The Prelude

A cool breeze swept across the front yard of the huge McMahon Estate on that autumn afternoon in Connecticut. Kalleasto McMahon climbed out of the cab, still moving a little gingerly, the after effects of her ladder match just four days ago still playing havoc on her battered body.

She pulled the single bag she carried with her from the back seat of the cab, leaning back into the car to hand the driver more way more money than the ride had actually cost her, giving him a sweet smile before pulling back out of the car. The astonished driver looked at the cash in his hand a moment before calling out before she closed the door, “Thanks, Miss.” She waved simply in response and then carefully slung her back over her shoulder to wander up the steps into the huge house.

Grateful she had her own key, she opened the door and slipped quietly into the house, determined just to make it upstairs and into her room unnoticed. She didn’t want to be fussed over or welcomed home; she just wanted to be left alone.

If anything, she’d had a little more company than she really wanted of late. Matt had barely left her side before she had her father brow beat him into returning to work for the Smackdown! Taping on Tuesday. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him around, but every time she looked at him since Sunday night she remembered the mistake she had made in that single instant some part of her had actually decided to press her lips to his.

As she crossed the hallway, Kalli glanced about for some sign of her parents. They had been away for most of the week, and she wasn’t sure if she had made it home before them or not. Her father had briefly mentioned that he had something to do for Linds first, but he had not gone in to detail.

I wish I knew what was going on with Linds... Her younger sister hadn’t been herself at all the past couple of weeks, and even Kalli, who was the most self-involved person in the world these days, she knew, had noticed that. And when I spoke to Dad last, he seemed... She sighed. She would get to the bottom of that one soon enough.

She made her way up the stairs quickly, sneaking up to her bedroom and slipping inside to drop her bag onto her bed. Everything in the room was immaculate, even though Kalli knew damn well she had left the room a shambles on her last trip home.

It wasn’t that she didn’t think of it as such. It was just that after she and Jeff had first started dating back in March, home had always been Jeff’s place back in North Carolina. All their days off together were spent at his place, watching him in the front yard with his bikes or listening to he and Shannon jamming in the Studio out back.

Damn, I haven’t spoken to him in weeks. She pondered calling him for a few moments, but eventually decided not to. She wasn’t sure what she would say to anyone right about then, let alone Jeff’s best friend.

Honestly, she was quite content to lock her bedroom door and stay right where she was for the rest of her days. Of course her Father would no doubt break down the door if she had locked herself in here for even a day.

She had pushed him every which way she knew how over the years, and yet he showed her infinite patience. Granted, he was more than just a little vocal when he disagreed with her about something, and sometimes he apparently forgot that she was now 22 years old and could live her own life well enough, but he was good to her.

Daddy could’ve given Mum any sum of money she had asked for to keep quiet about me. No one would ever had to have known that Vince McMahon had borne a child with a woman other than his wife if he had wanted as much.

Vince had taken full responsibility for his many infidelities, and for the little girl who had resulted. Though he had not been present at her birth, he had flown to Australia the moment he heard her mother was in labour, and he had stayed for weeks when she was first born. In fact, he had pushed to have Terreis move to America so he could be nearer to Kalli on numerous occasions, but her mother never budged.

And the only reason Mum ever let me come to America at all was because she made Daddy pay for it. And that she had. If Vince had not agreed to the ridiculous amounts of maintenance Terreis had asked for, Kalli may never have met her sisters and brother. And she may never have fallen in love with the world of Wrestling either.

She scooped Andre, the Teddy Bear she had been given by her Father when she was but a day old, from off her bed, moving to sit on the window seat, gazing out over the garden at rear of the house.

Kalli turned to look over at her, climbing from the window seat. “Hey Mom.” Linda hurried over to her to hug her, and still clutching Andre in one hand, Kalli wrapped her arms around her to return the gesture.

Linda pulled away slightly, looking up at her, she ran her fingertips softly over the much smaller bandage on Kalli’s forehead, fussing over her, “How’s your head? Do you feel okay?”

“Uh huh.” Kalli nodded, as if showing her that she again had full physical use of her head. “It’s much better. Hardly hurts at all.” Which was true. Except that when she got into bed at night and lay down her head would pound relentlessly. Honestly though, she was more exhausted than anything else.

Taking Kalli’s hand, Linda pulled over back over to the window seat sitting down beside her. “I’m so glad you’re home, Kalli. It’s been far too long.”

A little ashamed, Kalli nodded again, “Yeah.” She added honestly, “I am sorry I haven’t been home more, Mom.” She shrugged “It’s just been an insane few weeks.”

“Really?” Linda cut her off and despite herself, Kalli’s cheeks flushed bright red at this. She looked down, fidgeting with the ears on her Teddy Bear. The CEO of the WWF smiled at the gesture, eventually asking softly, “I see you and Andre are getting reacquainted.” Kalli nodded yet again and Linda said warmly, “I don’t know why you don’t take him with you on the road.”

Linda pat the girl’s knee softly, “So are you, you know.” She smiled affectionately, “Always safe, and always welcome.” She added a little more sternly, “Kalli, I wish you had just come home when all this business with Jeff started.”

“But not nearly long enough.” She sighed, “Honey, you rushed right off and threw yourself into your work. On Sunday... It finally all got on top of you. I just... I wish you had come home and let your family help you through this.”

For a long time, Kalli sat silently, knowing Linda wanted her to talk about this, and knowing full well that if there was anyone more patient than Vince, it was Linda. She would sit there and sit there until Kalli let her in. She spoke very quietly, breathing deeply, determined to keep her emotions in check, “Mom, if I had stopped, even for a moment...” She avoided Linda’s eyes at all costs, “I would have fallen. And I don’t think I would ever have got up again. I needed to work, I needed to try and get him back... I thought that... I thought that the ladder match would have made him see...” Her voice trailed away and she whispered, “All I have done these last few days is push him even further away.”

And though her mind screamed to tell her, Kalli knew she would not. She was not about to admit to a woman she loved like a mother that she had kissed the boyfriend of a McMahon who actually *was* her daughter. It was silly, she knew, but some niggling little fear she had held throughout her entire life was that one day Linda might tire of her intrusion into their lives and cast her aside, just as Stephanie had insisted upon doing for years and years.

Eventually she offered, “Just... Just everything.” She sighed softly, shaking her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She looked up at Linda again, deciding to change the subject, “So...”

Oh how she wanted to, but still Kalli shook her head. “I want to...” Softly, “But I can’t... Not now. Maybe another time.” Her eyes pleaded with her, “Please.”

Linda sighed, “All right, Kalli.” She reached out, pressing a hand to her cheek, “But when you’re ready, I’m here.” She smiled, “I’m always here for *all* my children. Remember that.”

Getting a little choked up at her words, Kalli practically beamed, “Thanks, Mom.” She leant forward, wrapping her arms around Linda and for a long time the two shared a loving hug. When eventually they pulled away, Kalli pondered a moment before asking, “Mom?”

The elder woman sighed, “Kalli, I’d like to tell you all about it. But I think your sister would rather do that herself.” She told her sincerely, “Tomorrow, I was going to fly out with you to go and see her. You can talk to her then.”

“Kalli.” Linda looked at her, all seriousness, “I mean it. I won’t betray your sister’s confidence. The two of you can talk tomorrow.” She saw Kalli was about to protest and she added, “I... Mean... It... Okay?”

Linda smiled at the response, “I didn’t think you would be.” She leant over, kissing her daughter’s forehead. “Dinner will be about an hour and a half. If you want to go and see Angelus he’s down in the stables.”

The woman nodded, “When your father told me you’d be home I had him brought up from the stables that have been taking care of him for you.”

There was not a trace left of the small bit of a temper that had appeared before as Kalli dropped Andre down onto the window seat, leaning over and kissing and hugging the elder woman, “Thanks, Mom!”

She hurried out the door, hearing Linda’s warm laugh as she called out after her, “Slow down, you’re meant to be taking it easy, remember?”

Flicking through the set of papers that had been sent home for her from head office, Linda sat out on the back porch to read over them between sips of the cool ice tea the butler had brought out to her.

For much of Kalli’s life the two had been closer than Kalli was to her actual mother. But the past few months, Linda had seen very little of the girl she had come to love as one of her own.

She had known for a very, very long time that Kalli had been in love with Jeff. Every time she caught her daughter glancing at him when his back was turned, or smiling a little longer than usual after he had spoken to her, had been further proof to the chemistry she had seen between them since they first became friends. Of course, it had taken Jeff much longer to realize that the very thing he was searching for so desperately with the girls that came before Kalli was right there in front of him. But Kalli...

For the three years before they had eventually come together, Kalli had not dated once. Jeff bounced from relationship to relationship for a while before settling with that Beth girl for well over a year, but Kalli had never even looked liked finding someone to be with.

A tiny smile played out onto Linda’s lips at the image of Kalli rushing to the phone whenever Jeff called for her. And he would. Every time she came home for a day or two, or on occasion even longer, he would call her every single day, and the two would talk for hours at a time. Her smile widened. It didn’t matter how bad a mood Kalli was in when Jeff called, when she got off that telephone she would be practically floating.

Linda looked up, her happy smile playing out into an adoring one as her husband approached her, sitting down beside her to give her a soft kiss. “I was just thinking.”

“She’s here. I organized Angelus to be brought up so she’s visiting....” Vince’s grin played out into a self-satisfied smirk. Linda knew that look all too well, she smiled again and asked, warmly suspicious, “Vince... What are you up to?”

His chuckled grew into a hearty laugh, “ I did.” He kissed Linda again, “I’ll be right back. I just need to point my surprise in the right direction...” And with that he hurried away.

Linda called after him, “Vince, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea...” But even if he had heard her, something told her he wouldn’t have listened anyway.

Kalli staggered forward, nearly bowled clean off her feet as the magnificent black Stallion behind her nuzzled her back playfully. She turned, smirking, “You’re just asking for trouble, little man.” As if knowing what she was saying, the horse lowered his head, rubbing his nose against her hand, looking for affection. The girl sighed playfully, “Don’t think for one second that you can soft sob me, Angel.”

Eventually she turned her attentions back to the food she was trying to mix for him, “I’m doing this for you anyway, Angel... So unless you want to go without this absolutely delish mix of molasses and chaff, you’ll behave yourself.” He continued to nuzzle her gently from behind and she giggled.

But she knew deep down she probably should have just come home and stayed home. She could’ve taken a breather from the WWF and spent some time working with her horse and writing and doing all the things that she so loved but never seemed to have time for anymore. Maybe I could’ve even gone home to Australia for a while...

As always, she tried to harden her heart. She tried to ignore the fact that she could barely breathe for the ache in her heart, that barely a second passed where she wasn’t thinking about one Jeffrey Nero Hardy and nothing else. Stubborn and hard headed as usual, she had rushed off, honestly believing that she knew best.

"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?"

Kalli whispered knowingly, “He wouldn’t come in and see me, would he?” She yawned a little as he nodded and she sighed, “He’s mad at me, huh?” Matt nodded again and she turned her head to one side slightly, feeling her tears coming. “God, I made a bigger mess of things, didn’t I?”

“I did. I know I did.” Struggling to sit up, he reached out, helping her before sitting down on the bed next to her, their eyes meeting, her pain overwhelming. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t...” The tears came again and she didn’t even bother to fight them. “I love him so much. I just want to be with him. I don’t care about anything else.”

It all seemed so perfect when she had planned it out. She would show Jeff first hand what she went through and he would see that even though it was bad, even though it hurt like hell, what they shared was worth every second of that pain. Because in comparison, that pain was nothing...

She turned, now having mixed Angel’s food together, holding the bucket out so the Stallion could dip his head into it and eat to his heart’s content. She pat his head absently as he did.

What her little stunt had earned her was a stint in the hospital, her suspension from the WWF and... She flinched as the memory replayed in her head.

Instead, the two remained locked there in each other’s gaze, supporting and adoring each other, the irrevocable bond between them stronger than ever.

Almost simultaneously, the two leant forward, and before either could draw breath to clear the haze in their heads, their lips pressed together in a tender kiss that lasted minutes.

Kalli wiped away the few tears that escaped her, ashamed that once again she had been driven to tears. She noticed Angelus had finished his feed and she put the bucket back into its home in the large wooden box she kept in his stable, then turned to wrap her arms around the horses thick neck. “Good boy,” she cooed as she rubbed his neck. “Hey... Aren’t ya?” She hugged him a little tighter, “I’ll be out in the morning for a ride before I go, boy, I promise.” A few more pats and scratches and she turned to go, giggling when the horse nuzzled her as she disappeared out the gate.

She turned slowly, barely able to look up at the figure that hovered silently behind her. His beautiful face met hers and the two exchanged a long look, her voice filled with dread despite herself as she whispered, “Jeff...”


	The Prelude Chapter I A cool breeze swept across the front yard of the huge McMahon Estate on that autumn afternoon in Connecticut. Kalleasto McMahon climbed out of the cab, still moving a little gingerly, the after effects of her ladder match just four days ago still playing havoc on her battered body. She pulled the single bag she carried with her from the back seat of the cab, leaning back into the car to hand the driver more way more money than the ride had actually cost her, giving him a sweet smile before pulling back out of the car. The astonished driver looked at the cash in his hand a moment before calling out before she closed the door, “Thanks, Miss.” She waved simply in response and then carefully slung her back over her shoulder to wander up the steps into the huge house. Grateful she had her own key, she opened the door and slipped quietly into the house, determined just to make it upstairs and into her room unnoticed. She didn’t want to be fussed over or welcomed home; she just wanted to be left alone. If anything, she’d had a little more company than she really wanted of late. Matt had barely left her side before she had her father brow beat him into returning to work for the Smackdown! Taping on Tuesday. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him around, but every time she looked at him since Sunday night she remembered the mistake she had made in that single instant some part of her had actually decided to press her lips to his. And that one tiny mistake had turned her already unstable world upside down. As she crossed the hallway, Kalli glanced about for some sign of her parents. They had been away for most of the week, and she wasn’t sure if she had made it home before them or not. Her father had briefly mentioned that he had something to do for Linds first, but he had not gone in to detail. Yet another thing that didn’t seem quite right in her life of late. I wish I knew what was going on with Linds... Her younger sister hadn’t been herself at all the past couple of weeks, and even Kalli, who was the most self-involved person in the world these days, she knew, had noticed that. And when I spoke to Dad last, he seemed... She sighed. She would get to the bottom of that one soon enough. She made her way up the stairs quickly, sneaking up to her bedroom and slipping inside to drop her bag onto her bed. Everything in the room was immaculate, even though Kalli knew damn well she had left the room a shambles on her last trip home. Home. She sighed softly. It felt strange calling this place home. It wasn’t that she didn’t think of it as such. It was just that after she and Jeff had first started dating back in March, home had always been Jeff’s place back in North Carolina. All their days off together were spent at his place, watching him in the front yard with his bikes or listening to he and Shannon jamming in the Studio out back. Shannon. Damn, I haven’t spoken to him in weeks. She pondered calling him for a few moments, but eventually decided not to. She wasn’t sure what she would say to anyone right about then, let alone Jeff’s best friend. Honestly, she was quite content to lock her bedroom door and stay right where she was for the rest of her days. Of course her Father would no doubt break down the door if she had locked herself in here for even a day. He was an incredible man, her Father. She had pushed him every which way she knew how over the years, and yet he showed her infinite patience. Granted, he was more than just a little vocal when he disagreed with her about something, and sometimes he apparently forgot that she was now 22 years old and could live her own life well enough, but he was good to her. He didn’t have to be. Daddy could’ve given Mum any sum of money she had asked for to keep quiet about me. No one would ever had to have known that Vince McMahon had borne a child with a woman other than his wife if he had wanted as much. But he never had. Vince had taken full responsibility for his many infidelities, and for the little girl who had resulted. Though he had not been present at her birth, he had flown to Australia the moment he heard her mother was in labour, and he had stayed for weeks when she was first born. In fact, he had pushed to have Terreis move to America so he could be nearer to Kalli on numerous occasions, but her mother never budged. Kalli nearly growled to herself. And the only reason Mum ever let me come to America at all was because she made Daddy pay for it. And that she had. If Vince had not agreed to the ridiculous amounts of maintenance Terreis had asked for, Kalli may never have met her sisters and brother. And she may never have fallen in love with the world of Wrestling either. She scooped Andre, the Teddy Bear she had been given by her Father when she was but a day old, from off her bed, moving to sit on the window seat, gazing out over the garden at rear of the house. I may never have fallen in love with the world of Wrestling... She sighed. Would that have been a bad thing? ~~ Chapter II “Honey, you’re home!” Linda McMahon beamed at Kalli as she stepped through the bedroom door. Kalli turned to look over at her, climbing from the window seat. “Hey Mom.” Linda hurried over to her to hug her, and still clutching Andre in one hand, Kalli wrapped her arms around her to return the gesture. Linda pulled away slightly, looking up at her, she ran her fingertips softly over the much smaller bandage on Kalli’s forehead, fussing over her, “How’s your head? Do you feel okay?” “Uh huh.” Kalli nodded, as if showing her that she again had full physical use of her head. “It’s much better. Hardly hurts at all.” Which was true. Except that when she got into bed at night and lay down her head would pound relentlessly. Honestly though, she was more exhausted than anything else. Taking Kalli’s hand, Linda pulled over back over to the window seat sitting down beside her. “I’m so glad you’re home, Kalli. It’s been far too long.” A little ashamed, Kalli nodded again, “Yeah.” She added honestly, “I am sorry I haven’t been home more, Mom.” She shrugged “It’s just been an insane few weeks.” Linda nodded sympathetically, “I know, honey.” She reached out and touched the girls cheek softly, “How are you holding up?” “Okay...” Kalli started. “Really?” Linda cut her off and despite herself, Kalli’s cheeks flushed bright red at this. She looked down, fidgeting with the ears on her Teddy Bear. The CEO of the WWF smiled at the gesture, eventually asking softly, “I see you and Andre are getting reacquainted.” Kalli nodded yet again and Linda said warmly, “I don’t know why you don’t take him with you on the road.” The girl shrugged, “I guess... I’d just hate to lose him.” She looked up a little sadly; “At least he’s always safe here.” Linda pat the girl’s knee softly, “So are you, you know.” She smiled affectionately, “Always safe, and always welcome.” She added a little more sternly, “Kalli, I wish you had just come home when all this business with Jeff started.” In her own defence, Kalli mumbled, “I did...” “But not nearly long enough.” She sighed, “Honey, you rushed right off and threw yourself into your work. On Sunday... It finally all got on top of you. I just... I wish you had come home and let your family help you through this.” For a long time, Kalli sat silently, knowing Linda wanted her to talk about this, and knowing full well that if there was anyone more patient than Vince, it was Linda. She would sit there and sit there until Kalli let her in. She spoke very quietly, breathing deeply, determined to keep her emotions in check, “Mom, if I had stopped, even for a moment...” She avoided Linda’s eyes at all costs, “I would have fallen. And I don’t think I would ever have got up again. I needed to work, I needed to try and get him back... I thought that... I thought that the ladder match would have made him see...” Her voice trailed away and she whispered, “All I have done these last few days is push him even further away.” Something in Kalli’s voice told Linda that the girl was now referring to something more than the ladder match and she asked gently, “How?” And though her mind screamed to tell her, Kalli knew she would not. She was not about to admit to a woman she loved like a mother that she had kissed the boyfriend of a McMahon who actually was* her daughter. It was silly, she knew, but some niggling little fear she had held throughout her entire life was that one day Linda might tire of her intrusion into their lives and cast her aside, just as Stephanie had insisted upon doing for years and years. Of course, Linda didn’t have to tolerate her at all. She had more than tolerated her however. She had loved and accepted her as one of her own. But Kalli still was not about to test that love. Eventually she offered, “Just... Just everything.” She sighed softly, shaking her head, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She looked up at Linda again, deciding to change the subject, “So...” “So... You are not getting out of it that easily, young lady.” She pat Kalli’s knee again, “Come on. Talk to me.” Oh how she wanted to, but still Kalli shook her head. “I want to...” Softly, “But I can’t... Not now. Maybe another time.” Her eyes pleaded with her, “Please.” Linda sighed, “All right, Kalli.” She reached out, pressing a hand to her cheek, “But when you’re ready, I’m here.” She smiled, “I’m always here for all my children. Remember that.” Getting a little choked up at her words, Kalli practically beamed, “Thanks, Mom.” She leant forward, wrapping her arms around Linda and for a long time the two shared a loving hug. When eventually they pulled away, Kalli pondered a moment before asking, “Mom?” Pushing Kalli’s hair back behind her ears gently, Linda asked, “Yes?” Kalli locked her eyes on Linda’s, “What’s going on with Lindsey?” Linda paled, settling her hands in her lap, “Kalli...” “No, Mom. I’m serious. I want to know.” The elder woman sighed, “Kalli, I’d like to tell you all about it. But I think your sister would rather do that herself.” She told her sincerely, “Tomorrow, I was going to fly out with you to go and see her. You can talk to her then.” “Mom...” “Kalli.” Linda looked at her, all seriousness, “I mean it. I won’t betray your sister’s confidence. The two of you can talk tomorrow.” She saw Kalli was about to protest and she added, “I... Mean... It... Okay?” The girl sighed, “Okay,” she couldn’t help but add with a little bit of distaste, “But I’m not happy about it.” Linda smiled at the response, “I didn’t think you would be.” She leant over, kissing her daughter’s forehead. “Dinner will be about an hour and a half. If you want to go and see Angelus he’s down in the stables.” At the mention of her beloved Horse, Kalli’s eyes lit up, “Angel is here?” The woman nodded, “When your father told me you’d be home I had him brought up from the stables that have been taking care of him for you.” There was not a trace left of the small bit of a temper that had appeared before as Kalli dropped Andre down onto the window seat, leaning over and kissing and hugging the elder woman, “Thanks, Mom!” She hurried out the door, hearing Linda’s warm laugh as she called out after her, “Slow down, you’re meant to be taking it easy, remember?” But Kalli McMahon was long gone. ~~ Chapter III Flicking through the set of papers that had been sent home for her from head office, Linda sat out on the back porch to read over them between sips of the cool ice tea the butler had brought out to her. It really was* nice to have Kalli home. For much of Kalli’s life the two had been closer than Kalli was to her actual mother. But the past few months, Linda had seen very little of the girl she had come to love as one of her own. She had known for a very, very long time that Kalli had been in love with Jeff. Every time she caught her daughter glancing at him when his back was turned, or smiling a little longer than usual after he had spoken to her, had been further proof to the chemistry she had seen between them since they first became friends. Of course, it had taken Jeff much longer to realize that the very thing he was searching for so desperately with the girls that came before Kalli was right there in front of him. But Kalli... Right from the first time she had met him, his heart had been hers. For the three years before they had eventually come together, Kalli had not dated once. Jeff bounced from relationship to relationship for a while before settling with that Beth girl for well over a year, but Kalli had never even looked liked finding someone to be with. A tiny smile played out onto Linda’s lips at the image of Kalli rushing to the phone whenever Jeff called for her. And he would. Every time she came home for a day or two, or on occasion even longer, he would call her every single day, and the two would talk for hours at a time. Her smile widened. It didn’t matter how bad a mood Kalli was in when Jeff called, when she got off that telephone she would be practically floating. “And what are you smiling about?” Linda looked up, her happy smile playing out into an adoring one as her husband approached her, sitting down beside her to give her a soft kiss. “I was just thinking.” He grinned, “Not going to be more elaborate than that, are you?” She chuckled softly, “Well, actually...” Eventually she offered, “I was thinking about Kalli.” Curious, Vince asked, “Is she home? I haven’t seen her...” “She’s here. I organized Angelus to be brought up so she’s visiting....” Vince’s grin played out into a self-satisfied smirk. Linda knew that look all too well, she smiled again and asked, warmly suspicious, “Vince... What are you up to?” It was his turn to chuckle, “I brought our little girl home a present. A surprise, if you will.” “You didn’t...” His chuckled grew into a hearty laugh, “ I did.” He kissed Linda again, “I’ll be right back. I just need to point my surprise in the right direction...” And with that he hurried away. Linda called after him, “Vince, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea...” But even if he had heard her, something told her he wouldn’t have listened anyway. ~~ Kalli staggered forward, nearly bowled clean off her feet as the magnificent black Stallion behind her nuzzled her back playfully. She turned, smirking, “You’re just asking for trouble, little man.” As if knowing what she was saying, the horse lowered his head, rubbing his nose against her hand, looking for affection. The girl sighed playfully, “Don’t think for one second that you can soft sob me, Angel.” But when he rubbed her hand a second time, she caved and scratched his head anyway. Eventually she turned her attentions back to the food she was trying to mix for him, “I’m doing this for you anyway, Angel... So unless you want to go without this absolutely delish mix of molasses and chaff, you’ll behave yourself.” He continued to nuzzle her gently from behind and she giggled. Linda was right. She hated to admit. She really* hated to admit it. But she knew deep down she probably should have just come home and stayed home. She could’ve taken a breather from the WWF and spent some time working with her horse and writing and doing all the things that she so loved but never seemed to have time for anymore. Maybe I could’ve even gone home to Australia for a while... But no. As always, she tried to harden her heart. She tried to ignore the fact that she could barely breathe for the ache in her heart, that barely a second passed where she wasn’t thinking about one Jeffrey Nero Hardy and nothing else. Stubborn and hard headed as usual, she had rushed off, honestly believing that she knew best. "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?" Yup, she sighed sadly, that was exactly what I thought. But even that had evidently not been enough. Kalli had not seen nor heard from Jeff since before her ladder match. Kalli whispered knowingly, “He wouldn’t come in and see me, would he?” She yawned a little as he nodded and she sighed, “He’s mad at me, huh?” Matt nodded again and she turned her head to one side slightly, feeling her tears coming. “God, I made a bigger mess of things, didn’t I?” “No... Kalli...” “I did. I know I did.” Struggling to sit up, he reached out, helping her before sitting down on the bed next to her, their eyes meeting, her pain overwhelming. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t...” The tears came again and she didn’t even bother to fight them. “I love him so much. I just want to be with him. I don’t care about anything else.” It all seemed so perfect when she had planned it out. She would show Jeff first hand what she went through and he would see that even though it was bad, even though it hurt like hell, what they shared was worth every second of that pain. Because in comparison, that pain was nothing... She turned, now having mixed Angel’s food together, holding the bucket out so the Stallion could dip his head into it and eat to his heart’s content. She pat his head absently as he did. What her little stunt had earned her was a stint in the hospital, her suspension from the WWF and... She flinched as the memory replayed in her head. Again, she managed a smile, looking up at him adoringly... But for some reason, the look didn’t fade away. Instead, the two remained locked there in each other’s gaze, supporting and adoring each other, the irrevocable bond between them stronger than ever. But on this day, for some reason neither could grasp, the bond pulled in ways it never had before... Almost simultaneously, the two leant forward, and before either could draw breath to clear the haze in their heads, their lips pressed together in a tender kiss that lasted minutes. When eventually they broke away, Kalli’s jaw dropped, “Matt...” Shocked, Matt stammered, “Oh my God... I’m sorry...” Kalli wiped away the few tears that escaped her, ashamed that once again she had been driven to tears. She noticed Angelus had finished his feed and she put the bucket back into its home in the large wooden box she kept in his stable, then turned to wrap her arms around the horses thick neck. “Good boy,” she cooed as she rubbed his neck. “Hey... Aren’t ya?” She hugged him a little tighter, “I’ll be out in the morning for a ride before I go, boy, I promise.” A few more pats and scratches and she turned to go, giggling when the horse nuzzled her as she disappeared out the gate. When she finished locking it, she smiled in at the Stallion... But the smile faded fast. “Kalli.” She turned slowly, barely able to look up at the figure that hovered silently behind her. His beautiful face met hers and the two exchanged a long look, her voice filled with dread despite herself as she whispered, “Jeff...” ~ The End ~ Main \| Fan Fic Menu \| Hearts & Ladders