Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
This is a one-short Christmas fic for everyone who has read my stories. I thought it would be fun to have all the guys I've paired with Jeff, come together in this story.
~ A Christmas Wish ~
Matt Hardy's newly built dome hummed with activity. The chatter of its hundred guests and the clatter of cutlery against the crockery filled the dome. Matt's annual Christmas bash was just getting underway. His guests were just finishing dinner and he had a fun-filled program coming up next. He beamed happily as he stepped into the ring, a microphone in his hand. The chatter stopped as the guests gave him their undivided attention when he tapped on the microphone.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming. It's a great pleasure to share this wonderful season with your loved ones, family and friends. I know that those in the WWE would prefer to be home with your families right now but unfortunately, the show must go on and we have to go back on the road tomorrow."
He looked over to his invited guests from Smackdown, Raw and ECW. Most of them couldn't go home for Christmas as they still had to go on the road shows.
"But that doesn't mean that we can't come together and lend our Christmas cheer to this festive season. I'm sure everyone has something they wish for and hope it will come true for all of you this Christmas! Now, I'm no Santa Claus but I may be able to grant a wish or two in this respect."
He turned to the huge twelve feet Christmas tree sitting smack beside the ring. It was decorated with wrestling figures and glittering Christmas ornaments. Earlier on in the day, when the guests started arriving, Matt had passed out green and red wishing cards to them, requesting they wrote down their wish for Christmas. These cards were hung on the Christmas tree and Matt had gone randomly through some of them just before dinner. He had chuckled when he realized that he could help fulfill some of those wishes and surprisingly, those came from his co-workers.
"I've taken the liberty of reading some of your wishing cards and I must say," he cleared his throat and looked over at Jeff with a twinkle in his eye, "that my brother seems to be the one wish most of you wish for."
Jeff's eyes widened in surprise at that revelation. He felt all eyes on him and pulled his hat lower to shield his eyes to cover his embarrassment. To everyone's dismay, he had shorn off his beautiful blonde/purple locks and had his short hair dyed black with his natural blonde hair peeking through. When his ex-colleagues started arriving, he had hidden himself away and just before dinner, finally appeared with a hat pulled over his head to greet them.
"Jeff, could you please step into the ring?"
Jeff blushed furiously at the called attention but Shannon and Shane beside him urged him to go forward. Reluctantly, he got to his feet. It was Christmas after all and he didn't want to dampen everyone's mood by being difficult. He climbed into the ring and could feel every pair of eyes boring into him. He evaded them and kept his eyes on his brother.
"Jeff, being Christmas and all that, I would just like to ask if you're in the mood to grant wishes," Matt's mouth twitched with amusement.
Jeff eyed him suspiciously. He knew in his bones that big brother was up to something and he didn't want to play. He started to shake his head when Matt cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me for a minute while I've a word with Jeff."
He pulled Jeff to one corner of the ring, furthest away from the crowd and hissed, "Jeff, it's Christmas! You can't say you don't want to give at this time of year, it is blasphemy!"
"Matty …" Jeff started to say but Matt cut him off, "Come on, Jeffro, be a good sport and play along. It'll be fun and remember, these guys can't go home for Christmas. So being the hosts, we have to try and make sure they have a good time here with us. Please …" he pleaded, giving him the puppy-eye look and Jeff relented with a sigh, "Okay, but it had better not be anything too drastic or I'm out of here!"
"Good boy! Now, let us get back to our guests." He pulled Jeff along with him and turned back to their guests who were getting restless and muttering among themselves.
"Good news everyone!" Matt announced, "Jeff has agreed to grant the wishes of the following gentlemen whose one wish was to spend a night with him."
"WHAT!" Jeff exclaimed in horror as the crowd started to jabber excitedly. Some were hooting with laughter and catcalls were heard. They were wondering who those lucky guys were.
"What the hell, Matt, I'm leaving!" Jeff huffed and made to climb out the ring but found himself hemmed in by Shannon, Shane and Kimo.
"Oh God!" he panicked, "Matt planned this in advance! I'm doomed!"
He turned to get out the other side but found more re-enforcers blocking his escape. He was trapped!
In the meantime, Matt called for order and as the crowd gave him their attention, he said, "I'm going to read out the names of these gentlemen and could you please make your way and join us in the ring."
Jeff groaned and started wishing for Santa to open a dimension gate in front of him right now so he could disappear into it forever!
"Mark Calaway," Matt began, wearing a big smirk on his face. The Undertaker got up and climbed into the ring to thunderous applause. Okay, it looked like this guy had major support from the audience.
"Glenn Jacobs," and as he joined Mark in the ring, he punched his fist in the air to loud cheers and applause. The man was getting there. The crowd was warming up to him after having met him. They realized that he had a great sense of humor.
"John Cena," and the Massachusetts blue-eyed boy wonder climbed into the ring and raised his arms to thunderous cheers while shouting, "The Champ is here!"
"Dave Batista," the half Greek, half Filipino stepped into the ring and was greeted by boos and jeers. Okay, he had not been winning votes by turning heel and pulverizing Rey into a pulp every time he saw him didn't make him the crowd's favorite.
"Randy Orton," the infamous Legend Killer slid into the ring and gave the audience a viper look with half slit eyes. There was 50-50 support for him from the crowd.
"And last but not least … me! Matt Hardy, V1ner!" Matt announced himself with a flourish and the thunderous roar filled the dome and echoed ten-fold. Ahh … it looked like Matt Hardy, the homegrown boy won hands down. But, lets face it, he had home advantage.
Jeff looked like he was about to faint. His own brother wanted his ass too. He leaned weakly against the ropes, praying for a miracle to save him. How could he sleep with all these men in one night? His ass would burn for days, weeks, months even! He would never walk straight again!
Matt motioned to the crowd to calm down, "As much as Jeff would like to oblige all of us, it is unholy to expect him to give it up six times!" he snorted with laughter, earning a baleful glare from his brother. "So, in all fairness, the six of us will have a contest. We will give Jeff ten minutes to hide and we will go looking for him. The one who catches him first will get his wish granted. He'll get to spend one night with my desirable beautiful baby brother, one whole night to fulfill his darkest desires in every way and form."
The look Jeff threw at him could kill him ten times over!
"Any questions?" Matt asked and the other five men shook their heads. It was clear to them – catch Jeff, you get his ass!
Glenn said impatiently, "Come on, lets get started. I can't wait to get him in bed. My balls are turning blue already at the thought!"
Jeff gulped and moved a couple of steps away from him in the ring. He swore to himself that if he got out unscathed, he was going to kill Matt over and over again and then kill him some more.
"Wait!" Jeff shouted suddenly and moved quickly to Matt, "Since my ass is at stake, I want to set a time limit for this. If none of you can find me in ten minutes, the game is over!"
The crowd stomped their feet in protest and the dome filled with their thunderous beat downs.
"Ten minutes is far too short. Let us make it one hour," Matt suggested and was greeted with thunderous applause of approval.
Jeff slumped over in defeat. An hour, one whole fucking hour! 'Wait!' A gleam of hope appeared. The pine woods, his beautiful home lies on 100 acres of pine woods. He knew of plenty of places to hide in the woods but there was only one problem, Matt knew them too. 'Fuck!' he thought, 'I can only improve my chances but I just have to outsmart Matty!'
"Okay, one hour then and remember, the game is over if you can't find me by that time," Jeff said. He added hurriedly, "And no one else is allowed to help. Everyone not involved must stay in the building until the one hour is up," he insisted. They agreed to abide by his terms.
Shane was elected time keeper and Shannon and Kimo would stand watch to make sure no one left the building.
"Okay, Jeff, you have ten minutes to hide. Ready, set, go!" and Jeff scooted under the bottom rope and took off in a flash. Man, was he quick! As soon as he disappeared, Matt said, "Each of us need a referee to come with us, to make sure that everyone plays fair."
Quickly, the volunteers came forward. R-truth would accompany Matt, Jericho with Mark, Morrison with Cena, Christian with Batista, Shelton with Glenn and Miz with Randy.
…….
Shane counted down close to the ten-minute mark. He finally announced, "Time's up! You have one hour to catch Jeff. GO!"
The six men and their referees took off and ran out the building to applause and cheers.
Shannon picked up the mic and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, while we wait, lets have a karaoke session. Feel free to eat, drink and sing to your hearts' content!"
………
Matt immediately took off into the woods. But he didn't expect the other five men and their referees to take off after him. 'Oh shit! They're going to follow me wherever I go. They know I know these woods and my brother well!'
There was nothing he could do to stop them so he just prayed he would reach Jeff first. First stop, the little cabin he and Jeff built when they were young. It was known as "Itchweeed's Crib" in the Hardy Show. As Matt ploughed through the woods, with R-truth close behind him, he thought he saw a flash of green up ahead but he wasn't sure. Jeff was wearing a green shirt but they were in the woods, everything looked green except for the light dusting of snow covering. He decided to just head for the cabin and in five minutes, he was standing at the doorway, panting heavily.
"Damn it, Matt, slow down! It's cold and slippery. I don't want to break a leg!" R-truth panted out.
As Matt pushed the door open, Randy arrived with the Miz. They were joined by Cena and Morrison. The others were still far behind.
The six men walked in and their eyes immediately went to the loft. The rungs of the wooden ladder leading up to it were broken in several places and didn't look safe. The three competitors looked at one another, wondering who would risk climbing up when they heard a thud and dust floated down from the loft. They grinned at each other. Jeff was up there, alright!
The three men started to climb up cautiously, Randy first, followed by Matt and then Cena. As soon as Cena disappeared up the loft, Jeff climbed in through the broken side window and pushed the ladder down. It fell and crashed, shattering at several rotted places. The referees who chose to remain, stood with mouths agape as Jeff grinned up at the three exasperated faces looking down from the loft.
"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, you get that ladder up this minute!" Matt ordered in a stern voice.
Jeff chuckled and said, "I can't do that, Matty, it is broken. You and Randy and John just have to sit out the one hour." He turned to the referees with a puzzled look, "What're you doing here?" and Morrison explained their presence.
"Okay, just no helping them down or they'll be immediately disqualified!" Jeff said.
He heard approaching footsteps and knew he had wasted too much time hanging around. "Three down, three to go!" he muttered to himself as he jumped out the side window and fled.
Mark, Glenn and Batista lumbered in with their referees. They saw the broken ladder and looked up to see the three glum faces looking down at them.
"Hey, can you do us a favor and help us down?" Matt asked and the three men below guffawed before Glenn said, "No can do! Looks like being slow has its advantages."
He turned to Miz, Morrison and R-truth and asked, "Did you see which direction Jeff took off?"
They grinned and Morrison said, "No helping, remember? That's the rule. You have to find him yourself."
"Fine! We'll find Jeff ourselves!" Glenn said and the three men and their referees took off.
Miz asked, "What do we do now?"
"We go back to the dome to get a ladder, but lets wait till the one hour. We have to be fair to the others," R-truth said and the others agreed.
Morrison called out to the three guys trapped in the loft, "Hey fellas, we'll be back with a ladder. Just sit tight for an hour!"
Up in the loft, Matt, Randy and Cena sat down to wait out. Randy and Cena studied the surroundings and Cena asked, "This is kind of cool! You guys built it yourselves?"
Matt grinned proudly and said, "Yeah, we couldn't afford toys so we had to make do with our hands and imagination to entertain ourselves. Cool, isn't it?"
Randy agreed. He sighed suddenly and his co-workers turned to him, "What's wrong?"
"We fail to get Jeff, again! My bet is on Mark to win. He can trek the woods and if anyone can find him, it's him!"
Matt and Cena nodded their agreement. Yes, whenever Mark made his appearance, he always ended up with Jeff.
"Damn, it's freezing in here!" Cena said with a shiver. They were fine when they were moving but it wasn't the same when one remained still.
"Lets huddle together, we can share our body warmth," Matt suggested and the three men moved to sit close together. They prayed that someone would catch Jeff soon before the hour was up. Their asses were freezing up there!
……..
Jeff panted as he ran. He was beginning to tire. He was not properly dressed to be on the outside and the temperature was dropping. Finally, he dropped to lean against a tree, assuring himself that he had put enough distance between him and the other three men. He was startled when he heard crashing sounds. They were close by!
Panicking, he looked around to look for a hiding place but there was nowhere to hide. He looked up and grinned. They wouldn't think of looking up to find him. Quickly, he got to his feet and started to climb up the tree. He got to about twenty feet above the ground and squatted among the foliage, his green shirt providing the perfect camouflage. He didn't wait for long when he saw them. He remained still as the six men stopped exactly below him.
"Where did he go?" Dave asked as he tried to catch his breath. He was shivering with the cold and wished he had worn his leather jacket out.
Mark bent on one knee to study the tracks. He finally said, "He was here, maybe five minutes ago. Hmm… it looks like he has taken off to the north. Lets go!"
Suddenly, he winced in pain and said, "You guys go on ahead. My hips are working up again. I need to rest for a couple of minutes but I'll be right behind you."
They asked Jericho to look out for him and took off. Jericho slumped down to lean against the tree and said, "Mark, this is a stupid! What're we doing out here? It's freezing and we're not even appropriately dressed for this weather!" he said with a shiver. "Why don't we call it and turn back? A little scotch would be nice right now," he said with a sigh.
Mark chuckled and said, "Yeah, a scotch would warm us pretty quickly. We can head on back now."
Chris' eyes lit up and he said, "You mean it? You're giving up?"
Mark smirked and said, "Who says I'm giving up? I've already won!"
He looked up and gave Jeff a little wave. Jeff gasped before pouting petulantly at him.
"How did you know?" he asked as Chris looked up stunned.
"Come on down, Jeff. I'll tell you on the way back," Mark said with a grin.
Jeff shook his head, "No, you haven't won yet. You're supposed to catch me. I'm up here and you're down there," he said cheekily.
Mark sighed, "We're all freezing our asses out here! Will you just come down and get this over with?"
Jeff grinned, "You can leave if you want. I'm not coming down."
"Fine, we'll see how long you'll last up there! You're not better dressed than us," Mark retorted and sat down beside Chris to wait.
Ten minutes later …..
Jeff let out a huge sneeze and the blast caused the collected snow on the branches to rain down on the guys below. Mark and Chris quickly got to their feet. Both men glared up at Jeff who sniffed before grinning down at them.
"Jeff, get your ass down this minute! You're catching a chill!" Mark scolded.
"No, I'm not coming down!" Jeff said stubbornly and shifted to make himself more comfortable. But he lost his footing on the icy and slippery branch and with a yelp, he pitched forward.
Fortunately, Mark caught him and grinning down at him, said, "See? I win!" He gave Jeff a peck on his lips before putting him down on his feet, "Your ass is mine!" and smacked him on his ass, making him yelp yet again.
Chris shook his head and said, "Okay, game's over. You won Mark! Lets head back for that scotch." The trio headed on back, with Jeff rubbing ruefully his buttocks.
Two hours later, a search party was sent out to look for Glenn, Batista, Shelton and Christian. The four men were found hiding in a neighbor's barn.
They looked sheepishly at their rescuers and Gilbert Hardy asked, "How can you get lost when there are tracks to lead you back?"
He swore he saw them blush and wondered if maybe they did not intend to be found. He studied their disheveled looks and shook his head, 'Horny bastards, all of them!' When he went to get Matt, Cena and Randy, they wore the same look as well.
Later that night …….
"I miss you! When are you coming back?" Mark asked as he hugged Jeff to him. They were in Jeff's bed at his house.
"I don't know, Mark. I haven't decided if I'm going to come back at all," Jeff admitted as he snuggled close to his long time mate and friend.
Mark sighed and said, "Maybe I should retire and we can spend time together."
"Don't! Not yet anyways. You work so hard for the title and now that you have it, you should enjoy it."
"I don't know, Jeff, it's not the same without you."
"I'll come visit you from time to time or you can come visit me?"
"Looks like it'll have to do, for now," Mark said as he shifted on top of Jeff. "We still have four hours to go before sunrise, let us make the most of it."
As Mark played out his fantasies with Jeff, Matt finally stumbled into bed. He had spent the last four hours cleaning up the dome with some help from his friends. As he drifted off, he mumbled, "Merry Christmas, one and all!" and was soon fast asleep.
~*~ MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE ~*~