’t relax and accept it for what it was?




But I knew better than to press the issue; she was stubborn and she had, had to be over the years; having dealt with this alone for so long, she was obviously going to find it hard to adjust to having all the support that she had now.




“Morning beautiful,” I slung my legs out of her side of the bed, which was nearest to her and the window.




“Morning handsome,” She glanced at me then went back to looking out the window.


”Where’s Shadow?”




The dog had refused to leave her side last night, even when we had come to bed; he had followed us in to the room and lay down at her side of the bed.




“I told him to go lie outside CT’s room,” She said running her hands through her long hair and sighing heavily.

”You’ve been awake all night?” I asked sitting down behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist.




“Mmhmm! I just couldn’t sleep…every time I tried to close my eyes I swore I could hear someone in the house…”




“Baby you know that isn’t possible…”

”Do I?” She turned her head to look at me; her eyes blazing with a need to be understood. “Jeff you don’t know what Steven is like; now that he has found me…he isn’t going to stop…he’s just going to keep on coming; he will do whatever he has too and trying to take CT out of school just proved that to me,”




“I know that you know him better than anyone else, and I know that if you say he won’t stop coming then that is true but you have to try and remain calm and in control or otherwise you’re not going to be in any fit state to defend yourself or CT!” I pressed softly.


I needed her to get this in to her head because I knew that it was going to come down to her and Steven; as much as I wanted to defend her, to keep her safe…there was no guarantee that I was going to be able to do that.




Ron was one of the toughest women I had ever met and I needed her to believe that now more than ever because I couldn’t loose her, not now…not ever!




9.30am NORTHSIDE SCHOOL;

Cameron’s POV;

I had heard Jeff loud and clear this morning; he was right, I needed to be calm and I needed to be in control and to do that I needed to let go of the fear of Steven getting in to the house but the question was how to do that?




Staring across the desk at the principal of my son’s school, Mr Hope as he tried his hardest to justify his teacher’s actions but I wasn’t buying it.




“You’re trying to tell me that, that woman was in the right not to call me and tell me that someone had tried to abduct my son from the play yard?” I asked as Jeff reached for my hand trying to keep me calm.




“No that is not what I am…”

”Then please explain to me why no one saw fit to inform me of the fact that my son has a bruise on his wrist?”




“We uh…we…”

”You what? Because I am trying really hard to come up with a reason not to go to my lawyer!” I spat at him angrily.




“Please Miss Reid there is no need to get upset…”

”UPSET!? You have to be fucking kidding me right? My son was nearly abducted from your front yard yesterday and you are telling me not to get upset?” I about jumped out of my seat and threw myself at him and if it hadn’t been for Jeff I probably would have.




“I can promise you that nothing like this will ever happen again,” He informed me but that wasn’t good enough.




With Steven being back in the picture, I just couldn’t take that chance. So on impulse my mind was made up.




“You’re damn right it won’t because CT won’t be coming back,”




“WHAT?” Jeff exclaimed from next to me.




“I am gonna have him home schooled,”




“Miss Reid please think about this,” Mr Hope said sitting back down in his chair.




“I don’t need to think about it! I am not bringing my son back to this school when you are obviously not in control of your faculty,”




“I really think that you should think this through…maybe keep CT home for a few days and then see where your head is,” He said watching me as Jeff instantly supported my decision without question.




“No I really don’t need to think about it at all! Coming here has shown me one thing and that is that my son would be safer at home with me,” I said getting to my feet and instantly Jeff was stood next to me. “Thank you for meeting with me Mr Hope,”

Extending my hand to the man he took it and shook it firmly then led Jeff and I out of his office.


”I really do wish you would change your mind about this,” He said as we stood out in the entrance to the school.




“I won’t but thank you for meeting with me,”

10 minutes later Jeff and I were on our way home where Amber and Shifty were looking after CT for us while we had our meeting with the headmaster.




Finally I felt calm and in control, like pulling CT out of school had been what I needed to do all this time. I had my son with me all the time which meant that I knew he would be safe.




20 MINUTES LATER;

Jeff’s POV;

Ron pulled her jeep in to the driveway at home and killed the engine; her posture had turned calm and relaxed the minute we left the school.




It was almost as if she had been heading in this direction all the time and I couldn’t be more proud of her. I was pretty sure that CT was going to be a little put out about having to leave school where all his friends were.




But if that kid realized anything it was how big a threat Steven was to everything that Ron had fought so hard to have. CT wasn’t a stupid kid; he would come round after he had been given some time to think about it.




“You ok beautiful?” I asked reaching for her hand before she climbed out of the jeep.




“Mmhmm; I finally feel like I am in control you know?”




“I can see that,” I smiled holding on to her hand as I placed it to my lips. “And for whatever it is worth; I think that you have done the right thing,”

”Thanks Jeff; that means more to me than I can ever…” The tears began to well up in her gorgeous brown eyes; causing me to gently reach my free hand behind her head and pull her close to me until her forehead was resting against my own.




“Hey there is no need to get upset princess; you were completely right to pull him from that school; I mean I can’t understand why that teacher didn’t call you and if you don’t have trust with a school then you don’t really have anything, so trust me when I say you absolutely did the right thing,” I said placing my lips to her forehead softly.




“Thanks baby,” She whispered her eyes clouding over for a split second. “CT isn’t going to be happy about this…”

”He’ll get over it; he will understand that you needed to do this for the time being; I mean he isn’t a stupid kid, he knows that Steven is a real threat…I think he may be mad for a little while but he will come round,”

”Then I guess the quicker I do this the better,” She sighed heavily as she pulled away from me and pushed the jeep door open and stepped out in to the humid air.




Following behind her, we moved in to the house and in to the living room to see CT playing the Xbox with Shifty, Amber was curled up next to Shifty reading a book. Stone Sour was playing loudly on the stereo.




HALF AN HOUR LATER;

Amber’s POV;

CT stormed out of the living room slamming the door behind him after screaming that he didn’t want to be taken out of school that Steven had taken enough from him; he didn’t want to loose his friends as well.




Cam jumped up and went to go after him but Jeff stepped in front of her and pulled her in to his arms.




“Let me go talk to him baby,” He whispered softly.




Looking in to his eyes she nodded her head and fell back on to the chair where she had been sat. I could see how frustrated she was, I could see that it wasn’t something that was easy for her but she had all of us to support her now and she didn’t need to do this alone anymore.




Jeff quietly left the room; closing the door silently behind him leaving Shifty, Cam and I alone in the room that had turned deathly silent.


”You did the right thing honey,” I offered softly.




I had to admit that after hearing about Steven approaching CT in the school yard, I would have been on a knifes edge much like my friend had seemed to be but the minute she had walked in to the house I could see that her posture had completely changed to a relaxed and in control woman that she had been since leaving Steven.




“You think so? Because I can’t help thinking that I am playing right in to Steven’s hands,” She sighed reaching for the smokes and lighting up.




“No you’re not Cam,” Shifty offered getting up from the sofa where he had been sat and moving to her side. “You have to do whatever you can to make sure that you and CT are safe and taking him out of that school was the best thing that you could have done,”




“I hope you’re right, I really do because right now all I can think is that I am destroying my son’s life!” She sighed as she inhaled deeply on her cigarette.




“He might think you have right now but honey; he is your number one priority and getting him out of that school was a must…I mean I can’t believe that they didn’t see fit to tell you what had happened,” I offered moving so that I was sat next to Shifty and looking at my friend.




“I know I can’t either and that headmaster didn’t have one thing to say that could justify that teacher’s actions, he couldn’t tell me that CT would be safe and that isn’t what I wanted or needed to hear you know?”




“Then you absolutely did the right thing,” Shifty and I both said at the same time causing her to laugh.




“You know you 2 are more alike than you realize,” She said leaning forward and kissing her brother’s cheek and then mine before getting to her feet. “I am gonna go shower and then work out for a little bit ok?”




“Ok honey! And just try to remember that you did the right thing,” Shifty said as she moved to the living room door that led out in the hallway.




“I will thanks guys,” She smiled as she closed the door behind her leaving Shifty and I alone together.




“It’s pretty heavy huh?” He said as we both moved back to the sofa and sat down.




Reaching for me gently; he pulled me in to his arms and held me close to him. Resting my head down on to his chiseled chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart.


”It really is but she is doing better than she is prepared to admit,” I said honestly.




Cam was a strong woman but she had been beaten down so many times that she refused to believe it. It was hard for her to see that she was doing everything correctly when Steven had been the one to tell her that she was worthless and would never be able to survive without him.




It had to be a huge blow to him to see that she had done just that, she had not only survived without him but she was happy without him, she had moved on and she was finally happy.


Randy Orton had a lot to answer for by taking that man back in to her life and I don’t think that he would be forgiven any time soon by any of us.




“I am so proud of her you know?” He said his voice low but honest.


”I know you are Shifty! I can see it in the way that you support her decisions and I think that she knows it too and she will appreciate it more than she can ever explain,”




“You’re the best Amber,”




“Wow where did that come from?” I giggled softly.




“Just you and the woman that you are; the way you support everyone, the way you give the best advice and the way you care about the people you love,”




“I try my best!” I said feeling the heat sting my face. Maybe he was interested in me. Maybe I hadn’t been so far off the mark in thinking that he could feel the chemistry between us.




“You must be getting excited though…”

”Why?” I asked looking up at his handsome face and feeling the heat sting a little harder on my flesh.




“Well it isn’t long before Leland comes to visit,”




Why had I thought that he felt something for me?




How could I have been so stupid?




It was more than obvious that he saw me as a friend and nothing more when he had just brought up my boyfriend’s name.




In a small way I was silently resentful to Leland and the relationship that we had both committed too. For the first time since I had gotten together with Leland; I wished that I hadn’t.




What the hell was wrong with me?




Just because my man wasn’t here and couldn’t give me all the affection that he had used, I was intent on latching on to another man?




“Yeah I guess I am,” I admitted quietly.




Resting my head back down on to Shifty’s chest, I took the comfort he was offering and let myself get lost in the possibility that he felt more for me than he obviously did.




With my thoughts on Shifty and all the things that I was feeling for him, I let my mind wonder in to the fantasy; where everything was simple and we could be together; where we both felt the same about one another.

Forbidden;

Chapter 29;




2 WEEKS LATER; LA;

Jeff’s POV;

Ron had spent the past couple of weeks looking in to home tutors who could work with CT. After CT had thought about it for a couple of days he had told his Mom that he supported her decision to home school and he even thought it was for the best as long as he could still hang out with his friends that was the important thing.




So here we were in Stamford, Connetticutfor the Rumble and I was itching to get in to the ring with Randy Orton. The time was slowly coming where he was going to get what was coming to him and I was going to ensure that I was going to be the one to dish out his punishment.




Sitting on the sofa that ran along the back wall of Cameron’s office at WWE headquarters; I watched her as she went through the mountains of paperwork that Matt and I had let pile up since our last manager had left.




“You know I really don’t know how you guys got anything done!” Cameron said looking up at me and smiling that huge beautiful smile of hers.




“Well now that you are here; we will get much more done won’t we?” I smiled back as she ran her hands through her hair; her eyes staying focused solely on me.




“Oh hell no; I ain’t you and your brother’s wet nurse!” She said giggling softly as she looked back to the paper and signed a few things that obviously needed signing. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your fight?”




“You know I really should but damn you just look so sexy sitting there…”

”Oh no you don’t…”

”I don’t what?” I asked moving until I was sat on the edge of the sofa watching her closely as she blushed heavily.




“You don’t get to look at me like that; not when you are about to go out in to the ring with Randy Orton,”




“Fine!” I chuckled softly as I stood to my full height. “But when I get you back to that hotel tonight…you’re going to be screaming my name as soon as we get through our room door!”




“Now that I will hold you too,” She giggled then shooed me out of her office and closed the door behind me.




Glancing back at the door, I set off along the hallway in search of my brother and CT who were hanging out together while Cameron worked in the office.




Obviously it was a weekend so there was no need for CT to be doing school work so he had happily agreed that he wanted to hang out with Uncle Matt while I kept his Mom company after he said that watching me and his Mom together was sickening to which Uncle Matt whole heartedly agreed.




There really was no way that I could argue with either of them; not when I knew that Ron and I were sickening to watch but I couldn’t help the way that I felt about her. Without so much as a bat of her eye lashes she had worked her way in to my heart until the only thing running through my veins was her and I wouldn’t have it any other way if I were completely honest.




Cameron’s POV;

I had been sat at this desk since we had arrived at the offices this morning and it was almost time for Jeff to step in to the ring with Randy.




I would be lying if I said that I wanted Jeff to do this but I knew my man better than I had ever known anyone and once he set his mind to something there was rarely any stopping him from acquiring his goal.




Vince had come by when we had arrived to say sorry for what had happened in the ring a few weeks back and that had he known what was going on he would never have allowed Randy the opportunity to do what he had. In a weird way I took small comfort in that. But it didn’t make it better; it didn’t make what had happened erase and become none existent so all I could do was stand myself tall and accept whatever was going to come my way now that Steven had found me.




My phone began to ring loudly causing me to turn and look back at the table where I had left it lying. Moving slowly towards it wondering who was calling me when everyone I knew, knew that I was working and hated being interrupted while I was doing my job.




“Hey honey,” I smiled seeing Amber’s name flashing waiting to be answered.


”Hey! I just wanted to check in with you and make sure that you are ok considering the love of your life is about to get in to a ring with Randy Orton,”




“Honestly?”




“But of course,”




“I’m feeling sick, I want to go and make sure that Jeff is ok but at the same time I don’t want to know anything about it, I don’t want to be anywhere near where I could bump in to Randy you know?”




“That is completely understandable honey,”




“You’ll keep me posted yeah?”




“Of course I will hon!” She replied as I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. “You ok?”




“Mmhmm! I will be much better when this whole thing is over and done with you know?”




“I know; I can totally understand that,”

”Enough of me; how is it sharing a house with my big brother all alone?” I sing songed down the line.


”Evil!”




“Meaning?” I asked moving to the corner of the room and turning on the lamp that I had placed there for a more intimate feel of the room. “Is he sat right next to you now?”




“Mmhmm!”

”Wow you must be feeling all kinds of hot and bothered,” I giggled.


”Stop it!” She pleaded with me.


”All right I will stop!” I laughed as I moved back to my desk and sat down only to get back up again. “You know what?”




“What?”

”You don’t need to keep me informed…”

”You’re gonna watch?”

”Not only am I gonna watch but I am gonna go to the bull pen behind the stage and watch from there,” I said grabbing up my things and moving out of my office.




“Wow brave much?” She giggled.




“Mmhmm! I will call you later ok?” I said moving along the corridor in a purposeful glide that seemed to just leave the confidence building in me.




“Ok hon, be safe!”

”Always! Talk to you soon,” I said hanging up and stuffing my phone in to my jean pocket as I kept on walking.




Rounding a corner I bumped head first in to Chris Jericho who was heading in the same direction as me.




“Hey Cam; how’s it going sweetie?” He asked as we walked along towards where I assumed he was going to be watching the fight from.




“It’s going good Jericho; how about you?” I asked as we seemed to just fall in to step with one another.




I had hung out with Jericho with Jeff and I had always liked him; he was sincere and seemed to be a good friend to Jeff as the 2 hung out whenever they were on the road together.




Chris Jericho’s POV;

Ever since the other wrestlers on the RAW roster had watched what Randy Orton had done to Cameron; we had all but phased him completely out. I knew a few of the guys who wished it were them getting the chance to get in the ring with Randy because of it.




Cameron had been popular with everyone from the moment that she had started working with Randy and there didn’t seem to be anything that had changed that even Randy’s little plan to break her because she was dating Jeff.




“I’m good sweetie thanks! I bet you’re all kinds of nervous huh?” I asked as we came to a stop at the bull pen just behind the entrance to the stadium.




“Like you wouldn’t believe but you know Jeff he won’t change his mind once he’s…”

”Made it up? Yeah I know,” I chuckled softly as we sat down on the sofas provided as some of the others came over to watch the match as Randy stepped out in to the main arena where Jeff was already in the ring.




The minute the fight started; Randy took a low blow to Jeff right in between the legs and the ref announced that Randy was disqualified from the match but he wasn’t having it as Jeff rolled around the ring in obvious pain from where he had been kicked.




“This fight isn’t over; trust me you’re not going to want to miss this!” Randy announced in to the microphone as he snatched it from the announcers hand then threw it to the floor.




Cameron was hiding behind her hands refusing to watch as Randy literally tore Jeff apart until they were both making their way up the ramp that led in to the ring. Still fighting Jeff managed to get a few hits in.




But then Randy managed to get him to the ground and took a few steps back to go racing at him and kick him in the ribs. Instantly Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista and Mr. Kennedy were up to their feet next to me and were about to make our way out in to the stadium when Cameron gasped.




“Wait guys!” She said as we all raced back to the screen in time to see Jeff literally throw Randy over his shoulder without hardly any effort. “I think he has it under control,” She smiled as the sound of the wood breaking under the force in which Randy hit it filtered through the speakers.




We all sat back down next to her as we watched Jeff looking around and the commentators making comments about how they thought Jeff was going to do a swanton off the stage where he had thrown Randy.




But if I knew Jeff he wasn’t thinking about doing it from there as I watched his eyes land on the lighting rig that was set up at the side. Moving quickly down the steps and around to the front of the side area where Randy was lying not moving.




Looking up the rig Cameron must have gotten what he was planning as she gasped and muttered no over and over again her hands over her eyes open slightly so that she could peek through if she wanted.




Moving a little closer to her I wrapped her up in to my arms and leaned down to her ear.


”Remember what we said sweetie?”

”That there is no changing his mind once he makes it up,” She sighed as we watched him throw his vest in to the crowd and begin to climb the rig until he was on the first landing. “That doesn’t mean that I have to like it!”




“I know princess it really doesn’t!” I agreed watching Jeff as he looked up to the next landing and decide that, that would indeed be the perfect height for him to execute his perfect finishing move.




Watching as he swung himself out on the side of the rig and begin to climb up further until he was on to the second landing which was easily 30 feet up from where Randy was lying seemingly unconscious.




Cameron’s POV;

The crowds were going crazy at the fact that my boyfriend seemed willing to commit suicide on worldwide TV and there was nothing I could do to stop him from doing this.




Chris was right; once Jeff made up his mind there was rarely any changing it. So that meant I was sat here backstage watching as my man prepared to take a 30feet dive from the rig that he had climbed up.




“I can’t watch this,” I said burying my head in Chris’ chest who held my head close to him shielding me from view as the sound of the commentators trying to get Jeff to stop this before he injured himself seemed to reach in to me.




Instantly I sat up straight and watched as Jeff threw himself from the landing where he had climbed and delivered the most perfect swanton of his career and the sickening sound of the wood splintering under the force of which he landed on Randy Orton tore through me like nails breaking through wood.




Throwing myself from my seat where I had hidden while watching I all but tore a path out in to the stadium not caring who saw or what they thought. Jeff was lying deathly still and his eyes were closed.




Fear spread through me at a rate that left me feeling slightly dizzy and disorientated luckily one of the ref’s who had raced to the side to help caught me in his arms.


”Cameron what are you doing out here?”




“I need…I can’t believe he…”




What did he think he was doing?




Was he trying to kill himself?




Pushing the anger to the side, as I watched the EMT’s and ref’s trying to tear through the wood that made up the side panel of the stage where both men were lying unconscious but there was only one of those men that I cared about and it wasn’t the one lying on the bottom.




Eventually they got Randy out and I didn’t even blink in his direction as he was wheeled away from the stadium until he was out back.




Then finally they got Jeff on to a stretcher and secure; they let me move to his side where I tenderly wiped the hair from his face and kissed his head despite being mad as hell at him I knew that he had done what he had because he wanted Randy to get the message and that was that he had to stay away from us.




Holding on to his hand, I was allowed to move along with them as they wheeled him backstage towards the waiting ambulances. Just before we got him backstage he raised his hand and gave the crowd the V-1 sign.




The past week Jeff had been in the ring fighting Mr. Kennedy when Randy had attacked Matt on the big screen for Jeff to see, which meant that Jeff wasn’t just fighting for me anymore; he was fighting for his whole Family and that was the one thing that had meant more to him than anything else.




“Jeff!” I whispered leaning down to his ear as we stopped outside one of the waiting ambulances.


”Mmmm hello beautiful,” He smiled at me as his eyes finally opened and they seemed to sparkle brightly as they seemed to find me as if by instinct.




“Don’t you beautiful me…what the hell did you do?”




“I did what I said I was going to do,” He smiled as his thumb tenderly rubbed over the back of my hand that still held on to him tightly.




“You’re scared the hell outta me!” I said as he was gently lifted on to the back of the ambulance.




“Do you want to go with him Cameron?” The EMT asked me.


”Sure! I ain’t done cussing him out yet!” I smiled climbing in to the back and sitting down next to him where he reached as much as he could for my hand.




“You know you really shouldn’t cuss me out…”

”Why’s that?” I asked.




“’Cos you’re so damn hot when you cuss me out!” He said causing the EMT to laugh out loud as he administered a healthy dose of pain relief.




“That will stop him and the charm right?” I asked looking at the EMT who was looking more than amused by my man and his obvious disregard for himself.




“It should knock him right out Cameron,”




“Good! I am not ready to forgive you just yet!” I said looking at my man to be rewarded to the most sexy smile I had ever seen.




How could I stay mad at him when he looked at me like that?




I couldn’t; I just couldn’t seem to stay mad at him for very long and I knew that by the time we got out of the hospital I would have forgiven him and everything would be back to normal, rationally I should have just accepted that fact and let it go but for now I wanted to stay mad at him.




He had scared the hell outta me, he had left me shaking with fear of what could have happened to him. Hell he could have broken his neck or his back; that was something I didn’t want to think about so I looked down at him to see him smiling at me and instantly my anger began to melt like I knew it would.




At least he was ok and he was alive; that was the most important thing; the anger meant nothing in comparison.

Forbidden;

Chapter 30;




THE FOLLOWING DAY;

Jeff’s POV;

The hospital had given me a complete clean bill of health after they had checked me over the previous night and had allowed me to head back to the hotel with Ron.




Instantly her phone had started ringing; it had been Amber wanting to know that I was ok and that Ron was ok after having watched it on the TV. Ron had handed me the phone and I had taken a roasting from my friend who reminded me that no matter what I had to remain smart now because I had Ron and CT to think about.




Instantly her words had hit home with me and left me feeling slightly guilty about what I had done; not because of whom I had done it too but because I knew that I could have really hurt myself by doing it and that would have left the woman I loved and her son wide open for Steven.




Rolling around in the bed my eyes fell on Ron as she slept soundly next to me; her long hair fanned out on the pillow and her face devoid of worry; making her look peaceful and relaxed, which was something that wasn’t coming for her in her waking moments.




With the thought of Steven being around, watching her and CT had Cameron on edge all the time, she was constantly looking over her shoulder and she refused to go out anywhere alone, which just wasn’t her and who she was.




I would give absolutely anything to take that away from her, to make her calm and at peace while she was awake but deep down I knew that there was absolutely nothing I could do to ensure that she could feel that way.




“What?” She mumbled sleepily; her eyes fluttering under the closed lids and the smile spread across her beautiful full lips.




“Nothing; I just like watching you…”

”Weirdo!” She giggled softly before springing her eyes open for a few seconds before closing them again from the harsh bright light that was seeping through the curtains.




“You know you love it,” I chuckled softly as she turned on to her back and reached for me; pulling me in to her warm embrace where I always felt comfortable and like I really belonged somewhere.




“That I do!” She smiled finally opening her eyes and I was instantly drowning in their rich darkness. “How you feeling this morning?”




“Much better now that you are awake,” I growled softly as our bodies seemed to pick a natural slow exotic grinding rhythm that seemed to quickly gather our breaths and have them racing away from us.




“Well I do believe that you said something about having me screaming your name last night…and since you couldn’t do much when we got back here how about we pick it up right now?” She smiled letting her hands lightly run through my hair causing my entire body to shiver in anticipation.




“Good morning to me,” I smiled placing feather kisses over her face.




“Mmmm to me too,” She purred in a seductive tone as our bodies rubbed against each other; building the sexual pressure between us until I didn’t think that I could stand much more. “Undress me handsome!?” She panted as my elbows came to rest by her head and my hands tenderly ran through her soft smooth hair.




“All in good time beautiful,” I grunted as my body continued to rub over the top of hers; her legs tightened around my waist as she looked in to my eyes in disbelief.




“You want me to burst dontchya?” She asked as her own body kept the slow, erotic pace that I had set.




“Mmmm I like the thought of that!” I growled low as I let one hand slide down the side of her body; grazing lightly over the outline of her breasts causing her to shudder in response.




Loosing myself in her eyes; I welcomed the feeling readily as she held my gaze, my hand continued down slowly over her curves; reveling in the amazing feel of her body panting underneath my own.




Cameron’s POV;

When we had gotten back to the hotel; Jeff had been in a bit of pain after his jump so we had spent the majority of the night just talking and enjoying one another’s company like we always seemed to.




But the feel of him grinding in to me, the feel of his hand running softly through my hair and the feel of his other hand carving a path of heat and desperation down over my curves just reminded me that the desire between us was nothing that either of us had ever experienced with anyone else.




My breath was in serious danger of letting me down completely, my body felt like it was on fire with a hunger that could render me in to a puppet for him to do with whatever he wished.




After Steven I had sworn that I would never let another man have that kind of control over me again but with Jeff it was so much more than what I had been comfortable to start with but now that we had been together a few months I was beginning to become more and more comfortable with the things that he managed to stir inside me.




Finally his hand reached the drawstring on my PJ pants and he frantically tore it open and slid his hand inside the material. Finding his mark almost instantly; he rubbed over the top of my thong when his cock pulled back.




Alternating between his hand and his cock stimulating me to the point where I didn’t think that I would be able to hold out much longer but still he continued to tease me right to the brink of explosion.




“Jeff…baby…please!” I panted out as my hands reached for his boxer shorts and began tugging on them until they ripped and fell from his body.




“Please?” He growled as my hands slid around his hips until I was lightly grazing against his rock hard shaft. The feel of his body shuddering from my touch fueled me past anything that I had ever felt.




“I need to feel you…I want your cock and your fingers inside me…”




Smiling he gently pulled back and literally tore my cloths from my body until I was naked and panting desperately from the thought of what was to come. Lowering his impressively hot body down on to mine, his arms wrapped around my shoulders and slowly pulled me with him as he rolled on to his back.




Jeff’s POV;

Looking up in to her hypnotic eyes as she watched me closely caused the entire world to just fade away in to nothing until all that mattered was me and her in this moment.




“Is this ok for you beautiful?” I asked running my hands up and down her long toned arms as she steadied herself on my chest.




“Mmmm; I like when you let me take control,” She purred softly as she slowly lowered her entire body down on top of mine and placed her beautiful soft smooth lips to mine and kissed me with a passion that did little to dampen the fire that was rising inside me.




“You do huh?”




“Mmhmm,” She panted as she slid her pussy down over my throbbing cock; completely engulfing the entire length of me in one movement.




The soft, throbbing of her insides molded all around my dick leaving it feeling like it was buried in a mass of something so soft and warm that it felt like heaven. Holding herself still on top of me; letting her insides have the chance to get used to my girth gave me all the information I needed; this was going to be a slow and steady, tender and passionate session.




“You’re so hard!” She whispered in to my ear before she slowly began to lift her amazing warm smooth flesh away from my body until she was sat erect and my cock felt like it was buried so deep inside her that it should be hurting her.




“Fuck Ron…I can feel you…I’ve never felt you…so deep!” I panted as she slowly reached for my hands and placed one to her erect nipples then sliding the other towards her pussy and guiding me inside her wet pussy.


And just when I thought I was going to pass out from the friction that had built from the lack of movement between us she began to slowly rock her hips up and down so slowly that our bodies seemed to become beaded with sweat beads at the same time.




Cameron’s POV;

The feel of his cock buried deep inside me felt more amazing than I had been prepared to feel but here I was flying higher and higher from the hunger, desire and lust that seemed to ignite between us whenever we came together like this.




Taking my time; I wanted to feel the connection between us; the way that we both seemed to know how the other wanted it without having to express it in words.




“Ron!” He growled softly as I slowly quickened the pace a little and rocking harder on to his full erection that seemed to fill me as if he had literally been made to fit inside me. “Please?”




“Tell me what you want baby?” I panted as his fingers feverishly slammed against my swollen clit; desperate to get me off as he rubbed harder and faster causing my release to build so quickly that there could have been nothing to have stopped it. “Mmmm…oh fuck yes…baby right there…” Instantly I was increasing the speed in which I was rocking over his cock.




“Yes…Ron…oh-fuck-baby…you feel-so-good!” He growled as he thundered his hips up in to me causing the pace to turn a little more violent and frantic than either of us had wanted but whenever we were together the passion and desire between us could erupt so violently that there was nothing either of us could do to stop it from happening.




“Jeff! Jeff! Jeff! Jjjjjjeeeeefffffff!” I moaned pleasurably as my release spilled out of me with such a furious tingle that I was literally seeing stars in front of my eyes.




“Keep cuming for me Ron!” He groaned desperately as he let go of my breast with his free hand and moving down until he was tugging hungrily on my hips until he had set a new pace.




Keeping his fingers rolling my clit between them had my release hitting the ceiling and caving back down on me in wave after wave of pleasure that my entire body turned numb before it was over.




Sliding his fingers out of me he placed them to his mouth and slid inside and that seemed to be all he had needed he began to hammer up in to me with so much force that even from this position the bed began banging against the wall loudly.




“You taste so…fucking sweet…Ron! Ron! Ron! Ron…! Oh FUCK YYYYYEEEESSSSSSS!” He roared out of him as I continued to slam down on to his girth until we were both completely drained and collapsing against each other.




“Wow!” I panted resting my forehead against his and watching his eyes as they shone with nothing but satisfaction and love as he watched me just as closely.




“Mmm tell me about it! You know you’re…Ron you…what we have…everything that…being with you…”

”Me too baby,” I whispered saving him from more stumbling as his handsome face creased in frustration and his flesh turned a crimson color.




“I just feel like…with you I finally know what I am here for; like I finally have everything that I have ever wanted and there is nothing that is ever going to change that you know?”




“I know handsome I feel the exact same way!”

”You do?” His voice held a tint of disbelief as I rolled off his body and collapsed down next to his panting, sweating frame.




“100%!” I admitted resting my head down on to his impressive chest and listened to the solid beat of his heart beat and letting it calm my racing breath until all I could think about was the fact that our breathing seemed to fall in to a sync that mirrored each others.




“Mom, Dad you awake?” CT’s voice filtered through the door as he knocked.




“Yeah big man; just give us a few!” Jeff called back as he kissed my head softly and climbed out of the bed.




“Ok Uncle Matt, Uncle Shannon and I are going down to the restaurant to have breakfast,” My son informed us.




“Ok baby; we will be down in a few yeah?” I replied.


”Ok see you in a little bit,”




My eyes watched Jeff as his naked frame moved around the room; grabbing up his cloths from the floor where he had discarded them the previous night before crawling in to the bed.




There really was no way that I could feel more for this man even if I wanted too. I hadn’t thought for a moment that when I left Steven that I would let another man get as close as Jeff was to me but he had worked his way in to my heart and taken up residence without so much as an effort on his part and I wouldn’t want it any other way.




A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER; WWE OFFICES;

Jeff’s POV;

Cameron had shooed us away while she went to her office to work through the rest of the paper work that had piled up in our absence of a manager.




So Matt, Shannon and I took CT down to the games room to play a couple of games of snooker while we waited for Ron to finish up. It wasn’t a chore hanging out with CT; he was a great kid who had overcome watching his Father beating his Mother down to nothing when they had lived with him. However he had confessed to me the previous day that he was now having nightmares thanks to what Randy had done.




Thinking about what I had done the previous night to Randy Orton I didn’t feel a sliver of remorse for the way I had taken him down and I knew in my heart that I had done the right thing but now I had to focus on my new Family and ensure that they were safe and there was nothing that was going to stop me in my goal. I promised CT that I would keep his nightmares to myself on the promise that he would come to me whenever he needed to talk and when he informed me that Shifty had said the same thing I had assured him that whoever he wanted to go to was fine with me as long as he talked to someone.




“Jeff!?” Phil; aka CM Punk said as he pushed the door open and I saw that Ron was in his arms looking petrified and as white as a sheet.


”Ron!” I rushed to her and gently took her from Phil’s arms and pulled her close to me; instantly I was aware of how much she was shaking. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” I pressed pulling her head back from my chest so that I could look in to her eyes.




“S-Steven!” She mumbled quietly as CT, Matt and Shannon came rushing over to us.




“Cam you ok?” Matt asked placing his hand to the small of her back as Phil excused himself from us and left us alone.




Ron shook her head no as she buried herself in to my chest; the shaking from her frame was raking through me until I could literally feel myself shaking with the thought of what Steven had done to her.


”Matt can you take CT to get his Mom a cup of coffee?” I asked looking at CT who was holding on to his Mom’s hand; concern masked his face.




“Sure,” Matt said instantly understanding that I needed to talk to Ron alone.




I watched as he led CT and Shannon out of the games room finally leaving Ron and I alone to talk about what had happened. Leading the way to the huge plush sofa that ran along the back wall I ushered her to sit down and took the space next to her.




“What happened? What did Steven do to you?” I asked holding her close as she clung to me so tightly that I couldn’t let go of her had I wanted too.




“H-He…w-was in my o-o-office!” She panted as the tears spilled out of her chocolate colored eyes and streaked her makeup down her beautiful features.




“What? What did he do? Did he hurt you?” I panicked. I should have gone to her office with her; I shouldn’t have left her alone.


”He wasn’t there when I was there…”

”I don’t understand princess…how do you know he was…”




“Everything in my office was facing forwards and the bathroom the towels were all laying…”

My blood ran cold; Ron had told me about the way Steven had ordered her to have all there possessions facing forward neatly and how the towels all had to be sat in the same position.




That bastard had been in her office, he had been in the building; the private building that you could only access with the proper ID and everything clicked in to place; Randy Orton!

Forbidden;

Chapter 31;




A MONTH AND A HALF LATER;

Amber’s POV;

Cameron was on edge, no one had believed her when she had went to Vince and said that Randy Orton had allowed Steven in to the WWE office’s, mainly because no one wanted to get Randy off side considering who his Father was.




Jeff, Matt, Shannon, Shane, Shifty and I all believed her and that was all the mattered. There was no way that she would be that terrified if she didn’t know that it was definitely Steven who had done those things in her office.




So Jeff, had requested time off from the roster; telling Vince that he was close to burn out and he had been granted a 3 month leave, which meant that he could be at home with Cameron and CT.




Matt had agreed that it was the best thing to do; so for the foreseeable future all the Hardy correspondence was being sent to the house so that Cameron could take care of it and stay on top of it.




Leland was flying in to Raleigh in an hour and here I was stuck in traffic. My Stone Sour CD was blaring loudly through the open windows and it was helping to calm the nerves that had built.




I couldn’t seem to get Shifty out of my mind; we had become closer over the course of the past month and there had been a few times when I thought he was going to kiss me but he had always bottled it or I had been reaching in thinking that he was going to kiss me.




Was he interested in me?

Did I really want him to be interested in me?




Did I truly want to throw away what I had with Leland for a man who I didn’t even know was staying in Cameron?




Sure we had talked a lot about the future and what we wanted to do and he had mentioned getting his own place in town but I didn’t know if that meant he was planning on staying for good or just planning on having a vacation home.




Finally the traffic started to move again and I was beginning to feel the butterflies fluttering around the pit of my stomach and it wasn’t something that I was used to feeling with Leland. We had always been so close and the thought of seeing him had always left me feeling calm and in control but now that I was having all these feelings for another man it seemed that I was nervous about where that left me and Leland.




I had been with Leland for so long that the thought of not having him in my life scared me and left me feeling more alone than I thought it was possible to be. Sure I had people around me all the time, with the job at the tattoo shop and with Jeff living in the house with Cameron, CT, Shifty and I there wasn’t a shortage of people around but still I felt more alone than ever.




Turning up the air con in the car, I felt the relief of the cold air blasting in to my face and slowly it began to calm the nerves inside me too. I had to push what I was feeling for Shifty to the side and concentrate on Leland and what we had fought so hard to have.




Shifty’s POV;

Staring at the 4 walls of my room, I thought about all the things that I was feeling for Amber; over the past few months we had become so close that it truly felt like the next natural step would be to get together with her.




I had never really had a close friend like Amber before; especially not in the form of a girl and all I could think was that what I was feeling could possibly ruin the friendship that we had built.




Did I want that?




Did I really want to possibly ruin the best thing that had ever happened to me?




With Amber I didn’t have to put on any kind of pretence about who I was, I didn’t have to act like someone that I wasn’t and I didn’t have to hide the fact that I still had cravings. Amber just accepted everything that I was, everything that made me the man I was and for that I knew I was falling in love with her quicker than I had ever fallen before.




Knocking on my bedroom door interrupted the myriad of questions that had built and were closing in on me.




“Yeah?”

”Shift; can I come in?” Cameron asked from the other side of the door.




“Of course you can,” I replied sitting up as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind her and moving to the bed where she sat down next to me. “What’s up shorty?”




“Stop calling me that!” She slapped my arm before she lay down next to me and stared at the ceiling. “Jeff and I were just talking…”

”About?” I asked lying back next to her and staring at the ceiling too.




“Well Leland is coming in to town and that means he and Amber are gonna be out of commission for a while…”

The scoff was out of my mouth before I could stop and instantly she turned to look at me questioningly.




“Something you want to share with me big brother?” She asked turning on to her side and watching me closely.




“I-I…no!”

”Awe come on you can’t do that,” She pressed softly.




“I think I am in trouble Cam,”




“Trouble?” She asked resting her head on to her elbow.




“I think that…I’m-falling-for-Amber!” I blurted out.




“Oh wow!” She replied sitting up and slinging her feet over the side of the bed. “Come on,”

”Where are we going?” I asked as she reached for my hand and began to pull me to my feet.




“It’s time for coffee,”

”No I can’t go out there and admit what I am feeling in front of Jeff and the others,” I objected refusing to move with her.




“Jeff and the others are outside with CT playing soccer, we will be completely alone,” She informed me.


”Promise?”

”Would I lie to you?” She giggled softly as she began pulling at me again and this time I allowed myself to be dragged from my room and towards the kitchen.




We moved in to the large kitchen and my little sister moved to the kettle and turned it on, as I sat down at the breakfast bar and stared out the patio doors to where my nephew and my little sister’s friends were playing soccer and enjoying themselves.




“How are you and Jeff doing with everything that is going on?” I asked as she busied herself making the promised coffee.




“We’re doing ok! It’s hard ‘cos everywhere we go I can feel Steven’s eyes on me but he isn’t stupid he never lets himself be seen you know?”




“You’ll get through this you know?”

”I know! I have Jeff and you and everyone else but this isn’t about me, Jeff and Steven; this is about you and Amber and Leland,” She replied pouring up the drinks and moving over to where I was sat.




Quickly she glanced out the patio doors to make sure that CT was ok and that he was still with Jeff and the others and when she seemed happy that he was indeed with her man and his friends she settled in to a chair opposite me and looked at me expectantly.




“What?” I asked.




“Spill it…”

”Where do I start?” I sighed heavily.




“Well when did you realize that you were falling for my best friend?” She asked me as she handed me a cigarette and then lit her own.




“I think that I fell for her the minute I laid eyes on her you know?”




“You know that she is with…”

”Of course I know all of that Cam but damn it I can’t help thinking that she is beginning to feel the same way that I do…”

”How so?”

”I can’t explain it; it’s just a vibe that I get from her now and again; it’s like I can feel her turmoil, I mean I know that she is the kind of girl that when she is with a man that is it for her, she is with him no matter what but it’s like she is struggling with something and I can’t help thinking that it is that she has feelings for me too,”




Cameron looked at me closely, and I could see that she was holding something back from me; she was being guarded more than usual.




“What is it?” I asked.




“Nothing!” She replied standing up to her full height. “I need to pee, I will be right back and we’ll talk some more,”

The minute she walked out of the room, the phone began to ring and she yelled back to me asking me to answer it.




“Hello?”

”Shifty?” Leland’s voice filtered down the line.




“Hey Leland how’s it…shouldn’t you be on a plane?” I asked flicking my cigarette in to the ashtray.




“Yeah about that! I…uhm…I missed my flight; I tried calling Amber but her phone is switched off…”

”Yeah she didn’t take it with her; she didn’t want any interruptions when she saw you,”




I don’t know if it was because I was jealous of the fact that he had the girl I wanted but I was pissed off with him; he could have called before Amber left to go to the airport to collect him it wasn’t like he didn’t know what time she would have had to leave.




“Oh she left already?” He asked casually.


”Well yeah it takes about 45 minutes to get to the airport and you were due in…in 10 minutes,” I accused.




“I know! I feel so bad about this…”

Yeah you really sound cut up about it! I wanted to yell at him but instead I kept it buttoned and thought about what to do.




“Could you just let her know that I won’t be able to make it in when we arranged?” He asked me not sounding to upset about the fact.




“I’m pretty sure that she will figure that out when you don’t get off the plane,” I spat at him unable to keep my growing dislike from showing its ugly face.




“T-Thanks!” He hung up and left the dial tone ringing in my ear.




That was it; he had completely stood her up and there was no way that I could stop the embarrassment from happening to her and he just hung up on me.




If I hadn’t disliked him before, I sure as hell would now. I thought to myself as Cameron walked back in to the kitchen.


”Who was on the phone?” She asked taking her seat in front of me.


”It was Leland,”




“Leland…? He’s supposed to be on his flight right…? Or did he get in early?”




“He’s not coming!” I blurted out angrily getting up and pacing around the room. “I mean fuck sake he knew what time she would have to leave; he could have called before now to save her the embarrassment…”




“Call her?” My little sister suggested the same thing that Leland had just suggested.




“I can’t…she didn’t take her phone with her Cam; she didn’t want any interruptions when she saw him,” I informed her.




Cameron let out a few choice rantings as I continued to pace with no option but to sit and wait for Amber to get back from where she was being stood up by the one man that she had thought she could count on. It was more than obvious that she couldn’t count on Leland for anything anymore and if it took to my dying breath I would ensure that she could count on me; there was no way that I would let her down like Leland just had.




A HOUR LATER;

Amber’s POV;

I had sat in the airport for 45 minutes after the Hawaiian flight had landed waiting for Leland but when he hadn’t gotten off the plane and the new board calling for the same plane began to be called I knew that he wasn’t coming.




Why would he do something like that to me?




Why would he leave me sitting here like an idiot?




Anger and disappointment seemed to mesh inside me when I realized that he wasn’t here, he hadn’t come to see me and he hadn’t had the decency to call and let me know.




Moving out in to the warm air, I moved to my car and made the journey home with one thought in mind and that was calling him and demanding to know why he would do that to me.




By the time I got home the anger was past anything I had ever felt before and I was struggling to keep it in check. Slamming the front door had Shifty and Cameron come rushing through in to the hall where I was stood trying to get my breath back in to a respectable pattern.


When I saw that they weren’t surprised that Leland wasn’t with me I knew that he had called.




Excusing myself from my friends, I grabbed my phone and moved to my room slamming the door behind me; I felt like such an idiot for sitting in that airport waiting for the man who wasn’t coming.




“Hey beautiful,” Duane Lee; Leland’s big brother answered his brother’s phone almost instantly.




“Hey big bear! Is little dog about?” I asked trying to keep my voice even and in control.




“Yeah sure! But what am I chopped liver over here?”

”Just put Leland on the phone DL please?” I asked trying to keep calm but I couldn’t seem to do it as all I wanted was to talk to Leland and know what the hell had happened to cause him not to come.




“Sure!” DL sighed and the line went dead until I heard him telling Leland that I was on the other end.


”Hey!” Leland said his voice low and shy.

”That is all I get?” I spat at him. “I sat in that airport for nearly an hour thinking that you were coming…and all I get is a hey?”

”I’m sorry, I missed my flight,”

”Well when are you coming in?” I asked falling down on to the bed.




“That’s the thing Amber; I’m not…”

”I don’t understand,”




“I don’t…this isn’t working for me Amber; I think it is best if we just make a clean break!” He said softly.




Instantly the world slipped out from underneath me and there was nothing I wanted more than to crawl in to bed and hide, to block out the world.




“Fine!” I hung up without talking to him. I didn’t need to hear anymore, he didn’t want me anymore; what more could be said after that?




Curling up in to a ball, I let the tears come as I realized that my relationship was over; I didn’t have Leland anymore; if I didn’t have him what did I have?




The tears slipped on to the pillow soaking through the fabric of the case and turning my entire face damp in the process as I felt my life turn upside down.

Forbidden;

Chapter 32;




A FEW HOURS LATER;

Shifty’s POV;

Cameron and Jeff were getting ready to take CT out to the movies with some of his friends from school, while I stayed here in case Amber needed me. Jeff disappeared to the bedroom leaving me alone with my little sister who sat down next to me and let her head fall down on to my shoulder.




“What?” I asked kissing her head softly.




“Nothing I just wanted to make sure that you are sure you want to stay here…Amber isn’t going to be much company right now!” She said handing me a cigarette before she lit her own and inhaled deeply.




“I’m sure; she’s going to need someone Cam,”




“Ok as long as you’re sure,” She said holding her head against my shoulder comfortably.




I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t missed her when she hadn’t been a part of my life. As brother and sister went we were closer than most people were comfortable to see but I couldn’t deny that my little sister was a cool girl to hang out with and I didn’t know many guys who could say that about their kid sisters.




I couldn’t express just how proud I was of her; after all that she had gone through at the hands of Steven, she had taken her life back, she had gotten her son out of danger, she had gotten herself out of danger and she had built this life for herself and her son.




It wasn’t hard to see that she and Jeff were made for one another and I hate to think what would have happened if she hadn’t gotten herself out of the situation with her ex. Anger at the thought of what Steven had done to her seemed to spark inside me to the point where I wasn’t overly certain that I could keep it in check.




“I’m sure kiddo,” I replied inhaling deeply on my cigarette and reaching for the ashtray on the coffee table. “You and Jeff go and have fun with CT; God knows you both deserve it after all that has happened over the past couple of months,”




“Hey beautiful; you good to go?” Jeff asked moving back in to the living room where I was sat talking to my little sister.




“I’m not going Jeff,” I said smiling at him causing Cameron to giggle softly.




“Oh you’re funny brother,” Jeff chuckled back as Cameron kissed my cheek and got to her feet where Jeff reached for her and held her close while kissing her slowly and deeply.




“Eeewwweeee guys; my eyes! My eyes!” I joked causing them both to flip me the bird without breaking their kiss.




“Oh God don’t they ever stop?” CT asked as he moved in to the living room and finally the 2 pulled apart and Cam reached for her son and pulled him close to her and Jeff.




“Aaahh kid you’re the passion killer, you have to always stay close to me ok?” I smiled as he nodded his head causing Cameron to bury her head in Jeff’s chest before Jeff announced that it was time for them to go.




Bidding them farewell, I listened as they chatted together while leaving the house. The front door locked behind them and it was a measure that Cameron had insisted on now that Steven was around somewhere; I knew that the not knowing where, was what was bothering my little sister more than anything.




Almost as soon as the front door locked, the sound of Amber’s bedroom door opening filtered through the house to where I was sat on the sofa. My heart started beating madly, but I didn’t go to her, I waited for her to come to me.




I had gotten to know her so well over the past few months and much like my sister; Amber didn’t appreciate being pushed in to talking about how she was feeling. It came far easier for her if she did it in her own terms.




Finally the door opened and she came crashing in to the room looking calm and collected. As if by instinct her eyes found mine and she moved to me and sat down resting her head on my shoulder and sighing heavily.




An hour later she had let the whole thing out; how she had been feeling more detached from Leland over the past few months, the fact that he was so far away had been praying on her mind more and more as the days past, and how she felt like she had been feeling like she was falling out of love with him.




“You know I think it is for the best sweetie,” I whispered running my hand up and down the soft smooth flesh of her arm.




“I do too,” She admitted.




I watched as she pulled her head away from my shoulder and looked in to my eyes; her stare intense and more than a little debilitating as her hands rested on my stomach. My entire body seemed to react to her desperately.




Slowly as if a magnetic were pulling us together; our heads began to fall together and before I could have stopped it from happening had I wanted too, our lips brushed together and it was like a spark going off as my arms claimed her tiny frame and pulled her towards me.




“Seth! Seth!” She panted breaking the kiss and pulling back from me; her eyes searching mine as her breath continued to race away from her.




“What is it?” I asked gently wiping her hair from her eyes and tenderly tucking it behind her ears. “What’s wrong?”




“What is this?” She asked but before I could reply she continued to talk softly. “I mean I know what it was but is it just me…”




“Is it just you what?” I asked rubbing my thumb over her cheek softly as her head seemed to rest in the palm of my hand perfectly as if she were made to fit there.




“Am I the only one who has been feeling…”

”No!” I answered not needing to hear anymore as my heart threatened to rip right out of my chest at the thought of her thinking about me the way I had thought about her all these months. “Amber you’re…the minute I first laid eyes on you…you’ve just taken over everything inside me and there is nothing that I can do to rid myself of you…I don’t want to rid myself of you,” I admitted honestly.




It was time to get what I was feeling out in the open; now that I knew that she wanted me to kiss her, maybe just maybe she also wanted me in the way that I wanted her too.




Amber’s POV;

My God was I really doing this?




I had just had my long term relationship end was I really ready to just jump straight in to another relationship?




I know that what I had been feeling for Shifty was something that I had never felt before; I had tried to deny what I was feeling because I had a boyfriend but now Leland was out of the picture was it ok to let Shifty know how I was feeling about him…how I had been feeling for him for a while?




“I feel the same Shifty…it was destroying me to feel this way because I thought that I was going to be with Leland forever but…”




“You don’t need to say anything else beautiful! I am just glad to know that you are as attracted to me as I am to you,”

”I really am; but I need to take this slow Shifty! I can’t just jump straight in to something…”

”I completely understand,” He whispered wrapping his hand around the back of my head and slowly pulling me towards him and our lips crashed together in a kiss so intense that I was left wondering what we had just been talking about.




My eyes opened and I found myself drowning in their large brownness; whenever Leland kissed me his eyes had always been closed and looking back on it; it seemed that there was no intimacy in that act but as I watched Shifty’s eyes and he watched mine it was like the intimacy grew past anything I had ever experienced until I was reaching for him and pulling him down on top of me as I fell backwards on the sofa.




Still our eyes seemed to stay locked on one another’s and all I could think about was the fact that it had been far too long since I had felt a males touch, it had been so long since I had felt desired and wanted and there seemed to be nothing but a desire and hunger in the way that he was kissing me.




Slowly my hands roamed down his back until I reached the bottom of his shirt and began to inch it up over his amazing body until I was throwing it across the room and he broke the kiss.




“You’re sure baby…? You just said that you wanted to take this…”

”Fuck it!” I panted as his hands gripped on to my hips tightly and his eyes watched me closely. “I want you Seth; I want to feel what it feels like to be with you,”




The smile formed over his lips as he began to copy my movements and remove my top, slowly our hands removed each others cloths taking our time to roam over the flesh as it came in to view and we were both panting and desperate.




Gliding his tongue down over my neck, tasting me as he went until his tongue was lapping over my nipples; back and forth in a delicate fashion until he had worked me up in to a sexual frenzy that could only be squashed by the feel of his cock inside me.




“Maybe we should…take-this-to…the-bedroom!” He panted pulling back as his tongue stopped at my navel.




“Mmm good idea!” I panted back as he lifted his amazing chiseled frame from my body and stood to his feet and helped me up. Placing me in front of him he began to guide me out of the living room towards the hall way that led down to my bedroom.




As I walked his fingers brushed over my pussy lightly; his chin resting on my shoulder and looking down at my body as we walked towards the bedroom, then before I could stop him his fingers slid all the way in to my aching pussy.




“Seth!” I panted breathlessly as he dove so deep that I was panting to keep myself in control.




Grabbing my wrist with his free hand he whirled me around and pinned me to the wall of the hallway all the time letting his fingers rub in a feverish movement inside the walls of my pulsating pussy. Driving in to me so deeply that I was sure that I could feel his fingers touching the tip of my womb.




“Oh God!” I purred letting my head fall back against the wall and trying in desperate vain to get my breath under control but it just wasn’t working. “Mmmm,” I moaned out in pleasure as his finger hooked around my g spot and softly squeezed the mark that could render me to my knees.




Still his hand kept my wrist pinned to the wall above my head and his lips lingered dangerously close to my own lips and the chemistry sparked until I couldn’t understand why the house wasn’t on fire from the electric that was igniting between us.




Finally as if he was satisfied at how much he had worked me up, he let go of my wrist and moved his hand to my leg and wrapped it around his waist.




“Wrap the other one around me beautiful,” He ordered me in a tone that did little to calm the raging fire inside me.




Doing as he commanded of me, I slowly lifted my body from the floor and gripped tightly around his waist as he slid me further up the wall until my breasts were level with his face and he smiled up at me devilishly before running his hands up my back.




Hooking his palms over the top of my shoulders he pushed me hard and rough down on to the amazing feel of his huge girth, which filled me with an ease that I had never had with Leland.




Pushing all thoughts of my ex out of my head, I pushed my breasts in to his face and he nibbled tenderly and roughly, on the flesh before sucking my nipple in to his mouth; his teeth biting down on the swollen buds.




Quickly the sweat cascaded over our naked writhing bodies in a blanket so thick that I was sure that I was going to slide completely off his body as we powered against each other hungrily.




Sharp, hard and rough thrusts that seemed to control my body in a way that no man had ever controlled me before. The world began to fade and nothing else mattered than being with this man.




To feel the way that he made me feel wanted, desired and lusted after. The way his eyes held on to mine in a gaze so intense that I was trying to remain focused and in the moment, not to get lost in the amazing pleasure that he had coursing through my veins.




My back rocked off the wall with every thrust that he drove in to my wet, aching pussy. My breasts felt like they were bleeding from the way he was feasting on them hungrily and my entire body felt like it was on fire with desire.




Slowly he pulled me away from the wall and began walking down the hall in the direction of his room, while I continued to power up and down the entire length of his shaft until he was moaning out on to my flesh; long, hungry, submissive moans that seemed to seep through my skin and feed the hunger that was rising inside me.




Literally throwing both of us on to the bed once he had kicked his door shut; our bodies quickly picked the new intense movements of lying down.




Grabbing my wrists he pinned me to the bed as his cock began to drag out of my pussy only to hammer all the way back in causing my entire body to arch up off the mattress under me.




“Amber…oh-fuck-baby…you-feel-so-soft!” He growled in to my ear before biting down on my shoulder hungrily. “Mmm…aaahhhh…yes…”




From the shudder of his body, I could tell that he was getting closer to unloading everything that he had inside me and the thought of it seemed to bring my own release crashing in to my subconscious so quickly that there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening as I tried to hold on to it, to stop it from happening but the feel of his cock driving so deeply in to me and dragging over my g spot was too much to bear.




“Seth…mmmm…yes…yes-yes…oh Fuck yes…harder…fuck-me-harder!” I pleaded sinking my head in to the pillow forcing him to look at me.




“You’re sure?” He asked as I nodded my head I was rewarded to him withdrawing from inside me and flipping me on to my front and tugging my hips up to meet him and the smooth, tight sensation of his cock hammering in to me from behind.




“Mmmm!” I moaned appreciatively as instantly I was right back to eruption and it seemed that he was right there with me.


”Fuck Amber…you’re so-tight…oh fuck yes, yes, yes, yes…yyyyeeeessssss!” He growled low in his throat as his entire body began to twitch madly causing my own release to come hurling out of me so quickly that I had to steady my position with my elbows as I threatened to cave on the spot from sheer ecstasy.




“Sssseeeetttthhhhh! Mmmmm oh God yyyyeeeeessssss!” I groaned out of me as wave upon wave of pleasure closed in on me until I was seeing stars in front of my eyes and I was rocking back violently against every thrust that he was trying to inflict on me.




Sliding his hands to my breasts he nipped desperately on them until my release was turning more and more violent as his own release seemed to have dragged all form of words out of his head as a series of grunts and moans escaped his pursed beautiful smooth lips.




Slowly the high from both of our releases seemed to pass and all that was left was 2 panting, sweating and heaving bodies that collapsed down on to the bed and faced each other smiling happily at the course of events.




“You ok beautiful?” He asked me softly as his hand reached for my stomach and lightly traced up and down over my belly button until I could feel the hunger building again.




“Mmhmm I am more than ok! You?” I panted feeling my stomach flinch from the pleasurable shocks of electric that raced through me from his touch.




“Much better than ok beautiful!” He admitted. “You know a guy could get used to that,”

”Mmm and so could a girl,” I giggled back turning on to my side and facing his handsome face. “I know that I said I wanted to take this slow but damn it…I want nothing more than to be with you,”

”Me either beautiful!” He replied softly. “And I have to say that I am glad that you feel the same way as I do,”

”Me too,” I admitted as his arms claimed me and pulled me close to him until I was resting my head on his sweating chest.




We seemed to slip in to a compatible silence that left me feeling content and more happy than I had ever been. All thoughts of uncertainty regarding his staying seemed to filter out the window for the time being as I relished being in the arms of the one man I had wanted to be with for months now.

A WEEK LATER;
Jeff’s POV;
Sweat encased both of our bodies; heat rose higher and higher and our breathes raced away from us as my body rubbed over the top of her amazing slender form; my cock driving in to her time and time again causing her to moan out breathlessly.

The intensity between us just seemed to get stronger and stronger with every passing day and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The things that I was feeling for her were like nothing I had ever had with anyone. Without any doubt in my head I was loosing myself to this girl, loosing all that I was to the things that seemed to ignite between us.

“Jeff…mmmm…yyyyyeeeesssssss!” She moaned out pleasurably as her legs slid up my sides and dug in to the flesh tightly giving me a tighter penetration and as her release hurled out of her my own came crashing out of me so quickly that I was sure that I was about to pass out from the sudden rush.

“Rrrrroooooonnnnn aaaahhhhh…ggggrrrrr!” I growled burying my face in the spot between her neck and shoulder, biting down hard on the flesh until I tasted the copper tang of her blood seeping in to my mouth.

Suddenly her entire body was arching off the bed as her own pleasure took her places that she had informed me only I had the power to take her. The power that this girl instilled in me was like nothing else that I had ever felt with anyone.

Both of us rode high; moaning out pleasurably, slamming together wildly until the release had left both of our bodies and all that was left were 2 sweating and panting bodies that were in serious danger of loosing all sense of reality.

“You ok beautiful?” I asked as my body collapsed down on top of hers and let my fingers tenderly wipe away the blood that was seeping from my teeth marks.

“Never better; you?” She asked me letting her own fingers gently wipe the blood from the scratch marks that she had inflicted on my chest.

“Like you wouldn’t believe!” I smiled rolling off her amazing soft body once I had kissed her so powerfully that she moaned in to my mouth.

The sex life that we shared was out of control sometimes but neither of us had the power to fight the things that was between us. The pain that we inflicted on one another sometimes seemed out of control, and I knew that our friends sometimes questioned the intensity and violence between us but neither of us had ever felt scared or unable to stop things if they became too violent.

I loved that about us; the fact that we trusted one another no matter how much pain we inflicted on one another and it amazed me that Cameron could trust after all that she had been through with Steven.

Over the past couple of months, she had opened up more and more letting me know about all the things that her ex had done to her, the times he had raped her, the degrading things that he made her do, the beatings that she took from him, the verbal insults…all of it were things that you wouldn’t do to an animal let alone another human being but Cameron was still standing tall, refusing to be beaten and it just made me love her more than I thought possible.

Once we had washed up; we collapsed back in to the bed and I wrapped her up in to my embrace tightly; placing kisses to her naked shoulder blades as her back rested against my stomach and she lightly ran her fingers along my arms causing my entire body to tremble from the tenderness. The emotions that this woman could make me feel never failed to amaze me.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” She asked softly.

“I wish we could stay in bed all day but…”

”Well CT has his tutor coming round first thing and he will be with her all day so that could very well be a possibility; if you really want?” She giggled softly as she placed her lips to my arm as her fingers trailed the outline of my root tattoo.

“Mmm don’t tease me woman!” I growled softly.

“Awe are you trying to back out now…?” She giggled again as her phone started to ring. Glancing at the clock by her side of the bed to see it was almost midnight. “Who the hell is calling me at this time of night?” She pondered reaching over to the nightstand for her phone.

“Ignore it,” I whispered softly as she glanced at the caller ID.

“I can’t; it might be important,” She said flipping it open and pressing the accept button. “Hello…?” I listened as she listened to the caller. “Goodbye!” Hanging up she placed the phone on to the bed next to us.

“Who was that?”

“Randy!”

”What? What the hell did he want?” I growled angrily.

Hadn’t he caused us enough trouble?

“I didn’t give him the chance to talk but I have to admit that I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach,”

”Meaning?” I asked wiping her hair from her face as she turned in my arms until I was drowning in her beautiful dark eyes and she was smiling happily.

”I don’t know I can’t explain it babe; it’s just feels like my stomach is tying up in to knots and there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do to change it you know?”

I went to open my mouth but her phone started ringing again, she sighed heavily and reached behind her for the phone.

Cameron’s POV;
Staring at the caller ID I saw the same unknown number flashing waiting to be answered and I sighed before flipping my phone open and pressed the accept button.

“I told you goodbye; surely you aren’t stupid enough to think that, that meant I really wanted to talk to you?” I spat in to the phone.

“Cameron please just listen to me?” Randy’s voice filtered down the line and there was something about his voice that told me that I might want to hear what ever it was that he wanted to say.

“What?” I asked my tone cold and sharp but I really didn’t care what he thought of me; he had burned me, he had put not only my life in danger but my son’s life in danger too with his stupid petty beef with the Hardy’s.

“I want to say…I know that I can’t make up for what I have done to you but I want to say for whatever it was worth I am sorry…”

”Sorry doesn’t seem to cut it does it Randy; I mean why the hell would you do that to me?” I asked wanting to know the real reason why he had been so malicious towards me; surely he couldn’t hold a grudge over me falling for someone.

“Cameron I was so attracted to you; I wanted you more than I have ever wanted anyone and I didn’t know how to deal with that because I had never felt that way before and I handled it badly…I know it’s no excuse but…”

”No it really isn’t any kind of excuse! I am sorry that you felt that way; but you didn’t have to do what you did to me…you invited that psycho in to my life when I had worked so hard to get him out…”

”That is why I am calling you…”

”What to do something else to me? Haven’t you taken enough from me Randy?” I demanded angrily sitting up as Jeff gently placed his hand to the small of my back and began to gently rub the exposed skin supportively.

“No I want to make this right…”

”Are you fucking kidding me? You can’t make this right Randy; don’t think for one second that I am the same timid little girl that you had working for you…I don’t take orders from you no more and I don’t have to listen to you…”

”Please Cameron; I need you to listen. I need to at least try and make this right…” He all but pleaded with me and when I didn’t say anything he took it as a sign that he had my attention and he did because Randy didn’t beg to anyone. “I know that I can’t take back what I did but I want you to know that Steven is getting more agitated as the days go by,”

“I don’t understand what you mean?” I said resting back in to Jeff’s embrace where he welcomed me readily without question.

“He just called me ranting and raving about making Jeff pay…”

”What?” I asked feeling the fear sinking in.

Steven was crazy there was no question about that; everyone now knew what I had always known and the echo of Randy’s words rang through my head over and over.

“He said that if Jeff thinks that he can flaunt his relationship with you in his face then Jeff would have to be punished for that then he started ranting about CT calling Jeff Dad; he said that he couldn’t stand back and just watch that happen,”

“Randy this is important…please tell me that you aren’t playing games?”

“Cameron I’m not playing games anymore, this is me and I wanted to warn you guys…Steven was talking about hurting Jeff in the worst possible way and I didn’t know what that meant but I had a feeling that you might! Please just trust me this once and keep your backs up yeah?” He all but pleaded with me as Jeff’s phone started to ring loudly piercing through the silence that had descended while I thought about Randy’s words and wondered about whether I could trust him or not.

“If I find out that you are lying to me or playing some kind of stupid game then I swear to God Randy I will make you pay; do you understand me?” I all but growled out of me as I decided that for the time being it wouldn’t hurt to keep our backs up.

“I completely understand! I have nothing to…” He started but my attention turned to Jeff as he talked on the phone.

“Please Matt…just get Jack…just get my boy…please!?” Jeff begged in to the phone.

“I have to go Randy, thanks for the heads up,” I hung up without waiting to hear him say goodbye just as Jeff dropped his phone to the floor and stared at the floor.

His handsome features were etched with shock and disbelief as he began rocking back and forth.

What the hell was going on?

And why was he telling Matt to get Jack?

Get Jack from where?

The sound of Matt screaming Jeff’s name down the line reached me as I sat down next to my man and touching his shoulder softly as his face turned to look at me I could see the tears welling in his eyes.

What the fuck?

Jeff never cried; it was rare for him to show emotion other than when he was with me or CT. Leaning over the side of the bed I picked up his phone.

”Matt?” I said in to the piece of technology.

”Cam thank God; where did Jeff go?” He asked and I could hear something in his voice; was it relief? Despair? I couldn’t make it out because like his brother Matt rarely showed emotion; it was an effect of loosing their Mother when they were so young. Gil, the boys Father had been hard on them and I knew that they had appreciated it now that they were older.

“He’s sat right next to me…what’s wrong? What’s happened?” I asked hearing beeping in the background. “Where are you?” I asked sticking my finger in to my other ear just so that I could hear him properly.

“I’m at Imag-I…Cam everything is gone!” He said the sound of his voice breaking raked through me; leaving me scared at what he meant.

“What do you mean?” I asked reaching for the cigarettes and lighting one then handing it to Jeff as he wrapped his arms around me and held me so close that I was struggling to catch my breath.

“There…there-was…is-a-huge…fire…”

”Oh God!” I mumbled as Randy’s words echoed in my head yet again.

Steven had said that he was going to make Jeff pay, that he was going to hurt him in the worst possible way and what better way to do that than burn Jeff’s home down.

“The fire department are here Cameron but there is nothing left…God I was so scared,”

”What? Why?” I asked resting my head on Jeff’s chest as his grip on me tightened while I wrapped my free arm around him and held him close as he started to rock us back and forth.

“You, CT and Jeff were supposed to be staying here tonight…I was letting Lucas out before I headed to bed and I saw the smoke and at first I thought that…”

”Matt sit tight baby; we will be right over ok?”

”You’re sure?” He asked his voice breaking again.

”Yeah we will be there in about 20 minutes; I think it’s important for Jeff to talk to the fire department to see what the cause of the fire was yeah?” I asked him.

“Yeah that is fine; they said they will be here for at least another hour trying to get the fire under control,” He informed me and instantly a shiver snaked down my spine at the thought of what had happened.

Was Steven responsible for it?

Had he burned Jeff’s house down?

I knew that he was more than capable of it, hell he was capable of that and so much worse.

“O-Ok…well-let me uhm…let me go call Shan and ask him if he can come over and stay at the house while we’re gone,” I said gently pulling myself from Jeff’s arms but he instantly pulled me back against him; holding on to me tighter than ever.

“Ok well I will be here until they leave so just whenever you can get here ok princess?” He asked.

“Thanks Matt!” I said hanging up and quickly dialing Shannon’s number and waiting for him to answer all the while letting Jeff hold me close to him.

“Hey Skittles what’s…?” Shannon answered immediately.

“It’s me Shan,” I said softly feeling my voice breaking as I thought about all that Jeff had just lost in one fell swoop.

“Hey beautiful lady, what’s going on? Has something happened?” He asked me.

“I need…Shan I need you to come over to the house and sit with Amber, Shifty and CT if you can?” I asked impatiently.

“Sure I am on my way!” He said obviously hearing the urgency in my voice so he didn’t question my motives as to why I needed him here he just agreed.

”Thanks Shan,” I said.

“Not a problem beautiful! I will be there soon,” He said and hung up.

“Jeff we need to go over there baby,” I said softly pulling my head back to look at him to see his handsome features streaked with tears that slid silently from his eyes.

“I-I…I-can’t!” He said trying to keep his voice even.

“Yes you can!” I pressed softly removing myself from his arms, and moved out of reach as he tried to pull me back to him. “I am going to let Amber and Shifty know what is going on ok?”

Grabbing up my cloths I quickly pulled them on and moved to my best friend’s room and knocked waiting for her to answer. Moving in to her room to find her looking at me questioningly as she was embedded in my brother’s arms. I was happy that they had gotten together; they were meant to be anyone could see that.

Once I explained to them both what had happened, I left them in peace to get dressed and moved to my son’s room and gently pushed the door open. Standing watching him for a few moments, I thought about how this night could have turned out. Matt had been right, we were supposed to stay at Jeff’s tonight to give my brother and Amber some peace to themselves but at the last minute I had gotten this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach and wanted to be at home.

Moving to my son’s bed, I gently wiped his dirty blond hair from his face and leaned down, placing a light kiss to his forehead causing Shadow to look up at me and lick my face before I could pull back. CT turned around in his bed and snuggled in to his dog tightly who didn’t complain once. My son was lost in dreams where everything was fine and there was no fire, no thoughts of Jeff loosing everything because of the danger I had put him in when I refused to give him up.

This was all my fault!

20 MINUTES LATER;
Matt’s POV;
The smell of the fire seemed to fill the air around the land that my brother owned and there was no escaping it. I watched as the fire fighters fought to get the fire under control and to stop it from spreading through out the property.

Smoke and bright light from the fire pierced through the night as water seemed to fly high in to the air and fall down on to the burning home of my brother.

When I had seen the smoke I had thought that Jeff must have been burning some rubbish as we always did but then I had noticed how high the flames were and I knew that he wasn’t burning rubbish. I had quickly ushered Lucas in to the house, grabbed the keys to my car and made the quick mile drive down to my little brother’s house.

I had kicked the door in and had all but been singed from the heat of the raging relentless fire as it tore through the house, I had screamed for Jeff, Cameron and CT but nothing, if they had been in that house they would have been long dead as it creeped in to every inch of the home.

Instinct had taken over as I backed away from the door and called the fire department. Once I had done that I had tried calling Cameron but her phone had been engaged so I had called my brother and was instantly thanking God when he answered sounding calm but the minute I had told him what had happened he had become frantic about Jack; wanting me to get his beloved pet out of the house.

It broke my heart to hear the helplessness in his voice as he pleaded with me to get Jack out of the house.

The sound of Jeff’s Ninja motorbike engine roared loudly piercing through the sound of fire fighters yelling for more water, and the rushing sound of the water as it propelled out of the hose pointed at the house.

Turning to see Cameron controlling the monster green motorbike, Jeff clinging to her tightly his eyes were almost instantly on his home as she pulled up next to me and killed the engine.

Climbing from the bike she pulled the helmet off and shook her long hair free and moved to me where I pulled her close and clung to her tightly.

”Thank God you weren’t…” I couldn’t seem to finish the sentence as she gave me a tight squeeze and pulled back reaching up and kissing my cheek.

“Matty!” She whispered her eyes brimming with tears as Jeff just stared at his home; all of his possessions in the world going up in smoke; everything that he had owned, all his wrestling memorabilia, his cloths, his paintings and sculptures and little Jack.

We both looked at my little brother as he refused to move from the back of the bike; his eyes watching in horror as I continued to hold Cam close to me and after watching him for a few moments she buried her head in my chest and I could feel her sobbing softly.

“Hey it’ll be ok!” I whispered in to her ear as I gently ran my hand up and down her back soothingly.

It was a warm summer night so she was dressed in a pair of ¾ length faded and ripped jeans and a black vest top that she had been wearing when we had all gone bowling earlier in the night.

Despite the heat her flesh seemed to have broken out in goose bumps that left her shivering almost uncontrollably.

Eventually a police officer made his way over to me where I still had Cameron in my arms rocking her back and forth trying to give her all the comfort I could but it was obvious that she had something on her mind from the way she was quietly muttering that this was all her fault.

How could she think that this was her fault?

What could have possibly made her think that she had anything to do with this?

Jeff was seemingly on autopilot as he just sat on the bike and stared at the house that the fire fighters were slowly getting under control.

I informed the police officer that Jeff was the owner of the home and watched as he moved to my little brother who seemed to snap out of his trance and just stared at the man before him until Cameron removed herself from my arms and moved to her man and the police officer.

“Officer could this possibly wait until morning?” She asked placing her hand on Jeff’s leg lightly. It was obvious that she was taking charge as my little brother seemed to crumble completely before our very eyes.

”Yes I am sorry! If you could just give me the address of where you will be staying and I will have someone come by in the morning,” He said nodding his head.

“The address is…” She started to say her own voice breaking all over again.

”They will be staying with me,” I said moving forward and giving the officer my address, which he wrote down and offered his condolences and moved away from us as the fire fighters finally finished up.

“Matty you don’t have…” Cameron started to say but I silenced her almost instantly.

“I don’t want to hear that ok? I can’t let you drive all the way back across town to your place…honey you look exhausted and Jeff ain’t in no fit state to drive anywhere,”

“Thanks babe,” She smiled softly as she looked at her man and the worry creased her beautiful features deeply.

“Alright well just come on up to the house when you’re ready ok?” I said leaning in and kissing her cheek softly while placing a hand on my little brother’s shoulder but he barely even registered my presence as he stared at the burnt house.

It was more than obvious that he had lost everything save the few things that he had at Cameron’s house. Cameron nodded her head softly at me and moved closer to my brother as I made my way to my car and headed in the direction of my home.

Cameron’s POV;
I watched Matt pulling away, leaving Jeff and I alone with the last handful of fire fighters who were packing up their equipment getting ready to leave too.

Jeff finally reached for me and pulled me so close that I was sure he was crushing bone as he refused to let me go. I found that I was clinging to him just as tightly; silently thankful that we hadn’t been in the house.

“Ron…everything-is…I’ve lost almost everything…” He whispered as fire fighters moved around us.

“I know baby; I am so sorry…”

”No I-I don’t…I don’t want you to be sorry; this isn’t your fault beautiful,” He said pulling his head back to look at me but still holding me so close to him that it almost felt like we were one being. “All I can think about is that I am just glad that I didn’t loose you and CT!”

“Awe baby I am glad that I didn’t loose you; I am just glad that you were with me and CT at our place…”

”I know me too!” He said gently releasing one arm from around me and wiping the hair from my face; his eyes burning in to mine as we just stood there taking comfort in one another and the fact that we hadn’t been locked in that inferno as it had burned everything to the ground.

I couldn’t seem to get Randy’s words out of my head as I thought about all that he had told me. Steven wanted to make Jeff pay, he wanted to hurt Jeff where it would hurt the most and nothing I could tell myself seemed to ease the guilt that this was my fault. That Jeff had lost everything he had worked so hard for because of me and the fact that I had drawn him in to this stupid situation.

By the time we got back to Matt’s house it was starting to get light outside and Matt was sat in the living room waiting for us to arrive. Jeff stood in the hallway of his big brother’s house as I went in to the living room where I hugged and kissed Matt on the cheek.

“Just take one of the spare rooms honey ok?” He said looking to Jeff who was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet; hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he stared at the floor.

”Ok thanks Mattitude,” I smiled as he looked at me concerned.

”How’s he doing?”

“He’s been better…! Listen are you going to be up for a bit?” I asked in a whisper.

”Sure; why?”

”I’m going to stay with him until he falls asleep and I will be back…I need someone to talk too,”

“You got it baby girl,” He replied smiling softly at me as I turned and made my way back to Jeff’s side as Lucas toddled up to him and looked up at him with huge brown eyes. Leaning down, Jeff lifted his brother’s son up in to his arms. Matt had always called Lucas his son and he spoiled him just as if he were indeed human. Lucas licked Jeff’s face happily as Jeff seemed to fill up with tears again.

“Come on baby, let’s get to bed,” I whispered softly touching my man’s arm and he looked at me and nodded.

Climbing the stairs with Lucas still in his arms where the dog seemed more than happy to be. Jeff and Matt were both huge animal lovers; their pets were always with them, Jeff had only left Jack at his place because Shadow and Jack were still in the stage of getting to know one another, we hadn’t been sure if a whole night together would have been a good idea.

Matt had laid out 2 sets of his cloths at the top of the stairs for us. Jeff picked the bedroom at the far end of the hallway and we disappeared inside. I changed in to the cloths that he had laid out for me. Thankful that Amy had left some cloths behind when she left; they weren’t my scene but they were clean and didn’t smell of the fire that had raged unforgivingly around us.

I crawled under the covers with my man as Lucas lay down at the bottom of the bed. Holding on to Jeff, I rocked us gently until he slowly slipped in to sleep and left me lying here awake with my guilt and suspicions of Steven causing the fire that had burned away all of Jeff’s things.

Satisfied that he was asleep, I gently and slowly let him go and slid out of the bed. Moving to the door as Lucas crawled up the bed until he was lying next to his Uncle Jeff, I smiled and let myself out of the room closing the door behind me leaving it open just a fraction.

“Is he asleep?” Matt asked as I walked in to the kitchen where I heard him moving around.

“Yeah!” I sighed heavily running my hands through my hair as Matt handed me my Jack Daniels. “Oh Matty you’re the best,” I admitted taking the glass and gulping it; feeling the burn as the liquid flew down my throat.

“So they tell me sweetie,” He smiled as he helped himself to a beer from the huge silver fridge. “So what’s going on? What did you want to talk about?” He asked me leading the way in to the living room where we both collapsed down on to the sofa and fell against each other.

“Randy called me tonight,” I admitted resting my head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around me and held me close.

“What did his sorry ass want?” He all but growled.

“To say he was sorry…”

”Sorry? Sorry? That doesn’t seem to cut it though does it?” The contempt in his voice was obvious for everyone to hear.

“No it really doesn’t but he said something…”

”What? What did he do now?”

“He uhm…he told me that Steven said that he was going to make Jeff pay for being with me…that he was going to hit Jeff right where it would hurt,” I admitted in a whisper.

This was all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten together with Jeff this wouldn’t be happening. If I had just kept my distance from everyone; the people I loved wouldn’t be in danger right now.

“Cam this isn’t your fault sweetheart ok?”

”But if I hadn’t…”

”No I don’t want to hear if’s ok? You are in no way responsible for what you’re psycho ex does…wait; you think that Steven did that to Jeff’s house?” He asked instantly reading me like an open book.

“Seems a bit strange that the night Randy calls me to tell me what Steven said is the night that Jeff looses everything that he has worked so hard for…I can’t believe this Matt…”

“It’s not your fault! Trust me Cam; if Steven was responsible for this… you didn’t hold a gun to his head to make him do it…”

”Didn’t I?”

”I don’t understand…”

“I knew that being with Jeff was going to make him mad; I knew that by not hiding what Jeff and I had wouldn’t sit well with him when he found me and what do I do…? I continue living my life as if he had never been a part of it…I may as well have held a gun to his head ‘cos I know what he is like…”

“Cameron you are not to…” He started as I felt the tears beginning to fall from my eyes thick and fast.

“I just never thought for one minute that he would go after Jeff; I never thought that he was that unhinged you know?”

“You can’t blame yourself Cam…if you do then there will be no coming back from that and yet again he wins; do you want that?”

“No but…” I started as his hand lightly rubbed up and down my arm trying his hardest to comfort me.

“No but’s trust me; there is nothing for you to feel guilty about…I don’t blame you for what happened and I know for a fact that Jeff won’t blame you for it either,” He soothed in a tender tone that left me questioning myself.

Maybe there really was nothing I could have done different!

“Everything happens for a reason Cameron; we may not know what the reason for this is yet but it will become clear given time…”

“I just want this over with Matt; I don’t want to live my life on eggshells anymore; I left Steven so that I didn’t have to do that and now here I am right back to the pathetic looser I was before I left him you know?”

“You are not pathetic! You never were baby girl; you are stronger than you are giving yourself credit for…”

”What’s going on?” Jeff asked appearing in the living room from the hallway. “What are you 2 doing?” He asked watching me and his brother closely.

“Just talking baby, I thought you were asleep,” I said getting up and moving to him.

“I woke up and you were gone; what were you talking about?”

“I’m going to leave you 2 to it,” Matt said getting up and moving towards his downstairs master suite.

The sound of his door closing signaled that Jeff and I were alone and as I looked at my man, I thought about whether I wanted to tell him what I had been thinking.

What if he actually thought that I was to blame?

“Talk to me beautiful,” He pressed as he moved us to the sofa and we sat down where Matt and I had just been sat talking.

Taking a deep breath I let it all out; everything that Randy had said, everything that I was thinking about this being my fault and how I didn’t think that I would ever be free from Steven.

Cupping my face in both of his hands; his eyes bore in to me deeply marking me as his forever as he leaned towards me and brushed his lips over mine.

“I don’t ever want to hear you doubting yourself like this again! This is absolutely not your fault Ron; you didn’t know that he was capable of something so vicious and I know deep in my heart with everything that I am that this is absolutely no way anything to do with you,”

“But I…”

”No but’s…we don’t even know if it was him that started the fire…” I looked at him questioningly. “Yes there is a strong possibility that it was him but as always we have no prove of that…it’s like you said…he’s crazy not stupid! As long as we stick together there is nothing that he can do to us ok?”

Nodding my head, we stayed there, holding on to one another, taking comfort from our loss until the doorbell began to ring. It turned out that it was almost 9 in the morning and it was police. Jeff and I listened to them telling us the cause of the fire.

“We believe it was started intentionally. Mr Hardy there was someone in your house…and unfortunately they didn’t make it out,” The officer informed us solemnly.

Matt’s POV;
I had heard the front doorbell ringing as I had lay down on my bed ready to give in to the sleep and let it drag away this God awful day with it.

Getting up, I moved out to the hallway where Jeff and Cameron were stood talking to the police officers who had just closed the door behind them.

“We believe it was started intentionally. Mr Hardy there was someone in your house…and unfortunately they didn’t make it out,” The taller of the 2 officers informed my brother and his girl.

Cameron gasped as Jeff seemed to crumble once again. I quickly moved forward and placed a hand on my brother’s shoulder as I wrapped my arm around Cameron pulling her close to me.

“There shouldn’t have been anyone in the house! It was empty save for Jeff’s dog,” I said looking at the officer.

“Obviously the body is pretty badly burned, but we are confident that we will be able to identify them through dental records,” The officer informed me. “Is there anyone who you can think of that would do this?”

Jeff looked at Cameron at the same time as I looked at her, which in turn caused the 2 men in front of us to look at her also.

Cameron looked from me to Jeff and we both nodded our heads, she sighed and informed the officers to follow her in to the living room as I offered to make coffee. This was going to be a long day and we would all need something to get through it.

Jeff followed me in to the kitchen and watched me as I moved around the kitchen.

”What?” I asked filling the kettle and placing it in to its rack then turning it on.

“You think it was Steven?” He asked and I could feel my heart returning to normal. Whenever Jeff looked at me like this I was always worried that he had figured out how I felt about Cameron; his girlfriend.

Mentally slapping myself for letting myself fall for the girl who was with my brother but I couldn’t help the way I felt about her, she was just this amazing woman who made everyone around her feel calm and collected. It wasn’t hard to see why I had fallen for her.

“I think it is a very strong possibility,” I admitted placing sugar in the right mugs then milk in to everyone’s except for Jeff and Cameron’s.

“Damn it!” He growled angrily. “Why can’t he just let her go? Why can’t he just let her live her life the way she wants? Why can’t he just accept that they are over?”

“Because Cam is right…he is unhinged Jeff; he doesn’t think like we all do! He can’t see that when she says she doesn’t want to be with him she means it. To him she is still his property…”

”She was never his property!” He growled as he began pacing determinedly. “Cameron isn’t…she doesn’t belong to anyone…not even me! Why can’t he see that?”

I knew this had to be frustrating for him; especially when Jeff didn’t think like most people, when he was with someone he loved them whole heartedly but he didn’t control people; preferring the people in his life to be their own person. It was just the way my little brother was and I knew that Cam appreciated it; after everything that she had been through I knew it must feel like a breath of fresh hair for her.

THE FOLLOWING DAY;
High Ridge; Missouri;
Randy’s POV;
I knew that I had done the wrong thing from the minute that Jeff had gotten Cameron out of the ring that night I humiliated her 2 months or so ago.

From the minute that I had laid eyes on Cameron I had been drowning in her beauty. The thought of her being my manager had just built the thoughts that maybe one day we could be together.

When I had seen her hanging out with the Hardy boys I had seen the attraction to Jeff and vice versa. And somehow I had seen him as being the one in my way of having the girl I wanted so when I couldn’t find anything on her with the name that she had given me, I had dug around and found out about her past.

My stupid ego had caused me to loose any chance of having her in my life at all when I had gotten in touch with Steven and placed him in front of her. Now she couldn’t even bare to talk to me.

Turning on my computer, I loaded up the news page and saw an alert with Jeff Hardy’s name on it. Please God no; don’t have let anything happened to him at the hands of Steven! I wasn’t the type of person who dealt with feeling remorse but Cameron had me feelings that were completely new to me.

WWE star Jeff Hardy's home in Cameron, North Carolina burned to the ground last night. He lost all his possessions, and his dog perished in the blaze.

According to legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross' website, Hardy and his girlfriend were not home at the time. Jeff's brother, Matt, saw smoke coming from the home, but was too late to do anything about it. Jeff lived in a double-wide trailer.

The WWE has not yet released a statement.

Without thought I picked up my phone and dialed Cameron’s number and began pacing while I waited for her to answer.

“Come on Cameron!” I muttered to myself as I moved in to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Hello?” Her sweet soft voice answered but it was masked with tears and an unhappiness that I knew I was the cause of.

“Cam?”

“Randy?” She asked as the sound of coughing and retching filtered down the line.

“Yeah it’s me…”

”What do you want?” She chocked but the coughing and retching wasn’t coming from her; it was too deep…Jeff?

I knew that I wasn’t going to get a warm welcome when I called but I had to know that she was ok; I had to know that the article had been right and she and Jeff hadn’t been in the fire.

“I just heard the news and I wanted to check how you are,” I said softly.

“How do you think I am?” She demanded angrily. “Why are you calling me?”

“I-I…”

”Look I don’t understand why you are calling me; I don’t know if you think that somehow we are friends or whatever but we’re not ok? You burned me…you brought that monster back in to my life and I can’t just forget about that Randy…I just can’t!” She said as the retching and coughing continued.

“Is that Jeff?” I asked blocking out what she had just said as the words burned through me like a hot prod marking me; telling me that I had ruined any chance of having her as my friend.

“Yeah he’s sick…”

”Sick?”

”Yeah!” She replied in disbelief. “He has lost his home; he lost Jack and everything that he has worked so hard for…so you can understand why he is sick surely,”

“I’m sorry I didn’t…”

”Didn’t what? Think? No you didn’t but that seems to be something that you are good at!” She spat at me angrily. “I can’t…I’m going to go, I need to look after Jeff!”

“Sure!” I sighed. I never thought that I was going to get a warm reception but I was sure as hell going to make sure that I made it up to her any way that I could. “For what it’s worth…I’m sorry!”

“Whatever!” She replied and hung up leaving the dial tone ringing in my ear yet again.

Hanging up, I placed my phone on the table and thought about how I could maybe at least try to make this better but as of yet nothing was making much sense in my head as I thought about what I had done.

I couldn’t blame her for being mad at me; hell I would have shot me down in flames if I were her. They had lost everything and why? Because I couldn’t handle loosing!

Cameron, North Carolina;
Cameron’s POV;
Jeff was so stressed that he was making himself ill, sickness had seemed to take over his body from the minute that he had heard that someone had been in the house as it burned to the ground.

I knew that he was worried that it had been someone he knew, or a fan had somehow managed to get inside his home. I could feel my own panic at the thought of that but I was trying to remain strong for him, to help him through this because as much as I felt like I had lost something too; it was in actual fact Jeff’s house and his stuff that he had lost.

But Jeff was such a huge part of me that I felt his loss weighing me down too, but I had Matt, he has been great since this whole thing. My big brother as he had dubbed himself had drove over to the house yesterday after the police had been, packed up some of CT’s things and taken him back to his house where he said we could stay for as long as we needed.

Which of course gave Shifty and Amber the time alone that they needed; their relationship was still relatively new, which meant that it was all about sex and spending as much time together as possible and I hated invading on that.

I think that the time had come that I began looking for somewhere on my own for me and CT. But for now with the uncertainty of where Steven was, being in Matt’s house, secluded and surrounded by the private grounds I felt safe and out of harms reach.

“What…did-he-want?” Jeff panted looking up at me as I pulled his hair from his handsome features.

“Just to say sorry,” I whispered reaching my free hand to the washbasin and began to pour some cold water in to it.

“Sorry!?” He asked in disbelief before turning back to the toilet where he continued to empty the entire contents of his stomach in to it.

“Mmhmm! Seems to be a bit late in the fucking game for sorry if you ask me,” I ranted angrily feeling my blood boil at Randy’s nerve of calling me.

“I’m sorry…ba-baby!” He stuttered as the retching began to subside again while I placed a flannel in to the cold water and placed it to the back of his neck.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked confused.

“Not being able to su…”

”Will you stop!?” I said brushing the hair from his face as I pressed the cold flannel harder against his neck to cool him down. “After all the times that you have supported me and been there holding my hair back when I have been sick at the thought of Steven being back…this is the least I can do! So I want you to push the thought of not supporting me to the back of your head ok?”

“Y-You’re…the…be-best!” He stuttered as a fresh string of retching started up again; making his body almost convulse uncontrollably.

“Mmm so I’ve been told,” I smiled as he glanced up at me.

I was more than worried about him; his eyes had lost their natural sexy sparkle, his face was so white that it was almost grey in color, he was loosing weight rapidly at the amount he was being sick; it was almost like he couldn’t keep anything done, his long dark multi colored hair was limp and lifeless as he seemed to sink further and further in to this funk.

Jeff’s POV;
I couldn’t stop the smile from coming to my face at her words; it was good to hear her taking a compliment for a change rather than denying what I was complimenting her for.

The minute the smile formed on my face; I instantly felt guilty about it. Someone had died in my house as it burned, someone had been inside and I was more than worried that somehow a fan had managed to get inside; it wouldn’t have been the first time.

Then at the same time, I was grateful that it hadn’t been Ron, CT and me in that fire, there was no way that we would be here if it had. There was no getting out of that fire: it was just too fierce and wild.

“Oooh…and-mod-modest too,” I chuckled painfully as my stomach twisted in knots and made the retching turn more violent in the process.

“I try my best handsome,” She smiled placing her lips to my cheek as she held the cold flannel behind my neck, which I had to admit was cooling down the temperature that seemed to run through me.

“I-I…I-lo-love-y-you…R-Ron!” I stumbled as finally the retching stopped and I slumped to the floor of the ensuite that was in our room.

I had to admit that Matt had been great; without thought he had offered us his home, and had gone to collect CT who loved it at his Uncle Matt’s house; he had room to run around and Cameron didn’t seem to worry so much about him being outside alone here.

“I love you too baby,” Ron whispered as she helped me to my feet.

Ushering me slowly to the bedroom and in to the bed where I had pretty much spent the past day.

“S-stay…w-with me!?” I pleaded grabbing her hand with more strength than I thought I possessed. “Just…u-until I-I…f-fall asleep!”

“You got it baby,” She smiled as she climbed on to the bed with me and wrapped me up in to her amazingly warm and comforting embrace.

Resting my head against her chest, I wrapped my own arms around her and held her as close to me as possible. I didn’t know how long it would take the police to get an ID on the body that had been found in my house but I just wished that I could get some kind of closure on it already.

“I-I…I-I’m sorry that I h-haven’t b-been much c-company…”

”Stop it Jeffrey Nero Hardy!” She scolded me and it wasn’t hard to tell that she was a Mother from the tone in her voice. Gently she pulled my head back from her chest. “I don’t want to hear that from you ok? You have just lost everything…you lost…J-Jack…” Instantly her own voice began to break. “I don’t expect you to be the man that…just don’t feel like you have to apologize to me ok?”

Nodding my head, I let it fall back against her chest and listened to the steady calming beat of her heart and slowly could feel my eyes closing; as sleep circled around me; slowly closing in until I was slipping slowly out of this nightmare that I had been forced in to.

Just as the sleep was getting ready to grip me completely; a knock at the bedroom door tore through it and forced me back in to reality where I didn’t want to be for now.

“Yeah?” Ron said softly as my head lifted from her chest and caused her to talk normally. “Come in,”

”Hey kids,” Matt said pushing the door open slightly. “Are you decent?”

”Of course,” Ron giggled softly as the smile formed in the corners of my mouth.

“The police are downstairs; they want to talk to you Jeff,” My big brother informed us.

“Ok,” I sighed releasing myself reluctantly from my girls embrace and shakily got to my feet.

Because of all the sickness I didn’t have anything in my system so normal and natural movements seemed to be more of an effort. Ron must have sensed it as she slid off the bed next to me and supported me as we moved out of the bedroom towards the stairs.

Walking in to the living room leaning on Ron we both saw the same police officers from the previous morning as they looked up at us and stood to their feet.

“Miss Reid, Mr Hardy we have the results from the dental records,” The taller of the 2 officers said softly.

”Yes?” Ron asked looking at them cautiously as both of them seemed to focus on her. “Who was it?”

AN HOUR LATER;
Cameron’s POV;
Jeff wrapped me up in to his arms as Matt showed the police to the door after they had delivered the news, they had asked me a bunch of questions; contact details, next of kin that kind of questions that I had answered to the best of my ability.

Caving in to his solid, powerful embrace, I clung to him tightly as he gently ran his hand through my hair whispering softly in to my ear.

“I-I…I need to talk t-to CT…w-where is h-he?” I asked feeling the shock setting in.

“He’s out back; I’ll go get him honey!” Matt said sympathetically as he moved through the living room towards the kitchen.

“T-Thanks M-Mat-Mattitude,” I said trying to get my head around what the police officers had just told me.

“Do you want me to stay beautiful?” Jeff asked ushering me in to the sofa and sitting next to me.

“I-I…I-I d-don’t think I can do it if you’re here babe…I’m sorry!”

“No sorry’s remember,” He whispered supportively as he kissed my forehead and slowly stood to his feet just as CT came rushing in to the living room from the kitchen.

“Mom what’s wrong? Uncle Matt said you need to talk to me,” He said stopping as Jeff ruffled his hair softly before heading out to the kitchen where Matt was making a noise of moving around.

“Yeah baby, I need to talk to you…come sit next to me,” I said patting the space next to me, where Jeff had just been sat.

Turning my man smiled at me before disappearing out of view, leaving me alone with CT as I requested. Turning my attention to CT who was looking at me expectantly.

How was I meant to do this?

How would CT take it?

Taking a deep breath I reached for my son’s hand and watched him closely as I prepared to deliver the news.

Jeff’s POV;
Standing in the kitchen I watched Matt busying himself tidying up the breakfast bowls and mugs from his breakfast with CT.

Turning he looked at me as I listened from where I was stood. It wasn’t that I wanted to intrude on the moment that Mother and son were having, I just wanted to make sure that Ron was ok. It had been a huge blow to her; I knew that; I had seen it in her eyes, and the way her body had all but crumbled.

“CT you know that Jeff’s house burned down right?” She started her voice soft and even.

Flashes of my home burning, the smoke rising high in the air seemed to blink before my eyes taking me back 2 nights to when I had lost everything in one fell swoop.

“Yeah I know,” CT replied sounding confused.

“Well the police found that there was someone inside the house…”

”Inside? But that would mean that…”

”They died yes,” Ron said softly. “The only way they were able to ID the person was by dental records,”

“Do they know who it was? It wasn’t someone we know was it?” CT asked as his voice shock.

“I am afraid it was baby…”

”Who?” He asked his Mom desperately as Matt stepped up next to me and listened with me.

“It was…Ste…it was your Dad baby,” She said softly and instantly I could hear CT gasp and everything turned quiet.

Matt and I stood there for a few moments listening to the silence eclipse everything in the house.

“It’s really over?” CT asked hopefully causing Matt and I to both smile.

“Yeah baby it’s really over,” Ron replied.

“Can I go back to school now?” CT asked being a typical 10 year old it was more important to be with his friends than grieve for his Dad.

“I…uhm I don’t see why not!” Ron replied obviously unprepared for her son’s reaction.

“Awesome! And does this mean that Jeff is really my Dad now?”

Matt chuckled softly as he placed his hand on my shoulder and moving back to cleaning up the kitchen leaving me stood here listening as Cameron stumbled over what the say to her boy.

I didn’t want her stumbling like that, so I slowly stepped out from where I was stood and looked at CT wrapped up in his Mom’s arms who was clinging to him tightly, her eyes shining with tears.

”If you’ll have me big man,” I said standing next to the sofa where they were sat.

“I want you to be my Dad; I wish you really were my Dad but now that he is really gone then I am more than happy to pretend that you are my Dad,” CT looked up at me and removed himself from Ron’s embrace and moved to me and hugged me so tight that I swore he crushed bone.

“Well I am more than happy to be kiddo; but would you mind if I talked to your Mom for a little bit?” I asked him as a thought popped in to my head.

”Sure! Can I go back outside to play with Lucas?” CT asked looking at his Mom expectantly.

“Sure baby…don’t go too far,” Ron told him as I took the seat where he had been sat moments earlier.

Nodding his head he raced off out of the house, happy and carefree which hadn’t been something that he had been able to be with Steven lurking in the shadows. My eyes landed on my girl; my Marvel t-shirt drowning her frame and the skin tight faded and ripped jeans accenting her long legs; her dark hair pulled in to a messy bun with strands hanging out of it her beautiful face devoid of make up; hands down she was still the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

“What did you want to talk to me about then?” She asked me resting her hand on my leg and looking deep in to my eyes.

“I was just thinking…me and you…”

”Yes?” She asked suspiciously as her eyes watched me closely.

“What we have…?”

”Are you trying to tell me that you don’t want me…?”

”What? No! No way baby; I love you more than I ever did; that was never…is never going to be a question ok?” I pressed firmly and she nodded her head. “What I am trying to say is that…this is forever right?”

“For me yeah,” She admitted nodding her head.

“Me too and I was thinking that what if…I mean say no if you don’t think that this is a good idea,” I started as the front doorbell rang again. “God damn it,”

”I’ll get it!” Matt said moving through to the hallway and pulling the door open to reveal Amber and Shifty stood waiting to be let in.

“We’ll talk about this later ok?” I whispered as her brother and best friend came rushing in to the living room.

We had told Matt to tell them to just stay away yesterday because we needed to get our heads straight after what had happened. It wasn’t that we wanted to push them away but we needed time to assess what had happened and what we were going to do.

It had been harder when we hadn’t known who had caused the fire but when the police officers told us that the dead body had been Steven they had said that he had, had a Molotov cocktail bottle in his hands and it had been a safe bet that he had caused the fire.

So now we knew who had done it and why, it was that little bit easier to deal with especially for me knowing that it hadn’t been someone close to me or a fan that had gotten in to the house. I glanced up as Shannon and Shane came crashing through the front door behind Amber and Shifty. Great there would be no time to talk to Cameron until later.

Amber’s POV;
Seeing my best friend sat on the sofa with her man, I felt the relief wash over me; she was ok, they were both ok…both looked tired but at least they were still alive, I dreaded to think what would have happened had they stayed at Jeff’s as planned that night.

I made to go to her but Shannon and Shane beat me to the post and bombarded both Jeff and Cameron in to a tight death defying hug that had my friends laughing as they struggled to remove themselves from the embrace from both huge men.

“Thank God you’re ok,” Shan said kissing Cameron on the head. “Oh hey Jeff,” He smiled devilishly causing Cameron to laugh and it seemed that she was calmer and more relaxed than she had been in weeks.

“Funny reject!” Jeff chuckled as he flipped his friend the bird.

”Hey ouch! I’m hurt,” Shannon said squeezing in between the 2 of them and wrapping his arm around Cameron who fell in to his embrace while looking at me and smiling.

Shifty wrapped his arm around my neck and kissed my head softly before disappearing in to the kitchen with Shane to talk to Matt probably to find out how they were really doing.

Shannon reached his hand for me and pulled me down on to his lap so that I was facing my best friend, then he turned his attention to Jeff and engaged him in conversation leaving me to talk to my friend.

”How you holding up sweetie?” I asked reaching for her hand and giving her an extra squeeze as she smiled at me.

”I’m good…really good! I have something that I need to talk to you about though,” She said removing herself from Shannon’s embrace and standing up.

”You’re leaving us!?” Shannon asked looking up as I stood to my feet.

“Mmhmm! I need to talk to Amber,” Cameron said leaning down and kissing his cheek. “Will that keep you going?”

“Awe damn it Skittles you got some major competition on your hands,” Shannon smiled at his friend who slapped his arm and groaned as Cameron turned her attention to her man and kissed him fully on the lips. “I want one of those!” Shannon complained.

I swear my friend could cheer up the most depressed person on the planet; he was full of energy and he seemed to just get more and more full of life every time I saw him.

“So not going to happen,” Cam smiled as she moved away from her man and friend leading me in to the kitchen where Matt, Shane and Shifty were stood talking about wrestling, which I instantly recognized wasn’t what they had been talking about really. “Wow you guys are smooth,” Cam giggled softly turning on the kettle.

”What?” Matt asked innocently.

“I know that you guys were talking about what has happened,”

”Cam we have much better things to talk about than you,” Shifty ribbed his little sister as he reached for her and pulled her close; kissing her head softly.

Ever since we had gotten together, the things I had been feeling for my best friends brother had seemed to just intensify to the point where I felt like I was constantly distracted and there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop it from happening.

Even when Leland and I had first gotten together; it hadn’t been as passionate or as intense as it was with Seth. My eyes moved over his frame and could feel my hunger for him building to the point where I felt my face flush with heat.

As if he sensed it he looked at me and smiled brightly causing my insides to turn to goo, my knees to turn wobbly and my heart to race off at twice it’s normal speed.

Cameron made us coffee and led me out on to the balcony where the hot tub was situated right at the patio doors, which she closed and handed me a cigarette.

“Steven is dead!” She blurted out.

”WHAT? How do you know that?” I asked lighting up and watching her closely; that would certainly explain her calm and collected posture.

“He uhm…he was the one who started the fire and he didn’t make it out!”

“Wow! Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy huh?” I couldn’t stop the venom seeping in to my voice.

That psycho had made my best friends life hell for most of her life and now that he wasn’t a problem anymore I couldn’t be happier for her. After all that he had done, all the things that he had done to her, she deserved the peace that it would now afford.

“You’re preaching to the choir honey,” She laughed softly as she sipped at her coffee and took a seat on the chairs that Matt had set out here around a large dining like table. “But enough of me and my drama; how are things with you and my big brother?”

“Never been better…I wanted to talk to you actually,”

”About?” She asked resting her feet on a free chair as I took the one next to her and leaned back staring out in to the woods that encompassed the property where CT was playing with Lucas. “You’re not getting bored of him already are you?” She giggled and it was good to hear that sound again.

“What? No are you kidding me?” I giggled softly turning to look at her and smiled. “I just wanted to ask what it was like with you and Jeff when you first got together.”

“What do you mean?” She asked confused.

“Well I mean with Shifty I feel like I am being completely consumed by what I am feeling for him…it’s intense and it’s more passionate than it ‘ever’ was with Leland,”

“Yeah that’s what it was like with Jeff and I; hell it’s still like that with us! It’s just so consuming that you feel like you’re loosing yourself completely but in a good way you know what I mean?”

“That’s it exactly, I feel like I can’t breathe when he isn’t near me, its like he has this power over me…”

”The best I can figure is that; that is how you know they are the right one you know what I mean?”

“I think so! I mean it hasn’t exactly been long…”

”But when it’s right; it’s right and there is nothing that you can do to fight it hon; I mean sure you can try and you can deny it all you want but you can’t make the feeling go away…at least that was how it was for me,” She admitted sipping at her drink again as she flicked her cigarette in to the ashtray that Matt had placed out here.

“I guess you’re right! But seriously you’re ok with us being together right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Honey I think that you are probably the best thing that has ever happened to my brother and I know that you guys are going to be together for a long time…hell anyone just needs to look at you to know that you are meant to be,”

“Thanks honey; that means a lot that we have your blessing, I mean I know how much Shifty cares about what you think,”

It was true, my man had explained how close he and Cameron had been growing up and that he now had her back in his life he wanted to get that relationship back on track.

”Well I care about what he thinks of me too, it’s just the way we are you know?”

I went to reply when the patio doors opened and the guys came piling out on to the decking; their presence piercing through the quiet and calm that Cameron and I had been enjoying by sitting out here.

My eyes found him almost automatically and I felt the familiar jolt of weakness raking through me as he moved towards me and sat down on to my lap and kissed me softly earning retching noises from the others as Jeff moved to Cameron and wrapped her up in to his arms.

I really don’t think that life could get much better than this moment right now.

A FEW HOURS LATER;
Jeff’s POV;
Once our friends had heard the news of Steven being dead, they had suggested that we go out to celebrate but I wasn’t in any frame of mind or any state fit to go out clubbing but I had seen the excitement on Cameron’s face at the thought of having a night out, so I told her to go without me.

At first she had been reluctant to leave me; but I told her that me and CT would have fun together; just the 2 of us it had been a long time since it had been just me and him hanging out and I looked forward to it.

I looked at that boy as if he really was my own and the thought of spending the rest of my life with Ron and CT wasn’t as scary as I had thought it would be. Ron was everything that I had ever wanted in a woman; she was individual, she was spunky, she was firey and she didn’t take shit from anyone; least of all me or my brother or our friends.

Lying on the bed in my brother’s spare room; I watched Ron as she got changed in to her cloths for the night; a short black tighter than tight skirt that clung to her hips in a way that could distract the most concentrated male; a long black skirt was placed over the shorter one; with a slit up her right leg it was more like a sarong than a skirt but it went with the rest of her outfit. A black, figure hugging mid-riff top that accented her frame to the point where I wished that she would just stay in.

But I wasn’t the man who told his girlfriend what to do and it had been more than obvious that she had wanted to go out tonight and there was no way that I was going to stop her from having fun. After all the years of looking over her shoulder, and basically living in shadows; she was finally free and she had every right to enjoy that.

Black chunky heeled shoes adorned her feet and the ribbon style ties wrapped around her legs right up to her thighs, which seemed to just highlight her satin smooth flesh that felt so good wrapped around me.

Since the fire and loss of everything that I had owned; this was the first time I had felt a stirring for her but it was there and as always it was undeniable as I watched her teasing her hair until it was fuller than normal. Then she turned her attention to applying her eye make up; dark grey charcoal eyeliner masked and also highlighted her beautiful brown eyes that were looking at me through the mirror.

“What?” She asked reaching for her favorite perfume; Hypnotic Poison and I swore it fitted her personality perfectly because it always felt like I was hypnotized when I was around her.

“Do you have to go out?” I grumped softly knowing that I wanted her to stay but there was no way that I would make her stay when I knew how much she wanted to go out.

“If you want me to stay then…”

”As much as I want you to stay beautiful; you are going out and you are going to enjoy yourself,” I informed her firmly as she slowly stood to her full height and smiled at me.

“Do I look ok?” She asked me wrapping her arms around her waist self consciously.

“Are you kidding me? You look gorgeous baby girl,” I admitted honestly reaching my hand out for her. “But there was something that I wanted to talk to you about remember?” I asked as her face blushed from the compliment. I knew better than to push her to accept what I was saying; again after all the things that Steven had done to her it was hard for her to accept people saying nice things about her but given time I would make sure that she believed it.

“I remember,” She nodded her head as I pulled myself closer to her until my hands were holding on to her hips and I was drowning in her dark beautiful eyes.

“Well the thing is that I wanted…I have been thinking about you and me and the things that we could have…” I started as there came a thundering knock at the door.

”You good to go baby girl?” Matt’s voice filtered through the door.

“Damn it!” I muttered.

”Yeah big bear; I will be there in a few yeah?”

”Well hurry the cab is here, and the meter is running,” My brother offered before the sound of him heading downstairs filtered in to the room.

“I’m sorry baby but I really should go,” She said turning back to look at me and it was like I had completely forgotten what I wanted to talk to her about anyways.

“Ok we’ll talk when you come home if you’re sober,” I smiled patting her ass as she stood.

”I will be sober,” She replied wiggling her ass at me as she began to move to the door and pulled it open while throwing her handbag around her shoulder.

“Mmm we’ll see…you’re going out with my brother and Shan after all,” I chuckled and it was the first time that I had really laughed since I had lost everything and it felt good.

“I will be sober,” She informed me firmly as we descended the stairs and walked in to the living room where Matt was stood in front of the false fire place and had his hands stuffed in his pockets.

The minute we walked in to the room his eyes looked up from the computer game that CT was playing and I was more than certain that I could see a flash of hunger in his eyes as he looked at Ron.

What was that?

Was he in to my girl?

No he couldn’t be; Matt had never been in to any of the girls that I had dated. Sure he had gotten along with them but he had never been interested in them in any way other than his little brother’s girlfriend.

When he had taken to Ron and gotten along with her as well as he did; it had surprised me but that was down to Ron; and the woman that she had become now that she was away from her over zealous ex boyfriend.

Pushing the thoughts of my brother being in to my girl to the back of my head because it really was just ridiculous. I watched Ron move to CT’s side and kiss his head and when she got no response she ruffled his hair playfully.

“Corey Taylor Reid!” She said firmly causing her son to look up at her accusingly. “I am going; and I don’t think I need to remind you of the rules do I?”

“Go to bed when Jeff tells me, no back chat, be good and do everything that he tells me!” CT sighed reciting his Mother’s rules as if they were second nature but I knew that the boy knew he had it good.

Ron wasn’t an over protective Mother and asked very little of her son. As long as he was polite and did as was asked of him he was pretty much free to do as he wanted, which I would have loved to have when I had been growing up.

“You’re sure you don’t want to come baby? Gil said that he would baby-sit CT…” Ron asked moving to my arms and wrapping her own around my neck, bringing her face to within inches of my own.

“Are you kidding? CT and I are gonna have a blast; pizza, computer games and peace and quiet…it really couldn’t get much better!” I smiled pressing my lips to her forehead which, with the high heels, came level to my lips causing her to be a little taller than she really was. “Just you go and have fun ok?”

“Thanks baby,” She leaned in and kissed me so softly that I was sure that I was drowning; getting lost in the kiss and in her beautiful eyes until Matt cleared his throat. “Subtle big man!” Ron giggled pulling away from me.

”Meter!” Matt chuckled softly as he moved to her as she pulled completely away from me; leaving my entire body cold and trembling from the lack of her presence. Matt slowly slipped his hand in to hers and began to lead her out of the house and away from me for the time being.

Cameron’s POV;
I didn’t really want to go out without Jeff; it felt like I was betraying him in some way; like I should be with him when he was still going through this whole thing. But I had heard him loud and clear; I was to have fun tonight and let my hair down.

It just didn’t seem to be right doing it without him. I climbed in to the back seat of the cab that had parked out front of Matt’s front door and my big brother; as he had dubbed himself, climbed in next to me.

“You ok baby girl?” He asked as the cab began to pull away from his house and out on to the long strip of private road that ran through the property.

“Mmhmm; it just feels weird going out without him you know?” I sighed settling back in to the seat preparing myself for the 40 minute drive in to City Limit’s.

“I can imagine but you know that we will look after you right?”

“I know you will big bear; thank you!” I smiled at him and turned to look out the window. “So…”

”Yes?” He asked watching me as I turned back to look at him.

“You out on the pull tonight?” I smiled at him.

“Mmmm maybe but you’re my first…”

”Hey you don’t get to use me as an excuse,” I punched his arm softly as the cab thundered through the night.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you Matthew Moore Hardy; you are ‘so’ picky when it comes to women…”

“This is true,” He chuckled softly looking away from me and out the window on his side of the cab causing the atmosphere to turn quiet and still, which wasn’t anything new between us; it was comfortable and easy.

From the minute I had met Matt; it had been like we had slipped in to an easy friendship and I knew in my heart that he meant a lot to me; his opinion meant a lot to me and if I didn’t have Amber in my life, Matt would be my best friend easily.

Matt’s POV;
What the hell was she trying to do to me?

Dressed the way she was; it wasn’t hard to see why I was attracted to her; why I couldn’t think about anything other than the woman that she was after all that she had been through it was amazing to see how assured she was but deep down I knew that for the most part she was that but sometimes I could see her questioning things around her, and the things that people said when they complimented her.

By the time we got to the bar, I was shifting around uncomfortably in my side of the back seat. I watched as she rooted in her bag for some money to pay the fee, but I quickly handed the driver the money and told him to keep the change.

“Hey thanks man,” He said turning and smiling at me as I climbed out and nodded at him; holding my hand out for Cam who took it readily and climbed out next to me.

Walking in to the busy bar that was almost at bursting point; causing her to step in front of me so I placed both hands on her shoulders as we wondered through the crowds looking for our friends.

Almost instantly Cam was waving her hands in the air and I followed her gaze to see Shannon, Shane, Amber and Shifty waving at us from the very back of the bar.

Letting Cameron lead the way until we were stood in front of them, Amber and Shifty both embraced Cameron at the same time causing her to laugh but give in to the hug and embrace them both back at the same time.

“Shan,” She giggled as he wrapped her up tightly in to his arms. “Shane,” She said when she was released from Shannon’s grip to only be pulled in to Shane’s arms.

Looking around the bar, my eyes moved to the bar then I leaned down to Cam.

”Can I get you a drink sweetie?” I asked.

”Sure a JD would be awesome babe,” She smiled up at me as her hips began to sway from the sexy beat of the song that had come on through the speakers. “Oooohhh I ‘love’ this song; will someone dance with me?”

“Come on then beautiful lady,” Shannon said offering her his hand and leading her on to the dance floor as I sighed heavily and moved towards the bar.

This was going to be a ‘very’ long night!

Shannon’s POV;
Wrapping her up in to my arms, we slowly began to dance sexily against each other to the beat of the song that was playing.

“Wow!” Cam said wrapping one arm around my neck as her other hand rested on my arm that was wrapped around her tiny waist, as my leg snaked in between hers and we began to grind together.

“What?” I asked looking in to her eyes as I slowly dipped her backwards.

“You’re surprisingly good at this,” She smiled.

”Hey!” I objected but finding myself chuckling as she laughed out loud.

I loved Cameron; she was an awesome girl who was loads of fun to hang out with although lately she hadn’t really been much company considering all the shit that had happened because of Randy Orton and what he had done.

But it seemed that she was coming back from where Steven had managed to take her and I couldn’t be happier about that. I loved her but not the way that Jeff did. I looked at her more like a little sister and a best friend. I knew that I could talk to her about absolutely anything and I hoped that she felt the same way and knew that she could lean on me if need be.

“So how you doing really sweetie?” I asked her softly; as we continued to move to the sexy beat of the music.

“I’m much better now that he is dead…it’s like I have been given a new lease on life you know?”

“Well I have to say that you are looking great,”

”Awe you charmer,”

”Sssshhhh don’t tell anyone,” I smiled causing her to giggle softly. “Seriously though baby girl; if you need to talk about anything at all…you know where I am right?”

“I do and thank you Shan; that means more than I can ever…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes began to swim with tears.

“Hey, hey no crying!” I said hoping that she really wasn’t about to start crying; I couldn’t stand to see women cry especially Cam or Amber who were as close to me as the other guys in the core group. “I take it back; I didn’t mean it!” I said causing her to laugh and gently wipe at the tears before they spilled on to her face.

“You…you can’t take it back!” She laughed loudly.

”Hell yeah I can…if it makes you cry then I can take it back!” I smiled flicking her chin softly. “But seriously honey; I never liked Bethany, or any of the girls that Jeff dated before her so I had been prepared not to like you too much when Jeff told me that he liked you but I couldn’t not like you…you’re just everything that his other girlfriend’s have never been,”

”Well thanks,” She blushed heavily resting her head on to my shoulder as the song finished and another started.

Happy to just hold her as we danced until she gathered her composure; which I knew she was doing because she refused to look in to my eyes which was a sure fire sign that she was trying to remain calm and collected.

Twirling her around the dance floor, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning round to see Matt stood behind me and smiling.

”Do you mind?” He asked as Cam looked up and smiled at her brother in law; sure she and Jeff weren’t married and I knew that neither believed in marriage much but they may as well be married because there was no doubt that they were going to be together for the rest of their lives.

“Hey big bear,” Cam smiled at him as she sniffed.

Handing her over to Matt, I moved back to where Shane was stood alone, Amber and Shifty were dancing on the dance floor not far from where Matt had claimed Cam in to his arms.

As I watched them dance, I thought about all the things that my friend Jeff had been through from Bethany to Randy refusing Cam to hang out with him, to Steven coming back and to the point of loosing his home a couple of days ago. I just hoped that he realized that this had happened for a reason; maybe we didn’t know what that reason was right now but I had no doubt that it would become clear in time.

BACK AT MATT’S HOUSE;
An hour later;
Jeff’s POV;
CT had turned off his Xbox and was glancing through his Uncle Matt’s DVD’s while I grabbed the plates from the kitchen for the pizzas that had just arrived and grabbed 2 glasses for the cola.

“So big man,” I started thinking that it might be a good idea to talk to CT about my plans before talking to Ron.

“Yeah?” He turned to look at me just as his eyes landed on the DVD that was one of his Mom’s favorites. “Can we watch this?” He asked me holding it out to me. “Please?”

“Your Mom said…”

”Mom isn’t here,” He objected me.

Looking at him, I knew there would be no deterring him from his goal in getting to watch this movie. Nodding my head; he smiled and moved to the DVD player and placed it in to the player then moved back towards me and sat down.

“Before we watch it big man…”

”Yeah?”

“I wanted to talk to you about some things…”

”Sure,” He said putting a slice of pizza on to his plate while I did the same and then poured some cola in to the glasses that I had taken through.

“Well you know that I lost my home right?” I asked watching as he bit in to his pizza.

“Yeah I do,” He replied. “I’m real sorry about that Dad,”

Every time this kid called me Dad made the pride swell up inside me to the point where I was left truly wishing that he really was my son. Having a child had always been something that I wanted and I just hoped that one day Cameron would want to have more children.

“Thanks kid! But I have been thinking today…”

”What about?”

“Well what would you say if I asked your Mom to move in with me?”

“Here?”

“No…I am going to build my own house!”

”Am I invited?” He asked me.

”What? Of course you are kid…I love you as much as I love your Mom, there is no where else I want to be rather than with you and your Mom,”

“So when are you going to build this house and where?” He asked me reaching for his cola while watching me closely as the DVD menu continued to play its theme.

“I was thinking that I would build it right on the same spot as my old home; what do you think?” I asked and was rewarded to the sight of him looking at me in shock. “What is it big man?”

“I don’t really remember much about Steven but I know that he never asked me or my Mom’s opinion on anything,”

“Well I ain’t nothing like Steven kiddo,” I said placing my pizza on the table suddenly not feeling very hungry at all.

I had been so sick lately that the thought of pizza had seemed like a good idea but now I was worried about eating it in case it set me off again.

“I know that and I love you for it Dad. I know that you love my Mom in a way that Steven never did!” He informed me before looking to the screen. “Can we watch the movie now?”

“Sure big man,” I smiled.

There was no point in talking to him about my other plans until I had talked to Ron about it. I knew that if I told him what I was thinking he would just become more excited than what he would be able to contain and I ran the risk of pissing Ron off and I didn’t want that.

“You don’t tell your Mom that I let you watch this ok kiddo?” I said as the screen turned black as the movie slowly began to start.

“Ok Dad!” He smiled at me happily.

Settling in to the sofa with his legs drawn to his chest, he watched the TV as the old song that was the intro to Heather’s; one of not only Ron’s favorite’s movies but mine and Matt’s too.

Half way through the movie the doorbell rang, chuckling to myself as I figured that Ron was indeed drunk and couldn’t find her key.

“Turn off that movie big man!” I said getting to my feet.

”But I…”

”What did I say? Your Mom isn’t to know that I let you watch it; check the chapter and you can watch the rest later,” I said moving slowly to the door as he did as I said and turned it off and moved back to the sofa and skipped to a music channel.

Much like his Mother; CT loved music, when Ron was around there was always music playing either on the stereo or on the telly she loved to have music playing and she had explained to me that it was mostly because when she had been with Steven he had picked what she could listen too and it didn’t include the music that she liked now.

“Is someone a little drun…?” I started as I pulled the door open; my face fell as my eyes met the cold dead eyes that I hadn’t expected to see.

Cameron’s POV;
Matt and I had talked about Jeff and how well we figured that he was really doing and how worried we were about his constant sickness and retching. Matt was as worried as I was, having listened outside our door as Jeff retched, coughed and was sick as the stress of all that had happened the past few days.

We both agreed that we would do whatever we could to ensure that Jeff didn’t get any more stressed than he already was.

Matt was at the bar watching me as he talked to a pretty blond girl who seemed happy to give him all the attention that she could. Motioning him to pay the girl some more attention, I turned back to Shannon who I was talking to about coming in to get another tattoo done at his shop.

”What do you want to get done?” He asked as my eyes landed on Shifty and Amber on the dance floor where they had hardly left since I had arrived.

“A butterfly…”

”Why a butterfly?” Shannon asked as I gulped at my 4th JD and lit a cigarette.

“They are the symbol of freedom…now that Steven is dead; I finally feel like I am free you know?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me sweetie; how about getting the date tattooed underneath it?”

“Oooohhhh that is an awesome idea,” I hugged my friend tightly. “You know there is a reason that I love you mate,” I smiled as I pulled back from my friend.

“Awe you need to stop with the charm baby girl or Jeff is gonna have some major competition on his hands,”

“Too bad it wouldn’t work,” I smiled.

“Ouch; you giveth with one hand and taketh away with the other!” He let out a low rumble of laughter as I was tapped on the shoulder.

Turning my eyes fell on a girl who was looking from me to Shannon.

”Yes?” I asked confused as to why she was looking mostly at me which indicated that it was me that she wanted to talk too.

“You’re Cameron right?”

“Yes,”

”Jeff Hardy’s girlfriend right?”

“Yes,” I replied cautiously as my eyes landed on Matt who began to move towards me but I shook my head no and he nodded and stopped but did not once bring his eyes away from me.

“I read about Jeff’s house. I am so sorry to hear about it…”

”Thank you,” I nodded.

It wasn’t the first time I had, had a fan approach me but I was always conscious about talking with fans because I had, had some of them scream insults at me, some had told me that I wasn’t good enough for Jeff and one had even spat in my face.

“I was wondering if there was anything that I could do…does he need anything at all?” She asked me and it was obvious that all she really wanted was to help Jeff.

My man seemed to instill things in people that made them either love or hate him. I knew that without a doubt I was one of the luckiest women in the world to have the love and support of Jeff and I just hoped that he realized just how much I loved and would support him no matter what.

“Uhm…I don’t think so; I mean he has lost a lot of things but no I don’t think that he needs anything at the moment…”

”Well if there is anything at all…”

”Thank you I really appreciate that and I know that he will be touched by your concern and offer,” I smiled at her softly.

”I just wanted to say that I think you and him look good together,” She offered as Shannon stood watching closely.

“Thank you; that means a lot to me,” I smiled at her.

There seemed to be a divide between the fans; some liked me and accepted me as Jeff’s girl and the others hated me and were forever predicting that we wouldn’t last.

Jeff always told me not to worry about that; that what other people thought didn’t matter because what we had was something that was more than special and we knew that it was right and forever and that was all that mattered.

Mostly I knew that he was right and I agreed with him but sometimes the sound of them saying hurtful things did get to me. In a way it felt like that listening to them seemed to echo Steven’s words in my head.

That I was ugly!

That I was worthless!

That I didn’t deserve to be happy!

That I couldn’t sustain anything worthwhile.

Maybe he had been right; maybe I just wasn’t meant to have something good in my life. Maybe I was destined to end up going through relationships and never being able to have the kind of love that most people took for granted.

“Cam!” Shan said softly placing his hand to the small of my back and moving so that he was in front of me. “I think maybe you should just leave,” He turned to the girl who nodded and looked to me.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” She said her voice full of remorse.

“You didn’t! It’s just been a hard time lately is all,” I smiled at her reassuringly as Matt approached alone. “Thank you for taking the time, I will be sure to let Jeff know that you were asking for him; what’s your name?” I asked reaching past Shannon to her.

“I’m Sarah!” She said softly.

“Well Sarah it was really nice to meet you and I appreciate the offer for Jeff and I know that he will appreciate it too so thank you,”

“Not a problem,” She smiled and began to move away leaving me staring at the spot where she disappeared.

“You ok?” Matt asked wrapping me up in to his arms. “What did she do to you?”

“Nothing Mattitude!” I smiled looking up at my big brother and smiling happily. “I just…it doesn’t matter,” I said shifting my game face back in to place and looked to the table where my drink was.

I tried to reach for it but Matt had me all but pinned in to his arms in a tight and solid embrace.

“I…need…my-drink!” I said giggling up at him as he smiled and let me go but reached for my hand and excused us from Shannon and led me outside where the cold air rushed in to my lungs so quickly that I was gasping for air. “What?”

“Talk to me Cam,”

”About what? World events?” I asked smiling at him.

“You have been hanging out with Shan way too much you know that?” He asked leading the way to the picnic tables that were placed around the perimeter of the bar. “I mean what came over you in there?”

“Nothing…” I said looking away from him.

“Lie! Beautiful lady lying!” He said moving so that he was in my vision. “Cam I can tell when you are lying,”

“I just…I was thinking about how much some of Jeff’s fans hate me…”

”You know that it means nothing right?”

“I know! I really do but it just sometimes brings back the echo of some of the things that Steven used to say to me,”

“Honey you need to talk to someone about this…”

”No…I really don’t!” I said lighting another cigarette and inhaling deeply; feeling it calming me down more than I had been prepared for.

“Yes…you do! You have been through something really bad baby girl and you need to get it off your chest; you can’t just keep bottling it up,”

“I’m fine Matty; please just let it go?” I pleaded with him.

“I can’t Cam; not when I know what he did…I have heard of people breaking over less and you…”

”I am not most people Matty; I have dealt with this for so long that it is second nature; some days I have bad moments and some days I don’t even think about it; and now that Steven is dead…it can only get better,”

“Promise me that if you need to talk you will come to me?”

“I love you dude, I really do but you can’t control everything. When I have moments like in there the last thing I want to do is talk about it, but if there ever comes a time when I do want to talk then you will be my first port of call ok?” I said touching his arm lightly.

“Good! ‘Cos you mean a lot to me…to us, we all love you and want you to be in our lives for a while to come yet…”

”Well I don’t plan on going no where,” I said looking at my empty glass. “Except to the bar,”

“Come on then baby girl,” He replied wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading the way back in to the bar where Shannon and Shane were waiting near the entrance for us, Amber and my brother were still out on the dance floor happily lost in each other and the things that were growing between them.

I couldn’t help thinking that they were for keeps; and if they were that would mean that eventually Amber would be my sister; something that I knew both of us would be happy about.

I was glad that I liked Amber because I had hated Seth’s girlfriend Melissa whom he had been dating when I had been in LA and still with Steven.

She had hated me too and it had planted Seth firmly in the middle of his girlfriend and his sister. So I was more than glad that he had gotten together with Amber at least I knew that he wasn’t fighting over who he should spend his time with and it was obvious that my friend was falling for him and they really were good together.

Shannon moved to my side and wrapped his arm around me while Shane took my other side and led the way to the bar; successfully pushing Matt out of the way but he followed behind us.

I ordered the drinks with the thought of having this drink and heading home to my man; I had been gone too long and I was missing him as well as worrying that I had been a little hasty about leaving him alone especially after all the stress that he had been under lately and how sick he had been.

Jeff’s POV;
Staring in to the dead cold eyes I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t expected this at all. I had been sure that it had been Ron unable to find her keys; especially after all she was out with Matt and my friends; it wouldn’t be a stretch for them to get her rip roaring drunk.

What was he even doing here?

“What are you doing here?” I asked not taking my eyes off him.

“I wanted to come and…I needed to try and…”

”You had better come in,” I said pulling the door further open and he stepped inside giving me a smile in the process.

It suddenly occurred to me that I had never truly seen him smile before but here he was smiling and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t slightly unnerved by it.

”Thanks,” He said as I closed and locked the door back up.

Cameron had gotten me in to the habit when Steven had been around and it seemed that it had just stuck with me.

“What’s he doing here?” CT asked looking up as we moved in to the living room.

“CT go on up to your room; take that movie with you,” I said motioning my guest to take a seat.

“But I don’t…”

”CT!” I said firmly and instantly he relented and moved to the DVD player taking out the movie and heading up the stairs to his room without even looking at the man.

“He’s growing quick,”

“Mmhmm,” I admitted sitting down where I had been sat moments earlier and stared at him.

What did he want?

What did he think coming here would accomplish?

“What can I do for you?” I asked watching as he picked at his fingers without looking at me.

“I want to help Jeff,” He said finally looking up at me and for some reason I figured that he was telling the truth.

He had never been one to say anything that he didn’t mean but what was his angle because there had to be an angle; with him there always was.

“I don’t know that you can…”

”I can if you would just give me a chance,” He interrupted me.

”I don’t know that Ron will be too happy with that,” I admitted.

There was nothing that told me he had learned his lesson and my main priority was Ron and making sure that she was happy, now that Steven was gone there was nothing I wanted more than to make her more happy than she had ever been and with him being here I wasn’t overly sure that, that was plausible.

CITY LIMIT’S;
Shifty’s POV;
Dancing with Amber in my arms all night; we were both lost in the passion that seemed to just be getting stronger and stronger with every passing day.

Nothing around us drew our attention away from one another and I knew that we hadn’t been much company for Cameron and the others but I wasn’t worried, my little sister was very much a huge part of the Core group as Shannon liked to call it.

So there was no need for me to worry about leaving her with them. After all that she and Jeff had been through the past couple of days I figured that she would be fed up of being smothered by people wanting to ensure that she and Jeff were ok and tonight was about her letting her hair down and just enjoying herself.

“W-Why d-don’t we go outside for some air baby?” I suggested as Amber rubbed suggestively against me.

“Mmm sounds like a plan,” She purred turning so that her back was pressed hard against me and continued to sway her hips to the beat of the song we had been dancing to.

Guiding her with my hands on her hips, we moved through the crowds seeing Cam, Shannon, Shane and Matt at the bar doing shots completely unaware of the passion that was growing between me and Amber.

I had never felt this way about anyone, the things that this girl had me feeling were completely foreign to me and more than a little scary but I couldn’t fight it, I couldn’t do nothing but accept my fate of loosing myself to her completely.

Once we were outside, she seemed to take control and led me around the side of the building and slammed me against the old brick wall that surrounded the bar.

Instantly her lips were on mine; kissing me powerfully and unforgivingly as she pressed her body hard against me and without warning my body reacted to her in ways that I had never experienced before.

Whirling her around until we were hidden in the shadows and she was backed against the cold brick wall; I inched my leg in between her legs to ensure that she stayed vertical my hands roamed over her beautiful defined curves.

Our lips seemed to be turning hotter as we kissed with a fever that sparked the desire between us as her hands reached for my jeans and tore at the buttons until her hand was sliding inside and taking me gently in to her soft grip and began pumping up and down.

“Mmmm Amber,” I growled dragging my lips across her face until I was kissing down her soft smooth neck.

“Mmmm Seth,” She purred back resting her head against the wall as her hand continued to stimulate me to the point where I was feeling desperation kicking in.

Bringing my hands to her legs that were barely covered by the short skirt that she had chosen to wear to drive me crazy with desire and hunger. Sliding to the inside of her thighs; my fingers nipped tenderly at her flesh causing her breath to race away from her.

Grazing against her thong I could feel the heat radiating from her and instantly she was turning wet from the force that I was slowly building as I tore the thin material to the side and gently lifted her from the ground and thrust up as she pushed down on to my cock hard.

Engulfing me entirely had me instantly breathless and weak at the same time. Holding still inside her giving her pussy the chance to mold around me I watched the passion and pleasure etch on to her beautiful features and there was nothing I could do but feel myself getting lost in her.

“Seth…you feel so good!” She panted breathlessly and it seemed that she only ever called me Seth when we came together like this.

I found it a huge turn on and couldn’t stop myself from starting to withdraw from her only to slam back in to her forcefully as her legs tightened around my waist giving me a tighter thrust and I could feel everything slipping away from reality until I was drowning in the things that flowed so easily between us.

Amber’s POV;
The feel of his cock dragging out of me only to power back in so forcefully was almost too much to bear and I could feel myself drowning in the things that flowed between us.

It was like we just couldn’t get enough of each other and Cameron’s words echoed in my head; to just go with it that the more you fought it the harder it got to deny.

Almost instantly my entire body surrendered to him and the things that he was doing to me. As if he felt it his eyes moved back up to mine and he smiled sexily at me causing my entire body to shudder from pleasure and desire.

Slowly his head moved to my breasts and bit down roughly on the nipples that were jutting through the thin material of my top and caused a wave of ecstasy to race through me to the point of no return.

My back hurt from the sheer force of desire that had erupted between us; as he continued to slam me back against the hard cold brick wall behind me but I was too far gone in the pleasure between us that I didn’t complain as moan after moan escaped through my lips.

Curling his soft smooth hands around my ass he held me closer to him; literally stopping me from pumping on him as he hammered away at me desperately, grunting out his pleasure as he took me closer and closer to release until I felt his own body shuddering from the force raking through him and it seemed that my body had been waiting for that moment only and I erupted around him violently.

Wave upon wave hit down on me; coursing through my veins to the point of no return and I was biting on my bottom lip to stop from screaming out as his cock slammed against my g spot so deep inside me that my clit tightened more and released more than I ever had before.

Cuming in long violent waves of pleasure as he continued to ram in to me with brut force that I knew it was going to be a struggle to walk when this was over but still we powered against each other until we had finally stopped but stayed connected in every way.

His hands came to my face and cupped me gently as his eyes searched my own.

“You’re…amazing!” He growled softly as he wiped the hair from my face tenderly.

“You’re not too bad yourself there baby,” I smiled resting my forehead against his own and feeling myself getting lost in his eyes.

“Mmmm I’ve never had…”

”Me either,” Even after the short period of time being together it was like we were already in tune with one another and knew what we were thinking and where that had once scared me I wasn’t scared anymore.

In fact after my talk with Cam earlier in the day I found that I welcomed the feeling; she had been right; when it was right, it was right and there was no point in trying to deny it.

My entire body tingled desperately as he slowly withdrew from inside me and slowly lowered me back down on to the ground and my feet.

“You ok to head back inside?” He asked me as he brushed his lips over my own.

“Mmhmm!” I nodded in agreement as I was sure that actual words were completely beyond my capability right in this moment.

We both straightened out our clothing, then he interlocked his hand with mine and led the way back in to the bar where we had spent the majority of the night lost in each others arms; dancing close and sexy until it had led to what had just erupted between us.

“Hey guys where did you go…” Shannon started to ask as we approached and Cameron looked up at us and smiled.

”My God don’t you ever stop?” She asked causing me to flush a deeper shade of crimson.

“Do you and Jeff?” Shifty asked.

“Oooohhhh touché,” My friend laughed refusing to feel embarrassed about the sex life she had with her man. “Shot?” She asked holding up her glass to me and Shifty.

”Sure why not,” Shifty replied holding his hand out for a shot glass.

“Amber?” Shannon asked looking at me as Cameron grabbed the bottle that had been laid out on the bar and poured a healthy shot in to her brother’s glass.

”Sure,” I smiled taking a glass and letting my friend pour another healthy shot in to mine.

“You guys have some catching up to do,” Matt said leaning against the counter with Cameron stood in front of him; almost leaning back against his frame as she swayed from the sheer amount that she had drank.

Shifty and I both downed our shot and almost straight away Cameron was refilling us up as I felt the burn of the shot sliding down my throat.

By the time we had caught up to the others, half the bottle had been devoured and Cameron was laughing heavily as Matt complained about not wanting anymore.

”Light weight,” She giggled swaying on the spot as she reached for her smokes and placed it in to her mouth and tried to light it.

“It might help if it were the right way round sweetie,” Shan chuckled as she became increasingly frustrated at the fact it wouldn’t light.

“Mmm you’re right,” She laughed finally turning it around and lit up and inhaling deeply until her body seemed to relax and Matt wrapped his arm around her neck to steady her before she fell over. “I really should get home,”

“Already?” Shane asked his southern accent creeping in to his voice as he stood against the bar also swaying from side to side.

“I think y’all should go home too…y’all are as in as bad a shape as I am,” Cameron laughed flicking her cigarette in to the ashtray on the bar.

Looking up at Shifty as he placed his shot glass on the bar satisfied that no one was paying attention to the fact that he wasn’t doing anymore shots. I quickly followed his lead and let my body rest against his.

Cameron’s POV;
I had drank way too much; I had told Jeff that I wouldn’t be drunk and here I was half way to being completely mortal. My eyes were struggling to remain focused on things in front of me and I was beginning to wonder where I actually was.

I hated being drunk; Shannon had once said that it was because I was a control freak; like I always had to be in control of myself and I knew in a small way that it was but I just didn’t like the feeling of being drunk but after the past few days I figured that I needed it.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice y’all putting your glasses down on the bar,” Shannon said to my brother and best friend.

“Awe you guys chickening out?” I asked stumbling as I pulled myself away from Matty’s embrace, and instantly wished that I hadn’t as I felt the world beginning to spin.

“Mmm just like you are,” Shifty said flicking my chin playfully.

”I’m not chickening out…I just told Skittles that I wouldn’t be long and I wouldn’t be too drunk,” I said swaying again.

“Then you lied on both counts then huh?” Shan chuckled as he pulled me close to him.

“Y’all are a bad influence on me,” I smiled resting my head against his huge chest until I remembered that I was supposed to be going home. “I really need to go,”

”You’re already late what is another hour or 2?” Shane asked pouring another round of shots in to the glasses around the bar.

“One more drink and then I am gone,” I said grabbing my glass and downing the liquid in one go and slamming my glass back on to the bar before the others. “Right I will see y’all tomorrow at some point,” I said grabbing up my things and kissing the guys then hugging my best friend. “You all have fun without me,”

“Bye!” They all chorused as Matt fell in to step with me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“You don’t have to come Mattitude,”

”No I just want to make sure you get a cab ok?” He smiled down at me and walked to the curb, sticking his hand out and hailed a cab. “I will see you in the morning beautiful,”

Leaning in to the front he gave the cab driver the address and stood back as the cab pulled away from the sidewalk and we were on our way home.

My thoughts turned to Jeff; I hope he isn’t going to be mad at the state of me when I get in. I know that I had said that I wouldn’t be too drunk but damn it when those guys started; it was hard not to get sucked in to it too.

Finally the cab pulled up outside the house where Matt lived and I leaned forward to pay the driver but he informed me that Matt had already paid the fee. So I said goodnight and stumbled out of the cab.

Fumbling in my bag for the keys, I slipped them in the door and pushed it open; crashing inside a little too loudly.

”Ok I hope CT is in bed ‘cos you are about to get so lucky Jeffrey Nero Hardy!” I said giggling as I stumbled in to the living room and my eyes landed on the man sat on the sofa opposite Jeff. “What the hell is he doing here?” I demanded as I quickly began to sober up.

Jeff’s POV;
I had sat here and listened to Randy tell me what he felt, how he felt like he was falling for Cameron, and that how he thought if he could just keep her away from me then he would have a shot with her.

It wasn’t that I forgave him for what he had done but I felt bad about how he was feeling for her; because in all honesty if I had been in his shoes, I think I may have gone a little crazy too; it was just the kind of reaction that Cameron instilled in you.

“Baby…” I said getting up and seeing her stumbling as she tried to stay in position; she was drunk and I couldn’t stop the humor rising in me.

I loved drunk Cameron; she had absolutely no inhibitions when she was drunk; it was like she let go of all the bad stuff that had been inflicted on her and became the fun loving woman that I had always known that she could be.

“I asked what he was doing here?” She repeated herself as she grabbed on to me to stop herself from falling over. “What are you doing here?” She glared at Randy angrily.

“I-I…I just…I wanted to come and…”

”What? Rub salt in the wounds? Haven’t you done enough to me?” Her voice was bordering on yelling and I could see that Randy was instantly regretting coming here.

But the truth of the matter was that there was nothing else that he could do to us; we had beat what he had done to us and Steven was now dead…gone forever and that meant Ron and I were free to just enjoy each other. There truly was nothing else that Randy could do to us.

“Ron baby; calm down please,” I whispered holding her close to me and looking in to her eyes, which were almost closed in her drunken state.

“Calm down?” She asked whirling her head to me and looking in to my eyes with her own springing open a little wider.

“Yeah just…” There really wasn’t much point in trying to get her to listen when she was this drunk because once she made up her mind when she was drunk usually meant that there was no changing it. “Come on; let’s get you to bed,” I said looking to Randy as he stood up. “Just take one of the spare rooms upstairs Randy,” I said pulling Ron against me and moving towards the stairs.

”He’s not staying here the night,” Ron spat angrily.

“Come on princess; it’s time to get you to bed,” I said moving up the stairs to the second floor where Matt had given us pretty much free rain of.

Without fighting she all but collapsed against my frame so I gently lifted her up in to my arms and was surprised when I managed to carry her up to the second floor considering I didn’t have anything in my system and until recently I had been taking all the comfort from her and the support to even move let alone carry her.

“Mmm someone is feeling better,” She whispered resting her head against mine and obviously forgetting all about Randy Orton following behind us.

“Oh it’s all you baby girl,” I chuckled softly feeling my body trembling from the way she was running her hands through my hair and blowing in to my ear seductively. “Damn it Ron; stop!” I growled kicking the bedroom, that we had taken over, door open and stepped over the threshold.

Looking back to Randy, I nodded my head to the room at the further end of the hall.

”That room at the end is completely empty,” I said.

”Thanks Jeff,” He said watching as I moved in to the room with Ron, who had fallen asleep in the space of a few seconds, in my arms. “Goodnight,”

”Night,” I said not overly sure that I was doing the right thing but I couldn’t put him out on the street in the middle of the night, especially if he were being honest with me.

I kicked the door closed and moved to the bed where I gently placed her down and she fluttered her eyes open.

”I’m sorry Skittles,”

“For?” I asked confused as I sat down facing her.

“Coming home late and drunk…Shan thought it would be a good idea to do shots…and I just got sucked in to it…”

”Baby it is more than ok,” I chuckled softly as I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers and she smiled as she let out a little moan.

Closing her eyes she slipped away from me in to sleep, so I slowly pulled the covers up over her body and moved out of the bedroom thinking about Randy being here and what he wanted.

I had listened as he had told me that he wanted to help; that he would do anything, help clean up at the site where my house had been, he would run around after Ron if he had too; he just wanted the chance to make it up to us.

For the first time ever I felt like I could believe what he was saying but trusting him was another thing completely considering all that he had done to us or tried to do to us.

But I was the one who had won; I had the girl, we had began to build a life together and now that Steven was completely out of the picture; it was going to be a lot easier to do all the things that we wanted to do.

So for the time being I was prepared to give Randy the benefit of the doubt and once I was satisfied that I had everything turned off and locked up, I turned off the lights and made my way back to Ron who was fast asleep; the covers pulled up over her body.

Stripping out of my cloths, I crawled in to the bed next to her and gently pulled her towards me knowing that this night hadn’t ended in the way that either of us had envisioned.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING;
Cameron’s POV;
Oh God I am dying; my entire body is screaming in protest to the things that I had inflicted on it the previous night. The sun was piercing through my eyelids forcing me to wake up and face the world.

“Mmmm!” I groaned as it truly felt like my head was about to burst from the pain that was hammering hard against my skull.

“Morning my little drunken gorgeous baby,” Jeff’s voice tore through me at a thousand watts a second causing me to shake my head no. “No what?” He asked the amusement evident in his loud chuckle.

”No talking…just whisper please!” I moaned refusing to open my eyes. “Or my head is going to pop like a zit,”

“Oh really?” He let out a loud rumble of laughter causing my eyes to roll back in my head and my hands to cover my ears.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I demanded in a whisper.

“No baby,” He gently leaned down and pulled my hands away from my ears and placing his lips to mine softly.

“Mmmm,” I purred wrapping my now free hands around his body and pulled him close to me. “I do believe that you have just gone up a stock in my book,”

”I have huh?” He chuckled as he pulled his lips away from mine as I nodded my head yes. “But you have horrendous drunk breath, damn baby girl I could get drunk just from the fumes coming out of that mouth,”

“Hey!” I said finally opening my eyes and drowning in the natural green of his own. “I resent that…it’s all Shan’s fault,”

”Oh you remember that huh?” He laughed wiping the hair from my face and moving so that he was lying to the side of me.

“Mmm I remember him suggesting doing shots and I said that I would have a couple before I came home but anything after that…it’s a bit hazy!” I admitted resting my head further in to the pillow under me; the softness seemed to wrap around my head and left it feeling less sore.

Knocking on the bedroom door tore through the moment that we were sharing.

”Yeah!?” Jeff called out causing my head to almost spasm out of control and again my eyes were rolling back in my head causing him to chuckle once again.

”Can I come in?” Matt’s voice grumped through the door.

”Sure,” Jeff replied.

The door pushed open and my adopted big brother stepped inside closing the door behind him; damn he looked worse than I felt.

”Hey Mattitude!” I said.

“Hey baby girl! Jeff can you tell me why Randy Orton is sitting in my kitchen drinking my coffee and eating my cinnamon cereal?”

”WHAT!?” I all but screamed out of me and instantly was rewarded to my eyes once again rolling back in my head and a wave of sickness rising in me.

Pushing the covers back not caring what I looked like and was surprised to see that I was still in my cloths from the previous night I raced for the bathroom where I threw up violently.

“Baby!” Jeff raced in to the ensuite after me and sank to his knees wiping the hair back from my face.

“What the hell is going on Jeff? Why is Randy here? And why the hell did you let him stay here?” Matt asked standing in the doorway of the ensuite watching his little brother trying to comfort me.

“Just give me a second damn it,” Jeff snapped turning to look at Matt who instantly put his hands up and backed off.

Finally the sickness stopped and I moved to the sink and splashed my face with cold water feeling it cooling me down thankfully.

Moving in to the bedroom, I looked at Jeff questioningly as he sat down next to me and looked from me to his brother who was waiting patiently for the answers to the questions he had asked moments previously.

“Look I don’t for one second forgive him for what he has done, there is absolutely no way that I could but he apologized and I have a feeling that he is truly sorry…he just wants to help!”

”Help!? Help!? After what he did he ain’t fit to lick Cam’s shoes let alone help us brother,” Matt scolded as he paced back and forth in front of us.

”I know that Matt; do you think that I don’t remember what he did to her…and to you?” Jeff asked jumping to his feet.

”Guys!” I said as they both pushed hard against each other angrily; neither one listening to me. “GUYS!?” I jumped to my feet and squeezed my way in between them, not really needing this right now as my head protested to the noise, to the movements that my body was making and to my own voice.

“Stay out of this Cam!” Matt said his eyes burning in to Jeff’s angrily.

“Don’t you fucking talk to her like that!” Jeff growled angrily.

”ENOUGH!” I screamed just as angrily. “Don’t you guys see that this is what he wants? You guys are brother’s you shouldn’t be fighting…just quit it! I don’t like my voice like this!” I scolded them both with all but a shriek in my voice.

The minute it was out I fell down on to the bed and placed my head in my hands and sighed heavily.

“Matt I trust Jeff’s instincts if he says that Randy wants to help then I think that we should let him help,” I said finally looking up at Matt who looked at me in disbelief.

“But he…”

”I know what he did Matty; I was there remember…I was in the ring and I was backstage when he kicked you but what is that old saying…? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer!”

Watching him closely I knew that he wasn’t buying it, his eyes were still masked with disbelief and there was a tension in his posture.

“Listen to me Matty; Jeff hasn’t forgiven him, I sure as hell ain’t forgiving him and I know that you won’t forgive him but I think having him around…is a good thing!” I said getting up and moving to him as Jeff paced determinedly.

“I’m telling you Matt I don’t for one second forgive him for what he did and I don’t believe for a second that he has changed but I do think that he feels remorse for what he did,” Jeff said moving to where I was holding on to Matt and I could feel his body relaxing slowly.

Matt’s POV;
This was crazy; they were both acting like Randy hadn’t burned them; like he hadn’t sold Cam up the river because he couldn’t get his way.

But the minute I looked at Cameron I knew that she was the one who had been burned the worst and if she trusted Jeff’s judgment on this then I could trust him too.

”All right! I am going on the record as saying that this is a bad idea but ok,” I sighed looking from Cam to Jeff and back again.

“I know that you aren’t happy about this dude, but Ron is right…keep your friends close and your enemies closer!” Jeff said as Ron grabbed up a fresh set of cloths and excused herself to go have a shower and freshen up before having to go and face Randy.

Jeff and I moved out of the bedroom and headed down to the kitchen where Randy was washing up his dishes and CT was sat at the dining table eating his cereal and glaring at the man who had burned his Mother by bringing the monster that she had left behind.

“Dad!” CT said getting up and moving to my little brother’s side and hugging him tightly causing Randy to turn and look across.

“Morning big man,” Jeff said ruffling his hair and moved to the kettle.

CT looked at me and I shrugged unsure of what else to do. I didn’t like this idea; it had disaster written all over it. But there was obviously no talking to either Jeff or Cameron.

“Randy I was thinking of heading over to the…to my house today to start cleaning up, are you ok to come with?” Jeff asked pulling out 3 mugs from the cupboard.

Randy’s POV;
Looking from Jeff to his brother to CT I knew that all of them didn’t trust me for as far as they could throw me but I was here to make sure that I started to at least try to make this right.

“Yeah sure man, just tell me what you need me to do,” I replied Jeff’s question.

“I want you to start by moving all the stuff we are going to need over to Jeff’s house,” Cameron said walking in to the kitchen looking refreshed but tired none the less. Her long hair hung limp and wet down her back, her beautiful features devoid of make up.

“Sure anything at all,” I replied watching as she moved to Jeff and kissed him passionately; it stung to see how good they were together but if I could have her as a friend then I would settle for that.

Glancing across at Matt I knew that he was going to be the hardest one to convince that I wanted to make this right but as I looked at him I could see the same jealousy that I felt mirrored on his face.

Was it possible that Matt was in love with his brother’s girlfriend?

“Fine well all the things that we will need is in the garage; CT will show you where it all is…” Cameron said pulling away from Jeff.

“But Mom…” CT objected quickly.

I knew that he wouldn’t be overly happy about me being here either, especially when I saw how attached to Jeff he obviously was.

“Do as I say Corey Taylor Reid!” Cameron scolded her boy who turned and glared at me and began to lead the way out of the house through the door that led to the garage.

Glancing back I caught the look between Cameron, Jeff and Matt; and I knew they were suspicious of why I was here and what my motives were but in all honesty the only motive I had was having Cameron as a part of my life as a friend.

LATER THAT DAY;
MILLER’S RESTAURANT;
Amber’s POV;
Slipping in to a booth in our favorite restaurant I faced my best friend who was running her hands through her hair and sighing heavily.

It had been a long day of trying to clear up the site where Jeff’s house had once stood. Shifty and I had gotten there a little after the others and had almost had a coronary to see Randy Orton taking orders from Cameron.

“What the hell honey?” I asked looking at her.

I had tried to catch her alone all day but hadn’t managed to get her without Randy being around or Jeff being by her side.

“Sorry?” She asked back; as the waiter came over and asked if we were ready to order.

“What the hell is Randy Orton doing here? And why are y’all being nice to him?” I asked once we had placed our orders with the waiter.

“Amber…” She started looking across to the table behind me where Randy was sat with Jeff, Matt, Shannon, Shifty, Shane and CT. “Jeff…Randy turned up last night and he explained a few things to Jeff and Jeff believes that he is sorry for what he did…”

”Sorry!? Sorry!? That man doesn’t do sorry,” I said in disbelief.

Had Jeff taken a spill to the head?

What was he thinking?

“I agree but Jeff’s instincts are hardly ever off and I believe him if he says that Randy just wants the chance to make things right…”

”I hope you aren’t setting yourselves up for a fall hon,” I said turning and glaring at the newcomer to the group.

I wouldn’t trust the man as far as I could throw him and I didn’t think that this was a good idea but Jeff and Cam knew what they were doing; or it seemed that they did and for now I would sit back and keep my mouth shut.

Shannon slid in to the table next to Cameron and wrapped his arm around her; kissing her head affectionately then turned his attention to me.

“What?” I asked smiling as he held my friend close to his side.

“I have been thinking…”

”Uh oh call the police…” I started.

”No a doctor!” Cameron giggled earning her a ruffle of her hair and a chuckle from the other table from Jeff, Matt, Shifty, Shane and CT.

Seemingly Randy was unsure of where he fit in right in this moment and in a way I felt happy about that; I didn’t want him here and I knew for a fact that Matt didn’t want him here because he had made his feelings known the minute we arrived.

“Fine; I won’t tell you then,” Shannon said as the other’s went back to their conversation leaving me and Cameron alone to talk to Shannon.

“Awe come on Shan; what is it?” Cameron nudged him gently in the ribs and he smiled down at her then turned to me still smiling.

“You and Shifty…” He started his voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah?” I asked suspiciously.

“Well I know that he was talking to Cam about getting a nine to five job and I know that the shop isn’t exactly nine to five but it is regular and it isn’t in the public eye all that much, do you think he would be interested in working there?”

“Shan I love you,” I leaned across the table and pulled him in to a hug where he chuckled softly.

“Awe you love me?” He asked as I pulled back and kissed his cheek. “You know you 2 beautiful ladies are gonna be the death of me,”

“You know you love us really,” Cameron laughed as her eyes seemed to lock on to Jeff’s; and as always they both seemed to sink in to the look that they were sharing; completely oblivious to anything and anyone around them.

“This is true but…damn it; I lost her again!” Shannon let out a low rumble of laughter that still didn’t break through the stare that Cameron and Jeff were caught in. “I swear those 2 are just too damn good together,”

”I know,” I smiled.

“And if anyone were to try and come in between that then I would have to step in and do something,” Shannon said his eyes landing on Randy.

“You think this is a bad idea too huh?” I asked in a whisper looking away from Randy and back to my friend.

“It’s about as good an idea as me shaving my head would be,” He said tearing his eyes away from Randy and looking at me; which almost instantly brought a smile to his face. “But enough of that; do you really think that Shifty would be up to it?”

“I think that he would love it; I know that he was talking about finding a job for while he is here…”

”He’s not staying?”

“I really don’t know; we haven’t really talked about it, I mean he said that he wants to get a place of his own but I wasn’t sure if that meant he was planning on staying or if it was just going to be a vacation home you know?”

“Honey that guy is crazy about you…I really don’t think that him leaving is an option for him anymore,” Shannon said looking to my man and then back to me and smiling.

“You really think so?” I asked hopefully.

”I know so hon; I haven’t been hanging out with Romeo and Juliette here for the past few months to not notice the signs of someone being crazy about someone,”

”Hey! I resent that!” Cameron said snapping back to the present as the waiter approached with our food and placed it down on to the table.

2 HOURS LATER;
Matt’s House;
Cameron’s POV;
I knew that everyone was questioning mine and Jeff’s decision to let Randy hang around but I trusted Jeff; I trusted him more than I thought that I could ever trust a man and I would happily place my life in his hands because I knew that he would never allow any type of harm to come to me.

Climbing out of the shower; he gently wrapped me up in his powerful embrace and looked deep in to my eyes until I was sure that he was burning a mark in to me and I felt like I was drowning in his steel green eyes.

“You know I have been trying to talk to you for the past few days,” He said guiding me backwards until we were in the bedroom and sitting down on the bed; both of us wrapped in towels after spending nearly an hour in the shower.

“That’s right; I am so sorry I completely forgot,” I said resting back against the bed and staring up at him as he rested his frame on his elbow while his free hand came to rest on my stomach.

“No need to apologize baby girl; it’s not like we haven’t had a lot on our minds but I really do want to talk to you…”

”I’m all ears,” I smiled.

“No not here; how about we go out for a drive; just the 2 of us?” He suggested. “That way we won’t get any interruptions,”

”Sounds like a plan handsome,” I smiled slowly pushing him away as I got up.

”What are you doing?”

“I’m going to get ready,” I said hunting through the pile of cloths that were lying on the floor in the corner of the room and finally pulling out a pair of ¾ length faded and ripped jeans then a black over sized t-shirt that read in huge white writing; Failure is never an option.

I watched as Jeff quickly dried off and changed in to a pair of black Adidas ¾ length trousers and his black Marvel t-shirt.

”Mmmm it stills smells of you,” He growled hugging it close to him and smiling at me.

”You’re a freak,” I giggled softly as I sat down at the vanity desk; where I began to apply my make up and let my hair down from the towel that I had wrapped around it.

AN HOUR LATER;
Jeff’s POV;
It seemed that no matter what this girl wore, what she looked like I always seemed to find something new about her that I fell even more in love with.

I knew that Randy was a little worried about being left alone with Matt and CT but Ron and I had both warned them to be on their best behavior while we were gone.

Now that my energy levels were back to normal and I was managing to keep food down I climbed on to the front of my Ninja motorbike as Ron climbed on behind me.

The feel of her wrapping her arms around me felt better than ever, now that we had no restrictions on us; there was no Steven lurking around every corner, we could just relax and enjoy our time together but all too soon that was about to come to an end because we would have to go back to work in a few short weeks.

Tearing out of my brother’s driveway I thought about where to take her and decided on the lake that Matt, me and our Dad were building on the property. So 5 minutes later I was parking the bike and killing the engine.

Turning in my seat until I was drowning in her beautiful dark eyes; and blown away by her beauty. God I was in trouble with this girl!

“What’s wrong?” She asked me.

“Why do you think there is something wrong?” I asked wiping the hair that had become caught on her lips as we had driven over here.

“You have your; deep in thought face going on,” She giggled softly.

“I guess I am just thinking about some things…”

”Care to share with me handsome?” She asked resting her forehead against my own and smiling at me.

“I talked to CT about this last night…and he is more than up for it, I just hope that you don’t mind me talking to him about it but I figured it was important to see how he felt about it before we made any decisions…”

”You’re rambling,” She giggled as she pulled the cigarettes from her pocket and handing me one; thankfully accepting it; I lit up and inhaled deeply.

“I know sorry…what I wanted to suggest was that how about…what I have been thinking is that…Matt has kind of rubbed of on me I think ‘cos I keep thinking that everything happens for a reason and what if loosing my home meant that you and I were meant to move in together?”

“What are you saying baby?”

“I want us to build a new house together…I want us to live together as a family…”

”I can’t afford too…”

”Our house Ron; together always that is the most important thing; I mean it won’t be a huge fancy house like Matt’s; ‘cos well that isn’t me…”

”You’re sure?”

“Never been more sure about anything in my life beautiful,”

”And CT was ok with it?”

“Yes he is 100% on board,” I replied watching her closely for her reaction. “Please Ron; I just want us together all the time…”

”Jeff?”

”Mmm?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes…”

”You mean that? You really want to do this?”

I knew that people were going to say that we had only been together 6 months; that it was too soon but what I felt for her was more right than anything I had ever felt with anyone and I just wanted her with me all the time, I wanted to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she made me with just one smile and having us living together was more important than what other people thought.

“Jeff being with you is all that I am ever going to want; so yes I do mean it, it is really what I want,” She smiled happily at me causing my body to scream that this was it, I had the girl of my dreams with me and there was nothing else that I wanted than that.

“There was one other thing…”

”Mmm?” She asked wrapping her arms around me.

“I didn’t talk to CT about this because I thought it was more important to talk to you first,”

“All right, now I am intrigued,” She smiled.

“Well when CT said to me that he wished that I was his real Dad it got me to thinking…”

”I’m sorry about that; I didn’t want you to think that you are being pushed…”

Pressing my lips to hers I silenced her forcefully; there was no need for her to think that way at all, I never for one second thought that I was being pushed in to anything.

“I don’t think that I am being pushed in to anything; it just made me see that you and CT are what I want in my life and if it is ok with you I want to…I would like…what I was hoping was that you would agree that it would be ok to adopt CT!?” I blurted out.

“You want too…you want-to-adopt-my-son?”

“If it is ok with you,” I said unsure of what her position was on the whole thing as her face refused to give anything away as the shadows of sun fall etched around her beautiful features.

“I never thought…when we met I knew that I was attracted to you, and that I wanted to get to know you better but I never thought for one minute that you would have come…through for me the way that you have time and time again…there just doesn’t seem to be a way that I can thank you for all that you have done for me…”

“Say that I can adopt CT; that is all the thanks that I need,” I said without thought.

“You’re really sure that this is what you want?”

“Never been more sure Ron,” I admitted feeling my heart beating madly against my chest as I waited for her to answer.

“I think that CT is going to be ecstatic…”

”Does that mean yes?” I asked hopefully.

“Yes…I can’t say no when I know just how well you and him get on and how much you both love each other,” She smiled.

Without saying a word to her, I pulled her in to my arms; holding on to her so tightly that she seemed to just melt in to my arms.

Pulling back we became lost in each other’s eyes and our lips moved together and we shared the most intimate kiss that we had ever experienced.

Finally everything was going right; Steven was gone, we were going to be moving in together, CT was going to be my son and in 2 weeks we could get back to work properly.