Mending Hearts

"Why are you so hyper?" Matt asked Jay an hour after he got back from his workout.

When he'd left two hours earlier, Jay was lying in an unconscious heap on his bed. Now the blond Canadian was bouncing on the balls of his feet, fully dressed and ready for a day on the town. That's all he kept talking about since Matt returned. How they needed to go out on the town. The older Hardy couldn't understand why. They'd been to this place at least a dozen times. But Jay was adamant and Matt was in the mood to indulge him after he'd forced the Canadian to be an accessory to his plan. He'd just finished dressing after a quick shower and was grabbing a jacket.

"A group of others will be coming, too," Jay smiled falling into step next to him.

"Who all is going?"

"The same crashers from last night," Jay shrugged. "Plus Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak. I think Trish and Amy will be there, too."

"Trish and Amy?" Matt rolled his eyes. Amy was a very good friend of his and he didn't mind Trish, but ever since the two had hooked up outside the ring he found he didn't always enjoy being around them. Maybe it was because he was a gay man, but he found nothing attractive about two women showing their affection in public.

"Hey, they ARE our friends, too, you know," Jay scowled. "Honestly, you can be such a wet blanket these days, Matt."

"You sound like a nagging wife."

"Well, sometimes you make me feel like one," Jay countered.

"At least you're not mad at me anymore," Matt grinned as he pushed the elevator button.

"Who says?" Jay smirked as he stepped onto the platform. "I've just decided to choose my battles more carefully."

"Whatever," Matt sighed. The doors closed and the elevator began its slow descent. "Why aren't Lance and Shawn coming?"

"I invited them," Jay shrugged. "They said they had a lunch date."

"So, you're still onboard with this, then?"

"You haven't exactly given me a choice, have you?" Jay growled. "I suggest we keep things cordial between us to make it easier on both of us."

Matt looked at Jay sadly. He knew he'd taken a huge risk by forcing the blond man's compliance when it looked like he would refuse Matt's idea. He also knew that even if Jay did end up back in a relationship with Adam, he would probably never truly forgive Matt for making him betray Lance and for breaking Shannon's heart again.

And Shannon. Matt knew that what Jay was probably true. The small blond would likely never recover from being dumped by Matt again. He still remembered Shannon's shocked and horrified phone call after seeing Matt's return to Raw. The pitiful sobs chilled the small part of Matt that still had a conscience. He would absolutely come back to Matt when the plan called for it. And he would be shattered when Matt left him after Adam was back with Jay.

But Matt had spent so many long months festering and seething over his missed chance with Shawn. Going to Smackdown hadn't lessened the sting, either. Shawn and Matt had flirted on and off from the time the Heartbreak Kid made his return until Lance jumped to Raw and changed everything. Lance wasn't known for his subtlety. If he wanted something, he went after it and he wanted Shawn. Shawn apparently wanted him, too, because a couple of weeks later the two were together. Matt had decided to sit back and wait to see if the relationship would last. It did and Matt saw his chance to be with Shawn evaporate. Changing shows kept him from cracking completely.

But he couldn't stop thinking about Shawn. And the more he thought about it, the more the plan to sever the two Raw stars developed in his mind. He knew he'd need an accomplice, but he also knew none would be willing to break up the happy couple. He needed to find someone just as unhappy, someone who would have something to gain. Jay was unhappy. His rocky relationship with Adam had been over for a while and yet he still looked as freshly traumatized as the day it happened.

Adam had looked just as sad for the first six months. But curiously enough, he'd eventually learned to smile again. When Matt was traveling with the tall Canadian while he was in his first few months of Smackdown and before Adam left for surgery, he noticed the transformat He He also noticed the intense gazes Adam directed at Shannon when he was within observation range. Matt could see the crush developing, though Adam never said anything about it and was careful to veer the subject away from Shannon when they talked. Thinking he could gain more information, Matt had openly admitted to his feelings for a fellow Raw superstar, though he didn't name Shawn.

Hence the plan to seduce and manipulate Shannon using the obvious and longtime crush the small blond harbored for Matt. It was more difficult to bed Shannon than the older Hardy thought it would be because the young man wanted a real relationship and Matt just didn't have room in his plans or heart for another man, though it didn't hurt that he reminded Matt of Shawn in a lot of ways. But Matt eventually succeeded in his quest and soon the small blond began to believe that his best friend's brother had his best interests at heart and wouldn't hurt him. He fell for Matt hard, just as Matt intended.

All pangs of guilt were buried as Matt kept Shannon close to him and away from any outside interference. Matt had convinced Shannon not to heed Jeff's warnings and to even distance himself a bit from the younger Hardy. The phone calls became shorter and fewer, and Shannon would fight with Jeff whenever they discussed the relationship. Matt knew his brother would also not soon forgive him for what he did to Shannon, but Shawn was worth the sacrifice, wasn't he?

Matt did all of this to provide Jay with a goal, an incentive to risk his own friendship with his fellow Canadian and help Matt break Shawn and Lance up. Soon after Matt left for Raw, Adam returned for promotional work and started traveling with Shannon. Matt assumed the others, and maybe even the small blond himself, informed Adam on what a bastard Matt had been to Shannon. He would be all protective and coddling to the small blond now. But Shannon, gun shy in the romance department to begin with, would be doubly wary and would remain aloof. Nothing further than fdshidship would happen there.

When Lance and Shawn's relationship tanks, Matt will go back to the small blond and plead for another chance to make things right. Shannon was one of those guys who didn't have sex unless it meant something, so Matt was sure he loved him. The small blond could definitely be coerced back into Matt's arms, leaving Adearteartbroken. As much as Jay said he didn't want to manipulate Adam, he wouldn't be able to sit back and watch this unfold without trying to help his former lover and best friend. Adam would realize that his bond with Jay couldn't be broken and that Shannon probably just reminded him of Jay.

But, what about Shannon? Matt didn't think the small blond was suicidal. He didn't get that vibe from him the last time they'd spoken. But he would undoubtedly lose that innate innocence he exuded to the world. It was probably best he do that anyway. Wouldn't that actually be to his benefit? Matt would wait for time to heal him then try to explain himself as best as he could, though he was sure he would haveeadyeady ruined whatever friendship he'd had with the small blond for good. Maybe Jeff would step in and take care of him. Matt hated to leave his messes for his brother to clean up, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

It was too late to turn back now at any rate, for himself and for Jay. They had an unspoken agreement and they would see it through to the end. He looked at Jay now, standing defensively next to him, waiting for a response. The elevator eased to a stop and the doors opened.

"Cordial is better than it was last night, I suppose," he answered as he stepped out of the car and walked with Jay to the group waiting in the lobby.