She Has Her Way

“Hey!” Kalli flashed Jeff a warm smile as he stepped through the curtain into the backstage area.

He returned the smile, puffing, “Hey Kalli.” He jumped out of the way of Amy as she stepped through the curtain. The two girls exchanged a warm smile as Amy passed, moving off slightly out of earshot. “You all set for your promo next?”

She nodded, hoping she was hiding the fact that her stomach was doing somersaults and her knees were knocking with her attempt at cool composure. “Yup, I’m all set.”

This was the breaking point. And she couldn’t be more prepared if she tried.

Silence set in somewhat awkwardly, Kalli fidgeting with the pink heart ring on her left hand, Jeff kind of pacing and panting on the spot.

Things between them were still tense at best. But since the tragedy that had befallen the United States almost a week ago, they had come to some sort of unspoken truce. They weren’t exactly going out of their way to see each other, but they certainly were not avoiding each other either.

In some ways, neither one could be sure if that was a good thing or not. They had spent all of the day America stood still huddled together in Kalli’s hotel room, and while they discussed at length the horrendous disaster, they had not mentioned a once the state of their relationship, or lack there of.

“So... Are you going to come out a while tonight?” Jeff asked.

Kalli nodded, “Yeah, I might for a while.” She shrugged, “That is... You know... If it’s okay with you...”

He smiled, “Kalli, you don’t need my permission.”

“I know,” she sighed softly. “It’s just... You know... Things are still...”

He nodded, “Yeah.” He added quietly, “I know.”

They fell into silence again.

Eventually Kalli started, “Jeff, I...”

“Kalli?” A crew member called out to her. “You’re on in ten seconds.”

Her music hit and she sighed again, “Maybe later.”

She moved to step nearer the curtain, passing him before turning suddenly and leaning over, placing the most tender of kisses on his cheek. A terrified little smile touched her lips and she turned, stepping through the curtain and out onto the stage before he had a chance to even react.

He pressed his fingertips against his cheek, staring after her.

Despite himself, he felt that old, familiar flush of feelings fill him. He groaned silently at himself, trying to shake them away, but the held on fast.

Every waking moment he wished she was there, he longed to reach out and put his arms around her. He needed her almost more than he needed the air that gave him breath. And it wasn’t like there hadn’t been moments where he would have willingly sacrificed even that to escape the pain of missing her.

Even his dreams were filled with her. A tormenting image of the very thing his world had come to revolve around. The very thing he would love for all eternity but could never have again.

Because he honestly still believed with all his heart that leaving her had been the best thing for her. He could live with the pain, he could, and she could move on, her life free of the pain of loving an accident just waiting to happen.

He sighed, his broken heart aching.

It was just that being by her side... Having her right there in his arms though the terror of the last week’s events made it hard to remember what was right. His judgement had been clouded by the sheer magnitude of what had unfolded before them.

And it didn’t take vile acts of terrorism to remind Jeff of that.

It just made it damn near impossible to focus on what right truly was.

For all the world, he just wanted to be with her again.

But life *was* short.

And he wasn’t going to have her spend the rest of her life with an aching heart. He wasn’t going to cause her anymore pain.

Shaking his head and heading back to the locker room, he had to wonder.

Why did doing the right thing now seem harder than ever?

There must have been a billion reasons why Kalli McMahon was doing the wrong thing that night.

But right at the very moment she couldn’t think of a one of them.

Now standing in the centre of the ring, microphone in hand, she waited for the wild cheers of the crowd to go down a few notches before she brought the microphone to her lips.

“Ladies and Gents...” She smiled, the cheers of the crowd building into a roar as she stated happily, “...Of Nashville, Tennessee...” The smile on her face played out into a near giddy grin, “Tonight you are going to bare witness to an event that will change the face of wrestling... Forever!”

And though she wasn’t the first McMahon to make such a claim, she knew she was the first that could say it and deliver 100 and 10%.

She wandered around the ring, making sure she spent equal time at each side of the ring as she spoke. “Since the creation of the Women’s Division in the WWF, we’ve had some truly phenomenal Women’s Champions.” She chuckled, “Of course, there’s been some not so phenomenal ones too,” she cast a look to the backstage area, “Right, Stephy?” She cleared her throat and went on, “But throughout the years, throughout numerous Champions, the *ONE* thing the Women’s division has lacked...” She stated all seriousness, “Is respect.”

Kalli’s eyes cast over the announcers desk as JR and Paul Heyman sat on commentary, slight looks of panic on both their faces as it started to dawn on them that little Kalli McMahon was about to wreck havoc in a big, big way.

“The women in this business work just as hard as the boys.” She addressed the backstage area again, “We go through all the rigors of training, we take big bumps, we put our asses on the line... And what do we get for it?”

She addressed the crowd again, “We get Bra and Panty matches, we get Paddle matches and spanking matches...” The hoots of the men in the arena went up and she shook her head playfully, “Not that I’m going to deny the entertainment value of a Bra and Panty match, but my point is...” She asked emphatically, “When will the women of this business get a chance to shine?”

Kalli’s grin danced onto her face, “Ladies and Gents, the answer...” She stated intently, “Is Unforgiven.”

The cheers of the crowd went up again and she waited for them to die down a little before saying, “Now, before I go any further, I want to take this opportunity to invite my opponents for the WWF Women’s Championship to the ring.” She moved to the ropes nearest the ramp, leaning on them, “I guess its the shit before the shovel,” she grinned, “So Ivory - You wanna get your little Alliance ass out here?”

Ivory’s music hit near instantly and the WCW/ECW representative stormed out of the backstage area, trash talking and glaring angrily at the McMahon Heiress all the way to the ring. She moved over for a microphone straight away. Her music died off and she started, “How dare you? You little...”

Kalli held up a hand, silencing her. “Ssshhh, ssshhh, Ivory.” She smiled somewhat appeasingly, “Don’t get your little panties all in a twist.” The crowd roared and she laughed softly, turning her back on Ivory, “And now my FAVOURITE WWF Diva... LITA!!!”

The roar when Lita’s music hit was one of the loudest pops Kalli had ever heard while actually standing in the ring, and as she cheered with the crowd, Amy head down the ramp. Kalli smiled as she watched her, knowing in her heart who the next WWF Women’s Champion should be.

Once Amy was in the ring, Kalli got the girl a microphone too.

Amy greeted her warmly as Lita, “Hey, Kalli. What’s up? What’s going on?” Although the look on her face told her she wasn’t sure where this promo was going to lead them either.

“Lita...” Kalli stated warmly. “Ivory,” she stated not so warmly. “You girls know this business just like I do. You know how it is coming up through the ranks. How hard we have to work to be taken seriously.” Both women nodded, “And you know that our Division is not treated with the respect it deserves.” Both women exchanged a wary look before each nodding ever so slightly. “Let’s look at this rationally, right?” Kalli started to address the crowd as much as she did the women in the ring with her. “The boys have Hardcore matches, they have street fights, they have ladder matches, cage matches, Hell in a Cell, Table matches,” which got a big pop, “TLC matches,” which got an even bigger pop. “In the women’s division, do we have ANY of these matches?” Again, both women shook their heads. Kalli looked between them and asked, “You know why? Because we’re girls. Because this business doesn’t believe that women can compete in the same kind of Environments as the boys.” She smiled, “We three, we know that's a load of crap, don’t we?”

This time, Ivory merely nodded, but Amy, getting a sense of where Kalli was leading them and loving it nodded enthusiastically, her smile radiant. She held up the microphone. “Now, Kalli... Why is it that I get the feeling you’re up to something?” She grinned, “Do you have some kind of plan?”

Kalli grinned back at her, “Oh, I have a plan all right, Lita. And I’m going to need *both* of you to make it happen.”

All eagerness, Amy said, “Just tell me what you want and I’m there.”

Kalli’s smile was the biggest and brightest it had been in weeks as she stated, calling out to the crowd, her excitement written clearly in her voice. “Here it is...” Pause, “Kalli McMahon Vs Lita Vs Ivory, at Unforgiven...” She trailed off for a moment, “In a Triple Threat...” she paused again, exchanging a warm smile with Amy, “Ladder match!”

And if Kalli had thought Lita’s pop was huge, the roar that erupted from the crowd at this was possibly the loudest and most incredible sound she would ever hear.

"You are completely insane, Kalleasto McMahon." Ivory glared at Kalli as they stepped backstage. "There is no way in HELL your father is going to LET us have that kind of match and you know it!"

Kalli grinned, slipping an arm around Amy's waist to cuddle the girl affectionately as she spoke. "Don't you get it, Ivory? No matter what happens now, Daddy has NO CHOICE but to approve this Ladder Match." She almost literally radiated as she spoke, "Did you hear that crowd's reaction? They loved it. They TOTALLY loved it and there is nothing my Father can do to stop this match without suffering a big time backlash for teasing something so huge and then not following through."

Amy nodded excitedly in agreeance, "We three are about to make Wrestling History, Ivory! Aren't you just the least bit that we are paving the way for Women to come?" It was her turn to happily hug Kalli, "I love this whole idea! Kalli - This was the best idea you have EVER had!"

"I beg to differ." Vince's angry voice sounded behind them and all three girls whirled to look at him. "Amy, Ivory, would you excuse us?" He reached out, snatching Kalli's arm and dragging her off down the corridor toward his makeshift office for the night.

His angry grip firm, Kalli had no choice but to follow along behind him, suddenly remembering why she had worried about acting out like this in the first place. She squirmed a little as they walked, "Daddy..." She struggled to move her arm under his slightly painful hold, "Daddy... You're hurting me..." He slammed the door open and stepped into his office, yanking her inside and shoving her forward, finally releasing his hold on her. She rubbed her arm, glaring slightly, "Daddy..."

"Don't you Daddy me!" Her father was going bright red as his voice grew into an angry yell, "What the HELL did you think you were just doing? How DARE YOU?"

He snapped a hand up to silence her, "You listen to me, little girl! Being a McMahon does not give you ANY special privileges when it comes to what goes on in that ring! Don't think for one minute that you can bend and shape the WWF to your ever little whim! People have been fired for far less..."

Kalli looked up at him, her eyes hardening, but her surprise evident, "Are you going to fire me?"

"I DAMN WELL SHOULD!!!"

"What for?" She glared up at him, her voice raising a few octaves, "Because *I* have the guts to do something YOU DON'T???" Her hands nestled angrily on her hips as she shouted right back at him, "You know as well as I do that everything I said out there was true, Daddy! Every little, tiny syllable! The Women's Division is NOT treated with any respect... The storylines are thrown together haphazard... It's time that changed, Daddy. The women of the WWF are a HELL of a lot more than simple Eye Candy, and I REFUSE to let this company continue to treat them as such!"

"BULLSHIT!" He stepped forward, almost right in her face, his eyes narrowed into a ferocious stare that Kalli had seen scare even the largest Wrestler on regular occasions growing up. "A Ladder Match, Kalli? A LADDER MATCH!" Vince nearly snarled, "This is all about JEFF! Like everything else with you! What? You think you hit a couple of fancy moves off a ladder and he'll come running back?"

Unwavering, despite the hurt that filled her at the mere mention of Jeff these days, the girl yelled back, "This has NOTHING do with Jeff Hardy, Daddy..."

Her father's stare bore down deeply into her eyes and despite herself, Kalli looked away, almost back peddling in an attempt to hide the dishonesty in her words. She said nothing more, and after a few moments, Vince sighed, his voice lowering slightly, "Kalli... I know you're hurting right now, but you can't let that interfere with your work. This is not the way to get him back..."

"Daddy..." Her voice was softer, but her anger still hung within, "Okay, fine... Part of this is Jeff." She stuck her chin out defiantly, "But most of this? Most of this is about FINALLY bettering the Women's Division." She looked up, meeting his eyes, "It's time to let the girls shine, Daddy. Ivory, Amy and I? We can do this. We can give the world its first ever Women's Ladder Match..."

He snapped, "I am NOT going to let this match go ahead!"

"And why not? You could get one of your highest selling Pay Per Views EVER out of this match, Daddy, and you know that! Use your head..."

His face flushed with fresh red as he told her furiously, "Not at the expense of my Daughter's safety!"

She sighed, "Is that what this is about?" Kalli shook her head, "Now who's letting their feelings interfere with their work?"

The McMahon Heiress cut him off, "Why, Daddy? Because it's you?" She fidgeted angrily with the ring on her left index finger as she spoke, "Daddy, if *I'm* the reason you won't even consider approving this ladder match, then..." Tears threatened to flood her eyes. He had *no* idea how hard she had worked for this, no idea at all, but... If her involvement meant there would be no ladder match at all, then... She offered gently, "Then take me out of the match."

Surprised by how clearly upset Kalli was at the prospect of even being removed from contention for such a match, Vince asked softly, "You really want this, don't you?"

All honesty she whispered, "More than you could ever know."

He sighed, "Then why didn't you come to me first? Why did you just go out there and do this, Kalli? You had to know this would be the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot." Vince shook his head, "By doing this you immediately put me on the defensive. If you had just come to me and asked I would have considered this..."

"Would you have?" There were hints of spite in her voice, but her tone was certain, "Would you EVER have considered this?"

The two exchanged a long look and after a moment Vince told her plainly, "Sometimes I think Kalli that you and I think way too much alike."

She smiled softly, “The curse of the McMahon family.”

He continued to watch her for a moment, eventually asking, "Honey, what do you possibly hope to achieve with Jeff through this match?"

Kalli shrugged half-heartedly, silent for what seemed like minutes before eventually saying, "I don't know, Daddy. I guess I just..." She sighed, "If he has to watch me do what I watch him do time and time again... If he feels all that worry and frustration and hurt... Then maybe he'll understand why I go through all that, and still love him more than anything else in the world."

Reaching out and pulling her into his arms to hug her tightly, Vine asked gently, treading very, very carefully indeed, "Kalli? Did you ever maybe wonder if the decision Jeff made... If it was the right one for both of you?"

Hurt and astonished, Kalli looked up, "Daddy... Look at me..."

And he did. He took in her sad and bleary eyes, her tired face, the seemingly permanent downward slope of her lips, the way she seemed so frail, so fragile.

This certainly was not the girl he knew and loved.

"All you can see anymore is Jeff!"

His own voice echoed in his mind.

He nodded knowingly all of a sudden and she moved back into his arms again, hugging him tightly.

And for the first time ever, he truly understood how true that statement really was.

“Uh huh!” Kalli threw her gear into the trunk of Matt’s car, “Thanks for waiting for me, Matty. I didn’t think I was ever going to get to the bar... Daddy wouldn’t shut up!” She pulled her black cowboy hat, identical to the one she had seen Adam wear time and time again, out of the trunk, flashing the elder Hardy Boy a grin, play modelling for him, “You like?”

He cast his eyes over her full length black skirt, a split in one leg that went way, way up, and then up over her tiny black boob tube, her long black jacket draped over her arm. His eyes rest teasingly on her curves and she leaned forward and slapped him, “Don’t think for one moment I won’t tattle tale on you, Mr. Hardy!”

He grinned at her, “Like Krissy would believe you!” They shared his grin and he moved to get into the car, Kalli following his lead. He started the car up and took off...

The pair drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Matt said softly, “I knew you were up to something.”

Kalli sighed, but there was an affectionate little smile on her lips, “I know... For some reason I can’t seem to keep anything hidden from you.” They were silent again for a few minutes before Kalli asked, “Did Jeff say anything?” Matt shook his head and she sighed, “I am insane, aren’t I?”

He smiled gently, “You’re in love.”

She flashed him a wry grin, “Don’t they say that’s pretty much he same thing?”

It was his turn to sigh, hints of sadness unwillingly floating into his tone. “Yeah. I think it is.”

The McMahon Heiress gave him a curious little look, caught by the sadness that appeared in his soulful brown eyes. “What is it, Matty?”

He flicked on the indicator, slowing to round a corner, “Its nothing, Kalli.”

“No.” She cut him off, “It’s something.” She reached out, her fingers gently hooking in his hair,

Matt turned, locking his gaze on hers. For a long time he merely looked at her before eventually stating painfully, “I think I’m losing Krissy.”

Kalli battled to keep a lack of knowing from her face. It was no secret amongst the McMahon girls that Krissy’s affections were agonizingly divided between Matt Hardy and Adam Copeland, but for the most part, Matt was deemed virtually oblivious.

She hated that, it was true. In the years since they had become friends, Kalli had come to love Matt in a way she loved no one else. He was her confidant, her best friend. For years now, he had been the most supportive and steadfast influence in her life...

And though she adored Adam too, her friendship with Matt meant her heart ached for him every time she thought of her sisters infidelity.

Not that she blamed Krissy for being torn.

Because if she had been stuck between two men as amazing as Matt and Adam, she wasn’t sure she could make a decision so easily herself...

"Honey... Krissy loves you."

He nodded, his voice a whisper, "But sometimes that isn't enough, is it?"

A cold shiver ran through Kalli at how closely his words had resembled those that Jeff had used on her just a few short weeks ago. She tried to shake her own dread at the words, but the feelings held. She gave him a sympathetic little smile and then said, "Matty, loving someone... That's always enough. Just sometimes, we seem to forget that."

Matt was silent for a long, long time, and not sure what more comfort she could give him, she simply rode silently beside him, still absently toying with his hair.

"Kalli? What happens when she loves someone else?"

Yanking her hand away, startled by his words, Kalli whispered, "Wh... What?"

He shook his head sadly, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. "Don't pretend like you don't know. I know you do. She would never keep it from you."

Knowing full well what he was talking about but not sure what she should say or do in response, she said softly, her voice full of confusion, "Matty?"

The elder of the Hardys turned to look at her, giving her as much of a glare as he could muster. "Please. Don't insult our friendship by pretending you don't know what I'm talking about. Don't lie to me, Kalli." Hurt filtered into his voice, "Please. Never lie."

She stammer softly, shame flushing her cheeks, "Matty... I don't know what to say..."

Turning his attentions back to the road, he sighed, "She loves Adam. I know she does. I always wondered deep down if she had ever stopped loving him... Sometimes, the way she looks at him..."

"She *loves* you, Matt."

"But that doesn't mean she loves him any less."

More hurt filled his eyes than Kalli had ever seen in him, and now, her heart truly didn't just ache for it friend... It broke. "Pull over." She whispered. He turned, giving her a lost little look and then nodded, doing as instructed, pulling the car off into a dark little side street. When the car was off, Kalli undid her seat belt, shuffling over on the seat to be as close to him as the restraints of the front seats would allow.

Unclipping his seat belt he said softly, "I understand why you didn't tell me, Kalli. She's your sister. I understand..." His voice was cracking and Kalli waited helplessly for it to break and the tears to come. "Since I found out... I've seen it in you. You wanted to tell me."

Horrified at the entire turn of events, Kalli asked gently, "How long have you known?"

"Not long... A few weeks, maybe more."

She stroked his face gently, cupping his cheek in her hand, "Why didn't you tell me?"

His eyes locked on hers, "You have your own shit to deal with, Kalli. You don't need mine."

"Hey. Come on." Kalli gave him an adoring little smile, "You know this is a two way street, Matty. You're always there for me. Always. I want to be able to do that for you too..." She cooed, "You should have told me." He simply sat silently in response and she sighed, asking, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." The tears that had been locked in his eyes escaped, spilling out onto his handsome face, and despite her attempts at control, Kalli felt tears start to leak from her own eyes at his pain. His voice was now a whisper and barely that, "What can I do? I love her." He added honestly, "And all I want is to be the only one in her heart."

A quiet sob escaped him and Kalli moved forward, her arms wrapping around him and pulling him into a fierce hug. One hand stroked lovingly though his hair as she held him, "Honey, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry you have to go through this." She struggled, wishing she knew what to say, her insides grabbling with what she should do and what she possibly would do.

Of all her sisters, it was Krissy that Kalli spent the most time with. The two were so in each other's lives that barely a day passed when the could not be found together. And she knew better than anyone that Matt and Adam, and her unquestionable love for both, caused the woman more heart ache and pain than anything else could ever.

But as bad as she felt for her sister, she had never hurt for anyone the way she hurt for her best friend right there and then.

Starting to compose himself, Matt leant back slightly, sniffling but gaining some semblance of control. He seemed embarrassed, his cheeks flushed, "I'm sorry."

"Ssshhh." Kalli gave him a little smile, lightly smoothing the rosy colour from his cheeks with her palm, "Don't be sorry." She went on, "I wish I knew how to make this better for you."

He sighed, "Only Krissy can do that now."

"Do you..." She asked gently, "Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No!" Matt caught himself, realizing how freely the word had surged from his lips. He cleared his throat, "I mean..." He buried his face in his hands for a few moments. "God, I don't know. I just don't want her to know about this. Okay?" His eyes pleaded with her, "Never tell her, Kalli."

Knowing exactly how difficult that could lead to be, but needing to give him her word, she nodded, "Cross my heart."

The Hardy Boy leant over, pressing his lips gently to her forehead. "Thankyou." He nestled back into his seat, doing up his seat belt and started the car. She leant back in the passenger seat, following suit. They were silent for a long time before Matt said, "Kalli?"

"If you were Krissy, who would you choose?"

She looked down, instinctively fidgeting with the ring on her left index finger, somehow uncomfortable with the question. "Matt..." Not sure what else to say, she whispered, "I'm not Krissy."

Surprised by the gesture as she toyed absently with the ring, knowing it to be a nervous reaction, Matt eyed her closely, his voice curious. "Who would you choose?"

"Kalli." He spoke her name firmly, just enough push in it to force her into an answer.

She sighed, quietly telling him, "It's a no contest, Matt." Still not looking up she smiled softly, "I'd choose you."

Again silence ascended, and Matt smiled softly to himself, touched by the honesty in her words. He chuckled softly and said, "Hmmm... Maybe I *should* let you talk to your sister then..."

She giggled, muttering playfully, "You're a little shit, Matty. I just want you to know that."

He smiled cheekily, "I love you, Kalli."

Her giggled faded away and she gave him a genuinely adoring smile, "I love you too, Matty." She added with a grin, "But you're still a little shit..."

Matt Hardy stepped into the crowded bar with Kalli only a foot or so behind him. He glanced around the bar, spotting Adam, Jeff, Jason, Kurt, Tia, Ria, Chris and the McMahon girls off to one side of the bar, having claimed two of the larger tables on the upper level that they had pushed together. "Up there." He grabbed Kalli's arm, dragging her along behind him and up onto the deck to the table...

"Mattykins." Krissy climbed out of her chair, wrapping her arms around Matt's neck, standing on her tip toes to give him a warm kiss. "You guys took forever."

Kalli cut Matt off before he could say anything, "My bad." She shrugged, "Daddy was yelling at me."

Krissy shot her a half-hearted glare, "I'm not surprised!" The glare melted away into a subdued smile, "But... It was kinda nice to see someone beat Daddy at his own game."

She giggled a little and a grin played out onto Kalli's face, "Krissy, honey, how much have you had to drink?"

Her older sister smirked at her, "Not nearly enough!" She grabbed Matt, pushing him down into her seat before plonking down into his lap. She reached out a hand to grab Kalli, shoving her into the empty seat next to them, placed conveniently, Kalli noted, next to Jeff. She shoved one of the many bourbon glasses lined up on the table at her sister and said, "Drink up, Kallikins."

Kalli took the glass giving her sister a little smile before taking her first sip, smiling a little sadly to herself as Krissy gave Matt a kiss and a hug and the two started talking amongst themselves. Her eyes locked on Matt's for a moment, a sense of knowing passing between them, before Kalli turned around in her seat, giving Jeff a coy little look. "Hey."

His hazel eyes were narrowed into a somewhat annoyed stare, but he managed a level, "Hey."

Uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her, way too aware of his mood for her liking, she cooed, "Jeff..."

"One question." It was a fight to keep his voice neutral, "Why, Kalli?"

Though she had rehearsed her answer to that question time and time again, a long spiel all planned out in her head as to the pro's and con's of her decision, all part of an intricate defence, the words she had thought she would use were gone. She simply locked her eyes on his, whispering softly, "Why do you think?"

He shook his head, his anger flashing dangerously in his eyes, "I don't believe you. You're going to hurt yourself to prove a point..."

"No." She reached out without thinking, her hand rubbing soothingly across his knee, "Jeff... I know the risks, I do. But you've told me yourself that I could do things in that ring that could change the face of Women's Wrestling forever. And I'm going to do it..."

A pained look crossed his face as he brushed her hand away, "If it was just about that...." He broke off, unable to complete the statement, knowing deep down that no matter what reasons she had for doing this, his reaction would still be the same.

He feared for her. He feared for her safety.

There were very few people in the world that could say they knew more about the dangers of a ladder match than Jeff Hardy. He had suffered more bumps and bruises, among other things, at the ass end of an aluminum ladder than he could count. Those matches, those bumps, they took it out of you like nothing else.

She was going to subject herself to that...

Because there was no way Kalli McMahon would get into that ring and play it safe.

Part of his unwavering attraction to her in the first place had been that when it came to wrestling, she was so very like him in her approach. Everything she did, she did wholeheartedly. And in that ring, she poured her heart and soul into every DDT and ever Hurricanrana. She let the crowd carry her and like him, when she was in that ring, the last thing on her mind was what came next. He thought only of the moment, living solely for it and it alone. And she felt *exactly* the same way.

No, no. Kalli McMahon would not play it safe.

She would risk at all.

Not because it would better the women's division either, although he knew that was certainly a small part of it.

She would risk it all because she loved him.

Over the past week, Jeff had found it harder and harder to deny how much he loved her, and how every fibre of his being craved her nearness like he would wither into nothingness without her. In light of the tragedy that had shaken the entire core of the world, they had come together again to support each other... And in that, he had lost sight of what was right for her.

That wasn't right for her.

And this just proved it all the more.

Jeff's eyes were filled with heart broken determination when he looked up at her again, "I know you. I know what you're trying to do."

For the first time since they had broken up, possibly the first time ever in the time they had known each other, there was an undercurrent of total discontent between the two. Deep down, Kalli knew her pursuit of the world's first ever Women's Triple Threat Ladder Match would get him on the defensive. He'd know what she was trying to do and resent that. What she did not expect was to resent his resentment in turn. She struggled to keep the hints of hurt frustration from her voice, "Jeff, listen to me..."

"It's not going to work," he cut her off. Now sounding frustrated himself, he lowered his voice in an attempt to avoid unwanted attention from the rest of the group gathered at the table, "I made the decision I did for a reason, Kalli."

She snapped a little more loudly than intended, "So did I."

The eyes of those around them fell on them, and both visibly cringed before Jeff shook his head, whispering, "Then I'm sorry you're going to be disappointed again..." And with that he got up, storming away from the table to join Adam and Jason at a near by pool table, his back remaining turned to her.

Kalli watched him go, furious agony filling her. She debated whether she should follow him...

But the ring of her cell phone stopped her.

She answered it, her agitation still in her voice, “Hello?”

There was silence for a few moments before her father’s voice touched her ears, “You know, all things considered, you should sound a little happier to hear from me...”

She sighed apologetically, “Daddy, I’m sorry...”

He cut her off, “Kalli... I’ve been talking to your brother...” His reluctance was in his voice and he sighed, “You have your match.”

And then he hung up.

A victorious little smile touched her lips, her hope that things would work out the way she prayed they would renewed...

Sadly, she had to wonder if Jeff was ever going to see the truth. Yes, she hurt and she worried. Yes, he hated that she did. She thought he was worth it regardless, he obviously did not.

But in her eyes, the truth was simple.

They were meant to be together.

Nothing more, nothing less.

And if she died trying to make him see that then... Then...

The thought trailed away and she sighed.

Because Kalli McMahon wasn't sure that would be such a bad thing...