Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

My Mark muse won me over! He couldn't wait and I can never say no to him, or Jeff, for the matter. So, here you go! I present to you my favorite pairing of all times, Mark and Jeff in a new story, "Lessons In Love". Please read and review.

By the way, the next chapter on "A Change Of Heart" will probably be posted tomorrow. I'm almost done.

Chapter 1

"Move it, boys! Taker doesn't like it when people turn up late for his meeting!"

Matt and Jeff picked up their paces, trying to keep stride with Bradshaw. He was the executor of decisions, Taker's right hand man. It was his job to make sure that everyone abided by the rules, laid down by Taker himself. At the moment, he was asked to find the brothers and bring them to the meeting. Attendance was compulsory and anyone failing to turn up without good reason would be penalized.

Matt and Jeff had just joined the wrestling federation a few days ago. They didn't know about any meeting. No one informed them and they had missed the notice pinned on the board. Bradshaw had been sent to get them when they failed to turn up.

"Matty, are we going to be in trouble?" Jeff whispered fearfully to his brother.

"I hope not! But, it's too late to worry about that now. Lets just get to the meeting and see what happens," Matt whispered back.

Bradshaw led them to the crowded cafeteria where the meeting was being held. There was an immediate hush as soon as they stepped in. Both boys felt their eyes on them and fidgeted uncomfortably. Jeff edged closer to Matt, reaching for his hand. He looked down, hoping they would lose interest and get back to whatever they were doing. He felt his brother tensed and looked up to see the intimidating sight of the Undertaker approaching them. Jeff gulped and involuntarily stepped behind his brother to shield himself. He had seen the Undertaker from a distance and was completely in awe of him. The man looked larger than life up close. Standing at seven feet and weighing in at 328 pounds, his presence overwhelmed him.

"Do you expect a personal invite to attend this meeting? We have been waiting for you for fifteen minutes! Why are you late?" Taker's deep bass voice cut clearly through the silence of the room.

"W…we're sorry. We didn't know about the meeting. I…it won't happen again!" Matt stuttered out. Jeff squeezed his brother's hand reassuringly but he didn't feel so brave himself.

Taker turned his head to Bradshaw, "Didn't you inform them?"

"Not personally, but the notice was pinned up a week ago! It's not my fault if these punks don't take the trouble to check!" Bradshaw defended himself. A growl emitted from Taker and he added quickly, "I'll make sure to deliver the message personally next time!" before sending the brothers a baleful glare.

Taker turned back to them. He had heard about them and knew them to be brothers but had yet to meet them personally. He studied Matt closely, seeing a dark handsome young man before him. He looked to be in his early twenties but there was a maturity about him. It was etched on his face. Taker detected an air of confidence about the young man.

"What's your name, boy?" he addressed Matt.

"I'm Matt Hardy, and this is my …" Matt stopped when Taker raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

"I'll get to your brother in due time. Now, how old are you and where do you come from?" he enquired.

"I'm twenty-two and we hail from Cameron, North Carolina," Matt informed him politely.

Taker nodded and turned his gaze to the other brother. His mouth twitched when he realized that Jeff was hiding behind his brother. He liked the intimidating effect he had on people. It was his job to ensure that everyone knew their place and not over step their boundaries. He ran a tight ship in the backroom and everyone knew not to antagonize him.

"Come out from there and face me!" Taker said in a stern voice. Snickers rang out but he ignored them. He only managed to catch a glimpse of frightened wide eyes which peeked out briefly before disappearing again.

"Jeff!" Matt hissed at his brother while reaching behind him to urge his brother to come out and face the Undertaker. But Jeff stubbornly stayed behind, refusing to reveal himself. He was clutching the back of his shirt in desperation.

Exasperated, Taker barked, "Move aside, Matt!" but he hesitated to do so. It was his responsibility to protect his brother. He could tell that he was frightened, he could feel him trembling.

"Please, you are scaring him," he said and frowned when the others started laughing. Someone yelled out, "Send these babes back home! They're not cut out for this business!"

To everyone's surprise, Jeff jumped out from behind him to confront them. He shouted, "Screw you! Don't judge us before you even know us!" His face was twisted into a scowl. He glared at everyone until his eyes landed on Taker. Dropping his bravado instantly, he let out a gasp and tried to hide behind his brother again but Taker reached out quickly and grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to turn around to face him.

Taker was immediately taken aback by the lovely features of the young man standing before him. His eyes were a dark emerald green, speckled with gold. Long blonde lashes with strong eyebrows accentuate his double-lid eyes. The bridge tapered narrowly to a well-proportionate nose. And his mouth … Taker couldn't stop staring at his mouth. The boy has sultry lips and the width of his mouth was just made to take cock. Taking a deep breath to calm his senses, Taker took in the shoulder-length sunny blonde hair, the perfectly shaped ears … Wait! Were those earrings? The boy was wearing earrings! And the odd thing was that it suited him! His eyes travelled down the body, taking note of the fair skin, the narrow waist … he couldn't see past the baggy pants from there. His eyes went back to Jeff's face and he realized the boy was squirming uncomfortably under his gaze. He heard snickers and sent a warning glare into the crowd. They hushed up immediately.

He turned back to Jeff and asked, "What's your name, little one?"

Jeff blanched at being addressed as such. "Little! I'm more than six feet tall!" He opened his mouth to fire a fiery retort when Matt tugged on his sleeve sharply from behind. Pouting petulantly and keeping his eyes down, he answered him begrudgingly, "Jeff".

"And, how old are you, Jeff?" Taker asked.

"Nineteen," he replied, shuffling his feet and looking up at him furtively. He was thinking that the Undertaker wasn't as fearsome as he looked now that he had spoken, but he still had an intense aura about him. Jeff was aware that everyone was watching them closely and felt very self-conscious.

"Both of you must have started very young. You must be good if the talent scouts sign you up. They don't normally take in anyone so young," Taker remarked thoughtfully.

"Jeff was fourteen and I was seventeen when we started jobbing for the company. We have been placed on the full-time roster only recently," Matt told him proudly. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that they were now officially WWF wrestlers.

"Well, I'm glad to have you boys onboard. We have rules here. Bradshaw here will brief you about them later. The basic rule is, keep to the schedule and don't be late. And, if you have any problems, you can come and see me. I'll help you any way I can. Okay, we're behind time. Let us get on with the meeting."

As everyone started to take their seats, Taker walked towards Bradshaw and said something to him. Bradshaw nodded while looking over at the brothers, the sides of his mouth lifting with amusement. Matt and Jeff remained unaware that they were the topic of discussion. They stayed behind the room, preferring to keep away from prying eyes.

After fifteen minutes and the meeting continued to drone on, Jeff started getting restless. He fidgeted in his seat, praying for the stupid meeting to quickly end. Another ten minutes passed and it didn't look as if it was going to end any time soon.

He leaned towards his brother, "Matty, what's taking them so long? This is boring! Can we leave now?"

"Hush, Jeff, we have to wait till it's over. It won't be long," Matt reassured him and brought his attention back to the meeting.

Jeff let out a sigh and prepared to sit it out. He wanted to go back to their locker room and sketch until it was time to get ready. Ever since he got there, he had found many new subjects to fill his sketch pad. He wished he had brought it along with him to the meeting. It would have kept him occupied. Sighing out loud, he started glancing around to distract himself and that was when he noticed the man smiling at him at the far end of the room on his right. He blushed and brought his gaze back to the front, pretending he didn't notice him. After a while, he glanced furtively to his right and noticed that the man was still looking at him. When he saw Jeff looking his way, he wriggled his fingers in a friendly wave and winked at him. Jeff gave him a shy smile. He returned the wave, feeling pleased at the attention. He flushed with pleasure when the man grinned and mouthed "Hi" to him.

"Who are you looking at?"

Jeff turned to his brother on his left with flushed cheeks and informed him in a whisper, "That man over there, he waved to me. He's nice."

Matt leaned forward to see who he was referring to. He saw a good looking man with long blonde hair and clear blue eyes looking in their direction. The man gave him a friendly smile and nodded to him, to which Matt acknowledged. Leaning back, Matt said quietly to his brother, "I don't want you going off alone with any of these guys. You hear me, Jeffro?"

"But, Matty, he looks nice. We haven't made any friends since we got here! I'm sick of staying in the room all the time!" Jeff huffed. He was bored out of his mind, trapped in his room with his brother. Matt didn't take him out and he didn't allow him to go out by himself.

Matt gave him an exasperated look. Jeff was growing up and had started his rebellious streak. He used to listen to him unquestionably but all that changed since he turned nineteen. He knew that Jeff wanted to do his stuff without him hovering around, but he couldn't help worrying about him. He didn't want people to take advantage of his pretty brother, and there were plenty of them around. He had seen them giving him wolfish looks and he could read their dirty thoughts. No way was he going to let Jeff out of his sight! Jeff insisted that he was old enough to take care of himself but Matt doubted him. His brother was too gullible for his own good. They had several arguments over it and Jeff always gave in. He knew Matt was just being concerned but sometimes, he just wanted to scream out his frustrations, and this was one of those times. He couldn't understand why he couldn't even make friends with that nice looking man over there.

"I've explained this to you many times, Jeffro. You mustn't be taken in by people so easily. Don't take them at face value. Remember that time when you went off with that stranger who asked you to show him the way to the nearest gas station? Remember what happened?" Matt reminded him.

Jeff couldn't help shuddering. His skin crawled at the memory. He was fifteen then. He was on his way home after school. Normally, he and Shannon, who stayed close to each other, would ride back together. But on that day, his best friend had to stay back to finish a class project. He was riding along on his bike when he saw a man standing beside his stalled vehicle at the side of the road. He had stopped and the man told him he had run out of gas. He asked if Jeff could take him to the nearest gas station and told him he would pay him twenty dollars for his time. It was easy money and Jeff didn't hesitate. He had immediately accepted and offered the man a ride. But, they didn't get to the gas station at all. The man had stopped him along the way and pulled him into the long bushes at the side. Jeff fought him off, biting deep into the man's arm and ran back to the road, got on his bike and pedaled as fast as he could. He was lucky. When he reached home, he was in tears. He told his brother, who was just home to collect his football shoes, what happened. Matt took his father's shot gun and went back to the scene, taking Jeff along with him in his pick up. But the man had since fled. When they went back to the place where he had left his car, it was gone. It was then that Jeff realized he was tricked. The man must have been watching him for quite some time and had planned it all along. Since then, Matt took Jeff to school in his pick up and he ensured that his brother was always accompanied by someone on his way home.

Realizing that he wasn't going to win the argument, again, Jeff changed his tactics. "Please, Matty, can we go out after the show tonight? I want to see the city! They say the lights are all so pretty at night and I want to go to a store and see what they have in fashion now. Please, Matty, can we, please?" Jeff pleaded with him.

The endearing puppy look his brother was giving him wasn't lost on him. Heaving a sigh of resignation, Matt said, "Okay, I promise to take you out this evening. But no big fancy places, Jeffro. We're tight on the belt."

Jeff's face lit up like a child who had just been told he was going to a carnival. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Matty! I'll do anything you say!" and gave his brother a big wet kiss on his cheek.

They turned their heads at the sound of deliberate coughing and saw that the people in the room were watching them, with smirks on their faces.

"Is there something you boys want to share with us?" Taker asked in a wry tone.

"Matty's taking me out tonight! We're going to the city!" Jeff blurted out excitedly. He received amused looks and sniggering. Matt mumbled an apology before hissing at his brother to calm down. Jeff pouted but nothing could really dampen his excitement. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

Taker cleared his throat. He was half amused and half astonished at the childlike behavior of the younger Hardy. Nevertheless, he was captivated by the little spitfire.

"Haven't you boys been out to the city yet?" he asked casually.

Jeff shook his head, "Nope! Matty says it's dangerous to go out, especially at night."

Taker raised his eyebrows at that, giving Matt an incredulous look. "Now, why is that, may I ask?" he asked Matt.

Giving him a weak grin, Matt tried to think of a plausible explanation without giving away that he was just trying to keep his brother safe. God had given him a beautiful baby brother whose wholesome looks had given him a lot of headaches since high school. If it wasn't a jock trying to get into Jeff's pants, it would be a jerk calling him derogatory names. Matt had taken upon himself to accompany his brother everywhere. He never allowed him to go out on single dates. It was always group dates and he would tag along, just to make sure there wasn't any hanky panky.

"Well … huh … we don't know our way around and, huh … we may, you know, end up getting mugged or something."

Taker just stared at him and on a whim, came to a decision. "Tell you what. Since you're not familiar with the city, I'll take you boys out and show you around after the show," he offered.

Jeff's mouth fell open. The Undertaker was going to be their chaperon for the night? He wasn't sure how he felt about it but his brother looked pleased. "Thank you, we'll take you up your offer," Matt said gratefully. Having a dominating figure like the Undertaker with them would send any would-be perpetrators packing. He didn't have to keep his guard up. It took a weight off his shoulders.

"I'll let you know where to meet up later. Now, lets wrap up this meeting. We have to get ready for the show."

The crowd dispersed. Matt led Jeff out but he couldn't help noticing that Jeff was hanging back, turning his head to look behind him. He knew he was looking for the man with blue eyes.

Matt tugged on his hand and said, "Come on. We have a big night ahead of us! Lets go and get ready."

Jeff followed him reluctantly. He jumped when a hand clasped his shoulder, stopping him. Turning around, he couldn't keep from blushing when he came face to face with the man with blue eyes.

"I'm sorry to startle you," the man apologized. Putting out his hand, he said, "Name's Chris, Chris Jericho."

Jeff took his proffered hand and smiled at him, "I'm Jeff Hardy, nice to meet you, Chris." It was one of those moments when your hand was gripped and the other party refused to let go. Chris wanted Jeff to know he was interested.

Matt moved up, offered his hand and said sardonically, "You want to hold my hand as well?"

Chris had the courtesy to look embarrass. He released Jeff's hand to shake Matt's, giving him a sheepish grin.

"Hey, Chris, you're ready to go yet?" Hunter and Shawn came up to join them. Shawn smiled warmly at the brothers and said, "We're heading to the gym to warm up. You guys care to join us?"

Before Matt could say they would gladly join them, Bradshaw came up and cut in, "Excuse me, but these boys are coming with me. I've to brief them and take them to Mark afterwards."

"Can't it wait? We can tell them the rules if you want and why does Mark want to see them? He just spoke to them," Chris interjected.

"It's my job to tell them the rules or Mark will hand my ass to me! These boys almost got me in trouble with Mark by being late. And as to what Mark wants to see them about, why don't you ask him yourself? I'm just carrying out his instructions!" Bradshaw gave him a look of disdain. He didn't like Chris. The man had a huge ego and a mouth to match. He would tolerate him at most.

Shawn and Hunter looked at each other and the latter shrugged before saying, "Come on, Chris, lets just go. He has his job to do." Chris was reluctant to leave but he really didn't have a choice. Furthermore, he didn't want Bradshaw to give grief to the brothers. He could give them a hard time. That man was an asshole!

"Once you're done, maybe you can look us up at the gym," Chris suggested to them and they nodded. "See you later, then" and he left.

"Come on, I want to get this over with. I've a match tonight and I need to go over the details with my tag partner and opponents," Bradshaw said as he led the way.

Matt and Jeff followed him through the winding passageway until they came to a door. They realized it was the Undertaker's private dressing room when they saw the plaque with the words, "Undertaker" on the door.

"I thought you're going to brief us on the rules first. What are we doing here?" Matt asked with a frown.

"Mark wants to see you," Bradshaw said with a smirk on his face.

"Is Mark the Undertaker?" Matt enquired as Bradshaw rapped his knuckle once on the door and waited.

"Yes," Bradshaw replied just as they heard a deep voice calling out to "come in".

He opened the door and led the way in. Matt and Jeff gasped as they stepped into the room. It was well furnished with the makings of a home. It has a sitting area with a huge couch and two armchairs placed around a coffee table. A big television set was placed strategically across the couch and there was a mini refrigerator and even a work out area with machines situated in a corner. Mark was seated on a workout bench, working with weights and watching them intently.

"I brought the boys as you asked. If there's nothing else, I'll head on back. Have to go through the moves with Ron, Jesse and Billy."

Mark just nodded and Bradshaw closed the door behind him. He got up and went to the fridge. "Want something to drink?" he asked as he opened it and grabbed a cold bottle of mineral water for himself.

"Do you have Mountain Dew?" Jeff asked in a hopeful voice. Mark reached in and took out a can of the said drink. As he handed it over, he couldn't help noticing how Jeff's face lit up like a thousand watts as he took it from him eagerly. "The boy is so easy to please," he noted pleasingly. He turned to Matt who said, "Mineral water is fine" and was given a bottle.

"Lets sit over here and I'll explain the rules to you. Bradshaw had other duties lined up for him," Mark said as he went over to the couch and settled himself comfortably.

Jeff and Matt took the armchairs and Jeff popped the can and took several sips from it. Having satisfied his thirst and craving, he waited for Mark to start.

"There are only three basic rules you need to remember – 1. Be punctual for all your appointments; 2. Follow all instructions, and 3. Respect your peers."

The boys nodded their understanding and he continued.

"Rule No. 1 is pretty clear cut. Do not be late for any meetings and appearances, unless you have valid reasons. There are consequences if you are late without good reason."

"And what are they?" Matt enquired politely.

"You'll have to pay a fine," Mark informed them. "The first time, a $100 fine is imposed. It's $300 for a second and $600 for a third. No one has gone further than the third stage so I'll not go into it but it will be hefty."

Matt nodded and Jeff sipped on his drink again. He had now curled his legs under him.

"Now, the second rule applies as someone will be appointed to guide you. He will be your mentor. He'll help you draw up a training schedule and you are to adhere to it. It's only logical that he'll also be your sparring partner. You can always request for a change of mentor but I need to know why. You have to work closely with him and follow his instructions. Any questions so far?" Mark asked.

"What if Jeff and I prefer to spar and train with each other? Can that be arranged?" Matt asked anxiously. He didn't want to leave his brother in someone else's hands.

"Personally, I would encourage you to train and spar with someone else, other than someone familiar with your moves. It's a rewarding experience. You will develop new moves and learn to counteract the others' from the exposure. But, it can be arranged for the two of you and your mentors to train together, if that's what you want," Mark said and Matt nodded gratefully.

"Rule No. 3 – Respect your peers." Mark paused to gather his thoughts. This was something that he needed to tread around carefully. He could be misinterpreted and that would cause problems.

He started carefully, "Besides the obvious, there's something I need to bring to your attention. All of us have our sexual preferences," he started to say. Jeff's eyes grew round as saucers and he sat up, his full attention on Mark.

"Huh … Mister Taker?" Matt interrupted, looking somewhat uneasy.

Mark's mouth twitched. "Please don't call me that. You can call me Mark," he said and Matt nodded.

He took in a deep breath and said in a rush, "Can we not speak of you know what in front of you know who?" and tilted his head towards his younger brother to let Mark know who he was referring to.

Jeff gave his brother a scowl before leaning forward and smacking him on the arm, making him winced. "I'm not a kid anymore! Stop treating me like one! I want to know about sex!" and sat back, wearing a sulk on his face.

Mark looked from one to the other with astonishment. He finally found his voice and addressed Jeff, "You do know about the birds and the bees, don't you?"

Jeff hesitated before saying, "I'm not really sure what you're referring to."

Matt coughed, trying to disguise the fact that he was amused, while Mark pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking of how to phrase his words to make himself understood. He finally said, "Have your parents told you about the birds and bees story?"

Jeff shook his head and informed him, "I don't remember. We lost our mom a long time ago."

Mark wanted to tell him he was sorry but Jeff rambled on, "And daddy never tell us any bedtime stories. I don't think daddy knows anything about any birds and bees. He knows a lot about tobacco though. He's a tobacco farmer," he said helpfully. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully, eyes down, not noticing that Mark was shaking his head in disbelief. Matt bit down on his lip, trying very hard not to laugh. Jeff looked up uncertainly at Mark and asked, "Is… is this relevant to what you were talking about, you know, about sexual preferences?"

Mark sat back with a sigh. "This is going to take a while," he decided. "Okay, how do you tell a nineteen year old about sex without being suggestive and in front of his older brother?" he thought to himself. "What are schools teaching these days? Don't they include sex education in the syllabus?"

He leaned forward, deciding to just come to the point, "Jeff, you know about sex between a man and woman, don't you?" he asked.

Matt opened his mouth to protest but Mark sent him a warning glare and said, "You haven't been helpful in that department! I would have expected you to tell him about sex when he reached his teens!" he scolded and Matt looked down, ashamed.

Mark turned his attention back to Jeff.

"I read about it and .... I heard my friends talk about it," Jeff said, giving his brother an uneasy look.

Matt looked up at him with a gasp and demanded to know, "Tell me who lent you those books? You know you're not supposed to read those! They corrupt your mind!"

"How can it corrupt me when the cover said, 'Knowing your body and understanding your needs' and it was written by a doctor!" Jeff rebutted before pulling a pout.

"Now, hold on there for just a goddamn second!" Mark bellowed and threw Matt an incredulous look, "You forbid your brother from reading to find out what he needs to know? What's wrong with you? You should know better than that!"

"But, if he knows, he'll get curious and he will … experiment!" Matt said in his defense.

Mark slapped the flat of his palm against his forehead. He couldn't believe what he was hearing!

"Nothing wrong with experimenting, it beats reading!" Jeff muttered under his breath.

Matt heard him and gasped out sharply. He got up from his seat and kneeled before his brother, "Jeffro, did … did you let anyone touch you anywhere inappropriately?"

Jeff flushed to his roots and placed the can of Mountain Dew over his face to cover up his embarrassment and protested loudly, "Matty! That's personal! Don't ask me that!"

Matt took in a sharp intake of breath and jumped to conclusion. He exclaimed angrily, "Tell me who the motherfucker is! I'm going to kill him with my bare hands!" He was startled when he was hauled to his feet by Mark from behind.

"Haul your ass back to that chair and shut up! Now, move it!" Mark spoke in a commanding voice and Matt meekly moved and sat down.

"I can't believe I'm listening to this! I'm trying to get Rule No. 3 across but it looks like I need to give a pep talk to both of you! Now, as I see it, I need to do this separately to avoid any interruptions! Matt, I want you to step out for a while. I'm going to explain the whole gismo of this sex thing to your brother and then, we're going to have a heart-to-heart talk as to what you're thinking! Now, out!"

The thunderous look he sent Matt broached no objection. Matt got up sullenly and left, closing the door behind him. Mark turned to Jeff. He didn't know whether to laugh or not when he saw that the little pup was looking at him with an anticipated look.

"Okay, here goes nothing! I hope I'll do justice to the topic!" and began his first lesson.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.