Mending Hearts

"Hey, Matt!" Shane called out from behind him. The club was noisy, so he almost didn't hear him.

Matt turned to see Shane, Rob and Chris sidling up to the bar. Jay, who was standing on Matt's other side, broke into a wide grin and raised his beer bottle to the three.

"You made it!" Jay shouted above the music. "I wasn't sure if you would."

"And miss a fun time with you, Jasey-Poo?" Chris grinned back and grabbed Jay by the neck, pulling him in for a mock kiss. "Never! You know you light my fire, baby."

"Let me go, you bleached blond freak!" Jay laughed back.

Matt laughed, too. It was always fun to watch Chris and Jay tease each other. Nothing would ever come of it, anyway. Jay never let anyone get close to him, which is why Matt chose him for his unwilling ally. As long as Jay pined for Adam, all would be right with Matt's world.

"Hey, you guys get out here and dance!" Amy ordered, pulling Rob and Shane out with her. Trish grabbed Chris and Jay and motioned for Matt to follow. He just shook his head and watched the six from his spot at the bar.

"Now, why would you want to stay here when those six gorgeoeopleople just asked you to join them?" Shawn asked from his newly taken position beside Matt.

Matt turned around, startled to see him there. Lance wasn't anywhere Matt could see, so this was doubly confusing. Now that he had his target where he always wanted him, alone, he wasn't sure what to do, so he stared at Shawn for a moment trying to figure out his next move. Clearing his voice he picked up his drink again, rum and cola, and sipped slowly.

"Hey, Shawn," he said nervously. "I didn't think you partied anymore."

"I don't usually."

"What brings you here tonight?"

Shawn lifted a shoulder negligently and sipped his own drink. It was clear, so Matt couldn't tell if it was water or alcohol.

"Lance lets you out?"

"Only on rare occasions," Lance answered from Matt's other side. He suddenly moved into the older Hardy brother's view and smiled slightly. "Shawn's right, Matt. Why aren't you out there dancing with the others? A good looking guy like you should be living it up with your friends."

"I'm not much for dancing," Matt replied uncertainly, not liking the predatory looks in the two men's eyes. "That was always Jeff's strength, not mine."

"How is Jeff, by the way," Shawn asked. "I miss having him around."

"He's fine," Matt nodded. "Working on his music and art. Really getting himself together."

"Think he'll be back soon?" Lance interjected.

"Uh, I hope so," Matt shrugged. "I miss being around him."

"Yeah," Shawn nodded. "I would think you would. You've always had him around until recently. It must be hard only seeing him once a week or so, especially since you've trained with him and traveled with him your whole career. It must make things difficult for you when you need someone to talk to."

"Well, he is only a phone call away," Matt reasoned.

"Yeah, but that's never the same, is it?" Lance responded. "You can't really connect to your best friend that way, can you? He is your best friend, as well as your brother, right?"

"He is," Matt said, still confused about the turn of conversation. "Along with Shane, Ames and Shannon. We're all real tight."

"But your brother's known you longer and you connect with him on a different level," Lance challenged.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Matt replied coldly. He hoped Lance wasn't implying what it sounded like. He'd heard the rumors all throughout his career. Jeff was his brother, for God's sake! (A/N: This is the character's thought and not the author's opinion. *Grin*)

"Just that you and Jeff were always inseparable," Lance said. "It's weird to see you without him, even after all this time."

"Yeah," Matt's smile returned. "It's weird for me, too. I do miss him a lot. He was the only one who kept me calm when traveling turned into a nightmare."

"Oh, I can relate to that," Lance grinned. "I'd give anything to belt the CEO of Air Canada."

"I'd do just about anything to stop New York City traffic just once when I need to get to the Garden," Shawn griped.

"Me too!" Shane laughed as he grabbed Matt's ass from behind. Matt squealed and jumped in the air. Rob caught him in a tight embrace and winked at him as he undulated against him. Matt pushed both men off him with a playful grimace.

"Why aren't you out there dancing?" he asked.

"The song turned slow and we didn't want to have to watch Chris torture Jay anymore," Rob grinned and motioned to the dance floor where they observed an obviously angry Jay attempting to struggle out of the vise grip Chris had him locked into. Chris was laughing and trying to nuzzle his tag partner's ear. Amy and Trish were wrapin ein each other's arms just a short distance away, oblivious to the Canadians' antics. Rob's arm tightened around Matt's waist causing the dark haired man to almost drop his drink.

"Hey, Rob!" Shane exclaimed. "Get your hands off my bitch!"

"What!?" Matt shrieked. He could hear Lance and Shawn laughing hysterically behind him.

"Well," Shane raised an eyebrow. "Who would you rather belong to?"

Rob raised a matching brow and looked at Matt expectantly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt demanded, pulling away from Rob and facing a man he considered one of his best friends. "I hope your joking."

"Well I was before," Shane said scratching his chin. "But now I ain't so sure."

"Hey," Rob frowned. "That's not cool, dude. I saw him first."

"Saw him first?" Shane turned to him. "He's my best freaking friend. You did NOT see him first, man."

"I saw him first tonight," Rob pointed out. "And since we're at a club, that makes him fair game."

Matt started to laugh, feeling his trepidation slowly leave him. The two were teasing him like Chris was teasing Jay, who was now flailing like a rag doll on the dance floor. They all watched him again, falling all over each other laughing at his predicament.

"Matt!" Jay called, his voice just barely making it over the noise. "It is your sworn duty to save me!"

"Oh it is?" Matt wiped the tear coming from the corner of his eye. "Why's that?"

"You KNOW why!" Jay glared at him meaningfully.

Matt knew what he meant, but he still couldn't stop chuckling. He put down his drink and pushed away from the bar with purpose.

"If you'll excuse me," he said over his shoulder. "I'll just go rescue my roommate from the clutches of Y2-lay."

The others hooted and hollered at that and egged Matt on to defend his turf. Matt nodded then walked over to the two Canadians and tapped Chris on the shoulder. Jericho turned around and gave him a baleful look.

"Get your own, Hardy," he growled. "This little lady is mine!"

"Little lady?!" Jay screeched. "Jericho, if you don't get your meat hooks off me, I'll make sure you never use your . . . equipment again!"

Matt hid his smirk behind his hand.

"But I wanted you to finish this dance," Chris teased.

"I'll make sure he does," Matt offered, pulling Jay away from a disappointed Jericho. "Now run along and play with the other boys."

"Fine," Chris frowned. "But I'll be watching you two." With that he stalked away from the two and back to the bar.

"Well, you heard the man," Jay grimaced, wrapping his arms around Matt's neck. "Let's at least pretend to like each other for one night."

"Jay, I do like you," Matt argued awkwardly leaning into Jay and putting his palms on the other man's hips. "I wish you'd stop being mad at me."

"Well, I wish you'd stop using me," Jay countered.

They finished the rest of the song in silence and went back to join their friends at the bar. Despite the serious conversations he'd had that night and the disturbing looks sent his way from Shane and Rob, Matt managed to have a good time. He decided to leave the club a little early, though, after securing a promise from Jericho that he wouldn't grope Jay while Matt was gone.

In his room, Matt sighed as he undressed and got ready for bed. He was about to turn out the light when he spied the phone out of the corner of his eye. He stared at it for a while as he thought about his conversation with Lance earlier. Finally he picked it up and dialed the number he knew so well. The other person picked up the phone and answered in a sleepy voice.

"Jeff?" he asked uncertainly. "Sorry to wake you, bro." He listened for a minute then smiled. "Yeah, I've missed you, too."